Due to a recent increase in heretical activity I decided it would be prudent to form a new investigative team. From experience, the success rate of newly formed teams is low, but there is always plenty of replacements available if the new recruits prove to be fatally inept. The team was made up of Erika Edelweiß, an Adeptus Ministorum Zelot, Gaius Euroclydon, an Gaius Euroclydon, Penumbra, Mordicai Lemant, an Adeptus Administratum Interlocutor, and Iota Than, an Adeptus Mechanicus Savant. Hopefully they will have enough ability between them to solve the simple problems I plan on assigning them.

I called the new recruits to my ship while on route to the hive world Voll and advised them of disturbing rumours. I also provided relevant information on a data slate. They were warned that the surface outside the hive cities was caustic.

Signs of illicit trading were spotted at the mud gate, and Iota was knocked over by a local named Eregan who was fleeing one of the Vigilites. The Vigilite arrested Eregan, but Gaius bribed her to get custody of the criminal in order to interrogate him about the supply of Gratis. Eregan said it was probably one of the local gangs that was responsible for the Gratis, probably the Vylathi knives gang, and mentioned an individual called Regal the Red. He suggested they could be found in a bar called the Edifice of Tears.

The operatives then went to the Cathedrum of Obligatory Modesty where some inept attempts were made to gain access before Iota accessed their system to locate Gullar and inserted access permission. Gullar said he got the Gratis from a dealer at the Battery Manufactorum 6.938 but also confirmed it was supplied by the Vylathi knives. He said the Gratis helped with the mundane work but then the dreams and visions came. He talked of clawed aliens and of being visited by the emperor.

The team then went to the Thaler Hostelry. They did not get correct responses so chose to pay the individual for rooms. I don't know why I make these special arrangements if my instructions are so quickly ignored, but I suppose it is up to them how they waste their money. While they were negotiating, Someone inside wearing a bright red jacket left. They later discovered this individual was Regal the Red. As they left to follow him they passed an old lady called Janel who gave correct responses. She said the other guy who had served them at the hostelry was an idiot.

Iota and Gaius tried to follow Regal but lost him, and were in turn followed as they returned to the hostelry. Gaius ambushed one and as the other went to shoot him Iota shot. They were gangers and were intimidated enough to lower their weapons and talk. They confirmed the individual had been Regal the Red, and asked what gang the operatives were with. They also said they could point the operatives in the right direction to get Gratis, saying to go to the Battery Manufactorum 6.938 for the next shift. Gratis cost 50 Solars per inhaler. Rather stupidly Gaius said he wanted 100 doses and told them where the team were staying. I may need to look at identifying possible replacements already as this new team clearly does not have much sense of self preservation.

The operatives went back to mud gate where they saw Eregan selling small metallic inhalers of Gratis to people. Gaius and Erica bought two doses from him. The samples were taken to Medicae facility Adjumentum for analysis but the team were turned away by the mother superior, being unable to think of a good reason why she should help.

They then returned to the hostel where Mordicai took a dose so Erika could analyse the affect. Mordicai lost consciousness and experienced hallucinations. From how they were described I believe it to have been Slannesh imagery which is a concerning development. Analysis on Mordicai detected contamination of his blood cells consistent with an algae. Mordicai demanded he needed another dose. The rest of the operatives denied him that and eventually the effects subsided.

When Mordicai had recovered, the operatives went to investigate the Edifice of tears. The bar was built under a massive statue of someone from the Adeptus Ministorum, with the tears being a result of condensation forming on the statue.

Inside the bar the operatives split up in an attempt to talk to as many people as possible. Iota spoke to a ganger called Quintel who was playing knives nerve, a game requiring dexterity to avoid stabbing oneself. Iota joined in and stabbed himself, but in doing so was able to gain some small acceptance of the other gangers playing. They started talking about having business with Regal the Red who should be here soon. When Regal arrived he refused to discuss business within Iota's hearing, but Iota was able to convince him to offer him a job selling commodities for a 10% cut. The commodities were the Gratis inhalers, and Regal said if he sold all 10 he could get more. We shall see if he should be rewarded for a ploy to get inside the gangers operations, or punished for becoming involved with criminal activity. I shall decide later depending on how successful he is.

Mordicai played a drinking game with some other gangers, but became sick.

A curious figure in robes was seen outside interacting with the dregs, covered in bandages and preaching a new way to worship the emperor. The preachers name was Zanth. Erica spoke to him and was subjected to heretical Slannesh preachings. I will need to monitor this team in case there are is any permanent corruption which would need to be purged. He wanted Erica to cut off her finger and said she had failed when she refused. He seemed to enjoy being hurt. Mordicai killed him.

