Capitulus Decum: The Belly of the Beast

In the nightmare future of the 41st millennium, Mankind teeters upon the brink of extinction. The galaxy-spanning Imperium of Man is beset on all sides by ravening aliens, and threatened from within by malevolent creatures and heretic rebels. Only the strength of the Immortal Emperor of Terra stands between Humanity and its annihilation. Dedicated to His service are the countless warriors, agents and myriad servants of the Imperium.

Dark Heresy is a roleplaying game based upon the universe of Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000. The setting of Warhammer 40,000 is a dark, gothic future where the Imperium of Man is beset by dangers within and without. In Dark Heresy players take on the roles of Acolytes of the Inquisition, aiming to uncover and combat the enemies of mankind, be they aliens, heretics or mutants!

Run by the Grand Inquisitor Vardaen
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RorytheRomulan
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Begone ເດີນທາງໄປສຶກ!

Post by RorytheRomulan » Wed Jun 02, 2021 6:29 pm

Merica, still "on" from the effects of the dirty footsoldier-aide in her system, keeps her eyes on a swivel and her gun at waist-level, having enough presence of mind to keep her finger off of the trigger. She doesn't speak the obvious, and ascends the makeshift stairs ahead of the psyker and the chrome-human. One more room to clear?

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Begone ເດີນທາງໄປສຶກ!

Post by ManWithDoor » Fri Jun 04, 2021 12:06 am

"Haxtes, is the lift the more efficient option? Or taking the stairs? I'll follow your lead." He admires Merica, but she appears to be significantly more athletic than him or the techpriest. Damien doesn't feel like taking unnecessary risks and breaking his leg in a fall.
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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Begone ເດີນທາງໄປສຶກ!

Post by Grimbold » Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:32 am

Haxtes considers his options. If the lift seems like a good option, he says: "We can take the lift." If not: "We shall take the stairs." With that, he follows his own suggestion.
Tech use, or Archeotech to find out.

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Vardaen
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Quake Cannon

Post by Vardaen » Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:30 pm

The lift was not working before because you had not turned the power on. Now it is. Haxtes looks, and finds its just barely big enough to hold all three of you, if there were others you'd not all be able to ride. So you pack in and hope for the best. Haxtes operates the controls and up you go...


...you exit the lift and are now back in the upper levels of what appeared at first to be the cathedral, which now you know is only the chest area of the Titan.

With the movement of the Pax Macharia it has become clear why the pews in the vast main hall were bolted to the floor. Debris tumbles through the broken glass of the windows with every step of the machines, powerful legs. Below, the ocean has disappeared, replaced by the dunes of the Barsapine desert as the Titan strides towards Kephistron Altis and the Black Sepulchre. Keeping pace with the Titan is the physical form of the Dei-Phage.

Hovering below the windows of the Nave in front of the Bridge, the tattered wings sweep back in forth with each step of the Pax Macharia. The Daemon shrieks unintelligible words that can be heard even over the sirens.

Directly below it is a swirling whirlpool of colour and flame. Glimpses of foul warp beasts can be seen flickering momentarily across the surface of this breach into the Immaterium.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Grimbold
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Quake Cannon

Post by Grimbold » Thu Jun 10, 2021 8:27 am

Haxtes looks around to see if he can find the weapon controls. if he can, he tries to figure out how they work and directs his companions to crew the weapons.

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RorytheRomulan
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Quake Cannon

Post by RorytheRomulan » Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:50 pm

Overkill it is. Why plink away at the monster, when a larger caliber is available? Merica aids the search for the controls, muttering verses of her daily prayer, but keeps her boltgun ready to shoot if the Dei-Phage breaks from what could be loosely described as a patrol pattern and advances on them.

-
Ready Action
If Dei-Phage initiates combat: burst-fire w/ boltgun

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ManWithDoor
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Quake Cannon

Post by ManWithDoor » Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:49 am

The sigils inscribed on his armor light up with a baleful glare, and his skin briefly shines with a white light. The psyker grasps his head and staggers, before shaking it off a moment later. "Daemonic sorcery ... ingrained defenses ... the Dei-Phage is trying to possess the God-Machine, to inhabit the Pax Macharia. If we can destroy the Daemon or at least interrupt the spell, the warp rift should close."
I also have Tech-Use in additional to my psyker skills/abilities, so trying to Aid Another our good Techpriest here. :)
Rule Number 12: "A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, shoot it in the head."

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The End

Post by Vardaen » Wed Feb 15, 2023 2:33 pm

Due to the incredible noise you are forced to shout back and forth to one another, but the Quake Canon, that's he key, that's what you need to take down the Dai-Phage and save humanity from Chaos. Damien points out as he realizes the daemon is attempting to enact some sorcerous spell outside the Titan, so that it can posses the body of it. If it is allowed to continue the entire planet is likely doomed. The warp rift is a side effect of the powerful sorcery the Dei-Phage is attempting to call and from it daemonic Furies are pressing their way into reality.

