Black Crusade - Hand of Corruption IC

[Maugan Ra]

You have walked many paths to reach this place, seen many sights and done many things saner men might dismiss as impossible. The Dark Gods make no distinction between noble and pauper, visionary and madman, and the journey one must undertake in their service is not a simple one.

You have walked through seas of blood and oceans of tears to get here, travelled beneath inverted skies and through warrens of chittering monsters. You have spoken with things that have no mouths, and listened to songs sung without sound. You may, perhaps, have gone mad somewhere along the way - it no longer matters. All that matters is the message, and this room to which it has brought you.

The message was simple enough, if complex in its implications. A single sheet of parchment, contained within a sealed leather envelope, delivered to you by a shaking functionary clad in simple robes. On it, written in ink and with the kind of precise handwriting that speaks of immense attention to detail, was the following:


I am pleased to inform you that a mysterious and rare event has occurred and, though it is not immediately apparent, it involves you directly. I am Renkard Copax, the Mendacious Oracle of the Temple of Lies. My forebears and I have, for many generations, foretold the destinies of a great many fortunate - and a few unfortunate - souls. It is our responsibility to receive visions from the Dark Gods and dispense them to those worthy of the knowledge the Gods have chosen to impart. Consider yourself one such individual.

A vision, unlike any other I have received in my great years, has been given to me and cannot be ignored. I would even go to such a length as to demand your presence here on Kymerus, rather than merely extend my invitation. I say this because failure to impart my vision would damn us both in the eyes of the great Master of Magic, Tzeentch, and the other powers as well. Were I simply to have written it on this parchment, you would likely have understood it, but in matters of such weight it is only safe to speak in person.

Your transportation and living expenses have been arranged for. Furthermore, you will be granted access to the entirety of the Temple's services and vast libraries, both when you arrive and forever afterwards.

Be assured, what you will learn from me greatly outweighs any concerns you may possess. I look forwards to making your acquaintence.

For your own reasons, be it avarice or obedience or simple curiosity, you followed the enclosed instructions to your transportation. It turned out to be a raiding ship, a dagger shaped vessel half a mile long painted in deep red hues and bearing the iconography of Convent X, a notorious pirate group. The crew, as hard and vicious as any murdering scum you could find throughout the galaxy, initially greeted you with derision and predatory intent. Upon presentation of the invitation, however, they became suddenly far more cooperative, even reverent.

Now here you stand within that selfsame ship, gathered in what is unmistakeable some kind of ritual chamber along with seven other individuals. It seems you are not to make the trip to the Temple of Lies unaccompanied. There is a large, stylized symbol on the floor, the eight pointed star of Chaos Undivided, and almost without thinking everyone appears to have gravitated towards one of the points.

The first to speak is a stunningly beautiful mortal woman in robes of soft grey. She pulls back her hood and regards you all with mismatched eyes - one a pale blue color, the other yellow and narrowed like a cats.

"Welcome, my lords. I am Elrika, called the Seer, and I am to serve as your guide on this most portentous of journeys. Please, any questions you may have, voice them now and I shall answer. I live only to serve."

Her voice is soft and, though the words are respectful, the tone is caustic and mocking to a point just shy of outright insulting.

(And... Go. Feel free to describe your character's physical appearance and ask any relevant questions. First impressions are important, remember.)

( OOC thread - http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249675)

[Gamgee]

Durzon
Durzon stands near one of the points of the star, he is staring at Elrika trying to size her up. After a few seconds he finally decides to speak "Greetings Elrika, I have to wonder why you would serve us? You must be working with someone, we would all trust each other a lot more if you share this information. So, are you working with anyone?" As a mere afterthought he adds "I presume you are touched by the powers of the warp, a psyker?"

[Thragka]

The servo-skull hovers motionlessly in place, the gleaming instruments in its eye sockets remaining fixed on Elrika as Caroflex looked at each of the others in turn. His mouth, of course, is covered by his respirator unit, but his bright eyes beneath the azure hood suggest that he is smiling.

"ɢʀᴇᴇᴛɪɴɢs," he begins in robotic tones - an expression of annoyance flickers across his face and the heretek lifts his right hand to his chin, bionic fingers fiddling at a vox-grille. When he speaks again, the voice sounds more, if not entirely, human. "Greetings, Elrika. It seems you know us all, and yet you leave us at a disadvantage by not conducting the introductions." A thin mechadendrite slithers out from under his robes and waves to the others. "I am called Caroflex."

[Maugan Ra]

"I serve the Mendacious Oracle of the Temple, making sure his divine work can proceed without interruption or too much difficulty. And yes, I have the honor of possessing the warp sight, a reward for my service."

"As for the introductions, those I shall have to leave to your worthy selves. You were invited, and that is all I know of you. I have seen dozens, even hundreds of supplicants conveyed to the Temple, and remembering the names of them all would simply be a bore."

[Rizhail]

Leaning against the wall a few steps back from the Chaos star on the floor, Nicodemus let his hands rest near, though not quite on, the grips of his bolt pistols. He cast a wary eye on the others in the room, his hat tilted back on his head to give him a clear view.

In response to a few of the others introducing themselves, he merely nodded once and said, "Nico," preferring to speak as little as possible amongst so many obvious Chaos worshippers. He certainly wasn't a humble supplicant of the Golden Throne anymore, but Nic still found the ruinous powers and their followers uncomfortable to be around.

He simply waited for the others to continue, hoping someone could shine a light on what exactly was going on here. Considering the tone of the odd-eyed psyker who'd spoken first, Nic almost hoped for a firefight to start. As far as he was concerned, a plasma bolt between that one's eyes would do the universe a world of good.

