Deathwatch: Murderers in Black (IC Thread)

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

"Ooh, a moon full of Targets!" mused Asterius loudly. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

He regarded the Scorpion, included Asterius in the roaming look. 'If we could find this...Bazaar, it would not be difficult to leave an Imperial transponder for a visit later, with appropriate ordnance.'

 

Edited October 18 by Mazer Rackham

[Lord_Ikka]

Moridyn

 

"We cannot go to this Bazaar as we are. As members of the Deathwatch we will be shunned and avoided, if not outright attacked on sight. If we were to have some of our members remove our heraldry, to sham as if we were renegades, then we may be able to infiltrate as a party of mercenaries."

 

He looked at Alda.

 

"You are of the Inquisition. Does your training lead to investigation- for we will need someone not Astartes to be our voice."

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

"Don't look at me, being a Blackshield is dishonour enough!" 

 

Asterius crossed his arms. 

 

 

 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

 

Huskarl Aykawa information was unexpected, and perhaps more helpful than he thought, at least in regards to a few personal questions that had been on her mind. For the mission itself it was clear, they had to visit this Bazaar.

 

“My training did indeed cover some aspects of investigation, and I can be the liaising voice for the team in such a mission if that is what the Ordo and Lucifer require.”

 

As the Blackshiled spoke a thought occurred to her.

 

“As for your armour, you may not need to dishonour it in such a way. If you can bear to be without it for a while. Dressed in surplus and captured gear, I am sure there will be some abord that we can use for this, a few of you may well pass as mortal gene-hanced body guards or mercenaries.”  

[Necronaut]

Gerhardt

 

All of this talk of xenos mercenaries and Heresy and other perfidy disgusted the Black Templar to no end, and he comforted himself with the knowledge that the recidivist colony was put to the sword. This Bazaar that Aykawa now described was another hive of scum and villainy in sore need of the cleansing flame of Emperor's Light. He rose, thinking to excuse himself and see to his prayers, when Brother Moridyn suggested they infiltrate this renegade holdfast.

 

Yes, yes, a journey into the belly of the beast, a penitent trip through the underworld. That is what his psyche, his spirit required to prove he was pure of heart. And what a test it would be. His hearts beat a fraction faster at the thought of testing his purity in the Emperor's Eyes, the mania of devotion filling his own.

 

"I second Brother Moridyn’s suggestion, Watch-Captain. Let us descend into this nest of vipers to root out the corruption that threatens the sanctity of our mission. Let us track the Heresy to its source, and as Brother Azadth has suggested, return later with appropriate ordinance to scour this moon clean. Are you sure you are no son of Rogal Dorn, Mantis Warrior?" 

Edited October 21 by Necronaut

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

The young Marine unsheathed a genuine smile for his friend. 'You honour me, but I do not think the Hero of Gold would approve of my nefarious, habitual skulking, Knight.'

[A.T.]

Omoc

 

Omocs eyes narrow, "and what purpose would see us there? Once its location is known what reason to not burn it to ash before the scum might scatter? Your masters fate is sealed for allowing himself to be compromised and the cause of those who turned him is irrelevant. Kill them all and give no quarter."

 

What better answer to curiosity than to burn every path, what better vengeance for the fallen than slaughter. Eternal vigilance was worthless without action in equal measure.

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

"Verily indeed Brother Omoc, a cyclonic torpedo unto this Bizarre from orbit is the only way to be sure, with righteous malice aforethought!" 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 20 by Machine God
Typo

[Urauloth]

Váfri

 

He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Pretending to be oathbreakers to creep into a nest of Eldar sellswords? Going into enemy territory without their armour? Perhaps some contagious madness had followed them back from Dorghra - surely these couldn't be serious suggestions? His oaths to the Watch had already seen the proud heraldry of the Vlka Fenryka eclipsed from the bulk of his armour. Surrendering what remained was unthinkable.

