#not Owlcat rogue trader related | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

reriart · 1 month ago

Text

[Heinrix x F!RogueTrader] A Sweet Heart

Summary: The Rogue Trader has called Heinrix… to eat some biscuits. Some sexual tension rises between the two and ends with a sweet promise. You can read it on AO3 too at this link. Tags: fluff, unresolved sexual tension, sfw with some hints *wink wink*

Notes: This is my first WH40K fic ever! I've been a huge fan of this universe for almost 10 years. While I didn't liked Owlcat's Rogue Trader videogame immediately, I've become fond of it later. Now I'm obsessed XD I've started playing the game for Marazhai but I fell in love with Heinrix :) This experimental one-shot is based on our favorite biomancer's official background: he can't cook! I hope to write something more elaborate in the future... this one was my way to test how to write about these two idiots. I hope you'll enjoy this silly fic.

Thanks to J., @icastcoconoclast, @blue124th, and also a huge thank you to @redbatchedcumbermayned, who supported me a lot. ^_^

“Van Calox! Interrogator Van Calox!”

Abelard’s voice was clearly recognizable, although distorted by the vox he wore. Composed, austere. Heinrix couldn't take it any longer. Something about how he was forced to listen to these comments every time they set foot on a different planet or, even worse, every time he tried to direct a word to Cassandra, the former Astra Militarum officer. Despite her young age, she had climbed the ranks, far too quickly in his opinion. Just at the incredible young age of 30, she had succeeded in obtaining the title of Rogue Trader, gained almost absolute power and a noteworthy business network. Her nom de guerre, “banshee”. Just like the creature of legends, she had pale skin, long black hair, eyes of a light green that looked like glass, and... she was lethal.

“Van Calox!”

Heinrix ran a hand through his dark hair, huffing. “Come in, seneschal.”

The mechanical door swung open, emitting an agonizing creak. The man entered briskly, then stopped in front of the black desk in the center of the room, hands behind his back. He smelled of boot wax, cologne and ... spices?

Heinrix stood up, making his way around the table. He glanced at the clock: dinnertime, an unusual time of day for a visit by Werserian. Perhaps the scent was related to something exotic being served in the refectory.

“To what do I owe the honor?”

Abelard raised the chin, clearing his voice. “I have come straight from the Lord Captain's chambers, Master Van Calox. Lady Cassandra requests your presence there in fifteen minutes,” he announced, his sole remaining human eye now narrowed and intent on analyzing his every step and reaction.

Heinrix reciprocated the gaze, clenching his jaw.

“Thank you, seneschal. However, I guess you are not here just for this purpose; otherwise, you could have reached me by vox.”

“Indeed,” Abelard replied, blinking as if taken by surprise. The bionic eye pulsed with a red light. “I wanted to talk to you about the Magnae Accessio.”

The Rogue Trader's ascension on Dargonus would be held in several months. So why talk about it right now? Heinrix frowned, intrigued, and nodded to the seneschal to continue.

“It will be a celebration throughout the galaxy. The Lord Captain notified me this day that it will be you and I, Master Van Calox, standing by her side during the ceremony,” he continued, then cleared his throat with a cough. “This is a great honor for both of us. This gesture will make public the relationship between the Inquisition and House Von Valancius, among other things.”

He felt his cheeks on fire and immediately called upon his powers to slow the flow of blood that was flowing straight to his face at an insane speed. It was not like him to blush, but the realization that Cassandra had requested his presence knotted his stomach, causing him to feel increasing heat in his chest. Pride? Affection?

He allowed his imagination to wander for a fleeting moment. Dressed in a long gown, she sat on the throne, her pale skin contrasting with the dark fabric.

The green eyes intent on observing him, then giving him the sincerest of smiles. The hand, with a plethora of scars, between his own.

Heinrix. Stay with me.

Here, in Dargonus.

He shook his head, trying to banish the vision. He could not allow himself to daydream as if he were the protagonist of one of Lady Cassia's beloved books. Then the heat in his ribcage turned into a tightening. Why had she sent the seneschal to tell him this news? Why had she not done so herself?

“It would be a great honor. I will make sure to be all set for the occasion.”

Abelard flattened his mustache. “I suggest an appropriate suit for the occasion. I presume the Inquisition has provided you with formal attire...and, mind you, no gifts: they will be the prerogative of the guests, not our Lady's entourage. Be sure to investigate the records of the principal invitees,” he said, handing him a datapad, then stepping back, bringing his own arms behind his back. “That will be all.”

