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Echoes of Eternity: A Warhammer 40k Necron Lord Quest

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    • Words of Wisdom
    Beta-Mu-047: Diplomacy Roll, 67+6: 73. Success!
    Free the Mind, Free the Body
    Beta-Mu-047: Technomancy Roll, 54+3: 57. Success!

    Beta-Mu-047 searched for lost parts.

    Her logical centers insisted that there was nothing wrong with her. In fact, she felt amazing. Her automated memory wipes haven't been processed once since their arrival. Her thoughts flew smoother and faster than they did in years.

    ...and in directions she didn't care to follow.

    The Omnissiah guides, my will obeys. The Omnissiah guides, my will obeys. The Omnissiah guides, my will obeys.

    Once, three repetitions of the Mantra Perfect were enough to settle her, the words pulling to memetic chains and psycho-based logic-lines to choke any unwanted thought. Now, they felt hollow on her tongue.

    Her mind spun in a terrifying free fall. Abhorred emotion surged in chaotic surges across her synapses.

    The Omnissiah guides, my will obeys. The Omnissiah guides, my will obeys. The Omnissiah guides, my will obeys.

    The cell the monsters gave her was dismal, little more than a nook in the wall closed by a heavy door. She kept that ajar. Doing otherwise would feel too similar to sealing herself into a tomb.

    Her logic neurons whirred against the frenzy, repeating that no matter how many times she watched under the slab-like bed, behind the blocky desk, in the strange cabinet-thing; no matter how long she crawled on the floor, pawed to the corners or flattened her nose against cold stone to peer beneath the door, she couldn't find the missing pieces of her mind-programming.

    She was going crazy. Maybe she was already. That cramped room felt like the inside of her skull, heated plastic and iron burning against the meat of her brain. She was that errant wrecking ball of emotions, skittering about ceaselessly, setting fire to synapses and breaking ordered thought. A pinball set in a frantic pattern by thin metallic fingers.

    [It doesn't matter that you couldn't become a Magos like you always dreamed. Being a Skitarius is a worthy endeavor. More, it's a heroic one.]

    [Loyalty to the Omnissiah and Their chosen clergy is all.] (Irregular addendum: Corruption exists among Magi. Unworthy squander the Omnissiah's legacy. Look out for the other Skitarii. They are your true family.)

    [Duty and service is relief enough for stolen dreams.]

    [Obsessing over betrayal is illogical. Forget.]

    Beta was scared. Beta was terrified. Beta never realized how much she relied on her psycho-conditioning to keep herself whole.

    Again! Under the bed! Beneath the desk! They… they must be here. Hidden somewhere where she could find them.

    A sound made her tense. She stood still, augmented heart beating in her throat.

    A scarab peeked at her from the fissure between the door and the wall.

    Maybe it was her overheated implants, but she could swear it beckoned at her, before disappearing. Movements hinted at the presence just behind of more of it, many more.

    Beta hesitated, then followed.

    The door swung open silently, revealing an otherworldly scene. Thousands, tens of thousands scarabs covered the floor and walls in a carpet of insectile bodies and flickering, green eyes. All watching her.

    Beta registered the door slamming shut behind her as the light vibrations in her feet. Feeling as if she was in a dream, she stepped forward. The Scarabs flowed atop each other like liquid, forming a path for her to walk. As she walked on it, they closed again behind her, cutting off her way to retreat.

    Weariness pulsed like a red light in her overworked brain, and she decided she didn't care. One way or the other, she was always shackled to paths decided by someone else.

    She walked for what felt like hours but that her chronometer insisted were minutes. The insects were everywhere, an endless sea of unblinking eyes and flickering motion smoothly making way for her while reforming behind her steps. Her breath condensed in mist, every exhale feeling thunderous in the silent air. There was no sound, no other being. Even the metallic demons were gone.

