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W&G: The Inquisitor's Speartip

KalTammy

KalTammy

Lone Knight
Joined
Mar 16, 2018
Location
US
It is the 42nd millennium. The Imperium of Man, humanity's bleak and brutal refuge, stands on the brink of annihilation. A Great Rift splits the galaxy in two, a bleeding wound across time and space within which logic and sanity hold no meaning. From it pours an endless army of madmen, heretics, and daemons, hungry for the end of all things. Half of human civilization burns in the grip of Chaos. Half still struggles against the dying of the light, against all the myriad enemies of man. It is a dark time to be alive in this century, to fight after so much has been lost
For In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war.

~~Imperium Nihilus, Gilead System, Inquisitorial Strike Cruiser Unrequited Mercy, Orbit of Gilead Primus~~
​
Inquisitor Theodora.jpeg The Chamber of Mercy, that is what she liked to call this room. Forbidden to all without her personal invitation, even the ships Captain, though it'd be interesting to see if the naval officer would ever try and push against that little push on her power. The room was located a deck bellow the ships strategium and while that all important data center was the brain of this mighty vessel, this chamber was where its true fate was decided from one day to another. To look at it, one would just see an audience chamber, a place to gather around a raise dais where a black throne dominated the space, and a woman reclining on this seat of dark metal.

Inquisitor Theodora Tessa did not look intimidating at first glance. A seemingly middle-aged woman with stylish blonde hair and a corset that emphasized her generous bust between how it hugged her frame tightly and gave quite the ample display of cleavage. A closer examination would note the scar marring her beautiful face, a cross pattern that has been left untreated by any sort of facial surgery. The inquisitorial symbols both bellow her chest and worn as earrings are certainly red flags but perhaps not the most dangerous. It is those eyes, a pale blue and at first seeming sultry, but to be beheld by them for too long? To be weighed and deemed as an expendable tool to further her purpose, that is when one would realize that this woman is far more deadly than she seems.

Idly she smokes from a lho stick, a long extended version that let her slowly enjoy herself while she waited, watching the door. There are four individuals, who to one degree or another make the crew uncomfortable, frightened even, but not her. They are her spear, they are her personal monsters, and she is about to unleash them on their first mission together to deal with a dangerous threat. Perhaps they will survive and prove to be useful tools in the future, or perhaps they will be overwhelmed and die. In either case, it is no great concern to her.
 
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Khanzhar could feel the fear from the crew as she made her way through the ship. Four Tempest Scions kept a close watch on the otherwise entirely unwelcome warrior. They too reeked of fear, if only Khanzhar had just an hour with them. The suffering they could produce would keep her satisfied for weeks. But it was not to be, the Incubus in full regalia made her way through the throngs of Mon-keigh going about their work. They were peons for the most part. Little more than chaff, even now her mind was running combat theorems. How to avoid gunfire, who to use as a meat shield. Who to cut and who to leave in agony as she left.

But her musings were cut short as she was escorted first into the Chamber of Mercy. The name was an irony that Khanzhar appreciated, Mon-keigh certainly did like their fancy titles. Stepping inside with the arrogance of a Drukhari she regarded the Inquistor waiting there. Her covenant bearer for the time being. Were it not for the Inquisitions near limitless access to information both legal and otherwise. There would be no need for her to deal with such a lower life form. But her task was too important to let her disdain be a hinderance. For now at least.

"Inquisitor." Khanzhar said offering a mock bow without any hint of sincerity. Yet the fact she even cared about to give that mockery, was proof that the Inquisitor was important to her for now.
 
It wasn't long after that Talshi slithered into the chamber, his scales whisper quiet as they slid along the cool metal to carry him inside. He had been aboard the vessel a bit longer than the others, having been collected by the inquisitor from another system, but that didn't change the discomfort the humans felt towards him either. Much like the drukhari, he was an imposing individual to behold naturally; primarily due to his size and raw strength but the cold, reptilian hunger that exuded from his gaze sent chills through those his eyes passed over without even needing to try.

