A Family of Sin

[Lucretia]

Port Wander stood at the horizon of destiny, a corroded beacon in the Calixis sector that acted as gateway to the Koronus Expanse. Undeniably the last stop of true Imperial Law before exiting into the Maw, it was at this place the strange Mr. Crensbury had instructed each of you to rally, with whatever retinue you wished to bring, such that some great venture could be undertaken ostensibly for the Cyn Dynasty. Some of you had been coerced; others bought; some gently prodded -- regardless of the how, the why was the same: to join the ranks of a newly warranted Rogue Trader named Siegmund Cyn, to act as crew for the Poison Lucre, a ship that had been exhumed from the Deimos Ship Catacombs of Mars.

The Cyn Dynasty, long a powerhouse of trade and influence, had created a Writ of Transference, a miniature version of a Warrant of Trade that invested a portion of the Cyn Warrant to the bearer -- Siegmund Cyn, in this case. Armed with one percent of one percent of the Cyn Dynasty's vast commercial conglomerate and the personal seneschal to Patriarch Cyn himself, the crew of the Lucre had before them a great and shifting fate. Port Wander stood at the horizon of destiny not only for the Koronus Expanse, but also the wildly different crew members.

To those who had heeded Mr. Crensbury's time frames, this was the week when you were expected on Port Wander. The previous week, Siegmund had arrived to inspect the Lucre and begin the task of obtaining crew. Now, depending on the punctuality of the others, the bridge crew and other personnel would be arriving, from the Ixion Blades to the mildly heretical House Collidus servants. Everything was falling together nicely.

When arriving on the station, formal envoys and salutations from both the Imperial Authority and other Rogue Traders were given -- it would appear someone has created a manifest of names and identities for the purposes of reminding those in power of the station you now hold, having accepted the contract to join the Lucre. Although the writ of transference strictly distanced the bearer from the Cyn Dynasty, rumor got out of the origin of the new Trader, and due deference was being paid.

Standing beside Siegmund, Mr. Crensbury checked to see if any of his contacts had witnessed and greeted the crew yet. He stood slightly hunched over, a cane in one hand, a data-slate in the other. A mission filled his mind at present, and he wished to begin, to see how the group handled itself as a unity and to begin to fulfill the will of the Patriarch.

The shipyard where the Lucre was berthed was cleaner than the normal docks. Port Wander was orbiting in such a way that the first rays of light that were beginning to stream over the 'central hub' of the station struck the glorious ancient ship, the warpsbane hull reflecting the various catechisms and blessings engraved in the silver hexagons. Polished and shined, the vessel was clearly ready to return to the void, to swim through the Immaterium, and to seek out new planets for conquest, trade and conversion.

The scene is set. The first move is yours. Meet your fellow crewmembers, establish yourself amongst them, and seek further instruction once that has been achieved. Best of luck, Explorers. You'll need it.

[Codemus]

When Gant stepped off of the shuttle and into Port Wander, he wasn't sure what to expect. He was overcome by the sheer size of the station, and was at a loss as to what to do.

It took him a few seconds to realize somebody was speaking to him, welcoming him and giving him directions. He nodded his thanks and followed the directions given, arrived to the.. "Lucre"? Weird name, but then again the name weren’t up to him.

Upon arriving to the docking arm for the Lucre, Gant balked at entering. Instead he chose to simply loiter at a nearby viewing port and just look at the ship. He was a little early anyway, near as he could figure anyway.

[DrK]

Siegmund

Siegmund stood rigidly at attention on a gantry overlooking the ship and the bustling scene around her, the red dress uniform crisp and pressed and his narrow beard oiled and teased to a sharp point. The gantry was lined with ship security to keep the ratings away from the Lord Captain and a trio of ships stewards stood behind Siegmund and Mr Crnsbury with silver trays loaded with Recaf, Amsec and small snacks with which to greet his senior crew members.

His eyes flickered about watching the thousands of ratings loading rations, loading massive laser cells and other such things. He had overseen the installation of the Fury bay and the Torpedo's earlier in the week not trusting such things to mere warrant officers.

"I grow anxious to meet the rest of the senior bridge crew Mr Crensbury. I assume you have chosen people of great skill and cunning?

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

The Fabricator General had not understood why he would uproot his entire House from Mars to accompany a mere upstart Trader. Nearly blew his logic circuits actually. However, here he was. Sectors away, with nearly all of his House and his research. It would not be easy, but he knew the path he chose to tread. In order to understand those relics of the past, sacrifices must be made, and alliances must be forged. Not to mention the small problem of actually of finding them, and subsequently having access to them.

This was exactly what I needed. A chance to branch out and exercise my logic circuits, as it were. Away from the prying eyes of those fools. Those...priests. At thethought, he spits. Priests. We should be examining the artifacts, not revering them as holy. Our greatest achievements were thousands of years ago. The Xenos have advanced farther than we have. I must adapt what they have done, make it our own. This ship will be the vessel of the rebirth of the Mechanicus. The rebirth of my House.

Snapping out of his reverie, he continues to watch his ratings loading the spare parts and supplies he would need to keep this ancient, beautiful ship running. Speaking of which, judging by the progress of his people, it was about time for him to make his way up the Gantry and hope that the Lord-Captain would not end up some cross-eyed inbred fop of nobility.

Walking up the path with the rest of the skitarii guard that will be living aboard the ship as part of the Mechanicus House, a nondescript man peels away from the masses near the entry to the Gantry and stops in front of the ship's security line.

Of average height, and slightly stocky build, there is very little to distinguish him from the rest of the guard. Adorned in Red carapace armor stamped with the skull and cog, he rests his helmet under his arm, his shorn head shining with the new day's sun. Not unlike the ship actually. If one is the perceptive type, they would notice the traceries of circuitry all across his skin, and the puckered skin of old scars that circumnavigate his head. If one were the paranoid type, they would notice the ease at which his weapon rests at his hip, and the almost nervous difference that the rest of the guard give him. If you were the paranoid type, you might even ask why they're nervous.

[rb780nm]

"I am Navis Scion Tellus," the man dressed in blue and gold said. Iosef Tellus is pale skinned, but not abnormaly so. The pallor goes with a frame that carries a few extra kilos all brought on by long hours at study. A close fitting hood covers his forehead to below the level you expect his third eye to be. "I will be in my offices if I am needed."

Apparently feeling no need to meet the crew members informally at this point, he strides up the gangplank, carrying a beaten leather case that is stuffed with parchments and notebooks.

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele approached, wearing her customary finery - though she still rued the loss of the greater part of it with her departed estate, and her eyes flicked over Crensbury as she went over the sequence of events again in her mind. Best to be prompt in her arrival, so as to be able to find her way into acquiring the best quarters on board the ship. While most of her goods had been liquidated or left behind, she still had quite a few porters that she had acquired for the journey bringing along what remained, to follow once she had secured her new home.

Eager to get on with it, she presented herself before Crensbury and the rest of the welcoming party with a flourish, idly eying the amasec and wondering as to its quality...

[DaedalusMkV]

Even in Port Wander, seeing a full company of mercenaries marching down the corridor is noteworthy enough to draw a small crowd as the Ixion Blades make the transfer from their old ship to the new one. The gaggle of soldiers-for-hire quickly make their way through the streets, maintaining a far better marching order than they ever would on a caimpaign in an attempt to impress the citizens of Port Wander, as well as their new Captain. When they arrive at the docking arm leading to the Lucre, the hard-faced woman at the front of the group waves the majority on to board the ship while she and a handful of better-dressed veterans who are most likely junior officers approach Siegmund and Crenshaw. Seeing his affectation of a military-style uniform, Jayne slings her plasma gun over her shoulder and salutes him, her motions smooth and well practiced though the rest of the Blades barely manage two adequate salutes between them as they attempt to juggle autoguns or simply struggle to copy a motion they've never had to make before. Clearly this group doesn't make the slightest pretense of being an actual Imperial unit. "Commander Vendall and the Ixion Blades at your service, Captain. I've taken the liberty of ordering our rank-and-file to embark ahead of us, if you don't mind?" Her words are polite and her tone courteous, and a bare hint of frontier-world drawl mars otherwise perfect Low Gothic. She shoots a sideways glance at the red-armoured tech-adept standing by. Is that a tech-priest, or one of their clockwork soldiers? I suppose we'll find out...

[DrK]

Siegmund

Siegmnud watchs the activity with a way eye, sharing afew small jokes with Mr Crensbry. He nods to the navigator as he boards thinking They are always difficult but we will come toan agreement.

When the Captain approaches he snaps out a smart salute in return. "ComanderVendall it as an honour to make your acquiantaince, the measure of the Ixion Blades is well known to me and e will no doubt have needs for your skills in he expanse.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne finally ends the salute, much to the satisfaction of her officers. "Thank you, Captain. From what I've heard of this venture, you're absolutely correct on that front. These are my unit commanders, Venkmann, Hoffstead, Dallis, Madell, Dansen and Bander." Each of the men nods in turn. Jayne turns to them. "Alright, introductions are over. Get the men moved in, and I'll settle things with the Captain." She turns back to Siegmund and the small group of explorers slowly growing around him. "I suppose we're waiting on a few more arrivals before we're told exactly what it is we're to be doing?"

[Lucretia]

Mr. Crensbury smiled at Iosef, content to allow the surly navigator to be rude if the Lord-Captain was. He surveyed the Ixion Blades as well as the Mechanicus soldiers with mild interest, noting Hadron, Adele, Jayne, Gant and, of course, Iosef. He let out the tiniest fraction of a frown, noting there were still some missing.

"Lord-Captain," he began, leaning in to speak to Siegmund, "please do not forget we have a contact to meet -- preferably with your officers. It will be good for them to see what the first mission is, naturally -- in case they have questions that only our contact can answer."

He glanced back at the whole and smiled, nodding to each. "It's so good to see you in good health, Adele. Mr. Collidus, I'm pleased to see you managed to convince the Fabricator-General to allow the moving of the House. Captain Vendall, your men are looking as enjoyably adept as ever."

[brolthemighty]

Having walked up the gantry after the team of mercenaries made their way up, Hadron nods at Mr. Crensbury. Good to see the old man here, he thinks. Content to stand to the side as the Troop Captain makes his salute and introduces his officers, he tries to take the measure of his new Lord-Captain. He seems a bit untried and young to wield such power, but I would assume by the end of the first mission, we'll all have the experience needed.

