POOHEAD189

Intro

@Apollo Sama Welcome, lmk if you have any questions :)

Darkhearts: A Forgotten Realms RP

Amal felt a small thrill pass through him, though he hid it well. He had not expected her to say she enjoyed his company. Whenever he mentioned something of that nature, he did it as a sardonic joke. But now that she had met him on that score, he decided it was nice to hear.

If that was the case, then it would hamper a bit of his traveling options, but he found she was worth it. For her skills, as well as her more pleasant aspects. Amal, however, tilted his head as Char lightly accosted the waitress. The thief wondered exactly what his drow companion meant, but before he saw what would happen, he heard the clink of glass behind him. He glanced past his shoulder, his ears open.

"So Davros, been meanin' to catch up with ye." A gruff voice said.

"Aye, been too long. How's the trade?" Another asked, his voice deeper but more mellow.

"Tried to get to Palishuck, but the roads have gotten more perilous."

"Is that a pun? You know invoking the name of the castle isn't smart. I hear it's been stirrin' lately."

"It's not the castle I'm worried about. They say a cult or some bandit group has been attackin' tradesmen goin' to Ironspur up north. Big bounties on the men that done the deed. Dwarves and their friends always pay well..."

That piqued Amal's interest. Gold always did. However, the earlier comment was certainly ominous as well. What castle? Had it been the same one they had escaped from the bowels of a week before? The thief turned his attention back to Charynrae and the waitress, hoping nothing had gone amiss. The drow woman was smart, but he did not know how much surface etiquette she was privy to.

Heroes of The Guard: A Warhammer 40K RP

This less than stellar introduction aside, I would look back on this day fondly, meeting both Morek and Sel at the same hour. The squat, and particularly the female trooper, would turn out to mean quite a bit to me. But as I had stated, I was less than impressed by her introduction. However, I supposed, albeit sardonically, it could have been worse. She could have been out of uniform or had forgotten to address me as 'sir.' I did not intend to be seen as a hardass, as that was a surefire way to get oneself killed as an officer. But still, I could not leave it as an unspoken reprimand, lest she get too comfortable. This one was supposed to be my driver too, Emperor save me.

"At ease, Corporal Seldon." I said redundantly. "I am First Lieutenant Kayden Caladwarden, scion of the famous house." I doubted she had heard of my family, but I still felt it was important to remind her of my aristocratic background. Contrastingly, I decided to approach this in a different way than was afforded my station. I stepped off the curb and took my hat off to appear more congenial, glancing at the ground car and hoping beyond hope there was cool air in those vents. "Listen, I'm new to this outfit, and if we're to be working together, I want to help you as much as you help me so we can get out of whatever the galaxy throws at us alive, but... when we're in front of the other troopers, salute me like an officer, please. It looks bad in front of the other men."

"What about him?" Sel asked, pointing at the squat. "Er, sir."

I glanced behind me as Morek put the last vestiges of my effects in the backseat of the ground car. I had almost forgotten he was there, the squat remained so quiet. "Yes... let's just pretend like he doesn't count for the moment."

We gathered in the ground car without any more preamble, and lukewarm air spilled onto my face as the Corporal cranked up the ground car. I glanced at the rearview mirror and barely saw the top of Morek's helm, looking for all the world like a buoy in the water as we began to move, bumping over scattered stones and desert debris. Leaving the command center, I saw two thunderbolts flying overhead, moving in unison like a flock of avian creatures. I had heard this world was suitable for practice due to the miles and miles of wasteland. I cranked the AC to a more tolerable degree of cool, but it was still nowhere near optimal. I decided to speak to distract myself from the heat.

"So, Corporal Seldon. How long have you been in the regiment?"

A Basket of Undead

@Mae Ooooh I thought that was just for Dark Cloud! Yes, I'll have him pick one up at a tavern, I think. Will you decide some more details about their character/backstory or do we roll for it? Or do we simply decide?

Greetings!

@Bloom Welcome, Bloom! Lovely to meet you :)

A Basket of Undead

*raises hand* Will Neil get to pick from a list of NPC hirelings?

Heroes of The Guard: A Warhammer 40K RP

Dramatis Personae:

First Lieutenant Lord Kayden Caladwarden
Corporal Lorica Seldon
Corporal Morek Holdfast
Captain Rubio
Private Boffin
The Colonel

The Enemy Beyond: Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor RP

One month later...

