Mortis Thule (IC)

[PotatoGolem]

Xavier turns from the consoles, a beatific smile on his face under the helmet. Thank you, great Omnissiah. Your children revere your holy name and bless your beneficence.

His tone hardens as he strides towards the massed daemons, bringing his flamer to bear. Foul warpspawn! No more shall you profane this sacred place. No more shall you threaten these good people. Burn in the fire of the Omnissiah's gaze! Vulkan lives! Gouts of toxin-laced promethium roar into the packed mob as the Balefire Gun fires.

Spoiler: OOC

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Half action move, half action (burn baby) burn. Flamer causes (1d5+5)[6] hits.

[Gunhaven]

Dhiiga continued to rage just below the surface, striking out more reckless than he maybe should have and focusing on the task at hand while remembering his form. With the field reformed he opted to maneuver himself to the edge and take up a more cleanup role versus stabbing maniac. When his team seemed to leave a straggler behind he stabbed into the roiling mass of daemons to help cut that strand before returning to his default position of being ready to deflect blows.

Spoiler: Actions

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I imagine I’ll need to Half Action move which means no Aim this time. But hopefully I get that +6 I’ve been forgetting this entire time?
A: (1d100)[18] vs 83 (if the +6 applies)
D: (1d10+16)[24], Pen 6.

[Xenopax]

Now that the others are shielded by the Gellar field, Tyrax decided to let loose a little. He allows the Rage to take control but stokes it with his own psychic powers. Drawing upon it he sends another, stronger blast of lightning at the daemons

Spoiler

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22 damage pen 5

[Volthawk]

Cadmus was calm in the face of the horde, the battle actually helping him get over his previous frustration by focusing on something he knew he could do well. His time in the Deathwatch had given him a lot of experience at dealing with large groups of enemies, and he puts that expertise to work, using his faithful and reliable companion to unleash a hail of bolter fire, expertly aimed for maximum effectiveness.

Spoiler

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Full action semi-auto, rolled on discord, removing nineteen fifteen magnitude.

[TheNotoriousSMP]

With the Gellar field coming back up Kvothe didn't make sounds of relief as some of the crewmen were doing, as there were still many enemies to slay before they could be called safe. Seeing a great horde of the daemons starting to form, he once more pointed his pistol in their direction and opened fire, a volley of shells shooting at the slavering horde.

Spoiler

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2 hits, first did 10 dmg, second did 18

[Darkstorm]

Octavius picks his heavy flamer and burst a full wave of burning chemicals into the huge screaming horde of demons.

Spoiler: attack)

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10 hits for 13, 13, 19, 15,15, 18, 21, 21, 14, 21 - pen 6

[boj0]

Refocusing himself, Alisan makes another telling shot, silently cutting through the air.

Spoiler

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32 Damage, Pen 10

[Haval]

All of you continue to cut through the waves of Daemons, but for every one you kill many more gather to take their place. The gellar field seems to hold in spite of all this, but it cannot hold forever. Against this much pressure it will surely overload and leave you all to be swamped by the denizens of the Warp. Those of the crew with weapons have joined in with your efforts and are firing on the Daemons themselves. Others merely gather together to pray for deliverance from the Emperor before the end. Other, more dangerous looking, things are now visible outside your sanctuary. Thankfully you can barely see them through the mass of smaller creatures. Very soon you cannot see the rest of the ship. You find yourself within a haven of purity as wave after wave of damned souls obliterate themselves upon the gellar field. The edge of the field glows white hot and dozens of the purity seals mounted upon the walls flare into guttering flame as the abominations threaten to overwhelm your defences. As the relentless assault nears its inevitable conclusion, you feel the unmistakable pressure of the Warp closing in around and it is as if the inner sanctum in which you stand is the last mote of reality cast adrift upon the raging currents of the Sea of Souls. The wailing torrent of insanity consumes all and the flagstones beneath your feet fracture. In an instant, the shrine is plunged into darkness as the sound of the Argent Crusader’s hull twisting apart assaults your senses. Only the blessings of your Primarchs and of the Emperor himself can save you now…




All of you lose consciousness, but during this time you dream as the Warp assails each of you. The experience is unpleasant.

As an Astartes you are said to know no fear but that is not entirely true. You fear no enemy but you likely fear failure and what might happen if you die a pointless death with your duty unfulfilled. The Warp shows you what that might look like. It shows you how, on your best day as an Astartes, your own failure and weakness could so easily have turned a victory into a defeat. If it could so easily have happened before what is to stop it from happening again? Perhaps you fear what the future might look like if the strength of the Deathwatch, your Chapters or the whole Imperium fails. You see ancient machines rising from tombs hidden across the Jericho Reach to sweep away the Imperium and it's enemies without distinction. Perhaps you see Segmentum Solar laid waste by Orks or the Archenemy, with Terra itself overwhelmed and the Emperor cast down from the throne. Perhaps you see your various homeworlds invaded and you witness yourselves dying beside all of your Chapter brothers. In every case you fight well, but it is always for nothing. Some of you might have more specific fears. Perhaps your Chapter's only destiny is to dwindle away and be forgotten. Perhaps the Dark Angels secrets are finally discovered and, in spite of all their victories, the rest of the Imperium comes for them, seeing them as no better then the Traitor Legions. Perhaps the flaw of Sanguinus finally gets worse, with the Flesh Tearers destroying themselves in battle or the Blood Drinkers openly becoming the monsters some might say they already are.