Heinrix absentmindedly scrutinized the list of names. He already knew almost all of them and, in all likelihood, those he had never heard of were probably useless pawns in a regicide chessboard already filled with pieces.

“I will take care of it as soon as possible. Now, though, the Lord Captain awaits me.” He stood up, retrieving his crimson cloak from the coat rack. “Have a good night, seneschal,” he murmured, thankful to be done with it, for the tone of his cheeks was not much different from the piece of cloth in his hand.

***

When the elevator reached the Lady's quarters, Heinrix's senses were immediately tantalized by a strong, pleasant fragrance. He allowed his powers to probe, gliding through the corridors until he located the room from which the spicy aroma was coming. He walked on, only to clear his throat. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. On all the occasions when he and Cassandra had been alone, she had shown some affection toward him, even if they were only a few caring gestures. Sweet words that concealed an attention the man was not used to.

Are you getting enough sleep, Master Van Calox?

The uniform suits you particularly well today.

I like your haircut.

“Lord Captain? Have you...”

When Heinrix arrived at the main room, he found all the furnishings quite different from the way he had seen them the last few visits he had made. Instead of the various trophies, among monster heads and xeno artifacts, there was now a long stone and golden shelf, and next to it, a stove. In the center stood a kitchen island adorned with the family insignia.

Cassandra, in shockingly casual clothes - just simple cargo pants and a black shirt - was kneading something.

Her tapered, pale fingers, almost silvery from the incredible number of scars, were playing with what Heinrix hazarded to be ... well, he didn’t know, because he'd never cooked anything in his life but camp rations. Nor had he ever actually seen anyone cook.

“Oh, Master Van Calox! You're finally here!”

The woman's voice, despite the name that haunted her, was often cheerful and ringing, in stark contrast to his voice, which was almost always stern. She wiped her hands in the basin of water on the table, then dried them. She approached him, and he bent his head enough to kiss the back of her hand. The Interrogator's index finger slid lightly to the center of Rogue Trader's wrist, and Heinrix relaxed control over his powers, allowing him to appreciate the woman's pulse, the scent of spices hovering over her skin.

The air suddenly grew cold, and he withdrew his own hand abruptly.

“You called me, Lady Von Valancius?”

She smiled, if visibly a little puzzled by the drop in temperature. She closed and reopened her right hand a couple of times, then returned to the table in the center of the room.

“Would you like to keep me company while I bake some cookies?” she asked, blowing away an unruly wisp that had escaped from her long, voluminous tail. When she was in battle, the woman sported a striking mane as black as the void, made of bright, lustrous black waves. However, Heinrix had noticed that when he could finally return to her beloved Unforgiven, the woman preferred to tie them into a tail or a long braid. As a matter of practice, he would have easily imagined the opposite.

He, however, loved her with her hair undone. He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining kissing such hair, inhaling its scent. He clenched his jaw, trying to banish that thought.

“I ... certainly,” he lied. He wished he could go back to his room and get to work. Safe, away from whatever strange, inappropriate scenario his imagination kept coming up with regardless of his efforts. He stood where he was, feeling uncomfortable, his arms behind his back. “Do you wish to talk about anything? The seneschal has just...”

“Oh, come on!” she teased him, as she resumed kneading. The blue veins under her almost transparent skin danced to the rhythm of her movements. Heinrix observed her, captivated. Despite having spent so many years in the Astra Militarum, the woman possessed incredible grace. “You don't want to stand there all the time like a servitor. Have you ever cooked?”

“I'm afraid not,” he replied, flustered. “My family had personal chefs. And since I left...” he continued, scratching at the top of his neck, ”...let's just say the food on this ship is very good.”

Cassandra rolled out the fragrant dough with a rolling pin, applying pressure. The muscles in her arms swelled slightly, emphasizing the veins that ran along them like climbing plants. Heinrix focused all his attention on the woman, then swallowed and tried to spread his collar a little wider.

“And, tell me, Master Van Calox...have you ever tasted flour? Some real flour?” she asked, smiling and red-cheeked.

He squinted his eyes. He looked first at her, then at the big bag of dust by the counter.

Aeldari characters.

He raised a finger, pointing it at the woman. “Lady Cassandra, I would like to remind you...”

