JanurA large collection of crude Aquilas made from bark, wood, and bone lie before the sergeant. Each varies slightly from the next, however — some clutch an Astra Militarum sigil in their talons, others have the number 32 carved into their wings, while another group have one head depicted as a mechanical bird skull. "Is there something you wanted, Your Lordship/Ladyship?"
YOU"You enjoy making things?"
Janur"Yes, Your Lordship/Ladyship. I carve things for myself and for the fellows, and sometimes I take commissions. Toys for volunteers, medals for awards, pieces to put on gun stocks. Sometimes I help with prosthetics. But I also do it for the pleasure of the thing."
YOU"You enjoy making things?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."
Janur"That's right." Noticing the confusion on your face, Janur continues. "That's our cemetery. Even a human corpse is a resource and object of value for us. We inject certain poisons and other extracts into the leaf shrouds to produce... something good. Nutrient paste, camouflage ointment, glue... lots of things."
Janur"So, the people who serve in the funereal detachments are some of our most respected experts. They're even willing to risk their own hides to return a fallen soldier's body to the regiment. It's our means of survival."
YOU"You enjoy making things?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."
Janur"The Drover is an ancient creature. Maybe there's more than one. Every once in a while, the damn thing comes out and starts shrieking, making us deranged. Who knows why it does it, but what we do know is that it's slowly driving everyone mad. Some people panic, some people get angry... it's different for everyone. Dunawski has ear protection, but they're the only pair, so they're no salvation."
YOU"You enjoy making things?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"
Janur"Of course. You'll be our commander soon enough, so it's only right that you should know."
YOU"Can you tell me anything about Merov?"
Janur"Only from the stories of the old Call-Ups. People there are nothing but property. And minor mistakes are grounds for imprisonment. Our regiment was once formed from such unfortunate souls. In short, it's a cursed place abandoned by the God-Emperor."
YOU"Can you tell me anything about Merov?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me about Zarkov."
Janur"It's our home, Your Lordship/Ladyship. Everything here is either poisonous, predatory, or fragile. In short, anything that isn't trying to kill you is only pretending to be safe. But you get used to it. And then you learn how to use it. Poisonous? Then you can use it for medicine. Predatory? Means it's edible. Hard to kill? You can probably use its skin for armour."
YOU"Can you tell me anything about Merov?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me about Zarkov."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Batoshski and Dunawski are the senior officers here?"
Janur"They're commanders not officers. There's a difference. My uncle — I mean, the colonel — has been in charge of the regiment for over ten seasons. You won't find anyone on Zarkov who is more decent or tougher than him. I once saw him covering a retreat for the wounded. Three suckers from a mace latched onto him, but he didn't even blink until he got the wounded soldier to the Cage. They say the suckers just shrivelled up and died later."
Janur"Captain-Quartermaster Dunawski is the colonel's right hand. She's in charge of supplies, which makes her my immediate commander. She is a good sort, just a little bit... well... out there." Janur makes a vague gesture near his head. "She believes that, now you've arrived, our lives will change overnight. Everything will get sorted and we'll head for the stars with you. That we'll get our atonement, even start eating off real plates. It used to sound like Commissar claptrap, but now... I don't know. I'd rather stick to my uncle's ways."
YOU"Can you tell me anything about Merov?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me about Zarkov."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Batoshski and Dunawski are the senior officers here?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You disagree with Captain Dunawski?"
Janur"I'm with Colonel Batoshski on this, Your Lordship/Ladyship. There's nothing for us out there in the stars. We were born here, and we must die here. The songs say our regiment used to serve as cover for the cleaner regiments and rot in the mud for them too. Here on Zarkov, at least I know who and what I'm fighting for."
YOU"Can you tell me anything about Merov?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me about Zarkov."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Batoshski and Dunawski are the senior officers here?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You disagree with Captain Dunawski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"So your direct commander is Dunawski, but you're a supporter of Batoshski?"
Janur"Atonement for the one is a complicated thing. I do what needs to be done. And I have no complaints about Vedka. Before your arrival, all this was just an excuse to babble. Besides, Izdrig's my uncle. He raised me after my parents died. Turning on him would be as bad as what the Brother-Generals did."
YOU"Can you tell me anything about Merov?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me about Zarkov."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Batoshski and Dunawski are the senior officers here?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You disagree with Captain Dunawski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"So your direct commander is Dunawski, but you're a supporter of Batoshski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That will be all."
Janur"Yes, Your Lordship/Ladyship."
YOU"You enjoy making things?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"
Janur"Well, officially we're a supply platoon. That is, we gather the resources that the Cage needs to survive. And each of us has to have some special skill. Like knowing about poisons, making ammo, or recharging power packs for las weapons. We're supply troops and that means we're the best of the best."
YOU"How do you manage to manufacture ammunition in such conditions?"
Janur"There are these explosive flowers around here. Their pollen works as a substitute for... How do you call it... fyceline! You've got to recite a litany of fury over it and then mix it with some other things. We carve bullets out of bark and bones, either from our own dead or some huge creatures. It's trickier with shell casings, but sometimes you bore a hole through wood nice and clean — it depends on whether you recited the litany of fervent labour correctly or not. If you get it wrong, then the bullets tend to misfire, or even explode in the barrel."
