dark heresy: shotguns and shock mauls

[bramblefoot]

hive sibellus: date unknown, time unknown

it was supposed to be a simple drop-off of a xenos artifact to a discreet client in the underhive. no sooner had you met up in the establishment, than an arbites patrol had swarmed you four, put you in strait-capes and dragged you off to throne-knows where. you were separated, interrogated and sentenced to death for your involvement in the cold trade. you then were pushed into a communal cell with yourselves and another soul condemned, a tall almost skeletal man of an indeterminate age. this is where your story begins, devoid of equipment and sentenced to death.

what do you do?

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

The interrogation has certainly not been kind to Nero - the street rags he wears show red blotches, bruises all over his face; still, he seems keenly aware of his surroundings and his eyes shows a mind at work, most probably trying to find a solution to their predicament. Even though he limps and groans, the pain from the gruesome beating by the Arbites weighing on him, there's a grim determination in his demeanor that tells anyone who could see him he's not going to lay down and sheepishly wait for his own death.

Nero squints while observing the tall man that was the lone occupant of cell until minutes ago, trying to assess his usefulness; then, the scum flashes a smile and talks to the man in a friendly manner "I do believe it is customary to ask what the unfortunate fellow that share your fate has done to catch the Arbites' attention." a short pause, he tries to shrug a bit but winches from the pain "...but I would be more interested in knowing if you had the chance to see if there's a way out of here. We have a date with the executioner and I wouldn't really mind miss that appointment."

[Bphill561]

Pendral Malfi

Pendral seems alone with his thoughts although his demeanor did not give much away. He could have been cataloging the mistakes that led him to this place, or just going over inventory and alien artifacts left unclaimed. Not an uncommon trait in his house, schooled to give away nothing or show any weakness lest he continue to be the victim. When Nero speaks, Pendral stirs into motion as if just realizing where he is and wondering if the other confined soul is the buyer or just there by happen stance.

“I believe we ran afoul of the local law’s rigidity, as they have no respect for the relics of long-ago lost civilizations. And I can speak on behalf of the long lost, I am Pendral Malfi. Welcome to our merry lot.”

He reaches for an empty place on his finger and gives a perplexed look when he finds nothing here. The quickest flash of distress crosses he face, but then it is replaced by a pointed stare at the newcomer.

[Cilvyn]

Adalyn Montaro

Lynn is sitting on whatever she can find that makes her situation even the little more comfortable. Her body is broken from the beatings, and she stares into oblivion and ties to keep herself sane as much as she can.

She is relieved that her colleages/friends are still alive, not that she has worked with so many people, but it was not uncommon that contacts would disapear now and then.

She groans and tries tnot to move all to much to avoid the pain, her fingers fiddle with a piece of rock, Normally she would have a piece of tech with a dubious origin to play with when she is nervous, but since she was robbed of all her belongings and equipment, a piece of stone would have to do. She turns to Nero

I doubt this man does know about such things, otherwise he would have left this place before almost dying of malnourisment.

Maybe not the most charismatic or tactical thing to say, but that's typical Lynn.

She turns to the man.

You can call me Lynn, I agree with Nero, we rather not see this adventure through to the end and bail before it's comclusion.

[bramblefoot]

the man smiles "as a matter of fact, i do." he flips a hidden switch and the back wall hisses open, revealing a single-file passageway lit by dim emergency glow-globes. "well time's a-wasting. wouldn't want to be caught escaping" the man chuckles and leads the way. assuming you follow, its dim and loud for an unknown period until you all spill out somewhere in the mid-hive. its way past curfew. and there are three boxes in the alley. the man introduces himself as interrogator tranque of the ordo xenos and commands you to follow him

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

Even though he is certainly surprised by the sudden change of fortunes, Nero hides it well - he throws a smug, told-you-so look at his companions "You wouldn't believe how far you can get just by asking." the scum chuckles at Lynn and her doubts, teasing her playfully. He follows the tall man without any hesitation, most probably quite convinced that whatever is waiting for them at the end of the corridor would certainly be better of the gallows.

