Rogue Trader: The Hand of Fortune

Marcao · Post by **Marcao** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 2:35 pm

He drained the contents of his glass and placed it aside. The indulgence of his childhood had made him virtually immune to the contents of all but the most potent of beverages. It had always astounded him how resilient the human body could become. It was a pity that the human spirit and mind were not up to the task. His attention oscillated around the gathered group once more. These would be the men and women that his fortunes in the coming days would revolve around. For the most part, he liked what he saw. His head turned, eyes settling on Graylen as he spoke and he rolled his shoulders in a casual shrug.

"Whatever it is, I wish for us to get our own vessel of some kind and return to the space between stars." He had become a void master due to his fascination with space. He felt most comfortable in the dark places between stars, the freedom of space travel was beyond compare in his experience. It was that reason more so than any others why he had chosen his profession. That and that in doing, so he had managed to stay away from his half brothers and sisters. Even now he did not miss them. When the wager was made he did not rise to the challenge. Instead, his attention focused on Ravion as he spoke.

His words were met with a slight shake of his head. The last time that Ravion had tried to engage him in a drinking contest they had both fallen over at roughly the same time. The only difference had been that Ravion's concubines had been better looking than his own. His attention shifted from Ravion towards the others before he nodded his head slightly before he spoke. "I will see you at dinner."

With those words said he separated himself from the others and began to walk towards his eventual destination. He had no need to go to his quarters as he was meticulous about his relatively meager possessions. The guard flak armor which protected his body contrasted neatly with the imperial navy uniform which embraced and surrounded him. The bolt pistol strapped to his right thigh marked him as one of the elite of the Imperium. He had all the tools that he would need for dinner. As such, he made his way casually in that direction. He expected that it would be an interesting occasion. They had to earn their keep somehow, and his skills as a pilot were wasted away from the core of a space faring vessel.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 5:54 pm

Time flows oddly in the warp, but inside the Illumination of Glory, shielded by Gellar Fields, that is merely a trick of the mind. The appointed hour grows near.

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:05 pm

Having joined the others at the firing range, Magnus ignored the odd looks he could feel from the others as he reloaded, cleaned, and fired his pistol, aiming with iris-less and sightless white eyes. However, as shot after shot proved, he could perceive the target without a problem, his senses painting the surroundings in vibrant ways. He almost pitied the other people practicing their shooting, as they relied on their eyes alone to aim.

His senses also telling him that the appointed time drew near, Magnus withdrew from the firing range, nodding sagely to the others as he went through the careful rituals of cleaning and showing prayer for his pistol before replacing it at his side, beneath his voluminous robes and out of sight. "The time draws near," he said to the others as he finished. "We should make ready for the festivities."

He turned to the Range Master. "My thanks for the use of your ammunition to practice this sacred duty for our God-Emperor, Range Master." With that, he walked out and toward his quarters, his long cloak flowing behind him nearly like a living thing as he moved.

(EDIT: forgot to thank the Range Master. It's only polite)

Cpl Kendall · Post by **Cpl Kendall** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 7:58 pm

Steel stopped in his quarters on the way to the range long enough to pack the kit he would need for a job into his pack, strapping his hunting rifle to the bottom of his rucksack and filling it with his trusty void suit and medikit. He slipped his spare ammo and grenades into the pouches of his armour before donning it and ensuring that his sword and pistol were at his side.

Satisfied he made his way to the firing range, where he fired off a few flasks of melta ammo to ensure his pistol was properly sighted in.

At Magnus comment, he holstered his pistol and thanked the range master for the use of the ammo and made his way to the dining room.

Karrick · Post by **Karrick** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 8:26 pm

Valther emptied his inferno pistol into a range target one final time upon hearing Magnus' statement. He nodded courteously to his companions and the range master. Valther made his way to his quarters, where he made his gear ready for departure.