 

At the same time, he was unsurprised to hear of an Inquisitor consorting with alien cutthroats in dark corners of the galaxy. It was just more confirmation of his already dismal impression of their office and the types that peopled it.

 

Omoc's blunt statement broke up his sour mood somewhat.

 

"Now that's a good attitude, brother Omoc. Unfortunately, we need to know if any other filth are waiting with knives for our backs. We're blind without some kind of information. Answers first, then ordnance, eh?"

 

Having finished carving the talisman, he stowed it in a pouch and returned his knife to its sheath. He cast his gaze around to take in the others.

 

"Anyone who imagines me skulking in the shadows without my plate, though, is madder than the Fire Breather."

Edited October 20 by Urauloth

[Necronaut]

Gerhardt

 

Gerhardt grinned savagely, a twinkle of mischief in his eye, “Aye, Brother-Sergeant, but think of the challenge, the danger! Bombing the scum from orbit, while morally satisfying, lacks a certain visceral quality, not to mention it would prevent us from seeking proper vengeance for our fallen brethren, from finding and killing the rest of the filth! Surely a Space Wolf is not afraid of such a quest?”

 

For whatever they might find in the Bazaar were likely only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There were always more xenos to slay. More, more, more…

[Lord_Ikka]

Moridyn

 

"As much as it might be satisfying to destroy the Bazaar or honorable to not change your colors, our duty is clear. We must gain information to act. To destroy a possible source of information before finding the origin of the attacks on us is foolish. Only two Astartes need to accompany the adept, the rest can be held back as a strike team to assist if needed. Those held back need not change their armor, while those with the investigation should either have no particular armor heraldry or disguise themselves as the adept suggested."

 

The Star Phantom looked around at his companions. 

"I will volunteer to join Alda- duty to the Imperium comes before honor or petty pride."

Edited October 21 by Lord_Ikka

[Lysimachus]

Skaayn listens as each of you speaks, nods occasionally. Finally he grunts and taps his silver shoulder pad.

 

“No need for anyone to dishonour their wargear, or go into battle unarmoured. I'd have thought that the Supremacy has a few spare, unmarked plates that some of you could… borrow. Your Chapter and Watch pauldrons will hang in places of honour in the Armoury until you are ready to take them up again, and once you remove those icons, plain black is about as anonymous as it gets?”

 

He shakes his head.

 

“My usual methodology is to be subtle, but in this case I'd prefer to burn the place to the ground. Filthy Xenos. But if these Eldar are mercenaries, we need to know who was paying them.”

 

“However, whichever approach you choose, it will have to be made without me. Someone needs to return to Alucar and make contact with the closest Watch-Fortress, let them know what has happened, and it's probably best if it's someone carrying some rank. I'll take Kine back as well and see if the specialists there can help him.”

 

“I'll leave you the Needle and the Supremacy, though - Captain Pelgar and the Swift Resolution can give us one more ride before we send them on their way. That should give you options for a quiet or a bold insertion… though you'll struggle to do both. The Needle is a perfect spy-ship, without any markings or identifiers, but it doesn't carry the guns for orbital bombardment or Exterminatus. The Supremacy obviously does, but you'll have the Xenos scattering as soon as you enter their system.”

 

He grins.

 

“Much harder to cover up your Watch iconography when it's a hundred feet high.”

 

 

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

Azadth let his mind smooth to stillness as he awaited the decision. He'd said his small piece, fitted it into the puzzle of the great tapestry. He would now endure the outcome.

 

OOC: Changed it up. Didn't want to push anything.

 

Edited October 21 by Mazer Rackham

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

"No need for anyone to dishonour their wargear, or go into battle unarmoured. I'd have thought that the Supremacy has a few spare, unmarked plates that some of you could… borrow." Skaayn said. 

