The Long Night Part One: Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) Complete Sequel Up

Durin · Jan 12, 2017

6 hours left to vote

Execute/Dumbo · Jan 12, 2017

Addio said:
AN: What a rich inner life Mittens leads.

Hmph, dang you and your smug symbol for male genetics, dang you to heck.
Gotta ask, though, do you write for a living or is this mainly a hobby?

Andres · Jan 12, 2017

Addio said:
BTW, already picked the reward for Sleeping Over.

What was the reward?

Angelform · Jan 13, 2017

HanEmpire said:
Oh crap, Garkill's been fighting Biel-Tan Eldar?

Why is that a bad thing? If we are lucky there are survivors we can ~~kidnap~~ rescue. We can drop them off where the Dark Eldar arrived and they shall lead us to the Web Way!
What could possibly go wrong? /sarcasm

Addio said:
"My mate yet prowls the tundra, with a coat of snow-white fur and haunches like carved stone, so powerful is her leap. Her whiskers are lengthy, and her fangs mountain-carving. So ordained the Lord of Striped Forest, Great Soul of all tigers, when I visited his realm of dreams."

Avernus snow leopard. Joy.

Doomed Wombat · Jan 13, 2017

Angelform said:
Why is that a bad thing? If we are lucky there are survivors we can ~~kidnap~~ rescue. We can drop them off where the Dark Eldar arrived and they shall lead us to the Web Way!
What could possibly go wrong? /sarcasm

Surprisingly given what @Durin has told us if we just leave them alone and give them some hands/don't be idiots they won't attack us.

Really the issue is Vanahiem again cause Biel tan attacked them...Twas kinda justified that time, but still.

DkArthas · Jan 13, 2017

[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
Target Selection
[X] Target the Roks (requiresMedium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing thenumber of Roks that can be landed.
Ridcully
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what AcesGarkill has up his sleeve, beforethey are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance ofavoiding any unpleasant surprises.

vsh · Jan 13, 2017

[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
Target Selection
[X] Target the Roks (requiresMedium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing thenumber of Roks that can be landed.
Ridcully
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what AcesGarkill has up his sleeve, beforethey are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance ofavoiding any unpleasant surprises.

Andres · Jan 13, 2017

Angelform said:
Why is that a bad thing?

Because it means those overzealous, xenophobic, arrogant, pansy-ass, knife-eared bastards are somewhat nearby and active. Nothing good can come from having eldar nearby, especially not when they got tech-boosted by a death goddess, have said death goddess on their side, and are more militarily powerful than us.

Alex pears said:
Really the issue is Vanahiem again cause Biel tan attacked them...Twas kinda justified that time, but still.

No it wasn't. Settling a planet you don't know belongs to someone else is not good grounds for having a major portion of your population killed in ensuing revenge attacks. The eldar are assholes and Vanaheim has good reason to hate them.

Doomed Wombat · Jan 13, 2017

Andres110 said:
Because it means those overzealous, xenophobic, arrogant, pansy-ass, knife-eared bastards are somewhat nearby and active. Nothing good can come from having eldar nearby, especially not when they got tech-boosted by a death goddess, have said death goddess on their side, and are more militarily powerful than us.

All of which are all the more reasons to not annoy them.

Seriously if we don't irritate them then they're just going to leave us alone.

Durin said:
Q: How much evil are Eldar in this universe? Will they screw us just for being mon'keigh or are they reasonable?
A: They are reasonable but put a lot more value in Eldar lives then human lives

We get Ridcully to yell at them in Eldar we're just surviving and killing Chaos leave us alone and you won't get any trouble from us.

As for why eldar in the area is ok it means there's a maiden world in the area, so anything that would attack it would probably attack us anyway.

Andres110 said:
No it isn't. Settling a planet you don't know belongs to someone else is not good grounds for having a major portion of your population killed in ensuing revenge attacks. The eldar are assholes and Vanaheim has good reason to hate them.

I never said they didn't, but the Eldar also have a reason.

False equivalency after all humans have done the same and worse and it was no more justified to the Eldar Quartoks or any other species.

Seriously Biel-Tan are assholes, but we're beneath their notice unless we try to attack a maiden world, which we have measures in place to ensure we don't do.

Andres · Jan 13, 2017

Alex pears said:
but the Eldar also have a reason.

A crap reason, which was my point.

Doomed Wombat · Jan 13, 2017

Andres110 said:
A crap reason, which was my point.

Your really saying that.

They landed on a world of their people an endangered species, certainly attempted genocide and so attacked back to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

We'd do the exact same in the same situation.

They're reason is justified if dumb eye for an eye whole world blind, but to both the Imperial and Eldar Mindset it makes sense, but of course we're Mon keigh and they're Xenos.

Hell they're actually many similarities between Avernus and the eldar, our massive militia, our reliance on Farseers, our reorganization of our faith and huge numbers of psykers.

Avernus and Eldar not the trust as a whole.

Andres · Jan 13, 2017

Alex pears said:
They landed on a world of their people an endangered species, certainly attempted genocide and so attacked back to make sure it wouldn't happen again.

