Shades on Twilight, part 3 - Dark Deeds, Black Ship

by DM B  

Timestamp: 6.850.997.M41

Location: Acreage system, Josian Reach, Calixis Sector

Situation: Fleeing the space hulk

Body: Haxtes slips inside the Black Ship. He emerges inside a great dark hold. Old cages and chains are readily visible and cells line the walls, many stories high. Behind them are more rows of cells. Hundreds of them. And to the fore - and aft - more holds like this one. Thirteen all told, as there are in all Black Ships.

The girl is there. She is not alone. They start showing themselves. First only a few, then more and more, until there are hundreds. Surrounding Haxtes. They are all clad in the same worn, grey robes. Many carry the stigmata of mutation. Others bear the marks of chains or physical hardship. Psykers each and every one of them. Unsanctioned psykers, dead some 600 years. They are, perhaps understandably, not very pleased at seeing a member of the Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition...

Before they can fall upon Haxtes and tear him apart they are halted by a powerful voice. One of their number steps forth and commands them to stay their hands - by the power invested in him by the God-Emperor. He turns out to be Crovus, former Imperial preacher, psyker and Black Ship cargo, something of a leader for the ghosts, and completely in denial when it comes to the real reason for him being here. He knows he's on a Black Ship, but he's deluded himself into thinking he came here to preach to the heathen and the witch. He doesn't understand he HE is a witch. Nor that he - and they - are as dead as they come. They are the ghosts of psykers trapped here, unable to find their way to the realms of the dead.

Haxtes listens to his ramblings and eventually manages to explain that he and his companions are here on behest of the God-Emperor, to bring the hero Adorjin and her mighty blade to rest among other heroes and earn the accolade she so well deserves. The other ghost are not happy, but they won't gainsay Crovus, and quietly fade - presumably to brood and plot the deaths of you all. And so the rest of the team is allowed aboard, seeing only one 'ghost', that being the physically manifesting Crovus. Several members of the team, names need not be mentioned, become visibly unsettled when they finally realize he's not a person - but something from the beyond...

As you search through the ship it becomes apparent that the ghosts, Crovus included, are loathe to go aft. They freely range through the fist eleven holds, but never approach the two rearmost. Except the girl. She's there again. Pointing out the way through the ruined ship, taking you into the twelfth hold. Then she is gone.

A voice speaks, but there is no one there:

"They never come here. Except her and me. Nor do they really venture into the other parts of the ship or outside - they are bound by tradition. They were prisoners in life. In death they remain so. Most are quite insane. And all fear in this death what they feared in life. They fear the agents of the Inquisition. They fear the righteous judgement of the God-Emperor. But above all they fear that which lies within the 13th hold.  Even when it is but a shadow of existence they fear it, the daemon Nekaybraianon, nemesis to my Mistress, Daemonhunter Adorjin."

There is suddenly a man standing before you. Clad not in grey tatters, but in fine emerald and black robes, sewn with gold and pearl, bearing the symbols of the Imperium and the Inquisition.

"You do believe in daemons, do you not? Perhaps you are even authorized to know of their existence? I see you are not Malleus, but some favored servants of the other Ordos are sometimes trusted...no matter. I am way past caring about such trifles. Daemons are. Eat it up and accept the fact.

I am, or was, Ishatan Vogel, scholar and psyker, Inquisitor Adojin's chronicler and most enduring companion. I take it that you have come in response to my signal? It was not easily accomplished, so I would hate to learn that you stumbled upon us by accident...no?"

Ghost or no this one is clearly more sane that the others, at least for the moment. And he's still psychically active in a way the others are not. You're pretty sure he could kill you - and you would be unable to harm him in return.

"Come with me to the thirteenth hold. Only I hold the key to its vault doors."

You follow him over.

"The reason I mentioned Daemons is this - there is a particular powerful and vicious specimen inside. A prince of daemons if you will. It's quite dead now of course. Not merely banished back to hell, but utterly and irrecoverably annihilated. It can still be quite unsettling, however..."

With that the seven seals on the thirteenth vault open and the mighty doors swing away to reveal...darkness and cold.

