Army Fluff Guns of Sotek

[pyro-dragon]

Trying to fit in my 40k lizardmen into lore with a big hammer.

I'm going to put some ideas down here to keep track of them and also for some feedback. This is all extriemly Work In Progress and I might need to learn some more AoS lore to make this work...
EDIT: After a lot of writing and reading I am now updating the sections below.

General idea:
During the departure from The World That Was, a temple-ship fleet got lost and sucking into the warp. Only a few ships survived the process. When they emerged on the otherside into the New World (40k universe) they came under attack by Chaos and fled into deep space, losing a few more ships in the process. The ships had been pre-programmed by the Slann with a location to travel to. On arrival it was discovered as the ruins of a lost Forge World. This would be their new home.

Leadership:
In all the confusion and devistation of the warp travel and attack the temple-fleet's Slann was lost. In his absense, the top Starseers, Oldbloods and other top ranking lizards formed a Star Council to discuss plans to fight Chaos, how to locate their lost Slann and organise what was left of their kind.
One of their key missions is the finding and recovering of artiefacts connected with the Slann that were scattered through space and time when they crashed out of the Warp. It is hoped that these artifacts will give clues as to how to find and contact the Slann again.

Equipment:
It became very clear that the wargear that served them and the Great Plan in the World That Was was not going to cut it in the New World. On the Forge World they now called home they discovered great caches of weapons and equipment. It took years to work out how to use these new weapons of war. As each new breakthrough was made, decemination of knowledge and training was made top priority.
Work has began on reverse-engineering the industrial facilities on the forege-world to discover how to start manufacturing their own equipment.

Spawnings:
While the losses to the temple-fleet were great, each ship itself retained a huge number of warriors and so many of the existing spawnings from the World That Was were available for work and war.
It took decades of preperation, rituals and the complex engineering to install spawning pools in the new cities that had grown up around the temple ships. Those that emeged from the post-arrival spawnings were subtly different. They had an innate understanding of technologies the previous generation had taken a long time to grasp. Their minds were nimbler and their ideas, different. Even the Saurus of these new spawnings seemed to posess a greater level of intelect than the older cohorts.
No matter these changes however, they still were utterly devoted to following the Great Plan and fight with efficient brutality in combat.

Questions:
This is stuff I need to figure out-
Q: Would there be any cooperation between these guys and other factions when fighting the common enemy of Chaos? Will the Imperium of Man see them as nothing more than Xeno scum?
A: Not sure yet.

Q: Are they able to manufacture their own equipment or is each loss unrecoverable?
A: Simple equipment manufacturing has now started including for bullets and lasgun ammo.

Q: Will they have a colony world they land on and build up or are they just going to stay on board the temple ships?
A: They have settled the Forgeworld with their temple fleet. The world was wreathed in toxic fumes but the use of Realmshaper Engines has forced back the deadly smog and grown lush jungle environments.

Q: Gotta figure out some characters. Would members of the Star Council go and fight?
A: Not sure about the Star Council but so far we have Grand Starseer Tik'ol'tec (leader of the Star Council), Xi Boc (Old-Blood and head of war), Huan-Ty (Skink, Lead Engineer), Ka-rah (Saurus warrior), Ruq-Gar (Saurus warrior), Roq'zan (Saurus knight), and a host of other, minor characters.

Cheers

 

[Sudsinabucket]

Leadership:
In all the confusion and devistation of the warp travel and attack the temple-fleet's Slann was lost. In his absense, the top Starseers, Oldbloods and other top ranking lizards formed a Star Council to discuss plans to fight Chaos, how to locate their lost Slann (and find out if he was even still alive) and organise what was left of their kind.

If you wanted to tie in Seraphon lore into your 40k lore, you could hint that the Slann is still alive because your other Seraphon/Lizardmen haven't lost their sanity yet. in the Seraphon lore (i'd have to look up where in the tome i read it) its said that when I slann is slain/dies that their underlings go insane/feral. So in the lore those Slanns that are sick/dying somehow will purpously die on important nodes so that their temple cities/hosts will continue on to fight intruders even after their passing.

