The Lost (30k Primarch Quest)
- Thread starter HalfTangible
- Start date
- Sci-Fi Fantasy
You could vote for Ork Raid as the boon for a write-in.
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
I allow write-ins for almost every vote (and by almost I mean "all of them but I reserve the right to say none allowed if Iwver think of a good reason to")
As the paladin says, you can write in an Ork raid... though I'd be hesitant to qualify that as a boon since the Orks will definitely krump you the second they think you'd be a better fight than the pansies. (Da only proppah term fer da pointy ear gits)
I suppose we could have the Boon be: small Ork Raid that got wiped out but krumped some of the opposition (they'd have looked over the slaves because they looked too weak to be a proper fight and prioritized the ones with actual weapons).
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xamaplak
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE @SOUP?
- Location
- the Soup Store
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] [Complication] – Write-in
-[X] Dark Eldar Raid.
[X] [Boon] – Write-in
-[X] Small Ork Raid tries to krump everyone but gets krumped after krumping some of your opposition
Because it's not a proper Warhammer Battle without 4.5 separate factions krumping each-other
Krump
-[X] Dark Eldar Raid.
[X] [Boon] – Write-in
-[X] Small Ork Raid tries to krump everyone but gets krumped after krumping some of your opposition
Because it's not a proper Warhammer Battle without 4.5 separate factions krumping each-other
Krump
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HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
On the off chance that the DE vote doesn't win but this one does the orks will krump the cultists or someone else appropriate depending on the complication vote[X] [Complication] – Write-in
-[X] Dark Eldar Raid.
[X] [Boon] – Write-in
-[X] Small Ork Raid tries to krump all of the Dark Eldar but gets krumped after krumping some DE
Because it's not a proper Warhammer Battle without 4.5 separate factions krumping each-other
Krump
[X] [Complication] – Write-in
-[X] Dark Eldar Raid.
[X] [Boon] – Write-in
-[X] Small Ork Raid tries to krump all of the Dark Eldar but gets krumped after krumping some DE
Because it's not a proper Warhammer Battle without 4.5 separate factions krumping each-other
Krump
I suggest rephrasing this as "your opposition" instead of Dark Eldar specifically. Then the Orks become Schroedinger's raid size so if the DE don't show up then their raid will be smaller.
xamaplak
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE @SOUP?
- Location
- the Soup Store
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thank you, edited it!
Dark Eldar and Prevent Ritual
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
You mentioned that you had considered making it a slaver ship (albeit not psykers. Or children). Which faction would we have pissed off if that was an option?
Alternate paths: Slaves
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
The Cult of the Drowned.
I dropped the idea initially because I thought it wouldn't be interesting and the Cult could always work in the background and show up later, with the Dajufeng capping off a major portion of the storyline. Making the slaves psykers allows for the possibility of recruiting them as more than just extra hands that you could just get when you go to Shang anyway, and making them children both explains why so many of them were captured/held so easily, allows them to grow up a bit before the Imperium arrives, and adds an extra layer of disgust to the Cult's activities.(also psykers are very useful for sacrifices for warp rituals)
I could've ended up making them the Empress' captured slaves as well but decided I didn't want to poison the well against her that thoroughly this early in the story. She could've been your mother after all, and the players might decide they prefer her to the rebels once they dig into the latter's activities.
Alt verse:
[] – Slaves, belonging to...
-[] The Empress. Her grandiose ambitions creates a need for a vast labour force (large number of able-bodied freed slaves that would be useful as crew)
-[] Rebel houses. Their rebels have a need for a workforce that frees their loyal retainers for war and the house leaders themselves like to indulge just like about every other wealthy and powerful fop who cloaks themselves in the air of legitimacy (more mixed in terms of capability. Many are fit and strong but others are very attractive. Fewer freed slaves overall and even less that could man your ships but the others could be used in intrigue).
-[] The Tech Monks. The slaves have been altered, turned into half-machine abominations against their will. No doubt they would be experimented on further when they arrive (only a handful of slaves still retain their faculties, but the technology itself is valuable and surprisingly simple, at least for you, to reverse engineer. The freed slaves are much fewer but you can make use of the technology for yourself and the ones that remain are powerful).
-[] ???????? (the Depths demand their toll)
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Just finished catching up, and just to say thanks for the quest!
Found it a very interesting 30k quest and really enjoyed what was shown of the Primarch's world so far. With the whole 30k One Piece-ish world but with primitive Mechanicus, some island Chinise Empire knock-off and apparently idoneth deepkin for mermaids. Also just really liked Sun-Sin's honorable-pirate character so far (though its a bit early to tell there).
