Deathwatch: Murderers in Black (IC Thread)

[Urauloth]

Váfri

 

Riding a gunship down into a planet's atmosphere was one of his greatest joys in life. If ascending in the Storm Eagle had been thrilling, if was altogether more entertaining to descend. A trio of the Kill-team's brothers left the Sabre to make planetfall under their own power, and he trusted their skills and the spirits of their suits to see them to the ground.

 

When Bekkar brought the gunship down, Váfri was the first out into the swirling dust. Azadth had said there were visibility problems, and now he was experiencing them firsthand. The downdraft of the Sabre's engines had stirred the dust into a tempest. It was fortunate that they didn't have far to go to reach the door to the command centre.

 

"We can't see much here either, brother," he voxed back, "at least not until the ship is clear. I hope it's settling on your end."

 

After the Sabre had roared back into the sky, visibility improved. Zidemi got the outer doors open swiftly, and the team swept through the antechamber and forced open the door to the command centre. Váfri advanced into the chamber, panning Gylthir's muzzle around as he took in the sight of the scattered dust and broken windows.

 

While Alda and Zidemi attempted to wake the machine-spirit of one of the logic engines, he looked over the damage in the command centre. Energy weapons, certainly. Heavy las? It looked nasty, and some of the equipment was severely burned. It didn't look like it could disintegrate a man, though. He'd seen plenty of high-yield energy weapon kills, and they always left something behind; eschar, burnt bones, and a stink that you could smell for miles.

 

"If the defenders are dead, where are their remains?"

 

They were all wondering it, he was fairly certain. He was just the first to say it out loud.

 

Holding his weapon one handed, he reached up, unlocked his collar seals with a faint hiss of air, and removed his helm. The acrid reek of burned machine-guts assailed his senses immediately. If there were any other scents of significance, it would take a moment for them to filter through.

 

 

 

OOC: I'm assuming there isn't a stink of charred flesh in the building, but I want to make a heightened senses roll on the offchance there's anything more than scorched machinery and dust.

I rolled a 76, but Mazer reminded me that Wolf Senses gives me a reroll, which got me a 29.
Per 44 + 10 (Heightened Senses) makes that a pass with 2 DoS.

Edited July 28 by Urauloth

[A.T.]

Omoc

 

The command post served as good a place as any to survey the area, elevated and defensible despite the failure of its defenders. As the others looked towards the cogitator banks Omoc cast his eyes up and down across the structure of the room seeking impact points, weapons fire had originated outside and study of the blasts would reveal the point of origin.

[Lysimachus]

Alda/Zidemi: With the influx of power from Zidemi's internal generators, the screen flares back to normal brightness. After several minutes of searching through datafiles, a picture of the normal running of this research outpost emerges. Reports and logs regarding geological surveys, amounts of material mined, lists of minerals found and percentages retrieved during processing, and estimates of costs to accomplish full harvesting on a planetary scale, the records go on and on and on.

 

It all ends without warning. Examination of the binharic routines and programming beneath the file system reveals a multitude of cascade failures within the facility's systems, error codes and sudden physical disconnections between linked cogitators, until power is totally lost and thus begins a gradual shutdown that continues until all of the reserves are fully drained. All of these failures, from start to finish, occur within a matter of hours. Further, the recorded timing of these events matches closely with the astropathic time stamp attached to the original message that was received at Alucar IV and sent your predecessors racing towards Dorghra VII.

 

OOC: Omoc's Awareness in armour is 99, so I’m not going to bother asking for a roll… 

 

Omoc: To the eye of a trained heavy weapon specialist, it is easy to pick out the patterns in the torrent of firepower that riddled this chamber. The blasts originated from outside the circle of windows, and were fired at a largely horizontal angle. Though all the shots were fired at approximately the same height, the point of origin changes, moving from point to point along the length of the windows. The logical implication is that the attackers were firing from at least one hovering weapon platform that swept back and forth along the length of the curving windows.

