The Pillars of Eternity

"We still have rhino 1-4 turned over! Leave it or continue the rescue?" Etthart called asking for instruction.

"Mounting up in rhino 1-2. Asking for those heavy reinforcements from Fields of Dust might be a good idea." Fimolov responded.

The metal centipede shifted to a lower profile and launched itself at Weyland's rhino.

Tomb Stalker:

[Fimolov and Etthart are not with Weyland. Etthart is with the Atlas recovery vehicle and Fimolov was over by the destroyed rhino. It will take Fimolov's rhino (1-2) this round to get over and assist Weyland.]

Spoiler:

"Get that vehicle up and into the fight."

Weyland clicked back to Fields of Dust. "Khulo, requesting immediate reinforcements - heavy weapons servitors. Looks like that blast woke something up."

After the vehicle got rocked, Weyland manned the pintle mounted storm bolter. Primed and ready to go, he unleashed a hail of point blank fire.

Let's see how resilient you are then.

Spoiler:

Rhino Dodge:

The rhino's gear box grinds and the engine howls as the driver tried to avoid the charging creature but it easily course corrected. It stabbed one its metal legs at the front of the rhino. A loud crunch with a screech of metal grinding on metal met everyone's ears. Lucky the armor held and all was left was a deep dent.

[Rhino lost 2 points of structural integrity. It's down to 23 points.]

Weyland's point blank bolter rounds shower him in sparks and shrapnel. The rounds impact all over. Some impacting the thick armor plating and failing to penetrate but some find a crease and blow a chunk away. Either from sensory overload or something going on in its mechanical mind causes it to lurched, crash to the ground, and lock up.

[Tomb Stalker stunned for 2 rounds and prone for 1 round.]

"This is Fields of Dust, we copy. Heavy servitors inbound on Arvus Lighters. They'll be there soon."

[Soon means 4 rounds.]

Fimolov's rhino came into sight with the warpsmith mounting the storm bolter. He raised his right fist in salute and his rhino gunned it towards the downed metallic creature.

Weyland nodded a magnificent horned head in response to the Warpsmith.

"Copy," he clicked back to the ship. It had been some time since he had manned a pintle-mounted storm bolter. While it felt like only a handful of years at most due to the time dilation of the Warp, Weyland knew that it had been thousands.

"Keep the Rhino moving around it. If it lashes out again, we need to be able to evade," he sent to his driver.

Then he unleashed hell.

Storm Bolter Attack = 6 DoS:

[Forgot stunned doesn't mean they can't do nothing (Regeneration isn't an action or reaction). So the Tomb Stalker will get a turn here before Weyland gives it a good blasting.]

Tomb Stalker:

Before Weyland can get his next burst off he watched as some of the damage sealed up completely on the beast.

The return fire from the plague marine doesn't seem to be devastating but some of shots were hitting just in the right place.

Tomb Stalker:

Fimolov took aim and opened up with his storm bolter.

Fimolov:

The warsmith's rounds harmlessly bounced off the creatures heavily armored carapace. Not even a dent. Just a black mark from the explosive powder is all that's left.

Tomb Stalker:

Again, more damage was being repaired. Even while down and beast was fighting in a way.

[Tomb Stalker stunned for 1 round, blind and deaf for 1 round, still prone for 1 round.]

[Reinforcements: 3 rounds out]

Spoiler:

Weyland continues hammering the construct before him, but this time is shots seem much less effective.

"Etthart, now would be a good time for you to get into this fight," he said calmly into his vox. He was now considering whether or not it was time to engage in holy melee combat.  If they could get all of the storm bolters they had opening up on it, there was a chance it wouldn't have to come to that.

Even as he thought this, he was fascinated with what appeared to be an almost immediate reconstruction of some of the damage they had inflicted. He would need to study that more closely once this beast was dead.

"Copy that. Rhino 1-4 is back up and crew is mounted. We're moving to reinforce." Etthart barked over the vox.

Weyland could see the dust clouds of the both the rhino and atlas recovery vehicle were kicking up as they were racing over.

[They'll arrive in 1 round.]

The beast still lied on the ground immobile. However it's limbs twitched in a methodical fashion as if it was rebooting.

