On 5/26/2017 at 9:23 PM, Lynata said:

Heedless of how silly it might look to engage in a conversation with one's hands still on their head, the novice sororitas speaks up, casting a glance towards Balthazar.

"I believe we should head to the Officio, Father."

On 5/27/2017 at 11:40 AM, Servant of Dante said:

Estelia had been thinking that the Officio did sound most like a "consulate," so she nods her head in agreement with the other novice. The soldiers could have had the courtesy to allow them to lower her hands. The girl decides that having her hands above her head is no longer necessary and moves to lower them, slowly.

((If any of the sanctionaries tells her to keep her hands up she'll do it, but she won't be happy about it))

"Oh right, yeah you can put your hands down." The sanctionary allows as if he'd forgotten you were present, but obviously ignoring your suggestion of where to go.

2 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

Balthazar makes a pensive face, then smiles. "Yes, the Officio sounds like the place we're looking for. Can you please direct us there? And thank you very much for your time." Once the Sanctionaries direct them to the appropriate building, Balthazar is ready to depart.

"Of course, what you'll want to do is take the stairs or ladder off of this platform and just head to the center of the port. You'll no it's the Officio when you smell iron in the air more than smog. It's a pretty big building, darker rockrete and plasteel. Just make sure not to get lost there, throneload of divisios and inkies to make you lose your way."

He lets the group pass on their way, but as a parting word, "Make sure that you get your visitor's cogs if you go in to the hive, if you don't...well they may not let you back out."

((Do you intend on walking or say hailing a cab/other form of transportation?))

"It may be easier to get where we are going if we hire transportation."

In the Novice's mind, the sanctonaries could have offered them transport, though the girl would be glad to be rid if the men, on second thought.

"Yes, transportation would be helpful. I for one would rather not shoulder my way through more crowds after our experience at the landing pad."

Ariel slowly lowers her arms at the Sanctionary's words, seemingly indifferent about the change. The term 'inkie' gives her pause, but she decides not to ask about its meaning, believing she would know what it means once the party arrives at its destination.

"Visitor cogs ...", she repeats once she believes the armsman to be out of hearing range, frowning at the thought of donning foreign heraldry. "Should the Father's insignia ministorum not suffice to grant us passage anywhere?"

The girl allows her eyes to wander, scanning the nearby environment for a transport they could charter.

((Alright, if you want transportation that will be an influence roll, the rarity depends on what kind of transportation you want. They come in three varieties, Abundant (+30), Average (+0), or Rare (-20). The difference is essentially comfort, but also possibly who will notice you within said transport for a variety of reasons.))

On 5/30/2017 at 8:16 PM, Servant of Dante said:

On 6/1/2017 at 5:27 PM, Covered in Weasels said:

4 hours ago, Lynata said:

Estelia looks around the street they have walked onto. She is looking for hired transport, but she doesn't really know what that would look like. It would seem best to look for something inconspicuous. The average person wouldn't have large amounts of currency, but Father Thorne was a Ministorum Priest. What would he be expected to use?

((Estelia is leaning toward the Average transport, but might be convinced that the Rare one would draw less attention if someone else thinks it would))

"Something a little more upscale than mass transit would suit us best, so that we may avoid notice from more throngs of the faithful. They are much more exuberant here than I have ever seen on Thaur, and we don't want to cause another scene. That said, any transportation is better than nothing, so I will look for the most readily available option so we have a contingency plan."

((Balthazar will roll for an Abundant transport, since his Influence is rather low. Perhaps the Sisters could roll for higher-class transport and we'll take that if we can find it. Rolling Influence +30, target number 55. Rolled a 62 for one DoF.))

Estelia notices that the Father is looking at the most readily available transports. She watches as he speaks with the various drivers, and then approaches another, "Excuse me, we would like to hire your service. We need to get to the Officio." She fishes a small handful of local currency from a pouch on her belt.

