Black Crusade IC

[watupwithdat]

"It would prove a liability if you did not, as I am sure you understand as well." A servitor afflicted with the Blood Lord was dangerous, at least when wielding a plasma cannon. "This speed is the result of my bloody sacrifice to my patron, the Lord of Sorcery, Tzeentch. Every khornate would be red of envy if they only dared be jealous of the splendid powers the Lord of Magic grants."

"That is an acceptable alteration. It will not change much. You go where you intend to. I want to crack this one's head open and peek what is inside before I return to the group." he said, refering to the renegade he had dragged with him back to the building.

After the heretek left the building, Setesh begun penetrating the human's mind. Two initial attempts gleaned little, while his third one reached to the furthest mental layer which he promptly made crumble. He consumed all there was to know, to offer whatever knowledge there was to his Dark God, especially that which Setesh had no immediate need for himself.

Instead of bringing his newly found sacrificial victim with him, he swiftly split the human's skull in two with Vra'tzaen, to leave keep that which was in the human's head for Setesh and the Lord of Lies only. He had already realized it was pointless bringing a renegade with him into battle. He had no way of just leaving the human there, waiting for the sorcerer to return like a well-trained slave. After slaying the human, Setesh sped back to the rest.

[Lucretia]

Verateka did not go back to the group, since she had specifically said that she would stay with her minions and keep away from Setesh, Slathissan and Katria. Instead, she went into the street, trying to keep about seventy meters away from the temple and its fighting. Once there, she and her robotic minions scoped out the situation in an attempt to figure out what had transpired in the minute or two since they had begun the fight.

Spoiler

(1d100)[61] v. 11 for Verateka
(1d100)[2] v. 45 for Grag <- 5 DoS
(1d100)[11] v. 45 for Riptide <- 4 DoS

[Henry the 57th]

Setesh learns little from the renegade's mind. He was a member of one of the hundreds of mercenary human gangs hired into the service of the Word Bearers and carelessly flung at the enemy to absorb bullets for the sons of Lorgar. His gang's name was the Striking Vipers, but the brutal massacre back in the building killed the last of it. He knows nothing in particular of the Word Bearers or of the enem. In fact, he knows little about Chaos, though he does think that those who entrust their souls to insane gods are naive fools.

[Henry the 57th]

Grag and Riptide report to their mistress that the situation on this side of the temple has remained essentially unchanged. The enemy Astartes are still mostly gone from this side of the temple. The "friendly" Word Bearers are approaching the enemy lines slowly, allowing the remaining renegades to absorb the bulk of the fire. The Tzeentchian assault seems to have bogged down in most areas, and one strange-looking fellow with a golden staff crackling with blue fire seems to be moving to the front of that assault. They cannot see the World Eaters, and the Sons of Hekesh appear content to let the others do he hard work, making little attempt to advance.

[watupwithdat]

Having reached the location where he had left the others, Setesh could see the assault had seemed to stagnate a little since he had to go and clean up the little gang of humans. The Night Lord was there, but Setesh could not spot Katria, though she was sure to be around there somewhere, probably in a dark spot hiding.

"++Are you in position heretek? I am with the rest now, and we should probably not wait much longer until we strike, if that is indeed what we are set on doing to get past the resistance.++"

[Lucretia]

"++I am indeed in position. Once we have the go-ahead from Katria and Slathissin, we will commence the attack."

Spoiler

So, what's the ammunition count on Riptide? Also, how many hits did he sustain? What's his wounds at? In other words: what effect did the little Khornish spasm have on his mechanics?

[Donan]

++I'm ready to move. I just need you to scatter their lines so we can get through.++

[Elurindel]

"I am ready to move. Although this time I would prefer to cause some confusion first." he draws a frag grenade from his belt, ready to use it on a high concentration of targets, leaving another hand free for punching.

[watupwithdat]

"Then take to the skies and hope they do not target you." Setesh took out one of his hallucinogen grenades and threw it to the Night Lord. "I would however argue one of these cause more confusion than a little frag grenade. Make use of it if you want."

"++The Night Lord is ready as well heretek. Tell your servitor to create a breach in their resistance for us to work with.++

[Lucretia]

"++Firing++."

Verateka and Grag moved a few meters away from Riptide, hiding in the shadow of one of the buildings. Riptide himself became prone, taking his time to aim, before setting off a maximal plasma burst.

