In the Path of the Crusade -- Black Crusade IC

[ArcturusV]

Planet Sophora - 4 days, 23 hours to Potential Landfall

In the city of Flotsam, the Pirates are Kings, or at the very least gangers you don't want to cross. It is a city that is built entirely out of the loot gained from hundreds of worlds, and thousands of voidcraft. Ramshackles huts of scavenged armaplas stand side by side with sweeping manses built out of rare Ophelian Marble that was once destined for a Garden World's pleasure palaces.

Normally a place known for its thriving markets in everything from captured slaves (Human and Xenos), rowdy atmosphere, and boisterous parties among the crews on shore leave, Flotsam is locking down right now. Most places are closed up, people huddling in their homes, hording supplies and weapons. Occasionally a raid will break out, a neighbor leading the charge against another, stealing whatever slaves, offerings, and supplies their hapless target was too weak to hold onto. Vast markets were empty, stalls and carts abandoned, slave auctions ended, as those with the means to get offworld were trying to arrange it, and those who couldn't were preparing for the worst.

It is in Flotsam that you have eventually found yourself. The largest city on the planet, you think. No one really takes a census here, but it definitely has the most off world traffic. Strangers to the world, you have no place to call your own unless you can arrange it. Few are willing to brave the outdoors to trade, and most people who have valuables are locked beneath several layers of security, more to keep out cultists than resist the might of the Imperial War Engine. An unwalled, undefended city, there is no question that Flotsam would be crushed by the Crusade, unless something drastic changed...

[Emperor Ing]

Idelix kept his digging.

That is to say, he and his various modes of assistance kept digging. Far underneath the city, where a network of abandoned but not forgotten tunnels are currently host to a team of scavengers moving personnel, materials, and refuse in and out. Tunnels were dug to open the way to an even deeper, more forgotten and longer abandoned network of tunnels underneath the formerly sprawling pirate port, and so the process continued.

An Imperial Crusade. A host of untold numbers of Imperial Guard regiments, who knows how many full-strength Astartes Chapters, and Gods know what else, all ready to annihilate this city. Resistance was impossible. If that Emperor's Children fleet was smart, they would conceal their ships somehow and wait for them to leave.

Idelix, the Ebon King, had a different plan. Go underground. Keep digging, keep his head down and hold up until the Imperial Crusade blew over. Keep as many underground as possible until they are ready to take the world back out from under the damned Imperium. For this purpose, he has sought the assistance of many of the city's population. Workers, slaves, ne'er-do-wells, anyone willing to dig and are more afraid of the utterly black, demonic Astartes staring at them than they are of a little work was welcome. Progress was swift as the group kept digging. Though the Ebon King wasn't entirely confident those supplies he managed to acquire for himself were sufficient to keep his growing bunker supplied and stocked. For the long haul.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Bavian and Vaesel checked their auspex "team one is flanking, Bastards are all huddled up near the bellows" Bavian was like a hunter now, with all his ferrets unleashed. He had would be hunting a rival down today and kill them, another gang named the AK-3.
He didn't consider himself and his men a gang, he saw it more as a... sect of higher minded individuals. But this was still technically a gang war.

Deep underground in Flotsam's steel mill Bavian was ferreting out some loose ends now that everyone was panicking and preparing for the end times, a crusade, end of the world, nonsense, old timers on too much spook and D-Dust "What about the Specialist?" Vaesel asked him holding his scrap metal axe. They were many there, Bavian's 'sect of higher minded individuals' had spread out over the mill, covering entrances and flanking down human resource management in the cave like slums of Flotsam, around Bavian were vats of molten steel, pressers and webs of pipes running with coolant

"still going on about that specialist?" Bavian snarled
Vaesel insisted however "yes! they say AK-3 has hired a specialist, a real bastard, an off worlder! a monster called Cage, says he uses a titan generator as a weapon and chews glass instead of tobacco"
"And I really wanna kill em!" Vaesel Chuckled
Bavian looked at his Auspex again "a ****ing specialist, it's just some washed up scum properbly, with stories of swashbuckling and brooding nature, I'm sure they say his **** is a weapon too" "Don't get too hope full, Vaesel. Even if he is as tough as his inflated reputation, Cage will die like the rest of AK-3, he's just a man aft..." he saw new movements on his Auspex, team one had contact. He called his cyberseer: Grus over who handed him the receiver for his vox caster

Bavian: ++"Team One" "respond?"++
Team Leader: ++"Team fight! Team fight!" "I think they've got this are warded" ++
Bavian: ++ "go in on them, kite, we'll meet with you and finnish them off"++

Suddenly he heard nothing but an explosion of static from the vox, he recoiled from the receiver and suddenly heard the booms, like powerful waves clashing against the walls, in the distance, combined with gunfire, overshadowing the ambiance of the steel mill, there was suddenly no more words from the Vox. Bavian looked around at his men who were franticly taking up positions, Heavies going in place behind boxes and containers aiming at the entrances, and the Juves annoyingly huddling around the gangers being ready for a fight, it only now dawned on Bavian, that Team One might be gone, but by what? "the Specialist?" Vaesel asked "oh he must be really strong" he said all excited like a child, a massive muscular child with a large axe

"Vaesel... I don't think-" there was a large bang, and one of the heavies dropped, missing his head.

A thunder and fire, and a giant blasted from the entrance, bathed in smoke and flame. It passed a Juve who vanished in bloody strips, it crashed into the ganger Cluso sending him flying and Vaesel roared running towards it "Cage!" he screamed. But it was not Cage, it was not the specialist, it was an Astarte.

a metallic pump came from the Astarte as he cocked his shotgun and turned his armored form towards another juve ****ting himself in terror, the Juve went in three pieces before the Astarte suddenly vanished, blasting out of the way on roaring jets, dashing back and fourth, it all happened so fast, was this what killed Team One?

Bavian was too awestruck to react, he could hear all around him in the cravenness steel mill, dashing from smelters and pipelines the Raptor killing his gang, this creature was pure violence, unrestrained. It darted around flanks and vats of molten steel, punching limbs from bodies and blasting cowardly juves with the spine chilling pump of his shotgun. Bavian was loosing everything, his gang, his friends and family were dying all around him out of sight, and suddenly the massive smelters before him ruptured from an explosion or stray detonation, an avalanche of Molten steel poured out before him and Vaesel, just a few meters ahead, the heat was intense and Bavian shielded his eyes from the harsh light. And then suddenly from the choking thumes of the rapidly cooling liquid metal the Raptor came on pillars of fire and slammed into the ground

Bavian acted quick he jumped for the heavy stubber the headless heavie had dropped and got up to aim, but saw Vaesel was charging at the Astarte with his axe

"Vaesel get out of the way!" Vaesel didn't listen, he charged towards the Astarte with his axe, blocking Bavians line of fire. But only for a moment, impossibly fast for something that large, the Astarte snatched the axe right out of Vaesels strong grip like he was nothing but a feeble child. He saw Vaesel flew to the side, the Astarte had backhanded him causing an internal decapitation; killing Vaesel instantly. And before he could even react to Vaesel's sudden death, Bavian's collar bone was snapped, and he fell to the ground. The Astarte had thrown Vaesel's axe right at him, burying the head deep in his collarbone close to his head, he was unable to lift the stubber let alone fire it

Bavian rolled around in pain trying to pull the axe out of him, from his blurry vision he could still see the Astarte, the monster, the Raptor, flaying another ganger right where he stood, and even when the last juve was brave enough to open fire it didn't matter, his Armour made mockery of such primitive weapons, Bavian saw the last Juve's jaw being janked clean off his skull with a disgusting dry sound. and through it all the raptor said nothing. completely quiet and cynicel. And it stopped, the Astarte looked around, finally standing still looking around the devastation scanning for more prey, it either didn't notice Bavian was still alive or didn't care.

It spotted something, near him, the Cyberseer, the tehcpriest Grus who handled his Vox and his gang's equipment was still alive. He'd never seen his cyberseer show any hint of emotion while under his employ, any excitement or concern. But now he saw Grus curling and cowering in terror as the Astarte walked towards him slowly, almost groveling at his feet.

The Astarte quickly grabbed hold of the Grus, restraining him pulling his robes and hood in a violent manner, twisting his cybernetic arms out of socket, but why did he torture the techpriest? Bavian got his answer. From the Astarte's backside slithered out a long thing tail, but not one of flesh and bone. A mechanical appendage of wires and metallic segments, at it's tip was a stinger of needles, it slithered it's way from his armour and around the Grus head, until it found purchase in his neck, the stringer sensed the MIU port in the back of Grus head and adjusted it's shape and size before plugging into the Techpriest's brain. Binary static and chatter came from his grill mouth as the techpriest died slowly and painfully. The mechanical tail of the Astarte was somehow siphoning the very thoughts from Grus's head. Even if not of the mechanicus himself, seeing such an atrocity to life itself almost made him pass out, but that might just be that he was bleeding.

Grus's body finally went limb as if the act had drained the very life from his body as well as his mind. The Astarte disconnected with his tail and slammed the techpriests head into the ground splattering it like rotten fruit, as if any more violence was necessary. The Astarte then stood there silent, thinking, perhaps processing the stolen mind of Grus, then he simply walked away, leaving Bavian alone, dying slowly from the axe in his body.

He might have a chance, if he could make it out of there and reach a medicae it might not be too late, he just had to stay awake, he could not allow himself to pass out or he'd never wake up again. He crawled along the mills floor, trying to escape the expanding pool of liquid metal spreading out on the ground. But only after a few minutes, the Astarte returned, with a hook in his hand.

Bavian's last scream was forever frozen in place, the Astarte carried him along with him, on his belt. His head that is, as a trophy.

[Tengallongamer]

There was silence in the room for only a moment after the blood was spilled. The Astarte could hear it in the distance, a roaring bike engine arrived to the scene.

Ontop of it a face covered by steel with a white mane going down to the back and a single right eye lens. A green cloak covered this man in steel. His carapace alone implied some sort of past wealth too. It was definitely a man carrying a monster. The gun was a massive rifle with more ammunition than it would be able to hold, in theory. The headlight turned off and the engine went quiet.

This figure got off of the bike and walked along the decimated corpses. This is when he knew He was beaten to them.

"Damn it, wheres the shard?" The astoundingly young voice came from the helmet. He searched the bodies and the supplies they had with them. All the was left was blood and junk everywhere!

"Grah! Are you kidding me?" He said furiously as he threw down the headless man. with an axe in the colar bone.

When he did he noticed the blood trail on the floor. At this point he knew he wasn't far from whoever was responcible.

The vox called in. "We've got them pinned, did you find them Cage?"

Cage paused and responded to the helmet vox communicator. "They were killed before we made it."

"What? Is there somebody else?" The nameless ganger asked.

"Yes and whoever it is won't be far." Said Cage, looking at the body. He was furious, of all times to loose what he was looking for these days, he was determined to find the one responcible. He continued on foot starting from the blood trail. He followed the trail and suddently it ended.

He moved the mane back and turned a dial, The helmet began to screen on dark vision and looked around and started by looking up. He's learned many old ambush tricks from being born in the underhive and he was not going to fall for them easy.

[Checkmate-Pony]

The Astarte stood underneath a spray of factory coolant dripping down on his Armour washing the blood off and steaming the metal in smoky wisps

his Armour was modern, advanced, modified and sleek, nothing like the Legionaries ramshackle or spiky plates, and unlike Legionnaire plate, who were covered in devotional charms and icons of blasphemy. His Armour was clean, raw, it was sand blasted clean of all paint and markings, entirely utilitarian, as if an unfinished forge prototype. Smoking off the coolant he walked forward out of the liquid coolant shower and tapped his helmet with a finger as if he had a problem with his hearing.

He removed his helm, which was silent, no hiss of pressure, he just took it off like a speeders helmet. His head was inhuman, broad and powerful, short almost stubble Mohawk and scars cover his scalp, along with electoos and strange lightning patterns of circuit like veins, his entire jaw was black and glossy like plastic, bionic scars, along with his whole neck of segmented metal, a fusion of man and machine. Even his eyes, no whites, all black orbs with a white blue pupil of glowing light, his eyes were not cybernetic, but biomechanical.

His voice was cold, slightly mechanical, but not without emotion, it had a strong bitterness to it
"Take a good look Cage, I've been like this for almost two centuries, and I haven't aged one day. I have become what many men dreamed of, an Immortal. And yet, there hasn't been day, an hour, a minute; I haven't thought about death" his eyes narrowed in hatred "it obsesse me, even now"

"In five days an Imperial Crusade will march upon this world, and bring that death to all. But it need not be so. I search for powerful individuals that can help me fight off this tide of injustice" he said so directly and to the point. "A handful of such individuals, men, machines and Astarte could answer the call to war against the Crusaders, and if a handful did so... others would follow" he growled

He held a pause with only the dripping coolant to break the silence. Turned his armored form to look around the mill for a moment, Cage saw the head of Bavian on his belt, a hook through his mouth, the head had been calcified in the coolant waters "They called you the specialist" "I need your help"

[Tengallongamer]

When the sillouette emerged from the mist, he raised his plasma rifle and when he saw the astarte he could not beleive his eyes. Not that he sees an astarte but because he did not prepare to attack the same. When he removed his helmet he lowered his weapon down. "So we're up to stopping the same thing. What's your name?" He said blatently and took off his helmet finding no reason to hide his face to this shockingly generous marine.

His face was much lighter for hiver skin and his hair was very dark. on his right eye was a massive burn mark, a cavitation from an energy projectile from an energy weapon in the atarte's proffesional opinion. Even the eyelids were burnt off but how the eye was left intact is a mystery. a mystery that glared back with contempt that would leave most uneasy, even scared but not him.

[DoctorFaust]

Several levels above the now-ended slaughter, another Astartes, this one clad in sickly green armor and sporting a thick beard, walks amidst the hovels of the slums, offering words of encouragement to those huddled in fear, handing out what medicine he can spare to those that need it and who can be saved, and...giving what help he could to those that could not.

By the end of the day, his plague knife will be in need of cleaning to ensure the delicate balance of disease and razor-sharp lethality won't be disrupted, but many more souls will be at peace and on their way to their reward, whatever it may be.

The Imperium may be an imminent threat, but even that does not mean a child may neglect the duties given to him by his Father, after all.

