"Shouldn't we have disarmed that man?" Aoife asks the others as the man is arrested and dragged away while she lowers her pistol and unlimbers her shield. "We could probably use whatever weapons he may have"


*** At the door ***

As they stop at the doorway she moves to the side of the corridor, looking for cover and if none we found she would place the shield forward of her and aims at the doorway.

The access panel was clearly marked, and yielded easily to Cedrik's tech codes and expertise. Likewise the machine spirit proved well maintained and co-operative. Lacking sufficient time or interest or legs to work the treadmill he was limited to what power could be gained from the counterweights but that proved to be half the bulkhead's length and half the length of such a bulkhead was plenty indeed for the cell to pass.

Lydia straightened up from peering round the edge with a periscope grudging "Looks clear".
"Draw weapons, advance." Pearl did not take her own advice however, instead moving forward with her auspex raised.
A little way down the passage she stiffened, raising one hand for a halt then dropping to one knee to conduct a conversation with an unseen partner. "Yes my Lord. I see. How did... never mind, I suppose it does not matter. Yes my Lord. Bloody wonderful. Yes my Lord. Yes my Lord. Alive then? Yes my Lord."
Standing, she turned to the cell. "Okay, seems that the 117'th has stormed the bridge. Reason unknown. Captain and Astrogator are dead. This adds an extra detail to our mission, we must recover Lt Wilks, as the only surviving astrogation officer, alive. If he is spouting Chaos nonsense or something knock him out. Do not kill him. It is a very long trip to the nearest system at sub-light. Everybody got that? Good. Also, it seems that there is a Warp barrier, whatever that is, in front of us. Be wary of Warp... stuff. Right, advance."

"Great" she mutters under her breath in a strange language "There goes a chunk of my usefulness" before returning to low gothic "Anyone have a stun grenade or shock maul? keeping the pistol and shield are raised.

"I am afraid not. I don't really do...non lethal..." Drezla responded to Aoife, spitting out the last word like it was a poisonous curse.

That wicked looking knife appeared in the Hivers hand yet again, and the young woman crouched down into that easy fighting pose. She began moving forward at a cautious pace. She was no expert in Witchcraft, so for once she wasn't sure that the skill of her sword arm would be enough to handle the danger.

"Master of Mankind, be my shield..." she whispered under her breath as she advanced.

Non-lethal huh... his eyes flicked unseen to the massive shotgun in his hands...I guess I can hit him in the side of the head with the thing if I need to.  "Understood," was all that came over the microbead as he adjusted his position and place.  Keeping pace with the others in the new cell his kept his eyes peeled for the Warp barrier.  It was bad news based on what little he knew but perhaps there would be a way to deal with it when they finally found it.

A little further along the auspex flashed alert-red, and Pearl stopped, peering at the axial in front of you.
Sure enough, there is a faint shimmer in the air, easy enough to miss if you had not been alerted.
"Um, okay. Hmm, I got nothing. Psykana?"

At the question Aoife closes her eyes and tries to reach out with her other sense but fails to notice anything definitive. "Sorry boss, I can't tell you anything for sure here."

Aoife Aithne rolled 47 -- 2 degrees of failure using the Only War system with a target number of 33.  Psyniscience .

Adela had to consider just how they might capture a lunatic without force when all of them carried with them only killing potential. Her thoughts turned to then to the axe at her hip and the shield on her arm. One could be used as a club whilst the other could be used to restrain or pin if another was ready to indulge in the maneuver beside her.

"Figure between you and I might be able to pin him against a wall long enough for one of the others to restrain him?" Adela asked with a nod towards Aoife and her own shield. There wasn't time to wait for an answer thought as the Lady Harkonnen asked the question of Aoife and, by proxy, herself. Adela readied her shield as she moved a step forward, muttering prayers in the tongue of Dusk to herself to focus her will and thoughts... Her breathing slowing as her senses spread beyond those most intimately familiar to her into the dangerous realm beyond the flesh.

19:46, Today: Adela Reinhard rolled 25 -- 1 degree of success using the Only War system with a target number of 34.  Psyniscience.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:14, Mon 24 May 2021.

Adela concentrated on the shimmer, learning...
This message was last edited by the GM at 07:27, Tue 25 May 2021.

