~~ Orbit of Eldritch - Death of a Hero ~~ @TechCaptain The Ferrus Hammer latched on the rear of the Boiling Blood and it's thrusters did not just roar at over-efficiency but caused a bright orange-red glow in the void. If one was looking at the vessel it was as if it was spitting a star out, pushing an insane amount of force forwards, like a much smaller brother throwing his big brother out of harm's way to catch a hit. Like a Guardsman pushing an Astartes out of the way to catch a bullet. On the ship itself, like anywhere when Alderson was in charge was in complete calmness. Higher ranking officers and older Serfs made calmly for the emergency pods, while everyone who knew they were going to die remained vigilant on their stations. There was no fear - only absolute efficiency. Standing in the heart of the Generatorium with his elite-techpriests, Alderson watched with awe as the blessed generators did not detonate but comply with his wish, as if they knew what was on the table, as if the Ferrus Hammer pushed itself and all within to capabilities like their Primarch. There was no weakness, only strength. But no matter how much will there was, the main reactor overcharged, yet to everyone's surprise simply died rather than violently explode. It's energy was entirely depleted and the entire ship fell into pitch-black darkness. All but the cogitator that the Master of the Forge was connected with, powering it with his own power backpack as his transmission was forced into the memory banks of Erxandros on-board the Black Jewel. As the last digit of digital information was transferred, the entire ship shook. At last, the Iron Liberator collided with the comparable small Strike Cruiser. It's prowl split the horizontal-positioned cruiser in half. Slow, agonizing and groaning. The emergency pods were just out of range as the vessels crashed. Various individuals were sucked into vacuum, if not having died with being thrown around in their space ship. All but Alderson who mag-locked himself to the floor deep within the vessel turned into Ragdolls. He would die, he knew that. But there was a %0.01 chance of survival and he would do whatever it was worth to survive so. That is what it meant to be an Astartes of the Deathwatch. To survive, to be victorious, against all odds. Be it the Eldar attack on Barnassus, the Horus Heresy, the Great Crusades. And all those other many wars. And then the heat washed over. Without power, there were no shields. Without shields, the friction within the atmosphere was felt in entirety. Both giant vessels started to glow in a bright fiery orange-red as they closed down towards the surface, picking up speed. Pieces fell apart such as engines, weapons, the Iron Liberator having lost the entire left half after impact caused an ammunition depot to detonate which caused a chain reaction. The Ferrus Hammer was without hope stuck on the prowl, pierced by the Battle Barge. And within a minute since orbital entry - the ships collided with the world... Causing a massive explosion that could be easily seen from space, a detonation that would put a single nuclear warhead to shame. Nobody could have possibly survived this. ~~ Eldritch Surface - Golbez Fortress ~~ @matt23 The Void Shield flickered and ultimately failed as the Imperial Ships crashed with Eldritch, causing a massive earthquake and it's detonation causing to incinerate every guardsman who stood on the outside walls of the fortress, leaving mere shadows on the walls. The fortress itself stood safely however, with only a few pillars falling over and cracks in the walls. "You should contact your brothers, see if they see reason... Other than that Lord Claudius, the remaining elite guard of Gol... Tur'tes Shen is at your disposal. We are five, however including myself only three are here. As one is on the Black Jewel and another on the Absolute Judgment. "I doubt they will make it back... Home in time. So what do you wish to do?" Dephormatus inquired. And just as he spoke a huge amount of launched Thunderhawks and Drop Pods from the Boiling Blood were detected, heading straight for the fortress. The entire complex fell into a deep red as Sion knew he had become the target, but he would