Dark Heresy Campaign [40k] [IC]

[Manticorkscrew]

Out Of Character:

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I'm assuming we're going to continue as we have so far.

'Oh yeah...'

Gavid looked quizzical. He had suddenly remembered something. Turning to Serghar, he said: 'You asked for my help earlier. What was it that you wanted? Is it too late?'

[Kiranvonstrom]

"Not yet," Cotrez made an attempt to smile, failed and gave up, "I've been outside of the Imperium for a good many years, and I was never all that good with technology in the first place. As you have likely been better acquainted with cognitor systems than I have, I could use your help discerning more information about what we are going to need," Cortez pauses, then speaks to the rather verbose psyker. "Out of curiosity, did you or the arbitrator discern any useful information? I found some stuff on Ornsworld, if neccessary,"

[Calimos]

"Well the ship's chief security officer didn't know much about the planet we're heading to and i don't think i learnt anything else relevant. As a matter of fact i'd be very interested in checking that information you said you retrieved. Any additional insight in the society of Ornsworld could prove invaluable to our investigation".

[Manticorkscrew]

"Not yet," Cotrez made an attempt to smile, failed and gave up, "I've been outside of the Imperium for a good many years, and I was never all that good with technology in the first place. As you have likely been better acquainted with cognitor systems than I have, I could use your help discerning more information about what we are going to need,"

Gavid considered this. He had been surrounded by technology for most of his life. It was probably true to say that he had something of an affinity with machines; he felt at home around them. But he didn't understand them and he wasn't sure if he could be of any use to Cortez.

'Alright.' He shrugged his shoulders amiably. 'If I can help you, I will.'

"Well the ship's chief security officer didn't know much about the planet we're heading to and i don't think i learnt anything else relevant. As a matter of fact i'd be very interested in checking that information you said you retrieved. Any additional insight in the society of Ornsworld could prove invaluable to our investigation".

Gavid scratched his head. He recalled what what Lucas had said: 'One of the crew men told me that Ornsworld was laid waste by...' Taking a deep breath, Gavid made the sign of the aquila, muttering a brief prayer to the Emperor. '...Abaddon the Despoiler. He was searching for an unholy artifact that he planned to use... in the Gothic War, I'd guess.'

It seemed a reasonable assumption. Even down in the underhive Gavid had heard of the terrible devastation wrought by the Gothic war, the billions of people that had died, planets that had been defiled or rendered lifeless, the enormous casualties suffered by the Imperial Guard and the Navy. From what Lucas had said, Gavid surmised that Abaddon had raided Ornsworld in the years prior to the Gothic War, hoping to find something there that would turn the tide of battle in the next Black Crusade.

There was no good reason to keep it from them, so Gavid decided that he'd tell his team mates what else Lucas had told him, though he suspected they weren't going to like it.

'Also, I was told that Ornsworld used to be a Ratling homeworld, but these days it's a hellhole, blighted by the touch of Chaos.' He grimaced. 'It sounds dangerous. But... well, I didn't expect anything less. No one ever said that getting to be the acolyte of an Inquisitor would be easy, right?'

[Calimos]

Cain's face distorts visibly at Gavid's mention of the Archenemy's forces.

"Accursed spawns of Chaos. Emperor damn them for all eternity. What is more disturbing though about what you said, Gavid, is that strange artifact on Ornsworld. If I am not mistaken, the Inquisitor asked us to find and retrieve or in extremis destroy such an object, which has apparently corrupted the locals and resulted to the spawning of vile cults and heresies.

Oh, and of course nobody said it would be easy. If it was easy, we wouldn't be on the way".

[Teivel]

"Well said Arbitrator."

The psyker had made the sign of the aquila at the mention of the arch enemy.

"We have a long road before us, and we should prepare as best we can. That would entail reviewing what information we can obtain on Ornsworld, remaining vigilent and ensuring we do not earn the ire of our Captain."

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Trenton will proceed, assisting in whatever way he can for the duration of the trip, unless something eventful occurs.

[Manticorkscrew]

Gavid considered this. He had been surrounded by technology for most of his life. It was probably true to say that he had something of an affinity with machines; he felt at home around them. But he didn't understand them and he wasn't sure if he could be of any use to Cortez.

'Alright.' He shrugged his shoulders amiably. 'If I can help you, I will.'

Although Gavid waited patiently for several minutes, none of his team mates were in a hurry to do anything, instead busying themselves with discussing what they'd learned so far and what they would do when they reached Ornsworld.

