A Prison for Gods: A Task Realised.

***

The Four keys: -
Intercepted Transmission. 
Decryption Duct: A##31
Decryt Casualties: 67
Grade: Alpha Crimson

It is time to reveal to you the extent of our endeavours here in the Faustian Sector.  Our benefactor, though alien, has allowed me to explain the next phase of the operation.  If successful, this will allow not only Imperial interests in the sector to strengthen, but for those assisting to be smothered with riches and glory.

The goal of the operation is to gain entrance to an ancient place, locked within its own pocket dimension before the Emperor himself walked the dust of Ancient Terra. Among many other things, within this place, this Duat’Deh, are many treasures in the form of technology, riches and knowledge.

To gain access, we need to investigate and locate keys.  Four of them.  These keys are essentially bound C’tan, creatures of terrifying power yet as far from Daemonic as can be.  Though bound, they will be difficult to locate and harder to access thanks to their inbuilt defense matrixes: The C’tan shards themselves.  They literally do not want to be used.

The keys will affect all sentient life in the region around it.  Even going so far as affecting the weather or even reality itself. Look out for rumours of odd behaviour among the locals, events that may point to the location of a key and apply all forces available in its capture. Below is some details regarding the keys, which may help.

We must possess at least half of these Keys to have any chance of breaching entry into the Duat’Deh!

Inquisitor Yvassilli Craven

The Mist Walker
Uhsen’Relah, the C’tan known for it’s use of the local weather patterns.  This Shard Key may affect the local moisture levels to dangerous degrees.  Look for any build up of water or odd weather.

The Never Ended
Derth’Sanykk, a fearsome C’tan known to for its resilience.  Literally un-killable.  I have been instructed to be on the look out for any obvious extensions of life, or such “miracles” in the Faustian Sector.

The Frozen Rage
Sezalak, the Frozen Rage, this being delighted on drowning entire worlds into premature ice ages.  Look for out of the ordinary low temperatures.

The "Twisted Hoof"
Little is known about this C’tan, though one mention describes it has bearing “no proof of tongue nor sounds rung.”

***

In game terms.  Battles on certain tiles will have extra rules to represent the exposure of the nearby Shard Key.  Certain games will reveal to winning players as rewards, the location of some of these Keys.

A Prison for Gods: Evolution of the Conflict.

Despite Christmas taking its toll on the games per week, we've been endevoring to continue.  I've announced that Phase 2's first Turn will extend until the end of January.  I did this as I can see all the players involved eagerly expanding their collections:

Rottimus has nearly finished his entire collection of Black Scorpions, a feat worthy of a whole host of Blog posts, with a little help from William (Wimero).  William recently got hold of some more Dire Avengers as well as 3 Falcon Grav Tanks.  A game changer, potentially.  Meanwhile the Imperial Guard Players, Kaia, Thomas and Magnus have had their sides boosted by the addition of the Mont'Ka extras: The Cadian Detatchment etc.

Also, because of this, the following extras and rules addendums have been added.  Mostly to add more character and story to the campaign, but also (see the boring bit at the end), to clarify some of the older rules regarding the setting up of challenges and games. Hopefully, at the end of this campaign, we will have a tried and tested, AND updated rules set I can hand out and make readily available. 

Crisis Events.  

The following is a list of events of interest within the Faustian conflict.  Any battles commited within these areas may include these "Crisis Missions" however these are special events which contain small or large amounts of house rules.  Fun before Fair etc.  Rewards are available for at least taking part, with the lion share going to the victor.  

"The signal decoded on Warrens End wasn't just coordinates to the planets within the Faustian Sector of relevance to the campaign, but also more. Specific areas, decoded, revealed incidents of special value. Finally revealing more and more, to the reason for the Necrons interest in the system. And relics of glory, amidst the death."- Demitrius Nicodemonus (Executed Traitoris), the folly of Faust.

WA1 - Wake. "A Silent Screamer"
On the ghostly plains of obsidian dirt, a strange signal is being broadcast through the warp. A nothingness that indicates something. A negative presence that belies an intent. Stow the warp energies. All of Wake is silent. But this place, the valley of fears, something is calling out, in a silent scream.

NE12 - Nest. "The Ruins We Build On."
On Nest, Hive Threadweave has broadcast a distress call. The defence auxilia is reporting heavy loses from an unknown enemy emerging from the underhive. Something old stirs in the deep dark places long since forgotten about. People are dying.

T7 - Tresium. "A Poor Place to Run."
As Tresium descends into further disarray as pirates and criminals expand the cold zones, the Adeptus Arbiters have retreated to their stronghold upon the lake. The only water source on Tresium. Despite this predetermined position of power, they have issued an SOS. They are under attack. And not just from the population's worst. The lake is bleeding.

SH1 - Space Hulk "The last ship in."
The Woe, an amalgamation of hulks brought together by their very realness while within the warp, now glides through real space like a man made planet. Within this metal crush of bulk heads and a variety of races space vessels, the coordinates supplied point to a source of great energy. But time is running out, the space hulk is heading towards the Final Yawn, the Faustian Sectors very own Black hole!

A5 - Acre "In the Mists."
Sprouting from the river, a great mist has begun coating the nearby lands in white. Within, the screams of the local Warden guard can be heard. The coordinates lead into it. The mist.

S4 - Sordid. "A Sordid Heart."
Sordid. Abandoned by the civil and condemned by the Imperium, is heading further and further into the warp storm nearby. But with the coordinates supplies on Warrens End, we have learned that something is stirring on Sordid. Power, corrupt, deadly and possibly helpful.

W24 - Warrens End. "Without a Paddle."
An agent of the Inquisition, working for Dormenghast, has been injured and has fallen into the giant river Whistle on Warrens End. He must be recovered, dead or alive, and the information in his memory stacks secured. He has seen things. Important things.

Ongoing calamities.

This is merely to spice things up. During Phase 2. All games affect certain narrative elements. These have nothing to do with Factions. smile emoticon Just remember, your actions may bring the eternal enmity of your enemies and allies alike.

Warrens End. Evacuation! 
Anyone playing a game on Warrens End, and is victorious can declare if they are killing/kidnapping or otherwise harming the population or preventing their evac, or aiding in their evacuation.

Nolan. Falling into hands unworthy!
Anyone playing on Nolan, and being victorious in any game, may dedicate that victory to either stealing technology, or aiding the native Mechanicum to secure or destroy it.

