Session XXIX: To the foot of the mountain of metal and despair - Report

General Summary

So the Crew was of a similar mind for once. Their investigation into the metallic invaders and the destruction of the planet was going as expected and all signs to solving the problem seemed to point to heading out to so Emperor-forsaken mountain in the middle of nowhere far from the edges of what little civilization this planet could muster. The group quickly decided a guide would be necessary to lead them to the place in Isaac's vision. A fairly nondescript mountain from what they could tell but somewhere that this key stone they had discovered the use for in the museum. The team decided to head out and make more of name for themselves but before they did some of them decided that this planet had held on to it's valuables and shiny objects long enough and the abandoned museum was the perfect place to begin their supermarket sweep.    Murk was already carrying the very large rock in hopes that it would be able to be turned into a flail of some kind. Ani scolded him and warned him of the breakability of objects clearly remembering what had happened to the mythical spear that was supposed to save her people while the whole time was making off with some priceless Aeldari text written on a scroll, detailing the prophesy of the storm lord who she still hoped to find. Stig found himself a strange xeno artifact that seemed to be created from light given form, was solid yet mutable, and spun against gravity on an access similar to a chandelier if it could hang upward against the pull of the earth. Each of them pleased with their selections the team stashed their ill gotten gains in a cargo container that Rasp had been teaching the uneducated masses on how to prepare for the rigors of space flight. After that Bjorn spoke to the gathered refugees to find a guide that would risk his life and limb escorting them to the base of the mountain in Isaac's mind.   After a short search the team was directed to the area of the city where refugees of the mountains had gathered together. Bjorn worked to crown looking for a taker for the dangerous mission ahead. The man accepted on the premise that no matter what happened to him on the trek that Bjorn and crew would take his family with them, safe from Ritammeron when they left. Bjorn agreed, negotiating away space that other refugees likely still continued to work on to secure what they thought was space for themselves aboard the cargo container.   The tracker was brought on board the Valkyrie along with the platoon of guardsmen and the group took off making haste for the mountains. The scream of the engines drowned out the rushing sounds of the wind as the ship flew through the clouds gaining speed and altitude. The crew left the bustling city of refugees with little fanfare, quickly replacing the city and surrounding fields for jagged mountains and crags that threatened misery or violence on those that would be foolish enough to land between their peaks. The hours dragged on before them as the team traveled ever upward as they moved west across the surface of the planet. The air thinned and the snows came down as they flew blanketing the world below in a soft white sheet, pristine and untouched by the corruption of man or xeno. Eventually the Valkyrie drop ship began its oddly graceful decent onto a flattened peak pointed out by their guide. Bjorn had become more adept as a pilot and setting the ship down gently even in the wind and snow was no issue for the experienced captain.    Their guide warned of thin air at the high altitudes they found themselves in and strapped on his rebreather to protect himself as he stepped out into the cold, down the ramp and off the Valkyrie. The rest of the team checked their gear and followed suit not wanting to let the guide put too much distance between them. Only Bjorn hesitated for a moment. He didn't want a repeat of previous oversights and grabbed ten of the guardsmen they had brought with them. They were to remain with the ship so that when the crew was done with their errand they would be more likely to return and find their ship waiting for them. The guardsmen were receptive to the order. Glad for it really. They wouldn't have to trudge through the snow to a mountain shrouded in mystery and likely their own doom, so they stayed warmer and safer in the Valkyrie, or at least so they thought.   The team set out across the frozen mountain top. When they had cleared a distance of about two hundred meters and about to begin their decent off the peak the Valkyrie suddenly exploded in a massive fireball sending bit and pieces flying in all directions. The shockwave and searing heat could even be felt at the team's distance. The guardsmen left behind as look outs were vaporized by ignited promethium fuel and exploding meltabomb. Stig was immediately shocked and fell to his knees lamenting the destruction of his weird xenotech solid light object until Isaac who was staying level headed reminded him that he had left it back in the city. Stig instantly got over his shock.    Something in Stig's pack began to blink and beep as though it was waiting to give a message. The confused big man fished the noisy object from his pack and activated the button, not fearing anything else that could possibly happen from pushing a strange button on a device he had never laid eyes on. A message began to play. A small projected image recording of Eve took form. The mini version of Eve, had an air of superiority and self satisfaction as she spoke. She took credit for the destruction of the lander, and revealed that she had seen enough to judge the collective group unworthy of her efforts. As compensation for her trials with them she was taking Bjorn's vessels; both the Perdition and the Righteous Path. She spoke like a woman scorned and called out almost every member of the crew, she wasn't insulting to either of the physical toughs in the group though, apparently both Stig and Murk had earned a place of ambivalence for her and she regretted that they had been negatively impacted but would have to be collateral damage. She saved most of her disgust and out rage for Rasp for obvious reasons based on his previous actions but also especially Ani.   