tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65704529395996091142024-03-14T09:11:52.643+00:00The Fate of House BaccahrusBen Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-85597926890808848412019-01-04T08:50:00.000+00:002019-01-04T08:50:01.235+00:00Ecthelion's Encounter<div style="text-align: justify;">
“The ship was, of course, a weapon of war but at that time I did not know of the true and secret purpose of the craft and its crew. Since then my understanding has grown a little as over the years I have been able to piece together a few fragments of evidence from others.</div>
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Her name was Idrythiss; “The Firebrand”, and I thought her exquisitely beautiful. She seemed to me to have been formed out of the very fabric of the air itself; wonderful long sinewy lines that seemed to fit together seamlessly as though she had been literally poured from the mind of her creator. Like the rest of the crew, my admittance to the ship had been based solely on the position my family held within our Craftworld society. To be a part of The Firebrand meant something to the crew, even if we were completely forbidden to discuss what it was we were doing. I didn't truly understand that at the time, especially since it appeared to me as though we were not doing anything different to any other crew. But I had been well drilled by our teachers not to discuss matters in case even the lesser known titbit of information held some importance that our people wanted kept safe, and so I did my duty, even if I didn't yet understand what it was.</div>
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Eventually of course that would change. I was a member of the crew for general duties, but my primary role on board was to act as a member of The Hands of Kurnous. There were ten of us in total and I was the youngest by far. The Five of the Right Hand (that was my team) were the kill team; marksmen who were expected to remove sentries, guards or persons of specific interest. The Five of the Left Hand were the intrusion team. It was they who crawled into the bowels of Imperial compounds or would fly into the wreck of a crashed Dark Eldar vessel. You might assume that the Left Hand had the harder task but in reality our work was just as risky. It was as essential for us to secure an area first, and to remain unnoticed, and we had to use all the means at our disposal to lure and entice security to positions where we could clinically butcher them. Together The Left Hand and The Right Hand worked tirelessly and without outside recognition. It was careful work, but essential to the success of our wider mission. Our hunt.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was on my last mission for The Firebrand that some of what this hidden purpose entailed became clear to me. It seemed like any normal day aboard ship until the vessel came to an abrupt stop. After protracted moments of silence a slight commotion appeared to be spreading through the ship. We were no longer sailing alone. We were now part of a host. A great host at that. I had never seen so many Aeldari craft assembled together. Something extraordinary was about to happen.</div>
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The battle was fierce. I had never witnessed anything like it in all my young years. It was unforgiving and lethal work, but our people were set to it and seemed committed to the kill. As a smaller and lighter vessel The Firebrand was kept back from the main vanguard, left to focus on the periphery of the action. Suddenly, and without explanation we became aware that we were travelling again; only this time away from the conflict.</div>
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None dared to speak. Our Captain remained intensely focussed and the main crew clearly had a plan in mind. We sensed that our removal from the battle was deliberate, but we had no idea why that might be. After an hour the Captain gave instructions that we were to set to silent running.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We brushed through space like shadow across a dark pool. No living soul witnessed The Firebrand easing itself gently to a position just above an innocuous looking moon. The crew all held their breath, waiting for instructions. When the call for The Hands came, I was not entirely sure whether to be pleased or not. I felt the excitement, for sure; but there was a degree of anticipation in the air that I did not like.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
When our Wave Serpent finally touched down the landing doors were opened, and the orders were given, “Right Hand determine a safe location for us to receive visitors, Left Hand secure the inner perimeter.” As we jumped out the grav engines screamed, lifting the vehicle back up off the moon surface as it headed back towards The Firebrand. All was silent.</div>
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The moon was mostly rock but did contain a thin atmosphere. After some time surveying the scene I found the ideal location myself; a plateau of rock that was only overlooked by a section of cliff that I felt we could hold ourselves. I passed back my findings and the team leaders agreed.</div>
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An hour later I was squatting down on the rock floor overlooking the plateau. Around me I could just about make out the shape of my fellow team mates, sat in their own positions, perfectly hidden against the rockface by their chameleoline cloaks. After sometime a call came in from The Firebrand that three vessels were approaching, two of them were Mon-Keigh ships. We were told to hold position whilst a Wave Serpent brought another group from The Firebrand. This time when they landed someone stepped out of the craft that I was not expecting. In fact I had had no idea they were ever on our ship at all. It was a Farseer, accompanied on either side by some of our finest warriors. Immediately I could hear the raised voices of my comrades in my mind, calling out questions about what we were doing. Having one of the great out in the open like this was terrifying. He stepped out on to the plateau as the Mon-Keigh ships we were expecting landed nearby. “Watch them closely” came an unnecessary reminder.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The nearest Mon-Keigh craft to my position had the sigils of one of their military factions, one of the giant malformed Mon-Keigh. I gripped my rifle closely and watched as the landing doors of the craft were thrown open. Out strode two of those hideous creatures, centred by one who seemed adorned with special paraphernalia. I looked at him carefully, the splendour of his armaments and the signs upon his armour and I shared this with my team. “Inquisitor...” came back the hushed response; “A Mon-Keigh witch”</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The other Mon-Keigh ship opened its landing doors at the same time and a metallic shape scuttled its way across the platform and down out on to the moon’s surface. It was similarly followed by other such loathsome creatures. I called out to my team as to what I was witnessing and one of my brothers informed me that this was yet another abomination of the Mon-Keigh, one of those who cut the flesh from their bodies and sang to machines. How these Mon-Keigh misshaped themselves reminded me only too strongly of the terrors of our ancient and more terrifying enemy. It seemed to me that they were closely aligned.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our Farseer met with these two leaders and I watched intently, awestruck by what was happening when suddenly I became aware of several shapes moving boldly into the meeting place. They were wheeling, springing from place to place and I could hear bold laughter in the corners of my mind. Harlequin...</div>
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What devilry had brought these factions together to so desolate a place, when not so far away Aeldari and Mon-Keigh were slaughtering each other in a brutal combat.</div>
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I was told to refocus my attention away from the congregation and instead to keep my gaze outwards. Being an obedient servant, that is what I did. For an hour those leaders sat in debate over matters I would never learn of. For one hour my team sat in our position whilst all I could think of was the wonder and the fear of what terrible force had driven such sides together to face one another like this.</div>
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When the attack came we were prepared. A long-range projectile was struck down before it met the moon, and several others were likewise rebutted by Mon-Keigh ships. It seemed perhaps that our old enemy was actively hunting for us all along They were great in number and as the weapons of our foes rained down upon us we broke cover and ran to protect our leaders. Suddenly, the ground around me exploded upwards and I was thrown into the air and then down hard upon the ground and remembered nothing more.</div>
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When I finally awoke, all was silent. My body ached but I was not injured, and more importantly I was no longer on that moon. I appeared to be an a narrow webway route, roughly the size of two of my people abreast. I was laying on the ground, carefully placed with my weapons just by my side. I managed to catch sight of one more thing before I blacked out again. Just where the webway turned several hundred paces ahead stood one lone Harlequin. The mask of that brother grinned back at me. I tried to sit up and ask for help but that was when my sense failed me again. I was now completely alone.</div>
Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-66504421612864510412018-12-06T13:15:00.002+00:002018-12-06T16:47:42.634+00:00Options for explosions - Session #4 (#25)<div style="text-align: justify;">
After surveying the Ork fortress the warband debate how to gain access. They rationalise that they will need some way of penetrating the walls of the fortification and a suitable distraction to keep the greenskins occupied while they breach the wall.</div>
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By now Artemis has rejoined the group but Lycastus got separated from the bounty hunter and was last seen wading into a throng of Orks to buy Artemis time to get away.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The party settle on the idea of trying to sabotage one of the wrecked vessels in the yard and Tyrest looks for suitable nearby options. He plumps for three potential targets:</div>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">A Stryxis caravan vessel - a set of crudely linked hulls scavenged by the mysterious and vermin-like xeno Stryxis</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">A partially constructed Ork warship - swarming with greenskins working on its construction but potentially the most damaging option. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">An Eldar Corsair Frigate - A small Aeldari vessel, relatively intact. </li>
</ul>
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The Warband decide that the Ork vessel is the best option, but potentially the most risky. Ecthelion then sneaks away to recon the ship.</div>
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<br /></div>
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He returns to advise that there appear to four possible options:</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The ship has a Fighter Bomber bay populated with small craft, munitions and mines. Sabotaging that could lead to a suitably devastating explosion.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">The power for the ship is generated by an internal chemical plant. It's volatile mix of chemicals could make for an easily combustable target.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">While well protected the ship's Engines could be primed to implode.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">Alternatively, rather than blowing up parts of the ship the team could take control of some of the vessel's ordnance and turn the cannon on other ships or sections of the yard.</li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Warband decide that the Chemical Plant is the most viable alternative and Ecthelion and Lilith sneak in to set it to blow and also steal some cutting tools to enable them to get into the fortress.</div>
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Tyrest provides remote tech support via vox and Iliyan and Artemis keep watch.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Ranger and Ganger are effective, sneaking past the Ork workers and gaining access to the murky, acrid atmosphered chemical plant. Ecthelion keeps watch while Lilith sets to work. She manages to set the main vats to over heat but sets a shorter timescale than they were anticipating (after rolling a Complication). On their way out of the ship Lilith was also able to "acquire" some cutting gear but, due to another Complication, discovered a small Grot was still clinging onto the frame of the fuel tank. Lilith swiftly dispatched it with her blade before it could raise an alarm.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
The party head back to the fortress and as the Ork ship explodes behind them Tyrest cuts their way into the lower levels of the stockade, allowing them to enter via the slave pens.</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Artemis interrogates one of the human slaves, discovering in the process (with some shifted Icons) that he is actually a wanted bounty. Intimidating other prisoners into keeping hold of the bounty until he returns they then set off into the fortress to locate Darien and other members of the Emperor's Bounty crew.</div>
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They find Darien in deep discussion with a group of other prisoners, busily scribbling down what he is learning on some makeshift metal tabula. To "ease his transportation" Lilith incapacitates the Lord Captain with a needler dart she "just happened" to have.</div>
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Ecthelion goes to speak with a coterie of Aeldari prisoners and is immediately confronted by a Saim Hain Craftworlder who cites his Craftworld's ancient enmity with Kaeldor and how Ecthelion and Iliyan's people cannot be trusted. In response our ranger shows respect and formal politeness and a beautiful and stately female Eldar, whom the Saim Hain shows deference to, steps forward to address him...</div>
Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-46968377973949557392018-11-25T14:40:00.000+00:002018-11-26T12:46:37.597+00:00“In withered flesh and powdered bone sleeps the bastard all alone” - Session #3 (#24)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Tyrest negotiates with the
machine spirit controlling the door systems and gains the Warband entry to the
Black ship. He learns that its name is “The Midnight Mourn”.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Party draw weapons and cautiously
start to navigate their way through the corridors and decks of the seemingly
deserted vessel. There is still emergency power running and the dim lighting is
in stark contrast to the eerie green hue of the wreckage yard. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It’s not long before the two Aeldari
begin to hear voices, strange and ethereal, speaking words they can’t quite
decipher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They then receive a sudden
vision of a passage ahead where a small, grotesque, figure sits in the darkness.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Suddenly Lycastus and Artemis rush
ahead and down a side passage, apparently to hunt down some perceived threat.
Illiyan gives chase but is buffeted by boxes and belongings which are
telekinetically thrown from side rooms and passages as he runs. He is suddenly confronted
with a bulkhead door that slams down in front of him, cutting off the Warlock
from the marine and bounty hunter. Tyrest summons the appropriate ritual of
opening and discovers that another door has closed a short way down. The system
machine spirits inform him that all the doors have been closed, opening each
door in turn will take hours so they are effectively cut off from their
associates. Lilith manages to find an old Vox unit in one of the boxes that had
been thrown into the corridor and gets it working, establishing a line to
Lycastus. It appears that he and Artemis have come to their senses again and
they agree to work their own way though the ship and rendezvous on the outside.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Our two psychically sensitive
Aeldari then begin to hear a clearer voice; that of a young man who seems
frightened and alone. None of the warband trust this however and set off on
their way again.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Further down the passage the
party come across the grotesque from the previous vision and discover it is an
emaciated gretchin who appears to be quite mad and pays the heroes no attention
at all. It is spending all its time scratching words in Low Gothic on every
surface of the corridor that it can reach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The words he etches repeat the same message over and over; “In withered
flesh and powdered bone sleeps the bastard all alone”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Lilith swiftly kills the
greenskin.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As the group move on the young
man’s voice starts up again but this time the whole party can hear him. The
sound of the wailing, spectral voices also becomes obvious and the temperature
within the ship suddenly drops, causing condensation on the walls and surfaces.
