Deathwatch: Sons of Jericho IC

Game Master Rookseye

For untold centuries the Deathwatch have stood vigil over the Jericho Reach. Now, the disparate Astartes of Kill-team Umbra must vanquish a threat and unravel a mystery which portends to place the entirety of the Achilus Crusade in jeopardy.


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Erioch System
????? ???????? ??????, The Omega Vault
???.???.???
Hour ? System Sidereal Time

The newly sworn Ultramrine of Kill-team Mordant, Brother Tavius, returns the Iron Snake's nod, "The Emperor Protects, my Brother", and the blessing's refrain passes the lips of the remaining marines, each in turn, as the two squads move to their respective doors.

Brother Quintus and Brother Ghaeman are the last in each column and they pause before entering, exchanging a glance, both having noticed how the heads of their Kill-team's hololithic dopplegangers have eerily swiveled to follow the two groups of marines as they passed by, their eyes now lingering on the pair. The Dark Son's voice easily carries to the Ultramarine through the perfect acoustics of the chamber.

"Until next we meet, Brother, in this life or the next."

Quintus nods, saying nothing more, and can feel the eyes fixated upon him as he moves to catch up to his brothers.


Erioch System
????? ???????? ??????, The Omega Vault
???.???.???
Hour ? System Sidereal Time

Brother Emeric wrote:
After approaching the sinister-side door, auspex reading.

Tech-Use test successful.

Moving near the van of the column, Brother Emeric consults his auspex again, and is surprised to find it functioning perfectly. The cartographic sensoria array even provides a viable return from echolocation measurements. The machine spirit's have conjured the projected dimensions of the corridor ahead. The 1.61803399 meter wide passage seems to continue on for 1.61803399 kilometers in a perfectly straight line before terminating in what likely is another vault door.

As Brother Quintus reaches them, he relays his findings, and Kill-team Umbra presses on.


Eri??? ??s???
????? ???????? ??????, T?? Ome?? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

After a monotonous march where time seems to play tricks upon the Astartes of Kill-team Umbra again; some perceiving their passage taking only minutes, others what seems hours, they arrive at the end of the sinister path.

Before them is one of the familiar vault doors, upon whose high, curving lintel are graven antiquated High Gothic letters, chased silver in adamantine, and greatly faded. Approaching more closely, they can be discerned to read:

"The Emperor Protects"

In the center of the door, projecting outward slightly in metal relief, is the leering death's head sigil of the Deathwatch itself, superimposed over the embossed, stylized "I" of the Inquisition.

There is no immediately apparent way of opening the portal.


Decius looks to his squad leader for further order once they arrive "This seems to be what I could call a proper sign" as he looks at the portal trying to find someway to open it and uttering the words The Emperor Protects...


Male Space Marine Devastator Rank 1

"Brothers Vex and Emeric, See if you can figure out this portal. If any of the rest of us has an idea on how to open it, I want to hear it."


Black Templar Techmarine

"Acknowledged, Brother-Leader"

If Decius' words have no effect, I step forward and push on the portal. Supposition: if the door pulls outward perhaps a mag-lock will serve as a handle.


Dark Angel Librarian

"Affirmative"

I study the door carefully looking at the relief of its engravings. Looking to see if the "I" may press in or pull out and twist like a key lock used to open to restock beverage machines of the Mechanicus.


Eri??? ??s???
????? ???????? ??????, T?? Ome?? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

The serendipitous words just spoken---Decius is not one to question the providence of the Emperor's will in such matters as these, and he is genuinely disappointed when the portal does not rise with his utterance.

He was so certain that this was a sign that he was to have some role in the door opening.

Brother Emeric draws on the sacred knowledge of the Mechanicus, specifically the practical: '...when vexed by the spirit of the machine, begin first with the simplest of rites, for the obvious is oft-overlooked as a solution.'

Magnetizing the tip of his servo-arm, he creates an unbreakable bond. He pushes and then pulls, but he would have as much success compelling a frigate to move with the unyielding nature of the adamantine vault door.

He and Brother Vex then examine the doorway more closely, auspex and witch-sight telling them what is plainly visible to the naked eye: the door, with the exception of the relief, is nearly identical to larger vault doors in the atrium. The only difference is that the left eye-socket of the skull contains a narrow, recessed, rectangular slot. Despite the obvious similarities, the slot-shaped hollow seems too wide to be a card access port and too narrow to be a keyhole. The slot is oriented vertically and is precisely 1.618 centimeters wide and almost ten centimeters in height.