Acre. Death by Consumption!
Anyone playing on Acre and being victorious in any game, may dedicate that victory to either aiding or allowing the native Tyranid creatures eradicate the Wardens or by aiding the wardens to contain the native Tyranid threat. (note, doesn't affect Eivind)

These will be tallied up at the end of the phase. The side with the highest score determines their fate.

Updated and clarified: Effective immediately.

Basically, this clears up the whole "where is the game taking place??" But is largely rules we are already using. Note the complete removal of that city-fight and planetary assault bullshit?

Fighting Battles

As mentioned, the campaign is split into 3 phases, each of which contains two halves or Turns. During a Turn, a player can play as many or as few games as they like.

If Players lack an opponent they can also choose to attempt one of the Special Mission locations scattered across the maps by attempting to take that territory or by already owning it. Special Missions, marked with a Gold Flag, such as these are purely narrative games with unique rules and are largely GM controlled affairs.

To initiate a battle, a player may challenge another player by declaring on any chosen social media, via email or by shouting their intentions from any selected building roof. Challenges can be made to anyone in the campaign not on the players own Faction. Battles can be fought using any agreed points level and expansion.

The Challenger declares whom they wish to attack and upon what planet the battle will occur. If the Challenger has a sector already on that planet, or possesses a spaceport on another planet, they may select the exact sector they are aiming to take over.

The resulting game is played for that sector using any special planet based rules for that particular world. For any special scenarios that demand an attacker/defender dynamic, the Challenger is presumed to be the attacker.

• NB! Only the Strategic Objectives on that world count for that battle, except for the Space Port used when attacking from off world. Be aware that invading another planet is no small task!
• NB!! A Challenged player must attempt to play against the Challenger before engaging in any other games, within reason. Allied players within the Faction may be called upon to represent the original Challenger or Defender, though the results still affect the original players!

After a Battle

The result of the battle should simply be determined as a Win for one side, or a Draw.

If the Challenger wins, they may take the territory previously determined if they had either a sector on world, or a spaceport on another. If the Challenger won but has not a sector on the attacked planet, or a spaceport, the defender must choose one of his sectors. The Challenger takes that sector.

If the Defender wins, they may choose to take one of the Challengers sectors if it is on the same planet, or if they have a Space Port, may select and take one owned by the Challenger from another planet.

• NB! If a player had lost a sector in their last game, they may not immediately choose to take it back in their next game. They must first play another game, which may be against another opponent before trying to select it again. However, if the Defending player wishes and it is appropriate (No Spaceport or on world attack), they may choose to relinquish this sector to the Challenger even if they had just taken this sector from them.

A Prison for Gods: The Story so far. (Fluff heavy!)

The War in Heaven.

Approximately 60 Million years ago, the galaxy was dominated by two very different species: The Old Ones and the Necrontyr. The Necrontyr, short lived and miserable in their mortality looked upon the mysterious Old Ones with jealousy.  The Old Ones were immortal, only death by injury could take them, but they would not share this secret.

The Triarchs, the rulers of the Necrontyr society sought a way to stop the terrible infighting that had crippled their species’ expansion for a long time.  Seeing hope in offering a common enemy, the Triarchs used a war against these selfish immortal Old Ones as a way to unify the Necrontyr.
While the Old Ones were masters of the warp the Necrontyr, whilst mortal, were masters of Science and of the laws of the real.  To the other races of that galaxy it seemed as if the Gods themselves had gone to war.

In the end, it was the mobility of the Old One’s webways that won that early portion of the war.  The Necrontyr, blunted by so much conflict, fell into old habits and began fighting amongst themselves once more.

It was at this point that the C’tan appeared.  Unfathomable entities of energy, the C’tan were eaters of the stars themselves, stellar vampires that were Gods in all but name.  Able to alter reality to suit their needs, their dislike of the warp-spawned antics of the Old Ones pushed them closer to the goals of the Necrontyr.  It has been said that it was the raw hatred of the Old Ones that sang out across the stars, attracting the C’tan like flies to a corpse.

Some say that the C’tan later known as the Deceiver first approached the Silent King of the Necrontyr, some that it was the Silent King approached them.  Either way, a devils bargain was struck. For the Immortality they so desired, the Necrontyr leadership gave away their peoples’ souls and their free will, becoming creatures of metal and energy.  Undying, unrelenting and forever condemning their name to become synonymous with death.  They would be known as Necrontyr no longer, but as the Necrons.

The war began a fresh, the terrible power of the Necrons unburdened by life alongside the ancient star gods pushed the Old Ones into new levels of desperation.  New child races were made, the K’nib, the Eldar, the Krork and the Jakoaro, each tapping into the energies of the warp.  The immaterium screamed under the burden just as much as the C’tan reeled from this anethma that threatened to turn the tide.

Against these warp spawned powers, the Necrons and the C’tan began a great undertaking to cut the galaxy off from the Immaterium.  Beginning in what would later be known as the Cadian Gate, gigantic pylons silenced the warp and rendered these psykers useless.  At the same time, the C’tan known as the Burning One taught the Necrons how to breach the Old Ones Web Ways with Dolmen Gates, finally seizing the initiative.

As the fortunes of the Necrontyr waxed, the Old One’s waned.  Their efforts to weaponise the peaceful Immaterium had unleashed the Enslaver Plague, decimating their race to extinction and tainting the creatures of the warp into daemons.  The ensuing conclusion of the war was quick as it was bloody.  Entire systems died as the vengeful and merciless Necrons hunted the Old Ones down.

The Silent King of the Necrons, who had been patiently waiting for his chance, saw one of his enemies defeated, the other glutton and tired.  Seeing his opportunity, he struck, betraying their patrons the C’tan and finally revenging his race’s lost souls in a campaign that shattered the star gods and obliterated entire systems.  Over 50 million Necrons died as did the great Triarch, all but the Silent King.  Each shard of those former gods was sealed away into Tesseract Vaults.  As they were the stuff of the universe itself the C’tan could not be so easily killed and the destruction of one in particular had been disastrous, unleashing the dreaded Flayer Virus that would forever plague them.
Broken and imprisoned, the C’tan had gone from Masters to Slaves.

Victorious in a ruined galaxy, the Necrons retreated to their Tomb Worlds, sleeping away the eons with the intent on returning when nature had rebuilt what had been lost.  Destroying the command protocols, the Silent King left the galaxy, knowing he had failed his race.

The Silent King, in his silence, held many secrets.  But as all sentient life know:  The truth will out.