((Abundant Requisition Roll: 30(Inf)+30= 60 Roll: 01 natural 1 for 6 DoS ))

On 6/2/2017 at 7:27 PM, Lynata said:

Are we rolling as a group, deciding on a transport and then somehow pooling our Influence? Or are we instead all heading off into different directions to see what we can find?

If the former, Ariel will argue for the Rare variant, but if the latter I'd like the GM to instead roll Ariel's Test for the Average one (assuming she'd quickly realize that she won't have much success with her initial plan).

9 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

"Something a little more upscale than mass transit would suit us best, so that we may avoid notice from more throngs of the faithful. They are much more exuberant here than I have ever seen on Thaur, and we don't want to cause another scene. That said, any transportation is better than nothing, so I will look for the most readily available option so we have a contingency plan."

((Balthazar will roll for an Abundant transport, since his Influence is rather low. Perhaps the Sisters could roll for higher-class transport and we'll take that if we can find it. Rolling Influence +30, target number 55. Rolled a 62 for one DoF.))

3 hours ago, Servant of Dante said:

Estelia notices that the Father is looking at the most readily available transports. She watches as he speaks with the various drivers, and then approaches another, "Excuse me, we would like to hire your service. We need to get to the Officio." She fishes a small handful of local currency from a pouch on her belt.

((Abundant Requisition Roll: 30(Inf)+30= 60 Roll: 01 natural 1 for 6 DoS ))

((I know Influence is a difficult/frustrating mechanic at times since it can well...influence so much, remember that you can also gain a bonus on Influence rolls with a Commerce test, and you can always permanently reduce your influence for a success. I'd like to refrain from everyone rolling Influence for the same thing in the future though. I'll let it go by this time since I didn't make a comment on it. But in this case for example the next person that wanted to roll should up the difficulty or something. We'll figure it out together should we need to.))

The transportation the group has managed to find is a rickshaw transport across the ground. In this case the rickshaw is drawn by a dark skinned servitor with cybernetic legs with a similar tread pattern as the mail servitor they saw earlier on the station. The servitor blankly accepts Estelia's payment and put it into an internal pouch of some sort and the rickshaw's door opens automatically to accept them within.

((I will assume you all accept the ride.))

The ricksaw itself is painted red, and slightly rusty. It has a canvas roof that is tattered and colored in soot. However it is large and has 15 other passengers (seemingly seating 30 by an eye's guess) within it as well, all of them in varying degrees of disarray but seemingly minding their own business apparently not getting in such a fit over Balthazar's appearance. A few make the sign of the aquilla but quickly go back to keeping themselves content. 2 of them are reading from a datapad, 1 is inspecting a wristworn device you have been noticing more and more on the denizens of the port, and the rest are seemingly quiet.

As the transportation trundles along you can smell the smog from the port weaken in strength, but never fully leave, and get replaced by the smell of the muck and grime of where the port workers live and the visitors come to drink and debauch themselves on shore leaves. The sisters hear the cat calls of drunken sailors as the rickshaw passes in front of a large drinking establishment lit up in the ever present gloom of Port Gyre's smog. On the air from the place is the smell of some form of food, grilled meat of...well something.

((Is there anything you would like to do on the rickshaw before arriving at the Officio?))

Ariel steps into the rickshaw-bus, the heavy barrel of the shoulder-slung shotgun clanging against the steps but fortunately not being much noisier than the surrounding acoustic environment. The vehicle appears cramped, but apart from the many unknown faces to be found here, that by itself is not unusual for someone who has grown up within the confines of a religious convent. As to the matter of the many other passengers, the novice was quietly thankful they did not seem to bother much about their presence; a welcome indifference compared to the zealous masses they had just encountered.

The journey itself felt uneventful, apart from a few strange-acting crewmen who seemed to whistle and wave at Father Thorne, one of them even shaping his cracked lips into an obscene imitation of a kiss. Truly, the people of this world had strange ideas of worship.

