Deathwatch: Murderers in Black (IC Thread)

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

Give me a lever and a fulcrum...

 

 

Asterius strode to the rocks and set about the task aided by his gene-enhanced flesh and power armour.

 

"Techmarine Zidemi lend me your arm please."

 

 

 

STR60 + Unnatural Stength x2 +20 (Power Armour) = 140. Result: 15, Pass 12DoS

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike Zulu]

 Zidemi:

 

The Techmarine shuffled past the others wordlessly and joined Asterius at the collapsed passage. He momentarily ignored the Assault Marine as he attempted to scan beyond the rubble using his Auspex…

 

Zidemi will use his Auspex to scan for movement beyond the collapse.

 

Spoiler

Tech-Use Test: 50 (Int) + 23 (Implants+Trapping) + 0 = 73 required

Roll d100: 88 = Fail, 1DoF

 

The spirit was distressed, exloading noisy data and failing to elucidate what lied on the other side.

Choosing not to waste more time, Zidemi assisted his battle-brother’s efforts to clear the passage. He quickly identified the larger and least load-bearing pieces, and began to work.

Zidemi will use his Servo-Arm to lift the larger rocks and/or rubble.

 

Spoiler

Strength Test: 75 (Servo-Arm) + 10 (Unnat. Strength x2) + 0 = 85 required

Roll d100: 71 = Pass, 1DoS

Edited April 26 by Mike Zulu

[Trokair]

Alda

 

There was little she could do in the clearing of the passageway. She had neither suitable tool, nor the raw strength bestowed by Astartes physique. What she could lift or shift would be a mere handful for one of them, and in any case she would probably get in their way.

 

Instead she begun to examine the Eldar script engraved into the stone, recording them in detail for later analysis. No Doubt somewhere in the Bulwalk there would be relevant books whith which she could translate some of them, should it be relevant. Even if not somewhere an Inquisitorial research savant would no doubt be interested, if only to then label the dossier classified.  

[A.T.]

Omoc

 

"We should ensure none follow in our steps and collapse this tunnel in our wake." A place such as this was just as likely to facilitate an escape as an invasion.

[Lysimachus]

You work tirelessly for more than an hour to excavate your way through the blockage.

 

After the first forty minutes, you begin to see thin rays, places where what appears to be natural light is passing through tiny gaps in the rubble. As more and more rocks are freed and cast behind you, reblocking the gate chamber, the gaps ahead widen and you can see areas of blue sky. It is weak and watery, but familiar.

 

Finally, enough rubble is cleared to allow you to escape and confirm where you have been brought. The tunnel has emerged midway down the side of a mountain, looking down across craggy ravines and up towards other snow-capped peaks. It is likely of some relief to realise that Tarvathel was true to his word - as unless there is another world in the galaxy that is somehow identical to it, you have undoubtedly been returned to the surface of Alucar IV.

 

Anyone who wishes can make a Surface Navigation test to determine more about exactly where you are.

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

Wordlessly, he handed a spare Krak grenade to the Scorpion, upon Omoc's proclamation. A good idea indeed. Then Azadth moved to the cave mouth, propping himself on his left arm, palm feeling the smooth edges of the formation - work that way by the wind and tools - enjoying the majestic tableau put before him: endless skies, unbroken mountains and glimmering sea.

 

+Not a bad place to die,+ he said in a witfully edged reverence.

 

He looked down at the mortal.

 

+Beware, little sister. I know you are of ice and stone, but do not stray far from me. When I took your life in hand in the millosaur den, you became my responsibility. Do not shame me by plunging to your death.+

 

Then he stepped without, into the wierd lightning flash of sun and sky toppling onto the peak outside the clinging darkness of the cave, awaiting his brothers and the decision of the Hetman-Sergeant.

 

OOC: Due to his familiarity with the terrain (he was out climbing for a bit), Azadth will provide a +10 Assist if the GM permits.

 

 

Edited April 28 by Mazer Rackham

[Trokair]

Alda

 

“You aren’t going catch me should I misstep? Hardly a big brother then.” She retorted, more confident in her banter than in the way ahead, well down.

