Scene #5626: Winter Assault

Owner	Pose
Karian Icefang	Once more, the Imperium of Man has reached out to get the aid of the Elites of the Multiverse, but this time it wasn't the guard...directly. Instead, it was the Space Wolves themselves. Karian ICefang...had gone missing after a secret mission to help the Valhallan regiment. Now, out amongst a frozen tundra, during a blizzard no less, the Space Wovles have set up an LZ for the elites to arrive. While the wolves were good hunters and trackers, they wanted to expertise of the multiverse, just in case.
Kung Jin	Kung Jin had gotten the order from General Blade -- she'd been reading about these 'Space Wolves', and something that could make one of these tough sorts just completely disappear was something that she didn't like the sound of. Besides that, she's hoping that if they assist in finding Karian, that they'll be able to call in a small favor with the Space Wolves in the future. Jin is, however, sent by himself. If the Space Wolves questioned this in their initial communication with her, General Blade would have calmly explained that she assumes they DO want the place intact once they extract Karian. But yes. In short order what looks like a modern Earth-style military vehicle rolls up and discharges... a single monk. He's wearing cold-weather gear, though, so he clearly was briefed. There's a quiver on his back, but no bow to be seen. The archer approaches the area set up to receive the Elites. Skipping any pleasantries, he begins, "I understand you have a missing brother?" Oh yes, he was indeed briefed about this. "My name is Kung Jin, I'm from the Special Forces. I think someone spoke to General Blade?"
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca heard about what had happened and immediately suited up to check this out. That is, throwing on a warm coat over her usual uniform before heading out. After all, a field medic is useless if she's frozen like a popsicle! Upon arriving, Rebecca salutes formally and nods to Kung Jin, before looking forth again. "Good day," She speaks formally. "I am Rebecca Chambers, and I had received word that there was someone missing?"
Athela Valemore	It did not take long for the request of the Space Wolves to reach the proverbial ears of the Watch, and from there to those that can help. Some through orders from superiors. For others, it's simply a matter of task. To provide assistance to those in need was a knight's duty, regardless of whom or where. Snow crunches under Athela's boots, but other than keeping her cloak bound close about her the cold seemed to be little bother. Nor did the Vaporeon following her appear too concerned with the temperature either. On the other hand if one looks close enough they might notice where the cloak huddles around her shoulders the occasional quiver is visible as Goomy is trying to keep itself warm within the folds. Upon arrival she merely put an arm to her chest and bows, keeping greetings polite but brief. "We hath come to assist in your search for your missing kinsman."
Karian Icefang	Sven, the one in charge, looks over all of the arrivals and nods. "We're here looking for Jarl Icefang. His vox comms cut out a few days ago, but his locator rune indicates he's still around here. Needless to say, that is odd. Also, we have had reports of Eldar activity here too. That is why the Valhallan's called us in, to counter their stealth operations." He says, seemingly a bit on edge at the moment. The other marines, most clad in ornate Terminator armor, which made them look like walking tanks, were checking over their weaponry, expecting trouble. "Hopefully you all have ways to counter stealth and don't mind the cold."
Athela Valemore	"Vap!" yips the Vaporeon as she pads in front of Athela, head fins fully spread. "Sprite is trained as a tracker with her acute senses. Hopefully that shall help both with the search and countering stealth." Athela has her own divine insights, but it's best not to bring up directly. Someone warned her getting too wordy about divine and devote matters might cause trouble here. So yeah.
Kung Jin	Jin offers a nod of greeting to both Rebecca and Athela. "Good to meet you both," he offers pleasantly. So there's time for SOME pleasantries, it seems! The words of the armor-clad warrior gets a nod. "Not directly, as far as counteracting stealth. But I'm pretty good at hiding too. So I should be difficult to spot too." It helps that his cold-weather gear is white, and there's clearly a hood on his coat, so he can hide his black hair.
Rebecca Chambers	Adjusting her jacket a little, Rebecca nods to Sven. "I'm well suited for the cold right now. And as for stealth, I can counter that as well." She salutes again. "Just give the word and we'll move out as soon as we can!"
Mortimer Balman	In the distance, a vague silhouette was seen against the snow. It was running- faster than something so big ought to run, really. A Space Marine, one of the Vyka Fenryka, but he was not wearing power armor. Only thick furs and light carapace- a Wolf Scout, carrying a massive precision rifle. Endre, the Patient Hunter, to the other Wolves. "Sven. I bring word from the Salamander. He thinks we are being led into a trap." He had been running hard and fast for some time, judging by his shortness of breath. "I am inclined to agree with him. All of our vox equipment has ceased functioning. We see shadows in the distant snowbanks, they stay precisely at the razor's edge of our auspex equipment. Keldan has disappeared, we have found no more sign of him than Jarl Icefang. Even if he is only a Blood Claw, his senses are sharp, he should have gotten off one shot at the least. We do not believe him dead either, but someone or something is most definitely- in the Drake's own words- 'fucking around with us.' You and the others must be careful. Is there any new intelligence I may bring back to the others?"
