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Q'sal, Planet of the Sorcerers The City of Velklir sits atop Q'sal's mountains. Glittering domes and spires reach up to the sky. Some are packed densely in the central city, but others are scattered around the mountain range in increasingly sparse rings, mirroring the planet's moons and satellites more closely than any ordinary observer would realize. Here, they push the boundaries of Chaos in ways that no one else dares. They scan the skies, looking for terrifying truths hidden in the stars by the Changer. They tamper with the power of the Warp in its rawest form, seeking to rend the veil and learn that which man was never meant to know. It is no secret that Velklir has suffered more Warp-related disasters than both of its sister cities combined. It is also no secret that Velklir is on the bleeding edge of sorcery, and its creations have the most raw power of anything on Q'sal. The personal lab and observatory of Zolan Usoi lies far from the city, almost farther than any other structure. He prefers isolation, he says, and he has no need for the company of those fools and sycophants who call themselves his peers. His "peers" have a simpler explanation: no one else would tolerate having him nearby.  Zolan Usoi. Zolan the Cold, Zolan the Living Scar, Zolan the Mad. An oddity on this world of vanity, where all signs of age and battle are hidden behind sorcerous illusions. They whisper that his countenance was destroyed so thoroughly by a rival's sorcery that not even the most powerful witchery could make him presentable. Which rival? No one knows, because all sources agree that Zolan's revenge was so complete that all traces of that rival were wiped from the world. He has never been seen outside his full-body robes, and he radiates an aura of icy cold and bitterness that makes being in his presence deeply unpleasant. Each of you has been called to him. Most of you have received telepathic visions curtly informing you that your promised service is at hand. Perhaps you were worlds away, or perhaps you were biding your time on Q'sal, waiting for his call. In Aygul's case, you have been freshly ripped from a hellish dimension. Regardless, you all know that no one refuses Zolan's summons when they owe him a favor. Even by Chaos standards, he is not to be trifled with lightly. When you are called into his chambers, he is already waiting for you. With a wave of his hand, his enormous holographic orrery of Q'sal and its moons is replaced by a new image that floods the room with bloody red light and turns him into nothing but a silhouette standing in front of it. He gazes directly into it, transfixed. His voice echoes strangely in the wide-open space of the observatory, amplified by some sort of witchery.  "Is it not... beautiful? Have you ever seen such a thing? Of course not, of course not. It lies, almost literally, on the other side of the galaxy from the Screaming Vortex. It is called the Hadex Anomaly, and it is a beautiful example of the points of contact between Tzeentch and Nurgle, where their conflicting spheres mix. It is the meeting point of inescapable change and decay, all at once. Time itself flows strangely there, and even here, in this simulated light. Ever since I first projected this image, none of my chronometers function properly. The very thought of the place is strange; I struggle to say precisely when I learned of it. And that, that is where you are going for me." He turns and waves his hands again, and the image returns to normal. "Each of you has your own reason to be here, but I expect you to work together. Extensive scrying indicates that the six of you, of all the people who owe me favors, are most likely to succeed, and I have not come this far to fail now. Aygul, my dear, as you have only recently been dragged back into life by my servants, I have news you will be happy to hear. Do me this small service, and I swear to you that your soul and the souls of your companions shall be released, or may the Blood God strike me dead, witch that I am. Then, you can rebuild your legend or die in a gutter for all I care. Unless you need future favors, all of you will owe me nothing once this task is completed. And what I seek is: the Tome of Lies. A Daemon Prince of Tzeentch, bound as a punishment in book form. A dangerous and difficult thing to use properly, but I have devised a way." "It lies aboard a crippled Death Guard vessel that has recently come drifting out of the Hadex Anomaly, the Inescapable Fate. You have heard tales of vessels emerging from the Warp long after or even long before they enter it? This is just such a case. The Inescapable Fate is also in the Eye of Terror at this very moment, fully functional. The Tome is also there. But while I could never muster the resources to storm a fully-crewed Death Guard vessel, this time-shifted vessel is long dead. My council and I conjecture that at some point in the future, that vessel will suffer an unfortunate accident and be cast adrift on the winds of Time, only to be spat out of that great bloody time-wound here, into the past... and soon, to be re-consumed, possibly forever." "Regardless, the Tome is there. I have devised a ritual to cast you across the very galaxy itself, directly onto that vessel. In fact, I have known of this drifting hulk for well over a decade, and I have been seeking a means to reach it all this time. Only recently have I succeeded, and just in time, for very soon it will be dragged back into the Anomaly. I will give you a counter-ritual that will bring you back to Q'sal. Find the book on board that vessel, and bring it back to me via that ritual. If you have any questions or want more details, ask them now, for we must commence the ritual in precisely 2 hours." He hesitates for a moment, as if realizing something, and then chuckles softly. "Give or take a few minutes, actually. Because, as I said, none of the chronometers in here work properly anymore." Post your sheets, introduce yourselves, and ask any questions you might have. Once everybody posts and I've answered any questions, you'll be off.
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Jan 7, 2017 06:28
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| # ? Apr 25, 2024 23:31 |
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 Ekram, Pyrae of the 4th Fellowship and his Rubric Marines Atiq, Harun, and Manzur Ekram hated it on Q'sal. Truth be told, he hated be on any world that was dominated by Sorcerers. Not that he had anything against sorcerers, he was one after all. No, each and every world of Sorcerers, either intentionally or through some mockery by the Lord of Change, resemble in some way Lost Prospero, and Q'Sal was no exception. For the most part Q'Sal was as far from the Prospero ideal as you could get, but in his time here Ekram encountered on grand plaza that had the exact same dimensions of the great plaza before the Pyramid of Photep in Tizca and for a brief, yet agonizing moment Ekram had found himself standing side by side with Atiq and Harun, each of them emptying bolters into advancing wolfen while Manzur reloaded his weapon. A Wolfen charged at them, only to be driven off by a quick fire bolt from Ekram. Then just like every other time his memories were sucked into the past, they all ended with the same vision, The mad eyes of the Wolf King staring down Ekram, making him feel so small even in his Terminator armor. So needless to say, Ekram wanted to get off this world as quickly as possible, though he was not too keen on the proposed mission. Still, as much as one of the Fabled Thousands Sons hates to admit it, Ekram did owe Zolan a rather large debt. Thanks to him, Ekram was able to bring back his three warriors whenever they fall in battle alone. Before he would always have to rely on one of the more Sorcerous of his brothers to call the souls back from the Warp. Zolan was able to distill the power of the ritual into an intricate rune tattooed on Ehram's arm. All that was needed was time and concentration. The Pyrae surveyed those around him with disinterest. There were two fellow Astartes, both of them founding legions. The Night Lords were always ones to be wary of, but Ekram had nothing but total and absolute contempt for the Death Guard Plague Marine. It was their short-sighted and ignorant Primarch that lead the charges against the Thousand Sons at Nikaea, and that is a slight that could never be forgiven. Only Russ and his legion was scorned more than the Death Guard in Ekram's eyes. The rest were almost stereotypical. A useless primitive that of course Khorne shown favor upon. A Mechanicus, augmented through the teeth in an attempt to disguise biological inadequacies while wearing a small scale mockery of Ekram's own mighty terminator armor. Lastly some sort of human pistolier. No real comment one way or the other, pistols were dangerous weapons in proper hands. All in all as ragtag a group as Ekram could imagine. Thankfully Ekram did not come alone. By his side were his brothers. Each of them an equal to any here, and there were three of them. Ekram already resigned himself to the realization that he and his brothers would likely carry the brunt of any fighting coming their way, and only hoped the others could kill whatever they encountered while the Thousand Sons once again faced impossible odds. When Zolan asked for questions, Ekram had only one, "What is the difficulty of this return ritual? I appear to be the only elevated among us, so I assume the responsibility for this return ritual falls upon me. I was never a simpering Ritualist like those from the Corvidae Temple, and never had use of rituals beyond what was needed to bathe my foes in warpfire." pre:Name: Ekram, Pyrae of the 4th Fellowship Race: Chaos Space Marine Archetype: One Thousand Sons Sorcerer Pride: Devotion Disgrace: Regret Motivation: Perfection Characteristics: WS: 40=30+10 BS: 39=30+9 S: 35=30+10-5(pride) T: 40=30+10 Ag: 40=30+10 Int: 41=30+11 Per: 40=30+13-3(Motivation) WP: 64=30+14+5(1k sons)+5(pride)+5(motivation)+5(advance) Fel: 40=30+8+5(1k sons)-3(motivation) Wounds:20 Infamy: 46=44+2 Corruption:42=35+1(1k sons)+5(disgrace)+1 Alignment: Tzeentch Skills: Athletics awareness Command common lore (war, choose one) dodge Forbidden Lore (adeptus astartes, the horus heresy, and the long war, psykers, warp) Linguistics (low gothic) Logic navigate (surface) Operate (surface) Parry Psyniscience +10 Scholastic lore (legends, occult) Scrutiny Talents: ambidextrous Ancient Warrior bulging biceps legion weapon training heightened senses (hearing, sight) Meditation nerves of steel Psy rating (x5) quick draw resistance (cold, heat, poisons, psychic powers) Strong Minded unarmed warrior Warp Sense Traits: amphibious unnatural str (+4) unnatural toughness (+4) Unnatural willpower (+2) Psyker (bound) Rubric of Ahriman: may roll additional die when perils and can choose. Unnatural WP does not count toward maximum psy rating Haunted: +10 modifier against me when opponents intimidate me. Psychic Powers: 500 exp worth- Manipulate Flame 100 Spontaneous Combustion 200 Flame Breath (200 from free, 100 from starting) Boon of Tzeentch Equipment: Legion Power armor (Power supply tampering) -sustainable power source, recoil gauntlets, autosenses Legion Combat knife Legion bolter w/ 4 mags Legion Bolt Pistol w/2 mags of inferno bolts force sword Talisman of Tzeentch Gifts of the Gods: Warpsmith: +2 psy rating Wreathed in Chaos: +10 to interactions with other chaos, +2 melee damage. Advancements 5400/5750 3600 Thousand sons Minion of Chaos-Atiq 500 Minion of Chaos- Harun 500 Minion of Chaos- Manzur 500 Willpower simple 100 Psyniscience +10 200 100 exp towards flame breath Acquisitions: 1) GC terminator armor (Devotional Iconography-Tzeentch) (thanks for the math on that dachhund!) -Autosenses, sustainable power source and mag boot soles 2) Legion Combi-plasma(extremely rare to very rare -20, single +10= -10 mod) 3) Legion Heavy Flamer/w extended mags (very rare to rare -10, Upgrade Rare back to very rare -20, single +10) 4) Beguiling gem (Very rare -20, single +10) Werix fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Apr 8, 2017 |