“What, Heinrix?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. He swallowed, feeling his stomach clench violently. He would have liked to hear his name called again in her voice. “Do you want to, I don't know, interrogate me? Am I a threat to the Imperium just because I bake treats? Let me remind you of my position as Rogue Trader,” she smiled slyly, as she bent to open the oven: apparently she had already baked some cookies. Helping herself with gloves three times the size of her hands, she pulled out the tray and set it on the stone. The scent, sweet and spicy, filled the rooms with disarming speed. Thanks to his powers, he could smell the same delicious aroma on her snow-white skin, on her clothes, on her hair.

...On her lips?

Only then did he notice how shiny and full they were. He looked at the table and noticed a thick, amber liquid with a pleasant smell. He was tempted to taste it ... but it was definitely another xenos product. He would rather starve to death than eat filthy food.

“I didn't say that, but you should avoid consuming food of questionable provenance. Only that which is imperial sourced is reliable.”

She set about cutting the dough with the help of a goblet, creating wide circles. “Well, I bought it on Footfall thanks to Jae. Imperial enough, if you ask me.”

That woman was impossible. Heinrix sighed, pinching the bridge of his own long, straight nose with his fingers. “You are irresponsible, Lady Cassandra. Let me tell you.”

“Is that so? Despite my years of service in the Astra Militarum, am I being declared irresponsible just because I am enjoying my life a bit?” she asked, curious, as she placed the disks - some more precise, some less so - on another baking tray, and then placed it in the oven. She then picked up one of the already-baked cookies and, after careful inspection, bit into a piece. A slight crack interrupted the silence between the two, and then she licked her lips, catching the crumbs that had escaped her. “And what else am I to your eyes, Master Van Calox… Heinrix?”

His attention was all on those plump, red petals. He found it difficult to search for a meaningful answer. He looked up at the forest-green mirrors as soon as he heard his own name, feeling his heart skipping a beat.

“You are irresponsible, I have already said that. Flamboyant. Eccentric. On the battlefield you are a fury and risk your neck every time,” he began, as his eyes descended on her exposed neck. A blue vein, almost perfectly straight, divided her neck vertically. He wished he could have caressed her, felt her pulse. He wetted his lips and blinked, trying not to be distracted. “And young, too young, to be a Rogue Trader.”

He came closer to her, as if attracted by an invisible force. He tilted his head slightly. “You are also fearless -- brave. Despite being hotheaded, you also manage to care for your comrades on the battleground. All attributes that have made your career.”

She smiled, her cheeks a little red. He could feel the warmth of her skin.

“And you know what you are?” she whispered, her eyes firm on his lips.

“What?” he asked, his voice even more barely audible as he stroked the stone of the shelf with one hand, catching Cassandra between it and his body, yet without letting the bodies touch.

What was he doing?

“...a xenos cookie eater!” she laughed, shoving a cookie into his mouth with a speed to make a Drukhari envious.

He jumped on the spot, furrowing his brow and making to spit, but Cassandra promptly put a finger to his lips. “No. Just chew. Let yourself go a little. No one will know that you have eaten non-imperial food. It will be our secret.”

He tried to disagree, but a wave, sweet and spicy, tantalized his taste buds. He chewed slowly, without taking his eyes off the pale index finger.

How could hands so full of scars be so soft?

It was ... delicious. The best thing he had ever tasted in his life. During his years with the Inquisition, Calcazar had often taken Heinrix with him to prestigious dinners; he had then participated in undercover operations, where banquets with nobles were a must if he wanted to extort important information. But never, ever had he tasted anything so unique: the food of the Imperium was often bland or strongly chemical tasting. But that one? It tasted of a childhood he had never had. Of peace, tranquility. Of an evening without work, spent reading and sipping a hot beverage. Things he had never experienced in his life.

He swallowed, parting his lips. The stoic mask gave way to a sudden and, just vaguely hinted at, smile. “Where did you learn? I've never tasted anything like that.”

“My home planet is vaguely similar to Catachan: you really have to get your claws out to survive. But...” she explained, now in a wistful voice, as Heinrix gave her room to move. She took some cookies and placed them in a small tin box. “...It was not always so. The animals changed because of the warp during my teen years. Before then I lived with my family... unaware that I was a Von Valancius. I didn't even know who Theodora was. My mother loved to cook and taught me many recipes. Would you like to try some more, Master Van Calox?”

“Heinrix.”

She tilted her head to the side.

“In private ... you can call me by my name, as you did before,” he almost stammered. He felt his cheeks burning. “And yes, I would like that very much.”

To the void, the xeno ingredients...

She smiled, her eyes bright and happy. She took his left hand, resting the box in his palm, then resting his other hand on it.