[Checkmate-Pony]

his chin lifted with regal menace "I; am NoD, Legion of one"

"Humans are as ever, easily herded, and through the panic and fear of siege all the thieves come out to steal all the food" he said metaphorical "It's where you find survivors, those with the will to live. You hold that spirit so I've heard, so I've seen"

"You must come with me, if you want any hope of surviving the end times. We must go deeper, for deeper below is another such survivor, if only a misguided one. He calls himself the Ebon King, and he possess powers that are useful to me, the secrets of technology"

"He drills into the earth as we speak, we must liberate him of these delusions of escapism and cowardice" "come now, our holy war begin"

[Tengallongamer]

He looks up and listened with revelation in his eyes. When he spoke of holy warfare he has to ask in the end. "I will come with you, but what about the shard? Have you seen it?" He humbly asked.
"It was meant to be my means of surviving. My persional mission." He clarifies as he walks with nod.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod had started walking, which gave that servo electric buzz of fiber bundles, without looking back at him and awnsered

"we are not theives, Cage." "Such material worries are beneath us, Immortals"

"We all left behind our mortal concerns when we became suvivors, true humans, not animals. Your vengence can wait... But come it shall"

[Tengallongamer]

He looked to the marine as they walked and he couldn't help but admire this wholesome and wise marine. Already he's more like a father than he could have imagined.
It wasn't untill he reffered to his vengeance did he wonder. "How do you know of that?"

[Checkmate-Pony]

"All personal missions, are missions of vengeance" "The crusade itself is a mission of Vengence"

he stopped walking suddenly, and turned, his eyes moved around curiously up and down Cage's body

"I guessed" he admitted flatly
"I simply refused to believe your scars were caused by an accident"

he then turned and kept walking in silence, taking Cage within to the deeps of the mill and the sump below

[DaedalusMkV]

Vykos stands at a crossroads, his bulky mechanical figure standing nearly perfectly still as he begins to consider possibilities. Beneath his segmented, grey Power Armour and dark red and black robes little of the rugged machine-man beneath is visible, though his Mechadendrite sways gracefully above his shoulder. It was, simply put, bad timing on the part of the Imperials. He had not yet managed to establish himself on this world, no time to assemble a forge or build up a resource base. His helmet ***** slightly to the right as he ponders the best way to salvage the scenario. First, he will need to secure a base of operations, somewhere secure, that the Crusade will not simply annihilate in the opening engagement. Then, allies to protect him, soldiers to fight his battles. Finally, resources with which to wage war, the raw materials and supplies he will need to create the weapons and ammunition to supply an army. Resolving himself, the mechanical figure returns to steady action, making his way towards the lower reaches of Flotsam. He had heard of a Space Marine directing some sort of excavation project, and such a figure would doubtless appreciate the assistance of the greatest techwright on this miserable little planet. With any luck, the Astarte could provide both shelter and manpower for Vykos' own projects. Perhaps even serve as a rallying point for the God-obsessed mongrels of Flotsam if necessary, for despite his immense intellect the High Technician has little patience for interacting with his inferiors and less desire to lead anyone himself.

In the meantime, he keeps his photo-lenses cycling, his black servo-skull floating along behind him, observing as best as its small circuits and optics can allow. No need to be so focused on one goal that he fails to spot an opportunity when it presents itself, particularly if he happens to note any supplies which might help in the war to come.


Vykos is slowly making his way towards the Ebon King's bunker, but at the moment he is trying to get a sense for what is going on in the city, and actively looking for supplies and/or potential allies. He is very obviously a member of the Dark Mechanicus, and making no attempt whatsoever at stealth, so anyone who wants to spot him and speak with him is absolutely welcome to.

Otherwise, I'm essentially investigating whether it will be possible to Acquire (or steal) large quantities of common supplies. Lasgun Charge Packs, copper circuits, raw steel and iron, fuel, pretty much anything you would need to build or maintain simple machinery and weaponry, especially large tools and most importantly a machine shop of any sort. He's planning for the future right now, since he has no real means of transporting such quantities on his own.

Basically, I'd just like to know whether it will be possible to set up a small workshop and a stockpile of supplies to run it before the Crusade shows up.

[Emperor Ing]

Sparks flew in the darkened chamber as the last hinges were weld into place. The door fit in its threshold quite nicely. This is how it should be. As much as the Mechanicus needs to move past scavenging for STCs, the universality of spare parts is never something to be overlooked. For the moment all Idelix could do was wait for the heated metal to cool, forming the solid hold of a heavy, thick steel door welded to the frame of a metal bulkhead of what must have once been an ancient manufactorum. Yet one other barrier created to slow pursuers and conceal his subject's movements. He took several tentative steps back, the heavy rusted steel catwalk groaning under his weight to admire his craft. It was perfect. What residents did continue to exist down here and saw this abandoned doorway daily would never believe that this heavy locking door was not always there.

The Ebon King then turned back to the greater Manufactora floor. A dark rusted putrescence gazed back. Large servo-claws that once performed rote manufacturing tasks have long since been ripped off their holdings. Chairs, tables, spare parts, tools, everything that did not weigh in the tons has long since been looted. Even the large machines and conveyor belts have been picked for parts, many machines missing panels, gears were simply not present, and the only sign of wiring to the generatorums that powered them were empty wall-sockets.

He knew this already. The dig team thought this to be a great find upon recovery but only found it little better than the state the Ebon King sees it as now.

His subjects lack faith, however.

A Manufactorum, no matter its state, even after centuries of neglect, is still a treasure worth preserving. In but a few weeks' time, with proper resources and secrecy, the underground resistance will have a means to produce the weapons and armor they will need to collapse the Imperial society that the Crusaders will leave behind in their wake.

At the minimum, the catwalk the Ebon King stands upon now would make a great firing position for him and his subjects to fire on hapless Imperials lured to the ground floor. Provided they finish what the scavengers centuries ago and completely pick clean the manufactorum floor for parts. Even pieces of scrap-metal are always useful.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"King!" Nod called out in the cavernous tunnels, the echo carrying his will deeper

Cage staying behind him as instructed, and passing the slaves whom he payed no attention to at first and who tried to not pay attention to him

"I smell weldings" he mumbled
he looked around the complex of scavenging slaves groveling over old machines
"Witness, Cage; Animals" "Thieves" "During a siege such Crea-" Nod was cut off when he looked up at the catwalk, laying eyes upon Idelix and his Rancor appearance of insalubrious darkness.

Nod was silent for a moment, not sure if he beheld a daemon or jötnar, but whatever he truly was: "You are the Ebon King" he said out loud for Idelix to hear, and how could he be wrong when a being of such antithesis and darkness looked down upon hordes of slaves, a King he was.

[Hemnon]

The great, armoured being raised it's head and took in a deep breath... although that was solely just a motion of habit, not of need. No longer being of flesh and blood kinda made you not need oxygen anymore. But, it was a habit of life, and something he'd been doing ever since birth after all, some good 10k years ago. Back when the Corpse-on-the-throne was still walking. Back when that bastard betrayed them all, branded them all traitors in turn and ignited the great civil war so aptly called the Horus Heresy.

It's been a long time now, things have changed, stuff's been learned.

Hatreds' been cultivated.

It was an actual joy to hear that the stunted and dying Imperium was still throwing around it's silly little crusades. such meek little things, compared to the galaxy-spanning reconquest of humanity-settled worlds.
Now, all those stupid slaves of the false emperor could manage was minor attempts at warring for small clusters of worlds. Such a useless gesture. whenever chaos was beaten away from one place, decadency and corruption riddled the stagnated Imperium enough to make it sprout forth yet another place.

Oh yes, sure, he missed the old days of battlebrothers following the Emperor and his Primarch-sons, but that's a time long past, too much spilled blood of one's fellow brothers-in-arms. Too much enmity. It would be interesting and a true joy to see everyone war for this dusty little world.
Kharaz, as was his name of old, smiled within his Ancient suit of power Armour, many-times repaired, refitted and modified.
It was time, he supposed. Time for contemplation was no more.

He got to his feet, dust and grit of days trickled loost and revealed his form. Yes, he'd been kneeling there in the emptier parts of this little world, contemplating what next to do.
If anyone was near him, they might be getting a bit of a scare at the sudden awakening of a small odd-shaped body of dirt, sand and grit, revealing the chaos Space Marine within, His throaty, warped and amplified voice echoing out with an errie laugh that rolled out across the place.

Then the first step was taken on towards the more populated area nearby.

[Emperor Ing]

The glaring white eyes of the Ebon King gazed towards the newcomers. He recognized the intimately familiar silhouette of Astartes immediately. Yet he heard other footsteps, and not the usual careful stepping of his subjects. There were others with him that will make themselves known shortly. Idelix released his grip on the rusted railings, the metal tubes leaving visible grooves where they were previously held as he began his walk down from the catwalk to meet them. Each step echoing through the formerly abandoned manufactorum, along with the groan of old metal straining to support his weight.

Another asset Idelix's mind saw potential with. The catwalk breaks away as a squad enters, dropping them onto a spike trap below.

His heavy footfalls continue to bring the Ebon King closer to meet the newcomers. The darkness surrounding him rolling off his twisted, spined body like a cape. A large, serrated axe hung on his back to his side, while the other concealed the familiar silhouette of what must be a large plasma gun. Although a weapon that emitted such a glow should be so easy to spot, in proximity to its shadowed master, its light was all but invisible. From his back, several smaller appendages sprouted forth, writhing and darting in Nod's presence, seeming to watch him eagerly, all as utterly black as their master.

He stopped in front of Nod. Silent for a moment, assessing. Judging. I am the Ebon King. He responds to the affirmative. His voice just as unnatural as his appearance. Nothing should be able to make that sound. No, it wasn't a sound. It was the absence of a sound. The soft metal clangs of the Ebon King's subjects roaming about and the groaning of old metal that filled the ambiance of the Manufactorum all but vanished when he spoke, yet the silence was able to form words. Inflection and tone conveyed through the absence of noise, forming familiar sounds and phrases.

Whom do I address? He asks back.

[Checkmate-Pony]

He shifted his weight around making the small movements of his arms to loosen muscles and ready to attack, old habits die hard. His hands were empty, but he was not unarmed.

"Your Name fall utter short of just how fitting it truly is, Ebon King" he said trying to focus on anything in the light consuming void that was Idelix

"I, am Nod, Legion of one. Until recently perhaps, Legion of Two, this is Cage, My Neophyte" he lied, but merely a white lie with good intentions

Nod breathed in perhaps to steel himself, even if his voice was confident and hard, his movements showed an unease "I will not insult your intelligence, you know of what is to come" "But this isn't the answer"

Nod stretched an arm out to gesture to the working slaves
"you search for treasure, amongst scrap, like a beggar; what others left behind you cherish as if it had actual value"

"You and all your kind down here are like rats" he narrowed his eyes "it disgusts me"
"But it need not be so, King" "I can help you"

"I know of a place where all the treasures of this world, it's technologies and secrets are vaulted and easy to claim, easy to plunder"

"But I cannot do it alone, and I cannot appreciate the treasure's immensity by myself either. Only one such as you could fully comprehend and utilize it' in full" "it can be ours within days will you only join my cause, and perhaps with it, crush the crusaders entirely"

"Or will you crawl in the dust down here till eventually even your body succumbs to age and insanity?"

[DaedalusMkV]

Vykos enters the Ebon King's tunnel network, only minutes after seeing an Astarte enter. Hopefully this place will be better hidden by the time the Imperials arrive... If not, he doubts it will be of any use to his purposes. Moving slowly downwards through the tunnel network, he hears the echoing voice of a Space Marine call out, and the unnatural response. He hears the beginnings of the conversation, and when the armoured figure calling itself Nod speaks of a trove of technology Vykos chuckles to himself, an unnatural sound more reminiscent of an engine grinding its gears than anything a biological organism could make. Unhesitatingly, the armoured Technician calls out from behind the Space Marine and his surprisingly human companion. "Clearly you are misinformed, Legionary. There is little about technology which I cannot comprehend. Greetings, Legion called Nod. Greetings, Ebon King. I am Vykos, High Technician of the Dark Mechanicus, and I have come here hoping to make common cause." Vykos' voice is oddly harmonious, and clearly not the synthesized vox production of a normal Techpriest; mechanical lungs push air through mechanical vocal chords, in a remarkable imitation of mortal life. He dips his head slightly, a minute gesture of respect, Plasma Gun held at ease in one armoured gauntlet while the other hand vaguely gestures to himself. "I am a master of the forge, my databanks filled with lore beyond the imaginings of a lesser man. All machines bow before my mastery, mechanical and organic, and by my hands will be born weapons from which your enemies will cower. What is this of technological treasure?"

The Technician's helmet-lenses glow intensely, all of his wargear responding to the excitement flowing through Vykos' Mind Impulse Unit, though he is more than disciplined enough to show no other outward sign of his emotion.

[Tychris1]

Blood.

So much blood. It threatened to drown him, to pull him under and wash away his sins and sanity. It rose steadily around Daverus, his greaves completely disappearing in the tidal wave that steadily boiled upward. Faces began to emerge from the crimsom water, like apples floating to the top of a barrel, and each of them bore a rictus of pain and anguish. They screamed, begged for mercy, and cried out to be saved.

"Oh gods please no!"
"Emperor protect me!"
"My son, NO! Please don't kill my-"
"Why! Why oh why oh why!"

Gripping his helmet with his one free hand, Daverus began to groan as the faces grew more numerous and their voices louder, images of battlefields flashing infront of his eyes, and soon it became so overwhelming that he fell over and began to drown. The world boiled and swayed before his very eyes, with one bright hot burst later, and suddenly it was all gone. The blood and the voices burned away in a supernova of white hot rage. His power armor cracked and ruptures off of his bulging pale skin, veins coagulating fire, burning away the clots and tumors that choked him. Gasping, his steaming body shuddered as he regained his vision and saw his tormentors had disappeared.

All but one of them.

A little girl, no more then seven years of age maybe stared up at him. Her blonde curly hair drooped down to her ears, stained with sweat and blood that came from the massive chain weapon induced gash on her forehead. Her brain was fully exposed to Daverus, her green eyes and pale lips staring at the Astartes inquisitively as she began to rock back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Hey Mr. Rager. Where're you going? Can I come with you?"
"Go away."

He grunted, turning away from her as the scraps of his power armor slowly clattered along the ground and reforged around his warp tainted skin. Dragging Hope's Edge behind him, he stopped in his tracks as the girl materialised to impede him again, this time significantly more dirty, with mud and dried blood caking her bare feet and white dress.

"Mr. Rager, where's my mommy? Where is she Mr. Rager, Mr. Rager?"

Screaming, he swung Hope's Edge over his head and with both hands brought it crashing down onto her. Reality snapped back to Daverus as he looked around the blood stained alleyway he was standing here. How did he get here? How long was he here? The soft cackling of his Daemonic guest rattled in the back of his head, causing his veins to bulge and his forehead to throb in pain. Looking down at his feet, Daverus noticed a man he had bound and gagged desperately try to squirm out of his bonds. Gripping his throat with one meaty claw, Daverus dragged him out of the alley and threw him into the street. Clearing a small circle for himself, Daverus roared at the top of his lungs.