It turns out that Eve was Ani's half sister. She had put herself in the path of the Perdition, hoping to be "rescued" and then make Ani pay for what Eve thought was her responsibility of breaking up her family unit. He father's infidelity was unforgivable and she planned on making him pay by seeing his ungrateful second family daughter destroyed. See Ani was too much for the spiteful Aeldari woman and her existence was a stain on her own sense of honor so she had taken steps to put them all in harms way. She had masterminded the group's run in with Chime, with the Chaos forces that still hunted them, the Ork Waaagh! that they had helped put down by killing Ironboilah and a myriad of other little events that had led them to the top of this mountain where she was hoping they would all die from exposure or murderous robots. She signed off cursing Ani's existence and wishing ill on the majority of them calling them Mon-keigh and reiterating the separation between them.   The shock to everyone was intense. Everything they had was taken away that they previously earned and worked for. Bjorn was no longer a commandant, no longer a captain. Ani was simultaneously a sister and a pariah to her new found family as well as a blemish on her old one. The others were collateral damage and left to die cold and alone on a mountain top. Rasp was something else though. A deep nagging laughter bubbled up from the pit of the metal man's insides like a tickle on the brain that could not be ignored. His unhinged mirth trickled out softly at first then began to crescendo out across the wastes and wreckage till everyone could hear the maddened laughter of the Mechanicus priest. Everything he had been saying was correct. All of his concerns and warnings had been accurate, all of his teachings had been vindicated and one thing was inescapably clear, the Xenos COULD. NOT. BE. TRUSTED.   The conclusion that the red robed monk came to was anecdotal at best and somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that too, but he had been around the others long enough to know when to seize on an opportunity and use their shock to his advantage. Ani was beside herself. She began to spiral quickly into a black despair turned away from the group and started to walk off to die alone. She felt responsible. The adept knew it too and hurled insults and cloying jabs at her as she began to trudgingly stumble away. Murk was surprisingly clear about what was going on and walked over to stop his tiny Eldar friend from leaving. He looked at the small pointy-eared woman with a mix of confusion and annoyance as she cried and wailed about the intolerance of it all. "Stop mukkin' about" was all he offered at the end of her rant, essentially not listening to her justifications of why she didn't deserve to live. Ani, tried to push past the large green wall in front of her but the sentient fungus that had become an Ork wasn't having any more lollygagging. He hefted the weight of the woman over his shoulder, easily palming her thin waist and jogged back to rejoin the group. Ani complained but he ignored her. Eldar feel everything more deeply but to the Ork feelings were a waste of time. He lived for excitement and fighting and her pity party was making that more difficult so he decided to skip the interim and force things forward.   The group eventually reconstituted with the remaining guard, the guide and each other and made their way down the mountain. The walk down from alpine altitudes was largely uneventful. Finally the guide stopped and said they had arrived. Isaac looked around from putting one foot in front of the other and saw the place that was in his vision. After some investigation of the area the group discovered a vaguely large stone that Murk was carrying shaped impression. Wasting no time the Ork unhanded Ani and walked over to the depression and slammed his new favorite rock into place. The side of the mountain they stood in the shadow of shuddered and groaned. The limestone in front of them cracked and fell away to reveal a black stone door interlocked with intricate metal piping. The door opened by lowering into the ground before them and revealed a dark maw as an empty corridor was now laid out before them burrowing into the heart of the mountain. Everyone readied their low light vision devises and entered, ready to end this.

Rewards Granted

• +4 xp
• 107 total xp
• Ani +15xp (previous logs)
• Bjorn +15xp (previous logs)
• Isaac +6xp (previous logs and hidden plot found)
• Murk +9xp (previous logs)
• Rasp +1xp (previous haikus)
• Stig +18xp (previous logs)

Missions/Quests Completed

COMPLETED MISSIONS

• The Milk Run (Completed)
• Murk - A tail of two Waaagh! (Completed)
• Ani - Getting past the visions of the future (Complete)
• Grasping hands from every corner of the Void - (Completed)

  ACTIVE MISSIONS    

• Bjorn - Darktide (begun - Part 1, optional objective 1 failed, Part 2 Complete, Part 3 - In process)
• Isaac - The god-machine (Part 1 & 2 complete, Part 3 - In process)
• Rasp - Children of the Machine (begun - detoured - Objective 1 Complete, Objective 2 failed, Objective 3, - Complete, Objective 4 - Paused.)
• Stig - The Jungles of Ash (begun - detoured - Objective 1 failed, Part 2 - In process)

Character(s) interacted with

Yveraine Imperial Guardsmen

Related Reports

Session XXVIII