Once addressed he steps forward, Bob floating nearby, "Mr. Crensbury, it is good to see you again. There was a time I was not sure whether I would be able to keep our appointment, but in the end, here I am." Deliberately looking over the Lord-Captain as he continues, "So this is he? The one who will lead us?" Extending his arm out he smiles, "I cannot say whether it is a pleasure to meet you yet Lord-Captain, but I suspect we will find out together will we not?"

While Hadron speaks with the Lord-Captain, Bob the servo-skull continues to float around examining the crew and the general area, eventually settling just to the right of the explorator's shoulder. "Don't mind Bob."

[Codemus]

Gant sighed as he turned to watch all the hustle and bustle near the entryways to the ship. He took notice when a whole lot of tough types boarded the ship, and had the sneaking suspicion that he was suppose to be somewhere about now.

He thought he heard somebody saying 'crensbury', and after looking around a little while he finally noticed the gantry up above him. "Whoops, I'm late." Quickly making his way to the gantry thanks to his long gait and helpful directions from some strangers, he finally got up to the collection of rich looking people.

He tentatively approached the rather well dressed group, and tried to blend in even though he towered over all of them. If he were to catch Mr. Cresbury’s eye, he’d do a little wave.

[Lucretia]

Mr. Crensbury smiled at the wave and nodded to the rather large astropath, turning to mutter in the Lord-Captain's ear. "Our astropath has arrived as well, Lord-Captain. That rather large fellow over there -- you really can't miss him. The three meter tall fellow."

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp Stalfisk and Team - A Formal Introduction

Moving slowly along like the crest of a wave on a sandy beach came a group of white robed priests of the Emperor. Their incense and chanting were apparent long before their white robes, and any well traveled person who listened would detect a non-calixian accent to many of the chanting voices.

Leading the small procession was a short, stout man with long sharp black hair and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. Marching towards the table with a ceremonial stride, Uthskarp Stalfisk gave a quick bow to Lady Cyn and Ancient Crensbury.

Stiffening into a formal posture Uthskarp introduced himself to his new captain "Hail and well met. I am Uthskarp Stalfisk, formerly of the Strident Mercy and these are my subordinates in service to the Throne. I have been summoned to provide support to this venture with the understanding that doing so will spread the Emperor's word and His holy church. Are you Lady Cyn, Captain and Possessor of the Poison Lucre?".

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

"And you, Mr. Crensbury," Adele replied, yes darting just for a second to the old man's cane in a gesture that just slightly belied her words. "And it is my pleasure to see you again, cousin Siegmund. We simply must catch up some time, but I'm sure you have your hands full at the moment. I'll just get myself settled," she says. "And my porters will no doubt be arriving soon," she adds off-handedly before making her way aboard the ship to find the most comfortable lair for herself.

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp Stalfisk - Did not do the due research

Brother Stalfisk seemed confused by the young lady's apparent rudeness in ignoring his question and leaving the group. He hoped that what little information he had managed to gather on the Cyn member here on the station was accurate. Turning to the Mr. Crensbury he asked "Do you have the power to grant permission to board ancient one?".

[Lucretia]

Mr. Crensbury suppressed a chuckle and pointed to the man standing beside him clandestinely -- the universally acknowledged gesture of 'that guy.'

[Baxter190]

“So that’s my new ride?” a man asked aloud, though it was obviously rhetorical. Sauntering over to the Lord Captain, the man looked to be in his late twenties, his blonde hair pulled back into a short pony tail. The closed brown vest he wore contrasts against his pure white shirt, which hangs loose and breezy. Barely scrapping six feet tall, he was on the scrawnier side, but walked with a weird combination of swagger and grace that most people would be hard pressed to try.

He was cocky, annoyingly so, and none one had even spoken to him yet. Will walked past the various guards, and tiped his head ever so slightly to Mr. Cresnbury; a slight scowl was apparent when he did so, however. When he returned his attention to the Rogue Trader though, what was soon to be known as his trademark smirk manifested at last. “So,” William began, “You’re the boss man?”

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne quickly turns around at the mention of the Astropath, and her face gets a little bit paler when she sees the blind giant towering over her. She quickly takes two steps back and makes the sign of the Aquilla. Then, as if only now realizing what she's doing, she stops and blushes slightly. "Ah. Nice to meet our... Guide." She shudders slightly. Never could get used to the Spooks, and that's one of the spookiest I've ever seen. Hopefully he's not one of the adventurous ones...

She remains silent through the remainder of the introductions, then looks around. "It looks like the crowd is starting to thin out. Are we still waiting on anyone, or can we finally find out exactly what it is that House Cyn is going to all this trouble for?"

[DrK]

Siegmund

Siegmund coughs loudly and raises a hand for silence. Welcome to the Poison one and all. hile we have many things to do perhaps it would be best to leave our underlings to get things boarded. Maybe the senior officers, at this he gestures to the party members Would be kind enought to come with myself and Mr. Crensbury for a drink and to speak of our first grand endavour?

He turns to the priest and the incense covered retinue, Confessor Stalfisk, it would be an honour to have you aboard.

The beatiful Lady Cyn gets a bow and kiss of her hand
And cousin, yes indeed we must catch up. It has been too long. Maye when we are underway you might join me at the Captain's table.

He salutes the techno-magus restraining himslf from staring under the red robes Welcome on board. Blessing of the Omnissah.

[rb780nm]

I'll assume that invite was vox'ed as well, or a runner brought it to me.

*sigh* Iosef stands from his desk. he had mostly finished unpacking his personal documents into their drawers, but there were crates of books to shelve, and he certainly didn't trust the servitors with these treasures.

"My Compliments, Lord-Captain. I will attend upon you presently," Iosef says over his microbead on the senior staff channel, struggling to keep the irritation from his voice.

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - A Boarding Action

Uthskarp nodded to the rogue trader saying "Thank you for your gracious hospitality ship master" before boarding with his associates and seeking out a place aboard ship to set up a temporary chapel and resting site.

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Adding each Senior Officer's details on to their noospheric profiles, Hadron notes the sour disposition of a few of their crew. As long as they do not interfere with my work, their disposition is of no moment, he thinks.

Hearing the Lord-Captain's blessing, he frowns. It would not do to correct the Lord-Captain out here in public, but it seems that he and I must have a private talk soon. Putting the rest of his thoughts aside for the moment, he concentrates on the rest of what is being said.

"I believe that there is much for us all to discuss, but I am anxious to hear what our first task shall be."

[Codemus]

Gant smiled when he heard the lady refer to him as their 'guide'. Sounds like she is confusing me with the navigator. Mutant scum. Just thinking about mutants made his blood boil, but instead of letting it get to him he simply smiled at the lady and nodded.

It always put him in a good mood when someone was startled by his appearance, and seeing the lady jump was no different. Gave him some measure of control on his life.

He was shaken from his reverie when the lord-captain mentioned something about getting a drink. “Oh, I’d like a drink very much sir.”

[Lucretia]

Mr. Crensbury smiled at the assorted officers and Lord-Captain, nodding to them. He waited until Iosef and the others who had decided to enter had returned outside before saying, "There will be time enough for drinks shortly, Mr. Ziel. We are needed in the Court of the Dead -- surely you've heard of them, the famed markets of the labyrinthine Port Wander. My contact there assures me the matter he wishes to address promises great glory.

"And naturally, Patriarch Cyn wishes this matter to be seen to. The Family Cyn is very good to its employees, and this fellow was loyal for decades. He deserves to be attended to -- and who better to attend than the newly commissioned crew of the Poison Lucre, hmm? Now I won't lie, this is also a test to see how the crew works together and to observe the ship. I've no real idea what this chap wants, this Orbest Dray fellow, other than that it's claerly important enough that Patriarch Cyn informed me to see to it.

"And so I have, and we shall. So, if there are no objections, shall we find ourselves at the Court?"

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - A Moral Question

Before they leave the ship Uthskarp decides to ask the rather important question of "Should we wear our armor to this meeting?".

[Lucretia]

The old man laughed and nodded. "In Port Wander, Mr. Stalfisk, it is often best to be prepared for anything. With five million souls aboard this metal monstrosity, any number could be out for your life or livelihood -- or however many thrones you have in your pockets. They might even attack a man of the Emperor's Word, like yourself."

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - Locked and Loaded

Uthskarp nodded and donned his arms and armor before setting off with the rest of the group to the court of the dead.

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

With a loud booming guffaw, Hadron laughs at the priest's suggestion. "I do not know about you, but I prefer my blood on the inside. I would not suggest taking it off until we're inside the ship. Unless of course you feel that your Faith is enough to shield you?"

He could tell that he and the preacher were going to have an interesting relationship. Whether it was abrasive or not, well, that was up to him. Hadron would prefer to be able to work well with all of the crew. Friction between crew members is normal, however excessive amount led to inefficiency and well, that just would not do.

With mention of heading into one of the Port's courtyards, he double checks his weapons, making sure that their pull is clear. It would not do to have any accidents due to an obstructed pull.
Ack! Ninja'd!

[Baxter190]

The pilot tips his head in Hadron’s direction in agreement. “Man has a point,” Will states, before gesturing to the bolt pistol in its holster and power sword in its scabbard. The weapons rest at his side, ready to be drawn. He’s no less protected either. Underneath his clothes, a carefully concealed set of armor fits snuggly against his body.

[rb780nm]

"Armor? Bah!" Iosef snaps. But you notice his robes shimmering in the way Xeno-mesh does, and he has a flack helmet hanging from his belt.

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele was eager to see the Court of the Dead - great centers of trade and commerce had a life all their own, and simply being among so many people making deals, trying to get the best of another by whatever means... well, it was invigorating. She fell into step with the others, though she did not sport any obvious armour - it would ruin the lines of one of her favorite gowns. But she was not at all unprotected for all that.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne nods at this and gestures to her own set of slightly battered Carapace armour and the helm hanging from her belt. "Warp it, if I could sleep in this without waking up halfway paralyzed I'd never take it off. You have people trying to kill you for long enough, you learn that every centimetre of Plasteel between you and them is worth its weight in gold." She looks at the rest of the command team for a moment. "Not to mention armed soldiers. We shouldn't need too much of an escort. I'll grab a couple of my troops and meet you all at the boarding arm."With that, she takes up her Plasma Rifle in both hands and hustles off towards the section of the ship where her troops have been quartered, then quickly makes for the boarding ramp with a pair of Ixion Blades in tow to meet up with the others en routo to the Court of the Dead.


I'll just grab two line-troopers for this one. We're fairly well-armed and this is still pretty much as close to law and order as we'll ever get.

