My Warband.

[Kaled]

For many years, her skill went unnoticed; providing entertainment to her friends and earning small money, but not often.

Given the intolerance of witches and the fact that many in the under hive would gladly turn her in for the reward, this part of her story seems pretty unlikely. If she was so famous it seems unlikely the authorities wouldn't have taken her in. And I'm not sure why the factory owner exiled her rather than just killing her.

During their time there, the Admiral Lukas Goodwill heard rumours of the young girl who could see into the future. ... at some point Lukas declared he no longer had an interest in the young woman, and had her sent to the Schola Psykana to be tested for witchcraft.

I'd have thought that someone who had reached the rank of Admiral would know better than to bring a dangerous rogue psyker aboard a starship. As far as I can see her time withe the Admiral is unimportant to her story so why not just have her tracked down and captured by agents of a Blackship.

Of course Camera possessed psychic talents; none of the headmasters at the Schola disagreed with that. However, the question was how she might best be used.  Divination is not an art useful in the imperial guard, as it is not specific enough for military operations. Nor is it generally accepted within the other branches of imperial governance

I'd have thought she could be put to work in the Administratum advising on future tithe trends, or in the Arbites attempting to predict uprisings, or in the Guard attempting to predict enemy invasion plans. I can imagine that there are many within the Imperium who would seek to employ someone who could predict the future. Or she could be taken on by one of the Ordos, or a cell or regional Conclave who might want to utilise her powers. It seems unlikely that being taken on by an individual Inquisitor would be her only way out of the Scholastia Psykana (note the spelling).

Psychic Powers: Psycholocation, Time Ward, Gaze of Death.

Her abilities here don't really tally with the story of her not being useful to another part of the Imperium. If she can track a quarry she should have been of use to the Arbites, and with the ability to foretell the course of a battle and kill with a glance she could have been a battle psyker.

Heavy Dress on all locations (AV2)

I find the amount of people in the Imperium whose clothing is sufficient to count as AV2 a little unlikely (but it's something I've probably been guilty of in the past). I'd suggest AV1 to most locations probably makes more sense with maybe chest and abdomen reinforced in some way to provide some measure of protection seeing as by working for the Inquisition she is likely to see combat.

EDIT: Thinkng about it, why not rewrite her story so she's born in the underhive and starts to develop powers before being bought by a factory owner who thinks he can use her powers to help his rise beyond his station. He doesn't like what he hears so turns her into the Blackships who then find out about him trafficking psykers which leads to his downfall - and so her prophesy becomes true. She is sent to the Scholastia Psykana and is trained to use her powers to determine the course of a battle and kill with a glance. She seems destined to give her life fighting on the battlefield, but instead is saved from that fate by the Inquisitor who plans for her to help him in his own fight against the enemies of the Imperium.

Hope that's useful.

- Dave

[MEHughes]

Kaled, fancy writing the background for all my characters? Great idea, I'm going to flesh it out over the next few days.

My thought was that basically if you have money and influence in the Imperium you can do almost anything. But yeah, I can agree with all the comments given

I think I will change it to a single digi flamer

[Kaled]

Glad the idea is useful - I look forwards to seeing what you make of it.

My thought was that basically if you have money and influence in the Imperium you can do almost anything

I'm not sure which that bit was in response to but while it is true to a certain extent there are limits...

[Dolnikan]

It just depends on how much wealth and influence one has, for instance, the patriarch of one of the great navigator houses can do almost everything, but that is many levels of wealth and influence above even the governor of the most powerful worlds.

[MEHughes]

Hello again,

Thanks to all for their help with this character; the community here is so helpful, and your knowledge has certainly improved her background.
So here we go


