The Long Night Part One: Embers in the Dusk: A Planetary Governor Quest (43k) Complete Sequel Up

[sabreFather]

@Durin is this a typo? If not, what does it mean?

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Narrative Causality or Conceptual. Like, how in certain Eastern Medicinal practices, dried & ground Tiger Penis is supposed to increase virility and masculinity. Biologically it does jack shit, but with Narrative effects... (And I chose that example because I am having a brain fart and forgot what little else I remember of Eastern Medicine. Maybe ground Dinosaur Dragon Bones does something? Blech.) Pretty much, alternative Medicine made functional because of belief. Assuming Durin meant to type Narrative, and it's not Autocorrupt being an ass.

 

[Shard]

Eastern Medicine

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Rhino horn, semen of some types of animals (not joking)... Xianxia stuff might be more oppropriate. The flower of a plant that blooms once every year, etc etc.

 

[sabreFather]

Rhino horn, semen of some types of animals (not joking)... Xianxia stuff might be more oppropriate. The flower of a plant that blooms once every year, etc etc.

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Oh yeah, forgot that was why rhinoceri were going extinct, lethal horn removal. And even if I had remembered, I would not have mentioned semen as it is even less socially acceptable to talk about. And I have no knowledge of Xianxia, so que nani? Though the flower is a good example as well. But for all intents and purposes, I believe Tzeentch or Slaanesh arranged for a situation where one can mention Tiger Penis with it being both appropriate and topical. Because they are freaking weirdos.

 

[Istvaan5]

Humans in the Tau Empire

Known as Gue'la in the Tau lexicon, this species is the most populous in Tau territory save for the Tau themselves. This is unsurprising as large portions of the Tau's current realm was once Imperial and their border worlds with the Imperium Tertius are of course populated with humans. This is of course forgetting the millennia of absorbing human worlds that occurred before the end of the Imperium.

It is important to explain the history of many of the human worlds within Tau space. In the aftermath of the Emperor's death the Tau empire expanded rapidly confused to find the mighty behemoth that they had warred with for so long collapsing as they looked on. With this general collapse came famine, plagues, wars and death. The Tau intervened.

It has been argued that the Tau could have intervened before the situation spiralled out of control, it can also be argued that the human governors would have likely never accepted in the first place due to their paranoid xenophobia and so the rabbit hole of "what ifs" continue. The fact of the matter is that the Tau did intervene, and that intervention saved trillions of lives. The Tau restored, order, they filled bellies that were empty, stomped out the threats that had come down upon them and all they asked in exchange was for the humans to follow the Greater Good.

As such in many Tau territories you will find worlds that are predominantly human and will find humans in every level of Tau society, researchers, warriors, workers, teachers, artists, diplomats etc. except for the Ethereals. Even then you can find humans as scribes and assistants to the leaders of the Greater Good, serving alongside Tau of all castes.

Indeed Commander Brightmoon, one of the Tau's best commanders at the moment is a human.

This dedication has given these humans a new name. From Gue'vesa, which means Human Helper, to Lor, Multi caste. This effectively acknowledges humans as another caste within the Tau Empire and a critical part of the Greater Good due to their contributions and essential nature.

However, the honour of being a member of the Lor, is not given to every human as there are still many who refuse to assimilate, especially the ones in the still very xenophobic Ultramar as captured border worlds consider those assimilated by the Tau to be heretics on par with Chaos Cultists themselves.

Unknown to Ultramar, due to the Tau carefully ensuring that they are kept as far away from the Western Front as possible, the Tau have successfully managed to implant geneseed and create their own astartes that fight for the Greater Good. This was the culmination of a project that took centuries as they were never able to successfully capture an Apothecary and the inner workings of geneseed are as much a mystery to the Tau as they are to everyone who isn't the Emperor and his sons, forcing them to opt for a brute force method of study. This method has led to numerous imperfections with the process, from relatively minor things like a non functional Bletchers gland, to more major psychological issues due to not having access to the correct techniques to condition the new astartes. These are flaws which the Tau are attempting to correct.

Regardless the Tau's patience and dedication was rewarded and the first Lor astartes were born. Clad in full Tau equipment and benefiting from the expertise and training of the entire empire, these battlesuit clad champions are proving decisive in the Tau's wars against the Orks, despite not matching up to their Ultramar counterparts.

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@Durin

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The Ultramarines are going to be PISSED when they learn about Tau's Space Marine project. The question is, will they be pissed enough to do anything about it, and what kind of response will they adopt?

