Prelude: Cadian Dawn (IC)

[Lurk Skywalker]

After the interrogation the Lector stand silent, the face of his helmet turned towards the vessel. He finally turns in a flash, seizes the neck of the happless enginseer and suffocates into unconsciousness. One Marine ties-up the prisonner and hides him, not without scratching the man, into a sick-looking bush where odd-looking crison bays hang.

The Lector and his men offer a silent prayer for their fallen brother, before the Lector requests updates from the remaining Scouts' squads on their surroundings. Whilst they await the reports, the Marines can hear the voice of their leader in their helmet as he pronunces with a mix of repulsion and maybe lurking curiosity: "Chaos-spawn! Nothing less than the corrupted blood and flesh of the Phoenician himself."

The Marines seem to await for something to happen, either ahead, behind or around them. In the meanwhile the Lector's face remains turned towards where the Emperor's Child appears now and then. He beckons Silverwrists to attend him, but remains silent, whilst the pilot awaits.

[Dragon Lord]

The 2 men Irena sent further up the spire reach about the 1km mark by dawn.  They can't quite see the downed ship itself, but with the improved visibility after the nights rains they have a fairly good view of the region leading towards it and spot a number of groups [OOC: probably not as many as Maegon's observers as they are probably not quite as high] moving towards the ship.

Irena contacts Azrael and appraises him of the situation.  Though he isn't quite in position at the crash site at the time he has been getting glimpses of it through the rocky terrain and what he can see looks promising.  Given that, the other converging groups, some of whom he has caught sight of himself, and that Hrothgar's group is departing they agree that the rest of the Nar-Ghosts should set out shortly too.

As always with this type of operation the Nar-Ghosts divide up into teams, staggering their departure slightly and taking slightly different routes to avoid attracting attention (in particular there are no doubt other observers in the hive).  The teams are close enough that at least one other can respond in reasonable time if one gets into trouble but not so close as to be in direct sight of one another.  The two observers leave with the final team.

Later in the day first Lukas's team and then Azrael's arrive at the crash site and get into observation positions.

[DM B]

The 2 men Irena sent further up the spire reach about the 1km mark by dawn.  They can't quite see the downed ship itself, but with the improved visibility after the nights rains they have a fairly good view of the region leading towards it and spot a number of groups [OOC: probably not as many as Maegon's observers as they are probably not quite as high] moving towards the ship.

Irena contacts Azrael and appraises him of the situation.  Though he isn't quite in position at the crash site at the time he has been getting glimpses of it through the rocky terrain and what he can see looks promising.  Given that, the other converging groups, some of whom he has caught sight of himself, and that Hrothgar's group is departing they agree that the rest of the Nar-Ghosts should set out shortly too.

As always with this type of operation the Nar-Ghosts divide up into teams, staggering their departure slightly and taking slightly different routes to avoid attracting attention (in particular there are no doubt other observers in the hive).  The teams are close enough that at least one other can respond in reasonable time if one gets into trouble but not so close as to be in direct sight of one another.  The two observers leave with the final team.

Later in the day first Lukas's team and then Azrael's arrive at the crash site and get into observation positions.

The Nar-Ghosts suffer two casualties as they trek across no-man's land; a swarm of roving servo-skulls set upon them, killing two men and pinning the rest of the small group. Fortunately first one team, then a second, comes to the rescue and the hunter-killers are wiped out in a hail of las and autogun fire. The dead are stripped of valuables and the wrecks of the servo-skulls picked clean before moving on. Shortly after dark the rains start again. Azrael determines they are only mildly toxic this night and orders the march to continue. At some point during the night the rest of the Nar-Ghosts reach Azrael's position.

[DM B]

Throughout the day (OOC: This would be the second day since play started) the situation doesn't change much. Repair crews continue with the...repairs. The turrets on the ship fire at irregular intervals, possibly at real targets or perhaps simply as a deterrent. The guards look much more sharp now - they focus their efforts on watching the ruined town, as it represents the greatest chance for an attacker to get close to the ship. Vox chatter is at a minimum.

(characters with at least Tech 4 will conclude the repairs will take weeks at the present pace - and that is seems unlikely that the ship carries enough spare parts to be fully fixed)

There are more people arriving at the crash site by the hour. A couple of times you hear small-arms fire, screams and minor explosions - groups have begun to clash.