As the warp rift opens daemonic Furies fly out and assault the Titan and you inside it. Mercia takes up a position at a window and opens fire, her job now to buy time for Haxtes to prime, load and fire the cannon. Damien raises what mental shields he can to protect your souls for as long as possible so victory may be achieved.

Haxtes calls out, "The barrel! The barrel needs to be cleared!" he sets to work with his mechadenrites to move the debris but he can't do it alone. As Mercia loads her bolt gun again and takes down a fury she buys herself time to assist and the debris is cleared, but a daemon swoops through the room and rips a massive gash along her shoulder moments before Damien can blast it with his bio lightning.

A few more moments....

The final loading squence is next, as the titan tromps over the land covering kilometers in mere moments, Haxtes struggles to complete the task as all the attention of the Furies turns on him. Mercia and Damien do what they can to take the chaos creatures down, but the Tech Priest has his mechanical arm ripped off before he lets a lumen blast go clearing the way for a few more moments.

A few more moments....

Damien draws some fire, he's struck several times, they are barely scratches, but his wounds flare to burning as if he's been set on fire in his very blood. The pysker is screaming, and drops to his knees, his own power working as a feedback loop to cripple him. He drops to the ground in a seizure, he will be of no more help.

The Furies are inside now, and Merica is out of her sanctified ammo, her shots are doing marginal damage, but Haxtes, his body dented and sparking like a broken machine calls for aid one last time. "AIM! HELP ME AIM IT!"

The two, on the controls, pull levers and push buttons, and Haxtes slams his fist down "FIRE!" he screams emotionless...

There is a brief moment as nothing happens. Despair is replaced with fear as the weapon tears itself apart. Its low angle ripping the weapon from its moorings and shattering the stone floor beneath it. You are each cast aside into the pews and against the walls as the explosion smashes through the Nave.

A torrent of fire and shrapnel blast forth from the Quake Cannon barrel even as the weapon itself is destroyed. The shell was long deteriorated and rendered useless by the ravages of time, and it fires now as something more reminiscent of an enormous shotgun than the holy siege weapon it was meant to be.

The flames and force of the blast consume the Daemon and the portal beneath him. As the sand and glass forged by the heat settle, there is a moment of pure silence, no screeching or alarms sound. The quite is short lived.

With a screech, a charred figure, its feathered wings still smouldering, hurls itself up from the scar. Its clawed feet gripping into the cracked stone as it lands. Easily three men high, the beast tosses the remaining slag of the cannon through the decimated wall of the cathedral.

The Dei-Phage's wings are still ablaze, making flight difficult for the monster. While immensely powerful, the Dei-Phage has been weakened by the attempt to possess the Pax Macharia and gravely wounded by the blast from the Quake Cannon. It intends to destroy you and then perform the ritual of Possession again.

In chopped speech that seems to defy space and time, the Dei-Phage calls a name that is at once familiar and completely alien. It points one of its long taloned fingers as its wings, still ablaze, fan out behind it, silhouetting the beast against its own flaming pinions. All of its wounds are fresh, save one... its left arm is missing and long ago the wound healed, a twisting scar at the end of a stump of muscle and feather.

You are in no shape to do battle with the beast, and while the Furies are destroyed, and the portal is flickering out of existence from the blast you know there is no hope, no hope for victory save one...

Damien claws his way back to his feet, the Furies power gone now, and he draws in all he can and channels bio lightning into the wounded Daemon. It is enough to slow it. He screams to Haxtes "WE MUST DRIVE IT BACK INTO THE CLOSING PORTAL!" Damien and the Dai-Phage are locked for a few precious moments out of time as the Daemon's own powers break into the pysker's mind filling it with his greatest nightmares.

Haxtes nods with no emotion, he's more machine than man. "Merica. That one!" He points at a heavy handled control, "On my mark."

She drags herself there, one arm completely limp, her armor shredded. She nods.

*CLICK*

Two handles are turned, suddenly, the Titan’s siege sirens blare and you stagger, hands clasped over your ears in a vain attempt to protect against the deafening noise. You can see brief glints and flashes as the glass in the surrounding area shatter. As your hearing slowly returns, you hear a humming noise, slowly building in intensity. The central chamber of the Pax Macharias glows and you spot the charge coils on the massive plasma annihilator glowing as electricity crackles around you. There is no time to descend to the Titan’s head. Even as the Daemon lunges to strike down Damien, the self destruct fires.

A blue-white flash sears your eyes and the howling fury of a star’s wrath knocks you off your feet.

You bathe in the glow of the God-Emperor.

Victory.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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