The Faustus Sub-Sector – A Timeline.

The Faustus Sub-Sector upon the borders between the holy Segmentum Solar and the vast expanse of Segmentum Ultra.  Located deep on the spiral and decorated by an old dwarf star, it has a long history mostly lost to ruin.  Its history, though not exceptional to those living there, is non the less interesting, if you know where to dig.  Be careful what you find.

• C.M28 - Signs of prior Eldar colonisation on the human designated world of Woad.  Referred to by the surviving Eldar as Agetha, this Maiden World was suddenly evacuated by its Exodite Eldar people, leaving her empty and waiting for new owners.
• 004.M31 - The Faustus Sub-Sector is first colonised by humans during the Great Crusade.  Beginning with the planet listed as PX-R55Kappa (later known as Nest), the colonists would later expand to take advantage of the rest of the system.
• 014.M31 - During the Horus Heresy, the Sub-Sector was largely untouched, deemed to be of no tactical worth.  After the Heresy, Nolan was taken by the Adeptus Mechanicus by force, claiming Exploratory rights to some undisclosed Archeotech found by dust miners.
• C.M35 – The Ur-Council of the Nova Terra Interregnum dismisses the authority of the High Lords of Terra beginning the era of twin Imperiums.  Finally reaching the Faustus Sub-Sector, the new Ur-Council establishes a “capital” on Warren’s End.  While the system is largely untouched by direct conflict, the discovery of Woad draws both the older Imperium and the Nova Terra into a system wide war.  As neither side is willing to fight on the planet itself, it is dubbed the “War of the Maidens Hand.”
• C.M36 – The tech adepts of Nolan intervene against the Ur-Council.  Adeptus Mechcanicum assassins systematically remove key figureheads while religious iconoclasts from Nest organise a revolt.  The Imperial Ecclesiarchy enforces it’s presence on Warren’s End.  No thanks is sent to Nolan, though several Mechanicum dig sites appear in Nest’s underhives.
• C.M36 - The Age of Apostasy.  The Sub-Sector going largely unaffected by the turmoil bar for a several small revolts.  More military forces are redeployed away from Faustus leaving the door open for corrupt criminal elements which set up shop on Tresium.  The planets Adeptus Arbiters establish Cold Zone cordons continents wide.  Xenos piratical elements such as Ork Freebooters and Dark Eldar reavers are recorded.
• C.M37 - During the Thorian Reformation, the Forge World of Nolan test fires one of its many classified weapons called the Annex-Mort.  It malfunctions, striking across the space and hitting the verdant world of Woad.  The green planet is killed within hours, every life form being reduced by radiation into brown mud.  In the panic, many Tech Adepts flee the planet.  Entire data stacks are purged.  An internal investigation condemned the act as ignorance punishable by death although rumours persist of deliberate intent.  The Forgeworld is censured hard, the majority of its sacred tech is removed.  The process however, is long and with warp travel as unpredictable as it is, much remains, sitting mothballed and forgotten.
• C.M38 – The small world of Wake is discovered by a lost system patrol ship.  The vessel is later found adrift, the crew having massacred each other in a sleep like state.
• 001.M40 - The Warp Storm classified as the Depths of Gorath explodes into the Sub-Sector, yet moves to a snail’s pace as it approaches.  The world of Sordid in its rotation begins getting closer each year and begins to show signs of corruption.  Chaos raiders emerge from the Depths and begin torturing the population with slave runs.  Imperial Guard regiments are summoned to assist.
• 025.M40 – The conflict caused by the Depths of Gorath escalates.  More Imperial Guard are brought in on rotation.  Nest is invaded showing the dangers.  The Inquisition takes interest.
• C.M41 – An unidentified rogue planet is detected moving through the system, the Warp Storms abate and demonic assaults falter.  Using the opportunity, the Imperial Forces push back, cleaning Nest and quarantining Sordid.
• C.M41 -The space hulk classified as The Gospel of Fear enters the System.  Rogue Traders and scavengers from Tresium make several attempts at boarding actions but are called off after several unexplained fatalities.  The Hulk is marked and it path monitored.
• 750.M41 – The Emperors Tarot unilaterally tells of a Great Devourer eating itself.  Several Astropaths commit suicide.
• 760.M41 – Hive Fleet Cruach enters the system and attacks the world of Acre.  Responding to emergency summons, the Astartes of the Black Scorpions come to assist eliminating the fleets Hive ships and rendering the Tyranids leaderless.  Questions are asked as to why the Space Marines were already in system…
• 761.M41 – Under special edict, the world of Acre that is still infested by Tyranids, is turned into a training site for specialist troops.  Astartes of the Deathwatch and other forces come to train against live Tyranid organisms that seem under control without any synapse creatures.
• 801.M41 – The Devils Bargain incident starts a cold war between Inquisitor Craven and Dormengast.  From the gutters of Tresium to the airless Wake, agents and Inquisitional assets murder each other as the two go to war.
• 801.M41 – The results of the Devils Bargain reach fruition as Imperial Regiments turn on each other, Xenos invade the system at the behest of Craven while Dormengast summons the most pure and faithful.  From the Depths spill more Chaos hordes than ever and on Acre, the Tyranids are suddenly getting smarter…

A Devil’s bargain.

Over the course of months, the Radical Inquisitor Yvasilli Craven, once lauded as the Sectors fiercest and most puritanical within the Ordo Xenos, has become emissary to one he was deigned to fight. Bringing the word of an unknown Necron Overlord, he has worked tirelessly to negotiate with and entreat with all manner of forces:  From Imperial Commanders to Alien Raiding hosts.  His offers are always seemingly too good to be true, but too good to ignore, displaying a disturbing level of insight into who these offers are being made to.

For the Inquisitor and many of the Imperial Commanders in the area, it was the potential gift of the Necron Pylon network, reportedly similar in design to those still found along the Cadian Gate.  If deployed in the Faustus Sub Sector, it could silence the Warp Storm and deny the Great Enemy a means to attack so easily, potentially snuffing out the Depths.  It would end the conflict and bring prosperity.  A victory.  To others wealth or power.  In one fell swoop, Imperial commanders, Space Marine Captains, Eldar Farseers and more were separated by one principle: Does the end justify the means?

But what of the cost?  

The Necron asked for one small service: Help finding a lost world, set rogue by events billions of years ago:  Somnium.