Slowly writing starts to appear as if fingers were being drawn through the moisture;
“Thirteen times the maker screams, thirteen more within his dreams”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Illiyan is suddenly ambushed by a
maddened and savagely bestial Ork. They engage in melee and the Warlock is able
to hold him off while Lilith draws a bead and shoots him with her laspistol <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
Ecthelion reaches out with his Psyniscience power, searching the Immaterium for the source of the phenomena that the party are witnessing. He is confornted with a barely restrained force like a burning star of raw willpower. He is shaken, not having realised a human mind was capable of power of that magnitude his sense of superiority over the "Mon-keigh" somewhat shaken. Suitably warned the warband proceeds cautiously. <br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unbeknownst to the Warband though, and due
to a series of failed Willpower rolls, they are being drawn further into the centre of the
ship and are confronted with the focus of the psychic activity; Isolation
chamber 26. They learn that the resident within is a notorious heretic known as
Agrex the Desolate, who was caught by the Inquisition just over a standard decade
ago. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Agrex has thrown off all pretence
now and demands that they free him from his imprisonment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our heroes refuse and manage to evade his
psychic lures. Using their Vox connection to
their colleagues now on the outside and leaving Agrex swearing revenge, they make their way back out of the ship.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As they draw closer to the
fortress they survey what awaits them. While the Ork stronghold is crudely
constructed it is bristling with gun emplacements and swarming with Boyz and
Squig hounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A frontal assault won’t be
an option so the warband start to make alternate plans…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-61690927296150495052018-11-11T08:17:00.001+00:002018-11-25T13:53:33.786+00:00"Burn, xenos burn! Gretchin Inferno!" - Session #2 (#23)<div style="text-align: justify;">
Following the defeat of the mobs of invading Ork Boyz, our warband assess the situation. The<br />
Arboretum is a scene of devastation; small fires still burn around the room, bodies both Ork and human litter the area and the collected fauna has been damaged beyond recovery. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Ecthelion the Ranger and Illiyan the warlock scales the wall to survey outside the ship through the broken vista port. Meanwhile Brother Lycastus of the Salamanders looks for other survivors, Tech-Priest Tyrest (after noting that the vessel isn’t losing atmosphere through the hole in the roof) contacts the engineseers within the main engine room and Artemis, our bounty hunter, looks for further clues. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the roof Ecthelion gets his bearings, noting that the atmosphere is thin but breathable, and surveys the surroundings. The inside of the “head” is a huge Ork wrecking yard, containing several captured vessels in varying stages of scrappage and salvage. Across the huge space he also spots a number of Ork ships which appear to be being built from the parts and materials that the greenskins are stripping from their prey. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Amongst the captive ships he notices an Aeldari vessel as well as both human merchant and Imperial Naval craft. There appears to be three other significant areas of interest; a heavy duty lift in the centre of the roof that ascends higher up within rock, a fortress like structure jutting from the ceiling near the, now closed, maw, and a hub of activity and strange Orkish machinery at the other side of the cavern which seems to be the origin point for the green energy that drew them in and still surrounds the ship. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Illiyan is less nimble with his attempt to see what is happening and alerts a pair of Orks who had been busy stripping hull plates from the Emperor’s Bounty. He and Ecthelion have a brief fight with the greenskins and swiftly dispatch them, but once again Illiyan’s psychic power use summons the Perils of the Warp, the resulting shock wave being felt even by the rest of the warband in the ship below.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The warlock also feels a sudden connection to and draw toward the Aeldari vessel Ecthelion had spotted…</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLY7B5LYDH5joozjOPYTPz9zde_7cNjiYPkbMJA9X873qJ6H7PhFdTY9-9AFz7EuDSCpBtG0KkVwW9D9c0iRV4Ntm21wXuGX9i_6Aq00YBfwtiB39V4Ny2NX4B7U-BrlWyROJRD7K6Exk/s1600/DSC_0387.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="903" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLY7B5LYDH5joozjOPYTPz9zde_7cNjiYPkbMJA9X873qJ6H7PhFdTY9-9AFz7EuDSCpBtG0KkVwW9D9c0iRV4Ntm21wXuGX9i_6Aq00YBfwtiB39V4Ny2NX4B7U-BrlWyROJRD7K6Exk/s640/DSC_0387.JPG" width="360" /></a>Meanwhile Lycastus has found no other survivors so sets to work treating his own wounds. Tyrest realises that the green energy is an Ork “Traktor Beam” and that while it is functioning the ship cannot move. Similarly, Artemis’ investigations leaves him to conclude that Lord Captain Darien is not amongst the fallen and must have been taken by the Orks, along with a number of other captives.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Warband decide that their next step ought to be to try to rescue Darien and so head out of the ship, via the roof, and into the wrecking yard. Using the shadows cast by the green light of the tractor beams they make their way via gantries and scaffolds up toward the ramshackle Ork fort by the mouth of the wreckage yard..</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The heroes soon find their path barred by a group of squabbling Gretchin fighting over a wheelbarrow of scrap. After discussing tactics the warband engage the diminutive greenskins and the battle never really goes against them. Our heroes do suffer a series of complications though; Lycastus runs out of ammo after emptying his full tank of promethium in his first attack, Illiyan manages to wedge his Wraithblade in the deck-plating of the walkway and Ecthelion shoots not only his Gretchin target but also severs a cable that was holding the scaffold platform level. Losing the cable means that the gantry tips precariously, making moving treacherous but the party adapts and soon a dozen greenskins lay defeated. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Continuing their journey, the warband find that their quickest route will take them through one of the vessels in the scrap yard. The ship seems relatively intact and the two psychic Aeldari get a sense of “something” from the ship. Tyrest identifies that it is, or at least was, one of the Astra Telepathica Black Ships, used to transport captive psykers… </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-10670974037822282762018-10-30T13:25:00.004+00:002018-10-30T13:26:04.255+00:00Did we forget to mention....I mentioned in the previous post about the "new crew" that there might be a couple more to add to the list. Observant readers will have noticed one of these popping up in the latest session write up, so here's a bit more detail about our resident Adeptus Astartes:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Brother Lycastus</b> - A Tactical Marine and Battle Brother of the Salamanders Chapter. Lycastus is a Flamer specialist who has served his chapter for many years. A veteran of Guilliman's Indomitus Crusade, Lycastus is used to working with a variety of assets and units but seems to chafe a little over House Baccharus' open association with Xenos. Exactly why he, and he alone, travels with the Rogue Trader is veiled in mystery but it may be connected to the single finger of a power glove that he carries with him...</li>
</ul>
Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-48035498963791893182018-10-27T18:37:00.000+01:002018-10-27T21:19:16.220+01:00Uninvited Garden Party Guests - Session #1 (#22)<i>This was the first proper session of our new Wrath and Glory campaign but is a sequel, and spiritual successor to our old Rogue Trader game.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We took things slowly as there was much to introduce and,</i><i> as everyone was beginning to get to learn their characters and define their relationships,</i><i> there was a lot of character based conversations that I have not captured.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Darien Erronius is now the patron of the party (or "warband" in the parlance of Wrath & Glory) and has summoned them, along with a number of key crew and significant servants of the House, to a function in a small arboretum on the top deck of the ship...</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
In a rare public appearance Lord Captain Darien addressed his guests, showing some of the eccentric behaviours that he has become famous for. During his speech he reveals the surprise that the crew has rumoured he is planned; the Emperor's Bounty is heading towards a giant effigy of the head of the Emperor of mankind! A giant stone head that is somehow floating in space!<br />
<br />
Darien explains that he plans to send the PCs onto the "head" to discover exactly what it is.<br />
<br />
However as they draw closer the head's "mouth" opens, spewing forth bright green energy that engulfs the ship, drawing it more rapidly towards the gaping maw.<br />
<br />
Before the warband has a chance to really evaluate what is happening the arboretum locks down and out of the light, bursting through the vista panels overhead, come a horde of Ork boyz!<br />
<br />
A mob of orks engage the heroes and they respond swiftly. Tyrest acts first calling upon the Rite of Fear to disconcert some of their foes while Lycastus, a Tactical Marine of the Salamander chapter, lets loose with his flamer, torching a group of Orks with a single sweep.<br />
<br />
The Orks retaliate, shooting Lycastus and Ecthelion, the Aeldari Ranger, while a pair of boyz who weren't scared engage the tech-priest in close combat.<br />
<br />
Ecthelion fires back, Artemis the bounty hunter and Illiyan the Aeldari Warlock charge into close combat. Simultaneously the Warlock summons his psychic powers to Compel a group of Orks to back away, which they do. However his power use causes a backlash, a hideous stench seems from the Warp that sickens everyone around.<br />
<br />
The Warband fares better than the Orks though and by the end of the combat round only a third of the mob remains standing.Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-89277904245504638802018-10-17T12:26:00.000+01:002018-11-11T08:33:54.067+00:00Fioncail and the Wise-but-dangerous-foolFioncail was one of the finest of us. A dedicated servant of the Eldar people both in life and beyond. He walked the Path of the Seer for many days but sorrow had long walked beside him. The grief he felt for the lost was founded in great compassion towards those who had passed beyond physical life. So it was that he was drawn to walk the path of the Spiritseer, crossing the bridge between life and death.<br />
<br />
Some said that Fioncail had not fully hardened his own soul against the danger of becoming too enthralled by his command over the dead and thus was on the verge of using his knowledge for darker deeds. Others say that his loss was so great that he simply found greater comfort in the company of souls than the living. Whatever the true reasoning, whether to punish him as an outcast or simply to fulfil his desire for solitude the Spiritseer was charged with a great task.<br />
<br />
Away from the travel routes of the younger races lay a barren, airless world. Upon that world an ancient enemy had laid deadly secrets which we could not leave unguarded. However, for fear of corruption, or eventual physical failing, it had been determined by Seer Council of Craftworld Kaelor that the world would not be protected by the living, but by Wraithguard. Thereby, even in death, they might provide eternal protection from the evils contained in that place.<br />
<br />
Thus was Fioncail sent in a Ghostship to orbit that place, tending to the souls there and giving them solace while we believe he too found the exile he sought.<br />
<br />
That was, of course, until the arrival of the Mon-keigh.<br />
<br />
The first to come were raiders, servants of the Ruinous Powers and beast-like in their savagery and passions. How they found the place Fioncail did not know but he knew his duty and commanded his ship to engage them in battle. No sooner had he done so but another Mon-keigh vessel entered the fray.<br />
<br />
This was a somewhat larger ship of the kind used by the worshippers of their machine-god and as soon as it had translated from the warp it discharged weapons upon Fioncail's vessel. The Spiritseer was faced with a battle on two fronts but he knew the cost was he to fail.<br />
<br />
Engaging all the foes before him the Spiritseer struck valiantly with all the powers at his disposal but it was ultimately of no use. While he did cripple a second of the Chaotic ships, the later arrival, a vessel we would come to learn was owned an operated by the fickle Mon-keigh privateers known to them as "Rogue Traders", breached the hull of the Ghostship and boarded it. The pirates ransacked through the ship, tearing and despoiling as if they too were worshippers of the Chaos powers. They were led by one of the warrior-freaks that often act as their vanguard; an "As-tar-tes". They committed such sacrilege, and gave so many final deaths to Souls within the ship's Infinity Matrix, that the laments and sorrows on Kaelor when hearing of the news lasted for many, many cycles. <br />
<br />
Eventually the raiders fled to count their loses, the Ghostship was crippled and the Rogue Trader remained, victorious more by fortune than by skill. Fioncail was trapped, sealed as a prisoner within his own ship. The pirates retreated but it wasn't long before the Spiritseer detected new emissaries approaching from the Mon-keigh cruiser. This time they were salvage crews come to tear what little remained of the cruiser apart for their own aims and careless of the souls aboard. With a heavy heart, almost broken in grief and outrage at the conduct of these barbarians Fioncail took as many souls as he could and escaped, heading to the planet surface.<br />
<br />
Once there he discovered that the Rogue Trader had not been idle. Not only had crews been sent to ransack the remains of the Ghostship but they had also been sent to the planet itself, straight to the complex he was tasked to protect.<br />
<br />
Thankfully the eternal Wraithguard had not shirked in their duties and were already engaged with the invaders. The battle was looking lost until Fioncail arrived, lending his powers to the ghost warriors and turning the tide. He must have seemed a fearsome sight to the Mon-keigh, standing before them, arms aloft, psychic energies arcing through the air around him, charged by his grief to become wrath personified.<br />
<br />
The barbarians were falling before him. They were laid low by his power and by the anger and vengeance within his heart. The Wraithguard tore through their forces as if they were mere wisps of smoke in the haze of the evening. The slaughter was manifest and within his soul Fioncail could hear the rapture of Kaela Mensha Khaine.<br />
<br />
Then the leader of the Mon-Keigh, the one they called Captain Darien, who is known to us as the Wise-and-dangerous-fool, spoke up. Cutting through the tumult of battle he spoke to Fioncail by name. He, a Mon-keigh trader and pirate captain had read the runes of that place, both our runes of warning and warding and the ancient words we sought to protect the universe from, and he understood. He told Fioncail of places and things that he could not know and wisdom that should not have been shared and the fighting ceased.<br />
<br />
Then the forces of Chaos, their noses bloodied before so now in great force, returned to claim the prize they desired.<br />
<br />
Before them Eldar and Mon-Keigh stood together united against the Ruinous Powers, but that is another tale. Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-16551113903761415292018-10-16T11:37:00.000+01:002018-11-11T08:34:17.862+00:00A lost session - Session #21(This write up somehow never got published at the time but it was the last session of the original campaign. I present it here for completeness and future reference...)<br />
<br />
Darien ended up taking the helm of the Bounty and after a few turns of supporting others Theata showed an aptitude for being the Master of Ordnance... In a nutshell:<br />
<ul>
<li>Lomar & Bastion sought permission to lead raiding teams aboard the Eldar vessel. Darien granted it and they were successful in breaching the alien ship, spending most of the battle aboard wreaking havoc and sabotaging systems</li>
<li>They discover that the ship apparently has no living crew. Darien orders a full Etheric scan and it's determined that this is a "Ghostship" a wraith cruiser manned only by the souls of dead eldar kept in the ship's "Infinity Matrix". The only living crew will be a single Spirit Seer who communicates with the dead "crew". </li>
<li>Darien's evasive manoeuvres kept the Eldar guns off target but scuppered any attempt to hit the xenos in return. He managed to get behind the Eldar vessel and stayed there, away from its guns, for most of the battle</li>
<li>The Eldar could only shoot torpedoes at its rear but they crippled the 2nd of the Iconoclast destroyers (the first having already had its Warp drives destroyed - forming a mini tear in space & a navigational hazard... all before the Emperor's Bounty arrived) that were already engaged with the aliens</li>
<li>Lomar & Bastion make it to the ship's bridge and manage to blow a hole in it - depressurising it and potentially sucking the contents into the Void. The Spirit seer apparently survives but locks down the bridge, evading their further wrath.</li>
<li>Theata tried to contact the destroyers but discovered that they professed to be Chaos worshipping raiders. After the 2nd destroyer was crippled the remaining ship fled, leaving the Bounty to deal with the Eldar alone.</li>
<li>Darien keep finding messages, data and ship scans passed directly into his mind. He doesn't know the source but he's not "wired into" the ship in any way.</li>
<li>A second salvo of torpedoes slammed into the Bounty doing significant hull damage but leaving the systems, crew and moral relatively intact.</li>
<li>Mord spends most of the battle aiding the ship's machine spirit to assist with manoeuvres or scanning as appropriate but turns his hand to leading repair teams after the 2nd torpedo salvo.</li>
<li>Return fire, coupled with the continued destruction wrought by Lomar & Bastion's raiders crippled the ship. The Raiders disembarked and a final salvo from "Gunner Theata" caused critical hit's throughout, leaving the cruiser a wreck in space.</li>
<li>The Majestic Labour still hasn't arrived in system.</li>
<li>The only stellar body in close range is a barren, airless world. Theata conducts a series of navigational scans and, with the help of Trumpy & the librarium he can identify a single complex on the surface, the runes and sigils mark it as connected to the Eldar Craftword Kaelor.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-66545639791358704312018-10-12T10:00:00.001+01:002018-11-11T08:34:34.849+00:00A new crewSo we have the beginnings of our Wrath & Glory "Warband":<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Artemis Callaghan </b>- an ex-enforcer turned Bounty Hunter (Desperado archetype) who crossed paths with Rahip Lomar, the Rogue Trader's Master-at-Arms. He impressed the old wardog enough to be put on a retainer by the Dynasty. </li>
<li><b>Lilith </b>- A Hive Slum ganger with a knack for "acquisitions". She was caught trying to steal from the vaults aboard the Emperor's Bounty and negotiated her release (and subsequent employment by the Dynasty) by stealing from her then-employer. Long before joining the crew she and Artemis crossed paths on opposite sides of the law. </li>
<li><b>Tyrest Anibus</b> - A tech-Priest from Stygies VIII who is searching for a final component to prove his grand discovery...he has signed on with the crew as he sees their mission as conducive to his own (He is also has the highest Fellowship in the group....the party "Face" is a Cog-Priest....) </li>
<li><b>Ecthelion</b> - An Aeldari Rangers of the Kaeldor Craftworld. Ecthelion appears and disappears at a whim, following the fickle fates that draw and command him and the secretive ploys and plans of his people. Whatever his deeper motives the crew do know that he acts as guide, protector and chaperone for the mysterious Warlock...</li>
<li><b>Illiyan</b> - A dark and brooding psyker, the warlock was forced or convinced to leave his home Craftworld of Kaeldor due to tragic and troubling events, the specifics of which he has not disclosed to the Mon-Keigh he now travels with. The two Aeldari are recent allies but the connection between the Dynasty and their Craftworld goes somewhat deeper...</li>
</ul>
<div>
There's possibly a couple more characters to add to that mix but more on those in future posts...</div>
Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-68152424633093755882018-09-22T14:34:00.001+01:002018-11-11T08:35:03.916+00:00Prelude<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a grinding of gears and squeal which, had his audio
bafflers not auto-compensated, would have set the teeth he no longer owned on
edge, the enormous ceramite and iconite door before Wyndame worked its way
open. The visible mechanism was typical of designs of the Adeptus Mechanicus;
great chromed and bronzed cogs and leavers spinning and hinging in overly
theatrical movements, functionally opening the gateway to the inner sanctum but
also impressing all witnesses with the glory of the Machine God and his works.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If Wyndame still had the capacity to sneer he would.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Smoke billowed out of the grand chamber beyond the doorway,
clinging to the wrought steel deck plates. Wyndame was alone on the walkway, as
the Master always wished it. He shuffled forward, away from the harsh fluorescence
of the deck lights on their midday cycle and into the gloom of the room before
him. Nasal filters immediately compensated for the copious smoke and incense. Analysis
data scrolled across Wyndame’s eye implant HUD generating an audible tut from beneath
his hood. A heady mix of opiates and “enhancers” today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That meant the Master would be in one of his “moods”.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As the Master’s Seneschal Wyndame was his right hand; acting
as major domo, counsellor, facilitator, administrator, accountant and
ambassador. Over the years the Master had become increasingly reclusive and
engaged within his studies leaving more and more matters in Wyndame’s manipulator appendages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That, however, </span>was acceptable. The Seneschal
was conditioned to obey and to serve as he had for decades before then but obedience still
permitted a sense of resignation to one’s fate, occasional frustration at
weakness or illogical behaviours and frequent recognition of open folly.
