Grunting his vague surprise that no one was watching, Emerik moved over, trying to keep his more armoured bulk between himself and anyone else in the room. Just in case.
The Frightened Man: So, you have a squad of Astartes outside? An Imperial frigate in orbit? Haah. I apologize for my impertinence, it is just that I have a feeling that things are going very bad; I was half hoping that that old spider would stir himself from his lair, or perhaps send his pet witch to this hellish hole
It was just announced that some new items were to be added; but what they are has yet to be declared. Two sky-ships failed to arrive: no word, they simply disappeared.
He peers around, as if looking for sulking assassins.
Did I neglect to introduce myself? I'm locutor Mayweather.
Scotus motions the others to move into the alcove, so the man could feel a bit more secure.
He then turns to the frightened man , "Mayweather, nice to meet you. Any idea who was on those skyships?"
Mayweather: There have been deaths...Yesterday a trooper was found dead in the atrium, his head ripped open and his brain gone...gone! Bland does nothing, but I tell, I can feel the abyss opening up beneath our feet! The mourners: when I first got here, you might only see one or two a day; now they're everywhere, flies on a stinking corpse, their white faces and their tattooed tears, the dammed ghouls! We have get out of here! Wait, what was that!
Mayweather: Ohhh, the missing ships-- I don't know. By the throne I'm just glad it wasn't your vessel!
Sister Jasmine watches the man closely as he talks. She tries to discern if he's telling the truth but is too distracted with her concern of the citizens.
Scrutiny 37 vs 2 DOF
A song would surely lift their spirits, for the Emperor has a plan...The mourners worship the darkness, fueling its growth.. she thinks to herself as she realizes he has been delivered to us. Their mission on this world of the utmost significance.
What of these ghouls you speak of? she says quietly, but sternly enough to command a response. A fiery flame of faith and devotion burning to exact holy righteousness on the damned. We have heard talk of a false messiah in the mutant quarters.
Calm yourself child, for you are safe in our company, relax, our forces will get to the bottom of this, but you must keep your composure and assist us. she attempts to say charmingly, but comes off as rough and emotionless.
Charm 28 vs
"The Mourners, can you tell us more about them? What have you seen them doing? Are they particularly concentrated anywhere? Oh and where was the trooper murdered? That may offer a clue."
Fadil meanwhile scours his memories for knowledge of what occult riyuals might necessitate the removal of a brain.
2dof
but he can remember nothing.
"What can you tell us about this place? and what exactly is happening? Even if we DID have Astartes, whom would we target?"
Binerith whispersTwo sky ships! Hm... The Warp does not seem happy today...He then faces Mayweather and responds Hello! I am a messenger of the great Omnissiah, and I believe we can help you if you calm down. Binerith then mutters something about puny humans and their feelings
Mayweather: They could start by killing all those black-robed fiends, starting with that thrice-damned head mourner, Greel! Ahh, look, see what devils have come here, to the carrion feast of nightmare!
Mayweather thrusts out hand, pointing towards the center of the great room, where a trio of figures are making for the private chambers.
Even as he points, the slim figure at the front stops, slowly looks up towards the tall vault of the ceiling.
Perception 33, +10 heightened senses, +10 for ordinary
3 degrees of success
Per 37-10 vs
Sister Jasmine sees the figures enter the chamber but doesn't pay them more attention, too focused on what is being said to notice more.
Why start with him? she replies in response to his suggestion where the marines should begin cleansing.
.
Emerik squinted where the finger pointed, thinking he saw...something, maybe. But perhaps it was just shadows. The man was jumpy enough for it.
Albaras: A woman, tall and elegant, in severe black, red, and gold garb, is looking up, towards where you last saw that motile dust cloud. With her are two body-guards; a kind of segmented armor visible beneath their robes.
Oberstein: There is something feline and strange in the proportions of the trio.
Fadil: Perhaps it is your gift, but you are certain that these three are not human.
The three finish their inspection of the Great Ceiling's airy spaces. The woman gives you an indecipherable look, and then they sweep on out of the room.
Shit, that sounds like Eldar to me
"What were those Mayweather? Have they been here long, or people like them? Is the guild harbouring xenos?"