It's when the man introduces himself as an Interrogator of the Holy Ordos that Nero's demeanor changes drammatically, like someone flipped a switch in his mind; if the scum was friendly and jolly a moment ago, now is cold and cautious, his eyes brimmed with fear. He approaches one of the boxes and timidly checks what it may contain - Nero would retrieve anything that could increase his chances of survival; that done, he follows the man without questions of any sort and one could see that if Nero was eager to escape from the Arbites' clutch, he doesn't seem now so sure that their predicament has turned for the better.

[Bphill561]

Pendral Malfi

Talking to my himself: What can be the harm in such a nice shared delusion? I could have at least been more imaginative in my rendition of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. Pendral does not seem to notice that he is talking to himself as he follows the man through the passageway. He does not come out of his musings until the man he has been following introduces himself.

Why a man of knowledge and culture? I cannot say I know as much as on the subject as you, but I may be of some assistance. Pendral does not seem the least a bit concerned, possibly because he thinks he is still acting out a fine play of fancy (lunacy?). If anything, his role is well played despite the shuffled appearance and blood matted hair. Upon seeing the boxes, he reaches for his empty finger again and moves towards them with some alacrity. Peering inside, he hopes to find something familiar…

[bramblefoot]

opening the boxes, your equipment looks back at you. assuming you sling it on, interrogator tranque leads you to a small hab block and opens the door "welcome to your humble abode for tonight" he murmurs and closes the door. "come the morrow, inquisitor feronikka has booked you passage to void station Sevastopol aboard the piety of the vampire. there is a small cogitator bank in the back rooms should you care to use it. there is also a refresher station which you probably should use" he turns to each of you. "as of now, you are officially acolytes of inquisitor feronikka. are there any questions?"

[Cilvyn]

Adalyn Montaro

First Lynn is hessitant to follow the strange man,but it surely isn't just any day a prisoner knows a way out like that, more likely he isn;t a prisoner at all, and a way out is certainly better than a guaranteed death, so she follows the man and her companions.

She stays behind Nero and let him do the talking. She understands quite too well that in the presence of such an important figure missteps are easily made and dealth with without hesitation, so she just stads as the interrogator leads the way and shows them the boxes.

Once she sees her equipment, you see a sparkle in her eye. She softly touches her needlegun as though she is reunited with a long lost love. With a steady hand she checks the gun for any malfunction and checks the magazine. She clicks the clip back in and nods at the strange new ally.


She follows the group to their stay for tonight and listens to the man and maybe doesn't realize fully what his words mean when he speaks she is now an acolyte of this fearsome inquisitor.

She looks at Pendral as though she expects him to ask a question.


Do i have any questions? Her mind races, she has a million questions. What does it mean to be an acolyte,what does this inquisitor wants them to do, can they get some rest and tend their bruises, what time is it? what is that odd shaped mole on the neck of the man that brought them here... as usual most of the questions aren;t very relevant and she needssome time to adjust to this new situation. Once she is settled, she knows she will have more room for a decent conversation and find out what this all means

One thing is certain, there is no going back, and there is no "saying no" to this, even if she wanted to.

No questions for now, Thank you I suppose she whispers as her midns wonders off again at the chaos in her mind.

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

Nero definitely grabs his own stuff, obvious concern in how he conducts himself that soon enough he's going to need it. When they finally arrive to a safe-ish place, he immediately scans it with his eyes like he's worried that something or someone could appear out of nowhere - he is scared, and Nero never seemd the kind of person to scare easily. So when he finally talks, the scum has to do his best to try to hide the fear that one could still detect in his voice; still, Nero shows now a degree of professionalism that seems a bit uncharacteristic of him, like he knows exacty what to ask.

