TEXT: AN ADVENTURE ON THE  
  SPACE HULK MORTIS THULE
  ®
  ™
  ™
  ®
  
  TM
  TM
  ROLEPLAYING IN THE GRIM 
  DARKNESS OF THE 41ST MILLENNIUM
  
  Credits
  2
  CREDITS
  Lead Developer
  Tim Flanders
  Writing and Development
  Nathan Dowdell, Andy Hoare, and Tim Huckelberry
  Editing
  Mark Pollard
  Proofreading
  David Johnson and Rex Vogen
  Graphic Design
  WiL Springer
  Cover Art
  Michael Phillippi
  Interior Art
  Justin Adams, Matt Bradbury, Alberto Bontempi,  
  Victor Corbella, Vincent Devault, David Grifﬁth,  
  Toni Justamante Jacobs, Jeff Lee Johnson, Jason Juta,  
  Nicholas Kay, Alex Konstad, Peter Laycock,  
  Diego Gisbert Llorens, Fares Maese, Michał Miłkowski,  
  Mark Molnar, Ameen Naksewee, Pierre Raveneau,  
  Florian Stitz, and Emerson Tung
  Managing Art Director
  Andrew Navaro
  Art Direction
  Mike Linnemann
  Production Management
  Eric Knight
  Licensing and Development Coordinator
  Deb Beck
  Executive Game Designer
  Corey Konieczka
  Executive Producer
  Michael Hurley
  Publisher
  Christian T. Petersen
  Special Thanks
  Playtest Coordinator Ronald DeValk; “Unrepentant” 
  Lachlan “Raith” Conley with Fiona Coath, Jordan Dixon,  
  Mark MacLaughlin, Aaron Wong; “The Librarians”  
  Pim Mauve with Keesjan Kleef, Jan-Cees Voogd,  
  Joris Voogd, and Gerlof Woudstra; “No Guts, No Glory!” 
  Sean Connor with Mathieu Booth, Rachel Booth,  
  Andrea Pitson, Stephen Pitson, Barry Spryng. 
  GAMES WORKSHOP
  Licensing Managers
  John French and Andy Hall
  Head of Licensing
  Jon Gillard
  Head of Licensing, Legal, and  
  Strategic Projects
  Andy Jones
  Head of Intellectual Property
  Alan Merrett
  FANTASY
  FLIGHT
  GAMES
  Fantasy Flight Games
  1975 West County Road B2
  Roseville, MN 55113
  USA
  © Games Workshop Limited 2013. Games Workshop, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer 40,000 Role Play, Deathwatch, the foregoing 
  marks’ respective logos, Ark of Lost Souls, and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/
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  ISBN: 978-1-61661-592-5   Product Code: DW14   Print ID: 1510JAN13
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  Contents
  3
  Contents
  Introduction 
  4
  Running Ark of Lost Souls ....................................................4
  Mortis Thule ............................................................................6
  Chapter Approved Brieﬁng ....................................................6
  Chapter I: Peril on the Horizon 
  14
  Overview ............................................................................... 14
    Mission Brieﬁng ................................................................ 15
  The Argent Crusader ........................................................... 16
  Battle Honours ..................................................................... 16
    Prominent Locations ......................................................... 16
    Persons of Interest ............................................................. 18
  Watch-Captain de Dominova ............................................. 20
  Caught in the Storm ............................................................ 21
  Aftermath .............................................................................. 24
    Counting the Cost ............................................................. 25
    Crew Losses ........................................................................ 25
    Plasma Relay Leak ............................................................. 25
  The Final Resting Place of the Argent Crusader ............. 26
  New Priorities ...................................................................... 26
    Escape .................................................................................. 26
    Save Our Souls ................................................................... 26
    The Wounded Watch-Captain .......................................... 27
    The Maul of the Gatekeeper ............................................ 27
    Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero ....................... 27
  A Voice in the Dark ............................................................. 28
    Into the Darkness .............................................................. 29
   Search for the Signal .......................................................... 30
  The Sword of MacLir .......................................................... 32
    Permission to Board .......................................................... 32
    Battle for the Sword .......................................................... 33
  Conclusion ............................................................................ 34
  Chapter II: Survival 
  36
  Status of the Sword of Maclir ............................................. 36
    Awakening the Spirit ......................................................... 38
    Castaway on the Warp ...................................................... 39
    Journey Through Hell ....................................................... 42
  Search for the Gellar Field .................................................. 43
  The Emperor’s Gaze ............................................................ 45
    The Gaze Averted .............................................................. 46
    Key Locations and Components ...................................... 47
    The Survivors ..................................................................... 49
  Climax ................................................................................... 52
    Approaching the Emperor’s Gaze .................................... 52
    First Contact ....................................................................... 53
    Translation Immanent! ...................................................... 53
    Sanctuary ............................................................................ 54
    Schism ................................................................................. 54
    Into the Warp ..................................................................... 55
  Conclusion ............................................................................ 56
  Chapter III: Darkness at the Core 
  58
  Back in Realspace ................................................................ 58
    Immediate Concerns .......................................................... 58
  Escape .................................................................................... 59
    The Escape Point ............................................................... 59
    Three Choices .................................................................... 60
  Objective I: Purge the Plague Pits ..................................... 60
    Enslavers ............................................................................. 60
    Into the Plague Pits ........................................................... 63
    Mission Preparation .......................................................... 63
    Execution ............................................................................ 65
    The True Extent ................................................................. 67
    Exit the Plague Pits ........................................................... 68
  Objective II: Shattered Heart .............................................. 68
    The Antiquarti .................................................................... 68
    Into the Heart of Glass ..................................................... 70
    Mission Preparation .......................................................... 70
    Execution ............................................................................ 72
    A Desperate Refugee ......................................................... 74
    Uprising .............................................................................. 75
  Objective III: The Long Waaagh! ...................................... 76
    Ork Waaaghs! ..................................................................... 76
    Stop the Waaagh! ............................................................... 78
    Mission Preparation .......................................................... 78
    Execution ............................................................................ 80
    Conclusion .......................................................................... 82
  Five to Midnight .................................................................. 83
    Death From Beyond the Horizon .................................... 83
    Countdown to Doom! ....................................................... 85
  The End ................................................................................. 88
    Debrief ................................................................................ 90
  Rewards ................................................................................. 90
  Chapter IV: Space Hulk Mission Generator 
  92
  How to Use the Space Hulk Mission Generator .............. 92
  Step 1: Determine Scale ...................................................... 93
  Step 2: Determine Objectives ............................................. 93
  Step 3: Determine Subplots ................................................ 96
  Step 4: Generate Calamities ................................................ 98
  Step 5: Generate Encounters ............................................100
  Step 6: Generate Life Forms .............................................102
  Step 7: Generate Hull Types .............................................104
  Step 8: Generate Architecture & Technology .................107
  Step 9: Generate Environments ........................................109
  Step 10: Warp Effects ........................................................112
  Step 11: Generate Discoveries ..........................................114
  Appendix: NPCs and Adversaries 
  117
  Lost Souls ............................................................................117
  Orks .....................................................................................119
  Tau .......................................................................................122
  Eldar ....................................................................................125
  Chaos Space Marines, Cultists, and Renegades..............128
  Tyranids ...............................................................................130
  Chaos Daemons .................................................................133
  Luctos-Strain Psychneuein ................................................134
  Enslavers ..............................................................................137
  Mortis Thule Non-Player Characters ..............................139
  
  Introduction
  4
  Introduction
  “For my house. For my father. For my vengeance, and death to that 
  which cannot die.”
  –Unknown vox transmission, intercepted near Mideal in M34 
  W
  elcome to ARK OF LOST SOULS, a unique 
  adventure and Game Master’s supplement for 
  the DEATHWATCH Roleplaying Game. The events 
  within waylay a Deathwatch Kill-team aboard one of the 
  most iconic locales of the WARHAMMER 40,000 universe—a 
  dreaded Space Hulk. Stranded deep inside the cursed bulk 
  of Mortis Thule, the most feared and infamous Space Hulk of 
  the Jericho Reach, the Kill-team must ﬁnd their way through 
  the twisted madness and haunted darkness within. During 
  their journey, the Kill-team will encounter numerous perils 
  that threaten not only themselves, but may threaten the whole 
  of the Jericho Reach. 
  The final chapter of ARK OF LOST SOULS is dedicated 
  to the Space Hulk Mission Generator. This system of 
  tables, advice, and information provides Game Masters 
  with all the tools necessary to create unique missions 
  aboard Mortis Thule or a Space Hulk of his own design. 
  The adventure module that comprises the first three 
  chapters of ARK OF LOST SOULS utilises the Generator 
  to flesh out the locales and encounters of Mortis Thule 
  between the major events of the adventure itself.
  Running Ark of 
  Lost Souls
  T
  he events of the ﬁrst three chapters of ARK OF LOST 
  SOULS require Battle-Brothers who have a well-rounded 
  set of abilities but are easily balanced to any particular 
  level of power. Therefore, the adventure is appropriate for 
  Battle-Brothers of any Rank, though Rank 2 or higher is 
  suggested, as this will give the Kill-team more access to well-
  rounded skills. Also, it is recommended that the Kill-team be 
  made up of Battle-Brothers with a range of capabilities and 
  specialities. As a number of events make use of the Tech-Use 
  Skill, a Techmarine or other tech-savvy Battle-Brother is quite 
  valuable. Likewise, both Librarians and Apothecaries will ﬁnd 
  their abilities and specialities of use. Of course, Mortis Thule 
  is a dangerous place and this adventure contains a number 
  of challenging combat encounters, so Battle-Brothers of all 
  capabilities will have a time to shine. 
  A brief introduction to the Space Hulk Mortis Thule is 
  provided on page 6 of this book and further information can 
  be found on pages 61-65 of the DEATHWATCH supplement 
  THE ACHILUS ASSAULT.
  OVERVIEW OF  
  THE ADVENTURE
  ARK OF LOST SOULS is a continuous story arc that take the Kill-
  team through several major events as they try to escape Mortis 
  Thule. These events are linked by trials and travails generated on 
  the Space Hulk Mission Generator, to give life to the Space 
  Hulk while highlighting its ever-shifting nature. As the Battle-
  Brothers make their way through the Space Hulk, they ﬁnd 
  evidence pointing towards three possible tangential objectives, 
  from which they are forced to choose only one to accomplish. 
  In this way the Players are challenged with a tough decision 
  which may have lasting repercussions for the Jericho Reach. 
  CHAPTER I: PERIL ON THE HORIZON
  This chapter functions as the introduction to the adventure 
  module of ARK OF LOST SOULS. In this chapter, the Kill-team 
  ﬁnds themselves alongside Watch Captain de Dominova on their 
  way to relieve a besieged Watch Station in the Jericho Reach. 
  During its translation from the warp, the Kill-team’s strike vessel 
  is caught by the unnatural pull of the Space Hulk Mortis Thule, 
  with disastrous effect. The Battle-Brothers awake to discover 
  that their ship has become fused into the massive body of the 
  Space Hulk, deep within its bulk. After a cursory assessment, 
  the Space Marines learn that the Watch Captain was mortally 
  injured in the catastrophe and is near death, and the remainder 
  of the strike vessel’s crew either dead or irrevocably driven mad. 
  Dropping into sus-an induced state of suspended animation, the 
  Watch Captain is unable to aid the Space Marines further in the 
  adventure. The Battle-Brothers primary objective is now to get 
  de Dominova, and themselves, safely off the Space Hulk and 
  continue their mission to the besieged Watch Station. 
  A NOTE ON THE SPACE HULK 
  MISSION GENERATOR
  Chapter IV of ARK OF LOST SOULS contains a new system 
  that Game Masters can use to generate near-limitless 
  encounters aboard a Space Hulk. This system is used 
  extensively throughout the adventure module—Chapters 
  I, II, and III of this book. As the Players progress through 
  the adventure, the GM is called upon to use the Space 
  Hulk Mission Generator to create his own encounters, 
  calamities, and scenes to bridge the gaps between the major 
  events. It is highly recommended that the Game Master 
  generate these as part of his usual preparation for a gaming 
  session. While the Space Hulk Mission Generator 
  can be used to quickly generate these elements on the ﬂy, 
  generating them in advance can make for a much more 
  cohesive session that ﬂows far more smoothly. 
  
  Introduction
  5
  Trapped within the Space Hulk and unable to contact outside 
  aid, the Battle-Brothers must now ﬁnd a means of escape, or 
  at least of communication. Burdened with the injured Watch 
  Captain, they seek out the only lead they have as to their 
  whereabouts—a faint augur signal of Imperial origin transmitting 
  from somewhere within the Space Hulk itself. Eventually, the 
  Kill-team ﬁnds the source of the beacon, a Cobra-class destroyer 
  buried at the heart of Mortis Thule. After a climactic battle with 
  the Tyranids that have overrun the destroyer, led by a horriﬁc 
  new breed of Lictor—who will play out to be a recurring 
  nemesis throughout the adventure—the Battle-Brothers ﬁnd a 
  safe-haven on the sealed bridge of the ship. 
  CHAPTER II: SURVIVAL
  Aboard the Cobra, the Space Marines look more closely at their 
  current surroundings and their plight. Using the ship’s augur 
  arrays, the Kill-team identiﬁes a possible route of escape—a 
  long and winding series of passages which lead through 
  several ships buried within Mortis Thule to an Imperial vessel 
  attached to the surface of the Space Hulk, possibly bearing 
  a functioning lighter or other detachable means of ﬂight. 
  Unfortunately, at this point, the Battle-Brothers also receive 
  a dire warning. The Cobra’s navigator, hidden within his 
  cell from the Tyranids without, reveals himself to the Space 
  Marines and forewarns them of the Space Hulk’s inexorable 
  pull back into the warp. The Kill-team has only a relatively 
  short time before they are hurtled back into the warp and 
  exposed to the unnatural beasts which swim through the 
  Empyrean. The Cobra’s augurs are able to detect a working 
  Gellar Field along the Battle-Brothers’ path to the surface, 
  though they have little time to dally. 
  It is during this Chapter that the Kill-team discovers 
  evidence of the three tangential objectives, though with the 
  ticking clock of the imminent Warp translation, they will 
  have no time to investigate. Instead, they must quickly make 
  their way to what they discover is the remains of the Emperor’s 
  Gaze, a famous vessel of the Achilus Crusade, said to have 
  been lost to the Imperium. Aboard the Emperor’s Gaze, those 
  fortunate—or accursed—few who have thus far survived the 
  ordeal await their destiny. What form that destiny will take 
  is a subject of great debate amongst the survivors, and the 
  Battle-Brothers must tread lightly lest they ﬁnd themselves, 
  unexpectedly, in the midst of enemies. 
  CHAPTER III: DARKNESS AT THE CORE
  Though they may have found temporary sanctuary, the Battle-
  Brothers cannot simply abandon their mission. From their 
  current location, the Kill-team has a relatively clear path to 
  their escape, but three dire threats loom before them. Should 
  the players choose to undertake one of the optional objectives, 
  the Game Master can look to this chapter for the resolution of 
  those individual plots. The ﬁrst of these optional objectives is an 
  infestation of the psychic vermin known as Enslavers. The second 
  concerns a rogue agent of the Inquisition and a powerful alien 
  artefact at the heart of Mortis Thule. The third, and ﬁnal, objective 
  takes the form of a powerful Ork warlord who has built a mighty 
  Waaagh! in the bowels of Mortis Thule and is prepared to unleash 
  it upon the Jericho Reach. Upon the conclusion of their chosen 
  optional objective, or should they disregard all three and focus 
  on completing their original mission, the players must make their 
  way through the ﬁnal hazards of the Space Hulk, winding their 
  way to the Imperial vessel. The Kill-team must hurry, however, 
  as they all begin to feel the tug at their souls as Mortis Thule is yet 
  again pulled back to the Warp.
  The ﬁnal climax of the adventure comes as the Battle-Brothers 
  reach the Imperial vessel they seek, only to ﬁnd that during their 
  struggles, a portion of the vast Space Hulk had broken off from 
  the main body and is now hurtling towards an Imperial fortress 
  world. Should they wish to save the fortress world, one of the 
  Battle-Brothers must sacriﬁce himself to pilot a ship trapped 
  within the fragment, that it might push the disastrous meteor 
  aside. The remaining members of the Kill-team must ﬁght their 
  way through a mass of Tyranid beasts in order to make their way 
  to the shuttle that will be their salvation. Here they are confronted 
  by the same Lictor from Chapter I, the dreaded Beast of Thule. 
  After the epic battle against the Tyranid infestation, the Kill-team 
  ﬁnally makes their escape to the relative quiet of the void. 
  THE GM’S CHALLENGE
  ARK OF LOST SOULS is an unusual adventure, in that the 
  initial mission the Battle-Brothers are briefed on bears 
  no resemblance to the game that is actually played. 
  This means that some of the set-up is necessarily made 
  irrelevant as events unfold, but Game Masters should 
  use this as an opportunity. Ideally, the less the players 
  know about the adventure the better, allowing them to 
  roleplay their characters’ reactions.
  Particularly canny GMs might like to take this element 
  of the adventure even further by keeping the players 
  completely in the dark about the adventure they are to 
  play. Beyond preparing for series of DEATHWATCH sessions, 
  the players should be told nothing at all about the nature 
  of the adventure. This means that, for the ﬁrst session at 
  least, the GM must go so far as to hide this book from 
  the players, keeping it out of sight (perhaps utilising the 
  DEATHWATCH Game Master’s Screen to do so). Once the 
  Kill-team’s vessel has become ensnared with the vast bulk 
  of Mortis Thule and the Battle-Brothers have ascertained 
  something of their surroundings, the Game Master can 
  ease off in his efforts to keep the players ignorant of the 
  adventure they are actually playing. 
  USING ANOTHER WATCH-CAPTAIN
  Watch-Captain de Dominova is an NPC who ﬁrst 
  appeared in the DEATHWATCH adventure RISING TEMPEST. 
  As such, Game Masters may wish to substitute a character 
  of their own devising. It might be the case that the Kill-
  team has a particular connection with a familiar ofﬁcer, or 
  that the Game Master has something special or unusual in 
  mind for a unique character of his own invention. 
  
  Introduction
  6
  Mortis Thule
  “Tis a haunted place, full of old ghosts. Tis a curse to any who board her.” 
  –Ulysses Argivos, Master-at-Arms of the  
  Rogue Trader vessel, Light of Ascension 
  S
  hould the Game Master require a full description 
  of the Space Hulk codiﬁed Mortis Thule, the 
  Deathwatch supplement THE ACHILUS ASSAULT 
  provides additional information. What follows is a more 
  detailed description of the parts relevant to the Kill-
  team’s mission and to the adventure as it is to unfold. 
  Speciﬁcally, this description delves into the details that the 
  Battle-Brothers would themselves know, aiding the GM in 
  communicating to the players information that would be 
  available to their characters.
  Details of Mortis Thule are presented in four categories. 
  The first details what every Space Marine (and most 
  players) know of Space Hulks in general, and of Mortis 
  Thule in particular. The GM can refer to these details 
  should a player request information on the subject. 
  The next section details Deathwatch standing orders 
  regarding Mortis Thule, and these are known to all Battle-
  Brothers of the Jericho Reach Deathwatch. Thirdly, an 
  additional layer of information is provided to cover more 
  restricted information that some, but not all members of 
  the Deathwatch would be aware of. The final section, A 
  Realm of Death, details information specifically for the 
  Game Master. While not every piece of information in 
  this last section is secret information that should be kept 
  out of the hands of the players, its primary usefulness is 
  for the Game Master. 
  In the interest of keeping players in the dark about 
  the truth of this adventure, this information should not 
  be made available to the players until the majority of 
  Chapter I has been resolved and the Battle-Brothers 
  become aware of their predicament. 
  The information presented on the following pages is 
  available to Battle-Brothers making a successful test as 
  detailed on Table 0–1: Restricted Data.
  CHAPTER APPROVED BRIEFING
  Space Hulks are an ever-present threat to the security of the 
  Imperium and the rule of the Emperor, and have plagued the 
  space lanes at least as long as the Imperium has stood. A 
  Space Hulk is a conglomeration of star ships, space borne 
  rock, and other, less classiﬁable objects sucked into, or lost 
  within, the Warp. Cast adrift upon the insane currents of 
  the Sea of Souls, the Space Hulk grows ever larger as more 
  wrecks are drawn towards it. Far from being empty tombs, 
  Space Hulks are often infested with all manner of organisms. 
  Most exist in the darkest depths and the deepest shadows, 
  only emerging to ambush any soul brave or foolish enough 
  to board their accursed domain during the periodic interludes 
  where it drops out of the Warp to drift along the space lanes 
  of the Imperium of Man.
  It is during these incursions into realspace that Space 
  Hulks become a threat to Mankind. The creatures that infest 
  them are, by their very nature, amongst the most abominable 
  threats to humanity, and they are utilised, often by sheer 
  instinct rather than design, as a means of spreading that taint. 
  Some Space Hulks are host to all manner of alien predators 
  or parasites and, once established upon the worlds of the 
  Imperium, are all but impossible to dislodge. Sometimes, 
  all it takes to begin this tragic process is for an unfortunate 
  boarder to be attacked and evacuated to his parent vessel, then 
  subsequently returned to his home world. All the while, the 
  xenos parasite is gestating within him or hiding amongst his 
  peers. Some infestations spread quickly, bringing the world 
  to its knees before help can even be called for, while others 
  spread slowly, multiplied over generations until every single 
  member of a human population is, knowingly or otherwise, 
  under alien domination. Upon some imperceptible signal, 
  the entire population rises up, shedding what remains of its 
  humanity and sometimes calling down a massive and long 
  prepared for alien invasion.
  When a Space Hulk is detected near an Imperial world, 
  the obvious course of action would be to bombard it to 
  atoms. While many wish this were possible, the chance to 
  ﬁnd lost archeotech or relics of a bygone age is far too great. 
  This is because Space Hulks represent an accumulation of 
  vessels, both human and alien, many of them so ancient 
  they predate the Age of Imperium. The machine systems 
  to be found within these wrecks are beyond priceless in a 
  Table 0–1: Restricted Data
  Information
  Skill used
  Difﬁculty
  Speciality speciﬁc Skill Test bonus
  Ancient History
  Lore: Scholastic (Archaic)
  Very Hard (–30)
  Deathwatch Librarian +20
  Aliens and Lost Souls Lore: Forbidden (Xenos)
  Hard (–20)
  Deathwatch Librarian +10
  Lost Kin
  Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus Astartes)
  Hard (–20)
  Deathwatch Apothecary +20
  Deathwatch Chaplain† +10 
  Deathwatch Black Shield† +10
  Inquisitor Rogue
  Lore: Forbidden (The Inquisition)
  Hard (–20)
  Deathwatch Librarian +10
  Deathwatch Chaplain† +10
  Deathwatch Watch-Captain† +20
  The Emperor’s Gaze
  Lore: Common (Imperial Navy)
  Very Hard (–30)
  Deathwatch Techmarine +10
  † These entries refer to the Advanced Specialties presented in Chapter II of the DEATHWATCH supplement RITES OF B
  OF B
  OF
  ATTLE. 
  
  Introduction
  7
  stellar empire where all technological progress has long ago 
  ceased, to be replaced with superstition and ignorant ritual. 
  Only by rediscovering past technological glories can any sort 
  of progress be allowed. Thus, Space Hulks are scoured for 
  any signs of so-called archeotech, their corridors and holds 
  cleansed of aliens, outcasts, and abominations by the elite 
  boarding parties of the Adeptus Astartes so that the servants 
  of the Adeptus Mechanicus might scour them for any trace of 
  recoverable technology.
  Space Hulk boarding missions are, in many ways, one of 
  the deﬁning missions of the Adeptus Astartes, and their most 
  arduous challenge. Where possible, First Company Veterans 
  wearing formidable suits of Terminator Armour are employed, 
  but the demands of war are such that this is not always 
  possible. Regardless of resources, it is a matter of honour for 
  a Space Marine Chapter to despatch a small force of Space 
  Marines the instant that a Space Hulk has been detected.
  When it comes to Mortis Thule, the Deathwatch of the 
  Jericho Reach make every effort to record its movements, for 
  this particular Space Hulk is held to be especially accursed. 
  There are numerous reasons for this, not least of which is 
  the fact that untold readings of the Emperor’s Tarot foretell 
  great woe whenever it is near and link it to a number of other 
  dooms known to be stalking the Jericho Reach.
  It is known that Mortis Thule has plagued the space lanes of 
  the Jericho Reach since the dark age before the Great Crusade 
  cleansed its stars and brought the light of the nascent Imperium 
  to its scattered peoples. The pictorial archives of at least one 
  extinct xenos species depict a dark, ominous shape appearing in 
  the skies overhead and of unnatural beasts descending to wreak 
  murder upon the helpless natives. Numerous other legends are 
  told of the Space Hulk, and in the millennia before the fall of 
  the old Jericho Sector it was the subject of numerous boarding 
  actions. Like all Space Hulks, Mortis Thule appears seemingly at 
  random, sometimes in deep space but often perilously close to 
  a settled world. Wherever the dread mass appears, doom comes 
  in its wake. Sometimes xenos infestations appear amongst the 
  populace; at other times the curse is indeﬁnable, yet very real. 
  Mutant and psyker birth rates might increase exponentially, or 
  the population might be gripped by a wave of despair that 
  can lead only to rebellion. These and numerous other curses 
  are visited on those worlds across which the shadow of Mortis 
  Thule is cast.
  The Space Hulk is far from the only example of the 
  phenomenon encountered within the Jericho Reach, but it is 
  unusual in a number of points. Firstly, Mortis Thule has only ever 
  been reported within the region. While it has disappeared for 
  decades at a time, no sightings have ever been logged anywhere 
  else, and so it is not known if the Space Hulk drifts through 
  the Warp during these periods or is plaguing other, distant 
  regions of the galaxy, perhaps those far beyond the borders 
  of the Imperium of Man. Some have speculated that the Space 
  Hulk is drawn back to the Jericho Reach each time it vanishes 
  into the Warp, though none can agree on what might cause 
  such a thing. Certainly, the region is plagued with unnatural 
  hazards, including the Hadex Anomaly, the Black Reef, and 
  the Slinnar Drift, any one of which might be exerting some 
  unknowable force on the tides of the Warp. Others point to the 
  Warp Gate as a possible factor, postulating that whatever exo-
  dimensional forces it employs to transport objects from one 
  end of the galaxy to the other might have other effects not yet 
  observed or understood.
  Another of Mortis Thule’s unusual features is its sheer 
  antiquity. The fact that it was the 427th Expeditionary Fleet that 
  ﬁrst uncovered evidence of the Space Hulk places it amongst the 
  very oldest of codiﬁed Space Hulks in the Imperium’s archives 
  and raises the possibility that amongst the countless wrecks that 
  make up its vast bulk are the remains of vessels from ages known 
  only by titles. Should a voidship dating back to the earliest 
  stages of the Age of Technology be discovered and recovered, a 
  glimpse of Mankind’s earliest exploration of the stars themselves 
  would be afforded, and otherwise long lost technologies might 
  be rediscovered. Few dare to dream what possibilities might be 
  opened up by the adoption of entirely novel methods of space 
  travel, for example, while others hold such notions as heretical 
  and denounce any that propagate them.
  The last feature of Mortis Thule that sets it apart from so many 
  other Space Hulks is its unprecedented size. It is impossible to 
  appreciate just how large it is, for common frames of reference 
  mean little when applied to an object tumbling through the 
  depths of the Warp. Furthermore, the exact composition, and 
  therefore the size, is different with every sighting as some wrecks 
  fracture and fall away while other vessels are drawn upon the 
  mass and added to the anarchic conglomeration. Certainly, some 
  have likened the scale of the Space Hulk to a continental mass 
  or to a small moon, meaning that any attempt to explore or even 
  conquer it must be considered in the same light as a military 
  operation against a territory of similar scale.
  
  Introduction
  8
  The unimaginable size of Mortis Thule means that its 
  interior is able to accommodate billions of living organisms, 
  whether human, xenos, or other. Yet, the vast majority of the 
  space inside is empty, cold and dark, the twisted and corroded 
  passageways of ancient wrecks carpeted in dust never once 
  disturbed in countless millennia. In all probability, a boarding 
  party could explore countless kilometres of winding corridors 
  without coming anywhere near an area occupied by hostile 
  creatures. However, the presence of such intruders seems to 
  draw the attentions of the fell things that lurk in the furthest 
  reaches of the Space Hulk, like ocean predators drawn to 
  their prey by the promise of an easy kill.
  According to the archives of the Deathwatch, the uncharted 
  depths of Mortis Thule are host to several factions, all of them 
  anathema to the Imperium of Man. These include populations 
  of Genestealers, Orks, human outcasts, and xenos abominations 
  such as Enslavers. In addition, it is not uncommon for the 
  surviving crew of vessels drawn to Mortis Thule to survive 
  for a brief time, forming small colonies of shipwrecked men 
  and women growing increasingly desperate and insane with 
  each Warp jump and with each wave of attacks by the other 
  creatures dwelling within. In truth, it is rare for such groups 
  to survive for more than a few days, for unlike conventional 
  starships, Mortis Thule has no Gellar Field to protect its 
  inhabitants from the perils of the Warp when it dives into that 
  unknowable realm. Thus unshielded from the denizens of the 
  Realm of Chaos, the souls of those cast adrift on Mortis Thule 
  serve as blazing beacons for all manner of Warp entities. Death 
  would be a welcome relief for these doomed souls, for most 
  are condemned to an eternity of infernal torment at the hands, 
  teeth, and claws of the fell creatures of the Warp. 
  STANDING ORDER 
  EPSILON NINE-NINE-ZERO
  Due to the singular nature of Mortis Thule and the threat 
  it represents to the Jericho Reach, and potentially to the 
  Imperium at large, the Deathwatch has in place a standing 
  order to be enacted whenever the Space Hulk is encountered. 
  Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero is to be carried out 
  by any Deathwatch Kill-team that logs a new sighting of 
  the Space Hulk, and there are very few circumstances that 
  may override it. In practise, only the direct order of a Watch-
  Commander or an Inquisitor can countermand the instigation 
  of Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero, and this is only 
  known to have occurred in a handful of instances.
  The standing order states that any Deathwatch force 
  encountering an un-logged appearance of Mortis Thule must 
  make a full augur sweep of its current form and conﬁguration 
  and, having done so, effect an immediate boarding action in 
  order to map as much of its interior as possible. In practise, this 
  means the Kill-team must mount a hasty reconnaissance mission 
  that can last anything from an hour to several days. The Space 
  Hulk rarely remains in realspace for longer than this, though it 
  did once hang in orbit above a now desolate world for three 
  standard months. The greatest danger is that the Space Hulk 
  will return to the Warp with the boarding party still aboard, and 
  thus every effort is made to glean as much advance warning of 
  this as possible. This means that the efforts of every Astropath, 
  Navigator, and Librarian nearby are turned towards sensing any 
  alteration in the ebb and ﬂow of the energies of the Warp that 
  might indicate an imminent translation, and so skilled are those 
  psykers that serve the Deathwatch that it is comparatively rare for 
  a Kill-team to be stranded on Mortis Thule when it plunges back 
  into the Warp. Nonetheless, the Hall of Glory on Watch Fortress 
  Erioch records the names and deeds of those that have paid the 
  ultimate price for their valour in the service of Humanity.
  RESTRICTED DATA
  The information presented above is known to all members of the 
  Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach, and the Game Master should 
  feel free to relate as much of it to the players as he wishes or use 
  it to ﬁll in gaps in the players’ own knowledge of the setting. 
  The remainder of the data presented here is more specialised 
  and occasionally limited to those judged pure or strong-willed 
  enough to bear the weight it imposes. How much of this 
  knowledge is known to each of the Battle-Brothers depends on 
  their ranks and roles, though, by passing the appropriate Skill 
  Test, any of the Kill-team can potentially have access to it. This 
  information should be used by the GM to answer the players’ 
  questions should they seek speciﬁc information or to seed in 
  additional details the Game Master wants to explore. 
  ANCIENT HISTORY
  Most Battle-Brothers of the Deathwatch have little 
  interest in, or real need to study, the earliest histories of 
  Mortis Thule, but for those of a more studious or curious 
  nature scant yet tantalising scraps of history are to be 
  found within the archives of Watch-Fortress Erioch. Such 
  Battle-Brothers might have read of the first, doomed 
  attempt to conquer the Space Hulk, launched in M33 
  by a joint force under Adeptus Mechanicus Arch-Magus 
  Mitsfian Delphos and the Rogue Trader Lord-Captain 
  Hyrus Tarrant. Accounts of this endeavour are unclear 
  and often contradictory, but they appear to agree in one 
  regard. Having driven back the hostile creatures infesting 
  the boarding zone, the forces of the two commanders 
  pushed deeper into the Space Hulk, soon becoming 
  embroiled in a bitter war of attrition that resulted in the 
  nigh mutual annihilation of both in what transpired to be 
  an incident of fratricide on an incredible scale. So great 
  was the bloodshed that the two leaders were counted 
  amongst the fallen, and the daughter of Lord-Captain 
  Tarrant cursed Mortis Thule and the Jericho Reach and 
  withdrew her Dynasty from the region for all time.
  Centuries later, a cabal of Inquisitors determined to 
  ascertain what actually happened during this tragic incident 
  and a series of joint boarding operations were launched 
  with Inquisitors accompanying Deathwatch Kill-teams 
  whenever Mortis Thule was sighted. It was this cabal that 
  discovered the presence of the abominable aliens known 
  as Enslavers laired deep within the most ancient parts of 
  the Space Hulk. The Inquisitors, each a learned savant and 
  possessed of unparalleled knowledge of the alien, theorised 
  that the Enslavers must somehow have gained power over 
  
  Introduction
  9
  Arch-Magos Delphos and Lord-Captain Tarrant, and forced 
  them to destroy one another. It is believed that the Enslaver 
  presence remains still, somewhere in the darkest bowels of 
  Mortis Thule, a considerable threat to Humanity in the Jericho 
  Reach and beyond.
  ALIENS AND LOST SOULS
  So unimaginably vast is the mass of wrecks that make up Mortis 
  Thule that though the majority of the Space Hulk is little more 
  than a lonely wasteland of haunted corridors and echoing 
  gantries, there are portions of the Space Hulk that host life 
  and activity. These micro-civilisations are often self-contained 
  entities and rarely last more than a single trip through the 
  Warp. However, on the rare occasion that two ships are caught 
  in the mass of Mortis Thule in relative proximity to one another, 
  the crews and populations of those two ships can come into 
  conﬂict. Due to the ever-shifting nature of Mortis Thule it can 
  be difﬁcult to obtain up-to-date intelligence, and the fate of 
  many of these groups of survivors is unknown. Battle-Brothers 
  with an interest in such things might have heard of some or all 
  of the following groups:
  Orks: Many a Greenskin Waaagh! has been instigated by 
  the Orks boarding a Space Hulk that passed close to their world 
  and travelling upon it until it materialised in Imperial space. To 
  date, the Jericho Reach has rarely known the warlike presence 
  of this barbarous species, but many fear that Mortis Thule might 
  one day become entirely infested by Orks and used as a means 
  of launching an invasion of the region. The crusade’s strategic 
  prognosticators know that such an event would tip the scales 
  against the Imperium to such a degree that the entire region 
  would have to be abandoned and the Achilus Crusade declared 
  a failure. That cannot be allowed to happen.
  Eldar: Like the Orks, the Eldar are rarely encountered 
  within the Jericho Reach. When they are, it is invariably 
  in small numbers, but this in itself is cause for concern as 
  it suggests to some that the pernicious aliens are seeking 
  something that can only be of beneﬁt to their race and a 
  detriment to the Imperium. Unknown to many, the Eldar 
  have interacted with Mortis Thule on a number of occasions 
  recently, and the Ordo Xenos is actively seeking to learn 
  more of their activities. In one instance, a lone Eldar Ranger 
  bearing the livery of the Il-Kaithe Craftworld is said to have 
  spent several days aboard, though to what end none can say. 
  This individual is, in fact, the Ranger known as Syndilian 
  the Traveller, and Game Masters wishing to expand this 
  aspect can ﬁnd more information on him in the DEATHWATCH 
  supplements THE ACHILUS ASSAULT and THE OUTER REACH. 
  Chaos Raiders: Chaos is ever-present in the 41st 
  Millennium, and much of the Jericho Reach is tainted 
  with its baleful influence and overrun by its deluded 
  servants. The devotees of the Ruinous Powers come in 
  many forms, one of the more dangerous of which are 
  the wolfpack pirates who prey upon the war-torn space 
  lanes of the Jericho Reach. Such individuals are less 
  interested in material booty and concerned mainly for 
  the souls they can offer up to their Daemonic masters. 
  Over the last century alone, at least three separate groups 
  of Chaos reavers have attempted to utilise Mortis Thule as 
  
  Introduction
  10
  a base of operations. Some would say such an endeavour 
  was insane and doomed to failure from the beginning, 
  but those dedicated to the Ruinous Powers judge some 
  things by wildly divergent standards. The first group is 
  confirmed to have been wiped out by the predations of the 
  numerous Genestealers that infest the Space Hulk, while 
  the second was purged by a joint operation between the 
  Deathwatch and the Blood Angels Chapter. Of the third 
  group, very is little is known, so the Game Master is free 
  to explore this subject by populating parts of the Space 
  Hulk with suitable foes.
  Tyranids: Space Hulks have been infested with Genestealers 
  since long before it was known that these creatures represent 
  the vanguard of the Tyranid Hive Fleets, and Mortis Thule is no 
  different. Since the coming of Hive Fleet Dagon to the Jericho 
  Reach, the numbers of Tyranid organisms on board appears 
  to have swelled exponentially, and they are no longer limited 
  to Genestealers. One of the more recent boarding operations 
  against Mortis Thule met with so many of the creatures it 
  was fortunate indeed to have escaped with only one fatality. 
  This death was inﬂicted by an organism similar to a Lictor, 
  and that represented the largest and most fearsome of that 
  type encountered within the Orpheus Salient and possibly 
  the entire Jericho Reach. Tales of this “Beast of Thule” have 
  spread amongst the Battle-Brothers of the Deathwatch and the 
  Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos. 
  LOST BRETHREN
  There are those amongst the Deathwatch who take it upon 
  themselves to record the names and deeds of every Battle-
  Brother that takes the Apocryphon Oath, in particular the 
  Chaplains who attend the Hall of Glory on Watch Fortress 
  Erioch. Some do this out of duty, others for the honour of 
  fallen brethren, while a few do it because they feel they 
  owe some debt known only to themselves. Such Brothers 
  as these are aware of something of the truth regarding 
  how perilous a boarding action onto Mortis Thule actually 
  is. While most brethren are aware of a small number of kin 
  who have fallen on such a mission, others are unfortunate 
  enough to be able to see the larger picture. They can reel 
  off a long and tragic litany of names, each a Battle-Brother 
  that boarded Mortis Thule and simply disappeared from the 
  annals of history, his fate never to be recorded and, most 
  tragically of all, his gene-seed never to be returned to his 
  Chapter. A Battle-Brother in possession of knowledge of a 
  recently lost Space Marine is forewarned of the likelihood 
  of encountering his remains and honour bound to recover 
  his gene-seed no matter the danger. This allows the Game 
  Master to have the Kill-team come upon the remains of a 
  fallen Battle-Brother later in the adventure, at a time of 
  his choosing. The encounter could take place during an 
  otherwise quiet passage of the exploration of Mortis Thule 
  and be used to impart atmosphere and pathos, or it could 
  take place in the midst of a desperate combat when the 
  Kill-team has far more immediate concerns than recovering 
  the progenoid gland of a fallen Space Marine. The GM can 
  award bonus Experience Points should the player respond 
  well to this encounter.
  INQUISITOR ROGUE
  Most of the Battle-Brothers of the Deathwatch serve their 
  duty without giving a thought to the motivations and politics 
  in which the Inquisition is steeped, simply carrying out their 
  orders with peerless skill and devotion. Those Brethren that 
  rise higher in rank and responsibility become increasingly 
  aware of the rift that exists between Puritan and Radical 
  Inquisitors, and most make every effort possible to studiously 
  ignore such ignoble distractions from duty. It is hard to 
  entirely dissociate oneself with the complex world of intrigue 
  and deception many Inquisitors operate within, and some 
  names have become infamous.
  One such name is Thaddeus Hakk, an Inquisitor of the 
  Ordo Xenos who is known to pursue a singular doctrine that 
  has led him into some very dark places indeed. Hakk believes 
  that the galaxy is governed by patterns of cause and effect 
  that, from a sufﬁcient distance, can be read and seen to repeat, 
  and from them the pattern of the future can be scryed. He is 
  obsessed with delving into the deepest depths of the galaxy’s 
  past, convinced that the Tyranids have attacked the galaxy 
  before and were somehow defeated, and can be again. Hakk’s 
  quest for long dead knowledge has recently seen him attempt 
  to board Mortis Thule and, unusually, he did not request the 
  services of a Deathwatch Kill-team as an Inquisitor of the 
  Ordo Xenos ordinarily would for such a perilous mission. 
  Perhaps predictably, disaster befell the Inquisitor and his 
  party, Although Hakk is known to have escaped, it is not 
  known how many, if indeed any, of his fellows did as well, or 
  what dread fate befell them.
  Later on in the adventure, the Kill-team may learn of the 
  presence of an Inquisitorial Acolyte on board Mortis Thule, 
  perhaps sparking the interest of a Battle-Brother in possession 
  of the above information. The Acolyte is, in fact, a survivor 
  of Thaddeus Hakk’s doomed mission, about which more is 
  revealed in Chapter 3.
  THE EMPEROR’S GAZE
  The vast mass of Mortis Thule is made up of starships of 
  all types, as well as space borne rock and other debris. It 
  has long been noted that much of the wreckage of which 
  the Space Hulk is composed is destroyed beyond any 
  hope of the crew having survived the calamitous accidents 
  that drew their vessel to its doom. Very occasionally, 
  however, a ship caught up in the draw of Mortis Thule 
  survives the impact and meld in such a state that many 
  of its crew do too. One very rare example of this is The 
  Emperor’s Gaze, a diplomatic vessel lost in the early days 
  of the Achilus Crusade. The ship was struck off of the 
  crusade’s fleet registry when it was determined that it 
  had somehow become lost in the Warp. Of late, however, 
  doubts as to the ultimate fate of the Emperor’s Gaze have 
  emerged, many of them voiced by the extended kin of 
  the Navigator that was guiding the vessel through the 
  Warp at the time of its loss. In short, the Navigator’s 
  peers assert that had the soul of one of their own been 
  claimed by the denizens of the Sea of Souls, then every 
  other Navigator within a hundred light years would 
  instantly have known of it and shared a portion of his 
  
  Introduction
  11
  torment. After decades of searching, the Navigator’s 
  family have come to believe that that vessel must still 
  be adrift somewhere within the Jericho Reach, though 
  beyond this they have no solid theories.
  The Emperor’s Gaze and several of its key crew members 
  feature prominently in the later stages of the adventure. 
  This element can be foreshadowed by revealing the above 
  information, though Game Masters should consider listing 
  several other vessels that share a common fate so that the 
  players don’t immediately come to the conclusion that they 
  should expect to discover and perhaps rescue the crew of 
  the Emperor’s Gaze. The names of several other ships whose 
  fates may or may not be entwined with sightings of Mortis 
  Thule include the Admiral Ishmael, the Wrathchild, the Armour 
  of Contempt, and the Will of Thor. 
  A REALM OF DEATH
  For those who travel through the void, it is usually not the 
  sheer size of Mortis Thule that evokes unease. After all, ofﬁcers 
  of the Imperial Navy and Rogue Trader crews commonly 
  dock at Bastion-class ports or converted asteroid stations. 
  Instead, it is the surface of this Space Hulk that inspires 
  such dread. Most Space Hulks are conglomerations of ruined 
  vessels, and some are simply the remains of a single desolate 
  hull. Mortis Thule is this and more, nearly half composed of a 
  homogenous rocklike material that binds the hulls together, 
  dissimilar to other Space Hulks which contain stray asteroids 
  or other debris. Here, there are hundreds of ships projecting 
  from the rocky exterior, uncannily resembling a vast ﬂeet 
  ﬂoundering upon terrible seas. Prows project from the 
  cratered rock as if they were ready to descend one ﬁnal time, 
  and even those travellers who have never seen an actual ocean 
  recognise the scene in some visceral manner. These represent 
  only a fraction of the many vessels that make up Mortis Thule, 
  and every voidsman knows that one day his own vessel might 
  become part of that terrible mosaic. 
  What is perhaps even worse is that the surface is not static. 
  There are always new additions to Mortis Thule as unfortunate 
  ships join its mass, such as other Space Hulks. Auspex-pics 
  taken over the years, however, also seem to indicate a vast 
  churning movement, dragging new vessels into the depths of 
  Mortis Thule even as others rise from their buried state within 
  the solid rock and present their ancient hulls to unfamiliar 
  stars as if the rock were more liquid than solid. How the 
  Space Hulk can behave in this manner is the subject of much 
  debate for the Tech-Priests of the Jericho Reach, as are many 
  other aspects of Mortis Thule. 
  DEATH OF A HOUSE, BIRTH OF A NAME
  It was these legends and more that drew Rogue Trader Hyrus 
  Tarrant to this Space Hulk, which would later be cursed with 
  the named Death from Beyond the Horizon, or Mortis Thule, 
  millennia ago in M33. He had explored the Reach and beyond, 
  conquering hundreds of worlds and reaping incredible fortunes. 
  Saddened that there was nothing left to discover, he decided that 
  defeating the infamous Mortis Thule would be his crowing glory. 
  For this mission, Tarrant called on his longtime compatriot in 
  exploration, Magos Mitsﬁan Delphos. The two had become as 
  close to friends as a human and a Tech-Priest could be, having 
  campaigned together for many decades. Delphos also wished 
  to claim the Space Hulk for study. His own adepts had worked 
  out a possible way to predict its appearances. It was a group 
  of Xenos-Archeotechnologists, denounced as Malatek and 
  driven from their forge worlds, who offered the most useful 
  information in this effort. 
  These Tech-Priests had studied the Space Hulk for long 
  years, especially the rock growths, and put forth the hypothesis 
  that these were not the result of natural phenomena, but 
  instead due to the works of an impossibly ancient race, utterly 
  inimical to Mankind. Their civilisations were long dead, yet 
  their remnants live on to harm humanity on locations across 
  the stars. The sciences of this race were more diseased art 
  than proper science, and beyond the knowledge of humans. 
  These Tech-Priests advanced the theory that one of their 
  foul artefacts rests at the centre of the vast assemblage, the 
  cause of the unnatural growth and peculiar movement across 
  the region. They posited that it was extruding the extra 
  mass whilst in the Warp, where the material behaved more 
  as foam than solid, and the vessels within could ﬂow and 
  move with the tides within the Immaterium. They also tied 
  the appearances of the Space Hulk, to later be named Mortis 
  Thule, to other Warp activities, and theorised that greater 
  disturbances would lead to more frequent appearances. 
  Delphos’s other adepts scoffed in binary rejection at these 
  claims, especially the most disturbing theory: that an entity at the 
  centre of the Space Hulk was growing its mass to reach a critical 
  state of Warp-signature large enough to activate a gestation phase 
  and bring forth some new horror into realspace. They could not 
  argue, though, with the accuracy of predicted appearances against 
  actual recordings of the Space Hulk, and Delphos chose to use 
  their recommendations for its next appearance. He readied his 
  own mission elements of Acuitor Mech-Assassins, elite Crimson 
  Guard, and others including a delegation of Lathes Factors. That 
  agents of the Lords Dragon were amongst them was understood 
  but never spoken openly. 
  Tarrant’s Astropath Maxima had a divination that his 
  actions would be forever remembered, and that his family’s 
  name would be attached to the rock forever. He left on the 
  mission with hearty spirits, believing the Emperor must surely 
  be watching over his fortunes. Little did he know it would be 
  his daughter who would be the true namer, and it would be a 
  family curse, and not the family honour, that would be given. 
  Arch-Militant Minerva Tarrant had been away pacifying 
  one of the family’s many holdings and could not be at her 
  father’s side, leading her house’s military forces as she had so 
  often in the past. She could only read the fragmented reports 
  from the survivors, writhing with anger at the horrors that stole 
  her father and liege, believing that if only she had been with 
  her father’s forces, nothing could have stood against them. 
  Soon after her famous curse that named the Space Hulk, she 
  gathered all her father’s data on the rock and retreated for years with 
  her savants. Then, she abruptly retired from the region, withdrawing 
  all of her house’s forces with her and nearly collapsing the economy 
  of the region. Some claim she led attacks on unfamiliar targets on 
  the other side of the Warp Gate, mostly in the Koronus Expanse, 
  with no discernible pattern to the often uninhabited planets. Most 
  
  Introduction
  12
  were reduced to smoking cinders or worse. She expended the 
  remains of her vast fortune in these attacks, but legend says she 
  returned to Jericho and a ﬁnal reckoning with Mortis Thule. A small 
  clipper sporting the Tarrant colours of crimson and charcoal was 
  sighted in early M34 running a picket line around the Space Hulk, 
  which had been set up to warn off trafﬁc whilst a Ministorum 
  deputation attempted to exorcise the foul vessel. The clipper made 
  a soft landing near one of the larger craters that mark the exterior. 
  Minerva Tarrant was never seen again, and it is possible she still 
  roams the depths of Mortis Thule in search of vengeance. 
  TERRORS AND TREASURES
  Since that ill-fated mission, many other horrors have become 
  part of the legend of Mortis Thule. For many, the only part of 
  the Space Hulk they see are the gigatonnes of debris it sheds 
  with each violent emergence from the Warp, shaking off rock 
  and metal like some great aquatic beast might discard parasites. 
  Even such detritus can ruin worlds, tonnage plummeting to 
  a planet in a shower of rock. For some unfortunate worlds, 
  scores of Orks ride the rubble in force ﬁeld bubbles and 
  rokkit-wagons with battle-cries that overwhelm the sound of 
  burning atmosphere as they roar to the ground. 
  The Orks are not alone. Hullghasts roam the damned hulls, 
  their forms mutated to greater degrees than normal from Warp 
  exposure and service to some unknown power far inside the rock. 
  Chaos reavers and worse seem to be attracted to the Space Hulk, 
  performing dark rituals to awaken something that rests on the 
  other side of reality. They are barely cognisant of their actions, 
  drawn here from an implacable will that has waited millennia. 
  Worse are the remains of once-proud servants of the Emperor 
  who have fallen to the baleful Warp energies, trapped without 
  protection aboard the Space Hulk as it plunges into the Sea of 
  Souls. Whispered legends speak of Sons of Russ lost within on 
  a failed mission, and of furred, bestial shapes that hunt on all 
  fours. Their howls echo across the dead hulls, their new forms 
  so tainted that their gene-seed is unusable. Many Oaths are 
  taken to end their tormented existence, and missions to Mortis 
  Thule have seen members suddenly leave their Kill-team when 
  the howls are heard and honour demands action. 
  Such tangible threats have rivals here as well. The Explorator 
  ship Sanctiﬁed Inquiry was on the other side of the Reach when 
  it was torn from the Warp and embedded deep inside Mortis 
  Thule. Their Magos was leading the service to the Omnissiah 
  within their chapel, his Tech-Priests properly wired into holy 
  binary communion, when he was corrupted with Daemonically 
  impregnated scrapcode. His linked mentality now populates 
  his and other ships with phantoms crafted from dust, metallic 
  ash, and stray energies drawn from the Warp-saturated rock. 
  Voices of the binaric hymns carry across the rock and beyond, 
  reinforced from unnatural energies and Daemonic inﬂuences, 
  but the once-perfect mathematical rhythms are now jarring and 
  painful to process. Attempts to record these cants have often led 
  to the machine-spirits of auspex-recorders falling silent forever, 
  lest they replicate the tainted harmonics.
  These eldritch hazards are not uncommon, for the 
  Space Hulk seems to always be within the Warp even as 
  it breaches into reality. Kill-teams have reported areas of 
  unnatural geometries, befouling their auspex scanners with 
  contradictory readings. Regions where Enslaver ﬂesh-gates 
  line the decks ripple with Warp-haze as space is tortured and 
  torn, and are painful to look at too closely. 
  Despite these threats from within, explorers like Tarrant 
  and Delphos still sought out the Space Hulk, for along with 
  these threats are treasures from days long ago, wealth enough 
  to forge new dynasties or armies. Lost archeotech devices, 
  relics from ages perhaps predating the Imperium, and more 
  have enticed and ruined countless Rogue Traders, Quaestors, 
  and others. Legends of silvery ships within its core are 
  especially tempting, as each of these gleaming, featureless 
  vessels are troves of pre-Crusade technologies. That both the 
  Adeptus Mechanicus and Adeptus Ministorum have declared 
  them heretical has not lessened their allure. 
  Humans are not alone in seeking to explore Mortis Thule. 
  Several Kill-teams have reported a lone Eldar stalking the 
  deep hulls, always withdrawing rather than ﬁghting, to the 
  frustration of the Space Marines. The Ancient Ones, when 
  questioned or brought on missions to the Space Hulk, 
  rumble in low tones about a xenos vessel that explosively 
  materialised inside the rock one century, the glowing gems 
  that lined its crystalline hull strewn across the Space Hulk’s 
  massive breadth. Xenos and Daemon ﬁght over these 
  morsels of soulstuff, with each immersion into the Sea of 
  Souls tainting the precious items. Tales speak of a massive 
  construct of smooth, gem-studded material that tears across 
  the hulls, destroying everything in its path with insane fury 
  and devastating weapons, including its own xenos kin when 
  they attempt to calm the monstrous creature.
  Most importantly, Mortis Thule contains ancient devices and 
  secrets of the Deathwatch, items that cannot be revealed or 
  explained even to other Imperial agencies within the Jericho 
  Reach. Some were lost on previous missions, while others are 
  only known to exist from Omega Vault revelations. To recover 
  and preserve such treasures, there is little a Kill-team would not 
  risk, even venturing far into the darkness of Mortis Thule. 
  THE CYCLOPEAN ARMOURY
  Finding the fabled Cyclopean has been the goal of 
  many a Kill-team ever since a lost scout mentioned it 
  after his extraction. His report spoke of an enormous 
  gallery of huge weapons, surely of an unknown race 
  over twice the size of an Adeptus Astartes. Each was of a 
  different conﬁguration and are still only conjectured to 
  be weapons based on the blast signs on the hullways. 
  The one weapon he retrieved, a massive tubular device 
  without any discernible controls on its dense surface, 
  has stayed inert to this day despite intense study and 
  experimentation, except for one activation that destroyed 
  much of the laboratory-arena as well as all those within. 
  None of the recordings indicate why it ﬁred, except for a 
  stray Servitor that entered the arena at the time. 
  Subsequent missions have never located the Cyclopean 
  Armoury, but seismic-level events from deep within Mortis 
  Thule may indicate that others have found it, or at least its 
  treasures. Of its race there is still no information, leading 
  many of the Inquisition to hope they are extinct.
  