Karian Icefang	Sven nods. "Yes. Alert the drake of our help. A Ms. Chambers, a monk named Kung Jin, and A ms. Valemore and her....creature." He says, eyeing the Vaporeon closely. It seemed Sven was one of the more 'by the imperium' book types. But he motioned for everyone to follow him. As they went on, the silence would be deafening. Not even the winds, despite their harsh gusts, would howl. In addition, just as the scout had said, would be the feeling that the group was being watched.
Kung Jin	Jin looks up as the messenger comes running up. He stays quiet, right up to the quote from 'the drake'. Then he snorts a quiet laugh. Yeah, he's about as military as a... well, as a Shaolin monk. Which makes sense, since he kind of looks like one, cold-weather gear or not. He does have words for the messenger, though. "Wouldn't be the first time," he notes, with a wry tone. "If it's a trap, we'll just have to spring it, since that probably the only way we're going to be unseating them from wherever it is they're hiding." They are, in short order, requested to follow, and follow Jin does. He frowns at the abnormal silence. "...Anybody sense anything particularly magical in the area?" He asks for two reasons -- one, because this silence is incredibly weird; two, because he just MIGHT be able to do something about it.
Rebecca Chambers	Normally, Rebecca is big on being formal, but in a situation like this, for some reason, she doesn't really seem to mind informality. "Just Rebecca is fine," She says calmly. After that, she follows behind Sven, adjusting the zipper on her jacket quickly and then drawing her Beretta with a clip loaded. "Pays to be prepared," She says to no one in particular. The silence is, in fact, a bit deafening. It reminds Rebecca of other missions she's been on, usually dealing with the Umbrella Corporation and things like that. But it doesn't seem to bother Rebecca one bit. What does seem to get to her, though, is the feeling that someone is watching her and the others. She bites her lip a little, getting a feeling in her gut that there's definitely something wrong here, but she tries not to show it. As Kung Jin asks his question, Rebecca turns and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not skilled in that field," She says with a slight frown. "Honestly, I'm more of a science person myself." Rebecca turns and faces forwards again. "Although, frankly, my gut is telling me something, but even then we can't go with just that."
Athela Valemore	Better be ready Sven, the Vaporeon is one of the more -normal- ones as far as pokemon go. There's almost a coy look from the aquafox at the scrutiny, or it may just be the way her face looks with the irisless almond shaped eyes. Athela just nods, and goes so far as to give the messanger a pat on the arm. "You have done well. Go forth to tell your allies help is coming." With that she turns to follow with the rest of the group out into the wilderness. You can tell the wind is still blowing because the fringe of her cloak occasionally flickers with it, but the lack of sound to it is eerie to say the least. "Not per say magic, but definately eyes upon us." That bit in the back of her mind is already tingling, and with one hand she grips the hilt of her weapon to be ready. "Trap or not, pressing forward is the only recourse we really have." Sprite stays just a few steps ahead of her, stepping warily through the snow and ice. "Vaaaaa." The unusual silent wind has her on edge as well.
Mortimer Balman	Endre nods, and takes a moment to catch his breath. "Ah, another.. What did he call them.. Po-ke-mon? A Trainer of those creatures. This is good- it gives us another surprise to throw." Endre grinned a smile that was missing several teeth. He liked laying traps too. "Our squad is ten miles from here, you will want to catch up quickly- do not get separated if you can help it." The scout then took off running, rapidly vanishing back into the snow and winds, as if he was one with them.
Count Kord	The group may not immediately notice the newest participant among them. Not with the blizzard conditions bearing down on them, blocking the sight and sound of his already quiet approach. A figure in black and red simply drops down and lands among the party, his heavy cloak billowing in the wind. He lands near Athela, the familiar soul among the party. He doesn't say a damn thing, and lets people notice him at their own pace. Kord feels no threat from the broad swath of people, and if they choose to attack him then he'll just head back to the warpgate without a complaint. His silence might not be appreciated right at this moment.
Karian Icefang	Sven and the other wolfguard never noticed Kord landing near the group, and paid him no threats once they did. But for the next ten miles, there would be nothing aside from the ominous silence. Once the group got together though, that's when things would start to pick up. "Why have you come here, Mon-keigh? <lesser beings?> We had thought that by making your commander vanish it would dissuade you and your allies from pressing ahead here. But, so be it. If you will not leave, we will have to make sure you are examples." said a voice. It was close, and a quick look to the ground would show what could appear like the imprint of feet. In addition, that eeriee silence was oppressingly close. Perhaps close enough to be disrupted...
Kung Jin	Jin actually shares Rebecca's opinion; he's convinced they're being watched. Though he doesn't speak up until Athela voices it. "You too, huh?" he asks quietly in the water knight's direction. He's prevented from saying much else, because THE BAT -- I mean, Kord -- arrives! Jin manages to avoid crying out in surprise when Kord drops down, but the sheer sense of something not-right draws him to turn in that direction. But since the rest of the Wolves didn't seem to be upset, Jin relaxes. Giving a wry look, Jin notes quietly, "Bit of warning next time, maybe? We do have radios." Since there's no magical sense he can rely on here, Jin uses his ears. An area of magical silence should, by all rights, be strongest at its epicenter -- i.e., the place where it's being created at, whether by person or object. And sure enough, there's a voice. And it's one of those arrogant ones too. Jin doesn't even spare it the breath for a response. However, he announces to his allies quietly, "I'm gonna try something." A thought has the Dragon Staff appearing in his hand in a silent puff of bluish fog. He draws an arrow and raises the weapon, and a glowing string appears for him to nock the arrow against. Yet again, a thought has the tip of the arrow glowing a soft blue. This blue-glowing arrow he fires into the area where the silence seems the thickest. He's aiming directly dead-center of the area, as near as he can approximate it by hearing. Even if it doesn't hit the source dead-center, the magic-draining aura of the weapon should get SOME reaction, anyway. Or so he hopes.