 

[Durin]

The Ultramarines are going to be PISSED when they learn about Tau's Space Marine project. The question is, will they be pissed enough to do anything about it, and what kind of response will they adopt?

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That they are. However it is cannon as I can't see the Tau not trying to make their own Astates, or failing to get their hands on some given the stat of the galaxy.

 

[MonkeyTypewriter]

That they are. However it is cannon as I can't see the Tau not trying to make their own Astates, or failing to get their hands on some given the stat of the galaxy.

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The only real question is if they were dumb enough to use chaos gene seed.

 

[Dynamesmouse]

The only real question is if they were dumb enough to use chaos gene seed.

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It's been several thousand years. I can't see the Tau being that in the dark anymore.

 

[Red Bovine]

If we try to use diving Turoq as a means of achieveing paragon piety we could do so whenever we desire.

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This is just plain wrong, it was stated that it was a chance not a sure thing.

If we try to wait for a future event that would allow us to achieve paragon piety, we could very well be faced with something that demands immediate attention. If this were to occur we wouldn't be able to take any precautions, we would be at the complete mercy of the dice.

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Thing is that that has been the case for pretty much the entire quest. Also note that as I pointed out Ridcully has the second highest piety on the planet and is the least likely to get corrupted unless he explicitly takes risks that outirght risk corruption.

Additionally, I must challenge your assertion that another risk and reward will simply fall into our hands in the future. The reason that I argue for divining Turoq's name isn't because I enjoy taking unnecessary risks, but because I believe that it is a risk of sufficient value that would allow for the possibility of a reward. What future event could allow for the same thing? Any future danger that is great enough to give us paragon piety is assuredly just as dangerous as diving Turoq's true name. If not, it would have to be even more dangerous. The low hanging fruit has already been picked, anything that could get us paragon piety is going to require an extreme risk that will either break Ridcully or push him past his limit.

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...Ridcully lives on Avernus AKA the planet that reguarly creates people with paragon stats every once in a while, literally. Ridcully became one of the greatest diviners in history due to living on Avernus alone. He quite literally every few decades finds himself needing to spy on some divine events or even gods from witnessing the birth of Yneed, spying on the abomination and witnesing the awaking of Gork and Mork.

Also note that that testing his willpower can likely be done a number of ways besides purposely risking chaos corruption. Hell, he likely would have hit paragon during the last Incursion if he hadn't been knocked out for the last part and actually ended up killing the honored daemon after him.

Finally, I must challenge you once again regarding your argument that risking Ridcully's life is a safer bet than risking his corruption. The fact of the matter is that Ridcully is a psyker, a powerful one at that. When he dies his soul is going to shoot into the warp. Unlike most humans he won't dissipate, his essence will linger on. During this time he could be corrupted by a number of things. Heck, his death might be the catalyst for the birth of Tzeentch. Tzeentch does not possess a mortal body. If Ridcully were to die there is nothing to stop his soul from becoming part of the Tzeentchian gestal.

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Note that we've never heard of anyone getting corrupted after death. Also note that it's pretty much canon that all human souls go to the Emperor when they die and in-story everyone thinks that they end up with the Emperor in death.

 

[GhostKing 666]

Diplomatic Debrief: (Forge-Empire )- You have recently sent diplomats though the Eldar Webway to the major Imperial Remnants. They have learned a great deal about both those they were sent to and the Eldar, and Inquisitor Klovis-Ultan has volunteered to send some time gathering a better overview of these polities.

Time: 2 years

Cost: Free
Reward: More information on selected polity.

Complete
information will be added to Faction Analysis

Inquisitor Klovis-Ultan has provided you with a write up of all of the information available about the Forge-Empire of Callamus. From what you can tell the Forge-Empire is a powerful force, controlling several percent of Segmentum Tempestus with influence over a similar region. However it is by no means the most powerful force in Tempestus, and in recent years its expansion has been halted by conflicts with greater powers. The Adeptus Mechancius of Callamus seem to have made great strides by sharing their secrets with each other and by dedicated research of both human and xenos technology. In battle the Forge-Empire relies on its massed legions of bio-augmented Skitri and Titans to overwhelm any foe, using economic power as much as military power to claim victory.

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So I think we can agree that Callamus is going to be the easiest sell, especially if they are anything like what they are in Deus Ex and Legio Fulminata. They will probably be the group most willing to offer the most technology in order to get the most technology they can from the Trust and the other Imperial Successor states. And considering their circumstances, they seem like they really need more tech too.