not have it! ~~ Boarding of Black Jewel ~~ @Keidivh | @Avenging-Angel | @TechCaptain | @seabass | @BadDo9 | @Wata | @Mohax "This is Captain Sion of the Sanguine Templar! The Iron Liberator belonged to the traitor Claudius Aurellius! The crew reported before crashing on the surface of Eldritch that he had disappeared! They attempted to ram the Boiling Blood and crash both Battle Barges into the world. Under the great sacrifice of Alderson and the Ferrus Hammer we managed to escape the trajectory and survived. As we speak we launch a massive attack against Golbez and his fortress to conquer it, annihilating everyone in our path. By our Blood, it will be done." And as quick as the vox came in, the vox faded, as if the enemy wanted them to hear his broadcast, before being thrown back into a vox-shadow with nothing but static - incapable to even hail Athenallas. But that mattered little as the Kill-Team slaughtered their way through the enemy. Wherever their blade, their bolt or other form of weapon hit, at least one enemy fell. The remaining Astartes was no problem as a massive Sealance penetrated his twin hearts. Bargov placed a frag missile right in the center of the freezing reinforcements, blowing a quarter of them into tiny bits. Zuriel in melee assisted by Bruno sliced a single man in half. Zuriel's Crozius relic cut an arm off, before Bruno ram his chainsword into the man's skull, splitting it wide open and revealing a juicy brain, just falling out as the body slumped to the floor. Xarxis was there too, much smaller but not any less ferocious than his Sanguine cousin, his shock blades not just slicing but sending electric shocks of death through them, forcing their hearts to stop immediately. Four fell to the scouts hands, as if trying to impress the Viceroy. Jacen was a bit late as the Astartes was already dead, but with a Bolt Pistol to the chest, followed by the spear into his head, dead the victim fell to the floor. An extraordinarily stupid, or brave, individual charged at Jacen, but was reduced in little more than an abdomen with legs as a Meltagun melted the entire upper half of the Crewmen and two behind him. The last standing guradsmen died as Zuriel jumped at them with the force of his jump pack, ramming the twin crozius arcanums into their throats, causing blood to spurt and lungs to collapse, causing a slow and painful death. Now it was to move on, the staircase would be just around the corner and they could at least get on the top levels of the bridge.... Or... They could head to the hangars to aid Captain Sion and the Sanguine Templar in the ground assault - defying Claudius' plan. Then again, surely Athenallas could handle himself with the help of Uriel, Lucas and Lapislazuli? OOC - Attacks: I 'skipped' that path because you guys had too many crit hits, so I was just like 'you guys had the initiative' especially with the enemies hitting squat, so instead of listing every calculation that I did.... Nothing changed except all enemies dead XD OOC Boarding Enemies: N/A OOC Enemy Ship Status: Battle Barge #1 (Black Jewel) - 80% Battle Barge #2 (Absolute Judgment) - 68% Strike Cruisers - 3 (72%) - Counted as one, similar to squad mechanics [each = 33%] Frigates - 8 (79%) - Counted as one, similar to squad mechanics [each = 10%] OOC Imperial Ship Status: Battle Barge #2 - Macragge's Honour - 70% Battle Barge #3 - Boiling Blood - 78% Strike Cruisers - 3 (42%) - Counted as one, similar to squad mechanics [each = 33%] (Xeno Annihilatus; Sword of Justice) Frigates - 4 (74%) - Counted as one, similar to squad mechanics [each = 20%] Torpedo Boats - 3 (74%) - Counted as one, similar to squad mechanics [each = 25%] ~~ Terra - Hall of the High Lords ~~ @ItsTime | @Valonox Mariel on the way to the Militant General's office was stopped by a Master of Assasins, Vangorich. "Greetings Mariel. Your fire is quite... Inspirational. I wish more Astartes would come here, but that is the scheme, isn't it? The fact that the Astartes are so busy fighting Orks, Hrud, Eldar, and all sort of other new popping up threats so they do not have time to tend to the true problems of the Imperium. Would you not agree?" OOC: Player Status: Zuriel - 6/9 WL | 5 Armor (Chaplain [Viceroy]) Equipment: Spoiler Astartes Combat Knife - 3 hits Chainsword 1H - 3 hits, ignores 1 Armor Crozius Arcanum - 5 hits, ignores 2 Armor Crozius of the Eighteen Primarchs - 6 hits, ignores 2 Armor 2H Power Halberd - 8 hits, ignores 3 armor Bolt Pistol - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE Spoiler 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor Jump Pack Talents: Spoiler Master of the Rage - feed off the Black Rage to ignore 4 damage and get +4 damage for the next turn. Can be used once per deployment. Templar Halberd - get permanently a 2H Power Halberd - replaces former primary melee weapon Grandmaster of the Rage - Ignore 6 hits + 6 hits bonus for the next 2 turns (can be used once per deployment; replaces 'Master of the Rage' talent; Active Talent) Memories of Blood - Zuriel either through biting people or otherwise retrieve blood of others can drink blood in order to get see the most important memory of someone's recent life events. This can however have negative after effects in the shape of the Red Thirst (Passive Talent) Claudius - 10/10 WL | 5 Armor (Assault) 2 Blue Meteor Use left Equipment: Spoiler Chainsword 1H - 3 hits, ignores 1 Armor Astartes Combat Knife - 3 hits Calth's Vengeance (formerly 'Fudge Breakah') - 8 hits, ignores 5 armor, AoE Master-crafted Powerfist - 8 hits, Ignores 3 Armor Bolt Pistol - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor Champion's Shield [Strap; Allows second hand free.] (Blocks 2 [3] damage; causes 3 hits) [1/3 hits till next degradation] 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor Jump Pack Talents: Spoiler Blue Meteor - crush with full-speed via Jump Pack into an enemy, attack with 3 hits, ignore all armor. Can be used twice per deployment (bonus attack, does not take one hand up) Junior Admiral - Gain oversight of Void battles and overall see and predict what your enemy's stratagems are. (Also helps in boarding fights, identifying weak spots when boarding, ship layouts, etc.) Survivor of the Warp - Surviving in the warp and fighting Daemons day in, day out is one of the best training routines there are in the galaxy. Gain permanently +1 WL & +1 Hits on all attacks Jacen - 6/9 WL | 5 Armor (Assault-Librarian [Stormseer]) Equipment: Spoiler Tulwar (replaces Combat Knife) - 3 hits 1H Power Spear - 5 hits, Ignores 2 Armor Force Hood Bolt Pistol - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor Bolter - 6 hits, Ignores 2 Armor 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor 2 Kraken Clips - Ignore 2 Armor Talents: Spoiler Free Spirit - Gain clearance on experimental weapons and/or alien equipment Eye of the Hunter - Land 1 guaranteed critical hit, negate all critical misses for the this turn (Active Talent, can be used twice per deployment. Spirit of the Great Khan - The leadership of Jaghatai seems to settle within Jacen. Great bravery and strength can inspire others when charging right into the enemy. [Active Talent; +1 hits for every nearby player character, including Jacen, lasts 2 turns; can be used twice per deployment. Scar of the Warp - Having endured a Horror's scratch right across a body part, Jacen's body managed to adapt to warp wounds. While the scar might be still hurting from time to time, his overall warp resistance increased. The scar also burns stronger when near Psykers or warp effects [Passive Talent; Grants Lexicanum rank psyker powers to Jacen] Bargov - 8/9 WL | 5 Armor (Devastator) Equipment: Spoiler Astartes Combat Knife - 3 hits Bolt Pistol - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor Compact Suppression Heavy Bolter (10) [AOE x 2.5 instead of x 2.0] (Ignores 3 Armor) + Heavy Weapon Artificer (+1 hit) Heavy Ordinator Missile Launcher (based on missile) [+2 hits on every missile] 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor ∞ Frag Missiles - 7 hits, AoE ∞ Krak Missiles - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 13 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor Ammo Backpack Bionic Leg (Easier movement/ Less tiring.) Talents: Spoiler Leg Stabilizer - Can be used twice per deployment. Shoot little hooks from the feet into the ground to gain 1 re-roll, incl. crit. fails for