Left on an erratic rotation, it would be coursing through the Sub-Sector at a specific time, while old remnants of technology were left that could locate it.  The planet has nothing of importance spare to the Necrons secret agenda.  A simple deal, were it not for those who not only refused the gesture, but now work against it.  Inquisitor Dormenghast, a pious member of the Ordos Hereticus, has picked up the scent of corruption.  Learning of the dealings between Craven and Xenos, he now works in the shadows and out of them, gathering trusted military forces, undermining the works of Craven wherever possible.

Across the Sub-Sector, Inquisitorial assets and agents fought a clandestine war in the shadows. Assassinating key enemy authorities and replacing their own.  Things would come to ahead with the death of the planetary Governor on Warren’s End.  The identity of the murderers would become irrelevant after Inquisitor Dormenghast publicly outed his rival and thumbed him as the detractor.
The resulting hysteria saw many of Craven’s agents dragged into the light for public executions, while his allies went underground.  In retaliation, Craven was forced to call in the favours and across nearly all the worlds of Faustus chaos erupted.

Across Warrens End and beyond, Planetary Defence forces revolted, or simply deserted their posts. Stationed Imperial Guard regiments turned on their allies in pre-planned betrayals.  Cold Zoners on Tresium began a new wave of gang wars, distant outposts were hit by strike teams and even on Nolan the Mechanicum found their fellow Tech-Priests had already made arrangements.  The Adeptus Arbites on Warrens End barred their doors and waited for the madness to end, seeing no true enemy in the confusion.

Despite early gains however, Dormengast held the home advantage, using Imperial propaganda and faith to reinforce his armies.  It seemed as if Craven’s gamble would be stopped before it truly began.
Suddenly, the Sub-system’s outer listening posts detected unidentified signatures.  Craven’s other friends had made their play and entered the fray.  Xenos raiders of all stripes invaded, sparing their predetermined allies and cutting straight for the loyalists of Dormengast.

Meanwhile from the vengeful Depths of Gorath emerged a new wave of Chaos daemons, pushing hard on the already taxed and confused system ships, they made planet fall deep in the Sub-Sector. Temples to the eightfold path were erected on the bone-fields of entire cities and daemons began cavorting in the streets.  Both alarmed at the plans of the Bringers of Silence and taking advantage of the turmoil, for the forces of Chaos this could be their last chance to take the Sub-Sector for their dark Gods…

A shadow over the warp made navel assistance troublesome as the first tell tale signs of an impending Tyranid invasion started making an appearance.  Their intent their own, their actions were met with rejoice amongst the daemon hordes of khorne, who cared not, from whence the blood flowed.

The sides now balanced, the Faustus Schism began in blood-drenched earnest.

The Schism begins.

A coalition of Imperial servants, Adeptus Astartes, Xenos and worse has invaded the Sub-Sector seemingly well organised and of one intent: Conquest.  The Imperial defenders of the Sub-Sector, rotated in over the last few months stand against them with their own allies from unexpected corners. Even as these two forces collide, on the sides work the ever-watchful eyes of the raider, the brute and the corrupting.

While the wars and conflicts are held within but a few worlds, the quest to find the Rogue Planet will see the fires spread out into the rest of the Sub-Sector.  Following clues and signs made before their species even walked upright, a race against time has begun.  For they who can reach Somnium first, holds the fate of Faustus and beyond in their hands.

A Prison for Gods: Phase 1 Worlds

For Phase 1 the Players will be deploying on 1 or more of the following planets.  Each one has its own background and history, some of which offers some hint of things to come.  They also possess some compulsory rules representing the affect fighting on that world will enforce.

Warren’s End

Warren's End

Official Designation: Warren Secundus
Population: c. 6.7 Billion >>
Settlement Stamp: C.M35
Tithe: Vermillion
Corruption Decline: Mutations 1/1000
Military Presence: Impressive

The official capital world of the Subsector.  Warren’s End is a temperate world, large and moderately populated.  The planet is unusual in its ability to exist without aid from other worlds, for example it possesses a continents worth of agricultural land and its own licensed and approved Manufactorum, since the incident on Nolan.

Originally developed to serve as the Ur-Council’s base in the area, Warrens End was established with a solid infrastructure.  Built up to be the perfect example of Nova Terra Ingterregnum’s perfect world, it possessed not only agricultural production, but its own manufactorums.  Thus unaffected by nearby losses, it quickly became a tactical location.  After the Ur-Council was removed following the end of the Maidens Hand war, Warren’s End was recycled as the capital world for the Imperium returned.

Thousands of Ecclesiarchal cathedrals and monastarys were built to celebrate the change in power.  

Despite this the planet has largely been regarded as somewhat jaded, despite the Minostorum’s best and most violent efforts.  Luckily, a strong presence of off world Imperial Guard and Sororitas ensures stability.

Acre 

Acre

Official Designation: Acre Primarus
Population: c. 1.2 Million
Settlement Stamp: C.M35
Tithe: Extraordinarii (ref – Inq/dw)
Corruption Decline: Mutations 1/100000
Military Presence: Essential (Specialist Rotation – Inq/Dw)

Originally a world planned for conversion into an agri-world, Acre’s future was changed the moment the dreaded Tyranids entered the galaxy.  The invasion saw the world made ripe for digestion, her wild life and plants turned into carnivorous and hostile creatures.  

Acre is the only world under a dying red dwarf.  Despite this Acre lives on as a lush and vibrant world, once considered the ugly sister of the maiden Woad, before the accident.

Only thanks to the suspiciously quick arrival of the Black Scorpions chapter was the Hive Fleet designated Cruach defeated.  In a rare twist of fate, the death of the fleets key synapse creatures mean the horde on the planet below lacked the vital connection to the hive mind.  Left mindless and instinctual monsters, a decision was made by the Inquisition to pen the surviving xenos into great pens.  Once contained and under the watchful gaze of a dedicated garrison of wardens, Acre would become a training world.  From across the sector proper, Imperial Guard regiments would come to undergo gruelling trials.  They would also find themselves sharing space with Adeptus Astartes and even the Death Watch.

The continent spanning forests of Acre, filled with its resistant Ironbark and hostile wildlife, are now segregated by miles high fences of concrete or powered laser.  The wardens patrol constantly by landspeeder and orbiting stations overlook everything. Recently however, the aliens have been acting odd.  Testing the miles high fences and acting with some intellect…

- Oppressive Canopy: Night Fight rules are in effect for the entire duration of the game. 