We had arrived on Pacitus a week earlier, having granted ourselves a few days to recuperate at the Agesola estate. I needed to speak with Demetrius and inform the rest of the staff of the unclassified aspects of our mission, at least regarding the death of Samara to ease their minds, for they had once been well acquainted. We held a small funerary service two days after arrival, placing the necklace I had taken from her body in the ground. However, other than that sombre occasion and my inability to turn my mind off from orchestrating activities around the manor, it was quite pleasant. The day after the service, I took Emmaline to Primogena, knowing she was ecstatic to go shopping at the capital. Though the real treat was yet to come, as she well knew.

Clara and Selencia were both relieved to be home. While both had volunteered to accompany us on our mission and neither had suffered worse than a few scrapes and bruises, both were tempered and even somewhat disturbed by their experiences, and after careful observation and a few tests, I deemed what they really needed was time at home to relax and cope. Emmaline, though she was as effected as anyone during the heat of the moment, was surprisingly resilient and able to bounce back from her experiences with an endurance that outmatched even a few inquisitors. Despite her exposure to such things as facing down a chaos astartes and the taint of the warp, she had the same vibrant look in her eyes when she saw a dress she fancied or a piece of jewelry she gleefully asked I purchase for her. We spent the day visiting eateries, antique shops, the lush botanical gardens, and miles upon miles of shopping lanes.

Lazarus and Lucius Raj spent their days with their usual stoicism, grinding away the hours of meditation, drills, and the study of various subjects. The former skitarii and I had finished refitting our lander with an autocannon of some size, overlapping plates of plasteel along the wings that would increase its aerodynamics, as well as finalizing the preparations to install the new engine. I had also decided to teach Lucius to read, as the current gothic was somewhat different in grammatical practice than back in his day, but we did not get too far into our lessons before our planned trip had arrived.

After a week of relaxation, our train had arrived. Emmaline and I were set to go on a honeymoon of sorts, an extended trip that lasted a fortnight, taking the luxury speed train on a trip called the Amalthea Zephyr. It was a romantic roundabout of the continent, that moved astride the glittering Amaranthine Sea, arriving at Malandor for a day, then traveling past the verdant farmlands of Lacadai and arriving north to the snow covered mountains of Kalydon, before turning east through the pine forests of the wilderness and the city of Idalium, before arcing southwards through the jeweled cities before arriving once again at Primogena. Emmaline had spent a multiple hours at Primogena shopping for outfits for the trip, and I admit I had purchased a few suits for myself. I had purchased a VIP ticket to meet the planetary governor at Idalium after a day of skiing at Idalium.

Demetrius and his staff had helped us remember all of our effects, but there had been little to forget. We had only just arrived back, half of our essentials were simply moved from one bag to another. Clara offered to accompany us, but I denied her. I could tell she simply wished to show me she was not remiss in her duties, but I felt she needed some more time at home. Carefully, I packed my autogun and brought my ornamental pallasch, more for show than any feeling I would use it. Surprisingly, Lazarus took me aside before we stepped out and informed me the tech-priest had managed to grant the weapon a limited power field, just in case.

"Have fun, master Drakos, lady Von Morganstern." Demetrius Richter said, his kindly face spread in a smile. The other staff had gathered out of the house to bid us farewell. The sun was setting on the horizon, as the train was set to disembark at midnight. Clara and Selencia and Lazarus had all come out to bid us farewell, though Lucius wisely stayed out of sight. Emmaline informed me he was doing better with his breathing exercises. As long as he experienced nothing stringent, he should be fine until our return in two weeks time.

Our aircar awaited, the driver patient as he was being paid by the hour, and it was a two hour drive to Primogena. I wore a finely tailor jacket and pressed trousers, setting our bags in the back of the aircar as Emmaline waved goodbye to the others. I closed the back of the trunk, and gave a smile to my lover. "We ready?"

Heroes of The Guard: A Warhammer 40K RP

I stepped out into the blaring sunlight, and even under my cap I had to squint for my eyes to adjust. As my vision came back into focus, I saw Morek standing there, idly looking my way as if he had not even deigned to sit down or loiter since I had walked inside. I had always heard abhumans were a strange lot, but they were still tangentially related to us humans, despite the mutation. I noticed he had not even put my bags down, and silently marveled at the stamina or holding up both heavy sacks without even appearing to tire. Granted, I was not going to complain. I'd rather not have red dust caked over any of my effects.

What was going to complain about was that I had been told transport was here, and other than two military ground cars fit to transport dozens of men, and both seemed very worn and perhaps even inoperable, I was curious on how exactly I was supposed to arrive to my unit, unless Morek was set to drive me.

"Corporal, where is my transport?" I asked him.

Morek lifted his left hand, still holding my bag, and pointed at the horizon. Blinking, I followed his finger and saw a plume of dust rising in the distance, and a small black shape slowly growing larger as it approached.