  THE ARGENT 
  CRUSADER
  •
  CAUGHT IN  
  THE STORM
  •
  AFTERMATH
  •
  NEW PRIORITIES
  •
  A VOICE IN  
  THE DARK
  •
  THE SWORD  
  OF MACLIR
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  14
  Chapter I: 
  Peril on the 
  Horizon
  “Watch-Fortress Erioch, this is Archive-Adjunct Petrus of Watch-
  Fortress Antael. We are under attack. Xenos hostiles have made 
  planetfall and are approaching in force. Our Adeptus Astartes 
  garrison is at one-eighth capacity and the automated defences won’t 
  last long. We beseech you for aid and succour.” 
  –Distress beacon sent from Watch-Station Antael by Archive-
  Adjunct Petrus, Chapter Serf in service to the Deathwatch. 
  T
  he Deathwatch is a potent force in the Jericho Reach 
  and indeed throughout the Imperium of Man, acting 
  on their own initiative or that of the Ordo Xenos 
  to combat the constant threats presented by vile xenos 
  beings who would see the Emperor’s works fall into ruin 
  and desolation. One reason the Deathwatch is able to work 
  under their own purview, with little to no oversight by the 
  High Lords of Terra, is their relationship to the Holy Ordos 
  of the Inquisition, truly the most autonomous of Imperial 
  organisations. The Deathwatch has learned a great deal from 
  their Inquisitorial allies and perhaps the greatest lesson is 
  the advantage of stealth and secrecy. Beyond the Chapters 
  of the Adeptus Astartes that second their worthy brothers to 
  Deathwatch, the very existence of these xenos hunters is little 
  more than a legend among all but the highest ranked members 
  of the Inquisition and Departmento Munitorum. This secrecy 
  allows the Deathwatch to strike from the shadows, unseen 
  until the terminal moment when their blow would do the 
  most harm to their foes. A precision operation performed by 
  a Deathwatch Kill-team can often be as devastating to the 
  enemies of Mankind as the overt actions of an entire Imperial 
  battleﬂeet. The secrecy of the Deathwatch also serves another 
  purpose. Despite their relatively small numbers, the Battle-
  Brothers of the Deathwatch are given operational discretion 
  over a great deal of galactic territory. As such, the Deathwatch 
  has many more enemies than their numbers would suggest. 
  For this reason, secrecy is necessary for the Battle-Brothers 
  of the Deathwatch, lest they reveal their presence and come 
  under siege from those they seek to eradicate. 
  One such siege acts as the starting point for this adventure 
  module, though the Game Master will ﬁnd that this is only 
  the Battle-Brothers” ﬁrst concern. 
  Overview
  C
  hapter I begins with the Kill-team assigned the 
  duty of accompanying a senior Watch-Captain as he 
  voyages across the Jericho Reach to break a siege on a 
  Deathwatch Watch-Station. Through unknown means, the Tau 
  of the the Canis Salient have discovered the location of Watch-
  Station Antael, a newly established outpost on the coreward 
  edges of the Jericho Reach. During the construction, the 
  Watch-Station’s defences are only partially operational and it is 
  manned by only a skeleton garrison of a single Kill-team and 
  the Techmarine overseeing the operation. It is up to the players 
  to come to the aid of the defenders of Watch-Station Antael.
  Thus the adventure begins with the Battle-Brothers being 
  briefed on a hasty, but ultimately routine, mission. They are 
  on route to the new Watch-Station, accompanying the Watch-
  Captain, but they have no idea that the mission is very soon 
  going to change drastically. 
  The instant the Kill-team’s vessel makes the transition into 
  the Warp it becomes immediately apparent that something is 
  very wrong indeed. The ship is caught in a powerful Warp tide 
  caused—though the Battle-Brothers have no way of knowing 
  it as yet—by the proximity of the Space Hulk codiﬁed Mortis 
  Thule. The vessel is battered by Warp energies and, its Gellar 
  ﬁelds breached, a wave of shrieking abominations unleashed 
  within. Denizens of the Warp assail the Batte-Brothers, 
  who ﬁght not just for the lives, but for their souls, until at 
  length the Warp storm reaches its crescendo and all inside are 
  consumed in darkness.
  Upon waking, the Battle-Brothers ﬁnd that their vessel 
  has been cast violently into Warp space and has become 
  amalgamated into a vast body that can only be a Space Hulk. 
  Their Watch-Captain is wounded unto death and, thanks only 
  to their genetically enhanced bodies and resolute spirits, the 
  Space Marines are the only survivors of the incident.
  Cast adrift upon Mortis Thule, the Kill-team’s mission 
  has drastically changed. Now, they must locate a means 
  of escaping the accursed place and not just deliver their 
  wounded superior to his destination, but dow so before 
  he perishes from wounds that would have slain a normal 
  man ten times over. As if this were not challenge enough, 
  Mortis Thule is a place of cold death where countless foes 
  might lurk in each and every shadow. Yet most unsettling 
  is the utter desolation and emptiness of the vast mass of 
  wrecked starships. While there are threats aplenty within 
  the confines of the enormous ship, there are hundreds of 
  kilometres of tunnels, gantries, decks, and corridors that 
  stretch ever onward, devoid of all life and echoing with 
  the abandoned silence of a tomb. Few minds can handle 
  this notion, and most who survive the first moments 
  aboard Mortis Thule are driven mad by the sheer scale of 
  the subsequent solitude. To make the situation still more 
  desperate, the longer the Kill-team remains on board, the 
  more likely Mortis Thule is disgorged from the Warp at 
  some place, or even some time, far beyond the Jericho 
  Reach or even the Imperium.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  15
  Mission Briefing
  T
  he adventure begins aboard the Argent Crusader, a rapid 
  strike cruiser belonging to the Deathwatch that has 
  served the Long Watch since before records begin. Aside 
  from Watch-Captain de Dominova, the Battle-Brothers are the 
  only Adeptus Astartes aboard, all crew positions being ﬁlled 
  by Deathwatch Chapter Serfs. Even the ship’s captain and his 
  senior staff are servants of the Deathwatch raised throughout 
  countless generations to perform such specialised duties.
  The Argent Crusader has departed Watch-Station Erioch and 
  is approaching the system’s jump point. The crew is busily 
  engaged preparing for the translation to the Warp, for while 
  they have performed the operation countless times, each of 
  them is well aware of the perils inherent in any voyage through 
  the Empyrean. Low, sonorous prayers ﬁll the air, which is 
  made hazy and sweet by the numerous votive censors burning 
  from alcoves and shrines across the entire vessel.
  With Warp translation but a few hours away, the Kill-
  team’s Watch-Captain calls them to the forward observation 
  blister, where he is to conduct his brieﬁng on their duties.
  ARMING AND OATH-TAKING
  While the mission to break the siege on Watch Station Antael 
  will, of course, not come to pass during the scope of this 
  adventure module, in order to keep up the deception for the 
  sake of dramatic effect, the Requisition, Oath- Taking, and 
  Primary and Secondary Objectives for the Watch Station 
  rescue are all presented for the Game Master. 
  The siege relief mission has a suggested Requisition Rating 
  of 120 based on the following Objectives:
  Primary Objective: Break the xenos force besieging Watch 
  Station Antael. (Veteran Objective, 30 Requisition)
  Primary Objective: Protect Watch Captain de Dominova 
  from lasting harm (Skilled Objective, 25 Requisition). 
  Secondary Objective: Eliminate all attacking Tau forces 
  (Veteran Objective, 25 Requisition)
  Secondary Objective: Eliminate the commander of the Tau 
  forces (Skilled Objective, 20 Requisition)
  Secondary Objective: Ensure the Watch Station’s future 
  secrecy (Skilled Objective, 20 Requisition)
  A NOTE ON MISSION STRUCTURE
  Ordinarily, a Kill-team carries out a mission having been briefed on its Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Objectives, undertaken 
  Oath-Taking and gone through the Arming stage. This adventure is different in that the characters begin by preparing for 
  a mission they will likely never reach. Yet, for many reasons all of these steps should still be followed. The Game Master is 
  encouraged to continue the illusion for the players, leading them to believe that their mission is in no danger of being derailed. 
  Indeed, if the Kill-team survives their ordeals aboard Motris Thule, they may wish to continue on to Watch Station Antael 
  and attempt the counter attack. For these reasons, the Arming and Oath-taking portion of this false mission is provided. 
  Remember, these Objectives and Oaths will be rendered invalid as soon as the Kill-team becomes trapped aboard Mortis Thule. 
  The GM should not penalise the Kill-team for being unable to complete the false mission Objectives, as the Battle-Brothers” 
  inability to complete their mission is entirely the manipulation of the GM himself.
  For the remainder of the adventure, as the Kill-team tries to escape Mortis Thule, a slightly different mission structure 
  comes into play. This new structure is more ﬂuid and freeform, to take into account the unpredictable nature of the escape 
  and the lack of support the Battle-Brothers are likely to receive. It is only when certain milestones are reached that the Kill-
  team has the time to take stock of its situation and assess what lies ahead of it. It is at these times that Oath-Taking and the 
  identiﬁcation of mission Objectives can take place. Such milestones are addressed throughout the chapters that follow.
  Their situation while trapped aboard Mortis Thule also means that the Battle-Brothers start the adventure carrying 
  only a minimum of weapons and equipment, though they may have the chance later on to seek out or obtain more. Each 
  character begins equipped only with his starting equipment, as detailed on page 28 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook, 
  as well as any personal wargear he possesses due to the Signature Wargear Talent, exceptional Renown, or honours he 
  has been presented with in previous missions. Each carries two clips of ammunition for each weapon carried. Should 
  any of the characters have acquired especially unusual weapons or other equipment, particularly where this is related to 
  their background or history, the Game Master may agree that the Battle-Brother would have it in his possession. It is up 
  to the Game Master how he wishes to handle equipment that the Battle-Brothers requisition in preparation for breaking 
  the siege on Watch Station Antael. Should the GM wish, this adventure in ARK OF LOST SOULS can be run in much the 
  same way as a standard mission, and if that is the sort of game the Game Master wishes to play, then the Battle-Brothers 
  should be allowed to keep their requisitioned gear as they make their way through the Space Hulk. However, it is the 
  intention of this adventure module to force the players to think and act in ways they may not be used to; to play their 
  characters cut off from support or equipment in a hostile environment, tracking every round of ammunition as though it 
  were their last—which it very well may be. If the Game Master wishes to accentuate this “survival horror” aspect of the 
  adventure, then the Game Master is encouraged to separate the Battle-Brothers from their requisitioned equipment—
  forcing the players to truly shepherd their resources as they make their way through Mortis Thule. It is best if this is done 
  during the events of the Caught in the Storm section on page 21. 
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  16
  The Argent 
  Crusader
  Details of the rapid strike vessel the Kill-team is travelling on 
  are included for a number of reasons. First, the Game Master 
  may like to allow the Battle-Brothers to explore the ship and 
  interact with its crew during the hours before the translation 
  to the Warp. They might decide to undertake some last minute 
  preparation, in particular any rites speciﬁc to their individual 
  Chapters, arming, Oath-Taking, training, or anything else the 
  players feel is appropriate.
  The second reason for including details of the Argent Crusader 
  is as a resource for future missions. By simply changing the name 
  of the vessel and of its key crew members, the Game Master has 
  a ready-made setting useful throughout a campaign.
  Lastly, the vessel is the setting for the drastic Warp incursion 
  that occurs soon after translation. This part of the adventure 
  could, should the GM wish, be given more weight and detail 
  than is presented here, depending on how the Kill-team reacts 
  to it. For this reason, having more details available should aid 
  the Game Master in running an extended encounter.
  The Argent Crusader is an unconventional vessel, in that it 
  conforms largely to the pattern of the Gladius-class frigate, a 
  common enough escort in the ﬂeets of Space Marine Chapters the 
  length and breadth of the Imperium. Yet, the Argent Crusader differs 
  in numerous details from the standard template for a Gladius. It is 
  not known if these differences are the result of modiﬁcations and 
  rebuilds carried out by the Deathwatch, or if the vessel represents 
  a distinct and otherwise unknown sub-type of the Gladius. Almost 
  all of the differences relate to internal systems, almost all of which 
  are exponentially more efﬁcient and effective than the standard 
  systems the class employs. Power distribution is at least twelve 
  percent more efﬁcient and features numerous failsafe redundancy 
  systems. Fire control is ﬁendishly accurate and rates of ﬁre far 
  greater than would be expected. Many of the Crusader’s lance 
  batteries are able to operate at higher outputs over longer periods 
  of time than those of the standard Gladius. The ship’s plasma core 
  is rated as producing a yield of eight to ten percent over that of the 
  standard pattern, and its cogitation core is, as far as is known, of an 
  entirely unique type.
  Lastly, the Crusader differs from other vessels of its type in 
  that the nigh preternatural efﬁciency of its machine systems 
  means it needs far fewer crew than other ships of its size. 
  Imperial Navy doctrine states that automated systems are too 
  fallible in battle to be relied on, where men can be called upon 
  to perform any duty they are trained for. The crew of Space 
  Marine vessels are generally more technically adept and the 
  machine systems more resilient, resulting in fewer crew being 
  needed. The Argent Crusader displays a ﬁnely honed balance 
  between crew and machine systems that has yet to be upset 
  even under the most severe circumstances.
  BATTLE HONOURS
  The Argent Crusader has served the Deathwatch for 
  at least as long as the Chapter has been operating the 
  Jericho Reach, and it may have been constructed before 
  the Apocryphon Conclave of Orphite IV brought about 
  its founding. The vessel’s cogitation core is known to 
  contain numerous sub-archives deliberately sealed off 
  to access, although several of these have, on occasion, 
  unsealed themselves in a similar manner to the Omega 
  Vault in the heart of Watch-Fortress Erioch.
  PROMINENT LOCATIONS
  Even with its unconventional machine systems and reduced 
  reliance on ﬂesh and blood crew, the Argent Crusader’s complement 
  still numbers in the thousands. The crew treats the Space Marines 
  with the utmost respect, such that it is comparatively rare for a 
  brother to encounter the ratings in the ordinary running of the 
  vessel. The Kill-team has regular contact with the conversii, but 
  comes across the lower-ranked crew only when the ship is on 
  defence watch or action stations.
  Most of the time, the interior of the Argent Crusader is 
  serene, the crew keeping a respectful distance from the Battle-
  Brothers. The life-sustainer systems cycle sacred incense 
  throughout and the bulkheads of the ship’s companionways 
  are etched with mile after mile of script listing the names and 
  deeds of the Deathwatch of the Jericho Reach and beyond. 
  Purity seals and votive streamers are afﬁxed to prominent 
  machine systems and blessed regularly by the ship’s Adeptus 
  Mechanicus attendees so that they may never fail.
  The locations the Battle-Brothers are most likely to utilise 
  in the hours before the Argent Crusader plunges into the Warp 
  and during the subsequent emergency are covered below.
  BRIDGE
  In form and structure, the Crusader’s bridge is solid 
  and functional, reﬂecting the utilitarian nature of the 
  Adeptus Astartes it serves. Yet, just like some individual 
  Chapters adorn their standard pattern power armour with 
  idiosyncratic decoration, so the bridge is unmistakably 
  that of a Deathwatch vessel. As with much of the ship, 
  the bulkheads are engraved with the names and deeds of 
  countless generations of previous crew, and a riot of purity 
  seals edge the most important of command terminals. The 
  bridge is a large space, though not so ostentatiously massive 
  as those of many equivalent-sized ships of the Imperial 
  Navy. The space is dominated by a command throne atop a 
  ﬁve metre tall plinth, above which is hung the bulbous and 
  distended skull of an unidentiﬁed xenos creature. 
  The throne is wrought to accommodate the physique of a 
  Space Marine, and is only ever occupied by the most senior 
  Deathwatch ofﬁcer present, who by dint of his rank outranks the 
  ship’s captain, Jerok DeSaul. The captain’s command terminal is 
  immediately fore of and below the throne, a place from which 
  he can easily converse with whichever of his Adeptus Astartes 
  masters is currently in overall command of the vessel.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  17
  CHAPEL SANCTUS
  Even the smallest Imperial warship is host to scores of 
  chapels, from the bulkhead-mounted reliquaries to cathedral-
  sized sacred spaces, and the Argent Crusader is no different. 
  One particular chapel, however—the Chapel Sanctus—is 
  the exclusive preserve of any Deathwatch Battle-Brothers 
  travelling on the vessel and, save for the chapter serfs tasked 
  with caring for the chapel’s relics, no lesser mortal may set 
  foot within upon pain of death. This relatively small, stone-
  lined space is protected by the most potent of wards and 
  provides the Adeptus Astartes with a secluded inner sanctum 
  in which they might perform the Chapter’s sacred Rites of 
  Battle and annunciate the Warrior’s Catechism of Worship 
  before battle, bless their battle gear and honour that of the 
  dead, and stand the long vigil upon the eave of battle.
  The Chapel Sanctus is often employed as a reliquary when 
  the vessel’s passengers are bearing items of great signiﬁcance, 
  as is the case with the Maul of the Gatekeeper—see the 
  sidebar on page 20 for more details. 
  SLEEPING CELLS
  The Argent Crusader provides sleeping quarters for a handful of 
  Space Marines, each of which is an unadorned, plain-walled 
  cell equipped only with the barest necessities a Battle-Brother 
  needs to maintain his wargear, commune with the war-spirits 
  of his armour, and recharge its power core. The ship’s crew 
  live in equally austere quarters.
  TRAINING CHAMBERS
  The Argent Crusader is host to around a dozen chambers set aside 
  for the exclusive use of the Adeptus Astartes. These large spaces 
  can be conﬁgured in a number of different ways and are lined 
  with heavy armour so they can be used as ﬁring ranges. The 
  training chambers can be isolated from the rest of the ship and, 
  because they are all located adjacent to its hull, they can be purged 
  if needed. The walls of Chamber 8 still bear the scars from a 
  time an xenos War-Wyrd of the Hambro Cuth was transported, 
  having been captured by the Deathwatch attempting to inﬁltrate 
  the Iron Collar. The awesomely powerful xenos psyker proved so 
  destructive that the Kill-team was forced to purge the chamber 
  and consign the Cuthian to a cold, airless grave lest the dread 
  energies he had unleashed consume the entire ship.
  DEATHWATCH ARMOURY
  In addition to the numerous batteries and arms caches intended 
  for the use of the crew, the Argent Crusader is host to a sealed, 
  heavily armoured chamber in which the weapons of the 
  Deathwatch are stored. The armoury contains far more weapons 
  and ammunition than any Kill-team could ever require for a 
  single mission, extending the reach and multiplying the force 
  the Deathwatch is able to bring to bear. The armour contains 
  numerous different types and patterns of weapon, some of 
  which may represent the only known example of their mark 
  or design. While the vast majority of the wargear stored in 
  the armoury are standard (as far as the Adeptus Astartes are 
  concerned), it also contains a small number of exotic weapons, 
  such as graviton guns and conversion beam projectors.
  LAUNCH DECKS
  As a rapid strike vessel, one of the Argent Crusader’s primary function 
  is to carry a complement of Space Marines to its destination and 
  to deliver its members directly into combat. The vessel is equipped 
  with a primary launch deck in its armoured prow, and two 
  secondary decks amidships—one port and one starboard. The 
  primary deck is equipped with a Thunderhawk gunship which 
  its crew keeps in a high state of alert. The secondary launch decks 
  are generally used for non-combat or combat support operations, 
  such as ferrying materiel to and from a landing zone, loading the 
  ship’s ammunition stores, and receiving and delivering visitors. 
  The secondary decks are sometimes used to launch smaller vessels 
  such as the Stormtalon gunship, two of which are available should 
  the Deathwatch decide to utilise them. 
  In addition to the conventional launch decks, the Argent 
  Crusader is host to a Drop Pod assault cradle, in which two 
  Adeptus Astartes Drop Pods currently await use.
  OBSERVATION BLISTER
  The Observation Blister sits atop one of the numerous armoured 
  spires mounted towards the Crusader’s aft section. Most are 
  host to a staggering variety of different types of sensors, some 
  of which are highly exotic, possibly of xenos or pre-Imperium 
  origin, and used exclusively by the Deathwatch. The blister is 
  a dome of armoured glass able to accommodate a squad of 
  Space Marines, affording a spectacular view of the vessel and 
  of surrounding space. It is in this Spartan chamber that Watch-
  Captain de Dominova delivers his mission brieﬁng.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  18
  PERSONS OF INTEREST
  The Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach is slightly different 
  from conventional Space Marine Chapters, in that it does 
  not utilise failed Aspirants as Chapter Serfs, because it does 
  not select and train its own Brethren. Even a failed Aspirant 
  is likely to be a superior specimen of Humanity, what 
  Adeptus Astartes implants they have received granting them 
  abilities and attributes normal men do not possess. Denied 
  this channel of recruitment, the Deathwatch of the Jericho 
  Reach relies instead on the practise of employing generation 
  after generation of the same families to staff its vessels and 
  holdings. Often, the exact same position has been ﬁlled by 
  countless generations of the same line, the long-mastered 
  secrets of one single duty passed down from father to son. 
  This process results in a staff of mortals literally bred to serve, 
  and utterly loyal to its Deathwatch masters.
  Most of the Deathwatch’s Chapter Serfs go about their duties 
  all but invisible to the godlike warriors they serve, yet a few rise 
  to positions of great honour and in so doing earn the right to 
  address a member of the Adeptus Astartes without invitation. 
  These honoured servants are known by the honoriﬁc conversii, 
  indicating they have earned the much vaunted right to speak 
  before being spoken to in the presence of a Space Marine.
  CAPTAIN JEROK DESAUL 
  Captain DeSaul is, so far as can be ascertained from the archives, 
  the ﬁfty-ninth of his line to perform the honoured duty of 
  commanding the Argent Crusader. The captain is a dour and single-
  minded individual and his life is entirely meaningless beyond the 
  bounds of his position. He has very little experience with those 
  outside of the Deathwatch and cares nothing for those that dwell 
  “dirtside” on the surfaces of the worlds he has only ever looked 
  upon from orbit or through a targeting grid. In manner, DeSaul 
  is supremely conﬁdent in his own abilities, and in truth he has 
  every reason to be. Neither he, nor any of his line, have every 
  failed the Deathwatch. The captain displays the exact measure 
  of deference required when interacting with Battle-Brothers and 
  while he knows he is not their equal, he is sufﬁciently accustomed 
  to their presence that he is not struck dumb as many lesser men 
  often are in the presence of the Adeptus Astartes.
  ENGINSEER PRIME ADEPT  
  USIUM MELLANO
  As a senior member of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Mellano 
  is not bonded to the service of the Deathwatch from birth 
  like the vast majority of the Argent Crusader’s crew. Instead, 
  he attends the vessel’s engines according to the dictates of 
  the pacts that bind the Chapter to the Mechanicus in their 
  joint mission of service to the Imperium. In addition to his 
  role as master of the Crusader’s drives, Mellano has ultimate 
  responsibility for all other adherents of the Cult Mechanicus 
  aboard the vessel. While the numerous Servitors serving 
  aboard the warship are owned by the Deathwatch, in practise 
  they too are the preserve of the Enginseer Prime.
  Adept Mellano is unusual amongst the crew in that he is 
  not instilled with the awe in which most hold the Adeptus 
  Astartes. While the Enginseer holds the Space Marines in 
  great esteem, he is capable of feeling very little in the way 
  of fear, certainly not in the way most men experience it, at 
  least. Mellano’s manner is detached and cold, his attentions 
  always on his precious drives unless some facet of unfamiliar 
  or unmastered technology should gain his attention.
  The main reason Adept Mellano was selected for his duty 
  with the Deathwatch is that he has served in a similar role with a 
  variety of Space Marine Chapters. As such, he is familiar with the 
  doctrines and customs of dozens of different bodies and has served 
  in major warzones across the entire galaxy. He is familiar with, and 
  intensely curious about, numerous patterns of Adeptus Astartes 
  wargear and well versed in its maintenance and operation. Should 
  the Battle-Brothers have need of master artisan to repair or even 
  (Emperor forbid) modify an item of equipment, Adept Mellano 
  should be well able to perform the task.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  19
  MASTER HELMSMAN KAVANT IRE
  The Argent Crusader’s master helmsman has served the 
  Deathwatch for almost a century, and is at least the ninth of 
  his line to perform the role of steering the warship. Twenty 
  years ago, Ire was wounded during an encounter with a Chaos 
  Reaver frigate during which his station erupted in ﬂames, 
  fusing his ruined body to the helm. Miraculously, Ire survived 
  his injuries, and once the helm was repaired he begged to have 
  his body grafted into its systems and mechanisms, arguing that 
  much of his ﬂesh was already melded with the helm and parts 
  of it still remained inside him. Captain DeSaul agreed, and so 
  Helmsman Ire is unable to leave his station even if he wanted 
  to. This turn of events caused some consternation amongst the 
  secondary helm crew, for it meant that none of them would 
  ever be able to man the helm. To this day, three secondary 
  and nine tertiary helmsman are listed amongst the crew rosters, 
  though all have been assigned other duties until such time as 
  Ire relinquishes his position through death or illness.
  MASTER OF ORDNANCE GARRAN SKINIKER
  As master of the Argent Crusader’s vast array of weapons, 
  Commander Skiniker has a fearsome arsenal at his ﬁngertips. 
  Skiniker is a veteran of countless Deathwatch operations, and 
  unusually is the ﬁrst of his line to fulﬁl the rank. The previous 
  master of ordnance was slain in the same encounter that fused 
  the ship’s master helmsman to his station, and for reasons 
  undisclosed by Captain DeSaul, the previous incumbent’s next 
  in line was not promoted to take his place. As the ﬁrst of his 
  line to serve as master of ordnance, Commander Skiniker bears 
  great responsibility. In truth, Skiniker relishes the power his 
  new role affords him, grinning with ill-contained delight each 
  time he is ordered to plot a ﬁring solution on an enemy vessel. 
  ASTROPATH KHILANKHA
  The Argent Crusader’s chief Astropath is another example of 
  the small number of specialised staff supplied by outside 
  institutions to perform duties none within the Deathwatch 
  can undertake. Khilankha is a waspish and tense woman 
  whose haunted expression is made all the more disturbing 
  by the dark pits of her empty eye sockets. She avoids 
  contact with the Battle-Brothers wherever possible, and if 
  cornered appears distracted and on edge. If pressed, she states 
  acerbically that she ﬁnds the presence of the Adeptus Astartes 
  nigh unbearable, for they bear such a weight of fate on their 
  broad shoulders that the attentions of all manner of entities 
  are drawn to them. Khilankha believes that all Space Marines 
  are somehow cursed, and abhors their presence for the reek 
  of brimstone that she claims attends it.
  In truth, the Astropath is either mistaken or in denial. It is instead 
  she that is cursed, and her premonitions are not of the doom of 
  the Space Marines but of her own inevitable fate, which is soon to 
  claim her as a consequence of her service to the Deathwatch.
  NAVIGATOR LUKAN STARK
  Lukan Stark has served the Deathwatch for almost as 
  long as it is possible for a Navigator to perform his 
  duty aboard a vessel not directly owned and operated 
  by his own kind. Stark is doomed with the grossest of 
  mutations, for such is the curse of the Navigator Gene. 
  Before long Stark will be forced to take his leave of the 
  Crusader and return to the fold of his House, for once his 
  mutations fully manifest he will be unable to commune 
  directly with any but his own.
  Quite apart from the fact that he could transform into a 
  vile abomination at any point in the near future, Lukan Stark 
  holds far deeper secret. For long decades Stark has hidden 
  his true identity from all but the very closest of his order. He 
  is in fact a member of the much cursed and outcast House 
  Typhon, and like many of that line, he is a so-called Elutian 
  Devotee. As such, Stark has knowledge of matters relating 
  to the Warp that few even of the Navigator Houses can bear 
  to know. It seems unlikely that the Deathwatch would be 
  unaware even of the most well-hidden facts concerning the 
  loyalties of those that serve it. 
  Game Masters who wish to learn more of the Elutian 
  Devotees can ﬁnd details in the ROGUE TRADER supplement 
  THE NAVIS PRIMER, though the details provided here are 
  more than sufﬁcient.
  ADDITIONAL ENCOUNTERS
  Should the GM wish to prolong the opening phase of 
  the adventure, he can introduce a number of additional 
  minor encounters. These should take the form of 
  interactions with other crew members instead of outright 
  combat, but there are always exceptions. Here are a few 
  ideas the Game Master might like to expand upon:
  Most sane men fear Warp travel, and while the 
  •	
  Deathwatch employ only the most able and 
  experienced crew on their vessels, such individuals 
  are but mortals and prone to mortal failings. 
  Perhaps one or more of the named crew simply 
  snap, and the Battle-Brothers must intervene to 
  contain any potential complications.
  As the Warp jump nears and the taint of the 
  •	
  Immaterium grows tangible, a crewman might 
  gain some premonition of the dire events to 
  come. Perhaps he attempts to warn the Battle-
  Brothers. How do they react?
  The Warp exerts a range of unknowable effects 
  •	
  upon the fabric of reality, the ebb and ﬂow of 
  time and space often twisted out of all recognition 
  when the thin barrier between the two realms is 
  breached. This could manifest as a series of ghostly 
  portents of events and people the Battle-Brothers 
  will encounter throughout the adventures to come. 
  It could even include alternate futures, sightings of 
  the Argent Crusader as a deserted hulk and numerous 
  other dread premonitions.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  20
  WATCH-CAPTAIN  
  DE DOMINOVA
  An intense, laconic, sallow-faced Battle Brother with 
  pale, colourless eyes prone to piercing glares, Watch-
  Captain Estaban de Dominova hails from the Crimson 
  Fists Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. Currently 
  serving his ﬁfth vigil with the Jericho Reach 
  Deathwatch, the Watch-Captain is a highly 
  respected Apothecary whose prowess in the 
  operating theatre has reached near mythic 
  proportions among the Kill-teams with which 
  he’s served. Indeed, many a Battle-Brother 
  currently serving a vigil in the Jericho Reach 
  owe their limbs, if not their very lives, to 
  his quick thinking and sure hands. Along 
  with his prodigious medical skills, and 
  the usual ﬁnely honed warrior abilities 
  possessed by every Battle-Brother, Watch-
  Captain de Dominova is also a noted 
  authority of the biology of many xenos life-
  forms and is known to work closely with 
  the Ordo Xenos and the Magos Biologis in 
  various capacities. Though he rarely takes an 
  active role throughout the adventure, Watch 
  Captain de Dominova’s proﬁle is presented in 
  the Appendix on page 139. 
  At the outset ARK OF LOST SOULS, the 
  Watch-Captain acts as a leader and a patron 
  to the Kill-team—requesting their aid, 
  speciﬁcally, in breaking the siege of 
  Watch Station Antael. De Dominova 
  has heard of the Kill-team—
  indeed, he may have interacted 
  with them directly if the Kill-
  team has played through the 
  events of the RISING TEMPEST 
  adventure module—and trusts 
  in their abilities to end the 
  xenos assault. 
  THE MAUL OF THE GATEKEEPER
  The sacred relic weapon carried by the Watch-Captain is an artefact held in great reverence by the Deathwatch and the Storm 
  Wardens Chapters. An ornate mattock, without a single blemish, the Maul of the Gatekeeper is said to be the bane of all xenos and 
  to date back to the founding of the Storm Wardens Chapter. Due to the pall of mystery surrounding the Chapter and the mysterious 
  Nemesis Incident, no more information than this is known, though numerous legends are told of the weapon’s capabilities.
  In battle, the Maul of the Gatekeeper is treated as a Master-Crafted Astartes Thunder Hammer. However, Player Characters 
  may spend Fate Points to augment the damage it inﬂicts when ﬁghting xenos of any type. This augmentation is declared 
  before Damage is rolled, and each Fate Point spent adds an additional d10 to the weapon’s Damage for that attack only. When 
  ﬁghting Enslavers, the result of the extra d10 is doubled, and any Enslaver Mind-Slave struck by the weapon (even if no Fate 
  Points are spent) is immediately slain as its link to its xenos puppet-master is severed. Given the nature of the Maul of the 
  Gatekeeper, the players should not be informed of its effects unless one of them actually wields it against a xenos foe. 
  While aboard the Argent Crusader, Watch-Captain de Dominova leaves the Maul of the Gatekeeper in the care of the 
  chapter serf attendants in the Chapel Sanctus. Shortly after boarding the Argent Crusader, de Dominova requests the presence 
  of the Battle-Brothers during a solemn ceremony in which he places the Maul in the care of the Chapel’s attendants. 
  CAPTA
  TA
  T IN 
  OVA
  VA
  V
  An intense, laconic, sallow-faced Battle Brother with 
  pale, colourless eyes prone to piercing glares, Watch-
  Captain Estaban de Dominova hails from the Crimson 
  Fists Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. Currently 
  serving his ﬁfth vigil with the Jericho Reach 
  Deathwatch, the Watch-Captain is a highly 
  respected Apothecary whose prowess in the 
  operating theatre has reached near mythic 
  proportions among the Kill-teams with which 
  he’s served. Indeed, many a Battle-Brother 
  currently serving a vigil in the Jericho Reach 
  owe their limbs, if not their very lives, to 
  his quick thinking and sure hands. Along 
  with his prodigious medical skills, and 
  the usual ﬁnely honed warrior abilities 
  possessed by every Battle-Brother, Watch-
  Captain de Dominova is also a noted 
  authority of the biology of many xenos life-
  forms and is known to work closely with 
  the Ordo Xenos and the Magos Biologis in 
  various capacities. Though he rarely takes an 
  active role throughout the adventure, Watch 
  Captain de Dominova’s proﬁle is presented in 
   on page 139. 
  OF LOST SOULS, the 
  Watch-Captain acts as a leader and a patron 
  to the Kill-team—requesting their aid, 
  speciﬁcally, in breaking the siege of 
  Watch Station Antael. De Dominova 
  has heard of the Kill-team—
  indeed, he may have interacted 
  with them directly if the Kill-
  team has played through the 
  EMPEST
  adventure module—and trusts 
  in their abilities to end the 
  of the Battle-Brothers during a solemn ceremony in which he places the Maul in the care of the Chapel’s attendants. 
  of the Battle-Brothers during a solemn ceremony in which he places the Maul in the care of the Chapel’s attendants. 
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  21
  Caught in  
  the Storm
  W
  hether or not the players choose to interact with the 
  crew of the Argent Crusader or undertake any other 
  tasks in the hours before the vessel translates into 
  the Warp and begins its journey properly, the time eventually 
  comes to get the adventure started. The following section 
  describes what happens when the jump to Warp space is made, 
  and the subsequent disaster that befalls the Deathwatch’s 
  warship. Entering the Warp is an event of major signiﬁcance 
  for any starship, and one steeped in ritual and trepidation. The 
  following key events occur in the run up to the translation to 
  the Warp, which may or may not affect the Player Characters” 
  actions. These events could be used to trigger interactions or 
  minor encounters should the GM wish.
  PHASE 1: ASSUME SECOND DEGREE OF 
  READINESS
  This phase of preparation sees all non-essential machine 
  systems and processes suspended so that all available power 
  may be made ready for Warp jump. The crew is issued a 
  warning order and placed on second degree of readiness.
  PHASE 2: ATTEND TO WARP STATIONS
  Every single member of the Argent Crusader’s crew has a “Warp 
  station”—a duty they must attend to in preparation for and 
  during a Warp jump. In this phase, the crew is ordered to attend 
  that station, which they do with practised efﬁciency. Despite the 
  fact that the crew is evidently highly adept and professional, 
  perceptive Battle-Brothers might catch the tension in the air, 
  though most Adeptus Astartes are largely unaware of the 
  concerns of lesser mortals.
  PHASE 3: WARP BREACH IMMANENT
  As the jump approaches, the vessel’s Warp drive is brought online 
  and slowly ramped up to full power. This creates a juddering 
  bass dirge that passes through the entire ship, but that is the 
  lesser of its effects. The air grows heavy as the Warp drive’s 
  unknowable processes force themselves upon the fabric of reality. 
  Those not gifted with the psyker’s arts feel an indeﬁnable dread 
  building deep in their souls, along with brief ﬂashes of unsettling 
  disorientation or outright surreality. Those who do bear the gift 
  (some would say curse) of the psyker feel something far more 
  tangible. Though no two psykers experience it in exactly the 
  same way, many report the feeling that the very fabric of space 
  and time is being stretched out of shape around them, or that a 
  deep, yawning chasm is opening up beneath their very feet. 
  At the height of this phase all pressure-sealed hatches are 
  sealed. Normally, passengers would be sealed in their quarters, 
  but it is normal for members of the Deathwatch to observe 
  the translation from the bridge. Should they prefer, the Battle-
  Brothers are free to return to their cells, but should be made 
  aware they will be locked in until the Warp jump is underway.
  PHASE 4: MAKE WARP
  Only when the Argent Crusader’s ﬁrst ofﬁcer has conﬁrmed all 
  pressure-hatches sealed, all wardings puriﬁed, all vista-panels 
  shuttered, and all crew positions fulﬁlled is the order to “make 
  Warp” given. Read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  No matter how many times you experience a Warp translation, 
  you never get used to it. A harsh machine wail screams from every 
  vox-horn on the vessel, its mournful dirge echoing down every 
  companionway. The sound drones on for what seems an age as 
  leaden silence descends. Then, the order is given—“Emperor bless 
  our souls, make Warp!”—and somewhere deep inside the guts of 
  The Argent Crusader the Warp drive is activated.
  For a moment, nothing seems to happen, but then that moment 
  stretches outwards to inﬁnity, a single thought, a single ﬁring of 
  a single synapse attenuated to encompass the entirety of existence. 
  Your perceptions narrow and your physical senses recede, the 
  experience sensed instead deep within the soul. The fabric of reality 
  is stretched impossibly thin, your mind at once expanding in every 
  dimension and obliterated as the laws of nature are brutalised. 
  When the stuff of the universe can be warped no further, the 
  abyss opens up and swallows you. 
  The lumens cut out and for an instant darkness engulfs all. A 
  scream, as of a billion, billion souls wailing in eternal torment 
  splits the air as a deep, bass rumble causes the fabric of the vessel 
  to tremble and quake. The ship plunges through gulfs of anguish 
  and insanity, now fully submerged in the ocean of Chaos.
  And then the lumens ﬂicker back to life and you realise your grip 
  has almost shattered the restraint. The rank taint of fear and 
  dread ﬁlls the air even as sweet incense is pumped through the 
  ﬁltration mechanisms.
  “We pray for the souls of those adrift upon the Warp,” a voice 
  announces over the vox-horns, and in a moment several thousand 
  men and women join in the prayer as one. 
  ‘Stand down Warp stations,” the executive ofﬁcer orders.
  The translation to the Warp completed and the voyage 
  through the Sea of Souls underway, the Argent Crusader’s crew 
  initiate a complex series of checks and puriﬁcations even as 
  cycled prayer chants are pumped throughout the entire ship. 
  Despite the fact that the translation proceeded without any 
  apparent mishaps, the crew is far from relaxed, and will not 
  be until the Warp is far behind them. It is unlikely that the 
  Space Marines notice or care about the state of mind of the 
  crew, of course.
  Allow the players time to gather their thoughts, and 
  if any of the Battle-Brothers experienced the translation 
  in their private cells, let them return to the bridge. If 
  needed, have Watch-Captain de Dominova order them to 
  do so, but before they can decide what to do next read 
  aloud or paraphrase the following:
  “Gentlemen,” Captain DeSaul addresses the bridge command 
  crew. “Gather in the chapel in one hour.” Turning to the Battle-
  Brothers, he continues, “We shall…”
  But he never gets to complete his sentence. The captain’s eyes widen 
  in stark, unfettered terror as he stares at something immediately 
  behind you, his face draining of all colour.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  22
  Whether or not the players fall for this age old trick, the 
  Captain is looking at a thin skein of ice that is creeping slowly 
  across the bulkhead. As the temperature on the bridge rapidly 
  plummets, a deep, creaking sound ﬁlls the air, followed by a 
  crack that could be the sound of ice splitting, but could just 
  as easily be bone splintering. The captain drops to his knees 
  even as several of bridge ofﬁcers stagger to their feet, dread 
  writ plainly across their features.
  “Incursion!” Captain DeSaul splutters, his breath billowing in 
  clouds as the temperature nears zero. “Emperor save us…’
  By now it should be obvious that something has gone 
  drastically awry. However, the Battle-Brothers choose to 
  react, the following key events play out, escalating towards 
  the moment when the Argent Crusader is drawn upon the vast 
  bulk of Mortis Thule.
  EVENT 1: WARP FROST
  The temperature plunges past zero as sheets of unnatural ice 
  crystallise across every surface. Non-Adeptus Astartes characters 
  must pass a Willpower Test as if confronted with a phenomenon 
  that causes Fear (2). The Game Master can make the tests for 
  the twenty or so bridge crew if he wishes, or make a single roll 
  based on the Willpower of an average Chapter Serf (30). Failure 
  indicates that d10 of the command crew have snapped and must 
  roll on Table 9-7: The Shock Table (see page 277 of the 
  DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). Again, if the GM wishes he can 
  make a single roll and apply the result to all those affected.
  Should they wish, the Battle-Brothers can attempt to bolster 
  the morale of the bridge crew by reciting relevant Catechisms 
  of Deliverance or other suitable tracts. Every Battle-Brother who 
  spends an Action to do so must make a Hard (–20) Fellowship 
  Test. Total up the Kill-teams” Degrees of Success, then subtract 
  the total Degrees of Failure and multiply the result by ten. The end 
  result is used as a modiﬁer for any rolls the command crew must 
  make on the Shock Table for the remainder of the encounter.
  EVENT 2: WAIL OF  
  THE DAMNED
  Very soon after the drastic temperature drop, a hideous and 
  obviously unnatural keening shriek starts up. The sound has 
  no obvious source and appears to be emanating from the 
  fabric of the Argent Crusader itself. The Battle-Brothers are 
  subjected to a Fear (1) effect, but the crew react far more 
  drastically, aware as they are of the awful perils of the Warp. 
  The sound grows ever louder and more disturbing, subjecting 
  the crew to a Fear (3) effect.
  By now, whatever is occurring is affecting the entire 
  vessel and every one of the many thousands of crew is being 
  subjected to the hideous, sanity-shattering screams of the 
  eternally damned. The deck beneath the Battle-Brothers” 
  armoured boots trembles violently. The trembling of the deck 
  reduces all movement rates by half, and combined with the 
  horrible screaming inﬂicts a –20 penalty on all Perception-
  based Skill Tests.
  As the screaming and trembling reaches a crescendo, the 
  mind of one of the senior command crew ﬁnally snaps. It is 
  up to the Game Master which ofﬁcer snaps, and if the Battle-
  Brothers have formed a particular afﬁnity with any one of 
  them this individual is probably a good choice as it lends the 
  event more drama and pathos. The affected ofﬁcer bellows 
  an ululating cry of fear and rage and launches himself at the 
  nearest Space Marine. Clearly, he has little chance of harming 
  the Battle-Brother, but driven beyond the point of sanity he 
  attacks until he is rendered unconscious or slain.
  EVENT 3: WARP BREACH!
  The instant the maddened bridge ofﬁcer is dealt with, the 
  air all about ripples and distorts as half-seen ﬁgures coalesce 
  before the Battle-Brothers” very eyes. Grasping limbs reach 
  out from beyond, appearing from bulkheads, from midair or 
  even bursting forth from the bodies of stricken crewmen. A 
  petriﬁed voice bellows “Gellar ﬁeld failure!” before the throat 
  that produced it is transformed into the portal through which 
  a fell creature of the Warp draws itself to feast upon the souls 
  of those that dare intrude upon its realm.
  The Argent Crusader’s Gellar ﬁeld is failing and the ship is 
  being assaulted by a wave of gargoyle-like Daemons known as 
  Furies. These monsters of the abyss are mindlessly determined to 
  overwhelm those whose souls shine alluringly in the Warp. While 
  the souls of the vessel’s crew are desirable enough, those of the 
  Adeptus Astartes blaze like shining stars in a dark ﬁrmament, 
  drawing ever more of damned creatures towards them.
  Initially, the Battle-Brothers are assailed by individual 
  Chaos Furies and forced to defend themselves as more 
  appear. Individually, these wailing shadows are defeated 
  easily enough, but their numbers are limitless in the churning 
  maelstrom of the Warp. Soon, the Furies attack in waves that 
  count as Hordes, forcing the Kill-team to take drastic action.
  The proﬁle for the Chaos Furies can be found on page 133. 
  The Game Master should introduce these foes in escalating 
  waves. Initially, a single Fury attacks, but the instant it is slain, 
  its form vanishes and several more appear. When he feels it is 
  appropriate, the GM can have the Battle-Brothers attacked by 
  a Horde of the damned creatures.
  How the players choose to react to the unfolding disaster is 
  up to them and the Game Master should allow them to pursue 
  any reasonable course of action. It is likely, for example, that 
  the player might reach the conclusion that the ship’s Gellar 
  ﬁeld must be raised, but in truth the damage to the vessel, while 
  yet undetermined, is far too great, though the players need not 
  discover this just yet. Instead, the Game Master could allow a 
  Techmarine to restore a small portion of the Gellar ﬁeld in a 
  very localised area, requiring a Very Hard (–30) Tech-Use 
  Test to activate. In this case, each Degree of Success increases 
  the size of the area covered by the ﬁeld, granting it the capacity 
  to protect an additional ﬁfty or so souls. The ultimate effect of 
  this course of action is the same as detailed below, but the GM 
  should alter the read-aloud text accordingly.
  In truth, unless the players themselves devise a plausible course 
  of action to hold off the endless waves of Chaos Furies assailing 
  the Kill-team, the only way of gaining sanctuary is to fall back 
  to the Argent Crusader’s Chapel Sanctus (as described on page 17). 
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  23
  Protected with potent hexagrammic wards, the interior of the 
  chapel is sacred ground upon which no denizen of the Warp may 
  tread. Upon attempting to cross the threshold, the Furies simply 
  vanish, their very essence obliterated. Allow the Battle-Brothers 
  to make a Difﬁcult (–10) Lore: Common (Deathwatch or 
  Ecclesiarchy) or Lore: Forbidden (Daemonology) Test to 
  know of the wards and their effect on daemons. 
  Should the Kill-team attempt to rally the crew and lead 
  them to safety in the chapel, the chamber is large enough to 
  accommodate approximately one hundred individuals, a small 
  fraction of the Argent Crusader’s total complement.
  If the players themselves do not decide to seek refuge in 
  the Chapel Sanctus from the tide of abominations, then the 
  Watch-Captain decides to lead the Kill-team there himself. 
  The Game Master should only use this option once the 
  players have had a chance to shine, however. The Watch-
  Captain should remain with the Kill-team at all times, or if 
  they do part, he should return to their side before the ﬁnal 
  part of this passage is resolved.
  EVENT 4: SANCTUARY
  Soon after the ﬁrst few Chaos Furies are obliterated 
  attempting to pursue the Kill-team into the Chapel 
  Sanctus (or other sanctuary if the players have concocted a 
  similar scheme and the GM has agreed to it working), the 
  number of attackers increases exponentially. The Furies 
  are drawn to their own destruction by the presence of the 
  Space Marines” shining souls. The corridor beyond the 
  chapel entrance is transformed into a solid mass of wailing, 
  thrashing Daemons, the wards soon glowing white hot as 
  more and more Warp creatures are obliterated.
  As the wave of shrieking abomination become so dense 
  that the wards must surely fail, the Argent Crusader is drawn 
  into Mortis Thule, its form melded with that of the Space 
  Hulk by the impossible energies of the Warp. Read aloud or 
  paraphrase the following:
  You ﬁnd yourself within a haven of purity as wave after wave 
  of damned souls obliterate themselves upon the threshold of the 
  chapel. Yet, the wards etched into the portal soon grow white hot 
  and dozens of the purity seals mounted upon the walls ﬂare into 
  guttering ﬂame as the abominations threaten to overwhelm the 
  sanctuary. As the relentless assault nears its inevitable conclusion, 
  you feel the unmistakable pressure of the Warp closing in around 
  and it is as if the inner sanctum in which you stand is the last 
  mote of reality cast adrift upon the raging currents of the Sea 
  of Souls. The wailing torrent of insanity consumes all and the 
  ﬂagstones beneath your feet fracture. 
  In an instant, the shrine is plunged into darkness as the sound 
  of the Argent Crusader’s hull twisting apart assaults your senses. 
  Only the blessings of your Primarchs and of the Emperor himself 
  can save you now…
  Unknown to the Battle-Brothers, the wreck of the Argent 
  Crusader is being drawn onto the vast bulk of Mortis Thule. 
  The energies released during this blasphemous, unnatural 
  collision are such that even a Space Marine of the Adeptus 
  Astartes is overcome and every one of the Kill-team loses 
  consciousness. While unconscious, the soul of each Battle-
  Brother is assailed by the raw power of the Warp, drawing 
  forth his deepest secrets and frailties, such as they are in a 
  champion of Mankind. Each Player Character experiences this 
  spiritual and physical assault differently, as detailed below.
  With reference to their Battle-Brother’s past deeds 
  and history, each player should announce his character’s 
  deepest, darkest fear, dread, or regret. The Game Master 
  should determine how inventive or convincing this 
  admission is, and afford each player a bonus or penalty 
  between –60 (i.e., the Battle-Brother was entirely 
  unwilling to confront himself ) to +60 (where the Battle-
  Brother was willing and able to illuminate the darkest 
  reaches of his spirit and confront every weakness lurking 
  within). Each Player Character makes an Insanity Test 
  (see page 279 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook), 
  applying the modifier awarded.
  In addition to the spiritual trauma the Warp exerts upon 
  each Battle-Brother as the Argent Crusader is ground upon 
  Mortis Thule, the body of each member of the Kill-team is 
  subjected to forces that would tear a normal man apart. Each 
  Player Character must make a Very Hard (–30) Toughness 
  Test. When they awaken in the next stage of the adventure, 
  any Battle-Brother that failed this test experiences a number 
  of level of Fatigue equal to the Degrees of Failure by which 
  it was failed as his genetically enhanced system attempts to 
  recover from the stresses placed upon it.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  24
  Aftermath
  O
  ne by one the Battle-Brothers awaken, discovering 
  themselves lying prone in the shattered remains of 
  the Chapel Sanctus (or other location as relevant). 
  The air is ﬁlled with thick smoke and wreckage is strewn 
  all about. The only light is that cast by sparking machinery 
  and guttering ﬂames, and all traces of the abominations 
  that had assaulted the threshold are gone. The wards that 
  protected the inner sanctum are all blackened and charred 
  and the waxen purity seals melted into great runnels 
  solidifying on the deck. 
  The first Battle-Brother to seek him out discovers the 
  broken form of their Watch-Captain, his limbs twisted and 
  his armour shattered. De Dominova’s body was subjected 
  to such horrific forces during the calamity that he is 
  hovering at the brink of mortality. Upon discovery, the 
  Watch-Captain is unconscious, but a successful Difficult 
  (–10) Medicae Test can be used diagnose his condition. 
  Passing the Test reveals that the Watch-Captain’s body 
  has suffered such trauma that only by the activation of 
  the Sus-an Membrane implant can he possibly survive. 
  The process has already begun, and the test reveals that 
  the Kill-team has only a brief window of opportunity to 
  awaken the Watch-Captain and converse with him before 
  he slips into a catatonic state to stave off death.
  Should the group wish to revive the Watch-Captain, they 
  may attempt to do so by way of a Hard (–20) Medicae Test. 
  If the test is failed, the patient slips into suspended animation 
  straight away and the Kill-team is very much on its own. If 
  the test is passed, de Dominova regains consciousness for a 
  number of minutes equal to the Degrees of Success gained. 
  For each minute, he imparts one of the points below, which 
  can be communicated or summarised as the GM wishes.
  His eyes ﬂickering open, the captain turns his head with 
  obvious difﬁculty and addresses the nearest Battle-Brother. 
  Through bloody lips, he orders the Battle-Brothers to retrieve 
  the Maul of the Gatekeeper from the Chapel Sanctus, and to 
  bear it with them whatever fate may await them.
  Fighting the onset of de-animation, the Watch-Captain 
  •	
  relates something of his experiences during the Warp 
  accident. He states that the vessel must have been expelled 
  from the Warp, but they could be anywhere in the Jericho 
  Reach or indeed far beyond it.
  His eyes ﬂickering shut as his skin drains of colour, the 
  •	
  Watch-Captain claims that while unconscious he heard 
  the “siren call” of a dread xenos ﬁend. The source of the 
  abominable voice is near by, and echoes yet through the 
  corpse of the Argent Crusader. 
  The captain’s very last warning, should the Battle-
  •	
  Brothers keep him conscious long enough to relate it, is 
  that the Warp remains restless still, and might rise anew 
  to claim the souls of them all…
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  25
  Counting  
  the Cost
  T
  he Kill-team is now stranded upon the wreckage of 
  the Argent Crusader, the ship’s hull melded with the 
  vast mass of the Space Hulk known as Mortis Thule, 
  though realisation of this fact comes only slowly. Depending 
  on how the group decides to investigate their situation, the 
  following facts are discovered, in whatever order the Game 
  Master deems appropriate.
  CREW LOSSES
  The vessel’s crew were not so fortunate as the Space Marines, 
  their bodies unable to withstand anything like the same 
  trauma and their minds unable to stand up to the horrors 
  unleashed outside of the sanctuary afforded by the chapel. So 
  far as the Space Marines can ascertain, not a single crewman 
  survived the calamity. 
  CONDITION
  The Argent Crusader has been subjected to such a level of 
  damage that it is a wonder it is as intact as it is. No area or 
  system is untouched and it is clear that only a massive salvage 
  operation is likely to get the vessel moving again, and only 
  then utilising a Warp tug and a salvage crew of thousands.
  LAUNCH DECKS
  Should the Kill-team investigate the status of the Argent 
  Crusader’s launch decks, in particular that of the smaller vessels 
  carried in them, they have very little good news. The primary 
  launch deck’s armoured door has been fractured and its 
  interior is exposed to the void. The Thunderhawk previously 
  kept there has been ripped in two by unknown forces, its 
  drive section embedded in one wall and its forward section 
  crushed against the armoured bay doors.
  Both of the secondary launch decks are inaccessible, all 
  potential access to them unusable. Though the characters may 
  not be aware of it just yet, the reason the secondary bays are 
  inaccessible is because they have been fused with the rock 
  and wreckage of Mortis Thule. 
  The drop pod assault cradle is the only component that is 
  still even vaguely intact. Because it has no power feeding it, 
  the cradle can only be activated and the two drop pods held 
  within launched if one or more Battle-Brothers remained 
  behind to operate the release mechanism manually. This 
  would be a very bad idea, however, and would result only 
  in the drop pod being spat out into the void before being 
  caught in the formidable gravitic pull of Mortis Thule, where 
  it will orbit the Space Hulk until it next plunges into the 
  Warp. Needless to say, any characters that attempt such a stunt 
  probably deserve to be left to their fate, though the Game 
  Master might allow the players to attempt a rescue if they 
  concoct a suitably inventive scheme.
  REACTOR
  The ship is entirely without power. A successful Challenging 
  (+0) Trade (Shipwright) Test reveals that something other 
  than the vessel’s own machine systems is providing a gravity 
  ﬁeld of approximately standard magnitude.
  PLASMA RELAY LEAK
  As the Battle-Brothers set about the task of assessing the 
  situation, they become increasingly aware of a rapidly 
  worsening containment failure in the vessel’s plasma relay 
  conduits. Background radiation levels rise towards dangerous 
  levels and if left unattended, the leak is likely to result in a 
  fatal plasma cascade capable of scouring the interior of the 
  vessel to ashes. There are several ways the Player Characters 
  might become aware of the threat, including:
  Space Marines with a functioning Melanchromatic 
  •	
  Organ are protected from low levels of radiation, the 
  implant causing skin colouration to darken as protective 
  chemicals are synthesised by the enhanced physiology of 
  the Adeptus Astartes. The Battle-Brother is aware of this 
  process, while his brethren witness its effects upon his 
  features directly. The cause of the bio-chemical reaction 
  is obvious and no Skill Test is required to ascertain that 
  there must be a radiation leak nearby.
  Battle-Brothers of the Deathwatch are often equipped 
  •	
  with scanners, augurs, and similar devices capable of 
  measuring radiation levels. The GM can call upon 
  Player Characters bearing suitable equipment to make 
  periodic Awareness Tests, starting out at Difﬁcult 
  (–10) and getting progressively easier as the levels 
  increase. As Adeptus Astartes Power Armour is equipped 
  with rudimentary versions of such scanners, any Battle-
  Brother may make Very Hard (–30) Awareness Tests 
  as well. Success on either test indicated that the Battle-
  Brother is aware of the radiation leak and may begin 
  searching for its source. 
  If for some reason the Battle-Brothers still fail to note 
  •	
  the increase in radiation, or if they ignore the threat, 
  they start taking Damage. At this point the existence 
  of threat, if not its exact cause, becomes obvious. After 
  about an hour has passed, and every ten-minutes or so 
  afterward, the characters take 1d10 Energy Damage, 
  +1 point of Damage per previous Damage roll from 
  this source. The Damage from this attack is not reduced 
  by the Battle-Brother’s armour, though it is reduced by 
  Toughness as normal. Power Fields likewise have no 
  effect on this attack.
  To seal the leak and save themselves (and the de-animated 
  Watch-Captain) from lethal radiation exposure, the Battle-
  Brothers must ﬁrst locate, and then close down the leak. To 
  locate the leak they must achieve eight Degrees of Success on 
  any number of Lore: Common (Tech), Search, Tech-Use, 
  or Trade (Technomat) Skill Tests. The ﬁrst test is Hard 
  (–20), but each Degree of Success achieved adds a +5 bonus 
  to successive Tests. Each Battle-Brother may make one Skill 
  Test every ten minutes, after which each Battle-Brothers takes 
  Damage as detailed above.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  26
  The leak can be shut down by activating a manual 
  containment valve to be found just aft of the bridge. The 
  valve takes the form of a huge locking wheel and associated 
  sealing mechanisms constructed to function even when no 
  power is available.
  When the eighth Degree of Succes is achieved, the cause 
  of the leak is determined and shut down. Whichever Battle-
  Brother made the Skill Test that earned the eighth Degree of 
  Succes is considered to be one who closed the valve and was 
  exposed directly to the ﬁnal outpouring of radiation. That 
  character immediately takes 1d10+10 Energy Damage. As 
  above, this Damage is not reduced by armour, though it is 
  reduced by Toughness. 
  THE FINAL RESTING PLACE 
  OF THE ARGENT CRUSADER
  Only when the radiation leak is dealt with can the Battle-Brothers 
  take full stock of their situation. The bridge lies just beyond the 
  containment valve, and from it the characters are afforded the 
  opportunity of realising the truth of their predicament. 
  The information presented below assumes that the characters 
  are on the bridge, but should the GM wish he can adapt it to 
  other circumstances. The moment the Battle-Brothers enter the 
  command deck, read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The armoured portal leading to the bridge yields to your strength 
  despite the buckling inﬂicted upon it by whatever disaster has 
  befallen The Argent Crusader. Stepping across the threshold, 
  you ﬁnd yourself back on the bridge, what feels like a lifetime 
  having passed since you were last here. How different the 
  command deck looks now, its every surface stained with congealed 
  blood, the deck scattered with twisted body parts. 
  But the red hue that hangs in the air is not simply a matter of 
  spilled blood. Looking about, you note that the armoured shutters 
  lowered over the exterior of the bridge’s forward vista ports have 
  been torn away by some unimaginable force. 
  If there was any doubt before, now you know for certain that 
  the wreck of The Argent Crusader has been vomited out of 
  the Warp and is back in realspace once again. That is fortunate, 
  for to look out through those lowered Warp shutters directly into 
  the Sea of Souls would have spelled damnation before you could 
  have torn your eyes away. Instead, the sight that awaits is a mass 
  of roiling, blood red energies, distant nebulae pulsating like the 
  exposed organs of some vast, eviscerated sea creature, the ebon 
  sweep of the open void pressing in all about.
  At this stage, any Battle-Brother may make a Routine 
  (+20) Navigation (Stellar) Test or Challenging (+0) Lore: 
  Common (Jericho Reach) Test to ascertain that the vast, 
  boiling mass of fell energy visible through the command deck’s 
  forward vista panels is the Hadex Anomaly. Passing the test by 
  two or more Degrees of Success reveals that the Argent Crusader 
  must be somewhere deep in interstellar space rimward of the 
  anomaly, but no more speciﬁc details can be gleaned.
  The scene continues when a Battle-Brother approaches the 
  vista panel to take a closer look out:
  Approaching the vista port, your armoured tread crunching the splintered 
  bones of the slaughtered bridge crew, your breath catches in your throat 
  as you bear witness to the true fate of the Argent Crusader.
  The bridge looks out upon open space, but rearing up to the ship’s 
  aft is a mighty wall of solid rock and twisted metal, a mass so 
  vast its extent is lost to a haze of drifting debris that forms an 
  artiﬁcial horizon. Craning your neck for a better viewpoint, you 
  see the awful truth. The entire aft two-thirds of the rapid strike 
  vessel are melded with the substance of what can only be the 
  largest Space Hulk ever witnessed in the Jericho Reach.
  And the largest Space Hulk on record bears a name dreaded across 
  the entire length and breadth of region. That name translates in High 
  Gothic as “Death from Beyond the Horizon’—Mortis Thule.
  New Priorities
  T
  he Kill-team is stranded on Mortis Thule and they have 
  no way of knowing when the Space Hulk is likely to 
  become caught in the currents of the Sea of Souls and 
  dragged back into the Warp. What they do know is that when 
  that happens, they are doomed, for without a functioning 
  Gellar ﬁeld to shield them from the ravenous denizens that 
  haunt that impossible realm they will be slaughtered, their 
  souls to be ravaged by daemons for all eternity.
  Given their current circumstances, the Kill-team has a number 
  of obvious priorities, most of which are immediately apparent. 
  These are summarised below. The Game Master should take 
  note of how the group goes about identifying and prioritising 
  the challenges that face it and award good roleplaying with 
  bonus Experience Points when the time comes. Each of the 
  entries contains additional notes on this subject.
  ESCAPE
  The most obvious priority confronting the Kill-team is to identify a 
  means of getting off of Mortis Thule before it is dragged back into the 
  Warp. As champions of Humanity, the Space Marines are unlikely 
  to feel the all-consuming dread any lesser man would experience 
  when confronted with the knowledge that eternal damnation in the 
  depths of the abyss could descend at any moment. 
  The Game Master should consider awarding a bonus 100 
  Experience Points to characters that, having identiﬁed the (rather 
  obvious) need to escape the Space Hulk, display utter disregard for 
  their own doom. After all, its is said that the Space Marines “shall 
  know no fear” and this is an ideal opportunity to prove it. Players that 
  exploit relevant Chapter and Personal Demeanours as well as other 
  background details should be awarded an additional 50 Experience 
  Points over and above the bonus already mentioned.
  SAVE OUR SOULS
  Another obvious priority is the need to alert the Deathwatch 
  or other Imperial bodies of the Argent Crusader’s fate and of the 
  Kill-team’s survival. In the event that the Battle-Brothers attempt 
  to get the Argent Crusader’s wrecked vox systems back online, it 
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  27
  should become apparent fairly soon that this is impossible. Aside 
  from the fact that the wreck is entirely without power, the vox 
  systems themselves were completely destroyed during the disaster. 
  Furthermore, any signal that could be produced would be limited 
  in range by the laws of the physical universe and rely on there 
  being a receiving vessel very close indeed, something extremely 
  unlikely with Mortis Thule drifting through interstellar space.
  As with the Escape priority, the Game Master should award 
  characters that identify the need, but discard it as unattainable 
  having investigated and exhausted all possibilities. 
  THE WOUNDED  
  WATCH-CAPTAIN
  It is clear from his injuries that Watch-Captain de Dominova 
  would have perished were it not for the state of de-animation 
  his Sus-An Membrane has placed him in. There is no way of 
  telling how long he might survive in this state—it could be 
  anything from days to centuries. Clearly, carrying the injured 
  de Dominova to safety must take high priority and players 
  that identify and plan for this should be suitably rewarded.
  THE MAUL OF  
  THE GATEKEEPER
  A central part of the Watch-Captain’s mission was to bear the 
  sacred Maul of the Gatekeeper against the Tau forces laying 
  siege to Watch-Station Antael. The relic weapon currently 
  resides in the inner sanctum of the Argent Crusader’s Chapel 
  Sanctus, and Player Characters that remember its presence 
  and importance may attempt to retrieve it. 
  The structure of the inner sanctum was severely damaged during 
  the melding with Mortis Thule, and as the Battle-Brothers arrive to 
  locate it, they ﬁnd a ﬁre raging through the small chamber and debris 
  scattered all about. The ﬁre must be extinguished, a task that requires 
  four successful Challenging (+0) Tech-Use Tests to achieve. 
  Every time the Test is failed, the Maul of the Gatekeeper 
  suffers a level of damage. So long as the Maul has suffered less 
  than nine levels of damage, it still functions, albeit with penalties. 
  For ever three levels of damage the weapon has suffered, it 
  loses one level of craftsmanship. Therefore when the Maul has 
  suffered three levels of damage, the Craftmanship of the weapon 
  drops from Master to Exceptional, while at six levels it drops to 
  Common. Should the Maul of the Gatekeeper suffer nine levels 
  of damage, it is rendered entirely useless and unrepairable. 
  Once the ﬂames are extinguished, a short search of the small 
  chamber quickly reveals the weapon buried beneath a scattering 
  of smoking debris. Any damage is immediately obvious and likely 
  to cause consternation amongst the Battle-Brothers, especially 
  those of the Storm Wardens Chapter—see the Maul of the 
  Gatekeeper sidebar. The damage can, in theory, be repaired, but 
  the players should come up with this themselves without the GM 
  dropping hints. Even if they do so, it takes an Arduous (–40) 
  Trade (Armourer) Test to repair each level of damage, and at 
  least three hours must be set aside for each test, something the 
  Kill-team are unlikely to want to undertake at present.
  Characters who remember the presence and importance of the 
  weapon, and who make an effort to retrieve it, should be rewarded 
  later on. An additional 100 Experience Points is a suitable bonus.
  STANDING ORDER 
  EPSILON NINE-NINE-ZERO
  If the players have not already been made aware of this 
  vitally important standing order, each of them should make 
  a Routine (+20) Lore: Common (Deathwatch) Test at 
  some point throughout this phase of the adventure. Success 
  reminds the character that Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-
  Zero absolutely requires them to attempt a reconnaissance 
  of any immediately accessible areas of Mortis Thule unless 
  countermanded by a Watch-Commander or Inquisitor. In the 
  unlikely event that all of the Battle-Brothers forget this central 
  doctrine of the Deathwatch of the Jericho Reach, an extended 
  period of penance with the Chaplains should be undertaken if 
  and when the Kill-team returns to Watch-Fortress Erioch. 
  If the players are playing a mixed group of characters 
  from multiple WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY game lines, 
  particularly DARK HERESY, it is possible, though unlikely, 
  that one or more of the Player Characters is in fact an actual 
  Inquisitor. In this case, that character technically has the power 
  to countermand Standing Order Nine-Nine-Zero. This could 
  present an interesting conﬂict of interests within the group 
  and Game Masters should allow it to run its course and adapt 
  events as necessary. The topic of integrating such characters 
  into games of DEATHWATCH is discussed in more detail on page 
  70-72 of the RITES OF BATTLE supplement.
  Characters that recognise the importance of Standing 
  Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero and who make appropriate 
  plans to set it in motion should be rewarded an additional 
  100 Experience Points later on.
  ADDITIONAL ENCOUNTERS
  As ever, the Game Master might like to consider prolonging 
  this phase of the adventure by adding in additional 
  encounters and interactions. Here are a few potential ideas:
  An Adeptus Mechanicus Enginseer has somehow 
  •	
  survived the calamity that slew his compatriots. 
  Infused with the power of the Warp and his mind 
  utterly blasted by the sights he witnessed during the 
  calamity, he launches himself at the Battle-Brothers. 
  Perhaps other servants and slaves of the Adeptus 
  •	
  Mechanicus survived the accident and roam the 
  Warp-tainted companionways looking for foes. 
  Potential threats include Servitors (including Battle 
  Servitors) as well as Servo-Skulls, any one of which 
  could attack from any direction at any time.
  Any one of the named crew described previously 
  •	
  might still be alive, though barely and not for 
  long. Though dying, these individuals might have 
  important information to pass on to the Battle-
  Brothers, perhaps based on fell insights gained in the 
  depths of the Warp at the cost of their souls. These 
  slivers of information could be used to foreshadow 
  some of the events that take place later, in particular 
  the three optional missions in Chapter III.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  28
  A Voice in  
  the Dark
  W
  hichever of the possible priorities the players 
  have identiﬁed and explored, no clear way ahead 
  presents itself until such time as they detect a faint 
  vox-transponder signal emanating from somewhere else on 
  the Space Hulk. Having picked up the signal, the Kill-team is 
  presented with an obvious objective, at which point they can 
  decide upon a team leader and take appropriate oaths. 
  It is of course quite possible that the players do not wish to 
  investigate the signal straight away and they should certainly 
  not be made to feel like they are being forced into doing so. The 
  group should be allowed to explore the immediate environment, 
  and this in itself could form an ad hoc mission for which a leader 
  can be selected and appropriate oaths undertaken. Ultimately, 
  it should become obvious that following the signal is the best 
  and only course of action.
  DETECTING THE SIGNAL
  The voice in the dark is an automated saviour 
  beacon of a type utilised by most warships of 
  the Adeptus Astartes. It is being transmitted 
  from the wreck of one of the countless vessels 
  caught up in the mass of Mortis Thule. A 
  Strike Cruiser formerly of the Storm 
  Wardens Chapter and lost long ago in 
  an unrecorded campaign, this ship 
  bears the name Sword of MacLir.
  There are several ways the 
  Battle-Brothers might detect 
  the voice in the dark:
  By deliberately scanning for 
  signals using appropriate equipment 
  (such as a vox-unit, auspex, or 
  even the systems integrated 
  into his power armour) a 
  Battle-Brother could detect 
  the voice in the dark. This 
  requires a Difﬁcult (–10) 
  Tech-Use Test.
  If no speciﬁc effort is 
  made to monitor the vox-
  channels, there is still a chance 
  of the signal bleeding into the 
  frequencies used by the Kill-
  team’s communications systems. 
  This is the case because the 
  transponder is of Adeptus Astartes 
  origin and conﬁgured to seek 
  out such frequencies. Have each 
  player make a Challenging (+0) 
  Awareness Test. Success indicates 
  that the Battle-Brother has caught 
  the voice in the dark.
  In the event that a Librarian 
  attempts to use his abilities to “listen” for any sign of life in the 
  vicinity, he ﬁnds none, but an Arduous (–40) Psyniscience 
  Test should be made nonetheless. Success indicates that the 
  Librarian has detected not the signal itself, but the ripples its 
  transmission has left upon the raw stuff of the Warp. The 
  Librarian becomes aware that a distress 
  signal has been made and that 
  the vox-channels should 
  be scanned for any sign 
  of it. Any subsequent 
  Tech-Use Tests made 
  are one Difﬁculty 
  level easier for each 
  Degree of Success 
  achieved in the 
  Psyniscience Test.
  Once 
  the 
  voice in the dark is 
  detected, the characters 
  finally hear a harsh, grating 
  machine code pulse. Have 
  one or more characters make a 
  Challenging (+0) Lore: Scholastic 
  (Cyphers) Test to determine how 
  much they can determine of its 
  nature, as detailed in Table 1–1: 
  The Voice in the Dark.
  Table 1–1: The Voice in the Dark
  Skill Test Result
  Knowledge Imparted
  Failed
  The signal is emanating from 
  within the mass of the Space Hulk.
  Standard Success
  It is a distress signal.
  One Degree 
  of Success
  The signal is Imperial in origin. 
  Two Degrees 
  of Success
  The signal is transmitting an 
  Adeptus Astartes code.
  Three Degrees 
  of Success
  The transmitting vessel is a Strike 
  Cruiser called the Sword of MacLir.
  Four or more 
  Degrees of Success 
  The Strike Cruiser belongs to 
  the Storm Wardens Chapter.†
  †Any attempts to identify further details on the Sword 
  of MacLir result in failure as it predates the Nemesis 
  of MacLir result in failure as it predates the Nemesis 
  of MacLir
  Incident. This is an example of a “Chapter mystery,
   “Chapter mystery,
   “
  ” 
  which the Game Master may develope further if 
  appropriate to the campaign.
  The voice in the dark is an automated saviour 
  beacon of a type utilised by most warships of 
  the Adeptus Astartes. It is being transmitted 
  from the wreck of one of the countless vessels 
  caught up in the mass of Mortis Thule. A 
  Strike Cruiser formerly of the Storm 
  Wardens Chapter and lost long ago in 
  an unrecorded campaign, this ship 
  Sword of MacLir.
  There are several ways the 
  Battle-Brothers might detect 
  By deliberately scanning for 
  signals using appropriate equipment 
  (such as a vox-unit, auspex, or 
  even the systems integrated 
  into his power armour) a 
  Battle-Brother could detect 
  the voice in the dark. This 
  Difﬁcult (–10) 
  If no speciﬁc effort is 
  made to monitor the vox-
  channels, there is still a chance 
  of the signal bleeding into the 
  frequencies used by the Kill-
  team’s communications systems. 
  This is the case because the 
  transponder is of Adeptus Astartes 
  origin and conﬁgured to seek 
  out such frequencies. Have each 
  Challenging (+0) 
   Test. Success indicates 
  that the Battle-Brother has caught 
  In the event that a Librarian 
  Test
  Test should be made nonetheless. Success indicates that the 
  Test should be made nonetheless. Success indicates that the 
  Test
  Librarian has detected not the signal itself, but the ripples its 
  Librarian has detected not the signal itself, but the ripples its 
  transmission has left upon the raw stuff of the Warp. The 
  Librarian becomes aware that a distress 
  signal has been made and that 
  the vox-channels should 
  be scanned for any sign 
  of it. Any subsequent 
  Tech-Use Tests made 
  are one Difﬁculty 
  level easier for each 
  voice in the dark is 
  detected, the characters 
  finally hear a harsh, grating 
  machine code pulse. Have 
  one or more characters make a 
  Challenging (+0) Lore: Scholastic 
  (Cyphers) Test to determine how 
  much they can determine of its 
  nature, as detailed in 
  The Voice in the Dark
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  29
  Into the 
  Darkness
  T
  his next phase of Peril on the Horizon covers the Kill-
  team’s journey from the wreck of the Argent Crusader to that 
  of the Sword of MacLir, where they hope to locate the source 
  of the voice in the dark and perhaps utilise whatever transmission 
  system is producing it to call for aide. They might also entertain 
  plans of ﬁnding a route off of the Space Hulk, such as intact launch 
  bays containing Thunderhawk Gunships or similar vessels, and the 
  players should certainly not be dissuaded from such notions as 
  they provide plenty of additional motivation and tension.
  MISSION PREPARATION
  This stage of the adventure is essentially a self-contained 
  Space Hulk boarding mission, and as such follows much of 
  the structure presented in Chapter IV. Game Masters should 
  familiarise themselves with the rules for exploring a Space 
  Hulk before running this portion of the adventure.
  As with any Deathwatch mission, a certain amount of 
  preparation and ritual is necessary, as described on page 227 
  of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. Having determined to 
  follow the signal to the wreck of the Sword of MacLir, the Kill-
  team can undertake each of the following pre-mission steps.
  BRIEFING
  No formal brieﬁng can be given to the Kill-team, for there are 
  no senior members of the Deathwatch to do so. The Game 
  Master should conﬁrm that the players are clear on the nature 
  of the coming operation, however, and in the event that he was 
  disguising the nature of the adventure (see The Game Master’s 
  Challenge on page 5), the time has come to let the players in on 
  what is happening. While the Battle-Brothers are not to receive 
  a conventional brieﬁng, the Game Master might like to provide 
  the players with a summary of the system for exploring a Space 
  Hulk so that play is not held up later on.
  MISSION LEADER
  If they have not done so already, the Kill-team should select one 
  of its number to serve as team leader according to the details 
  given on page 228 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. It 
  should be made clear that this brother need not serve that duty 
  for the entirety of the Kill-team’s time aboard Mortis Thule, but 
  should do so at least until the voice in the dark is located.
  OATH-TAKING
  Having selected a leader, the Kill-team can choose an Oath 
  appropriate to the prerequisites set down on pages 228-230 
  of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. 
  ARMING
  Unlike when they are preparing for a more conventional mission, 
  the Kill-team does not use its Renown to requisition suitable 
  weapons and equipment from the Armoury. Part of the challenge 
  of a Space Hulk boarding mission is making do with what 
  you’ve got, and this is especially true of the three adventures 
  presented in this book. Should it occur to the players to make 
  a search of their surroundings, in particular the armoury of the 
  wrecked Rapid Strike Vessel, they should each make a Difﬁcult 
  (–10) Search Test. If passed, this Test grants the character d10 
  Requisition Points to spend on equipment, plus a further d10 for 
  each Degree of Success gained. While the players may declare 
  what equipment they wish to ﬁnd, the Game Master has ﬁnal 
  say on whether or not any given item is found. Lastly, this is 
  an Extended Test taking one hour, and once passed may not be 
  repeated by the succeeding Battle-Brother.
  MISSION OBJECTIVES
  It may help the players if the Game Master describes the 
  coming events in terms of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary 
  Mission Objectives—these are terms the Battle-Brothers are 
  used to thinking in, after all.
  The mission’s Primary Objective is to locate the source 
  •	
  of the signal they have detected.
  The mission’s Secondary Objectives are, at least in part, 
  •	
  deﬁned by the players. Each of the priorities identiﬁed 
  earlier counts as a Secondary Objective.
  There are a number of Tertiary Objectives in play, most of 
  •	
  them situational and brought about the circumstances the 
  Battle-Brothers ﬁnd themselves in. Standing Order Epsilon 
  Nine-Nine-Zero places an onus upon them to reconnoitre 
  accessible areas of the Space Hulk, a task they can fulﬁl as 
  the mission progresses. Conserving ammunition is likely 
  to be an important part of the mission, as is keeping a 
  watchful eye for alternative sources of supply.
  The Game Master can use all of these objectives to keep 
  the action going as well as to award Experience Points, 
  depending on which of the methods presented in Chapter 
  IX of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook he is using.
  MISSION COMPLICATIONS
  Due to the nature of the mission, the Complications presented on 
  page 231 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook are not used. The 
  Game Master is, of course, free to invent complications appropriate 
  to the setting should he wish to add additional ﬂavour. 
  IMMEDIATE SURROUNDINGS
  Should the characters decide to explore a little 
  before investigating the vox-signal, or if they 
  somehow fail to detect it for an extended period, 
  the Game Master can use Steps 7 -10 of the Space 
  Hulk Mission Generator presented in Chapter 
  IV to flesh out the area immediately surrounding 
  the Argent Crusader. The GM should also refer to 
  the status of the various components of the Argent 
  Crusader described on page 16.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  30
  SEARCH FOR THE SIGNAL
  The mission to locate the signal is presented over the next 
  few pages using the format described in detail in Chapter IV. 
  The Game Master should refer to that chapter for details of 
  how to tie this information together into a coherent mission, 
  with each element of the rules modiﬁed as detailed here. 
  Because this mission might represent the ﬁrst time the players 
  and Game Master have used the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator, things are kept fairly simple with little in the way 
  of deviation from the standard rules unless required by the 
  narrative. For those groups that might have used the system 
  before, or who want a slightly different range of encounters, a 
  number of additional and unique events are included.
  THREAT LEVEL AND SCALE
  The Game Master should determine the overall Threat Level and 
  Scale of the mission himself, as this depends on a number of 
  factors. Points to consider include the Rank of the Battle-Brothers, 
  how experienced the players are with DEATHWATCH, the size and 
  composition of the Kill-team, and how much time the GM and 
  players wish to spend on this part of the adventure. If, for example, 
  the group is made up of players relatively new to the game, using 
  characters at the beginning of their career, and they want to 
  play the mission in a single session (approximately four hours), a 
  Threat Level of Minoris and a Scale of four might be appropriate. 
  Conversely, an experienced or larger group of players using higher 
  Rank characters and wanting to explore everything the Space 
  Hulk Mission Generator offers might prefer a Threat Level of 
  Majoris or even Extremis and a Scale of six or more. 
  When determining the Threat Level and Scale of this mission, 
  the Game Master should keep in mind that this is just the ﬁrst 
  of at least three trials the Kill-team must survive before they take 
  their leave of Mortis Thule. The players should not be made aware 
  of this fact, but the adventure will be better served if Threat 
  Levels and Scales are escalated over the course of the missions.
  ENCOUNTERS
  The number and type of Encounters the Kill-team experiences 
  on its journey from the wreck of the Argent Crusader to that 
  of the Sword of MacLir are related to the Threat Level and 
  Scale chosen for the mission. It is recommended that the 
  Encounters be modiﬁed as follows:
  Because this is the ﬁrst passage of the adventure, it pays to build 
  tension and expectation and not to have the Kill-team attacked too 
  early. The Game Master can use all manner of tricks to keep the 
  players of their toes, and the longer he does so, the better. Keep 
  in mind that the vast majority of the interior of any Space Hulk 
  is empty, but that death could lurk around any corner. Have the 
  players make periodic Awareness Tests, but never tell them why 
  or what happens if they succeed of fail. Describe the odd sounds 
  that pass through the ancient fabric of Mortis Thule. Every now 
  and then mention the traces of movement glimpsed in the Space 
  Marines” peripheral vision and even have them make periodic 
  Willpower Tests to avoid opening ﬁre without thinking.
  The longer the journey lasts without the Kill-team encountering 
  an enemy, the more tense the players should become, but this is 
  only possible by orchestrating the events skilfully. Only when 
  the Game Master is ready to unleash actual enemy attacks on the 
  players should he start rolling on the charts presented in Chapter 
  IV. So that this moment of supreme tension is not wasted, the 
  GM might even prefer to forego rolling on the charts and decide 
  upon an appropriate encounter with an enemy creature.
  When it comes to the numerous different types of enemies 
  the Kill-team might encounter during the mission, it is 
  recommended that only Tyranids are used (for now at least). 
  This is because other foes are to be encountered later on and if 
  the Kill-team is alerted to their presence by an entirely random 
  circumstance early on, the impact to be gained when they are 
  properly integrated into the story might be lost. For example, 
  one of the directions the story might take in the third part of 
  the adventure involves Orks, while another involves Enslavers, 
  so any rolls that result in these particular xenos attacking should 
  be rerolled, or simply adjusted, for now.
  CALAMITIES
  When it comes to the numerous potential perils not directly caused 
  by enemy action, Mortis Thule is just as dangerous as any other 
  Space Hulk, and potentially more so. As mentioned above, the 
  Game Master might like to ramp up the action slowly so that initial 
  Calamities are relatively minor, but potentially disturbing, while 
  those introduced further in are exponentially more dangerous.
  One thing the Game Master might like to consider is the 
  way Encounters and Calamities interact with one another. In 
  many cases each will form a separate challenge to be overcome, 
  but sometimes they can be combined. Should the passing of the 
  Kill-team cause a section of corridor to collapse, for example, it is 
  possible that hostile creatures such as Genestealers might be drawn 
  to the sound. Perhaps the Kill-team encounters a wide chasm it has 
  to ﬁnd a way across, only to have a brood of Tyranids attack from 
  behind before the very last Battle-Brother has begun his crossing. 
  Needless to say, the players will soon learn to watch out for such 
  tricks on the GM’s part, and in so doing develop their own range 
  of “standard operating procedures.” There is a balance to be struck 
  between randomness and contrivance, and if possible the players 
  should always be kept guessing. Should the GM take too obvious 
  a hand in events, the players may start to feel they are playing 
  “against” him, while relying purely on chance events could make 
  the players feel like they are simply the victims of capricious fate.
  HULL TYPES
  Chapter IV presents a range of possible hull types the Kill-team 
  might pass through on their journey, and most of these can be 
  used without any issues. The Game Master should keep a couple 
  of points in mind when rolling on these tables, however.
  The mission began with the Space Marines departing the wreck 
  of the Deathwatch Rapid Strike Vessel Argent Crusader, and concludes 
  when they reach the Strike Cruiser Sword of MacLir. Whatever hulls 
  they pass through between these two points, it is preferable that 
  the journey does not take them through any other Space Marine 
  ships. It is perfectly appropriate that the Kill-team travels through 
  vessels of Imperial Navy, Ork, Eldar, and even Tyranid origin, and 
  doing so provides a good foreshadowing of things to come. Do 
  not forget that Mortis Thule is impossibly ancient and a product of 
  the unknowable inﬂuence of the Warp, and so plenty of the vessels 
  entrapped within its bulk are likely to be entirely unfamiliar (or 
  conversely disturbingly familiar) to the Battle-Brothers.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  31
  ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
  The interior of Mortis Thule can and should come in all shapes 
  and sizes, especially as the Space Hulk is known to alter 
  drastically in conﬁguration from one sighting to the next. The 
  architecture within is in part dependent on the type of vessel 
  the Kill-team’s journey takes it through, but keep in mind that 
  not all of the Space Hulk is made from the wrecks of starships. 
  Plenty of the vast bulk of Mortis Thule is compacted space 
  rock, much of it honeycombed with passages both natural and 
  artiﬁcial in origin. There is a great deal of value to be had from 
  the Kill-team travelling deep into what appears to be a natural 
  passage through the rock only to have them realise the tunnel 
  was carved by some huge void-borne creature, which may have 
  become extinct millennia ago or may be waiting around the 
  next turn in the passage. 
  The nature of the environment is also important when it 
  comes to the Kill-team retrieving additional supplies should 
  the players declare they are looking out for such items. When 
  travelling through the wrecks of Imperial Navy warships, for 
  example, the Game Master might decide there is a reasonable 
  chance of locating a cache of arms or ammunition. The chances 
  of locating anything useful in the bowels of a wrecked Eldar 
  starship are all but non-existent (unless the Battle-Brothers have 
  the skill and inclination to utilise equipment constructed by and 
  for these particular xenos, of course). It is left largely up to the 
  Game Master to decide how likely it is the Kill-team locates any 
  usable supplies throughout this part of the mission, and further 
  guidance is provided in Chapter IV. 
  LIFE FORMS
  The Game Master should feel free to utilise the full range of 
  dangerous life forms described in Chapter IV. In fact these 
  make ideal foes this early on in the mission. 
  ENVIRONMENT
  While not as memorable as an ambush by a brood of 
  Genestealers, environmental hazards are perhaps the most 
  common encountered on any Space Hulk. Players should never 
  be allowed to forget just why a Space Hulk boarding action is 
  one of the most challenging and dangerous missions a Space 
  Marine can undertake, and one he must master if he is to ascend 
  to high honour. As mentioned earlier, the players should be 
  kept on their toes and a good way to do so is to utilise all 
  manner of environmental hazards, especially when the group is 
  expecting to encounter hostile aliens at any point.
  WARP EFFECTS
  Given the fact that Mortis Thule has very recently dropped out 
  of the Warp and been involved in a signiﬁcant Warp translation 
  accident, it is likely that its vast bulk is still seething with the 
  power of the Warp. The majority of the Warp Effects described 
  in Chapter IV are perfectly appropriate for use throughout 
  this mission. To represent the recent disgorging from the Warp, 
  the Game Master might like to start out using slightly more 
  of these hazards than might normally be the case, perhaps 
  applying an above average Threat Level modiﬁer, but reduce 
  their use as other threats become more commonplace.
  DISCOVERIES
  As already mentioned, the nature of the areas the Kill-team 
  passes through should affect the likelihood of it locating 
  useful supplies, but there are other oddities they might 
  encounter along the way. The Game Master can use as many 
  or as few of these as he wishes, but should keep in mind the 
  nature of the Primary Objective and not allow the Kill-team 
  to come upon any device that negates the need to locate the 
  source of the signal coming from the Sword of MacLir.
  VISITORS
  This particular element of the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator is not used throughout the mission. This is 
  because ARK OF LOST SOULS presents a speciﬁc narrative 
  arc, and having additional NPCs impose themselves into 
  events would dilute its impact or derail the plot. The Kill-
  team might be aware that others occasionally board the 
  Space Hulk and that there are likely to be all manner 
  of dwellers deep within its depths, but these are not 
  encountered yet, and when they are it is not a random 
  appearance. That said, the players should not be informed 
  that there are no other NPC’s nearby. If the players are 
  hoping to encounter Eldar corsairs, for example, there is 
  no need for the Game Master to spoil their fun by saying 
  none are present. The more possibilities that exist in the 
  minds of the players, the more likely they are to jump to 
  conclusions at every possible encounter.
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  32
  The Sword  
  of MacLir
  Having fought their way through a number of Encounters 
  appropriate to the Threat Level and Scale the Game Master 
  decided was appropriate for this mission, the Kill-team draws 
  near the outer hull of the Sword of MacLir. It should come as a 
  surprise and a concern to the Battle-Brothers that the wreck of 
  the Strike Cruiser is located deep within Mortis Thule, suggesting 
  it was caught there many centuries ago but also that there is very 
  little hope of it leaving. That problem is going to have to wait, 
  however, as a far more pressing concern presents itself. Unlike the 
  other dead wrecks the Kill-team has passed through so far, the 
  outer hull of the Sword of MacLir has remained sealed off to the 
  rest of the hulk. This is the work of the warship’s machine spirit, 
  which has remained functional, albeit at a vastly reduced capacity, 
  since the vessel was lost in the Warp millennia before. While the 
  interior of the Strike Cruiser offers a tantalising haven from the 
  myriad denizens of Mortis Thule, the PCs must face the challenge 
  of ﬁnding a way in before they can complete their mission.
  Just as the Kill-team musters to solve this problem, a huge 
  wave of Tyranid monstrosities closes in upon them from the 
  dark passageways all around. Only by holding the swarm at 
  bay as one of their number ﬁnds a way of gaining entrance to 
  the Strike Cruiser do they have any hope of survival.
  PERMISSION TO BOARD
  The point at which the Kill-team comes upon the outer skin 
  of the Sword of MacLir is a wide, open space with a low barrel 
  vaulted ceiling, much of which has collapsed to the ground 
  beneath to create an uneven debris ﬁeld. The chamber is 
  approximately square in shape, 250 metres to a side and 10 
  metres high. Thus, the Kill-team has plenty of warning as the 
  wave of Tyranids rolls in towards them from the shadows, 
  and plenty of space to bring their weapons to bear before the 
  hellish creatures close to melee range.
  The Tyranids attack in waves as determined by rolling on Table 
  1–2: Wave of Death. Each wave ﬁghts until destroyed or driven 
  off, before the next rolls in or until the Kill-team ﬁnds a way into 
  the Strike Cruiser (or are slain in the attempt, of course). 
  While the bulk of the Kill-team is engaged in holding the 
  Tyranid swarm at bay, one or more of their number must ﬁnd a 
  way of gaining access to the Sword of MacLir. There are a number of 
  possibilities and Game Masters should allow players to invent more.
  The Kill-team could attempt to cut its way through 
  •	
  the armoured hull of the Strike Cruiser, though even 
  the least protected area they can ﬁnd is shielded by 
  over a metre of the most effective armour known 
  in the 41st Millennium. A melta weapon can be 
  used to attempt entry, in which case ﬁve successive 
  Extended Challenging (+0) Ballistic Tests must 
  be passed. Attempting the Test takes a single Player 
  Character three Full Actions. Only when all ﬁve tests 
  have been passed and a rapidly cooling entry wound 
  has been created can the Kill-team board the Sword 
  of MacLir. The GM should keep in mind during this 
  Table 1–2: Wave of Death
  D10 Roll
  Attackers
  1-3
  A Horde of Hormagaunts with a 
  A Horde of Hormagaunts with a 
  Magnitude of 2d10x3† 
  4-6
  A Horde of Termagants with a 
  A Horde of Termagants with a 
  Magnitude of 2d10x3†
  7-9
  Ripper Swarm††
  10
  5d5 Genestealers††
  †The proﬁles for Hormagaunts and Termagants are 
  †The proﬁles for Hormagaunts and Termagants are 
  presented on page 371 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook.
  Core Rulebook.
  ††The proﬁles for Ripper Swarms and Genestealers 
  ††The proﬁles for Ripper Swarms and Genestealers 
  are presented on pages 130-131 of the Appendix
  Appendix. 
  ADDITIONAL EVENTS
  In addition to the encounters produced by rolling on 
  the tables in Chapter IV, the Game Master might like 
  to include a few events keyed speciﬁcally to the Player 
  Characters. These should be subtle and not distract from 
  the overall themes of the mission, but adding in such 
  events makes the players feel more “at home’—like their 
  characters genuinely exist in the world they are exploring. 
  A few examples are given here:
  WE’VE BEEN HERE BEFORE…
  When passing through one of the dead hulls that constitute 
  Mortis Thule, one or more of the characters might be 
  overcome with a sudden sense of familiarity. Perhaps the 
  corridors they are passing along were once part of a vessel 
  he travelled or fought on. Maybe, as far as he knows, that 
  vessel is intact and functional, serving his Chapter hundreds 
  of light years away. Could it be that the Kill-team is walking 
  the corridor of a ghost vessel yet to meet its doom? 
  AN OLD, OLD FACE
  The tunnels and chambers of any Space Hulk are 
  littered with debris, most of it unidentiﬁable, some of it 
  evidence of ancient ﬁghts. While passing along one such 
  corridor, the Kill-team might come upon a fragment 
  of power armour of a familiar, or perhaps extremely 
  ancient pattern. Though time and battle have made the 
  markings barely readable, one or more of the Battle-
  Brothers might feel he recognises the suit and knew its 
  previous owner. Instead, perhaps the armour is so old it 
  might hail from the dawn of the Age of Imperium.
  TRACKS IN THE DUST
  While it is recommended that the group does not encounter 
  any other factions during the mission, a few hints that 
  suggest the presence of other intruders or boarders could 
  add a lot of interest. Perhaps the tunnel along which the 
  Kill-team is travelling is carpeted in thick dust, but then 
  the tracks of an unknown party appear. The tracks might 
  have been made by humans, but they might equally have 
  been created by some entirely unknown xenos species. 
  What if the tracks sparked a memory of a former foe in 
  the mind of one of the characters? 
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  33
  operation that each test requires the expenditure of 
  a single melta shot, and that the rest of Kill-team is 
  likely to be ﬁghting off wave after wave of screeching 
  monstrosities at the same time.
  A Battle-Brother with the requisite skills might attempt a more 
  •	
  subtle form of entry. First, he must locate a potential entry point, 
  such as a pressure valve or portal, and this requires a successful 
  Hard (–20) Trade (Shipwright) Test. Success indicates that 
  the character has located an emergency plasma ventilation valve 
  that can be used. The valve’s mechanism may be opened by a 
  Very Hard (–30) Tech-Use or Security Test, or it may be 
  forced open by way of a Arduous (–40) Strength Test. 
  If they are suitably equipped, the Battle-Brothers can 
  •	
  attempt to use explosives to gain entry. This requires an 
  Arduous (–40) Demolition Test. 
  The players should be encouraged to develop any other 
  •	
  means of gaining entry they can come up with, but 
  the GM should keep the pressure up and keep them 
  occupied by the wave after wave of Tyranids attacking 
  all the while. It is quite possible that exotic equipment or 
  even psychic powers present novel ways of gaining entry, 
  in which case the Game Master should reward inventive 
  problem solving with a chance of success.
  Having gained entry to the Strike Cruiser, the Kill-team 
  ﬁnally has access to the source of the signal, and the obvious 
  location to head towards is the warship’s bridge. However, 
  as they head towards it a new and supremely powerful 
  enemy closes on them.
  Battle for  
  the Sword
  At the very moment the Battle-Brothers board the Sword 
  of MacLir, they are assaulted by a new Tyranid organism, 
  the size and awesome power of which has yet to be seen in 
  the Jericho Reach. This creature, similar to a Lictor in most 
  respects but far larger and more cunning, is the dominant 
  Tyranid organism on Mortis Thule, and it is likely that all 
  of the Tyranids on board are bolstered by its presence. 
  This is, in fact, the Beast of Thule, and serves as a recurring 
  nemesis throughout the rest of the adventure; see page 139 
  for more information on this creature. For this reason, the 
  GM should not allow it to be slain until the appropriate 
  moment at the adventure’s conclusion. There are several 
  ways to do this, including using the Beast of Thule as the 
  master of a vast swarm of minions that it directs from the 
  shadows, or using the press of countless lesser creatures 
  to limit the number of Battle-Brothers that can engage it 
  in combat at any one time. The Beast of Thule has the 
  Touched by the Fates Talent, meaning that it has its own 
  Fate Points which the GM can burn to allow it to escape 
  death should it be mortally wounded.
  When running this combat, the Game Master should keep 
  in mind that the Beast of Thule is a cunning opponent with an 
  endless army of Tyranid organisms at its command. If given the 
  Battle for 
  Battle for 
  
  I: Peril on the Horizon
  34
  opportunity to engage a Space Marine in hand-to-hand combat, 
  it certainly does so, but otherwise it is quite content to throw 
  wave after wave of expendable Hormagaunts and Termagants 
  forward. The Game Master should also consider the likelihood 
  of characters bringing especially powerful ranged weapons to 
  bear on the Lictor-like creature, in which case lesser creatures 
  might interpose themselves and ruin the shot, by chance or by 
  way of some undetectable psychic command.
  The battle for the Strike Cruiser concludes in one of the 
  following circumstances:
  The Beast of Thule sustains a Critical Injury, in which case 
  •	
  it retreats behind a wall of screeching Tyranid warrior 
  organisms, which soon after disengage themselves.
  The Beast of Thule is forced to burn a Fate Point. In this 
  •	
  instance the creature roars belligerently as its minions 
  close in around it, before the entire horde vanishes back 
  into the twisting corridors.
  The Kill-team inﬂicts such a level of death and destruction 
  •	
  on the horde that the Beast of Thule issues the unheard 
  command to withdraw. It is up to the GM exactly when 
  this occurs, but just before the Space Marines expend the 
  last of their ammunition is a suitably dramatic moment.
  The Kill-team ﬁnds some way of separating themselves from 
  •	
  their attackers, such as resealing the point they used to gain 
  entry to the Sword of MacLir. In this instance, the task should 
  be very difﬁcult to achieve and require some time to carry 
  out, during which the Beast of Thule makes an appearance 
  and must be held at bay as the entry point is sealed.
  Remember that the Beast of Thule is a recurring nemesis 
  during this adventure and makes an appearance at least once 
  more. Under no circumstances should the players be allowed 
  to deﬁnitively kill the Beast of Thule. 
  Conclusion
  T
  he instant the Beast of Thule and its hideous minions 
  withdraw, utter silence descends upon the scene. If the 
  Kill-team has not done so already, they now have the 
  opportunity to secure the entry point before taking stock of 
  the situation and counting the cost of the mission to locate 
  the voice in the dark. 
  Having boarded the Sword of MacLir, the Kill-team has 
  accomplished its mission. This is an ideal point to end a gaming 
  session and distribute Experience and Renown Points. The 
  next chapter presents some details of the interior of the Sword 
  of MacLir, but the Space Marines should not make themselves 
  too much at home, as they have a great many more challenges 
  ahead of them before they take their leave of Mortis Thule.
  REWARDS
  The Game Master should issue the players the 
  following rewards depending on how they performed 
  throughout the mission:
  EXPERIENCE POINTS
  Primary Objective completed:
  •	
   300 XP
  Each Secondary Objective completed:
  •	
   200 XP
  RENOWN
  Primary Objective completed:
  •	
   1 point.
  All Secondary Objectives completed: 
  •	
  1 point.
  Each Fate Point the Beast of Thule was forced 
  •	
  to burn: 1 Renown Point per Fate Point burned 
  (to the Battle-Brother that caused it).
  In addition, the GM may reward additional Experience 
  Points to reﬂect other aspects of the characters” 
  performance, such as attempts to conserve ammunition 
  and locate more, how selﬂessly they protected Watch-
  Captain de Dominova, how much they considered the 
  dictates of Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero, 
  and general problem solving and roleplaying.
  THE MYSTERY OF THE SWORD OF MACLIR
  Should he wish, the Game Master can develop the mysterious status of the Sword of MacLir further, especially if there 
  are any Battle-Brothers of the Storm Wardens Chapter in the Kill-team. The seminal event in the Chapter’s history is 
  the so-called Nemesis Incident, which is summarised in the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook and explored further in the 
  DEATHWATCH supplement, HONOUR THE CHAPTER. Even if there are no Storm Wardens Battle-Brothers present in the 
  Kill-team, this mystery can be explored, as several key ﬁgures in the Jericho Reach Deathwatch are drawn from the 
  Chapter and the Sword of MacLir could be used as means of introducing future interactions and adventures. In brief, the 
  Nemesis Incident saw the Storm Wardens voluntarily isolate themselves from the Imperium at large following a costly 
  campaign against the xenos Enslavers. As it happens, this particularly vile xenos foe is present on Mortis Thule, and may 
  be encountered in Chapter III. If he wishes to explore this theme further, the Game Master can consider how other 
  Storm Warden chapters might react to learning that the Kill-team has been on board a warship of their Chapter that 
  predates the dreaded and mysterious Nemesis Incident. Do they seek the Battle-Brothers out in an effort to learn more 
  and to follow up on any hints learned? Conversely, perhaps a more senior ranked Storm Warden knows that some secrets 
  are best left undisturbed, his intent to ensure that whatever the Battle-Brothers found out remains a secret.
  
  SEARCH FOR THE 
  GELLAR FIELD
  •
  THE  
  EMPEROR’S GAZE
  •
  CLIMAX
  
  II: Survival
  36
  Chapter II: 
  Survival
  T
  he Kill-team begins the second part of the ARK OF 
  LOST SOULS adventure trilogy inside the wrecked 
  Space Marine Strike Cruiser Sword of MacLir. Having 
  repelled a huge wave of xenos abominations, the Battle-
  Brothers have little time to rest, for they know Mortis Thule 
  must eventually be dragged back into the depths of the Warp. 
  Without a Gellar ﬁeld to hold off the gibbering ﬁends of the 
  Empyrean, even the formidable soul of an Adeptus Astartes 
  must surely fall prey to the Daemonic predators that haunt 
  that unreal dimension. The Space Marines’ mission must be to 
  escape the xenos-haunted tomb that is the Space Hulk before 
  the Warp embraces it once more.
  In Chapter II of ARK OF LOST SOULS, the Kill-team ﬁnds 
  not a means of escaping Mortis Thule before it enters the 
  Warp, but a means of surviving when it does so. The Sword 
  of MacLir might appear little more than a wreck encased in 
  centuries of space borne rock and debris, but something of 
  its war spirit lingers on. Though only a guttering spark, there 
  is still a ghost of power at the heart of the cruiser’s plasma 
  reactor, and a dormant machine spirit. By awakening these 
  long dormant systems, the Battle-Brothers can activate the 
  cruiser’s powerful augur arrays and learn something more of 
  the situation on board Mortis Thule.
  Long dormant machine systems are not all the Kill-team 
  discovers, however, for the depths of the Sword of MacLir 
  prove to be hiding a long-lost castaway. The lone survivor 
  of whatever doom befell the Sword of MacLir slumbers in 
  cryo-stasis, and when awakened has a series of dire warnings 
  to impart to the Battle-Brothers. The ﬁrst of these relates to 
  the activities of some of the other beings that lurk within 
  the guts of the Space Hulk, while the last is terrible indeed. 
  The denizens of the Warp, the survivor claims, are aware of 
  the Battle-Brothers’ plight, invisible claws closing in around 
  them even now. The powers of the Empyrean would savour 
  the mortal souls of these stranded champions of the God-
  Emperor of Mankind.
  Forewarned of the Space Hulk’s imminent return to 
  the Warp and with no means of escape within sight, the 
  Space Marines are afforded a sanctuary in the form of 
  a functional Gellar field, still active, and within reach. 
  A second journey through the sprawling, xenos-haunted 
  tunnels of the Space Hulk is called for, and at the end 
  of it the Kill-team finds far more than just a working 
  machine component. Instead, they encounter the crew of 
  a ship that once served the Achilus Crusade, miraculously 
  protected from the predations of the Warp by their 
  functioning Gellar field. In an instant, the mission 
  switches from one of combat to one of diplomacy, testing 
  the Space Marines’ skills to the limit, as the gibbering 
  energies of the Sea of Souls close in all around.
  Beginning 
  Chapter II
  E
  xactly how the adventure begins is up to the Game 
  Master, and there are a number of options, depending 
  on how the climax of Chapter I played out. Assuming 
  that Chapter II is starting with a fresh gaming session, the 
  GM could employ a cinematic technique sometimes called “in 
  media res,” or “in the middle of things.” This technique drops 
  the players right into the action with little or no preparation 
  and lets them take it from there. In this adventure, the very 
  ﬁrst scene could begin with the Battle-Brothers slamming a 
  portal shut in the face of the ravening hordes of Tyranids, or 
  with them preparing for yet another wave to throw themselves 
  forward. Perhaps it begins with the Beast of Thule vanishing 
  back into the bowels of the Space Hulk, its minions following 
  behind, leaving the Kill-team in the midst of a suddenly silent 
  chamber strewn with the steaming, ruined corpses of the 
  numerous Tyranid creatures they have slain.
  Alternatively, Chapter II could begin some time after 
  the events of the climax, from a few minutes later to several 
  hours. The Kill-team might have explored its immediate 
  surroundings, in which case the Game Master can provide 
  a summary of what the Space Marines have discovered, or 
  the act of reconnoitring the interior of the Sword of MacLir 
  could be roleplayed out, at least in part. One option might be 
  to assume that one of the characters has already determined 
  the status of the warship, and he can brief his Battle-Brothers 
  using information given by the GM.
  STATUS OF THE  
  SWORD OF MACLIR
  The following information regarding the current condition 
  and status of the Sword of MacLir can be presented to the 
  players however the Game Master prefers. While it is perfectly 
  acceptable for much or all of this information to be presented 
  as a summary of events so far, the GM might like to have 
  players make Skill Tests to infer some speciﬁc parts of it. In 
  this case, a range of skills could be used, from Search to Lore: 
  Scholastic, though the consequences of failing them should 
  not be too drastic. This matter is left up to the GM to explore, 
  as it is secondary to the main thrust of the adventure.
  
  II: Survival
  37
  CREW
  Absolutely no trace of the warship’s crew can be found, from the 
  lowliest servitor to the Adeptus Astartes that must have served as its 
  command cadre. No signs of battle are discovered, nor of any sort 
  of enemy action. It is almost as if the crew of the Sword of MacLir 
  simply vanished, or perhaps abandoned their vessel voluntarily.
  Even though no crewmen are discovered at this stage, the 
  Game Master should keep in mind that there is in fact one 
  survivor, who is encountered in the next scene.
  CONDITION
  The Strike Cruiser does not appear to have sustained battle 
  damage, but its structure and machine systems have been 
  placed under such stress by their entombment within the vast 
  mass of Mortis Thule that they are unlikely to ever function 
  again. Unlike the Argent Crusader, the Sword of MacLir is 
  entirely encased in rock and debris and as such most of its 
  external components have been rendered inoperable. 
  LAUNCH DECKS
  It is likely that players will want to determine the status of the Strike 
  Cruiser’s launch decks and any vessels they might contain. Sadly, this 
  is all but impossible; the decks, as well as drop pod assault cradles 
  have been wrecked by the tectonic action of the Space Hulk’s mass 
  grinding them to ruin. Even if the launch decks had survived, or if a 
  functional craft was to be recovered from the void hangars, the Sword 
  of MacLir is entombed many kilometres from the Space Hulk’s outer 
  regions, making escape using any such means impossible.
  REACTOR
  The indomitable machine spirit of the Sword of MacLir appears 
  to live on in the form of a small, trace charge still burning at 
  the heart of the cruiser’s reactor. While the task of restoring 
  the reactor to anything close to full power is beyond the Kill-
  team’s ability and recourse, that small spark might be stoked 
  into sufﬁcient output to activate other components. 
  LOGIC ENGINE
  The Strike Cruiser’s venerable cogitation core has sustained 
  some manner of damage not easily ascertained, resulting in 
  its physical systems remaining largely intact while its higher 
  function crypto-cerebral and pseudo-synaptic machine processes 
  have clearly been blasted to oblivion. Whatever doom befell the 
  Sword of MacLir, the core’s once awesome processing capability 
  has been reduced to that of a man-portable cogitation slate.
  AUGUR ARRAY
  Despite the damage wrought upon most of the Strike Cruiser’s 
  external machine systems, one of its augur array nodes has 
  escaped total destruction. This component can be operated from 
  the warship’s bridge by combining the latent reactor charge 
  with the extremely limited capacity of the vessel’s cogitation 
  core. This course of action is detailed next. Though the GM 
  should inform the players that the augur array is largely intact, 
  he should leave it to them to formulate a plan to use it. 
  
  II: Survival
  38
  Awakening  
  the Spirit
  H
  owever they come about the information, the Kill-
  team has access to the Strike Cruiser’s single, largely 
  intact augur array. In truth, the array is not able to 
  cast its senses into the void beyond the mass of the Space 
  Hulk, but if correctly appeased can provide information on 
  some of the regions within Mortis Thule itself.
  In order to attempt to utilise the augur array, the Kill-
  team must man the Etherics, Cogitation, and Enginseer 
  stations, with one Battle-Brother taking each. Needless to 
  say, Techmarines are ideal for this role, but it is unlikely that 
  there is more than one in the Kill-team, in which case the 
  Enginseer station is the most appropriate for him to occupy. 
  In order to use the augur array, each of the three 
  stations must be activated, their machine spirits coaxed 
  to life long enough for the array to cast its gaze into the 
  void. Doing so requires each of the characters to take 
  a Challenging (+0) Tech-Use Test. A Techmarine or 
  other Battle-Brother with the Tech-Use Skill may direct 
  their Battle-Brothers who do not possess the skill. In this 
  case, Battle-Brothers who do not possess the Tech-Use 
  skill may use it as though it were a Basic Skill. Note that 
  it is possible for other members of the Kill-team to lend 
  their assistance to these rolls. After the simultaneous Tech-
  Use Tests have been made, total the Degrees of Success 
  and subtract from this number any Degrees of Failure 
  incurred. This determines the information garnered. 
  Failure: 
  •	
  If more Degrees of Failure were scored than Degrees 
  of Success, the Kill-team has greatly angered the Strike 
  Cruiser’s slumbering machine spirits. The terminals blaze to 
  life as machine noise squeals through the vox-emitters, before 
  all falls ominously silent once more. Any further attempts to 
  rouse the machine spirits have no effect whatsoever.
  Neutral Result:
  •	
   If the total results in no Degrees of Failure 
  or Success being earned, the Kill-team has restored some 
  measure of functionality to the cruiser’s augur array, but has 
  not yet coaxed the machine spirits into giving them a reading. 
  They may try again, but the Test suffers a –10 penalty. This 
  result is cumulative if scored several times.
  One Degree of Success:
  •	
   If a single Degree of Success is 
  scored, the Kill-team’s actions have gleaned two useful facts 
  from the augur scan. Read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The pict slates ﬁre ﬁtfully to life and the bridge is ﬁlled with the 
  harsh grating sound of machine chatter. A deep, atonal hum shudders 
  through the deck as machine systems not roused to life in centuries 
  come online. Reams of augur feedback data scroll across the command 
  terminals before you, before locking in on one, unmistakable return. A 
  Gellar ﬁeld, idling in dormant state but functional none the less!
  Having logged the location of the dormant Gellar ﬁeld, the 
  machine systems resume their scan, burbling away for several 
  minutes before locking once more. A second return appears to 
  represent a dense mass of machinery as well as thousands of 
  biological entities, all crammed into a vast chamber and engaged 
  in vigorous activity. Blurred machine-generated representations 
  appear on the slate, resolving into a silhouette you have seen many 
  times before, though always on the surface of a war-torn world. 
  The shape is unmistakably that of an Ork warmachine the size of 
  an Imperial Titan, and the mass of biological returns swarming 
  around it can only be an army of the barbarous Greenskins. 
  There is only one reason such a large group of these warlike 
  xenos would be present on board a Space Hulk…
  Two Degrees of Success:
  •	
   If two Degrees of Success are 
  scored, the Battle-Brothers have appeased the machine 
  spirits sufﬁciently to determine more useful facts from 
  the augur reading. In addition to the above, read aloud 
  or paraphrase the following:
  The machine spirits cast their gaze outwards once more, 
  penetrating still deeper into the mass of the Space Hulk. 
  Though they cannot perceive anything of the void beyond, 
  errant signals echo back and forth through the chaotic 
  conglomeration of metal and rock until they lock once more on 
  a solid return. The data scrolling across the pict slates sputter 
  and stall as if some external force was attempting to block 
  the signal, before steadying once more. Though the machine 
  spirits cannot identify it for sure, there is clearly some manner 
  of energy exchange at work deep inside the Space Hulk’s guts. 
  The data appear to be describing some form of gate, through 
  which unknowable energies are reaching out to control faded 
  returns that must surely represent men or man-sized beings.
  