 

Vafri: The most obvious smell is that of the air of Dorghra itself, dry and hot. Undoubtedly whatever happened here would have resulted in very strong odours - scorched metal and burning plastek - but now only the barest hint remains. Likewise there is a very faint scent of ionized particles, the aftereffects of laser weapons discharge. Lastly, faintest of all, there is the familiar smell of blood and bone, but it is oddly faded and dispersed… as though the entire room had been lightly misted with tiny molecules of bodily matter.

 

All: When you put all of the evidence together, one thing is very clear. Whatever happened at Dorghra VII, it happened with appalling speed.

 

[Necronaut]

Gerhardt

 

No bodies in the command centre, no dessicated corpses without, no bones hidden beneath the sands. What did it all mean? Gerhardt stalked through the mining encampment searching for any trace of its former inhabitants or its murderers, making sure to stay within eyesight of Asterius as they picked amongst wreckage and detritus.

 

The newly crafted weapon chain, forged and given to him by Brother Zidemi, clanked comfortingly along with the other he had been sent with by the Forgemaster. It was a fine gift, a kingly gift, and it seemed to radiate a power all its own. It was a true symbol of zeal: the Crusader's Cross framed by an ever-burning flame. As he meditated upon the totem, he reasoned it might also be interpreted as being symbolic of the newfound brotherhood between the Salamander and the Templar. 

 

Gerhardt found himself somewhat envious of the techmarine and his skill at artifice: Gerhardt was a weapon made flesh, his only purpose to seek out and destroy – the only things that would truly outlast him would be his genetic legacy, and a record of his battle-honours. An artificer, however, could craft a blade that might last for many generations, an heirloom to be passed down through the ages. Being no skilled artisan himself, Gerhardt’s only hope at a lasting impact in the galaxy was the utter eradication of his foes. And no matter how many heretics or aliens he slew, there were always more, more, more, more, more…

 

+I have seen xenos consuming the corpses of the Emperor's servants, glutting themselves like swine at the trough from great charnel pits. Perhaps this is a particularly insidious and voracious breed of alien, and the inhabitants were hauled away for consumption elsewhere?+

 

He continued to search the sands, looking for any tracks or shell casings or any of the tell-tale markers of resistance offered or a battle joined, or of a hasty retreat following a slaughter, but nothing availed itself to him.

 

 

Tracking Test?

Int38 + 0 = 38
D100: 77; 3 DoF

 

Edited July 29 by Necronaut
Formatting

[Lysimachus]

Gerhardt: You see no signs of spent ammunition, or of tracks. Such small treasures would have been hidden or wiped away entirely by several weeks of the movement of the wind and sand, regardless of how well sheltered the canyon is.

 

A few moments after you speak, there is a sudden crackle as your squad vox picks up a transmission from orbit, relayed through the signal boosters aboard the Iron Sabre.

 

+++You that eager to get into those caverns, Templar?+++

 

You can almost hear the gruff smile in Aarval Skaayn's voice… but he is quite correct. All kinds of predators use caves as their larders.

 

Then his tone flattens, becoming more businesslike.

 

+++Lucifer, report. What have you found? Is the LZ secure?+++

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

The call was addressed to the whole Kill Team, but Hetman-Váfri was empowered to speak, not he. Besides, if the Wolf barked loudly enough, maybe he'd draw out the lurking shadows.

 

To be fair, Azadth couldn't answer Agha Skaayn's question - he wasn't sure where the others had looked...wait.

 

Movement.

 

There was a scuff of something behind the rocky chimney overlooked the east road. He sighted up on it, slowed his breathing even as his senses opened up. Tunnel vision down a sight was a terrible sin. The intruder was fast, flighty. It shifted downhill - cleverly inconsistent. Was the erratic movement for him? Did the intruder know he was lurking here? It kept behind the rocks, melding cover and concealment. It was a dun colour, hard to spot for mortal eyes against the heat shimmer and sand. Only the shadow of its passing betrayed the presence.