In any case, he slid into position more or less alongside the incubus but kept a healthy distance all the same. He had experience working for their kind and knew well the social customs and expected personal space, even if it had been some few decades since he last served an Archon. That said, Talshi did not deign to speak as he took position and rather simply settled into an unnervingly still stance; his body barely shifting with the cadence of his breathing and the occasional flicking of his tongue past his lips. His frame bore no armor but he was far from exposed thanks to the toughness of his scales. Even now the light caused them to gleam with almost rainbow hues in certain spaces where it was reflected just right.
 
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To be a Sister Hospitaller is to walk among the dead and dying, to tend the wounded, to bring the Emperor's mercy and compassion to wherever it is needed. They are foremost healers, not warriors. That is not to say they cannot fight, that they can't or won't bring the Emperor's fury as well as any Sister of the Orders Militant against the Enemies of Man. Indeed, there are few targets so tempting to their myriad of foes as a hospital and none defend such places with more fury than the Hospitallers.

It is not uncommon for the wounded to mistake them for saints or angels, as if one of His angels could ever fit into her armour, but they were just women. Thankful soldiers, sisters, and so so many more often gave thanks to her order, and found their faith renewed under their gentle ministrations. Experience varied of course, but a Hospitaller was used to veneration even as they guarded their hearts against hubris.

Anna had not felt that for some time.

Even as she worked with quiet prayers and skilled hands, sealing wounds, mending burns and curing shipborne illnesses, fitting ratings for crude augments and crew for much better ones... Her patients often shied away, peering fearfully from behind their sheets, eager not thankful to see her gone.

In her more... hopeful moments she believed it was because of her work for the Inquisitor, some rumour or tale of the bloody price she sometimes enacted to pry answers from heretics for her mistress. That they feared she had come because they had been found wanting in some fashion and that she was there for reasons far less benign than to aid them in healing.

Most of the time she suspected they could somehow feel it on her. That she was forsaken. The creeping taint that would one day swallow her soul.

Even if it was a choice she had made of her own free will, in His name, to better strike at His enemies... it weighed on her. It was a fey thing, to know you were beyond His light and that no salvation awaited. Nothing she did for the rest of her life could damn her more than she already was. Temptation waited, right there on her hip. But she had been chosen; not because she was the greatest warrior in the Inquisitor's service, not because she could wield such a weapon better than any other and put it to its best use... but because she was trusted to turn it against the Emperor's enemies, instead of his faithful.

So Theodora had told her.

And so she had faith.

Clad in her white armour, cloth of red draped over her head, shoulders and hips with the sigil of the Sororitas curling over her bust in gold she strode into a room half filled with monsters. Or was she one of the monsters too? A question for later. An eldar of some description, she had never been particularly clear on their various clades. Their jagged black armour almost a parody of her own white plate. Some sort of barbaric snake thing, mostly unclothed... the name escaped her, but she was certain she had dissected one once. Whispers pressed at the corners of her mind and she ignored them with all the force she could muster. And the Inquisitor herself. Anna had to force herself to keep her gaze above the woman's neckline... something that hadn't been a problem mere months ago. Covering her own awkwardness she formed the Aquila with her hands and bowed in greeting before taking her place before the dias.
 
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The last to enter was another figure in black armor, though this time clearly imperial. Sleek black carapace and a skull shaped helm that was hardly standard military, but being one of the Inquisition's dog's had its perks. Scaring the crew as she marched through the deck was arguably one of them, though she took no special joy in it. Trooper Flagg did as her mistress demanded, and if the Inquisitor wanted the woman to appear the monster to enemies and allies alike, then a monster Ericca would be.

