Heresy Lists for campaign

Connor pre heresy:
Lords of war:
Kurze 435pts

HQ
Praetor with thunder hammer, lightning claw, iron halo and digital lasers 185pts

Elites
Contemptor with extra close combat weapon 175pts

Troops
Terror squad with extra boltgun 135pts
Terror squad with extra boltgun 135pts
Terror squad with extra boltgun 135pts

Fast Attack
10x Raptors with 2x melta guns 280pts
8x Raptors with plasma pistol 225pts
6x Raptors with plasma pistol 185pts

Luke
Lords of War
Vulkan 425pts

HQ
Praetor with iron halo dragonscale shield, mantle of the eldar drake, digital lasers and paragon blade 190pts
Librarian level 3 with refractor field, artificer armour and dragonscale shield 180pts
Command squad with power weapon 115pts

Elites
5x firedrakes with thunder hammer, dragonscale shield and master with master crafted thunder hammer 350pts

Troops
Tactical squad 150pts
Tactical squad 150pts
Pyroclast squad with power weapon 170pts

Heavy Support
Land raider phobos with armoured ceramite 270pts

Legion list: Ultramarines

HQ
Company Champion with artificer armour, power sword and refractor field 120pts
Praetor with combi-plasma, paragon blade, digital lasers and iron halo 175pts
Navigator 50pts

Elites
Contemptor pattern dreadnought with kheres pattern assault cannon 190pts

Troops
Tactical squad with extra close combat weapon and sergeant with artificer armour 180pts
Legion breacher siege squad with sergeant armed with thunder hammer and artificer armour and squad with melta gun and graviton gun and entire squad with melta bombs 335pts

Lords of War
Marauder Bomber with Inferno bombs 400pts

Allies
HQ
Archmagos Dominus with mechanicum proctiva, cyber familiar, machinator array and abeyant 175pts

Troops
Thallax cohort with photon thruster 160pts

Heavy Support
Myrmidon destructors with irradiation cleanser, conversion beamer and volkite culverin 215pts


Chris
Lords of War
Ferrus Manus 455pts

HQ
Spearhead Centurion 80pts
Iron Father Autek Mor 225pts

Elites
Medusan Immortals with two graviton guns and artificer armour 290pts
2x Apothecaries with artificer armour 110pts
Gorgan Terminators 200pts
Legion dreadnought with multi melta 125pts

Troops
Tactical Squad 150pts
Tactical Squad 150pts

Heavy Support
Predator with lascannon sponsons, magna melta canon, machine spirit and aroured ceramite 215pts


Mike
Lords of War:
Horus 500pts
Lord of skulls with ichor cannon 898pts

HQ
Abaddon with power sword 215pts

Elites
Dreadnought with chainfist, close combat weapon, two melta guns, frag assault launchers and armoured ceramite 200pts

Troops
Tactical squad with extra close combat weapon and artificer armour 180pts

A crimson harvest

By the time the wolves arrived, the battle was already in full swing. Nobody was sure how it had happened but the forces of chaos had arrived en masse to a deserted world, prompting the other races to investigate. First on the scene were the orks, hoping for a war. Immediately they started to attack the chaos and a full blown war had ensued. The wolves just watched as the two bitter foes struct at each other. Had they not been detected by a reserve force of orks joined by a crude titan, they would have been content to let them destroy themselves and finish the survivors off. The titan opened fire and forced the wolves to retreat to the safety of the nearby mountains, hounded by ork jets pouring black smoke through the otherwise clean skies. It was at this point that the dark eldar made themselves known. In a terrible, albeit impressive, display, they erupted from a webway portal and obliterated the perusing orks. A single dagger hulled raider floated down towards the wolves where Bjorn stepped forward to greet their apparent savior. A single, jade armored figure dropped to the ground before him, completely undeterred by the ancients size.
"Most esteemed one" bowed the stranger, with a mixture of respect and mockery in his tone. "I notice you seem to have some trouble with the other races set upon this planet? Might I suggest a temporary alliance of a mutually beneficial kind?"
Bjorn was taken aback by the forwardness and total lack of fear the stranger had, but he could not deny that right now they needed their help if they wanted to find out what the chaos had found on the planet.
"What would the benefit for us be if we were to allow you to fight alongside us xenos?" Bjorn rumbled through his vox, sounding like thunder itself.
The dark eldar smiled. "Why, the relic of course"
Bjorn was once again surprised, why would they hand them the only prize that could be gained by this fight? "Then what is your benefit?" He questioned.
"The survivors of the enemy races, I want them, and alive. None of your "Emperor's forgiveness" or the like. Alive for us and us only."
Bjorn rumbled. The thought of the traitors living for longer than they should was bad, but whatever the xenos had in store would be far worse if the stories were true. But how could he trust them, when his last encounter had them kidnapping aspirants from Fenris itself. Right now, as much as he hated it, he had no other choice.  "I shall watch you, Xenos" he growled.
"That is all you will be able to do" the stranger smirked, before leaping up onto his craft.

On the battlefield, the stranger was keeping his promise. As the wolves piled into the foray they found every target already beset on. Each time the wolves closed in on their prey something fell would appear and kill the foe. Bjorn himself entered the fray and charged at a horde of orks to see them suddenly fall to the floor convulsing from poison wracking their bodies. Deep in the heart of the chaos lines, Bjorn spotted the stranger midst a group of what could only be described as monsters. At his side a psyker blending perfectly the arts of combat and psychic mastery to destroy her opponents. But the spectacle that was the stranger was nothing short of a masterpiece. Any foe that stepped before him was cut down with merciless efficiency, some unaware they were even dead until he stepped over their headless corpse. Every challenge was met with the simple downward lightning strike of a sword. Within a few short moments the chaos lines had been decimated, the most striking being the group of pathfinders camped inside the nearby tower had taken shots at a looming vindicator and successfully detonated its ammo reserves turning it into a smoldering ruin in seconds. The stranger found himself in front of a pair of titan mockeries. The smaller one before him paid him no heed and was blasting at the wolves who had been forced into hiding in the nearby forest. With a flick of his wrist a nearby duo of talos descended upon the metal walker and began dismantling it piecemeal. This left just the larger one. From atop its parapit, the ork Warlord was bellowing, its flag proudly proclaiming it as a high ranking member of 'eadrippas clan. The stranger ran towards the titan, allowing the wolves terminus ultra to distract it as he reached its abse and began his rapid climb to its peak. At its top amidst a rickety gangway, the two lords faced each other. The titan lurching back and forth unleashing torrents of fire and belching acrid smoke, with the occasional ground shaking shudder as its killkannon fired. The two adversaries eyed each other up before each bellowing a warcry and charging. The ork warboss was far bigger and stronger, each blow a killing strike, but the eldar was far quicker and better trained, and the ork couldn't land a single blow upon its foe. The stranger ducked and pirouetted around the ork titan, leaping from gangways and slashing out at the great ork. Whilst the orks attacks were always missing, the eldar was the exact opposite, and soon all the wounds were taking their toll. The warboss was getting slower, and more sluggish. Soon, the warboss was left a panting, whilst the eldar was as fresh as ever, if not seemingly healthier, its blade dripping with the blood of the warboss. With a final bestial roar, the ork lunged for its foe, but the eldar simply sidestepped the creature and with a flourish decapitated the warboss and let its body crash to the ground. The stranger turned its attention to the titan, but before he could do anything a gleaming blue halo enveloped it and in an instant it disappeared, leaving the eldar hovering momentarily in mid air. As he plummeted to the ground he landed with deadly grace, no harm befalling him, just in time to watch the remnants of the chaos forces be decimated by a charge of helions, dragging their foes into the sky and tearing them apart like carrion, spreading their entrails over their still fighting brothers. The fight was over, and the wolves hadn't even spilt blood. The stranger walked up to Bjorn.
"Told you, you could only watch".

