Faction Shadows in the Vein || COV

[Vren Rook]

"The void has no memory, but the Covenant does. We carve our path through the dark so our children may see the light."

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The hyperlanes are the lifeblood of the galaxy, the silent veins that pulse with the rhythm of commerce and war. But tonight, the blue-white tunnel of hyperspace has become a scream. Across the outer-rim, the lighthouses of the stars, the hyperlane beacons, are blinking out - smothered by an ancient, predatory hunger.

The Iron Covenant does not allow its paths to be blocked. The Mythos Fleet, built for endurance and the reclamation of Mandalorian sovereignty, has dropped into real-space to find a graveyard of flickering lights and shifting shadows. The Storyfire is lit. Will you clear the path, or let the dark consume the line?

The Shadow-Mantax are jagged shards of the void, obsidian-black predators that feed on the electromagnetic "heat" of active technology. They do not merely attack; they latch onto hulls and beacons with bio-electric barbs, draining power cores until a vessel becomes a cold, drifting tomb. A massive pod has swarmed the primary beacon, threatening to collapse the lane entirely.

The Dice Mechanic:

Participants must engage in a coordinated strike to thin the swarm:

• The Tracking Roll: Roll 1d20 to isolate a Mantax.
  • 15+: You pinpoint the heart of the swarm. Your next attack roll is at +2.
  • 6-14: You isolated a single Mantax.
  • 1-5: A Mantax latches onto your hull. Your ship takes minor damage and your next roll is at -2 due to power drainage.
• The Strike Roll: Roll 1d20
  • 1 (Critical Failure): A Mantax critically damages your vessel.
  • 2-11: Your blast injured a Mantax
  • 12+ (Success): You blast a cluster of Mantax back into the void.

Spoiler: Dice bot to use

Use George in the Iron Covenant server for your roll. Prompt is !roll 20. Add either screenshot or your roll at the bottom of your post in a spoiler - list each round

Drifting near a local gravity well is the Eye of Corulag, a research vessel reduced to a hollow husk by the swarm. A single escape pod remains, broadcasting a loop of frantic distress signals. The researchers on board hold "Migration Data" - sensor logs explaining why these creatures have suddenly turned aggressive.

This data is vital to the Mythos Fleet expedition, but the survivors are paralyzed by "Void-Sickness." They are distrustful of the Mandalorians of the Iron Covenant, viewing them as raiders rather than rescuers. Players must use diplomacy, technical expertise, or firm intimidation to secure the data-core and the researchers' cooperation before the pod is crushed or drained.
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