The Blood of Kings (40K-In Memoria)

[Simon_Jester]

Some dumb questions.

Firstly, even if the Nids get lured into the EOT, doesn't that just mean that the Nids go squish? As the deeper they move in, the more they move into the warp and away from realspace, and the greater the abilities of major powers and the Chaos Gods themselves to simply f*#(k them over, or even worse give them ideas?

I wonder how the Shadow in the Warp interacts with the intense, chaotic warp of the Eye...

[Imperial Overlord]

I wonder how the Shadow in the Warp interacts with the intense, chaotic warp of the Eye...

The Shadow in the Warp is the collective Warp presence of the Tyranids. In the Eye of Terror, the Warp and real space blend and are not separate dimensions. This should scare you.

[Skyfox120]

out of curiosty IO... have you read Atlas Infernal yet? just finished it myself and can't help but wonder what would happen if the crusade should run across INquistor Czerk, who not only knows the eldar webways... but has a living map to them...

[Imperial Overlord]

out of curiosty IO... have you read Atlas Infernal yet? just finished it myself and can't help but wonder what would happen if the crusade should run across INquistor Czerk, who not only knows the eldar webways... but has a living map to them...

I haven't seen it around here yet, but Inquisitors plus Eldar will put it fairly high on my strongly consider reading list when I do come across it.

[Skyfox120]

out of curiosty IO... have you read Atlas Infernal yet? just finished it myself and can't help but wonder what would happen if the crusade should run across INquistor Czerk, who not only knows the eldar webways... but has a living map to them...

I haven't seen it around here yet, but Inquisitors plus Eldar will put it fairly high on my strongly consider reading list when I do come across it.

THeres also a bad ass Ahrimann vs Harelquin Eldar trope fight and a whole chapter set in the black library if they moves it up your priority notch a bit

Also one part answers the question "what happens if you use Daemon bone as fertilizer?"

[Imperial Overlord]

Varian strode angrily across the room and pulled a decanter of Allium off the shelf and slammed it down hard on the table. The guest quarters were lavish and filled with every luxury he did not desire. There were silk sheets, plush carpets, mirrors framed with intricate designs of gleaming god, and everything else his spartan creed held to be of little value. He was a warrior, physical and spiritual, of the Emperor and accustomed to the harshness that built strength and resolve. But now, right now, what he really wanted was a drink.

He filled a large crystal tumbler with the heavy wine, Throne take which glass he could use. The purple fluid sloshed around and then he lifted it to his lips and drank it down. It was almost blasphemous to gulp down such a wine like this and, given its potency, more than a little reckless. He filled the tumbler again. "I would offer you one but you don't drink much anymore," he said before gulping it all down.

"I rarely indulge and my tolerance it reduced," replied Prius Ristani, "but today I will join you." Varian grabbed another tumbler and filled both of them. Varian walked over to the polished oak desk and raised it with his mechanical hand. Most of his body was mechanical, but a few of his organs were flesh. His system would filter away most toxins. He raised the glass. "The failure was mine," he said. "Jolan Gix warned me. I did not see it."

"Of course you didn't," said Varian, "we were all blind." He drank down his glass and threw it against the lacquered ebony wall paneling. "We were blinded by our Monodominant leanings. There were machines. There were Imperial institutions. There was the enemy. Use the former to crush the latter. We are warriors, that's how we think. Blunt, brutal, and insufficient.

"Novadlorian was blinded by faith. She did not see the actions of soulless, faithless machines. Nostrum was blinded by his own burgeoning corruption and Talstrem by gratitude.

"And the Men of Iron? Blind because they have no faith. Everything is data and calculation to them. One cannot calculate corruption. And Gix? Blinded by ambition. Blinded by the desire to have power over everything, to be like the Emperor come again." He refilled the glass and drank it down again.

"What do we do now?" asked Ristani. "My experience with Inquisition politics-"

"-is next to nothing, I know," finished Varian. "My fault. You were too useful as my right hand and both of us were too wrapped up in waging war. A mistake we have both payed for. Pray to the Throne that the Imperium does not pay for it as well. We correct that mistake. We will need to build, build or use power blocks of our own. Blocks strong enough that he is no longer as indespensable to the machines. They are soulless, but that is a flaw as much as it is an abomination. They feel no gratitude or friendship, only the directives of their cogitator brains. They will abandon him when it is expedient to do so."

"Gix understands this," replied Ristani. He took a small sip from his glass. "He will not be idle."

"No, he will not. But the larger the network the more important the network as a whole and the less important Jolan Gix the man will become. The Men of Iron will become amenable to his removal when the math works out. That is if Gix doesn't do us all the favor of dying heroically in the field. I bear the man no ill will. He has done tremendous good for the Imperium. He simply has become to dangerous."

"He will expect direct action."