[DrK]

Siegmund

Siegmund smiles at the mass of people milling around and listen to the chatter about weapons and armour, though in his armored uniform coat he is sporting a ceremonial power sword and a bolt pistol.
Some honour guards would be appropriate, especially for my lovely cousin.
Please Mr Crensbury lea on. I welcome the challenge to come and am sure we shall rise to the challenge.

[Lucretia]

With a nod, the aged seneschal began to lead the procession of well-equipped officers to the Court of the Dead. Between their attire and the way they held themselves -- or, in Gant's case, height -- obviously distanced the group from the merchants and citizens of Port Wander who were milling about the Court.

It was a glorious chaos of bartering, haggling, smells and sounds, commerce at its finest and at its lowest. Stalls were set up around the large courtyard that served as one of the many subsections of the much larger Court of the Dead -- the vast, sprawling bazaar where someone could find just about anything, with little importance put on legality of the sale. The only language everyone in the Court spoke was Thrones.

Mr. Crensbury led the group to a man in poorly kept clothing. He saluted Lord-Captain Cyn as he approached, as well as Mr. Crensbury. "It's an honor to see you, sah!" the man croaked, his gothic clearly tinged with navy. "Orbest Dray, at your leisure, sah. I was told, sah, that you and your associates would be helping me with something that done needs doing and has for some time, is that right, sah?" Crensbury smiled at the man and nodded, urging him to continue.

"I was aboard a Cyn Dynasty ship, once upon a time, sah. The Emperor's Testament, it was called. A fine craft, a real beaut. I was chief bosun upon the Testament, sure as my feet are shoed, sah. Your great-grandfather, he had a shipping fleet -- big ol' thing -- and the Testament was part of it. The captain of the Testament was a man named Vos Karlorn -- loyal as the stars to the Dynasty, sure as my hair is white. We were shipping adamantium to the Killigan Orbital Shipyards one day when the fleet hit a nasty warp storm...

"We, by the grace of the Emperor Himself, survived the storm and ended up in some strange, uncharted system. Our navigator's third eye was bleeding and his mind was a bit naggled, sure as we're on Port Wander, but our astropath picked up a distress message in the Warp. We thought, it must be the other fleet members, we'll go and help, see? But nah... the message was too old -- the astropath called it an echo in the warp or some such. We followed the cry, see... and we found it."

Orbest Dray looked around and paused for dramatic effect.

"We found the Righteous Path."

[brolthemighty]

Listening to the man's tale, he feels the tension build as he gets to the end of it...and the point. However, he's let down since he has no idea what the Righteous Path was. A way of life? A string of planets? A ship? How was he to know these things? Taking note of the man's body language and tone however, obviously it is of some importance. Realizing that his technical expertise was not needed for this meeting, Hadron decides to join the Honor Guard that had accompanied them from the ship, while still staying within earshot of the crew.

Walking up to the Honor Guard, he looks out and scans the area for anyone paying undue attention to them.
Awareness:
[roll0] vs. TN 41

[Lucretia]

An elderly woman with a most insightful number of wrinkles is paying a little too much attention to Hadron. Seeing him spot her, she licks her lips and wiggles her fingers at him.

Seeing William Chross's eyes light up at the mention of the Path, Dray nodded solemnly before continuing on.

"Aye, sah, that's right, the Path. I'm surprised not more of ye have heard of it! It's a great tale...

"The story of the Righteous Path begins over two and a half thousand years ago, during the time of Drusus and the great Angevin Crusade. The stalwart forces of the Imperium were sweeping across the region of space that would one day become the Calixis sector, pushing the enemies of the God-Emperor before them and bringing light to worlds lost for centuries to darkness. Among their number was Lorcanus Ryn, a great warlord and free-captain, filled with bloodlust and greed but also an unwavering faith in Drusus and the Emperor.

"At the helm of his grand-cruiser, the Righteous Path, he was the scourge of a hundred worlds, carving out a bloody path before him as the crusade conquered world after world. One such world was Krystallian. Recorded as the 73rd world brought to the light of the Emperor by the Crusade, it was (so the story goes) an ancient colony of man which had long ago fallen to the heretical worship of false gods and the teachings of treacherous prophets known as the Talisar.

"Covered in glittering cloud temples, raised by the Talisar to the glory of the Myriad of Faces, it was a world of immense wealth and blasphemous grandeur. It was, however, no match for the might of the Imperial armies led by Lorcanus Ryn. The warlord descended on Krystallian, filled with the righteous wrath of the Emperor, sweeping away a thousand years of civilisation in three days of fire and blood. When the killing was done, and the corpse counters began gathering up the detritus of war, Lorcanus Ryn marvelled at the riches he had won.

"Never before had he seen such naked wealth; temples packed high with artefacts of rare and wondrous make, statues gilt with gems and glittering with gold, and shadowed vaults of forgotten and forbidden archeotech. Here the story varies from teller to teller. Some say the wealth of Krystallian was more than rare metals and precious stones, but that its people were also a prize; bred from a stock of pure genetic material and spared from centuries of warptaint, they were bundled into stasis coffins and taken away to be trained as elite warriors or highborn servants. Others whisper that Krystallian was settled during the Dark Age of Technology and still harboured devices from that time within its cities and temples, secrets worth more than the raw mineral wealth or combined populations of a hundred worlds.

"Whatever the form of Krystallian’s wealth, Lorcanus was not content merely to sample it, nor did he trust his fellow crusaders to carry it away. So he set about filling the Righteous Path from stern to ram. He tore out gun decks and launch bays, marooned thousands of his crew and stripped away the vessel’s innards until she was bursting with plunder. The warlord then vanished into the warp and from the pages of history. Over the centuries there have been many expeditions to find the Righteous Path. At the time of its disappearance, members of the crusade quested after the lost vessel. Later, free-traders, adventurers and Imperial servants have all tried to find its resting place. Many believe the vessel is lost forever, sunken beneath the tides of the warp or smashed to pieces and scattered across space and time.

"Krystallian, however, was rumoured to have once existed on the trailing edge of what is now the Calixis Sector only a short span of light-years from the Maw. This has led some old void-farers to speculate that Lorcanus Ryn and his ship were caught in the tides of the storms that plague the Koronus Passage and dragged out deep into the Expanse. Many believe it to be lost forever…" Dray shook his head, pausing. It had been a long story and the old man was clearly tired. Mr. Crensbury looked at the group of officers and the honor guard, seeing if there were any questions the officers had. He doubted they wouldn't -- it was once a well-known tale, but it was full of curiosities.

[brolthemighty]

Keeping his back to the group while still listening to the tale, Hadron notices the elderly woman. Chuckling softly he thinks, Well she appears harmless enough. Probably just some old widower who thinks we're up to no good. Putting his finger to his lips, he looks her full in the face and gives her a big wink and a smile, clearly enjoying himself. Nothing to see here you old biddy.

Hearing the tale of the Righteous Path, his eyes light up. An ancient ship from an honored Trader dynasty? Sounds like it could be full of tasty archeo-components. I wonder if they survived all these years? Very much worth checking out. Oh, and the plunder of that world too....of course.

Turning around slightly so as to be able to address Dray, he asks, "You said your astropath had received a message? What exactly was this message? Were you able to pinpoint the location? And of course, how much credence can be given to this legend?"

[rb780nm]

"Any ship that spends that much time in the warp with probably broken Gellars is bound to be heavily tainted by the warp," Iosef whispers. "I am sure I can get you to it, but I fear it will be a fool errand - who will buy gold and silver that is host to the curses of the warp?"

[DrK]

Siegmund

After listening to the story Siegmund salites the man sharply and replies using Battlfleet Cant that he learned as junior rating. Its an interesting tale, and under the Emperor's divine light I hope it holds true. Where was the echo that your astropath found? Is he around here and could gift our astropath with that sensation?

Looking around for his own navigator he smiles at Iosef's words. Taintedtreasure you say? What tainted teasure? Why this treasure is from a newly discovered frontier world... With enough riches no-one will ask more than once.

He looks back to the Engineerseer prime. EnginseerHadron, how fares the shi? Is she rigged for rough weather?

[brolthemighty]

Glad that he had arrived early to their prior meeting, Hadron is able to readily answer his Lord-Captain, "She still has a few modifications to be made, but those are underway as we speak Lord. I will ensure that she is ready for whatever the Warp can throw at us."

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

"Indeed," Adele agrees with her cousin. "Surely it is not the fault of such treasures that they have languished in the warp for a time. And buyers can surely be found for anything of such antiquity," she says, thinking that there were those who would welcome warp-touched items even more gladly - though perhaps such thoughts were best not shared with the more pious members of the new crew.

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - The Warp is Devious and Deadly

Uthskarp listened to the mariner's tale, all the while stroking his short beard. He heard these laymen talking about the warp as if it were a joke, but he knew that the warp was both dangerous, and devious in it's operations. Still, there was little chance that he could persuade this crew not to pursue such treasure. He would simply have to tag along and prepare their souls to resist the darker temptations.

To the group Uthskarp finally voiced his opinion saying "While it is true that much of the treasure on a warp ship might be tainted or cursed, it is entirely possible that some was secured in warded stasis pods or some similar protective shell. We should also not overlook the possibility of redeeming some of these treasures. I have little doubt that many still long to serve the Emperor and His Imperium, and sometimes, with the right prayers and sufficient faith, the taint of the warp may be driven out and a person or object might be purified for use by mankind. Beware the mechinations of the warp however, for chaos is deceitful and in the end grants only strife and death as its rewards".

[Codemus]

Gant's interest was definitely piqued by the old mans tale, but something sounded off. “Excuse me for asking, but if you did find the Path… why isn’t it already looted and flying in the Cyn dynasties fleet?”

[Lucretia]

Orbest held up his hands and coughed a bit, continuing on with his tale. "Karlorn was a loyal captain to the Cyn Dynasty, and he didn't want to pursue the treasure ship then and there, not without Admiral Cyn. So we returned to Port Wander. Months passed.. there was no sign of the rest of the fleet, so Karlorn swore to find him. But before he went out, Karlorn, he made a map, see. He entrusted it to me... but he never returned, sure as my mouth is dry, no sah."

Reaching inside his coat, Dray removed a luminescent blue cask. The Cyn Dynasty icon can be seen on top of it, a clear indicator of who could open such a thing. A gene-coded seal can be seen at the latch. With a blink and a whirl, the latch opens, responding to the Lord-Captain and Seneschal, both having the requisite genetic structure. Within the stasis casket is a...

Smooth black rock. Gant, Siegmund and anyone else with any sort of psyker knowledge would know immediately that this was a mnemolith. Dray offered the opened casket to Siegmund. "Now that's a mnemolith, see. Psyker stuff. Maybe the astropath or navigator might be able to read it?"

