The Ruinous Powers (40K CYOA)

[Storyfag]

Fire it up again! Continue with Lena and her crew.

 

[Endemic]

I'm in.

 

[Nevill]

Yiss.

 

[Esquilax]

More of whatever the hell you want to keep doing, Cheesecake. However, does this mean that the Grand Theft Arcana LP will be on hold for a moment? That would be a shame, as I really love the concept and you've got me hooked.

 

[Cheesecake]

CHAPTER III: Iter in Octoplum
​

A year has passed since your capture of the light cruiser, now feared as the Sodom, and though many were slain in the name of the gods, few of your kills meant much. It was as if this was your lot in life - no less than a pirate, preying on the weak and unwary. At first, you were much feared and beloved, lusted-after and despised. Yet, in time, you faded as all things do. Your fate, it seemed, had ended.

Until now.

The whispers of the Ruinous Powers turn to screams. As you sleep, you are tormented by visions of fire, tempted by promises of power, and, at once, enticed and slandered by unseen whisperers. Your destiny is once more palpable, once more infinite. Once more, you tread the eight-fold path.

----

The coffers of the Sodom were filled with antiques, finery, and illegal commodities. The previous Lord-Captain (who now serves as your footstool) was an avid collector of all things beautiful and expensive. You and your crew clothed yourselves in rich velvet and luxurious furs, powdered and perfumed decadently, intoxicated by the most potent liquor and the vilest of chems. The ornate shrines of the Ecclesiarchy have been desecrated and befouled, their aquilas and the busts of their saints defamed and violated. In their place arise the fetishes of Slaanesh, the star of Chaos, and statues of glorious Lena Cythriel.

Within the data-chained vaults of the armory were prized relics of the Machine Cult. Entek, of course, lay claim to the vast majority. However, in a rare case of fealty, he offered you:

A. Power Armor, fit for human use. Though lesser than the armor of the Astartes, this power armor will raise you leagues above mortal men.
B. Bolt Pistol, designed for human use. Much lighter than the Space Marine variant, this tailored gun packs just as much cruelty and potential for murder.
C. Power Sword, an arcane blade that when activated wreathes itself in a field of energy that shears through even Terminator armor.
D. Synthesiser, a vile device that concocts near-pure drugs, for recreation and combat.

----

The crew of press-ganged slaves, whisked from their worlds or born in the cold void, were easily swayed to the pleasures of Slaanesh. Only the most stalwart and foolish of the Emperor's slaves remained faithful, and those were the first in the blood sports.

Every so often, as both reward and punishment, you would host blood sports that span the Sodom, pitting all against all. Those who survived the ordeal would be allowed to indulge themselves in their pleasures for a day. The sheer waste of human life, the unbelievable pain and fear, the excess, was and is a great worship to the Prince of Pleasure.

Though the vast majority of the crew are Slaaneshi, many have taken to the other gods. Those desiring the embrace of Nurgle flock to Detox, rotting away happily in each others' arms. The ambitious and the knowledge-hungry turned their ear to the madness of Tzeentch, becoming a cabal under the Sorcerer. Many warmongers were borne of the blood sport, and are lauded as favorites during the sport. It is in the blood sport that they worship the Blood God. Even Entek has raised a following, inducting those technologically-inclined to the arcane sciences.

Your horde of mutants interbred with the human crew in the perpetual orgies aboard the Sodom, and within the year nearly all were graced with the gifts of the body. They eschew the civilized hab-quarters, instead burrowing dens and hovels into the iron-carcass of the cruiser, spewing unholy children every day. Cannibalism, both ritualistic and primal, is commonplace.

The hallways ring not with hymns, but with screams of agony and joy. Not with drums and flutes, but the beating of flesh and the crack, crack, crack of bone. Leering visages of the gods bless the Sodom, watching and laughing. And seated in your command throne, above all the insects that scurry beneath, you make plans.

