[DH1e] The Damocles Contingency (RPG IC)

[Trokair]

The not quite afterlife

 

+Seraph... are... thou...a Valkyrie... of the Omnissiah now... ?+

[Mazer Rackham]

Astartes Assault Bike Pegasus:

 

+You remain among the living, Adept,+ Cephas doesn't have to raise his voice, as the direct wired link carries his utter calm perfectly. +Wait a moment.+

 

The bike bleeds power and the Space Marine pulls it up, to a steady rumbling stop. The rapid cool night air stirs in gentle breeze, instead of the battering gale. Activating the kick-plate to stand the bike up, Cephas dismounts and rummages for a lamp pack. He appears over you, a dark grey blot against the paler yellow-grey moonlit sky.

 

+Hold still. Your flesh is savaged enough to bleed. The sand had packed it closed.+ He breaks open a medikit and goes to work, applying cataplasm and counterseptic. The lively smell of it is in contrast to the dour stink of hot engine and promethium fumes.

 

GM: OOC Bardas is stabilised.

 

Once his ministrations are complete, he proffers a water canteen, but since you are on your back, he runs the water into his palm and lets it drip-drop into through his fingers into your mouth, to save you choking. He pours the rest back in. He does not speak during the operation, more comfortable perhaps in the silence. Beyond the engine idling, you can sense the desert has a lot of it, and the snaking sands drift to cover it all, hiding all sins, all things forgotten.

 

+The desert has no memory,+ Cephas says quietly. He takes an anti-rad patch, and applies it, the sudden sickness reminding you that you are truly alive.

 

Death wouldn't hurt so much.

 

He replaces his gear, mounts back up, and once more hurtles into the dark, using the lit spire of the monstrous hive as the massive adamantine needle in the compass.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Mazer Rackham
Typo.

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

After being relieved of his vigil, Scourge joins all the Inquisitorial Acolytes in the Strategium whin the Halls of Judgement. Sound-proofing and augur spoofs have reinforced this buttressed centre, providing a measure of security. It is here, once again that plans foment into ripened action.

 

"Gentlemen," Locke begins, looking more tired than ever, and significantly more sinister in his dark garb, "as you know I have ordered the destruction of this world should we fail. Yet, if we succeed, almost no-one outside these halls will know of our magnificent accomplishment. I sense this will be our one, last, desperate push, and it will be either triumph, or death."

 

He pauses, watches each of you in turn, the flare of the old Confessor breaking through in the rhetoric.

 

"Do not despair, for such a Herculean effort pleases the Emperor, and I have given orders that will grant each man here a pardon for all past crimes, should he live or go to Golden Lord. Those missives await you in the Vault. Signed before you even came here. Verdict will have put your names to them." He nods to Haldane.

 

The Proctor takes up where he left off. "A couple of things going forward. We have taken inventory of the anti-toxins we hold. With Mr Nicios' advice on the substance, we searched our contraband stores, but we have come up quite short. An hour ago, against our better judgement, we established an amnesty for alien artefacts, and counter-toxins. We received two replies."

 

He steels himself, flicks a glance at Reynard out of the corner of his eye. "The first, was from Lord Lexandro De Grassi. His terms were an exchange for the vial you carry, the suspected Aldario Antigen."

 

This time, Haldane exchanges a glance with Locke. "The second, was from her Ladyship, Inquisitrix Racel Galleus, of the Ordo Xenos. She is, in fact approaching the planet at speed, and has several anti-toxins aboard her ship. Regrettably, her terms are worse. She demands the delivery of the Golem of Antares, and promises in turn to spare the hive."

 

He expects questions, challenges. His face is ready for them.

 

The Broken Sluice:

 

The sluice is an old drain for the ordure of the megapolis above. The rancid, foetid fumes are dulled, the spillage from the vast rent in the pipe an old stain. It likely hasn't been used in decades. The residue is cracked, dry.

 

Cephas gently coaxes his bike into the well of the pipe, the massive tube resounding with the echo. As the headlamps of the bike strike out and up, the discolouration and rust glimmer back with the bright blue of rad-algae, a microbe that devours bile and bowel, subsuming on the rust and organic detritus alike. It is perhaps the first time since the pipe was laid they have been seen by living eyes.

