Main Menu

News:

If you are having problems registering, please e-mail theconclaveforum at gmail.com

Dark Heresy VOIP Campaign

Started by precinctomega, April 26, 2010, 10:17:53 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Charax

That's how I remember it too, assuming we can wrap up tomorrow. we do have a tendency to get sidetracked

Might be worth having a chat about moving to discord for Bethan's campaign? we seemingly agreed a few weeks...months? back that we're all a bit sick of Skype
(No longer} The guy with his name at the bottom of the page

MarcoSkoll

#1006
I figured that as I might not be around on Sunday (although I hope to be merely late rather than entirely absent), that I might as well write up some thoughts on the dilemma that Rose is finding herself in.

~~~~~


> User: Xenati, Rosaline
> Passcode: ********
+++ PASSCODE ACCEPTED +++
> Command: Commence new text log
+++ STARTING ENTRY 8857.qr/7 +++

It is becoming painfully clear that this mission and its predecessor have taken a heavy toll on the psyche of the team.

Tallulah was my first major experience of a mind-blanked individual, as although there were some signs that at least some form of the process had been carried out on Maya, it showed little outwardly. It is with the curse of hindsight that I realise both of them were deceptive examples.

A tactful description would be to say that Tallulah was less than fully coherent when we first met, but she did with time appear to resolve into a sane and grounded individual - something that harshly conflicts with Lady Ramona now hypothesising that Tallulah's entire psyche may now have devolved decades back to her adolescence, leaving her in the traumatic outbreak of the "Fulcrum" affair.

I will observe that Ramona didn't communicate how she came by that information, given our lack of direct reconnaissance; my assumption is that it is either a method or side-effect of attack on this kind of psychological conditioning.

Certainly, that seems to be consistent with Maya. Over the last few days, it seems that anything that triggers any form of familiarity is triggering mental breakdown. My best hypothesis at this stage is that our encounter with Veer's daughter compromised her conditioning, allowing her former self to seep through.

It's hard to not feel sorry for her at this stage. We've had our differences, but we have spent years together now, and she is quite possibly the last of our original team, given the extent of Dose's injuries (and certainly better conversation). I'm still in no hurry to forgive or facilitate her intrusive narcotic habits, given the severe setbacks they have caused, but I am beginning to understand why she might choose to lock herself in a chemical daze.

Gaenor is rather more of a mystery. One possibility is of course that our lord and master simply has a penchant for using imprinted individuals, but I feel there is more to it than that.
Perhaps I speak against that option only for the sake of believing that I actually know myself, but her breakdowns do appear very much more focused, strictly related to specific phrases, and her episodes, while apparently hallucinatory, do seem to leave her herself. Not that the incident in the Inquisition facility was positive.

Dorn currently seems to be the only member of the team who is mentally stable, although it would be a generous overstatement to allow that to imply that he is a rationally functioning human being.
For someone who has apparently read our dossiers, and for whom at least a basic comprehension of the motivations of others should be a core occupational skill, it beggars belief that he has yet to understand why I might not be particularly forgiving about waking up with an armed man standing over me.

His increasing piety also concerns me, for the same reason. I have been on the receiving end of blind faith before, and Arbitrators are not known for leniency in their actions; how long before he decides that some fraction of what I know might be heresy?

These are poor allies in trying times. What I wouldn't give to have Rivian alongside me.

+++ ENTRY 8857.qr/7 ENDS+++
> Command: Encrypt
+++ ENCRYPTING ENTRY 8857.qr/7+++
+++ PROCESSING+++
+++ COMPLETE+++
> Command: Log off
+++ COMMAND ACCEPTED +++
+++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: SO IT WAS, SO IT IS, SO IT EVER SHALL BE. +++
+++ SYSTEM LOG-OFF +++
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

MarcoSkoll

#1007
More log entries:




> User: Xenati, Rosaline
> Passcode: ********
+++ PASSCODE ACCEPTED +++
> Command: Commence new text log
+++ STARTING ENTRY 8862.dg/2+++

Escalation would seem to be the word.

For one, we had already encountered several individuals who should have been psychically inert yet displayed considerable power - Veer's daughter and the "triplets" at the Astropathica facility.

The near simultaneous discovery of one of Lady Ramona's aides and the traitorous Civitas Enforcer both adds to and complicates that. There is a pattern emerging, revolving around pendants of a sort.
Although those we recovered from the Triplets were more innocuous, the latest two are clearly both darker and more potent - and, worryingly, engraved by individuals in some form of attempt to wield them in the Emperor's name. Given that even our brief examination showed that they are irredeemably tainted down to their very metal, not by people overly possessed of good sense.

