Where to? Question stays and cannot fall out of your mind and screams with each day. Where to? Warband becomes more and more impatient. Blasted Space Wolves, after the last encounter you have lost Armilius and his brothers. At least "Venerable" lost much more. You open the gate. Hydraulics and electronics blips and hiss. The smell, the smell, sweat and rancid, spicy and hot like lava hit your augmented nostrils. Wulfen drink their mead, they sing songs of victory and bravery, and blood. Did Asgyll summoned another daemon and add it's fluids to the mead? Probably, but if it was that easy everyone would do that. There must be something more in his ritual, something that takes the pure essence of a warp creature and transforms it into this, this liquid. Maybe someday he will trust you enough to share this secret. You smile under helmet, yes and for your next trick stars will become green. Rune Priests sits at the head of the table, of course he does, sees you and raises his mug. Is it bone, or just ceramics, another question without answer.
- Øjor va Great Apedemak! Jarl of the Hate Bearers! Lord of Pequod!
Each sentence ended with wheezing breath, like a chainsword being fired up. Wulfen raised their mugs and voices with a little mumbling but what did you expect. Little respect and gratitude for saving their fury asses, at least Old One knew how to behave, or at least how to appear.
- Øjor va Old One. Destroyer of enemies, breaker of daemons. Let your mug always be full -
Old Hunter smiles and laughs, and with one wave of a hand the closest sitting Wulfen lands on the floor.
- Way for our Vlka Thegn, dog! - spits Asgyll, Wulfen rises and with bared teeth steps in front of you. Without stopping and with little biomantic help, you send Wulfen flying.
That is what happens when power armour meets with Fenrisian face. Room bursts into laughter and mead, there is a mug in front of you. You put down your helmet, and drink it all at once. Once you tried to smuggle some out of this room with biomanticly keeping it in your guts, Asgyll wasn't happy about it to put it mildly and you never again tried. There were better ways to prey on someone's secrets without losing that person… trust? Alliance? Agreement. Without losing agreement with that person. The carousel of flavors and fragrances hits again and again, your augmented metabolism somehow keeps up with mead, no need for biomantic help.
- So! What brings you Jarl?!
Lack of a helmet ment all sounds came at you with their full force, no control over volume.
- Vision.
Silence fell on the room, like an executioner's sword on the neck.
- Leave! Us!
In a moment the room becomes empty.
- Speak! - and you do. You tell Old One about Daemon Machine Vision, About its dark dreams and darker voice, about songs sung by Navigators to put it to slumber.
Choose at least 2:
[ ] I have seen you when the galaxy was burned to cinder, when the Five Gods of Chaos were killing each other, when the Devourer and the Black Wall of Immortal Steel clashed. I have seen you dancing with a fiery swordsman and one with the sword that hungers, always hungers.
Ambition: Immortality
[ ] Four armed serpent, winged destruction and carnage, vulture face angel, unkillable swarm. Such are the forms of gods, but there is more, there is winged swarm, and serpent angel, and carnage vulture, and, and and… And there is an ancient Pyre of black in which souls burn, there is a red crystal in a labyrinth of dying race. There are billions upon billions of worshipers praising your name.
Ambition: Ascension
[ ] I have seen engines of destruction, filled with beings of pure energy and warp angels. I have seen astartes learning from them, feeding on them and growing in shapes both beautiful and terrifying.
Ambition: Power
[ ] There is a ship.Greater than the mighty battle-barges, in which bowels lie knowledge and writings of Primarch.
Ambition: Knowledge
[ ] I have seen Legion reborn, in eternal bodies, their souls preserved in ceramic bone. Gleaming with power, crushing all opposition. Beautiful, fast and deadly.
Ambition: Perfection
[ ] They throw everything on you, every scrap of metal, every bullet, every laser fire, every spell and warp flame. Everything. You are still standing.
Ambition Survival
[ ] Write-in
You talk for a while, you talk, Old Hunter is leastining, finally he also talks. Two minds put together. So different and yet there is a thread of understanding. He tells you what He thinks, you rebuke some, agree to some, argue with some. He does the same. Couple meads later you know what to do.
- I believe in you Thegn. - is he drunk? No the eyes, like two adamantium hawks. You nod. Belief is a harsh mistress, for believer and believed.