"Brothers, Sisters! Look upon this worm and despair, for he is truly the lowest a man can become! A coward! A traitor who fled the heat of battle with his tail between his legs! This is the price all men pay for succumbing to our craven nature!"

And with that he revved Hope's Edge and gripped it with his free hand, skidding it across the ground before sinking its teeth into the mans chest cavity. He exploded into hundreds of chunks of flesh, a mist of blood permeating the air around him. Taking what remained of the mans skull and spine, Daverus held it aloft before pounding off down the streets. This world would be plunged into war soon, and Daverus planned on being prepared for it.


Going to try and acquire a Common Quality Icon of Endless War, trading my Legion chainsword for it:[roll0]

Time:[roll1]

[Emperor Ing]

A bold claim. The Ebon King responds as he paces to the left, slowly. Treasure that is easy to claim yet that potentially holds the key to the destruction of the Crusade. Quite the prize indeed, yet it seems to be quite underutilized by those who seek to shout down the coming storm. He extends an arm, gesturing to the open space of the manufactorum.

It would be foolish to think there is anything in these tunnels worth taking. Nothing but scrap. Anything of value has long since fallen to neglect. No, I spin a web. Refuge for those who seek it, a trap for the unwanted. Unseen. Out-of-sight, until the Crusade leaves this world. This web will form the foundation of the revolution that will take this world back.

Though if your prize is as impressive as you claim, I would like to know how you came about to know of it.

And why others who would shot down the storm seek not its deployment.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod Listened first to the Heretek, then turned to the Ebon King again to hear him, when they finished he closed his eyes and chuckled before looking straight ahead at neither of them

"The Tiny might grows even bolder" he said no longer worried around Idelix, as if what he just told him made him relax

he looked back and fourth to speak to them both
"you puff out your chests proud before me, proclaiming your cause just and endowed" "yet then grovel at me by the mere mention of treasure"

"No!" he suddenly snapped "I do not know where this treasure is right now, but I know where it will come to be" he said cryptically, he turned to look down at Cage in the eyes suddenly as if Cage had just done something awful, then he looked to the sky, or rather the ceiling above

"Lady Isabella Andromeda, she is a Reaver of the stars, but born a rogue trader" "Make no mistake, she will not fight to defend this world, no pirate would allow for such conviction in the power of survival in their hearts"

"She has come here only to plunder this world of all it has before she retreats with no fear of reprisal, for she knows nothing here will stand before the crusade and live"

"We must gain control of her flagship, for in it she will do the job for us, plundering the world of it's wealth. Not just materials, or treasure although those things will be there for certain, it is the ship itself. It has ultimate tactical methodology to me" "The ship is vital, for it is but a small link in my plan but vital like any foundation piece"

he looked down at Idelix again with his cold glacial eyes
"Your delusions of a petty underground rebellion are admirable but not large enough in scale to reach the heights we must achieve"

"But with a flagship, even an outcast of mars must appreciate the grail like wonder of such a relic by itself, it's mere application a treasure beyond meager toys"

[ArcturusV]

Endless Eugene's Emporium of Equitable Eviscerator Engines - 4 Days, 17 Hours til Crusade

The man was once known as a Khornate, not a berzerker like Daverus, but he was known for worshiping the Blood God. Some said that he used to be a Manufactorum Dreg who murdered a Tech-Priest overseer, looted everything not bolted down, and killed his way across a Forge World, until he ended up on Sophora. Some say that he is just a crazed man with an overactive salivary gland that made him drool constantly.

What you do know, is that most people would tell Daverus that he was the man to go to for a proper choppy bit, shooty gubbins, or flashy zing. And this Endless Eugene, when you finally met him, was someone surely blessed by Khorne... or cursed by Slaanesh perhaps. Hard to say. What was clear was that his body was twisted, his right arm a thick tentacle, his lower jaw missing, drool from his mouth constantly puddling out, his head surrounded in red flames, his skin charred black and his hair long since gone. Somehow he could still speak however. How? Chaos, that's how.

He hefted the Legion Chainsword from Daverus, hand and tentacle holding it like a claymore, his voice hissing as he turned the blade over in his hand and tentacle. "No Icon. Last one went out 3 hours ago." He didn't seem like he was going to relinquish the Chainsword either. "Might catch 'em down south. They were headin' that way. Unruly lot. 8 whelps, called themselves somethin' stupid," his voice started yelling as he mentioned that, drool flowing even more so now, and his flames surging, "Blood Blooders, or Blood Packers or Blood ***** or Blood Wusses or somethin' like that." he brought the chainsword down, revving up, crashing into a crate, chopping it in half, and apparently destroying the autoguns stored inside. "COWARDS DIE IN SHAME!"

"... go kill 'em. Rip their skulls. Eat their spines. Drink their liver! KILL! MAIM!" His eyes were wide and wild. "DO IT YOU BOOTLICK! ALL IS BLOOD! NONE IS GIVEN!" He was cackling like a madman, still holding onto the chainsword.

[DaedalusMkV]

Vykos bristles at the mention of Mars, the glow emitting from his ocular lenses dimming to a dangerous hue. "I am no Martian, Legionary. Make no mistakes. My methodology is unstained by their dogmatism, my mind uncorrupted by their cult. I was trained by those who know the value of innovation, and I wish nothing but death on those who would halt the march of progress. An outcast I am not." Reigning in his irritation at the mere suggestion that he might be somehow connected to the Adeptus Mechanicus, the Heretek returns to the absolute stillness of thought. "It is a bold plan, and I cannot question the value of a mighty warship. The resources I might bring to bare, the things I might build..." His body shivers with a mechanical clattering. "But forgive me if your plan seems short on detail. Should I gain access to such a vessel's command throne I could doubtless bind it to my will, but how to reach such a position? Do you have a shuttle, that we might reach the ship? Some means of preventing its Macrobatteries from rendering us to our component atoms?" He raises one hand, gauntlet humming as he counts the obstacles. "And what of the hundreds of well-supplied defenders a 'Rogue Trader' would keep on hand to defend the ship from incursion? Even a powerful Legionary such as yourself may not be able to defeat such resistance."

At this, though, he pauses his helmet cocked slightly to one side. "Hmm. I can function well enough without oxygen. So long as the atmospheric seals on your Power Armour remain intact, I suppose we could simply breach the airlocks as we go and let vacuum do our work for us. Void suits are bulky things, and little protection in a firefight. Though the problem of reaching the vessel in one piece remains. Particularly when we must have it completely under control and away from orbit before the Imperial Navy arrives, or risk losing our prize in an impossible battle. I trust you have some plan to make this all possible?"

[DoctorFaust]

The great, armoured being raised it's head and took in a deep breath... although that was solely just a motion of habit, not of need. No longer being of flesh and blood kinda made you not need oxygen anymore. But, it was a habit of life, and something he'd been doing ever since birth after all, some good 10k years ago. Back when the Corpse-on-the-throne was still walking. Back when that bastard betrayed them all, branded them all traitors in turn and ignited the great civil war so aptly called the Horus Heresy.

It's been a long time now, things have changed, stuff's been learned.

Hatreds' been cultivated.

It was an actual joy to hear that the stunted and dying Imperium was still throwing around it's silly little crusades. such meek little things, compared to the galaxy-spanning reconquest of humanity-settled worlds.
Now, all those stupid slaves of the false emperor could manage was minor attempts at warring for small clusters of worlds. Such a useless gesture. whenever chaos was beaten away from one place, decadency and corruption riddled the stagnated Imperium enough to make it sprout forth yet another place.

Oh yes, sure, he missed the old days of battlebrothers following the Emperor and his Primarch-sons, but that's a time long past, too much spilled blood of one's fellow brothers-in-arms. Too much enmity. It would be interesting and a true joy to see everyone war for this dusty little world.
Kharaz, as was his name of old, smiled within his Ancient suit of power Armour, many-times repaired, refitted and modified.
It was time, he supposed. Time for contemplation was no more.

He got to his feet, dust and grit of days trickled loost and revealed his form. Yes, he'd been kneeling there in the emptier parts of this little world, contemplating what next to do.
If anyone was near him, they might be getting a bit of a scare at the sudden awakening of a small odd-shaped body of dirt, sand and grit, revealing the chaos Space Marine within, His throaty, warped and amplified voice echoing out with an errie laugh that rolled out across the place.

Then the first step was taken on towards the more populated area nearby.

At the end of a long day of ensuring blood was not spilled for the Blood God, Váli trudges across the waste on the outskirts of Flotsam, pausing every now and then to examine a particularly poisonous mushroom or dying creature. And in one particularly unfortunate case, breathed a few spores of his own to speed it on its way.

However, todays wandering path brought him to a sign he had not seen in many long years, and one that gave him cause enough to draw his power sword from where it hung at his side. The unmistakable tracks of Astartes-sized power armor. Then, with all the stealth that a 8-foot tall, 1000 kg, power fist wearing, sickly-green armor clad Space Marine can muster, he sets off after the tracks, hoping that whoever he meets at the other end won't immediately attempt to blow his head of.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"Your identity crisis does Not' concern me, priest!" he snapped at him.

"yes you have questions, how I plan to take the ship" "You write me a long list of problems; perhaps you should offer a solution to them instead, Vykos" "After all, you are the herald of innovation; are you not?" he paused not wanting to argue with them too much, pointing out their flaws didn't accomplish anything.

"To take, the ship. Well, that is where we need a specialist" he turned his head to look down at Cage with a sudden warm smile

"Cage, How fast do you think you could convince 8 Blood Gangers that you are their new Lord and Master?"

[Emperor Ing]

Our alliance shall be short-lived if we continue to tear at each other. The Ebon King remarked.

We need not kill the Rogue Trader. Simply deprive her of transport back to any shuttle.

[Cyclopean]

"Eight Blood Gangers? Get me on the bridge and I'll win over half the crew." The source of the voice steps out of the shadows, striding into the gathering of hulking Hereteks and Astartes with an easy confidence. She pauses a moment to observe the Ebon King more closely.

"I like your plan, Idelix. Go to ground, wait, and rot out the invaders from beneath. Grandfather would approve. A shame you didn't bother keeping this place a secret, but that's a discussion for later, I suppose. As you say, some civility is in order if this alliance is to prosper."

"I agree with my fellow...visitors. Lady Andromeda presents us with too great an opportunity to pass by, and her offense is too great to ignore. So, if you will forgive my interruption, let us return to the task at hand: plotting to seize her ship, cargo, and crew."

[Tengallongamer]

Cage thought for a moment when Nod spoke to him.
"Depends on how fast their leader would want to fight me. I hope they like it one on one."
"But if their *******..." He scratched his head wondering exactly how cowardly they really are.
"Hopefully I won't have to blow them away six at a time." By now he hears the woman speak up. He didn't have much to say to her except. "Got a name?"

[Emperor Ing]

My plan was developed in the absence of meaningful means of escape or resistance. There are shuttles going off-world but my instincts tell me to stay away. Especially considering Emperor's Children were spotted in-system.

This plan to steal a voidship...shows promise. The Ebon King turns his glowing white eyes towards what few of his subjects are milling about in their vicinity. What is your plan, Legion of Two?

[Cyclopean]

"Call me Maria. And yes, let's hear this plan."

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod saw them excited and asking so many questions, and then he saw this insalubrious
woman. (or maybe she was suppose to be this small?) He showed no emotion upon seeing her, his metal lock jaw was difficult to read, he might admire or despise what he saw.

"You are from the surface above, how do you come to be here?" his eyes narrowed
"It matters not" "now, listen"

"I intend to perform a coordinated assault upon the ship itself, it is extremely complicated, and must be done with a great deal of finesse, timing is everything..."

he turned with full attention to the Ebon King "you do have a point; King, but what makes you think the Rogue Trader will come in person?" "I doubt she would risk her deleterious life for simple loot, unless the loot was worth it"


"I will ask of you to help me plan a trap, Ebon King. Surely even a Reaver would cannot resist such a wondrous gem you have here in the deep, this forgotten hoard of STC wonders"
"if you understand my meaning..." he said implying Idelix to rebuild his underground lair into an elaborate bait and ambush position "Calculate that in your head for a while, We will discuss of it later. Now I want you to segway your mind into another task I have for you at this moment. I need tools. Any tools, tools to can help us cut through the bulkheads and doors of the ship, cutters, charges, melta bombs, anything. We will need it. "

Nod took a breath and turned to Vykos "For you Magos" he said to flatter him
"I have a special task for you"
"I ask you now, with only deepest respect in your abilities, so forgive my vague demand" he said; bracing Vykos for his outrageous demand. "I have heard legends of machine Djinn and how they can lay low the strongest machine spirit" "Can you produce such a Machine Curse?"
"Scrap Code generator, electronic sedation"

"I ask this because surely you must know the main cogitator of a ship is well protect and warded against such data violation as you suggest" "I will gladly let you be the first to lay hands upon the ships command throne, but be it only so; can you break it's Wards and ultimately bring the ship under my will"

Nod paused, letting his long stream of seemingly random demands sink in, he spoke louder to reach the small female: "You have a rare gene, triggered by my needs at this juncture" he said poetically, if a little randomly

"If your tongue is as silver as claimed, then you can be of much use to me, but when and how I cannot reveal to you, you must swear yourself to my cause and follow me now, we must all go to the surface"

he layed an armoured gauntlet upon the specialist's shoulder

"Cage will take the first step in our defensive Jihad"

he then lowered his voice to a surprising warm tone "and ofcourse get your bike back, we would not want the lady Maria to walk all the way like us old warriors"

[Tengallongamer]

As he listened on he was pretty interested in what he had to say but started seeing how he spoke and became particularly intrigued.
The dramatic change in tone to him was especially surprising but at least now he understood exactly how he played into the plan with a gang.

But the warm, companion-like tone has no less stupefied him. He found himself at a disadvantage with the way this acquaintance- no, friend? has spoken to him.
He looked to Nod when he put his hand unto his shoulder and looked to it. He couldn't help but wonder what was so inspiring about this marine.
He came to a near ridiculous conclusion but it worked for him.

He had to keep an impression for reasons Cage himself didn't know.
He gestured with a hand as if he was trying to establish hardened maturity and ended up showing his age instead.
"I'll get my bike, I'm in." He put his hand down and got going when Nod took his hand off of his shoulder.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod chuckled and started walking, then suddenly said snappy "we're gonna need a Signal Jammer too" before putting on his helm, cealing it with a click and bringing his shotgun to bear should there be any survivors left of Bavian's Team One on the way to the surface

[ArcturusV]

Looting Bodies - Cage, NoD - 4 Days, 16 Hours

Returning to the scene of the Ganger War, well... one sided massacre, you find that the place abandoned. Apparently no one came back to take the location following your wake. It might have something to do with all the power armor divots in walls and floors. Or the splattered bodies. Or maybe just no one had come by to take up residence here yet.

