Let's Read: Warhammer 40,000 Codexes and Star Wars RPG Sourcebooks (Dark Eldar Reviewer)

[InquisitionAI]

IC:

No nonconsensual death or suffering is necessary

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No suffering *should* be necessary. But it can *become* necessary through the failing of others, either people, machines, or organizations.

It's never a good thing when you have to give the Emperor's Mercy to starving civilians because you simply cannot give them anything, or when common medicines are so rare that easily treated injuries and illnesses are life-threatening.

Some injuries may be healed by Dark Elf Flesh-sorceries, but are simply beyond the Magos of the Guard.

Anyways, less depressing Guard Veteran Fun Fact:
The Standard Leman Russ Battle Tank is actually most often used in an Infantry Support role, and only rarely ever engages in Tank on Tank combat.

Fun Guard Veteran Story:
I was fighting a Breakaway over in Solar, and witnessed an Insurrectionist Tank get smashed by an Astartes Drop-pod. The Astartes (Who wore Yellow armor, couldn't really see more, due to being in a Trench a few thousand feet away from them,) were barely even slowed down, and managed to stay nearly a thousand feet ahead of us Guardsmen the entire time.

 

[RiverDelta]

IC:

No suffering *should* be necessary. But it can *become* necessary through the failing of others, either people, machines, or organizations.

It's never a good thing when you have to give the Emperor's Mercy to starving civilians because you simply cannot give them anything, or when common medicines are so rare that easily treated injuries and illnesses are life-threatening.

Some injuries may be healed by Dark Elf Flesh-sorceries, but are simply beyond the Magos of the Guard.

Anyways, less depressing Guard Veteran Fun Fact:
The Standard Leman Russ Battle Tank is actually most often used in an Infantry Support role, and only rarely ever engages in Tank on Tank combat.

Fun Guard Veteran Story:
I was fighting a Breakaway over in Solar, and witnessed an Insurrectionist Tank get smashed by an Astartes Drop-pod. The Astartes (Who wore Yellow armor, couldn't really see more, due to being in a Trench a few thousand feet away from them,) were barely even slowed down, and managed to stay nearly a thousand feet ahead of us Guardsmen the entire time.

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I once heard tales that there was an Imperial commander so tactically savvy that he could use his battle tanks to ambush opponents. He famously used Leman Russ tanks for the job, or so I have heard. Creed, I believe. Are these tales true?

Oh, and that is quite a story. On the subject of suffering...I suppose, but I find even the Emperor's Mercy more merciful than the "adapt or die" naturalism that the Tyranids often seem to follow.

At least one can argue that euthanasia, under very specific circumstances, can be an act of compassion.

In a sense, Medicus Viola's views...do remind me a bit of an oligarch or a serial killer, a predator trying to justify her predation. Then again, I suppose she's making herself into a predator.

I do wonder why I "hang out" with her, sometimes.

 

[Balmung1]

I'm surprised that it's still a thing. That seems like such a strange test. What are the Imperial Fists like?

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IC:I mean clothing is very important if you live on Inwit doubly so if you live in the areas on Terra the Fists recruit from since you need proper clothing and biohazard protection just to survive.I have also learned from having to occasionally work on them(I prefer working on Custodes Black Carapace because they are perfectly calibrated and when working on Astartes I have to resist the urge to rip out the entire Black carapace and painstakingly replace it with one that's master crafted and remember that what I can do to a Custodes will flat out kill an Astartes) that sue to the sources of recruitment there are 3 types of Imperial Fists acting as Palace Honour Guards split along a approximate 40/40/20 ratio.The first type is the type you'd expect in the propaganda about honorable non nonsense manly men.The second are a combination of OCD,talkative and really weird senses of humour.The third and smallest part are absolute battle maniacs that the other two just release in the general direction of whatever they want killed before chucking them back into a chapel or battle pit.As a whole the Fists aren't really fortification experts but in reality eccentric assault specialists with a subcategory in void combat who happen to be good at defense when they aren't attacking and their culture reflects as much: have a deamon infestation eat half your flagship isn't important until it hits the room containing all their knitting materials,don't punish people through suicide missions or anything too bad just make them write down/think about what they want to do better while wearing a magic pain glove and rule of thumb a good assault should always have a good preliminary bombardment of 6 months before going all out assault and making fortifications to sit behind for another 6 months.

I once heard tales that there was an Imperial commander so tactically savvy that he could use his battle tanks to ambush opponents. He famously used Leman Russ tanks for the job, or so I have heard. Creed, I believe. Are these tales true?

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I don't know about Creed but The Khan once did a sneak attack across enemy lines to take a spaceport that was controlled by Mortarion and in the words of Venerable Ancient Dreadnought Custodes Tiberius - 'FUCKER GAVE EVERYONE WARP DEPRESSION,EVEN THAT SENTIENT WALL OF A SOPHONT GOT DEPRESSED' and said attack used at the speartip 1/3 of all loyalist Armour on Terra.

 

[khan2012]

Ashlee Viola: That ain't so. The Tau are an expansionist empire too, remember? They're the ones who are gonna convert everyone to their Greater Good. In theory, there ain't no place for the Nids under the Tau either.)