A dark fate

Kha'esh looked upon the system with hunger. So many different foes, so many different tastes of pain awaited them, laid out like a platter before him. He could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect. The pulsing mechanicum planet in the center was of no import or nuisance to him, having far transcended such technology even in something taken for granted as his blast pistol by his side. Each foe had settled on their own planet, surrounding the mechanicum world that was according to vox chatter being nicknamed "The Maw", and each was warring with other factions whilst trying to gain a foothold on The Maw below for its bounty of technology. Kha'esh thought he had been alone among the eldar race until a communication breached through his ships comms systems and revealed that his cousin were here too. It was no matter, he opperated outside of both kin as evident by his rather unusual kabal, containing elements of both species of the eldar. He even had the audacity and courage to keep a dreaded psyker in his midst, and kept her as his courtesan and most trusted adviser. It was because of her that he had been kicked out of Commoragh but he had set up in his own sub dimension and as of yet had remained undetected. He had fled with his kabal and a few loyal rebels including a hellion cult and a ingenious, albeit insane, haemonculus. Kha'esh snapped his attention back to the monitors as he felt the chill over his mind when Abeya walked on to the bridge.
"What is our target then?" her voice slipped into his head without her even moving her lips.
He gave a slight shiver, as he always did when his mind was invaded like that. Love her or not, and as often as she did it, it always felt unpleasant.
"I think them" Kha'esh said, pointing on his display to a large fortified area patrolled by blue-grey enhanced mon-keigh.
"Them it is" Abeya spoke softly. "Do we try out our new tactics?"
"I think we can have some fun, yes"


Krom stood there, unmoving as a statue. His detachment had been sent to guard the entrance to a great ravine where the space wolves lay encamped. It was a menial job, one of eight packs that lay around the central reserve, where an abandoned dark angel fortress had been occupied by Bjorn and the rest of the wolves. The moon was full, an omen of good luck for the wolves. He knew no attack would come to them this early, each was still reeling from the onslaught of the renegade mechanicum, but it still paid to be vigilant.
"Krom!" came through his vox, followed by a blurt of static.
He stiffened, suddenly aleart, his enhanced senses searching the surroundings, but to no avail.
"This is Krom, what is happening?"
His reply was met with stuttered vox splutter for a few minutes until one line finally made it through.
"The Terra Templars! They are attacking us!"
Krom was aghast, brothers attacking him again? Why would they do something like that? A tinge of fear that all brothers felt when heresy was mentioned caused bile to rise in his mouth. He barely had time to register the thought of heresy when something caught his eye, or rather, the absence did. There was no moon, it had disappeared, and it was cloudless. He scanned the skies, searching for a sign, but there was none, it had simply vanished. His acute eyesight scanned the skies above until he noticed that the stars were still out, but a now distinct circle was the cause of an absence of all light. He stared deeper, and he could swear he saw slight flickers in the dark, like the glint of dark steel. The next thing he knew, an explosion detonated in the heart of the encampment. He had seen no shot, heard no sound but the purple fire erupted from the ground. Krom turned just in time to see a group of bloodclaws get peppered by thousands of sharps of virulent poison shards. They clawed at their suits desperately trying to escape as they inflated inside there suits to the point of bursting before dying an agonizing death, their own armour their tombs. A pair of sleek black hulls descended from above, one smaller than the other, but each spraying death. Some astartes died on the spot, the virulent toxins overworking even their advanced systems as they fell to the ground, some fell to the ground clawing at their skin until there was nothing left and some simply collapsed, foaming at the mouth and unable to move as every vital system shut down. They were the lucky ones. Great nets scooped up victims and were hung from below the sleek hulled craft, ready to carry his brothers to whatever hell hole they came from.
Krom found himself pinned down in a narrow crevice between a few rocks along with a group of grey hunters. The rest of the encampment had regained their composure from the attack and were fighting back, forcing the dark eldar to retreat in their ships to a safer distance whilst still taking shots from above. The astartes regrouped and calculated the losses. The initial group guarding the camp numbered a full 51 astartes. Mostly comprised of three full units of blood claws and two full units of grey hunters alongside krom. Now, few more than twenty were still standing. They scanned the heavens above for signs of their foe, but the next wave came from nowhere. Their was a distinct sound of laughter and howling and the brief shriek of jets before they arrived. A hail of shards assailed them from every direction in a crossfire, instantly felling four astartes, followed by the ravening madmen themselves, shouting out the names of limbs as they swept by with razor sharp hooks, maiming and decapitating as they went. In the midst of the madness, Krom stood strong and with lethal precision shot a pair of the dark eldar from the sky in rapid succession. The astartes took point and with concentrated fire finally drove them off, but the astartes were beginning to run low. Only thirteen were left, and the dark eldar weren't done. A bestial roar echoed around them and suddenly they were beset by hulking monstrosities of flesh and metal. They charged in a frenzied state, ignoring the peppering of explosions on their bodies as they threw themselves at the remaining astartes. Krom launched himself at the nearest and with a swipe of his axe took off its arm. The beast roared and lunged for his head, narrowly missing it. He ducked below the creatures swing and buried his axe hard into the creatures side, but if the creature felt anything it was only more rage. It lashed out again, this time making contact with Krom, sending him flailing through the sky before crashing down a short distance later. He felt splintered ribs and a cracked pauldron but he had no time to examine his wounds as the beast was thundering towards him. He dragged himself to his feet and raised his pistol, firing rapidly at the creatures faceplate. A shot hit home and its head violently snapped upright as it missed its stride and came crashing down in a mess of muscle. Quickly, Krom retrieved his axe from the creatures side and in a fell swoop decapitated it. He looked around expecting the usual cheering of his men, to find only two remained, standing among a pile of dead astartes and a trio of lifeless abominations. His muscles burned, and his hatred flared in his mind. First heresy, now this slaughter. He wanted more, to take the fight to the beings responsible for either atrocity. And all of a sudden, that gift was granted to him. From above, a trio of shapes descended. Great metal constructs with great claws and tentacles hummed as they slowly fell to the ground. A single lithe figure dropped down from one and stood facing Krom. With barely a thought he drew a pistol and in quick succession killed the remaining two astartes. Kroms hatred reached boiling point at the utterly casual killing of his final brothers.
"Ah, mon-keigh. You have fought well... very well in fact. You will make a great addition to our haemonculus labs, I think you will find yourself very much at home there".
None of it made any sense to Krom, but the mocking tone in the xenos filths voice tipped him over the edge. With a bestial roar he ran at the alien, swinging his great axe with two hands in a death blow. But the strike never hit. The alien simply stepped to the side and with a simple motion drew his own slender blade and plunged it deep into Kroms back, shattering his spine. He fell to the ground, paralyzed, as the alien loomed over him.
"Such a shame... I had hoped you would be more. Oh well, maybe once he is done with you, you may be of some use".
And with that, Krom drifted into unconsciousness.


"Did the mon-keigh believe the false recordings?"
"Yes my lord, the mon-keigh will be at war with their brothers in no time"
"Good, all is according to plan".