 

She had nothing that would serve as Mountaineering gear, and for all that her father had paid little attention to her she had not been allowed to climb free at will the way her brothers had. Later lessons in service to the Throne had focused on traversing ruins and other manufactured landscapes, not nature untamed. She was sure she could find a way down safely if it came to it, but it would be slow, and relied on calm winds, for a gust would make the descent to fast.

 

Pulling out the Cartograph she brought up the map she had of the Bulwark and its surrounding, from this vantage point she could not make out much of use, but perhaps one of the einherjar could make use of it to divine their location.  

 

“This map is limited in scope, covering just a few dozen square miles, but from the Eldar’s word we should be close enough to the Bulwark for this to be of use.”

 

 

OOC: The Cartograph provides +10 to all Navigation (Surface) Tests, alas Alda does not have Navigation (Surface) to make best use of it. Though I can make the roll if nobody else as the skill either.

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

He dramatically sighed and shook his head, but he smiled when replying, giving the subsequent diatribe a well-worn feel. +Complaining already. I knew we should have left you to plait hair with Tarvathel. With luck, I will likely be eaten by a mountain lion, or crushed under an avalanche my duty complete.+

 

Seeing Alda's well-concealed uncertainty, he reached over and roughly rummaged in her rucksack, pulling out one of the sturdy frame poles. He then bent the end over to form a rudimentary hook, and after fashioning a wrist-loop from a binding thong, handed it to her. It was no ice-axe, but it was better than nothing.

 

+The Khagan rides into fate with us, sister,+ he said, sincere. He offered a bow at the mention of his blood-liege. +By his providence, you will catch yourself - at least until I may reach you.+

 

He took the cartograph, studied the peaks.

 

Navigate (Surface): Int 48 + 10 Carto, +10 Excited pointing = 68

D100: 004, PASS, Plus 5 DoS.

 

+That way.+ He jerked his chin, set off as point.

 

 

Edited April 28 by Mazer Rackham
Nav test

[Lysimachus]

Azadth: At first glance, there does not seem to be any sign of the landscape being sculpted by intelligent minds and hands. However, after a long, silent moment, you notice a section of the scree that looks almost like it might once have been… a path? Broken up by thousands of years of the natural movement of Alucar's crust, it would be invisible unless one knew to look for it. If your eyes are not deceiving you, it seems to lead off to the left, around the flank of the mountain.

 

You follow the trail as best you can, gradually rounding the peak. As you go, something is revealed in the pale blue skies that was previously hidden by the bulk of the mountain at your back. It might remind you of hunting the Ork vessel that crash landed on Alucar only a few weeks ago. A twisting column of thick, black smoke, stark against the blue, is rising into the sky.

 

Hurrying onwards, you clamber over a spur of talus that has tumbled down the mountain side, burying the path entirely. However, it does not matter that the route has been hidden once more, because the view from the top of the rock pile reveals your objective.

 

It is both a heartwarming and a terrible sight.

 

Nestled between two peaks, only a few miles away, you can suddenly see the grand, imposing structure of the Inquisition's great fortress… but the Bulwark is burning.

 

 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

“No mountain lions on Alucar IV, but watch out for the giant mountain sloth, it is said to be 'super' fast when pouncing on its prey”.

 

She examined the makeshift hook tool, testing it a few times against the cave entrance wall. It seemed to hold but she was still dubious.

 

During the decent and trek she instead concentrated on the path, avoiding the the lose scree and seeking the safe places to step. Even with the ones she could copy from the preceding einherjar she had to fine one or two steps for her own in between each of theirs.  

 

A sudden stop of those in front, made her look up.

 

“Helvíti!“ she cursed as the black pillars of smoke beaconed the Bulwark.

Edited May 2 by Trokair
some tiding and tinkering

[Lord_Ikka]

Moridyn

 

Flames and ashes. The Bulwark was burning. 

 

Treachery or an unrelated attack?

 

Thoughts flowed in Moridyn's mind but stilled as his training calmed and focused his humors. This was not yet the time for investigation or condemnation- this was the time to see if the attackers were still close enough to destroy.

 

The plasmagun whined as it charged up, the bright blue glow signaling the ready destruction within. The Star Phantom waited for the rest of the kill-team to bring their own emotions under control, until they were again the sharp spear-tip of the Emperor's Wrath. 