Spoiler

Drop Prone (Free action?)
Full Round Aim
Short Range Maximal Standard Attack, probably unaware.

(1d100)[12] v. 95

Presuming it hits the horde, it will do (3d10)[10]+12, Pen 12. Presuming that overcomes the Horde's TB and AP, it will reduce their magnitude by 5. Also, Riptide must spend the next turn recharging.

Riptide is at 8 shots remaining.

[Henry the 57th]

The blast impacts in the middle of the defenders, sending several bodies flying.

Spoiler

Roll initiative.

[Elurindel]

Slathissin joins in the initial surprise attack with a well-aimed frag grenade.

Spoiler

BS = 34+10 for single shot, +10 for aiming, and +30 at minimum if the Horde is minimum size. I doubt a roll is necessary unless it jams. (1d100)[77] Deals (2d10+2)[14]X damage, killing 5 of them.

[watupwithdat]

Spoiler

I am assuming Slathissin moves up towards the front before he throws the grenade, as he cannot reach if not.

Setesh watched as the plasma blast hit the hordes of human fighters and dispersed them a little. He calmly began walking towards the frontline, waiting for another one or two plasma blast to hit them before entering the fray himself. Of course, it would probably be another story if he was one of the mindless brutes offering up skulls to Khorne, charging into danger like some suicidal rats.

[Donan]

Katria prowls along in Setesh's wake, expecting the Astartes' attack to scatter the line further and in addition to the attacks that had already taken place. It should be enough to allow her to slip through before they were reinforced.

[Henry the 57th]

The grenade explodes, slaying several cultists.

Those that remain turn their guns on the one who threw the grenade.

Spoiler

Accidentally rolled on the OOC thread. Slathissin is hit twice.

[Donan]

Taking advantage of the blows to their ranks and still wrapped in her cloak, Katria moves out from cover in an effort to gracefully slip through the currently scattered lines before they solidify once again.

Spoiler

Stealth. 120 target.
(1d100)[50]

[Henry the 57th]

The hail of bullets punch through the barrier before smashing into Slathissin's left arm.

Spoiler

The first attack destroyed the 8 AP cover. The second did 9 wounds to your left arm, putting you into the 2nd critical. You take one level of Fatigue and that's it.

[Henry the 57th]

Katria slips through he scatters lines to the relatively bare hill immediately behind.

[Donan]

Leaving her allies behind for the immediate future, Katria scurries up the hill, only pausing to see if 'allied' forces have broken through the lines elsewhere as she begins to make her way up.

[Lucretia]

Verateka and Grag moved forward 21 meters, leaving cover. They were 49 meters from the horde at that point. Riptide stood and lumbered forward a few meters, moving towards his master while his gun cooled down. He was 67 meters from the horde. No attacks were made by the dynamic trio.

[Henry the 57th]

Katria sees that the Scourged have penetrated fairly deep into enemy lines, and the that their loony sorcerer leader is now at the front, sword and staff whirling and crackling with blue lightning, killing everything in arms' reachs. The daemons are mostly gone, but the enemy front line has been obliterated, and the Scourged are about halfway up the hill.

Katria also sees that the Khornates have made considerable progress. While she's never seen their leader before, it is immediately apparent who it is - the screaming lunatic at the head of the horde. He has a Bloodletter's Hellbalde in one hand, and a power axe that is obviously a daemon weapon in the other. His eyes are burning with the fires of Khorne, and he's cutting through everything in sight like a raging death-machine, screaming insults to the enemy and praises to Khorne all the while. Notably, there are several non-World Eater Astartes fighting on that front too, including Space Wolves, White Scars, and Salamanders. Oddest of all, there are a pair of Eldar, male and female by the looks of them, in Khornate armor, fighting with the Astartes and cultists. The Khornate band is also about halfway up the hill, but similarly starting to become bogged down.

The Sons of Hekesh seem to be holding their position, content to fire at the enemy still defending that side, allowing others to face the teeth of he enemy's guns.

[Donan]

Wanting the dubious honour of reaching the fortress first, Katria quickens her pace, humming a cheery little ditty under her breath and idly wondering where the Nurgle and Slannesh followers were.

[Elurindel]

Slathissin decides it is best not to run headlong into a horde just yet, and so spreads his wings and flies as fast as he can to some new cover.