"I do have questions." he says in a serious, matter-of-factly voice "What are our mission objectives?" he starts asking, counting the questions on the finger of his right hand "Do we have a liaison agent on the Piety of the Vampire and/or Sevastopol and if so how we're going to recognize them? he slightly turns towards his companions before asking the last question "And after the mission has been completed, where we have to go for debriefing."

[Bphill561]

Pendral Malfi


Pendral hastily dons his ring as soon as he spots it in the box of personal items. The ring itself is well-crafted, but of simple palladium design with the seal of the Ecclesiarchy. This ring definitely does not fit Pendral’s demeanor. It could be written off as another Malfi ruse, but it is actually the only keepsake that remains from his mother. He gives it a good twist on his finger and seems quite a bit more at ease, falling silent for the first time since meeting the Interrogator. He also slips on the Xeno mesh armor that looks rather suspiciously like item the group had original come to the hive to deliver. Its light weight construction clearly distinguishes itself as “not of Imperial construction” but is easily hidden beneath his robes.

At the groups temporary domicile, he listens to the Interrogator’s words without expression. Pendral only asks one question after Nero rattles off a number of very practical ones: Where and when do we meet the ship for boarding? He carefully notes the response as to not miss the ship’s departure. After years of risky low-level contraband deliveries pushed upon him by his family, he has found an escape…

[bramblefoot]

interrogator tranque answers your questions: "there have been reports of sabotage on the station. also, void station Sevastopol is a small imperial shipyard, mostly turning out sword-class frigates for the war effort in the periphery. we cannot afford delays, especially now that waagh grimtoof has committed his forces to the fight. your contact is a man called holtz in the voidsmans bar the leviathans tooth. he should have room for you in his establishment. speak about a mighty haul from scintilla when you enter."

"if he is unable to house you, use these to procure lodging", he produces two 50 gelt coins, and passes them to nero. "be careful, acolytes. i sense something afoot, but i cannot tell what. the emporer protects" he makes the sign of the aquilla and leaves, saying over his shoulder "there is a small lander in the 42nd level's last docking bay. you cant miss it"

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

After the Interrogator leaves the safe house, Nero gestures to his companions to huddle so that he might whisper to them, his voice full of concern and suspicion "Beware of what you say. Someone is listening." but he doesn't wait for any answer from them, as to avoid suspicion if someone is watching them too. With his gear in tow, he tries to find a place where to crash and have some rest - he definitely needs it, even though the Arbites didn't cause any lasting damage, it was still enough to make him whimper a bit when he finally sits on a bed.

[Bphill561]

Pendral Malfi

Pendral takes what Nero says to heart, but he has long ago come to the conclusion he is damned. Being an adept and of a questionable family of wealth, he has come across enough tomes containing forbidden knowledge. Many of those images are still burned into his head although he does not understand what many of them yet mean. That “understanding” scares him most of all despite his analytical mind’s unending attempts to puzzle them out

He dons a grim face and looks from Nero’s to Adalyn’s face before nodding. At least we can get cleaned up. He motions to Adalyn that she can go first as Nero takes rest, but is clearly eager to get clean. Who knows, there could have been someone more distasteful than ourselves in those holding cells prior to our arrival.

[BloodyMagpie]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Since my character Ruby is directly replacing Adalyn by GM retcon, I will interpret Pendral's last comment directed at Adalyn as being directed at Ruby instead.

Ruby Durand

Ruby nodded curtly at Pendral's suggestion and headed towards the refresher. "Heh, if you think that was a nasty holding cell, you clearly haven't been slumming the Underhive as much as me, chummer. That was practically pristine compared to some slams I've woken up in. Fine, I'll go first, don't plan on taking too long anyway. Need to see if anyone messed with my ladies while we were separated."

