# Lantern Marines: Trials of Luminos



## DasOmen (Mar 10, 2011)

The Forge World Luminos, the lost planet of the lantern marines chapter. long ago it was consumed by the vile legions of the tyranid hive mind. it's loss is forever a scar on the chapter's honor. rather than shy away from it, the lantern marines own up to it, and after they pushed the tyranids from the planet and beat them back, used it as their proving grounds for their veterans. now a new batch of marines seeking veteran status prepares to embark down to the planet...

even as the forge world of Luminos sat in it's third quarter of a 6 month night cycle, a time that encased the planet in near absolute darkness, a single battle barge lingered overhead, and if sound could travel through space, one would hear the insistent and rhythmic beating of drums, the harsh melodies of various stringed instruments, and the inspiring wails of trumpets, saxophones, and pipe organs. the lantern marines were deep in their Veteran Rituals. nine marines stood still as still as could be up on a stage while the chaplains and ranking members of the chapter sang songs of great valor and harsh sacrifice in the name of the emperor. songs of the ferocious battles of Macrag during the tyranid invasion of the ultra marine's home world. they sang songs of the third war of Armageddon and the heroic deeds of the blood angels, and they sang songs of penance and remembrance for the loss of their beloved forge world Luminos. 

the nine marines stood on stage in the grand hall of the battle barge, seven lantern marines, and two wearing the colors of other chapters. the music and ceromony was to honor them, their deeds, and prepare them for the fight ahead. for the last 12 groups sent down to the planet have yet to return, and all scans show their life signs as non responsive. down in the croud every last marine on the warship stood or sat, embracing the music in the way of the chapter. after witnessing such a thing you'd never imagine that the lantern marines actually descended from the dark angels...

as the nine marines stood on stage the chapter's master of the forge came before each of them. handing them a box shrouded in an ornate cloth with the marking of their chapter on it. for decades the marines here of the lantern chapter had worn the helm with only a single flame upon their eye, now within the box was a helm for the other eye, a sign that the trials of the veteran were upon them. even the ultra marine and the blood angel were given a similar box with the shroud over it, each in the color of their chapter, each with the two flames to mark them as a veteran of the lantern marines. for down in the trials, you either succeeded, or you died. 

as the event climaxed, the nine marines were guided to their respective drop pods, but in front of them all, was a terminal manned by the chapter's lead apothecary who was doing last minute checks on everyone. 

"The last 108 marines to undertake this trial have joined the emperor as he called them to his side. but know this brothers from ultra and blood angels, should you join his side during the trials, should you be called to stand by him. we will return your gene seed to your chapter, and your armor will forever be housed in the halls of our champions. now then, you all have a choice, one i suggest you make together. that is your drop location... the planet is currently in the third quarter of it's 6 month night cycle. night and darkness have ruled the planet now for many days and months, but the landing sites still remain the same." the chapter master would announce as he followed behind them. 

"your choices are as follows. the Temple upon Mount Pele, a shrine to our beloved god emperor. the water works on the river neigh, or the thick swamps of Zarcoon. those are your three choices. from each you must find your way to the forges upon the world. talk amongst yourselves now and decide. for where one goes, you all go. "


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ALL: post your character's experience through this ritual. for many of you it's just as it always has been, but for the ultra marine and the blood angel. this is the first time the lantern marines have fully opened up to either of you with their rituals. everything else has been severely toned down up till now. 

also it's part of the ceremony for veterans to equip the new helmet given to them on stage. for the ultra marine and the blood angel, please take note here as it is expected of the both of you to accept the helmet as it appears to be part of the veteran ritual of the lantern chapter. not only that but you went in knowing you would be acquiring wargear during this veteran ritual. the helmets are the same pattern as the one you're used to, the only difference is the colors and markings. the ultra marines also have a large U and the blood angels have their droplet. (least i think it's a droplet)

please also have your characters converse on the options they are given. 

also for the chapter Kahuna, you also receive a new skull helm just as the rest receive their own helms, while yours lacks the flame markings, the grooves in the helm's tribal carvings have been given the lantern's Luminescent orange paint on both sides instead of just half of it marking it as a full veterans helm.


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## Captain Stillios (Mar 8, 2009)

Decado glanced around the room feeling at ease with the music, his psychic senses showed the aura of each person in the room, for most of the Lantern Marines it was the light blue of calm but ready, outside of battle, Decado had seen this colour more than any other, his companions in the line all displayed the solid green of contained anticipation apart from the Ultramarine who was the iron silver of disipline with not a trace of anything related to worry or anticipation.
Decado smiled, for all the Blood Angels love of ceremony and orginised rites, he felt a kind of ease which he had not felt very often in his own chapter. 'And some say that only among our own are we brothers' he thought as the music slowed and stopped. He accepted his helmet with a short nod and then carefully mag-locked it to his belt. 
"The last 108 marines to undertake this trial have joined the emperor" 

Decado balked at this. 'One-hundred and eight!' He thought 'Well this shall be interesting'

"But know this brothers from Ultramarines and Blood Angels, should you join His side during the trials, should you be called to stand by Him. We will return your gene seed to your chapter, and your armor will forever be housed in the halls of our champions" 

'Well that is an unexpected offer' Decado mused as the Chapter Master continued.

"Now then, you all have a choice, one that I suggest you make together. That is your drop location... the planet is currently in the third quarter of it's 6 month night cycle. night and darkness have ruled the planet now for many days and months, but the landing sites still remain the same"

'I wonder how long its night cycle is' Decado wondered, making a mental note to ask.

"Your choices are as follows. the Temple upon Mount Pele, a shrine to our beloved God Emperor. The water works on the river neigh, or the thick swamps of Zarcoon. These are your three choices, from each you must find your way to the forges upon the world, talk amongst yourselves now and decide. For where one goes, you all go" The Chapter Master finished.


Turning slightly to look towards his companions Decado thought through the choices, the water works probably had generators and sounded as if it would be the closest location while the swamps sounded as if it was the furthest and seemed like the kind of place xenos would thrive, in the dirt, and while Decado wanted to achive glory on this mission he was not foolhardy enough to let any potential enemy fight on their home-ground if he could help it. The Temple of the Emperor however looked to be the middle location and from what Decado remembered of other such temples, was probably at least partially fortified.
Also, Decado grinned, it had often been said among his battle-brothers that his zeal was equal to a chaplains and rumored that had he not been found to be a psyker, he may have been inducted into the chaplains ranks and he could think of no better place to start what could potentially be his last and greatest mission other than at the side of the Emperor himself.

"Brothers" He said quietly "I believe that we should enter from the Emperors Temple, from what I know of other such temples it could provide a suitable fall-back point as well as if there are any survivors from the other twelve groups it seems to me they would have retreated to what is both the high ground and a shrine to the Emperor"

He stopped and turned to the Chapter Master.

"My lord, you say that the planet is in the second third of its night cycle, how long exactly is it untill day break?"


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## jonileth (Feb 1, 2012)

Apothecary Craetus Vorentis watched everything around him with respectful detachment. He had fought with the Lantern Marines many times before, performed his craft on countless hundreds of their brethren, and had learned a great deal about their traditions and history. Even so, he didn't really feel apart of the action. He had been invited, true enough, for his dealings with them. But he was getting old, and even the Apothecaries of his own Chapter were starting to count his time in months rather than years. Such a harsh truth might have made other men weak with apprehension and doubt. Craetus was not most men.

The Apothecary listened to the Chapter Master speaking, watching the proceedings happen around him. When the helmet was presented to him, the Apothecary had to remove his own, revealing the weathered complexion he seldom showed to even his own battle-brethren. He took the offered helmet and donned it, covering the facade of age and restoring the illusion that he was still a viral young Astartes. Such illusions were more for others than for himself. Craetus had long ago given up on caring about the number of years the Emperor had kept him alive. He had, long ago, come to terms with the reality of it... when it was his time to die, he would die. Until then, he would fight the enemies of the Emperor and save as many Astartes as he could with his knowledge of the medical arts until he was gone.

The voice of the Blood Angel Astartes drew Craetus' attention, and the wisdom of his words was obvious. A fortified area was much more preferred to one they had to make defensible.

"I tend to agree with Brother Decado, the Codex speaks of mounting defensive actions in a location that will provide you with the greatest tactical advantages. A shrine will no doubt be constructed with that principle in mind. I would say that should be our destination," the Apothecary remarked, his dogmatic adherence to the ideals of his Chapter shining through.


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## William Siegfried (Jun 25, 2011)

The sounds of music rang out loudly throughout the great hall aboard the might ship. It was a calming, yet peaceful and it brought a sense of relaxation to Kaila who stood still as a rock holding tightly his Crozius Arcanum in his left hand with his right hand firmly gripped around the hilt of his Relic power sword. His head was bare and void of his usual skull helmet, that inspired anyone within the chapter to fight harder and faster than any other. His short blonde hair, and young and rather youthful appearance brought some attention to him from many of his brothers. More so due to the fact he had few scars across his face, his face looked like it was pretty much untouched, save for the wounds from the Gene-Seed surgery every Space Marine hopeful goes under. However despite the looks Kaila ignored them, more so seeing how when it came to battle he was always the one out in the front inspiring others to fight beside him and for the Emperor. However at the moment his thoughts were filled with nothing but joy and excitement as he was about to be named a Veteran within his beloved Chapter. The music, the dance, everything made him feel as if he was now truly about to start down the long road towards becoming one of the Imperium's best in service to the God Emperor. When he received his new helm that showed his status as both a Chaplin of the Chapter, and a Veteran he swelled up with pride feeling blessed by the Emperor. He wondered what his other brothers were feeling as they each got their own. More so when the adorned their new helms such as Kaila did at the same time Craetus had put his on. For a Lantern Marine this was considered to be one of the greatest moments of any Astarte within the Lantern Marines. 

As Kaila stood still as a statue listening to his Chapter master's speech he wondered how his battle-brothers from the Ultra and Blood Angels chapter were holding up or feeling about this trial they were about to embark upon. He smiled softly at the thought of fighting beside a good friend of his, Craetus. The man was considered a legend within the Chapter due to how often he fought beside the Lantern Marines, and how many lives of his fellow brothers he had saved during the many Crusades and historic battles. He considered it an honour to fight beside him once more. Then there was the Blood Angel. Kaila had heard many stories of their 'curse' as some would call it or the 'Red thirst' that sent many to form their own company lead by a Chaplain rather than a Captain. It made him somewhat curious yet also mindful to watch him. He wasn't going to question his faith, but his training forced him to want to watch the Blood Angel closely, just like any one of his other brothers within the Chapter. It was his job after all. 

When the Chapter master had told them of the 108 Marines that had yet to return Kaila's eyes grew wide. The warning he got from the Emperor in his dreams had been correct in saying something was different, and dangerous on the forge worlds surface. Kaila's worry soon faded quickly when he thought about the psyker. He would have to talk to him later on the surface and use his gift from the Emperor to see if he could get anything or sense anything. For now however he was going to save it for when his feet were planet side. More so as to not alarm or instil a seed of worry into many of the young Warriors who were going for their Veteran status. 

After some time and being lead to the Drop pods Kaila kept his eyes locked on the Chapter master, his posture was straight and true as he hoisted up his mighty crozius arcanum which was adorn with a few clothes, honours, and oaths which showed he was ready for anything, and ready to lay down his life for each of the brothers he was going to attend the trial with. When the Chapter master walked away he like the rest of the 7 walked up to the others huddled in a circle to talk about their plan, and strategy. The Blood Angel had a sound plan, and his brother from the Ultra Marines confirmed it. "I agree with the location. This should also allow us to clear any Nidds from the God Emperor's holy Temple." Kaila agreed, his voice sounding more metallic and dark due to his skull helm. He was more than up for the idea, more so since it would be fitting for someone with his title to look for lost relics in the Temple of the god Emperor. "Hmm... I should also say that there are 3 more months until the massive gas giant passes, and allows the sun's light to hit the world.. So we shouldn't expect any daylight for awhile brothers." Kaila told them in a gentle tone before he patted the shoulder plate of the Blood Angel. _"I shall need to talk to you later brother."_ Kaila whispered to Decado.


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## Captain Stillios (Mar 8, 2009)

Hearing the Ultramarines agreement with his words reinforced Decado's conviction that he had made the right choice and when the Chaplain also agreed, Decado was almost certain that he was right.
The Chaplain placed his hand onto Decado's shoulder guard and said, "I shall need to talk to you later brother."
His curiosity perked, Decado extended a gentle mind-probe, wrapping the chaplian, Kalia, he saw flashes of memory but kept his distance in respect for his cousins privacy.
'If you wish cousin, we make speak like this' Decado pulsed through the link to Kalia, 'However if you find this uncomfortable, simply ask and I shall withdraw, if you do wish to speak in this manner and I stumble across somthing you do not wish me to see simply imagine a door and close it, I shall not pry'

Decado waited for Kalia's response.