He donned his xeno-mesh armor, and secured a fine, if unassuming set of robes over it. Leaving his hellgun and it's bulky power pack with the rest of his belongings, he brought his inferno pistol and three spare flasks of ammunition. These he secreted under his robes in such a manner as to be easily accessible, yet inconspicuous. Satisfied that his voluminous robes disguised both armor and weapons, he left for the dining room.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 11:40 pm

Berenice had carefully chosen the timing of her arrival, appearing from behind a twist of the corridor just as Ravion had joined his men. It would have been most unseemly for a member of one of the Great Families of Terra to wait by the door like a common servant, yet her position was not of such importance to allow her the privilege of being tardy.

She was adorned in the cerulean and black robes of the House Vor'cle, the eye of the Navis Nobilite emblazoned on her chest in sapphires and star-rubies. She was leaning on a gilded staff topped with a gem-encrusted symbol of her order, her other hand on the pommel of her sword. She was accompanied by three armsmen dressed in the colors of her house, who were marching in step with a practiced precision exactly two meters behind her, combat shotguns held at the ready.

She stopped and observed the group, her face hidden by the wide hood of her robe.

"I vaguely recall hearing something about proper attire," she sighed. "Were you planning on making a last stand over the deserts? Storming the amasec cart? Defending the entrees from a horde of ravenous Orks, perhaps? Or did someone simply forget to inform me that a coup was in the works?"

--------------------------------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

rhoenix · Post by **rhoenix** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:09 am

Magnus Aurochus arrived dressed in finely made formal clothes, though with his grey cloak over them. His hood was up and over his head just enough to cast shadows over his eyes, his cloak moving sail-like with the lightest of breezes, heavy though it seemed to be.

Turning his head slightly to the side at Berenice's comment, he smiled slightly, though said nothing.

Karrick · Post by **Karrick** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:55 am

Valther joined the group at the entrance to the dining room. He noted with some consternation the attire of his comrades. While his deep emerald robes were of the highest quality silk, they lacked... a certain degree of ostentation.

His eyes were drawn to the navigator and her entourage, with their dazzling household livery. He indicated them with a hand and a raised eyebrow and deadpanned,

"I think, lady navigator, that your guards will acquit themselves nobly on our behalf should we be set upon by murderous greenskins. I do hope they avoid obliterating the desserts in the process, though. I imagine they are indeed worthy of a last stand." Valther's expression softened, and he smiled.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:14 am

The door to the Captain's Mess wasn't actually a door. Rather it was a pair of arched double doors four meters high, covered in platinum. Images of ships, moons, and stars swam over the expertly worked surface. Above the doors was the starburst insignia of House Karakan set out in violet garnets.

At the side of the door waited a pair of armsmen wearing Stormtrooper Carapace with the crossed lasgun over red giant sun emblem favored by Umbrius Karakan. Locke Pattern Boltguns were held at port arms. The troopers stood rigidly at attention.

Cpl Kendall · Post by **Cpl Kendall** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:35 am

Steel arrives shorty after Berenice, having returned to his quarters to don a wide brim leather hat and a greatcoat embellished with knotted bronze cords.

"A coup, no m'lady but it never hurts to be armed when pastries are on offer."

At that he gives her an exaggerated wink.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:01 am

"Your jests do not change the fact that some of you brought grenades to a dinner party." she paused, examining the rucksacks gracing the backs of her companions. "And some of you, their luggage as well," she raised her eyes in exasperation. "I suppose we ought to thank the Emperor your possessions are so meager, or else we would be dining in a cargo hold."

"And don't bother to laugh off the damage to your reputation with another jest. Your standing in my eyes is already irredeemably low, but you could have at least tried to avoid embarrassing your master before his superior."

---------------------------------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cpl Kendall · Post by **Cpl Kendall** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:00 am

"Of course you are correct, m'lady."

