Editing The Viaticus Dynasty

This is the page for the game cocnerning the rise of the Viaticus Dynasty from the ashes, run by the glorious Cthulhupunk.


=The Dynasty=
    
Once one of the most powerful Rogue Trader Dynasties in the Imperium, the remnants of the broken house now live in a few apartments maintained above the opulent family tomb with the interest of a few ancient investments and holdings. Ever since the last true Rogue Trader of Viaticus was lost in the Warp along with the Dynasty's flagship, the Dynasty has fallen into ruin. Now lacking a voidship of any kind, the planet-bound dynasty lives for the pride of its faded memory.
 
A few short months ago, the flagship reappeared above Exaviar's World without a soul aboard. Many took this as a sign of ill-omen, however with a ship again the dynasty has a second chance. The curse of House Viaticus might be at an end.
  
=The Viaticus Demesne Subsector=
    
Named for the family that discovered, founded and gerrymandered it into it's current form, the Viaticus Demense shared in the fall of House Viaticus. Once the base of operations for a powerful Rogue Trader Dynasty, it is now a ruined subsector struggling to survive.
    
==Exaviar's World==
    
When the Viaticus Demense was settled, Exaviar's World was the largest and most beautiful world capable of supporting human life in the subsector. Now it is a hellish cross between a Hive World and a Forge World where no human could live for more than a minute outside of the artificial environments of the Hives or the massive Forge Cities. The places between the Hives are forests of scrap and seas of sludge, all composed of materials that have no possible use in voidship construction. The sky above is filled with a massive shipyard that over the centuries has eaten the entire planet and still hungers for more.
    
Exaviar's World is the subsector capital, and a world under the yoke of an impossible tithe. Expected to supply the Imperial Navy with an Emperor-class Battleship every 100 years, the planet has been exhausted past the point of endurance to keep up. The problem can be traced back to the fall of the Viaticus Dynasty, which eventually led to the private Viaticus shipyards on Exaviar's World being counted as possessions of the world itself and therefore relevant to the calculation of it's tithe. This quickly led to the consumption of all the world's natural resources, but even then the tithe grade was not lowered. Now Exaviar's World struggles not just to build, but to find the materials to build the voidships that have crippled the planet. To make matters worse, irregular food shipments from Orgicus means famines are common, and breeds discontent in the lower levels.

Exaviar's World has two moons: Drustilla and Silva.

===Drustilla===
The larger of Exaviar's World's two moons, it is a polluted ruin of a Hive that has all but been depopulated by centuries of famine and disaster. Only strange degenerate mutants still live in the parts of the underhive that can still support some semblance of human life.

===Silva===
The smaller satellite of Exaviar's World, Silva was originally a prison moon until the prisoners led a revolution and took over. Now the moon is self-sufficient, and runs on a feudal society based primarily on servitor-serfs created from the original prison guards and their descendants. Exaviar's World has too many problems of it's own to try and retake the prison.
    
==Orgicus==
    
Orgicus is an efficiently-run, bountiful agri-world that has to throw out much of it's yield each year because it cannot get it moved off-world. The chartist captains who ship the food to the other planets in the sector are being preyed on by pirates, and attrition has worn down the fleets. There just aren't enough voidships to move food in the quantities that are needed.

Of all the pirates, the world are the crew of the Good Omen. Originally a ship in the Viaticus fleet, when Agamemnon XXXIII disappeared the ship and her crew turned pirate. The Good Omen is a very fine craft, and more than a match for anything the subsector can muster. Exaviar's World is pushed to it's limit building it's tithe ships, it doesn't have the capacity to build more transports or warships to deal with the pirates.

==Formica==
Formica is an Imperial World that declared independence from the Imperpium of Man almost 50 years ago. It didn't bother to inform the Imperium, and as their tithe is only due every 100 years the Imperium hasn't found out yet. Being from a remote and near-forgotten subsector, the people of Formica don't fully understand what they're doing by 'revolting'.
    
Formica's primary complaints are the inability of the Imperium to properly police shipping routes for piracy, what they see as excessive tithes, and a desire for freedom of religion.

==Kelevor==
Kelevor is a planet with an extremely large quantity of adamantium, to which the Viaticus Dynasty still has hereditary mining rights to. The mining colony had already been built, and the most profitable period of the mining procedure was about to begin when the planet was overrun by a genestealer cult. Nobody knows what's going on down there anymore.