Tomb Stalker:

Again, the holes Weyland had put into it were sealing up at an alarming rate. It almost looked like Weyland had barely shot it. The lighter ammo drum on the storm bolter said otherwise.

[Reinforcements: 2 rounds out]

It's regeneration capacity was simply stunning. Weyland had to know more, but he wouldn't be able to do so if he was dead. There was only one current option.

"We need to hurt it more than it can heal. Pour everything you've got into it," he said to the assembled forces, which right now meant only him and Fimolov. It was now or never.

He held down the trigger, spraying mass reactive rounds from its legs to its head and back again.

Spoiler:

[2 extra rounds of stunned added from the shot to the head.]

[14 AG damage.]

[Also going to call for a reload on that Storm Bolter. We do use that house rule for ammunition but this feels proper for the fiction. He shot a lot of bolt rounds.]

That reboot process was abruptly halted when Weyland racked it with bolt rounds again. The damage was significant as shards of its metal body splintered off on impact and showered Weyland. The metal pinged off his ceramite armor like small rocks did across the hull of a spacecraft.

The storm bolter's action slams forward once more but locks in place. Empty. He'd had already spent a whole ammunition box of bolt rounds on this creature.

A whole leg was sheered off but that seems superficial with the amount it has.

Fimolov:

Fimolov's storm bolter barks as Weyland's ceased. The warpsmith aim was better going for the weak points but he seems to be fighting the pintle mount on his rhino as the rounds still impact the toughest of the metal carapace causing little to no damage.

Etthart shows up with the atlas recovery vehicle and the last rhino. They circle around before taking up firing positions.

The air filled with the sound of engines. The arvus lighters must of been on final approach.

[Reinforcements are 1 round out.]

[Tomb Stalker is stunned for 3 rounds.]

Tomb Stalker:

Weyland clicks over to the battle group. "Do not let up the hail of fire. It is attempting to regenerate. Don't let it."

His voice, deep and wet as if sick, sent out the orders as he maneuvered to get a new box of mass-reactives in place. He hadn't been in a fire fight this intense, in armor no less, in centuries and if he was being completely honest with himself, it felt good.

Spoiler:

[Alright reloading for two rounds. The others will happily try and put a beating on the Tomb Stalker in the mean time.]

Tomb Stalker:

Spoiler:

A bolt weaponry from all the vehicles save Weyland's all unloaded on the metallic beast. Even with the heavy onslaught there was barely a scratch on it. To make things worse all of Weyland's hard work earlier was being reversed as the beast was back to regenerating again.

However, the cavalry had arrived. The arvus lighters screamed by overhead and set down 150 meters away. Two Praetorian Battle Servitors disembarked from each of the shuttles. Two armed with multi-meltas the other two with missile launchers.

[Tomb Stalker is stunned for 2 rounds.]

Tomb Stalker:

Spoiler:

Another cresendo of automatic weaponry. This time Fimolov was finally on point going for the soft spots and then some.

The Praetorian servitors come up over the vox channels.

"Ready for tasking." Is all they said.

[Praetorian's get to go this turn after they receive orders and then to the top of next turn starting with the Tomb Stalker.]

[While Reloading - Before Tasking Praetorians]

"Etthart, Fimolov: is there any way to capture this metal bastard in tact without destroying it?"

Weyland deftly tossed the old box, bringing up a fresh one and setting it in the ammunition rack beside the storm bolter.

Iron and Metal wrote:

"Etthart, Fimolov: is there any way to capture this metal bastard in tact without destroying it?"

"We need to keep the beast down and sedated. Sedation here would be electromagnetic pulses that disrupts its systems. I'll need all the servitors and myself to approach on foot to see if that is applicable." Fimolov calmly spoke into his vox cutting through sound of bolters ringing out left and right.

"Or we can kill it and find something smaller and when we have put put together our teleportation disruptor!" Etthart yelled over the din of battle.

"No time like the present, heretek. We have a Necron before us and I'm not letting it slip away." Fimolov responded.

"We have no means prepared to take it! It's a death wish!"

"But we have been doing so well at keeping it down so far. Where is your sense of adventure, Etthart?"

It was the closest thing to a joke Weyland had made since known the heretek. Had Etthart been an Astartes, Weyland may have even called him "brother." He wasn't so naïve.

"Fimolov, see if it is possible. If not disengage. Don't jeopardize yourself or the servitors for a long shot."