YOU"How do you manage to manufacture ammunition in such conditions?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"For the casings, you could use something that burns easily but holds its shape. I think I saw some kind of coarse paper around here."
Janur"Hmm... That's a great idea, Your Lordship/Ladyship. The casing will burn on its own as long as you clean the barrel once in a while. When we have time, we'll do some tests."
Janur"Maybe the captain-quartermaster was right — we should find new ways to serve the God-Emperor, instead of just clinging to the old ones..."
YOU"How do you manage to manufacture ammunition in such conditions?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"For the casings, you could use something that burns easily but holds its shape. I think I saw some kind of coarse paper around here."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why would supply troops need to know about poisons?"
Janur"Plenty of poisonous menaces growing around here. But, Your Lordship/Ladyship, poisons can be used as softening agents, medicine, and all sorts of useful things. And if you mix it right, you can even make sleep-water. Sometimes we need it bad, especially after a rough few days in the roots."
YOU"How do you manage to manufacture ammunition in such conditions?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"For the casings, you could use something that burns easily but holds its shape. I think I saw some kind of coarse paper around here."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why would supply troops need to know about poisons?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Is it that hard to recharge a power pack?"
Janur"Well, maybe it's easy for you. You probably have some charging things back where you're from, but we don't have anything like that. But you can throw a battery on a fire. There's even a proper name for the ritual, but I can't remember it. The problem is that sometimes the battery just explodes. It's risky, and the rite ruins them eventually anyway. So, the ones who know exactly where to put it in the fire and how long to let it burn, they're valuable soldiers."
YOU"How do you manage to manufacture ammunition in such conditions?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"For the casings, you could use something that burns easily but holds its shape. I think I saw some kind of coarse paper around here."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why would supply troops need to know about poisons?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Is it that hard to recharge a power pack?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for telling me this."
Janur"This is how we survive, Your Lordship/Ladyship. Die, or grow stronger and smarter."
YOU"You enjoy making things?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."
Janur"Stay vigilant, Your Lordship/Ladyship."
end of branch
Janur(sequence)
PasqalPasqal's vox-emitter produces a barely audible sigh of sorrow, one that shifts into a quiet binharic litany.
end of branch
YOU"Thank you for telling me this."continues where this line first appears above
Janur(sequence)
Jae"Sleep-water? Hmm. You know, shereen, a draught that helps one forget one's terrors at night regardless of the horrors suffered during the day could have a grand future as an export to other worlds of the Imperium..."
end of branch
YOU"Is it that hard to recharge a power pack?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for telling me this."continues where this line first appears above
Janur(sequence)
Pasqal"I am registering sacrilegious interference in the rites of servicing the gifts of the Omnissiah by the laity. I insist upon the cautionary servitorisation of those responsible for the arsenal's upkeep."
end of branch
YOU"Why would supply troops need to know about poisons?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Is it that hard to recharge a power pack?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for telling me this."continues where this line first appears above
Janur(sequence)
EogunnPlaceholder
end of branch
YOU"For the casings, you could use something that burns easily but holds its shape. I think I saw some kind of coarse paper around here."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why would supply troops need to know about poisons?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Is it that hard to recharge a power pack?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Thank you for telling me this."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."continues where this line first appears above
Janur(sequence)
Solomorne"Even here, far from the filth of bureaucracy and ambition, blood ties are placed above lawful rank. It seems this particular heresy runs in Humanity's very blood."
end of branch
YOU"That will be all."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"So your direct commander is Dunawski, but you're a supporter of Batoshski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That will be all."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You disagree with Captain Dunawski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"So your direct commander is Dunawski, but you're a supporter of Batoshski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That will be all."continues where this line first appears above
Janur(sequence)
Yrliet"How fascinating. Mon-keigh who could not subjugate a world have been forced to submit to the planet's laws instead. Your species is remarkably tenacious in its own survival."
end of branch
YOU"Batoshski and Dunawski are the senior officers here?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You disagree with Captain Dunawski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"So your direct commander is Dunawski, but you're a supporter of Batoshski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That will be all."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me about Zarkov."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Batoshski and Dunawski are the senior officers here?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You disagree with Captain Dunawski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"So your direct commander is Dunawski, but you're a supporter of Batoshski?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"That will be all."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."continues where this line first appears above
Janur(sequence)
Cassia"Squeezing the last juices from the dead..." Cassia inhales sharply and covers her lips with her long fingers, as if stifling a surge of nausea.
end of branch
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."continues where this line first appears above
Janur(sequence)
ArgentaArgenta pulls off her glove before picking up an unfinished wooden figurine of a soldier, as if afraid of damaging it. She turns the toy over in her hands, her brow furrowed in concentration, then suddenly grins. "Carve a smile upon his face, master craftsman. Let the children know that a soldier must be stern toward his enemies yet merciful toward those he protects. Just as you are toward these little ones."
end of branch
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 5 of 6
Janur"Lord Captain!" Janur drops his carving, stands up straight, and makes the sign of the Aquila.
YOU"You enjoy making things?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 6 of 6
JanurJanur tears his attention away from his carving with a grunt and looks up at you expectantly, one eyebrow raised.
YOU"You enjoy making things?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I found cocoons made out of leaves, and what appeared to be... human corpses inside."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I'd like to know more about the Drover."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Will you tell me about your settlement?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What does your platoon do?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must take my leave."continues where this line first appears above