"Yes and he will undoubtedly keep a diviner near him to try and circumvent that. In any respect, we won't be ready for it for years at the earliest. If we strike at all."

Ristani hesitated. "Are you reconsidering?"

"He could become too influential to attack, if he lives. I know one thing for certain my friend. My heart soared to see Talstrem walk again, his soul clothed in flesh. I see much wisdom in the Monodominant methods, but I am a psyker who sees the hand of my God in the world of flesh and base matter and I know you do as well."

"Yes," said Ristani. Why else had he traded flesh for metal? The metal served the soul, his true self better than the flesh. It was nothing compared to the sacrifice the Emperor had made.

"How much power will his success grant him with our fellow Thorians? How much with his fellow Xanthites? The distance between one and the other is often narrow. We both know that for the Emperor to be resurrected it will take a miracle of warpcraft and biological science and Gix has done it. Gix and his heretek chirurgeon. His work may be priceless and he may yet have more to contribute. How powerful will his success make him?"

"And should we oppose him?" asked Prius. "To lay the ground for the resurrection of the Emperor, to an end to his torment and the beginning of a golden age I would give my soul and think the price cheap."

"Yes," said Varian. "And how much damage could he do if he falls after obtaining so much power? And how much of my fear is resentment that it wasn't me who accomplished such things but a soft hearted fool who doesn't recognize the danger in what he deals in."

"You are wrong," said Prius Ristani. "Do not continue to make the same mistake. Gix prefers be precise in the damage he inflicts, but he is willing to use less discriminate measures when necessary. You have not seen what I have. He is not like us, but he fills graveyards with his enemies Varian."

"You're right. I don't like his arrogance or his attitude, but his results speak loudly enough. We build, we hope, and if necessary we act."

"If he does not act first."

"His sentimentality will shield us."

"Do you believe so, even after today? I never did, even five decades ago. It is less likely that his assassin feels such restraints. We know the Men of Iron will feel none. What will Jolan Gix's interrogator see when she lays down the Imperial Tarot and looks for our faces?"

Varian was quite for a moment. "She will let none strike against him and live. If Gix does not take action, she will and she was Kyra Neven's interrogator before she was Gix's. One astropathic message to Neven and its a visit from an Officio Assassin or whatever killer she's groomed to replace Maladar."

"If Maladar has not returned."

"Any chance we could turn Maladar? He is, like us, practically a Monodominant in methods if not beliefs."

"We would get one chance and it would have to convince him to abandon everyone who he has stood with his entire career. A career filled with inquisitors dead at his hands."

"How come no one has killed him?"

"Because each confirmed kill is legally supportable. Because it is very difficult. Because failure means to face death at his hands. Because to succeed makes Kyra Neven, Jolan Gix, and all the rest of her students your enemies. And perhaps someone finally has and he is dead, not missing."

Varian looked into the dregs at the bottom of his glass. "It's no win, isn't it?"

"For now, yes."

"Then that is the way it is. For now. We build a network, keep the peace with Gix, and if it becomes necessary for us to act, we act. For the time being there is only one course of action."

"What?"

"We pray that Jolan Gix's soul does not darken further. For all our sakes."

[Skyfox120]

transfering the Emperors soul into a new receptacle of flesh and science? O_o

Dude are you SURE you haven't read Atlas Infernal yet? Because that was the main reason the INquistor protaganist was studying the Eldar prior to being invited to teh Black Library for the first time... he wanted to figure out how they did soul transfers to wraithbone and avatars of Khaine, so he could do the same for the Emperor....

[Imperial Overlord]

transfering the Emperors soul into a new receptacle of flesh and science? O_o

Dude are you SURE you haven't read Atlas Infernal yet? Because that was the main reason the INquistor protaganist was studying the Eldar prior to being invited to teh Black Library for the first time... he wanted to figure out how they did soul transfers to wraithbone and avatars of Khaine, so he could do the same for the Emperor....

I've just started reading it but Atlas Infernal didn't invent the reason. It's a long standing goal of many Thorians. Thorianism is one of the oldest and most powerful Inquisition factions and one that has been explained in considerable detail. It can lead to many places and can cross over to Xanthism or branch out into really strange fringe factions.

[Connor MacLeod]

Yeah, as I recall that originated with Gav Thorpe's Inquisitor RPG at the very least, although the idea is probably older than that. I rather liked that aspect to Atlas Infernal, myself. It's a much better novel than Redemption Corps was.

[Imperial Overlord]

"Jolan," said Severa as she rose to her feet. The others followed suit. Lydia, Gard, Iriza, and Hethor had all been sitting around a modest table of Vitrian glass, waiting for him to return to his quarters. "Welcome back," she said with a smile.

"Thanks for not getting us all killed boss," said Hethor. Iriza went beet red at the remark. Severa laughed.

