Imperator Non Inridetur

[runestone]

"I'm worried about Quint. I can't believe that he would deliberately remain out of touch like this. But I see no way to track him down without drawing undue attention to ourselves. Could he have vanished like the others? Or something worse? He has special ... circumstances, after all. We must remain vigilant"

Then he turns to the Duke "What are your plans, your Grace? Will you join Annie and Akadia in the archives? Or can you perhaps use your connections with the arbites to investigate the disappearances more directly, by investigating their homes or interrogating their friends, perhaps? I know little of such things"

[qechua]

Agreed, I think despite our concern, Quint will have to find his own way back. Presuming he is still chasing down leads, his path will cross with one of ours soon enough. I also think to stop this happening in future, we make this shrine a meeting point, people will think nothing of the same group congregating here every couple of days, or people hanging around for hours. If that is all, shall we go find ourselves an archivist, Annie?

[LeSwordfish]

"Quint's a big boy. 'E can look after himself. Ready to go when you are."

[runestone]

"Perhaps. But we must never forget what he is, and what might happen if he loses control. Something isn't right here, and he -- of all people -- should not be wandering alone"

[Idares]

Tirantine replies as he fastens his boots: "Your plan is well received Brother Cleric Eckman. I will make my way to the Arbite Station. Working in pairs is perhaps the most diligent modus operandi.

As it seems that Archivist Arcadia and the gunslinger will be going to our contact, I think it best you join me? The wise words in company with a Man-of-the-Throne are always a welcoming prospect to myself."

He bows his head slightly to Gaius. He then looks away, expression draining from his face.

"As for the psyker. I will reserve my suspicions, for now."

He gets his gear together and makes his way to the Arbites Central.

[runestone]

"Thank you, your Grace. It may prove fruitless, but I had intended to stay here a while longer and report to Father Scharff when the shift is done as I have been commanded. I believe it's the best way to get access to the Ministorum, and a necessary evil if I am to remain credible to the father. But I will join you in your investigations if it is truly necessary, your Grace"

"I agree with Akadia, that we should use this shrine as a meeting place. I suggest that whoever is able will meet here at designated times twice a day -- once in the morning and once in the evening. If need be, we can leave messages for one another under the incense tray by the icon of Drussus. Judging from the state this place was in yesterday before I started cleaning, they do not clean out the ash very often, so our messages should be undisturbed"

[Vexing]

Spoiler: At the Shrine

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The other three Acolytes branch off to their respective tasks; the gunslinger and voidtrader to platform Secundus and your contact Ralvian Vern, while the grim Arbitrator proceeds at a clipped pace to the main offices on the other side of the Gate. After their departure, things at the Shrine remain much as they had been the day previous: quiet and uneventful. Smatterings of devotees arrive to pray, but they very seldom ask for a direct blessing and never hang about long after receiving it. As time cycles on, the throng outside soon grows to the same size as the young Cleric had seen the day before; merchants hawking wares across the way, a man repairing a jacket sleeve atop some crates, the occasional Arbites bust of an improperly sanctioned kiosk, and rubber-necking spacers fresh off their vessels.

Spoiler: Offices of the Arbites

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For the second time in as many days, the Duke sweeps into the Offices like an ill wind. The reception officer, same as the encounter yesterday, makes a sour expression and simply cuffs a nearby rookie who trots smartly to inform Investigator Yosuun. "Whatever you need, the Investigator will be able to see you shortly officer. Or are you here to actually do something?", the man snaps at Tirantine with the smallest of smirks.

Spoiler: Platform Secundus, Archives

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In what is surely a blessing from the Emperor himself (given your recent turn of luck, after all), the shuttle to your destination is relatively uncrowded. Only a scant few workers occupy seats, dull-eyed or yawning to a soul; it IS early in the cycle, after all. The lengthy travel from moon to platform takes place seamlessly and the great metal vessel vomits both Acolytes forth into the docking bay of Secundus, and quick perusing of the station maps direct you towards the East Habs and the shrine dedicated to Elena within, as it pulls double-duty for archival work. A brisk walk later, and the pair of women are one with a swirl of passing hab-laborers wandering in front of the shrine complex.