The techmarine's eyes narrow. If not a key, then what?

Something about it is oddly familiar to Brother Vex, however.

Brother Vex, please attempt a Difficult [-10] Intelligence characteristic test.


Dark Angel Librarian

Intelligence Test (1d100=95)

Intelligence Test (1d100=91)

Sigh,


Guess it is not meant to be... sob, sob, sniff, sniff


Black Templar Techmarine

Using my cogitator system, I cross-reference Astartes and Inquisition Standard Template Constructs for dimensions matching the slot.


Intelligence test unsuccessful, Brother Vex.

It is intensely frustrating for the Librarian, the answer seems within his grasp, yet it still eludes him, just out of reach.

Emeric, please attempt a Difficult [-10] Tech-Use test (this would be a Routine [+20] Common Lore (Tech) skill test).

Brother Decius, please attempt a Hard [-20] Perception characteristic test.


Black Templar Techmarine
The Omega Vault wrote:
Emeric, please attempt a Difficult [-10] Tech-Use test (this would be a Routine [+20] Common Lore (Tech) skill test).

Tech-Use (50) - Difficult (10) = 40, roll: 1d100 ⇒ 3

Rook:
Rook, how much would Common Lore (Tech) cost? It's not listed on the Techmarine's advances, nor is it listed as a starting skill (doing this from memory cause I'm on the road and my book's at home).


Male Storm warden Tactical Marine

I peak over Brother Emeric's shoulder after he tries to use his servo arm to move the door.

Awearness per=43 1d100 ⇒ 97 Well that did not work.

Emeric:
Lore: common (tech) is a rank 3 general for 200


Black Templar Techmarine

Rook, Kaltos:
Aha, thanks for that find... well, I know what advance to get assuming Emeric lives/maintains his sanity that long. :)


Brother Quintus wrote:
"Brothers Vex and Emeric, See if you can figure out this portal. If any of the rest of us has an idea on how to open it, I want to hear it."

"Bah, by Russ' red beard, break it down. Anyone got a melta bomb?


Male Space Marine Devastator Rank 1

"Brother Hrothgar, we do not harm anything in the Omega Vault. We treat it with respect and honour. It will reveal what it will to us when it is ready, not before then."


Emeric, Kaltos:
Thanks Kaltos for the quick answer. He is correct. For the life of me I cannot figure out how this did not make the techmarine skill list or starting skills (or the errata for that matter). I'd house rule that it should be on the Rank I techmarine advances for 200 XP.


Eri??? ??s???
????? ???????? ??????, T?? Ome?? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

Brother Emeric, Tech-Use test is successful by three degrees. Brother Caledonii, Awareness test is unsuccessful.

Brother Emeric carefully examines the aperture while the impetuous Storm Warden looks over his shoulder. The Black Templar, becoming frustrated by his inability to identify the purpose of the slot, briefly considers letting Caledonii do what comes naturally for this puzzle as well.

Fortunately it does not come to that, a more intensive auspex scan of the internal dimensions of the hollow shows that is perfectly rectangular in shape for a depth of approximately 1.121 meters, upon which it terminates in an equilateral triangular point.


Black Templar Techmarine

"Conjecture: might an Astartes weapon, specifically a sword, trigger the door?"


Brother Quintus wrote:
"Brother Hrothgar, we do not harm anything in the Omega Vault. We treat it with respect and honour. It will reveal what it will to us when it is ready, not before then."

"Then we convince it to open up. And now is the ready time."

Events suggest that this Omega Vault has an intelligence. Heretical that thought may be. How do I convince the others?

"With respect, but we must leave."

Reverse psychology, anyone?


Dark Angel Librarian

I try to ignore the ranting of the Space Wolf as they can be distracting.

"A sword would make a diamond pattern. But..."

I examine the dimensions of the head, and the butt of my staff to see if they would fit.


Male Storm warden Tactical Marine

I look to Brother Decius and then to our 2 "spears" both are bladed but not like Brother Vex said diamond pattered like swords.

"Well do you think it fits your sea lance or my lancea."


Eri??? ??s???
????? ???????? ??????, T?? Ome?? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

Brother Decius looks to his mentor's weapon as the Storm Warden holds out his reforged lancea. Drawing his own sea lance from over his shoulder he examines it more closely.

Decius, you may still attempt a Hard [-20] Perception test to realize something.


Decius cannot believe the door has n way to open and tries to find something that might give him a hint or a clue as to how to do it.