“Do you remember when you offered to teach me Regicide, Heinrix?” Cassandra took care to say his name slowly, her gaze now turned to the chessboard on the opposite side of the room.

He looked at the box, savoring its cool temperature compared to his skin, which was getting hot, and then followed her eyes. The memories of that invitation made him smile. “Certainly.”

“Then meet me here, every seven days, at this hour. You will teach me how to play, and I will cook you something different each time. Maybe I'll even make an effort to use less...exotic products. Now, I think it's good for me to rest, the day has been exhausting. Good night, Heinrix.”

He smiled, gently kissing the back of her hand, savoring her soft skin. He left another kiss, this time far from the polite greeting everyone reserved for the woman, on her spice-scented fingers. He felt her pulse race dramatically.

“I will look forward to these seven days with delight, each and every time. Good night...Cassandra.”

#heinrix van calox #heinrix van calox romance #heinrix x rogue trader #idiots in love #rogue trader #warhammer 40k

17 notes · View notes

wretchedelights · 1 year ago

Text

A Spoiler-Free Guide to Dodging Marazhai's Romance Bugs

This info is based on the state of the game as of Hotfix 1.0.89. A lot of this will hopefully become irrelevant as Owlcat puts out more patches.

EDIT 10/01/2024 // 8PM ET - clarify companion quest info, correct info about post-recruitment scene, and add missing known bug info about doin the dirty for the first time

EDIT 11/01/2024 // 2PM ET - further changes to info about post-recruitment scene

I've seen a lot of people struggling to successfully romance Marazhai in Owlcat's Rogue Trader CRPG, due to Owlcat continuing their time-honored tradition of launching their games with an obscene amount of bugs.

After a lot of troubleshooting, I was able to successfully finish a sub!Marazhai romance with the "good" romance ending, and I ended up having a pretty good grasp on how the whole thing works. So I thought I'd share what I've learned to save others the trouble. This info should be good for both sub!Marazhai and dom!Marazhai.

Toybox

If you don't have it already, Toybox is highly recommended. You can get it on Nexus Mods. It will help you make sure things are progressing as expected, and fix some things if they get messed up. However, it's not necessary at this point if you're careful, the only thing you need it for is to fix some flags to get some really minor extra dialog.

If you choose to use toybox, you can see the tree + flags for the dialog you're currently in by clicking the "Dialog & NPCs" tab. You can also make flags show up directly in the dialog boxes in game with the "Preview" settings in the main tab. "Dialog Results" will show changes to flags + etudes that will happen if you choose a given dialog option. "Dialog Conditions" will show the conditions required for a dialog options to show. I kept both checked for my whole playthrough for peace of mind.

Flags/Etudes

There are some toybox flags + etudes that are important to Marazhai's romance. (flags are just values like true/false/a number, etudes are... properties set based on flags I guess? idk exactly). You can browse etudes in a tree structure in the "etudes" tab. If you need to change the value of a flag, do that in the "Search 'n Pick" tab.

Etude - Romances >> Marazhai should be flagged as "Active". If it says "Completed", something has gone wrong.

Etude - Romances >> Marazhai >> Counters >> Domination and Romances >> Marazhai >> Counters >> Submission. These determine Marazhai's attitude. If "Domination" is "Active", you get dom!Marazhai, if "Submission" is "Active", you get sub!Marazhai. You have to stick to one or the other, or Marz will be unhappy with you.

Flag - Ascention. This flag needs to be, I believe, minimum 4 by the time you get his final romance scene in Act 5 to get the "good" romance ending. It's pretty easy to get Ascention points as long as you play along with Marazhai, respect his uh... culture, and stick to your dom/sub role.

Etudes - Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Domination and Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Submission. You can safely ignore these, they don't actually affect the romance as far as I can tell :)

Regarding Marazhai's Companion Quest

Doing the sub!Marazhai route will lock you out of a certain outcome for Marazhai's companion quest. I don't think this is a bug, because narratively, it makes a lot of sense that this happens. However, the outcome you get locked out of could be considered the "ideal" outcome (though I also think this is debatable, and I was happy with my outcome/ending for my sub! Marazhai). You can get a good romance ending regardless of the outcome of this quest.

The flag related to Marazhai's personal quest is called TempestCounter, and you need it at 5+ for the "ideal" outcome. All TempestCounter points are based on whether Marazhai's dom or sub etude is active, outside of the points you get from the errand mentioned below. dom!Marazhai adds points, sub!Marazhai removes points. Which is why sub!Marazhai locks you out of an outcome.