A squat building of dull metal plates welded together, it hardly seems to fit the ideal of a place of worship. A set of double-doors, crudely assembled from spare plating, blocks the entrance; someone years past took the time to carve devotions to the Emperor on their surface, and it looks like other devout folk have added to it over time. Two servitors keep a restless watch before the doorway, wrecked creatures whose twisted forms only slightly call men to mind as their wiring hisses and gears grind in their joints. Someone will exit the building with papers or a scrollcase in hand on occasion, darting quickly into the crowd and vanishing on their errand.

Spoiler: Platform Trifectus, Goltos Vats

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More than a few Arrows seem to react to Garret's name being dropped, hurriedly whispering amongst themselves as Quint continues to extol his speech on fiery redemption, preparedness, and blasphemous doom. The laborer who has twice laid a hand on him (Kelvan, another man calls him at one point) seems rather more confused than convinced, however, kneeling down to get a more direct look into the psyker's face. "Garret. Built like a shuttle and only half as loud. That Garret? What's he doing mixed up with you, then? You seen this daemonhunter with your own eyes? The big fellow, he's been a little...out of his gourd, if you get me, since Meretta got spaced. Spends more time at a shrine than at his station. You're telling me he told you there's a daemon about?"

[ArcturusV]

Quint nodded slowly as Garret was asked about, "Aye, that one. Large fellow, nice, a recent widower I had gathered," he confirmed, "Sparse hab, but the scroll and shrine to the fallen is still there. He had found me shortly after I arrived. A pilgrim traversing the Calaxis Sector to see the Holy Sites."

"I had been told an Adept, a faithful man named Hastus was going to put me up. Looking for him, Garret found me. And told me that he had been killed by the Coggers," Quint made as if he was hugging some chill out of his bones as he mentioned it, looking down and away as if the death truly, truly bothered him. Voiding wasn't pleasant, he'd seen it on his life, a convenient means of Execution. The distress wasn't exactly faked.

"I was there, when the Hunter came to Garret," not a lie at all, all considered, "asked him things about the station, about how people have been dying and disappearing, the ghosts, all of it." Quint shook his head slowly, "After Garret tells me about the conversation, the Hunter saying that it followed all the signs of a Daemon. A cunning, dangerous daemon." He shuddered visibly, not a faked reaction at all, he had a better idea of a what a Daemon was than most, between his past and the Portal to Hell in his brain case. "The Hunter isn't just looking for the Daemon though. I mean... how can the Priests let a Daemon run rampant on the station? They know as well! Are they under it's thrall?" Quint's hands tightened around his staff until his knuckles, then his whole hand turned white, letting a bit of fury seep into his voice at the mere idea that the priests were somehow complicit. "... who always has extra rations, even during this time, where the Daemon's taint ruins the crops? The Clerics, I hear."

[runestone]

The shrine

The novelty of tending a shrine on a strange space station has worn off, and exhausted as he is after the long sleepless night, Gaius has to work hard to remain focused on the dull tasks at hand. As the night before, he tries to get an impression of the mood and fears of the flock, and to sow the seeds of hope, but as time progresses, he becomes increasingly restless. Something is wrong, and while the others are out there rooting out heresy, he must remain behind giving blessings and taking confessions.

[LeSwordfish]

Annie looked at the shrine and shrugged.

"I were expecting spires and gold an' all that." she said thoughtfully. "Wierd."

She shrugged again and headed for the door. The servitors might try and stop her- they might try.

[qechua]

Spoiler: Archives

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Well, they can't all be beauties, can they. Akadia remarked as Annie moved towards the door. She quickly continued You realise they probably won't just let you in, right? Holding her position, Akadia deliberately staying several metres away from both Annie and the servitors.

