Mortis Thule (IC)

[boj0]

"Tyranids brother, a Lictor among them; which concerns me that I did not see the past..." He lets Attano put the pieces together himself.

[TheNotoriousSMP]

Kvothe's lips thinned as the Navigator explained just what was going on. Problems in the Warp were certainly no laughing matter, as countless ships had learned over the Imperium's ten millennia. "I see. It may very well be an omen, though it is also entirely possible that it is simply the Warp playing tricks on us." He paused for a moment, "Regardless, if the Gellar field can be strengthened to with stand the storm then we should return to our business."

[Destro_Yersul]

"I echo your concern, Brother." Attano said to Alisan. Then, over the vox, "Captain Yngvar, has the Crusader ever been boarded by Tyranids?"

[Haval]

Navigator Lukan, how will this affect our journey time?

'If there is a delay it will perhaps be of a few days at most. As long as we leave soon I think we can bypass the worst of it.'

"I echo your concern, Brother." Attano said to Alisan. Then, over the vox, "Captain Yngvar, has the Crusader ever been boarded by Tyranids?"

Yngvar takes the implication seriously, 'Only once while ferrying troops to Hethguard.' You all know this planet as the site of one of the largest ongoing battles against Hivefleet Dagon. 'On that occasion there were more than enough Astartes aboard to make short work of the creatures that did make it inside. There may well have been a Lictor amongst them.'

'If this is somehow a true omen of what's waiting for us in the Castobel system we'll deploy by drop pod to the site and then I'll get Captain DeSaul to hang back a bit. Most of the dangerous void organisms are clustered around the planet, and the Crusader's sensors are usually good enough to see them coming.'

With that an augmented voice comes over the ship's main vox. ++Warp Jump is imminent. All crew assume second degree of readiness.++ The ships internal lights dim as all power is diverted from non-essential systems to power the warp drive. 'Precautions aside there are nine of us here to defend this ship. Anything that tries to get in uninvited we kill it so that the crew can do their jobs. Now, I need you all up here.'


Warp Jump

As you head to the bridge you all notice other patches of psyker frost. The bridge of the Argent Crusader is dominated by an Astartes sized throne on a raised dais beneath the large skull of an unidentified xenos creature. Normally the throne would be occupied by the most senior present member of the Deathwatch to take command of it's otherwise human crew. As you arrive Yngvar is not using it. Instead he is staring intently at the ship's augury. The bridge crew has already assumed warp stations. The more perceptive amongst you may notice that many of them seem worried. The Astropath in particular is standing near to the command throne and appears to be praying. Soon after you hear the bass dirge of the warp drive starting up as the First Officer makes the final checks.

A harsh machine wail screams from every vox-horn on the vessel, its mournful dirge echoing down every companionway. The sound drones on for what seems an age as leaden silence descends. Then, the order is given—“Emperor bless our souls, make Warp!”—and somewhere deep inside the guts of The Argent Crusader the Warp drive is activated. For a moment, nothing seems to happen, but then that moment stretches outwards to infinity, a single thought, a single firing of a single synapse attenuated to encompass the entirety of existence. Your perceptions narrow and your physical senses recede, the experience sensed instead deep within the soul. The fabric of reality is stretched impossibly thin, your mind at once expanding in every dimension and obliterated as the laws of nature are brutalised. When the stuff of the universe can be warped no further, the abyss opens up and swallows you.

The lumens cut out and for an instant darkness engulfs all. A scream, as of a billion, billion souls wailing in eternal torment splits the air as a deep, bass rumble causes the fabric of the vessel to tremble and quake. The ship plunges through gulfs of anguish and insanity, now fully submerged in the ocean of Chaos. And then the lumens flicker back to life. The rank taint of fear and dread fills the air even as sweet incense is pumped through the filtration mechanisms. ++We pray for the souls of those adrift upon the Warp,++ a voice announces over the vox-horns, and in a moment several thousand men and women join in the prayer as one. ‘Stand down Warp stations,” the executive officer orders.

Spoiler: ooc

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Last two paragraphs are from the book, because it's late.

This is apparently normal warp travel.

[Darkstorm]

Octavius grasps to reality and tries to fight the first impression of warp traveling. He knew it was impossible to counter, but every time he did it, teeth grinding as his soul, body and spirit were shattered and reforged a thousand times. A million times.

Every cell on his body screamed from pain and terror, but his will was strong, his faith in the Emperor was strong - he and his brothers would survive.

He mutturs "We pray for the souls of those adrift upon the Warp" as the others and waits for the moment he could go abck to reality.