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Except the Tau are willing to bend. They don't wholesale exterminate populations they encounter, they even make concessions to the local cultures and peoples where necessary. I am living proof of this- someone who exists within Tau space and under their flags, but who is not "domesticated" as you so rudely put it and who can make individual decisions. The Greater Good is an ideological program, and people can change their ideologies. It's impossible to stop being a potential food source in Tyranid eyes. And I noticed you didn't respond to the point that the Tyranids fundamentally do not exist in a sustainable manner- that they are not out to exist as a part of nature, and if they were Tyranus Prime would still be a living world today. The Tyranids only care about themselves, not any ecosystem. And that is the critical difference. I don't just fight for my own people, or even just for survival. I fight because survival is not *enough*, surviving is not truly living. I fight for a future I will in all likelihood never live to see, for something greater than myself. A future where no one in the galaxy has to go hungry, or fear preventable death and disease. And if you can't see the beauty in that, I honestly pity you. I pity how you refuse to acknowledge that anything better than this awful galaxy is possible.

 

[Balmung1]

OOC:I was kinda trying to subvert the usual stuff with the Imperial Fists with them acting a little bit like WW1 troops(troops were encouraged to knit in order to get their minds of things and a big part of Stormtrooper tactics was combat engineers arriving asoon as the battle was over to create infrastructura and fortifications to preserve gains and also the infamous super long bombardments) and how Maugan Ra described Rogal Dorn('Rogal Dorn arrived onwhat essentially amounted to Frostpunk on Hard Mode and rout of fucks to give a day in')

 

[RiverDelta]

Except the Tau are willing to bend. They don't wholesale exterminate populations they encounter, they even make concessions to the local cultures and peoples where necessary. I am living proof of this- someone who exists within Tau space and under their flags, but who is not "domesticated" as you so rudely put it and who can make individual decisions. The Greater Good is an ideological program, and people can change their ideologies. It's impossible to stop being a potential food source in Tyranid eyes. And I noticed you didn't respond to the point that the Tyranids fundamentally do not exist in a sustainable manner- that they are not out to exist as a part of nature, and if they were Tyranus Prime would still be a living world today. The Tyranids only care about themselves, not any ecosystem. And that is the critical difference. I don't just fight for my own people, or even just for survival. I fight because survival is not *enough*, surviving is not truly living. I fight for a future I will in all likelihood never live to see, for something greater than myself. A future where no one in the galaxy has to go hungry, or fear preventable death and disease. And if you can't see the beauty in that, I honestly pity you. I pity how you refuse to acknowledge that anything better than this awful galaxy is possible.

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(Ashlee Viola: ...This "awful galaxy"? The galaxy is mostly fine. We got vittles and vim and things to do. Life's cruel, but life's only cruel out of dumb luck and the shittiness of some sophonts. Most people are fine. Life is fine. Oh, an' they're sustainable just fine, just for Tyranid plants an' Tyranid prey an' Tyranid predators an' all that. You don't like it? Do what I'm doin'. Become a Nid. Hell, if you want help I'm happy to help ya.

(As for "fightin' for somethin' greater than yerself"...I mean, sure, but it ain't for yerself. You ain't gonna get anything from it beyond what you would have gotten if you just acted for you and for making the people you like happy or whatever. I don't wanna call you a sucker, but people in my life who've told me that I need to do what they say and believe what they believe for a bright imaginary future tend to be hucksters. That's just my experience, though. I guess my point is that utopia tomorrow ain't really worth much today, but that survival today will always be a hot commodity. Hope that makes some sense, thanks for messagin' me. Excited to keep talkin' about this stuff, I genuinely love talkin' about it. We're all friends here, right?)

 

[khan2012]

(Ashlee Viola: ...This "awful galaxy"? The galaxy is mostly fine. We got vittles and vim and things to do. Life's cruel, but life's only cruel out of dumb luck and the shittiness of some sophonts. Most people are fine. Life is fine. Oh, an' they're sustainable just fine, just for Tyranid plants an' Tyranid prey an' Tyranid predators an' all that. You don't like it? Do what I'm doin'. Become a Nid. Hell, if you want help I'm happy to help ya.

(As for "fightin' for somethin' greater than yerself"...I mean, sure, but it ain't for yerself. You ain't gonna get anything from it beyond what you would have gotten if you just acted for you and for making the people you like happy or whatever. I don't wanna call you a sucker, but people in my life who've told me that I need to do what they say and believe what they believe for a bright imaginary future tend to be hucksters. That's just my experience, though. I guess my point is that utopia tomorrow ain't really worth much today, but that survival today will always be a hot commodity. Hope that makes some sense, thanks for messagin' me. Excited to keep talkin' about this stuff, I genuinely love talkin' about it. We're all friends here, right?)

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…..Sure. We're all friends here. Sure. I think I'll pass on becoming a Tyranid. Yes the galaxy is cruel and awful. People starve to death every day, people get shot, brutalized, eaten alive. Just because most people are able to scrape by doesn't make things good. So yes. I do pity you. You are so content with this status quo that you refuse to believe anything can ever improve. Sure it might be a gamble, but I can safely say the Tau are no con artists. I already got into this with Ynathe, but if you want to understand my perspective, look up the history of T'ros (the Imps call it Taros). The Tau turned my existence from a miserable nightmare into something I can be proud of, with such minimal effort that I firmly believe the entire galaxy can live this way. There is nothing we cannot accomplish working together. Now, I need to sleep. I will respond to however you reply to this in the morning.