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Jan 7, 2017 07:14
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 Alwyn Madoc As the sorceror concluded his speech, Alwyn breathed in and shut his eyes, thinking back to his mental check-list, drilled into him on old Nostramo: Objective, location, obstacles, and timeframes. The objective was simple enough, as such things went. Bound daemons were never completely safe, but he had some experience in stealing them. Keep it at least three layers away from skin contact, keep it in a satchel or pack so you don't have to hold onto it, and if you start hearing voices, ignore what they say. The sorcerer from the Thousand Sons would know how to handle it, though it might be best to keep it out of the way of the Khornate barbarian. The location was harder. The Death Guard prefer Heresy-era ships, so the schematics should be familiar. It was a Nurglite wreck, though, and one that had just come out of a warp anomaly. The worst-case scenario was that the entire ship was powered down, meaning every door would have to be broken down with explosives or power weapons, the air thick with horrifyingly toxic plagues, and the whole ship infested with demons to boot. There was also the Hadrex anomaly itself to consider; how long would it take them to adjust to whatever time-and-space warping properties it held? Madoc cursed his laxity within the privacy of his helmet. Most of these problems were solvable if they came, but it was never a good idea to board a Death Guard vessel without environmentally sealed gear. Even one day's preparation would have been enough to double-check everyone's armour, apply sealant patches and procure rebreathers, and stock up on anti-toxins. At least he and the Plague Marine would be immune, and most of the others were wearing powered armour, hopefully with the environmental seals still intact - the gunslinger, the only one wearing light armour, had had the foresight to bring a rebreather. If they couldn't prepare for the worst, they would just have to hope for the best. And the obstacles - Madoc cursed again - were almost a complete unknown. The book's cursed nature could be dealt with, at least. Powered-down or recalcitrant systems could hopefully be brought online and put to use, either by himself or the Heretek. If they couldn't, then explosives, heavy guns, power weapons, and anything they could improvise would be enough to get through physical obstacles - but Madoc only had two demolition charges, and the other options were either slow or unreliable. Any ship caught in a Warp anomaly would inevitably develop some daemonic infestation, but unless they were tremendously unlucky, three veteran Astartes and three extremely capable humans could deal with any Warp-spawn that had found their way onto the ship. The Hadrex anomaly was the worst part - in addition to having to deal with whatever it did to time and space, it put a hard time limit on their mission. Staying too long risked being trapped in an endless hell, for a completely unknown value of 'too long'. Apart from that... there was the risk of rival treasure-hunters, and any remaining Death Guard. If anything could survive a subjective eternity trapped in the Warp it would be Mortarion's children, but even they had their limits - even if some had survived, there surely couldn't be many left, and they wouldn't be in good condition to fight. Rivals were the main threat, then. Anyone capable of reaching the ship would have to have powerful backers, and the sweetness of the prize meant that any agents they sent would be powerful in their own right - the best they could do would be to try and get the drop on them, which meant... Madoc looked aside at the Nurgling-infested Plague Marine, the Terminator-armoured sorcerer and heretek, and their retinues of murmuring scarabs and hollow automatons... that he or one of the lighter-armoured humans would need to scout ahead of the rest. His thoughts on the task at hand settled, Madoc re-activated his helmet's speakers to address the sorcerer who had gathered them. "I have several questions. Firstly, this ship, the Inescapable Fate. Anything you know about its model, it era or its schematics would be a great help in navigating through the ship. Second, the Hadrex anomaly. Giving an answer in terms of time might be difficult here, but do you have any idea how long we'll have, subjectively, to find the book before the ship gets dragged back into the Warp? Third, a bound Greater Daemon of Tzeentch would be a treasure for any sorcerer - do you expect that we'll have competitors for the book on the ship? pre:Archetype: Night Lord Alignment: Unaligned Pride: Wealth Disgrace: Betrayal Motivation: Vengeance Characteristics: WS: 48 (30+13+5) BS: 42 (30+12) S: 50 (30+10+5(Night Lord)+5) T: 40 (30+10) Ag: 50 (30+15+5) Int: 42 (30+12) Per: 39 (30+14-5(Vengeance) WP: 44 (30+12+5(Night Lord)-3(Wealth)) Fel: 37 (30+7) Wounds: 22 (20 (Night Lord) + 2 (Vengeance)) Infamy: 45 (40+3) Corruption: 41 (35 + 5(Betrayal)) Skills: Acrobatics Athletics Awareness +10 Common Lore (War, Tech) Deceive Dodge +10 Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Astartes, The Horus Heresy, The Long War, Pirates) Intimidate +10 Linguistics (Low Gothic) Navigate (Surface) Operate (Surface, Aeronautica) Parry Psyniscience Security +10 Stealth+10 Tech-use Talents: Ambidextrous Ancient Warrior Bulging Biceps Cold-Hearted Excessive Wealth Jaded Legion Weapon Training Lightning Reflexes Heightened Senses (Hearing, Sight) Nerves of Steel Paranoia Quick Draw Raptor Resistance (Cold, Heat, Poisons) Sure Strike Two-Weapon Fighting Unarmed Warrior Traits: Amphibious Untrustworthy: -10 situational modifier to all Charm attempts (Betrayal) Unnatural Strength (4) Unnatural Toughness (4) Abilities: Spectral Haunter: Penalties to attackers and bonuses to Stealth based on visual hindrances are increased by 20. Terror Tactics: Can spend Infamy points to give the party a Fear rating, at a cost of 2 points per rank of Fear. Acquisitions: Legacy twin lightning claws (Dexia and Euonymos): - 50 (Near Unique)–10(Power)+ 20 (Bonus) +10 (Excessive Wealth) +20 (Pride) + 0 (Minor quantity) = -10 - Legacy of Betrayal: +1d5 damage against Unaware or Surprised targets, on a roll of 00 the attack hits an available ally. - Effective Good Craftsmanship - Artful Pattern: Fast (Weapon gains the Flexible quality, Dexia), Backstabber (+1d10 damage to Unaware or Surprised targets, Dexia) Best-craftsmanship jump pack: -10 (Rare) - 20 (Best) + 10 (Excessive Wealth) + 10 (Single) = -10 Best-craftsmanship cameleoline cloak: -10 (Rare) - 20 (Best) + 10 (Excessive Wealth) + 10 (Single) = -10 Stalker bolt-rounds, 4 clips: -20 (Very Rare) + 10 (Excessive Wealth) + 0 (Minor quantity) = -10 Good-craftsmanship comm leach: -20 (Very Rare) - 10 (Good) +10 (Excessive Wealth) + 10 (Single) = -10 Mutations: Eye of Chaos: Gains the Psyniscience skill Icon of Blasphemy: May gain Fear (3) for one round, once per session (or equivalent, presumably) Equipment: Legion Power Armour: -Armour history: Careful Maintenance -Sub-systems: Auto-senses, Vox-link, Osmotic Gill, Sustainable Power Source, Bio-monitor. Legion Bolter w/ 4 magazines Legion Power Sword Legion combat knife 1 Legion frag grenade 2 Legion demolition charges Advances: 5500/5750 Archetype: 3600 Excessive Wealth: 250 (S) Stealth +10: 350 (U) Agility +5: 250 (U) Weapon Skill +5: 250 (U) Strength +5: 250 (K) S N K T 1 0 1 0 Jo Joestar fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Apr 9, 2017 |
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Jan 7, 2017 15:21
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 Jubal the Optimist, Plague Marine of the Death Guard, future crew of the Inescapable Fate Jubal treated Q'Sal with the same cheerful equanimity with which he regarded most places: If there was anything he didn't like about it, then one day they would decay and erode away, so for now they could easily be endured. That said, there was indeed quite a lot to be endured here: In his long experience, it had seemed that wherever two Tzeentchian sorcerors met, at least three of them were going to get backstabbed in some needlessly convoluted plot which didn't end up actually achieving anything. Their objective didn't exactly help alleviate that concern, but it was the location of that objective that had captured the imagination, and would potentially have brought him here even if the mind-bending eldritch summons to pay off the old debt had not. His thoughts turned to the cheerful hope of unearthing some new and interesting blessing of his patron which had not yet even been mixed together in his putrescent Garden of toxic delights at the present time, or salvaging whatever plagues his erstwhile future potential colleagues might have been, or indeed, might be brewing. Looking across their companions with rheumy, encrusted eyes through his helmet auto-senses, his rotted lips literally cracked into a smile as he saw that one of the little humans had only light armour and a rebreather between them and whatever airbourne or contact gifts Papa Nurgle had seen fit to bloat the corridors of the Inescapable Fate with. Oh, that one could be just the most perfect vector! As for the others? A 'Tek in Terminator armour, quite