>>5337318
>See if you can bargain for her aid in gaining control over the powerful daemonic spirit that lurks in your mansion.
>Get a bunch of gold and slaves, because, why not?
>Heading back to Trys’ta’s and lying low there for a while.

>>5337318
>>Try to manipulate her into becoming a bit more rationale.
As said last thread, I'd try and see what condition clone Namara is in first, since she's just about the only person our clone will listen to.
Also, I remember we kinda made a deal in thread 8, about mutual assistance and offering shelter in case of hardship. We might as well remind this to clone Namara. I doubt she'd leave her Rhea, but it might persuade her that there's still a way out fr both of them. Or it could make her and our Namara angry/jealous.
I still say we try it !

>Not get anything else from her, everything she gives you seems to have a hidden cost.
Nothing to add here, and the hidden cost might be extra dangerous given her currently deteriorating mental state.

>Go back to your mansion and start thinking of ways to defend it.
I'm actually on board with trying to get on the mansion's side. A living, twisting house that opens anywhere is just as busted as our own Webway network, and could be a great step towards securing ourselves from the mood swings of our unstable backers. We just need to tangle with the ghost. Maybe try and befriend it rather than find a direct means of subjugating it, since it should be less headache in the long run?

>>5337318
>>Find out what she wants and keep her happy
I'd like to manipulate her, but that usually backfires.
>>Get some support in defending your mansion from the various threats circling it.
This is assuming she has more than her usual six cronies now, they're mostly fine people but they're about as good at their jobs as we are at ours.
>>Go back to your mansion and start thinking of ways to defend it.
I want to kidnap Annika.

>>5337318
>Find out what she wants and keep her happy.
>Get some support in defending your mansion from the various threats circling it.
>Go back to your mansion and start thinking of ways to defend it.

>>5337318
>Try to manipulate her into becoming a bit more rationale.
>Get some support in defending your mansion from the various threats circling it.
>Go back to your mansion and start thinking of ways to defend it.

It will be interesting to see what evil rhea wants. Maybe she's just lonely?

>Find out what she wants and keep her happy.
>Get some support in defending your mansion from the various threats circling it.
>Go back to your mansion and start thinking of ways to defend it.

You decide to keep things simple with Evil Rhea, but to seek some assistance in defending your mansion.

As before, Trys’ta gives you a quick ride in her Venom through the Webway, and drops you off at the mysterious door in a sinkhole, which leads to Evil Rhea’s pocket dimension.

Things have gotten a lot more...Slaaneshi...since you were last here.

The small city hasn’t expanded much, but it has been altered to reflect the increasing degeneracy of its inhabitants. Buildings have been altered, and in some cases walls removed entirely, so passersby can see the orgies and feasts within. Statues, carvings, paintings, murals, and even altered vegetation, all depicting lewd acts by daemonettes and mutants, are everywhere, in some cases towering over the buildings, and in many cases, animated by the powers of the warp.

Daemonettes and matronly mutants (it is often hard to tell the difference) still seem to be the masters of each coven or household, but mutants, lesser daemons like fiends and seekers, and spawn are more common than before among their slaves and playthings. Multiple breasts, limbs, horns, genitals, mouths, eyes, tails, and tentacles are common (and often in irregular shapes), though some are missing a few of these as well. Pointed ears, hooves, talons, claws, and odd colored skin or eyes (including the blue of a few tau) are also not uncommon. More extreme mutations are rarer, including non-humanoid body structures and spawn made up of several individuals mixed together. Clothing is mostly limited to jewelry, piercings, leather straps, bondage gear, and the odd bolt of silk, none of which covers that which would normally be covered. Most folk are female (more or less, and some not originally so) and quite a few are pregnant, in keeping with the strange rites of their cult.

On the plus side, no signs of obsession with extreme pain or violence, as you have seen in other Slaaneshi factions. The so-called Daughters of Peace, the cult to which Evil Rhea belongs, prefer seduction and assimilation to violence, though you have noticed there are a lot of exceptions to this rule. Though perhaps this is simply due to the number of rival cults in this region who are aware of the Daughter’s tricks, combined with the large number of allied cults who lack the powerful psykers and daemons the core Daughter’s faction as access to.

