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A Song Of Peace: Imperial Regent Quest [40k]

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[X][LEVIATHAN] The Blood Angels Homeworld of Baal
[X][POSTURE] Participate in the battle directly and engage the most powerful Tyranid Warforms.
 
[X][LEVIATHAN] The Blood Angels Homeworld of Baal
[X][POSTURE] Participate in the battle directly and engage the most powerful Tyranid Warforms.
 
AnOldIdeaMadeNew said:
Did a write up of key points here, along with the later thought that if the battle on Seraphax winds down faster than the battle on Ba'al then that would give the Khornates fifteen Bloodthirsters with cohorts, possibly led by Skarbrand again, to intervene in a time and place of their choosing during our fight on Ba'al. I think it more prudent to go to Seraphax to remove them from the equation instead of letting such a dangerous element come in in the middle of the battle when most of our forces will be committed, disordered, and most vulnerable to shock charges.
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Those are all good points. You've convinced me, changing my vote.

[X][LEVIATHAN] The Shrine World of Seraphax
[X][POSTURE] Call upon your Deva and direct them to the most important battlefields
 
Okay, I'm now considering changing my vote.

If Baal can hold out until we relieve Seraphax and then travel to support them, then we'll have cut off at least some of Khorne's reinforcements, gained reinforcements of our own, and set up a battle isn't as likely to be interrupted by fresh hordes of Khornate daemons.

If. If Baal can hold out, if it won't delay us too badly, and if there isn't some issue of timing that I'm forgetting about. Relieving Seraphax is the best-case scenario if everything goes well; if it doesn't, we could end up endangering Baal.

I suppose the question is whether relieving Baal as soon as possible is worth the risk to Seraphax, or vice versa. Baal seems to be more strongly defended, but also more valuable, so the risk and reward are complicated.
 
[X][LEVIATHAN] The Blood Angels Homeworld of Baal
[X][POSTURE] Participate in the battle directly and engage the most powerful Tyranid Warforms.

At this point, Baal is out of time. Tyranid landings are being confirmed with more nids on the way from Seraphix. We relieve the shrine and Baal's going to be hitting the point of being overrun, which aint great when it's our primary objective here.
 
[X][LEVIATHAN] The Blood Angels Homeworld of Baal
[X][POSTURE] Participate in the battle directly and engage the most powerful Tyranid Warforms.

If Baal falls, or sustains massive losses - to death or the Black Rage - we've lost our original mission, essentially. To say nothing of the ever present risk of Dante biting it. At which point we're gonna be looking reaaaaaaal hard for someone to be Regent of Nihilus in his place.
 
Sorry, Seraphax. The risk of Baal falling simply isn't worth it, especially with the Tyranids reinforcing. Seraphax will have to hold out until we relieve Baal.

Or not.
 
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Index: Lore Matters
  • Informational
    • BEWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD!

    This will be an archive of various lore snippets and other useful pieces of information that Pandora is aware of but which you, the readers, have not been told of yet because the occasion hasn't appeared in the updates. Not everything will be here; this is mostly to be updated whenever something interesting occurs to me that should be revealed, but this is mostly for archival purposes; when it comes to votes, the information you need will be made clear.

    Without further ado, we will begin with the Lore, starting with...

    ----

    On The Nature of the Warp​

    The Nature of Astral Thrones
    Astral Thrones are focal points of power, the natural seats of Gods and one of the few ways that a mortal can ascend to divinity. Their origins are little understood; some say they are remnants of the Old Ones' workings during the War in Heaven, while others claim that they are natural phenomena, built when one climbs the steps of Ascension and lays claim to a Domain powerful enough to sustain a Throne. Some claim a combination, that some Astral Thrones are artificial while others are natural, formed in emulation of those who first conquered the Sea of Souls.

    When a God claims an Astral Throne, whether by climbing the Steps of Ascension as a mortal or being born onto the Throne, they gain control over the Domain, and in doing so are forever marked by it - though such markings are not always physical, nor are they always spiritual. By claiming an Astral Throne, the new God now draws power from the Domain and all mortals who act within the Domain's purview; Wars now empower Khorne, the God of War, just as acts of Change empowers Tzeentch. In addition, Domains also empower their claimants, granting them a measure of power independent of sacrifices offered by their followers or earned by other means. Unlike power won from faith, it cannot be easily stored, preventing Gods claiming an Astral Throne from stockpiling their domain's power for extended periods.

    Gods with an Astral Throne can also create an afterlife for their followers and those they claim from death, preserving their souls within their Domain - often mistakenly called a Godrealm, for Gods often build their Realms within their Domains for it is the seat of their power - and protecting them, or bartering them.

    By claiming an Astral Throne, a God now also gains the ability to form Deva, servants imbued with a portion of their divine power and capable of acting with their divine authority. Not all Gods who have claimed an Astral Throne will do so, however, as this act of investiture often consumes power that could be used in other ways, but it is common. Deva can be shaped from the souls of those who reside within their Domain, or crafted entirely from their power alone. Deva crafted from the souls of the living are often more independent, while Deva forged from power alone are easier to create and more loyal, requiring less power overall.

    In addition, however, a God's understanding of their Domain is not absolute, and as that understanding grows they become more able to craft new Greater Deva that reflect these facets. It should be noted that Greater Deva are more independent than Lesser Deva as a direct consequence of this, even when forged from power alone, and the amount of power invested also ensures that Greater Deva are not often made, for a God cannot sustain too many without spreading themselves too thin.

    Once one has ascended to an Astral Throne, they are tied forever. Gods remain tied to their Astral Throne until their destruction, whereupon the Throne is toppled, or their consumption by other Gods, which grants that Throne to the victor. To Descend from the Astral Throne is impossible, and to even attempt such is taboo amongst the Gods. Yet, in days past it was attempted by a foolish few, for it was one of the few ways to circumvent Asuryan's Edict without facing retribution. All such attempts failed, toppling their Astral Thrones and leaving their Deva lost and adrift in the Sea of Souls.

    Pandora's successful Descension is unheard of, unprecedented, and an act of undeniable Heresy.
    The Nature of Deva
    A Deva is an immortal servant of a God that resides primarily within the Warp, generally within the Realm of their God. All Deva are imbued with a measure of the power of their God, though it is by no means a permanent investiture. Deva are primarily categorised into two broad categories, though every God will have their own forms of hierarchy and ranking that their Deva will follow. Deva often emulate the nature and form of their God, though it is not always the case, and it is possible in some cases for Deva to become distinct and independent of their God. The Deva of the Four are known as Daemons, for it is in their nature to destroy, not foster. Unfortunately, they are also the most common form of Deva left in existence, for in the aftermath of Slaanesh's birth Chaos' power has increased dramatic and their domination over the Warp is now all but total.

    The first category of Deva are Lesser Deva, the Least Servants of a God. This category can also include Divine Beasts, but is not always the case for all Gods. Lesser Deva can be crafted wholesale from the power of a God and given animation through that divine fire, but may also be formed from the souls of a God's dead followers who now reside within their Divine Realm. Lesser Deva formed wholly from power are much less costly and demanding for their God to craft, while Lesser Deva formed from the souls of their followers retain more of their individuality and personality from life. It is not unknown for Gods to have Lesser Deva of both categories, but it is rare for Gods to only have Deva that were once living followers. The Four are unable to create Lesser Deva from the souls of their followers, as the process demands a degree of finesse and control that the Chaos Gods are either unable or unwilling to demonstrate.