Armed right now with only the inactive plasma pistol at her hip and a combat knife, the woman did feel a little exposed walking into the Chamber of Mercy, peering out from between red lenses as the two xenos in their midst. The sort of monsters she'd spent her childhood in the schola training to fight, now expected to work with them at the bidding of Theodora. As if to show she wasn't afraid and that she didn't need to illusion of the mask anymore, she pulled off her helm and revealed her youthful features, silver hair and silver eyes on a face that was doubtless the youngest in the room. A prodigy in her class, the best gunner in her unit, plucked away by the Inquisition to serve. By the Throne she hated this.

Eyeing the rooms occupants, the trooper found herself drifting over to the only other human on this team, the woman in white power armor. A little older, a little more scarred, but she felt more of a kinship here, they could have even been class mates at one brief point or another. But she didn't get too close, Flagg's job was particular and so she knew the danger of even this woman. Knew it wasn't wise to get close, even if she wanted to.



Theodora smiled as the last of her current team arrived and she glanced to each of them, all monsters to one degree or another, even if some of them didn't know it yet. "Good of you all to come and be punctual, now, let us not waste any time shall we." At this she tapped a panel embedded in the right arm of her throne. This at once dimmed the lights, lumens going out and leaving soft candle light in its place. Immediately after projectors came to life and a green hololythic display shone between the group and her throne, depictings the planet of Gilead Primus. It immediately zoomed in and showed in quite high detail a hive city, burning, parts of it in ruins and with the faint suggestions of weapons fire flashing across it all.

"Hive Spire Tora Armis, it has been in rebellion for ninety days now, ever since Lord Van Staten sealed it off from the rest of the planet after reporting food riots. The Planetary Governor only launched an assault two days ago. However I care little for the progress of this war, or any guilt on the Governor's part. That is not why we are here."

She tapped another button and the display zoomed further, this time showing the layout of one particular- if vast- building, a palace. "Units tried to breach the palace itself soon after taking the walls, but the Commisar in charge pulled their unit back quickly. They report that the gates of the palace themselves are alive and the signs of the ruinous powers are plentiful along the way. So that is where I, and by extension, you come in."

The Inquisitor took a long slow inhale of her lho stick, exhaling the smoke in a relaxed gesture. Lesser officers would be unnerved by talk of such warp taint, but those sorts of people did not make it as Inquisitors. "You four with additional support of a platoon of Scions will breach this cursed gates, storm the palace and find out the source of this corruption. Purge what you can and uncover whatever you can, then we will allow the military to oblitorate the structure once you succeed, or else if it's clear that you have failed." She seemed unconcerned with the idea of killing them along with leveling the structure if it came to that.
 
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Khanzhar looked amongst the assembled host of the team and once again was reminded of how much her "friends" would laugh at her for associating with such creatures. The only exception was the Sslyth. As an Incubus, loyalty to one's covenant owner was as natural as breathing and Sslyth were one of the few mercenaries the Drukhari actually trusted to keep their word. And they were tough enough to survive in Commoragh. The one in white armor though, she had a stench about her. Something that unnerved the Incubus. Her eyes narrowed inside her helmet for a few moments before the Inquisitor began to speak.

"How easily you Mon-keigh fall under the sway of those in the Warp." she remarked. Though the rebellion was nothing new. Such coups were common amongst the dark eldar. And usually met with retaliatory cues if there are any survivors. Still, it wasnt the worst job. There would be lots and lots of people. Opportunity for Khanzhar to have herself some proper fun. Her allotment of slaves to keep her urges in check has been lacking of late. So few of them last long enough to really satisfy her.

"And if we should find anything or anyone inside that "appears" to be...untainted?" she said with a cruel smile hidden inside of helmet.
 
While Talshi was typically stoic and felt little need to even respond to this mission briefing, he couldn't help but reply to the drukhari's words; knowing exactly what she was eluding towards. "All captives taken during missions are to be delivered to our employer to be... sssorted." He emphasized the 's' at the beginning of that final word for effect as well as a bit of habit from his native tongue.

Theodora could correct him if his understanding was somehow mistaken, or she had some additional corrections to give based on situation and circumstance, but this was what he remembered from when he negotiated his contract with her. No doubt the drukhari wanted slaves and playthings but he would not allow her to act impulsively against the will of their employer; especially not when it could mean his own payment of flesh could be hampered.
 