High Grandmaster Ridcully recently gave you a report on the Forge-Empire of Callamus, the most powerful human remnant of Segmentum Tempestus. Callamus is a Forge World located to the south of Bakka, in the furthest reaches of the Segmentum. It was founded in M40, and since then has had a meteoric rise until it is spoken of in the same breath as Ryza. Unlike many Forge Worlds Callamus has always been highly active, with its powerful armies and fleets participating in battles across the galaxy, an act which earned them many allies both within the Mechanicus and without as well as one of the most powerful armies in the Adeptus Mechanicus. This led to it being the natural leader of its region after the fall of the Imperium, a region which also had several other Forge Worlds of lesser renown. The areas under the protection, and later control, of Callamus were quickly industrialised by the Tech-Priests, with every world turning into either a Resource World, an Industrial World or a Forge World. This allowed the Forge-Empire of Callamus to develop a powerful military which was used to expand the Forge-Empire. The Adeptus Mechanicus of Callamus is well on the radical end, treating its menials far better then most and encouraging innovation, though not without taking great care.

As things stand the Forge-Empire controls eighty sectors, each of which is split between one of more Forge Worlds. These Forge Worlds owe allegiance to Callamus and pay tithes to it but are in many ways independent. The armies of Callamus resemble the traditional force of the Adeptus Mechanicus write large, though they do wield several new forms of technology developed by the Forge-Empire over the years. As well as the all pervasive Orks the Forge-Empire of Callamus must deal with the Ophelian Theocracy to its north, the largest and most powerful of the Golden Imperiums of the Abomination, the expansionist Maynarkh Dynasty of Necrons to the South and countless attacks by the Dark Mechanicus. So far they have been able to hold their own, and even occasionally gain ground but the Green Awakening has raised the pressure on the Forge-Empire of Callamus to a new level.

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The only enemies near them strong enough to put a halt to their expansion are the Necrons, the Ophelian Theocracy, who knows how many Ork Empires and possibly some Dark Mechanicus empires. Finding ways to push these enemies back is naturally going to be Callamus's greatest priority, and Callamus being a Forge Empire, that means getting more powerful tech(which we can offer).

Diplomatic Debrief: (Imperium Quartus )- You have recently sent diplomats though the Eldar Webway to the major Imperial Remnants. They have learned a great deal about both those they were sent to and the Eldar, and Inquisitor Klovis-Ultan has volunteered to send some time gathering a better overview of these polities.

Time: 2 years

Cost: Free
Reward: More information on selected polity.

Complete
information will be added to Faction Analysis

Inquisitor Klovis-Ultan has provided you with a write up of all of the information available about the newly formed Imperium Quartus. He begins by telling you that while the Imperium Quartus was formally founded within the last half century it has been in the works since the death of the Emperor, and came into being as one of the galaxies most powerful human polities. The Imperium Quartus is ruled over by its four Primarches, each of whom has their own responsibilities. In battle the Imperium Quartus mostly relies on Great Crusade vintage human technology and the sheer quality of its improved Astartes and Primarches to defeat far more numerous foes, though auxiliary legions are being formed.

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Now the Imperium Quartus is probably going to be the hardest sell, even more then Ultramar.

A Diviners Report on Ultramar

Headmaster Ridcully has recently done a major divination of the conditions of Macragge and the Ultramarines, during which he gained much information. To begin with he found that Ultramar is now the center of the Imperium Secundus, a confederation that stretches over a hundred sectors and is guarded by a full hundred Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. Most of these chapters are descended from Roboute Guilliman but there are also decedents of every other loyalist Primarch barring the Lion and the Wolf in their ranks. While the Imperium Secundus is supposedly ruled by the Ultramarines in practice it functions more like a confederation, with each chapter and the worlds it rules being highly independent. The Imperium Secundus is far stronger then any of the Ork Empires or petty Imperiums that surround it even its mighty guardians are being driven back by the forces of the Tau Empire, now the most powerful polity in the Eastern Fringe and rapidly expanding into a major power. As a result of this war the Imperium Secundus is being forced to rapidly adept, having discarded large segments of the Code Astartes and started the practice of reverse engineering the Tau technology for their own use.

Headmaster Ridcully foresees that this war will continue until "The Destroyer rises" about which he can see no more.

