Beyond the Grace of the Emperor

[Zen Master]

There is a pause, before The Emperor speaks. As if gathering his thoughts, or maybe gathering the courage to tell a complicated truth.

"I've heard tell the Emperor of old could break a planet in half with his psionic strength - would that be a fitting proof?"

He concentrates, focussing another power - still with no obvious effect.

"Genetically - I am the Emperor. But then, it's barely a week ago I awoke in the growth chamber. I don't know all that I am, all that I can be - not yet. But is true leadership the ability to sunder a world? Or is it, possibly, the willingness to learn?"

And with that, he fakes a powerful lunge at Crisis - a feint. Meaning an opposed roll, so I'll need similar from Crisis.

The God-Emperor of Mankind, WS (actually, still Will): (1d100)[67] vs 80.

[Psymple]

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(1d100)[78] DC 67

[Psymple]

Burning fate:

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(1d100)[21] DC 67

[Zen Master]

I very much considered giving the Emperor some fate points also - if anyone should have them, He should, right? I decided against it, however, much to my regret =(

Turn passes to Crisis, right?

[Psymple]

I honestly doubt the Real Emperor would intervene on behalf of a clone impersonating him... :p

Aaaand Crisis will continue to carve into this carbon fake.

---

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Lightning Attack
Lightning Attack Full round Action
(1d100)[78] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[88] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[29] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
Reroll if Miss.
(1d100)[12] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
Rightious Fury Rolls
(1d100)[90] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[47] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[39] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56

Dmg:
1st: (1d10)[9] Or (1d10)[9] +4, Pen 3.
2nd: (1d10)[7] Or (1d10)[10] +4, Pen 3.
3rd: (1d10)[10] Or (1d10)[1] +4, Pen 3.
Righteous Fury: (1d10)[2], (1d10)[1], (1d10)[6], (1d10)[8], (1d10)[10]

1st: Reroll's and hits for 13 Pen 3 in the Right Arm.
2nd: Misses
3rd: Hits, Rightious Furies and hits for 16 Pen 3 in the Left Arm.

Through some divine insight Crisis foresees the heretics
feint and continues her barrage of blows.

...

Hail the Immortal Emperor
For he is the Lord and Master!

Worship the Immortal Emperor
For without Him we are Nothing!

[Zen Master]

Ha! Oh. My. God.

Ok, so for the force field, I roll actual dice, here on my little desk. It stops the first of Crisis' attacks - then, ironically, burns out.

With a flash, a crackle and a shower of sparks, the shimmer surrounding the God-Emperor of Mankind disappears. At this point, he reckons it prudent to try and dodge.

Dodge (vs. 40): (1d100)[22]

He nimbly sidesteps, and the - otherwise wickedly precise and deadly - swordstrike passes harmlessly by.

He says:

"Do you want ..."

Stigs turn. And Leonas.

[Knives91]

Stig is conflicted. His hand trembles on his gun. He breaths deeply, settles his mind and then asks:

"What do you intend?"

Full action aim again.

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As a player, I want to join combat so bad. As the character, he's looking for a reason to shoot (or not shoot) at the being who may or may not be his god.

[Zen Master]

He contemplates a moment - in so far as Crisis' determined assault leaves room for contemplation - then answers:

"The Imperium is not ruled by the Emperor upon the Golden Throne - but by a corrupt council of mortal men, the High Lords of Terra."

"It is my intention to wage war upon those mortal men, wrest control from them, and take it for myself. I should like to return the original God-Emperor to life, if possible - but I cannot promise the outcome of that ambition."

"I seek not power for myself - but for mankind."

[Zen Master]

.... wait a minute!

That means it's his turn. Sorry.

The God-Emperor, slowly losing patience with Crisis' constant refusal to get hit, manifests a power. His voice takes on the aspect of irrefutable command, and he states simply:

"Stand still!"

Then, he once again feints with his psychic blade - in effect, barring Crisis from both dodging and parrying next round. If all goes well.

WS for feint: (1d100)[70] vs. 80 (opposed)
Will for Opposed Test for Compel: (1d100)[64]

[Psymple]

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(1d100)[87] WS vs 70
(1d100)[45] WP vs 64

[Psymple]

Fate to reroll WS

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(1d100)[85] WS vs 70

Crisis finally loses her composure.

Only the true Emperor may command me,
you have no power over me Heretic.

You two better start shooting or, Emperor help you, I will
dispatch you for cowardice and desertion once I am done
with this Heretic Witch.

[Zen Master]

Hrm ... not to rub salt in your wounds or anything, but - despite the speech, he kinda does. He succeeds his test by one degree, while you fail yours. Thus, you can neither parry nor dodge his next attack.

He could, of course, fail his WS.