As before, you are escorted through the city by two henchpeople you have had previous run ins with, Ursid Mask and Rabbit Mask. Although already a bit mutated the last time you saw them, things have clearly progressed in the past three months.

>>5338480

Ursid Mask’s body is heavily muscled but strangely proportioned. He would probably look a bit like a bear if he hadn’t waxed off all his hair. An extra scrotum, and a large under-bite with fangs are his most obvious mutations though.

Rabbit Mask has grown an extra pair of arms, breasts, and digitigrade feet. Her glowing pink eyes and strangely buoyant silver white hair suggests perhaps she developed psychic powers at some point, as does the fact she keeps her distance from you.

Both wear the black leather masks and figure accenting leather straps of the “Dark Selunites”, Evil Rhea’s inner circle.

You don’t get much conversation out of Ursid Mask and Rabbit on the way to the palace, though in truth you are more focused on keeping an eye on Namara and Audrey, your girlfriend and a survivor from your previous adventures respectively. They both spend some time here in the past while you in storage frozen, and it didn’t do great things for either of their mental health despite Evil Rhea honoring her promise not to deliberately corrupt them.

The palace itself is in much disarray compared to its previous appearance. Spilled food and drinks, passed out partiers, and not so mysterious stains are everywhere. The strict dress code for different ranks and functions that Evil Rhea used in the past seems much looser now, though some aspects of it remain. And like outside, daemons, mutants, and spawn are more frequent than your past visit, and lewd artwork is more frequent and placed more haphazardly.

All in all, you get the impression Evil Rhea is losing her remaining discipline and self control.

This is reinforced by the fact that when you are brought to the throne room, Evil Rhea isn’t even there, which seems to catch Ursid Mask and Rabbit Mask by surprise. After some interrogation of the more alert partiers scattered throughout the throne room, you are instead (to your dismay) brought to Evil Rhea’s private chambers.

Inside, Evil Rhea is sitting on a massive bed, smoking an enchanting good smelling cigar, while Evil Namara paints her nails. Several members of Evil Rhea’s harem are passed out in various parts of the room.

Evil Rhea looks much the same as when you last saw her; nine feet tall, hooved, horned, pregnant, and seemingly allergic to clothes.

Evil Namara has added a few mutations, including a third breast and arm, and has started wearing some leather again, though she is also still pregnant.

You wonder how long the daemonic pregnancies will last, you have heard it can be anywhere from days to years.

There is a strong smell of musk in the air, and you struggle to keep your focus. Audrey promptly passes out just inside the doorway, but you ignore her for now.

“So uhm, here as requested...” - You say, making a brief curtsy like motion. You probably should have rehearsed an opener.

“Prostate yourself before the lady of this realm.” - Says Evil Namara boredly without looking up.

>>5338484

You don’t remember this from last time, but you decide to keep them happy and get down on the ground. Namara follows suit a second later.

“You are late. Have I not been generous with my gifts, and this is how you repay me?” - Asks Evil Rhea. But conversationally, and with no real venom.

You think about this for a bit, but decide not to restart the old argument over whether you intended to give her the ring, or point out that no timeline was specified to meet her.

“Deep apologies my lady, we were delayed by agents of HYDRA IX.” - You reply. Accurate enough.

There is no reply from Evil Rhea. You feel if you weren’t staring at the ground, you would have seen her shrug indifferently.

“The House, is it secure?” - Asks Evil Namara, somewhat out of the blue. No doubt she is referring to your mansion.

>Say yes.

>Admit you were hanging out with Trys’ta for the past day or so.

>Say no, you came to get reinforcements as the Inquisition is circling.

>>5338485
>>Admit you were hanging out with Trys’ta for the past day or so.
>>Say no, you came to get reinforcements as the Inquisition is circling.