Things were quiet, and as you came back to the Cyberseer, everything looked like how you left it at first glance. But as you started looking through the Cyberseer's belongings for some proper electronics you noticed something in the blood spatters. A boot print. Not your armor, and not the size of Cage either. No one that was down here would have made it.

It was as you noticed that, you heard a "click", and saw a grenade's spoon pop out from somewhere on the Cyberseer's corpse.

You got just enough warning to try to dodge the blast if you want. Frag Grenade, so Blast (3).

Damage: [roll0]

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod grids his teeth underneath his helmet and roars in absolute anger and frustration, perhapse fear too
, it was only for a short moment, his roar mixed with the jets and explosion

In quick reflex movements he pushes himself away, the thrusters on his legs and fins direct their blast down to launch himself backwards away from the detonation



ag 55
[roll0]

[Checkmate-Pony]

With inhuman reflex and blast of thrusters he pushes himself free of the explosion, landing on his back and rolling with the fall onto a kneeling position, he said something inside his enclosed helmet and looked around, still knelt, like a predator

[Hemnon]

At the end of a long day of ensuring blood was not spilled for the Blood God, Váli trudges across the waste on the outskirts of Flotsam, pausing every now and then to examine a particularly poisonous mushroom or dying creature. And in one particularly unfortunate case, breathed a few spores of his own to speed it on its way.

However, todays wandering path brought him to a sign he had not seen in many long years, and one that gave him cause enough to draw his power sword from where it hung at his side. The unmistakable tracks of Astartes-sized power armor. Then, with all the stealth that a 8-foot tall, 1000 kg, power fist wearing, sickly-green armor clad Space Marine can muster, he sets off after the tracks, hoping that whoever he meets at the other end won't immediately attempt to blow his head of.

Kharaz had been wandering along, going past merchant stalls, Altars to the True Gods and all the rest of that dredge of mutants, renegades and Traitors, not even stopping or steering around anyone or anything in his way. If some poor sod got in his way, Kharaz did not stop. Should the poor bugger fall down and get stomped upon... well, too bad for him.

Kharaz was not interested in the petty qualms and miseries of the low masses. They knew nothing and understood nothing, they flawed and often WRONG view of the True Gods was quite painful to see and hear.
He had yet to notice anyone following him, although a fair bit of distance WOULD make it quite impossible to notice anything at all, besides what was there in front of you... and beneath you. His direction was towards the Pirate-landing area, specifically towards the Renegade Rogue Trader's area.
To barter one's way off this doomed rock, well it might not be cheap, but then again. He's lived for over 10k years now, so he wasn't all that worried.

[Tychris1]

Staring at Endless Eugene, Daverus raises a finger, drops it, and then raises it again before ultimately giving up as he watches a crate of autoguns get severed in half. Wrestling with The Ur-Lancer for an inch of headspace, Daverus makes a mental note to always buy from Endless Eugene and make sure he survives the crusade. As lowly as he was, he amused Daverus and reminded him of someone he couldn't quite remember. Shaking off his drifting memory, he holds out a hand expectantly hoping to get his Chainsword back, and leans against Hope's Edge for a few seconds.

Whether or not he actually got his Chainsword back was of little concern, and if Endless Eugene refused to give it back he could keep it. Swinging Hope's Edge skyward, he rested the shaft of it on his pauldron and let the engine passively rev like a purring Juggernaut.

"They'll be dead soon enough once I find them. Khorne watch over you, Endless Eugene."

Stomping away towards the south, Daverus went off in search of these 8 hoodlums who dared to take the banner that was rightfully his to begin with.

[JollyChris]

Maximilian steps out of the rest house with a spring in his step. An imperial crusade was coming and was bringing with it the greatest hunt of his life, merely thinking about it was causing him to quiver with anticipation. Looking around he could sense the locals panic and beneath his helmet a disdainful expression appeared on his face what pathetic prey he thought to himself, if the planet was to resist the strong would have to band together but he could see no sign of anyone worthwhile here.

Not letting that bother him he set out to the market to gather whatever useful equipment he could find before it was all stolen. After gathering whatever supplies he could he would seek out a group intending to resist the crusades merciless onslaught and offer his services.

Shopping list:
My base Infamy is 32
Auspex: Scarce +0, Single +10 TN 42 [roll0]
Cartograph: Rare -10, Single +10, Trading BQ Lasgun +25 TN 57 [roll1]
Grapel gun and line: Average +10, Single +10, TN 52 [roll2]
Magnoculars: Average +10, Single +10, TN 52 [roll3]
Silencer for Long Las: Rare -10, Single +10, Trading BQ Chainsword +25 TN 57 [roll4]

Time taken: [roll5] hours

[ArcturusV]

Endless Eugene - 4 Days, 16 Hours

Endless Eugene didn't seem about to hand over the chainsword. Not that it was built for him, but he was two handing it easily, resting the flat back of the blade against his non-tentacled shoulder, his flaming skull staring right at Daverus without blinking. "He rewards those who earn it," he replied, and a dark chuckle echoed from his missing jaw, soon turning into a loud, cackling, insane laugh, his head tossed back, drool dribbling down his neck. He was like that until the Berzerker left.

It was... surprisingly difficult to find the path that the Blood _____ers must have taken. Most of the city bore signs of the recent battles. Corpses weren't exactly unusual. Nor was offerings to Khorne in piles of heads or blood sigils drawn on walls. However the streets in that direction were mostly empty. What few people you could spot were holed up in buildings, bearing arms, and looking to the south like they expected some great disaster to come form there.

Ebony and Ivory - 4 Days, 13 Hours

As you worked through your dregs, looking for appropriate tools, you did find a couple who did have lascutters, however they were working to meet your prior orders, and when confronted by your magnificent they quailed and fell silent, a deer suddenly caught in the eyes of a tiger. Some prostrated themselves instantly, begging forgiveness as they needed the tools to accomplish your vision. Others made excuses, that their tools were far too crude (Or the controls too small) to accommodate your capabilities and needs, and indeed a few were shoddy, poor quality items scavenged together and badly repaired. In the end it looked like you would either have to accept a poor excuse of one, or kill one of the simpering fools and take the lascutter for yourself.

With such a failure, you knew that of course there would be nothing along the lines of proper melta weaponry among the huddled survivors. Forced to go up, your search eventually lead you to someone claiming to be an "Arch Magos" of the Dark Mechanicus. Somehow you doubted that claim. But what was unquestionable was that he had a working forge, having managed to strongarm his way into controlling a makeshift manufactorum in Flotsam.

As you approached the place, you could see it was heavily guarded. A thick rockrete wall surrounding the compound, three guard towers, ready to rain down heavy stubber fire on the scavengers who might have otherwise considered taking the "Arch Magos's" treasures. Three armed men were out front, apparently running a last minute bazaar for the Arch Magos. People were providing tribute of everything from ration packs and works of art to the raw metals and spare parts needed for the manufactorum for even the least of las and solid projectile weaponry, or a brace of grenades, or even in one case a functioning set of Preysight Goggles.

As you approached, they accepted your Tribute, and as requested bequeathed you with a single Melta Charge, quite a prize compared to what everyone else was getting, and drawing some attention from the crowd as they wondered just how important you must have been to rate such an item compared to the autoguns or las pistols most of them were getting. Nevermind your battleplate and mechatentacles already drawing a lot of awe and attention.

Maximilian - 3 Days, 9 Hours

The city was going to hell. Not that it surprised you in the least. But it made for an interesting situation, where people were scrambling for anything that they could get, hording it against the promised onslaught. You stalked the city, looking for those who had managed to find what you were looking for. Like the patient hunter you were, you tracked them, until you found a nice, quiet place to 'deal' with them. Said deals usually resulting in your weapon pointed at their head, demanding they give you the tribute you need, and for some who were more 'stubborn', even giving them a bit of compensation if they were less than impressed.

Over a day of hunting (And 8 hours to sleep), you managed to attain quite a few little trinkets. Down a Lasgun, but up a Cartograph from one rather stubborn scrapper who seemed happy to match his knife against you in close quarters, and seemed at least dangerous enough to warrant the trade rather than press your luck. A nice, hardy Auspex who's machine spirits seemed adequate, and of course the grapnel. You were almost thinking that you had it all down, when you came across the final person.

He had that silencer. And as you put the screws to him, just like you had so many, you thought he was going to hesitate over it. A meek looking person, narrow shoulders, not looking you in the face, thin frame, dressed in a simple looking set of robes more fit for an administratum adept than anything else, you thought it'd be easy enough. When you offered the trade, he nodded, taking up your offered Chainsword, and handing over the whisperbolt modification.

... it was about 5 seconds after you got a hold of it that you realized that he had pulled a fast one on you. It wasn't a whisperbolt, just a bunch of tubes apparently glued together. And the little man stood there with your chainsword in his left hand.

[Tengallongamer]

When the blast went off, Cage ducked down and kneeled with his plasma gun at the ready.
"Damn nades!"

[Tengallongamer]

When the blast was over he checked his bike for any damage from the shrapnel, nothing that seamed evident but he had to be cautious.
"Watch your step. There could be more." He looked around at his feet and looked for cords, strings or even thumb triggers. anything that he couldn't recognize since he was last searching for the shard. Meanwhile with the shard...

1d100

[Tengallongamer]

(fixing this from the last past)
[roll0]

[Tengallongamer]

In his search he couldn't find anything. the slaughter was far too thick and any explosives were too well hidden. hopefully he won't strike a trap on accident.

[Emperor Ing]

Idelix nodded at the end of the transaction, making no attempts to acknowledge what few remaining scavengers were present, trying to find some voice to shout. They couldn't stop the Storm, and even if the "Magos" was as skilled as he, or she said they were, he doubted even the most wondrous of technological delights they could produce would be able to stop them. Certainly it would send several Imperials to the Warp to be judged by the True Gods. Perhaps that is enough.

For now, Idelix has his part. His brain wracked itself with the many ways his tunnels may be used as a trap. As it was always his intention for them to be so. The knowledge had already gotten out that he was digging. Digging to escape though the rumors were that he was searching for something. Not true at all, and the Ebon King had no delusions there is something to find, but Andromeda doesn't need to know that. Suppose they found something. A cache. An intact STC template. One that necessarily required those who sought to find it down a straight path with one entrance and exit. Past the Ebon King's subjects who are instructed to not allow passage by anyone. Their success is unlikely though their resistance gives credibility to the claim. By the time they found there is nothing, the entrance had already sealed behind them, leaving them stuck in the bottom of the Hive.

Would it entomb them forever? Unlikely but by then it will have already been too late, the Storm will be upon them.

Idelix returned to the decrepit manufactorum with his acquisition. Not optimal, but Gods willing, what Idelix will gain in short time will more than make up for it.

[Tychris1]

Sniffing the air, Daverus continued to walk down the empty path towards the south striding headfirst towards whatever this incoming disaster would be. Slowly his vision eroded, eyelids closing as the world melted away in a stream of fire. Rattling in his brain was the laughter of a little girl, a migraine assaulting him repeatedly as the voice deepened and turned into the harsh growl of his daemonic roommate. Slammed through the confines of his mind, Daverus found his field of vision was replaced with a massive bloodstained battleground, barren of any life save for the hulking brazen form of The Ur-Lancer. He stared at the Daemon, a deafening silence overwhelming the dreamscape that was his mind.

"What do you want, mortal?"

His voice was like ten thousand souls burning and crackling in a bronze furnace, the flicking of his tongue the sharp sting of a hammer banging against the anvil. Saying nothing, Daverus bent to one knee and shattered the aura of silence around him with the soft thud of his pristine red and white power armor.

"Guide me to these curs."


Invoking the Daemon to gain his +10 to Survival:[roll0] vs TN 50 (40 base + 10 Daemon)

Gain 1 Corruption

[ArcturusV]

NoD, Cage, Deverus - 4 Days, 16 hours, whoo hoo, two groups are on the same time tick!

The instincts of the daemon took over, and for a moment Deverus's flesh seemed to crawl, feeling as if he was covered in a thick layer of ants moving across his skin and under it as well. There was a tug on your senses. You weren't certain what exactly it was picking up, some instinctual response that took your trail away from the south, and instead heading east, more towards the "industrial" section of the city.

After about 30 minutes, even your mortal senses could pick up what was being followed. Burning buildings, bodies hacked apart and blasted to shreds, as well as apparently picked clean of anything of value as they were unarmed bodies... rare for Flotsam's population. Up ahead you could hear the sounds of gunfire, and screams. About one block down, and to the right.

--- While with NoD and Cage ---

Saying he found nothing was pushing it. While NoD was dodging blasts, Cage was searching. And while he avoided the corpses (And whatever booby traps might have been there), not spotting the traps and deciding discretion was the better part of valor, there was still plenty of signs. Boot prints in blood, footsteps walking away that you might have dismissed originally as being your own, but were not quite right. Whoever was here was careful to set up the traps, but didn't use the same level of care to cover their tracks as they left.

You're pretty sure that they left the place, heading to the east, apparently loaded up on a tracked vehicle. The only question was if your bike could catch up, and if you wanted to catch up to them.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod tried to ignore what had happened because it was rather shameful but narrowly avoided, he turned and with harsh gestures he pointed at Maria, then with a hard swing pointed towards Cage and his Bike, it had a side car mounted on it, expecting the lady to get in it

Nod did not speak while wearing his helmet, and it was because he couldn't...


On the surface he would remove his helm to see better, smell the air, walking and expecting his 4 companions to follow, he'd stop in many places to look at the ground.

"Magi?" he asked at one point, addressing both Vykos and Idelix, who ever dared answer him

"We might not need lascutters or breaches after all, for there I were, thinking... And upon a sudden I had; a whimsical idea"

"Being of the Dark Mechanicus" he said Dark as if the name was silly "you must have some knowledge of warp craft and sorcery too am I correct?" "A fusion of machine and warp are a trademark of your kind"

At one point in his purposeful searching leading them, he came upon the tracks and prints; bloodied, he would lick the Ichor, he would often perform such unsanitary things, but he did so purely as a means of tracking, like a blood hound, the ultimate soldier combined aspects of more than just the perfect man, but also inspiration of the animal kingdom

"Cage, Maria, see if you two can follow the tracks, but be weary, do not start a fight till I arrive"

He told them this, expecting to keep up with whoever tried to lay an ambush on them, but before Nod himself headed out he waited for the response of his Heretek's

aiming for 60 [roll0]

[Tychris1]

Sprinting at full force, Daverus began to pant as he dragged Hope's Edge behind him, his muscular arm flailing from side to side causing sparks to fly off in every direction from the friction of his beloved weapon against the ground below. Silently thanking the Ur-Lancer for guiding him to yet another fresh battle, his fanged mouth began to snarl at the smell of blood and fire. Turning the corner, Daverus slammed his claw into the ground and cleaved through inches of the earth below as he pivoted on the spot to change directions and continue his nonstop rampage towards the right. Slamming a foot forward, Daverus rotated his chest to put the force behind his momentum into dislodging Hope's Edge from the ground and spraying dirt everywhere. Such meteoric inertia, the shaft of Hope's Edge would have decapitated any man who tried to stop it's swing, and shatter the bones of a lesser space marine grabbing ahold of it to wield it properly. But not Daverus, in one fell swoop he stopped the great axe in its tracks with his hand and revved the motor.

