40K/Inquisitor RPG. The Line of Damnation.

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2005-01-22 06:34am

The Medicae finished detatching the Assassain's augmetic spleen, which on closer inspection was riddled with shrapnel. He then reached for the replacement organ, which wasn't there. "Argh! Where did I put it, where?" He fussed off, leaving Niner standing in a corner with his guts spilling out. He didn't seem to mind.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-22 06:37am

Watching the medicae at work gave him the notion that perhaps it was better that he was always hauled in after being battered into unconsciousness. He nodded politely to the assassin, shamelessly staring at his innards.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2005-01-22 11:06am

The figure towered over everyone prasent even in his loose silk robes, and without his coustomary armour, the dark haired man was a gaint half again the size of his fellow men, The gathered members of the sword knew that the new unit they were to be training with for the first time was something special, they were led by an actual MARINE, one of the fabled holy paladins of the emporer.

"soon you shall face the anichient enemy, and my fallen brothers, it is my duty to prepare you for that, so we might render them that final absolution. The order of the old legions and of the chapters was to be "fearless, formless" they shall know no fear, and the enenmy shall know not their disposition. You have faced them before, in the next two days of weapons training my self and the 328th Karoshian Yojimbo "Those who serve as the staves that guard the gates of his most holy empire." Yes they are fearless, they have had 10,000 years to practice their arts, they are tained by the warp, and they are physically much deadlier then the whole of you. They can be beaten, your commander Rastini-san has already brought absolution to members of their Terminatorium, their best. So you of the sword shall face their fury and you shall do your duty."

activating a holo image, it seemed to fill the whole chamber. "This is a raptor, they travel in packs, master's of close combat, those of you with hellguns should target them before they close with you, the rest, must learn to work as a team. protect your breatheren with war gear that can harm these abonimations, sacrifice yourselves if nessarry. I see that you of the sword all carry a blade. This is the weapon of the Staff" he held the lasrifle like it was a toy compared to his size, "as you can see the blade fixed to the front allows it to be used in close combat, The butt..."he shoved the shoulder stock down onto a combat drone shattering it. "Can be used as well. Each soldier of the sword shall pair with one of my soldiers from the Yojimbo for the next four hours you shall fight together, and do exactly as I say. The gaint retreeted to the side of the practice hall.

Post by **NecronLord** » 2005-01-23 01:09pm

In the darkness of an unlit room, a voice, cracked with age cackled. A figure shrouded in a robe that had once been white stood before a low pillar. Atop it rested a stone head, its features frozen into a pain-wracked scream. The head had been human once, and one could see that it had undergone great suffering. Scars and boils covered almost every part of it, and great disease pustules inflamed one half, what had once been an eye was a nest of insects, frozen in time like the rest of the head.

A clawed hand picked the head up, its pallid green flesh oozing some unmentionable secretion that dripped onto the floor and seemed to take root, solidifying into a corrupting fungus. The figure in the filth-encrusted robe, caked with sweat, blood and other less savoury liquids in many years, let out a long, croaking breath. “Soon my friend,” the chaotic creature said, “We shall witness the glory of Grandfather Nurgle at last.”

“Everything that you have taught me,” the figure paused to pick up a maggot that had strayed from his hand onto the petrified head, and lovingly placed it back onto his ruined flesh, “has lead to this hour. If there’s anything left of you, I know it is pleased by that.”

The sorcerer casually dropped the head of his once master onto the pillar, and turned away. He was Impetigo the Disloyal. He had once, long ago, been the apprentice to a great servant of the Lord of Pleasure, fair of form and voice. But as the years passed, he became seduced by the ways of the Pestilent One. Finally, in an act of betrayal that would normally only be seen in the ranks of the servants of change, he had destroyed the very world of his Master, using a virus bomb carrying something more virulent than anything imagined by the Adeptus Mechanicus.

And he had ensured that it was much, much slower.