"Ah, very good. Now, as we wait, what can you tell me of my unit?"

"Finest men in the Imperium," He said neutrally. I furrowed my brow, unsure if he was mocking me. "Been here four terran months. After the 12th Black Crusade and one of the largest Ork incursions in the Segmentum, a number of the regiments got remade and reinforced. This is the newest."

"Did you see any of the fighting?" I asked him.

"Aye. Killed me a nob and a few chaos lads. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get your chance to have a go, sir." Morek remarked, and spat a chunky blob of phlegm on the ground. I had a feeling this was the most delightful he would ever be. We were interrupted as the small military ground car rounded one of the small armories and screeched into what counted as the 'driveway' of military command, which was the same bland pavement as the hanger runway. The door to the driver's side opened, and out stepped a woman, which surprised me. I was not aware this was a mixed-gendered unit. She wore combat fatigues and looked tough enough. She was short, a tad on the thicker side, with close cropped brown hair and a look I couldn't quite gather. Pretty enough, I supposed, not that her looks were any consequence. What I was worried about was fraternization in my unit.

"Your carriage awaits, sir." Morek said.

"Don't be funny, Corporal Holdfast, and put my bags in the back of the car and get in." I told him, waiting for the woman to introduce herself before I did, as was the standard procedure. Morek did as he was told immediately, without the cheeky grin I half expected to see. Man was like an automaton.

Heroes of The Guard: A Warhammer 40K RP

System: Kaurava
Planet: Kaurava III
Type: Mining world
Date: M41.999

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and when all else fails, run like frak
-Imperial Guard Maxim

The bay doors opened with a hiss of pressurized air, the plasteel ramp slowly rotating on automated hinges before it clamped onto the barrel ground, lopsided. Immediately I was assailed by the stuffing stench of endless dirt and dust. I wrinkled my perfect nose, mildly dissatisfied with the stark landscape before me. An endless sunbaked desert, reflecting the light of the system's star like a mirror, I imagined. That or the dirt truly was a saturated reddish orange. The only landmarks that broke the monotony of endless desert were the mesas that intercepted the eye every few kilometers, and the promethium refineries, along with some hardy vegetation that stubborn clung to life on this waterless wasteland.

I was proud to say I looked every inch the young, enterprising officer of the Imperial Guard. My chainsword strapped tightly to my slim waist, my laspistol holstered, my officer cap emblazoned with the aquila, signifying my duty to the Emperor of Mankind. The uniform emphasized my shoulders nicely, and I wondered if I should have taken an image in my pictogram before stepping off. The colors of the new regiment were not exactly what I would have preferred, but they would grow on me.

Stepping down the ramp, my newly shined officer's boots clacking on the plasteel like clattering bones, I saw the runway before me was empty save for a few engineers carousing, chuckling stupidly from some pedestrian joke no doubt, and a short, broad bearded fellow in a worn guardsman's uniform. He stood there, at the center of the walkway that led off the landing pad, with all the animation and personality of one of the numerous rock formations surrounding the landscape. On his head was a standard issue guardsmen's helmet, and I saw the twin stripes on his sleeve that gave his rank.

"Welcome, sir." The bearded one said, giving a crisp salute.

"That's m'lord." I told him, literally looking down at him past my nose. I had wondered if I would be the most handsome man on the planet, and I knew without a doubt I was the most well dressed. My newly tailored uniform a terracotta red, buttoned tight to showcase my slim, perfect physique. I knew it was perfect because my father had demanded such perfection, from his hounds to his sons. My trousers a graveyard earth brown, tucked into my tall, black boots made for an officer. But looking down and seeing this ugly squat, as I knew it had to be a squat, I felt as if my well sculpted features and impeccable dress were a bit overkill.

"Beggin' yer pardon, m'lord. But it's sir, here." The squat remarked, ignoring the paradox.

I raised a well trimmed eyebrow. "And you are?" I asked.

"Corporal Morek Holdfast, sir. At yer service," The squat replied, not deigning to salute this time. On second look, I noticed despite his gruesome appearance, with his cauliflower ear and oft-broken nose, he was heavily muscled. If a terran bulldog could grow a beard, it would not look too dissimilar to Corporal Holdfast. The squat waited for a reply, but I gave none. He did not seem to mind. "Get yet bags, sir?"