Count Kord	Kord breathed a sigh of relief under his helmet and some tension visibly left him as he realized the wolfguard weren't going to shoot him for spooking them. Good, that meant he could work without dealing with friendly fire. He spares no reaction to Kung Jin... not even a look. Clearly, he's ignoring the man. It's not like he couldn't HEAR Kung Jin. When a voice cut through the silence around them, Kord laughed aloud. They called him a 'lesser being,' but more importantly, they gave away that they had closed in on the party. "Idiots." He focused on the shadows cast within the snowy footprints, and he just gave a theatrical sweep of one of his claw-tipped hands. It was a quick wave, and it isn't immediately clear what he's doing... until darkness solidifies and just pushes upward as if trying to knock as many of the invisible foes off their feet at once. "The first rule of stealth is to keep your drooling craws shut!" he barks as he does this apparent spell, his voice full of merciless amusement.
Athela Valemore	Athela doesn't even flinch as Kord lands with the group, at least reconizing the certain way his presence tweaks her senses. "Interesting of you to join us, Count." Interesting indeed as both Kord and Jin move to disrupt whatever the 'mysterious voice' is hiding behind. Without a word she draws her own weapon, gripping Resolute Blade with both hands and settling into a ready stance. Sprite backs up a step to crouch at her side, a bit of mist whafting from the corners of her mouth due to the cold as she readies her own elemental abilities.
Rebecca Chambers	"How do you like that, voices from nowhere?" Rebecca asks sarcastically as she draws her Beretta, attempting to focus on where the voice seems to be coming from. "Huh? Where are they?" Rebecca seems a tad bit on the confused side for the time being. Then Kung Jin attempts to attack with his bow and arrow (or something like that.) Almost immediately, Rebecca goes wide-eyed. "What are you doing? Are you trying to provoke them to attack us?"
Karian Icefang	Sven growls as he hears the voice. "Eldar...What have you done with Jarl Icefang?!" He says, the wolfguard levelling their weapons at the voice. But once Kung Jin's arrow strikes, the Eldar grunts softly and her silence is dispelled. Not only that, the cloaking fields dropped. The voice turned out to belong to a Farseer, a very powerful psker unit. Though after she called out, she would start backpeddaling. From behind her leaped out a group of Howling Banshee's, an all-female melee force. Demonstrating immense grace and skill, they leap in between the group and the Farseer. "You think to attack us, then ask where your commander is? How foolish..." The farseer says, turning to walk away. Mere moments after, a trio of ranger shots hit the ground near Kung Jin. "Your commander is dead. You'll find his remains further to the north...or maybe you'll find nothing..Who am I to say?" She asks in a mocking, taunting voice. But it's about that time that Kord's shadows flip everyone onto the ground. "Gah.....Dark magicks! I should have expected Chaos magicks from foul Mon-keigh. Why else would you be here, hunting down our cache for the chaos gods..."
Mortimer Balman	The Eldar would know that they are being hunted, just as they hunt a strange mutant whose very soul is stained by cosmic pseudodeific power. But knowing that your quarry is around is not the same as seeing them directly. Such as it is, there are many ways to hide even in plain sight when you know your hunter is staring dead at you. As the Howling Banshees make their charge, one of them suddenly.. Disappears. Her silhouette collapses into the snow, the elaborate Singing Spear she wields flying from her grasp, and she vanishes as swiftly as she appears into the blizzard winds. A high-intensity beam of energy, the sort one would expect to see from a lascannon, rips across the ground- missing the Eldar, of course. Lascannons are unwieldly at the best of times and meant to fire at tanks, not graceful dancers. Shells from both standard and heavy bolters follows after the lascannon, as do bursts of searing blue-hot plasma- but they are not being carefully aimed. They are not trying to pick off targets. They are harassing- wild, unfocused, and saturating the area with death, to interrupt the Eldar's charge. The howls and roars of the Sky Warriors are not too far behind the seemingly wild fire, calling out to their Battle-Brothers and allies.
Kung Jin	Not surprisingly, Jin doesn't even bother when Kord ignores him. Wouldn't be the first time he's been actively ignored. More importantly, the voices on the radio prove he's at least done enough to disrupt SOMETHING that they didn't want interrupted. A bit of chatter on the radio, and then he's being made aware that there's an attack coming! He readies for it, the roaring dragon head on the staff he carries alighting with flames. Rebecca's words get a nod. "That's exactly what I'm trying to do," he confirms. "They're gonna attack us anyway, the only question is 'when?'. I'm making them reveal themselves on MY terms." And sure enough, there they are, the Howling Banshees. More than that, shots hit the ground near his feet. This gets Jin to leap back, away from the shots. As soon as he's on his feet again he fires a few arrows in the direction that those shots came from. The first one is that same anti-magic shot as before. And then suddenly there's lasers and... hopefully more help for them and not the Eldar. The radio seems to indicate that yes, it is. But Jin doesn't relax yet. They still have a problem. LOTS of them, in fact!