I dont know much about 40k, but thought i'd offer this up incase it helps I like what you have so far

 

[pyro-dragon]

If you wanted to tie in Seraphon lore into your 40k lore, you could hint that the Slann is still alive because your other Seraphon/Lizardmen haven't lost their sanity yet. in the Seraphon lore (i'd have to look up where in the tome i read it) its said that when I slann is slain/dies that their underlings go insane/feral. So in the lore those Slanns that are sick/dying somehow will purpously die on important nodes so that their temple cities/hosts will continue on to fight intruders even after their passing.

I dont know much about 40k, but thought i'd offer this up incase it helps I like what you have so far

Thanks! I didn't know this. I've seen vague hints that without skinks holding society together then the others turn feral but not about the Slann's role in this.

I'm writing up a bit more of an origin story at the moment and at some point I might need some powerful Slann magic so I might have to rethink the 'lost slann' idea.

 

[J.Logan]

skinks holding society together then the others turn feral but not about the Slann's role in this.

Even when the slann isn't dead and the lizards feral, the skinks will take up that role while the slann is having their centuries long nap/meditation.

so I might have to rethink the 'lost slann' idea.

Easy enough fix, the slann is currently in the midst of his aforementioned nap. Just say that it was a particularly long one, even by slann standards, and the attendants who normally take the steward role were lost, along with the line of succession, leaving only those who never had the prerequisite training for the role to take charge.

When a slann naps, ain't nothing waking those lazy roads before they're good and ready.

 

[pyro-dragon]

When a slann naps, ain't nothing waking those lazy roads before they're good and ready.

I'll put this in my pocket for later I think. Having the Slann alive but completely unresponsive might be a thing to pick up later.

 

[pyro-dragon]

I think I'm going to go ahead and say they land on a lost forge world. Partly because it seems like a good source of all the resources they have (and could potentially produce if they can figure it out) and partly because the visual appeal of vines climbing up old chimneys and jungle overgrowing vast, abandoned industrial facilities.

 

[pyro-dragon]

Ok, no idea if I should put this here or a seperate thread but here is a short story for the origin of these guys:

Spoiler: New Found Land

The temple-ship limped along into deeper space. Parts of the hull had been sealed off to prevent too much damage from the various breaches. Many lives had been lost in the stasis chambers that were exposed to the ruinous vacuum of the infinite depths. The few remaining ships in the fleet kept close by, each having gaping wounds of their own. The escape from the World That Was had been traumatic. Starseer Tik'ol'tec recalled it painfully as he slumped back into the thrown in the command chamber.

The cataclysm wrought by the powers of Chaos that sundered the very continent of Lustria had consumed the world. It was only the wisdom of the Old Ones and the Slann who had saved them. Those who had managed to make it into the Temple Cities were carried away from the fiery extinction all around them. Plenty, unfortunately did not make it. As the cities were lifted, the magics of the great mage priests shifted and changed the stonework. The burning sky was locked away behind a shell of stone. All those who were not magically inclined were shut in stasis to preserve the resources as the mighty temple-fleets sought a new home.

But they were far from safe. As the world was consumed, vast bursts of Chaotic energy were sent in all directions. One wave caught the Temple fleet of Tik'ol'tec and sent it reeling. Some ships were completely destroyed, many other were sent tumbling into a void that was not of the mortal realms. Daemons and creatures of Chaos manifested in the plazas and corridors and has to be fought off. Some of the warriors were awoken from their stasis slumber to hold the line and push back the incursion. Indescribable horrors of twisted flesh of impossible geometry would attack entire ships. It was in this way that it was assumed a number of them were lost. Communication would simply cease and horrible things would pour though any attached realm gates. The fighting went on for untold aeons where time did not pass but eventually the daemons were pushed back and eliminated. Their forced waning just as the ships began to emerge into something that resembled mortal spacetime.

The respite had been small however and almost as soon as they had emerged they were once again set upon by the forces of Chaos. This time they had their own ships that house terrible weapons. But it wasn't just the ships that possessed weapons unseen before- boarding parties of strange knights bore large projectile weapons that could tear through Saurus and Kroxigor flesh with devastating ease. Only protection wards summoned by Skink priests were able to cover the warriors enough for them to close in on the enemy.

These fights had been even more bitter than the last but eventually the temple fleet lost its pursuers and the remaining crew could take stock. By all counts, they were reduced in number by three quarters. What was worse was the loss of contact with the Slann. Try as they might, no Starseer or star priest could detect any sign of them. They would be on their own. The fleet still continued on the pre-directed path the Slann had ordered though. Where they were headed, no one could say. The stars outside were too different to determine anything any more.