A particularly ominous fact is that these also appear to be dedicated to specific of the Dark Gods - so far, seemingly the plague god, worn by Ramona's aide, and the blood god, worn by the enforcer.
This implies the existence of at least two more, dedicated to the gods of pleasure and change. The possibility of these two alarms me considerably more than the two we have already encountered, as their powers are liable to manifest in the form of insidious manipulation that our team's fragmented psyche is in no state to resist.

(However, it is my understanding that the Inquisition's mind-blanking procedures include chemical castration, so it is possible Maya may be able to resist certain manipulations).

This brings us on to our next escalation. Dorn made a recommendation that we should query the Lady's seneschal regarding equipment for countering any possible psychic foes, at which point we were presented with an amulet and two drug doses.

The amulet for now has been given to Dorn; as it was described to us, it can suppress the power of psykers in a close vicinity, and he is our most trustworthy close quarters combatant.

The drug is definitely the more concerning of these items. I have heard of this chemical before, although I am certainly not supposed to have - even knowing of this chemical has been considered borderline heresy since its use by an apostate cult in an attempt to "touch the edge of the Emperor's consciousness".
What I am prepared to admit knowing of it is that it draws heavily on the user's faith, and potentially in extreme cases amplifying it to a level where it borders on the kinds of manifest miracles associated with living saints and the Adepta Sororitas. The outcomes are however not pleasant for those of weak or misguided faith.

The irony of Dorn's faith being a powerful asset only shortly after my last log entry berated him for it is not lost on me. That doesn't however mean I trust it.

Beyond that, it appears that the recovery of Tallulah will be only the beginning of this matter, not the end. Lady Ramona now seems unsatisfied with merely the recovery of her asset, and fully expects to pursue the Fulcrum in order to prevent it falling into anyone else's hands.

The largest escalation of all though seems to be that she seems to be trusting us, and perhaps out of more than sheer desperation. While it is very much apparent she is not telling us everything, she has still said far more than I was expecting her to about several matters. One point that particularly surprised me was that rather than simply refusing to divulge information on "Silvertongue", she specifically noted that she wasn't permitted.

It doesn't need to be said it doesn't bode particularly well for the truth of the Fulcrum, when even a Lady Inquisitor cannot speak of it without the consent of a wider cabal or conclave, but I will draw a certain comfort from being in a position where we finally seem to be a valuable resource to an Inquisitor.

+++ ENTRY 8862.dg/2 ENDS+++
> Command: Encrypt
+++ ENCRYPTING ENTRY 8862.dg/2+++
+++ PROCESSING+++
+++ COMPLETE+++
> Command: Log off
+++ COMMAND ACCEPTED +++
+++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: LIFE IS NOT MEASURED IN YEARS, BUT BY THE DEEDS OF MEN. +++
+++ SYSTEM LOG-OFF +++
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

MarcoSkoll

#1008
And now there is actually a reasonable interlude for her to be making log entries, the latest of Rose's thoughts...



> User: Xenati, Rosaline
> Passcode: ********
+++ PASSCODE ACCEPTED +++
> Command: Commence new text log
+++ STARTING ENTRY 8865.rx/5+++

We have Tallulah.

Physically, there are no apparent signs of significant trauma - nevertheless, with evidence that crew on Shadow attempted to sexually assault her, a more thorough medical is obviously a priority.

Mentally, she is very much the worse for wear. As Lady DeGascoigne suspected, she has seemingly regressed to a state at the start of the Tilkisian civil war.

Fortunately, she has been reasonably trusting so far. Unfortunately, this is in spite of our ragged appearance; hardly the spitting image of the Moroan scout regiment we are claiming to be associated with.
This is suggestive of a particularly fractured mental state - likely some form of hallucinatory or dream-like state in which any inconsistencies are overlooked in the greater narrative. However, if we are fortunate, it may be that part of her trust is due to recognition of us on a subconscious level.

Trust however is otherwise in short supply.

Gaenor underwent a protracted dissociative episode, with a crescendo of recklessness and ultimately directly attacking me when I challenged her. With little other choice, forced sedation was required.
Although potential strategies have already been discussed with Lady DeGascoigne, any continued role in this cell will mandate significant improvements and no modicum of contrition.

Sister Taratha has not improved upon that. Despite starting with an arrival well timed enough to border on being one of the miracles that the Sororitas are famed for, it cannot be said that the overall experience of experiencing the Sisterhood in action for the first time has exactly met with their reputation.