Found it a very interesting 30k quest and really enjoyed what was shown of the Primarch's world so far. With the whole 30k One Piece-ish world but with primitive Mechanicus, some island Chinise Empire knock-off and apparently idoneth deepkin for mermaids. Also just really liked Sun-Sin's honorable-pirate character so far (though its a bit early to tell there).
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
m'glad you think so!
This next update is proving to be a pain in the ass, but it's good to know there's anticipation for it.
Everything going okay?
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
Still writing it, yeah. Think I fell into the trap of perfectionism I was worried about when I first started doing updates and they came out every couple of days.
Working through it. I have an idea or two...
ETA: Shouldn't be later than Saturday, Sunday if something goes wrong at work tomorrow. It's at about 3.3k right now and will only be a bit longer.
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XIV. Cults, Corsairs, and Conflict
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
XIV. Cults, Corsairs, and Conflict
In retrospect, it makes sense that the cultists would be hidden in caves. With a near constant storm and unending rain, the best place to take shelter would be in one of the few areas safe from the wind. With the predators wandering the place, the jungle wasn't worth it.The cave has a small wooden sign nailed down next to it. Abandon Hope, for this place has none to give. And it seems to be written in blood.
You snort. At least they're somewhat self-aware cultists.
The storm above you rumbles. It isn't any different from any other rumble in the sky you've heard from any storm. And yet, something at the edge of your awareness begins to prickle, and you frown. It sounds completely normal and unimportant but you can tell it isn't.
"They weaken the veil." Bel mutters, looking upward towards the storm. "Reality is wearing thin in this place."
"But why would they do that? What is it for?"
She doesn't answer, only stepping forward into the cave. You frown further but do not press her on it.
The shadows close in around you and your crew, your movements smooth and natural. You would call it practiced, but it's even easier than such a skill. You know where to step, you know when to signal and to where. Your crew isn't as quiet or quick as you or Bel, but they follow well enough.
It doesn't take long before you reach a central cavern, a place where the very air feels rotten and cloying. There's a strange thin mist that lingers in the air, though every instinct tells you there shouldn't be anything like it.
There is an altar within the cave, perched at the top of a stone ziggurat. Dried blood runs down the structure in rivulets. And right over this is new, fresh blood; no more than a few hours old.
And by the base of the pyramid are corpses. Also no more than a few hours old. Some of them are adults, others children.
Fan whimpers and buries her face in your shoulder, not looking. You pull her closer.
All around the ziggurat is a group of people in tattered clothes, most of it half-sewn with leaves and jungle fronds. A couple members of the congregation have nicer clothes; you can't say for certain but they seem to be the leaders. You know if you were in a secretive cult with little access to proper clothing you'd take the nicer and more recent shipwrecks' clothes. Probably sacrifice the shipwrecked as well.
Oh that's where the corpses at the bottom of the altar came from.
"Brothers and sisters! For longer than history cares to recollect, our congregation has met within these hallowed halls within the eternal storm! For years we have wallowed in squalor and misery while those without have believed themselves safe and clean. But they are blind, like a prisoner within a cave beneath the earth, only seeing shadows without daring to look into the fire! For why else would they deny the gods their due?
"But fear not! The fools who dared steal the sacrifices for our masters will soon suffer for their blasphemy-"
You grit your teeth and vow that you're going to make your 'blasphemy' look like a holy revelation by the time you're done with them.
"-and we shall continue our work. Those who should have drowned were given the chance to serve a greater purpose! We are the servants of the Three true gods of this world!"
The man holds up a red jewel, a matching pair to the one on Bel's chestplate. Bel frowns, though she looks more confused than angry before she puts her helmet back on.
"These hold power equal, nay, greater than that of a witch! They will be sacrificed in glory for our lords, for their protection and goodwill," The preacher yells, running his fingers over the stones, "But before that, my children, I have been granted vision by our masters! The Sleeper Beneath spoke to me, and though it taxed my mind, I now see what he willed of us. For our true enemy draws near."
Bel starts forward, but you grab her shoulder. She glares at you, but you shake your head. You want to hear the rest first.
"From the skies shall come a city of gold, a people who mask themselves in the fair countenance of divine saviors, but with hearts and souls stained black by sin! And worse than that," he growls vemously, "the blasphemers come to stop this glorious sacrifice." He points to the fresh corpse that tumbled down to the ground. "Blasphemers like them that reject the Three! Nay, reject all the gods!
"They come to destroy us all!" He points down at the congregation, and a feverish pitch builds in his voice. "All who would worship and praise our glorious divine saviors as they deserve!"