  II: Survival
  39
  Three Degrees of Success or More:
  •	
   The machine 
  spirits are greatly pleased with the Battle-Brothers’ 
  supplications, revealing still more useful facts from the 
  augur array’s scan of nearby space. In addition to the 
  above entries, read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  Now the stuttering of the data-stream grows still more intense 
  until it appears as if a violent earthquake is shaking the screen. 
  The machine spirits plough on, sweeping their gaze ever 
  deeper into the substance of the Space Hulk but still unable 
  to push through to open void beyond. After another minute or 
  so, it becomes clear that the augur array is being suppressed, 
  its signals occluded by some other, external force. The harsh 
  grating machine noise reaches a deafening crescendo, before 
  every screen suddenly cuts out as one.
  All that remains of the reams of augur data is a rapidly 
  fading screen burn, the letter “I’, with three bars crossed, 
  and then silence reigns…
  The Game Master should note that these details partly 
  relate to events, settings, and characters that come fully into 
  play in Chapter III. Such details are included here as a means 
  of foreshadowing that passage of the adventure so that when 
  the characters are confronted with them, they are part of the 
  overall narrative. In addition to lending additional tension 
  to the story, this information is provided because the Space 
  Marines might like to prepare themselves for these potential 
  confrontations by arming themselves appropriately.
  The information regarding the Gellar ﬁeld is essential, 
  however, and if for some reason the Battle-Brothers do not 
  learn it here, it is recommended that the GM seed it into 
  the warning delivered by the castaway Navigator in the next 
  scene, adapting his dialogue appropriately. 
  Castaway on 
  the Warp
  A
  s the Kill-team prepares for the next phase of 
  its mission, events take another unexpected turn. 
  When they drew off power from the reactor, they 
  rerouted a small amount from a previously undiscovered 
  system. Not far from the bridge, at the base of the 
  remains of the navigation spire, is a cryo-stasis chamber, 
  within which the Strike Cruiser’s Navigator is held. The 
  fact that the Navigator has survived repeated exposure 
  to the Warp must surely be a testament to the Emperor’s 
  blessings, for normally the soul of such an individual is 
  the choicest meat to the predators of the Sea of Souls. 
  The drain on the stasis chamber’s power feed has set 
  its failsafe deactivation rites in motion, the first sign of 
  which is a single, telltale lumen flashing silently on the 
  command terminal of the Enginseer’s station.
  If the Battle-Brothers are still on the bridge, the 
  warning rune is easily detected. If the Space Marines 
  have moved off to other areas, the Game Master may 
  need to find some other way of making them aware of 
  the situation, such as distant klaxons blaring away in the 
  dark passageways.
  Identifying the nature of the warning requires a 
  Challenging (+0) Tech-Use Test. Success indicates the 
  source of the warning as a deactivating stasis chamber and 
  provides its location just a hundred metres aft of the bridge. 
  Failure provides the location, but fails to identify the source, 
  so that any Battle-Brothers investigating have no idea what 
  they are likely to encounter.
  FORESHADOWING LATER EVENTS
  Chapter III of ARK OF LOST SOULS presents the Game Master and players with a choice of which of three 
  optional missions to pursue, each representing a different route off of the Space Hulk. Game Masters might like 
  to foreshadow one, two, or all three of the enemies the Space Marines are to face in whichever mission they 
  undertake. The three enemies they might face are the puppets of the Enslavers, the Orks, and a renegade psyker 
  who was once a servant of the Inquisition.
  Game Masters wishing to foreshadow the presence of the Enslavers on Mortis Thule might consider doing so in a 
  number of ways. Because these hideous xenos make use of psychically dominated Mind Slaves, evidence of this process 
  might be found. Discarded Mind Slaves, their bodies used up and then tossed aside, could be encountered, either dead or 
  very nearly so. Another way would be for any Battle-Brothers with a Psy Rating to pick up occasional echoes of deeply 
  alien thought processes travelling through the dark corridors, and occasionally feel the cold touch of questing psionic 
  tendrils attempting to insinuate themselves in his psyche.
  Foreshadowing the presence of Orks on the Space Hulk is far more direct. These barbarous aliens are known 
  for daubing the crude runes of their equally crude gods wherever they pass, so every now and then the Kill-
  team could encounter such a sigil.
  The last enemy represents a powerful psyker who is in fact enthralled by the power of a vastly ancient xenos 
  warship and who has amassed a sizeable army of degenerates and scum. This is far harder to foreshadow, but 
  one way to do so might be to have the Kill-team encounter a group of the rogue psyker’s soldiers ranging far 
  from their lair. Should any survive to be questioned, they make a series of dire threats that hint at the power of 
  the alien warship before dying of violent and sudden seizures. 
  
  II: Survival
  40
  If and when the Battle-Brothers investigate the source of 
  the warning, read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The dark passageway ahead leads to a heavily armoured 
  portal around which numerous warning sigils are etched. The 
  passageway is lit by the barest of illumination and so it is easy 
  to determine the ghostly, pulsing white light edging the portal. 
  Clearly, something is awakening on the other side of that hatch.
  At this point, the Space Marines might attempt to ascertain 
  exactly what it is that is awakening beyond the armoured 
  hatch. The Game Master should allow the players to attempt 
  any course of action they might come up with, requiring 
  Skill Tests of varying Difﬁculty Levels depending on how 
  likely he judges the plan to succeed. Given the nature of the 
  contents within the deactivating stasis chamber, any suitably 
  skilled Battle-Brother could attempt a Very Hard (–30) 
  Psyniscience Test. Failure results in the character being 
  overwhelmed by a sense of utter horror and immediately 
  gaining an Insanity Point. Success indicates that a being is 
  awakening from stasis and that the subject is, or was, a very 
  powerful wielder of the psyker’s arts. Should one or more 
  Degrees of Success be scored, the character ascertains that the 
  being is a Navigator.
  When the Battle-Brothers are ready to enter the chamber, 
  read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The portal rumbles upwards into the ceiling, revealing a dark 
  space beyond. Clouds of vapour billow out through the hatch, lit 
  from within by pulsing white illumination. After a moment the 
  vapour disperses to form a thick mist that creeps across the deck at 
  knee height, weird eddies rippling across its undulating surface. 
  As the air clears, the light is revealed to be emanating from a 
  single point on the far wall, about ten metres beyond the portal.
  Exactly how the Game Master chooses to run the next part 
  depends to some degree on the nature of the players and their 
  characters. If they are expecting something horriﬁc (and why 
  wouldn’t they be?) to be lurking within the mist-shrouded 
  chamber, the GM could use this to ramp up the tension. Especially 
  trigger-happy characters might shoot before the nature of the 
  subject is discovered, in which case the Navigator manages to give 
  his warning before dying. The GM could even require the lead 
  Space Marine to take a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test as he 
  pushes forward, with failure resulting in him ﬁring involuntarily. 
  This last option is more appropriate for some characters than others, 
  depending on Demeanours and what Chapter they are from.
  When the Kill-team approaches the source of the 
  illumination, read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The far wall is dominated by a bank of complex and incredibly arcane 
  machinery, some components of which are familiar to you, while others 
  are totally alien. The illumination is coming from a tall, transparent 
  tube mounted on the wall, and as you approach you see more of the 
  same type mounted all around, though only one is functional.
  Approaching nearer, you catch sight of movement within the 
  tube. The energies that seethe within are turbulent and unquiet, 
  but something appears to be within the tube, a dark form moving 
  in amongst the unsettled stasis ﬁeld.
  Then, the chamber is ﬁlled with suddenly venting energies and 
  a klaxon wails its mournful dirge. The white light changes in 
  the blink of an eye to blood red. The mechanisms about the tube 
  unlock as pistons disengage and pressurised cables release with a 
  hiss of vapour to go snaking off across the deck.
  As suddenly as they began, the klaxons fall silent and the sound of 
  releasing vapour recedes. Something writhes inside the tube, something 
  withered and grey and unlike any living thing you have seen before.
  NAVIGATOR TARAKON ORTELLIUS
  The senior Warp Guide on board the doomed Sword of MacLir hails from the Ortellius Navigator House, a body that in recent 
  years has suffered a dire decline in the purity of its bloodline, along with a concomitant rise in instances of gross mutation. 
  Tarakon was shipwrecked centuries before this recent decline, but it is likely his genes carry something of the now fully 
  manifested curse, for he is mutated out of all recognition and long before his time. Tarakon’s arms and legs have withered to 
  little more than frail bones and sinew, his ﬁngers and toes crooked and knobby. The ﬂesh on the Navigator’s face has sloughed 
  downwards, lending his features the appearance of melted wax. His shrouded Warp Eye, a cybernetic sheaf clamped tight over 
  it, sits in the centre of his atrophied face, his conventional eyes barely visible in amongst the folds of shrivelled ﬂesh beneath.
  While the Navigator’s appearance might cause some measure of disgust in the Battle-Brothers, in itself it is far from unusual 
  for all Navigators to eventually succumb to such extremes of mutation. While some retreat to their House’s estates and palaces, 
  others continue to serve, locking themselves away in an armoured tabernacle or gel-ﬁlled vat from which they can guide their 
  vessel safely through the Warp. Tarakon, however, fell prey to mutation long before his time, and as such was ill prepared for 
  his new state. When doom came for the Sword of MacLir, it appears that Tarakon Ortellius was within his cryo-stasis chamber, 
  suggesting that the vessel was not traversing Warp Space, or if it was, a more junior Navigator was guiding it.
  The Navigator has spent untold centuries in his cryo-stasis sanctum, the system intermittently powering down in 
  a self-maintenance cycle, ejecting the internee before allowing him back in once more. Exactly how the Navigator 
  survived exposure to the Warp is likely never to be known and it is unlikely that a stasis ﬁeld would be sufﬁcient to 
  protect his soul from the gibbering ﬁends of the Sea of Souls. Perhaps his soul is as cursed as his body, tainted to such 
  a degree that even the predators of the Empyrean reject it.
  Whatever the truth, the Navigator’s mind is totally and irrevocably shattered. He desires sanctuary from the Warp, 
  and if that is denied him he demands he be put to death. 
  The Navigator’s proﬁle can be found on page 140 of the Appendix.
  
  II: Survival
  41
  The cryo-stasis chamber is now deactivated and the thing 
  inside it fully awake. Though they may not yet know it, that 
  thing is in fact Tarakon Ortellius, the Strike Cruiser’s senior 
  Navigator. See the Navigator Tarakon Ortellius sidebar 
  on page 40 for more details of this character. 
  Coming fully awake, the Navigator perceives his surroundings 
  and the condition of the unseen Warp beyond. Filled with sudden 
  dread, he demands that the cryo-stasis chamber be reactivated 
  immediately, a task that the Battle-Brothers are unlikely to be 
  able to undertake. The Navigator’s dread escalates to blind panic 
  as he perceives that the tides of the Warp are closing about Mortis 
  Thule and the Space Hulk is only hours away from being dragged 
  back into the Empyrean. The information is delivered by way of 
  the following warning:
  ‘Adeptus?” the writhing thing of grey, withered ﬂesh screeches. “Adeptus 
  Astartes? Could it be I am delivered? Could it be I am…No, it is not to 
  be. No salvation are they, no deliverance. The Warp, the Warp reaches 
  out even now! Reactivate the stasis chamber, I beg of you. Reactivate it, 
  for the Empyrean shall wash upon us before the Fore Watch is done!’
  Should the Battle-Brothers attempt to communicate 
  with the Navigator, it soon becomes 
  clear that his mind was broken 
  long ago. He begs the 
  Space 
  Marines 
  to 
  reactivate 
  the 
  stasis 
  chamber, and unless they 
  can conceive of a way of 
  doing so he begs to be 
  slain before the things of 
  the Warp come to claim 
  his soul. Reactivating the 
  stasis system is a task that 
  will take at least three hours, 
  time which the Space Marines are very 
  unlikely to wish to spend when it should be clear 
  that Mortis Thule is about to be dragged back to the 
  Warp. Without a Gellar field to hold unreality at bay, 
  even the champions of Humanity are doomed. 
  Should the Space Marines attempt to question the 
  mad Navigator about the situation on Mortis Thule, 
  especially as it relates to the information they 
  may (or may not) have gleaned from the 
  augur array earlier on, he is able to 
  provide some further details, but only 
  if a Battle-Brother can ask the right 
  questions. This provides the players 
  with a means of expanding on any 
  information they discovered using the 
  augur, and the Game Master a means of 
  presenting them with details they missed, 
  should he wish to do so.
  Should the Battle-Brothers state, or 
  even insinuate that they have detected a 
  functional Gellar ﬁeld within Mortis Thule, 
  the Navigator grows suddenly quiet, as if 
  listening to some distant sound only he 
  can hear. Then he starts begging the 
  characters to take him with them. He promises to use his 
  knowledge of the currents of the Warp to aid their mission, 
  though it should be apparent that he is unable to move 
  under his own power and must be carried. Bearing in mind 
  that the Space Marines are almost certainly carrying the 
  body of their wounded Watch-Captain, it is unlikely that 
  they agree, but should they do so the GM can allow it. 
  In the more likely event that the Space Marines refuse to 
  take the Navigator along with them, he grows increasingly 
  frantic, his emaciated limbs thrashing wildly until he 
  ﬁnally begs to be slain by their hand. Should they refuse, 
  he attacks them, and keeps ﬁghting until slain, but if they 
  agree he goes to the Emperor with dignity and honour.
  If the Battle-Brothers wish to learn more information on one 
  of the three subjects learned by way of the augur array, they must 
  make the appropriate Interaction Skills Tests. The Navigator 
  begins with a Disposition of Sceptical. The GM should consult 
  the overview of Chapter III presented 
  on page 5 for appropriate details for 
  the Navigator to provide, but any 
  information should be delivered in 
  such a way that it is clear that the 
  Navigator is unreliable at best, 
  and stark raving mad at worst.
  41
  41
  41
  ‘Adeptus?” the writhing thing of grey, withered ﬂesh screeches. “Adeptus 
  Astartes? Could it be I am delivered? Could it be I am…No, it is not to 
  be. No salvation are they, no deliverance. The Warp, the Warp reaches 
  out even now! Reactivate the stasis chamber, I beg of you. Reactivate it, 
  for the Empyrean shall wash upon us before the Fore Watch is done!’
  Should the Battle-Brothers attempt to communicate 
  with the Navigator, it soon becomes 
  clear that his mind was broken 
  long ago. He begs the 
  Space 
  Marines 
  to 
  reactivate 
  the 
  stasis 
  chamber, and unless they 
  can conceive of a way of 
  doing so he begs to be 
  slain before the things of 
  the Warp come to claim 
  his soul. Reactivating the 
  stasis system is a task that 
  will take at least three hours, 
  time which the Space Marines are very 
  unlikely to wish to spend when it should be clear 
   is about to be dragged back to the 
  Warp. Without a Gellar field to hold unreality at bay, 
  even the champions of Humanity are doomed. 
  Should the Space Marines attempt to question the 
  mad Navigator about the situation on Mortis Thule, 
  especially as it relates to the information they 
  may (or may not) have gleaned from the 
  augur array earlier on, he is able to 
  provide some further details, but only 
  if a Battle-Brother can ask the right 
  questions. This provides the players 
  with a means of expanding on any 
  information they discovered using the 
  augur, and the Game Master a means of 
  presenting them with details they missed, 
  should he wish to do so.
  Should the Battle-Brothers state, or 
  even insinuate that they have detected a 
  functional Gellar ﬁeld within Mortis Thule, 
  the Navigator grows suddenly quiet, as if 
  listening to some distant sound only he 
  can hear. Then he starts begging the 
  of the three subjects learned by way of the augur array, they must 
  make the appropriate Interaction Skills Tests. The Navigator 
  begins with a Disposition of Sceptical. The GM should consult 
  the overview of Chapter III presented 
  on page 5 for appropriate details for 
  the Navigator to provide, but any 
  information should be delivered in 
  such a way that it is clear that the 
  Navigator is unreliable at best, 
  and stark raving mad at worst.
  
  II: Survival
  42
  Journey 
  Through Hell
  H
  aving learned of Mortis Thule’s imminent return to the 
  Warp, and of the existence of a functional Gellar ﬁeld 
  somewhere within the Space Hulk, the Kill-team has little 
  choice but to undertake another journey through the sprawling, 
  hazardous tunnels and chambers. While this structure is part and 
  parcel of the adventure, the Game Master should take the usual 
  steps to ensure the players do not feel they have no choice in how 
  the mission unfolds. Should they wish to explore other possible 
  courses of action they should be allowed to do so, though ultimately 
  they are wasting time unless they have a very good plan indeed.
  The bulk of Chapter II consists of the journey to locate 
  the working Gellar ﬁeld. Having done so, the Battle-Brothers 
  discover that it is emanating from within a starship trapped 
  deep in Mortis Thule, a vessel lost years before but somehow 
  still providing sanctuary for the miraculously surviving crew. 
  The Kill-team soon discovers, however, that the survivors are 
  divided, many of them craving rescue, but many more believing 
  themselves unworthy of deliverance until their sins are forgiven. 
  Exactly how the Battle-Brothers overcome the issues that arise 
  from contact with the survivors is up to them, but whatever else 
  happens it is imperative that they are within the protective bubble 
  of reality the Gellar ﬁeld produces when Mortis Thule is dragged 
  back into the Warp. If they are not, the souls of the Emperor’s 
  elite are sure to draw the most abominable and ravenous denizens 
  of the Sea of Souls.
  MISSION PREPARATION
  As in Chapter I, this part of the adventure is presented as a 
  Space Hulk boarding mission, making use of the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator as presented in Chapter IV. Once again, 
  the Kill-team has an opportunity to undertake the stages of 
  preparation for a mission, from brieﬁng to the identiﬁcation 
  of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Objectives.
  BRIEFING
  No formal brieﬁng is used, but the Game Master should 
  provide the players with an overview of the next step. They 
  should be informed that they have the usual opportunity to 
  prepare for a mission, select a leader etc, and that the mission 
  is to use the Space Hulk Mission Generator presented 
  in Chapter IV. As this is likely to be the group’s second 
  experience with the system, they should have some idea of 
  what to expect, though GMs might still like to summarise the 
  core principles if needed.
  MISSION LEADER
  The group has the opportunity to select a new team leader, 
  and there is no reason the same character need fulﬁl the 
  role twice in a row. Indeed, based on their experience of the 
  journey from the wreck of the Argent Crusader to the Sword of 
  MacLir, the players may decide to select a different leader so 
  that they can utilise different Squad Mode Abilities. This way, 
  the group learns from its experiences each time it undertakes 
  a mission in a Space Hulk, and they will in time develop their 
  own tactics and procedures.
  Details on selecting a leader and the effects it has on 
  available Squad Mode Abilities are presented on page 228 of 
  the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook.
  OATH-TAKING
  Having selected a leader, the Kill-team can choose an Oath 
  appropriate to the prerequisites set down on pages 228-230 
  of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. 
  ARMING
  Given their circumstances, the Kill-team has only a reduced 
  capacity to arm and supply itself for the coming mission. 
  However, as in Chapter I, there is some opportunity for the 
  Battle-Brothers to search for wargear. They are, after all, 
  onboard a Space Marine Strike Cruiser, albeit one that has 
  been adrift on the tides of the Sea of Souls and therefore 
  subjected to all the hazards of that unknowable realm of 
  Daemons and damned souls. 
  Should the players decide to perform a search for equipment, 
  they may do so during mission preparation. Each searcher 
  should each make a Hard (–30) Search Test. If passed, the 
  test grants the character d10 Requisition Points to spend on 
  equipment, plus a further d10 for each Degree of Success 
  achieved. Only equipment marked “Astartes” may be recovered, 
  
  II: Survival
  43
  and while the players may declare what equipment they wish 
  to ﬁnd, the Game Master has ﬁnal say on whether or not any 
  given item is found. Lastly, this is an Extended Test, taking one 
  hour, and once passed may not be repeated.
  Given the antiquity of any equipment found, plus the fact 
  that no blessings have been performed on it for centuries and 
  the fact that they have been repeatedly exposed to the Warp, 
  there is a risk to using any supplies found. How much danger 
  each item presents is up to the GM, because this is likely to 
  impose a certain amount of additional record keeping on him. 
  A few simple ideas are as follows:
  Items might be of Poor Craftsmanship, though the bearer 
  •	
  does not discover this until the ﬁrst time they are used.
  Weapons might gain the Overheats Quality. Again, the 
  •	
  user should not be aware of this until the ﬁrst use.
  Some items might be imbued with the power of the Warp. 
  •	
  Whenever they are used unsuccessfully, a roll is made on 
  Table 6-1: Psychic Phenomena on page 187 of the 
  DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. It is possible that a Librarian 
  or a Chaplain could use their own particular skills to negate 
  this effect, perhaps by way of a Hard (–20) Willpower 
  Test, each Degree of Success nullifying an equal number 
  of required rolls on the Psychic Phenomena table.
  MISSION OBJECTIVES
  Trained as they are to approach any challenge by meditating upon 
  its individual hurdles, the Space Marines can easily identify the 
  Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Objectives for this mission. 
  Primary Objective: Locate the Gellar ﬁeld.
  Secondary Objectives: This depends in part on the objectives 
  described in the previous mission, as most or all of these are still 
  valid. Each of the priorities identiﬁed earlier counts as a Secondary 
  Objective. If they have decided to attempt to rescue Navigator 
  Ortellius, doing so also counts as a Secondary Objective.
  Tertiary Objectives: There are a number of Tertiary 
  Objectives in play. Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero 
  still applies, as does the need to conserve ammunition and 
  identify other possible sources of resupply. 
  MISSION COMPLICATIONS
  While it is not recommended that any of the Complications 
  presented in the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook are used, the 
  Game Master should feel free to invent ones appropriate to the 
  mission if he wishes to add additional detail or challenge.
  SEARCH FOR THE  
  GELLAR FIELD
  The mission to locate the signal is presented over the next 
  few pages using the format described in detail in Chapter IV. 
  The Game Master should refer to that chapter for details of 
  how to tie this information together into a coherent mission, 
  with each element of the rules modiﬁed as detailed here. 
  THREAT LEVEL AND SCALE
  The exact Threat Level and Scale of this mission is left up to 
  the Game Master to determine, based on the experience of his 
  players, the ranks of the characters, the size and composition 
  of the Kill-team and any other factors he deems appropriate. 
  Whatever Threat Level and Scale is arrived at, the Game Master 
  should consider making it one or more levels higher than the 
  ﬁrst mission. This achieves several ends, including ramping up 
  the tension and action, serving the narrative, and engaging the 
  players with ever more challenging odds to overcome. The GM 
  should of course keep some tricks up his sleeve, as the mission 
  presented in Chapter III should be the hardest of them all.
  ENCOUNTERS
  The number and type of Encounters the Kill-team experiences 
  throughout this mission depend on the Threat Level and 
  Scale, as described in Chapter IV. It is recommended that the 
  Encounters br modiﬁed as follows:
  In the ﬁrst mission, the Game Master was advised to slowly 
  build up the tension by adjusting rolls so that no enemies 
  attack for quite a while. It is possible that the players expect 
  to encounter this pattern again, in which case they should be 
  dramatically disabused of that notion! One way of keeping the 
  players on their toes is to have an enemy attack them the very 
  FURTHER MYSTERIES OF MORTIS THULE
  While passing through the dark, winding passageways of Mortis Thule, the Kill-team might encounter mysteries unique 
  to this particular Space Hulk and not otherwise produced by the Space Hulk Mission Generator in Chapter IV. Game 
  Masters that wish to explore these mysteries further should feel free to do so, and there is plenty of inspirational material 
  in the range of published DEATHWATCH supplements. Here are some ideas the GM might consider developing:
  The Kill-team comes upon the desiccated remains of a long dead Tech-Priest. Upon further investigation, they 
  •	
  uncover the corpse’s origins on the Forge World of Samech. This world is known as a bastion of the Dark Mechanicus, 
  but the corpse bears none of the stigmata of the Ruinous Powers. Does it pre-date the Forge World’s fall to Chaos? 
  If so, what other mysteries might it foreshadow?
   The Battle-Brothers encounter fragments of power armour, or perhaps a complete suit, covered in centuries of dust 
  •	
  and debris. The faded heraldry is unfamiliar, and while no one Space Marine has knowledge of all the Chapters, 
  something about the armour causes disquiet. Does it belong to a now-extinct Chapter, or one that has fallen to the 
  service of the Ruinous Powers in the millennia since this unknown brother fell? 
  Game Masters with access to 
  •	
  THE ACHILUS ASSAULT supplement might have read of the deeds of the Tarrant Rogue Trader 
  dynasty boarding Mortis Thule and ﬁghting a great battle against its denizens many centuries ago. These details could easily 
  be expanded upon, and hints of them encountered as the Kill-team progresses through the dark tunnels.
  
  II: Survival
  44
  moment they set out, before they have even had time to settled 
  into an order of march or to fully take in their surroundings. 
  Instead of rolling on any of the Encounter tables, simply choose 
  a result. As the Beast of Thule is stalking the Kill-team from 
  the moment of their ﬁrst encounter, it is recommended that the 
  Game Master include an encounter with either the Beast itself, 
  or with a number of other Tyranid creatures to remind the 
  players that they are being hounded by this one, singular foe. 
  It is suggested that the foes encountered throughout this 
  passage be limited to either Tyranids or to vermin of various sorts. 
  As previously mentioned, Chapter III presents three sub-missions 
  that involve encounters with rogue Inquisitorial agents, Orks, and 
  Enslavers. So as not to ruin the surprise, it is recommended that 
  these particular foes be avoided in Chapter II.
  CALAMITIES
  The Game Master should draw on the full range of Calamities 
  throughout this mission, subjecting the Kill-team to whatever twists 
  of fate and cruel circumstance the tables produce. The further along 
  the characters progress on their journey, the deeper into the twisted 
  mass of Mortis Thule they travel. The Game Master can represent this 
  by modifying the results of this section as he wishes. For example, 
  deep inside the guts of the Space Hulk, sudden air pressure drops are 
  less likely to occur than movements in the hulk’s mass. 
  HULL TYPES
  The Game Master should feel free to take advantage of the full 
  range of hull types presented in Chapter IV. In addition to these, 
  the GM might like to consider how the wrecks deeper inside the 
  Space Hulk might have been affected by the ravages of time and of 
  the Warp. They should be described as being impossibly ancient, 
  as well as twisted out of all shape by the seismic forces at work 
  deep inside Mortis Thule. The vessels entrapped at the Space Hulk’s 
  heart are very likely examples of the very earliest of the Imperium’s 
  ships, and many may in fact predate the time when the Emperor 
  led the Great Crusade to unite the scattered worlds of Mankind. 
  Depending on their nature, some Battle-Brothers might ﬁnd the 
  experience of passing through such hulks akin to treading on holy 
  ground. Techmarine characters might feel compelled to investigate 
  some areas further, or conversely feel revulsion in the presence of 
  certain hull types now only used by the forces of Chaos. Lastly, 
  some hulls might have been constructed by xenos races long since 
  lost or slain. Perhaps a hull through which the Kill-team passes 
  was built by a race made extinct by the Chapter of one of the 
  Battle-Brothers, and walking through it stirs ancient memories 
  somehow passed on through the gene-seed within him.
  ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
  As already mentioned, the deeper the Kill-team travels into 
  Mortis Thule, the more ancient and malformed the environment 
  becomes. However, the Game Master should always remember 
  that Mortis Thule has been observed to drastically change 
  in composition from one sighting to the next, and so it is 
  perfectly appropriate to throw in a surprise every now and 
  then. The results on the tables can be manipulated so that 
  the Kill-team leaves one impossibly ancient hull, the dust and 
  debris carpeting its passages a testament to its age, only to 
  pass into a gleaming vessel apparently untouched by time. 
  LIFE FORMS
  The further the Kill-team travels into Mortis Thule, the less 
  predictable the hostile life forms they might encounter become. 
  None can say what vile creatures might exist deep inside the Space 
  Hulk, the combined processes of Warp taint and natural selection 
  inﬂicting all sorts of bizarre evolutionary developments upon them. 
  For this reason, the Game Master should feel free to employ any 
  and all results the Life Form tables in Chapter IV might produce. 
  ENVIRONMENT
  Upon departing the wreck of the Sword of MacLir, the Space 
  Marines ﬁnd themselves passing through the most ancient of 
  regions before heading outwards towards the distant location of 
  the Gellar ﬁeld. As such, the Game Master’s descriptions of the 
  environment should make frequent reference to the weight of 
  untold ages pressing in on them at all times. The air is stale and 
  holds the taste of bones long reduced to ash, while a carpet of 
  dust and other debris inches (and even feet) deep covers many 
  decks. Some passageways even feature thick, silken webs, though 
  such structures were not created by anything that resembles 
  a conventional spider. This deep within the Space Hulk, the 
  structure groans with staggering tectonic forces, deep shudders 
  passing through the deck and causing debris to billow down from 
  the vaults overhead. These things the Space Marines might very 
  well expect to ﬁnd in such a place, but others are far less explicable. 
  Odd sensations settle upon the Battle-Brothers as they pass along 
  certain passageways, only to leave the instant they turn a corner. 
  At other times, distant, yet oddly familiar voices call out the names 
  of individual members of the Kill-team, voices only heard by the 
  brother in question.
  These and many other similar methods can be used to 
  communicate just how old the area is, as well as the fact that 
  it is literally steeped in the essence of the Warp having been 
  dragged through its depths on countless voyages through the 
  Sea of Souls. These descriptions are for general tone, while 
  actual, palpable effects are described next.
  WARP EFFECTS
  As the tides of the Empyrean grow ever stronger and the 
  moment that Mortis Thule is sucked back into the Warp grows 
  ever nearer, the Space Hulk is subjected to an increasingly 
  disturbing range of Warp phenomena. 
  The Game Master should refer to page 187 of the DEATHWATCH 
  Core Rulebook for the table of Psychic Phenomena. As the 
  mission progresses, he can make periodic rolls on this table, 
  adding a modiﬁer to the roll equal to ﬁve for every time it has 
  been rolled on before. Initially, the GM need only roll on this 
  chart for every ten minutes or so of narrative time, but as Mortis 
  Thule nears being drawn back into the Warp, more and more 
  frequent rolls can be made. These rolls can have a dramatic effect 
  on game play, so the GM should, as ever, feel free to modify or 
  entirely disregard undesirable outcomes.
  DISCOVERIES
  The Game Master should utilise the range of Discoveries made 
  possible by rolling on Table 4–12: Discoveries in Chapter IV. As 
  their own ammunition and supplies run low, the Battle-Brothers 
  are likely to ﬁnd themselves increasingly reliant on such things. 
  
  II: Survival
  45
  This might result in the Space Marines equipping themselves with 
  all manner of unusual, exotic, or downright alien wargear, and 
  while this may not be strictly within the dictates of the Codex 
  Astartes, the Deathwatch has its own ways. Should the GM wish, 
  he can use the unconventional nature of such Discoveries to drive 
  the narrative, in particular when it comes to the Demeanours and 
  Chapter background of speciﬁc Battle-Brothers. Ultramarines 
  characters, as well as those brethren drawn from their Successor 
  Chapters and sharing the Honour the Codex Demeanour, might 
  ﬁnd themselves torn between certain passages within the writings 
  of Roboute Guilliman and the need to use any and all weapons 
  simply to survive. The GM may rule that such a character taking 
  up an obviously xenos weapon is working against his Demeanour 
  and impose a Cohesion penalty on the group as a consequence. 
  The Game Master should reward good roleplaying in this regard, 
  especially when a player chooses to forego an obvious advantage 
  in favour of remaining true to his character’s background. 
  An additional 50 Experience Points awarded at the end of the 
  adventure is an appropriate reward in such cases.
  VISITORS
  As mentioned in Chapter I, no Visitors should be generated 
  during the course of this adventure. 
  The Emperor’s 
  Gaze
  T
  rapped deep within the Warp-tainted mass of Mortis 
  Thule is the wreck of an Imperial Navy voidship 
  named The Emperor’s Gaze. Though one of countless 
  hulls that make up the vast Space Hulk, The Emperor’s Gaze 
  is all but unique, for despite the fact that it was drawn onto 
  Mortis Thule several decades ago, remnants of its crew survive 
  yet. The crew has been delivered from the insanity and 
  predators of the Warp by a singular blessing—the vessel’s 
  Gellar ﬁeld has miraculously remained functional despite the 
  ruination inﬂicted on the remainder of the ship, a fact the 
  pious survivors give thanks to the God-Emperor for each and 
  every day of their continued existence.
  The Emperor’s Gaze is, or rather was, a Tarask-class merchant 
  vessel tithed into service in the Achilus Crusade at the outset 
  of the glorious invasion of the Jericho Reach. Prior to its 
  conscription, the vessel had served a number of trading houses 
  holding Merchant Charters to ply the lesser Warp routes 
  along the spinward verges of the Calixis Sector, and served 
  its owners well for many centuries. With the coming of the 
  Achilus Crusade, the vessel was demanded by the Warmaster’s 
  staff, though in common with many operations relating to 
  the crusade, its owners were given no choice in matter, never 
  informed of their vessel’s fate, and despite promissory notes 
  to the contrary, not remunerated for their loss.
  Having joined the massing ﬂeets of the Achilus Crusade 
  and mustered on the Calixis end of the newly discovered 
  Jericho-Maw Warp Gate, The Emperor’s Gaze was assigned a 
  new crew and a new role. No longer would the vessel serve 
  as a merchant hauler running high value, no-questions-asked 
  cargoes along the Calixis-Scarus Warp Conduit. Instead, it 
  would transport cadres of diplomats tasked with overseeing 
  the integration of newly reconquered worlds of the Jericho 
  Reach into the Imperium of Man. It would serve as messenger, 
  ambassador, and attaché, delivering the light of the God-
  Emperor to the long-benighted souls of the Reach.
  As history records in the annals of the Achilus Crusade, 
  such dreams were not to be realised. Unbelievably, world 
  after world rejected the word of the Emperor, taking up arms 
  against the hosts of Warmaster Achilus. Total war consumed 
  the Jericho Reach, and the ambassadors and iterators of The 
  Emperor’s Gaze found themselves relegated to secondary roles. 
  Adepts bred for and schooled their entire lives to fulﬁl their 
  duties were assigned tasks they believed far below their highly 
  specialised skills. They became attachés and bureaucrats, 
  and in some cases little more than messengers. Despite the 
  numerous military glories won in the initial phases of the 
  crusade, the adepts of The Emperor’s Gaze knew utter despair. 
  Shockingly, the diplomats’ thoughts turned against their 
  masters in the crusade’s high command, and rebellion was 
  seeded in their hearts.
  
  II: Survival
  46
  THE GAZE AVERTED
  It may be the case that servants of the Ruinous Powers 
  whispered honeyed lies into the shadowed hearts of the 
  diplomats, or even that they came under some form of xenos 
  domination. Just as likely is the all too human sin of pride. 
  Cast aside and without purpose, their souls rejected the ideals 
  they had been raised from birth to propagate in the hearts of 
  others, and some say that in response the Emperor turned his 
  gaze away from them, withdrawing his blessings.
  Whether or not they brought their curse down upon their own 
  heads, the masters of The Emperor’s Gaze soon reaped the harvest of 
  their rebellion. Ordered to undertake the latest in a long chain of 
  seemingly insigniﬁcant missions that amounted to little more than 
  routine liaison between reserve tier factotums, The Emperor’s Gaze 
  made what would amount to its ﬁnal voyage in the service of the 
  Achilus Crusade. Its transmission was a standard status log sent from 
  the outer system jump node at Karlack. Two hours later, The Emperor’s 
  Gaze made Warp, and was neither seen nor heard from again.
  CAST ADRIFT
  Moments after translating to the Warp and setting sail across the Sea 
  of Souls, The Emperor’s Gaze was caught in the baleful and inexorable 
  pull of Mortis Thule. The exact cause of the accident is likely never to 
  be determined, but it is just as likely that the vessel’s Navigator was 
  neglectful in his duties as some doom brought about by his own 
  secret disloyalty caused the death of thousands of the transport’s 
  crew. The Emperor’s Gaze was dashed upon the vast mass of Mortis 
  Thule, the unreal energies of the Warp twisting and distorting it, 
  melding it into the bulk of the Space Hulk until, when ﬁnally the 
  seething energies receded, The Emperor’s Gaze came to rest deep in 
  the bowels of Mortis Thule, nine in every ten of its crew slain, their 
  souls devoured by the ravenous denizens of the Warp. 
  Of those few that survived the calamity, most were driven far 
  beyond the point of sanity by the experience. These set about a 
  rampage of ﬂagellatory destruction in which hundreds more were 
  slaughtered and numerous parts of the vessel that had survived were 
  set to the torch. A small number of survivors, however, realised that 
  far from being cursed, they had been delivered. They realised that the 
  Emperor had given them a chance at salvation and kept their Gellar 
  ﬁeld functioning, albeit intermittently. If the survivors remained 
  faithful, surviving long enough to earn the Emperor’s forgiveness, 
  then surely they would earn their freedom. The Space Hulk would 
  one day free them and The Emperor’s Gaze would be disgorged from 
  the Empyrean, to serve the Imperium of Man once more.
  SURVIVAL
  While the view that the Emperor had granted the survivors some 
  manner of second chance was eventually taken up by all of the 
  former crew, opinions varied greatly as to how deliverance might 
  be earned. Those driven mad by the initial accident roamed the 
  companionways yet, and while they eventually relented in their 
  wanton destruction, they remained on the very edge of madness, 
  their eyes glinting with the strange illumination that haunts the 
  depths of the Sea of Souls. An accord of sorts was arrived at, both 
  factions agreeing that they had been spared that they might earn 
  redemption for their masters’ sins.
  An uneasy truce in place, the thousand or so survivors of the 
  collision with Mortis Thule and the subsequent insanity turned 
  their efforts to survival. With the Gellar ﬁeld still miraculously 
  functional they were able to withstand the Space Hulk’s periodic 
  voyages through the Warp, but other, more immediate enemies 
  threatened their survival from the very beginning. Monstrous 
  Genestealers were drawn to the wreck, inﬁltrating its outer skin 
  through wounds only they could detect. For several years, the 
  survivors stood at the precipice of destruction, ﬁghting a ceaseless 
  war against the predators that stalked the dark tunnels of Mortis 
  Thule, ever hanging on to life by the barest of threads.
  Initially, the survivors lived on the ship’s supplies, for these had 
  been intended to feed many more mouths. Yet, much had been lost 
  and much more tainted, and soon the crew was forced to resort to 
  highly unconventional means of feeding themselves. Most food 
  is supplied by the cultivation of fungi in the deeper holds, vast 
  chambers that glow with the eerie bio-luminescence of the retched 
  harvest. More rarely, nutrition is derived from the corpses of the 
  fallen, for the vessel was ﬁtted with a reclamation unit able to turn 
  a dead body into enough corpse starch to keep starvation at bay.
  DIVISION
  Almost two years after the accident, the surviving crew 
  of The Emperor’s Gaze met its next challenge, and one that 
  almost tore it apart. When a boarding party from the 
  Terrozant Rogue Trader Dynasty landed a vessel in one of 
  the cavernous exterior holds, the survivors were faced with 
  the prospect of imminent rescue. Instead of celebrations, 
  however, overt hostilities broke out as opinions on how 
  to proceed split the group in two and revealed that the 
  old wounds had not healed, but festered. One faction held 
  that only the Emperor can bestow deliverance upon the 
  survivors, by drawing the Space Hulk in realspace in the 
  vicinity of an Imperial held world, allowing the crew to 
  depart the Space Hulk with honour and take their place 
  in the ranks of the faithful once more. The other faction 
  held that the explorers must surely have been guided to 
  the wreck by the will of the Emperor, and they should be 
  contacted right away in the hope of rescue.
  While the debate was raging, the boarding party was 
  slaughtered by Genestealers, and soon after Mortis Thule was 
  plunged back into the Warp once more.
  LOST IN THE WARP
  Since that ﬁrst moment of potential rescue, the survivors 
  have settled upon a course of action that appears to have 
  secured if not deliverance, a respite of sorts. Having split 
  themselves into numerous smaller sub-groups, the survivors 
  have undertaken to maintain the continuous chanting of a 
  prayer song intended to bring the Emperor’s mercy down 
  upon them. Each of these choirs maintains its sonorous 
  chant in a continuous cycle, so that the companionways 
  of The Emperor’s Gaze and the tunnels of the Space Hulk 
  beyond echo to the deep, plaintive song. Those of both 
  factions pray with equal fervour, one that rescuers might be 
  drawn by their display of piety, the other that the Emperor 
  might cause Mortis Thule to disgorge them near a world on 
  
  II: Survival
  47
  which they might settle. In the strained minds of some of 
  the survivors, something resembling a new creed has set 
  root. Some seek rescuers they imagine as radiant angels, 
  while others look to a paradise world to claim. Much of 
  the time, the disparate factions are content to set aside 
  their differences, but should the proximity of outsiders be 
  detected, old tensions boil up anew and bloodshed is often 
  the end result.
  KEY LOCATIONS  
  AND COMPONENTS
  The interior of The Emperor’s Gaze conveys a number of 
  impressions, many of them seemingly contradictory. First 
  and foremost, it is an ancient voidship, yet not a vessel 
  commissioned to ﬁght the Emperor’s wars. The companionways 
  are utilitarian and worn by age, showing little of the martial 
  pride or stolid potency of a warship of the Imperial Navy. 
  No part of the interior is free from evidence of the calamity 
  that saw it melded into the bowels of Mortis Thule, and some 
  sections are so distorted they are no longer accessible. 
  Everywhere within The Emperor’s Gaze is evidence of the 
  tenuous state of its survival. Lumen bulbs gutter and dim, their 
  wan light reﬂected from banks of drifting dust motes trapped 
  by the lacking of properly functioning life-sustainer ﬁltration 
  systems. The temperature is prone to spikes and troughs, while 
  the air near to the chambers in which the fungus foodstuffs 
  are cultivated is thick and moist, and heavy with acrid odours. 
  The vessel’s gravity is prone to ﬂuctuations too, for the power 
  distribution conduits have been patched and diverted countless 
  times to keep them functional. Mismatched cabling runs along 
  the deck or loops from the ceiling above, all contributing to an 
  oppressive air of dilapidation and decay.
  Yet, The Emperor’s Gaze is possessed of a quality more in 
  common with a hermitage or the inner sanctum of some vast 
  cathedral of the Imperial Creed. The ever present song of 
  the numerous choirs is to be heard all over the vessel. While 
  all Imperial vessels are host to countless shrines of every 
  size and shape, The Emperor’s Gaze features hundreds, even 
  thousands of bulkhead reliquaries, each dedicated to a fallen 
  crew member whose ﬂensed skull, lovingly engraved with 
  the words of the Imperial Saints, sits at its centre, swathed in 
  rivers of solidiﬁed candle wax rendered from the remainder 
  of its bones by the ship’s reclamation facility. In places, so 
  many of these candles burn that corridors are transformed 
  into passages of pure light, though had they not become 
  acclimatised to it the survivors would be quite overcome by 
  the stink of so much burning tallow.
  HULL
  The outer hull of The Emperor’s Gaze is largely invisible, being 
  comprehensively melded into the bulk of Mortis Thule. Given the 
  vessel’s merchantman origins, the hull bears little or no armour, 
  making it possible to cut through at numerous weak points. The 
  survivors have had to reinforce the hull in order to block off 
  potential routes the ever-present Genestealer menace might utilise 
  to inﬁltrate and slaughter all within. Huge plates and spurs salvaged 
  from nearby areas have been dragged into the hull to be used as 
  a secondary layer of metal skin, and to date this appears to have 
  kept the predators of Mortis Thule at bay. In truth, it is more likely 
  that the constant prayer-choirs are responsible for the survivors’ 
  continued survival against such inﬁltrations, the Genestealers and 
  other creatures seeking more easily cornered prey.
  PLASMA DRIVES
  The Emperor’s Gaze’s plasma drives are functional, but only at 
  the very lowest possible state. Without a cadre of Tech-Priests, 
  Servitors, and stokers it is unlikely the drives will ever be coaxed to 
  full power, but in their latent cycle they produce just enough power 
  to maintain other critical systems, albeit at a very low level indeed. 
  The most critical of these is of course the Gellar ﬁeld, and the 
  survivors have installed countless failsafe power feeds so that, even 
  should every other component fail, the Gellar ﬁeld will remain on 
  line and the survivors’ souls spared from eternal damnation.
  GELLAR FIELD
  The vessel’s Gellar ﬁeld is by far its most precious asset, for 
  without it the crew would long ago have fallen prey to the 
  predators of the Warp that materialise around it each time the 
  Space Hulk plunges into the Sea of Souls. While it functions, 
  the ﬁeld is not entirely uniform or predictable and does not 
  always provide protection for the entire ship. Because of this, 
  the survivors are forced to take refuge as close to its projection 
  nodes as possible, often mustering amidships where the ﬁeld 
  is generally strongest. During these times, the prayer-choirs 
  all come together, their voices singing as one as they beseech 
  the God-Emperor of Mankind for deliverance from the Warp 
  even as vile creatures of tooth and claw gibber and drool scant 
  metres away, unable to cross the threshold of the Gellar ﬁeld.
  VOID SHIELDS
  The Tarask-class was built for speed far more than durability, and 
  it was for this reason that The Emperor’s Gaze was conscripted into 
  the Achilus Crusade to serve as a transport for the diplomatic 
  corps. The vessel’s original void shield projector was replaced at 
  the outset of the crusade, for it was found not to be functional 
  and probably had not been so for over a century. The new array, 
  of a pattern constructed in the Lathe Worlds in the Calixis sector, 
  proved its worth on several occasions during the vessel’s service, 
  though it has not functioned at all since the accident.
  LIFE-SUSTAINER
  Truly ancient machine systems, the voidship’s life-sustainer 
  systems cling to functionality despite every punishment 
  inﬂicted upon them, but only just. Large parts of the vessel are 
  barely served by working air ﬁltration and water puriﬁcation 
  systems at all, while other areas seem unaffected. 
  CREW COMPARTMENTS
  The survivors number approximately a thousand souls, a number 
  that is a small fraction of the original complement. As such, there 
  is more than enough space to accommodate everyone, including 
  the small number of families that have sprung up amongst 
  the ranks. Most of the survivors choose to make their quarters 
  
  II: Survival
  48
  amidships, where the Gellar ﬁeld is most reliable in case Mortis 
  Thule should be dragged back into the Warp without warning. 
  Some survivors have developed a sense for an imminent Warp 
  jump, however, and choose to exist as virtual hermits at the 
  furthest extent of the vessel, only returning to the fold when the 
  Gellar ﬁeld is weak and the entire complement gathers together 
  amidships to sing as one for the blessings of the Emperor.
  BRIDGE
  The command deck of The Emperor’s Gaze is a cold, lifeless 
  chamber, for despite the best efforts of its crew it has proven 
  impossible to restore any power to its machine systems. Dozens 
  of command terminals and pict-screens remain blank, denying 
  the survivors a means of coordinating the functions of those 
  systems that are still intact. Bereft of its original purpose, the 
  bridge has taken on a new signiﬁcance to the survivors. It has 
  become the subject of numerous pilgrimages, journeys made 
  perilous because the bridge is some distance from the sanctuary 
  of the Gellar ﬁeld nodes and reaching it is made difﬁcult by 
  the distortions afﬂicted on many passages when the vessel was 
  melded into the bowels of Mortis Thule. Nevertheless, many 
  regard the risk as worthwhile. Every surface of the bridge 
  is covered with hundreds of votive candles, the melted wax 
  running down the bulkheads as a warm golden illumination 
  lends the chamber a deeply sacred character.
  WARP DRIVES
  Following the calamity that melded The Emperor’s Gaze with 
  Mortis Thule, the vessel’s Warp drive remained functional, yet it 
  soon transpired that some form of mishap had befallen the arcane 
  machine systems. The further along the access passages the survivors 
  approached, the more they became afﬂicted with disorientation 
  and mania. Those few that attempted to gain access to the drive 
  chamber made it only as far as the main portal at the termination 
  of the vessel’s spine, at which point they were observed from afar 
  to drop to their knees with their hands clamped over their ears, 
  bellowing their denial at some foe no one else could see. Needless 
  to say, the survivors sealed off the approach to the Warp drive 
  chamber and while it appears to remain idle even without any 
  crew to tend it, none dare approach it to check.
  SENSORS
  In its former existence as a merchantman, The Emperor’s Gaze was 
  blessed with very little in the way of augur arrays, its sensors 
  limited to those needed to manoeuvre safely to dock and to detect 
  hazardous stellar phenomena. These utilitarian systems were 
  improved when the vessel was requisitioned to participate in the 
  Achilus Crusade, the better to serve the mission of its diplomatic 
  corps masters. The survivors have been unable to coax any 
  functionality from the augur arrays, despite repeated supplications 
  to the system’s machine spirits, and with no servants of the 
  Omnissiah in their ranks, they are unlikely to be able to do so.
  WEAPONS BATTERIES
  The Emperor’s Gaze was no warship, but like all vessels 
  in the fleets of the Imperium was equipped with a 
  rudimentary armament intended to dissuade attacks of 
  
  II: Survival
  49
  opportunity by the numerous raiders that plague the 
  space lanes. With the voidship entrapped in the mass of 
  Mortis Thule, its weapons batteries are useless and almost 
  certainly damaged beyond repair by the forces exerted on 
  the outer hull during the collision.
  HOLDS
  As a merchantman specialising in high value, low bulk 
  goods, the holds of The Emperor’s Gaze were never especially 
  voluminous, and since its conscription into the diplomatic 
  corps of the Warmaster’s staff, these were reduced as other 
  systems were augmented. Since the vessel’s loss, the holds have 
  been converted into culture chambers for the weird fungus that 
  serves as the bulk foodstuff of the survivors. When correctly 
  processed, the end result is a nutritious, but vile tasting paste 
  most of the survivors resent eating, though they understand it 
  has kept them alive well enough. When incorrectly processed, 
  the end result has no nutritional value at all, but is said to taste 
  quite pleasant. The pious survivors allow the eating of this 
  variety only to celebrate the Feast of the Emperor’s Ascension, 
  regarding it as a frivolous waste of scant resources.
  CREW RECLAMATION CHAMBER
  The alternative to eating the fungus cultivated in the holds 
  is to consume the product of the vessel’s crew reclamation 
  facility. It is perhaps a cruel twist of fate that power to the 
  facility’s systems appears to be constant and has never ceased 
  to function even when almost every other system has fallen 
  silent. The facility serves to render down the corpses of dead 
  crew into a tasteless grey gruel known as “corpse-starch.” 
  Such facilities are common in the hive worlds of the Imperium 
  and not unheard of on large warships and exploration vessels, 
  especially those undertaking long or perilous missions and 
  thus guaranteeing a steady supply of raw material. Exactly 
  why The Emperor’s Gaze should be host to such a facility is 
  unknown, though some amongst the survivors suspect that a 
  previous master might have had a perverse taste for the stuff. 
  Whatever the truth, the reclamation facility kept the survivors 
  alive for over a year before they learned how to grow the 
  fungus they have consumed since, though the facility stands 
  ever ready, some would say eager, to serve if needed again.
  ASTROPATHIC CHOIR CHAMBER
  The Emperor’s Gaze’s choir chamber is another of the additions 
  the vessel received after it was pressed into service with the 
  crusade, and by far the largest. The ship was judged in need of 
  such a feature because of its mission. Communication was vital 
  to the diplomatic staff it carried, whether they were broadcasting 
  a welcome to a newly encountered society or a request for a 
  display of ﬁrepower to the Imperial Navy. When the crusade 
  encountered far greater levels of resistance in the Jericho Reach 
  than any anticipated, and the ship’s mission was relegated to 
  messenger, this grand facility was mothballed, all but one of its 
  staff assigned to other duties elsewhere in the ﬂeet. 
  Now, the Astropathic Choir Chamber stands empty 
  and ruined, tier upon tier of empty caskets never to serve as 
  receptacles for the servants of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica 
  again. The one Astropath who remained after his peers were 
  shipped out perished in the calamity, but some of the survivors 
  swear his shade lingers still in the shattered remains of the choir. 
  If true, none have witnessed it, but it is undeniable that the 
  choir chamber is noticeably colder than the rest of the vessel 
  and that something feels extremely wrong to those that enter.
  COGITATION CORE
  The ship’s logic-engine is the heart of its machine systems, the 
  nexus of a million different feeds, relays and conduits. Sadly 
  for the survivors, the cogitation core is barely functional, only 
  its lower order processes running while all higher functions 
  were obliterated during the accident. Without such processes, 
  it is unlikely that any major degree of functionality could 
  ever be restored to the vessel as a whole, yet still the survivors 
  direct continuous prayers to the mighty spirit slumbering 
  within the cold, dull crystal stacks.
  THE SURVIVORS
  When The Emperor’s Gaze fell victim to the draw of Mortis Thule, 
  over ninety percent of its crew were slain, their bodies torn apart 
  by marauding Warp entities or crushed by the impossible forces 
  exerted on their vessel while their souls were devoured by the 
  predatory denizens of the Abyss. Even when the ship settled 
  into the tomb-like embrace of the Space Hulk the slaughter did 
  not relent, for soon after many hundreds of frenzied men and 
  women set about an orgy of penitent destruction that wreaked 
  havoc amongst the ranks of those that survived. 
  The bloodshed unleashed by the Warp and by the survivors 
  themselves knew no distinctions of rank, class, or role. Death 
  was indiscriminate, coming for everyone from the captain 
  to the lowliest plasma rat. When at last some form of order 
  descended and the survivors were afforded an opportunity 
  to count their losses, they found that all but a thousand of 
  the original 18,560 listed crew had perished, including every 
  one of the commissioned ofﬁcers.
  Because of the divisions within the ranks of the survivors, as 
  well as the fact that almost all of their energies are devoted to 
  prayer, no strictly deﬁned chain of command now exists amongst 
  them. Indeed, whenever any individual has attempted to take 
  overall control, violence has ﬂared once more. The survivors tend 
  to organise themselves around their self-imposed duties, each a 
  member of a prayer-choir of between twenty and a hundred 
  penitents. While individuals within each choir tend to take on 
  the role of community leader, no one amongst their number has 
  any power over any other choir and most tend to shun contact 
  with the other groups except during musters about the Gellar 
  ﬁeld nodes during especially traumatic Warp jumps.
  The Game Master is free to populate The Emperor’s Gaze 
  with any number of interesting characters. While he should not 
  include any commissioned ofﬁcers, several dozen Warrant Ofﬁcers 
  survived. What follows is a collection of NPCs the Game Master 
  might like to have the Kill-team interact with. These cover a range 
  of character types, making it possible for the GM to run different 
  types of encounters, from tense negotiation to hostile contact. The 
  vast majority of the surviving crew from The Emperor’s Gaze ought 
  to use the Space Hulk Survivor proﬁle found on page 117 of the 
  Appendix. Notable NPC’s are detailed below. 
  
  II: Survival
  50
  ARNO STAK
  Prior to the disaster that slew so many of its crew and passengers, 
  The Emperor’s Gaze was tasked with transporting a cadre of adepts 
  assigned to the Warmaster’s general staff. The cadre numbered 
  approximately two hundred ofﬁcials, ranging in rank from the 
  single Sub-Designate all the way down to three-dozen lowly 
  diplomatic envoys. It is from the ranks of the latter that the sole 
  survivor of this cadre is drawn, an individual called Arno Stak.
  The last voyage of The Emperor’s Gaze was Stak’s ﬁrst. Like so 
  many Imperial citizens, the newly appointed Arno Stak had been 
  raised largely in ignorance of the truth of Warp travel, and when 
  he was assigned to the crusade’s staff and joined the messenger 
  ship at Karlack, he had listened with utter horror to the sermons 
  of the ship’s confessor as he prepared the crew for the voyage. 
  The confessor told tales of the ﬁends that gibbered and seethed 
  in the Sea of Souls, seeking but a sliver of weakness or impurity 
  to draw them through the protective skin of reality and devour 
  all within. The confessor told tales of the Warp transforming 
  into solid stone, entombing ships for all time. He ranted of slime-
  streaked tentacles pocked with gibbering lamprey mouths forcing 
  their way in through poorly warded port holes to drag out 
  any passengers they could reach. Unsurprisingly, Stak 
  was terriﬁed, so that by the time The Emperor’s Gaze 
  set out he was all but numb with fear. 
  Sensing the young adept’s weakness, the 
  vessel’s confessor determined to steel 
  his soul against the horrors of the 
  Warp. But instead of soothing words 
  or a stirring sermon, Stak was 
  convicted to a hundred strokes of 
  the neural lash, a punishment 
  meted out in the hours before 
  the vessel’s ﬁnal translation 
  into the Warp.
  At the very moment 
  doom came for The Emperor’s 
  Gaze, Arno Stak was unable 
  to react with anything but 
  wide-eyed insanity, for he 
  was conﬁned within a pillory 
  cage in the forward muster 
  hall. Thus, he was forced 
  to watch as the confessor’s 
  body was torn inside out by 
  ethereal limbs emerging from 
  his every oriﬁce. He screamed 
  helplessly as his crew mates were 
  incinerated by living, Warp-born 
  ﬁre. He gibbered uncontrollably 
  as the remainder of the diplomatic 
  staff turned upon one another in a 
  cannibalistic fury, possessed by the 
  denizens of the Empyrean, their eyes 
  wide with helpless terror as their own 
  bodies enacted the vilest of deeds. 
  Blessedly, at some point during the 
  calamity, Stak plunged into a coma 
  from which he did not emerge for 
  almost a week. When he awoke he 
  found himself swathed in a straitjacket, for he had ranted and raved 
  uncontrollably for so long that the other survivors had bound him 
  for his own protection and for their own sanity. During his coma, 
  Stak’s mind had apparently convinced itself that the sights and 
  sounds he had witnessed were but a ﬁgment of his imagination, 
  or perhaps a vision sent by the Emperor as a warning against 
  something he has yet to fully comprehend. 
  Stak is, for all intents and purposes, the most highly ranked 
  survivor left on board The Emperor’s Gaze, though in practise this 
  has little meaning. Stak serves as choirmaster and de facto leader 
  of a small group of survivors who chant every waking hour, their 
  base Starboard Mess Deck 88. Though his diplomatic training 
  has served him well as a leader, Stak is, in fact, utterly insane, 
  a truth he hides extremely well. His greatest secret is the fact 
  that he blames himself for the doom of Emperor’s Gaze, utterly 
  convinced that the words of the ship’s confessor were correct. 
  Using Arno Stak
  While many of the survivors hold to one of the two strands of 
  belief regarding their eventual fate—that the Emperor will send 
  his angels to rescue them, or that only by penitence will they 
  ﬁnd forgiveness—Stak’s soul is steeped in secret doubt. He 
  has seen some truly terrible sights and above all desires to be 
  left alone. In truth, Stak would be quite content for Mortis 
  Thule to drift through the void for all eternity and never to 
  encounter another human again, though he bears a terrible 
  fear of what might befall his soul as the Space Hulk drifts 
  upon the tides of the Warp. If and when the diplomatic 
  envoy encounters the Kill-team, the GM should bear 
  this information in mind, especially if the Space 
  Marines decide to force a course of action that 
  runs counter to his desire to remain hidden from 
  humanity at large. The Diplomatic Envoy’s proﬁle 
  is presented on page 141 of the Appendix. 
  CHIEF KILLICK
  A fearsome grox of a man, his body a mass of 
  scar tissue, devotional tattoos, and utility-grade 
  augmetics, Chief Killick holds sway over a 
  large number of survivors, especially those 
  that once tended The Emperor’s Gaze’s Warp 
  drives. Chief Killick was the petty ofﬁcer 
  in charge of discipline amongst the vessel’s 
  plasma-stokers, one of the largest divisions of 
  voidsmen onboard. Few stokers survive for 
  long in the service of the Imperial Navy, for 
  their duties are so dangerous that dozens fall 
  victim to all manner of accidents every voyage. 
  Even those that learn to avoid the continuous 
  and largely uncontrolled plasma venting and other 
  hazards generally survive only so long as their bodies 
  can withstand the lethal radiation that ﬂoods the drive 
  section every time the engines are brought to full power. 
  Chief Killick was an exception, a man so tough those 
  under him came to view him as immortal. It was by sheer force 
  of will that he rose from Ordinary Shipman to earn himself a 
  place amongst the ship’s petty ofﬁcer corps. It is hardly a 
  surprise that Killick survived the doom of The Emperor’s 
  50
  50
  50
  50
  into solid stone, entombing ships for all time. He ranted of slime-
  into solid stone, entombing ships for all time. He ranted of slime-
  streaked tentacles pocked with gibbering lamprey mouths forcing 
  streaked tentacles pocked with gibbering lamprey mouths forcing 
  their way in through poorly warded port holes to drag out 
  their way in through poorly warded port holes to drag out 
  any passengers they could reach. Unsurprisingly, Stak 
  was terriﬁed, so that by the time The Emperor’s Gaze
  set out he was all but numb with fear. 
  Sensing the young adept’s weakness, the 
  vessel’s confessor determined to steel 
  his soul against the horrors of the 
  Warp. But instead of soothing words 
  or a stirring sermon, Stak was 
  convicted to a hundred strokes of 
  the neural lash, a punishment 
  meted out in the hours before 
  the vessel’s ﬁnal translation 
  into the Warp.
  At the very moment 
  doom came for The Emperor’s 
  , Arno Stak was unable 
  to react with anything but 
  wide-eyed insanity, for he 
  was conﬁned within a pillory 
  cage in the forward muster 
  hall. Thus, he was forced 
  to watch as the confessor’s 
  body was torn inside out by 
  ethereal limbs emerging from 
  his every oriﬁce. He screamed 
  helplessly as his crew mates were 
  incinerated by living, Warp-born 
  ﬁre. He gibbered uncontrollably 
  as the remainder of the diplomatic 
  staff turned upon one another in a 
  cannibalistic fury, possessed by the 
  denizens of the Empyrean, their eyes 
  wide with helpless terror as their own 
  bodies enacted the vilest of deeds. 
  Blessedly, at some point during the 
  calamity, Stak plunged into a coma 
  from which he did not emerge for 
  almost a week. When he awoke he 
  While many of the survivors hold to one of the two strands of 
  belief regarding their eventual fate—that the Emperor will send 
  his angels to rescue them, or that only by penitence will they 
  ﬁnd forgiveness—Stak’s soul is steeped in secret doubt. He 
  has seen some truly terrible sights and above all desires to be 
  left alone. In truth, Stak would be quite content for 
  Thule to drift through the void for all eternity and never to 
  Thule to drift through the void for all eternity and never to 
  Thule
  encounter another human again, though he bears a terrible 
  fear of what might befall his soul as the Space Hulk drifts 
  upon the tides of the Warp. If and when the diplomatic 
  envoy encounters the Kill-team, the GM should bear 
  this information in mind, especially if the Space 
  Marines decide to force a course of action that 
  runs counter to his desire to remain hidden from 
  humanity at large. The Diplomatic Envoy’s proﬁle 
  is presented on page 141 of the 
  CHIEF KILLICK
  A fearsome grox of a man, his body a mass of 
  scar tissue, devotional tattoos, and utility-grade 
  augmetics, Chief Killick holds sway over a 
  large number of survivors, especially those 
  that once tended The Emperor’s Gaze
  drives. Chief Killick was the petty ofﬁcer 
  in charge of discipline amongst the vessel’s 
  plasma-stokers, one of the largest divisions of 
  voidsmen onboard. Few stokers survive for 
  long in the service of the Imperial Navy, for 
  their duties are so dangerous that dozens fall 
  victim to all manner of accidents every voyage. 
  Even those that learn to avoid the continuous 
  and largely uncontrolled plasma venting and other 
  hazards generally survive only so long as their bodies 
  can withstand the lethal radiation that ﬂoods the drive 
  section every time the engines are brought to full power. 
  Chief Killick was an exception, a man so tough those 
  under him came to view him as immortal. It was by sheer force 
  of will that he rose from Ordinary Shipman to earn himself a 
  place amongst the ship’s petty ofﬁcer corps. It is hardly a 
  surprise that Killick survived the doom of 
  
  II: Survival
  51
  Gaze, and in fact a number of legends have sprung up amongst the 
  survivors about how he did so. Some claim he actually fought off 
  a Warp devil, while others relate how even the ﬁends of the Warp 
  are cowed by his formidable presence. While no doubt the product 
  of minds stretched beyond breaking point, there is likely to be 
  some kernel of truth to these stories, for Chief Killick is every bit 
  as tough and stubborn as the legends suggest.
  Using Chief Killick
  When it comes to the doctrinal schism that consumed the 
  survivors in the immediate aftermath of the doom of The 
  Emperor’s Gaze, Chief Killick is very much on the side of the 
  pragmatists. He prays that one day the Emperor will send 
  deliverance, and as far as the chief is concerned that day cannot 
  come fast enough. If and when Killick and the Space Marines 
  meet, the chief welcomes them and makes every effort to ensure 
  that when they leave, he and his men go with them. Chief 
  Killick’s proﬁle is presented on page 141 of the Appendix.
  MEDICAE DHUNN
  As a relatively small vessel, and not a warship in the Warmaster’s 
  ﬂeets, The Emperor’s Gaze had to make do with many second-
  rate facilities. One such compromise was in the provision of 
  medicae services, for all of the fully trained and accredited 
  naval surgeons and other medicae staff were required at the 
  front lines. As a messenger vessel, The Emperor’s Gaze had 
  to make its own provisions in this regard, the crew either 
  tending to the sick and injured themselves or else seeking out 
  the services of privately practising chirurgeons on the rare 
  occasions they were allowed to go ashore while at dock. 
  “Medicae” Dhunn was the sole recognised medical authority on 
  board The Emperor’s Gaze before the calamity, and having survived 
  the death of so many of his crew mates, he remains so after it. 
  Dhunn has never spoken of his training, though he is undoubtedly 
  proﬁcient in ﬁrst aid, especially the tending of severe trauma. Where 
  Dhunn is far less proﬁcient is in the more common ﬁelds of medical 
  practise, knowing almost nothing of the common afﬂictions that 
  all humans suffer from. The reason for this, while unknown to 
  any amongst the survivors, is quite straightforward. Dhunn is a 
  deserter, a former Janissary of the 212th Maccabian Regiment. 
  His unit decimated in battle and withdrawn for punishment to a 
  bulk-garrison at Karlack, Dhunn somehow escaped the regimental 
  provosts. Hours later, he was caught in an Imperial Navy press-
  gang sweep intended to supplement the crew of the soon-to-depart 
  Emperor’s Gaze. Realising this fate was far preferable to that he had 
  escaped, Dhunn welcomed his new role as one voidsman amongst 
  thousands, and his training in combat medicae soon resulted in 
  him becoming a valued member of his division.
  To this day, Dhunn has not shared the secret of his true 
  identity with any of his fellow survivors. In truth, he dreads 
  the day that the survivors might be rescued, for that day his 
  secret is very likely catch up with him.
  Using Medicae Dhunn
  When it comes to the factional divisions within the surviving 
  crew, Dhunn shares the belief that only prayer and penitence 
  will deliver them all from their fate and that one day the Space 
  Hulk will wash up upon the shores of some uncharted paradise 
  world. At least, that is his hope, for he knows that the alternatives 
  are dire indeed. If and when the medicae encounters the Space 
  Marines, he is overcome with dread and guilt and while he is 
  unlikely to call attention to himself, he will voice his objection 
  to any plan that is ultimately likely to deliver him to the tender 
  mercies of the Commissariat. Medicae Dhunn’s proﬁle can be 
  found on page 142 of the Appendix.
  SERGEANT-AT-ARMS NOTO CORINTHI
  Sergeant Corinthi was the highest ranked member of The 
  Emperor’s Gaze’s armsmen corps, her role before the calamity 
  being to enforce discipline and to maintain security. Noto enjoyed 
  her role—some might even say too much. She was known and 
  feared amongst the plasma-stokers and bilge-tenders as a stern 
  disciplinarian, and many said she would make Master-at-Arms 
  within a couple of years. Unknown to many, Sergeant Corinthi 
  yearned for so much more than her role, spending much of her 
  off-watch time training or developing her already formidable 
  skills at arms. In truth, Noto yearned for action so much that she 
  developed a paranoid belief that The Emperor’s Gaze was being 
  trailed by xenos pirates, and so she amassed a small, private arms 
  cache in her quarters against the time when she personally would 
  lead the defence against rabid enemy boarders and so earn the 
  recognition she felt she deserved.
  When the enemy did come, it was not space lane reavers, but 
  the fell denizens of the Warp that attacked her precious vessel. 
  Faced with such creatures, Sergeant Corinthi’s mind snapped 
  and she embarked on an armed rampage even as The Emperor’s 
  Gaze was torn apart by the raging energies of the Empyrean. 
  It was almost as if Sergeant-at-Arms Corinthi was one with the 
  Daemonic entities, stalking the companionways and unleashing 
  death and judgement upon any she encountered, whether man or 
  ﬁend. How she survived is unknown to all, including herself, for 
  she awoke in the inner sanctum of one of the vessel’s numerous 
  utility chapels, lying upon the deck in a foetal curl, her body 
  wrapped about a bolt gun, its magazine entirely empty and its 
  barrel scorched black by continuous ﬁring. Brief images of the 
  murder she had wrought ﬂickering across her mind’s eye were 
  all she could recall of her rampage, but Noto Corinthi knew she 
  had done something utterly horriﬁc.
  In the aftermath of the calamity, Noto Corinthi swore herself 
  to a life of penitence and abstinence. Her every waking hour 
  is spent in prayer-song and she brooks no talk of violence. 
  Yet every now and then when she blinks, Noto Corinthi sees 
  some fresh realisation of the horrors she enacted that day. 
  Little wonder she keeps her bolt gun secreted beneath her 
  bunk in her sparsely maintained quarters.
  Using Sergeant-at-Arms Corinthi
  The former leader of the vessel’s armsmen corps holds very much 
  to the belief that only by prayer and penitence will the crew 
  be saved. If and when she encounters the Space Marines, she 
  is overcome by the notion that they are an obstacle to her own 
  salvation. Should she be pushed, the Sergeant-at-Arms might 
  even attempt to oppose any plans to get the survivors off of the 
  ship, though she is unlikely to survive any violent confrontation 
  with the elite of the Adeptus Astartes. The Sergeant-at-Arms’ 
  proﬁle can be found on page 141 of the Appendix.
  
  II: Survival
  52
  LAY-TECHNICIAN RIDU KAM
  Not a single member of The Emperor’s Gaze’s cadre of ordained 
  Tech-Priests survived the calamity, but these were not the only 
  crew with some knowledge of the workings of the machine. 
  Several hundred ratings were entrusted with some small degree 
  of technical knowledge, men and women judged intelligent 
  and pure enough of heart to be taught the lowermost tiers 
  of the Omnissiah’s teachings. Such specialists are present in 
  many organisations, for there cannot always be a Tech-Priest 
  on hand to operate every single machine, nor can a Servitor 
  do so in cases where some degree of autonomous thought 
  is needed. The vessel’s “lay-technicians” were entrusted with 
  such tasks as monitoring plasma pressure levels, replacing 
  spent ﬁlters on air scrubbing systems, replenishing non-
  functional lumen globes, and a thousand other, equally vital 
  tasks. Several dozen lay-technicians survived the doom of The 
  Emperor’s Gaze, and it is well they did, for without them it is 
  unlikely those not slain in the calamity would have survived 
  more than a week even without the predations of the other 
  creatures present on Mortis Thule.
  Ridu Kam, is the most senior of those inducted into the 
  workings of the machine amongst the ranks of the survivors. 
  It is thanks to the tireless efforts of Kam and his peers that 
  power remains online for most of the time, and that the 
  fungal culture chambers function. Kam’s most 
  important duty is to ensure that the Gellar 
  ﬁeld remains operational, and this he 
  has managed to do even though he 
  has absolutely no knowledge of the 
  workings of power relay systems. 
  Privately, Kam is experiencing 
  something of an inner trial. Either 
  the Omnissiah is working through 
  him and guiding his hand, or the 
  machinery is able to function 
  quite well without the 
  mystic ritual usually 
  heaped upon even 
  the most routine task. 
  Needless to say, Kam 
  has yet to voice his inner 
  torment to any of his peers, 
  fearing they will expose his 
  doubt or renounce him.
  Using Ridu Kam
  Ridu Kam is very much a 
  member of the faction that believes 
  that the Emperor will one day send 
  his angels to deliver the survivors 
  from their fate. If and when the 
  Space Marines arrive, the valve-tender 
  welcomes them vocally and is eager to 
  entreat them for aide in escaping the hell 
  that is Mortis Thule. The Lay-Technician’s 
  proﬁle is presented on page 142 of the 
  Appendix.
  Climax
  T
  he ﬁnal part of Chapter II sees the Kill-team reach 
  the wreck of The Emperor’s Gaze and discover that it is 
  far from a cold, empty hulk. Instead, the vessel is host 
  to a community of survivors, albeit one riven with doctrinal 
  schism and divided into numerous small, isolated groups. 
  With the moment of the Space Hulk’s return to Warp Space 
  fast approaching, the Space Marines are confronted with the 
  challenge of dealing with these shipwrecked unfortunates. The 
  situation is tense and it is up to the Adeptus Astartes to decide if 
  they would rather see the survivors as allies, or as enemies.
  APPROACHING THE 
  EMPEROR’S GAZE
  By the time the Kill-team approaches the rock-bound wreck of 
  The Emperor’s Gaze the Battle-Brothers should be well aware of 
  the Warp closing in around them. The GM can communicate 
  this by increasing the number and nature of Warp Effects used 
  throughout the last phase of the journey. He can also call for 
  periodic Psyniscience tests of varying difﬁculty levels and use 
  the results to describe such things 
  as unseen jaws closing around 
  the Battle-Brothers, invisible 
  tentacles reaching out for their 
  souls from the depths of the 
  Warp, and shrill voices calling for 
  them from the other side of the 
  abyss. While Space Marines fear 
  nothing, even the sanity of the 
  legendary Adeptus Astartes 
  can be tested by such 
  things, and so those that 
  pass the Psyniscience 
  Tests by one or more 
  Degrees of Success 
  and are aware of the 
  horrible extent of 
  these effects should 
  make a Challenging 
  (+0) Willpower Test, 
  with failure resulting in 
  an Insanity Point being 
  accrued for each Degree 
  of Failure. Players are likely 
  to become aware that the use 
  of the Psyniscience Skill is 
  detrimental to their characters’ 
  sanity with the Warp closing in 
  around them.
  Mortis Thule.
  Mortis Thule.
  Mortis Thule
  Ridu Kam, is the most senior of those inducted into the 
  workings of the machine amongst the ranks of the survivors. 
  It is thanks to the tireless efforts of Kam and his peers that 
  power remains online for most of the time, and that the 
  fungal culture chambers function. Kam’s most 
  important duty is to ensure that the Gellar 
  ﬁeld remains operational, and this he 
  has managed to do even though he 
  has absolutely no knowledge of the 
  workings of power relay systems. 
  Privately, Kam is experiencing 
  something of an inner trial. Either 
  the Omnissiah is working through 
  him and guiding his hand, or the 
  machinery is able to function 
  quite well without the 
  mystic ritual usually 
  heaped upon even 
  the most routine task. 
  Needless to say, Kam 
  has yet to voice his inner 
  torment to any of his peers, 
  fearing they will expose his 
  doubt or renounce him.
  idu Kam
  Ridu Kam is very much a 
  member of the faction that believes 
  that the Emperor will one day send 
  his angels to deliver the survivors 
  from their fate. If and when the 
  Space Marines arrive, the valve-tender 
  welcomes them vocally and is eager to 
  entreat them for aide in escaping the hell 
  . The Lay-Technician’s 
  proﬁle is presented on page 142 of the 
  the Warp closing in around them. The GM can communicate 
  this by increasing the number and nature of Warp Effects used 
  throughout the last phase of the journey. He can also call for 
  periodic Psyniscience tests of varying difﬁculty levels and use 
  the results to describe such things 
  as unseen jaws closing around 
  the Battle-Brothers, invisible 
  tentacles reaching out for their 
  souls from the depths of the 
  Warp, and shrill voices calling for 
  them from the other side of the 
  abyss. While Space Marines fear 
  nothing, even the sanity of the 
  legendary Adeptus Astartes 
  can be tested by such 
  things, and so those that 
  pass the Psyniscience 
  Tests by one or more 
  Degrees of Success 
  and are aware of the 
  horrible extent of 
  these effects should 
  make a Challenging 
  (+0) Willpower Test
  with failure resulting in 
  an Insanity Point being 
  accrued for each Degree 
  of Failure. Players are likely 
  to become aware that the use 
  of the Psyniscience Skill is 
  detrimental to their characters’ 
  sanity with the Warp closing in 
  around them.
  
  II: Survival
  53
  FIRST CONTACT
  As the Kill-team closes upon The Emperor’s Gaze, it passes 
  through tunnels watched closely by the survivors’ lookouts. 
  Existing as they do on a Space Hulk haunted with every 
  manner of horrors, many among the crew of The Emperor’s Gaze 
  have developed a keen sense of survival and so those assigned 
  the duty of detecting approaching danger are extremely skilled 
  at their job. Whether or not the survivors’ lookouts are as good 
  as the Adeptus Astartes is a question that is sure to be answered 
  as the Kill-team presses further into their territory.
  When the time comes for the Space Marines to encounter 
  the survivors of The Emperor’s Gaze, read aloud or paraphrase 
  the following:
  Now you must surely be approaching the source of the Gellar ﬁeld 
  detected what seems an age ago. The tunnels and chambers ring with 
  distant voices chanting hymns to the Emperor. This time, it is not 
  like it was on the approach to the Sword of MacLir, for then you 
  came upon the armoured outer skin of the vessel. Here, the tunnels 
  appear melded together and intertwined, so that the transition from 
  one region to the next is gradual, almost organic. 
  Soon, you are pressing along the companionways of what can 
  only be an Imperial Navy vessel. Despite the fact that the ship 
  must be lodged deep inside Mortis Thule, it appears far less 
  ancient than other parts of the Space Hulk. 
  Then, you come upon a small auto-shrine set into a bulkhead 
  wall, its single candle still burning.
  As the team presses on, it passes into the outer tunnels of The 
  Emperor’s Gaze. The area is watched intently by sentinels, so unless 
  the Space Marines make an effort to hide their approach, the 
  GM should assume they are being watched for some time before 
  contact occurs. If the Battle-Brothers attempt to move stealthily, 
  they must make a series of opposed tests. Each is an Opposed 
  Silent Move Test, taken against the lookouts’ Awareness. These 
  tests are used to determine how many survivors the Space Marines 
  initially encounter—the earlier they detect the fact that they are 
  being watched, the fewer lookouts are nearby if and when the 
  Battle-Brothers decide to confront them. Should they fail multiple 
  Opposed Tests, more survivors are encountered. A running total 
  of passed and failed results should be kept. For each test the 
  Space Marines fail, one additional lookout becomes aware of their 
  presence, plus one for every Degree of Failure scored. When the 
  Space Marines accrue ﬁve successes, they detect the presence of the 
  lookouts and the following text should be read aloud:
  If you were unsure before, now you are certain; you are being 
  followed, and not by some mindless vermin. Keen eyes are upon 
  you and you sense movement in the shadows up ahead…
  How the Space Marines react to the presence up ahead 
  depends very much upon the characters, their backgrounds, and 
  in particular their Demeanours. The lookouts have sent word of 
  the Space Marines’ presence back to their fellows and massed in 
  a wide chamber the tunnel opens out into. The lookouts can see 
  that the Space Marines are human, but beyond this have no idea of 
  their identity, afﬁliations, or intentions. They have probably never 
  seen a Space Marine, so are fearful of the gigantic, heavily armed 
  and armoured intruders. The sentinels have an oath to abide by, 
  however, and once detected, mass to confront the strangers.
  The GM should run the contact according to the characters’ 
  actions, taking his cue from them. If the Space Marines assume 
  (understandably) that the force up ahead is hostile and act 
  accordingly, the lookouts shout a challenge, demanding the 
  strangers identify themselves and approach no further. If they 
  are more considered in their actions, the lookouts respond in 
  kind and a dialogue of sorts can be established.
  Should the GM wish to run the encounter using the Interaction 
  rules (to be found on page 276 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook), 
  the lookouts begin at the Contemptuous/Disloyal/Sceptical/
  Courageous Disposition. With each level their Disposition is 
  reduced, the lookouts grow to trust the Space Marines more, until 
  accepting them once they reach the Indifferent Disposition. Should 
  the Space Marines’ actions lead to a worsening of the situation 
  and the lookouts’ Disposition drops to Disgusted/Mutinous/
  Disbelieving/Foolhardy, the survivors demand the Space Marines 
  leave, and open ﬁre if they refuse to do so. The resulting combat is 
  likely to be one sided in the extreme, but the true effect is to alert 
  the other thousand or so survivors to the Space Marines’ presence 
  and to immediately set them against the strangers. If the contact 
  is played out well and the lookouts are convinced that the Space 
  Marines mean them no harm, proceed accordingly.
  TRANSLATION IMMINENT!
  Regardless of the circumstances of the contact, before the 
  Space Marines can proceed further a deep shudder passes 
  through the fabric of the Space Hulk, accompanied by a brief, 
  distant echo that could only be the wailing of the damned. 
  When this event occurs, the survivors react with horror, 
  knowing exactly what it portends—Mortis Thule is being 
  dragged back into the Warp and anyone not safely within 
  The Emperor’s Gaze’ Gellar ﬁeld is doomed. If the contact 
  went well, the lookouts say as much to the Space Marines 
  before rushing off towards the vessel’s amidships, beckoning 
  the Space Marines to follow. If the contact went badly, the 
  lookouts break off and bolt for safety, though it is an easy 
  enough task for the Kill-team to follow them.
  From this point on, events proceed at a sharp pace and the 
  GM should not give the players much time to think. Needless 
  to say, the Kill-team needs to get to the Gellar ﬁeld and has no 
  idea that it is only partially functional and does not protect the 
  entire vessel. If the players decide to let the lookouts go and head 
  off into any part of the vessel other than the amidships Gellar 
  ﬁeld node, the GM must handle things accordingly. One way 
  of doing this is to use Table 6–1: Psychic Phenomena on 
  page 187 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook, perhaps adding 
  ﬁve to each roll for every ﬁve minutes the characters spend 
  heading in the wrong direction. The GM can provide various 
  clues that the bulk of the ship is not safe, such as encounters 
  with survivors desperate to get past the Space Marines at all 
  costs. If the players continue to miss the point, a Hard (–20) 
  Psyniscience or Logic Test can be used to have them realise 
  that the Gellar ﬁeld must only cover a small part of the ship. 
  If they still fail, or simply refuse to get the hint, the Space 
  Marines have all eternity to curse their folly as their souls are 
  devoured by the slavering denizens of the Warp.
  