While the psykers did their...psyker thing...he was more concerned with what could come from beyond the warp wall.  As tempted as he as to find some detritus from the floor to toss through and see what happened he held his urge and instead simple made sure he was as close to the wall as possible and down on a knee to provide as little a target as possible while aiming the large bore weapon down that direction.

Adela held her concentration for just a moment longer before releasing the breath she realized she had been holding for just long enough to bring a spark of pain to her temples. She shook her head then as she centered herself once more on the physical world and glanced back towards the Lady Harkonnen. There were a lot of questions that came from the answer she now had burning in her brain and she wasn't quite sure she was fond of where they took her thoughts and the momentum of their hunt.

"It's a ward of some kind, I think an alarm if we want to be specific. The question that bothers me is who put it here. Someone in the crew or the Neverborn? I'm not too happy about the thought of the latter wanting to know who is coming and going..." the Dusker offered with a shrug of shoulders as she took her time looking over the wall now for some physical... anchor for lack of a better term for the ward that might help her better understand it's purpose.

Looking around the edges of the passageway Val looked to see if there was some sort of scrawl or madness there that formed the borders of the 'alarm' as Adela described it.  Looking over he asked, "If we used a rating service conduit or different approach could we slip by? Or is it a sphere instead of just a marker?"

Pearl glared at Adela and Aoife. "Listen, when I give you an instruction you will carry it out, not give it a lick and promise then give up! We are Acolytes of His Most Holy Ordos, not straying children. Now you" she reached out and pulled Aoife forward "reach out and sense while you" she moved Adela behind Aoife "Back her up. Then you reverse, then you confer with me since we have no Adept. Then you do it again and again until you can no more or you are satisfied that you have gained as much information as there is to gain. Clear?"

"Carry on."

Okay, I want at least two more rolls from both of you (max is Wip bonus as usual and you have already made one). These rolls gain +40 (20 from aid, +10 for taking your time and 10 from Pearl's Team Player talent). You may not accumulate successes for this task but you should definitely take the best of your rolls.

Aurelius didn't so much as try to look at Pearl's auspex to see if there was a secondary passageway showing up that might be used as an alternate route that it could see even if he still wondered if there was.  He also suppressed a smirk at Pearl getting on the two psykers cases.  Instead he kept still by regulating his breathing and watching for any movement and continued to see if he could spot any features or markings where the 'wall' met the real wall.


___
16:00, Today: Aurelius Valerianus Illyovich rolled 88 -- 6 degrees of failure using the Only War system with a target number of 35.  Awareness, looking for scrawl or other barely perceptible information more than its barely visible.
Yup clear failure...

Adela had choice words for Pearl but bit her tongue, literally. Explaining colour to a man born blind was pointless as it was lost on them with out the nuance of it. They could claim all they wanted of theory and formal education... but it meant nothing in the moment because they couldn't do it. They couldn't experience it. She pushed those thoughts aside then as she drew abreast of Aoife and spared a glance towards the other woman before tipping her chin towards the ward and closing her eyes once more.

It was easier to perceive the world beyond flesh through the medium of prayer... The words of the prayer had changed, granted, but it was just easier all the same as she recited invocations to the Most Holy on Terra in the tongue of Dusk... Asking pointedly for guidance and direction as she let her senses slip away one by one to focus purely on the witch work before her. Whether she'd admit it or not... There was always a measure of... momentum that came from such hostile encouragement and having someone else close at hand. It wasn't the only thing her mind focused on though as she picked and pulled at the strings of the ward to better understand it's nature and compare it against what she had been taught by the witches and sorcerers of distant Dusk.


Scholastic Lore (Occult) to better understand the potential sources and possible methods used to create the ward. Psyniscience to do the obvious of probing out it's effects and nature to the fullest extent.

19:52, Today: Adela Reinhard rolled 21 -- 2 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 36.  Attempted fate reroll of Scholastic lore (Occult).

19:44, Today: Adela Reinhard rolled 85 -- 5 degrees of failure using the Only War system with a target number of 36.  Scholastic Lore (Occult).

19:44, Today: Adela Reinhard rolled 32 -- 5 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 74.  Psyniscience (34 + 20 + 10 + 10).

