The Lost (30k Primarch Quest)

Reader mode
[X] – Replicae imposter

Clone Lord Chan and send the clone back with the Knights, under the guise of the Temple 'seeing its error'. By the time the Empress or the monks figure out it's not the real Lord, he'll have left and it won't be our problem anymore. It's a devious plan, and one that might very well work if nothing goes wrong.
 
[X] – Write-in
-[X] Unleash the mechanized swarms.
The Tech Monks do not just modify themselves. Whether to practice their craft or because they believe that it brings other lifeforms closer to perfection, animals of all kinds have been implanted. Now the Tech Monks will unleash the swarms of modified beasts and insects to ravage the enemy supply lines and gum up the workings of their machines. Of course, coordinating these creatures is a big undertaking so it's not like they can just throw them into the fray at a moment's notice.
 
[X] – Write-in
-[X] Ah Perry the platypus knight, you've arrived just in time to witness the unveiling of my temple-re-locator-inator

I'd love to get an early intro to spaceships, which will obviously be super important for our final build. Who knows, maybe he participates in his second on screen act of piracy when the dust settles.
 
Last edited:
[X] – Write-in
-[X] Ah Perry the platypus knight, you've arrived just in time to witness the unveiling of my temple-re-locator-inator
 
Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by HalfTangible on Apr 28, 2023 at 2:05 PM, finished with 29 posts and 23 votes.
    Click to expand...
     
  • Voting
    • XXVI. The Shooting Star
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] – Write-in
    -[X] Ah Perry the platypus knight, you've arrived just in time to witness the unveiling of my temple-re-locator-inator

    I love my players.

    XXVI. The Shooting Star


    In light of the fact that your skin was blasted off, the monks have lost all good reason to refuse to let you speak to the guy you're ostensibly protecting. And so you strong-armed Dalnim into setting up a meeting between the two of you.

    Lord Chan's hair is almost white, and he has a glorious mustache/beard combo, both pointed and well-oiled. He stands imperiously, with all the surety and arrogance you expect of a noble. The man is clearly closer to death than adulthood, and yet he remains fit and able. He wears what you've been told is an armored suit meant to aid interfacing with a Knight, but it is wrought in some of the fanciest patterns you've ever seen on anything. The chestplate in particular bears the design of a serpentine dragon, also with a glorious mustache.

    Why does everybody but you get a mustache?

    "So." You say, folding your arms. "You're the piece of shit lord everybody's so eager to get their hands on."

    "I am of the nobility, I am taking a great risk in allowing a stranger to meet directly with my personage, and it is because of men and women like me that you can walk the lands without fear. Respect that, if not me."

    You roll your eyes, not bothering to voice the many, MANY ways that comment is wrong. The sea doesn't give two shits about the Knights, as far as you can tell; they keep the beasts from going onto land but otherwise the seas remain a nightmare to traverse. Mother lost your father because of men like him and their stupid squabbles. The land is all but unknown to you. Less than a day ago a dozen such men and women threatened your life.

    "But yes, I am Lord Chan Len, and I lead the righteous rebellion against the patricidal empress. I understand that you engaged the Knights sent to collect me from this place."

    "I did, and it almost killed me," you growl. "Respect that, old geezer."

    Len's expression remains serene, the irritation only crossing his face a moment. It's more than you expected from the nobility. "Very well. I thank you, for risking your life to save 'an old geezer' you clearly don't care for, and though it may have been incidental, your success may well be what leads to the Empress finally facing justice for her crimes."

    You grunt an acknowledgement. Mother didn't talk much about the Empress' apparent murder of her father. She'd been a wife to an infantry general; it wasn't like she knew the Empress personally.

    "Seemed like the right call," you say, shrugging. "Besides, killing Knights is fun."

    That one also twinges at him, though he covers it up as well. "It seems I have lingered her for far too long. I will need to leave as soon as my steed is able to move again. They will remain targets for the ire of the usurper so long as I remain."

    You raise an eyebrow. "You cling real hard to the Empress being some kind of father-killing traitor."

    "Because she is," he says, with the kind of matter-of-fact bluntness usually reserved for calling someone an idiot. "You don't look old enough to remember her father."

    "… I'm not," you agree, trying not to laugh at how true that is.

    "He was noble. Just. He served the people, as do we all, and he was an example to all. And that ungrateful brat threw away the nobility of her blood for power like a craven pirate."

    You do laugh at that, but Chan doesn't even acknowledge it. "So, no real reason to think he was murdered? You just dislike his daughter?"

    "I have my reasons, though they need not detain us at this juncture and I don't have the evidence on me at any rate." He says.

    Fair enough, most people don't bring evidence into their war machines.

    "My crewmate was rather impressed with that machine of yours," you say, leaning against the wall.

    "The Blade of Eternity is a formidable steed, yes."

    "What brought her low?"