[Gamgee]

Durzon
"Now that you have introduced yourself I will do those same honors to you. I am Durzon, some even say I am wretched. I assure you my detractors have never had the chance to meet me or they would most likely not have given me the moniker." He gives a curt bow to Elrika, but at least it is some sign of cooperation. "I think most of us here are on the path of divine work, what makes your so much more different and special? Everyone has their plans. Perhaps most importantly is will we get to meet your master?"

Actions:
Looking for anything unusual or out of the ordinary. Eye catching or suspicious if at all. Even if its about Elrika herself. Awareness [roll0] vs 35

[RadicalD]

The idea was so delicious Aristana could taste it, to travel to the Temple of Lies, a vision of Tzeentch, the only chaos god worthy of honor, she could feel all of her life work rendering fruits in that instant, and what beautiful fruits those where. The libraries, the vision, the simple thoughts she could made out of them, were enough to drive her wild, so much knowledge, one step more towards the forbidden.

She devoured the girl with her eyes, trying to sense any trace of powers in her, and to see anything worth about those apparent mutations, a servant of the chaos gods was bound to have some, and this would say much about her. In the meanwhile, she followed the rest, answering with her name only, “Aristana”

[Maugan Ra]

Durzon and Aristana:
You can both confirm one fact very easily - Elrika is Marked on her very soul. It can be seen plainly on her aura, on the way she holds herself and looks at you all.
Aristana is aware that she was likely a witch before the Marking, though it is impossible to tell how strong.

Elrika smiles coldly at Durzon, not in the slightest part intimidated by the difference in their size or armament. That speaks either of great power on her part, or an insanity that is bone deep. Possibly both.

"The predictions of the temple have never been wrong, not once in the uncounted centuries that it has operated. A mark of favor from our patron. All that fails is mortal interpretation of our prophecies. Far too often, the petitioner hears what they wish to hear, and blind themselves towards subtle nuance or interpretation. The name of the Temple was coined by one such unhappy individual many years ago.

And yes, you will see the Oracle personally. Visions such as this are not to be risked by relay through unreliable functionaries and middlemen. "

[KreenWarrior]

Xanatos towers above mortals in attendance. His armor is multicolored, mainly black but with bands and trim of gold, red and green, and decorated with Chaos symbols (mainly the eight-pointed star and symbols of Tzeentch). All traces of whatever his original chapter was are obliterated. His helmet is removed, displaying a man, perhaps once handsome but now horribly scarred from acid or fire. "I am Xanatos, called the Defiler. I hope this request was worthwhile, and not some trick, for it stole me away from vital work." In truth, he was more than excited by the promised opportunity to plunder the temple's libraries and achieve a closer level of communion with Tzeentch, but none knew more than Tzeentch's disciples that treachery was the very nature of the god.

[Thragka]

A high staccato chattering emerged from Caroflex's mouthpiece - after a moment, it modulated down to become something approaching a giggle. "Ahh, a pedlar of cryptic visions and prophecies, be you clairvoyant or charlatan. What an exquisite puzzle for us to unravel!" The Heretek clapped his hands, steel fingers on the right gleaming. "I am so looking forward to this."

[Tychris1]

Carnus stands two positions over from the oracle and inspects her body with great pleasure, he towers over most of the others, standing a good 8 feet tall, and he looks about the room to get a rough grasp of his fellow heretics. His armor a bright pink with dark hues around the edges and warped angel designs over his body. What once were proud white wings of the emperor were now golden sharp pauldrons of the dark prince. He takes his helmet off and puts it down to the side, a smile on his face and his fair blonde hair falling down with ease. His helmet off, Carnus looks at the Heretek with a smile and says "It's good to see someone in a good mood over getting tangled in the great backstabbers convoluted plots." he says with only the slightest tint of sarcasm "But ah, my name. I am Carnus Hastur, Lord of the Angels of Sin. And, my dear oracle, I have but one question for your wiseness. You say the temple has never predicted anything wrong, and it is positioned within the Screaming Vortex a generally safe location, but not impenetrable. Tell me, how well can it defend against the corpse god's slaves. Truly if a prophecy of such great urgency is unfolding within it the imperial dogs will certainly seek to intervene. Not that I would oppose the promise of using Dragons Tongue again."

Carnus is going to try and butter her up and get her to favor him. This post will be the first part of the charm attempt on her.
[roll0] VS. 52

[Maugan Ra]

"The temple has never been attacked by the children of the Corpse, but we maintain a standing force of sworn protectors none the less. The Inevitable Guards stand ready to punish any foolish actions, and amongst our libraries are a great many rituals for summoning aid."

There is an unmistakeable warning in Elrika's mismatched eyes as she explains this to you all, and you get the feeling that she would almost be pleased if one of you got caught trying something.

--------

The journey to Kymerus takes precisely one week, the passage being mostly unnotable. The ship's captain, De'Trax of the Bloodscent, seems to regard your presence as both auspicious and dangerous in equal measure. The majority of his thousands-strong crew seem to agree with him, and so stay far away from your assigned quarters for the duration of the trip.

Arriving in orbit over Kymerus, you descend via a boxy, ungainly lifter that shakes worryingly during the entire descent. It eventually deposits you at the outskirts of a ramshackle looking port town sitting in the centre of a blistering desert, before promptly lifting off again the moment that you've disembarked. Elrika walks ahead of your group, her robes rippling in the desert wind.

"My presence is required if you wish to enter the Temple grounds unmolested, and I have little desire to spend any time in this wretched place." she says cooly as she goes, hardly bothering to look at you. "The port is called Carrion Corpse, and all in all it is a thoroughly uninspiring little hole, useful only for resupplying the ships that pass through here. There isn't a single true devotee among the entire population, with the exception of..."