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Categories: Adventures, Chapter 1 - In the Service, Adventure 1.5 - Shades on Twilight
 09/07/10 08:05:53 pm,

6 comments

Comment from:
Vogel conjures forth a pearly light. In the darkness you see a massive block of ice, several tens of feet tall and still wider. It is covered by a thick layer of hoarfrost. Its hard to tell but you can see, just barely, that SOMETHING resides within the ice. A thing of scales and claws and other unspeakable things. A daemon prince, captured in just a small block of ice...fear, irrational fear, grips all of you - even Venus seems to be behaving erratically, recoiling. "Yes. It is quite real. Or at least the image of it is, captured and preserved at the moment of its defeat. But yes, it has a certain malevolent aura still. Just imagine what it must have been like when they were fighting, daemon and woman." You realize that the thirteenth hold has been badly damaged by this fight. Or not just the hold, but much of the aft section of the vessel. "It was its death scream that killed the rest of us. Some were trapped, mostly out of fear of the beyond I think. I alone remained to hold vigil. But yes, it was their fight that crippled the craft and set it adrift in the Warp, where it eventually came to reside as part of this hulk. No doubt would we have been consumed by the forces that dwell in that terrible realm, but for the wards worked into the walls of the Black Ship." He ascends into the air to land atop the ice. "My mistress resides within, as does her blade. You must free her and take her back. Share the story I will now relate to you. Make sure her ultimate sacrifice is remembered. Her hate for this daemon was so strong that she not only gave her life to end it forever, but she willingly pursued a path that would destroy her own soul as surely as it would the daemon. That deserves to be whispered to the God-Emperor, don't you agree?"
09/07/10 @ 20:18
Comment from:
"Oh it is known that Him on Earth hears the chronicles of the worthy few...your mistress's tale will be told in a clear high voice before the Throne. Now stand aside, your duty is done." To the rest of the team: "Break the ice, destroy the daemon and free the Inquisitor!"
09/07/10 @ 23:24
Comment from:
Vogel ignores the disrespectful tone and fades from view... Haxtes appears unusually agitated - he usually keeps his little heretical ironies to himself...perhaps his own daemons are getting to him, gnawing at his patience... Despite any misgiving you might have about taking you cues from a warp spirit you break out what tools you have - two of Venus's mechadendrites (that being the four metal arms that keep popping out from under her robes) have las-cutters, several of you have power blades and Molochan has some vibro-equipment that can be used. It's hard work chipping the ice. It's ice rock hard and the hold is very very cold. As you work you way through the block the daemon seems to shrink away, so that no part of it ever is exposed. Strange. Inquisitor Adorjin is up on top of the daemon, clad in ornate power armour and holding a great sword clasped in both hands - the blade is thrust deep within the ice, deep within the daemon. When finally you manage to free her the blade is still stuck in the icy block, but with a great deal of effort it comes loose. The rest of the ice shatters at that moment, sending you all sprawling. There is no daemon inside. Vogel's ghost must have been right - it was only an afterimage captured in ice. The ice shards immediately start to melt and the temperature go from sub-zero to just cool in moments. All the while Vogel's voice has been speaking to you, relating the tale of Adorjin's last journey. Of how she always harbored a special hatred for this particular daemon (he does not say why, perhaps he does not know, perhaps it is unimportant) and her final epic journey that took her across the Segmentum Solar and deep into Segmentum Pacificus, before ending up right where she had started - the Calixis sector. Vogel relates to you the last words she ever spoke, after having cornered the daemon - that had slipped aboard the Black Ship to prey on the cargo within - in the 13th hold and locked them both in: "I've found him at last. His reckoning is long overdue. How fitting that it should end near exactly where it began." With that she threw her soul into the blessed blade and smote the daemon prince with such force that it was not banished, but utterly destroyed. It's psychic death throes then killed all the remaining crew and cargo, and with the damage already cause to the vessel it was cast adrift in the Warp... ...near the end of the tale the ghost starts repeating itself and there are some questions unanswered - Trempan points out one; how and why was the signal activated at this particular time, why not before? The ghost does not answer and you do not take the time to search the ship for what is ultimately not important. You manage to drag Adorjin out into the 12th hold with some effort. She is a tall and strong woman, but it's the hundreds of pounds of inert power armour that makes moving her a thankless task. There is no way you can get her off the ship before it impacts the planet. Why didn't you bring some cargo suspensors or something? In addition to her force blade, which is a long and heavy weapon, she has a case of pure adamantine hanging around her neck. It's covered in sigils and runes and seems psychically warded - those of you that are psykers cannot touch it without great discomfort. Then you see the girl. She's standing there, pointing forward towards the other holds. She's shaking her head slowly from side to side...