Estelia sits on one of the benches next to Ariel, then immediately realizes that the cramped quarters make it impossible for her to unholster her weapons. She checks the knife in her boot, and finds some comfort in the fact that she can reach it without much difficulty. The people around them smell almost as bad as the pilgrims on the shuttle. Almost. The men standing outside what appeared to be a drinking establishment (are those common here?) were acting rather strangely, one made a motion as if to kiss the air in the direction of the ricksaw. Estelia thought he might have been looking at her, which left her a bit disturbed. She wouldn't want to find herself unarmed anywhere on this planet, especially after seeing some of the locals. She ran her fingers over the pistols at her waist. Even though her hands were gauntleted, the motion was comforting, and was quickly becoming a nervous habit.

Now that they finally had some time without anything immediately pressing, and the physical and hygienic safety of themselves and their fellow passengers was . . . acceptable, the Novice turned toward Ariel, "could you tell what the pilgrims were fighting over at the docks? I didn't hear anything that made any sense," she frowned, "though I don't think I understand the actions of many of the people we've encountered so far." She glanced around the ricksaw, and up at the servitor pulling it. Such an interesting mode of transport, if vastly slower than a good vehicle. The open air and (seemingly) calm passengers were actually pleasant. If only it smelled better.

((The bit in parentheses is not OOC, in case there's any confusion))

Shifting uncomfortably on the narrow bench - which felt suspiciously familiar to the pews in her convent - Ariel glanced towards the other novice, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Ugh. I assume they wanted to touch the Father or something, as if he was Him-on-Earth in person." Subconsciously, the girl made the Sign of the Aquila, allowing the shotgun nestled between her thighs to slide against her shoulder before she noticed and steadied the weapon. "The only times I have seen people this ... confused was when Sister Agatha had put me on clean-up duty in the penitentium." She paused for a moment, looking at Estelia again: "Do you think these workers are in a state of holy fervor, like the Sisters Repentia? Honestly, they should have a mistress to tend to them, too."

The novice seemed uncharacteristically chatty this time, probably due to the recent turmoil still being fresh in her memory. Briefly eyeing Balthazar, she lowered her voice before continuing towards the other novice: "I should not speak ill of the church before we have seen the local clergy, but so far the people seem to lack its guidance."

Estelia looks down at the mention of duty in the penitentium. It was possible that they had ended up there because she had dragged Ariel along for some . . . unsupervised training with the Storm Bolters late at night. "I didn't get the feeling that they were feeling religious at all," the Novice shivers slightly, "that man was unsettling. I think he was looking right at me. Maybe they wouldn't want a Mistress of Repentance, but it might do them good"

Mirroring Ariel's lowered voice, Estelia continues, "I agree. For a planet that claims to be so loyal to Terra, there seems to be a distinct lack of relevance."

((sorry for the back and forth without Weasels, but it seems the next GM post will be at the end of our ride, and this conversation should happen before that))

Balthazar leans slightly closer to the sisters before responding. "We are the guiding light for these people. In wider Imperial society there is no strict schedule like that of a convent, and while people are always encouraged to attend sermons at their local temple most people do not know the Sororitas' orderly life of constant devotion. Priests like myself and faithful citizens like the two of you are responsible for bringing the Emperor's light everywhere not graced by one of His temples, and to remind everyone that He is always watching and protecting us."

8 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

On 6/6/2017 at 10:48 PM, Servant of Dante said:

On 6/6/2017 at 9:38 PM, Lynata said:

((You all seem to be in a good conversation, let's see how it develops for another round of posts.))

Estelia nods thoughtfully, replying, "It is true that, as large as the Convent feels, there really are very few of us compared to the larger Imperial population. I suppose some of these people might never even see a priest outside a cathedral." The Novice pauses a moment, then continues, "though, I think there are some of them I'd rather just shoot."

Ariel looks around as if skeptical the conversation might be overheard by some outsider, threatening their cover. The vehicle's cramped nature is fortunately offset by the comparatively low number of actual passengers, calming the novice's need for secrecy at least for the time being.

"Perhaps there should simply be more priests then", the dusk-skinned girl states matter-of-factly, as if the problems of society were that simple to solve. "Their zeal is precious, but this ... mob seemed to be more of a threat to His divine order than to those the Church cautions against."