After almost ten years of travel, the ship began to slow. It was something everyone could notice. Tik'ol'tec rushed to the command chamber to see what was happening. The vast windows showed a tiny spec in the distance. A scan performed by a lesser priest showed that it was a world they were heading towards. A new system. What form this world would take, none could say. They were all in the hands of the technology of the Great Old Ones and the plan set out by the Mage-Priest who was no longer with them. One by one, members of the Stat Council found themselves in the Command Chamber, staring out of the windows at their approaching destination. Telescopes and scanners were brought fourth to get view on what was potentially their new home.

What they could see from the windows and what was being reported in was almost unbelievable. Gargantuan ruins as far as the horizon. This place had clearly once been inhabited, but was no longer. It reminded Tik'ol'tec of the abandoned temple cities of Lustria, having been overwhelmed by the ratmen or the forces of corruption. But they were on a tiny scale compared with the vast ocean of constructions that lay before them.

Tik'ol'tec felt a small pang of fear as the temple ship shuddered as a series of thuds shook the place. Realmshaper engines had disengaged themselves from beneath the ship. They were heading to the planet below to prepare the way ahead of them. From the huge observing window, the other ships could be seen, moving to different areas. Collections of Realmshaper engines were calving away from them too. From all the readings from the planet, it was clearly a dead world. Its atmosphere was a choking mix of hydrocarbons, sulphur and heavy metals. How the Realshapers could create something habitable amongst that was unclear but not a shred of doubt crossed his mind about the technology of the Old Ones. The thrill of discovery did stir inside him however. All had been panic and fear for as long as it had been since the ruination of the World That Was. How long ago had that been? It was hard to say. Without the natural cycles of sun and moon he had become chronologically lost. And he was by far not the only one. A weariness had set in amongst all on board. All who were awake and attending to duties that is. He envied the vast population who still remained in stasis. For them, hardly any time would have passed. Though they also would not have had the time to come to terms with the loss of everything. Still, there would be so much work to do later, to build a new home for themselves, to search for their lost Slann and to begin preparing to fight the forces of Chaos.

Over a year had passed between the temple ship's landing and the unsealing of the doors. The progress of the Realmshapers had been closely monitored. The atmosphere had changed dramatically and those first breaths of air from outside felt good. Along with the touch of natural ground. The sizzle of insects and the chirping of songbirds high in the branches were a welcome sound. Scouting parties had been sent out to find resources and the first construction teams were preparing the ground of the first buildings. Saurus has been sent in small squads to secure the area. Tik'ol'tec himself had started exploring the nearby ruins himself. He had several other lesser skink priests with him, noting down discoveries they had made. Huge towers of brick and metal reached to the skies. Vast buildings were packed with unknowable machines, rendered silent by exposure to the elements from collapsed roofs. From the appearance though, it appeared to be an expanse of workshops on a scale beyond anything they had known in Lustria.

A whole year had passed by almost in an instant for Tik'ol'tec with all the work he was throwing himself into. Observatories were being constructed to divine the new stars, the first cohort of citizens in stasis were being revived. The Realmshapers had been in near constant demand for attention as they worked overtime pushing up roots through many metres of industrial waste and development. Contact between different settlements had to be established with temporary causeways cleared through the rubble and jungle.

Scouting parties were formed to begin mapping of the surrounding areas of each city that had grown up around each temple ship. In two weeks the first weapon caches were discovered. A few scribes noted that they shared similarities with weapons used by some humans. They would be useful if the inhabitants of this realm were making use of powerful ranged weapons. Six months later, a team of particularly enterprising skinks had worked out the operation of some of the vehicles they had found littering the landscape.

In the second year, the first regiments training with the new weapons were formed. News then reached Tik'ol'tec that the first of the machines of this world had been started. It produced small, odd shaped metal components from sheets. The next set of machines that ingested these were still under examination, but it was a sign of some progress towards something greater. If the Old Ones had brought them to this world, they must have known that they would posses the means of deciphering how to use everything on it. For Tik'ol'tec, they were absolutely correct. He ordered that research and progress should be pursued with vigour.