[boj0]

Alisan gives himself a few moments before he opens his eyes again, refocusing his mind after plying the Warp. He mutters to himself that the Emperor protects.

[TheNotoriousSMP]

Kvothe stood with the rest of his kill-team on the bridge, his stoic expression giving no sign of the distaste he felt about the Warp. To his knowledge there were few people who actually enjoyed traversing the Immaterium, and he could not be counted among them.

He echoed the sentiment of the crew surrounding them, gripping the railing before him as they began to stand down from their duties. For the moment it seemed that, despite the troubles earlier, the Gellar field was holding strong and Kvothe let himself relax a hair.

[Haval]

With the ship now inside the warp the crew begin a series of checks that will continue until the Crusader is back in real space. Over the ship's vox the sound of prayer chants can be heard. Captain DeSaul, who is the only member of the bridge crew who doesn't seem nervous, can be heard asking his senior officers for a meeting in the chapel in an hour.

At first the chants cover up the sound of the wailing, but it gets louder until you can't miss it. It is an unnatural shrieking sound that has no obvious source and appears to be coming from the hull of the ship itself. Then more warp frost starts to develop on every surface and instrument in the bridge. On this occasion the ice appears to be much thicker than before and you can all hear the sound of the more delicate machinery starting to crack under the strain. The temperature is notably dropping. 'Helmets, now. Yngvar orders anyone who isn't already wearing their full armour. He will don his own. Several of the bridge officers stagger to their feet, now clearly afraid. 'Warp incursion!' Captain DeSaul splutters, his breath billowing in clouds as the temperature nears zero. 'Emperor save us…' The deck is starting to shake.

Spoiler: ooc

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So the warp is causing the regular humans to need to take a fear test. If anyone wants to try to reassure them they'll have a better chance of passing. Mechanically roll Charm, Command or something with Fel.

The warp at this point is enough to affect marines as well, although you can deal with it better.

Anyone who wants to be in solo mode here takes -10 to Wp (so temporarily canceling out the Oath of the Emperor bonus).

Darkstorm - As the Leader roll Wp or Command without modifiers or you all lose a point of cohesion.

The noise and the shaking of the ship causes -20 to any Per tests you make

[Gunhaven]

Dhiiga for his part joined the Astropath in prayer, speaking in a slow High Gothic the entire time. He didn't stop when they entered the Warp, taking solace in the fact that when his moment that stretched into infinity it was when he praised the Emperor. Once in the Warp proper he grasped his Golden Purity Focus and let out a deep breath. He attempted to approach those imperials in the immediate vicinity that were distraught and said in a relaxed tone "Bruddas, Sistas, ya don't need to worry. We will deal wit' anyt'ing from da Warp. Remember what Saint Darius* said and we'll do da rest." He then returned to his hymns, specifically the ones he wanted those afraid to remember.

Spoiler: Check

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*I'm positive there's another, more appropriate Saint to reference. I'll do whoever they are.

Charm check to try and get the frightened masses to chant about Warp Safety versus freak out: (1d100)[17] vs 42.

[Xenopax]

Tyrax lets out a low growl to remind any who felt like abandoning their positions that there were monsters much closer to them.

[boj0]

"Fear no evil, fear no death!"
Alisan shouts, readied for conflict.

[Darkstorm]

Octavius gathers his team and says "Battle positions, ready yourselves for anything. Gear prepared."

As he does that he looks at the ship crew and says "Have faith in the Emperor. Everything will be good. We are here."

Spoiler: OoC

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Octavius passed the command for not losing a cohesion point.
Then he used a Cohesion point to activate "lead by example" and passed it's effect to all in squad mode - +6 to all checks.

[TheNotoriousSMP]

The hair that Kvothe had been relaxing immediately turned right around as the wailing starts, the Devastator checked his helmet seals before grabbing his bolt pistol, the weapon fitting in his hand as though it was made just for him.

"Understood," he replied to Octavius, already performing a sweep of the area for any incursion points, though the shaking of the deck and the new layers of frost made that a little more difficult that it would have been under normal circumstances.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Perception Test: (1d100)[21] vs 46 (50 (Base)+10 (Watcher)+6 (Octavius)-20 (Shaking Deck)=46)

[Haval]

Tyrax plants himself firmly at one of the bridge exits. Some of the crew are just as worried about him as anything that's going on around them. Mostly they are reassured by the presence of so many Deathwatch brothers on the bridge, particularly ones that seem willing to fight for them. Xavier begins to chant from the Catechisms of Deliverance and his voice is able to partially drown out the wails of the damned from outside the ship. Ultimately every human on the bridge is a veteran of many void battles or they would not be here. Even if they are afraid their best chance of survival is to remain at their posts. Yngvar appears willing to let Octavius take the lead here, merely bellowing, 'Weapons. You know what's coming. Hit them as hard as you can and they go down just like anything else.'

