RPGWW

by **helvorn** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:48 am

Ahhh... finish the job and go spend the $$$ having fun with the girlfriend down on the seashore. Life is too short to do otherwise!!!

We'll muddle through the delay in the game.

by **InquisitorChris** » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:04 pm

(I'm off to catch a train in a couple of hours. Will be online via internet cafe in 28 hrs. or so.)

by **ChristianC** » Tue Aug 24, 2010 2:44 am

(Man, sounds like a hassle, hope you get to sit down and calm down soon. D:)

by **InquisitorChris** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:15 pm

(OOC -- and I'm back from Ukraine!)

The head enforcer looks up a second when he hears Huw's comments about infestation. "Altheria's flesh! Mora, get some gloves and some of that bug spray, what's it called," he says to the enforcer who is about to manhandle your bags. Who proceeds to rifle through a drawer.

The head looks down at your documents. His eyes narrow.

He looks up at Leveticus. "One of you is a psyker?" he asks.

The other enforcers exchange glances.

by **Jak Snide** » Thu Sep 02, 2010 7:58 pm

Jim leant back and rolled his head towards Leveticus, waiting for the man to make his move. Should the priest pass the responsibility back to him then he was ready to present his Arbite ID and see what the locals made of the Imperial Law.

by **Capntastic** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 3:21 am

Huw, indulging his inner (and outer) light-hearted rascal, couldn't pass up this opportunity to get these enforcers into a cold sweat.

"I'd be much obliged if you didn't hose my possessions down with chemicals, friends. I've got an autogun in there from generations back. My great-grandpa killed an ork with it in his PDF days, believe it or not. Hopin' to get the barrel inscripted. There's a fragmentation grenade, also, fresh from Hive Lind's factories. A gift from my girl, waiting back home. I'd hate to see it get goo'd up."

He took a step back, grinning, and prepared to let Jim work his end of the angle.

by **InquisitorChris** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 8:39 am

Capntastic wrote:Huw, indulging his inner (and outer) light-hearted rascal, couldn't pass up this opportunity to get these enforcers into a cold sweat.

"I'd be much obliged if you didn't hose my possessions down with chemicals, friends. I've got an autogun in there from generations back. My great-grandpa killed an ork with it in his PDF days, believe it or not. Hopin' to get the barrel inscripted. There's a fragmentation grenade, also, fresh from Hive Lind's factories. A gift from my girl, waiting back home. I'd hate to see it get goo'd up."

He took a step back, grinning, and prepared to let Jim work his end of the angle.

(OOC: Henceforth I will be showing the dice rolling mechanics in italics, as I do below.)

I will do a Deceive test even though Huw is sort of telling the truth. Huw has Deceive as an Advanced Skill, so it's with his Fellowship of 42. The Enforcers don't have Scrutiny, so they use half their Perception of 35 = 18. Huw has a Fellowship Bonus of 4, so he can affect 4 people and there are 5 Enforcers. However I don't think thus will matter in this case, but I will give them a plus 10 using the Helping rules since there are a bunch of them, so they roll using 18 + 10 = 28.

Opposed Skill Roll time using the handy Wizards of the Coast die roller! Huw rolls a 99. Urch. The Enforcers collectively roll a 23. Ouch. The Probability Gods frown upon you and Huw fails.

"That's was not funny," says the head Enforcer in an intimidating growl, spitting to one side. One of the other enforcers pulls out his truncheon and sidles over to Huw, swinging it idly.

"Open his bag first," the head Enforcer says.

"Let's see, you have a psyker with you and --" he looks down at the documents. "You're pilgrims? With a witch?"

by **helvorn** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 8:25 pm

[quote="InquisitorChris
"Let's see, you have a psyker with you and --" he looks down at the documents. "You're pilgrims? With a witch?"[/quote]

Kara steps forward; "I am a sanctioned psyker in the service of the priesthood of the Emperor."

by **InquisitorChris** » Fri Sep 03, 2010 8:49 pm

helvorn wrote:[quote="InquisitorChris
"Let's see, you have a psyker with you and --" he looks down at the documents. "You're pilgrims? With a witch?"

Kara steps forward; "I am a sanctioned psyker in the service of the priesthood of the Emperor."[/quote]

"Throne and Altheria's choicest bits I should hope you are sanctioned!", he says, still in a malevolent growl. "Stay back -- I want no dealings with your sort."