Especially when it came to the MasterMaster and his fanciful notions.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The doors to the chamber ground closed, their immense size
making a grand and impressive clang as they met and sealed in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Impressive for the first few dozen times,
perhaps, but to the jaded figure who now slowly approached the central dais
they had long since lost all gravitas.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With his image intensifying optics compensating for the
smoke and vapour from the brass incense burners and braziers that surrounded
the centre of this vast room Wyndame could see the Master was furtively
scribbling. To the left a dictation servitor was desperately trying to right
itself after seemingly having been knocked down from the dais. It’s typography
limbs singularly inefficient at any task other than transcription.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Seneschal made
two vocalisations in an approximation of coughs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Master continued his manic activity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“M’lud?” Wyndame finally spoke. Still no obvious
recognition. With a visible shrug (had there been any witnesses paying him
attention) Wyndame started to drag himself up the steps of the dais but stopped
suddenly as the master sat bolt upright and then whipped around to face him. The
Seneschal was stuck by the fact that the Master looked more composed and in
command of his faculties than he had seen him for a very long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Oh dear” was his immediate thought.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wordlessly, the Master slowly stood. Using his baroque style, bionic arm with golden filigree to dust crumbs and
specks from his velvet breaches, he picked a dainty kerchief from the baroque style writing desk with golden filigree and started, in vain, to try to slowly wipe the ink stains from his still-human
hand.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wyndame remained paused. His augmented subprocessors hastily
checked for viable response options but every behaviour selection previously
utilized in engagements with the Master was evaluated to now carry disproportionate risk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Silence to, for
as long as this had now been, carried with it similar risk. A further audio output was
increasingly necessary. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“M’lud, why are you troubling yourself so? Was the servitor
malfunctioning?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Master’s gaze was still fixed on Wyndame.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He spoke. “Too slow.” He placed the ineffective and now only slightly ink stained cloth back on the desk.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But Master that has never been an issue before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It represents a significantly valuable model
in terms of invested Thrones and was always satisfactory until now. Would you
like the Magos to…”?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No. Enough. Too slow now. Too much to do, too much to
say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It couldn’t keep up you see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was just in the way so I had to get it out of
the way and do it myself, do you see? Things are happening, things are changing
and it’s all becoming important again, do you see?”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh dear, oh dear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thought Wyndame. That’s it then, the years of wandering around and
exploring, monitoring and measuring are done. His behavioural buffers and
conditioning routines were suddenly under more pressure than they had been for
some time.<br />
<br />
"Why are you here though? Did I send for you?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yes, Master, well no Master, not specifically.” Do you see
what you have done? Wynadme thought, you are making me flustered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am never flustered. This is your doing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Out with it Wyndame, this isn’t like you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No, it wasn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Master, you wished for me to tell you when the probes and
survey data was received.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did I?” Oh dear…there was a gleam in the eye there, an
almost perceived smile. He knows, by the Throne of Mankind, he knows, but I don’t
know how.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Have you seen the data Master?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you know I
know what it says.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Master?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I was right, wasn’t I? My visions were correct.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have seen it”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well Master, there is much to be confirmed and the data is
only the preliminary scans. There is a significant margin of error, especially
at this distance.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“But? Say it”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Say what, m’lud?” Wyndame was increasingly the furtive one
now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Tell me how correct I was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What have we found.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Seneschal fell back on what was safe, what was secure,
what was reliable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He started to recite
the precis report summary in a monotone;<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“At 249 days Standard 101.M42 a rogue asteroid with a mean
diameter of 423 clicks, entered the current system at a speed of…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No!” the Master interrupted. “What IS it? What does it look
like?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“M’lud…” Wyndame was back to his usual, vocoder tinged
voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He hated this. “…it looked a lot
like a head.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Whose head?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, Master that data is subjective and..”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Whose?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Some might liken it to a facsimile of the likness given to
approximations of the mortal visage of the individual recognised within the
Imperium of Mankind as his holiness the God-Emperor...”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Told you.” The Master, a beaming smile on his face and
exuding an enormous sense of victory and self-satisfaction, sat back down in
his desk chair with a lump. “And now it begins… Again. Not that it ever really
ended. "<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“M’ud?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a sudden burst he was on his feet again and with a
dramatic flourish he pointed up to the ceiling and the huge vista view ports
that gave an unparalleled view of the stars, and the rip in reality that tore
through them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Set sail man! All engines to full! And gather our chosen
ones…you have a job for them…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-25004620807347129562018-09-18T12:42:00.000+01:002018-09-18T12:42:12.021+01:00The return...<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is the year 101.M42...the Imperium of man is still coming to terms with being rent in twain by the Cicatrix Maledictum, the Great Rift; a chain of Warpstorms that have divided the galaxy into two. In the aptly named "Dark Imperium, beyond the light of the Astronomican, Ultramarines Patriarch and Lord Commander of the dominions of mankind, Roboute Guilliman summoned many notable houses and dynasties of Rogue Traders. He has sought the aid of these, often maligned and outcast agents of the Imperium to scour the Dark Imperium for new worlds to colonise, new resources to replenish that lost in the recent and very damaging Plague Wars, and to find any assets, hidden technology or wonders that may offer hope to an isolated and endangered humanity...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One such dynasty was House Baccharus...or at least it's scion, Darien Erronius.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Erronius is never seen in public these days and never leaves his vessel; the ancient Adeptus Mechanicus Lathe class cruiser "The Emperor's Bounty". He is considered eccentric at best and as blatantly heretical at worst, but he has a reputation for searching for and rediscovering lost "wonders". He has frequently disappeared from known space for decades at a time returning with some remarkable finds, but frequently far less crew...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Regardless of the suspicion that many Imperial Agents may have of him, Guilliman is pragmatic and not averse to allying with "enemies" of the Imperium if he feels it benefits his plans or humanity as a whole. Therefore he dispatches Erronius with his blessing and the promise of support and great rewards, if he is successful.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Never an orthodox commander, Darien collects a crew of varied and disparate individuals, usually indirectly (none will ever have met him in person) many of whom may be of questionable character or conventional "worth" but are now bound together in his service and sets sail for the unknown reaches of space where the Emperor's Light barely shines...</div>
Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-19585686456419775322012-05-30T09:16:00.003+01:002018-11-04T15:47:23.790+00:00Running out of order - Session #19Most of our players couldn't make this session (holidays and some movie or other called "Avengers" was released - pah - I'd gone on the first weekend...*I* didn't disrupt the game... ;) ) so we decided to play a "flashback" set during the ten days of Warp travel between Footfall and the rendezvous with the alien Stryxis at the end of the last game.<br />
We got to "peep behind the veil" at what Mord does to keep the ship running. Prior to the Warp jump there was a suspected problem with the Gellar field and due to it's importance Mord went to investigate personally (with a coterie of priests and servitors). Everything checked out OK but we got to see how Mord "relates" to his underlings. Personally I'm glad he's not my boss..... And we also took the chance to think about how Mord relates to the Machine god, especially as he is delving into areas of research and technology that other tech-priests might consider heretical....<br />
<br />
After translation into the Warp Mord decides to have his form further enhanced and sorted the aquisition of a second mechendendrite - this time a heavy lifting servo-arm (see Dark Heresy: <em>Ascension</em>). During the procedure a subordinate tech-priest, Thom-Alpha-5, comes to Mord to advise that there has been a problem with some of the salvage they brought on board from Footfall (to breakdown and use for raw materials & parts); life signs have been detected within.<br />
<br />
Mord heads to the cargo bay (with entourage) to examine the issue: the salvage is apparently a section of the outer hull of an Imperial vessel, about the size of a modern day tower block. Mord orders further auspex sweeps and summons Lomar to help as it's more his area of expertise. Lomar arrives with a squad of armsmen and calls in some voidsmen to try to shed some light on what sort of ship it may have come from. Its hard to tell as its such a small section and imperial ships can be pretty generic (coming from similar Standard Template Constructs) but it's certainly Imperial in origin and either from a Warp capable tranport or a non-warp "system" ship. There are no identifiable markings.<br />
<br />
The tech-priests indicate that there are multiple life signs aboard but the ship segment has no power. Mord and Lomar lock down the cargo bay, remove all non-essential staff and take a combined squad of tech-priests and armsmen into the wreck to investigate. Sending "Scully" (Mord's Servo-skull familiar) forwards where possible they scout out the hull, going deeper and deeper within. Mord occasionally has to exercise his new Servo-arm to rip open sections of bulkhead to progress through the darkness. The only light is that which they have brought in and the party are moving slowly in a staggered line.<br />
<br />
Suddenly a shriek cuts the air from the back of the party (the poor guy playing Mord practically jumped out of his skin and had a "bit of a turn"...) - I made the players make Fear checks that they both failed. "Something" with a blade or sharp claws had taken down one of the tech-priests at the back of the group. Very shaken, Lomar & Mord order the team to group up and send Scully ahead, above them into a access tube. He soon reports back that a growing number of life signs are rapidly heading their way, from all directions....<br />
<br />
A horde of Ghiliam (twisted "once humans" and mutants who infest the crawl spaces and hulls of ships like vermin. See Dark Heresy: <em>The Inquisitor's Handbook</em> for details) swarm at the group from all dierctions and combat is joined. Mord overcomes his fear and starts crushing the creatures around him with his Servo-arm while fending others off with his shock-staff. Lomar relies on his trusted Ripper pistol to dispatch a number but can't shake his fears. The tech-priests and armsmen fend off a number too (the armsmans' shotguns making quick work of many of them) but a few crew are lost in the battle. After a while the effective, if manic, defense breaks the horde and they flee back into the bowels of the wreckage. Thom-Alpha-5 reports from outside the vessel that as they have now identified the Ghiliam he has detected a single, static life sign different to all the rest. The Explorers decide to investigate further but Lomar calls in a second squad of armsmen to follow them in and mke sure they aren't ambushed again.<br />
<br />
The climb up the wreck is slow and arduous but the team are not bothered by further Ghiliam. Eventually they reach the room containing the unique life sign. The place appears to be the Ghiliam's "nest" and is a fetid, dirty pit of a place. Scattered with rags, mess, excrement, scrap and the remains of other, weaker Ghiliam (the canabalistic mtuants are their own main food source) the scene is pretty horrific - once again we called for Fear tests and Mord failed pretty famously, becoming paranoid and very jumpy for the rest of the voyage.<br />
<br />
In the centre of the room is some form of large, oopen-topped, casket or crate, set on a plinth or table of some sort. The Ghilliam appear to have decorated it as some form of rudimentary shrine. Scrimshawing sigils and messages in their dark, corrupt, tongue and festoning it with trinkets and "offerings". Lomar approaches and, pistol in hand, peers inside. Laid within is the body of a Space Marine, one of the holy avengers of the Emperor; the Adeptus Astartes. He is clad in battle damaged red and black power armour and bears a bolt pistol, chainsword and combat shotgun. Lomar summons Mord who investigates the armour, identifying that the Marine within is alive but in self-induced suspended animation, his suit is still powered and has integrity, but is battle damaged (as noted by Lomar) and has been rebuilt or repaired from salvaged parts. The explorers arrange for him to be removed in secret and secured in one of Mord's chambers while some medicae staff can attempt to resucitate him, while Lomar's teams continue to purge the remains of the Ghiliam.<br />
<br />
Some time passes and Mord & Lomar agree that they ought to advise Darien of their "find" and he is enthused with the prospect of meeting one of the god-emperor's "sons" in person. They head to the chamber to find the 8ft tall marine, now stripped of his armour, awake and crushing the indpipe of one of the medicae who revived him.... Darien and Mord talk him down, whilst an orderly manages to get a sedative into him (should have knocked out a bull elephant but it just makes him a little sleepy). He is Brother Sebastion "Bastion" Khaine of the Angels Sanguine and he tells Darien, Mord & Lomar that they may be permitted to transport him...Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-63124418425966855252012-05-29T20:34:00.001+01:002012-05-29T20:34:04.266+01:00A brief layover in Port Wander then off to Footfall in a new (old) ship (sessions #17 & 18)Whilst en route to Port Wander Darien takes a break from his reading of the Red Book of the Haxtus to discuss the captaincy of the Penance of Iocanthos with Scythia. They agree to keep the death of Cobolt under wraps for now and promote Killroy, the first officer, to the role.<br />
<br />
Upon their arrival in port Mord slips off to deliver his package. The gentleman he meets scans the item and is aware that he investigated it but doesn't seem to concerned. He asks Mord why a Tech priest would not report or act on something so apparently heretical? Mord replies that he is only concerned with technology not the strictures or rules of the priesthood. The man shows him out but anticipates that they will meet again...<br />