At that Steel pulls his grenades and ammo out of his pouches and puts them into his pack, summing a rating to send it back to his quarters. Though he retains his sword, inferno pistol and armour.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:00 am

Ravion had spent his time preparing as he usually does, packing his essential gear into an easily carried duffel which he left in his relatively opulent quarters. Grenades and helmets would not be needed tonight. However, opulent jewelry, clothing, all draped on and around his exquisitely crafted carapace. His sword and pistol lacked the overall craftsmanship of the rest of the ensemble, but function needed to show its ugly face somewhere. The scabbard and holster, however, helped make up for the general lack of elegance and style his weapons held and covered most of them well enough.

The rest of the time preparing had been spent cleaning up, applying fragrant oils and having his servants managing his long brown hair into a properly decorative styling with elaborate jewelry holding it in place. Naturally many of the pieces of jewelry doubled as emergency daggers, in the case of assassination attempts.

He was waiting at the "door" to his Uncle's dinner very early and watched as his people started talking and squabbling. As he looked around at his assembling group, he sniffed the air and sighed. "It smells of the firing range here, Steel, you didn't stop off there again, did you? You know, I will never understand your fascination with such primitive weapons. Perhaps I could offer you a cologne to mask the smells of gunpowder, lest we get the impression that you were hunting for our dinner."

Marcao · Post by **Marcao** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 1:43 pm

It did not take him long to arrive to his desired destination. He had no need to disappear into his quarters and make himself ready. Instead, his steps carried him methodically towards the captain's mess. He moved with surprising grace down the corridors until he came within line of sight of the pair of arched double doors which arched roughly four meters off their base. He took a moment to admire the images that were proudly displayed therein. There was a great deal of history in House Karakan. He was here to make certain that the glories of ages past were more than simply replicated. He was here to help this house soar back to heights unheard of in their history.

His eyes left the images that so proudly heralded the history of house Karakan and slid towards the pair of armsmen wearing carapace. The pattern of Umbrius was noted, he was very familiar with that particular crest. Their boltguns appeared to be meticulously maintained and that brought him a fair amount of comfort. A great deal could be said about a man from seeing how he maintained his weapons. His dress lacked most the gaudy finery that was on display on the bodies of others but he did not feel any sort of shame at the discrepancy. The sole weapons that he carried were his bolt pistol strapped down to his right thigh, and his power sword on its sheathe at his left side.

After a moment's hesitation he moved past the guards and into the room that laid beyond them. His head turned and his eyes flickered over Ravion as he exchanged words with Steel. He nearly smiled but he controlled his body enough not do so. The arch-militant took too much pride on being the blunt instrument of Ravion's entourage. He had seen the man in action and he remained relatively unimpressed. In his travels, he had met handfuls of such men and women that projected a great deal more competence and fear in their skills. Beneath the shadows that those giants had cast, Steel's shadow was akin to that cast by a river rat. He hoped that changed. He doubted that Ravion would accept such for long.

Once he was inside the room, he made an effort to look around and notice what was transpiring around him. In essence, he wanted to lay his fingers on the pulse of the room. Who was talking to whom? What was the mood? A great deal could be learned from simply observing human behavior in a setting such as this one. Inwardly, he was optimistic that Umbrius was ready to get his money's worth and put his nephew to the test.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:00 pm

The Captain's Mess consisted of a long table of polished ebony in the center of a vaulted chamber. Flags displaying the heraldry of House Karakan along with that of tributary colonies and worlds founded by the Rogue Traders of the ancient and mighty house. Holotorches set in sconces on the side of the room and a three vast crystal holocandle chandeliers provided the illumination.

Around the table were large, well upholstered chairs. At the far end, under a great banner depicting his personal coat of arms, Umbrius Karakan was enthroned in a huge chair. The Rogue Trader was well over three hundred years old and was beginning to show his age. Silver frosted his hair and temples. His once mighty frame was sagging slightly with excess fat, but his eyes were still sharp and alert. Light glittered off the rings on his hands and the accouterments of his vermilion and gold uniform.