[LeSwordfish]

Annie grinned. "I'll ask nicely. Folks seem to like me."

[Idares]

"Or are you here to actually do something?", the man snaps at Tirantine with the smallest of smirks.

"Indeed Officer Receptionist, more things that will fall beyond your notice." He mentions mid stride as he makes his way to the Investigators office. He heeds all the necessary etiquettes and takes a seat across the the desk.

"Investigator Yosuun, I have presented the information you furnished me with with to my colleagues and seems we need further assistance. "

He flicks open his Lho-case to the senior arbite and offers him a stick. Lightning both if the offer is accepted, or non if it is declined.

"We need to know more specifics: Where and what traces were there of their abductions? There most recent family ties on station and the names of their peers?"

Spoiler: ooc

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sorry for short posts. Im still kinda tide down. Also VERY sorry about what the Duke is wanting. It doesnt need to be in detail. we can make general rolls for just interrogation of said. No need for lengthy Role playing.

[Vexing]

Spoiler: At the Shrine

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Shrine attendance falls around the midpoint of the cycle as work shifts clock over, and it's around that point that the novice acolyte notices something truly strange. Kiosks have moved about in the hours that have passed, shopkeeps and merchants moving about the Gate for better areas to hawk their wares, idling workers have long since been replaced by other groups of much the same sort...save for one man. For the past four hours, the same raggedy worker has been picking at his jacket sleeve with a needle and corpse-sinew thread, with no visible sign of progress. Gaius' tired eyes occasionally note the man's gaze tracking slowly over the shrine before drifting back to his 'work'--and carefully pulling his stitches free to start anew.

Spoiler: Office of the Arbites

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The Duke's offer of lho is easily waved off by Yosuun, who seems to be in a rare good mood. Ecstatic, even. "I'm willing to give you whatever information you need, Officer Tirantine. Eh, what little there is, that is." Leaning across the desk, he drums his fingers lazily. "The queerest thing about their disappearances has been just that, actually. There is no trace of them vanishing. They go to their shifts, leave shrines for their duties and simply drop off the station. None of the missing adepts' families reported any odd behavior, those that had family connections on the station. The vast majority don't, in any case. I can provide you with their habs if you require them. As for their peers...", he shrugs. "Mostly other adepts and the priests, who are just as confused."

Spoiler: Platform Secundus, Archives

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Surprisingly, the two servitors do just that: they allow Annie through without any resistance. The most these 'guards' do is to turn their heads and examine her in painstaking detail, the faint red glow of their eyes intensifying as it plays over her skin and tattoos. The doors themselves are heavy, unwieldy things poorly set into their frame, but with a little effort they swing partway open to reveal what appears to be a disaster area...

The interior of Elena's shrine is massive, yet cluttered with the work of scribes. Parchment lies strewn across metal desks haphazardly, scroll tallies curling and flattened on the floor itself; adepts are frenziedly stationed three to a desk and are hastily copying figures and designations from scattered papers into a massive log occupying the midst of their endeavor. Even the dedicated statue to the long-suffering saint herself hasn't escaped the tidal flow of ink and parchment, her hundreds of carved wounds speckled with dark markings and outstretched arms serving as makeshift bookholders. In the center of this busied chaos is a tall man in dark robes directing the flow of the action; his right arm has been replaced from the elbow down by a dizzying array of metal tools for turning pages, heating and applying inks, and binding documents. From the signs of authority stitched into his robe and the small Aquila pin worn on his collar, it's clear that he's the senior adept in this section.

At his side is a young male acolyte, wearing a bored expression and Ecclesiarchical robes. On occasion the fellow is asked to move something or lift up a document for the Senior's perusal, which he does begrudgingly.