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High Grandmaster Ridcully has spent some time recently looking into what the Destroyer that he foresaw attacking the Tau Empire and the Imperium Secondus is. He tells you that while much of its actions are veiled from even his sight he can confirm that the Destroyer is either a complete C'Tan or one approaching completion and that it will command countless legions of Necrons. In particular those that are infected by the Destroyer Virus, which it introduced into their makeup during the creation of the Necrons. Thanks to sabotage from the Ynnari the Destroyers forces will move slowly but will be such a threat that the Tau Empire and the Imperium Secondus will form a close military alliance to contain it, an alliance that will last until… And he can see no further then that.

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Over the last few years High Grandmaster Ridcully has been focusing his sight on Ultramar in order to gather more information about it in advance of the proposed meeting. The Imperium Secondus remains a highly confederate system, with each of the hundred Chapters having a high level of independence, though they still owe fealty to the Ultramarines. The Imperium Secondus has also grown notably since it was last examined, now spreading over sixty sectors.

The Imperium Secondus as a whole is almost defined by its relationship to the Tau Empire, the only other major power in its region and one that it has been at war with for almost its entire existance. It is this relationship which has forced the Imperium Secondus to end many of the precepts of the Codex Astartes, as the Tau started to develop counters for the Ultramarines tactics, and it is this relationship which has forced its Tech-Priests to start ignoring one of the Warnings and begin reverse engineering Tau technology in order to prevent the Tau technological superiority from dooming the Imperium Secondus.

The war between the Imperium Secondus and the Tau Empire, now known s the Chivalrous War, has changed greatly over the centuries for which it has been fought. While at first it was a traditional war of extermination, with no mercy being given or expected as time went by and other threats made their presence known agreements were made to limit the vulnerability that the war put both polities in. These agreements, known as the Cyhtheria Conventions for the world on which the first was signed have dominated the war ever since. While in many ways the fact that the war has remained a stalemate since their singing is a result of these Conventions, the war was a far more bloodying stalemate when they were signed and had almost resulted in the forces of chaos and Orks gaining far to much power as the Tau Empire and the Imperium Secondus focused on each other.

The first Convention is known as the Convention of Honour, under which parley will be accepted, agreements made honoured including parole, in which paroled forces will not fight in the war for a century, and the Conventions as a whole will not be exploited for one sides gain. This Convention exists to ensure that he remaining Conventions are honoured and work as intended.

The second Convention is the Convention of Limitations, in which it is agreed that no more then a tenth of each empires forces will be engaged in combat or deployed near the front lines at any time, and no more then a quarter in any ten year period. Paroled forces do not count towards total forces in this Convention. This Convention ensures that neither empire ever focuses too much on the war, ensuring that they can still deal with external threats.

The third Convention is the Convention of Enemies, in which it is agreed that ceasefires can be called, either locally on a larger scale, when a major force of mutual enemies is encountered. This is to allow for the mutual foes to be wiped out by the empire that encountered them without having to worry about devoting forces to guard against the other empire. There are even clauses in this agreement allowing for the two empires to work together if the threat justifies it.

The final Convention is the Convention of Restraint, in which it is agreed that both empires will attempt to avoid inflicting major damage to the industrial base of the other, and will not destroy industrial capacity rather then let it be captured. This Convention also encourages both empires to accept surrenders and offer parole, avoiding bloody last stands. This Convention exists to prevent the war from reducing the combined military capacity of the two empires, and rendering them more vulnerable to external threats.

Currently a ceasefire has been declared between the two empires as a result of the Green Awakening, and both empires are working together to wipe out as many of the Orks n their part of the galaxy as possible. This effort is made much easier by the fact that the Orks never grew in numbers in their region of the galaxy like they did in most places after the Fall of the Imperium, in large part due to the Cyhtheria Conventions.

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Ultramar is in some ways better off then Callamus, in some ways worse. Better in the sense that their biggest enemy/rival in their area are the Tau, who you can at least make treaties with, worse off because they will eventually have a C'tan gunning for them and thanks to us they know it. Still, their tech-priests have long since been forced to compromise and adapt in order for Ultramar to survive, so while probably not as progressive and liberal as Callamus, they are far from conservative.

The Imperium Quartus? From what we know of it, their tech-priests have never been through the crucibles that ours or the Ultramar tech-priests have been through(and it's extremely doubtful they were ever as liberal as Callamus tech-priests). While no doubt Vulcan and the other Primarchs have done their best to get their tech-priests to open up their vaults for the Imperium Quartus, especially if it meant getting ahold of GC era technology, they will still be the hardest sells. They'd want our tech, no doubt about that(it is Dark Age technology after all), but getting them to share technology(and with outsiders at that) will no doubt be like pulling teeth.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

If they have complaints they can lodge them with the complaint department. The complaint department is Doomtremor, but even then I think you are vastly underestimating their willingness.

