Deathwatch: Murderers in Black (IC Thread)

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

++Apothecary, if you please++

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 27 by Machine God
Missed the GM's post.

[Necronaut]

Gerhardt

 

Gerhardt maglocked his boltgun to his leg plate and produced a strip of cloth from a belt pouch with which he wiped down the length of Drachenhauer, removing any clinging viscera or ichor which the power field had failed to burn off. Satisfied, he hopped down from the ledge and walked over to the corpse of the enormous xenos.

 

+A fine kill, Scorpion,+ he said, saluting the devastator.

 

He looked around at the dimly lit cavern, noting the numerous boreholes that honeycombed the living rock. There was no telling how many of those things could be lurking in here. He felt compelled to seek out and eradicate the lot of them, but then what of the other xenos that required destruction? And the next? And the next? And so on? And what of those who had laid the previous Kill-Team Lucifer low?

 

There was never enough time. By the Emperor there was never enough time to purge the xenos menace.

 

+Brother-Sergeant, with your leave I will start sweeping these side tunnels for any more xenos in need of extermination.+

[A.T.]

Omoc

 

"We have succeeded only in alerting the true threat here to our presence, and should be wary of more challenging an ambush. Haste and a scouting vanguard would be prudent."

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

He dragged the nearest insectile corpse towards the ledge, before launching its body into the centre of the hollow. It jumped and sprang, compressing and tumbling in a clatter as it rolled to a dusty stop. He picked up the severed head and pushed his armoured gauntlet into the mangled mandibles.

 

+Keep your helm on, Gerhardt,+ the jaws waggled to Azadth's dance before he drop-kicked the head to join the body. +Some broods flood the air with noxious spores to overpower prey.+

 

Omoc spoke true. The Scorpion was sanguine after his kill, and well adjusted. Azadth nodded appreciatively, before handing Gerhardt a handful of stalker flares.

 

+He is right. Take some of these so we can pull you out of the hole you find.+

 

He marched over to another corpse to begin the cleanup, ramming his Khukurai into each of the vermin's mouths to defang them.

 

+Not dead enough,+ he growled, low and spiteful.

 

Edited August 28 by Mazer Rackham
Omoc.

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

++Obviously that is not what Lucifer encountered last time.++

 

 

 

 

 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

Poking the dead juvenile at her feet cautiously Alda, once satisfied that it was truly dead, took a few samples, enough bio matter for genetic analysis, some of the venom for further study and some of the hardened outer chitin, it had proven quit effective as a natural armour. No doubt back at the Bulwark, or one of the other Orders outpost there would a eager Xenobiologist. Moving over to the adult she repeated the sample taking.

 

Only then did she seek the aid of the Apothecary, to clean out to wound and at least apply a field dressing to deal with the worst of it.      

[Urauloth]

Váfri
 

By the time Váfri had made sure his prey was dead, the rest of the pack had brought down the others. He cycled the chainblade to clear ichor out of its teeth, then sheathed his weapons and hefted the slain creature to haul it to where the carcasses were being disposed of.

 

"Aye, Templar" he said to Gerhardt in reply. "We should make sure there's nothing lurking in these tunnels."

Although his sudden grin was hidden by his helmet, a note of mirth seeped into his tone. "As I was saying, right before these worms interrupted us."

 

There could, he supposed, be hundreds of the scuttling things down here. If so, fighting them all would probably be a waste of time, however much he might like the idea. Hadn't the Martian priests set up some device to keep them out? Maybe if Zidemi could get the power back on, they could restore it.

 

As he dumped the alien carcass, he said to Azadth: "Having seen the inside of these things, brother, I won't be eating any. How many of those flares do you have? Pass me one, and I'll take a look at one of these tunnels."

[Lord_Ikka]

Moridyn

 

Moridyn reloaded his weapons, stowing the partially used magazines away. If another incident happened, he didn't want to reload in the middle of a firefight. 

 

They needed to move, to find the actual threat that destroyed the previous team. These bugs were merely a natural phenomenon, not something that could rip apart a veteran Kill-team.

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

Half-smiling at the Wolf's words, he shrugged wiggling one by the tail.

 

+Are you certain? The big one is fairly fresh...Omoc has even cured the meat...+ He chuckled. +Here.+

 

Azadth stood, handed a couple of the stalker snap-flares to the Hetman-Sergeant, but stopped him with a firm but gentle hand on his right pauldron rim.  He stripped four rounds of the hyper-toxic ammunition from his rifle's magazine and passed them to Váfri's other hand before tugging on the armoured plate to emphasise his sincerity.