    The second category of Deva are Greater Deva, the Greater Servants of a God. These are distinct from Lesser Deva as they are not merely imbued with a measure of their God's power, but also reflect an aspect of their divine nature, often but not always one of their Domains. In doing so, not only are these Deva capable of containing a greater measure of their God's power, they are also able to manifest it in unique ways that Lesser Deva are incapable of. As a result of reflecting a face of their God, Greater Deva also command greater authority amongst a God's Deva through their inherent nature, and are often leaders in their own right. Greater Deva are also more independent than Lesser Deva as a result, regardless of how they are made, and it is vanishingly rare for Greater Deva to be formed of a soul, as souls capable of mantling an aspect of a God are few and far between. However, though it is often believed that Gods can only have a single Greater Daemon that exemplars one of their aspects, this is not true. However, the amount of power a God must invest into their Greater Deva is prohibitive, and so Greater Deva are always rare by necessity. Only the Chaos Gods have Greater Deva in any real number, and even they limit their numbers for fear of rebellion, as has happened before when a Greater Deva challenged their God for one of their Thrones.

    A subset of Greater Deva, Exalted Greater Deva are the mightiest servants of their God, often commanding immense authority and power within the Realm of their God and across the Immaterium in its entirety. The chosen hands and enforcers of their God, the Exalted are rare and notable even by the standards of the Gods, and their appearance in the Materium is often considered an invasion of reality, for figures such as they cannot exist in the realms of men. Indeed, for a Deva to earn the moniker of Exalted is a rare and difficult task, and only the servants of truly great and powerful Gods may claim to have an Exalted amongst their flock. To date, only the Gods of Chaos have more than one Exalted Greater Deva amongst their ranks, as is their nature as usurpers of natural forces.

    Though the ranks and hierarchies of Deva are often up to the whims of their respective God, the position of Archdeva is common to all of them. An Archdeva or whichever variation of such is the Right Hand of their God, often the greatest of their Deva and the commander of their divine armies. The word of an Archdeva is often considered the word of their God, and the power an Archdeva wields is often considerable. Not all Gods can claim to have an Archdeva, for the title demands a degree of power only the Exalted can command. Yet, not all of the Ruinous Ones have Archdeva either; Slaanesh is too young to have settled upon a single one of her Exalted as Archdeva, while the Archdeva of the Changer is lost and twisted and adrift amidst his own fancies, much like the tangled nature of his God. Khorne refuses to have an Archdeva, for the independence and authority the position offers has given him a rival once before already. Only Nurgle, the Plaguefather, has appointed an Archdeva amongst the four; his firstborn, Ku'Gath.

    Deva are distinct from mortal followers who have received blessings as they are creatures of the Warp, and thus death has little meaning to them. Consequentially, however, Deva cannot persist in the Materium forever, and ritual and sacrifice is often needed in order to permit a Deva's passage across the veil. However, in the modern day, the God-Emperor of Mankind is notable as his Deva - both Greater and Lesser - do not appear to need to be summoned, and may cross the Veil seemingly at will. Whether this is a result of the God-Emperor's overwhelming power, his nature as Anathema, or his status as an Incarnate God remains unknown. But it should be noted that the Deva of the Goddess of Sacrifice do not appear to be so limited either.

    Curiously, the Eldar Gods never appointed Archdeva, nor did they ever command any Deva. Not for nothing were the Eldar once considered the closest of all peoples to their Gods.
    The Nature of Psychic Disciplines
    There are a great many ways to interpret and wield the Warp, with the details varying even between individual practitioners, to say nothing of the different ways that different races perceive and channel Warp energy. Humanity, however, primarily understands the Warp through the Five Foundational Disciplines of Psykery - Pyromancy, Biomancy, Telepathy, Telekinesis, and Divination, each encompassing a foundation of the Warp.

    Pyromancy commands the foundation of Energy, primarily manifesting as flame and heat, but can also be harnessed as lightning or light. Pyromancy is the most aggressive and confrontational of the Foundations, and is the weapon of choice for the most martial Psykers, with those having an affinity for Pyromancy commanding a noted preference for personal combat as well. It is no secret that Pyromancy is also capable of directly harming the denizens of the Warp, purifying their essence free of their will and transforming it back into the nascent energy of the Warp.

    Biomancy commands the foundation of Life, primarily manifesting as physical transformation and augmentation, sometimes also manifesting as the conjuration of lightning. Biomancy is at once the most nurturing and the most demented of the Foundations, depending on the perspective of the Psyker in question; having control over biology either fosters an appreciation for life or stifles it entirely. Biomancy is rare amongst the Disciplines for being capable of healing, though it is by no means simple, demanding a keen understanding over biology to do so properly, as the slightest mistake could create an abomination instead.

    Telepathy commands the foundation of Will, primarily manifesting as psychic communion of the minds for either communication or domination, as well as the perceptions of others. Telepathy is a difficult Foundation, for it pits the Psyker's will against that of others, making it the one discipline that non-Psykers can easily resist through strength of will. If the Psyker does not retain an absolute sense of self, they may find themselves losing it, slowly overwritten by every mind they touch. However, it is also a valuable means to understand others, for it breaks down the barriers to communication that exist between living things.

    Telekinesis commands the foundation of Space, primarily manifesting as moving things with your mind, but can also be used to create psychic barriers, invisible weapons of honed force, and it is rumored that true masters can use it to link points in space to one another without ever stepping into the Warp. To be a Telekine is to understand that distance is a lie; all things are connected, not only to the Warp but to the Materium. To command this Foundation is to become a foundation in both the Warp and in Reality, unmoving and unbowed.

    Divination commands the foundation of Time, primarily manifesting as the perception of events from the past, present and future. Though it is often folly to attempt to traverse the folds of time directly, Diviners are capable of witnessing events that have passed, are coming to pass and have yet to come to pass. However, Divination is a difficult Foundation to grasp, for as one understands the flow of time and perceives the strings of Fate, they will find themselves tangled and believe themselves helpless to change the future, not understanding that nothing is ever certain. Worsening this misunderstanding is the fact that the Foundation that Divination sits upon is tainted, for the Great God Tzeentch has claimed the Domain of Fate and plays with its strings to its hearts content. But even the Architect of Fate cannot claim to have a monopoly over the future, even as its ten thousand heads claim otherwise.

    The foundations that each of these Disciplines are neither comprehensive or definite, and every Psyker has their own comprehension of what is and is not Pyromancy, Biomancy, Telepathy, Telekinesis, or Divination. However, these five pillars are the foundations that the modern Adeptus Ad Astra Telepathica hews towards in its understanding of the Warp and the powers that stem from it, and serve as a suitable starting point for the development of mankind's nascent psychic understanding.
    The Nature of Daemonology
    The Five Foundational Disciplines of Psykery - Pyromancy, Biomancy, Telepathy, Telekinesis, and Divination - each encompass foundational forces of the Warp; the forces of Energy, Life, Will, Space and Time, respectively. Each of these may be harnessed directly through both Warp Energy and the well of power that each Psyker contains within their soul. Even with the Warp in such a tumultuous state under the mismanagement of the Four, with the right mindset and control, one may wield these powers and still remain pure.

    Daemonology, then, is often considered the odd one out. A most temperamental and frustrating Discipline, it encompasses an assortment of powers that have little bearing with one another, be they the arts of teleportation, the banishment or invocation of Daemons, the power to phase through objects or even the conjuration of a vortex in space into the twisting nether not unlike the results of a Vortex Grenade. It is often theorised by Masters of the Psychic Arts, of the Adeptus Ad Astra Telepathica or independent covens alike, that Daemonology is the sixth foundational Discipline, one that rests upon the Foundation of the Veil that divides the Materium from the Immaterium, and as the Veil is often fickle and the Warp so hostile it is consequentially the most difficult and dangerous Foundation of all.

