Rise of the Regulators - Daylight Robbery

"Up there." wheezed Old Jeb pointing at the ladders with his shovel. "The grating opens into the lower level of the Precinct."

"Damn, old man, is there anywhere in Rockridge that you don't know how to get to unseen?" asked Howling Mad Mave, clearly impressed by the old Grubber's knowledge.

"When you've been around for as long as I have kid, you get to know these things." he replied.

"You must have been around for a good while then!" Mocked the young prospect.

"Ah huh, I'm older than I look" he grinned.

Years of grime and dust showered the Regulators as Grimy strained to lift the grate into the bowels of the Precinct.

"Remember, we're here for the Data-Stack and nothing else, don't even think about looting the upper levels." Ordered Brigitte. "This information could determine our home's future, nothing else matters." she continued, looking each Regulator squarely in the eye.

One by one the Regulators nodded.

"Climb." Ordered WR-41-TH, shoving the bound and battered Scrutinator Primus Servalen towards the ladders.

Rise of the Regulators - Unwilling Informant

 

"Helmawr's Teeth! What is she doing here?" Cursed Oberon as he lowered his scope.

"You know her?" Asked Brigitte.

The Delaque Psy-Gheist nodded slowly, looking visibly paler than usual at the sight of her.

"She is known to us" he replied, "Her name is Scrutinator Primus Servalen. She is a soulless abomination...the lapdog of the Provost Marshall."

"The Provost Marshall of Hive Primus who reports only to Lord Helmawr himself?" Interrupted WR-41-TH.

"Unless you know of another Provost Marshall? Then yes." Replied Oberon, regaining some of his composure at the shock of seeing her.

"We're a long way from Primus, are you sure it's her?" Asked Brigitte.

"Helmawr's reach is long" replied Oberon "And I can feel her...or the lack of her, when I look upon her obscene visage."

Brigitte lifted her scope to look again at the Scrutinator. She noticed the way that the rest of her Enforcer entourage kept their distance. 'More through fear than just allowing her room to inspect the work that had been carried out' she mused. 'Whatever she was doing this far from Hive Primus she was sure to know more than the local Enforcers did.'

"Grab your gear" ordered Brigitte. "It's time we introduced ourselves to Scrutinator Primus Servalen!...And I want her taken alive"

The Rise of the Regulators - Death at Tumbledown Rise

 

"We're all clear on what we need to do then? Asked the Escher leader.

"We get the Dredger into the Sump and cover him while he searches the depths." Intoned the rest of the Regulators drearily.

Brigitte nodded adding "Once he's completed his survey we haul him out and get back to Sanctuary. Now gear up and let's move out."

Howling Mad Mave donned her Hazard Suit before WR-41-TH helped her into her Jump Booster.

"Hey Ludwig! How come ya don't bother with any armour? Inquired the Orlock Prospect.

"Because he's a fool" mumbled Oberon.

"I walk in His divine shadow...Something the Witch would know nothing of!" replied the Redemptionist glaring at the Psy-Gheist. "I could walk naked through a hail of fire with only my faith to protect me and emerge untouched."

"Think I'll stick with me Hazard Suit, if that's ok with you? Grinned Mave.

"His will is known to me!" Continued Ludwig. "He has spoken to me... He said I would be shown my destiny...by a painted woman." His words echoed off of the walls, seeming to come from everywhere at once.

'He's quite the sense of theatre.' Thought Brigitte 'I suppose all Redemptionists do.'

"He told me the time, and the place, and the manner of my death. He whispered it, and made me swear to keep it a secret. So I cannot tell you where it will be, but it is not here, and it is not now."

"Well this painted woman says enough with the sermon and let's get our arses to Tumbledown Rise and find out what these components are for!" interrupted Brigitte...

The Rise of the Regulators - Caravan Heist

This close to the Hive shell the settlement was deserted. The Authorities had evacuated the area claiming the settlement was unsound after the Hive Quakes started but judging by the bullet holes and blood stains the 'evacuation' hadn't been entirely voluntary. 

Reluctant to break the eerie silence Brigitte merely nodded as each of the Regulators moved into position and readied themselves for the ambush. The atmosphere had grown grim as they had moved through the settlement. Howling Mad Mave's usual exuberance had ebbed away with each passing minute. Ludwig sat crossed-legged, eyes closed, craddling his Chainaxe, his lips silently moving offering up prayer. Even Grimy had lost his usual bravado although Brigitte wasn't sure if it was because he was still recovering from his injuries or it was the pervading atmosphere.  

