NPCA shortish, muscular man wearing the scarlet colours of the Priesthood of Mars steps into your path. The wrinkles on his cheeks and forehead point to his propensity for frequent outbursts of fierce anger, but right now, he is showing no signs of aggression. Glowing blue patterns of electric tattoos, or electoos, show through his oddly bluish-tinted skin.
NPCA tight bandage covers the man's eyes, yet he turns his face straight toward you with no hesitation. He has a sharp, screeching voice not unlike a bird's cawing: "May the charge of the Omnissiah's mercy persist in the hands of the faithful."
YOU[Make the sign of the Aquila] "The Emperor protects."
NPCThe man responds curtly, as if giving a military command: "The Omnissiah knows all, comprehends all."
NPC"The Hallowed Electrodynamic Cenobium receives you, pilgrim. I am Dahr-Impulse VI, a servant of the Motive Force and the Praetor Electroid of this sacred monastery."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"
NPC"Yes. Tech-Brother Abel arrived here to engage in a magnetic meditation that would help clarify his visions. Unfortunately, the heretics' machinations prevented us from completing the ritual. The esteemed Logis volunteered his help in defending the monastery, but contact with him was lost soon afterward."
YOU"Tell me more about Logis Abel."
NPC"We did not speak much to each other. He preferred to devote his time to solitary reflections in his chapel. The Omnissiah has given Tech-Brother Abel a gift of great insight, which allows him to discern each individual facet of existence rather than the overall view. This makes his logic different from that of other people."
NPC"His mind has always been able to combine facts and conclusions into harmonious wholes that were nothing short of beautiful. Many among my flock found his sermons poetic."
YOU"Tell me more about Logis Abel."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kinds of visions was he receiving?"
NPC"The Omnissiah's revelation was encrypted with great meticulousness, which indicates its great importance. Grasping it fully is beyond my ability, but a single touch was enough for me to realise the enormity of the secret concealed within. Or, more exactly, the Secret Design, which was how Tech-Brother Abel referred to it. His mind had discerned in the world around him traces of some grand silence that he wished to comprehend."
YOU"Tell me more about Logis Abel."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kinds of visions was he receiving?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have rescued him from the insurgents."
NPC"I hope the Omnissiah preserves Tech-Brother Abel's life, that he may continue to comprehend the mysteries he has tapped into."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."
NPC"Truth is like light, and blocking its path is criminal." The Praetor Electroid nods majestically.
YOU"Who are you?"
NPC"The hard-working servants and dwellers of this cenobium. Electro-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The Corpuscarii did us a great honour by entrusting into our care the sacred relic around which the Hallowed Electrodynamic Cenobium was built."
YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What precisely do you believe in?"
NPC"We have devoted ourselves to the worship of that aspect of the Machine God which is known as the Motive Force. It is the blessed divine spark that creates impetus in the universe. The Omnissiah, in his mercy, gave the world the gift of the Motive Force, and we follow its impulses in order to increase it, bring it to laypeople, and protect it from unholy hands."
NPC"The relic that this monastery protects provides the entire planet of Rykad Minoris with the blessed Motive Force, and we, unworthy though we are, are glad to serve the ancient machine that dwells in this place."
YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What precisely do you believe in?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about your relic."
NPC"It would be pointless to describe the Miraculous Fusion Reactor. Only through beholding its ferocious power can one comprehend its blessed essence, and fear the might of the Omnissiah. Its core was found four thousand years ago and delivered to Rykad Minoris by the holy warrior of faith Locke-Impulse I during one of his campaigns. Its sacred spark has not gone out for an instant, and the walls and power units of this cenobium have been erected around the relic in order to protect it from ignorant laypeople, as well as protect them from its formidable might."
YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What precisely do you believe in?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about your relic."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not like other members of the Adeptus Mechanicus I have met."
NPC"Our faith imposes a duty of obedience on us. Every Electro-Priest is given numerous electoos that combine in a blessed voltagheist circuit, allowing feeble flesh to withstand the might of the Motive Force. That is why our skin glows with its light, and our eyes boil and melt when we are ordained."
NPC"'The Omnissiah's Tears' is what we call this phenomenon, this dying away of unworthy flesh. As we shun the layperson's primitive means of looking at the world, we gain the ability to sense the Motive Force around us with our entire bodies."
YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What precisely do you believe in?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about your relic."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not like other members of the Adeptus Mechanicus I have met."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I understand everything."
