[This session was conducted as a face to face, traditional tabletop game, but I know that some of the group members are following progress via the turn write-ups. Also, it will be useful for the Party members as a reference for future PBeM turns.]
Glog gathered the group together in the Galley to talk through a strategy.
Glog and Roland expressed significant doubts as to the suitability of Horus to receive the Sword and the Chalice.
Thivinen and Ashe countered that the prophetic poem they received from Mango, Cragspider, and the Trickster indicated that that the man they were going to give the Sword and Chalice to was dark and full of bile, and certainly Horus fit that description.
As the discussion entered its third round, Ammon Sul knocked on the Galley door and asked if he could join the Party claiming that he was “cold and sad and lonely.” Upon entering, he gave each of the Party members a ring imbued with psychic energies that would allow all of them to appear as Imperial standard humans.
Ammon Sul described in some length that the Imperium of Man was not fond of Xenos, and that the Party risked life and limb if they did not disguise themselves. Both Thivinen and Roland noted that the poem described this very eventuality saying that it was best to appear as a human when the exchange was made.
Glog adamantly insisted that no self-respecting dwarf would masquerade as a human. This led to a series of jests by Roland and Thivinen indicating that he would not be a self-respecting dwarf for long. At this point, the Party broke up its meeting.
Ashe asked Ammon Sul if Ashe could take a look at the Void. Ammon Sul demurred, saying that to look upon the Void, the Warp was to go mad, but Ammon Sul offered a chance for Ashe to talk with the Navigator for the vessel, Sarat.
Sarat was pleasant enough, but she was clear that to look upon the Warp would permanently harm Ashe. Ashe asked if the ship could go into a planetary atmosphere, and Sarat indicated that they had picked up the Party on a planet, but the ship was not very aerodynamic. Ashe asked if there were any escape pods or vessels that were better suited, and Sarat indicated that there were some emergency use vessels in the cargo hold.
Ashe asked if there were any Void creatures near the vessel, and Sarat indicated that there were orders of magnitude more than she normally saw. Just then, one of those groups attacked and breached the ship’s shields.
The Party found itself opposed by seven very tough opponents. These creatures had two large claws and four tentacles in addition to hindquarters that appeared to be roughly styled on a goat. Ashe went first and blasted one back to the Void with a psychic bolt. Ashe immediately became the target of choice. One attacked him in melee, and two sent their own energy blasts at Ashe. Ashe easily countered the blasts, and the creatures focused on melee attacks.
Glog hammered at two and used his awesome armor to good effect, harming one significantly with the Life Sword.
Roland took a few rounds to warm up, but soon he was scything through the creatures like dry wheat.
Thivinen was able to get off a spell of misdirection on two of the monsters, but seeing their five fellows dispelled, they choose to flee.
In the aftermath of the battle, the Party decided to question Ammon Sul a bit more earnestly.
They discovered that he made his living smuggling illegal Xeno tech into the Imperium. He also has a hold full of creatures in suspended animation.
Glog spent some considerable effort asking about places on-board the vessel where Ammon Sul could hide contraband. Ammon Sul described some of the special hiding locations.
The Party felt that it would be useful to trade for some of this forbidden tech. Ammon Sul demurred, but the Party was able to collectively cajole Ammon Sul into trading.
He showed the Party many marvels. The Party elected to take shock fist (for Ashe), and they debated the virtues of several others including a two-handed weapon that fired bolts of destruction up to 250 feet. Thivinen also took a universal translation device. Both the translator and the fist required visible light to recharge. In the case of the fist, it carries five charges before needing to replenish. The Party is not specifically aware of the charges for the translator though they know that it also recharges through light.
One of the most interesting discussions revolved around a “thinking machine.” Ashe had discovered in taking to the Machine Spirits aboard the vessel that humans have fought a war over a 10,000 year period and were barely able to defeat these Artificial Intelligences. Since them, thinking machines have been strictly prohibited in the Imperium. Naturally, the Party was interested in talking to the device and ultimately in buying it.
When the Party asked the machine its name, it thought for a moment and said, “just call me something uplifting like ‘the Morning Star, Lucifer.’” Unfortunately, as the Party hoisted Lucifer into the bag of holding, they slipped in putting him into the bag, the bag tore, and Lucifer shattered into ten thousand smashed pieces.
Ammon Sul fainted dead away …
Unfortunately, destroying a bag of holding (or any interdimensional device) while traveling through the Warp is not always a good idea.
In this case, a monstrously huge, tentacled horror pushed through the hole.
This is where the next session will begin.
* * *
Let the games begin!
[See some of the group next week!]
In service,
Rich