His fingers drum on the table.

"Here's the problem. We've had lots of people coming in as pilgrims, Saint and Throne be praised, but really coming in bringing in obscura."

"I'm hoping that when we check this Cheelah" (he gesture at Huw) "we won't be finding any of that stuff."

The enforcer near Huw whistles a quick melody and swings his punishment baton in a short arc.

Spoiler for Kara:

Spoiler:

Spoiler for Huw:

Spoiler:

Spoiler for Leveticus:

Spoiler:

by **helvorn** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:29 am

Kara remembers the lack of response to her earlier pious declaration of adoration for Altheria. She smiles sweetly with dimples; "We don't deal with drugs such as that. Our leader the holy cleric Leveticus would not allow such. You have not mentioned any port fees or entry paperwork charges. Perhaps we can move right to the examination of our papers and payment of pilgrim's fees?"

by **Capntastic** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 12:52 am

Huw couldn't help but grin, passively, at the scenario. "Just the antique gun and the grenade, really."

"Wouldn't a trader's vessel be trying to sneak in contraband in their, like, cargo? I don't think whatever we could sneak in our bags would be profitable enough. Unless street value here is like, a couple dozen orders a'magnitude higher than, well, anywhere else. In that case, I'd just be keepin' an eye on the cash and treasure leavin' this place."

By pointing out their inconsistencies in methodology, he hoped to reveal their true intentions. And have a laugh.

by **ChristianC** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 2:47 am

Chani had remained where she was, passively observing this charade. Clearly these men had every bit of intention of making their arrival to this planet utterly miserably. She was ready to draw her blade as soon as she felt threatened however.

by **gsteelwraith** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 4:28 pm

"Here's the problem. We've had lots of people coming in as pilgrims, Saint and Throne be praised, but really coming in bringing in obscura."

Leveticus will answer, "And so you see fit to treat the precious few travellers whom have reason to journey to this benighted corner of the Emperor's realm as common criminals. I would suggest you not take things any further than you already have, otherwise you will wish that all you found was Obscura."

He'll nod toward Jim, indicating he should present his Arbites ID.

by **InquisitorChris** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 9:18 pm

gsteelwraith wrote:
"Here's the problem. We've had lots of people coming in as pilgrims, Saint and Throne be praised, but really coming in bringing in obscura."

Leveticus will answer, "And so you see fit to treat the precious few travellers whom have reason to journey to this benighted corner of the Emperor's realm as common criminals. I would suggest you not take things any further than you already have, otherwise you will wish that all you found was Obscura."

He'll nod toward Jim, indicating he should present his Arbites ID.

"Altheria and Throne, that's just what a smuggler would say to throw me off the track. What are you going to do, hit me with your pilgrim stick?" says the head Enforcer.

He sits back, pulls out a lho-stick, and lights it. He leans back in his chair, and says,

"Look, let's be honest here. You're smugglers unless we say you ain't smugglers. You've got a bag of obscura in your sack unless I say otherwise, get it? Your buddy there already said he's got a grenade, and that's close enough. A pilgrim with a grenade ain't no pilgrim. That's a criminal bringing in obscura to us Emperor-loving folks."

The other enforcers nod solemnly. The one by Huw twirls his punishment baton (i.e., club) through the air and whistles.

He flicks ash on the table.

"We're all hard-working guys who don't earn enough. See what I'm saying? You can sit here or at the station til we get this all sorted out in a couple of days, or we can work this out right here and now and you can be on your way bowin' and scrapin' to Altheria like you want. Get it?"

by **helvorn** » Sat Sep 04, 2010 10:34 pm

InquisitorChris wrote:
"We're all hard-working guys who don't earn enough. See what I'm saying? You can sit here or at the station til we get this all sorted out in a couple of days, or we can work this out right here and now and you can be on your way bowin' and scrapin' to Altheria like you want. Get it?"

"Leveticus, these gentlemen are prepared to be reasonable. Let's work with them so we can do the Holy Lady's business. There is no need to bring anything else into the mix right now." At this last she'll glance at Jim.

by **Jak Snide** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 7:42 am

Jim's face had hardened as the enforcers' plan came out. They weren't just on a power trip. They'd moved onto extortion. He stood up, took his legitimate identification out of the pocket of his duster coat and placed it on the table, locking eyes with the man who spoke.