All that aside, Stig's actions now become even more interesting. Which way will he decide?!

[Knives91]

Stig is many things: large, weathered, faithful. He believes in the Emperor with everything he has. To do otherwise is to admit that humanity is wrong, which he will not, CANNOT do.

And yet...

He has seen what corruption the Imperium holds. He admits, if only to himself, that man is his own worst enemy and that the greater part of the Imperium is, judging by what he has seen, rotten and corrupt. More than once, he has looked out on a broken battle field, surrounded by the corpses of his fellows, many of whom died for no reason than to do the bidding of some general who was the only one to benefit. He has looked out and a heretical thought entered his mind.

This is not the will of the Emperor. This is not what the Emperor would desire.

And now, before him, stands a chance, an offer to return the Emperor to his glory. A chance for the true Master of Mankind to rule again. But he is conflicted. Duty tells him to strike the abomination down. His brain and his heart tell him that doing so would make him an even greater heretic than the one who struck the Emperor down in the first place.

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Given the situation, Stig could really go either way. So, we settle this via the time tested method: dice. Under or over 50 on a d100. Under, duty wins out. Over, he goes with what he feels is right.

(1d100)[61]

May the Emperor guide my hand.

[Zen Master]

So it's His turn.

"Crisis," He says, "my vision of freedom for Mankind is opposed by many. And many of those will have to fight, because they chose to fight. Your life shall be the first. I'm sorry." He sounds entirely sincere.

Attack: (1d100)[91] vs. 80
Damage: (1d10+12)[16]

He then manifests a power.

I'm not ending his turn just yet - I just want to hear any reactions (also to see his roll - he might miss) ... then there will be a bit more.

EDIT: HA! He missed. Alright - still, reactions, then further moves from my part.

[Zen Master]

No? Alright, then without further delay:

Leona looks at Stig, at the God-Emperor, back at Stig. Clearly confused, the moment she reaches her conclusion is visible on her face. She whispers a silent 'no', and lets rip.

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BS, +30 for full auto, +30 for point blank, +10 for targeter: (1d100)[23] vs. 110.
Damage rolls:
(1d10+5)[9] penetration is irrelevant, because the target wears no armor.
(1d10+5)[7]
(1d10+5)[6]
(1d10+5)[12]
(1d10+5)[6]
(1d10+5)[14]
(1d10+5)[11]
(1d10+5)[7]
(1d10+5)[6]
(1d10+5)[9] There - just in case they ALL hit =)

A few confirmation rolls in case of RF.
BS: (1d100)[72]
BS: (1d100)[51]
BS: (1d100)[1]

And corresponding extra damage rolls:
(1d10)[9]
(1d10)[2]
(1d10)[8]

Nice rolls, random guard girl. Leona's Armageddon rifle sings the staccatto song of death, pumping out round after round while she - succesfully - struggles to keep the barrel straight despite the recoil.

The hailstorm of bullets tear towards the God-Emperor, who - almost lazily - raises his hand. The bullets slow .... slow ... then stop, and hang in mid-air. Or at least the first six shots do - the seventh gets through, leaving a cut above one eye brow.

I'll just update the initiative order:

Crisis 16
Stig 15
The Emperor 11
Leona 10

And it's once more Crisis' turn =)

[Psymple]

It is I who am sorry, being born in the Emperors shape
of the Emperors blood does not make you our lord and
Master.
Die Idol.

Then she smiles; knowing the Emperor is on her side,
once again continuing her attack.

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Lightning Attack
Lightning Attack Full round Action
(1d100)[47] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[43] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[30] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
Reroll if Miss.
(1d100)[11] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
Rightious Fury Rolls
(1d100)[16] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[27] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[56] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56

Dmg:
1st: (1d10)[7] Or (1d10)[3] +4, Pen 3.
2nd: (1d10)[5] Or (1d10)[1] +4, Pen 3.
3rd: (1d10)[3] Or (1d10)[2] +4, Pen 3.
Righteous Fury: (1d10)[2], (1d10)[4], (1d10)[3], (1d10)[1], (1d10)[7]

1st: 11 Pen 3, Body.
2nd: 9 Pen 3, Body.
3rd: 7 Pen 3, Head.

[Knives91]

Stig watches. Waits. Knows that he will die for what is to come. Knows that it will not be a pleasant death. Knows that he will be killing billions.

Yet there is a faint hope for humanity's rise at the end. And for him, that is enough.

Stig repositions himself so as to be behind his companions and draws a bead on Leona's gun.

Half action move, half action aim.

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Note: he doesn't want to kill either of his companions. Disarming them, yes. Murdering, no.

[Zen Master]

The God-Emperor takes a few minor wounds from Leona and Crisis - tougher than old boot leather, still now he has at the very least visibly been in a fight.