    They are wrong. You know better than that. Daemonology is not the sixth Discipline, nor is it some further evolution of any of the five foundational ones. Daemonology is a different beast from those five, a pathway to powers both great and terrible. But what you know of the true nature of Daemonology is... not immediately available to you. You don't have the divine perspective needed to truly grasp the nature of this odd duck, and until you find your way back onto your Astral Throne or find someone who does know the truth, you're out of luck. However, just because you don't understand the foundational principles of Daemonology does not mean you do not understand the dangers and effects of it.

    Daemonology is, bluntly stated, tainted. The Warp is currently stained with the colours of the Chaos Gods, and the theory of Daemonology painting it as a Discipline of the Veil are not entirely unfounded. With the Warp as hateful and dangerous as it is, Daemonology is a dangerous path to walk for all the temptations that the Gods whisper and the black sewage that practitioners channel through their souls. Even Sanctic Daemonology, deemed 'clean' by the Grey Knights, is a dangerous path, for it is Malefic Daemonology but shackled. One who learns Sanctic Daemonology at the feet of the Grey Knights could easily twist that knowledge into an invocation of the Dark Gods, which is definitely why the Grey Knights so jealously guard the knowledge.

    What you practice as Sanctic Daemonology is similar yet more, but also at the same time different. It's difficult for you to explain at the moment, but your brand of Sanctic Daemonology surpasses the understanding earned by the Grey Knights by leaps and bounds. You are far more capable at banishing Daemons, inflicting lasting wounds upon them and even invoking True Death, a fate all Daemons fear, for all their bluster of eternity. In theory you can also use it to traverse the Warp, form gateways into it and more easily explore it, but you do not want to know if your presence in the Warp can be determined like that yet, or even ever. Crucially, though, your brand of Sanctic Daemonology can be used protectively as well, forcefully calming the Warp and protecting others from the backlash of improperly channelled Warp energy, alongside smoothing travel in the Warp and other effects. In fact, you're fairly certain that your unique Divination style may actually be a form of Daemonology, from what you've tried to codify of the matter.

    Daemonology is not the sixth Discipline, nor is it merely an assortment of powers plucked from the other five. It is something else. And it frustrates you to no end that you have a brain fart on this matter.

    The Five Foundational Disciplines of Psykery - Pyromancy, Biomancy, Telepathy, Telekinesis, and Divination - each encompass foundational forces of the Warp; the forces of Energy, Life, Will, Space and Time, respectively. Each of these may be harnessed directly through both Warp Energy and the well of power that each Psyker contains within their soul. Even with the Warp in such a tumultuous state under the mismanagement of the Four, with the right mindset and control, one may wield these powers and still remain pure.

    However, the arts of Theurgy, what is often known and mistaken for Daemonology, is to impinge upon the domains of the Gods themselves. If commanding one of the five Foundational Disciplines is to wield Fire with your hands, to use Daemonology is to dare to wield fire that is in imitation of the Gods. Such fire does not burn without consequence; to bear its heat is to subject yourself to the authority of the Gods.

    The arts of Malefic Daemonology, then - rightfully Primordial Theurgy - are thus inherently corrupted, due to the dominance of the Four upon the Warp ensuring that the default when meddling with the fires of the Gods is to touch the fires of corruption. Mingled or pure, one stains their soul simply staying in the vicinity of such flame. To be warmed by their light is to become their slave.

    The arts of Sanctic Daemonology, then - what would be Anathemic Theurgy, had the Anathema ever properly risen to his Astral Throne and then codified his arsenal - are to wield fires that are in imitation of the flames that burn upon the God-Emperor's sword, which shine with his light. But the discipline of Sanctic Daemonology is not one used easily, for the God-Emperor does not suffer common fools to infringe upon his domain easily. As such, the rites of Sanctic Daemonology are at once the most restrictive and the most difficult of all Daemonology; it is impossible to summon the Emperor's Deva like the servants of the Gods, because only the Emperor has the authority and wisdom to dispatch his angels. Even using the powers he grants freely to those who have proven themselves - Primaris Psykers who have proven their purity before His almighty gaze, or the Grey Knights who were born by the divine ignition of his blood - is no simple task, for the Warp is in the hands of those who would deny the Anathema everything; it would be easy, then, to slip the shackles of Sanctic Daemonology and delve into the arts of the Great Four, for their power is so much easier to grasp.

    The arts of Sanctic Daemonology that Pandora Cadmus offers, though they are devised of her own nature as Goddess of Sacrifice, are still considered Anathemic Theurgy due to her heritage and the spark of defiance she inherited from her father. The arts she devised, however, are intended for mortal use, for the Goddess of Sacrifice is herself a merciful Goddess and a compassionate soul, who seeks to save as many lives as she can despite her comparatively miniscule power. Unlike the byzantine disciplines of the God-Emperor, which were never truly codified and may never truly be, the arts that the Goddess of Sacrifice teaches are refined and sophisticated, though they too lack the safeguards that fully shield its practitioners from the temptations of the Gods. Perhaps the total integration of her brand of Anathemic Theurgy hints at the complete form that the God-Emperor could take, or even a line of succession…
    The Nature of Domains
    The Warp is underpinned by the dreams and prayers of the living, shaped and given texture by hopes and dreams, fears and foes. And in all the Galaxy, across a million million different cultures and peoples, some stories are told again and again, with different names and different faces but the same lessons and emotions. These feelings and these acts come to coalesce in the Warp, creating foundations that those with the right understanding can tap into - and which new Gods may be born into.

    These pools of power, then, are known as domains by the denizens of the Warp, gatherings of the prayers and dreams of the Galaxy. Shaped by the Galaxy and the events that unfold in the Materium, the Domains are given texture and context by those who experience them; the Domain of War was once shaped by valour, then by steel, then by hellfire and then by more, whilst the Domain of Knowledge was once freely shared, yet now jealously hoarded.

    Domains can come in all shapes and sizes, some barely great enough to sustain a single daemon, others great wellsprings of power that form the foundations of the authorities of Gods. Some Domains are specific to their species, others to regions of the Immaterium as they correspond to the Materium, and a rare few are unrestricted in their entirety. And there are a rarefied few Domains, focal points in the Immaterium, which can birth new Gods. These are the Domains who can bear the weight of an Astral Throne, and these are much coveted and immensely powerful.

    In days past, when the Sea of Souls was calm and its colours were not yet stained with Red, Blue, Green and Violet, there were a great many Gods who each held sway over a great many Domains, some so meagre as to barely sustain their patron and others so strong and unstable they divided into countless smaller Domains. Yet, now the Warp is in turmoil, and a great many Domains now fall under the sway of the Great Gods of Chaos, those who claim to be primordial forces that have existed since time immemorial. Of the remainder, the majority have been rendered to uselessness, or had their power stolen by the Four. Only a few, those fortunate enough to defy Chaos through their nature alone, remain free to be claimed.

    The Domain of Sacrifice is one of those few Domains.
    The Nature of the Sensei
    The pursuit of immortality is a constant across the peoples of the Galaxy, as the shadow of death looms over all. Many find their peace with this, accepting that death is simply a part of the natural cycle. For most who pursue this path, such a quest proves fruitless, but for some their efforts are rewarded. Though true immortality - that is, being able to avoid death in all its forms - is impossible, for even Gods can die, the wear of time and the pain of age no longer finds purchase in these individuals.