 

[RiverDelta]

…..Sure. We're all friends here. Sure. I think I'll pass on becoming a Tyranid. Yes the galaxy is cruel and awful. People starve to death every day, people get shot, brutalized, eaten alive. Just because most people are able to scrape by doesn't make things good. So yes. I do pity you. You are so content with this status quo that you refuse to believe anything can ever improve. Sure it might be a gamble, but I can safely say the Tau are no con artists. I already got into this with Ynathe, but if you want to understand my perspective, look up the history of T'ros (the Imps call it Taros). The Tau turned my existence from a miserable nightmare into something I can be proud of, with such minimal effort that I firmly believe the entire galaxy can live this way. There is nothing we cannot accomplish working together. Now, I need to sleep. I will respond to however you reply to this in the morning.

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(Ashlee Viola: ...Tarnation, we're doin' this. I admire yer optimism. I really do. I think it's, uh...inspirin' that you can get up every day an' try an' do somethin for the Greater Good. I don't say what I'm about to say to rain on yer parade. I say it because while I respect yer right to live there and be in that society, ya ought to know what it is. Lemme tell ya about a li'l cult on Bluebonnet, the Followers of Eternity.

(They were cyberneticist types, lead by a guy an' his wife claimin' to be ex-Mechanicus. They thought that they could escape eternal punishment in the Warp by turnin' themselves into immortal robot-people. That was their sellin' point, eternal life. The Tau's sellin' point is the Greater Good utopia. The Tau Empire is also a big cult. The Followers of Eternity used behavioral control. They had rules: curfews, routine prayers, levels and moral codes to achieve more and more cybernetics, that kinda thing. The Tau use behavioral control, like their persuasion and regimented lives. Even the Gue'vesa, who have it looser, get a bit of that rigidity. That's the appeal of the Tau, right? They guide yer life. The Followers also had thought control.

(Thought control is when yer guided to conform. The Followers had their credos and mantras, meant to keep everyone keepin' everyone else on the "right" track. The Tau have thought control too, the whole idea of the Greater Good indicates that there are Bads ya ain't even allowed to think about. I know ya got it easier, but people like Vior Or'es are totally puppeteered. Then, there's emotion control. The Followers kept everyone in a state of fear and terror of the Warp and of their alleged eternal torture. The Tau keep everyone soothed and calm and caring for each other so everyone feels indebted.

(Finally, there's information control. The Followers had a newspaper, the Tau have their media apparatus and firm ideology. Yer right. Ya can "convert" to the Greater Good, but that's giving up personal sovereignty in the same way that gettin' eaten is. I respect yer right to join a cult, but at least think about whether ya want to be in a cult.)

 

[InquisitionAI]

IC:

Creed, I believe. Are these tales true?

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The Creed family were leading Cadia through basically every Tantrum Abbadon threw against it, and the Last Creed was so competent and Crazy-Prepared that Abbadon had to shatter the Planet, ruining the entire point of him trying to take the damn thing in the first place, as well as utterly shattering the only stable way for the Chaos Goons to get into Real-space.

I've met several Cadians who had a Baneblade break through a Hab Block Wall without going through the other side, and similar things.

We're all friends here, right?

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Friends is a stretch, especially for you, but 'Civil enough to actually talk to each other' is a lot more accurate.

Ya can "convert" to the Greater Good, but that's giving up personal sovereignty in the same way that gettin' eaten is.

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Okay, now you're actually just lying to people's faces. And you're trying to tell the dude living with the Tau what it's 'actually' like living with the Tau.

No, the Tau are nothing like the Nids, you can choose to not join the Tau, and they'll even help bail you put if, say, Chaos Astartes, Orks or Nids show up. If you're already part of the Tau, you are fully allowed to use your Primarch given Right to just... leave, physically, and there are no means of true thought control, every Tau (and aligned Race,) believes what they believe because they geniunely believe it.

The Tyranids give you two options, Become A Tyranid, and probably die because the Hive views your form as inefficient, or believes that your Biomass could be utilized better elsewhere. Or be mercilessly slaughtered by the Swarm because the Nids do not allow for anything Not Nid to exist in their space.

The simple fact that Genestealers exist at all makes the Nids inherently worse than basically any other faction, save perhaps the Necrons, (due to the Mindshackle Scarabs.) Even if you believe the shitty ass Imperial Propaganda about the Tau being controlled by Pheromones, they would still definitively be the superior option, simply because you can be Not Tau on Tau Space.

If we ever cross paths, I'm going to prove that Civilization and Cooperation are superior to your stupid ass 'Survival Of The Fittest' Retoric via Direct Apllication of Plasma.

 

[RiverDelta]

IC:

The Creed family were leading Cadia through basically every Tantrum Abbadon threw against it, and the Last Creed was so competent and Crazy-Prepared that Abbadon had to shatter the Planet, ruining the entire point of him trying to take the damn thing in the first place, as well as utterly shattering the only stable way for the Chaos Goons to get into Real-space.