Binerith squints at the three figures
My eyesight is'nt the best, but...
Emerik studied the bodyguards for a moment. The armour wasn't immediately familiar, but there were plenty of non-standard Flak sets worn by various Guard regiments. He assumed it was as good as his, if not better, and hoped he was wrong if they fought. He also looked for obvious weapons they might be carrying, and unobvious ones too.
He rubbed his eyes for a moment as grit got in them. "Need to upgrade these things..."
Scotus watches the woman and her guards with a wary eye, "Xenos, eh. Ol' Harlock's got 'im some varied and strange admirers. We'll have to be on our toes on this one, eh, Baron?"
He turns to Mayweather, "Any more of those kind attending, might be good to know, no surprises that way."
Binerith: Just three more ungainly meat-sacks.
Scotus : You remember once a trade party of Eldar coming aboard your vessel during an journey to the frontier. These three are of that race.
"when will they announce these new items? and simply all the items, i'd quite like to see what has drawn the Eldar in. We should be prepared for trouble"
Eldar? All I see is a bunch of meat sacks.... Though, I'd like to see technology they have on them...
"Xenos?" Emerik grunted in surprise. It was unusual for them to deign to do anything with the Imperium at anything but weapons point. It was even more unusual that they appeared to be trying to buy it. Where did they get Thrones from? Oh, right, Pirates.
Binerith begins a cautious advance towards the Eldar.. Hello?... He reaches towards his Las-Pistol with one hand, and data-slate with another
Sister Jasmine had not seen an Eldar before and by the time she realized it, they were gone. They must be watched closely at the auction, whatever they are after must be significant. And then she says a silent prayer to herself, remembering the Imperial Creed and her vows. Though her interest in Xenos was purely biological, she couldn't overcome her disdain for xenos and required great discipline not to hunt them down and dissect them for pleasure.
Realizing that his limited skill with the las-pistol will not do any good, Binerith quickly looks through his data-slate Have my Skitarii Warriors fought this band before?
Binerith: If they were wearing the usual symbols and emblems that would proclaim their clan and band affiliations, they were not openly displayed.
Mayweather: Can you imagine it, that fool Bland boasted of his auction bring an Eldar Seeress all the way from the Koronus Expanse!
Oberstein: There is a public viewing the following day.
"Thank you for that information Mayweather, was there something you were planning to do to help us out here or important information you think we might need? Otherwise we will continue to explore this place, any suggestions what we should take a look at?"
"Mayweather, are there any other xenos here for the auction? Or any other guests Bland may have talked about? Could you find out anymore whilst we explore?"
Mayweather is a little crest-fallen that the place is to neither be atomized by orbital bombardment, nor fled from aboard a hidden yacht.
Mayweather: Well, beside those who came with you, and the Eldar woman, there only three other attendees present. Captain Rubio, Maygar Marshrek, and Master Nonesuch.
He knows the following about these three:
Captain Rubio is a dandified Rogue Trader, Marshrek is a sullen and taciturn man, who, unusually, has no body-guards or attendants. Master Nonesuch is a personable, 'dilenttane collector'.
Mayweather: As far as sights in this pit, you may want to visit the Library. The Engineseer I'm a sure would find the Altar of Fire interesting; and if you're a lover of the fine arts there's the Garden of Lost Saints.
Turning to the group
"Very well, I suggest we take a look at them in that order, all things being equal. What do you guys think"
Though she secretly desired to go to the garden first, she had to keep her faith in restraint and maintain her composure and interest on the mission at hand.
I think the library would be a nice change of scenery.
"Aah yes I wonder what treasures of knowledge might be held in the tomes stored there."
Emerik nodded, one eye still on the xenos. He wondered if these were the Craftworld ones or the Chaos-tainted kind. He wasn't sure what the difference was. Then again, he supposed, it didn't really matter - Xenos were xenos.
Sulkily Mayweather leads you to some winding stairways, which leads to a mezzanine level. You pass through some small shrines and receiving rooms.