Elrika's voice trails off as she comes to a sudden halt, and the reason is easy to see. Standing motionless in the middle of the dirt track ahead of you is an absolute giant of a man, clad in bloodstained plates of ceremite armour that might once have been white. His face is obscured by a silver mask, worked into the visage of a snarling dog's head, and in his hands he grips a massive chain-glaive. His voice is a low growl, tinged with madness and bloodlust.

"I am the Disciple of Crox! Who will challenge a champion of the Lord of Skulls?"

"...him." Elrika finishes with a sigh.

[Thragka]

Caroflex eyed the brute with disdain. How boring to devote oneself to mindless slaughter when there were so many much more artistic ways to alter the human form. But the heretek knew he had no chance to best the monstrous warrior before him in single combat, as much as he would relish the oaf being taken down a notch. He caught Hastur's eye and raised one pale eyebrow.

[Tychris1]

Carnus looked at the heretek, is helmet fully on this time around. Golden angel wings curling at the side of his head with devilish red eyes for him to look out of. Nodding slowly he steps forward and pulls Dragon's Tongue out of her Sheathe and holds it with both hands. "Come forth, follower of Crox, and you shall find honor and skill in my blade. Oh, my most sincerest apologies, in the event that your mindless savagery has made you inept in the art of words allow me to put it in laymens terms; I accept your challenge in the name of the Dark Prince. Now the question comes to bear, are you prepared to face a Lord of Sin?"

[Gamgee]

Durzon
"Ah, a fellow follower along the path of slaughter. If you bar my way, you know how this will end. Just one more for the throne. If it were not for our haste I would have fought you outright. Leave now before I rip out your entrails and I hang you with them. Now get the hell out of our way, I have an important event to attend." Durzon's hand moves to his power sword, already he is preparing for combat.

Actions
Intimidate: [roll0] vs 50 (60 if he is "weaker" or beneath me thanks to my talent)

[Maugan Ra]

"A follower of the Prince? Truly, my lord has blessed me this day. Single combat, no quarter." The Disciple growls, sounding positively eager. The chain glaive whirs into life, and you think you can see a faint flickering light coming from around the jagged teeth.

Then, the Disciple is in motion, barreling forwards like a freight train, heading directly for Carnus.

OK, he's attacking Carnus. Charge attack with berserk charge and all out attack. Rolling against effective weapon skill of one hundred and ten.


Ok, so that translates to three hits, due to swift attack. Feel free to dodge or parry, otherwise this is going to be hits against your arm, arm and torso. E glaive is blessed and so doesn't break under the power field rules.
Damage hit one: [roll]3d10b2+8
Damage hit two: 3d10b2+8
Damage hit three: 3d10b2+8

[Maugan Ra]

(Sorry, dice roller is playing up a bit here. Add eight to each of these damage results, and they are pen 2)
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Tychris1]

Smiling, Carnus raises his sword to parry the chain glaive, his sword almost glowing with a disturbing pink aura as the blade comes to blows with the glaive. He soon follows up with his own rapid assault.

Parry against the charge [roll0] VS 55 (Spending 1 infamy point)
Taking 2 half actions to hit back with standard attacks:
Hit one:[roll1] VS 55
Hit two:[roll2] VS 55

[Tychris1]

Damage:[roll0] (This will be going onto his head with a Pen of 6. The sword naturally deals +6, which is improved by the strength bonus of +7 and the unnatural strength bonus of +4. Tell me if I'm doing any of that wrong, this is my first combat and I don't want to screw up.)

[Maugan Ra]

The two weapons lock together with a hideous shrieking sound, whirring chain blade and crackling power field producing a torrent of multicoloured sparks every time they touch. The initial exchange is balanced, both warriors deflecting the blows of their opposing number in a rapid-fire exchange of attacks and parries. The Disciple backs off slightly.

"For a decadent follower of the Prince, you have some skill with a blade. Your skull shall be a fitting tribute to my lord." he notes in his gravelly voice, sounding like he's paying you the highest of compliments.

Then he comes in again, swinging his snarling weapon in a series of wide, heavy blows.

[roll0] to hitIf it misses, Blademaster allows for a reroll: [roll1]

As noted, no combining Swift Attack with AoO, so he's going for the former option.

[Maugan Ra]

With swift attack, that makes two hits, to the legs this time. Again, add 8 to these, pen2.

Edit: Ignore the second hit, as per discussion in Out of Character thread.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Tychris1]

Again he follows with another parry and a swift slash with his blade. "Surrender now and I'll spare you, Bloodmonger. This is your one chance to join the Prince of Torment."

Parry:[roll0] VS 55
To hit:[roll1] VS 55
Wounding:[roll2]

[RadicalD]

It had been a long trip, but gave Aristana enough time to meditate about what things she would be uncovering on the temple, and what prophecy had been done. She was delighted when they finally left the ship, and wondered about the history of the port they were currently standing, and where did the name come from. As she heard Elrika talk, and the brutish warriors challenge each other, trying to guess who had the biggest manhood, she stood back, and relaxed. It would be a good time as ever to gauge the power of her temporary companions, and who knew, maybe if she was lucky, one or two wouldn’t be continuing on the road ahead.

[Maugan Ra]

Critical damage on Carnus:
The last strike from the Disciple knocked Carnus' leg at an awkward angle, resulting in strained and possible torn muscles. You take one level of fatigue, which puts you at a -10 to all your tests until it is healed.