 

+For you and Gerhardt. Hunt well.+

 

He went back to hauling the dead xenoforms, feeling the puckered pull of his flesh where it had sealed, but was no doubt blackened by the venomous beast which had nibbled him. That is all you get.

 

He would still likely be better seeing the medicae sooner than later for this...trifle. In the Green an unattended wound was death, even if seemingly insignificant. Indeed, many of the swampland Khymer-drogno predator lizards tracked wounded prey for miles before it fell from exhaustion and was eventually consumed. The universe gave with everything it took, however, since the saliva glands of the creature had potent, anticoagulant medicinal properties.

 

He dumped the last beast into the pile. The work was not glorious, nor was it a thing beneath him, it came naturally from clearing an ambush site to catalogue the dead and prepare the killzone for the next victim. His reverie was disturbed by the appearance of the Mortal, Ulfurbur, peering into the giant maw of the large Millosaur. Stung by mischief to escape his stalking melancholy, Azadth waited until she was reaching inside to sample the creature's tissue, and nudged it hard with his elbow, making a growling noise as it wobbled.

 

Chuckling, he came to the head of the beast.

 

+Might want to step back, girl. This is gong to get...messy.+

 

He plied the razor-edged blade workfully, chopping at the segment of neck behind the head of the adult creature. Over and over again the sword-machete descended, warming his muscles into a lather until finally he'd cut its head off. Always make sure, Azadth. Master Thangka said, approval rich in the memory.

 

Azadth looked up at the Mortal, then across and down the tunnel where no doubt Inquisitor Kine would impatiently march.

 

Oh, I Will.

 

Ammo Count: Hellfire 18/24

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

“Lucifer, secure this space!” Skaayn barked to the Kill-Team. “Let's see if we can get these lights working! That hardline vox, too!”

As the others dispersed about the cavern, Zidemi took a moment to clean his Servo-Arm. With the mechanical limb retracted over and in front, he used a cloth to remove the insectoid’s innards caught in the actuators and the vice mechanisim. Leaving it dirty could have caused it to seize later on.

 

He then retrieved his Auspex once again, and began scanning for a power source that would restore the lumens and vox-link. Knowing the Mechanicus, if one where present it would be in an inconspicuous location to avoid being an obstacle…

Awareness: Zidemi will search the cavern for the power source with the Auspex’s aid, assuming a test is required…

 

Awareness Test > 41(Per) +25(HS) +20(Auspex) = 86 required

Roll d100: 83 = Pass, 0DoS

[Lysimachus]

Scene 13. Questions and Answers

 

Skaayn nods equitably.

 

“Fair enough, lads. You, you, and you…” he points at Gerhardt, and Azadth, and Vafri, “Scouting party. Two hundred metres, maximum, along each of those shafts big enough to take you. That should give us plenty of warning if there is something else still down here with us, but I don't want us splitting our forces up too much."

 

“Brother Techmarine, what have you found? Can you figure out why the Mechanicus equipment isn't working and fix it?”

 

“The rest of you, once the lights are back up, I want a full sweep of this chamber. Evidence, signs of battle, anything that might identify our enemy. As Asterius says, those bugs were not responsible for ‘energy beams’ or four dead Astartes. I want to know what was!”

 

 

Ok, so, tasks:

 

Amaras: Medicae tests for those who need it - Asterius and Alda, mostly,  though I think Azadth took a wound or two as well. (I think Xin isn't quite back with us yet, so I will roll these myself if necessary?)

 

Zidemi: Your success leads you to one of the junction boxes in the lighting/vox loops, perhaps a third of the way around the circumference of the Hub. A Tech-Use test is required to determine why the loops aren't working, and hopefully to put it right.

 

Scouts: Awareness and/or Silent Move tests to (sneakily) look for signs of more enemies?

 

The rest: Awareness Tests to look for evidence of the fight or those responsible. These Awareness tests will be Very Hard (-30) unless Zidemi can successfully diagnose and fix the lights. (I know you can all see in the dark, but seeing well enough to fight is not the same as seeing well enough to search for potentially small pieces of evidence!)

 

 

If you post your rolls along with any intial narrative you wish, I will reply via PM with what you each uncover and then you can share it IC yourselves?

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

The word had been given, no more was needed. With a shuck of the gore from his knife, Azadth marched to one of the openings big enough for his bulk. Stinking from rancid beetle gore was a two-edged sword: he'd smell like the bore-wryms, so would gain a few seconds of confusion to react to an attack, but they would also be attracted to him, especially if the blood carried the adult pheromones.

 

As always, in all things, equilibrium. 

 

Humours settled after the savagery, he cracked one of the stalker flares and dropped it at his feet in the tunnel mouth, before taking his bolt pistol and knife into a defensive, close-quarters half-crouch, moving by testing the floor under his front foot first, and looking in a roaming sweep. He remembered something important, as the walls closed in with throttling constriction, nobody looks up. He grunted, low and only to himself. That's where he would be in a situation like this.