The nightmare

The writhing black shadow of Kurze stood hunched on the outcrop, gazing out over the assembled Dark Angels. They were fools, all of them. He had sent out a false distress signal and they had believed it, and here they were, like lambs to a slaughter. His face twitched with uncontrolled spasms of murderous rage. He could feel his warband behind him, eager to attack. It was almost time, all he awaited was the arrival of the enemies commander, a worthy foe. He had tracked them since the devastating attack by the orks where they had been all but wiped out. This was all that was left of them, and they believed they were heading into an extraction point. Finally, he saw his prey. A lone speeder zoomed into view, bristling with guns and surrounded by a force field that pulsated different hues of misty darkness. It was time. With a simple motion he stood upright, and he unleashed hell upon his foes. The first over the outcrop were his bikers, storming forwards in a surge aiming straight for the assembled ravenwing, wanting to test themselves upon the imperiums finest. At there front, a chaos sorcerer sending out bolts of eldritch fire into their midst. Behind them came the raptors, launching themselves forward with screaming jump-packs, leaving black contrails behind them blotting out the sun. The ravenwing turned in response, and unleashed a storm of bolter fire, but it wasn't enough. The raving madmen were pockmarked by explosions but it didn't slow a single one. They fell upon the ravenwing like a storm upon thatch. Lightning claws and chainswords fell upon the astartes and they fell like wheat from a scythe. No amount of "holy protection" could save them. It was nothing short of a complete slaughter, the likes of which would make the stomach of any mortal man empty. Strings of entails hung from lightning claws, and the ripped open ribcages of the ravenwing were displayed on the front of the bikes in mockery of angels.
Sammael could do nothing but stare in disbelief at the utter destruction the night lords brought. He watched the first of only two surviving squads of ravenwing get butchered with no warning, and now watched as their remains were paraded around the battlefield as trophies. He felt his mouth fill with bile and his head fill with rage at their defilement. It all happened so fast, the moment they had appeared he had ran back to sableclaw, by the time he was mounted and it was in the sky, the destruction had started. He watched as a hooded and robed figure surrounded by darkness stood motionless like a ghost upon an outcrop of rock overlooking the battlefield. He could have sworn it was watching him, his every move. He blinked and the figure was gone, leaving Sammael to be unsure whether or not he had even seen the ghostly spectre. He turned his attention back to the battlefield. The surviving ravenwing had feigned a retreat lead by the black knights, leading the first group of raptors into a trap which beyond all expectation worked, and within seconds a hail of bolter and plasma fire engulfed the raging warriors and they fell where they stood. Briefly, the ravenwing reformed alongside the knights and lead a charge against the second group of raptors, but before they could the air filled with lightning as a group of terminators arrived, spraying destruction in every direction. The battle was in full swing now, and the dark angels were grossly outmatched. The slower and less mobile forces of the night lords had arrived with a vindicator and dreadnought entering the foray. With a quick touch of the consoles in front of him, Sammael ordered the only other land speeder with him to attack the now closing in vindicator, and he himself split off to attack the dreadnought. Within seconds, both craft were at the rear of their targets, and a few missiles and storm of assault canon shells later both were quickly out of commission, the dreadnought sending screams of rage into the sky. He turned back to the battefield to see a horrific sight. The spectre was back, this time standing in the midst of a pile of dead bodies, with a single astartes raised above his head, talons holding the limp corpse in place, the corpse of what he realized was the ravenwing company champion, looking like a child in his hands. Only sammael, his co-pilot and the other speeder were left, the rest of his force was nothing more than gore on the spectres claws. The rest of his force mercilessly gutting the dead remains of the ravenwing and stealing armour and weapons. The spectre beckoned him, a challenge. Sammael turned to his co-pilot and instructed him and the other speeder to escape to another extraction spot, and handed him the ravenblade. He then dismounted, and walked towards his fate. The closer he got, the closer Sammael realized this was no astartes, he was huge. A daemon prince surely he thought. The spectre had the ghostly outline of an astartes, in perfect proportion, but gave off a fear of such dread that even he, an astartes, felt fear for the first time. He found he was trembling, the idea that he could be afraid confounded him, he was an astartes, the most perfect warrior in the universe yet here he was, genuinely afraid. He had cast greater daemons than this back into the warm so why was this one so special? And then, with an almighty screech that his questions were answered. It was over in an instant, a bright piercing light from the heavens and all of a sudden the night lords bikers were gone, erased from existence with the power of the ancient gods. A great craft descended from the heavens, too large to hover by all laws of physics but there it was. Another flash and a portal errupted from nowhere, and a solitary figure walked out, thin and lithe. Sparks of lightning crackling from his outstretched blade. A few seconds later two groups of hulking warriors appeared from the gates, followed by a gigantic lithe titan, and any remaining night lords were sent to another dimension by the ancient powers contained within there weapons. Alone stood the spectre, now robbed of his cloak of shadow. The realization of what he was looking at did nothing to relive the fear of his foe, only heighten it. Before him, stood a primarch. Not just any primarch, but Kurze. He was over twice the height of him, with jet black hear and a single red streak at the fore. A single nervous twitch on the  side of his mouth and suddenly he was in front of him. Sammael quickly feinted to the left, but not quick enough, a great gouge tore through his armour and ripped off his left pauldron. He sprinted towards the dead body of the champion and took up his calliban blade, just in time to deflect another blow, the strength sending him sprawling. He lept to his feet, but too slow. His claw was heading straight for his head, a deathblow. All of a sudden a blade blocked it before him, the tall figure standing beside him. Kurze snarled at the interruption. "Eldrad" he snarled before striking again, his lightning fast blow was countered once again by the eldar, and Sammael realized he now had a chance. He swung at Kurze with all his strength at the same moment as Eldrad, but to no avail. The primarch parried both blows with ease, spinning as if he weighed nothing and breaking apart from the duel. The primarch easily outclassed both fighters but the duel would allow more troops to arrive in support. With a grin, Kurze activated his jump pack and screamed off into the night, disappearing in seconds. The sound of cruel laughter following in his wake.

'eadrippas revenge

Sammael strained in the seat of Sableclaw, the battle was going poorly. His high vantage point let him see the swirling mass down below. His army had been investigating reports of rogue mechanicum actions in the sector when without warning an ork Rok had crashed through the heavens. They were immediately beset upon and the ravenwing had been on the back foot since the start. Even the arrival of the local forces trio of knights hadn't proven to be such a boone as he had hoped. They proved effective at first, the two paladins cutting a vast swathe through the orks at least allowing the ravenwing some time to recuperate, but it was a temporary respite as the orks unleashed a fully fledged battle titan of there own and in a short space of time destroyed one of the paladins and left the other and the errant damaged, there shielding barely holding. Sammael had ordered a retreat to a waiting recovery zone where their orbiting cruiser had dropped a rapid ascent space ladder to assist in recovering the troops. They knew it was not a fight they could win, just a retreat they would force the enemy to take great cost in every step they took. Sammael had witnessed the ork leader, one who had aptly named himself 'eadrippa. A brute of an ork that took delight in his namesake, charging any and all signs of leadership within the Dark Angels ranks. But more scary was that this ork was cunning, not a mere violant barbarian.

A flashbang as sableclaws night halo deflected an incoming rocket forced sammael back to the action. The small craft nimbly avoiding enemy fire and flying too low for flakk guns to bring to bear. Bursts of heavy bolter and assault canon fire ripped through the orks like invisible talons, but it was like dropping bolter casings into a canyon. He searched for any sign of 'eadrippa, but of him there was no sign. Far to his flank, the pair of knights were also fighting a fiery retreat. Great blasts of heat turned enemy walkers to molten slag, whilst crater sized explosions tore apart orks by the dozen as the paladin fired. The orks were massing in there general direction, unable to keep up with the rapid retreat of the ravenwing. Only groups of bikers were capable of harassing the ravenwings retreat. The knights however were on unsure footing, and fighting and retreating was a much slower process. It was during this massing that 'eadrippa made himself known. He charged at the paladin, headlong and bellowing a challenge to its princeps. In response, the paladin activated its giant chainblade and struck out at the ork warboss. In an act of what could only be viewed as incredible, even by astartes standards, the warboss dodged the whirling blade of death and ran between its legs. With a mighty cry, the warboss reached up with its massive claw and crushed the giant walkers ankle-hydraulics with ease. The knight lurched and fell to its knee, crippled by the blow. Its battle cannon now wedged in the dirt in a struggle to keep it upright, its chainblade still desperately swiping away at the orks, shredding them in swathes. 'Eadrippa emerged from the titan to stand before it, roaring with laughter as it was too close to swipe at.
"Look boyz! It kneels before me hahaha! Is this not proof that I am the greatest?!"
He then walked casually forwards towards the titans cockpit as it frantically tried to stand up. The nearby errant desperately trying to help his comrade but the arrival of the stompa that had already claimed one of his kin sent him running to the space anchor, shields at maximum to his rear as he fled what would be a pointless sacrifice. 'Eadrippa grapped the crew compartment and tore it off, exposing the princeps inside. He enjoyed the sheer look of terror on the mans face, savored it just long enough and then slowly reached inside. He placed the half-blunt buzz saw seated at the base of his claw against the mans head, watching the princeps look of sheer horror as he realized what was about to happen. With a laugh, 'eadrippa activated the saw and the mans head became mulch in seconds.
"Scrap the remains boyz! Turn it into a Gorkanaught and please da godz!"