the rarity, not many of the lesser types could lay claim to such a suit, with her little pets as well.. A couple of hollow cases that had once been brother marines in thrall to that similarly-armoured sorceror. A primitive bedecked with all manner of weaponry, and a brother of the Night Lords in impressively well maintained armor, a heartening struggle against inevitable decay. No rust on his tactical acumen, either: Definitely one to keep an eye on for good or ill. All in all, quite promising, it seemed Zolan Usoi was serious about this endeavour. Plan for sudden but inevitable betrayal before, during or after the actual return as the most likely. The Plague Marine spake, his burbling voice hinting at lungs long-corroded and putrescent even through the helmet vox, "How long has the Inescapable Fate been there so far, approximately?" pre:Name: Jubal the Optimist Race: Chaos Space Marine Archetype: Plague Marine Pride: "Beauty" Disgrace: Hubris Motivation: Legacy WS 49 (30+19) BS 50 (30+20) S 45 (30+15) T 51 (30+11+10 PM) AG 38 (30+8 -10 PM +10 750xp) Int 31 (30+9 -4 Hubris -4 Legacy) Per 38 (30+8) WP 49 (30+18 +5 PM -4 beauty) Fel 38 (30+8) Infamy 53 Corruption 38 Skills Athletics Awareness +10 Common Lore (War, Tech) Dodge Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Astartes, The Horus Heresy, The Long War, Daemonology) Linguistics (Low Gothic) Navigate (Surface) Operate (Surface) Parry +10 Intimidate +10 Talents Aincient Warrior Ambidexterous Bulging Biceps Legion Weapon Training Heightened senses (Hearing, Sight) Nerves of Steel Quick Draw Resistance (cold, heat, poisons) Unarmed Warrior Bolter Drill Exotic Weapon Training (Plague knife) Fearless Iron Jaw Hardy Hip Shooting Rapid Reload Deadeye shot Takedown Disturbing Voice (200xp) Baleful Dirge (300xp) Die Hard (200xp) Mighty Shot (400xp) Traits: Amphibious Unnatural strength (+4) Unnatural Toughness (+4) Mutations: Flyer, move rate 6 (Winged mutation) Nurgling-infested Special Abilities: Abominable Physiology: Never suffers Damage or other negative effects from Diseases, poisons, or the Toxic Quality unless he chooses to suffer these effects (although he can still be infected by Diseases as normal, and can spread them to others). Hideous Resilience: As a Reaction, a Plague Marine may make a Difficult (–10) Toughness Test. If he succeeds, he reduces the Damage from the next hit he suffers before the beginning of his next Turn by 1 per Degree of Success he scores on the Test. If he reduces the Damage to 0 this way, he gains the Fear (1) Trait to the foe whose attack he so easily withstood. Infectious Miasma: May spend an Infamy point to release the swarms of bloat-flies, corpse-gases, and other vile contagions housed within his bloated frame. For the next 1d5+1 Rounds, at the start of the Plague Marine’s Turn, each other character within 10 metres of the Plague Marine suffers a single hit for 1d10 Energy Damage with the Toxic Quality, ignoring armour that is not environmentally sealed. Equipment: Legionnaire power armor Customization: Devotional Iconography (Nurgle) -Osmotic gill life sustainer -Auto-senses -Sustainable power source Legionnaire bolter (2 magazines) Plague knife 3 Blight Grenades 2 Legion Krak grenades Acquisitions: GC Legion Meltagun, downgrade noxious smoke Trophy Rack GC Conversion field GC Helmet augmentations Beguiling Gem CC Legion Power Scythe Wounds: 23 300 xp pre:Combat block:
WS BS S T Ag Int Per WP Fel
49 50 45(65) 51 38 31 38 49 38
Wounds: 23/23 Infamy: 5/5 Initiative: 1d10 + 3 Size: Hulking (-10 to Stealth, +1 to Movement)
Walking: Half-move: 4 Full move: 8 Charge: 12 Run: 21
Flying: Half-move: 6 Full move: 12 Charge: 18 Run: 36
Strength bonus: 8 (10 in power armour) Toughness bonus: 9
Armour: 8 (All body)
Conversion field (Protection rating 50, overload 01-05)
Skills:
Awareness: 48
Dodge: 38
Parry: 59
Talents:
Heightened senses (Hearing, Sight)
Nerves of Steel
Quick Draw
Resistance (cold, heat, poisons)
Unarmed Warrior
Fearless
Iron Jaw
Hardy
Hip Shooting
Rapid Reload
Deadeye shot
Takedown
Disturbing Voice
Baleful Dirge
Die Hard
Mighty Shot
Weapons:
Legion Bolter w/ regular ammunition: Basic | 100m | S/3/_ | 1d10+12 X Pen 4 | Clip 24/24 | Rld: Full | Special: Tearing
Legion Meltagun: Basic | 20m | S/_/_ | 2d10+13 E Pen 12 | Clip 6/6 | Rld: 2 Full | Special: Melta, Downgrade Noxious Smoke
Legion plague knife: Melee | 1d10+10 R Pen 2 |Special: Felling (4), Toxic (3)
Legion Power Scythe: Melee | 1d10+17 E Pen 7 |Special: Power Field, Unbalanced
Legion krak grenade: Thrown | 24m (30M in power armour) | S/_/_ | 2d10+8 X Pen 6 | Clip 1
Blight grenade: Thrown | 24m (30M in power armour) | S/_/_ | 2d10 E Pen 0 | Clip 1 | Special: Toxic (2), Blast (6)
Wargear:
Beguiling Gem
Trophy Rack
Devotional Iconography: Nurgle
Nurgling infestation:
WS BS S T Ag Int Per WP Fel
25 07 16 25 25 16 16 43 25
Magnitude: 51/51
Daemonic (2)
Awareness: 36
Counts as a Horde for all combat rules.
Teeth and Claws: Melee | 3d10+3 R Pen 4+1d5 | Special: Toxic (3), Infected Wounds
Once per encounter, lasts for 5 rounds or until destroyed.
AJ_Impy fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Apr 7, 2017 |
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Jan 7, 2017 20:20
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Aygul As the duplicitous, backstabbing, pompous magician droned on, another voice crept into her mind.... "The breathing of this fool is an insult to both of us, Queen....Kill him. Nail his head to the wall..." But Aygul could tell the bow-spirit's heart wasn't really in it. They'd had this conversation. Free the Ay, then they could tear out Zolan's lungs. She sighed in exhaustion. Or what seemed like it. She was coming to realize that this sensation was merely what it felt like to be mortal again, and to have the blessings of Baphtar stripped from her body and soul. She tried to ignore her fatigue and listen to her hated foe. Did she know anything about this tome? Or the warp storm? She couldn't recall such things in the legends and tales told in Katilkonak. She leaned back and whispered to her Herald, "What know of Raven Book? Hadex godthing?" "Nothing of the tome, Queen. Little enough of the Anomaly. Will tell later, time for listening." She took stock of her new warband, such as it was. One metal woman surrounded by swarms of bugs singing prayers to Baphtar. Strange. One unlucky girl obviously from the Godless Kingdom. Fortunate for her that she escaped. Maybe she'd have a chance to make it to Baphtar's realm now? Six of the false-men, stitched together in a lab. Disgusting abominations, but you can't choose the way you were born. Servants of the Death God knew how to feast and enjoy-life, at least. The "Night Lord" warbands had a respectable reputation as hunters and raiders, but lacked faith and honor. And the slaves of the Raven God? Three of them were empty husks and the other was an ignorant thug with a staff. Which could describe most sorcerors, but this one seemed particularly pigheaded. Then it opened it's mouth and she KNEW it was particularly pigheaded: Butt Wizard posted:"What is the difficulty of this return ritual? I appear to be the only elevated among us, so I assume the responsibility for this return ritual falls upon me. I was never a simpering Ritualist like those from the Corvidae Temple, and never had use of rituals beyond what was needed to bathe my foes in warpfire." Failed some lore-tests. Floki managed to barely pass a "Legends" test for the the Hadex Anomaly, for whatever that's worth. pre:Name: Race: Human Archetype: Xurunsh Frost-Father Pride: Charm Disgrace: Regret Motivation: Ascendancy Characteristics: WS: = 43 +13+5 BS: = 44 +14+5 S: = 41 +5+11 T: = 25 +5 -5 Ag: = 40 +15 Int: = 37 +12 Per: = 31 +6 WP: = 45 +12+3+5 Fel: = 63 +3 +5+20+10 Wounds: Infamy: 41 Corruption: 40 Alignment:  pre:Name: Gör-Gör Characteristics: WS: = 40 BS: = 12 S: = 45 T: = 45 Ag: = 25 Int: = 15 Per: = 20 WP: = 15 Fel: = 10 Armour: Dense Hide (All 3) Wounds: 30 Movement: 4/8/12/24 Skills: Athletics (S) Awareness (Per) Talents: Fearless Traits: Bestial Brutal Charge (4) Natural Armour (3) Deadly Natural Weapons Unnatural Strength (+4) Unnatural Toughness (+2) Size (Enormous) Stampede Wreathed in Chaos!:The heat of Khorne’s infernal forges causes the air around the character to ripple and distort. When engaged in melee, his enemies suffer a –10 penalty to their Weapon Skill. Insatiable: A Xurunsh is an unceasingly ravenous carnivore, and many watch for the slightest opportunity to turn on their master. Any time that a rider makes a Skill Test and rolls doubles, the Xurunsh immediately attempts to devour him  pre:Characteristics: WS: = 50 BS: = 20 S: = 52 T: = 45 Ag: = 45 Int: = 35 Per: = 25 WP: = 50 Fel: = 43 Wounds: 15 Armour: Brass Plate Armour (All 5) Skills: Athletics (S) Awareness (Per) Command (Fel) +10 Common Lore (War) (Int) Dodge (Ag) +10 Intimidate (S) +20 Parry (WS) +10 Scholastic Lore (Heraldry, Legend) (Int) Talents: Ambidextrous Blade Dancer Blademaster Challenge† Combat Master Disturbing Voice Lightning Attack Polyglot Resistance (Psychic Powers) Step Aside Swift Attack Two Weapon Wielder (Melee) Wall of Brass†† War Cry Traits: From Beyond Undying Unnatural Fellowship (3) Unnatural Strength (1) Weapons: Hellish Blast (Basic; 15m; S/–/–; 1d10+9 E; Pen 4; Flame, Spray, Tainted†††) Pair of Rune Swords (Melee; 1d10+15 R; Pen 0; Balanced, Tainted†††, Tearing) Gear: Vox-Unit  pre:Name: Ayı Diş Range: 40m RoF: S/–/– Damage:1d10R+.5IB+3 Pen:3+.5IB Clip: 1 Reload:Half Traits:Reliable, Felling (4), Tearing, Warp Weapon Legacy of Slaughter: +20 to next attack after kill Slayer-Felling Ragged-Tearing Schizotek fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Jan 8, 2017 |
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Jan 8, 2017 01:11
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 Hera Salvius, Gunslinger Q'Sal was not the best place to make one's initial acquaintance with the Screaming Vortex, it seemed. It was so unlike even the most heretical parts of the Imperium as to be near-incomprehensible to her, and the strange energies and the constant attempts at prophecy that surrounded the planet had played havoc with Hera's already troublesome vision. She'd taken to purposely dimming the preysight vision on one side, but as she took her helmet off to enter the sorcerer's dwelling, her oversized mutated eye drew her focus to microscopic flaws in power armor, helmets popping off their fastenings, and the beginnings of bolt-shell impact before rewinding back and playing again. Chaos Astartes. Six of them. And two others that were at least mostly human. As much as anyone in these parts could pass for it, Hera supposed - herself included. And yet it seemed she was under-equipped, each of the others encased in a ready-made, slow-you-down coffins. She'd considered power armor once, when she was finally able to afford a suit, but just like now, anything she couldn't dodge would probably kill her just as well if she was wearing that crap than anything else. But they -were- environmentally sealed, after all, and the image they were shown inspired no confidence when it came to lack of environmental and biological hazards. "So, am I just dead as soon as I step in? Because you probably could have just had one of your boys back on Scintilla stab me in my sleep, if that was the goal here." She reached past one of her holsters, holding up the tube that connected to her rebreather. The smell wafting from the one Astartes was already making her reconsider the gesture of respect in favor of putting her helmet back on. "But seriously, I didn't get to pack much. Should I source something a bit more... resilient?" quote:Name: Hera Salvius