    No, not demons, she corrected herself. Aliens. Necrons. A race entrenched in mistery, one that had her Mechanicus superiors swarming in like bees to honey at the first mention. To her, they were nothing but a name and one-liners, studied before… before everything.

    The information unfurled like an old flower from the detritus of half-wiped memories. So some information caches survived to her implants. And she had to rediscover them now, thanks to Xeno fiddling with it. Hysteric laughter bubbled from her throat. She truly was damned, wasn't she? Maybe she was already dead and this was to be her hell, an endless walk among watching insects.

    A sudden movement attracted her attention.

    Warrior instincts kicking in, her hand ran to her left shoulder and she realized with a pang of terror that she didn't bring her sword. Silly Beta. And what if you had it? It's not like you could cut your way free from this accursed tomb. It wasn't out of pity that they left it to you.

    Old litanies about honorable death being preferred to slavery to the Xenos chanted from a corner of her mind but they were overwhelmed by the sense of powerlessness.

    Struggling not to dwell on it, she focused on listening.

    Shapes were moving in the distance, barely visible in the unnerving green glow and the gloom. Beta's heart jumped as she recognized the tell-tale clatter of bolter fire and the actinic flash of meltas.

    Heavy, quick steps echoed her way and she boggled as several Space Marines resolved themselves in her optics. The Marshal was among them, followed by his Skitarii bodyguards, all of them showing the wear and tear of heavy combat.

    Beta's logical centers almost ruptured with conflicting emotions, whirring to make sense of what she was seeing.

    She had seen the Marshal fall! She did, right? But then… maybe she was mistaken? She… she had to be. He must have found a way out during the fight, must have returned to the ship and asked for backup, those Space Marines. And now, they were coming to free them!

    The wave of elated relief almost sent her to the floor, but she held herself up. They… they would need help, a guide. She remembered something about the planimetry of the tomb, she could lead them to where her men were kept.

    Smiling, she raised both her help, opened her mouth to speak.

    "Traitor!"

    The lead Space Marine, a giant in black armor and with a skull for a face, had his bolt pistol aimed at her.

    Beta blinked, slowly realizing that the sharp crack of heat and movement that whipped her cheek was from the passage of a bolt round.

    "There she is!" The Marshal pointed his power sword against her, the very finger of the Omnissiah's judgment. "The Xeno-lover!"

    "To death!"

    "Heretic!"

    "You will burn forever!"

    Terror overhelmed her.

    "No! No! I didn't… I never…"

    They didn't let her speak. Her attempts at excuse were drowned by their insults and the barking of bolters. The air around her came alive with lasers and violent streaks.

    "No! I…!" Beta tripped, fell to the ground. She tried to crawl away, but her limbs had turned to lead. "I did it to save my men! Don't kill me! I did it to save my men!"

    The insects didn't move, watching her even as hundreds of them were blasted and crushed to bits. She turned, staring into the barrel of a melta gun.

    "Burn, heretic," said the Space Marine, his hatred a physical thing. He pressed the trigger.

    The last sight Beta had was of the flash of Melta filling the world and endless emerald eyes watching silently.

    -------------

    "Don't kill me!" Beta screamed.

    Panting, heart hammering in her throat, she looked around.

    She was in her chamber. The bed, the desk, the cabinet-thing. It was all in order. No Space Marines. No Marshal. It was… a dream.

    Her relief was short-lived. She didn't trust it to have been just a dream. Mechanicus could invade Skitarii's sleep-cycles. Why not Necrons? Those damn…

    She blinked. What had first appeared as simple, bare walls worthy of a tomb slowly resolved themselves in a compact mass of scarabs. Those. Damn. Scarabs.

    "Leave me alone!"

    Her sword pierced an insect and the one beneath, embedding itself into the wall.

    Beta panted harshly, arm outstretched. "Do… do you Xenos get your kicks from tormenting me? Omnissiah is my witness I'll…!"

    She froze. She heard a soft thump beside her, as if someone just sat on the bed.