Spoiler

Full on Run, which puts me at least 50m away from them. Gonna spend Inf to get some wounds back.
(1d5)[4]
Back up to 4 wounds

[Henry the 57th]

The mob turns their guns on Riptide.

Spoiler

(1d100)[15] vs. 35

(1d100)[21] vs. 35

(1d100)[23] vs. 35

(1d100)[56] vs. 35

(1d100)[51] vs. 35

[watupwithdat]

Spoiler

Setesh chronologically acts after Slathy and Riptide.

Setesh had been moving towards the mob of cultists, unfazed by the small arms fire impacting around him, deflected off of his power armour and absorbed by his force field. The Night Lord had not been so lucky and had instead suffered new wounds by drawing the full attention of the cultists. The sorcerer still thought the Night Lord's tendency to not wear a helmet was reckless. Atleast he was still alive, unlike the servitor the heretek had just reported as destroyed. Setesh did not notice it or care how. He was more concerned about the plasma cannon having no operator, as it would be useful on the cultists. The kin of Curze was now in flight it seemed, maybe to rain death from above instead. He still had the hallucinogen grenade Setesh had given him before.

Curiously the cultists had not seemed to focus their attention on the approaching sorcerer, maybe because he had not shown any hostility, as he did not have the magical unremarkability of the heretek or the fallen Death Guard. But how sadly mistaken the cultists would be proven in a moment to have let Setesh into such close proximity. The ancient Thousand Sons sorcerer brought his flamer up and unleashed a gout of flame at the mob of cultists. "Embrace the flames. Let them change you into dust." he calmly exclaimed as flesh sizzled, hair burned and the screams of ablaze cultists tried to reach the searing ears of their companions.

As the cultists burned, the sorcerer felt a strange sensation on the left side of his neck, like he was for a small moment touched by his patron Dark God, the Lord of Sorcery, feeling empowered and his psyche for a split second hightened to see a small portion of Tzeentch's grand schemes. Setesh's devotion to the Master of Fate was with this exhilarating and mysterious experience even more cemented. With newfound motivation he picked up his pace and charged at the mob of cultists, intent on cutting them down and offering them up to the Lord of Lies as bloody sacrifices. "Bleed and crumble to dust for the Lord of Change!"

Spoiler

Half Action, Legion Flamer with High-grade Promethium (+20 range)
The horde takes (1d5+10)[1](11) magnitude damage.
If (1d10+9)[10](19), Pen 4 overcomes horde's AP+TB = +1 magnitude damage.
Total magnitude damage: 12.

Half Action, move into melee range with mob of cultists.

Spoiler

Setesh has now the Mark of Tzeentch emblazoned on the left side of his neck.

[Lucretia]

Verateka and Grag moved forward another 30 meters, putting them at 19 meters. Meanwhile, Riptide stood still for a moment before unleashing another plasma blast!

Spoiler

(1d100)[51] v. 35 for Regeneration 2
(1d100)[99] v. 95
(2d10)[7][8](15)+12, Pen 10

This puts him at 7 shots remaining.

EDIT: In a fluorescent green flash, Riptide exploded as the gun overheated.

Grag was only a half-meter behind Verateka, the heretek in between the horde and her hound.

"++My murder-servitor has expired++."

[Henry the 57th]

Cultists scream as they are burnt to cinders by Setesh's flamer, but their sheer bloody-minded fanaticism causes their comrades to leap over burning bodies to fling themselves at the sorcerer, chainswords roaring.

Spoiler

(1d100)[65] vs. 35

(1d100)[19] vs. 35

(1d100)[86] vs. 35

(1d100)[22] vs. 35

[Henry the 57th]

Slathissin flaps away from the fighting to recover.

Katria slips further up the hill. She is now perhaps 3/4ths of the way up, without major opposition.

The horde opens fire on Grag.

Spoiler

I checked. Hordes can make melee and ranged attacks in the same round. Sorry for forgetting earlier.

(1d100)[52] vs. 35

(1d100)[94] vs. 35

(1d100)[42] vs. 35

(1d100)[33] vs. 35

[Lucretia]

Spoiler

Can they shoot past Verateka with impunity?

Anyways, (1d100)[76] v. 45 for his dodge check.

[Henry the 57th]

The bullets rip into the faithful hound.

Spoiler

They're spread out enough that it's more like shooting around her.

(3d10+3)[8][3][3](17) Pen 0