NPC"I am pleased to be the conductor of truth."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"
NPC"Only those laypeople who desire to experience the Motive Force are allowed to cross this monastery's threshold. All others are profaners and criminals. You do not belong to the fraternity of Electro-Priests, but your intentions are good. If you were not seeking the Omnissiah's wisdom, then it was the Motive Force itself that brought you here to find it."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"
NPC"When the heretics descended in droves upon this cenobium, we gave battle. But the unholy foes buried the Omnissiah's warriors under a mass of their bodies, thus extinguishing the defenders' sparks of purity. It was then that I ordered my few surviving brethren to retreat into the monastery's secret chambers. Upon taking refuge there, we began to destroy the blasphemous intruders in surreptitious ways. Alas, as fiery as my brethren's anger was, I had no right to permit them to die in honest combat, for the task of taking back our abode still lay ahead for us."
NPC(sequence)
Heinrix"I must commend the skill with which your secret chambers are concealed." You hear a tinge of wounded pride in Heinrix's words, as if he is upset about failing to discover the Electro-Priests' shelter. "Your choice of tactics was wise as well. There was no point in losing more lives in the massacre that the cultists wrought."
end of branch
NPC"The leader of the heretics fought her way into the ark wherein dwells the Miraculous Fusion Reactor. She is trying to desecrate the Rite of Operation with her unholy litanies so that the relic may be corrupted and the world of Rykad Minoris may perish in a fount of fire. But my brethren, in their magnetic meditation, are hampering her efforts by chanting access request prayers in unison, thereby suppressing the commands that the blasphemers enter." The Praetor Electroid nods toward his entranced comrades.
YOU"In the monastery, I was attacked by people who looked like Electro-Priests."
NPC"That is a lamentable mistake. We knew of no help that was on its way, and were not expecting to encounter any allies in the monastery's chambers. But I see that you are alive, and I mourn the senseless deaths of my brethren."
YOU"In the monastery, I was attacked by people who looked like Electro-Priests."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"My enforcers and the governor's guards can help you reclaim the monastery."
NPC"I cannot allow this. Laypeople are forbidden from visiting the monastery, and only a select few are allowed to behold the ark and the relic within. You and your retinue are pilgrims of a special status bestowed by the Emperor. However, should any soldier unblessed by the Omnissiah cross this monastery's threshold, I will deem them a heretic and have them put to death."
YOU"In the monastery, I was attacked by people who looked like Electro-Priests."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"My enforcers and the governor's guards can help you reclaim the monastery."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You made the right decision when you chose to avoid combat and save yourselves."
NPC"Thank you, pilgrim. It was not easy, watching unholy intruders stampede through the chambers of my temple. We all envied our brethren who had fallen before that sacrilege began."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."
NPC"The ark is hidden from pilgrims' eyes. But considering the extraordinary circumstances of your visit to this monastery, I grant you that right. The hall that leads to the high reliquary has been barred by the enemy, but I will open a secret path for you. Enter the ark and experience the Motive Force, pilgrim. We will pray to the security systems that they may refrain from punishing you for your intrusion."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."
NPCThe Praetor stays silent for a long time. Finally, he lets out a deep sigh. "Thank you, pilgrim, for reminding me of our duty to Humanity. I will send the Cenobium's warriors to your aid if that is what His warriors want me to do."
end of branch
YOU"I must press on."
NPC"May the charge of the Omnissiah's grace persist in the batteries of the faithful!"
end of branch
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A true person of faith would never have hidden and let the enemy take over their temple."
NPCThe Praetor Electroid's face becomes stonelike. "My body is brimming with the fury of the Motive Force that wants to be unleashed upon the heretics who have dared to desecrate my temple. But this is pride, and it is incompatible with my rank and my duties."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Scoff] "I was under no misconception that anything resembling a fighting spirit could be expected from humble priests."
NPCThe Praetor Electroid's face becomes stonelike. "My body is brimming with the fury of the Motive Force that wants to be unleashed upon the heretics who have dared to desecrate my temple. But this is pride, and it is incompatible with my rank and my duties."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
Pasqal"Confirmed. The presence of laypeople on monastery grounds without the Praetor Electroid's blessing will be regarded as a sacrilegious violation of the holy Rite of Operation."
end of branch
HeinrixHeinrix opens his mouth for a second to say something, but changes his mind and quietly clears his throat instead.
end of branch
Idira"Sure, better to die protecting their lumens and coils than to accept help from 'unworthies'! And we're left to deal with the mess as usual..."
end of branch
CassiaCassia nods thoughtfully. "Yes, I see... House Orsellio follows the same rules when it comes to outsiders."
