Adeptus Mechanicus: Tech Priest Machinos
Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:31 pm
[continued from my army list thread]
http://www.ageofstrife.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1086#1086
Tech Priest Machinos left the hive world Magdra Prime centuries ago on a Quest for Knowledge. he traveled throughout the Imperium (and beyond) looking for STC systems and other ancient artifacts, until he was defeated by an Inquisitor on a little known dead-world that had been left lifeless and ruined in the wake of a Chaos fleet thousands of years earlier. since then it had been cut off by warp storms and ignored by the Imperium, until news emerged that the storms had abated. Explorator Warbands rushed to the planet to learn its secrets, only to find a barren desert which yielded no discoveries. Machinos arrived after the initial explorers, in time to see them leave the planet cursing their wasted journeys, but his faith in the guiding hand of the Machine God lead him to stay.
as his small craft touched down on the planet the previously still air whipped up great sandstorms and the massive dunes started to shift. once the storms died down the ships sensors picked up a massive power signature emanating from a building that had been buried in sand until that day. Machinos and his small retinue left immediately to investigate the planet's solitary intact building and its mysterious power source, but unfortunately they were not alone: another late arrival had been watching them. the Tech Priest Master reached the one end of the ancient fortress as the Inquisitor and his elite warband reached the other.
despite its thick stone walls, both parties concluded this building should have been destroyed when the Chaos fleet bombarded the planet from orbit, and both claimed it in the name of their deity. neither the Inquisitor Lord or the Tech Priest would back down, so they declared war.
it was only when the approached the opposite, open doorways, and tried to exchange bursts of fire across the the courtyard did the fortress reveal its secret: a powerful, arcane force field protected the building, and their bullets could not pass through the open courtyard to the other side! Machinos saw this as Divine protection from the Machine God and, with nothing to fear, strode through the field - he passed harmlessly into the courtyard and was quickly followed by his Retinue. The Inquisitor saw this and sent his Eversor Assassin to reclaim the fortress in the name of the Emperor. Machinos fought hard but he and his retinue were explorers, not warriors, and were no match for the drug-fueled, bio-engineered killing machine that charged their position.
his Retinue slaughtered, his shattered remains were left for dead as the Inquisitor returned to his own ship to fetch a Tech Priest engineer of his own to investigate this fearful, ancient device. however, one tiny spark remained within Machinos' mechanical parts, and this triggered his life support system. running off emergency power, back-up systems and bio-resuscitation began. Machinos awoke, bleeding heavily and leaking oil and other fluids from his mechanical limbs, but he sensed the great power of the force field generator nearby - almost as if it was calling out to him. driven by a thirst for revenge he dragged his wrecked body to the ancient device, reached up with a partially severed mechandrite and, as if by instinct, interfaced with the arcane machine.
it was through near death that Machinos' existence changed forever. the massive energies and ancient spirit of the machine flooded Machinos' systems: fuses blew, batteries popped, circuits were overloaded, but at the same time he felt his strength return. the surging power continued and Machinos passed out.
whilst his body was unconscious his mind communed with the Spirit of the Machine. time unraveled like rewinding pict-file as he witnessed the memories of the machine: first the battle he had just lost, then the re-awakening of the device when he landed on the planet. then blackness. nothing for thousands of years as the machine lay dormant. out of the blackness chaos and carnage exploded and he learnt of the planet's fate. Khorne Berzerkers, hundreds of them, forcing their way into the fortress - which he somehow now knew as "The Sanctuary" - hacking and slashing the defenders, desecrating the walls with unholy icons drawn in fresh blood. the ancient device was spared due to its protective energies - any that tried to touch it were struck by its awesome power and flung through the air.
back a few months, less than a blink in the machine's recollections, and he began to understand fully what happened here: when the Chaos bombardment began the planet was razed - everything outside the walls of the Sanctuary was wiped off the face of the world. thousands of years flew by and and Machinos saw primitive human colonists find the machine and discover its protective properties. they worshiped it and built their homes within its effect. further and further back it went, into even Darker times...
but the machine didn't just know its own history. it knew of its kin, hidden on other worlds. weapons, defenses, computing devices, barely comprehensible, darkly secret things. the device also showed Machinos the true path - it is only by becoming one with the Machine can one truly embody the Spirit of the Machine. Machinos awoke once more, his body coursing with electrical energy, his damaged implants had repaired themselves, and although his weak flesh was wasted, he had never felt stronger! connecting all his newly restored mechandrites to the machine he welcomed it spirit into him - absorbing all of its ancient energy.
by the time the Inquisitor returned to the Sanctuary, both Machinos and the force field were gone, and the ancient machine was cold and lifeless, its circuits overloaded and its power drained. in his rage at being outdone, the Inquisitor ordered that the fortress be destroyed, and left to try and track down the fleeing Tech Priest.
Since then Machinos has continued his Quest, but guided by the Machine Spirit inside him he has had unparalleled success, uncovering artifacts that had laid hidden for Millennia, and restoring them to their former glory. over time he has replaced more and more of his flesh with steel. he retains but a few vital organs, buried deep within his metal frame, and wears his face loosely over a robotic skull, as if to mock those who rely on weak fleshy bodies to survive. he still courses with electrical energy, and has learnt to channel it though a mighty axe of his own design, as well as launch brutal arcs at opponents or shield himself from incoming attacks. he knows no fear and is truly convinced of his Divine status.
Machinos has now returned to his homeworld of Magdra Prime, to raise an army to fight alongside him. he travels between hives gathering more and more supporters: fellow Tech Priests, Servitor slaves, Electro Priests and enraged Zealots - he has become a force truly to be reckoned with.