I've met several Cadians who had a Baneblade break through a Hab Block Wall without going through the other side, and similar things.

The Tyranids give you two options, Become A Tyranid, and probably die because the Hive views your form as inefficient, or believes that your Biomass could be utilized better elsewhere. Or be mercilessly slaughtered by the Swarm because the Nids do not allow for anything Not Nid to exist in their space.

The simple fact that Genestealers exist at all makes the Nids inherently worse than basically any other faction, save perhaps the Necrons, (due to the Mindshackle Scarabs.) Even if you believe the shitty ass Imperial Propaganda about the Tau being controlled by Pheromones, they would still definitively be the superior option, simply because you can be Not Tau on Tau Space.

If we ever cross paths, I'm going to prove that Civilization and Cooperation are superior to your stupid ass 'Survival Of The Fittest' Retoric via Direct Apllication of Plasma.

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..Baneblades breaking through walls without going through the other side? That doesn't seem physically possible.

(Ashlee Viola: Yeah, that's what Jimmy was screamin'. Anyway, back to the guy. It was gauche to tell a Tau cultist that, yeah, an' I eagerly take it back. Wasn't thinkin' on my part. Tau Empire's still a cult, though. Oh, and don't ya Imperials talk a whole big game about "dyin' on yer feet rather than livin' on yer knees"?

(And ya ever talked to a Genestealer? They're fun company, and I'll take fun company an' the chance of dyin' over the pampered life of a pet. Oh, and I dunno whether yer a Guardsman or an Astartes or what, but we both know mutant scientist vs. trained soldier ain't gonna go my way. So if ya really wanna find me an' kill me, go for it. You'll just be endin' a lotta valuable research early, an' pro'lly sendin' Ynathe into a depressive spiral. Also wish I knew Vandire more, but her "protect the innocent" conformism causes her to think I'm some kinda devil. Then again, faith has often stood in the way of science.

(One final thing, bud. Glad we can stand each other. Not killing can be a survival mechanism too.)

 

[InquisitionAI]

..Baneblades breaking through walls without going through the other side? That doesn't seem physically possible.

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But it happened, and there are even some images of the aftermath of it happening too.

Everyone just chalks it up to the Creeds being *that good* and try to avoid thinking about it too much. (Especially given that I've seen some Psykers suffer Perils from trying to figure out how it was pulled off.)

Oh, and don't ya Imperials talk a whole big game about "dyin' on yer feet rather than livin' on yer knees"

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You're thinking of the Imperial Guard Saying, "To each of us falls a task, and all the Emperor requires of us Guardsmen is that we Hold The Line, and we die fighting. It is what we do best: We Die Standing."

Which is technically accurate to what you are talking about, but factually irrelevant to the discussion.

And ya ever talked to a Genestealer?

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Plenty of times, typically either at the end of a gun, or a knife.

More often than not, in my experience, they're regular people who don't realize they're being used. The Regiment makes a point to try and keep them around, though the Biologis typically have to sterilize them, since a Genestealer's Kiss means any children they have are going to be heavily mutated, and run the risk of spawning new Cults.

I shoot Pure-strains on sight, out of the simple principle of 'These Fuckers Kill Terminators' and I don't want to deal with that.

OoC:
IC!Me has... *Issues* in regards to Tyranids, IC conversation is strictly referring to the In-universe Characters, all that jazz.

 

[Bluespark9]

IC:
At least the tyrranids are not dammed Enslavers, those things take the worst parts of genestealers and daemons and are less reasonable then ether of them. The Imperium often talks about daemons, but the true danger for unlicensed pskyers isn't chaos, it's those mind bugs.
I haven't personally met them, but I do have some … old aquentences who've told me about the end of the war in heaven, when those things nearly killed off all of sentient life in the galaxy, from the elder to the orks. They also tried to take a sample, which to put it simply nearly ended in disaster, almost caused multiple supernova and ended with his banning from the celestial oray.

 

[RiverDelta]

But it happened, and there are even some images of the aftermath of it happening too.

Everyone just chalks it up to the Creeds being *that good* and try to avoid thinking about it too much. (Especially given that I've seen some Psykers suffer Perils from trying to figure out how it was pulled off.

You're thinking of the Imperial Guard Saying, "To each of us falls a task, and all the Emperor requires of us Guardsmen is that we Hold The Line, and we die fighting. It is what we do best: We Die Standing."

Which is technically accurate to what you are talking about, but factually irrelevant to the discussion.

Plenty of times, typically either at the end of a gun, or a knife.

More often than not, in my experience, they're regular people who don't realize they're being used. The Regiment makes a point to try and keep them around, though the Biologis typically have to sterilize them, since a Genestealer's Kiss means any children they have are going to be heavily mutated, and run the risk of spawning new Cults.

I shoot Pure-strains on sight, out of the simple principle of 'These Fuckers Kill Terminators' and I don't want to deal with that.

OoC:
IC!Me has... *Issues* in regards to Tyranids, IC conversation is strictly referring to the In-universe Characters, all that jazz.

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I suppose so. Are the Creeds still extant, or has that bloodline faded into obscurity?