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## William Siegfried (Jun 25, 2011)

Kaila watched as his fellow battle-brothers talked about strategy and a good plan of assault when they hit the ground. While they did so Kaila's mind was filled of what he had been warned about. It was his job to look over and protect his brothers, even at the cost of his life, he was to provide faith, and inspire loyalty. As he kept to his thoughts and plans he suddenly felt an odd sensation that caught him off guard forcing him to take to steps back, before correcting himself. Soon after he had corrected his balance he looked towards the Librarian before he suddenly heard his brother's words flow through his mind. Kaila looked at his brother, he was somewhat annoyed and he felt somewhat uncomfortable with the intrusion into his mind; however he had nothing to hide, no bad past, nothing. He knew his brother would understand and even be able to know his dreams or visions from the Emperor where legitimate, but for the most part he wanted him out of those areas and memories of his mind. 

Kaila lowered his head and rejoined the huddle before replying to his brother with his thoughts, _"I don't mind this form of communication, and there is nothing I have to hide about my past, so I have no worries... However since you have the uncanny ability to read through ones memories and thoughts I want you to look into my previous dream or vision I had received from the God Emperor... Once you see it you'll know why I am slightly worried, and why I wished to speak to you and use the gifts the Emperor blessed you with."_ He was having a hard time thinking of these words, but for the most part he did well to open to door to his past vision from the Emperor. He had been taught something similar about this during his studies to become a Chaplain. He did well to make sure the Blood Angel saw the dream.


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## Deus Mortis (Jun 20, 2009)

_Click, mag out, pull back the bolt, down the sight, slap the mag back in._ The noise of the rituals were still fresh in his ears. Arete repeated one of the most basic drills he knew just to get his head in focus. Of course, their rituals were extravagant, and some might consider them slightly deviant, but they were far from any that he had heard many Astartes chapters practiced, and so were easily tolerated. Even still, the immediate after effects were sometimes hard to shake off. But, they would be launching soon, and Arete needed his wits about him. None of this was going to be easy. Still, his brothers and cousins made for interesting company. 

_Click, mag out, pull back the bolt, down the sight, slap the mag back in._ Arete repeated this process almost once every second since the Chapter Master had told them of their drop zones. Dropping into the Shrine was obviously the most logical choice, and he was pleased that all his brothers recognized that. Arete had been concerned for a moment that he might have been put in a cycle with morons, but mercifully he hadn't. Well, none of them could be morons, or else they wouldn't have been nominated for the veteran status. The death toll in these trials wasn't shocking to Arete. 15 of those who had perished were his. They were some of his brightest and best, those destined for greatness. It spoke volumes of the lethal nature of these trials.

_Click, mag out, pull back the bolt, down the sight, slap the mag back in._ After this cycle he stopped. "Cousin Decado..." Arete spoke in a neutral tone. It was not his normal jolly tone, but it wasn't one of anger or frustration either "...there are no survivors down there. I appreciate your optimism, but the moment we drop, we are the only Astartes down there. However, I do agree with your choice of location. It should be easily defensible, and give us a good base to make our next move." Arete Slung his rifle onto his back with his power-sword. They would drop soon, and then is was just them against the bloody xenos...


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## Captain Stillios (Mar 8, 2009)

Decado felt a wave of relief that Kalia did not mind mental comunication.
'Thanks you cousin, it is good to meet someone who is not as...suspicious...of my abilities, believe me, it is not always a blessing that all understa-'
Decado jerked as a sense of agony hit him, gasping in pain he swayed slightly as the horror of the message left by Kalia's vision hit him. He closed hs eyes but he could not shut out the mental images. He saw Luminos as it had been, then he saw the Shadow. The Shadow engulfed the planet, nothing could slip through its grasp as untold horrors descended all driven by a terrible and unrelenting need, not the hate of the Daemons of Chaos, not the controlled passion of the Eldar or even the lust for destruction of the Ork.

The pure need to feed.

Mentally screaming, Decado forced himself to watch as the Shadow receeded, the horror faded but the sense of something...hidden....wrong...did not. Feeling a drop of blood trickle down from his nose, Decado knew that he was risking warp-death if he watched much longer but carried on regardless. Corpses in the armour of the Lantern Marines were arrayed on the marble floor of a huge throne room, atop the throne sat a figure bathed in golden light.
*+Hear Us+* The figure psychically pulsed, if they had been in the realm of reality the voice would have shattered Decado's bones like glass.
*+We Have Sent The One Of The Voice This Vision And It Is Not For You To See Its Import, Know This However, You Of The Mind Must Help The One Of The Voice To Survive+* Decado could feel his sanity slipping as the warp-entities swarmed around his mind, the throne room began to collapse.
*+Go Now, Succeed Where These Did Not, We Can Feel Those From Beyond Closing, The Shadow Grows, The Lantern Will Shine Against It, Or Our Physical Form Shall Perish+*

The room collapsed completly and Decado was thrown to the warp currents, he had lost his way and drifted blindly around without bearings, as the Daemons neared, Decado concentrated on a small beacon in the darkness.
Kalia and his faith.
Decado opened his eyes and looked over at Kalia.
'I....cannot tell you what you have seen, but I belive that what we will find down there in the trials will be of great import to the Imperium...and to the Emperor'

Hearing one marine speak, Arete, he learned from a swift mental flex, speak, brought Decado back to the others.
"Cousin Decado..." Arete spoke in a neutral tone. "...there are no survivors down there. I appreciate your optimism, but the moment we drop, we are the only Astartes down there. However, I do agree with your choice of location. It should be easily defensible, and give us a good base to make our next move." 
Decado was not suprised that some-one had disputed his optimism.
"I accept that brother, however I did not say that we would find them alive, forgive me for not speaking clearly, I did not think we would find any survivors although I remained hopeful, I simply reasoned that we, or more acurately our weathered cousin hear" He gestured to the Ultramarine "Could recover as much gene-seed as possible"

While he said this Decado thought on the words spoken to him, what The Voice, The Mind and The Shadow were was easy to work out, Kalia as a Chaplain was of The Voice, Decado as a Librarian was of The Mind and the Tyranids were the Shadow.
Who the golden figure was....was a different matter.
For now Decado dismissed it from his mind and concentrated on listening to the planning while wiping the already clotting blood from his nose.


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## William Siegfried (Jun 25, 2011)

Kaila stood still his back straight and his mind clear allowing the blood angel to do his thing to answer his previous questions. He hoped he would some how be able to explain what it was he saw, and what it was he was supposed to be aware of or what they'd find down there. It was something that kept pulling at the back of his mind, wanting him to be warry of whatever resided down there, something worse than he'd ever fought before. He'd fought the nids, as did everyone in his Chapter but whatever was on the surface was going to prove to be the hardest challenge anyone in the group had ever fought. He hoped he would be able to defend his brothers while still being able to find whatever holy relics hidden within the Temple of the Emperor, the beacon of his faith within the system.

As he stood still he felt himself feeling.. odd. He wasn't used to someone going through his mind and thoughts, it was a rather uncomfortable feeling that left him feeling a bit unbalanced as Decado. The words of the blood angel rang out in his head telling him how happy he was that Kaila was one of the few not judging him on his Chapters curse. He did have some care about it but it wasn't enough to effect him, after all he was there and if anything happened his training would allow him to control whatever kind of thirst came from the blood angel. 'Its fine Brother.. I don't judge others through their chapters history but rather how they preform on the field of battle.' Kaila replied before his words were cut short as he became somewhat.. full. He could feel Decado travel through his mind and memories, yet he couldn't tell what he was seeing or getting from his memories. 

After awhile he felt his head and mind become lighter as the sudden words of Decado flowed through his mind telling him whatever the vision was trying to warn them. Kaila looked at the now somewhat struggling Blood Angel. He wondered what it was he saw or was told. Either way his thoughts were dismissed with the words of his fellow Lantern Marine Battle Brother, whom he gave a slight nod to letting him know his faith and skill would see to the teams survival, and the Emperor was watching over him.


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## Santaire (Feb 13, 2011)

I stood at ease, letting the music flow through my mind. I glanced around at my fellows, analysing them. 

Kaila Hide, standing tall and proud in his black armour. The chaplain was a rock on which the souls of those under his guidance rested. I was glad he was with us. I may have only known of him through reputation but that reputation was huge.

Arete Kastor, a career scout. He had trained some of the best men I had ever seen and I had seen more than my fair share. I knew I could rely on him despite his obedience discrepancies, or perhaps because of them.

Taelos Palenikana, a devastator and a huge bear of a man. He could probably hold a position for hours on end if he had to. I did not know him at all but knew simply from looking at him that he would be more than good, indeed he would have to have been just to have been selected.

Then there were the other marines.

Decado Lyanor, the Blood Angels librarian and Craetus Vorentis, an Apothecary of the Ultramarines. Despite the fact that both must have proven their worth to have been allowed the honour of joining us I was still unsure of them and their capabilities, something I intended to rectify.

At the height of the ritual each of us were handed a shrouded box. I took mine and, my movements slow and precise, removed the shroud and the lid. I reached in and lifted the helmet. The flame marks covered both eye sockets now and I lifted the helm up to the light. A serf came and took the box from my hands as I grasped the rim of the helm.

Moving slowly I brought it down over my head and sealed it into place. Though in design it was no different to my previous helm it felt so much different. It was as if my entire life had built up to this moment. I felt I could achieve anything

Then the Chapter Master spoke and all my confidence evaporated. “The last 108 marines to undertake this trial have joined the emperor." I almost froze in shock. 108 marines, battle hardened warriors all. I knew the casualty rate was huge but an entire company lost to the trials since the last survivor?

There is something else down there was my first thought. Then I felt all colour drain from my face as a feeling of dread scoured my being. That was not what I should be worried about; I should have been worried about what there was worse than tyranids. I knew with a sudden conviction that we would be in terrible peril the instant we reached the surface, greater even than had faced all of the current veterans of the chapter.

We left for the drop pods but halted before a station where the chapter master spoke. I listened quietly until everyone had stopped speaking before asking a question of my own. “What position did the previous marines choose for their landing zones?” I waited for an answer, knowing that until he answered I would not be able to choose a landing site for fear of choosing the wrong one and landing in a nest of tyranids.


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## DasOmen (Mar 10, 2011)

(mini update)
the chapter master listend carefully to the choices his lanterns had made, sound in their thaughts they were, and surely the temple was an invaluable locaction for prolonged defence and offered supurb protection, however the master of the chapter knew something here that the others did not. apart from the third group lost, all other groups had landed at the shrine to the emperor. worry would have crossed his face that these marines would fall to the same unknown fate, but the worry was cast out, stricken from his shielded and guarded mind. 

“What position did the previous marines choose for their landing zones?” he heard one of them say, turning to him he would point to it on the consol. "the majority with the exception of one group landed at the shrine to the emperor. the other landed in the water works. we have not seen any marines venture to the swamps of zarcoon in over 18 trials. your brothers choice to land at the temple is a understandable one Lumi, why do you worry?" he would inquire, leaning over to look more directly at the marine. his relic lanterns dangling off of his pack as two bats come by to cling to the under side of the two lanterns to rest


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## Santaire (Feb 13, 2011)

“I do not fear Chapter Master, not in the way a mortal would understand. But one thing we must remember is that no one has returned from the trials. 108 marines. How are we to know that they died towards the end of their quest? What if they died almost as soon as they landed? It may be that by dropping at the shrine we are dropping to our deaths. I will not consign any others to that risk without first judging it myself. If you would allow it, I request to drop alone but for an astropath or a vox transmitter than can reach the fleet to let my brothers know if they can drop there in safety. If I did not send a message within a day then you would know it was not safe.” I paused a moment before continuing

“Unless of course you would allow us to drop directly into the shrine, straight through the roof rather than outside. At the very least let me know how many exits we would have once we were in the shrine for if it is only one then going there would be a death trap. I would not risk my brothers lives without knowing we had at least one other way out if we were swamped by Tyranids,” another pause and my next words froze all, “or worse.”

The Chapter Master stared at me, silent. He was evidently waiting for an explanation. “Think about it lord,” I pressed “108 marines. 108 have died since the last marine returned from the trials. The death toll has never been so high from the trials. Unless the Tyranids are becoming organized, which is dangerous enough, then nothing can explain such a high death rate amongst experienced astartes apart from other interference. What if the forces of Chaos have penetrated our lost forgeworld? No,” I said, shaking his head “I would rather risk my own life for no gain than risk that of my brothers without knowing that we will only be facing Tyranids as we have been expecting.” I paused and added in a conciliatory tone "I do not deride the ability of my comrades nor myself or those who came before but there are some things that even 9 experienced, battle ready astartes cannot defeat alone."

I stood still and simply waited for a response from the Chapter Master...


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## DasOmen (Mar 10, 2011)

the chapter master simply shook his head to Lumi, "the trials are not meant to be a safe stroll through the park, if that was the case one could see the imperial guard prancing through parks tossing flower pedals every which way. you will land at the designated landing zone for any of the sites. they aren't safe, you will most likely be dropping into the thick of it just as you would out in a real fight. don't let your courage waver Lumi, Call out in battle, let the hymns of battle roar from your heart until the blood on your hands is the blood of the beasts that besiege us! our armies across the four sectors seek the same glory, our brothers afar from ultra, blood angels, and beyond, all the way back to the glory of tera itself demand your success! they cry out for your victory as the battle is waging. ride into glory and hail to your brothers as the sign of the hammers are neigh! should you encounter anyone else on the planet that is not there with our blessings, your only concern should be death to the false ones! kill them, kill them all, our brothers across the way will not fail! if you find chaos tainting our beloved forge world of luminos Cry out with the song that demands the death to the false ones, and do not stop till the blood on your hands is the blood of those that would worship the heretical gods and turn their back to the emperor!" the chapter master loomed over the hopefuls who would descend soon. 