'I've seen more life in a Corpse Starch processing plant' thought Brigitte. 'Is this the route they will take? Is this the time? Have they realised we've been listening in on them...'

The unmistakable sound of an approaching vehicle shattered the silence along with the Escher leader's doubts. A grin spread across her face 'The waiting is always the hardest part.' 

The Rise of the Regulators - Intelligence Gathering

 

WR-41-TH slid the Pict-Still across the table in front of the Tech-Monkey. 

After several minutes of scrutinising the map he nodded in a sagely manner.

"Yeah, that's the place" he declared, evidently proud of himself that he recognised it.

WR-41-TH let out a short squeal of binary code and glared at him.

"We know that's the place!" Said the Ad-Mech Specialist as he struggled to regain his composure. "What we want to know is where did you fit the communication network nodes so that we can hack them and listen in."

"Oh right, why didn't ya say say so?"

WR-41-TH continued to glare at him by way of reply.

"Here...Here...Here...err...Here...And Here" he said stabbing at the Pict-Still with his grubby finger.

"You're sure?" Inquired WR-41-TH looking at the dirty smudges smeared over the Pict-Still.

"Sure as my name's Greasy Joe" he replied with a grin.

The Rise of the Regulators - Sanctuary (Part II)

A shudder ran down Brigitte's spine as the blood curdling shriek assaulted her ears once more.

'I know that sound' she thought as she looked at the grimacing faces around her. 'I hoped never to hear that vile noise again. Perhaps we should find another place from the prying eyes of the Enforcers?'

"What now?" Inquired Ludwig

The Cawdor Redemptionist was interrupted by a more immediate concern as another mutant threatened the Regulators. Howling Mad Mave reacted with impressive speed as she plunged her Chainsword through the mutant's chest, showering the area in gore. 

"We press forward" Replied Brigitte.

Rise of the Regulators - Sanctuary (Part I)

"Shush!" whispered Old Jeb as the Goliath Bully banged on the door. 

"We've been walking for hours in this stinking hole and this is the first door that we've come across" replied Grimy. 

"The door is barred from the other side. If you break it down you risk bringing the whole hive down on us....or worse."

The old prospector stopped before an arch panelled wall and deftly ran his hand along the crumbling and rotten plaster. "Now, just where are you hiding" he mumbled to himself.

'The old prospector's drunk one too many bottles of Second Best' thought Brigitte. 

There was an audible CLICK.

And nothing happened.

'That's it then, we go no further' thought the Escher leader. Then an answering echo came from deep within.

CLICK.

Brigitte felt her face twitch in sympathy with the sound. 'Did I imagine it?'

CLICK.

Again 'No mistake.' And now, before her disbelieving eyes, the wall begin to sink into the ground.

CLICK.

Floor tiles slid across to cover the walls retreat. 'It was if the wall had never been there.'

"Now that" said WR-41-TH softly "is craftmanship."

No fetid wind spilled out, no stench of rot or decay, no sign of long years passed, only a waft of cool, dry air. 'And yet the feeling is of opening a coffin.' thought Brigitte as they stepped into the gloom.

The Rise of the Regulators - Fugitives.

Six cycles! Six exhausting cycles of relentless pursuit by the Enforcers, fleeing from one encounter after another.

Word had reached them that the authorities had already shaken down the Marionettes and the Iron Hounds in their search for the fugitives but with all contact cut from their respective gangs, the Regulators had managed to keep one step ahead...until now.

Five Enforcers blocked their path with more closing in.

Brigitte mulled over their diminishing options. Their charges were out on their feet and needed rest. Even the Regulators were showing signs of fatigue and nerves were starting to fray. They needed a win. Something to galvanise them and slow the Enforcers in their dogged pursuit.

"Get them on their feet." She ordered.

"And go where?" Snapped Grimy. 

All eyes turned towards the gang Queen.

"We're done running," she continued. "It's time we showed these Enforcers who's really in charge, we go through them."

The Rise Of The Regulators (Prologue) The Rescue - An Uneasy Alliance

 

Kaius Torq meticulously placed three pict-stills onto the table for the other 5 gangs to see.

"I have located three of the four prisoners...." declared the Mechanicus leader.