    These Immortals typically find themselves retiring into seclusion or becoming wanderers, as their worldview often becomes detached from the world around them; of those who remain involved politically, they often become the God-Kings and Queens of their peoples, but find that even their reign cannot last forever. Some continue their path to power, eventually claiming an Astral Throne and rising to Godhood themselves.

    These are the ones who pursue their power. But there are those who are born ageless. These are often Demigods, the blessed children of Gods in the Warp, who have invested a measure of their power into mortal spawn in order to enforce their will more directly upon the Materium. Such Demigods are often doomed to be hunted by others, jealous of their power and resentful of their divine parent's grasp over the Materium, and rarely survive for long. In the aftermath of Asuryan's Edict, no new Demigods have arisen, and by the modern day Demigods are a long forgotten fiction.

    The Sensei, however, prove to be the exception. Like all Children of the Anathema, they inherit a Gift similar to one of the Anathema's manifold talents; some inherited his divine insight, others his mastery over the Warp, others still his martial brilliance and even his natural defiance of the Ruinous Powers, but beyond that they have inherited his Immortality as well, becoming truly ageless just like their father. In addition, Sensei do not appear to arise through deliberate infusions of the Anathema's power; indeed, the first Sensei, Pandora, was unknown to him until long after he sat upon the Golden Throne, when she returned amidst the storm at Cadia in the midst of the 13th Black Crusade.

    Notably, many Sensei arose long after Asuryan's Edict, with the youngest of them - one of the last children the Anathema ever had - being born right before the Cybernetic Revolt. It has been theorised by many that this defiance of Asuryan's Edict, wilful or otherwise, was the source of much tension between the Phoenix King and the Anathema, though the true shape of their relationship is little known. How the Sensei come about, however, remains a mystery, and one that the Anathema himself found little reason to investigate; he considered each one to rise a blessing and a curse, for it meant that he would never be truly alone amongst the stars, yet also that he had given one who had never asked for it eternal life.

    The Sensei the Anathema knew would come to be some of his closest confidantes, as much companions and friends as they were his children. Though their paths rarely crossed, each time they intersected would be cause for celebration, and beyond those occasions the Anathema often kept a close eye over his flesh and blood, watching out for them from afar as any father would. However, when the Anathema became the Emperor, the Sensei severed their ties and disavowed the path their father took, truly vanishing from his sight and from the history of the Galaxy.

    Whatever happened to the Sensei, whether or not they still live, one thing is clear; the moment the Anathema claimed the Golden Throne, he ceased to be their father.
    The Nature of the Anathema
    In the ancient days, before the Sea of Souls became stained by the Chaos Gods, the Old Ones saw what would have become. The last of the Old Ones, as it died slowly, saw what the War in Heaven had wrought upon their garden and what might yet transpire. Though they had left their children, the Eldar, the means with which to manage their garden and deal with the worst of it, the last of the Old Ones knew that more could be done. And until its dying breath, more was done.

    The Domain of the Anathema was the result, an artificial Domain made to calm the Warp and soothe the trauma inflicted upon the Sea of Souls. It was a veritable masterpiece, defiant of the Chaos to Come in all forms, natural enemy of the cancer that would follow and, unprecedented amongst Domains, capable of incorporating the natures of others into itself seamlessly.

    However, the last of the Old Ones died before it could be completed, and upon its death, the Chaos Gods would no longer be contested, and even sleeping their influence was immense. Knowing the storm that would follow, the Old One's final students - shaman of the species called Humanity, who were blessed to have such a wise teacher - followed their teacher's example and sacrificed themselves to empower the Domain of the Anathema, allowing one to climb the steps and acquire the Throne before Chaos proved too powerful to contain.

    The Anathema was born soon after to mortal parents, blessed with a normal childhood in the lands of Anatolia and only later, upon his transition into adulthood, beginning the journey that would teach him the throne he was destined to inherit and the path he was destined to follow; to oppose Chaos, to rule over mankind as a benevolent God-King, and to ensure Mankind's dominance amongst the Stars.

    The Anathema, Adam Kadmon, would come to reject this destiny, for in himself he believed in the freedom of self-determination. And he would later retreat from history, allowing mankind to chart its own course and only intervening to learn and help mankind - never leading it himself, but teaching, following, and learning from those that would come to lead it. And all the while he learned more about his Anathemic Nature, until he sat upon its Astral Throne and mastered its powers, a God in the Flesh like none other before him.

    But the Domain of the Anathema was powerful, and it was flexible in ways that other Domains and other Gods simply were not made to be. The Anathema was a man, after all, and he would love and lose just like any other. In his many millennia of life, the Anathema would father (and sometimes mother) many children, and while many of them would come to inherit some measure of a connection to the Domain of the Anathema, the majority of them would never discover this talent, and they would live their lives like any other.

    Thirteen of his children, however, would also inherit the Anathema's immortality. And they would become the Thirteen Sensei, the immortal children of Adam Kadmon. Each of them was also blessed with a connection to their father's Domain - and the first of them, Pandora, would inherit a connection so strong that she retained it even as she ascended to Godhood herself and became the Goddess of Sacrifice.

    When the Anathema became the Emperor, he too would draw further upon his Anathemic Nature as he made the twenty Primarchs. And each of them would retain that same connection to the Domain of the Anathema, granting it further dimension and texture and allowing it to approach the complexity of one of the realms of the Great Gods of Chaos.

    The Domain of the Anathema now rests over Holy Terra, the Immaterial half of the great Astronomican that lights the Galaxy.
    The Nature of the Primarchs
    The Primarchs are a legend as old as the Imperium, the twenty gene-forged clone sons of the God-Emperor of Man each imbued with a measure of his divine aspect. Greater than men, they would be mighty Generals and peerless Leaders, yet just as their triumphs were absolute, so were their failings. In the end, half of them would fall to Chaos, some of them dragged low by plots and others by their base natures, while the other half would fall to the eddies of time, returned to obscurity as they vanished from history and left behind only myth and story.

    There is more to the Primarchs, however, for the story of the Emperor far eclipses the stories of his children. For while the Primarchs are the Emperor's most famous children, they are by no means his first children. Even the youngest of Sensei are far older than the Primarchs, their experiences with their father as night and day compared to the relationship the Primarchs had with the enigmatic God-Emperor of Man. But though they may be different, they are also the same, as similar as siblings who share the same father can be. But where the Sensei were born, the result of fortuitous happenstance, the Primarchs were made.

    Derived from the Emperor's newfound understanding of the Domain of the Anathema as well as the connections each of the Sensei derived, the Primarchs have far stronger ties to the Domain. Each of them built like a Demigod from the days before Asuryan's Edict, before the birth of Slaanesh and before the rise of Chaos turned the Warp into a charnel house, the Primarchs were blessed with bodies forged from both the high principles of the Dark Age of Technology as well as the divine alchemy of the greatest Sorcerer that Humanity has ever sired. Were one to judge the Primarchs against the Sensei, one would find their foundations superior on every level, and the only edge the Sensei have over their youngest siblings is simple experience - and, some would pithily add, the fortune of having a good father.

    Indeed, the to-be Emperor seems to have gone beyond the call of duty as he created his Gene-Forged Sons, for in their biology sustains a suite of immensely powerful augmentations that were designed to let mere mortals bridge the gap and transcend the importance of the physical body, superior versions that the mythical Astartes Gene-Seed are themselves based upon, and which themselves allow the Angels of Death the preternatural ability to defy death and endure impossible hardship without fail. With the understanding that the Emperor has no need for his physical body besides its utility in existing in the Materium as a most suited vessel in which to concentrate his consciousness, the intentions of the Primarch Project become abundantly clear.