  II: Survival
  54
  SANCTUARY
  If the Space Marines follow the crew, they pass through the 
  vessel’s dark, winding passageways, increasingly aware of 
  the presence of ever more survivors all heading in the same 
  direction. The corridors widen as they run deeper in the ship 
  until they converge into a wide, central passage that runs the 
  length of the vessel from its armoured prow to its huge, sealed 
  off drive section. This central passage has the air of a deserted 
  cathedral nave, the ceiling barrel-vaulted and lost to shadow 
  and its walls set with hundreds of decorated nooks. 
  As the Space Marines step out in the passageway, they come 
  upon a stream of survivors rushing along towards a single point 
  roughly halfway along the length of The Emperor’s Gaze. How 
  the survivors react to the Space Marines’ presence depends on 
  how the Kill-team acts and many are split between reaching 
  the sanctuary of the area protected by the Gellar ﬁeld and 
  ﬂeeing from the huge, superhuman warriors in their midst. 
  Most decide to ﬂee. Should the Battle-Brothers attempt to 
  question any survivors, they get little in the way of coherent 
  information until they near the centre of the passageway and 
  encounter the named survivors detailed earlier on. 
  As the Space Marines approach the vessel’s midpoint, read 
  aloud or paraphrase the following:
  Ahead is a scene more suited to an epic hololith, a mass of humanity 
  hundreds strong huddled together beneath a huge emitter node set in 
  the barrel-vaulted ceiling of the dorsal companionway. You have seen 
  such machinery a hundred times and more and you know it instantly 
  as a Gellar ﬁeld projector, one part of the network of emitters that 
  protect a vessel as it traverses the depths of the Empyrean. 
  Strung from the machinery are a thousand prayer seals, and dozens 
  of golden Aquila pendants glitter in the dimness. The forms below 
  kneel prayer, many with their heads turned upwards as if beseeching 
  the Emperor to grant them deliverance through the arcane blessings 
  of the machine. As you approach, however, many of those heads 
  turn towards you with eyes widened in fear.
  The GM should run this part of the encounter according to 
  the Space Marines’ actions, keeping in mind several facts. 
  First, the Warp is gnawing away at the edges of reality and 
  the denizens of The Emperor’s Gaze are at least as fearful of the 
  creatures of the Empyrean as they are the black-armoured, 
  heavily armed strangers that have appeared in their midst. 
  Tensions are high and the survivors’ fear is a palpable thing. 
  Even the slightest gesture by the Space Marines is likely to 
  set off a wave of lamentations, but still the survivors refuse 
  to ﬂee from their sanctuary beneath the Gellar ﬁeld emitter. 
  Only the most overtly aggressive act on the part of the Battle-
  Brothers is likely to cause them to quit their sanctuary and 
  even then the survivors do not ﬂee very far.
  Should the Space Marines approach the mass of people 
  without showing overt signs of aggression, a great many 
  of the survivors fall to their knees and raise their hands in 
  obvious praise. Others remain standing, however, glowering 
  darkly at the strangers. At this point it becomes obvious to the 
  Space Marines that the survivors are far from the united body 
  of humanity they might be expected to be.
  SCHISM
  What follows is a split in the ranks of the survivors of The Emperor’s 
  Gaze, a division that has existed for many years but which is fully 
  precipitated by the appearance of the Space Marines. One half of 
  the survivors hold to the belief that the Emperor will send them 
  his angels to save them from their dire predicament. The other 
  half believes fervently that only by penitence can the survivors 
  escape damnation, and that the Emperor will cause the Space 
  Hulk to wash up upon the shores of paradise when he judges 
  them worthy. With the arrival of the Space Marines, the former 
  faction believes its prayers have been answered and that the Kill-
  team is there to rescue them. The latter half resents the Battle-
  Brothers’ intrusion, seeing in it a test to judge if the survivors are 
  strong enough to resist taking the easy way out.
  As the moment of Mortis Thule’s translation into the Warp 
  nears, the schism between the survivors rears its head once 
  more. A number of prominent individuals step forward to 
  declare their own viewpoint regarding the Space Marines, 
  who may react however they deem appropriate. These 
  characters are described in more detail on pages 50–52, and 
  the Game Master should familiarise himself with them before 
  running this part of the adventure.
  As the Space Marines approach the crowd, the Gellar Emitter 
  overhead starts up a baleful dirge. Five individuals step forward 
  to address the crowd and/or the Space Marines. This can 
  happen in any order the GM desires and he is free to run the 
  encounter as a straight-up roleplay or to use the Interaction 
  rules found in the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook on page 276.
  One or more of the following key events occur during this 
  encounter. Several of the survivors look towards Arno Stak, 
  declaring that his duty as a diplomat is to facilitate contact 
  between different divisions of the Emperor’s servants. Stepping 
  forward with evident trepidation, Stak does as he is bid. In 
  truth, he fears what might happen next and his sanity has been 
  stretched almost beyond the breaking point. Despite his mental 
  state, Stak’s training comes to the fore and so long as he is not 
  threatened, he makes every attempt to remain neutral and to steer 
  the confrontation towards an outcome favourable to all. The 
  Space Marines should realise that Stak is a potential ally, but the 
  GM should have him snap if pushed too far by any party.
  Chief Killick also steps forward, several dozen of his compatriots 
  lending him support. The chief puts on a brave face, showing as 
  little fear of the mighty Space Marines as it is possible for a mortal 
  to display. He asks respectfully that the Adeptus Astartes aid the 
  survivors. It should be clear that if the Space Marines were any 
  other than the superhuman champions of Mankind they are, the 
  chief would be demanding a rescue by force.
  GM GUIDANCE: AWKWARD QUESTIONS
  Having encountered the survivors of the Emperor’s Gaze, 
  it is quite possible that the Battle-Brothers decide to 
  question them on possible ways off of the Space Hulk. 
  For now, it is sufﬁcient to say that the survivors can 
  and will provide such information and press on with 
  the adventure, but if the GM wishes he can refer to the 
  opening of Chapter III for further information.
  
  II: Survival
  55
  Should the conversation turn towards the Space Marines aiding 
  the survivors in escaping, Medicae Dhunn raises his voice to 
  question the wisdom of such a course of action. He claims that 
  only the Emperor can deliver salvation, and only by steering 
  the Space Hulk towards a world where the survivors can rescue 
  themselves. The Space Marines might very well take exception to 
  the suggestion that they have not been sent directly by the Emperor 
  to rescue the survivors, though this is of course quite true.
  Should the Space Marines refuse to aid the survivors, 
  Lay-Technician Kam pushes his way through the mass of 
  kneeling ﬁgures and throws himself to the deck at the Space 
  Marines’ feet. He asserts his belief that the Emperor has tested 
  the survivors enough and that the Space Marines can only 
  have been sent to rescue them.
  Lastly, should it become evident that the Space Marines 
  are considering how a rescue might be executed, Sergeant-at-
  Arms Corinthi grows ﬁrst aggressive, and then overtly hostile. 
  She is completely against the survivors being rescued as she 
  holds to the belief that they must all atone for their sins and 
  seek the Emperor’s forgiveness. If she is pushed, she is likely 
  to respond with violence, initially towards those amongst the 
  survivors that hold the opposite view, and potentially towards 
  the Space Marines if they attempt to intervene.
  The Game Master should allow this encounter to continue 
  until the survivors have divided themselves into two groups, 
  whether this comes about due to the Space Marines’ intervention 
  or despite it. One of the groups is determined that, regardless of 
  what they themselves have to say, the Space Marines are there to 
  rescue the survivors and represent angels sent directly there by 
  the God-Emperor of Mankind. The opposed faction believes the 
  opposite, and resents the Space Marines’ presence. 
  Just before the two factions come to blows, however, the 
  Gellar ﬁeld emitter overhead cycles to full power and its 
  baleful dirge makes any further discussion impossible. The 
  survivors throw themselves to the deck, as ﬁnally Mortis Thule 
  plunges headlong into the Immaterium.
  INTO THE WARP
  At the very moment of the Space Hulk’s descent into the 
  Warp, the Space Marines are forced to take sanctuary within 
  the scant bubble of reality projected by the Gellar ﬁeld 
  emitter. Because the machinery is erratic, damaged and ill-
  maintained, the extent of the zone of safety is extremely 
  unpredictable, meaning that the survivors must huddle as 
  close together as possible if they have any hope of avoiding 
  a fate far worse than mortal death. The area protected by the 
  Gellar ﬁeld emitter is sufﬁcient to protect the survivors and 
  the Space Marines, but only just. When ready to conclude the 
  adventure, read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The machinery overhead now screams so loud the mortals all about 
  you are forced to clamp their hands over their ears lest they be 
  deafened. Your own senses are protected by your armour’s auto-
  senses, but barely. What little illumination existed cuts out, to be 
  replaced by the rapid strobing cast by the arcane machinery above. 
  The survivors huddle beneath the machine even as you feel the very 
  fabric of reality stretching to its breaking point. An eerie howl 
  sounds from nearby yet an eternity away and by the ﬂickering light 
  of the Gellar ﬁeld emitter, odd shapes press in from the shadows.
  If the Battle-Brothers are outside of the small zone 
  protected by the Gellar ﬁeld emitter, they are now faced with 
  the awful horrors of the Warp. If they are within it, they still 
  bear witness to those horrors, and may yet have to ﬁght them, 
  depending on how this ﬁnal part of the adventure pans out.
  At the very instant that Mortis Thule plunges back into the 
  Warp, a wave of predatory Daemons breaks through the thin 
  layer of reality, drawn by the prospect of devouring the souls 
  of such mighty champions as the Battle-Brothers. If the Space 
  Marines are still outside of the Gellar ﬁeld at this moment, 
  they must ﬁght the ﬁrst wave of Daemons before falling back 
  to join the survivors. If they are already within the Gellar 
  ﬁeld, they are protected for the moment.
  The ﬁrst wave of Daemons consists of ten Screamers of 
  Tzeentch, the proﬁles of which are to be found on page 133. 
  Combat with these Warp horrors should be fast and brutal, 
  and it should be obvious that even when the ﬁrst wave is 
  defeated, another is not far behind it. Eventually, the Space 
  Marines must retire to the safety of the Gellar ﬁeld, regardless 
  of how the survivors feel about this. The GM should run 
  this in a manner appropriate to the earlier encounter with the 
  survivors, and it might certainly prove interesting if some or 
  all of the survivors are ill-disposed towards the Space Marines. 
  Some might even try to stop the Space Marines from joining 
  them, forcing the Kill-team to take drastic action indeed.
  Once the Space Marines are within the Gellar ﬁeld, read 
  aloud or paraphrase the following:
  
  II: Survival
  56
  The instant you step over the threshold of the Gellar ﬁeld, you feel 
  reality barely reasserting itself. The shadows beyond the ﬁeld are 
  indistinct and wavering, but you can see the unmistakable forms of 
  hideous Warp predators gathering all about. A great wail goes up from 
  the hundreds of mortals gathered about you and with a soul-wrenching 
  impact, Mortis Thule is sucked into the depths of the Sea of Souls.
  Then, a shower of sparks cascades from the Gellar ﬁeld projector 
  overhead and its wailing machine noise transforms into a grinding roar. 
  Dread washes over you as you realise that the emitter is failing, your 
  protection against the raw energies of the Warp rapidly fading away.
  At this point, the combined assault of so many Warp entities 
  drawn to the brightly burning soul beacons of the Space Marines 
  overloads the Gellar ﬁeld emitter, causing the ﬁeld to ﬂicker in 
  and out of existence as Mortis Thule is buffeted upon the raging 
  tides of the Sea of Souls. This passage is the ﬁnal scene of the 
  adventure and takes the form of a series of Willpower Tests to be 
  taken by the Space Marines as detailed below.
  Each Battle-Brother must make a number of Willpower Tests, 
  the Difﬁculty starting out at Challenging (+0). Each time the 
  test is passed, the Battle-Brother keeps the raging energies of the 
  Warp at bay, for a moment at least. Each time it is failed, a Screamer 
  rips through the failing Gellar ﬁeld to attack him, and potentially 
  his brothers (they ignore the survivors for now). Each time a test 
  is passed or a Screamer is slain, another test must be made, this 
  time at the next highest level of Difﬁculty. This process continues 
  until each Battle-Brother has succeeded at ﬁve Willpower Tests or, 
  indeed, until disaster overcomes the Kill-team. 
  In the unlikely event that the Kill-team brought Navigator 
  Ortellius along with them, each Willpower Test beneﬁts from 
  a +10 bonus as he lends his formidable mental powers to 
  keeping the shades of the Warp at bay.
  Game Masters should note that this encounter is extremely 
  dangerous for the Player Characters, for there really is nowhere 
  to retreat to in face of overwhelming odds. If needed, the 
  GM can reduce the power of some or all of the Daemons by 
  reducing their starting Wounds or having them vanish the 
  instant they take any damage at all. Nevertheless, the Kill-
  team is in great peril and the fact that they might all be slain 
  should not be shied away from—service in the Deathwatch 
  is amongst the most perilous undertaking a Space Marine can 
  undergo and there is no shame in the entire Kill-team laying 
  down their lives in the course of their duty.
  Assuming that one or more of the Battle-Brothers do 
  survive to resolve the very last Willpower Test, read aloud or 
  paraphrase the following:
  The instant the last Daemon is slain, the stuff of reality is ripped 
  apart. Your very souls are sundered as your minds dissolve into 
  the ether. The shadows rush in as the guttering Gellar ﬁeld emitter 
  shuts down entirely. The last thing you see before total darkness 
  envelops the room is a hideous maw drooling, closing about you 
  as your souls are sucked down its gullet.
  At this point, the Game Master should close this book with 
  a look of sadness, giving the players the impression that all is 
  lost. In fact this is not the case, and in fending off the wave 
  of Daemons they have saved not only their own souls, but 
  those of the hundreds of survivors cleaving to the protection 
  of the Gellar ﬁeld emitter node. This only becomes clear as 
  consciousness returns. Having played such a cruel trick on the 
  players, read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  What seems an eternity later, consciousness comes crashing back in 
  upon your senses and in an instant you are fully awake. The survivors 
  lay scattered all about, unconscious yet still breathing. The Gellar ﬁeld 
  emitter is silent and the cold, hard stuff of reality presses in all about. 
  Whatever happened, you are alive and it is clear that Mortis Thule is 
  no longer adrift upon the raging currents of the Sea of Souls.
  Where then, might the Space Hulk have been washed up?
  That question is to be answered in Chapter III of ARK 
  OF LOST SOULS. For now, however, the Kill-team can enjoy a 
  brief respite from the horrors of Mortis Thule. 
  Conclusion
  H
  aving survived the Space Hulk’s brief journey into the 
  Warp, the session can be wrapped up and Experience 
  and Renown Points awarded.
  REWARDS
  The Game Master should issue the players the 
  following rewards depending on how they performed 
  throughout the mission:
  EXPERIENCE POINTS
  Primary Objective completed: 
  •	
  300 XP
  Each Secondary Objective completed: 
  •	
  200 XP
  RENOWN
  Primary Objective completed:
  •	
   1 point.
  All Secondary Objectives completed: 
  •	
  1 point.
  In addition, the GM may reward additional Experience 
  Points to reﬂect other aspects of the characters’ 
  performance, such as attempts to conserve ammunition 
  and locate more, how selﬂessly they protected Watch-
  Captain de Dominova, how much they considered the 
  dictates of Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero, 
  and general problem solving and roleplaying. In the 
  unlikely event that they managed to get Navigator 
  Ortellius to the safety of the Gellar ﬁeld, they should 
  be awarded an additional point of Renown.
  
