"Insane and arrogant? To bring the Emperor back to life is neither. I am ready to die to at least try. Once he is back, and I lay surely dead, He will find and revive all his sons, Guilliman, the great Khan, Vulkan, and perhaps remake those that were lost. Is that not even worth trying for? The Imperium is slowly dying as it fights wars on all sides," he said with hope. Claudius then looked over his shoulders at his -companions- before looking back to Jacen, "They are but a means to the end. We used the Iron Legion as allies and they were all considered traitors, so why is using them any different when the outcome is this important?"
"We aren't..." The Blood Raven tried to speak but the Emperor's Child placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. No words were needed to indicate it was not their place to speak. And so the trio walked to the sideline, in front of the webway, weapons low and not further disturbing the on-going conversation. Dephormatus just stood there while Serran and Immanuel sat down, their legs crossed as if meditating. Instead of a daemon or other beast of nightmares attacking it was a man with pristine white wings wide extended to both sides, their wingspan being easily enough to carry the massive power armored giant. Xarxis never met this person but he has seen enough paintings to know him. It was no one else than Sanguinius himself. "Let me show you something." The Primarch suggested as he walked off into the darkness of the hallway. It must have been an Imperial Palace or something - guessing by the floor tiles. There was little else Xarxis could see as it was pitch black. Only his Gene-father radiated some sort of natural light, while even the scout himself was glowing - but far weaker. He could just sit down, meditate, wait till his body allows him to awake again - or go on a spiritual journey. Either way, he knew from the tales within the Charnel Guard that in times of spiritual crisis they might experience visions like... These. Their chaplains always made sure to let them know that this is not Sanguinius himself, but rather a remainder of him - linked to their gene-seed and to their memories through their curse. But without Zuriel to accompany him into his own mind, would Xarxis risk going mad like so many other brothers of his have before?
Jacen's absense was not surprising to Angel Sanguine, for he knew too well power of passion and hate. "I could drink your blood wasnt it so spoiled by Chaos, charlatan!" - annoyed by mention of sons of Sanguinius curse, Bruno darted to flank sorcerers and give Bargov clear line of fire. "Fire in the hole!" Bruno followed squad leader's orders. Then, chanting a Lithany of Accuracy, he aimed his bolter and let loose on full auto, targeting frontline psykers. OOC: Frag grenade 6 hits AoE on sorcerer #10, Bolter attack 6 hits ignores 2 armor on sorcerer #12.
< @Uriel1339 @dreamland_exopsiton > Xarxis' eyes widened slightly at the sight of his primarch - or rather the vision. Even he had never lost his faith, he just never focused on it. A prayer, a litany before a mission, and after that - nothing but him and his skill. Emotions made mistakes. He'd trusted more, once. He never would again. He wouldn't let himself be shaken like the squad was now. Not again. The Charnel Guard was neither an idiot. He knew what the chaplains had told him. He knew the risks of having such a vision. Of going with this, no other guides. And yet, he would be fool to ignore this. Something had to be shown, to be said. He may not survive the ordeal, but as with his brothers before, he would complete his task. It wasn't like he had much to do. Much to live for. Silently, Xarxis strode off beside the vision that had planted in his mind. There were no words to say. What may come - madness, death ; truth, enlightenment - only one thing could tell. One thing. Time.
Eldritch Surface - Webway @matt23 | Jacen shook his head at Claudius' words, keeping an eye on the other Astartes when they moved. "But what if this all part of the Emperor's plan? He isn't a god but he knows far better than any of us." Glancing again at the three Astartes off to the side as Claudius gestered to them Jacen frowned slightly. "Enough Claudius. When we were working under Kane it was to improve the Imperium. What you're doing, taking Chaos to the heart of Terra, will destroy everything the Emperor created." Claudius wasn't the first Space Marine Jacen had attacked, an unnumbered amount of dead Chaos Marines could attest to that, but he was the first Jacen had felt some sort of brotherhood towards, giving the upcoming battle a sorrowful air. Keeping silent he began moving, unholstering his spear and starting to draw on the warp. [OOC: 1H Power Spear (5) [1] against Claudius. Casting Endurance on self]
Claudius laughed, "What if? That is your justification? Why not bring the Emperor back and let him clarify his own plan? What we were doing before was working with a warband labeled as traitors by the Inquisition. You have done nothing to bring case against me, nothing. There is nothing that could be better for the Imperium than the Emperor. How can you label me under the title of Chaos, when this Orb is not of Chaos origin? I do not wish to fight you, Jacen. Why not come with me and should you sense any sign of what you say, then I shall yield? There is so much you do not know of what is to come, and if you did you would understand why the Emperor is needed. An ork uprising the likes of which none have seen is coming straight to Terra, and I swear on the Codex Astartes that the Emperor can stop the deaths of billions of lives." Seeing Jacen not wishing to listen anymore, Claudius raised his shield and spoke, "I will not fight you, brother. If you wish to kill me, then you wish to take on the burden of the lives of those who -will- be killed in the years to come." Though he did raise his shield to defend, Claudius did not attack. It truly did not wish to attack his Brother, and it would show in his lack of attack. OOC: Champion's Shield to block attack.