<br />
Ramirez meets Darien and Theata while Lomar goes off to check how his "work crews" got on.<br />
The "work crews" as we cme to refer to them were an idea suggested by Lomar's player after they had left Port Wander but it was too cool to ignore so we retroactively added it in as a Background Endeavour (see Rogue Trader: into the Storm for rules on how to run background endeavours).<br />
<br />
In the player's own words:<em> Lomar is specifically qualified to help hunt down dangerous creatures. As he lacks some of the relevant skills, and because the creatures in question are well above the ability of one man alone, he must do this sort of work with teams. Lomar is planning on taking one of these teams to scout out the Emperors Bounty. Workers have been on there for months and Lomar is going to search out for any remainng mutants onboard. I expect many may have been taken out as part of the refurb, but just in case Lomar will take a team of professionals to assess the scale of the mutant presence. Once he has an understanding of their number and strength he will make a decision in each case whether to leave the mutant alone or to capture them. Captured mutants of a worthwhile value will be given options to either serve the family, or to be dropped off at one of the planets the Baccharus family now own which included mutant numbers. Bacchus has superb storage facilities on baord but that vessel is away. Highly valuable psykers are the prime target, and Lomar is very qualified to deal with them. If any can be found then then will be given employment opportunities to serve in the house and to have a better life than the one they currently have laid out before them. The Emperors Bounty will be purged as much as is possible and the mutant hordes within either captured, shipped off, permanently removed or offered a way out in employment.</em><br />
<br />
Back at the mansion Ramirez Connery, the bondsman who runs things for them at Port Wander, updates them on events:<br />
<ul>
<li>Lomar's teams were a success and a number of twists and dregs were routed out. Some were known felons who were turned in for bounties, some paid passage to be smuggled out of the system and others have entered service with the House, including a small cadre of unsanctioned psykers and Wyrds</li>
<li>Schofield, Darrien's sister has passed through on her way to the Majestic Labour</li>
<li>Ramirez has recieved word that Darien is to take command of the Emperor's Bounty, appoint a command crew and set sail to meet up with Baccharus and the Majestc Labour at Footfall</li>
</ul>
Theata finds new orders from his House; they have have arranged a new commission for him - he is to be the primary Warp Guide on a newly commissioned vessel: the Emperor's Bounty....Theata spins it to Darien that he will insist to his House that he acts as Warp guide, if he wants him and will demand the station if need be.<br />
<br />
Over the next few days Darien makes various arrangements to form his officer cadre:<br />
<div>
</div>
<ul>
<li>He asks Scythia to be his High Factorum - she is shocked and honoured and accepts. The ex-Administratum adept she had suggested for the role will become the Ship's Purser instead.</li>
<li>Deatrix accosts Darrien and demands to be the Choir Master he agrees at once and she stomps off, content.</li>
<li>Darien offers Lomar the role of Master-at-arms, he is unsure but says he will always do what the House requires of him, but it is for Baccharus to say as he is sworn in service to him.</li>
<li>The Death Cultist Que'toh is appointed as "Master of Whispers"</li>
<li>When Mord returns from surgery to replace his flesh arms with two new good quality bionics, Darien asks him to take on the role of Enginseer Prime, which he accepts</li>
<li>Darien officially appoints Killroy as the master of the Penance of Iocanthos and it begins it's new "milk run" from Port Wander to Fervious. </li>
</ul>
The Emporer's Bounty gets underway. As they leave Darien is approached by Father Aubray, the Ship's Confessor (as an ex-mechanicus monitor cruiser the shrine to the Emperor is comparatively small and is staffed by a small group of minor clergy, Frater Militia and Mendicant monks). Aubray is a practical and pragmatic man who still wears his old Guard fatigues (after having "found his faith in the field" and serving as a Confessor to his fellow infantrymen). He asks if he can say a benediction over the vessel as they set forth and Darien agrees. Later they share a drink and the Father fills Darien in a little about his past and the Eccelsiarchy contingent aboard.<br />
<br />
Theata discovers that one of the subordinate Navigators aboard is his "betrothed" a corpulant female navigator by the name of Lucretia Xan'tai. She seems to be perpetually bored and has a harem of young human males.<br />
<br />
Theata takes the ship to Footfall in a quarter of the time expected but on route the crew is shaken by the appearance of "ghost ships" around them. Darien shows his command mettle by calming the situation and the rest of the voyage is uneventful.<br />
<br />
When they arrive at Footfall they are hailed by the Majestic Labour and Darien takes a shuttlecraft across to the "flagship". There is no official welcome and the ship seems to just be "business as usual". Darien and his entourage head to the bridge where they find Klyto. Surprisingly he shows what passes for respect towards Darien and indicates that his father & sister are ensconced in Baccharus' dining hall. The Explorers head there. A debauched "regency" style banquet is in full swing and it appears that Schofield has brought a coterie of sycophantic hangers on with her (or picked some up en route).<br />
<br />
Schofield is giggly, girly and very much a daddy's girl. It appears that she is pandering to his worst excesses and Baccahrus constantly interrupts Darien to tell him some other trivial anecdote about something his daughter has done. His plan, possibly suggested by Schofield, is that Darien will remain in command of the Emperor's Bounty while she, as heir, stays near "daddy-kins" on the Majestic Labour. They will travel together as a flotilla - Darien refers to his father as the "Lord-Admiral" which he appears to approve of highly.<br />
<br />
Baccahrus gives his tacit approval for Lomar to be instated as Darien's Master-at-arms, if for no other reason than it gives the Lord-Admiral someone he trusts aboard his son's vessel.<br />
<br />
The Lord-Admiral has a new scheme - they will soon leave Footfall to rendeavous with some aquaintances of his who may have details of an opportunity that they will trade with the House. But before they leave port Baccahrus wants thenm to negotiate some contacts that will help sell on/exploit/fence whatever the opportunity is...<br />
<br />
<div>
The Explorers assess their options for who to approach. They figure they could seek a deal with one or more of:</div>
<ul>
<li>House Krin (see Dark Heresy <u><em>Main rule book</em></u> and Rogue Trader: <em>Edge of the Abyss</em>) - a mercantile noble house</li>
<li>The Beast House (see Dark Heresy: <em>Disciples of the dark gods</em>) - illicit traders of Xenos creatures with previous connections to House Baccahrus</li>
<li>The Kasaballica (see Dark Heresy: <em>Book of Judgement</em> and Rogue Trader <em>Edge of the Abyss</em> and <em>Hostile Aquisitions</em>) - Calixian crime syndicate and significant player in the Cold Trade</li>
<li>The Logicians (see Dark Heresy: <em>Disciples of the dark gods</em>) - Tech heretics with connections to Mord</li>
</ul>
<div>
They decide to approach House Krin and negotiations eventually bear fruit. However the representative they speak with, Quaestor Papyrus, insists on accompanying them on their endeavour (along with entourage) to "protect his investment".</div>
<div>
</div>
Meanwhile Lomar has been called away to an emergeancy on the Majestic Labour; one of the beasts has escaped. He drags Mord along (although he offers frequent protests) and they organise a search of the ship. Due to his role as Twist catcher, Dungoof makes a reappearance and joins the serach teams. The creature is the Lord-Admiral's favourite Ambull (see Dark Heresy: <em>Creatures Anathema</em>), a female named Jordan. Dungoof and Lomar eventually corner it but are interrupted by a dark, armoured and winged humanoid shape. The new assailant attacks them and the Ambull and they retaliate but the armoured figure escapes. The Ambull is however, safely recaptured. And when told the news the captain did exclaim (to graons and laughter "Jordan's Alive!" ;) (gotta love Brian Blessed....) <br />
<br />
The flotilla translates to into the Warp and emerges, some ten days (ship time) later to meet the Lord-Admiral's contacts; a Stryxis caravan...Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-61369484050852716942012-05-29T20:33:00.000+01:002012-05-29T20:33:19.660+01:00Expect the unexpected - Que'tohAfter the introduction of the Fervian Death Cult Theata's player came up with, what I considered to be, a fun idea.<br />
<br />
Darien was very aware that to rise in ranks in the cult a member had to fight and defeat a higher ranking member, and as a "Hum-phree" he was essentially a target for all the lower ranked "Chee-kens" on board the ship - especially as Scythia, in her wisdom had agreed with the Fervians that they would supply additional manpower to help crew the recomissioned Emperor's Bounty...Thus Darien had taken to wearing his fine looking, blue enameled, carapace armour at all times and is prone to jumping at shadows.<br />
With this in mind Theata's player was reminded of the original Pink Panther movies and Clouseau's butler/manservant Kato. Thus came the concept of Que'toh. Darien was almost constantly accompanied by two "faceless" masked Death Cultists - what if one was a player character? What if Darien's player didn't know, until such time as he lept out and attacked his master "for practise"?<br />
<br />
So we rolled up a Dark Heresy Assassin and dropped him into the campaign. His initail "surprise attack" caused shock, groans and honest laughs. Essentially he is an alternate character for Theata's player (much like Dungoof and Mord) and mostly played for comic relief but he has been given the role of "Master of Whispers" aboard the Emperor's Bounty if only to keep him occupied and out of Darien's hair.....Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-60888178464217218962012-05-29T15:17:00.000+01:002018-11-05T11:30:46.229+00:00A visit to Archaos (sessions #14-16)<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Penance of Iocanthos arrived on Archaos (see "<a href="http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/dark-heresy/pdf/2009-contests/TheBrutalLament1.pdf" target="_blank">The Brutal Lament</a>" for details) and the Explorers, with an entourage of exotic Death Cultist body guards, met Darien's old friends & family in a state reception, organised to welcome home the "adventurous noble scion".</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Darien's mother's ladies-in-waiting hastily whisked off Captain Cobalt to "make her more suitable" as Darien's intended bride. Lynara was somewhat concerned but Darien encouraged her to put up with them and try to enjoy the pampering.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">At the lavish function Darien met Duke Thomias Jerom Newton, Magnus Machenko's alleged co-conspirator and source of the astropathic messages they had intercepted. They traded barbed comments but didn't "make a scene". </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It appears that Darien's younger sister, Schofield, has left the planet, en route for Port Wander, leaving at about the time Darien was kidnapped by the Fervian cultists. They also learn that Darien's mother is also due to wed (Lord Gold, head of House Vansire and speaker of the Planetary Senate, essentially the de facto Imperial Govenor). </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cobalt was eventually re-introduced to the welcoming party (which was now well into it's 2nd day) but Mord soon realised she has been partially lobotomised by the implantation of Cortex bionics. She is now compliant, giggly and (currently) phobic of starships.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lomar received an astropathic message from Master Baccharus informing him that as Darien was believed lost at the hands of the cultists he has been disinherited. Lomar is to return to the Majestic Labour as soon as he is able. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Explorers discuss what the "disinheritance" may mean - as far as Darien is concerned he may not be the "heir" (a level of responsibility he wasn't hugely keen on anyway) but he is still a member of the House and has responsibilities and duties to execute. It also casts a shadow on the necessity of the wedding; the Penance is legally and officially leased to them now and Darien has no inheritance to speak of. Darien is determined though; he gave his word and is prepared to honour it, but he wants Cobolt returned to her former state.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Mord then recieves a cryptic invitation to meet with a "Dr Smythe" he goes downhive to meet with the mysterious man and discovers a well dressed gentlemen who seems to know a lot about technology but isn't one of the Adeptus Mechanicus. He also seems connected to the underworld connections who smuggled Mord out of the Calixis Sector originally. Mord suspects that he is a member of the Logicians (see Dark Heresy: <em>Disciples of the dark gods</em>). Smythe asks Mord to do him a small favour - if he delivers a package to an acquaintance of his on Port Wander he will supply Mord with data and technical specs for a number of obscure and "lost" devices. Mord agrees.<br />
<br />Our Explorator isn't the only one who recieves an invitation. Theata is summoned by representatives of his House and Darien gets a request to meet with an individual claiming to be connected to the Holy Inquisition. After the missive he received on Port Wander Darien feels he cannot refuse. Lomar won't let him go alone though (especially after his previous abduction) and accompanies him, along with a cadre of Death Cultists.<br />
<br />They head downhive and meet up with an apparently learned sage & adept, Verunde Macabre, who alleges that he used to work in the employ of the Inquisition, in particular he worked for an Interrogator named Jareth who was in the service of Inquisitor-Exorcist Mordant Crimson (see Dark Heresy: <em>Disciples of the dark gods</em> pg 180).<br />
<br />Jareth has heard of Dariens studies and wishes to entrust him with something to assist him. They are led into Macabre's study where they discover a collection of artifacts, texts, objects and curios, some alien, some archeotech, some of cultist origin, many forbidden or heretical. Macabre says that this is his role now, to act as curator and archivist of this collection. He takes them to a plinth and with reverence hands over a small book bound in red leather. He tells them that this is "The Red Book of the Haxtus". The Haxtus are a noble family of Archaos, generally known for their debauchery and allegations of heresy. One of their number, some few hundred years ago, had rebelled against his clan and entered into service with an Inquisitor. This book was a journal he wrote about his time in service and the things he learnt, encountered and discovered. Verunde now entrusts it to Darien.<br />
<br />Theata meets with the local office of his House and is queried as to why he is still with Darien - their house contract is not for the Penance, nor with the Fervian Dairy Syndicate. He is therefore told he must return to the Majestic Labour with all haste. They will arrange travel for him. He decides he has no choice but to accept - his House is more important than his ties to individuals. <br />
<br />Darien and Lomar leave Verund's home but on their way back up hive they are accosted by Hive dregs. The fight never really goes against the explorers and the hive scum's leader sues for peace. He tells them that they were only there to try to take them to a meeting with one of his contacts. Darien and Lomar are intrigued and go with them.<br />
<br />They are eventually taken to an underhive bar and introduced to a gunslinger and desperado named Quint. He explains that he too is in the service of Mordant Crimson and that he knows Jareth well. He also believes Jareth to be corrupt and possibly a heretic, in fact some two centuries ago he accused him of such but the allegations were successfully defended, he (Quint) was demoted and he swore to one day prove that he was right. He also tells Darien that Baccahrus was involved and that the investigation is the reason he left the Imperium. To this day Quint believes the granting of the Baccahrus Rogue Trader Warrant was part of an elaborate cover up. He also believes that "Newton" may be one of Jareth's cover aliases.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By the end of the day everyone had returned to the Erronius estate. Darien discovered he had a visitor and also that Scythia had been trying to get hold of him from the Penance. The visitor turns out to be his "Thronemother" - a sister of an Order Famulous who works to guide and assist the House. This is the new sister, his previous Thronemother having passed away since he left the sector. She discusses his forthcoming wedding and gets out of him the detail of what has happened to Captain Cobolt. She agrees that the marriage is "unsuitable" with the captain in her current state and offers to have her spirited away so that Darien can attempt to have the implants removed and her restored to her former self.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Mord examines the device that Dr Smythe gave him - it appears to be human tech (it appears to be a rod that interfaces with a standard Servitor data port) but it is not from a current Adeptus Mechanicus Standard Template Construct - Mord believes that it is a lost & ancient design from the Dark Age of Technology but it has been manufactured recently....<br />
