Gelt Alpha-Mu 36
Gelt Alpha-Mu 36
Forge born, blessed by the Omnissiah with a keen mind bent on unlocking His hidden workings of flesh and machine. A true disciple, undeterred by the corrupted feelings of those encumbered by their organic prisons.
Saint Lothar, Explorator Magos and founder of the First Forge of Lothar, believed that in flesh was he closer to the greatness of the The God-Emperor of Mankind and therefore the Omnissiah. The Omnissiah showed him the path, the transformation of flesh into machine, the path of salvation to His right hand and becoming one with the great machine. I seek my own path, unlocking the mysteries the Omnissiah, whose great wisdom we see in his workings, has lain before us. Understanding the workings and the limitations of the flesh, joining the organic and the machine into a more purified form leads us to His blessings.
<Great Maker, I am Your holy instrument, blessed of iron and cursed of flesh. Lord Omnissiah, Machine God of Mars and patron of forge-fires all, guide my workings.>
What is heresy than another's lack of understanding?
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
2.13M (7ft) in height and roughly 9.25KG (210lbs) in mass. What remains of my corrupted organic flesh is pale, ravaged by the pollution of my home forge world.
Body Features
Augmetic Eye (Night) • Augmetics • core, pg. 243
Acts as Preysense Goggles (p.238).
Augmetic Arm • Augmetics • core, pg. 243
You gain +1 Strength per Augmetic Arm.
Special abilities
Blessings of the Omnissiah: able to commune and pray to the Machine spirits, anoint them with His holy oils, and employ them to His glory.
Apparel & Accessories
Laspistol • Ranged Weapon • core, pg. 221
Adepts Robes (Clothing) • Tools & Equipment • core, pg. 236
Common Clothing, nothing Special.
Data-Slate • Tools & Equipment • core, pg. 237
You can record any information transferable from a cogitator, such as local maps, familial records, or manufactorum outputs, onto your Data-Slate.
Combi-Tool • Tools & Equipment • core, pg. 236
You ignore DN penalties to build, repair, maintain, and sabotage Imperial technology.
Sacred Machine Oil • Tools & Equipment • core, pg. 239
You may ignore any Complication involving Imperial technology in any scene (including combat).
Mental characteristics
Morality & Philosophy
1: Commune with a Machine Spirit.
2: Calculate the odds of any given task and provide an estimate of survival or success.
3: Reminisce about a Forge World you have visited and compare it to your current location.
4: Examine an interesting piece of technology, determining a flaw or potential improvement.
5: Give praise to the Omnissiah for some small miracle.
6: Extoll the virtues of augmetics over the weakness of the flesh.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
It [was] my role to ensure that those who battle in the name of the Emporer have the means to do so. Maintain, repair, and safeguard the Imperium's engines of war. My training and servitude to the Machine God allows me the ability to soothe even the most belligerent of machine spirits with binary prayer and mystic rites.
Fringe scientist, experimenter, collector of parts and knowledge. Never ask me "why do you need that?" or "where did you get that?" "Great Maker, I am Your holy instrument, blessed of iron and cursed of flesh."
View Character Profile
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral
Age
??? Some parts are newer.
Birthplace
Lothar
Children
Gender
01001110 01101111 01101110 01111001 01100001
Eyes
R- Glowing Rad Blue and L- Brown
Hair
None
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale and mostly metal
Height
2.13M
Weight
95.25KG
Session 3: The Silver Raven
Fig examines the surrounding areas for relics and interesting pieces to collect. Using my bionics, I try to find discarded weapons and equipment to upgrade Stroika-Unit, my new servitor, but there is nothing on the battlefield in good enough condition to take.
As my evacuation broadcast goes out, the warp storm grows larger in the sky, reaching out towards the city.
The sounds of battle continue to rage in the distance, growing more intense. The forces of Chaos are either pushing further into the city or the forces of the Imperium are pushing back, there is no telling over the radio chatter.
From his armor, L.Enni removes a slightly squashed box of chocolates. The group recoils, wondering how long they have been there. Ovie asks, “I thought you only ate turnips?” L.Enni shrugs and says, “why?”
When we get back to the ship, we see three scrawny figures painting heretical symbols on the side with crude paint. I shout, “They offend the Omnissiah and his great workings with their heretical symbols!” Jessima agrees. In her ire over the desecration of her ship, Ovie throws a rock, hitting one in the head, catching the attention of the group. They turn to us, mud caked on their rags and pale skin, baring their teeth. I order Stroika-Unit to aim his lasguns as I aim my rifle: in a thunder of sound and fury of fire, the cultists are torn apart. One moans on the ground, not yet dead. Ovie hopes that his suffering gives him time to understand he could have avoided this by not touching her ship.