  BACK IN 
  REALSPACE
  •
  ESCAPE
  •
  PURGE THE 
  PLAGUE PITS
  •
  SHATTERED HEART
  •
  THE LONG 
  WAAAGH!
  •
  FIVE TO 
  MIDNIGHT
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  58
  Chapter III: 
  Darkness at 
  the Core
  C
  hapter III of ARK OF LOST SOULS is a little different 
  from the ﬁrst two parts of the adventure arc. Instead of 
  providing a prescribed story set out from beginning to 
  end, the chapter presents three different mission summaries, 
  any one of which the Game Master can develop further as an 
  exercise in running an exciting Space Hulk mission geared 
  towards the playing style of his own gaming group. Whichever 
  of the three stories the Game Master decides to develop and 
  pursue, he can always return to the two other strands later on, 
  perhaps in a “Return to Mortis Thule” themed game. 
  Regardless of which of the three strands the GM uses, the 
  Chapter provides an opening that starts off with Mortis Thule 
  dropping out of the Immaterium, and a conclusion to the whole 
  mission that provides the Space Marines with a means of escaping 
  the Space Hulk. But the adventure is much more than an exercise 
  in survival—Mortis Thule has broken Warp in the vicinity of an 
  Imperial held world, and so represents a dire threat to the fortunes 
  of the Achilus Crusade in that region. The members of the Kill-
  team are the only warriors of the Imperium aware of the threat, 
  and they are the only ones in any position to avert disaster.
  Beginning 
  Chapter III
  I
  t is recommended that the action kicks off straight away with 
  as little preamble as possible. Chapter II ended with the Space 
  Marines being assaulted by a wave of slavering Daemons 
  before Mortis Thule was pitched out of Warp space. For an instant, 
  the players may even have thought they had made some lethal 
  error and the entire party had been wiped out. Though this was 
  revealed not be the case, the players nonetheless have no idea 
  what has really happened or what will happen next. The Game 
  Master should exploit this “dynamic tension” for all it’s worth, 
  using it to keep the players guessing and forcing them to take 
  control of events when the time to do so is upon them.
  The best way to begin the third and ﬁnal chapter of ARK 
  OF LOST SOULS, then, is to pick the action up right where it 
  left off at the end of Chapter II. The Space Marines have 
  regained consciousness, dusted themselves off and begun to 
  look around at their surroundings. Meanwhile, the castaways 
  of The Emperor’s Gaze are just starting to wake up, and the 
  Space Marines must reach a decision on what to do next.
  BACK IN REALSPACE
  Although the Space Marines have no way of knowing it 
  until the culmination of the adventure, Mortis Thule has been 
  disgorged from the Sea of Souls at the heart of the Iron Collar 
  on the outskirts of the Karlack System. This is a matter for 
  much later, however, as there are far more pressing matters for 
  the Kill-team’s members to attend to.
  IMMEDIATE CONCERNS
  Looking about the area in which they weathered the brief and 
  calamitous voyage through the Warp, the Kill-team is confronted 
  with a scene of devastation. Though the bodies of any Daemons 
  slain in the battle at the end of Chapter II have faded away, those 
  of any of the survivors of Mortis Thule lay all about, blood and 
  body parts carpeting the deck. The entire dorsal companionway 
  reeks of ozone and the air is thick with lambent haze, both the 
  result of the malfunctioning Gellar Field emitter beneath which 
  they all sheltered from the predations of the Warp. 
  The Battle-Brothers have only a few minutes before the 
  survivors fully awaken. Should they wish to leave now they may do 
  so, abandoning the castaways to their fate. Depending on how the 
  survivors and the Space Marines interacted at the end of Chapter 
  II, leaving them alone might well be the best course of action and 
  perhaps even one the majority of the survivors themselves desire.
  If the Space Marines decide to wait for the survivors to 
  awaken, they may do so and any subsequent interactions can 
  be played out according to the guidance already provided. 
  The Game Master can run this part of the adventure however 
  he likes, reacting to the choices the players make. In the 
  event that the players decide to rescue the survivors, a further 
  schism is likely to be set off. Remember that one half of the 
  population believes that the Emperor will deliver the survivors 
  when he deems they have atoned for their sins, and so they 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  59
  believe rescue is not an option. These refuse to discuss any 
  such plan and the ringleaders guide their followers off into 
  the bowels of The Emperor’s Gaze to resume their lonely vigil. 
  Should the players decide that the survivors should be rescued, 
  they must formulate a plan to do so. In all truth, the survivors are 
  safest right where they are, for the innards of The Emperor’s Gaze 
  have protected them well over the years. In venturing beyond the 
  safety of the vessel they have sheltered in for so many years, the 
  survivors are exposing themselves to the sorts of danger that only 
  a Space Marine has much chance of surviving. Even then many 
  Battle-Brothers fall in the xenos-haunted depths of the galaxy’s 
  Space Hulks. It should be clear to the players that having several 
  hundred survivors simply tag along on their heels as they ﬁght 
  their way towards escape is simply not going to work and will 
  almost certainly bring disaster to the entire group. Even if the 
  Space Marines are willing to risk this, the survivors might not be. 
  One suggestion, which can be put forward by a Battle-
  Brother or any of the remaining survivors, is for those who 
  wish to leave to take their chances under cover of the Space 
  Marines’ actions. Regardless of whether or not the Kill-team 
  agrees to this course of action, a small group of castaways 
  undertake it anyway, and these make an appearance at the 
  very end of the adventure. The Game Master should make 
  a note of the characters involved, choosing any he thinks 
  appropriate. This group (or at least those of the group that 
  survive the journey through the Space Hulk) are to be used 
  later on, so any foreshadowing that can be done now will pay 
  off at the climax of the adventure.
  ESCAPE
  It is likely that the Kill-team’s priority at this stage is to 
  escape from Mortis Thule before it is dragged into the raging 
  Immaterium once more, and to do so they have no choice but 
  to move towards the Space Hulk’s outer edge in search of any 
  means they can ﬁnd. Obviously, the Kill-team has no actual 
  intelligence to draw upon regarding any potential escape, 
  but there are points they can learn from their surroundings 
  and by interacting with the castaways. The players might 
  come up with other ways of ﬁnding a route off of Mortis 
  Thule, in which case the Game Master should adapt his plans 
  accordingly and be ready to exploit any good ideas the 
  players put forward. In the event that none of the castaways 
  survived the wave of Daemonic infestation or that they ﬂed 
  the predators of the Warp or the Battle-Brothers themselves, 
  the Kill-team must ﬁnd another means of discovering a way 
  off of Mortis Thule, or simply head towards the nearest point 
  on the exterior and trust to the Emperor and his Primarchs to 
  provide deliverance. 
  Other potential options include allowing the Kill-team to 
  search the interior of The Emperor’s Gaze, in which case the 
  information provided in Chapter II can be drawn upon. The 
  GM should improvise here too, but one especially relevant 
  potential source of information is the vessel’s central cogitation 
  core, as are its augur systems. Utilising these methods should 
  involve several Skills Tests, with the exact type and Difﬁculty 
  Level set by the GM as seems appropriate. 
  If all else fails and the Kill-team is unable to uncover any 
  useful information, the Space Marines must face the perils of 
  Mortis Thule regardless. They are, after all, Space Marines, and 
  no challenge is too great for such as they.
  THE ESCAPE POINT
  Should the Space Marines learn of a potential escape point, 
  the information they ﬁnd is vague, yet usable. However they 
  learn of it, they ﬁnd out that there is an area on the outer edge 
  of the Space Hulk said to be the remains of a huge Imperial 
  Navy service tender. Its launch bay, if intact, might very 
  well still house a usable shuttle or similar means of escape. 
  This information might be learned as a result of talking to a 
  castaway, in which case it is presented as a legend told by the 
  lone survivor of a disastrous reconnaissance effort launched 
  immediately after The Emperor’s Gaze was caught up in the 
  bulk of Mortis Thule. If the information is learned through 
  some other means, such as accessing what remains of The 
  Emperor’s Gaze’s cogitation or augur systems, it represents a 
  corrupted and only partially reliable data stream.
  Beyond the information presented here, nothing more 
  can be learned of the exit point. The players might seek 
  conﬁrmation that the launch bays do in fact still contain any 
  space craft, but such data is too speciﬁc and the sources are 
  unable to conﬁrm it. Should the players attempt to locate a 
  better exit point, the Game Master can make up some other 
  potential locations, such as fragments of other ships, both 
  human and xenos, but it should be clear that the defence 
  station launch bay is by far the most likely option.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  60
  Three Choices
  T
  here are three possible routes the Kill-team may take 
  towards the exit point, whether or not they have been 
  able to learn any speciﬁcs of it. Each of these is tied to 
  one of the clues presented in Awakening the Spirit on page 
  38 and the Battle-Brothers must choose which they will take. 
  It is possible that the Kill-team does not know of all three of 
  the possible routes out, in which case the Game Master might 
  decide to limit the choice accordingly, or to allow the Player 
  Characters one last chance to discover the full extent of the 
  possibilities as discussed above. Should the players decide to 
  let fate run its course, then the Game Master might decide 
  which of the three following objectives will present itself, 
  or he could seed a few hints into the early phases so that 
  the Kill-team learns just a little of what lies ahead, and has a 
  chance to take another route.
  To summarise, the three possible routes to the escape point 
  each take the Kill-team through a region that is host to a 
  particular peril. The ﬁrst is a nascent Enslaver Plague, the 
  second a Psyker who was once a servant of the Holy Ordos, 
  and the third is a previously unknown Ork migration using 
  the Space Hulk to move between target worlds. 
  If the Player Characters have managed to pick up on any of 
  the clues presented in Chapter II, or they have since learned any 
  further information, the GM can ask the players to relate what 
  they know and suspect of the three potential routes. Having 
  presented what they know (or think they know), the players 
  can then decide which route they wish to take and continue 
  from there. The following sections present the three perils, 
  expressed as Objectives since each is, in effect, a mission.
  Each of the three Objectives is presented as a passage of 
  background and setting information, followed by some key 
  events that might be set in motion by the Kill-team. It is left up 
  to the Game Master to fully develop the Objective or Objectives 
  he intends to use, though in general enough detail is provided 
  that experienced GMs could use the information “on the ﬂy.” 
  Objective I: 
  Purge the 
  Plague Pits
  T
  he ﬁrst route towards escape takes the Kill-team 
  through a region of Mortis Thule that is haunted by one 
  of the most blasphemous xenos life forms Mankind 
  has ever encountered. These are the Enslavers, a species that 
  exists largely within Warp space, but which emerges to feed 
  upon sentient creatures in the most horrible ways imaginable. 
  Though rare, the ensuing “Enslaver Plague” is often so 
  destructive that entire worlds must be devastated to purge the 
  abominable taint. Enslavers can only enter the realm of reality 
  by using the mind and body of a powerful but unschooled 
  psyker to form a literal gateway through which they may 
  pass. Such a gateway exists deep inside Mortis Thule, and the 
  time when it reaches such a size that the Enslavers may use it 
  is almost at hand.
  ENSLAVERS
  The origins of these strange creatures, also known as Psyrens, 
  Krell, dominators, or puppeteers in different parts of the galaxy, 
  is a complete mystery to Humanity. They have physical bodies 
  but appear to exist in Warp space for at least part of their life 
  cycle and pose a terrible threat to all living creatures when they 
  breach the material realm. Descriptions of Enslavers are rare 
  and fragmentary, but they all indicate beings with a spherical 
  or conical body trailing a mass of tentacles and capable of 
  ﬂoating several metres above ground level. The tentacles can be 
  used to manipulate objects and to climb. Their body colour can 
  be changed at will but is most commonly reported as leathery 
  brown with pale, pinkish tentacles.
  In human terms it is impossible to say whether Enslavers are 
  intelligent. They appear to act in a rational manner and seem 
  able to make reasoned decisions about their actions. However, 
  if they are able to communicate with other races, they make no 
  attempt to do so, and they use no tools or equipment of any 
  kind. All manual work is done by psychically controlled slaves, 
  and it is this power which gives them their name. Enslaver 
  victims become complete puppets to the xenos’ will, performing 
  even the most self-destructive acts without hesitation.
  Enslavers travel on the currents of the Immaterium and 
  are drawn to the psychic emanations of living creatures. The 
  strongest emanations come from unprotected psykers, and 
  Enslavers can detect these from tens of light years away. Once 
  a psychic host is found, Enslavers form a mental bond with 
  it and bring about a sickening transformation. The host is 
  distorted and twisted over a period of days to form a living 
  Warp portal, a pulsating arch of ruptured ﬂesh that permits 
  the Enslavers egress into the material plane. Once Enslavers 
  have appeared on a world, they seek out and transform more 
  psykers so that more and more Enslavers appear. Once an 
  Enslaver infestation has begun, it is very hard to stop.
  that experienced GMs could use the information “on the ﬂy.” 
  that experienced GMs could use the information “on the ﬂy.” 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  61
  MIND SLAVES
  Often it is the appearance of the Enslavers’ physically 
  dominated Mind Slaves that betrays an imminent 
  Enslaver Plague, though few recognise the fact and 
  by that stage it is often far too late. Mind Slaves are 
  sentient beings controlled by the Enslavers, sometimes 
  from the beyond via a gate but more often from nearby. 
  Mind Slaves are nothing more than meat puppets to the 
  Enslavers, tools with which the xenos can interact with 
  reality. The Enslavers have no concern for the wellbeing 
  of their pawns, and use them to commit all manner of 
  atrocities for their own ends. Should the Enslavers relax 
  their control too much, however, their erstwhile slaves 
  are likely to gain too much self determination and to 
  become fully aware of their condition, memories of the 
  deeds they committed under the xenos’ control often 
  come flooding in upon their blasted minds. Many end 
  their own lives rather than risk coming under the control 
  of the xenos puppet masters once more.
  THE MORTIS THULE PLAGUE PITS
  The existence of a potential Enslaver infestation on Mortis 
  Thule is as yet unknown to the Imperium, and so should the 
  Kill-team be able to prevent it, or at the very least deliver 
  details of it to Watch Fortress Erioch, it will be doing the 
  entire Jericho Reach a great service indeed.
  The infestation ﬁrst came about almost a century ago when 
  a vessel carrying a highly ranked lord of the Adeptus Astra 
  Telepathica became ensnared in a Warp storm over a thousand 
  light years coreward of the Jericho Reach. The loss of the ship 
  and all of its crew was investigated, largely due to the eminence 
  of its primary passenger, a Primaris Psyker by the name of 
  Lukon Har. But such disasters are all too common in the galaxy 
  of the 41st Millennium, and no single man is so vital to the 
  governance of the Imperium that it cannot carry on without 
  him. This it did, and in time the name of the vessel and of Lord 
  Har faded like ink scribed on weathered parchment. 
  Unknown to the Imperium, the vessel had in fact not been 
  destroyed by the Warp storm, but was caught up upon ætheric 
  currents that drew it far, far off of its original course. His mind 
  blasted by the predations of the Warp, the Primaris Psyker 
  attempted to use his formidable powers to repel the creatures that 
  beset his vessel. In doing so, Lord Har set off a beacon that lit up 
  the Warp and drew a torrent of enemies down upon him. Even 
  as countless slavering Daemons fought one another to claim and 
  devour the soul of such a choice prey, another foe intervened. 
  Tasting the soul of the psyker lord, an enormous and particularly 
  vile Enslaver was drawn to the unreal battleﬁeld and with a 
  fearsome lash of power scattered the lesser denizens of the Warp 
  in an instant. Like a swimmer saved from the attentions of a shoal 
  of Noovian lasherﬁsh by the appearance of a single stegashark, 
  Lord Har was still doomed, but in a completely different and far 
  more hideous manner.
  The Primaris Psyker’s mind might have been transformed 
  into a portal that very moment but for the fact that he was one 
  of the most powerful psychic practitioners of his generation. 
  Instead, a titanic battle of wills ensued, Lord Har ﬁghting with 
  every shred of power to hold the Enslaver at bay. The battle 
  took place in the raging depths of the Immaterium, and set off 
  an unprecedented turbulence that caused Warp storms to erupt 
  across the entire Ultima Segmentum, the cause an unanswered 
  mystery that the Warp-seers of the Navis Nobilite have yet to 
  discern a century later. So violent were those storms that the 
  Primaris Psyker’s vessel was cast far adrift indeed, until it was 
  caught up in a vortex and suffered yet another tragedy.
  At the height of the contest of wills between Lord Har 
  and the Enslaver, the vessel smashed into Mortis Thule, its 
  form melded with that of the Space Hulk. So violent was the 
  impact that the Primaris Lord’s will faltered and in an instant 
  the Enslaver was upon him. Har’s soul was pierced, his mind 
  ripped open, and his body distended into a hideous archway 
  of pulsating ﬂesh. Yet despite the ruin done to his mind, 
  his body, and his soul, something of the Primaris Psyker 
  remained and he was able to keep the archway from opening 
  far enough to allow the Enslavers through. 
  THE SIREN CALL
  For a century, the gateway has laid dormant deep within 
  Mortis Thule. In all that time, Lord Har has never once relented 
  in his efforts to keep the portal from opening fully. Though 
  the Enslavers have not been able to pass through the portal 
  themselves, they have been able to use it to project their xenos 
  wills into the material universe and so the plague pits of Mortis 
  Thule have come into being. The siren call of the Enslavers has 
  been heard and answered by countless victims throughout the 
  decades. Those lost upon the tides of the Warp, as well as those 
  foolish enough to have boarded Mortis Thule intentionally have 
  become entranced by the psychic song of the Enslavers and been 
  transformed into Mind Slaves entirely bound to the will of the 
  abominable xenos from the depths of the Warp. The Enslavers 
  have used these poor creatures to prepare the way for their ﬁnal 
  victory and to hunt down and entrap any psykers they might 
  encounter within Mortis Thule. To date, the xenos have been 
  unable to ﬁnd a psyker with a sufﬁciently potent mind to form 
  another gateway, and so they maintain their efforts to defeat the 
  indefatigable Lord Har. With each passing year, the Primaris 
  Psyker’s will is sapped a measure further and soon it must surely 
  collapse entirely. When that occurs, a torrent of Enslavers will 
  burst forth; wherever Mortis Thule appears in the Jericho Reach, 
  there too will the infestation spread. 
  THE TRUE THREAT
  Should the gateway in the depths of Mortis Thule be forced 
  fully open, the Enslavers will become a threat to any system 
  in which Mortis Thule appears. Defending against such a peril 
  might take the combined resources of the entire Achilus 
  Crusade and force Warmaster Tetrarchus to abandon the 
  region to its doom. If that happens, then countless millions of 
  lives would have been expended for nought and Tetrarchus, 
  along with dozens of his senior generals, would be disgraced. 
  Worse still is what might happen should the entire Reach fall 
  prey to the Enslaver plague, for then the Imperium would be 
  forced to fall back to the Calixis Sector and to seal the Warp 
  Gate from that end, an endeavour which, given the mysterious 
  nature of the gate, might not be possible at all.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  62
  THE VILE HEART 
  OF THE PITS
  The region occupied by the 
  Enslaver 
  plague 
  afﬂicting 
  the heart of Mortis Thule, 
  and through which the 
  Kill-team must travel if the 
  players choose to take this 
  route towards escape, is vile 
  indeed. It takes the form of 
  several dozen kilometres 
  of twisting, malformed 
  tunnels. The entire area 
  reeks of corruption and 
  sickness and no intact 
  machine 
  systems 
  are 
  to be found there. The 
  tunnels are haunted by 
  countless Mind Slaves, the 
  poor unfortunates that have 
  been drawn there by the 
  “siren call” of the Enslavers 
  and fallen completely under 
  their vile domination. The Mind 
  Slaves serve as guards, keeping the 
  deeper secrets of the Enslavers safe 
  from prying eyes, but they occasionally 
  serve as hunters too. Should the Mind 
  Slaves or indeed the distant Enslavers detect 
  the presence of intruders, they are despatched 
  to hunt the strangers down and drag them 
  back to the portal. 
  Having been captured and brought 
  before the portal, the captive is likely to 
  meet one of several equally horrible ends. 
  If the captive is devoid of any psychic 
  potential (as most are), he is transformed 
  into another Mind Slave. The will of the 
  Enslavers forces its way through the 
  unwilling gateway that is the body 
  and mind of Lord Har and impresses 
  itself 
  upon 
  the 
  victim’s 
  mind, 
  enslaving him to the xenos’ will. 
  The new slave is doomed to a life of 
  miserable submission, unable to recall what 
  occurs during the days of servitude but all too 
  aware of his fate when the Enslavers’ domination 
  is periodically relaxed. During such spells, most 
  of the Mind Slaves are consumed with madness and 
  hunger and do anything to eat, often including falling 
  upon their still-dominated fellow slaves. Those not 
  fortunate enough to be consumed with insanity suffer 
  a far worse fate, for they are horribly aware of all 
  they have become and will become again once the 
  abominable xenos reassert their will.
  Those brought before the portal and found by 
  the Enslavers to have a small degree of psychic 
  potential are doomed to a very different fate. These 
  poor souls are added to the pulsating mass of flesh 
  that makes up the already-enormous portal. To date, 
  around a dozen psykers have been sacrificed in this 
  manner, each death forcing the gateway open just 
  a tiny amount more. So far, the Primaris Psyker 
  has withstood the barrage of etheric power each 
  sacrifice has precipitated, though even he has no 
  idea how long this might last.
  The third end that might await an intruder 
  has yet to be enacted, for the Mind Slaves 
  have not yet captured a sufficiently powerful 
  psyker for it to be carried out. If and when 
  a powerful psyker is brought before the 
  portal, the Enslaver that waits still on 
  the other side shall force a small 
  portion of its unimaginable power 
  through the gate that is Lord 
  Har and turn the victim into a 
  second gateway. Then, Lord Har’s 
  continued resistance shall become 
  irrelevant, for the Enslavers will 
  be able to use their new portal to 
  burst forth into reality. Then, 
  the Enslaver Plague shall truly 
  begin and nothing may 
  stand before it.
  EART
  RT
  R
  The region occupied by the 
  Enslaver 
  plague 
  afﬂicting 
  Mortis Thule, 
  Mortis Thule, 
  Mortis Thule
  and through which the 
  Kill-team must travel if the 
  players choose to take this 
  route towards escape, is vile 
  indeed. It takes the form of 
  several dozen kilometres 
  of twisting, malformed 
  tunnels. The entire area 
  reeks of corruption and 
  sickness and no intact 
  machine 
  systems 
  are 
  to be found there. The 
  tunnels are haunted by 
  countless Mind Slaves, the 
  poor unfortunates that have 
  been drawn there by the 
  “siren call” of the Enslavers 
  and fallen completely under 
  their vile domination. The Mind 
  Slaves serve as guards, keeping the 
  deeper secrets of the Enslavers safe 
  from prying eyes, but they occasionally 
  serve as hunters too. Should the Mind 
  Slaves or indeed the distant Enslavers detect 
  the presence of intruders, they are despatched 
  to hunt the strangers down and drag them 
  Having been captured and brought 
  before the portal, the captive is likely to 
  meet one of several equally horrible ends. 
  If the captive is devoid of any psychic 
  potential (as most are), he is transformed 
  into another Mind Slave. The will of the 
  Enslavers forces its way through the 
  unwilling gateway that is the body 
  and mind of Lord Har and impresses 
  itself 
  upon 
  the 
  victim’s 
  mind, 
  enslaving him to the xenos’ will. 
  The new slave is doomed to a life of 
  miserable submission, unable to recall what 
  occurs during the days of servitude but all too 
  aware of his fate when the Enslavers’ domination 
  is periodically relaxed. During such spells, most 
  of the Mind Slaves are consumed with madness and 
  hunger and do anything to eat, often including falling 
  upon their still-dominated fellow slaves. Those not 
  fortunate enough to be consumed with insanity suffer 
  a far worse fate, for they are horribly aware of all 
  they have become and will become again once the 
  abominable xenos reassert their will.
  Those brought before the portal and found by 
  the Enslavers to have a small degree of psychic 
  potential are doomed to a very different fate. These 
  poor souls are added to the pulsating mass of flesh 
  that makes up the already-enormous portal. To date, 
  around a dozen psykers have been sacrificed in this 
  manner, each death forcing the gateway open just 
  a tiny amount more. So far, the Primaris Psyker 
  has withstood the barrage of etheric power each 
  sacrifice has precipitated, though even he has no 
  idea how long this might last.
  The third end that might await an intruder 
  has yet to be enacted, for the Mind Slaves 
  have not yet captured a sufficiently powerful 
  psyker for it to be carried out. If and when 
  a powerful psyker is brought before the 
  portal, the Enslaver that waits still on 
  the other side shall force a small 
  portion of its unimaginable power 
  through the gate that is Lord 
  Har and turn the victim into a 
  second gateway. Then, Lord Har’s 
  continued resistance shall become 
  irrelevant, for the Enslavers will 
  be able to use their new portal to 
  burst forth into reality. Then, 
  the Enslaver Plague shall truly 
  begin and nothing may 
  stand before it.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  63
  Into the 
  Plague Pits
  S
  hould the Kill-team take the route towards the 
  escape point that sees them pass through the 
  regions plagued by the foul Enslavers, the GM 
  can use the following guidelines to run the encounter. 
  Each of the following topics are discussed rather than 
  prescribed, so that the GM can expand upon the setting 
  and character details provided to formulate the type of 
  game he and his players most enjoy. The standard stages 
  of mission preparation are used, as are those relating 
  to the Space Hulk Mission Generator as described 
  in Chapter IV. In addition to these, the climax to the 
  encounter is also discussed.
  MISSION PREPARATION
  The extent to which this passage of the adventure can 
  be prepared for, or even considered a “mission” in the 
  conventional sense, depends at least in part on how much 
  foreknowledge the Space Marines have of the areas they 
  are to travel through and the foes they might encounter 
  within them. How much the GM wants to forewarn the 
  players is up to him, and the adventure itself provides 
  only a few broad clues. 
  Should the GM wish to provide the players with a means of 
  learning some details in advance, there are several ways he might 
  do so. Assuming the Game Master has read through the whole 
  book before actually running the adventures, he might decide 
  to drop more hints than are already provided, hints that when 
  added up, strongly suggest an Enslaver Plague is immanent. 
  Here are a few ideas on potential hints:
  If one or more of the Battle-Brothers have encountered 
  the Enslavers before, then he may be in a position to 
  recognise signs of their presence on board Mortis Thule. 
  The GM could require this character to make periodic 
  Awareness Tests, at different Difficulty Levels, using the 
  results to drop various hints. Perhaps he recognises an 
  xenos taint in the air that takes him back to a previous 
  mission. Maybe he picks up on the distant, tortured moan 
  of the Primaris Psyker whose body has been transformed 
  into a pulsating flesh gate into the Warp, and rather than 
  disregard the sound as part of the background din of the 
  Space Hulk, he recognises it for what it is.
  If the Kill-team includes a Librarian or any other 
  character with psychic powers or with the Psyniscience Skill, 
  the GM could require him to make periodic Psyniscience 
  Tests. The results could be used to seed various notions in 
  the character’s mind. Perhaps he dimly perceives the vast, 
  unknowable will of the Enslaver as it strains at the gate. 
  Maybe he hears Lord Har’s thoughts and can communicate 
  with him in some manner and therefore learn something 
  of the dire peril that awaits in the bowels of Mortis Thule.
  At any stage in the adventure, the Game Master could 
  substitute a randomly generated encounter with an enemy 
  creature for one with a band of Mind Slaves. The group might 
  be roaming far from the Plague Pits, and this could be the 
  result of some psychic imperative from their xenos masters 
  or because they have somehow broken free of that control. 
  What if the Mind Slaves have somehow managed to repulse 
  the Enslaver’s will and are ﬂeeing, desperate for aid, and in 
  so doing encounter the Space Marines? They might provide 
  useful information, but they might have been so blasted by the 
  xenos’ will that anything they say cannot be trusted. It is up to 
  the GM how much information the Mind Slaves provide and 
  up to the players how they react to it, but whatever happens, 
  they should have some idea that something truly horriﬁc and 
  totally alien awaits.
  One potentially entertaining possibility is to have the 
  Enslaver’s siren call affect one or more of the Space Marines, 
  and this could happen at any point in the adventure, from 
  Chapter I to the point the Kill-team departs The Emperor’s 
  Gaze. This is a challenging route for the GM that should 
  probably only be attempted if he and his players enjoy such 
  an approach to roleplaying. The Game Master could make a 
  series of Willpower Tests on behalf of the players, and use the 
  results to determine how the Space Marines react to the alien 
  will of the Enslavers inﬁltrating their psyches. If the players are 
  particularly experienced or enjoy this type of roleplaying, the 
  GM could take them aside individually and explain to them 
  how their character might react to “hearing” the alien call. He 
  doesn’t have to explain the exact nature of the of the call or 
  its source, and it is up to the player how he responds to it. 
  Particularly inventive and entertaining roleplaying on the part 
  of the players should be rewarded with additional Experience 
  and Renown Points once the adventure is concluded. Such 
  roleplaying might include the Player Character acting strangely, 
  perhaps being compelled to head in a particular direction 
  against the orders of the Mission Leader. 
  BRIEFING
  Depending on the nature and extent of any information the 
  Space Marines have been able to glean on the Plague Pits and 
  their vile inhabitants, it may or may not be possible to brief the 
  Kill-team in the usual manner. Ordinarily, the Space Marines 
  would be briefed by a senior member of the Deathwatch whose 
  responsibility it is to gather all of the intelligence relating to a 
  mission and to prepare for every eventuality. Clearly, because 
  this mission has not come about in the normal way, the Space 
  Marines themselves must take responsibility for planning. 
  While this is slightly outside of the players’ experience, it is 
  certainly nothing unusual to their characters.
  In all likelihood, the most that the Space Marines know 
  before setting out is that they are about to pass through a 
  region of Mortis Thule that is tainted by the presence of the 
  xenos and steeped in their psychic spoor. If the Game Master 
  has provided any further hints, he can use the mission brieﬁng 
  stage to summarise them, preferably allowing one of the Player 
  Characters to present this information to the rest of the group.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  64
  MISSION LEADER
  As during previous stages of the adventure, the players may 
  decide that now is a good time to select one of their number 
  to serve as mission leader. There is no requirement to choose 
  a new leader if the players are happy to continue as they are, 
  but there are several reasons why it might be a good idea. 
  First, selecting a new leader allows each of the players to 
  engage more fully in the game and to gain the experience of 
  leading the group. Second, and perhaps most importantly for 
  the result of the mission, it affects which Oaths they choose 
  from before the mission gets underway. 
  OATH-TAKING
  Players usually choose to swear a particular Oath, having been 
  briefed on the nature of the upcoming mission and the nature of 
  the challenges they are to face. In this particular mission, they 
  know very little and so the players are more likely to choose 
  one Oath over the others because it suits them as a group. This 
  slightly unusual situation should be seen as good thing, as it 
  promotes cooperation and inventiveness in the face of unseen 
  adversity. Given the nature of the foe, the Oath of the Emperor 
  (which grants a +10 bonus to Willpower Tests) is particularly 
  appropriate, and Game Masters should reward the players a small 
  Renown bonus if they reach this conclusion themselves.
  ARMING
  In previous missions in ARK OF LOST SOULS, the Kill-team 
  has been afforded a chance to gather supplies before setting 
  out on the next part of the encounter. It is recommended, 
  however, that the Game Master does not allow them to do 
  so for the last part. The Kill-team is operating at the limit 
  and is entirely cut off from resupply. The players should 
  be reminded of this fact so that the Space Marines can 
  truly shine. While it is true that the Adeptus Astartes are 
  equipped with some of the ﬁnest arms and armour ever 
  created, this is not what makes them the champions of 
  Mankind that they are. They are also blessed with the 
  very toughest of physiques thanks to the arcane genetic 
  engineering wrought upon their bodies, but it is not this 
  that makes them great either. It is in fact their strength 
  of purpose, their utter devotion to their duty, and their 
  willingness to engage any foe in the execution of their 
  mission that makes the Space Marines the very ﬁnest of 
  Humanity’s warriors. Limiting the team’s resources might 
  make the players uncomfortable, at ﬁrst at least, and the 
  Game Master will certainly have to keep an eye on things so 
  they are not overwhelmed by enemies they would normally 
  gun down with unlimited reserves of bolter ammunition. 
  Having said that, the players should soon realise that as 
  Space Marines they have far more potent weapons than 
  bolt guns, and far deeper reserves of courage, strength, 
  and resourcefulness than they may have realised. Again, 
  players that acknowledge and take advantage of this aspect 
  of the adventure should be rewarded after its conclusion 
  with additional Experience or Renown Points.
  The above advice not withstanding, Game Masters might 
  still decide to allow a limited amount of arming before the 
  mission gets underway. This depends very much on how 
  the adventures have progressed, and to some degree, how 
  experienced the players themselves are. If the GM does decide 
  to permit some rearming before the descent into the Plague 
  Pits, he can allow the Player Characters to scour The Emperor’s 
  Gaze for suitable supplies. Though none of the usual equipment 
  the Space Marines are used to taking to battle is available, 
  more basic types are. Shotguns, stubbers, and autoguns are 
  fairly common, as they were used extensively by the vessel’s 
  armsmen. Slightly more unusual weapons and supplies should 
  be considered on a case by case basis, and perhaps involve 
  interaction with Sergeant-at-Arms Corinthi, who keeps a stock 
  of the more potent types of weapons in her quarters. If Corinthi 
  is not present (for whatever reason), the GM could drop some 
  hints through Interactions with other survivors.
  MISSION OBJECTIVES
  The exact nature of the mission’s objectives are likely to 
  be unknown to the players at the outset, and once again, 
  challenging the conventional way of doing things is all part of 
  the fun. The overarching Objective is obviously to get through 
  the Plague Pits and to make it to the escape point beyond, 
  and depending on other circumstances, various Secondary 
  Objectives are likely to be in place. As the mission progresses, 
  a number of other Objectives will make themselves evident, 
  the most pressing of which is to close the Warp portal the 
  Enslavers have created in the depths of Mortis Thule.
  Unless the players have learned more of the nature of the 
  Enslaver threat and are therefore better prepared than they might 
  otherwise be, the Game Master should present reaching the escape 
  point as the Primary Objective, and reiterate any Secondary 
  Objectives that have carried over from the previous Chapters.
  The Game Master should reward intelligent forward 
  planning on the part of the players, particularly when it 
  comes to them identifying their own Objectives. The most 
  suitable rewards are bonus Experience and Renown Points for 
  the characters involved.
  MISSION COMPLICATIONS
  On the face of things it may seem that the Complications 
  presented in Chapter VII of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook 
  are not suited to this mission, but the Game Master is 
  encouraged to think about how one or more might be used, or 
  perhaps about making up some of his own. A Bad Beginning 
  could certainly be used, as the Space Hulk is such a perilous 
  environment that any intruder, even a mighty Space Marine, 
  could be wounded at any turn. Perhaps a ﬂoor collapses, sending 
  a Battle-Brother plummeting dozens of metres before coming 
  to rest on a narrow ledge above a seemingly bottomless pit. 
  The subsequent rescue effort, as well as the need to administer 
  medical aid, would add a signiﬁcant amount of tension to the 
  mission before it had even properly begun.
  Another suitable Complication is Rivalry. The Battle-
  Brothers have been operating under extreme stress for an 
  extended period, and even mighty champions are likely to be 
  affected in some way by the pressures of the mission. The exact 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  65
  nature of the rivalries that might bubble to the surface depends 
  very much on the backgrounds of the Player Characters, and 
  so Game Masters are encouraged to keep an eye out for suitable 
  opportunities. When such tensions do become known, the GM 
  can inform the players of them and allow them to roleplay any 
  circumstances as they ﬁt. As ever, inventive and entertaining 
  roleplaying should be rewarded with additional Experience 
  Points after the mission is concluded.
  Furthermore, Game Masters are encouraged to invent any 
  further Complications they can imagine. One potential source 
  of inspiration is the characters themselves, including their 
  unique background and history, as well their Demeanours. 
  With tensions rising and the subtle mind-altering sirens call 
  of the Enslavers gnawing at their subconscious, even the 
  formidable Space Marines are likely to be affected. In mere 
  men this might result in psychosis or outright insanity, but 
  the Adeptus Astartes are made of sterner stuff. The Game 
  Master could exploit any potential background hooks to 
  cause complications, especially where these might tie into the 
  idea of the siren call of the Enslavers. The effect might trigger 
  a “ﬂashback” to a battle in which one of the Space Marines 
  lost a Battle-Brother or a respected leader, or came very close 
  to death himself. Perhaps he harbours some secret doubt, a 
  feeling that he could have averted death or defeat and the 
  siren call is somehow manipulating this chink in his soul’s 
  armour. Other effects the GM could play around with include 
  the rules for Fear and Insanity, and the Primarch’s Curse rules 
  could prove especially useful when it comes to determining 
  how such complications might become manifest.
  EXECUTION
  Having run through the mission preparation stage, the Game 
  Master can run the actual events using the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator presented in Chapter IV. As with the missions 
  presented in the ﬁrst two chapters of ARK OF LOST SOULS, 
  some results thrown up by the random tables might need to be 
  modiﬁed given the speciﬁc nature of the setting of the Plague 
  Pits, and where this is the case it is discussed below. That said, by 
  this point in the adventure arc, the Game Master should be fairly 
  conﬁdent in running a Space Hulk mission and may perhaps 
  want to modify the results to ﬁt his own ideas and the type of 
  game the players wish to engage in. This is to be encouraged. 
  THREAT LEVEL AND SCALE
  It is appropriate that the Threat Level and Scale are both set as 
  high as the Game Master feels the players and their characters 
  can handle at this stage, so as to provide an escalation from the 
  missions presented in Chapter I and Chapter II. One point to 
  bear in mind, however, is that completing this mission is not the 
  climax of the entire adventure arc, as the Kill-team still has to face a 
  ﬁnal round of challenges before taking leave of Mortis Thule. 
  ENCOUNTERS
  It is recommended that the Encounters be limited so that the 
  main enemy the Space Marines come up against are the Enslavers’ 
  Mind Slaves. It is ﬁne for them to encounter the various types of 
  vermin that infest a Space Hulk, but they should not be meeting 
  groups of Orks, Chaos Renegades, and the like as any such 
  intruders would logically have fallen prey to the siren call.
  CALAMITIES
  The Game Master should utilise the full range of Calamities, 
  especially given that encounters with enemies other than 
  Mind Slaves are less likely to be played out. 
  HULL TYPES
  The full range of Hull Types as presented in Chapter IV can 
  be used and there is no particular reason for this element of 
  the Space Hulk Mission Generator to be modiﬁed unless 
  the Game Master has a particular reason to do so.
  ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
  The rules given in Chapter IV cover all manner of different types 
  of wrecks that might be encountered deep within a Space Hulk, 
  and all of the results are appropriate for this particular mission. 
  One thing to keep in mind is how the Enslavers, or rather their 
  enslaved puppets, might alter or affect the character of the areas 
  they have claimed as their own. One effect the Space Marines 
  might notice as they travel further into the Plague Pits is the 
  downright unsanitary conditions. The xenos have no perception 
  or care for the state of their servants’ health or for their comfort 
  or well being, and so when a Mind Slave dies, the body is 
  simply left to rot where it fell. This results in the tunnels being 
  littered with corpses, many of them picked apart by the vermin 
  that infest the Space Hulk, while others are relatively fresh. As a 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  66
  consequence, the air stinks of decay and corruption and carries 
  all manner of disease. Those Mind Slaves unfortunate enough 
  to remain alive exude as vile an odour as their dead erstwhile 
  compatriots, for reasons it is perhaps best not to go into.
  In terms of technology, the Mind Slaves are able to utilise 
  only basic tools, and so any machine systems the Space Marines 
  encounter are likely to be ill maintained at best. The Battle-
  Brothers might ﬁnd signs of cargo elevators having been used, 
  for example, as this requires little more skill than the ability to 
  depress a control stud, but it is highly unlikely the Mind Slaves 
  would utilise any types of machinery more complex than this.
  LIFE FORMS
  Several points should be made about the lower forms of life that 
  might be haunting the Plague Pits. First, the most appropriate 
  types of creature to be found here are the lower order of vermin, in 
  particular those that might feed of off the corpses of expired Mind 
  Slaves to be found strewn across the region. Conversely, if the 
  entire area was completely overrun with life forms, then the Mind 
  Slaves themselves would no doubt be devoured by them for they 
  have little capacity to respond to such seemingly minor assaults. It 
  can be assumed, therefore, that the Enslavers’ will keeps the worst 
  infestations out of the Plague Pits. The further the Kill-team travels 
  into the area controlled by the Enslavers, the more eerily quiet it 
  gets. On the outskirts, bones litter the tunnels, picked clean by 
  predators, but deeper in, corpses are encountered in a shrivelled 
  and decayed, yet relatively untouched state, the vermin kept at bay 
  by the lingering, pervasive, and palpable malice of the Enslavers.
  ENVIRONMENT
  The full range of environmental hazards should see use 
  throughout this mission. The nature of the Mind Slave 
  presents the Game Master with the opportunity to play a few 
  tricks on the players. Because the Mind Slaves are controlled 
  in such a way that they have little or no awareness of low 
  level threats, they might be observed walking directly into 
  areas plagued by all manner of environmental dangers, and 
  yet barely react at all to them. For example, a Mind Slave 
  might walk straight into an area exposed to a radiation leak 
  and instead of turning to ﬂee, keep right on moving until 
  his body can go on no further. By following or observing 
  Mind Slaves, the Space Marines might become aware of 
  threats they might otherwise have missed, and the GM can 
  use this to drive the story where appropriate.
  WARP EFFECTS
  Given the fact that the Enslavers have opened (though 
  not yet fully) a portal leading directly into the Warp at 
  the heart of the Plague Pits, any and all Warp Effects are 
  appropriate. In some ways, the more of these effects that 
  are used the better, especially as the Kill-team closes on 
  the heart of the Plague Pits. The Game Master might like 
  to substitute rolls on some of the other tables presented 
  in Chapter IV for rolls for additional Warp Effects, in 
  order to communicate the effects of the raw stuff of the 
  Warp leeching through the rupture in the skin of the 
  universe that is the Warp portal.
  DISCOVERIES
  It is perfectly appropriate to use the full range of 
  Discoveries made possible by the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator in Chapter IV. This is especially the case 
  given that the Battle-Brothers have not been afforded 
  an opportunity to arm themselves before setting out this 
  mission. The circumstances of the mission force the Space 
  Marines to be inventive and to take advantage of any 
  Discoveries they encounter, adding an additional level of 
  depth and challenge to the story.
  The Game Master should consider the nature of the 
  Plague Pits, and the fact that many Discoveries the Space 
  Marines might come upon might have been dropped by 
  their former owners at the moment they fell prey to the 
  siren call of the Enslavers and became utterly subservient 
  Mind Slaves. Keep in mind that the Mind Slaves are 
  created from many different victims, some of which might 
  have been carrying unique or unusual items of weaponry, 
  armour, or equipment. The GM should also bear in mind 
  that the Mind Slaves might be holding on to items of 
  equipment through sheer instinct or ingrained habit that 
  they no longer have the capacity to utilise. Therefore, 
  even the most unusual result generated by the Space 
  Hulk Mission Generator might not be discovered 
  laying about, but be gripped in the filth-encrusted claws 
  of a Mind Slave.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  67
  VISITORS
  The system for generating other Visitors to the Space Hulk might at 
  ﬁrst seem inappropriate for use in the Plague Pits of the Enslavers, 
  but the Game Master could still use them to great effect. With just a 
  little thought, the idea of Visitors can be made to ﬁt the setting and 
  the circumstances. Instead of representing other beings exploring 
  the Space Hulk, the Visitors could actually represent Mind Slaves 
  who have escaped their xenos masters’ mental shackles, or cases 
  where the bonds have been relaxed long enough for the Mind 
  Slaves to feed themselves. The Game Master will have to adapt the 
  descriptions in Chapter IV to allow for this idea. 
  Freed Mind Slaves behave very differently from beings that 
  have come to a Space Hulk deliberately. Most are driven mad 
  by the experience and act as starving, vicious animals during the 
  brief lull in the Enslavers’ control. Some make every effort to take 
  their own lives, including throwing themselves on the guns of 
  the Space Marines. A few have the mental strength to attempt an 
  escape, and these are often the most dangerous. Such beings have 
  looked out through wide eyes as their own bodies have carried 
  out the abominable will of utterly alien masters and they will do 
  anything to avoid a repetition of that particular torture. Rarest of 
  all are those with sufﬁcient presence of mind that they recognise 
  the Space Marines as potential deliverers or allies, and these make 
  especially interesting characters to throw at the Kill-team.
  THE TRUE EXTENT
  When he is ready to interrupt the chain of events produced using 
  the Space Hulk Mission Generator and bring this passage of 
  the adventure towards its conclusion, the Game Master should 
  have the Kill-team witness the Enslavers’ Mind Slaves enacting 
  their xenos masters’ abominable will as they attempt to force open 
  the portal made from the mind, body, and soul of Lord Har.
  The ﬁnal scene takes place in the depths of the Plague Pits, a 
  chamber steeped in corruption and the actinic taint of the part-
  opened Warp gate. Any character with the Psyniscience Skill 
  should be able to detect the presence of the portal, as well as the 
  gargantuan alien intelligence hovering just beyond it, some time 
  before it is actually encountered. The Game Master should have 
  such characters make a Psyniscience Test every ﬁve minutes 
  or so throughout the ﬁnal stage of the mission, starting out at 
  Hellish (–60) difﬁculty and getting easier until it reaches Trivial 
  (+60) until the presence is detected or the Kill-team blunders 
  into the portal chamber at the heart of the Plague Pits.
  If and when the Psyniscience Test is passed, read aloud or 
  paraphrase the following:
  You sense the presence of something utterly alien, a malaign 
  intelligence looming but a thought away on the other side of the 
  impossible gulf between reality and the Immaterium. Experience 
  or the wisdom of your tutors has forewarned you of the alien 
  things that make the Warp their home, and this is undoubtedly 
  something of that order. But in scale, it is far, far more massive, a 
  behemoth slavering to devour entire worlds.
  If the test is not passed, even the mighty Space Marines 
  are unprepared for the sheer horror of what they encounter 
  upon entering the portal chamber; count the Kill-team’s 
  Cohesion as halved in the ensuing confrontation with the 
  Enslavers’ meat puppets.
  At the moment the Kill-team enters the portal chamber, 
  read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The sight that greets you as you pass into the central chamber of 
  the Plague Pits of Mortis Thule is vile beyond the worst blasphemy 
  imaginable. A vast, distended mass of quivering ﬂesh rears high 
  into the air, its every bloody sinew stretched taught. At the apex is 
  the twisted face of a man, eternal sadness in his eyes as he battles 
  ceaselessly to contain the horror being wrought upon his form. 
  Within the ﬂesh-arch is a mass of black energy, dark tendrils questing 
  outwards before the will of the man whose body has been transformed 
  into the portal pushes them back. Through shifting nebulae of un-
  reality you sense, more than see, the gaze of a godlike will, as if the 
  blackness is nothing more than the creature’s pupil as it stares hungrily 
  through the pulsating wound in the fabric of reality.
  About the archway is gathered a vacant mass of dominated puppets, each 
  a mortal being bound to the blasphemous will of its xenos puppeteers.
  The Kill-team must now defeat, or at the very least hold 
  at bay, the Mind Slaves, but this is in fact the least of their 
  worries. The true threat comes from the portal itself, and it 
  should be self-evident to the Battle-Brothers that this must 
  be sealed or destroyed at all costs. The Mind Slaves, whose 
  proﬁle is presented on page 137 of the Appendix, attack in 
  Hordes, the exact number determined by the Game Master 
  with reference to the Kill-team’s status and numbers. Whatever 
  number the Game Master arrives at, this confrontation should 
  represent a substantial challenge, but because victory is 
  achieved only by closing the portal, the number of Hordes 
  used should be set quite high (ten, for example) and more 
  Mind Slaves should pour into the battle zone in the event that 
  the Space Marines have too easy a time of it.
  SEALING THE PORTAL
  Were it not for the utterly indomitable will of the Lord Har, the 
  portal into which his body has been twisted would long ago 
  have formed a living gate between the Warp and the material 
  universe. Har knows, however, that his will is slowly seeping 
  away and that one day soon he will lose the battle to keep the 
  Enslavers at bay. There is therefore just one thing the Primaris 
  Psyker desires—oblivion, of the mind, body, and soul. 
  Should any of the Space Marines approach to within ten 
  metres of the portal, the psyker lord calls out to them in a 
  voice laced with decades of unknowable pain. Read aloud or 
  paraphrase the following:
  “Space Marines!” The strained voice of the man transformed into 
  the portal says as you approach, his eyes ﬁxed intently upon you. 
  “Angels of Death, deliver me, and end my torment.”
  “Kill me,” he begs, “and grant me deliverance.”
  The portal has a Toughness Bonus of 8, 40 Wounds, and 
  no armour for the purposes of attempting to destroy it, but 
  keeping the Enslavers at bay is not something that can be 
  achieved by ﬁrepower alone. Any character approaching 
  the portal risks being Enslaved by the vast, malevolent 
  consciousness just beyond the gate. 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  68
  Enslavement
  The being beyond the portal is able to use the Dominate 
  psychic power. Treat the thing beyond the portal as an Enslaver 
  (see page 138 of the Appendix for the Enslaver proﬁle) of 
  exceptional strength of will. The being beyond the portal has 
  a Willpower of 73, and a Psy Rating of 8. When it uses the 
  Dominate psychic power, the target suffers an additional –20 
  penalty on all Willpower Tests made to resist or break free 
  from the thing’s control. Further, the being beyond the portal 
  only requires a Free Action to sustain this power and command 
  its slaves, no matter how many it has—it may have a total 
  number of slaves equal to twice its Willpower characteristic, 
  counting psykers as a number of slaves equal to their Psy 
  Rating—and it is not required to spend any of its own actions 
  in order to force its slaves to make their normal allowance 
  of actions. Given the malevolence and pure corruption of 
  the thing beyond the portal, any creature who is under its 
  control and is suddenly freed from it (either through their 
  own efforts, because the Enslaver died, or for whatever other 
  reason) is Stunned for 2 rounds as they recover their wits, and 
  gains 1d10+3 Insanity Points from the experience.
  EXIT THE PLAGUE PITS
  This mission concludes with the portal being destroyed or 
  the Space Marines themselves being transformed into Mind 
  Slaves, in which case the ARK OF LOST SOULS story is over, for 
  now at least. The moment the portal is sealed, the Enslavers’ 
  psychic strings are severed, every Mind Slave drops to the 
  ground dead, their minds overcome by the overwhelming 
  power of the thing beyond the portal.
  However the combat is concluded, the Game Master 
  should proceed without delay to the section entitled Five to 
  Midnight on page 83.
  Objective II: 
  Shattered 
  Heart
  T
  he second route that the Kill-team might take towards 
  escaping Mortis Thule takes them through a region 
  ruled by a megalomaniac outcast of the Holy Ordos 
  of the Emperor’s Inquisition. This individual was thought 
  lost several years ago during a mission in the vicinity of the 
  Slinnar Drift stellar cluster and in truth very few amongst 
  his peers mourned his supposed passing. A powerful psyker, 
  the individual was once a senior Acolyte of an Inquisitor of 
  the Ordo Xenos known as Thaddeus Hakk, known to hold 
  somewhat unorthodox factional beliefs. In Hakk’s former 
  disciple, the Battle-Brothers discover a powerful rogue psyker 
  who intends to raise an army of outcasts and mutants and to 
  unleash them against the Imperium. Worse still, the renegade 
  has discovered a vessel of xenos origins deep within Mortis 
  Thule and intends to awaken it and utilise its puissant powers 
  to truly hideous ends. Should this come to pass, the ranks 
  of the Inquisition in the Jericho Reach and potentially in 
  the Calixis Sector might be consumed by one of the most 
  destructive kinds of internal strife—an Inquisition War, where 
  outright hostilities erupt between the different factions and 
  entire worlds are transformed into their battlegrounds.
  THE ANTIQUARTI
  The ranks of the Inquisition are riven by countless factional 
  differences and doctrines, broadly deﬁned as Puritan or Radical. 
  In truth, these differences are the Inquisition’s greatest strength, 
  for they ensure a constant struggle. Whether Radical or Puritan 
  in outlook, the factions within the Inquisition deﬁne how an 
  Inquisitor and his followers believe his mission should be 
  undertaken. One faction, only recently come into being within 
  the Jericho Reach, is known as the Antiquarti, and the beliefs 
  of this as yet small group focus on the idea that the universe is 
  regulated by underlying patterns that govern the ebb and ﬂow of 
  fate. If one can gain the proper perspective, or so the Antiquarti 
  believe, one can perceive patterns spanning hundreds, thousands, 
  or even millions of years and by doing so discern the future. The 
  Antiquarti hold, for example, that the Tyranids have ravaged the 
  galaxy before, and so the secret of their defeat is to be found by 
  unlocking the secrets of the last invasion. The servants of this 
  faction delve into the most forbidden of secrets in their quest, 
  breaking into the tombs of long extinct xenos empires, following 
  the most obscure strands of fate, and attempting to unlock the 
  most impossible of formulas. 
  The founder of the Antiquarti faction is an Inquisitor known 
  as Thaddeus Hakk, a man considered by many of his peers as a 
  dangerous outcast and a Radical deserving only execution. Yet, 
  Hakk bears the Inquisitorial Rosette, so he is able to continue 
  in his self appointed mission, his disciples and agents moving 
  unseen amongst the shadows of the Jericho Reach and beyond 
  in their endless search to uncover the past. Some say that Hakk 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  69
  has learned of the ultimate repository of the most ancient 
  knowledge in the galaxy—the Black Library of the Eldar—
  and that the masters of that forbidden archive have in return 
  learned of him. If true, then it is likely that the Harlequins are 
  hunting Thaddeus Hakk and his disciples even now, and surely 
  nowhere in the entire galaxy can be safe.
  INTERROGATOR THIRL
  Once one of Thaddeus Hakk’s most prominent disciples, 
  Interrogator Thirl delved into places so forbidden he did indeed 
  draw the attentions of the Harlequins. It was during a mission 
  to the depths of the Slinnar Drift that Thirl and his companions 
  drew the notice of the mysterious agents of the Eldar’s 
  vengeance, as they sought to unlock an xenos tomb uncovered 
  beneath the shifting sands of a long dead world. The intrusion 
  must have triggered wards as ancient as the human race, for the 
  Harlequins were upon the Interrogator and his party before 
  their las-cutters had breached the living metal walls of the 
  tomb. Interrogator Thirl was the only survivor of that battle, 
  though the means of his escape remain unrecorded.
  Thirl vanished for several years and was given up as dead by 
  his fellow Antiquarti. In truth, the 
  Interrogator spent that time in 
  increasingly desperate ﬂight, the 
  vengeful Harlequins always 
  one step behind him or 
  waiting just around the 
  next turn. Becoming 
  ever more frantic, Thirl 
  sought refuge in the 
  most unlikely of places, yet always the Eldar found him out and 
  he was forced to ﬂee their wrath. On Amenophis IV, Interrogator 
  Thirl sought to bargain with the machine-entity known to its 
  human worshippers as the Array, hoping he could plunder its 
  stygian data vaults for records pre-dating the Age of Imperium. 
  Before he could do so he was discovered and only barely escaped 
  with his life. On Vallia, Interrogator Thirl sought to dominate 
  the malign intelligence that links every living cell on that death 
  world, yet almost succumbed to the planet’s indomitable will, as 
  did several of his pursuers. Recovering from his mental injuries 
  deep in the wastelands of the planet Cocijo, Interrogator Thirl 
  uncovered legends of a visitation by Mortis Thule, and a prediction 
  that another such appearance was imminent. 
  Though it ran counter to all his instincts, Interrogator 
  Thirl waited for the predicted appearance, spending far 
  longer in one location than ever he had before. Sure 
  enough, the prediction proved true and Mortis Thule 
  appeared in orbit over the blasted world, bringing with it a 
  wave of despair and madness amongst the colonists of the 
  world’s frontier settlements. Breaking 
  cover, Thirl made for the Space Hulk 
  in his gun cutter before it could 
  vanish once more, yet in so doing 
  revealed himself to those who had 
  been watching patiently for him. 
  The Harlequins attacked once 
  again, the battle continuing even 
  as the Interrogator plunged into the 
  haunted depths of Mortis Thule.
  At that point deliverance came, 
  and from a most unexpected source. 
  Seeking any place he might hide from 
  his pursuers, the Interrogator came 
  upon a population of mutants living 
  in the depths of the Space Hulk, 
  and bringing every shred of his 
  will to bear, he turned them to 
  his service. The tables turned, 
  the Harlequins were defeated, 
  though a hundred mutants 
  were slain for every Eldar 
  life they claimed. 
  In 
  the 
  aftermath 
  of this bloody battle, 
  Interrogator Thirl found 
  himself the master of a 
  powerful, if unruly, army of 
  mutants seething with hatred 
  for the world outside of the 
  dark, haunted tunnels of 
  Mortis Thule. Yet, there was 
  a further discovery to be 
  made, and one that would 
  change Thirl’s ambitions for 
  all time.
  THE HEART OF 
  GLASS
  tomb. Interrogator Thirl was the only survivor of that battle, 
  though the means of his escape remain unrecorded.
  Thirl vanished for several years and was given up as dead by 
  his fellow Antiquarti. In truth, the 
  Interrogator spent that time in 
  increasingly desperate ﬂight, the 
  vengeful Harlequins always 
  one step behind him or 
  waiting just around the 
  next turn. Becoming 
  ever more frantic, Thirl 
  sought refuge in the 
  world’s frontier settlements. Breaking 
  cover, Thirl made for the Space Hulk 
  in his gun cutter before it could 
  vanish once more, yet in so doing 
  revealed himself to those who had 
  been watching patiently for him. 
  The Harlequins attacked once 
  again, the battle continuing even 
  as the Interrogator plunged into the 
  haunted depths of 
  At that point deliverance came, 
  and from a most unexpected source. 
  Seeking any place he might hide from 
  his pursuers, the Interrogator came 
  upon a population of mutants living 
  in the depths of the Space Hulk, 
  and bringing every shred of his 
  will to bear, he turned them to 
  his service. The tables turned, 
  the Harlequins were defeated, 
  though a hundred mutants 
  were slain for every Eldar 
  life they claimed. 
  of this bloody battle, 
  Interrogator Thirl found 
  himself the master of a 
  powerful, if unruly, army of 
  mutants seething with hatred 
  for the world outside of the 
  dark, haunted tunnels of 
  Mortis Thule
  a further discovery to be 
  made, and one that would 
  change Thirl’s ambitions for 
  all time.
  THE
  GLASS
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  70
  His pursuers ﬁnally defeated, Interrogator Thirl set about 
  consolidating his control over his new subjects and exploring 
  the dark realm in which they lived. He soon discovered that the 
  mutants represented not a stable community but a refuge of dregs 
  washed up over the decades and altered by some force peculiar to 
  Mortis Thule. He found out that this force was exerting a powerful 
  inﬂuence on the minds and bodies of the mutant populations, 
  and that it was emanating from the very fabric of the haven in 
  which they lurked. That haven was, Thirl discovered, a vessel of 
  ancient and wholly xenos origin trapped within the bulk of the 
  Space Hulk. The vessel was utterly unlike anything Thirl had ever 
  witnessed before, its innards a maze of tunnels seemingly grown 
  from black crystal that glowed dimly with some malevolent 
  lambent force. The mutants called their refuge the Heart of Glass, 
  and Thirl soon became convinced that the vessel was the source of 
  the changes that had turned normal, mortal men into hideous, yet 
  incredibly strong and long-lived mutant abominations.
  Further to his astounding discovery, Interrogator Thirl found 
  something of far deeper signiﬁcance. The Heart of Glass was 
  working on him too, yet because he was a psyker, and a powerful 
  one at that, it was exerting an inﬂuence not on his body but on his 
  soul. Thirl’s powers were being fed such that, within a scant few 
  months he was able to commune with the dark spirit that lurked 
  deep within the core of the Heart of Glass. What he found there 
  broke his mind, tore his soul asunder, and proved how utterly right 
  the Eldar were to seek his doom.
  The Heart of Glass, Thirl discovered, was a warship of a xenos 
  race thought long-eradicated from the galaxy and all but unknown 
  in the regions Mortis Thule haunted. This species was the Yu’vath, a 
  long-dead race of powerful beings whose empire stretched through 
  the Calyx Expanse to the edge of the Halo Stars. Long before the 
  birth of Humanity, the vile xenos had sought to master the powers 
  of the Immaterium, and had damned themselves and countless other 
  species in the process. To Thirl’s excitement, the presence of Yu’vath 
  technology in the Jericho Reach, so far from their known regions 
  in the Calixis Sector and Koronus Expanse, added weight to the 
  teachings of Inquisitor Hakk. With each revelation he uncovered, 
  Thirl became ever more determined that the warship must be freed 
  from its resting place and returned to the region of its birth. In so 
  doing, he would uncover the knowledge of the warship’s creators 
  and realise the dreams of the Antiquarti. He would have no need 
  to access the Black Library, for he would be able to commune with 
  the dreaming dead, beings that had once mastered the power of the 
  Warp and spawned countless millions of slave creatures to do their 
  bidding. Were Thirl’s erstwhile peers within the Holy Ordos to learn 
  of his plan, vast swathes of the Jericho Reach and potentially the 
  Calixis Sector might be consumed in the ensuing conﬂict.
  Now, Interrogator Thirl waits in the core of the Heart of Glass, 
  ever watchful for an opportunity to set his army of twisted slave 
  troops upon the galaxy and to free the ancient xenos warship 
  from its tomb deep within the fabric of Mortis Thule. All it might 
  take for this megalomaniacal vision to be realised is for the Space 
  Hulk to appear from the Warp within a star system harbouring 
  the necessary resources to free the Heart of Glass, for then the 
  Interrogator plans to unleash his army upon that system and gain 
  control of those resources. Only the ﬁckle whims of the tides of 
  the Warp, and perhaps the eternal vigilance of the Emperor upon 
  his Golden Throne, has held such an event at bay thus far.
  Into the Heart 
  of Glass
  T
  he following section presents an overview of the events 
  that might play out should the Kill-team decide to take 
  the route towards the escape point that takes it through 
  the domains of the rogue Interrogator. These details begin in a 
  familiar format—that presented in the Missions section of the 
  Playing the Game chapter of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. 
  The remainder of the entries relate to the format of the Space 
  Hulk Mission Generator presented in Chapter IV.
  MISSION PREPARATION
  As with the other optional objectives presented in this chapter, 
  Into the Heart of Glass is not a conventional Deathwatch mission. 
  It represents the Kill-team reacting to, and at length taking control 
  of, the events that unfold around them, and so it is up to the Game 
  Master how much information the Space Marines start out with. 
  At the minimum, the Battle-Brothers may have determined that 
  some force related to the Inquisition is present deep inside Mortis 
  Thule, but beyond this no further clues have been provided. The 
  Game Master can therefore pitch the characters straight into the 
  action, having them go in “blind,” but if he likes he can provide a 
  few more hints to foreshadow the coming events.
  Assuming that the GM has read ARK OF LOST SOULS 
  before beginning the adventure arc, should he decide to run 
  this particular optional mission he might consider some of 
  the following points:
  Have any of the Battle-Brothers encountered or heard of 
  Interrogator Thirl, or his master Inquisitor Thaddeus Hakk? In 
  the case of the Interrogator a successful Very Hard (–30) Lore: 
  Forbidden (The Inquisition) Test would reveal the fact that 
  Thirl is a disciple of Hakk who shares his factional leanings and 
  who disappeared in the Outer Reach some time ago. In the case of 
  Hakk himself, it is possible that the players have some knowledge 
  of this NPC as he has appeared in the DEATHWATCH supplement 
  MARK OF THE XENOS. A successful Hard (–20) Lore: Forbidden 
  (The Inquisition) Test reveals the essentials of the information 
  already presented, and Game Masters are of course welcome to 
  consult MARK OF THE XENOS if they wish to expand further.
  If the Kill-team includes a senior Battle-Brother, perhaps 
  a Deathwatch Chaplain, Watch-Captain, or similar (see the 
  supplement RITES OF BATTLE), this character may have served 
  alongside Thaddeus Hakk, or been present in the Chamber of 
  Vigilance when he addressed the masters of the Jericho Reach 
  Deathwatch. As such, he may have some knowledge of the 
  Inquisitor’s beliefs and of the disappearance of his follower.
  If the Game Master decides that this optional mission is 
  worth expanding still further, he could foreshadow it in the form 
  of a personal objective presented before the Argent Crusader is 
  lost in the Warp at the very beginning of the adventure arc. This 
  personal objective could take the form of a warning to be alert for 
  any signs of the missing Interrogator, perhaps even issued by his 
  shadowy master for his own, mysterious ends. If the GM wishes, 
  he might even expand these orders so that they are issued to 
  one Battle-Brother and not the entire Kill-team, and extend their 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  71
  scope so they become an order to assassinate the Interrogator 
  should the opportunity arise. If the player can keep his orders 
  secret and especially if he can carry them out without the rest 
  of the team realising, he should be awarded with an additional 
  Experience Point bonus of between 250 and 300, depending on 
  how he approached and executed his secret order.
  If the Kill-team includes a Techmarine and this character uses 
  his unique skills and equipment to interact with any machine 
  systems within Mortis Thule, the Game Master could use this as an 
  opportunity to foreshadow the events of this optional mission. Any 
  Tech-Use Test that is passed by a substantial Degree of Success 
  (three or more) might result in the character gaining access to stray 
  data fragments bearing the seal of the Inquisition. Such clues need 
  not spell out the entire story, but the Game Master could require 
  further tests to unlock more data and to fathom something of 
  their meaning, drawing on the information already presented and 
  communicating as much or as little of it as he deems appropriate.
  BRIEFING
  Though presented in the familiar Mission format, circumstances 
  make it impossible for the Kill-team to receive a brieﬁng. 
  However, the Game Master should still take the opportunity 
  to summarise what information the Space Marines know 
  for the beneﬁt of the players. If possible, as much of this 
  information should be delivered by one of the players, with 
  him relating what his character knows of the situation with 
  reference to the Skill Tests mentioned above. 
  MISSION LEADER
  As ever, it is up to the players which character is elected the 
  Kill-team’s Mission Leader, and often the decision is made 
  based on which Oaths the group feels it might need. In this 
  particular case, the Kill-team has very limited knowledge of 
  what lies ahead, and so the choice of which Battle-Brother 
  serves as leader is likely to be made based on different 
  concerns. In many ways, it is appropriate that the character 
  with the most knowledge on the Inquisition, and in particular 
  Thaddeus Hakk and the Antiquarti, takes the role.
  OATH-TAKING
  Given that the characters have very little knowledge of what awaits 
  them in the depths of the Heart of Glass, they are unlikely to select 
  an Oath using their normal criteria. Instead, they are likely to 
  swear an Oath they know to work well within their usual modus 
  operandi, and that is perfectly appropriate. It is only if the Game 
  Master has chosen to provide more hints than the group would 
  otherwise have that the players are likely to be able to tailor their 
  choice of Oath to the situation they are to face in the Heart of 
  Glass. Given the fact that the rogue Interrogator has gathered 
  about himself a large army of mutant abominations, any Oath that 
  enhances the Kill-team’s combat prowess is valuable, the Oath of 
  Loyalty and the Oath of the Weapon being particularly useful.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  72
  ARMING
  It has already been mentioned that the Space Marines are denied 
  the usual opportunity to arm themselves with weapons speciﬁcally 
  tailored to the enemy they are to face in the upcoming mission. 
  This is especially true in their current situation as The Emperor’s 
  Gaze held no stocks of the types of weapons Space Marines are 
  accustomed to. As discussed in the previous optional mission, the 
  Battle-Brothers might be able to locate more exotic weapons if 
  they discover the cache belonging to Sergeant-at-Arms Corinthi. 
  The Game Master is encouraged to give some consideration 
  to the nature of the foes the Kill-team is to face, and to make 
  a judgement about how appropriately the Space Marines are 
  equipped to face them. The threats presented by Interrogator Thirl 
  are twofold. Firstly, the rogue Interrogator himself is a psyker of 
  prodigious power, but there is little the Space Marines can be 
  expected to do to combat this aside from display the purity of will 
  the Adeptus Astartes are renowned for. Secondly, the Interrogator 
  is master of a huge army of mutants, so weaponry that can engage 
  and defeat large numbers of relatively vulnerable enemies is ideal. 
  This includes ﬂamers, shotguns, and grenades, and the Game 
  Master should have no hesitations in making such items available 
  should the players declare they are speciﬁcally seeking them out.
  MISSION OBJECTIVES
  The extent to which the Kill-team’s Objectives are deﬁned at 
  the outset depends very much on any information the Game 
  Master has allowed them access to. At the very least, the 
  majority of the Objectives identiﬁed in the Chapter I and 
  Chapter II missions should still be in effect. Depending on 
  how much information the Battle-Brothers are in possession 
  of, the Game Master might allow the Player Characters to 
  formulate their own Objectives based on what they know (or 
  what they think they know).
  The most obvious Primary Objective for this mission is to 
  eliminate the rogue Interrogator, but the players should be 
  reminded that they have no explicit orders to do so (unless 
  such orders have been issued in secret) and that the supposed 
  target is a follower of a noted Inquisitor. This introduces 
  an element that the players may not be familiar with, and 
  certainly one that has not become apparent in ARK OF LOST 
  SOULS until this point. The Deathwatch was created by and 
  operates largely at the behest of the Ordo Xenos, and the 
  Interrogator is a servant of that ordo, just like the Battle-
  Brothers. There is no right or wrong way to approach this 
  issue, but the Game Master should use it as a spring board to 
  further roleplaying opportunities. 
  MISSION COMPLICATIONS
  As with most of the missions in ARK OF LOST SOULS, most of the 
  Complications presented in Chapter VII of the DEATHWATCH 
  Core Rulebook are less appropriate for use deep in the bowels 
  of a Space Hulk. That said, and as already discussed, one or 
  two of the Complications can be made to work if the Game 
  Master is prepared to give a little forethought to the issue. A 
  Bad Beginning and Rivalry should work perfectly well, 
  and so too could Logistical Failure by having some or all 
  of the arms or ammunition the Kill-team has gathered on 
  The Emperor’s Gaze prove to be unreliable. This failing might 
  only be discovered the ﬁrst time the item is used, and a likely 
  downside is that the affected equipment counts as Poor 
  Weapon Craftsmanship, at least until it can be examined by a 
  suitably skilled character such as a Techmarine.
  EXECUTION
  Once the Mission Preparation stage is completed, the Game 
  Master can run the actual mission using the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator presented in Chapter IV. As with 
  previous missions, the results of rolls on the various charts 
  should be modiﬁed to suit the setting and the speciﬁc details 
  of the enemy to be faced. The following details relate to 
  the format given in Chapter IV, and by this stage in the 
  adventure arc it is assumed that the Game Master is conﬁdent 
  and familiar enough to adapt the results as he sees ﬁt.
  THREAT LEVEL AND SCALE
  Assuming the players are comfortable with the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator system and the Kill-team is in reasonable 
  condition, the Game Master should set the Threat Level and 
  Scale as high as the group can handle. Whatever the level 
  chosen, it should certainly be set higher than the Chapter 
  I and Chapter II missions in order to maintain a sense of 
  escalating threat from one mission to the next.
  ENCOUNTERS
  As discussed in previous missions, rolls on the Encounters tables 
  should be limited so that the Kill-team is not coming up against 
  all manner of different types of foe. Ideally, Encounters should 
  be limited to mutants and the like, and the area controlled by the 
  rogue Interrogator should not be haunted with other types of 
  sentient foes. Modifying the results in this way keeps the mission 
  focused in feel and tone and keeps it distinct from the others.
  CALAMITIES
  Calamities are, if anything, more appropriate to much of the 
  mission than encounters with xenos, renegades, and the like. 
  This is especially true given that the Battle-Brothers should be 
  aware that they are engaged in a race against time before Mortis 
  Thule plunges once more into the Immaterium. Should he wish 
  to expand this idea, the Game Master might like to consider 
  rolling on the Calamities table instead of the Encounters tables.
  HULL TYPES
  Depending on the Scale chosen for this mission, the Kill-
  team is likely to pass through a number of hulls. The main 
  point to consider here is that the ﬁnal hull they pass into 
  represents the outer extent of the Heart of Glass, the xenos 
  war ship that Interrogator Thirl hopes to take control of and 
  disengage from the bulk of Mortis Thule.
  When the Kill-team enters this region, the Game Master should 
  describe the utterly alien nature of the fabric of the xenos vessel. 
  The dimensions of the tunnels alter, obeying no geometric pattern 
  known to the vessels of Humanity. Instead of four walls, the tunnels 
  have numerous intersecting planes and it is rare for the Kill-team to 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  73
  be treading on a ﬂat, even surface. The walls themselves appear to 
  be made from black glass, deep within which can be seen tiny motes 
  of light that cast an uneven, ﬂickering illumination throughout the 
  entire structure. The overall impression is one of utter wrongness, as if 
  the structures were constructed, or perhaps grown, to accommodate 
  beings other than those of ﬂesh and blood. 
  In the event that the players attempt to guess the origins of 
  the vessel, the Game Master can provide as much or as little 
  information as he decides is appropriate. The exact nature of 
  the warship is deliberately left open, but Game Masters familiar 
  with the ROGUE TRADER roleplaying game are likely to note 
  the similarities between it and the void ships of the long extinct 
  Yu’Vath. If the players are familiar with the setting of the Koronus 
  Expanse, they too may make this connection, and again, it is up 
  to the Game Master how far he uses this connection. Numerous 
  other issues could form the basis of future adventures and Game 
  Masters wishing to explore the subject further can ﬁnd plenty of 
  information on the Yu’Vath in the KORONUS BESTIARY supplement 
  for the ROGUE TRADER roleplaying game.
  The further the Kill-team passes into the Heart of Glass, 
  the stranger the environment becomes. If he wishes to really 
  stretch the characters, the Game Master can require them to 
  make periodic Willpower Tests of varying Difﬁculty Levels. 
  Failure could result in an Insanity Point being gained, or 
  could lead to some other effect, such as a roll on Table 6–1: 
  Psychic Phenomena on page 187 of the DEATHWATCH 
  Core Rulebook. The Yu’Vath were truly damned by their 
  manipulations of the Immaterium, and so any result on the 
  table is possible.
  ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
  The advise regarding hull types applies here too, and the Game 
  Master should be clear that there is no way for the Battle-
  Brothers to interact with the systems of the alien warship. The 
  structure of the vessel is simply too xenos for a sane human mind 
  to grasp, as is well known to all members of the Deathwatch. It 
  is Interrogator Thirl’s attempts to utilise the systems that have, 
  in part at least, resulted in his fall, a fate that the Space Marines 
  would not even countenance happening to themselves.
  In general scale, the interior of the Heart of Glass varies 
  enormously. One moment the Kill-team might be passing 
  along dark, cramped tunnels barely able to accommodate 
  the Battle-Brothers’ massive frames and the next they might 
  emerge into a chamber so massive and so brightly illuminated 
  that they are rendered utterly insigniﬁcant in scale.
  The same is true when it comes to cover and other tactical 
  considerations. Some areas feature clusters of jagged black crystal 
  while others are entirely open and devoid of any cover. The Game 
  Master can randomise where appropriate or simply make a ruling 
  whenever the amount of cover is relevant to the encounter.
  LIFE FORMS
  The areas the Kill-team passes through before entering the 
  Heart of Glass should be subject to the normal range of Life 
  Forms generated by the system presented in Chapter IV. Once 
  they are within the xenos warship, however, the likelihood 
  of the Space Marines encountering vermin and other such 
  creatures should be reduced and eventually nulliﬁed entirely. 
  Whether or not the players notice the change, they could be 
  called upon to make Challenging (+0) Awareness Tests for 
  their characters to note the fact that those vermin previously 
  encountered are now entirely absent.
  ENVIRONMENT
  The full range of environmental effects should be used on the 
  approach to the Heart of Glass, but as the Kill-team enters the 
  twisted innards of the xenos warship these should be scaled 
  back and eventually left out entirely. 
  WARP EFFECTS
  As the environmental effects are scaled back as the Space 
  Marines enter the Heart of Glass, so the number and severity 
  of Warp Effects could be increased. This represents the fact 
  that the xenos vessel is steeped in the taint of the Warp, its 
  effect visible on the bodies and souls of the enemies the team 
  is soon to encounter. After a while, the Player Characters 
  should feel that they are intruding in a realm created by minds 
  utterly at odds with their own, whether or not they have any 
  knowledge of the vessel’s extinct creators or have been able 
  to guess anything of its origins.
  DISCOVERIES
  The Game Master should exercise his judgement when it 
  comes to using Table 4–12: Discoveries on page 114. 
  Most of the results are appropriate on the approach to the 
  Heart of Glass, but once the Kill-team has passed into the 
  xenos vessel the nature of any Discoveries found should be 
  carefully controlled. Because the vessel is so utterly alien, 
  anything that the Battle-Brothers might ﬁnd and be able to 
  use is likely to have been left by the mutants that haunt its 
  chambers, or possibly by other visitors that subsequently 
  fell prey to the ship’s curse. Random objects strewn about 
  the tunnels might tell of ﬁerce ﬁre ﬁghts between intruders 
  and the mutants, and in this way minor Discoveries can be 
  made available without ruining the atmosphere. In fact, if 
  the Space Marines ﬁnd evidence of such confrontations, 
  but not clues as to the combatants, it is likely the players’ 
  imaginations will run away with them, especially given 
  the extremely alien nature of the area they are travelling 
  through. The Game Master should use this to his advantage 
  as it builds the tensions and increases the impact of the ﬁnal 
  scenes of the mission.
  VISITORS
  As discussed in previous missions, the use of Visitors is more 
  appropriate to a Space Hulk Mission that is more or less open 
  and guided by the vagaries of fate. Because the missions in 
  ARK OF LOST SOULS are more tightly themed, having other 
  visitors present on the Space Hulk runs the risk of watering 
  down the narrative and distracting from the story. That said, 
  Game Masters should still review the relevant portions of 
  Chapter IV, as they may ﬁnd something appropriate to the 
  campaign and the gaming group.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  74
  A DESPERATE REFUGEE
  Though it may take them some time to realise 
  it, the Space Marines are being followed 
  as they close on the Heart of Glass. The 
  individual following them is another 
  disciple of Inquisitor Hakk, despatched 
  some time ago to track down 
  Interrogator Thirl and either bring 
  him back to his master or to slay 
  him if he refused. The tracker’s 
  mission failed, Thirl’s prodigious 
  psychic powers granting him full 
  knowledge of the mission and allowing 
  him to ambush his assassins before they even 
  knew of their own doom. The lone survivor, a 
  Death Cult Assassin and a veteran of dozens of 
  Inquisitorial missions, refuses to acknowledge that 
  her task cannot be completed, and in detecting the 
  Kill-team’s presence has decided to launch one last 
  effort to carry our her orders.
  The assassin, a feral world-born Death Cultist 
  named Xurris Clorr, intends to follow in the wake 
  of the Kill-team’s advance and to use them as a 
  distraction to launch her attack on Interrogator 
  Thirl. On her own she would have little chance 
  of fighting her way through the hordes of 
  mutants and degenerate outcasts and of 
  evading Thirl’s powers, but should the 
  Space Marines carve a trail of destruction 
  through the Heart if Glass, she might 
  just be able to launch a single, decisive 
  assault, striking from the shadows 
  and delivering the killing blow to 
  her hated erstwhile fellow disciple 
  of the Antiquarti.
  CAT AND MOUSE
  Exactly when and where Clorr begins 
  trailing the Kill-team is up to the Game 
  Master. It is the assassin’s intention to remain 
  hidden from the Space Marines, and so she keeps 
  her distance and takes advantage of any distractions 
  she can, including the various encounters and hazards 
  generated by the Space Hulk Mission Generator. As 
  good a tracker as she is, however, the Space Marines are 
  experienced warriors and not easy to follow without being 
  detected. The Game Master should handle Clorr’s attempted 
  insertion by making a Challenging (+0) Opposed Silent 
  Move Test for her (in secret), testing against the Space 
  Marines’ Awareness. There are several ways to do this, one 
  being to have one randomly determined Battle-Brother 
  make the test, or to have the one at the end of 
  the “line of march’ do so. 
  Alternatively, the Space Marine 
  with the highest Perception 
  could make the test, but it is best 
  if only one Battle-Brother does 
  so. Each time a Space Marine 
  wins one of these Opposed 
  Tests, some small sound has 
  been detected, though the 
  Game Master can always 
  rule that the sound was that 
  of some other threat or just of 
  vermin. Each time the Space 
  Marines win a roll-off, the 
  assassin suffers a cumulative 
  –10 penalty to her next test, 
  and when she has lost ﬁve roll-
  offs she has been detected. If the 
  Battle-Brother who ﬁrst detects a 
  clue of the cultist’s presence takes 
  steps to alert his Battle-Brothers in 
  such a way that she cannot hear or 
  detect him doing so (such as using 
  Adeptus Astartes battle-cant or a sealed 
  helmet vox) they should be awarded 
  further bonuses to their tests. A proﬁle 
  for Death Cultist Clorr can be found 
  in the Appendix, on page 143.
  At some point after detecting 
  the fact that an enemy is trailing 
  them, the Space Marines will 
  no doubt wish to confront 
  their pursuer. In this case, 
  Clorr attempts to avoid being 
  captured, but does not want 
  to ﬁght the Space Marines. 
  If captured, she reluctantly 
  tells them who she is and 
  what she had planned, in 
  which case the Kill-team’s best 
  course of action might be to allow her to 
  continue to shadow them as she originally 
  intended. The Game Master can also use 
  the assassin as a means of communicating 
  more about the rogue Interrogator to the 
  players than they might otherwise have been 
  able to determine. The cultist has been present 
  on the Space Hulk for several weeks and has 
  learned a fair bit about Thirl’s intentions in addition 
  to what she already knew of him as a peer in the 
  service of the Inquisition. 
  Having determined if the Death Cultist is detected or 
  continues to shadow the Kill-team, the Game Master can 
  bring the mission towards its conclusion, as detailed next.
  ATE REFUGEE
  ATE REFUGEE
  Though it may take them some time to realise 
  it, the Space Marines are being followed 
  Heart of Glass. The 
  individual following them is another 
  disciple of Inquisitor Hakk, despatched 
  some time ago to track down 
  Interrogator Thirl and either bring 
  him back to his master or to slay 
  him if he refused. The tracker’s 
  mission failed, Thirl’s prodigious 
  psychic powers granting him full 
  knowledge of the mission and allowing 
  him to ambush his assassins before they even 
  knew of their own doom. The lone survivor, a 
  Death Cult Assassin and a veteran of dozens of 
  Inquisitorial missions, refuses to acknowledge that 
  her task cannot be completed, and in detecting the 
  Kill-team’s presence has decided to launch one last 
  The assassin, a feral world-born Death Cultist 
  named Xurris Clorr, intends to follow in the wake 
  of the Kill-team’s advance and to use them as a 
  distraction to launch her attack on Interrogator 
  Thirl. On her own she would have little chance 
  of fighting her way through the hordes of 
  mutants and degenerate outcasts and of 
  evading Thirl’s powers, but should the 
  Space Marines carve a trail of destruction 
  , she might 
  just be able to launch a single, decisive 
  assault, striking from the shadows 
  and delivering the killing blow to 
  her hated erstwhile fellow disciple 
  Exactly when and where Clorr begins 
  trailing the Kill-team is up to the Game 
  Master. It is the assassin’s intention to remain 
  hidden from the Space Marines, and so she keeps 
  her distance and takes advantage of any distractions 
  she can, including the various encounters and hazards 
  Space Hulk Mission Generator. As 
  good a tracker as she is, however, the Space Marines are 
  experienced warriors and not easy to follow without being 
  detected. The Game Master should handle Clorr’s attempted 
  Challenging (+0) Opposed Silent 
   for her (in secret), testing against the Space 
  Marines’ Awareness. There are several ways to do this, one 
  being to have one randomly determined Battle-Brother 
  make the test, or to have the one at the end of 
  the “line of march’ do so. 
  Alternatively, the Space Marine 
  with the highest Perception 
  could make the test, but it is best 
  if only one Battle-Brother does 
  so. Each time a Space Marine 
  wins one of these Opposed 
  Tests, some small sound has 
  been detected, though the 
  Game Master can always 
  rule that the sound was that 
  of some other threat or just of 
  vermin. Each time the Space 
  Marines win a roll-off, the 
  assassin suffers a cumulative 
  –10 penalty to her next test, 
  and when she has lost ﬁve roll-
  offs she has been detected. If the 
  Battle-Brother who ﬁrst detects a 
  clue of the cultist’s presence takes 
  steps to alert his Battle-Brothers in 
  such a way that she cannot hear or 
  detect him doing so (such as using 
  Adeptus Astartes battle-cant or a sealed 
  helmet vox) they should be awarded 
  further bonuses to their tests. A proﬁle 
  for Death Cultist Clorr can be found 
  in the Appendix, on page 143.
  At some point after detecting 
  the fact that an enemy is trailing 
  them, the Space Marines will 
  no doubt wish to confront 
  their pursuer. In this case, 
  Clorr attempts to avoid being 
  captured, but does not want 
  to ﬁght the Space Marines. 
  If captured, she reluctantly 
  tells them who she is and 
  what she had planned, in 
  which case the Kill-team’s best 
  course of action might be to allow her to 
  continue to shadow them as she originally 
  intended. The Game Master can also use 
  the assassin as a means of communicating 
  more about the rogue Interrogator to the 
  players than they might otherwise have been 
  able to determine. The cultist has been present 
  on the Space Hulk for several weeks and has 
  learned a fair bit about Thirl’s intentions in addition 
  to what she already knew of him as a peer in the 
  service of the Inquisition. 
  Having determined if the Death Cultist is detected or 
  continues to shadow the Kill-team, the Game Master can 
  bring the mission towards its conclusion, as detailed next.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  75
  UPRISING
  The climax of this optional mission sees the Kill-team 
  encountering the rogue Interrogator and his armies deep in the 
  Heart of Glass. The Game Master should move the action on to 
  this scene whenever he feels it is appropriate to do so, taking into 
  account the Battle-Brothers’ progress through the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator, their status, and the situation regarding the 
  Death Cult Assassin trailing them. 
  The last location the Kill-team comes upon is the core 
  of the Heart of Glass, a vast chamber dominated by jagged 
  black crystals emerging from every plane of every surface. 
  At the very centre of the chamber is Interrogator Thirl, and 
  surrounding him is a mighty host of gibbering mutants and 
  deviant scum, every one of them prostrate upon the glass 
  surface as if offering the rogue Interrogator their most devout 
  praises. Read aloud or paraphrase the following:
  The maze of black glass through which you have been travelling 
  opens up into an impossibly vast space, scale and perspective 
  made suddenly obsolete. You are in the very core of the Heart 
  of Glass, a space that obeys no natural laws. Planes intersect at 
  mind-bending angles, seeming to shift and slide even as you look 
  upon them. There are no walls and no ﬂoor, merely temporary 
  surfaces aglow with malignant energies.
  In the centre of the vast space, seemingly suspended in a shaft 
  of black light, is a human ﬁgure, tattered robes snapping in an 
  invisible storm. His eyes are aglow with baleﬁre, the source of 
  which can only be some utterly abhorrent xenos taint bestowed 
  upon it by the structure all about.
  Around the base of the column of black light is amassed uncounted 
  ﬁgures, from scrofulous deviant scum to mutants boiling with 
  genetic blasphemy.
  After a moment, the black-glowing gaze of the central ﬁgure falls 
  upon you, and the heads of its uncounted devotees turn towards you, 
  the black ﬁres of xenos domination ﬂickering in their vacant eyes… 
  At this point, the mutant horde erupts into an anarchic 
  wave of howling mayhem, hundreds of wailing, thrashing 
  abominations surging towards the Space Marines as 
  one. At the very same moment, the Death Cult Assassin 
  makes a break for her target. If they did not detect her 
  trailing them, the Space Marines have a moment to 
  figure out what she is doing, but if they treat her as an 
  enemy, the Game Master might like to allow the players 
  a Challenging (+0) Tactics Skill Test to realise she 
  is attacking the interrogator under cover of their own 
  actions. The remainder of the scene is fought as a combat 
  using the rules for Hordes given in the DEATHWATCH 
  Core Rulebook. 
  The enemy takes the form of a number of Mutant 
  Hordes, the profile for which can be found in the 
  Appendix on page 117. The exact number of hordes the 
  Space Marines must face is left up to the Game Master to 
  determine, but the battle should represent a substantial 
  challenge. They should face at least five hordes, and more 
  if the characters are especially highly ranked or more 
  numerous than normal.
  In addition to ﬁghting the hordes of mutants, the Kill-
  team might have to face the rogue interrogator. While not an 
  especially combat-oriented enemy, Thirl is suffused with the 
  power of the Warp, his soul poisoned beyond redemption by the 
  taint of the Heart of Glass. An adversary proﬁle for Interrogator 
  Thirl can be found in the Appendix on page 142.
  As they ﬁght the hordes, the Space Marines should be kept 
  aware of the confrontation between Thirl and Clorr. It is not 
  recommended that the GM actually run this combat, as he 
  has enough to deal with keeping track of the ﬁght between 
  the Space Marines and the mutant hordes. That said, if the 
  confrontation appears scripted, the overall narrative might 
  suffer, so some degree of randomness is preferable. One 
  method of resolving the ﬁght is to abstract it by making a 
  series of opposed Weapon Skill roll-offs between the two. Each 
  time one wins, the loser suffers a Critical Injury to a randomly 
  determined location, rolling on the table appropriate to the 
  ﬁghter’s melee weapon. Should any of the Battle-Brothers 
  become involved in this ﬁght, then the usual method for 
  resolving it is used instead of this abstract rule. 
  Should Interrogator Thirl be slain, whether by the Death 
  Cultist or by one of the Space Marines, there is one ﬁnal 
  consequence. The remaining Mutants are consumed with rage 
  and immediately gain the Blood Soaked Tide Trait. 
  However the combat is concluded, the Game Master 
  should proceed without delay to the section entitled Five to 
  Midnight on page 83.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  76
  Objective III: The 
  Long Waaagh!
  T
  he third possible route off of Mortis Thule takes the Kill-
  team through a region that is completely under the heel of 
  one of Humanity’s most ancient and bitter foes—the Orks. 
  This barbarous xenos species infests the galaxy from one end to 
  the other and there is hardly a region claimed by a human explorer 
  where they have not been encountered. Every Space Marine ever 
  to have served must surely have fought these implacable enemies 
  of Mankind, and no Adeptus Astartes would assume the Long 
  Watch without having done so on scores, or more likely hundreds 
  of occasions. What makes this particular encounter different is 
  that the Orks are not a major threat in the Jericho Reach. Though 
  scattered pockets of the xenos are to be found on isolated worlds in 
  the Outer Reach and elsewhere in the region, very little evidence 
  of the species’ presence is to be found on those worlds that were 
  once part of the old Jericho Sector. It may be that the forces of 
  the old sector conducted an especially effective purge long ago, or 
  that some other characteristic of the region makes its worlds less 
  desirable to the Orks. Whatever the truth, until now, the region has 
  been spared the attentions of a full-scale Ork invasion.
  ORK WAAAGHS!
  It is likely that since the very earliest days of Mankind’s 
  exploration of the stars, wherever he has gone there he has 
  encountered the barbarous Orks. Were a tri-D map of the 
  galaxy to be overlaid to indicate the territories thought to 
  be occupied by the Orks’ ramshackle stellar empires, the 
  stars would be stained green and those of the Imperium 
  would be cast into insigniﬁcance. Thankfully for Humanity, 
  several factors limit the destruction the Orks are capable of 
  unleashing upon the Imperium, but possessed as they are of 
  a ferociously warlike nature tempered by instinctive cunning, 
  the Orks are fully capable of overcoming any obstacle the 
  universe puts in their way. 
  The main factor that holds the Orks from overwhelming 
  Mankind is the fact that the vast majority of their wars are 
  fought amongst themselves. The galaxy is host to countless 
  Ork empires, most of them consumed with internecine war or 
  ﬁghting against their neighbours. It is only once all internal 
  opposition is crushed by a single, all-powerful warlord that 
  these empires turn their attentions to the territories of other 
  species, and there are enough of these extant in the galaxy that 
  Humanity is far from the only foe the Orks enjoy making war 
  against. This continuous state of war might serve to distract the 
  Orks from attacking the worlds of Man, but it also ensures that 
  when they do so it is under the very strongest of overlords.
  The second limiting factor is that the Orks spend so much 
  time ﬁghting one another and have such limited intellects that 
  they have precious little capacity for science and technology. 
  This is overcome to a degree by an instinctive afﬁnity for 
  certain forms of technology that some amongst the more 
  radical of xenos-savants claim must surely be imprinted at the 
  genetic level, though this begs the question of who imprinted 
  it, and why. Whatever the truth, it is evident that given 
  sufﬁcient resources even the most savage and unsophisticated 
  Ork population will somehow cobble together the signature 
  weapons for which they are known across the galaxy. 
  Though their weapons are crude, loud, and inefﬁcient, they 
  are ﬁendishly simple to manufacture and maintain and, more 
  to the point, extremely destructive. Weapons that refuse to 
  function in the hands of researchers work without fault in the 
  hands of an Ork, leading some to claim the species’ afﬁnity 
  for the machineries of war goes beyond the genetic and is a 
  manifestation of some latent, low level psychic ﬁeld effect. 
  Needless to say, such heretics are invariably put to the torch, 
  though few can deny there is truth in their claims.
  Though the Orks’ do somehow manage to construct 
  spacecraft, their primary means of traversing the deep void is to 
  do so aboard Space Hulks like Mortis Thule. This is achieved in 
  numerous ways, a more improbable one being the construction 
  of unimaginably vast tractor beam projectors with which a 
  passing Space Hulk is captured and dragged into orbit so that 
  countless thousands of Orks can board it. However it is achieved, 
  the Orks somehow know that Space Hulks can take them far 
  and wide, and while they have little or no control over their 
  destination, they understand that eventually the Space Hulk 
  will be disgorged from the Warp in the vicinity of a world they 
  can conquer. Having boarded a Space Hulk, the Orks waste no 
  time in scouring it for useful resources with which to bolster 
  their forces, and there is rarely any shortage of such resources 
  on board even the smallest Space Hulk, made up as they are 
  of numerous conglomerated void craft. Invariably, by the time it 
  reaches an inhabited system, the Ork invasion is equipped with 
  the most fearsome of machines of war, including huge phalanxes 
  of battle-wagons, waves of ﬁghter-bombas, and titans the equal 
  of the venerated god-machines of the Adeptus Titanicus.
  Upon entering a target system, it is common for the Orks to 
  broadcast their intentions so as to invite any and all enemies to 
  ﬁght them for possession of the system’s worlds. Such broadcasts 
  are crude and direct, sometimes announcing the name of the 
  Ork Warlord in overall command of the invasion, but just as 
  often transmitting a single, continuous war cry—‘Waaagh!’
  WAAAGH! THROTTLEKLAW
  Unknown to the Chamber of Vigilance and to the command 
  echelons of the Achilus Crusade, Mortis Thule is host to an 
  Ork Waaagh! The Orks in question began their voyage many 
  centuries ago as such things are reckoned in the material universe, 
  but times ﬂows strangely in the Immaterium, and besides, Orks 
  only notice its passage when they run out of things to kill. 
  To the Orks themselves, an indeterminate amount of time has 
  passed, during which the Boyz have entertained themselves in 
  ﬁghting and building ever-bigger guns with which to slay their 
  foes when eventually they arrive at a world they can invade.
  The invasion began when the Warlord Geargut ThrottleKlaw 
  rose to power amongst the primitive tribes that had sprung 
  into existence on a barren world. The Orks of this unnamed 
  planet had no knowledge of their own place in the universe, for 
  they were the result of the strange means by which the species 
  is thought to reproduce itself. Unknown to the population, the 
  previous generation of Orks had been wiped out in a devastating 
  war. Yet, as ever with the barbarous greenskins, the species refuses 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  77
  to die entirely and where one Ork is slain, dozens more are likely 
  to emerge years later. Thus it was that the Orks of the group 
  that would eventually become known as Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw 
  dragged themselves upwards from primitive barbarism, utilising 
  the wreckage of their predecessors to build the war machines for 
  which their species is feared across the galaxy.
  For years, the Orks fought amongst themselves, a succession of 
  ever more powerful warlords gaining control before being deposed 
  in increasingly violent fashion until eventually, ThrottleKlaw 
  himself took control. As if to prove that the Orks’ primitive gods 
  had blessed his doing so, an omen appeared in the skies overhead 
  at the very moment of his victory over his predecessor. That omen 
  was a Space Hulk, and deep in his warlike brain, ThrottleKlaw 
  knew that it represented his best chance of escaping the bounds of 
  a world that seemed suddenly very small and insigniﬁcant indeed.
  As is often the case with the expansions of the Ork species, 
  the ascension of a powerful warlord triggered a series of other 
  phenomena. The tribe’s Meks—Orks gifted with an innate talent 
  for building the most ingenious of technologies—suddenly 
  knew exactly how to create the means to board the Space Hulk. 
  Setting to work, the Meks built what they called a “teleporta” 
  from the junk and wreckage of a war none remembered, and 
  used it to beam an advance force of greenskins into orbit. Of 
  course, ThrottleKlaw ensured that this advance boarding party 
  contained only those Orks most likely to challenge 
  him for dominance over the tribe. None were 
  particularly surprised when an inexplicable accident caused the 
  death of the entire wave as they dematerialised not on board the 
  Space Hulk, but in high orbit directly overhead.
  The last obstacles to his complete control removed, 
  ThrottleKlaw led his forces onto the Space Hulk, and once 
  more, providence took a hand. The tribe’s pre-eminent “Weird 
  Boy’—the Ork equivalent of a psyker—suddenly knew how to 
  exert his powers on the Warp, and in an instant the Space Hulk 
  was swept away on the tides of a mighty Warp storm. Waaagh! 
  ThrottleKlaw was underway.
  Yet, the Space Hulk that ThrottleKlaw’s tribe boarded was not 
  Mortis Thule. Rather, it was a smaller conglomeration of stellar 
  detritus that had not been encountered or codiﬁed by the Imperium. 
  It would be many years before ThrottleKlaw came to occupy Mortis 
  Thule, and then it was only by chance, or perhaps the dubious 
  blessings of the Orks’ barbaric deities. In an unprecedented display 
  of xenos ingenuity, the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw affected a 
  ship-to-ship boarding action whilst their own Space Hulk, and 
  Mortis Thule, which they had encountered upon the tides of the 
  Warp, were adrift in the Sea of Souls. How this was achieved 
  may never be known, even to the Orks themselves, yet Waaagh! 
  ThrottleKlaw somehow crossed the gulf of Warp space to board 
  Mortis Thule, and to this day they occupy a series of holds deep 
  within it. ThrottleKlaw’s Meks have been busy constructing the 
  mightiest of war machines, ever ready for the day when the Space 
  Hulk will emerge from the Warp in orbit over a world occupied 
  by some enemy they can crush beneath their hobnailed 
  boots. To date, the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw 
  have yet to encounter the Imperium or even a 
  human, but when they do, their beady red 
  eyes shall surely glow with the bloodlust 
  that only an Ork that has just discovered a 
  new and challenging enemy can know.
  THE BRUTISH EMPIRE
  Geargut ThrottleKlaw’s empire is based 
  in a series of truly vast chambers and 
  tunnels near to the outer edge of Mortis 
  Thule. At ﬁrst glance the space claimed 
  by the Orks might appear to have been 
  formed naturally from void borne rock, 
  but in reality it is formed by the interior 
  of one the largest classes of starships 
  ever built. The tunnels are not 
  carved from rock, but from metal, 
  and represent the processing 
  conduits of a reﬁnery the size 
  of a moon. The chambers 
  are not caverns, but cargo 
  holds constructed to 
  transport mega tonnes 
  of reﬁned ore. The 
  vessel was once a 
  Universe-class mass 
  conveyor 
  known 
  as the Toil of Aedir, 
  lost two millennia 
  ago and still mourned 
  As is often the case with the expansions of the Ork species, 
  the ascension of a powerful warlord triggered a series of other 
  phenomena. The tribe’s Meks—Orks gifted with an innate talent 
  for building the most ingenious of technologies—suddenly 
  knew exactly how to create the means to board the Space Hulk. 
  Setting to work, the Meks built what they called a “teleporta” 
  from the junk and wreckage of a war none remembered, and 
  used it to beam an advance force of greenskins into orbit. Of 
  course, ThrottleKlaw ensured that this advance boarding party 
  contained only those Orks most likely to challenge 
  him for dominance over the tribe. None were 
  blessings of the Orks’ barbaric deities. In an unprecedented display 
  blessings of the Orks’ barbaric deities. In an unprecedented display 
  of xenos ingenuity, the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw affected a 
  of xenos ingenuity, the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw affected a 
  ship-to-ship boarding action whilst their own Space Hulk, and 
  ship-to-ship boarding action whilst their own Space Hulk, and 
  Mortis Thule
  Mortis Thule, which they had encountered upon the tides of the 
  Mortis Thule, which they had encountered upon the tides of the 
  Mortis Thule
  Warp, were adrift in the Sea of Souls. How this was achieved 
  Warp, were adrift in the Sea of Souls. How this was achieved 
  may never be known, even to the Orks themselves, yet Waaagh! 
  may never be known, even to the Orks themselves, yet Waaagh! 
  ThrottleKlaw somehow crossed the gulf of Warp space to board 
  ThrottleKlaw somehow crossed the gulf of Warp space to board 
  Mortis Thule,
  Mortis Thule, and to this day they occupy a series of holds deep 
  within it. ThrottleKlaw’s Meks have been busy constructing the 
  within it. ThrottleKlaw’s Meks have been busy constructing the 
  mightiest of war machines, ever ready for the day when the Space 
  mightiest of war machines, ever ready for the day when the Space 
  Hulk will emerge from the Warp in orbit over a world occupied 
  Hulk will emerge from the Warp in orbit over a world occupied 
  by some enemy they can crush beneath their hobnailed 
  boots. To date, the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw 
  have yet to encounter the Imperium or even a 
  human, but when they do, their beady red 
  eyes shall surely glow with the bloodlust 
  that only an Ork that has just discovered a 
  new and challenging enemy can know.
  THE
  THE
  T
   B
  HE B
  HE
  RUTISH
  RUTISH
  R
  Geargut ThrottleKlaw’s empire is based 
  in a series of truly vast chambers and 
  tunnels near to the outer edge of 
  Thule. At ﬁrst glance the space claimed 
  Thule. At ﬁrst glance the space claimed 
  Thule
  by the Orks might appear to have been 
  formed naturally from void borne rock, 
  but in reality it is formed by the interior 
  of one the largest classes of starships 
  ever built. The tunnels are not 
  carved from rock, but from metal, 
  and represent the processing 
  conduits of a reﬁnery the size 
  of a moon. The chambers 
  are not caverns, but cargo 
  holds constructed to 
  transport mega tonnes 
  of reﬁned ore. The 
  vessel was once a 
  lost two millennia 
  ago and still mourned 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  78
  by the Adeptus Mechanicus of the Dalthus yards where it was 
  constructed at astronomical cost in blood and treasure.
  The Toil of Aedir was lost before it had even entered service, 
  caught in an unmatriculated Warp swell during its ﬁrst trial jump. 
  The swell cast the vessel upon the tides of the Sea of Souls and 
  its skeleton crew of only ten thousand Tech-Priests, bonded 
  voidsmen, and menials were slaughtered in short order by the 
  predators of the Warp. Its fate unknown to its creators, the Toil of 
  Aedir was set adrift upon the Warp, until eventually it came to that 
  fate which so many lost vessels share—it was melded with the vast 
  conglomerated bulk of a Space Hulk, in this case Mortis Thule.
  Because the mass conveyor was lost before ever entering service, 
  its vast processing facilities were never used and so its holds were 
  empty when the vessel met its fate. Having become conjoined with 
  Mortis Thule, however, the chambers and conduits did not remain 
  so for long, for they soon became the hunting grounds of the 
  predators, vermin, and worse that haunt the Space Hulk. What foul 
  deeds were enacted within the silent, lightless machine systems 
  may never be known, but now, centuries later, they are host to the 
  ﬁrst Ork Waaagh! seen to date in the Jericho Reach.
  The vessel in which the Orks muster is truly vast, each of 
  its holds the size of a hive city and interlaced by thousands of 
  kilometres of conduits, many wide enough to allow the passage 
  of an entire armoured company. Given over as it now is to a 
  nation of barbarous greenskins, the interior of the Toil of Aedir 
  bears scant resemblance to its original form. Once gleaming 
  bulkheads are now caked in oil and dung, the deck strewn with 
  debris and the bilges swilling with stinking ﬁlth. The numerous 
  skull and cog icons of the Adeptus Mechanicus that adorned 
  the vessel have all been defaced, hacked, and hewn to resemble 
  the brutish features of Warlord Geargut ThrottleKlaw.
  Within cargo holds of impossible size, Ork Meks and their 
  thousands of slaves are constructing war machines of every possible 
  size and shape. Huge armouries belch out countless thousands of 
  rounds of ammunition without pause, much of which is expended 
  with joyful exuberance by an army restless to ﬁnd a worthy foe. 
  The most awe inspiring sight in the entire region must surely be 
  the Gargant construction chamber, an entire hold given over to the 
  construction of ThrottleKlaw’s titan-sized engines of war. The yards 
  take the form of tangled masses of scaffolding over which scramble 
  many thousands of slaves. Within these towering webs of steel 
  await the ominous forms of half constructed Gargants and Stompas, 
  each the work of a single Big Mek in competition with his peers to 
  create the largest, shootiest war machine in the entire Waaagh! 
  With such a massive concentration of Orks using Mortis Thule 
  as a means of crossing the gulf of space, it is only a matter of time 
  before the Weird Boyz in ThrottleKlaw’s employ detect the presence 
  of an occupied system and utilise their insane powers to steer the 
  Space Hulk right into it. Should that happen, the Achilus Crusade 
  will ﬁnd itself up against a foe strong enough to tip the balance 
  against the Imperium and to set the entire Jericho Reach to the torch. 
  Perhaps worse than the prospect of the Achilus Crusade being cast 
  back is the notion that ThrottleKlaw could actually gain ascendancy 
  over the region, enslaving entire planetary populations to his will.
  Needless to say, should the Kill-team discover such a threat, 
  reporting it to the Chamber of Vigilance would be a matter of 
  urgency, for the fate of the entire crusade might be at stake.
  Stop the 
  Waaagh!
  H
  aving read through the previous optional missions, 
  the Game Master should be familiar with the format 
  in which it is presented. As ever, the Game Master is 
  free to adapt the information presented here and to expand it 
  to suit his own ideas and the needs of his gaming group.
  MISSION PREPARATION
  Of the three optional missions presented in this chapter, the 
  encounter with Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw is the one the Player 
  Characters might have the most forewarning of. Even if the 
  Kill-team has only the foreshadowing gained in Chapter II 
  (see Awakening the Spirit on page 38), the Battle-Brothers 
  should be fairly sure that a large concentration of Orks is 
  present on the Space Hulk and they are likely to know exactly 
  what this might mean for the Jericho Reach and the Achilus 
  Crusade as a whole. 
  If the players have somehow failed to grasp the severity 
  of the situation, the GM can deliberately seed in some more 
  hints as the adventure progresses. Again, it is assumed that 
  the GM will have read all three of the optional missions 
  before deciding which to run, and has therefore had plenty 
  of opportunity to foreshadow them as much as he thinks 
  appropriate. Of course, the ﬁnal decision as to which one 
  of the optional missions is pursued may come down to the 
  players themselves, though the Game Master can certainly 
  steer them in one direction should he wish.
  It is almost certainly a simpler task to foreshadow the 
  presence of the Orks than either of the other two factions 
  presented in the optional missions. The Enslavers are limited 
  in their ability to roam by the fact that Primaris Psyker 
  Har is actively thwarting their abominable schemes, while 
  Interrogator Thirl limits his activities to the Heart of Glass. 
  The Orks, however, are far more likely to roam beyond the 
  territory they occupy. For one thing, Orks are not known for 
  their respect of borders, but this particular group is constantly 
  searching for the materials and other resources they need to 
  build the fearsome war machines that will spearhead their 
  invasion when they ﬁnally make contact with a worthy foe. 
  Mortis Thule is as large as a moon, but the Orks are a vigorous 
  species, so evidence of their presence could be found in even 
  the most far ﬂung corner of the Space Hulk. In all likelihood, 
  the only check on the Orks’ wanderings is likely to be the 
  aggressiveness of the other creatures to be found on Mortis 
  Thule, especially the Genestealers (which some Orks call 
  “gene-sneakers’) that haunt its darkest tunnels. 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  79
  BRIEFING
  Should the players decide to pursue this particular route 
  towards the exit point, then a Brieﬁng can be formulated 
  by the Battle-Brother that is to serve as Mission Leader. 
  While normally the brieﬁng would be delivered by a senior 
  Deathwatch NPC via the Game Master, this is not possible 
  given the Kill-team’s current circumstances. As mentioned 
  in the previous optional missions, the Game Master can 
  summarise what knowledge the Space Marines have access 
  to, and it is even better if he can do so to one player who can 
  relate it, “in character” to the rest of the group.
  The Game Master can use some or all of the following 
  points when planning this encounter and the brieﬁng that 
  may accompany it.
  Even if no overt clues of the Orks’ presence are presented, 
  there is a chance of the Battle-Brothers sensing the barbarous 
  xenos in the vicinity. The Space Marines would have fought 
  Orks on countless occasions and would be all too familiar 
  with their habits. Signs of the Orks’ being on board Mortis 
  Thule might include an unmistakable taint in the air, crude 
  symbols daubed on bulkheads, signs of wanton destruction 
  and battle, and numerous other hints. The Game Master could 
  seed these in through the previous chapters. Some could be 
  obvious and impossible to miss, while others could require 
  Awareness Tests of varying Difﬁculty Levels to notice.
  When preparing for this mission, the Game Master could 
  take a moment to review the Pasts of each of the characters, 
  as well as any additional details such as Honours they might 
  have earned. Should any of these relate to Orks, he might 
  like to consider tying them in to this mission in some manner. 
  This might be as simple as allowing an especially experienced 
  character to take the lead and serve as Mission Leader, but it 
  could be more involved. Note that Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw has 
  yet to encounter Humanity, so it is unlikely that any of the 
  Battle-Brothers has faced this particular group, but there could 
  be some other, subtler link. ThrottleKlaw’s tribe rose from the 
  ashes of a previous group that was ultimately defeated by 
  an unknown xenos species, so it may be that group that the 
  Space Marine has some knowledge of.
  The Battle-Brothers of the Deathwatch make it their sacred 
  duty to study and to predict the actions of the xenos within the area 
  covered by their vigil. They are well versed in ﬁghting Orks and are 
  familiar with their activities within the Jericho Reach. Discovering 
  an entire Ork Waaagh! would represent a major challenge to the 
  Deathwatch’s mission and many of the Battle-Brothers might 
  regard engaging it as a matter of honour. This is particularly 
  interesting considering that the Battle-Brothers themselves might 
  have to choose which route to take to the exit point and therefore 
  which of the optional missions they will undertake. There might 
  be some tension within the Kill-team, especially if the characters’ 
  backgrounds steer them in different directions. A Battle-Brother 
  of the Storm Wardens Chapter who has some knowledge of the 
  Nemesis Incident, for example, might want to pursue the ﬁrst 
  mission, as his Chapter suffered greatly at that hands of the vile 
  xenos. Another Battle-Brother might hold the Orks in particular 
  disdain, and every Chapter has reason to do so. As ever, the Game 
  Master should award creative roleplaying should the players rise to 
  the challenge of settling the matter according to their characters’ 
  backgrounds, Demeanours and the like.
  MISSION LEADER
  The choice of which Player Character is to perform the duty of 
  Mission Leader is up to the players themselves. Given that they are 
  more likely to know something of the foe they are to face, the choice 
  may be made on the basis of prior experience against the Orks or 
  perhaps because the Kill-team anticipates taking a particular Oath 
  they believe will be useful against the barbarous xenos.
  OATH-TAKING
  When it comes to Oath-Taking, the players should choose 
  whichever they believe is most appropriate, but this may not be 
  the most obvious. Experienced players should know that victory 
  does not always come as the result of battle and that they can 
  scarcely expect to defeat the entire Ork Waaagh! in combat. In fact, 
  gathering intelligence on the Orks may be more valuable than any 
  short-term gains the Space Marines can earn by engaging them, 
  so Oaths that contribute towards this might be a better choice. 
  Players who recognise this fact without being prompted should 
  be rewarded with additional Experience Points at the mission’s 
  conclusion, with a bonus of 100 points being appropriate.
  ARMING
  As discussed in the previous two optional missions, the 
  Space Marines should not have access to much in the way 
  of additional equipment, certainly not beyond the stubbers, 
  shotguns, and autoguns the survivors of The Emperor’s Gaze 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  80
  have access to. In this particular case, the Space Marines 
  running low on ammunition is actually a good thing and the 
  Game Master should think carefully before entertaining any 
  requests to seek out more exotic or powerful equipment. The 
  players should have realised that they cannot be expected 
  to defeat the Orks in battle as there are simply too many 
  of them, so raw ﬁrepower is not the answer. If forced by 
  low ammunition to adopt an approach other than overt 
  confrontation, the Kill-team is far more likely to succeed.
  MISSION OBJECTIVES
  The Kill-team’s aim is obviously to reach the exit point, but 
  in encountering the Orks on board Mortis Thule that mission 
  changes drastically. No Battle-Brother of the Deathwatch 
  could ever ignore such a massive intrusion of xenos warriors, 
  so a new Primary Objective comes into play. However, the 
  Game Master should not merely tell the players what this new 
  Objective is—they should work it out for themselves. The 
  new Primary Objective is to gather as much intelligence on the 
  Orks as possible, so that a suitable response can be mustered by 
  the forces of the Achilus Crusade. As a Secondary Objective, 
  the Kill-team should be on the look out for an opportunity to 
  slay the leader of the tribe. Slaying ThrottleKlaw will not halt 
  the invasion, of course; another, equally powerful warleader 
  will take his place, but it may delay any invasion while the 
  matter of the succession is settled, buying the Imperium more 
  time to respond.
  As mentioned, the Game Master should encourage the 
  players to formulate their own objectives. Should they start 
  planning what amounts to a suicide mission to engage an 
  entire Ork Waaagh! by themselves, the GM might drop a 
  few hints or require a Challenging (+0) Lore: Common 
  (Deathwatch) Test in order to remind them of standing 
  orders that apply in such cases. A success reminds the Space 
  Marines of the Deathwatch’s doctrine in such cases and they 
  can continue on their mission. If the Game Master wants to 
  allow the players to continue on a course of action that takes 
  them into direct confrontation with the Orks, he should feel 
  free to do so, but should allow them at least one opportunity 
  to see their error and formulate a new plan of action. If they 
  do not, the mission soon becomes an escape effort and little 
  intelligence of any worth is gathered.
  MISSION COMPLICATIONS
  The same advice as given in the ﬁrst two optional missions applies 
  in this one as well, though the fact that the Kill-team should have 
  more of an idea of what they are up against might bring with it a 
  whole range of potential Complications. One of the more obvious 
  is the Bad Intelligence Complication, suggesting that some of 
  the assumptions that the Space Marines are operating under are 
  ﬂawed in some way. The Game Master is encouraged to use any 
  additional Complications he can come up with, considering what 
  might possibly go wrong. For example, what if the Space Marines 
  made some error that revealed their presence to a great many Orks 
  rather than just a handful? One confrontation could very quickly 
  escalate until the Kill-team is facing a force many hundreds of 
  times its own number and their priority would become evading 
  the hordes spilling through the tunnels after them.
  EXECUTION
  Once the Kill-team has completed the Mission Preparation stage, 
  the next phase of the adventure can begin, using the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator system presented in Chapter IV. Hopefully 
  by now the Game Master and players will be familiar with the 
  system, and therefore the Game Master is encouraged to adapt any 
  of the results it produces to suit him and his gaming group. 
  THREAT LEVEL AND SCALE
  The Threat Level and Scale should be set as high as the Game 
  Master believes the players and the characters they play can 
  cope with. Given the circumstances of the encounter, the Game 
  Master can think of the mission in terms of the Threat Level 
  and Scale. If it is relatively low, for example, perhaps because 
  the Kill-team has suffered one or more losses or lingering 
  Critical Injuries, a relatively low Threat Level and Scale would 
  represent the Kill-team skirting the outer extent of the territory 
  controlled by the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw without taking 
  any unnecessary risks. It might alternately simply represent the 
  Emperor delivering them from the xenos peril. Setting the Threat 
  Level and Scale higher represents more of an overtly aggressive 
  stance being taken from the outset, and unless there is a good 
  reason not to do so, this is the most appropriate approach.
  ENCOUNTERS
  As with the ﬁrst two optional missions, it is preferable that the 
  number of rolls on the Encounters charts of the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator are limited so as not to dilute the main 
  themes of the mission as presented here. That said, the Game 
  Master might still like to pick and choose appropriate Encounters, 
  especially those involving any of the numerous greenskin races. In 
  addition, it often pays to keep the players on their toes and to play 
  around with their expectations. For example, should they grow 
  used to encountering Orks and their various cousins, an encounter 
  with a far-ranging Genestealer might remind them that Mortis 
  Thule is owned by no single species and death can come in any 
  one of a thousand guises, and at any moment at all.
  CALAMITIES
  Calamities are highly appropriate to the narrative of the 
  adventure, especially because the Orks have literally been 
  “mining” the stuff of Mortis Thule and in so doing have made 
  entire sections of its structure unstable. The Orks’ efforts to 
  locate and recover useful resources have seen them strip out 
  already unstable plasma reactors and drain off vast tanks full 
  of unimaginably toxic ﬂuids. They have stripped hundreds 
  of kilometres of conduits and cables from their housing and 
  removed structural supports with no consideration of what they 
  might be supporting. Needless to say, any one of the Calamities 
  made possible by the Space Hulk Mission Generator might 
  have been caused by the Orks’ careless efforts, although the 
  Space Marines are unlikely to realise this at ﬁrst. As they progress 
  and the number and severity of Calamities increase, however, 
  they might realise the extent of the greenskins’ activities. The 
  Game Master could even have the Kill-team encounter an Ork 
  “reklamation” team going about its work and see for themselves 
  the destruction wrought in their passing.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  81
  HULL TYPES
  The ﬁrst stage of the mission sees the Kill-team pass through a 
  fairly “typical” stretch of the Space Hulk, i.e. one that features a 
  range of different vessels crushed together by the capricious tides 
  of the Warp, as well as rough tunnels bored directly through 
  the raw, spaceborne rock. Whatever results are produced by 
  rolling on the Space Hulk Mission Generator tables should 
  be ﬁne, keeping in mind the advice already given regarding the 
  damage the Orks have done to their surroundings. Eventually, 
  the Space Marines come upon the territory made up of the 
  interior of the Universe-class mass conveyor the Toil of Aedir. 
  The remainder of the mission takes place within the echoing 
  chambers and hallways of this impossibly vast ship.
  ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
  The further the Kill-team travels towards the region 
  controlled by the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw, the more 
  obvious signs of the greenskins’ presence becomes. At 
  first this might take the form of the occasional 
  gristly trophy mounted above a portal 
  or crude runes daubed across a 
  bulkhead. Soon, 
  however, the tunnels 
  become clogged with debris 
  and signs of violence are to be 
  found at every turn. Eventually, 
  the Space Marines are picking 
  their way through tunnels strewn 
  with rubble as well as the remains 
  of meals and recent fights. 
  Some stretches are knee deep in 
  stinking filth from which great, 
  malformed funguses sprout. That 
  will make it necessary for the 
  Space Marines to undergo the 
  Rite of Deep Cleansing should 
  they make it back to Watch 
  Fortress Erioch.
  LIFE FORMS
  The approach to the region claimed by the Orks should feature 
  the normal range of Life Forms generated by the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator, but the interior of the wreck of the mass 
  conveyor should not. The reason for this is simple—the Orks 
  eat anything too small to ﬁght or too slow to escape.
  ENVIRONMENT
  The Game Master should feel free to employ the full range of 
  environmental hazards produced by the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator, and just like the Calamities already discussed, 
  many could easily be the result of the Orks’ efforts to retrieve 
  useful materials from the fabric 
  of the Space Hulk.
  81
  81
  81
  be ﬁne, keeping in mind the advice already given regarding the 
  damage the Orks have done to their surroundings. Eventually, 
  the Space Marines come upon the territory made up of the 
  interior of the Universe-class mass conveyor the Toil of Aedir.
  The remainder of the mission takes place within the echoing 
  chambers and hallways of this impossibly vast ship.
  ARCHITECTURE
  RE
  R
  AND TECHNOLOGY
  TECHNOLOGY
  T
  The further the Kill-team travels towards the region 
  controlled by the Orks of Waaagh! ThrottleKlaw, the more 
  obvious signs of the greenskins’ presence becomes. At 
  first this might take the form of the occasional 
  gristly trophy mounted above a portal 
  or crude runes daubed across a 
  bulkhead. Soon, 
  however, the tunnels 
  become clogged with debris 
  and signs of violence are to be 
  found at every turn. Eventually, 
  the Space Marines are picking 
  their way through tunnels strewn 
  with rubble as well as the remains 
  of meals and recent fights. 
  Some stretches are knee deep in 
  stinking filth from which great, 
  malformed funguses sprout. That 
  will make it necessary for the 
  Space Marines to undergo the 
  Rite of Deep Cleansing should 
  they make it back to Watch 
  Fortress Erioch.
  ENVI
  NVIRONMENT
  The Game Master should feel free to employ the full range of 
  The Game Master should feel free to employ the full range of 
  environmental hazards produced by the 
  environmental hazards produced by the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator
  Generator, and just like the Calamities already discussed, 
  many could easily be the result of the Orks’ efforts to retrieve 
  many could easily be the result of the Orks’ efforts to retrieve 
  useful materials from the fabric 
  useful materials from the fabric 
  of the Space Hulk.
  of the Space Hulk.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  82
  WARP EFFECTS
  The mission can feature the normal amount of Warp Effects, 
  and most of those produced by the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator should be perfectly appropriate. In addition, some 
  Ordo Xenos savants are of the opinion that when massed into 
  a huge invasion force the Orks actually produce a gestalt 
  psychic effect the xenos themselves express in typically crude 
  fashion as “the Waaagh!” As the population grows and the 
  potential for violence on a planetary scale increases, this ﬁeld 
  effect grows stronger. Those Orks that are especially sensitive 
  to this energy—called Weird Boyz—suffer all manner of side 
  effects from the build up, from talking in strange voices to 
  spontaneous cranial detonation.
  DISCOVERIES
  Because the Orks have looted so much of the area surrounding 
  the mass conveyor, the Game Master should consider limiting the 
  number of rolls on Table 4–12: Discoveries found in Chapter 
  IV. This also helps communicate the fact that this is not a combat 
  mission, but a reconnaissance operation where the use of weapons 
  would give the Space Marines’ presence away and make further 
  observations impossible. That said, there is no reason why items 
  other than weapons should not be found, especially as the Orks 
  might have discarded such items as useless.
  VISITORS
  As has already been discussed, the Game Master should not 
  roll on the Visitors tables unless he has a speciﬁc narrative 
  in mind. As with other forms of life, any intruder entering 
  the Orks’ domain is generally clubbed senseless before being 
  devoured whole (or sometimes devoured whole before being 
  clubbed senseless).
  CONCLUSION
  This mission moves into its ﬁnal phase when the Space 
  Marines observe the true extent of the Ork forces. The 
  mission has several potential endings, and the Game Master 
  is free to determine which is most appropriate or to invent his 
  own as beﬁts his group. 
  If the Kill-team determined that their Primary Objective 
  was to gather intelligence on the size and nature of the Ork 
  Waaagh!, this can form the climax of the mission. This is 
  determined by inﬁltrating one of the mass conveyor’s central 
  cargo holds and watching the Orks go about their business 
  for at least an hour. The Game Master should allow the Kill-
  team to locate a suitable hiding place from which to make 
  their observations, and having done so have them make an 
  Opposed Challenging (+0) Concealment Test against 
  any greenskins that might be wandering by. The test is 
  made against the enemy’s Awareness so long as they have 
  no speciﬁc reason to be hunting the Kill-team, and against 
  their Scrutiny should they have reason to suspect the Space 
  Marines are nearby. Other circumstances may modify this test 
  as well, such as any effort to distract the enemy or how long 
  it has been since the last contact with them.
  TERMINATION
  Should the Kill-team decide to take a more aggressive 
  approach to their mission, the Game Master might allow 
  them a chance at engaging Warlord ThrottleKlaw himself. 
  Doing so will certainly beneﬁt the Imperium, if only for a 
  while, as experience tells the Space Marines that the entire 
  tribe is likely to erupt in internecine violence in the sudden 
  power vacuum that ensues. 
  One way of bringing this about is to have the Warlord 
  appear as the Kill-team is gathering its intelligence as 
  discussed above. Ideally, he should appear in the crosshairs 
  of a Battle-Brother’s scope, and just before the group is about 
  to pull out. The Space Marine must make a snap decision, for 
  the target will be lost in seconds. This is an ideal opportunity 
  to put pressure on one single player, especially if the Game 
  Master can deliver the information in a dramatic manner. For 
  example, he might inform the player that the Ork Warlord 
  has just crossed through his sights and tell him he has three 
  seconds to decide what to do. If he does not answer straight 
  away the chance is missed.
  In the event that the player hesitated, the Game Master 
  might take pity and allow him a chance to redeem himself, 
  in which case he should ramp up the tension by having the 
  Warlord reappear. This time, however, the Warlord senses 
  danger and looks straight up at the Space Marine. Once 
  again, the player must decide what to do, and this really is 
  his last chance.
  If the shot is taken, all hell breaks loose, whether or not 
  it kills its target. The Game Master may allow the Kill-team 
  to close on the Warlord and kill him in close combat, but 
  more likely the Space Marines will have to extract themselves 
  from the anarchy that erupts all about them. In this case, the 
  Space Marines are beset by dozens of Orks during their hasty 
  extraction. Proﬁles for several different Ork adversaries are 
  presented in the Appendix on pages 119-122. Should the 
  Game Master wish to punish the players for their hesitation, 
  or should the players decide to engage the greenskins more 
  directly, the proﬁle for Warlord ThrottleKlaw himself is 
  presented on page 143.  
  However the mission is concluded, once the Space Marines 
  are clear of the inevitable mass of furious Orks that give chase, 
  or they have managed to get clear without having set off such 
  anarchy, the Game Master should proceed to page 83 and the 
  section entitled Five to Midnight.
  determined by inﬁltrating one of the mass conveyor’s central 
  cargo holds and watching the Orks go about their business 
  team to locate a suitable hiding place from which to make 
   against 
  any greenskins that might be wandering by. The test is 
  made against the enemy’s Awareness so long as they have 
  no speciﬁc reason to be hunting the Kill-team, and against 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  83
  Five to 
  Midnight
  H
  aving completed one of the optional missions, the 
  Kill-team is ﬁnally on the last leg of the journey to 
  an exit point, salvation seemingly close at hand. But 
  the Battle-Brothers are soon to discover that Mortis Thule 
  is truly cursed and that its fell reputation as a harbinger 
  of doom is well deserved. When it emerged from the 
  Immaterium, the Space Hulk did so on the outskirts of 
  a system controlled by the forces of the Imperium, and 
  it is heading towards 
  one of the system’s 
  worlds like a 
  vengeful comet. To make matters worse, the section of the 
  Space Hulk that the Kill-team ﬁnds itself upon is growing 
  rapidly more unstable and is in danger of breaking away 
  as Mortis Thule arrows through the system. Should that 
  happen, it will be transformed into a ﬁery meteor large 
  enough to spell the doom of the world below and in 
  so doing set the efforts of the Achilus Crusade back by 
  years.
  The remainder of this chapter presents the climax of the ARK 
  OF LOST SOULS adventure. The Game Master is provided 
  with an overview of the situation inside and outside of 
  Mortis Thule, allowing him to plan for all eventualities. 
  Details of the ﬁnal confrontation with an old enemy 
  are presented, but even when this is resolved the Kill-
  team must still ﬁnd a way off of the Space Hulk as 
  the section they are in begins to sheer off of the main 
  bulk and threatens to lay waste to the world below. 
  In addition to these trials and tribulations, there 
  is one ﬁnal twist, provided by the Kill-team’s stricken 
  Watch-Captain, who awakens at the very moment of 
  the adventure’s climax.
  DEATH FROM BEYOND  
  THE HORIZON
  The following overview of the “big picture” 
  is provided for the Game Master’s beneﬁt 
  and much of it may not be discovered by 
  the Kill-team, at least until some time 
  after the adventure is concluded. The 
  Game Master is, of course, free to 
  expand on these details or 
  to change them in any way 
  he sees ﬁt. In addition, the 
  events that unfold during 
  the ﬁnal stage of ARK OF LOST 
  SOULS might very well serve as a 
  springboard for future adventures, 
  and this is discussed in more depth 
  in the conclusion.
  When Mortis Thule emerged from 
  the Warp (at the end of Chapter II), it 
  did so on the outskirts of the Karlack 
  System, the single most strategically vital 
  location in the entire Achilus Crusade. 
  Mortis Thule was disgorged from 
  the Immaterium far within 
  the system’s stable jump 
  points, 
  and 
  the 
  stresses imposed 
  upon 
  its 
  vast, 
  conglomerate bulk 
  were so immense that 
  one part of it is in the 
  process of breaking 
  away even as the Space 
  Hulk arrows towards the 
  system’s inner regions.
  83
  83
  is truly cursed and that its fell reputation as a harbinger 
  of doom is well deserved. When it emerged from the 
  Immaterium, the Space Hulk did so on the outskirts of 
  a system controlled by the forces of the Imperium, and 
  it is heading towards 
  one of the system’s 
  worlds like a 
  OF L
  OF L
  OF
  OST SOULS
  LS
  L  adventure. The Game Master is provided 
   adventure. The Game Master is provided 
  with an overview of the situation inside and outside of 
  with an overview of the situation inside and outside of 
  Mortis Thule, allowing him to plan for all eventualities. 
  , allowing him to plan for all eventualities. 
  Mortis Thule, allowing him to plan for all eventualities. 
  Mortis Thule
  Details of the ﬁnal confrontation with an old enemy 
  Details of the ﬁnal confrontation with an old enemy 
  are presented, but even when this is resolved the Kill-
  are presented, but even when this is resolved the Kill-
  team must still ﬁnd a way off of the Space Hulk as 
  team must still ﬁnd a way off of the Space Hulk as 
  the section they are in begins to sheer off of the main 
  the section they are in begins to sheer off of the main 
  bulk and threatens to lay waste to the world below. 
  bulk and threatens to lay waste to the world below. 
  In addition to these trials and tribulations, there 
  In addition to these trials and tribulations, there 
  is one ﬁnal twist, provided by the Kill-team’s stricken 
  is one ﬁnal twist, provided by the Kill-team’s stricken 
  Watch-Captain, who awakens at the very moment of 
  Watch-Captain, who awakens at the very moment of 
  the adventure’s climax.
  DEATH FROM BEYOND 
  OM BEYOND 
  FROM BEYOND 
  FR
  THE HORIZON
  RIZON
  R
  The following overview of the “big picture” 
  The following overview of the “big picture” 
  is provided for the Game Master’s beneﬁt 
  is provided for the Game Master’s beneﬁt 
  and much of it may not be discovered by 
  and much of it may not be discovered by 
  the Kill-team, at least until some time 
  the Kill-team, at least until some time 
  after the adventure is concluded. The 
  after the adventure is concluded. The 
  Game Master is, of course, free to 
  Game Master is, of course, free to 
  expand on these details or 
  expand on these details or 
  to change them in any way 
  to change them in any way 
  he sees ﬁt. In addition, the 
  he sees ﬁt. In addition, the 
  events that unfold during 
  events that unfold during 
  the ﬁnal stage of 
  the ﬁnal stage of A
  SOULS might very well serve as a 
   might very well serve as a 
  springboard for future adventures, 
  springboard for future adventures, 
  and this is discussed in more depth 
  and this is discussed in more depth 
  in the conclusion.
  When Mortis Thule emerged from 
   emerged from 
  Mortis Thule emerged from 
  Mortis Thule
  the Warp (at the end of Chapter II
  Chapter II
  did so on the outskirts of the Karlack 
  did so on the outskirts of the Karlack 
  System, the single most strategically vital 
  System, the single most strategically vital 
  location in the entire Achilus Crusade. 
  location in the entire Achilus Crusade. 
  Mortis Thule was disgorged from 
   was disgorged from 
  Mortis Thule was disgorged from 
  Mortis Thule
  the Immaterium far within 
  the Immaterium far within 
  the system’s stable jump 
  the system’s stable jump 
  points, 
  and 
  the 
  points, 
  and 
  the 
  stresses imposed 
  stresses imposed 
  upon 
  its 
  vast, 
  upon 
  its 
  vast, 
  conglomerate bulk 
  conglomerate bulk 
  were so immense that 
  were so immense that 
  one part of it is in the 
  one part of it is in the 
  process of breaking 
  process of breaking 
  away even as the Space 
  away even as the Space 
  Hulk arrows towards the 
  Hulk arrows towards the 
  system’s inner regions.
  system’s inner regions.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  84
  When Mortis Thule emerged in the Karlack System, it set off the 
  highest level of response the crusade forces were able to mount. 
  The insertion point was well within the system’s defence perimeter, 
  meaning that it bypassed a great many of the early-warning 
  monitors stationed on the outer verges and tasked with detecting 
  threats inbound from the stable jump points. The ﬁrst sign of the 
  Space Hulk’s sudden and portentous appearance was when Karlack’s 
  primary Astropathic Choir, the most important communications 
  node in the entire Jericho Reach, was struck by an unprecedented 
  wave of ætheric phenomena. The choir was at that moment attended 
  by over a thousand of the most experienced Astropaths in the entire 
  crusade, but every one of them was struck down in an instant as 
  Mortis Thule ripped its way through the thin layer separating reality 
  from the Warp so close to their world. The lucky ones were merely 
  deafened by the daemonic howls that accompanied the appearance, 
  the choir’s systems automatically plunging them into a coma for their 
  own beneﬁt, but more importantly to protect itself from what could 
  emerge should their souls be compromised. Many suffered fatal 
  bio-feedback shunts and were boiled alive in their own superheated 
  blood. The most unfortunate saw their doom coming for them, their 
  screams of damnation and denial added to the cacophonous howls 
  of the Warp as their souls were torn to shreds.
  The instant Karlack’s primary Astropathic Choir was struck 
  down, the system’s defence status escalated to its second highest 
  tier as every augur array and piquet vessel in the entire system was 
  tasked with identifying any and every possible threat. The Warp 
  insertion point was identiﬁed within the hour, though three senior 
  Navigators of House Bellisarius died divining its exact coordinates. 
  Five hours later, a squadron of system defence monitors detected 
  the Space Hulk’s probability wake and extrapolated its likely 
  course. Two hours after setting out to track the Space Hulk’s 
  wake, the defence monitors detected its unmistakable return and 
  conﬁrmed its trajectory. The instant the information was passed 
  on to the system’s defence command, Karlack’s alert status was 
  escalated to its highest possible level. Imperial Navy logisters set 
  to the task of comparing the Space Hulk’s augur silhouette with 
  those in the extensive archives, but in truth all knew that doing so 
  was nothing more than a matter of protocol. It was obvious to all 
  that the sheer size of the Space Hulk meant that it could only be 
  that most dire of threats—the dreaded Mortis Thule.
  As if the identiﬁcation of the largest Space Hulk at the 
  heart of the lynchpin system of the Achilus Crusade was not 
  terrible enough, what followed soon after caused the entire high 
  command strategium to fall into stunned silence. Mortis Thule, the 
  logisters announced with cold certainly, was locked on a trajectory 
  that would see it pass within a hundred-thousand kilometres of 
  Karlack’s capital world, the planet they themselves were on and 
  from which the entire Achilus Crusade was conducted.
  Karlack’s high commanders ordered every warship in the system 
  to intercept the massive Space Hulk, but they knew that even the 
  massed ﬁre power of the entire Imperial ﬂeet would stand little 
  chance of inﬂicting enough damage to destroy it before it closed 
  on the world. Nevertheless, those vessels able to do so were ordered 
  to converge on Mortis Thule, and it was as the ﬁrst did so and visual 
  scanning was at last possible that a new fact became known.
  The lead vessel saw and reported that a large segment of the 
  Space Hulk was in the process of breaking off of the main mass, 
  and it was soon realised that this might have a drastic effect on the 
  Space Hulk’s trajectory. The ﬁnest minds the Adeptus Mechanicus 
  could assemble pored over the data in punishing detail, utilising 
  cogitation routines so arcane the ancient data-stacks required 
  blood to process them and unsealing long forbidden computation 
  formulas. It took the cogitators just over an hour to compute the 
  conclusion that, should the segment break loose from the Space 
  Hulk, its trajectory would be altered just enough to guarantee it 
  would not slam into the planet Karlack and destroy everything on 
  its surface. There was one issue, however, and that was the fact that 
  the segment itself would still plummet through space to impact 
  with Karlack, and while total devastation would be averted, millions 
  would nonetheless be consumed in the ensuing destruction.
  The highest-ranked masters of the Achilus Crusade 
  convened, but ultimately it was Warmaster Tetrarchus who 
  issued the ﬁnal order. All available warships were to converge 
  their ﬁre upon the compromised section of the Space Hulk in 
  an effort to dislodge it, and in so doing save Karlack.
  And thus it is that, as the Kill-team races for the escape 
  point, the vessels of the Imperial Navy and the Karlack System 
  Defence force close in to deliver the ﬁrst of their barrages. 
  Unaware of the Battle-Brothers’ presence, the vessels intend 
  to pound the area with enough ship-to-ship ordnance to sink 
  a continent. Unfortunately, their intended target happens to 
  be the exact location the Kill-team is attempting to access.
  The conclusion of ARK OF LOST SOULS takes place as Mortis 
  Thule closes on Karlack and the comprised segment is targeted 
  by the warships in order to alter the Space Hulk’s trajectory. 
  The Kill-team’s only hope of escape is to be found in the very 
  region that is to be bombarded, but the bombardment cannot 
  and will not be delayed.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  85
  Countdown  
  to Doom!
  T
  he ﬁnal act is played out as a series of scenes, each a challenge 
  that the Kill-team must overcome if it is to prevail. Unknown 
  to the players at the outset, the Kill-team actually has an 
  opportunity to avert total disaster and stop the falling fragment of 
  the Space Hulk from plummeting to the surface of Karlack. There 
  is a cost, however, and one that the wider Imperium may never 
  know of. One must remain on the fragment as it detaches itself from 
  the Space Hulk, sacriﬁcing the life of one bold champion of the 
  Emperor that countless mortals may survive to continue His wars.
  The events of the ﬁnal passage are presented as a timeline, through 
  which the Game Master should proceed as fast as he is able. The 
  more pace and tension the Game Master can bring to the game play, 
  the more exciting the ﬁnal scene will be, so it is suggested he prepare 
  by familiarising himself with the events and the various mechanics, 
  Skill Tests and the likes that may come up throughout it. The same 
  is true of the players, of course, as they have as important a part to 
  play in the smooth running of the game as the GM. Ideally, the 
  entire group should be on the edge of its seats throughout the entire 
  climax, just like they would be when viewing the last ﬁve minutes 
  of a Hollywood blockbuster. The great thing about roleplaying is, 
  of course, that the players are far from passive spectators—they are 
  integral to the story and their decisions determine how it all ends.
  EVENT 1: SPACE QUAKE
  As the Kill-team presses on towards the exit point, the ground 
  beneath their feet starts to tremble and soon the very fabric of 
  the Space Hulk is trembling as a deep, groaning roar thunders 
  through the tunnels. Loose debris falls from overhead and the 
  air pressure drops dramatically.
  The Kill-team must overcome a Standard Obstacle as they 
  make their way to the exit point. At this point the Game Master 
  should use the Calamity rules found on page 98 of the Space 
  Hulk Mission Generator in Chapter IV. This standard 
  Obstacle requires ﬁve Tests at a difﬁculty of Hard (–20). The 
  Battle-Brothers may use their choice of Acrobatics, Dodge, or 
  Toughness for these Tests. This Obstacle represents the roiling, 
  pitching ground beneath the Battle-Brothers’ feet and the falling 
  debris as they make their way to the exit. When the Battle-
  Brothers achieve two Successful Tests, proceed to Event 2. 
  EVENT 2: XENOS FRENZY
  At this point the Space Marines start to hear the unmistakable 
  sound of Tyranid organisms howling in rage. Stirred to a frenzy 
  by whatever forces are at work in the Space Hulk, the xenos 
  seek any enemy they can, acting purely on their alien instinct.
  The Kill-team encounters a Magnitude (40) horde of 
  Hormagaunts when they achieve their second Success to 
  overcome the Obstacle ﬁrst presented in Event 1. Proﬁles for 
  these adversaries can be found on page 371 of the DEATHWATCH 
  Core Rulebook. When the Kill-team achieves their fourth 
  Success, they encounter a Magnitude (30) Horde of Vectori-
  Strain Genestealers. Proﬁles for these adversaries can be 
  found on page 131 of the Appendix. When the Kill-team 
  overcomes the Obstacle, upon achieving their ﬁfth Success, 
  proceed to Event 3. Remember, this part of the adventure is 
  all about tension and pace, so GMs are encouraged to alter 
  the encounters as necessary to keep the action moving. 
  EVENT 3: DESTRUCTION 
  ALL ABOUT
  Two minutes out from the escape point, the Space Marines are 
  almost thrown from their feet as the tunnel they are passing 
  along is wrenched in two, tonnes of debris spilling through 
  the tortured ceiling. The screams of maddened Tyranid 
  monstrosities is audible even over the grinding of megatons 
  of rock and metal being subjected to unimaginable forces.
  So violent is the effect of the fragment of the Space 
  Hulk they are in breaking off from the main bulk of Mortis 
  Thule that the Tyranids do not attack them even if they ﬁnd 
  themselves running along the same corridor. The Kill-team 
  must overcome a Standard Peril to avoid massive injury 
  during the cataclysm of their escape. From this point the 
  Game Master should use the Calamity rules found on page 
  98 of the Space Hulk Mission Generator in Chapter IV. 
  This Standard Peril requires ﬁve Tests at a difﬁculty of Hard 
  (–20). The Battle-Brothers may use their choice of Acrobatics, 
  Dodge, or Toughness for these Tests. This Peril represents 
  the collapsing tunnels and ﬂying debris as the mass of the 
  Space Hulk is torn asunder. When the Kill-team overcomes 
  this Peril, proceed to Event 4. 
  OPTIONAL EVENT: THE EMPEROR’S GAZE RETURNED
  If he wishes, the Game Master can insert an additional event into the very last scene. This event harkens back to The 
  Emperor’s Gaze and the circumstances of the Space Marines’ interactions with the survivors. In that passage, a small group 
  of survivors set out for the escape point, and the remnants of this group can make a reappearance here if the GM wishes. 
  Exactly what part this group plays in the ﬁnal scene is left open, but here are a few ideas:
  The survivors appear in the launch bay, pursued by Tyranid Genestealer organisms, and beg to join the Space Marines 
  •	
  on the Arvus lighter. The Lighter has only twelve berths (plus the pilot’s station) so space is limited. The Space 
  Marines may rescue the survivors from the pursuing creatures and allow them on to the shuttle.
  The survivors arrive on the scene and, at the sight of the Space Marines boldly ﬁghting the Tyranids, join in the battle. Perhaps 
  •	
  their efforts distract the xenos long enough for the Watch-Captain to break free and head off for the engineering deck.
  The survivors arrive too late and, seeing the shuttle depart, kneel nobly in prayer. The Space Marines might attempt 
  •	
  to turn back and rescue them, or they might decide it is too late to do so, depending on the players.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  86
  EVENT 4: A CHANCE  
  OF DELIVERANCE
  As the destruction of the fabric of the Space Hulk reaches a 
  screaming crescendo, the Kill-team passes into a region that is 
  clearly the interior of an Imperial Navy vessel, and one that is still 
  under power. Though not operating at its full capacity, it is evident 
  by the number of functioning command terminals and lumens that 
  this vessel’s plasma core must still be online. Moments later, the 
  Kill-team comes upon a huge blast door, the sigils stencilled upon 
  it proclaiming the area beyond to be “Launch Bay Delta 2.’
  Opening the portal requires a Hard (–20) Security or Tech-
  Use Test because the vessel’s systems are not fully online, but 
  it can also be opened with a Very Hard (–30) Strength Test, 
  which two Battle-Brothers may combine their efforts to attempt. 
  The scene beyond the hatch is one to ﬁll the Battle-
  Brothers’ hearts with hope. The launch bay’s far wall is open 
  to space, its atmospheric ﬁeld still operational. Though the 
  hardpan is strewn with debris and the scars of war, a launch 
  cradle hangs intact above and in its mechanical claws is an 
  Arvus lighter, a small utility shuttle that must surely be as 
  welcome a sight as a Thunderhawk Gunship!
  The Space Marines must activate the cradle’s launch cycle in 
  order to lower the shuttle to the hardpan so they may board it. 
  This requires a Very Hard (–30) Tech-Use Test, and once passed 
  the launch cradle grinds into motion as the shuttle is lowered.
  EVENT 5: ENTER THE 
  IMPERIAL NAVY
  Before the Arvus lighter is fully lowered, another sight catches 
  the Space Marines’ eyes. Through the open launch bay a vast 
  form comes into view. At ﬁrst they can make no sense of the sight 
  for it appears as if a metal cliff face is passing across the open 
  bay. Then realisation hits; the form is that of an Imperial Navy 
  vessel pulling alongside. As they look on, the forms of individual 
  weapons turrets become evident against the impossibly thick, 
  scarred, and corroded armour of the warship.
  It is possible that at this point the Space Marines might attempt to 
  contact the warship. This is perfectly possible from the launch bay’s 
  command terminal and requires a successful Hard (–20) Tech-Use 
  Test. Having made the vox system operational, however, the Space 
  Marine must convince the receiving station who he is by way of a 
  successful Very Hard (–30) Command Test. Having done that, 
  the Space Marine is patched through to the vessel’s executive ofﬁcer 
  and may communicate however the players wish.
  The most obvious thing for the players to attempt is to 
  tell the ofﬁcer who they are and to request his aid in rescuing 
  them. However, this is not possible, because the ofﬁcer has far 
  greater concerns than even the lives of a Deathwatch Kill-team. 
  He knows, as the Space Marines do not, that the part of the 
  Space Hulk that they are on is breaking away from the main 
  bulk and that if it can be blasted clear, Mortis Thule’s course will 
  be altered and Karlack saved from total destruction. The Game 
  Master should use the ofﬁcer to communicate as much of this 
  information as he likes, keeping in mind the need to keep the 
  story racing along at an exciting pace. Ultimately, the ofﬁcer 
  informs the Space Marines that they must get clear as soon as 
  they are able because his ship’s guns are about to open ﬁre in an 
  effort to separate the fragment from the Space Hulk. 
  Before closing the vox link, the ofﬁcer commends the 
  Battle-Brothers’ bravery, and if he has not done so already, 
  informs them that his ship’s actions will save countless lives 
  and rescue the Achilus Crusade from a setback it might not 
  otherwise be able to recover from. Even with his actions, 
  thousands, possibly millions will still die as the fragment will 
  still plummet to the surface of Karlack. Better that millions, 
  die the ofﬁcer states, than the entire crusade falter.
  EVENT 6: DE DOMINOVA 
  AWAKENS
  Not long after the vox link is closed, the Space Marines witness the 
  broadside batteries on the warship opening wide, but in the sudden 
  silence they hear a coughing sound from behind them. Turning, they 
  see that Watch-Captain de Dominova is regaining consciousness 
  despite the incredible injuries he has suffered. Through blood-
  ﬂecked lips he demands to know what is happening, his strength 
  of purpose and formidable command ability showing through even 
  in his mortally wounded condition.
  The Game Master should allow the group an opportunity 
  to interact with the Watch-Captain, the Arvus lighter taking 
  what seems like an age to lower from its stowed position 
  overhead as they do so.
  EVENT 7: BROADSIDE
  Almost the exact moment the shuttle reaches the hardpan, the 
  view through the launch bay portal erupts with blinding ﬁre as 
  the warship unleashes its ﬁrst broadside against the Space Hulk. 
  A second later, a dozen shells the size of battle tanks slam into 
  the Space Hulk’s ﬂanks, the force of their detonation causing 
  the deck beneath the Space Marines’ feet to pitch violently.
  The Game Master should allow the players only a few 
  seconds to react, before pressing on with his description of 
  the rapidly unfolding events. Before the smoke of the ﬁrst 
  broadside has cleared, the warship unleashes a second, and this 
  time the effect is even more drastic. The entire launch bay is 
  shaken violently as the fragment begins to tumble away from 
  Mortis Thule. The view through the launch bay door changes 
  drastically as the warship swings out of view, to be replaced by 
  the sight of the planet Karlack. If they were in any doubt before, 
  now the Space Marines are confronted with the truth of the 
  naval ofﬁcer’s words. The planet is so close its surface ﬁlls the 
  entire scene, mountains, valleys and the formidable fortresses of 
  the planet visible even from thousands of kilometres overhead. 
  Whatever course of action the Space Marines are attempting, 
  it is obvious that the warship’s mission was successful. The 
  fragment of Mortis Thule they are on has been torn from the 
  Space Hulk’s mass, which although now out of sight must surely 
  be sweeping past Karlack at an impossibly close, but nonetheless 
  safe distance. The fragment however is tumbling straight towards 
  a massive dark stain upon the surface of Karlack, a stain that can 
  only be one of its numerous fortress complexes. 
  The world might be saved, but that fortress is still home 
  to hundreds of thousands of Imperial Guardsmen and other 
  devoted servants of the crusade. 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  87
  EVENT 8: THE CHOICE
  The Kill-team now has the opportunity to depart, but there is 
  one choice to make, and one more enemy to face before it may 
  do. The choice is whether or not to attempt to intervene and save 
  the fortress city below. This can be achieved by powering up the 
  tender’s plasma drives and using them to steer the entire fragment 
  of the Space Hulk clear of the fortress. The fragment will still crash 
  into the surface, but hundreds of thousands of lives will be saved 
  in the process. The cost, of course, is that the Space Marine that 
  undertakes this task will die in the process, as he cannot possibly 
  get clear in time having ﬁred up the tender’s drives. 
  This course of action may not be immediately evident to the 
  players, especially with their minds focused on all of the other threats 
  they are faced with. If none of the players think to avert the disaster, 
  the Game Master could allow them each to make a Difﬁcult (–10) 
  Logic Test to have something of the idea occur to them, although 
  this might be a little too mechanical for the tastes of some. 
  A better solution, and a suitably dramatic one, is to 
  have the mortally injured Watch-Captain order the players 
  to depart while he staggers to his feet and heads off in the 
  direction of the engineering deck. Before leaving he ensures 
  that the Kill-team are in possession of the relic weapon he 
  was delivering before the Argent Crusader was lost to the Warp, 
  and commends them for their bravery in delivering him this 
  far. With that, he is gone, whether or not the Battle-Brothers 
  attempt to stop him. The Space Marine handed the weapon 
  might very well ﬁnd a use for it in the closing scene, and 
  doing so would be very dramatic indeed.
  Again, some Game Masters might not ﬁnd the idea of an NPC 
  playing such a pivotal role in the climax of an adventure to their 
  tastes. In this case, there is nothing wrong with allowing the Kill-
  team to depart on the shuttle, but before they can do so they must 
  face the aforementioned enemy and ﬁght their way clear.
  There is, of course, one last possibility. Should he wish, one 
  of the Player Characters could sacriﬁce himself and be the one to 
  activate the tender’s plasma drives and save the fortress complex. 
  This most certainly counts as a Heroic Sacriﬁce as discussed on 
  page 271 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook, and should be 
  rewarded with a substantial beneﬁt in addition to the character’s 
  name being spoken of in awed tones in future adventures.
  The enemy that must be faced is the Beast of Thule, confronted 
  in Chapter I, which reappears at this very moment at the head 
  of a massive horde of screeching, maddened xenos abominations. 
  If the Watch-Captain or a Player Character has headed out to 
  activate the plasma drives, then the remainder must provide them 
  with covering ﬁre, although the xenos do not actually stop the 
  hero performing his duty (though the players do not know this, 
  of course). If the Kill-team is making for the shuttle, it must 
  ﬁght its way through an endless tide of Tyranid creatures, best 
  represented by successive waves of Hordes—of Magnitudes of 
  at least 50 or more—of Genestealers, Hormagaunts, Termagants, 
  and Ripper Swarms. Depending on the relative power level of 
  the Kill-team, the Game Master is encouraged to make this a 
  serious threat for the Battle-Brothers. If the Game Master has 
  access to the DEATHWATCH supplement, MARK OF THE XENOS, 
  he may wish to mix individual Tyranid Warriors and Raveners 
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  88
  among the more mundane Tyranids to give the players pause. 
  Remember, though, that the Beast of Thule is the true nemesis of 
  this adventure, and should be appropriately threatening. 
  Regardless of events, the Beast of Thule throws itself at the 
  Kill-team and must be killed before the shuttle can depart. 
  There is no way the Arvus can launch with the creature still 
  alive, as it makes every attempt to attack them and the shuttle 
  in its maddened desire for survival.
  The End
  T
  he Beast of Thule defeated or somehow evaded, all 
  that remains is for the Kill-team to escape via the 
  Arvus shuttle. Doing so requires the Space Marine 
  piloting it to make a Punishing (–50) Pilot Test, but 
  the results are not used to determine if the shuttle makes 
  it clear, but rather how it does so. If the test is passed, the 
  Arvus makes it clear in spectacular style and may come in to 
  land anywhere the pilot wishes, from the launch bay of the 
  warship to the surface below. If the test is failed, the shuttle 
  still escapes, but in less impressive fashion. Consult Table 
  3–1: Crash Landing to determine the effect.
  As the shuttle actually leaves the tender’s launch bay, 
  the Game Master should read aloud or paraphrase the 
  following description, and then select one of the two final 
  descriptions that follow it. The first assumes that someone 
  (either the Watch-Captain or one of the Kill-team) stayed 
  behind to activate the tender’s plasma drives, saving the 
  fortress below in the process. The second description is 
  to be used if the tender’s plasma drives were not activated 
  for whatever reason.
  The view through the tender’s launch bay portal is now entirely ﬁlled 
  with the sight of the surface of the planet Karlack, details of mountains, 
  valleys, and a vast fortress complex looming impossibly close. The 
  shuttle’s engines ﬁre up as the launch cradle lurches violently forward. 
  The launch bay shakes as a tortured grinding wail screams out from the 
  rock and metal all around, loose debris falling from above.
  As the engines reach full power, ﬂames erupt from all around and a 
  Tyranid’s clawed hand scratches at the cockpit armourglass. Then, 
  the launch cycle is complete, the cradle releases its grip on the shuttle 
  and it powers forward through licking ﬂame and tumbling debris, 
  the Tyranid creature hanging on from the cockpit for a few seconds 
  more before being knocked clear by a chunk of falling metal.
  A second later, the shuttle is powering through the open launch bay 
  portal and out into open space. In that moment you witness how 
  utterly vast Mortis Thule truly is, the shuttle an insigniﬁcant 
  mote of dust in the shadow of a twisted mass of rock and metal at 
  least as vast as a continent. Tumbling inexorably away from the 
  vast bulk of the Space Hulk is the detached fragment from which 
  you have just escaped, the Imperial Navy tender that saved you 
  visibly melded to its rocky mass.
  Even as the shuttle arrows away from the Space Hulk, one last 
  spectacle awaits…
  Table 3–1: Crash Landing
  DoS Result
  1
  The shuttle sustains damage from the halo of 
  debris surrounding the fragment of the Space 
  Hulk, but despite being violently buffeted 
  is able to limp to the nearest Imperial Navy 
  warship and dock in its primary launch bay.
  2
  The shuttle makes it clear of the fragment, but 
  too late for it to climb back into orbit. It must 
  be landed on the surface of Karlack, either at 
  the fortress complex the Kill-team’s actions 
  have just saved, or elsewhere.
  3
  As above, but the pilot is barely able to land the 
  shuttle and has no control as to where it comes 
  down. The shuttle settles safely, but in a remote 
  and mountainous region of Karlack. No injuries 
  are sustained in the landing but the Kill-team 
  must travel to the nearest Imperial fort on foot, 
  which takes at least three days.
  4
  As above, except the shuttle is wrecked and any 
  passengers other than the Space Marines are 
  seriously injured, the exact effects of which are 
  left up to the Game Master to determine.
  5+
  As above, except the landing is spectacularly 
  botched, resulting in the Space Marines themselves 
  sustaining substantial injuries and any other 
  passengers being killed. The exact nature of any 
  injuries is left up to the GM to determine.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  89
  The following should read if the fortress was saved: 
  The shuttle travels no more than a few kilometres before 
  nucleonic fire flares to blinding light on the side of the tumbling 
  fragment. Your heart swells with pride at the knowledge that 
  the mission to fire up the tender’s plasma drive was successful. 
  With painful slowness, the tumbling fragment alters course, 
  its leading edge aglow with the fires of re-entry. You watch 
  enthralled as the fragment is transformed into a burning 
  meteor, a fiery harbinger not of death, but of salvation. The 
  fragment ploughs on through orbital space, down through the 
  atmosphere, layer upon layer of its mass stripped away to feed 
  the fires of its own doom. 
  At the last, what remains of the fragment smashes into the 
  surface of Karlack, concentric waves of bright devastation 
  circling outwards from the impact point. Columns of fire ride 
  high into the atmosphere, to be followed no doubt by megatons 
  of debris and dust. But that is for the Adepts of the Machine 
  God to contain, for you know the fortress below was saved. 
  Countless thousands of the Emperor’s warriors are saved from 
  a pointless death, and may now go out into the warzones of 
  the Jericho Reach and deliver Humanity from the taint of 
  Chaos and the xenos. 
  The following should be read or paraphrased if the tender’s 
  plasma drives were not activated: 
  As your shuttle streaks away from the Space Hulk, all is cast into 
  darkness as the tumbling fragment blasted clear by the Imperial 
  Navy passes directly overhead. As it moves inexorably by, the sight of 
  Mortis Thule is revealed in its full unearthly splendour. The Space 
  Hulk is clearly moving away from the planet, its trajectory altered by 
  the change in mass just enough to cause it to sheer away, but the cost 
  of saving the entire world is revealed to you even as you look on. The 
  fragment’s leading edge begins to glow white as it is transformed into 
  a shooting star, a ﬂaming sword of Damocles aimed directly at the 
  huge fortress complex far below, and the hundreds of thousands of 
  bold servants of the Emperor that occupy it.
  How you choose to honour the deaths of these innocents is your choice. 
  Perhaps you watch the entire spectacle to the last, bearing witness as the 
  fortress is consumed in ﬁre and fury as countless lives are snuffed out in 
  an instant. Perhaps you look away, and meet the gaze of your wounded 
  Watch-Captain as he mouths a silent prayer to the souls even now 
  taking their place in the ranks of the Emperor’s eternal, deathless hosts.
  Whichever is the case, brethren of the Deathwatch, give thanks that 
  your mission may now be completed, the relic and your Watch-Captain 
  are saved, and you are at last free of the dark grip of Mortis Thule.
  For now…
  THE FATE OF WATCH-CAPTAIN DE DOMINOVA
  If Watch-Captain de Dominova saved the fortress by heading off to activate the tender’s plasma drives, the 
  players no doubt have every reason to assume he is lost. However, de Dominova is an established Deathwatch 
  NPC, and so killing him off in this adventure could cause problems for the Game Master if he reappears later 
  on. While the GM could simply rename any Watch-Captain and present him as a different character, a far more 
  engaging solution would be to hint that de Dominova somehow survived, without saying how. This would 
  surely escalate the heroic Watch-Captain to a figure of epic proportions in the eyes of the Player Characters, 
  exemplifying the notion that for one utterly dedicated to his duty, even certain death is but another in a long 
  line of challenges to be overcome.
  Taking this idea further, the Game Master might decide not to inform the players of the Watch-Captain’s fate 
  at all, but to have him appear in a future mission entirely unannounced. Perhaps he appears to deliver a mission 
  briefing, or arrives at an extraction point with reinforcements and rescues the Kill-team from overwhelming 
  odds. The GM can have a huge amount of fun with the Watch-Captain, turning him into a figure the players 
  hold in equal parts awe and disbelief.
  