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Jan 8, 2017 01:37
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Eris  Unlike most visitors to Q'sal, Eris had the welcome opportunity to treat it with complete disdain. Likewise, most of the local degenerates left her blissfully alone -- between the Blood God's blessings and her own superior arms, it was obvious that there was nothing the merchants between the spaceport and her destination could offer her. For those that did, well, the swarms were always hungry, and the rest of the trip outside the city limits was uneventful. She certainly made quite the entrance: few humans ever gained their own set of terminator armor, let alone the sleek, runed, glossy black construction she wore, and a fully-integrated autocannon constantly clicked with unconscious targeting information. But it was the swarms that drew the eye the most. One was coated in fresh gore, the result of her recent walk through the streets of Velklir, while the other seemed to crawl over every surface of her whisper-quiet plate. All the more simple to hear her thudding footsteps -- however compact her chassis, it was no less weighty than others. The heretek been far more interested in the fascinating chronometric anomalies taking place than the seer's lecture and the attendant show, until he invoked the gods. As her ever-present carpet of metal hissed and murmured louder, she chimed in, "You should not swear by Khorne, seer. He tends to hold bargains made in his name rather... vigorously." This seemed enough to quiet her pets. Fiddling with a timepiece with several mechadendrites and smaller assistants, she added "But you need not worry about my dedication. I will sacrifice much for the payment promised. Apropos, what information do you possess about the death of this vessel? If boarded by loyalists, it could still harbor exceptional salvage opportunities. The corpse-god's sons are stubbornly resilient, the Death Guard more-so." Satisfied, she replaced the timepiece on the wall. "Self-calibrating, for two sigma of deviations." pre:Name: 3|215-Kappa Race: Human Career: Heretek Pride: Wealth Disgrace: Greed Motivation: Innovation Alignment: Khorne characterics rolls: 10#2d10 10 11 11 13 4 14 15 7 5 16 drop the 4 starting infamy: 1d5 2 Characteristics WS : 36 = 25 + 11 + + + BS : 50 = 25 + 15 + + + 10 S : (62)32 = 25 + 07 + + + T : 44 = 25 + 14 + + + 05 AG : 30 = 25 + 05 + + + INT : (7)59 = 25 + 16 + 05 + 03 + 10 PER : 35 = 25 + 10 + + + WP : 33 = 25 + 11 + - 03 + FEL : 38 = 25 + 13 + + + Infamy: 44 Corruption: 42 Wounds: 10+1d5 11 Initiative: 1d10+5 AP 25 All Force Field 35, no overload No Dodging, Parry 46 Skills: Common Lore (Imperium, War, Adeptus Mechanicus, Tech) Linguistics (Low Gothic) Trade (Armorer) Logic Parry +10 Tech Use +20 Forbidden Lore (Xenos, Daemonology) Scholastic Lore (Chymistry) Command +20 Intimidate (+10 Gift) Psyniscience Talents: Die Hard Technical Knock Weapon Training (Las, Primary, Shock, Power) Mechadendrite Training (Utility) Total Recall Armour-Monger Cold Hearted Enemy (Adeptus Mechanicus) Excessive Wealth Traits: The Quick and the Dead (+2 init) Disgrace (Greed) -10 to commerce Traitor to Mars (2 free GC cybernetics, Mechanicus Implants, +10 loyalty for mech minons) Machine 8 Unnatural Intelligence +2 Mutations: COLLAR OF KHORNE!!! Eye of Chaos (Psyniscience, +10 intimidate) Slayer Limb (Reaper Autocannon, khorne adds tearing) Gear: Best-Craftsmanship Lascarbine w/ 2 magazines, Common-Craftsmanship Power Axe Light Carapace Armour unholy unguents combi-tool dataslate Utility Mechadendrite Lumenin Capacitors Acquisitions: 8X Mechanicus Assimilation (-10 rare -10 x8 quantity +10 excessive wealth) Jump Pack (-10 rare +10 single) BC Terminator Armor +5 command (+10 Single +10 Excessive wealth +20 pride +20 starting allowance -50 near unique -20 craftsmanship) CC Reaper Autocannon (+10 single +10 excessive wealth -30 ex rare) Cybernetics: Mechanicus Implants GC Mind Impulse Unit (free) GC Cerebral Implants (free) 8X Mechanicus Assimilation (praise khorne, glory to the machine) Powers: kill all psykers in the name of the blood god Advancements (6000/6250): Horde Minion of Chaos (Prayer Swarm Aleph) 750 Horde Minion of Chaos (Prayer Swarm Becquerl) 750 Excessive Wealth 500 Operate (Aeronautica) 200 FL (daemonology) 300 command, command +10, command +20 700 tech-use +20 500 WS +5 250 WS +10 500 INT +5 250 INT +10 500 Parry +10 200 TGH +5 250 Intimidate 200 Medicae 200 pre:Prayer Swarm Aleph (Horde Minion) prayer swarm aleph stats: 10#2d10 17 9 6 13 3 9 14 7 10 14 drop the 3 22/22 Magnitude Machine 2 Parasite Hoverer 4 Street Fighting Weapon Training (Chain) Flesh Render Lightning Reflexes Takedown WS : 29 = 10+14+5 BS : 17 = 10+7 S : 32 = 10+17+5 T : 20 = 10+10 AG : 24 = 10+14 INT : 23 = 10+13 PER : 19 = 10+9 WP : 19 = 10+9 FEL : 16 = 10+6 Gear: Horrible, Tearing Mandibles (Chain Greatsword) 2d10+5 R Pen3 Tearing, Unbalanced Surprising Resilient Carapace (Guard Flak) AP 4 pre:Prayer Swarm Becquerl (Horde Minion) prayer swarm becquerl stats reroll: 10#2d10 11 9 12 12 4 8 12 14 11 6 drop the 4 22/22 Magnitude Machine 2 Fanatic Hoverer 4 Street Fighting Weapon Training (Chain) Flesh Render Lightning Reflexes Takedown WS : 29 = 10+14+5 BS : 16 = 10+6 S : 27 = 10+12+5 T : 22 = 10+12 AG : 22 = 10+12 INT : 19 = 10+9 PER : 21 = 10+11 WP : 21 = 10+11 FEL : 18 = 10+8 Gear: Horrible, Tearing Mandibles (Chain Greatsword) 2d10+4 R Pen3 Tearing, Unbalanced Surprising Resilient Carapace (Guard Flak) AP 4 pre:Combat Block:
WS BS S T AG INT PER WP FEL
36 50 (62)32 44 30 (7)59 35 33 38
IP: 4/4
Wounds: 11/11
Initiative: 1d10+5
AP 25 All
Force Field 35, no overload
No Dodging, Parry 46
Skills/Talents/Gear/Gifts of note:
Command 58 (63 with gear)
Tech Use 79 (99 with gear)
Jump Pack
Slayer Limb (Reaper Autocannon, khorne gives tearing)
Common Crafstmanship Reaper Autocannon
300m S/4/– 3d10+8 I Pen6 Clip40 Rld2Full Reliable, Twin-Linked, Tearing
Common Craftsmanship Power Axe
1d10+13 E Pen6 Power Field, Unbalanced
Prayer Swarm Aleph
WS BS S T AG INT PER WP FEL
29 17 32 20 24 23 19 19 16
21/21 Magnitude, AP6
Machine 2, Hoverer 4, Parasite
Street Fighting, Flesh Render, Lightning Reflexes, Takedown
Horrible, Rending Mandibles
2d10+8 R Pen3 Tearing, Unbalanced, +1d10 per 10 magnitude
Prayer Swarm Becquerl
WS BS S T AG INT PER WP FEL
29 16 27 22 22 19 21 21 18
21/21 Magnitude, AP6
Machine 2, Hoverer 4, Fanatic
Street Fighting, Flesh Render, Lightning Reflexes, Takedown
Horrible, Rending Madibles
2d10+7 R Pen3 Tearing, Unbalanced, +1d10 per 10 magnitude
wiegieman fucked around with this message at 06:42 on Apr 7, 2017 |
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Jan 8, 2017 01:40
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The sorcerer seems pleased by the barrage of questions, if only so he has an opportunity to talk even more. He addresses Eris first. "The seriousness of the Blood God regarding invocations of his name, Eris, is precisely why I made that oath. My word alone would hardly be encouraging to someone I've betrayed once before. I have no idea what could have destroyed this vessel. Some sort of disaster in the Warp is all I can guess. As for everyone else's questions..." He waves a hand dismissively at Hera. "I can provide a gas mask to any of you if you so desire. Any diseases you pick up in spite of them will be treated upon your return. Assuming you want them to be treated. Do not mistake this for generosity. I want that book, so I need you survive long enough to get it, but as I said, the vessel itself is apparently dead. Like any Nurglite vessel of such advanced age, it is covered in flesh and obscene growths, none of which have shown any signs of movement or regeneration in all the time I have observed it. I won't deny that the Plague Lord's diseases may still be aboard, but I do not think it will be a hotbed of microscopic life and corruption anymore." He turns and nods at Aygul and Ekram. "You need not worry about the ritual. It is much easier to bring someone somewhere than it is to send them. Which is to say: most of the preparatory work for your return ritual will be done on my end. I will build you the path, and you will simply open the door and step through. Opening a portal when someone on the other end is there to "catch" it is not particularly difficult. That's how we invade Imperial worlds via portals: by having cultists opening it from the other end. Even a non-psyker could perform this, it simply takes a little time and the correct symbols and invocations. The ritual of sending, by comparison, is impossibly difficult and complex, but again, I will be the one providing. I will explain the specifics once the ritual begins." Finally, he addresses Jubal and Alwyn. "Ever the tactical thinkers, you Night Lords. Based on its speed and trajectory, we believe the Inescapable Fate exited the Hadex Anomaly roughly 15 years ago from our perspective. We noticed it when our scrying attempts to find the Tome of Lies indicated it was in two vastly different locations simultaneously. That was a decade ago. It is easy to observe a location through the Warp, but only recently have we solved the problem of getting agents there. The vessel itself is a Repulsive-class Grand Cruiser. I believe it was commandeered by the Death Guard sometime after the fall of Horus. Who it served before they took it over is unrecorded. The specifics of its internal layout will almost certainly differ from the original specifications after so long, but you will have a dataslate that should give you a general idea of where you are in the vessel. The Tome of Lies, like dozens of other powerful artifacts of the Changer, is a prize of its current Captain. One "Vitriol the Morbid." I suspect he keeps his collection near him, so