"And I have have the fourth." Interrupted the Delaque leader throwing the fourth pict-still onto the table, scattering the other three as he did so.

Kaius let out a squeal of unintelligible binary code as he rearranged the Pict-stills, much to the amusement of the Goliath leader.

"So we're agreed then?" Said the Orlock leader in an effort to diffuse the heavy tension in the room.

"We each put aside our differences to free them and find out what's going on."

"Agreed" said Kaius.

Maman Brigitte and the Delaque leader nodded in acquiescence.

"Agreed" said the Cawdor leader.

"For now!" Said the Goliath leader glaring at the Escher.

Darkmaw - The Extraction

 

The Cawdor and Orlock gangs had scoured the area looking for their respective leaders with little to no sign of them.

Both gangs had heard the Escher and Goliaths bragging about the dust up from the Parley between all of the gangs' leaders. Rumour had it that all of the leaders had given as good as they'd got but the Cawdor and Orlock leaders had failed to return.

The two gangs had put aside their differences to search the surrounding area where the gang moot had taken place. Each ganger paired off with their opposite number to ensure that no accident befell anybody should the leaders be found.

It was Ludwig the Fierce who discovered the blood trail. 

"Leave it to a Cawdor to find something in the dirt" mumbled Ironhide. 

The Cawdor Deacon rose to his feet activating his Chainaxe at the barb.

Ironhide reached for his hammer ready to meet the Cawdor head on when both were bathed in light.

Both turned their attention to the recently discovered ruin named Darkmaw. Light flooded from its mouth beckoning them to investigate.

Both reluctantly put their weapons away and followed the light to its source.

"Know what the problem is with you Redemptionists?" Said the Orlock Arms Master.

"I'm sure you're about to tell me." Replied the Cawdor.

"No sense of humour." 

His laughter echoing down the tunnel.

Darkmaw - The Darkness

 

The familiar low growl of Ripley roused the Orlock leader from his unconscious state. Slowly Red reached for his power knife as his Cyber-Mastiff snapped at something close by. The pitch black made it impossible for Red to see what danger lurked in the darkness but he trusted in Ripley's senses. His thumb stroked the activation switch of his knife as the Cyber-Mastiff's growls intensified.

Red felt a faint breeze move across his prone body and quickly activated his power knife, lashing out at the encroaching threat. His target swiftly moved out of range but not before the Orlock leader had seen his 'adversary' from his knife's glow. 

A deep raucous laugh echoed throughout the chamber as light flooded the room. Red leapt to his feet drawing his stubgun at the same time. Before him knelt a Cawdor with a wide grin upon his face illuminated by a candle . Two Cherub Servitors hovered close by each taking it in turn to swoop down and taunt his Cyber-Mastiff.

"You're alive then? Said the Cawdor with a smirk. "I wasn't sure because your damned hound wouldn't let me near." Continued the Priest. 

"He's like that." replied Red looking up at the hole that had consumed them.

"We aren't getting out that way without a power source to activate the elevator" said the priest climbing to his feet.

Red moved towards an old door that dominated the chamber keeping a wary eye on the Cawdor Priest.

"Perhaps a truce until we get out of here? inquired the Cawdor.

Red nodded his agreement before turning his full attention to the door.

"Excellent! Replied the Priest "Allow me to introduce myself" he continued "Abel Cankerson at your service."

"Coyote Red" replied the Orlock as the door opened.

The Black Legacy (Part II) - The Search

Fellon Black paced nervously as Garran finished his report to the Cult Adept.
He was so close to perfecting his regenerative serum. His early efforts had been plagued with mutation but he had persevered with his work and...barring the odd aberration...he was almost ready to present his work to the Divisionis Biologis. He was sure that they would retract his condemnation once they had evidence that his serum worked. He just needed a little more time to adjust the formula. 
"Calm yourself Doctor, you are perfectly safe in the bosom of your family." said Theron.
"But you heard Garran, they're searching for something!"
"What if they're searching for the specimen?"
"What if they know who I am....What if I they're searching for me?"
Theron placed a reassuring arm on Black's shoulder. "You are the honoured primogenitor, we will not allow anything happen to you Fellon" purred the Cult Adept.
"But we don't even know who these strangers are." sobbed Black.
Theron embraced the trembling Doctor.
"As ever, the Honoured Primogenitor is wise. We do not know who they are....but we will....we will"