"You're welcome," said Jolan as he embraced Severa. Lydia's face twisted for a moment and then resumed smiling. "It's good to see you all again." He broke from Severa's embrace and extended his hand to Hethor.

The big soldier looked down at Jolan. "What's a matter, don't I rate hug?" he said with a big grin.

"Didn't want to ruin your big, tough, warrior image," said Jolan with a smile. The other man grabbed his hand.

"Thing about being big and tough, you can get away with the soft stuff every now and then. Good to be out of a stinking cell boss, even if it was one with silk sheets?"

Jolan nodded and turned to Lydia. He hugged her briefly. "You weren't mistreated?"

"No," said Lydia. Hethor and Iriza shook their heads.

"Confined to quarters," said Severa. "Which might have been respect, might have been bait."

"For Danell."

"Haven't seen him boss," said Hethor.

"We won't," said Jolan. "He's gone to ground for the duration. Selanon? Domina?"

"Kay's with the other Navigators," said Severa. "We managed to go off course pretty badly."

"Who would have fuckin' thought that navigatin' the fuckin' Eye of fuckin' Terror would be harder when you lock up your fuckin' expert," said Hethor.

"Purity is more important than knowledge," said Gard Vikal. "That's the dogma that's been running the Imperium into the muck for ten thousand years."

"Domina?"

"Praying," said Iriza softly. The petit astropath shrank a little when the others turned their gazes upon her. "She's been doing it a lot. She finds it hard." She found something on the carpet to stare at with her perfect mechanical eyes.

"I can imagine," said Jolan. "I'm not exactly the most orthodox person she could have been called to follow."

"Fuck that," said Hethor. "What matters is what you've done for the Throne and that's more than ten other bastards with seals have done or could do."

"Thank you for your votes of confidence," said Jolan. He rubbed his face. "I should go join the Navigators and see if we can get back to the Cadian Gate."

"You should get some rest Jolan," said Gard. "Your chances of recovering will be significantly improved if you get plenty of rest and don't push your abilities."

"Just what are my chances Gard?"

"That is confidential."

"Oaths of confidentiality from a heretek? Cut to the chase. Everyone in this room is going to know anyway."

"If you insist," said the dark skinned medicae. His mechadendrites writhed momentarily. "The initial damage was done by your confrontation with the pariah assassin."

"Should have done him when his boss died," said Hethor. "Fuckin' Monodominant shitheads. Always too fuckin' stupid and too fuckin' trigger happy to leave alive."

"And exacerbated by the strain you put on yourself to summon and compel the Keeper of Secrets before you had fully recovered," continued Gard. "My best guess it that with rest and slow recuperation you should eventually recover most of your abilities, but I simply don't know."

"We might not get any recovery time if we don't get out of the Eye," said Jolan. "Thank you for your concern. I'll get some bed rest. Soon. But first I'm going to see if the knowledge in my head can help steer us back onto the right course."

He turned to leave. "Heth," said Severa.

"Yeah," said the big man stepping forward.

"A bodyguard?" asked Jolan. "They won't move on me now."

"Maybe you're wrong," said Severa. "Maybe someone lower down decides to not listen. So you don't make a move without a Naval Security detachment and at least one of us with you."

"You win," said Jolan.

"I always win," said Severa.

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The dozen strong squad of Navy Stormtroopers escorted Jolan Gix and Hethor D'eckor down the deck and up the lift that lead to the observation dome. The lift doors hissed open to reveal Nathan Talstrem. The blond inquisitor doffed his battered hat. "Jolan," he said. "I've been expecting you."

Gix inclined his head. "Then walk with me. You obviously know where I'm going."

"Someone had to get us back on course and that meant you were coming here sooner than later."

"That predictable huh?"

"Yes, and it's a habit you should break. Varian and Ristani have entourages full of violent, reactionary Puritans. Both of them respect you, even like you, but felt they had to bring you to trial. Their underlings don't know you and not all of them are that bright and a lot of them are fanatics. Someone might get the bright idea of doing what needs to be done and stranding all of us in the Eye until we get lucky or someone assembles a large enough fleet to try and kill us." He paused for a moment.

"What were you going to say?" asked Jolan.

"You should have seen the possibility."

"Perhaps."

"He's right boss," said Hethor. "Same shit, different pile."

"Maybe I'm just tired," said Jolan. "Maybe the damage I suffered is more severe than just crippling my psychic abilities. Or maybe I'm used to relying on my prognostic skills to augment my intuitive deductions and reasoning skills and now that I don't have them I'm not what I used to be."

"I'm sorry," said Gard.

"Don't be," said Jolan. "It was worth it. An inquisitor crippled in exchange for havoc wrecked on both the renegades of the Eye and the Tyranid Hive Fleets? Who wouldn't pay that cost?" There was no answer. "So," said Jolan, "what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I wanted to let you know that I would have saved you."