[LordPsycho]

At the dawn of a new day, Maegon draws his Tarot, as a tireless ritual.

Three of Excuteria - The Soldier. Maegon has a thought for Caporal Usher and his men... Have they reach the crashed ship ? Are they still alive ?
The Reaper.  Well... Not necessarily a bad sign... All men must eventually die and face the judgment. The card also represents change, and change is seldom good.
Six of Adeptio - The Tech-priest. Maegon has a thought for Magos N-Tho, fallen in duty five years ago... His talents would be precious... They must exist some remaining Priests of the Mechanicum on this cursed planet...
Unity. The card shows a lordly figure abasing himself before the feet of another. The image is thought to be the Emperor receiving the surrender of the ‘final world’ during the Great Crusade.
Nine of Discordia - The Great Deceiver. Symbolizes ruin, misfortune, plots, confusion, madness...

@Maegon: Your half-squad of scouts have crossed the wasteland and are now in position to observe. Last night's rains were particularly violent and have cleared the sky of pollutants (for the time being). It has the secondary effect of enabling your team a semi-decent vox-link with their Inquisitor.

Caporal Usher and his four soldiers are finally in sight of the ship. Crossing the no-man's land was not a cakewalk, but they have endured much worse since the Black Crusade stroke Cadia almost seventeen years ago. The Necromundan Spiders were 18 years old at the time, now they are 35. Both worn and hardened by a life of struggle.

At the beginning of the Crusade, Kasr Hemshin was protected by rings of massive earthworks studded with gun emplacements and weapons batteries and separated by an inner moat. Passage over the moat was controlled by hydraulic bascule bridges, each one guarded by a heavily armed barbican, and defended by the many armored fortifications and shatrovies overlooking it. Inside, the streets were laid out in elaborate geometric patterns, resembling from the air like an intricate puzzle. Right in the middle, giant fortified spires stands to the sky up to ten miles high for the taller, all bristling with titanic artillery batteries.
Given the Cadian's mastery of urban warfare, this layout allowed them to hold the Kasr for years before the first Chaos force reach the main command center.

Now outer and inner defense rings are reduced to piles of rubble and more than half the spires were thrown to the ground.
Among the remaining spires, no one is intact.

Caporal Usher sees the half-broken peaks in the distance.
The Inquisitor and his retinue are in one of them.

Since the rains cleared the atmosphere, the squad's vox-operator manage to set a semi-decent vox-link with the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers led by Sergeant Malavida, on one of the pre-established secured frequencies.

"Rggrgzgz... Capor... zrzrgggz... report."

"We reach the damaged ship. Repair in progress. Episodic skirmishes in the surroundings."

"...zrgzzz... Keep vfggzz... higher in Hemshin to..."

The connection is cut.
Fact must be faced, their equipment is not like new...

For a brief moment, Usher has a nostalgic thought for his home planet, Necromunda...

Suddenly, two of the Spiders raises their lasguns. It's already too late.

The five men are surrounded by a a larger troop.
Fortunately, IG insignia are still visible on their dusty uniforms.
Mixed Janosian and Pavlovan badges.

"Necromunda 8th, don't shoot !"

KASR HEMSHIN
Back in the hive-ruins there is also quite a bit of activity.

"Tell Usher to look for a Tech-Priest ! Could lead to..." starts Maegon, when he finally joins the vox-operator.

"Connection lost..."

"Frak..."

"Should we try to ?..."

"No. Their fate is in their own hands. Oshgor, lead us to the xenos fighter !"

@Maegon: Osh leads the Inquisitor and a bodyguard to inspect the crashed fighter-craft. The wreck is badly mangled, but you can still marvel at its alien design and incomprehensible layout. Well, maybe not so incomprehensible if you consider Osh's comparison to a spider - perhaps the craft tired to change its shape even as it struck the ground...yes, that would explain a great many things.

Meanwhile your scrounging teams have produced a few odds and ends, but nothing to write home to Terra about. Maybe enough for half-rations today and enough ammo to improve the overall situation slightly. They also report finding a Hydra AA battery, but it is unfortunately out of ammo and the APC chassis doesn't seem to work so you can't move it.

