House of Dust and Ash Chapter II; Deep Cover and Keeping a Low Profile

House of Dust and Ash

Chapter II

Deep Cover - Keeping a Low Profile

So, where were we?

Shortly after waking Trantor and hearing his story of a visit by Inq. Malignus and mind washing (or so he says), Adept Wheezy from Inq. Rathbone’s office shows up at the door with three gun servitors (lobotomized humans with firearms grafted to their bodies) carrying boxes.

Wheezy is wearing a nose cast from where Barbossa punched him (last episode) and has one of the gunservitors cover Barbossa while the others set down the boxes. Wheezy hands the fake IDs to the well dressed stranger in the room (Draco) and states that only swords and pistols will be allowed on the skyship to the Burning Isle.  Draco gives a “Huh?” while Barbossa tries to pick a fight (while staring down a servito’s autogun barrel). Wheezy explains that Draco will be faking the Rouge Trader Hermes Sunder and the rest of the acolytes are his entourage – they will travel to the remote “Burning Isle” and bid on the curios from the lost Rouge Trader Erasmus Haarlock. The auction should attract all kinds of heretics, freaks, and xenos – so observe take notes and report back.  In the boxes are clothes, swords and bolt pistols to go with the roles. Draco gives a “what’s going on how about some data?” and Wheezy explains there was a brief, but he was punched out by an idiot (Barbossa) so good luck...and the adept leaves. After looting the boxes and shooting angry looks at Barbossa, the group heads to the “skyship”.

Scene 2

They are delivered by another air-carriage and again have a chance to see the millennia of toxic pollution of Hive Gloriana (and generally the planet Solomon). The who place is like a acid rain version of Blade Runner – dark, raining, corrosion everywhere – everyone outside has chem ponchos and facemasks on. And as a Hive, there are crowds of people everywhere. The air-carriage takes about 30 minutes to deliver the Acolytes to the top of a rusted away sykscrapper. Tethered to the exposed girders are three floating “air-ships.” The airships use anti-grav “suspenders” to float, yet need propellers to move forward – think space zeppelins. They find their ship, the Cygnan Martyr, and are guided aboard by the helpful, if dim First Mate/Steward/Handiman Nathan Gurst. Gurst informs them the trip will take 30 hours and that there are (13 or 18) other passengers on board. He shows the party to their cabins (broom closets) and then down to the passenger lounge and observation decks. Captain Shaddrack gives a (very) short speech which summed up says, Don’t kill each other – see Gurst for questions….and retreats to the bridge.

Drustos reminds everyone that they are there to observe other guests…and that he doesn’t want to associate with meat-bags. Draco shrugs and wanders to the ship bar and starts hitting on an attractive blond woman in a business suit. Her name is Octavia Nile of the Enterreine Merchantile Guild and she is accompanied by two bodyguards and a hooded adept. Z spots a couple of gangster looking guys (Vilmer and Quill) and talks violence with them. There is an old adept (Cristos) and his hench-boy (Whent), a fat/disgusting Abbot Tomas of Shale and his seven penitent (filthy) servants, a 6’9” monk in Friar Tuck habit (Brother Iodemonos), and another Rouge Trader.

Barbossa is drawn to the big monk like steel to a magnet. The monk tries to explain that he has a pseudo vow of silence…but Barbossa doesn’t get it and immediately starts trying to trick the monk into talking…but this is Barbossa…and it not only doesn’t work but even annoys the party. Iodemonos seems to take it in good humor. He finally says something (I forget what) and his voice is very bassy and hypnotic…you can only imagine what his Monastary’s choir sounds like if they all have voices like him. Drustos, frustrated at watching Barbossa’s antics hooks up a data slate and is able to chat with Iodemonos by typing.  Iodemonos is pleased and chats away; he is here to try and acquire some items that ‘might’ be holy relics to his Order – although none of the items he is after should be of interest to the others...or so he assumes.

The old Adept Cristos seems like a decent sort, he has some money, never had a chance to travel and the curios of Haarlock seem like a once in a lifetime adventure. Whent is a little shit, who isn’t around long enough to get to know (more later).

Tomas of Shale is well dressed decked in jewelry, but fat and creepy. His penitents look like filthy wretches.   

The Rouge Trader has a ship (The Ozymandious) and four annoying noble youth friends – quickly identified as a click of assholes by the party.

As the party breaks up…Z picks the pocket of Cristos (helpless old man) and steals his auction stake…then hides it on Drustos.

…Draco slips back to Octavia Nile’s cabin…with Octavia…for some sweet-sweet luvin’s.

…Barbossa head outside (on deck) to look for trouble…

Trantor stays at the bar to talk with some crewmen…

 Scene 3

Barbossa is walking around the deck looking down at the toxic water below. He sees some gigantic “thing” moving in the water.  He wonders what they eat.