Several decanters of wine were resting on the table next to large platters of the appetizer. The fried megaprawns were ten to fifteen centimeters long and arranged next to dishes of various dipping sauces. Silver bodied servitors, formed into the shape of beautiful, nude women, stood by to attend the diners.

"Lord Atellus, please make yourself welcome at my table," rasped Umbrius Karakan.

Marcao · Post by **Marcao** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:32 pm

The table which dominated the room was unmistakable as was its position at the very center of a vaulted chamber. His eyes lingered on that table as he wondered how many times such a table had laid at the very heart of the fortunes of house Karakan. How many brave men and women had sat and discussed future plans that would have affected not only the fortunes of house Karakan, but the lives of untold thousands of other living beings. For a moment, his mind flickered and he remembered being introduced to a similar table back home. He had only been a child then...

He pushed the memories that had threatened to overwhelm him aside. The flags of fine fabrics which displayed the heraldry of House Karakan along with their past deeds. A lesser man would have been taken aback by what he saw, but his noble background did not mark him as a lesser man. He took a deep breath allowing himself to explore the subtle scents of the room before his eyes came to rest on Umbrius Karakan himself. The man cast a large shadow and this was due to more than simply his size. For a man of his age, Umbrius presented himself akin to a bear. An animal that while past his prime, still was alert enough and dangerous enough to deal with any and all concievable threats. It was the mark of a master to be aware for any and all possible threats. Umbrius presented himself like such a man. It was the mark of someone that had to be respected. Only the most skilled and cunning of nobles lived to this age.

His eyes slid away from Umbrius with some difficulty. He was akin to a black hole at the center of a system, his very presence affected everything around it. His eyes slid along the table, taking note of the generous bounty that had been placed for their benefit. His eyes did not linger on the silver bodied servitors. This was not due to their lack of appeal, their shape was indeed beautiful but he had been surrounded by such beauty since he had been a child to some degree. One of the first lessons that had been taught to him was to resist the allure of the feminine form and its dulling effect on a men's minds. To that end, his father had seen it fit to desensitize him to its power by surrounding him with such women since an early age. Those had been pleasant memories indeed.

It was with that thought in mind that the words of Umbrius manifested around him and he immediately was brought out of his reverie. His head turned immediately and he glanced in the direction of Umbrius once more. He hesitated in his approach for only a moment, casting a glance over his shoulder in order to ascertain Ravion's location. He glided towards the table of their benefactor more so than he walked. A helmsman was expected to have a mastery over his body. After all, how could he master a massive multi-kilometer long vessel if he could not master his own body? He moved with near inhuman grace until he arrived at the side of the table. In the past some of his lessers had jested that he was part eldar. Most of those men no longer drew breaths. It was then that years of training kicked in and he bowed his head to his social superior; Umbrius deserved nothing less.

"Lord Umbrius Karakan, I am honored by your presence and humbled by your invitation." He replied formally. His eyes glanced towards Umbrius for a moment seeking a cue as to what his position at the table should be. In the end, it was after taking notice of such a cue that he chose his seating arrangement. He expected that Ravion would sit closest to his uncle's side. Once he sat down, his eyes slid over the table for a moment. He decided that he would wait until the others had arrived before he sought to make any moves on the assembled food. His head turned and he glanced towards Umbrius once more before he found himself speaking.

"I am ready to serve in whatever way I can Lord Umbrius." He said. The truth of his words glittered in his eyes, although that was not all that glittered in his eyes. Ambition swam alongside truth, carving deep paths within his grey eyes.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:41 pm

Umbrius Karakan smiled. "And advance yourself in the process." Umbrius chuckled. "For us, ambition is not merely permitted, it is essential. One of the reasons I've had my eye on you boy. And that hellion of a nephew of mine." Ravion wasn't literally Umbrius's nephew, but it was a loosely accurate way of describing the network of the blood ties that bound the two men together.

"So much inside the Imperium is bound against change, but out here, out here everything is for the taking."