Spoiler: Platform Trifectus, Goltos Vats

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"Sounds like Garret is being mighty talkative for a man 'too busy' to come down and chat with us." The lead worker gives a dismissive wave of his hand. "No matter, then. Gaffer, since you obviously can't be staying with the Martyr, where are you situated? If you're new to the station", he continues to explain in low tones, "then you can't really be expected to know your way around all that well. We can take you in, iffin' you like." Again, he seems strangely unperturbed by Quint's doomsaying, and his eyes have a bit more of an inquisitive glint to them.

[LeSwordfish]

Trying to pretend that she'd been expecting the servitors to do that, Annie started striding up towards the ecclesiarch, waiting impatiently for a gap in the conversation.

"Oi. Right. Is there a Mister Vern here? I need to talk to him, he owes us thirty thrones."

She pitched her voice sharp and loud, in case Vern could overhear.

[runestone]

The shrine

Gaius takes a moment to confirm his suspicions before kneeling in front of the icon of Drussus to give a quick prayer of thanks for the divine grace that has alerted him to this danger. While kneeling, he writes a note describing the spy's appearance and actions as well as the plan he has formulated to apprehend him. After placing the note under the incense tray, he stretches his aching joints and says a quick prayer for protection and guidance before stepping out into the square in front of the shrine.

"Good people of Weyland's Gate, hearken to me! Fear not, I am no agitator, and my message is not one of strife. Instead, I bring you hope. I have recently arrived from Scintilla, and it hurts me deeply to see how you suffer. Know this: I am one of you, I share your pain and your hunger. I have not eaten for the past cycle, so that I may know hunger like you. I have not slept, so that I may know exhaustion like the hard working people of these stations. Instead, I have spent the night in PRAYER asking for guidance and protection for you all, and I have been given a message of HOPE"

He takes care not to look directly at the spy as he slowly walks into the square.

"There is ALWAYS hope for those that truly follow the light of the Golden Throne. The Emperor has not abandoned you. He will never abandon you. He will shield his faithful subjects and he will FEED his sons and daughters. He asks only that we remain vigilant: That we root out heresy wherever we find it, and that we all confess our sins, so that our souls may be unburdened and joyfully serve the throne. There is hope. There is light. There is salvation. And all of you will know peace and plenty once again"

As he speaks, he makes his way further into the open area in front of the shrine, circling and pacing, but slowly drawing nearer to the observer.

"Yes, there is salvation. But we must earn it! We must ALL do our duty to the throne. We must be FAITHFUL, we must be PURE, and we must ALL face our sins"

He walks slowly, turning as he goes until he finally comes close enough to the observer to suddenly turn and point an accusing finger at the man from a distance of a few paces.

"What about YOU? When was your last confession, my son? Come with me, unburden your soul. Do your duty to your Emperor and to your fellows, so that others aren't made to suffer for your sins. Your mending can wait!"

Gaius places a hand on the man's head and adds in a whisper

"You will come with me quietly to the shrine and explain in full why you are spying on the servants of Throne, or I will be forced to share my suspicions with the good people of the Gate and tell them that you are in league with the madman who assaulted Father Scharff and part of a heretic conspiracy directly responsible for the failure of the food supply. If the arbites don't get here in time, these people will tear you apart when I promise a week's worth of rations to whoever brings me your head"

Spoiler

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I guess he might run before Gaius gets all the way over there, but I wanted to write the entire scene. Let me know if I need to do a retcon

[qechua]

Letting loose a small, inaudible sigh of disbelief under her breath, Akadia hurried through the large doors and into the shrine-come-records office, once again taking place a few of metres behind Annie in the presumption that there was about to be some kind of altercation for her less than subtle entrance.

[ArcturusV]

Quint blinked slowly, remembering his sense of... foreboding when he woke up. In that crypt, with a burial shroud draped over him. And now someone offering him a place. He suppressed a shudder, only barely, just a slight shake of unease noted as passing through him as he did so.