>>5338485
>>Admit you were hanging out with Trys’ta for the past day or so.
>>Say no, you came to get reinforcements as the Inquisition is circling.
Both of these, of course. It won't do to lie, and telling her exactly what happened might be important for getting reinforcements. Also it's sweet that Evil Rhea and Evil Namara are still together after everything that's happened.

>>5338485
>>Admit you were hanging out with Trys’ta for the past day or so.
>>Say no, you came to get reinforcements as the Inquisition is circling.

>Admit you were hanging out with Trys’ta for the past day or so.
>Say no, you came to get reinforcements as the Inquisition is circling.

You see little advantage to trying to lie. Evil Rhea can probably figure stuff out from talking to Nicky if she feels so inclined. Though you emphasis that you were gathering information on threats to the mansion, rather than just hiding at Trys’ta’s.

“Hmm, yes, the Inquisition. It is Annika again. She roped in some law enforcers but we got her chasing her tail for now. Long term HYDRA IX’s proxy cults are probably the bigger threat for now. Nicky has gotten some leads on both in the past few hours.” - Says Evil Namara. Her attention still seems to be mostly on painting her nails.

“It is time for you to start pulling your weight around here. That mansion can offer you the sense of freedom you clearly desire, but not if the Inquisition destroy it.” - Adds Evil Rhea.

Clearly this is some sort of test as Evil Rhea gets more use out of the mansion than you do, and you doubt that is changing anytime soon. Better to play dumb than point out the obvious though.

“Of course, but there are only three of us, surely you can’t expect us to defend the mansion ourselves?” - You ask.

“Hmmm, I will loan you a few agents. You may also want to strengthen you bonds to the mansion’s spirit. It is an old creature though, and secretive, you might find some useful information in some books my associate has found however. And of course, if you ever want real power, just say the word and I will get that blackstone out of your body. A few lesser rings and a direct linkage to the mansion’s spirit would do wonders for you, though personally you might want to go on the attack instead before anyone even identifies the mansion.” - Says Evil Rhea.

>Go read more about the mansion’s spirit.

>Go talk to Nicky for more information on Annika and the other threats to the mansion.

>Consider getting the blackstone removed. It would open you to corruption, but clearly some people know how to maximize the power they get from the warp while still staying more or less sane.

>>5339627
>>Go talk to Nicky for more information on Annika and the other threats to the mansion.
We might as well go on the offensive. Can we even interact directly with the mansion, or do we need Audrey for that?

>>5339733
You can speak to the mansion via its puppeteered servants, though results have been mixed so far, usually it just ignores you

>>5339952
Do the servants start malfunctioning if we get too close?

>>5340044
The mansion spirit probably gives them detailed instructions for different scenarios just prior to each time they get close to Rhea or Namara.

Sometimes they ignore Rhea if she is close by and they get asked to do something they can't comprehend without instructions from the mansion, but even if they are standing further away they will still often ignore Rhea

>>5340054
Are they brain damaged/ mindfucked? Are they willing slaves who figure they've had worse jobs than this? Do they get all funny when they're cut off from their master, or just go about their business?

>>5340064
They are probably mind wiped somehow, though there origins are unclear to Rhea at this point.

They are able to compensate being near Rhea by falling back on pre-programmed instructions, kind of like servitors

>>5340080
If they're basically servitors its probably not even particularly off-putting for our dear little ex-copse starch menial.

>>5340103
>>5340080
Also congratulations on keeping this going for over a year. It's been a lot of fun!

>>5337486
>As said last thread, I'd try and see what condition clone Namara is in first, since she's just about the only person our clone will listen to.
Yeah, I originally proposed Clone Namara go full Living Saint to counter balance Clone Rhea's Daemoness!

>>5338480
>Multiple breasts, limbs, horns, genitals, mouths, eyes, tails, and tentacles are common
Noice.

>>5338484
>Evil Namara has added a few mutations, including a third breast and arm
>>5338659
>Also it's sweet that Evil Rhea and Evil Namara are still together after everything that's happened.
But where does she have the third arm and breast?!