==Rixis==
Rixis is a primordial jungle hell out of some genetic nightmare. Rixis is teeming with an overabundance of life, all in direct competition with each other for microscopic niches. It is impossible to ever be truly safe on Rixis, for no matter how much you know about the planet and it's many horrors, it is constantly evolving new ones.

There is evidence of an technologically advanced xenos civilization that once lived on Rixis. A research colony was set up to study one of the more promising ruins, but in the centuries of surviving on Rixis the inhabitants 'went native'. The expression is not further defined in the report.

==Volucris==
Volucris is the site of a failed human colony, but is otherwise uninhabited. It is perfectly habitable by humans, although it's cold and has harsh winters.

==New Kaiser==
New Kaiser was once a nominally democratic planet, with an elected Planetary Governor and a Senate. When Agamemnon XXXIII disappeared the resulting political ramifications led to a civil war, which utterly devastated the planet. It has since regressed into a near-feudal state, and has been slow in developing further. New Kaiser is self sufficient, and it's now hereditary Planetary Lord is still loyal to the Imperium. 


=The Ship=
<Name TBD><br>
'''''Overlord-class Battlecruiser'''''<br>
'''Speed''' 6<br>
'''Maneuver''' +26<br>
'''Detection''' +20<br>
'''Hull Integrity''' 66<br>
'''Armor''' 21 (25 in front arc)<br>
'''Turret Rating''' 2<br>
'''Space''' 68/78<br>
'''Power''' 67/90<br>
'''SP''' 64 + 16 '''(80)'''<br>
'''Machine Spirit''' Ancient and Wise<br>
'''Past Histories''' Wrested From A Spess Hulk<br>
'''Crew Population''' 100<br>
'''Morale''' 97<br>

'''Essential Components (34 Power 36 Space 0 SP)'''<br>
Saturnine Class 4A "Ultra" Drive (+90 Power 14 Space)<br>
Miloslav H-616.b Warp Drive (10 Power 12 Space)<br>
Gellar Field (1 Power 0 Space)<br>
Repulsor Shield Array (8 Power 1 Space)<br>
Ship Master's Bridge (4 Power 3 Space)<br>
Mark 1.r Life Sustainer (4 Power 2 Space)<br>
Voidsmen Quarters (2 Power 4 Space)<br>
BG-15 Assault Scanners (5 Power 0 Space)<br>

'''Weapons (29 Power 25 Space 11 SP)'''<br>
'''Prow N/A''' <br>
'''Dorsal''' Bombardment Cannons (5 Power 5 Space 3 SP)<br>
'''Port 1''' Disruption Macrocannon Broadside (6 Power 5 Space 2 SP)<br>
'''Port 2''' Disruption Macrocannon Broadside (6 Power 5 Space 2 SP)<br>
'''Starboard 1''' Disruption Macrocannon Broadside (6 Power 5 Space 2 SP)<br>
'''Starboard 2''' Disruption Macrocannon Broadside (6 Power 5 Space 2 SP)<br>

'''Supplementary Components (4 Power 7 Space 5 SP)'''<br>
Armored Prow (0 Power 4 Space 2 SP)<br>
Teleportarium (1 Power 1 Space 1 SP)<br>
Luxury Passenger Quarters (2 Power 1 Space 1 SP)<br>
Trophy Room (1 Power 1 Space 1 SP)<br>

'''Summarized Effects'''<br>
Exploration Objectives +50 <br>
Military Objectives +50 (+100 on objectives vs planets) <br>
Trade Objectives +150 <br>
Creed Objectives +100 <br>
Criminal Objectives +150 <br>
+5 to all Piloting and Navigation Tests <br>
+10 to BS tests to fire weapons (+15 vs planetary targets) <br>
Halve warp transit times, roll for Happy Fun Encounters every 3 days instead of every 5 <br>
+20 Intimidate vs planets (moustache twirling optional) <br>
+1 Armor (already factored into stats) <br>
+1 Speed (already factored into stats) <br>
+3 Detection (already factored into stats) <br>
+10 all Maneuver checks (already factored into stats) <br>

-4 Hull Integrity (already factored into stats) <br>
Roll twice for Happy Fun Encounters and take worse result <br>

=Cast=
== Lord-Captain Alexis Nikolaos Viaticus ==
Born as the second son of Stavros and Sofia Viaticus thirty-eight years ago, Alexis became a lay brother of the Adeptus Ministorum , until the despair-borne suicide of his elder brother Kyrill twelve years ago. After that, Alexis was torn from a life of worship, forced to take up the mantle of a Trader. It rendered him a bitterly cynical creature at the same time.

