[Myriad]

Hi all.  After a long lay off from the game, I've managed to organise a short narrative campaign to be played at York Garrison club.  Using entirely Myself and Holiad's models for the moment, sadly, but there have been one or two "I'll get a few models' comments.

--
++Incoming Transmission++

We have received word that the Imperial courier ship Interminable has crash landed under mysterious circumstances, upon the deserted imperial world, designation 5436.01.  As you may be aware, it was transporting a tome, designation ‘Deus Ex’, believed to host a powerful demon and of particular interest to the inquisition.  Final transmissions indicate an internal malfunction and energy readings indicate increasing output from the engines.  Given the neighbouring planet is a hive world and major trade hub in the area, you can well understand the implications.  

++End Transmission++
--

This disaster in the making has drawn the attention of inquisitor Terwyn

the usual concerned citizens

and the local techpriest


Scenario one saw them endeavouring to attain the door codes to the main section of the ship (which is inconveniently locked down), from a seperated comms section of the ship.

You can see the main comms section in the centre, surrounded by scattered crates, although there is also a terminal in the building behind it.  Lok and Ta'gonn are moving on from the right, Brother Hospitallier RJ and Jops on the left, Terwyn and Kaeirnfel (not a squat) sheltering round the central building and Maog sLaan Stromm and Princess Goss in the top left.

Terwyn froze in the shadow of the building scans indicated contained a terminal, detecting movement inside.  "Inquisition.  Come out and explain yourself", she declared confidently.  "Don't hurt me," came the nervous reply, "I'm just a tech".

Jops strode towards the central processing unit, flipping open a crate to find a pair of melta bombs.  Thinking they would help him open doors he pocketed them.  As he straightened up he noticed a carapce armoured figure bearing a grenade launcher standing by the other crate.  Easing his autopistols from their holsters, he yelled out a challenge.
"We represent a militant order.  Identify yourself before the gaze of the emperor."



"Here to kill demons," was the terse reply, as the figure flipped open the crate and extracted another brace of melta bombs (the players kept rolling well for crates.  Judging by the scenario, I may regret including these, but I wanted to give players an alternate means of opening bulkheads).

"Walk alongside us for this fight then." RJ cut in authoritatively. "Get the codes Jops."
(Note that throughout this scenario I generously assumed the crusaders had failed to notice the tau symbol on Ta'Gonn's armour.  If they persist in cooperating in such an annoying fashion, this won't last.)

"Shoddy, shoddy", Kaeirnfel muttered to himself, crouched over the terminal, tapping the runes to activate it.  "Let me hel.." the tech began, cut short as the wall behind Kaeirnfel disintegrated as a beam of plasma scorched across his left leg. Mind racing, he dived over the terminal to shelter behind it, looking up to see a red robed figure advance towards him, flanked by a many headed apparition.

Fire blazed across his vision as Terwyn rounded the corner of the building, throwing the figure to the ground and sending him scurrying for cover.  She turned her gaze upon the apparition and an invisible force picked it up and threw it threw the air.  

"Get the codes," she remarked casually.  "I'll cover you."


Lok raised his scarred head with a hiss as the apparition flew through the air, suddenly alert.  Drawing his stubber he ran forwards, snapping off shots.  Behind him RJ studied the door controls before, comprehending little, raising his powersword and levering the door open.


Ignoring the tech (same one as earlier) Jops entered the control room, hitting a few buttons and somehow hitting the one to turn it on.  Suddenly there was another flash of light, accompanied by a cry of "what are you doing", and a stabbing pain in his arm.  He hastily hightailed it back out the door, Ta'gonn hiding a smirk (yes, he failed his nerve test after being.
"Damn kid shot me" he said as he regained his composure.  Drawing his chainswords he ducked beneath another shot as he entered the chamber.  "I'm with a militant order of the Emperor.  Lay down your arms and download the door codes."  The colour drained from the tech's face and his pistol arm lowered.

"Yes, sir." he muttered, moving over to the terminal.
--
Chips fell from the wall, starting Kaeirnfel from his concentration to notice the many headed apparition had snuck into the building and opened fire on him.  As he reached for his weapon Terwyn's voice stopped him.  "I said, I've got this"  She gestured, and the apparition was once again flung through the air, bouncing off the astonished Lok.