"by decree of the lords of tera, anyone found on luminos without our blessing is to be hunted down and killed. should you find anyone down there who does not fly our colors, and is not apart of your squad, no matter who they are, kill them! and put a bolter round in their skull in the name of the emperor" with that the chapter master backed away as the doors to the drop pod opened and they were beckoned inside as the rest of the marines in the room started chanting the hymn of battle and the chapter's present kahuna started strumming the tunes on their guitar. now was the time to leave, now was the time for the trial. 

"Remember my marines! Remember my brothers... you go now in his name, so go now by moonlight as ten thousand souls await your return! Hold your swords high my brothers, for now you fall side by side to the planet below into the very depths of that foul hell that took from us some of the greatest marines ever to fight under our banner. so i say now, Hail to thee our brothers who descend! Those who are still brave as they descend to the grave! these men who have sworn the eternal vow, for the time to strike is now!" the chapter master's voice boomed and echoed across the grand hall. and even as the doors to the drop pods closed and they were sealed inside, lowered into the firing position, they could still hear the chants and the song of their brothers, lead on in earnest by the chapter master of their chapter until they were nestled within the firing mechanism for the drop pod, an Erie quiet lingering in the pod for a moment allowing the brothers to discuss as they would...

then as the brothers settled, the automated voice of the pod's machine spirit came over their coms, informing them of the drop zone.

"Hail and kill Space marines. Drop zone confirmed" the drop pod informed them. "Drop Point The holy Temple of the god emperor. Landing Found... Brace for launch" the drop pod seemed to have the curtsey of warning the marines a split moment before it was fired from the ship at high speeds towards the drop site below. as it drifted through space the machine spirit continued to banter. "Drop Point Scan commencing. Warning! Warning! Warning! Tyranid airborne units in proximity to landing area... Probability of midair collision... 100%" it would warn just as it entered the atmosphere. 

"ground forces scan complete. no tyranid ground forces detected within sca" the pod shook and quaked for a moment as it impacted something quite large. apparently enough to cause the pod to start blaring system critical warnings for the rest of the trip as the pod careened towards the landing site, the pod itself horridly off course. 

moments later the drop pod's landing procedures could be heard roaring to life, and as if all was well, the pod slammed into something. oddly enough however the warnings did not stop and the pod started to tilt to it's side before something seemed to give way and the pod fell lop sided a good distance before smacking into the ground with a wet crunching smack. the pod had landed severely off course and was nowhere near the approved landing site... instead the pod lay several miles away in a remote and isolated hab center that was as much wood as it was stone, but it was all covered in sheets of ice. the pod itself at the very bottom of a harsh slope sitting in the frozen graveyard of a small church.

the pod itself rests on the ground without any other function than to shield the marines inside from the elements. slowly however the side doors of the pod open weakly as if the machine spirit was using it's last reserves of energy to allow the marines to escape it's corpse least they be trapped inside. 

Outside it's cold, dark, and visibility could honestly be better. the oversensitive eyes of the lanterns are more of a blessing here than a curse, as even though the planet lacks the light of the sun, they can at least see enough to move around. the ultra marine and the blood angel however are not so lucky, as the light of the lanterns is by far the only light they see for miles. however the howl of the wind is not the only howl that is to be heard in this everlasting night, the wail of the beasts beyond the dark pierces the night in a ever lustful hunger that knows no bounds. 

=========================================================
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
=========================================================
_*
Deadline is this saturday*_

ALL: the nine of you (persons not claimed included) survive by what seems the emperor's will alone. the damage to the pod is catastrophic and it is a myricle in itself that it withstood the first midair impact in such good shape. the damage it has sustained after everything has happens is so severe it could never be used again, and all of it's system's are shot. how you react to this is up to you, heck how you react to the entire decent is up to you. but regardless you ALL do descend to the planet below and land, and well you're all alive relatively unharmed. the odd bumped forehead or bit lip is pretty much the only thing the apothecaries have to tend to if they choose. 

Ultra marine and Blood Angel: asside from the area that the lanterns of the lantern marines light, the only lightsyou see are the lights of a starlit sky. your helms provide some assistance in seeing in the dark, but not much. the blackness of this planet's night is as thick as oil. 

Ultra marine: several things can catch your attention. the frozen ice beneath your feet is the site of an ancient battle where a contingent of ultra marines and lantern marines stood and defended in a classic total defense formation against what appears to be a never ending onslaught of tyranid forces. even as ice covers the ground you can still see the tall tail signs of the ultimate doom of the marines who stood in defense of this location. the frozen carapace of several of the tyranids that you can see frozen in ice bare coloration and patterns similar to the ones that besieged ultramar so long ago, they are similar, however different. these tyranids have adapted in different ways compared to the nids that decided to take on your chapter's home world. without digging down however and excavating some of the corpses you're unable to make a full diagnosis of the mutations. too much ice and too much time has passed. 

Blood angel: the color of some of the ice under the lantern's light would almost make you thirsty should you forget of the battles you had heard of. the ice is blue in some parts, but stained red in the rest. the thick gore of battles long past has never seemed to have faded here, and the corpses of many men and beast still linger under sheets of ice. husks of tanks and walkers alike litter the ground like candy, frozen candy made of metal. the gooey nugget center, or in this case the crew, has however already been sucked out, the evidence of this is far more easy to see than the husks themselves. the sides, backs, and even tops or fronts of various peaces of wreckage have been torn out as if a overly brutal canoperner wielded by a particular brutish ogryn was taken to a tinfoil fox and he couldn't wait to get at the stuff inside. needless to say it's a horror show on a massive scale. your psycker abilities almost let you hear the screams of horror in the wind itself from the battle long past. it seems very possible that these men did not join the emperor when they died, that the tyranids robbed them of that honor in death somehow. 

Lanterns: as you exit the pod your lanterns light the way for your cousins from another chapter, keep this in mind.

Arete Kastor: as you exit the pod an erie sense of being watched looms in the back of your mind to such a degree you almost regret being so close to a pair of lybrarians. everywhere you look you can almost swear you see the gaze of eyes looking back at you hungerly. as your brothers go about their buisness, two very real concerns are apparent to you. A it's cold, very cold. B something is indeed watching you as you manage to catch witness of a winged beast swoop down from a roof top and attempt to grab hold of the techmarine just in time to blat it out of the air. 

Taelos Palenikana: the site is a nightmare . to say it was an area filled with frozen carnage would be a painful understatement. at one point this area would have been easy to defend, now however that's not the case. the ground itself cracks underneath the weight of your boots as you lug your heavy weapon along. you narrowly miss the sight of a beast trying to take your techmarine away into the night, thankfully your scout picks off the beast before it can even grab your techmarine. it did however bring friends, you are the first to notice this. you do however also realize, this is a really bad area to be in for a defense. lanterns specialize in siege, they can hold positions like nothing else, and they can take positions like nothing else, it's one of the only reasons they've managed to cling to this sub sector for so long, they however are not stupid about it, and everything about this place is rubbing you the wrong way. you need to find a better defensive position if you're going to survive first contact with your brothers. 

Kaila Hide: the tactical marine of the lanterns sticks close to you as you pull yourself from the corpse of the drop pod. here you stand in one of the battlefields from the ancient songs. fitting that this was your predecessor's landing site for his trial, however back then he landed in the summer, this, this is defanately not the summer. if anything it's a crude and cruel winter. you're a good distance from the temple, but you are just outside the ruins of a frozen imperial church how do you honor this place? just as you finish honoring the landing site's past battle, you hear a shot ring out from the scout and see the corpse of the tyranid beast that tried to make the techmarine it's lunch land on the ground, still moving but in no condition to fly. the scout had missed it's vitals, but his rifle had cleaved it's right wing clear from it's body. a winged warrior stands and roars to it's comrades who proceed to leap from the building tops down towards the gathering of marines. 


Lumis: you stick close to the kahuna after the landing. the landing site does not bode well, the tactical advantage is for the attackers not the defenders which you can clearly see everywhere you look. as you take in the sites a shot rings out from the scout, looking past the falling tyranid you see the flock of winged warriors crouching on the rooftops of the nearby buildings. in the distance something roars through the night as they all descend from the roofs and into the town below before moving to assault you and your brothers. opening fire yourself you order your comrades to battle. how do you decide to put them to use to better make use of your tactical disadvantage?

+Enemy count+
=20 Winged Warriors=
>objective: Extermanatus<
{Equipment to be found: none}


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## DasOmen (Mar 10, 2011)

blasted double post


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## jonileth (Feb 1, 2012)

Apothecary Craetus Vorentis had ridden in a thousand drop pods in his life, some of them faring better than others. To have survived the crash he and his brethren had just been involved in was nothing short of the Emperor's will and little more. Craetus had pulled bodies out of similar wreckage and had been lucky if he could even extract blood from the corpse for identification. For the Apothecary's part, his forehead had been banged up slightly and his shoulder hurt from being slammed up against one of the bulkheads at the moment of impact.

Vorentis was no Techmarine, but even he could see the catastrophic damage the pod had suffered. Molten metal and burning shards scattered about were more than enough to allow for an estimate on the chances of someone ever using the pod again... namely none. The Apothecary began to take an inventory of the rest of the squad, pulling a few free of random debris to get them on their feet, but for the most part simply slapping them on the shoulder to make sure they were alive.

Once he made sure his fellow Astartes were alive, the Apothecary turned his eyes and his pack mounted lamp toward the area around them. The penetrating darkness all around them made it almost futile to attempt to gaze out into the distance. Even his lamp, usually a power source of light in more normal darkness couldn't pierce very far into the inky blackness surrounding them.

The blanket of onyx obscurity didn't keep every secret from the Apothecary's eyes, however. The ground illuminated around the crash site held the frost colored bones and armor of both man and beast. Craetus approached one such outcropping of bestial remains and knelt down to give them a closer look. The colors that hadn't faded with the harsh conditions gave the Ultramarine pause. He'd seen the markings before during the Tyranid raid on Maccragge... Except that the carapace structure was different. It was subtle but recognizable. The creatures had mutated since he'd seen the likes of them, but how much couldn't be easily revealed thanks to the death grip the frozen earth had on the remains.

The Apothecary moved to the corpse fragments that were scattered on the ground. The pattern of corpses were easily identifiable as a defensive stance. Most likely they had collapsed their ranks in an all out defensive posture to maximize their field of cover fire in an attempt to reduce their casualties. Against an enemy that didn't have overwhelming numbers, it might have worked. The Tyranids, however, were a nigh inexhaustible army of reinforcements. The Codex Astartes had not accounted for such an enemy, given that none had existed when it was written. The Apothecary only hoped that his squad would not make the same mistakes that cost the men laying trapped in the dirt their lives.

"The geneseed of these men are lost," Vorentis announced as he got to his feet, "And these beasts that slaughtered them are likely adapting to this environment... which does not bode well for us."


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## William Siegfried (Jun 25, 2011)

Kaila had for the most part been listening to what his brother and the Chapter master were talking about, yet he didn't seem to overly bothered by the dangers faced with their drop. He knew the risks and he had been warned, however his duty was to uphold the honour of the chapter and his beloved Emperor. As he listened to the group talk as well as his brother and the Chapter master his mind began to think up possible threats that may lurk on the planet. It was going to be hard, and the thought itself was slightly unnerving due to how dark the planet was during the 6 month long night. Kaila quickly shook such thoughts and worry's away before turning back to his brothers who were now beginning to pile into the drop pod. Kaila looked at his Chapter Master before bowing his head slightly. "I promise to protect and watch over my brothers and cousins my lord." Kaila vowed as he hoisted up his mace and walked into the pod, securing himself safely along with his wargear. 

Before long the pod's side doors began to close securing the 9 Space Marine's within itself before the machine spirit warned them of their drop. Kaila looked towards the vox and screen for a moment his eyes hidden behind his skull helm, before he lowered his head and closed his eyes to pry, and hum a slight tune asking the Emperor for guidance and protection. As Kaila hummed his prayer he like the rest shook slightly as the drop pod was quickly launched from the ship, and sent down to the planet's surface. Kaila could hear the updated reports the pod's machine spirit gave as he prayed, before his prayers were suddenly brought to an end with the sudden hit the pod had taken shaking everyone violently within. Kaila closed his eyes again and kept to his prayers and song, knowing his faith and will would allow him to pull through this. Or at least he hoped, if not he would be happy to join the side of the Emperor in death. 