Lady Camera Delopheles.
The well renowned Lady Camera Delopheles was not always of such high status. She was born on the filth hive world of Puntar V, into the vile underhives no less, where crime, heresy and mutation were common place. The vast majority of those who lived in the underhives worked for one of the big 14 planetwide corporations, primarily as labourers in huge munitions factories.
                           Her psychic talents first started to develop at the age of seven. Here, she was bought her first set of Imperial Tarot cards, and along with some friends, started playing games with them in the dark back alleys of the underhive. It soon became apparent to the young lady that she was not normal by any sense of the word; things which she predicted through the cards came true soon after.
                           It did not take long for the local factory owner to notice the young girl's talents, and took him even less time to decide to use the girl for his own gains. He uses the girl to successfully predict market fluctuations and outwit his opponents. Until the girl was 19, this was her life. She had little reward for her service; living in conditions barely better than the labourers. Then, during a standard prediction which took place every month, something went wrong. The cards presented a future less than appealing; cards featured including Judgement, the Emperor's Wrath and the Traitor's Gibbet. The factory owner was not pleased by this prediction, or by the girl's growing egotism and defiance. In a fit of rage, he turned her over to the Blackships.
            Ironically, this decision turned out to be his downfall. Aboard the Blackship was an Ordo Hereticus Inquisitor who had been tracking a sector wide Psyker Smuggling Ring. The Inquisitor had reason to believe that the factory owner was part of a long chain of Psyker farms and holding facilities which must be broken. He was correct, and the factory owner was duly executed. And so, the Emperor's Wrath befell Puntar V.
                     Camera was judged whilst among the Blackship, and she was deemed strong enough to attend the Scholastia Psykana. Here she trained for seven years, learning how to determine the course of a battle and how to kill with a mere glance. When she completed her training, it seemed certain she was destined for a life of warfare, of constant battle against the enemies of mankind.
                  However, this was not to be the case. Her leaving of the Scholastia was delayed, first by days, then by months. She then discovered this was due to the fact she had been requisitioned by an Inquisitor, who had to travel from the Eastern Fringe to collect her.  Inquisitor Djon Reprex was a well known man of great intelligence, duty and honour. He had served in the Arbites before becoming an Inquisitor, and Camera was looking forward to working with him. When he arrived, Camera was surprised. She had expecting an aging man, with perhaps a glorious entourage of warriors and sages. What she was met with was a middle aged, willow thin man who had arrived on a small freight ship passing through the system. It was then that Lady Camera Delopheles knew that this was not going to be the career she had expected.
WS   BS   S   T   I   WP   SG   NV   LD
31   37   39   43   66   76   73   51   46
Special Abilities: Warpsight.
Psychic Powers: Psycholocation, Time Ward, Gaze of Death.
Equipment: Heavy Dress on all locations (AV1) Reinforced on Chest and Abdomen (AV2) Two throwing knives, Psychic Foci, Advanced Aesthetically Pleasing Bionic Left Arm ( No S Bonus, incorporates a single digital inferno weapon) Laspistol.

Thanks for reading Again, any criticism and advice is welcome. I'm hoping to also present another character soon, but we'll see how this one is recieved first

[Dolnikan]

She's much better now. I just wonder how she got renowned, her inquisitor seems like someone who likes to work in the background and such a person certainly would not like one of his servants to get famous. Otherwise she is very interesting.

[MEHughes]

Yeah I might take that out haha, I realised afterwards that it made no sense.
The Inquisitor will be the next character

[Kaled]

I agree - it looks good to me.  Dolnikan has a good point, how did she become well renowned? And in what way is she renowned? And is she known across a whole sector? Or just a single world?

I forget, did you say what model you plan to use for her?

[MEHughes]

I may have done
But yeah, my group play INQ28. So the model is based on the Vampire Countess with the hair and headpiece thing removed, the Cadian Commander Bionic Arm with a transplanted laspistol from some anonymous sergeant, and I believe the other arm is from another cadian of some description, although I can't for the life of me remember where. It's all in all a fairly conservative posture that I think quite suits the character. I'll try to post up a photo if I can get hold of a good camera over the weekend

[MEHughes]

Good day everyone!
I have here the notes version of my Inquisitor. I have yet to fully fluff it out, but it should be enough for you guys to take a look at the rules in their context. Cheers!

Inquisitor Djon Reprex.

Birth on Garden World, into Noble Family.  It soon became apparent at a young age that all was not normal. Psychic torture of small animals. Then servants of the family. Eventually, he was tested and discovered to have traces of psychic powers. Sent to Schola Psykania.

Exceptionally talented telepath, skilled at ripping apart mental defences and causing pain. Naturally suited for a career in the Adeptus Arbites as a psychic interrogator. Instructors worried about clearly sadistic tendencies, and as such issued a warning alongside his deployment, but the Arbites care not for such trivial matters, only that he was willing to serve the Emperor.

For several decades, served in the Arbites, moved from world to world and sector to sector as his powers were needed. In this time, he was instrumental in the removal of a genestealer cult; ripping the location of the patriarch from his prisoner's mind. He also found the name of a notorious mutant freedom fighter that proved instrumental in preventing a full scale rebellion. Perhaps most importantly, engaged in psychic duel with Chaos Magus and won.

His talents quickly bought him to the attention of the Inquisition. He was offered the chance to work for famous monodominant Izak Godwin, and agreed. He took great pleasure in ripping information from his victim's minds. On occasion, even Godwin was shocked by the pleasure he took in his abilities.   

After nearly 20 years of serving the Inquisitor, Godwin started training him as his successor. This seemed to be the logical choice to make; Djon was enthusiastic, young and yet well trained. His natural skills would serve him well in the Inquisition. Djon trained for roughly 7 years, and then was awarded with his own Inquisitorial Rosette.

During this time, Djon learned how to use his talents in a more subtle light. Instead of ripping apart his victims, he started to examine them, he became obsessed with the effect that conflict had on the human mind. He already had some theories when he worked with the Arbites, but now with his new found powers he could investigate this in greater detail. Using his influence, he spent several years with the Cadian XXII regiment, fighting alongside the Guardsmen against the Orks. He also studied, without the guardsmen's consent, the effect of conflict on the men. He reached the conclusion that not only did constant conflict strengthen the mind's mental defences; it also improved the strength of the soul.

