towerofanimus | Ad Visitatores

Ad Visitatores

Characters: anyone participating in the event
Setting: floor 56 and eventually other areas of the Tower
Format: either
Summary: Welcome to the Tower.
Warnings: horror/creepiness/potential danger/generally unfortunate things all possible
Notes: PLEASE GO HERE TO MAKE NEW POSTS.

A few minutes before anything happens, Ruana's voice rings out over the Tower's intercom--it manages to be louder than anything the residents happen to be doing. "Hey, everyone, there's something exciting going on at floor fifty-six! Go make sure they don't get themselves killed!"

You arrive, stepping or tumbling, in a surgical suite. It looks abandoned, with dust collecting on the table and floors. The lights flicker, and for a moment blood dripping off the table, puddling on the floor--but no, the lights are back, and surely that was your imagination. It's quiet, eerily so, but nothing hinders you, and you're free to spread out and explore. There are multiple rooms here, like in any hospital, and it's all a bit confusing. Occasionally the lights flicker, and it's a bit frightening as Things appear that shouldn't exist. Shadowy creatures stitched together and reaching for you, doctors brandishing phantom surgical tools, blood splattering the walls or floor or ceiling, how did it get there--but none are real, and all of them vanish when the lights return. Eventually you find the staircase, spiraling up and down into darkness. Approach it, though, and the thing glitters with a barrier that will push back any attempts at climbing the thing.

A girl, a teenager dressed in red and black, appears. And she does simply appear, inserting herself into the space, nearly pushing it aside to make room in it for where she is now. Her face beams with unconcealed excitement, and her words tumble out on top of themselves. "You can't go there! Yet, I mean. You'd all die!"

The girl steps onto the staircase, passing through the barrier as if it weren't there, and sits on the steps to address everyone. "Hi! I'm Ruana. You didn't show up the normal way, so the Tower can't support you yet. We got this one floor ready when I saw you were coming but, well, the Tower's kind've big, so getting all of them set up is taking a little longer than I thought." She smiles, sheepishly apologetic in a carefree sort of way. "I've got everyone coming here to visit you--or at least they know they can visit you--and I'll have someone bring food up for you. It'll be oatmeal, and oatmeal is super boring, but you have to eat it, okay? Then you can have whatever you want! The cafeteria's down on the first floor if you get hungry. We should have everything ready in a few hours. I've gotta go help with that, so you guys wait here.

"Don't worry, the monsters can't get to this floor as long as that barrier is up."

And then she's gone, blinking out of existence. The barrier will remain for three hours.

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Cain visited the cathedral every so often so say his praises to the Emperor. He wasn't a holy man but he felt a little comforted by the fact that he could bless himself. Hopefully He didn't care that Cain's prayers were rather selfish.

But the sight of a Space Marine in the cathedral! Cain's heart jumped in joy. He suddenly didn't feel so threatened with such a capable person in his presence.

"Hail, Astartes."

A voice! A human voice! Someone who knows what he is! He turns, slowly, clearly ready to fight, but cautiously hopeful that he won't have to. "You know what I am. Which... makes you one of two things. Choose your next words with exceptional care."

If Cain was good at anything, it was sucking up. He gave Garviel a bow and looked up at him afterward. "I am a loyal servant of the Emperor of Mankind, a Commissar in the Imperial Guard. You can call me Commissar Cain."

He cocks his head slightly. Imperial Guard? Perhaps an offshoot of the army? The rank is unfamiliar as well, but that could be simply a regional variation. "Good. I am here on a mission, Commissar Cain. Perhaps you can help me."

He nods once, his expression turning serious. Of course, it's an act but there's no need for Garviel to know that.

"I've been paired with Astartes before. The Reclaimers more specifically. Just tell me your goal and I'll assist you however I can."

The name is unfamiliar to him. Perhaps some sub-order of one of the Legions? He's not sure. It doesn't matter, though, he knows the Legiones, which means he understands what will be required, "I seek a being named Nyarlathotep. He apparently is the reason I ended up here, so I seek to find him and bring him to justice"

The Emperor's justice.

"Keep in mind that I've only been here for a couple weeks but..."