The Black Legacy (Part I) - Safe Passage

Sully massaged her temples in an attempt to relieve the needle-like pain behind her eyes. The Dolls seemed completely enthralled by Jared Blaine's incessant chatter and yet Sully had an uncontrollable urge to put a Las round between his eyes. On and on he jabbered, each word boring into her head. She looked at each of her sisters in turn, all of them hanging on his every word; all of them except for Kat that is.
The Escher champion stroked the grip of her power sword, seemingly indifferent to Blaine's patter. Yet Sully recognised the expression she wore and despite Kat's best efforts she realised that the champion was anything but indifferent.
As if aware of his predicament Blaine turned his attention to Kat.
"As well travelled as I am, I recognise your attire my dear. Yours must be an interesting tale and one I would be keen to hear" he purred, flashing a smile.
Kat met his gaze, her jaw clenching as his eyes bore into hers.
"If you recognise my garments." she replied  "Then you know that your cheap parlour tricks won't work on me Wyrd!"
The Escher champion leapt to her feet pointing her needle pistol at him and activating her power sword at the same instant that Blaine raised his Autopistol.
"I've been wanting to stick my blade in you ever since I laid eyes on you." whispered Sully into Blaine's ear as her blade pressed against his throat.

A deep, resonant chuckle filled the air and of all of them turned in search of the source.
"Well Jared, it appears that you've bitten off more than you can chew this time." said a robed figure emerging from the shadows.

Two individuals flanked the stranger, one was obviously a military man and the other appeared to be some sort of missionary or preacher.
"Please forgive my colleague ladies" said the stranger. "Jared can be trying, even at the best of times, but he has his uses."
Blaine shrugged and offered a rueful smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Boris, Boris Dragosani....

...and by order of His most holy Inquisition, I have a use for you!"

Battlefield Birmingham 16 musings

So Battlefield Birmingham 16 is done and dusted and I thought I’d share my musings with, well me probably!

First up I have to say I love the event. It’s got solid armies with no easy games but good guys to play against. The level of dickery is low which is good because I’m at an age where I can’t be arsed to argue over a game of toy soldiers.

For this event I took my wolves which are decent but not top tier.

If I go 3-2 at an event with them then I consider that I’ve done well.

My list was:

Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Wolves) [1,039pts]

+ HQ +

Wolf Lord [124pts]: Jump Pack, Saga of the Beastslayer, Storm shield, The Wulfen Stone, Thunder hammer, Warlord

Wolf Lord [124pts]: Jump Pack, Storm shield, Thunder hammer

+ Troops +

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

+ Elites +

Wulfen [273pts]
. 5x Wulfen: Thunder hammer & Stormshield . Wulfen Pack Leader: Frost claws

+ Dedicated Transport +

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Rhino [74pts]: 2x Storm bolter

Battalion Detachment +5CP (Imperium - Space Wolves) [484pts]

+ HQ +

Njal Stormcaller in Runic Terminator Armour [153pts]: 1. Living Lightning, 2. Tempest's Wrath, 5. Storm Caller

Wolf Guard Battle Leader [109pts]: Jump Pack, Storm shield, Thunder hammer

+ Troops +

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Blood Claws [74pts]
. 4x Blood Claw
. Blood Claw Pack Leader: Power fist

Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment (Imperium - Imperial Knights) [468pts]

Household Choice: Questor Mechanicus
House Krast

+ Lord of War +

Knight Crusader [468pts]: Heavy Stubber, Ironstorm Missile Pod, Thermal Cannon, Avenger Gatling Cannon w/ Heavy Flamer

Total: [1,991pts]

So how did it do?

Game 1 was vs a Custodes player who had a solid army, using the old forge world points and rules. In my favour was the fact he had no troops so couldn’t score on the mission and I could hide one unit so I’d always have more objectives at the end of the game. In the end I took a minor loss because I buggered up my charges on his tanks and then was on the back foot. My mistake for sloppy positioning but lesson learnt.

Game 2 was against Necrons with a bunch of stuff but based mainly around 3 doomsday arcs. This was a good example of what happens when you get charges right (positioning, pile in moves and fighting twice stratagems). I weathered some early firepower which made quite a dent but then on turn 3 I got THE charge off which killed 6 destroyers, 10 of the jet bike things, his warlord, his other character, a squad of troops and a spider walker thing. After that the game was mine and I took a  32-26 win.

