NPC"Lord Captain, the mines of Vheabos VI are once again in turmoil. At the depths of level MD Zeta/05, the overseers have discovered a mountain of mutilated bodies, seemingly crushed by the millstones of the mining machines. All the dead are convicts. The overseers believe that there is a cult of heretics operating in the ranks of prisoners, offering human sacrifices. The prisoners themselves claim that this atrocity was committed on the order of the warden to rid his prison of the more 'inconvenient' inmates. The warden tried to reason with the raging mob but was mauled to death instead."
NPC(sequence)
NPC"His defiled remains were found inside one of the cells where prisoners were being tortured during the investigation of the 'strange' convicts."
end of branch
NPC"The overseers have managed to isolate the rebels inside the mining facilities, but an assault would result in high losses of workforce. On the other hand, the prisoners are ready to lay down their weapons, cease this violence, and repent if the Rogue Trader would only demonstrate some compassion toward their plight, possibly by reforming some of the more severe punishments."
YOU"So who did kill the people found in the mines?"
NPC(sequence)
NPC"That remains to be established. The riot has... complicated the investigation. Perhaps it was the work of the warden after all, or perhaps there is a cell of the Cult of the Final Dawn operating among the prisoners. But the few picts of the corpses that the overseers managed to take contain an oddity: if one were to use their imagination, they could see a certain... pattern in the scattered bodies. One that is vaguely similar to the one these 'inconvenient' prisoners had been drawing."
end of branch
NPC"I would also like to note that level MD Zeta/05 is part of the same tunnel system as the mysterious unmapped tunnel we discovered earlier."
end of branch
YOU"What think you, my officers and advisors?"
NPC(sequence)
NPC"Shereen, if the governor and a pack of overseers cannot handle their duties, should they not take the place of their wards? And could there not be worthy administrators among those who oppose them, those who could do better?"
end of branch
NPC"A mob of commoners mauled a noble soul who was attempting to reason with them... How awful. Perhaps the underground madness has spread among them and assumed a new form, turning them into monsters in the process? It would be cruel to kill them if this is the case. It is much more humane and well-intentioned to excise their brains in order to curb their ferocity and penchant for disobedience. My House did the same whenever the serfs rebelled in their ignorance — a rather merciful step."
end of branch
NPC"I don't care about the overseers, the convicts, or their problems — what bothers me is the dead bodies. Who left them — that is the important question. If the bodies haven't been destroyed yet, then we could conduct a certain kind of... divination. The ritual is less than appetising, but a psyker with a strong stomach could learn more about their deaths."
end of branch
NPC"The traces of death are like an open book to a disciple of the Web. A skilled spinner can go to the mines and reveal what brought death to the convicts."
end of branch
YOU"Punish the whole prison administration and send them to the mines, then select new administrators from the prison population."
NPC"I will also arrange for investigators from Dargonus to search the convicted officials' private quarters."
NPCThe former overseers were sent to the mines, not all of them surviving even a single cycle in the company of their former wards. The most respected convicts among those who ended up on Vheabos VI for venial misdeeds such as family debts formed a new, more efficient administration.
NPCThe rules of the mining facilities were relaxed to a degree: the overseers were strictly instructed not to use their shock batons during preventive beatings — only their fists and feet — and the cruel practice of decimation was replaced with humane deprivation of rations as punishment for not fulfilling the quota. The convicts rejoiced.
NPCThe investigation did not yield anything to help identify the party behind the murders that had sparked the riot. Level MD Zeta/05 has been sealed.
end of branch
YOU"The convicts have revolted against the unbearable actions of their guards. Order them to stop torturing the prisoners beyond reason."
NPC"Praise be to your compassion!"
NPCAfter learning of the Rogue Trader's intercession on their behalf, the convicts wept and prayed for His Lordship/Her Ladyship. The overseers generously abstained from vengeance, only hanging the ones who provoked the riot, to which even the convicts themselves had no objection — it was only right, after all.
NPCThe rules of the mining facilities were relaxed to a degree: the overseers were strictly instructed not to use their shock batons during preventive beatings — only their fists and feet — and the cruel practice of decimation was replaced with humane deprivation of rations as punishment for not fulfilling the quota. The convicts rejoiced.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Shall I hope for House Orsellio's aid in sharing their knowledge of brain excision and how it should be applied to serfs?"
NPC"We shall share this wisdom with the von Valancius dynasty."
NPCThe convicts who had their brains excised lost any urge to cause violence and provoke others. Now they find quiet pleasure in monotonous work and lack of communication with other people. The overseers note that the experiment has been highly successful.
NPCThe investigation did not yield anything to help identify the party behind the murders that had sparked the riot. Level MD Zeta/05 has been sealed.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Exterminate all the scoundrels who dare to rebel against me!"
NPC"To serve Vheabos VI and the von Valancius dynasty!"
NPCSeveral thousand of the prisoners who actively partook in the riot and the warden's murder were smoked out with gas, seized, and executed in the fires of the foundry press in front of the rest.
NPCThe investigation did not yield anything to help identify the party behind the murders that had sparked the riot. Level MD Zeta/05 has been sealed.continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Idira, have them find a psyker strong enough to determine the truth about the killer from the victims' remains."
NPC"I'm pretty relieved that I won't have to take part in this dirty business myself."
NPCThe psyker found among the prisoners was not sanctioned, but he was gifted enough to perform the ritual according to the instructions sent by Idira. While digging through the intestines of the dead bodies and mumbling to himself, he beheld the dark figure that had committed this vile deed. The vision stripped away his mind, leaving him an incontinent loon. Although he was unable to describe it clearly, it was still obvious that the figure was not human. The riot has subsided.
end of branch
YOU"Let a spinner of the Bloodspun Web examine the bodies and give answers."
NPC"May the secrets of death be revealed to the servant of the Undying One."
NPCThe cultist spent days without sleep or sustenance, studying every wound on the mutilated corpses. At last, the Undying One bestowed a revelation on him: the spinner sensed the victims' dying throes and proclaimed that a dark entity had claimed the souls of the convicts. Crippled by his visions, the man lost his mind and kept rambling, spouting gloomy prophecies of the terrible adversary. But his duty was done, and the rebellion abated as fear of the unknown rallied the inhabitants of the colony.
end of branch
YOU"Conduct a thorough investigation. We must understand the prisoners' cause of death and track down the culprits."
NPC"To serve Vheabos VI and the von Valancius dynasty!"
NPCUpon carefully inspecting the dead bodies of the convicts, the overseers concluded that they had not been killed by a human — no known weapon could have inflicted such wounds. The bodies were demonstrated to the convicts, and the riot died down as the realisation sank in that some unknown force was behind the murders.
NPCThe investigation did not yield anything to help identify the party behind the murders that had sparked the riot. Level MD Zeta/05 has been sealed.continues where this line first appears above