 

[Sudsinabucket]

Ok, no idea if I should put this here or a seperate thread but here is a short story for the origin of these guys:

Spoiler: The Escape. The Arrival

The temple-ship limped along into deeper space. Parts of the hull had been sealed off to prevent too much damage from the various breaches. Many lives had been lost in the stasis chambers that were exposed to the ruinous vacuum of the infinite depths. The few remaining ships in the fleet kept close by, each having gaping wounds of their own. The escape from the World That Was had been traumatic.
Starseer Tik'ol'tec recalled it painfully as he slumped back into the thrown in the command chamber.
The cataclysm wrought by the powers of Chaos that sundered the very continent of Lustria had consumed the world. It was only the wisdom of the Old Ones and the Slann who had saved them. Those who had managed to make it into the Temple Cities were carried away from the fiery extinction all around them. Plenty, unfortunately did not make it. As the cities were lifted, the magics of the great mage priests shifted and changed the stonework. The burning sky was locked away behind a shell of stone. All those who were not magically inclined were shut in stasis to preserve the resources as the mighty temple-fleets sought a new home.
But they were far from safe. As the world was consumed, vast bursts of Chaotic energy were sent in all directions. One wave caught the Temple fleet of Tik'ol'tec and sent it reeling. Some ships were completely destroyed in the instance, many other were sent tumbling into a void that was not of the mortal realms. Daemons and creatures of Chaos manifested in the plazas and corridors and has to be fought off. Some of the warriors were awoken from their stasis slumber to hold the line and push back the incursion. The fighting went on for what seemed like an eternity but eventually the daemons were pushed back and eliminated. Their forced waning just as the ships began to emerge into something that resembled mortal spacetime.
The respite had been small however and almost as soon as they had emerged they were once again set upon by the forces of Chaos. This time they had their own ships that house terrible weapons. But it wasn't just the ships that possessed weapons unseen before- boarding parties of strange knights bore large projectile weapons that could tear through Saurus and Kroxigor flesh with devastating ease. Only protection wards summoned by Skink priests were able to cover the warriors enough for them to close in on the enemy.
These fights had been even more bitter than the last but eventually the temple fleet lost its pursuers and the remaining crew could take stock. By all counts, they were reduced in number by three quarters. What was worse was the loss of contact with the Slann. Try as they might, no Starseer or star priest could detect no sign of them. They would be on their own. The fleet still continued on the pre-directed path the Slann had ordered though. Where they were headed, no one could say. The stars outside were too different to determine anything any more.

After almost a year of travel, the ship began to slow. It was something everyone could notice. Tik'ol'tec rushed to the command chamber to see what was happening. The vast windows showed a tiny spec in the distance. A scan performed by a lesser priest showed that it was a world they were heading towards. A new system. What form this world was, none could say. They would all be in the hands of the technology of the Great Old Ones and the guidance of the Mage-Priest who was no longer with them.
One by one, members of the Stat Council found themselves in the Command Chamber, staring out of the windows at their approaching destination.

What they could see from the windows and what was being reported in was almost unbelievable. Gargantuan ruins as far as the horizon. This place had clearly once been inhabited, but was no longer. It reminded Tik'ol'tec of the abandoned temple cities of Lustria, having been overwhelmed by the ratmen or the forces of corruption. But they were on a tiny scale compared with the vast oceans of development that lay before them.

Tik'ol'tec felt a small pang of fear as the temple ship shuddered as a series of thuds shook the place. Realmshaper engines had disengaged themselves from beneath the ship. They were heading to the planet below to prepare the way ahead of them. From the huge observing window, the other ships could be seen, moving to different areas. Collections of Realmshaper engines were calving away from them too.
From all the readings from the planet, it was clearly a dead world. Its atmosphere was a choking mix of hydrocarbons, sulphur and heavy metals. How the Realshapers could create something inhabitable amongst that was unclear but not a shred of doubt crossed his mind about the technology of the Old Ones. The thrill of discovery did stir inside him however. All had been panic and fear for as long as it had been since the ruination of the World That Was. How long ago had that been? It was hard to say. Without the natural cycles of sun and moon he had become chronologically lost. And he was by far not the only one. A weariness had set in amongst all on board. All who were awake and attending to duties that is. He envied the vast population who still remained in stasis. For them, hardly any time would have passed. Though they also would not have had the time to come to terms with the loss of everything. Still, there would be so much work to do later, to build a new home for themselves, to search for their lost Slann and to begin preparing to fight the forces of Chaos.

