Author Topic: Fear the Witch  (Read 12171 times)

Offline Calchexxis

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Fear the Witch
« on: November 14, 2011, 02:07:47 PM »
Fear the Witch, it is a maxim indoctrinated into the depths of the imperial psyche. No where is it more prevalent than amongst the acolytes and Inquisitors of the Ordo Hereticus. From the mind of the Witch can spring forth uncounted heresies and untold danger for the Witch traffics with the foulest of mutants and the most heinous of daemons. Inquisitor Erasmus Korvan has brought you, his acolytes, to the ancient space station of Waymeet where he suspects a Witch of particular interest has fled seeking sanctuary. Waymeet sits within a massive asteroid belt rich in heavy metals, from here mining crews make forays out into the dangerous sections of the belt to extract the valuable minerals then bring them to the refinery in the bowels of the station. Some 500 years ago Waymeet was subject to a vicious purge by the Hereticus in order to root out a violent cult of warp dabblers and the people are still resentful. The inquisitor has few friends here but you, as acolytes, are unknown, you can move more freely and it is you whom Inquistor Korvan has charged with hunting down this latest threat to the dominion of Him on Earth.

Waymeet

People


Governor Ju'lein Rhodes: Governor of Waymeet and friend to Inquisitor Korvan, he has provided the Inquisitor with clandestine arrival and place to stay without exciting notice however if he attempts to overtly supports him he will lose a great deal of face and power with his rivals. It might even be enough to incite a riot against. As governor's go Rhodes is reasonably competent and free of corruption, as he should be since he was chosen by the Ordo Hereticus specifically for the job. He's a tall and angular man with graying hair and a perpetually weary voice, despite his appearance of age he is an ex-guardsman and military man who has fought against Ork's and Tyranids for almost a century.

Administratis Yasta Gember: Ms. Gember is the voice of the administratum here on Waymeet, she makes sure the station fills it's quota's of ore refinement. She is a singularly unpleasant women and, though attractive, her perpetual demeanor of condescending sneering tends to detract from her comeliness somewhat. She makes no secret that she believes Waymeet would be better off under the direct control and supervision of the Administratum, in this case her.

Lord Kulein: A supporter of Administratis Gember and sycophantic in the extreme, Lord Kulein of the esteemed House Kulein, one of the two noble houses here on Waymeet, controls a great deal of the void traffic, his family owns a number of merchantmen that bring many of the necessities to Waymeet. It is from this that Kulein and Gember became acquainted, his house having to regularly deal with the Administratum and it's myriad rules and regulations. Supposedly Gember greases the wheels for Kulein in exchange for his support.

Lord Timarin: Of House Timarin, the Lord Timarin is a personal friend of the Governor and backs him with the support of his house. House Timarin controls almost 80% if the indentured labor on Waymeet meaning that without the servants of the House the mining operations would grind to a halt. House Timarin and House Kulein have been at odds practically since they both arrived on Waymeet, both having indispensable services, both jockeying for power. There were originally a number of lesser Noble houses but over the years they have all been absorbed into either House Kulein or House Timarin.

Inquisitor Erasmus Korvan: An Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus, Korvan is a former witch-hunter under the late Inquisitor Sumei Iko who was sent to support the war effort being waged around the Eye of Terror, she is considered KIA after the Blade-class cruiser Son of Terra was destroyed with her still aboard. It was her death that drove Inquistor Korvan to the Calixis sector in Segmentum Obscurus, he keeps his ear to the ground for any mention of his mentor. In appearance he is unassuming, rarely the image projected by an Inquisitor, he stands just below six feet with drab blonde hair, an almost unhealthily pale complexion, no facial hair, and clear blue eyes. He possesses no obvious external augmetics though most of his insides have been replaced. Despite his appearance the Inquisitor is a talented swordsman, wielding an ancient power sword called Ethereal handed down to him by his mentor. Korvan is just past his first century, only having been raised to the Rosette a decade ago. A staunch advocate of the Amalathian faction Inquisitor Korvan prefers to work within the laws of the world he and his acolytes are working within solely to avoid notice. On the other hand he has no issue flexing his inquisitorial muscle if it comes to it. The Inquisitor does keep much to himself however, no one but his master knew very much about him, even his origins are a mystery.