Game 3 was vs a plague bearer army. He had 3 units of the damn things. Luckily he made a positioning mistake which let my wolf lord kill 2 daemon princes at the same time as combi charges from pretty much my entire army (shout out to controlled aggression strat for the knight!) took out 2 of his units of plague bearers. The Knight was the MVP here after taking out his castellan equivalent with help from the headsmans mark. In the end he crumbled and I took a 40-16 win. I’m not sure he appreciated just how many attacks claws get on the charge and when they’re supported by the characters they’re pretty solid at taking down lightly armoured stuff even with negatives to hit.

Game 4 was against an Ultramarine gun line using the new codex. They are nasty and Calgar really helps them dish out damage. I passed some saves at crucial times but personally a few things stood out to me:

1. He moved towards me to get better los which was a big mistake. It meant I was on him a turn sooner than I otherwise would have been. I’m not sure he appreciated how fast the rhino rush wolves are when you factor in all the bonus movement in the assault phase. He lost a lot of stuff in one turn and didn’t really have much left to counter that afterwards.

2. It takes precision to play a gunline and he got a bit flustered, target priority was a bit off and his moves backed him into a corner which let me pin him in a small part of the board so I could score objectives.

3. Most important it kind of highlighted what my coach says in that armies like that will always have a weakness. Mine does too and I’ll waffle about that in a separate blog post. It did highlight I’m right to change armies if I want to look for a reliable 4-1 or better result at events with some degree of consistency.

Anyway, I was able to take a 37-12 win from the game which gave me my 3 wins for the weekend!

Which was just as well because game 5 was vs Orks.

I’ve never played Orks really in this edition so whilst I knew a little about them from reading the web and watching some battle reports I didn’t truly appreciate what they can do. And for me, they are the perfect counter to my list (see point 3 above).

I can blame being tired, I can blame a lack of knowledge of opponents army and I can blame switching off a bit after having got my 3 wins for the event but whichever way I cut it, I took a beating, losing 32-18 in the end.

I could probably have done better, especially if I appreciated just how fast the characters on bikes (apologies to my knight! 😂) and played the mission a bit better but honestly I’m not sure I could beat that army with mine. It just doesn’t have the tools to do it. Or maybe I should say, at the moment I can’t see how it has the tools to deal with it.

Anyway, overall I went 3-2 and came 35th out of 98 which with wolves isn’t too bad.

I also won best in faction, besting the other wolf player in attendance (call me the great wolf?) and got nominated for best painted despite not really having finished my army.

Great weekend overall and now I’m looking ahead to the team event at Warhammer World in October...

Rockridge News! Calm descends upon Rockridge

The Rockridge Herald

Rumours abound as off-worlder seeks audience with Voodoo Dolls Leader

Rumours about an enigmatic off-worlder being escorted by the Voodoo Dolls through the Tunnels of Payne's Labyrinth were circulating last cycle. Witnesses claim that the mystery figure had an otherworldly air about him and spoke with a distinct accent. "Whoever he was, he gave me the creeps, had eyes that seemed to bore right into ya." Declared one witness from a local drinking hole.
"He tipped real good, so he ain't all bad!" Stated the owner of said drinking hole.
A spokesman for the Guild of Coin refutes the claim that the Dolls are negotiating an off-world trade deal, adding that "They'd be in serious trouble if they didn't run it by us first!"
The local Enforcers confirmed that there was no new investigation involving the Voodoo Dolls although they asked the Herald to convey that there is still a substantial reward for information leading to the arrest of any gang members.
Further rumours claim that he was an agent of the Magos Biologus researching the flora and fauna in the Underhive. Witnesses report that he had an 'unnatural way' with the local wildlife, with one witness describing him as "all freaky like....as spooky as a Ratskin Shaman on Shrooms!"

Whatever the truth is, he picked the wrong district to meet up with the Voodoo Dolls. The Kindred had chosen that time to make a move for the rights to Payne's Labyrinth.



Continued on Page 2.....

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part VIII) - Tsunami of Blood

Kaius Torq, Magos Dominus of the lost Explorator Fleet KT-632.V and declared Heretek, stood motionless on the filth-encrusted gantry overlooking Cruelwater. With his external systems powered down, Kaius was virtually invisible amongst the shadows, even the Empyreasphere had acquiesced to his need for stealth and dimmed to a barely noticeable level, not that he could have seen it anyway with his occular implants shut down to avoid giving away his position. The Puppet Master had no need for his hard-wired eyes thanks to the data-nodes scattered throughout Cruelwater connecting him to all of his creations simultaneously.
It was through these eyes that he now watched his prey take up defensive positions. The Escher and Goliaths had banded together in the hope of holding back the endless waves he would send against them. Beneath his emotionless mask, Kaius allowed himself a smile, the waves he would unleash upon them would drown them, drown them in a Tsunami of blood....