It was time for someone to die.

[DaedalusMkV]

Vykos considers for a moment. "I doubt that I can construct a Scap-code generator in time. Not without a fully-stocked foundry. Perhaps I can find something near finished, or damaged, and bring that to working condition. I shall investigate. I would not require such a device to suborn their cogitators, but it would assuredly help." He shrugs, Power Armour grinding as it struggles to mimic the motion. "I believe I may be able to deal with any obstinate doors as well. With a simple Multi-key and access to their control mechanisms, it should be a simple matter to bypass most or all such obstacles. The remainder can be... Removed."

At Nod's second suggestion, Vykos' photosensors dim again. "You suggest binding a Daemon to the ship, taking control by that method. It is something I have done only under limited, controlled circumstances in the past. It has never been a focus of my work, though I do have the theoretical knowledge to do so. What of you, Ebon King? Should your skill in this area eclipse mine, I would be content to offer my aid."

Finally, he addresses the most recent arrival. A young woman, and a woshipper of Nurgle. Odd. But perhaps useful, in this scenario. "Of course, none of that may be necessary. I wonder... Our target is also female. You, Maria, could you perhaps... Imitate this Rogue Trader? Given her clothing and equipment, of course? If we can convince them to allow us unopposed into their vessel, I would have all the time necessary to take control of everything. Then we simply declare ourselves in command of the vessel and threaten to flush anyone who disagrees into space. And even should such an attempt fail, so long as we are aboard the vessel we could simply return to our original plan."

Once the conversation is over, Vykos bids farewell to the group and begins making his way towards the city's scrap-merchants and technologists, in the hopes of finding his theoretical Scrap-code Generator, and perhaps other useful tools in the bargain.

[Tengallongamer]

Cage chuckled and put on his helmet, the light from it's one lens glowing a bright red and he swung onto his bike with the giant plasmagun slung onto his back and started up his bike immediately.
"Get on" He only said once under the vox phone of his helmet.

(only if Maria does get on) He revs up the bike barely giving her time to put on this seat belt and immediately she can see upwards for a couple of seconds and the engine roars and they pop down with all wheels on the ground.

[Emperor Ing]

"Being of the Dark Mechanicus" he said Dark as if the name was silly "you must have some knowledge of warp craft and sorcery too am I correct?" "A fusion of machine and warp are a trademark of your kind"

The Ebon King nods, glancing down at the Melta-Bomb that now will seem to be quite useless. At least for the moment. Though the binding of a daemon to a machine is dangerous in the extreme. Binding it to a voidship is surely not what Nod was suggesting. The cautious Ebon King mentally recoiled at the very idea, but he stood still nontheless. This is correct. He answered. What would you suggest Magos Vykos and I do?

[ArcturusV]

4 Days, 16 Hours - Deverus

As you spin around the corner you see a battle about 45m away. It looks like someone's armored warehouse. An industrial rockrete building, single large set of roll up doors 45m from you. In the street, angled to block the path was a Rhino, front facing that building. A man was in the pintle mount opening up with a storm bolter on the roll up door. It was chewed to hell, and you could see three men, two on the left side, one on the right, of that roll up door, apparently getting ready to breach.

From inside the door came the chatter of an SP weapon, rounds spanging off the frontal armor of the Rhino, poorly aimed.

[Cyclopean]

Maria strokes her chin thoughtfully. "If I could get my hands on some recordings of her voice and study them for an hour, I could imitate her voice perfectly...but I suspect I don't look anything like her. Of course, I should be able to get a disguise kit without too much difficulty...yeah, that could work." She grins, excited. "I'll see what I can find."

With that, she hops on Cage's bike and rides off with the rest of them.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"No!" Nod said Sternly to Vykos before he could leave completely

"I do not wish a daemon bound to the ship, it would become useless to me" "Such a great machine must not be tainted by the unwholesome'

"And Maria will do no such thing, a 'human' of such power is larger than life, the post human training of imperial noble Rogue Trader are not to be taken lightly, Andromeda herself could talk Maria into suicide with but a few well placed words" "I have another plan for Maria, but first we must find those that attempt on my life, and perhapse make them join us if Maria feels she can handle it" he looked and smiled at Maria, then turned to the hereteks again with a harsh look

"Vykos and King"

"The warp Craft I speak of will be your greatest challenge yet: We will need shuttles, we will need men, but ultimately such things are but chaff, pawns in our game of regicide, what I need is a path between space and time, to place myself where reality deny me access"

"with your understandings of the warp, is it possible, for you two, to transport a group of people a few hundred meters past space and time? "Is it possible, that you can allow me, and a strike team to transcend physical space? To teleport if you will, into the very heart of the ships bridge?" "and can you do this, from within the confines of a shuttle bay?"

[Tengallongamer]

Cage stops the bike when he sees up close the attack from the distance. "Maria, on my mark, your going to suppress the ranks. " He points at the support gun that's pristle mounted on the sidecar.

we need to get rid of the gunner and keep their heads down. if we can do this right we can win us a rhino."
He peers down from the sights of the bike mount and dials on the equipment in his helmet. His goggles set to examine the infiltrator's heat patterns because he couldn't see them well enough to be sure what they were armed with.

I'm using my photo visor from my helmet augmentations to read their heat signatures. I'm looking for how thick the armor is based on how cool the surface on parts of them are and if theres any heat signatures on the infiltrator's weapons.

[Tychris1]

Gripping Hope's Edge, Daverus bellowed out a roar that sent pebbles around him scattering from the force of the sound. Stomping forward, he ran full force towards the rhino his fiery blood pounding with each violent twitch and jerk he unintentionally performed. Breathing in deep, he narrowed his eyes and entered an almost zen-like state, the world around him growing still and losing all color as the rhino became a massive vibrant target for him. Bit by bit chunks of the earth bled away and crumbled, getting replaced by images of grass and trees. A dirt road with heraldry appeared before him, a large wooden fence set to the side of him stretching on until it reached the Rhino which to Daverus' surprise ceased to be a rhino and instead was an armored knight on armored horseback.

"Ready your lance, cur!"

Scratching at the back of his skull, Daverus felt the soft tugging of his daemonic companion filling his mind with illusory images of a grand jousting tournament. The faceless crowds filling the now materializing stands, cheering them both on as they pounded forward. Slowly the chant grew louder and louder until finally Daverus joined in and screamed at the top of his lungs those sweet ten words that he and his patron had in common.

"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"


Sprint forward 48 meters towards the rhino to get into melee with it and scream at the top of my lungs. WOOHOO!

[Tengallongamer]

"Fire!!!" He pulls out his plasma gun full speed and aims down twards the gunner on the storm bolter and fires off a shot at the gunner.

Quick draw plasma gun for free action. I half action aim and fire to complete my full action

[Tengallongamer]

When he saw the marine charge in he knew that there was no point in holding back and right away he pulled out his weapons to shoot at the enemy to help out our engraged friend.
The question is... who shoots first?
[roll0] initiative

[Tengallongamer]

Lightning reflexes roll [roll0]

[Tengallongamer]

Cage aims down the sights of his plasma gun and fires a single shot at the gunner manning the storm bolter. [roll0] vs 78

[Tengallongamer]

Headshot by plasma gun!
[roll0] energy damage

[Cyclopean]

Maria had no idea how to fire a harvester, but felt like she could handle laying down suppressing fire. It wasn't poison or plague, but she figured there was a chance the debris could give someone tetanus.


Well, I can't hit anyone with this, since my non-proficiency means my target number is exactly zero. Rolling to see if I jam the hunk of junk.
[roll0]

[JollyChris]

Maximilian lets the bogus silencer drop to the ground shakes his head saying "Silly prey" runs past the thug drawing Death Bringer before spinning around and letting a single shot ring through the air.

Initiative: [roll0] +8 (6 from perception bonus, 2 from being human)
Full action hip shooting: Running past him out of melee range then spinning around and firing a single shot with my long las (Quick draw pulls out the long las as free action, dude gets a free standard attack as i move past him)

Hit roll TN 98 (58 BS +10 Laser Sight +30 Point Blank Range) : [roll1]
Damage roll: [roll2] Pen 5 Costs 5 ammo charge.
Dodge roll if he hits me and gets through my force field (30 rating overloads on 1-10) TN 50 (40 Ag dodge +10): [roll3]

Edit: I'll replace my DoS with the 4 on the damage roll. I believe that makes my damage 20 (9 DoS for so low +1 from my Legacy History)

[ArcturusV]

3 Days, 9 Hours - Max's Ballroom Blitz

As Max tried to get a clear shot, the swordsman brought up his blade in a single, smooth swing, chainblade revving loudly as it came in a lazy, deadly arc (Hit for 11 Pen 2 Rending Damage to the right arm). His style seemed less of the frothing roar of a Khornate or the insane zeal of an Imperial Guardsman or Cleric, but the calm, detatched actions of someone well used to violence, and having a casual attitude towards it.

As you brought up your weapon for the snapshot, he pivoted hard on his right foot, the lasbolt screaming past his left shoulder with a loud "HISS-KRAK!", and a distinct lack of charred, burning skin. His empty right hand reached into his robe with alacrity, drawing forth a small, thin, double edged knife which he then threw at Maximillion with a snap of his wrist, following in the knife's wake.

Free Action Knife Draw, Standard Attack Knife Throw at Point Blank Range, half action move to get back into melee on Max.

Attack: [roll0] vs 75.
Damage: [roll1] /2, +4 Rending Damage, Pen 0.

Back in Close Combat with the Swordsman.

4 Days, 16 hours - Firefight in the Streets

The roar of the thresher gun brought a spray of scrap rounds out towards the building. The two men on the left side of the door were ducking down, trying to get towards the corner of the building away from Maria, where they could get some cover against the hail of inaccurate, but no less possibly lethal through sheer volume, fire. The third man, on the right however, held his ground against the fire, bringing up his autogun to point towards her, unleashing a full auto burst towards her and cage to return the favor.

Two of the assault team are half moving towards cover. Their check to recover from pinning:

[roll2] vs 35.

The third is laying suppressive fire in the direction of Cage and Maria on Full Auto:

Attack: [roll3] vs 15
Damage if I lucked out: [roll4] +3 Impact Damage, Pen 0

While the man on the main gun was having a bad, bad day. His helmet melting into slag dripped down, blocking his eyes and bringing a scream forth as the superheated plasma scarred him badly and the melting armor didn't help either. He heard a rampaging thing stomping towards him, remembered a mass of armor charging towards him. Even knowing it wouldn't do anything, he panicked, swinging the Storm Bolter over in the direction that the Armored Figure was, laying down an arc of blind, suppressive fire.

He automatically fails the BS test, because, Blind. Will roll to see if there is a jam however. And as Deverus is Fearless after all, he automatically passes the pinning test.

Roll to check for Jamming: [roll5] with a jam on 94+. He's blind until the end of the turn from Critical Damage to the head.

[Hemnon]

Kharaz suddenly heard the distinctive sound of battle. A firefight to be specific.
This was odd though, because usually he'd heard the odd brawl and such, and the Imperial Crusade-efforts hadn't reached the planet yet either.
WIth his curiousity peaked, Kharaz halted his brisk pace and, for a second, deliberated the idea in his mind and then made a sharp left turn. Heading in the direction of the noise of battle, senses peaked and ready to defend himself should he be forced into doing so, keeping a safe, but direct pace, making sure not to suddenly waltze right out into the line of fire and get his head vaporized in a ball of wayward plasma-fire.

[Tychris1]

Looking down the length of his lance, Daverus charged forward and aimed the tip of it at the chest of his mounted rival sending him flying off his mount and following the blow with a curt slam of his hoofbeats on his chest. The crowd went wild, cheers like gunfire ripping through his ears at a hundred miles a minute.


All Out Attack:[roll0] vs TN 100+ (48 base + 5 Craftsmanship +10 Hatred + 30 All Out +20 Size)
Furious Assault:[roll1]
Damage 1:[roll2]+25
Damage 2:[roll3]+25

[Tengallongamer]

"Sheesh, he's already looking like me." Says cage when he finds the headshot didn't outright kill the man. He looks back into the sights and finds that the two are being shot at, autogun bullets glancing off of his bike was enough to have him leaping for cover. he's been shot plenty of times in the past. He wasn't going to let it happen again.

"Oh that bastard!" He said in excitement.

Eddit: Cage gets off of the bike and uses it for cover instead of shooting.

[Cyclopean]

"I thought we were getting ourselves a Rhino, Cage!" Maria shouts, unfazed by the hail of gunfire. "Take out that bastard before he gets lucky with his autogun!" She punctuates her command by letting loose another round of suppressing fire.


Maria is immune to pinning, so she'll just keep doing what she was doing.
Roll to avoid jamming: [roll0]

The damn thing jams on her, of course.

Maria decides that her odds at doing anything useful with the harvester were rapidly diminishing, and joins Cage in taking cover. "You think we should maybe let the daemonhost have the Rhino?" she asks.

[ArcturusV]

4 Days, 16 Hours - Massacres

Deverus's first strike slammed into the top of the Rhino, and the armor plates buckled under the massive strike, a large rend cut into it, with panicked cries coming from inside. Those cries didn't last too much longer however, as the second blow came in, slamming deep into the side of the Rhino, hitting one of the engine's promethium fuel tanks, the power field of the axe sparking the volatile fuel. A jet of flame went into the sky, through the commander's cupola, obliterating the plasma seared head of the gunner there, leaving a charred, headless body. Secondary explosions went off inside the Rhino, the armor cracking from the inside as ammo cooked off, and engines were ripped apart by the force of the blast. The armored plates ripped free of the Rhino, creating a death zone of heavy, large shrapnel (14 Explosive Damage, 4 meter radius).


One of the three men outside the building, witnessing two axe blows just rip their transport in half, pulled out a smoke grenade, dropping it to hide the corner of the building in thick, white smoke. You could see the man who fired at Cage and Maria run into the cloud as it formed, and the other two, well, they were in the cloud when it formed.

