[IC] - Dark Heresy : Optimus Usurpo

DarkPrimus

"Stable enough," Cain says, finishing up hanging the net. "There, that should help stop any of your friends from falling to their deaths..."

delroland

"Well that is quite reassuring." Viswanat grimaces as he looks at the rope, bracing himself on the threshold in preparation of his descent.

Spoiler:

Agility rolls: 1d100=54, 1d100=81
Roll 1: failure
Roll 2: failure (4 degrees), Strength test to prevent falling: (1d100=47), failure!

Two meters down, the Scriviner seems to be having trouble finding a safe path. Adjusting his footing, his boots suddenly slip from the treacherous surface, the jolt of the fall tearing the rope from his hands.

DarkPrimus

You hit the net shoulder first, and the stinging feeling of the webbing is overridden only by the agony your partially dislocated shoulder as it pops back into place while Cain helps you down, causing you to grimace and suppress a cry of pain.

Spoiler:

You've taken 6 damage, now leaving you with 3 Wounds. D:

delroland

Spoiler:

That's the first damage I've taken since I got patched up by the chiurgeon. Shouldn't I be at 5 wounds? Also, which shoulder was injured?

Utsanomiko

((Go ahead and resolve my my climbing results, GM; I'm not big on virtual dice rolling))

DarkPrimus

Boaz stumbles once while descending, but makes his way down without serious incident. Parthus deftly descends after him.

"Let us proceed," Cain says. "I'm certain the Librium is nearby."

TheLawinator

Paba growls, "Agreed, I'm sick a waitin aroun' for sometin to happen, let's go find it."

DarkPrimus

Cain leads you out of the small cave out onto part of an old elevated street, and down below you can see a large stretch of the long-abandoned hive, the various structures crushed under rubble and suffering from decades of neglect and decay. Bio-luminescent moss and fungi have overtaken entire structures, casting an eerie blue-green tinge on everything.

Cain leads the party down from the overpass into the winding maze of collapsed buildings and rubble-covered streets. "The Librium isn't far from here," he says. "My sect didn't maintain it, but would sometimes gather there for observing some of the more important holy days."

TheLawinator

"What was your sect's purpose, Preacha?"

DarkPrimus

"It was founded long ago, by a pious man who's name has been lost to history. He and his followers wished to sanctify the lower reaches of this hive, where those who spoke loudly of faith would not tread. They would travel from section to section, level by level, rooting out all mutants, and, depending on the severity of their condition, either convert them, or anoint them with cleansing fire. I was blessed with a mutation minor enough for them to spare my life, though by the time I joined, their numbers had dwindled to almost nothing."

Utsanomiko

I suppose Boaz just follows along for now.

DarkPrimus

After fifteen more minutes of walking, Cain stops. In front of him is a small, two-story building that looks little different than any other minor church you have seen... except that there are no windows, and the doors on the front seem fortified against a military assault.

"This is where I brought those other miscreants a couple days ago, but they couldn't get in either," Cain says, indicating the remains of a small fire and several empty bottles scattered on the steps leading up to the door.

TheLawinator

"What happened to dose otha ones"

DarkPrimus

"They pounded on the door for a while, then they sat around drinking and smoking, and then had me take them back up."

TheLawinator

"How strong do ya tink dat door is?"

DarkPrimus

"Well, their fists didn't seem to have any effect on it," Cain says bitingly. "Even if I knew how to open it, I wouldn't being opening it for those who don't have permission. Information is the deadliest weapon one can wield untrained."

Utsanomiko

"Then stop waving your words around aimless, and get us permission," Boaz interjects. "You're not here for your observations."

TheLawinator

"Well, ah'm sure da knowledge in dere isn't anything worse dan what I know, hand me da lascutta"

DarkPrimus

((If you'll recall...))

Spoiler:

DarkPrimus wrote: »

Helvantos removes two dataslates, one compact and blue-hued, the other a plain slate grey, from a drawer in his desk and hands them to a guard, who hands them to Viswanat.

"You four are to go to the Primoris Libri Arcanum and present the blue dataslate to the chief archivist there. The grey dataslate has some basic information for you about Archaos and, more importantly, a phrase for you to recite to whoever receives you at the Libri."

TheLawinator

((I did not recall, so I'll go up to the door and say the thing.))

DarkPrimus

You take the data slate from Viswanat, and looks for the phrase to recite. However, the phrase is composed entirely of some language you do not understand.

((It happens to be High Gothic.))

TheLawinator

"Da heck is dis drivel? Read dis."

((He hands it back to Viswanat. By the way, I would never "takes" anything from anyone. lololololol)))

Utsanomiko

Boaz pushes Viswanat aside; the forgeworlder's attention seems to have been elsewhere since leaving the upper spires.

"Here, I'll read it" ((He then attempts to do so)).

DarkPrimus

Boaz steps up to the door and recites the cryptic phrase in High Gothic. "Turn ye eyes to me, and bare ye secrets to those with blessings from above."

Inside the door you can hear gears grinding and the scrape of metal on metal as bolds are drawn back. One of the doors opens slightly, enough to allow you inside. It is incredibly dark inside, no lights of any kind can be seen.

Utsanomiko

Boaz turns to face the mutant preacher. "Do you anything further about this archive?"

DarkPrimus

Cain shakes his head. "I've never been inside," he says quietly, looking at the open door with a mixture of surprise, awe, and fear.

DarkPrimus

"What did you come here for?" Cain says, a little louder.

As though in response, the other data slate chimes to life, and brings up the title of a particular volume, the Vexillum Corruo, as well as where it should be located in the Librium.

TheLawinator

Paba turns on his lantern, looks at the data slate, and follows its directions.

DarkPrimus

The walls are lined with shelves full of information of all kinds - dataslates, scrolls, bound tomes, more forms of recordable media than you could name. And in the space between the walls are rows and rows of shelves, filled with the same mad assortment of information.

A thick coat of dust covers everything... almost. You notice two sets of footsteps in front of you - one set going forwards, and another going back towards the door.

As you walk further into the Libri, your sense of trepidation grows, as you realize your path, and the path of whoever had been here before you, seem to intersect.

Finding the section of shelves indicated on the dataslate, you find the footprints also come to rest here, before circling back. You look at the shelf, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of your stomach, and you see, quite clearly, the empty space where the volume you are looking for once rested.

TheLawinator

"Sahmbaddy's been here before, be careful of anytin interesting" Paba whispers back as he slows down a bit.

DarkPrimus

You follow the footprints carefully, but they do not lead anywhere else but the exit. Whoever was here was no longer inside.

TheLawinator

((Man, I wanted to go where the dataslate was leading me.))

DarkPrimus

((The footprints went right to were the dataslate wanted you to go. Someone else was looking for the same thing.))

TheLawinator

((Oh, damnit.))

Utsanomiko

Boaz draws his shot-pistol and follows Paba cautiously through the library and back to the entrance.

"Walked right in and left, they did. They knew exactly what to take." He walks right back to face the underhive preacher.

DarkPrimus

Cain's eyes go back and forth between the two disparate men of cloth.

"What did you - are you done here?" he asks. "Your friend should be getting medical treatment sooner rather than later," he says, indicating a paling Viswanat.

TheLawinator

((What the hell happened to him?))

Utsanomiko

((He's the tag-along that got injured in the climb down.))

"Firstly, I am done suffering Abomination," is brother Boaz's reply.

He aims the shot-pistol at Cain and fires.

TheLawinator

((Man, he's just twisty, why you do that?))

Utsanomiko

((Because he's twisty and I don't see a further use for him. That's what they're there for.))

Presumably that's a point-blank aimed shot.