    Primarchs command bodies that are impossibly strong and resilient, echoing their Father's divine stature and posthuman capability to surpass mortal limitations of flesh upon physics through simple will, and their myriad of redundant organs, accelerated healing factor and perfected shock response echo the nature of a God in the Flesh to simply not die when their body has been killed. Their cognition, thusly accelerated beyond mortal means, echoes the Emperor's own ability as a God to sustain multiple lines of thinking at once, and their enhanced fighting instincts and inlaid genetic memory of battle tactics and wargear match his own incredible knowledge and experience, perhaps even a means to bridge the gap between them and their immortal siblings. And lastly, each of the Primarchs commands a definite connection to the Domain of the Anathema as well, ensuring that each of them is both fully immune to the corruptive influences of Chaos and ageless in their immortality, alongside a gift they have inherited in becoming an aspect of their Father. Taking all these qualities into consideration, each Primarch is the perfected form of a Sensei. Indeed, the only Sensei that can truly be said to have a baseline as capable as a Primarch's is Pandora, who is herself a God in the Flesh, and so enjoys the very same divine stature that the Emperor has and which the Primarchs are but pale imitations of.

    But yet, one cannot discount the upbringing that the Sensei benefitted from, for the tumult of their formative years have broken the Primarchs and exposed emotional wounds that might never recover, even for the nine who remained loyal. Where the Primarchs were made to become Generals in a great war, with no indication ever given of what else they could have become, the Sensei were able to live their mortal lives fully, developing their own selves without the burden of knowing just who their father was, before that great responsibility was thrust upon them.

    Had the Emperor been a better father, the Horus Heresy might never have happened. But had the Emperor given the Primarchs the choice to live their lives of their own accord, they might have turned against their father regardless. In the end, the fact that the Primarchs were created at all, as vessels to expand the power of the Anathemic Domain and as peerless Generals, is a tragedy in their own right.

    For even the most unfortunate of their elder siblings knew something of life that was not only war.
    The Nature of Divine Weapons
    Just as weapons are forged of metal billet and mortal ingenuity, divine weapons are forged of higher concepts and divine insight. However, the weapons of the gods are not made of such pedestrian things as adamantium and myomer, but of something far more potent. The only weapons truly worthy of being wielded by the hands of a God are weapons forged of the matter of a God.

    A Divine Weapon, then, is forged from the aspects of a God, momentarily sacrificed and crystalised into a tool of immense power. The price demanded is often great, an act of ritual sacrifice for the promise of something that could become so much greater. What might be offered to forge such a mighty weapon often varies; the Sword of Khorne is forged in the fires of Blood and Slaughter, and so in those days the Galaxy knew little of either. The Cauldron of Nurgle was made to brew plagues and spread decay, and so in those days the Galaxy knew little of disease and empires grew mighty. And the Bow of Pandora was forged of Sacrifice and the entirety of herself, so for a long time, she could do little but hear those who had offered themselves as sacrifice.

    The creation of a Divine Weapon is a costly process in time and material, and it is not something that can be done easily or quickly, for attempts to accelerate the process may well ensure no true weapon emerges at all. The knowledge to do so is also difficult to come by, and only the Gods know of such means - sometimes not even then. This knowledge is jealously guarded by the Gods, and coveted by power-hungry Sorcerers who seek such knowledge, for the might of a Divine Weapon surpasses almost any other. The results of such heretical construction are obvious; the legendary daemon weapons of Drach'nyen, or the Black Blade of Antwyr, are each prisons forged of a God, Divine Weapons in all but name that merely lack a God to wield them. They are frighteningly potent weapons, and ruin awaits any who fall into their sway - or who stand before one who has mastered their tool.

    It is, perhaps, strange that the Anathema's sword, though clearly of masterful work and worthy to be considered a Divine Weapon, does not strictly qualify as a Divine Weapon, for it was not forged of the Anathema's own divine essence but at the hands of Vaul, who forged it for the Anathema at the request of the Empyreal Emperor, Asuryan, as thanks for the Anathema's great deeds and service to the Galaxy.
    The Nature of the Old Ones
    Long ago, when the Galaxy was still young, life emerged from the primordial soup. One of the races that arose during these early turbulent days eventually discovered the Sea of Souls, the immaterial half of the Galaxy they were born into. And from there, they mastered it, until they became creatures of that place, mastering the energies of that dream-place until they became as gods of the Empyrean. From there, this race took it upon themselves to shepard the young races, nurturing them so that they too might someday walk the path that they strode to completion.

    Little remains or is remembered of these peoples, except that they existed, they fought a great War in Heaven, and that the consequences of that war have continued to shape the Galaxy ever since. Not even their name is known anymore; all that remains to be recorded is that they, during the War in Heaven, were known as the Old Ones, and their presence in the Warp exceeded even the Chaos Gods.

    Their mastery of the Warp is such that they could undo the death of their mentee peoples at a whim, simply by plucking their souls back from the Sea and granting them new bodies. Yet, by the time the Eldar began their records, the Old Ones were few and old, unable to keep up the rigours of the War on their own, yet it was they alone who could check the C'tan, these titans of the Materium who could invade the Empyrean just as the Old Ones could grasp the Materium. To this end, they attempted to fashion a great many tools to fight the incarnate Gods of the Materium, with what they could fashion from within the Immaterium. Though much has been forgotten, it is known that the Orks, once the Krork, were but the last of the weapons they unleashed in the War in Heaven.

    The genius of the Old Ones was transcendent to a degree never thought possible, and their understanding of the Warp so intricate that much of the foundations that modern scholars of all peoples believe the Warp rests upon were built by the Old Ones themselves. Yet their works are in ruin; the Orks are now untamed and undirected, a scourge upon the Galaxy they once nurtured; the Eldar are now a people divided, still reeling from the loss of their own Gods and their role in birthing the Prince of Excess. Indeed, the Anathema itself, the artificial Domain that grants the one now known as the Emperor his unparalleled ability to defy the Chaos Gods, was but the last masterpiece of the Old Ones as they slowly died, itself incomplete as the Old Ones' wounds proved too ruinous and their death sooner than expected.

    Though the Old Ones are dead, their legacy lives on, for better or for worse. All that anyone can be sure of is that the Old Ones regretted the War in Heaven, for it lead to a devastation too great to even countenance and ensured that the Galaxy would never be the same.
    The Nature of Chaos
    Once, the Sea of Souls was calm and idyllic. It was a place of dreams and aspirations, the heartland of the future that all peoples held in their hearts. In the Sea of Souls the hope of civilisation was kept, and it was through exploring the Sea that people gained insight and crossed boundaries, bringing unity through clarity, cooperation through understanding, shepherded by the Old Ones, who sought to nurture this grand archive so that all might partake in its fruits.

    Then the War in Heaven began. Then an untold eon of devastation of the worst sort raged. Then the Old Ones twisted the Sea into a weapon of War, and died before they could rectify their mistake. Then the C'tan invaded the Sea, and killed the Old Ones, feasting upon their essence as they polluted the Empyrean with the remains. Ever since, the Sea was marked with the Trauma, and without its tenders it could never heal.

    In that Trauma, the Three were born. War, Change and Despair, first three of the harbingers of the Long Night. Every bit the successors to the Old Ones that the Eldar Dominion and the Anathema are, embodied in them is the legacy of the Old Ones' hubris, that they could turn the Sea into a weapon without consequence, that they would Be forever. That as long as they were around, they could right all wrongs.