Sammael could do nothing but wince, such ruthlessness made him swallow down bile. But nothing could be done here, the orks had won but the ravenwing had retreated with minimal losses. They would not forget what had happened here today, and nor would the last remaining knight.

chapter fall

Jacen stood there, reeling from the blast. His ships warning sensors were on full alert. The screen showed multiple breaches along the hull, and many signals showing the intruders were inside. It had taken them completely unawares. The moment they had cleared the hungry planets atmosphere, a ship shrouded in some unknown technology appeared beside them and opened fire. Kreig had immediately run off to the nearest breach with his squad of terminators in a desperate hope to protect the ship, the two chapters odds a pushed aside for now, united against a common foe. The ship rocked again against the onslaught.
"Librarian, the ships shields are being completely bypassed, and our astopaths and navigators can't signal anything, and our guns have been silent the moment the ship appeared, we have been rendered useless sir"
Jacens face wrinkled, what on earth could do such a thing. Before he could ponder that thought, his vox exploded with a hiss of static before he heard the unmistakable shouting of Kreig.
"Brother, we can't hold much longer down here, I have not seen our opponents once through the battle haze and our visors refuse to work, we are fighting helmet-less and can't see further than our hands, its like the machine spirits are rebelling against us. We are heading to the hanger bay, tell the rest of the ship to regroup there"
With that the static went. Jacen was glad that at the very least the vox was still working. He went over to the ship vox panel and after a burst of static it died down and let him speak.
"All warriors, this is Librarian Jacen, fall back to the hanger bay, I repeat fall back to the hanger bay and regroup there"
Jacen turned to the ships captain.
"Ma'am, I will head down to aide them in any way I can, close the blast shields behind you. If you need me contact me via astropath"
She nodded and he stormed out of the bridge, his elite bodyguard close in tow. As the great blast doors slid closed, he was surrounded by near silence, only broken by the occasional spats of gunfire from distant parts of the ship and the occasional boom when the enemy ship opened fire. He paused for a moment before hurrying down a nearby corridor to the maintenance ladders. The time for safety was not now, and so without a second thought they simply jumped down the great shaft, hurtling to the next level in the blink of an eye. This way they rapidly arrived at the hanger level, only to find the door sealed shut. His bodyguard braced themselves against it and tried to force it open but to no avail. Seeing no other option, Jacen reached into the warp, his eyes glowed red and his veins shone like lava before he unleashed a torrent of heat, reducing the door to molten slag in seconds. What lay before them was a nightmare. The surviving astartes, barely two hundred combined from both chapters now, were holed up in a corner of the hanger with a makeshift barricade. Surrounding them were hundreds of what at first appeared to be humans, but twisted, augmented and utterly relentless. Bolter shells tore great chunks out of them, but they ignored it completely. Only the total dismemberment would stop them. There guns, whilst not as rapid firing as the astartes bolter shared the stopping power, and every few shots a precious astartes would fall wounded, or worse.
Howling in frustration, Jacen hurled himself at the nearest bunch, his bodyguard joining in and reveling in unleashing their battle rage, great bone protrusions extending from there arms as they impaled and decapitated the augmented men. Jacens sword rose and fell, eldritch lightning leapt from his fingers and rolling fires erupted from his mouth, he was an avatar of death. But no matter what he did, a few continued to get back up. The augmented men were beginning to realize the new threat, but they were already among them, and were too slow to react. But soon Jacen realized they were not only impervious to pain, but also there human bodies belayed there superhuman strength. A trio of them grabbed one of his bodyguard and lifted him into the air, whilst a third smashed each of the astartes limbs to pulp before the four of them tore his torso in half as the brother screamed in agony and helplessness. The sight enraged Jacen but it also distracted him long enough for another augmented man to sneak behind him and with all its strength it lashed out. The strike hit Jacen in the ribs, his armour split and his ribs cracked and he was left struggling for breath at the floor, an baroque weapon aimed at his head, before he could cry out the augmented man disappeared in a storm of gore. Where it had been now stood Kreig, thunder hammer and storm shield in hand.
"Thought you would need a hand brother" Kreig smirked whilst helping him up.
"Oh I never thought I would want to hear that from you captain" he laughed.
Between them they set about the continual destruction of the augmented men, bolter fire licking from the makeshift defense post and the now two remaining bodyguard ripping a fell toll among them. Soon there were only a few left. Jacen raised his hand to turn a trio into a smouldering husk, and then watched as the now only remaining bodyguard tore another to pieces, roaring in victory. Before he could celebrate more he disappeared in a cloud of green smoke. Stunned, Jacen turned to meet the new threat, blindly launching a grief and anger filled ball of fire towards his target. There was a great explosion and the room fell silent. When the smoke began to clear, he finally saw what he was facing. Standing at the other end of the vast hanger, was the unmistakable shape of a Magos. A lord of the mechanicum. A hulking scarab like machine grafted to his  back made him tower over his subordinates, who in turn towered over an astartes. Quickly Jacen turned to Krieg.
"This is not a battle we can win, right now the very ground we stand on is now against us, get to the thunderhawks, and travel to the nearest water rich planet you can find, they rely on technology for there power and will find little there. I will delay them as much as possible, but if it seems like I am lost, leave me and save yourselves. Understand?"
Kreig nodded, though Jacen could see his reluctance and being able to face this foe directly. He ran off in the direction of the surviving astartes, and Jacen began his slow walk to the Magos. The fact they weren't opening fire on him both concerned him, and comforted him. If they had no reason to talk he would be dead by now, he could see the great weaponry held by the hulking myrmidons. At least now he knew the nature of the augmented men, they were tech thralls, and the magos was clearly leader of the hungry world. It sent a shiver down Jacens spine to realize the power this man could wield. By the time he had crossed the hanger to confront the Magos, he could hear the powering up of thunderhawks. He looked at the magos, the twisted combination of man and machine.
"I am Librarian Jacen, of the astartes dragon kin. Why have you deemed fit to attack us magos?"
The lord stared at him for a moment, before a sudden burst of static erupted from its vocal ports. It was laughing, and that was even more unnerving.
"Tell me.... what is it like for an astartes to feel hopelessness?"
Jacen was taken aback by the question.
"What do you mean?"
As if by some unspoken command, a myrmidon raised his archaic weapon and fired at the furthest thunderhawk, the weapons beam getting stronger and stronger, producing a loud keening wail that only rose in volume and pitch the further it went until it struck the flyer. In an instant the ship, already fully laden, exploded. In quick succession the other myrmidon fired its own gun, what appeared to be a heavily modified plasma cannon, into the remnants of the ship. A flash of green told Jacen this was the gun that atomized his last bodyguard. These were weapons of a bygone era of unlimited power.
"By which I mean, how does it feel to know you are all about to die... for nothing, and with no hope?" The magos quipped. Another burst of static, which this time was interrupted. It looked shocked, and turned to look at Jacen.
"What are you doing?"
Before Jacen could respond that he was not doing anything, a great flash lit up the hanger. Standing between Jacen and the Magos, stood the mighty form of Bjorn. With a mighty roar and single sweep the myrmidons were no more, and he turned on the thallax bodyguard of the magos, who now was sprouting panicked binary to his troops. Gates opened and more thallax, myrmidons and thralls poured out, but more flashes announced the arrival of more space wolves, at its head was a group of terminator armored wolf guard, who set to work attacking the nearest foes with cries of glee and laughter. The remaining dragon kin and terra templars exited the thunderhawks and joined in, not ones to relinquish a good fight. Krieg smiled as he crashed into the nearest thallax.
Jacen realized this was now Bjorns fight witht he Magos and headed off in the direction of Kreig, sending spouts of lightning into the thralls and thallax, short circuiting their delicate cybernetic brains. As he reached Kreig he watched as he wrestled one down to the ground before stamping on its cybernetic core and destroying it.
"You seem to be enjoying this Kreig" Jacen shouted as he fried a group of thralls.
"How can i not, their heads are so high, a single swing makes them go so far!" Kreig bellowed as he made good on his quote and sent a thallax head clattering off into the distance.
Meanwhile, bjorn had gotten to his prey, but the Magos had no fear. He raised his hands and strange devises unleashed searing beams of utmost darkness into Bjorn, sending him crashing to a knee.
"You may be a hero of the Imperium Bjorn, but you are still a machine, and I am the lord of all machines!" the Magos babbled, raising his hands for another strike, but before he could Bjorn send out a burst of broiling flame, taking the Magos by surprise. Before he could compose himself, Bjorn had him in his claw.
"You are not my lord, Magos" Bjorn growled, so deep his external vox clipped the words.
"Not yet" the Magos replied, and with a smile an integral teleported vanished him out of Bjorns grip.
Bjorn roared in frustration, and turned the nearby bodies into naught but dust. As he turned around he saw battle was done. But he had arrived too late from the distress call, the dragon kin chapter was so low in strength they would never be a chapter again, only to be absorbed into others or to fight on as a crusade until they died.
Jacen looked out at scene whilst Kreig came up to him.
"My chapter took heavy loss here. My planet will not gain sufficient recruits for a long time. I can only dread to think what crosses your mind now" Kreig said, his voice laden with grief.
"I do not have a chapter anymore. I have not even got a company. I have but sixty-three men left, and a pair of dreadnought chassis with nobody to inter. I already know what my chapter want, we spoke of this day happening, but not so soon. We will crusade until life leaves us"