The observers up top have something to report, however: They have a partial view of the dorsal section of the ship. It appears whole and there are repair teams up and about. They also report at least ten small and three larger groups of people moving from the hive and towards the hills...

For now, Maegon and his retinue have reached a height of nearly four kilometers above the ground - nearly a quarter of the height of the highest spires of Kasr Hemshin.

Elevators do not work anymore, but some stairs are still accessible. Nevertheless, they must be careful. Two hours ago, one civilian tripped and fell into darkness screaming. Poor man...

"We continue to move higher. The low-hive suffered too much from years of fight to find something valuable here... Our best chance of finding intact resources and an operational communication center is toward the top, not down. "

[Ohlaak (Alan)]

The Cabal has been climbing for what seems like days, with Nouri and his coterie weaving charms to obfuscate the group as they climb the hive.  After about a day of slow, but steady progress, Nouri stops to change their tactics just as the ship is almost into full view.

"Ben'shmen, Kiltren, we are looking for supplies and things that we might use to bargain with.  Organize 2 our troops into 2 groups to search, and tell them to be mindful - we are not looking for confrontation..  Coordinate with Luliana so that the groups are supported by a thrall, I will help coordinate as well.  And gentlemen, do not range far we will continue to climb for some time yet. Remember, our fate is not yet written in stone; we shall change it."

Nouri, Luliana and the thrall-wizards, work to establish mind links. Nouri every so often sends his Psychic Shadow to survey the happenings around the ship and hive to gather intelligence and to determine who would be most receptive to actually speaking or perhaps more appropriately, getting him off this accursed rock.

So while he is unwilling to risk the wilderness, perhaps he can make the ship come to him or perhaps, they can bend the Immaterium to bridge the gap between the ship and his band.

[Dragon Lord]

(characters with at least Tech 4 will conclude the repairs will take weeks at the present pace - and that is seems unlikely that the ship carries enough spare parts to be fully fixed)

Having now been able to inspect the ship from a better vantage point Azrael has a much better conception of the state of the ship and the repairs needed.  There is significant damage to the external hull plating where it was struck by the Xenos fighter, it is unlikely the ship has enough spare parts to fully replace all of the missing sections, but with the right equipment Azrael should be able to craft appropriate parts from the various scrap metal available in the vicinity.  It would not be a permanent fix, and certainly not pretty, but it would serve to allow the ship to leave the atmosphere.  What he is more concerned about is internal damage, some of the gashes in the hull are quite deep, and if he remembers correctly some of those areas contain important equipment.  He won't know for certain until he sees inside or has a chance to question a member of the crew, but internal damage could be more difficult.

Whatever the state of any internal damage the crew of the ship are not being as efficient with the external repairs as Azrael thinks they would be if directed by an experienced techpriest.  That at least gave him an extra card to play.

"Necromunda 8th, don't shoot !"

"Necromundan 8th, eh?", said Derryck nonchalantly, "I wondered who we were playing hide-and-seek with.  Now, if you would be so kind as to drop your weapons, please."
Although his voice sounded somewhat jovial the thin smile on his face and the look in his eyes suggested that doing anything other than what he asked was unlikely to end well for the Necromundans.

[LordPsycho]

The Cabal has been climbing for what seems like days, with Nouri and his coterie weaving charms to obfuscate the group as they climb the hive.  After about a day of slow, but steady progress, Nouri stops to change their tactics just as the ship is almost into full view.

Maegon stops, breathless. Without his power armour, he would be too weak to climbs stairs all day like this. And even with the exoskeleton...

"Osh saw something move."

"Where, Osh ?" asks Nemus, seeing that the Inquisitor is unable to speak for now.

"Higher. In neighbor spire." answers the Tygrian warrior.

The Inquisitor and his Interrogator focus to sense the presence of intelligent minds.

Nouri, Luliana and the thrall-wizards, work to establish mind links. Nouri every so often sends his Psychic Shadow to survey the happenings around the ship and hive to gather intelligence and to determine who would be most receptive to actually speaking or perhaps more appropriately, getting him off this accursed rock.