Rebecca Chambers	"I'll never understand your logic!" Rebecca snaps angrily, before looking towards the Eldar. "And if you have killed him, I swear we'll make you pay in such a horrible manner!" Rebecca grits her teeth before seeing the Howling Banshees and her eyes widen. "Oh damn it," Rebecca says as she looks for some kind of object to take cover behind. She eventually finds a large enough rock to hide behind. Once she's in cover, Rebecca peeks out, attempting to survey the general area and get a good look at what's going on. "Gotta stay focused, remember my mission." She closes her eyes a little. "And he can't be dead, I just know it!"
Athela Valemore	"Why would you bother coming here just to tell us such?" Athela grunts. "You know these men would only strike harder to hear one of their own is dead. So either you lie, or try to draw us into a trap. Either wa--" She pauses as there's an interruption as one of the Banshee's disappears into the snow, and some sort of beam tears across the land to scatter the enemies. Passing moments is all she needs to study the movements of the dance-like warriors though, before she makes her own move. "Now Sprite.. Swift!" "Vaaaa!" The Vaporeon cries as she produces several star-like clusters of mystic energy around herself and then sends them spinning through the air. Not in straight shots, as the starshapes curve through the air as they spin, moving fast and wide to actually try to home in on the Banshee's despite their evasive movements.
Count Kord	Kord reaches under his cloak to draw his scythe, the weapon folded for storage under his cloak where it's not usually seen. It unfolds in a snap, the weapon held out at his side. He doesn't approach immediately, he just stands there with the rest of the party, his expression unreadable. He doesn't bother to correct their assessment of his magic. He is not a psyker, not by the standards of this realm. Kord doesn't wait too long once the shots start firing. He crouches, and in an instant he'll be right in the middle of the chaos. He would take several titantic swings of his scythe, blasting snow around him in an impressive flurry, which might send alien blood out in a spray if the poor space elf isn't prepared for the quick movements. He aims for one that might still be trying to regain her balance. He isn't holding back. He'll just save a few for 'non-lethal' approaches from the others.
Karian Icefang	The attack begins in earnest. As the heroes engage the Eldar, more then a few of the Howling banshee's fall, and the one is sucked under the snow. Needless to say, that was unnerving to them. But with a word, their resolve is solidified once more. "Worthless..." says the Farseer as she picks up the Singing spear her 'sister' dropped. Wielding it with practiced ease, she leads the charge into the heroes with the ranger's working to keep Kung Jin and Becky pinned down. Just as a pair of Banshee's were about to smash into Kord from his side, Athela's Vaporeon knocks them off course. But one thing remained constant about their attack. The speed and inhuman grace they bore. Striking from seemingly every angle, it was as if war was an art to them.
Count Kord	Kord would remind them of... themselves, actually. He doesn't move slowly in the least. While the rangers keep the other shooters occupied, Kord simply throws so much weight into his scythe swings that it'd lop off arms or legs if they got in the way. He isn't easy to hit dead-on. They manage to get some lucky scratches in on him, their weapons not quite missing him, but no killing blows. He's clearly very good at melee combat. Kord loves this dance. He laughs as he keeps up with the Eldar as if he were one of their veterans, and uses his bare hands to parry attacks or smack them aside if they get too close, and he isn't afraid to try to slam his head or boot into them if they get too close. He's trying not to blast them with the dark energy he can use normally. "If this is how Chaos acts, you are all missing out!" He's just trying to get under their skin because they're jerks.
Kung Jin	Rebecca seems pinned where she is, and Jin ducks for cover too when the Rangers open fire in earnest. They're using rifles, from the looks of things... his magic-draining arrows probably aren't going to be of much use against them. But that's OK, he's got another trick up his sleeve. And so he calls out to Rebecca, "I'm going to try to give us some cover. Move closer when you can!" This said he fires a few more arrows in quick succession. But not at the Rangers. At the ground just in front of where he thinks they are. Why? Because as the arrows strike the ground, clouds of obscuring blue fog rise from where the arrows struck! Hopefully this will make it harder for the Rangers to hit them.
Mortimer Balman	Fortunately for Mortimer, the Multiverse's elites are very fast and dangerous people and plenty of a match for Eldar speed, in some cases. This allows him to pull off his own brand of treachery and trickery- two of the rifles being fired at them from where the Rangers think they are hidden suddenly cease. And while the Rangers are rapidly working to relocate themselves to a better, safer position, the Wolves that accompanied Mortimer would rush into the melee. A huge Wolf in Terminator Armor bearing a storm shield and thunder hammer would scream a veritable litany of curses as he charged across the snow- a pair of Blood Claws flanking him, swinging their axes and whooping with wild abandon, bolt pistols blazing! The others were sitting back at a 'comfortable' distance, peppering the battlefield's edges with bolter fire and the occasional lascannon burst- mostly to try and disrupt and keep the Eldar on their metaphorical and literal toes.