That was all very well, but Gavid knew that the plans they made now would be obsolete before long. New information would change the situation almost completely. It was pointless to start planning in detail. Why bother?

Morale, at least, was fairly high. Gavid was pleased that his team mates appeared confident. They made him feel better about the mission. When it came to a fight he'd have to contrive some way to hide behind them.

Gavid was a realist. He knew he was no good in a fight unless the odds were stacked in his favour.

Also, he was a rather energetic fellow. Before long, he was pacing around the room, jigging from one foot to another, ready for some action. Suddenly, quick as a snake, he turned on his heel and said (to Cortez): 'Right. We might as well get on with it. Did you have a specific "cognitor system" in mind?'


Out Of Character:

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I seem to remember there was some kind of computer interface near to the shared quarters?

[Kiranvonstrom]

"I didn't have a articular cognitor system in mind, I just needed to access some data," Cortez said.
The Scum was beginning to grow on him, regardless of his apparent life away from the guiding light of the God-Emperor. His faith was strong, and as long as his hatred of the heretic, the xeno, and the daemon was equally strong, Cortez wouldn't worry too much about having to shoot him. He was a bit cavalier about the names of the damned, but that was hardly a sign of heretical leanings.
He was also apparently eager for action. If the Emperor favored those who acted, rather than those who thought, the man might eventually become saint. Cortez almost smiled.
The Arbite appeared to have a good, logical head on his shoulders, as well. He would be someone to rely on in a fight, as well as, apparently, a decent investigator.
Those who kept the Emperor's law were blessed in their own way, and Cortez doubted that the Arbite would fall to chaos.
Then there was the psyker. Cortez wasn't quite sure what to make of him. On one hand, a connection to the warp is a dangerous thing, and Cortez had no mind to fight another Daemonhost. He had killed the first one purely on the favor of the God-Emperor, and, redoubtable though the Emperor undoubtedly was, Cortez wasn't willing to try him.
Cortez stood up and began to walk out of the room.
"Cain, I'll see if I can get you a hard copy of most of the information. I'd have a hard time telling what was useful from what wasn't."

[Manticorkscrew]

Gavid nodded to Cortez and followed him out of the room. There was a cogitator system nearby. He wasn't sure how much he could help; if Cortez had already used one of these machines then it was quite likely that Gavid would be unable to show him anything he didn't already know. But... he'd try his best.


Out Of Character:

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I'm going to roll for Tech-Use now. It's (1d100)[48] vs 16 (1/2 Gavid's intelligence, unless there are any bonuses?).

Eh... probably nowhere near good enough.

[Manticorkscrew]

It was a sad thing, but Gavid couldn't get the cogitator to do anything more than Cortez had already. 'Sorry,' he grunted, after a while. 'There's nothing I can do.'

He looked wistful. 'Perhaps if I could read...'


Out Of Character:

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I shoulda been a Reclaimator.

Anyway, are Trenton or Cain doing anything while Cortez and Gavid are busy with this?

[Teivel]

As the rest of the team appeared to return to their respective business, Trenton was left somewhat lost for purpose. The ship was now in warp transit and yet, as a passenger, he had no real purpose or duty onboard...except to his team of course.

They would need to discuss their destination of course, but that could wait until they had further information.

Seeing Gavid's capitulation to the machine spirits within the cogitator, Trenton adopted a conciliatory tone.

"Keep at it Gavid and i'm sure the Machine Spirits will answer your call in good time. This is a ship and we are passengers, alien to the system, no one expects you to break open its secrets like a Mechanicus Magos" he laughed.

On another level, Trenton was frustrated he didn't know the secrets of these passenger interface terminals. Technical training for laity like naval officers was usually undertaken by the Mechanicus within two years of an officer being granted a void going commission. As such, while his sudden departure on the black ships had not robbed him of the naval mindset, it had prevented him ever going through technical school and left the machine spirits something of a mystery to him.

"For my part, i'm going to wash up and then meditate untill needed."

With that Trenton proceeded to wash up and then set himself up in meditation on one of the beds, calming himself to the vibrations of a ship in the warp. He didn't go very far under though, and remain somewhat aware of his surrondings as he softly muttered prayers and blessings.

[Manticorkscrew]

Curled up in the corner, Gavid settled down to snatch a little rest; these brief catnaps would make sure that he was awake and alert when he needed to take action.

Back home, he'd been able to sleep anywhere, anytime, so long as he made sure he was well hidden.

[Calimos]

"Cain, I'll see if I can get you a hard copy of most of the information. I'd have a hard time telling what was useful from what wasn't."

