The Ghost of Botanicariumme

Tonight we visit the Botanicarium. Perhaps we find this Brostten Haggwers, but at least we can plant the equipment. The chilling cold, of what might been a clear night sky of legends before the atmosphere was so compromised. Visiting the Botanicarium is a big deal. It’s illegal for one and two, apparently none return who go. Fething don’t care.

I go in with two operators, Renni and Serzi, and a Skullstruct. It slips in first and disappears like the Metallic bloodhound that it is. Renni is on point with an auto shotgun, and a big IR torch as we drop from the entry duct one by one. Before I do, I stop shortly to marvel at the site of this place. Dead husks of ancient organic design, darkness and the smell of. The smell of. Something deep. The Air is different to everywhere else, both more damp, more stale, yet nutritious and alive somehow. 

We don’t make it too far. Renni stops to look at something and this is were my augmentics kick in. 20 meters behind him with Seri between us, I still see a tiny incredible flake slowly floating down from the emptiness. A snow flake. Little crystalline thing. Something, someone?, a humanoid thing darts from one husk to another and Renni is headless, standing proud like a fountain for a split second before collapsing. Both of my pistols are in my hand before he’s hit ground aimed at separate vectors of attack.

Seri drops to one knee with a las carbine on full auto. One second nothing, complete stillness, a fraction later the Forest spirit is out in the open again, impossible fast, Temple made, or alien. Seri gets a short volley off in the emptiness, I hit the thing, twice, but somehow it parries my shots from mid air and third fluid slash sections Seri’s head, diagonally. I think it is a she and now safely behind a huge trunk of black matter that just took a dozen Hecutor hollow tips without as much as a splinter. Ten meters to my left. I am my pistols left to cover the left and right the right side of the tree.

In the few seconds from the snowflake my system is now fully amped, stimmed to it’s augmented height. Even playground bitch! 

She bounces, and just as I’m to pull the trigger, I see hesitation. She comes to a sudden halt with inhuman deceleration, only five of her gravity defying gaits from my stainless nozzles. The smoking spectre stairs at us. For I don’t need to turn back to see what made her bow. 

Feels like it’s been a while. Despite sharing some new work quite recently, the fact that I have been intently working on the Cathedral terrain “piece” and the Papal entourage and things not yet shared, has made me feel like the output hasn’t matched the thought and care – but it will! While I’ve struggled with ridiculous foam CNC quotes that has reduced my 3D models to simplified armatures, so eager to get building this Cathedral, the models have been a way to sketch the idea for things to come.

So I had an idea. From the combination of the Ghost Legion Narrators and how Essentially the Cardinal’s retinue is terrain, I decided each piece of terrain would really deserve it’s own ghost. An exquisite miniature that matched the location and the narrative. Like The Ministorum group, or the random civilians, these new Ghosts would have the players second guessing their plans with a little more urgency – as well as possibly trying to acquire their favors or services even.

I’ve really tried to push my basing further and further with this project. Trying to build an ashen echo of Terran Glory that would be elaborate but never dominate the miniature.