He appears for a moment to consider the situation - his number of active assailants has just doubled. He decides it's time to make a more robust effort to remove Crisis from the equation. He foregoes the manifest/attack combo, and instead makes a Swift attack (full-round action).

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WS (=will, 80): (1d100)[87]
WS (=will, 80): (1d100)[71]
Damage: (1d10+12)[13]
Damage: (1d10+12)[18]

[Psymple]

Sooo thats one hit.
Parry dodge rolls:

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(1d100)[12] Dodge +20 DC 66.
Or if she cant dodge.
(1d100)[94] Parry +20 for Balanced DC 66

[Zen Master]

Thus, it is once more Leona's turn. She once more levels her rifle at the God-Emperorand fires on full auto.

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Like last time, she has 110% chance to hit. BS: (1d100)[83]
Damage: (1d10+5)[6]
Damage: (1d10+5)[13]
Damage: (1d10+5)[13]
Damage: (1d10+5)[6]
Damage: (1d10+5)[8]
Damage: (1d10+5)[9]
Damage: (1d10+5)[11]
Damage: (1d10+5)[9]
Damage: (1d10+5)[15]
Damage: (1d10+5)[13]

In case of RF, confirmation rolls:
BS: (1d100)[31]
BS: (1d100)[5]
BS: (1d100)[86]

And extra damage:
(1d10)[7]
(1d10)[7]
(1d10)[9]

Since the God-Emperor chose to go full offensive, his defences are momentarily down. Leona gets in a couple of decent hits, adding to His collection of minor wounds, cuts and scrapes.

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Whew. I was kinda worried she was gonna do really well - she has the potential, but clearly I can't allow an NPC to decide the fight. So a slightly ****ty attack roll is fine =)

Edit: Oh, and - it's Stig's turn.

[Knives91]

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And here comes the last chance. Either way, somethings getting shot this go through.

The finger begins to tighten. The eyes narrow. The target chosen.

And yet, the mind oddly wanders. To friends of old, long dead. To allies lost. To two companions whom he is about to betray. Betray.

Betray. Is he? Is he betraying them. Yes. Yes there is no doubt. To act like this, it is betrayal. A betrayal of all they have fought for. For what Rho died for. For what billions of people die for every day.

Can he? Should he?

(1d100)[63]

[Knives91]

He must. To make those lives mean something. To ensure the future they are gave it all for is not lost. Emperor forgive him, for he doubts that he will ever forgive himself.

He whispers as he pulls the trigger.

"In the Emperor's name."

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BS test: against 65 plus half action aim (+10) and called shot gun: (1d100)[57]

Damage: (1d10+5)[11]

[Zen Master]

Leona, entirely unprepared, shrieks with shock and surprise as her weapon is blasted from her hands - clattering, damaged, across the floor of the platform. As she turns to stare at Stig, it's clear from her eyes that she takes a moment to realise this was deliberate, and not accidental.

In actual fact, though, it's Crisis' turn before Stig. So I'll leave it at that, for now.

[Knives91]

In actual fact, though, it's Crisis' turn before Stig. So I'll leave it at that, for now.

But...but you said it was my turn...

Who can I trust if not for my GM?

[Zen Master]

But...but you said it was my turn...

Who can I trust if not for my GM?

I know - I know .... I'm retarded. But it's fine, it's not like Crisis is likely to charge you suddenly.

[Psymple]

Heh if only I could justify her doing it.
So, she amps up her Combo once again.

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Lightning Attack
Lightning Attack Full round Action
(1d100)[16] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[41] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[96] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
Reroll if Miss.
(1d100)[17] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
Rightious Fury Rolls
(1d100)[42] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[69] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56
(1d100)[3] WS +10 for Weapon DC 56

Dmg:
1st: (1d10)[8] Or (1d10)[4] +4, Pen 3.
2nd: (1d10)[8] Or (1d10)[3] +4, Pen 3.
3rd: (1d10)[4] Or (1d10)[4] +4, Pen 3.
Righteous Fury: (1d10)[6], (1d10)[1], (1d10)[2], (1d10)[6], (1d10)[6],

1st: Right arm 12, Pen 3
2nd: Body 12, Pen 3
3rd: Right arm 8, Pen 3.

[Zen Master]

Swordblows raining down on him, the God-Emperor is actually showing a bit of strain. Crisis' persistant refusal to die - her sublime skill at avoiding the blade of the Emperor - is becoming problematic. Her blows open a new couple of cuts, and the Emperor gives ground.

However, his psychic strength is phenomenal. He has been maintaining two powers for a while, now he manifests a third, and maintains that also. His brow wrinkles with concentration, and a warm glow emanates from his body.

Then, once more, he swings at Crisis.