As Pearl grabs her, her eyes flare, almost seeming that her iris' flare with purple-blue flame  but she suppresses her anger and backs away from her and stands just outside the shield's area of effect and extends her senses which seem to unlock vastly then the last time as she extends her own, relatively untrained skills out to gather what information she has and tries to link that up to her own slight knowledge of Daemons.


Aoife Aithne rolled 4 -- 10 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 99 with rolls of 4.  Psyniscience .
Aoife Aithne rolled 90 -- 8 degrees of failure using the Only War system with a target number of 16 with rolls of 90.  FL: Daemonology.

Pearl beamed, pleased. "Well now, that is more like it!"

On conferring, you come to the following conclusions:
1)It is a ward, triggered by sentience, with a secondary Divination effect on trigger.
2)From curvature, it is a sphere with a radius of 563 meters. The center is slightly above you (10m or so, not a Deck by any means).
3)It is likely solid in Astral space. Combining this with 1) above, it is likely the demonic equivalent of a mud hut. It keeps minor nuisances out, and warns of more serious intrusions.
4)To bring it down you need to attack its anchor.

"Hmm, no, I still see nothing to kill." She looked over at Aurelius. "Ecclesiarchy, try an Exorcism. Might work."

Aurelius nodded, "It likely would Lady Harkonnen you would be correct.  Unfortunately I've not been ordained into performing an exorcism alone of this type.  That knowledge is proscribed with a notable few exceptions.  I may be able to learn them later on Maccabeus Quintus if they accept me back.  That said give me a possessed host," he nodded his head towards Aoife and Adela, "like if they lost control and something took over their bodies and you didn't have them killed immediately and instead somehow restrained...I'd have a fair chance at sending the thing back to the Warp.  Of course with my current knowledge and practice I'd give it a seventy five to twenty five chance at also killing them but, and it is very important, they wouldn't have the stain of the thing on their soul when they went to judgement before the God-Emperor.  Though like they say...practice makes perfect."

Pearl shrugged. "Fair enough." She listened to his offer, then shrugged again. "I will bear it in mind, but I trust you won't mind if I say that I hope we never need your skills."

Sge eyed the barrier once more, then gave a little snort, half amused. "Sod it, I am not going to let fear stop me." Taking off her helmet, she hung it from her belt, turning to Lydia. "You know what to do if..."
Lydia nodded, very nearly showing an expression before raising her rifle, the red dot centering on Pearl's nose then following her as she nodded and stepped into the shimmer.

It lights up with golden Glyfs as she touched it, then sprays of rainbow light came off as she forced her way in. The lights flicker, then form pictures, pictures of Pearl doing things. Slaughtering her way through an army of foes, lying in the arms of a lover, hitting the books to track down a cult, thousands of images. Most of them dispersed, fading, until only one dominated, Pearl shooting her way through a demonic army. That too dispersed as Pearl made her way out the other side and turned to face you.

"I think it is all right. There is resistance, but you can get through it and I don't feel any urge to overthrow the Imperium or anything. Come ahead."

Okay, five hits (accumulated) on Easy(+20) Wip rolls needed to get through. No penalty for failure but dramatic failure means that you have given up and cannot pass through.

"I pray that we never need it as well Lady Harkonnen," agreed Aurelius.

Watching Pearl go through the barrier he marveled at the images that he was seeing and he took quiet note of them.  Trying to remember as much as possible to find out if this Warp spawned barrier was showing the past or the future.  After making it through completely and telling them to follow Val didn't have any hesitation.  He strode forward with the huge shotgun pointed downwards...

And it was almost as if he had hit a solid bulkhead...except not quite.

Gritting his teeth he took a deep breath before began to quietly sing an old, old lullaby that he remembered his first teacher using to teach him about projection, breathing and timing as he pushed against the unyielding barrier.  It was a silly little tune but as he got to the first refrain it was as if the wall was melting away for him and the slow push became a full step and then another and another where in short order he stood on the other side and breathed a sigh of relief.

When he stood on the other side he simply nodded to Pearl, "Lady Harkonnen." and then brought up the shotgun to aim past her and went back to a knee to keep watch till the others made it through.