Heavy stubber fire was coming from the building, out of the roll up door's shattered holes, coming blind out of the smoke. Most of the rounds spanging off the ruined hulk of the Rhino, well clear of Deverus, and nowhere near having a good angle to shoot at Maria or Cage.

[Tychris1]

Smelling fresh blood in the air, Daverus held out his arms in a celebratory fashion as he took in the basking and reverent uproar of the crowds only for reality to snap at his eyes. His hallucinagenic visions appeased by the shedding of blood, suddenly all the voices in his head went silent once more, and for a time Daverus' inner voice only had one other companion. Yanking Hope's Edge free from the wreckage of the Rhino he had detonated in his face (without so much as a flinch on his part due to the explosion) he continued to charge forward into the smoke and swung wildly, roaring and screaming bloody exaltations to Khorne all the while.


Charge the nearest enemy:[roll0] vs TN 93 (48 + 30 Charge + 10 Hatred + 5 Craftsmanship)
Damage:[roll1] + 25 Pen 5
Zealous Hatred:[roll2]

[Emperor Ing]

Word had gotten out about the excavation. Rather far and wide. A bit too much for Idelix's tastes but it little matters now. The way this word spreads will be used to Idelix's advantage. The tunnels continue much further outwards and downwards with the excavation team at this moment carving and digging through additional abandoned and/or collapsed structures the city was built atop.

The Ebon King has patrolled these tunnels numerous times. His shadowing appearance unsettling in the extreme for his subjects, but absolutely horrifying to those who would dare trespass on his domain with ill intent. He knew them well in the time he has had. With the plan in mind he makes the round down the tunnels, past resting workers and others relocating scrap metal to various improvised storage spaces. He imagined himself continuing down the tunnels, booming about the value of these dilapidated machines in the Manufactorum but...he doubted. He thought his skills in deception were lackluster, at best. This would require a more deft touch.

He searched for Maria. If the mortal was as skilled as she let on in the art of speechcraft, some rumormongering would be needed.

[Tengallongamer]

"huh, I figured I'd be the only one to be-" BOOM! The blast from the rhino surprises him and he peeks his head out. "Damn, I wanted to drive that!" He exclaims.
When the smoke bomb dropped he didn't worry about it, the helmet was already set to preysence, he looked out into the smoke for the heat signatures, one that was white hot, something he's never seen before, it must have been their possessed friend. He would rather poke somebody in cover than stick a searing bolt into the crazed marine.

Using half action to fire at an enemy in cover that I can see. [roll0] +10 single shot -0 preysence giving me vision -0 marksman giving me nessesary distance vs 68

[roll1] pen 10
Zealous Hatred [roll2] (unconfirmed)

recovery test post turn [roll3] +30 to not being shot at vs 75

[Cyclopean]

Maria couldn't help but laugh at Cage's outburst. "Truly a pity. Still, maybe we can get the daemonhost to join up..."

It seemed like the fight was going to be over shortly, but she pulls out her laspistol to be on the safe side.

Half action to draw a weapon.

Recovery roll vs TN 65 (35 WP + 30 for not being shot at): [roll0]

[ArcturusV]

With a roar of the axe the Daemonhost found his target in the smoke, the blade whipping down low to catch the man right in the knee, severing it cleanly, the man falling over dead, his blood spurting through the smoked area, creating a pool of slick ichor that created treacherous footing to the reckless (+0 Agility Test if you Run/Charge or fall on your face).

The sound of death screams though drew attention to the Khornate in the Fog. Though before it could be acted upon a plasma ball screamed through, and followed by the screams of another body, as the plasma flash seared his eyes, his hands shielding, armor slagging.

His fellow in the smoke, pulled out a cylindrical device, and tossing it towards the sound of dead comrade and roaring chainaxe tried to land the grenade at the feet of the Daemonhost. As he did so, the heavy stubber fire subsided, no longer spanging rounds off of the slag heap of a Rhino.

Half Action ready, half action standard attack

Attack: [roll0] vs 45.
Scatter Dice:
Direction: [roll1]
Distance: [roll2] meters.
Damage: [roll3] Energy Damage, Pen 6, Blast (3), Flaming.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Like a Raptor, Nod landed on a gargoyle facing, so he could look down at the fighting like a raptor, if only for the flare of the dramatic.

He was watching the berserker from a distance, plotting it's usefulness, but there were others too, Sorcerers and fiends.

He let himself drop down from up high, close to Cage, slamming the ground to punctuate his anointed arrival, needing no voice to summon all the kin of chaos to gather around him.

However he knew the Berserker would be different, so Nod told him exactly what he wanted to hear...

Nod mumbled to himself in facination "A Crimson Sabre Astarte..."

He repeated the name to get his attention, loud, but still calm and collected, no spite in his voice, but a kingly declaration

"Crimson Sabre! I challenge you" "Show yourself to me"

Nod brandished no weapons and had his helm under his arm, gentleman like as to not provoke a duel too quick before he could see the Crimson Slaughter legionnaire first (being obscured by smoke) A lot of people claimed the Berserkers be Honorable, and Nod knew it was a lie.

[Tychris1]

Looking over at his new foe, the illusions of jousting in a grand tournament slowly faded from his vision as the smell of blood grew more pungent. The voices in his bead were now but a faint echo in the distance, their screams silenced by a baptism of blades. Dragging Hope's Edge behind him, Daverus stomped steadily forward before swinging wildly once more, tearing out chunks of the surrounding environment with each twitch of his mutated and overly muscular arm.


Daverus is gonna charge the dude who threw a grenade at him.
Charge:[roll0] vs TN 93
Damage:[roll1] + 25

Awareness (If necessary):[roll2] vs TN 60

[Tychris1]

Watching the man explode into a gory mist of crushed bones and soupy organs Daverus' mind was fully at peace. These false followers of Khorne were broken, scattered like dust in the wind, and now all he had to do was claim his prize. Looking around the smoke filled room Daverus soon decided it would be better to start his hunt from the outside in, that is until he was ceremoniously challenged by a complete stranger. A fellow Astartes it seemed, once Daverus stepped out of the smoke and got a full look at his next victim. Taking a wide stance, Daverus exposed his belt that carried the equipment he had no use for, and growled through the fleshy and burnt vox grill. Scratching at the back of his mind, the Ur-Lancer chortled intensely before whispering

"Do not fail me little one, ride him down. Give me a show."

Sweeping Hope's Edge across the ground infront of him, Daverus tore up a chunk of the earth and created a line in the process. Throwing his chain axe, combat knife, and bolt pistol onto the ground he roared out at the top of his lungs.

"You dare challenge me, Daverus Grand Executioner of the Crimson Slaughter? I walk with the power of the Warp in my veins, guided by the Ur-Lancer, Master Jouster. Step forth and arm yourself cur and tell me your name, so that I may add your name to my blessed tools tally."

[Checkmate-Pony]

"perhaps a strange sense of honor after all" he muttered to himself lifting an eye brow, which Daverus super human senses might catch

"Yes, I, Nod, Legion of One dare challenge you. But it is not me that will fight"

he lifted a hand up flatly like a dictator

"Stay your anger for now, the challenge I have in mind is one certainly befit one of your power, and in turn will earn you only with a greater opportunity for the carnage you desire"

Nod made a gesture, balling his hand into a fist and emphasizing on the word desire

"I desire to capture a voidship, and it's captain is certainly a renowned fighter along with her bodyguards" "But... she is a coward and will turn from any fight presented to her, she wants to flee"

"I desire to see myself on that ship, with you by my side, and once there she will have nowhere to hide and be yours alone to punish for her hubris"

Nod made his voice growling and epic as if to stur the Berserker with his words

"Imagen that... tens of thousands of warriors, unable to hide, prey for you and especially their master and commander"

"But only if you can accept such a challenge, thousands of warriors, a massacre" "and more to come in the future, as even gravity itself cannot stay our warrior path"

[Tychris1]

Chuckling to himself, tiny burning embers began to flicker out of his vox grill and caused the flesh metal to warble much like his own mouth would upon chortling. Looking down at the weapons arrayed before him, Daverus nodded his head and bellowed out in reply to this mysterious stranger named Nod.

"War without end? A coward to execute and put their skull upon Khorne's throne? Surely this is a most blessed of endeavors, I shall-"

He stopped suddenly, his body shuddering as each breathe became a enormous labor for him to perform, as if his chest was full of lead and his skin was inflexible steel. Wretching violently, he stumbled backwards and grabbed his helmet with his hand. Shaking, he heard the Ur-Lancers voice crack against his skull like the mighty blow of a hammer.

"NO! YOU DO NOT GET TO SPARE THIS MORTAL, IF THIS IMPUDENT PEASANT DARE CHALLENGE ONE OF KHORNES MIGHTIEST WARRIORS THEN HE SHALL PERISH LIKE THE OTHERS. NO REST. NO MERCY. NO MATTER WHAT. STEP ASIDE AND I SHALL SHOW YOU TRUE MARTIAL PROWESS."

Screaming, Daverus began to rapidly beat against his head furiously even as the rest of his body changed drastically. "No! I AM IN CONTROL, YOU CANNOT-Aaaaagh!" His hand went limp, the rest of his body drooping low as he remained still for a second, and then suddenly stood up straight and brought Hope's Edge to bear. His voice was now wholly different, like ten thousand blades scraping against each other, and his body began to vibrate and leak warp energy out of his pores. "IF YOU WISH FOR A CHALLENGE MAGGOT THEN I SHALL GIVE YOU ONE! READY YOUR LANCE, CUR. MAY YOU FIND HONOR IN DEATH."


Initiative:[roll0]
Lightning Reflexes:[roll1]

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod began talking to himself analyzing what he's seeing

"the fiend..." opening his eyes wide "he's somehow sharing his body with another warrior"

Nod did not move, but his engines started whining and swirling dust around him


He yelled at the second personality:
"Don't be a fool, Strike me down and you will have 'failed' my challenge entirely"


"Must I convince you as well?"

"I am not here to fight you, it is an offer, a challenge of your capacity as a warrior, put me on the throne of that ship and you will have a chariot of such awesome power that in all of the universe, there is no war of which we cannot wage"

[Checkmate-Pony]

---------------------------

[roll0]

[Tengallongamer]

Cage watched the two astartes speak obe on one and the intensity alone was astounding. He knew that this was a chalange he couldn't get in on. He helped Maria up and he got on his bike.

"I'm going to the warehouse to clean up. Be alive when I get back." He said to Nod in his confidence, regardless of what he saw. He drove on to get to the warehouse, refusing to get in the way of whatever mounted stubber was inside the building.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod looked over at Cage and his chin lifted in a death glare, because Nod didn't wish for Cage to leave him alone with the Berserker, only encouraging the silly concept of a one on one fight, but let Cage drive off anyway

[Tychris1]

Bellowing out a battle cry that echoed both in the Material and Immaterial realms, the Ur-Lancer looked down at his mortal coil and surged forward, his body rapidly mutating and turning into a massive centauroid armored beast as he slowly picked up speed until he reached a breakneck pace that caused a massive dust cloud to kick up behind him. Wielding Hope's Edge in both hands, the Ur-Lancer lowered it in preparation for the initial jousting bout, and grunted as he swung with reckless abandon "HAVE AT THEE MORTAL SCUM!"


The Ur-Lancer will Invoke the Daemon and gain his Quadraped/Brutal Charge (4) Trait, his Preternatural Speed/Assassin Strike Talent, and his Acrobatics +10 skill

Acrobatics for Assassin Strike:[roll0] vs TN 56 (46 Base + 10 Invoke)

Charging 128 Meters straight at Nod:[roll1] vs TN 93 (48 Base + 5 Craftsmanship + 10 Hatred + 30 Berserk Charge)
Damage:[roll2] +24 Felling (2) Pen (2)

[Checkmate-Pony]

his engines does not warm up in time as the Daemon Host is upon him in the blink of an eye, with bluring speed Nod waves his head out of the way backing up and never trying to strike back at him

"Brother, stop it!" he says snappy, as if very irritated

[Tengallongamer]

Cage looked back when the first astarte vanished into a blur and he couldn't beleive he left nod with that unstoppable onslaught. Of course after seeing the reaction he was a little more than confident in the marine's ability again.

[Tychris1]

Rubbing his head, Daverus trotted a few paces away from Nod as he began to violently jerk around once more, this time his screams slowly turned back to his original voice and as he turned around to Nod he held out a hand and looked at him sternly.

"You move quickly on the fields of war, an admirable trait for the cavalry. The Ur-Lancer is back under my control, though he thirsts for another round of combat with you. I would indulge him, but if you wish to live I'd hedge your bets."

Stamping his brazen hoof down, Daverus swished his metal whip chord tail back and forth as his Equestrian-Half bristled before straightening to attention. Holding Hope's Edge out towards Nod, he curtly nods his head before uttering. "You have my Axe. I hope you are right, and that this challenge will provide many chances for Hope's Edge to spawn Widows, lest the Ur-Lancer or I be displeased."

[Emperor Ing]

Fascinating. The permanently backlit and shadowy form of the Ebon King stepped out, remarking of Daverus in his bizarre un-voice. The daemon and you wrests for control over your body and all that you wish is making offerings to Khorne.

To whom do I address?

[Tengallongamer]

It wasnt untill he thought about it that he realized what he did. Never before has he seen an astarte in fear and now realized even if he couldnt do anything there, he was no less needed somehow. He could tell from the way nod looked. "This is gona be weird..." he looks foward at the warehouse and drives back seeing the other person apear.

[Hemnon]

Kharaz halted himself a few feet back from the major infighting just a little longer forward, clearly interested in the fighting, but not in actually joining in. it was a fool's errand to start fighting with eachother right now. Such lack of foresight in all these brutes, renegades and Khorne-worshippers.

[Tychris1]

Turning back to look at the new arrival, Daverus snorted as he saw the shadowy mechanical nightmare appraise his terrifying daemonically blessed form. Hiding amidst the shadows was a cowards tool, the last resort for those so weak as to shy away from the glory of personal combat. Running his hand over the flesh metal that was his forearm, Daverus inspected Hope's Edge and muttered a prayer to it softly before answering the new arrival. "I am Daverus, the Grand Executioner of the Crimson Slaughter and wielder of Hope's Edge, Cleaver of Widows. Knight of Blood and host of Khorne's Herald." Turning around to look back at the warehouse, he slowly began to trot back into the fray, leaning Hope's Edge against his pauldron before calling back "Now that this distraction has been attended to, I have a Banner to reclaim in Khorne's name." Kicking at the dirt below, Daverus steadied himself before surging forward at breakneck speeds, galloping with reckless abandon and intent on using the tools that the Ur-Lancer had forced upon him so carelessly.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod didn't speak, and didn't look at Idelix, he followed the Berserker to the warehouse

"come Ebon King, I want to discuss the plan in full"

"Where is Vyhkos?"