  III: Darkness at the Core
  90
  Debrief
  A
  ll that remains after the Kill-team’s escape from 
  Mortis Thule is to tidy up any loose ends and inform 
  them of what happened in orbit and on the ground, 
  especially if they were forced to make a crash landing in the 
  wastes of Karlack and only return to base some time later.
  The main point to communicate is that Mortis Thule’s 
  trajectory was sufﬁciently altered by the fragment being 
  blasted clear that Karlack saved. The Space Hulk passed the 
  planet by at an impossibly close distance and was then “sling-
  shotted” out of orbit. As it powered away, all available 
  warships were ordered to pursue and to hammer it with 
  every weapon they could bring to bear, but no such 
  engagement was possible. Even as the vengeful warships 
  closed on the Space Hulk, its vast form was consumed by 
  the energies of the Warp as it was sucked back into the 
  raging depths of the Immaterium once more. It is assumed 
  that the Space Hulk remains in the Warp, for now at 
  least, or else it has re-materialised far from any world of 
  the Imperium and is wreaking havoc on the enemies of 
  Mankind. Initial planning is underway even now to launch 
  a mission to locate the Space Hulk and to act upon the 
  intelligence the Player Characters obtained.
  In addition to the status of Mortis Thule, the Game 
  Master should review any other plot points that emerged 
  throughout the adventures. The Kill-team’s original mission 
  was to follow the Watch-Captain into battle against the Tau 
  forces laying siege to Watch Station Antael, a duty that must 
  still be completed, by the Player Characters themselves or 
  another group if they are unable for any reason. 
  Lastly, there is the matter of the optional missions. Whichever 
  threats the Kill-team did not face are still present within Mortis 
  Thule, and must be dealt with soon. Who better to lead a return 
  mission to Mortis Thule than the Player Characters themselves? 
  This is only possible once the Space Hulk makes a reappearance, 
  of course, and that might happen tomorrow, in a year, or never 
  again within their lifetimes.
  Rewards
  W
  hen it comes to awarding Experience and Renown 
  Points, the Game Master should ﬁrst review the 
  Objectives that the players themselves identiﬁed 
  at the beginning of Chapter III. These should be awarded 
  as per the usual rules. In addition to these, the GM should 
  consider the events that unfolded during the climax, as these 
  were not part of the original mission preparation. Table 3–2: 
  Bonus Campaign Experience provides more details.
  TAble 3–2: Bonus Campaign Experience
  Deed
  Experience 
  Awarded
  Saving The Maul of the Gatekeeper
  300 XP
  Saving the Watch-Captain AND 
  averting the destruction of the Fortress 400 XP
  Rescuing any Emperor’s Gaze survivors 
  Emperor’s Gaze survivors 
  Emperor’s Gaze
  that turn up at the end
  150 XP
  Rescuing Navigator Ortellius
  150 XP
  Rescuing Death Cultist Clorr
  150 XP
  Slaying the Beast of Thule
  300 XP
  Realising how to save the fortress 
  without being prompted
  200 XP
  REWARDS
  The Game Master should issue the players the 
  following rewards depending on how they 
  performed throughout the optional mission:
  EXPERIENCE POINTS
  Primary Objective completed: 
  •	
  300 XP
  Each Secondary Objective completed:
  •	
   200 XP
  RENOWN
  Primary Objective completed:
  •	
   1 point.
  All Secondary Objectives completed:
  •	
   1 point.
  In addition, the GM may reward additional Experience 
  Points to reﬂect other aspects of the characters’ 
  performance such as attempts to conserve ammunition 
  and locate more, how selﬂessly they protected Watch-
  Captain de Dominova, how much they considered the 
  dictates of Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero, 
  and general problem solving and roleplaying.
  
  Scale & Threat
  •
  Objectives
  •
  Subplots
  •
  Calamities
  •
  Encounters
  •
  Life Forms
  •
  Hull Type
  •
  Architecture
  •
  Environments
  •
  Warp Effects
  •
  Discoveries
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  92
  Chapter IV: 
  Space Hulk 
  Mission 
  Generator
  “Though it has been lifetimes since I last knew true fear, no 
  undertaking inspires such disquiet, such potent unease of the spirit as 
  to venture onto a Space Hulk. To be alone within the carcasses of the 
  lost, it is the truest test of one’s mettle, and even amongst the mighty 
  Astartes there are those who have not the stomach for it.”
  – Venerable Tiamach, Deathwatch Dreadnought, 
  formerly Keeper of the Solemn Archive
  T
  he imagery of Space Marines battling their way through 
  the cramped and abandoned tunnels of a Space Hulk is 
  an iconic one, and one that represents a challenge both 
  for the Player Characters and for the GM. On the one hand, 
  players might be eager to lay waste to all that opposes them 
  with blade and bolter. On the other hand, Space Hulks are 
  places of cursed desolation, a haunted house, ghost ship, and 
  abandoned city all at once, where support and supplies are 
  scarce at best, and the alien beasts that lurk in the darkness 
  are only part of the peril.
  This chapter provides an assortment of tools for a GM to 
  use to create encounters and missions aboard a Space Hulk. 
  This system is intended to be a starting point for the thought 
  processes, a means to generate the building blocks of a game, 
  and GMs should feel welcome to pick and choose freely from 
  the tables rather than rolling randomly, or to adapt, change, 
  or outright scrap any results they don not feel are appropriate 
  for their games. Using these tables, along with a healthy 
  portion of imagination, GMs should be able to come up with 
  a huge array of potential Space Hulk missions, whether set 
  aboard the dread Mortis Thule as those in this book are, or on 
  a Space Hulk somewhere else in the galaxy.
  The adventures contained within this book refer frequently to 
  this chapter to provide additional details and mission structure. 
  As a result, it is recommended that GMs read this section before 
  attempting to run the ARK OF LOST SOULS adventures.
  How to Use 
  the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator
  “A Space Hulk is unlike any other structure in the void. Once, 
  its constituent parts were distinct ships, but the inﬂuence of the 
  Warp has transformed them into a fused, tangled, and distorted 
  abomination. Expect not the reassuring constancy of power, 
  atmosphere, and gravity, but rather expect these things to be 
  variables, uncertainties as signiﬁcant as an unknown foe. Expect 
  not the conformity of STC patterns, for structures will be stretched 
  and crushed and twisted beyond recognition, and it will not only 
  be vessels of the Imperium that contributed to the Space Hulk’s 
  existence. Be watchful of the forgotten artiﬁce of the Dark Ages of 
  Technology, of the vile works of xenos artisans, and of the deﬁled 
  technologies of the traitor and heretek.”
  – Attributed to Forgemaster Vodrik of 
  Watch Fortress Erioch, 251.M38
  T
  he Space Hulk Mission Generator is divided 
  into a number of sections, which are designed to 
  interlink easily. Two of these sections—Encounters 
  and Calamities—are of greater importance and signiﬁcance 
  to creating a Space Hulk mission, and form the core of the 
  Mission Generator. Every Space Hulk Mission is composed 
  of one or more Encounters and/or Calamities, as these are 
  the basic elements that a mission is composed of. The other 
  sections provide either supplementary detail or add additional 
  complexity to an Encounter or Calamity, ﬂeshing out these 
  basic components in some way. 
  When building a Mission with the Space Hulk Mission 
  Generator, there are a number of steps the GM should 
  follow. At each of these steps, the Game Master can either 
  create the appropriate element himself or he can use the 
  information provided in the relevant section below. The steps 
  are as follows:
  Step 1: Determine Scale & Threat Level
  •	
  Step 2: Determine Objectives
  •	
  Step 3: Determine Subplots (Optional)
  •	
  Step 4: Generate Calamities
  •	
  Step 5: Generate Encounters
  •	
  Step 6: Generate Life Forms
  •	
  Step 7: Generate Hull Type 
  •	
  Step 8: Generate Architecture (Optional)
  •	
  Step 9: Generate Environment (Optional)
  •	
  Step 10: Generate Warp Effects (Optional)
  •	
  Step 11: Generate Discoveries (Optional)
  •	
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  93
  STEP 1: DETERMINE SCALE
  When designing a Space Hulk Mission, the GM should ﬁrst 
  determine the number of signiﬁcant events you wish to include 
  within the mission. This number is the mission’s Scale, which is 
  often referred to in other sections. The GM should then divide 
  the events as desired between Encounters and Calamities. This 
  division can be done in whatever manner the GM wishes, 
  though it is recommended that the GM err toward having 
  more Calamities than Encounters, if only to encourage a feeling 
  of empty desolation within the mission (the Space Hulk could 
  feel as if it is crowded or teeming with life if the GM includes 
  too many Encounters). 
  Missions aboard a Space Hulk vary in difﬁculty and 
  deadliness alike and, as a result it is important to deﬁne this 
  expected difﬁculty in advance so it can inﬂuence the other 
  sections appropriately. The Space Hulk Mission Generator 
  uses a series of broad categories dubbed Threat Level to 
  classify this difﬁculty, and it inﬂuences Encounters, Calamities, 
  and many of the other sections in this chapter signiﬁcantly.
  The ﬁve Threat Level categories are as follows:
  Minima:
  •	
   This mission is not particularly challenging, or is 
  only a brief excursion into the Space Hulk. In either case, it is 
  not particularly taxing on resources or the Battle-Brothers.
  Minoris:
  •	
   The mission is not simple, but it is not 
  particularly difﬁcult either, and requires some caution 
  and care to complete successfully.
  Majoris:
  •	
   The mission is fairly typical of those aboard a 
  Space Hulk—challenging and potentially deadly to the 
  unwary, incautious, or ill-prepared, but manageable for 
  those who are experienced, skilled, and intelligent.
  Extremis:
  •	
   The mission is highly dangerous and difﬁcult, 
  and might require difﬁcult choices to be made to ensure 
  that limited resources such as ammunition or medical 
  supplies are not expended unnecessarily. The mission 
  may be a particularly long one, delving deep into the 
  Space Hulk’s innards.
  Terminus:
  •	
   Missions of this sort are never to be undertaken 
  lightly, and are taxing for even the most resourceful 
  and puissant of Space Marines. They are long, arduous 
  ventures, involving great peril and deadly foes, and it is 
  not unreasonable to expect some of the Kill-team to be 
  slain in the undertaking of this mission.
  Scale has some inﬂuence over Threat Level, with longer 
  missions being inherently more difﬁcult or dangerous simply 
  because of the scarcity of support or resources—even the ﬁnest 
  warriors cannot continue ﬁghting forever, as lack of supplies 
  and the steadily mounting cost of repeated injuries all take a 
  toll. As a result, any mission with a Scale of 5 or less can have 
  any Threat Level, though Minima or Minoris level missions 
  are likely to be relatively simple and quick affairs. Conversely, 
  a Game Master ought to think long and hard about creating 
  a mission with a Scale of 11 or greater with a Threat Level 
  higher than Majoris or Extremis, for this could be unnecessarily 
  punishing for all but the most experienced Kill-teams. 
  STEP 2: DETERMINE 
  OBJECTIVES
  “Priority Target eliminated; Brother Nidon, prepare the Teleport 
  Homer. All souls, prepare for extraction in two minutes.”
  –Brother-Sergeant Taran, Red Scorpions Chapter, at the 
  conclusion of the scouring of Space Hulk Harbinger of Despair
  The Primary Objective of a Space Hulk mission is, of course, 
  the central purpose behind boarding such a nest of horrors 
  in the ﬁrst place. Even the greed and ambition of the most 
  vainglorious Rogue Trader still requires the promise of wealth 
  and status behind a veil of terror and the threat of fates worse 
  than death. The nature of Space Hulks means that there are a 
  range of potential missions that could take place aboard one, 
  and this section provides a selection of ideas that a Space 
  Hulk Mission could be designed around. There is no random 
  table in this section, merely the provision of a few concepts 
  to serve as a starting point from which many Space Hulk 
  Missions can spring.
  ASSASSINATION
  When dealing with a known target, an Assassination mission 
  is fairly commonplace—amongst many of the foes of the 
  Imperium, the loss of a leader or other unifying presence can 
  be crippling, turning a grave threat into a far less dire one as a 
  united force fractures amidst inﬁghting and confusion. 
  Assassination missions always involve a single potent 
  enemy—normally a commander of some sort, but always 
  a societal, military, or religious focal point. For the Orks, 
  SCALE, THREAT, AND  
  CREATING MISSIONS
  Note that for the purposes of generating Space Hulk 
  missions, Scale and Threat Level are not tied directly 
  to the Creating Missions section on page 272 of 
  the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. However, the GM 
  should take note of the information presented in that 
  section when creating missions using the Space Hulk 
  Mission Generator—particularly to the section titled 
  Setting a Mission’s Difﬁculty. The general rubric 
  for using Scale and Threat when creating Space Hulk 
  Missions is presented in Table 4–1: Scale, Threat, 
  and Mission Difﬁculty. 
  Table 4–1: Scale, Threat,  
  and Mission Difficulty
  P r i m a r y 
  Objective 
  Difﬁculty
  Scale
  Threat Level
  Novice
  1–5
  Minima–Majoris
  Skilled
  6–10
  Any
  Veteran
  11+
  Majoris–Terminus
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  94
  this would usually be a powerful Warboss or a particularly 
  cunning Mekaniak. For the Tyranids, this is almost certainly 
  a Synapse Creature of some kind. For the servants of Chaos, 
  a powerful Champion or Sorcerer could be the target. In any 
  case, such a foe is unlikely to yield easily.
  In game terms, the target is almost always a Master enemy, 
  though he (or she, or it) should never be encountered alone—
  even the mightiest of enemy warlords possess an honour 
  guard, entourage, or retinue of some kind who are immediately 
  at hand, and the legions of followers further aﬁeld. The 
  difﬁculty of such battles is such that the ﬁnal Encounter of 
  an Assassination mission should be rolled as if it were one 
  Threat Level higher than the rest of the mission. To make 
  things more interesting, the Game Master could choose to 
  spread the assassination over several Encounters—with a 
  single Master-level adversary with the Touched by the Fates 
  Trait, burning a Fate Point at the end of each Encounter as it 
  is defeated and retreats, only to face the Kill-team in battle 
  once again (restored to full Wounds, of course, and perhaps 
  with other tricks).
  EXTERMINATION
  A simpler prospect than the precision of an assassination 
  mission, Extermination missions are no less challenging 
  to overcome. Requiring nothing less than the thorough 
  extermination of every detectable threat within the Space 
  Hulk, these missions can, in some cases, take days or 
  weeks of forays into the depths of the Space Hulk, and in 
  the most extreme cases can require the efforts of dozens 
  of Space Marines. Such extremes, however, are reserved 
  only for the most massive of infestations, and only when 
  the certainty of personal battle is required over the 
  indiscriminate and imprecise annihilation provided by a 
  naval bombardment.
  Extermination missions focus upon a single enemy force 
  as a target, and the nature of the threat is commonly known 
  in advance—were it not, then none would know to declare 
  an Extermination mission. The enemy force is likely spread 
  over a signiﬁcant area and consists of numerous and powerful 
  creatures—in essence, a force that could be a grave threat if 
  allowed to reach an inhabited world. A signiﬁcant proportion 
  of all Extermination missions are against beings whose 
  hostility and danger to humanity mean that killing them is the 
  only viable and permissible response—but potential heretical 
  threats or the presence of the Daemonic, are also regarded as 
  sufﬁciently dire to warrant extermination of this sort.
  In game terms, an Extermination mission should always 
  be focused around an enemy that is likely to nest or dwell 
  within the Space Hulk. Other explorers—such as Eldar 
  or Tau—are less likely to be known of in advance, and 
  are seldom present within a Space Hulk in the numbers 
  necessary to warrant such thorough purgation. The number 
  of enemies is of particular signiﬁcance to Extermination 
  missions—these are undertakings where the thorough 
  and remorseless slaughter of the enemy is the only viable 
  solution—so the proportion of Encounters compared to 
  Calamities should be increased, and perhaps the number 
  of enemies in each Encounter as well.
  An abundance of combat encounters without variation is 
  likely to get tiresome; changing the circumstances in each 
  Encounter is vital to ensure that players do not get bored of 
  an endless march of foes. Different terrain and environmental 
  conditions can help matters in this regard, as can short-term 
  goals or obstacles that force players to think about something 
  other than the enemy in their sights. A Horde of Troop-
  level enemies that refreshes itself to full Magnitude every 
  Turn unless the source of the reinforcements is blocked, a 
  Discovery that risks being destroyed during the ﬁghting, or 
  a worsening hazard that imperils everything in the chamber 
  as it grows in intensity are all options that a GM has to make 
  encounters different and refocus player attention away from 
  the ﬁghting and to the broader matter of the battle.
  RECONNAISSANCE
  Often, small Deathwatch forces are employed to perform 
  aggressive reconnaissance into perilous areas such as Space 
  Hulks. The primary reason that the Adeptus Astartes are used 
  for this seemingly minor role is simple—few non-Astartes can 
  effectively survive the dangers inherent in exploring a Space 
  Hulk, and fewer can survive while also providing detailed and 
  insightful information for other forces to use. Indeed, there is an 
  ancient adage that says that there is no intel that a Space Marine 
  trusts more than that gained by the eyes of a Battle-Brother.
  Such reconnaissance missions are seldom uneventful. Even 
  empty Space Hulks are rife with dangerous environments and the 
  lingering taint of the Warp, and far too few are entirely empty of 
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  95
  malicious entities hungering for ﬂesh, souls, or battle. Dormant 
  infestations awaken from fragile hibernation at the slightest hint 
  of stimulation, drawn to the prospect of new prey.
  Reconnaissance missions, really, should be considered the 
  baseline of Space Hulk missions—with limited knowledge of 
  what awaits them, a Kill-team should be prepared for anything. 
  Indeed, when planning a campaign focused on a Space Hulk, 
  the earliest missions should tend towards Reconnaissance, 
  as learning about the Space Hulk should always be the ﬁrst 
  priority before any other decisions are made. The speciﬁcs 
  of a Reconnaissance mission are likely to be quite vague and 
  uncertain, but the Primary Objective is invariably simple in 
  concept—venture onboard, identify and discover as much as 
  possible, and make it back alive to pass on that information. 
  As with most things, however, this is easier said than done.
  RECOVERY
  A distinct change from missions of annihilation, Recovery 
  missions focus on a particular object or piece of information 
  that must be retrieved at all costs. Such missions are typically 
  called upon when the location of something precious or 
  vital is discovered, such as the retrieval of long-lost Ordo 
  Malleus relics when the Space Hulk Twilight re-emerged 
  from the Warp in the Calixis Sector. In larger endeavours, 
  Recovery missions are often the task of a single boarding 
  team, occasionally with other teams given Extermination 
  missions to simultaneously draw enemy attention and 
  cleanse the Space Hulk for future exploratory missions.
  In game, every Recovery mission should be centred on 
  a Discovery, determined in Step 11: Discoveries, but far 
  greater in scale—this is not merely something to stumble 
  upon in the dark, but the focal point of the entire mission. 
  If the GM wishes to determine the Discovery randomly, 
  add +40 to this particular roll upon that table, to remove the 
  most petty and inconsequential of discoveries. This, however, 
  should be regarded as a method of last resort—the kinds of 
  objects and information that generate entire missions are too 
  grand and signiﬁcant to be left up to random chance, and 
  should be tailored to the particular themes of a campaign and 
  the inclinations of a given group of players, particularly if 
  the item has signiﬁcance to the home Chapter of one of the 
  Battle-Brothers or one of their long-established allies.
  SABOTAGE
  The idea of sabotage aboard a Warp-tainted agglomeration 
  of derelict starships initially seems to many to be an 
  impossibility—after all, what critical and functional 
  technology would still exist aboard a Space Hulk? The 
  truth of the matter is somewhat more nuanced, however—
  the individual components of a Space Hulk do not make a 
  functioning vessel, certainly, but that is not to say that there 
  is not technology aboard that cannot be disabled for some 
  beneﬁt to the Imperium.
  Though rare, the presence of some powerful device within 
  the heart of a Space Hulk is cause for investigation, with either 
  recovery or annihilation as the ultimate course of action. Ancient 
  and corrupt relics of Dark Age science, including abominable 
  intellects and other technological blasphemies, represent a 
  range of potential targets for sabotage, and the impure science 
  of xenos and the servants of Chaos alike can both produce 
  devices of horriﬁc potential that cannot be allowed to exist.
  In some rare cases, an entire vessel within a Space Hulk 
  or even the Space Hulk itself is the target of such sabotage, 
  with the intention to destroy utterly something that cannot 
  be allowed to exist. The use of hideously powerful munitions, 
  placed at key locations within the Space Hulk, can often 
  achieve what prolonged macrocannon bombardment cannot, 
  shattering the misbegotten vessel using faults and ﬂaws deep 
  within its impossible structure.
  In game terms, a Sabotage mission is likely to contain more 
  Calamities than Encounters—getting close to a particular 
  device, structure, or even vessel is a challenge to be overcome 
  rather than an enemy to be fought. The culmination of the 
  mission is likely to be a Calamity, representing the challenge 
  of reaching the ﬁnal target, placing charges, or otherwise 
  performing the sabotage, and then getting clear. This is not to 
  say that a Sabotage mission is going to be without enemies—
  whether an unwitting infestation, a boarding party seeking 
  the same goal, or a force seeking to protect the mission’s 
  target, foes can abound within a Sabotage mission, often 
  growing more numerous and ﬁerce the closer the Kill-team 
  gets to its Objective.
  The esoteric and often dangerous nature of Sabotage 
  targets within a Space Hulk allows for unusual adversaries to 
  be played up, particularly in the hands of a creative GM—a 
  horde of corrupted servitors, the reawakened legions of an 
  ancient xenos species slumbering at the heart of the Space 
  Hulk, the blasphemy engine that promises to unleash a 
  Daemonic incursion surrounded by screaming cultists, the 
  grand technological artiﬁce of an insane Ork Mekboy, or the 
  forbidden Eldar super-weapon that those enigmatic beings 
  seek to reclaim or destroy—all these, and more, are options for 
  a Sabotage mission aboard a Space Hulk, and an opportunity 
  to truly play up and emphasise the array of forbidden horrors 
  that lurk in the darkness between the stars.
  VANGUARD
  Many Astartes Chapters throughout the history of the 
  Imperium, dating back even to the legendary times of the 
  Great Crusade and the Legiones Astartes, hold some special 
  regard for those who enter battle ﬁrst. To be the tip of the 
  spear, to be the ﬁrst to wet their blades with the blood 
  of the enemy, this is a thing to be prized. Often, it is an 
  honour granted to veteran units, though as frequently others 
  are granted the boon of being ﬁrst to battle as a reward for 
  prior accomplishments or a trial-by-ﬁre. Working with other 
  Imperial forces, or simply by merit of their elite status and 
  capabilities, Deathwatch Kill-teams are asked to serve as a 
  vanguard in a variety of missions, with their efforts paving 
  the way for other forces to arrive.
  Space Hulks are, in this regard, little different from any 
  other type of battleﬁeld—the honour of the vanguard is 
  something highly sought-after, and a duty often given to 
  the most hardened and battle-ready of veterans. However, 
  missions aboard a Space Hulk are often small-scale affairs, 
  only employing a handful of elite squads rather than risking 
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  96
  less-capable units in such deadly environs. In these situations, 
  the role of the vanguard is to swiftly secure their boarding 
  zone and conﬁrm as best they can the intelligence given 
  to them before the mission, usually all within a few short 
  minutes, to ease the arrival of the rest of the force. Boarding 
  Space Hulks is a potentially risky affair, and the vanguard 
  must be ready to confront any threat or challenge that would 
  jeopardise the entire endeavour.
  In game terms, a Vanguard mission should be extremely 
  brief, with a very low Scale. The mission itself serves as a 
  prelude to later conﬂict aboard the Space Hulk, with a single 
  squad working to clear and secure a boarding zone for other 
  squads only minutes behind them. In particular, the unknown 
  conditions of the boarding area and the urgency of doing the 
  job properly should be emphasised, for if a boarding zone is 
  unsuitable, then there is precious little time to call the whole 
  thing off before reinforcements arrive.
  Ideally, a Vanguard mission should be the starting point for 
  larger-scale operations aboard that Space Hulk, with the Kill-
  team regrouping immediately after completing the Vanguard 
  mission to prepare for the next stage of the operation. While 
  serving as the vanguard for other Deathwatch Kill-teams 
  (under the overall command of a Watch-Captain, perhaps) 
  provides a sense of unity and singular purpose to an operation, 
  having the Kill-team as the vanguard for other troops—
  perhaps Stormtroopers, Imperial Navy boarding parties, or 
  Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator—can serve to change the 
  Kill-team’s place in the operation as a whole.
  STEP 3: DETERMINE 
  SUBPLOTS
  “For six centuries we have carried the burden of defeat, the stigma of 
  failure. Now we redeem ourselves.”
  –Captain Raphael of the Blood Angels, during the opening 
  minutes of the assault on the Space Hulk Sin of Damnation
  While none would venture aboard a Space Hulk without 
  some tangible goal to achieve, it is rare that this goal alone is 
  the driving force behind the mission. The Adeptus Astartes 
  are proud warriors with ancient and venerable traditions, and 
  they would be mere machines were it not for these traditions 
  and the warrior spirit they embody. A Space Marine’s strength 
  of purpose is not only bound to the objective at hand, but 
  also to the ties of brotherhood that bind all Astartes, to the 
  legacies of those whose geneseed transformed him and whose 
  wargear he now carries, and to the spiritual and genetic 
  legacies of their Primarchs and their homeworlds.
  It is this spirit that drives a Space Marine to war as much as 
  a sense of duty and it is this spirit that makes him ﬁght all the 
  harder to ensure victory, for nothing less than victory will do.
  This section allows a GM to determine subplots and 
  ideas for personal agendas for a Space Hulk mission, giving 
  a Kill-team an additional goal to achieve and an additional 
  motivation for boarding the Space Hulk. Unlike other sections 
  of this chapter, these are not to be randomly determined, but 
  are rather based on a character’s demeanours. The GM should 
  endeavour to customise the subplots of a Space Hulk mission 
  to the individual characters, and as such this section provides 
  only examples. One subplot should be generated for each 
  member of the Kill-team, and each subplot provides a single 
  Tertiary Objective to be completed by a speciﬁc character. 
  It is a matter of personal honour that only that individual 
  completes the objective.
  VIGILANCE
  The Battle-Brother regards a threat unknown as a threat most 
  perilous, for the unknown is a variable beyond consideration. 
  Above all else, the Battle-Brother seeks to bring deﬁnition to 
  the nature of the enemy, to understand what they are so that 
  the way to defeat them can be determined.
  The Battle-Brother must observe and learn the nature and 
  numbers of his enemy, and gains Kill Markers for every enemy 
  the Kill-team encounters: 1 for every Troop-level Adversary 
  (or for every 5 Magnitude of enemy Hordes), 3 for every Elite 
  Adversary, and 5 for every Master adversary. A total of 25 Kill 
  Markers is required. The Battle-Brother may, as a Half-Action, 
  attempt to analyse his enemies in more detail, requiring a 
  Challenging (+0) Scrutiny or Lore: Forbidden Test of 
  the appropriate type for the enemies faced, or a Hard (–20) 
  Awareness Test. If he succeeds, he earns 1 extra Kill Marker per 
  Degree of Success for that encounter.
  UNITY
  The Emperor created the Imperium to unite Mankind, and 
  the Battle-Brother believes that unity in those who defend 
  the Imperium is a vital cause. To this end, he will stand by his 
  brothers to the ends of existence, and he will not falter in his 
  devotion to them or the Imperium.
  The Battle-Brother’s pursuit of unity is such that the Kill-
  team’s ability to operate as a team is his concern. This objective is 
  completed if the squad does not reach 0 Cohesion at any point 
  during the mission, and if the squad’s ﬁnal Cohesion score at the 
  end of the mission is more than half its original value.
  Table 4–2: Example Subplots
  Demeanour
  Subplot
  Calculating
  Vigilance
  Gregarious
  Unity
  Hot-Blooded
  Challenge
  Studious
  Secrets
  Taciturn
  Adamant
  Pious
  Emperor’s Wrath
  Stoic
  Trial
  Scornful
  Emperor’s Wrath
  Ambitious
  Glory
  Proud
  Vengeance
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
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  CHALLENGE
  The Battle-Brother is eager to test his might and prowess 
  against whatever dwells within the Space Hulk, knowing 
  that such challenges are amongst the truest tests of a Space 
  Marine’s abilities. He will venture into the darkness eagerly, 
  with weapons drawn and ready to spill blood.
  The Battle-Brother seeks a true test of his capabilities and 
  must triumph in combat against whatever dwells within the 
  Space Hulk. By the end of the mission, the Battle-Brother must 
  have slain at least 3 Elite adversaries or one Master adversary. 
  These do not have to be single combat, but the Battle Brother 
  must have struck at least two blows (or one killing blow) and 
  have been attacked by each enemy he faces.
  SECRETS
  Knowledge is power; guard it well. This ancient adage is 
  believed to predate the Imperium, and the Battle-Brother 
  regards those words as ones to shape his existence. The 
  greatest of victories and the most crushing of defeats 
  have been determined as much by knowledge as by faith 
  or skill, and to possess knowledge that your enemies lack 
  is a great advantage over them. By uncovering knowledge 
  and protecting it from all others who would seek it, you 
  preserve that advantage.
  The Battle-Brother must successfully recover at least one 
  Discovery—see Step 11: Discoveries—during the mission.
  ADAMANT
  The Battle-Brother allows his actions to speak for him, 
  choosing to speak only when nothing else can convey the 
  correct meaning. He is stern, silent, and unwavering, stable 
  and certain upon the ﬁeld of battle.
  The Battle-Brother must pass all Willpower Tests (of any 
  kind) he attempts during the mission.
  EMPEROR’S WRATH
  Faith is the Battle-Brother’s shield, fury is the strength in 
  his sword-arm, and hate is his armour against the horrors 
  of the universe. To cleanse such a nest of terrors and 
  monstrosities is a holy act, a demonstration of Mankind’s 
  divine right to rule the stars.
  The Battle-Brother seeks nothing short of the just 
  extinction of his foes, must endeavour to slay as many 
  as possible. He gains Kill Markers for every enemy he 
  personally slays: 1 for every Troop-level Adversary (or 
  every 5 Magnitude removed from an enemy Horde), 5 for 
  every Elite Adversary, and 20 for every Master adversary. 
  He needs 50 kill markers to accomplish his goal.
  TRIAL
  The Battle-Brother endures. This above all else is true, for 
  the Battle-Brother’s will and ﬂesh alike are as adamantium, 
  unyielding in the face of all dangers. In even the most deadly 
  of situations, he survives, and though he may be battered and 
  bloodied by all that this hostile galaxy can throw at him, he is 
  unbroken in spirit and unending in determination.
  The Battle-Brother must survive the mission without 
  Burning a Fate Point.
  GLORY
  To the ambitious, danger is merely the herald of glory, and 
  those who aspire to fame and standing are often those who 
  take the greatest risks, for they believe that to face the greatest 
  perils and triumph is the surest path to glory. The Battle-
  Brother seeks to advance himself, to establish himself as a 
  hero and a champion in the eyes of others, and does not turn 
  aside from the deadliest of threats.
  The Battle-Brother must gain at least 5 Renown during the 
  course of the mission, including any gained from completing 
  mission objectives.
  VENGEANCE
  The Battle-Brother seeks to avenge past wrongs against his 
  brethren and ancestors alike, to wipe away the stain of ancient 
  shames and reignite the ﬂames of ancient glory. Only in the 
  crucible of battle can the legacies he bears be puriﬁed.
  In each Encounter, the Battle-Brother must inﬂict a total 
  number of wounds upon any enemies in that encounter equal to 
  his current Renown. Each point of Magnitude damage inﬂicted 
  to enemy Hordes is equal to 5 wounds.
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
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  STEP 4: GENERATE 
  CALAMITIES
  “Warning: structural integrity of section is impaired. 41% chance of 
  collapse during traverse. Ambient background radiation levels at 16 
  krad and rising—radiation approaching dangerous levels.”
  – Imperial Fists Techmarine Stahl, during the purgation of 
  the Space Hulk Herald of Desolation
  Calamities are the ﬁrst of the two main components of a Space 
  Hulk Mission. Every Calamity is an instance in which the Kill-team 
  ﬁnds its progress hindered, endangered, or imperilled by some 
  environmental circumstance. This could be a simple obstruction 
  that slows an advance or forces a detour, or it could be some great 
  and hazardous condition or event that threatens the Kill-team’s 
  ability to complete the mission, or even their very survival.
  Calamities come in three distinct varieties, deﬁned by 
  their base nature. An Obstacle is some situation which slows, 
  hinders, or forces a decision from the Kill-team. A Hazard is a 
  persistent dangerous situation, which can only be completely 
  avoided or escaped by leaving that area. A Peril is a brief 
  but severe instance in which the surroundings become highly 
  dangerous and must be endured or eluded. See Table 4–3: 
  Calamaty Types by Threat Level on page 99. 
  OBSTACLE
  The Kill-team is hindered by some block in the path—sealed 
  bulkheads, collapsed corridors, barely functioning force ﬁelds, 
  vast crevasses, or some other impediment. Though passable 
  with time and effort, whether through ﬁnding some means 
  of removing the obstacle or navigating an alternative route, it 
  nonetheless impedes progress.
  All obstacles can be circumvented or bypassed after a 
  number of Skill or Characteristic Tests. Each such Test takes 
  several minutes of effort (10 minus the number of Degrees of 
  Success on a successful Test, 11 plus the number of Degrees 
  of Failure on a failed Test). The type of Tests required should 
  be determined by the GM, who should remain open to all 
  manner of creative solutions. The total number of successful 
  Tests required, and the standard difﬁculty of those Tests, is 
  determined by the severity of the Obstacle.
  Minor Obstacles require three successful Tests to bypass, 
  and the standard difﬁculty of such Tests is Difﬁcult (–10). 
  Alternatively, the Obstacle can require ﬁve successful Tests with 
  a standard difﬁculty of Challenging (+0). Minor Obstacles 
  are more annoyances than anything else, posing little more 
  than an inconvenience to a skilled and determined Kill-team.
  Standard Obstacles require either ﬁve successful Tests 
  with a standard difﬁculty of Hard (–20), or seven successful 
  Tests with a standard difﬁculty of Difﬁcult (–10). Standard 
  Obstacles can be time consuming to overcome, but seldom 
  serve as a deterrent to Astartes in the midst of a mission.
  Major Obstacles require either seven successful Tests with 
  a standard difﬁculty of Very Hard (–30), or nine successful 
  Tests with a standard difﬁculty of Hard (–20). To all but the 
  most determined and resourceful of warriors, such an obstacle 
  would spell the end of any endeavour.
  HAZARD
  The Kill-team encounters some persistent, lingering 
  danger—a radiation or chemical leak, an ongoing blaze, 
  an electromagnetic disturbance, or some other threatening 
  circumstance. Similarly impeding to an Obstacle, a Hazard 
  also inﬂicts continual harm upon those caught within it, and 
  it takes time to bypass and fortitude to endure.
  As with an Obstacle, a Hazard can be circumvented after a 
  number of Skill or Characteristic Tests. Each such Test takes 
  several minutes of effort (10 minus the number of Degrees of 
  Success on a successful Test, 11 plus the number of Degrees 
  of Failure on a failed Test). The type of Tests required should 
  be determined by the GM, who should remain open to all 
  manner of creative solutions. The total number of successful 
  Tests required, and the standard difﬁculty of those Tests, is 
  determined by the severity of the Test.
  Where a Hazard differs from an Obstacle is that for every 
  Test attempted—pass or fail—every member of the Kill-team 
  suffers a set amount of Damage determined by the severity 
  of the Hazard. This Damage is reduced by Toughness Bonus 
  and Armour as normal. The type of Damage inﬂicted varies 
  based on the precise nature of the Hazard, though Rending 
  and Energy Damage are the most commonplace. At the GM’s 
  discretion, some hazards can also apply one or more Weapon 
  Qualities to the Damage inﬂicted—commonly applicable 
  Qualities are Flame, Haywire, Shocking, and Toxic.
  Minor Hazards require three successful Tests to bypass, 
  and the standard difﬁculty of such Tests is Difﬁcult (–10). 
  Alternatively, the Hazard can require ﬁve successful Tests with 
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  99
  a standard difﬁculty of Challenging (+0). Minor Hazards 
  inﬂict 1d10+5 Damage with a Pen of 5. Minor Hazards are 
  rarely a concern for the well protected and durable Astartes, 
  but can still pose a threat if not overcome quickly.
  Standard Hazards require either ﬁve successful Tests with 
  a standard difﬁculty of Hard (–20), or seven successful 
  Tests with a standard difﬁculty of Difﬁcult (–10). Standard 
  Hazards inﬂict 1d10+7 Damage with a Pen of 7. Standard 
  Hazards can be deadly to the incautious or ill-equipped, but 
  the Adeptus Astartes are seldom so vulnerable.
  Major Hazards require either seven successful Tests with 
  a standard difﬁculty of Very Hard (–30), or nine successful 
  Tests with a standard difﬁculty of Hard (–20). Major Hazards 
  inﬂict 1d10+9 Damage with a Pen of 9. Major Hazards must 
  be faced quickly and decisively, and only the most resilient 
  and dauntless warriors can hope to endure them.
  PERIL
  The Kill-team encounters some impending grave threat—
  the risk of a collapsing section, a reactor on the verge 
  of breach, a cache of unexploded munitions, or some 
  other immediate danger. A Kill-team must move swiftly 
  and carefully through a perilous area, and while this can 
  impede them, the risk of lingering too long or acting 
  incautiously can prove lethal.
  As with an Obstacle, a Peril can be circumvented after 
  a number of Skill or Characteristic Tests. Each such Test 
  takes several minutes of effort (10 minus the number 
  of Degrees of Success on a successful Test, 11 plus the 
  number of Degrees of Failure on a failed Test) to perform. 
  The type of Tests required should be determined by the 
  GM, who should remain open to all manner of creative 
  solutions. The total number of successful Tests required, 
  and the standard difficulty of those Tests, is determined 
  by the severity of the Test.
  Where a Peril differs from an Obstacle is that for any 
  Test failed, there is a chance of the Peril taking effect. This 
  requires a number of Degrees of Failure determined by the 
  severity of the Peril, and inﬂicts Damage to every member 
  of the Kill-team equal to the severity of the Peril. This 
  Damage is reduced by Toughness Bonus and Armour as 
  normal. The type of Damage inﬂicted varies based on the 
  precise nature of the Hazard. At the GM’s discretion, some 
  hazards can also apply one or more Weapon Qualities to the 
  damage inﬂicted—commonly applicable Qualities are Flame, 
  Haywire, Shocking, and Toxic.
  Minor Perils require three successful Tests to bypass, 
  and the standard difficulty of such Tests is Difficult 
  (–10). Alternatively, the Peril can require five successful 
  Tests with a standard difficulty of Challenging (+0). 
  Minor Perils are triggered by any Test failed by Three 
  or more Degrees of Failure, and inflict 2d10+5 Damage 
  with a Pen of 5. Minor Perils can be avoided by those 
  who are skilled and careful.
  Standard Perils require either ﬁve successful Tests with a 
  standard difﬁculty of Hard (–20), or seven successful Tests 
  with a standard difﬁculty of Difﬁcult (–10). Standard Perils 
  are triggered by any Test failed by two or more Degrees of 
  Failure, and inﬂict 3d10+5 Damage with a Pen of 7. Standard 
  Perils require as much luck as skill to avoid, and pose a threat 
  to life and limb for even the Astartes.
  Major Perils require either seven successful Tests 
  with a standard difficulty of Very Hard (–30), or nine 
  successful Tests with a standard difficulty of Hard (–20). 
  Major Perils are triggered by any Test failed by one or 
  more Degree of Failure, and inflict 4d10+5 Damage with 
  a Pen of 9. Major Perils are extraordinarily dangerous, 
  likely to become lethal threats at any moment to even the 
  most well-prepared and careful of warriors.
  Table 4–3: Calamity Types by Threat Level
  Roll
  Minima
  Minoris
  Majoris
  Extremis
  Terminus
  01–20
  Minor Obstacle
  Minor Hazard
  Minor Peril
  Standard Obstacle
  Standard Hazard
  21–40
  Minor Hazard
  Minor Peril
  Standard Obstacle
  Standard Hazard
  Standard Peril
  41–60
  Minor Peril
  Standard Obstacle
  Standard Hazard
  Standard Peril
  Major Obstacle
  61–80
  Standard Obstacle
  Standard Hazard
  Standard Peril
  Major Obstacle
  Major Hazard
  81–100
  Standard Hazard
  Standard Peril
  Major Obstacle
  Major Hazard
  Major Peril
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
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  STEP 5: GENERATE 
  ENCOUNTERS
  “The foes you shall encounter within are invariably well acquainted with 
  their surroundings, to the degree that you likely cannot trust the walls 
  around you or the ﬂoor beneath your feet. Perpetual vigilance is of the 
  utmost importance, for an ambush may come at any time and a foe may 
  retreat from you through avenues you had not even begun to imagine.”
  – Deathwing Master Cadmus, before the Purging of the 
  Space Hulk Idol of Atrocity, 813.M36 
  Encounters are the second of the two main components of a 
  Space Hulk Mission. Every Encounter is an instance in which 
  the Kill-team makes contact with another group of sentient or 
  dangerous creatures within the Space Hulk, for good or ill. This 
  is likely to result in immediate hostilities, as the two forces clash 
  violently, but it can in some cases result in potential alliances, 
  exchanges of information, or other peaceful dealings, depending 
  on the nature of the creatures encountered and the response of 
  the Kill-team itself. To generate the sort of Encounter, roll on 
  Table 4–4: Encounter Types by Threat Level. 
  Encounters come in three distinct varieties, deﬁned by 
  their general circumstances. A Nest is an encounter in which 
  the Kill-team has the initiative, where the enemies they face 
  are encamped, resting, or otherwise idle and forced to act on 
  the defensive. A Clash is an encounter between two mobile, 
  active forces, in which neither side is on the offensive or 
  defensive in any signiﬁcant way. An Ambush is an encounter 
  where the Kill-team is caught off-guard or otherwise forced 
  to be on the defensive by a sudden or surprising attack. 
  MINOR NEST
  The Kill-team locates a small group of enemies and has the 
  opportunity to strike swiftly against them before they can 
  properly react. The enemy force consists of a number of 
  Troops equal to the number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-
  team, plus a single Elite adversary as their leader.
  The Kill-team is considered to have an Offensive Advantage, 
  set by the GM randomly determining or choosing a single 
  effect from Table 4–5: Offensive Advantage on page 101. 
  MINOR CLASH
  The Kill-team encounters a small force of enemy skirmishers, 
  possibly a scouting force or vanguard. The ﬁght is likely to 
  be short and brutal. The enemy force consists of a number of 
  Troops equal to the number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-
  team, plus a single Elite adversary as their leader.
  MINOR AMBUSH
  The Kill-team is caught on the defensive, attacked by a fast-
  moving or stealthy enemy force. The enemy force consists of 
  a number of Troops equal to the number of Battle-Brothers in 
  the Kill-team, plus a single Elite adversary as their leader.
  The enemy force is considered to have an Offensive 
  Advantage, set by the GM randomly determining or choosing 
  a single effect from Table 4–5: Offensive Advantage.
  STANDARD NEST
  The Kill-team locates a signiﬁcant group of enemies and has 
  the opportunity to strike swiftly against them before they 
  can properly react. The enemy force consists of a number of 
  Troops equal to twice the number of Battle-Brothers in the 
  Kill-team, plus a number of Elite adversaries equal to half the 
  number of Battle-Brothers, or a number of Elite adversaries 
  equal to the number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-team.
  The Kill-team is considered to have an Offensive 
  Advantage, set by the GM randomly determining or choosing 
  a single effect from Table 4–5: Offensive Advantage.
  STANDARD CLASH
  The Kill-team encounters a sizeable force of enemies moving 
  through the Space Hulk. The ﬁght is likely to be bloody. 
  The enemy force consists of a number of Troops equal to 
  twice the number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-team, plus 
  a number of Elite adversaries equal to half the number of 
  Battle-Brothers, or a number of Elite adversaries equal to the 
  number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-team.
  STANDARD AMBUSH
  The Kill-team is caught on the defensive, attacked by a well 
  prepared enemy force. The enemy force consists of a number 
  of Troops equal to twice the number of Battle-Brothers in the 
  Kill-team, plus a number of Elite adversaries equal to half the 
  number of Battle-Brothers, or a number of Elite adversaries 
  equal to the number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-team
  The enemy force is considered to have an Offensive 
  Advantage, set by the GM randomly determining or choosing 
  a single effect from Table 4–5: Offensive Advantage.
  MAJOR NEST
  The Kill-team locates a large group of enemies and has the 
  opportunity to strike swiftly against them before they can properly 
  react. The enemy force consists of a number of Troops equal to 
  Table 4–4: Encounter Types by Threat Level
  Roll
  Minima
  Minoris
  Majoris
  Extremis
  Terminus
  01–20
  Minor Nest
  Minor Clash
  Minor Ambush
  Standard Nest
  Standard Clash
  21–40
  Minor Clash
  Minor Ambush
  Standard Nest
  Standard Clash
  Standard Ambush
  41–60
  Minor Ambush
  Standard Nest
  Standard Clash
  Standard Ambush
  Major Nest
  61–80
  Standard Nest
  Standard Clash
  Standard Ambush
  Major Nest
  Major Clash
  81–100
  Standard Clash
  Standard Ambush
  Major Nest
  Major Clash
  Major Ambush
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  101
  three times the number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-team, plus a 
  number of Elite adversaries equal to the number of Battle-Brothers, 
  or a number of Elite adversaries equal to twice the number of Battle-
  Brothers in the Kill-team. In either case, four Elite adversaries  can 
  be exchanged for a single Master adversary.
  The Kill-team is considered to have an Offensive 
  Advantage, set by the GM randomly determining or choosing 
  a single effect from Table 4–5: Offensive Advantage.
  MAJOR CLASH
  The Kill-team encounters a major force of enemies moving 
  through the Space Hulk. The ﬁght is likely to be bloody. The 
  enemy force consists of a number of Troops equal to three times 
  the number of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-team, plus a number 
  of Elite adversaries equal to the number of Battle-Brothers, 
  or a number of Elite adversaries equal to twice the number 
  of Battle-Brothers in the Kill-team. In either case, four Elite 
  adversaries can be exchanged for a single Master adversary.
  MAJOR AMBUSH
  The Kill-team is caught on the defensive, attacked by an 
  overwhelming enemy force. The enemy force consists of a 
  number of Troops equal to three times the number of Battle-
  Brothers in the Kill-team, plus a number of Elite adversaries 
  equal to the number of Battle-Brothers, or a number of Elite 
  adversaries equal to twice the number of Battle-Brothers in 
  the Kill-team. In either case, four Elite adversaries can be 
  exchanged for a single Master adversary.
  The enemy force is considered to have an Offensive 
  Advantage, set by the GM randomly determining or choosing 
  a single effect from Table 4–5: Offensive Advantage.
  ENCOUNTER STRUCTURE
  Structuring an Encounter is more a matter of GM’s discretion 
  than hard-and-fast rules. The matter of context (the overall 
  nature of a mission, the speciﬁcs of the environment, the type 
  of enemy, and so forth) should deﬁne much of the way an 
  Encounter should be described, and many of these elements 
  can be determined using the other tables later in this chapter.
  The type of Encounter (Ambush, Clash, or Nest) 
  plays a signiﬁcant role in determining the structure of that 
  Encounter—an ambushing enemy begins a battle arranged 
  differently than if they are caught on the defensive during 
  a Nest Encounter. Further, the type of Encounter deﬁnes the 
  number and type of enemies present, which is obviously a 
  major factor in determining how an encounter should run.
  Depending on the type of enemies, the composition of 
  the Kill-team, and the beneﬁts of variation, the composition 
  of the enemy force in an Encounter can be altered, using the 
  following guidelines. Two or more Troop-level adversaries 
  can be replaced by a Horde of that type, with a Magnitude 
  equal to ﬁve times the number of Troops replaced. This can 
  be done with all the Troops in an Encounter, and they can 
  be formed into one or several Hordes at the GM’s discretion. 
  Typically, a Horde should not be larger than Magnitude 30, 
  especially in the often-restrictive conﬁnes of a Space Hulk. 
  In a similar way, two Troop-level adversaries can be replaced 
  with a single Elite adversary, and four Elite adversaries can 
  be replaced with a single Master adversary, though this last 
  option should only be used once or twice at most during 
  a mission, and only during missions with a high Threat 
  Level—Master adversaries can be extremely dangerous and 
  should be used sparingly.
  Table 4–5: Offensive Advantage
  Roll
  Advantage
  01–20
  Surprise Attack: All defenders are considered 
  to be Surprised for the first Round of combat.
  21–40
  Shock and Awe: All the attackers’ ranged 
  attacks during the first Round of combat 
  force enemies to make Pinning Tests.
  41–60
  Coordinated Assault: If the attacking 
  force is the Kill-team, they gain +1 
  Cohesion at the start of the combat. If the 
  attacking force is comprised of NPCs, then 
  they gain a +20 bonus to all attack rolls for 
  a single Round during the combat.
  61–80
  Split-second Edge: The attackers roll twice 
  for Initiative and choose the higher result.
  81–100
  Preparation: Each attacker receives an 
  additional Reaction during the first Round. 
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  102
  STEP 6: GENERATE  
  LIFE FORMS
  “‘Brothers, the enemy is at hand. Summon all of your resolve and your fury,”
  –Brother-Sergeant Lorenzo of the Blood Angels, aboard the 
  Space Hulk Sin of Damnation
  T
  he enemies that may be found aboard a Space Hulk are 
  many and varied. A sampling of adversaries for Space Hulk 
  missions can be found in the Appendix, though they 
  represent only a small portion of the possible diversity and variation 
  that can be found in these situations. Additional foes of varied types 
  for an array of enemy forces can be found in the DEATHWATCH 
  Core Rulebook and other DEATHWATCH supplements.
  The following table can be used to determine the type of enemies 
  faced aboard a Space Hulk during Encounters and other situations. 
  Typically, only one type of enemy should be determined for any given 
  mission, but rare circumstances can result in encountering multiple 
  different enemy forces, particularly when one of those forces consist 
  of explorers rather than inhabitants. If multiple or varying forces are 
  intended, then there should be no more than one distinct Enemy 
  Type for every 5 Scale the mission has, in order to prevent the Space 
  Hulk from seeming crowded or heavily populated. If forces are 
  intended to vary throughout the mission, roll to determine a new 
  Enemy Type when determining a new Hull Type. To determine a 
  type of enemy, roll or choose on Table 4–6: Enemy Types.
  As some enemies are more dangerous than others, rolls on 
  the table are modiﬁed by Threat Level, as described on Table 
  4–7: Enemy Type Modiﬁers, on page 103.
  LOST SOULS
  Those unfortunate members of the human race that ﬁnd themselves 
  aboard a Space Hulk rarely expect to do so. Whether it be to the 
  ravages of the other denizens of the cursed derelicts or to the horrors 
  fo the Immaterium itself, most shipwrecked men and women perish 
  in their ﬁrst moments on a Space Hulk. Those that do survive are 
  either hardy, resourceful souls that carve out a place for themselves 
  through sheer determination, or give in to the twisted spirits of the 
  Warp and ﬁnd their bodies and minds twisted beyond recognition. 
  Proﬁles for these sorts of lost souls can be found on page 117. 
  ORKS
  The Greenskin menace is a threat to humanity across the galaxy, 
  and though inherently divided due to their fractious and belligerent 
  nature, they nonetheless seem determined to inﬂict strife and 
  mayhem upon the galaxy wherever they go. Ork infestations 
  seem an inevitable fact of existence, for the Orks themselves are 
  a widespread and long-established species. This is, in part, due to 
  their use of Space Hulks to travel the void, scattering the Greenskins 
  far and wide across the galaxy—no part of the Imperium is safe 
  from the potential threat of an Ork infestation.
  Orks are a common foe for the armies of the Imperium, and 
  more information on them can be found in numerous books. The 
  DEATHWATCH supplement MARK OF THE XENOS contains a number 
  of basic Ork adversaries, while several ROGUE TRADER supplements 
  contain a wealth of information on different types of Orks that a 
  creative GM might be able to employ. Additionally, proﬁles for Ork 
  adversaries common to Space Hulks can be found on page 119. 
  TAU
  Though they are newcomers to the galactic stage, the Tau 
  are an ambitious and insidious breed, their expansionist 
  creed seeing Tau ships orbiting new worlds with every 
  passing year as their small Empire grows in size. As the 
  Tau have expanded through the Canis Salient, their contact 
  with phenomena such as Space Hulks has increased, and the 
  naturally curious Tau have ventured within with the intent 
  of uncovering new technologies to exploit in the ﬁght for 
  dominance in the Jericho Reach. 
  Table 4–6: Enemy Types
  Roll
  Enemy Type
  01–25
  Lost Souls
  26–50
  Orks
  51–60
  Tau
  61–70
  Eldar
  71–90
  Chaos Space Marines, 
  Cultists, and Renegades
  91–110
  Tyranids
  111–120
  Chaos Daemons
  121–130
  Psychneuein
  131+
  Enslavers
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  103
  Though not widespread across the galaxy, the Tau Empire 
  is a notable force within the Jericho Reach, and as such 
  has been examined in some detail within the DEATHWATCH 
  range. Additional Tau adversaries can be found within the 
  DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook and the MARK OF THE XENOS 
  supplement. Additionally, proﬁles for Tau adversaries that can 
  be encountered on Space Hulks can be found on page 122.
  ELDAR
  The Eldar have existed since long before humanity took to 
  the stars, and though their numbers dwindle, they are far 
  from having exhausted their strength. The Eldar are notably 
  absent from the conﬂict within the Jericho Reach, preferring 
  to act in their own inexplicable ways from the shadows rather 
  than waging war directly. As a result, there are few other 
  DEATHWATCH books that contain additional Eldar adversaries, 
  though they are featured in some detail in books within the 
  ROGUE TRADER game line. That being said, a Space Hulk is 
  the perfect place to include xenos threats that are not normally 
  encountered by players in a DEATHWATCH game and the Eldar 
  are included here for that reason. 
  Proﬁles for Eldar adversaries that can be encountered on 
  Space Hulks can be found on page 125. 
  CHAOS SPACE MARINES,  
  CULTISTS, AND RENEGADES
  The lost and the damned represent a perpetual threat to 
  humanity, and not one easily extinguished. Part of this is the 
  tenacity that desperation and misplaced zeal can breed—the 
  twisted servants of the Dark Gods will go to any ends to 
  serve their vile masters and will stop at nothing to elevate 
  themselves into the higher ranks of blasphemy. This, combined 
  with the difﬁculty of voyaging between worlds for many cults 
  and warbands, leads them to make use of the accursed Space 
  Hulks that intermittently cross the galaxy, allowing them to 
  practice their foul creed in a place already damned, and to 
  spread their taint far and wide.
  The Chaos forces within the Jericho Reach are many and 
  varied, and a host of Chaotic adversaries can be found in 
  the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook, MARK OF THE XENOS, and 
  THE ACHILUS ASSAULT. In addition, further details on the 
  worshippers and forces of Chaos can be found in many other 
  WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY books. Additionally, proﬁles 
  for mortal Chaos adversaries that may be encountered on 
  Space Hulks can be found on page 128. 
  TYRANIDS
  Tyranid vanguard organisms commonly employ Space Hulks 
  to travel to distant worlds and locate new sources of biomass 
  for the Hive Fleets to consume, and none in the Imperium truly 
  know how far creatures such as Genestealers have spread. While 
  most Tyranid creatures travel aboard (or are spawned from) 
  massive bioships that lumber through the void, the rapid and 
  unpredictable spread of their scouts and vanguard broods allows 
  the Hive Fleets to swim inexorably towards inhabited worlds.
  The terror of Hive Fleet Dagon threatens the Jericho Reach only 
  decades after the Tyranids were thought defeated during the First 
  Tyrannic War, yet that brutal conﬂict has been shown to only be a 
  small portion of the Tyranid threat. A host of Tyranid adversaries 
  can be found in the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook, as well as the 
  MARK OF THE XENOS, THE ACHILUS ASSAULT, and THE JERICHO 
  REACH supplements. Additionally, proﬁles for Tyranid adversaries 
  common on Space Hulks can be found on page 130.
  CHAOS DAEMONS
  A grave and perilous threat, the prospect of battle against 
  Daemons is not something that even fearless warriors embrace. 
  Their existence is anathema to the fabric of nature, their 
  inhuman intellects know naught but malice and depravity, 
  and their powers grow in those places where the Warp touches 
  reality most easily. Aboard a Space Hulk, the Daemonic can 
  cavort and lurk with ease, and the arrival of a Space Hulk so 
  infested above a populated world is a nightmarish prospect 
  that few are equipped to comprehend, let alone combat.
  Table 4–7: Enemy Type Modifiers
  Circumstance
  Modifier
  Threat Level Minima
  Roll twice and choose the lowest result
  Threat Level Minoris
  No Modifier
  Threat Level Majoris
  +20 on all rolls
  Threat Level Extremis
  +20 on all rolls; Roll twice and choose the highest result
  Threat Level Terminus
  +40 on all rolls
  Scale 5 or less
  +10 on all rolls
  Scale 11 or greater
  –10 on all rolls
  Hull Type is Xenos Vessel: Ork
  Any roll of a double (11, 22, 33, etc.) results in an enemy type of Orks, 
  regardless of modifiers
  Hull Type is Xenos Vessel: Eldar
  Any roll of a double (11, 22, 33, etc.) results in an enemy type of Eldar, 
  regardless of modifiers
  Hull Type is Tainted Construction 
  or Warp-Spawned Artifice
  +20 on all rolls
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  104
  As with their mortal counterparts, the Daemons of Chaos 
  are detailed in the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook, MARK OF 
  THE XENOS and THE ACHILUS ASSAULT. As before, further 
  details on these creatures of Chaos can be found in many 
  other WARHAMMER 40,000 ROLEPLAY books. Additionally, 
  proﬁles for Daemonic adversaries commonly encountered on 
  Space Hulks can be found on page 133.
  PSYCHNEUEIN
  A xenos threat like few others, Psychneuein are a parasitoid 
  species (that is, the larvae are born within and consume a host 
  during the early stages of their existence) who prey exclusively 
  upon psykers. Their existence is one of many reasons that an 
  unprotected psyker is such a threat to those around him, but 
  even strong-willed and well-defended psykers are potentially 
  vulnerable to Psychneuein infestation. Unless a Psychneuein 
  infestation can be stopped swiftly, it can annihilate a planetary 
  population with startling speed. Proﬁles for Psychneuein 
  adversaries can be found on page 134.
  ENSLAVERS
  Enslavers represent an extreme peril to human existence. 
  Using psykers as a means of entry into the material world, 
  a small group of Enslavers can quickly enslave a world with 
  their psychic powers and create more gateways to allow more 
  of their kind in. Unless caught quickly, there is little able to 
  stop an Enslaver invasion without massive collateral damage. 
  Proﬁles for Enslaver adversaries can be found on page 137.
  STEP 7: GENERATE  
  HULL TYPES
  “New section breached; I am performing an auspex sweep to 
  determine structure. Section appears to be of Imperial construction, 
  mid-34th Millennium heavy warship. Further details will be 
  provided pending extended investigation.”
  –Captain Sidriel, Blood Angels 1st Company, during the 
  cleansing of the Space Hulk Hammer of Spite, 221.M36
  B
  roadly speaking, the type and purpose of a ship 
  reveals a great deal about its structure; so enslaved 
  to the necessities of function are starships that their 
  fundamental purpose deﬁnes much of their design and 
  construction. As a direct result of this, the original purpose of 
  a particular derelict vessel within a Space Hulk can still have 
  an impact upon those who venture within.
  Hull Types are unlikely to impact upon, or be affected 
  by, the Threat Level of a Space Hulk Mission—when 
  ﬁghting your way through a Space Hulk, your surroundings 
  merely are, and you adapt to overcome difﬁculties caused 
  and capitalise on potential advantages. However, no Space 
  Hulk is composed of a single vessel, so on particularly 
  long missions, it can be worthwhile to determining a new 
  Hull Type after a particular point in the mission. This is 
  by no means required—even the smallest vessel has many 
  hundreds of metres of corridors and cavernous chambers, 
  and the largest can rival small cities for their size and 
  complexity—but it can be a useful way of changing the 
  tone of a mission. Under normal circumstances, a mission 
  should feature no more than one distinct Hull Type 
  (and any accompanying changes; see Step 8: Generate 
  Architecture & Technology, on page 107) for every 5 
  Scale the mission has, in order to prevent any individual 
  craft from seeming too small or insigniﬁcant.
  This section provides a basis for description and narrative 
  within a Space Hulk mission—to provide a GM with basic 
  information useful for depicting particular locations during 
  the mission. To determine a section’s Hull Type, roll on Table 
  4–8: Common Hull Types:
  Table 4–8: Common Hull Types
  Roll
  Hull Type
  01–40
  Transport
  41–55
  Raider
  56–70
  Frigate
  71–80
  Capital Ship
  81–86
  Xenos Vessel (Ork)
  87–92
  Xenos Vessel (Eldar)
  93–97
  Tainted Construction
  98–99
  Warp-Spawned Artifice
  100
  Provenance Unknown
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  105
  TRANSPORT
  Transport ships undertake the overwhelming majority of 
  interstellar travel, often favouring long-established routes 
  through the Immaterium and short journeys that do not 
  require the precious services of a Navigator. While such 
  travel is safe enough for the Imperium to rely upon on a 
  daily basis, the Warp is a changeable place and disaster 
  awaits the incautious and foolhardy. Particularly during 
  times of turmoil, when the Warp is riven with errant tides 
  and disruptive phenomena, a vessel can be easily pushed 
  off course and end up centuries late, stranded far from 
  home, or worse—trapped within the Warp. Given the sheer 
  number of Transports in service across the Imperium, it 
  should come as little surprise that if even a tiny number 
  of those are lost to misfortune, they still make up a large 
  proportion of the vessels found within Space Hulks.
  A transport’s structure is designed to allow for the swift 
  and easy movement of goods, passengers and personnel—
  the better to ensure that the ship runs efﬁciently. As a direct 
  consequence, the bulk of the vessel’s corridors and chambers 
  are large and broad, with broad, high doors, allowing swift 
  and easy travel around the ship. A transport’s massive cargo 
  holds are vast and cavernous, able to easily contain hundreds 
  of thousands of tonnes of goods and materials, and are often 
  ﬁtted with sophisticated preservation technologies (up to and 
  including stasis ﬁelds) depending on the vessel’s primary 
  cargo—the transport of perishable food requires such things, 
  while metal ores does not.
  DESTROYER
  Amongst the most commonly constructed of warships, 
  destroyers are small, fast, and lightly armoured craft favoured 
  by pirates and reavers of all kinds for their ability to perform 
  brutal hit-and-run attacks. Their small size, relatively heavy 
  armament, and powerful engines make small crews a 
  necessity, and little space is left over for anything that isn’t 
  entirely functional. Destroyers make up a sizeable proportion 
  of the vessels found within Space Hulks, and most of these 
  are unsanctioned vessels operated by hereteks, pirates, and 
  other voidfaring outlaws, given their propensity for avoiding 
  the normal (and patrolled) routes and their inability to buy 
  the services of a Navigator.
  The interior of a destroyer is given over to battle ﬁrst 
  and foremost. Reinforced bulkheads and cramped, narrow 
  corridors are the norm across most of the ship for three 
  reasons—the ﬁrst is to ensure the vessel is sturdy enough 
  to support the guns mounted at the prow, the second is to 
  make boarding the vessel more difﬁcult, and the third is to 
  allow areas to be quickly closed in case of battle damage 
  such as a ﬁre or decompression. Even were these factors 
  not pertinent, the relative size and bulk of the engines 
  and weapon systems mean that space is at a premium and 
  the passage of crewmen to any place other than their duty 
  stations is heavily discouraged. This means that a destroyer 
  is seldom easy to traverse, particularly if many sections 
  have been sealed off.
  FRIGATE
  A mainstay of Imperial Navy battlegroups, frigates are the 
  workhorse of most naval forces, serving as patrol vessels and 
  escort ships in equal measure. Though only a little larger than 
  destroyers, frigates are somewhat more durable and while not 
  as quick, their armament is more versatile. In essence, frigates 
  are almost ideal as a countermeasure to enemy destroyers, 
  hence their common use in patrolling pirate-infested regions.
  As with destroyers, frigates are cramped vessels. Due to 
  the close conﬁnes and heavy reinforcement of bulkheads and 
  other structural components, access to different areas of the 
  ship is difﬁcult, particularly without the aid of navigation aids 
  such as schematics or detailed auspex readings.
  CAPITAL SHIP
  A capital ship such as a cruiser or even a battleship is a massive 
  vessel, with even the smallest being several kilometres long. 
  The mightiest of them can support almost a quarter of a 
  million souls as crew and passengers, while carrying weaponry 
  of immense potency in considerable quantity. The loss of a 
  capital ship to the Warp is a sad thing indeed, for even the most 
  commonly produced of them—such as the Lunar-class cruiser 
  of the Imperial Navy—is the loss of a potent and venerable 
  machine not easily replaced. The loss of ancient battleships is 
  even worse, for many of them are countless millennia old and 
  might even have seen the golden days of the Great Crusade. 
  The salvage and restoration of rediscovered capital ships is a 
  powerful motivation for salvaging Space Hulk missions, and 
  both the Imperial Navy and Adeptus Mechanicus regard highly 
  those who can secure such prizes.
  Access within a capital ship varies in difﬁculty. Within the 
  lower decks, conditions are as cramped—if not more so—than 
  those aboard a destroyer or frigate. Worse, as such areas tend 
  to be largely ignored by the senior staff, they might even be 
  largely inhospitable or infested with mutant vermin. However, 
  key locations on the upper decks are often connected by an 
  integrated transit system—an internal monorail or mag-lift 
  system—to allow personnel to traverse distances quickly. 
  While they might no longer function, the tunnels these systems 
  employed can prove to be a valuable shortcut through a derelict 
  capital ship. The command decks around the bridge are likely 
  to be both heavily fortiﬁed against attack and opulently 
  appointed as beﬁts the status of the bridge ofﬁcers.
  XENOS VESSEL (ORK)
  When they are not travelling aboard Space Hulks, the Orks 
  can be prodigious starship builders. Their vessels, however, 
  are far from easy to categorise. Without exception, Ork ships 
  are composed of junk, salvaged components, and anything 
  else the Ork engineers—known colloquially as “Mekaniaks” 
  or “Mekboyz”—were able to lay their hands on. Further, the 
  acts of construction, maintenance, and reﬁt are not limited 
  to dry-dock as they are amongst any sane species, and many 
  Ork starships have undergone signiﬁcant alterations in the 
  midst of battle. Systems are torn apart and rebuilt with gleeful 
  abandon as their creators seek some twisted kind of perfection 
  that only they can appreciate.
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  106
  It should come as little surprise that Ork vessels are almost 
  entirely lacking in uniformity. With most, individual sections of 
  the ship are not discretely divided into particular compartments, 
  but overlap into each other without regard for anything except the 
  vessel’s brutal efﬁciency. Crew quarters and gun decks—often the 
  same thing—exist all over each ship with little regard to placement, 
  and massive lengths of cabling and piles of spare parts clutter 
  corridors. Due to the strange assortment of technologies the Orks 
  employ, many Ork vessels are toxic or radioactive, though never to 
  a degree that bothers the Orks themselves, hardy as they are.
  The worst thing about even derelict Ork vessels, however, 
  is that they are commonly still inhabited by the brutish 
  descendants of the original crew.
  XENOS VESSEL (ELDAR)
  In stark contrast to the vessels of any other species, the Eldar 
  operate vessels that seem more ornamental than functional. 
  However, this appearance is entirely deceiving—the Eldar are 
  proﬁcient voidfarers, and their vessels, while unusual, are extremely 
  effective in their chosen purpose. The majority of Eldar vessels are 
  apparently grown from a substance known as wraithbone, which 
  the Eldar prize for making psychic devices of many kinds. This 
  craftsmanship produces devices which appeal to the Eldar aesthetic 
  senses while simultaneously being entirely functional, and results 
  in technology which appears almost organic in form.
  Eldar vessels appear to contain only very tiny crews, and 
  their interior structure—a ﬂuid maze of curved corridors and 
  rounded chambers whose purpose is hidden to human eyes—
  is extremely difﬁcult to navigate. However, the psychoreactive 
  nature of Eldar ships seems to retard the intrusion of Warp-
  spawned entities somewhat, as if designed to repel the malice 
  of the Warp. Perhaps as a side-effect of this, many psykers 
  who have encountered Eldar vessels within Space Hulks have 
  described such ships as seeming “haunted,” as if the spirits of 
  the crew still linger within the ship itself.
  TAINTED CONSTRUCTION
  Many vessels which have become part of Space Hulks no 
  longer resemble their original form. The twisting inﬂuence 
  of the Warp can wreak many changes upon starships and 
  turn them into nightmarish labyrinths and impossible pits of 
  foulness. The Warp sits heavily in such places, deﬁling the 
  purity of reality with a vile sheen of impermanence. 
  Such vessels seldom retain their original layout, and might 
  even contain locations where physical law is subverted in some 
  way, resulting in regions that cannot be mapped because their 
  position is impossible to deﬁne. Further, the original substance 
  and artiﬁce of the vessels’ interiors are no less susceptible to 
  change, often being remade into stone, brass, ﬂayed skin, or 
  something more exotic such as glass or smoke.
  Worst of all, the Warp energy suffusing these places can 
  prove perilous to psykers and strengthening to Daemons 
  in equal measure. When in an area of Tainted Construction, 
  add an additional +20 to all rolls on Table 6–1: Psychic 
  Phenomena or Table 6–2: Perils of the Warp on pages 
  187 and 188, respectively, of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. 
  Further, while within such an area, all creatures with the Warp 
  Instability Trait gain a +20 bonus to their Willpower.
  WARP-SPAWNED ARTIFICE
  In extreme cases, the Warp—and the entities within it—
  can give shape and structure to the accumulation of debris 
  and detritus that fuses the individual ships of a Space Hulk 
  together. These areas are similar in many ways to the structure 
  of vessels whose construction has been tainted, but often far 
  stranger, for there is little or no rhyme or reason to those 
  shapes due to a lack of original structure to distort.
  Worse still is the notion of vessels that were not created 
  within any material shipyard, but which were assembled 
  through vile sorcery and the toil of damned souls within the 
  heart of Warp storms and other places where the veil is thin. 
  These vessels are, by their very nature, abominations against 
  the natural order of the universe, capable of impossible feats 
  that defy reason and sanity.
  In either case, not only are these locations suffused with 
  the power of the Warp, gaining the same effects on psykers 
  and Daemons as noted for vessels of Tainted Construction, 
  above, but their very structure is baleful to the mind and soul. 
  Any creature that fails a Test to navigate around a section of 
  Warp-Spawned Artiﬁce (which includes Tests to circumvent 
  or avoid Calamities) by three or more Degrees of Failure 
  immediately gains 1 Insanity Point and 1 Corruption Point.
  PROVENANCE UNKNOWN
  There are some vessels and structures encountered aboard 
  Space Hulks that have no clear or known origin. Whether 
  these are relics of the Dark Age of Technology or some era 
  before that, fragments of some dark future, or the work of an 
  unknown xenos breed is a matter of intense debate, and varies 
  with each and every discovery.
  So varied are these constructions that nothing deﬁnitive 
  can be said of them, save that all are unsettling in their 
  unfamiliar form, disorienting to human sensibilities even 
  beyond the reasoned disgust of setting foot aboard a 
  tainted or xenos vessel.
  In most cases, the Adeptus Mechanicus is eager to secure 
  and study these unknown derelicts ﬁrst-hand—the mysterious 
  tempts the hunger for lore within every Priest of Mars as 
  much as it wards away right-thinking servants of Him-on-
  Terra. Their desire is easily explained—the work of ancient 
  humanity promises a wealth of archeotechnology, while the 
  creations of unknown xenos could reveal the nature of some 
  previously unseen threat to the Imperium.
  position is impossible to deﬁne. Further, the original substance 
  and artiﬁce of the vessels’ interiors are no less susceptible to 
  change, often being remade into stone, brass, ﬂayed skin, or 
  Worst of all, the Warp energy suffusing these places can 
  prove perilous to psykers and strengthening to Daemons 
  in equal measure. When in an area of Tainted Construction, 
  Table 6–1: Psychic 
   on pages 
   Core Rulebook. 
  Further, while within such an area, all creatures with the Warp 
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  107
  STEP 8: GENERATE 
  ARCHITECTURE & 
  TECHNOLOGY
  “Fifty metres down this corridor to the launch control ante-chamber, 
  Brother-Sergeant. We should be able to reach the control rooms 
  through there. No signs of hostiles detected.”
  –Veteran Brother Omnio, during the cleansing of the Space 
  Hulk Sin of Damnation
  While much of a Space Hulk’s interior is likely to be 
  lifeless, decrepit, and desolate, some lingering remnants of 
  abandoned technology remain functional, often providing 
  vital tactical advantages to those Battle-Brothers willing to 
  exploit them, or make otherwise defensible areas untenable. 
  Even without such advantages, the simple structure of many 
  locations within derelict starships can provide a cunning 
  warrior with numerous assets.
  This section can be used to add quirks of location 
  to an Encounter or some other part of a Space Hulk 
  mission, representing the nature of a particular area or 
  the still-functioning technology contained within. When 
  determining an Encounter or Calamity locale, roll on Table 
  4–9 Architecture and Technology. Elements such as 
  these should be comparatively rare, so as not to give the 
  impression of a functioning starship. No more than one 
  should be added to any given Encounter, and there should 
  be no guarantee that any given element of Architecture 
  & Technology is in any advantageous state. The GM is 
  encouraged to alter or entirely replace particular entries that 
  don’t match with the Hull Type the Kill-team is currently 
  moving through, or the prevailing Environment.
  AUTO-BULKHEADS
  While many doors within a starship only open through 
  manual effort, the most important ones are designed to 
  be operated remotely from a control shrine, sealing upon 
  command during emergencies. This area contains just such a 
  set, which have an equal chance of being open or closed (if 
  determined randomly, roll 1d10. On a roll of a 6 or higher, 
  the bulkheads are open; otherwise, they are closed). While 
  unlikely to be functional, the path through these doors is 
  probably the easiest route ahead. Alternately, an open set of 
  bulkheads might be allowing a tide of enemies through, and 
  closing them might be the only way to stem the tide.
  It requires a Hard (–20) Tech-Use Test to successfully 
  repower and unseal closed Auto-Bulkheads, or to seal open 
  ones. Only one such Test can be attempted—the Test is as 
  much to determine if the doors still work as to return them 
  to function. If cutting or blasting through is the only option, 
  Auto-Bulkheads have 32 AP, and attackers must inﬂict 20 or 
  more points of Damage after reductions for armour to open a 
  hole large enough for a Hulking creature to pass through.
  FUEL SILO
  The location contains a large container and many pipes for the 
  distribution of fuel—most likely promethium aboard an Imperial 
  vessel. Such chemicals are innately volatile, and a breach of the 
  container may cause any remaining fuel to leak out dangerously.
  When creating such a site, roll 1d10; on a result of 8 
  or higher, the fuel silo contains more than trace amounts 
  of volatile fuel. The container and the pipes alike are 
  considered to have 28 AP, and any hit that deals Damage 
  is sufﬁcient to cause a breach, through which fuel still 
  remaining leaks out. The fuel can be ignited with any 
  attack that deals Energy or Explosive Damage, resulting in 
  a blaze (dealing 2d10+5 E Damage that can set creatures 
  alight, and inﬂicting 2d10 E Damage to any creature that 
  catches light), which concludes in an explosion (4d10+5 
  X Damage, Pen 6 and Concussive, to all within the area, 
  due to the blast in a conﬁned space and the torrent of 
  shrapnel) after 2d5 rounds.
  Table 4–9: Architecture & Technology
  Roll
  Architecture & Technology Elements
  01–06
  Auto-Bulkheads
  07–12
  Fuel Silo
  13–24
  Ventilation Ducts
  25–30
  Voidlock
  31–36
  Chapel
  37–42
  Launch Bay
  43–48
  Teleportarium
  49–54
  Catacombs
  55–60
  Cogitator Bank
  61–66
  Munitions Vault
  67–72
  Medicae Facilities
  73–78
  Labyrinth of Wreckage
  79–84
  Maintenance Shaft
  85–90
  Effluent Sump
  91–100
  Generatorium
  CRAMPED CONDITIONS
  Many starships, particularly military ones, are likely to give 
  over little space to easy travel. Whether this is because of 
  lack of space in general, to aid in defence against boarding 
  actions, or for some other reason, this means that moving 
  around such vessels is going to be difﬁcult.
  The movement of any creature larger than Hulking 
  is going to be extremely difﬁcult at best, imposing 
  a –20 penalty on all movement-related Tests made 
  by a creature of Enormous Size and denying access 
  to any creature of Massive Size, except through 
  selected areas (such as those sections where starship 
  munitions are moved, as macrocannon shells are 
  extremely large and heavy).
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  108
  VENTILATION DUCTS
  While most chambers have air vents of some sort, major 
  sections will contain broad ventilation ducts to carry large 
  amounts of air. While almost certainly too small for an 
  Astartes in warplate to crawl through, some foes have been 
  known to squeeze through these conﬁned tunnels and 
  attack from unusual angles.
  Ventilation Ducts allow easy movement for any creature of 
  Size (Weedy) or smaller, and allow creatures of Average size 
  to move through with an Ordinary (+10) Contortionist 
  Test. This confers no advantage on its own, but can allow 
  small or agile creatures to outﬂank or elude the Kill-team.
  VOIDLOCK
  Voidlocks are massive, heavily warded entry chambers used 
  to allow passage from the harrowing void outside a ship into 
  its more hospitable interior and back again. Commonly used 
  as entry points by boarding parties for simple ease of access, 
  Voidlocks are difﬁcult to bypass without a skilled Tech-Adept 
  of some kind or powerful cutting tools. Due to the sheer mass 
  of vessels that comprise a Space Hulk, a boarding party might 
  encounter numerous Voidlocks as they travel deeper into the 
  derelict. Voidlocks are built with local power supplies to 
  remain operable long after a vessel’s main power dies out, and 
  can easily be ﬁtted to other power supplies in an emergency.
  It requires a Difﬁcult (–10) Tech-Use Test to successfully 
  repower and operate a Voidlock. If the Test fails, the Battle-
  Brothers must ﬁnd a way to power the Voidlock before trying 
  again. If cutting or blasting through is the only option, each 
  Voidlock door has 42 AP, and attackers must inﬂict 30 or 
  more points of Damage after reductions for armour to open 
  a hole large enough for a Hulking creature to pass through. 
  Typical Voidlocks have two doors—one external to the void, 
  one leading to the vessel’s interior.
  CHAPEL
  Any typical Imperial starship incorporates numerous small 
  chapels for the crew, ranging from grand structures akin to 
  terrestrial temples for ofﬁcers to rudimentary deck-shrines 
  where petty labourers queue to pray between duty shifts. 
  These serve as places of worship and sanctuary alike, with 
  every chapel fortiﬁed and warded from all but the most 
  catastrophic of harm. In times of emergency, particularly 
  during travel through the Warp, a vessel’s chapels are 
  usually ﬁlled with crew seeking the Emperor’s protection 
  during a time of crisis.
  Warp Effects have no effect within a Chapel, due to 
  the additional layers of warding built into the structure. 
  Further, each Chapel is a solid and defensible position, 
  easily fortiﬁed in an emergency.
  LAUNCH BAY
  All vessels have launch bays, even if they pale in comparison to 
  the ﬂight decks of Imperial Navy carriers. Every vessel requires 
  scores of small craft for carrying cargo and passengers to and from 
  the ship, and as a result, every vessel has numerous small launch 
  bays in key locations. Though small by comparison, these are still 
  cavernous chambers many metres high and ﬁtted with vast loading 
  cranes and maintenance hangars that lead out onto a large, broad 
  deck facing immense blast doors that open to the void.
  Launch bays are large and commonly lacking in cover or 
  heavy obstruction, allowing creatures to move quickly and 
  freely through them. At the same time, battles within launch 
  bays often happen at longer ranges than those elsewhere in a 
  Space Hulk, due to the abundance of available space to move.
  TELEPORTARIUM
  Rare on all but the most sophisticated vessels, the use 
  of a Teleportarium is something that few ever endure. 
  However, for veteran warriors of the Adeptus Astartes, 
  attack by teleportation is not uncommon. Few warriors ever 
  entirely overcome the unpleasant feeling that accompanies 
  teleportation, but it is a common method of deploying strike 
  teams for boarding actions and surgical strikes.
  A Teleportarium is an arcane and complex device, requiring a 
  Very Hard (–30) Tech-Use Test that takes twenty minutes to 
  operate when powered. Under normal circumstances, this is made 
  easier by a conclave of lesser Tech-Adepts and monotask servitors 
  performing rites of maintenance and operation, but a Techmarine 
  in the depths of a Space Hulk lacks the luxury of such assistance. 
  Activating the Teleportarium allows the Kill-team to move to 
  a location where a Teleport Homer is currently functioning, or 
  to another Teleportarium within 10,000 kilometres. Similarly, 
  it can act as a Teleport Homer in its own right, providing 
  pinpoint coordinates for the delivery of additional supplies or 
  even reinforcements, if needed. Exactly what is available to be 
  teleported to the Kill-team is left entirely to the GM’s discretion, 
  though a resupply drop is rarely too much to request.
  CATACOMBS
  Twisting, narrow corridors often form a signiﬁcant portion 
  of the middle and lower decks, much of which are frequently 
  abandoned even when a vessel is fully operational—few 
  crewmen wish to venture into the deep holds of the ship, and 
  few of those who do return.
  Catacombs are a conﬁned space, with minimal room for 
  anyone of larger than Hulking size, and barely enough room 
  for a warrior in Terminator Armour to walk. So conﬁned are the 
  tunnels within a section of Catacombs that creatures of Hulking 
  Size cannot physically move past one another, and creatures of 
  Average Size can only pass each other with an Ordinary (+10) 
  Agility Test—failure means that both creatures (the one moving 
  past, and the one being moved past) lose a Half Action on their 
  next Turn. Astartes boarding doctrine actually capitalises on these 
  conditions, as no foe can push past a Space Marine in such close 
  quarters, and ganging up on a single foe is almost impossible.
  COGITATOR BANK
  The shrines of the Adeptus Mechanicus aboard starships 
  often serve the primary purpose of housing large banks of 
  cogitators, controlling automated ship functions and gathering 
  vast quantities of data. While largely useless without constant 
  power, the datacrypts that store their processes and ﬁndings 
  are often ﬁlled with valuable data.
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  109
  The vast quantities of data within any of a vessel’s cogitator 
  banks are such that it would take an army of scribes months to sort 
  and process, though a properly equipped Magos could likely sift the 
  information in hours using secret algorithms and mathematic rites. 
  MUNITIONS VAULT
  Chambers ﬁlled with colossal shells and missiles, the munitions 
  within these vaults are designed for starships, not warriors. 
  Still, such a collection of macro-ordnance could be valuable if 
  destroying part of the Space Hulk is a goal—the correct rites 
  to awaken and enrage the warheads’ spirits, a liberal application 
  of demolitions charges, and a safe distance can turn a storage 
  chamber into the heart of a mighty conﬂagration.
  MEDICAE FACILITIES
  Every starship have numerous medicae stations, for even the 
  smallest vessel is large enough that a singular medicae-ward is 
  insufﬁcient. Though long-abandoned, these stations still have 
  tools and chemicals which may be of use.
  While at a Medicae Facility, all Medicae Tests for ﬁrst aid 
  gain a +10 bonus, and the facility contains drugs equivalent 
  to 1d5 doses of Pain Suppressant.
  LABYRINTH OF WRECKAGE
  While this section might once have contained clear 
  passageways, debris and wreckage have partially ﬁlled it, 
  making it difﬁcult to traverse and navigate.
  A Labyrinth of Wreckage is Difﬁcult Terrain, imposing a 
  –20 penalty on Agility-based Tests made within the area.
  MAINTENANCE SHAFT
  A collection of smaller tunnels and passages that lead between 
  decks, maintenance shafts are an alternative way to traverse 
  a derelict vessel. As with Catacombs, these areas are not 
  sufﬁciently large for Hulking characters to move around freely, 
  but their broad access to multiple different areas makes them 
  useful. Most access between decks is by long, sturdy ladders. 
  While this is useful for Battle-Brothers in power armour, 
  warriors in Terminator Armour are incapable of climbing or 
  descending a ladder due to a combination of weight, limited 
  agility, lack of free hands, and distribution of mass.
  EFFLUENT SUMP
  The collective ﬁlth of mortal existence gathers in these places, 
  to be pumped and processed and either disposed of or recycled 
  for some other purpose. Now that life has departed the vessel, 
  the sump is a waist-high pool of stagnant, semisolid ﬁlth that 
  offends even the dullest of senses.
  An Efﬂuent Sump is Difﬁcult Terrain, imposing a –30 
  penalty on Agility-based Tests made within the area. It is also 
  vile to look at, worse to smell, and contains the corpses of 
  countless mutant vermin and forgotten labourers. It probably 
  also leaves stains and a clinging odour on armour.
  GENERATORIUM
  In addition to the massive plasma drives that serve as a 
  ship’s burning heart, every vessel contains countless smaller 
  generatoriums, macrocapacitors, and other power distribution 
  systems to ensure that every vital system remains operational. 
  Long after its plasma heart has been extinguished, these remain 
  the only hope of restoring power to portions of a derelict ship.
  Restarting a dormant Generatorium requires a Hard (–20) 
  Tech-Use Test and an hour of work. Success means that 
  the area’s lighting, life sustainers, and other nearby systems 
  are now repowered and begin to work. In addition to the 
  obvious beneﬁts, this means that the next Architecture & 
  Technology element generated, if it requires power (such as 
  Auto-Bulkheads, Voidlocks, or a Teleportarium or Cogitator 
  Bank) are now considered to be powered, and all Tests 
  relating to their operation gain a +10 bonus.
  STEP 9: GENERATE 
  ENVIRONMENTS
  “During a boarding action, environmental conditions within the 
  operational area are not guaranteed to be capable of supporting 
  human life. Even with multi-lung support, asphyxiation is a risk 
  after several minutes should you suffer a breach in your warplate. 
  A breach should be sealed using repair cement as soon as possible 
  to minimise exposure to a hostile atmosphere. Application of repair 
  cement should take less than ﬁve seconds even during combat.”
  –Sergeant Aclemes, Ultramarines 9th Company, instructing 
  new Battle-Brothers on boarding action doctrine
  As derelict vessels, the component parts of a Space Hulk are likely to 
  be quite inhospitable to human life. This is a given, and the reason 
  why no boarding party ever embarks upon a Space Hulk mission 
  without at least some measure of life preserving equipment—typically 
  voidsuits and rebreathers. The Adeptus Astartes are well equipped 
  for hostile conditions such as these, as their armour is inherently 
  equipped to protect against all manner of deadly environments, 
  including hard vacuum. However, the rigours of combat seldom 
  allow for such equipment to remain intact and fully operational, 
  and even Space Marines must be wary of suit breaches and system 
  failures that could threaten their lives as surely as a gun or blade.
  Table 4–10: Environment on page 110 provides a 
  number of different environmental conditions that may 
  hinder, threaten, or inconvenience a Kill-team during a Space 
  Hulk mission. These conditions are passive in nature, affecting 
  everyone involved equally, so a cunning Battle-Brother might 
  be able to turn them to his advantage.
  As with a number of other elements such as Hull Type, the 
  environmental conditions should not change too frequently. 
  Typically, they should accompany a change of venue or 
  surroundings—conditions are likely to be different in a vessel’s 
  ruined Enginarium than they were in the crew quarters or 
  gun decks, and the conditions aboard a xenos vessel might 
  differ from those aboard an Imperial one. To generate a set of 
  environmental conditions, roll or choose between one and three 
  results from the following table. If you generate results that 
  inherently conﬂict with one another, generate a new result.
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  110
  RADIOACTIVE
  The area is irradiated to some degree, or otherwise contains 
  some radioactive materials whose presence is detrimental to 
  most living creatures.
  Radiation is a common hazard across the galaxy, found 
  erupting from crude ﬁssion reactors and the blasted craters caused 
  by atomics, as well as occurring naturally in the cold void of space 
  and upon countless worlds for countless different reasons. For 
  every hour a creature is exposed to an irradiated environment, it 
  suffers Toughness Damage, which is reduced by an amount equal 
  to the lowest armour value on the creature (even small amounts of 
  protection are of some use, but leaving part of the body exposed 
  renders the entire suit essentially worthless). If the armour has been 
  breached, it provides no protection. The amount of Toughness 
  Damage inﬂicted varies based on the severity of the radiation.
  For creatures with Unnatural Toughness, this amount (after 
  deductions for armour) is divided by a value equal to the Unnatural 
  Toughness multiplier, rounding up. For a Space Marine with 
  Unnatural Toughness (x2), the amount of Toughness Damage 
  suffered from radiation is halved, while a creature with Unnatural 
  Toughness (x3) takes only a third of the Toughness Damage.
  Any creature that suffers more Toughness Damage at one 
  time greater than its Toughness Bonus before taking the Damage 
  suffers a level of Fatigue as well. A creature cannot recover from 
  Toughness Damage and Fatigue caused by radiation while 
  still exposed to that radiation. Creatures with the Daemonic, 
  Machine, Strange Physiology, Stuff of Nightmares, or Tyranid 
  Traits are immune to the effects of radiation.
  A Mildly Radioactive area inﬂicts 1d5 Toughness Damage. A 
  Highly Radioactive area inﬂicts 1d10 Toughness Damage. An 
  Extremely Radioactive area inﬂicts 2d10 Toughness Damage.
  TOXIC
  There is something in the atmosphere in this area that is 
  poisonous, harming living creatures who inhale it.
  A Toxic area forces a Toughness Test every round a creature 
  breathes the atmosphere there. Attempting to hold your 
  breath, or relying on another source of air, prevents this Test. 
  Failure on this Test inﬂicts Damage to the creature, which 
  ignores both Toughness Bonus and armour. The difﬁculty of 
  this Toughness Test, and the amount of Damage inﬂicted, 
  vary based on the severity of the Toxic environment.
  A Mildly Toxic area requires a Routine (+10) Toughness 
  Test and inﬂicts 1d5 Damage, +1 per Degree of Failure. A Highly 
  Toxic area requires a Difﬁcult (–10) Toughness Test and inﬂicts 
  1d10 Damage, +1 per Degree of Failure. An Extremely Toxic area 
  requires a Very Hard (–30) Toughness Test and inﬂicts 2d10 
  Damage, +2 per Degree of Failure. For the purposes of Critical 
  Damage, this Damage is considered to be Impact Damage.
  ARMOUR BREACH!
  As noted in the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook, any Battle-Brother who suffers more Damage than the Armour Points of 
  his armour has suffered a breach, and no longer counts his armour as environmentally sealed. While this is seldom an issue 
  when ﬁghting in life-supporting conditions, it is a hazard when ﬁghting aboard a Space Hulk. All Space Marines carry a few 
  applications of repair cement to ﬂash-seal any breaches their armour suffers, and this can be applied, with no Test required, as 
  a Full Action in order to keep the armour sealed.
  With power armour’s Osmotic Gill functioning (which is guaranteed so long as the suit has power), a suit breach 
  does not mean immediate harm or death, however. The suit is still producing breathable air, even if some of it is leaking, 
  though the air might become contaminated or insufﬁcient if the breach is left untended for long. A gradually worsening 
  environment of this sort becomes hazardous to the suit’s wearer after a number of Rounds equal to twice his Toughness 
  Bonus, after which he begins to suffer the deleterious effects of the environment outside his suit (suffocation, poisoning, 
  hard vacuum, or something similarly problematic). A Space Marine’s implants (particularly his Multi-Lung) can keep him 
  functioning in such conditions for longer than a human might, but they will not save him forever.
  If, for whatever reason, the Osmotic Gill of a Space Marine’s power armour no longer functions (if the armour’s reactor 
  has taken damage, or the Space Marine has been hit by a haywire weapon, for example), then he has only a limited amount 
  of available air and begins to suffocate. In a normal atmosphere, the Space Marine could simply remove his helm or open 
  the vent grille in the faceplate to allow air in, but this is obviously not an option if the atmosphere is inhospitable.
  Needless to say, proper armour maintenance, especially during combat, is essential when aboard a Space Hulk.
  Table 4–10: Environment
  Table 4–10: Environment
  Roll
  Environmental Conditions
  Environmental Conditions
  01–02
  Extremely Radioactive
  Extremely Radioactive
  03–04
  Extremely Toxic
  Extremely Toxic
  05–06
  Extremely Corrosive
  Extremely Corrosive
  07–09
  Highly Radioactive
  Highly Radioactive
  10–12
  Highly Toxic
  13–15
  Highly Corrosive
  Highly Corrosive
  16–30
  Malfunctioning Gravity Plates
  Malfunctioning Gravity Plates
  31–35
  Mildly Radioactive
  Mildly Radioactive
  36–40
  Mildly Toxic
  41–45
  Mildly Corrosive
  Mildly Corrosive
  46–50
  Flooded (Chemical)
  Flooded (Chemical)
  51–60
  Hard Vacuum
  61–65
  Flooded (Water)
  Flooded (Water)
  66–95
  Non-Supportive Atmosphere
  Non-Supportive Atmosphere
  96–100
  Supportive Atmosphere
  Supportive Atmosphere
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  111
  CORROSIVE
  There is something in the atmosphere in this area that eats 
  away at everything it comes into contact with. While obviously 
  hazardous to living creatures, it also has a potentially dangerous 
  effect on non-living matter as well, which includes armour.
  A Corrosive area functions exactly as a Toxic area of the 
  same severity, but with one addition. At the start of every 
  Turn, roll a die (which varies based on severity) and compare 
  that to the AP on one or more locations on each character, 
  determined at random. If the die roll is higher than the AP, 
  then the armour loses one AP from that location.
  A Mildly Corrosive area rolls 1d5 and affects 1 location 
  per Turn. A Highly Corrosive area rolls 1d10 and affects 2 
  locations per Turn. An Extremely Corrosive area rolls 2d10 
  and affects 1d5 locations per Turn.
  MALFUNCTIONING GRAVITY PLATES
  Starships of all kinds employ some form of gravity-manipulation 
  technology to provide starships with their own gravity, allowing 
  the crew to walk around and perform their duties normally 
  rather than acclimating to null-G conditions. The secrets to 
  creating these ancient devices are held solely by the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus. However, with proper tending and ministrations 
  from the Martian priests, these devices can operate for several 
  lifetimes. Indeed, some starships use gravity plates salvaged from 
  even older vessels, where individual plates might be thousands of 
  years old and still in perfect working order.
  However, that is not to say that they cannot malfunction. 
  While typically stable, extended periods without maintenance 
  after suffering damage or due to the interference of external 
  forces such as the Warp can cause gravity plates and equivalent 
  technologies to function oddly or not at all.
  When generating this environmental condition, roll 1d10. 
  On a 1-3, the gravity is signiﬁcantly heavier than usual. On a 
  4-6, the gravity is signiﬁcantly lighter than usual. On a 7-9, 
  gravity is entirely absent. On a roll of a 10, some other oddity 
  has occurred, to be determined by the GM—the gravity might 
  operate in a different direction (upwards, or towards one of 
  the walls, for example) or it might ﬂuctuate heavily (roll again 
  every 1d5 Rounds).
  Rules for operating in low, high, and zero gravity can be 
  found on page 210 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook. Note 
  that Astartes armour is equipped with magboots by default.
  HARD VACUUM
  For whatever reason, the section is completely lacking in 
  atmosphere. The area follows the rules for Vacuum on page 
  261 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook.
  FLOODED
  The area is completely ﬁlled with liquid, hindering normal 
  passage. Depending on the result chosen, the liquid might be 
  some form of chemical or it could be water.
  If the area is ﬂooded with chemicals, then the GM should 
  have some idea of what sort of chemicals they are—if the GM 
  has already generated the Radioactive, Corrosive, or Toxic 
  environmental conditions, those apply to the chemicals rather 
  than the air. Either way, it is likely that the chemicals are not 
  as transparent as water, restricting vision to a number of metres 
  equal to twice a creature’s Perception Characteristic (though 
  this does not hinder Preysense upgrades or hearing). Needless 
  to say, a character cannot breathe in a chemical ﬂood, and must 
  either walk through it along the ﬂoor or swim through.
  If the area is ﬂooded with water, the vision restrictions do 
  not apply, and while most creatures cannot breathe water, Space 
  Marines can due to their Multi-Lung. If the Radioactive, Corrosive, 
  or Toxic environmental conditions were generated, those apply to 
  the water, indicating that it has become contaminated.
  NON-SUPPORTIVE ATMOSPHERE
  While not particularly dangerous for any other reason, the 
  atmosphere in this area contains insufﬁcient oxygen to support 
  human life. Attempting to breathe it is a futile endeavour that 
  result in suffocation.
  SUPPORTIVE ATMOSPHERE
  By some fortuitous circumstance, the area contains breathable 
  air. While it is likely to be stale and stagnant, it is nonetheless 
  safe to breathe, barring any other environmental issues. In some 
  cases, it might be that the air is particularly thin or somewhat 
  oxygen-depleted, and while these could be detrimental to 
  humans over time, they are of no concern to Adeptus Astartes.
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  112
  STEP 10: GENERATE  
  WARP EFFECTS
  “The Power of the Warp sits heavily here. We would be wise to gird 
  our deeds with caution and our souls with scepticism.”
  –Codicier Vost, during the cleansing of the Space Hulk 
  Embodiment of Sin
  The touch of the Warp is an inevitable part of exploring a Space 
  Hulk. Each and every one of them has voyaged unprotected upon 
  the endless tides of the Immaterium, and each one was born within 
  those depths from a host of other vessels and detritus cast adrift in 
  the Empyrean. This much is taken as truth, and it is thus with great 
  caution that any mission into a Space Hulk is undertaken.
  The following section provides a number of different Warp-
  spawned effects that may hinder, threaten, or inconvenience a Kill-
  team during a Space Hulk mission. As with the Environmental 
  Effects above, many of these conditions are passive in nature, 
  affecting everyone involved equally, so a cunning Battle-Brother 
  might be able to turn them to his advantage. Warp Effects should 
  be rare, however, and while all Space Hulks are touched by the 
  Warp in some way, few are so touched as to manifest potent side-
  effects. A Warp Effect should only be generated on missions with 
  a Threat Level of Majoris, Extremis, or Terminus—lesser missions 
  are not subject to these effects, for no commander would regard any 
  mission into an area so suffused with the Immaterium to be minor.
  To generate a Warp Effect, roll on or choose from options 
  listed on Table 4–11: Warp Effects. If the mission is Threat 
  Level Terminus, generate two Warp Effects. If those results seem 
  contradictory with any other element of the Space Hulk generated, 
  keep them anyway—the Warp is deﬁant of the natural order of 
  things, and is often contradictory to existence. As all these effects 
  are Warp-based, anything that provides bonuses to resisting, or 
  the potential for immunity from, manifestations of the Warp grants 
  those bonuses when attempting to resist a Warp Effect.
  REALITY EROSION
  The laws of reality have been made fragile here, causing uncertainty 
  as even simple tasks are undone through the Warp’s inﬂuence. Psykers 
  are often more able to operate in such areas, for their perception of 
  the Warp’s touch allows them to navigate so fractured a reality.
  All creatures without the Psyniscience Skill, or the Daemon or 
  Warp Instability Traits, suffer an additional –10 penalty on all Tests 
  within an area subject to a Reality Erosion. Creatures may attempt 
  a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test as a Half-Action to steel 
  their minds and exert their wills upon their distorted surroundings, 
  ignoring the penalty for a number of Rounds (or minutes, if not in 
  combat) equal to their Willpower Bonus, plus one for every Degree 
  of Success. Creatures that are, for whatever reason, unaffected by 
  psychic powers or other Warp-spawned effects, can traverse a 
  Reality Erosion without difﬁculty—the touch of the Warp holds 
  no peril for them, no matter the form it takes.
  Psykers can endeavour to stabilise reality for their comrades, 
  which requires a Focus Power Test and a Full Action in the same 
  manner as using a psychic power. If the psyker succeeds, then the 
  Reality Erosion is suppressed (and does not affect anyone) for 
  a number of rounds (or minutes, if not in combat) equal to the 
  Psyker’s Psy Rating, plus one per Degree of Success.
  AURA OF MADNESS
  Though not physically afﬂicted by the touch of the Empyrean, the 
  area is still tainted by that contact. Every surface, patch of rust, ﬂicker 
  of shadow, and auspex reading seems somehow to inspire thoughts 
  of darker times, of betrayal and deceit, and only the strong-willed 
  can keep their minds from a growing sense of paranoia.
  Every minute a creature is in an area pervaded by an Aura 
  of Madness, it must attempt a Challenging (+0) Willpower 
  Test. If it fails, the creature gains one Insanity Point, plus one 
  for every Degree of Failure. NPCs are incapacitated by incipient 
  madness upon gaining 10 Insanity Points. As these Insanity 
  Points are caused by a Warp-spawned source, any creature who 
  gains Insanity Points from an Aura of Madness also gains the 
  same number of Corruption Points.
  DAEMONBOON
  The strength of the Warp-taint here is such that Daemons and other 
  Warp-spawn are given greater vitality and potency, allowing them to 
  inﬂict suffering and terror with far greater ease. In similar measure, 
  the veil is sufﬁciently thin here that a psyker is more able to draw 
  upon the powers of the Warp, though there is risk in doing so.
  All creatures in the area with the Warp Instability Trait 
  do not suffer from that Trait’s normal effects. Instead, such 
  creatures regain a number of wounds (or points of Magnitude, 
  if a Horde) equal to their Willpower Bonus at the end of any 
  Turn in which they inﬂicted Damage or Insanity Points.
  Psykers within an area granting Daemonboon gain an 
  additional +1d5 Psy Rating when using their powers at the 
  Push level, but must also roll twice on Table 6–1: Psychic 
  Phenomena (see page 187 of the DEATHWATCH Core 
  Rulebook) and choose the higher result.
  TEMPORAL FLUX
  Time’s passage has become erratic in this area, with seconds, 
  minutes, and hours all becoming ﬂuid concepts. Even the 
  mightiest warrior can be struck down if time allows his 
  enemies swift motion while he is stuck between moments.
  In structured time, at the start of every creature’s Turn, roll 1d10. 
  On a 1 or 2, that creature is hindered by time and is considered to 
  Table 4–11: Warp Effects
  Roll
  Warp Effects
  01–08
  Reality Erosion
  09–16
  Aura of Madness
  17–24
  Daemonboon
  25–32
  Temporal Flux
  33–40
  Impossible Perceptions
  41–48
  Visitation
  49–56
  Whispers in the Dark
  57–64
  Warp Echo
  65–72
  Psychic Discharge
  73–80
  Spatial Disturbance
  81–88
  Unbidden Vitae
  89–100
  Disquieting Calm
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  113
  be Stunned until the end of the Round, unable to take any Actions 
  or Reactions. On a 9 or 10, the creature is bolstered by time and 
  can take a second Turn immediately after completing its normal 
  one. On any other result, time has not slowed or accelerated 
  enough to help or hinder the creature, and it acts normally.
  In narrative time, roll 1d10 and subtract the roll of a second 1d10 
  from it. This value in minutes is added—or subtracted—to the length 
  of time a given extended task (such as a Test when circumventing 
  a Calamity) takes. Roll individually for each action and character, as 
  time does not ﬂow evenly for all within a Temporal Flux.
  As a side effect, any character who has been within an 
  area of Temporal Flux ﬁnds that his chronometer is no longer 
  synchronised with that of his comrades, as different amounts 
  of time have passed for all of them.
  IMPOSSIBLE PERCEPTIONS
  The touch of the Warp here plays with the mind, making 
  people see things which do no exist, and making them 
  overlook things that are truly there. Even the machine-spirits 
  of devices like the common auspex are not immune to such 
  disturbances, and they become highly unreliable as a result.
  Any character within an area where Impossible Perceptions 
  occur must re-roll any successful Perception-based Test, as well as 
  any Tech-Use Tests made to operate an auspex or similar sensing 
  device. Characters with an ability to re-roll Perception-based 
  Tests do not gain their normal beneﬁt (as you cannot re-roll a re-
  rolled die), but instead can ignore the re-roll forced upon them 
  by Impossible Perceptions. Similarly, a character with Fate Points 
  available can spend one to prevent this forced re-roll instead of 
  re-rolling the Test as would normally be the case.
  VISITATION
  When the Warp presses upon reality, dreams and idle thoughts 
  become more tangible, and while only the psychically gifted 
  have the talent to control this phenomena, close contact with 
  the Warp has allowed many to make contact with a spectral 
  image of those signiﬁcant to their past, present, or future.
  At some point during the Kill-team’s time within this area, 
  1d5 random Battle-Brothers receive a vision of another being—
  someone from their past, someone they currently know, someone 
  they might meet someday, or a spiritual ancestor of some sort. 
  In some extreme and extraordinary cases, Battle-Brothers have 
  reported seeing visions of their Primarch or the Emperor Himself, 
  though these are incredibly rare occurrences.
  The visitation is only brief, lasting only a couple of minutes 
  at most, but the characters can interact with their visitor if they 
  wish—asking questions, for example. Whether or not these 
  apparitions are truly the spirits of others, or merely a ﬁgment 
  of the Battle-Brothers’ imaginations is (and should remain) 
  unknown. For most characters, this visitation is a brief but 
  memorable occurrence. For Battle-Brothers with the Wisdom 
  of the Ancients Talent, they may use that Talent at this point, 
  and then roll 1d10. On a roll of 6 or more, the Fate Point used 
  to activate the Wisdom of the Ancients Talent is not spent.
  WHISPERS IN THE DARK
  An unnatural and eerie presence lingers in this place, sufﬁcient to 
  unsettle any mortal warrior. This whispering presence seems to 
  mock and taunt those who pass through the area, and though their 
  intent seems perfectly clear, their words seem to hang just beyond 
  the edge of perception. While the Astartes are not unmanned by 
  petty mortal fears, this presence can be…distracting.
  In any combat encounter within an area subject to Whispers 
  in the Dark, all creatures within the area must respond as if 
  the area itself had the Fear (1) Trait.
  WARP ECHO
  Almost as if all sound was bent back upon itself, this place 
  seems to echo abnormally. All sounds, even ones conveyed 
  over vox, echo strangely, often impossibly.
  This effect imposes a –10 penalty on all hearing-based 
  Awareness Tests.
  PSYCHIC DISCHARGE
  A heavy cloud of Warp energy hangs over this place, seeking 
  any opportunity to be unleashed upon the material world. 
  The slightest spark of errant power is sufﬁcient to provide 
  this energy with an avenue of escape.
  While in this area, no Psychic Powers can be used at the 
  Fettered level—too much power ﬁlls the air to restrain oneself 
  effectively. Further, any act that results in Psychic Phenomena, 
  or any time when a creature with Warp Instability suffers one or 
  more points of Damage, presents a risk of Psychic Discharge.
  When any of the above-listed events occurs, roll 1d10; on a 
  result of 6 or higher, a Psychic Discharge occurs, striking one 
  random creature within the area. A Psychic Discharge inﬂicts 
  a single hit dealing 2d10 E Damage with the Concussive and 
  Warp Weapon Qualities.
  SPATIAL DISTURBANCE
  The physical dimensions within this area are ﬂawed and 
  inconstant, preventing even the most puissant of warriors from 
  ranging their shots accurately. When the distance between 
  attacker and target varies from moment to moment, none can 
  be expected to ﬁght with their usual certainty.
  When making any shooting attack, after declaring a target but 
  before determining the modiﬁers for the to-hit roll, roll 2d10. If 
  the number rolled is odd, add that value to the distance in metres 
  between the ﬁrer and the target. If the number rolled is even, subtract 
  that value from the distance between the ﬁrer and the target.
  UNBIDDEN VITAE
  A sure sign of the taint of the Warp, blood ﬂows freely within this 
  area. It seems to seep from the walls and ceilings, gathering in sickly 
  puddles on the ﬂoor and trickling from the ceilings in intermittent 
  crimson showers. Worse, when wounded, the blood of the injured 
  ﬂows more eagerly. Due to the slick pools of gore that have 
  accumulated in the area, the entire area is considered to be Difﬁcult 
  Terrain, requiring a Difﬁcult (–10) Agility Test. Further, when any 
  creature is subject to Blood Loss within the area, the chance of death 
  is doubled. Space Marines, who are normally immune to Blood Loss, 
  become subject to it while within an area of Unbidden Vitae.
  DISQUIETING CALM
  Though touched by the baleful inﬂuence of the Warp, there appear 
  to be no particular effects upon this area. Though mildly unnerving, 
  this Warp Effect has no effect on creatures in the area.
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  114
  STEP 11: GENERATE 
  DISCOVERIES
  “Auto-beacon located. Ascertaining location…”
  –Techmarine Santos, Crimson Fists, during the exploration 
  of the Space Hulk Idolater’s Spite
  A prime reason for the exploration of Space Hulks, as opposed 
  to simply obliterating them with massed macrocannon ﬁre, is the 
  potential for the recovery of lost relics, ancient technologies, and 
  other precious things. In particular, the loss of sacred wargear 
  and precious geneseed from previous expeditions can spur the 
  Deathwatch to board a Space Hulk to reclaim their lost legacies.
  The potential treasures awaiting discovery aboard a Space Hulk 
  are many and varied, and range from the derelict hulls of ancient 
  starships to scraps of STC data, as well as pieces of Archeotech, 
  caches of wargear and munitions, lost relics, and far more besides. 
  Some of these are of such signiﬁcance that entire missions could 
  be shaped around their recovery, while others are chance ﬁnds that 
  make a mission even more vital, and victory all the sweeter.
  This section allows a GM to generate a number of items that 
  a Kill-team can discover during a Space Hulk mission. These 
  Discoveries might be tied to individual Encounters or Calamities, or 
  could be uncovered in distinct events of their own. Approximately 
  one Discovery for every four points of Scale should be a sufﬁcient 
  quantity of potential Discoveries, though whether they have the 
  means to claim or keep those ﬁnds is another matter. To generate 
  Discoveries, choose from or roll on Table 4–12: Discoveries. 
  MUNITIONS CACHE
  Ancient arms lockers, the cargo of resupply servitors, and the 
  remnants of ancient expeditions can all provide a valuable source 
  of ammunition. A Munitions Cache provides a Kill-team with an 
  additional six clips of pistol ammunition, an additional ten clips of 
  basic weapon ammunition, and an additional two clips of heavy 
  weapon ammunition, as well as eight additional frag grenades, eight 
  krak grenades, and twelve additional uses of repair cement. The 
  individual weapons that these clips are for are determined when the 
  Kill-team locates the Munitions Cache, though it cannot provide 
  ammunition for any weapons requiring Famed or Hero renown.
  ROVING SERVITOR
  Lacking commands for ages, the ill-maintained machinery and 
  decrepit ﬂesh of this servitor are only barely able to sustain its 
  half-remembered function. A willing Techmarine can extract 
  information from the cortex of this servitor before deactivating 
  it permanently. While normally little of a servitor’s memory is of 
  great use, a servitor that has roamed a Space Hulk unperturbed 
  for a protracted period of time might have valuable information 
  about the layout of the Space Hulk, aiding in navigation.
  It requires an Ordinary (+10) Tech-Use Test to locate 
  and extract this information successfully. This information 
  grants the Kill-team a +20 bonus on all Tests made to 
  circumvent the next Calamity they face.
  REMAINS OF THE PAST
  The dead are many here. Still clad in their dust-caked 
  warplate, these fallen heroes are a testament to the perils of 
  exploring a Space Hulk. Their corpses are decayed beyond 
  recognition, leaving no geneseed to salvage, but their wargear 
  is still potentially valuable. There are 1d5–2 corpses (to a 
  minimum of 1), all equipped with the standard issue gear for 
  a Tactical Marine. Half of their grenades, ammunition, and 
  repair cement supplies (rounding down) have all been used, 
  but the rest remain in useable condition.
  A member of the Kill-team with the Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus 
  Astartes) Skill may choose to perform a brief service to put the 
  spirits of the dead Astartes to rest and commend them to the 
  Emperor. If the Test is successful, every member of the Kill-team 
  regains two lost Cohesion, as they are reminded of the necessity 
  of sacriﬁce and that only in death does duty end.
  Table 4–12: Discoveries
  Roll
  Discoveries
  01–15
  Munitions Cache
  16–25
  Roving Servitor 
  26–40
  Remains of the Past 
  41–55
  Starship’s Archives 
  56–65
  Fragment of Archeotech 
  66–75
  Lost Geneseed
  76–90
  Ancient Lore
  91–99
  Forgotten Relic
  100
  Suspected STC Fragment
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  115
  STARSHIP’S ARCHIVES
  A very speciﬁc type of information (though valuable in its 
  own right), the logs of a lost starship can provide answers 
  to ancient mysteries and allow the Imperium to gain some 
  insight into the reasons a ship was lost. This, in turn, can 
  highlight the existence of previously unknown foes and 
  perils, or provide some precious insight into the nature of 
  an existing threat. Even if it provides little else, conclusive 
  evidence of a vessel’s fate is useful, and most starships are so 
  old as to contain a variety of unique information.
  Though a vessel typically contains many logs and 
  archives, many ships house a central datacrypt that stores 
  only the most important records—the infologs of the 
  vessel’s central cogitator and the journals of its captain, 
  senior navigator, and chief enginseer. This allows the 
  datacrypt to be more easily recovered; upon being seriously 
  damaged, the central cogitator automatically transfers 
  these crucial logs to a durable, heavily shielded infocasket 
  the size of a large munitions container. It takes a Routine 
  (+20) Lore: Forbidden (Adeptus Mechanicus) Test, or 
  a Difﬁcult (–10) Tech-Use Test to successfully perform 
  the Rite of Retrieval, which takes twenty minutes. A 
  successfully retrieved infocasket weighs 20kg, is ﬁtted 
  with carrying handles for easy transportation, and is small 
  enough to be carried by hand by a multirole servitor, 
  menial, or other attendant—or, if necessary, mag-locked 
  to a Space Marine’s backpack. If the infocasket is struck, 
  it is considered to have 26 AP, and is damaged if it takes 
  more than 10 Damage overall.
  A safely retrieved infocasket grants 1d5 Renown to 
  all members of the Kill-team. This is reduced to 1 if the 
  infocasket is signiﬁcantly damaged.
  FRAGMENTS OF ARCHEOTECH
  The product of ancient science, often hailing from the Dark Age of 
  Technology, can be found scattered across the Imperium, with the 
  depths of ancient hive cities and the hearts of Space Hulks providing 
  some of the greatest treasure troves of this precious resource.
  Intact Archeotech, particularly within a Space Hulk, is rare 
  at best and more commonly found are damaged fragments of 
  ancient technology. This is no less valuable to the Adeptus 
  Mechanicus, for they can still seek comprehension of the 
  works of the ancients in the salvaged pieces.
  After discovering Fragments of Archeotech, it requires a series 
  of Challenging (+0) Tech-Use Tests to successfully salvage 
  useful technology. The Battle-Brothers can attempy any number 
  of Tests, each taking 10 minutes, but if the total number of 
  Degrees of Failure from all the Tests attempted reaches 4, then 
  the salvage attempt is ruined. Otherwise, the Kill-team gains 
  additional Renown at the end of the mission for retrieving the 
  Archeotech fragments, equal to the Degrees of Success scored. 
  Further, any member of the Kill-team may purchase Peer 
  (Adeptus Mechanicus) as an Elite Advance for 300 XP.
  LOST GENESEED
  Exceptionally precious to the Adeptus Astartes, the loss of 
  geneseed is a tragedy matched only by the joy of its rediscovery. 
  The universal comprehension of how vital geneseed is to a 
  Space Marine Chapter’s survival means that rediscovering 
  another Chapter’s lost geneseed is an occasion that reinforces 
  ancient bonds of brotherhood and mends millennia-old feuds.
  Lost geneseed is invariably found within stasis-locked 
  containers, of a kind used by Apothecaries after their removal—
  without them, the geneseed would decay into uselessness 
  within hours—and are typically discovered in groups, often 
  where an Apothecary fell in battle. The geneseed collected, 
  if it is successfully retrieved from the Space Hulk, grants 
  every member of the Kill-team 3 Renown. This increases 
  to 6 Renown if the geneseed is checked and secured by an 
  Apothecary, requiring a Challenging (+0) Medicae Test.
  SUPPLY LINES AND SPACE HULKS
  Being difﬁcult to traverse and inherently hostile, Space Hulks represent a challenge when it comes to supplying boarding parties with 
  sufﬁcient ammunition and other supplies. For the most part, a boarding party carries all they can to limit the need to resupply, but 
  even then, ability to carry ammunition is ﬁnite. When delivered by boarding torpedo or gunship, the boarding party often leaves a 
  reserve supply within the craft and returns to restock when necessary. This is most common when multiple distinct missions aboard 
  the Space Hulk are required, as the boarding craft serves as a useful rallying point. In rare instances, resupply drops by teleport can be 
  sent deeper into a Space Hulk, though this requires the use of Teleport Homers, and is not guaranteed to work.
  If a GM’s particular campaign does not typically worry about spare ammunition, then there is no reason to start 
  tracking it just because the mission takes place aboard a Space Hulk. However, this sort of “survival” element is often 
  associated with Space Hulk incursions. Therefore, if the GM wishes to track ammunition expenditure during a Space 
  Hulk mission, then two additional resupply options exist, which the Kill-team may spend requisition to obtain.
  If the Kill-team wishes to leave a reserve supply within their boarding craft, then this costs 20 Requisition, but allows 
  any and every member of the Kill-team to replenish all their ammunition, grenades, drugs, repair cement, and other 
  consumable items back to a full stock upon visiting the craft. If the group also has a Tech-Marine and sufﬁcient time, it 
  allows repairs to be made to damaged armour as well, though these repairs are still temporary.
  If the Kill-team wishes to have a resupply drop teleported to them during the mission, they must ﬁrst requisition a Teleport Homer. 
  Each teleported resupply drop costs 30 Requisition (in addition to the cost of the Teleport Homer), but provides supplies identical to 
  the Munitions Cache Discovery on page 114. However, when requesting a teleported resupply drop, roll 1d10. On the roll of a 1, 
  the teleport suffers a mishap and does not arrive, though at the GM’s discretion it could have materialised elsewhere in the Hulk.
  