 

It approached a gap in the cover.

 

Muscle tensed, acrid kill-urge sprang into his mouth, made it wet.

 

So, death comes...

 

His finger found the trigger, ready to blow the thing apart - and it gave him the chance as it sprang into view! Reckless! The fool was-

 

-a toss of dust and grit, the spawn of a baked twist of tumbleweed bouncing playfully along the scarp.

 

Laughing softly at himself, Azadth swallowed the tangy bile. Returning to his observations, he continued watching out of the corner of his eye, as the ball rolled up a slope under momentum and catapulted into the arid sky gaining impressive distance, before falling toward Gerhardt's restless figure with a sedate, but ungraceful dive.

 

He couldn't help himself.

 

+Gerhardt, catch.+

Edited July 30 by Mazer Rackham

[Necronaut]

Gerhardt

 

Gerhardt whipped around, briefly noting Azadth’s relative position on his tactical display when the cartwheeling tumbleweed caught his eye halfway through its haphazard transit down the nearby escarpment. Taking a few steps towards it, the Templar raised his sword and speared the wayward traveler on the end of his blade.

 

Such japery at a time as this…?

 

But, perhaps as a by-product of the other warrior beginning to rub off on him, or perhaps because there was something in his nature which ground against the usually stolid and stoic Templar demeanour, or maybe because he was otherwise broken in some fundamental way, Gerhardt found he couldn't help himself either.

 

+Is this your moulting, Mantis Warrior? If this is a regular occurrence from chapters with insects as their totem, am I to expect a similar performance from Brother Omoc before the end of this expedition?+

Edited July 31 by Necronaut
Cleaned up dialogue contribution

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

He grinned, affected a slight sneer.

 

+First shed of the day, be grateful you are upwind. Besides, a Scorpion is an Arachasae, Knight. Check your boots in the morning - a favoured haunt for...skins.+

 

Azadth let a gentle chuckle down the line before returning to something resembling sanguine.

 

+Do any of these buildings have cellars? Are there communication tunnels below?+

[Lysimachus]

Scene 11. By the Numbers

 

Another voice answers Azadth from orbit; erudite, coldly self-important and slightly peevish.

 

+++There is nothing of that sort shown on the Mechanicus’ plans of this facility. I am glad your warriors have time for such jocularity, Skaayn. I assume it means their task is complete. We will begin full deployment immediately. Kill-Team Lucifer, you will move on to investigate the cave system.+++

 

+++Belay that.+++ Skaayn disagrees firmly. +++Apologies, Lord Inquisitor, but such military matters are my responsibility. Lucifer will wait until we have a solid defensive position to advance from. However, I understand you want to get your investigator teams planetside as soon as possible, so we can begin deployment in the next few minutes. I'll be in the first dropship with the Stormtroopers. Once we're down and they have a full perimeter in place, you can bring down your Ordo specialists, and we Astartes will start to scout out the cave system. Lucifer: hold your position until I join you. Skaayn out.+++

 

The Watch-Captain cuts the voxlink, ending any further argument… at least as far as you can hear. However, the Raptor keeps to his word. Over the next hour, the Inquisitorial vessels in orbit disgorge their shuttlecraft, starting to bring the Inquisition's mortal servants to the surface.

 

First are two full platoons of the Alucari Stormtroopers. They wear dark red fatigues and grey-black body armour, and carry overcharged lasguns and a multitude of special weapons. In any other company besides bolter-armed Adeptus Astartes, they would be considered exceptionally well equipped. On landing, more than one hundred of these soldiers - supported by a trio of Tauros Venator ATVs - spread out around the outpost, creating a protective cordon around the LZ with commendable speed and efficiency. While their uniform does not blend perfectly into the Dorghran environment, at least it does not stick out like a Blood Angel in a snowfield.