The great beast

The moment the races were pulled through the gas filled atmosphere they realized what the planet truly was. A forge world. And not a normal one, but a rampant forge world far out of the imperiams fold. The entire planet was a gigantic sprawling city, with spires jutting out into the sky like spears trying to thrust into the heart of space. At it's epicenter was a great circular gravity well, bathing the surrounding cities in an eerie pulsating blue glow. The planet was sentient, and hungry.
High above the planet, the eldar watched the jaws of oblivion begin to close shut around the armies that would have waged war upon them. It was hardly a spectacle to see so many die, afterall they had witnessed and in sometimes organized the entire genocide of entire races, a few ships was hardly a pinprick in the universe. But the planet fascinated them, something had gone awry during its construction, and it had grown some level of sentience, and they could feel it, even up in there lofty positions, and it scared them. It was after many hours of staring in awe at the great planet that Eldrad finally returned, and not alone. At first they thought he must be casting some ward and quickly the other seers readied themselves for defense, but it was not so. Standing behind Eldrad, was the figure of what could only be described as an angel. It was Baharroth, the cry of the wind, the guardian angel of the Eldar. It was then that the farseers realized truly the threat of the planet. If it consumed those ships, it would finally have enough of the precious materials needed to ensure the entire planet would be come a fully mobile sentient space station, something no race could endure. Despite knowing it would cost a vast amount of their number to die, the farseers solembly entered the crystal dome and began there enchantment. As one they began, and as they began the great gravity well began to falter.
Quickly the other races realized the pull was weakening and all made haste for the atmosphere, and soon scattered themselves in the surrounding planetary system. Afraid of the planet, but sorely tempted by its secrets. And so the races settled down on nearby planets, in sight of the great red beast, and settled for war against both the other races who sought to kill them or take the prize. The eldar, thankless for saving them and having lost all but 3 of there farseers, set themselves up on the outskirts, knowing there would be more than one conflict to come there way.
Deep in the red planets core, lights flickered on. Binary code flashed throughout an otherwise dark room. Ancient technologies that should better be left alone was activated, and archetech from the darkest days of the imperium powered up. The planet readied itself for war, and its master let out his first smile in centuries. Finally, it was almost ready.

A new start

     Carolynn felt it before she saw it. A great shudder ran through his body, an icy fist gripped his spine. The air tasted of copper and his view became hazy. All of a sudden the world was silent, the pulsing of his blood through his veins playing a great bass note in the emptiness. Then, it started. Screaming, all around him. The screams of men and women alike. His senses returned to him and then he saw the cause for the commotion. What he at first had mistaken for the sun was the great engine flares of an imperial battleship in low orbit, its thrusters burning away at the atmosphere. Emblazed upon its side was the unmistakeable heraldry of Lord Rex.
"You fucking arsewhole!" Carolynn screamed to the skies, but his voice was just another in the billions of screams as the planet entered its final seconds.

Lord Rex looked down upon the doomed planet. It had been tainted by Chaos,  and who knows how many had turned renegade thanks to the damned dragon kin. And not least that the world was a secret tomb world. No, this world was a threat and it had to die. He looked over at the control pannel before him, the great letters in high gothic proclaiming the virus torpedos were ready. He exhaled a deep breath.
"This is for your own good"
And with that, he sent the planet to its doom.



There was nothing. And then, there was the warp gate. Almost at once, the forces that had careened through it to escape the wrath of Rex emerged. The dragon-kin and terra templars were hotly persued by a great ship of black, a night lords battleship. Both sides emerged from the warp ablaze, but neither side was going to give way. It was only the oncoming planet that forced them to split ways to avoid being pulled into the planets gravitational well. Before either force could safely manouvre around the planet, a great beam of light enveloped both armies. Try as they might, the ships were to badly damaged to escape the tractor beams, and so each succumbed to the planet, diverting all power to prevent a collision and form at least a decent landing.
The lower through the atmosphere they went, the battleships auto-turrets kicked in. At first each race thought they were once again attacking one-another but soon realized it was another combatant. Orks. Orks were everywhere.


Hidden away, atop a spire protected by clouds lay the Pale Spire. Eldritch energies surrounded it, with a nimbus of light at its tip. Inside, Eldrad took his council. Beside him sat Lucifer and Gabriel of craftworld Impala. Looming behind them was there emissary, a wraithknight. Dean sat in the cockpit looking through Castiels eyes. To eldrads other side was the farseer Thaine, alongside his aide Kun, surrounded by a council of warlocks. Such psychic might and coalition of craftworlds had not happened in millenia, but through eldrads predictions it is on this planet that they must do so. For the fate of the galaxy lays beneath the crust of the planet. And unknowingly the new combatants were about to make history.

Theater 3, chapter 7.3

Shades of Grey - Part Eight
The first 50 -60 foot was not that hard, even free climbing. He’d ditched a lot of kit, rolled his cape around his Bolt Pistol and slung it over his back, the shotgun and the heavy gear he’d hidden, didn’t fancy being blown off the face with his own gun ! The rock was some of the smoothest and featureless he’d attempted, he never had liked such sites, they were more suited to the monument mason than the climber and he hoped he wasn’t scaling his own sleep-stone. If this continued he’d string some cams as he had no intention of screwing this up, there was too much resting on it.

At least there was little in the way of loose material to worry about, the face seemed firm so far and there were some holds, you just had to search for them. From below he had scoped what looked like a vertical fissure above his current position which might make for easier going, for at its top the face became less acute and the surface had appeared rougher through the monocular.

The wind now was more noticeable, warm gusts flicked at every loose edge of kit sending them into flapping cacophony’s of sound like dying flies and above he could still make out from time to time the wheeling bird’s, preying that at least one of them would be a Y’dach, the key, if there was one, to his friend’s survival. From what he had seen so far, the creatures the Baron’s took to summoning would prove a very potent and deadly foe. If the merest scratch could lay low someone as strong and fit as Nathan, they would tear through the population of a City like Grey. Carolynn just prayed that that that strength, a constitution borne from years of life in the open, free in the wilds of Zalthar would prove up to fighting the malignancy for long enough. He took a moment to pause and assess his position, patting the top pocket of his tunic to reassure himself the paste was still there. Last dark, after he had made camp, he had foraged for Gum Bushes. 

An evergreen shrub that grew prolifically in most of the wild and forgotten places on Zalthar, the Herder’s used them for a number of purposes, but this dark he had just one in mind, the simplest use, the making of Gum. Back beneath his tarp with the burner on, he added strips of fresh bark peeled from a handful of twigs to a cup holding a bout thee thumbs of water and bought this to the boil. He then let the mixture reduce, slowly boiling off the water until he was left with a sticky paste, the “Gum” he needed to catch himself a Sliver Hawk without damaging the bird. A blob of this gum on the ledge where the Birds alighted to approach their nests was all it should take, if he remembered rightly.