all ranged attacks. Path of the Machine - Bargov has learned the basics of what it means to become a Techmarine, heck! He even might go to Mars for proper priesthood. (Guaranteed Insta-fix jammed weapons up to 2 times per deployment; Active Talent; Passive Bonus: Eligible for Techmarine training) Erxandros - 8/9 WL | 5 Armor (Techmarine) Equipment: Spoiler Astartes Combat Knife - 3 hits Omnissian Power Axe - 5 hits, Ignores 2 Armor Servo Arm (Reference) - used for lifting, reparing vehicles, etc. | 4 hits Spoiler Sealance Launcher w/ Ammo Pack - 10 hits, Ignores 3 armor 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor Bionic Eye (Better sight/spotting) 1 Sacred Urgent Combat Shield (Non-strapped) 2 All-Round Mechadendrites - used for restraining, slapping, grabbing, data-tethering Talents: Spoiler Iron Serpent - get a Mechadendrite (can be outfitted differently on per-deployment base) Scrapcode Mastery - Erxandros learned the techniques of scrapcoding from Iron Maiden which allows him to have a chance of remotely hacking all sort of Servitors and potentially even Magi, Warpsmiths and Techmarines, perhaps even Machine Spirits (i.e. upset a Plasma weapon for higher chance of explosion). It also allows to block scrapcode attacks against Erxandros at a better rate (Passive & Active Talent) Techmarine Expert! - Gain a 2nd universal Mechadendrite & Better chance at hacking, repairs & other Techmarine tasks (Passive Talent) Servo-Punch - Use your Servo-Arm as a deadly melee weapon by charging it with an electric field and giving it an extra swing [5 hits, ignore all armor, including vehicles) (Active Talent; can be used every 2 turns) Talents: Spoiler Lucky Fella - in critical situations you might end up just lucky... Agile Velocity - while health is full, be immune against crit. hits. Dual Wielder - 1 guaranteed hit when fighting with 1 hand in each weapon (does not count for 1 two-handed weapon, still applies to wrist-mounted or shoulder-mounted weapons) Xarxis - 8/9 WL | 3 Armor (Scout) Equipment: Spoiler Needle Sniper Rifle - 4 hits, effects depend on needle Stalker Bolt Pistol - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor + 1 Missed hit Re-Roll (re-rolls crit fails.) Shock Blade x2 - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor Cameleoline Cloak - Narrative Aid for Stealth 3 x Explosive Needles - 6 hits, Ignores 2 Armor 3 x Toxin Needles - 4 hits, causes Poison 1 (-1 WL per turn; -2 WL vs. hordes) 3 x Knock-Out Needles - 4 hits, causes Stun 1 (causes Stun for 1 turn; doesn't work vs. hordes) 1 x Seelenbrand's Needle - Instant Kills anything (Incl. Bosses) 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE 1 Demolition Charge - 20 hits, AoE, Ignores all Armor Shock Blade Info: Chance of stun for each hit that PENETRATES armor (causes at least -1 WL), stuns on 4,6,8 Crit. Hits that penetrate armor are automatically 1 turn stun. For narrative purposes the user can choose whether to knock out or kill. So if during a combat a player wants to only knock an enemy unconscious and the enemy reaches 0 Wounds, he will be merely unconscious for an arbitrary time determined at GMs discretion. Whereas if the player intends to kill, the enemy will die as intended. Tul - 9/9 WL | 5 Armor (Tactical) Equipment: Spoiler Meltagun - 5 hits, Ignores 3 Armor Bolt Pistol - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor Astartes Combat Knife - 3 hits 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor Bruno Grimaldi - 9/9 WL | 5 Armor (Tactical) Equipment: Spoiler Bolter - 6 hits, Ignores 2 Armor Bolt Pistol - 4 hits, Ignores 1 Armor Chainsword 1H - 3 hits, ignores 1 Armor Astartes Combat Knife - 3 hits 1 Frag Grenade - 6 hits, AoE 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor
Athenallas @Uriel1339 | A mighty roar emerged from the speakers of Athenallas' Dreadnought shell, all kinds of anger contained within the metallic cry, when Sion's message was recieved. Swiveling, the Black Templar's assault cannon whirring as it targeted both Lapis and Lucas (it tormented Athenallas that he fight alongside traitors), he stopped when he faced Uriel. "I take him down. You deliver the kill-shot." [OOC: I'll post Jacen's bit tomorrow.]