"Thank you. I'll make sure to read it carefully and evaluate it as thoroughly as possible".

[Kiranvonstrom]

"Thank you. I'll make sure to read it carefully and evaluate it as thoroughly as possible".

"I'll do my best," Cortez said. With his (spectacular lack of) ability with tech spirits that didn't involve killing heretics, it was the only thing he could do.
One brief timeskip later:
It was nice of Gavid to try to access the information, although at this point Cortez believed that all that would be needed to break any heresy on board the ship could be broken by a good solid application of faith and a bit of investigation.
"Thanks for trying, Gavid," Cortez again tried to smile, gave up, and did his best to look enthusiastic. His face didn't take well to enthusiasm. "I can help with the reading, by the way. if you need me to teach you, I could certainly do that," Cortez was mildly shocked that Gavid couldn't read. If he couldn't read, he couldn't read of the glories of Him On Earth when one of His heralds was not around to read it. With a future of killing heretics ahead of him, faith could save his soul.
He turned back to the cognitor emplacement, pulled out his revolver, and began his own peculiar method of dealing with tech spirits. Pointing his gun at the cognitor, he launched off into what was either a rant or a sermon, apparently trying to convince the cognitor to give him a printout of the information on Ornsworld.

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This is mostly to entertain me, but Cortez will attempt to print out the information, regardless of whether or not it actually can do that. Eventually, if by accident, he might actually get it to print something out.

[Manticorkscrew]

"Thanks for trying, Gavid," Cortez again tried to smile, gave up, and did his best to look enthusiastic. His face didn't take well to enthusiasm. "I can help with the reading, by the way. if you need me to teach you, I could certainly do that," Cortez was mildly shocked that Gavid couldn't read. If he couldn't read, he couldn't read of the glories of Him On Earth when one of His heralds was not around to read it. With a future of killing heretics ahead of him, faith could save his soul.

Gavid blinked, looking at Cortez to see if he was serious. 'Er... thank you,' he squeaked. 'I'd appreciate that.'

He turned back to the cognitor emplacement, pulled out his revolver, and began his own peculiar method of dealing with tech spirits. Pointing his gun at the cognitor, he launched off into what was either a rant or a sermon, apparently trying to convince the cognitor to give him a printout of the information on Ornsworld.

Standing well back, Gavid tensed; he'd never seen the machine spirits react well to threats. But he presumed that the cleric knew what he was about. More or less.


Out Of Character:

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Time skip, please, sazzer?

[Kiranvonstrom]

Cortez stops for a second to catch his breath. "You're welcome," He said, somewhat winded. He looked back to the stubbornly blank screen, and raised the pistol in front of what he assumed was its face.
"Don't think you're getting away," He growled.

[sazzer]

Whether through stubbornness, stupidity or just sheer inability, the screens don't give up any more information in the face of violent threats...

Time passes...

After several hours of meditation, planning, discussions, and so on, you all start to get prepared for the sermon that Cortez has arranged. The captain has agreed to set aside the mess hall for use, and when you arrive there are already 40-50 people awaiting the event...

[Manticorkscrew]

Gavid was situated near the back of the mess hall. He could see most of the people in the audience and listen in to the surreptitious whispers of the crew members who were holding their own conversations while everyone else was busy with the sermon.

Thinking hard about his role as a (very minor, unofficial) servant of the Inquisition, Gavid was eager to incur the good favour of the God Emperor on their mission; fervently, he joined in with the hymns and the prayers, sometimes stumbling over the words, doing his best.

[Calimos]

Cain makes sure to have a shower, be clean shaved and wear a clean uniform, to be presentable at the sermon. After all they will be gathering to listen to the words of the Imperial Creed, the words of the Emperor, brought to them by His servant, brother Cortez.

It has been quite some time since Cain last attended a proper sermon and given the dangers that they were about to face when they reached the planet, it was the best means that could fortify their soul with faith and help it stand firm to His eternal grace.

Cain stood in the room, tall and imposing, as the first day he graduated from the Arbites academy. He holstered his stub revolver in a rig beneath his shoulder, donned his long, black flak cloak, made sure his Arbites issue baton was strapped safely to his side and moved to join the rest in the sermon.

Once there, he stood at the side of the congregation, participating in the hymns and listening to Cortez's words, praying fervently that He would grant him the strength of body and soul and the clarity of mind to assist in the coming mission.

[Teivel]

Cleaned, focused and dressed, the psyker chose to take his position next to the Arbitrator. In the eyes of the attending crew, Gavid was a world apart from the rest of the group and it would be best not to break that illusion by approaching him openly.