Spoiler

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Combat over, but you've survived.

The gellar field has protected you but you've looked directly into the Warp and, like Horus on Davin, you are seeing things. If you want something more specific, feel free to elaborate on what you see and how you deal with it. It doesn't have to be any of what I used above. The book describes it as each character's 'deepest, darkest fear, dread, or regret.'

Because you've looked into the warp, take 2d10 Insanity points. Anything who ends up with 10 or more rolls WP to see if they take Battle Trauma.

In addition, roll a Hard (-20) Toughness test as a result of the physical stress placed on your bodies. Everyone has Unnatural Toughness x2, which means it's only a -10 Toughness test. Fail and you take a level of fatigue.

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

[Xenopax]

Tyrax's Dream: He was fighting daemons on the ship one second, laying blast upon blast upon blast on them, until his nerves were frayed with the amount of psychic power he was exerting. The next moment he was on Terra, fighting in the Shadow of the Palace against a host of traitors including the hated sons of Horus. That couldn't be right? Putting other thoughts to the back of his mind he continued fighting, murdering traitors with Blasts of power and his Claws. He needed to hold out with his brothers and make sure that no reinforcements could reach the Primarch and the Emperor. He was in the middle of frying a Iron Warrior Terminator when he noticed something. The colors were wrong. All of them. It was like a fog had been lifted from his eyes. His allies were indeed blood angels but they were exhibiting all the signs of falling to the black rage. Infront of them was the palace and behind them chaos troopers marched. The Imperial Fist Terminator fell to his knees before having his head cut off by one of his "Brothers" who drained his blood with elongated fangs. The Vampire smiled at him and said Come Brother! There are yet skulls to collect and tyrants to cast down!. He looked down at himself, and his eyes burned. He was covered in Sigils of Chaos Undivided and Khorne. His hands had extended and were tipped with rune marked claws. Far in front of him was the primarch, Sanguinius, beating upon the walls of the Palace, Baying for the Blood of the Emperor. The skies were crackling with lightning and booming with the laughs of the Dark Gods. He couldn't stop himself from following his brothers on their rampage and watched as Sanguinius cast down the Praetorian and Horus killed his Father. He cheered as the body of the Emperor was made into an offering to the dark gods and Terra fell into their hateful embrace. He lived through his life as a chaos overlord. He committed atrocities equal to those of the worst of them and murdered millions in the name of glorious apotheosis in the name of Chaos. Tyrax woke up in a cold shiver of what he had seen. The laughter of daemons and the dark gods still booming in his head. He holds his head in between his hand, growling like the beast inside. It was too much. He and his chapter knew that the best they could hope for was a glorious death before falling to the black rage, in the Emperors service but seeing himself corrupted...Astartes were not meant to feel fear but he certainly did at that. He was not a protector of the people like the Salamanders were or even a champion like the other Blood Angels chapters were. He and his were weapons but being used against the Emperor...it was wrong and against both his morals and mental conditioning.

[Darkstorm]

Octavius senses are stretched again... He is in the ship...

No

In his hand an ancient bolter, filled with glyphs, firing round after round at his enemies. To his surprise his enemies were Ultramarines.
Hatred he felt... demon eyes upon him.

No

Their faces... he knew them. He had trained each and every one of them in the last decades. Brother Urim and his grim, Brother Marius and his large scar.
And now he was killing them.
Shot after shot... Blood. Screams. Evil screams...

No

As he looks at his armor he notices the patterns are ones he fought before - marks of the gods of chaos. He has fallen.
To his pride. To the need of glory, of winning. Laughter. From him. Maniacal homicidal laughter.
The bolter keeps on killing, shards of Ultramarine blue litter the grounds and the air, as ancient and holy armor is damaged.

No... No more.

And in the background the Emperor is failing... Disapearing. Bit by bit.

"NO MORE." Octavius screams as he is pushed back to reality.

[Destro_Yersul]

Spoiler: Attano's Dream

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The ravens were dying.

Brother Attano walked through the forest, early morning mist gathering on the ground. It swirled around the trees, lapping at their trunks, hiding their roots. An ocean of white, the forest floor spongy and damp beneath ephemeral waves. There was no sound, the forest quiet and still. A plague had swept through, killing many of the clever birds held sacred to his Chapter. Their bodies littered the ground, hidden by the mist, though here and there a black feather could be seen breaking the surface.

Attano was not alone; with him walked Brother Mimus, another veteran of the 8th company. Both wore their power armour, lacquered black giants passing silently beneath the trees. Runes played across Attano's vision, his helmet's autosenses searching for threats. A team of scouts had gone missing near here recently, while engaged in a training excercise. It happened, sometimes. More frequently, in recent days. The forests were not safe. Misfortune had come to the Raven Guard, rumours of dark things stalking the halls of the Ravenspire. There were whispers that the sins of Corax were returning to plague his sons.