>>5340106
>Also congratulations on keeping this going for over a year. It's been a lot of fun!
INDEED!

>>5339627
>>Go talk to Nicky for more information on Annika and the other threats to the mansion.

>>5339627
>>Go read more about the mansion’s spirit.

>>5337486

>>5339627
>Go read more about the mansion’s spirit.
I know this could be done later, and that information on incoming threats is more important, but this is our main ace. We get the mansion to work with us, we're golden. Not just against Annika but maybe in general.

>>5340867
>But where does she have the third arm and breast?!
breasts - three across
third arm - under one of the normal arms

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>>5343352
>breasts - three across
Acceptable SYMMETRY!

>>5343352
>third arm - under one of the normal arms
What is she, a Kelermorph?!
WAS NAMARA GENESTEALERS THIS WHOLE TIME?!?!

>>5343364
I figure not all mutants are symmetrical, and 3+3=6 probably counts for something

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>Go talk to Nicky for more information on Annika and the other threats to the mansion.

You decide to get out of Evil Rhea’s pocket dimension while you still can. Although you are immune to psychic trickery, chemical musk still messes with your head, and the dimension reeks of it, particularly the bedchambers.

You ask to be led to a gate back to Ravenholm, and Evil Rhea orders Ursid Mask and Rabbit Mask to escort you back to the mansion as well as help set up some defenses.
You and Namara grab Audrey before you leave, and take turns carrying her.

The trip is surprisingly short. You get led to a door at the end of the hall. Rabbit Mask opens it up, and suddenly you are in a corridor that is clearly within the mansion. It probably took some high level metaphysical pocket dimension trickery to pull that off, as Evil Rhea’s pocket dimension is on Malrog, more or less, though connected to several other worlds via a corrupted patch of the Webway. You decide not to overthink it for now, though perhaps later if you find the time to work out more of the mysteries of the mansion.

The mansion itself is a maze of rundown gothic corridors. Despite having lived there for three months now, you have only developed a rudimentary grasp of the layout. No doubt at least some of the mansion is actually within one or more pocket dimensions. Sometimes corridors don’t lead to the same place they did even minutes before, and the interior is far to spacious, even for a building of its size on the exterior.

You decide to head over to Nicky’s residence, to see what she has found out since you last talked to her.

Nicky is one of the Daughter’s primary agents on the planet, and one of the few people these days you genuinely enjoy being around. In some ways she is a lot like Trys’ta; impulsive, outspoken, somewhat insubordinate, and whimisically eccentric. However, unlike Trys’ta, she generally treats you like a friend rather than a pet. Sometimes you almost forget she is a corrupter of souls and a degenerate to the core. Once upon a time you would have found someone like her horrifying, and it momentarily sends chills through your spine as you reflect on how much your morals and sense of morality have shifted since your life first went off the rails, back on Archipelagia, which now seems like ages ago. You wonder if, despite your immunity to chaos, you will one day become someone like Nicky anyways.

Nicky lives up at the “Lodge”, a former mountaintop ski resort which is now a stronghold of the Daughters and their vassal cults on Ravenholm. During the short train ride up, Audrey wakes up, and treats the news of your planned destination with a mix of discomfort and poorly hidden excitement, as Nicky is a secret crush of hers (one of several).

>>5343421
>>Go after Annika.
Remind her that we're definitely not Slaaneshi cultists since we're psychic nulls, then offer to help her root out those pesky cultists on the moors.

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>>5343417
>Nicky is a secret crush of hers
Yay, YURI SHIPPING!

>>5343793
Nothing new under the Eye, really!
>>5343421
>Go after Annika.
I'm on board with trying to get her to focus on the moor cultists.
Maybe have Nicky pool some useful info on the cult in a file that could look like one of their documents ?
I'll be honest, Rhea has nowhere near the moxie required to persuade Annika she isn't the biggest threat or a chaos worshipper. So I'm tempted to pretend we're working for the moor guys, or maybe house Croven, accidentally slip some info and disappear then let everyone else sort it out while we get the mansion in a good state. That should be within our abilities ?