Athela Valemore	Normally she wouldn't even bother with the communication channels, but sometimes you just need to tell someone to stop running their mouth with their arrogance. But doing so doesn't distract Athela's attention from the battle coming to bear before her either. "Sprite, undermine." The Vaporeon backs up at the command, then seems to sink into the snow as as she shifts into her amorpheous elemental form. Something to lurk for later? Only time will tell. Athela steps forward into the battle without hesitation, her divine weapon held in her grasp. The Banshee's grace and speed makes their movements hard to physically track... Yet as one comes in to strike Athela turns with inhuman seeming dexterity to interview, catching the spear with the prongs on the back of her blade and twisting to the side to push it away. Why would she only block the attack and not strike back? It's not her striking back, that's why. Goomy plops it's pink head out from under her cloak, and spews some of it's acidic slime at the Banshee's face. The stuff burns something nasty, and it's inherient viscousity makes it very hard to shake off. That's when Athela follows up on her own, using her sidewards stance from the deterrance to shove her elbow at the Banshee's midsection.
Rebecca Chambers	For now, Rebecca's letting Kung Jin do what he wants to. She nods when he cals out to her and says, "All right, I got it!" Especially since her attempt to take cover has gotten her pinned down instead. "Focus, Becky, focus!" She narrows her eyes and waits for the right moment. "Here we go!" Rebecca calls out as she moves to another spot, near Kung Jin initially before looking for another spot. She opens fire as she does so, trying to keep herself protected.
Karian Icefang	With everything going on, things were looking dire for the Eldar. Athela's Banshee was gooped and currently howling loudly trying to get the goop off of it's mask, which would burn her hands as she touched it. But for the others in the melee, things weren't looking better. Even the Ranger's had gone quiet thanks to Kung Jin, Rebecca's, and mort's assault. "..Disengage, sisters! Our Seer Council tells me they are ready." She says to her banshee's. In an instant, they all leap back and away. That's...when it happens. Everyone would feel it, in the pits of their stomachs. Something powerful was coming. Above them, it seemed like the very fabric of reality was being torn open and then quickly a storm of lightning and psycic force would unleash itself into the melee area. Mort, Kung Jin, and Rebecca would be spared from the main damage, but they would still feel it. Meanwhile, in the melee, the one's there would have to content with debris, lightning, and the force weighing down on them, trying to tear them apart.
Kung Jin	Kung Jin grimaces, emitting a quit grunt at the mental 'punch'. He'd been intending to move closer to the Rangers, but his legs falter and drop him as his brain screams at even this much nearness to the epicenter of that blast. Oh he knows exactly what it is -- his familiarity with Takeda's psychic abilities lends him that much knowledge. And he also knows that, if he hadn't been out of the main brunt of the blast, that he'd probably be on the ground right now. Unconscious maybe, but definitely in no shape to fight. Sadly, he has no real defense against mental intrusions. And in fact may be somewhat MORE vulnerable to them thanks to his usual method of leaving his mind open for Takeda to speak into, since it makes for a great way to strategize and plan on the fly, near-instantly, in a way that the enemy can't usually hear. But Takeda is not here today. Thankfully he can still concentrate on the Rangers now. Now, given he opened with arrows, and that staff is sharply curved like a bow for firing arrows even when the string ISN'T visible, it's likely he could be mistaken for a ranged specialist. This will probably also get cleared up very shortly. Right about the time he runs towards the Rangers, through the smoke... and makes to smash one of them in their stupid faerie faces with the end of that staff he carries. It hurts, and the magical fire in it probably won't feel that great either. Overall, Jin is damn near as agile as the Banshees himself -- agility is his schtick too; he's a thief as well as a Shaolin warrior. He might get lost inamongst the tides of Mortimer's soldiers, but he's smaller than they are, and possibly quicker. In fact he might use a few of Mort's soldiers as jumping-up points to get some height!
Count Kord	Kord is having a whale of a time in the melee with the Eldar. He is not coming out unscathed, but he could probably go at this for hours and still be able to walk out of it. It's when they decide to mix things up that Kord encounters A Problem. It isn't just psychic energy being vomited down on top of him, but psychic LIGHTNING. One such bolt visibly strikes him, and it turns the area around him into a cloud of steam that quickly turns into an icy fog, and the roar of the quickly switching temperature covers up the horribly pained scream he makes. Then he makes that crack on the radio about a magical fart. He waves his hand and a swirl of shadow blasts the ice away from him. His cape smolders with embers, his armor smokes, his eyes are wide behind his half-helm. Then he points to the Seer. Right at her. And he does something of equivilant power, something she may not have expected from a 'lesser being.' He shoots a blast of wind so powerful that it sends him sliding back on his boots on the ice and snow, and it SPLITS the storm in front of him with such cutting wind that it digs an enormous groove in the snow. The blast of air carries a red glow around it. His tail whips about behind him, now visible beneath his half-burnt cloak, and his shoulders hunch as he pushes forward into the own kickback of his counterattack. Kord is aiming this at the fancy one that is talking shit at him. He doesn't seem to care about leaving this one alive.