You raise an eyebrow at that. Not because it sounds like nonsense, but because it sounds… right. Correct. Something stirs in the back of your mind, like a dream you forgot years ago. Someone will come, yes. You don't know about the rest, but in your heart and mind, you know someone is coming.
"The true gods of the universe smile down upon us, my brothers and sisters!" The cultist raises up the stone. "Let these eight worthy sacrifices serve to please our masters and weaken their f-"
You fire your pistol, and the man's head explodes like a watermelon. Before the stone can hit the ground, you rush forward to grab it out of the air. (You almost roll but remember Fan is on your back just in time)
"Three gods," you yell, "is too few to stop me!"
You can feel a sense of panicked relief from the stone, relief that quickly gives way to apprehension.
… Ah. This was what she meant when she said lives were at risk.
You put the stone into your belt and pat it. Safe and secure, or as safe and secure as anything can be in a firefight.
Speaking of, the cult's guards start shooting at the spot you were a moment ago as the entire congregation begins panicking. The rest of your crew's guns fire in answer, and as panic truly begins setting in you lose track of the others.
You rush for the preacher. Lightning flies from his long, gangly fingers, but it disappears before it even gets close to you. Fan is still clinging tightly to your back, and every time you hear a gun go off from behind you shift position to dodge the bullet.
You slam into the cultist, bowling him over onto the ground. You bring your foot down onto his knee, smashing the bone and drawing a pained scream from the middle aged man.
Two other cultists in barely-intact robes move on you, drawing curved blades covered in barnacles that drip with seawater. You don't even draw your own blade, instead pulping one's skull with one hand and backhanding the other with your fist so hard that he crumples instantly.
You pull out your pistol and take a few shots as the panicking cultists either run for your crew or run from the cave.
To your surprise, Bel is silently observing, and yet you get the sense she's doing much in her head. It takes you a moment to notice, but Amaya, Ping, and the rest of your crew are moving with a preternatural swiftness they didn't have before, and seem to know where enemy attacks are coming from. Amaya dodges an axe blow from behind she couldn't possibly have seen coming. One of the cultists charges Bel with a knife, and with a singular blur of motion from Bel's spear the cultist bisects.
Ping notices. You think he's falling in love.
You look around. The congregation had had at least a hundred people. There's only a few dozen corpses.
You grab the cult leader and lift him up, eyes narrowed. "Tell me where the others ran to."
"The sixfold punish me this day," the cultist rasped as blood burbled out her mouth, "but they will punish you greater still!"
"Where are the rest?" You ask again.
The man spits on your boots. "You cannot stop us. Even if you kill us all, we-"
You grab his arm and twist it, only a hair away from breaking it in half.
"I repeat." You say, quietly. "Where are the rest of your miserable cult and the children you planned to sacrifice?"
There's a moment, however brief it may be, where anger and defiance flares in the priest's eyes again. It lasts only long enough for him to look you in the eye.
As the look of defiance in his eyes gives way to unease that quickly morphs into terror, you remember something your mother once said: The mark of a great pirate is making an enemy submit merely by the sight of you.
Trembling, he raises a hand and points out of the cave. "I-in the hills behind this cave."
"Good." You grumble picking him up with one hand.
Fan giggles. "That was scary. But fun!"
You grin at her. "That's adventure, kid. Savor it."
Bel glances at the cultist. "What of the spirit stones?"
You take the one jewel you found out and toss it to her. "This is all he had on him. Plus another seven at the altar itself."
Bel's helmet hides her frown, but you can hear it in her voice. "There should have been dozens. Where are the rest?"
The cult leader spits on her robe.
You grab the man's arm and twist it again, hearing him yelp. "Now now, she's being very polite-"
Bel snarls, bringing her spear around to point at the cultist "Gibbering Mon-keigh scum, your every breath is a waste of oxygen-"
"Somewhat polite," you amend, shifting him to behind you and Fan before she can shoot lightning. "Now tell her where the rest of the stones are."
The man scowls. "We were saving them for future sacrifices."
"Okay. Where were you saving them?"
"… with the rest of the cult."
"Convenient." You say, holding the man up by his collar like a macabre figurehead, or perhaps a dowsing rod. "Lead the way."
He points.
Dowsing rod it is.
You make your way back into the jungle, holding the cult leader ahead of you. He points towards the cult's hideaway… presumably, anyway. It could be a trap, if he's brave. You hope he's a coward.
Bel moves ahead of you with a grace, surety and speed in far excess of human norms, like a spirit of old legends. More than once she has to stop, impatiently waiting for you to catch up.