"Pardon me, sir, but I didn't catch what you said. My mind's elsewhere, wondering about the men we're supposed to be meeting right about now. We're expected and, well, chances are that when we don't show they'll come looking, asking questions after us and all that. Now, would you kindly repeat yourself now that you've got my full attention?" His voice was hard, contrasting with his choice of words.

by **InquisitorChris** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:26 am

Jak Snide wrote:Jim's face had hardened as the enforcers' plan came out. They weren't just on a power trip. They'd moved onto extortion. He stood up, took his legitimate identification out of the pocket of his duster coat and placed it on the table, locking eyes with the man who spoke.

"Pardon me, sir, but I didn't catch what you said. My mind's elsewhere, wondering about the men we're supposed to be meeting right about now. We're expected and, well, chances are that when we don't show they'll come looking, asking questions after us and all that. Now, would you kindly repeat yourself now that you've got my full attention?" His voice was hard, contrasting with his choice of words.

This is an Intimidate test using Fellowship as the relevant characteristic. Jim has Intimidate as an Advanced Skill and a Fellowship of 36. He also has Peer (Underworld), and underworld is what these guys basically are. He also gets a +30 due to the magic of the badge and these guys being nominally cops who are subordinate to the Arbites. So he has 36 + 10 + 30 = 76. He rolls... 75! That was close. A success but with no additional degrees of success.

The head enforcer's cigarette freezes midway to his mouth as his eyes focus on the badge.

After a few seconds, he says calmly, and loudly enough so the other enforcers can all hear, "I see there has been a misunderstanding, Arbitrator Claggett. This was just a routine test for my men on how to deal with suspected criminals and heretics. Have to keep on the cutting edge of policework you know. No harm done. You may go to your meeting."

He hands the documents back to Leveticus without further looking at them. Behind you the door opens, and the other enforcers step aside. The one by Huw quickly reattaches his punishment baton to his belt and takes a step back.

by **Jak Snide** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:36 am

"Thank you kindly." Jim responded, his tone anything but thankful. "Let's get moving."

by **ChristianC** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:07 pm

(Apparently my post disappeared somewhere between me posting and me turning off the computer! :O )

Chani gave the enforcers a sour look as she stepped up to her own bag, furrowing her brow at the head enforcer and speaking for the first time in a while, her melodic voice as sharp as the blade she wielded.

"I would assume you generally ask those who help you in these routine exams before you do them." she grabbed the handle of her trolley case and flicked some water off her hat before putting it on once more.

"I pray we have no more delays in our journey, lest time dulls my blade..."

by **helvorn** » Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:39 pm

InquisitorChris wrote:He hands the documents back to Leveticus without further looking at them. Behind you the door opens, and the other enforcers step aside. The one by Huw quickly reattaches his punishment baton to his belt and takes a step back.

Kara sighed in frustration that it took revealing that Jim was an Arbites to get them past the corrupt cops. It would have been good to maintain more of their cover but hopefully the word would not spread too far that some of the new pilgrims were actually undercover Arbites. Still, there was nothing for it now but to roll on with the rest of the mission;

She smiled sweetly at the lead cop as she gathered her gear and headed out the door; "See, I knew we could all get along."

by **gsteelwraith** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 2:19 pm

Leveticus smiled slightly, relieved that he wouldn't be forced to present his rosette. If the locals were of a mind to assume this was simply the Arbites involved in some job that was fine. He figured the last thing that needed to happen was for them to know the Emperor's own Inquisition had focussed its eye upon this place.

by **InquisitorChris** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 2:40 pm

(Just waiting for a Huw post.)

Also, I'm assuming you are all leaving the room?

by **Capntastic** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:20 pm

Huw grabbed his things, grinning, though not entirely smug about the ordeal, as he prepared to exit.

"You should've had some hot recaf for us, too."

by **InquisitorChris** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:45 pm

You walk back out into the spaceport. Rain is still coming down, but it's no longer a true downpour. Visibility is far better. You see flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder in the distance. The shuttle is still there on the landing pad, being refueled.

Behind you, you can hear the Enforcers speaking in heated whispers among themselves, but you can't make out what they're saying (as in, there were many failed Awareness roles, not surprising with the hefty whisper minus). The door shuts and the voices become inaudible.