 

+Semper In Cloaca, Profundum Variat,+ Cephas muses, the tinny echo vibrating about the belly of the pipe. +The passage twists around the hive, through the Mechanicum holdings. We will...decant...into the non-aligned territories, several strata from a workshop.+

 

He revs, plants his feet on both sides of the bike, and you hear the thunk of magboots activating against the pipe wall. The idea occurs he's done this before.

 

He turns back in the saddle, to look over you, so you see his 'face', the chisel-nose visor of his Mk IV Maximus casque. +Any questions before we go up the spout?+

Edited May 2, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Trokair]

+itsy bitsy spider?+

[Mazer Rackham]

The Broken Sluice:

 

The blue lenses stare at you for a long time. Several seconds beyond comfortable, in fact.

 

+Then let us hope no-one flushes.+

 

Cephas resumes riding posture, rowels the throttle, and Pegasus gallops forward, right up the drainpipe.

[Machine God]

The Strategium:

 

Kerr Restal was a little relieved that his companions still lived.

 

He listened to Inquisitor Lord Locke's briefing.

 

"Do not despair, for such a Herculean effort pleases the Emperor, and I have given orders that will grant each man here a pardon for all past crimes, should he live or go to Golden Lord. Those missives await you in the Vault. Signed before you even came here. Verdict will have put your names to them."

 

 

What Crimes? Kerr Restal thought.

 

 

 

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

"I assume the second option is out…?"

 

He sighed. He truly didn't like De Grassi. The noble's terms weren't a surprise, though. Finally, Reynard shrugged.

 

"Well, at least we didn't give him the cure earlier, I suppose? If we had, we'd be out of bargaining chips now. Am I right to assume I will be part of the team we send to negotiate the trade?"

 

Not an enjoyable task, but manageable. Certainly better than what would follow. Hunting crazed servitors, vengeful mercenaries and daemon-possessed boxes through the Underhive, perhaps while being hunted themselves by whatever was left of the Ordo Xenos cells.

 

"This Inquisitor Galleus, she wants the Golem sent to plague the Tau… but would she go as far as having her followers on Damocles actually work alongside it in order to ensure its survival? Are they allies against us?"

 

A worrying prospect. Dangerous. But in exchange for a total pardon for all prior criminal activities? Perhaps worth the risk. A man like Reynard could do a lot with a blank slate.

 

[A.T.]

Falk

 

"Perhaps it is time we engaged this De Grassi in frank assessment. We know not of his true goals but none of them are served by his death and the death of all he cares for should this world burn, be it at your hands to stop the golem or anothers to purge the spread of witchcraft and heresy that our investigations have uncovered. He must know that simply for all that he has witnessed his life and those of all close to him stand forfeit by Imperial law, his house stands perilously close to sanction."

 

Falk pauses, "He may listen to reason. But what he asks for would suggest he knows it's purpose better than we, or at least its intent. We have the body of the true sister and much of the research, with the sample itself is it possible that we already have all we need to replicate it?"

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

Reynard:

 

Locke takes over the question from Reynard. "Not as out of the question as you might think. The Damocles Contingency is a nuclear - literally - option. If the hive survives, we have done our duty, and at least we will have saved the lives of millions of Imperial servants. It will buy space, and time for us to regroup."

 

He looks pained even to say it.

 

"Whilst I disagree, most vehemently, that the Golem be allowed to survive and be loosed to spread it's kanker to whatever dismal hole Ms Galleus intends, it is within my purview to grant it. Stabilising Lady Gwynne as the head of the hive will give us a secure base - and arm us with Hywelsbane. We can then banish the Golem later, when things have cooled."

 

He sighs.

 

"It is a deal with the devil - as all bargains involving the Golem are." Locke stares into space, his will bending due to the realities of the situation. Internecine Inquisition War is threatening, and he who lives to fight another day...is something you know he has practiced for decades. The patient hunter gets the prey. It is not his resolve that is in question - you can tell this by his eyes. Like any general in war, or a crimelord gauging his chances, he must weigh gains now, against payment later.

 

As Locke's heated passion drifts off, Haldane cuts in cold. "It could be anyone sent to negotiate with Lord De Grassi. It's business after all."

 

He shrugs.

 

"With regard to the Ordo Xenos Agents, I would strongly favour them not working with or for the Golem, but they would certain foil attempts to destroy or acquire it. How long they have been with us, who knows? Lord Locke has dwelled here three decades. Lady Galleus either installed agents here, or took over running them."

 

"We believe the cell tipped her off using low-intensity comms. The escalation in the situation here, merely proved their reports true."