As Yngvar speaks you can already see the air on the bridge starting to ripple and distort around you as half-seen shapes can be seen starting to manifest. Some of these shapes drift into the bridge through the walls and ceiling. You can already see a hint of what looks like wings. Kvothe tracks one of the more visible shapes as he waits for it to present a threat that he can deal with. The Captain and his first officer have replaced some of the crew members at various stations. They appear to be trying to force the Crusader back into real space, but it doesn't seem to be working.

Alarms begin to sound with a tone you recognise even if you haven't experienced it before. Something terrible has happened and the ship is now unprotected from the warp and it's denizens. A petrified crew member bellows 'Gellar field failure!', before something much larger then the man somehow pushes it's way out of his throat. The man seems to collapse in on himself in a mess of blood and bone while the newly manifested Daemon shakes the gore off itself and unfurls it's leathery wings before launching itself into the air. Two more similarly shaped creatures are also now visible. All of them are in the process of changing their shapes even as you watch. There are only three as yet, but more are inevitably on the way.

Spoiler

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Yngvar has 'Into the Jaws of Hell' and Xavier passed his Fel test. More importantly the crew rolled a 1 on their Fear test.

Initiative order is all marines including Yngvar, then the Daemons, then the crew.

Post when you can post and don't wait for other players

Destro and Potato are probably busy so I'll roll for them if they don't show up in a day or so

This is round 1, there will be more Daemons coming in in subsequent rounds

Edit: Oh and Daemons have a trait that gives -10 to WP for anyone around them

[Darkstorm]

Having been preparing for such entry, Octavius let's his Stormbolter fire, several bullets of the twin barrel leaving in a straight path - a path of unrivalled faith and devotion.

Bullets crash into the demonskin leaving gashes.

Spoiler

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3 hits - storm makes it 6 hits

damage rolls of 10, 16, 12, 11, 17, 10 with pen 4

[TheNotoriousSMP]

Seeing that Octavius had reduced the first of the daemons to so much blood and gore, Kvothe's eyes quickly flicked to the next of them. Firing off a semi-automatic burst at it, the Devastator found that this one would fare no better than it's ally, exploding into it's base components. While satisfied with the result, the marine knew that this wave would not be the end of them.

Spoiler

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Two hits with damage rolls of 24 and 14

[boj0]

In one fluid motion, Alisan does what Raptors do best: Makes his shot count. His Stalker Boltgun springs to life and the sensor link in his scope screams weakspots to him. In less than a second, a solid core bolt rips through one of the daemons. Keeping his gun ready, he waits for whats next.

Spoiler

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43 damage pen 10 to the head if it has one

[Xenopax]

Tyrax waits for the next group of daemons to appear. He has a psychic burst prepared to smite them down. He moves a little so that any daemon that went for the Humans that were working the ship would have to kill him first. The call to charge in there and purge the filth with Blade and Fury was overwhelming but he managed to get a grip. Daemons rarely attacked from a range, so it would be more sensible to stay at a distance. Of course that didn't stop it from feeling cowardly.

Spoiler: Rolls

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(1d100)[84] v 67 (57 base, +10 oath, +10 aim)
Smite Damage: (4d10)[3][8][10][1](22) PR 4.
Any creature within 4 meters of the daemon also get smote.

[Gunhaven]

Dhiiga frowned behind his helmet and opted to follow his fellow Blood Angel's example, stepping next to the Brother and drawing his sword. He worked himself up slightly, not letting his mind drift into the glory of battle until he could strike those that still existed outside the Warp.

Spoiler: Action

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Swinging at the first Fury that approaches. I'll also be rocking Counter Attack in case I get to parry.
WS: (1d100)[31] vs 87? (62 Base + 5 Quality + 10 Frenzy + 10 Aim)
Damage: (1d10+16)[25] Pen 6, (6 Sword + 5*2 Strength)?

[Volthawk]

Once the first daemons are destroyed, Cadmus moves forwards to lay leaper mines, to help shift the odds when the creatures return in greater numbers. Cadmus had been quiet since the hallucination incident, silently furious with himself for his failings, but he spoke up now, making sure the others were aware of the mine, and that it wouldn't distinguish between themselves and the enemy.

[PotatoGolem]

Xavier looks around at the dying daemons with satisfaction. Given time to prepare, he moves to link with a dataport, touching his hand to the holy machine. Brothers, hold them off me for a time. I will seek to raise our Gellar Fields once more.