Well, mostly your crew; you could've run her down any time you wanted, but the others are barely able to keep up, and you aren't leaving them behind. Ping tries to keep his rifle up and ready through the entire trip, but he's quickly been brought to near exhaustion, heaving like he has a lung injury. Amaya isn't faring much better, at one point falling over nothing and planting her face into the mud. She gets back up and kept moving without a word.
You eventually force the group to stop and take a breather, an idea that infuriates Bel. You ignore whatever protests she's spouting and help the others back onto their feet. They appreciate it even if the Aeldari doesn't.
"Time is short!" She yells. "What of the Cult's slaves? Did you not want to save them?!"
"Of course I do, but it won't do to arrive with an exhausted force to take on an army of cultists." You point out.
"You and I will be more than enough!" She protests.
"I stick by my crew." You say, adamant.
She scoffs but does not protest further. The group collapses into a rough circle camp in what could be charitably described as a jungle path; it wasn't large enough to be a true clearing.
You put the cultist down and poke him in the face. "If you do anything to make me think leaving you alive and mobile was a mistake, I will correct the latter. And don't try any of your witchy garbage, you saw it won't work on me."
He scowls, but you can see the fear he's trying to mask in his eyes.
Fan sticks her tongue out at the cultist as you both walk away. Kids are still kids. You take her off of your back and set her down on the ground. Disgust fills you as you look her over and see cuts on her face, but she smiles at you.
"You're alright?" You ask.
She nods. "Never better. This is fun!"
You smile and ruffle her blonde hair. She giggles and pushes your hand off.
"We're not going to rest long." You say, mostly for Fan's benefit but you say it loud enough for the others to hear too.
She salutes like a soldier (though her hand is facing the wrong way). "Of course shinwi! Always ready!!"
-
You're not sure why Fan is napping when she spent the entire day on your back, but you don't wake her up yet. You'll carry her anyway.
Amaya is sharpening her machete, methodically running her whetstone along it. She's humming a very old shanty; the Wellerman, you know it. But when you try to sing along, she changes it to another shanty. And then another, and then another.
You could tell her to knock it off, but it makes her smirk.
Bel stands at the edge of the clearing, trying to hide her impatience with the entire group, and particularly her disgust with Ping.
Ping is looking the Eldar up and down with the subtlety and tact of a 40 cannon salute.
You sit down next to him. "You could at least be subtle about it."
Ping grins. "What can I say? I love a woman who can kick my ass."
You raise an eyebrow at him. "…I hope you mean a specific one who's not here and also not an alien that thinks of you as an ape."
Ping shrugs. "I look at a lot of women I have no chance at all with. Why is this one any different?"
"For one thing, she can hear you." You say.
"What makes you say that?"
"She's got her hand on her spear and is holding back the urge to throw it at you."
It's Ping's turn to cock an eyebrow. "How do you know she wants to throw it at me?"
"Because every time you speak she grinds her teeth." You say before standing up. "On your feet, boys and girls. You wanna live forever?"
"I dunno, sir," Ping says, stiffly getting to his feet, "Gimme 80 years or so to mull it over."
You snort and are about to retort when a scent hits your nose.
You and Bel notice it at the same time, and you both bolt towards it for very different reasons. Your crew is surprised and stand up quickly, trying to keep up in your wake, shouting to ask what's wrong, but you don't stop to answer. There's no time. Amaya grabs Fan and Ping grabs his rifle, all of them following in your wake.
There's the smell of smoke in the air, just the barest hint, but unmistakable.
Another unmistakable thing is the faint sound of screaming.
-
By the time you arrive, the battle is nearing its end, and the attackers are wrapping up what remains.
On floating boats covered in spikes, you see what looks like other Aeldari like Bel, but their willowy, reed-thin silhouette is where their similarities end. They're armored in dark colors with jagged spikes all across their armor. You can see some of them carrying ghastly trophies; human hands, alien skulls, and other bits that seem chosen to make your skin crawl. You hear them laughing.
The Aeldari have the villagers caught up in nets and spikes like fish, and you hear them yelling and screaming, most of them in pain. A cultist screams in agony that lasts far too long as one of the creature's guns fires and shreds his flesh apart. You hear the creature sigh with the kind of relish that follows a good glass of wine.
Something about what you're seeing is off, but it takes you a moment to realize: it's not what you're seeing, it's what you're not seeing. There's a lot of destruction – shanty huts are burning or torn apart, blood is everywhere - but almost no bodies. Even the man that just got shot is still crawling along the ground, trying to escape.
You scowl and step forward, glaring up at the ships.
"Is this how the Aeldari deal?" You growl, loud enough for Bel to hear. "A friend in one hand and cowardly raiders in the other?"