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part VII)- Swimming against the tide

"Enough!" Yelled Dexter over the din.
The Goliaths fell silent at their champion's command and slowly lowered their weapons. The Voodoo Dolls continued to train their Las-weapons on them, the ominous hum of their Hotshot Packs adding to the tension of the sudden silence. With no leader or champion the Escher gangers stole quick glances towards Sully for their cue.
"If we cannot work together, then not only will we all die in this stinking Sumphole, but we abandon any chance of our fallen escaping the Puppet Master's encroaching forces." Continued Dexter.
"He's right" said Sully, holstering her Autopistol. "...Which is not something you expect from a Goliath! Continue with the IED's"
The hum of the Las-Packs was replaced with laughter, with the tension broken both gangs returned to the task at hand....

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part VI) - The Tide Turns

Moisture glistened on the scorpion's black carapace as it struggled to break free from the sump spider's web. Sully watched as the scorpion used its pincers to snip at the sticky strands holding it fast, its movement sending tremors along the gossamer threads to its owner. With each brief struggle the sump spider moved closer to its prey, stopping every time the Scorpion's frantic movements ceased. Closer and closer the sump spider moved, the scorpion's exertions masking its approach. The scorpion's movements ceased, its energy apparently spent. The spider crouched, its albino eyes scrutinising its prey, legs like coiled springs, waiting for the kill. In a sudden burst of activity the spider leapt upon its prey, its fangs struggling to puncture the scorpion's hard chitin plate. The scorpion's tail immediately lashed out sinking its venom tipped barb into its assailant. The gossamer threads gave way and both plummeted towards the sump below, locked together in their violent embrace. As they plunged into the sump, jaws snapped closed and dragged them both into the murky depths below.
Sully looked across at Brigitte, "An ill-omen." she whispered to her leader.
Brigitte shook her head, "Move out" she signalled....

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part V) - Sink or Swim

Janitor grimaced from the pain that racked his body as he attempted to sit up and look around the derelict manufactorum that they'd taken refuge in. Several of the Clean-Up Crew were carrying injuries and his champion Dexter was still unconscious from the pounding they had taken in the Puppet Master's Lair.
Janitor blamed himself, overconfidence had gotten the better of him. His pain was briefly overshadowed by rage at his own stupidity in thinking he had seen all that this cursed Puppet Master had to offer.
He closed his eyes and thought about what went wrong in their first foray into the Lair....

The 'Hunters' were something he hadn't encountered before and the Shock Staves they carried had inflicted two wounds before he had even engaged the abomination......

....It was only the timely intervention of his champion Sinister that had seen him survive.
From that ominous start, things had rapidly fallen apart for the Clean-Up Crew. The Puppet Master had inflicted several Flesh wounds with his Rad-Cannon and the Voodoo Dolls' had quickly taken advantage of their reduced toughness, systematically taking them out of action. The Hive Spirits had cursed them that day as the final Goliath fell, not to the Servo-Stalker, but to a swarm of rats.

It had been a grim day for the Goliaths and with three of them in recovery, Janitor had been forced to invest all of the gang's credits into another body.
Janitor's dark mood lifted as he thought about his latest recruit.
"Let's see what the Puppet Master's minions make of 'Dozer." He said as the gang moved out for a second assault on the Lair.......

The Cruelwater Chronicles (Part IV) - Still Water Runs Deep

Janitor watched as the Clean-Up Crew readied their weapons for the ordeal to come. Sinister sporadically revved his chainsword, his jaw clenching each time he activated the weapon. Janitor's other champion, Dexter, checked his grenade launcher for the fifth time. The rest of the Crew went through various rituals to distract themselves from the tension they felt for the coming fight.

"Listen up lads." Bellowed Janitor. "We've already seen what this Puppet Master has.....a bunch of re-purposed Servitors and some lobotomised locals....if that's all he's got, he's already as good as dead."

He looked each member of his gang in the eye as he spoke.

"Now let's do what we do best and clean up this place!"