[Emperor Ing]

I cannot say. Idelix answered as he followed Nod. He took a moment and glanced at the smoldering wreck of what was probably once a Rhino APC. Such a waste. With the proper time and rituals, infusing a denizens of the Warp within it would have made for a glorious surprise for Andromeda's crew as well as the Imperial attackers. Surely even the daemon could be coaxed with promises of inevitable bloodshed and slaughter beyond what their manifest form would have been capable of. For the moment I am occupied with baiting the trap. For this I wish to know the whereabouts of the human wordsmith, Maria.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"She is with Cage. Worry not about the trap, it is childsplay. I need everyone assembled"

[ArcturusV]

Off to the Warehouse with Daverus

The smoke was still thick around the entrance to the building, but you were pretty sure from what you had seen earlier that none of the attackers had the banner on them, if they were in fact the Blood Blooders, Blood Packers, Blood Thugs, or whatever it was called. However there was someone inside the warehouse, obviously, considering the heavy stubber fire you saw spanging off the Rhino before you blew it up.

Coming through the smoke you see a fairly, oddly, orderly warehouse, with rows of highly stacked up pallets, a few cargo lifters, and about 50m in front of you a Heavy Stubber on a Tripod, abandoned apparently, barrel still smoking from the recent firing. You can hear some people moving among the stacks, and some whispers echoing off the walls.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod followed up, only briefly acknowledging Cage's return.

"come along" he merely said.

When entering the warehouse through the smoke he looked upon the Heavy Stubber

"A disrupter" "Cage, can you operate one of those?"

"Even if weak they are primitive terror weapons, breaking concentration, we might need it, Now..."

He narrowed his eyes

"There is an Astartes Sorcerer nearby" he said with contempt

[Tengallongamer]

Cage rose a brow. "Disrupter?" He looked where Nod was looking. "Oh, yeah that's not hard to use. I knew a guy that taught me.
However when Nod spoke of a sorceror, he tenced up. "Are you able to feel him?" His tone was with a directionless agression and he gripped the bike gun's trigger with his head very slightly moving.

[Emperor Ing]

Sorcery. The Ebon King echoed Nod's thoughts with indifference. Protracted conflict against psykers, whether mortal or Astartes, has always proven to be problematic at best. Easier to simply end their miserable lives as quickly as possible. Even so, he pulled out his plasma gun. Removed from the light-eating body of the Astartes it was along side of, the plasma contained within the weapon blossomed with cerulean light, dimly illuminating the area immediately around Idelix as well as casting a blue sheen on the gold and silver gilding on the gun. The plasma gun looked more like a work of art the longer one looked at it, and the numerous straight and regular angles of its plates and ornamentation made it look as though it would be found in the hands of a Loyalist astartes, or possibly freshly looted.

Only Idelix knew that he simply did not feel the need to "profane" the weapon. A frivolous waste of time if ever there was one, and the machine-spirits of "holy relics" tend not to discriminate on the loyalties of their wielders, amusingly enough.

Idelix looked around the warehouse for any oddities or points of interest. Preferably something that could either be worth requisitioning, or of immediate use against these cultists such as a fire exit providing a firing position or ambush spots.


[roll0]

[Checkmate-Pony]

"Not as such"

Nod seemed to have forgotten Cage's recent slight

"I cannot fell he's a sorcerer, I know he's a Sorcerer, an Astarte at that"

Nod looked at cage to explain it methodically and deductively:
"My Auger implants detected him a while ago, yet I could not smell him with my olfactory senses. He does not smell of fear, the way a human would, nor the sent of an astarte. He has no sent at all. Yet my Auspex sees him, this means he's wearing a sealed suit, power armour" "one that runs on a sustainable contained fuel source and not a combustible liquid"

"Astarte he must be"

"How do I know he's sorcerer then you ask" he asked rhetorically, and answered for him


"Because I, am unpredictable. And only a cowardly witch would think himself cunning by hiding and observing events, rather than influence them himself"

"He wants to observe me, us, before he takes any actions, thinking himself clever for passively planning in the background and only strikes when he thinks he can predict our movements with certainty"

Nod looks with a glare out of the warehouse as if hoping his eyes would fall upon the sorcerer in question "And to him, I am an uncertainty"

[Hemnon]

Kharaz had not really been hiding or anything at all. He'd merely remained at distance and observing. He was tense and ready for any hostility action towards him, but from his stance and posture he was showing no signs of hostility himself. Merely curiousity and a sense of 'superiority' towards any non-Chaos Space Marines... and even they was not looked upon as complete equals, unless they were a fellow Sorcerer that is.
Blunt-souled people, almost all of them.

He remained there, as distance, showing no signs of leaving or getting any closer.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"Worry not, King"

Nod started elaborating on his plan:

"As for your trap in the underground, at first I considered that we could trap the Rogue Trader within it, like a vault. But it might not be necessary"

"Only to lure her away, we need perfect timing"


"The Reason I ask you for a Teleportation 'spell' is because I desire to use it to enter the Ships command bridge, myself and a strike team ofcourse"

Nod walked around the warehouse looking over all the human tools and little assets, how simple life must be for mortals, envying it

"Initially I wanted a simultaneous attack, whilst we warp onto the bridge, a second team would attack the ship's bays using stolen ligthers, I was hoping lady Maria could help us provide some shuttles, ofcourse control will need codes and verification or they will shoot us down. We must steal this infomation somehow, if we can get our hands on just one Flight Recorder black box from the Rogue Trader's Ligthers we will our cloak and dagger for the attack"

[Emperor Ing]

Andromeda herself will arrive through the shuttle, though it is extremely unlikely the shuttle will remain on ground for longer than necessary. An unseen knife in the dark can board the shuttle as they disembark and commandeer it after the Rogue Trader has entered my web. Idelix mused out loud. Coercing the machine-spirits into surrendering their codes would be child's play should it be brought to me. It could also serve an effective contingency should our "spell" fail.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod narrowed his eyes

"and what do you think happens when we fly into the hangar bays and jump out guns blazing?"


"that we take it all by force? No, the bridge crew will lock us off like rats in a maze and worse might depressurize components to flush us out, the exact reasons systems like that exist on a ship is to avoid such childish attempts at vandalism"

"That is why we must reach the bridge first, there is no alternative to the spell, because it will NOT fail"

"likewise we can't risk killing Andromeda, she no doubt has an heir waiting to take her command should they know she has fallen and then they will flee or be weary, or worse. Avenge her. We must distract her, she cannot know what we will be doing or be on-board while we attack"

[Emperor Ing]

I never said we would enter through the hangars. Idelix corrected, with no escalation or inflection. We should anticipate every possibility and plan for their failure. You had a previous plan in which a meltabomb is required, and it would be wise to not disregard it completely just yet.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"I already anticipated these potential failures you speak of, it is why I am so certain. Alas it is true I said that, but it was before we met our new trumph card, the Berserker, he alone could break ship bulkheads, making the melta bomb obsolete, In theory ofcourse... We will still keep it"

"The reason the bridge is so important is not only does it decapitate the ships ability to organize a proper defense, it also gives Maria the ability to speak to the crew entire. Her Bene Gesserit training could sway a broken and scared crew to our side without much resistance"

"And if not... we will Force it upon them our right to rule"

"We still need to bring a small force to attack the 'front door', even if it will be daemons loaded in shuttles"

"The Astarte Sorcerer no doubt is arrogant enough to attempt such a feat of malice and hubris"

[ArcturusV]

As the Ebon King surveys the warehouse, he sees the place is apparently someone's stockpile. Things that probably were looted from Imperial Worlds based on the markings (And the crude defilement that seemed recently added to the Imperial Markings). Planetary Defense Force gear from the most part it seemed. Rations, uniforms, munitions, kit and supply. They were haphazardly organized at best, seemingly just loaded in whatever order they came off the cargo lifters rather than actually organized in any particular fashion.

You spotted on the floor, near the end of one of the rows, some straw that had been spread out over the floor, apparently packing material that came from one of the crates, though as the straw was on the far side of the row from you, couldn't tell if the crate itself was open. Though the markings on the crate itself marked the contents as "Ordinance: Heavy", along with the insane jumble of code numbers of the Departmento Munitorum.

You can't see a back exit, but you think you can hear some people moving away from your location through the rows. No catwalks in the warehouse interior, and no office spaces that you could see from your location.

[Emperor Ing]

Then let us-hmm... Idelix cuts himself off as his white eyes catch the words written on that particular box. Surely it must be opened for why else would straw be scattered about as it is? Then again, if he were to set a trap it would be how the Ebon King would bait it.

We're not alone. Idelix hisses quietly. There is a crate marked "heavy ordinance" at the far end of this row and I hear footsteps far from it. Might be worth investigating.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"footsteps?" Nod fell quiet trying to listen, frowning for missing something

closing his eyes to concentrate on filtering background noise and activating his auger implants, concentrating as if a sort of Cybernetic telepathy




listning: Perception 40 with Heighten senses

reaching 50:
[roll0]

Auspex implant +20 with reroll

Reaching 60
[roll1]
Reroll if failed
[roll2]



"Cage, move out, and scout it, be aware, but fear not. They would not dare use their limited 'heavy ordinance' on a mere man alone, even if the man is exceptional" he smiled for a brief second


Nod looked around him suddenly

"Daverus?"

he spun in place comically as if he had somehow misplaced the giant berserker

[Tengallongamer]

"Ah man, june would've loved this." He muttered to himself and ready's his plasma gun and moves foward, redying the helmet's night vision to defeat the dark corners and he advances from the crate, moving from cover to cover to the party's right side.

[Emperor Ing]

We should still continue forward. The Ebon King suggested, his unvoice hushed. Don't let our guests realize we are alert to their presence, we should continue as we are. If your...aide...finds himself in trouble, we will hear the gunfire.

Come, let us greet this sorcerer. The Ebon King stepped forward, towards where the chanting could be heard, plasma rifle drawn and in front of him.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"No, Wait" "We need Daverus" Nod said holding his hand up

[Emperor Ing]

"No, Wait" "We need Daverus" Nod said holding his hand up

A follower of Khorne possessed by a khornate daemon in the presence of a psyker is almost sure to end in violence. I would avoid it if at all possible.

[ArcturusV]

As you open yourself up to the tortured Machine Spirits enslaved to your will, you start to make out the details of the presences in the warehouse. Several crates are being looted apparently near the row that Cage is approaching, detecting 8 unknown targets spread over 3 rows, two groups of 3, and one of two in the farthest row. You can detect the power signatures of what is most likely power armor on the farthest two, as well as hot weapons on all the figures, energy signatures though you can't quite make out through all the crates and some background ambiance just what type of weaponry they might have.

[Hemnon]

Kharaz remained completely still, the hiss and whirr of his power armour, only barely audioable to himself, sounded out as his head lightly turned so he could stare directly at This Ebon King. He made no other movements, no threatning motions. But his stance and posture clearly spoke 'ready for conflict' and his baroque set of ornately-looking power armour he was wearing looked both quite battlescarred, but also on the surface as if it's been looked after very carefully, as well as embossed with the Mark of Chaos on both shoulderpads, left kneecap and the forehead part of his helmet.
It was still a total mystery what he looked like underneath though.

[Checkmate-Pony]

"Daverus, Knight" he didn't know if calling him a brother would offend him, some Astartes took it to heart when you pointed out ancestral relations

"I have a particular task for you"

he reaches his hand up to cover the side of his mouth to prevent lip reading

"To my right outside the warehouse is an Astarte Sorcerer, a witch, hiding, watching us. He's been stalking us like a coward, and I cannot tolerate such a pretentious fool watching me from a distance as if it gave him power over me, I can't allow such a vulture cast a shadow on me"

"Kill him... he's a threat to our brotherhood and to your ultimate challenge"


Nod reached and drew his Shotgun letting it rest with a slap in his palm

"Worry not about the banner you're searching for, us mortals will destroy the rabble in here, And I will leave the battleground and spoils untouched till your return" Nod tried not to smile, Daverus surely were not comforted by such banal gestures

[Emperor Ing]

The presence moved closer to the sorcerer. It appeared to have an Astartes silohette, but nothing could be seen within the utter blackness in the shape. Looking more like some dark tear in reality into oblivion itself that formed the shape of a Space Marine than an actual physical being, even as two white points of eyes stared outwards at the sorcerer, as though the abyss literally gazed back. The light shining from the figure's held plasma rifle reflected on its own polished surface as well as the floor, but was utterly consumed in the void-being's body and arms.

Sorcerer. The being addresses Kharaz in a voice that was not so much heard, as it was made through patterned and precise absences of other ambient sounds. We come bearing offerings of sanctuary against the coming storm. Your aid is requested.

I am Idelix the Ebon King.

[Tychris1]

Shaking violently, Daverus felt his daemonic boons slowly wither away and his unstable form slowly melting down into its original (Though stilly highly warp tainted) body. Adjusting his flesh metal helmet, he coughed out a few sparks as his enlarged rib cage shrunk back down, and after placing a hand on the entrance to the warehouse he scoffed at Nod's pitch.

"It seems as if your umbral underling has his own intentions for the Sorcerer. If he proves an obstacle to me I will remove him, but until then I came here for one task and one task alone and have suffered enough distractions as is."

Walking through the entrance, he threw his voice back behind him and revved Hope's Edge simultaneously.

"Careful Astartes, I have chosen to fight beside you, not under you."

And with that he stomped forward to continue his bloodshed, sniffing the air and listening intently for any signs of stragglers.

[Hemnon]

Kharaz chuckled as soon as The Ebon King had spoken his words, the sounds of that chuckle was as if hellish grinding gears streeched against eachother and overlayed that noise on a vocal-distorted Space Marine's voice. it was rather disturbing.
"Oh, is that so? If this 'plan' of you lot is about getting out of here before the slaves of the corpse-on-the-throne arrives, then i guess we have an idea in common. The warp speaks of a new place... and since the Great Gods call out to us all to leave, i do believe it would be a proper idea to do as suggested by the True Gods. How do you all intent on getting out of here? hijacking a voidship above?" He replied, his voice still containing that ill-omened machine-like screechy background noise to his vox-distorted voice comming from his helmet.

[Emperor Ing]

Idelix's mind became filled and his mind's eye overlayed blueprints, diagrams and layouts of vox-casters and vocal cord implants alike and how to repair them as he heard the sorcerer's 'voice.' Yes. Idelix answered candidly as he paced around the sorcerer. We need only use the greed of a local Rogue Trader to lure them away from their ship. From there, we seek to enact a ritual which will forge a bridge through the Warp into the bridge of her ship, allowing us to assume control before our Rogue Trader friend even realizes what is happening.

