Investigating Empirica

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Hotel Hallridia

The Inquisitor gave a small nod in response to Demetrius, brushing his hand along where his cloak concealed his own weapons. The man from the front desk returned to the room, carrying a small key card.
"Sir, you are free to investigate the premises. This key will get you wherever you need to go. Do you need a guide?"
"...No, I don't think we'll need a guide," the Inquisitor said. "There are maps of the premises available, are there not?"
"Certainly, Sir." The man takes a small device from behind the desk, which he opens, displaying a 3D map of the building. "The office of the head of weapons sales is here." He points to a small room on the third floor. "He should be able to help you identify the weapon."

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I don't have an actual map... 80 floors is a lot. Frankly, even 5 important floors is a lot. Assume that you can find anywhere you want to go.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"I want to see their personnel files on Delah and his coworkers first, find out who his immediate superior was." Demetrius said to the Inquisitor, since it seemed he was being let decide their course. Assuming the Inquisitor agrees, he headed to the elevator following a respectful distance behind.

Once inside he adds, "But now that we're away from the man at the desk, I think it might be prudent to find out what that feeling I'm getting from high above us might be. Shall we head upwards while I attempt to pinpoint it?" he smiled, then steepled his fingers in front of him while a look of deep concentration crossed his face.

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Using Detect Psychic Presence, concentrating for all three rounds while the elevator moves upwards. He will call the elevator to stop when he feels they've reached the floor closest to whatever he's been feeling. If I could get a number and strength on any different auras he's feeling that would be cool unless you'd like to keep the blindfold over my eyes for drama purposes. Psychic check's an auto since it's level 0.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ

The Inquisitor set the elevator to go to the top floor, ready to stop it when indicated. As it rises, you feel the presence grow stronger, but you can't pinpoint it until almost at the 65th floor. As you pass from the 67th to the 68th, you feel the presence become horizontal to your position. It seems to be below the 68th floor, but above the 67th. At this point, you also are able to tell the strength of the auras. There are four auras, one dim and three moderate. With further concentration, you might be able to tell the type of the auras.

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Psychic sense checks to determine school.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"Between the sixty-seventh and sixty-eighth floors, Demetrius managed to say, though he still looked very deep in concentration. He was staring at the elevator door as if he was seeing through it. Really, he wasn't using his normal eyes, but his "third eye" to see beyond the physical realm and pinpoint the source of the infestation. "Let me examine them for a moment before we go in guns blazing."

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Psychic Sense: 1d20+17=31
1d20+17=29
1d20+17=23
1d20+17=31

[Rigel Cyrosea]

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The Auras are all Conjuration.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"I'm reading four separate psychic auras...conjurations of some sort...maybe a summoning of some vile creature from the Warp." he spat the last part. "Now I recommend going in all guns blazing, my Lord. he said as he began a complicated set of hand gestures to ready himself for the fight ahead, muttering under his breath. There is a flash of light and for a moment the Inquisitor gets the distinct impression that Demetrius was just encased in some kind of metal, as in he saw it for but a moment but then the psyker was returned to normal. It was like an after-image or a mirage, but definitely something had happened. "Allow me to lead the way, my Lord. I have warded myself to take the brunt of the first assault should anything happen."

Demetrius then lead the way out of the elevator.

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Using Steel-Flesh. Demetrius's base for a psychic check is 25, so he automatically succeeds.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ

The Inquisitor holds up a hand to stop Demetrius. "Wait a second. Where are we actually going in? The 67th or the 68th?"

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Steel-Flesh gives you DR10/magic, right?

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

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Damage Reduction 10/+5 (DRP 5 weapon bypasses) and a Hardness of 5. So a total of 15 unless the weapon ignores hardness, too. It lasts 80 minutes or until it soaks a total of 120 points of damage when Demetrius uses it.

"Actually, I'm reading it between the floors so I suggest we open the doors a bit prematurely and see if we can't find a hidden floor. If not, we can always search sixty-seven, and then sixty-eight." Demetrius replied with a smile.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ

The Inquisitor trys to fiddle with the controls, attempting to stop the elevator manually between the 67th and 68th floors. After a few minutes of fruitless attempts, he gets a password input screen to show up.
"It's pretty heavily protected- I don't think I can get through." he says.

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Ach, I feel like such a hypocrite now, not posting for three days right after telling you guys you need to post more.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"Allow me to attempt it, my Lord." Demetrius said humbly, while rolling up his sleeves. He brushed Father, his floating med-skull which had been here the entire time ( ) away as it seemed curious of what he was attempting. Then, he removed his palm terminal from his robes and connected it to the elevator terminal. As numbers began to scroll down the screen he alternated between typing on the elevator terminal and his personal interface device.