Suddenly he hears a bottle break. Walking around a corner, he sees one of Abbot Shale’s penitents with a couple of empty liquor bottles to one side, a case on the other, and drinking from yet another. Barbossa (never one to stay out of trouble long) approaches. The penitent climbs to his feet and begins berating Barbossa, a member of the false church of the puny Emperor.  Barbossa is surprisingly restrained and actually tries to talk to the penitent. This makes the man even more angry and he breaks the bottle he was drinking from and comes after Barbossa with the shards. Barbossa pulls his warhammer…and promptly drops it. As the hammer slides across the deck, the penitent stabs Barbossa with the bottle. Around this time, Trantor the Bald, going for a walk on deck turns the corner and sees Barbossa fighting and immediately assumes that Barbossa started it (the humor is this repeats itself at least one more time). Bleeding out, Barbossa calls to Trantor for help, and despite another cut, grabs the penitent. Trantor grabs the wretches feet and the two Acolytes hoist him over the side of the ship then lean over themselves to watch as the man falls screaming hundreds of feet only to be eaten at the last instant by a giant eel.

Barbossa, “So that’s what they eat.”

Scene 4

After some Rouge Trader class luvin’s, Octavia Nile is passed out in her cot and Draco decides to search her room for who she may really be. He quickly finds a hidden journal that identifies Nile as a Logician agent. Draco stops, sitting naked on the bedside next to the sleeping Octavia. Remember; it was the Logicians that tortured four of Draco’s men to death in front of him, and that, unknown to the other Acolytes, were peeling off Draco’s flesh with hot tongs…and worse. So, it’s a bit of a shock for the others at the table, when Draco sadly sighs, turns and EATS Octavia Nile.

A little later Draco, face covered in blood like a fat boy who got into the strawberry jelly, and I would like to imagine still in his underwear, carries a sack of loot and body parts from Octavia’s room into the hall.

Naturally, this is just when Trantor the Bald comes strolling by…as if his life didn’t have enough insanity!

Draco explains that Nile and her cronies are Logicians and need killing. (And apparently eating.) Trantor gets on the micro-bead and calls the whole franchise in. While Barbossa, Littlus, Trantor and  the blood covered Draco murder the bodyguards, Z faces off with the Adept…really a Ashen Tear assassin (kinda like a Shadowrun street samurai.  Meanwhile, outside a toxic storm has kicked up, shaking the Cygnan Martyr.  After several clashes of swords the Ashen Tear is short on assassin and the Murder Hobos are looting the corpses (including Drustos picking the best cybernetics out of the assassin’s corpse).

Draco comes up with a credit-lsate with 400,000 thrones on it. Spending the Logicians money will be that much more icing on the flesh-cake!

Scene 5

Shortly after the storm breaks and about five hours out from the Burning Isle, another skyship comes on an attack course with the Martyr. All of the passengers are summoned to the main decks as the crew attempts to repel boarders.

In the Big Battle of the evening, between 15-20 “Wreckers” straight out of Firefly come after the passengers. Littilus showed a new trick, activating a psi-blade which seemed as effective as Z’s power sword. He and Z focused on the left side of the ship.

Trantor, Draco, and Gyntha (Red replacement NPC) were shooting those on the right.

Barbossa and Drustos shooting random victims with flame and bolt (Barbossa had opted to keep his flame pistol).

Almost immediately, one of Tomas of Shale’s penitants turning into a gigantic slug man. We never get a chance to find out if it’s a spell from Tomas or a surprise attack on Tomas, as Barbossa turns and spays the rest of cluster of penitents (and other passengers) with Promethium Fire. He’s trying to “save” them. Of course. He does not kill any of the main “bidders” but does succeed in dispatching the slug-man, the last four penitents, Whent and a couple of the Rouge Trader’s “friends”. 

Other highlights: Littilus and Z find the limits of being human buzzsaws. Only one victim at a time. Swarms are not good. Gyntha has a similar problem, although her Pre-cog dodge helps keep her uncut. Trantor and Draco develop a partner attack in which Trantor spasms a group of Wreckers and Draco walks around delivering a bolt pistol coup de grace to the helpless.  Quill deletes a couple random Wreckers with his hand cannon and “Dramatic kill of the fight” goes to Brother Iodemonos who kills a Wrecker by picking up a table, throwing it across the room, hitting the Wrecker and knocking the man out the plate glass window. 

The Martyr’s crew kills the rest of the Wreckers, and the last couple of hours pass without issue.

Approach to the Burning Isle shows, you guessed it, an active ash spouting volcano island with two other notable features – a giant space palace structure (The House of Dust and Ash) and a shanty town.

As the party gets ready to head down the gangplank, Captain Shadrack corners you and says, paraphrasing, “Thanks for the help against the Wreckers – there are three other skyships here, there were supposed to be six. You helped save us. The Mourners Guild only paid for us to deliver passengers – not for a return trip. But you saved us, and I remember my debts. We’ll hang around long enough to make repairs. If you can get back before we leave – you have a ride. “

Vilmer and Quill head off towards the shantytown (called Deadtown). The rest of the passengers deboard and head towards The House of Dust and Ash…

…Except old Adept Cristos, who now without Whent has discovered that someone robbed him. He cannot bid, but asks to accompany the party to watch the bidding in return for his services as a scholar.