Maegon and Nemus shiver.

"Several psykers up there. One of them seems to be quite powerful..." notes the Inquisitor.

"And without doubt, they are..."

"Tainted."

Anyway... More tainted than I am... thinks Maegon with irony, while drawing his Tarot.

"Protect your mind, Nemus. I must read the future paths before deciding possible actions."

The Inquisitor did not survive 182 years without being very provident.

"Necromunda 8th, don't shoot !"

"Necromundan 8th, eh?", said Derryck nonchalantly, "I wondered who we were playing hide-and-seek with.  Now, if you would be so kind as to drop your weapons, please."
Although his voice sounded somewhat jovial the thin smile on his face and the look in his eyes suggested that doing anything other than what he asked was unlikely to end well for the Necromundans.

Caporal Usher nods to his men, as a silent order to obey without discussion.
The five men drop their weapons.

Usher offers the handle of his chainsword to Derryck as sign of submission.

"We have no hostile intent. We came to see the ship."

[Lurk Skywalker]

At length, the Lector seems to tire of observing the activity at the camp. He then turns to ponder the fate of his prisoner when he is interrupted by a report from his second in command:

"Lector, men are closing on the ship and our positions will soon be discovered. Not certain of their allegiance some Imperial Guard elements spotted however formations and outfit seem out of place. Awaiting for instructions. Over."

"Locum Lector, keep your men out of sight. No hostile engagement at this stage unless provoked."

He eventually turns to Silverwrists who had been observing for a while the hull of the vessel under the leaden and bleak light of the dawned day:

"Lector, this vessel will not take off for a while, considering the extent of damages sustained and I query the availability of required parts. I can only but fathom what Warp-induced abilities the crew may have, however they should be stranded here for some time."

The Lector, ever silent, seems to ponder these news. He then turns to Roldar and:

"The two of us will collect the rest of your semi-squad and we will go investigate these newcomers to the site. I want to know what we might be up to and if they are indeed Imperial Guards extract from them the whereabouts of the accursed Grey Knights."

The other Marines and Silverwrists remain with the bundled and hidden enginseer captured from the ship.

[DM B]

The Cabal has been climbing for what seems like days, with Nouri and his coterie weaving charms to obfuscate the group as they climb the hive.  After about a day of slow, but steady progress, Nouri stops to change their tactics just as the ship is almost into full view.

"Ben'shmen, Kiltren, we are looking for supplies and things that we might use to bargain with.  Organize 2 our troops into 2 groups to search, and tell them to be mindful - we are not looking for confrontation..  Coordinate with Luliana so that the groups are supported by a thrall, I will help coordinate as well.  And gentlemen, do not range far we will continue to climb for some time yet. Remember, our fate is not yet written in stone; we shall change it."

Nouri, Luliana and the thrall-wizards, work to establish mind links. Nouri every so often sends his Psychic Shadow to survey the happenings around the ship and hive to gather intelligence and to determine who would be most receptive to actually speaking or perhaps more appropriately, getting him off this accursed rock.

So while he is unwilling to risk the wilderness, perhaps he can make the ship come to him or perhaps, they can bend the Immaterium to bridge the gap between the ship and his band.

Nouri's spirit-projection works very well indeed, allowing him to observe what transpires at the crash site. Not in a direct camera-like fashion, but more akin to a immaterial mirage. He can see the crashed ship - and from the seething thoughts and emotions of the crew he can discern that they've a long way to go before it can take off again. He can also see the growing number of people at the site; many have braved the wastes in the hopes of a ticket out of here - or loot...some bands are here to loot the ship, whilst yet others intend to prey upon other scavengers. It is going to be a mess...

He also detects another psychic presence. One quite unlike his own. This one is cool focus over a chasm of seething anger and violence. A sanctioned Imperial psyker no doubt. Hard to read his strength...he's either quite weak, or very very strong, depending on how you interpret the signs.

OOC: Moving a starship is way beyond your abilities. You could move something smaller, your warband included if you had time and resources to a great ritual.