I expect it will be near or on the bridge. If you find anything else of value aboard, you are free to keep it. The Tome is all that matters to me." "It will be at least a month before the vessel is drawn too deep into the Hadex Anomaly to be escapable, but time distortions or changes in the Anomaly may change that. The Anomaly has been stable recently, so I expect that even with time dilation you should have plenty of time. As for competitors? I... can't say for certain. There is a certain chapter of Space Marines operating in that general region called the Deathwatch, but I cannot fathom what reason they would have to board the vessel. They would have to know a great deal more than I would expect to think it was worth getting so close to the Anomaly. And it's not beyond possibility that another group of Chaos worshipers could be attempting to recover it, but I think it is unlikely. The Tome of Lies has a bad reputation, you see. It has been the death of hundreds of cults and warlords. I would not be interested in it if I hadn't devised a way to use it safely. Consider yourselves warned. The book may attempt to persuade or trick you into using it. Do not. It can and will draw you in with incredible secrets and power, and then destroy you when you come to lean on it." Anyone who wants a Gas Mask can have one. I'm not saying there won't be diseases or toxins aboard, but I'm not going to make you guys roll Toughness every round to avoid getting sick or anything like that. It'll be pretty clear if you found a place where you shouldn't be breathing the air unfiltered. And hey, look on the bright side, the walls of speech will diminish greatly once you're not hanging around with my chatty NPCs. Schizotek: the legends your minion is aware of aren't much more than you've already been told. It's a wound in time. The sorcerer is somewhat overstating how much it can be predicted, but the Anomaly does tend to wax and wane over time, and nothing he's said has been an outright lie. Dachshundofdoom fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Jan 8, 2017 |
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Jan 8, 2017 03:45
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Ekram, Pyrae of the 4th Fellowship and his Rubric Marines Atiq, Harun, and Manzur Ekram remains quiet while their host answered their questions in the turns he found fit, and then added in more commentary. He first turns to Hera, "Worry not lithe one about a breathing mask. Even with one on, many contaigons of the plague god will just as soon melt your flesh and keep your lungs untouched. The best way to avoid contagons is to lack flesh they can rot." Ekram looks to his true brothers actually thankful that they were in their current fleshless state for this mission. Ekram then turns to their patron, "Glad to know that the ritual will not be something too complex. I have been pulled through so many warp travel rituals during the last ten thousand years, they are literally without count. As for the secrets of your precious prize, you will not have to fear me being tempted by its secrets. I, my brothers, and my chapter have been more than doomed by those dealing with powers they cannot understand. Due to my Primarch i am still bound to Tzeentch, and still rely on that connection through Him to the Great Ocean for my power. However, I have never been one to delve into the forbidden with which the Master of Secrets tempts mortal men. He has been ever content with me using the cleansing fire of change in its most primordial form to destroy the old so the new may arise." To illustrate his point Ekram extends his hand as the constantly crackling energy surrounding his body briefly lulls and a globe of flame hovers before his pointed hand. "What mighty things have fallen to a spark smaller than this." Manifesting flame at fettered for role play purposes. 64(WP)+20(test DC)+15(fettered rounded up)=99 manifest flame fettered TN of 99: 1d100 51
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Jan 8, 2017 06:14
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Alwyn Madoc wiegieman posted:"But you need not worry about my dedication. I will sacrifice much for the payment promised. Apropos, what information do you possess about the death of this vessel? If boarded by loyalists, it could still harbor exceptional salvage opportunities. The corpse-god's sons are stubbornly resilient, the Death Guard more-so." Madoc starts, as he realises what an obvious consideration he missed. "That's a good point - what's the carrying capacity on the ritual of return?" He turns to Hera, pointedly not looking at Ekram's demonstration of his abilities. "Ignore the sorcerer. If the group agrees, I'll be scouting ahead as we advance through the ship. If our path crosses any particularly contaminated zones, I'll pass on a warning, and find an alternate route." His point made, he addresses the rest of the group. "If no-one has any objections, and if there's no other business to attend to, I'd suggest that those of us with voxes arrange a group frequency. Once that's done, I think it would be best if we used our two remaining hours to familiarise ourselves with the ritual of return." Jo Joestar fucked around with this message at 14:46 on Jan 8, 2017 |
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Jan 8, 2017 14:20
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Jubal the Optimist Jo Joestar posted:Alwyn Madoc "Leave the contaminated zones to me. Vitriol the Morbid or his remains would as likely as not be at the heart of one, so better to check them out than bypass them altogether lest we miss where our objective is concealed. Let's go for vox frequency pattern K-Seven-Gimel, no other considerations spring to mind." Almost as an afterthought, he reached between the corroded and patinaed plates of ceramite covering his torso, rooting around accompanied by some truly horrific squelching and slurping noises, before pulling out a single Nurgling, which perched cherubically on his fingertips. Mimicking the Thousand Son's pose, he intoned, "What mighty things have fallen to a germ smaller than this." The Nurgling, inasmuch as its fetid bulk permitted, also matched the overly dramatic stance, at least until Jubal packed it back away within his bloated innards with a resounding 'plop'. Addressing the Thousand Son, "Let us not posture, Brother. There is work to be done."
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Jan 8, 2017 15:23
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Ekram, Pyrae of the 4th Fellowship and his Rubric Marines Atiq, Harun, and Manzur Ekram chuckles, "Oh but who is posturing now? Death and disease bring about change for Tzeentch just as much as the primordial flame. Plus fire has been used since before recorded time to cleanse and purify away rot, as the Sororitas of the Imperium often demonstrate." Ekram can easily tell that the others seem to be at least annoyed by his display, but he opts to keep it in place, cupping his large hand and cradling the fire like an injured bird in the hands of a savior. "But I think The Night Lord has the right of it. We should study our return ritual so as to be intimately familiar with it. When we need to make our escape, we might be rushed, or under siege by enemy forces; and that would not be the time to get forgetful and nervous. We should also engage in some pleasantries, no? None of us have given our names save the Primitive there referring to herself in the third person as those with a rudimentary grasp of a language often do. My name is Ekram of the Thousand Sons. I am of the Pyrae Temple and was with my Legion at the razing of Prospero. With me are my brothers Atiq, Harun and Manzur. They are rubric marines, which means their bodies have been turned to dust by an arrogant fool in my legion, and they are but a soul trapped within an animated suit of armor. They are not ones for conversation."
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Jan 8, 2017 16:32
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Eris Doing her best to ignore the nearby witchery (despite the angry buzzing from her attendants) Eris responds to their host. "I will carry your book. The Blood God blesses me, and its inhabitant has little to offer me." not letting any of you crazy sorcerers carry the sorcerer trap
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Jan 8, 2017 21:57
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Hera Salvius, Gunslinger "Sure, I'll take a mask. My rebreather's only got a few hours per can. I'll throw that on if it gets real bad." quote:"Worry not lithe one..." "Awesome. There goes leaving a good-looking corpse. At least I can still live fast and die mostly young. Uh... blue-armored one?" quote:"Ignore the sorcerer. If the group agrees, I'll be scouting ahead as we advance through the ship. If our path crosses any particularly contaminated zones, I'll pass on a warning, and find an alternate route." Hera rubbed her forehead, exasperated. "Listen, I've never been anyone's liability and I'm not going to start now, of all times and places. If I croak, I croak. Let's move on. Frequency K7G, got it." quote:We should also engage in some pleasantries, no? None of us have given our names save the Primitive there referring to herself in the third person as those with a rudimentary grasp of a language often do... "Hera Salvius - current and hopefully eternal record holder for consecutive deathmatches at the Metallican Gun Pits, at 163. Had to skip out before I could rack up a bigger count, though. Abhor the mutant, and all that." She winked, a process that looked somewhat involved given that the eyelids hadn't grown along with the eye itself.
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Jan 8, 2017 23:57
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Jubal the Optimist "Jubal, of the Death Guard, called the Optimist by some. I'd introduce my Nurglings, and they'd love to make your acquaintance..." Myriad inhuman eyes, in singles, doubles and triples, peered out from between cracks in the Plague Marine's armor, and between folds of torn flesh and exposed viscera, "But we simply haven't the time. We have a ritual to study, after all."
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Jan 9, 2017 00:44
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Aygul All of this talk of study bored Aygul...How long had she been trapped in the Abyss of Woe? A week? A century? In either case she couldn't remember the last time she had a drink.... "Oi! Treacherous one. Any feast hall or ale garden near dumb round house? Need slaking of thirst before kill, is tradition. Celebrate blood of foes and friends. Please Baphtar. Fight better with gallon or so wine."