Holy Machine, hear our cries. Your children are adrift in the void, bereft of your soothing protection. Daemons fester in your sacred body, profaning it with vile warpcraft. Hear me, great ship. Bless us with your beneficent Geller Fields. He continues for some time, exhorting the spirit of the ship.

Spoiler: OOC

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Tech Use: (1d100)[87] vs 95 (+10 each for a combi-tool, Good-quality MIU, and Electro-graft use)

[Haval]

Round 1

As they manifest on the bridge the three Daemons are settling on their individual shapes even as the quicker members of the squad start to gun them down. Not even their unnatural flesh is a match for mass reactive shells fired at close proximity and, soon after the bolter rounds detonate inside them, their bodies seem to dissolve into nothing. The rest of the squad fan out to cover all the angles, while Cadmus places mines in an attempt to cover the squad's blind spots. Any crew close to these will hurriedly move away from any potential blast zone. There are a lot of you but how successful can you be against an enemy that can attack you from any direction.

Outside the bridge and the protection offered by the squad the rest of the crew don't seem to be so lucky. You can all hear screams and the sound of gunfire coming over the ship's vox. Even on the bridge you can already see more of the things starting to appear. Much more. Most of the crew have drawn their own weapons and are following the Kill-Team's lead.

Yngvar nods in appreciation of the squads efforts. He has drawn and activated his chainsword and will move to defend Xavier and Adept Mellano in their attempts to raise the damaged gellar fields. 'Crew of the Crusader. You all know me and remember what I'm capable of. This bridge is currently the safest place on the ship. Get us out of the Warp and we'll give these things something to be afraid of.' As he speaks more creatures are emerging from the equipment on the bridge or are manifesting out of the air. Some go for the easier prey of the crew, others investigate the more interesting souls of the Astartes.

Spoiler: ooc

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Xavier's efforts are enough to tell him that something has hit the gellar field of the Crusader hard enough to knock it offline. In addition the ship seems to have taken enough damage that some of the gellar field emitters have likely been destroyed. At best you might be able to get it partially working.

Roll a Very Hard -30 tech-use test to do this, but you can have another go every round if you fail. Tell me if you aren't protecting the bridge for some reason. In this case the ad-hoc gellar field won't completely protect from Daemons, you'll just have to fight less of them and they'll be a little weaker.

I'll have Attano delay like Dhiiga and Tyrax, but Destro can change that if he wants to.

With his delayed action Dhiiga manages to kill one of them as it appears.

Tyrax and the mine likely account for more of them. See OOC post where I have to roll dice.

10 Furies remain in round 2.

[Destro_Yersul]

Brother Attano's power axe was in his hand by the time the first daemon had finished manifesting, and his chainsword was in his other by the time he reached the nearest one, sending it to meet its maker with a swift stroke of the crackling axe. He spun to meet the next one, whirring chainsword and flashing axe striking as one. The Raven Guard would have preferred an element of surprise, but in the absense of that skill and speed would have to do.

Spoiler: OOC

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Ok, so if the charge happened last round, then this round he can properly go to town on some daemons. He's got TWF and Ambidextrous, so these are all vs 60 to thit, thanks to the bonus from Octavius.

Axe: (1d100)[29]
(1d100)[52]
(1d100)[91]
damage:
(1d10+22)[29]
(1d10+22)[31]
(1d10+22)[23]

Chainsword: (1d100)[1]
damage: (1d10+17)[19](1d10+17)[21]

[Gunhaven]

Spurred on by his success with the first attack, Dhiiga swings around to bring his sword down on another Fury, and aiming for the same location he had stabbed at before. For now he saw no true point in rushing his attacks, the frenzy his chapter was known for almost muted as he seemed to still be prepared to parry any attacks that came his way.

Spoiler: Actions

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Gonna do the whole Aim+Attack again.
(1d100)[56] vs 87
[roll1d10+16[/roll]
God-Emperor of MankindBOTToday at 10:53 PM
@Gunhaven: 1d10+16 Messed up damage roll. = (9)+16 = 25 (again) Pen 6

[Xenopax]

Tyrax roars through the Vox, The Chapel....The Chapel should protect against daemons. If firepower backs up the Wards, it should be a good hold point for the crew that's too far from the bridge The warp was extremely loud so this was intermingled with orders to shut up and just roaring in general. Which actually wasn't too out of character for a Flesh Tearer. He looks to Yngvar for confirmation before relaying orders to all that couldn't get to the bridge to get to the Chapel over the Main vox instead of the private team one. While doing so he lifts up his hand and lets another burst of mindbolts out, trying to avoid hitting anywhere near his fellow Astartes or the Humans.