 

With them comes Watch-Captain Skaayn, his power armoured bulk immediately visible amongst the disembarking mortal warriors. He gives a few concise orders to the platoon commanders, then moves to join the Kill-Team.

 

“These boys aren't bad, they should be set in a few minutes. Then, assuming we don't have any better intel, we’ll move forward into that hellpit.”

 

He nods towards the cave entrance - huge and utterly black and deeply ominous. Then he hawks and spits contemptuously on the ground and looks back at you with a grin.

 

“Any suggestions?”

 

 

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

"Lucifer, report. What have you found? Is the LZ secure?" Skaayn inquired over vox-link.

 

Zidemi groaned from the ache deep in his spine, eminating from his cyber-mantle. The potentia coil had been sustaining the machine spirit as Ulfurbur and he sifted through the binharic data presented by the cogitator. It was consistent with what was known thus far and it was concerning how quickly the outpost fell, but nothing new was learnt about the specific threat they faced.

 

After the other members 'contributed' to the vox discussion, Zidemi chimed in: "My Lord, we have secured the Command Centre. Cogitator data was recovered about the cavern system. The site logs indicate the site was overwhelmed within a matter of hours, prior to the first arrival of Lucifer. There are no signs of the facility crew or their assailants."

 

"Ulfurbur, I recall you requisitioning a cartograph?" Zidemi asked the agent, who promptly handed over the device. He exloaded the cogitator data before handng the cartograph back to her, and then disconnected his electro-graft. The display screen reacted with violent flickering until it went black, showing only a reflection of himself and the scorched control room.

 

Zidemi reverently bowed his head and formed the cog with his hands.

 

Spoiler

I assume Ulfurbur has no objections to this...

 

+++

 

“Any suggestions?”, Skaayn implored to the Kill-Team.

 

Zidemi holstered his bolter, and readied his auspex. "The survey of the caverns showed a winding and narrowing tunnel that runs for at least seven hundred metres, before opening to a nexus of paths.  A cautious approach is warranted: there may be some points where only one Astartes can pass through at a time."

 

He paused briefly. "It is also at this 'Hub' where our late brothers were ambushed."

 

[Lysimachus]

The Raptor frowns, but nods in agreement.

 

“‘A cautious approach’ sounds smart to me, Brother Salamander. What do you say, Lucifer? If the Mantis Warrior is willing to assist me, I think between us we can lead the rest of you in quietly enough?”

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

"Slowly and stealthily like Scouts in our younger days, by the numbers!"

 

 

 

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

He considered Asterius' advice - there was a lot to be gained by it.

 

+You honour me, Agha Skaayn, but perhaps the Honoured Firstborn, Zidemi, or Brother Omoc should examine how sound these tunnels are, first.+

 

It wouldn't do to walk into an ambush, or to suffer a rockfall which killed them all.

 

Edited August 5 by Mazer Rackham

[Mike Zulu]

 

Zidemi:

 

“Indeed, I shall lead and assess the way forward. I would still suggest Asterius join me at the front, as he would be the only one of us familiar with the cavern system.”

 

Zidemi raised his auspex, proceeding to run a suite of calibration checks across multiple spectra.

 

“An auspex can only illuminate so much.”

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

+I will attend you, Honoured Firstborn. I will be your shadow and lay our trail should we require re-inforcement.+

 

Or revenge, he thought.

 

He stood, scads of rusty orange grit shedding. He hooked the drop harness to manual braking he could control. Slinging his weapons about him, leaned over the precipice, facing the ground, preparing for the rapid and dangerous descend afforded by Australis Rappel. An ancient technique prized by the Men In Green, it was fast, allowed firing on targets below - and also exhilarating.

 

He let go, running down the side of the mountain, bouncing up to clear bollards and outcrops, the wire spooling through his palms, short sparks bursting from the heavy-duty lockblock on his harness, the tick staps girding his waist, loins and lower spine.