Balthazar sighs forlornly and replies, "Ariel, if only it were that simple. Many people have a bright flame of faith burning in their hearts, but few have what it takes to be a priest or Sororitas. As you have no doubt glimpsed during your time on Port Gyre thus far, there are far more ordinary citizens than priests here. That is not by choice -- there are precious few people who possess the strength of will that the Emperor demands of his clergy. Of those, even fewer have the inclination or opportunity to serve Him in this capacity. There simply are not enough priests to maintain constant watch over the flock.

"That means we must strive even harder to beat back the forces of heresy wherever they dare rear their heads. We may well find ourselves in situations where we can count on nobody save each other and the God-Emperor."

On 6/11/2017 at 8:44 PM, Servant of Dante said:

Estelia nods thoughtfully, replying, "It is true that, as large as the Convent feels, there really are very few of us compared to the larger Imperial population. I suppose some of these people might never even see a priest outside a cathedral." The Novice pauses a moment, then continues, "though, I think there are some of them I'd rather just shoot."

On 6/12/2017 at 8:40 PM, Lynata said:

"Perhaps there should simply be more priests then", the dusk-skinned girl states matter-of-factly, as if the problems of society were that simple to solve. "Their zeal is precious, but this ... mob seemed to be more of a threat to His divine order than to those the Church cautions against."

9 hours ago, Covered in Weasels said:

"That means we must strive even harder to beat back the forces of heresy wherever they dare rear their heads. We may well find ourselves in situations where we can count on nobody save each other and the God-Emperor."

((I feel at this point that was a natural enough ending to the conversation so we'll move forward))

The first thing that seems to change as you move closer to the center of Port Gyre is that there is an ever increasing tinge in the air of iron or some metal in an undercurrent of the smog and promethium. The sounds of rowdy naval personnel or feuding dock workers leaves the air as well and is replaced by a sound of hustle and bustle as an innumerable amount of adepts are now seen moving from one area to another. Various servoskulls reciting dictations or instructions along with the scratching sound of autoquills fill the air as well.

Centrally located, the main holding of the Auctoriate Porteus is, theoretically, a storehouse of complete and accurate records for all traffic through the port, from humble pilgrims to grandiose Rogue Traders. The Officio can be easily spotted from a distance, as it is one of the tallest structures on the port. This imposing building of dark rockrete and plasteel hosts numerous divisios and thousands of scribes, accountors, and other officials tasked with seeing to various aspects of port operations.

The transport slows itself to a stop and the servitor in the front announces in a gravelly mechanic voice, "Auctriate Porteus...Please disembark...Emperor be with you."

Balthazar's explanation had indeed served to shut up the skeptical novice and quench her latent if unintentional criticism of the Church's service. His words had made sense in her mind. It was perhaps ironic that the nascent Sororitas was far better informed as to the numbers of her Sisters than the average Imperial citizen, yet had little idea how many of said citizens there were -- yet from what she had seen so far on her journey outside the convent walls, there were indeed *a lot*.

Even in the Schola, it was uncommon for just one girl of a given class to be chosen for the Sisterhood, and much less two, as was the case with Estelia and herself. The vast majority of progena were destined to disappear in the many dwindling corridors of the civilian Adeptus Terra, serving as datascribes, assistant inquestors, or simple slaves to some senior adept. Yet out here, Ariel could not help but notice the lack of education and discipline in this magnificent city's people.

Truly, they would have to remain ever vigilant, just as the priest had spoken.

The change in sights and smells served to dispel the novice's dark thoughts somewhat, and for a moment she allowed herself to marvel at the strange and exotic - from her point of view - style the building had been erected in. It seemed to reflect a certain degree of Imperial architecture, as far as such standards could be said to exist, yet with a strange local twist to it. Or was it that all such buildings looked alike? The girl paused, admitting to herself that she lacked examples to compare it to.

"..hallowed be His name", she intoned reflexively, as if it did not matter that she was responding to an automated incantation hardcoded into the lobotomized creature's brain. Hoisting the heavy shotgun, she proceeded to exit the autocarriage.

