- After a few rather embarrassing failed attempts, the supposedly agile Assassin Vindex reached the top of the scree slope from which the rocky outcrop rose – along with Aristarchus. The remainder of the group, having seen Vindex’s difficulty, decided to remain behind and watch the truck.
- A crude pictograph of a bird of prey clutching a skull in it’s talons is found burned into a large flat table of rock near where the shadowy figure was spotted. The rock is still hot to the touch. Aristarchus seems moved to awe by the discovery, but remains tight-lipped.
- The group head on towards Stern Hope, rising through increasingly craggy hills and rocky slopes – and eventually passing into the great rift valley just after sunset. Stern Hope looms ahead against a crimson sky, it sits upon a hillock – pressed up against one of the valley’s great cliff walls.
- The team are met at the wall gate by a rather gruff Brother Severus – Stern Hope’s Intercessor (a kind of church Enforcer), a veteran ex-guard sniper of the infamous Sythewind regiment – hailing from the deathworld of Mortressa.
- They then meet Brother Lamark – another ex-guardsman – on the way into Stern Hope. He greets them heartily and leads then to the Crying Clota Inn and accommodates them there. Aristarchus is distant, and seemingly exhausted – he cannot take his eyes from the dusk silhouette of the great cathedral on the hill… Lamark insists that that Abbot Orland Skae – the man they have come to meet – will be free in the morning, for this night he stands vigil over the sick bed of a young girl.
- After a failed attempt to socialise with the locals by Vindex, the group sleep.
- Next morning Aristarchus gathers the group – again looking tired – and begins a group discussion, going over and analysing what they have seen so far. They then set off to meet the Abbot at the priory. The meeting goes ahead and Skae appears a tough, honest old man – pleased with the Cathedral’s progress and eager not to let anything get in the way of it’s consecration. He informs the Acolyte’s of the latest goings on, and lends them brother Lamark as a guide – to take them into the hills around Stern Hope, to some of the sights of strange disturbances. He then retires to continue preparations for the ceremony. Aristarchus returns to his room in the Clota, after beseeching the group to investigate in his absence.
- The crew leave Vittorious to sell the ammunition stash purchased aboard the Brazen Sky – and to glean any gossip from the locals in the meantime of course!
- Titus enters dramatically in a military drop-pod. Nice.
- The newly reinforced group then hike up into the hills around Stern Hope – Brother Lamark in the lead. Titus, having been on terra-firma for five minutes, is irked by the ever present and seemingly sinisterly blind Shale-Crows. He takes a shot at one, believing it pulverised. The rest cease to bother the travellers.
- Suddenly, the group is ambushed by a great predatory lizard known as a Hexalid, four times the size of a man. It goes for Gaius – and savages Lex’s legs before it is finally taken to pieces by the groups weight of fire. It is then clear that the thing has been dead for weeks, and its body grossly distorted – It’s eyes have been seemingly torn out by crows; and a strange psychic residue remains around the beast, worse than it’s corporeal stench.
- The group carry on, reaching their destination: a group of bandits at camp dismembered by an unknown adversary. Very little is left (most having been cleared away by Stern Hope scouts days before.)
- The party decide to return to Stern Hope before darkness descends, after briefly considering staking out the hills and waiting for phenomena – as tomorrow is the day of the consecration.
- They reach the Crying Clota, only to find Aristarchus absent, apparently in deep discussion with the abbot and not to be disturbed…
- The party sleeps. The watches are uneventful.
- In the morning Aristarchus does not come down for breakfast, and the party are beginning to become concerned when war horns are sounded around the camp – Warchief Kos’ke and his escort have arrived for the consecration ceremony. crowds line the main thoroughfare, as eight Ashleen – mounted on Dust-Dogs (great bipedal, hound-headed, long-furred and tailed beasts three times the height of a man and well-muscled) Parade East towards the Warriors’ camp. With the six warriors an their lord rides a rather different figure. Swathed in black and purple robes, with a long dark veil – an obviously elderly woman dismounts beside the priory, and motions for Kos’ke to continue on. She is Esha Raine – the Death-Singer: highly regarded folk-healer and respected Ashleen elder.
- Aristarchus joins the group then as the crowds disperse. He has dark rings under his eyes, and looks more haggard and exhausted that ever before. However, his mood is animated and excited – he commands the Acolytes to put on their choicest gear and attend the morning part of the consecration service in his stead. He must rest further, but will attend the evening service.