The Aeldari look between each other, and one of them steps forward on his ship; their leader, perhaps? His armor doesn't look any more fancy or ornate than anyone else's. Maybe he's just a spokesperson for them.
"Actually, human," The alien says slowly, "We didn't know you were coming. We know who you are, and we'd rather trade for our lives. If you let us leave, we'll leave behind the humans we've captured. They are monstrous cultists of the Great Enemy and you may deal with them as you see fit."
Fan looks over your shoulder. "You're just gonna leave?"
"Why not? We have no desire to die to your… friend?" The Aeldari holds up a bag, jangling it. You can see a slight red blow within the sack. "These trinkets should be enough for this raid to be worthwhile to us. Do we have a deal?"
You relax a moment. If Bel's brethren have the stones, then surely that's good enough. And it's actually a pretty good deal, if he's willing to leave the humans behind. You can focus on the cultists when-
"NO!"
Before you can stop her or even register what she's doing, Bel has stood, lightning flaring from her hands as she blasts the other Aeldari apart.
"Vaul's luck!" One of the Aeldaris snarls, bringing his weapon up to fire. "Craftworld seer!"
"THIS DEFILEMENT WILL NOT STAND!!" Bel's voice booms throughout the clearing and in your very bones as she blasts the corsair apart as well.
You're not entirely sure but you get the impression Bel doesn't want the stones to go with these fuckers either. You pull up your gun and fire as all hells break loose.
Ping screams as he falls to the ground. For a moment your anger flares at seeing your comrade die… and then you realize he's still screaming. He's not dead yet.
Amaya's head whips around, alarmed, and in a split second you notice the tell-tale signs of metal shards flitting through the air.
You shove her to the ground, the metal piercing your flesh, and you actually yelp as fire races through your flesh.
That was far more pain than you'd expected. It's nothing to you, of course, but you fully understand now why Ping's screaming like a stuck pig. You pull your pistol and fire, and the offending Aeldari collapses.
The rest of the crew with you are on the ground as well; one of them has been picked up by a whip that crackles with electrical energy. Amaya grabs Ping's rifle and fires, but she goes down quickly. Bel, for whatever reason, is no longer visible.
You swear and draw your sword as lightning cracks across the storm-wracked sky.
-
Voting
You have two enemies here, but without your crew you can't deal with both. You can save most of the slaves you came for, but one of your enemies is going to get away. Which one gets away?[] – The cult's leadership scatters
The cultists are a problem, but their operation is shattered; the Eldar here are clearly the real threat.
In the chaos, the Cult's remaining leadership are able to free themselves from their Drukhari captors and flee into the jungle. You'll have to settle for the Aeldari commander.
(You catch the Archon, but the cultists scatter into the jungle, making it impossible to find them all before they gather the strength to strike again.)
[] – The Archon speeds away
You came here to rescue slaves. The Eldar are a problem but they're not your main concern.
(The cult's leaders stay with you, but the Archon and his Kabal are able to fly away to trouble you in the future.)
[] – Both of them get away
No compromises. They're both going down, if it's at all within your power.
You try to catch all of the enemies before you, but there's simply too many over too wide an area. You catch and kill many cultists and Aeldari, but their leaders escape.
(The Archon and the cult's leadership both get away and you'll see them both in the future. I will be genuinely surprised if this gets enough votes to win but it would also be a lot of fun.)
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- Pronouns
- Human/Form/Keyblade
[X] – Both of them get away
Never compromise Lol
Never compromise Lol
- Location
- yorkshire
[X] – The cult's leadership scatters
- Location
- barking
[X] – Both of them get away
yes let chaos reigne hahahah
yes let chaos reigne hahahah
Tabascoheath
Unkempt, Evil-eyed Charlatan, and Pseudo-Mystic
- Location
- Your Nearest Orbital Habitat
[X] – The Archon speeds away
End the cult here and now, that's why we came through the storm and why we braved the drowned dead. Besides, I'd like to see the archon in the future.
End the cult here and now, that's why we came through the storm and why we braved the drowned dead. Besides, I'd like to see the archon in the future.
[X] – The cult's leadership scatters
HalfTangible
Only half sane (it's less cringe)
- Location
- Valkyrie, Primus
I don't have an excuse for how long this took, the update was just kind of a bear to write.
"Compromises are for fuckin' losers, we're a primarch!!"
I can respect that xD
Sun-Sin could still fall Delai's right there with a nice big hug for you~
Fair.
"Compromises are for fuckin' losers, we're a primarch!!"
I can respect that xD
Sun-Sin could still fall
Delai's right there with a nice big hug for you~Fair.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
[X] – The Archon speeds away