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Attempting to hack the door, using Computer Use skill along with whatever bonuses I might receive for using the palm terminal? Here's the roll:
1d20+10=29

[Rigel Cyrosea]

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Unfortunately, you cannot defeat the security, Demetrius. Also, technically, the palm terminal isn't supposed to provide a bonus- however, I included a +2, since you'd a least be more familiar with your own hardware. It wasn't enough to let you break the system, though.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"Hm...most distressing..." the psyker mused to himself as he put away his equipment and left the elevator panel alone. He stroked his thumb over his bare chin for a moment as if in deep thought, then laid his palms against the door. "Well, I suppose with my having armored myself already it wouldn't hurt to perform another minor pull with the Warp. They most likely know we're here anyway. Just a moment, my Lord." he said as he slowly spread the fingers of his hands on the smooth surface, then brought them swiftly together in a clap while mumbling something under his breath. When he opened his hands, he expected the door to part before him.

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Using "Knock". It says it works on electronically locked doors as well. If it doesn't work, then we have a third option, but it would make Demetrius look rather foolish. Once again, he's got enough on the base Psychic Check to pass it automatically.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"Ah, well that is unfortunate. Seems we're still moving past our desired designation, My Lord. No matter. Just give me a...moment..." he says, bending over to see through the opening whenever they passed the floor they desired to be on, trying to get a read of roughly what lay beyond. He was ducking and juking his head with the movement of the elevator rather calmly as he kept taking them up and then back down, up and then back down, until finally he stopped them once again. "I believe that will suffice. Excuse me, Inquisitor, but if you wouldn't mind drawing a little closer? We need to occupy a rather small space so that I may take you with me." Demetrius said, alluding to something vaguely.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but if you would please close your eyes? This is not something I myself would look upon ever again if I had the choice, even if for but a fraction of a second. I must endure it, but for your own sanity and piety, please, spare yourself." he smiled sadly. If and when the Inquisitor had done as requested, Demetrius set to concentrating again, mumbling something under his breath and making some sort of sign or gesture with his hands. The world around them seemed to shift and bend suddenly, producing a sense of vertigo, and if the Inquisitor had not heeded Demetrius's warning, he would get a small glimpse of the horrors of the Warp as they actually entered it for but a moment. There was a tearing sound, a crack of displaced air, and they would find themselves just outside the elevator on the floor between the floors they had been trying to get to all this time.

Demetrius shivered and brushed off a layer of frost that had collected on his robes, the white particles falling like a miniature snow storm to the ground at his feet as he removed his bolter from the "hump" on his back and straightened up. "Well...that was unpleasant." he gave an involuntary shiver. "Remind me to thank whoever constructed that damn elevator for making it so insufferably complicated to get around its security mechanism." he deadpanned.

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Using "Warp Jump" to take the Inquisitor and himself to the desired floor between the floors, bypassing the elevator entirely. Auto on the Psychic Sense check.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ

As the elevator passes, Demtrius can catch fleeting glimses of a long, dark hallway, panelled in what looks like sheet metal.
"I am no stranger to the Warp, Demetrius. I have a some limited psychic ability." says the Inquisitor "However, I have no desire to see more of it." he finishes, closing his eyes. After arriving in the corridor, the Inquisitor shakes off the frost, and then looks around. The hall is indeed plated in sheet metal. It is about 20ft long, and at the end is a heavy-looking metal door. There are no other doors. The only light is a dim ceiling bulb halfway along the corridor. The door to the elevator shaft is still open, and the shaft extends downwards as far as you can see. Above is the bottom of the elevator, currently resting at the 68th floor.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"I apologize if my meaning was not clear, My Lord. I did not intend to say anything about your experience in such matters, but more that no one, no matter how knowledgeable, should look upon such things if they have the choice. I myself would shut my eyes if I could, but in order to perform such feats I must stare into the heart of the Warp itself. Emperor save me...I fear that every time I use the damnable powers of mine I am dragged further and further down the road of madness. It horrifies me more than you could ever know that some day I might lose my hard won control and fall victim to the ruinous powers." Demetrius shivered, his hands flexing on the reassuring stock of his consecrated bolter, a weapon normally reserved only for space marines that lay strangely in the hands of a mere psyker.

Perhaps he drew strength from something as mundane as a physical weapon, something forged to fight the forces of Chaos, a connection to his Holy Emperor he could hold to when everything seemed to spin out of control. It was almost childish, yet he gripped the weapon to gain a sense of security, like a child with a stuffed animal or a favorite blanket. His eyes seemed to harden as he continued on down the hall. "I'm afraid I don't have another trick such as my last one prepared, so these doors may become a problem. Perhaps we can dispense with the subtlety and simple use the direct approach if they prove to be as stubborn as the elevator?" he smirked, hefting his weapon for emphasis.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ

As you approach the door, you begin to hear strange noises, murmurs just too soft to be disernable. The hallway seems to lengthen even as you walk it, and the noise grow louder. Soon, you realize they are not true sound, but ghosts heard only in your head. When you finaly reach the door, there is a sudden bang, and a loud, but real yell from the other side. The murmurs stop immediately. The door itself is heavy metal, possibly plasteel. There is no knob, but a wheel crank extrudes from it. The air grows cold. The Inquisitor draws his bolt pistols.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"My Lord, pardon my insolence, but could you get the door?" Demetrius asked with a shrug. Someone had to work the crank and Demetrius was a rather frail fellow. Besides, he had the biggest gun trained on the door.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ

The Inquisitor moves up and puts his hands on the crank. He jerks them off again immediately, with a small exclamation. "By the Emperor, it's cold..." He takes part of his cloak in each hand and uses it to insulte his hands as he turns the crank. After a few turns, the door swings open. Beyond, it's very dark. The small amount of light from the hallway shows the same metal floor extends into the room, but you can't see much else.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

The psyker removed a flashlight from underneath his robes and pointed the device towards the ground before turning it on. Quickly removing something else from wherever he kept these things, duct tape this time, he secured the light to the end of his bolter so that he wouldn't have to hold it awkwardly in case of a firefight. Then, carefully, he swept the powerful beam up into the room after the Inquisitor had come back over and was able to back him up with his bolt pistols. Assuming nothing could be seen right away, Demetrius led the way into the dark room, his bolter and attached light moving from left to right, floor to ceiling.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ

As soon as Demetrius clicks on his flashlight, there is the sudden crack of a gun. A sudden pain wells up in his shoulder, and blood starts to well up and soak into his cloak. (7 dmg)
An inhuman roar reverberates throughout the corridor, and then a misshapen, flesh coloured blob comes bursting out of the dark. Twisted legs are barely disernable from strangely joined arms, all ending in long white claws. A single eye half hidden by folds of skin hangs over a gaping maw. The creature attacks Inquisitor Auriga, biting him on the arm.

{Roll Initiative!}

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius
Steel Skin: 113/120
Defense: 17
HP: 53/53

Rather than a spray of blood being produced from his wound, all that occurred from Demetrius's direction was the sound of metal striking metal and a few sparks as the bullet encountered the psyker's strange armor. He staggered a bit from the impact as the creature bounded out of the room to attack the Inquisitor. In response, he leveled his bolt gun at the thing, trusting his armor to keep him safe from random gunfire, and depressed the trigger. The boltgun roared to life, sending an explosive shell rocketing towards the creature. Hopefully, the bolt would penetrate the creature's hide and explode, devastating it's innards. If not, he'd switch to more psyker goodness.

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Attack: 1d20+4=15
Damage: 2d10=19

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ
Round 1

Map

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Before we continue, I need an intiative roll. Also, sorry for the delay on the map. I've only put ten feet of darkness on the map. There may be more to the room, but you wouldn't be able to tell, so that's all that's on the map.

[ChronicLunacy]

Init: 1d20+1=15

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison Corporation
Round 1, Concluded

Demetrius acts quickly, firing at the creature just as it bites the inquisitor. Unfortunately, the bolt veers off strangely at the last second, missing the creature entirely.
Inquisitor Auriga drops his bolt pistols, drawing a long, serated knife from a sheath on his leg, and stabs at the creature in the side of what might be it's head. The blade touches the creature, but it barely penetrates the skin.
Another shot rings out of the dark, but it misses, leaving a small dent in the wall behind Demetrius.

It is now Demetrius's turn.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius
Steel Skin: 113/120
Defense: 17
HP: 53/53

Another roar filled the hallway as Demetrius tried a second time to shoot the creature. He had to verify some theories he was quickly calculating inside his head.

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Attack: 1d20+4=18
Action Point Roll: 1d6=5
Total Attack: 23
Damage: 2d10=9

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ
Round 2

Demetrius's shot is better aimed this time, and though it veers off at the end, it's close enough that it still hits the creature. The bolt doesn't penetrate the skin, but the small explosion causes some damage, leaving one side of the creature burned and bleeding.
The Inquisitor stabs at the creature twice more, but each time the knife is turned aside at the last second. Then the creature attempts to tackle the inquisitor, throwing it's arms out to wrap around him. Auriga is ready, though, and brings the creature's weight around, slamming it into the wall and driving his knife into it's throat. The creature tries to scream, but can't.
A third shot comes out of the dark, but it again misses Demetrius.

[The map is still the same, so I'm not going to repost it.]
It is now Demetrius's turn.

[ChronicLunacy]

Demetrius

"My friend, I believe I've had just about enough of you." Demetrius said as he lifted his boltgun and his eyes flashed purplish-white with Warp energy. He called upon his powers yet again to imbue his bullets with psychic energy. Mundane weapons didn't seem to work on daemonic entities such as the one they were engaged in combat with, but the bolts in his holy weapon were no longer anything close to normal. The barrel of his bolter trailed warp energy as he lifted it to bear on the creature and chanted under his breath.

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Using the Psybolts psychic power. Psybolts add an extra 1d10 of fire damage and ignore daemonic hardness. Auto-succeed on the psychic check.

[Rigel Cyrosea]

{You need to make an attack roll.}

[ChronicLunacy]

(No attack this round. Using psybolts takes up my action.)

[Rigel Cyrosea]

Empirica City, Garrison HQ
Round 3

{Oh, right. Sorry about that.}
The Inquisitor twists the knife in the creature's throat, causing even more damage, then wrenches it out. He tries to stab it again, but the creature turns the knife aside with a misshapen hand and bites him on the shoulder. The Inquisitor grunts in pain.
Another shot from the darkness doesn't even reach the hallway, hitting the wall of the room.

It is now Demetrius's turn.