Approximately thirty days had passed between the temple ship's landing and the unsealing of the doors. The progress of the Realmshapers had been closely monitored. The atmosphere had changed dramatically and those first breaths of air from outside felt good. Along with the touch of natural ground. The sizzle of insects and the chirping of songbirds high in the branches were a welcome sound. Scouting parties had been sent out to find resources and the first construction teams were preparing the ground of the first buildings. Saurus has been sent in small squads to secure the area. Tikol'tec himself had started exploring the nearby ruins himself. He had several other lesser skink priests with him, noting down discoveries they had made. Huge towers of brick and metal reached to the skies. Vast buildings were packed with unknowable machines, rendered silent by exposure to the elements from collapsed roofs. From the appearance though, it appeared to be an expanse of workshops on a scale beyond anything they had known in Lustria.

In two weeks the first weapon caches were discovered. A few scribes noted that they shared similarities with weapons used by some humans. They would be useful if the inhabitants of this realm were making use of powerful ranged weapons.
Six months later, a team of particularly enterprising skinks had worked out the operation of some of the vehicles they had found.
A whole year had passed by almost in an instant for Tik'ol'tec with all the work he was throwing himself into. Observatories were being constructed to divine the new stars, the first cohort of citizens in stasis were being revived. The Realmshapers had been in near constant demand for attention as they worked overtime pushing up roots through many metres of industrial waste and development. Contact between different settlements had to be established with causeways cleared through the rubble and jungle. The first regiments, trained with the new weapons had been formed. Finally, news had reached him that the first of the machines of this world had been started. It produced small, odd shaped metal components from sheets. The next set of machines that ingested these were still under examination, but it was a sign of some progress towards something greater. If the Old Ones had brought them to this world, they must have known that they would posses the means of deciphering how to use it. For Tik'ol'tec, they were absolutely correct.

I really like the story, I think its a great start and gives a good picture of the origins of your temple host. There are a few word hishaps, but otherwise I dig it (example:

Spoiler: Story Spoiler

How the Realshapers could create something inhabitable amongst that was unclear but not a shred of doubt crossed his mind about the technology of the Old Ones.

You should definitely post this in the story section of the forums, I'm sure many others would enjoy this.

 

[pyro-dragon]

I really like the story, I think its a great start and gives a good picture of the origins of your temple host. There are a few word hishaps, but otherwise I dig it (example:

Spoiler: Story Spoiler

How the Realshapers could create something inhabitable amongst that was unclear but not a shred of doubt crossed his mind about the technology of the Old Ones.

You should definitely post this in the story section of the forums, I'm sure many others would enjoy this.

Hishhaps eh!
Also I thought this was the story section? I've got another couple in the works. I could post them seperately though.

 

[Sudsinabucket]

Hishhaps eh!
Also I thought this was the story section? I've got another couple in the works. I could post them seperately though.

Good lord, you're right, it is lol I'm so used to being in the painting section xD my mistake haha

 

[J.Logan]

Good lord, you're right, it is lol I'm so used to being in the painting section xD my mistake haha

You had me staring, wondering if I was blind and not noticing a sub section

 

[pyro-dragon]

Renamed the thread title to something cooler I just thought up.
(Actually its a title for a story I'm drafting and I thought it would be a cool name for this faction)

 

[Sudsinabucket]

Have you seen the conversions of Seraphon into 40k...using, squats, I think? they look amazing

 

[pyro-dragon]

Have you seen the conversions of Seraphon into 40k...using, squats, I think? they look amazing

I have not. Though I do have some squat guns (from 1994) that I plan on using for some skink snipers.
At least I think they are. I made a mistake when doing some late night ebaying looking for rattling sniper rifles

 

[pyro-dragon]

Having a bash at 1) if I can draw a passable saurus and 2) ideas for differentiating those spawned in this new world. A few items of clothing like a simple poncho or kilt. Possibly a ridge of orange or red scales down their backs?
Still trying to think of a name for these generations. I'm between New Brood (vs Old Brood, those who were spawned in Lustria) or Second Spawning.