With a feral snarl, he raised his powerfist, only to be preempted by a loud crack from RJ's bolt carbine.  With a hissing noise the demon evapourated.
Kaeirnfel tapped a final few buttons on the terminal.  "Tha should do fer tha, " he muttered, lifted his stormbolter above the level of the terminal and spraying fire at the red robed techpriest.  The explosive ammunition smashed into the figure, throwing him to the ground. "And tha fer tha." He finished, pocketing the data slate calmly and standing up, only to be thrown back to his feet as a frag grenade (fired by Ta'Gonn) exploded at Terwyn's feet, throwing the inquistor to the ground.

The tech handed a slate to Jops.  "There you go sir." RJ took it solemnly.
"Let us leave now and take this fight to the source of the corruption," he intoned solemly. The two crusaders left the building, heading back to their camp.

Opening a crate, Lok smiled as he found a brace of melta bombs.  That would cleanse the psyker from that building.  He ran forwards, priming one, but the device proved clumsy for throwing and it slipped from his fingers, emitting a dull bleep.  With reflexes belying his scarred frame, Lok dove clear.

"Are ye all right lass?" Kaeirnfel muttered to Terwyn.

Terwyn flipped up to her knees, readying her needle pistol.  "Just follow your ord.." she began to growl, forstalled as the remaining wall (I really need deconstructable terrain) was blown inwards.  "I'll deal with these." she finished, cooly anpping off a shot at a diving figure.

"Emperor's exploding edifices.  Ahve worked in active volcanoes tha exploded less.  Time tae split."  After a final sweep with her needle pistol, Terwyn followed after him.

Realising the terminal in the building was beyond use, Ta'Gonn turned to view the main terminal building, just as it was engulfed in fire amid demonic laughter (the tech's possession never got triggered, but I figured I would end the scenario this way, irked by Lok's admittedly in character disregard for his objectives).

So, RJ and Terwyn have the door codes.  Lok has no door codes, but enough meltabombs (9) to demolish half the ship if he has to.  Laan Stromm will be clanking as he walks for some time, but isn't out of the campaign yet.

[ismeno]

What a great game, tnx for the battle rep!

[Myriad]

Thank you for the comment.  Scenario 2.  With the militant order taking a breather, all the players have to do is get into the (rather medieval looking since I didn't have space hulk handy) spaceship and find a way through to the cargo hold.  There are three entrances there, guarded by bulkheads, and those arches are all also sealed.



"Nae trouble here," Kaern muttered, as the door to the interminable slid seemlessly open. "but tha aint sa good," he muttered as a demon confronted him.  Any concern was cut swiftly short as Terwyn dived into the room, dispatching the demon with a single swish from her force staff.  A noisome stench rose from the remains, causing the inquisitor to pass out.  "Jus great,"  muttered Kaern, stepping over his prone boss to continue exploring the ship.



Lok smiled cruelly as the melta bomb blew the entrance to the interminable inwards, revealing a T-junction, turning to wave Ta'Gonn to the left.

The evil Techpriest LaanStromm Swiftly hacked through the entrance, walking through into a wide hallway, only to find himself covered in sticky spiderwebs.  Tearing them off him with a curse, he proceeded along the main corridor of the ship at a quick pace, only to find himself thwarted by a door which, buckled by the blows of his crab-like demon-host, resisted all attempts to hack into the system and open it.



Climbing slightly unsteadily to her feet, Terwyn storde forwards with renewed purpose, Only for a sticky web to drop from the ceiling, ensnaring her thoroughly as tiny spiders swarmed all over her.  As a bite grazed a leg, she dimly recognised the symptoms of hallucinogen toxin before her vision was swamped by illusory spiders.  She was only dimly aware of the cry of "who goes there!" as laser bolts glanced off her carapace armour, and a muffled explosion against the door to the room.

"It will burn" hissed Lok, fixing a second melta bomb to the door.  With a crash the door blew inwards and a great chunk of masonry fell from the ceiling, glancing against his leg and blcking the doorway (Terwyn lucked out here I guess).  "Better try the other way" Ta'Gonn cut in from behind him.



Started alert by the explosion, Terwyn ducked back round the corner, tearing the web from her legs.  "Back me up here Kaern" she ordered.  Kaern turned from spraying the neighbouring room with stormbolter fire.  "Crivens, wha happened.  Thought inquisitors werr mean' ta be tough."

Stubber fire pinged down the corridor past Laan's head.  With a final smash of his fist against the door frame he turned, directing searing plasma fire back down the corridor.  With a flick of his mind he directed Odir to kill the armoured figures impeding him.

Turning at the sound of heavy footsteps, Ta'Gonn ducked just in time to avoid a swinging crab's claw.  Going into a seemless backwards roll he toggled his grenade launcher to semi- automatic fire and opened fire.  Lok and Laan were both thrown to the ground as two frag grenades exploded against the crab monster, and a huge section of the ceiling fell down, blocking the corridor. 