>>5343839
Annika has already been informed by an Eldar Farseer of all people that Rhea is a psychic null. It was back on Damnatum Lutum.
"Come on, if I were a Slaaneshi cultist I'd already be 9 feet tall with four arms and my own pocket dimension. I'm just trying to make sure you don't get side-tracked."

>>5343893
Annika knows you have at least one tainted duplicate, so it will be pretty hard to get her to trust you unless you have rock solid proof you work for the Craftworlders.

Also it is unclear if she is even all that willing to trust Craftworlders, we don't know how much she acted on Kerala's information back on Damnatum Lutum. Is Stannimposter still around to comment?

>>5343926
She never came into contact with the Craftworlders in the original series so I never really put that much mind to it. I think she'd "trust but verify", since she's spent her whole life being pragmatic (and not always on the right side of the law) and is willing to work with them if it lets her do her job better. While being fully aware of the Eldar propensity for manipulation, if Kerala or the local resident Eldar had been giving her good intel or other cooperation without being overly shady about it prior to then then she'd probably follow up on her leads but not without an undercurrent of lingering wariness.

>>5343926
>>5344019
Did she ever figure out we were working with Trysta, since she was also present? I mean as long as she doesn't know Evil Rhea is involved (we never hid our connection to Evil Rhea) we might be able to just pretend we're here for the usual smuggling and Ordo Xenos stuff that Ordo Hereticus doesn't need to worry about. Rhea might not know there are different branches but she might have figured out that Annika cares less about xenos than heretics. Then we can offer to help since we're immune to warp taint.

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>>5344340
She'd likely be peripherally aware of Trysta and co. through the Craftworlders and their handiwork and actively work against them (they did contribute significantly to the destruction of her home city after all and have well earned their reputation, so she has no reason not to be pic related), but may just about tolerate them to fry bigger fish if believing that the Craftworlders were handling them or otherwise mollified regarding their presence.
I never directly specified which branch of the Inquisition she got involved with (she's normally a dropship pilot on retainer as an acolyte with enough skill in investigation to be able to work in the field as well, though that raises questions as to who the Inquisitor she is assigned to is and where they are) - I think it's Hereticus based on her role in the story thus far but Inquisitors are all multidisciplinary to an extent and can handle threats outside of their usual specialisation in a pinch.
As for the relationship between Rhea and Trysta, it depends on what the actual link the Daughters have to Trysta and to Rhea is and how much of a trail they've left. I've skim-read the last few threads so I'm not really clear on that. Ultimately, it's up to the QM and not me since this is their story.

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>>5344340
(in any case, I'm pretty sure she'd be going nuts in the background trying to disentangle the web of plots and schemes going on around here)

>>5344438
>>5344434
Something tells me that if Rhea does try to misdirect Annika, she'll succeed, but nothing like how she intended. Or even better, Lady Rhea Kijeck of House Kijeck insists she's totally not Rhea Silvia and Annika is just going insane. But that probably wouldn't work even if Rhea could pull the con because Evil Rhea probably has a few cultists running around wearing our face.

>>5343421
>>Go after Annika.

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>Go after Annika.

You decide to go visit Annika and try to convince her that you still work for the Craftworld Eldar and redirect her against one of your other enemies instead.

Nicky thinks it is worth a shot, and gives you the address for the hotel Annika is staying at.

You leave the sauna, get your clothes back on, and wash off and reapply some mascara. You figure looking stern and professional is your best bet of being taken seriously.

On the train ride to the hotel, you try to rehearse a plausible story with Namara and Audrey. Step 1 would be convincing Annika that you aren’t one of your evil clones, Step 2 would be getting her to go after one of the HYDRA IX affiliated factions, and Step 3 would be finding ways to deflect questions on where you are staying and how you are making contact with the Eldar.