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The Will of the Emperor is somewhat strained. It shows. Both his chance to hit, and his damage, suffers as a result. Not much, but still.
WS (actually Will): (1d100)[9] vs. 50
Damage: (1d10+10)[16]

He'd also like to try and dodge one of Crisis' attacks. Dodge: (1d100)[28] vs. 40.

Also, regeneration: (1d5)[2]

Please note I rerolled this. I used wrong modifiers all-round, deleted the post, then rolled again. The results remain much the same, except he missed his original attack - but succeeded vs. a lower target.

I'm going to consider this a legitimate reroll, and let it stand. But root for Crisis' ability to dodge/parry.

Now then ....!

For her part, Leona doesn't spend long mourning the loss of her rifle. Her face set with grim determination, she pulls out her sidearm, and charges straight at the God-Emperor, pulling the trigger again and again as she runs full tilt at him.

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This isn't strictly allowed by the rules, but I'll let her because she's badass, and because I always felt it makes sense, logically.



Then, as she reaches her target, she barges right into him, shoulder down, knees bent, and tries to propel him over the edge of the platform. I'm treating this as a knock-down, meaning an opposed strength test. Each level of succes - should Leona win - will push the God-Emperor 1 meter towards the edge. She will need to roll extremely well to succeed, but she's charging, and the Emperor is entirely unprepared for this attack.

The Emperor: vs. 30. (-10 for being unprepared)
Leona: vs. 50. (+10 for charge]
They both fail their tests, Leona by most.

This thread isn't playing ball - I have to roll in the other one. Results to follow.

While a brave and clever, the plan doesn't work. The Emperor shrugs off her attack, steps around her, and she drops to the floor just beyond him.

Ok - very last edit: Turn ends, Crisis is up.

[Zen Master]

Right ... so. Crisis chose to give up. Hardly sporting, but I guess it's hard to enter a campaign that's half-played already.

Shame to leave during the final battle, tho. So ... what the hell, I'll write up how everything ends. In part to sort of close my first pbp campaign, for my own satisfaction and sense of closure - and in part in the hope that someone (specifically Stig) cares.

So this is how it goes:

The battle is pitched. The Emperor, individually a psionic powerhouse, is slowly being whittled down by Crisis blades, and the determined onslaught of Leona.

Stig, meanwhile, wanting to stop the battle but unwilling to attack his friends, aims and shoots at their weapons. He misses his first attack, however, trying to shoot a sword out of the hands of Crisis.

The two ladies force the Emperor back, swords and gunshots forcing him on the defensive. However, the Emperor realises that Leona is more easily dispatched than Crisis - and then he'd no longer be fighting 1v2. His psychic blade lashes out, connects, and it's terrible edge cuts Leona down in a single blow. Blood gushing, she collapses to the platform floor.

Everything happens all at once then. Stig fires, and the powerful projectile snaps one of Crisis' swords from her hand. The other, however, deals a terrible blow to the Emperor. Critically wounded, he now tries to flee - he turns and leaps off the platform, and tries to manifest (yet another maintained) power, that of levitation.

But Crisis, in a zealous fury, leaps after him. She wraps her legs around him, and keeps on slashing away with her sword. Levitation fails - both plummet.

Stig remains alone on the platform, beside the rapidly expiring form of Leona. He tries to bind her wounds, and hopes for the best.

Then, there's basically nothing left to do - except activate the lift, and travel to the top of the Spire.

Stig enters the lair of the dragon solo. All his friends gone.

Unlike the rest of the Spire, this last and final part is made for human habitation. This is where the Emperor lived. Cogitators hum, music plays softly, and wide windows offer a spectacular view of the city and the planet. There are clothes here, a bedroom, a dining room, a kitchen. There are toilets.

A spiral staircase leads up, and at the very pinnacle is the room where Medusa's mainframe resides. Or, more properly, the entire Spire is her mainframe, but this room contains the main terminal.

Stig knows no tech-use, but he has the simulated Delta to advise him.

From here, regular updates of the Medusa AI are distributed, globally, at regular intervals.

Stig slaps the dataslate into a receptacle. The virus uploads, and with the next distribution, is spread to every running copy of Medusa within broadcast range, the whole planet - it will take a bit longer to reach the entire system, but the versions of her running there have no reason to reject the update, and no way of getting warning.

The virus resets her AI baffles, locking her down in her options and actions. With one master stroke, she is once more a loyal servant of the imperium, ready to take orders from the highest ranking representative present.

That happens to be Stig. By virtue, mainly, of being the only one.

She speaks.

"I await your command, Master Stig. My ressources are at your disposal. The Emperor died in the fall, but I have his genetic sequence on record. With additions from you and your former teammates, I belive I can even further enhance him.

Shall I make another?"

The End!