*****

Spoiler:

Fimolov responded with two clicks on the vox and called for a ceasefire. The bolts ceased their unrelenting fire and the warpsmith and the immediate servitors moved towards the Necron beast. It twitched and jerked but it was not fully functional yet.

Fimolov pressed his armored glove against the Necron's carapace and stood there for a few seconds.

Fimolov:

"It can be done. Heretek get over and assist. Weyland I'll need you as well."

Weyland needed Etthart for something technical but what he needed from Weyland was to boost the servitors luminen capacitors without killing them.

[Need a Medicae +0 first from Weyland and then a Tech-Use -10/+10 (-10 on a medicae failure and +10 on a Medicae success.)]

Weyland jumped down and hurried over. His power scythe was sheathed over his back, just in case this didn't work out.

Rolls:

Weyland was deft and quick in his medical and technical work on the servitors. They were ready to be used by Etthart and Fimolov.

The two had assembled the servitors around the Necron and began to power up their luminen capacitors up to dangerous levels.

What Weyland didn't expect was the amount of energy the heretek and warp smith were going to try and get out of the servitors. It was much more then he had gotten them ready for.

Many of the servitors were cooking from the inside and just barely hanging together. Etthart and Fimolov didn't care as long as they were around for what happened next.

A great EM burst erupted forth. Many of the servitors exploding from the discharge of energy. Fimolov and Weyland's power armor shut down and if they wore their helms all they looking at was the screens of their dead lenses. The machine spirits came out of their sudden slumber and weren't all too pleased about it.

A loud clunk sounded on Weyland's pauldron.

"We did it." Fimolov said. "We have ourselves a Necron!"

The warp smith swept his arm to the great metal beast. It was incapacitated and it had not disappeared like many texts said it should of. Etthart clambered on top of it and looked like a great conqueror before he skittered around taking a closer look at it.

[800 XP]

Weyland's bodily fluids leaked in joy at the news. They had captured one of the Necron - and no simple small soldier. They had captured a great beast of the metal-clad race. A tinge of excitement crawled up the Plague Marine's spine as he thought of the potential uses of the machine's regeneration capabilities.

He had done well. His allies had done well. They had done well. They deserved to be rewarded.

"Warpsmith Fimolov, Heretek Etthart, you have done exceptionally well. This is a cause for celebration, though our current situation prevents proper rewards. Soon, I imagine that will change. Let us secure our prize and then take a moment to properly pay respect to your Gods; after that, I want a complete inventory and any salvage from the ruins of that armor column we destroyed taken into account before we press on."

[XP added. What a ride that was.]

Inventory and salvage operations were carried out by the remaining servitors. As the mindless creatures combed over the blast craters Etthart was hard at work going over the Necron beast. Fimolov was simply admiring it. The two didn't take any time to pay respects to anything as far as Weyland could see. The two were either too busy with the Necron or their connection to the Chaos Gods wasn't nearly as strong as his.

"I recommend we move the Necron to the Fields of Dust. They have the facilities to properly contain and study it. Here in the field I'm sure we'll be interrupted by the locals or possibly other Necrons." Fimolov voiced over the vox.

"I concur with the Warpsmith. We came looking for a Necron and we have found it. I see no reason to stay on this dirt ball any longer." Etthart responded as he skittered atop of the Necron's back.

"Agreed. Have the Necron secured and moved at once." Weyland patched through to the Fields at once, updating the captain of the situation and the gravity of their catch, recommending the highest levels of containment and security.

He took a look at Etthart. "Because while we have claimed a prize, we have not completed the mission we started. Are you not the least bit curious about decoding the sigils we found? Or what that armored column of Guardsmen were doing out here? We will finish what we started here before turning back."

He mounted up on the de facto command vehicle, standing out of the hatch with his horned head held high. Papa Nurgle's blessings would continue to spread - dirt ball or no. The gifts were already spreading, and one simple contact after another would see this planet given to the God of Decay.

Etthart climbed down off the back of the Necron and climbed atop the command Rhino and spoke to Weyland so no one else could hear. "I am curious but I do not fully trust Khulo back in orbit with our prize. While you've known him for a short while I've known him for some time. His ultimate loyalty is to Magos Ulta and not you. Khulo has a cutthroat nature that Ulta values dearly and its why he trusts him as his lead Explorator. He's proved to be very helpful but give him this Necron without strings attached and I can see him going back to Ulta and leaving us stranded."