The Disciple laughs cruelly, barely seeming to notice the long, jagged scar in the flesh of his right arm. The blood that flows from the wound hisses slightly as it hits the ground.

"Surrender? I think you overestimate your chances, Slanneshi wretch. "

[Maugan Ra]

The Disciple spends this round making a Called Shot at Carnus' head, looking for a decapitation. -20, no bonuses, so he tests against a score of 30. Blademaster allows a reroll if it misses.
[roll0]
[roll1]
And if it hits, damage will be [roll2] +8 at pen 2.

[Tychris1]

Expertly skidding out of the way Carnus slams Dragons Tongue towards the Khornate worshipped with great vigor, spitting "WRETCH. WRETCH, Listen to me you miserable cretin I am the lord of a chaos cult! You're just some mad highway man who fancies himself a warrior."

To Hit:[roll0] VS 55
To Wound:[roll1]

[Maugan Ra]

The Disciple leans backwards, avoiding the savage attack, and laughs. "Now that's more like it! Battle isn't a pretty little show, it's a furious slaughter! Come on, slay me if you can!"

He returns to his series of rapid strikes.
[roll0]
Blademaster reroll [roll1]

[Maugan Ra]

A result of ten against a WS of 50 means three hits, to the Head, Head and Arms.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
As before, add eight to the above and treat as Pen 2.

[Tychris1]

Sliding his blade forward he attempts to block the glance and follow with his own rapid assault, "Battle is my art, and I shall paint this ground with your blood."

Parry:[roll0] VS 65 (Burning another point of infamy to add +10, what with 3 attacks and all)
To hit:[roll1] VS 55
To wound:[roll2]

[Maugan Ra]

The Disciple knocks the incoming strike aside, and goes for you once more, not saying a word.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Maugan Ra]

Two hits this time from that first roll, now both to the torso. Damage and pen as before.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Thragka]

Caroflex cocked his head slightly, continuing to eye the fight with interest. His fellow Slaaneshi did not seem to be holding his own very well, but that was surely not the heretek's fault. All he'd done was raise an eyebrow; you could hardly argue that that was an incitement to violence.

[Gamgee]

Durzon
Durzon is emitting a low grumbling to himself like a barely contained predator waiting for slaughter. He continues to watch the fight, he is flexing his hand gripping the hilt of his still sheathed power sword. It's very clear he is tempted to just start swinging. His posture only hints at the anger hoping for a chance to escape.

[Tychris1]

Carnus raises his sword to block the chain glaive just as a beam of light shoots forward to hit the disciple in the head. From the direction of the shot was a semi armoured man who had been keeping himself hidden as far away from the fight as possible, a long las in his hands readying another shot. With his cultist backing him up Carnus strikes again with renewed vigor.

Parry:[roll0] VS 65
To hit:[roll1] VS 65
To Wound:[roll2]

Long Las: Standard Attack:[roll3] VS 105

[Tychris1]

Long Las to wound:[roll0] 3d10 for the 2 degrees of success thing, pen of 1 ignores unnatural toughness of 4 and lower.

[Maugan Ra]

The Disciple staggers backwards as the shot strikes him in the centre of his wolf-faced helm.

"You dishonorable little bastard! I'll rip you limb from..."

That is as far as he gets before the power sword in Carnus' hands catches him in the right shoulder. The searing energy superheats the bone marrow and chars the flesh, and with a disgusting sound the entire joint explodes into pieces. The Disciple is thrown sideways through the air, crashing down in a heap of tangled limbs and clattering metal that smokes gently from the force of the blow. He does not rise again.

Elrika makes a visible show of looking at her chronometer. "Are you about finished?"

[Tychris1]

Carnus looks at the devilish women, glances at the corpse, nudges it with his power armoured toe, and shrugs "Yeah I'd think so." and as he walks back to regroup with everyone, sheathing his blade in the process, he hears a raspy snappy voice say "Nice swordsmanship there, boss. Maybe next time you can go without a headshot in the middle of a duel." if anyone bothered following the source they would see it came from the same traitor guardsmen in the battle. A smirk of annoyance on his face, Carnus shoves the guardsmen to the ground and they both smile for a brief moment, but return to their solemn destiny involving the changer of ways in a matter of moments.

[Maugan Ra]

Carnus gains two points of infamy for that fight, representing Slannesh's favor with you defeating a champion of Khorne. However, ending it by using a ranged weapon from a previously uninvolved individual earns Khorne's displeasure, and gains you three corruption.

Elrika turns without a word and continues leading you onwards. The journey to the temple takes approximately half an hour as you cross some two miles of baking desert at a brisk pace. Overhead, the sky waxes between purple and pale green in hue, while the pale orb of a solitary moon can be seen despite the daylight hours. Here and there you see the odd shower of multi-colored meteorites streaking through the atmosphere, though none land close to your positions.

Eventually, you crest the final hill and lay eyes on the Temple itself. A large field of wreckage and rubble stretches out for several square miles around what can only be the twisted form of a crashed starship. Judging by the rust and decay on the debris all around you, it must have been here for several centuries, held steady by the way the initial impact jammed it into the very bedrock of the planet and baked the sand around it into a shimmering field of glass.

The ship's hull has clearly been modified at some point, for a great set of golden doors now stand proud in the side facing you, and the entire surface has been carefully reworked with all manner of arcane script and blasphemous sigils. The ship's bridge remains the highest point, held easily half a mile above the desert floor by the way the vessel landed, and around it's up thrust dome you think you can see the wheeling, manta-like forms of several daemonic creatures. Screamers of Tzeentch, to be precise, some apparently towing great chariots of fire through the air.