​

----

You set course for the planet Arcturus IV, a Garden World where the royalty of worlds light-years away intermingle and relax at the expense of the billions of the enslaved 'Gardeners'. It is here, the whispers say, that your destiny will once more burn bright.

Your primary focus on Arcturus IV will be to:

A. Conquer it, in the name of Slaanesh and the Ruinous Powers.
B. Conquer it, in the name of Lena Cythriel.
C. Scour it for artefacts, and return them to the Ruinous Powers.
D. Scour it for artefacts, and keep them for yourself.
E. Corrupt it, that the visitors return to their worlds with darkness in their hearts.

Character Sheet

Name: Lena Cythriel, Exalted Champion

Gifts:
Daemoniac Tongue
Exalted
Perfection
Terrible Visage

Favor:
Khorne - Reviled
Nurgle - Betrayed
Tzeentch - Intrigued
Slaanesh - Exalted

Malal - Amused

Known Characters:
Detox, apothecary - Uncaring
Hooker, sergeant - Devoted
Entek, tech-priest - Indifferent
Sorcerer - Devoted
The Boy - Unknown

Tempestus, chaplain - Dead?
The Captain - Dead

Forces:
Cruiser Crew - 62,000? - Devoted

Items:
Artificer Bodyglove
Laspistol

Location:
The Sodom, Dauntless-class Light Cruiser

 

[Cheesecake]

Esquilax, yes, the GTArcane is on hold for now. It's a minor problem of mine, bouncing back and forth from ideas but never really finishing them. But thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

DE

EDIT: In fact if we can deliberately identify VIP tourists and expend more effort to corrupt them, we might be building quite a range of resources we can call later.

 

[Baltika9]

Esquilax, yes, the GTArcane is on hold for now. It's a minor problem of mine, bouncing back and forth from ideas but never really finishing them. But thank you! I'm glad you liked it.

That's actually one of the most novel approaches to fantasy I've seen. If course, the GTA part sold me instantly. Gotta find that setting's Tommy Vercetti.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Gotta be that setting's Tommy Vercetti

 

[Azira]

DC
D for the first choice, as it fits nicely with Slaaneshi worship. C for the second choice, as it'll curry favour with the chaos gods, perhaps mostly Tzeentch, who is right now "intrigued".
Though E for the last choice would be fitting as well, I just don't think it'll do as much for Tzeentch as the other option, and I'd like to have at least two of the chaos gods pleased with us.

 

[Nevill]

DE is tempting, but all it takes is one Exterminatus to undo our work. Still, it's a process that matters.

 

[Grimgravy]

DE

 

[lightbane]

AC.

I want to see how Lena modifies said Power Armor to make it more "Slaaneshi". Also, Cheesecake, what happened with the other fantasy CYOA? The one using dnd rules I mean.

 

[Cheesecake]

lightbane, that too is on hold. The rules weren't cutting it out for me; I kinda prefer CYOAs to be more freestyle, you know?

 

[Endemic]

A, E.

 

[hello friend]

Is the synthesizer an implant, or do we have to premake all the drugs? Also, how customisable is the power armour? Lena's appearance is among her top assets, we don't want to obscure it. Anyway, we've already got an arificer bodyglove and super fast healing, we're already pretty hard to kill. Power armour would make it harder, though...

 

[Smashing Axe]

C

B

Awesome! Let's conquer this planet and make a whole bunch of statues of ourselves. Vanity will either lead to our downfall or greatest truimph! It'll also more likely unite our crew under us, rather than dedicating the victory specifically to a god other than ourselves.

E is good, but not nearly as self-centered as I would like. Overall it's far too practical. That's not chaos at all!

My choice of artifact is just personal taste. I'd rather explore the mastery/skill side of Slaanesh than hedonism.

 

[Kalin]

CA - Cloud's sword and rape apocalypse!

