In the void between the worlds of Harvest, Canticle, Dust and Winter,
the Blasphemous Voyager drifted.
Its translation to realspace had sent out ripples through the psyche of the
system's population. Most only perceived this effect as a vague feeling of
dread.
But for some it was a beacon; a clarion-call: a summons.
Half a dozen small vessels approached the vast Space hulk. Each made their own
way into the massive, drifting conglomeration of wrecked starships,
asteroids, and debris merged together within the warp over millennia.
At the centre of all this, in the darkness; the Traveller.
All of the small ships that entered the Hulk bore strange cargos.
The Dust crew boarded the Blasphemous Voyager in the south-western quadrant
via webway portal.
As they move forward cautiously Atrak reached out into the darkness with
witch-sight, and recoiled in horror - there were uncountable swarms of
Genestealers lurking in the shadows on all sides!
Atrak blessed the Daughter with Foresight as she readied her longrifle.
The rest of the crew followed her forward.
Genestealers burst from the walls and floors and ceilings.
Xuchilbara and Atrak each unleashed a Tempest of psychic fire -
multiple Genestealers went down. The Leader cut down several with a ancient
relic-blade.
Xuchilbara rummaged through a crate, in a moment of respite, and found a
flamer!
Atrak twisted the flow of time around the Dust crew, he moved toward the heart
of the hulk as everything else around them slowed to an unnatural crawl. But
even with this advantage he ran straight into a swarm of Genestealers! He was
attacked by one of them but was able to dodge their claws and was unhurt.
The Daughter took-out a Genestealer with a pin-point shot as Faust rounded the
corner behind it, with more Genestealers at his heals! Xuchilbara
Expelled Faust, sending him reeling backwards.
The hands of fate moved the explorers, unknowable plans turned within
unknowable plans.
The Daughter panicked, opened a bulkhead door and was immediately slashed by
Genestealer claws from the doorway.
A space marine in blood-red Terminator armour burst into the corridor and
blasted FIVE Genestealers! The dark corridors were illuminated by the
thunderous roar of his storm bolter.
Xuchilbara wounded a Genestealer, by burning them with arcane power.
The Leader fought with a 'Stealer but wasn’t able to cut through its tough
carapace. More of them closed-in around him.
Xuchilbara dropped “The Last Grenade” taking out several 'Stealers and
tumbling themselves and the Leader backwards through a hatch.
The Leader attacked a 'Stealer as it stepped over the fallen Daughter, and
slaughtered it. As the Daughter passed out, her Father appeared, screaming her
name!
A Battle Sister, who seemed to have boarded with the Terminator-armoured
marines, captured Xuchilbara - he was translocated into a hand-held crystal
prison.
A single Genestealer attacked Atrak, but he pushed it back with an arcane
gesture, then blasted three alien horrors to ichor with a pulse of energy.
The Leader took down another ’Stealer with his relic-sword.
A warp-entity, the malevolent consciousness at the heart of
the Blasphemous Voyager, stirred.
Atrak unleashed another Tempest of arcane fire into the room ahead
and cleared it, the crew moved forward.
The Traveller brought the full attention of the Consciousness onto
himself and engaged in a battle of wills with it!
The Blood Angel blasted another ’Stealer as more pounced on him from the ducts
overhead.
The Battle Sister used her hand-flamer to incinerate a ’Stealer but was
scorched by her own fire!
The Father picked-up and slung the Daughter over his shoulder then backed-up,
firing blindly into the darkness.
The Leader caught-up with Atrak as they ran into another party of forlorn
adventurers! The two bands passed each-other with silent acknowledgement.
The Leader rested while Atrak Shielded the crew. The Father backed-up
again, shooting wild to cover their rear.
The strange walking ship lurched forward, crashed through bulkheads with a
screech of metal-against-metal, and ploughed into the Traveller's platform.
The blood-hued space marine crushed a Genestealers with his powerfist, but
many more clawed at his ancient armour. Atrak sped through the corridor and
aimed another Tempest at the nearest 'Stealers.
The Battle Sister flamed the 'Stealers fighting the Terminator armoured marine
(but wounded him in the process, as flames poured through the battle-damage in
his armour). He triggered a teleport homer.
Another bloody angel teleported into the corridor just behind them to support
his brother. The Battle Sister decided not to join the Dust Crew, aboard the
Father's ship.
The Leader tried to commune with the Traveller, but…
… enraged by the disturbance, the Traveller attacked the Leader, who dodged so
unexpectedly the Traveller's blow hit Atrak instead!
Desperate to save his own life, Atrak made a risky psychic connection with the
Traveller and managed to convince him the Dust Crew were not his enemies.
The Traveller returned to his platform and his task.
The Leader, the Father and Atrak Hexcowl retreated onto the walking ship,
where the Mother revived the Daughter and healed Atrak's wounds.
At the helm, the Father turned the ship and it strode through wall and
bulkhead, smashing toward the nearest shuttle bay.
Daemonic powers rocked the hulk and the Warp entity fell from its tower.
The walking ship left the hulk through fire and flame - the compromised walls
started to buckle and groan behind them - it crashed out into the void
… through Faust’s shuttle!
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It's not easy to put into words how good this event was.
Sam
worked miracles to put it together, by bringing so many talented, creative and
imaginative people into one place, with one story. The venue (@salford_ladsclub) was amazing, as were the staff who run it.
I doubt the Traveller's tale is over, I have a feeling there is still much
work for him to do.