 

The crunch, flex, punch of descent terminated abruptly as he levelled and slowed.

 

The slack let him fall the last few feet as he pivoted. He thumped down into sand and shale, unlocking the line, and snapping on another reel. The line could be reclimbed if necessary.

 

Azadth stood, awaiting the advance party, drawing his rifle to the ready.

 

OOC GM: Can we steal stalker flares from the Inquisitor Stormtroops? If not, they're 8 Req if we have any lurking...

Edited August 6 by Mazer Rackham

[Lysimachus]

Skaayn nods again, then pauses, frowning thoughtfully at the Techmarine's heavy armour and bulky servo arm. Finally he speaks.

 

“Fair points, lads… very well. You can scout the path between you, and Brother Asterius can join you up front and keep an eye open for any changes since the last time he was here. Take your time, let's do this right.”

 

“Brother Omoc and I will be just behind you - I want that beast…,” he gestures towards the mighty lascannon carried by the Devastator, “...not too far from the front of our file in case we need its firepower deployed quickly. Then Sergeant Vafri and Brothers Gerhardt and Moridyn in the centre, and Apothecary Amaras and Brother Bekkar will have the rearguard.”

 

He pauses again.

 

“Adept Ulfurbur, if this proves to be as nasty a combat situation as our predecessors faced, my Astartes may not have time to worry about your protection? You’re very welcome to join us, but I also won’t argue if you'd prefer to work along with the Ordo investigators out here?”

 

He waits a moment longer to see if anyone has any other advice, then grins tightly and rechecks the ammo boxes on his artificer bolt rifle.

 

“Well then, what are we waiting for?”

 

 

OOC: Ok, if no-one has any objections to Skaayn's order of advance, we can move on into the caves. In preparation for Friday's update, could Azadth please roll a Silent Move test to act as pathfinder and (if reasonably successful) will be able to lead the team along quietly. Zidemi (or anyone else for that matter!) can roll Awareness (and/or Tech-Use for the auspex in Zidemi's case) if they wish to try to spot anything about the shaft that isn't right or is out of the ordinary.

 

Re: Req, we still have 22 unspent... at this point, rather than waste it, I'll allow anyone who wants something extra (ideally, something of benefit to the whole team, which Stalker Flares seem like they might?) to add it to the Req sheet.

 

 

 

Edited August 12 by Lysimachus

[Trokair]

Alda

 

“Thank you for your concern Jarl Skaayn, but I’ll go where they go. I am well aware that if things turn volatile that I will be on my own, liable to return on my shield even if all of you walk out of here with your shield.”  

 

The words were braver then she felt. Knowing that she would not be able to hide any such failings  from the einherjar she hoped that they would at least understand, after all they once where mortals too, before the anointing and rebirth as Angles of Death.

 

[Ancient_Sobek]

Bekkar

 

Bek admired Alda’s courage.

 

”Follow behind me and my shield will protect you.” He made the void sign of the unwavering duty as he spoke. He turned and nodded to the Apothecary as he did a last minute check of his gear.

 

 

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

Zidemi nodded in agreement. "A wise tactic, Brother Azadth. Let us forge a path forward."

 

As further directives were given by the Watch-Captain, Zidemi continued to configure his auspex. Without the knowledge of the threat they faced, he would have to cast the proveribal wide net.

 

+++

 

“Understanding is the true path of comprehension…” Zidemi chanted softly upon approaching the omnious opening of the cavern, with Azadth and Asterius beside him. With his electro-graft plugged in, he ran his first scan of the entrance. The auspex began with displaying geological data for the cavern: rich in hematite, phyllosilicates and olivine.

 

“Much like holy Mars."

 

Zidemi will use his Auspex to scan the cavern.

 

Spoiler

Tech-Use Test → Int: 50 (Trained) + 3 (Trapping) + 20 (Implants) + 0 = 73 required

Roll → D100: 20 = Pass, 5DoS

 

Pending what the Auspex and the DoS's permit revealed, I would like to know (from highest to lowest):

• Biological or technological signatures present
• Cavern formation and stability
• Air composition within the cavern

 

[A.T.]