As we approach, Fig pulls her knife and holds it against the struggling cultist’s throat: “You will tell me everything I want to know or I will make sure you suffer a fate worse than death.” He gurgles “what do you want to know?” and Fig asks the names of the Chaos Marine and Sorcerer leading the ritual we just interrupted – Dylax the Apostate is the Sorcerer. Fig asks for the details of his organization, including any notes – he is puzzled and not sure what she is asking for. Ovie demands answers for the symbols on the ship – what are they and why are they do. Meanwhile, L.Enni picks up the dying cultist by the front of his rags and begins wiping the paint off the side of the ship while Jessima prays to bless the blood from the cultists, all in an effort to rid the ship of the chaotic symbols. As Jessima prays, the cultist screams in pain, shouting answers to Fig’s questions (sorcerer’s name). As she prays, the cultist’s body begins to smoke and get hotter. I suggest to L.Enni to drop him before he immolates, and as his body hits the ground he is fully engulfed in flames. The side of the ship is scorched and covered in blood, but the symbols are gone.
Jessima provides him with the Emperor’s Mercy with a las blast to the head. Ovie spits on his body, stating she would have let him burn for touching her ship. While he’s dying, Fig sees his soul fleeing his body only to be quickly swallowed by an unseen force.
I enter the ship and run a full diagnostic screening – the cultists had not affected the machine spirits therein. Ovie enters the cockpit and steers us back to the port and Cannoness Preceptor.
As Jessima begins to clean her medical tools, I walk over to her and see she’s at work at the bench so I pop out my bionic eye to run diagnostics and repairs on the thermal scanners. She first flinches, then shrugs and returns to work. As Ovie flies, we work in silence. Fig meditates to calm her mind.
As we approach the space port, we begin to take antiaircraft fire. A battle is raging at the port, with a squadron of Sisters taking heavy fire and fully engaged. Ovie evades fire as we look for place to land. Using my datalink, I override the main channel chatter to determine a safe place to land – rear of the line next to the Sister’s command tent.
(Active combat zone, bullets flying near, loud, explosions, incoming arterial shells, plans overhead dropping bombs.)
There is a group of Sisters surrounding the entrance to the tent, looking tense and saddened.
L.Enni hands me pieces of power armor from a fallen Sister for parts for him – I put them with Stroika-Unit.
Fig goes to question the Sisters, but they are deep in prayer. Jessima joins them, adding her voice to the prayers. The Imperial forces are being pushed back and our position will not be safe for long.
Inside the tent, the Cannoness lies in state on a bier, her face peaceful. The bolter wounds that felled her are evident. Jessima goes to the Sister Superior who is standing inside the tent, watching over the body of the fallen Cannoness.
Sister Superior Decimine is younger than most, but bears her position well. Jessima gives her a status update on our mission, assuring her the ritual was stopped and we are awaiting further instruction. She praises our successes (with a plum – like, the fruit) but much of the war effort is going poorly. Too many World Eater Space Marines have erupted from the warp storm and many of the Sisters lie dead on the battlefield. The remaining Sisters will be left to defend the evacuation of civilians. 10 initiates, ranging in ages from 10-15, are brought to Jessima – we have to get them off planet and back to the convent. They are among the last of the Sisters and the survival of the chapter depends on their survival.
Sister Superior Decimine orders Jessima to kneel – taking the Cannoness’s sword, she lays the blade on Jessima’s shoulders, tasking her with this holy mission and making her a full Sister. The Sister Superior gives Jessima her bolt gun, telling her she was underarmed. Her parting words, “Die well.”
Ensuring the initiates are armed, Jessima brings them to the group. We must get them off planet and back to the convent, preserving the order. As we walk to the ship, the Sisters line the walkway in an honorable escort.
Ovie scoffs – was that a vote of confidence? Weird ass military people….
Artillery fire is getting closer to our location. We board the ship begin to take off.
(The heaviest fire is coming from the Wode as the Chaos forces push into Pelone.)
On the ship, Jessima and the intiates stare at the armor L.Enni took. I reassure them that through the reincarnation of steel by the Will of the Omnissiah, His great works will be done. L.Enni points out that these could be blessed relics and carrying them into battle is a good thing. The issue rests for now.
Jessima is aware that there is a fleet of Secundus trying to hold back battleships as best they can. This fleet is under command of Admiral Denis Tupikov. They were uniquely prepared to battle the chaos forces here. To escape the planet, we will need to get to the fleet to dock on one of the Naval ships in the Secundus fleet. Jessima hails the fleet but all that comes through is static. I am unable to get a signal through, and Ovie elects to take off and head over to the fleet’s location. We do not know how close the closest ship may be. Ovie maximizes burn from the engines and will get us there in 15 minutes, not 30.