There is a cohort of soldiers waiting for you at the bottom of the hill, all of them large and well muscled with their faces concealed behind mirrored visors. Each carries a crackling glaive in their hands, and has a large pistol strapped to their hip. Elrika turns to regard you all.

"Welcome to the Temple of Lies. I will go and inform the Oracle of your arrival, and fetch you when he is prepared to see you. It will likely be several hours. In the meantime, you are free to explore the temple grounds. The Librarium is within the ship itself - one of the guards will escort you at all times." she looks over at Carnus. "We'll have someone attend to those wounds as well. In the mean time, I urge you to make the most of your stay. This is a rare privilege."

Carnus, your wounds will be healed by sorcery if you do not object. Otherwise, if everyone can please tell me what they wish to get up to while they're here - any books they want to look for, topics they wish to discuss, that sort of thing.

[Tychris1]

Ok, quick question, how much XP did Carnus earn from that encounter?

Carnus followed the rabble crowd across the strange planet, barely glancing at the sky as meteors soared by. As they finally arrive to the temple a long whistling sound could be heard emenating from Rodrick's lips accompanied with the words "That's a big ol beaut". Carnus and his lackey listen to the women go on, and when she solos the Marine out he smiles at her and says "Thank you for your hospitality, I've been meaning to have someone kiss my wounds and make them better." which is quickly followed with a look of disdain from Rodrick at Carnus, before rolling his eyes and following the tank on legs.

Carnus will not refuse the healing. He will spend his time first at the librarium, looking up books on Slaanesh, Raptors (And Jetpack use in general), and any rituals involving Slaanesh and her daemons (etc etc). Afterwards he'll find any spots of worship (Slaaneshi or not, albeit he'll probably attract more to the former) and try to get a following of his own and recruit worshippers to bolster his cult. Rodrick will strut around and try to size up the guard and look tougher then him.

[Maugan Ra]

Carnus receives 120xp for his fight with the Disciple.

While from the outside the Temple of Lies looks reasonably mundane, once you pass through the doors the illusion is swiftly shattered. The entire interior of the hull has been hollowed out and replaced by an echoing, empty chamber quite a bit larger than the outer size would have suggested, though this may just be a trick of perspective.

Within this otherwise empty space are ornate staircases, dozens of them all apparently carved from some kind of marble. They wind their way up through the cavernous room in an intricate array of criss-crossing pathways and intersecting junctions. Not all of them seem to obey the laws of physics, from the relatively benign - arches that should never be able to stand under their own weight, or ones that seem parallel right up until they intersect - to the positively bizarre, like the sections where the staircases loop and corkscrew and occasionally run along the underside of other routes. Any area that you aren't looking directly at almost seems to move in the corner of your gaze.

A hunched figure swathed in concealing robes listens to your requests and leads you through the maze of passages as though he was born there. There don't seem to be any bookcases or reposistories of lore right up until you reach the nearest corner, whereupon suddenly bookshelves appear as though they slid out from behind empty space to stand ready for your inspection.

Carnus finds a great many different tomes talking of Slannesh and it's daemons, though relatively few on the Raptors - save where prominent members of their kind turned up in some prophecy or other. In particular, he finds a series of manuscripts that go to great lengths on how to summon and treat with Daemonettes and other lesser daemons. The staff here don't seem keen to let you take any of the materials away from here, but it shouldn't be too hard to make a copy of the pertinent details.

You find no other visitors to the temple within, and the Guards and assorted guides seem immune to your attempts to speak on the matter of devotions. Rodrik engages in a silent contest with the guard following you easily enough, though he's at something of a disadvantage considering the guard is apparently immune to vertigo.

[Thragka]

Caroflex regards the interior of the Temple of Lies with excitement, devouring it with his eyes. “What an ... interesting structure,” he proclaimed, honest emotion in his crackling voice. “I will enjoy investigating your Temple. I must be grateful for your master’s invitation in this regard, if for nothing else.”

Caroflex is happy to spend an hour or two wandering as much of the Temple as possible, looking for interesting aspects of its construction, any particularly noteworthy technology found within and any hints as to the original purpose of the vessel. Then he intends to go to the Library to do a bit of research on similar topics about the ship, and anything about archaeotech in general.

Rolls if necessary, both against 48:
Common Lore (Tech) [roll0]
Forbidden Lore (Archaeotech) [roll1]

[Tychris1]

Carnus will copy down the material he finds of treating with Daemonettes and their kin. He'll also copy down the stories of the most famous raptors and their prophecies, all of this writing "of course" will be delegated to Rodrick to hold onto and do. From their he will ask to leave the temple grounds to test out the jump pack he had "Rightfully earned for the glory of Slaanesh" from a foolhardy Raptor (OOC: Can I spend the XP I earned to be trained in Operate: Aeronautica. My character isn't incredibly agile, but it wouldn't make much sense for an ex assault marine to not know how to use a jump pack.)

[KreenWarrior]

Xanatos ignores the books on sorcery for now. Although they call to him, he knows that the unique and rare books of Tzeentch's deeper secrets are beyond his capabilities for the moment. Instead, he endeavors to further his scholastic studies, searching in particular for a rare set of scrolls known as the Precepts of Agron, a treatise on politics and leadership by a renowned Tzeentchian acolyte who lived millenia ago.

Xanatos, it seems, has ambitions, he wants to establish his own domain one day and is working to make it happen.

[Gamgee]

Durzon
Durzon finds a place to mediate to Khorne. Practicing his fighting technique for as long as need be in his kinetic meditation and prayer to his god.