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Jan 9, 2017 02:47
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Alwyn Madoc Werix posted:"We should also engage in some pleasantries, no? None of us have given our names save the Primitive there referring to herself in the third person as those with a rudimentary grasp of a language often do.."
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Jan 9, 2017 14:11
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Aygul Without waiting for an answer Aygul and Floki hop on Gor-Gor and speed off to indulge themselves. They don't have to go far before coming across building thundering with the sound of music and merry making. Inside the other occupants glared at her when she smashed her empty shot-glasses against the wall ("Why so small? Also ale taste of promethium!"), and screamed when she gutted the girl who brought her drinks for spurning her("Slave do as told! Great honor laying with Queen!"). Floki told her that she needed to chill, but she thought he said she needed to kill. That day she spilled enough blood to fill a swimming pool. Then she took the skulls and spines and bleached them in an acid bath, and took their teeth for a meat-scraping tool. She collapsed: the smell of blood and bile was overwhelming. Also she was drunk, because she didn't understand how much alcohol was in her drinks as her people had never developed distilling. As Floki loaded her onto Gor Gor like a saddle bag, she thought to herself that the last hour had been a good one. Shame that they had to go back and get sent to some fart-monster infested ship and kill things that bled zitjuice and maggots.  AYGUL RULES THE NIGHT!!! Schizotek fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Jan 10, 2017 |
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Jan 10, 2017 20:48
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The Jaunt The time comes. The group is ushered (or dragged, depending on their sobriety) into the upper level of Zolan's observatory. The space is wide open, and every single surface has been elaborately etched with thousands of tiny, squirming runes and circles. Over a hundred hooded and chained thrall wizards surround the outer perimeter, chanting in monotone. The dome of the observatory peels back silently, revealing Q'sal's moons about to cross paths. Zolan motions everyone to the center and takes his place off to one side, but not before handing a small scroll to Ekram. "Everything you need to do for the ritual of return is inscribed in there. It will not be difficult to perform, I assure you. Now then: this first ritual is a breakthrough like nothing ever seen before. To send you to the Inescapable Fate without already having someone aboard to guide you in was a near-insurmountable difficulty. Instantly traversing immense distances within the Warp isn't particularly difficult. However, it is nearly impossible to open the other end of the portal at a precise point over such distances. Think of a vessel making a Warp Jump, especially those that rely on a Navigator instead of a warp-witch or a harnessed daemon. They can arrive in a system, but they can only aim for a vague area in which to arrive, and may end up weeks off target. The longer the jump, the worse the variance. Sending you across the galaxy and dropping you in a survivable location aboard that ship is akin to throwing you onto the head of a pin from several hundred thousand kilometers away. Especially with a raging Warp Anomaly churning the nearby currents of the Immaterium." He turns and points to the converging moons. "But I've solved the issue, or rather, I've laid the groundwork only to have it solved for me! This wouldn't even be possible were it not for what we've dubbed the Great Syzygy. An upcoming cosmic alignment between Q'sal's moons, a variety of Warp Storms and other cosmic bodies of power across the galaxy, and your destination. The odds of such a thing coming to pass are so infinitesimally tiny that the only logical explanation is that the Changer directly intervened to make this possible. In effect, for a few minutes, it will be possible to send anyone anywhere along that line, with impossible precision. Assuming, of course, you can expend the power to do so. This will require the sacrifice of tens of thousands of souls, so I hope you appreciate how important this undertaking is. We must begin, for the time is nigh!" The chants grow louder and Zolan begins muttering along, waving his arms and channeling power from the Warp. The symbols flare and flicker along with the chant. At the moment the moons align, the group hears a thousand distant shrieks of agony as soul condensers below the observatory fire, channeling their contents into the ritual. The thrall wizards explode all at once as they absorb the immense psychic overflow from the ritual; their sacrifice prevents the entire building from being annihilated. The room fills with the burning red light of the Hadex Anomaly, and you faintly hear Zolan's cries of triumph as the ritual reaches its climax. The world outside the ritual circle vanishes, replaced by a dizzying stream of light and sensations. With a final, sickening lurch, the warband emerges unceremoniusly from the Warp in what appears to be one of the holds of the Inescapable Fate. The plating beneath your feet is scorched black, and the air is thick with a vile smell of decay and burnt flesh. It is uncomfortably hot, and there is no sound except the distant crackling of flame. Something has warped and collapsed parts of the hold, creating massive hills and valleys in the flooring. Enormous smoke-belching pits are scattered all around you. The bottoms of some are hidden by smoke and depth; others are piled nearly to the top with smoldering corpses. Far, far more bodies than the crew that would've been aboard would leave behind, if the mass graves are as deep and frequent as they look. Where could they have all come from? The only immediately obvious way to proceed is between two of the pits. The floor between them is narrow, but wide and sturdy enough for the group to cross safely. It's very difficult to see in the gloomy reddish light of the hold, and the air is choked with inky smoke and foul vapors. It looks like the path leads towards the closest wall of the hold, but the space is so cavernous and obscured that it's difficult to judge distances. Still, the ship is only a few kilometers long, so a potential exit can't be that far away. Alternatively, you could examine the environment more closely and try to find some other way to get your bearings in this room. ----------- Sorry about the delay! Right now the hold is Shadowy, Hot, and Smoky. Perception tests and BS/WS tests are at a -20. Stealth tests are at a +20. Preysense goggles function for the purposes of Darksight but do not provide a +20 bonus to Perception tests becauseof the ambient heat. You can take the single path I've laid out for you, or you can make tests/ask questions about the environment to try to get an idea of exactly where you are, where you're going, what's happening, or to find some other way out of the area. Feel free to roll tests you think are relevant without asking me. If I haven't specifically told you what the penalty for a given test is, assume it's a +0. Unless you want to do something really crazy or it would be an Opposed test, I'll pretty much always give you something for passing a +0. Dachshundofdoom fucked around with this message at 09:00 on Jan 15, 2017 |
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Jan 15, 2017 04:16
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Aygul Aygul could immediately sense that something was wrong here. Perception: 1d100 95 hosed up walls and floors? Still burning fires? Rotting corpses stacked to the ceiling? She'd over reacted, everything was fine. This was pretty much just a normal Nurglite ship. Still though.... she better consult the spirits of Baphtar. Reaching into one of the nearby charnel pits, she draws out a smoking skull. "Spirits, if there's danger in this hold, give me a sign!" She spits on the skull, and then crushes it underneath her heel. When it's naught but shards, she bends down to observe the fragments. What do the spirits say? Dachshund rolls soothsaying. IRC posted:Dachshundofdoom schizotek: the spirits predict that the path you currently see is the safest one Schizotek fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Jan 15, 2017 |
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Jan 15, 2017 04:37
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Ekram, Pyrae of the 4th Fellowship and his Rubric Marines Atiq, Harun, and Manzur As they prepare for the teleportation, Ekram places the scroll in a small case on his belt, because even a Pyrae in Terminator armor of the Thousand Sons has a scroll case. He then checks his weapons. His right arm is surrounded by his heavy flamer, always present. In his left he holds his Force Sword, it is this hand that is usually the most tactically flexible, either wielding his force sword, firing his combi-plasma, or casting spells. While ambidextrous, Ekram was a leftie before becoming an astartes, and the arm is still his dominant one. He looks one last time at his Trio before the ritual completes. Once the emerge in the ship, Ekram immediately sinks into combat stance. He points before him and Atiq, Harun and Manzur fan out into a triangle formation. Manzur is tip of the spear, but Ekram is right behind. His auto senses begin to scan the area for threats. "I will take the vanguard, if the rest of you will cover my flanks and rearguard. Alywn, are you going to do that forward scouting you talked about?" All for going up the middle. Thanks to my augur auto-senses awareness is at Werix fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Jan 15, 2017 |
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Jan 15, 2017 04:49
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Hera Salvius, Gunslinger For a moment, the gunfighter saw nothing but the colors. Was this the future, or an acknowledgement that perhaps such a thing didn't exist where they were going? After a quick few steps to get her bearing, the choking ash and smell had her refastening the rebreather that hung from the side of her helmet. The marine that seemed to walk while in the decomposition process -might- let her know if it was safe to breathe - if he could even tell the difference. As she clicked it into place, she brought down the preysense visor, which showed a mess of hot smoke and air. "I'll stay in-between the ferrocrete walls that walk like men, if it's all the same. Just lemme know if you can't open a door or clear debris. I got a little trick for that." Satisfied that they were the closest to safe they'd ever be in such a place, Hera drew her bolt pistols - with a little more flair than strictly necessary - and kept watch, pivoting her eyes between the left and right flanks until one of them was covered by another. Awareness at 39, if needed.
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Jan 15, 2017 09:01
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Eris Ignoring the bitter protests of her passengers at the manner of their arrival, Eris turns to the rest of the warband. "Beginning scan for active power sources. Stand by." Using my auspex at tech-use 99 to look for ship systems that I can plug into to get data on the best route.
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Jan 15, 2017 09:24
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Alwyn Madoc Rather than answer Ekram's question immediately, Madoc kneels down and peers into the nearest of the corpse-pits. Perhaps it is due to his impiety, common to the Night Lords, or his own lack of experience with it, but direct teleportation through the Warp has always left Madoc struggling with waves of nausea that threaten to overwhelm even his enhanced physiology. Desperate for any task to distract himself with, he studies the corpses in the pile for any sign of their origin, until he feels his nausea fade. "I'm... I'm not looking forward to the return journey. But yes," he replies to Ekram, his voice audibly strengthening as he rises to his feet, "unless anyone has a better idea, I'll start scouting once we're certain of our route. " With that, Madoc draws a small bundle of fabric from within his armour, which he unfurls into an Astartes-sized cameleoline cloak. Slinging it over his armour, he moves to the edge of the group facing the twin corpse-piles. Studying the corpse-pile, DC 39(?): 1d100 99 Once the party is moving, Madoc will start scouting for enemies with Awareness, trying to stay in stealth, and keeping about 50 metres ahead of the rest of the party. Madoc's base Stealth is 60 (50 Agi + 10 skill), +60 (environment, Spectral Haunter, cameleoline cloak), -10 (Hulking), for a skill DC of 99. Madoc's base Awareness is 49, -20 for the environment unless autosenses compensates for it, but potentially with +10 for Heightened Senses (Sight, Hearing). Madoc also has the Paranoia talent, if that becomes relevant.
