Rogue Trader: The Athorthan Gambit

[Hemnon]

Calistra drank nothing, more out of Personal choice, than a religious Belief.
She smiled and indicated her head in a greeting to Deiad whe She saw the woman. Calistra knew Deiad well.... it's been Calistra that'd inserted the annual twist-offering after all, and from what Calistra had sensed from the woman, Deiad had loved that idea.

Calistra then turned her mind towards muttering blessings and benedictions, as well as the Rite Of Civil Talk.

[Darkseeker]

Suellen puts down her wine and motions to the underling behind her, who comes forward and presents Jodi with a scroll "Yes, it was a pitiful display.The quality of the crew seems to have suffered of late. Clearly more discipline and training is required." She takes another sip as the scroll is handed to Jodi " we are still too far away for reliable scans, however I have prepared a summary of this Footfalls current known defenses and ships. You should find them useful for training" She leans back as the underling returns to his place

Spoiler: scroll

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With near 12 hours of scans and using old data( due to light lag) some details can be made out.
Five of the ships seem to be cruisers.

• There is a 32% chance one of the cruisers match a ship within the dynasty records
• two of the ships seem to be light cruisers
• Three ships seem to be raider/frigates
• Four ships have been Identified as Jericho class
• One ship may be a Carrack class
• Two are unknown but likely transport class ships
• six shield generators of unknown class have been spotted around foofall
• 32 places have been tagged as possible weapon systems.

There is a 32% chance the known cruiser is an Ambition class cruiser called the Dark Jesters Gambit. Flagship of the Palitor Dynasty

Spoiler: Palitor Dynasty

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The Palitor Dynasty would be well known to many here as they have fast become the chief rival of the Rhor Dynasty. The Palitor took advantage of the Dynasties weakness, using military might and politics to strip away many of the families holdings. Many within the dynasty see the Palitor as opportunistic scavengers.

[DrK]

Jodi smiles, but the joy doesn't touch her eyes. The gambit. A fine foe and better prize. The lord captain could double his fleet and cripple and enemy in a single stroke.

She turns, her voice loud enough to carry and curious to see a response to her words..

[Space Lawyer]

Conrad makes various orders to his underlings while waiting for the Lord-Captain's pronouncement. "Gratian, I will need you to search among the crew and any contacts you may have in Footfall. We need to know more of a group that calls itself the Obsidian Emporial. We need to know their reach, power, history, and usual means of operation. Marna, see to it that we have sufficient liquidity to resupply at Footfall and purchase whatever this auction is selling. Additionally, allow any crewmember who requests it to receive his pay early this week so that they may buy what they wish. Of course, have your clerks keep careful track of who requests an early payment so they don't get paid twice." He interrupts Estell and Calvan's conversation. "Estell, make sure our maps of this system are up-to-date. While we're there, get an accurate map of the station. Check if Talia will can give you a coherent update of the Warp route we took here. Kalvan, I want detailed survey of our current stores and reserves. Gather reports from each major division as to what they require so that we may purchase supplies."

[Mekboy]

Refusing the wine from the servitors (the stuff went straight to her head), Piety hovered awkwardly around the edges of the room, vaguely listening to fragments of overheard conversations. She would hardly pretend to be at home in most social situations.

[Darkseeker]

Gratian Mielkie Nods to Conrad and holds his glass up for a servitor to refill. "Yes I begin looking thought the crew before we left Port Wander. while none of our long time crew knows anything of the place a few people we picked up since coming to the sector knows of the place. They have given me enough information to make some inroads. I have some information on the Obsidian Emporial. It seems to be run by unknown Intercessors and deal in rare items. The few crew who knew of them spoke of them with awe and fear. they seem "trustworthy" enough as long as agreements are upheld."

The Purser looks up from his dataslate "Yes, yes, I have already seen to the majority of that. The auction I do not know enough of the cost as yet to have sufficient thrones ready." He sounds rather put out

Kalvan simply nods but Estell leans forward " Yeah, yeah I have a lead on some rather splendid maps of the area" She says an accent that seemingly can't make its mind up if its hiver,noble or some bastardized ship dialect.

[Darkseeker]

As Piety hovers around the edge of the room she sense's the stomach turning presence of the Navigator before she even speaks. " Interesting place do you not think? I found the passage trying and rather invigorating. A pity the unblessed do not see as we do yes?"

After being nodded toward Deriad makes her way toward Calistra "Good Evening Confessor." She says with a nod "I must tell you, I do not like what I hear of this place. It seems unholy and indecent.Can you imagine a place that welcomes the unclean and the twisted?" she says with more than a hint of distaste.

[Hemnon]

Calistra greeted the woman back. "Yes indeed, a great purge should be done there one day, but if it had been the emperor's plan for that to happen, it would have been so a long time ago. Maybe a spread in imperial faith OUTSIDE the area of Footfall would do the trick. It's warfare after all, we need to gather intel and spread into the unfaithful parts of the expanse and once that's done we should begin the cleansing." She said, sounding both very maneuverable and tactical for both the political view, as well as the actual worthwhile idea that it was.