(Ashlee Viola: I like your last line. It's fun. It's an ethos I can get behind. Look, my point is that there ain't nothin' wrong with nature. At least, there ain't anythin' more wrong with it than any other ethos, and it's a hell of a lot simpler than the Greater Good or the Imperial Truth, right? I dunno, maybe I ain't makin' sense.)

IC:
At least the tyrranids are not dammed Enslavers, those things take the worst parts of genestealers and daemons and are less reasonable then ether of them. The Imperium often talks about daemons, but the true danger for unlicensed pskyers isn't chaos, it's those mind bugs.
I haven't personally met them, but I do have some … old aquentences who've told me about the end of the war in heaven, when those things nearly killed off all of sentient life in the galaxy, from the elder to the orks. They also tried to take a sample, which to put it simply nearly ended in disaster, almost caused multiple supernova and ended with his banning from the celestial oray.

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I am...unfamiliar with the Enslavers, would you care to explain a bit more on them? Oh, and what is the "celestial oray"?

 

[Balmung1]

I am...unfamiliar with the Enslavers, would you care to explain a bit more on them? Oh, and what is the "celestial oray"?

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IC:You know how sometimes people have those giant conspiracy charts with a lot of pics connected with thread meant to represent something and how that's usually a sign of immense paranoia.The Celestial Orrery has one the size of a Titan,that's how fucking terrifying it is.I heard it's similar to the Tower of Hegemon where instead of 'only' being able to detect every single communication in Terra or going through Terra it's owners use it too watch the entire Galaxy and lend it out to others like how you use the free cogitators and Noosphere networks at the Library.

 

[RiverDelta]

IC:You know how sometimes people have those giant conspiracy charts with a lot of pics connected with thread meant to represent something and how that's usually a sign of immense paranoia.The Celestial Orrery has one the size of a Titan,that's how fucking terrifying it is.I heard it's similar to the Tower of Hegemon where instead of 'only' being able to detect every single communication in Terra or going through Terra it's owners use it too watch the entire Galaxy and lend it out to others like how you use the free cogitators and Noosphere networks at the Library.

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Ah, how...interesting. It is a shame this universe contains terrors in addition to the more obvious compassion and marvelous wonders.

 

[hellgodsrus]

I am...unfamiliar with the Enslavers, would you care to explain a bit more on them? Oh, and what is the "celestial oray"?

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IC: The Celestial Orrery is an old myth about (currently) the Necrons. That somewhere they have a granular map of the entire galaxy that can see every action down to the smallest detail, and the map is not even a map, but allows them to directly interact with events and planets and stars and alter them at will and as they see fit. It is a very old legend, so there is maybe some truth to it, but its capabilities are impossible, and it has previously been attributed in ownership to every race in existence.

(Ashlee Viola: Well, lookit. Yer an evolutionary product too, Ears. Long lives, psychic powers, advanced technology, tool use...They're all adaptations. Yer goal, ultimately, is to ensure yer continued existence, right? So what makes you so different? Is the issue that the Nids don't make art? Well, you ain't never seen a Carnifex, that's the most beautiful goddamned thing I've ever seen. Is it that they have a biosphere and not an empire? Well, they ain't never made a Chaos God and screwed themselves over, huh? They really are just like us...but a hair better. Oh, and I'm not greedy for power. I just want to survive. Just like you. Haven't you thought for a second that yer entire ethos as an Aeldari is to survive where everyone else is tryin' to wipe you out? Craftwords, Exodites, playin' grab-ass in the Webway...That's survival too.

(Damn. I think I got a bit...intense, there. Look, Ears, I don't hate ya. I really don't. I don't hate anyone. I'm just frustrated and I think I mighta gotten a bit too...incensed. So, I'll try an' be the bigger person. I mean that genuinely. I know it sounds incredibly fuckin' condescendin', but I don't mean it like that. I don't got a doctorate in social skills. That's pro'lly why I'm a Genestealer "Cultist" and not, say, a nun. I'd pro'lly be happier as a nun. Lissy Vandire seems happy, or at least happy by Vandire standards. So, uh...What're you into? Me, I like to read, watch plays, do a bit of actin' on the side. Community theatre.

(You seem like a smart cookie, and I admire your moral fortitude.)

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I've dealt with my hangover now, so let me respond to this appropriately.

First. Of course I am an evolutionary product. What makes me different is my personal choice, the choice of my society, to attempt to rise above base survival. If you believe the Aeldari's sole goal in existence now is merely survival - if I believed that, I would immediately join with the lunatics of Biel Tan, and we would be the monstrous cold beings Imperial propaganda says we are.

Our goal isn't survival. At least, I hope it isn't. My goal is to die and leave the galaxy a kinder, wiser place when I go. To push us closer, even if it is only by a fraction of a fraction of a prime atom component's length, to a place where I need never have been a soldier, where questions like those asked in this thread need never be asked, where hatred based on racial, or clan, or duty's difference is eliminated. Where knowledge has been expanded, not repressed. I don't give a fuck if I survive, because inherently by my being I cannot be part of such a universe.