Ecclesiarch Sigmus Thorgaard: Sigmus was sent out to Waymeet to 'keep the Imperial truth well founded within the minds of the workers'. In truth he was sent here because his overseer, Cardinal Lyssus, simply did not like him very much. Standing at a starkly robust six feet and seven inches with a broad frame to match and a bright red beard of singular impressiveness. Thorgaard is a gregarious fellow and a massive idiosyncrasy for an Ecclesiarch, he only rose to the position he did because something about his powerful manner, booming voice, and stauch conviction sways crowds very easily. Essentially his track record made him valuable, so he was placed firmly out of the way in a place he could still do some good. What his superiors do not know is that he is a senior acolyte of Inquisitor Korvan who used his position in the Ordo Hereticus to have him stationed in various places to provide ecclesiarchical support to his acolytes. You will be staying in the dormitory of the Waymeet Chapel as 'pilgrims'. Sigmus has strong information network here and was the one who alerted the Inquisitor to the Witch's presence, there have been signs of cult activity though nothing particularly dangerous. If you need support, information, or a safe haven, Sigmus is the one to speak to.

The Witch: An heretic that has been connected to at least a half-dozen warp cults, specifics are incredibly foggy. The main link come from various heretics of the cults who were captured and subsequently interrogated by Hereticus sanctionites all showed identical signs of severe psychic tampering. Age and gender are unknown but it's clear the Witch is a potent warpcrafter, Inquisitor Korvan has been tracking this particular quarry for nearly six years across a number of worlds and can trace the witch's progress across a line of vulnerable worlds, stirring up riots and heresy wherever he or she goes. The Inquisitor has managed to piece together something of a goal, each of the warp-cults traced to the witch had a presence in the insidious Cold Trade, specifically xenos artifacts. Inquisitor Korvan believes the Witch is seeking warp-touched xenos lore and artifacts for some nefarious purpose, the Witch's presence here suggests that there may be more serious cult activity than was previously suspected assuming the pattern is holding.

**More to come**

Places

Waymeet is divided into three primary districts, the Inner Ring is where the affluent reside, it's mostly self-explanatory, the closer one gets to the center of the station the more wealthy the area. It's mostly dominated by the two ruling houses but a number of rich merchant houses and guilds maintain locations therein. The Outer Ring is where the working class and indentured servants are housed, due to Waymeet's location damage to the Outer Ring is fairly common-place as occasionally a rogue asteroid drift will come too close to the Station and the turret batteries designed to protect the Station will inevitably miss a few. The Omnissianic Refinery, or The Bowels to use Waymeet vernacular, is the third district, neither wealthy nor poor it is maintained by the Cult Mechanicus and the Priesthood of Mars. Very little is known about the depths of the Refinery since the Cult Mechanicus is not particular forthcoming concerning their holy mysteries. There is a fourth area though it is not an official district, the dead levels are areas that are unused in the lower portions of the station and areas of the Outer Ring. Abandoned for various reasons, usually they were areas that suffered decompression and were never repopulated for whatever reason.

The Gubernatorial Palace: Home of Governor Ju'lein the gubernatorial palace is a massive structure built directly over the refinery in the directional center of Waymeet Station. It is also the heart of the Administratum presence where Ms. Gember does all of her work though her own residence is in the inner district.

Astra Telepathica Relay: A large and archaic building adjacent to the Gubernatorial Palace, it is protected by the Governor, the Astropaths of Waymeet are entirely under the control of the governor though supposedly both noble houses have their own Astropaths for inter-house communication purposes.

The Praetor Offices: The law enforcement of Waymeet, the Praetors are not terribly numerous, enough so that they can police the Inner Ring and keep it relatively stable, they rarely venture out into the Outer Ring unless there's a specific reason, gangers, food riots, etc... The Praetor Offices are officially neutral but in reality much of their staff comes from the holdings of House Timarin.