<br />The Explorers reconvene and swap tales (leaving out plenty of detail and generally skewing things certain ways). Theata proposes that he returns to the Majestic labour on Darien's behalf to explain things to his father (not mentioning that his house is sending him) and that he'll be leaving in the morning. Darien protests but eventually concedes. <br />
<br />They then speak with Scythia who advises that the Fervians are demanding that they get underway to take delivery of a new milk shipment. Darien explains that the captain is incapable of command and they agree that the First Officer, an ex-naval man by the name of Killroy, take command for the time being. Mord and Darien then hit upon the idea that Mord joins the ship uses the medicae facilities (and the time away on the journey) on board the Penance to try to remove the Captain's implants. Scythia sends a shuttle to collect them and Darien contacts his Thronemother to arrange the abduction/collection of the Captain.<br />
<br />Mord packs and he and Darien meet the sister and return to the Penance. Darien speaks with Scythia and returns to Archaos in the early morning (Archaos time) and decides to wait up to see Theata off. He does so and is then attacked by Que'Toh, one of his Death Cultist guards. The guard explains that he is committed to regularly testing Darien's defences to ensure he is ready for combat but until now Darien had been seeing enough danger without additional "surprise attacks".<br />
<br />Theata takes a shuttle to the transport waiting for him, is shown to the sparse passenger berth and settles down with a book. He very soon discovers that his House has booked transport for him on the Penance (as it was the first vessel leaving Archaos with Port Wander on it's itinerary)....but he decides to remain as a passenger and enjoy the opportunity for a bit of peace and quiet with no work.<br />
<br />Over the next few weeks Darien works the social circuit working to charm away the rumour mill and spread his own derogatory rumours about Newton. His mother, Lady Tsatsa Erronius, questions him about where his fiance has gone and the conversation breaks down - his mother summons him to her office that night.<br />
<br />Meeting his mother that evening Darien discovers another side to her. She is well read, studious and intelligent - explaining that the noble life tends to lead people to dabble in various activities for enjoyment and to ward off the boredom of such a lengthy, rejuvenat extended, existence. For her it wasn't drugs or pleasures it was study - including texts that some may have been considered heretical (she alludes that it was to better understand or relate to his father and to share his interests). They discuss his father and why he left - she's not aware of the details other than he felt it was his only choice, and he's not returned since. That was over 100 years ago. Darien (and his sister) were concieved using "some of himself that he left behind". <br />
<br />Mord realises that he doesn't have the surgical skill necessary to remove the captain's implants so employs the help of the ship's new chief Chiurgeon. While Mord passes his rolls to assist the surgeon fails and the captain dies on the operating table. Mord tells Scythia who instructs him to keep it to themselves (she will deal with the Chiurgeon). Mord sends Astropathic messages to Darien and Theata to advise them that the captain's dead and it wasn't his fault! The Penance's Astropathic choir send Theata's message then later receive it again and it is delivered to him aboard the same ship...<br />Darien is shaken by the news - he never loved or felt attracted to the captain (being used to the idea of an arranged marriage for political or diplomatic reasons) but in his words she was "significant" to him. He continues his charm offensive over the next few weeks, but somewhat more subdued than before. Eventually Newton encounters him at a party and they trade words. Newton says that working together they could gain more than alone. Darien asks why he started the rumours and Newton's response was "It brought you here." The Thin White Duke eventually walks off with the parting words of "Enjoy your reading material."<br />
<br />The Penance returns to Archaos with a full cargo bay and collects Darien. Theata makes himself known and recommends that they charge more for passage in future if his House, with their limited budget, selected their ship. Lady Tsatsa wishes her son farewell and gives him a letter to pass on to his father. Darien responds that it was finally good to meet "her".</span>Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-3820690027078445932012-05-28T09:58:00.001+01:002012-05-28T09:58:12.809+01:00Fervian Death Cult Elite Advance Scheme<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the events of sessions #12-13 and Darien's accidental enrolement within a Death Cult, and their likely continued involvement in the campaign, I decided we'd best have an established Elite Advancement scheme for any player who wanted to join.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cult is one of many that have originated on the isolated feudal
world of Fervious (High Gothic: Vasenrule). It is connected to the Dairy
farmers but is not exclusive to them, nor is it the only death cult that is
connected to the Syndicate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The cult is called "The Uniq" and, as far as most observers are aware
membership is open to any who can defeat, and kill, a current member in ritual
combat. The winner usurps the rank of the defeated member and thus this is also
the method of promotion within the sect. It appears that there are three ranks:
Chee-ken (rank & file member), Hum-phree (cell leader) and Ern-eee (high
master). Darien is currently, for all intents and purposes a Hum-phree.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Restrictions:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Members of existing cults
or sects (priests, redemptionists, other death cultists, tech-priests etc)
cannot join and a prospective member must ritually defeat an existing member in
order to enter into the ranks of the cult.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Advance cost:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> 200xp</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Effect:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> You gain the Secret Tongue
(Death Cult) (Int) skill, Melee Weapon Training (Primitive), Thrown Weapon
Training (Primitive) and access to the following Advances:</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="mso-cellspacing: 0cm; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; width: 565px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Advance</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Type</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Cost</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Prerequisite</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chem-use(Int)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">300<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cipher(Death
Cult)(Int)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">200<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cipher(Death
Cult)(Int) +10<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">300<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cipher(Death
Cult)(Int)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 4;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forbidden
Lore(Death Cult)(Int)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">200<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 5;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forbidden
Lore(Death Cult)(Int) +10<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">200<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forbidden
Lore(Death Cult)(Int), Cult Rank: Hum-Phree<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 6;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forbidden
Lore(Death Cult)(Int) +20<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">200<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forbidden
Lore(Death Cult)(Int), Cult Rank: Ern-Eee<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 7;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Intimidate(S)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">300<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 8;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Logic
(Int)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">300<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 9;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Secret
Tongue(Death Cult)(Int) +10<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">100<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 10;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Secret
Tongue(Death Cult)(Int) +20<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">S<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">100<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Secret
Tongue(Death Cult)(Int), Cult Rank: Hum-Phree<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 11;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blademaster<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">800<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WS30,
Melee Weapon Training (any). Cult Rank: Hum-Phree<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 12;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Disarm<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">500<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 13;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exotic
Weapon Training (Chain-sticks)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">500<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 14;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lightning
Attack<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">800<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Swift
Strike, Cult Rank: Ern-Eee<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 15;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quick
Draw<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">300<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 16;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sure
Strike<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">800<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WS30.
Cult Rank: Hum-Phree<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 17; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 182.25pt;" valign="top" width="243"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Swift
Strike<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">T<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 42.75pt;" valign="top" width="57"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">800<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0); padding: 0cm; width: 156pt;" valign="top" width="208"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WS35,
Cult Rank: Hum-Phree<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></td><span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tr>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span></tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Special:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> The following items of
gear are of common availability to members of the cult:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Armour:</span></span></i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Bookman Old Style","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"> Fervian Banded Armour
(Body, arms & legs, Primitive, AP3)<br />
<i>Weapons:</i> Long-sabre ( Melee (two handed), 1d10+2R, Pen 2, Balanced,
Primitive) Chain-Sticks (Melee, 1d10+1I, Pen 0, Fast, Toxic, Primitive),
Throwing Stars (Thrown, 5m, S/-/-, 1dR, Pen 0, Primitive) <br />
<i>Gear:</i> Caltrops (<em>Dark Heresy: Inquisitor's Handbook pg 102</em>), Powder bombs
(<em>Dark Heresy: Inquisitor's Handbook pg 103</em>),</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br /></div>Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-32562568647735959552012-05-27T22:08:00.001+01:002012-05-27T22:08:15.592+01:00Darien and the Death Cult (sessions #12-13)After the events of the previous session Darien Erronius, our player chracater Rogue Trader had been captured by persons unknown.<br />
<br />
We bagan the session with Darien being interrogated, he is almost naked, has had his bionic arm brtually removed and is subjected to debilitating heat and frequent beatings, often without word or question. When he is questioned (by a female spokes person who is dressed in masculine armour and atire similar to that of an old Terran Samurai) she accuses him of taking something of theirs, but is not specific as to what.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Scythia (standing in as High Factorum of the Penance of Iocanthos) needs someone in authority in the House to authorise repairs, resupply and recruitment for the Penance. She ends up with Theata who does his best to resolve the issues, She is not at all happy to hear of Darien's fate.<br />
<br />
Lomar and Theata both blame Mord and give him quite a hard time over his "cowardice". He responds that he issued a warning; how was he to know Darien would stay and fight? The logical thing would be to avoid conflict and run. Any fault should be laid at the feet of the Rogue Trader...<br />
Darien's questioning continues and he learns that this group are in the employ of Fervian Milk & Dairy Farmer's Syndicate and they want the return of the Penance. They also give him regular doses of Styger milk (see <em>Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook</em> for more details) to help keep him alive.<br />
Back at the Baccahrus mansion the Explorers receive a ransom note; The Penance and her captain within seven days or Darien faces the consequences.<br />
<br />
Mord, Lomar and the Bondsman, Connery, make enquiries and determine that a Fevian ship is due to arrive at Port Wander in seven days and that they believe they may know the industrial unit aboard the station where Darien is being held.<br /><br />Darien uses the time of his captivity to continue his manic scrawling and note taking, scratching into the walls of the rooms where his is chained if need be. When this is dicovered he finds that he is supplied with paper and calligraphy sets instead...<br />
<br />
At his next meeting with the cult spokesperson temperes begin to fray and he challenges her to a duel - which she accepts. From then on he was treated better - given a bed to sleep on, improved food etc. He began to feel like a condemned man.<br />
<br />
Theata went to the Imperial navy to ask for the legal precedents about who owned the Penance. The adjutant he (eventually) spoke with decided that it wasn't a clear cut case and impounded the ship pending a full investigation (which was estimated to take 100-300 yrs..).<br />
<br />
Meanwhile Rahip was sent to make enquiries with mercenary brokers for prices/availability and Mord went back to the High Magos to seek her help - she said it was outside her sphere but that she'd entreat the Machine god on their behalf.<br />
<br />
Deatrix was sent to send an update to the Lord Captain via the choir on the Penance but found that it was already locked down by the Imperial Navy. Theata then had an idea to broker a deal with the syndicate - what if House Baccahrus could tranport their products for them deep into the Koronus Expanse, leasing the Penance from them for the purpose? He arranges a meet for the following day.<br />
The Syndicate representatives listen to the deal and agree - their issue is the percieved loss of face of Captain Cobolt "giving away" their ship. They can see the benefits of the business deal but cannot ignore the "insult". They therefore demand that the Captain be brought to them when they seal the deal so that one of their order may execute her. Theata agrees.<br />
<br />
Mord is sent to the Penance to bring the Captain to the mansion only to discover that she has already left the ship to find Theata and demand answers. Mord hurries back to the mansion to find she has just arrived and Theata has risen from his bed to meet her. The Navigator explains what he has negotiated (side steping the whole execution issue with some clever word play) and the Captain is placated. She stays at the mansion that night.<br />
<br />