Omoc

 

Hovering weapons platforms... the weapon blasts were unlike those of the xenos raiders and pirates that had been recorded in more frequent attacks but the Imperium bordered on many less known worlds whose inhabitants had been known to stray tempting or unknowing of the wrath of man.

 

Though the work of the mechanicus or the heretek could not be ruled out, certainly if there were any who knew where to strike such an outpost and wield weapons of threat to an astartes it would be a scion of Mars....

 

“Much like holy Mars."

 

A statement of observation or fancy?

 

Awareness roll 66 vs target 99 - pass, 3 extra DoS

Edited August 8 by A.T.

[Lysimachus]

OOC: Ok, so I will try to include the responses to the various tests in the next bit of narrative. Technically the range of the auspex is only 50m, meaning you can only ‘see’ a relatively short way in. However, what I will do is allow the 5DoS to count as an ongoing success, meaning that as you progress into the tunnels you are able to test as you go?

 

 

 

Scene 12. Into the Dark

 

Zidemi's initial technical assessment of the outer cavern produces no results that might give reason to halt your advance, so Skaayn nods for the Kill-Team to proceed inwards.

 

The total darkness of the tunnel means little to servants of the technologically advanced Deathwatch. The infra-red light created by the stalker flares dropped by Azadth is invisible to the naked eye, but it provides clear illumination for the autosenses of your helms and googles.

 

The path has also been made more easily navigable through the initial work done by the Explorators. With typical efficiency, the Mechanicus have smoothed the cavern floor in places, removed larger obstacles, and even cut rough steps into the rock where there are sudden changes of elevation. Though the shaft narrows in many places, such sections have been artificially widened and additional support beams added so that at no point is your bulk impeded.

 

It is therefore a surprisingly simple task to cover the seven hundred metres to reach the Hub, taking little more than twenty minutes even at the cautious pace set by Zidemi as he pauses at regular intervals to scan the next section.

 

Air quality throughout the subterranean system is best described as ‘stale’, with gradually decreasing levels of oxygen and a very slight build up of other natural gases. However, at no point does it become a cause for concern for human breathing requirements, and certainly not for Astartes - even without the advantages of sealed power armour.

 

There are no signs of biological life being currently present within the primary tunnel, though there are small suggestions that Dorghran fauna species may have used the caves in the past. For example, you occasionally see smooth round holes in the rock faces, indicative of sort of earthboring species, but these are far too small for a person to travel through. There is a very slight rise of ambient temperature as you move closer to the central Hub.

 

As you go, you might also notice a pair of cables running along the ceiling of the tunnel. At every five metres or so there is a lumen and a small vox relay box, though both are totally unpowered. Whether this is due to the loss of power across the entire outpost, or to some disconnect in the electrical circuit somewhere further within the cave, is unclear.

 

You can all sense the change in the air as you approach the great cavern, a feeling of open space relieving the enclosed conditions of the tunnel. As you emerge, you can see in the infra-red light that the space is just as the Mechanicus’ reports suggested - a wide, broadly circular cavern perhaps sixty metres in diameter, with a domed ceiling that rises to around eight stories tall at its centre. All around the walls, there are shelves and steps in the rock, and many more tunnels exit the chamber from both floor and shelf levels. The floor is relatively flat, except for a few pillar-like rock formations that rise all the way to the ceiling and a huge, single mound of rock near the centre of the cavern.

 

Oddly, this central mound did not appear on any of the Mechanicus maps or surveys?

 

 

 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

As Lucifer spread out to cover the entire Hub cavern Alda slowly approached the central mound until she was perhaps a good 15m from it. Activating the pict capture she begun recording the mound, cycling through the different filter options in case any of them revealed more. Keeping the distance constant she begun walk clockwise around the mound.