Mortimer Balman	Before the blast went off, one last Eldar found themself dragged below the deep snowbanks. Their helmet slamming hard against the permafrost below it, probably dazing them. But it's hard to fight under all that snow, and by the time they're aware of what's happening they will find themselves surrounded. Dropped off in the loving care of several large, burly men with ropes that are thousand-pound tested. Laughing men in power armor. And then the blast goes off, and they shield themselves. One of the Blood Claws is flattened to the ground, slain flat out- his eyes roll up into the back of his skull, blood leaking from his ears and nose and eyes and mouth in great quantities. The other young warrior.. Would have survived the blast, barely, had it not thrown the Wolf Guard in his massive armor into him with such force that it pulverized his already fractured bones, and the subsequent internal injuries sent him into shock to prevent him from suffering a prolonged death. Too much damage, even with a Space Marine's physiology, and your body just shuts off.. The Wolf Guard himself would survive, at least, though without the strength to lift himself or his armor up off the ground, the Tactical Dreadnought Armor's refractor field having burned itself out hard to try and protect him. Only sheer veteran cussedness would even keep him conscious. The Eldar struck a nasty blow with that. However.. Mortimer knows where they are, now- he has sufficient psychic ability to follow a trail. And by the time the Seer Council has recovered from their own atrocious blast, they will find Mortimer is right on top of them. And they will soon find that he is almost as fleet of foot as they are, when one of them feels a very ugly and unpleasantly-designed knife against their throat.
Karian Icefang	With that, even the Eldar are stunned. Moreso by the fact that their council was being destroyed. Equally so that they, despite their best efforts, were beaten. "Enough.....Stand down, Eldar...It seems we have made an error in judgment." The Farseer says. She reaches up and removes her helmet as a sign of defeat. Her features were...quite beautiful. " Understand that on this planet is a cache of soulstones..We thought that your kind was here to take them and offer them to Slaneesh, the devourer."
Athela Valemore	So it was a trap in the end. Hardly a surprise by this point. Braving the cold to help was pushing it as is. When things start getting opressively mental Goomy is quick to huddle back within the folds of the cloak, not being the most brave of pokemon in general. Somewhere in the snow her Vaporeon lurks in her elemental form, but is probably something akin to cringing. Athela grits her teeth, practically grinding them together. There are some attacks no matter of awareness can actually allow you to hinder and this would be one of them. A growl escapes between her teeth. She does start to go down, getting to one knee as she catchs herself with her weapon digging into the snow. Despite the mental strain ringing in her head she does manage to stifle her groaning to a snarl of massing her willpower back together. "What happened to your 'art' of war?..." A boot grinds down into the snow as she resteels herself. It takes all her willpower to focus on her own powers through the mental assault, making a sweeping gesture with one hand as she partially stands. Some of the snow, being water in another form, starts to swirl near her... But then the Eldar surrender? ".. Hmm." She keeps the little swirl going idly, just in case this proves to be some sort of trick...
Kung Jin	Hopefully that order means all of the Eldar, and the Rangers will stop shooting at them. "Could've saved yourselves a lot of trouble by just ASKING," he points out. "I don't know who Slaneesh is anyway. I assume he's a dark god. I've punched a few of those in the face. They don't like it usually. Now where's the Wolf Lord?" He thinks that's the right title. Jin still has a headache, and this makes him grouchy. Well, grouchier than usual.
Rebecca Chambers	"Whoever Slaneesh is," Rebecca says as she starts to recover from that last bit, "I hope they're not going to try to kill us..." She takes a deep breath and looks forward again, about to ask where Karian is, but Kung Jin beats her to the punch. So she simply stares forward, glaring as if to say, "Answer the question!"
Count Kord	"You hit me with MIND LIGHTNING ON A HUNCH!?" Kord cuts himself off with his hands lifted to indicate for them to not even bother talking to him and stomps off to pick up his scythe. Or tries to. When it burns him through his gauntlet, he growls inhumanly. He then stands there, horribly unhappy with what just happened. He just sort of stands there, hunched in the blustering snow, tail waving to and fro. He looks a bit like a lightly crisped angry cat. "I hate this world," he complains. "T-too damn cold."
Karian Icefang	Sven was off in the middle of battle when the storm hit. He and his group managed to survive by sheer will, but not without their scars. Sven's arm would be missing from the shoulder down, but his blood was already coagulated. From one marine who was unlucky he would pick up his wolfskin cloak and offer it to Kord without a word. The Farseer sighs gently. "When we arrived here, we found your Wolf Lord leading a group of guardsmen towards the tundra nearby. They did not know our cache of soulstones were buried there. But it seems one of the guardsmen was not loyal to your lord, and in a flash portals openned up. There was a quick battle but they were overwhelmed by followers of the blood god. Traitor marines as well. Their leader was dressed like one of your Inquisitors, and he was laughing. My ranger's tell me they heard him talking about 'bringing the wolf in from the cold' before dragging the group, Wolf Lord included, into a portal.
Athela Valemore	"That would explain why his sword is left behind," Athela replies with a frown. She looks between the Eldar and Sven and Co. as they know this world much better than she ever could. "Is there any way to find out where that portal could of possibly gone?"