Instead, he added to the imposing presence of Cain, mirroring his choice in apparel and demeanor.

Together they would subtly augment the Cleric's preaching. They would be an example to emulate, crying out adulation where it was due, praying fervently and otherwise acting as adoring sons of the Emperor ought to behave. Trenton in particular sought to raise his solid bass tones in worship, the words bringing a surge in his heart rate and a flame to his mind as he did so.

He endevoured to keep a watch upon the crowd and assess their zeal or lack thereof, but that was not his prime concern.

They were sailing through the Immaterium to do the Emperor's work, as Trenton had always known he was destined to do. Right here and now they needed the blessing of he on Earth, the merest fraction of that eternal and unbending strength to make its home in their souls so that they might do his work.

[Kiranvonstrom]

Cortez looked around, somewhat in awe, at the amount of people in the mess hall and sighed. This had seemed like such a good idea at the time, and he had hardly expected people to take him up on his offer. He mentally shrugged. If the Emperor willed it, then it would be.
He took a deep breath and stepped up on the largest convenient thing, which happened to be a table.
"It is good," Cortez booms, using the voice that most aspiring missionaries were taught to get people's attention, "That you all have gathered here today to remember the God-Emperor of Mankind, your savior,"
He pauses, possibly for dramatic effect, possibly just to catch his breath. It did require a lot of air to project that loudly.
"I will not lie to you, as I don't really believe in lying, that we are living in a very dark age. The threats around us are massive, there are heretics who would wish everything you strived for trampled to dust, xenos who would enjoy killing you in ways best not imagined and worse things, all hungering for your soul. It is a dark time.
But what do we have? What is the strongest force in the universe? More powerful than any gun, more protective than any armor, and the one thing the enemy can never hurt? Faith.
Your faith is your greatest shield against the impure. If your faith is strong enough, their blandishments will fall upon your blessedly deaf ears, and they will cower before you like the maggots that they are. The human is the greatest force in the universe, and if a human has faith in the emperor, he is unstoppable.
Your faith is your greatest weapon against the impure, the mutant, and the xenos. A dagger, swung by a man of faith, can kill just as easily as the hand of a titan. The damned cannot abide the touch of the holy, and if your faith in the God-Emperor is strong enough, there is nothing, no heretic, no xeno, no mutant that can stand against a man who is faithful.
The Enemy may win, if your faith is not strong enough. They may take from you whatever they can, for they are all rapacious and hungry. But what can they not take away? Your faith in the god-emperor, your savior.
You owe your Emperor a great debt of gratitude, for he is the one who lets faith exist. He is your savior, your only salvation, from the enemies of mankind.
Let us pray,"
Cortez bowed his head, and lead his improvised congregation in the 39th prayer for the Emperor's thanks.

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The more often I do this, the easier it gets...

[sazzer]

The sermon is a roaring success. The crew react overwhelmingly to your speech, and you can see the change in their demeanor as they hear you speak.

You notice two very large men standing at the back of the room as well, paying attention to every word you say, but notice that they seem to be carefully watching both you and the room in general whilst the sermon is going on.

[Manticorkscrew]

His eyes shining, gazing at Cortez with a look of undisguised admiration, Gavid lent his voice to the cheers of the multitude, then settled down to pray fervently and more devoutly than he ever had before. There was no need for him to conceal his true feelings to fit in with this crowd; he'd have attracted more attention if it seemed like he hadn't been whipped up into a state of Emperor-loving fanaticism.

Some sixth sense alerted him to the two men standing at the back of the room, surveying the crowd. Turning his head slightly so he could surreptitiously sneak a peek at them, Gavid was curious to see who were these late arrivals at the sermon.

(OOC: I presume that they're the Space Wolves, right? )

[Kiranvonstrom]

Doing his best to contain his excitement at seeing the Emperor's own angels of death, Cortez finishes the prayer and continues with his sermon.
"The Emperor asks of you but one thing. That you smite the unholy with the power of your faith in Him. He does not need the prayers of a mass with their heads bowed down before Him. He does not need you to contemplate Him.
He needs you to fight.
Each heretic, each Xeno that you smite is like a prayer onto him. The blood that you spill in his name is His sacrifical wine, your own fists His ceremonial dagger. You are a temple to Him On Earth, made in his image to smite the unbeliever.
In payment of your great debt to Him, he asks only that you fight,"
Cortez pauses to catch his breath.
"Go forth, work for him and do his bidding,"

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Sorry aout the lateness.