Khanzhar looked over to the Sslyth and hissed inside of her helmet. "I was asking if she wanted any prisoners at all. The taint of those beyond the veil is so elusive. It would better to just cull them all. Painfully, and slowly." she added. Her covenant with the Inquisitor was iron-clad but it did not mean there were not loopholes. If the inquisitor gave her a command it would be obeyed. But after that there was plenty of wiggle room to ensure she had fun. After all, if she could have her satisfaction on the mission, then it meant her "payment" would all go towards Commorragh and her wealth.
 
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Anna tilted her head towards the image that was being displayed for them. She was... loathe to agree with a alien even more than she was loathe to write off potentially a great many people but triage was a duty she was well used to. "I find it difficult to imagine any in such circumstances remaining untainted. Nobility are often fertile breeding grounds for impurity in the first place and if the very structure has become corrupted... then this was no quick or mild thing. Either this has been growing for some time or they did something unspeakable and incredibly unwise. If any remained untainted within, almost certainly they would have been killed, sacrificed or worse by the heretics."

Glancing at the eldar without turning her head, she added, "Thats no reason to draw out their suffering however."
 
The Inquisitor chuckled slightly, shaking her head at how eager her little slavers were. "Appearances can be deceptive when chaos involved and the corruption here is likely to be quite extensive. If you happen to find Lord Van Staten alive, then he could be useful for a rather extensive... interrogation. Anyone else is doubtless compromised, safer to kill them before they can spread their taint. The exact methods of purging them is your prerogative, just don't compromise the mission for fleeting pleasures."
 
Khanzhar chuckled as the white armored Mon-keigh half agreed with her. It would almost be worth sparing a few if only to frustrate and confound her. The Incubus though very much wanted this work over with sooner rather than later. "No reason to do something has never stopped your Mon-keigh superiors from doing something." she retorted with a smirk behind her helmet. Turning her attention to the Inquisitor as she spoke, the Drukhari sighed softly and nodded.

"Very well, I will endeavor to make things relatively quick and spare this Lord Van Staten. Though I will need to rely on the Mon-keigh there to identify them. All of you seem so alike to me." Khanzhar said gesturing towards Anna with a shrug.
 
"What does this... Van Staten look like?" Talshi replied with an even tone, his voice just as deep and gritty as always. If it was the will of his employer to have them captive he would do all that he could to ensure it done. Trusting to the forces sent with them was well enough, however that was to assume they would all survive to the moment of meeting this individual and he was not so confident in the durability of humans. Seeing an image now could only help in his mind, just in case.
 
At this question the Inquisitor tapped a series of keys on her throne, the hololith flickering as she did. The group would catch a series of faces, there and gone again before shifting to the next and then the next. This eventually ended and came into focus on somebody who looked rather like the stereotypical imperial noble. A male face with heavy jowls, sideburns and a pompous powdered wig. He seemed unaugmented, no mechanical eye, no visible implants on his face. Color was impossible to tell here, the hololith simply displaying in shades of green.

"Of course it is likely the man is tainted at this point. Whatever warp mutations are bringing the very gates of the palace to life, is doubtless going to have a profound effect on the flesh of such a... unremarkable individual." The Inquisitor was clearly very dismissive of the man's character, which seemed fair enough given his apparent fall to the ruinous powers.

"If you have no other questions, a Valkyrie is ready to take you down outside the spire. A Rhino will take you the rest of the way, stocked with some demolition equipment that you should find useful in breaching the palace. Your troops are waiting there, holding the approach to the gate so nothing gets in or out before you."
 
Talshi studied the image as best he could, attempting to burn it into his memory, though the display was limited in color indeed. Theodora also warned about potential mutation making him appear otherwise, if he was even still alive at all, but he would be as thorough as he could nevertheless. After a few moments he nodded his satisfaction in time with her explanation of the means of transport. While he did not recognize the names of these... things she spoke of, he hardly cared that much to question further and felt certain he could figure it out one way or another.