    "Betrayal." He says, eyes narrowing. "From a house I once saved with my own hands. I never thought to see the day. Through guile and valor I managed to escape, but a number of loyal and worthy vassals fell to cover me. Really, I should have expected the false Empress to weave her way into the cowards among my men."

    You nod, understanding but not really moved. From what you understand, nobles betray each other so often they make pirates look downright loyal by comparison (or at least that's what mother says). Nobody who's ever tried to betray you has succeeded, so maybe you lack perspective on why he's so angry.

    "Why do you ask me these things?" He asks.

    "I like to keep my options open," You say, waving a dismissive hand. "I'd like to know how you think on the off chance I decide to help you."

    He blinks. "… You would consider helping us? Why would you care?"

    You open your mouth to answer, but pause.

    Why do you care?

    Virtuous Whim asked you at Bohai why you were using the power to fell a knight to acquire 'trinkets', and at the time you'd brushed the ungrateful ass off. Why should you care about bigger targets and ideas? You are content to sail the seas with your crew.

    And yet there's an itch; a discomfort you can't deny.

    You know you're capable of more. So much more. And you'd make it look easy.

    And you realize, with some shock, that you'd been preparing an offer in your head. A plan to kill the Empress and topple her throne. All it would cost the House Chan was every coin in their coffers.

    And then you'd take them, too. What hope did they have to stand against you, broken in two? He could take everything. The planet's treasures were his. A better life for Fan, Caihong's respect, Han's obedience, the secrets Ping keeps from you, Eun…

    Sun-Sin wants it all.

    It would be so easy for him-

    … you.

    Easy for you.

    The moment passes, and you release a breath you didn't realize you were holding. Something slithers away from your mind, and you growl.

    "… I dunno." You shrug and turn to leave.

    You hadn't realized it, but now that you're looking inward, you realize your body isn't the only thing injured. Your mind is exhausted. For the first time in a long time, you feel weary not merely in your bones but in your mind. Too much power spent, too quickly.

    "Hold, sailor." The man says quickly. "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

    You stop and glance back at him. "Ching Sun-Sin, captain of the Cutting Dagger."

    "Ching?" The old man raises an eyebrow. "As in Admiral Ching Yisun? You are related?"

    "No- well, kinda." You shake your head. "His wife, Ching Shin's my mother. She found me and raised me."

    The man's face darkens with realization, disgust, and a hint of horror. "… you were raised by that murdering treacherous pirate b-"

    You turn to face him as he speaks, and as he starts on that last word, you see him falter and stop at the look in your eyes.

    Good. You might've taken his head off for that line.

    "You got a problem with my mother?"

    The man's eyes narrow. "Only what it says about you."

    You grin wide, and thunder rumbles outside. "Such is the least of your concerns, old man."

    And the least of mine, too…

    -

    "We call it the Shooting Star." Lotus says proudly.

    Your mouth falls open.

    The ship is the midnight black of the void, with emerald lines glowing along the hull. It is shaped like a crescent moon, and it is larger than any sailing vessel you've ever seen. The ship feels timeless and ancient, like a chariot made for the gods. The underground metallic hangar it sits in is a bright silver that only makes the black of the voidcraft stand out all the more.

    When this is all over I'm stealing it.

    "We thought you should at least see what we're striking back with," Dalnim says. "since you did so much to keep them off of us."

    "Is this…" You hesitate, because it sounds ridiculous to your ears. "A starship?"

    "Yes. Well, no." Whim says, as Dalnim holds up her orb and an emerald glow that matches the ship's spreads from it. As she does, the ship silently begins to hover a few feet off of the ground. "It can get into orbit – probably go further, too - but it can't sail the void. Doesn't have fast enough engines. We think it was meant to go between the surface and larger ships in orbit."

    You glance over the 'transport's' cannons. Their barrels are wider than you are tall. "… And you couldn't bring it out when the Knights first got here, because?"

    "We can't just lift it up and out on a me." Virtuous Whim says, smirking at his own joke. "We had to reinstall the power source, fuel her up, load everything precious onto her…"

    "Everything precious?" Your eyes narrow. "You're running away?"

    "Whoa who whoa," Dalnim grins wide at you, and you can't help but notice the clever twinkle in her eye. "Running away? Do you have any idea the advantage aerial superiority gives you? We're taking her up so we can keep our stuff safe while we blow them up." She glances at Lotus. "I assume because we don't have a second to send with our stuff elsewhere."

    "We only have the one," Lotus says, shaking his head. "It was difficult enough to get this one out without disturbing the site."

    "And what about when the others come in while you're gone?"

    Lotus shrugs. "We have to avoid disturbing the site as much as possible. The other monks know not to dig too deep, and without Chan there they lose all reason to."

    You almost ask what he's referring to, but decide against it. At least for the moment; Lotus isn't gonna tell you. It isn't relevant to the current issue anyway. "So what happens now?"

