Rogue Trader - Exodus

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Montresor
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Post by Montresor »

In the darkness ahead, one of the vine-swathed towers shifts, fungus spores erupting as it does so. A soldier turns at it with a start, before a mechanical clamp grasps his head. Holding him aloft, the clamp tightens. The soldier kicks and screams, before a bony crunch is heard, exploding helmet, skull and brains in a wash of gore.

The vines are torn asunder as a vast bulk moves from under their net. A thing, part flesh, and part machine, ambulates with sickening purpose. Mechadendrites tipped with rusted and gore-smacked clamps, writhing needle-pointed cables, and sigthless skulls on decaying metal spines emanate from a misshapen body. A face peers from under one side of a torso - a bloated and yellowish weeping eye distorts the half metal, half-manlike features. From another shoulder, a lapping green tongue darts, stabbing into the remnants of the soldier's neck and drinking deeply. Discoloured flesh grows over metal, and bleeding sores and fungal growths drip steaming ichor.

Distorted ventillators line the lower body like cancerous gills, which shake as the thing breathes. A half dozen eyes peer from the blasphemous bulk, some staring unknowingly, others with hideous intent, and others with pathetic, soul-torn madness.

[Every one but a single soldier counts as Stunned with terror. Zarkov and Malachi fared decently with their tests, both gaining an Insanity Point, and counting as Stunned for two rounds. The only soldier to pass his WP check opens fire with his autogun, but his bursts go wildly off target - barring a single bullet which pings off the nightmare thing's clamp arm. The thing makes its way towards him, and will arrive on the third round. You will have to move into position to attack it, as some of the generators obscure your vision]
"For the love of God, Montresor!"
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.

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Malachi
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Post by Malachi »

Malachi was about to speak when the noise of battle erupted.

When he's recovered from being stunned, Malachi's going to run to cover he can shoot from, and if there's time, try to spot any weaknesses, using tech use checks, and the like.
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Lt. Commander Zarkov
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Post by Lt. Commander Zarkov »

Zarkov gaped at the hideously deformed creature emerging from the fungus. It looked horribly like it had once been some sort of Mechanicus servitor, but larger than any he had ever seen. But it was...corrupted somehow...the thing was shocking to behold. Following Malachi, he took cover behind a set of robust looking pipes and aimed his lascarbine.
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Montresor
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Post by Montresor »

Confusion reigns in the semi-lit darkness of the Templum. Zarkov and Malachi gird themselves against their fears and dash after the monstrosity, diving for cover and opening fire. Malachi finds his mark with a bolt, just before the thing is obscured by a vine-smothered generator.

[Malachi hit, Zarkov missed. I assumed single shots. Malachi's bolt tears through the creature's shoulder, blasting an eye to ruins. Malachi succeeded on his tech use test, and was able to quickly discern that the thing's breathing seems laboured - it is likely that the ventillator gills could be a weak point]

Helmont calls to his men, his voice croaking with fear and something that sounds like delight. 'Hold it back!' The scholar draws a heavy looking pistol from a concealed compartment in his void-suit, and he bolts as quickly as he can towards the strange device at the centre summit of the Templum.

[The creature is now out of your sight. Helmont's men are taking firing positions by the generator towers, seeking to target the thing, albeit while keeping their distance. To get another shot, you will have to pursue the creature, or wait until it emerges into sight]
"For the love of God, Montresor!"
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.

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Malachi
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Post by Malachi »

"Aim for the ventilators!" Malachi shouts, before turning to Zarkov.

"Zarkov, let's wait and see what happens."

He leans in closer to whisper.

"Hopefully Helmont's men will be thinned out by that abomination."
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Post by Lt. Commander Zarkov »

Zarkov smiled almost imperceptibly at the plan. He had been thinking the same thing.

"Yes, brother. What is it? Some kind of servitor?"
Venerate the Immortal Emperor, revere his Holy name. Praise the Omnissiah, for the Machine Spirit protects.



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Malachi
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Post by Malachi »

"Maybe. I've never seen anything like it before, though."
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Montresor
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Post by Montresor »

Gunfire erupts in the darkness, mingled with screams and a mechanical rasping. A full burst sounds off, flashing dark shadows across the vine wreathed ceiling. Bloated insects and fleshy moths are disturbed from their nesting.

Helmont, casting wary glances towards the raging battle, begins to ascend the tower, hoisting himself up on fistfuls of vines.

Another burst and a scream, and a soldier goes flying against a generator. His gun rakes the air, shredding vines and spraying sap. An audible snap can be heard as he impacts against a hard surface, and he goes still.