 

Like most ambush predators.

 

Silent Move:

AG 65

D100: 44, PASS Plus 2 DoS

 

Treacherous rocky ground haphazardly coated with displaced dust from the travel of the rotund burrowers, he stole onwards, following the tunnel until it invariably came to a fork. Azadth sent a locator ping back to the IFF Beacon for Skaayn, got good return, and dropped another flare at his feet as he chose the left branch which went further down into the bowels of the earth. He stamped down with his heel, broke the capsule, and was rewarded with a flood of infrared bloom, casting everything into a strange grey-green through the input filters of the keen Mk VI helm. Like most humans, the extra illumination was welcoming in the tight space.

 

Mankind's first, best weapon against the dark was flame. The Men of the Green and Dust knew well the djinn that lurked outside the dancing horizon of lantern or firelight. Palm re-gripping the hilt of his knife, Azadth shrugged the clinging cloak of claustrophobic darkness from his shoulders.

 

He continued.

 

Edited August 30 by Mazer Rackham

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

The Auspex scan led Zidemi to the non-functional junction box along the cavern wall. He needed to take a closer look, if he were to rectify the fault...

Tech-Use: Zidemi will inspect and attempt to repair the junction...

 

 

Tech-Use → 50 (Int) +3 (Trapping) +20 (Implants*) = 73 required
Roll d100: 71 = Pass, 0DoS
* assuming the device is electro-graft compatible?

 

The fault was easy to identify; the power cables had been forcefully cut. A simple Rite of Splicing would reconnect them in a short time. He cleaned his hands with a cloth before grabbing the cables, lest he disturb the spirits with his xeno-soiled hands.

 

As he grabbed the first of the copper wires, he could not help but notice the smoothness of the cut surfaces. As a ductile metal, any ordinary tool would have deformed the copper. On the other hand, a mono-edge applied with speed could easily create a "clean" cut through the metal. Additionally, there was minimal damage to the other components; whoever did this was deliberate in their actions.

 

Zidemi completed his rite, and then switched on the power at the junction box. The flickering of yellow lumens along the cavern walls instantly validated his work.

 

"My thanks," he said softly, forming the cog with his hands.

 

+++

 

“Brother Techmarine, what have you found?" Skaayn inquired as Zidemi approached. "Can you figure out why the Mechanicus equipment isn't working and fix it?”

 

"My Lord," Zidemi began. "The junction box that supplies power to the two systems was cut, but was easily rectified and currently operational. It appears a sharp tool or weapon, likely one with a mono-edge, was used to deliberately disconnect the system. Most certainly, it was not one of the creatures that we just engaged."

 

Edited August 30 by Mike Zulu
per GM PM

[Lysimachus]

As the Techmarine finishes his work, the lumens around the perimeter of the Hub cavern flare into sudden brightness, for a fraction of a second blinding your autosenses before they adjust.

 

Awareness Tests for those investigating the Hub will now be Challenging (+0). 

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

Gradually his berserker mien faded away and he could act normally.

 

He thought to himself as he walked across the cavern floor to Amaras who was administering to the mortal. Sub-conscious thoughts guided him and he knelt down, scooped a handful dirt from the cavern floor. He looked about over the area looking for the absence of normal and the presence of the abnormal.

 

He was aided in his endeavour by the lights coming online courtesy of the ministrations of Zidemi the Techmarine.

 

 

 

 

PER 30 + Awareness +0 (Challenging) = 30. Result: 12, Pass 1DoS

 

 

 

Intrigued he let the dirt fall through his fingers.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30 by Machine God
Lights, Camera, Action

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

+Actual, Azadth,+ he voxed to Skaayn.

 

A comm bleep showed the signal was good enough to establish a line to the Captain.

 

+Zero contacts at designated perimeter. Mechanicus excavations exhausted. Orders?+

 

Whilst waiting for the reply, he snuggled into a deep, organically cleaved vent-burr in the rock, the scent and dust thick to hide him as she shuffled out of the light from the stalker flare a few metres behind.

 

Conceal:

AG 65 + 10 (Hiding) = 75

D100: 35, PASS, Plus 4 DoS

 

It wouldn't take too much to seal this tunnel.

[Lysimachus]

I'll just hold off on seeing what Asterius finds until I've got a few more rolls in. In the meantime, I'll do some rolls for the Medicae tests. I'm sure Xin can add some fluff later when/if he is able (though it's not required).