Suddenly this doesn’t seem like that great an idea anymore...

In the end, the train arrives at your station much sooner than you thought it would, and you decide to just wing it because your plans never work anyways.

Hotel Lestrange is located in the Upper City, a network of platforms suspended over the rest of Coal City so that the upper class don’t have to interact with the lower classes. However, the hotel itself isn’t a particularly good quality establishment by Upper City standards. A small building with an odd mix of architectural styles built around a smoke stack coming up from the lower levels, it seems like the sort of place that attracts those looking for discretion.

Inside though you instantly spot a member of the Upper City Watch in full uniform watching guests in the lobby. Nicky did say there were a few working for Annika. Perhaps they are getting ready to move soon on someone and have given up on discretion.

You decide to simply go right up to her and ask to see Annika. As you do so, you can’t help the officer looks both a little like Kayla and Trish. Which isn’t completely impossible all things considered, but you would imagine the Daughters would have told you if they had an insider in Annika’s group.

It takes surprisingly little effort other than “we are here to see Annika” to get the officer to bring you upstairs to see her.

Annika hasn’t changed much since you last saw her. Same black bodysuit, same dyed red hair, same intense stare.

“It is a long way from Damnatum Lutum...” - Begins Annika. By galactic standards Ravenholm and Damnatum Lutum are actually pretty much neighbors, only 1-3 months apart by Warp even on a low grade ship, but to be fair, very few Imperial citizens travel between worlds.

“I believe you remember who we work for. We will provide some information to you as a gift. Our employers don’t care much for the presence of heretics in this subsector.” - You say. Plausible enough, the Craftworlders have intervened a few times in this region, particularly on Damnatum Lutum.

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>>5345458

“You will have to do better than that. Just because our interests align on Damnatum Lutum, doesn’t mean they align here as well. Besides, I wonder who you truly work for. Don’t forget I tracked you to one of your previous residences, which you apparently shared with Drukhari and a high-tier Slaaneshi Cult. Besides, don’t you both have ‘twins’?” - Replies Annika rather pointedly.

>Say you were investigating the house on behalf of the Craftworld Eldar.

>Try to sidestep this line of inquiry and bring the conversation back to your leads.

>Try to subdue Annika.

>>5345459
>>Try to sidestep this line of inquiry and bring the conversation back to your leads.
"My twin is currently a 9 foot tall titty monster with a baby bump and her own pocket dimension, and if I had any interest in the kind of shenanigans she gets up to, I probably would be, too. But I'm not, so."
Like, give Annika a small revelation that seems like a big revelation. Sharing secrets to build rapport. We could even imply that the cultists on the moors are somehow connected to Evil Rhea and we'd like them dealt with before they start disrupting our peaceful, idyllic lives.

>>5345459
>>Say you were investigating the house on behalf of the Craftworld Eldar.

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>Say you were investigating the house on behalf of the Craftworld Eldar.
>Try to sidestep this line of inquiry and bring the conversation back to your leads.

You decide Annika probably won’t let certain matters drop until you have improvised a story explaining some of the stuff she saw back on Damnatum Lutum. Unfortunately neither lying or improvising are you strong suite.

“I was investigating the house on behalf of my mas...my allies the Craftworld Eldar. Pocket dimensions are hard to find though. Even though we were at the house for a while, we weren’t able to find anything until you showed up and they took an interest in you...” - You start explaining.

“How did you know where to look for the pocket dimensions?” - Asks Annika.

“The Craftworlders knew it was there somewhere. Plus all those ghost stories and other weird things that happened in Liamhelm during the Damnatum Lutum war made it an obvious place to look.” - You reply, keeping it vague.

“And the Drukhari stuff in the basement?” - Asks Annika.

“Never saw it. Must have been planted at some point by one of several secret factions trying to stir up trouble.” - You reply, lying again.

“And your evil ‘twins’?” - Presses Annika.

“Shapeshifters of some sort no doubt. We were aware they were around, but it was too complicated at the time to explain to you.” - You deflect again.