Perception 1d100 ⇒ 42


Eri??? ??s???
????? ???????? ??????, T?? Ome?? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

Brother Decius, Perception test unsuccessful.

While the Iron Snake and the Storm Warden examine their spears in an effort to determine if one of them might be the key to accessing the sealed vault, Brother Emeric confers with Brother Hrothgar, who at first glance seems to be the only Astartes carrying a sword. A cursory examination by the techmarine rules this out immediately however, because the dimensions of the Astartes weapon are much to large for the aperture in question.

The slot most certainly accommodates a bladed weapon of some kind, but clearly not one of space marine scale.

All:
100XP to the first to figure this one out and post/roleplay a suitable "Aha!" moment.


Black Templar Techmarine

Not Astartes sized yet of the Astartes. Postulation...

<<QUERY: VAULT AREA ENDEMIC WITH ASTARTES ICONOGRAPHY AND REMEMBRANCES. WHY DOES LOCK REQUIRE WEAPONRY IF NOT ASTARTES WEAPONRY?>>
<<COGITATING>>
<<COGITATING>>
<<COGITATING>>
<<COGITATING>>
<<COGITATING>>
<<HYPOTHESIS FOUND--PROBABILITY INDICATES SOLUTION SUCCESS>>

"Brother Vex, Brother Syne, might your Chapter symbol be the key? What Dark Angel trappings have you that might fit the lock?"


If Decius asks Hrothgar to take a look at the thing...hint... hint...


Decius is just confused as to how or what, but his faith has not abandoned him that he is there to find out how. "Brother Hrothgar, can you look at the place were the blade fits and the move so I can thrust my spear in it. I have faith this can work, I trust the Emperor will guide and protect.


Dark Angel Librarian

I look for anything attached to my robes that may provide an answer. For I carry no loose symbology on my Chapter on me. Our Chapter Symbol still being a sword piercing a pair of wings. I am frustrated that I don't know this simple cipher that is eluding me.


Dark Angel Librarian

Maybe the shape is not of a weapon per say, but maybe tooth or claw?

"Hrothgar didn't you bring back a trophy from Tantalus?"


Black Templar Techmarine

"No, the key for this Vault cannot be Xenos but Imperial."

Error detected. Previous cogitations included members of Kill-Team Umbra dispatched to the moon of Tantalus. Our unit makeup has changed--The Iron Snake!

"Brother Decius, what honoured weapon did Karlack soldiers bestow upon you? I pray you still hold it for safe-keeping."


Lyriel Vex wrote:

Maybe the shape is not of a weapon per say, but maybe tooth or claw?

"Hrothgar didn't you bring back a trophy from Tantalus?"

Hrothgar produces his hard-won trophy and compares it with the lock.

Awareness 1d100 ⇒ 46 Add in the bonuses and I think I made the roll

Hrothgar scratches his bearded jaw. I wonder....


I take the sword that is now adorning the backpack of my power armor as a badge of honor. "I do have it with me" as he presents the blade to Emeric but not letting go of it. "It is here"


Black Templar Techmarine

"Brother Decius, your remembrance is the key. Place the blade into the slot found in the left eye-socket of the image before us."

I move aside and make way for the Iron Snake.

"Your words to Brother Hrothgar are true: the Emperor truly guides and protects."


Male Space Marine Devastator Rank 1

"Go ahead Brother Decius, You have the honour of opening the door.


Brother Decius places the blade into the slot as indicated and waits for what it's coming next.


Eri??? ??s???
????? ???????? ??????, T?? Ome?? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

After realizing that neither his sea lance nor Brother Caledonii's lancea seems to be the solution, Brother Decius watches mutely as the impatient Space Wolf and the Librarian examine the curving horn of the hive tyrant that was defeated on Tantalus, an interesting exercise in frustration, as it soon becomes clear that it is far too large for the receptacle in the door as well.

Seeing the xenos trophy hearkens Decius back to those trying, frigid days on the moon of Castobel, and with these memories the faces of his fallen phratry brothers. He feels a pang of loss at the thought of them, as the intensive training and indoctrination he has undergone under the auspices of the Deathwatch has given him little time to mourn. There remains yet a vestige of guilt that he was not able to save them, but this is in turn tempered by his resolve to avenge the water they gave so freely.