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Jan 15, 2017 13:53
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Jubal the Optimist Even after all this time, all this corruption and decay, the old Astartes training never really went away, and the Plague Marine swept the immediate area for threats right from the moment of arrival. As with the Night Lord, travelling such an unimaginably vast distance through the warp made him feel nauseous, which improved his mood greatly, revelling in the sensation as a benediction from Papa Nurgle. Once the initial sweep for hostiles was done, his attention was drawn to the corpse pits. Large amounts of decaying flesh were pretty much an essential cargo for any plague ship worth its salt, but the question was, what were they, how did they die, and did they carry any interesting contagions? Xenos, Astartes, men? Any showing signs of being blessed by Nurgle or one of the other three? "Taking topside. Let's see if there's anything hiding." He leapt into the air, his viscid and hyalopterous wings producing a buzzing drone as they caught the thermal updrafts. Base awareness is 48 prior to auto-senses, helmet augments, heightened senses (sight, hearing.)
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Jan 15, 2017 17:18
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Eris's auspex performs a wide-band energy signature scan that's... less helpful than she might hope. The proximity of the Hadex Anomaly is disrupting many wireless signals, so the only systems that can be tapped into are the basic ship functions that are tied directly into the network. The Gellar Field reports catastrophic failure and the Void Shields are unresponsive. As for the ship's power, it seems like the entire vessel is in a low-energy state, running on backup generators. The primary plasma engines are offline. Some of the machine-spirits are bleating damage warnings. Others are completely non-responsive. A few are reporting that they simply ran out of fuel. All of them report wildly different "last maintenance rites performed" dates, off by thousands of years. The one thing of immediate value Eris is able to determine is roughly where you are. This is marked as primary Cargo Hold C. The obvious path between the corpse pits is, in fact, the most direct route towards the Bridge. The wall in the distance should have maintenance tunnel access, as well as an elevator to the gun decks. Either route would get you closer; you'll have to see what condition they're in. Alwyn sees nothing of interest in the corpse-pits, but just as he starts to look up, he detects motion down below and his gaze snaps right back to it. It's very subtle, but the bodies down below are definitely still moving. They're almost entirely still, but there are subtle "waves" of motion passing through them. An eye shifts in its socket, a hand grasps, a chest heaves. The simultaneous twitches spread out in expanding rings from the center every few seconds, too consistently to be a coincidence. It gives the unpleasant impression that the pits themselves are breathing. When he points this out, Ekram looks into the pit and, by sheer luck, notices something even stranger. There are only 30 or 40 faces down there. In fact, the bodies with matching faces are so similar that it looks like the same small group has been dumped here over and over and over again, by the countless thousands. Up above, Jubal finds the smoke even thicker, but a Plague Marine's constitution is far too tough for a little smoke inhalation to harm him quickly. He buzzes out across the pits, sweeping the corpses for any further clues. The bodies in the pits appear to be mostly human, and many of them bear the marks of Nurgle worship, but not all. A significant minority of the corpses that haven't burned up yet bear distinctive Khornate brands. A few have 8-pointed stars or stranger symbols that Jubal has never seen before. Oddly, even though there are only ~40 distinct bodies down there, they don't have the exact same markings. Every face type bears different marks across their bodies. With nothing else immediately leaping out them, the group proceeds across the bridge in a tight formation, scanning for threats and keeping an eye on the pits. The walk takes several minutes longer than anyone in the group expected. Ekram's keenly attuned Warp Sense confirms the warband's suspicions: there is a growing region of warped space-time up ahead. Something near the wall is disrupting the Warp. With nowhere else to apparently go, the group presses on and the wall comes fully into view. Directly up ahead is the elevator, a massive cargo lift designed to move macro-cannon shells and crew up to the gun deck. The entire elevator has been covered in scrap-metal fortifications, and they're definitely occupied. Looks like humans manning the walls, but it's impossible to read detail at this distance. They don't seem to have noticed the party yet, but odds are they will eventually if you get much closer. It's impossible to be certain about the ship's internal layout, but the gun decks accessible through the elevator or its emergency access ladders should connect to primary hallways that will offer a quicker route to the bridge. There is no maintenance tunnel in sight, but if you follow the edge of the pit and stay away from the fortified elevator, you could probably try to follow the wall and look for one. Of course, the maintenance tunnels will be tight, winding, dark, and generally difficult to navigate, especially if there's any damage. Not to mention that the pits are piled much higher on this side, putting those strange bodies distressingly close to the edge. --------------- Again, sorry about the delay. I'm aiming for a bare minimum of one update a week, hopefully with smaller responses to posts coming sooner. I think I've mostly got my schedule sorted out now. Mostly. I do secret rolls myself, so they won't be on Orokos. In this case, I gave Alwyn another shot at noticing something off due to Paranoia and he rolled an 8. Then I gave Werix a long-shot roll to notice the faces because he's the only one with Scrutiny and he rolls a 1. Now might be a good time to build yourselves a combat block, because that'll happen soon, although what you end up fighting is up to you.
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Jan 23, 2017 04:52
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Alwyn Madoc "Ekram, you mentioned that the markings on the corpses were different, even when they had the same face? The presence of so many duplicates of the same people is probably a product of the Hadex anomaly, but I wonder... if they had different markings, then were they able to make different choices, serve different gods, while they were trapped within the Hadex loop?" As they approach the fortified elevator, Alwyn pulls out the comm-leach he keeps at his side, unwinding a thin cable from it which he plugs in to the base of his helmet. He presses down the activation rune, and the screen of the comm-leach springs into motion, dials oscillating and sine-waves pulsing as it hunts the airwaves for active vox-signals. As he goes through the activation process, he also switches on his own helmet's vox-link, and speaks into the group frequency. "What we need now is information - what routes aren't available, what enemies we might have to face and where, even where to find food. The best source we can get for that is a prisoner - someone who lives here, knows the area, and can be made to cooperate - or be a bargaining chip, if we need one. Before we do anything else, we should try to take one - get as close as we can to the fortifications without getting spotted, then grab someone - preferably someone who looks important - and run. Still, I'd suggest that we don't try to go through the elevator. The fortifications show that this isn't a dead or unprepared ship, and if we try to move up the elevator and the central passages, then we'll be drawing attention to ourselves and moving right through the areas most likely to be inhabited. The maintenance tunnels can take us almost anywhere on a ship like this, and from personal experience, we're far less likely to be noticed there than if we go strolling through the open corridors." Firstly, Alwyn is using his comm-leach to search for active vox-channels, though the effects of the Hadex Anomaly might prevent that. After that, if the rest of the group is willing, Alwyn and whoever else wants to go will sneak as close as they can to the barricade, try to abduct someone, and escape. Jo Joestar fucked around with this message at 23:57 on Jan 23, 2017 |
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Jan 23, 2017 15:27
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Jubal the Optimist Replying on their channel, "Another point of contention: They have fortified the elevator as a chokepoint. This implies it works or at least the shaft is relatively clear, there is little strategic value in it otherwise. It also indicates they do not have control over this cargo bay and expect to be attacked from it. We may well see some of these forty servants to Nurgle or Khorne appear again at some point behind or around us. When you attempt the kidnap, memorise the rest of their faces, and compare them to these. It may be that will tell us the affiliation of the defenders if all of the same face have the same alignment to the Powers." Jubal accedes to the kidnap plan, but is unlikely to participate as one of the stealthy ones owing to being a giant pillar of stench.
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Jan 23, 2017 23:48
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Eris Upon hearing Alwyn's plan the Heretek responds, "Taking a prisoner is well enough to start. This ship is a complete derelict -- I'm amazed any systems are functional at all. We'd do better to rely on whatever local legends the inhabitants have than to trust the schematics. Still, I'd rather take the direct route. Given the... "quality" of their fortifications, I doubt there's anything there that can actually hurt us. Besides, my chassis doesn't particularly agree with tight spaces." A slight quickening of her little friends suggests their excitement. "And anything our new friend forgets to mention, I can take from him. Shall we be on?" The walking tank votes for the direct route, maybe with a mysterious Night Lord related disappearance or two.
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Jan 24, 2017 00:17
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Hera Salvius, Gunslinger With the rest of the group going subvocal, Hera switched to the group frequency. "Well, lets do one thing at a time. We take a guy, he lets us know how good or bad of an idea strolling in is. I'm not bad at skulking around, but these - well, they weren't built for knocking people over the head." She clicked her unsilenced pistols together. "But I can back Batwings here up, worse comes to worse."
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Jan 24, 2017 04:38
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Ekram, Pyrae of the 4th Fellowship and his Rubric Marines Atiq, Harun, and Manzur "Yes, given my limited understanding of space time anomalies we are likely looking at the same forty or so people from various alternate timelines all converging in this cursed place. For all we know the entire ship is crewed with nothing but the same few dozen people over and over." Ekram listens to the plan of the Night Lord. "If you wish to take a prisoner, I will not stop you, but I advocate for taking the elevator by force. We should be a match. If not, maintenance tunnels might be a little cramped for astartes, much less myself. plus single file could be dangerous."