**More to follow**
« Last Edit: November 15, 2011, 03:52:16 PM by Calchexxis »

Offline Calchexxis

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #1 on: November 28, 2011, 01:22:55 AM »
Waymeet is something of a backwater, it's had nothing of note occur on or near it since the purge five centuries ago, but according to your master the Witch he, and by proxy each of you, has been hunting, has gone to ground here in this throne-blasted hunk of metal floating in space. The Inquisitor has already arrived and is currently availing himself upon the hospitality of the Governor

@Einherjar:
(click to show/hide)

@dna1:
(click to show/hide)

@Antioch:
(click to show/hide)

@Nanshork:
(click to show/hide)

Offline dna1

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #2 on: November 28, 2011, 02:51:47 AM »
SMITE (btw I claim Red as my speach color :devil)


Known as a pretentious jerk who has no friends, she holds herself to higher standards than those of lesser beings because she is naturally more honorable, intelligent, funny, good-looking, and awesome than the rest.
Smite is usually well-groomed and well-dressed, although this is a not one of her defining qualities. Also, as a Noble, she has have the right to look down upon others.  And often
does for the sake of saving the time and effort needed to criticize those of lesser abilities. As a result, she can be somewhat prejudice to those that she considers to be less 'elite'. To those that are of equal or higher status,
she will usually either show more respect to, or envy.


Beherns Nazzal(woe to anyone who should dare utter that name), better known as 'Smite', was sitting in the Church. Muttering to her self about the unlivable conditions she has found her self in.
So far she hasen't done well pretending to be such scum. She has had to restrain her self from purifying several suspected Heretics already. She never seem's to miss the glory of her home, 'the House of Iron Spires'
more than when she is surrounded by such utter filth.
< Where are the others? I've been here for,.. >  *checks* < Almost an hour!! Damnit! Emperor willing I am going to burn, annihilate, purge every last Heretic in Waymeet... maybe I can even destroy erhm.. cleanse the whole damned station >


Smite undercover ~ (all equips not shown)
(click to show/hide)

Smite in Uniform ~ (weapons not shown)
(click to show/hide)



Roses are Red. Gaming is fun. You're over encumbered and cannot Run.

Offline einherjar

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #3 on: November 28, 2011, 03:59:02 AM »
+THIS SHALL BE THE MANNER OF DARIUS'S SPEECH+

Anyway...

Upon arriving, I shall attempt to find a data port. After paying my respects to the machine spirits of this place, I will attempt to retrieve information and thus make myself more familiar with the magnificent child of the Machine God that is this station. It shouldn't be too hard to find a data port in an active station. Do you need me to make a search test, or can I proceed strait to tech use to access data?
Till we meet again in Valhalla...

Offline Nanshork

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #4 on: November 29, 2011, 08:43:55 PM »
Quint looks around, examining the flow of people around him.  He does his best to blend in, not wanting to look out of place.  "Hmm, the Chapel first..." Quint mutters to himself.  Keeping on constant watch on his surroundings Quint slowly makes his way into the Chapel.  As he enters Quint looks for his fellow Acolytes.

Offline Calchexxis

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #5 on: November 30, 2011, 03:21:55 AM »
The Dockside: The place is in fairly bad condition though it's positively well kept considering some of the areas you saw from the outside, only a fifth of the massive dock ports are still viable though the station is such a backwater you doubt they even make use of all of them at the same time.

@Einherjar:
(click to show/hide)

The Chapel: It's in much better condition than most of the station, the Chapel is well kept and even somewhat cozy, the air doesn't spell quite so stale here, though it's probably the incense doing that. A mountain of a man with a striking red beard tends the altar and the various ikons of the Emperor in a well-practiced manner. His form is unmistakable, this is your contact here in Waymeet.

@dna1:
(click to show/hide)

@Nanshork:
(click to show/hide)

@Antioch:
(click to show/hide)

Offline einherjar

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #6 on: November 30, 2011, 01:42:32 PM »
I invoke the tech rites and pay homage to the machine spirits of this place.
Tech use test - net modified score 87 - 1d100=51 - 3 degrees of success. Do I learn anything useful about the station?
Till we meet again in Valhalla...

Offline Nanshork

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #7 on: December 05, 2011, 12:42:02 AM »
Spotting one of his fellow team members amongst the pews, Quint walks over to her and performs a sarcastic bow.  "A pleasure to work with you again, I can tell that you are thoroughly enjoying yourself already.  Where are the others?"