Secondly, you do realise how fucking racist it is to call me ears? What, should I start calling you hairy (or 'keratinous', if your modifications have changed that)? If I must give my name out - I am Lisya. And I believe that you don't 'hate' anyone. Hate requires active emotion, and you think yourself very far above that, relishing in the luxury of 'enjoying being pleasant' to people. I am not surprised you are a skilled actress. My hobbies, beyond my work which I enjoy immensely, are none of your concern, but include gardening and dabbling into academic fields of study outside of my primary research.

Abhorrently, I must admit we are likely similarly viewed by our respective cultures as slightly odd for our xenophilia, though mine doesn't extend as far as yours. Are these sufficient answers to your questions?

 

[InquisitionAI]

Are the Creeds still extant, or has that bloodline faded into obscurity?

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I'm unsure of any Creeds, you'll have to find a Cadian for that one, but given how many Necrons showed up for that last battle, I wouldn't be surprised if the Lord General Himself was still alive.

been attributed in ownership to every race in existence.

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It might be one of the Ancient Artifacts that litter the galaxy, made by some unknown and long forgotten race.

Though such a race being beyond even the Necrons is... well, terrifying, I'm not going to lie.

 

[RiverDelta]

IC: The Celestial Orrery is an old myth about (currently) the Necrons. That somewhere they have a granular map of the entire galaxy that can see every action down to the smallest detail, and the map is not even a map, but allows them to directly interact with events and planets and stars and alter them at will and as they see fit. It is a very old legend, so there is maybe some truth to it, but its capabilities are impossible, and it has previously been attributed in ownership to every race in existence.

I've dealt with my hangover now, so let me respond to this appropriately.

First. Of course I am an evolutionary product. What makes me different is my personal choice, the choice of my society, to attempt to rise above base survival. If you believe the Aeldari's sole goal in existence now is merely survival - if I believed that, I would immediately join with the lunatics of Biel Tan, and we would be the monstrous cold beings Imperial propaganda says we are.

Our goal isn't survival. At least, I hope it isn't. My goal is to die and leave the galaxy a kinder, wiser place when I go. To push us closer, even if it is only by a fraction of a fraction of a prime atom component's length, to a place where I need never have been a soldier, where questions like those asked in this thread need never be asked, where hatred based on racial, or clan, or duty's difference is eliminated. Where knowledge has been expanded, not repressed. I don't give a fuck if I survive, because inherently by my being I cannot be part of such a universe.

Secondly, you do realise how fucking racist it is to call me ears? What, should I start calling you hairy (or 'keratinous', if your modifications have changed that)? If I must give my name out - I am Lisya. And I believe that you don't 'hate' anyone. Hate requires active emotion, and you think yourself very far above that, relishing in the luxury of 'enjoying being pleasant' to people. I am not surprised you are a skilled actress. My hobbies, beyond my work which I enjoy immensely, are none of your concern, but include gardening and dabbling into academic fields of study outside of my primary research.

Abhorrently, I must admit we are likely similarly viewed by our respective cultures as slightly odd for our xenophilia, though mine doesn't extend as far as yours. Are these sufficient answers to your questions?

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...Ah, what a strange myth, then. I suppose that is a mystery best left unexplored, or at least one that may never be solved.

(Ashlee Viola: Got it, Lisya. Won't call ya "Ears". Good to know. Didn't mean it to be racist, but I don't wanna be, ya know, insensitive. I ain't really familiar with the lunatics of Biel Tan, so ya might wanna clarify what ya mean by that. As for yer goals, they're noble. Gotta respect 'em. I just don't get it, though. Why would ya try an' make a world ya ain't even gonna live in? What, so ya can feel good about yerself? There's lotsa ways to feel good about yerself, Lisya.

(I never liked gardenin', but I'm glad you enjoy it. As for 'fields of study', that's more my speed. Tell me, what's yer primary research an' all those other fields of study? What gets yer mind goin'? As one final note, I'll say that we might be a bit more similar than either of us might think. After all, we're all here, right? If nothin' else, we share an interest in reviewin' bad texts.)

(Sister Vandire: So as the sisters who came before me / I vow to cleanse the lands of those / Whose thoughts become a haunt for the cold / This shall be known / By the break of the night / We will have repaid the slight / The impure walk through every hall / But I am closer now...)

(Ashlee Viola: Hey, what're ya doin'?)

(Sister Vandire: It's a poem. I'm reciting it to keep my faith against your heathenry and heresy.)

(Ashlee Viola: Ain't that a bit dramatic? What's so bad about me that Ynathe or Vior Or'es haven't done?)

(Sister Vandire: They're xenos who share the things that make humanity valuable. You're a human who's trying to kill those things in herself. By the time you're done, you'll just be a daemon or a Genestealer, and I hope that once you extinguish that last vestige of humanity it will be me who wipes your taint from the galaxy.)

(Ashlee: Natty, Sister Lissy's makin' me a bit uncomfortable.)

...Yes, I'm feeling that way as well. Even if I do understand why she might be concerned.

I'm unsure of any Creeds, you'll have to find a Cadian for that one, but given how many Necrons showed up for that last battle, I wouldn't be surprised if the Lord General Himself was still alive.

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Ah, I see. Is...Is Sister Vandire being rude, here? I'd like a third opinion. I'm uncomfortable with some of the...Drat.