 

Falk:

 

Haldane fields your query. "If you think he will listen to reason, be my guest - what is that quaint phrase he keeps using? Slips my mind."

 

He lifts a dataslate, skims through it. "The verispex teams have gone over all the samples you gave us - nice job by the way," Haldane nods in compliment. "They can replicate it to a degree, but it will take time. If we can stall long enough, or if Lady Gwynne can hold out, maybe we can get the formula right, but they tell me it is inordinately complicated."

 

Haldane mulls it over. "We could perhaps fake it, maybe he will miss the switch - although if he knows as much as you suspect, that may be an...error."

 

Then his face darkens. "There are thousands of DNA residuals within it. If this man Dreyfuss had not been murdered, he would have been executed for...rendering down so many into this...serum."

 

He shrugs off the despair. "We don't have Magda's body either. De Grassi house troops flooded the area where her casket lies. His forces certainly took the pressure off us in the beginning, but now the bastard won't let us back in."

 

Locke shrugs. "I warned him. Youngsters these days." He clucks his tongue and sneaks a glance at Reynard.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Necronaut]

Scourge:

 

Scourge stood a mute statue in battered and heavily patched steel and ceramite near the back of the room while his comrades debated. A full pardon for his crimes?! From a servant of the God-Emperor…! But for a psycho-flagellant such as himself, his sin would live with him forever, his shames eternal. He held no hope of a normal life after having lived one constantly on the move, subsumed by violence and war in the service of the eternal jihad against the Imperium's foes. It was a fool's hope in any event; this would surely be his final waltz with Lady Death. 

 

He had thus far had no dealings with the villainous DeGrassi, but Reynard's description of the scoundrel had left a bitter taste in his mouth. Falk, ever the voice of reason, however, seemed to have the right of it: whatever DeGrassi's sins and foibles, he was likely still motivated to maintain his position in Hive Primus. He remained silent as Locke addressed Reynard, before finding the courage to speak.

 

"Thou giveth us a devil's bargain indeed, Lord…," he started and then broke off, an idea manifesting itself as he suddenly recalled being tasked with protecting a saboteur squad a few years prior on a world whose name he had forgotten. He had worked with sappers before, destroying critical enemy infrastructure and the like, defending them against harm whilst they worked, but one time he had watched them rig a vehicle with explosives which the enemy would later take deep into their stronghold, only to have it later detonate and destroy valuable materiel. And the sinful, evil thought made itself known.

 

"My liege, the Golem poseth a threat so vile it cannot be permitted to exist, and yet thy peer seeketh to use such a corrupting, evil artefact to affect the demise of mere xenos which deserve to die on humanity's blades. Her actions might damn a holdout of xenos, but wouldst it not also spread the influence of the daemon without any hope of reining it in? Why not entreat with this villain DeGrassi and the Inquisitrix both? I say we taketh the antidote from DeGrassi as insurance, and deal with thy unscrupulous colleague as she wisheth, save that we sabotage the Golem, shouldst we survive the ordeal. It shameth me to entertain such a treacherous and dishonourable thought, and I beg thy forgiveness, but mayhap we canst deliver it with a potent incendiary device, that such radical madness shouldst not go unpunished. Giveth the devil his due; burn the heretic."

Edited May 2, 2023 by Necronaut

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

Addressed in the antiquated manner of Scourge's speech, Locke brightens a little, shooing away the haunted mien from his shoulders, his face and body taking on the slightly stooped posture of the old confessor, although the façade is something welcome, the old curmudgeon a refuge.

 

"And truly, Scourge it would vex him handily and keep him in ransom, but would you stake the life of Lady Gwynne, and the restoration of a sacred relic against mere umbrage against the knave?"

 

He grins.

 

"The other proposition is more cleansing to the palette. By all means, if you think such subterfuge can pass muster with the Lady Galleus, you have my leave to try it, although it will most likely result in suicide."

 

A devious look settles across his features. "In fact, the tech-arcana crate fetched from the ship carcass may well suit your purposes for such a ruse."

[A.T.]

Falk

 

"On the subject of the golem, I understand that we have some part of it here. It is my position that it should be destroyed unless you seek to use it as a cage into which the greater beast might be pressed from the depths of the hive".

 

He reflected on his own encounter, "if the Inquisitor believes the actions of the golem would leave an empire of corpses amongst the xenos she is mistaken. It corrupts, enslaves, and given freedom it seems inevitable that it would not destroy the enemies of mankind but instead seek to unite them under its thrall just as it sought to do here, the hand behind the throne."