Act 3 - Post Recruitment Scene

There are two versions of Marzipan's post-recruitment scene. The "Normal" version currently has a bug with dom/sub points, but you can work around it.

Normal - this is what most people see. There is an opportunity to get a dom or sub point in this dialog, but it's bugged so they're flipped. If you want your RT to be dom, pick the sub-y dialog option, and if you want your RT to be sub, pick the dom-y option.

Dogmatic party members starting drama - There's some confusion about what exactly triggers this. My recommendation to get this version of the scene: make sure you recruit Ulfar before you recruit Marazhai, and if you have Argenta and/or Heinrix with you for the Act 3 location, make sure you put them back in your party ASAP (they will get temporarily removed from it), so that they're with you for the event where you recruit Marazhai. To be safe, bring one of Argenta and/or Heinrix with you for Act 3. This dialog also has an opportunity for a dom or sub point, and is not currently bugged. ALSO it unlocks an errand that will lead to a little bit of extra dialog, and potential TempestCounter points.

Act 3 - Marazhai's Possessions

You'll get an act 3 companion quest for Marazhai where he asks you to help find some stuff he has stashed away. Eventually, you find a specific item he's very excited about. Make sure you let him keep this item. There's also an opportunity to get a dom or sub point here, but the flags are flipped again. So like last time, if you want your RT to be dom, pick the sub-y dialog, and if you want to be sub, pick the dom-y dialog.

Congratulations, this is the last flipped dom/sub flag situation you need to worry about! (at least, I'm not aware of any others)

***Also MILD SPOILER WARNING due to flag name***

I guess this is really only a spoiler if you're familiar with 40k lore but... anyways... This scene should probably start etude MarTookAgonizer, and should also probably start either PlayerTriedAgonizer or PlayerTriedAgonizerOnMar (depending on what you did). Start the appriate etudes manually for some fun little bits of bonus dialog later :)

***END SPOILER***

Act 4 - First Void Jump With Marz

In act 4, during you first void jump with Marazhai, he'll cause... problems. You'll ultimately have 3 ways to deal with this:

Let him do whatever tf he wants. Sets Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Domination to active. Currently bugged, prevents completing the quest associated with this event and prevents romance progression.

Compromise? Sets Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Sybarite to active. Confirmed to work for both dom!Marazhai and sub!Marazhai romance paths

Lock him up. Sets Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> submission to active. Immediately breaks the romance. Used to work with romance, but according to patch notes was causing Big Bugs so it just ends the romance now. It should get restored in a future patch, but for now, DO NOT PICK THIS.

Act 4 - Sleeping with Marz the First Time

There is a known bug where after you sleep with Marazhai for the first time after going for a "walk", you get dom!Marazhai flavoured dialog no matter what. The sub!Marazhai flavoured dialog for this doesn't even seem to be in the game. So... nothing you can do about it, but it won't break your romance. It will just seem a bit off if you've been doing the sub!Marazhai route.

Side Content - Equipping Super Cursed Item

This doesn't affect the actual romance in any way, but it's a bug you can experience if you have an active romance with Marazhai. There's a side planet where you can loot a SUPER cursed item, that warns you that you won't be able to take if off if you equip it. If you try to equip it anyway with romanced Marazhai in the party, you'll get a special interaction with him over it. Unfortunately, it's bugged, and as a result the item will be stuck on your character but with providing any benefits, so it effectively just removes one of your equipment slots, which is super annoying. Do recommend saving and then trying to equip the item just to see the scene though :)

Companion Quest Journal Bugs

You may notice Marazhai's optional Act 3 errand and his Act 4 companion quest not getting removed from the quest log. Don't stress it - if you've done what's required by them, you're good. The quest/errand is done, the journal entry is just stuck because it's bugged.

End

Aaaand that's pretty much it! There used to be a few other bugs affecting Marazhai's romance but they've since been patched. Now it's mostly a few issues early on, and then smooth sailing once you get past those.

General, non-bug-related tips for succesfful romance:

Don't be a coward, Marazhai respects wholeheartedly embracing Drukhari culture and will break things off if you don't

Stick to your established dom or sub role

Play along with Marazhai's shenanigans

Keep in mind that you really can't be a good person while completing this romance path

If you have any questions or need clarification on anything don't be afraid to ask! I'll do my best to help.

#rogue trader crpg #rogue trader #marazhai aezyrraesh #marazhai

144 notes · View notes