[The monstrosity is barely glimpsed as it lopes from one generator to another, animalistically seeking cover as it hunts. The sounds of battle are thinning out. You have a handfull of rounds to act before the thing comes back your way]
"For the love of God, Montresor!"
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.

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Malachi
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Post by Malachi »

Malachi looks over from his cover to see if there is any cover further forward from his position.
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Lt. Commander Zarkov
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Post by Lt. Commander Zarkov »

Realising that his las-carbine would not be much use now that he was separated from Helmont's fire-team, Zarkov redrew his bolt pistol. Priming his last grenade with his free hand, he scanned the towers for movement.
Venerate the Immortal Emperor, revere his Holy name. Praise the Omnissiah, for the Machine Spirit protects.



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Montresor
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Post by Montresor »

[The flesh-twisted monstrosity lurches from the darkness without warning, its appendages slashing and grabbing. Blood and ichor are splashed across its form, though it is unclear how much is its, and how much is the soldiers'. Zarkov's grenade manages to inflict some damage, though it goes a little too wide.

The battle is protracted (feel free to add your own descriptions of it). Both Malachi and Zarkov take a beating from the thing, and a soldier (who arrives later) is killed. Already heavily wounded, the creature finally dies gibbering and convulsing from numerous bolter blasts from the two explorers. Both are heavily wounded in the fight
]

During the desperate fight amidst the vine-strewn generators, Helmont ascends towards the strange device. Almost heedless of the slaughter taking place below, Helmont raises his hands as if in rapture.

'Praise be to all things that change!' Placing his hands upon the device, Helmont instantly staggers back and is thrown to the overgrown floor below. His body is wracked, and he emits a hideous wail. His form bubbles and writhes, turning in on itself - contorting impossibly, with bones audibly snapping and bursting from flesh. By the time the battle is over, Helmont has been reduced to a slowly bubbling mass of melted flesh and organs.

None but Zarkov and Malachi survive in the chamber.
"For the love of God, Montresor!"
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.

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Lt. Commander Zarkov
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Post by Lt. Commander Zarkov »

Zarkov crouched behind cover as the grenade sailed through the air. Detonating just wide of his target, the frag grenade ripped through corrupted flesh and metal. The monstrosity paused briefly, as if unsure of the origin of the explosion, then swung ponderously in Zarkov’s direction and brought down a huge claw on the plas-crete he was using for cover. The impact; easily enough to liquefy a man, shattered the would-be barricade into lethal fragments. Shards stabbed into the Lieutenant Commander’s armour, and a larger chunk hit Zarkov square in the chest, winding him. He struggled to get up, but found his bulky replacement leg was also trapped under the rubble dislodged by the impact. His blood ran cold. The mechanical beast above him, sensing the kill, raised its claw-arm again to finish the job.

Suddenly, Zarkov heard the roar of a bolter from somewhere behind him, and saw the mass-reactive bolts slam into the monsters ventilators. He knew it was Malachi. Zarkov raised his own bolt pistol, firing into the thing at point blank range. The horror staggered, then righted itself again, searching for the new threat. Unfortunately for the last of Helmont’s soldiers, it detected him first and went for him, charging. The excuse for a soldier screamed and ran, firing wildly behind him with his lasgun. He was quickly run down and crushed by the behemoth, freshly spilled innards adding to the fetid stench in the chamber. The creature turned back again, looking for Zarkov. He could hear Malachi behind him, still firing. Zarkov joined in once more, and together they brought down the perverse blasphemy in a hail of bolt shells.

***

Zarkov walked over to the bubbling mess that had been Helmont's body. He had heard the man scream something unspeakable as he reached the strange artifact and seen him fall, but this result was...unexpected, to say the least. Zarkov fancied he could see flesh still moving, as if by its own volition. He suddenly found himself wishing he had a flamer. Instead he settled for unslinging his las-carbine and putting two shots where Helmont’s face used to be.

Turning around, he saw Malachi for the first time since the battle had begun in earnest. Zarkov’s face was grim; his emotions conflicted. The pain from his wounds taxed his concentration, but he felt this area was rife with corruption. What could Malachi possibly want with an artifact that did...that?

