Deus Pater (Exalted/40k)

And so the Admiral speaks, and so you listen.

He tells you of a Space Hulk, named in ciphers as the Ruin of Hope, of a twisted conglomeration of ships and detritus thrown together by the tides of the immaterium and left to drift amongst the stars. Of its course, surprisingly regular and predictable, through a dozen systems in the outer reaches of the sector. Of the hungry demons and warp-spawned beasts that follow in its wake, and of the grim carnage they have wrecked upon the worlds accursed enough to fall before their notice.

The Sons of Sanguinius, the loyal children of the hero for who your world is named, have mustered in its path. They have made clear their intent to board the hulk and end the threat it presents, and have issued a call to all Imperial subjects of good faith and will to rally to their side. The Admiral is a pious man, and more than that he is a man in command of a sizeable force of warships, and so he did not wait for higher orders before moving to comply. The Angels do not hold authority over him, cannot command him to assist, but he knows his duty and is driven to perform it even so. For this, he is to be commended, even if the actions taken in pursuit of that goal are not within the bounds of your tolerance.

Such a judgement is enough for you to pause, to take stock of your own circumstances and think at last of the future. Sanguis is a mighty world, and your flock there devoted to a fanatical degree, but it is one world among many. Can you remain here, safe in your cathedral, while conflict rages beyond your sight and the tides of war threaten to wash over your lone redoubt? You do not think it so.

"Very well, Admiral," you say at last, cutting off the stammering stream of confession with a single gentle hand, "I condemn your ill-thought actions and the lack of care shown to those beneath your shield, but I cannot deny your need. There is a threat mustering beyond the borders of this world, and you go to face it down in duty's name untamed."

The galaxy is a dark and hostile place, after all, a punishment and prison all in one for the collected souls of man. That it would seek to assail your people even now is nothing new, for scarcely has a year passed since the first human broke the skies of Terra that the universe has not bedeviled you with such trials, and nor is the response that faith and duty in unison demand.

"I will go with you," you say, a proclamation given in quiet tones, "and together we will turn back the scourge of the unclean from these stars."

The effect of such words on the spirits of those around you is profound. The men of the Navy rally with hope in their eyes, the sword of judgement held overhead now turned to their defense, and the spirit of the ship on which you stand growls its approval. Even the Sororitas appear pleased, for they are the warrior-priests of the Emperor and the call of Crusade is one that sings within their blood.

The Magos alone is silent, staring at you with eyes of polished glass, and you can only wonder at the clockwork thoughts that must click and clack beneath that crimson hood.

With your intent declared and accepted your business here is done, delayed only long enough to impress upon the officers that the press gang of the pious shall not be allowed to continue. Your words shall be conveyed to your flock, and those who do not wish to be dragged off across the cosmos to die in service to men dressed in blue will be returned to Sanguis' surface. Given the alternative, having perhaps the slightest clue of what your wrath untamed might do to his body and soul, the Admiral is only too happy to agree, and with that matter resolved you take a moment to find a private shrine to the God-Emperor and gather your thoughts away from the prying eyes of those who hold you exalted above all others.

Only there, sealed away behind bulkheads inscribed with pious litanies and standing before the altar-shrine of the god you serve, do you allow the fear to take you at last.

...I am Ignatius, heir to the God-Emperor…

What in the million names of the divine compelled you to make such a statement? Your faith has been a call to service for as long as you can recall, a sacred duty that has driven you to give all that you know how to give in support of your fellow man, and though you have risen through the ranks to one of the highest stations in the Imperium you never once believed yourself a ruler. And yet, when challenged in even the mildest terms by a stammering officer scarcely able to move under his own power you not only claimed the mantle of authority, but named the Golden Throne itself as your right of birth.

You ball a fist and force it between your jaws, biting down to stifle the maddened burst of laughter that threatens to tear its way free of your throat at the mere thought. To lay such a claim is heresy of the highest order, even by your somewhat unorthodox approach to doctrine, and the worst part… the worst part is that no one stopped you. No one even doubted.

You stepped into a room with a dozen battle-sisters of the Adeptus Sororitas and named yourself the anointed heir of Him on Earth and not one of them so much as blinked. What else could you do, that they would not only permit but perhaps outright support? You have seen worlds burn in the flames cast forth by the faithful, and now those same flames lie at your command, ready to lift you to the throne of mankind across an ocean of char-black corpses. The thought alone is terrifying.

Slowly, one breath at a time, you bring your fluttering heart back under control. You are no stranger to the temptations of power's abuse, for none could rise to anything approaching your current rank without having the opportunity thrown in their path at least a dozen times or more. You resisted the desire on those occasions, and you will not give way to it now, especially not when the magnitude has risen to such a substantial degree. Perhaps trustworthy peers might be found, that you might surround yourself with those capable of keeping you on the righteous path with words and force should the need arise… but for now, you will simply have to work with what you have, and pay close attention to the stirrings of impulse and assumption.