That said, if they were to function as a team, he'd be better served by waiting to depart with them instead of heading off on his own. He could use this limited time to scrutinize the others and perhaps get a feeling for how useful they would be in battle, or what troubles they might potentially cause. So he turned to face one side, the door of the room on his left and the throne of the inquisitor on his right, and waited patiently for the other three to be ready; his eyes flicking over them all in turn with the same focus as he had the image of Van Staten.
 
Khanzhar regarded the image of the man and sighed softly. She had seen his ilk before, so much weight and opulence. Yet they broke so quickly and pathetically in Commoragh. It was hardly a challenge to make them scream and beg for mercy. Or offer up everything they had for some morsel. That made her smile a bit. Other Drukhari had fun with pain and torture but luckily for Khanzhar she was still relatively young. The breaking of will, the trampling of pride, the desecration of the holy. These things and the mental suffering they unleashed was still very satisfying for her in many ways.

With her memory as good as it was, the Drukhari had little worry about not remembering the image of the man. Though how he would look in person was a different matter altogether. "Hmm very well. I will need this lovely Mon-keigh to tell me what those things are though. I am sure we will get very well acquainted." she said shooting a look towards Anna. Wanting to tease and taunt the holy woman. Before her gaze turned towards Talshi. "And you my serpentine companion, I expect will provide just as much entertainment."
 
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Anna really wished she could be surprised by the man who was a target of interest, but she wasn't. The man looked almost exactly like she expected, so much so that she half expected if she were to browse the great lex imperalis that she would find the very same image next to 'corrupt noble'. Grotesquely fat, powdered and a wig to cover his no doubt balding head, with a family tree that probably formed a circle... There was a reason she was chosen for the Hospitaller and not the Famulous.

Then again who knows, maybe she was being unfair but if so then the God Emperor would forgive him after death.

For now there was a mission to attend to. The Great Enemy to defeat. Such righteous work always inspired and she unclipped her helmet from her waist and planted it on her head, twisting it slightly for the seals to engage. The armour's vox gave her voice a smooth flanged quality, "For the glory of the God Emperor, thy will be done Inquisitor." she assented, making the sign of the Aquila and turning to make her way out to the waiting transport.
 
The Inquisitor almost smiled as the team readied to go, watching as her cursed Soritas left and lead the two xenos to their destination. Her attention turned to the last member, Trooper Flagg who was raising her own helm into place. "Be sure the operation goes smoothly, would you Flagg?" There was a pause from the soldier before she nodded and settled the skull helm into place. Then with a human at the front and the rear, the Inquisitors Spear set out.

The trip through the ship was quick enough and the subsequent Valkyrie flight was uneventful. The black painted Inquisitorial craft dropped through the atmosphere and took a route that wouldn't risk it through the active warzone, should the heretic forces still control any anti-air weapons within the spire. Loud, fast and not exactly built for comfort, the vessel brings you down in a staging area, where a Rhino sits waiting for you.

As your Inquisition-supplied Rhino rumbles through the broken gates of Tora Armis, you briefly glimpse members of the Gravediggers' Penal Brigade preparing a perimeter. As you head deeper into the spire, the armored hull of your transport crushes hastily erected barricades beneath its treads. Smoke pours from the buildings around you, barely muffling the ceaseless crackle of small-arms fire and the shouts of soldiers. The rebels lack the firepower to control the streets, but they're fighting tooth and nail for the hab-blocks.

Above the din you hear an unexpected sound. It seems like every shrine, chapel, and cathedral in the spire is ringing its bells.

Lord van Staten's palace is deep within the spire. The only entrance is through the 500-metre-long Martyr's Passage. Once, this broad corridor was lined with statues of Imperial saints; now, it's a slaughterhouse. The marble paving is slick with blood after heretics and the Gravediggers fought a furious battle along its length. Two wrecked Chimeras and dozens of bodies are testimony to the ferocity of the resistance.