 

"As for De Grassi, we are at a disadvantage for not knowing the full purpose of the antidote. Gwynne is the last of her line, unless the datapad we recovered conceals fresh insight." Memories flooded back of the lab, "though perhaps there is one more. The escaped subject who bore Magdas blood... could that be De Grassis play, a second chance to save his betrothed?"

 

It was a circumstantial fit, but otherwise what value a cure with none left to save?

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

Falk:

 

"It is possible," Locke replies. "Without breaking the confessional, the De Grassis were very keen on the union between Lexandro and Magda. They were betrothed young, and even then a fire burned within the boy. By all accounts, his attentions were returned. He is besotted with her, and when he was cast out, that only served to make him angry, take him on the path of a Spyrer."

 

"I concur with Magistrate Falk," Haldane adds, perhaps not unexpectedly considering he's backing up another lawman, "the Golem needs to be purged."

 

"An Inquisitor listens to counsel from his Acolytes," Locke continues, satisfied with Haldane's offering. "Speak freely, even if the notion sticks in your craw. I must hear everyone."

 

A notification flashes up on Haldane's datapad. He studies it, emits a small grunt. "We do know one thing. From your reports, and a reliable source, Reynard told Greyson the serum is gone. That means he is not working for De Grassi. Why would Lord Lexandro ask for something he couldn't get?"

Edited May 2, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Reynard:

 

Reynard frowned.

 

"Interesting. I didn't say a word to Greyson about the serum. I did tell De Grassi that I suspected it was destroyed when I met him in Pirentus' den, but I don't think he believed me."

 

"Later, I also told the same story to Drexler and Seb LeCroix. And little Alyce, though I'm assuming she isn't your source... although stranger things have happened... Who is your 'reliable source', Haldane?"

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

"Perhaps they are telling me a few fibs this time around then, maybe to muddy the waters, or drop in the hot variety," Haldane looks genuinely surprised. "To answer your question, it's a person keen to help us with our enquiries, in order to get off Damocles in one piece.

 

OOC: Oof! I genuinely forgot it was the other way around, but rather than people having to flub their posts due to my mistake, I can fudge it in IC, here. Apologies! I was intending to use it to tie off some loose ends, but I will still do that so we can move forward, so no harm done to anyone.

 

"The source was adamant that her information proves De Grassi and Greyson were working in opposition." He shrugs.

[Lysimachus]

(OOC: Apologies boss, I thought it was a deliberate hint at a plot twist and so I jumped on it!)

 

 

Reynard:

 

Reynard smiled. Why didn't Haldane want to admit the source was Drexler? Or even use her name? The Fixer had told him she was connected with lawmen. Could Haldane be one of them? Surprising, and potentially embarrassing, for such an upstanding officer...

 

Maybe it was nothing, however. Perhaps the Lady was indeed playing little games, just for the fun of it?

 

"Very well, let's assume your source is correct. So, Greyson is not working for De Grassi - but he does want the serum… why does he want it?"

 

[Mazer Rackham]

GM OOC: No need to apologise, bud. It was fine, it was my memory boo boo! There is a plot twist coming though, (later, which may or may not be related) so...

 

GM OOC: In other news, to speed things up we are going to assume Scourge has yielded up the serum/antidote to the labs.

 

The Strategium:

Reynard:

 

Locke looks up. "I assume for bargaining, or perhaps protection. With Kraevus gone, I would imagine he's a little bit left to the wind. We should have a full report on the serum shortly. We'll run it against all the samples Falk brought in, unlock the puzzle, and it's true effects."

 

"Let us pray he does not find a new master that doesn't mind his way of doing things," Haldane muses.

 

The Proctor and Inquisitor share a glance.

Edited May 2, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Necronaut]

Scourge:

 

OOC: yes, Scourge would have surrendered the serum phial earlier... Oops! 

 

To Locke, Scourge bowed and intoned, "Thou honorest me, Lord. Thy will be done on Damocles as upon Holy Terra."

Edited May 2, 2023 by Necronaut

[Trokair]

Somewhere in a suspiciously spacious sewer.

 

 

+Incy ... Wincy ... Spider!+

 

 

OCC, I have no idea if Bardas is cognisant, or going through some wired brain not working properly issue, or feedback scramble or whatever, or if he is seeing something real. The 'itsy bitsy' one to me sounded whimsical, but this one is defiantly not, with a note of alarm in there.  