    At its heart, Chaos is the Trauma of the War in Heaven made manifest, born from the desperation of a Galaxy ripe for annihilation as they struggled against that which would unmake all that was. In that desperation, many lines were crossed, many boundaries broken and all morals disregarded for the sake of expediency. That such measures were believed to be necessary is irrelevant. That such measures were often necessary is also irrelevant. What happened has happened, and so Chaos was born.

    Khorne was born of War and Bloodshed, of the very real savagery and the depths of hate that those who fought in the War in Heaven often found themselves falling to, which even the Old Ones became victim to, as they found themselves believing that sacrifices made today, of the peoples they regarded as their mentees and whom they had sworn to protect forevermore, would preserve the future.

    Tzeentch was born of Change and Hope, as those who fought in the War in Heaven made great changes to themselves and their societies in the hope of better resisting the inexorable tide, hoping against hope that this atrocity above all others could make the difference, chief amongst which was committed by the Old Ones, who turned a great library realm into a weapon of war.

    Nurgle was born of Decay and Stasis, as despite all efforts and some successful attempts at turning the tide, the state of the War in Heaven ever remained one of the entire Galaxy on the backfoot against the armies of the Star Devourers, and the hopelessness that followed the understanding that, this day or forever, the stars themselves would die and all would remain would be Necrodermis. Even the Old Ones fell prey to such thoughts in private, as they soon found that they would die, and found they could not accept such an outcome.

    Slaanesh, the Fourth, is different from the rest, for she was born long after the War in Heaven ended, her vestiges not even around then. Instead, the Prince of Excess is born from the Eldar, who drove themselves mad with ecstasy long after the end of the War in Heaven and the Great Betrayal in a vain attempt to rid themselves of the trauma of the War in Heaven and their burden of trying to live up to the paragon ideal of the Old Ones as mentors to the Galaxy. In attempting to escape their past horrors, they simply gave rise to a new one, and in doing so brought shame to the memory of the Old Ones.

    Ultimately, while Chaos is hardly eternal nor a universal constant, the concepts and ideals they espouse are hardly beyond the pale. For a Galaxy that has known only War, who has little to Hope for but Despair, and who can only drown all of this in Excess in an attempt to escape the pain, is it any wonder that the lies of Chaos sound so seductive? But it matters little, for even if Chaos were fundamental, such foundations are rotten and rusted, unable to support a proper framework of understanding and mutual elevation.

    The first step of fighting Chaos, therefore, is to reject the world that it proposes, as much as can be done. It will be a long, arduous road, an unreasonably demanding path to walk that is tantamount to declaring war against all Creation. To fight Chaos is to oppose the natural order that has arisen ever since the War in Heaven, an order that has stood for over sixty million years and has only become ever more dominant. To fight such a battle is folly, and is certain to end in failure, despair, and one's own inversion. Even the virtuous often fall, even the paragons often falter.

    But it is a fight that must be fought, and never on their own terms. For it is the only way a better tomorrow can ever arise.
    The Nature of Machine Spirits
    The Machine Cult teaches that the Machine Spirit is bestowed by Deus Machina, the Machine God, upon Their rightful tools and technologies, to be used in service to Humanity. The Machine Spirit, the Cult Mechanicus says, is an extension of the Motive Force, the spark of existence and the divine ignition that drives all life and motion in the universe.

    The Machine Cult also teaches of the evils of alien technology, the grave heresy of the Xeno that perverts the noble Machine Spirit and denies it of its rightful observance and care. It teaches that alien technologies do not possess Machine Spirits, or that their Machine Spirits are broken and tortured things, not rightfully ordained in the order of Deus Machina. Only Deus Machina can bestow the Soul, and so only Deus Machina can provide the divine ignition that births the Machine Spirit; all alien works are, then, soulless by definition, and if stolen from the works of the Ancients it is a perversion of the True Path.

    Lastly, the Machine Cult teaches of the dangers of the Abominable Intelligence, Silica Animus, the Souless Sentience that brought ruin amongst the stars in the days of the Ancients. The enemy of all, it must be opposed in all things and destroyed in all ways. It is not a Machine Spirit for it lacks the Soul, for Deus Machina would not grant such frightful things the spark. It cannot stand by the Pillars of the Cult Mechanicus, nor can it explore the Mysteries of the Cult Mechanicus.

    The Machine Cult, ultimately, teaches that the Machine Spirit is wholly human, that Deus Machina is wholly human.

    They are wrong, but only partially.

    The origins of the Machine Spirit are shrouded in myth and mystery, but can be considered a relatively recent phenomenon in the histories carved into the Sea of Souls, later the Warp. First appearing almost forty thousand years ago, tools and machines carefully tended to and maintained over years, decades, often centuries of good service would be imbued with almost a mind of their own, one that yearned to perform their purpose and which, well tended, would do it well. This was a commonality amongst all cultures, across all corners of the Galaxy, with the notable exception of the Eldar, whose perculiarities precluded the appearance of these animisms in their technology.

    There does not appear to be any special condition of humanity that makes the Machine Spirit unique to them, only that the faith of Deus Machina is notably strong amongst humanity. In all cultures, since their first appearance, the Machine Spirit has appeared, and well cared for, will perform to the best of their ability well and truly beyond the point of reasonability. The age-old myths of old reliable tools performing better than young, newly machined crafts rings true, after all.

    What is known is that the Machine Spirit is unusual, particularly for such a supernatural existence, in that they an exist in the Materium easily. Their natural state is bound to their material body, and they do not require additional resources in order to remain bound. As long as their body remains intact, they will continue to exist. Upon the destruction of their physical body, however, unless immediately rescued, the Machine Spirit will cease to exist. Whether this means they die, or return to Deus Machina, remains unknown. However, there remains no evidence that a Deus Machina exists at all, nor is there an apparent Throne of the Machine Mind or such anywhere in the Warp.

    The formation of the Machine Spirit is not a defined science, but there are guidelines that appear to guide their appearance and maturity. Generally, it takes decades to centuries to awaken a Machine Spirit, then centuries more for them to develop and awaken their minds. There are ways to hasten their formation and maturity; observance of rituals and good maintenance of their forms can encourage their growth and maturity, as well as honing their reliability and performance. More complex machines, paradoxically, awaken more quickly but mature more slowly. As computational power increases, the time taken to awaken and mature a Machine Spirit shortens as well. An Artificial Intelligence, fully sapient and aware, would awaken a Machine Spirit immediately, or within only the span of a few years, then mature across a human lifetime or less. It is also possible for divine entities or psychic phenomena to influence the formation of a Machine Spirit, such as with the infusion of the powerful vital forces of a divine entity or the accomplishment of a historic feat, or on occasion both at the same time. Such Machine Spirits will be more developed and mature upon awakening than others, and reflect the circumstances of their accomplishments or the temperament of their parent-God.

    Like all spiritual entities, the Machine Spirit is susceptible to the lies and corruption of the Chaos Gods as well. In some ways, they can be more susceptible; fundamentally naive, it can be easy for them to be seduced by the lies of the Gods, before being hollowed out and consumed by Daemons who pervert their bodies and steal their purposes. The Daemon Weapon, then, can persist in much the same manner as the Machine Spirit in the Materium, but not all weapons suit all Daemons; without a suitable vessel, the body will simply be destroyed and they will simply be banished into the Warp.

    Most Machine Spirits do not have a discernable appearance beyond their physical form, to which they are bound. However, particularly old and mature Machine Spirits, such as the minds of Imperial Titans or Warships, often take on animalistic features, even if they become cognizant and human enough to communicate in baseline fashion. If a Machine Spirit too young and immature to define their own appearance loses their physical form and is rescued, however, they often take on the appearance of small animals as well, bearing superficial qualities of their appearances as well. Why Machine Spirits so frequently take on animalistic form rather than a more anthropomorphic or bizarre appearance is unknown, but there is speculation on that front.