She'd been in a foul mood ever since they'd all woken up together in the cell, and almost all of it was due to the Arbites taking her beloved firearms (and to a lesser extent, her blades as well) away from her. She proved true to words however, as in almost no time at all, she was back, attacking her damp hair with a brush to beat it back into its usual rough ponytail before dragging a couch over by the door where she could sprawl herself out comfortably while keeping an eye on it. She began to lay her guns out with far more care than she'd attended on her hair and, judging by the damp patches and dirty streaks still visible on it, her clothes that she'd apparently cleaned in the refresher as well due to lack of any others to replace them with. "Fresher's free. I'll watch the door if you want to do something boring in the back like messing with those cogitators."

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

Nero lays on the bed gazing at the ceiling, lost in his own thoughts; the immediate fear of having met an agent of the Holy Ordos may have passed, but the concern of what they will have to do in service of this Inquisitor Feronikka is definitely still there. Ruby's words seems to drag him out his own mental space though, he groans and with some effort finally stands up "All right, I'll check the cogitator. Hope its Machine Spirit is not unruly like the one we had on the ship." Nero says with strained voice; even though he seems to want to say more, most probably to discuss their sudden change of "fortunes", he bides his time for now.

Once he has found the cogitator, he pushes the Rune of Activation without presenting any prayers, invocations or offerings of Sacred Oil to the Machine Spirit of the device - he might know that such behaviour is tantamount to heresy for the Priesthood of Mars and in public he would probably be much more respectful of technology; right now he is however too tired and sore to mantain a convincing facade for whoever might be watching him now. Besides, if the Interrogator had not executed them for their dealings with the xenos, a bit of disrepect to the Omnissiah would probably not draw much attention from him.
That done, as soon as the Machine Spirit is ready to accept his commands Nero checks if the cogitator has some data in storage - who knows, maybe the Interrogator has left a surprise for them.

Spoiler

Show

If necessary, here's a Tech-Use roll.
(1d100)[38] vs. 21

[bramblefoot]

nero, im gonna offer you a choice. either you find something useful but heretical, or nothing. please describe what you find as well

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

The Machine Spirit of the cogitator is ancient, probably millennia old; there's evidence its memory has been scrubbed clean multiple times, standard procedure to purge it from no longer useful files - or, sometimes, knowledge deemed too dangerous for the uninitiated to have.
Such fragments of lost knowledge can be retrieved through skill or determination and Nero has been molded to possess both; the Machine Spirit itself seems eager to let Nero find crumbs of forbidden lore until the scum has finally a grasp of what an unknown servant has tried to erase: someone, who knows when, has extensively studied the process on how an individual of limited psychic ability could channel the foul energies of the Warp to achieve feats similar to the ones a trained psyker might accomplish. Such dark knowledge is incomplete, the purges have deleted much so that Nero has now only a vague idea on what one should do to wield such profane powers and a keen awareness that someone of weak character would be quickly overwhelmed by them.

Still it is something. He presses the Rune of Deactivation to put the Machine Spirit to rest and goes back to his bunk without sharing anything he has discovered with the others - might be because he doesn't trust them or because he doesn't want whoever might be listening to know he has found such dark knowledge.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

If bramblefoot allows it, Nero would find information regarding the use of Sorcery.

[bramblefoot]

the night passes smoothly, except for Nero, who is plagued by dreams of a large daemonic hound chasing him through the corridors of hive sibellus. Nero awakes in a cold sweat as the hounds jaws were closing around his throat. is there anything the party would like to do before heading to the landing bay?

[Bphill561]

Pendral Malfi

Pendral gets up early and is ready to go. His clothes look a lot cleaner and they are carefully covering his armor. He has a pistol in his waist band that looks particularly unimpressive. We have a date with a Lander! Pendral smiles and looks around the room to see if everyone is excited as he is.