Darien is told that the Hum-Phree (the syndicate spokesperson) will permit him to hold his challege until after his release but Darien says he is ready there and then. A ritual dueling circle is drawn, Darien's sword is returned to him and they engage. The battle goes to & fro, her Lathe forged blade (see <em>Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook</em> for details) is able to resist the power field of his sword. Eventually though his skill exceeds hers, striking her first in the torso then in the leg, which renders her unconscious. Darien then delivers the killing blow; severing her head. The remaining syndics treat him with respect, clothing him, presenting him with her sword and quartering him in the "tea room" where he was previously brought to meet her.<br />
<br />
The meeting goes ahead the following day. When it becomes clear what the syndicate wants the Captain is enraged but Rahip restrains her. The Dairy Spokesman who brokered the deal insists (against Darien's protests) that the captain is handed over to them and that he (Darien) kills her (as by ritually defeating the Hum-Phree he is now part of their cult). Darien argues that no "face" has been lost as no one outside of the house and Syndicate know what happened. The spokesman challenges Darien, who accepts and they duel then and there. This fellow goes down much easier but not before cracking Darien across the face with his chain sticks (taking him to one wound - but mercifully all the Styger milk he'd been drinking left him essentially immune to it's poisons) after losing his sword to Darien's blade. Darien then strikes him twice; the second blow causing him to immolate (as now seems to be the norm....). Having defeated the spokesman Darien insists that honour/face is satisfied and the deal concluded.<br />
<br />
Finally upon return to the mansion they find the brown robed scribe who had delieved a message for Darien to Theata waiting for them. Theata passes over the message and the scribe says his master has heard of Darien's studies and wishes to offer materials which may assist him. Darien opens the message, sees a single stylised capital I and says he cannot refuse....<br /><br />I deemed that the deal that was brokered earnt a gain of +1 Profit Factor and also that Darien is now a member of a Fervian Death Cult....Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-54250791154181162492012-05-27T10:36:00.001+01:002012-05-27T10:36:25.499+01:00The journey of the Penance (sessions #8-11)We'd cut our teeth on seven sessions based upon printed adventures, now it was time for 100% original content. This is where, as a GM I feel much more comfortable; I can write *for* the characters rather than taking something existing and modifying to fit.<br />
<br />
And so the Explorers set off aboard the Penance of Iocanthos....or at least they set out in real space to find a suitable Warp jump location.<br />
<br />
Now Theata (our PC navigator) had worked out a suitable Warp route from this lost and obscure system back to Port Wander (and had really done extremely well on his roll) so was keyed up to guide the Penance back home. Unfortunately the Penance's Navigators were froma rival family and wouldn't concede control. Added to this was the fact that they wouldn't/couldn't use Theata's naviational instructions (as shared with the Emperor's Bounty and Majestic Labour)as they were written in his family's language and ciphers. A political game ensued while Darien was finding similar issues with the crew accepting him, in particular the High Factorum showed him thinly veiled loathing. Only Mord appeared to be accepted "off the bat", having worked with the crew on the Penance's emergeancy repairs and gaining respect from his knowledge and success in assisting them. The charm and negotiation skills of the players eventually won the day in respect of the Navigators and they were eventually underway with Theata as temporary Warp Guide.<br />
<br />
After their translation into the Warp the Captain organised a grand formal dinner to officially welcome Darien's party. It was a good opportunity to showcase the key NPCs aboard the ship and it culminated with the sharing of a "Cup of friendship" - apparently a standing tradition aboard. Everything went fine until Darien took the cup and drank. Immediately he began to hallucinate or (as he thought at the time) see clearly for once, and fled screaming from the scene, followed by Lomar and Mord.<br /><br />Darien was eventually cornered and subdued by Lomar who was able to identify the symptoms of Black Janix Venom (see <em>Dark Heresy Games Master's kit</em> for details). Mord was then able to analyse the poison in Darien's system and fabricate an antidote.<br />
<br />
While Darien was resting in the infirmary the missionary Sister they had brought from the Majestic Labour found the data slate Darien had been working on and saw his "heretical writings" and reported it to the Penance's confessor. He (Father Nimmo) and the High Factorum raised a squad of armsmen to arrest the "heretic". However Darien was warned of their arrival and he and Mord (who was attending him at the time) fled to the lower decks meanwhile Theata tried to placate the situation by saying that the slate contained encrypted navigational data. Unfortunately he then had to back track as Darien, bless his simple and honest mind, had admitted to writing the symbols.<br />
<br />
Darien and Mord were ambushed by the armsmen and officers but Master Erronius was able to reason with the confessor to at least allow him to hear his case. Exceptional sweet talking and an arguement based upon the cryptic nature of the information on the slate won over the Father (to the High Facotorum's chagrin) and the data slate, now sealed in a box warded with purity seals and hexagrams, was returned to Erronius.<br />
<br />
After all this Deatrix, the astropath from the Majestic Labour, came to the explorers with details of an astropathic message she had helped to send (as part of the Choir). The messge wasn't sent by her so she doesn't understand the symbolism used but she *knows* it relates to them. Mord spends the next 40-50 hours trying to crack the code. Mord also conducts some investigations of his own, questioning the servants from the night of the meal and discovering that the cup bearer is missing. Upon gaining entrance to the crewman's quarters he discovers he has been murdered. An investigation of his room reveals no further details.<br />
<br />
Once decoded the Astropathic message seems to implicate Magnus (the ship's High Factorum) and Darien (eventually) has a vague recollection that they met at university and dueled, Darien easily beating him. The message implies that Magnus has an associate back in the Calixis Sector and that Darien is a mutual enemy...<br />
<br />
A further Astropathic message is received, this time intended for Darien himself. The news is brief but not good, things are not going well back at the Dark Frontier and the suggestion is that someone back in the Imperium is spreading malicious rumours to discredit the house and their business dealings.<br />
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Lomar and Mord get to work on further investigations, indentifying the crewman who arranged the sending of the Astropathic message as a Midshipman Oswald. They interrogate him and he eventually further implicates the High Factorum. <br />
<br />
Meanwhile Darien is working to improve morale aboard ship, with some success. But things take a slight shift when He, Mord and Theata seperately recieve visitations from the "ghost" of Vyn. She tells Mord that she remembers him now and that is sorry. She discusses the secrets of the Warp with Darien and tells him she may know someone who can help him in his studies. Finally she accuses Theata of being the reason she died, she believes he could have saved her.<br />
<br />
With the evidence pointing to the High Factorum the Explorers challenge him. He professes his innocence and demands a duel with Darien in defence of his honour. It is arranged for the following day.<br />
<br />
Most of the ship's officer Cadre assemble to watch the event. The two unarmoured deulists facing each other in the ritual duelling circle. Darien with his Powersword, Marcus with his ancestral chainsword. Marcus lunges, unprofessional and brazen. Darien feints, strikes and immolates him in a single blow. A sudden hush decends on the assembled throng.<br /><br />The Captain was upset about Magnus' death, although she accepts the evidence against him she still blames Darien for his "execution" and avoids him where possible. Scythia (Klyto's apprentice) then took over the role of High Factorum, supported by Darien, further frustrating and annoying the Captain (she basically implied that it could be interpretted as a Baccahrus plot to subvert her ship from her).<br />
<br />
An astropathic response to the cryptic message Deatrix intercepted was then recieved. Mord spent a few days translating it and discoved that it implies that the other party involved is a "Duke T J Newton" who lives on the planet Archaos.<br />
<br />
While on board ship Darien also resolved some disputes between the folk they had rescued from the Dark Frontier and are transporting, as passengers, back to Imperial space. It won him a lot of kudos in both their eyes and those of the Penance's crew.<br />
<br />
The ship eventually translated from the Warp - quite far out from the system - so it takes another week or so of real space travel before they arrive in Port Wander. Darien recieves word from his father that he needs to investigate the rumours that are damaging their endeavours - their bondsman on Port Wander, a man by the name of Connery, has been leading the investigation so far. Coupled with this various minor edicts and bylaws of the Adeptus Mechanicus (essentially red tape) has prevented an Explorator mission from being launched to examine and exploit the Dark Sun.<br />
The crew arrives at the station and the Baccahrus delegation (with the exception of Scythia who begs permission to remain on board the Penance to oversee the repairs and resupply) goes to the mansion house the dynasty maintains onboard the station.<br />
<br />
Theata goes to the "Gilt Processional", the huge market place where anything and everything is sold, and negotiates the purchase of a repository of knowledge about Xeno lore (essentially a <br />Xenos Librarium ship component (from <em>Rogue Trader: Hostile Aquisitions</em>)) in order to better research details of the Dark Sun. <br />
<br />
Mord and Darien go to see the chief Adeptus Mechanicus on the station. She's very "alien" having heavily modified her form with mechanicus implants and is rumoursed to seek out and horde heretical artefacts, but is popular as she holds open "audiences" with any who wish to recieve her blessings or advice (see <em>Rogue Trader: Into the Storm</em> for details). Mord explains the situation with progress on the Explorator mission being blocked. He makes quite and impression and she promises to personally resolve the matter.<br />
<br />
On the way back to the mansion Theata is approched by an ink-stained scribe carrying a message for Darien. He takes the message and heads "home". Likewise en route back to the mansion house Darien and Mord are ambushed by two assailants clad in Samurai-like armour. Mord spots them and calls out a warning allowing them to react in time but then he runs, heading for home and leaving Darien to his fate. The two attackers ignore the tech-priest and turn on Darien. The battle drags out - they dodge Darien's blows and he parrying theirs (destroying two of their swords in the process). The "samurai" then resort to chocking gas bombs (which don't appear to affect them) stunning Darien long enough to grapple him to the ground, eventually rendering him unconcious....<br />
<br />
In the meantime Lomar has been making enquiries and has discovered that Magnus was a member of The Machenko Dynasty (see <em>Dark Heresy Main Rule book</em>) a mysterious Great House of the Calixian Nobility. Secondly he discovers that, as suspected, Captain Cobolt is Master of the Penance of Iocanthos but not the owner. It's unlikely that she had legal title over the ship and couldn't "trade" it to House Baccahrus. He also discovers that the "syndicate" that owns the Penance is "The Fervious Milk and Dairy Farmers Syndicate". Fervious itself is a Feudal World in the Calixis Sector but some still refer to it using it's old name of Vasenrule. The entire population of Fervious inhabits one sprawling shanty city and this has spawned a very violent and callous culture where murder is an accepted form of despatching rivals and as a way gaining wealth and influence (see <em>Dark Heresy: The Inquisitor's Handbook</em> for more details).<br />
<br />
So we enter session #12 with the group's Rogue Trader and de facto leader unconscious and possibly a captive of persons unknown, but the main suspects being a Calixian Death Cult in the employ of aggressive dairy farmers...Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-33306440639293362482012-05-25T13:40:00.001+01:002012-05-25T13:40:46.253+01:00The changes in DarienDue to the amount of Insanity points Darien gained during his excursion to the Dark sun and the horrific turn of events, culminating in the death of Vyn I ruled that Darien qualified for one of the elite advances mentioned in "Into the Storm" - "Glimpse from Beyond". Essentially for 400xp and either 2d10 Insanity or Corruption he gained a unique trait; "Unholy Insight", and access to an extra advance table full of skills and talents relating to forbidden lores and the effects of his "madness" - i.e. psychological Talents like Paranoia & Frenzy.<br />
<br />
Cue cryptic whispering, gibbering, and fascination with the unholy xenos and warp. <br />
<br />
The elite advance is tied to a direct event where the character witnesses the "beyond" and thus became unhinged (in this case the alien Yu'vath pictograms that decorated the walls of the maze). Essentially from this point on Darien has glimpsed “the truth”, in a Cthulhu-mythos sort of sense – safe preconceptions have been stripped away, and what is left is not what was there before. From this point there has been lots of mutterings and scribbling in pads and on data slates as he tries to explain what he has seen and document or reproduce the images. From a meta perspective the player is working towards earning "From Beyond" as he sees that representing the final acceptance of these revelations, and a switch to an alien mindset. <br />
<br />
This should be fun to watch as the defacto leader of our little gang slowly descends to madness...who will he take with him?Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-90628967839969781292012-05-25T11:28:00.002+01:002012-05-25T11:28:37.228+01:00Expanding the cast part 1The second story saw some changes to our regular cast of characters. <br />
First off the chap playing Dungoof felt that he couldn't see a long term future in playing an Ork. Essentially he felt that he couldn't be consistantly "orky" enough and felt restricted in social situations (particularly as we play a very social and interaction heavy game). However the character concept, and the fact that he's a significant character on board was not something I wanted to lose. Plus the rest of the players were very keen on his effect in social scenes - in their opinions it made it more challenging and more interesting. Added to that the PC, and particularly the way the player ran him was just plain fun.<br />
The player had an idea for an Explorator Tech-Priest, which was very cool and would fill what had become a very obvious "skill gap" in the group (Tech-use) so we agreed that he would "retire" Dungoof to the Bilge decks. Essentially the Ork is still aboard, Twist catching and scum hunting but that way the player got to play a character he found easier to run and, if the mood takes or the scenario requires it (as it has done since) he can pick up Dungoof again. Just one of the advantages of playing with a huge ship of potential characters.<br />
The tech-priest in question is Enginseer Desmond Mord, the Omnissian Congregator aboard the Majestic Labour. A specialist in Servitors and Cogitators Mord is a radical free-thinker who had to flee the Calixis Sector after accusations of tech-heresy after daring to create and invent unsanctioned technologies. He arranged to be smuggled out of the sector and was able to secure a post on the Labour through Bo'sun Tanda, who was from the same Forge World and ran with the same street gangs in his youth. <br /><br />The second change was that we gained a fifth player. However due to work and family commitments he wouldn't necessarily be able to play regularly. With this in mind we created the Untouchable Arch-militant character of Rahip Lomar.<br />
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Rahip was born and brought up on the Calixian Death World of Zel Secundus. There he learnt to hunt and defend himself, becoming an accomplished sniper. He was spotted and recruited to a specialist Imperial Guard unit: Major Thomas Baker-Street's Irregulars where he also met the young penal soldier Vyn Tanda. He served quietly and obediantly, but his Untouchable nature kept him alienated from his colleagues. However after a disaterous run in with a group of Eldar both he and Tanda met and were eventually recruited by Lord-Captain Baccahrus.<br />
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Baccahrus recognised his Untouchable nature and has made great use of his "talent" ever since, tutoring him in what it means and having him accompany key staff on various missions, delegations or discussions.<br />
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On board ship Lomar works to help tend to Baccahrus' collection of beasts, having more of an affinity to them than his fellow man. He also acts to co-ordinate and manage the Lord-Captain's hunting trips to various feral, feudal and Death worlds to obtain new creatures for the collection.<br />