 

First Aid Medicae:
Int46 +20(Narthecium) = 66
Success restores 4 Wounds +1d5 Wounds (Enhance Healing)

 

Rolls:
Alda: 41, Success. 4+4 = 8 Wounds restored, now on 18/20.
Asterius: 11, Success. 4+1 = 5 Wounds restored, now on 16/23.
Azadth: 75, Fail.

 

 

+Azadth, Actual. Understood. Pull back to 100m, but keep your eyes open.+
 

Edited August 30 by Lysimachus

[Necronaut]

Placeholder

 

Awareness Test

Per46

D100: 66

[Urauloth]

Váfri

 

Passing Gerhardt on his way to investigate his chosen tunnel, he offered the Templar two of the toxin rounds the Mantis Warrior had given him.

"From Azadth" he said, loading his own two specialised shells into the magazine of his bolt pistol.

 

Holstering the weapon again for now, he snap-lit the flare as he reached the tunnel mouth. Holding it up to cast its unlight as far as possible, with his sword in his other hand, he advanced at a steady pace, alert for danger.

 

 

Awareness (Per 44)
D100 roll: 43

Edited August 30 by Urauloth

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

He sent an acknowledgment ping and began to move.

 

Silent Move:

AG: 65

D100: 005 PASS, 6 DoS

 

 

 

[A.T.]

Omoc

 

The weapons used at the tower left distinct marks of impact, and any pursuit of the previous kill team would have done the same. As the lights were restored Omac searched keenly for any sign of battle that was not their own.

 

But it was not weapons fire that drew his attention, instead marks too precise to have been made by the beasts though there was no clear purpose to them.

 

"Bring the auspex". It was perhaps nothing but their predecessors had been struck without warning and anything out of place here might conceal some sensor or trap of xenos construction.

 

 

 

Awareness test: 23 vs 99 = pass, 7 extra

Edited August 30 by A.T.

[Trokair]

Alda

 

She did not let the antics of the einherjar distract her as she worked on the adult. It was a juvenile prank at best, something she would have expected from one of her cousins perhaps. True, spirits are high after slaying the beast, and she was grateful that he had acted to protect her, to his own detriment it seemed, but still. She wondered how old he truly was, given how young most einherjar candidates were.

 

---

 

After having her injury treated she joined the others in further examination of the chamber and whatever their predecessors had encountered. Hopefully they had not destroyed any vital clues in the fight.

 

 

Awareness test
Per 48 +20 (Awareness +20)  = 68 
D100: 20, Pass, 4 DoS

Edited August 31 by Trokair

[Lord_Ikka]

Moridyn

 

The flickering lights didn't help Moridyn's eye sensors, there seemed to be a mild static across his vision.

 

 

 

Awareness Test

Target - 42 + 20 = 62

Roll - 94

Result = Fail, 3 DoF

 

Edited August 31 by Lord_Ikka

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

He gazed out over the cavern, it had been here for centuries or even millennia so he had time.

 

He could see the evident work of the Mechanicus surveyors, but there were odd sections that caught his eye. Standing up he beckoned Zidemi who came over to his position.

 

++Look there is evidence of the Mechanicus Surveyors, see the drill marks++ Asterius pointed out with his chainsword.

 

++But these other areas, these large voids. See the stone ceases to be, like it had been vaporised by an energy discharge. The same thing that vaporised my team-mates. Look the void ends over there!++ Asterius jabbed with his sword to accentuate.

 

He had pointed to the cavern where there seemed to have been some kind of major collapse. The upper pathway had fallen in, leaving a very large pile of loose stone against the cavern wall. It is difficult to see further, but maybe the rockfall hid further shaft entrances.

 

++Posit. One. That something has been excavated from this cavern by Xenos foes++

 

++Two. Azadth's blip. The sensor ghost on the warning buoys log. A cloaked ship of Xenos departed this world.++

 

++Or. Posit Three. That said Xenos are still here and caused the rockfall to cover up the evidence of them being here++

 

Asterius walked over to the rokfall.

 

++For now that rockfall is where we should be searching.++

 

 

 

 

 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

Having worked her way along the higher accessible tier in the caver in a leftwards direction from the entrance Alda recorded everything she saw, cycling through the filter options in case one of them revealed something that the was hidden to just the naked eye. She had covered maybe the first 100 or so degrees of the circle when depression in the ground caught her attention. The edges where to neat to be natural, a squashed circle, quite small in area, but going straight down further then she expected, about 30 centimetres if the rangefinder calibration was correctly picking up the bottom.  

 

There was another not far away, and another. Taking a still frame pic-capture she sent it to the squad.

 

++Have a look at this, regular indentation that are fare to precise to be natural, and the arrangement makes me think something stood here, supported by a tripod like armament that was anchored into the ground.++