She at least appears sufficiently distressed by her actions that I will for now refrain from registering any formal complaint with Lady DeGascoigne. The Inquisitor will doubtless have words anyway simply based on what is said at the debriefing.

We are fractured. The physical trauma can probably be mostly healed. It may result in some bionics and unsightly scarring, but it will not keep us down. Our unity however is in the cesspits.

We are not a team. With the foes we are now facing, that needs to change.

+++ ENTRY 8865.rx/5 ENDS+++
> Command: Encrypt
+++ ENCRYPTING ENTRY 8865.rx/5+++
+++ PROCESSING+++
+++ COMPLETE+++
> Command: Log off
+++ COMMAND ACCEPTED +++
+++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: VIGILANCE IS THE BROTHER OF TRUTH +++
+++ SYSTEM LOG-OFF +++
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

MarcoSkoll

#1009
Figured it was time for a new log entry:




> User: Xenati, Rosaline
> Passcode: ********
+++ PASSCODE ACCEPTED +++
> Command: Commence new text log
+++ STARTING ENTRY 8891.bd/3+++

As the painkillers have now fully kicked in, this will be one of my less formal mission logs, but there have been enough developments over the last two days to merit a speculative assessment rather than merely a factual record of events.

Although Gaenor's outbursts have been unfortunate, she seems to now be trying to make efforts to keep herself under control. She seems to have accepted the assertion that the Fulcrum is the greatest threat. She is still prone to impulsive behaviour - after all, she is still Gaenor - but is responding more to reason, and does not seem to have had any more of her hallucinatory episodes, despite high levels of stress.

Tallulah is now distinguishing her current persona as "Tallie", although what that persona is does again seem to be shifting. In some moments she seems wrong-footed and uncertain, in others she oozes confidence to the point of recklessness. I probably need to talk with her on the latter matter, as she showed a provocative lack of discretion in how she spoke to Gaenor yesterday. Aside from any personal relationship I hope to recover with her, she is still the only one of us who has certain mission critical details (although I'm still uncertain to what extent she is unwilling to pass on that information, and to what extent she is unable).

Taratha has been withdrawn and quiet. She's apparently now fasting, despite the fact we will not have an abundance of food once we land on Tilkis. It would seem this is in protest against the circumstances on this ship.
I've passed on what I feel she needs to know about the mission. Or, more accurately, what I think she would actually be happy to know. She seems to accepted this - but then, of all of us, she takes the concept of blessed ignorance in the most literal sense.

Maya, I have hardly heard from. I've occasionally passed an auspex past her room  to make sure that she is alive and well, but you can almost see the stink of narcotics wafting from under the door. It's no great surprise that she has managed to entirely miss this evening's excitement.

Lionus has probably been the most confidence inspiring over the last two days. He has remained very much on task, despite the unorthodox practices aboard the ship, despite the fact that they must offend his belief in the teachings of both the Ecclesiarchy and Imperial law. Perhaps not overly surprising, given that specialising in operating without support must require the pragmatic and adaptable, but nonetheless welcome.

What did however surprise me on that matter were his apparently candid statements regarding the team. He has at other times seemed almost resentful of being expected to work alongside others, but now seems to be taking anything that threatens the safety of the rest of the team as bordering on a personal insult.

Still, like Tallie, he probably also needs to be somewhat more cautious about what he says around Gaenor.

Outside of this, we have the prospect of mission escalation.

It was somewhat evident this was the case as soon as Lady DeGascoigne mentioned that "V" would be involved.
It hasn't escaped me that this affair is actually the second set of attacks on Tallulah by Inquisition assets who had a large amount of insider knowledge.

Clearly DeGascoigne has investigated that link. At barest minimum, she must have concluded that V had no part in the conspiracy, but it's not hard to imagine that she was recruited for having previously frustrated this plot.
I had hoped to probe her on the matter, but that's now looking doubtful. Unsurprisingly, she remembers that Gaenor attempted to shoot her on their first meeting, and with news of Gaenor's more recent outburst having now made it to this part of the ship, she's been very much on her guard about what she says.

That doesn't really leave anyone else to discuss the implications with. Tallie remembers little of it (although doubtless her godmother has passed on some information, so I may pursue the matter anyway), Maya is unconcerned with anything at the moment, I am not keen on putting Gaenor more on edge, and neither Lionus or Taratha were present at the time.