As the pod crashed into the old church Kaila opened his eyes to see the drop pod's side doors open before he undid his safety harness releasing himself from his spot before the Ultra Marine came around patting his shoulder plate. Kaila looked up at him as he pushed himself free from the now dead pod, before he watched the Ultra Marine once more continue to check on the others. Sighing lightly Kaila looked at the dead pod, before frowning slight, the first lose of his trial. Kaila rested his free hand on the pod, before lowering his head in prayer, giving thanks to the machine spirit that had protected him and his brothers and gave its own life in service to the Emperor's Space Marines. After his prayers he heard a shot ring out forcing Kaila's head to dart up and towards the Scout Marine's target. He like the rest saw the flying nid come crashing down not far from where they were before he walked up to join his brothers. 

Kaila looked towards the now charging nids, keeping silent still as he brought his power mace up, before drawing his bolter pistol. He then looked back to the Tactical Marine who had kept close to him. "Brother-Sergeant I suggest we form either a tactical advance towards a safer location where we can form a solid defence. This area provides no defence against airborn foes." Kaila suggested calmly before he turned his attention back once again upon the nids, firing his bolter pistol into the group flying towards him, his face and stance steady and sure, showing he was not going to let up any ground unless ordered to. He then notices the one flying nid the scout Marine had shot to save the tech Marine begin its charge towards his brothers. Kaila greeted his teeth before he quickly mag locked his bolter pistol to his leg as he began to charge forward towards the charging nid, both Mace, and now power sword in his hands. "Purge the xeno filth from this holy site!!" Kaila roared loudly before he swung his power sword up, then quickly following with a powerful swing with his blessed mace towards the wounded nid threatening his brothers and cousins. 

After this battle he'd honour the holy grounds but for now the Emperor and his brothers required him his skills and focus in combat.


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## Captain Stillios (Mar 8, 2009)

Decado grunted in pain as he smashed his way out of his mangled harness, blood briefly obscured his vision from a cut above his left eye but as he wiped it away he could already feel it clotting. 
Standing he could barely see a thing even with his enhanced eye-sight, to the Ultramarine this may have been a problem but to Decado it was less than an annoyance as he could see perfectly well with his minds-eye. Some things were viewed differentley such as the lightning from Kalia's two power weapons being much brighter and the swirling auras around his cousins were slightly distracting but nothing that would hamper him to much.
What was distracting was the shimmering hazes in the shapes of men and astartes scattered around the squad, Decado had heard of death-imprints before, where a person was so full of harsh emotion upon death that a shadow was left of them in the warp, much like how an atomic charge burns a shadow of the person it vaporises.
To have these hazes last this long however would have meant that these men and these Lanterns had either died horrifically painful or humblingly heroic deaths, most likely a mix of the two although Decado could guess...no more than guess, be certain that any Lantern spirits would have been left by the latter.

With his shield mag-locked to his back Decado drew his force sword in a two-handed grip as soon as he heard gunfire. As the Tyranids charged Decado overheard Kalia's comment.
"I concur cousin, against foes such as this there is little we can do with them in the air...I may be able to help in that regard however" 
Gathering his psychic strength Decado reached out to the air above the Tyranids, quickley he cast a shield above of the warriors hindering their atempts to take off.
"That should ground them for now, cousins strike no-" Decado was cut off as a Warrior slammed into him from the side, in casting his shield he had become distracted and not realised that a Tyranid had been above him at the time..
Rolling with the fall, Decado and the Warrior tumbled down a small drop in the terrain, as they hit the ground they seperated and Decado brought his sword up. The Tyranid hissed and ran at him again, Decado snarled and flexed his psychic will to stun the Warrior then ran forward and stabbed it solidly in the centre mass while at the same time channeling the warp through the psychic blade. The beasts eyes burst in its head as pychic energy raced through it and destroyed whatever force was driving the creature.

Turnng quickley Decado rejoined his cousins and, in the absence of a bolter, began to throw gouts of flame and lightning into the advancing Tyranids.
"For the Emperor and Sanguinius!" Decado roared as he focussed on keeping the Tyranids grounded as well as adding his firepower to the squads.


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## Deus Mortis (Jun 20, 2009)

Arete slammed off his harness and crawled out of the mangled drop pod. “Fucking drop pods” Arete grumbled. He didn’t like drop pods. They were noisy and drew attention to you straight away. No subtlety, and they needed not to be eaten in the first hour. Arete’s gut was writhing inside of him. Something wasn’t right. Two ghost eyes seemed to be piercing into the back of his head, and Arete took a second to scan for signs of movement. The landing site was a mess. The ice on the floor was a mixture of oceanic blue and deep crimson. The blood was cold and had been here for a while. It wasn’t the fresh arterial red of a recent battle but the decayed almost brown of old blood. The old blood between the Lanterns and Tyranids. Still the omnipresent eyes bore into him and Arete was getting more and more uncomfortable. “We should move, now” Arete said slowly.

As if those words were a hidden command to their foes, Arete spotted a winged beast swoop down. His rifle was up in two seconds, almost matching the beast’s speed. Three seconds to aim, and the beast was getting far closer now. Another two and it would be almost on them, and the speed would almost certainly drive the beasts claws through the techmarine. Arete fired a single high-calibre round through the beast’s shoulder and it’s wing tore free and the tyranid plummeted to the ground. It got up, roared and then Arete put a bullet through and through its skull and it collapsed. Now all hell was breaking loose. Winged warriors were flying out from the roof tops. Arete dropped to one knee and fired off a couple of rounds into the pack approaching.

His librarian cousins cast some sort of shield over-head to force the beasts to land. So Arete drew his sword and pistol, but they had bigger problems to deal with. Bloody psykers knew nothing about the tyranids. The more they used their powers, the more they tried to illuminate the shadow, and the more xenos bastards would find them. Not to mention the unpleasant effects the shadow tended to have on psykers. “Decado” Arete shouted down the vox as he parried a blow from a warrior. One of its talons came down and met the crackling energy field of his sword. Arete span away and put a bolt round into its shoulder before severing the arm completely with a downwards swipe. “Decado, bring down the shield. We need to move and you are broadcasting a beacon tell the bastards where to find us. Bring it down and let’s fight on the move.”

Arete’s guard faltered momentarily and the warrior used its good scythe arm to knock him back. He just regained his footing, and the warrior was on him again. Two blocks, and Arete’s footing was still poor. He needed to correct that, or else he would die. The next blow from the tyranid had enough force to knock him down and he let it. He knew he was heading to the floor, so he used a break fall and then brought up his bolt pistol and fired three rounds into the xeno’s chin. The beast recoiled and Arete swiped its leg off at the knee. The beast fell and the Arete rolled up to his knees and stabbed the beast in the chest, ending its miserable life. Was this the same warrior that had been on Lumos the first time? How many lives of his chapter had it taken? Well, it would take no more. Arete opened up an public vox channel “Brothers, we can’t stay here. The longer we stay, the more attention we draw to ourselves. We need to move, or we’ll be dead. Decado, bring down the shield. Now!”…


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## Santaire (Feb 13, 2011)

Lumis rested a hand on the shell of the drop pod and made a small blessing to the Omnissiah. He was no tech marine but he believed that he needed to offer up some praise for their survival. They had come so close to death in the first 5 minutes of the trials and in that one moment Lumis knew his fears were justified. Not caring who heard him he cursed the Chapter Master for an arrogant fool. The gun shots came as no surprise. Lumis did not bother to turn as he heard the second shot, an alien scream of pain cut short. Instead Lumis brought up his boltgun to cover his brothers. A winged Tyranid warrior swooped in from the blackness. Lumis cursed, it was too close for him to draw aim, and so he drew his power sword and spun, bringing the energized blade round with all his strength.

The weapon cut through armour and flesh, severing the creature in half. Its blood covered his armour and so much spattered him that his right lantern was blocked. Lumis retreated until he was almost back to back with the Chaplain, Kaila Hide. He slammed his sword down into the ice and retrieved his boltgun. He fired in short, tight burst of three bolts that, even if they failed to kill, stunned the warriors. He tried to aim for the head or, failing that, the wings.

"Brother-Sergeant I suggest we form either a tactical advance towards a safer location where we can form a solid defence. This area provides no defence against airborn foes." Kaila said to him. Lumis shook his head. "Agreed Kaila, but not the shrine. There will only be one exit and we cannot risk wasting any equipment on making an escape route in the event of us being overwhelmed and forced to retreat." He heard Decado shout an affirmative before creating a barrier that prevented the Tyranids from taking to the air.

"Decado," Arete shouted down the vox, “Decado, bring down the shield. We need to move and you are broadcasting a beacon tell the bastards where to find us. Bring it down and let’s fight on the move.” Lumis knew the scout was right when he took in the situation. More and more Tyranids were appearing from the gloom, drawn by the break in the shadow of the warp. “Brothers, we can’t stay here. The longer we stay, the more attention we draw to ourselves. We need to move, or we’ll be dead. Decado, bring down the shield. Now!" Arete roared into the vox.

Lumis drew both his swords and lunged them into a Tyranid warrior's chest before ripping them sideways. Then, before he could tear the blades free another Tyranid warrior slammed into him from the side. He fell and lost his grip on his combat sword although he did manage to tear his power sword free as he fell. He fell to the floor and the Tyranid jumped on to him. Lumis, acting on pure instinct drew his bolt pistol from its holster, pressed it between the warrior's eyes and pulled the trigger. He kicked the corpse off him and rolled to his feet.

"Decado, drop the shield before it's too late!"...


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## Captain Stillios (Mar 8, 2009)

Hearing his brothers protests, Decado relented and lowered the shield, he had quickly realised that he was attaracting more tyranids but had hoped to kill these tyranids before more arrived.
"Very well brothers!" Decado shouted as he drew his pistol and shot a warrior at point blank range, he charged forwards to stand beside Kalia whose aura of holy rage was impressively bright. "This is odd, where are the larger beasts?" he said into the vox without realising that he had spoke aloud.

Seeing Lumis fall, Decado made his way over to him, "Brother, if my shield broke the shadow and attracted them here...perhaps if there was a breakage in another area?" Decado wondered aloud as he stood next to Lumis lending his strength to the close combat and letting Lumis deal with most of the longer range combat. As he fought Decado began to draw in a miniscule amount of psychic power, when the spark grew to a flame he threw it from him pushing it as far as he could. When the spark reached two kilometers away it detonated illuminating a large area but more importantly breaking the shadow in that part of the planet.
"That should keep any others away for a while" Decado grunted into the vox, he did not mention the effect of the shadow itself had had on him.
Blood flowed from his nose and Decado felt some of it go into his mouth, he could feel the Thirst stirr deep in the depths of his mind where even he dared not search, the blood lust, if Decado could feel fear he would fear nothing more than that crazed insanity but as usual he reigned it in with iron will and continued fighting.


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## brendxb (Jul 18, 2011)

By the emperor let me not have to do that again, Taelos thought as he shook himself out of a slight daze. As a marine he had taken numerous drop pod rides several ending in at least one occupant wounded or dead but the pod he had just flown in seemed to jump and move on its own will. And that was before it hit that blasted xeno sending the pod off course into its own chaotic form of a landing. Snapping back to reality as he remembered where he was and as a fellow marine patted his shoulder plates. He hefted his heavy bolter and took one step out of the pod before dawning in on the ‘new’ landing zone.

Not for the first time he thanked his chapters unique abilities as he squinted attempting to take in all the details but in the darkness he could barely make everything out himself. However he came to the sudden conclusion as he heard the scouts shot ring out hitting a warrior in its wing stopping it from jumping the nearby techmarine and as reinforcements came in letting chaos break out across the field He yelled. “Brothers we are in the kill zone!” as he aimed his weapon at a tyranid closer than the others before firing a spray in its direction and cursing to himself as it fell to the ground wounded but still nonetheless dangerously alive, Maybe the pod had shaken him up a bit he thought before roaring and spinning up his bolter “For the emperor!” He yelled as he sent an endless barrage of glowing metal bolts straight into a tyranid trying to get close enough to claw him but getting torn into piles of flesh instead. 

As Taelos fired into the growing mass of tyranid he saw a brother fall to the ground losing some sort of close combat weapon he held close to him while he yelled to the librarian to drop his shield. But before he could shift his aim to help the marine, two of the tyranid fliers tackled him to the ground and as one clawed its way through his armour and began its way into his flesh, he roared with fury as he slammed his heavy bolter, sending its own volley of death, into the skull of one of the creatures before slamming his gauntlet into the remaining creature’s ribs. As he heard the satisfying crack of bone he threw the creature off of him onto the soft dirt before bringing down his armoured boot on its back and firing a dozen rounds into the back of its head. But before he could raise his weapon at the horde again, a bright piecing light burst from the corner of his vision which at first Taelos thought was the emperor himself giving the marines a guiding light, before he realised the librarian had lit the area while aiding the pinned marine. Before he resumed his volley on the now clear foe he yelled “Brothers we have to move before they gain some form of courage and overwhelm us!” and as his weapon roared at the remaining foes, drops of his own blood fell in the pool of the fallen tryranids.