[Maugan Ra]

Caroflex:
The artificer has a keen kind, and a working understanding of both mundane technology and the possible applications of the warp lore. His insight leads him to several books in particular, which deal with strange rituals for warping space and creating the impossible.

With the formulae that you develop from these books and your observations, and the aid of a suitably potent psyker, it should be possible for Carnoflex to design and build structures similar to the Temple himself. The possible applications for bending space and physics in this manner, I leave to you.

Carnus:
Rodrick, quite naturally, grumbles a bit about the work, but does it anyway. It is quite acceptble to spend your xp on that skill. And you can easily get some practice in with the jump pack outside the walls of the temple... Though at least one of the Screamers takes to following you around like a curious puppy. A curious, daemonic, flying manta-ray of a puppy.

Xanatos:
The guides recognize the name of the text immediately, and lead you to their copy of the work. A full study of the precepts is impossible within your available timeframe, but the text does note that among the servants of the True Gods, power and influence can often be obtained by possessing items or relics of particular value or legend. It is even better if said items hold a mostly unaffiliated history with any of the Gods in particular.

(Plot? No, not at all...)

Durzon:
No one objects too much to your practicing, though they insist (at not-quite-gunpoint) any worship to the Blood Gos be done outside the Temple. In the middle of your devotions, you notice you appear to have drawn the attention of one of the Tzeentchan daemons, which is making lazy orbits of your position... And slowly drifting closer.

[RadicalD]

Bathing with the images floating in front of her, Aristana follows Elrika towards the temple, it seemed too simple, which meant it was more likely an illusion or that it looked that way to confuse strangers. The truth was revealed once they entered, and it wasn’t disappointing at all, still, she did not trust it fully, it would only be natural for more illusions to be in place. She decides that the Librarium will be the best place to start, and informs the hunched figure of it. Following him and taking into account the guard following her in turn, she starts to search through the various tomes for ones specifically about Tzeentch, Psykers, Warp or Sorcery.

[Tychris1]

Carnus smiles at the daemon manta ray puppy thing, and proceeds to try and play with it (Naming it Steve in the process) despite the repeated warnings from Rodrick that it will try to kill him and that "We can't trust it" but Carnus ignores him, Tzeentch is an Ally of Slaanesh and thus Carnus will be an ally to Steve. From their he'll further practice his jump pack following the beast around and doing loops, twirls, and other tricks as he does so.

/OOC Is their any roll I need to make for this (Daemon mastery, Fellowship) or is it just doing this out of pure curiosity? And thanks, hopefully I can get my Agility up and be able to use my jump pack more. /OOC

[Rizhail]

Nico takes the time to head to the library as well, deciding that he'd like to know as much as he can about this place and its inhabitants as he can before meeting the head honcho.


Apologies on the late posting; an unusually busy week turned into an unusually busy weekend as well.

Nic is looking for anything specifically related to the history of the temple, the types of guardians (both human and otherwise) it tends to employ, and anything writings that detail prophecies laid out by the oracle.

[Maugan Ra]

Aristana:
There are literally hundreds of tomes on those subjects available. You suspect that with access to them, learning how to best apply your powers would be far easier. This will come up again later in the adventure.

Carnus:
No test required, and the daemon seems quite content to simply follow you around in curiosity. Though you do get the constant impression it is mocking you, every time it replicates one of your maneuvers with considerably more grace.

Nico:
The chronicles of the Temple and it's past prophecies are all available, but they do not appear to have been stored in anything resembling a logical order or with any kind of referencing guide. Finding anything specific would take far longer than you currently have available. The guardians are easier to learn about - aside from the Inevitable Guards, who all appear to be humans with ensorcelled weapons, there are references to numerous bound daemons and employed psykers.

One side note is that there is also mention of 'elite operatives' on loan from the Sorcerer's World of Q'sal. No details though.

After precisely two hours, Elrika tracks you all down again and bids you follow her. She leads you up through the shifting staircases of the Librarium with an ease and familiarity that speaks of long experience, quite more than would be expected given her reasonably youthful visage.

"I warn you, watch how you conduct yourself in the Oracle's presence. He takes his position and it's duties seriously, and suffers no insult from those he considers his inferiors... which is to say, damn near everyone." she explains as she leads you, and there is no disguising the touch of personal experience inherent in the warning... Nor the bitterness.

Eventually, you reach the very highest peak of the inside chamber, where the stairs terminate at a simple wooden trapdoor set into the ceiling. Elrika opens it and climbs up the revealed ladder, beckoning you to follow her. The room at the top is quite different from the ship's bridge it appears to be outside.

A large, circular room under a crystal dome, the chamber is arrayed in a picture of scholarly disorder. Rugs, tables and small chairs are strewn about the interior, and wooden shelves lined with thick-bound books line the walls, accessed by a series of rising balconies and walkways. The air practically seethes with residual magical power.

An elderly man is seated near the centre of the room, intently studying a thick tome laid out before him. He is thin, almost skeletal in build, and his grey hair is shoulder length and straggly. Around the exposed areas of his neck and hands, you think you can see scars and sections of discolored skin. He waves one hand in a distracted gesture.

"Leave us, slave."

Behind you, Elrika visibly stifles a retort and retreats down through the hatchway, closing it behind her. The old man looks up at you, and you see that he evidently lost his eyes some time ago. One has been replaced by an augmentic, but the other remains gaping and empty, rimmed with scar tissue. " A shame that the future of this temple resides in that pathetic thing, wouldn't you agree? Fortunately, that will not have to be the case... and that is part of the reason I have summoned you here. I am curious, though, as to why you responded. What do you hope to gain from this little trip? What is it you desire?"