 

 

"But to wear plates from other suits on our armour would be to further offend the Machine Spirits of our warplate! I can hear the glitches and feedback screech even now, just thinking about it." 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

Zidemi had been quiet during the meeting aboard the Supremacy, his thoughts consumed by the last words of Inquisitor Kine. The answers are at Dorghra Seven. He shall he freed. It seemed not follow from what they found; what the ambush the "answer"? And if so to what? If it was merely petty revenge for some slight that Kine committed, it was a disproportionate effort on the Eldars' part and incomprehensively shortsighted on Kine's...

 

Putting the Inquisitor's ramblings aside, he paid attention to the discussion at hand. The plan to infiltrate the Bazaar was logically sound and incredibly distasteful... and not untoward for the likes of the Inquisition. Moridyn had first offered to accompany the agent to the Bazaar

 

"I would offer to assist you, Brother Moridyn, although I am uncertain how convincing I would be as a... renegade. In demeanour and in appearance." Zidemi smiled as he pointed to his distinctive luminescent eyes. "I would defer to your judgement on this, Agent Ulfurbur."

 

+++

 

"But to wear plates from other suits on our armour would be to further offend the Machine Spirits of our warplate!" Asterius exclaimed at the suggestion of exchanging armour. "I can hear the glitches and feedback screech even now, just thinking about it."

 

Zidemi winced at the prospect, his thoughts turning to his many implants and their integration with his power armour. "There are rites I could perform to subdue the angst, Brother Asterius. The Machine Spirit can have long memories for such grievances."

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

'Tell me more of this...cursed moon, Bazju-Akyawa. Topography, gravity, air density. What other snakes lurk within the bole?'

 

He jerked his chin at the Eldar helmet.

[Lysimachus]

Scene 18. To the Edge

 

The small Imperial flotilla breaks up as it approaches Dorghra's Mandeville Point.

 

The Swift Resolution will carry Aarval Skaayn and Leopold Kine on the two week journey back to Alucar IV. Bekkar Haalec joins them, and will be sent on immediately to the closest Watch-Fortress to carry a report and warning in person.

 

 However, the Needle and the Supremacy of Man are instead to make for the destination identified by Interrogator Aykawa, heading even further out into the thinning density of stars at the galaxy's edge.

 

These stars, and the worlds that spin around them, are at the very limit of the Astronomicon's reach. By the time you reach your target approximately ten days later, that mighty beacon of blazing psionic light - already small and faint at Alucar - will have become a tiny pinprick barely visible to the psychic sight of your Navigators.

 

When your ships enter the warp, the Needle takes the lead and carries Kill-Team Lucifer, Adept Ulfurbur and Interrogator Aykawa directly towards the Bazaar. Commander Ibrym has instructions to take a slightly slower, more circuitous route, and bring the Supremacy as close as possible to the moon without being detected.

 

As you travel, Aykawa reveals what he knows about the unnamed system that hosts the Bazaar, though he has never seen it firsthand. A red supergiant star, that will likely destroy the entire system in a supernova within the next few million years, sits at the centre. Several planetary masses orbit around it, among them a blue-green gas giant with half a dozen moons.

 

According to what the Interrogator learned from his former master, the moon on which the Bazaar is located has an atmosphere, a hot, dry climate and is largely covered by rocky deserts. The exceptions to this are the small polar seas, each body of water surrounded by a temperate ring of lush jungle. The Bazaar itself, the moon’s only real urban area, is located near the shore of the southern sea, a sprawling conglomeration of the architecture of scores of different species.

 

By Inquisitor Le Haime’s account, there are also a handful of private enclaves - each something between pleasure palace and fortress - belonging to particularly powerful outcast lords. However, even these are built relatively close to the mercantile city-state, as only a fool would risk being too far from the hub of power and intrigue.

 

 

 

OOC: So, travelling again! I guess if you have any further thoughts about what has been revealed at Dorghra, you can express them now? Or how do you feel about the Kill-Team being left to make its own choices now that Skaayn has returned to Alucar? Also, how are you going to prepare for the mission at the Bazaar?