Djon searched through piles of ancient texts, seeking to find words of ancient philosophers that would confirm his beliefs. He learned of Istavaanism, of the struggle of brave men to reforge humanity into a force truly omnipotent. Djon wrote a long manuscript, entitled The Search for the Emperor's Strength. In his manuscript, he detailed his theory that by improving the strength of human souls through conflict, the Emperor's strength would be restored so that one day he might walk again among Mankind.
Knowing this to be the truth, Djon set off among the stars, earning passage from world to world on small freight craft, merchants, traders and the like. He was looking for company, for a band of trustworthy men and women who might understand and one day believe his philosophy.  It was then that he heard of Lady Camera Delopheles, a potent psyker who could peer into the future. She had been commissioned to fight on the front lines among Guardsmen, but Djon intervened. He wanted a young, potent psychic mind among his retinue, and this young lady would do him great justice.

WS   BS   S   T   I   WP   SG   NV   LD
61   64   57   54   62   88   71   72   71
Special Abilities: Psyker.
Psychic Abilities: Punish Mind, Terrify, Mind Scan.
Equipment: Reinforced Carapace Armour on Chest and Abdomen (AV6), Fibermesh suit elsewhere (AV2) Conversion Shield Generator, Bolt Pistol with two reloads, knife.

Comments and Criticism welcome, thanks for reading

[Dolnikan]

Training would take a bit longer I guess, but that depends on previous experience etcetera. I like how he came to istvaanianism, taking the first steps before knowing of the philosophy and then finding traces of beliefs that match his own, very fitting for the universe.

[MEHughes]

I didn't think it was that bad considering some people propose characters that are in their 20s and 30s. My Inquisitor is roughly in his 80s. Of course, that's younger when you apply all the surgery and such. I think this character is alot more tight in my head, in terms of his story and such, and I think that reflects in the notes

[Dolnikan]

I think I made a small error there, I somehow got into my head that he had only served for seven years, stupid, stupid me. He certainly has the proper age, having enough experience to be an inquisitor, there also would have already been plenty of training before it formally started, or at the very least he would have learned many of the relevant skills.

[MEHughes]

My third and final character ( for now! )


Beast-Gladiator Aston Rumkin.
Birth on Cadia. Grew up trained in military procedure and passed out into the Cadian XXII regiment. Fought on numerous battlefields, first as a Guardsman, then a Sergeant, then a Platoon Leader. Until age 22. Also fought alongside Inquisitor Djon Reprex.

Nearly died in the failed defence of the Charchan system. He was passed out on a battle field when he was captured by the Orks. Like most prisoners, he was put into a primal munitions factory powering the Ork war machine. He led a revolution that nearly succeeded. Instead of just killing him, Ork Warboss was cunning and sold him to a gang of slavers passing through the system. The slavers knew they could get a high price for the warrior by selling him to the gladiator pits on a nearby hive world.
So Rumkin was sold, given a spear and taught to fight in the gladiator pits. He fought against all sorts of foul men and creatures, making a name for himself among the shadows of the underhive. Rumkin was beginning to lose faith in the hope he might be rescued, and as such focused himself on his bloody art. He became a master with the spear, and soon his name travelled into the stars. He was known simply as the Steel Spear, due to the heavy armour plates on his shoulders and the spear which had tasted a thousand shades of blood.
Inquisitor Djon Reprex was travelling on his way to pick up Lady Camera from the Schola Psykana, when he heard tales of the Steel Spear; This man, if he existed and his prowess was what he heard, would be good evidence of Djon's Istaavanian theories. Djon arrived in the gladiator pit, and the owner agreed that Djon could have the warrior, providing he could beat the Steel Spear in bloody combat.
He was not aware of two things; Inquisitor Reprex and Rumkin had fought alongside each other against the orks, nor was he aware that Djon was an Inquisitor at all. So when Reprex clambered into the ring, declared his title and announced Rumkin was now at the service of the Emperor. Rumkin had no problem with this; in fact he was ecstatic that, in his eyes, the Emperor had called him back to his arms. The pit owner was not so keen, and opposed Djon with every resource at his disposal. There were no survivors, save Djon and Rumkin.
Rumkin now serves Djon, both as personal bodyguard and loyal soldier. Unbeknown to Rumkin, he is a fascinating study for his current master; evidence that conflict breeds stronger humans souls.

WS   BS   S   T   I   WP   SG   NV   LD
81   63   67   62   63   58   41   61   41
Special Abilities: Strength Boost, Big Game Hunter.
Equipment: Heavy Plate Armour over Carapace (AV7 on Chest, AV6 elsewhere), Spear, Autopistol with reload, Mars Pattern Lasgun with Laser Sight.

[Dolnikan]

A nice character, there however are a few points which strike me as odd.

1) Why would the owner gamble away his best fighter that easily without standing to gain a lot, after all, the steel spear would have been a major profit-maker for him.
2) Why the plate over carapace armour? Just the plate armour would be quite heavy already.
3) His background makes him seem like a natural leader, with the rising to command a platoon and leading a revolt in an ork-held factory. That does not seem like a simple warrior to me but more like a leader-type character. His leadership is very low for someone who has done such things.