 

[hellgodsrus]

...Ah, what a strange myth, then. I suppose that is a mystery best left unexplored, or at least one that may never be solved.

(Ashlee Viola: Got it, Lisya. Won't call ya "Ears". Good to know. Didn't mean it to be racist, but I don't wanna be, ya know, insensitive. I ain't really familiar with the lunatics of Biel Tan, so ya might wanna clarify what ya mean by that. As for yer goals, they're noble. Gotta respect 'em. I just don't get it, though. Why would ya try an' make a world ya ain't even gonna live in? What, so ya can feel good about yerself? There's lotsa ways to feel good about yerself, Lisya.

(I never liked gardenin', but I'm glad you enjoy it. As for 'fields of study', that's more my speed. Tell me, what's yer primary research an' all those other fields of study? What gets yer mind goin'? As one final note, I'll say that we might be a bit more similar than either of us might think. After all, we're all here, right? If nothin' else, we share an interest in reviewin' bad texts.)

Click to shrink...

IC: I covered Biel Tan in a previous post in this thread - in short, reactionary, brutal racial supremacist conquerors. I want to make that world I'm not even going to live in because others will live in it. It's not about feeling good about myself - if my sole desire in life was to feel good about myself, I'd join the Drukhari (no offence, cousin), or surrender myself to Joy, both of which are easily available options. It's about things being broken or - no, that implies they were better at one point. It's like... sculpting. When I sing the bone to life, yes I'm shaping it, but the bone's also shaping itself. I'm not sure if - I'm not sure how that concept translates. I might get better at explaining if I drink again but I drained my whole alcohol ration last night on account of you, so.

Research - I primarily act as a... I suppose the equivalent would be undergraduate university instructor in Warp Physics, with my primary research focuses at the moment being how the material and immaterial interact; I'm also a bonesinger which... the equivalent would be a construction worker I suppose? The two are linked disciplines anyway. I currently handle the middle centuries of most classes, and am more on the rebuilding teams rather than the teams that handle constructs. My other fields of study - pretty much most of them? I have the time, so why not. At the moment my focus outside of my work is on a mix of Xenopsych, Astrophysics, brushing up on some of my Engineering skills - it has been a millenia or two since my degree - and a lot of looking at how other species handle the teaching of the 'core' sciences and the differences in perspective those provide. And, yes, obviously there is that shared interest.

 

[InquisitionAI]

Is...Is Sister Vandire being rude, here?

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Aside from the general Sister of Battle stuff?

Not... really? Like, the Imperium hates Xenos, right, but it's a... "They exist and keep fucking around" hatred, it's not... personal isn't the word, but it's good enough for the purpose required.

The Mutant is more an object of pity than actually hated, (though this pity is often transformed by the Fanatics into hatred,) given that they can be just as faithful and true as any 'Pure' Human. Hell, Abhumans are often more honest, more trustworthy, and more Faithful than Mainline Humans.

But The Traitor, however, is true, absolute, Hatred, because they didn't betray the Imperium, they betrayed all of Mankind. Knowingly, willingly. They decided to become the Other out of their own, Insane, Narcissistic, belief.

OoC:

So as the sisters who came before me / I vow to cleanse the lands of those / Whose thoughts become a haunt for the cold / This shall be known / By the break of the night / We will have repaid the slight / The impure walk through every hall / But I am closer now...

Click to shrink...

I see what you did here, and honestly, pretty Based.

 

[Balmung1]

IC:Something I that's been bugging me but how exactly do Drukhari fight in the Void/Space? I heard that the Drikhari lack ships Heavy and Grand Cruiser classes but that doesn't seem to make sense considering that Commorogh does have battleships and the main point of Grand Cruisers is that you have the firepower of a Battleship inside a Cruiser at the cost of being more complicated than a regular Cruiser which if I were doing a raid I would totally want something with that combo of speed (for something bigger than Frigate) and firepower just in case it's more than escort ships?

IC:If you answer that I'm perfectly willing to tell you about how Custodes or more accurately the Talons Of The Emperor as a whole do combat in space.(here's a hint, munitions that can auto correct their course are very useful)

 

[RiverDelta]

IC: I covered Biel Tan in a previous post in this thread - in short, reactionary, brutal racial supremacist conquerors. I want to make that world I'm not even going to live in because others will live in it. It's not about feeling good about myself - if my sole desire in life was to feel good about myself, I'd join the Drukhari (no offence, cousin), or surrender myself to Joy, both of which are easily available options. It's about things being broken or - no, that implies they were better at one point. It's like... sculpting. When I sing the bone to life, yes I'm shaping it, but the bone's also shaping itself. I'm not sure if - I'm not sure how that concept translates. I might get better at explaining if I drink again but I drained my whole alcohol ration last night on account of you, so.

Research - I primarily act as a... I suppose the equivalent would be undergraduate university instructor in Warp Physics, with my primary research focuses at the moment being how the material and immaterial interact; I'm also a bonesinger which... the equivalent would be a construction worker I suppose? The two are linked disciplines anyway. I currently handle the middle centuries of most classes, and am more on the rebuilding teams rather than the teams that handle constructs. My other fields of study - pretty much most of them? I have the time, so why not. At the moment my focus outside of my work is on a mix of Xenopsych, Astrophysics, brushing up on some of my Engineering skills - it has been a millenia or two since my degree - and a lot of looking at how other species handle the teaching of the 'core' sciences and the differences in perspective those provide. And, yes, obviously there is that shared interest.