L.Enni stands on the bay door of the drop ship as it takes off, firing bolt pistol blasts at the cultists beginning to overrun the port. A World Eater steps out from the crowd, pointing menacingly at L.Enni. L.Enni’s brow furrows and he raises a hand, waiving at the Chaos Marine as Ovie takes the ship into the sky.
In the skies, the battle rages with the Imperium holding against the Chaos ships. The Stormspear is taking on three chaos ships on its own as explosions rage and other drop ships come up from the planet with civilians. Pieces of ships, Imperial and Chaos, float in the sky.
We decide to go for the Stormspear, the flagship of the fleet. We open a comm link to the Vox officer on the bridge, they are expecting us after receiving prior word from the Sisters on the ground. Since our takeoff, they have lost contact with everyone on the ground. Jessima says a quick prayer for her fallen Sisters.
The warp storm is growing, and within an hour it will consume the planet. Fig stares directly at it – and then casually looks away.
We make our way to the flagship. As we fly, a Chaos ship is on an intercept course to the Stormspear. I contact the Vox officer on the bridge: Chaos is on intercept in 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, a barrage from the Chaos ship takes down the void shields on the Stormspear and goes to ramming speed. The other ships in the fleet, faster than the Stormspear, are further ahead and getting ready to enter the warp.
There are 3 disabled ships near us – including the Silver Raven. It is by far the most intact but does not currently have power and has several hull breaches, but I think I can get it moving if we can get on board.
Jessima hails the Stormspear: get out while you can, we will take another route. The Stormspear turns, facing Chaos head-on. At the last moment, she turns, firing her guns and breaking away from the line of Chaos ships, moving to safety.
We approach the Silver Raven and make our way to docking. Ovie successfully docks, dodging debris and blasts.
In the bay, instead of the classic golden eagle motifs of the Imperium, there are large silver ravens with claws outstretched. There are several other drop ships and multiple sets of bulkheads leading to other parts of the ship.
I find a docking station to run diagnostics – power up the unit, then access the data inside: the reactor is still powered, but not giving enough power to the engines. We must get power to the bridge, power to the navigator suite, power to the engines, power to the warp engines and Gellar field. I need to get down to the Enginarium decks.
The broadside macrocannons are inoperable. The forward lance does not have enough power to fire. We have one operational gun.
Keep things low powered until the warp engines and Gellar device ready and then warp out.
Keep the initiates on the bridge. They can help shut down areas that are damaged so we are secured.
Head to the main Arterial passageway – take a tram! How long will this take? Void suits available for any breached areas.
As we make our way out of the hangar, we are in what was a crew friendly area with a medicae suite, a chapel, crew quarters, small café, etc. Fig finds two good syringes, brand new.
At the start of the main Arterial Causeway – some of it is powered, some is not. Lights flickering, fallen beams, nothing looks like it’s void open but we can’t see down the full hall into the darkness. Is there a tram we can use? We find maintenance hatches that lead down to the alternate hallways. In the distance, we hear a bestial roar.
Fig, channeling their psychic powers, enters Warp speed. She gets too far, breaking comms, and has split off from the party. Fig also hears the bestial roar and still ran for the navigator’s quarters.
We head into the alternate hallways and look for ammunition carts/loaders to use – it will be easier to get the tiny initiates where we need to go with these. On the other side of the bulkhead doors, there are objects barricading the hallway. Someone was trying to keep something out of this area – high alert.
L.Enni and I are leading, Jessima and Ovie are on either side of the initiates, Stroika-Unit brings up the rear. We see signs of battle but no bodies. We find tracked and pilotable carts – pilotable carts up and running so Ovie can “drive” the initiates and I get the tracked carts (used for macrocannon shells) going for movement. Ovie and Jessima head to the bridge with the initiates. L.Enni, Stroika, and I get into the tracked cart and head down to the Enginarium decks. On the way, we see pools and streaks of blood, shells, and signs of blaster fire but no bodies.
Ovie: “Maybe all the bodies are being eaten.”
Jessamin: “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this in front of the initiates…”
Ovie: *shrugs* “Well, they’re in the world now.”
Up ahead, there is a strange reddish glow. We ready weapons and aim, slowing slightly. As we come to a junction with side passages heading to the gunnery decks, there is a crack in the wall with red/purple light that hurts to look at – keep going. As we pass the crack, we can see it’s slowly growing. In a passing scan, I know it’s of the Warp.
*I need to get to the Gellar device and purge this ship*
As voices begin to sound from the walls and hallways, Jessima leads the initiates in a prayer.