Edited May 2, 2023 by Trokair

[A.T.]

Falk:

 

Turning to Reynard, "it is supposition, but the escaped subject from Dreyfuss' lab was matched exactly by blood to Magda. The claw marks and signs of inhuman strength fit to one of Magdas stature and the 'curse' as we have seen it in Helene."

 

He let Reynard draw the conclusions.

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"What are the ramifications of removing De Grassi? We show up for the bargain and then take the antidote and kill him. With the Arbites/Naval backing there should be enough strength to deal with the household troops from the outside while we secure and eliminate the targets from the inside."

 

Nicios looked troubled at the suggestion of giving up the Golem to the Xenos Inquisitor.

 

"No person's life is worth unleashing the Golem on the universe. Regardless of who wants it or how they think they can control it, the Golem is a blasphemy that needs to be destroyed, even if this entire world must burn to accomplish it."

 

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

Nicios:

 

Haldane responds with a thoughtful look. "On the surface of it, in the short term, nothing. He is beloved of the family, but lives too dangerously for them. The De Grassis merely lose an heir, capitulate, and wash their hands perhaps, but the long term political ramifications for the hive would be difficult to predict."

 

The Broken Sluice:

 

Cephas keeps going, pushing the bike to its limit, until the engine starts to complain, which for an Astartes bike, is exceptional. The strange psychedelic algae tunnel ends abruptly, as the bike blasts out onto a long flat straight of plasteel within the hive. To left and right are pools of sludge, the recycling vats brothing and bubbling in gloopy soup.

 

The Space Marine pays no heed to the megatonnes of stewing mess, keeping the hammer down, filling the chamber with a throaty roar.

 

+Hold on, Adept. We near the workshop of Errantor Xerxia. She will attend you.+

 

He stops the bike after another ten minutes of ramps, pipes and angled walls, before picking you up and carrying you long in one hand. He brings your broken body to a place that is familiar to you, even in your strange, dislocated haze.

 

+Magos,+ Cephas calls, entering the workshop. +My cogitator is broken.+

 

He deposits you onto a workbench, and the marvellous mechanical face of Adept Xerxia looms over you.

 

+Have you tried the runes of deactivation and reactivation?+ she replies, a tinge of humour as she wastes no time in plugging you into several monitoring units.

 

The feisty war spirit of Cephas' armour recedes as he is disconnected. +I think this rebuild will cost you an arm and a leg, my friend.+ He tells you. His massive bulk vanishes from your line of sight.

 

Xerxia returns, and tends carefully to your flesh, the runes of pacification stirring in your cache. Blessed pain relief follows, along with the unguents of warding along your grafts and the stumps of your missing limbs. There's a click - and the light recedes to a small circle, before slowly disappearing to only afterglow.

 

 

Edited May 3, 2023 by Mazer Rackham

[Lord_Ikka]

Nicios

 

"No offense meant, but we are not here just to protect one hive from political discord. Two hives have already died and we are discussing the possibility of destroying the entire planet if need be. If losing a noble house's heir and causing strife down the line occurs to protect this world from destruction, it is worth it."

 

Bowing to Locke, Nicios finished his thoughts.

 

"My specialty is not politics of the noble or Inquisitorial kind. I am a hunter of witches and dispenser of the Emperor's Justice. My creed is not to haggle or bargain with those that stand in my way. I will follow where you lead, Lord Inquisitor."

[Mazer Rackham]

The Strategium:

 

Nicios:

 

Locke offers a shallow bow in reply. "Fear not young Jericus, my presence is not to tell you what to do - it is to back you up when you do it, and thereby give it approval to cover all our arses if it goes awry."

 

GM OOC: This an IC way of me saying: the choices and paths you take are up to you, nothing is gated if that's the way you want to go: I'll take you there. I am also aware a lot of Players want the 'right' outcome, as well as the 'best'. I'm just throwing choices at you.

[Mazer Rackham]

CHAPTER TWO: DEALING WITH THE DEVILS

 

MISSION CLOCK: 0400 HRS ZULU.

DAMOCLES CONTINGENCY IN: 20 Hrs

 

+++++++

 

The Holosphere projects a myriad of translucent images - the hive, a soothing pale green skeleton with areas of red bruising, the inflammation of humanity struggling against itself, now notably reduced with the help of His Majesty's finest institutions working together. Sigils for the Arbites, the Navy and private military forces ring the outbreaks, pushing back.