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## DasOmen (Mar 10, 2011)

brendxb:
By the emperor let me not have to do that again, Taelos thought as he shook himself out of a slight daze. As a marine he had taken numerous drop pod rides several ending in at least one occupant wounded or dead but the pod he had just flown in seemed to jump and move on its own will. And that was before it hit that blasted xeno sending the pod off course into its own chaotic form of a landing. Snapping back to reality as he remembered where he was and as a fellow marine patted his shoulder plates. He hefted his heavy bolter and took one step out of the pod before dawning in on the ‘new’ landing zone.

Not for the first time he thanked his chapters unique abilities as he squinted attempting to take in all the details but in the darkness he could barely make everything out himself. However he came to the sudden conclusion as he heard the scouts shot ring out hitting a warrior in its wing stopping it from jumping the nearby techmarine and as reinforcements came in letting chaos break out across the field He yelled. “Brothers we are in the kill zone!” as he aimed his weapon at a tyranid closer than the others before firing a spray in its direction and cursing to himself as it fell to the ground wounded but still nonetheless dangerously alive, Maybe the pod had shaken him up a bit he thought before roaring and spinning up his bolter “For the emperor!” He yelled as he sent an endless barrage of glowing metal bolts straight into a tyranid trying to get close enough to claw him but getting torn into piles of flesh instead.  

As Taelos fired into the growing mass of tyranid he saw a brother fall to the ground losing some sort of close combat weapon he held close to him while he yelled to the librarian to drop his shield. But before he could shift his aim to  help the marine, two of the tyranid fliers tackled him to the ground and as one clawed its way through his armour and began its way into his flesh, he roared with fury as he slammed his heavy bolter, sending its own volley of death, into the skull of one of the creatures before slamming his gauntlet into the remaining creature’s ribs. As he heard the satisfying crack of bone he threw the creature off of him onto the soft dirt before bringing down his armoured boot on its back and firing a dozen rounds into the back of its head. But before he could raise his weapon at the horde again, a bright piecing light burst from the corner of his vision which at first Taelos thought was the emperor himself giving the marines a guiding light, before he realised the librarian had lit the area while aiding the pinned marine. Before he resumed his volley on the now clear foe he yelled “Brothers we have to move before they gain some form of courage and overwhelm us!” and as his weapon roared at the remaining foes, drops of his own blood fell in the pool of the fallen tryranids.

 fallen tryranids lay scattered throughout the battlefield of old as it was renewed once more with an age old conflict. Behemoth, the plight that once beset Macragge thought scourged form the galaxy, still seemed to fight on against the lantern marines. but these tyranids now, that fought against the space marines seemed to shift in their manner of attack. at first it was a feral rage, but something seemed to writhe within them midway through the fight. the helpless corpse of one of the warriors hit the frozen ground and they all let out a screeching roar, attacks becoming more frantic. it wasn't until the light exploded in the distance that everything changed... and not for the better of the marines. 

in the distance as the light pierced the oily blackness, the large monstrous forms of several carnafex could be seen marching towards the besieged marines. their thunderous stomps against the ground seemed to make the planet itself shake and quake with each of their heavy steps. pebbles, shattered ice, and shrapnel from the fight bounced up off the ground with each of their steps. but it was not a incoherent thunder of a herd of animals that sounded in the distance, it was strangely coherent, like they were trying to march in step to hide their numbers. this subtle change seemed to reflect in the warriors as they broke off the melee attack and skittered behind cover wherever they could find it. horrendous cracking, crunching, bubbling and boiling sounds could be heard from them as they hid behind cover. staying out in the open like they were was becoming less and less appetizing to the marines. hunger as some of them might for combat, this was one meal they couldn't finish if they tried. 

they had only three choices. they could storm past the tyranids who moved to hide behind cover for the moment and make a break for the town square, they could rush towards the carnafexes who moved towards them in the distance and make their way towards the large castle of a church that made up the temple. or they could break into the old church and seek refuge there for the moment. to say the least things did not look good. with the church they could funnel the beasts through the door, but how many other exits did it have? and what was already inside lurking and waiting for them? all of this would have been pounding inside the minds of the marines that were besieged by the swarm... or it would be, if the sound of ice and earth cracking up behind the spaces where the warriors hid hadn't been heard. where once there were sounds of mutation and adaptation by the warriors to deal with the new threat of these marines, now there was only quiet in it's wake offset every few moments by the thunderous march of the carnafex. 

the tyranids who laid siege to them had suddenly retreated, gone into hiding aided by some unknown creature amongst their ranks. the profile actually fit the ravaner, burrowing through the ground to leave tunnels in it's wake for the rest of the swarm to move thorough, but now was the question, where would they pop up?

a choice had to be made, time was running out. and it was without the vocal acknowledgement that the techmarine made to make that particular call as he rushed towards the church to make his way inside. the librarian of the lanterns chapter gave chase after the techmarine in protest, calling for his brother to stay with the group... but they entered regardless... no gunshots could be heard inside, just the quiet and thunderous march of the carnafex. that was until

"BROTHERS! TO ME!" came the piercing and forceful shout of the lantern's librarian from within the church. inside the techmarine had made a discovery. "APOTHECARY!" the techmarine would shout out in a roar. 
inside the marines would find a unpleasant site, murdered battle brothers never did bode well. 

slumped against the wall lay a fellow lantern marine, to holes in the chestplate that would pierce the two hearts of the marine. the claw marks of numerous beasts of the world scarred his armor and slashed at the robes he wore. Luminos pattern flamer still clutched within his grasp. any of the marines could see with ease, the holes in the chest were merely made to look like they did not come from a bolter. but the scorching around them proved otherwise. the particles from a point blank muzzle blast still left it's mark on the armor itself. a pair of bolt pistols put this marine down at point blank range as if they were pressed against the chestpeace of the marine. 

the chapter's banner still sat high on his backpack, First company of the lantern marines. this was Sargent Kula, a decorated war hero in his own right. he had previously passed the trials of luminos and gone onto serve in deathwatch. his exploits were ones that many in the chapter would remember in the songs their kahuna sang to inspire. "by the code we are living, we are breathing, and then we die" his last words scorched into the warp itself from his murder. this was a man who had broken into hive ships, who had sacked countless tyranid worlds, who had fought against the enemies of the emperor near to their sector and far far from it. and here he lay dead against the wall. no valiant fight, no valiant death, he lay murdered, slumped like some corpse to be disguarded at a convenience. 

========================================================
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
========================================================


ALL: the battle ends just as quickly as it began. nothing is sitting right with it, the tyranids had the upper hand, they could have easily gotten the better of you with their sheer numbers, not to mention the carnafex are still looming in the distance as they march closer. as you rally to the call of your brothers inside the church, the situation dawns on you that this trial may not be what it appears to be. especial as the techmarine calls out that these wounds were caused by bolters, not by that of a tyranid.

Ultra marine: the fighting finally comes to an end, it seemed to last for ages but just as quickly as it had started, it ended, vanishing into the inky blackness of the planet's 6 month long night. the thunderous marching of the carnifex looms into the distance as the monstrous foes come ever closer. some of your brothers have been injured by the fight, sustaining damage by the tyranids. in battles past this meant that they would need immediate treatment to resist the toxins the tyranids had developed. as you go about treating the rest of your brothers, you see two rush off towards the church. it's not until their call for an apothecary that you find your way inside the building. what do you do in that time? do you examine the fresh bodies of the tyranids that you just fought to try and see what has happened to behemoth in the time it was supposed to be wiped from the galaxy? 

as you're called inside, you find the cause for all the ruckus, a lantern marine lay dead against the wall, not of your group to be certain, all of yours are accounted for. his gene seed can however be salvaged, allowing this marine to live on in the coming generations of his chapter, provided you make it off world that is. 
 
Blood angel: the music that played in this church seems to haunt it like a ghost. you still hear it after all these years, even after the priests who played here lhave long since fallen to the tyranid invasion. for what it's worth though, the inside of the church is fairly vancant of death-imprints, there is one however, standing above the fallen marine. the imprint so vivid, so strong, it was not ancient like the others outside, this one was... surprisingly fresh in comparison. you take in the sites like the rest of your brothers and cousins, however the imprint's last words seem to suck your mind towards the past. you can feel it's pull like that of a sinking ship being pulled under by a mighty kracken. do you call for the aid of the chaplain as you feel the pull? or do you delve deeper to seek out the pain in the past that left this mark? PM me your response. 

Lanterns: one of your own has fallen, a song burns in your hearts urging you not to let it be in vain. 

Arete Kastor: the eyes you felt watching you have vanished. as the battle comes to an abrupt and unexpected stop, the sense that something is horridly wrong seems to loom in the distance. tyranids are a race that cares little for casualties, and yet so few here were killed and they suddenly retreat? what's more is they had the upper hand and then they retreated. if they wanted they could have easily pushed through and slaughtered you and your brothers, but instead they pull back? as your brothers move into the church you find yourself rallied to their side as the call for an apothecary goes out. rushing inside you take in the scene, no sign of scuffle, no sign of battle in recent days, everything is as it should be on this lost world, that is however with the acceptation of the marine slumped against the wall, flamer still in hand with two wounds piercing both of his hearts. tyranids did not go for the heart, they went for the body as a whole, this was more deliberate. the wounds at first glance look like those of a tyranid lictor, but such a lucky strike would not be likely, especially given that the area around him, everything about this place, told you that there had not been a battle here between marine and beast in more decades than you'd like to count. this man was killed by one he trusted, murdered unsuspectingly and without warning. upon looking over the area, searching for any clues as to the escape route or what happened, something catches your attention that would go unnoticed by your armored brothers. wind, a draft is coming from a wall. searching along the path of the wind you make your way alongside the church's massive pipe organ, finding a single brick minutely out of place as if it had been rebuilt from the other side, not in haste, but by someone who to be quite honest had never built a church wall before. the bricks tried to mimic the pattern laid out throughout the rest of the church, but failed in that one spot.. and that one spot was the source of the draft. there's a secret behind this wall, and it's the only exit the murderer could have taken. calling over to the devastator you request aid, this is one wall that must come down.

Taelos Palenikana: the tyranids hide behind cover, their tactics are changing. though you are no tactical marine, nor scout Sargent, you still recognize this. they're preparing to bring new weapons to bare. you still fire against them even as they hide behind cover, whittling away at it, carving a hole through it with your heavy weapon. eventually you break though it just as a ravaner tries to break through and grab the tyranid warrior that was hiding behind the cover. but as you break through their escape is in vain, both beasts fall to your siege. but in that moment you feel a Erie calm wash over the battlefield, one that did not all compliment it's pace. just as quickly as they had come, they had vanished. the thunderous march of the carnafex the only signal that danger was still on the horision. it's now that you see your brothers rushing towards the church. inside there are no foes to be found, only the remains of one of your battle brothers. this area however, seems fitting for a final valiant stand. into the fight you can feel your foes come from the distance, ready to be torn asunder by your weapon as they try to enter the doorway. it's not until the scout calls for your aid however that you take your eyes off the entrance that you entered...


Kaila Hide: you see it before the rest of your brothers notice it. the techmarine has become lost to song. the tunes and melodies in his mind and heart have taken hold. talking him down and diverting him from his path would be futal. the songs he calls out in the night tell tales of victory and hardship of ancient wars long past for the space wolf chapter. it speaks of sorrow that their children, or rather the chapters that come from them, have been put down. the librarian from your chapter seems determined to sway him however, but as they enter the church, the songs start to roar in your heart of hearts. you almost feel "his" voice demanding vengeance for something you do not yet comprehend. "murder shall have vengeance" the words don't make sense to you until you enter the chapel and see for yourself what the ruckus was about. there lay a man you yourself have served beside. Kula lay dead slumped against the wall, murdered. you fraught with kula on multiple occasions, laying siege and waist to more tyranid infested worlds than you care to admit. his songs and his stories however now come to a close, ending with a most unjust and unfitting close, Murdered against a wall. at first you'd believe it was a tyranid who did this, the wounds almost look like they'd belong to a tyranid lictor. but it's when the techmarine calls out they were from bolt pistols that you feel your blood boil. how do you react to all of this? 


Lumisispite your protests, the lybrarian of the lanterns chapter and the techmarine of the lanterns chapter rush towards the old church. moving to the rally call of your brothers despite your better judgement, you find a battle brother dead. slain by what appears to be a lictor. though you see no signs of battle, in the area other than his corpse, he lay dead all the same. as you remove his helmet to see the last things he has seen things he may have seen, you hear the techmarine say something that these were bolter wounds, and not the wounds caused by a tyranid lictor. PM me should you decide to view the logs inside the helmet. 

+Enemy count+
=0=
>objective: Recover and rest<
{Equipment to be found: Luminos Pattern Flamer}
Luminos pattern flamer: where most flamers let fly a wash of flame in a cone like jet infront of them, The flamers of the Lantern marines chapter function more like grenade launchers than true flamers. instead they hurl flaiming gobs of goo that impact and splatter. the standard Pele pattern flamer of the lantern chapter is little more than a stand alone flame lobber that is attached to all of the chapter's bolters. the Luminos pattern however is said to burn brightly even in the darkest night, bringing the white hot vengefull gaze of the emperor to many a foe. it's two barrels take turns in spewing forth molten balls of fire at foes both close and far. it's design lets it create a "sea of fire and flames" through concentrated fire. this ornate weapon would be the center peace in any lantern marine's collection that chooses the warcry of "In fire you shall burn" as their favored call to battle.