“And the goals of your ‘allies’?” - Annika asks, though thankfully she seems to be getting tired of this game.

“They generally don’t tell us these sorts of things.” - You reply.

“Hmmm.” - Is Annika’s only response.

No doubt she is now wishing she didn’t ask so many questions in front of all three of you, as it will make trying to get you to contradict each other more difficult. She clearly doesn’t trust you, though it is hard to say whether this is because you aren’t good at lying, or she just doesn’t trust anyone working with the Eldar.

She has the three of you escorted to separate rooms and put under guard by at least one member of the Upper City Watch. As you are escorted out of the room, you shout out that Annika should look into House Croven and the Moors.

The room you get left in is a small, windowless hotel room down the hall from Annika’s room.

The Watch take turns guarding you every hour or so. In pairs at first, but then individuals once they get bored. Although this may seem rather careless, you know despite their ceremonial uniforms and fine bred looks, they are very well trained and augmented.

>>5350021

At first you had hoped the leads you offered would catch Annika’s interest enough she would eventually offer to work with you, but after a few hours this seems unlikely to happen. Then you decide to sit tight anyways hoping Annika may still go after them without telling you, but you have no way of verifying this locked up. She could be inching closer to Nicky or the mansion instead for all you know. Escaping will be difficult however, and even after an hour of thinking you can’t think of any way to escape other than to fight your way out for pretend to be sick.

But then the guard changes again and you realize there may be a third way. This time the guard is the one who looks a bit like Kayla and Trish. She may be a Daughters agent of some sort, though she doesn’t act any different than the previous guards.

>Keep waiting, hope Annika is looking into your leads and decides to trust you.

>See if you can get the guard to help you.

>Try to fight your way out of the hotel.

>Pretend to be sick.

>>5350022
>>See if you can get the guard to help you.

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>>5345458
Sorry I missed an update. I was out of service. Going outside sucks. Don't do it.
>>5350022
>>See if you can get the guard to help you.
Let's see if we can get her to put in a good word for us

>>5350022
>>See if you can get the guard to help you.

QM are you alright?

>>5366294
Yeah, got distracted by a side project and time really flies.

If people are still interested in this, I will try to start posting again soon.

>>5366517
Yes

>>5366517
I am definitely interested. i've been lurking for over a year now, and >>5351242 was probably the first update I missed in that time. I have a new code because I changed locations again
I really love rhea's adventures.

>>5368019
>>5366517
Same, been here since end of thread 1/ start of thread 2. Missed a couple updates due to life and IP issues, as in my phone getting a 2 month ban for trying to post while I was apparently banned on another board. Which is weird because I don't post anywhere else. Now the entire range got banned, so I'm suspecting someone's VPN screwed me over.
That was my last trip, I think.
>>5343839

>>5368580
The only place on (just about) the entire West Coast I've been where AT&T LTE IP addresses aren't rangebanned is Placer County, California. Mobile data tends to get the b&hammer a lot faster than landline.

>See if you can get the guard to help you.

You decide to see if the guard will help you. After all, she does look a bit familiar, and you suspect you know who she is related to.

After some consideration, you decide to go for the blunt approach. You are pretty sure Annika doesn’t know who Kayla or Trish are anyways.

“Do you know Kayla or Trish?” - You ask.

“Perhaps...” - Says the guard noncommittally.

“Could you put in a good word for me with Annika?” - You ask, hoping she is in some way associated with the Daughters.

“Unfortunately, I am just a guard, here to keep you from leaving, or causing trouble, or perhaps here to protect you should this facility fall under attack.” - Replies the guard. There is a bit of a strange emphasis on how she says “fall under attack”. You wonder if this means she arranged for the Daughters to attack the hotel. Or perhaps she works for another faction, though you aren’t clear why she would be giving you a heads up if that was the case.

Either way, it quickly transpires that she did somehow know of the attack before it happened. Gunfire can be heard somewhere in the building, and it sounds like it is getting closer.