Spoiler: Rolls

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(1d100)[24] v 97 (47 base + 10 aim + 30 Short range)
Smite Damage: (4d10)[8][6][6][7](27) pen 4

[Darkstorm]

"Got you" says Octavius. "Let's protect Xavier and if he can't fix this fast we'll fall back into the chapel."


Turning his comunicator he shouts to the crew "members of the crew should retreat to the chapel or the bridge. I repeat. Chapel and bridge."

Spoiler: Combat

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Don't know if there are anymore demons still. If there are please single shot one of them.

[boj0]

Alisan moves to cover the Ultramarine and Salamander, "For the Emperor!" he cries out.

Half action - move towards Octavius and Xavier
Half action - shoot at daemon

And Alisan...misses his shot

[PotatoGolem]

Xavier holds position, moving between consoles and data ports, hands, tools, and servo-arm whirling to repair and maintain as much as possible. He seems oblivious to the daemons, totally concentrated on his task.Holy Spirits, heed my call! Sacred machine, protect your charges! Omnissiah, guide my hands!

He chants long binary hymns as he works, his booming voice drowning out some of the screaming Warp.

Spoiler: OOC

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(1d100)[44] vs 65

[TheNotoriousSMP]

"Understood," was Kvothe's curt reply as he moved to defend Xavier from any incoming demons, "None shall get by me." He raised his bolter and once more fired on a daemon who was looking to be planning to charge them. Another burst of semi-automatic fire pushed it back, showing the beasts of the Warp just what would happen to them if they tried to advance

[Haval]

Round 2

Once more the Daemons are cut down by the Kill Team as quickly as they appear. The lightning cast by Tyrax is particularly effective. The psyker is able to perceive them in a way the others cannot and so can tell just where to aim. For a moment he is able to annihilate a cluster of the creatures in the area around the command throne and the area is somehow purified, but almost immediately more Daemons can be seen starting to form. The crew who aren't needed to get the ship out of the warp seem in awe of your prowess and are forming defensive knots around each of you, judging that staying close to the Astartes was the safest course of action.

Yet even as the battle continues the ship is continuing to shake. Helmsman Kavant can be heard speaking with confusion that the ship seems to be caught in some sort of gravity well which is preventing the Crusader from leaving the warp. Over the screams of the damned outside the ship you are starting to hear thudding against the outer walls of the ship. To even hear it from inside you imagine that something very large is attacking the exterior of the Crusader. Something else may be trying to get in.

In the midst of the fighting Yngvar is calmly watching the ceiling above the bridge, apparently listening to whatever is outside. 'Never did put enough stock in omens. My Jarl was right.' But he'll snap out of it to give orders. 'The Emperor Protects, but there's a few thousand people on the ship. At best you'll fit a hundred of them into the Chapel.' If they make it past all the Daemons doesn't need to be said. 'New plan. If anything happens to me you get that Hammer back to Erioch. If you can make it to Castobel the mission is the same. If you can't, find a war and make yourselves useful until they send someone to pick you up.' All of that was on the private vox so the human crew couldn't hear.

Then Xavier was able to restore the gellar field. Not all the bridge is covered by it's influence but enough was for you all to feel it's effects. The air seems to clear and the area around you seems to feel suddenly warmer even as the ice remains. The Daemons close to you scream and catch fire distracting those that are trying to close with Astartes or the crew. Some of them are evidently hungry enough to try to continue to fight, but the flames burn too quickly and they are obliterated. Others try to flee to the edges of the bridge where the gellar field doesn't hold. As you watch other Daemons are coming in in greater numbers. They move around the edges of the gellar field's influence apparently looking for weaknesses. The edge of the field is starting to glow with a white light as the presence of more and daemons on all sides are attracted to the souls that are still within. None of you are sure if the field will keep them out long term.

Spoiler: ooc

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Because Xavier is really good at Tech-Use you have some protection from being attacked, but it won't last forever. Everyone is free to target the magnitude 30 horde if they want, or you could always go outside the field.

Spoiler: Status box

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Cohesion 12/13

Marines in Solo Mode:

Marines in Squad Mode:

Lead by Example: +6 to all tests for Octavius and anyone in support range who is in squad mode, and Octavius can bestow a reroll on any one test. Reroll includes fel bonus

Dhiiga is frenzied until the end of the combat

-20 to Per tests due to the ship shaking and the screams from outside

Oath of the Emperor +10 to WP, but also

Daemonic Presence: -10 to WP when in 10 metres of the Furies because Daemons are unnerving

Into the Jaws of Hell: Everyone is immune to fear as long as Yngvar is here