He felt his stomach tightening a bit at the thought of a proper hab, having eaten only some countless hours ago, maybe 12? It wasn't so much of a bother yet, he was old, and as a dreg most of his life, he was used to not having the "3 square meals a day" like the old Governor and most of his staff used to, and presumably the Clerics and Admech did as well since he had yet to see a gaunt, starving one.

Eventually Quint shook his head, "... I have to warn people," he explained to the man. "Everyone needs to know and be prepared. If I hunkered down in a hab while this was all going on, resting and letting others deal with it, what sort of servant of the Emperor would I be?"

"Surely you are a bearer of the God-Emperor's faith, the charm against Harm is clear enough of a marker. Help me save as many as we can. Every man, woman and child needs to be prepared. Surely this is of the utmost importance?" He looked back towards where the vats were, "... the food has been rotting, hasn't it? I heard as much. If that's so, then the creature must stalk that area regularly. I should get in there and let them know before something happens."

[Vexing]

Spoiler: At the Shrine

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Eyes widening in terror at being found out, the laborer stands shakily. "S'alright, mate, no need te' get violent..." Following Gaius back towards the shrine meekly, he's almost inside the structure before making a break for it. The flap of boots on steel platings echo loudly in the small pause that the novice priest created with his sermon. Jacket Man is long of leg, but there's only so many places he can go with Gaius' threat hanging over his head.

Spoiler: Platform Secundus, Archives

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Blinking to wakefulness, the novice priest starts and almost drops the book he's holding on the floor, only barely managing to catch it before it hits. The augmented senior adept, on the other hand, gazes imperiously at the two of you over his half-moon spectacles. "I'm willing to overlook your...intrusion into our work, provided you show yourself out immediately. I am Ralvian Erani Vern, and you are mere station rabble. I owe you nothing of the sort; good day." With that, he turns back to his papers and inks, only occasionally sparing a withering glance at Annie. The other adepts haven't even paused, their fear at being caught slacking greater than their curiosity in the two strangers.

Spoiler: Platform Trifectus, Goltos Vats

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"Fine, fine. But you're not getting in there without a 'nomen, and the guards'll know you're too old to really work down there. So if you want to warn people, how about you come to the meeting with us, gaffer?" He gestures to his friends, who are still crowded about the psyker like an informal hedge of laboring fatigues. "We can look out for you until the end of this cycle and take you down into the Vats for the meeting with the rest of them. You'll get to a lot more people that way, daemon or no daemon."

[LeSwordfish]

Annie arched her eyebrows dramatically.

"Well, that's that then," she said, turning to Akadia but keeping her voice loud enough for Vern to hear. "Weren't these folks meant to be polite? I en't been treated this badly since I were in Port Suffering, and it's been nine years since i've docked in Port Suffering."

She turned back to Vern. "You sure you can't fit us in for a chat, mister Vern? We're interestin' folks to talk to."

[ArcturusV]

Quint looked around for a moment, back to the vats, along the streets, even further down the little alleyway they had ducked under, before returning his eyes to the speaker and nodding a bit, "... yes... I suppose you're right. Not much else to be done, at the moment. Though you should really be arming yourself, just in case. Those who shy away from the Emperor's Light don't wait for His servants to be ready."

[runestone]

The shrine

Gaius sets off after the fleeing man without much hope of catching him himself.

"Stop the heretic! He flees the light of the Emperor to bring damnation on you all. Bring him to me!"

[Vexing]

Spoiler: At the Shrine

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Some of the crowd immediately rush at him, and soon a small group has formed in the general direction he's run. Merchants are protecting wares as enterprising 'borrowers' attempt to make use of the chaos, spacers are hurriedly getting out of the way of the mass of laborers, and other assorted bother; while it's unlikely the fellow is going to escape unscathed, the slowly forming mob might require additional encouragement.

