Elements of the Adeptus Mechanicus can still be observed on Kiava Gamma. The skilled masters of the manufactorum are Magi of the Cult Mechanicus, as cold and consistent as the pieces of machinery they tend. Tech-Priests maintain tireless vigilance over all vital systems of the factory, their communication wholly conducted in sequences of binharic cant. The manufactorum operates as a gargantuan, well-oiled mechanism – from its immense cooling fans to the tiniest cogs, every piece of machinery is under the control of the augmentic-infused adherents of the Machine God. Litanies and prayers to the machine spirits are offered up day and night within the ferrocrete and plasteel walls of the manufactorum. The factory functions as a living organism, and the servants of the Omnissiah are the blood flowing through its veins.

Kiava Gamma has not been visited by the Rogue Trader for many years. During this time, the planet’s vox-array ceased communicating, and the governor – a member of one of Dargonus’s most noble families – stopped responding to vox-transmissions. For a period, all that could be seen from orbit was the evaporating steam from the world’s gigantic cooling mechanisms. The great machines of Kiava Gamma had fallen silent.

Soon, however, the manufactorum came to life again in a new and twisted form – the cathedrals of the forge, corrupted by malevolent entities, resumed their work, now serving the mysterious and terrible plan of an unholy power. Monstrous rituals began in the bowels of the manufactorum, deep underground, hidden from the eyes and minds of the Imperium’s servants.

Upon accepting the title of Rogue Trader, you must respond to disturbing rumours coming from Kiava Gamma. Also, your duty requires you to offer assistance to an agent of the Holy Inquisition, Heinrix van Calox, and deliver him to Kiava Gamma to continue his investigation of the Cult of the Final Dawn. The task entrusted to the honourable Rogue Trader and your companions is to find out what has happened on Kiava Gamma and to reclaim the great world by any means necessary.

Drifting Voidship

A colossal creation of the Adeptus Mechanicus, this venerable spacecraft was the last to escape the growing horrors on Kiava Gamma. The loyal subjects of the Emperor knew of the betrayal taking place and sought to warn other worlds. However, fate had other plans. During a desperate and perilous flight from the industrial world, one of the vile abominations of the great enemy managed to infiltrate the vessel.

The monstrosity was able to make its way to the lower decks, where it brutally dealt with the crew and crawled into the essence of the holy ship. Those on-board began to hear bewitching voices coming from the walls, calling them to submit to the dark powers of Chaos, causing confusion and forcing them to tear their flesh with their bare hands and leave unholy inscriptions on the bulkheads. The servant of Chaos infested the mind of each and every one, gradually subduing and dementing the crew. The most persistent of the Adeptus Mechanicus, venerating the Omnissiah, desperately tried to banish the unholy creature and purge the machine spirit of its infestation, but even they began to hear echoes of their god in the monster's heinous lies and allowed evil to change their mechanical flesh. Succumbing to the daemon's influence, the Tech-Priests depressurized most of the compartments, sacrificing thousands of suffering souls to Chaos.

The vessel spirit has been twisted by vile heresy, and insanity has spread throughout the very essence of the ship, driving all who set foot on board to madness. The images that fleetingly appear in the minds of those on board are echoes of the atrocious tragedy that played out here. An abominable mixture of smells, frightening sounds, and bloody visions fill the morbid halls. And the malevolent reaper continues its harvest, lurking somewhere among the bulkheads and compartments in the bowels of the ship.

The Omnissiah's grace has forsaken this drifting space hulk. The immobilised and de-energised behemoth hangs frozen in the cold void while the frenzy within continues to slowly devour its spirit and flesh. What remains of the vessel’s Tech-Priests now roam the ship as mutilated husks, revelling in their madness and conducting corrupted rituals of penance and cleansing, slowly advancing towards their unholy death in the void. Anyone who dares to board this vessel must have a strong spirit to resist Chaos and its corruption and to overcome the evil that teems in this accursed place. However, even the most redoubtable Rogue Trader is not immune to the insidious influence of this scourge.

Dargonus

Located in the very heart of the Koronus Expanse, Dargonus is the capital world and administrative centre of the von Valancius trade dynasty. As a newly minted Rogue Trader, you have come into a legacy of astounding wealth – the majestic palace of the von Valancius family, estates, and other demesnes on Dargonus, as well as an impressive fleet, now belong to you. But along with unimaginable riches and power, Theodora von Valancius also bequeathed to you vile political intrigues and frequent xenos raids, not to mention the planet’s noble elite – enormously rich, powerful, and intent on pursuing only their selfish goals. Like a pack of hungry wolves ready to tear each other apart at any second, these nobles are forever in search of ways to increase their influence by any means necessary.

The unusual manner in which the Warrant of Trade was passed to its new bearer has set many sharp tongues wagging across Dargonus. Even in the most forsaken corners of the planet, the lowest hive levels, people are obsessively discussing this unknown quantity who is now their overlord. The common people wonder what the rule of their new leader will mean for them, and the nobility revel in dark speculation about your role in your predecessor’s death. Maintain the fragile but stable order of things that has existed for centuries, or actively join in the aristocracy’s predatory game and brutally suppress emerging conspiracies – the choice is entirely yours. Your subjects will closely observe your every move.

The extravagant decorations of your ancestral palace leave none in doubt of your dynasty’s status. Dozens of generations of Rogue Traders have roamed the Sea of Souls in pursuit of priceless artefacts to venerate their glory. The von Valancius collection is a true marvel worthy of the High Lords themselves.

Your long-awaited arrival grants the lowly subjects of Dargonus the chance to behold the most magnificent sight of their entire lives. The pinnacle of all events, the Magnae Accessio, is the official ceremony by which the Rogue Trader of the Von Valancius dynasty is initiated and takes possession of the Warrant of Trade. A grand celebration of the new Rogue Trader's coming into their legacy. Not only will the upper echelons of Dargonus society be in attendance, but the Expanse’s other Rogue Traders, your rivals, will also come to pay their respects. However, greedy nobles and ambitious Traders may be the least of your concerns – even the far-flung Koronus Expanse cannot hide from the endless reach of the Imperium. Your every decision is being watched and weighed. Will your actions find favour or bring the full force of Imperial might down upon you? It remains to be seen.