I nodded my acquiescence, before turning my head and glancing around expectantly. For a moment, it did not dawn on me that this single squat was my welcoming party. I had been assured I was to be welcomed by a manner befitting my station. But as soon as I realized this had been a deliberate introduction to the regiment, I felt a pang of annoyance. I would have much preferred, and was well due earned, a rank of well disciplined troopers to escort me as an honourguard. However, I suppose it would have to do for now. At least Holdfast was not a private, I supposed.

Truth be told, I was nowhere near as conceited as my brothers. I much preferred a lack of ceremony. But what I could not stand was exaggeration and lying. I had prepared myself for what everyone had told me the guard would be. Discipline, duty, honour. Perhaps if I continued on, I would find all three, but judging by the empty landscape, I was beginning to think I was simply trying to convince myself. As Morek approached from behind with my bags of equipment, I bade him follow down the walkway. Hopefully the commanding officer would have good news for me on that front, and more knowledge of my assignment.

---

"Come in!" A gruff voice called.

I turned and twisted the knob, glad to be out of eyesight from the blushing young aide that had bade me wait for the colonel's summons. Luckily, Morek had deigned to wait outside of the building. He had not spoken a word since his greeting, much less made a protest, and mercifully I had been allowed to wait within with the blessed air conditioning. As I pushed the door open, I saw the colonel was not alone. He was an unremarkable man with close crossed grey-blonde hair hard eyes, seemingly in his 50's, though it was hard to tell if that was his true age. He sat behind a well-built desk of mahogany, and to his left was a tech-priest of some sort, a scholarly man in the bright red robes of Mars, a single mechadendrite pulling its pincer away from the window to rest comfortably above the tech-priest's shoulder like a loyal hawk.

"Please, close the door." The colonel bade me as I stepped in, and I complied. Once it was shut, I turned to him, standing at attention. He glanced at the tech-priest, who was unreadable behind his hood and glimmering bionic eye. I briefly wondered his business here, but it was no concern of mine. No doubt I would be told if the need arose. The colonel, his jaw square and his thick hands placed together, looked at me with a weathered eye. "You're the son of Lord Duncan, I take it?"

"Yes sir. First Lieutenant Kayden Caladwarden, ready to serve." I told him with the same sense of purpose I had been told would be expected.

"First Lieutenant," He said, dragging the words out. Whether it was to readjust his own memory or because he wished to make a point, I was not certain. "It is without a doubt the Emperor's providence that you are here, yet I am unsure if that's a good thing or not." He said bluntly. "You see, this regiment has been reformed, and requires discipline. When I asked for lieutenants of skill and good character, I did not expect to get some pampered, pretty boy lordling from the core worlds. As far as I am concerned, you're just another man I need to worry on if he needs babysitting. The men are bored, and the rations are short until we receive a new shipment by the end of the month. If I had my way, I would trade you for a good commissar without hesitation."

"That's exactly what I said, sir." I declared.

"I-...What?" He asked, suspicious.

"When command told me I would be here, acting as first lieutenant to a newly formed Regiment, and they informed me of your record, I thought it insulting sending someone of my inexperience here. This world could be attacked at anytime, by any number of forces. The Kaurava system is constantly under assault. What you need is a military officer that has already seen combat. I will do my best to stay out of your hair and out of your way, following your commands to the letter."

It was not entirely the truth, of course. The Kaurava system had been under attack in recent years, but they had been small raids. And I had never been told anything except the Colonel's name and the fact the regiment was new. But it never hurt to butter up the commander, and seeing the new look in his eyes, it appeared to have worked. He had clearly thought I was be some arrogant snob. Could you imagine?

"Well, that is good." The Colonel remarked. "But I am certain they had not told you everything of our situation." He turned to look at the tech-priest, who gave a small bleet in binary, but otherwise decided to keep quiet. I wondered how many arms he had under those robes, or if there was any concealed weaponry. I respected the priest's of mars, but I never quite trusted them. You never could when it came to those who sought to ruin the purity of humanity with random machine parts. "This world is pivotal for the promethium production of the system, but it is also a very ancient world of significance to the initiates of Mars. And so we have a dual purpose here, to keep the promethium refineries running, and to keep the adepts of the mechanicus alive."

"If anything comes, I'll make sure my men are shooting in the right direction," I assured the Colonel with a wink. The grizzled man gave a tight lipped smirk, and his comm unit went off right at that very moment.

"Colonel, the Lieutenant's transport is here."

The aged man clicked the button on his comm. "Very good. I'll send him out" He told his aide, and waved me gone. "I'll ask for weekly updates. With any luck, we won't be on the planet much longer. But just keep a low profile and do what you're told, and you'll do fine."

"Sir," I said, giving a salute that would make a cadian proud, before about facing and stepping out of the office, back into the sun.