Evervigilant 68

<Vigilant_GM> IT IS THE 41ST MILLENNIUM...
<Vigilant_GM> Instantly, you are washed over with chill, impossibly clean air.
<Almarax> "I recommend everyone puts on rebreathers."
<Davos> "I only got a respirator."
* Almarax flicks his helmet over to its internal oxygen supply.
<Vigilant_GM> Alas, it was empty.
* Davos put's on his respirator.
<Velam> "Are you sure, my friend?"
* Baird also activates his internal oxygen supply.
* Velam sighs before sliding his on and checking the seals with his fingers.
* Karpath makes sure his rebreather is on.
<Almarax> "There are high levels of Ozone, you won't suffer in the short term but will suffer oxygen depravation in the long term."
<Almarax> "Its what makes the air seem so 'clean'"
<Baird> +Understood. Everyone follow the Reclaimators suggestion. I don't need anyone passing out while we are investigating.+
<Karpath> +Copy that.+
<Vigilant_GM> The vaulted ceilings bear remarkable pre-imperial architectural motifs, though their height swallows most light to the naked eye. The flow of wind from the canyon into the vault creates a low howl which travels into its depths with echoing replies traveling back.
<Velam> "Ominous, and exciting." He says, his voice muffled by the respirator.
<Baird> +Enough chatter, let's get moving.+
* Almarax advances into the unknown.
* Davos follows along.
* Karpath follows.
* Claire Equips the Catachan Special and follows behind
* Velam checks his seals one last time before he enters the vaulted hall with everyone else.
<Vigilant_GM> The vault descends in a wide spiral. Flanking the pathway are scriptures in relief, blessings and wards.
<Vigilant_GM> As you descend, a rest becomes visible, opening up to a hall with two metallic slabs standing on either side, displaying passages from prayers brought to Juno from the first Imperial missions.
<Vigilant_GM> On the farthest wall, facing the rest and overlooking the slabs are two large banners hanging from high above, dropping to ground level to display the visages of a pious lord looking down upon his penitent servant, who takes a knee before his master.
* Almarax takes pict recordings of the slabs and the banners.
* Velam is busy taking notes, even using his spectacles to take picts where needed
<Baird> +I don't recognize these offhand. Anyone able to identify the origins?+
<Velam> "Oh dear, ohhhhh perturbatory." He switches to the Inquisitorial cant before answering Baird. "This is Lord-Inquisitor Haestian. Once a very powerful man in this sector. I know not much else, his information has been cleansed from inquisitorial records." He lowers his voice to a whisper. "Most of our colleagues would have me persecuted, perhaps even killed for knowing this information. It seems this place could be more
<Velam> dangerous than we thought."
<Davos> [Inquisitorial Cyphers] "I concur."
<Baird> [Inquisitorial Cyphers] +Say nothing of this to anyone, either of you. We will discuss this privately once we debrief.+
* Davos nods in agreement.
* Karpath has no idea what Baird, Velam, and Davos are saying, but realizes he needs to pick up on his Inquisitorial Cant lessons.
* Claire keeps her eye out mostly wary of the place
* Velam nods to Baird, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head and past the straps of his respirator, despite the coolness of the air.
<Baird> +Keep moving, Tabarius doesn't have an internal supply like the rest of us.+
<Velam> +I'll have to be sure to get one so I'm not so far behind everyone else.+ He sighs.
<Vigilant_GM> As the group moves forwards, there is a snap high above.
<Vigilant_GM> The great banner of the depicted master collapses.
<Velam> "Oh dear." Velam looks around again, before shrugging and continuing his note taking.
* Baird twitches slightly at the loud snap, hand reflexively going towards his holster before realizing the source and relaxing.
* Claire flips on the Psyocculum
* Almarax adjusts his grip on the Omnissiah's Mercy.
<Vigilant_GM> As it fully folds into itself on the ground, the far wall behind it opens up, air hissing sharply into the once-sealed hidden chamber. A monstrous bipedal mechanism with outsized metal arms then roars to life, a spine-chilling weeping now joining the cacophony of the form as it steps forwards with a small candle-sized flame that roars forwards to fill the chamber.
<Velam> "By Cordius' teeth!" He yells in shock, picking himself up after somehow dodging the things attack. He whips his trusty pistol out and fires at it.
<Baird> +Tabarius, Reclaimator, find a way to disable it!+
* Almarax turns to face the mechanical beast who's blast he barely dodged - the anger already beginning to block out surrounding noise.
<Claire> +The Feth is this thing+
* Claire moves her way away from the party to a better position
<Vigilant_GM> The roaring guardian charges forth, knocking Almarax flat on his back on his way to Baird, brutally striking at the Interrogator - the sharp conversation field flash a welcome reprieve from the mechanical beast's wrath.
* Baird says a quick prayer to the Emperor, thankful that the shield held.
* Thesse walks up to the mechanic creature and hits it in the body twice.
* Baird raises his hand high to the mechanical beast and displays the ring bearing Inquisitor Mortem's seal and disengages from the creature in case it doesn't read the symbol.
* Davos casts telekine dome and casts smite, but the creature dodges.