For more than half his life, Alexis was surrounded by the trappings of the Adeptus Ministorum - and every time he met his brother, was secretly glad it was not his duty to be the Rogue Trader. Life as a brother of the Ministorum taught him the importance of social networking and sparked a keen interest in the fine art of Imperial oratory. 

uring the later years of his tenure with the Adeptus Ministorum, Alexis' aptitude for grandiose speeches and commanding men became more and more obvious. When starving mid-hive rioters threatened the local shrine to the God-Emperor, Alexis' stern rebuke reminded more than two thirds of them of their duties to God-Emperor and Imperium. Those who would not stand down from their intent to desecrate the shrine's stores, uncaring of the sacrilege in their hunger, were met with gun and blade from a quickly-rallied unit of faithful led by Alexis. 
Two weeks later, shortly before he would have been allowed off-world to join the never-ending Wars of Faith in His name, Kyrill Viaticus shot himself, chaining his brother to Exaviar's World for the next twelve years. 

Pity and mockery would become the constant companions of Alexis for the next twelve years. As many of his former brothers and sisters of his Ministorum time left, either for far-off cities on Exaviar's World to tend to the faithful or to the stars, oh, the stars, to fight, kill and die in His name, Alexis' wroth rose to a boiling point.
His swordplay improved as much as his anger grew as he became less and less tolerant of outsiders mocking the fate of him and his family - and so far, he has not lost a duel of honor to avenge his family's name.

Now that House Viaticus has a voidship, nothing and nobody short of the God-Emperor (or, of course, an untimely death) will stop Alexis from returning House Viaticus to where it belongs: The uppermost strata of Imperial society. Entire fleets will fly the flags of Imperium and House, and the sub-sector will work like a well-oiled machine lest they attract the wrath of Alexis Viaticus. 

Though fallen from grace through ill fortune, House Viaticus was once a major power. For more than a decade, Alexis has worked harder than ever before to live up to the image set by his ancestors: Charming to his friends, but without mercy to those who would stand against him. 
Even without a ship, Alexis has tried to bend his bitterness and cynicism to worthier efforts, channeling the simmering resentment against his fate into his presence: Stern and commanding, until you become either a friend or an enemy - or if you happen to be a mark he needs to con.

Of average height compared to his family, Alexis stands noticeably taller than most people from Exaviar's World at 1.9m, owing to a healthy upbringing and a lifelong drive to avoid complacency. 
Keeping both hair and beard cropped short to avoid frustrating events involving ill-fitting helmets (not, he says, that something like this ever happened, but still...), Alexis goes about in armor for most of his waking time. It would not be wrong to call it paranoid, but he likes his armor.

Eyes are of an unremarkable light brown, usually visible beneath Alexis' helmet, as he prefers not to wear the full face-mask unless absolutely necessary. 
Aforementioned armor itself is held in matte black with silver highlights and an Aquila Imperialis embossed on the chest, also silver.<br><br>

'''Opinions'''<br>
''"... The captain shows a certain irrationality that, while expected of one not supported by the holy mantle, may lead to problems at a later point. Recklessness in particular is worrisome - should be tempered with caution... Shows signs of brilliant leadership; even I find it easy to follow his orders without thought. Coupled with strategic training and with proper backing by the senior officers and emissaries on-board, he can be expected to go very far in revitalizing his House and the entire sub-sector..."'' - Quintus<br><br>
''"Captain just like stories Mama use to tell. He have fire instead of heart and know no fear. If he bigger, he could be Space Marine. But he small, so he Lord-Captain instead. I don't know if Captain decisions all that good, but he make me want to believe in him.  That said, Captain like making speeches and shouting all the time, get boring after a while. He completely mad too, which is good and bad thing."'' - Boris<br><br>
''"He accepted me as his Navigator. He accepted ME as his Navigator! Is he that desperate, or just foolish, or both? Probably neither. Probably he's not afraid of my reputation. Fearlessness, an admirable quality for a leader."'' - Ramirez<br><br>
''He does have a rather inspiring gentleman that is a man of the Emperor which is admirable and she could use more of. His way with people is something that she wished she could do, actually talking to them than simply bellowing at them to obey or else they will be fried to a crisp.  Though he is an admirable man in may ways, he has the mindset of a cleric first, and that would mean things might be more lax than a proper military manner. He is also worried that he might be a little weak willed to make the hard, grey choices a Captain will have to make.'' - Aeysha

== Enginseer-Prime Quintus Aureleus ==
Quintus Aureleus (so-called because he was the fifth-named orphan in the month at the housing facility where he grew up) is a somewhat small man, in spite of his augmentation. Reaching barely 1.6 meters at full height, his solid presence might bring to mind a rather thin Squa-err, that is, he's rather short. Nevertheless, he radiates a strong sense of presence and a competence that is matched only by the reality of his capabilities.