 

For the dead, so we shall extract vengeance upon the enemy.

[Urauloth]

Váfri

While the Xenos had been true to their oath, they had also left Lucifer Pack to dig their way out of a hole in the ground like rats, and Váfri's disposition was surly by the time they came upon the mountain path. The way the almost-hidden path opened up before them felt like Wyrd, like fate. He had no choice but to tread this path to its conclusion. As the broken path wound around the mountainside, he felt as though he was walking down a dragon's throat.

 

His Wolf-Helm caught traces of the smoke on the air before they saw it, and he knew it for what it was at once. Black fire-smoke. War-smoke. Morkai's breath. Gylthir was in his hands in a heartbeat, the dead eyes of the wolf skull on the weapon's housing tracking over the horizon as the Pack advanced.

 

It was the fortress. Of course. One of his hearts snarled with satisfaction at the sight; let the nest of Inquisitorial perfidy burn, was it not a fitting fate? The other drowned it out with the song of duty. Both called for revenge against the true enemy, a drumbeat pounding through his veins.

 

"Brothers."

 

He kept his voice measured, though his eagerness gave it an edge. He wanted to race ahead into the valley and run through the fires, catching the Bulwark's assailants by the throat with their hands still red.

 

"There were foes here. If we are fortunate, there may be foes here still. Let us hunt!"

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

All that transpired the last few days suddenly became irrelevant for Zidemi upon sighting the pillar of smoke. Whatever ill fate became the Bulwark, they had failed to prevent. The xeno’s aid was too little, too late.

 

“There were foes here,” Vafri addressed the Kill-Team with newfound exuberance. “If we are fortunate, there may be foes here still. Let us hunt!"

 

Indeed, the only thing left to gain was vengeance. 

 

And the only path was forward.

[Lysimachus]

Scene 32. Home Fires

 

Your final approach up towards the Inquisitorial Fortress, led by the keen senses and instincts of the Wolf and the Mantis Warrior, is perhaps somewhat slower than you might wish… but caution is wise.

 

Orochi was paid to steal something from this place, and it is clear that with most of the Bulwark’s fighting troops drawn away, still aboard the far-off Supremacy of Man, he has come to take it. However, he cannot know that you have been able to return far more quickly than any Imperial Navigator could believe possible.

 

With care you are able to climb close enough to see more details of what has happened here. There are relatively few signs of damage to the exterior of the fortifications, but from many of the windows, vents, and upper balconies, black smoke and flames still rise. Orochi has undoubtedly used Skaayn's authority to allow his forces to bypass the outer defences and attack the Adepts within. While there may be a few pockets of resistance continuing to make their final stand somewhere inside, it looks as though the battle is largely over.

 

The invaders are now working in teams, dragging the bodies of the fallen inhabitants out of the main gate and down the wide steps to the open ground before the walls. These lifeless cadavers are carelessly dumped atop a growing pile of corpses, perhaps intended for a great funeral pyre of loyal servants of the Holy Ordos. However, it is also clear that these Adepts of the Inquisition fought bravely and well. There are a sizable number of bodies being added to the heap that are self-evidently not part of the Bulwark’s complement.

 

Watching the enemy at their grisly task reveals much about who they are. Many seem to be mortal men - garbed in dirty, mismatched battle gear and armed in a similarly eclectic fashion - but amongst them are other, less human, figures. Abhumans, malformed beastmen as well as a few Ogryns, seem to be welcomed as part of the fighting force. A few small mobs of Xenos, hulking Orks and the birdlike Kroot, are likewise accepted, if without much affection. The truth is as plain as it is distasteful. These invaders are mercenaries, perhaps even ones recruited from the Bazaar itself before you ever arrived there.

 

There do not appear to be any real leaders amongst them, other than perhaps a few sergeants or lesser chiefs. That is until you notice a pair of figures standing just inside the open double doors of the main gate, watching over the scurrying workers. Half hidden in shadows, they are difficult to see, but their shape is still immediately recognisable. Astartes in power armour. One of the shapes vanishes, disappearing into the fortress. The other steps forward on the stairs to oversee the work, aiming a brutal kick at a scrawny mortal as he passes.