Nolan

Nolan

Official Designation: Nolan XVII
Population: c. 1.5 Billion <<
Settlement Stamp: C.M35
Tithe: Extraordinarii (ref – Inq/dw)
Corruption Decline: Mutations 1/5m
Military Presence: Reducta Skitarii

On the southern deep arm of the Sub-sector lies Nolan, sitting amid a nebula of various gasses.  Nolan was once a core Forgeworld well known for its retained knowledge of Conversion Beamer technology.  Sadly, at the turn of M41, a weapons test rendered a nearby world maiden world of Woad into a nuclear wasteland.  The scandal saw so much censure that the Forgeworlds STC catalogue was reduced, though many great Manufactorum stand silent, awaiting the day they are dismantled and moved off world.  That world destroyed was ever after referred to as Rust.

- Corrosive Atmosphere: For the duration of the Mission, all armour save rolls of a 6 must be re-rolled. Armour Penetration rolls of a 1 must be re-rolled.

"Rust"

"Rust"

Official Designation: Rust Tertius ni Woad
Population: Unknown
Settlement Stamp: C.M35
Tithe: Nil
Corruption Decline: Nil
Military Presence: Nil

Rust, previously known as Woad, was a verdant paradise, some alleged to be a former Maiden World of the Eldar.  After a weapons test went wrong, the world’s atmosphere was bombarded by so much radioactivity that most of the planets life withered and died.  As an odd side effect, the lack of bacteria slowed down decomposition, making Rust’s once lush fields turn brown and sick.  Despite this, some tribes still exist on Rust, and it is still a rare source of metals essential in the construction and repair of heavier battle armour such as Terminator armour.

– Radioactive Hot Zone: Weapons that have the “Gets Hot” special rule get hot on a roll of 1 or 2.

A Prison for Gods: Basic Mechanics

So.  Lets get the "boring" bit out of the way.

How will this campaign work?

As with Crusade of Fire, the campaign rules borrow much from Planetary Empires.  Eight smaller world maps (and 1 Hulk!), each representing the main planets in the sector of conflict are represented by Planetary Empire tiles digitised for your convenience.  Players fight to seize territory and tally up points which can further the goals of their faction, or for themselves.

Simply put, it uses those wonderful hex tiles from either Planetary Empires or Mighty Empires that Games Workshop, for the moment, sell.  With changes in Warhammer Fantasy Battle, I expect at least Might Empires will be on its way out.  Regardless, a similar campaign map can be made with spare bases and industrious hands to create representations of land sectors on each planet.

Each player in the campaign would start with 5 flags or markers or blue tack and their initials written on a piece of paper before a very kind person digitised it.  ANYWAY!  thanks Chris...

From these marked territories, players can expand their hold two ways.  Each turn they can seize unclaimed territory, expanding without conflict (exceptions of awesome narrative apply), or they can win them after winning a battle.

Now the campaign is designed to be as simple to be involved in as possible.  No extra rules were thrown in and very few of these are "Must Use."  Essentially, one plays a game as usual.  Any size, type or format.  Though players are encouraged to think about where they are on the map when setting up terrain, and to think about their narrative relationship with the enemy.  Anything from Kill Team to Apoc is allowed.

One semi-exception to this is Space Ports and attacking from one planet to another.  To make a hostile attack from one planet you are required to own (or are adjacent to a Faction ally who owns-) a Spaceport.  To take a Spaceport or Hivecity tile from an attack originating on the same planet, one needs to have played in a City Fight game.  Unless!  Both sides agree that they cannot be bothered learning new rules let alone acquiring them.  Again, emphasis on ease of play.  I'm reducing the reasons for burn out. Likewise, usually attacks from off world require Planet Strike, but if both players agree to forgo that, its all good.  Game on!

What about those Phases?

Now the game as in Crusade of Fire is split into 3 Phases, each Phase revealing more of the planets involved in the campaign.  While in CoF this was explained by a Warp Storm that was receding, in PfG it represents the conflict expanding into the Sub Sector while the forces do their little treasure hunt for whatever it is that the Necron patron is after.

In each Phase, there is two Turns or as I prefer to think of them: Halfs.  At the end of Each turn territory is counted and Conquest Points tallied up.  I'll get to that in a bit.

So basically, 3 Phases, with 2 Turns in each.

Phase 1: Opening Moves

• Turn 1
• Turn 2

Phase 2: Escalation

• Turn 1
• Turn 2

Phase 3: End Game

• Turn 1
• Turn 2

Still with me?  Good.  Now in the last Bloggpost I revealed my need to make this slow burn.  So, I decided to run this campaign over 6 months.  Which makes Each Phase every 2 months while Turns are a month long.  This not only ensures minimal demand on my hard pressed players it allows me to throw in new gimmicks and special scenarios, Phase ending Apoc games and allows them to paint up more stuff to win with.

As a side note, each Phase brings not only more worlds and side missions and narrative, but will also allow each Player to place another 5 flags on the new worlds just like the first phase.  Phase 3 however, well that's the end isn't it.  Something special there...

Now, back to Conquest Points!

At the end of each Turn or Phase (every month), territories are added up and each player receives this as Conquest Points.  This can be applied to Faction or Personal Points.  The Faction with the most Faction Conquest Points at the end of the campaign win.  Though Personal Conquest Points mean that not only will the player win within their Faction, they will accomplish their personal agenda.  Think running away last minute with all the Archeotech, leaving allies to die.

This will really play into a betrayal and inner conflict mechanic that I am hoping to throw in later on.

Personal Points are easier to get as a consequence and will be usable to spend to gain certain things later in the campaign as well as allow for more special crisis missions based around that forces' personal mission.

Remember, the aim is to give a new background story to each Player's force.  Personally I don't care who wins.  It's who comes away with an awesome story that matters.

Extra Trimmings!

Now without going into too many details for now you also have the following:

• Grand Warlord Traits
• Strategic Objectives
• Crisis Missions
• Dramatis Persona
• Open Narrative Play
• Apoc Phase Games
• Pre-generated background with Nemesiseses!!

So first, we have Grand Warlord Traits.  These do NOT replace normal traits, but add character to the way the army functions on the map itself.  If the Player achieves the Trait's conditions be it slaughtering over half the enemy army, killing its biggest gribbly in a challenge or engaging with a Sworn Enemy, they gain extra Personal Conquest Points.  Its a nice dynamic and we did ensure players with a background or personality that demanded one of the usually random results would get it.  I mean, Khorne Daemonkin with Selfless Sacrifice?  Errrrrrrno.