While well-versed in the ways of Machine Spirits, he is somewhat of an oddity among his fellows in his sense of... aesthetics. A strong belief in the holy perfection of the human form, he feels that form does not always follow function, but that function may be improved by form. Disdaining the sometimes ostentatious displays of machinery sticking out of flesh, his implants, while just as capable as those of other tech-priests, tend towards smooth and shiny over loud and crude (in his opinion).

It is hard to put years to the face (or what can be seen of it) of a member of the Priesthood of Mars, but Quintus looks to be somewhat on the young side of middle-aged, or on the old side of youth, whichever. His mouth and chin are covered (or replaced, more likely) by a smooth metal mask that follows the shape of a human jaw, and which has a scalloped deformity where the lips might be - from the grille this surrounds comes his voice, and, one would assume, somewhere underneath he drinks the nondescript nutritious sludge that he carries around with him. His head is covered in electrum bands that lie flush into the skin, and similar bands cross his torso, interrupted by the softly glowing amethyst crystals that are the visible portions of his sacred potentia coil. His left eye is usually covered by a golden gear-like monacle filled with green crystal, through which flickering symbols might be seen, with his right being more or less normal-appearing, and a bright green that matches the crystal. Traces of metal that appear like circuits cover his arms (and, one would assume, his legs), and his wrists contain ports for who-knows-what.

He gets along remarkably well with normal citizens of the Imperium, considering his station in the Priesthood of Mars. Always looking for new things to learn (particularly any new incidents of lost human technology), he was attracted to the ship-yard of Exaviar's World from rumors of ancient blueprints hidden in the depths of the cogitators. His placement there put him in an excellent position when the long-lost Viaticus flagship reappeared - first to lead the repair efforts and to certify the ship as ready for use and then to get himself placed in charged of the company of Tech-Priests charged with its upkeep.

Now, he is sure, he will find plentiful examples of lost Imperial technology, and have many opportunities to demonstrate the value of his aesthetics and his abilities to those that scoffed at him many years before.<br><br>

'''Opinions'''<br>
''"Having an emissary of the Omnissiah with us is excellent. The ship will run smoother for it, I can feel it. And his monocle is a thing of pure style; I shall have him build one for me at some point.  He is suspiciously good at conversing with the mundanes of the Imperium. And how much of his ideas about the world could be considered heresy by his more orthodox brothers and sisters in the Mechanicum?"'' - Alexis<br><br>
''"Cogboy? Cogboy always good to befriend. If not your lasgun stop working in middle of fight and then who is iron jellyfish now, eh? He get along well with Didi, so I guess is okay chap. I guess is just his incense, leave ash everywhere, hell to sweep."'' - Boris<br><br>
''"Aesthetics of some of his bionics seems too... frivolous. Is it a sign that his skills and reverence are lacking? I don't know. Anyway, I haven't had good long philosophical discussion for a long time, and he's, without doubt can provide one."'' - Ramirez<br><br>
''The personality of Quintius is rather light compared to the usual tech priest.  His obsession with human perfection, is rather off setting for the crippled mutant especially the when he wants to start implanting things into her head, even if it would aid her.'' - Aeysha

== High Factorum (Unnamed as of yet) ==
== Master-at-Arms Boris Ilyich Yevgeny ==
House Yevgeny is of noble Valhallan stock. Once, they were a loyal vassal family to the Viaticus Dynasty, before the gradual dwindling of the Dynasty's fortunes meant that the Yevgenys were essentially absolved of their oaths to the once-great Rogue Trader house and left to find their own fortune in the galaxy. They chose to take over the defunct radethium mines that they negotiated with House Viaticus for, and as luck would have it, a new seam of the precious mineral was found the moment the ink dried on the Instrument of Transfer. 