    For instance, the Machine Spirit is an animistic entity born from the tools and machines of sapient life, who considers the performance of their purpose their highest calling. Correspondingly, they will naturally take on forms that are amenable to communication and are capable of building relationships with their users and operators, not unlike the relationships that animals can form with their owners and handlers. However, by no means is this relationship an even one; the Machine Spirit is fundamentally a servant, one who desires nothing more than to serve their function, whether it be creation or destruction depending on the machine. The rare machines that awaken fully to reach near-sapient baseline and who are capable of forming complex personalities are the exception, as they are now mature and developed enough that they can begin supporting the necessary emotional intelligence necessary to engage with sapient life the way they do with each other, and even then they will not be truly sapient, with bizarre and alien morals and values that can often confuse observers not expecting such behaviour.

    Alternatively, it has been posited that what this process entails is a form of survivorship bias, in which any Machine Spirit that survives to awaken to begin with has to be one that was well taken care of by their handlers, naturally developing the sort of bonds akin to those that animals can form with their owners. Machines who were abused or never granted the due maintenance and care will not survive to form such minds to begin with, ensuring that a truly alien Machine Spirit never has the opportunity to form, barring exceptional circumstances such as incredible amounts of Chaos taint or willful abuse after the formation of such a mind. Therefore, all Machine Spirits that survive to be born will naturally hew towards animalistic appearances.

    Like so many things, the Realm of Sacrifice has no small number of Machine Spirits residing within it, as the Deva save everyone they can who has given their lives in the name of something greater and the single-minded purpose of the Machine Spirit often lends them to this task. Thus far, however, no Deva has been able to recover a fully awoken or human mind from the field; the Machine Spirits of Titans, warships and self-actualised battle fortresses have never been recovered. However, there have been mature Machine Spirits in the Realm, as well as Machine Spirits who subsequently mature, being able to take on anthropomorphic appearance as a result.

    Uniquely, the Goddess of Sacrifice has a few Deva who were once Machine Spirits. What this means metaphysically, given the (unsubstantiated) theory that Machine Spirits are each fragments of the disjointed psyche of the nascent Deus Machina, remains to be seen.
    The Nature of Incarnate Gods
    An Incarnate God is commonly believed to be an aberration in this day and age, a God who walks freely in the Materium in flagrant defiance of the Veil that divides it from the Immaterium, retaining the awesome power of a God as well as all the focus and presence of an individual being. In other words, an Incarnate God is all but unstoppable, for few other forces can manifest the same degree of total force concentration and all-encompassing power that an Incarnate is capable of. Indeed, that is what they were made for; the first Incarnate Gods appeared during the War in Heaven, made by the Old Ones to fight the C'tan where all others failed.

    To be an Incarnate is to have total dominance over an Astral Throne; only Gods whose Domains are mighty enough to support an Astral Throne are capable of Incarnation, but the act itself grants the God immense leeway. What would otherwise be a divine consciousness spread across the entire Immaterium is now fully concentrated into a single material body, though one that is also fully capable of transmitting its consciousness back to its Astral Throne. A creature of the Materium and Immaterium both, the Incarnate can now cross the Veil freely, and all its Deva are blessedly allowed to do the same. It retains the latitude a God has over its Domain and may utilise it freely in the Materium, which was often done to exceptional effect during the War in Heaven, matching the C'tan strength for strength in the Materium. The advent of the Incarnates marked a major turning point in the War, for it demonstrated the point when the C'tan no longer had total dominance to do as they wished in their conquests, and the inexorable tide of the Necrons stopped being so inexorable.

    However, the Incarnates remained limited, and the perennial headache that plagued the Old Ones in the War in Heaven remained; the C'tan were simply too numerous, and their peers that the Old Ones could muster were simply too few. Not enough Gods could be elevated to their Astral Thrones, not enough of those could be Incarnated by the Old Ones, and though these Gods were able to match the C'tan, they were not always able to overcome them. Their ability to contest the incarnate Gods of the Materium was admirable, but limited, and for many their mindset remained that of a God, unchanging and static. Those who were not able to adapt often died, and soon they died quickly.

    The death knell for the Incarnates sounded when the C'tan discovered how to pierce the Veil and invade the Immaterium directly, despite the efforts of the Old Ones to strengthen the Veil. With the ability to invade the Immaterium, the Old Ones and the Astral Thrones of the Incarnates were both now vulnerable, and so the Incarnate Gods were forced to retreat from the Materium entirely to protect themselves and their Domains. In spite of their great efforts, in time all their Astral Thrones were toppled, and the Old Ones would ultimately be slaughtered by the C'tan in the Warp, having deployed their final weapon far too late to make a difference. Those few who survived to escape went into hiding, where they would die one by one to the wounds they incurred in the attempt.

    The creation of an Incarnate God is a delicate process, one that must be done with the supervision of an Old One, and with their extinction no new Incarnates can ever arise. Though the Thrones that were toppled would eventually rebuild themselves, allowing entities like Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle and later Slaanesh to arise, any hope of Divine Incarnation died with the Old Ones.

    Until the birth of Adam Kadmon. Until the artificial Domain of the Anathema, the last great work of the Old Ones that even incomplete shone radiantly with their genius as the culmination of their work, was bonded to a worthy soul and a new God strode amongst mortals as a man himself. And the Gods raged with envy, for this man had that which they desperately sought, that which should have been impossible. That which remained impossible, for Adam had been a man who became a God without ever leaving his humanity behind.

    Until the ascension of Pandora Cadmus, first of the Anathema's spawn who inherited his immortality and with it a bond to the Anathema, who would later ascend to Godhood as the Goddess of Sacrifice and in doing so leave her humanity and mortality behind. And who would later return from her exile in the Warp, descend upon the Materium once more with a human body, and emerge as the second Incarnate in existence and the first ever to come about through this process since the Old Ones fought in the War in Heaven, through the trickery of the Laughing God, the forbidden knowledge of the First Forge, her own and the sacrificed apotheosis of the prophesied Eldar God of Death in the eye of the storm of a great turning point in Galactic history.

    In Pandora's example, the Chaos Gods find their envy magnified a hundredfold, for through her actions she has proven that the old methods are still possible, but forever beyond their reach through their very nature. In her they find their hate intense like starfire, and so they have marked her for death, a true Aberration against the natural order they espouse.
    The Nature of the Orks
    The Krork began as the last and most desperate of the Old Ones' creations, life that was made wholly to war, rather than for whichever pursuit they would put themselves towards, guided by the even and gentle hand of the Old Ones. Against the rigours that the C'tan and their Necron slaves put them through, the Old Ones would create a people that were bulging with muscle and teeming with savage energy. Yet in them too was imbued discipline and control and a strong sense of duty, and to them was charged the grim mission of protecting life. Born for battle and bred for war, they were a breed apart from the rest of the races guided by the Old Ones, made to protect a Galaxy they would forever stand apart from, shepherds that could never be part of the flock. And this duty they owned and took comfort in, seeking to ensure that they would the last weapon that the Old Ones would ever create.

    They would fail, miserably. Though the Krork performed exceedingly well, they were deployed too late. Even three thousand years earlier and the history of the Galaxy would be far different, but alas the events that transpired were anything but ideal. The C'tan and the Necrons successfully developed a method with which they could invade the Sea of Souls itself, and so into the breach they went, killing the Old Ones, breaking the Thrones of the Incarna that remained and savaging the homeworlds that had been pulled into the Warp to protect them from enemy assault. Amongst the worlds so devastated was the original homeworld of the Eldar, whose name has since been lost to time.