 

@Trokair Maybe we can have some narrative of Alda's plans for how she is intending to disguise herself - plus a Disguise test, of course! Given that you have several days and the resources aboard the ship, this will be Routine +20.

 

Likewise, any Astartes that are planning to be bodyguards can attempt to modify their wargear as they wish, and can request Zidemi to make some Tech-Use tests to make sure the Machine Spirits are accepting of these changes!

 

Finally, while the Req amount and Renown level aren't changing, if you think there is something that will be more useful for the next mission rather than what you have taken, feel free to swap items around if you wish?

 

 

[Machine God]

Asterius:

 

"Agent Ulfurbur, if you want a menacing and stoic bodyguard I could do that" Asterius offered. 

 

"All Hail the Inquisition, their word is just, their words are Law!" Asterius knelt down in front of the Adept. 

 

"I am hopeful that the application of your Inquisitor Rosette to the censor apparatus, an edict or geas from one of your official standing would still device. 

 

"That I might be able to remove the Black to the Bronze, save for a robust black Saltaire across the Skull and Horns," pleaded Asterius, his helm down staring at the floor. 

 

 

 

 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

The Blackshield’s action took her by surprise. She was a mere Adept bound to service of the Order, not an invested agent, and bore no Rosette. She glanced over at Huskarl Aykawa, he was of a higher station, more likely to have been raised to the rank of free agent. Though Lord Kines recent behaviour somehow made that seem unlikely, especially as Aykawa had not been his protégée.

 

With the seconds dragging on, all watching her and the Blackshield, she had to act. Huskarl Aykawa had not moved or otherwise responded, so it was on her. She might not have a Rosette, but she did have the little stylised pendent that had been issued to her by the Ordo upon her transfer out of the Administratum and into the Ordo’s service. 

Reaching up to undo the clasp of the chain around her neck, withdrawing the pendant. Chain :cuss: around her hand, the inquisitorial I braced against her fingers she stepped towards the kneeling einherjar. 

Speaking in High Gothic she tried to sound worthy of giving the blessing sought. 

“By the Will of the God-Emperor of Mankind, as directed by his faithful servants of the blessed Inquisition, let this Angel of Death fulfil his duty as aforesaid. May the spirit vested in this hallowed armour draw succour from grace of our Lord on Terra and remain the accompaniment and ward of this sworn Astartes in his duty no matter the burden that is to be endured in service.”

She gently touched the pendant against the helm, and then each puldron.
 

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

The Manits Warrior gently canted his head as Ulfurbur performed the sacred rite, affording privacy and deference to piety. He would not wish for such a blessing, not form the Ecclesiarchy, and certainly not the Inquisition.

 

A Chaplain's brief benediction was sufficient, the Sky-Khan and his trusted knew their own.

 

Once the company had broken up to go about their preparations, Azadth began his own. Stripped out of armour and adorned in his jade travelling robe and loose garments, he inspected his battle gear. It was with some consternation he noticed the leaf-blade had a few tiny notches along the smile of the blade. It appeared the burrowers were tougher than he imagined, especially the biggest. Lips pursed he reached for his whetsone, but realised this might not be sufficient. His eyes flickered across his meagre possessions in the borrowed billet about the Needle, without seeing.

 

He could perhaps approach Brother Zidemi. The Honoured Firstborn was of the fire-eaters from Nocturne, and a Techmarine to boot. Such men were rare among the Mantisae, and were lauded for their great skill. He sighed. The Mantis Warriors were ever short of equipment, and so they were all taught more than the basic rites to keep everything in working order. Bolters which could trace their lineage to the days of the Khagan were not preserved under stasis fields, but clutched in fists, spitting death in the Emperor's name - even as far from Terra as a Marine could get.

 

Perhaps that was as it should be. A weapon unused is not a weapon, after all.

 

Which brought him back to the Khukurai.