Kung Jin	Jin listens to the Farseer and frowns darkly. "Great. Portals. No way to track them, I guess?" It's not really a question, or if it is, it's purely rhetorical. Though the talk on the radio gives him an idea. Switching to diplomat mode, Jin dismisses his weapon, in a puff of bluish smoke, and approaches the Farseer. "We've both suffered great losses this day. What say you we make our peace where we can, and cast no blame either way? We seek only the Wolf Lord. I would volunteer to assist you in retrieving the Soulstones and getting them away from here." He's not sure they'll agree to that, but the offer's there, either way. "In return, I would like to humbly ask for assistance in locating Jarl Icefang, if you can provide it," he adds. He's noticed their 'full of themselves' attitude, and they may twig to the whole 'humble' bit. Might do some good in repairing relations between them, if Jin is still willing to be humble even after the slight.
Rebecca Chambers	"Portals, ugh." Rebecca shakes her head. "Too many of them in the Multiverse. We'll never find him!" She rolls her eyes. "Unless they're willing to help us out somehow." The medic folds her arms and sighs. "This just gets better and better..."
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer would calmly tie up his current prisoner and take her helmet off. "There we are. Hrm.. A few bruises, but you'll heal. Very good." A shrill whistle and the other captured Eldar were dragged behind the surviving Space Wolves. At least one insisted on executing them all then and there, but Mort refused- there was nothing to be gained by cold blooded murder.. They were /Marines/, not /Eldar/, such cowardly actions should be beneath them. There was grumbling but the old Drake was, at least, right. Mortimer would then snap his fingers, and one of the Long Fangs produced a suitcase. The suitcase was opened and became a table, with two small chairs. "We may begin negotiating for the release of prisoners, now. And, if we can come to satisfactory terms, we will find a means of moving the stones of your dead off this planet, too. Please, Farseer- have a seat."
Count Kord	Kord is incredibly surprised by the offer of a cloak. It startles him, and he tentatively accepts it. He doesn't offer a thanks, but he's weirded out by how kind the soldier is to him. He doesn't really do kindness with ease, but he's not one to turn down charity when it's given either way. He wraps the cloak about his shoulders and slowly ceases his shivering. Then he reaches down to pick up his scythe, which has finally cooled enough to touch. Even in this unrelenting ice, the psychic lightning had superheated it far beyond the comfort of wielding it. He folds the weapon... with some difficulty, as the mechanisms had melted a little. He then stashes it back in its holster. "Hrnnngh..." Kord eyes Kung Jin's diplomacy attempt... and relegates his own role to glaring at the Eldar from where he stands. Even as Mortimer produced a table of some flavor. Kord won't forget being called inferior multiple times. They should feel lucky he values his skin and won't murder a bunch of aliens while they're being diplomacized at. His comrades here definitely would string him up by his toes for that.
Karian Icefang	The Farseer looks at Kung Jin and is a bit surprised. "Even after all the damage we have cause you, you are willing to help us?" She asks as she walks over to the table. She sits down and sighs. "I have told you all that I know." She makes a quick motion, and the greatsword, The Wolf's Fang, is brought to Mort. He was likely the only one amongst the group able to wield it, and every marine there would insist such. "If you will help us secure the Soulstones, I will send my Warlock's with you into the Webway to try and find your Wolf Lord."
Athela Valemore	Oh good, now they were negotiating. Better late than never? Athela lets the watery swirl she was forming disperse finally, and not long after her Vaporeon finally reforms at her side from within the snow to follow her. Only for both of them to stop and just kind of stare as they actually get a look at Mortimer. And then Athela grabbing an edge of her cloak to rub her eyes like they might have snow or something in them. "That mental miasma must be messing with me vision..." Forgive her, this is the first time she's seen someone like Mort and not just a person with pokemon extras like Kord.
Mortimer Balman	"This is the benefit of being reasonable, Farseer. If you can act it, others will act it too. Other Eldar from other coteries have proven amenable in the past. Your vision is not quite so effective here in the Multiverse, though- is it? Fate is far too fickle to be.. Manipulated the way it would be, if you were at 'home'." He lit up a cigarette with his fiery breath and offered another to the Farseer. "That's a good start, I think. Offering aid for the safe excavation and removal of your dead, I can get behind that. Your Warlocks would be valuable allies, too. Now let's see, what should we exchange for the prisoners.." Mortimer hrms for a few moments. "You have no tools or baubles of any real value.. Fancy psionically-charged toys, but we all already have our own various arms and armors.. Well I think I'll keep this little Seer child's helmet for my trophy case, but that won't count. You don't really have a means to demonstrate a potent means of production for trade goods.. What else.. Ah." Fingers snapped. Mortimer had an idea. "Knowledge seems like a fair trade, how does that sound?"
Kung Jin	"I would be," Jin confirms to the Farseer, with a polite bow. "I will not speak for the rest of my allies here today, but I would be willing to assist in securing these Soulstones." He too approaches where the table has been set up, though he doesn't sit. He isn't trying to take over negotiations, just to offer his own two cents. If there's prisoners to be exchanged, he's not really the person to ask about that.
Karian Icefang	The Farseer pauses for a moment, weighing her options. "Knowledge for the lives of my fellow Eldar...So be it. " She says, politely declining the cigarette. "Once we have divined the exact location in the immaterial world where your wolf lord was taken, we shall contact you. But I must warn you, my Warlocks will only be able to protect your for so long. Once you are inside, I would suggest bringing along mental defences or means to move quickly. I doubt your group will escape the eye of the dark gods for long."