Vanaheim didn't launch an attack on them or their craftworld or anything of the sort. They sent some colonists to settle a completely uninhabited planet that they didn't know was a Maiden World, then the eldar found out and slaughtered them all for no reason other than that they were there. There was no genocide of eldar by human hands or anything of the like. The eldar were just mad that mon-keigh were squatting on one of their spare planets.

Enjou · Jan 13, 2017

Durin said:
6 hours left to vote

Should be closed now. Here's a tally. Plurality plan has a majority, too, so no need to do this by line.

Vote Tally : Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) | Page 2454 | Sufficient Velocity
##### NetTally 1.7.6

[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
[X] Target the Roks (requires Medium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing the number of Roks that can be landed.
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what Aces Garkill has up his sleeve, before they are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance of avoiding any unpleasant surprises.
No. of Votes: 21

[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
[X] Target the Fleet- Another option would be to focus your attacks on the Orkish Warships, whose greater speed and maneuverability will make them a far greater threat to the reinforcement fleet then the Roks. -This option would have little effect on the attack on Avernus itself but would make defeating the Ork Fleet easier for your reinforcements, it should not be combined with High aggression.
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what Aces Garkill has up his sleeve, before they are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance of avoiding any unpleasant surprises.
No. of Votes: 5

Angelform
cl20
Echo 101
Riggnarock
Void Stalker

[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
[X] Target the Roks (requires Medium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing the number of Roks that can be landed.
[X] Focus on Combat- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to assist the fleet in its combat, helping avoid disasters and achieve victories. -This option will increase the damage your fleet inflicts and reduce the amount of casualties taken.
No. of Votes: 4

thamuzz
dragon
Elder Haman
oilworker

[X] Low- attacks will mostly consist of long range sniping and pouncing on any Orks that get out of position, best kill ratios but worst target selection and total damage caused. - This option will preserve the largest amount of your fleet at the cost of allowing Avernus to come under very heavy attack, but conversely putting your fleet in a better position to remove the Orks once the reinforcements arrive .
[X] Targets of oppetunity- One option would be to have your fleet target whatever targets are easiest, this would cause the most damage but would not kill enough of any one category to provide an advantage.This option is the middle path, targetingeverything equally for little gain but no loss.
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what Aces Garkill has up his sleeve, before they are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance of avoiding any unpleasant surprises.
No. of Votes: 3

Portec
Artemis1992
Nikandros

[X] Plan Erosion
-[X] Low- attacks will mostly consist of long range sniping and pouncing on any Orks that get out of position, best kill ratios but worst target selection and total damage caused. - This option will preserve the largest amount of your fleet at the cost of allowing Avernus to come under very heavy attack, but conversely putting your fleet in a better position to remove the Orks once the reinforcements arrive .
-[X] Targets of oppetunity- One option would be to have your fleet target whatever targets are easiest, this would cause the most damage but would not kill enough of any one category to provide an advantage. This option is the middle path, targeting everything equally for little gain but no loss.
-[X] Focus on Combat- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to assist the fleet in its combat, helping avoid disasters and achieve victories. -This option will increase the damage your fleet inflicts and reduce the amount of casualties taken.
No. of Votes: 1

Plan: ◈Erosion
Shard

[X] Plan Ensuring the Plan Works
[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
[X] Target the Roks (requires Medium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing the number of Roks that can be landed.
[X] Split Focus- The final option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to split his focus between the fleet and trying to determine what Garkill's aces are. -This option is a compromsie between the other two options and will have a reduced effect on both.
No. of Votes: 1

Plan: ◈Ensuring the Plan Works
Pyro Hawk

[X] Rokbreaker
[x] High- as well as the above you will use your heavy elements to launch attacks on any semi-isolated section of the Ork Fleets, such as the flanks. This will allow you to inflict major damage, possibly even taking out another Hulk but at the cost of many of your warships. - This option will have the greatest impact on the number of Orks that reach Avernus but will do this by sacrificing a great deal of your fleet.
[x] Target the Roks (requires Medium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing the number of Roks that can be landed.
[x] Focus on Combat- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to assist the fleet in its combat, helping avoid disasters and achieve victories. -This option will increase the damage your fleet inflicts and reduce the amount of casualties taken.
No. of Votes: 1

noliar

[X]High- as well as the above you will use your heavy elements to launch attacks on any semi-isolated section of the Ork Fleets, such as the flanks. This will allow you to inflict major damage, possibly even taking out another Hulk but at the cost of many of your warships. - This option will have the greatest impact on the number of Orks that reach Avernus but will do this by sacrificing a great deal of your fleet.
[X]Targets of oppetunity- One option would be to have your fleet target whatever targets are easiest, this would cause the most damage but would not kill enough of any one category to provide an advantage. This option is the middle path, targeting everything equally for little gain but no loss.
[X]Focus on Combat- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to assist the fleet in its combat, helping avoid disasters and achieve victories. -This option will increase the damage your fleet inflicts and reduce the amount of casualties taken.
No. of Votes: 1

