The Reliquium

Naked, you step into an octagonal chamber. Its black walls are richly decorated with ancient weaponry, given to untold numbers of men before. Crude energy weapons adjoin the walls as well as malicient rapiers. With your feet tapping on the black marble floor, you pass a golden casket hosting frag grenades as well as a collection of long las- sniper rifles, which are set up on a nalwood casket decorated with purity seals.

The titanic struggles of the crusaders of old are distant as holy Terra itself now, as every wedge is instantly erased, every dent promptly hammered out by the ever vigilant Adepts of Mars. All that remained was aeon long silence, now deflowered by the sound of your bare feet.

Some of your predecessors had never left, however. You pass great statues of Space Marines and guardsmen picturing them in battle or the moment of triumph. Their marble faces alight with angelic devotion they all gaze towards the center of the chamber.

Senior Chaplain Epumanes awaits you in his pupur robes, standing on a wide island in a thrice fractured ring of holy water. At his side stands Ri'ven, gaze to the floor, uncommonly serious, clad in a plain mantle of rough wool.

As you step through the water, the cold water tickles your skin while it cleanes them of taint, allowing you to come to a halt on the holy island in the chamber's middle.

Chaplain Epumanes gazes at you with his completely white, blind eyes.

"Child of the Emperor, why dost thou disturb the sanctimonity of this place?"

You bow your naked form deeply before the Priest. Everything you are going to say is well defined since ancient times. Every sigh, every act of worship.

"Man of the Emperor, i beseech thee in my time of doubt, to give me thy blessing so i will vanquish his foes, for none of us shall'd waver these days."

"Child of the Emperor, thou hast spoken true. Arst thou pure of heart and unwavering in faith?"

"Man of the Emperor i am as sinful as any and as deserving as none. But my faith is ever true."

"Then hereby, Child of the emperor, i clad thee in pain. For only in sharing his pain can thou find the strength of thy faith and therefore absolution."

You hold out your left arm as Ri'ven approaches with an electro-scarifier. Without much ceremony, he slashes a bloody circle around your forearm. A new one to join the 8 others already queueing up from your elbow. The wound hurts but does not bleed much since the electro-scarifier also cauterises the wound. His eyes still to the ground, Ri'ven steps back again.

"Child of the Emperor i clad thee in contempt. For only the weak flinch at the lies of the demon. Let thy mind be clear like the water from which thou wast born."

Ri'ven splatters you with water. You shudder a bit in the cold.

"Child of the Emperor, i clad thee with wool. For we shall'd never forget we are creatures of terras desert."

Again Ri'ven steps forward, this time holding a piece of cloth similar to that he is wearing. You slip into it, welcoming the warmth of the wool.

"Child of the Emperor, i clad thee in iron. For it is iron that lead us to our first victories and iron that we must be in these times."

With a wink from Epumanes's hand two servitors burst out of a trapdoor in the ground and, with their slow binary chatter, begin to fit a baroque armour, similar to that of the vostroyans, on your frame. They connect it to adapters in your spine. You grimace with pain as the machine spirit blunders into your mind. Ignoring your pain, the servitors continue adjoining you with armour pieces until you are encased chin to boot.

"Child of the Emperor, i arm thee with steel. For it is steel that raised us to the stars and it is steel that returns us to dust again."

A last time, Ri'ven steps near, holding out a psiblade towards you, handle first. You grip it eagerly, relishing the mental clarity of such a mighty psi focus. Epumanes places his hands on your head.

"In the Name of him who forever reigns on Terra and in the name of us, the Adeptus Ministorum, I bless thee and thy cause. May thou never falter but succeed in his name and vanquish his foes. The Emperor protects."

Slowly, you straighten your now significantly more imposing form. Finally, you find Ri'vens eyes. "Is everything ready, Khiron?", you ask.

"Yes Mylord, everyone is on his place. We will have contact in 15 minutes aproximately."

"Good. Lets go hunting."