Spoiler: Platform Secundus, Archives

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Vern's eyebrow crooked ever so slightly as he closed his current tome. "Oh. You must be Jensen's, the vat-overseer's. I apologize; I don't make a habit to remember pipe-rats. If he's convinced that I still owe him anything at all from his personal work on the shrine piping, he's going to be painfully disabused of the notion. Ladies, if you would follow me to the main archive? I can show you the heating duct presently. Lars!", he shouts at the young cleric. "You will oversee the goings on here until I return, and if I find so much as a speck of ink out of place, it will come out of your hide." Unfolding his almost two-metre height from behind the desk, Vern gestures on with his augmented scribe's arm and begins to walk into the recesses of the shrine itself.

Spoiler: Platform Trifectus, Goltos Vats

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"That's right, gaffer. So. You going to be sticking around with me and the gang, then? I can have Goln keep an eye out for you and get you fed, and then all you'd need to do is relax until the meeting. 'S not safe to be wandering around, after all, if there's really a daemon on the loose. Not to mention the ghosts." Placing his hand on Quint's shoulder once more, he maintains eye-contact with the old man. "What'll it be?"

[qechua]

Catching up with Annie and Vern, Akadia quietly notes to Annie Full credit, I was sure you were going to get us some trouble there. Lets hope we find something useful at the other end of this

[LeSwordfish]

"Frankly, me too." Annie agreed quietly, falling in behind Vern and speaking so only Akadia could hear. "Always a nice surprise when i don't, eh?"

[runestone]

The shrine

Gaius continues to chase the spy.

"Catch the traitor! He mustn't be allowed to flee. Ten thrones to the one that brings him to me! Get him, get him now!"

Spoiler: Concerning money

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As I mentioned OoC, I was having trouble figuring out a reasonable amount for the reward. I think it's something Gaius should know, but I decided it wasn't worth delaying things to wait for an answer. Perhaps we can do a retcon if this is completely off? Or we can blame it on Gaius' general inexperience.

[ArcturusV]

Quint squirmed away from the hand on his shoulder. He didn't like people like him in general. Not because they were "unclean" or "evil" or "foul" so much as he hated what they reminded him of. The life that he had left behind, and all the wasted decades of his existence, decades that could have really meant something. Instead of pointlessly toiling for no purpose other than some faceless figure stamping some incomprehensible form told him to, with no real knowledge of the man himself.

... Not that Quint ran away or anything. He just didn't seem to want to be touched. "... yes, I suppose you're right. Food, rest. Safety in numbers perhaps. Nothing more to be done for now... well..." he trailed off, thinking, "I've done a lot of traveling," not really a lie, all considered, especially for the usually unchanging lifestyle of citizens of the Imperium, "Learned a few tricks to stretch a throne out. Might get more for your coin, pick up a few extras that you could use." He shrugged a bit, he had been around merchants quite a bit, handled some finances and deals. And honestly he had just woken up an hour ago, he wanted things to do, not merely to rest and wait. He did too much of that falling asleep for so long in the crypts.

[runestone]

The shrine

More than a little worried about the forces he has unleashed, Gaius attempts to direct the crowd.

"You have been given a chance at redemption, you have been given a chance to strike back at the forces that would have you starve. And yet, I see you looting and stealing from your brothers instead of pursuing the heretic with righteous fury. Know this! you will be judged based on what you do today. Go! Bring me that man alive so we may learn who his allies are"

[Vexing]

Spoiler: At the Shrine

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Like a roused animal, perhaps some violent swarm predator from a forgotten world, the mob turns with renewed purpose on the fleeing man's trail. Gaius might very well be uncertain as to whether his chastisement or the promise of hard Thrones was the more persuasive; no single motive is more represented in the teeming mass of humanity than any other, from the urge to get paid to the fear of the penitent. However, the disturbance has taken up the better part of this end of Weyland's Gate, as Jacket does his best to stay one panicked step ahead of his pursuers. Displaying surprising nimbleness before the crowd grows thick enough to block the Acolyte's sight, he can be seen leaping through or over kiosks and illegal stalls in order to keep the precious advantage of seconds.