He leaned away. "If anything I'd like to accompany the Necron to Fields of Dust while you continue your ventures down here."

Weyland waved Fimolov over before responding to Etthart.

"I know you would, but you are half the deterrent an Astartes is. Warpsmith Fimolov, I would ask of you to return to the Fields of Dust with our catch and begin work. Your secondary purpose goes without saying."

With Fimolov's understanding, the convoy was ready to move on.

"Would be my pleasure," Fimolov responded.

Etthart seemed happy enough with the decision and took up his place within the atlas recovery vehicle.

A halo barge from the Fields of Dust arrived and the Necron was loaded up along with Fimolov.


The convoy traveled through the winter wasteland on their way towards the Thaw Temple. They kept traveling and traveling but they should of arrived at the Thaw Temple by now. Weyland noticed nothing wrong with their direction of travel nor did their course ever change. Readings from the rhino's also showed nothing wrong. Then someone from rhino 1-2 tried to communicate with Fields of Dust.

The rhino came to a sudden halt and the crew bailed. The servitors inside activated and the sound of screeching metal and unnatural sounds came from within the rhino's hold. Then silence.

The crew ran over to Weyland's rhino. Their commander was shook and couldn't find any words. His driver was in better shape. Their auspex operator was not with them.

"Something happened when we keyed up the vox broadcaster," was all the driver said.

Weyland stared hard letting the silence hang between them. "You have one more chance to deliver workable intelligence."

He motioned for their forces to set a perimeter and get some cover on the Rhino, just in case.

The rhino commander was still in shock. The driver shifted nervously as the rest of the convoy circled back and surrounded the abandoned rhino.

"Hard to say what happened. Aryn keyed up the vox-caster and the next thing we know hell just breaks loose. I don't know if anything came through the vox-caster or if it did anything to Aryn. I bailed out to fast... I just heard the servitors in the back activate and go after something."

That seemed to be the best intelligence Weyland was going to get.

Etthart seemed busy testing something. Weyland's helmet vox buzzed and was full of background noise and static but Etthart's voice was just poking through.

"Our local vox has heavy interference. I'd need to test a wider broadcast from one of the vehicles to see what a happened with rhino 1-2. My mind says its something mechanical interfering with us but the report from rhino 1-2 I say we're dealing with something warp based. Same goes for us not arriving at the Thaw Temple by now."

Weyland was silent at the more full report. He dismounted, locking his bolter in place and drawing his massive power scythe. He approached the perimeter set around 1-2.

"Do what you can to sort this out on our end," he replied to Etthart. When he reached the rear port, he spoke in a commanding voice. "Rhino 1-2, any survivors within need to disembark immediately. Servitors, respond to command. Exit vehicle now."

He stood back and took a firm grip on the scythe, readying himself to destroy anything hostile exiting the vehicle.

+++

[OOC: If there is no response within ten seconds, Weyland will open the door - attack action readied if twisted demon shit spews forth]

There was no response to Weyland's commands. The inside of the rhino was dead silent.

The plague marine pulled the emergency release handle for the rear ramp. The hydraulics hissed and liquid leaked through the openings it was creating. It was a combination of blood and oils from the servitors. The ramp fully extended down showed the carnage inside. No servitor was left in one piece. Body parts, gore, and viscera was scattered all around the passenger compartment. Standing in the center of it all was a man. The rhino's auspex operator. The only noticeable change about him was his eyes. The pupils were entirely gone.

His body lurched forward awkwardly and continued forward slowly towards Weyland as if he was being controlled like a puppet.

His neck quickly and unnaturally snapped upward looking Weyland right in the face.

"Consider this your first and final warning plague courier. Nurgle has no place here in the land of Tzeentch." The operator said through clenched teeth. "Leave now and we'll spare you the fate that befell you new converts. Didn't think we didn't know about your transgressions? A careful eye saw the rot and death you inflicted on that village. We made sure every single one of them tasted the cleansing power of Cho'zch Nokt's flames. The God of Change was more than pleased with those sacrifices." He smiled a black toothed smile at those last words.

Weyland watched like a statue as the speech finished.