 

As he comes out into the morning light, you can see that this Astartes, a big, hulking beast, is garbed in somewhat similar fashion to each of you, in matt black warplate. However, he does not bear the silver of the Watch, nor indeed any iconography or sigils of any kind. His unmarked armour is such a mixture of pieces and designs that it could only be described as MkV, and a large ammo hopper atop his backpack feeds the heavy bolter he carries one-handed. He is undoubtedly not Skaayn, so it seems clear that Orochi has brought at least one of his traitorous brethren to Alucar.

 

 

OOC: Obviously you need to get inside, asap. In the interests of moving the plot along at a good pace, I'm not going to put us into Structured Time for this fight. Instead, we're going to try something else and open things up to handle it narratively.

 

So, please post your character's actions in an attack against the main gate. As mentioned, you are starting off hidden in the rocky slopes looking up at the Bulwark. There is a plateau of open ground ahead (maybe 20m across?) where the pile of bodies is being added to, then a wide set of stone steps that rise 5m to the tall double doors of the main gate. The lowest battlements are far, far above, the main wall of the keep is at least 100m high (even with a jump pack, too far to reach).

 

There are maybe 80ish enemies in your way - most of them are renegade dregs, plus a squad or 2 of xenos, with a few more dangerous individuals (the Astartes Gunner at the door, one or two Ogryns, maybe a handful of troops armed with more dangerous CC/special weapons) - but basically nothing that should be able to stop a whole squad of DW who have the element of surprise!

 

You don't have to worry about automated defences - someone inside shut them down (presumably to let the mercs in) and they haven't been switched back on yet.

 

Get to the gate however you wish. Feel free to kill your way through the opposition as you like. Basically it's first posted, first served, as far as choice of targets goes - you can then work off of each other's posts. Try to be reasonable with your personal tally of glorious victories (if we were rolling dice, could you actually take down both those Ogryns with one punch? ) and don't be too greedy - if you kill all 80 enemies yourself, what is everyone else going to do? On the other hand, don't be too self-deprecating about your murder skills either… it would be very weird if we got up to the door and all the bad guys were miraculously still standing!

 

Alternatively, if any of you want to preplan/collaborate on some of your tactics or kills, that's fine too - feel free to discuss/claim those targets in the OOC, again it's first come, first served.

 

Either way, you should end your posts having fought your way through and entering the Bulwark main entrance. Then for next week we can look at where you want to go inside the fortress.

 

While you will win this opening fight, it's not realistic to think you'll do so without a fair chance of taking some harm. Each player please roll d10-3*. This will be the number of Wounds your character suffers during the fight (and this may also help to inform some of the narrative of your posts).

 

*I'm assuming that Alda won't be going after the really big foes, so @Trokair can therefore roll d5-2.

 

 

As Mazer likes to say, questions and shouting in the OOC!

 

 

Edited September 5 by Lysimachus

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

He noticed the Inquisitorial agent - whom was certainly not a spy - move to ready herself for battle. Her instinct was good, her grit laudable, but he could not allow it.

 

For tactical reasons - of course.

 

Nothing else.

 

He put a hand out to bar her path, and looked down at her, shaking his head gently, the nose-cap of his Corvus helm describing the motion in an exaggeration before his casque righted to Váfri's eye-level.

 

+Kill Team Leader, should you agree, I will abide here and cover your advance.+

 

Spoiler

OOC: Blowing off the CSM HB's head when the Team wants...and not before. I just rolled for the hell of it, and wanted it here for posterity. I say this balances out all the bad rolls for being a Pointy-Eared Witch.

 

BaSk: 46 + 20 (FA) + 10 (Accurate) +10 (Elev) + 10 (Bolt Master) - 20 Called Shot = 76

D100: 24, PASS, Plus 5 DoS

Dam: 1D10 (2D10 Tearing) + 9 + 2 (BM) + (1D10 x 2 DoS = 2), Pen 8

Dam: 10, 5, 3, 4 (discard 3, Tearing) + (BaSk 006: RF Conf) = 10 + (BaSk 005: RF Conf) = 10, (BaSk 68: RF Conf) = 10 + 2

Total: 62, Pen 8 (Has to be aware of the Attack)

 

Azadth looked back down to Alda, tone softening into suggestion. +You are the Ordo, and this,+ he jerked his chin at the traitor and plethora of scum assembled about their despicable undertaking, +is Astartes business.+

 

He leaned in, his bulk suddenly immediate as his voice was firm. +You are the judgement of the Emperor. Name my target, and it shall die.+

 

OOC: Azadth will then spend time camouflaging his firing position and sighting up for the OOC above.