We approach the Command and Control decks – this is our branching off point. Ovie and Jessima take the initiates up towards the bridge, seeing the large cracks in the walls and the sickening glow within.
L.Enni and I, with Stroika, head to Enginarium. Ovie familiarizes herself with the workings of the Bridge, trying to see what hs power and what doesn’t. Jessima tries to find the last communication of the ship and the voices start getting louder from all directions.
In the Command Throne, there is nothing but the charred bones of a skeleton, still gripping the arms of the throne. Ovie moves him to a different chair. Jessima leads the initiates in prayer, invoking the blessings of the Holy Emporer.
Down in the Enginarium, I work to restore power to the Bridge – systems are online. Ovie will remain in the Command Throne to get the ship moving as systems are restored. We are in contact with Fig again – she is in the Navigator’s quarters.
*Restore power to engines, restore power to the Gellar device, restore power to the warp drive*
With communication restored, Fig tells us about the boarding torpedoes, the chanting, and the lack of bodies. We all hear the chanting. She tells us the cracks get bigger with psychic presence. Fig is familiarizing herself with the navigation suite when she hears banging coming from behind a closed door. Behind the door she hears an old man, possibly the ship’s navigator who says he’s from the Ortellian clan, and there’s a code needed to open the door. Ovie finds the code and Fig opens the door.
--
A mighty roar echoes through the ship. I must commune with the machine spirits to restore this ship and save us. I power up the servitors, bringing the cogs of His great workings together as one, and as they come online the power is restored and the chanting suddenly stops. In the bridge, the cracks open further and claws appear, reaching out and swiping at whatever is near.
I turn my attention to the Gellar device: I will recalibrate the system inward, creating a massive bubble of reality within the ship to purge it of its heretical stains.
--
Fig: the door opens, the burned out body of a three eyed person, charred bones devoid of flesh. A large red horned figure, a Blood Reaper, holding a flaming great sword, stalks toward Fig. It hisses, “Renzun…” as it moves towards her.
Fig backs away from the approaching demon, knowing she cannot fight it. She looks for a plan of escape. Warp speed!
--
On the Bridge, the initiates aim and fire at the smaller horned creatures erupting from the cracks. As the demons manifest, they are no match for the Holy fire of their lasguns and bolter, and they fall far away from Ovie in the Command Throne.
--
In the Enginarium, the servitors and I, through his great workings, are able to restore power to the engines in 5 minutes. 10 minutes for warp drive. 15 minutes for the Gellar device power.
--
L.Enni battles with a red clad Chaos Space Marine while I work. I order Stroika-Unit to defend him.
--
Fig runs back to the Bridge where Jessima and her initiates are holding off the lesser demons. Fig pushes out with her “enfeebling” to defend herself against the demon. Small cuts appear across his chest, causing him to roar in rage and pain. “Toasty”, says Fig.
Ovie fires up the engines, getting the ship moving. The ship shakes as the engine fires, sparking the interest of the Chaos ships nearby.
--
The Chaos Space Marine swings his chainsword at L.Enni, but L.Enni dodges. Stroika fires but does no damage.
--
Jessima and her initiates continue to fire, Jessima turning their attention to the Blood Reaper in pursuit of Fig. 3 of the initiates hit the demon, drawing its attention and goading another roar of rage. Jessima aims her holy bolt gun, firing and wounding the demon. It roars, “Blood for the Blood God! It matters not from where the blood comes!” Shrieking its rage, it swipes at one of the initiates, lopping her head off as she screams in fear. Catching her decapitated head, he screams, “Skulls for the skull throne!” The blood reaper holds up the skull, bringing up unholy fire to scorch the flesh from the bone. As he does so, Ovie aims her lasgun, firing at the Blood Reaper with rapid fire – she hits one eye, half blinding the demon.
Fig brings up her force staff, but it does nothing against the demon. As she swings, the youngest initiate falls to her knees and begins to pray.
--
L.Enni brings up his two chainswords, setting his stance and going on the attack against the Chaos Marine. With a mighty blow, L.Enni disembowels the Marine, sending his guts flying around the Enginarium. I only complain slightly about the organic ick covering my workspace.
--
On the bridge, the Blood Reaper is enraged. Ovie notes that the ship is starting to take hits and Ovie pushes the afterburners to max speeds to get us out of fire, screaming “Hold on!” as she fires the engines. This pulls us away from the rift and just beyond the Chaos ships’ range (for now). The demon and everyone on the bridge is off balance and Jessima and the initiates are now closer to the demon. L.Enni and I have magnetic armor/abilities that keep us on balance. Fig reaches out and enfeebles the demon, not only wounding him but also adding to his strain. He seems to dim as his power and linkage to the warp fades.