"On another subject, are we soon ready for the Twist-hunt? it went so well last time with the decapitations and jettisonning of their corrupted corpses, as well as the prize-winners' implaccable feats and ideas for capture of those twists."

[Mekboy]

Suppressing a shudder, Piety turned to face the navigator. She'd never liked the woman much - she seemed to rather revel in her powers, rather than fear them as any Emperor-minded individual should. Nevertheless, she was vital to the ship and to the Rohr, and so needed to be tolerated. She smiled weakly.

"I-interesting is c-certainly one w-way of putting it. I cannot s-say I have h-heard a-anything but rumours about the p-p-place, but the rumours are certainly... c-colourful. I c-cannot help but hope that they are at l-least s-somewhat exaggerated."

[Menelcar]

Karl sits for a while in silence while listening to his crew talk about the current affair, taking time to look at each one of them, their opinions, ideas thoughts and words. Silently evaluating every single one of his commanders, lords and advisors.

He raises his hand lightly to quiet the voices in the command room.

If reports are to be believed, we know of at least half a dozen rogue traders in the area, plus a possible pirate fleet He looks around the table As of now, our position is somewhat compromised, our dynasty lacks the strength of ages past, and thus we must be careful. We cannot afford to charge in guns blazing, for currently we lack the power to back an aggressive position.
For this reason I deem necessary the use of caution: Whatever our actions, we must not draw excessive attention to ourselves He looks araund to make sure all the attendants comply That being said, feel free to pursue whatever course of action you feel appropriate, as long as you make time to inform me first

Content with his little speech, he proceeds to turn to Kazan That would indeed be desirable, however if we where to attempt such a thing, it will require careful planning, any suggestions?

[Squark]

After finishing with the dataslate in front of him, Cerival passes it to his old friend on his left and addresses Commander Kazan's proposal, "Stealing the gambit would be quite a boon. At present, however, even if we managed to capture the vessel- Quite an accomplishment in and of itself given we would likely be outnumbered- I am not sure we possess the resources to acquire the crew for such a vessel. Still... If an opportunity presents itself, claiming one of their lesser vessels seems an excellent idea, especially since several of the House's old vessels now lie in their hands or scuttled. Probably not something we should attempt at present, though- Such blatant aggression too close to Footfall could result in many doors being barred to us." Finishing that thought, he turns and addresses the entire assembly. "Not to distract anyone from their current discussions, but since our esteemed Master of Arms is not currently present, I should remind everyone here that Footfall is a lawless, wretched den of iniquity. While the Rhor warrant of trade and the Lion lend us a considerable amount of influence here, we are almost certainly not the most powerful party currently present, and no amount of influence would stop a knife in the back in a dark alley. With that in mind, all senior officers should be accompanied by a detachment of soldiers whenever they leave the Lion, unless your task requires absolute discretion, and all such solitary excursions should be approved by the Lord Captain, myself, or the High Factotum. We should also try to ensure any crew on shore leave stick together."

Hopefully that wouldn't get too much complaint from those assembled. Of course, Cerival couldn't actually enforce the order where the Navigator or Tech Priests were concerned, but they weren't really the ones he was concerned about- anyone with the resources to set up a kidnapping would pick an easier target than a Navigator or senior tech priest.

[Darkseeker]

Deriad nods at Calistra " Oh yes, some of the ratlings have been spreading tales of things below decks. Might be a fine time for hunting parties with awards going to the groups that brings back the most deformed and the most dead and so on. It may well help with moral' She says with a grin

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Piety may be shaking but the navigator gives no signs she notices who cares " Oh, I do not think they are blown out too much. You should have seen the warp on the way here! The maw was simply awe inspiring in its anger"

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Hearing talk turn toward possible action with the Palitor Dynasty, Gratian Mielkie speaks up. "Pardon me lord captain but we do have some files on the ship in question". He reaches for one of the many dataslats near his chair " They are also an Ambition class cruiser, but in open space they may hurt us greatly. Unlike us they have full weapons batteries and a veteran crew at the very least. and while we may take them in ship to ship combat it is far too even a match for us to come away from unhurt. However, I do have some contacts within the Dynasty and I might be able to see just why they are here and maybe what they are up to"

[DrK]

Kazan nods at the Captains request. There are two possibilities sir. The first is to follow her when she leaves system, its several days to the warp transit point. In that void we can take her.

She coughs, The alternate is to plant a story in the town and lure her to a world of our choosing.

[Darkseeker]

Six days after the meeting The Furious Lion of the Indomitable Golden Dawn docks with one of the many docking arms of footfall. You find yourself docked in a tight cluster of lashed asteroids near the Liege's Court. Your crew has spent the last six days looking over many things and planning for the things to come.

Suellen Deliberato, Mistress of the Etherics has sent many scrolls with updates as you have carried deeper into the system. She has identified the classes of all ships in system at the time and noted six more arriving since you have.