True Metal Power

[X] Low- attacks will mostly consist of long range sniping and pouncing on any Orks that get out of position, best kill ratios but worst target selection and total damage caused. - This option will preserve the largest amount of your fleet at the cost of allowing Avernus to come under very heavy attack, but conversely putting your fleet in a better position to remove the Orks once the reinforcements arrive .
[X] Target the Fleet- Another option would be to focus your attacks on the Orkish Warships, whose greater speed and maneuverability will make them a far greater threat to the reinforcement fleet then the Roks. -This option would have little effect on the attack on Avernus itself but would make defeating the Ork Fleet easier for your reinforcements, it should not be combined with High aggression.
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what Aces Garkill has up his sleeve, before they are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance of avoiding any unpleasant surprises.
No. of Votes: 1

Briefvoice

Total No. of Voters: 38

Doomed Wombat · Jan 13, 2017

Andres110 said:
Vanaheim didn't launch an attack on them or their craftworld or anything of the sort. They sent some colonists to settle a completely uninhabited planet that they didn't know was a Maiden World, then the eldar found out and slaughtered them all for no reason other than that they were there. There was no genocide of eldar by human hands or anything of the like. The eldar were just mad that mon-keigh were squatting on one of their spare planets.

Assuming you are correct you know what happens when the Eldar are discovered on a worlds, and what happens when the Eldar find squatters, they get warnings, even Biel tan doesn't go in guns blazing.

In any case the Eldar do kinda need those worlds they're not just "spare" worlds especially now.

Do I think it was a good thing no, do I think that from they're perspective it was justified yes, di I think the universe needs the Eldar still also yes.

For now lets make nice with them so that when humanities psykic evolution is complete we can goomba stomp them kay.

Artemis1992 · Jan 13, 2017

Alex pears said:
In any case the Eldar do kinda need those worlds they're not just "spare" worlds especially now.

No they don't?
There are not nearly enough Eldar to settle all their worlds.

Durin · Jan 13, 2017

can we please not start up the Eldar are the root of all evil debate in my quest again

Doomed Wombat · Jan 13, 2017

Artemis1992 said:
No they don't?
There are not nearly enough Eldar to settle all their worlds.

Which is why they will need them.

Durin said:
can we please not start up the Eldar are the root of all evil debate in my quest again

Trying to defend them, still while your here.

1. Was it intentional to make Avernus kinda like Craftworld eldar? The Milita, reliance on farseers ect?
2. Will we get a an option to build a rail way line to Duat next turn.

vsh · Jan 13, 2017

Durin said:
can we please not start up the Eldar are the root of all evil debate in my quest again

Yeah, like there can be a debate!

Durin · Jan 13, 2017

Alex pears said:
Which is why they will need them.

Trying to defend them, still while your here.

1. Was it intentional to make Avernus kinda like Craftworld eldar? The Milita, reliance on farseers ect?
2. Will we get a an option to build a rail way line to Duat next turn.

1. no
2. yes

Wheel of time · Jan 13, 2017

Addio said:
I think I've made my feelings on pyromancy vis-a-vis orks clear.

Commercial break!

~~~
The Care and Keeping of Baby Psykers
~~~
What do you do with an Alpha psyker?

The problem with psychic powers wasn't what you couldn't do. It was that you could do anything, and there were no rules to stop you, really stop you, even when there should have. Rules like "Don't cast while drunk" or "Naked Pyromancy is forbidden" or even "Summoning daemons usually ends badly, seriously, trust us on this, have you ever tried outwitting a daemon, it's like playing tennis with your feet." Mankind was taking its first steps into a new evolutionary realm, like the first land-walking animal exulting in fresh air and legs, unaware of the first bird of prey waiting to make the first sashimi.

