The Haarlock Files: Adventures and Plots

Written by DiesIrae

1st: How to Kill a Man

"And the Traveler, him come back. Him daughter: dead. Him wife: dead. Him: mad. Mad with
grief that him cannot undo what’s done. Him grief consume him, near tear him apart. And so
the Traveler, him carve out him heart and lock it away. Him could not bear to look upon it, for it
was as cold and dead as a stone… yet he could not die. No, him heart was dead and yet him
live."
“Mad Agatha”, Hag of Dusk

Erasmus Haarlock bent space and time to bring his wife and daughter back to him, but all
he found was dust and broken promises. He returned from his dark voyage a broken man, with
new, apocalyptic purpose. If the universe conspired to destroy him, he would inflict his pain
upon the universe, bringing all the terrible weapons of his line to bear.

The memory of what he had lost tormented him day and night until, in a fit of insanity, he
carved out his heart with a mirror-bright knife and locked it away. He could not bear to look
upon it, nor be near it, and so he hid it far from prying eyes.

Haarlock cannot die. Whether or not he will admit it, he is bound by the very forces he sought
to control. Cannon and cutlass will bend, break, misfire, or merely wound him. The only being
which can bring about Haarlock’s end is himself: so it has been decreed.

The Adventure

1. Find the Key.

Haarlock’s key is carved from the bones of the assassin that killed his family. It is entirely
unique, and entirely hidden. He placed it in the House of Dust and Ash, in the depths of the
deepest crypt, guarded by hideous monsters and raving daemons. The House of Dust and Ash
was, apparently, destroyed by molten rock and the sorcery of Haarlock. It was not so simple.

The molten rock and ash did destroy and cover the island, true. But beneath the rock, the
tombs of the Haarlocks still wait for their final occupant. The halls are knee-deep in ash, true,
and the atmosphere is barely breathable. But, beneath the tombs and chambers, beneath the
eyeless horrors that scurry and howl in the darkness, lies the key.

2. Find the Heart.

Haarlock’s heart is locked in a chest of brass. Where he hid the chest is an interesting
question. One could spend a lifetime chasing rumors, false leads, and lies, and lose one’s
sanity as easily as Haarlock did. Or, one could skip directly to madness. The Blind Tesseract
could, perhaps, show Haarlock hiding his heart away. But who can navigate the maze of pasts
that the Tesseract reveals? Perhaps one of Haarlock’s daemons, bound or summoned, for no
mortal man can claim such knowledge. Dare ye make a deal with the devil and descend into
the depths of Mara?

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The Haarlock Files: Adventures and Plots

Written by DiesIrae

And the Heart itself… what diabolical devices and minions guard it? Is it secured in Sinophia,
on some long-forgotten world in the Expanse, or, perhaps, locked within the Tesseract itself?

3. Kill Haarlock.
The heart in the chest is dead and cold. Haarlock knows this, but refuses to face it, hiding
himself behind denial and sorcery. Bring him his own, dead heart and he will die… probably. Of
course, finding Haarlock and his accursed ship is no easy feat, and surviving to reach the
bridge is far harder. Haarlock will fight with every weapon at his disposal to avoid facing the
one thing that would destroy him: the truth.

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