He had to pause to think. He hadn't heard of that name before. It was probably some Greater Daemon that he wasn't aware of (and he was okay with that) but it certainly wasn't here.

"...I haven't heard that name in this place at all."

"That is unfortunate, but I don't blame you." He pauses a moment, then nods, after having decided how much to reveal. "There are others here who've also been tasked with this. A techpriest by the name of Ferrus, who is a brave servant of Mars. However, with us also came heretics and Xeno-breeds. The situation is complicated, and I'm concentrating primarily on keeping humans alive, and accomplishing this undertaking."

He looks to the cathedral again and asks, "What can you tell me of this place? We know so little."

A techpriest? That was good. Cain didn't feel like divulging the circumstances of his own chainsword hanging at his waist since it was probably heresy so he kept it to himself. But he needed a cogboy to check it out.

"From what I understand, if you're here, your world has been destroyed. Now, don't get me wrong, but the Emperor owns over a million worlds so one isn't really a big deal. I guess we're supposed to be in safe keeping but it really smells of Chaos, if you know what I mean."

"If Cthonia has been destroyed, then little of value was lost." He shrugs his shoulders. It seemed to have spawned mostly traitors anyway.

"... You speak of Chaos." His eyes narrow. "How do you know that word?" He takes a step towards Cain. Not aggressively, though his actions are inherently aggressive, but in his time that word is rarely spoken of, and not well known by mortals not already in its thrall.

Edited 2013-02-10 05:13 (UTC)

Cain didn't expect Astartes to be well versed in the world of mortals so he took no offense, nor was he intimidated at the moment. If it went a little further, he would worry but right now, he was okay.

"All Commissars are taught about the dangers of the Warp and of Chaos, so we can protect the soldiers under our command. We don't share this information, of course, because the lack of knowledge restricts our eternal enemy of their power."

Loken is halted in his forward movement, and looks shocked.

"But... no one knew. Not even Horus! How is it that the Emperor's sons did not know of this threat, and you did?"

Speaking of frowns, now Cain is sporting a large one. The name of Horus instantly makes him uneasy so looking angry seems like the best solution to Cain.

"Don't speak that traitor's name in my presence. I can't demand much from you Astartes but I at least ask of that much. Him and Abaddon, leave their names out of your lexicanum."

Edited 2013-02-10 05:22 (UTC)

"Well, you know he is a traitor, and that is enough. As for Abaddon, I suspect I'll see him again before this is all played out."

His craggy face hardens, as do his eyes, "I've a long list of misdeeds to make him pay for."

He shakes his head, dismissing it. "At any rate, yes, this does feel... chaotic and foul. Are you a refugee? A prisoner?"

"Prisoner. If it were up to me, I'd be fighting the mutants, xenos, and heretics with my regiment."

Preferably away from danger. But Garviel didn't need to know that.

"...have you been to the cafeteria yet?"

"That's unfortunate. But even the most forbidding prison can be escape from, if you have the right help." Regarding the cafeteria, Loken shakes his head, "My armor has enough nourishment for some time yet, I didn't see the need."

"It's a good thing I said something then."

It was small but telling a Space Marine something he didn't know felt good.

"Don't try to eat or drink whatever it is you have in there. Not without eating the oatmeal they have in the cafeteria. Otherwise, it'll just come back up. I think they inject you with something when you first show up here to make that happen and the oatmeal has the antidote."

"How stupid."

He glowers up at the cathedral again and says, "As annoying as my last posting was, prior to this unfortunate undertaking, at least you could eat the food without concern."

"You can't be too careful around warp trickery either way."

The thought of already being tainted was enough for him to wish for Jurgen again. Until then, the Emperor would have to protect.

"Very true. So, what do you suggest now? This tower exploration is proving... unrewarding. I need some method of hunting that is more efficient."

"You've got a few allies here so I suggest we all get together and pool our resources."

"Good point. It will be... interesting. Most here don't have what you'd term an Imperial mentality, and there is far too much sorcery used by the lot of them for me to feel remotely comfortable. Some appear to have a good heart, and I will fight for them as I would any human but...."

He shakes his head.

"They are all too willing to risk the dangers of the warp, even those of them I would term sanctioned psykers, or near enough that it would be indistinguishable."

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Ad Visitatores

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