    "We fly." He says calmly. "Your ship's going to need a few more days. But in the meantime we can make their knights regret coming after us. It's not quite as dramatic as summoning a storm on their heads, but we'll still bring down the thunder."

    "A broadside from orbit?" You grin wide. "I like the sound of that."

    Dalnim chuckles. "It'll be rather boring with nothing coming back at us."

    "Maybe," you muse, "But they didn't want a fair fight, so don't give 'em one."

    As Lotus and Whim turn back to their machines, you approach Dalnim.

    "D- Lay-sister."

    She frowns at your near slip up. "Yes, Shanwei?"

    "What's beneath the temple that they don't want disturbed?"

    Dalnim shrugs. "I don't know. That's one of the many secrets you get to learn when you're properly initiated. All I know is that we don't go too deep, because it gets dangerous down there."

    "… How dangerous?" You grin.

    She frowns deeper. "Captain…"

    "Yeah yeah, not going down there." You leave before she can voice her next objection.

    -

    Voting

    What does Sun-Sin want to do after he's rested up enough?

    [] – Fly in the star ship

    You're going on the ship with Dalnim and the other tech monks. It has guns, which means you can hit either the Knights or the Empress directly from orbit. It doesn't sail the stars, perhaps, but you're not missing out on this chance to go to friggen space.

    [] – Recruit other captains in Shang

    Let the nobles and the monks beat the crap out of each other for a while. You've got tech and treasure now, which means you can also grab some extra hands from Shang and get ready for a proper war. The Empress' men tried to kill you, after all, and you can't let that go unanswered.

    [] – Delve beneath the Temple

    If they wanna keep it secret, you know wanna know what they're keeping down there. Some things are worth the risk, after all. Or at the very least it's worth knowing the risk you'll take…

    [] – Write in
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Ah, the desire for something Greater, something More than being an 'ordinary' pirate prince... Ching the Uniter? Ching the Conqueror? Ching the Indecisive? Time will tell...

    Do I smell Necrons? If that's what's under the temple, absolutely awesome. Well, absolutely awesome no matter what.

    Though as awesome as Necrons are, space is moreso. Live the dream, Ching Sun-Sin...

    [X] – Fly in the star ship
     
    …We're sitting on top of a damn tomb world.

    Fuck.

    That's two xenos now, really should have taken the orks when we had the chance, and I can't wait to inevitably meet the cranky old codgers who live here. Here's hoping they're more reasonable than the Stormlord.

    [X] – Delve beneath the Temple
    Bone boys here we come!!! (This is not the optimal path and is most likely to get us killed)
     
    HalfTangible said:
    Why does everybody but you get a mustache?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Sun-Sin is going to be mad when he meets... Dorn? Wait do any of the Great Crusade era Primarchs have facial hair?

    HalfTangible said:
    The ship is the midnight black of the void, with emerald lines glowing along the hull. It is shaped like a crescent moon, and it is larger than any sailing vessel you've ever seen.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Oh fuck it's necrons.

    Oh fuck it's a Tomb World.

    Oh fuck we're going down there.

    ...sure, why not.
    [X] – Delve beneath the Temple
     
    xamaplak said:
    Ah, the desire for something Greater, something More than being an 'ordinary' pirate prince... Ching the Uniter? Ching the Conqueror? Ching the Indecisive? Time will tell...

    Do I smell Necrons? If that's what's under the temple, absolutely awesome. Well, absolutely awesome no matter what.

    Though as awesome as Necrons are, space is moreso. Live the dream, Ching Sun-Sin...

    [X] – Fly in the star ship
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    "What's a necron?" Dalnim asks as she holds up her glowing orb that is basically magic.

    Tabascoheath said:
    …We're sitting on top of a damn tomb world.

    Fuck.

    That's two xenos now, really should have taken the orks when we had the chance, and I can't wait to inevitably meet the cranky old codgers who live here. Here's hoping they're more reasonable than the Stormlord.

    [X] – Delve beneath the Temple
    Bone boys here we come!!! (This is not the optimal path and is most likely to get us killed)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Your planet is covered in psykers, it has a chaos cult, knights in a civil war, and also soulless skeleton robots bent on destroying all life and/or rebuilding their ancient imperial dynasty that unfortunately you're living on top of.

    Everything will be fine

    Dragonofelder said:
    Sun-Sin is going to be mad when he meets... Dorn? Wait do any of the Great Crusade era Primarchs have facial hair?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    The Khan does. Other than him tho Primarchs all seem to enjoy good quality razors.

    The Lion... might? I think there's some art where he has a beard and others where he's clean shaven. He definitely does in 40k so he's not incapable nor does he reject it outright, so... *shrug*

    Dragonofelder said:
    Oh fuck it's necrons.

    Oh fuck it's a Tomb World.

    Oh fuck we're going down there.

    ...sure, why not.
    [X] – Delve beneath the Temple
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Fun times!
     
    If only Horus had had a handlebar mustache, the Imperium would be saved.
     
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top