*************
Behtor and Lady Sarissa were waiting for you. Fallen Angel in his uniform and Inquisitor in hers. They were both sitting and conversing about something, conversing or playing mind games, most probably both and then some more. When you entered the room, both
straighten out and stood up, both nodded in a very frugal bow.
- What a suprise my Lord, what we deserved a visit?
- Business as always my dear. Unfortunately.
- Will we be making another jump. - Angels eyes narrowed.
- Yes and I need your expertise about three places. Carthagius Sector, Tyrant's Jaw and Ibericus Expanse.
Lady Sarissa sat down with one hand on her forehead, Behtor walked to the bookcase and took out a few scrolls and a data slate. Everything landed on the table. You waved your hand in denial, when Behtor showed you a very sturdy chair.
- Carthagius. Typical imperial sector with moderate Navy presence, divided into five sub-sectors. One belongs to Cult Mechanicus and is defended by the Imperial Knight House called Dark Scythe's. Other four are all well defended, armed and tithe paying, you can say what the imperial sub-sector should look like. Sector is currently in its expansion into the sixth subsector where most of the chaos influence was purged, and of course I am well known to the powers of that sector. Inquisitor Sarina Scorpia is now Lord Inquisitor of Carthagius Sector, and she and I have a bit of a history. - You looked at her - But on the plus side, they do not like Space Marines chapters, or at least do not want any in their midst. For better or worse, the Sector Government at all cost wants to show its maturity and independence. In ancient times the whole territory belonged to the splinter groups of Word Bearers and Night Lords from the Shadow Crusade and even after so many millenia not everything was purged. There are planets marked as death worlds and tomb worlds, but it's a blatant lie. The cultist activity is still gurgling under cover, and they would meet us with open hands as their saviors.
- Behtor? What about you?
- My knowledge is concentrated more on Expanse and Tyrant;s Jaw. Let's call it my old playground.
- Your playground?
- Yes Captain. I lived here for a huge chunk of my life.
- What can you tell me about these places?
- Warp Storm "Tarants Jaw" is where I have spent a lot of time - says Fallen Angel
- Why am I not surprised? - whispered Lady
- It is a place for chaos and betrayers.- spoke without a pause - Where sorceress kingdoms rise and fall, where daemon princes rule and bows before mighty, where Dark Mechanicus fortresses are kept. Of course because of that, power struggle is fierce, mutations rampart, and to go out of this place you have to fight your way through a space fortress called Emperors Eye. Last time, lets just say it wasn't a cake walk, so if we go in, we may not get out, unless with the small Black Crusade, my lord. But on the other hand it is a great place for increasing Warbands strength and power.
- This Fortress who keeps it?
- Space Marine Chapter known as Morkai Watchers. A Spacebound chapter whose purpose is to protect travel through a narrow corridor in Warp Storm. Also they are the first line of defence for everything that tries to come out of the storm.
- Strenght?
- Theoretically by the book that all chapters are organized. Practically half more in numbers, twice in the Navy. Also they keep a rather large number of Scouts and other auxiliary forces. Number of fallen put into dreadnoughts is pretty high.
- And this Ibricus Expanse?
- Ibericus Expanse territory ruled by xenos, chaos, rebels and rogue traders. - Siad Lady Sarissa - As of this moment there are established three sub-sectors, sub-sector Amnestadt ruled by Trader Family Vlaskovich and closest to how imperium should run thing -
- Of course they hiding more systems, then there are in inventory
- Of course. Sub-sector Barkimi where raiges constant war between Orks Freebooters, where already mentioned Morkai Watchers goes for their little "crusades". Last but not least sub-sector Exilea where three Families play war of assassins trying to control the most before the imperials would come, and they will. There was an information in the higher eshelons of crusade, but for better or worst Governor Feodor cannot gain enough support. Yet. Of course there is also mentioned Port Emperors Eye, standing in the Corridor from Warp Storm "Tyrants Jaw", Port is controlled and a staging state of constant "crusades". Everything else, great unknown.
- Tell me more about these crusades?
- More Hunting parties. Scout Band armed with sword and bolter in a strength of three to four companies. They take their neonates and cleanse the Orkish or/and Chaos bands.
Where would we go?
Choose 1 or 2:
[ ] Sector Carthagius - Imperial sector
[ ] Ibricus Expanse - Badlands
[ ] Tyrants Jaw - Warp Storm