If any psyker touched the stone, they'd receive a message from it.

[Codemus]

Gant barely remembered some mention of mnemoliths, it was covered in his training at some point he was sure. From all that he cared to remember, they were harmless. “Lord-Captain, by your leave I’ll read the message.” He stepped around the others to stand beside Siegmund, but made no other move toward the stone.

[rb780nm]

Iosef steps back, allowing the Astropath to receive the message.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne listens intently through Dray's story, a smile spreading across her face at the mention the treasure, though she and her troops spend more time watching the rest of the market than the people they're here to meet. "Right, and there's no guarantee it was tainted by the Warp at all. 'Ship could easily have been cut off by a Warp Storm or suffered an engine failure, if she was so badly undercrewed. Either way..." She shakes her head, as if to clear away the visions of wealth and returns to watching the market for any sign of danger.

As the Mnemolith is removed from its case and handed to Gant, Jayne and both mercenaries shuffle their feet nervously and watch from the corner of their eyes. While she waits, Jayne takes a step closer to Hadron and whispers, "I didn't see any weapon batteries when I looked at the Lucre's hull. I think I spotted some torpedo tubes on the prow, but surely we must have more armaments than that?"

[DrK]

Siegmund

Do not worry about the Lucre Capatain. She has more bite than you realise. Can you fly a starhawk?

He looks to the Astropath, please, by all means. I'd like you and Lord Tullius to handle the Mnemolith. After that please have some guards place it in the small vault in my office.

He waits for the Astropath to report on the pychic sensations

[brolthemighty]

At the mention of the Lucre, Hadron smiles. Responding to Jayne without taking his eyes off his surroundings he says, "When our business is concluded and we have time, I will personally take you on a tour of the....important...parts of the ship. She's one full of surpsies, she is. Just full of them." Again he smiles, thinking of the hidden armaments on the Lucre. It was definitely good that he took the job from Mr. Crensbury. Sure beat being reduced down to a servo-skull. Speaking of which......

Glancing up, he signals his servo skull through the MIU, "Bob, fly around the area within say.....a 20 meter diameter from us. Full auspex scans."
Awareness: [roll0] vs. TN 65

[Codemus]

Gant nodded and gently reached out and picked up the stone. He wondered how you activated it, and hoped it was automatic.

After he had heard the message, he will turn and hold out the stone for Iosef.

[rb780nm]

With a nod, Iosef accepts the stone - once he's had a moment to check that Gant has not become a daemonhost.

[Lucretia]

Gant
As soon as you touch the strange, smooth black stone, a mental image erupts into your mind. In a single second of real time, your mind is shown a stellar location; a flickering star surrounded by a nebula and vast stretches of void, circled by a dust world and a frozen halo. With that, the image ceases.

Hadron
Bob circles around and fails to see anything of relevance. The old woman has disappeared, however. And there is a particularly ripe fruit of some sort on a stall ten meters from you.

Everyone
Despite two people being one point away, only one person managed to spot the following before it happened. William Chross can take a Half-Action to attempt to attack the bird.

Those with Psyniscience as a trained skill
Make an Ordinary (+10) Psyniscience Test.

As Gant held the mnemolith out for Iosef to take hold of, a raven swooped from the air and snatched the stone! The navigator did not have a chance to touch the item, however; and only William could act before the foul creature flew away!

[rb780nm]

Psyn. [roll0] vs 52



Iosef senses something in the warp...

[DrK]

psyniscience [roll0] I'd forgotten my stats were that bad! Target was 31 so got 2 degrees sucess.

Siegmund will also be playing with the Mneloth later when he's alone back on the ship

[Codemus]

Psyniscience[roll0] vs. 43

[Baxter190]

[roll0] vs 46 Psy
[roll1] vs 35 BS

The tale goes by with not but feigned disinterest from William. Stories of plundered planets whose riches were never seen again were a dime a dozen on Port Wander; it was the ship that caught the pilots eye. The Righteous Path was a real ship, one that would be a crown jewel to any fleet that it headed. The promise of the fortunes it contained was no laughing matter either, to the pilot.

With a poker face honed through years of practice, Will manages to hold back any reaction to the story, lest he make how obvious how much he desired a chance to go after the Path. The mnemolith though, was something he didn’t expect. Reaching inside, Will tried to see what he could from it. Whatever he saw from it, he was more than enough aware to see the raven coming, and managed to draw his bolt pistol and take a single shot at it.

Inwardly cursing the pilot uses his expert reflexes to spot the raven before it can escape."Not a chance, rodent," Will states with minor irritation.

[Lucretia]

Iosef, Gant, Siegmund
Through your knowledge of and connection to your psychic powers, you realize that this raven is being connected to a psyker, and that through this connection, the message of the stone has been transmitted!

Everyone Who Isn't Gant
No one else was able to touch the mnemolith before the bird stole it away.

The raven, getting hit by the bolt pistol, continues to fly into the various alcoves and roofs of the Court of the Dead. The stone lies three meters from Gant, having been dropped and skipping along the ceramite floor. However, from behind stalls, out of buildings and from the crowd appear ten armed men! They are about thirty meters away in a semicircle, and begin to fire into the air to disperse the crowd. Screams erupt as the citizens of Port Wander rush away from the noise, intent on getting out of the way of any ensuing showdown!

There are ten assailants in a semicircle. From where the party is standing now, they are three meters from the mnemolith; behind the party, two meters away, is a long row of rather solid looking stalls. Five of the armed men are behind cover; two more in half-cover; the other three are in the soft cover of the dispersing crowd. Feel free to ask any questions about the map if you have them.

Everyone, please roll initiative.

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele sighs at the impending violence, and begins to reach for her pistol. But at least the armour that the rest had much such a deal of would get a chance to be tested...

Initiative: [roll0]

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne isn't quite fast enough to bring her rifle to bear on the bird, but she's well and ready to deal with the thugs trying to attack them now. "Stubbs, Jensen, VIP duty!" She bellows at her two mercenaries then moves to take up a firing stance.


Initiative: [roll0] (:smallbiggrin:)
If the first roll is 3 or less, use this reroll instead. [roll1]

I've just ordered my mercs to protect our two scions of House Cyn using Secret Tongue (Military). One of them should stick with the Lord Captain and do his best to cover him, the other should try to protect Lady Adele.

What sort of cover are the "solid cover" and "half cover" enemies hiding behind? Wood isn't going to do a damned thing to help them against a Plasma Rifle, but if they're hiding behind heavy steel or something like that it's a bit of a different story. I'm guessing the difference between solid and half cover is that the former have their legs and Body covered, while the latter only have their legs? By the same token, what are the stalls behind us made out of. I'm not going to bother to hide behind wood, but the aforementioned steel or rockcrete is a different story.

[rb780nm]

"I'm not sure this is the sort of adventure we agreed upon, Crensbury!" Iosef snaps. Init: [roll0]

Half Action: Draw hellpistol
Half Action: Move to cover

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Seeing the men emerge from the crowd, Hadron looks at Mr. Crensbury and Siegmun, "This sort of thing happen to you often?" Calmly pulling out his Hellgun and checking it's charge, he looks to the skies, "Bob you useless piece of tech! Get up there and find me something I can use!" With a quick burst of binary through his MIU, he sens his servo-skull directions to fly up and scan the market place for any sort of fuel container.

Planting his feet firmly on the ground and taking aim he quickly calculates the odds of the crew's survival. "Good news! We have a 98% probability of survival! Unfortunately....their odds are not so high."
Bob's Awareness: [roll0] vs. TN 65

Hadron's Actions:
Initiative - [roll1]
Half Action Ready
Half Action Aim

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - Gold is THICKER than Blood

Uthskarp stumbled over and grabbed the mnemolith. The small black rock appeared to be valuable enough for someone to try to steal it as soon as it came out of its case. He also looked at the armed men and tried to remember if they resembled the authorities on this station. To his soon-to-be crewmates he sub-vocalizes "Don't shoot the law men unless they shoot you first friends". After that he shouts to the armed individuals "We claim warrent immunity and request a parlay. Please send your diplomatic liaison forward if you intend to state grievances".

Edit: Initiative rolled in the OOC thread

[Codemus]

Gant simply stared dumfounded when the bird took the stone right out of his hand, but his senses returned to him once shots were fired. His first instinct was to draw his sword, but he didn't like the idea of charging a line of guns with just a sword, so instead he drew his dinky little pistol.

He was never a very good shot, but he didn't have many alternatives. He pointed the pistol in the general direction of one of the armed men and fired off a shot.

It was only after he shot that he heard the priest yelling something about parlay. "Whoops"

Initiative [roll0]
Actions: half - Ready Stub Automatic ; half - Standard Attack (ranged)
Ballistic Skill Roll [roll1] vs. 39 (+10 for short range)
Damage: [roll2]
Ammo: 8 left

[DrK]

Siegmund

Siegmnud stared at the enforcers approaching them with a sneer on his face. You are making a costly mistake here you fools. You do not realise the people you are interrupting. Cease this foolishness
He glances sideways to the towering Astropath whispering "The bird is a pychic linked beast. Can you track downs its master
With thathe drops the Bolt pistol thumbing th fire selector to semi-automatic.



Initiative [roll]1d10+3[roll] roll is in OOC thread = 6
Half action: Speak
Half action: Draw bolt pistol

[Lucretia]

Crensbury and Dray hurried in to the stalls behind, moving to put the durable-looking thing between them at the assailants. Gant fired off a shot at a nearby attacker, hitting the man in the chest! They did not reply to the commands of the missionary, and instead began to shoot at man grabbing at the mnemolith! One manages to hit Uthskarp, despite all ten firing at him -- they do manage to hit a few civilians in the process, however!

Siegmund, Hadron and Jayne have all begun aiming at their enemies -- each receives the benefit of a half-action aim on their next attacks. All ten have take the opportunity to fire at Uthskarp, and only one hit. The round seems to have been designed to penetrate armor, and the attack deals 5 damage to his chest. As for initiative, everyone please write their contingencies as they had and continue on -- it will go players, enemies -- they all rolled lower than you.

EDIT: Uthskarp, you can dodge, of course. I totally forgot -- you can see if you dodge the gun.

[canjowolf]

After scooping up the small black rock Uthskarp began to hear the rattle of the autoguns (auto-pistols) and raced into cover. Only after he had landed behind the carts stalls did he realize that the burning pain coming from his abdomen was a bullet wound.