The guard orders you to go to the far side of the room why she covers the door with her gun. She doesn’t seem particularly worried though, increasing your suspicions she knew the attack was coming.

>Comply with orders.

>Attack guard, find out who attackers are and fight them if needed.

>Try to find a way to escape hotel during the confusion.

>>5370402
>>Try to find a way to escape hotel during the confusion.

>>5370402
>>Comply with orders.
The guard apparently has some sort of plan. Whether we want to stick around for it is a different question.

>>5370402
>>Comply with orders.
I vote no for running blindly into a firefight between the Inquisition and a cult!
Let's just sit back down and look bored. It pays to at least look confident. Choas gods know Rhea still has a long way to go in that regard...

>>5370724
No they don't, her noctilith implants mean they have a perfectly Rhea-shaped blind spot.

>>5370724
>>5370742
but that aside, I agree that Rhea should relax and look like she knows what she's doing.

>>5370402
>>Comply with orders.

>Comply with orders.

You decide to follow the guard’s lead for now and hope there is some sort of plan that is in your favor.

The gunfire grows closer and closer, but just as you are worried you are about to be caught in a shootout, the guard lowers her weapon, and lets the attackers in through the door.

You aren’t really sure what to make of them. Two women and a man in raven masks, and revealing black corsets and lingerie. They could be House Kijeck, you have seen them wear similar garb back on Damnatum Lutum, but House Croven is Slaaneshi too. Plus even loyal Imperial nobles wear all sorts of weird stuff, and many noble families on this world incorporate raven or crow iconography into their attire somehow or other.

You belatedly realize the weapon one of them is pointing at you is some sort of rare shock-stun rifle.

Oh...

You wake up in the middle of a large, well decorated room. There are at least a dozen other people in it, maybe even more behind you, outside your line of sight. Your wrists are in manacles above your head, connected by a chain somewhere up on the high ceiling, and your toes barely touch the floor.

You guess you are have most likely been captured by House Croven. Too many mutants to be Imperial, but also not the right type of mutations to be a Daughters subfaction.

Their clothing (and there isn’t much of it) includes some of the lacy lingerie and black leather that the Daughters and their associates are fond of, but also a lot of feathers. Some of the mutations are also distinctly Slaaneshi, but some also seem more Tzeentchi, like feathers, beaks, claws, talons, and massive eyes taking up entire faces or appearing in places where eyes normally won’t appear. You suppose this makes sense, as House Croven is the ally of a mostly Tzeentchi faction, so their loyalties are probably a bit mixed.

They seem to be waiting for someone, and aren’t particularly well armed, perhaps you can slip free of the manacles and escape.

>Try to escape manacles.

>Wait to see if anyone important shows up.

>>5376663
>>Wait to see if anyone important shows up.

>>5376663
>>Wait to see if anyone important shows up.
can Rhea even break out of manacles?

>>5370742
I don't think they so much as glanced her way ever since she was rejected by the pamphlet in thread 1. It just didn't feel right using the Emperor's name given our current allegiances.
>>5376663
>>Wait to see if anyone important shows up.
Look unimportant, the enemy might be low on ammo! They may not need to kill all of us, and we might just pass off as a random prisoner, although it isn't likely. Still, there was a guard associated with them in our cell to make sure they got us, so there's something going on for sure, we just have to find out what. Or more accurately have it explained to us by someone, possibly with sock-puppets.

>>5377012
Her upgraded body says yes, Rhea being Rhea says no.
For real, warp reinforced manacles would just become normal manacles on Rhea, and she can break those. She just has no clue what she'd do once free and we'd get shot to bits or stunned again. Better keep that card in our sleeve. With any luck, we might be able to break out and grab someone important as a shield/trophy/information source!

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>>5377079
There's always the Dark Muses. Trys'ta probably made Rhea and Namara memorize the Thirteen Foundations of Vengeance for a laugh. (Rhea's command of Aeldari isn't strong enough to understand what she's saying)

>>5376663
>Wait to see if anyone important shows up.