[Forbidden Lore/Perception...Didn't want to be blatant with this. Does Zarkov recognise that Helmont was addressing a Dark God (Tzeentch, or one of his avatars, but theres no way Zarkov would know that) and does he make the connection between the artifact, the decaying area, the monstrosity, and the bird/reptile things in the corridor? How sure is he that this is the work of chaos, in other words. This will effect my next post and how he addresses Malachi.]
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Malachi
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Post by Malachi »

Malachi hobbles over to the device to inspect it, to gauge its size for possible transportation; weak points for possible destruction; and anything that hints at its true purpose, and whether it has been altered to what it does now.
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Montresor
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Post by Montresor »

[A very good success on a Forbidden Lore Adeptus Mechanicus test conferred a bonus to an Archeotech test. The result was a success]

Malachi is as certain as he can be, without climbing the tower and touching the device, that the strange device is not archeotech. In all likelihood, it is not of human manufacture. There is a taint of contamination about it, and it is clear to the explorator that the device is the cause of all the over-growth and corruption.

[A success on a Tech Use test]

Malachi determines that the device is directly linked to the generators, coolant regulators, and every other conceivable power source in this degenerated Templum.

As Malachi makes his examinations, the sound of blasts from above intensifies greatly.
"For the love of God, Montresor!"
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.

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Post by Malachi »

As Malachi finishes pouring over the device, he looks back at Zarkov.

"Zarkov... this device is deeply unsettling, and needs to be destroyed. How much ordinance do we have left?"
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Post by Lt. Commander Zarkov »

Zarkov would probably have never heard the word 'Tzeentch', or any other name for a Chaos God. However, you did succeed nicely in a test there, so Zarkov understands enough to suspect that the artefact, the vines, the faces he saw in them, the monstrosity and the bloated insects are quite possibly the result of the taint of the Ruinous Powers. The artefact seems the source.



Zarkov head spun. The strange device above them pulsed with an unnatural, tainted power: he knew could not let it back on the Invictus. Seeing Malachi eye the artifact for the first time evoked a feeling of distrust within him. What designs did the Explorator have on this...thing? Zarkov knew that if it was taken back to the Mechanicus Templum on Footfall it might corrupt in the same manner. He did not even want to think about the ship.

Zarkov had been under the assumption that this was a recovery mission. Looking at the strange artifact, and the bubbling mess of Helmont, he just wanted to leave. The Explorator, however, was still staring at the device, seemingly transfixed. Zarkov eyed him nervously, his bolt pistol still in hand.
Malachi wrote:As Malachi finishes pouring over the device, he looks back at Zarkov.

"Zarkov... this device is deeply unsettling, and needs to be destroyed. How much ordinance do we have left?"
A flood of relief swept over Zarkov. The Explorator had reached the same conclusion he had. He quickly realised, however, that he had just used his last grenade. "We still have one of the sacred incendiaries of the Templum on Footfall, brother. I suggest we search these...soldiers..." he indicated the bodies of Helmont's men, "for more explosives. We should be able to rig up something with the discarded weapons, also." Zarkov managed a smile. It quickly disappeared as he heard the bombardment above intensify. "We had best ask quickly."

[Zarkov and Malachi will quickly search the bodies for weapons and ordnance. When they have gathered all they can find quickly, they will use them as a bomb to destroy the artefact and the surrounding area. If possible using a time delay fuse (either by setting the grenades to detonate after 30 seconds or by using a lasgun overcharge or something to that effect). If that is not possible, Malachi can detonate the improvised explosive with a shot from his bolter from a (hopefully) safe distance. Perception checks for weak points in the structure or volatile areas in the corrupted Templum.
Venerate the Immortal Emperor, revere his Holy name. Praise the Omnissiah, for the Machine Spirit protects.



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Montresor
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Post by Montresor »

[The charge works, though at some risk to the explorers. The blast ruptures the generator, which consequently explodes with fury. A chain reaction of generator explosions does not follow, but the ceiling begins to collapse, burying the whole area. It is not known whether the device was destroyed. Radiation leakage from the blast is extreme.

Zarkov and Malachi make it off the asteroid by retracing their steps. They have to wait a day until they are able to be smuggled from Delta-X-7 via the Mechanicus bay. Once they return to the Templum in the sewers, Malachi is informed that he must remain behind to investigate the situation further. It is not known precisely what had happened, though it is theorised that the device may have been mistaken for a piece of archeotech and, through its use, corruption spread. The identity of the monstrosity is something Logis Ezekial refuses to speculate on.

In the week following Heale's invasion, news filters through that she is selling large numbers of the asteroid's populace to slavers. More disturbing news indicates that her workers are excavating the remnants of a ruined Templum, searching for something they believe to be buried there
]
"For the love of God, Montresor!"
"Yes," I said, "for the love of God!" - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado.

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