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## Deus Mortis (Jun 20, 2009)

Arete looked round the corner of the building he was lines up against. The marching sound of the beasts in the distant was almost coherent. Almost. Probably two, maybe three for each stamp he heard, and it was like a quadruple heart beating through the surface of the ground. That was just it. The tyranids were the corrupted beating heart of his once beloved home world, and their filthy spores now coursed through it's veins and arteries whilst their spawning ground acts as vile atriums and ventricles, forcing their xenos blood further and further into the planets core. They had been on Lumos for less than a few hours, and it looked like they would hard pressed to survive a few more. Curse the bloody librarian of their cousin chapter! Even his neophytes knew better than this reckless Blood Angel. If they survived, he would have his head.

Suddenly, the world-pulse slowed and spluttered out. Arete cautiously peered round the corner; what the hell was going on? From his estimates, they had a force large enough to cripple their mediocre batallion, if not demolish it completely. So why were they retreating? These beasts had no emotions in them, and no capacity to feel fear or remorse, and no reason to flee when the battle was basically won already. There was something not right about this. He was sure most marines would call it the Emperor's guidance, but Arete had learnt to rely on nothing but his skill and count the Emperor's grace as nothing sure and certainly nothing that could be factored into plans. Still, in instances like these, it was nice to have it. 

He had heard footfalls of the techmarine as he left and the librarian as he followed. Arete slid the barrel of his rifle around the corner of the wall and watched for any sign of movement. For those painful seconds he simply rolled his eye in it's socket to hydrate it, rather than close it. At least if his eye-lids were open, light was still stimulating his rods and cones. He would not miss anything. Suddenly a hail, and he waited until the last of the footfalls had faded and then he ran into the building after his brothers. His brothers crowded round something, and Arete shuffled round to the side to see what it was they all stared at intently. It was a corpse. A lantern marine corpse. Obvious scratch marks, but not made by tyranid, although whoever had done it had made a very good attempt to make it look like it was. Most of the wounds were made post-mortem by Arete's estimation. The muzzle shots were from what was, in all likely, one, probably two, bolt pistols, and those were what had killed him. 

It wasn't just a him. It was Sergeant Kula, honoured veteran of a thousand battles, a hero of the Lantern marines. Now dead. Murdered, on his home and judging by the powder burns on his armour, by someone he trusted. The height of betrayal. However did this would pay, in blood. He would complete the trials, and bring this bastard back the chapter in chains to face their judgement. But first, getting back to the chapter in one piece. "Decado..." Arete turned to his cousin "...if you ever put the marines of this chapter at risk again with your blatant lack of knowledge and caution, I will incapacitate you. I promise you that. You are my cousin, but these are my brothers and I will not let you throw their lives away." 

Arete stepped forward to look at his brother's corpse better, when he noticed something. His brothers wouldn't notice it, in their fully sealed armour. But in his scout armour let the draft in the church brush against some hairs on his skin. A small, whistling breath of air and then it was gone. Arete stood up and walked into the bowels of the church, looking for a gap or a hole which would explain the draft. He walked past various instruments of ministration, and felt it again. He turned to face the wall and scanned it from top to bottom. Something about it didn't fit. It was a pastiche, a parody, a mime of a true church wall, built by someone with no architectural experience. One brick out of place confirmed his suspicions. This wall had been rebuilt, and not from this side. Arete smiled with malicious joy. Something had tried to outwit them, and had failed. "Taelos, brother. Bring this wall down. It isn't what it seems."...


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## jonileth (Feb 1, 2012)

Apothecary Craetus Vorentis watched as the Tyranids fell to the withering fire his battle-brethren laid down before him. His own bolter barked just as angrily at the foul abominations as they charged the line and drove several of the Lantern Marines to the ground and tried to kill them. Though none managed to finish the job, the wounds that would no doubt come of the assault would likely be poisoned and in dire need of attention once the fighting ceased… if they held out.

Much to the Apothecary’s surprise, the battle didn’t last nearly as long as he’d predicted it would thanks to his previous run-ins with the creatures. The assault felt like a hit and run raid, a test of their offensive abilities. The fact that they were using battle strategy did not bode well for them at all. As the last of the living Tyranids vanished into the inky blackness surrounding the crash site, Craetus took it upon himself to examine one of the more ‘intact’ corpses that lay scattered in an area with enough light to make an examination. The creature seemed to be much more toned in musculature than the ones that he’d seen from the Hive Fleet. The carapace was also far more rigid and bony. The claws seemed to have been elongated and it had an extra set of eyes, most likely an adaptation to the darkness of the planet. The fact that the Hive creatures on the surface were adapting meant that a beast capable of spawning the Tyranids was on the surface. Nothing else seemed likely.

“Apothecary!” a voice called out from behind Vorentis, augmented by the vox transmitters of his helmet. Craetus abandoned his study somewhat reluctantly and trudged the small distance to the shrine. Inside he found death awaiting him. The corpse that seemed the object of much attention was remarkably fresh and unnervingly void of the usual injuries of battle. The Apothecary approached and knelt down to conduct a much more thorough examination of the body. As he’d thought, most of the wounds on the body were post mortem wounds that were inconsistent with grave injuries. The only thing that could have silenced the Marine was the bolter wounds which were hidden on his back until the Apothecary moved him.

“Seems there were traitors among this one’s numbers. No Astartes I have ever known would turn his back to a foe knowingly,” Craetus surmised aloud.

The Apothecary set the body back against the wall and began the process of harvesting the still viable gene-seed in the corpse’s body. The task was a rather simply one for Vorentis, the man had harvested thousands upon thousands of gene-seeds in his time. Once the material was safely in the transport vials, Craetus stood just in time to catch Brother Kastor’s rather obvious threat against his Blood Angel cousin. He was going to say something in response, but abandoned the notion after considering the fact that the Scout was most likely still wrapped in his battle rage and likely would calm down on his own.

The Apothecary did, however, make commentary when Kastor asked for aid from the Devastator in their group, “What is wrong, Scout-Brother?”


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## William Siegfried (Jun 25, 2011)

Kaila had continued to hum songs of war and bloody battle as he swung and swiped towards his xeno foe's that continued to rush him and his fellow brothers. Kaila was focused, and his mind was clued upon wanting to kill and purge every dirty piece of bug like xeno from this planet. As his other brothers continued to show their trouble and rage towards the xeno much like Kaila was, but unlike his brothers his movements were perfect and well executed that allowed him to kill two of the flying warriors with ease before another small group had jumped upon him, forcing himself to use one of the dead bodies as a shield before making a counter attack straight at his foes. In total by the time they were quickly ordered to fall back behind a wall for cover, Kaila had managed to kill 6 warriors. His armour was stained in the green, and purple blood just as his weapons were. He paid no mind to this however and nor did he notice it, he just turned his head in time to see everyone else run back behind a wall. Without a second thought Kaila pushed himself towards the wall before rejoining with his battle brothers, and cousins. 

As he pressed himself against cover he remained silent still, being to focused on the current events while humming and thinking of a song of prayer to the Emperor in his head. His eyes were scanning the nids as he quickly began to back off which forced Kaila to raise a brow in both confusion and curiosity until he heard the sounds of marching approaching from their right flank. He looked towards the sounds of marching before he looked over to see the Scout rush towards the church after the blood angel whom Kaila had gotten to know a bit on the ship before launch. Like everyone else he knew they'd have to rush over there to regroup with the rest of the team. So without a second thought he patted the shoulder plate of the Sergeant giving him a nod letting him know he was moving across the ice covered road towards the church. Once inside however he was met with the sudden and powerful brush of death, and a voice calling for revenge in a pain-filled tone that lingered in this place. Kaila couldn't help but feel the overwhelming rush of anger sweep over him as he noticed the body of one of his brothers. At first his anger was focused upon the nids, believing it to have been them who took his brother's life. However as he moved closer his face and overall spirit showed great sorrow as he fell to a knee at the sight of one of his greatest friends and mentors from the same company. 

Before the Ultra Marine was called Kaila remained close to his brother, gently bringing his arms up and over his body along with his sword and bolt pistol before Kaila pressed his helmet against his brothers. He then began to sing a song of prayer for his fallen brother. It was a small yet beautiful tune that carried throughout the church. The chances it would effect many of his battle brothers in his chapter were slightly high due to the type of song he sang. One of death, sadness, and revenge. He sung it true and and beautifully before stopping midway into the Apothecary's grim and holy deed to ensure Kaila's beloved brother would be reborn into another one of the space marine hopefuls. When his scout brother made his discovery of the wall Kaila paid no mind to it, with much of his focused being on his dead brother and prayer. It was hard for him seeing how the dead marine was so close to Kaila and was someone he had bleed and fought beside in the past. As he finished the prayers and song he looked once again at the bolter inflicted wounds and felt his blood boil in rage and holy anger. He and his brother demanded revenge and demanded the purge of the traitors who did this. Standing up Kaila walked over to the wall. He waited for his brother-devastator to take down the wall. He wanted to find these traitors and fast. His faith, honour, and the Emperor called for vengeance and holy judgement upon the now damned Marines who killed the once great hero and veteran of his beloved 1st Company.


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## brendxb (Jul 18, 2011)

They were adapting Taelos thought as he saw less and less tyranid charging and more heading for cover. “so be it” he said to himself as he began to spin up his heavy bolter before releasing another barrage of hell into the small rock the beast have tried to seek refuge behind. ‘Something’s changed’ he thought as he fired on the beast. ‘Tyranids don’t wait or plan they charge relentlessly, so what’s happening?’ but as the rock gave way and partially collapsed he came to a conclusion. “They’re bringing in something new” he murmured to himself through his gritted teeth as a tyranid warrior and ravener who had sprung from behind the rock fell to his weapons barrage into piles of mutilated flesh.

Only after his bolter silenced he realised the calmness spreading over the field, and in an instant the battle was over. However his theory of new forces was proven correct as he heard the distant carnifexs approach. Looking around him he was shocked for a moment to see none of his brothers nearby only to relief himself as he saw them heading to a church bringing back memories of his past crusades where he had once taken refuge in a similar church and held out against a siege of foes. It was a memory he did not want repeated. As he moved to the temple to join up with his fellow brothers he stopped midway to clutch his chest due to a sudden pain. When he raised his gauntlet he saw it partly covered in his own blood. 

After cursing at himself for letting him get jumped in the battle and making a reminder to get the apothecary to ensure that the wound is clean he continued on to the church where as soon as he entered he spun around dropped to one knee and began to scan the field for his foes. Only after he checked the entire landscape several times he allowed himself to turn into the church and rest and in doing so he himself felt more uneasy and angered than during the midst of the battle that happened only moments ago. On the floor of the church the lantern marine lay still pierced in both his hearts. But Taelos saw the marines’ stance and as a lantern he knew if the marine was making a last stand he would not look relaxed, peaceful perhaps but in battle a marine is never relaxed until every foe of the emperor is dead. He reached his conclusion as he saw the burns on his armour. The marine known as Sergeant Kula had been betrayed. As a new anger grew within Taelos he felt in a trance of hatred and prayed silently to the emperor for a chance to seek revenge for the fallen marine. 

However he was snapped back to reality as he heard the scout Arete Kastor call "Taelos, brother. Bring this wall down. It isn't what it seems”. At this Taelos snapped and murmured as he walked to the wall before saying allowed “I’ve had enough of this Tricky we have been forced to face! First the damned Xeno filth pushes us off course then attempt to ambush us only to run away!” And as he felt a few heads of his brothers turn around to face him looking to see what the commotion was he quietly added “let’s see what you’re really for” As he sent a barrage from the bolter in the entire section of the wall. But the moment he stopped he then charged shoulder first into the heavily dented wall turning it into small pieces of flying dust and bricks. “Your private hole brother”. He said as he brushed the powder off of his armour and lanterns feeling calmness return to him.


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## Deus Mortis (Jun 20, 2009)

_"What's wrong, Scout-brother?"_ Craetus asked. Arete smiled a mirth-ful smile. 
"Well, brother Apothecary, someone has rebuilt this wall. Likely to cover something. And last time I checked, tyranids weren't great architects." Arete chuckled and flashed one of his well-humoured smiles most knew well. "Which means, whoever built that wall after they demolished it has some semblance of sentience and independence. Which means, if we want to find our traitor, our best bet if follow wherever this goes" Arete pointed at the wall. Taelos mumbled incoherently as he approached the wall. 
_“I’ve had enough of this Tricky we have been forced to face! First the damned Xeno filth pushes us off course then attempt to ambush us only to run away!”_ Arete watched Taelos carefully. The death of a brother bothered all of them, but there was something more here. Taelos was acting rash, and if they were to survive these trials, they needed level heads. _“Let’s see what you’re really for”_ As he sent a barrage from the bolter in the entire section of the wall. But the moment he stopped he then charged shoulder first into the heavily dented wall turning it into small pieces of flying dust and bricks.