[Rizhail]

Seeing no one else speak up, Nico rests his hands on his hips and speaks up. "My reason is simple. Someone with a lot of resources and influence went through the trouble of tracking me down and offering me safe passage here, all on account of a prophecy or vision or somesuch. I only respect the Dark Gods enough to want to avoid being under their gaze, so finding out whatever you want and taking care of it ASAP is likely in my best interest."

"Besides, answering your summons is likely safer and more interesting then spending time anywhere else in this warp ridden section of space," he finishes with a shrug.

[Thragka]

Caroflex eyed the Oracle in silence, choosing his response carefully. "As my new comrade says, it would be impertinent - and boring - to turn down so generous and enticing an offer. But you ask what we desire, and I must ask you in turn why our desires should have an ugly ulterior motive. Desire," he said, savouring the word, "is an end, not a means to an end. My vocation is the union of the transcendent flesh, and the dissolution of the borders between blood and steel."

[RadicalD]

“Oracle” starts Aristana, bowing reverently, even though he has lost his eyes, she expects him to feel her movements one way or another. She suspects, albeit she does not try to perceive, that he is or must be a powerful psyker. “I am, but a seeker of knowledge and that is what has brought me here. The idea of rejecting such an offer was beyond my imagination; I could not do it, nor even think about it. Thus I am here, a humble servant, regretting that time wasn’t kind enough back at the Librarium”

[Maugan Ra]

The Oracle nods, slowly, and stands up. He closes the thick tome in front of him carefully, and cradles it as though it were a newborn child. "Much as I thought. I would prefer to remain here and deal with this myself, but I recieved word shortly before you came in that my other guests have arrived, and I am consequently rather pressed for time."

He takes a step back, reaches out with one hand and drags it downwards. An extended finger leaves a brilliant vertical line hanging in the air, which the Oracle steps behind and vanishes, as though he had just gone around a corner.

At the same moment, the skylight overhead explodes apart into a cloud of oddly colored dust, rapidly pulled away by the high winds raging outside. Dropping in through the sudden gap comes a full squad of twelve of the Inevitable guard, who land in perfect battle spread around your group, two handed glaives held ready in gloved fists. A pair of the 'guides' who showed you around the librarium earlier in the day emerge onto the balconies surrounding the room, warp-light glittering around their hands. Copax's voice drifts through the room.

"Die now, fools, and know the fate of all who would seek to overthrow a Chosen of Tzeentch!"

In it's wake, a sudden and completely unnatural silence falls across the room like a blanket.

And... Initiatives, as you are ambushed:
Inevitable Guards: [roll0]
Temple Psykers: [roll1]
Mysterious GM roll: [roll2]
Carnoflex: [roll3]
Aristana: [roll4]
Nicodemus: [roll5]
Durzon: [roll6]
Xanatos: [roll7]
Carnus: [roll8]

[Thragka]

Caroflex would have hummed inquisitively, but the mystical silence drowns out any mechanical simulations of a human voice that emerged from his vox-grille. He turned on the spot, rim of his cloak twirling, and tried to get a better sense of the ambushing party through the veil of soundlessness, before drawing his plasma gun.

Testing Awareness vs Perception 43: [roll0]

Also, just to point out Maugan Ra, there's no n in Caroflex.

[RadicalD]

Aristana was deeply fascinated with everything that the oracle said even if it did not seem to be consequential. Even when the man vanished and the guards appeared, she was fascinated, such power, such knowledge. It would all be hers. Without a doubt, she unleashed a force bolt on the closest enemy.

[Maugan Ra]

The sheer confusion of the scene robs Caroflex of any real opportunity to accurately deduce enemy numbers or abilities.

Aristana's psychic bolt slams into the knee joint of the nearest inevitable guard, mangling it and most of his leg in a hideous welter of gore. The guard topples to the ground, thrashing in eerie silence.

[KreenWarrior]

Xanatos growls. "You will pay for this interruption, worms." Raising a hand, he fires blasts of dark purple flame at the intruding Inevitable Guards. However, Xanatos is perhaps overwhelmed by the power available in this temple to Tzeentch, and the strike unleashes an explosion at his feet; the backlash of the blast hurls Xanatos into the air. When he lands, he falls heavily on his left leg, and a cracking sound can be heard.

Doombolt. That's a Challenging (+0) WP Test, with a +10 for a Psy Focus and +10 because of my Psy Rating, so a total effective WP of 77. Roll s 55 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635344/). That's 3 Degrees of Success, for 2 bolts. I'll fire them at separate targets, doing 1d10+2 Damage with 8 penetration for 11 and 4 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635351/) damage respectively. I also get Psychic Phenomenon! Rolling an 87 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635351/) gets me Perils of the Warp. :smalleek: Luckily only a 16 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635351/), which s a Psy Blast. This throws me 19 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635363/) meters into the air. Well, lucky I'm a Space Marine. 1d10+ 19 = 29 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635366/). >_> Reduced by Toughness rather than Armor, that's 20 damage, for 2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635390/) Critical Damage to a Left Leg. My Movement Rate is reduced by half for one round, but I make the Toughness Test (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635395/) to avoid being Stunned and falling Prone. Actually, what the heck, I'll spend an Infamy point and heal 2 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3635395/) damage, and ignoring the Critical Effect, such as it is.

[Maugan Ra]

The two guards both recoil in pain as the multi-colored bolts strike home. Both, however, are still mobile and capable of fighting. Indeed, the second appears to have shaken off the blast entirely.

[Maugan Ra]

On the balcony, the two Temple Psykers raise their hands in perfect synchronization, twisted warp light flickering around the ends of their pale fingers. Bolts of writhing energy leap forth and strike Caroflex and Aristana, trailing a long stream of sparks and residual crackles that earth in complete silence.