 

[pyro-dragon]

For want of a better place to post this:
I'm thinking of running an art and web-dev stream this evening starting at about 9pm GMT+1.
It's going to be lizardmen themed as I try to learn how to draw them and modify a website I've made to host stories.
I'll host on my Picarto channel: picarto.tv/PyroDragon

In other news, I've got another story on the way but its grown to 2k and I've just decided to add a big boss fight which needs to be written out.

 

[pyro-dragon]

Drew up my Starseer character who's been in a few stories now. I am going to have to make him an actual model soon.

 

[pyro-dragon]

New story, hot off the press. Its, uhhh, a little bit longer than the previouse. Also I really need to start coming up with some names for important or reoccuring chracters that I can represent on the tabletop.

Spoiler: Back to the stars

It had taken almost twenty years to re-establish a means to get back to the stars. But at last, the Atlaztecah, the survivors of the great cataclysm of The World That Was had the capabilities to take to the skies. Tik'ol'tec, great Starseer of Tlaxangaz- the City of Steel, was leading an expedition to investigate a point in the skies that had been pinpointed as a source of old magic, a potential clue to the missing Slann. The ships that had carried their Slann mage priest had disappeared during the confusion of the escape from the old world and the battle they had to fight through on coming to this world. Tik'ol'tec along with a small number of star priests under him had taken up the quest to search for him. Without the Slann to guide them on their quest to fulfil the great plan, they were lost. With such a deep and fundamental link to the old magic of the universe, he might be able to answer some other questions too. If, of course, he deemed them worth of his time and intellect.

For the past couple of decades an overseer council had been more or less running things. Formed of the most prominent in the ranks of the Skinks and Saurus, it coordinated the sharing of resources between the new cities that had built up from the temple-ships that had made it down to this planet.

Each city itself had its own council to manage the running of day-to-day activities and their construction and expansion. Tlaxangaz acted as the capitol by default, mostly down to presence of Tik'ol'tec, the highest rank of all Starseers. It was in that city that the chambers of the Star Council was based. All this work, all this rebuilding though was ultimately pointless if they were unable to continue deciphering and acting out the Great Plan of the sacred Old Ones. And to do that, they needed the Slann.

The Star Council had begged him not to go, his own retinue of priests and mages had advised strongly against the expedition. His own instincts made him hesitate. But the mission was too important for anyone other than himself to go. If contact was going to be made with the Slann then he would be best prepared for this.

With him was a small staff of Skink scholars and a squad of hardened Saurus Temple Guard. Along with these were the crew of the fleet of three stone Star Canoes. The Canoes were by no means anywhere close to the scale and grandeur of the great temple ships. Those ships now sat silent and still, forming the centres of the cities that built up around them, with materials from them. With careful extraction, of some of the power centres and control systems of the former ships were able to be moved into these lesser Star Canoes. Each one was the size of a sun-temple however. Large enough to carry a selection of deadly weapons and supplies for a number of years. And more importantly, each one was big enough and grand enough to host a Slann mage priest if one should be found.

The navigational prayers had taken around a fought-night to program into the systems. Everything took ten times as long as it would have done under Slann guidance. They were having to decipher the technology of the old ones from scratch in some cases. The whole task seemed impossible to complete in several cases but Tik'ol'tec drove them on. He himself was driven by the excitement of anticipation. The spot that they sought to investigate had been identified over a decade before. And now it all felt within touching distance.

Tik'ol'tec ordered a scan of the space ahead. The spot had been theorised to be close to where they had broken through the veil two decades before. If that was the case then the potential danger of attack still existed.. No signs of danger were detected but there were some strong sources of magical energy up ahead.

---

The fleet had reduced speed to not much more than a crawl. The three ships passed between the ruins of temple ships, lost in the fight with Chaos. Tik'ol'tec was staring so intently at one of the ships that he was taken by surprise when the frozen, partly dismembered corpse of a Saurus warrior bounced gently off the huge, curved viewing window. A macuahuitl was still clasped in one hand as it slowly tumbled away. His attention was pulled away from this grizzly sight by a crew member. The source of magic had been detected close at hand, somewhere amongst these ruins.

A few more scans and the Starseer's own intuition lead them close to the source of the magic. An enormous temple ship, twice the size of any that had made it out alive. It was cleaved almost in two, held together by tendrils of frame and cables. There was no point in using the docking bay, the ship was without power to operate it. He instructed the ships to pull up near the giant rift. The signal was now so strong that it was difficult to work out exactly what level it was on. Best to use intuition and work through the ruins to find whatever it is Tik'ol'tec expected to find.