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Jan 29, 2017 06:14
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Aygul Aygul rolls her eyes as her 'comrades' 'cooperate' to come up with a 'plan'. Cowards. How would they ever ascend to the higher realms with such foolishness? Taking the initiative Aygul leaves Floki and Gor-Gor behind, and stealthily stalks forward so quietly most of the group doesn't immediately notice. Her goal is to scout the fortifications and return, with more solid information than observing from a distance would provide. She was also feeling a little frisky. If the opportunity comes along, killing a worthy foe would be worthwhile (never to early to start thinking about rebuilding her reputation with Baphtar after all), she'd have to keep her eyes out to see if one existed among their puny enemies. Snek: 1d100 7 ware inf: 1d100 15 Sneak has a solid 6 DoS. Rerolled awareness with two DoS. Not enough to overcome visibility issues, but she can still hear can't she? Schizotek fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Jan 29, 2017 |
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Jan 29, 2017 07:50
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Alwyn's comm leach picks up nothing but hissing static and distorted background noise. Either there is no vox-setup nearby or they are using an encrypted channel. Odds are it's the first, judging from the look of the place. Aygul pushes ahead of the others, scrambling between pieces of scrap metal and patches of shadow to approach the fortifications. Drawing close enough, she sees that the men on the walls do, in fact, share the faces of the bodies in the pits. Several are twins of others on the wall, but none of them have the same tattoos or markings. Despite the poor visibility, they seem on edge; they peer nervously into the smoky haze like they're expecting something to try to sneak up on them. Most of the few dozen stationed around the perimeter carry beaten autoguns or las-rifles. The only apparent entrance is a high metal gate held up by chains and flanked on top of the wall by two heavy stubbers. Scrapmetal shields protect the gunners and serve as mounts for accompanying spotlights, although the lights are not on yet. The inside of the compound is a little more concerning. From what you can see from outside the walls (not that much), it's a maze of hastily-erected shacks and walls. More of them are milling around inside, but it's hard to get a precise count when so many of them look almost exactly the same from a distance. A tower of crudely welded steel rises up out of the middle of the compound with what appears to be a bell mounted on the top. Your best guess is that they ring that when someone attacks, and they're clearly expecting an attack. Alwyn and Hera catch up quickly. After a few minutes of watching the men pace the walls, several openings in their defenses become painfully obvious. They're on edge, but clearly they aren't trained for this. It takes very little effort for Alwyn to snatch one of them off the parapets when the others aren't looking. It's one of the men with the stranger markings that don't correspond to any of the standard Chaos gods. He doesn't get a chance to scream, doesn't even seem to realize what's happening, until he's already pinned down back in cover with a lightning claw poking into his throat and three angry heretics glaring down at him. He doesn't need to be told to keep his voice to a whisper, but he's babbling nonsense all the same "Wh-who are you? What do you want? Suragal preserve me, O Red One, Blazing Father, Eternal Walker, grant me your blessing and- And so on. He'll probably keep this up until he's asked a question. This one was short so next update's this Wednesday at the absolute latest, but I'll try my best to reply to any questions as soon as they come in. The three of you are free to ask him questions or to make Interaction tests towards him to get him to tell you more. Assume you're at a +20 to Intimidate or Interrogation, he's clearly terrified. No further tests will be needed to go back to the others and tell them what you learn, so feel free to do that at any time.
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Jan 30, 2017 05:22
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Aygul Aygul looms over the unfortunate weakling, and puts her boot on the poor bastards head. "Günaydın, puny one. Tell me who leads your tribe, and where he is, or I will use your leg-bones for soup. And then I will ask again as we eat together. Make good stew, but better to have bad stew and both legs, yes?" Suddenly Aygul remembers her tribe. She sighs. Glory might have to wait. Obligations of Queen come before pleasure. "Also we look for ravenbook. Artifact of God of Sorcerers." Intimidate: 1d100 54 TN 81 Schizotek fucked around with this message at 06:18 on Jan 30, 2017 |
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Jan 30, 2017 06:09
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The man wheezes sharply, his prayers cut off by pain. His voice is shaky, and not just from fear; he has the wild eyes of a deranged man. "Wait. I know you. Forgive me, O pilgrim! Forgive me Suragal! The tests, oh fool that I am, the tests, yes... You seek Bubo. The Eldest, the Cerebos, the Rusted Sentinel, I-Iron Man Resplendent, the Mound-Maker. He leads us as our father to conduct the trials! For you. Pilgrims, holy pilgrims, lost and wandering and afraid. You d-don't have to, to do this. So many times, so many times we have met the pilgrims, you endless procession of the blessed. Those who wander through along the corpse-rivers to these, the Gates of Hadex. You can ask us to let you through, present yourselves. Prove yourselves worthy to the Dark Gods, to Suragal and to the unnamed one! Face our trial! So many times it has been rebuilt, so many times we have watched ourselves lowered into the corpse-rivers, but we will do it again and again, forever. Forever and ever. Even when you, confused and lost, hurt us and destroy our great work. Because we love you." Tears roll down his face, and you can't tell if it's joy or pain. A little of both, perhaps.
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Jan 30, 2017 06:37
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Aygul "This one has broken brain I think. Kill him, find another."
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Jan 30, 2017 06:43
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Alwyn Madoc "They let this man carry weapons and stand on guard. If he's mad, then the rest won't be much better. Still, that doesn't mean he doesn't have more to tell us. And from what he said of their leader, this 'Bubo' - it sounds like there might be some of the Death Guard crew still alive on this ship." Alwyn leans in towards the man, Dexia's blades extending from their sheathes until they break the skin of the man's neck, a thin trickle of blood running down the blades. If they were to go a half-inch further, or if Dexia's power field was activated, his throat would be sliced open. "I expect you to answer me quickly and honestly. If you can't manage that much - you know what will happen." He waits for a second, to confirm that his message has sunk in - the mad and the terrified can be irritatingly slow to understand what they're being told, and this man is both. "Your leaders. Bubos, Suragal and this 'nameless one'. Describe them to me. What are they? Men, daemons, something stranger? How many men do they command, and how well armed are they? Why do they hold these trials, and how many previous pilgrims have gone through?" As the man gabbles out his answer, Alwyn starts to lean back, his part of the interrogation over for now, when he freezes. His grip on the man tightens, and his voice seems to have a tinge of fear. "One final question. Do you know my name? Or-" he gestures to Aygul and Hera "-theirs?" I'm rolling to Intimidate the man into answering honestly. The TN should be 74 (44 Will + 20 circumstances + 10 skill), unless I'm missing anything. Intimidate: 1d100 89 Intimidate (Infamy reroll): 1d100 13. That's better.
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Jan 31, 2017 11:49
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The man smiles; he's shaking but he seems more excited than afraid at this point. "Yes, thank you! Bubo is a mortal, not an Astartes, although I have never seen his face. He wears armor like yours, but even larger and not nearly so fast. He bears a massive gun and the Warp dances at his beck and call. He is the Eldest of us. He has seen 5 Rebuildings. We, the Servants of the Trial, we emerge from the Gate of Hadex, confused as newborns, again and again. Many of us bear the same faces and memories when we emerge. Many do not accept their fates as Servants of the Trial. We eat them. But when we can sway them to our cause, we do, although not all of us do for the same reason." He taps one of the odd tattoos on his arm. Aygul recognizes it as a stylized, compressed Daemonic name that would probably be most accurately pronounced SHUR-AGAL or SOR-AGUUL. Suragal isn't wrong, it just misses out on some of the subtle nuance in Daemonic that's only evident to the ear of an experienced summoner. It's the sort of name a daemon gives to mortals, rather than a True Name. The rest of his tattoos are either meaningless marks or more of the compressed Daemonic, mostly proclaiming the bearer to be an "oath-bound servant of Suragal" or listing off Suragal's many titles and honors. Based on the lack of traditional Chaos iconography, Suragal is probably a very powerful Unaligned daemon that has managed to set himself up as a local god. "I follow Suragal. He is the Spirit of this place; he is especially pleased by repetition and battle, and demands we prove the pilgrims who emerge from the smoke to be worthy of his attention. He is less powerful than the other Chaos Gods, but he is the only one to appear before us. We who follow Suragal understand the importance of our place here. Some of us cling stubbornly to the faith of Papa Nurgle and say this is just another suffering to be endured. Others turn to Khorne and lose themselves in bloodsport. The Unnamed One is a vile, creeping creature who dwells in the angles and plots endlessly, never showing himself, but whispering in our ears. He tempts us to lose ourselves in hedonism or to betray our kin, but not because he is evil. He does it because it is his place, his nature. He makes us strong by weeding out the weak-willed. The ones who fall to him usually slip away from the settlement, and no doubt die horribly for their failings." He scans your faces (or helmets) and twitches his head from side to side. "I-I am what we call second-generation; I have only seen one pilgrim band. The more bands we survive, the higher our seniority. But the last band of pilgrims was not much like you. They are always Astartes and mortals, but they come in all shapes and sizes, from what I am told. But they are pilgrims, nonetheless. You seek the legendary Tome, yes? Suragal has it. He awaits a pilgrim band worthy of his attention. He says that one has not arrived yet, not for all the millenia he has been here. He has charged us with challenging you. Often the pilgrims simply slaughter us and raze the settlement. The survivors re-educate the new ones who emerge and rebuild. But if you are sympathetic to our mission, I beg you to spare us! Come to the gate and we will ring the Great Bell to begin the challenge. It incites the wrath of the Burning Dead when it rings. If you can survive their attack, we will let you through and give you what supplies we can spare, and our blessings. Suragal demands we impose a trial on the pilgrims, whether through our own bodies or through the Burning Dead." He smiles nervously, eyes wide and twitchy. He's a fanatic, but he'd clearly prefer not to have his head snipped off. Schizo knocks it out of the park with a 6 on Linguistics (Chaos Marks), so you pretty much know exactly what Suragal is, if not why the hell he's gone to all the trouble of doing this.
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Feb 1, 2017 07:00
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Jubal the Optimist Whilst the forward elements were busy with the interrogation, the Plague Marine was not idle. With so many corpses, it was possible that some of their equipment might have been missed: Ever the optimist, Jubal executed a few low buzzing runs just over the pits seeking out anything of use. It was rare to find followers of Nurgle without at least a blight grenade or two, and Jubal would be happy to supplement his own supply, as well as tasting to see if any of them had any interesting new diseases still extant in their flesh.
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Feb 1, 2017 15:45
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Alwyn Madoc As the prisoner finishes his account, Alwyn sets his helmet's vox-caster to the group frequency, and gives a summary of what the prisoner had to say, giving particular attention to his description of the trials. Finishing, he adds: "I'm bringing him back; if any of you have questions for him, you'll get your chance. If not, since we seem to have settled on going by the main corridor, all I can see that's left to do is decide if we take the trial, or fight our way to the elevator." Alwyn stands up, maintaining his grip on the unfortunate prisoner, who he hefts over one shoulder. Turning, he begins making his way back between the corpse-piles and rubble, taking advantage of the thick smoke to avoid detection by the guards on the walls overlooking this part of the hold. e: D'oh! Jo Joestar fucked around with this message at 08:40 on Feb 5, 2017 |
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Feb 2, 2017 16:25
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