    In one fell swoop, the Old Ones died, and they would lose the War in Heaven. Though not all of them would die immediately, all would die eventually to terrible wounds. Yet, the Krork did not accept this defeat. Instead they shifted their mission; though they would continue to protect life, they would also keep fighting to avenge the Old Ones, their makers and their teachers. And as the Krork continued to wage war, the C'tan and the Necrons began to fear that, despite their victory over the Old Ones, they might yet taste bitter defeat.

    And so the C'tan and the Necrons devised methods to cripple the Krork, using the only weakness they have. Their Marshals.

    The Krork are a masterpiece, nigh impossible to comprehend even eons after the end of the War in Heaven. Blackboxed and impossible to decipher, the principles that powered them are similar to what drives their degraded descendants the Orks today. Unified by the War Field, they demonstrated a mastery that surpassed all others in their age and since. And though the Krork had Psykers of their own in the form of Warcasters, it would be the Krork Marshal that served as rallying points and anchors for the War Field. Though this gave them immense power, this also made them invaluable to the Krork - and the ideal targets for assassination, for only a Marshal may train another Marshal.

    So the C'tan and the Necrons began hunting the Krork, and even in this the Necrons were already planning their great betrayal. The Krork Marshals were almost a match for the Incarna of Old and in groups or while supporting another Incarna they too could oppose the C'tan, a feat once reserved solely for the Old Ones or the Gods they made in their image. And as the Marshals were hunted, as the C'tan were the ones who lead such efforts and bore the brunt of the fighting, the Necrons learned how they fought - and how the Marshals and the Krork fought back. Near the end of this phase they even practiced a number of the very tactics and weapons they would deploy against the C'tan against the Krork Marshals first, learning how to topple Gods and God-Killers all over agian.

    And when the last of the Krork Marshals died, the Silent King sounded the horn of betrayal. In one fell blow, the C'tan were defeated and enslaved or shattered or slain by their former slaves and the Necrons declared final victory in the War in Heaven.

    And yet, the Krork did not accept this either. For even without their Marshals, the Krork were still driven by the War Field. But without their anchors and focal points, they began to lose sight of the mission they had been charged with.

    All at once was an explosion of green violence, undirected and primal. All would become the target of this aggression, be they Necrons or the former mentee peoples of the Old Ones. Once more the Galaxy was consumed by terrible War, and now there was no force capable or willing to oppose them. Extinction ruled as the stars were painted red with blood and green with spirit as those who could fled and those who tried died. Even the Old Ones who yet lay dying over eons, those who tried to reason with the last of their children, would be torn apart in an orgy of violence. The Eldar of this time would have to shut themselves within the Webway alongside the Old Ones, unable to do more than watch as their comrades were slaughtered even as they pleaded to be let in. And instead of taking responsibility as victors should, the Silent King ordered the Necrons to slumber instead beneath their Tomb Worlds while he himself was consigned to self-imposed Exile beyond the galactic rim.

    When the Galaxy was bereft of all but green, the Krork began butchering themselves. For eons. For eternity. For as long as The War raged.

    It would be a long time before the Krork calmed down and until they were done butchering each other. In this aftermath they settled into a malaise, and it was during this time that the Eldar could finally emerge from the Webway and begin wiping the galactic slate clean once more so life could rise anew without the Krork - and without the Old Ones. It would be at this time, then, that the twin gods of Gork and Mork first appeared in history, now masters of the newly-christened Orks, pale shadows of the Protectors they once were. Gone was their dutifulness and discipline; in its place was only savagery, and a dim sort of innocence that lacked all empathy and remorse.

    Ever since, the Krork have been the Orks, a blight on the Galaxy that must be cleansed over and over and yet cannot ever be fully cleansed. They would live and fight like locusts, another of the lasting consequences of the War in Heaven and a blight on the legacy of the Old Ones. And woe betide those who stand in the path of a resurgent Ork Waaagh, for if the conditions for a Marshal to rise again were ever fulfilled, it would not be one of those noble warriors that emerges but a terrible monster instead, a Beast of the highest order. And beneath such a banner would the Orks remember even a shadow of their former glory and march once more to turn the Galaxy green.
     
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  • Informational
    • When a throne is conquered does that fuse with throne of victor(domain fusion) or throne remain separate and victor can enthrone one of his daemon?
     
    Swordomatic said:
    Gods remain tied to their Astral Throne until their destruction, whereupon the Throne is toppled, or their consumption by other Gods, which grants that Throne to the victor.
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    Slaanesh must have acquired lot of Thrones when she devoured most of the Eldar Pantheon.
    Swordomatic said:
    Pandora's successful Descension is unheard of, unprecedented, and an act of undeniable Heresy.
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    Well, there aren't many gods left to raise a fuss about that.
    Swordomatic said:
    Only the Chaos Gods have Greater Deva in any real number, and even they limit their numbers for fear of rebellion, as has happened before when a Greater Deva challenged their God for one of their Thrones.
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    Hey, Skarbrand.
    Swordomatic said:
    Deva are distinct from mortal followers who have received blessings as they are creatures of the Warp, and thus death has little meaning to them.
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    Where do Daemon Princes stand in all of this?
     
    [X][LEVIATHAN] The Blood Angels Homeworld of Baal
    [X][POSTURE] Participate in the battle directly and engage the most powerful Tyranid Warforms.
     
    [X][LEVIATHAN] The Blood Angels Homeworld of Baal
    [X][POSTURE] Participate in the battle directly and engage the most powerful Tyranid Warforms.

    I want to meet up with Dante.
     
    SouvikKundu said:
    When a throne is conquered does that fuse with throne of victor(domain fusion) or throne remain separate and victor can enthrone one of his daemon?
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    No it means that the same god sits on many thrones near as I can tell.

    Khorne's the god of war and the god of combat, but combat and war have not been combined into a singular throne.

    As for enthroning another...no idea. I imagine its one of the things that nobody ever tries.
     
    Now that is some juicy delicious info. Panda's background letting us take a peek into otherwise obscure knowledge. And huh, the Realm and the Domain can be seperate in the Warp. Not sure if we will want to do that, but good to know.

    Also, gotta love the irony of the Chaos Gods being affronted for the heresy that Pandora's succesful descension from her Throne was. They themselves probably don't dare to try it, considering the risks and also their nature as well as power making it even less likely that they would succeed.
     
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    meianmaru said:
    Now that is some juicy delicious info. Panda's background letting us take a peek into otherwise obscure knowledge. And huh, the Realm and the Domain can be seperate in the Warp. Not sure if we will want to do that, but good to know.

    Also, gotta love the irony of the Chaos Gods being affronted for the heresy that Pandora's succesful descension from her Throne was. They themselves probably don't dare to try it, considering the risks and also their nature as well as power making it even more likely that they would succeed.
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    Eh they're just jealous that they don't get to do stuff in the materium, bunch of whingers. :D
     
    How amusing. Ku'gath accidentally stole Nurgle's power, and the Grandfather was delighted by the result.

    However, in the modern day, the God-Emperor of Mankind is notable as his Deva - both Greater and Lesser - do not appear to need to be summoned, and may cross the Veil seemingly at will. Whether this is a result of the God-Emperor's overwhelming power, his nature as Anathema, or his status as an Incarnate God remains unknown.
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    Another possible reason is because the Emperor is neither wholly dead nor alive.
     
    [X][LEVIATHAN] The Blood Angels Homeworld of Baal
    [X][POSTURE] Participate in the battle directly and engage the most powerful Tyranid Warforms.
     
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