 

Spoiler

Not sure what test if any are relevant here, so did a Tech-Use and a Perception.  

 

Tech-Use for pict capture, magnification and filters of Auto-Sense Goggles

Int:48 + 10 Tech-Use +10) =58

D100: 56, Pass, 0 DoS

 

Visual Perception

Per:48 +20 (preysight from Goggles)= 68

D100:  13, Pass, 5 DoS

 

[Lysimachus]

Alda: All is still and utterly silent. Then, you step out into the Hub and the sound of your booted feet echoes around the mound. Even as you begin your inspection, there is another sound. A whispering movement of air. A hiss…?

 

The sound is coming from inside the mound. No... not inside? The entire mound shudders, as though it is about to break apart… then the whole thing moves.

 

 

Gentlemen, your Initiatives please.

 

(Aarval Skaayn: Ag5+1 +1d10(7) = 13)

 

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

The Techmarine lead the Kill-Team deeper into the cavern, occassional waving his free hand forward as assurance but never needing to signal otherwise. 

The expedition was uneventful in terms of activity or potential hazards.

 

Zidemi found himself enthralled in the geological data he had collected. The deposition was uncannily similar to the underground mines and passages of Mars. The auspex also detected an abundance of lanthanide minerals engrained in the rock, likely the reason of the Mechanicus’ interest in the site. Ores of metals required for maglev and cogitator technology were too vital to ignore.

 

As they entered the larger cavern, the Kill-Team dispersed to secure the space. Zidemi immediately spotted the irregular mound in the centre of the opening. It did not match the survey data, but could have easily been an error or material that had fallen from the ceiling in the last couple of months. Ulfurbur approached the mound in the centre, seemingly as curious as he was.

 

Zidemi had barely a moment to configure his auspex for closer inspection when the mound began to move. His warrior instincts took over. He sleeved his auspex, tolerating the unpleasant quick disconnect of his implant, and reached for his weapon.

 

“Ulfurbur, get back!”
 

Zidemi rolls Initative

 

Spoiler

Initiative → d10: 4 + 4 (AgB) = 8

 

 

Edited August 12 by Mike Zulu
Placeholder filled

[Urauloth]

Váfri

 

As the pack marched down into the tunnel in formation, Váfri reflected on how little he liked being underground. The lightless realms beneath the soil were the domain of the dead, and of those who sat in judgement over the dead. Being under the surface of a world felt unnatural to him in a way that even the void never could. He had no fear of the deep places, but he would always feel like an interloper here, like a carrion bird come to pick at the kill of a hunting beast.

 

He was impressed that Alda chose to accompany them. "I think you'll do well, Ulfabur," he told her as they formed up.

 

From the centre of the formation he could see little of the tunnel as they marched, though what his helm's infrasight showed him was unimpressive. Whatever creatures had once bored holes in the rock appeared to be absent now, and from the size of the holes they left he doubted they would have made for good hunting. None of the tech affixed to the tunnel roof seemed to be working - he might have asked Zidemi about that, but he had no wish to distract the Salamander while he was on point.

 

When the tunnel eventually widened out into the cavern the report had led them to expect, Váfri immediately saw a problem.

He did briefly register the presence of a pile of rock in the centre of the cavern, but his attention was captured by the fact that there were multiple tunnels leading out of the chamber at a variety of heights, quickly swallowed up by shadow once they were out of the flare's unlight. Immediately he imagined a hidden enemy lurking in the throat of every tunnel, waiting to catch them in a blizzard of crossfire as they fanned out into the cavern.

Raising Gylthir, he started towards the nearest tunnel mouth.

 

"We need to secure these as fast as-"

 

He was partway towards the tunnel when he heard the hissing sound, and realised the threat might already be in the chamber with them.

Behind him...

 

Initiative: 1D10 roll: 1 (lmao) +4 AG = 5

Edited August 10 by Urauloth