The unbound potential of the human mind didn't have inbuilt brakes. You just had to soft-pedal the gas before you hit the brick wall, and hope the airbags weren't broken. If you were lucky enough to have airbags to break your fall, instead of your lungs.

~~~

Mittens yawned. The small human child, her eyes glassy, also yawned. Master, the foolish human, was incapable of caring for his young, and it fell on Mittens to rear the juvenile.

Of course, Mittens was well suited for the task. It was in his name. "Mittens," protector of hands. Hands, the weakness particular to humans and their soft, clawless biology. Mittens, the protector where humans were weak, which was everywhere, because they were humans.

Having puzzled out the puzzle of humans, Mittens settled in for a nap. He'd earned it.

The human child babbled. "Cat cat," said the child in the human tongue, pawing with its soft paws at Mitten's luxurious coat. "Cat cat cat." In the nonsensical flapping and wetness of the human communication, such meaningless noise could not be understood. Of course, in the astral plane where souls walked, what the child really meant was: "You are majestic, and your fur is soft like clouds, and you are warm like the pool of sunlight at noonday. I salute thee, Mittens, pinnacle of your species."

"Thank you, human child," said Mittens. "You are soft and weak. Sleep on my back, and you will grow up strong and mighty." This was a time-tested method. When Mittens was but a kitten, he too had slept on Master's back, and now Mittens was strong and mighty, and only slept on Master's back every second night, and sometimes very cold days.

The small child agreed, and clambered on, nuzzling into his flank. Mittens curled around the child, because humans had no fur, and their leak-based heat management system was terrible at keeping them warm.

Mittens dreamed of hunting, prowling through the shadows of the mountain, snatching strange whispering things and chewing them up until they dissolved in his mouth. Bleh.

He awoke when the human child squeezed his fur, making noises of distress. Ah, of course. Humans needed to eat thrice a day, or else they would cry. He stalked over to the cold box where Master had hidden the food, pulling on its handle with his tail to gain access. Once, he could simply seize whatever delicious cold things were within, but Master had since layered apotropaic runes into its insulation.

He pulled out a shiny box from inside the big cold box, holding it in his mouth. The shiny boxes always had food inside them, because humans liked shiny things, and it was a mystery every time. He padded over to the door, where a human was standing ready to serve the human child, as was right and proper of an inferiorly gifted human in the presence of a superior psyker.

"Human psyker," said Mittens, "Prepare these foodstuffs posthaste, lest my claw find your backside."

"I don't speak tiger," said the human, taking the box of foodstuffs. "You want these MREs heated, don't you?"

Mittens saw the path of action in his soul, and at the end of the path was dinner. He took a rest by the table, where food was eaten. Humans were very picky about where they ate food, and Master's mate had often disciplined Master when he deviated from human herd norms by eating on the floor, or the soft bench.

The human servant picked up the boxes, putting them on the table and pressing their sharp corners down. When he lifted the lid, the steam of meat and herbs wafted through the air.

Mittens had not yet determined why humans put green things on their meats. Perhaps it was medicinal, to counter a weak and pathetic immune system. Satisfied with this answer, he scooped up the box, and swallowed the meats. The empty shiny box fell out his throat, clattering on the table.

Lacking such genius methods for divesting flesh of their shells, the human child was being fed by the human servant with the metal claw and scoop. This was because humans were so fragile they could not handle food that was too hot, or too cold, or too soft, or too liquid.

"Cat eat," said the human child, pushing away a spoon of steamed vegetables.

"Child," said Mittens, "though it is not the delicious flesh of your prey, vegetation is required for your human diet. I, a mighty hunter, need only consume flesh and blood to maintain my strength."

"Ophelia cat," said the human child, and roared pitifully.

"You are incorrect," said Mittens. "Weep, for you will never be a phase tiger. If you are to ever to reach my level, you must roar like so." Mittens roared a mighty roar.

The human child roared back.

Mittens huffed. "No, like so." He demonstrated once more.

The human child roared again, as pitiful as before. A minor quake shook the hives; how fragile these human buildings, like their makers. The human servant, terrified by this unexpected development, panicked and hollered like the inefficient creature he was.
Suddenly, Master approached, swimming through the sea before emerging into true reality. "Ophelia!" he shouted. "What are you doing?"

The human child ceased its roaring, and began leaking from its eyes to intimidate Master. A cunning ruse, but Mittens was clever. It was not deadly nerve-toxin being secreted from her eyes, but mere salted water!

Master seized the child into a submission hold, grooming her fur. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay. I didn't mean to scare you." His soul awoke briefly. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Mittens was not afraid of salted water! He licked at the child's face, proving his courage. Bleh, how unclean these humans were. "Master, you must groom your children more often! How will your human fellows look upon you, when your children are diseased and tick-ridden?"

Master didn't seem to understand, his squishy human ears still unable to perceive the august majesty of Mittens' thoughts. Lost was the time when Mittens' had not exceeded Master's meager intellect in all matters. "You want me to lick you?"

"Master, your soft and wet human tongue is more likely to wet my coat with effluvial grime than clean it of parasites."

~~~

"…Behind in the tutorials."

"She can't read them. I've seen her completely ignore holoslates for a sticky note. You have to handwrite anything before she can read it."

"Why?"

"It's personal. Handwriting, it's unique. I tried typing with one of those stenographer braces, little metal keyboard stamping ink on scroll, and she could sort of see it. But holo-messages, nothing."

"She's only got two eyes in reality and a thousand in the warp. Maybe we can try runes?"

"That sounds like a bad idea. You shouldn't have everything you say weighted in psychic resonance, it cuts off too many roads."

"She's an Alpha, every word she says is going to be heavy as stone."

Mittens blinked an eye open. Ah, it was Master's mate, Singing Lady, who smelled like flowers and gave good ear scratches. Master was wise in his choice of mate.

"Singing Lady," said Mittens, yawning widely, "sit by me and groom my fur where I cannot reach, and I will be pleased."

"You want scritches?" said Singing Lady. Unlike Master, she was intelligent and powerful in voice. Ah, how beautiful her purr was to Mittens' ears.

"If you would, madame," said Mittens. As Master's breeding partner, she was accorded great respect.

"How polite." Singing Lady reached over, digging her soft human claws into Mittens' nape. Mm, yes. That's good.