Lapislazuli out of instinct erected a Telekinetic dome, absorbing the damage, while Uriel pushed the Assault Cannon with both of his hands to the side, giving enough time for Lucas to leap to the side. "THEY ARE NOT THE ENEMY, VENERABLE ATHENALLAS MERCUTIO!" The Sanguine Templar roared at the top of his lungs, as if trying to remind the Black Templar. He sighed somewhat in relief when he finally stopped and Lucas got away with only a scratch, while Lapsi hid behind his magicks. "Let us simply get to the bridge. For all we know Zuriel and the others get there first, okay? One thing at a time, Marshall." Carnage in one hand, he left the other on the chest of the dreadnought. "Save the havoc for the enemy."
Claudius saw the warning lights and took a moment to think. He then looked to Dephormatus and shook his head, "No...There is not enough time and I will not risk wasting time trying to reason with them. Especially, since the over zealous Sanguine Templar now head here. They will not see reason, only those who stand before them. Gather the strongest and most elite we have and let us get on with the plan. Every second we wait, is a second the Emperor could be awake. I will not fail the Imperium. It will be returned to the perfection the Emperor envisioned."
"Very well. I suggest you to head to the hangar. There is an Eldar Webway on this world, our sorcerer knows how to activate it. It's path will lead straight to Terra. Many thought it is barren, but Golbez discovered that it was merely closed, and we have the key to open it. We will meet you shortly in the Thunderhawk." The fellow Ultramarine took his leave and marched off in his massive Terminator armor. A serf presented herself shortly after, beautiful - perhaps too beautiful - bowing to Claudius. "I can guide you wherever you wish to go, milord."
Claudius nodded to his brother before looking down to the serf and for a moment paused. The girls beauty reminded him of the beauty of humanity, further reinforcing his determination. He then spoke in confidence, "Take me to the hanger. There is a sorcerer there that will be showing me to where I need to be taken."
Bruno looked around, but found no hostiles. "Zone clear!" - he sheathed chainsword and bolt pistol, and examined his bolter. Yes, one of the shells was of substandart quality, and its casing split and failed to eject, causing a jam. Quick reload and prayer to machine spirit fixed the problem. "Lets press forward to the bridge, brothers. Our fleet lost two ships, but we could capture one and cut our losses". He made no comment on Claudius betrayal, judging it doesnt matter now, but swore and oath to himself - to find out what made proud Ultramarine defect to the enemy, and disperse judgement if needed.
Tuls' jaw clenched, his grip tight on his meltagun. The news had had an effect in him. "Such a waste. Treachery in every corner of the galaxy." He muttered, keeping his anger focused. His gaze was fixed on the still smoldering corpses of the crewmen. After a moment of admiring the death he caused Tul said: "Agreed. We need to minimize the damage."
@Uriel1339 Mariel offered a bow to the Master of Assassins, "Of course, my Lord. We had first had seen the true enemy of the Imperium lurking in the shadows, but we could not act to defeat him while the other lords are too blinded by the threat of Abbadon's crusades, which will not be able to get past the Gate in the first place..."
Black Jewel @Keidivh & Kill-team| Jacen was too stunned by the actions of Claudius to care that he'd savaged the Astartes' corpse. Stepping away from the ruined body the Rampager looked around the former battlefield and his team-mates before setting his gaze on Zuriel. "What could have caused Claudius to do such a thing?" Jacen also listened to the words of the newest members of the group, discarding them after a moment's pause. "I am heading to the surface. The battle in orbit is merely a distraction."