The forest opened into a clearing up ahead. This was where the scouts had been dropped off. Their thunderhawk was here, waiting patiently for their return, its forward ramp yawning wide. The interior was unlit, the gunship dark and silent. Unnatural stillness filled the air, the world turning on a moment, waiting. Watching.

Brother Mimus saw it first, pointing out a shrouded shape leaning against one of the gunship's landing struts. Shadows hid its form, Attano's helmet sensors working to compensate for the gloom. He picked out the curve of pauldrons, the glint of a picter lens. Drawing closer, he saw it for what it was; a fallen giant, a brother of the Raven Guard. His chest cavity had been torn open, entrails spilling from great rents in his ceramite chestplate. There were no flies, the body too fresh to have drawn insects. Attano knelt by the corpse, opening a vox channel to the ship, meaning to report the find. He was greeted by the hissing and popping of dead air. There was no answer, the channel as dead as the brother in front of him. His eyes followed the devastation, noting the damage to the armour, calculating what could have done such a thing. His breath caught as he noticed the telltale marks of chainsword teeth, and he reached for one of the pauldrons, intending to shift the body and see if there was any other such damage.

The paint cracked, raven black flaking away under his hand. Beneath it, where there should have been the dull grey of untreated ceramite, was instead iridescent blue-green. A single, snarling hydra head glared up at him, its neck hidden beneath the thin surface layer of black paint.

"What have you found?" Brother Mimus stood beside him, looking over his shoulder at the fallen Astartes.

Attano shifted to give his brother a better view. "I'm not sure," he said. "What do you think it means?"

"I know what it means."

Attano looked up, and into the barrel of a bolt pistol. Green threat runes blinked to red, and he had barely enough time to scramble back before the pistol barked, the explosive round throwing chunks of dirt into the air. The silence of the forest was shattered, distant cawing and fluttering of wings marking the departure of what ravens had remained. Brother Attano blink-clicked his jump pack into active mode, jet turbines flaring to life. His weapons leapt to his hands, the traitor stepping back from the body and raising his pistol to fire again. Attano flared his pack's jets, jumping forwards...

the jump-pack whined, a high-pitched machine wail, and then exploded. Attano was slammed to the ground by the force of the blast, red-hot shrapnel scything out in all directions. His vision blurred, warning runes dancing across his helmet display. He saw his chainsword lying on the ground, and reached for it. Mimus' booted foot smashed into his wrist, ceramite buckling under the force of the blow. The traitor leaned in, grinding Attano's arm down under his boot. He reached down, tearing Attano's helmet off and tossing it aside. Attano tasted blood. His head pounded.

"You see the truth, before you die," Mimus said. His face was unreadable, hidden behind the vox-grille of his faceplate. Eye-lenses glowed red in the gloom. "You and the rest of your chapter will be forgotten. Lost to the dusty annals of history, your records gone, your brothers dead. Your arms and equipment will fail, your folly manifest in trusting their maintenance to chapter serfs."

Mimus knelt, his faceplate inches from Attano's head. Attano's arms were pinned beneath the traitor. Unable to move, unable to fight back, he could only watch half-dazed as Mimus placed the muzzle of his bolt pistol against Attano's forehead. The gauntlet holding the pistol was scratched, tiny pieces of the shrapnel from Attano's jumppack embedded in the ceramite. Beneath the surface black, it was painted iridescent blue.

"You forgot, you see. The sons of Corax are not the true masters of infiltration. Goodbye, 'brother.'"

The pistol roared, and Attano woke shaking.

[Haval]

One by one you awake amongst the wreckage of the bridge. None of you are where you last remember being during the battle. It is as if you have been flung through the air due to some explosion.

The timestamp on your HUD says that only minutes have passed but you feel like you have been unconscious for a lot longer. The air is filled with thick smoke and wreckage is strewn all about. All traces of the abominations that had assaulted the gellar field are gone. The field itself seems to have finally shorted out under the pressure, and the waxen purity seals are melted into great runnels that are solidifying on the deck. All the instruments and machinery of the bridge are broken. Small fires have broken out in various places and electricity is sputtering everywhere. The layer of ice remains, but it is not as sharply cold as you remember it being.

Whatever force affected you while you were unconscious has wiped out the crew. Everywhere you look there is congealed blood, twisted bodies and broken body parts. But the red hue that hangs in the air is not simply a matter of spilled blood. Looking about, you note that the armoured shutters lowered over the exterior of the bridge’s forward vista ports have been torn away by some unimaginable force. If there was any doubt before, now you know for certain that the wreck of the Argent Crusader has been vomited out of the Warp and is back in realspace once again. That is fortunate, for to look out through those lowered Warp shutters directly into the Sea of Souls would have spelled damnation before you could have torn your eyes away. Instead, the sight that awaits is a mass of roiling, blood red energies, distant nebulae pulsating like the exposed organs of some vast, eviscerated sea creature, the ebon sweep of the open void pressing in all about.