Brooding on such matters, he hears the techmarine speak, but does not at first understand the import of his words. With a sudden understanding that comes over him like a revelation, he reaches behind him and retrieves the battered blade bestowed upon him by Commissar Sander and the haggard survivors of the Karlack 2nd. Looking at the broadsword once wielded by King Fenthik the Unyielding, and until the dire events of Tantalus, part of their regimental standard, it all becomes so clear he curses himself for a foolish petitioner for not realizing it sooner.

The Vault...

The Words...

The Emperor Protects...

With his epiphany he realizes he has done his duty; both to his Chapter, phratry, and the Imperium's crusade. While he may not have been able to save his battle-brothers, he has preserved and honored all they stood for in his efforts to rescue the survivors of the Karlack 2nd. The words echo within him, their meaning resonating to the fiber of his being, understood in a way that they never have been understood before. The feeling of absolution is empowering, and he now knows his destiny lay with the Deathwatch forevermore.

In its own way, the Omega Vault has spoken to him as clearly as one of the Notables, or his own Chapter Master, filling the empty space within him with its enigmatic wisdom.

Taking the notched and pitted blade in hand, he approaches the door, rotating it in hand to thrust it forward into the skull's hollow eye-slot. It slides in as if the Omega Vault's adamantine barrier is merely an overlarge scabbard, fitting perfectly. The locking mechanism within the hollow receives the irregularly-notched broadsword like a long-lost key with a dull 'thunk' as it is socketed within. Rotating the pommel with one hand, Brother Decius turns the sword until the leather-wrapped bone and iron hilt is horizontal to the floor, and with a low gasp of escaping, pressurized air that sounds like the gasping breath of man emerging from too long beneath the waves, the stasis seal of the vault door is released.

With a grinding, clockwork rumbling the door parts in the middle, receding into the neighboring walls to reveal a large, bell-shaped chamber beyond.

Brothers Decius retrieves the blade, knowing that it will be released before he even grasps it, and he and the other members of Kill-team Umbra move forward into the dimly lit room beyond.

Brother Emeric, Decius:
Well done, good roleplaying as well, a 100 XP story award is granted for each of you.


?????? ??????
????? ???????? ??????, ??? ????? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

The doorway opens into a a wide, bell-shaped, cathedral-like chamber, circumscribed with dozens of protruding Gothic arches of gleaming adamantine, carved and graven to resemble the teeth of a gear. At the apex of the domed roof some fifty meters above opens a circular oculus from which shines down a column of diffuse golden light that comes to rest on a statue set atop a raised base carved in the shape of a great cog. The statuary is chiseled from polished obsidian, and depicts an Astartes of the Deathwatch grimly standing at attention, an antiquated servo-arm with a claw that looks almost crustacean in appearance held aloft overhead. In his hands, he clutches a long-hafted power axe, the gear-headed voulge cunningly crafted of a purest white marble. The heady scent of purifying incense combines, oddly enough, with the faintest aroma of sacred machine oil, to leave no doubt that this is a consecrated place, to both the Deathwatch and the techmarine depicted by the statue.

Evenly spaced around the cardinal points of the sanctum are sealed vault doors, with the exception of the one you just passed through, which remains open even after Brother Decius has retracted the regimental blade of the Karlack 2nd.

An antiquated cogitator terminal, cunningly housed inside an ancient, pristinely preserved Terran grandpater clock, stands silent sentinel before the statue.


Black Templar Techmarine

The Vault--It almost drove me to madness. Now it draws us to... holy ground!

"Omnissiah be praised!"

The clock. Again the clock. What is the import of such imagery? Is the Vault master of time as well as matter? Each moment draws us one step closer to eternal communion with our Emperor.

I marvel at the Sign of the Cog, the scent of sacred unguents, the stonework and lighting.

.

.

With reverence I approach the statuary. To whom is this dedicated? Could this be a replica of Saint Enoch the Thrice-Martyred? My thoughts drift back to the previous ante-chamber. What Black Templar Techmarine was commemorated there?

A glance shows the other doors to be closed. If there are no door toggles, perhaps they are controlled by the inset terminal.

Attempting to identify the figure and/or any of the iconography here in this chamber.
Without modifiers: Common Lore, Deathwatch (50); Forbidden Lore, Adeptus Mechanicus (50)
Roll: 1d100 ⇒ 67


Dark Angel Librarian

Where are the hands sitting on the clock?


?????? ??????
????? ???????? ??????, ??? ????? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

Brother Emeric wrote:

The Vault--It almost drove me to madness. Now it draws us to... holy ground!