"Hey now, Tammy. Don't spoil him," said Master.

"He needs grooming. It's healthy for them. Who's a fluffy tiger?"

"My coat is indeed luxurious and fine to sight and touch alike."

The Singing Lady was pleased. "See? He agrees with me."

"Sure he does. Mittens, who's your favourite?"

Mittens snuffed. "We are brothers-in-arms, Master, and will face the world together."

"Yeah, that's right."

"However, there is enough room on my coat for two scritches," said Mittens, and rolled over. "Quickly, madame. I feel a burr stuck in my pelt."

"You charmer." The Singing Lady scratched his chest, where the thickest of fur was present.

"You truly are excellent in the art of 'scritches.'" Mittens waved his tail in approval. "Master was correct to choose you as his mate."

Suddenly, the ministrations ceased! What was this treachery! "Wait, what?" said the Singing Lady.

"Why have you stopped?" inquired Mittens.

"Gerald, what have you been telling your cat about us?" said the Singing Lady, in the human tone of disapproval and social ostracism.

"I haven't told him anything, why?"

"Gerald."

"Is Master acting a fool? You must discipline him posthaste, and then return to scratches."

"No, Mittens, we're not together."

This thought baffled Mittens. "But you are."

"No, we're not."

"But you have progeny."

"Who? Ophelia? She isn't ours. I mean, we look after her, but I didn't give birth to her or anything."

Mittens stared at her, and then at Gerald, who looked taken aback. "Uh, Mittens?"

"Master, you are foolish beyond measure. Is her fur not fine? Her claws sharp? Are her haunches not large and powerful with corded strength? Her soul is bright, and will nurse many fine litters. Her scritches are sublime! And yet you have not courted her?" Mittens reached forward, seizing the Singing Lady's robes and tugging her over. Forgive him this disrespect, madame, but intransigent children need to be educated. "In this world, you cannot rely on the ignorance of your rivals to ignore what you will not acknowledge."

"Whoa, hey!"

"Mittens, let her go!"

"Mittens, stop! Stop, or else I will never groom you again."

Mittens faltered, but duty often demanded great prices of great tigers. "Oh, where did I go wrong with you, Master?" wept Mittens. "You are as a cub driven mad by the fungus, unable to see what is in front of you before it is too late." He pushed the Singing Lady onto Master, and pinned them down. Better to learn now, whilst youth and vigour could protect the fruit of their union, than be cut down by age and weakness.

"Mittens, I do not need you to matchmake for me." Master wheezed. "Holy shit. You have got to lay off the steaks."

"Oh, I'm so sorry my haunches are too fat for you!"

"What?"

"Even now, you do not understand," said Mittens sadly.

~~~

The Singing Lady had not returned for many nights. Master put on a brave face, but Mittens was wise to the ways of humans, and the turmoil of his soul was as tempestuous and unsteady as the flames of his heart.

"Emperor forfend, Mittens," said Master as he fed Mittens fish. "Thanks a lot. Shit's real fucking awkward now."

"Though the thorn may cut and rip, in the end you will be glad for its departure," said Mittens. "Master, I will not always be here for you. You must learn to solve these things for yourself."

"What's with that attitude? Exactly who's the pet here?" Master sniffed, his weak human nose often clogged by virulent plasms. "Maybe we should be seeing about getting you a lady tiger. Visit the zoo."

"Foolish, Master," said Mittens. "My mate yet prowls the tundra, with a coat of snow-white fur and haunches like carved stone, so powerful is her leap. Her whiskers are lengthy, and her fangs mountain-carving. So ordained the Lord of Striped Forest, Great Soul of all tigers, when I visited his realm of dreams."

"You want to play in the snow?" said Master, limited once more in his interpretation by his puny human brain. "I guess you are still a big baby."

"I despair of you, Master."

~~~

Mittens was sleeping, the child curled up in his flank, when he was awoken by the step of a predator.

"Whoa, there. Good kitty." A hand gently rubbed his head. "Just checking up on her."

Mittens growled. Then, when he opened his eyes, he stopped.

It was the King of Humans, the supreme predator who ruled the pack by virtue of his strength. Even though his soul slept, he was Fearsome among the Peoples, because only a human would dare to grasp a chip broken from the fang of the Beast, and care not the repercussions.

But the humans were blind to their Great Soul, and the stories of the world. How foolish.

"Good kitty." The King of Humans lifted his Crown, and placed it on the head of Master's child. "You keep her safe, now."

"What fell powers you wield, King of Humans," said Mittens.