Spoiler: ooc

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Anyone else who wants to add something put it behind a timeskip again.

Going to update now because I have to go to work unexpectedly and this is mostly description. More info is available if you want to look for it.

There is atmosphere here as far as far as your armour can tell.

To recognise what you're looking at out the window, roll a Routine (+20) Navigation (Stellar) Test or Challenging (+0) Lore: Common (Jericho Reach) or Common Lore (Deathwatch) test. Other skills might make it easier if you have something useful.

[PotatoGolem]

Xavier instructed the Thunderhawk to drop him a few kilometers from the village, as always. He enjoyed the walk home, helmet off, smelling the air of his homeworld in solitude. There would be time enough to visit with family when he got there. And the children always caught up to him halfway there anyway. He'd carry them home on his shoulders, telling them tales of his adventures far from Nocturne. They loved Great-Uncle Xavier, though in truth he should append many more "greats" to that name.

It was several minutes before he realized something was off. No children watching from the ridges, thinking he couldn't see them. No smells of cooking wafting from the settlement. This close, his enhanced senses should have allowed him to hear the low hum of everyday life. Nothing. Silence. He began to walk quicker, then jog, then run. As he approached, everything was eerily silent. No one came to greet him. He ran into the town square, and saw it. A horrifying, twisted sculpture, made of the bodies of his people. They had clearly died in agony, their bodies contorted at impossible angles, faced twisted in pain beyond recognition. And there were too few. Half the village was missing. A small sound, a whimper of pain, made him turn.

He saw his little grandnephew Darius at the end of the display, or what was left of him. A head, and part of a torso, kept alive by some vile xeno machine. They came, Uncle. The Dark Ones. You weren't here. You didn't help us. Please, help. It hurts so much. Weeping, Xavier draws his boltgun with trembling hands and fires, ending the boy's pain.

He awakes, tears pouring down his face.


-------------------------

Brothers? Brothers, are you alive? Xavier moves from marine to marine, checking their vitals. He pauses at the bodies of the crew, murmuring prayers for their souls.

[Xenopax]

At Brother Xavier's Voice, he returned to the real world. He took his head out of his hands and attempted to stand up. I live brother. It is good to see that you do too. Although it seems like the human members of our ship were not so lucky. May the Emperor embrace them.

He turns to check upon his brother Astartes, waking each up gently. He starts with his fellow blood angel before moving on to Ygnvar and then the rest. He closes the eyes of every human body in his reach on the way.

[Volthawk]

Cadmus' dreams were shifting, never settling. There was too much out there, too many threats and secrets to allow for rest, to allow for any one to take up his entire focus. Eventually, however, things took shape.

Cadmus stood alone in the darkness, shapes appearing and disappearing in the void - some monstrous, some unassuming, and many very familiar. He reached for a weapon, only to find himself unarmed, unable to fight against the evil and danger he saw everywhere he looked.

Ultimately, however, there was one fact above all that he feared, the enduring shame of his chapter and a shadow Cadmus felt still hung over them. As the shadows became more defined, more real, he recognised them - the Fallen, the true eternal enemy and one that Cadmus, in moments he shared with nobody else, sometimes felt was insurmountable, a feeling that the hunt would never end and the Dark Angels would never achieve salvation. That, above all, unnerved him - he was proud of his ability to deliver punishment unto the enemies of the Emperor, but as an individual, he could do little against the weight of the shame and secrecy. It would never end.

-----

Upon waking up, Cadmus' first move was to check for his weapon, drawing reassurance from the weight and feeling of the weapon. His gaze then passes over the other marines as they get up, merely nodding in response to Xavier's question.

[TheNotoriousSMP]

The air surrounding the marines was thick with the sounds of weapons fire, the group of them fighting against the near endless forces of the Warp. In some ways it was a hopeless battle, the space marines only trying to hold off their foes for long enough for them to escape the Warp.

Eventually however they could hold out for no longer, and Kvothe heard the hull of their ship tearing apart before darkness took him.

--------

In his unconscious state Kvothe saw many things. Great battle, monstrous foes, and so on. But none stood out so much as the memory of his time on the Hive World of Ollania III. The Deathwatch had been called in to help an Inquisitor decisively put down a rebellion against the planetary governor, and he had been one of the marines chosen to aid him in the endeavor.

But while in reality his team had managed to gain a massive success, killing the entirety of the Tzeentchian cult that had been formenting treason, in the dream it went so much worse. His kill team had been picked off one by one, slain by traitors and daemons alike, until finally only he remained to face the sorcerer who led the enemy. Every strategy, every plan was for naught as the psyker tore him apart with warp-fire, until finally he was on his knees before the laughing-mad heretic.

The sorcerer advanced on him, a hideous ritual knife raised and Kvothe could do nothing but close his eyes as it fell towards him

And that was when he awoke, eyes wide as he looked into the darkness that surrounded them.