Spoiler: Ships

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• The Dark jester's gambit
• Two Lunar class cruisers
• One Dictator class cruiser, IDed as Lord of the stellar winds, Flagship of the Jalzoko Dynasty
• One Secutor class cruiser
• Two dauntless light cruisers, One of which has been IDed as The Hammer of truth, flagship of the Djanko dynasty
• One sword class Destroyer, IDed asWrath of the Righteous Fist, Flagship of the Ozalak Dynasty
• Two Hazeroth class privateers
• Four Jericho class
• One Carrack class
• two Vagabond class, One of which has been IDed as Grace of Sopha Flagship of the Armelan dynasty

She has also identified at lest four other Rogue traders. Alhem Jalzoko,Madam Charlabelle Armelan,Baron Djanko Scourge, Izabor Ozalaks

Gratian Mielkie, the master of whispers has been making some contacts and he and his hand picked men wish to put feet on the ground as soon as the ship is docked.

the only other real point as Athardous Kurzorn wishes to make contact with the Admech stationed on Footfall itself and Estell has plans to set off with a group of "guards" to some destination within footfall.

One other thing of note uncovered. Is as a rule the liege of footfall, in theory is sub-servant to any who bare the warrant of trade.

[Squark]

In light of the new information, Cerival sends out a messages to Conrad

Greetings High Factotum Fayiz,

Being that protocol is your area of expertise, I am wondering if it is expected of the Lord-Captain to exchange gifts with his peers. If this is the case, I recommend we collaborate with Master Grimm in acquiring several suitably respectful gifts, and one relatively ambivilent gift for the Palitor representative. I also have a few questions regarding the current political situation. If you could send me a copy of the data on Footfall's major factions, details about the other Dynasties we know are present, and information on how the nominal leader of Footfall will be determined while the various dynasties are in attendance, I would be very grateful.

Sincerely,

First Officer Leoth

[DrK]

Commander Kazan looks at the ships and then at the fire control systems. All seems good and accurate. The target rich environment screams opportunity. She sits in the chair, MIU plugged into the ships cogitator. The gun batteries now more like an extension of her body.

Thinking of things she sends a burst data slate to the Factotum.
Master Fayiz. Would it be possible to request several items for !y personal use to aid in my duties?

[Space Lawyer]

Conrad sits in his sanctum surrounded by scurrying scribes and ever-growing stacks of paper. For him, this is where the battle is waged. Information is his war, the surrounding scrolls and slates his fortress, the multitude of clerks his army. It is only by knowledge and its proper application that victory may be obtained.

He first replies to First Officer Leoth, dispatching a favored clerk with the report. There is no expectation one way or the other regarding gift-giving to our Lord-Captain's so-called peers. However, doing so could give us a decided advantage. It would show the Rhor to be magnanimous and wealthy, and announce that we have both little fear and great decorum. I do agree with gauging our gifts to our favor of the recipients; much can be said by what is given. I shall have to consult my records before giving a report on the various dynasties. Expect the results soon.

To Kazan he replies Certainly. I already have agents scouring the markets for the best deals. Send me a list of your needs, and I shall transmit it to my factors.

[Menelcar]

Karl finishes off preparing his attire, setting his sword and overcoat and giving himself one last look in the silvery mirror. Nodding to himself he waves off the servants, straightens himself out and proceeds to exit his chambers.

Hitting his comms unit he speaks to his command crew I want my away team assembled and ready to go whithin the hour to venture into Footfall, feel free to take any precautions necesary, however remember we dont want to make too much of an impact, for now atleast

Spoiler

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sorry for the ST reference, I let you guys decide if you want to be on the away team or not :) (as for hemnon, Calistra might be interested in protecting the lord captain's faith while in a place as amoral and heretical as this?)

[Darkseeker]

Soon after docking a group of armed and well dressed men deliver a scrolls resting on a gold chest held aloft by four gold and ivory cherubs. The men say they are here to see the master of the vessel at the behest of life Tanthus Moross and ask that this small token be sent to the lord captain.

Spoiler: the scroll

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Greetings Lord and Master of the Rhor Dynasty
I Tanthus Moross, am humbled to be in the presence of such an established House as yours. Footfall has the good fortune to have several Rogue Traders in port at once and as Humble Liege I feel it is my duty,nay my honor to host a grand gathering among the nobles of Footfall and those such as yourself of such hallowed lines. I am gladdened that your vessel arrived before this evenings dinner. I humbly extend an invitation to you and your retinue.Your attendance would honor me greatly

[DrK]

Kazan cursed inwardly at the tight armour plates under her uniform overcoat. Checkng the safety is on and the power sword fully charged she met the away team as it assembled.

Having left orders to keep the weapon batteries at full power lest a firefight break out between the many Rogue Traders gathered here. Looking at the Captain she saluted Captain. I stand ready to accompany you.

Moving with the away team into the busy port she kept her eyes open for a few small trinkets.

Spoiler: trinkets

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Autopistol (1d100)[61] TN 70
The book of C.lore expanse (1d100)[100] TN 50
A nice cape (1d100)[60] TN 80


The real purchases are the inferno shells and ships turbo weapon upgrade that I've asked the Factor for. The little ones here are market browsing.

[Hemnon]

Calistra arrived near the docking station, formal-dressed (in her armor as well underneath her robes) and then halted near the Rogue Trader.