  IV: The Space hulk  
  Mission Generator
  116
  ANCIENT LORE
  The husks of derelict starships possess a potential wealth of lore 
  that can serve the Inquisition well in future centuries. Taking many 
  forms including from data-coils, crystal-wafer stacks, collections 
  of dataslates, holoscrolls, xenos inscriptions, or even something 
  as basic and fragile as paper, this lore is something that scribes 
  and archivists can work with for years or even decades.
  Discovering a collection of Ancient Lore is the simple 
  part. Actually retrieving it can be more challenging, for even 
  a small archive is inconvenient to transport, particularly in 
  combat. Securing an archive for later retrieval is a commonly 
  chosen option, though not always practical. Alternatively, the 
  Kill-team can choose to bring only portions of the archive, 
  or take detailed picts and hololithic imagery of the archive 
  materials. Taking only a portion of an archive, or making 
  duplicates, requires a Difﬁcult (–10) Logic Test, a Hard 
  (–20) Scrutiny Test, or a Challenging (+0) Scholastic 
  or Lore: Forbidden Test of a type appropriate to the type 
  of lore contained within the archive. Success indicates that 
  useful information is retrieved.
  Successfully retrieving the entire archive is sufﬁcient for 
  all members of the Kill-team to gain an additional 1d10 
  Renown. Successfully retrieving only part of the archive 
  reduces this to 1d5 Renown.
  FORGOTTEN RELIC
  Vessels carrying items of spiritual worth are not uncommon 
  in the Imperium—countless acts of devoted heroism and 
  pious self-sacriﬁce occur across the Emperor’s domain every 
  year, and even though a tiny proportion of them lead to 
  anything of great signiﬁcance, the trappings of these heroes 
  and martyrs are precious reminders of the costs of faith and 
  duty. Transporting these relics to shrine worlds is a heavy 
  responsibility, and some vessels are lost during the voyage. 
  Beyond that, sacred tools of mighty warriors can be found 
  aboard Space Hulks, lost during prior expeditions. 
  In either case, these relics are of great worth and are a 
  worthy burden to take up. When discovering a Forgotten Relic, 
  roll 1d10. On a result of 9 or 10, the relic is a functioning 
  and sacred weapon. On any other result, the relic is either 
  damaged beyond immediate repair or is otherwise of no 
  signiﬁcant or immediate uses save as an object of veneration.
  Relics that have no particular use are valuable if safely 
  retrieved, granting 1d5 Renown to all members of the Kill-
  team. Relics that are functioning weapons can be valuable 
  assets to the Kill-team. A relic weapon is a Master-Crafted 
  weapon of a type determined by the GM, that gains the 
  Sanctiﬁed Quality and any two other Qualities from the 
  following list: Concussive, Devastating (1), Felling (1), 
  Razor-Sharp, Tearing, or Volatile, once again chosen by 
  the GM. Alternatively, the GM should feel free to design 
  unique relics.
  Retrieving a relic weapon grants 1d5 Renown to all members 
  of the Kill-team, +1 for the Battle-Brother who wielded that 
  weapon if it was used to slay a Master-level enemy.
  In either case, retrieval of a relic allows all members of the 
  Kill-team access to the Peer Talent appropriate for the group 
  most closely connected to the relic (GM’s discretion). 
  SUSPECTED STC FRAGMENT
  Potentially the most precious and sacred of ﬁnds in any situation, 
  even the tiniest morsel of standard template construct data is of 
  incalculable value. However, true fragments of STC data are 
  incalculably rare, and their discovery is the stuff of legends. In 
  most cases, suspected fragments of STC lore turn out to be too 
  incomplete to be of use, a duplicate of material already rediscovered, 
  or otherwise entirely useless. However, this can normally only be 
  discerned after decades, even centuries of research, and the Tech-
  priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus are grateful for even the most 
  tenuous of leads in their quest for knowledge.
  Upon discovering a Suspected STC Fragment, recovery of 
  such a precious item must be done delicately. The correct rites 
  and procedures for recovery of a sacred tech-relic such as this 
  can be recalled using a Difﬁcult (–10) Lore: Forbidden 
  (Adeptus Mechanicus) Test, at which point the fragment 
  needs to be stored somewhere secure. 
  Once the Suspected STC Fragment has been retrieved and 
  stored, note how the item is being carried (in what container, 
  etc.), and on which location of the character’s body. If that 
  location suffers Critical Damage, roll 1d10; on a result of 6 
  or higher, the fragment has been caught in the attack and 
  damaged. If the Suspected STC Fragment is damaged more 
  than once, it is irreparably destroyed.
  Successful retrieval of a Suspected STC Fragment is a coup 
  for any servant of the Imperium, and results in every member 
  of the Kill-team gaining 10 Renown. This is reduced to 1d10 
  if the fragment is damaged. In addition, any member of the 
  Kill-team may purchase Peer (Adeptus Mechanicus) and/or 
  Good Reputation (Adeptus Mechanicus) for 200 XP and 500 
  XP, respectively, as Elite Advances. 
  
  Appendix
  117
  Appendix: 
  NPCs and  
  Adversaries
  T
  he proﬁles that follow are offered to Game Masters to 
  populate the twisted corridors and haunted tunnels of 
  a Space Hulk. Both the ARK OF LOST SOULS adventure 
  module and the Space Hulk Mission Generator reference 
  the proﬁles included in this Appendix. 
  Lost Souls
  S
  pace Hulks are by no means populous places, but there 
  are those that scrounge a living among Warp-haunted 
  desolation. These lives are often short and brutal, rife with 
  peril to mind, body, and soul. As a result, those cursed few that 
  ﬁnd themselves stranded within the twisted bulk of a Space Hulk 
  are either wretched or vicious in the extreme. The castaways, 
  mutants, and poor souls listed below are usually the remnants 
  or descendants of human crews trapped inside a Space Hulk’s 
  conﬁnes or of those foolish enough to delve its depths. 
  SPACE HULK SURVIVOR
  Though rare, it is not unknown for the crews of derelict ships to 
  survive the trauma of being conglomerated into a Space Hulk. In 
  extremely rare circumstances, like is the case with the survivors of The 
  Emperor’s Gaze, a working Gellar ﬁeld can protect a crew for a short 
  amount of time. This is far from common, however, and few survivors 
  live through their ﬁrst Warp translation aboard a Space Hulk. 
  Surivivor (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  20
  30
  30
  30
  25
  25
  25
  30
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 9
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Lore: Common (Imperium & Imperial Navy) (Int), 
  Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Survival (Space Hulk) 
  (Int).† One in every ﬁve or so Survivors have the Trade 
  (Shipwright) (Int) or (Technomat) (Int) Skills.
  Talents: None. 
  Traits: None.
  Weapons: Improvised weaponry (Melee; 1d10+4 I; Pen 0; 
  Primitive, Unbalanced). One in ﬁve is armed with a Naval Pistol 
  (Ranged; 20m, S/3/–, 1d10+4 I, Pen 0, Clip 6, Full, Tearing).
  †Survival (Space Hulk): It may have been the blessing of 
  the Emperor that allowed the survivors to endure the terrors 
  of their vessel’s doom, but none would have survived more 
  than a day more had they not very quickly developed the 
  skills to endure in their new and highly dangerous home.
  MUTANT HORDE
  These vile creatures have been caught in the depths of a 
  Space Hulk and represent the ﬂotsam and jetsam, the reavers, 
  outcasts, criminals, and assorted scum of the void. Their minds, 
  bodies, and souls are utterly steeped in the Warp energies at 
  play within the cursed vessel they inhabit.
  Mutant (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  25
  30
  30
  25
  30
  25
  25
  20
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: None. 
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int).
  Talents: None. 
  Traits: None. 
  Weapons: Improvised clubs (Melee; 1d10+2 I, Pen: 0, 
  Primitive, Unbalanced).
  Horde: Mutants rarely operate alone unless encountered 
  going about other business in the tunnels and chambers of 
  the Space Hulk. In battle, they ﬁght in large groups, using 
  the Horde rule.
  
  Appendix
  118
  GHILLIAM
  Living in wretched colonies deep in the bowels of many 
  voidships, these outcasts and fugitives were once the crewmen of 
  the ships on which they live. In the hostile environments of the 
  deep-holds, the Ghilliam (as they are called by the void-savvy) 
  scrounge and scavenge what life they can, often-times devolving 
  into cannibalistic and other unholy practices. Little more than 
  vermin, these wretched outcasts haunt their former crew-mates, 
  occasionally swarming out from the bowels of the ship to assault 
  those who stray too far from the safety of higher decks. 
  Ghilliam (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  33
  18
  34
  30
  30
  18
  24
  20
  10
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 8
  Armour: None. 
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (Str), Concealment (Ag) +10, 
  Lore: Common (Secret Ways of the Ship) (Int), Silent Move (Ag).
  Talents: Blind-Fighting, Hatred (Humans), Resistance 
  (Cold, Toxins).
  Traits: Overwhelming (Horde).
  Weapons: Rusted knife (Melee or Ranged; 3m; 1d10+2 R; Pen 
  0; Primitive), sharpened teeth (Melee; 1d10 R; Pen 0; Primitive).
  Gear: Lumenmould lantern, half-eaten haunch of ﬂesh, soiled 
  trinket or memento (home world keepsake, family pict locket, etc.). 
  HULLGHAST
  These degenerate creatures are a debased form of the far 
  more common Ghilliam. These grotesque mutants exist 
  in the darkest depths of voidships and Space Hulks, 
  deep in the forgotten corridors and desolate holds where 
  atmosphere, temperature, and radiation all wreak terrible 
  havoc on the body and mind. Hullghasts are the result 
  of such twisting influences, and these vile creatures have 
  long-ago given up all connection to the human race. 
  Predators in the truest sense of the word, Hullghasts 
  prowl the lower decks of derelict voidships and Space 
  Hulks seeking meat in whatever form they can find it. 
  They are aggressive and violent and seem willing to 
  attack openly when desperate for food.
  Hullghast (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  44
  10
  37
  40
  38
  16
  39
  34
  04
  Move: 3/6/9/18  
  Wounds: 18
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S) +20, Concealment 
  (Ag) +20, Silent Move (Ag) +10.
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Frenzy, Hatred (Humans), Resistance 
  (Cold), Swift Attack.
  Traits: Bestial, Brutal Charge, Dark Sight, Fear (1), Improved 
  Natural Weapons, Natural Weapons (Bite and Claws), Toxic, 
  Survival of the Fittest†.
  Weapons: Club or sharpened bone (Melee; 1d10+3 [R]; Pen 
  0; ), bite and claws (Melee; 1d10+4 [R]; Pen 3; Tearing).
  †Survival of the Fittest: The Hullghast mutation allows 
  the creature to survive in the most hostile surroundings 
  known to man. They are immune to most environmental 
  hazards such as poisons, mild doses of radiation, 
  pollutants, intense gravity fluctuations, airborne toxins, 
  and almost anything else that could be encountered in 
  the depths of any voidship. What has not killed them 
  has indeed made them stronger. Hullghasts automatically 
  succeed on Toughness Tests versus Toxic weapons.
  succeed on Toughness Tests versus Toxic weapons.
  
  Appendix
  119
  Orks
  P
  erhaps the single most numerous and widespread species 
  in the galaxy after Humanity, Orks can be found almost 
  everywhere. While the Orks do possess starships of their 
  own creation, the means to produce ﬂeets of vessels is spread 
  unevenly through Ork society, and as a result much of Ork space 
  travel is performed by chance—stealing aboard a passing Space 
  Hulk and riding along until they reach somewhere interesting. 
  Whatever hazards, perils, or other inhabitants may have been 
  aboard the Space Hulk before the Orks arrived are regarded as 
  sources of entertainment by the raucous greenskins, while countless 
  billions of tonnes of scrap metal and wrecked machinery are seen 
  by Ork engineers, or Mekboyz, as the perfect raw materials for 
  their bizarre and deadly creations. Upon reaching its destination, 
  an Ork horde within a Space Hulk may have become a vast and 
  powerful army ready to lay waste to anything in its path.
  The greatest and most ambitious of Ork warlords have even 
  turned their ambitions to commandeering Space Hulks for 
  more than simply transport, and several Ork Waaaghs! through 
  history have been accompanied by Space Hulks that have been 
  transformed into colossal mobile star fortresses. Such creations 
  are thankfully rare, but the prospect of their creation makes 
  eliminating Ork infestations within Space Hulks a particular 
  priority, eliminating the risk before it can truly manifest.
  ORKY TRAITS
  The following traits are possessed by most Orks. 
  MIGHT MAKES RIGHT
  Orks may substitute Command Tests with Intimidate Tests.
  MAKE IT WORK
  Ork-made weapons with the Unreliable Trait are only 
  treated as having it in the hands of other species.
  MOB RULE
  All Orks are latently psychic, an ability that increases 
  in strength the more of them are in one place. This 
  bolsters their conﬁdence and courage to near fearless 
  levels when they gather en masse. For every additional 
  Ork within 10m, the Ork’s Willpower gains a +10 
  bonus to resist the effects of Fear and Pinning. In a 
  horde, Orks are immune to Fear and Pinning.
  WAAAGH!
  When the Ork charges, he may make any additional 
  attacks granted from other Talents (such as Swift Attack 
  or Lightning Attack), rather than one. In addition, 
  whenever this Ork charges into combat, all other Orks 
  (or Ork Hordes) within 20 metres who charge that 
  Turn may make one additional attack.
  
  Appendix
  120
  GRETCHIN SLAVE
  The subservient greenskin race known as gretchin, or “grots” to their 
  Ork masters, are found everywhere there are Orks. Gretchin form the 
  core of the workforce that feeds and supplies the Ork hordes, toiling 
  endlessly and constantly terriﬁed of savage retribution or unthinking 
  brutality from their overlords. Individual gretchin are physically 
  feeble, though perhaps somewhat more robust than their scrawny 
  forms may suggest. They are, however, sneaky and cunning in a way 
  that most Orks aren’t. Particularly ambitious or lucky gretchin can 
  even rise to become the personal servants of powerful Orks, sparing 
  them the worst that society can throw at their wretched kind.
  The small size and nimble ﬁngers of gretchin make them 
  useful assistants to Mekboyz and, in this capacity, gretchin 
  aboard a Space Hulk may ﬁnd themselves ranging out into the 
  derelict “wastelands” for scrap in large mobs, struggling to drag 
  away chunks of a starship’s ancient carcass in the vain hope of 
  not being kicked in the face so hard when they return. At times, 
  some particularly put-upon mobs of gretchin decide to try to 
  establish themselves away from the tyranny of the Orks, leading 
  to small encampments of “rebel grots” that loot and steal all they 
  can from their former masters while proclaiming independence. 
  Those few Orks who care to think about what the gretchin are 
  up to tend to put an end to these rebellions fairly swiftly.
  Gretchin Slave (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (2)
  20
  35
  15
  18
  44
  33
  35
  16
  24
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 5
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Concealment (Ag), Dodge (Ag), 
  Search (Int), Shadowing (Ag), Silent Move (Ag).
  Talents: Heightened Senses (Hearing). 
  Traits: Run Fer it!†, Size (Scrawny), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Weapons: Tiny, crude blunderbuss (Basic; 30m; S/–/–; 
  1d10+2 I; Pen 0; Clip 1; Rld Full; Primitive, Scatter), sneaky 
  boot knife (Melee; 1d5+1 R; Pen 0).
  Gear: Breather mask, bag of scrap, small stolen trinkets, 
  machine parts and shiny baubles.
  Horde: Gretchin Slaves can be used as a Horde (see the Horde 
  rules on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). Alter 
  the Size Trait as appropriate for Horde magnitude.
  †Run Fer It!: Gretchin are cowardly, sneaky creatures who will 
  recoil from violence if at all possible, unless they think they’re going 
  to win. The presence of their Ork masters prevents them ﬂeeing at 
  the ﬁrst sign of danger, but if Gretchin (individually or as a Horde) 
  ﬁnd themselves in combat without an Ork within line of sight, they 
  will scatter down any convenient hole or into any suitably dark 
  corner and hide until it’s safe to come out. Treat this as an immediate 
  Ordinary (+20) Concealment Test for the entire group, with 
  success meaning that the gretchin vanish immediately, while failure 
  means that half of the gretchin (rounding down) don’t hide in time 
  and must try again next turn. If the gretchin outnumber their visible 
  enemies by 10 to 1 (count every point of magnitude as a single 
  gretchin for this purpose), then they will not ﬂee immediately—their 
  overwhelming numbers give them some measure of conﬁdence.
  ORK WREKKA
  Orks are relatively adaptable creatures, able to take advantage of 
  almost any condition or circumstance. Travelling aboard a Space 
  Hulk—while an abhorrent prospect by any human reasoning—
  is no different. Indeed, Orks are known to thrive in the face of 
  adversity, becoming stronger and more dangerous in hostile 
  conditions such as wars of attrition or predator-ﬁlled wilderness.
  Ork Mekboyz can manufacture or jury-rig life sustainers 
  and create sufﬁciently habitable conditions, a need for raw 
  materials to fuel their industry and create munitions and war 
  engines for the perpetual war effort of the greenskins requires 
  Orks to travel out into the inhospitable derelicts with powerful 
  cutting tools and explosive charges. That these devices make 
  for brutally effective weapons means that these Orks are also 
  well equipped to ﬁght anything that confronts them.
  Ork Wrekka (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  40
  20
  46
  48
  30
  26
  25
  25
  20
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 15
  Armour: Crude Voidsuit (All 3, Horde 3).
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Demolitions (Int), Dodge (Ag), 
  Intimidate (S), Lore: Common (Ork) (Int), Speak Language 
  (Ork) (Int), Tech-Use (Int).
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, Hardy, 
  Iron Jaw, Street Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge, Make it Work, Might Makes Right, 
  Mob Rule, Sturdy, Unnatural Toughness (x2), Waaagh!. 
  Weapons: Shoota (Basic; 60m; S/3/10; 1d10+8 I; Pen 
  2; Clip 30; Reload Full; Inaccurate) and buzzsaw (Melee; 
  2d10+6 R; Pen 3; Tearing, Razor-Sharp, Unwieldy), or 
  burna (Ranged) (Basic; 15m; S/–/–; 1d10+5 E; Pen 3; Clip 
  8; Rld 2 Full; Flame) or (Melee) (Melee; 1d10+11 E; Pen 4; 
  Power Field, Unwieldy), stikkbombz (Grenade; 12m; S/–/–; 
  2d10+2 X; Pen 1; Blast [3]).
  Gear: Breather mask, a handful of teef, pockets full of bullets.
  Horde: Ork Wrekkas can be used as a Horde (see the Horde 
  rules on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). A 
  Horde of Ork Wrekkas has the Overwhelming Trait.
  recoil from violence if at all possible, unless they think they’re going 
  to win. The presence of their Ork masters prevents them ﬂeeing at 
  the ﬁrst sign of danger, but if Gretchin (individually or as a Horde) 
  ﬁnd themselves in combat without an Ork within line of sight, they 
  will scatter down any convenient hole or into any suitably dark 
  corner and hide until it’s safe to come out. Treat this as an immediate 
   for the entire group, with 
  success meaning that the gretchin vanish immediately, while failure 
  means that half of the gretchin (rounding down) don’t hide in time 
  and must try again next turn. If the gretchin outnumber their visible 
  enemies by 10 to 1 (count every point of magnitude as a single 
  gretchin for this purpose), then they will not ﬂee immediately—their 
  overwhelming numbers give them some measure of conﬁdence.
  
  Appendix
  121
  ORK LOOTA
  In such a technology-rich environment as a Space Hulk, it should 
  come as little surprise that the Ork sub-caste known as “Lootas” 
  would be commonplace. Through barter and brute force, Lootas 
  obtain the largest, most powerful Ork-portable ﬁrearms possible, 
  and revel in the noise and devastation they can inﬂict.
  Lootas tend to operate singly or in small groups, the wealth 
  and prestige demonstrated by their massive guns making 
  them paranoid of other Orks’ intentions. 
  Ork Loota (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  40
  28
  46
  45
  30
  28
  25
  31
  20
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 17
  Armour: Crude Voidsuit with extra armour plates (All 5, Horde 5).
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Barter (Fel), Dodge (Ag), Intimidate 
  (S), Lore: Common (Ork) (Int), Sleight of Hand (Ag), Speak 
  Language (Ork) (Int), Tech-Use (Int).
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, 
  Hardy, Iron Jaw, Paranoia, Street Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge, Give it Sum Dakka!†, Make it 
  Work, Might Makes Right, Mob Rule, Sturdy, Unnatural 
  Toughness (x2), Waaagh!. 
  Weapons: Deffgun (Heavy; 90m; S/4/8; 1d10+10 I; Pen 
  2; Clip 50; Reload 2 Full; Innacurate, Storm), choppa (Melee; 
  1d10+7 R; Pen 2; Tearing, Unbalanced).
  Gear: Breather mask, bag of bullets, gretchin slave carrying 
  spare ammo.
  †Give It Sum Dakka! Lootas rejoice in the size and brutality 
  of their Deffgunz, and care for little but the opportunity to show 
  off their prize possessions. Lootas may count the Suppressive 
  Fire action as a Half Action instead of a Full Action.
  ORK FLASH GIT
  Flash Gitz use their size and strength to ensure that they receive 
  the greatest share of the loot, giving them access to uniquely 
  customised weapons and armour and even more opportunities 
  to throw their weight around. Their ostentatious displays of 
  wealth (and their untempered greed for even more) makes them 
  amongst the most mercenary and ﬁckle of Orks, but regardless 
  of their loyalties, they are unashamedly aggressive and ever 
  willing to demonstrate the potency of their latest purchases.
  Ork Flash Git (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  (8)
  45
  29
  49
  49
  33
  28
  29
  28
  20
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
  Wounds: 35
  Armour: Kustom Voidsuit with extra armour plates (Body 7, 
  Head 5, Arms 4, Legs 4).
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Barter (Fel) +10, Command (Fel) 
  +10, Dodge (Ag), Intimidate (S) +20, Lore: Common (Ork) (Int), 
  Sleight of Hand (Ag), Speak Language (Ork) (Int), Tech-Use (Int).
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, 
  Hardy, Iron Jaw, Street Fighting, Swift Attack, Talented 
  (Intimidate), True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge, Fear (1), Make it Work, Might Makes 
  Right, Mob Rule, Size (Hulking), Sturdy, Unnatural Strength 
  (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2), Waaagh!. 
  Weapons: Snazzgun (Heavy; 90m; S/2/–; 1d10+9 I; 
  Pen 1d5; Clip 20; Reload 2 Full), Kustom Choppa (Melee; 
  1d10+13 R; Pen 2; Tearing, Unbalanced).
  Gear: Breather mask, bag of bullets, gretchin slave carrying 
  spare ammo.
  Kustom Shoota: Flash Gitz are extremely proud of their 
  extensively customised weaponry and spare no effort or expense 
  in guaranteeing that their guns are the noisiest, deadliest, and 
  messiest ones around. The GM may select one or more of the 
  following upgrades for a Flash Git’s Snazzgun:
  More Dakka:
  •	
   Change Rate of Fire to S/2/4. 
  Shootier:
  •	
   Increase damage to 1d10+12 I. 
  Blasta: 
  •	
  Increase Pen to 1d10, change damage type to 
  Energy and add the Overheats quality.
  Lissen Ta Me Coz I’z Da Biggest!: Ork Flash Gitz may use the 
  Intimidate Skill in place of the Command Skill when interacting 
  with other greenskins. In addition, as a Full Action, a Flash Git 
  may bellow commands and threaten extreme violence to a single 
  greenskin Horde within 10m, requiring a Challenging (+0) 
  Intimidate Test. If successful, that Horde immediately recovers 
  1d5 Magnitude, +1 for every Degree of Success.
  Blasta: 
  •	
  Energy and add the Overheats quality.
  Lissen Ta Me Coz I’z Da Biggest!: 
  Intimidate Skill in place of the Command Skill when interacting 
  with other greenskins. In addition, as a Full Action, a Flash Git 
  may bellow commands and threaten extreme violence to a single 
  greenskin Horde within 10m, requiring a 
  Intimidate Test
  1d5 Magnitude, +1 for every Degree of Success.
  
  Appendix
  122
  ORK BIG MEK
  Mekboyz are a common sight in Ork settlements of all kinds, 
  but it is a rare Mekboy that possesses the drive, ambition, and 
  raw aggression necessary to challenge Nobz and Warbosses for 
  leadership. A Big Mek is a powerhouse, combining the raw 
  physical might of the typical Ork leader with the instinctive 
  technical know-how and mad ingenuity of the craziest Mekboy. 
  Driven only by its own innate compulsion to build and create 
  ever-greater machines, and spurred on by the similarly crazed 
  entourage of lesser Meks that gather around it, a Big Mek is a 
  master of transforming inspiration into destructive force.
  Ork Big Mek (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  (8)
  45
  33
  52
  48
  41
  41
  35
  40
  22
  Movement: 5/10/15/30 
  Wounds: 45
  Armour: Ekstra Speshul Kustom Voidsuit (Body 9, Head 7, 
  Arms 6, Legs 6).
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Barter (Fel) +10, Demolitions (Int) 
  +20, Dodge (Ag), Intimidate (S) +20, Lore: Common (Ork) (Int) 
  +20, Sleight of Hand (Ag), Speak Language (Ork) (Int), Tech-
  Use (Int) +20, Trade (Armourer) (Int), Trade (Shipwright) (Int).
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, Hardy, 
  Iron Jaw, Street Fighting, Swift Attack, Technical Knock, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge, Fear (1), Make it Work, Might Makes 
  Right, Mob Rule, Size (Hulking), Sturdy, Unnatural Strength 
  (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2), Waaagh!. 
  Weapons: Kustom Mega Blasta (Heavy; 100m; S/–/–; 
  3d10+9 E; Pen 9; Clip 14; Reload 4 Full; Inaccurate, 
  Overheats, Reliable), Sparky Choppa-Spanna (Melee; 
  1d10+16 R; Pen 5; Power Field, Tearing, Unwieldy).
  Gear: Breather mask, 1d5 gretchin slaves carrying tools and oil 
  squigs, Kustom Force Field Projekta†, Kustom Tellyporta††.
  †Kustom Force Field Projekta: Capable of generating a large 
  bubble of crackling green force, this device protects nearby Orks 
  from harm…when it works. A Kustom Force Field Projekta 
  grants all creatures within 15m of the Big Mek a Force Field 
  with a Protection of 40 against all ranged attacks from outside 
  of that area. This ﬁeld will overload on any roll of 01-10, but 
  because the entire bubble is one large force ﬁeld, it means that 
  one Overload will deactivate the ﬁeld, for everyone. The Big Mek 
  may spend a Full Action to attempt a Routine (+10) Tech-Use 
  Test to reactivate the Kustom Force Field Projekta.
  ††Kustom Tellyporta: It is believed that the Orks have been 
  dabbling with teleportation technology in various forms for 
  millennia, though the technology has not yet become widespread 
  or capable of large-scale teleportation as of yet. The Big Mek’s 
  back-mounted Tellyporta can be used as a Half Action, requiring 
  a Challenging (+0) Tech-Use Test. If this fails, the Big Mek 
  doesn’t move anywhere. A successful Test, however, allows the 
  Big Mek to vanish and immediately reappear 3d10 metres away 
  in a direction of its choosing. Should any two of the dice rolled 
  for distance roll the same number (two 3s, or two 6s, etc.), then 
  the Mek does not immediately reappear, but rather reappears at 
  the start of its turn, 1d5 rounds later, utterly confused.
  Tau
  T
  he Tau Empire is a civilisation on the rise. Ever-
  growing and expanding, the Tau have found a way 
  to thrive despite their relative youth. This youth 
  gives them great energy and innovation, but it also curses 
  the Tau with a fair dose of naiveté, a dangerous thing 
  in a universe where knowledge can be deadly to the 
  unwary. So far as the forces of the Achilus Crusade can 
  ascertain, the Tau of the Canis Salient have not yet had 
  many encounters with the perils of a Space Hulk—they 
  are a fortunately rare occurrence by any estimation—but 
  the appearance of a conglomeration of derelict starships 
  seems too great a wealth of knowledge and technology 
  for their kind to ignore.
  Even with their limited experience of the hazards of a 
  Space Hulk, the Tau have nevertheless learned that they are 
  perilous places, and in their own way they have developed 
  means to confront these dangers. Utilising ﬂocks of semi-
  intelligent exploratory drones, commanded by a small 
  number of Fire Caste Warriors in specialised void armour, 
  Tau expeditionary forces are small but well equipped. 
  Each adheres strictly to complex strategic doctrines that 
  prioritise the survival of valuable assets over and above 
  direct confrontations.
  
  Appendix
  123
  EXPLORATORY DRONE
  Though a culture that promotes the sacriﬁces of the 
  individual for the good of the community, the Tau are few 
  in number and pragmatic in their devotions, seeing no 
  beneﬁt in the expenditure of lives without commensurate 
  gain. As a result, many dangerous or menial tasks are given 
  to drones, limited artiﬁcial intellects capable of performing 
  simple tasks alone, or more complex tasks when networked 
  or at the direction of a living overseer.
  A derivative of the DX-4 Technical Drone, the DX-
  11 Exploratory Drone was developed in response to the 
  ﬁrst encounter with Mortis Thule, alongside the XV-46 
  Vanguard Battlesuit, and intended to aid those suits in 
  their further forays into Space Hulks. Fitted with limited 
  armament and an array of sensory and high-powered 
  communications equipment, these drones are typically sent 
  off to roam an area autonomously, searching for anything 
  of interest while an operator views their ﬁndings and 
  makes command decisions. If threatened, an Exploratory 
  Drone is programmed to conceal itself, transmit an alert, 
  and await instructions, reserving its limited ﬁrepower only 
  for moments of absolute necessity or when operating in 
  direct support or defence of its operator.
  Exploratory Drones typically operate as individual 
  units, regrouping into small squadrons only when 
  instructed, 
  typically 
  during 
  search-and-destroy 
  operations. Their potent sensors and communications, 
  along with their powerful anti-grav motors, allow them 
  to identify, report, and respond quickly to developing 
  situations when properly directed. 
  Exploratory Drone (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  20
  20
  20
  40
  40
  15
  35
  20
  10
  Movement: – (Flying 12) 
  Wounds: 15
  Armour: Machine Chassis (All 5, Horde 5).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag), Concealment (Ag) +20, Awareness 
  (Per) +10, Dodge (Ag), Search (Per), Tech-Use (Int) +20.
  Talents: Fearless.
  Traits: Flier (12), Machine (5), Seeker Protocol†.
  Weapons: Pulse Carbine (Basic; 60m; S/–/3; 2d10+2 E; 
  Pen 4; Clip 24; Reload Full; Gyro-Stabilised).
  Gear: High-power comm-link (for receiving orders), scanner, 
  tactical-net link (counts as Signum link).
  Horde: Exploratory Drones can be used as a Horde (see the 
  Horde rules on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). 
  A Horde of Exploratory Drones has the Fire Drill Trait.
  †Seeker Protocol: Exploratory Drones are programmed to 
  locate targets, threats, and obstacles and observe until instructed 
  otherwise, concealing themselves swiftly before powering down 
  their engines to avoid detection. An Exploratory Drone may 
  attempt a Concealment Test as a Half Action with no penalty or as 
  a Reaction with a –10 penalty. In both cases, the drone moves up to 
  6m in any direction to hide, clamps itself to a suitable surface, and 
  remains motionless until discovered or commanded otherwise.
  XV-46 VANGUARD  
  VOID BATTLESUIT
  Designed by the Earth-caste mechanics of the Canis-Salient 
  Tau after their ﬁrst encounter with Mortis Thule, these unique 
  battlesuits have yet to see widespread use among the Tau of the 
  Jericho Reach. As their primary function is the exploration of 
  derelict starships, Vanguard Battlesuits are fairly bulky, but not 
  so large as the commonly encountered Crisis and Broadside 
  Battlesuits, which would struggle to manoeuvre through 
  the restrictive wreckage and cramped corridors. Because of 
  the terrain they are expected to operate through, Vanguard 
  Battlesuits are well armed for close quarters combat, laden with 
  ﬂamers and other short-ranged weapons. To repel foes seeking 
  to engage the pilots in close combat, a variety of electroshock 
  repulsors and photon burst launchers are available.
  Given the awkward and often-hostile environments they face, 
  Vanguard Battlesuits are equipped to move primarily by jetpack, 
  and the suits are heavily reinforced with life support systems 
  and protective systems. As a ﬁnal layer of protection, the pilot 
  is placed within a shock-proof ejection pod, programmed to 
  return the pilot to the safety of the boarding craft. These suits are 
  comparatively difﬁcult to produce, even for the technologically 
  savvy Tau, because of the advanced and miniaturised technology 
  they incorporate. As a result, few of these suits exist. 
  Vanguard Battlesuit (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  (10)
  26
  45
  50
  50
  30
  40
  40
  40
  35
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 (Flying 12) 
  Wounds: 36
  Armour: XV-46 Vanguard Battlesuit (All 8).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +20, Awareness (Per) +10, Dodge 
  (Ag) +10, Lore: Common (Tau) (Int) +10, Search (Per), Speak 
  Language (Tau) +10, Tech-Use (Int) +20.
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Cleanse and Purify, Combat Formation, 
  Gunslinger, Hip Shooting, Independent Targeting, Leap Up, 
  Mighty Shot, Nerves of Steel, Two-Weapon Wielder (Ballistic).
  Traits: Auto-Stabilised, Dark Sight, Defensive Systems†, 
  Flier (12), Size (Hulking), Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (x2), 
  Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Weapons: Flame Projector (Basic; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+11 E; 
  Pen 3; Flame), Burst Cannon (Heavy; 60m; –/–/10; 1d10+14 
  E; Pen 4), Fusion Torch (Basic; 20m; S/–/–; 2d10+12 E; Pen 
  13; Scatter, x2 Pen at Short Range).
  Gear: High-power comm-link, scanner, tactical-net control 
  unit (counts as Signum).
  †Defensive Systems: An array of shock dischargers, photon 
  charge launchers, and wide-burst gravity pulse generators 
  are mounted across the surface of the battlesuit, operating on 
  subconscious mind-impulse triggers to ensure the fastest response 
  to an enemy attack. As a Reaction, when an enemy closes to 
  within 2m, the pilot may trigger these defensive systems, making 
  an Ordinary (+10) Ballistic Skill Test. If this is successful, then 
  the enemy is shunted 1d5m away and must pass a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 1 round.
  
  Appendix
  124
  XV-46-4 VANGUARD 
  COMMANDER VARIANT 
  VOID BATTLESUIT
  A more heavily built and heavily equipped variant of the XV-46 
  Vanguard Battlesuit, the XV–46–4 is designed to be used by 
  experienced commanders of Shas’el rank or higher. The suits 
  employ many of the same basic technologies as the original XV–
  46, but allied with many advanced and experimental systems, 
  following the tradition of issuing cutting-edge technology to 
  command personnel for ﬁeld testing. 
  Fitted with extensive command and communication systems, and 
  crewed by a high-ranking Fire Caste ofﬁcer with years of experience 
  in commanding Tau forces using advanced communications 
  systems, these suits are valuable assets in the ﬁeld, with normally 
  only a single one assigned to any given expeditionary force.
  Vanguard Commander (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  (10)
  35
  55
  50
  50
  35
  50
  50
  40
  45
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 (Flying 12) 
  Wounds: 72
  Armour: Command-variant XV-46 Vanguard Battlesuit (All 9).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +20, Awareness (Per) +10, Command 
  (Fel) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, Lore: Common (Tau) (Int) +10, 
  Search (Per), Speak Language (Tau) +10, Tech-Use (Int) +20. 
  Talents: Air of Authority, Ambidextrous, Cleanse and Purify, 
  Combat Formation, Gunslinger, Hip Shooting, Independent 
  Targeting, Iron Discipline, Leap Up, Mighty Shot, Nerves of 
  Steel, Two-Weapon Wielder (Ballistic). 
  Traits: Auto-Stabilised, Dark Sight, Flier (12), Size (Hulking), 
  Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2). 
  Weapons: Flame Projector (Basic; 30m; S/–/–; 1d10+11 
  E; Pen 3; Flame), Experimental EMP Blaster (Heavy; 40m; 
  S/–/–; 2d10+4 E; Pen 8; Blast [3], Haywire [3], Shocking, 
  Unreliable), Microburst Fragmentation Launcher (Heavy; 
  60m; –/3/–; 1d10+8 X; Pen 3; Blast [2], Concussive). 
  Gear: Command Uplink†, Defensive Systems††; High-power 
  comm-link, scanner, tactical-net control unit (counts as Signum). 
  †Command Uplink: The commander has access to a 
  persistent stream of tactical and strategic information, allowing 
  him a clear view of the theatre of battle. Using that information, 
  the commander can assist his subordinates with precisely timed 
  instructions. As a Full Action, the commander may nominate 
  a single ally he is in communications range with. That ally 
  receives an additional Full Action and an additional Reaction 
  before the start of the commander’s next turn.
  ††Defensive Systems: An array of shock dischargers, photon 
  charge launchers, and wide-burst gravity pulse generators 
  are mounted across the surface of the battlesuit, operating on 
  subconscious mind-impulse triggers to ensure the fastest response 
  to enemy attack. As a Reaction, when an enemy closes to within 
  2m, the pilot may trigger these defensive systems, making an 
  Ordinary (+10) Ballistic Skill Test. If this is successful, then 
  the enemy is shunted 1d5m away and must pass a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test or be Stunned for 1 round.
  
  Appendix
  125
  Eldar
  W
  hile uncommon, situations do arise to compel 
  the Eldar to act when a Space Hulk emerges 
  from the Immaterium. When such grim necessity 
  is divined by their Farseers, the Eldar despatch warrior-
  troupes to venture aboard a Space Hulk of interest burdened 
  with some fates-decreed task. Indeed, though their webway 
  pathways are safe from the usual predations of the Warp, it 
  is not unknown for Eldar vessels to be trapped within the 
  mass of a drifting Space Hulk.
  VOIDSTORM CORSAIRS
  The Eldar are not a numerous people, and those who call the 
  Craftworlds home must learn to balance the bloodthirsty and 
  impulsive sides of their nature with the necessities of survival 
  both spiritual and cultural. There are some Eldar, however, 
  who cannot or will not tame the ferocious wanderlust that 
  burns in their hearts, who seek to experience the glories of 
  the universe and revel in their whims and desires. These Eldar 
  often choose to become outcast from their kin, wandering 
  the galaxy with like-minded souls, but few forget their homes 
  and families. Voidfaring corsairs, raiding alien worlds and 
  exploring the dark places beyond civilisation, are commonly 
  called to aid their home Craftworld, often in exchange for 
  supplies, repairs, or some other favour.
  Eldar Corsair (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  46
  43
  35
  36
  49
  38
  41
  36
  33
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
  Wounds: 11
  Armour: Eldar Armoured Voidsuit (All 5).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S), 
  Concealment (Ag), Dodge (Ag), Lore: Common (Eldar) (Int), 
  Lore: Forbidden (Xenos) (Int), Pilot (Jet Pack) (Ag), Search 
  (Ag), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Eldar) (Int).
  Talents: Catfall, Foresight, Hard Target, Heightened 
  Senses (Hearing, Sight), Jaded, Nerves of Steel, Quick 
  Draw, Rapid Reaction.
  Traits: Flyer (10), Unnatural Agility (x2).
  Weapons: Lasblaster (Basic; 120m; S/3/6; 1d10+4 E; 
  Pen 4; Clip 90; Reload Full; Reliable) or Shuriken Catapult 
  (Basic; 60m; S/3/10; 1d10+4 E; Pen 4; Clip 80; Reload 
  2 Full; Razor-Sharp, Reliable), Fusion Pistol (Pistol; 20m; 
  S/–/–; 2d10+6 E; Pen 13; Clip 10; Reload 2 Full; Reliable, 
  Volatile, Special†), Eldar Power Sword (1d10+7 E; Pen 
  8; Balanced), Eldar Plasma Grenades (Grenade; 9m; 
  1d10+6 E; Pen 5; Blast [3], Concussive, Volatile).
  Gear: 2 cartridges of Lasblaster or Shuriken 
  Catapult ammunition, 2 magazines of shuriken 
  pistol ammunition, xenos-crafted medikit, 
  soul stone, scanner, and helm (incorporating 
  rebreather, photo-visor, and micro-bead), jet 
  pack††, shimmershield†††.
  Horde: Eldar Voidstorm Corsairs may be used as a Horde 
  (see the Horde rules on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core 
  Rulebook). A Horde of Voidstorm Corsairs has the Fighting 
  Withdrawal and Fire Drill Traits, and may attempt a Dodge 
  Reaction to reduce Magnitude Damage suffered by 2 on a 
  successful Test, plus 2 per Degree of Success.
  †Fusion Pistol: A fusion pistol doubles its Penetration at 
  Short Range. 
  ††Jet Pack: Many Corsair bands employ lightweight jet 
  pack harnesses that allow them to traverse terrain and close 
  on their enemies swiftly and quietly. Due to their jet packs, 
  Voidstorm Corsairs have the Flyer (10) Trait, included above.
  †††Shimmershield: Eldar force ﬁeld technology is 
  signiﬁcantly more advanced than that of the Imperium, and 
  it is employed in a wide variety of ways. Shimmershields are 
  tiny ﬁeld generators that generate protective 
  wards too small to be of use at 
  range, but which are incredibly 
  effective in close quarters when 
  paired with the wearer’s innate 
  reﬂexes. A shimmershield grants 
  the wearer a force ﬁeld with a 
  Protection Value of 35 against 
  any and all melee attacks. 
  Shimmershields overload on a 
  roll of 01.
  