He assembled a boarding party of Skink assistants and his Temple Guard retinue in the airlock. Each had some supplies, a radio and a ward stone mounted in a crest to protect them from the vacuum of space. As a last minute change of plans, he ordered one of the New-Brood Saurus added to the boarding party, a young warrior from the Second Spawning called Ka'rah. He was curious to see how they would handle themselves. Tik'ol'tec briefed them on the mission. They were going to hunt down the source of Slann magic and secure any holy relics or texts that could be found. Any significant items or writings that could not be taken were to be recorded in detail on their data-pads.

The ward stones were activated and the airlock cleared. Tik'ol'tec took a deep breath before giving the next command. He knew what was coming and he absolutely hated it. He ordered the airlock opened. In a moment, he was staring out at the ruins, a honeycomb of exposed corridors, rooms and ducts. Looking at the data-pad again he saw that their best bet was somewhere up and to the left. He pointed out an exposed ledge with some exposed cables floating out of it. He then pushed off and out of the airlock. He tried desperately not to look but his treacherous eyes glanced up and down into the vast yawning maw of infinite space. And nothing stood between him and its cold vacuum except the thin hazy wall of the ward field. The time taken to float between the airlock and the ruined ship seemed to stretch out for an eternity and his mind filled that time with every single way he could die out here. Finally, he made it, having to pull himself up after undershooting the room just a bit.

The others landed shortly after in various degrees of success. They took a look at their surroundings. This place had once been some kind of training room. Weapons were scattered around along with some targets of various kinds. A doorway at one end lead through into a dark corridor. The ward stones let out a fairly strong glow so that they could light the way ahead of them somewhat. For Tik'ol'tec, this reminded him of his younger days as an apprentice priest when he was sent out to some of the lost or abandoned cities to look for holy relics to bring back. Except you could breath the air there.

As they ventured deeper into the hulk they discovered bodies, odd debris and breathable air. They had all deactivated their ward stone crests with the exception of the lighting. While the air was breathable, it was stale and heavy with decay. It was also cold. Some core systems were working though as it wasn't freezing and the gravity generators were working. The Old-Brood Saurus Guard had switched to their traditional weapons which would be more useful in the tight confines of the corridors they were travelling through. Ka'rah, the one New-Brood Saurus kept a tight hold on her laser rifle though, though it also had a large obsinite blade mounted on it too. The skinks were all ostensibly staying back however.

Observations of the bodies showed that most were either skinks or saurus with the occasional large bulk of a kroxigor. The air and non-freezing temperatures had allowed them to rot so it was sometimes hard to tell what something was or how many there were. Chaos warriors were spotted here and there. Their enormous armoured suits and huge weapons proved to be formidable opponents it seemed.

There were other bodies though, fresher ones, though not by much. Then he saw something. Tik'ol'tec could make out a glyph painted crudely onto the door at the end of the current passage and a body was slumped in front. An alien but very families shaped body, with green skin and tusks. Orcs. But out here?

The door was jammed. They could try to find a way around the are a up ahead but, there was no telling how far the greenskins would have penetrated or how many were still alive. He prepared a powerful spell to blast the door open. The others could sense what was coming with the Saurus taking up stations at a safe distance and the skinks pulling out their weapons and ducking out of sight. Tik'ol'tec retrieved his own laser pistol from a gem-encrusted pouch on his belt. He closed his eyes and concentrated. A powerful wave of force shot from the Starseer's outstretched hand and crumpled the heavy door. Two Saurus Guard came forward and kicked it down before moving into the space beyond, securing it. Ka'rah moved through and took up a firing position. The stench that hit Tik'ol'tec was almost as powerful as the force-blast he'd just used. His slitted eyes watered but he pressed on. Black, repugnant masses with protruding bones were slumped in the corners. They were formally bodies of… something. They were too far into liquefaction to know now. But there was a light dancing in the space ahead. A fire perhaps. And voices. He hissed a few orders and the formation began to move forward. Tik'ol'tec summoned up a protective shield for the front line warriors while holding his pistol by his side.