OK, that's one hit apiece on the two of you. If not dodged, you take the following damage, at a Penetration value of 8.
Caroflex:
Aristana: [roll] 1d10+4

[Maugan Ra]

Aristana: [roll0]

[Tychris1]

Carnus revs up his jetpack and charges forward at one of the temple psykers, swinging his sword forward with great anger and zeal at the betrayal, ready to impale and push one of the temple psykers back. Rodrick on the other hand, instantly drops down and begins to take a shot at one of the Inevitable guards, aiming his gun in the process.

Agility Roll for Jetpack:[roll0] VS 36
All out Attack:[roll1] VS 75
Opposed Strength Test:[roll2] VS 95
Power Sword Damage Roll:[roll3]
Standard Attack Long Las (Standard attack +10, Aim +10, Long Las thing+ 10):[roll4] VS 55 (95 if shooting at close range?)

[Maugan Ra]

Carnus makes it to the balcony, though he very nearly overshoots and is to busy correcting that to take a proper swipe at the psyker.

With trained synchronization, the nine remaining Inevitable guards advance on those still on the ground floor, their glaives swinging in tightly controlled arcs. They divide themselves up fairly evenly, two going for each of you, while an already wounded soldier attacks Rodrick.

Charge attacks, so effective weapon skill becomes 65. Ganging up bonuses make most of them 75.
Two attacks on Xanatos: [roll0] and [roll1]
Two against Caroflex:[roll2] and [roll3]
Two against Aristana [roll4] and [roll5]
Two against Nico [roll6] and [roll7]
One against Rodrick [roll8]

[Maugan Ra]

Xanatos is struck once in the torso, taking [roll0] damage at a pen of 3. It has the Felling (4) quality, and thus ignores your unnatural toughness.

Caroflex is struck in the left arm and the left leg, taking [roll1] and [roll2] damage respectively at pen 3.

Aristana is hit in the body and left leg, taking [roll3] and [roll4] damage respectively, pen3.

Nico is hit in the right leg for [roll5] damage, pen 3.

Rodrick is hit in the torso for [roll6] damage, pen 3.

All these hits may be parried and/or dodged as normal. If any of the attacks get through and you take damage, you must also take a toughness test or be stunned for a number of rounds equal to the degrees of failure.

[Tychris1]

Dodge Roll to save Rodrick's Life (Cause if he fails he dies):[roll0] VS 10

[KreenWarrior]

Xanatos desperately raises his force sword in an attempt to stop the Inevitable's strike, but the glaive bashes it aside and strikes him, leaving a bleeding gash and Xanatos reeling.

Xanatos's Force Weapon is a sword and thus Well Balanced, but a 40 effective WS sadly isn't enough to save him. 58 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3641655/). That hit will do an effective 3 damage, causing a Critical Effect 3. I'm assuming it's Rending Damage, meaning Xanatos is Stunned for one round and must make a Toughness Test for Blood Loss. 68 = Failure. Toughness Test for the weapon Stun: 88 (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3641677/). Well, Xanatos is out of the fight. :( At least I only have a 5% chance of dying of blood loss a round, but with my luck, it'll probably happen soon.

[Rizhail]

Deciding that this is the time for overkill, Nico slips his hands behind his back and brings out his plasma pistols in a whirl, each weapon settling into his palm as he points them at the two guards who attacked him. Each gun whines loudly as it fires, both of them set to maximum output in an attempt to put the guards down quickly.


Making a pair of semi-auto attacks, one at each guard. Both rolls are BS vs. 38 (48 base, -10 for dual wielding). If an attack roll succeeds, it gains +1 DoS due to Adroit. Here's hoping at least one hits. :smallbiggrin:

Attack roll 1: [roll0]
Damage roll 1: [roll1] Energy, Pen 10
Damage roll 2: [roll2] Energy, Pen 10

Attack roll 2: [roll3]
Damage roll 1: [roll4] Energy, Pen 10
Damage roll 2: [roll5] Energy, Pen 10

EDIT: So, one hit at relatively low damage. Hooray. Ah well, here's hoping the laspistols due better next turn.

[Maugan Ra]

Relatively low damage, perhaps, but it is still a plasma weapon on maximal...

The first of the guards attacking Nico flinches aside as the ravening energy blasts pass too close for comfort. The second is not so lucky, collapsing in a heap with most of his torso reduced to molten slag. The scent of burned meat fills the room.

[Thragka]

Caroflex staggered backwards, almost tripping over his cloak in a pitiful attempt to dodge the Doombolt. Righting himself, he raised his weapon to take aim at the psyker who had wounded him, releasing a quick hot burst of plasma - but the superheated blob collapsed across his own arm, and the plasma gun clattered to the floor.

Half action aim, half action standard attack against the psyker that wounded Caroflex. BS 38 + aim + standard attack = 58, or 68 if at short range.
To hit: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1], Pen 8

[Maugan Ra]

The Temple Psykers, somewhat surprised to find an angry Astartes on their level, panic slightly and unleash their powers on Carnus. A barrage of writhing, tainted bolts fills the air, and everyone gets a bad taste in their mouths, like rotten cheese.

Carnus takes four Doombolt hits, striking the left arm twice, then his body, and then his head. Dodge attempts are recommended. Otherwise, damage as indicated, all of it Pen 8.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Still, there are benefits to enemy sorcerers acting hastily. With a surprised look on its face, one of the psykers vanishes into thin air, and the other merely blinks in surprise as it's powers seemingly fail to manifest at all.