You wait in your throne room as the inquisitorial dignitary approaches. His dozen half human half machine guards dwarfed by the Lychguard that you had walking them through your halls. It was an amusing game you play with the man and one you play frequently with the cardinal and her advisors, though one you feel is awfully one sided. Every few minutes he, or one of his guards will drop or emplace some tiny signal beacon, remote camera or other form of surveillance system. All of which the cloud of nanoscarabs following just out of sight consumes without a moment's hesitation. Still, you are willing to look past these small transgressions it is good practice for your true opponents. The other dynasties, who have tools far surpassing the ragged empire which hubristically lays claim to the entire galaxy.
Eventually the man enters your throne room. Normally teeming with anywhere between dozens and thousands of the necrontyr nobility, scheming and plotting at the foot of their lord. Today however, you have ordered it cleared. Though the deal you made with the enigmatic inquisitors was sealed approaching two years ago now, today is the first time they have sent an emissary to meet with you. You are curious what their requests will be and would desire greatly that they not reach the whisperers among the court directly.
Thus the man walks alone, save his entourage, through your hall. He marches staring directly forward. Unwilling to glance upon your magnificent throne room, blind to the enormous edifices of prior overlords who line the halls. Seemingly ignoring the vast (and purely aesthetic) power conduits casting the entire room in an emerald radiance, and dismissing the story of your dynasty, cast in glowing runes along the entire length of the hall. Instead, to your growing irritation, he keeps eyes firmly forward, and locks the carefully controlled hatred he must behind a mask of studious indifference. Finally, he comes to a halt before your throne and performs a bow just deep enough to not be considered truly insulting.
"Hail Levnekh, overlord of the Yulenoth. You may call me Livinum. I have come on behalf of inquisitor Nadalia and sector governor Gradine to follow through on the agreements struck in the silver pact only a few years ago. And I come peacefully, with only honest intent. Though should you choose to cross us, know that many eyes watch this meeting overlord. Who individually can muster forces far greater than you, let alone combined with their counterparts."
You watch this Livinum finish his speech. Seeing the pride behind his shallow facade at even indirectly being able to threaten one such as you. You see this and allow your irritation to grow to true annoyance. Not only at the implied insult he has given by not marveling at your hall. But also at how sure he is of your response. He and by extension his masters, believe you predictable, a known quantity, and the mere implication drives you to near implacable fury. While you won't slaughter him for this insult, no, to do so would be to risk too much. Perhaps however, you will remind him why he had to come to you, and not the reverse. So with venom in your voice you commit what would be a grand faux pas among the nobility of the Necrontyr.
"No" you speak from high upon your throne and immediately the head of every lychguard turns to you with mechanical precision. Ever willing to follow any order you would give at a moment's notice.
The inquisition though, it seems, are not poor in choosing their emissary. Who though he pales slightly, responds without a quiver in his voice at his possible impending doom. "No Overlord?"
You allow your irritation to seep into your voice as you explain his error. "A threat is only as good as it is capable of being carried out, Livinum. Perhaps you are too used to dealing with those who have only recently crawled out of their homes' gravity well. but fear not, I shall remind you to whom you speak. I am overlord of this realm and have ruled since before your kind crawled out of the primordial ooze of your world. Who with but a flicker of my attention forced this sector to the brink of collapse. And thus I reject your threats as the empty bluster that they are." You pause for a moment to allow your words to sink in on the grim faced ambassador "know simply this. Should you act against me I shall visit upon the sector governor the same doom I delivered so easily upon the Orks of Golgatha". You turn your voice to a dismissive tone "Now, what has the imperium come to beg of me?"
The Emissary waits for a few seconds, likely revising entirely what he had planned for months to say. To your satisfaction, when he finally does speak, you detect far less unwarranted confidence than in his earlier dialogue. "My apologies then overlord, for any perceived insult. allow me to remind you however but this is but one sector among thousands in the sheer scope of man's imperium, with all the might that such grandeur entails." You refuse to relent at his reproach and your optics burn into the emissaries eyes. Until, at last, he is the one to finally look away. "The Imperium does however have three offers to make to you in exchange for the services of the Yulenoth dynasty
Imperial requests
Time dilators
The inquisition has requested that we create several small time dilation devices of some complexity. Capable of scaling not only the intensity of their effect but also its size. Up to that of a small room. The request itself is not immense and could easily be accomplished by your Chronomancer in the time between his other projects. The only question is whether you would be willing to accept Imperial possession of such objects. In exchange they are willing to offer 2000 raw materials to feed your empire.
Choose one of the following
[ ] Construct their time dilators for them
[ ] Refuse, you will not be giving such tools to the Inquisition
Purge the Malcetus subsector
The Malcetus subsector is a large if sparsely populated portion of the human realm, perennially a backwater, and constantly fought over between the human navies that patrol the space and the Orks whose ecosystem has fully engulfed several worlds. The Governor of the Televene sub sector has requested your intervention in this matter. Having read reports of your capabilities against the Orks of Golgatha, an effort which would require a full crusade for him to equal. He offers a bounty of 1500 raw materials for each world your purge completely of the Orks, to then surrender into the Imperiums own keeping
- The Orks to the imperiums knowledge possess 6 worlds in the sub-sector
- You have 18 escorts, 10 light cruisers 4 scythes and 1 great scythe uncommitted
- This will consume a military action for this coming turn
Choose one of the following
[ ] Purge the Malcetus subsector
- [ ] (State what ships are being brought on this action)
[ ] Purging orks in an imperial subsector does not presently capture your interest
Create a 'clean' fabrication array
Finally, comes a request from the archmagos of invadeen. He sends his greetings as well as a detailed digital replication of an 'ancient' fabricator assemblage that they maintain in their oldest factories. A system they are able to maintain through artisanal replication of ancient components, but whose guiding principles have been long lost to the forge world. The Magos desires detailed documentation upon how to properly construct the grand assemblages. And the guiding principles of how the devices themselves function. He states further that all alterations are to utilize techniques and materials already known to the mechanicus. So that they themselves may with much testing, discover if your mere association would lead to spiritual corruption. In payment he is willing to offer 3000 raw material for the use of your dynasties skills. He further promises that if your designs are deemed to in fact lack any spiritual corruption he would be interested in further dealings with your kind.
DC 40
(This will consume a learning action for the following turn)
Choose one of the following
[ ] Create a 'clean' fabrication array
[ ] Aiding the Mechanicus is not a present priority for you
This representative is likely one faceless being amongst many. But he still may have some insight into the inner workings of the inquisition. Infect him with mindshackle scarabs to truly learn what he knows.
- Flat dc20 roll
Choose one of the following
[ ] Mindshackle scarab the representative (If discovered will break your truce)
[ ] Do not Mindshackle the representative
3 hour Moratorium
For reference at the beginning of this turn you have 1210 raw resources in storage