The bark itself was stringy and strong and so often used for binding, in cycles gone it may have been used to attach spear tips, but now it was more likely to be encountered in doubling-up Bolter magazines or as part of improvised field dressings‘. all you needed to remember was to apply some clay or wet mud to the cut from where you took a branch and the shrub would heal and so be there the next time it was needed ! It was not much of a price to pay considering that in so many ways Zalthar itself gave them the tools they needed to fight off all comers. It had given them the toxin to kill the Tyranids, the lay of the land to stem the incursions of Chaos and it had given Carolynn his life that night in the storm when it slayed his assassin ! It also gave them life, through the great herds of Morac, clean water from its many springs and the materials to live at one in its vastness, all things that would be sorely needed to triumph against the darkness that he could feel coming.

Just above him now, Carolynn’s fingers found the fissure. About 1” wide it ran up to where the face eased and looked to make better going if he were to get to the height the Y’dach preferred for nesting. He followed the fissure, hand over hand and this time deployed cams every 30’ to make the descent a great deal easier once he had bagged his prize, for time was very much still the essence. Another 20 or so feet and the slope did begin to tip back from the vertical and when he was able to find a shallow ledge on which to rest a knee, he pulled out his monocular and scanned the cliff above. He could just make out a few smatterings of weathered guano, a clear indication of a roost or nest, but he needed to spot some fresher deposits if he were to find this cycles preferred location. Higher still and to his right, just where the face pushed back out from itself, where this over-hang began, he could see what looked like two or three parallel ledges. Little more than feint pencil lines from here, they were probably about 2” to 3” wide, just, and there, as he watched a bird flew in to one of them, beak full of insect wings by the look of it, food for a hungry chick ? Making as much haste as circumstances permitted, he strung himself a route across to where he had seen the bird alight, and as luck would have it, encountered two further nests on his way. The first was an untidy mess of twigs, partly collapsed and showing signs of a possible struggle the way the sides appeared pushed out from within. Predated ! The second was a text book nest, a semi-circular cup attached to the ledge with mud and cobwebbs, a tight basket of interwoven twigs, lined with moss and feathers and containing a plump-looking chick that had begun to develop feathers and was beginning to stretch fine wings, though these still retained the juvenile, “claw” at the ‘elbow’, a trait from earlier generations that obviously held sufficient advantages for it to be retained in early life, no-doubt making traversing a nest in such precipitous locations that bit safer. Hurriedly moving on, Carolynn found a second nest where the ‘smudges’ did indeed manifest as ledges. There were several when he climbed along further, but only two held chicks, and so these he gummed, before retreating back, giving the nests as wide a birth as he could to tempt the adults to return.

Lowering himself back down to the knee width ledge, Carolynn strung a crude sling to take his weight and settled back to wait, monocular at hand. To pass the time, he scanned the valley which was surprisingly wide and a good deal more fertile than it appeared from following the river. The frequent floods there from melt water scoured the ground, making the vegetation sparse and straggly, but away from the main channel, the plants grew thickly and were underlain with lush grasses, from a herders point of view an excellent spot and definitely one to keep in mind should they ever need to move Bronze Hearth. Beyond the valley, rose the Eastern spur of the Worldspine’s, and even from here he could make out even by light the orange glow on the base of the ugly smudge of yellow-brown smog that marked Grey, he could even still taste that places rancid air. Air that had been breathed too many times and laced with all the chemical waste the place pumped into the world by the tonne. Small wonder a creature spawned in such a place would be the toxic spawn of the God of Decay. Out there too was Jed and Nate and Martin’s children, had he made a mistake bringing them along ? There was suddenly a commotion above a flapping of wings and the cry of a bird in some distress. Unwinding his support, Carolynn was soon scaling the face along his pre-rigged pathway to the nests a nd stuck luky at the very first. Carefully bagging a female Y’dach, he slid along to the second nest just to clear away the gum as it had served its purpose. Un-rigging that end he returned to the first nest where he “milced” the female into a paper topped jar, before cleaning her feet and releasing her. He de-gummed that nest too, and was soon taking out cams in his return to the cleft and the descent to the valley below.

Of that descent and the ride through light and dark, he remembered little after, save the feeling of relief as the destrier’s, hot and panting for having been ridden harder than he would like, crested that final ridge and he could just make out the bluff beneath which nestled the old huts and within, his friends. All his friends he prayed. Although themselves sensing his purpose or merely the end of their journey, the destrier’s themselves seemed to find an additional reserve of energy and kicked hard into the last leg , so he was soon skirting the track towards the huts and the waiting form of Jed, standing taller than he remembered, and looking purposeful, gun in hand and every sign that the place was fully under his command. Then a discreet “thumbs-up“ told him all he needed to know, then he was dismounting even before his horse had stopped and flying under the canvass to find Nathan. His friend looked better than he had hoped, the subborn bastard was yet to bow down to the fever that still clearly ravaged his system.

“Hi Joe, I’ll explain later, now I need you to get some water heating on the fire, let it boil thoroughly OK ?“
“Sure Car, good to have you back.“ and with that he was off.
“Hi.“ giggled Mariah.
“Where’d you go ?”
Came Jed’s somewhat sullen voice from the entrance.
“To get this”, answered Carolynn, holding up the phial of Y’dach Milc,”It is the one thing I could get to in time that had any chance of saving him, I will tell you all about it later, it is something you too need to know of, part of a lot of things you now need to know, just as I did when I came to the Lead Lands, but for now, I need to prepare it, you OK to hold watch a bit longer ?”
“Course.” was Jed’s clipped reply, and he was gone.
“Mariah, you OK to go take care of the horses ? They need a good watering and something to eat, then a good rub down. You alright with that ?”
“Sure”, came her giggled reply, and she too was off.
“Soon have you fixed” he said to Nathan, wiping a damp cloth across his brow, “I remembered the Y’dach old friend, even made that climb we spoke about !” There was no sign he heard, but that didn’t deter Carolynn from telling his friend all about the valley of the Sliver Hawks.
“It’s ready Car” exclaimed Joseph, returning with a bowl of still bubbling water cupped in his cloth bound hands.
“Thanks Joe, you want to stand it down for me, we need to let it cool some, but I wont need it all, so pour some off for me into this mug, then take some Tea from my pack and fix a brew would you ?”
“Of your Tea !” came the mock reply of disgust.
“Get out of here, and thanks Joe.”

Once the water had cooled, Carolynn took the phial of Milc and emptied 8 drops into the water.
“Come on my friend, no idea what this tastes like, but if you were right, it’ll do you the power of good” said Carolynn as he helped Nathan drink.
That same dark, as they sat around the small fire, banked and hot to keep out the alpine chill, Nathan’s fever broke and a little while after he opened his eyes. Over the rest of that dark, after two more cups of Milc, he again found his voice.
“Hi”, was his first word, as if he knew he’d been away, so to save him forming questions, Carolynn and Jed filled him in on events back to the rain and the dark and the “man who attacked them, for there were still small sensibilities at large. Once Joseph and Mariah had seen Nathan was getting better, it was off too bed for them for Kell willing, the next light would be the start of their return to Bronze Hearth and a long light.

Once they were settled, Carolynn gave Jed and Nathan the full account, the Daemon’s attacking and his ride to Lope-Fang Crag’s to look for the Y’dach. It was chance too, for them to explain to Jed that the Lore was deeper than he knew, but that his time to learn was at hand. They spoke too of the remainder of the journey, for none were certain how Nathan would manage. He certainly felt better, but the fever was strong and had hit him hard, physically he was still quite weak, and as they could not realistically split the party, they would need somewhere to hold up for a few days. And so it was that as the next light broke, the five of them were already well on the way home to Bronze Hearth, with Nathan flat out on a frame of wood, made into a towed stretcher of sorts with one of the canvas’s, behind the strongest of the destrier’s roped to Jed’s horse that he shared with Mariah. Up front as he knew the way via Lope-Fang valley, went Carolynn with Joseph, glad they had a route off the main tracks for a while, for he doubted they’d hold off any sustained attacks whilst down one man.