 

[Storyfag]

CE

 

[Major_Blackhart]

D
E

 

[Esquilax]

Smashing Axe is absolutely right, we need foolhardy acts of hubris to complete this LP.

DB

 

[Cheesecake]

Counting votes!

 

[Cheesecake]

Tally

A: lightbane, Endemic, 2
B:
C: Smashing Axe, Kalin, Storyfag, The Brazilian SLaughter, 4
D: ERYFKRAD, Azira, Nevill, Grimgravy, Major_Blackhart, Esquilax, 6

D. Synthesiser, a vile device that concocts near-pure drugs, for recreation and combat.

A: Kalin, The Brazilian SLaughter, 2
B: Smashing Axe, Esquilax, 2
C: Azira, lightbane, 2
D:
E: ERYFKRAD, Nevill, Grimgravy, Endemic, Storyfag, Major_Blackhart, 7

E. Corrupt it, that the visitors return to their worlds with darkness in their hearts.

You activate the synthesiser, pressing amber runes and whispering the activation codes as Entek taught you. The ancient machine hums to life, lit with a burning green, churning violently as it decomposes and recomposes one thing to another. You have it grafted onto your spine, the tubes sewn into your nervous system, and linked to your brain and heart. As the first flood of stimulants washes over you, you experience a high like never before.

Accompanying that high comes clarity. You think faster, move nimbler, and strike harder. You are eager to taste blood and flesh (one of the side effects mentioned by Entek), and to display your impeccable skill to the entirety of the Sodom's crew, as well as to pass the time in transit to Arcturus IV.

You announce the start of the blood sports, and you will participate.

----

As per your rules, no weaponry nor armor may be taken into the designated arena (which, in tonight's sport, is the engine temples) and all must use what they can find or make. All participants are drugged and left somewhere randomly, and are stripped naked save a cloth mask to hide the identities of the participant. The mask was, at first, used to encourage the still-Imperial crew to feel guiltless about killing those they knew. Over the year, the mask has become somewhat of a tradition.

You awake to find yourself in an echoing hallway, stained with fluids of all colors, decorated in fell effigies and leering visages. Your face is covered in a silk mask, comfortable and constricting. Your armor and armaments are in safe custody with Hooker, and for now you are stark naked.

You see three others stirring awake, lying on the cold, wet floor or tucked into one of the many nooks and crevices carved into the walls. The three of them, covered in coarse fur, crowned with curling horns jutting out of their masks, rise.

You:

A. Hide, swiftly and silently. The vast majority of your crew are inbred brutes, who breed and grow at an unholy rate. These three are certainly part of the vast majority.
B. Strike first and fast, slitting their throats and ripping their hearts.
C. Sway them to join you, with sweet promises and dire threats.
D. Run, like a gust of wind. The brutes could never catch you.
E. Do something else:

----

Character Sheet

Name: Lena Cythriel, Exalted Champion

Gifts:
Daemoniac Tongue
Exalted
Perfection
Terrible Visage

Favor:
Khorne - Reviled
Nurgle - Betrayed
Tzeentch - Intrigued
Slaanesh - Exalted

Malal - Amused

Known Characters:
Detox, apothecary - Uncaring
Hooker, sergeant - Devoted
Entek, tech-priest - Indifferent
Sorcerer - Devoted
The Boy - Unknown

Tempestus, chaplain - Dead?
The Captain - Dead

Forces:
Cruiser Crew - 62,000? - Devoted

Items:
Artificer Bodyglove (Unequipped)
Laspistol (Unequipped)
Synthesiser

Location:
The Sodom, Dauntless-class Light Cruiser
*A hallway within the engine temples.

 

[Azira]

Durr, we participate for the taste of blood and flesh, and we have the options to run and hide?
Nope.

B

 

[Smashing Axe]

B
We're testing our skill here. We already know we could make these fellows our helpless slaves, they already are afterall.

That and we ought to take up our new gourmet hobby.