___
ooc:
09:33, Today: Aurelius Valerianus Illyovich rolled 85 -- 4 degrees of failure using the Only War system with a target number of 55.  Willpower Easy (+20) to pass through barrier, Req: 5 Suc, Base 35 + 20 = TN55.
09:36, Today: Aurelius Valerianus Illyovich rolled 20 -- 4 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 55.  Willpower Easy (+20) to pass through barrier, Req: 5 Suc, Base 35 + 20 = TN55 Attempt 2.
09:36, Today: Aurelius Valerianus Illyovich rolled 24 -- 4 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 55.  Willpower Easy (+20) to pass through barrier, Req: 5 Suc, Base 35 + 20 = TN55 Attempt 3.

The Neverborn would know they were here and likely where they were when they pushed through the barrier rendering them prey rather than the hunter. She wasn't happy to remind herself that this was the normal order of things as she watched the Lady Harkonnen push through followed by Aurelius. There was no lack of courage in her heart in either case as she had been called to serve by the Most Holy's trusted agents and she would do so... even if that summons had been through the lens of pain and loss.

The Duskite drew a soft breath than and focused her will, envisioning the parting edge of a blade and shaping the expression of her soul accordingly. She then exhaled as she stepped forward, her body sliding through the conjured barrier with little resistance... As though a knife parting flesh, the arcane energies flowing around and over her but doing little to hinder progress. Once on the other side she raised the pistol and set her shield accordingly as she advanced to the opposite side of Lady Harkonnen to cover what avenues and angles Aurelius could not.



10:54, Today: Adela Reinhard rolled 2 -- 6 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 54.  WP Easy (+20) Passing through barrier.

10:54, Today: Adela Reinhard rolled 21 -- 4 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 54.  WP Easy (+20) Passing through barrier.

Drezla had no experience with witchery. Such things were usually stories told around barrel fires, and more often than not these stories took place in far off worlds. Volg had more than enough horrors on it's own without having to worry about mystic threats. Although, there were always rumors every few years about something...bad...happening among the teaming masses of the other levels. But those were easy enough to discount. This however, was solid, tangible proof. However, her training had trained her for such things.

At least in theory.

Holding up her blade, the young woman took a deep, steadying breath, and began whispering a prayer to herself as she walked forward.

"Love the Emperor,
for He is the salvation of mankind.

Obey His words,
for He will lead you into the light of the future.

Heed His wisdom,
for He will protect you from evil.

Whisper His prayers with devotion,
for they will save your soul.

Honor His servants,
for they speak in His voice.

Tremble before His majesty,
for we all walk in His immortal shadow."

Once she touched the barrier, the blade stabbed forward, as though she was engaged in combat with some invisible foe. For violence was the real prayer for the Death Cultist. So as soon as she was through the barrier, she was already in a fighting crouch and ready for any danger.

OOC Mechanics
11:12, Today: Drezla Mallus rolled 6 -- 5 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 55.  WP Easy (+20) Passing through barrier.

The techpriest walked towards the barrier and for a moment hesitated "Interesting." it said as there were clicks and the sound of lenses slotting in and out as whatever machine parts hid behind the goggles tried to make sense of it. The Mastiff seemed to have not trouble pushing through shaking like a dog that had just gotten wet would after getting through. But when the techpriests turn came he seemed to struggle and had to almost force himself through stumbling as he finally broke through.





17:53, Today: C3D-R1K rolled 23 -- 3 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 45.  Test for Mastiff.

17:53, Today: C3D-R1K rolled 29 -- 2 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 45.  Test for Mastiff.

17:51, Today: C3D-R1K rolled 8 -- 5 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 53.

17:51, Today: C3D-R1K rolled 60 -- 1 degree of failure using the Only War system with a target number of 53.

17:51, Today: C3D-R1K rolled 76 -- 3 degrees of failure using the Only War system with a target number of 53.

17:50, Today: C3D-R1K rolled 23 -- 4 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 53.

Aoife raises her shield, braces it to her body and leads with the pistol and moves through the barrier, feeling resistance at first before going through to the other side.

Aoife Aithne rolled 28 -- 5 degrees of success using the Only War system with a target number of 69.  WP Easy (+20) Passing through barrier.
Aoife Aithne rolled 65 -- 1 degree of success using the Only War system with a target number of 69.  WP Easy (+20) Passing through barrier.
Aoife Aithne rolled 60 -- 1 degree of success using the Only War system with a target number of 69.  WP Easy (+20) Passing through barrier. (nice).

Move to 'Testing the Daemon'.