That dark, having to rely on Bolt Pistols so as not to obliterate their prey, Carolynn and Jed went hunting. They had set camp, still half a light from the valley and Nathan said he was well enough to sit propped up with a shotgun and look scary. Half a dark bagged them three “Vemin”* and Joseph and Mariah, both of whom had instantly taken to fishing, between them landed enough for breakfast and a few spare to dry over that darks fire.

*Vemin - An indigenous Mammal, similar to the Hare of Terra, but larger throughout. A common game animal on Zalthar, often reaching plague numbers after short snows.

By the third dark, the way was clear for Jed to ride on ahead, and by light he was back with help from Bronze Hearth. By that dark they were all back, and for Carolynn and the now walking Nathan, albeit with a stick for now, next light they were in front of the Council of 7. Ben and Alice, ever there for the two of them took in Joseph and Mariah for them, both parties seeming thrilled with the idea.

That left the two of them with time to think, for the meeting with the Council would have repercussions far beyond Bronze Hearth, beyond the Lead Lands.

End of Part Eight

Next…. The Council of 7 ! Who will stand against the Chaos loose on Zalthar once more ?

Mk

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Theater 3, chapter 7.2

Shades of Grey - Part Six

Come dark they pulled clear of the track to camp and the who bunks where question suddenly became apparent. They should have realised dark would be the hardest, but neither Carolynn or Jed had had any children and although Nathan had been a father, and an absent one at that, it was so long ago he’d forgotten. The problem was eventually solved by Jed and Nathan taking the watches and Carolynn having both Joseph and Mariah for what would prove to be a long and sleepless dark for him, for after a few understandable tears, one of Nathan’s “song‘s” and a story from “uncle Jed”, both children were out for the duration.
“The sleep of the just !” Carolynn was sure that’s why some adults got so angry with children, it was envy, a jealous envy of the innocence, of the yet unbroken promise that everything would be alright because someone told you it would and you had yet no reason to disbelieve. But it was that which was the inherent vulnerability, for they possessed the cruellest thing that could be stolen !
As he sat at the opening of the canvas gazing out into the dark Mountains, Carolynn tried to recall such a time in his own life, a time when he believed it would all be alright and try as he might, he could think of none. There had only ever been one person just in who’s company he had found anything remotely like such peace, but she was gone now, and he had never found anything like it since !

It was quiet here, refreshingly so after Grey, for the City always seemed to have something to say both by dark and by light. Out here though, almost every sound was cautious, measured and had a very real purpose or was not made at all. Drifting in countless thoughts, the dark passed him by, neither asleep nor truly awake, until stirred into action by the coming light and the emergence of a horizon far to the East. Then as the Mountains swallowed their shadow’s, a new light was upon them and the smell of Jed’s cooking had the children wide awake and giggling at the novelty of eating outdoors food cooked with a fire, when all food came in ready to heat and eat sachet’s for the most part. It was more than enough to have them dressed and up, running to find Jed and see for themselves what he was up to and what it was that smelled so good. Carolynn watched them until they reached Jed, then focussed on re-packing their gear and folding away the canvas for today’s leg of their journey. By the time he got it all tied away, both of them were lying on their backs deep in conversation as to who would burst first with the amount they’d eaten !

“Morning all” he called, getting a hi from Nathan, a grunt from Jed and silence from the children who were still wrapped in their bursting debate ! He grabbed a few bits to eat in passing, carrying on through camp to check the destriers before this lights journey.
With the snow not so very distant, Zalthar’s Sun was low in the early light sky, the road was clear and they made good progress till it began once more to fade, but were still making slower going as the destrier’s responded naturally to the additional weight by pacing themselves accordingly. Therefore as the light was coming to a close, they were still higher in the Worldspine’s than he would have liked, an so it was with greater care that he searched for a suitable spot to camp for the dark.
He found one relatively quickly, a side trail from a bend in the main track, which rose steeply until the gradient became too severe, then it turned and snaked along the steep contours, doubling back upon itself as it climbed. It ended in a wide ledge at the foot of a sheer cliff where there stood the ruins of two, possibly three old shacks, the fourth side of each of which was the cliff itself.
“This will do nicely.” Remarked Nathan, “How do you find these places Carolynn ?”
“I just look for what shouldn’t be there,” he replied, “then follow it !”
“Very good, like its that easy.”
“Tell you what, you try next time and see for yourself how it goes and I guarantee you’ll be surprised ! Right, down everybody, Mariah and Joe, you can do the horses this time, make sure they all eat and have something to drink, then come get me and I’ll show you how to do the harnesses.“ The other’s set about their tasks like clockwork, gear unpacked, canvasses up, fire lit and whilst Jed got some food on the go, Nathan watched the main track in both directions for a while, satisfying himself that they had not been obviously followed. By the time Carolynn caught up with Mariah and Joseph, the horses had been fed and watered and they were giving them a rub-down as they had been taught.
“Very good you two.” praised Carolynn, “diner’s almost ready, so wash-up and come get some !” He didn’t have to repeat himself.

Nathan was suddenly next to him, “You got a moment ?” at which he excused himself and he two of them walked a way off from the fire and the eagerly waiting diners.
“Saw someone cross the track, about three mile back, and by the angle I’d say they’re headed this way !”
“Just one ?”
“Yeah, I think so, but I’d only just turned East as I’d been looking West for a good two, three before so I don‘t know.”
“Well for now safest to assume there was more than one headed this way, come on, we have some new recruits to brief.”
Back at the fire, Joseph and Mariah were inhaling dinner and were not far off finished. Carolynn waited for them to put their bowl’s down, before to Nathan ‘s amazement,
explaining to the two of them that they were possibly being followed just as he would have done to himself or Jed ? What was even more strange was the children’s reaction, for they seemed to know exactly what he was saying and what was expected of them. Carolynn had spoken long with Martin about how he approached the harshness of life in Grey with kids and he had told him that he just gave it to them straight. His philosophy was always tell them the truth, just not all of the truth unless necessary ! And Carolynn had seen no reason to interfere with his wishes.
They set up canvass in the Western most and structurally soundest ruin, one that retained most of it’s four walls and part of its roof. Watch and corral for the destrier’s was in the middle ruin, as that to the East was little more than an outline of mud-bricks now. 1^st watch was Nathan and Carolynn got to spend another night with the two children, who he knew were going to find it difficult. Before bedding down, he left them with Jed for a while and undertook a brief survey of their home for th night.
They were fortunate with their location indeed as the broad ledge held virtually no cover along its entire length save the ruins they occupied. It had been quarried at some time and most of the loose material they left underfoot seemed to have some suppressive effect on plants, which were short and straggly and discoloured where they grew at all. He pulled out his monocular and studied the track to the East for some time, moving the field of vision along the verges too, but there was no signs of life and so satisfied there was nothing to see, he set off back to the ruins.

