TheBattlehammer

This fragment is a reflection of the character creation and contextual set up for our variation of the Dark Heresy: Tattered Fates Campaign. For those of you, who know the members of the battle hammer, who do you is playing which character? Comments and advice on ways to improve our campaign and story write up are always welcomed below.

So the report begins…..

Lhara “Domino” Ulanti’s animated eyes were locked, unblinking with Inquisitor Narak’s, as he issued her and the others their orders. If Inquisitor Narak, had detected the abhorrence manifested in Domino’s eyes, he did not show it. He was inquisition and they were measly tools to be used when and how they saw fit; they were and would always be prey to the whims of the Inquisition. With an elusive click, the holo-communication was terminated by Inquisitor Narak, and his image faded in to nothingness, yet it seemed as though his image had seared itself on Domino’s retina, as she stood, rooted in place silently staring at where Inquisitor Narak’s image was once projected.  Although her face rendered no clues to her thinking, her eyes showed complete contempt toward the given orders.  A few perpetual seconds later Domino recomposed herself, snapped out of the bizarre trance that had a momentary grip on her, and turned to face her cohorts. They were an odd bunch and none of them possessed the same degree of composure or rationality as Domino, but for reasons that eluded her, the Inquisition had some use for them, and as such she was stuck with them for the time being.

The orders were simple; they were to follow up on intelligence transmitted by one of Inquisitor Karkalla’s imperial agents, whom was assassinated before she could divulge any specifics. The agent identified the planet of Quaddis, which was under the responsibility of Inquisitor Karkalla as source of the heretic-driven rebellion that imperial ruled planets were beginning to show symptoms of. The loss of contact with Inquisitor Karkalla and his imperial agent, was in the eyes of the Inquisition, a stain on an otherwise unblemished reputation. In reality, they were being given a simple reconnaissance task, one in which their survival hinged on their ability to keep a low-profile.

As soon as the orders were given, Uriah began shouting for blood. Uriah, just like the rest of the group was from Necromunda, but unlike the others he possessed no concept of restraint. At times Domino wondered if Uriah even knew that the word “restraint” existed.  He was a relatively tall man, with dark skin and an outrageous Afro. Domino had a multi-coloured Mohawk, and still in comparison, Uriah’s afro was ridiculous, making him look like the silhouette of a tree. He was not particularly fat, nor was he strong, but he had a fire inside of him that he may have struggled to constrain. That was, if he actually ever bothered to try and exercise constraint. He considered himself an exceptional Redemptionist, and channelled his inner fire in to his hatred of heretics, making him a blind but effective pawn of the Inquisition. True to his nature, after hearing “heretic” in the orders, he was shouting and swinging his ridiculously oversized chain sword around with the dexterity of an intoxicated Bear. Trying to curb his appetite for heretic blood was always a waste of time, so Domino just left him to get on with it.

Orl on the other hand was just muttering under his breath in response to the orders. He had the personality of an empty data slate, rarely speaking his mind and simply following instructions. His ability to, or subconscious love to follow commands, without showing any sign of a unique personality or personalized opinion was likely to be a result of his training as an Imperial Guardsman. Although Orl had now left the Imperial guard, his training had not left him and in a disturbing way, his lack of personality created a weird aura of mystery around him. Also from Necromunda, he was petite for an ex-guardsman and a Nercomundan. He was not noticeably taller than she was and with his wirily build, pale skin and poison green eyes, he looked sickly and weak, although his track record portrayed the idea that he could handle himself. Domino doubted this as compared to her athletic build, he looked so fragile that a gust of wind could likely break his feeble spine.  

Domino didn’t care much for Uriah or Orl, for her they were just necessities of the job. She figured that Orl’s so called strength would fail him sooner rather than later and as for Uriah, his lust for blood and inability to control his anger was likely to get him killed, and perhaps even Orl too, who seemed to have taken a liking to him. She understood how the Inquisition worked; all of them, including her were disposable tools that could and eventually would be replaced. Establishing close relationships with these people was illogical and a waste of time. Domino was not an odious person, who wished death upon her compatriots, but she was also not some emotional hot-headed fool. Domino’s harsh and unforgiving upbringing had sharpened her survival instincts, and in her mind, acting impulsively and emotionally was counterproductive to survival. She was here to do a job and she was not going to place her life in the hands of the dupes she had been lumbered with. Equally she did not want the responsibility of leading this concoction of stupidity. After all, within this band of combatants, literacy was and advanced skill worthy of bragging rights. Her only concern was completing the given task and doing so without losing her life or that of her fragile and naïve sister.

After hearing the orders, Domino’s sister, Arcadia “Jinx” Ulanti was tightly grasping and stroking her star fish shaped cuddle toy and looked as though she wanted to cry, but that was nothing new. Jinx was a temperamentally talented psycker, but suffered from crippling shyness and anxiety. She was a petite Necromundan with chopped grey hair and a love of pale shift dresses. She used her psychic powers to hide her oddness and shade her from view. In situations that her powers were not enough to reassure her, she petted and hugged her tentacle shaped cuddly toy called “Shoggy”, like a puppy. Jinx’s behaviour frustrated Domino. However, Family was a bond that she respected over all others. Of the cluster fuck of idiots that she was now stuck with, Jinx was the only member she truly cared about. Domino was incredibly protective over Jinx, yet at the same time was like a parental figure of authority for her. Boasting numerous tattoos, piercings, an athletic build, a multi-coloured Mohawk and a combat shotgun, Domino was difficult to ignore.

As soon the orders had finally seeped in to the minds of the literate ‘geniuses’ that Domino would for now call assistants, the group meandered along the breath of the rogue trader ship “Sickle”, toward the shuttle that had been allocated for their descent to the planet of Quaddis. With Uriah leading the pack, whistling in excitement like a child going to their surprise birthday party that they secretly know about. Orl was following Uriah, looking at the ground, mumbling and dragging his feet. To Domino, it looked as though Orl did not have the strength to lift his legs properly, but she had more pressing matters; she had to herd her Sister in to the shuttle. Jinx was nervously scuttling towards the designated shuttle, tightly clutching Shoggy and froze in the shuttle doorway, inspecting the condition of the rust filled shuttle. With a careful, but firm nudge Domino forced Jinx in to the shuttle. Jinx reluctantly took a seat in the seat closest to the door, with Domino taking a seat next to her.

When the take-off shuddering and rattling began, Domino noted that Uriah was lustfully staring at Jinx. The ere idea of her sister anywhere near him sickened her to her core. Adding to her distaste for him, it strengthened her resolve to protect Jinx. As the shuttle made its nervy descent towards Quaddis, Domino had an epiphany. Her logical and calculated mind helped her realize that no matter how much she disliked her new compatriots, she was stuck with them for the coming mission, so she would have to trust and work together with them, at least to some degree.

With that realization cemented in her mind, Domino closed her eyes and the shuttle continued toward the planet’s surface………………………….

To be continued (Fragment 2)

Disclaimer: This story is fan-created content. All copyright and ownership rights remain with Games Workshop and Fantasy Flight Games.