A great crash erupted from behind swiftly followed by the huge muscled forms of orcs dropping down from the service ducts. They landed amongst the mass of Skink scholars who were bringing up the rear and started shooting. One of the Saurus Guard at the rear roared and charged into combat, swinging his huge macuahuitl and taking down three in a few seconds before taking a shot that blew out a chunk of flesh from his side. He hissed a warning and Tik'ol'tec turned to see a hoard of the things charging down the corridor. The sizzling whine of a laser rifle sounded as another three were dropped before coming into striking distance of the two flanking Saurus Guards. The Starseer sent a fireball down the corridor and turned before seeing where it landed. He used the laser pistol to shoot at a few more that had landed from the ducts. Each one took numerous shots to put down. In frustration the Starseer threw his pistol at orc that had just taken shots at the injured Saurus Guard, hitting it in the back of the head. It turned with murder in its eyes and raised its gun before its skull was crushed by a massive blow of the macuahuitl. It went down and the Saurus, now bleeding heavily collapsed on top, his guts spilling out onto the floor. With cold-blooded rage, Tik'ol'tec summoned power with both hands and pressed it upwards. The ceiling crumpled, sealing off the ducts and, from the sound of it, crushing a dozen more of the greenskins. He didn't have time to check though, more of them were coming down the corridor. Another one of the Saurus Guard lay on the ground, a score of dead greenskins around him.

Hard fighting whittled down their numbers still further. One of the Skinks had found Tik'ol'tec's pistol and had brought it back to him. While it didn't have the same potency as magic, it certainly had more shots in it than he had spells. He took aim and shot two in the head, but yet more came. A metallic clanking caught his attention. An enormous construction came into view. It looked very much like an armoured knight but if the armour was made of the chunkiest, most crudely cut metal possible. He didn't have time to look at it further though as from one arm launched a projectile. It missed everyone by inches and spiralled off into the room behind them, detonating with a thud that could be felt in the chest. A second one launched before the thing started to charge. Tik'ol'tec dodged this one but it hit a skink somewhere behind, obliterating it. The one remaining Saurus Temple Guard challenged the metal beast, getting in some powerful blows with his weapon and deflecting others with his huge shield. It was clearly visible now that the thing was being piloted by a huge orc. The Starseer dodged and weaved between attacks from the orc foot soldiers, slicing the belly open of one and shooting another in the neck. The greenskin ichor was vile. He turned back to check on the orc knight just in time to see it pick up the Saurus in a huge metal claw and with difficulty, cut it in two. The mission had clearly failed now at this point and their only hope now was to escape with as many of themselves as possible.

With a few hisses and clicks, Tik'ol'tec warned the others. Then he thrust his hand upwards, yelling the spell with gusto and shut his eyes tightly. A blinding white light engulfed the entire area. With it came a blast of sound that was painfully loud. The next moment he darted back towards where he thought the doorway was, hoping that everyone else had made it too. He turned back, a little bit away from the entrance and looked, shielding his eyes with a hand. The orcs were still staggering but the big one spotted him and made to charge. With one more blast of magic, he pulled down a gantry overhead. It fell, crashing into doorway, blocking it. He ordered the others to activate their ward stone crests and leading the retreat back to the Star Canoes. He could hear the crashing and smashing of pursuit but they were well ahead and made sure to seal each door behind them as best as could be managed. A few smaller runty ones had used the air and service ducts to attempt to set up ambushes ahead of them but Ka'rah, their one remaining Saurus warrior took care of most of them.

On returning to the ships Tik'ol'tec was finally able to take stock of the extent of the mission. He's lost his entire Temple Guard retinue and five of the twelve Skink scholars he'd brought. The extent of artefacts that had been collected amounted to not much more than a handful of trinkets. He tried looking to the positives. Most of the boarding party had returned. They had good intel on the state of the temple ships that had been destroyed in the fight on exiting the warp. And they had confirmed another old enemy existed in this realm. He'd also been pleased with the performance of that New-Brood Saurus. Those born in this realm had yet to see any real fighting and they were far too enamoured with technology. But she had held her own and had expertly handled the laser rifle. He took out his own laser pistol and examined it. The new weapons had proven to be valuable too, even if he, himself did not trust them.

Still, his report to the Star Council was going to be painful.

 

[pyro-dragon]

Had a go at drawing up that unnamed Saurus from the last story. She has a name now too.

 

[pyro-dragon]

Got bored at work and doodled Ka'rah again