09/08/10 @ 08:55
Comment from:
Haxtes hurries after the girl, Jeb and Parsifal close on his heels, until they reach the fifth hold, where the rift is. A quick glance confirms it - the cavern outside are crawling with Eldar, about a score of them visible, which means more will be lying hidden nearby. Haxtes calls out to the Eldar in their own warped tongue. He steps out to parley with their leader, Archon Akirvas of the Crimson Woes. Haxtes senses that Akirvas is merely trying to stall for time. he doesn't want to oblige. So the negotiations are rather short. Not many of the Eldar there gathered speak much High Gothic, but they all understand the language of the bolter. Haxtes rips out his trusted Protasian bolt pistol and lets loose, catching the poor Archon in the face. He tries to get back into cover, but he's not THAT fast. Eldar splinter weapons tear into him, several slivers punching through the armoured suit and releasing their poisons into his blood. He would have been dead in an instant had he not administered a generous dose of wide-spectrum antidote before engaging. Now he just slumps to the ground, critically injured and spasming violently. Jeb pulls him to safety, braving a hail of splinter fire to do so. A wave of warp-beasts lunge forward, their strangely almost-unseen bodies loping forward in great strides. But as soon as they leap through the breach in the ship's hull they are undone, for the Black Ship's wards are still strong and the hounds' empyrean nature becomes their undoing. A couple make it through - they have stayed to the center of the rift - but are quickly dispatched by Jeb and Parsifal. Parsifal has used the opportunity to call upon Crovus. He's beseeching him to do the right thing, to call upon the righteous to smite these foul creatures. Crovus seems loathe to do so, but Haxtes (who is reluctantly receiving for first aid) adds his voice to Parsifal's - this it what the witches have been waiting for, a chance to redeem themselves, and Crovus will be the one to lead them into the light. The mad preacher's eyes light up - he has found his purpose! Crovus leads the ghosts out, single file, staying well clear of the wards. The Eldar open fire of course, but they soon find out that their dark weapons are of little use against the vengeful spirits aboard the ship... BOOM!!! A powerful explosion rips through the rear section of the ship.
09/08/10 @ 09:39
Comment from:
Haxtes and the other two make their way to the rear again. To reach the twelfth hold he even needs to have a steadying hand support him, but let us not mention that... You find the others lying amidst the wreckage of a powerful explosion. Sergeant Forden is gone, and with him the adamantine case. The sword remains. Turns out that Forden used a melta charge to blow a hole in the hull - and to take out the rest of the team. D caught the full blast - she's a smoking ruin of charred flesh. Interrogator Castilas is just as dead. Molochan is not much better - he organic parts have been burned beyond recognition. Trempan suffers from concussion damage, has lost his hearing and is badly burned - but he might yet survive if he gets to a medicae. Venus is in better shape - she was shielded from the explosion by the bulk of Adorjin and her armour. Haxtes really really want to go after Forden, but he cannot. He's badly hurt, you need to evacuate the hulk soon, and Haxtes knows that Forden is a right dangerous and sneaky bastard. Had things been different... Venus secures Molochan's engram (not that you know what it is - you merely see her screw upon his skull and remove something technical-looking). Molochan's remaining scout drone activates and starts following Venus' directions. You can do nothing for D or Castilas, but you can take Trempan with you and hope. Getting Adorjin out won't be possible however. She's just too heavy. You can barely take Trempan with you. But the ghosts can carry her...WILL carry here. Outside the ship, among the dead bodies of eight eldar Haxtes confronts Corvus once more and demands that they help carry Adorjin to her final resting place - once again he balks...and relents. They will carry Adorjin and then their task is done. Guided by Venus and her drone you make good speed back to the shuttle. It takes just a few hours. And that's a good thing. The hulk is thawing - the frost layer is melting and there is water dripping down the walls and running along corridors. At the same time the hulk seems to loose some of its solidity and stability - there are several violent 'hulk-quakes' on the way. As you near the shuttle the ghosts start to fade, until only three are left - Crovus, Vogel and the girl. Then they too are gone and you're left to drag Adorjin to the air-lock, suit up and maneuver her out and into the waiting shuttle. You made it!
09/08/10 @ 09:55
Comment from:
(forgot to note that Castilas died in the blast - I'd edited to previous posts to that effect)
09/08/10 @ 10:15


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