With his lungs heaving for breath and the mnemolith secured Uthskarp decided that it would be prudent to kill these heretics who had the gall to shoot at a robed servant of the Emperor's Holy Church and would draw his chainsword when time became available. The flamer might be more appropriate to this situation, but Uthskarp had neglected to bring that holy instrument of purification to this simple market trip.

[rb780nm]

Taking what cover he can behind the nearby stalls, Iosef squeezes off a pair of shots from his Hellpistol at the nearest foe.



Full Action: Semi Auto [roll0] vs 34+10+Range?? Both hit
Damage [roll1], [roll2]
Pen 7, btw (sorry I left that off initially). Both body shots.

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele finishes pulling her pistol from the holster concealed in her gown as she ducks behind a stall, but reconsiders firing the powerful melta weapon in the midst of the crowd. Perhaps once those uninvolved had scattered she could use it to clear out the cover being used by their opponents, but to catch other people could lead to all sorts of unnecessary unpleasantness - vendettas and who knew what else. So she takes the opportunity to look at the abandoned wares near her, to see if there's anything that catches her eye.

Half Action: Draw Pistol
Half Action: Move to cover

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Sighting in on the the closest thug that dared to fire upon the crew, Hadron squeezes off three shots with his Hellgun.
Full-Action, Semi-Automatic, Short Range: [roll0] vs. TN 83
First Hit: [roll1] Pen: 7
Second Hit: [roll2] Pen: 7
Third Hit: [roll3] Pen: 7

Screwed up the damage rolls. Actually should be -3 each, so 10, 8, and 5.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne flicks the switch on her rifle, switching it to Maximal Mode, and opens fire on the assailants from her position in the street, trusting both in her armour and the ferocity of her attack to protect her. She fires smoothly and calmly, her motions practiced and professional, and the plasma bolts jetting from her rifle are deadly accurate.


Firing on Semi-auto against the enemies in partial cover (torsos not covered). If I manage at least two degrees of success, the second hit will be assigned to a different enemy from the first one.

BS: [roll0] vs 41+10(Ability)+10(Half Range)+10(Aim)+10(Short Range) (81)
Damage 1: [roll1], Pen 8
Damage 2: [roll2], Pen 8
In advance: If any of the enemies manage to hit Jayne with ranged attacks, Dodge roll: [roll3] vs 31

Edit: That's two hits to two seperate targets, both to the left arm. The first hit also threatens Righteous Fury, but unless the guy's a Space Marine he isn't going to be surviving that hit anyways, so I don't think I'll bother.

[DrK]

Siegmund

As plasma flares light up the Court and hell and bolt rounds sizzle everywhere Siegmund realises the danger he's in. Looking round he moves to the overturned to table by Mr Crensbury snapping off a shot as does so shooting one of the attacker sqaure in the face.
An auspicious start Mr Crensbury he remarks sa the spent bolt round lands on the deck with a dull clank.


Move to cover behind a table
Fire a single shot [roll0] VS 36+10(aim)+10(red dot)
Damage [roll1] pen 4

[Codemus]

Gant, seeing that the priest had managed to get a hold of the mnemolith, decided it was time to find the controller of the psyber-bird. It was a long shot, but he had an idea on how to find them. Just before he started, an idea occurred to him.

He was still building up for his detection attempt, so he simply sent out a short message to each of their minds. He sent out Comrades, please leave some alive, I can interrogate., which at first would sound like falling sand in their minds until it slowly takes shape into understandable words spoken in vaguely his voice.

That done, he could now focus completely on his divine connection to the God-Emperor. Using that, he tapped on the warp and listened for an echo.

Using Psyniscience to try and pinpoint the enemy psyker. About the best I can do to find this guy.

Full Action, Psyniscience (Per)
[roll0] vs. 33

This would really only catch them if they were actively using powers, but oh well.

EDIT: Oh, and that message was a Basic Thought Sending, which is a free action.

[Lucretia]

Two men fell to the ground under the combined assault of Jayne and Hadron. Siegmund's bolt shell clearly connected with one of the assailants, but he clearly wasn't dead -- although bleeding visibly, he continued to fire. Iosef's target managed an impressive tumble, dodging both the hellpistol bolts. They sizzled into the metal stall the man had been standing before, two iridescent slag-holes that were slowly dripping and cooling.

Gant, sending his consciousness into the Warp in search for the enemey psyker, was unable to manage the feat. Without new ripples being sent into the Immaterium, the previous echoes were simply too faint.

The eight remaining assailants began to fire, no longer focusing on the priest who had escaped but on the woman with the impressive weapon, the accurate man with the hellpistol, and the man with the bolt gun!

Three men targeted, Jayne, two men targeted Hadron, and three men targeted Siegmund. Jayne was hit twice, but between her armor and her own natural toughness, sustained no lasting damage. Perhaps a bruise or two in the morning.

Hadron, make one dodge roll if you'd like. Jayne has already made, and failed, hers. Siegmund, make one dodge roll if you'd like.

[rb780nm]

Another pair of hellbolts streak out from the Navigator's gun.


[roll0] vs 34+10+?? 2 hits if range is close enough

[roll1] - no Rf :( [roll2]
14p7, 10p7

[rb780nm]

Rf confirm [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[DrK]

Siegmund

Siegmund grunts as a round whips past perilously close to hitting him. Sighting the man he shot last time he waited for the red dot to catch his bloodied face and fired again. With his left hand he pulls out the shimmering and humming power sword should any get too close.
You men, lay down some cover fire! He shouts at the two house guards.


Dodge roll [roll0] VS something low (~17 or so)
Bolt pistol [roll1] VS 46 (+10 if within 15m)
Damage [roll2] [roll3] PEN4 Tearing so choose highest
-Super dodge and another head shot. :smallsmile:

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - What is that noise?

A strange, but not all together unfamiliar noise begins to emanate from the stall into which the short priest had disappeared. It started like a dull whine but soon this was joined by an energetic hum and the smell of burning ozone.

OOC
Uthskarp is readying for combat by stowing the mnemolith and drawing his hand to hand weapons.

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele looked around the corner of the stall providing her with cover, considering if the crowd had yet thinned enough to bring her powerful weapon into play...

(Only if she can do so without collateral damage)

Half Action: Aim pistol
Half Action: Fire at enemy behind cover

BS 36, Aim +10 = 46: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] (Pen 13)

EDIT: And a miss, anyway.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne stops firing as her weapon emits a short humming sound, recognizing that it needs more time to recharge before it can be fired again. She grunts as the enemy ammunition expends itself harmlessly on her Carapace armour, but continues to stand her ground. As long as the enemy waste their firepower on her, they aren't killing the people she and her team are here to protect. "You heard the man, Blades! Spray and pray, on the double." She shouts in response to Sigmund's order, then settles the crosshairs of her sight on the next target in line as she waits for the noise that indicates her weapon is ready to fire again.


Insane or just unreasonably brave? Who knows! Either way, let's see how these guys feel about someone just standing there ignoring everything they throw her way while blowing away one of their friends with every shot she takes.

Taking a Full Round Aim against one of the enemies who were in the crowd before. I'll give them a good taste of plasma next round.

As an aside, did one of the enemy manage to dodge one of my Plasma bolts, or did I just finish off one that Hadron hadn't quite managed to eliminate?

[brolthemighty]

Unable to dodge the incoming rounds, Hadron realizes that he is standing in the middle of a firefight. "Very well. the Emperor protects!" With an inarticulate cry, Hadron squeezes the trigger again, his Hellgun showing his displeasure.
Full-Action, Semi-Automatic, Short Range: [roll0] vs. TN 73
First Hit: [roll1] Pen: 7
Second Hit: [roll2] Pen: 7
Third Hit: [roll3] Pen: 7

Dodge roll if needed: [roll4] vs. TN 19
Personal AP: 7 Legs, Arms, Body AP:5 Head

[Codemus]

Detecting nothing but inconclusive signs, Gant shrugged and fired off another shot before holstering his sidearm. He was going to make sure they captured at least one of them, and had a good idea on just how to do so.

Actions: half - Standard attack; half - Ready (holstering pistol)
[roll0] vs. 39
Damage: [roll1]
Ammo: 7

[Lucretia]

The shots from Gant and Adele missed completely, while Siegmund's shot missed. Iosef's hellpistol managed to punch through the armor of one unfortunate soul, and sent him to the void. The two guards began to fire rapidly at the assailants, attempting to lay down suppressing fire. Those near cover dove to the ground, while one poor man, who had already been injured, wasn't quick enough.

The six remaining men, ducking behind the cover to avoid the shots, still managed to make four shots. All four, however, missed wildly.

Mr. Crensbury spoke loudly but with the same refined, calm quality that he had used to approach each of the officers. "The enemy psyker seems to be escaping. It's likely she learned what the mnemolith knew."

[rb780nm]

Iosef closed his eyes and went inside his own head, reaching out with this warp senses to feel the location of the psyker. He looked past the flare of his own side's astropath and the noise of the teeming masses of humanity, pinpointing something. He guestured with his pistol "there!"



Psniscience: [roll0] vs 42

3+ degrees - by my reading I should get number and position of psykers present.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne's mouth twists into a lopsided smile at both the effectiveness of her own men and the poor performance of the enemy. Looks like we'll have this wrapped up right quick... Her weapon buzzes quietly, indicating that it is fully charged, and Jayne quickly opens fire on her chosen target.

If there are any enemies still in partial cover (only legs covered), firing Semi-auto at one of them, no longer using Maximal mode. If the enemy are all in normal cover (all except arms and head covered) but two of them are within three meters of each other firing a Semi-auto burst on Maximal, and having each hit target a seperate person. If they're all in normal cover and none are within 3 meters of another, firing semi-auto at one of them, not in Maximal Mode (same as option 1).

Attack (the same regardless): [roll0] vs 41+10(Ability)+10(Half Range)+20(Full Aim)+10(Semi-auto)=91
Damage 1a (contingencies 1 and 3): [roll1], Pen 7
Damage 2a (contingencies 1 and 3): [roll2], Pen 7

Damage 1b (Contingency 2): [roll3], Pen 9
Damage 2b (Contingency 2, allocated against a different enemy): [roll4], Pen 9

Edit: Those will all be Body hits, regardless of which contingency is actually the case.

I really need to start remembering to use rollv when firing in Maximal mode... Doubling the chance of Righteous Fury is half the reason it's worth having.