With reverence I approach the statuary. To whom is this dedicated? Could this be a replica of Saint Enoch the Thrice-Martyred? My thoughts drift back to the previous ante-chamber. What Black Templar Techmarine was commemorated there?

Common Lore (Deathwatch) and Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) for purposes of identifying the figure and significance of the decor are just successful after modifiers (Routine +20).

Without even realizing it, the techmarine walks on point ahead of the rest of Kill-team Umbra into the cathedral-like vault, drawn inexorably forward by the Adeptus Mechanicus iconography, the pungent scents of machine-oil infused incense, and, perhaps most of all, the towering statue of Saint Enoch the Thrice-Martyred. There is a feeling of muted awe in this moment that Brother Emeric cannot quite cogitate properly, and it somehow makes his travails and trials thus far in the Omega Vault all worthwhile. There is a sense of timelessness to the chamber, and it is clear to the Black Templar that there is no threat here, it is safe harbor, consecrated to both the Emperor, the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the sainted hero whose monument is erected before them.

Brother Emeric wrote:
A glance shows the other doors to be closed. If there are no door toggles, perhaps they are controlled by the inset terminal.

A cursory examination from this distance cannot be wholly verified or relied upon, but it appears that there are no obvious apparatus in place to open the three sealed vault doors. Doubtless they are controlled by the aged cogitator panel in the clock---the very clock from Brother Emeric's prior vision.


?????? ??????
????? ???????? ??????, ??? ????? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

Lyriel Vex wrote:
Where are the hands sitting on the clock?

tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick. tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock. tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock.

Even from their position just inside the shrine's entrance, Brother Vex can hear the steady, percussive rhythm of the ancient clock. Through his augmented vision he can clearly see through the round glass face of the artifact, and the Gothic numerals therein.

The brass hands of the clock read nine minutes to midnight.


Male Storm warden Tactical Marine

I make my way into the room. Coming up to the statue decide to start checking the doors. Picking the first one to the left of the statue I go counter clockwise.

Just in case its needed. Awareness per 40= 1d100 ⇒ 41


Male Space Marine Devastator Rank 1

"Does this mean the doors open at midnight according to that clock?"


Dark Angel Librarian

"That is conceivable. Then again it might be a symbolic representation of the 9 Battle Brothers outside, and the Kill Team we may evolve to be."


Male Space Marine Devastator Rank 1

"...Or maybe both?"


Black Templar Techmarine
The Omega Vault wrote:
An antiquated cogitator terminal, cunningly housed inside an ancient, pristinely preserved Terran grandpater clock, stands silent sentinel before the statue.

As the Storm Warden checks the various doors, I inspect the terminal.


?????? ??????
????? ???????? ??????, ??? ????? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

Caledonii wrote:
I make my way into the room. Coming up to the statue I decide to start checking the doors. Picking the first one to the left of the statue I go counter clockwise.

Awareness test successful, Brother Caledonii.

The Storm Warden begins to circle the perimeter of the shrine, Brothers Hrothgar and Decius following just behind him as he moves first to the 'westernmost', the one to the left of the statue.

Even from a distance, it is abundantly clear that each of the massive doors is almost identical to one they have just entered through. Paying special attention to the skull relief, he finds there is one small difference---the recessed socket is in the right eye of the Inquisitorial skull relief, and the edges of the hollow eye are encircled by a stylized, golden, sun.

Moving cautiously around the chamber in clockwise progression shows that the 'northern' door, the one behind the statue, has the socket in the sinister eye, just like the entry door, while a strange, ankh-like symbol of luminous green circumscribes the staring pit of the absent eye.

The final door, to the "east" or right side of the statue, again has the hollow socket of the skull on the left eye, and it is encircled by the motif of a rusted, jagged-toothed gear of fell import.


?????? ??????
????? ???????? ??????, ??? ????? ?????
???.???.???
???? ? ?????? ???????? Time

While the Librarian and Ultramarine confer about the nature of the eerie grandpater clock, Brother Emeric patiently brings up the chrono on his helmet's display, watching the blinking green digits steadily decrement to zero for a sidereal minute. Confirming what he suspected---that despite the incessant ticking, the hands of the clock have not moved whatsoever, and are therefore likely enmeshed with the strange temporal anomalies of the Omega Vault---he deigns to move forward to examine the recessed cogitator more closely.

Brother Emeric, please attempt a Challenging [+0] Forbidden Lore (Adeptus Mechanicus) test.

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