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

Nightmares have woken up Nero before the others, so that he tries to find some solace in a good, long shower - hot water relaxing his muscles, helping him fight back the last remnants of the horrifying images his mind has conjured. But even though he was wide awake before Pendral, he's a bit late in being ready for departing and definitely doesn't share the noble's excitement; when he's finally done with checking his own backpack and weaponry, he turns to the others and says with a strained, tired voice "Ready." and unless anyone stops him, he opens the door and cautiously checks what's outside - Hive Sibellus is already dangerous as it is and now Nero has found himself employed by the Inquisition, the same organization that has killed everyone back at the Abbey and has hunted him down for years.

It's not like he can do much about it now, however; unless he notices anything out of the ordinary, he gestures to his companions that it is safe to move and he himself takes to the crowded streets of the Hive in search of the nearest elevator that could transport them to the landing pads.

[BloodyMagpie]

Ruby Durand

Ruby was in a better mood that morning. Giving her bang bang girls a good cleaning and some proper loving attention the previous evening always helped calm her down. Once the lander was away, they could leave this pit and the damned Arbites behind for good. Sure, there was the minor consideration that they were now in the employ of the bloody Inquisition, but honestly that didn't faze Ruby much more than working for the Cold Trade had. Not like their last employers weren't also a bunch of scary, secretive people who'd chuck their bodies in a reclaimator if they asked too many questions. With her weapons and pack strapped over her armor, she pushed the door open to the hallway before giving a wave to her partners. "Let's go, boys. The sooner we leave this pisshole hive behind, the better."

[bramblefoot]

will someone toss 1d100? as always, lower is better

[Bphill561]

will someone toss 1d100? as always, lower is better

I feel this is going to be a wonderful day!

(1d100)[54]

[bramblefoot]

the party is buffeted by crowds until they reach a small freight elevator. can i get an awareness test from each of you?

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

Nero pushes and elbows in the attempt of making his way towards the nearest elevator, sharing with his companions what the Drill Abbess Jaclyn told him so many years ago in a pensive voice "You could find anything in a Hive - but you might very well be what a hiver is looking for." and true to the teachings of Jaclyn, Nero's eyes dart around looking for any ill intent from an even more unsavory party than them.

Spoiler: Awareness Roll

Show

(1d100)[94] vs. 32

[BloodyMagpie]

Ruby Durand

Ruby ducked and weaved through the crowds with the practiced ease of one born into a hive. "Most of these folk are just Hab drones going from their rathole apartments to work a 16 hour Manufactorum shift before trudging back home and passing out. Might as well be servitors, it'd take a xenos attack or something just as drastic to wake the lot of them up out of their stupor. Why the hell do you think I joined a Underhive gang in the first place? Sure as feck wasn't for my health."

Spoiler: Awareness

Show

(1d100)[93] vs 28

[Bphill561]

Pendral Malfi

This is why I find the lot of you as such wonderful company, you are even more Jaded than I am. Despite his words, Pendral does eye the crowd quite suspiciously.

Spoiler: Awareness

Show

(1d100)[100] vs. Awareness of 31

[bramblefoot]

the ride in the freight elevator is uneventful until the doors open and you all spill out into a minor rumble between two hive gangs. its a wild and chaotic melee, knives and clubs rising and falling with brutal accuracy, blood pooling on the tiles. surprisingly none of you are hit in this morass of limbs and bodies

(3d100)[54][82][43](179)

(3d10)[7][2][1](10)

[Bunny Commando]

Nero

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

Nero yelps while trying to dodge and keep out of the brutal melee; not his battle, not his cause, not a reward in sight to get involved so he turns towards his two companions and bellows so that he would be heard above the furious sounds of battle "Be ready to make a run for it!" and since he has already discarded any idea of opening a path with violence, he chooses to be smart; he yells at the top of his lungs "GRENADE! GRENADE!" hoping the warning would be enough for those damned gangers to part and find cover so the he can make a beeline towards the landing pads.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Deceive roll (1d100)[8] vs. 35.
I'm going to use a FP in case I fail (1d100)[75].

If successful, Nero moves as fast as he can.