The operatives returned to hostelry. Regal was there, and Janel said he rented a room to do business. Sometimes he came with other people. She reported that he lived in the bowels in a lean to. Wanting to avoid being recognised by him, the operatives went back to the mud gate to sell the Gratis. Iota sold four inhalers. Mordicai failed to sell any and actually took a dose himself. If he proves to be compromised by this Gratis I may need to consider a replacement. A Vigilite became interested in him, and when Gaius tried to intervene by physically colliding with the Vigilite he got arrested. The inquisitorial seal was used to have him released before he was executed and I had to dock them all a days pay for their incompetence.

The rest of the Gratis was sold, then the operatives returned to the Edifice of Tears to pay the gangers. Regal showed up while Iota was paying the gangers. Iota spoke to him and was told they traded weapons for the Gratis which they then sold, and was happy to conduct further business with the operatives. It was agreed to meet with him later to discuss business. The operatives then returned to the hostelry, got the key to Regal's room from Janel and searched it. They found no security devices, but found 20 lasgun packs made in Battery Manufactorum 6.938.

The operatives then went to the manufactorum where they saw the process of manufacturing lasgun packs. While they watched, the process started going wrong, with the conveyer being cranked too fast and people getting out of sync with each other. The workers were under the influence of Gratis and the operatives shut down the operation before a disaster occurred. One of the overseers admitted to supplying Gratis to the workers, and bought it from Regal every few days. The overseer said the Gratis helped improve production and paid Regal in power packs that had failed inspection. The operatives informed the Vigilites of what was occurring in the manufactorum and asked to make arrests.

The operatives then returned to the Edifice to meet Regal. Mordici bought another dose of Gratis from him for 35 solars. I am going to have to consider if he is becoming a liability and needs replacing. Regal said he would take the operatives to his contact but had a stop on the way. The operatives were led into the bowels of the city to a tank called The Pit which had been repurposed for staging fights. Regal said he had to speak to Decima. Gaius followed to try to overhear what they said. Decima said she had Ophelia and a psychopath called Electo who were fighters. Regal said he was taking fresh meat to the Amarinthian guild, and asked for permission to sell Gratis at The Pit.

Gaius decided to participate in a fist fight against someone called Horst. They traded blows for a while until Gaius struck a blow to Horst's head, rupturing his eye. Gaius then fought a knife fight with Electo. It was a close fight but Gaius was again victorious.

Regal warned the operatives that the Amarinthyne people were strange and to let him do the talking. They had a temple and he needed to lead the operatives through pipeworks to get there. He warned about odd effects. They approached a building that was an acid refinery which had been converted into a temple. Inside all the sigils of the emperor had been defaced. There were four cultists inside who used inhalers before talking to Regal. They wanted Gaius to take Gratis and when he refused they went to draw swords. The operatives realised the time was passed for deception and drew their weapons. Erika burned two cultists with her flamer and Gaius stabbed one with a knife. Modicai opened up with his shotgun, hitting one in the face and Iota shot one with his laspistol.

The cultist moved to attack with their swords. Gaius hit the one attacking him in the shoulder, making him drop the sword, then shot him in the head, killing him. Another Amarinthyne on the wall was sent to warn their leader and shortly afterwards another cultist appeared from further inside the temple. Gaius tried to shoot him but fumbled and dropped his rifle as he took aim. Modacai shot the cultist attacking him in the leg, immobilising him.

The cultist leader, identified by their shouting as being called Tourmaline displayed psychic abilities, hitting Gaius with a bolt of lightning. Gaius picked up his gun and shot Tourmaline while Mordicai shot the cultist attacking Erica in the shoulder, causing him to drop his sword and causing him to flee. Tourmaline hit Gaius again in the head with another lightning bolt. Gaius returned fire, hitting him and knocking him prone. Mordicai then blasted Tourmaline with his shotgun. Erica hit the last cultist with her chainsword. Mordicai hit leader with shotgun again, killing him while Iota then Gaius shot the last cultist and killed him. Erica then tracked down and killed the cultist who had fled.

The temple was searched, and storage containers with "For the mireclaw" scratched crudely into them were found. In the rear room, the operatives described finding Sigils which I recognised as being Slannesh inscribed everywhere, and the room showed evidence of being warp touched. Iota stacked power cells and weapons with the Gratis and used them to cause a fire, destroying the temple.

I called back the operatives to my ship for debriefing. They had broken the supply of Gratis, but had not located where it was being manufactured so now I am going to need to send more operatives to finish the job.