Jessima’s initiates (8 of them) aim and fire at the demon. He is heavily wounded and screams “For Khorn!” as he tries to strike at the praying initiate. She begins to glow as his great sword stops just before the killing blow. She begins to levitate, light pouring from her eyes. As it falls upon the demon, he begins to bubble and whispers “Anathema” before exploding, showering the bridge with blood. Jessima screams in triumph as the initiate falls to the ground, unconscious. Jessima goes to her side and finds that she is in a coma.
Down below, I get a status update on the comms – any signs of Chaos are gone from the ship. I can get the Gellar device up and in its usual calibration for warp travel.
The ship is ready for warp travel – Ovie fires the engines and gets us to the Mandeville point. Fig enters the navigator’s quarters. Over the comms, Ovie tells Fig we’re ready for travel whenever Fig is. [Fig enters the chamber, shutting the door behind her. She places her hands over the skull of the charred, dead navigator and opens herself to the warp.]
The nearest port is Bonavera, where the rest of the fleet is now. The initiates need to get to Idyll IV.
First step: get to the port for repairs and crewing to keep the Silver Raven. Next step, get the initiates where they need to go.
[Fig begins to use her biomancy to take the dead navigator’s eye and incorporate it into herself. She cannot yet, but she is able to use his eye to see into the warp. She sees a path, flanked by faces of demons in purple clouds, and hears a whisper in the back of her mind asking, “Where am I?” As long as she is holding onto the skull, she can navigate the ship. She is unaware that as she does this, the third eye in the skull is blazing with psychic power. Fig cannot leave the navigator’s quarters while the ship is traveling.]
XP earned: +10
Session 2: Through His Great Workings
Day 15 of Month 3 of Year 15 of M42
As Ovie navigates the drop ship towards the hive post, I begin to analyze the data downloaded from the bridge of the Cobra class destroyer. “L”, the mangled example of a Space Marine, searches the drop ship for tuberous vegetables. The desires of flesh beings eludes me.
Jessima attempts to render aid to herself while the “navigator” explores the drop ship. As she suspected, Jessima does indeed have a concussion. She rests her eyes as Ovie continues to fly us to the hive.
The bridge data is encrypted, but I am able to determine the ship was named Myrmidon (a loyal and faithful companion) carrying a contingent of Adeptus Custodes and Adeptus Astartes to reinforce an existing Space Marine chapter. The rest of the data files are corrupted, but with time and servitor cogitators, I am confident The Omnissiah will bless my path towards knowledge.
Once we reach the base, I will attempt to examine the augments of the Space Marine we found.
As we tend to our own needs, an announcement comes from the cockpit, “Alright, everyone. Who exactly are you?” Ovie sets the autopilot and comes back to the crew quarters.
Ovie is a rogue trader, looking for a new ship and crew after losing her previous ship in a complicated situation. “L” points to Ovie and simply says, “Same.” Fig Ortellius, of the House Ortellius Navigator Clan, points to her forehead and says she was stranded on Pelone and is trying to figure out how to get back to her people. The people she was with are now dead. Jessima gives a small snort as I poke her awake. Jessima squints and gives a small wave. “I am Jessima of the Order of the Sacred Rose. I was on my way to the planet to give medical…things.” Lenny, or L, jumps in and gives Jessima’s name and rank from her armor. Jessima agrees, this was her first deployment. I then introduce myself, taking care not to get into detail about my recent change in career paths.
The radios light up with chatter – the planetary forces are being overrun by the heretics landing on the planet. We land and are quickly approached by another novitiate who wants to take us to the Preceptor for an urgent mission. The novitiate bows respectfully as Fig asks if anyone has had word from the Ortellius clan – no one has. Ovie questions why she needs to follow – “Because the Preceptor said so.” Yikes. The sergeant limps off to join his crew.
We enter the Canoness Preceptor’s tent and she demands a report on the rest of Jessima’s squad – all dead. She asks for information on the ship that crashed into the planet. I download the basics to her data slate. She looks with concern at the information and says the fleet reported this ship came from a warp rift that’s not closing. It may be because cultists are building a throne or altar of some sort outside of the hive for a ritual to bring on the forces of chaos. All civilians, including Ovie and Fig, have been pressed into service in the name of the Emporer. Supplies will be given for this mission.
The Canoness Preceptor questions Lenny, “Do you remember anything?” Lenny says no, but does mention the Chaos Space Marine we saw on the bridge of the Myrmidon.
Lenny hands me his broken heavy bolt pistol for repairs. I examine the bent bolter and make plans for its repair.
The Canoness pulls up a holographic map, showing the altar’s location. It is heavily fortified and must be destroyed. The warp rift, if it remains open, could consume the planet.