As per Crusade of Fire, PfG uses Strategic Objectives: Space Ports, Power Generators, Shield Generators etc.  Though the rules have been updated to reflect the new edition and generally to offset the campaign as a whole.  Shield Generators for example no longer protect against any Dooms Day Weapon, but rather protect the adjacent area from attacks made by Space Ports across the system.  Much like in the books!!

Crisis Missions are the "gold" flag missions from CoF.  However I wanted them to appear at particular points and be relevant to what was going on in an area, as only those adjacent could join in (or via spaceport).  Originally they would be solely about the Necron Narrative, but seeing as the players have largely wholly embraced the narrative element, its gotta be about them.  One example, is the Dark Eldar and Craftworld Eldar that started on the ex-maiden world of Rust, and they are not there to share poetry!  Crisis Missions don't just offer unusual and unique games, but also rewards if done right.

Dramatis Persona.  These represent relevant characters in the campaigns background, such as the radical Inquisitor Yvassilli Craven or the Monodominant Inquisitor Dormenghast, opposed and dying to kill the other.  Likewise it can represent "unlocked" squads of local miners or Adeptus Arbites.  These are available to those able to represent them in the game (or bribe the owner of said figures).  They need to be paid for but allow for some unusual combinations.

Open narrative play is something that came in recently.  More than a pair of the players came to me as GM/SM whatever, and asked to do something unusual for their next game.  Awesome I say, it goes for the campaigns first tennant:  Fun before Fair.  As long as both parties agree, play how you wanna play.  More on that in the coming weeks.

Apoc Phase Games.  Well... at the end of each Phase, 2 months.  We gotta do something big.  Right?   Regardless of where one is on the map, all can join in this big ass game, representing a development in the main plot of the game.  Unbalanced, hilarious fun which can give rewards for doing more than just winning.  Developing the narrative and changing the game.  Can't say too much on that just yet though...

Now the pre-generated background stuff was a simple request for a paragraph or two detailing the following:

• Who are they and what are they good at? Who is in charge? Who is his/her right hand?
• What is there current goal? Why are they even here? (You can be vague if you like)
• Were they approached by the Bringers of Silence? How did that play out?
• Do they have any grudges, old unfinished business with other forces?

It is worth noting that nothing is "true" in these fictional asides, and my gods some of the beautiful propaganda I got between Imperial players: "YOU'RE THE HERETIC!"  "NUH UH!! YOU ARE!"  -Was amazing.

Next?

Well next, as promised, is more about the Forces in the campaign, I'm not going to give too much away just yet as not all Background pieces are in.

OH OK.  Here, check out these guys, who have begun generating some stuff for the game.  See if you can guess which faction they belong to!

• Rory - Rottimus' Blogg (Black Scorpions)
• William - Wimaro's Blog (Ibraesil Craftworld Eldar)

A Prison for Gods: A Narrative Campaign.

Ok, back to work.

Well recently me and 8 unfortunate victims friends started up a Warhammer 40,000 campaign, based off the foundations set by the Crusade of Fire set.  Using the Planetary Empires and Mighty Empires tiles, I copied the method regarding planets and strategic objectives.  But there the similarities ended.

Not only is the Crusade of Fire book sadly unfinished and obviously not proof read, its also mid 5th to 6th edition.  Now on my travels I did find the original work (I assume!):
https://thecrusadeoffire.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/crusade-of-fire-campaign-v-1c.pdf
Which helps, as well as a number of other campaigns, the Apophis campaign set:
http://www.miniwargaming.com/apothis
Always research before setting out.  Very often you can find a better way of doing things, or at the very least, have a plethora of bolt on bits and stuff which can be added in once the players are used to things.

Credit: AdamBurn

Anyway, what makes PfG (Prison for Gods) different?  Well I was sick to death of all the campaigns being focused on Imperium Vs Chaos oh and some Aliens.  Our gaming group does have a number of chaos players on the fringe (as in they are practically their own little Eye of Terror of a gaming group), but largely we play Xenos and Imperium.

And I play lots of Necrons, and some imperial guard!

Credit: Kurt Metz

The Aim?

Primarily though the campaign would aim to be:

•  Fun
•  Flexible
• Narrative

Fun? 40k isn't balanced.  It just isn't.  Deal with it and have fun or continue working the system.  Therefore I prefere to put Fun before Fair.  (Not instead of, before.  Big diff!).  So this campaign will have a lot of unbalanced but fun and unusual antics on the side.  At the end of each Turn/Phase (More later) or as Special Crisis Missions made available as the campaign burns on.

Flexible? Most campaigns burn out as a result of demands exceeding enthusiasm. Usually because things become a chore or life gets in the way.  To combat this I decided to have this campaign as a long burn campaign, going over 6 months.  2 months per phase.  More on what this means later but basically, so long as you can manage 1 game per freakin month, all will be well.

Narrative? The campaign aims to end with nothing short of a history to refer to in the future.  A background for each participant and grudges to last the next few years. Noble deaths, victories, last stands.  Anything goes.  So long as even the losers get awesome background and reasons for revenge, its all grim dark, right?

So why can't we all just get along? (This time...)

So.  What would a narrative campaign centred around Necrons look like?  Well they like loooong sleeps, obliterating the lesser races and generally not being too insane just yet as immortality apparently does that.

This really did have a lot to do with where the fluff (background) with my Necron Dynasty was going, so I tied it to that and swore NOT to play in the campaign.  Instead being the Games Master/Story Teller.

This would be about what would happen if an ancient entity gave you an offer you couldn't refuse.  A Faustian deal which didn't handle with chaos, but with something more devious.  Good old fashioned "end justifies the means" business.  With aliens!

"I will gift to you, Imperium of Man, the power to still the dimension you call the warp.  Long ago it was a weapon to our foes and we devised methods to disarm them.  You already enjoy the fruits of our labour in the gateway to the fallen empire of the Eldar, your beloved Cadia.  This technology I offer you, to accomplish that which even your seated god could not.  Join me, aid me in my quest and you shall have the bane of the Old Ones and more."

Repeated message handed to a series of Imperial commanders prior to the Faustian Schism.

What if.  What if the Overlord of my humble Trazian Dynasty offered the Imperium of a specific sector the chance to use Warp severing pylons like those found on Cadia?  Just up and offered them such a prize for one small service.  Like gold in El Dorado, such things mean nothing to him (Though it is an act which would annoy other Necrons, screw them, Trazian cares not because SPOILERS!!!).