I require only this human female ally we found earlier to set the bait.

The plan hinges on this ritual, so it cannot fail. My only question is whether or not your talents of warpcraft are sufficient for the task.

[Hemnon]

With a gruntly noise, most like a thoughtful expression-sound, Kharaz replied: "Well, i could and WOULD certainly do my part to help, however, i am not a hubris being, so i can plainly say that i do not yet know all i wish to know about such hallowed rituals. I would claim to know SOME of the parts, like correct symbolic numbers for use during the ritual, which Daemonic beings are best to avoid, and of course my own psychic potential as a focal point for the Ritual itself. Ah, that takes me back to old times... I do wonder what Dear Horus would have been like that the Rightful Ruler of Mankind.... But i digress. You need aid? I can give that, on the promise and sacred binding of swearing your own life and soul upon it, that you or any of your compatriots will try anything... unwise. Is that agreeable?" He said, his voice carrying a hinting note of 'I am talking down to you', but that was mostly to be expected. He IS after all a Chaos Space Marine, and one of the Original Heretics on top of that, that broke oath and promise to follow Horus and the other Rebelling Primarchs.

[Emperor Ing]

Terms of alliance should be more precise in their language. Idelix replies, stopping and turning towards the sorcerer. The spirit of your agreement is understood, and I agree, though I will not speak for my allies. Come, they would be delighted to have you. He turns his void-body towards the exit, but he keeps his eyes on the sorcerer.

A word of warning: Among us is a Khornate Daemonhost Astartes. Acquiring both their cooperation might be...problematic.

I still have not received your name, however.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod pushed his way forward past Idelix

"Terms? Try anything unwise?" "It is you who would dare 'try' anything with us"
"We do not need your aid"

"Useful it would be ofcourse, but on no terms!" he added sternly
"You want to survive same as us" "not for the glory or the infamy" "But because it is what we must do, we must be as one"

"The Terms are as with everyone else, follow me or be alone" he cocked his shotgun and turned around

"I detected 8 hostiles within the warehouse, equipped with energy weapons and power armour, mortal most likely." Nod said very quickly and to the point

"Fight with us Sorcerer and we will see how you may aid us"

Nod headed in to help Daverus fight

[Tengallongamer]

In the warehouse, Cage tries to keep low and listens carefuly to whatever may be said.
His helmet scanned for heat and body signitures as he cautiously followed the noise in the quiet. He didn't know what to expect but he was not going to allow himself to be caught if he could.

[Hemnon]

Kharaz was about to reply to the First One to have approached him, when suddenly yet another Space Marine approached, his attitude needing a serious retunement, Kharaz thought to himself. He didn't even lower himself to reply to those rather snide and rude remarks, mostly just trying to ignored the very blunt-souled Marine. I should ensure an 'accident' happening to that one... A stray thought of his flared into his mind.

"Names hold power, but you may call me Kharaz. Follower of Horus and his Rebellion." He replied to Idelix.

He then turned his gaze towards the aforemeantioned warehouse, trying to discern of any of the possible hostiles inside were wielding psychic powers openly. Slowly striding along over towards the rest of his new..... 'allies', keeping still a certain distance from everyone else.

Psyniscience Test
Per 48
Heightened Senses (Sight)+10?

TN 48/58
[roll0]

[Tengallongamer]

When Cage entered the warehouse he kept close in cover and listened closely and looked out to the open trying to spot the enemies inside. He had no fear of poking his head out but he would not want to be caught and overwhlemed.

[Tengallongamer]

He turns the dial on his helmet and watches carefully as he scans the area with his eyes.
[roll0] vs 25, Preysence goggles bonus: Unknown

[ArcturusV]

As Cage peeks around the corner, he sees three hot spots, a bit hotter than normal people pointing towards him. And in normal Sight, Daverus could see that it was three mere mortals, apparently with las weaponry, and one who was sighting down a boom tube.

As Daverus came around the corner, and Cage peeked his head out, the 3 mortals opened fire, screaming out, "BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!", shots crossing the 40m towards the two of them.

A shot fired at Daverus first...

Attack: [roll0] vs 92, Semi-Auto Burst, max hits of 3.
Damage: [roll1] +6, Pen 7, Felling 2 Energy Damage.
Damage: [roll2] +6, Pen 7, Felling 2 Energy Damage.
Damage: [roll3] +6, Pen 7, Felling 2 Energy Damage.

A shot fired at Cage. Cage has 4 AP of cover from the crates, doesn't count arms and head hit locations as normal.

Attack: [roll4] vs 92, Semi-Auto Burst, max hits of 3.
Damage: [roll5] +6, Pen 7, Felling 2 Energy Damage.
Damage: [roll6] +6, Pen 7, Felling 2 Energy Damage.
Damage: [roll7] +6, Pen 7, Felling 2 Energy Damage.

Boom Tube being fired at Daverus:

Attack: [roll8] vs 82, Single Shot.
Damage: [roll9] +8, Pen 8 Explosive Damage.

Initiative Check: [roll10]

[Tengallongamer]

Cage sees them point towards him and he immediately turns back into cover to avoid the two that may otherwise strike him.
[roll0] vs 47/ +10 dodge

Initiative check
[roll1] +3 AG +2 quick and the dead
Lightning reflexes
[roll2]

[Tengallongamer]

He takes two devistating blows that would otherwise blow a lesser man to peices. He breifly shouts at the hot flashes of light.

Wounds left: 2!!!

[Cyclopean]

After Nod's latest outburst, Maria finds she can hold back her laughter no longer. "Oh, Nod. You really are a piece of work. Listen, I'm going to do you a favor and save us all a lot of scheming and petty backstabbing down the line. Did you take my silence earlier for an agreement to swear myself to you? Has anyone in this alliance actually done so? You've been useful, I'll give you that. You have vision, you've come up with a good plan. But what gives you the right to--"

Before she can continue, Maria is interrupted by the sound of gunfire.

[Tengallongamer]

When the shot hits him, he looks at the wound and watches down at the mortal with spite. He Aims his hulking plasma gun to bear down twards him, determined to kill him off.
The gun whirs and rumbles in his hand as he aims and fires two shots at full power at the one.

Semi auto burst, maximal, half action aim
[roll0] vs 68, +0 semi auto, +10 aim

first shot
[roll1] +8e damage, 12 pen
secons shot
[roll2] +8e damage, 12 pen

[Tengallongamer]

(rolling for zealous hated on shot #1)
[roll0]

[Tychris1]

Staring down the barrel of the boom tube, Daverus began to chortle as he watched the massive rocket streak towards his chest and braced himself in preparation. Jerking his body backwards, Daverus roared as he felt the RPG explode against his flesh metal chest, fire engulfing him as shrapnel embedded itself in his millennium old armor. Revving his massive Chain Greataxe, he stomped forward like a rampaging Rhino, snarling out his own prayer in the process.

"COWARDS! FACE ME AND RELINQUISH MY BANNER! SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!"


Dodge Roll:[roll0]

Take a run action to get into melee with the Boom Tuber

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod had been walking and glaring at Maria's platitude when the first shot had been fired cutting her off

"I'm busy" he says quick and flat and dunked his head into his helmet with a hollow sound before setting off like a race horse, shotgun braced under his arm. There was an awful noise when a post human ran in power armour, like the sound of a gigantic sowing machine

Nod Ran to join up with the others and help, fast as could be.

[Emperor Ing]

Not lasfire. Idelix remarks on the sounds of the firefight as he flies down the path towards the gunfire, plasma rifle already drawn, trailing tongues of black smoke in his wake. Although footfalls could be heard from him, he appeared more to be hovering across the ground like a damned inky black shade than running.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod took actual flight with a blast and landing right behind Cage, the retro thrusters on his legs pushing him out of cover all the sudden before he's quickly janked back around the corner by the Astarte, pulling him into a safer place again

Nod looked down at his wounded friend and said something, but again his helmet prevented Cage from making it out

[Tengallongamer]

Meanwhile cage fires at one of the man's leg and shouts "You see that? Try shooting me again and yo-yaagh!" Interupted by the sudden yank.

[Hemnon]

Kharaz smirked at the sound of battle and decided to follow along with the others, strategically finding some good cover to stay behind. No need to stand around in the open like a nutty Khrone-follower after all~
He ended up following Idelix since he was the only one of the group that Kharaz have yet to actually really talk with.

[ArcturusV]

Blood Packers in the Warehouse of Doom

Cage's first plasma shot slammed through the crate that the man was using for cover, crunching loudly into his leg with a crackle of Plasma Fire, the second following close behind, and as it did so, his leg was turned into a burning pyre, the man screaming out in a high pitched shriek as the plasma flames moved up from his leg, torching the rest of his body in a flash of blue fire, his screams silenced a moment later when he fell dead, his body still burning. The crate that Cage shot through was burning, smoking badly with a foul, black, thick cloud coming out.

As Daverus runs up, the two men seem to have a momentary moment of panic, before their heads turned slightly towards the back of the warehouse. Turning their gazes back to the astartes as he crossed the distance with lightning speed. They dropped their weapons, the spent tube crashing to the floor, and the lasgun dropping until the tether to the backpack arrested it. Each of them easily drew out a long, blunt maul from their belts, screaming out, "COWARDS DIE IN SHAME!" as they raised their weapons, and went to attack Daverus with their relatively small, pathetic looking weapons, little better than a weighted metal bar about a foot and a half in length, covered in desecrated Ecclesiarchal markings.

Daverus can get a clue about what they saw around the corner of the crates with a -20 Awareness test. Or manuever to get past the corner of the crates. Both of them drew their melee weapons as a Free Action, use Guarded Action, and a Standard Attack.

Attack 1: [roll0] vs 90 (And so you don't think I'm BSing you, yes, that is correct. 40 WS, +10 Frenzy, +10 Ganging Up, +10 Banner, +10 Standard Attack, +20 because you Ran, -10 for Guarded Action)
Damage 1: [roll1] +5 Impact Damage, Pen 0, Shocking.

Attack 2: [roll2] vs 90
Damage 2: [roll3] +5 Impact Damage, Pen 0, Shocking.

Everyone can hear the heavy steps of people, between shots fired and battlecries, as people move around on the rockrete floor to get into some position.

[Tychris1]

Feeling one of the batons thump against him and dent his armor, Daverus swivels on his greaves and raises Hope's Edge high over his head, growling madly as he swings downwards and attempts to split the man in half, before sweeping his blade to the left and jerking it to bisect his partner all in one go.


Full Action All Out Attack:[roll0] vs TN 100+
Damage:[roll1] Pen: 5 Power Weapon, Tearing, Felling (2)

Furious Assault:[roll2] vs TN 100+
Damage:[roll3] Pen: 5 Power Weapon, Tearing, Felling (2)

[Emperor Ing]

Idelix arrived just in time to see the humans flailing about ineffectively against the possessed Marine. He turned to line up a shot with his plasma rifle, only to stop as one of the humans was unceremoniously bisected in a brutal display of gore and viscera, the other human following suit shortly after.

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod makes a small leap over Cage, and runs on foot for the flaming corpse Cage had shot while he was alive. Ofcourse Nod didn't want the corpse, he wanted the cover he had been using in life, making a small slide (that made a loud noise ceramite on flooring) and took cover behind the same crate

[ArcturusV]

Enemies in the Warehouse of Doom

The mauls must have been feather light, and far stronger than they seemed, as they whipped the batons back, in time to meet the clash of Daverus's chainaxe, haft to haft, deflecting the axe harmlessly to the side, rather than meeting it with raw, brute strength. Their veins bulging, spit flying as they let out loud shouts, they went to hammer at Daverus again with their Shock Mauls, seemingly unaware, or unable to care about how one sided he fight was really going to be, filled with only the unquenchable bloodlust of the Khornish as they brought the light weight mauls in for another careful strike, clearly some part of caution sinking in past the bloodlust of the moment.

Guarded Action, Standard Attack with the Shock Mauls again.

Attack 1: [roll0] vs 70
Damage: [roll1] +5 Impact Damage, Pen 0, Shocking.

Attack 2: [roll2] vs 70
Damage: [roll3] +5 Impact Damage, Pen 0, Shocking.

Idelix, Cage, and NoD, can faintly hear over the sounds of chainaxe and shock mauls impacting, the sound of approaching men from what seemed to be 1 row over, running near the cover the Idelix was taking. From the sound of it, a lot of them, considering how heavy the sound was to be heard over battle.

[Emperor Ing]

Idelix hears the sound of approaching footsteps, and unless his eyes deceived him, his cover wouldn't be at all helpful if they were carrying ranged weapons. Or melee, for that matter. Confident any hostiles carrying melee weapons were currently tied up, Idelix steps out of cover, plasma rifle trained on the humans engaged with the Khornate as a blast of energy erupts forth like a miniature sun.


Half Action 1:
Ballistics against Khornate Human Target 51 (41 BS + 10 Single Shot + ??? additional modifiers for distance or flanking as is applicable)
[roll0]

Damage
[roll1] Pen 10

Half Action 2: Movement around cover to place cover between himself and the incoming enemies.

[ArcturusV]

Or since I was completely insane and forgot something, the first guy in his blood frenzy instead goes to try to tackle Daverus as his weapon shatters, so driven by the insanity that grips him that yes, gripping and ripping on a Space Marine seems just about downright Logical...

Since he must engage in melee, he goes to grapple Daverus instead.

Half Action Aim, Standard Attack (To set up the Grapple):

Attack: [roll0] vs 90

If successful and not evaded, now grappled by a crazy cultist.

And meanwhile a ball of Plasma Fire zooms past Daverus's head, near harmlessly as Idelix fires over the melee, probably thrown off by not wanting to shoot Daverus in the back and see what happens as a result.

[Tengallongamer]

With that, Cage replies to Nod's quick reply with no more than "I... don't know what you- and he leaves, **** it!"
He heads over to the next spot as he tries to advance closer for a better vantage point.

(Full action move to nearest full cover)

[Checkmate-Pony]

Nod sees Daverus being overwhelmed, feeling no blame for letting a mortal grapple him (He knew full well humans were capable of matching Astartes on many levels)

He bursts from the corner on screaming jets in a bounding leap, drawing his chainsword and striking the Grappler



quick draw chainsword, (holding shotgun in other hand) Full action Charge at the Grappler: WS 45 and +20 for charge Damage: [roll]1d10+3+10 Pen 3 ( Tearing:[roll1] )

[Checkmate-Pony]

First Damage Die take #2

[roll0] with Strength Bonus of 10