<Vigilant_GM> Rather, the mechanical guardian is unharmed, as the warp energies dissipate and bend around its form.
* Karpath draws up his Storm Bolter and opens fire into the machine hitting it with all his shots.
<Velam> +My word, I've never seen one before. But I believe we are fighting a Penitent Engine! Generally used by the Eccesiarchy, though I have heard account from our more zealous brothers and sisters in the Ordos use such things. The best way to disable this thing is to kill the occupant that is slaved the machine, or it needs to record the blood of it's target. Considering this place is being guard by it, it probably must have all
<Velam> of our blood. But that is a more educated guess I can give.+
<Claire> +The feth is a Penitent? Do you want it disposed of Lord?+
<Velam> +Sister Thesse would be more knowledgeable of such things, or at least she should be.+
<Baird> +Ideally disabled! I'd like it to stand down since we are of the Inquisition! It sounds like it may need our blood to verify!+
<Almarax> +Oh its going to get disabled alright....+
<Velam> +I do not think that would be advised or achievable, my lord.+
* Claire not knowing how this thing works Claire lines up a shot in it's head port
<Almarax> Almarax approaches the machine and a brief flurry of blows come towards it two of which are parried, but the blows that strike true knock the machine over taking one of its arms off with it.
<Vigilant_GM> For a split second, whilst fallen over, the screaming within the mechanical beast ring louder than the servos or the pressurized leaking of promethium as it gets back up and counterattacks.
<Vigilant_GM> Its counter sees frenzied strike after strike against Almarax, firing blindly at point-blank range with an attached rapid fire weapon. The Emperor favoring Almarax, he parries and counter-strikes to stay in the fight.
* Thesse continues beating the mechanical monster until the beast collapses.
<Almarax> The blood lust that overcame Almarax subsides.
* Velam lowers his plasma pistol, and looks around. "Bloody shite, that was frightening."
* Baird sighs heavily at the outcome before turning to Thesse. +Sister, say a prayer for the fallen. It was doing it's duty and defending this sanctum against intruders. It brings me no joy to dismantle one of our own protectors.+
* Almarax examines the once violent machine. "An archaic construct to be sure."
<Davos> "Well that's over with."
* Karpath lowers his storm bolter. "Good job Meryl."
<Claire> +That thing was ours? then why the bloody Emperor did it attack us then?+
<Velam> +It was perhaps programmed to kill any and all who enter here. Regardless of association.+
* Thesse joins her hands together and murmurs a prayer to the Emperor. She asks for his guidance to the former imprisoned soul in the metal beast.
<Almarax> "Constructs such as these have simple instructions - as intruders we were its enemy, likely the original occupiers of this base were safe from its wrath"
<Almarax> "Shall we take a look at who's inside?"
<Almarax> "They might still have recognizable features."
<Velam> "Are we sure that's necessary?"
<Claire> +Not to be a buzzkill we are on a timer Al++
<Baird> +Or it had some way of identification that we were aware of. Make it quick if you're going to do so Reclaimator.+
* Almarax uses his mechadendrites to peel open the coffin the 'operator' was inside.
<Claire> +Mr Tabarius, should we be aware of more of..those things?+
<Claire> +Wait..+
* Claire her hand lowers realizing it is too late
<Velam> +Not to my knowledge, Meryl may know more as these things are generally from the Ecclesiarchy.+ He replies to Claire.
* Claire flips the Psyocculum off
<Vigilant_GM> The penitent inside the sarcophagus is badly mangled, pale, with countless tubes running in and under its skin, some still weakly pumping fluids into the lifeless body. The penitent's jaw is broken, bearing scars healed long ago, its skin kept artificially humid, and without hair.
<Baird> +Given the situation of her homeworld Tabarius I am inclined to believe Meryl doesn't have any experience with them.+
<Velam> +My main point, is I know not much else at this time.+
<Almarax> "Those with more knowledge in these areas may wish to examine this individual."
* Claire walks up to see the person inside
<Almarax> "There is a mark of the inquisition burned behind his left ear but that may be standard for those interned in these machines."
<Velam> +What are you trying to infer my mechanicum friend?+
<Baird> +Possible. Hurry your work Reclaimator.+
<Davos> "I believe he wants us to attempt to identify the unit."
* Claire flips back on the Psyocculum to get a energy read on the place
* Almarax takes a blood sample from the corpse. "I believe I am done here."
* Claire lowers the Psyocculum after her estimate
<Claire> +Soo a place this old might have some intact Cogitators if that is what we are looking for.+
* Almarax takes a pict recording of the 'operator's' face and of the mark before readying himself to continue.
<Claire> +But I would be wary the warp energies here are very present..+
* Velam moves closer to the dead penitent and his engine, specificially to the parchment that lists the sins of it's entrapped user. "Heresy by Association, Heresy by Neglect, Heresy by Dereliction, Heresy by Defamation." He says aloud, before continuing to read, lowering his voice. Before switching to Inquisitorial Cant. "Guljian, this person was involved in something. Something either directly or indirectly related to the
* Velam event that lead to the Ordos leaving Juno."