  Appendix
  126
  VOID DREAMER
  The Eldar are, and have always been, a psychic people. Since 
  long before Humanity even existed, the Eldar have turned their 
  will and the power of the Warp to their ends, and any Eldar can 
  study the psychic arts if they so choose. It should come as little 
  surprise, then, that Eldar forces are commonly accompanied by 
  psychic individuals—collectively known as Seers—who utilise 
  their powers with subtle ﬁnesse to aid their comrades. Eldar Seers 
  do not sculpt the Immaterium with iron will and brute force, but 
  rather derive power from it through insightful observation of its 
  ﬂows and tides, weaving it gently into startlingly potent forms.
  Amongst the various Corsair ﬂeets can be found a particular 
  type of Seer, known by many names but most commonly referred 
  to as Void Dreamers. These individuals serve as navigators and 
  helmsmen upon Eldar vessels ﬁrst and foremost, but they also 
  work to ward off the hazards and dangers of the Warp. Within the 
  Warp-tainted conﬁnes of a Space Hulk, the insight and protection 
  of a Void Dreamer is invaluable to squads of Corsairs. 
  Eldar Void Dreamer (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  51
  48
  35
  36
  54
  52
  51
  55
  43
  Movement: 5/10/15/30 
  Wounds: 15
  Armour: Eldar Armoured Voidsuit (All 5), Rune Armour 
  (Protection 55, no Overload). 
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S), 
  Command (Fel), Concealment (Ag), Dodge (Ag), Invocation 
  (WP), Lore: Common (Eldar) (Int), Lore: Forbidden (Xenos) (Int), 
  Navigate (Stellar) (Int) +10, Navigate (Webway) (Int) +10, Pilot 
  (Jet Pack) (Ag), Pilot (Space Craft) (Ag) +10, Psyniscience (Per) 
  +10, Search (Ag), Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (Eldar) (Int). 
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Bastion of Iron Will, Catfall, Foresight, Hard 
  Target, Heightened Senses (Hearing, Sight), Improved Warp Sense, 
  Jaded, Nerves of Steel, Psy Rating 5, Quick Draw, Rapid Reaction, 
  Resistance (Psychic Powers), Strong-Minded, Swift Attack, Two-
  Weapon Wielder (Ballistic, Melee), Wall of Steel, Warp Sense. 
  Traits: Flyer (10), Unnatural Agility (x2). 
  Psy Rating: 5
  Psychic Powers: Astrotelepathy, Long-range Telepathy, 
  Short-range Telepathy, Spiritshield†, Withering Radiance††. 
  Weapons: Shuriken Pistol (Pistol; 20m; S/3/6; 1d10+2 
  E; Pen 4; Clip 40; Reload 2 Full; Razor-Sharp, Reliable), 
  Witchblade (Melee; 1d10+14 R; Pen 5; Balanced, Power 
  Field), Haywire Grenades (Grenade; 9m; Haywire [3]). 
  Gear: 2 magazines of shuriken pistol ammunition, xenos-
  crafted medikit, soul stone, scanner, and helm (incorporating 
  rebreather, photo-visor, and micro-bead), seer runes (psy 
  focus), jet pack†††, Rune Armour†††† shimmershield†††. 
  †Spiritshield: Among the duties of Void Dreamers is to protect 
  their shipmates from the hazards of the Warp. This psychic power 
  takes a Free Action to use and a Free Action to sustain, and is 
  always used Fettered. While in effect, the Void Dreamer and all 
  allied Eldar within 30m may resist any dangerous Warp-based 
  or psychic attacks or effects they are subject to by making a Test 
  using the Void Dreamer’s Willpower Characteristic. If this Test is 
  successful, the Warp-based effect (etc.) is ignored, though it may 
  still affect others who are not protected. In addition, while this 
  power is in effect, any Daemon or psyker attempting to charge 
  an Eldar protected by this power must pass a Difﬁcult (–10) 
  Willpower Test or be Stunned for 1 round.
  ††Withering Radiance: The Void Dreamer unleashes a 
  spear of brilliant energy, a glimpse at the depths of the Warp 
  that leaves ancient and withered corpses where vital and 
  puissant warriors once stood. This psychic power takes a Half 
  Action to use, and may be targeted at any enemy within 10x 
  Psy Rating metres. If the Focus Power Test is successful, the 
  target, and one additional enemy within range per Degree of 
  Success, immediately suffers 2d10 Energy Damage, +1 per 
  Psy Rating, with a Pen of 10.
  †††Jet Pack & Shimmershield: See the entry for these 
  pieces of equipment on page 125. 
  ††††Rune Armour: A complex latticework of wraithbone 
  and other psychoreactive materials adorns the body of 
  an Eldar psyker in battle, producing a protective aegis 
  fuelled by their will that pulses in 
  time with their heartbeat. A 
  Void Dreamer’s Rune Armour 
  generates a force ﬁeld with 
  a Protection Rating equal 
  to his Willpower, with no 
  chance of overloading.
  
  Appendix
  127
  WARP SPIDER
  Of all the forces at the disposal of the Eldar Craftworlds, many 
  believe that it is the warriors of the Warp Spider Aspect who best 
  know the vagaries and dangers of Warp-translation. For this reason, 
  Warp Spiders are well-suited to missions aboard a Space Hulk. The 
  vicious ﬁrepower afforded by their Death Spinners allows them to 
  swiftly overcome most of the adversaries they encounter, while the 
  mobility granted them by their Warp Jump Generators allow them 
  to circumvent the most difﬁcult and dangerous of obstacles.
  Warp Spider (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  (8)
  52
  56
  38
  37
  52
  44
  46
  51
  28
  Movement: 5/10/15/30 
  Wounds: 16
  Armour: Warp Spider Aspect Armour† (All 8).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Awareness (Per) +10, Climb (S), 
  Concealment (Ag) +10, Dodge (Ag) +10, Lore: Common 
  (Eldar) (Int), Lore: Forbidden (The Black Library , Warp, 
  Xenos) (Int), Medicae (Int), Pilot (Warp Jump Generator) 
  (Ag), Search (Ag), Security (Ag) +20, Silent Move (Ag), Speak 
  Language (Eldar) (Int), Tactics (Assault Doctrine) (Int), Tactics 
  (Recon and Stealth) (Int), Tracking (Int).
  Talents: Catfall, Crack Shot, Deadeye Shot, Foresight, Hard 
  Target, Heightened Senses (Hearing, Sight), Jaded, Mighty Shot, 
  Nerves of Steel, Quick Draw, Rapid Reaction, Step Aside.
  Traits: Auto-Stabilised, Unnatural Agility (x2).
  Weapons: Death Spinner (Basic; 30m; S/2/4; 1d10+15 R; 
  Pen 0; Clip 20; Reload Full; Blast [1], Devastating [1], Reliable, 
  Tearing), Shuriken Pistol (Pistol; 30m; S/3/5; 1d10+4 R; 
  Pen 4; Clip 40; Reload 2 Full; Razor-Sharp, Reliable), Master-
  crafted Xenos Combat Blade (Melee; 1d5+5 R; Pen 2).
  Gear: Warp Jump Generator††, 2 cartridges of Death Spinner 
  ammunition, 2 magazines of shuriken pistol ammunition, 
  xenos-crafted medikit, soul stone, scanner, and helm 
  (incorporating rebreather, photo-visor, and micro-bead).
  †Aspect Armour: Eldar armour is extremely sophisticated, and is 
  far less encumbering than its protective properties might suggest. 
  Aspect Armour is fully sealed and protects the wearer from all hostile 
  environments, including vacuum.
  ††Warp Jump Generator: Every Warp Spider carries a compact 
  Warp generator, allowing them to make brief controlled journeys 
  through the Warp. Though lasting only for fractions of a second, 
  these jumps permit a Warp Spider to cross dozens of metres 
  at a time with little trace of its passage but the subtle rush of 
  displaced air. However useful these jumps are, though, they are 
  not without peril; for an Eldar to linger within the Immaterium 
  for more than the briefest of moments is to invite catastrophe.
  The Warp Spider may move at double his normal movement 
  rate using the Warp Jump Generator, ignoring all intervening terrain 
  and obstacles in the process. He may try to linger in the Warp for 
  fractions of a second longer to travel 2d10 metres further, but should 
  the Warp Spider roll a double 1 for this additional distance, he must 
  pass a Hard (–20) Pilot (Warp Jump Generator) Test or fail to 
  return to reality. Should he pass the Test, he may only take a Half 
  Action on his next turn as he returns to the material universe.
  WARP SPIDER EXARCH
  Each Aspect Warrior squad hails from a single Temple within his 
  home Craftworld, and every Temple is home to a single Exarch, 
  who serves as its guardian, attendant priest, and tutor to those 
  who would study the arts of war there. But Exarchs are far more 
  than teachers and priests. Each has walked far upon the Warrior 
  Path and found himself unable to turn away, instead devoting his 
  existence entirely to the pursuit of warfare. Each is a superlative 
  warrior, with skill, speed, and insight far greater than all but the 
  mightiest of combatants. Exarchs live and breathe warfare, and 
  can only view the world around them through a warrior’s eyes.
  The Exarchs of the Warp Spiders exemplify the traits and 
  nature of the Warp Spider Aspect to a degree impossible for 
  any other being, and are commonly found accompanying their 
  students on perilous missions in the defence of their Craftworld. 
  Their armament and prowess are greater than even that of the 
  warriors they lead, and there are few foes they cannot best.
  Warp Spider Exarch (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (15)
  (8)
  62
  66
  48
  47
  58
  54
  56
  61
  38
  Movement: 5/10/15/30 
  Wounds: 30
  Armour: Exarch Armour† (All 10)
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +10, Awareness (Per) +20, Climb (S), 
  Command (Fel) +10, Concealment (Ag) +10, Dodge (Ag) +20, 
  Lore: Common (Eldar) (Int), Lore: Forbidden (The Black Library, 
  Warp, Xenos) (Int), Medicae (Int), Pilot (Warp Jump Generator) 
  (Ag) +10, Search (Ag), Security (Ag) +20, Silent Move (Ag), 
  Speak Language (Eldar) (Int), Tactics (Assault Doctrine) (Int) 
  +10, Tactics (Recon and Stealth) (Int) +10, Tracking (Int).
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Catfall, Crack Shot, Deadeye Shot, 
  Foresight, Hard Target, Heightened Senses (Hearing, Sight), Jaded, 
  Mighty Shot, Nerves of Steel, Quick Draw, Rapid Reaction, Step 
  Aside, Swift Attack, Two Weapon Wielder (Ballistic, Melee).
  Traits: Auto-Stabilised, From Beyond, Surprise Assault††, 
  Touched by the Fates (1), Unnatural Agility (x3), Withdraw†††.
  Weapons: Exarch Death Spinners (Basic; 30m; S/2/4; 
  1d10+17 R; Pen 0; Clip 20; Reload Full; Blast [1], Devastating 
  [1], Reliable, Storm, Tearing) or Spinneret Riﬂe (Basic; 60m; 
  S/–/–; 1d10+5 R; Pen 10; Clip 1; Rld Half; Accurate, Felling 
  [2], Razor-Sharp, Tearing), two forearm-mounted Eldar Power 
  Blades (Melee; 1d10+10 E; Pen 8; Balanced, Power Field).
  Gear: Warp Jump Generator††††, 2 cartridges of Death Spinner 
  ammunition, a multitude of soul stones, scanner, and helm 
  (incorporating rebreather, photo-visor, and micro-bead).
  †Exarch Armour: Eldar armour is extremely sophisticated, and is 
  far less encumbering than its protective properties might suggest. 
  Exarch Armour is fully sealed and protects the wearer from all hostile 
  environments, including vacuum.
  ††Surprise Assault: Particularly under the guidance of 
  their Exarch teacher, Warp Spiders are experts at ambush 
  and surprise attacks, commonly butchering their foes before 
  those enemies can properly react. When attacking surprised 
  or unaware enemies, the Warp Spider Exarch and his squad 
  may count those enemies as helpless.
  
  Appendix
  128
  †††Withdraw: Warp Spider Exarchs view the ﬂow and weave 
  of battle with a clarity that mortal warriors cannot comprehend, 
  let alone emulate, and can spot the very moment at which 
  an assault should end. Upon his signal, the Exarch’s squad 
  vanishes without a trace. On any turn, the Exarch may decide to 
  disengage from the battle entirely as a Full Action. Upon doing 
  this, the Exarch and every Warp Spider in his squad (as well 
  as any incapacitated, injured, or dead members—their armour 
  follows the Exarch’s signal so that they can be recovered safely) 
  immediately leave combat and reappear 50m away, out of sight 
  of their enemies—for all intents and purposes, the battle is 
  over, though the Warp Spiders live to ﬁght again.
  ††††Warp Jump Generator: Every Warp Spider carries a 
  compact Warp drive, allowing them to make brief controlled 
  journeys through the Warp. Though lasting only for fractions of 
  a second, these jumps permit a Warp Spider to cross dozens of 
  metres at a time with little trace of their passage but the subtle rush 
  of displaced air. However useful these jumps are, though, they are 
  not without peril; for an Eldar to linger within the Immaterium for 
  more than the briefest of moments is to invite catastrophe.
  The Warp Spider may move at double his normal movement 
  rate using the Warp Jump Generator, ignoring all intervening 
  terrain and obstacles in the process. He may optionally try to 
  linger in the Warp for fractions of a second longer to travel 
  2d10 metres further, but should the Warp Spider roll a double 
  1 for this additional distance, he must pass a Hard (–20) Pilot 
  (Warp Jump Generator) Test or fail to return to reality. 
  Should he pass the Test, he may only take a Half Action on his 
  next turn as he staggers back into the material universe.
  Chaos Space 
  Marines, Cultists, 
  and Renegades
  D
  ue to the Warp-tainted nature of most Space 
  Hulks, many become home to those devoted to the 
  Ruinous Powers. Such a presence can be particularly 
  detrimental, as the presence of the Lost and the Damned can 
  serve as a conduit into the Warp, distorting and corrupting 
  the physical substance of a Space Hulk further. An accursed 
  derelict of this sort is an immense threat to the Imperium, not 
  only for the vile creatures it contains but also for the taint that 
  it represents and may spread. 
  The mortal servants of the Dark Gods are legion, and for 
  every army slain by the forces of the Imperium, another springs 
  up to take its place. For all those who stand ﬁrm against the 
  darkness and resist the insidious inﬂuence of Chaos, it takes 
  only a few to succumb to bring worlds to their knees and to 
  subject billions to damnation. 
  Warbands devoted to Chaos often travel aboard Space 
  Hulks, viewing them as guided by the divine provenance of 
  the Dark Gods. Many found dark temples within the depths 
  of the Space Hulk they ride in, performing blasphemous rites 
  while they voyage through the Immaterium.
  RENEGADE REAVER
  Mortal servants of Chaos, traitor voidsmen, or murderous pirates, 
  Renegade Reavers are almost universally devoid of mercy and 
  compassion. Armed with simple weapons, these damned souls are 
  driven by their own wanton desires and fear of their dark masters.
  A screaming, blood-soaked horde, Renegade Reavers are a threat 
  to Adeptus Astartes warriors only in overwhelming numbers.
  Renegade Reaver (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  32
  32
  35
  35
  32
  28
  30
  27
  26
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: Armoured Voidsuit (All 5, Horde 5).
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Intimidate (S), Lore: Forbidden (Heresy) 
  (Int), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Tech-Use (Int). 
  Talents: None. 
  Traits: None. 
  Weapons: Combat Shotgun (Basic; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+4 I; Clip 
  28; Reload 2 Full; Scatter), Mono-Axe (Melee; 1d10+4 R; Pen 2).
  Gear: Mag-boots, cutting tools.
  Horde: Chaos Reavers can be used as a Horde (see the Horde 
  rules on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). A 
  Horde of Chaos Reavers has the Blood Soaked Tide Trait.
  
  Appendix
  129
  REAVER CHAMPION
  Elevated through slaughter and sacriﬁce, reaver champions 
  are powerful mortal beings who carry the favour of the Chaos 
  Gods. Their blood-soaked services and shrieking sermons 
  drive lesser servants of Chaos into a berserk fury.
  Reaver Champion (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  52
  32
  52
  48
  41
  28
  30
  35
  35
  Movement: 4/8/12/24 
  Wounds: 20
  Armour: Armoured Voidsuit (All 5, Horde 5). 
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Charm (Fel), Command (Fel), +10 
  Dodge (Ag), Intimidate (S) +10, Lore: Forbidden (Heresy) 
  (Int), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Tech-Use (Int).
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Disturbing Voice, For the Dark 
  Gods!†, Frenzy, Furious Assault, Hatred (Ecclesiarchy, Space 
  Marines), Inspire Wrath, Into the Jaws of Hell, Iron Discipline. 
  Weapons: Accursed Eviscerator (Melee; 2d10+11 R; Pen 3; 
  Felling [1], Razor-Sharp, Tearing, Unwieldy). 
  Gear: Mag-boots, blasphemous icons. 
  †For The Dark Gods!: Champions of Chaos are the foremost 
  amongst the screaming and depraved hordes of the Lost and the 
  Damned, and a few words of insane fervour from a Champion can 
  drive their followers into orgies of destruction and desecration. As 
  a Half Action, a reaver champion may attempt an Ordinary (+10) 
  Command Test. If this is successful, a single Horde of Renegade 
  Reavers within 10m gains a +20 bonus on their next attack roll.
  CHAOS TERMINATOR
  Amongst the Traitor Legions, there are some whose devotion 
  to darkness are greater than most. These dark paragons are elite 
  amongst Chaos Space Marines, and they commonly bear the rarest 
  and most valuable wargear available. Clad in ancient and powerful 
  Terminator Armour and equipped with mighty weaponry, they are 
  the match for all but the mightiest of Space Marines.
  Chaos Terminator (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (16)
  (10)
  55
  55
  80
  50
  25
  40
  45
  48
  30
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 35
  Armour: Terminator Armour (All 14; Protection 35).
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Command (Fel) +10, Intimidate 
  (S) +20, Literacy (Int), Lore: Forbidden (Daemons, Warp) (Int), 
  Scrutiny (Per), Survival (Int).
  Talents: Bolter Drill, Bulging Biceps, Die Hard, Fearless, 
  Hatred (Loyalist Space Marines), Heightened Senses (Sight, 
  Hearing), Hammer Blow, Jaded, Lightning Attack, Quick 
  Draw, Rapid Reload, Swift Attack, True Grit.
  Traits: Auto-Stabilised, Dark Sight, Size (Hulking), Unnatural 
  Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Weapons: Combi-Bolter (Basic; 100m; S/4/–; 1d10+9 X; Pen 
  4; Clip 56; Rld 2 Full; Tearing, Twin-Linked), Astartes Power 
  Axe (Melee; 1d10+21 E; Pen 6; Power Field, Unbalanced).
  Gear: Skull-topped Trophy Rack. 
  
  Appendix
  130
  EXALTED CHAMPION
  Amongst the greatest of mortal Champions of Chaos are the 
  Exalted Champions, beings who approach the very pinnacle 
  of their devotion and power. Their prowess is a match for 
  even mighty champions of the Adeptus Astartes, and they can 
  strike down great hordes of lesser warriors in mere moments. 
  Armed with mighty and deadly weaponry and clad in Warp-
  blessed armour, they are nigh-unstoppable.
  Exalted Champion (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (14)
  (10)
  70
  60
  70
  50
  50
  45
  50
  53
  45
  Movement: 6/9/18/36 
  Wounds: 50
  Armour: Chaos Armour (All 12).
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +20, Command (Fel) +20, Dodge 
  (Ag) +10, Intimidate (S) +20, Literacy (Int), Lore: Forbidden 
  (Daemons, Warp) (Int) +10, Scrutiny (Per), Speak Language 
  (Low Gothic, Unholy Tongue) (Int), Survival (Int).
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Astartes Weapon Training, Bolter 
  Drill, Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Die Hard, Fearless, 
  Hatred (Loyalist Space Marines), Heightened Senses (Sight, 
  Hearing), Hammer Blow, Jaded, Killing Strike, Lightning 
  Attack, Quick Draw, Rapid Reload, Swift Attack, True Grit, 
  Two Weapon Wielder (Ballistic, Melee).
  Traits: Dark Blessings†, Dark Sight, Fear (2), From Beyond, 
  Rule Through Dread††, Size (Hulking), Touched by the Fates 
  (2), Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Weapons: Plasma Pistol (Pistol; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+8 E; 
  Pen 8; Clip 14; Rld 3 Full; Volatile), Daemonic Blade (Melee; 
  1d10+18 R; Pen 6; Balanced, Tearing, Warp Weapon).
  Gear: Skull-topped Trophy Rack, Unholy Blessings 
  (Protection 50, Overload 01-05).
  †Dark Blessings: The Exalted Champion is barely mortal 
  any more, and has accumulated many dark and potent 
  gifts throughout their millennia of existence. The Exalted 
  Champion may use the Codex Solo Abilities listed on page 
  216 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook.
  ††Rule Through Dread: The Exalted Champion is terror 
  made ﬂesh, and his followers dread him more than they 
  fear the enemy. Whenever an ally must attempt a Fear or 
  Pinning Test, or a Test to resist breaking and ﬂeeing, he may 
  use the Exalted Champion’s Willpower instead. Further, he 
  may attempt an Ordinary (+20) Willpower Test as a Half 
  Action to restore 1d10 Magnitude to a single Horde within 
  20m, as the fear of his wrath renews their resolve.
  Tyranids
  T
  hough they are known to possess vast void-faring 
  organisms, dubbed bioships, to sail the dark between the 
  stars, the Tyranids are not an uncommon sight aboard 
  Space Hulks. In particular, strains of the Genestealer species can 
  often be found lying dormant within these ancient derelicts, 
  hibernating until they are disturbed. Ordo Xenos archivists 
  have recorded countless thousands of Genestealer infestations 
  that can theoretically be traced back to the contamination of an 
  exploratory team. Threats of this nature are amongst the many 
  reasons that the Adeptus Astartes are frequently entreated to 
  investigate and purge Space Hulks in place of mortal warriors.
  Genestealers are, however, far from the only form of Tyranid 
  to be found aboard Space Hulks. While the particular instinctive 
  drives of Genestealers are believed to compel these creatures to 
  stow away aboard starships in order to spread their taint, they do 
  not always do so alone. The peculiarities of Tyranid physiology 
  means that while some of these vile stowaways perish, others 
  enter a prolonged state of hibernation, conserving limited energy 
  and minimising respiration of increasingly scarce oxygen.
  Isolated from the domination of the Hive Mind, these 
  creatures typically revert to instinctive and animalistic behaviour 
  when woken from their slumber, but are just as dangerous 
  when driven into a berserk rage by starvation as they are when 
  commanded by the implacable will of the Hive Mind.
  RIPPER SWARM
  Lacking contact with the Hive Mind, the existence of a Ripper 
  Swarm is commonly brief and savage. Virtually mindless and 
  driven only to consume, Rippers cannot truly digest the matter 
  they devour—such is the purpose of the massive digestion pools 
  formed during a Tyranid invasion, and will invariably gorge 
  themselves until dead to be devoured by another and another until 
  decay takes them. Those few who endure even this and hibernate 
  to avoid starvation will awaken at the slightest disturbance, and 
  soon after they spill forth from the dank holes they have infested.
  Ripper Swarm (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  35
  —
  25
  30
  40
  10
  30
  30
  ––
  Movement: 2/4/6/12 
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: Exoskeleton (All 2, Horde 2).
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Dodge (Ag), Silent Move 
  (Ag), Swim (S), Tracking (Int) +10.
  Talents: Fearless, Heightened Senses (Smell).
  Traits: Burrower (1), Crawler, Dark Sight, Improved 
  Natural Weapons (Mandibles), Instinctive Behaviour (Feed), 
  Natural Armour (Exoskeleton), Size (Puny), Tenacious 
  Grappler†, Tyranid.
  Weapons: Mandibles (Melee; 1d5+3 R; Pen 3).
  Horde: Rippers can be used as a Horde (see the Horde rules 
  on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). When in a 
  Horde, Rippers gain the Relentless and Overwhelming Traits, 
  
  Appendix
  131
  the Swift Attack Talent, and all their attacks gain the Tearing 
  quality. A Horde of Rippers has the Fear (1) Trait. Alter the 
  Size Trait as appropriate for Horde magnitude.
  Biomorphs: At the GM’s discretion, Rippers may be given 
  any of the following biomorphs:
  Poisonous
  •	
   (gain the Toxic [1d10] Trait).
  Winged
  •	
   (gain Flyer [3] Trait).
  Tenacious
  •	
   (gain Unnatural Toughness [x2]).
  Spinespitter 
  •	
  (Rippers with this adaptation can project 
  vicious ﬂurries of spines at their prey. Increase the 
  Ripper’s Ballistic Skill to 30 and gain the following 
  ranged weapon [Pistol; 20m; –/3/–; 1d10+1 I; Pen 0; 
  Living Weapon]).
  †Tenacious Grappler: Rippers drag down their prey by 
  grappling with it so that others can latch on more easily. 
  When attempting to grapple an opponent armed with a melee 
  weapon, Rippers suffer only a –10 penalty instead of the 
  usual –20. Further, a Horde of Rippers gains a bonus equal to 
  its Magnitude on all Strength Tests made during a grapple.
  VECTORI-STRAIN 
  GENESTEALERS
  The Vectori strain represents a classiﬁcation of Genestealers adopted 
  by the Jericho Deathwatch to refer to the unique Genestealer 
  breed encountered aboard the Space Hulk Mortis Thule. More 
  agile than the purestrains from which all Genestealers derive, 
  this xenos breed is well adapted to moving swiftly and silently 
  through conﬁned spaces, while their lower body mass reduces 
  the energy required of their bodies, allowing them to operate 
  effectively for longer periods without sustenance.
  Vectori Genestealers are nimble and stealthy hunters, operating 
  with a focus and efﬁciency natural to creatures for which economy 
  of energy is an essential facet of survival. However, their lighter 
  physiology makes them ill-suited to direct shock tactics, and 
  their bodies are not as durable as those of purestrains.
  Vectori-Strain Genestealer (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  (10)
  65
  —
  42
  45
  55
  38
  60
  45
  ––
  Movement: 10/20/30/60 
  Wounds: 16
  Armour: Reinforced Chitin (All 4).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag), Awareness (Per) +10, Concealment (Ag), 
  Contortionist (Ag) +10, Climb (S) +20, Dodge (Ag) +10, Move 
  Silently (Ag) +10, Swim (S) +10, Tracking (Int) +10.
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Assassin’s Strike, Double Team, 
  Fearless, Hard Target, Leap Up, Lightning Attack, Lightning 
  Reﬂexes, Sprint, Step Aside, Swift Attack.
  Traits: Brood Telepathy†; Dark Sight, Fear (2), Genestealer’s Kiss††, 
  Multiple Arms, Natural Armour (Reinforced Chitin), Unnatural 
  Agility (x2), Unnatural Speed, Unnatural Strength (x2), Tyranid.
  Weapons: Rending Claws (Melee; 1d10+12 R; Pen 5; 
  Razor Sharp).
  
  Appendix
  132
  Biomorphs: At the GM’s discretion, Vectori-strain Genestealers 
  may be given either or both of the following Biomorphs:
  Adrenal Glands
  •	
   (gain Furious Assault Talent).
  Toxin Sacs
  •	
   (gain the Toxic [1d10] Trait).
  †Brood Telepathy: Vectori-strain Genestealers have a constant 
  telepathic link with each other which can function clearly and 
  without restriction (such as from intervening objects or other 
  forms of shielding) up to one kilometre. 
  ††Genestealer’s Kiss: A Genestealer possesses an ovipositor 
  within its maw that implants the alien’s genetic code into 
  its victims. This seeds the host’s body with a parasite that 
  will grow into a monstrous hybrid creature. Over a number 
  of generations, these hybrids will give birth to more hybrids 
  until eventually a new Genestealer is born. A host can resist 
  such an implantation, but only if they pass a Challenging 
  (+0) Toughness Test as soon as it occurs. Once infected, 
  the host becomes beholden to the Genestealer that infected 
  it (and through their Brood Telepathy, that Genestealer’s 
  entire brood), and it protects and nurtures the progeny it 
  carries as if it were its own child. Special treatments known 
  to the Deathwatch and the robust physiology of the Adeptus 
  Astartes ensure that Deathwatch Space Marines are immune 
  to this effect and will automatically pass any Toughness Tests 
  to resist being so infected.
  VECTORI-STRAIN 
  GENESTEALER BROODLORD
  The circumstances that lead to a Broodlord coming into 
  being are still a relative unknown to the Ordo Xenos, but 
  speculation and theories abound on the subject. In the case 
  of those found aboard Mortis Thule, it has been theorised that 
  exposure to the energies of the Warp and isolation from the 
  Hive Mind has somehow culminated in the creation of an 
  “alpha” Genestealer, a creature of terrible majesty and dreadful 
  might that exists at the heart of the collective brood-mind 
  shared by any given group of Genestealers.
  Whatever the truth of their origins, Vectori Broodlords are 
  terrifying creatures. Connected psychically to an instinctive network 
  of hunters, they lie in wait while their lesser brood herd unwitting 
  prey into traps and ambushes orchestrated by a being of vicious 
  cunning and inhuman intellect. When they choose to act directly, 
  there are few combatants who can endure their onslaught.
  Vectori-Strain Broodlord (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (12)
  (8)
  (12)
  75
  —
  42
  45
  65
  48
  60
  55
  ––
  Movement: 12/24/36/72 
  Wounds: 50
  Armour: Hardened Carapace (All 6).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag), Awareness (Per) +10, Concealment (Ag), 
  Contortionist (Ag) +10, Climb (S) +20, Dodge (Ag) +10, Move 
  Silently (Ag) +10, Swim (S) +10, Tracking (Int) +10.
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Assassin’s Strike, Double Team, 
  Fearless, Hard Target, Iron Jaw, Leap Up, Lightning Attack, 
  Lightning Reﬂexes, Preternatural Speed, Sprint, Step Aside, 
  Swift Attack, True Grit.
  Traits: Alpha Genestealer†, Dark Sight, Fear (2), Genestealer’s 
  Kiss††, Multiple Arms, Natural Armour (Hardened Carapace), 
  Unnatural Agility (x2), Unnatural Speed, Unnatural Strength 
  (x3), Unnatural Toughness (x2), Tyranid.
  Weapons: Rending Claws (Melee; 1d10+16 R; Pen 5; 
  Razor Sharp).
  Biomorphs: At the GM’s discretion, a Vectori-strain Broodlord 
  may be given either or both of the following Biomorphs:
  Adrenal Glands
  •	
   (Gain Furious Assault Talent).
  Toxin Sacs
  •	
   (Gain the Toxic [1d10] Trait).
  †Alpha Genestealer: Vectori-strain Genestealers have a 
  constant telepathic link with each other which can function 
  clearly and without restriction (such as from intervening 
  objects or other forms of shielding) up to one kilometre. 
  This allows them to communicate with one another and 
  pass information to nearby Genestealers quickly and 
  quietly. A Broodlord at the heart of this telepathic link 
  can track its foes with the senses of many and employs 
  its greater intellect to coordinate and command the lesser 
  Genestealers. As long as the Broodlord is conscious and 
  within range, the entire brood gains a +20 bonus on all 
  Awareness and Tracking Tests, and allows the GM to roll 
  twice and pick the highest when randomly determining 
  the number of Genestealers present in an Encounter.
  ††Genestealer’s Kiss: A Genestealer possesses an 
  ovipositor within its maw that implants the alien’s genetic 
  code into its victims. This seeds the host’s body with a 
  parasite that will grow into a monstrous hybrid creature, 
  mixing the genes of the Genestealer and the host. Over 
  a number of generations, these hybrids will give birth 
  to more hybrids until eventually a new Genestealer is 
  born. A host can resist such an implantation, but only if 
  they pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness Test as soon 
  as it occurs. Once infected, the host becomes beholden 
  to the Genestealer which infected it (and through their 
  Brood Telepathy, that Genestealer’s entire brood), and it 
  protects and nurtures the progeny it carries as if it were its 
  own child. Special treatments known to the Deathwatch 
  and the robust physiology of the Adeptus Astartes ensure 
  that Deathwatch Space Marines are immune to this effect 
  and will automatically pass any Toughness Tests to resist 
  being so infected.
  that Deathwatch Space Marines are immune to this effect 
  and will automatically pass any Toughness Tests to resist 
  being so infected.
  
  Appendix
  133
  Chaos Daemons
  F
  ouler than any mortal adversary, the Enemy Beyond is a 
  danger not only to life and limb, but to heart and soul as 
  well. No enemy is as perilous to the spirits of those who face 
  them as the perﬁdious nature of the Daemon, and no creatures are 
  as abhorrent to the natural order of the universe as Daemons. Even 
  amongst many of the xenos species that plague the galaxy, the 
  daemonic is despised as unnatural, such is their vile nature.
  A Daemonic infestation aboard a Space Hulk can take many 
  forms and will inevitably alter the fundamental structure and 
  nature of the derelict vessels that comprise the Space Hulk, 
  warping them beyond recognition into some impossible, 
  hellish realm. To combat such an infestation, warriors must be 
  steeled against physical corruption and spiritual taint alike.
  The nature of the threat a Space Hulk poses is seldom known 
  until it has been boarded and investigated. As a result, it can rarely 
  be predicted if a tainted Space Hulk is present within a system, and 
  while it would be preferable for forces such as the Grey Knights 
  or the Ordo Malleus to confront such threats, the Deathwatch are 
  often faced with the responsibility of purging such infestations.
  FURY
  Counted amongst the weaker of the common breeds of lesser 
  Daemons, Furies are little more than savage animals, shrieking 
  hell-beasts that blot out the sky in great swarms. Driven by crude 
  intellect and predatory instinct, they exist primarily to slay and 
  devour mortal prey. Furies are said to be the souls of those who 
  devoted themselves to Chaos but found no bond to any one 
  Chaos God, cursed by their indecision. They crave opportunities 
  to escape their aimless existence and torment the living.
  In the warp-tainted environs of a Space Hulk, great ﬂocks 
  of Furies can lurk in the darkest places, conserving their 
  unnatural vitality until potential prey is detected. Should 
  mortal souls cross their path, they emerge in great numbers 
  and descend swiftly to engage in savage combat.
  Fury (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (6)
  (6)
  42
  —
  39
  39
  35
  19
  40
  29
  10
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 (Flying 12) 
  Wounds: 13
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Intimidate (S), Dodge (Ag), 
  Psyniscience (Per). 
  Talents: Berserk Charge, Fearless, Furious Assault. 
  Traits: Daemonic (TB 6), Daemonic Presence†, Fear (1), 
  Flyer (12), From Beyond, Improved Natural Weapons, Strange 
  Physiology, Unnatural Strength (x2), Warp Instability. 
  Weapons: Vicious Talons (Melee; 1d10+6 R; Tearing). 
  Horde: Furies can be used as a Horde (see the Horde rules on 
  page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). A Horde of Furies 
  has the Blood Soaked Tide and Overwhelming Traits. Should the 
  Horde be subjected to Warp Instability, it will lose 1 Magnitude, 
  plus 1 Magnitude per Degree of Failure on the Willpower Test.
  †Daemonic Presence: All enemies within 10 metres of a 
  Fury suffer a –10 penalty on all Willpower Tests.
  SCREAMER OF TZEENTCH
  These graceful monstrosities sail through the sholes of 
  the Empyrean and are drawn to the incandescent souls of 
  those traversing the Warp. Their super-natural Warp maw 
  is capable of rending the hull of a voidship into useless 
  scrap as they tear their way into the heart of a ship in 
  search for prey.
  Screamer (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  40
  02
  45
  45
  50
  15
  43
  40
  03
  Movement: – (Flying 12) 
  Wounds: 18
  Armour: None
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +20.
  Talents: None. 
  Traits: Daemonic (TB 8), Fear (2), Flyer (12), From Beyond, 
  Improved Natural Weapons (Warp Maw), Warp Instability.
  Daemonic Presence: All creatures within 20 metres take a 
  –10 penalty to Willpower Tests.
  Weapons: Warp maw (Melee; 1d10+5 E, Pen 12; Felling [3], 
  Razor Sharp, Tearing).
  
  Appendix
  134
  UHLEVORIX
  The Eater of Dread, Daemon Prince of Slaanesh
  A melding of coalesced fear and a mortal soul as black as pure 
  night, Uhlevorix is a nightmarish psychic predator, whose 
  psychic power and cold intellect allows it to use the fear of its 
  prey as a weapon. As a powerful Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, 
  believed to once have been a sadistic mortal, this entity has only 
  been encountered a handful of times in the history of the Jericho 
  Reach. This is a mercy, for the grotesque monstrosity is known to 
  have massacred whole armies and laid waste to entire settlements 
  purely on the power of the fear it inspires. Intangible by nature, 
  the Eater of Dread is difﬁcult to harm, let alone slay, and it grows 
  stronger with every moment of terror it inspires.
  Aboard a Space Hulk, this singular creature feeds off the terror 
  and panic of the crews of starships lost in the Warp, and lingers 
  within its psychic residue as the derelict vessel coasts through the 
  Immaterium. Once manifested, if it encounters mortal prey, it haunts 
  their steps attempting to discern their fears and wield them. Even 
  the iron resolve of the Adeptus Astartes are not entirely immune to 
  Uhlevorix’s inﬂuence, though they are more resilient than most.
  Uhlevorix (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (15)
  (10)
  (12)
  43
  —
  38
  56
  52
  49
  50
  68
  22
  Movement: 14/28/42/84  
  Wounds: 120
  Armour: None. 
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Concealment (Ag) +20, Dodge 
  (Ag) +20, Intimidate (S) +20, Lore: Forbidden (Daemons) 
  (Int) +10, Psyniscience (Per) +10, Silent Move (Ag) +20, 
  Speak Language (All) (Int) +10. 
  Talents: Assassin’s Strike, Crippling Strike, Crushing Blow, 
  Improved Warp Sense, Lightning Attack, Psy Rating 6, Swift 
  Attack, Warp Sense. 
  Traits: Daemonic (TB 10), Daemonic Presence†, Daemonic 
  Psyker††, Eater of Dread†††, Ephemeral Nightmare††††, 
  Dark Sight, Fear (4), From Beyond, Improved Natural 
  Weapons, Incorporeal, Palpable Fear†††††, Size (Enormous), 
  Strange Physiology, The Stuff of Nightmares, Unnatural 
  Agility (x2), Unnatural Speed, Unnatural Toughness (x2), 
  Unnatural Willpower (x2), Warp Instability. 
  Psychic Powers: Compel, Mind Scan, Mind Worm, 
  Weaken Resolve. 
  Weapons: The Touch of Dread (Melee; 1d10+3 R; Felling 
  [2], Warp Weapon). 
  †Daemonic Presence: All enemies within 30 metres of 
  Uhlevorix suffer a –10 penalty on all Willpower Tests.
  ††Daemonic Psyker: Uhlevorix may not use its powers at 
  the Fettered or Pushed power levels, and never suffers from 
  Psychic Phenomena or Perils of the Warp.
  †††Eater of Dread: Whenever a creature fails a Fear Test 
  against Uhlevorix’s Fear, or suffers one or more Insanity 
  points because of it, the Eater of Dread regains 1d10 wounds, 
  up to its normal maximum.
  ††††Ephemeral Nightmare: Melee attacks made by Uhlevorix 
  can still harm corporeal creatures even though it is incorporeal, 
  these attacks cannot be parried except by psychically warded or 
  blessed weapons. Further, any creature damaged by Uhlevorix’s 
  melee attack gains 1d5 Insanity Points.
  †††††Palpable Fear: Uhlevorix is a being of coherent fear 
  and centuries-old malice, an entity that feeds upon and inspires 
  dread in equal measure. Any creature that fails a Fear Test 
  caused by Uhlevorix immediately suffers damage as if struck by 
  it in melee. The Astartes, whose minds are proof against mortal 
  terrors, suffer 1d5 Insanity Points upon encountering Uhlevorix, 
  as their spirits are wounded by its presence. Creatures that are 
  Fearless or otherwise immune to Fear are entirely unaffected by 
  this special rule and cannot be harmed by its attacks.
  Luctos-Strain 
  Psychneuein
  A 
  rare but terrible form of Warp entity, Psychneuein 
  represent well the perils of the unprotected psyker. Their 
  capacity to spread and overwhelm civilised areas, in spite 
  of a lack of any apparent intellect, is horrifying to observe, and 
  signs of Psychneuein infestation are treated seriously by the 
  Inquisition. Countless divergent strains and variants of these 
  creatures have been identiﬁed over the millennia, such as the 
  Mara Strain observed within the Calixis Sector, and the near-
  mythical Prospero Strain, believed to have infested a world of 
  sorcerer-kings during the dark days before the Imperium. 
  The Luctos Strain, identiﬁed in 281.M39 by Brother-
  Epistolary Arno Tannis of the Deathwatch in the Jericho 
  Reach, seems particularly resistant to extinction, having 
  reappeared dozens of times after seemingly being annihilated. 
  Tannis himself was slain by larval infestation less than a day 
  after making his report of a successful mission against them 
  to the Watch Commander, forcing Watch Fortress Erioch into 
  lockdown until the creatures could be contained and purged.
  While most identiﬁed strains of Psychneuein seem capable 
  only of laying their eggs within the brain of a nearby psyker 
  (typically less than 100 metres), the Luctos strain appears 
  capable of nesting in other conditions if necessary—using 
  ambient psychic energy rather than the brain of a psyker to 
  gestate their young. From observed sightings, this appears to 
  be less effective and far slower than gestation with a psyker’s 
  brain, but it nonetheless poses a signiﬁcant problem to the 
  Imperium, as it demonstrates a xenos breed adapting to the 
  typical methods of elimination.
  
  Appendix
  135
  PSYCHNEUEIN GRUBS
  Psychneuein grubs are typically around a metre long and ooze a 
  greyish mucous as they crawl. They are unsettling to behold, as if 
  their motions are out of synch with the reality they are spawned 
  into, and few beings can stomach their presence for long.
  Clutches of Psychneuein grubs are more inclined to hide in 
  some dark corner, safe from aggressors. It takes relatively little 
  time for grubs to mature into full-grown Psychneuein, but they 
  are extremely vulnerable to aggressors until that time. 
  Psychneuein Grub (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  15
  —
  20
  20
  30
  ––
  10
  70
  ––
  Movement: 7/14/21/42 
  Wounds: 6
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Concealment (Ag).
  Talents: None.
  Traits: Fear (2), From Beyond, Improved Natural Weapon 
  (Mandibles), Six-Legged, Size (Puny), Spontaneous Mutation†, 
  Strange Physiology.
  Weapons: Mandibles (Melee; 1d10+2 R; Pen 0).
  Horde: Psychneuein grubs can be used as a Horde (see the 
  Horde rules on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). 
  Alter the Size Trait as appropriate for Horde magnitude.
  †Spontaneous Maturation: Whenever a Psychneuein 
  grub takes damage but is not killed, it has a 25% chance 
  of transforming instantly into a mature Psychneuein drone. 
  Should a Horde of Psychneuein grubs suffer damage, there is 
  a 50% chance that a single mature Psychneuein drone appears, 
  having matured out of one of the injured larvae.
  PSYCHNEUEIN INFESTATION
  Those unfortunate enough to be host to a clutch 
  of Psychneuein eggs have an extremely short life 
  expectancy, and can look forward to an agonising and 
  maddening demise as their brain and nervous system 
  are devoured by ravenous larvae. 
  A character suffering from Psychneuein Infestation 
  will die after a number of hours equal to his Toughness 
  characteristic. As long as the ﬁnal stages have not begun, 
  this can be averted with delicate neurosurgery, requiring 
  an Arduous (–40) Medicae Test taking 1d5 hours to 
  successfully locate and remove the eggs. Failure means 
  that some or all of the eggs remain. This Test can only 
  be attempted once—repeated brain surgery in a short 
  space of time is inadvisable at the best of times.
  THE AGONY OF BIRTH
  The ﬁnal stages last only a few hours, but the victim’s 
  condition changes rapidly during this time. There are 
  two ﬁnal stages, each lasting a number of minutes equal 
  to the character’s Toughness characteristic. The ﬁrst of 
  these stages is indicated only by a persistent headache, 
  imposing a level of Fatigue that cannot be removed. The 
  second stage sees that dull pain turn into searing agony, 
  and the character is changed in the following ways:
  Half Intelligence and Fellowship Characteristics 
  •	
  Increase Psy Rating by 1
  •	
  Gain the Die Hard and Fearless Talents
  •	
  The character can no longer be Stunned
  •	
  Any attempts to enter, inﬂuence or view the character’s 
  •	
  mind telepathically causes psychic feedback inﬂicting 
  a level of Fatigue on the prying psyker
  If the infested character attempts a psychic power 
  •	
  and suffers from Perils of the Warp, ignore the usual 
  effects. Instead, the character dies immediately, and 
  1d10 Mature Psychneuein drones claw their way 
  impossibly from his skull.
  If the character is slain, there is a 25% chance 
  •	
  that 1d10 Mature Psychneuein drones emerge. 
  Otherwise, 1d10 Psychneuein grubs (or a Horde 
  of twice that Magnitude) emerges instead.
  
  Appendix
  136
  PSYCHNEUEIN DRONE
  Making up the overwhelming majority of adult Psychneuein, 
  drones resemble giant wasps, each two metres long from 
  their mandibles to the end of their thorax. Capable of swift 
  movement and extremely strong and resilient, Psychneuein are 
  also innately psychic and venomous. Their stingers can pierce 
  any armour wrought by man or Daemon, and in signiﬁcant 
  numbers they can overwhelm even the mightiest of warriors.
  Within the conﬁnes of a Space Hulk, swarms of Psychneuein 
  drones cluster in vast caverns and abandoned vaults, emerging 
  to hunt periodically. The sound of their droning ﬂight has been 
  known to infect the minds of men and drive them to madness, and 
  it is this sound that most often heralds their hunting swarms.
  Psychneuein Drone (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  (10)
  (6)
  38
  —
  40
  56
  32
  16
  66
  70
  ––
  Movement: 9/18/27/54 (Fly 10) 
  Wounds: 20
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S) +20, Dodge (Ag) +10, 
  Psyniscience (Per).
  Talents: Double Team, Psy Rating (4), Swift Attack.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Fear (4), Flyer (10), From Beyond, 
  Improved Natural Weapons (Stinger), Six-Legged, Strange 
  Physiology, The Stuff of Nightmares, Toxic, Unnatural Agility 
  (x2), Unnatural Senses (30m), Unnatural Strength (x2), 
  Unnatural Toughness (x2), Warp Predator†; Warp Weapons.
  Psychic Powers: Blood Boil, Short-Range Telepathy, 
  The Gate of Infinity.
  Weapons: Stinger (Melee; 1d10+8 R; Pen 0; Toxic, 
  Warp Weapon).
  †Warp Predator: Psychneuein drones are inherently psychic 
  creatures, at home within the depths of the Immaterium as 
  they are in the ﬁrmament of reality. Psychneuein drones 
  always use their psychic powers Unfettered, and never suffer 
  from Psychic Phenomena or Perils of the Warp.
  PSYCHNEUEIN QUEEN
  Thankfully rare, it is posited by the Magos Biologis scholars 
  of the Deathwatch that the Psychneuein breeds that they 
  have titled “queens” require special conditions to create. The 
  special circumstances that are necessary for a grub to become 
  a queen instead of a drone have never been replicated. 
  However, those rare few that have been encountered were 
  sighted aboard the Space Hulk Mortis Thule. These beasts are 
  extremely dangerous, not only for their enormous size and 
  ferocious manner, but also for their ability to spread their vile 
  brood across the stars.
  Large, bloated, potently psychic, and extremely strong and 
  resilient, a Psychneuein queen is a deadly foe, the kind of 
  creature that only the mightiest and most resolute warriors 
  can hope to combat. 
  Psychneuein Queen (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (12)
  (16)
  38
  —
  40
  86
  22
  16
  66
  70
  ––
  Movement: 9/18/27/54 
  Wounds: 60
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S) +20, Dodge (Ag), 
  Psyniscience (Per) +20.
  Talents: Double Team, Lightning Attack, Psy Rating (6), 
  Swift Attack.
  Traits: Dark Sight, Fear (4), Flyer (10), From Beyond, 
  Improved Natural Weapons (Stinger), Lay Eggs†, Six-Legged, 
  Size (Hulking), Strange Physiology, The Stuff of Nightmares, 
  Toxic, Unnatural Senses (30m), Unnatural Strength (x3), 
  Unnatural Toughness (x2), WarWarp Weapons.
  Psychic Powers: Blood Boil, Long-Range Telepathy, Short-
  Range Telepathy, The Gate of Inﬁnity.
  Weapons: Stinger (Melee; 1d10+12 R; Pen 0; Toxic, 
  Warp Weapon).
  †Lay Eggs: Psychneuein queens are almost continually 
  producing eggs to lay within the brains of unwilling 
  psykers. Under normal circumstances, a queen will lay 
  its eggs in the mind of a distant and unprotected psyker, 
  spreading the infestation far and wide. However, if 
  threatened with death, it can attempt to lay a clutch of 
  eggs closer to home, in the mind of any psyker nearby. As 
  a Full Action, a heavily injured Psychneuein queen may 
  attempt to lay its eggs in the brain of a single psyker within 
  100m. This is a Psychic Power, requiring an Opposed 
  Challenging (+0) Willpower Test. If successful, a clutch 
  of Psychneuein eggs is implanted within the target’s brain. 
  For further details on this potentially agonising demise, 
  see the Psychneuein Infestation sidebar on page 135.
  Warp Predator: Psychneuein queens are inherently psychic 
  creatures, at home within the depths of the Immaterium as 
  they are in the ﬁrmament of reality. Psychneuein queens 
  always use their psychic powers Unfettered, and never suffer 
  from Psychic Phenomena or Perils of the Warp.
  136
  136
  136
  136
  136
  they are in the ﬁrmament of reality. Psychneuein drones 
  always use their psychic powers Unfettered, and never suffer 
  from Psychic Phenomena or Perils of the Warp.
  
  Appendix
  137
  Enslavers
  C
  ontact with the creatures known only as Enslavers is 
  thankfully rare, for they are amongst the most dangerous 
  xenos the Imperium has ever catalogued. A trio of Enslavers 
  can condemn a dozen or more worlds to domination and 
  destruction, it is said, though little is known about these beings for 
  certain. Indeed, even in situations where the Enslavers have been 
  cited as the cause, actual contact with the creatures is scarce.
  A typical Enslaver infestation is believed to follow a fairly 
  standard progression. Initially, between one and three Enslavers will 
  usurp the soul and body of an unprotected psyker, mutating the 
  victim’s ﬂesh until he is transmuted into a living gate into the Warp, 
  through which the Enslavers can pass. These Enslavers proceed to 
  psychically dominate any intelligent creatures they come across, 
  employing them for all forms of manual labour and defence, while 
  dominated psykers are commonly transformed into additional living 
  gateways. Halting an Enslaver infestation is extremely difﬁcult once 
  it has begun, and only the strongest-willed individuals should ever 
  be trusted to undertake such a task, lest they be dominated as well.
  MIND SLAVES (TROOPS)
  The Enslavers’ greatest asset is their ability to dominate the 
  minds of those around them. Few can resist the psychic 
  onslaught of an Enslaver’s powers, and fewer still can stand 
  ﬁrm as their friends and brothers turn against them.
  In some rare cases, an Enslaver may be forced to linger in the 
  material universe, waiting for the ideal opportunity to open a gate 
  and bring their kin from the Warp. In such situations, the Enslaver 
  is likely to retain an entourage of Mind Slaves, driven by its will to 
  persist even beyond the normal limitations of life and ﬂesh.
  Mind Slave (Troop) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  25
  34
  33
  35
  51
  49
  67
  03
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 14
  Armour: Armoured Voidsuits (All 4).
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Psyniscience (Per) +20.
  Talents: Chem Geld, Fearless, Orthoproxy.
  Traits: Disciplined (Horde), Enslaved†, Overwhelming 
  (Horde), Undying.
  Weapons: Compact Autogun (Basic; 50m; S/3/10; 1d10+2 I; Pen 
  0; Clip 30; Rld Full), Tools (Melee; 1d10+3 R; Pen 1).
  Horde: Mind Slaves can be used as a Horde (see the Horde rules 
  on page 359 of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook). When acting 
  as a Horde, Mind Slaves gain the Blood Soaked Tide Trait.
  †Enslaved: Mind Slaves are driven far beyond what a human 
  body should be able to endure, and yet remain utterly bound to 
  the wills of their Enslaver masters. Their Intelligence, Perception, 
  Willpower and Fellowship characteristics, as well as their Skills, 
  are those of the Enslaver controlling them. Should the controlling 
  Enslaver be slain, all Mind Slaves dominated by it are Stunned 
  for 1 round as they recover their wits, and gain 1d10 Insanity 
  Points from the experience. Anything a Mind Slave perceives is 
  immediately perceived by the controlling Enslaver as well.
  
  Appendix
  138
  ENSLAVED PSYKER (ELITE)
  The need of a waiting Enslaver to prepare to bring its kin 
  forth makes psykers a valuable resource. As with the scores 
  of other Mind Slaves, an Enslaver will maintain as many 
  enslaved psykers as it can. The role of the psyker in an 
  Enslaver’s plans means that they are difﬁcult to sustain and 
  require extensive preparation to make them ready to serve 
  as future Warp Gates.
  Moderately powerful psykers in their own right, they 
  serve as extensions of the Enslaver’s will, and they can be 
  transmuted into Warp Gates in a relatively short space of 
  time—a terrifying prospect, as this comes with the promise 
  of more Enslavers entering the material universe.
  Enslaved Psyker (Elite) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (8)
  25
  25
  40
  40
  35
  51
  49
  67
  03
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 20
  Armour: Armoured Voidsuits (All 4).
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Psyniscience (Per) +20.
  Talents: Favoured by the Warp, Psy Rating (4).
  Traits: Enslaved†, Undying, Unnatural Toughness (x2), 
  Warp Gate††.
  Psychic Powers: Compel, Long-Range Telepathy, Mind 
  Scan, Short-Range Telepathy.
  Armour: Armoured Voidsuits (All 4).
  Weapons: Compact Autogun (Basic; 50m; S/3/10; 1d10+2 
  I; Pen 0; Clip 30; Rld Full), Repurposed Tools (Melee; 
  1d10+4 R; Pen 1).
  †Enslaved: These enslaved psykers are being driven far 
  beyond what a human body should be able to endure, and 
  yet remain utterly bound to the wills of their Enslaver 
  masters. Their Intelligence, Perception, Willpower and 
  Fellowship characteristics, as well as their Skills and 
  Psychic Powers, are those of the Enslaver controlling 
  them. Should the controlling Enslaver be slain, all enslaved 
  psykers dominated by it immediately die. Anything an 
  enslaved psyker perceives is immediately perceived by the 
  controlling Enslaver as well.
  ††Warp Gate: These enslaved psykers have been prepared 
  to serve as additional Warp Gates as necessary, and need 
  little development to complete their transformation. The 
  controlling Enslaver may spend one or more Full Actions to 
  transform the enslaved psyker, and makes a Hellish (–60) 
  Willpower Test at the end of each action, with a cumulative 
  +10 bonus for every consecutive Full Action already 
  spent. If this Test is successful, then the enslaved psyker 
  transforms over the following 1d5 rounds, and is unable 
  to act during that time or afterwards. Once transformed, 
  the enslaved psyker’s characteristics—with the exception of 
  Toughness and Wounds—are reduced to 0, and he doubles 
  his Toughness and Wounds. Once a Warp Gate is created, a 
  single Enslaver may emerge after 1d5+3 rounds, followed 
  by another 1d5+3 rounds after that, to a maximum of 3 
  (including the one who created the Warp Gate).
  ENSLAVER (MASTER)
  The typical Enslaver is a hideous beast, a mass of leathery 
  ﬂesh festooned with writhing tendrils and surrounded by the 
  maleﬁc aura of an entity that can dwell as easily within the 
  Warp as within reality. They exist in deﬁance of the natural 
  order of the universe, ﬂoating across battleﬁelds and bending 
  the minds of those who would otherwise ﬁght them.
  Aboard a Space Hulk, an Enslaver can linger in hibernation 
  with a swarm of psychically sustained slaves for years, even 
  decades, while the Space Hulk traverses the Warp. When their 
  psychic senses detect a populous world, they begin preparations 
  to infest it, to spread their psychic inﬂuence across it.
  Enslaver (Master) Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  (10)
  12
  —
  53
  51
  40
  51
  49
  67
  03
  Movement: – (Hover 6) 
  Wounds: 50
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Psyniscience (Per) +20.
  Talents: Bastion of Iron Will, Combat Formation, Improved 
  Warp Sense, Psy Rating (6), Resistance (Psychic Powers), 
  Strong Minded, Warp Sense.
  Traits: Creature of the Warp†, Enslavement††, Fear (2), From 
  Beyond, Hoverer (6), Multiple Arms, Psychic Shock†††, 
  Size (Hulking), Strange Physiology, Unnatural Senses (15m), 
  Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural Toughness (x2).
  Psychic Powers: Compel, Dominate, Long-Range Telepathy, 
  Mind Probe, Mind Scan, Short-Range Telepathy.
  Weapons: Tendrils (Melee; 1d5+7 I; Primitive).
  †Creature of the Warp: Enslavers are inherently psychic creatures, 
  as at home within the depths of the Immaterium as they are in reality. 
  Enslavers always use their psychic powers Unfettered, and never 
  suffer from Psychic Phenomena or Perils of the Warp.
  ††Enslavement: Enslavers are skilled at overwhelming the minds 
  of those they wish to dominate. When they use the Dominate psychic 
  power, the target suffers an additional –20 penalty on all Willpower 
  Tests made to resist or break free from the Enslaver’s control. Further, 
  the Enslaver only requires a Free Action to sustain this power and 
  command its slaves, no matter how many it has—it may have a 
  total number of slaves equal to twice its Willpower characteristic, 
  counting psykers as a number equal to their Psy Rating—and it 
  is not required to spend any of its own actions in order to force 
  its slaves to make their normal allowance of actions. Any creature 
  who was under the Enslaver’s control and is suddenly freed from it 
  (either through their own efforts, or because the Enslaver died, or 
  for whatever other reason) is Stunned for 1 round as they recover 
  their wits, and gains 1d10 Insanity Points from the experience.
  †††Psychic Shock: The primary defence of an Enslaver is a 
  potent telepathic shock, which injures and incapacitates threats. This 
  is treated as a psychic power requiring a Half Action to use, which 
  may be targeted anywhere within 60m and which creates a blast 
  with a radius of 2 metres. Non-psykers within the area immediately 
  suffer 1d10+12 Energy damage, ignoring Armour. Psykers may 
  attempt a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test in order to resist, 
  ignoring the damage inﬂicted if the Test is successful.
  
  Appendix
  139
  Mortis Thule 
  Non-Player 
  Characters
  T
  he following proﬁles comprise the cast of characters 
  that the Players are likely to encounter during their 
  hardships aboard Mortis Thule. 
  WATCH CAPTAIN 
  ESTEBAN DE DOMINOVA
  An Apothecary seconded to Deathwatch from the Crimson 
  Fists, Watch Captain de Dominova has a near encyclopaedic 
  knowledge of xenos and their foul physiology.
  Watch Captain De Dominova Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (12)
  (12)
  55
  60
  60
  60
  40
  60
  50
  45
  50
  Movement: 5/10/15/30 
  Wounds: 40
  Armour: Astartes Power Armour (Arms 8, Body 10, 
  Head 8, Legs 8).
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Ciphers (Chapter Runes) (Int), 
  Chem-Use (Int) +10, Climb (S), Dodge (Ag), Command 
  (Fel) +20, Concealment (Ag), Drive (Ground Vehicles) 
  (Ag), Intimidate (S) +10, Inquiry (Fel) +10, Literacy 
  (Int), Lore: Common (Adeptus Astartes, Imperium, Jericho 
  Reach, Tech, War) (Int) +10, Lore: Forbidden (Xeno-
  biology) (Int) +20, Lore: Scholastic (Archaic, Biology, 
  Chymistry, Codex Astartes, Philosophy) (Int) +10, 
  Medicae (Int) +20, Navigation (Surface) (Int), Scrutiny 
  (Per) +10, Silent Move (Ag), Speak Language (High 
  Gothic, Low Gothic) (Int), Tactics (Defensive Doctrine) 
  (Int), Tech-Use (Int) +20, Tracking (Int).
  Talents: Air of Authority, Ambidextrous, Bulging Biceps, 
  Deathwatch Training, Hatred (Orks, Tau), Heightened Senses 
  (Hearing, Sight), Hunter of Aliens, Into the Jaws of Hell, Iron 
  Discipline, Iron Jaw, Killing Strike, Litany of Hate, Master 
  Chirurgeon, Nerves of Steel, Quick Draw, Resistance (Psychic 
  Powers), Strong Minded, Polyglot, Talented (Medicae), True 
  Grit, Unarmed Master.
  Traits: Size (Hulking), Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural 
  Toughness (x2).
  Weapons: Astartes Guardian Bolt Pistol (Pistol; 30m; 
  S/3/–; 2d10+5 X; Pen 5; Clip 14; Rld Full; Tearing, 
  Accurate, Reliable), The Maul of the Gatekeeper (Melee; 
  2d10+19 E; Pen 8; Concussive, Master-Crafted, Power 
  Field, Unwieldy, Special†), Astartes Combat Knife (Melee; 
  1d10+2 R; Pen 2).
  Cybernetics: Master-Crafted Cybernetic Eye (Photo-visor), Master-
  Crafted Mind Impulse Unit, Master-Crafted Implanted Auspex.
  Gear: Chrono, data-slate, vivisection gauge, reductor, narthecium.
  †Special: The wielder may spend Fate Points to augment 
  the damage it inﬂicts when ﬁghting aliens of any type. This 
  augmentation is declared before damage is rolled, and each 
  Fate Point spent adds an additional d10 to the weapon’s 
  damage for that attack only. When ﬁghting Enslavers, the 
  result of the extra d10 is doubled, and any Enslaver Mind 
  Slave struck by the weapon (even if no Fate Points are spent) 
  is immediately slain as its link to its xenos puppet-master is 
  severed. See The Maul of the Gatekeeper sidebar on page 
  20 for more information about The Maul of the Gatekeeper. 
  THE BEAST OF THULE
  None can possibly know how long this creature has lurked in 
  the passageways of Mortis Thule, but given the dense lattice 
  of scars traced into its chitinous armour, it might be centuries 
  or more. Ordo Xenos archives relate numerous reports of 
  contacts with what is now believed to be the same organism, 
  a beast that has surely slaughtered countless loyal servants of 
  the Emperor and drawn countless Tyranid creatures to Mortis 
  Thule with its powerful pheromone markers. Xenos savants 
  believe the creature’s repeated and prolonged exposure to the 
  Warp each time Mortis Thule is pulled back into the Sea of 
  Souls must have invested it with some as-yet-undetermined 
  taint, a fact that has resulted in its high ranking amongst 
  targets of opportunity. 
  Beast of Thule Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (14)
  (12)
  (10)
  (8)
  65
  —
  75
  60
  55
  25
  45
  45
  ––
  Movement: 12/24/36/72 
  Wounds: 120
  Armour: Reinforced Chitin (All 8).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag), Awareness (Per) +20, Climb (S) +20, 
  Concealment (Ag) +20, Contortionist (Ag) +10, Dodge (Ag) 
  +20, Shadowing (Ag) +20, Silent Move (Ag) +20, Survival 
  (Int) +20, Swim (S), Tracking (Int) +20.
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Assassin Strike, Berserk Charge, Blind 
  Fighting, Catfall, Combat Master, Counter Attack, Crushing 
  Blow, Fearless, Furious Assault, Hard Target, Heightened Sense 
  (Hearing, Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch), Leap Up, Lightning 
  Attack, Sprint, Step Aside, Swift Attack, True Grit.
  Traits: Chameleonic Scales†, Flesh Hooks††, Dark Sight, Fear 
  (3), Hardened Talons†††; Instinctive Behaviour (Lurk), Memory 
  Devourer††††, Natural Armour (Hardened Carapace), Multiple 
  Arms, Peerless Reﬂexes†††††, Regeneration (6), Unnatural 
  Agility (x2), Unnatural Strength (×2), Unnatural Perception (×2), 
  Unnatural Toughness (×2), Improved Natural Weapons (Scything 
  Talons and Rending Claws), Size (Enormous), Tyranid.
  Weapons: 2 Scything Talons (Melee; 1d10+16 R; Pen 3; 
  Tearing), 2 Rending Claws (Melee; 1d10+14 R; Pen 5, 
  Razor Sharp, Tearing).
  Gear: None.
  †Chameleonic Scales: The Beast of Thule is covered in 
  chameleonic scales which shimmer and shift to match its 
  surroundings and can make it practically invisible to the naked 
  eye, including most other methods of visual detections such as 
  
  Appendix
  140
  infrared and ultraviolet scopes. Whenever it uses its Concealment 
  Skill to hide, all Tests to detect it visually suffer a –30 penalty. In 
  addition, the scales allow the Beast to make Concealment Tests 
  as a half action rather than a full action and can even do so when 
  being observed or when their is no nearby cover.
  ††Flesh Hooks: The Beast of Thule has dozens of tiny hooks 
  which it can ﬁre from its chest to snare its prey and draw them 
  toward it. These allow it to initiate a Grapple (see page 246 
  of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook) with a target up to 10m 
  away. With every successful Opposed Strength Test the Beast 
  makes as part of the Grapple Action, the target is moved 1m 
  closer to it, plus 1m for each Degree of Success. 
  †††Hardened Talons: The Beast of Thule may Parry 
  incoming attacks with its natural weapons. Weapons with the 
  Power Field Quality do not destroy its natural weapons on a 
  successful parry attempt. 
  ††††Memory Devourer: When the Beast of Thule devours 
  the brain of its prey, it can learn some of its memories. Once 
  the Beast has eaten a victim’s brain, it gains access to all of the 
  victim’s recent most distinct memories (usually the location of 
  friendly troops or defences). If the Beast of Thule wishes to 
  learn something very speciﬁc from the victim, such as an old 
  memory or one the victim does not remember well, it must 
  make an Easy (+20) Intelligence Test.
  †††††Peerless Reﬂexes: The total number of attacks the 
  Beast of Thule can avoid in a Round—with any combination 
  of Dodge or Parry Tests—is equal to its Agility Bonus. Note 
  that the Beast of Thule may still only make one attempt—
  either Dodge or Parry, not both—against each attack. 
  NAVIGATOR ORTELLIUS
  Tarakon Ortellius is encountered at the beginning of Chapter II. 
  In the event that the Battle-Brothers decide to rescue him and he 
  accompanies them on their perilous journey through the Space 
  Hulk, the following proﬁle should be used to resolve any encounters 
  he is involved in. The players are quite likely to decide that he is a 
  liability, but his Warp Eye is both useful and quite dangerous.
  Tarakon Ortellius Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  15
  20
  25
  25
  25
  45
  60
  50
  20
  Movement: 1/0/0/0 
  Wounds: 10
  Armour: None. 
  Skills: Awareness (Int), Lore: Common (Imperium) (Int) 
  +10, Lore: Forbidden (Warp) (Int) +20, Lore: Scholastic 
  (Astromancy, Interstellar Cartography) (Int) +20, Navigation 
  (Stellar, Warp) (Int) +20, Pilot (Spacecraft) (Ag), Psyniscience 
  (Per) +20, Speak Language (Low Gothic, High Gothic) (Int) 
  +20, Secret Language (Navis Nobilite) (Int) +20.
  Talents: Chem Geld, Favoured by the Warp, Foresight, Improved 
  Warp Sense, Jaded, Meditation, Orthoproxy, Paranoia.
  Traits: Strange Physiology, Shattered Mind†, The Curse††, 
  Warp Eye†††.
  Weapons: None. 
  †Shattered Mind: In the unlikely event that the Kill-team decides 
  to save Ortellius, the Game Master should make regular Fear Tests 
  on the Navigator’s behalf, with the Degree of Fear depending on 
  the event that caused it (a Battle-Brother drawing a pistol suddenly 
  might cause a Disturbing Test for example, while witnessing a battle 
  brings about a Terrifying Test). Unless the Kill-team incapacitates 
  the Navigator, it is very likely the stress of repeated rolls on the 
  Shock Table will bring about his demise long before the mission 
  is complete, but the players should be rewarded should they make 
  an effort to rescue the insane Navigator.
  †The Curse: The curse of the Navigator Gene has exacted 
  its toll on Ortellius that he is almost entirely helpless. He can 
  barely move and must be carried (his weight is negligible), 
  his withered limbs cannot support his own weight and he is 
  incapable of lifting any object heavier than 1kg. 
  †Warp Eye: Like all Navigators, Ortellius has a third eye in the 
  centre of his forehead, though his horrible mutations have caused 
  his ﬂesh to droop so that his Warp Eye is in fact located in the 
  centre of his hideous face. The Navigator’s eye is shrouded by a 
  metal hood grafted to the surrounding ﬂesh, and Ortellius can raise 
  this in order to expose those he looks upon to the full horror of 
  the Warp. The Navigator makes an Opposed Challenging (+0) 
  Willpower Test, rolling once for himself while each being looking 
  towards him at that moment rolls separately. Each opponent that 
  rolls less than the Navigator suffers 2d10+(Ortellius’ Willpower 
  Bonus) Energy damage and is stunned for 1d5 rounds. The Warp 
  Eye has a range of 15m, and all beings (except Daemons) caught 
  in its gaze are affected, whether friend or foe. Any target that the 
  GM judges to be forewarned of the opening of the Warp Eye may 
  attempt to look away, in which case they gain a +30 bonus to the 
  Opposed Willpower Test described above.
  
  Appendix
  141
  DIPLOMATIC ENVOY 
  ARNO STAK
  Details of the sole surviving member of the diplomatic 
  cadre formerly embarked upon The Emperor’s Gaze are 
  found on page 50.
  Arno Stak Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  20
  30
  30
  30
  35
  30
  35
  45
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: None. 
  Skills: Lore: Common (Imperium) (Jericho Reach) (War) (Int), 
  Speak Language (High Gothic) (Low Gothic) +10, Survival 
  (Space Hulk) (Int), Literacy (Int) +10, Logic (Int), Scrutiny 
  (Per), Trade (Linguist) (Int).
  Talents: Favoured by the Warp†, Polyglot.
  Traits: None. 
  Weapons: None. 
  Gear: None. 
  †Favoured by the Warp: Unknown to the adept, Stak 
  harbours something of the Wyrd deep inside his soul, and it 
  is this fact that allowed him to survive the vessel’s doom. This 
  Talent applies to not just any Psychic Phenomena affecting 
  him directly, but to any within 20m.
  SERGEANT-AT-ARMS  
  NOTO CORINTHI
  Noto Corinthi is detailed on page 51.
  Noto Corinthi Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  40
  35
  34
  38
  34
  34
  33
  42
  30
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Command (Fel) +10, 
  Lore: Common (Imperium) (Imperial Navy) (War) (Int), Speak 
  Language (High Gothic, Low Gothic) (Int).
  Talents: Paranoia.
  Traits: None.
  Weapons: Naval Bolt Pistol† (Pistol; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+5 
  X; Pen 4; Clip 8; Reload [Full]; Tearing). 
  Gear: None. 
  †Naval Bolt Pistol: Note that Corinthi does not openly 
  carry her weapon, but it is rarely far from her side. 
  CHIEF KILLICK
  A survivor held in as much awe as fear, details of Chief Killick 
  can be found on page 51.
  Chief Killick Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  38
  28
  35
  40
  30
  25
  33
  35
  22
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 12
  Armour: Light ﬂak jacket (Arms 2, Body 2).
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Lore: Common (Imperium & Imperial 
  Navy) (War) (Int), Intimidate (Int) +20, Speak Language (Low 
  Gothic) (Int), Deceive (Fel) +10, Tech-Use (Shipwright) (Int), 
  Survival (Space Hulk) (Int).
  Talents: Fearless, Resistance (Cold, Fear, Heat, Psychic Powers).
  Traits: None.
  Weapons: Pair of Naval Pistols (Pistol; 20m, S/3/-, 1d10+4 
  I, Pen 0, Clip 6, Full, Tearing). 
  Gear: Bandolier holding four reloads for Naval Pistol, utility 
  grade cybernetics.
  141
  141
  141
  141
  Unknown to the adept, Stak 
  harbours something of the Wyrd deep inside his soul, and it 
  is this fact that allowed him to survive the vessel’s doom. This 
  Talent applies to not just any Psychic Phenomena affecting 
  Fel
  30
  Wounds: 12
   Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Command (Fel) +10, 
  Lore: Common (Imperium) (Imperial Navy) (War) (Int), Speak 
   Naval Bolt Pistol† (Pistol; 30m; S/2/–; 1d10+5 
   Note that Corinthi does not openly 
  Weapons: Pair of Naval Pistols (Pistol; 20m, S/3/-, 1d10+4 
  I, Pen 0, Clip 6, Full, Tearing). 
  Gear: Bandolier holding four reloads for Naval Pistol, utility 
  grade cybernetics.
  
  Appendix
  142
  MEDICAE DHUNN
  Details of this secret deserter from the Imperial Guard are 
  found on page 51.
  Medicae Dhunn Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  30
  30
  30
  35
  30
  30
  30
  30
  20
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 11
  Armour: None.
  Skills: Awareness (Per), Climb (S), Lore: Common (War) 
  (Jericho Reach) (Imperial Guard) (Int), Deceive (Fel) +20, 
  Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Swim (S), Survival (Space 
  Hulk) (Int), Trade (Chymist) (Int) +10, Medicae (Int)†, Lore: 
  Scholastic (Chymistry) (Int).
  Talents: Orthoproxy.
  Traits: None.
  Weapons: None.
  Gear: Basic medicae gear.
  †Medicae: Note that Dhunn’s medicae training means little 
  should he be required to provide medical assistance to a 
  Space Marine. If requested or ordered to do so, he must pass 
  a Challenging (+0) Willpower Test to overcome his awe 
  at such a task. If he fails, he suffers a –20 penalty to the 
  subsequent Medicae Test.
  LAY-TECHNICIAN RIDU KAM
  Details of this NPC are to be found on page 52.
  Ridu Kam Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  25
  20
  38
  38
  30
  30
  25
  25
  30
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 11
  Armour: Heavy work gear (All 2). 
  Skills: Awareness (Int), Lore: Common (Imperium) (Imperial 
  Navy) (Int), Speak Language (Low Gothic) (Int), Trade 
  (Technomat) (Shipwright) (Int), Tech-Use (Int) +20.
  Talents: Technical Knock. 
  Traits: None.
  Weapons: Power wrench (Melee; 1d10+1 E, Power 
  Field, Unbalanced).
  Gear: Respirator and numerous tools, many (secretly) improvised.
  INTERROGATOR THIRL
  Details of the mad Interrogator are to be found on page 75.
  Interrogator Thirl Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  58
  58
  45
  45
  31
  56
  57
  54
  42
  Movement: 3/6/9/18 
  Wounds: 35
  Armour: Black Crystal Shards (All 5). 
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag), Awareness (Per) +20, Command 
  (Fel) +20, Lore: Common (War, Imperium, Jericho Reach) 
  (Int) +20, Lore: Forbidden (Warp, Xenos, Daemons, Psykers, 
  Mutants) (Int), Interrogation (WP) +20, Linguistics (Int), 
  Parry (WS) +20, Psyniscience (Per) +20.
  Talents: Air of Authority, Crippling Strike, Crushing Blow, 
  Iron Discipline, Into the Jaws of Hell, Lightning Attack, 
  Nerves of Steel, Psy Rating 4, Swift Attack, True Grit.
  Traits: Regeneration†. 
  Weapons: Warp Blast†† (Special; 10m; S/–/–, 2d10+8 R; 
  Pen 12; Clip: –; Reload: –). 
  Gear: Ragged clothing, tainted Imperial seal. 
  †Regeneration: Thirl’s Regeneration is the result of his 
  communion with the ancient, malignant, and utterly alien 
  intelligence lingering within the Heart of Glass. It applies so 
  long as he remains in the centre of the chamber in which he 
  is ﬁrst encountered, but ceases if he moves more than twenty 
  or so metres from it.
  ††Warp Blast: Interrogator Thirl is able to channel the 
  power of the Immaterium through his body and cast deadly 
  black beams at his foes. These attacks have the Warp Weapon 
  Trait and never run out of ammunition.
  
  Appendix
  143
  DEATH CULTIST CLORR
  Details of Interrogator Thirl’s nemesis are to be found 
  on page 74.
  Death Cult Assassin Clorr Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  60
  60
  45
  45
  58
  40
  52
  50
  40
  Movement: 5/10/15/30 
  Wounds: 24
  Armour: Synskin bodyglove (All 3).
  Skills: Acrobatics (Ag) +20, Awareness (Per) +20, Climb 
  (Str) +20, Concealment (Ag) +20, Contortionist (Ag) 
  +20, Dodge (Ag) +20, Scrutiny (Per) +10, Search (Per) 
  +10, Security (Ag), Silent Move (Ag), Shadowing (Ag) 
  +20, Speak Language (High Gothic, Low Gothic) (Int), 
  Survival (Int), Tracking (Int) +20.
  Talents: Ambidextrous, Assassin Strike, Blademaster, Catfall, 
  Combat Master, Counter Attack, Fearless, Hard Target, Jaded, 
  Lightning Reﬂexes, Quick Draw, Sprint, Step Aside, Swift 
  Attack, Two Weapon Wielder. 
  Weapons: Pair of power stilettos (Melee; 2d10+5 E, Pen 6, 
  Balanced, Power Field).
  Gear: Integrated infra-red goggles and micro-bead. 
  WARLORD GEARGUT 
  THROTTLEKLAW
  Details of this vicious and cunning Warboss are to be 
  found on page 82.
  Geargut ThrottleKlaw Proﬁle
  WS
  BS
  S
  T
  Ag
  Int Per WP Fel
  (10)
  (10)
  60
  25
  55
  55
  43
  33
  35
  40
  25
  Movement: 5/10/15/30 
  Wounds: 60
  Armour: Mega Armour†† (Body 14, Arms and Legs 10, Head 6).
  Skills: Awareness (Per) +10, Command (Fel) +10, Dodge 
  (Ag), Intimidate (S) +20.
  Talents: Bulging Biceps, Crushing Blow, Furious Assault, 
  Hardy, Into the Jaws of Hell, Iron Discipline, Iron Jaw, 
  Lightning Attack, Swift Attack, Talented (Intimidate), Street 
  Fighting, True Grit.
  Traits: Brutal Charge, Fear (2), I’z Da Greenest!†††, 
  Make it Work†, Might Makes Right†, Mob Rule†, Size 
  (Hulking), Sturdy, Unnatural Strength (x2), Unnatural 
  Toughness (x2), Waaagh!†. 
  Weapons: Big Shoota (Heavy; 60m; S/3/10; 1d10+8 I; Pen 
  2; Reload Full; Inaccurate, Unreliable) and Power Klaw (Melee; 
  2d10+22 E; Pen 10; Power Field, Tearing, Unwieldy).
  Gear: Crude banner bearing trophies and skulls of numerous 
  xenos foes, most of which the Imperium has never encountered 
  or else thought long extinct.
  †Ork Traits: See page 119. 
  ††Mega Armour: Mega Armour provides the wearer with 
  the Auto-Stabilised Trait. 
  †††I’z Da Greenest!: ThrottleKlaw may use the Intimidate 
  Skill in place of the Command Skill when interacting 
  with other greenskins. In addition, as a Standard Action, 
  ThrottleKlaw may bellow commands and threaten extreme 
  violence to a single greenskin Horde within 10m, requiring 
  a Challenging (+0) Intimidate Test. If successful, that 
  Horde immediately recovers 1d10 Magnitude, +2 for every 
  Degree of Success. 
  
  ®
  FANTASY
  FLIGHT
  GAMES
  WWW.FANTASYFLIGHTGAMES.COM
  Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game © Games Workshop Limited 2013. Games Workshop, Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game, Space Hulk, Warhammer 
  40,000 the foregoing marks’ respective logos and all associated marks, logos, characters, products and illustrations from Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game game 
  are either ®, TM and/or © Games Workshop Limited 2010-2013, variably registered in the UK and other countries around the world. Published under license to Fantasy Flight 
  Publishing Inc. 2013. Fantasy Flight Games and the FFG logo are trademarks of Fantasy Flight Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved to their respective owners.
  Take command of a Blood Angels combat team in Space 
  Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game, a cooperative card 
  game for one to six players! As genestealers emerge from 
  the shadows, you must coordinate your efforts to complete 
  your objective. 
  Through clever use of action cards, launch devastating 
  attacks against the xenos menace or support your fellow 
  Space Marines, all while you work your way through a 
  deadly Space Hulk. Success will be difficult and casualties 
  will be high, but failure is not an option.
  
  The Space Hulk Mortis Thule drifts 
  silently through the void of the 
  Jericho Reach and with it comes 
  devastation, ruin, and woe.   
  Peril on the Horizon—En route to break a siege 
  at a newly founded Watch Station, the Kill-
  team is waylaid and met with a terrible fate.
  Survival—Stranded and alone, the Kill-team 
  must ﬁnd their way to salvation and ﬁnd 
  unexpected allies along the way. 
  Darkness at the Core—The Kill-team must 
  overcome the horrors of the Mortis Thule 
  and make their escape, but it may cost 
  more than they are willing to sacriﬁce.
  Use the Space Hulk Generator to create 
  unique adventures set in the forlorn 
  corridors of your own cursed Space Hulk. 
  DEATH AND DARKNESS FROM BEYOND THE HORIZON 
  The madness and despair of the 
  Mortis Thule brought to life!
  A copy of the DEATHWATCH Core Rulebook 
  is needed to use this supplement. 
  WWW.FANTASYFLIGHTGAMES.COM
  1510JAN13
  Ark of Lost Souls                       DW14
  ISBN: 978-1-61661-592-5
  9 781616 615925
  53995
  ™
  ™
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Warhammer/40k/Game books/Deathwatch/Scenarios/Deathwatch - Ark of Lost Souls.pdf