"Good to know." The King of Humans looked over the human child, scratching Mittens' ears. "One day, I may end you, Ophelia. But until then, have a good night's sleep."

~~~

The Tale of the Wolf
Told by [fragment lost]

…and at the bottom of the world was a great cold well.
its walls were smooth as still water…
…a terrible howl that turned rivers back upstream,
coursing waters flung skyward amidst hot breath…
…a chain of spider's silk named Open Shut.
Forged by the mountain men in the ninth year to hold the moon
to the world's embrace, until [untranslatable]…
…[fragment lost]…
…the fetter he gnawed, to no avail. A shard flew from his tooth,
and grew dark and ice-cold to the warmth of living things…
…[untranslatable] wept from his stolen eye,
tears jewel-like and heavy with his hate…
…boiled in a crucible…
…and the mountain-men built the [untranslatable] Eye, Pathbreaker,
and all it beheld would be unweaved…
…[fragment lost]…
…he will come when the sky burns,
numb to the blood of foes, empty of hope,
knowing no pleasure, no sickness, master of himself,
beware the rampage of [untranslatable] Beast of the Apocalypse…
…[fragment lost]…
…[fragment lost]…
…[fragment lost]…
~~~

AN: What a rich inner life Mittens leads.

BTW, already picked the reward for Sleeping Over.

Hobby, although I wouldn't mind getting oodles of cash money.

It's a secret.

Lord of striped forest Great Soul of all Tigers. is there a phase tiger warp God on Avernus cause that would be awesome :grin:

atrophy · Jan 13, 2017

addio mate , please keep these amazing omakes going .

waiting for the garkill suprise with our divination this round and to see how much many roks we get while they run to the planet.

Superticus · Jan 14, 2017

[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
Target Selection
[X] Target the Roks (requires Medium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing the number of Roks that can be landed.
Ridcully
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what Aces Garkill has up his sleeve, before they are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance of avoiding any unpleasant surprises.

Doomed Wombat · Jan 14, 2017

Superticus said:
[X] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing more ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of some of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.
Target Selection
[X] Target the Roks (requires Medium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing the number of Roks that can be landed.
Ridcully
[X] Focus on Aces- One option would be for High Grandmaster Ridcully to focus his and his diviners efforts on attempting to determine exactly what Aces Garkill has up his sleeve, before they are sued against you. -This option has the highest chance of avoiding any unpleasant surprises.

I believe the vote is over, but I'm not sure.

@Durin, is it over?

Durin · Jan 14, 2017

The Return of Garkill, again Part Three: Approach
T=0:14:00-2:02:00

As Garkill's fleet left the minefield Admiral Elric started to have his forces harass the Orks with long range fire and high speed attacks. While not as effective as the earlier ambushes these tactics allowed him to achieve very lopsided kill ratios, and wear away at the Orks numbers. He focused his attention on the Roks, which both carry a decent portion of the Ork fleet and will be one of the greatest threats to the cities of Avernus once they land. While this was happening High Grandmaster Ridcully withdrew his attention from the combat in order to pattempt to determine exactly what suprises Garkill has in store for you.

The first half day of the harassment went will, with your forces destroying over a hundred Kroozers, two hundred Roks and a seven hundred escorts at the cost of thirty one Cruisers and a hundred escorts. During this period your attack craft also killed several thousand wings of Ork Fighter Bombers at the cost of a hundred and sixty wings of their own, a kill rate of well over ten to one. However given that you estimates of the number of Orkish attack craft were proven to be low by almost 50% even this kill ratio is insufficient.
T=0:14:00-1:02:00

Second Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 173 Capitals, 1,146 Escorts, 1,734 Attack Craft Wings) d100=95+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=337
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 235 Battlekroozers, 312 Kroozers, 4,516 Roks, 7,140 Escorts, 23,089 Attack Craft Wings) d100=43+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+10(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=128
Imperial kills
22 Battlekroozers
22 Kroozers
80 Roks
216 Escorts
673 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
2 Battlecuisers
10 Fast Cruisers
28 Escorts
45 Wings of Attack Craft

Third Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 161 Capitals, 1,118 Escorts, 1,689 Attack Craft Wings) d100=3+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=245
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 213 Battlekroozers, 290 Kroozers, 4,446 Roks, 6,924 Escorts, 22,416 Attack Craft Wings) d100=10+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+10(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=95
Imperial kills
10 Battlekroozers
18 Kroozers
61 Roks
191 Escorts
578 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
4 Battlecuisers
11 Fast Cruisers
47 Escorts
76 Wings of Attack Craft

Fourth Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 150 Capitals, 1,071 Escorts, 1,613 Attack Craft Wings) d100=92+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=334
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 203 Battlekroozers, 272 Kroozers, 4,385 Roks, 6,733 Escorts, 21,269 Attack Craft Wings) d100=16+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+10(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=101
Imperial kills
18 Battlekroozers
29 Kroozers
95 Roks
316 Escorts
953 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
2 Battlecuisers
6 Fast Cruisers
23 Escorts
37 Wings of Attack Craft

Over the rest of the first day you killed another seventy Kroozers, hundred Roks and five hundred escorts along with fifteen hundred wings of Fighter-Bombers at the cost of twenty-seven Cruisers, a hundred escorts and hundred and fifty attack craft wings. While this does not seem much it you probably killed hundreds of millions of Orks, which while only a percent of their possible numbers is still significant. Given that among the casualties were most of the Hook's Admiral Elric hopes to do better in the final half day.
T=1:02:00-1:14:00