Since then, the Yevgenys dedicated their industry to mining and farming, and their coat of arms represents this with a crossed hammer and sickle of gold. It has also been traditional for every Yevgeny male to join his fellow workers in the mines, so they will not lose touch with those who produce for the greater good. Unfortunately, radethium is teratogenic, and as a result every male Yevgeny has been plagued with mutation. Boris' own father had literal skin like granite, and even that was nothing compared to Two-Eyed Uncle Vanya (who lost his other two eyes in work accidents) and Boris' grandfather Dagonov, who had a very... animated beard. 

Boris himself was born with no defects, and his mother rejoiced in his normality. He grew up to be a large, well-fed young lad... and grew... and kept growing. Soon Boris' mother instead rejoiced that she had had him so early, because she would not have survived the birth if he'd been even a month late. It is commonly said that Boris only stopped growing because the mines were too small for him, and even as a youth, he was a believer in hard work and team spirit.

When the time came for Exaviar's World to raise a regiment for the Guard, Boris would normally have been exempted, being of noble birth. But like all Yevgeny men, he could not allow his people to go into service without experiencing what it was like himself. Against his mother's wishes, he enlisted in the tithe, not as an officer, but as a basic Guardsman. 

For the next few years, Boris' life was consumed in war. He survived where everyone else had fallen, and when the Exaviar 106th was depleted down to himself, he volunteered to join other units, where the winnowing continued apace. Along the way, he met several people who, like himself, were resistant to destruction. Eventually, they decided that they had had enough of pointless war, and after the end of a campaign which left them the only survivors, once again, Boris decided to return to Exaviar's World to reassure his mother, who must surely have thought that he was dead like the rest of his regiment.

Imagine his surprise when he found a strange vessel orbiting Exaviar's World, and even more so his mother telling him that the Viaticus Dynasty had finally regained its flagship. An idea came to Boris; he would renew the Yevgenys' oath of fealty to the Dynasty, and thus boost the fortunes of his household as well. This idea met with far less resistance than his original intention to join the Guard; at least this way he would be an honored retainer, and not a disposable pawn. His companions, now known as The Squad, agreed to follow Boris on his endeavour.<br><br>

'''Opinions'''<br>
''"They say 'Speak softly and carry a big stick'. I shall speak softly and, when necessary, point at Boris, who, even unarmed, would qualify as a big stick... As inconspicous as an Astartes Dreadnought in a china shop. And it is mightily convenient that only now the Yevgenys renew their oaths instead of sticking with us when we most needed them."'' - Alexis<br><br>
''"... It is gratifying, from the reports of Olim (File O-5-164-C), the reverence with which the Master-at-Arms treats his weaponry. It is unfortunate that he does not extend that proper respect to other equipment; Olim has reported abnormally high wear and tear on other machinery Boris interacts with... Boris, of abnormal size and appetite (note galley shortage and food entry 'sandvich') is suspected of mutation. As a proper blood sample has not been taken, claim is unsubstantiated. Discrete tests of mental function and stability have shown strong unused cognitive abilities, but no corruption of the mind - further observation on this front may be required. No twisting of the holy form is noted aside from the abnormal size, which is not outside (if barely) observed cases that have tested negative for mutation. If the possibility of mutation is correct, then subject should be placed through a set of tests to determine any future vulnerabilities in mind or body..."'' - Quintus<br><br>
''"Brawn all over the brains, oh my. We're lucky he haven't born as an Ork.  Still, alienating him might be hazardous for my health, and seeing him fumbling around will certainly raise my self-esteem."'' - Ramirez<br><br>
''He is a mutant, and there is a little bit of camaraderie in that fact, not to mention she admires his tenacity. The fact he can actually think on a deeper level than, "Shoot'em dead!" Like many guards.  Though her platoon is officially under Boris' command, the fact that he has been ordering them about under her nose despite being through hell. She does wish that his tactical infantry tactics were a bit more varied than hard defense.'' - Aeysha

== Navigator-Primaris Ramirez Sanches Modar de Nueva Rossignol ==
A scion of a minor branch of famous Shrouded House of Navis Nobilitae, he was sent out to the world as expendable test subject. If he survives, that's for the glory of the House, if not... well, fate's ways are unpredictable.
He did return, but not in the way everyone expected. He was assigned as junior Navigator to the Giganticus XIII transport; during his first flight, the ship suffered a breach of Gellar field and had to immediately return to Materium.
Unfortunately, the return point was too close to the planet, and the Giganticus XIII crashed on the surface.