Cut off from Lok, Ta'Gonn set off back to the entrance at a run.  On the other side of the cave-in, Odir's wounds had already begun to knit.  Turning down the one route remaining to him, Lok blew the door with another melta bomb, fierely swiping with his power fist as a tentacled monstrosity charged him.  The stench of scorhed flesh filled the air, Lok calmly stepping through the smoking remains.

Finally getting the door open, Laan found himself confronted by two demons.  "You will obey me" he snarled, raising his demon sword.  With a hiss of defiance, the demons charged (rolled a 100).



"Inquisition," Terwyn yelled round the corner. "Stop shooting or I'll fry you.  What happened here?" she asked, stepping round the corner as the barrage of laser bolts dissipated.

"Someone eased the containment field on the cargo hold.  Then those demon's started appearing.  We've been able to hold out in the chapel here."



"Anything else I should know" Terwyn demanded , stepping past them to tap at the door.  With a shower of sparks the panel exploded (rolled another 100). "And is there another way out?"

"Well, there is the back way we sealed to prevent incursion.." the guard began, to be cut short by a cry from Kaern.

"Heads up lass."  Terwyn turned to see a demon standing over the eviscerated corpse of the tech.  With a cry of alarm she gestured, hurling the demon down the corrider.

"Back way.  Now."  She ordered as the guard opened a hidden panel at the back of the chapel.  As she stepped through into the stream heading down to the cargo bay, another demon appeared and jumped her (they started materialising when the GM got bored).  Dispatching it with a swish of her staff, she caught a whiff of the same stench as earlier and with a great spray fell into the water.  With a resigned sigh Kaern hefted her over his shoulder and trudged through to the cargo bay.



Pausing to catch his breath as Lok blew another door in, Ta'Gonn launcehd 3 grenades into the room, destroying the two demons present, his ammo count clicking down to '1'.  Hearing an answering roar from behind, he turned to find another demon almost upon him.  Drawing his laserpistol in one smooth motion, he desperately opened fire.  Much to his surprise, the demon was knocked backwards and began to dissolve into smoke.

Raising his penultimate melta bomb, Lok prepared to blast through to the cargo bay.  They was a slicing sound behind him and he turned to see Ta'Gonn wipe his shortsword clear of demon blood.

"Now to cleanse this at the source."



Pursued by an ever increasing mass of demons, Laan furtively ducked down a hatcway to the cargo bay, leaving Odir to deal with the mass of attackers.

[ismeno]

Nice! Seems like you guys had a really fun game!

[Myriad]

Well we've finished this campaign off and devolved to WFB for the moment 

Kaled's posting of some rules for lesser demons proved to be quite timely - as GM I didn't intend the pride of my undead army (now christened Nagyth) to go down without a fight!  The deus ex itself is the chair at the centre of the temple of skulls.



Terwyn glanced round the cavernous cargo hold, singing the archivist Jools and Kaern to circle round to her left.  The lighting was failing, and a hemispherical force field crackled some distance away.  "Looks like our objective" she muttered, strolling forward before stooping.  A line of chalk ran in a broken circle, inscribed with arcane symbols.  "Not right, not right at all" she continued muttering nervously.  She straightened decisively. "I'm going to check out that force field, see if I can restore the bindings.  Cover me."

Ed clutched his shotgun , nervously taking a defensible position, thinking gloomily that he was probably the last surviving crewman.  As he reviewed once again the basic combat training he'd never expected to use, a patch of darkness seemed to detach itself.  With a cry he snapped off a shot, and the shadows went still.  Emboldened, he strode forwards, uncaring of the chalk line he'd stepped across.
"I walk in the emperor's light.  Show yourself demon."

"Ed, ya great...crivens!"  Kaern finished as, with a menacing roar and a blast of cold air, a patch of the shadows detached and engulfed the luckless Ed. an arm falling to the deck in a blood spray.  Confronted by the skeletal visage of Nagyth, Ed passed clean away. "Whate'er yer doing, lass, now would be good."  Setting his stormbolter to full auto, he laid down a barrage of fire, blasting scales into the air.  With a hiss, Nagyth backed backwards into the shadows, dragging the luckless Ed with him.  (Poor shotgun Ed.  He was in danger of upstaging the player characters, and naturally had to go.) 