To your left is the shuttle. The landing pad is on open ground. In addition to the wing of the building you just emerged from, to the right you can see the structure of the main spaceport itself about 100 meters away. It's rather small by spaceport standards -- a three-story structure of maybe a square kilometer in area. Beyond it, presumably, lies the city (you know from the map provided in Sholmes' data-slate that the spaceport is located a few kloms from Harvest itself).

A group of figures (eight of them) emerge from the building, dressed in civilian attire. Their heads cast around, as if looking for someone. They see you and begin to stride deliberately and rapidly in your direction.

by **Jak Snide** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 7:59 pm

Jim tipped his hat to the group and moved to meet them mid way, greeting the foremost man with a "Good day, sir."

by **helvorn** » Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:03 pm

InquisitorChris wrote:To your left is the shuttle. The landing pad is on open ground. In addition to the wing of the building you just emerged from, to the right you can see the structure of the main spaceport itself about 100 meters away. It's rather small by spaceport standards -- a three-story structure of maybe a square kilometer in area. Beyond it, presumably, lies the city (you know from the map provided in Sholmes' data-slate that the spaceport is located a few kloms from Harvest itself).

A group of figures (eight of them) emerge from the building, dressed in civilian attire. Their heads cast around, as if looking for someone. They see you and begin to stride deliberately and rapidly in your direction.

Kara heads back out into the rain; she's already wet so a little bit more rain won't hurt her any more. Besides, this wasn't like the storms back home when both moons were up...

Addressing Leveticus; "It looks like perhaps we have a real reception committee to greet us."

by **gsteelwraith** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 3:22 pm

Kara heads back out into the rain; she's already wet so a little bit more rain won't hurt her any more. Besides, this wasn't like the storms back home when both moons were up...

Addressing Leveticus; "It looks like perhaps we have a real reception committee to greet us."

Leveticus will give the group approaching them a casual glance. He'll grunt noncommitally, and say, "We shall see, won't we? Given the reception we've already received, I'm not so quick to call them friends. The group of locals back there should count themselves fortunate; I have half a mind to recommend to Inquisitor Sholmes to have the lot them sent to serve in a Penal Legion."

by **InquisitorChris** » Tue Sep 07, 2010 5:17 pm

The group advances to you, more or less ignoring the rain. The lead man (who is actually a woman in her mid-30s with short-cropped black hair), stops before you, assessing you with intelligent eyes.

"I believe we have been sent here to meet you, "she says, addressing you in turn by your assumed names.

Around her neck she wears a small pendant. It is of a small open hand and appears to be made of silver.

Spoiler for Kara:

Spoiler:

by **ChristianC** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 5:01 am

Chani remains in the 'backdrop' of the group, arms folded and her eyes narrow underneath her hat. She was quite skeptical to any further greeting party, despite the fact that these people seemed to at least know who they were... their alternate identities.

by **gsteelwraith** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 5:13 pm

OOC: Would Leveticus have any knowledge of the significance of that symbol being presented? Its entirely likely I'm either forgetting something or have missed something.

by **InquisitorChris** » Wed Sep 08, 2010 6:25 pm

gsteelwraith wrote:OOC: Would Leveticus have any knowledge of the significance of that symbol being presented? Its entirely likely I'm either forgetting something or have missed something.

Your computer was down during that leg of the adventure and I'm not going to penalize you for it. I will retroactively assume that you spent the day before departure in Holmes' mansion studying the Altheria cult. (Otherwise I would have required some sort of Lore (Ecclesiarchy) roll).

Spoiler for Leveticus:

Spoiler:

by **Jak Snide** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 7:37 am

Jim gave the woman a polite nod but remained silent, waiting for his superior to respond.

by **gsteelwraith** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:12 pm

Leveticus will nod in acknowledgement of the woman, and reply, "Perhaps we can find a better place to discuss matters. While the rain is cleansing, it causes voices to carry, and after our first less than auspicious greeting with the local constabulary, I wouldn't mind more pleasant surroundings and perhaps a nice brandy."

OOC: Thanks for the heads up. I'm still piecing together things from the hard drive crash.

by **Capntastic** » Thu Sep 09, 2010 3:27 pm

"Yeah, let's get ourselves under-roof. And I gotta say, I could really go for some hot recaf."

by **InquisitorChris** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 7:17 pm

Capntastic wrote:"Yeah, let's get ourselves under-roof. And I gotta say, I could really go for some hot recaf."

The woman speaks softly in her lilting Famine accent.

"We can get plenty of hot strong recaf and brandy for you at headquarters."