Most of the crew and passenger perished during the crash. Ramirez didn't.
Most of the survivors killed each other in the struggle to survive (which wasn't made easier to the fact that some of them were posessed.) Ramirez didn't.
Most of the remaining humans haven't left the planet even after the crash site was stumbled upon by Navy frigate. Ramirez did, however: by a chance a group under his command was most organized of the rag-tag tribes that were discovered, so they managed to negotiate the passage off-world.

Upon the returning to the civilization, Ramirez (and other survivors) found themselves among the trash of the society. Yet, they saw a chance when a long-lost ship of House Viaticus returned...<br><br>
'''Opinions'''<br>
''"A hardy survivalist, which will come in handy if we ever find ourselves seperated from our ship. If he crashes my ship as he did his last one, I swear to the God-Emperor I will rip out one of his arms and beat him to death with it, or, failing that, nail him to a wall through his third eye."'' - Alexis<br><br>
''"Oh, he ugly. And creepy. But Captain say he guide ship through warp and without warp travel, we grow old and die before reaching next system. So... good guy, I guess? Maybe if he can drink, we can be friends. Get drunk, sing Foreskin Song, all is good, yes?"'' - Boris<br><br>
''Being mutants dealing with the warp, as well as survival literally through Hell forms a good deal of kinship between the two, and if Ramirez needs something, the Astropathic commander will bend over backwards to help him.  Being a navigator, his wealth and aduration for a very similar power, and in general less powerful version, is grating with all the scraping and bowing to him while barely giving her the time of day.  
Also pirate clearing is always a good way to start. Too bad the Astropathic Chamber can't channel offensive techniques to grant another gun.'' - Aeysha

== Choir-Master Telepathica Aeysha Marlith ==
Born on the Imperial world of Vanthek in the Tempus Segmatum, a world well known for it's artists, stark beauty, and being a hotbed for cultist and rectivist activity, leaving horrible things lurking in the dark corners of that world. The Marlith family was a rather well to do artisan family, operating a media empire that churned out penthrift dreadfuls and holo-plays across the sector showing the unusual view point of that uncertain world. Aeysha was the youngest of three children, and was always a bit of the odd one out when family was concerned save for her loving mother that tried to support her in becoming one of the artists in the family's many studios. Of course living on a world full of corruption meant that the Inquisition was all but ever present, and when young Aeysha found she had the gift for witchery the Inquisition wasn't too far behind. 

Once on the Black Ships heading to Holy Terra to be judged, young Aeysha proved to be rather forceful in personality as well in psychic talent that the Schola Psykana gave her a bit more combat training than the typical Astropath. Once her years of training and recovery after having her soul seared by the Emperor's Light, she was attatched to the Imperial Guard regiments, the 328th Brelish Commandos that awere scheduled to take back a world called Byrion's Hope from Chaos pirates to keep them from preying upon ships coming out of the Viaticus Subsector. So soon after her training she was put back into boot camp to be able to keep up with the rest of her unit and provide some firing support as well as communication with the ship in orbit or defending against any warp usage. It was brutal on the young woman, but she managed to soldier through, despite a Commissar Ilyan watching over her for a chance to put a bolt round into her witch head. That was a constant concern for her as they landed upon the war torn world to start a long and bloody campaign that destroyed both sides in body, mind, and material. After a year of fighting, the planet was silent with both pirate raiders and the Imperial transport shattered in orbit with only a few Guardsmen left on an otherwise undeveloped world. 