--------

Awakened from his nightmare, Kvothe's eyes darted around through his helmet at the scene before him. A window was the sole respite from their hideous surroundings, and it was little better. A rolling expanse of real-space, and a distant nebula before them. It took a moment for Kvothe to place the anomaly, but when he did he jolted upright. "That is the Hadex Anomaly!" he recalled, slightly relieved by the revelation that they were still within the Jericho Reach. At the very least, the Warp had not transported them to the other side of the galaxy. "We are very far from our destination," he murmured. Now they only had to hope that it hadn't done anything to them temporally, as he'd heard of some ships arriving at their destination decades after leaving, or even years before.

"I still stand brothers, and it is good that you do as well," Kvothe called out, grateful for the excuse to look away from the nebula. He looks around, searching with eyes that miss nothing. "Has anyone located Captain Yngvar?" he asked, searching for the Space Wolf as he moved to his fellows, careful not to disturb any human bodies any more than they already had been.

[Gunhaven]

Dhiiga’s Vision

He was a priest, an actual chaplain, leading a procession. It was what he had experienced countless times before as a practitioner, what he had always hoped to be one day in the future. But something was off about the entire thing… the words didn’t sound quite right in his ears… the chalices were filled with some liquid that smelled of iron.
It was when it touched his lips that he realized it was blood. The other shapes joined him in drinking from their own chalices and, as one, a thin red trickle confirmed that they were much like himself. Much like when he currently satisfied his bloodlust outside the dream he felt that surge of euphoria and slowly the vision clarified itself. They...looked vaguely Imperial but something wasn’t right about them.
A blink, then two, then rubbing away the blurriness from his eyes before it became clearer still. The symbols of the Ecclesiarchy were broken and warped, the robes emblazoned with golden chalices overflowing with crimson blood. His fellow cultist were clearly mutants of some sort with elongated fangs and pallor skin. It was only then that he could start to understand what they were chanting in response to his own sermons.
”From blood comes power, with this sip I ascend further. From blood comes life, with this sip I reinvigorate. From blood comes purity, with this sip I cast aside false doctrines. With this sip I embrace the blood coursing through my veins.” A bound Imperial Guard was brought forward by a pair of acolytes, a dagger produced, and a ritual almost completed. Just as the throat was cut he awoke, thirstier than ever.

On the Bridge
Dhiiga looked around and took stock of the condition of his comrades more than the state of the bridge. He worked slowly, shaking the vision from his mind and trying to get the lingering taste of blood out of his mouth, and eventually reached Yngvar. By then he was mostly back to the real and could focus, getting out his Exsanguinator as he checked on the fellow marine’s vitals. He nodded to himself, mumbling ”Jus nappin. I know brudda needs it” loud enough that anyone nearby could hear him. He then sighed and started moving the bodies to a central location, checking for signs of who they were.

[Destro_Yersul]

"Did we all make it, then?" Attano pushed himself to his feet, looking around for his weapons. His eyes flicked down the list of squad members, assessing the vital sign monitoring feed from each suit of armour. Yngvar's looked bad, but if the apothecary said he was alright, then it was probably true. First order of business should be more information. The crew were all dead, but this was still the bridge. Somewhere around here would be the controls for the augur arrays. Attano started looking, knowing it was too much to hope that the equipment would be undamaged.

"Brother Xavier, what is the status of the ship? Is anything still functional?"

[boj0]

Spoiler: Alisan's Nightmare

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Jacob was breathing heavy; they had been hiking for weeks, and the weight of the gear he was carrying wasn't doing him any favors. One boy had been lost, he wasn't paying attention and slipped on some rocks, another was left behind after letting himself become separated in the woods. Jacob looked forward to his leader, a giant man who moved like an owl in the night sky; he dared not mention he was tired.

There were only a handful of them left now, and they reached the mountains that would mark their destination. "Ten minutes to rest, then we begin climbing." their leader said in a calm voice, with not even the slightest hint of exertion. "Sir?" A different boy dared ask, "Why only ten minutes? You tell us that the gene enhancements would allow us to do this in our sleep, but we don't have those yet. We are very tired and we could make mistakes and die." He sheepishly started looking away as he finished.

10th Company Scout Sergeant Elias Bray of the Raptors chapter of the Adeptus Astartes, veteran of three centuries of warfare, master of more forms of combat than any mortal man could know turned to the boy; "You must earn those child; and yes, my Astartes form could have done this trip a dozen times by now, but you must be tested in your mind first. I know you are all tired, some on the verge of death, but I cannot afford you pity." He looked to each aspirant, "I must know that your will is unbreakable, that your mind and soul are worthy of being placed in a vessel of ceramite and adamantium. You do not make this trip to prove your fortitude, that would be ridiculous, you do this to prove you will not balk at harsh conditions, or impossible odds. The Apothecaries can give you muscles to break apart rocks or skin that can stop las shots, but they cannot give you a mind that will face such tasks with determination." He stopped his speech looking at Jacob. "I must know that you will march into your possible death willingly on my orders. Now get ready to move out, none of you have proved to me yet your worth."

It had been many years since that journey, and he had made it several more times since then, but Jacob still remembered when he reached the top, and Bray explaining to him its importance, "The Raptors are the keen eye of the Emperor, we see and we strike; and from here you can see the farthest. Those who cannot make it to the top cannot see, and they cannot serve." The boy was too exhausted to fully grasp what that meant but just then, the sun broke through the clouds and warmed his face. The golden light washed his frailty away, his reservations, his fear.