Fifth Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 142 Capitals, 1,048 Escorts, 1,576 Attack Craft Wings) d100=47+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=289
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 185 Battlekroozers, 243 Kroozers, 4,290 Roks, 6,417 Escorts, 20,316 Attack Craft Wings) d100=60+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+10(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=145
Imperial kills
10 Battlekroozers
15 Kroozers
48 Roks
167 Escorts
503 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
2 Battlecuisers
9 Fast Cruisers
42 Escorts
65 Wings of Attack Craft

Sixth Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 131 Capitals, 1,008 Escorts, 1,511 Attack Craft Wings) d100=90+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=332
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 175 Battlekroozers, 228 Kroozers, 4,242 Roks, 6,250 Escorts, 21,847 Attack Craft Wings) d100=16+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+10(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=101
Imperial kills
8 Battlekroozers
20 Kroozers
74 Roks
255 Escorts
767 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
1 Battlecuiser
5 Fast Cruisers
24 Escorts
40 Wings of Attack Craft

Seventh Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 126 Capitals, 986 Escorts, 1,471 Attack Craft Wings) d100=16+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=256
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 167 Battlekroozers, 208 Kroozers, 4,168 Roks, 5,995 Escorts, 21,080 Attack Craft Wings) d100=8+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+10(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=103
Imperial kills
4 Battlekroozers
17 Kroozers
61 Roks
177 Escorts
527 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
1 Battlecuiser
10 Fast Cruisers
40 Escorts
66 Wings of Attack Craft

The final twelve hours of harassment before the Orks reached orbit of Avernus started off brilliantly, as Admiral Elric led his forces on a series of attacks that caused almost as much damage as the previous half day had caused. However he had overextended his forces in these raids and suffered for it, losing over two dozen capital ships before his ships were fully extracted. By the time that the Orks reached Avernus Admiral Elric had lost over half of his fleet and destroyed over half of Garkill's mobile forces along with a Small Hulk and a quarter of his Roks. You esimate that this includes around a tenth of Garkill's land forces.
T=1:14:00-2:02:00

Eighth Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 115 Capitals, 946 Escorts, 1,405 Attack Craft Wings) d100=100+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=342 Critical Success
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 163 Battlekroozers, 191 Kroozers, 4,107 Roks, 5,818 Escorts, 20,553 Attack Craft Wings) d100=33+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+5(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=113
Imperial kills
13 Battlekroozers
39 Kroozers
168 Roks
545 Escorts
1,611 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
1 Battlecuiser
3 Fast Cruisers
10 Escorts
16 Wings of Attack Craft

Ninth Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 111 Capitals, 936 Escorts, 1,389 Attack Craft Wings) d100=4+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=246
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 150 Battlekroozers, 152 Kroozers, 3,939 Roks, 5,273 Escorts, 18,942 Attack Craft Wings) d100=72+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+5(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=152
Imperial kills
8 Battlekroozers
4 Kroozers
33 Roks
95 Escorts
337 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
3 Battlecuisers
13 Fast Cruisers
65 Escorts
79 Wings of Attack Craft

Tenth Imperial Harassment ( 1 Command Battleship, 6 Super Capitals, 95 Capitals, 871 Escorts, 1,310 Attack Craft Wings) d100=12+80(skill)+20(Technology)+42(Martial)+30(speed)+50(Gungnir)+20(caution)=254
Ork Defence 1 Huge Space Hulk (20,000 km3 ), 1 Large Space Hulks (4,900 km3), 3 Small Space Hulks (400, 1,200, 1,500 km3), 142 Battlekroozers, 139 Kroozers, 3,906 Roks, 5,150 Escorts, 18,633 Attack Craft Wings) d100=24+21(skill)+39(Martial)+25(Hulks)+5(Hooks)+10(void superiority)-20(dispersion)=104
Imperial kills
8 Battlekroozers
4 Kroozers
33 Roks
105 Escorts
435 Attack Craft Wings
Ork kills
2 Battlecuisers
8 Fast Cruisers
32 Escorts
58 Wings of Attack Craft

High Grandmaster Ridcully spent this time attempting to divine what surprises that Garkill had in store for you, both on land and in space. He was able to determine that the plan for dealing with the reinforcement fleet involved using a mass of Wiedboyz to pull them out of the Warp into an ambush. This can be avoided by warning he fleet and having them exit the Warp well out of the system, though that will delay their arrival by a fortnight. On the ground you discover that Garkill has built several Mega-Gargents and is planning to use them.

d100=76+41(control)+40(Grandmaster Diviner)=157 Success

As the Orks reach orbit of Avernus you are faced with several decisions about how to conduct the next stage of your battle. First whether you want to continue harassing the Orks, despite their better cohesion and position. Second whether you want to attempt a major attack on the Orks when they are distracted by the minefields over Avernus and your orbital defense lasers and finally whether you wish to advise the reinforcements to exit in the outer system to avoid Garkill's trap, which may or may not work.