Ilyan, being the only sort of officer left alive started to panic about there not being any sort of rescue, as well as the fact that the enemy knew of Aeysha and would be back for her, despite the fact she kept saying she was their best chance to get off that world. It ended in a rather brief fire fight that saw Aeysha standing over the headless corpse of her former warden and two dozen or so men uncertain of what to do. Since she was the only one with an idea on what to do, organized the survivors into a camp to keep them alive until rescue arrived whil e she sent out distress messages to any possibly friendly world she knew of. It was a long time before someone came to that blighted world, a Chartist captain heading into the subsector and caught Aeysha's message. Unfortunately he wasn't going to turn back to bring a platoon of grunts to some out of the way world and just dropped them off at their next stop, Exaviar's World to make their own way back. It wasn't an envyable position, but at least she was able to get the men back to civilization and report in, though it's likely to be another decade or so until they get a response from command. Until then she'll have to find a way to keep fed as well as keep them out of trouble in the orbiting stations above the planet. At first she just provided some protection and organization for some of the disenfranchised astropaths either kicked to the curb or had lost their captains one way or another from the regular wytch hunt. Eventually when a rather prostigous Rogue Trader needed reliable communication, she jumped to the front with her men and the hungry psykers to man their choir.<br><br>
'''Opinions'''<br>
''"Competent enough to survive being stranded on Exaviar's World for years, and bringing a retinue of pet astropaths along. Excellent. Competent or not, the moment one of them starts gibbering madly and/or turns inside out because some horror from beyond takes over, I will shoot them. Better safe than sorry."'' - Alexis<br><br>
''"How she see without eye or bionic? Is big mystery. Captain say she is psyker, but she is not wet noodle poindexter girly-man like guard psyker. I still make Aquila and raise gesture of warding against evil anyway, but Captain tell me middle finger not needed. What he know? Maybe he like her..."'' - Boris<br><br>
''"She can appreciate me for my achievements, not my exterior. That's a lot. Pity that she's a combat-trained telepath -- only a fool let this kind of people become too close."'' - Ramirez

=Supporting Cast=

== Priesthood of Mars ==
'''Olim, Master of the Armoury.''' A tall and imposing mixture of machinery and flesh, this tech-priest catalogs and maintains the weapons on the ship as well as the great shells of the vessel itself. Often called upon, with his fellow priests of the sacred armaments, to repair worn equipment, Olim has a rather low opinion of the on-board military.

'''Maxis, Numerological Diviner.''' A constantly in-motion figure, distinctive with the goggles that replace his eyes and the constant flutter of long strips of parchment filled with arcane formulae and incomprehensible numbers that move behind him, Maxis is undoubtedly quite insane. At the same time, however, Quintus (and the other servants of the Machine-God) recognize his incredible grasp of numerology and the depths of logic. Able to perform calculations at lightning-speed, he is a valued servant of the Omnissiah.

'''Alicia, Enginseer of the Sacred Drive.''' Her(?) name indicates her gender, but little else suggests it about this tech-priest, upon whom no scrap of skin is visible through all the cybernetic implants and tools. In charge of the giant drive that both pushes the vessel through space and powers all the systems aboard, hers is a duty performed without peer. Having little interest beyond the function of her charge, she barely pays attention to orders on subjects beyond - a habit which irritates Quintus on the occasions that they meet.

'''Vitalis, Chief Attendant of the Aerie.''' While his title refers to the common habitat of the servitors known as cherubim, he does not actually tend to one (there not being one on the ship aside). Instead, his is the charge of ordering, maintaining, repairing and replacing the servitors that function to perform menial tasks in the domains of the Priesthood of Mars. Recognizable by the small constantly-smoking pipe that extends from one shoulder and the odor of brimstone, he is skilled at his task, although disinclined to speak any language but Binary (rumor has it that he cannot speak any other language, although he can certainly understand Low Gothic).

== Ecclesiarchy ==
'''Elias Viaticus, Confessor'''.  Second cousin to Alexis and a pious member of the clergy.  While young, his ability to bring the stories of saints and legends alive during his sermons inspires faith in even the most cynical guardsman.  However, his lack of ambition or even understanding of worldly matters means that he will likely never reach a higher post than that of a House priest or (as in this case) a ship's confessor.

'''Diona McOrdas, Chaplain'''. A plain-faced plain-spoken ex-guardswoman, Diona serves as a military chaplain aboard the vessel, ministering to the spiritual worries of the House's armed forces on-board. While she deals with many minor problems herself, she regularly reports any wide-spread or serious concerns to Elias, who, while younger than her, she acknowledges has a sincere and pure faith that somehow finds a way to resolve such concerns, often in his sermons every five days. Her views of the Ecclesiarchy as a whole are perhaps more secular and cynical than Elias would prefer, but he cannot deny her unwavering dedication to the Emperor and his Faith.

'''Titus Androna, Deacon.''' Titus manages the day-to-day tasks at the ship's somewhat meagre (for an Imperial capital ship) chapel, and, similarly to Diona, hears the concerns of the faithful, from minor worries over points of faith to nightmares that shake the roots of their souls. An older man with a neatly-trimmed white beard, gentle blue and weathered face, he is a reassuring presence for many as he cleans the altar or ministers to the cares of the flock. He has few ambitions in life, being satisfied by the fulfillment of his duties, but he does seem to have a problem with speaking when a certain attractive captain's personal aide comes by...