Another novitiate takes us to the supply tent – another ammo reload, standard knives, standard issue imperial guard lasguns, shotguns, etc. I pick up a lasgun and an ammo reload.
It has begun to rain – extra difficulty to athletics, stealth, and investigation checks. Except for my investigation checks because my augmetic eye, acting as Preysense Goggles, gives me thermal readouts and ignores this difficulty.
The Sisters head off to the front lines as I create an umbrella headband with transition lens for Fig’s third eye.
We decide that taking the drop ship will give us the best tactical advantage. Ovie’s piloting means we successfully land next to the hive wall in a hidden area. No signs of cultists here, and there is a path for us to take.
Fig reaches out to sense any psykers in the area – as she reaches into the warp, she senses a gathering of psychic might on the altar. Something in that gathering senses her, too. Fig turns to the group and shares her findings and her challenge back to the gathering forces of psykers. Fig attempts to put out some kind of music or interference into the ether.
We open up the door in the wall, leading into a passageway descending into complete darkness. Lenny and I can see just fine, so Lenny takes point and we put the organics between us.
The passageway is wide enough for two Lennys, and we come to an open area that is being used as an ammunition dump. I use my augmetics with the thermal overlay to determine there are no beings in this room – they are further down the hallway across this chamber. The boxes in front of us are marked “Flares”. Idea: take flares, fire down the hallway, light them up and pick them off in an ambush.
Ovie tries to listen in on their chatter: hears only “we’ll never find our way through this mess.” Whose side are they on?
We plan to send Lenny, holding a flare, down the hallway. We will back him up if they attack. Lenny proceeds down the hall – 5 seen, more in the distance. They are armed and carrying a dull lumenglo. Lenny lights his flare and surprises the group. They have heretical symbols on their guard uniforms – cultists! Lenny fires his bolt pistol as Fig reaches out with her mind – Lenny kills two and Fig kills another. Ovie takes aim but hits Fig, knocking her down. Since Lenny and Fig are ahead of me, I hold my fire until they can move away. I take my action to drag Fig back to Jessima. Jessima heals Fig entirely.
There are still two guardsmen with more on the way. Lenny opens fire with his twin bolt pistols, taking out two more guards in a puff of red mist.
As 5 furious guardsmen appear down the hallway, I toss another flare to blind them while Fig enfeebles them with her mind. They open fire at Lenny, pinging shots off his armor. Ovie, crouched at the entrance of the hallway, takes aim with her lasgun and shoots a guardsman right through the eye. His other eye socket glows as his brain boils from within his skull. Fig takes a shock as she continues to reach out and enfeeble the enemy. Jessima tries to fire, but her shot pings harmlessly down the hallway and hits nothing.
Fig reaches out again, and the guardsmen suddenly stop and drop their guns. They begin to shriek, clutching their heads as blood pours from their eyes and noses. They fall to the ground, dead. Ovie and fig grab a helmet each, using the helmets’ augments to see in the dark. I take one of the helms and am able to tap into their comms, but I have a nagging feeling that these twisted Machine Spirits know of my presence.
Lenny takes point again, leading our group through the wall to outside of the hive. We emerge to a surprisingly quiet part of the line, bodies lining the rain drenched trenches. In the distance, we see the dull glow of multiple fires and we head toards them. My thermal sight malfunctions in the rain.
Fig extends herself into the ether, and feels the darkness gathering at the altar where the fires are glowing. She hums to herself as an ominous chanting floats on the wind.
We make our way across the battlefield. Lenny, Fig, and Ovie move ahead to sneak closer and find a spot for us to plan our attack. As Jessima and I hold back, I spy a deactivated combat servitor in a nearby trench. I tell Jessima to stay where she is and make my way into the trench. Reaching the servitor, I commune with its Machine Spirits, reuniting it with the Holy Spark. It trundles behind me as I make my way back to Jessima.
Meanwhile, Lenny, Fig, and Ovie make their way to the altar. Surrounded by fires and chanting cultists, there is a tied up, naked and screaming guardsman awaiting sacrifice on the altar. Towering nearby is a figure in heavy armor, carrying a glowing staff topped with spikes and a crown, a glowing fire above him. He is a World Eater.
Ovie yells to Fig and Lenny, “Look out!” and rolls away as a flaming chain axe crashes down where she was once lying. A looming figure shouts a war cry as the group scrambles away. The ritual continues, unabated. Jessima and I run forward, Servitor in tow. On the altar, another figure in heavy armor begins carving heretical symbols into the flesh of the guardsman sacrifice.
Ovie throws a frag grenade – it lands on the altar, rolling to land under the sacrificial guardsman. It explodes, killing the sacrificial guardsman and destroying part of the altar. The figure in heavy armor blinks, momentarily confused as to where his sacrifice has gone.