A pair of Imperial officers a Commissar and a Tempestus Scion await you at the entrance to the passage. As the ramp of your Rhino opens and reveals the eclectic mix of figures inside, there is an increase in tension in the two officers. They stiffen, but they do not raise their weapons, clearly they must have been informed ahead of time that this speartip would be rather unusual.

The Commissar greets you: "I am Commissar Travers, and this is Captain Reeves." The two men's uniforms are stained and burned. It's clear both have been through heavy fighting already today.

Reeves gestures to thirty Tempestus Scions waiting in cover. "We've been ordered to support you any way we can. We move on your signal."

"Take a look," Travers gestures down the corridor. The gates are half a kilometer away, and between you and them are a handful of suspended cages -gibbets in which a few prisoners slump, deceased. "We got as far as the gates before I gave the order to pull back. You can't tell from here," he makes the sign of the Aquila, "But those gates are alive."

Captain Reeves waves his men to their feet. "Just give us the word."
 
Talshi eyed Anna who seemed to otherwise ignore the words of the drukhari but flicked his gaze to Khanzhar. "If by entertainment you mean pleasure and pain, I would be happy to oblige. Though I'm not certain you would survive my... attentionsss." The Sslyth weren't bound to Slaanesh like the Drukhari were but they still shared similar tastes in matters of excess. Whereas the drukhari hurt others to survive, the sslyth simply enjoyed the sensations for their own sake. Flirtatious teasing aside, if it could be called that, he wasted no time following to the assigned transport.


For the duration of the flight, and the ground transit, Talshi remains silent. Stoicism was a common trait of his ilk, though not for lack of intelligence like so many often assumed. When the ramp finally lowers to reveal the carnage of the area it feels almost like home, like the alleys of Commorragh after a bloody coup or assassination attempt. He twisted his head side to side to inspect the area as he slithered down the ramp before directing his gaze towards the two humans that introduced themselves.

Not that he was in charge, he certainly didn't want to be even if that was offered, but he spoke first all the same to explain the vague plan in place from Theodora; his height and size making him loom over the men. "We bring explosives for the gate." At least one of them did, he wasn't sure which human had them; the scrawny one or the muscular one. "You will support us as we advance to place them." As best they could anyway. Thankfully he didn't feel like he needed to rely much upon these humans for their aid, though he'd not deny a tool that could still remain somewhat useful.

Rolling for session objective: [1d6]=5
Welp, that's going to be difficult to achieve on this mission I think.

5. Indulge your appetite for sensory gratification.
 
The Incubus regarded the Sslyth with a smirk saying "We can always put pieces back." And followed the rest to the loading area and subsequently took the ride to the planet in stride. It was amazing how primitive Mon-keigh technology was. So much machinery and metal and yet it still moved through space and atmosphere as if it was about to break apart at the lightest touch.


The Drukhari tended to her Klaive along the ride. The sacred weapon of an Incubus was a marvel of slaughter and it was an honor to be carrying one. Aside from a few barbed teases towards the rest of the group she kept busy. Mentally preparing for the fight ahead. Giving a few prayers to Khaine for the blood and death she would soon be unleashing.

Once the transport stopped Khanzhar stepped out past the two humans caring little for their comfort. They had a duty to fulfill and if they were stupid enough to stop her. Then their corpses would be just as easily made as the heretics. "Indeed, our Sslyth friend is correct. We will take the lead and push through. Try not to die along the way." she declared with her superiority. Looking out across the battle strewn hive she for only a moment wished one of her sniveling cowards of a cousin could be here. The Warp as the humans called it was not something Drukhari dealt with. The walls of Commoragh keeping out the minions of She Who Thirsts were weak enough as is, Psyckers were forbidden from being brought to Commoragh. The last Kabal Archon that tried, was made an example of by Vect. An Example that is still screaming from what Khanzhar knew.
 
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