Faded portraits of long dead grandees glower at you from the walls as you pass; a servitor, of an ancient pattern, his implants burnished with a deep patina, stalks past you.
You enter a library, its shelves sagging with hoary tomes.
Two bored guardsmen are bent over a regicide game in one corner of the room.
.
"You guys search the place while I chat with the guards"
Baron Oberstein walks over to the guards
"Afternoon men, ordering the king around I see"
He grins at them jokingly
Fadil looks excited and quickly dives into the books, however his attention is quickly drawn in by a particularly thick, old tome.
Search per 37 vs
Sister Jasmine is too easily drawn into the libraries many books and nostalgia takes over and she loses herself momentarily in thought.
She tries to look for books about the lost saints who are remembered in the garden here.
Binerith begins to inspect the tomes, searching for any mention on the Adeptus Mechanicus or the Skitarii.
Emerik wasn't best suited to libraries. Most of the one's he'd been in had been under heavy fire, often with siege weapons. But he'd spent enough times in ones not receiving mortar rounds to know the best way to find something was to ask someone who might know.
Approaching a Librarian or other scribe, he asked simply, "Excuse me, would you mind showing me to the shelves bearing information on the Haarlocks please?" This place had made him curious on the Rogue Traders.
Albaras: You're wandering around the outlaying rooms, looking for some kind of scribe or curator; but so far all you have found are mute servitors.
Guard 1: Greetings sir, here for the auction then?
"Yes I am, seeing if I can't buy a little bit of history instead of making my own. Don't tell anyone, but that's what 99% of us nobles do."
He grins conspiratorially at the guards
"So what sort of library is this place? My friends say its all geneology and heraldry. Why is that?"
Scotus walks about the library, not terrible interested in the mouldering tomes.
He keeps a discreet distance from the Baron, keeping up his act as his man Friday and body guard, watching the guards and any others.
Guard 1: Can't rightly say, though, since most of the dead on this rock are from noble families I guess they have an interest in the blood-lines.
Albaras: You spy a figure in a dimly lit reading room, one of the Mourners, a heavy tome in his hands. He slips down a side passage,the book pressed tight to his chest. Idly, you step into the now vacant room. There is a glass on an end table, a little bit of clear fluid in the bottom of the glass. Lifting the glass you sniff at its contents; its a bitter, acrid smell. Putting down the glass you notice a fat, pink maggot writhing on the dusty floor.
Looking in revulsion at the pink worm, Emerik wondered what it could be. Draining his water flask in a few gulps, he lifted the little pink think into the flask and sealed it. Then he found some spare cloth and got a sample of the strange, bitter smelling fluid.
Considering for a moment the risks, Emerik decided to follow behind the Mourner and see if he was the source of these things. He had his weapons, at a pinch.
Sister Jasmine : You find one passage somewhat illuminating. One Ghuile Tormas, a criminal, though his crimes are never explicitly specified, throws himself at the the mercy of a Famula of your order, a Sister Damalle. Apparently he was also being sought by Haarlock, for some slight he had committed against the trader, and he sought her protection. Sister Damalle considered letting Tormas go: that his consuming fear of Haarlock's vengeance would be just punishment. Eventually though, she slew Tormas; deciding that "there are few sinners who even deserve Haarlock's judgement."
Scotus : As you rove around the room you pick up the familiar scent of Obscura on the game-playing guards.
Oberstein laughs derisively
"HAH! that does sound like nobles. So is there anything of interest here? Anything that the guild is enamoured with?"
Binerith still looks around for mentions of the Cult Mechnanicus
Scotus finishes a circuit of the nearby area, coming up on the Baron and the guards.
His nose wrinkling slightly, he thinks "Ah ya daft imbeciles....obscura?"
He approaches the Baron and gently places a hand on his shoulder as he leans in and whispers in his ear, "Careful with this lot, Baron. They're on obscura, might be a tad twitchy."
Binerith : The sad flesh-shells seem obsessively fascinated with their inevitable decay and termination; the whole place seems to be a great argument for the superiority of the Omnissiah's vision.
Olberstein :The first guard tells you, with visible disgust, that there is nothing here 'but the dead, and dust; always the damn dust.'