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Knowing that there was little time left before they needed to engage the enemy psyker, Hadron squeezes off more shots, trying to clear the way.
Full-Action, Semi-Automatic, Short Range: [roll0] vs. TN 73
First Hit: [roll1] Pen: 7
Second Hit: [roll2] Pen: 7
Third Hit: [roll3] Pen: 7

Dodge roll if needed: [roll4] vs. TN 19
Personal AP: 7 Legs, Arms, Body AP:5 Head

Edit: Wow, talk about some stellar damage rolls. Definitely need to upgrade to a tearing weapon.

[DrK]

SIegmund

You two, lay down some fire and get the pysker. If you have grenades use them! He shouts at the 2 guards.
Then he pops up, annoyed that the target dodged his previous shot and fired again after aiming briefly.


Aim, then fire at a guy within 15m
[roll0] VS TN 66
Damage is [roll1][roll2] - choose highest PEN 4

[Codemus]

Gant frowned. Now that they were in cover it would be that much harder to nab one. He had to come up with something, and quick. But the only option that seemed open to him was a headlong rush. "...if needs be."

He sprinted forward to take cover outside one of the same stalls that a pair of the attackers had ducked into.

Actions: full action - Move

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele grimaces as her first shot goes wide, gouging out a not-insignificant amount of deck plating. She lines up another shot, trying to control her breathing in the midst of this entirely unseemly melee.

(Only if she can do so without collateral damage)

Half Action: Aim pistol at an enemy behind cover, not near allies
Half Action: Single attack

BS 36, Aim +10 = 46: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] (Pen 13)

[canjowolf]

4 teh Emprah!

With a great "For the Emperor and all of Mankind" Uthskarp charges the closest of the attackers, chopping at the armed assailant with a blazing power axe.

OOC

Attack Roll: [roll0] (49+10 charge = 59)
Damage Roll: [roll1] P7

[Lucretia]

The two guards begin to try and fire at the assailants while moving in the direction Iosef pointed out, although with the crowd still dispersing it is difficult to see who was being gestured at specifically. Gant crouches in front of the rockcrete wall which provides cover for two of the men, while Uthskarp charges around the corner and slashes downwards. The power axe hums as it lodges itself in the poor man's arm and side, the spurt of blood spattering both Uthskarp and the other man.

Jayne, having aimed and having a good idea of where a pair went, fired off two shots, each burrowing through the rockcrete cover.

Hadron's shot also hits a rockcrete stall, although judging by the hole, it's unlikely the hellpistol managed to penetrate through the whole way.

Siegmund's bolt ripped through the rockcrete where one of Jayne's had, and judging by the small spurt of blood, it's easy to say it hit.

Adele's shot easily moved through the rockcrete. A small river of blood coming from behind that stall was evidence of a kill.

It was at this point more heavily-armed men began to fill into the Court of the Dead -- judging by their outfits, it's simple to deduce they are Arbitrators. The two remaining men scramble towards the police, happy to see them, and are cuffed with muttered thanks. They are both drenched in blood, both their own and their friends'. Mr. Crensbury helped Orbest Dray to his feet, and swept dust off his otherwise-immaculate attire.

"Well now, that was... exciting. Ah! I believe this man will have something to say..."

Walking up to them, a lieutenant stepped into attention and saluted, waiting for the crew to get out of their battle positions and back into civilized mode.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne slings her rifle behind her back and steps up behind Siegmund, easily taking on the role of the attentive bodyguard. She's always preferred to avoid interacting directly with the law when she can, and in this case she's perfectly happy just backing up her employer and letting him do the talking. Nonetheless, she can't quite restrain a slight hint of a self-satisfied smirk. First blood to us, whoever you are. Ten-on-ten, and in the end we killed eight and suffered no lasting wounds in return. This'll do wonders for our reputation...

[rb780nm]

Iosef's psyniscience didn't help us find the psyker? I still want to chase her.

[DrK]

Siegmund

Holstering his still smoking bolt pistol and sheathing the humming power sword he glances round for the astropath, navigator, the heretek, and Chross. please could you find that rogue psyker and retrieve the mnemolith, don't go too far however, it may be a trap.

With that done he adjusts his uniform slightly and helps Mr. Crensbury to his feet. "Not the welcome I had desired Mr. Crensbury" before finally approaching the heavily armoured Arbite officer. As Jayne falls in beside him he smiles at the hard bitten lady. You and your men performed admirably Major..

Finally he stands before the arbite, giving the man a very short bow and waiting for the arbite to salue in an appropriately respectful manner. "Ah Lieutenant, we were waiting for the offical law to arrive. We were assualted by those men he points to the 2 in magnacuffs, and their inept companions as he motions towards the bodies in various states of melted or blown "apartness". I will be happy to lodge a formal complain with the Adeptus Arbite authorities to see them get the punishment they deserve. In the meantine if you don't mind Lieutenant I mus escort my lovely cousin back to my ship.


Charm test [roll0] against Fel 41

[Lucretia]

The man looks at Siegmund and nods. "I've got no authority to compel a Trader, sir. I've simply got a few questions about this attack, but if you'd care to leave, you may. If you'd care to answer some questions about all this, please meet the sergeant down at the precinct. I'm pleased none of your party were seriously injured."

Mr. Crensbury looked towards Uthskarp. "I believe the priest has the mnemolith already. As for the psyker, finding it right now may prove quite impossible -- and, depending on what was on the stone, our attention may be best applied towards determining what our next move is. But, of course, the decision is the Lord-Captain's."

[DrK]

Siegmund

He looks surprised at the mention that the priest has the mnemolith. Well in that case shall we adjurn to the ship? We can discuss the sensations that our Astropath friend here had?

He waves towards the priest. Master Uthskarp, could I see that please? I'm curious to see what one of these thinks look like?

Turning back the Lieutenant, Lt, we are a bit busy at the moment. If you send an officer or sgt' over tour ship I will be more than happy to discuss recent events. We are on board the Poison Lucreon docking pier delta.

With that he waves to the others and Mr Censbury's guest.


What sensations do I get from the mnemolith? He'll look it at and treat it like an interesting stone as he's keen to keep his latent psychic power a secret.

[Lucretia]

As soon as you touch the strange, smooth black stone, a mental image erupts into your mind. In a single second of real time, your mind is shown a stellar location; a flickering star surrounded by a nebula and vast stretches of void, circled by a dust world and a frozen halo. With that, the image ceases. Altogether the sight and sensation is jarring, so it would be difficult to continue the facade of mere interest. Others can make a scrutiny check against your deceive if they wish to.

The lieutenant saluted and sallied off with the prisoners and the dozen strong Arbites. The scene began to calm down some, although it would be an hour or two before a real crowd formed again. Mr. Crensbury began to check that everyone was alright.

[DrK]

Picking up the object he shivers and almost drops it. I don't know. he murmurs. All these pscyhic phenomena do nothing but fill me with unease.


Deceive [roll0] TN 20

[rb780nm]

"If I may?" Iosef says as he reaches out towards the stone.

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Keeping quiet with the Arbites around had seemed like a good idea. It was true that they had very little authority of a Rogue Trader and his crew, but they could make things very difficult for the next while if they chose to do so. Relaxing a bit as the Lt. mentions just that he listens in on the conversation.

"Lord-Captain, with the obviously aggressive stance others have taken against us, I would suggest taking whatever we have gleaned at least somewhat seriously. It might be a diversion after all, but being attacked as soon as we received it does lend some credence to whatever was in it."

After looking checking the team and ensuring that none of their weapons were harmed in the process of the fight he continues, "I would also suggest a certain amount of haste in our next steps. We have several members that have taken from that stone what they will....and have yet to hear what it was....or what our next suggested action might be."

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne nods along with Hadron's statement. "I agree, Captain. Whoever led the attack is too far away now, and I've no way to be sure what they look like or where their destination is. I don't think we can catch them at this point. I suggest we return to the ship where we can be sure we won't be overheard and plan our next move. We can still beat them to the Path, if we get enough of a head start now." She leans back and sighs, hands planted on the bolt pistols holstered by her hips. "Besides... Whoever's after our prize knows that just as well as we do. The only people who could possibly hope to claim our prize ahead of us are other Rogue Traders, and that means they have a ship. If we're watching the Etherics as we go, we should be able to get a good look at whoever our new opponents are." With this said, she backs up and raises her left hand to her helmet, pushing a small button near her neck and activating her micro-bead, then whispers into it. "Venkmann, it's Commander Vendall. I want a squad posted by the boarding arm until further notice, code omega. Nobody gets on or off without the express permission of myself or the Lord Captain. You got that?"

[DrK]

Siegmund

The bearded captain glances between his two officers and nods in agreement. "You are correct back to the ship. We had best make ready to depart Port Wander as soon as possible". He glances at the naviagtor and the explorator, "How soon can the fusion drives and warp engines be readied to get underway?". Turning back to Iosef he manages a thin smile. Keep this safe Iosef, we will need your readings of this rock.

On the way back to the ship he is mostly silent, musing on the images of cold space, the silent Halo of dead dust and the new location. It will prove to be interesting I suspect., the though flashing through his mind as he strode through the plasteel corridors of the Port.

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp turns over the small black rock that he had bled for and goes about grabbing up the autoguns and what was left of the armor of the dead assailants. Not particularly valuable items, but there was no reason to leave them just lying around. Once they had been inspected and purified he had little doubt that they would serve their purpose in the armory.

To the arbitrators he said "These men attacked a holy servant of the Ecclesiarchy and should be dealt with accordingly. However, if you desire I would be willing to drop the charges on my end to expedite your investigations".

Following that Uthskarp attempts to heal his wounds and returns to the ship along with the rest of the group to begin the rituals of cleansing and purification required of all gear after this battle.

OOC

First Aid Test: [roll0] vs. 42+20 (medikit) = 62

[Lucretia]

Mr. Crensbury coughed politely. "I am sorry to ask so silly a question, but do we know where, precisely, we're going to be going? I've no idea what the mnemolith has within it, but I do doubt it was a direct map."

[Codemus]

After the arbites had rolled in and spoiled his plan, Gant had stood up and walked over to stand with the others.

He finaly piped up when Mr. Crensbury voiced his concerns. "No sir, thats not silly, it is a valid concern. When I peered into it, all I saw was a small portion of space. It was like looking out the porthole of a ship in an unknown system. I do not know where it is in relation to us, I'm afraid. Perhaps the navigator would know."

He was sadened by not being able to perform his own interogation of the attackers, but he could see the reason for speed. He'd keep silent on the matter.

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Hadron spits out a string of binary seemingly into the air. Looking back at the team, specifically Gant, "A very good point. If all we have been shown is a single location, then we must find where that location is. With respect to the Lord-Captain, I would hesitate to return to the ship however. We are not guaranteed that our Navigator would know where the location is. However, we are in fact in one of the best spaceports in the Imperium to find someone that does."