Impetigo strode out of the tomb of his enemy. There was much to be done.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-01-24 02:47am

"A commendable attitude Inquisitor," replied Gix. "I agree. And don't mind Hethor. The three assassination attempts over the last month have made him a little over zealous about my personal safety."

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-24 03:19am

Prius walked through the ranks. The bayonet drill was fairly familiar to the assembled troops, having had it taught and reinforced through their early training and time in the Sword. But the space marine had introduced some new nuances to the training, mostly brutally painful ones that he highly approved of.

The pieces were coming together. A world would burn with the Light of the Emperor, and His Sword would cut through His foes. He stepped to the end of the line, hand fingering the aquila medallion he wore.

Soon, my warriors, soon.

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2005-01-24 10:45am

Pater smiled, as best he could. "I'll be attached to the Colonel-Commissars' command; He is excellant as a disciplinarian and devoted to the Emperor but he lacks... Tactical finesse."

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-26 03:16am

"Light duty for the next twenty-four hours," Prius informed Captain Uris, Isildane's replacement. "We don't want to wear them out before insertion."

--------------------------
Prius Ristani had been one of the better duelists at the Schola Progenium. His marksmanship had been at the low end of the acceptable range for commissarial cadets, but no one could question his abilities with edged weapons, be they power swords, chainswords, or raw adamantine blades.

The addition of his psyker abilities, giving him cues and warnings of imminent danger, had rendered him into a terrifyingly deadly swordsman. He stood between four training servitors, armed with a variety of blades, focusing. For him, such exercise was a prayer to the Emperor himself, offering praise for his Emperor-given abilities and the capability of giving death to His foes.

He was oblivious to the small crowd of off-duty troopers and naval personnel who watched him intently, as he held his chainsword in front of his face, lips moving in silent prayer. After several long moments, his eye slowly opened, the augmetic eye powering up in synchronization with the organic one. He shifted his stance, moving the chainsword to a guard position, pressed the activation rune on the hilt, and uttered a single word.

"Initiate."

In a blur, the four servitors moved in, whirling dervishes of steel death. He spun and danced, riding at the very edge as he parried and struck. He made use of spacing, dancing between his opponents so they would obstruct each other for precious moments, buying him small increments of time, opening small windows of opportunity.

Carnis stood next to Rynthis, the pair having stopped to watch for a moment while enroute to other duties. Carnis watched as one of the servitors opened a long, shallow cut along Prius' ribs, only to lose that blade to an unerring backswing of the chainsword.

"So he does work with the safety protocols switched off," he murmured to Rynthis. Prius lunged forward, knocking aside an onrushing blade with his augmetic hand and severing one of the legs from a four-legged servitor. "How many times did he beat you when the two of you practiced?"

"Four times in a row," Rynthis said, shaking his head. "I wasn't even close. I still have some bruises." Rynthis had been an excellent duelist at the academy, and had served on a competition team that had placed quite well. Admittedly, that had been forty-odd years before, but he had kept somewhat in practice. But he knew there was no way he belonged on the same floor as this fanatical commissar, in terms of swordsmanship. He whistled softly as Prius decapitated one of the servitors.

Typhonis 1 · Post by **Typhonis 1** » 2005-01-26 03:27am

Nathan watched as Prius finished off the last servetor and nodded.He couldnt fault Prius for his diligence...it was his WORSHIP of the emperor that troubled him... all of them worshiped the Emperor...it was universal but....Nathan stoped and sighed heavily at the thought.

Were not the Word Beaers rebukked for the worship??? wouldnt it be easy to corrupt said blind worship?

This wasn`t his age but he was adapting.He had learned the Aquilla and the proper way to appraoach the spirits of maachines...he had learned much now it was time to act.

He walked over to the two men and asked the general a question." So where do you need me to be in the upcoming operation?"

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-01-26 03:28am

"Incorrect," responed Gix. "The colonel-commissar excells at small unit assault tactics. His problem is that he applies that thinking to every situation. He needs someone with good judgement overseeing him. And when an assault is called for, he should be unleashed."