 

His resolve stiffened, although each footstep to find Zidemi in the rites of factoring was filled with reticence. A man did not darken the door of a redoubtable smith without proper consideration of his station. In truth, Váfri was also entitled to the honorific address of Firstborn, since he too was of that august house of sons, but Váfri was...Váfri. Something about his savage ken and steady demeanour struck a chord in Azadth, a man different enough to respect, close enough to induce cordial camaraderie.

 

He looked up at the sharp noises, realising his bare feet carried him to the place of the Salamander's industry. Fate was not to be denied.

 

He watched the smith toil, not interrupting, just standing there, shadow haunting the darkness afore the threshold as was his wont. The master smith laid aside his tools  for a moment, and began the ritual of scouring his hands free of unguents.

 

Azadth politely announced himself by clearing his throat. Unsure of protocol - and himself - he stuck to formality and offered a bow, his upper torso dipping into the pools of light cast from the industrial-strength glowglobes of the workshop. 'Your pardon, Honoured Firstborn. I was hoping you would spare me a moment to inspect this.'

 

He proffered the sheathed, curved blade in extended hands.

 

'This weapon has been damaged. I crave your skill in making it whole.'

 

OOC: @Mike Zulu I wasn't sure if you were armoured or not, so left that up to you. 

[Trokair]

Alda

 

The old adage that a ship of the line was a city on the move held true, even such comparatively small ship still held the lives of many residences. In the days since their departure Alda had been searching the ship for ways to disguise herself and a few of the einherjar. 

The Quartermaster’s office had been helpful to an extent, as had the armoury, and no doubt the einherjar and herself would make use of some of the assortment of equipment on offer. However, none of it would speak for them as other than imperial.

Searching for a black-market would likewise be fruitless, if one existed abord it would be well hidden from the Officer class and by extension anybody not of the lower ranks. Add to this, black markets tended to thrive on less disciplined ships, with crews that are a mix of hereditary and pressganged random influx. In contrast this crew was well disciplined, their working conditions a cut above so many other voidships. An elite crew was worth the price of better living conditions.

So instead she now stood in the sweltering heat of the Laundry, waiting for a lull in the work schedule so that she could speak to the overseer of this domain. While they would be dealing almost exclusively with the uniforms of the ratings and support staff, which would make for hardly a better disguise than what the Quartermaster could have offered, Alda hoped that seamstress that repaired torn uniforms and other such wear and tear would be able to fashion several bespoke items.

 

After this she hoped too likewise engage the ships little manufactorum, were a small crew worked on machine replacement parts to aid the repair crews to patch up damage until the next service and overall, at a dedicated Adeptus Mechanicus port. A few bespoke items out of steal, or brass or whatever ingenious jury rigging they pulled off, would go a long way towards selling their disguise. If she could get the different shifts and departments to cooperate.  

How much longer did she have to wait in the steam addled air, dripping with sweat or condensation...
 

Edited October 30 by Trokair

[Lysimachus]

Alda: A short figure emerges from the steam, an older woman with a wiry frame. She is well attired for the heated, humid chamber, head shaved to grey stubble and clad in a simple sleeveless tunic. She sees you waiting and offers a short bow.

 

“Adept, how may we assist you?”

 

 

 

You can assume that the laundry overseer can provide whatever basic clothing you wish, and can remove any identifying iconography from it. Likewise, between the Armoury and the Manufactorium, you should be able to put together some random armour plates to go with the clothing. Alda, and any of her bodyguards who want to leave their power armour behind entirely, can roll 1d5+1 (Astartes roll 1d5+3 as they can carry heavier scrap plates) for each Location to represent the mishmash of gear they are able to acquire.

 

Alda will also need to roll a Disguise test (edit: already agreed that this will get a base +20) that will potentially affect things moving forward. Each of her bodyguards that do choose to leave behind their power armour will add +5 to the Disguise test. However, those staying in power armour will cause a -5 penalty.