Arete walked through the savagely carved gap in the wall to where Taelos stood. 
"Brother, we have all suffered much. We all wish to avenge Kula. But we need you. We all need to survive and make it back to the Lanterns. And the only way that will happen is if we all keep our heads screwed on straight." Arete moved in front of his brother and stared calmly and unarguably into his eyes. "Keep it together. Remember your training, or so help me I will." Arete walked back around Taelos. "I propose that I go and investigate what's down here. If I find anything I will let you know, but I trust that you can defend here well enough without me." Arete nodded at their techmarine "I would advise that you reinforce this area as best as you can." Arete turned his attention back to the group. "If you get over-whelmed, don't try and be brave. This is a planet firmly in the grip of the tyranids. No single act will win us the battle here. Survival is paramount. If you need to move, you move. Just keep me in the loop. I'll find you." 

Arete noticed something in his speech. "I realise it is in my nature to make orders, even though here no one holds rank. I will not apologise for that, especially if it leads to our survival. If anyone has a problem with me or what I say, feel free to challenge me. But I will say this; I probably know survival and working behind enemy lines better than anyone here. I have lead countless scouts across numerous battle fields, and they were certainly less experienced than any of you." Arete smiled cheekily. "Except maybe you, Cousin Decado." Arete laughed softly, letting his cousin know he meant no harm by his comment. "I'm just saying, I might know a few things. Anyone is welcome to come with me, but just to warn you, I will require stealth as we don't know what's down there." Arete waited to see if anyone would follow with him. He know he might be being unreasonable, but these few hours had shown him that this group needed it, or they wouldn't last much longer...


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## jonileth (Feb 1, 2012)

The Apothecary stared down the makeshift passageway that had been uncovered by the Devastator Marine's weapon fire. It wasn't until the Scout mentioned stealth that the old Ultramarine let out a laugh.

"I do not believe stealth will be something that will be of much help. Brother Palenikana and his Heavy Bolter may very well have alerted the dead around us of our presence. The Codex advises that should we have already given away our position, such as we most assuredly have now, stealth is no longer advisable. Our Primarch advises that it is best to simply forge ahead in a defensive fighting pattern and lay claim to all before us in a swift, tactical manner," the Apothecary recited before laying his hand on the Scout's shoulder pauldron.

"I would be happy to accompany you, however. Better to keep going forward toward answers than to simply stand by and wait for death," Craetus said.


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## Santaire (Feb 13, 2011)

‘Damn the Codex’ Lumis snarled, rising to his feet from where he had been kneeling by Kula’s corpse. ‘Damn it to hell, it didn’t help us when Luminos was attacked and it won’t help us now! The Tyranids know your codex fool; they know it and they use it against us. We have a defensive position here with a back door. Let Arete scout it, he has the skills. Why would he be here if he was useless? Let him scout it and if we have to then we go down the tunnel or would you consign our brothers to death because of a misguided belief that the codex is perfect for every engagement?’ Lumis turned away and stalked to the Shrine doorway to gaze into the inky blackness of the night. As he stood in silent vigil he felt a hand on his shoulder and a voice spoke. ‘Brother, we all weep for Kula’s death but do not let your anger cloud your judgement.’ It was the Lantern marine apothecary who then turned and walked back into the shrine.

Lumis suddenly felt ashamed. He had spoken with his heart, not his head. His brother was right, he was letting his personal feelings get in the way of the facts. The approaching Carnifex brood was not something to be taken lightly. Once again he cursed the Chapter Master’s name before turning back into the shrine.

He approached Craetus slowly and then hesitantly placed a hand on the Ultramarine’s shoulder guard. ‘I apologise brother, I was speaking with my heart and not my head, angered at the death of Kula and the arrogance of my Lord. I spoke in haste and anger. I apologise brother.’ Lumis heard the Apothecary’s response and moved to the entrance. He peered into the darkness and his ever analytical mind dissected the problem. ‘Kaila, one of us should go with Arete while the other stays here with the group. It is up to you,’ he said quietly to the chaplain.


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## Captain Stillios (Mar 8, 2009)

Decado followed his cousins into the temple and stood watching the door untill he heard Arete speak.
"Decado...if you ever put the marines of this chapter at risk again with your blatant lack of knowledge and caution, I will incapacitate you. I promise you that. You are my cousin, but these are my brothers and I will not let you throw their lives away." came Arete's comment. Decado nearly burst into laughter at the Scouts assumption, he knew the dangers of the warp better than any not of the Librarius, he assumed that Arete was simply angry and needed an outlet but being accused of endangering other Astartes lives stung so Decado replied with an angry gin on his face.
"Arete, I know the dangers of the shadow of the warp far better than you, I understand that you are angry but if *you* ever suggest that I would ever put another astartes at risk on purpose...well I'll leave it to your imagination"
Turning from Arete, Decado noticed another death-haze, the first he had seen inside of the temple, as he noticed it Decado felt himself being drawn towards it, feeling his grip on his barriers lessen he managed to utter quietly "Kali-" before the vision took him.

Demons surrounded his psy-body but for some reason did not attack, blocking out their ramblings about some inquisitor Decado kept a tight grip on his sanity as the world took form around him and he saw the Lantern Marines Chapter Master and the dead veteran conversing.
"That's 5 in a row my lord! Please let me go down and investigate these losses! Something is not right on the planet!" the veteran pleaded, a look of anger and rage plastered itself firmly on the chapter master's face as he slamed a heavy metal hand down onto his throne's arm rest. "I cannot!" the Chapter Master replied, he was clearly not angry at the veteran but at something else "he said three weeks..."

'Who is _he?_' Decado wondered as the vision changed to reveal the site from which they had recently been at, the Lantern Marine veteran was there, along with a fellow Blood Angel and a Dark Angel, they fought for some time but the vision swirled again back to the Chapter Maser as the veteran begged him one final time to let him go to the planet below, the Chapter Master looked haggard and shed one single tear in response to the veterans pleas, "I cannot my brother... whatever is down there, the inquisition wants it, even now I go against their orders as I try and replenish the ranks of our veterans, what are we to do? Shall we disobey the inquisition further? I will not see our entire chapter doomed simply because I will not follow the will of the Emperor".

More images blurred by him as he saw the Blood Angel and Dark Angel convince the Lantern to go by dop pod to the planet despite the Chapter Masters orders, dozens of battles, uncountable close calls and inumerable trials assailed the trio untill they came and stood on the very stone which Decado himself now stood.
"The Tyranids are learning!" cursed the Blood Angel, the veteran just laughed "It is their nature, they use the Codex Astartes against us, their formations, their tactics, everything is a bastardized version of the codex itself...they have learned from the past and they seek vengance or some other foul motive" His back was towards the two other marines as he backed over towards the spot where he lay cold and dead in modern times, his eyes watched the door with his flamer, a chuckle in his voice. "But we will win the day brothers, fear not, this strain of Behemoth will never escape our sector..." 
As the veteran finished Decado recoiled in horror as both of the other marines drew their pistols and shot the Lantern Marine dead. The veteran stood imobile for a few moments before crashing to the floor. His last words were inaudiable but the sheer betrayal of his death left a gaping hole in the warp which explained the strong death-haze. The Blood Angel and Dark Angel drew their combat blades and hacked at the Lanterns armour to make it appear as if he had been clawed apart by a lictor, when they had finished Decado could feel himself being drawn back into himself but managed to stay long enough to see the two marines dart off in the direction of Arete's tunnel.

Decado was hurled back into his body with the force of a cannon as a cry of horror resounded in the vaults of his mind 'No!' over and over, his head rang from the force of the word but still he could make no sense of it, the only thing he could gather was one of the most disturbing things about the word, the voice was human.
Decado crashed to his knees and disengaged his helmet, taking a deep breath of the cold air Decado wiped his sweat-covered brow and snarled, "Beware cousins! The Tyranids are not our only advesary here, Heretics are at work here!" 
Decado looked up to see the ghost of Sergeant Kula begin to fade, it seemed as if it had remained long enough to impart a message and then gone to the Emperors table. Decado opened a private vox to Kalia as he replaced his helmet, "Kalia, a vision has come to me from the honoured Sergeants body, it was...most disturbing, I feel confused, within the vision was evidence of dissension in the Lanterns and...cousin, one of the heretics I spoke of was armoured as a Son of Sanguinius, as a Blood Angel. I am lost and confused by this, the Chapter Master mentioned an Inquisitor, do you know of any such Inquisitor? And what of the heretics?" Decado sighed as he realised that he may have not made the vox private after all but was sure that unless they had been listening for it none of the others would pay it heed.


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## jonileth (Feb 1, 2012)

Apothecary Vorentis could sympathize with Brother Lumis' anger. He'd felt a great deal of anger in his life not to be sympathetic. And in his long life, he also knew much of the truth behind the limitations of the Codex.

"Were we among my Chapter I might never say this aloud, but I believe our situation warrants it..." the Apothecary said with a heavy sigh, "Our own dealings with the Tyranids would make even the most devoted followers of the Codex think twice before using it. The aliens are vastly different in mind and mannerisms than those we Astartes have been sent against in the past. However, Brother Lumis, if someone took the time to build walls, then they are liken in mind to foes who fall victim to the Codex and its wisdom. Knowing that, I reference the sacred text simply to advocate a course of action that might give us a better chance against a man, whether he be touched by Chaos or by some other insanity. And what else can it be but some measure of insanity if he would should a battle-brother in the back and then hide behind a wall that would only fool the aliens outside?"

Craetus turned back to the Scout, "What is your thought on this? Do you still believe we can sneak up upon the enemy or shall we simply assume he knows we are coming and overwhelm him with the wrath of the Emperor for what he as done in this sacred place?"


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## Deus Mortis (Jun 20, 2009)

Arete watched as his plan met the minds of the group. Decado rebuttled him with an idle threat. Warp-spawned sorcery or not, Arete could take the head of, well anything, in a mile radius. Arete was no heretic, but down here, if Decado's 'gifts' lead him astray, his head would split like a ripe grapefruit. Suddenly, as if on some unheard que, Decado spluttered something revealed to him in a vision. His body had become tensed, and the icy air of a deliberate use of his power hadn't come into the room. He warned of treachery and heretics. *We already noticed both of those 'cousin'* Arete thought to himself. He was harsh to everyone. But he was kind too. But on a world where they had no back up and no one to turn to, they were all out of favours and the nice approach wouldn't cut it. 

Craetus turned back to the Scout, _"What is your thought on this? Do you still believe we can sneak up upon the enemy or shall we simply assume he knows we are coming and overwhelm him with the wrath of the Emperor for what he as done in this sacred place?"_ 
"We don't know how many they are. It may be one lone agent, but to come down here, murder a veteran of our chapter and then survive on a world infested by xenos, I would doubt if very much. Since our foe if of unknown number, I would propose that I and another go and scout. If it is only one, two Astartes would-be veterans against one traitor, then there should be no problem" Arete's lips curled into a smile. He could take them on it's own, but another brother would be useful. "If not, then we can scout, gather intel and come back with information so we can deliver a hammer blow of the Emperor's wrath to the traitors!" Arete's fist slammed into his hand for emphasis. "As for if they know we are coming; we are in a war zone. There are noises and breaks all the time. Even if they suspect, we've discussed it for long enough for them to have probably dismissed it. If they haven't..." Arete's reputation at destroying sentries was well known. No one doubted Arete would get what he wanted. "Either way, I am going. I will maintain contact. I should warn, whoever comes with me, I will assert myself as a scout sergeant. We are scouting, and we will do things my way" With that, Arete shouldered his rifle moved almost silently to the hole in the wall, preparing to hunt whoever had killed their honoured veteran...


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## William Siegfried (Jun 25, 2011)

Kaila looked at the wall as it was quickly destroyed by his brother. He could see his scout brother was still very much angered by the body of his brother, more so when he continued to threaten the Blood Angel whom Kaila himself deemed pure of ANY taint other than the powers of the warp he could call on at any time. Shortly after he watched as the squads Sergeant raised his voice. Kaila could no longer be angry as all of his brothers we're troubled and upset. He was meant to be a guiding figure, and with the sight of a murdered brother his duty called him to hunt and purge the traitors who dared take the life of a Veteran Space Marine, more so one of his Chapter. Kaila just watched as everyone continued to argue and fight more before he heard the end of the argument between Decado and Arete. "Arete you forget yourself, and your duty, I am the one who shall judge whether or not one is corrupted by Chaos brother, and as of yet the Emperor still finds him pure." Kaila told Arete. Kaila then turned to Decado and nodded to him before walking to the side of Lumis. 

Kaila looked at his brother before placing his armoured hand upon his brothers shoulder plate before smiling warmly. "It is alright brother, your anger and hate is understandable, and I too feel the same, so there is no shame in showing your want for vengeance.. As for one of us going with Arete, I agree Lumis. I'll go, as it is my duty to." Kaila paused for a moment before looking down at his dead brother. "More so now that traitors are running around with the blood of one of ours on their hands." Kaila finished, his tone sounded as if it was filled with rage. Shortly after the pause he patted Lumis shoulder once more before giving him a nod as he turned around to see Decado was standing stiff. He raised a brow as he looked at his cousin. He had seen him do this once before when he was talking to him back upon the ship. Kaila was curious as to what he was seeing, however he mearly turned to see the Ultra Marine and Arete finally settle their argument. Seeing his brothers calm brought a smile, before he turned back to Decado who fell to his knees as if he was just shot. Kaila took a knee beside Decado, before asking, "Are you alright Decado?" Shortly before he could ask any further questions he heard Decado speak warning all that heretics were upon the fallen Forge world. Kaila's grip grew tighter around his Arcanum, just the word heretic or traitor made Kaila's blood boil with holy anger. 