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-26 04:01am

Carnis blinked at Nathan. It just struck him as odd that an inquisitor would ask him where he belonged in the operation, rather than selecting his portion of it arbitrarily.

He could get used to working with men like Talstrem and Gix, to be certain.

"It was my understanding that you and the other inquisitors would be attaching yourselves to the various covert operations groups as part of the assassination attempts," he said quietly. "For example, colonel-commissar Ristani has informed me that inquisitors Novum and Varian will be accompanying his mission."

Prius knelt in the midst of the wreckage of the servitors, chainblade held perpendicular to the floor as he rested his forehead against the hilt, obviously deep in prayer. The attendants hesitated to begin cleaning up the mess he had made, for fear of breaking his concentration.

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2005-01-26 06:20am

Imperial Overlord wrote:"Incorrect," responed Gix. "The colonel-commissar excells at small unit assault tactics. His problem is that he applies that thinking to every situation. He needs someone with good judgement overseeing him. And when an assault is called for, he should be unleashed."

Pater nodded. "Exactly. I'll do my best to look at the big picture."

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-26 06:51am

Prius sensed the approach of the cat, which sauntered up with casual ease. She jumped over the severed arm of one of the servitors and nuzzled the back end of his chainsword. He opened his eye, staring at the cat for a moment before rising to his feet. He saw Nathan speaking with Carnis and his aide, and made his way over to them.

"Impressive," Rynthis said, nodding at the wreckage in the center of the training hall. Prius shrugged as he reached down, tugging his shirt over the wound on his side. It had already begun to heal, though the casual observer would not be able to see that through the blood.

"My timing was slightly off," he replied in all seriousness. "I will do better next time."

Pcm979 · Post by **Pcm979** » 2005-01-26 10:29am

Pater, stripped down to his all-purpouse flight suit, fought with imaginary Daemons in his quarters. Bloodthirsters; Tendancy for close-quarters assault. Eliminate at long range. If not possible... Avoid the inevitable sideways slash designed to spill the victim's guts over the floor. Change to the Psarat position and knock them off balance with a quick Aushak swipe. Shift balance, pivot by the knees...

He was ready.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-01-27 07:30am

Hethor D'eckor looked at his men. They would be guarding all their backs and he had picked them carefully. Not the elite, prickly, overrated stormtroopers but a mix of hardened veterans and greener recruits. Tough men with excellent gear, firm leadership, and good training. The slauched on packing crates and passed a bottle and tabac sticks around. Hethor smiled.

"Attention!" he shouted. They scrambled up and saluted. Every single one of them had a weapon nearby and ready for mayhem. Hethor approved.

"You boys got the short end of the stick. You'll be going down to where it is hottest. But you'll have a short stay of it, rather than grinding on the front for years with sum fuckwit who's idea of subtlety is a frontal assault. You'll be under a boss who knows his business and who will try to bring most of you back alive."

"This the way it works. Inquistor Gix," a shiver went through the troops at the mention of an inquisitor, "calls the shots. I'm his top kick and you will obey me like the Emperor himself has a hand on my shoulder. Your sergeants come next and so on. Now, just so you know, the Navy boys don't give a shit about any of us." A laugh rippled through the group.

"Now the Emperor knows that doesn't surprise any of us. But they do give a shit about Inquisitor Jolan Gix. We're going in to a hot place and then we're comin' home. The Navy's handling transport. The only person they'll send a boat for is Gix. So make sure he stays healthy, because he's your ride home. Got that? Good. Make sure you're packing a lot of ammo and every lethal toy you've acquired. Don't think that issue last month of the new shiny gear and fancy was coincidence. We'll be going soon. Make sure to take the weapons you know. It'll help us all get back with our skins."

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-27 07:46am

Prius walked to and fro in front of the ranks of the assembled Swordsmen after they concluded the final pre-drop briefing, manic energy radiating from his posture and words.