Athela Valemore	Athela gets over her bewilderment at Mortimer quickly enough. Though she's likely going to have questions later. Lots of questions. "If assisting you with these artifacts of yours is the next step in retrieving our missing ally, then so shall it be." Frankly she's glad this didn't turn into a bigger, messier fight than it already had been.
Kung Jin	Jin is good at sucking up without sounding like he's sucking up, and he employs that here. He bows respectfully as the Farseer agrees to assist. "Your generosity is very much appreciated," he offers politely. The mention of mental defenses gets a thoughtful frown. He may have to bug Takeda. Or bring Takeda, one of the two. Surely he'd have some defense against mental intrusion.
Mortimer Balman	Mort put the pack of smokes away. "Excellent. I wish to understand the Eldar race better. I'm sure you or one of your.. Followers? Countrymen? Servants? I don't pretend to understand your culture that much. I'm sure some of you are fluent in High Gothic. So! To better understand the issues, culture, and origins of the Eldar race, I would like some dataslates explaining these things, written in High Gothic- it's the only local tongue I'm fluent in, you understand. And.. Factual information only, if you don't mind. It will do neither of us any good to spread lies or misconceptions- the better we understand each other, the better our chances of eventually developing some kind of working relationship wherein we need not be at each others' throats all the time. That would be a /delightful/ future, wouldn't you agree?"
Rebecca Chambers	"We may not have much chance of escaping," Rebecca says after a quiet phase, "But we'll take our chances!" She narrows her eyes. "Don't underestimate me or anyone else!"
Karian Icefang	"That would be good, yes. We will have some prepared before the day's end. You will not set foot off planet without the information. I am....also curious. How was the 'wolf lord' able to wield this unruly blade? I know of your Astartes enhanced strength, but this just seems...excessive." She comments. Of the Wolf's Fang, it was finally set down near the table, and all but shoved into mort's hand. "You'll forgive my guardians for urging you take the blade..we are not built for strength and they are complaining."
Athela Valemore	".... That's a bigass sword," is really all Athela has to say as the massive weapon is moreso shoved off to Mort than anything else due to its weight. "Makes me think of Reinhardt's hammer for some reason."
Kung Jin	Jin can't help but snort a laugh, both at the Farseer's words of the sword and at Athela's! He isn't going to comment on it himself. To each his own, after all. At the moment, he's just waiting for a cue to take -- since Mortimer seems to have a better idea of what he wants from the Farseer, that cue at the moment is 'keep schtum'.
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer would examine the sword. Standard design.. Runic engravings.. Yeah that's Karian's blade alright. "You would think that, wouldn't you? But then, you of all people should understand the basic principles of the Astartes, Farseer. Excessive is simply how things are /done/ here. It is perhaps, not so graceful as your fancy power blades- but a Space Marine wielding this blade will cut more than just foes in armor and flesh. A sword this big can cut into /tanks/, or walkers, or daemons, simply by virtue of basic physics, to say nothing of additional.. Upgrades." Mortimer's body tensed, and very suddenly his muscles began bulging out to make him almost half again as thick and muscular as normal. With a fair degree of effort he picked up the sword and stabbed it into the ground, only afterward allowing the bulging muscles to relax again.
Rebecca Chambers	Rebecca lets the others examine the sword, since she's got a bad feeling about this. While her Beretta is holstered, she can draw it at the drop of a hat. Not that she wants that to happen, she's just trying to remain on guard in case something unexpected happens. After all, it can happen.
Karian Icefang	"I see. It seems we have much to learn about each other." The Farseer says. She ponders a moment, before she finally speak again. "I do not wish to impose, but I imagine the Valhallan's nearby may not be to happy with us here. It may be expidient to acquire the soulstones now. By the way, you may call me El'dranil."
Kung Jin	Jin raises an eyebrow, with a confused and surprised look on his face, as Mortimer sort of... inflates somehow, to pick up the sword. And yet all he can manage to think to say is, "...That's handy." He nods as the Farseer seems to indicate that expedience is necessary. "Show us where the Soulstones are, and we will assist in collecting them." Now he's using 'we', since the consensus is that most of the group appears to want to help. A name is offered, and in return, he offers his. "I am Kung Jin. May our next meeting be more peaceful."
Mortimer Balman	Mortimer inclines his head. "And you may call me Mortimer- Mortimer Balman. Do not worry about the Valhallans- I have just enough clout to keep the Administratum and Inquisition busy with their own bureaucracy for a while. We should, nevertheless, move quickly to get your dead off-planet. We may then move on to the next stage of this little rescue op."
Athela Valemore	For a moment Athela considered offering to let out her Timburr to carry the sword, but Mortimer seems to manage with it. To which she looks less surprised that he does so, and more curious as to why would you teach a fire type like Typhlosion a physical 'move heavy objects' technique like Strength. Okay, now they're doing proper introductions. She pulls Resolute Blade from where she had stuck it in the snow. Holds the sword to her chest as she half bows. "Athela Valemore." Again she remins herself to not get into the whole 'knight of a divine water horse that would mean nothing to you anyways' shpeal that usually goes with names and titles. "And my companion, Sprite." She motions to the Vaporeon at her side. "An--" She stops as she's about to point out the Goomy. "--Oh dear. I forgot about her. Sprite, be a dear and go wash that slime off the one, would you?"