We started our Deathwatch campaign tonight and I thought I'd keep a diary as the game progresses.
The Kill Team
Brother Gildorius, Ultramarine Tactical Marine
Brother Titus, Dark Angel Librarian
Brother Cloten, Blood Angel Devastator
Brother Skold, Space Wolf Techmarine
Rescue and Facilitate
Aboard the Frigate 'Astute' the Kill Team is given their first mission via remote comms by Watch Sergeant Brother Marcus.
Land on the early archaean planetoid coded XZIII and rescue a Rogue Trader named Bela Lugosi who was currently besieged by Tau forces. He was in the process of excavating an alien artifact from the semi molten crust of the planet when Tau forces arrived and attacked without provocation forcing his Cruiser out of orbit and attacking his excavation site. The Kill Team were ordered to rescue the Rogue Trader and then make sure his operation was completed without further mishap.
Brother Gildorius was chosen as the squad leader and they took the Oath of the Astartes. Equipment was requisitioned and they departed the Frigate dropping into the swirling ash choked skies aboard a Storm Raven drop ship.
Lugosi's beacon was identified but due to the shifting landmass and constant eruptions they had to touch down 2 kilometers away. The Kill Team quickly headed off on foot towards the beacon. Whilst in the maze of canyons, rocks and heat they were ambushed by a team of Tau Stealth Suits. Wounds were exchanged on both sides but the Marines quickly overcame the Stealth Team, a lone survivor retreating.
The Marines were able to patch into Lugosi's short range vox network and informed him of their arrival.
At the location of Lugosi's last stand they saw an Imperial prefab complex defended by a (dwindling) company of human troops. In the distance the Alien Artifact could be seen...
Spreading out before the Kill Team and the battle raging below them were massive black craggy cliffs leading down to an ocean of lava as far as the eye (or enhanced power armoured visor) could see. About 500 meters away from the coast line, protruding from that lava was a jet black monolith easily a kilometer wide on this edge and half that high, sloping down for several kilometers out 'to sea' before disappearing under the lava. The artifact was not troubled by the sea of fire it was either sinking into or raising out of. Various Imperial machines and structures were attached to the exposed sides of the monolith.
The Kill Team moved onto the flank of the Tau forces (represented by 3 magnitude 40 hordes quite some distance apart, dug in and ready for a fight). They advanced using Tactical Spacing and opened fire on the nearest Tau units. Standing in the open exchanging fire the Marines quickly realised the longer range of the Tau Pulse Rifles and the number of fire warriors arrayed against them meant they would very quickly loose this fire fight. (The other two Tau hordes were able to lend supporting fire at full effect without such huge range modifier penalties.)
Brother Titus summoned forth Smite to attack the Tau, he pushed the power and inadvertently opened a Swirling Vortex a mere two meter away from himself... His next action was to run away from the Vortex toward the Tau Fire Warriors.
The session ended with Brother Titus dropping out of Squad mode to set up a Stoic Defense (he was on zero wounds), Brother Cloten was reduced to zero wounds and knocked off his feet, Brother Gildorious had moved into cover and was still pouring fire into the Tau forces, Brother Skold was imminently due to crash into the Tau lines, Servo Arm-a-swingin' (he had reasoned that the modifier from him running full-pelt would reduce the amount of incoming hits he would take... a gamble that paid off somewhat).
The Vortex closed in on itself and vanished.