<br />
The final change was the unexpected death of Vyn Tanda. While the player could have burnt a Fate point to survive she decided she'd rather try a different character and so created an Astopath; Deatrix Castella. An accomplished swordswoman and psyker she is constantly accompanied by a large wolf. Due to work commitments unfortunately she hasn't had much chance to play her yet so she's often encountered as an NPC aboard ship.Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-11409833543107614032012-05-25T07:07:00.004+01:002014-08-28T16:45:25.611+01:00The Dark Frontier (sessions #4-7)So, having finished our first sojourn into Rogue Trader, with no small success the question was "What next?".<br />
<br />
<div>
The players had focused quite alot on the Halo device and especially keeping it away from the Lord-Captain so it seemed natural to follow that up. Therefore I took advantage of the downloadable scenarios on the Fantasy Flight Games site and decided to run the follow up adventure Dark Frontier. </div>
The Emperor's Bounty was made fit for travel and sent back to Port Wander for refit with a skeleton crew consisting of 50/50 Majestic labour clan-kin crew/Emperor's Bounty survivors. The remaining survivors of the Bounty were assimilated into the Majestic Labour's crew.<br />
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<div>
When visiting his father Darien is surprised to find the Halo device there, even after he'd organised to have it sent into a star. At first he thinks it could be a second one but there's no doubt, somehow it has found it's way back on board, and the captain is jealously guarding it.</div>
After the Bounty leaves the Labour attempts to translate to the Warp but something goes horribly wrong. The ship is ripped through the Warp, the hull rends and buckles and the vessel careers way off course. When they eventually come to rest in real space again Theata places them somewhere in the Ragged Worlds.<br />
<br />
They soon learn that their drives are locked and that they are trapped in the system. However investigations soon identify the only stellar body is an artificial "dark star" orbitted by a single moon and a debris field of previous victims.<br />
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<div>
Darien & Co are sent to the moon to make contact with the apparently human inhabitants and are able to negotiate with their leader, while the Captain sends the ship's Confessor, Brother Namahs, to open a dialogue with the religious sect that is resident in the debris field.</div>
<br />
<div>
The Explorers' negotiations reveal that in exchange for passage off the moon for those who want it the settlement are willing to offer up the weapon they have prepared to break the dark sun's hold on the Labour. They have the warhead of a Vortex Torpeado, but no reliable way to get it to the Xeno world's surface. Darien agrees to help but upon return to the Majestic labour he discovers that things haven't progressed so well with the religious zealots of the other community. Brother Namahs believes that a potential opportunity resides with the captain of a merchant vessel which is also locked here, and is currently allied with the religious "Brotherhood". Darien is dispatched again to try to negotiate with her.</div>
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<div>
The captain's name is Lynara Cobolt and she comes across as a pious servant of the Emperor. She offers to help with the plans to escape and to act as a liason with the Brotherhood but what she asks in return is membership in the Rogue Trader Dynasty, Darien immediately assumes this means marriage...</div>
<br />
The next session of play began with our "heroes" in a conference room aboard the Majestic Labour updating the Lord-Captain with details of recent events. A new player character, Enginseer Mord, was introduced as the ship's chief Tech Priest, Magos Ectris, had delegated him to attend in his place (something the captain considered a major snub). The Captain seemed inclined to make Captain Cobolt his "next" wife and requested that she be brought onboard. The meeting was then interrupted by a delegation from House X'an Tai (the Navigator house that Theata belongs to) summoning the Carto-Artificer to his presence of his uncle, the ship's Warp Guide.<br />
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<div>
The Chief Navigator seems exceedingly frustrated, to the point of appearing somewhat manic, at the prospect of being Warp locked for much longer. He charges Theata with getting them out of there with all due haste. </div>
<br />
<div>
Cobolt arrived with a small (armed) delegation, a discussion ensued in the hold where she'd landed which revealed the presence of Xenos on board - which in turn lead to to Captain Baccahrus telling her what he thought of her prudish, ignorant ways, and her leaving in haste.</div>
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<div>
The players then tried to alleviate matters but attempts at negotiation seemed to be stonewalled.</div>
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<div>
It is about then that Chief Bosun Tanda comes up with a plan - they will stage a fake coup on board the Majestic Labour - using doctored audio files and a staged battle against twists, mutants and bilge scum "recruited" by the Twist Catcher, Dungoof. Erronius will contact Capt. Cobolt and explain that he, and some loyal followers, are over throwing the Xenos-loving Captain but that they need her assistance. The staged battle will take place once she arrives on board with reinforcements, a bunch of badly armed muties etc will be killed for effect, meanwhile Theata will "gain command" of the bridge.</div>
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The players decide to take the plan to the Captain (and Klyto) and manage to sell it to them. All goes as planned, Tanda and Erronius fighting alongside Capt. Cobolt in one of the cargo holds as a swarm of twists are essentially executed (having been trapped in the hold by Enginseer Mord). The message soon comes through that the bridge is theirs and the Lord-Captain is dead - Erronius drops to one knee and asks for Lynara Cobolt's hand in marriage - she accepts.<br />
<br />
The following session was the execution of the plan. Darien piloted the Labour's Guncutter to the surface of the dark sun, accompanied by Theata, Vyn, Mord, Lomar (another new player character) and some ratings and servitors to manage the Vortex warhead. Meanwhile the Majestioc Labour and Cobolt's ship; The Penance of Iocanthos, will engage the alien "Void Wasps" that attack any ships that approach the xenos world.<br />
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<div>
Thanks largely to Darien's piloting skills they get down to the alien world's surface and disembark, heading to a very visable "node tower" - the theory being that if they cn knockl one of the nodes out the field holding the ships will be broken).</div>
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<div>
On the way they had to pass through a maze decorated with xeno pictograms and warp infused hieroglyphs. The starnge sigils and symbols overwhelemed Darien, basically leaving him a gibbering wreck for the remains of the game (poor guy failed every WP roll he had to make. The Trauma meant that he could have acted but teh player was absent that day so for expediency I just had him panic & fret and act as a distraction and further complication to the others)</div>
<br />
The tower was guarded by a series of formidable xeno constructs - the last of which resulted in an epic battle that almost killed both Mord & Theata. Bo'sun Tanda had a plan to distract it by placing herself in harm's way - which worked - too well. Vyn dies trying to save her friends.<br />
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<div>
It appears that the Halo device found it's way to the planet's surface and was the cause of the problems, finding it's way to the "altar" in teh central chamber of the tower. Mord sets the Vortex Warhead to detonate and they get out of there as quickly as they can. </div>
<br />
We then jump to a few days after the misson to the "Alien world". Mord & Theata are out of the infirmary and Darien has spent most of the time under heavy sedation.<br />
<br />
<div>
The Lord-Captain summons Darien, Theta and Mord for "brunch" as he wants to brief them before the arrival of Captain Cobolt from the Penance of Iocanthos.</div>
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He explains the events that transpired while they were on their expidition:<br />
<br />
The battle lasted for just over four hours <br />
<br />
The Void Wasps were persistant and quite deadly, they hit the Penance of Iocanthos a LOT but weren't so successful against the Majestic Labour. The captain decided to raise the alien "ghost field" rather than it's void shields - making it much harder to hit but leaving it exposed to damage if shots connected. Essentially the Xenos craft were skilled but didn't hit very hard. Some were damaged but none of the alien ships were lost until the Vortex warhead blew up the tower. The Majestic Labour ended up firing four salvos of torpeados leaving it's magazine depleted by half. The Penance did not fare as well. While it's armour resisted the majority of damage the sheer number of hits it suffered meant that critical hits kept penetrating. First it's crew compartments were holed then it lost sensors (having to fire blind for the rest of the conflict as the tech-priests tried and consistantly failed to get them back on line.). Essentially unable to move or see the Wasps hit it again and again...thrusters were damaged, then it's Munitorium caught fire. The fire teams summoned by the Captain soon lost control of the blaze, causing a chain reaction which blew the stores (and a large section of ship), the fire spreading on to the ship's impressive Temple Shrine. Still the fire teams couldn't subdue the flames and they wrencked the shrine, then went on to damage one of the Cargo holds before spreading to the second (and final) hold. Mercifully it was at this point that the Void Wasps were destroyed so no further damage was sustained. Captain Cobolt had to take the emergency measure of venting the 2nd Hold to the Void to save it - at the cost of those souls still working within. Once the battle was concluded and the dead counted the losses suffered on board caused a mutiny to break out against the Captain.....which she eventually subdued....leaving the Penance in a precarious position.... <br />
<br />
During the mutiny Lynara contacted the Majesic Labour to beseech Darien for aid (as she had helped him previously) but got the Captain instead - destroying the ruse about his death. She has since cut communications until requesting a meeting later that day.<br />
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<div>
Through it all Darien seems dazed, befuddled, amnesiac and somewhat obsessed with a data slate, upon which he is attempting to draw and replicate the xeno pictograms that decorated the alien world. </div>
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Mord discovers that Tanda's body is currently being kept "on ice" and he and Darien go to pay their respects. Theata returns to the cartography chambers to continue work to determine a safe warp route to and from this system.<br />
<br />
Lynara arrives to be met by the command crew, Theata & Mord. Darien is late and has to be escorted to the meeting by the ascerbic Ms Scythia, Klyto's apprentice/assistant.. Lynara has arrived without entourage and seems somewhat humbled since their last dealings with her. The Lord-Captain takes everyone off to a reception room to discuss matters. Captain Cobolt still wants to join the dynasty (the suggestion being that she's quite prepared to lay aside her piety for profit) and Darien's father considers the Penance, albeit damaged, to still be a worthwhile prize. So they agree that Darien and Lynara will still be wed. A message arrives that a ship has translated from the Warp into near space and so Darien, Theata and Mord head to the bridge to investigate while the two Captains continue their discussions.<br />
<br />
The Majestic Labour's augur array is a standard transport system so it can't get detail on the new ship that now rests near the other side of the Xeno world but they are able to identify that it is an Astartes Gladius class Frigate - a Space Marine multi-role ship.... It doesn't hail them, launches no shuttle craft, in fact it just appears to sit there... A tense waiting game ensues. Darien, Theata and the Lord-Captain are all keen to not "wake the carnosaur" - especially considering the xeno crew and technology on the ship. Lynara returns to the Penance to do the same. Darien splits his time either on watch on the bridge or in the ship's observation dome, still making his notes and drawings. After about 14 hours the Astartes ship jumps into the Warp again, disappearing as quickly as it arrived....<br />
<br />
Mord is summoned by Magos Ectris, the senior tech-priest on the vessel, who asks for copies of all recording and research he has made relating to the Xeno constructs. Mord hands them over and asks the tech priest for advice - he wants to find a way that he can remove the "weakness" of his human emotions as the death of Vyn is distressing him greatly. The Magos is encouraged to hear this and says that he will give Mord some papres containing methods he can study involving procedures and tech-rituals he might use to exorcise such weaknesses.<br />
<br />
Darien and the Captain discuss what to do next and agree that this system could hold potential profit - a tech-priest explorator mission to the xeno world, potential "cold trade" in alien artefacts, salvaging the vessel debris and setting up a small but longer term colony on the moon. However the Penance needs repair, and the Lord-Captain wants to solidify the alliance so that they hold proper title on the ship. Therefore they agree that while the Majestic Labour remains in system to oversee the opening of "trade channels", Darien and a had picked staff will board the Penance and acompany her back to dock for repairs. In this way they hope to:<br />
<ul>
<li>Restore morale on the ship - or at least prevent another mutiny</li>
<li>Protect their new "investment"</li>
<li>Take back the colonists and brotherhood members who want to return to Imperial space</li>
<li>Arrange and conduct the wedding of Darien & Lynara</li>
</ul>
Baccahrus snr. dispatches Mord to oversee the emergency repairs to the Penance - a task that he conducts to such success that all the damaged systems are brought back online - leaving only the hull damage to be remedied.<br />
<br />
Further preparations are made (these & repairs taking about two weeks in all) and a "delegation" selected:<br />
<ul>
<li>Darien</li>
<li>Theata</li>
<li>Mord </li>
<li>Lomar (sent by the Lord-Captain as his eyes & ears)</li>
<li>Ms Scythia (sent by Klyto)</li>
<li>Sister Litilia (a novice sister, selcted by Brother Namahs at the behest of Darien, considering the "pious" nature of the crew and Brotherhood)</li>
<li>An Astropath (so Darien has a "reliable" means to contact the Majestic if needs be) </li>
<li>A staff of sundry servants, maids, pages, clerks and assistants. </li>
</ul>
...all ready for session #7....Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-72686391777884808712012-05-24T09:45:00.004+01:002012-05-24T09:45:58.334+01:00Klyto, High Factorum of the Majestic LabourIn the last post I waffled on about creating memorable NPCs so I thought I'd post an example of one of the charactesr who inhabits the Majestc Labour.<br />
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When it was clear non of the players were intending to run a Senschal I thought it would be worthwhile to have an interesting character as the High Factorum. To create him I used the modified Origin path from <strong>Into the Storm</strong>. Just glancing over it I came across the Unnatural Origin - "False Man" entry. Now I'd already established in my mind that our captain is a Xenophile and that he's had multiple dealings with alien races. He keeps a menagerie of alien flora and fauna and the ship is kitted out to host aliens ads well as containing Xenos components. My mind then flicked back to the Stryxis and their "meat" - how they can even vat grow humanoids to order....What if our captain felt he needed a completely trust worthy major domo to handle his affairs, someone "perfect" for the job? There were elements in the Imperium who would consider some of his activities "radical" at best and highly heretical at worst, it would be difficult to recruit a suitable candidate (perhaps he's tried in the past and had to have them "removed"...), so why not create one? He'd had no qualms about giving a detailed specification to the Stryxis and ordering a unique and capable "piece of meat". Thus Klyto began to take shape as a concept.<br />
I wracked my head for comparable "major domo" characters in fiction, someone I could parody or act as a touch stone to help the players lock on to the concept. I'd already got Brian Blessed as my captain so his work in <span id="goog_1134875615"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/">Flash Gordon<span id="goog_1134875616"></span></a> was fresh in my mind - immediately I thought of Ming the Merciless' right hand man; <a href="http://flashgordon.wikia.com/wiki/Klytus" target="_blank">Klytus</a>. The imagery of the mysterious masked and robed figure with the sarcastic and ascerbic wit was ideal. The name was tweaked to reflect the origin and our High Factorum was "born".<br />