The sky itself was burning bright, the clouds were iridescent. Howling wind sounded like a choir - wait...Jacob wouldn't even know what a choir was until almost a decade later. It was as grey as steel that day. Why was it so bright now?

"Because I need to remind you why you do these things in My name, Alisan."

He was no longer a weak aspirant on a mountain, he was an Astartes before his Emperor, and he knelt down in obedience. "You have given up so easily, you who claim to offer Me everything; I need warriors, not children."

He was Jacob again, years before he claimed his bolter and armor, before he claimed his name that would be listed in the Chapter records forever. A small boy being torn apart by an unstoppable golden sun.

"Where is your iron will? Where is your strength of arm and skill with your weapon? Are you failing your brothers? I find Myself highly displeased with my children who fail their brothers."

"No! My Emperor I swear I will not fail You!"

The Golden light seared across his body and reached into the recesses of his mind, "I sense fear, child; fear of failure! You are a coward and a liar, a small boy pretending to be a man, a man pretending to be an Astartes. My nobles Astartes, who claimed a galaxy, do you think they would have accepted you? Look at what they earned by trusting you!"

The golden light snapped like lightning to a blood red, surrounded by screams and metal Alisan finds himself encircled by his dead squad, bodies torn asunder by xenos claws. He walks slowly among them, trying to save anyone, anything. One body, engulfed in flames creaks up unnaturally, a facsimile of a man made of fire and steel, "Don't worry, I know war can be scary for children. I shall protect you..." Alisan backs away from the reanimated Xavier, only to have his leg grabbed.
"Brudda you don't know da first ting about medicae, I need a blud transfusion first!", Diigah's head grew into a maw of fangs and needles snapping at him. Alisan draws his shotgun and fires away, as a robed skeleton grabs him from behind.

"Shhhhh," Cadmus whispered to him, "I won't tell them how afraid you are, they don't need to know how you failed them." He breaks away, retreating from the mockery the Warp had made his squad. The body of Tyrax started shambling up, his body shredded apart, leaking blood, eyes glowing a sinister red. "You lacked that killer instinct coward, you couldn't stand up and throw yourself into the grinder of war. We died so you could hide." "Now now, he can't be blamed for his lack of ability," Octavius' half melted body corrected. "As we can see here in the Codex Astartes, Alisan is a perfect example of what a Marines shouldn't be, full of doubt and inexperience." Pages from the Codex began flying out, razor sharp at Alisan, slicing through his armor.

He runs away from the scene, mind racing at what to do. He finds an alcove and starts reloading his weapon. "Of course he can't even hide properly, Attano, he isn't a true Son of Corax." Alisan turns to see two Mk VI helmets floating in front of him, no..flying! Black raven wings growing out of them.
"Oh Kvothe, he isn't even a real Marine! Floundering around, can't even fight the dead properly!"
"Shall he ever be forgiven by his brothers and the Emperor?", the two had exploded into a whipping cloud of black feathers, drowning Alisan in Darkness. Just as the inky dark took him, he saw the eyes of a wolf coming closer, then the fangs. "Only in death."

Alisan snapped awake, gripping his bolter tight; his organs going into overdrive to prevent him from retching into his helmet. His hearts were pounding, but he could only faintly remember why. His suits internal systems jolted him into focus, the red danger glyphs of his visor switching to yellow until he sees the squad, then finally green.

--------------------------------

Alisan takes a second before rejoining the group, "I live still, brothers. Octavius, Xavier, Dhiiga, how can I help?" Deep in his mind, Alisan knew the Emperor watched him, and was judging....

[Darkstorm]

Octavius rises from hsi tupor and starts organizing things in his head "Do any of you know where we are?" he asks as he approaches a window and tries to see where he is, or if he recognizes the place.

Spoiler: OOC

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Knowledge Imperium (1d100)[65]
Awareness (1d100)[65]

[Haval]

As you all pick through the wreck of the bridge you start to recover a little even as you realise the predicament that you're in. While the sight of the Hadex Anomaly shows that you are still in the Jericho Reach, you could have conceivably been spat out anywhere including the depths of interstellar space. Perhaps you have heard the stories of brothers who have been in a similar situation and have survived in spite of the odds, but you all know what your options are. At best you have had the extreme good luck to have emerged near Imperial occupied systems, and it's merely a matter of re-establishing communications with the Imperium. But the Jericho Reach is full of enemies and there is just as much chance that you'll drift into Tau space or worse. There is also the possibility that you have emerged far from any systems at all, and at best you may end up drifting for years at a time. You need to rebuild the ship to make it space worthy if you can. If it cannot be repaired you can only find what ever resources you can and wait for rescue.