What would this do to the Imperial commanders who could grasp at such a gift?  Would the cost occur to them?  What about the Adeptus Mechanicus?  The Imquisition?

And for the others, the Alien and the Renagade, why simple riches garned in the ensuing conflict.

Either way, now we have a very real, albeit unique, reason to cause a civil conflict between so called Battle Brothers which hasn't been seen since the Astral Claws incident.

The Faustian Schism, also known as the Prison for Gods Campaign had begun.

"What would become known as the Faustian Schism was caused by nothing more than negotiation and favour with the Xenos…"

Excerpt from the Journal of Colonel Rewitt, Warrick 3^rd.

What next?  Well I need Factions.  Crusade of Fire has enough for the two directly opposing Factions and a third for the Others.  Well this time it would be a little more based on the beliefs of the Players army commander.  Space Marine Vs Space Marine, Imperial Guard Regiment Vs Imperial Guard Regiment.

The Factions.

• The Sentinels of Fire “The enemy of my enemy is next.”

"Beware the machinations of the enemy. Their goals are not so noble. They seek to unleash something old and terrible. No price, not even the staying of the warp, is worth the cost."

Primarily made up of those hard line and incorruptible Imperial commanders, benign Eldar worried about developments, those who know of the Wars in Heaven: They aim to stop the invading factions from taking territory, or implementing their plans.

• The Bringers of Silence “The end justifies the means.”

"Accept the advances of a greater race. Carve out a sector free of the pervasions of the warp, take artefacts of great power and seize glory in war. Allow a new power, and be in it's favour."

An alliance of radical Inquisitors; jaded Imperial Commanders, wealth hungry Xenos and anyone their mysterious benefactor could coerce with bribes and promises.

• The Bearers of Change “All your bad Mondays at once.”

"They seek to parade their “Gods” and close the doors on what is ours by right. Chaos and change is eternal. A galaxy of fire was promised and must not be snuffed out before it has truly begun."

The Great Enemy of such insanity as peace in our time. Primarily Chaos, Orks and other creatures of constant violence and upheaval. They seek to both stop the Bringers of Silence and use the wars to take from the Sentinels of Fire.  Also, this slot works well with Tyranids, which do have an underlying and building role in the campaign.  Both forces operated as "bad weather" that while not directly involved in the plot can bring ruin to all if ignored!

Coming soon?

As we will be starting this campaign as of next week, I'm blogging in a catch up frenzy.  Next up will be more info regarding how we will go about the gaming mechanics.  While I'm not going to releasing access to the live rules set, I can give people the gist and why changes were made.  Planets and characters too.

Also, expect to see introductions to the Players and their forces, pre-campaign narrative developments (we have NEMESISESES!!) and shout outs to their own blogs where some of the players have already started writing their sides ahem, perspective on the incoming conflict.

Storytime "A gentle warning"

His fingers ached, coiled around the auto-quill like snakes that had forgotten to shed their skins.  Broken. Again. The servo arm resisted his movements, giving no small aid as intended.  He could smell leaking oils over the overpowering stench of a hundred spitting tallow candles.

He had to manually adjust the auto quill's path as the attached servitor chattered its remaining teeth like a lunatic.  It was probably as old as he was, probably.   

The relic of a wooden desk creaked and banged against the adjacent book shelves like a bustling crowd of anxious varnished refugees under the assault.  

The cell was too damn small!

Lywin the Adept sighed as he switched it off, causing a coughing fit as he heaved the heavy old piston assisted arm away from him.  He brought up a blue faded handkerchief, flecks of dirty old blood stained the "I" marked Aquila in the corner. Returning to his work, he squinted his eyes, adjusting the lenses on his spectacles with some extra strength.  He picked up his favorite manual quill and continued. 

His fingers ached again as he rubbed off the excess ink.  Blotted, bulging with arthritis and old augmentations, his hands were nearing their end.  He stopped and stared at them.  These hands, he mused, that had penned the Imperium's only true knowledge on the most ancient of Xenos known to the Imperium.  That pride, which once warmed his loneliness, seemed to be but embers these days faint lights in the ash of his final years.  

Lywin glanced outside and decided to ponder on the weather.  Cold.  The Inquistor always sent him somewhere gekking cold.  Snowflakes of perfection danced past the half stain glass window.  The visage of the Saint Thor looked down at him with that damnable smile.  Saint Thor, a man touched by the Emperor and destined for a life of greatness, remembered forever for his deeds.  Lywin stared for a moment before remembering himself.

"Oh piss off."  He croaked, coughing again but this time tinged with the hint of bitter laughter.  I bet the almighty Saint Thor never had issues digesting meat, he thought.

The old scribe frowned.  He was so easily distracted these days, old thoughts, or echoes of thoughts pulled and drew at him like children in the sweetgoods storage.  He should have sired children...

He cleared his throat harder than he probably should have, causing another hacking fit, ending abruptly with an aggressive grunt.  The work needed to be finished by the end of the lunar cycle.  He had his task.  He would do it.  Such was his lot.

The great book, a veritable tomb, which lay before him was standard issue Inquisition storage for all of its most sacred, if not dangerous, knowledge.  Black leather, bound in chains and encrypted with hexogrammic wards and security protocols that would destroy the entire work if opened incorrectly.  His work, his life's work, would be locked up after completion.  It would be hidden away in the deepest darkest library.  Opened but for the highest necessity.  The only real reason they had given him this task was probably because of his age, and the certainty of silence that came with it.

The text he translated was old.  Ancient.  Certainly heretical in its very existence: it suggested a universe with no Emperor to start with.  It suggested a time before mankind even breathed.  The writing was in the form of symbols, perfect shapes like ice crystals, but more akin to circuits and monorail conveyance maps.  Flowing vectors that never seemed to curve but for an abrupt perfect circle.  No deviation.  No tangent.  Every line was immaculate with grammatical purpose and one deviation broke the entire meaning.   

Above his desk a shard of something altogether normal and yet at the same time horrifically other floated above his desk.  The tablet he had been sent, hovering in its personal stasis prison, had endured over forty thousand years.  A more precise date was less than forthcoming, though it reached a point where guess work was in the millennia.  Regardless, it like its style, felt immaculate and eternal.  

Taking in the patterns until his eyes blurred, he looked down into the book and wrote "And by decree did the quiet lord did bring down the star gods..."