 

The only sectors which are dark with bleak colours is the Mechanicum, from whence no communications come. The flesh of humanity rebounds from the ironclad holdings. Perhaps Bardas, newly recovered and rebuilt, is the only contrast in the room.

 

The scene here is familiar, the beating heart of what has now become a siege.

 

Locke seems to have aged a thousand years. His hair has started showing more grey, the ages catching up with him. It is as though his spirit hurtles towards the end of something he has carried, seeing a finish line he only wishes to shed his burden upon reaching. He regards you all, even the newcomer, Solomon, with a friendly eye. It is easy to see why so many of the people he's guided call him 'Pater'. A steel rod within, resting upon a velvet pillow.

 

The other shapes are deadly blades - the mighty warships of the Imperial Bastion Fleet. So different now to their loose orbital group during resupply, they sit in planetary assault position, spread out for the optimum firing solution. Solomon knows this better than anyone, having seen it so many times, but never boring. A sword now hangs over the planet. Poetic, inevitable, deadly.

 

As deadly as the giant swordsman at the back of the chamber. Cephas - a rock of adamantium and ceramite has his sword unbuckled, scabbarded, held in both hands, point down. Robed and at rest within his harness, he looks like a statue carved into the walls of the Strategium.

 

"We have no confirmed," Haldane begins, "that the serum recovered by the Cell is a powerful mutagen. It contains a retrovirus designed specifically to overwhelm the strains of mutation found within the samples acquired by Magistrate Falk. It is ingenious. It draws from the DNA templates of all three sisters, mixed and recombined with many others - the innocents discovered in Dreyfuss' sanctum no doubt."

 

He pauses, reading a few notes to make sure he has it correctly. He reads the verispex report virtually word for word.

 

"When tested against the samples of the Primus, there was a great restorative effect. After only a couple of hours, the strain of mutation was rendered benign, thereby neutralising it. Against those tissues of the Secundus and Tertius, it proved exceptionally agressive, recombining catastrophically into degenerative and regressive outcomes. The tissue degradation was excessive."

 

He looks up. "So it was tailor made, a blade with two edges. Panacea, and poison both. This is why Magistrate Falk's suggestion cannot work. We cannot synthesise it. The records retrieved are missing key details, and reconstituting the formula would be onerous. I think we can stop guessing as to why De Grassi wants it."

 

++++++++++

GM: You can imagine a short break here for replies in your narrative responses.

++++++++++

 

The hololithic map is replaced by an incoming transmission. One look between Locke and Haldane shows they are expecting it. On omnidirectional cameo sheds the hololithic blocks with an organic shape, a young woman, fresh-faced and steely-eyed. Her chestnut hair cut short in a bob to her chin. A heart-shaped face, with he faintest scars across chin, cheek and nose. Her iron grey eyes are narrowed.

 

"Good morning, my lord. I trust you have given considerable thought to my...proposal?"

 

Locke looks up. "Inquisitrix Galleus. I have seniority and sovereignty here. You shall await my decision."

 

"You had seniority, my lord. My master has secured a writ of annulment, removing you."

 

"Until my Ordo confirms that, you have bark, but no bite, madam. Besides, this is Hereticus business. You have no jurisdiction."

 

"It is Imperium business," Galleus replies, "I have every jurisdiction." She casts here eyes over the assembly. "I'm giving you this one chance. Hand over the Golem in return for the life of Lady Gwynne. Further, I will even help you to restore order."

 

Locke says nothing.

 

"I trust you will listen to the counsel of your associates, my lord," she says, a cold smile occupying her lips, a mouth which doesn't seem to frequent the tropical climes of humour very often. Her eyes seem to meet each Acolyte. "I am sure we can avoid...foolishness, get this over with quickly, and walk away whole, can't we?"

 

GM: She's not just talking to Locke or Haldane, but to all Players. You can respond to her if you want. If you wish to attempt arguments, the following modifiers apply:

• Charm (Fel) will be Very Hard (-30) due to her Disposition to the Party.
• Logic (Int) will be Hard (-20) as she's fairly bent on getting her way.
• Other interactions will be Opposed (Deceive, Intimidate, Psychic, etc) but be wary. If she passes by 2+ DoS, her disposition will worsen by one Step.