[] None- do not conduct any harassment of the Ork Fleet while it remains in orbit, instead preserve your slightly battered fleet and withdraw for repairs. This option will give the gathered fleet a bonus for its next engagement.
[] Low- attacks will mostly consist of long range sniping and pouncing on any Orks that get out of position, best kill ratios but worst target selection and total damage caused. - This option will preserve the largest amount of your fleet at the cost of allowing Avernus to come under very heavy attack, but conversely putting your fleet in a better position to remove the Orks once the reinforcements arrive.
[] Medium- as well as long range sniping and targets of opportunity there will be high speed attack launched on the Ork flanks and rearguard, allowing for all of your fast fleet to be used and inflicting far more damage, at the cost of losing a lot of ships- This option will inflict notable damage on the Ork fleet at the cost of many of your faster ships, reducing the amount of damage that Avernus will suffer but weakening your fleet.

[] Targets of oppetunity- One option would be to have your fleet target whatever targets are easiest, this would cause the most damage but would not kill enough of any one category to provide an advantage. This option is the middle path, targeting everything equally for little gain but no loss.
[] Target the Fleet- Another option would be to focus your attacks on the Orkish Warships, whose greater speed and maneuverability will make them a far greater threat to the reinforcement fleet then the Roks. -This option would have little effect on the attack on Avernus itself but would make defeating the Ork Fleet easier for your reinforcements, it should not be combined with High aggression.
[] Target the Roks (requires Medium or High Aggression)- The third option would be to focus your attacks on the Roks, which are the greatest threat to Avernus. -This option will have a notable effect on the attack on Avernus, reducing the number of Roks that can be landed.
[] Target the Hulks (requires High Aggression)- The final, and by far the most risky, option would be to try and destroy one or more of the Space Hulks. Given the sheer number of Orks that even the smallest Hulk carries and the firepower that each Hulk carries a success in this would have a major impact. - This option is a high risk gamble, that will definitely badly hurt your forces but if successful will majorly damage Garkill's Fleet and Army, especially given that any Gargents are probably on the Hulks.

[] Do not Attack as they land- preseve your fleet for later conflicts
[] Deploy Light forces to Attack as they land - Least damage inflicted, all forces can easily disengage
[] Deploy Light and Medium forces to Attack as they land - More damage inflicted, all forces can disengage without much trouble
[] Deploy all forces to Attack as they land - Most damage inflicted, heavy forces will suffer notable damage when disengaging

[] Advise reinforcements to continue as planned- possibility of reinforcements being ambushed at close range by Garkill's fleet
[] Advise reinforcements to Warp in on the edges of the system- will delay reinforcements by two weeks

1 Huge Space Hulk (46km at longest dimension, 20,000 km3 ) Death's Harbinger
1 Large Space Hulks (32 km at longest dimension, 4,900 km3)
3/4 Small Space Hulks (12, 16 and 18km at longest dimension, 400, 1,200, 1,500 km3)

134/250 Battlekroozers
135/400 Kroozers

3,873/5,000 Roks

600/2,000 Hook Boarding Ships (new class)
1,345/2,000 Onslaught Attack Ships
600/1,000 Brute Ram Ships
1,050/2,000 Savage Gunships
1,250/2,000 Ravager Attack Ships

18,198/26,000 Attack Craft Wings

10-30 billion Orks

1 Genghis Class Command Battleship "Gungnir"
3 Hun Fast Battleships
3 Martyr Fast Battleships

31 Marauder Battlecruisers
31 Hussar Battlecruisers
3 Poacher Fast Cruisers
9 Cossack Fast Cruisers
7 Corsair Fast Cruisers
4 Acolyte Fast Carriers

200 Solider Destroyers
369 Privateer Raiders

752 Guardian Fighter Wings
500 Dragon Bomber Wings

1 Einherjar Class Command Battleship- "Fólkvangr"

2 Gurkha Grand Cruisers

4 Chevalier Heavy Cruisers

118 Castle Defence Cruisers
8 Knight Class Cruisers
14 Hoplite Class Cruisers
3 Praetorian Class Cruisers
17 Warrior Class Cruisers
7 Bishop Class Carriers
18 Monk Class Escort Carriers
16 Youxia Class Escort Cruisers

200 Squire Class Frigates
200 Page Class Frigates
182 Soldier Class Destroyers
60 Legionnaire Destroyers
23 Privateer Class Raiders
5 Shadow Class Destroyers
1,543 Defence Monitors

1 Virtue-Class Heavy Cruiser
2 Overlord-class Battlecruisers
1 Luna-Class Cruisers
1 Dominator-Class Cruiser

3 Dauntless-Class Light Cruisers

3 Sword-class Frigates
4 Cobra-class Destroyers

243 Guardian Fighter Wing
264 Dragon Bomber Wing

Nurgle · Jan 14, 2017

dawm those wierd boys!

The Long Night Part One: Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) Complete Sequel Up

Investigate the Sea?

Yes

No

Let's go Darling!

CAPITAL IS TO BLAME

Let's go Darling!

Let's go Darling!

Let's go Darling!

Let's go Darling!

Let's go Darling!