After a while, Hadron's servo-skull returns to his side, bobbing back and forth. Upon seeing him Hadron starts spitting binary towards him again. Occasionally a word of Gothic is slipped in.

Stopping short, he turns back to the group, "That is my recommendation. If what you have been shown has any sort of significant markers, we need to find someone who can recognize them. Discreetly however."

[canjowolf]

"Well," says Uthskarp "first I think that we would need to recreate the image from the mnemolith into a medium that others can understand. Then it might be quicker to compare the image to the port's starmaps, although that would also allow opposition to know the location of our prize. At port there are always eyes watching and ears listening for anything useful, but I don't know if discretion is worth slowing down for at this point".

Turning to the Arbitrator he asks "Excuse me sir, but do you know how common psybers are on this station or someone who would have this information?".

[Lucretia]

The lieutenant was organizing for the corpses to be removed. "A psy-what? I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that sort of thing." Crensbury coughed politely again.

"Perhaps we could trouble one of the psychically gifted among us to simply describe some of the features? Anyone familiar with the Koronus Expanse may be able to tell us something. With the added benefit of being free, of course."

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - A Question Of Authority

Still talking to the arbitrator Uthskarp replies "Hmmm. I see. Do you know of anyone who would know statistical information about psykers and related information aboard this station? I don't know if your branch has a psyker specialist or not, but if you do we need to report that a hostile psyker was part of this attack. You should know the danger that an unsecured psyker may possess". After listening to his answer Uthskarp lets the arbitrator go off to process these individuals.

[DrK]

Siegmund

Siegmund nods at the Explorator's words. Maybe you're right. Although its possible that the Lucre has similar charts on board. Plus we still have Mr Crensbury's friend here and he can fill in some gaps in the information and help get a cloers fix on the image. With competition I'm keen to get underway as soon as we can. He looks about looking for the navigator or the towering giant of an astropath "If you study the mnemolith some more you may be able to extract more information from it.

[rb780nm]

"indeed - perhaps you would so kind as to hand it to me, so that I might see this region of the void for which we search," Iosef says, his impatience clear.

[Lucretia]

"Once we know anything, sir, we'll send a message over to you. But thank you for the warning about a rogue psyker -- such a thing would be incredibly dangerous." With that, the Arbites left for their headquarters.

Orbest Dray ran a hand down his face. "Cap'n, I never saw the place myself, sah. Couldn't guide you there if I even knew where it were, sah, sure as those men died. But I bet there'd be a spacer or two around these parts what who know where it is... or how to get to where it is, if we can even find that out, sah."

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

"Finding a knowledgeable spacer will probably prove no great feat," Adele agrees with Dray. "The trick will be finding one with the knowledge of what we seek as well as the wisdom to keep such knowledge to themselves with others - spacers are not exactly known as models of discretion," she says with a friendly smile, perhaps lessening the sting towards any of the career void-hounds around.

[DrK]

Siegmund

Dear Cousin, if you could take Master Dray and soe guards could you take care of that?. He nods to give the Mnemolith back to Iosef, A moment though, lets see if Iosef can mine any further nuggets from this strange rock.

As for me, I will return to the Lucre and see if if I can find anything within her data banks of the history of the Righteous Path or navigation control about where this could be.


EDIT FOR IOSEF BELOW

If you would have told me what you were doing I would have given you my leadership ability for +10. Cousin Cyn will be making too many checks while Iosef is just making the one so would have been my choice- I can't give it to myself.

[rb780nm]

OOC this is the first time Iosef has touched the memnolith.

I'll assume I get the same vision described above: "As soon as you touch the strange, smooth black stone, a mental image erupts into your mind. In a single second of real time, your mind is shown a stellar location; a flickering star surrounded by a nebula and vast stretches of void, circled by a dust world and a frozen halo. With that, the image ceases."

Iosef's eyes snap open. "I must consult my almanac, but I may be able to identify the starfield I saw." He quickly sketches the salient details onto a data slate.

Iosef races off to the ship, where he buries himself in his notes and artefacts for a time...


Scholastic Lore - Astromancy [roll0] vs 56+10(almanac) = 66
Unless it was a +10 or easier check :(

[DrK]

Siegmund

After some time in his study, safe from prying eyes as he accessed his dark witch heritage his eye's snapped open. Winterscales Realm.

He goes onto a private vox channel down to Iosef. Master Iosef, I would like you to inquire as to the Winterscale's Realm. From the description I suspect that is where it could be. Could you please send the Lady Cyn the information to aid her in her queries?

Then activating another vox caster he contacts his dear cousin. Lady Cousin. Iosef will be sending you some data on the images that he saw in the mnemolith. Please could you inquire into the star clusters in the Winterscale realm.

Then after doing that he orders a light meal brought up to his quarters and contacts Iosef. My lord Tellus, would you care to join me for a light repast? I was always told that a Captain should be well aquanticed with his Navi Nobiliate.

[rb780nm]

Iosef opens a vox channel to the Junior member of the dynasty.

++Lady Cyn, I am transmitting you a sketch of the star system I saw in the Memnolith, and the impressions I received from it.++

After discussing it with her, he took the Lord Captain's second communication.

++Lord Captain, I will be able to join you at the next bell. Will that be convenient?++

In the mean time, Iosef searched out what he could find on "Winterscales Realm" in the books and alamanacs.


We might not know how to get there, but what do we know about it?

Scholastic Lore - Astro [roll0] vs 56

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Before the group splits to their prospective whereabouts Hadron mentions, "Lord, I will return to the ship as well. I'll need to check the engines before departure. Make sure they're running hot. Wouldn't do to have cold engines at this juncture." As he begins to leave, he mentions over the crew's channel, "You might want to start with some reputable shopkeep's first, instead of asking around in bars and other places of ill repute. Find one that's reliable an known for good maps and tight lips. Bound to find someone. It is the logical choice."

As he begins to make his way back to the ship with the rest of the crew headed that way, he blurts some binary into the air, "Bob! Get your head over here!"

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

"I will be sure to keep that in mind, good Hadron," Adele says politely, inwardly rolling her eyes as she had said the same thing but a few minutes past.

"Well, Messrs. Crensbury and Dray, let us see what the station has to offer for such respectable individuals as ourselves," she says to her assigned escort, setting off jauntily into the chaos of the Court of the Dead, armed just with her wits and the knowledge at her disposal. It was generally all she needed - well, that and an inferno pistol, of course.

Inquiry: 65 (+10 from Peer if I come across Nobility or Underworld)
[roll0]
Again, looking for someone to direct me to a person of reputation, not sharing any knowledge up-front.

[Lucretia]

Adele's searches find her many such persons of repute, but without her sharing any information up-front, she obtains all sorts of persons of all sorts of reputations. There are many spacers who would likely know the way to Winterscale's Realm -- well-known, level-headed voidfarers who earned their reputation. She has also learned of a cartographer who sounds like he might be able to adequately provide the services she seeks. She also realizes she could petition the local government for the information, on account of the Writ of Transference and the linking Warrant of Trade.

Iosef learns that Winterscale's Realm is massive, and that the particular stellar indicators point to a specific sector, although how to get there from the greater Winterscale's Realm is another matter entirely -- those are the charts he does not have access to. Iosef realizes getting to the actual Realm wouldn't be difficult -- indeed, he could do so now -- but it would take years, decades perhaps, to delve into each system and find the astronomical markers that the mnemolith showed. He also knows that Winterscale was a Rogue Trader from several centuries ago, and that the Realm is a very rich, well-traversed part of the Expanse.

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Given a choice between the cartographer and the Administratum, Adele quickly chooses the cartographer. While making contacts in the local government was no bad thing for one's business interests, building such relationships took time, and the hoped-for results took almost as long. Perhaps one day in the future if they were intending to spend more time here...

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - A Prayer For The Road

Uthskarp travels to the ship to arrange for his followers to begin a ship-wide prayer for successful transition through the warp. Once his initial arrangements are made and he has seen that the new arrivals are settling in well and working with the existing clergy, Uthskarp travels off to the medical facilities to have his wound looked at and the small hole in his armor repaired.

[Codemus]

Gant followed the captain back to the ship, where he would go to the brige and check out the Astropathic chambers he would soon get to use. Then he would head over to the captains quarters and knock on the door. "Lord-Captain? May I have a word with you please?" He was unsure how thick the door may be, so he raised his voice slighly.

[DrK]

Siegmund.

Responding to the navigators request he nods before spekaing down the microbead. Next bell would be fine Isoef.

THen hearing a knock at the dorr he claps a hand to send one the ships cherubium flying across to open it. Choirmaster Gant. How may I be of service?

[Codemus]

Gant stepped into the room and quickly bowed. "Lord-captain, I would like permission to go to the Arbites precinct to… interrogate one of our attackers. They may have even cracked one of them already, but my way could give a lot more information."

[DrK]

Siegmnund


Gant stepped into the room and quickly bowed. "Lord-captain, I would like permission to go to the Arbites precinct to… interrogate one of our attackers. They may have even cracked one of them already, but my way could give a lot more information."

Siegmund considers the tall gaunt astropath before nodding the affirmative. An excellent idea. However make sure you take at least hald a dozen of Captain Jayne's men with you. You are too valuable to lose. With luck you can discern the nature of the employer of these men.

After that he'll ponder for a minute before contacting the Enginseer-Prime. Master Hadron, I was hoping for a status update on the engines and the weapon systems. It is likley this could be a race, a race with cut-throat competition.

[Codemus]

Gant bowed again. "Thank you Lord-Captain. I shall go at once." He swiftly left the captains chambers and started making his way off the ship. Not knowing where Jayne was, he decided to try the micro bead he was given. Briefly struggling to remember the frequency that jayne was on, he finaly hit on the right one.

"Uh.. erm, Miss Jayne? I hope it's you, I've had the hardest time with this thing." He trailed off with a bit of static and some muffled rustling, then it cleared up. “Sorry about that. Anyway, the Lord-Captain has given me permission to go to the local Arbites precinct to see about the surviving attackers. However, he has commanded me to take along ‘at least half a dozen’, to quote him, of your men so that my safety could be assured. I wouldn't begin to order about your men, so I ask if this arangement is acceptible to you?"

He had hardly any idea where the place was to begin with, but that could be ironed out later.