Fig uses her abilities to enfeeble the chaos Space Marine attacking them. Enraged, he swings his chain sword around Lenny to attack Fig. He misses and is thrown off balance as Lenny prepares to strike. Lenny uses his chain sword and Astartes combat knife to strike, knocking him to the ground.
The chaos sorcerer, floating up from the altar, casts Smite on Lenny, wounding him.
Fig channels her wrath, trying to smite the agents of Chaos. The sorcerer “denies the witch”, fizzling her attack across their power armor and denying her attack
.
The World Eater moves away from Lenny and towards the Sorcerer, trying to regain his footing and a combative advantage. Lenny goes on the attack with his chain sword and knife, aided by Jessima’s fervent prayers to His Holy Emperor. He swings, wounding the World Eater across the neck. He falls to the ground, bleeding profusely.
The sorcerer tries to cast on Lenny, but is stopped by Fig’s psychic defenses.
Ovie prepares to throw another frag grenade, but only succeeds in throwing the pin at the cultists and dropping the grenade at her feet. She kicks it, sending it sailing over the edge of the hill and at the cultists. It explodes, killing 5 cultists in a cloud of smoke and debris.
Using my Rite of Magnetronics, I ride the Servitor into the battle. Chanting the sacred chants of the Omnissiah, “Steel of body, steel of mind”, we provide covering fire at the Sorcerer as Jessima runs forward to heal Lenny.
The chanting has not stopped, despite our fight. The cultists chants reach a fever pitch, pulling out ceremonial knives from their robes. They begin cutting their flesh, killing themselves for their dark ritual.
“From the data at hand, I believe we need to kill these cultists before they can finish their ritual with their ceremonial knives, “ I say, turning to the group. “Servitor, purge these abominations to the Machine God and Emperor.”
The Servitor rumbles forward on his tracks, his purpose and will clear, his Machine blessed bionics humming as he raises his four lasguns. “Execute,” is all he says. He kills 3 cultists with a blast of his lasguns.
Fig reaches out, killing a cultist with her psyker powers, leaving 1 in one mob, 5 each in 3 other mobs. Ovie aims her lasgun, opening with Rapid Fire at a mob of cultists. She misses, sending up clouds of dirt at her feet. Lenny leaps from the ledge, bolters in his hands, shouting his battle cry. He lands on the lone cultist, crushing his sternum. His bolters belch flame and fire, destroying two mobs of cultists. The cultist that he landed on, though mortally wounded, manages a singular upward petulant stab to the back of Lenny’s knee, wounding him.
Jessima runs down the hill and, using the shotgun she brought “just in case”, aims for the last mob of cultists. She screams as she fires from the hip, “PURGE!” She has never felt more alive or closer to the Emperor himself as she does in this moment. She kills the remaining 5 cultists.
The Sorcerer, seeing the cultists blasted apart, screams his wrath in otherworldly voices. We are all disturbed – “You may have won this time, but this is not the end!” The purple hue of the sky becomes deeper and brighter as he disappears in a flash of lightening. The body of the World Eater has also disappeared.
The rift is not closing – we need to find a way to close it or we need to evacuate the planet. We comm back to the Canoness to begin evacuation of the planet, but she and her Sisters are engaged in another battle. Fig senses the knives are warp tainted and the tear in the warp is growing larger. There is nothing that can stop it now. I use my ingrained wireless uplink to begin broadcasting evacuation processes across all channels.
We turn to run back to our ship and get back to the port, leaving the battlefield behind as the sky continues to darken.
+ 10 xp
Session 1: The Many Paths of the Omnissiah
Day 14 of Month 3 of Year 15 of M42
On the hive planet Pelone, I found a crashed drop ship with an unknown human and an unconscious sister of battle. Rejoining the Astartes squadron to which I had been assigned, a doomed destroyer fell from the sky, crashing into the wall of the hive city and felling a tower onto our position.
Using the magnometric gift of the Omnissiah, I pulled myself to the destroyer, shouting at the others to get to the ship. I was joined by Jessamin, the Sister of Battle, the human Ovie, another cloaked being, and the sergeant of the squad. Scanning the ship, I know we are in a Cobra class destroyer, in the torpedo bay. There is no power to this section of the ship. We head to the bridge. The sergeant questions the being in the cloak - they are Fig Ortellius, and they are seeking safety. Fig points to their forehead, under which we know there to be a third eye. She is a navigator, and must be kept safe.
I lead the way. My augmetic eye has night vision and I ready my laspistol. We are ready for an ambush. We head to the spine of the ship, the great hallway, and see that some of the statues honoring The Emperor are defaced. Some are missing their heads, some their arms, some graffitied. Upon closer inspection, the graffiti moves and shifts. We continue moving towards the bridge. We find ourselves in a medicae ward.