- The Acolytes do as they are bid, donning dress uniforms, ceremonial garb, and clean clothes respectively. They are greeted at the great, obsidian cathedral’s door by Skae himself and his attendants. He leads them to the front row of pews; a place of honour. Gaius and Vindex hold-back, uneasy and suspect. The building’s interior is even more impressive than it’s darkly glittering exterior façade – the central dome being dominated by a vast mural of Saint Drusus, sword and Aquila in hand – standing astride a shadowy, defeated opponent.
- Kos’ke and Esha Raine are led in by Skae and the Ashleen warlord’s honour guard. Organ music and sung prayers begin the service – and then Skae stands to speak. He speaks rousingly of the long struggle the pilgrims have faced to construct so beautiful a place of worship – and calls this day a day of deliverance and celebration, justly deserved. As he is about to continue, Stern hope’s warning klaxons begin to sound – their shrill wails failing to overcome the chatter of solid munitions and the high zip-crack of las weaponry echoing around the great temple through the open doorway. Skae’s look of surprise quickly hardens, and his gaze finds the acolytes as he states with great final emphasis – “For blood, is the sacrament of the Imperium…”
- Kos’ke storms from the church with his men ready to do battle. Brothers Larmark and Severus swiftly follow, gathering armed pilgrims as they go.
- The acolytes too are swift to respond, making a stand on the cathedral’s steps as a troop truck, crudely augmented with a dozer blade, breaches Stern Hopes steel mesh gate – and yellow garbed zealots are disgorged from within – hacking, slashing and firing wildly. A large fanatic wielding a crude chainsword and pistol leads a group of Voicers towards the cathedral. He is the first to fall to the Emperor’s divine fire. His dozen companions soon follow – mown down as they approach the Acolytes, or cut down in a short, vicious hand-to-hand combat, where their crude cleavers and clubs avail them little.
- A second group of voicers are slain by their own explosive device as they seek to destroy Stern Hopes only generatoria (plunging the settlement back into the dark ages…) – as Titus’ well aimed shot punches through the bomb – detonating it.
- Then, the battle begins in earnest. Fanatical Voicers swarm over the defensive wall – overpowering the few pilgrim defenders. Severus, Lamark, Kos’ke, and his men lead a counter-charge – bolstered by several dozen brave pilgrim-settlers.
- Vittorious (as a NPC) grasps a banner from the priory and, hanging it atop a pole, exhorts the loyal throng into a religious fervour – sending them raining down upon the equally fervent enemy.
- Howls are heard as dust dogs – maddened by the violence around them – break free of the warriors enclose and begin to slay indiscriminately.
- Several groups of Voicers break through the defenders thin line, and begin to hunt and kill the weak nad the innocent among Stern Hope’s sea of tents. Screams rise and are silenced by falling cleavers, as oaths of hated and religious zeal and spat and shouted in the din…
- Vindex leaps into the sea of tents, seeking to defend the innocent. Lex rushes to aid the defenders at the gate, seeking the centre of the scrum at Vittorious’ side. Titus and Gaius – both practitioners of very different offensive techniques – settle down upon the steps and begin to pick and pop targets with their hunting rifles.
- Vindex comes upon a group of three Voicers who have cornered a young Ashleen woman and over a dozen terrified children. Without thought – he attacks, his murderous mono-blade coming down in glittering, crimson arcs. the blade of the righteous spills the blood of the lost.
- Lex, reaching the melee at the gate, begins to force his way forward – drawing men after him as he blasts with his Ironclaw and slashes with his sword. Eventually he links with Vittorious – who, bellowing a rousing soldier’s song leads the phalanx forward over the enemy. Without warning, Vitt is injured in the arm by a flung blade and can no longer hold the banner – Lex gathers the standard from his wounded comrade and, with a tremendous charge, bowls the voicers away from the truck and gate – standing atop the vehicle with inspirational defiance. The Pilgrims of Stern Hope fling back the enemy in response; their fighting wedge cutting through the enemy’s ranks and sundering them decisively. Now separated, and hard pressed by men defending their homes, the Voicers begin to fall.
- Titus and Gaius eliminate all resitance on the walls – both the rigorous battle-acumen of guard marksmanship and the twisting paths of the warp end men’s lives with the punching report of a rifle round. As Voicer riflemen, a flame trooper and a crank cannon crew, struggling to get into position, are all exectued with cold efficiency. Gaius even has time to step forward and turn off the late Voice-leader’s chainsword, as it clatters and tears at the earth.
- The battle for Stern Hope, seems almost won…