"Let there be no doubt in your hearts!" he yelled. "Let there be no fear in your souls! There is no darkness that the light of the Emperor cannot breach! There is no false god of the warp that the Emperor cannot defeat! They delude themselves by thinking they are in a position of power here, when in truth we have them precisely where we want them! Out there!" he stabbed his finger toward the hanger doors. "In the open, away from the shadows that nurture and embrace them! For their impunity, they will suffer the thousand and one deaths of the heretic, the traitor, and the coward! We serve the Emperor! We are His Sword! We will bring death to all who oppose His glory!"

He paused briefly, his burning stare sweeping across the ranks, before he brandished his sword high and bellowed. "Death to the heretic! Death to the heretic! Death to the heretic!"

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2005-01-27 02:14pm

Inquistor Varian simply stood back and watched Prius work. The colonel-commisar certainly had a touch for oration, even beyond his impressive psyker powers.

It was his intention to go with the Swordsmen, Prius was becoming something of a project. And if that meant he went with them on this long odds mission, he refused to believe it was a suicide mission, and he would share their dangers.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-28 12:06pm

The Sword filed away to their individual drop pods as Prius watched. The command squad stood waiting by his own pod, standing at attention as they waited. Pater and his entourage had their own pod, while Prius and Varian would accompany the command squad down. As the troops climbed into the pods, the martial music of ancient war hymns blared over the speakers.

Their weapons loadout had been shifted some, in recognition of the new mission. Gone were the wildly personalized pastiche of weapons that had served them so well as shock troopers, and for the most part they had been reissued new model lasrifles, for commonality of power packs. Officers still bore the new model plasma pistols, and the support squads likewise had a variety of improved heavy weapons. They'd been used in trials, but Prius hungered to use them against the enemy for the first time.

Soon enough. Soon enough.

He would be glad to get away from the ship and back on the ground. Death in space was grotesque and unnatural. A man should die with his boots on dirt or hive-deck, not writhing in agony as decompression takes him.

It was all he could do not to pace like a lion. The music thundered through his blood, and his own eagerness blazed like a torch to those sensitive enough to detect it. But he maintained a stoic expression for the men, mindful as always of his training.

Stormbringer · Post by **Stormbringer** » 2005-01-28 02:46pm

Varian simply waited in the pod. He had done this before, though the other time had been in the company of the fearsome and awe inspring Grey Knights, it was hard to be fearful with such super-men around. But here it was somewhat different; Varian was not afraid but was none the less nervous.

Oh Father of us all, watch over your humble servants. Let not the darkness claim us, instead may your glorious radiance light the way to eternal salvation.

The young Inquisitor simply bowed his head in near-silent prayer, waiting for the drop. His gear, a new plasma pisolt augmenting his trust bolt pistol, the aincient power blade in it's sheath, and the force rod slung like a staff over his back had all been blessed and consecrated by the preists of the ship. They, like he, were blessed and ready.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-28 02:56pm

With the last of the Sword embarked, Prius entered his pod, settling in next to Varian. Weapons stowed, the command squad buckled themselves in. Nothing more than boys, most of them, cadets from the Schola Progenium on Adraxis, although the past few weeks of conflict had hardened them. More than one bore obvious augmetics in the fashion of their leader. There was little smalltalk among these young veterans, and for the most part they concealed their nervousness quite well.

The door of the pod irised shut as the countdown procedure began. The music faded away as the captain addressed the pod, giving the traditional salute.

"Onward and away, soldiers of the Imperium. May the Emperor watch over your souls."

There were audible rumblings and vibrations as the pods launched in sequence, growing louder and more intense as the launchs got closer to their tube. Finally, with a shudder that was mostly muted by the pod's internal grav compensation, they were launched away, the first servants of the Emperor of Mankind to be dispatched in relief of the embattled defenders of Cyrus Gamma.

For Emperor and Imperium.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-01-28 03:24pm

Hethor's bulk squeezed into the drop pod. His hellgun carbine dangled from an assault sling and ammo bulged from every pouch. Several soldiers made way from him as he made his way over to Gix. It felt wrong to be going into a battle without his sabre, but he couldn't afford the extra weight and bulk. He was carrying enough crap as it is.