And it seems unlikely we are going to get the advantage we wanted. Someone having been able to infiltrate this ship with the specific intention of assassinating Tallulah again can only relate to members of the Inquisition with insider knowledge. Staying ahead of our enemies is looking increasingly difficult.

Of an indirect concern to mission escalation is Jax.

I don't have reason to believe she is a threat herself, but it is theoretically possible we could face similar mutations on Tilkis. Obviously, I'm not of a mind to discuss such things with Gaenor, but a strategy may need addressing with Lionus - as and when I can think of a way to phrase it that won't give any passing crew members the idea that we're planning on attacking the first officer again.

All in all, these are not concerns I wanted to have to handle during the last week of comfort we will be seeing in months. I suppose at least it's unlikely that tomorrow's dinner will end up as a stuffy and tedious affair, although hopefully that will be down to this ship being somewhat unorthodox than because of acts of violence.

We'll have to see.

+++ ENTRY 8891.bd/3 ENDS+++
> Command: Encrypt
+++ ENCRYPTING ENTRY 8891.bd/3 +++
+++ PROCESSING+++
+++ COMPLETE+++
> Command: Log off
+++ COMMAND ACCEPTED +++
+++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WEAKENS THE WILL TO ACT +++
+++ SYSTEM LOG-OFF +++
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles

MarcoSkoll

#1010
New personal log from Rose:




> User: Xenati, Rosaline
> Passcode: ********
+++ PASSCODE ACCEPTED +++
> Command: Commence new text log
+++ STARTING ENTRY 8903.dy/7+++

We have now seen our enemies contrive to get at least two assassins on board a ship that does not appear on any official records. An asset which Lady DeGascoigne specifically requisitioned from outside her own organisation.

Tallie suggested that the connection might have gone through DeGascoigne's corrupt seneschal. I doubt this. Inquisitor Lords are not known for their incompetence or complacency, and had there been the slightest hint that the seneschal could have known about these arrangements, the proper response would have been to alter the plans or, at the barest minimum, have notified both us and the ship to be on our fullest guard.

Nonetheless, the leak is obviously at a high level. It is fairly easy to rule out our cell itself, the command crew of the Ynys Mon and Signum cell for having had much more viable ways to sabotage this operation. That leaves primarily further traitors in DeGascoigne's operation, traitors in Rhodes's operation, or lesser ranking crew on the ship.

We can do nothing about the first two. The third is potentially actionable, but unless they choose to make a more direct threat of themselves, the main damage is already done. As we cannot prove where the leak was, we can only now assume that our enemies know the full plan and have done for some time.

If the enemy knows your plans, you change your plan.

The rendezvous for supplies would be the most obvious target for an informed enemy, as it places us at a specific place where we must positively identify ourselves. We will need to decide whether to press on without these resources, or whether we can turn any enemy's attempt to our advantage.
I suspect we need to risk the latter; it will leave us better equipped, most importantly regarding what the enemy does know about our strategy.

The other obvious hazard is that if any threat knows or has guessed our destination, they will already have forces on the ground looking for Tallie. This was always a possibility that made using her status a risk, but now we are aware the enemy is directly targeting her, anything that involves her publicly revealing her identity is a last resort.

Obviously, it's something that will have to be discussed with Lionus when possible. Tallie's advice may be useful, but will need to be considered with caution. While she's unquestionably capable, she has also been rather more overconfident or even reckless of late. It's perhaps not quite what I expected when DeGascoigne warned that her behaviour could become callous, but I can see how they might be linked.

A repeated loss of identity is hardly going to create a person who has healthy long-term goals or a sense of living with the consequences of their actions. While I am not one to tell an Inquisitor Lord how to act, I do wonder how often DeGascoigne has actually witnessed Tallie under circumstances like this. I don't get the impression that she would be likely to be in a high-risk situation with her goddaughter shortly after a mind-wipe. It is even possible that we have a unique perspective. Infiltration agents don't normally work closely surrounded by a team.

In any case, it is something to monitor carefully.

+++ ENTRY 8903.dy/7 ENDS+++
> Command: Encrypt
+++ ENCRYPTING ENTRY 8903.dy/7+++
+++ PROCESSING+++
+++ COMPLETE+++
> Command: Log off
+++ COMMAND ACCEPTED +++
+++ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: TO FAULT THE EMPEROR'S WORD IS AN ACT OF SEDITION +++
+++ SYSTEM LOG-OFF +++
S.Sgt Silva Birgen: "Good evening, we're here from the Adeptus Defenestratus."
Captain L. Rollin: "Nonsense. Never heard of it."
Birgen: "Pick a window. I'll demonstrate".

GW's =I= articles