end of branch
YOU"You made the right decision when you chose to avoid combat and save yourselves."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A true person of faith would never have hidden and let the enemy take over their temple."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Scoff] "I was under no misconception that anything resembling a fighting spirit could be expected from humble priests."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Say nothing]continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
Abelard"I wonder if you would have so touchingly mourned the Lord Captain's death or if such sentiments would have only been awoken by the sound of our voidship delivering a punitive strike from orbit."
end of branch
YOU"My enforcers and the governor's guards can help you reclaim the monastery."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You made the right decision when you chose to avoid combat and save yourselves."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"A true person of faith would never have hidden and let the enemy take over their temple."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Scoff] "I was under no misconception that anything resembling a fighting spirit could be expected from humble priests."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Say nothing]continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
Pasqal"This holy place will be protected against sacrilegious practices. I swear it."
end of branch
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I understand everything."continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
PasqalPasqal keeps his solemn silence, but the quick clicking of his mechadendrite's claw betrays his excitement at being so close to the sacred archeotech.
end of branch
YOU"You are not like other members of the Adeptus Mechanicus I have met."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I understand everything."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about your relic."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not like other members of the Adeptus Mechanicus I have met."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I understand everything."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What precisely do you believe in?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Tell me more about your relic."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You are not like other members of the Adeptus Mechanicus I have met."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I understand everything."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Logis Abel is dead."
NPC"Sad news indeed. Tech-Brother Abel was chosen by the Omnissiah to be a comprehender of great mysteries. May his spirit's Motive Force come into being anew in the fount of the Miraculous Fusion Reactor."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."
NPC"I hope the Omnissiah preserves Tech-Brother Abel's life, that he may continue to comprehend the mysteries he has tapped into."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have rescued him from the insurgents."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Logis Abel is dead."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What kinds of visions was he receiving?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have rescued him from the insurgents."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Logis Abel is dead."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I see."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
PasqalPasqal bows down humbly before the man. A trill of binharic signals comes from his vox, to which the Praetor responds with a solemn gesture of blessing. Pasqal turns to you and says, "The rank of Praetor Electroid is a sign of high standing within the Electro-Priest fraternity. To have been granted an audience is a great honour."
end of branch
NPCThe Praetor Electroid looks at Kibellah and gives a dignified nod. "You have brought an assassin. Good. She will find much work here. Are you ready for new toils, blessed slayer?"
Kibellah"Always. Can it be any other way?"
end of branch
Abelard"You have the honour of hosting the Rogue Trader of House von Valancius. I urge you to follow proper etiquette when interacting with the eminent bearer of the sacred Warrant."
NPC"Within these walls, worldly titles are nothing before the Motive Force. Your deeds, however, speak far louder than titles, for your path here is sprayed with the blood of desecrators."
end of branch
YOU"We serve the same holy being, the same many-faced divine revelation. I greet you."
NPCThe man offers you a deep bow, respectful of the words spoken by a former Adeptus Ministorum servant. "May the Motive Force in your righteous limbs never fail in His holy service. I greet you in kind, brother/sister."
NPC"The Hallowed Electrodynamic Cenobium receives you, pilgrim. I am Dahr-Impulse VI, a servant of the Motive Force and the Praetor Electroid of this sacred monastery."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Another blind heretic. To battle."
NPC"Stop, pilgrim. You have no enemies here, for the corruption of heresy has not touched our fraternity."
NPC"The Hallowed Electrodynamic Cenobium receives you, pilgrim. I am Dahr-Impulse VI, a servant of the Motive Force and the Praetor Electroid of this sacred monastery."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I, Rogue Trader [Name] von Valancius, declare this monastery to be under my protection."
NPCThe man bows his head. "The Motive Force brought you here at the right time, pilgrim."
NPC"The Hallowed Electrodynamic Cenobium receives you, pilgrim. I am Dahr-Impulse VI, a servant of the Motive Force and the Praetor Electroid of this sacred monastery."continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
Pasqal"May the Motive Force persist in their batteries."
end of branch
Entry point 2 of 2
NPC"Speak, pilgrim."
YOU"Dahr-Impulse VI... It was to you, was it not, that Logis Abel came seeking an interpretation of his datatrance?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I have a few questions about this place and the people in it."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are you calling me a pilgrim?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What happened here and how did you manage to survive?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I wish to get to the holy reactor."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"The time has come to prove your loyalty to the Omnissiah, Praetor. In the name of the God of Humanity, strengthen my numbers with the faithful eager to fulfil their duty, so that they help me punish the blasphemers."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I must press on."continues where this line first appears above