"Nice to be going on one of these with all the amenities. Void shield, covering bombardment, chaff, jamming, the works. Makes me think that the Navy boys actually care whether or not we make it to the ground." A low chuckle reveberated through the pod. "Listen up. If you haven't done one of these before, it is goin' to be a bad ride. We got compensators, but we'll be goin' in fast and hard." He knew for a fact that Gix had never been in one of these sardine cans, but he wasn't going to cause the inquisitor to lose face by mentioning that. "When we come out, there is goin' to be a lot of unpleasant people around us. Stay sharp."

Well, that was that. The big man strapped himself in and waited for the hell ride to begin.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-28 03:32pm

Cyrus Gamma was awash with lights as the naval bombardments hammered home. Counterfire from orbital defense batteries clawed back up at the ships. Fightered dueled in amidst the chaos, as the heretics tried to take out as many of the inbound pods as they could, while the servants of the Emperor strove to defend the inbound craft.

General Carnis watched from his onboard command center, taking in the numbers, and occasionally speaking quietly to his aides. The navy had gotten them this far. It was time for the Guard to do their part.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-28 03:51pm

The pod bucked and kicked harshly as it hit the upper edges of the atmosphere.

Gonna be a bumpy ride, the petty officer had informed him. He hadn't been joking. Fortunately, everyone had followed the admonition to strap in tight. The first layer of ablative shielding shattered and broke away with a series of thudding clangs. Down the row, one of the Swordsmen vomited, setting off a minor chain reaction among others whose stomachs were contending poorly with the ride and the tension.

No suprise; only rarely did a drop pod make it all the way down without somebody throwing up. It was a price to be paid for the safest possible descent.

With a series of clangs, the second shield broke away. Now only the pods onboard armor and void shield remained, as they neared the surface.

Almost there. Another minute and a half.

An eternity.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2005-01-28 04:03pm

Cyrus Gamma was a hellhole. Millenia of polution had poluted the air and left clouds of corrosive ash drifting in the atmosphere. A few creatures mananged to survive on the planet's toxic surface. Some of those creatures were human. But they were insignifigant.

Across the poisoned plains, on the corpses of leveled mountains, and on the shores of seas of sludge dwelt the hives of humanity. Tram lines and air routes connected these gigantic man made termite hills. Their surfaces were armoured against the elements and the enviroment. The cities of man were conglomerations of great clusters of semi-independent spires connected together. Some of these held factories and their workers, others held one of the mighty adeptus, others were launch facilities, and so on and so forth. But that was the past.

Now they held humanity at worth with itself. Those who would strive to uphold the reign of the God-Emperor contested with those who would give themselves to unbridled Chaos. Some spires were shattered or rivven by internal strife. Whole cities were under seige or on the brink of ruin. Into this hell dropped the servants of the Emperor.

Petrosjko · Post by **Petrosjko** » 2005-01-28 04:10pm

Into the shattered carcass of Maxia Asenscia dropped the Sword. Battered heavily by orbital bombardment during the early battles of the uprising, the ragged remains had proven an ideal hiding ground for the local remnants of the PDF and Guard regiments assigned to that portion of the Hive Primus complex. Furthermore, the somewhat open terrain of the shattered hive complex had allowed orbital imaging to locate clusters of enemy units for targeting. Thirty minutes before, without warning fire had rained from the sky upon the clustered heretics, methodically pulverizing them where they had encamped.

With a final shock, the drop pods hit the ground. Two had been lost inbound- one to enemy fire, the other to mechanical malfunction. But ninety-six warriors of the Sword were released into hell...

Prius already had his faceplate down. The moment the pod had slammed down, he had snapped his restrains loose and drawn his pistol. As the doors opened, he rose up, bellowing.

"GO GO GO!"

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

40K/Inquisitor RPG. The Line of Damnation.

The Sword and the Staff.