While others investigate the status of the ship Dhiiga moves the bodies of the crew into the centre of the bridge. With the exception of a few outsiders like the Enginseer, Adept Mellano, all the crew are servants of the Deathwatch and often descendants of the same. Any friends and family they have outside the ship are likely on Erioch or are serving in one of the various watch towers in the Reach. You do what you can to identify each of the bridge crew so you can at least confirm their deaths. In some cases this is difficult, as some of the crew seem to have been literally torn apart. Others, such as Master Helmsman Ire who was long ago cybernetically attached to his console, seem virtually untouched aside from the layer of ice that covers them. In a handful of cases, including Astropath Khilankha, those who were definitely with you when you lost consciousness have disappeared leaving no body. Considering what happened to everyone else you are not hopeful.

It is perhaps unwise to look directly at a warp anomaly. Before joining the Deathwatch perhaps a few of you have been close enough to the Eye of Terror itself to understand the truth of that, but in this situation you are close enough that you can't really avoid catching glimpses of the Hadex Anomaly. Octavius is the first to really look out and try determining where they were. You can probably work out exactly where you are given sufficient knowledge of the star patterns. One of the crew could have probably told you, but without specialised knowledge there isn't a lot you can do. But what you see stretched out around the Crusader probably renders all this academic.

The bridge is located above the spine of the ship, so from the window you can see the full length of the vessel stretched out before you. From the red light of the Anomaly you can see that the ship is resting on something much larger. Rearing up to the ship’s fore is a mighty wall of solid rock and twisted metal, a mass so vast its extent is lost to a haze of drifting debris that forms an artificial horizon. For a moment you think that this must be a planetary surface of some kind, and the ship someone managed to crash on it while you were unconscious. But then you make out that the landscape is made up of ships of all classes and types smashed together and in some cases buried in rock that is thick enough that it must have accumulated over centuries. Whether you have seen one before or not you have all heard the stories. The entire forward two-thirds of the rapid strike vessel are melded with the substance of what can only be the largest Space Hulk ever witnessed in the Jericho Reach. And the largest Space Hulk on record bears a name dreaded across the entire length and breadth of the region. That name translates in High Gothic as “Death from Beyond the Horizon’—Mortis Thule.

Spoiler: ooc

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Everyone make a Common Lore (Deathwatch) roll at +20 for more info on Mortis Thule

Other tests the book suggests are Scholastic Lore (Arachaic) (-30), Forbidden Lore (Xenos) (-20), Forbidden Lore (Astartes) (-20), Forbidden Lore (Inquisition) (-20), Common Lore (Navy) (-30)

Xeno gets a bonus for some of these for being a Librarian

Other Lore tests might be appropriate

[Destro_Yersul]

"It appears as though we are now part of a space hulk," Attano said, walking up to stand beside Octavius, "which explains how there is gravity despite the ship's loss of power. Removal of a vessel once it has integrated into a hulk is often a significant endeavour. Lacking specialised salvage equipment, we may be unable to properly repair the Crusader." He paused, surveying the ship visually to see what sort of damage it had sustained. "To say nothing of crewing it. It is unlikely that many of the crew have survived."

[Haval]

Alisan recalls being present in the dining hall at Erioch for long enough to overhear a veteran Black Templar speaking of his experiences aboard Mortis Thule with his Chapter. Brother Ricard spoke of the squad mates he had lost there at the hands of Genestealers and of his wish to one day return there with the Deathwatch. Although he has never seen it Kvothe has heard numerous mentions of Mortis Thule and it's reputation from human and Astartes alike. He has been in the Jericho Reach long enough to remember the basics, as well as the importance of Standing Order Epsilon Nine-Nine-Zero.

Spoiler: Widely available information on Mortis Thule

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Even by Space Hulk standards, Mortis Thule is reckoned to be especially accursed. Untold readings of the Emperor's Tarot associate it with great doom whenever it appears. In human held systems there is always the risk that some of it's inhabitants will leave it to attack the nearest planet, but it is also seen as causing a rise in the birthrate of mutants and psykers wherever it goes, while the feelings of dread it creates have helped cause numerous rebellions and wars.

All of you are well aware of Space Hulks. Some of you have seen them up close. But there are three things that make Mortis Thule stand out.

Firstly it has only ever been reported as appearing within the Jericho Reach. It is unknown if it merely travels to sections of the galaxy where there are no humans to observe it, or if there is something that keeps it in this region.

Secondly is it's unusual age. It was first reported by the 427th Expeditionary Fleet during the Great Crusade, which makes it amongst the oldest Space Hulks ever encountered by the Imperium. Alongside centuries of accumulated Imperial and Xenos vessels, there are very likely human vessels in there from the Dark Age of Technology.

Thirdly is it's size. It's exact composition changes over time as parts of it break off and newer ships are drawn into it, but it has always been unusually large. Conquering it properly would be analogous to capturing a continent or a small moon. The unimaginable size of Mortis Thule means that its interior is able to accommodate billions of living organisms, whether human, xenos, or other. Yet, the vast majority of the space inside is reported as empty, cold and dark, the twisted and corroded passageways of ancient wrecks carpeted in dust never once disturbed in countless millennia. In theory, a boarding party could explore countless kilometres of winding corridors without coming anywhere near an area occupied by hostile creatures. However, the presence of such intruders seems to draw the attentions of the fell things that lurk in the furthest reaches of the Space Hulk, like ocean predators drawn to their prey by the promise of an easy kill.