As Kaila rested on his knee beside his cousin he suddenly heard the Blood Angel's voice through his vox. Kaila looked around for a moment to see if anyone else was getting the same message as he, but sure enough no one had responded. Kaila then stood to his feet as he offered Decado a hand up, as he continued to listen to what it was he saw. Kaila was glad his face was hidden by his helm, he could think clearly and was able to hide his anger and pain. Kaila then began to think on what the Blood Angel had told him. Kaila paused for a moment his then turned towards the tunnel and back once again to Decado. _"I see... I can understand your confusion and pain, however push the thought of sadness away and focus more on your rage that calls for you to purge the traitor Blood Angel who dared betray not only you but your Chapter and Primarch, just as shall towards the Fallen Angel."_ Kaila had told Decado shortly after switching to the private comm. He then turned and walked towards Arete stopping at the entrance of the tunnel. "I shall follow you brother as it is my duty to purge and cleanse the galaxy of all those who DARED betray our God Emperor. And I shall follow your instructions as you shall follow mine when and if we come face to face with the heretics brother." Kaila then began to follow Arete as he walked down through the tunnel.


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## DasOmen (Mar 10, 2011)

As the scout and the kahuna venture into the hidden passage, the whailing call of something truely monsterous sounds in the distance. with each passing moment the carnafex move closer and closer to the marines. but as they enter the town, and their footsteps sound in the night and shake the foundation of the chapel, something falls from the rafters above. the hulking form of another fallen veteran who died on the trials. his head missing, consumed by a tyranid beast. in his frozen grasp rests one of the relics he had retreaved from the planet. seems he was on his way to a extraction point when he met his doom. his bolter is the only artifact that remains in tact on him, his armor is shredded. rended to ribbons by ripping claws that cut through his armor as if it was nothing but a hunk of wood covering his frame. his relic pauldrens no longer have any life left in them, and the hilt of his sword is the only thing that remains of the artifact, the blade itself is missing, broken off. 

================================================== ======
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++
================================================== ======


ALL: you're separated for this encounter. you all need to collect three artifacts each for your trial, be they weapons or armor. the techmarine so far is the only one to collect something. 

Ultra marine: the flamer seemed to go untouched untill one of the lanterns moved to collect it, the techmairne of your group lays claim to the flamer of the fallen veteran. but at he moves to collect it, your bones seem to aich in warning of something. suddenly without warning several gene stealers unmask themselves from the cloak of darkness and shadow and move to beseage you and your couisins. the gene stealers move with suprising purpose and drive, their movements familiar. that's when you reconize it from the codex itself, they're using a three pronged pincer to take on the tech marine, it's a crude adaptation of it but an andaptation none the less. the groaths of the gene stealers seem to welcome ice as if to use it as aditional armor on their bodies. you whitness your cousin's heavy bolter assault try and rip into one of the gene stealers, and the ice definately helps as it acts as a crude form of armor for the monsters. something greater is coming though, you can fee lit. these three pronged attacks are meant to tie an enemy down untill truely devostating weapons can tear them apart. 
 
Blood angel: something eats at your mind's defences with a uncanny hunger. it's subtle at first but it grows on you, becoming more and more annoying. you can feel the presence of a zoanthrope nearing your position though you know not from which direction. the gnawing on your mind forces you to miss the entrance of the genestealers at first, however when they make themselves known, something inside you feels as if it's snapping, ripping even. you feel the rage nearly consume you as you engage the beasts. it's almost too late when you realize that's what the tyranids were wanting, you to nearly loose controll. 

Arete Kastor: the path you now walk is a dangerous one. the corodore you walk down goes down at a rather steep angle, and the feel of eyes on you once more lingers. you can hear clawed footsteps behind you, ahead of you, by the warp it seems to be all around you at points. glancing around as you walk, you see the swarm as it weaves in and out of the crevices of the coffins and sarcofigi that litter the walls of your path. hormagants... loads of them. but they do not attack you or your brother, instead they keep pace with you, walking when you walk, stopping when you stop, even as you kill some out of instinct they do not move to engage. instead they taunt you with their numbers as if those you kill mean nothing in the long run. you almost wish you had the presence of the blood angel psycker with you, as you feel something gnawing on your mind like that of a ork gnawing on a guardsmen's boot after it's soaked in their slop. ahead though, through the taunts of the tyranids, you hear something. the mechanical sounding voice of a vox caster. it's just at the bottom of a spiraling stairwell that goes around a large pit, the pit itself travels too far down for you to see the bottom, but the voice at the bottom itself is another matter. 

Taelos Palenikana: the wall has been braught down and the scout brother and the kahuna have moved in to investigate for now. you watch the door to the chapel with intent eyes, taking up a defencive position to cover it. it's not the notion that you have split up that is bugging you, but the sound of the tyranid carnafex outside... your eyes linger on the techmarine of your chapter as he moved to collect the flamer from the deceased veteran. something seems off about the area around him, and just as you are about to speak up to ask your brother to get away form there, they strike from cloaked shadows. GeneStealers half covered in ice, or at least that's how their carpace looks. these gene stealers are diffrent than the ones you're used to, the cold harsh enviorment of this world almost seems to make them armor plated. reguardless you open fire, giving covering fire to your brother.


Kaila Hide: you follow your scout brother down the long tunnel, keeping at his back and abiding by his orders. you too notice the swarms of tyranids following you, they dont give any fight even as you and the scout brother slaughter a few, they simply stand and let you kill them. you reconize it as a taunt, they're goading you into desicrating the chapel's burrieal grounds. you feel your mind at the mercy of something larger as it gnaws at your defences like a hungry ork gnawing on a guardsmen's boot. as you reach the end of the path, you and the scout brother stand at the top of a large spiral staircase going down into a vast pit, too deep for your eyes to see the bottom. 

Lumis: the supprise attack from the gene stealers is clearly only a distraction. but a distraction for what. the carnafex are almost to the small town, but the stomps from their march isn't close enough to warrent this kind of attack so soon. that means something else is far closer than the carnafex, one that you couldn't detect by sound alone. also the gene stealers are a lot more corodonated than normal.... a synaps creature is near, something is bolstering the tyranids and it's getting closer. 

+Enemy count+
=3=
Gene Stealers
 >objective: Hold Ground and Investigate<
{Equipment to be found: Luminos Pattern Flamer}
Liminos Pattern Arasties Bolter: The Luminos pattern bolters are known to differ from that of standard arasties pattern bolters in that their normal clips are not simple bannana shapes, they are instead intricate drums that seem to mesh into the gun's overall design as a whole. the diffrence with the Luminos pattern bolter is also where the drum is located, instead of being infront of the trigger, it is indeed behind it, making the weapon a bulpup bolter. like all weapons of the Lantern marines, it comes equiped with a Flame Lobber, the lantern's Prized attachment for nearly all of their ranged weapons.


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## Santaire (Feb 13, 2011)

Lumis knew as soon as the attack came that there was something else nearby. The Gene-stealers were ambush creatures but there were so few that they could only be a distraction. The Carnifex brood was too far away to warrant this attack so there was something else here. “Brothers, to me,” he roared as he scanned the rest of the church, confident in the skills of his fellows to deal with the Gene-stealers. “Be ready,” he told those brothers who had heeded his call, something else is here.” He bent down and snatched up his fallen brother’s Luminos pattern Boltgun and brought it to his shoulder.

He fired the Flame Lobba in a half circle around them so that any approaching Tyranids would be forced to go through it. It also illuminated their surroundings. Then one of the Gene-stealers broke off from attacking the Techmarine and Decado and came for him, evidently recognizing that he was the one giving orders. He met it with his blade in hand.

Ducking a scything talon he struck upwards and severed it. The Tyranid gave an alien shriek of pain and lashed out with its rending claws. They met his Power sword that slashed deep into its hand, prompting another shriek that was then cut short by a single bolt round. “Stay close,” he ordered “we have to be prepared.”


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## brendxb (Jul 18, 2011)

As Tealos watched his brothers descended into the tunnel, he allowed himself a moment to reflect on the past sudden events. Yes, he had lost his control for a moment but as a devastator it was his job. Not once was he told to consider stealth, perhaps distractions for others but never himself directly. It was something he hadn’t been trained for due to a lack of importance. Of course he had basic training in stealth techniques, but he also had a weapon about the size of a regular man to counter any of that. Still whenever he looked upon the fallen marine he felt a cold anger within him at whoever betrayed him. Betrayal always had a way to infuriate him, and the fact that it happened to a brother had momentarily snapped him. Now however his rage was controlled and he focused on the techmarine moving to recover the flamer. Still he felt a strange sensation. Something was wrong as he scanned the chamber and saw nothing he thought best to simply stay alert. But at that moment he caught a slight shimmer of movement. Possibly wind moving a spec of dust of the wall or a new foe in a position to ambush. Slowly and quietly Tealos began to spin up his bolter before beginning to call out to his brother. But before he could speak a syllable a handful of gene stealers emerged around the marine. To the marine’s credit he set up an area of fire around him to dissuade the genestealers but one still got through and took him to the ground while the other two seemed to peel off. In the split second where tealos saw them before firing, he saw ice like carapace shining unlike any other type of tyranid he had seen before. Silent in concentration ensuring he won’t end up with a ricochet killing or wounding his brothers he let loose his bolter as he had done a thousand times before. He only got a small few hits on the lead but had a solid amount of hits on the second. Instantly its side plates began to shatter in small blasts as the bolts ran into them, breaking them apart but still protecting the creature and sending it into a ragging fury. As it peeled off from the other it charged at Taelos and leapt on to him pinning him to the floor. As he fought with the angered genestealer he groaned through gritted teeth “ Why does this always happen to me.” Before plunging his knife deep into the creature only to find out it wouldn’t prise free and the creature although weaker continued to try and break Taelos’ defence, in truth it was a rather pitiful display on both parts. One, that a devastator, who took down a swarm of tyranids just a few moments earlier, got jumped by a genestealer that got lucky and disarmed him, and two that a genestealer, which was running on solely furry, lost almost all of its carapace and chunks of its flesh, had a knife wedged in it and ,through all that, could not get a single hit past the marines defence. “Brothers I could use some help with this one!” he yelled as he blocked another attack from the crazed creature.


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## Captain Stillios (Mar 8, 2009)

Decado had just thanked Kalia as the veteran crashed to the floor and the assault on his mental barriers began, as he focused on defending himself mentally he faintly heard gunfire and it was only a fluke of luck that caused the first genestealers claw crash into his helmet instead of a joint, however the blow still caused Decado to once again fall to his knees.
"Damn xenos!" He roared as a terrible rage gripped him "You dare send my to my knee! In the Emperor's name and by Sanguinius's blood I shall smite you!" 
Despite the ongoing mental assault, from what Decado now realised was a zoanthrope, he thundered an uppercut through the skull of the leading genstealer destroying it utterly.
Rising to his feet Decado unslung his shield and began to lay about himself with lightning fast strikes, around him his cousins defended themselves but Decado cast them from his rage fogged mind as ony one thing filled his mind, the desire for the warm blood of these xenos to be splattered across the room. The mental assault continued and Decado felt his rage swell tenfold but instead of suppressing it as usual Decado embraced it and ripped his damaged helmet from his head to better experiance the deaths of these creatures.
His eyes flashed the colour of a blue abyss and his muscles swelled with the power of his gift infusing them with a glance he burst the head of the genestealer attacking Tealos while at the same time he smashed the sharpened edge of his storm shield through a 'stealers arm and embedded it into the wall. Instead of slowing to free the shield Decado took a two-handed grip on his sword.
"Come on then you whoresons!" Decado yelled and dived into the two nearest genestealers, their claws cut into him but the blows lacked the strength to breach his power armours protection. In return Decado reversed his grip on his blade and sank it up to the hilt down a genestealers spine, his right hand snapped out and caught the other in his iron grip, Decado snarled as he looked deep into the eyes of the creature he was about to crush and caught a glimpse of his reflection. 
His fangs were now twice there normal length, his face was covered in blood and gore matted his hair against his head. In horror Decado recalled a word whispered in horror and fear throughout the Blood Angels.

_Vampire_

Decado cried out and wrenched himself back from the brink of the zoanthrope invoked Black Rage, retrieving his sword he killed the genestealer he was holding and turned ready to fight any further threat but feeling weakened by his misuse of his powers, mentally he chided himself for abandoning the caution drilled into him by Master Remus for personal glory. 
Decado spoke into the vox in his gorget. "Cousins we must leave this place, there are to many for us to hold also they have begun to press my mind, Arete is the way negotiable?"


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