 

Edited September 5 by Mazer Rackham

[Lord_Ikka]

Moridyn

 

This is the battlefield he wanted. Enemies about and no need for deception or trickery. 

 

++Zidemi, we have the chaff.++

 

Moridyn put away the plasmagun, it's caged star fury not needed against these lesser foes. His assault shotgun and the flamer carried by Zidemi would work to bring down the bulk of the mercenaries. His more...aggressive brothers could fight the ogryn and other elites in close. 

 

++On your mark, squad leader.++

[A.T.]

Omoc

 

Of all that stood before them only a single figure drew Omocs gaze. The rest were of no concern, only the traitor.

[Trokair]

Alda

 

The Mantis again, she was beginning to think he was under special orders to look out for her.

 

+You are the judgement of the Emperor. Name my target, and it shall die.+

 

Now this, a test of some kind, it had to be. She might of the Ordo, but she held no authority to her name; and with Lord Kine indisposed, could not even claim to act on his. Furthermore , as he had just said, this was Astartes business.

 

Thinking quickly the answer seemed too obvious, but there was no time to analysis or second guess.

 

“Target in threat priority order, highest to lowest, so Orochi’s kin, the Ogryns, Uruks, and lastly Kroot and Human Mercenaries.”

 

Glancing up to see if that answer passed muster she added. “If one or two of the later could be taken alive they may have intelligence on what awaits us inside. The Kroot especially being mercenary in nature are the least like to have any deep loyalty to Orochi, and unlike Uruks and Ogryns they are still smart enough to be reasoned with.”

 

‘Or so the texts say’ she added only in her thoughts.    

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

With a satisfied roll of his shoulders, the Mantis Warrior took up position, the black paint of his armour smeared with soil and dust. He would be almost indistinguishable at this distance, where it all would come to an end.

 

Fitting. He began his journey in the mountains, and he would end it there. The symmetry gave him peace, cooling his warrior blood to the kill.

 

Then he began murdering to order.

 

Wounds: 1D10-3

D10: 5 -3 = 2

 

A stray round clipped nearby from the desperate fighting, the slug ricocheting into his wrist, but aside from the small bloodprice, he was undeterred, squeezing the firing stud to pop the head of the offender, in a spray of claret.

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

Prior to going through the tunnels and looking upon the Bulwark again he had returned to his shame.

 

Warplate as before, the Ork Jaw had been removed and his armour had been blackened.

 

He was a Blackshield once more.

 

 

His brothers in Lucifer attacked the foe with relish and zeal. Yet he...

 

A melancholia settled upon him. He did not speak, his brashness was subdued whilst he did assault the foe.

 

 

His head ached, itched from some hidden memory or quirk of geneseed.

 

It wasn't his leg, that didn't trouble him any longer. Maybe just a gestalt itch from an implant that had never been implanted?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7 by Machine God
Typo

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

“+On your mark, Squad Leader+”

 

Waiting for Vafri’s queue, Zidemi levelled his flamer into the compound and ignited the pilot flame.

 

+++

 

Streams of liquid fire rained down upon the traitorous guardsmen holding the left flank. A dozen renegades were engulfed by the initial bursts, panicking and scurrying about the compound as they reduced to charcoal. Many of their comrades debated whether to return fire or flee from the surprise onslaught, yet too slow to react to the follow-up of burning promethium from Zidemi’s flamer.

Across the compound, his battle-brothers were eradicating the other invaders in their own fashion. It was effortless work, for these were merely gatekeepers. Their true champions were bound to reside within the fortress. Including Orochi.

 

He was struck by several rounds from their autoguns, the lead slugs pinging against his ceramite plate. Zidemi was undeterred; none would stand between Lucifer and the imposter. 
 