 

 

 

Edited October 31 by Lysimachus

[Mike Zulu]

Zidemi:

 

A trio of unadorned armour sets were brought forth by the Supremacy's Armoury serfs in anticipation of the Bazaar excursion. The plate was unembellished, with a dull grey and tarnished finish typical of passivated high-grade ceramite. Zidemi quickly inspected the components by eye: the electrics appears functional, but only by interfacing with the armour could it be validated and in turn sanctified for duty.

 

He was still unsure of who was required to don this armour; Zidemi was also uncertain if he should join the excursion. He was convinced his distinctive Nocturean appearance and branding art alone would be easily identified, especially by the likes of the Aeldar. Pretending to be a renegade Astartes was another matter altogether...

 

As he prepared for the rites of awakening, Azadth approached him with a courteous request. Zidemi was still unaccustomed to the deference he received as a member of a First Founding chapter. He did not think himself superior to his Battle-Brothers by virtue of being a Salamander, and neither did the rest of his chapter as far as he was aware. He wondered if this was an artefact of the other First Founding chapters and the connections they kept with their sibling chapters. Something the Salamanders had gone so long without.

 

"Brother Azadth," he nodded pleasantly. "I thank you for your deference, but like you, I am a humble servant of the Emperor. You may address me by my name, as I for you."

 

+++

 

"This weapon has been damaged. I crave your skill in making it whole," replied Azadth as he presented his weapon: a variant pattern of the Astartes combat knife with a deep recurve, similar to a pattern he had seen the White Scars use. A "kukri"-style blade, if he was not mistaken.

 

Zidemi took the blade and inspected it with his naked eye. He saw what Azadth must have already seen: several notches across the cutting edge of the knife. 

 

"Even the sharpest adamantium dulls over time and with use. This will take some time." Zidemi walked over to a nearby grinding wheel with the knife and began his work...

 

Spoiler

As per GM's agreement, Zidemi will upgrade Azadth Combat Knife to Exceptional Craftsmanship using his Int instead of Ag:

 

Trade (Armourer) → 50 (Int) + 3 (Trapping) +0 = 53 required

d100: 07 → Pass, 4DoS

 

 

An unfortunate reality of adamantium was being equally difficult to blunt as it was to sharpen. But after three hours of reprofiling the cutting edge, followed by a sanctifying oil wash and finihsing with a brief prayer to the Omnissiah, Zidemi hands backs the kukri to Azadth sharper than ever.

 

"May it continue to serve you well, Brother Azadth."

 

Edited November 1 by Mike Zulu
I wrote this before seeing GM's post, so for story's sake I'm imagining Zidemi is just getting the armour ready but nothing's been picked out...

[Mazer Rackham]

Azadth:

 

The Mantis stood out of the way to let the artisan work, appreciating the quiet patience of the professional. He received his honed blade with a startling spark of nervousness, an echo of that great moment when it was fist given to him by his father. To become a warrior of the Hunter's Longhouse was a great achievement, a pinnacle of trials endured - or at least  he'd thought so then. Truly, was the life of a Space Marine merely a path of false summits, each conquered until the next was presented.

 

This blade was the start of it all. It was his best companion, and finest possession, the weapon of a warrior and survivor both.

 

Zidemi spoke different words than Azadth's father, but somehow they were the same.

 

'Thank you, Hon-,' Azadth caught himself quickly, momentarily wrong-footed by the Salamander's gentle candour. 'Your pardon, Brother Zidemi. My arm will strike with Nocturne Strength for the Emperor, the Glimmering Shoals and respect for this gift.'

 

Different words to his own, but somehow, the same.

 

He carefully restored the Khukurai to his hip, before bowing deeply in gratitude. A moment later swift but silent step carried him to his temporary billet. Chai was required, the blade and warrior must once again become one before this newest endeavour. 

 

OOC: Cheers @Mike Zulu!

 

Edited October 31 by Mazer Rackham