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As Klyto has only once removed his mask in the presence of the players (Session #18) his origin and nature was maintained as a mystery until then. All the players really knew was that he had the complete trust of the Captain and he seemed to openly dislike and try to inhibit, put down and back bite Darien. He even openly used Dungoff's complete lack of subtly and deciet to get full details of the Explorer's activities, rewarding him with "shiny" Ork weapons and trinkets. He's also alluded to Darien being the latest in a line of heirs, all of which have met with gruesome ends until now. <br />
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Klyto generally acts dismissvely towards the players, unless he can use or exploit them (in the case of Dungoff) or has to deal with them as part of his duties (Darien). In those cases he is critical, condescending and sarcastic. In short he's great fun to play :)<br />
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Klyto, False Man and High Factorum and Master of Whispers aboard the Majestic labour<br />
<br />
Profile<br />
WS 30 BS 40 S 27 T 30 Ag 38 Int 48 Per 40 WP 46 Fel 34<br />
Movement: 3/6/9/18<br />
Wounds: 10<br />
Corruption Points:0<br />
Insanity Points: 11<br />
Skills:Awareness, Barter, Commerce, Common Lore (Underworld), Deceive, Evaluate, Forbidden Lore (Archeotech), Inquiry, Literacy, Navigation (), Pilot (), Speak Language (Low Gothic, Ship Dialect, Trader's Cant), Trade (Voidfarer)<br />
Talents: Basic Weapon Training (Las, Launcher, Melta, Plasma, SP, Bolt), Pistol Weapon Training (Las, Launcher, Melta, Plasma, SP, Bolt), Ambidextrous, Autosanguine, Chem Geld, Rival (Rogue Trader, Nobility)<br />
Traits: Charmed, Ill-omened, Void Accustomed, Loyalty, Seeker of Lore, <br />
Role: High FactotumBen Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-17143434545038236132012-05-23T23:49:00.002+01:002012-05-23T23:49:47.158+01:00Making memorable NPCsBack in days of yore, when I was young and, in all likelihood, you were even younger (if you were even born...), the main RPG I ran was Marvel Superheroes Advanced by TSR (now Wizards of the Coast). At the time the company's house magazine was "Dragon" and while I wasn't a big D&D player I'd often fork out the cash to get it for ideas, especially if there was a Marvel related article.<br />
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One particular article, which I cut out and kept* to this day was all about making memorable NPCs. The arguement was simple - the players could potentially meet hundreds of concerned citizens, scientific experts, pushy cops etc all of which could be cookie cutter stereotypes and easily forgotten but a simple way to lift your game above the usual is it make those pieces of mobile scenery or plot vehicles memorable. I took this to heart and personally I use the following as simple benchmarks:<br />
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<ol>
<li><strong>Use memorable names</strong> - Stan Lee used <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliteration" target="_blank">alliteration</a> when he named characters simply to help him remember his own creations names, if that works for you, great! Personally I tend to use plays on words (often I'm the only one who gets the joke...) or a reference to the role the character plays or some other aspect of the character. e.g the Chief Vox Officer aboard the Majestic Labour is Chief Piel, named in honour of one of the most memorable DJs in British Pop history, John Peel, likewise the ship's Confessor is quite "alternative" and progressive in his beliefs so I named him Brother Namahs (Shaman backwards).</li>
<li><strong>Give each NPC a memorable trait</strong> - it doesn't have to be much, it doesn't have to be earth shattering but just something "different" - The dock hand who constantly has a lit lho stick in hand, the servitor with the brass arm, when the rest of his bionics are steel, the Kasaballica boss who always bows in the presence of a lady. Don't overdo it though - just a single element can give a distinction to set the person out from the crowd but load them up with attributes and they become a parody which will detract from the overall story and flow of the game</li>
<li><strong>Act it</strong> - I'm a GM who tends to try to give his all; I tend to run games standing up, I move about, strike poses, rub my hands together gleefully as a stryxis dealer, always hold a cup or glass in my hand when I'm slurring out the Lord-Captain's commands. My players know me for my "memorable" character voices (when one of our guys first watched "The Phantom Menace" he was alledgedly herad to say "That's a Ben voice!" when Watto first spoke) I'm not good at impressions (my John Peel is abysmal) but they are memorable. Voice conveys alot of character - it's a great shorthand for helping players get a gauge for what are otherwise just numbers and words rather than living people - the same with actions and body language. It doesn't need to be an oscar winning performnce just something that teh players will remember for the next time they meet the character, or simply when they are relating teh stories about the game to friends. Now I know that there may be some reading this who will find this the hardest advice to take on board and implement but believe me once you start the easier it becomes and the more involved you will find the players becoming.</li>
</ol>
An immediate question might be why bother? These are after all the supporting cast, not the heroes of our tales. I'd suggest the reasons are threefold:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><strong>It helps the players</strong> - Bless 'em, there's a lot going on in plots and games - especially when you are sat on the player side and haven't got the advantage of seeing the "big picture" plot. You'll probably have heard of the phrase "Putting a face to the name" - this is a way of doing that in game without having a cast of hundreds sat in your living room. Having these memorable "tags" that the players can use to associate with NPCs will help them order the flow of events in their minds and keep abrest of what's going on, to who, where and when.</li>
<li><strong>It helps you</strong> - Memorable traits are as much a shorthand and aid memoir for a GM as for players. You have a whole universe to run! If knowing that the arms dealer they last spoke in Port Wander had a peg leg and clockwork parrot it's a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemonic" target="_blank">mnemonic</a> that will help trigger a whole bunch of other recollections about the character and what happened last time they met.</li>
<li><strong>It makes it a little more real</strong> - We know this is all a game. This is a fantasy setting where mulit-kilometre long spaceships filled with tens of thousands of crew are sailed through an ocean of black by a motley assortment of cyborgs, mutants, psychics and ne'er do wells...this is by no means real. However, in my personal experience rpgs are at their best when the players and GM have some sort of emotional investment in the game, something which is very hard to create when it is "only a game". Having memorable NPCs can help to do that; you are adding a touch of uniqueness to these faceless characters just a small touch of individuality. It will add a hint of realism to the campaign and it does pay off.</li>
</ol>
To be completely honest I think that trying to apply these techniques has been the source some of the surrent success of my own game. In fact when at the end of our second story arc it looked likely that the players would be leaving the Majestic Labour one took me to one side and begged assurance that we'd return soon simply because he wanted to spend more time meeting the NPC crew as they'd had such an impact on his play experience. That's the sort of response that makes the effort worthwhile.<br />
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*Yes kids, there was a time before scanning and digital media...Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-79929745210275809272012-05-22T22:36:00.001+01:002012-05-22T22:37:24.400+01:00Setting sail - the first story arcWhen we started I was very familiar with the mechanics of the game but still wasn't sure whether Rogue Trader would "fit" our group and play style (little did I realise...). So to break us in gently I decided to run "The Forsaken Bounty" the Free RP Day 2010 offering from FFG (and available for download <a href="http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/edge_minisite_sec.asp?eidm=78&esem=4" target="_blank">here</a>).<br />
Essentially the Lord-Captain had a drunken scheme to recover a Mechanicus Lathe class cruiser, The Emperor's Bounty from the sprawling wastes of wreckage known as the Battleground. To this end he had, through shadowy means, discovered the ship's location and negotiated salvage rights, with the caveat that a Baccahrus be the first one to step aboard the wreck. Obviously actually leaving the comfort of the Majestic Labour and confronting any potential risk is not to our Captain's liking so he charges his heir, young Darien to take a group aboard the wreck.<br />
Thus Darien, his trusted confident Theata, the "muscle" in the form of Vyn & Dungoof and a few expendable Ratings venture forth.<br />
Darien pilots their Guncutter through the debris field to the wreck, sustaining some minor damage en route, and with much faux pomp and ceremony eventually boards the vessel.<br />
<em>(Something you will come to learn about our Darien is that he is, well frankly, a bit of a fop and very very theatrical and flambouyant - even as he turns a shade darker in character...)</em><br />
The party board and begin their efforts to re-establish power, heading to the bridge....Now although the scenario is freely available for download I think I ought to slap SPOILER ALERT over the following....<br />
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SPOILER ALERT</div>
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There. Carry on reading at your peril.<br />
<br />
Anyhow they make their way through the ship, finding that the previous crew appears to have been suddenly and completely wiped out at their stations, until they enter the bridge itself and discover evidence of a skirmish. It appears that the Captain laid down his life in protection of the ship and that the Navigator's corpse is sat upon the ship's control throne. But then, Emperor save us, the Navigator rears up, alive and somehow bonded to an alien device which is covering his third (Warp) eye. Shocking eh?<br />
Our valient heroes, and the Ork, discover that they cannot pepentrate the force field he is projecting and soon decide discretion is the better part of valour, especially as he starts using unholy Warp power to animate a load of the crew memeber corpses to attack our players.<br />
Once the Explorers our able to catch their breath they theorise, correctly, that if they can get the ship's Gellar field back online then they can cut off some of the Navigator's power. They head back through the ship to do just that, encountering repeated resistance from the Warp puppet zombies on the way.<br />
They also discover an enclave on still living crew who are not Warp tainted and who go on to explain what occured aboard the ship (I'll leave you to read up on that on the official .pdf - can't spoil everything...consider it homework) and the noble Darien charms them on side, supported by some fearsome intimidation from the Bo'sun,,,<br />
With the assistance of the crew remnant the Explorers are able to locate the core cogitator and convince it to initialise the Gellar field. This was mostly done by Theata feeding lines to Darien - a "maneouvre" which we have since seem time and again, often with quite amusing results.<br />
The Gellar field engaged the players started the trek back to the bridge and a final confrontation with the corrupt Navigator. Zombies hampered their progress and they lost some of their ratings in skirmishes but they finally returned to the bridge, bursting in from a side access panel.<br />
Dungoof rushed at the Navigator whilst Darien, Theata and Vyn engaged the swarms of Warp Puppets defending him.<br />
The Ork traded blows and was holding good account of himself but was suffering under the Warp powered attacks of the villain. Darien could see the greenskin faltering and lept to his side, slicing his powersword down in an arc to immolate the possessed navigator. The flailing, burning body lashed out, setting Darien alight, who paniced and ran around shouting "This is real Xeno hide! Father will kill me!" Dungoof was beside himself, having had his "kill stolen", Theata was finding the entire scene extremely amusing and Vyn was left to try to put him out.<br />
The Navigator defeated, the Warp puppets collapsed, lifeless corpses once more. The interference that had cut the Explorers off from the Majestic Labourr was lifted and salvage work could commence.<br />
However, Darien and Theata guessed (Theata had Forbbiden Lore: Xenos +10 at this point) that the "thing" attached to the Navigator's head (which had fallen from his corpse) was a fabled Halo Device - exactly the sort of Xeno tech that the Lord-Captain would love to get his hands on. They therefore agreed that this was the last thing they wanted to happen and so Darien arranged that in all the hubbub of the salvage mission he would personally place the device in a shuttle craft and send it into the nearest star.<br />
The Explorers were eventually welcomed back aboard the Majestic Labour with all pomp and ceremony (you can see where Darien get's it from...) including a rousing rendition of the Emperor's March by "Jonas" the captains favourite music servitor (it was one of a set of three but the other two were destroyed in various fits of temper by the Captain).<br />
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All in all that took three sessions to play out and served to help us establish the groundwork for the tone of the game moving forwards. Early on there was a feeling of dark humour threaded through the grim darkness and horror, a tone which has continued throughout the campaign. The game was starting to find it's voice, but there were a few changes to come first...</div>
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</div>Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6570452939599609114.post-7461398804427626712012-05-22T13:05:00.001+01:002012-05-22T22:38:21.916+01:00A not so noble crew?So we had our Lord-Captain and a faithful, if quirky, ship. What was needed now was a crew...<br />
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At the time I had four players all of which I'd run Dark Heresy for at one time or another and all of which had a decent understanding of the setting. A good start.<br />
So we put our heads together and came up with the following:<br />
<em><strong>Darien Erronius</strong></em> - a "Rogue Trader" and the recently appointed heir of our Lord-Captain. Up until recently Darien had lived on the planet of Archaos in the Calixis Sector (the regional setting for Dark Heresy) a young nobleman living the high life in the upper spire. Not overly furnished in the brain department he'd managed to bumble through the Higher Schola (university) mostly through his athletic pursuits and being a member, and champion of the Schola Fencing team. An accomplished duelist he'd made his fair share of friends and enemies and in mysterious circumstances (the tale changes each time he tells it - in a similar vein to his father) he lost his arm and now sports a beautiful bionic replacement. He begins the campaign as the Majestic's First Officer.<br />
<em><strong>Theata Xan'thai</strong></em> - a Navigator from a nomadic house, Theata is driven by wanderlust to travel the Void. When the young and impressionable Darien first joined the crew Theata immediately befirended him and took him under his wing, teaching him about ship board life and acting in many respects as his Major Domo. Rapid paralells were drawn between Blackadder and Prince George in Blackadder III... On board ship Theata fulfils the role of Carto-artificer.<br />
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<strong><em>Vyn Tanda</em></strong> - An Arch-militant with a shady past, Vyn was the ship's dual chainsword weilding Chief Bo'sun. She hailed from a Forge world but the stuffy, ordered life under the rule of the Adeptus Mechanicus was not for her and she "fell off the rails" taking to the Void and having a number of ruin ins with the law. She eventually ended up in the army, possibly a penal unit, where she was eventually recruited by the Lord-Captain and given charge of discipline aboard the Majestic - the old adage of "use a thief to catch a thief" applies...<br />
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Finally we had<strong><em> Dungoof </em></strong>an Ork Freebooter. The Lord-Captain's passion for all things Xenos was well known amongst the crew but the most visible evidence of it was the Ork Twist Catcher, a Runtherd by the name of Dungoof or was considered cowardly by his clan and driven out, ending up in the Captain's service, cleansing teh bilge decks of vermin and mutants.Ben Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816664665867026802noreply@blogger.com0