Then from behind him came the sound like displaced gravel and he spun, shotgun raised dropping to one knee, only to face an open expanse of ledge. Cautiously, he sidled over to the edge and looked down the way they had come and again, nothing ! Confident of what he had heard and that stones rarely displace themselves, he pursued the sound, moving at a crouch closer to the lip of the ledge, peering down into the deepening shadow’s as dark fell, yet still there was no sign of anyone or anything out there. Slowly he began to retrace his steps, back towards the ruins remaining crouched, shotgun with it’s solid slug/HE load-out poised, the safety off. As he got closer, Nathan saw him and advanced out to meet him.
“What gives ?“ he whispered, also peering out into the gloom yet seeing nothing.
“I think we may have company, about 70 yards out and very light on their feet.“ replied Carolynn jabbing toward the suspected location with his gun barrel.
“Lets back-up.” Slowly they began to retreat toward the ruins, keeping their gaze to the East. Reaching the second ruin, Nathan slipped inside to warn Jed and check upon their charges as Carolynn took up position in the now empty door recess. From within he heard Nathan whispering and then the sound of Jed’s shotgun cocking as he slid a shell into the chamber. An automated “clunk, clunk, clunk” heralded the cycling of the auto-loader of Nathan’s grenade launcher too, this would not be an easy kill for someone that was certain !A moment later,Nathan re-appered at the doorway and he and Carolyn cautiously advanced across to the Easternmost ruins broken wall’s, still unable to make out any opposition. The dark was silent, and that was not right for starters.
“There should be birds still out at this time,” whispered Nathan in a a hushed tone, ”but there‘s nothing, no sounds whatsoever and that means someone or something has them spooked. “
“Could be us ?” said Carolynn ?”
“We might be scary to those in the know, but last I heard that weren’t birds,” chuckled Nathan despite himself. Then, away in the distance, a lope-cat howled, a hollow, desperate howl. More guttural than either of them remembered , then fell abruptly silent. This was followed by another, then a 3^rd until soon there were some half dozen of them out in the dark, crying to the new moon that bobbed in and out of thickening high cloud. Further off, thunder rumbled and moments later an electric blue flash lit the whole horizon, the sky darkened, and almost imperceptibly to start, the first drops of rain fell. Carolynn and Nathan pulled up the hoods on their capes, and whilst Carolynn held their post, Nathan slipped back, returning with a sheet of heavy canvas and ties which they hastily hung from the ruin and lashed against the rising wind as the rain came on harder and the last vestiges of light vanished. Soon there was a steady patter as each peered out his end of the bivouac, a fresh clap of thunder resonating from the cliff at their backs behind , staring out into the down pour, looking for a sign they were or were not in danger. The rumbling above and constant drumming of rain made it almost impossible to hear anything out there, and equally hard to see. Lights would make them to easy a target and a fire was now out of the question. Carolynn sent Nathan back to look in on Jed and the children and they ran a cord from the bivvy to the tent for Jed to pull if need be, as shouting would be next to useless.

“All’s well !” he informed him on his return, the children liked the rain and weren’t afraid of the storm, Jed gave them the furs and they are Yeti’s now or something.
“Well you might as well get and hour or so Nate, doubt we’ll see much till this lets off a fair bit, I’ll wake you when it does !”
“Fair enough, no point us both being tired.” with which he pulled his cape tight up around his shoulders, rested his head on his pack and closed his eyes, then within moments he was out for the count.

“Not long since I was doing this last.” Thought Carolynn, recalling the passage in the High Valley, metallic beetles, the incessant rain and a slumbering Jed that time. It had been a dark just like this, the rain coming down in sheet’s, soaking everything, flashes of intense blue light and the booming in the peaks as though a great battle was being fought high-up in the cloud shrouded summits ! He looked out on each flash hoping something would be given away by the electric strobe of the lightening, but pt was to no avail ! One thing was certain, they would be here for the duration and whatever was out there would be only too aware of that too and for now, it seemed as though it suited it’s purpose to wait, he hoped !
It felt good to be dry in the wet, the rain now beat a hard rhythm on the tarp, his spine shivered and he could feel something else, out there, in the dark. It felt heavy, but not “wrong” or bad. Lightning flashed again, and suddenly there was someone, something standing at his side.
“Nate !“, he swung the shotgun, and pulled up sharp, for it was now sitting next to him, legs crossed and holding his stare. Nathan had not moved, as though he’d never spoken out, he… “

“Carolyn isn’t it ?“
He was still pointing the shotgun, but felt no urge to fire and the air held the ozone chemical freshness of rain, that unmistakeable smell that followed a storm, and as he sat opposite a figure in the rain he had never met, he felt he had known them, “For, for..”
“Ever ? Not quite, but a long time yes. I will tell you more later but for now hear this. “You“, with which the figure reached out with it‘s arm gesturing the canvas too, “All of you are being hunted by those called forth by the Baron‘s. There are two of his servants and they come !”

Carolynn blinked splashed rain from his eyes, and reached out to wake Nathan, for there was that smell… With a ripping slash, the side of the canvas was torn open and the pouring rain drove in.
“Nathan !” he yelled and at the same time catching sight of a vague outline off to his right, Carolynn fired. The object staggered, then rose and came on again, blending in and out of focus in the sheets of rain. He stepped back, cycled the next round to check it was HEAP and fired again. This time the top of the form burst apart, stinking, vile fluids and rotten tissue splattering the two of them, as Nathan had just reached his side.
Then a second figured barrelled out of the dark, clawed arms flailing and caught Nathan off guard, sending him staggering back, blood spreading across his cape from some unseen wound. Carolynn spun and swung with the “assassin’s sword” he had hidden about him for Grey. It bit briefly, the mono-filament blade opening up the apparition from mid back to neck, staggering it’s momentum and causing it to turn to face its tormenter.
As he recognised the face he felt his knee’s weaken, for it was one of the Baron’s Daemons. Although it had staggered under his first onslaught it was not deterred and swung a hideously malformed and long clawed arm at him, which he instinctively raised his sword to block. As the Daemons clawed paw struck the blade it was severed cleanly from its host, but the monofilament did nothing to impede the momentum and it smashed into his midriff, knocking him clean off his feet, showering him in filth and sending him sprawling in the mud and rain

Dragged from cover by the shots and seeing both his friends prone and some distance from their foe, Jed fired on semi-automatic, the first slug stopping the Daemon cold, the next HEAP round almost vaporising it where it stood in a fountain of vitriol and lumps of rotten flesh..
Shouldering the shotgun, he grabbed the prone Nathan, seeing Carolynn already trying to regain his feet, and part carried, part dragged him over to the shack and under the canvass with Joseph’s help. He tore back his cape and his shirt till he could see the wound, an ugly ragged cut across Nathan’s sternum and collar bone that was bleeding profusely.
“Grab the first aid kit from… thanks, Mariah ?” The young girl handed him the box, and he unwound a bandage and a gauze pad, first shaking anti-septic powder over the wound before pressing the pad down hard to stem the bleeding.
“Let me,” it was Joseph again, “I must press hard and keep pressing yes ? I have had to do this for my Dad, twice. How do you think my sister knew to go for the 1^st Aid kit, being in charge of a pub and drunk men was part of the job Dad says.”
“Well you hold on tight, I’ll see if Carolynn’s OK, won’t be long I promise.”

Jed found Carolynn checking the 1^st corpse, making sure that even in it’s ruined state, the thing presented no further risk
“What in Kell’s name is that, I, euuc, euuc, eruuuch” and with that Jed lost his diner at the sight of the Daemon’s pulverised remains and the stench, cloying and foul even when diluted by the persistent rain
“How’s Nate ?”
“Euu, s, s.ssorry bout that” Jed spat, “Sorry. He’s cut quite bad, Joseph’s got a pad clamped on the wound.”
“Joseph ?”
“Calm down, he’s fine. Those two kid’s were great, reckon they’ve seen more trauma than me ! They know exactly what was going on. Anyway, I need you to see him and I’ll hold out here for the time being, see if I can’t get the bivvy back up.” Jed finished, looking at the collapsed canvas.
“I’ll take that, thanks’ Joseph.” said Carolynn, taking the pad from over Nathan’s wound and taking a quick peak at the wound beneath. It was not as deep as he’d feared, but was jagged and the skin around it looked red and swollen. It did not look good.

Whilst Jed stood guard, Carolynn made good the Canvass, reassuring Joseph and M , both of whom he kept away from the nightmarish forms of the Daemon’s that had attacked them, by involving them in the re-building and caring for the rapidly deteriorating Nathan, who had now developed a high fever and was wracked by delirious , sweat drenched dreams. Soon they had managed to re-rig the canvas to keep out the continuous deluge of rain, and in the half of the shack that retained it’s roof and a hearth, Carolynn put pay to caution and had banked up a hot fire, so as to generate as little smoke as possible, to at least dry a few things with which Nathan could be made more comfortable. Having made good their shelter, Carolynn managed to get Joseph and M to rest for a while, giving him time to get a better look at Nathans wound.
The skin around the cut was puffy and had begun to turn an unhealthy greenish grey, with early signs of necrotic tissue on the ragged edges where the Daemon‘s claw had ripped the skin. And then there was the smell, it reminded him of that dark down in the bowel’s of the smelting hall and the ceremony too the Dark Gods ! They needed to get Nathan to an Apothecary, and fast, but the incessant drumming on the canvas and occasional distant rumble said that wasn’t happening anytime soon 

 End of Part 6

 

Mk 
 

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