~~ Eldritch Surface - Webway ~~ @matt23 | @Avenging-Angel Dephormatus, Immanuel and Azariah Serran merely watched as the two brothers fought. And it seemed to be a rather boring fight anyway, considering Claudius did not move a muscle to retaliate. His shield moved up and down, left and right. It deflected every blow with ease, most likely because Jacen was too busy healing himself. Nonetheless one interesting attack was at last launched and was aimed at a critical spot, penetrating Claudius' defense, but to his luck - the armor absorbed the damage as he was swift enough to use his shoulder as a shield - the Deathwatch pauldron getting scraped. ~~ Boarding of Black Jewel ~~ @Keidivh | @TechCaptain | @seabass[/USER | @Wata | @Mohax The Sorcerers chanted of unholy words, their dark powers directed at Zuriel which enticed him into even more ferocity in attempt to stop them. However with all the grenade hails going on at the same time and the Sorcerer throwing his own doom bolts around the frag shards went all over the place. Two Sorcerers were instantly killed and various Astartes were luckily left unharmed from the friendly fire. Between bolter and melee weapons, a Sealance flew through the middle of the entire combat and penetrated the Astartes Sorcerer's shoulder, stuck and the tip looking out on the other side. But the Sorcerer's anger was only fueled through the act and his doom bolts flew straight towards Erxandros, detonating against and around him which ultimately caused Bargov and Bruno to suffer from it as well. They drew minimal wounds as if through their sheer will of combat protecting them. However the Cabal was unphased - apparently trained to cast spells in the middle of combat. Zuriel suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and started to jerk. A hundred voices hammered in his mind - subconscious and active. But a trained viceroy could fight them, his faith was limitless. However, the very image of Sanguinius he used to bolster his mind - having seen him actually in person even back on the planet which shall not be named. And when the very curse that ran throughout his legion - his chapter was born. It was a mind trap and Zuriel has realized it too late as his back arched and a pair of pure white wings bursted out of his back, forcing the jump pack off his back and dropping broken on the floor as the mutation penetrated even the power armor. And instead amidst the group stood now a miniature Sanguinius who dripped blood from his new grown pair of wings which seemed large enough to carry his body. But no matter of that event - the fight continued. OOC - Player Attacks: Spoiler Damage: Sorcerer #1 - 4 hits Sorcerer #2 - 6 hits Sorcerer #3 - 19 hits Sorcerer #4 - 7 hits, Ignores 2 Armor Sorcerer #5 - 4 hits, Ignores 2 Armor Sorcerer #6 - 2 hits Sorcerer #7 - 3 hits Sorcerer #8 - 2 hits, Ignores 3 Armor Sorcerer #9 - 4 hits Sorcerer #10 - 4 hits Sorcerer #11 - 1 hit Sorcerer #12 - 2 hits, Ignores 2 Armor Astartes Sorcerer - 7 hits, Ignores 4 Armor 12 friendly fires => Zuriel - 2 hits; Erxandros - 2 hits; Bargov - 2 hits; Tul - 2 hits; Bruno - 2 hits; Xarxis - 2 hits => Zuriel 6/9 - 3 (5) => Erxandros 8/9 - 3 (5) => Bargov 8/9 - 3 (5) => Tul 9/9 - 3 (5) => Bruno 9/9 - 3 (5) => Xarxis 8/9 - 1 (3) OOC Boarding Enemies: Astartes Sorcerer - 16/20 WL | 7 Armor - Mini-Boss - 20 hits, Ignores 2 Armor (damage splits across everyone in melee range); Equipped with 2-Hand Force Sword (Katana) Sorcerer #1 - 4/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #2 - 2/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #5 - 1/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #6 - 5/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #7 - 5/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #8 - 3/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #9 - 4/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #10 - 4/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #11 - 5/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss Sorcerer #12 - 5/5 WL | 3 Armor - Mini-Boss OOC - Enemy Attacks: Spoiler Sorcerer Cabal - Corruption vs. Zuriel => Zuriel is being targeted and grew a pair of angel wings, armor is reduced by 1 for the remainder of the mission, Jump Pack is destroyed - wings work as a replacement => Zuriel suffers 2 Wounds from the bursting mutation outside of his back. => Zuriel 4/9 WL => 1 LS => Zuriel 5/9 WL Astartes Sorcerer - Doom Bolts - 20 hits, Ignores 2 Armor vs. Erxandros, Bargov & Bruno => 12 hits, 2 crit. fails => counter => Counter = 1 hit => 1 Damage 12 Hits => Erxandros - 4 hits; Bargov - 4 hits; Bruno - 4 hits => Erxandros 7/9 WL => 1 LS => 8/9 => Bargov 7/9 WL => 1 LS => 8/9 => Bruno 8/9 WL => 0 LS Conditions: AoE effects only hit +/- 1 Sorcerer counter; i.e. Frag grenade vs. Sorcerer #7 will also be able to wound Sorcerer #6 and #8. A Frag Grenade vs. Sorcerer #1 will also be able to wound Sorcerer #2 & #12. Each turn a spell is cast against a random member of the Player Squad which may be picked from 'Chaos' or 'Tzeentch' in the 'Psychic Power List' here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_OHjZl7NvggfzUK7hPDcS5a_907-reOHQ-f_BZiq4Ok/edit?usp=sharing For every Sorcerer alive the spells have chance to cause 1 bonus damage. ~~ Inside Xarxis' Mind ~~ @BadDo9 "Stay nearby, unless you want to face your worst nightmares." The Sanguinius-subconscious image said as growls and hisses could be heard, red glowing dots appearing in the darkness that surrounded the two, more popping up the closer they got to the light at the end of the tunnel. Xarxis was smart enough to not push himself and face said nightmares and as they walked further into the light, the two stood suddenly in an ice wasteland - a tundra. The sky was clear and no signs of a snowstorm. "You remember where we are? The ice world of Carthus. We are here to see the woman." The subconscious prepared his active mind about the experience. "The one you should have killed." 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%] <no orbital health change this turn> ~~ Terra - Hall of the High Lords ~~ @ItsTime | @Valonox "You talked to the Admiral." He stated as a fact, looking at the paper. "Mind if I take a look on what he has signed there? I am on your side, you can trust me." Drakan Vangorich, Master of Assassins said with a confident smile, his hand stretched out, ready to take the paper. OOC: Player Status: Zuriel - 5/9 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 Spoiler 1 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor Jump Pack Angel Wings Mutation 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 - 8/9 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 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 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) Knocked Out 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 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor Bruno Grimaldi - 8/9 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 Krak Grenade - 3 hits vs. Infantry | 10 hits vs. Vehicles | Ignores 4 Armor
< @Uriel1339 @Backstory_Exploration_Yay! > Xarxis spared the mental avatar of his primarch another glance, keeping stride with the winged vision. The Charnel Guard was unfazed by the sounds and eyes of the nightmares - or at least he appeared so. Even in mind his emotions were locked away. However, that locked door had a single blow thrown at it when he looked around among the snowy wastes. It called on memories long-since pressed down. "I never fail my missions." He growled out, stating it as concrete fact.
"Mutant, warp-cursed!" Were the only words Tul could muster as he watched the chaplain writhe in his mutation. That sorcerer will damn them if not dealt with fast. Now was not the time to fall into doubt. He pressed on. OOC Meltagun - 5 hits, Ignores 3 Armor against Astartes Sorcerer.
Erxandros grunted at the fireqorks from the sorcerers. Even more so he is shocked and intrigued at the Viceroy's mutation. He has no time to concentrate on that though. He lauches another sealance into the Astartes Sorcerer then charges him slamming an overcharged Servo Arm into him. The servos of that arm wined and crackled as it became charged with a thought to his interface. The Servo Arm visibly crackled with electrical power as it was used for combat. On his way past he tossed a frag grenade at sorcerer number 9 OOC: Talent Servo Arm Punch on Astartes Sorcerer and Sealance launcher vs Astartes Sorcerer. Frag on sorcerer number 9.