[DM B]

Having now been able to inspect the ship from a better vantage point Azrael has a much better conception of the state of the ship and the repairs needed.  There is significant damage to the external hull plating where it was struck by the Xenos fighter, it is unlikely the ship has enough spare parts to fully replace all of the missing sections, but with the right equipment Azrael should be able to craft appropriate parts from the various scrap metal available in the vicinity.  It would not be a permanent fix, and certainly not pretty, but it would serve to allow the ship to leave the atmosphere.  What he is more concerned about is internal damage, some of the gashes in the hull are quite deep, and if he remembers correctly some of those areas contain important equipment.  He won't know for certain until he sees inside or has a chance to question a member of the crew, but internal damage could be more difficult.

Whatever the state of any internal damage the crew of the ship are not being as efficient with the external repairs as Azrael thinks they would be if directed by an experienced techpriest.  That at least gave him an extra card to play.

Azrael would no doubt be a great asset; whomever is in charge of the Machine Mysteries on the vessel isn't a fully qualified Tech-priest like you.

Most of what you need to fix the ship can no doubt be found somewhere in the hive; despite the near absolute destruction something always survives. It's quite the task though - finding the parts, bringing them here, repairing the ship. All in the face of other warbands.

[DM B]

@Maegon: The polluted air is getting thinner and colder. Four thousand meters above the surface of Cadia your men are beginning to feel the effects of the climb and the climate - the hive is no longer sealed against the environment in any meaningful fashion. For all his own weariness the Inquisitor is among the fortunate; he can just seal his armour and enjoy the comforts of a controlled and steadily replenished atmosphere. It is no exaggeration that you, and you alone, could go to the very top.

Still, you must push on, at least of a while longer. Fate has revealed that you will be tested over the next few days, but that if you stay true you will be rewarded. It could be interpreted as meaning you'll find some of what you're after higher up; as you've correctly deduced some of the higher areas may still contain some useful gear.

[DM B]

@Lexander: There are many newcomers, and more are arriving by the hour. Thus far there haven't been much interaction, but sooner or later someone will try to make a move for the ship - or start fighting with each other. It is inevitable given the situation.

[Stonecrown Coster/MB (Rune)]

Gaius looks up as he feels the touch of someone probing his psychic walls. It is not a gentle touch, but one filled with rage. Though his walls stand firm, he feels the strenght of the intruder. This is no amateur dabbler, but someone who knows what he's doing. The touch feels alien, though, unrefined; where Gaius himself is like a razor, this feels like someone is trying to bludgeon him with a club.

The presence is gone again. He reinforces his mental barriers and looks at the men around him. Some on foot, some riding light vehicles, all looking forward with a grim motivation. They should reach Lancer and the others by nightfall. He can feel the familiar presence of Lancers team in the distance, but as he expands his mind he also senses a large number of minds in the area, making it difficult to single them out at this distance. But the number of minds emanating a psychic presence is concerning. As is the familiar presence the hardended minds of Space Marines. Something in the back of Gaius' mind screams in anger and fear as he notices them, though he cannot say why.

"General Maximus, let us increase the pace. I want to reach Lancer before nightfall". The old man nods and barks an order.

For now, Gaius keeps himself hidden, his power contained. He has yet to feel threatened by those he has sensed, but with the amount of people in the area any confrontation is likely to become most... unpleasant. And stray bullets can kill him just as easy as any man.

They press on and manage to reach Lancer and his crew without confrontation. The Scourge assembled again, they expand the camp and build more makeshift fortifications. Come morning, it is time to get a full view of the situation.

[Ohlaak (Alan)]

Nouri settles into himself to still the maelstrom of self-doubt within.  Before reaching out to the other psychic presence, assuredly and curtly.

{I am Nouri and even my untrained eyes can tell that the situation at the ship shall become untenable quickly.  Ships need crews and yet, desperateness may rob that one of hers before she can even be the beacon of hope that is drawing some one towards her.}

While he "talks" to Gaius, he speaks to Luliana.  "Luliana, there is another psyker of note, tell the others to redouble their walls. The ship is weeks from being repaired and it is all but already under siege. Tell Kiltren and Ben that they should being also looking for supplies that might be useful for the ship.  We will begin gathering that as well, though we will need a more defensible position."

{Perhaps there is a way that your and yours and I and mine might change the course of fate for that ship, and also ours as well, enough to get off this crag.}