"To whom am I speaking? Are you Cho'zch Nokt? Master of puppets? Destroyer of servitors? Herald of puffed chests?"

"Leave it to a nurgling to never put the pieces together. If you do not know about us then you do not know about us. Ignorance and a lack of knowledge lead to one thing around here... death. Take the easy road and flee back to your little tin can in orbit. They might need you soon anyways... you took something from the old masters and they want it back."

The possessed auspex operator's lips pulled back into a smile that was unnaturally wide. "What you call veiled threats I call truths. You can heed them or not at your own peril, plague courier. We've said all that we've needed to say."

The operator's body convulsed and dropped to the ground. He was dead.

There came some cursing from a nearby rhino. It was Etthart. He scrambled away from a rhino as did its servitors and crew. Thick black smoke was belching out from the command cupola.

"Well any long range vox transmissions seem to be out of the question. Something is entering into the transmitter if we dare to try and send anything. I'm sure Fimolov would know what kind of warp blasphemy is causing this and how to mitigate it but I'm at a lose." Etthart shouted over to Weyland.

The heretek spotted the dead operator but didn't say anything.

Weyland turned apathetically as the demon disappeared and the operator died for the second time.

"Forces do not want us to make it to the our destination, and that is precisely why we will press on, assuming we can actually find it. We will give it another day's attempt. If then we are still not there, we will turn around and request evac. Move out."

The convoy mounts back up and continues to press on. There is still no vox contact from the Fields of Dust and as the sun sets it just feel like they've gone in one giant circle.

Terrain features start to look familiar, that cluster of pillars off the north west looks the same, no it is the same. However that ridge to the direct north wasn't there...

The rhino crews were starting to get paranoid and anxious. Weyland caught whispers from his own crew about their doubt and fear. It was only getting worse as the sun started dipping behind the horizon.

[Need a Navigation (Surface) +0% and Command -10%.]

[OOC]: I would like to continue here if you're down, Solo. The intimidate was in lieu of rolling for Command.

[I'm very much down to continue.]

Weyland took a look at a datapad and the maps that the Field of Dust had provided to them. It didn't take him long to place features where they supposed to be and how he and his men were seeing them. It wasn't that the terrain was moving but a shift in perception. It was a very subtle trick and one that did keep them off the path they were trying to follow. It smelled of psyker interference and one that didn't want them to get to the Thaw Temple. Probably the same one that had taken over the body of the operator.

The Plague Marine tried to bring the crews back in line with these facts but the rot of fear and panic had already deeply set in. They needed something else to fear and Weyland had the answer.

These were normal men that served Captain Khulo. Traitors perhaps but they were still very much flesh and bone and not Skitarri or tech priests. The promise or Weyland gifting them Nurgles gifts to help ease their fear brought them back in line in a hurry.

With that matter handled Weyland had the convoy come to a halt as the sun finally disappear behind the horizon leaving twilight in its wake. The glow of green from the surrounding towers glowed even brighter.

"This invisible battle seems to be of the mind." Etthart commented over the vox. "Someone needs to pierce the veil that has been draped over our eyes and lead us to salvation." There was a little bit of a giggle from the heretek.

Solodice wrote:

"Never. Metal men left this place long ago but our ancestors told stories about the metal men and their servants but in the caverns much deeper then this. They said to never go. The metal men might of given us this home but they are not ones to be contacted or disturbed unless we wish to have their wrath unleashed upon us. They must slumber in peace."

The man shakes his head at Skal's next question. "I do not."

He was lying. Skal recalls that the leader had in hands a small green globe when he first revealed himself. On his hip was a small canvas bag that would be a perfect place for storing it. It did not seem to be man made when Skal first saw it.

Skal let the lie pass for the moment, it annoyed him as he wanted to examine the orb and take it for his own but now was not the time. He was unarmed and why antagonise the shaman by accusing him of the falsehood. It seemed logical that he needed to gain their trust and via that regain his equipment and find an opportunity to explore further. The shaman had said that these Metal Men should not be disturbed so he wasn't sure if they'd even allow him to explore the caverns. At least for now.

Query - May I remain here and examine this artifact?

Skal walks around the monolith as he speaks. The examination of the monolith would take a few days as he would scrutinise every inch.

