IMPERIAL VOXCAST (6 176 745.M41)—On the world of Myrna, a serial killer who has been terrorizing the port city of Dark Harbor has struck again—this time killing three armed Enforcers in an early morning killing spree.

This brazen attack is a serious escalation of violence in the community, and the death of three of our brave Enforcers is a tragedy that will be avenged,” Investigator Konrad Geth of the Dark Harbor Arbites Precinct said at a press conference this morning.

“At approximately 02:30 this morning, Foot Patrol Number 6 reported catching glimpses of movement as they walked the streets” he explained. “Well aware of the elusiveness of the serial killer in our midst—but also wary of smugglers and other criminal elements operating in town—the patrol made repeated efforts to investigate.”

As the patrol searched one warren of alleys, Enforcer Thane Kess became separated from his comrades and apparently was accosted while using a lamplight. His fellow Enforcers heard a scream, came running, and found him lying in a pool of blood.

A rumor spreading through the precinct house is that Kess’ death was rather gruesome. According to one precinct clerk, who insisted on anonymity, the Enforcers have been muttering that Kess was eviscerated—his guts spread across the cobblestone streets.

“As Enforcers arrived at the scene, one man witnessed a shadowy figure disappearing around a corner, and three Enforcers gave chase, leaving one to stay behind, call for backup, and arrange a pickup of Kess’ body,” Geth said.

The chase was short. The suspicious figure weaved in and out of alleys near Pier 17. When Enforcers reached the pier, they heard a noise above them and looked up to see a shadowy figure running on the rooftops back the way they’d come.

A scream, a body

Not long after, another scream was heard. Enforcers returned to the body of Kess and discovered that the man left behind, Enforcer Gerhart Helwick, was nowhere to be seen—but a second pool of blood stained the cobblestones.

“The disappearance off Enforcer Helwick led to the declaration of a Class One emergency, and all available patrols were ordered to the scene.,” Geth said.

Not long after, a second Enforcer patrol arrived and joined the search. Alas, given the warren of alleys and narrow streets in that part of town, these Enforcers lost their bearings.

“The patrol commander ordered everyone to stay together, but Enforcer Alexio Wist was walking backward, guarding the rear of the patrol, and as his fellow officers advanced quickly, he fell slightly behind.”

Only slightly, Geth insisted. When the first four men in the patrol advanced around a corner, Wist was only five meters behind. Yet, only seconds after the fourth man turned the corner, the killer struck. There was a scream, a scuffle of something hard against stone, and everything went silent.

“Rushing back to Enforcer Wist, they found his body, badly torn apart,” Geth said. “The Enforcers heard a slight sound above them, and raising their lamplights, they saw deep scratches in the stonework, as if someone had used mountain gear to scale the walls.”

The patrol left Wist for recovery and gave chase. As they moved up the alley, the spotted a glimpse of movement, and that allowed the Enforcers to track the killer.

Reinforcements arrive

A third patrol arrived soon after, and there was an attempt to corner the killer on a rooftop at a street corner,” Geth said. “But the killer somehow managed to leap to a nearby roof and scuttle away.”

Enforcers continued this deadly game of cat and mouse for a few more minutes, but the killer managed to disappear into the shadows, authorities say.

“By dawn, nearly every Enforcer in Dark Harbor was searching the streets and rooftops,” Geth said.

The body of Enforcer Helwick eventually was discovered on a rooftop at dawn, but authorities would not discuss the murder scene or the condition of the body.

Indeed, by that point in the morning, the Arbites were tired and irritable, and most news historitors chose to leave the scene after one was struck by a shock maul after trying to question an Enforcer.

There are now rumors that local Arbites have petitioned for specialist help—including a contingent of Subjugators—to conduct a hab-by-hab search of the entire town, its sewer system, and any other locale where the killer may be hiding.

“The death of three of our colleagues has made the finding of this killer very personal,” Geth said. “We are going to find this monster. And we’re going to execute him . . . very slowly.”

TheGM: As noted in this voxcast, the the Enforcers did not get a good look at their mysterious attacker. If they had, it’s not likely they would have recognized it as a Genestealer.

Yet it is, and that raises a lot of questions: Why is it in Dark Harbor? How did it get there? Does its presence foretell the creation of a Genestealer Cult on the planet? Or is it a sign that such a cult has spread throughout Dark Harbor?

Questions aside, this was a fun scenario. I played it seven times trying to get it balanced. I gave up, but I’m going to include a link to this scenario here as soon as I write it up.

It’ll be a tough fight for the Enforcers (unless you can make it balanced), but that’s all right. It actually works as a nice solo game. I’m writing up the rules for both a solo and two-person game.

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The Corvus Cluster is a Warhammer 40K blog documenting our gaming adventures in the fantastical sci-fi universe of Games Workshop.