[greenstuff_gav]

The lander screamed through the atmosphere toward the planet. Tech adept Liwet sighed and deactivated her optics. Adept Steins insistence on pushing everything to its limit was grating on her nerves.

They had both responded to the call out to investigate the silence of Facility S4d-5 on Lachesis IV.
Rumour had it weapons testing happened on the deathworld facility but no-one had expected all data-links to suddenly cease transmission.

No sooner had the pair left the lander they realised something was wrong; according to the data-samples teams of servitors patrolled the area clearing the fast-growing flora from the pathways and yet here an entire forest had sprung up over the fortnight since communications stopped.


The pair advanced into the tree-lines, Liwet stubbornly heading in the opposite direction to Stein


As Adept Stein moved toward this hemispheres access to the facility, he spotted movement in the distance; a heavily armoured person moving in the distance!

Ignoring the warning, Stein replied that this was a Mechanicus Facility and the Inquisiton had no right to issue orders to Mechanicus personnel and activated the door mechanisms.


Whispering an apology to the machine-god, Stein grabbed the control box in his bionic-fist and tore the access panel off and darted inside the facility, closely followed by Liwet.
The Inquisitor charged forward, Liwet narrowly dodging aside as his armoured form disappeared into the facility.
The Inquisitors indentured servitor loped behind, the closing door narrowly missing its feet.

Savant Tassilus was not so lucky and stood helplessly outside, shuddering as rustling in the trees unnerved the timid clerk!

[greenstuff_gav]

The Mechanicus moved swiftly and evaded the Inquisitorial party as the inquisitor hammered at the access hatch in an attempt to rejoin with his savant.

Instead of the plethora of security-adepts, mechanicus agents and humming machinery the pair encountered darkened corridors, flickering spirit-displays  and lack of life.
Stein and Liwet separated again, each hunting for information regarding what had happened in the facility.


As Stein advanced into the facility, he spotted movement across the area; the Inquisitors servitor was visible from its clunky movement and glow of the plasma-weapon!

Liwet, scouting across a building spotted a data-access terminal on an adjacent level. She grit her teeth, took a deep breath and prepared to leap across the gap...


However a scream echoed across the level as Savant Tassilus was attacked by an animate corpse, soaked in blood!


This burst of noise put off Liwets leap and left her hanging from a railing by her hands!


Stein, unable to see where the scream originated, accessed the data-terminal he located, sending an encrypted file back to Magos Rownes orbiting ship.

Liwet, scrambling onto the platform, also accessed a data-terminal to retrieve more data; this time regarding an undocumented weapon amongst the latest shipment.


Advancing toward the lift further into the facility, Liwet spotted the Inquisitor from earlier moving toward her


The Inquisitor advanced, his voice booming in the silence
"Mechanicus! I demand you explain this heresy!"
"what heresy?" Liwet replied "We are investigating this facility, as no doubt you are"
"We have just slain a dead man; a reanimated corpse that attacked my savant!"

Unbeknownst to Liwet, the Inquisitors Servitor advanced behind her as Adept Stein exited a chapel-office adjacent to it


Spotting the Servitors' plasma-cannon, Stein turned to the machine and deactivated the weapon before turning to the arguing pair "we need to leave! Now!"
Stein barged past Liwet and the mechanicus entered the lift further into the facility...

[greenstuff_gav]

As the Mechanicus ventured deeper into the warren of tunnels and testing areas they encountered a group of mercenaries and dishevelled security-adepts, barricading the access to the research area.


The Adepts crept alongside the corridors, noting how the Inquisitor and security forces traded fire-power


As the Adepts approached the guards opened fire, las-rounds pattering off the walls.
the Adepts drew their weapons and fired back, stub and bolt rounds impacting on the guards lightly armoured forms


While the guards fought in a crossfire from the Adepts and the Inquisition team, Liwet worked her way across to close the gap with the nearest guards

However Stien was glanced by a lucky shot, his bolt carbine blasted out of his hand!
As he staggered another lucky shot impacted with his chest, sending the Adept sprawling


After a frenzied fire-fight, Liwet, Stien and the Inquisitor stormed the battlements, smashing the guards to the ground. While the Adepts took care to to inflict crippling injuries the Inquisitor showed no such mercy!

[greenstuff_gav]

Both teams entered the main testing facility and were met by a scene of carnage; bodies piled up in front of a bloated deamon, released from the undocumented weapon!
Both teams vowed this monster must be slain!


Stein advanced, stopping in shock at the grotesque scene in front of him

However one of the newly-animated corpses moaned and began to advance toward the Adept


Both Adepts readied their weapons and poured fire-power into the advancing zombies


One zombie lurched forward and lunged toward Stien who calmly blocked its swing and in a counter managed to rip gouges out of it

as it staggered Stien concentrated and tore more chunks out of his attacker


However his attacks drew more and more zombies toward him and he grit his teeth, spotting the Inquisitor and Plasma-cannon servitor pouring fire-power into the plague-daemon, so long as the mechanicus could draw the fallen the Inquisitor could do his work!


Liwet however didn't fare so well and had to barge her way past grabbing arms to fall back, pouring fire-power into the approaching horde!


As the swarm threatened to overrun both adepts, there was the howling and Stien saw the daemon blasted apart by bolt and plasma fire!


The orbital lander ascended out of the atmosphere at a more serene pace; while the daemon had been slain and a joint force of Mechanicus teams and Inquisitorial agents purged the facility to return it to efficient operations several of the Rogue Traders crew had escaped with a a selection of xenos and warp-based weapons, no doubt the items making their way into the Carthax Cold Trade...

[greenstuff_gav]

so, as only one player turned up i wasn't able to run all the finales.
Having learnt from The Eramus Affair, i'd planned Lachesis to be self-running allowing myself and Olis to play, distributing NPC rolls between us.

i'll post the scenario pack after Ancient Rites as some scenarios maybe duplicated, but there's more pictures here:
http://buildyourimagination.co.uk/minis/lachesis.php

At the end of scenario 3, i was winning in Victory Points 30/22 but let Olis choose which Finale to play, him choosing to hunt a daemon.
Olis' amazing Zombie killing spree won him the day 46/36!

i had fun and have some modifications to make!

[MarcoSkoll]

so, as only one player turned up

...Ooh. I'm sorry about that.
Things just didn't turn out right on this end for me to make it - which, in addition to missing out on wargaming, means I've still got tedious real life things to sort out, gorramit.

I hope you guys enjoyed yourself, at least!

[TheNephew]

Great write-up, and nice bunch of snaps.

I really liked the idea of a PvPvE-type set-up - did you get to play it out like that, or were numbers too limited to do it justice?

As I just said in another thread, I'd have really liked to make it to this - sadly, turns out Bath and Nottingham are functionally almost equally inconvenient/expensive for me to get to.
If you do decide to run another one, I'll put some effort into tracking down a place to crash the night before, so I can not only be there, but be a heck of a lot fresher and more alert than I was at the Autumn Conclave. I'm fairly sure I've still got people out West.

[Also, I found your home-crafted nametag in my pocket when I got home from the Autumn one, and still have every intention of returning it.]

[greenstuff_gav]

the name tag you can keep

on pvpve i planned it that way; originally Lachesis was a co-op campaign; each player controlling one character, forming into crews as they descended into the facility, but i think it was a bit too wild an idea for a conclave meetup and more suited to regular gaming groups!
i think it worked well; my simple NPC rules kept things moving and i think the PVE helped balance things; the inquisitor could have taken both adepts at once had he not been distracted!
the inability of NPCs to do much does worry me; it could be the plasmacannon / powerarmour combo but Olis was removing zombies left right and centre!