Letting out one last sigh, you smooth down the humble pilgrim's smock that still adorns your torso, and murmur a prayer to the icon before you for guidance and continued blessings. Then you turn, and rejoin the others, mind already turning on ways to move forwards with the next step in the chain.

-/-

It takes time, of course, even with communication reestablished and transport arranged back to the planet below. Time to contact those who you can trust to enact your will, time to properly establish the full scope of what has occured, time to receive reports and issue orders and get everyone moving in the same direction once again. The scale of what has happened here today is difficult to understand.

An Imperial Press-Gang is a terrifying and widespread thing. The Navy were considerate enough not to take too many from any particular place, understanding in their limited fashion the consequences that such focused harvesting would have on the planet they are supposed to guard, but in practice that just reflected the trauma out across a wider area. Millions of people have witnessed the Emperor's Sword descend on wings of fire, seen their neighbours gunned down in the street for resisting and their kin herded aboard great transports to be taken up into the skies above according to some unknown plan. The civil disorder that erupted in the wake of such a callous deed was considerable, exacerbated by the overtly Imperial appearance of the armsmen and the similarities to the lawkeepers who tried to restore order in their wake.

Ironically, it was the mutants and other outcasts of Sanguis that escaped the experience with the lightest touch of the whip, whose districts returned to good order and sense in the swiftest period of time. They were the ones with the instincts developed over long years that were best tailored to such treatment, the ones who did not hesitate at the sight of shuttles descending from on high but instead scattered and hid in the span of a heart's solitary beat. Their faith in your protection was shaken, briefly, but as word spreads of what you accomplished here today it returns redoubled in earth-shaking force.

It saddens you, to see how easily the downtrodden accept the failure of even the well-intentioned, how swift they are to reward the earnest attempt even absent true success as another might measure it. Even the most meagre crumb is precious to he that starves within sight of the banquet table, you suppose, but the reminder serves only to harden your will at what must be done. You cannot allow this state of affairs to continue forever; every passing day it has not been corrected is a personal failure, and if they will not judge you for it you will take such a duty for your own.

With order restored, you turn to the pursuit of duty.

You will be departing shortly, to return only when circumstances permit, and it would be the grossest negligence to leave without first ensuring that those you leave in your wake will not be appropriately cared for. Fortunately, in this you are well served by your efforts to date, and the perceptive gifts of the Emperor's bestowal. You promote the skilled and worth, clarify the division of responsibility, and in a series of personal meetings impress upon each and every chosen soul the magnitude of the burden that you will be laying on their shoulders.

The Ecclesiarchy serves as the shepherd of mankind, and the priests you name would rather die than disappoint you. You suppose that will need to suffice.

With that taken care of, you turn to the matter of recruitment. With your words and explanation provided the Navy is somewhat astonished to find its ships overflowing with volunteers, those able and willing to serve aboard the great void-ships without need for the press of baton or lash of whip, but this alone might not be enough. You are going in person, of course, but to go alone is a flat impossibility; the Sororitas will not allow it.

And so you must speak of faith, and the perils of what awaits, and choose from among the gathered throngs those you are willing to lead to death and perhaps damnation in the name of faith.

Article:

And we're back. Apologies for the delay, which was mostly associated with work and a family holiday (plus the start of another quest which can be found in my signature), and my thanks to the people who went through and started liking all my posts who provided me with that final spur of motivation…

Anyway, we have two votes to attend to here. Firstly, how many do you bring with you?

[ ] A Retinue. A sizeable force of Sororitas and the most veteran members of the Fraetis Militia will accompany you on this expedition, enough to fulfill your will and guard your person and not a person more. You cannot willingly drag your flock into the horrors that the warp-spawn will have prepared for you in the future.

[ ] An Army. Sanguis is a world of billions, and there is no shortage of volunteers. You will take a sizeable portion of the defense forces with you, and a substantial number of new recruits who can be trained en route, plus the bulk of the local Sororitas. With their aid you may cast back the darkness, and make the sacrifices you demand of them worthwhile.

[ ] A Crusade. It is the highest duty of the faithful to oppose the darkness, and you will not fall short of that expectation now. Ignite the flames of piety and rally the souls of man against the foes that await, and together you will burn away the darkness. You will take as many as can be found room for upon the ships, and leave behind only enough to see that Sanguis itself does not suffer for their loss.

With that decided, you have concluded the 'tutorial' arc of Sanguis, and are now ready to head out into the wider galaxy and start saving the Imperium from its many and varied foes (chief among them itself). For this, you have been awarded one thousand experience. Please note how you wish to allocate it.

[ ] Spend xp (plan format)

Note - It costs 250xp to upgrade an existing charm, and 75 to buy a new one. If you want a new charm, it is permissible to include a line like '150xp on new Zenith charms' in your Plan, which I will resolve with a secondary vote in the event that such a plan wins the first round.