    The voice had no gender. It was white noise given meaning, sending statics through her audio-receptors, a neutral note moving on its own sets of physical laws that was both a whisper in her ear and a rumble in her chest.

    "You truly are a miserable little thing, aren't you?"

    Beta panted, not daring to look, not daring to move. "T-the O-Omnissiah…"

    "Will what? Protect you? Shield you? Bring you back to your world? You know it won't happen. The Omnissiah doesn't protect Xeno-lovers."

    She wanted to scream her denial, but everything she knew told her that the monster was right.

    Something huge shifted beside her. A hand, almost elegant with its thin, long fingers, supple curves and shimmering black metal, appeared in her sight. Her attention was instantly chained to it.

    "Duty called for you to fall on your sword," the voice whispered, no breath touching her ear. It was so cold, like the cold of stellar space. "Never consort with Xenos. That is the creed and the commandment. But you didn't kill yourself. None of you did. The reason doesn't matter. They will not allow you to return. You are forsaken."

    Beta wanted to attack. She knew she should have. Her sword lay out of reach, but the rifle was in reach. A point-blank galvanic shot would hurt even a Xeno abomination, and if it didn't, she could always turn it on herself. It was the logic thing to do. She tried to will herself to move, but the cold had seeped into her bones, her muscles seizing up as if during a mind-wipe session.

    Her breath misted. She didn't know how, but the room's temperature had plummeted. She was drenched in cold sweat.

    "It's the second time, isn't it?" The voice sounded almost curious.

    Beta tensed. "Stay out of my head," she murmured, but there was no bite in it.

    "How? It's wide open," the voice pointed out, a hint of irony creeping in. "Are you going to let things continue like this?"

    Beta yelped. A thin claw glided across her spine, her armor doing little to shield her from its abyssal cold.

    She bit her lip. "What do you want?" she ground out.

    "I want you to choose. Return to your world. Nobody will ever know this happened, not even you or your men. We'll make sure of it. We'll slip something in your ship, but it'll be for monitoring purposes mostly. Your planet holds no interest for us and it's too far anyway. You know this." The claw tapped her back. "You'll be welcomed back into the fold, with nary the damage done. They'll put their tendrils back into your brain, restore what we took away. You'll be back to being what you were. Faithful. Efficient. Maybe even happy."

    Even as the voice spoke, Beta felt guilt welling inside her. Her mind ran better than it had ever done since she could remember. The idea of more memory wipes sickened her. She wouldn't go back, not now, not ever.

    "Or…" the voice paused. "You could get angry. There are many ways to worship the Machine God."

    Beta licked her lips, finding them dry. "You would use my soldiers, just like them. You would use me."

    "Of course I would." The pat on her head was horribly patronizing. The hand closing around her shoulder was terrifying. "But I would reward you too. Far more than a simple Skitarius could ever hope to be rewarded. What does your Cult worship? Trinkets of our tech. Dregs. Do try to imagine what lies beyond. A Magos, with no stifling oversight, backed from us, in your world. Imagine, mortal."

    Beta did so, and had to repress the hunger.

    "I-I…"

    "Ultimately, it's your choice," the voice said conversationally. "What will it be? Return to being a puppet? Die piously? Or grab at least a few of your strings? Your. Choice." Then, almost giggling, "A heady feeling, is it not? The freedom of choice…"

    It was indeed. Beta felt like she was falling into a chasm, like the world had lost its bearing and turned into a hurricane at the center of which she stood.

    Among the chaos, place, faces, and among the faces, two in particular, the source of all loathing and disdain.

    Magos Zakiah and Magos Haronnus. She almost forgot about them. How did she forget? She did swear she would make them pay, didn't she?

    The swarm of emotions that had been plaguing her until that moment sharpened, focused, and refined into a simple point watching which the Arch-Magi of her order would have been proud of.

    Anger.

    And just like that, her decision was taken.