Offline dna1

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #8 on: December 16, 2011, 05:44:49 PM »
Smite gives an exasperated sigh as she spots Quint approaching. As he bows she says " I see you remembered your manners this time. " She rises to her feet and briefly gathers her equipment before regarding him again.
" ,....... Not sure where Antioch is. Im done waiting for him though. Shall we track down our tech priest? I'd like to purge this shit hole ASAP.
I believe he arrived before us, and he isn't one to waste time. Lets see if he found anything important,.. "

She move towards the exit of the Chapel and waits for Quint to accompany her.
Roses are Red. Gaming is fun. You're over encumbered and cannot Run.

Offline Calchexxis

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2011, 10:06:36 PM »
@dna1 & Nanshork

The massive priest moves towards you both as the rogue enters his chapel and says in a booming voice, "Ah!, my friends and pilgrims, welcome to the venerable Waymeet station, held in the pal of the void by the grace of the Emperor en Omnissiah, come with me to the back and I shall show you what meagre amenities we may offer you humble travelers." As he says this the glint of a stylized 'I' cut by two crossbars flashes in his palm, the sigil of the Emperors Most Holy Inquisition, and his eyes glint mischievously.

@einherjar

The ancient information pedestal you've accessed is badly out of date and equally in need of maintenance, however it provides you with a slightly updated blueprint schematics showing some of the changes made due to repairs and reformations. ((grants +5 bonus on Navigation tests made within the station.))
« Last Edit: December 18, 2011, 10:09:01 PM by Calchexxis »

Offline einherjar

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2011, 12:06:07 AM »
I'll head down to the Omnissianic Refinery, and request access to the openly available portions of the primary datavaults. As a new tech-priest, I should be able to access the station's newest schematics and most up to date population data without raising suspicion.
Till we meet again in Valhalla...

Offline Calchexxis

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #11 on: December 19, 2011, 06:43:40 PM »
@dna1 and Nanshork (unless there's something terribly pressing I can assume you'll follow him to the back)

Once you've moved to the back section of the chapel out of public eye the priests demeanor changes somewhat, becoming more serious.

"So, you two are the the agents sent by the good Inquisitor, you look capable enough, my clockwork counterpart down in the refinery will alert me once your cogboy makes himself known there, in the meantime you showed up at a fortuitous moment, I've received a number of intelligence alerts from some of my underground contacts that there has been some unusual movement in dock section alpha-12, it's in the outer ring so you know the praetors haven't noticed."

He pulls out a number of dataslates and passes them to the both of you.

"You'll notice there were a number of shipments brought in by the mining crews labelled 'Miscellaneous'. On Waymeet that's usually void-slang for illegitimate cargo, what bothers me is that the last work crew to bring a crate of 'Miscellaneous' into Waymeet got very dead very quickly."

@einherjar

The Refinery is a marvel of engineering, a massive fusion generator at the center flanked by a dozen smaller ones provide power and heat to the entire station as well as fueling the ancient forgeworks that smelt the rich ore brought in from the mining fields. The lift you boarded comes to a halting stop at the main level where you are greeted by a floating servitor skull.

A burst of binary blurts from the machine. "Machine Designate: Darius

Your presence is noted and accepted by the Omnissiah

Your presence is now requested by the venerable Artisan Lokas.

Compliance?
"
« Last Edit: December 19, 2011, 06:47:49 PM by Calchexxis »

Offline Nanshork

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #12 on: December 19, 2011, 06:53:39 PM »
Quint accepts the dataslate handed to him with a smile and nods at the description.  "I take it that our job is to learn more about this 'Miscellaneous' cargo and examine the situation for signs of heresy?  Is there any more information you can give us about what we will be walking into?"

Offline einherjar

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #13 on: December 19, 2011, 08:16:33 PM »
+COMPLIANCE+

I assume Venerable Artisan Lokas is one of the leaders here? You gave us info on the Imperial authorities in the station but you haven't told us anything about the Mechanicus presence here.
Till we meet again in Valhalla...