"Truly?"

"I owe you my life Jolan and more than that you are one of the few people I've met who I can relate two. I was lost in the Warp when the Emperor still walked among us. You are one of the few who can understand how much as changed since then. You are much like the people of that time. I wasn't going to let you burn over saving our collective asses."

"And how were you can do that?"

"My secret," Talstrem winked. "Now see if you can get us the hell out of hell. I've spent more time wandering in the Warp than I care to think about already."

[AgentPalpatine]

Talstrem is'nt known to bluff, and he is indicating that he could save Gix from the trial. It does'nt sound like he was plannning to bring back Gix from the dead, so that means a rescue attempt. Gix was already under the guns of the Deathwatch, Space Marines, 3 inquisitors, and the Men of Iron. I don't know if the conspirators were planning a formal service before the execution, but I'd expect Gix to get the Emperor's Mercy within a very short time of judgement.

On the other hand, Talstrem spent 50 years in the warp, he's in the Eye of Terror, and he was a daemonhunter. His only documented service to the Imperium in those 50 years was at the showdown with the Gamesman. One could serious question if Talstrem is a pawn or a knight in a Tzeentch plot, and if not, he may still be corrupted from his time in the warp.

[Imperial Overlord]

Talstrem is a heinously powerful psyker who has had prep time and has near unlimited authority and resources as an Inquisitor and has the not inconsiderable cachet of having met the Emperor in the flesh. He has time to plan, time to gather resources, and time to put men and gear into position. I would not underestimate his ability to deliver.

[Imperial Overlord]

Severa leaned back in the command throne. "Status on our shadows?"

"My lady," said a dark haired woman with grey streaks in her hair, "they are still following. Two strike cruiser class vessels, at the edge of our augery return range."

"No further, but no closer," said Severa. She turned the command throne towards Varian and Novadlorian. "They're the vanguard of a larger fleet, but not large enough to consider us prey. They're waiting for vulnerability. Or reinforcements."

"Or us to get mangled when we go through that warp anomaly," said Lena.

"If it isn't the Cadian Gate. Which two of our senior Navigators believe it to be and this is where Jolan's work said it will be."

"Hardly a broad consensus," said Varian.

"Which is why the whole fleet won't be going through at once. Communications, signal the Belligerent to proceed toward the Cadian Gate."

"I hope you haven't killed those men," said Lena.

"We could stay here until we're insane, corrupt, or slain," said Severa. "Display the Belligerent's progress on my pict screens and inform our astropaths to maintain contact. And have my cook send up a pot of tea."

She settled in to wait. Ten minutes later a servant arrived with a samovar of tea on a silver tray. He poured Severa a cup and then ladled in a spoonful of sugar. Severa took the cup and sipped.

Time slipped by. The Belligerent entered the anomaly. Severa finished the cup and placed it on the tray. "Refill," she ordered. "Auger status?"

"We still have contact with the Belligerent although there is considerable interference," reported a young officer

"Astropathic contact status?"

"Strained and erratic," came the report from the senior officer on station. "Astropaths report that they still have contact. The Belligerent is still in the anomaly."

"Continue monitoring their progress."

"Admiral, we have lost auger contact with the Belligerent."

"Astropathics?"

"Still in contact. There is turbulence, but the ship is unharmed."

Severa picked up the cup and took another sip. She waited and then took another. "Admiral, signal from the Belligerent. They're being hailed by Cadian defense monitors!"

She smiled. "By all means, have them reply and inform the Cadians to expect guests. Signal the rest of the fleet to stand by for maneuvers. I'm sure the Cadians want us coming through in an orderly and manageable fashion, but we aren't leaving a skeleton force behind to get picked off by predators." She turned to address Varian and Lena. "My lord, my lady, if you could move to the communications stations with your authority codes, this may go smoother."

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Bionic eyes so expertly crafted that they could only be identified as synthetics at close range surveyed the room. It was barren, to both physical and psychic senses and thus an almost perfect place to work. "This will do," she said in a small voice.

Hethor lumbered through the doorway stopped at the center of the room. "Here?" he asked.

"That's fine," whispered Irina.

Hethor grunted and unrolled the rug he was carrying on his shoulder before laying it down on the hard decking.. It was a lush red colour and thick. "That it?" he asked.

"Yes," said Irina. "That's all."

"Alright," said Hethor, retreating to the edge of the room and unslinging his combi-hellgun.

"I don't need a guard," she said. "Not in here. The men outside will be enough."

"Let me worry about that," said Hethor. "You just send the message."

The astropath nodded and sat down cross-legged. She closed her eyes and calmed her breathing. She began the first step of the the discipline and the world faded away.