    She didn't see how the scarabs making up the dark, humanoid figure behind her moved, mandibles moving to form a smile.

    Beta-Mu-047's Loyalty: 2 -> 4 "A servant still, but maybe there's something to be gained by new masters."

    A new servant comes to you. Now, to decide what to make of her...

    [] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.

    [] Magos Reductor: Beta focuses on the manipulation of battle-logic and the application of esoteric tech for demolition purposes. Her fine-tuned control of the Motive Force also makes her a rock of technology in the chaos of the battlefield.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Reductor. She becomes skilled in siege warfare and prepares herself for becoming a powerful force multiplier in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Champion and Tank role.

    [] Magos Logis: Beta learns the hallowed arts of data-smithing, allowing her to be able to crack logic-bulwarks and birth precious protocols and applications.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Logis. She becomes skilled in hacking and prepares herself to become an important element in the economy and infiltration of the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Merchant and Hacker role.

    [] Skitarius Marshal: Her ambitions mean little. Have her refine what she already knows and make it better.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Skitarius Marshal. She becomes even more skilled in commanding her fellow Skitarii and prepare herself to become a powerful and aggressive commander of robots and cyborgs. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Loss of Loyalty. Commander and Soldier Role.

    [] Write in-

    AC- This new title reflects Beta's new level of knowledge and skill. To obtain the proper position in the cult will be required to follow the proper procedures. Since the Mechanicus calculates worth based on skill and knowledge, this won't require her much, especially if backed by a whole lot of troops and wealth. Of course, this is not to mean that you guys have to make her into a mechanics commander. You could keep her as a cannoneer or a hacker.
     
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    • Dominus and logis seem like the best options. If we just want to smash stuff, we have Necrons for that, they do the job quite well. But Mechanicus forces can interface with other humans far more easily than our necron forces can.

    Of the two, dominus seems the best option for having the mechanicus forces handle planets and human populations for us, if we want them to rule on our behalf, while logis seems best if we want them to venture into human space looking for specific things we want them to grab and bring back.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.

    The skitari are your family. Do it for them.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.

    time for a little Mago's to spread her wings now...and to learn from her elders.
     
    [X] Magos Logis: Beta learns the hallowed arts of data-smithing, allowing her to be able to crack logic-bulwarks and birth precious protocols and applications.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Logis. She becomes skilled in hacking and prepares herself to become an important element in the economy and infiltration of the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Merchant and Hacker role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role
     
    [X] Magos Ætheric: Beta will study the whole gamut of the Warp Lore you learned from the experimentions and cutting Edge Research. She'll learn the way of Soul and Biology so that she can different viewpoint and perspective to deepen your understanding of Souls and Warp.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Ætheric. She able to greatly expand her knowledge of Souls, Warp and biological Sciences discovered by her new patron. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Research and Support role.

    @boredblues Will this option applicable?
     
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    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role

    We would prefer her to be a Forgeworld Leader, sometime in the mid-term future. Her own, or an usurped one. This seems to be a choice fitting for that.
     
    Thanatosra said:
    the strongest illusions are ones self made so I feel its a case of us putting something up but its her own illusions
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It really does feel like her body, mind and soul are at war with each other.

    [X] Magos Logis: Beta learns the hallowed arts of data-smithing, allowing her to be able to crack logic-bulwarks and birth precious protocols and applications.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Logis. She becomes skilled in hacking and prepares herself to become an important element in the economy and infiltration of the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Merchant and Hacker role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
    [X] Magos Dominus: Beta will study the whole gamut of the archives you ransacked from the ship. She'll learn the way of command and psycho-conditioning so common to ensure obedience among the Mechanicus, as well as their more esoteric rites and intrigues.
    Reward: Beta becomes a Magos Dominus. She becomes skilled in commanding Mechanicus forces to optimum rates and prepares herself for leadership roles in the Cult. She unlocks a new trait and upgrades her equipment. Leader and Support role.
     
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