***********************************************************
so, what do you think?
cheers for reading
~ Tim
http://www.ageofstrife.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=1086#1086
Tech Priest Machinos left the hive world Magdra Prime centuries ago on a Quest for Knowledge. he traveled throughout the Imperium (and beyond) looking for STC systems and other ancient artifacts, until he was defeated by an Inquisitor on a little known dead-world that had been left lifeless and ruined in the wake of a Chaos fleet thousands of years earlier. since then it had been cut off by warp storms and ignored by the Imperium, until news emerged that the storms had abated. Explorator Warbands rushed to the planet to learn its secrets, only to find a barren desert which yielded no discoveries. Machinos arrived after the initial explorers, in time to see them leave the planet cursing their wasted journeys, but his faith in the guiding hand of the Machine God lead him to stay.
as his small craft touched down on the planet the previously still air whipped up great sandstorms and the massive dunes started to shift. once the storms died down the ships sensors picked up a massive power signature emanating from a building that had been buried in sand until that day. Machinos and his small retinue left immediately to investigate the planet's solitary intact building and its mysterious power source, but unfortunately they were not alone: another late arrival had been watching them. the Tech Priest Master reached the one end of the ancient fortress as the Inquisitor and his elite warband reached the other.
despite its thick stone walls, both parties concluded this building should have been destroyed when the Chaos fleet bombarded the planet from orbit, and both claimed it in the name of their deity. neither the Inquisitor Lord or the Tech Priest would back down, so they declared war.
it was only when the approached the opposite, open doorways, and tried to exchange bursts of fire across the the courtyard did the fortress reveal its secret: a powerful, arcane force field protected the building, and their bullets could not pass through the open courtyard to the other side! Machinos saw this as Divine protection from the Machine God and, with nothing to fear, strode through the field - he passed harmlessly into the courtyard and was quickly followed by his Retinue. The Inquisitor saw this and sent his Eversor Assassin to reclaim the fortress in the name of the Emperor. Machinos fought hard but he and his retinue were explorers, not warriors, and were no match for the drug-fueled, bio-engineered killing machine that charged their position.
his Retinue slaughtered, his shattered remains were left for dead as the Inquisitor returned to his own ship to fetch a Tech Priest engineer of his own to investigate this fearful, ancient device. however, one tiny spark remained within Machinos' mechanical parts, and this triggered his life support system. running off emergency power, back-up systems and bio-resuscitation began. Machinos awoke, bleeding heavily and leaking oil and other fluids from his mechanical limbs, but he sensed the great power of the force field generator nearby - almost as if it was calling out to him. driven by a thirst for revenge he dragged his wrecked body to the ancient device, reached up with a partially severed mechandrite and, as if by instinct, interfaced with the arcane machine.
it was through near death that Machinos' existence changed forever. the massive energies and ancient spirit of the machine flooded Machinos' systems: fuses blew, batteries popped, circuits were overloaded, but at the same time he felt his strength return. the surging power continued and Machinos passed out.
whilst his body was unconscious his mind communed with the Spirit of the Machine. time unraveled like rewinding pict-file as he witnessed the memories of the machine: first the battle he had just lost, then the re-awakening of the device when he landed on the planet. then blackness. nothing for thousands of years as the machine lay dormant. out of the blackness chaos and carnage exploded and he learnt of the planet's fate. Khorne Berzerkers, hundreds of them, forcing their way into the fortress - which he somehow now knew as "The Sanctuary" - hacking and slashing the defenders, desecrating the walls with unholy icons drawn in fresh blood. the ancient device was spared due to its protective energies - any that tried to touch it were struck by its awesome power and flung through the air.
back a few months, less than a blink in the machine's recollections, and he began to understand fully what happened here: when the Chaos bombardment began the planet was razed - everything outside the walls of the Sanctuary was wiped off the face of the world. thousands of years flew by and and Machinos saw primitive human colonists find the machine and discover its protective properties. they worshiped it and built their homes within its effect. further and further back it went, into even Darker times...
but the machine didn't just know its own history. it knew of its kin, hidden on other worlds. weapons, defenses, computing devices, barely comprehensible, darkly secret things. the device also showed Machinos the true path - it is only by becoming one with the Machine can one truly embody the Spirit of the Machine. Machinos awoke once more, his body coursing with electrical energy, his damaged implants had repaired themselves, and although his weak flesh was wasted, he had never felt stronger! connecting all his newly restored mechandrites to the machine he welcomed it spirit into him - absorbing all of its ancient energy.
by the time the Inquisitor returned to the Sanctuary, both Machinos and the force field were gone, and the ancient machine was cold and lifeless, its circuits overloaded and its power drained. in his rage at being outdone, the Inquisitor ordered that the fortress be destroyed, and left to try and track down the fleeing Tech Priest.
Since then Machinos has continued his Quest, but guided by the Machine Spirit inside him he has had unparalleled success, uncovering artifacts that had laid hidden for Millennia, and restoring them to their former glory. over time he has replaced more and more of his flesh with steel. he retains but a few vital organs, buried deep within his metal frame, and wears his face loosely over a robotic skull, as if to mock those who rely on weak fleshy bodies to survive. he still courses with electrical energy, and has learnt to channel it though a mighty axe of his own design, as well as launch brutal arcs at opponents or shield himself from incoming attacks. he knows no fear and is truly convinced of his Divine status.
Machinos has now returned to his homeworld of Magdra Prime, to raise an army to fight alongside him. he travels between hives gathering more and more supporters: fellow Tech Priests, Servitor slaves, Electro Priests and enraged Zealots - he has become a force truly to be reckoned with.
***********************************************************
so, what do you think?
cheers for reading
~ Tim