She leads you through the spaceport to the road outside. The spaceport itself has relatively few people and appears to be in a state of mild disrepair.

As you walk, she addresses you in a low voice, speaking mainly to Leveticus but with attention paid to all of us. Whenever anyone comes anywhere within earshot, she stops talking. The others in the group form a rough and nonobvious circle around you, shielding you from the casual observer.

"Throne Emperor and Altheria, it is an honor to meet you. To my knowledge a representative of the Holy Ordos has never stepped foot on our world. though I wish it were under more auspicious circumstances. I trust you had an untroubled trip. I have never been offworld" (her tone turns wistful for a moment) "but I hear there are perils between the stars.

"I am Arbites Investigator Felia Crelama, and I have been appointed your field liaison. Although our station head Proctor Harmas wishes to speak with you as well."

You exit the building. A large road (what we would call a highway) with a few auto vehicles parked along it stretches to the right and left. Across the road stands a wood. The colors are bright in the rain.

You are led to a nondescript van by the side of the road and the arbitrators (for arbitrators they are) motion for you to get in the back. Assuming you go in, Crelama and six of the arbitrators follow; the other two take the front seats.

"We will be at headquarters within the hour," she says. "We have much to discuss."

Spoiler for Jim:

Spoiler:

by **Jak Snide** » Fri Sep 10, 2010 9:24 pm

Jim chose to spend most of the ride making inquiries with Investigator Crelama, asking about the dealings of the Adeptus Arbites on Famine. His time on Sinophia had taught him how the long arm of the law was sometimes stunted and occasionally malformed; he wanted to get a good handle on how his peers went about their duty, how far their might extended and identify any people of importance in the city.

by **InquisitorChris** » Sat Sep 11, 2010 6:18 am

Jak Snide wrote:Jim chose to spend most of the ride making inquiries with Investigator Crelama, asking about the dealings of the Adeptus Arbites on Famine. His time on Sinophia had taught him how the long arm of the law was sometimes stunted and occasionally malformed; he wanted to get a good handle on how his peers went about their duty, how far their might extended and identify any people of importance in the city.

(Yeah, it would be better if we abstract this part so I can get you to the city. I'll do Jim's Inquiry check after I get posts from the other guys.)

by **gsteelwraith** » Sat Sep 11, 2010 7:42 pm

"Throne Emperor and Altheria, it is an honor to meet you. To my knowledge a representative of the Holy Ordos has never stepped foot on our world. though I wish it were under more auspicious circumstances. I trust you had an untroubled trip. I have never been offworld" (her tone turns wistful for a moment) "but I hear there are perils between the stars.

Leveticus will reply, " The first member of the Ordos to come to Famine, eh? I'm not sure if we should be honoured or concerned about that. Given how the local constabulary greets the pilgrims, perhaps the Light of the Emperor has been too long in coming. There are perils aplenty for the unprepared, of that I can assure you, however, the same can be said for any journey."

OOC: Yeah, he can be a bit long winded.

by **InquisitorChris** » Sat Sep 11, 2010 8:44 pm

gsteelwraith wrote:
"Throne Emperor and Altheria, it is an honor to meet you. To my knowledge a representative of the Holy Ordos has never stepped foot on our world. though I wish it were under more auspicious circumstances. I trust you had an untroubled trip. I have never been offworld" (her tone turns wistful for a moment) "but I hear there are perils between the stars.

Leveticus will reply, " The first member of the Ordos to come to Famine, eh? I'm not sure if we should be honoured or concerned about that. Given how the local constabulary greets the pilgrims, perhaps the Light of the Emperor has been too long in coming. There are perils aplenty for the unprepared, of that I can assure you, however, the same can be said for any journey."

She looks alarmed.

"Local constabulary," she says, "what do you mean?"

"I assure you that the Emperor's light burns brightly on Famine," she adds, clutching her hand pendant. "It was the Saint's sacrifice that brought us to Him."

by **ChristianC** » Sun Sep 12, 2010 4:22 am

Chani smiled, rather pleased with the turn of events, as they got into the vehicle and away from the rain. During most of the passage she remains silent, listening to Jim and Crelama until she turns to one of the men who came with her.

"What are the local forms of entertainment? I'm sure, once we are done with all the paperwork, and all the serious discussions, we could all use some relaxation from the crampness of this ride, non?" She smiled at the others.

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