None will deny them vengeance.

 

 

Spoiler

Wounds suffered, roll d10: 5 - 3 = 2 Wounds

 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

As the einherjar went about dismembering the invaders working at the gate a few of the enemy scattered for cover. Three of them towards Azadth and her position.

 

The first, a Uruk, armed with a crude pistol and a oversized cleaver, was caught in crossfire. She could not tell if it had been theirs or other enemies.

 

The second, a limber Kroot, upon realising that this position would not offer cover, leapt in with a might bound, rifle swinging so that the bladed end would have hit Alda. However and despite the suddenness of the leap she managed to raise her bolt pistol in time, but not in time to prevent the now deadweight of the xenos from crushing into her.

 

Scrambling to regain her feet again the third enemy closed in, a human mercenary this time, lasgun bayonet poised to spear her. Het pistol having been knocked from her hand by the Kroot Alda reached for the first weapon she could find, the Kroot’s rifle.

 

It felt weird in her hand, its grip and trigger not made for human hands, but the design was universal enough for her to fire the mechanism, and miss.

 

The mercenary however did not get to retaliate, for Azadth had noticed and his blade neatly trimmed head from body.

 

Now safe Alda properly extracted herself from the Xenos corpse and retrieved her bolt pistol from where it had fallen.  

 

 

Spoiler

Injury roll d5-2, d5: 9 becomes 5, -2 is 3 wounds taken.

 

[Lysimachus]

The Deathwatch assault tears through the unexpecting mercenary forces like an energised blade slicing through bare flesh. Perhaps the renegade Astartes gunner might have stiffened the resolve of the mortals around him… but he was the first to die, executed by the precision fire of a Stalker-pattern boltgun.

 

As you hurry up the steps towards the dark maw of the open gates, you might pause to investigate the body of your traitorous cousin. Even up close, there is nothing to indicate what Legion or Chapter he hailed from, all identifying marks having been ruthlessly removed. However, there are things about his equipment and weapons that you recognise. He was remarkably well equipped, and most of this gear is marked with the badge of the Watch. It appears that Orochi's followers have been making free with the stores of the Watchstation Armoury.

 

You enter through the wide doorway, passing under the carven stone crest displaying the =][= of the Inquisition, and on into the firelit, smoky interior.

 

 

OOC: If you still have posts from the fight, feel free to put them in.

 

You may remember that the layout of the Bulwark could be compared to that of a tree and its roots. The above-ground fortress itself is like the trunk, and then beneath the surface the various sections and chambers spread out into the surrounding area and down into the depths.

 

Above leads to staterooms and personal quarters of important residents and guests, and also hangar bays, etc (the Iron Sabre Stormeagle isn't here, remember, it's back on the Supremacy). Right at the top there are ramparts, guard posts and anti-air weapons batteries, etc.

 

Probably somewhere around ground level is the motor pool (where you got the Land Speeder and Bikes for your mission against Grubgob's Orks)

 

Going further down into the ground would lead to various areas - the barracks of the Alucar Storm Trooper platoons (empty, as these are also back on the Supremacy), the kitchens and other service areas.

 

Also there is the sizable part of the Bulwark that serves as your own Watchstation, with its Strategium, Armoury, Apothecarion, training rooms and personal cells, all spread over several levels and chambers within the rock.

 

Below that are more sections given over to the various Inquisitorial factions, and the Chem lab run by the AdMech, and at the lowest level the place where you were stopped by the Grey Knight Aednan.

 

So, where do you want to go?

 

 

 

[Necronaut]

Gerhardt

 

The Templar’s pulse quickened as they neared the billowing plume of black smoke climbing into Alucar IV’s cloud-choked sky, knowing all too well what it meant. Sure enough, as they crested a final ridge, the crimes that had befallen the Bulwark were laid clear to them, and his grip tightened about Drachenhauer’s hilt with insane fury.

 

+Heretics! Mutants!+ he growled in abhorrent disgust over the squad vox. +Cut them down! CUT THEM ALL DOWN! PURGE! BURN!+

 

Without waiting for orders from Brother-Sergeant Vafri, Gerhardt sprinted past the others and leaped from the bluff overlooking the Bulwark, crashing down amongst the heaving mass of blasphemous flesh like a black meteor.