Someshta · Post by **Someshta** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:54 pm

Goodwinne approached the Captain's Mess dressed in heavy rust colored robes of plain cut over plain but well made dark grey clothing. He carried no weapons, but a look to his face and the silk tied there to conceal the burned eye sockets from the more delicate of stomach was all the reminder required to remember he needed no weapons. A wide an easy smile spread across his face as he approached.

"So good to see you Ravion. I wonder what your uncle has planned for us? Probably something terribly exciting if you ask me, which I suspect you shall not."

Goodwinne paused for a second.

"Anyways I'd hate to keep him waiting."

Entering the room Goodwinne stopped and inclined his head to the senior Karakan.

"It is my pleasure to see you Lord Umbrias."

Then taking advantage of the fact that the blunts expected no more civility than that from a psyker he moved to take a seat and wait for the others.

White Haven · Post by **White Haven** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:55 pm

After departing the nearest of the great ship's firing galleries, Graylen retired to his quarters to prepared. At the appointed hour, he emerged to make his way to the Captain's dining hall. His garb is clearly recognizable as being patterned after an Imperial Navy officer's uniform, but the difference between it and its inspiration is nearly as broad as that between such a uniform and a beggar's rags. Midnight blue fabric of the highest quality makes up the jacket, shot through with silver and gold thread such that it appears to glisten in the light as if polished. Several chains hang from fastenings and epaulets in various places, not gleaming with the typical gaudy golden sheen one might expect, but the more menacing shade of a layer of adamantium plating over the surfaces. Likewise, the expected gold braid lining the jacket's epaulets has been replaced by a set that hints at warship armour rather than simple ostentation.

A sheathed power sword hangs to one side of a leather holster-rig, a servicable but only lightly ornamented bolt pistol occupying the other hip. The ornate jacket bulges underneath his right arm, speaking to the presence of a shoulder-rig that doesn't even attempt to conceal the existence of a weapon, only the type.

He inclined his head towards the guards as he walked towards the double door, slowing his pace enough to allow them to object to his personal armaments if they so chose. The Captain's own sanctum deserves that respect, at the least.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:47 pm

Ravion nodded politely to the eyeless telepath, "Yes, well, I do eagerly await his revelation. In the meantime, please do enter, I will be in shortly." Ravion made it a point to enter last, much as he generally appreciated Atellus entering first. While his people were generally competent, formal occasions sometimes left them confused, as was clearly shown by Steel's lack of decorum. Atellus would show them how to enter, and Ravion would make sure they all met with a similar form of compliance. A few of his group understood this and helped the others, but still others needed guidance. Woe be to those that made him wait, however, because it made him look poorly in the eyes of his uncle, and that would not do. The last person who made Ravion wait found himself scrubbing the decks before too long, which was a kindness compared to some of the previous would-be members of his retinue. Ravion's lack of patience for incompetence was a well established fact. He felt he had been chosen by fate for greatness, and surrounding himself with anything less than what he aspired to was something he would not stand.

Cpl Kendall · Post by **Cpl Kendall** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:57 pm

'Every man has a weakness Lord Ravion and a love. Mine just happen to be both."

At that Steel joins the procession of his lords retinue waiting to enter the Mess and at his turn he bows formally to the Master of the Illumination of Glory.

"I live to serve, Lord Umbrius", he says with a slight smile. Occasions like this made Steel nervous, he was more at home on the range then in fine company. And he takes his indicated seat with relief, grateful to be out of the spotlight.

Karrick · Post by **Karrick** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:25 pm

"My lord."

Valther acknowledged the arrival of his liege with a salute, fist to chest, and a quick bow. Having seen Ravion usher the others through the ornate doors, Valther followed suit.

He realized the splendor of the setting in a glance, though it would take much longer to fully appreciate it. It was not the first time Valther had witnessed a display of wealth in his life, but it was certainly one of the most exquisite. His eyes quickly found Lord Umbrias, resplendent at the head of the table. Valther was immediately impressed by the man's presence. Clearly, this was a man who commanded respect.