[brolthemighty]

Hadron

Currently elbow deep in the delicate inner workings of the Shield Emitters, Hadron activates his microbead, "Aye Captain. The Warp Drive is at 98% efficiency. It would be at 100% but a certain servo-skull dropped a wrench in to the plasma. It won't take but 30 minutes to purge the system of the impurity, and that is already under way." Making his final adjustments to tune the shields to a harmonic frequency, he continues, "I just finished with the shields, and will move on to the weapons. I would say that you are probably right, and that this will become a race. I assure you Captain that you will not find the ship wanting."

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne is sitting in her new quarters, trying to organize duty rosters for her men and sipping slowly at a mug of recaff when Gant's communication comes through. "You've got the right person. Gant, the Astropath, right? Well, I wouldn't mind having a crack at those treacherous slives myself, now that you mention it. Give me twenty minutes and I'll have a full squad to bring with us; never hurts to bring a few extra men when dealing with the Arbitrators." She sounds vaguely excited, though she's still quite hesitant about spending more time than necessary with the oversized Astropath. "I'll meet you at the docking arm, if you don't mind." With that, she stops and takeks a quick gulp out of her mug, then thumbs the deactivation rune on her dataslate and slides it carefully into her pocket, in case she needs it to deal with the Arbites. Finally, while listening to Gant's reply she quickly heads to the recaff machine already installed on the corner of her desk and starts brewing another pot to fill up her thermos.

[Codemus]

Gant heard the com cut off just as he was about to say okay. He shrugged and left the ship to wait in the docking arm.

[Lucretia]

Lady Adele finds a cartographer with a reputation for having some skill. Magnate Scrivener Journ, located in the Chambers of Gold. He is an unkempt man, surrounded by maps, charts and almanacs. He smiles at Mr. Crensbury, Ms. Cyn and Mr. Dray in that order.

"Welcome to my... my... humble shop,"he begins, gesturing around."How may I help you, today? The men who told you about me did not say what it was you were looking for."

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele restrains herself from wrinkling her brow in distaste at the unkempt nature of the cartographer and his shop. One did not plot one's way through the void with proper attire and accouterments, after all. But surely an effort could be made to...

She pulls her mind back to the task at hand with a slight effort of will, finding that Journ is also lacking in courtesies as well as sartorial sense, and so she introduces herself. "That is good to hear, for I require discretion as well as sagacity, and found your name coming up in regards to both. I am Adele Cyn i Verguenza, and I am searching for charts relating to certain features in Winterscale's realm..." she begins.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne meets the Astropath at the boarding ramp with a full ten soldiers behind her, grizzled veterans with autoguns slung across their shoulders and battered carapace armour. "Mr. Gant, you're ready to go?" Jayne herself is slightly less heavily armed than before, having left her plasma gun behind for the moment. She isn't anticipating a fight, and the Arbites likely wouldn't be too happy to see it in their precinct to start with. Besides, her Bolt Pistols and Groxwhip should be more than enough, not to mention ten trigger-happy Blades.

[Lucretia]

"Winterscale's Realm, hmm? Of course I'm familiar with it -- who wouldn't be familiar with it, it's very familiar to anyone who's at all familiar with the Expanse, and familiarity breeds contempt, which is what most people have for those who aren't familiar with Winterscale's Realm, what with it being so familiar. But which featuers in particular were you looking for? Without specifics I cannot provide maps; without maps, there's no reason for you to be here; without a reason to be here, you'd be wasting my time, which is something I'm quite familiar and therefore contemptible towards." The verbose, chatty little man leans in conspiratorially.

"Forgive my other side, he can be so rude. Please describe what sort of chart you're looking for, and I will make sure you obtain it... discreetly. It is a service I provide all my customers. Please: how may I help you, honored madam?"

Jayne and Gant would be more than able to find their way to the Arbites Precinct headquarters on Port Wander, if they so choose to -- it was an imposing place, starkly unpleasant. Their journey would be swift and eventless, as no doubt tales of the oversized psyker and his daemonic retinue had spread through the underculture. People pointed at the melted slag at the sight of the fight as proof of the otherworldly power of this devil's coterie, disregarding the truth of the matter in lieu of superstition. However, once at the Precinct, there would be a minor snag in the desire to interrogate the men -- they had been released! For information concerning this event, the two and their guards were informed to approach Precept-Marshall Kyra Valkyran.

[rb780nm]

A short time after the next bell, Navigator Tellus raps on the Lord-Captain's door.

Ready to dine with the captain. Can RP if the captain wants to, or we can skip ahead to the meat of the story.

[Intro]

Lady Adele Cyn i Verguenza (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11621533&postcount=9)

Adele nearly raises her eyebrows at the abrupt shift in Journ's apparent personality, but doesn't let it affect her. If not feigned, a bit of insanity is no impediment to skill after all, and if not, it could simply be a ploy to get opponents off their balance.

"Wonderful," she replies. "I am seeking the stellar features and warp currents leading to a particular location," she begins, and then begins to lay out the features the navigator withdrew from the memnolith. But before she has a chance to finish relaying too many details she asks, seemingly off-handedly, "What might you require in return for such a chart?"

[Codemus]

Gant was taken aback by the news. "Hmm... that dosen't bode well." He said in hushed tones to Jayne. Looking back to the offical, he said "Fine then, where might we find Precept-Marshall Valkyran?"

[Lucretia]

Gant, Jayne and the entourage were shown to the offices of Valkyran. She is a stern looking woman with an expression more of annoyance than anything else on her face. Clearly, Kyra Valkyran did not obtain her post by toadying. The cruel fingers of time have clearly gripped her, for the steel grey hair and dark circles beneath her eyes attest to a hard and long life. She shuffles dataslates and papers on her desk, but the office itself is much like the Precinct -- grim, spartan, stark.

"I take it you are here about that incident in the Court today?" she asks in the accent of a middle-hiver.

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne clears her throat. "Yes, you might say that, Precept. We were hoping to have a little chat with the men who tried to assassinate our Lord Captain a little bit earlier in the day, only to find that they've been conveniently let loose without trial or punishment. Had I known the Arbites had no intention of holding them accountable for the breach of the Emperor's peace, I might have thought twice before turning them over to you." Jayne's words are sarcastic and slightly scornful; she has little use for the Arbites on the best of days, and none at all for those that don't bother to do their jobs. "Now here we are, no assassins to see. If you would kindly tell us everything you know about them, perhaps this entire venture won't have been a waste, and perhaps we'll think about trusting you to maintain the Emperor's justice in the future." She crosses her arms in front of her armoured chestplate, the slightest hint of a sneer on her face.


Perhaps a quick round of good cop bad cop, Codemus? If she thinks you're just barely holding Jayne back from putting a Bolt round through her skull, she might be a little more cooperative.

Intimidate: [roll0] vs. 36
Edit: So she's probably not quaking in her boots. Eh, whatever.

[Codemus]

Gant put a calming hand on Jayne's shoulder. "Take it easy Miss. There is no reason to fly off the handle, as I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation to all this." He looked Valkyran in the eyes (well, as much anyone else could tell) and nodded. "Indeed Miss Valkyran, that is why we are here. You will have to excuse Miss Vendall here for the outburst, though I am no less dismayed to hear the news regarding our attackers. May we know why they were released?"

Sounds good, though if it comes to rolling I'll fair about as well as you just did I fear. :smallbiggrin:

[Lucretia]

The Precept-Marshall was unphased by Jayne's uppity attitude or the astropath's... astropathiness. She looked around her desk, picked up a data-slate and offered it to Gant.

"The men were released because their fine was paid off. As members of a Warranted Trader's crew, and because they didn't manage to actually kill anyone, holding them would have been a waste of our time. They're part of the Fel Dynasty, in case you were wondering. The information is on the slate. We have no conclusive evidence that Fel ordered this himself, so going after him isn't an option. Just as if you or your men began to shoot the station up -- as long as no one is injured, there's only a fine. Unless you did lasting damage to Port Wander, of course.

"Now, I trust there's no additional questions?"

Meanwhile, back at the cartographer's, Journ looked over the information provided and made a series of noises. Finally, he glanced up at Adele. "Well, miss, I can provide a chart for this place, certainly. But I'm afraid I'd have to make a certain request, you understand, a sort of payment. Nothing too difficult, and certainly not out of the way: you'd have to visit Footfall regardless, if you want to go to Winterscale's Realm. You see, I have some texts here, things that aren't actually heretical at all, that I fear might get me in some trouble.

"It's really nothing. The Ecclesiarchy has been purging more and more texts around Port Wander recently, and I'd just... feel better if these were... well, elsewhere. Go to Footfall, speak with Monally. He hangs out at the Crestfallen Saint, a sort of drinking establishment. Give the texts to him, and your payment will be complete. In return for the contract to provide me this service, I will sell you the charts to Magoros." Journ began to shuffle through papers, pulling out several dataslates and rolls of parchment, ostensibly showing the way to Magoros.

[DrK]

Siegmund

An evening with the Lord Captain is begun with fine local delicacies and delicate crystal glasses filled with smoke frothing fancy cocktails. Navis Tellus. Be at ease, this is merely a get to know you dinner. I have always been told that it is important for the Navis and the Lord Captain to be well acquainted and trust each other,.

After that its merely small talk and friendly chatter as he regales the navigator with his experiences in the Navy and his hopes for the ship.
How do you think the others are faring?

[Codemus]

Gant sighed but did a small bow. "Thank you, that has at least answered a few questions. I have no further questions. Miss Vendall, do you have further questions?"

[rb780nm]

"An interesting question, Lord-Captain Cyn. I have only just met them, but for the most part everyone performed adequately in that little fracas back in the port," Iosef says, pouring another goblet of amasec for each of them. "In all honesty, I don't know about the enginseer - he's a strange one. You might want to keep an eye out for a replacement."

No offense If you're still listening, Brol

Also, if I can't not notice the lord-captain's talents, here's a psynscience roll

[roll0]

[DaedalusMkV]

Jayne shakes her head. "No, don't suppose I do. Trader crews are trader crews; we should've taken one of them ourselves, not left them for the Arbites. Lessons learned for next time, right?" She shoots a distasteful look at the Arbitrator. "Well, thank you for cooperating. I honestly hope we don't have to meet again." With that, she stands up and opens the door, waiting on the Astropath.
Once both are back outside the Arbites precinct and surrounded again by her squad of retainers, she comments. "So. Shall we look into this Fel Dynasty, then, or back to the ship? I wouldn't mind knowing a bit more about who we're dealing with, and I'm sure the Lord Captain wouldn't either."

[canjowolf]

Uthskarp - At Rest?

Uthskarp continues to submit to the ship's apothecaries while he wonders if there is anything that he should be doing at port instead of organizing masses and resting in the medbay.