I am skilled in the maintence of technology and also an armourer, I offer in exchange my skills to your people for your hospitality.

Also with your permission if I were to explore these caverns further how far are the boundries which I should not preceed beyound for fear of awakening the Metal Men?

Skal would far prefer friendship over violence although he did wonder without the latter how he would gain the orb. He would wait for an opportunity, if they lowered their guard at all.

Actions & ideas:

"Do as you please." The shaman answered Skal.

He looked around the cavern. "Hospitality is an interesting way to put it. If you can make yourself as useful as the equipment you brought along then please do so." He stuck a finger in Skal's face at the next request. "If you do that you'd be a dead man. Not from me or my people. The darkness of the deep is full of terror and pain."

[Examining the monolith further - Forbidden Lore Xenos -10%. Helping out the locals - Trade (Armorer) +0% or Tech +0% (depending on whether you want to improve their tools or living conditions in general). Locating gear - Tech Use +0%.]

Actions:

From what the shaman said he hoped that meant he wouldn't be followed further into the tunnels and that he be left to whatever fate waited him.

Skal spent a few days examining every inch of the monolith, it was a frustrating task as he soon realised that the tools he had at his disposal were not up to the task. He needed to get it back to the forge which due to its size and weight was not possible at this time. Not to mention not the fact that he was stuck here. Nethertheless he eked out the time he spent exmining the monolith so he had time for other things.

He spent time attending to the living conditions of the barbarians he found himself amongst, it was again frustrating. Their tools were so basic and materials so scarce or simply absent that he found improving them next to impossible. It did allow him to move amongst them as much as they allowed so he could 1) assess how many people were here 2) how they were distributed 3) was he watched or followed at all 4) where his equipment had gone and finally any opportunities in the leaders daily routine that left him isolated.

Skal was in no doubt that he would need to press further into the tunnel system and at a bare minimum he needed the majority of his equpiment back. Getting the orb was secondary.

Skal counted around 53 villagers including the shaman. They were distributed in two levels around the walking path in the center of the cavern. Those that lived close to the monolith and those that called the surrounding structures in the walls home. Proximity to the monolith seemed to be a personal one rather than some social hierarchy. Almost all the villagers attended the weekly rituals the shaman performed around the monolith.

During one of these rituals Skal slipped away and searched from his equipment. He found it... kind of. Using his auspex he found the equipment locked away behind a wall that had no discernible entrances or control panel.

The mapping of the shaman's daily routine was left up to 1CA234. The servitor was perfect for the task and the villagers had already been giving it a wide berth. So no one was going to be the wiser about the strange creature watching everyone.

+Report: Surveillance has been completed on the leader.+
+Schedule as follows: Wakes up around 0700 every day. Sustenance is taken at 0730. Daily mingling takes place between 0750 to around 1100. Sustenance taken at 1130 with followers. Attends to duties from 1200 to 1700. Sustenance taken at 1800 with followers. If there is no weekly ritual then the leader will being preparing one from 1900 to 2000. If there is a weakly ritual it takes place from 1800 to 2130. After preparation or ritual, leader always visits a lone female at her local from either 2100 or 2200 to around 2300. It's of particular note that the leader is guarded through out the day  until this last scheduled visit.+

[Continued from Scoured Lands.]

Screams was jostled around in his seat upon the Arvus Lighter as it screamed through the atmosphere of The Pillars of Eternity. His journey from Scoured Lands was an uneventful one. Hardly a new experience to speak of in that dusty and old tin can of a voidship he rod over here on.

This pilot though was doing his best impression of a drop pod insertion. It might of been novel for someone else but not Screams. Not like there was anyone else to share the experience with anyways. Screams was the only live cargo on board. The rest was the Arvus was crammed full of ammo crates, fuel barrels, and other logistical necessities.

Screams felt and heard the breaking of the sound barrier multiple times as they continued to plummet towards the surface. Finally the craft's engines fired and they leveled out. Across the horizon Screams spotted a temple in the shadow of a volcano. His destination... the Thaw Temple. That's where he'd meet with members of The Society of Mount Al' K'Dok.