On the other side of the cargo hold, a smaller shadow shifted imperceptibly as Krud spotted Terwyn  moving towards the deus ex.  Silently he levelled his fusil, and a ball of warp plasma spat across the cavern, slamming into Terwyn's arm and slamming her to the ground.  Krud slipped back into the shadows and closed on the artefact, shaking his weapon and hissing "reload, reload," in hrudic.

Jools slipped a bolt round into his revolver and, gripping his shortsword, stepped toward the chalk line.

"Stay back ye fool.  It may be unable to cross the chalk." Kaern yelled. Steeling himself, Jools took another step.

"Ed may yet live.  I will abandon no man to the abomination.  The emperor will protect."  Slipping into a recitation refined by his order for years to ward off demons, Jools ran at the shadows where Nagyth had been seen, sending his bolt round smashing into one of the demon's legs.  Not pausing in his stride, he reached for another round.  Roaring his fury, Nagyth gaped, and a blast of cold air engulfed Jools' left leg, closely followed by the flung ed bouncing off the wall behind him.  With an unfurling of wings, the dragon once again pounced.  Jools twisted to one side, but the cold of the void had seeped into his leg and it twisted under him, leaving him open to a casual swipe, slamming him against the door.
"Ah warned her about them priests," muttered Kaern,"useless, fools, the lot a them."  Hefting his stormbolter, he circled to help Terwyn.



Terwyn lurched to one side as the walkway rocked from Jools' impact with the building, before stumbling towards the control panel at the other end.  She cocked her head to one side as a low chant in an unfamiliar tongue filled the cavern, and the shadows seemed to thicken.  With a shiver she continued across.

"Who tha heck?" Kaern challenged, confronted by the armoured figure of Ta'gon.
"With him."  Ta'Gon nodded to the figure of Lok, who with a bestial yell had leapt at the demon, laying about him with his powerfist, although the demon's form somehow merged with the shadows and none of the blows landed. (Lok had a bad day.  His membership of the insane witchhunter's guild is currently under review)
"Seems a fine fella," Kaern nodded."Think we should help?"



Terwyn slammed a fist against the console in frustration, her efforts to restore the binding futile.  Ignoring his assailant, Nagyth leapt up onto the building, his voice thundering through the cavern as he sent a blast of cold air past the console."Get away from there!"

"Always need resuing bosses, don't they?", Ta'gon said companiably, sending two frag grenades thudding into Nagyth.
"Yer tellin me." Kaern grumbled, letting rip a further salvo from his stormbolter.

Clambering up unto the building, Lok once again launched himself at the demon, but his powerfist just slammed down into the roof of the building.  Cursing, he tugged at his arm, trying to free the claw.

While Nagyth was distracted by the fusilade, Terwyn abandoned the terminal and closed on the deus ex herself.  Squinting through the thickening shadows, she gathered her powers and began to chant a binding, attempting to bind the artefact to her will.

Below, Jools staggered to his feet, still chanting the word of the emperor, but as he neared the artefact visions of the black void filled his mind and he collapsed unconscious.  Aware of an alien will pushing against her own, Terwyn squinted into the shadows.   Something seemed to snap inside the artefact, aligning with the xenos will, and she was suddenly aware of a diminutive robed figure sharing the dais with her. 



Nagyth's roar penetrated through the cavern as he landed on the dais, sending up a cloud of dust.
"I will not be bound," his soft voice somehow carrying through the cavern as he swiped at the xenos figure.  Dodging nimbly, the figure dove from the dais, once again fading into the shadows.

Not replying, Terwyn raised her staff, and a slew of fireballs slammed into the demon.  With a low cry the demon's form seemed to melt back into the shadows.



"Kaern!", she snapped.  "Find the xenos."  She was cut off as a ball of plasma spat from the shadow, melting through her breastplate.  As she lay dazed, Krud swooped across her vision, taking the deus ex with him.



"No." she muttered, gathering the last of her will and sending the wall of the temple crashing after the xenos.  "Better be en.." darkness claimed her mind.

---
Terwyn woke in her ship's med bay.  "The xenos?" she commanded tersely.
"I never saw no xenos lass, before or after the fight.  If there was one, it's long gone."  Kaern's brow furrowed.
"and the deus ex?  Is is contained"
"We found it under the toppled wall lass, and the buildup of warp energy has abated.  We weren't able to restore the bindings though.  Ah guess it jus' burnt out". Kaern explained reassuringly.
"No!" Terwyn exclaimed. "No, that can't be right."
"Well, yer organisation's got people ta take a looksee, aint it?"

[ismeno]

Great fun game once again! Some epic moments. Sorry to hear that youre into WFB now Hope you'll be back!