Inside the ward, I look for information. I find a cogitator to commune with its Machine Spirits - using my own spark, I power up the cogitator and find medicae logs from various human personnel. I download to my data slate.
Inside the ward, I look for information. I find a cogitator to commune with its Machine Spirits - using my own spark, I power up the cogitator and find medicae logs from various human personnel. I download to my data slate. We head to the next room and find some supplies. There are three rooms branching off this one – none are labeled. From the layout, I know the middle one is an ICU ward. The left is storage. The right is a recovery area – Jessima and I head here.
There are 3 bodies, strapped to the beds, reduced to husks. Fig and Ovie find the storage area has been picked clean. There are scattered bits of bandages and broken syringes on the floor. Jessima examines the bodies: #3 is missing an arm, #2’s chest is sliced open, #1 is missing a leg and an arm and a cut to the throat. These bodies are almost mummified – I check the data slate and see the medical records are from 15 years ago. As my sergeant leaves the room, I reach to the first body and slowly pull the head off and add it to my collection. Fig and Ovie watch but say nothing.
Nurse’s area, cogitator units, glass, and a patient area. I commune with the Machine Spirits: readouts of a stasis pod, a far larger pod, in the next room. Readouts state the pod is offline. Jessima sees the pod has been broken from the inside- the glass has been blown out. Fig senses there are things living on the ship and there are more of them every minute, towards the rear of the ship. There is something on the bridge.
Plan: double time to the bridge, power up the weapons on board, fight whatever this is.
Locate the lift to the bridge: awareness. A pale, grinning face with sharpened teeth and sigils carved into its face leers from the darkness. Jessima aims her laspistol and kills him. I see that he’s a cultist of the Dark Powers, based on the heretical sigils carved into his skin. We hear a door open at the end of the hallway – we need to go. I have to power the lift to get us out of here as lasfire echoes down the hallway. There are 5 cultists coming down the hallway, ducking and firing from cover to cover.
Fig stares down the hallway. Suddenly, one of the cultists begins to shake, blood pours from its eyes, and then its head explodes. Lasfire erupts from one of the cultists covered in his compatriot’s blood – one of his shots hits Jessima and the Sister of Battle shrugs off the blast. The door slightly ahead of us and to the left is forced open. A huge figure, cloaked and in shadow, emerges from the doorway. I shout to take cover as the giant figure opens fire with bolter pistols, vaporizing 3 of the cultists in a cloud of blood and smoke.
The last cultist begins to run away. Fig reaches out, exploding his head.
Jessima smiles as the cloaked figure goes to one of the fallen cultists and picks up a chunk of brain matter and begins to eat. I know (sort of) what he is, so I shrug and turn back to the lift and power the machines. Fig continues to skip and dance around.
The figure turns and sees Jessima, shouting, “sir!” He marches to her and she sees that part of his armor is missing and replaced with unpainted, unsymboled armor. Jessamin asks for his name and rank, but he has no answer. Just unknown. Does he have a concussion? Various scars around torso and back (not uncommon), missing augmetics from back of skull, this is not his armor. He seems find aside from light brain swelling. I examine his skull: there used to be plating and he definitely took a head injury.
We enter the lift and head to the bridge. Power is on in the upper levels.
The doors open to a smaller hallway with massive double swinging doors at the end, flanked by two angel statues. We cross the hallway and open the doors.
In the bridge of the ship, we are in the top tier where the captain’s chair is. Empty, aside from a withered corpse in the captain’s chair.
I go to the helmsman’s station and link to the astrogation cogitator. Below the captain’s chair, there is a large armored figure watching the wave of cultists entering the city from the breach. He has a massive battle axe with chains, horns on the sides of his helm, and spikes and strange heretical symbols on his armor. We need to leave, ASAP, but not before I download as much information as possible from the ship’s cogitators.
The download includes several video files and the ship was tagged as Lost With All Hands to the warp. We leave, planning to find a pod or drop shift off this destroyer. The space marine finds a strange bolt pistol, bent in half.
We head back down the lift to the launch bay. We find two drop shifts, I must power one to escape. We will also wire one of the missiles in the bay to blow up after we leave. Meanwhile, the cultists heard our descent to the launchpad and they are on their way.
Lenny uses a chainsword. It’s both awesome and gross.
We enter the drop ship with a minute to go before the blast from our homemade bomb.
From the air, we see a large portion of the wall has collapsed and the forces of chaos are moving swiftly into the city.
Our bomb destroys the ship, rendering it unusable. The blast opens more ways into the city for the chaos entities. We head to the nearest Imperial post.
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