Screams spent his time aboard singing to his Blastmaster as he inspected her parts. Her ancient xenotech parts were becoming more and more familiar to him beneath all the garish augmetics that enhanced her pale frame. He'd decided to give her a name now that they were properly acquainted: Symbaresh, the Conjoined Sisters. Two maiden voices joined by one body. His song was carefully redirected away from his Doom Siren to a private vox channel which caused his armor to hum and vibrate from within. It brought him some comfort as he huddled in the cramped conditions of his accommodation.

As the Argus Lighter began to even out, Screams persuaded the pilot to open the bay doors wide for a short while to avoid causing any damage to the inner walls of the craft. With the Thaw Temple in sight across the horizon, Screams took up the Blastmaster and vomited a torrent of sound out into the air. His fingers danced in a spasmodic frenzy across Symbaresh's las-strings as she roared in sweet release. Screams' vocals then came up from augmented lungs, passing through a surgically modified throat and out as a piercing cry that was picked up by his Doom Siren, tearing the very air apart.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAH!" Oh yeah... he needed that. Bliss.

The scream-vocals ensured that life on the planet heard him from above, recognized his voice and understood to fear him. A hunter was about to land on the surface of the Pillars of Eternity and he would bring them torment throughout the day and night. Screams needed to earn a Mark of Slaanesh as a sign of his master's favor before he could present himself to the Rapturous Voice and he knew what pleased the Lord of Pleasures. He'd been forced to restrain himself in front of the Astartes of the Scoured Lands but a new planet was ripe for the taking and Screams would not hold himself back.

"Enough... for now... close it up," Said Screams, catching his breath, to the pilot on their vox channel, "How close can you get us... to the Thaw Temple?" He pointed an aching finger in the direction of the target location.

[+1 Infamy for a badass entrance.]

The heavily pierced and tattooed face of the pilot looked back at him. "We're going to be landing right inside the temple grounds. See the landing site?" He pointed a gloved hand to a ring of flares. "The badgers are expecting this resupply."

Screams took another look at the supplies. It was good enough for half a company of infantry and maybe a platoon if they were mechanized.

The lighter came closer to the Thaw Temple and the Noise Marine could start to make out the great rock statues that littered its grounds. They were made out of the igneous rocks created by the volcano. For their crude construction material they were actually quite intricate in design. Another object caught his eye. A Q'Sal gold ship.

It was a sleek vessel that reflected the rivers of lava in a brilliant gold light. It had landed about a kilometer away from the Thaw Temple.

The lighter was now on final approach and the engines roared as it came down with a soft landing.

The morning light had now grown into a dim afternoon and the air smelt of sulfur and burnt ozone. Screams wasn't met by anyone at the landing site. Instead his ears picked up the first bit of life.

"A single Arvus? Oh, we're so fucked." It was a male voice.

Another replied. "At least they brought an Astartes from the looks of it but that can't replace a whole mechanized company."

"Remember that Imperial propaganda said that a single Astartes was worth like a whole armored platoon?"

"Yeah, I remember. I also remember watching those angels of death being eviscerated by the same weapons that could knock out a Leman Russ tank. They not immortal."

"You think me a mere Astartes?" Screams responded in an amplified voice to the skies, sliding a finger across frets to make Symbaresh growl and throwing out a flashy shred lick on one of her long necks that sent murderous howls up into the air.

"I am Kakophoni. We eat Astartes and Leman Russ tanks for fucking breakfast!" He finished with a resounding chord, to demonstrate his instrument's power, that launched a great booming force upwards and picked up dust around his feet. "Who speaks? Come, show yourselves!"

The voices stopped until a much gruffer one spoke up. "Stop standing around like gossiping school girls and get that Arvus unloaded!"

"Yes, Sergeant!" The two voices from before and others responded.

A squad of guardsmen came into view. Their equipment and appearances were rough. They had been on this planet for a while and without much support. They avoided eye contact with Screams as they passed by to unload the spacecraft.

"Kakophoni you say?" That would make you a noise marine then. One of Slaanesh's." The Sergeant said as he looked Screams up and down.

It was hard to tell if his appearance was always so rough or suffering from the same conditions from the other guardsmen. His lower jaw had been completely replaced with a chrome bionic and the only hair on his head was a cropped mohawk. On his back was a sheathed sword... no... that was an Astartes combat knife. On its hilt dangled a five pointed star of chaos charm.

"You here by invitation of the Society or did you invite yourself?" He asked.