The Deathwatch of the Jericho Reach have a standing order to investigate the interior of Mortis Thule whenever it's sighted. This order supersedes any current mission and can only be countermanded by an Inquisitor or a superior in the Deathwatch. Aside from the inhabitants of the Space Hulk, the greatest danger of boarding it is that the hulk will at some point return to the warp. Usually every effort is made to anticipate this, but brothers have been lost aboard Mortis Thule in the past. The Hall of Glory on Erioch contains a shrine recording the names and the deeds of all those lost.

[Darkstorm]

Octavius breath is easy, but thw wheight of the situation presses - they needed to see if the ship was repairable, or if not if the ships auspex were functioning so the could map the closest areas. Going foward blind wasn't something he loved...

"Brothers we must explore the Space Hulk. But first see if thsi ship can trvael warp, or at least sustain the Gellar field. If it Doesn't we should find an alternative means of escape or of contact with a ship. Before we travel through the warp again."

"We should find gear and ammo. Don't know if we'll be able to find alternatives inside this beast."

[Xenopax]

Mortis Thule...this is a place of death. The Omens are not good but we must do what we must. What shall we do with Brother Yngvar?

[boj0]

"If we clean up and fortify our crash site, we can have a makeshift base of operations. Keeping him here until we can get him out of hibernation will be beneficial, as a brother of his skill will be helpful in our current situation."

Alisan looks around, letting his visor scan potential weak points.

"I also suggest one of us make a quick patrol run, it would be foolish to stay here if there is a leaking reactor or Xenos den within walking distance; I of course can do this unless we have a better idea for the moment?"

[TheNotoriousSMP]

Kvothe looked to Alisan, nodding to the Raptor's words. "Yes, scouting at least the immediate surroundings is a good first step, though to go without backup strikes me as risky. I would be willing to go with you," here the Devastator's eyes flickered to Octavius, "That is should our squad leader not have any objections."

[Darkstorm]

Octavius thinks the situation and says "No. The Gellar field is down as the ship has no power, and I believe that without direct intervention from the emperor, it will stay forever like that. We can't leave him here as the path back might be impossible to take after we start moving."

He looks at the others and continues "Brother Xavier check the ship to acertain this."

"In the probablility that we'll have to move, we'll have to find a way to contact the exterior or a way to protect us from the warp. The Space hulk will eventually return, and this dose of demons we killed is nothing compared to what lies within."

"So the best option is to move as team and take Yngvar with us. Keep mobile, be the base."

"But before we leave we should, scour the armory for weapons or clips as well the chapel, to see if that sanctus field holds."

[Haval]

The Kill Team file out of the bridge towards the Crusader's chapel. With them is SAN, who just about seems able to bear the weight of Yngvar's unconscious body. One of you has likely recovered Yngvar's weapons before you leave. Assuming he ever wakes up, you realise that he would be most unhappy with you to hear that you left his wargear behind. The chainsword is an impressive piece of work that seems to partially forged from a substance that looks like bone, although it's at least as hard as ceramite. If any of you know anything about Fenris, you may have heard about the wildlife that lives there and assume that the bone may have come from some creature.

Eventually you managed to push the doors to the bridge open. Other then the light of the Hadex Anomaly, everything is pitch dark and you can only see via the auto senses of your helmets. The walls of the corridors are buckled slightly as if the whole ship has been compressed by something. Panels are broken off everywhere and cables and wiring are visible. A layer of warp ice covers everything.

Spoiler: Tyrax Only

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Now you are no longer fighting you recognise that there is something very wrong about the ice. If you look too closely at it you can almost see reflections of something moving that isn't otherwise present on the ship. You realise that even though you are outside the warp, it has left a residue behind.

You feel that some of what you see is observing you back. It reminds you of the jungles of Cretacia, where you are often being observed by predators.

As you approach the chapel you come across the bodies of more of the crew. To your expert eyes, the bodies have been torn apart by something at close quarters. It appears that some of the crew at least heard the warning to evacuate to the chapel even if many didn't quite make it.

In the doorway the hexagrammic wards have burnt out from the effort of holding back the tide of Daemons, but the barrier appears to have held for a time. There are more bodies inside the chapel, but they appear to have suffered less, perhaps dying only as a result of the Crusader finally melding with Mortis Thule. The chapel itself has taken damage although the ice is absent. Deep cracks have appeared in the walls and the statues of most of the Primarchs are now damaged. The statue of the Emperor has toppled from it's pedestal, and the box containing the relic Thunder Hammer is visible underneath it.

[Xenopax]

Tyrax breaks off a big piece of ice and wraps it up in some cloth before putting it in his pocket. He then picks up the Statue of the Emperor and puts it back in it's place, using a bit of his repair cement to keep it in place. "Brother Dhiiga if you would?" He then takes the Thunder Hammer and gives it a test swing. He then states out loud to the rest of the group, "Who will claim this mighty weapon? I know of the Wolves love of Librarians so i will not claim it,"