Ultimately, one might suspect, the struggling of the mob's quarry would be futile. But no one had told him that!

Seconds into the chase, blaring sirens begin to sound and the ancient vox system of the Gate crackles to despondent life, warnings and admonishments about order and propriety begin to echo about the metal platings. Along with warning about the incoming response of "legal authorities, Ave Imperator"...

Spoiler: Platform Secundus, Archives

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The walk to the main archives is surprisingly long. Vern, irritatedly waiting at various turns and dips in the rat-warren corridors of the shrine, leads both the Acolytes deeper into the mess; with every step, the smell of aging paper and preserving chemicals seems to grow, as though gaining a tangible presence and pressing firmly against exposed skin. Minutes pass in silence (save for the ringing echo of feet on plating) and both women can be certain that the structure of the archives accounts for a great deal of space under the main walkway of the platform. With a final turn into a great room, stacks and mountains of poorly organised papers forming a truly impressive topography, broken and bounded by desks and cabinets, Ralvian Vern turns to face the two. "So." Folding his arms tightly before his chest, he contrives to look down his nose at the Acolytes even more so than before, a difficult task to be sure. "He wants you two to be mucking around down here, then? Why?" Eyes gleaming hatefully, he seems to hang on their response with interest.

Spoiler: Platform Trifectus, Goltos Vats

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"Nah. Don't really figure we need you to do our haggling for us, ken? We'll just set you up right proper and let you relax, real peaceful-like, until the meeting." The man's grin seems painfully wide. "Don't want you wandering off and getting lost, pilgrim, if it can be helped. After all, you've got a speech you wanna be making, right?" Nodding to his friends, the group seems to sweep Quint up in its midst as they wander towards the Habs. "Figure that'll be best for everyone concerned..."

[ArcturusV]

Do Not Take Me For Some Conjurer of Cheap Tricks! I'm more of an Alice Cooper sort...

Quint fingered his Tarot cards in his pocket, slowly focusing his mind as he looked at the men surrounding him and herding him off. He had seen enough actions of this type to recognize being 'handled'. By who? Skitarii agents? Likely. Enforcers? Less so, they tended to be far less subtle. Either way, he was filled with a sense as they boxed him in, that he did not want to just go quietly into the night with these figures. He had much work to do, to earn the Emperor's Protection yet. He had seen men boxed in and subtly 'shuffled off' in this manner. They never seemed to come back. At least not as a non-servitor.

As the warp trickled into him, focused through the Tarot he opened his eyes. The black eyes that had once been there were replaced by a golden glow, a chill wind seeming to whip around his robes and settle in the immediate area. "The Emperor acts through me, I am not some beast to be broken and tamed by you. Recognize your place, either behind my back aiding me in my struggles, or broken under my boot, and example to all heretics and apostates against the True Master of Mankind, the Only God Emperor upon the Golden Throne of Terra." His voice seemed to have a low "echo" to it, as if not only Quint spoke, but another voice spoke with him, cold and harsh.

Spoiler: Mechanics, ho!

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Due to the successful Invocation test (And I even forgot my +10 for my Tarot Psy-Focus!) in the OOC topic, I actually cannot fail to manifest the power, Fearful Aura, since it has a Power Threshold of 7, and I am currently Invoking for +4, and my WP Bonus is 4. The only question is if I get Overbleed, passing the Threshold by 10 (To increase the Fear Rating to 3, a -20 WP test for the thugs around me). And if I trigger a Psychic Phenomenon.

(1d10)[8] +4 Invocation (Adds my Willpower Bonus AGAIN on a Successful Invocation) and +4 for my Willpower Bonus.

I have a Fear Rating of 2 (-10 to their test against Fear), a Fear Rating of 3 if I get 17 Total (9 or 10 on my roll).