He delivered a stiff, deep bow to his host.

"Lord Umbrias, your invitation does me great honor. I can only hope my services will prove worthy of it." Valther made his way to a seat at his host's cue, and idly wondered how many ways the gilded servitors had to dispose of unruly guests.

Vehrec · Post by **Vehrec** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:44 pm

Crewmembers flinched out of Vir's way as he moved through the corridors of the ship. Oh, never more distance than a slightly-senior member of the Mechanicus deserved, but he couldn't help but feel slightly bitter at the looks on their faces. Ever since he had come aboard, the crew had avoided him out of superstition that he carried the ill fate of the Magos Irrenicus with him. Totally unfounded of course. He had served on the Magos for barely a year in her Armories before the accident that had swept her away from the main body of the fleet and caused her to founder in the warp and break up upon revision. Still, as the senior survivor, he found himself unwilling to return to a forge world and have to explain that to his own superiors. Someone was going to have to answer to that, and it was much more effective to punish the living than the dead.

So, thanks to his new friends, he'd stay one step ahead of that. Rounding the last corner, the Captain's mess now in sight. He was late, but only just and could join the rear of the party easily. Second-to-last was not so bad. And unlike a few, he had dressed to the nines for the occasion, red-trimmed white robes that flowed just enough to conceal the bulges in his chest and back. He had, however, removed the hood for this formal occasion, revealing fine but thinning red hair, laughing grey eyes and skin several shades too dark to be called bronze. A quick point of a finger and a burst of techno-lingua glued his attendant servo-skull to the opposite wall from the doors, unmoving until he would call for it again.

"Ravion. I trust that I am still on schedule. There was a regrettable incident that required immediate attention." He felt no need to elaborate further, and suspected the Ravion didn't want to know what had happened. He still didn't have a firm reading on the other man though, and would be pleasantly surprised to be wrong.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 5:31 pm

"Find a seat," said Umbrius, waving his "nephew's" retainers forward with a bejewelled hand. He reached out and dipped a megaprawn in spicy sauce before crunching it down.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 6:16 pm

Berenice turned and dismissed her armsmen with a wave, then swalked over to Ravion's side, watching the members of the group as they entered the captain's mess one buy one. The Explorator looked at her, obviously intending that she move as well. She ignored him until he has no choice but to turn and enter the hall himself, or risk his master's displeasure.

Having resolved the question of precedence to her liking, she walked through the door second to last, keeping a step behind the techpriest. She paused, for an instant to glance over the rows of seiver servitors, then towards the head of the table until she found the man sitting at the place of honor.

She inclined her head slightly, greeting the Rogue Trader. "Lord Captain, I thank you for your hospitality," she said, then walked towards the chair customarily occupied by one of the Nobilite during Umbrius' dinners. She had attended such dinners before, but never in such exclusive company when she was the most senior Navigator present, and she intended to make the most of the situation.

She reached her chair, and paused just for an instant as she allowed one of the silver maidens to take her staff, then took her place amongst the diners. She pulled back the hood of her robes revealing her short cropped blonde hair, arranged in an elaborate coiffure by her maids, and and a wide cerulean headscarf, covering her warp eye. She knew that men considered her attractive, and decided to accentuate the effect by having her maids apply makeup to her face. She found the confusion of those who found her desirable, yet were repusled by her status as one of the Nobilite to be most amusing, and took quiet pleasure in observing their reactions. Now, however, her efforts were wasted, as Umbrias Karakan was far too experienced to fall for such a simple trick, and there was no other suitable subject in the room.

She did not mind. She found the situation most intriguing. She had been expecting Umbrias to test his nephew for a while now, to make or break his postion as heir apparent once and for all. By all appearances, the moment had finally come. She sat immobile, watched the specks of light glide and play off parts of Umbrius' wardrobe, and waited for him to begin.

------------------------------------
Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

LibriumArcana.Games

Rogue Trader: The Hand of Fortune

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