Offline Calchexxis

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #14 on: December 19, 2011, 10:20:42 PM »
((he isn't a widely known figure outside the mechanicus  and not even really a widely known one INSIDE the mechanicus considering where he's stationed so he's not one you'd necessarily be familiar with, I'll add his bio once you meet him.))
« Last Edit: December 19, 2011, 10:23:39 PM by Calchexxis »

Offline dna1

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #15 on: December 21, 2011, 12:24:56 PM »
SMITE

She mulls over the datapad for a minute, quietly she says " Through the destruction of our enemies do we earn our salvation.... " Then she slips the pad into the pocket of her jacket. "  The tainted subhuman filth will find no fear, no pity, and no remorse from me. Where there is heresy, I shall point atonement. " now turning to Quint. " We may be few, and our enemies many. Carry the Emperor's will as your torch, with it destroy the shadows. " She gathers her things and stands up. Bowing with respect to the inqusitor she says
" The heretics can surround themselves with the greatest warriors at there command, or cower in the deepest and darkest hole they can find. It matters not. I shall take there head's for the Emperor. "
Smite waits for any last instructions or information before leaving to begin her investigation.
Roses are Red. Gaming is fun. You're over encumbered and cannot Run.

Offline Calchexxis

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #16 on: December 21, 2011, 03:12:31 PM »
@dna and Nanshork

The massive priest nods approvingly in regard to the catechisms before moving on, "Just after the work crew finished bringing in the crate they received a work order to pick up spare cargo hauler parts from a little-used section of the dock, funny thing is, no one in the main office can remember sending the order."

Sigmus pulls down a rack from the ceiling, it's covered with various armaments, "If ya need any last minute supplies let me know, I can acquire'em for ye, other than that, know that your probably walkin' into a trap so be wary, I've contacted my clockwork counterpart, he'll be sendin' the cogboy along to meet ye 'bout half way, yer job is to find out what exactly happened to that crew, and if possible to interrogate their killers, then head to where the cargo was dropped off, even if the cogitator was scrubbed the main console should still have a record of the void vessels ID signature that brought in the drop."

@einherjar

You follow the servitor drone to a set of ornate chambers, mathematically well-designed, a tall, thin, robed tech-priest is working amongst the ordered chaos of the workroom.

"Salutations machine designate: Darius.

I am designation: Artisan 330-A2; Common designation: Lokas

Prepare for memory input:

...

...

Work Crew 281-5 disappeared following successful delivery of cargo designated miscellaneous. Delivery could not be traced to end point. Likely prognosis: Smuggling of Dangerous Articles, highly suspicious. Ecclesiarchal designate: Sigmus Thorgaard, counterpart to my own position in the mechanicus, is informing the remainder of the team you have been assigned to.
"

Lokas sends a brief data surge that contains relatively up-to-date maps of the region you'll be heading into marked with a checkpoint showing where you are to be meeting the others.

"Current mission parameters: Ascertain the nature of the death of work crew 281-5, if possible interrogate the work crew's killers and discover the nature of the cargo. Primary dock matrix holds the coded ID signature of the vessel which brought the cargo designated Miscellaneous. Determine the vessel.

Queries?
"

Offline einherjar

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #17 on: December 22, 2011, 10:51:55 PM »
+QUERY: WHEN AM I INSTRUCTED TO RENDEZVOUS WITH MY ASSOCIATES?+ +I HAD HOPED TO ACQUIRE ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND DATA BEFORE BEGINNING INQUIRIES+ +QUERY: WHERE CAN I ACCESS WAYMEET'S SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS?+

I want to do some data streaming before I meet up with the team, so I can provide everyone with up to date schematics of the station and personnel files on persons of interest. If we're in a hurry, however, I'll head over right away. The station should have surveillance systems, even if they're probably in disrepair in the area in question. Still, they might be able to give us a starting point for our investigations.
Till we meet again in Valhalla...

Offline Calchexxis

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #18 on: December 23, 2011, 12:16:43 AM »
@einherjar

"Query Return 1-1: Time is a factor. Appropriate action taken is preferred. Additional data must be streamed from the machine spirit of the Outer Ring sector you seek to access or else queried from the logister assigned to the sector." Artisan Lokas expels what sounds like a hush of bit data that you interpret as a sigh, "Query Return 1-2: Waymeet surveillance outdated. Surveillance systems are not centralized. Section by section surveillance is operated by separate cogitator matrices. Access to Surveillance must be recalled directly from the machine spirit in question or acquired via Praetor channels."

Offline Nanshork

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Re: Fear the Witch
« Reply #19 on: December 23, 2011, 02:05:42 AM »
Quint nods.  "Mission acknowledged. I'll do my best to keep this trap from shutting on us.  I can't think of any gear I need, but that's just me.  I'm sure Smite here will want a bigger gun or something of the sort."  He grins smugly.