Estelia, echoed Ariel's response to the servitor our of habit. What the Father had said made sense, even if she didn't like it. No one was going to get a free pass from her if they . . . well Estelia wasn't exactly sure what she was afraid of, but she'd know it when she saw it. She followed the other Novice off of the transport, looking up at the blocky profile of the building it had brought them to. It certainly wasn't like the cathedrals and basically every other building at the Convent, nor was it like the Schola where they had been raised. It had an industrial look to it. Hopefully the people here have better manners than some of the others they had seen, Esteila would not want to be lost in there.

Balthazar exits the carriage after the two Sisters, craning his neck to observe the colossal architecture. The Officio held about as many scribes and functionaries as there were people in Balthazar's entire home village. Though he had travelled to the holiest cities on Thaur, the scale of the temples and crypt-complexes was nothing compared to this vast bureaucratic monument. With an involuntary shudder as he walks past the carriage servitor, Balthazar makes his way across the street towards the building.

On 6/24/2017 at 7:19 PM, Lynata said:

"..hallowed be His name", she intoned reflexively, as if it did not matter that she was responding to an automated incantation hardcoded into the lobotomized creature's brain. Hoisting the heavy shotgun, she proceeded to exit the autocarriage.

On 6/25/2017 at 9:10 PM, Servant of Dante said:

Estelia, echoed Ariel's response to the servitor our of habit. What the Father had said made sense, even if she didn't like it. No one was going to get a free pass from her if they . . . well Estelia wasn't exactly sure what she was afraid of, but she'd know it when she saw it. She followed the other Novice off of the transport, looking up at the blocky profile of the building it had brought them to. It certainly wasn't like the cathedrals and basically every other building at the Convent, nor was it like the Schola where they had been raised. It had an industrial look to it. Hopefully the people here have better manners than some of the others they had seen, Esteila would not want to be lost in there.

On 6/27/2017 at 0:04 AM, Covered in Weasels said:

Balthazar exits the carriage after the two Sisters, craning his neck to observe the colossal architecture. The Officio held about as many scribes and functionaries as there were people in Balthazar's entire home village. Though he had travelled to the holiest cities on Thaur, the scale of the temples and crypt-complexes was nothing compared to this vast bureaucratic monument. With an involuntary shudder as he walks past the carriage servitor, Balthazar makes his way across the street towards the building.

The building you approach is...vast to say the least, yet it pales in comparison to Desoleum Primus looming off of Port Gyre. Approaching the officio building is simple enough plenty of scribes and servitors are entering or exiting the building in droves, each of them wearing the devices on their wrists you've been seeing more and more signifying that they are a native, or at least worker, on Desoleum.

At the entrance of the building you are stopped at a desk by an old tired looking scribe, skin dark either due to ink stains or naturally, with thick augmetic eyes, she looks you over and sighs beginning to recite something she's likely stated a terrifying amount of times through her thin lips.

"Welcome to Desoleum, this is the Auctoriate Porteus main holding of the Adeptus Administratum within Port Gyre. Adeptus business over to the left, without a cog in the second line, new arrivals over to the right, without a cog within the second line. Other inquiries directed to the center, without a cog in the second line. Blessed be your day."

She sits back, expecting you to go upon your business but not personally hurrying you along. You do notice the lines beyond her station, both varieties are staggeringly long and look like they could take hours if not a day to muddle through.

Estelia turns to the other two, "we're just looking for the document that the Sister is to have left for us; we're not even sure it will be here. Are we really going to go through one of those lines?"

The other novice takes a deep breath, reaffirming her grip on the heavy duty shotgun as if to remind herself and others of it being an option to speed things up. Naturally, however, Ariel would resist following up any such allusions with action, the gesture remaining as nothing but a comment on the aggravating nature of their situation. After a moment, she seems to get an idea, turning to Balthazar:

"Father, does the Church not grant you precedence on all His worlds?"

After a moment she glances at Estelia, adding: "Although we should probably see to acquiring a set of these unorthodox insignia as well."