The translation of this line troubled him no end.  Not quite Lord, nor Gods.  The symbol contained a dichotomy, a contradiction.  Both worshipped and all powerful, yet baleful and hated.  And then there was this quiet lord?  The symbol for quiet was extended more than usual, did this indicate relative silence?  Was it Silent Lord?  But then the symbol for Lord was far complex...

Lywin was scratching his dry weathered cheek when his answer came to him, but not by his own doing.

"SILENT.  ALWAYS SILENT.  THE SILENT KING." 

Lywin span around on his chair, the adrenaline numbing him to the pain of his protesting frame. The darkness of his cell was more apparent than ever.  His ears, forever ringing strained for the source of the sound.  Shaking hands grasped for the distress switch under his desk.  His heart was hammering in his small chest, now it was his teeth that were chattering, not the servitors.

Out of the dark a skull came.  Tall, thin, crowned and regal in the colour of bone.  It loomed over him out of the shadow, its motions deliberate and smooth, no deviation, no wasted movement.  It said something again, the sound was impossibly complex and all at the same time.  Lywin was still scrabbling when he heard the first word he understood, it was a childish base level phoneme, meaning... hello?  He spluttered.  His mistake was simple enough.  He had never heard the word spoken before, at least not correctly, but had read it a thousand times.

It was Necrontyr.  The language of The Eternally Dying.  Now the language for that monstrous world ending race, the Necrons.

Lywin's left arm blazed with a fresh hell of pain, his breath coming only after a fight.  He fell from his chair scrabbling back from the thing, as it rotated its head in confusion.  It stepped forward without preamble, It's body was skeletal, that was obvious, but a fire burned inside, lighting optics with an acidic green light.  It's body rippled with the occasional incandescent arc of lightning that it paid no heed to.  A pulse of sorts, possibly a heartbeat in a way.  The symbol on its chest was a deep red, the Dynastic Icon unfamiliar to him.  His mind was gripping conclusions and puzzles as his body failed him.  Not like this...

"NECRONTYR" It said, Its voice was sibilant, distant and like a mans final breath, like his final breath as it stuttered to a halt.  He could feel his brain dying.  It reached out It's wide hand snatching his robes like a small bag.  Lywin felt himself die as the creature yanked at him, cradle him, tutting as if both annoyed and troubled.

***

All was darkness.  The occasional casting of light , a green light, caught his attention.  He heard things, tools at work, the discharge of static.  Scuttling of a million insects.  Someone was crying, or was that laughter?  A thought evaded him, some horrible possibility.  Then all at once he remembered his heart attack and that blank and soulless bone coloured death mask.

***

When Lywin awoke he was alone.  An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.  Gritting his remaining teeth, he teetered off the solid bed of what felt like rock, onto his bare feet.  He stared down at his bare wrinkled feet, noting the bed and floor was made of a flawless black material that shined yet did not reflect the light.  He was still wearing his robes, though upon further inspection something had been attached to his chest. He fingered it idly, thankful that it didn't itch. It was a circle shaped thing, like a large ebony coin with dozens of small tendrils reaching into his chest, flickering that familiar acidic green light. 

He leaned over and tried to empty his stomach.  Instead he launched into a violent hacking fit which had him leaning against his stone bed with a feeble arm.

Eventually Lywin looked around, the room was a windowless box, the walls and ceiling made of the same flawless obelisk rock as the floor and bed.  An impossibly still glowing ball hovered above him, showing no sign of repulsers or emitters.  It was simply light with a faint emerald tint to it that pulsed... like a heartbeat. His host, or his captor had saved his life.

He fingered the device on his chest as he approached the only exit:  A hole in the room with no door to bar it.  He twiddled his trembling thumbs before summoning enough courage to stick his head outside.

"ARE YOU WELL?" 

Lywin yelped, his host stood there by the door, immobile as a statue.  The globe followed him, casting better light into the seemingly endless corridor. He got a better look now.  The Necron was like a tall sun bleached corpse, joints of oiled silver sat between limbs and the burning emerald sun spat out of an apparently empty ribcage. Beyond this body, It was decorated and bedecked in a srrange finery of more metals.  It possessed a shimmering cloak of interlocking scarabs that he swore moved and changed position as it flowed and a transverse crown of clotted blood red.  It's face, no more than an elongated alien skull, regarded him without emotion.  It cocked it's head to one side as if trying to hear something, two sockets burned with an ill green light.

"I'm well, yes... yes, thank you."  He managed.  His voice carried down the long corridor.

"WALK WITH ME."  It said, turning with such speed and confidence that Lywin had to walk quickly to catch up. "THE LIFE WE HAVE GIVEN WILL NOT LAST LONG"  The Necron said.  "WE HAVE MUCH TO DISCUSS."

***

The Inquisitor Craven was troubled.  Alone in the Adept's cell, he simply stood and thought.  All manner of auspex had failed.  His agent, Lywin Callis, had simply disappeared.  No open door, no stain on the warp to indicate teleportation.  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

Most importantly though, the tomb remained as did the tablet.  Strange, both were infinitly worth more than the Adept.  Had he missed something?  The idea made him somewhat quesy.


There was a change in the atmosphere, a sudden movement of something into nothing that made him spin around whipping out his plasma pistol in the blink of an eye.

The construct that was once Lywin calmly and impossibly exited the shadows like a man would exit a house.  Skeletal, but with a mockery of the human face, smooth and perfect with thin acid green eyes.  It walked with no pain in its knees, nor arthritis in its hands. It no longer had fear of a failing heart or the deterioration of its senses.  It no longer feared death or the need to be remembered.  It was eternal.  It now was death, just as the Necron Lord had promised.  Their exchange was complete.

But somewhere inside, Lywin remembered as clearly as that perfect snow flake.  It remembered feeling pain, misery, loneliness.  It remembered having to adjust his spectacles and to be patient with his failing hands.  It remembered feeling sad and feeling angry and feeling proud. It remembered feeling, of how it should feel and now possessed only a lingering nostalgia.

No.  Now Lywin felt nothing.  Not even Lywin.  Now all it had was its new task, and It neither hated nor loved it.

"INQUISITOR CRAVEN.  I BRING YOU TIDINGS FROM MY MASTER AND A MESSAGE."

The Inquisitor powered his pistol up, the plasma pistol growling.

The construct that was once Lywin cocked It's head to one side, curious.
"ARE YOU WELL?"