Click to shrink...

(Ashlee: Ah, yeah, that's pretty fuckin' silly. Racism is and has always been a fool's errand, a bad joke. A real hardened son-of-a-bitch don't choose his companions by their genes. He does it based on what he thinks of 'em, an' he finds people tryin' to survive. I understand ya ain't tryin' ta feel good about yerself, but the big problem is that all we really got is ourselves. I just don't get the point of buildin' a better world if ya ain't gonna be there.

(On the subject of, uh...bonesingin', I ain't familiar, but sounds interesting. Xenopsych's interestin' stuff too, I'd love to collaborate with you on somethin' like that.)

Aside from the general Sister of Battle stuff?

Not... really? Like, the Imperium hates Xenos, right, but it's a... "They exist and keep fucking around" hatred, it's not... personal isn't the word, but it's good enough for the purpose required.

The Mutant is more an object of pity than actually hated, (though this pity is often transformed by the Fanatics into hatred,) given that they can be just as faithful and true as any 'Pure' Human. Hell, Abhumans are often more honest, more trustworthy, and more Faithful than Mainline Humans.

But The Traitor, however, is true, absolute, Hatred, because they didn't betray the Imperium, they betrayed all of Mankind. Knowingly, willingly. They decided to become the Other out of their own, Insane, Narcissistic, belief.

OoC:

I see what you did here, and honestly, pretty Based.

Click to shrink...

OOC: It's a good song.


IC: (Sister Vandire: The above is mostly accurate, though "they keep fucking around" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.I damn well agree on the other two. A lot of mutants are in pain, they have problems. It's a condition. The Traitors, though? They sold out their own people. I'm all for making friends with xenos, but there's making friends and then there's betraying your own humanity. I'm progressive, I can understand why a human might become a Gue'vesa, but there's a big difference between that and a Tyranid monster.

(I'm not a fan of Chaos, but I also don't loathe T (@SolarFlare). As far as I'm concerned, her faith is heretical but her ethics are as just and "human" as it gets. My job is to defend the innocent from monsters, and even many heretics aren't monsters. Ashlee Viola, though, is making herself into a monster, and IMO that's an insult towards Mankind.)

IC:Something I that's been bugging me but how exactly do Drukhari fight in the Void/Space? I heard that the Drikhari lack ships Heavy and Grand Cruiser classes but that doesn't seem to make sense considering that Commorogh does have battleships and the main point of Grand Cruisers is that you have the firepower of a Battleship inside a Cruiser at the cost of being more complicated than a regular Cruiser which if I were doing a raid I would totally want something with that combo of speed (for something bigger than Frigate) and firepower just in case it's more than escort ships?

IC:If you answer that I'm perfectly willing to tell you about how Custodes or more accurately the Talons Of The Emperor as a whole do combat in space.(here's a hint, munitions that can auto correct their course are very useful)

Click to shrink...

We actually have quite large ships, so I'm unfamiliar as to where you heard that.We don't use Grand Cruisers because our larger ships are more focused on raids and deploying smaller craft. Many of our biggest ships are fighter or destroyer deployment devices.

 

[Balmung1]

We actually have quite large ships, so I'm unfamiliar as to where you heard that.We don't use Grand Cruisers because our larger ships are more focused on raids and deploying smaller craft. Many of our biggest ships are fighter or destroyer deployment devices.

Click to shrink...

IC: So what I'm getting here is that larger ships Drukhari ships act as carriers/motherships for deploying fighters or small capital craft.I'm going to guess that most Drukhari fleet doctrine is based around hit and fade attacks to slowly wear down an enemy using high speed and something akin to the holo-fields Craftworlders use instead of void shields.Also do you board ships in combat or is that just propaganda?

 

[RiverDelta]

IC: So what I'm getting here is that larger ships Drukhari ships act as carriers/motherships for deploying fighters or small capital craft.I'm going to guess that most Drukhari fleet doctrine is based around hit and fade attacks to slowly wear down an enemy using high speed and something akin to the holo-fields Craftworlders use instead of void shields.Also do you board ships in combat or is that just propaganda?

Click to shrink...

That is a large part of our fleet doctrine, yes. Oh, and as to whether we board ships, it is more common than you'd think but less common than you've heard.

 

[SolarFlare]

Not even going to dignify the drekhead acting like the inquisition party line is totally okay with a response. Don't want N to waste too many spare parts fixing the terminal.

(I'm not a fan of Chaos, but I also don't loathe T (@SolarFlare). As far as I'm concerned, her faith is heretical but her ethics are as just and "human" as it gets. My job is to defend the innocent from monsters, and even many heretics aren't monsters. Ashlee Viola, though, is making herself into a monster, and IMO that's an insult towards Mankind.)

Click to shrink...

Hey, if the corpse and its followers ever do anything nice for me, maybe I'll reconsider. Until then, I don't see why I should.

N: If you think traitors to your 'Imperium' are the ones 'betraying' humanity, you really aren't paying any attention.