 

“DIE, HERETICS!”

 

He laid about the surprised and misshapen mutants with great, hewing strikes sending dismembered corpses flying and gouts of diseased blood spraying in brilliant crimson sheets. The Templar was dimly aware of streams of scouring flame spewing out over the living and dead monstrosities alike, turning the killing field into a smoldering abattoir, but the Emperor demanded he continue to ply his bloody trade.

 

The mutant scum responded in kind, clawing at his war-plate, and shooting and stabbing him, but he paid the wounds no mind. They were insect stings, nothing more. The Reaper had come for them.

 

Gerhardt continued his brutal slaughter of the mutants and any xenos mercenaries within reach of his blade unabated until the din of battle ceased and he found himself with Drachenhauer buried in the chest of a particularly confused ork which wheezed out blood and phlegm and keeled over dead shortly thereafter.

 

He pulled his sword free and stalked over to join the others before the Bulwark’s gates, which yawned wide and menacingly. He took a moment to examine the dead renegade astartes, noting how Azadth's bolt round and blown his head off in a spectacularly gory fashion, leaving naught but the shattered lower half of his cranium which was held together by the remains of his helm, like some macabre chalice filled with blood and brains and bone.

 

“Thus to traitors. These bastards must be stopped before they reach the lowest dungeons."

 

 

 

Wounds taken:

8 (d10) - 3 = 5

Edited September 16 by Necronaut
Edited Gerhardt's remarks

[Lysimachus]

Scene 33. A Narrow Thread of Silver.

 

Your armoured feet carry you into the rock of Alucar IV, through the twisting tunnels and down steep, narrow staircases hewn into the stone. There are many elevators, but these are currently… unreliable. The lumens flicker in and out, faltering intermittently as emergency power generators within the Bulwark struggle to compensate.

 

There are few enemies to be found during your descent, though you may hear sounds of battle continuing as you pass by the access routes to chambers still held by Ordo forces. But there is no time to assist the loyalists. You know that Orochi wanted something here, and logic tells you that it must be whatever Brother Aednan was assigned to guard. The vaunted Grey Knights, seemingly as rare among the Astartes as the Astartes are among mortal men, would not have one of their brethren placed here unless their task or duty was of utmost importance.

 

You enter the dark, narrowing tunnel where Omoc, Bekkar and Moridyn have each previously encountered the Grey Knight. It is not so lightless as it was on your earlier visits. Several things laid out on the ground burn fitfully, both actual flames as well as the energised blades of power weapons, casting light onto other shapes laid out across the cavern floor. At their center is a taller shape, red firelight and cold electrum reflecting on silver.

 

Aednan's Terminator-plate rests on one knee on the rocky ground, head down, perfectly motionless, as though in prayer or genuflection. As you draw closer, you can see that the mounds surrounding him are bodies, all clad in matte black power armour. There are perhaps a dozen fallen enemies, though a greater number of body parts makes it difficult to be accurate. Some were cut down by a torrent of bolter fire, others neatly sliced apart. Two traitors that now burn, flames licking up from armour joints as the meat within is consumed, seem to have spontaneously combusted even as they approached the psychic warrior. It is an awe-inspiring display of combat prowess, ending Astartes lives as though they were nothing.

 

However, it was not without great cost. The silver artificer wargear has suffered massive damage from bolt, blade and grenade, great rents torn open all across Aednan's body. The last two of the renegade Marines were clearly equipped with power weapons. One, an axeman, took the Grey Knights arm off at the elbow before being decapitated in turn. The final traitor, now slumped right beside his foe with Aednan's long spear standing tall through his armour, has left both of a matched pair of still-fizzing swords buried deep in the chest and abdomen of the scion of Titan. Brother Aednan's hand has reached out to grip the shaft of his spear, as though it is all that is holding his monstrous weight upright.

 

The tableau before you is utterly still, like a painting composed many centuries ago, but in reality can only have been created a matter of minutes ago.

 

Aednan does not look up as you approach.

 

 

Edited September 19 by Lysimachus