First Ryaza is likely their biggest forge world they ain't dumb too many wars. They're the closest thing canon has to Callamus and that's before the Imperium collapsed.

Second it's been 1000 years. They didn't have the out our admech had, they'll have adapted or died especially since their location puts them right in the Black Imperium's expansion path.

 

[random_npc]

I strongly suspect what we're going to get out of this is some specialty techs, and maybe the last level of forages. But we are unlikely to get much out of this. But frankly that's ok, the point of this was to strengthen the other human powers more than us. So it does not matter how willing to share the other powers are, they don't have much to offer us.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

I strongly suspect what we're going to get out of this is some specialty techs, and maybe the last level of forages. But we are unlikely to get much out of this. But frankly that's ok, the point of this was to strengthen the other human powers more than us. So it does not matter how willing to share the other powers are, they don't have much to offer us.

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Mmm you may be surprised though not wrong.

I'll do more detailed when I'm not on a mobile.

But, one thing we maybe able to get is Corvus's help with the Knights.

 

[chaetopterus]

The main question about the turoq conflict at this point is how to draw him into a decisive conflict before the orks go out of control. His strength is that he cannot be deceived, so the best way to do this is to find some place he can't afford to lose and hit it as soon as there is some degree of certainty that the trust can win the resulting fight. His pyrrhic victory weakened him, but he's rebuilding and I'm sure he has some way to avoid the orks, so time works for him

For the scrying debate: I would like to remind people that the eldar still have 4 divinations owed to them and that, based on what they scried this turn, they are out of reconnaissance missions. As such, the question of finding a challenge for Ridcully may solve itself soon, when the eldar find some nonstandart requests to send. Aside from that, trying to scry on the true nature of a chaos god just to get a challenge is a bit like an adventuring party putting a bounty on their own heads just so they can get xp fighting the pursuers: It's narratively stupid and has a high chance of attracting a mechanical punishment to set a precedent.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

I strongly suspect what we're going to get out of this is some specialty techs, and maybe the last level of forages. But we are unlikely to get much out of this. But frankly that's ok, the point of this was to strengthen the other human powers more than us. So it does not matter how willing to share the other powers are, they don't have much to offer us.

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To expand on this.

Best case scenario

Callamus: Bio tech, industrial stuff/efficiency stuff, as many progressive tech priests as we can buy, superior ship design (may do an omake to develop this), Titan schematics to save us time, in a very very unlikely scenario calculators which they fudge off as something else.

Ultramar: Reverse engineered Tau tech, personally hoping for Dark Matter stuff and these Relay Communications Beacon - Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum, all of the geneseed (except for Unforgiven and Wolves).

Primarchs: Ryzan plasma, psycic techniques from the Primarchs (golems), Primarch expertise with the Grey Knights, Vulkan's forging techniques, maybe, other pure geneseed, Great Crusade techs most importantly the ultimate in anti ork work THE VOLKITE!!!!

Eldar: No idea, anything is possible.

Probably a lot of stuff I'm missing TBH.

For the scrying debate: I would like to remind people that the eldar still have 4 divinations owed to them and that, based on what they scried this turn, they are out of reconnaissance missions. As such, the question of finding a challenge for Ridcully may solve itself soon, when the eldar find some nonstandart requests to send. Aside from that, trying to scry on the true nature of a chaos god just to get a challenge is a bit like an adventuring party putting a bounty on their own heads just so they can get xp fighting the pursuers: It's narratively stupid and has a high chance of attracting a mechanical punishment to set a precedent.

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I dunno about most of it, but the Eldar have pushed him on the path when he divined the Deceiver successfully.

Maybe next turn they'll ask him to figure out whose getting played patsie.

 

[invictus1829]

This is just plain wrong, it was stated that it was a chance not a sure thing.



Thing is that that has been the case for pretty much the entire quest. Also note that as I pointed out Ridcully has the second highest piety on the planet and is the least likely to get corrupted unless he explicitly takes risks that outirght risk corruption.

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I have not once said that it was a guarantee. I merely stated that I would prefer the choice of when I take that risk as opposed to waiting for it to hit us in the face.

...Ridcully lives on Avernus AKA the planet that reguarly creates people with paragon stats every once in a while, literally. Ridcully became one of the greatest diviners in history due to living on Avernus alone. He quite literally every few decades finds himself needing to spy on some divine events or even gods from witnessing the birth of Yneed, spying on the abomination and witnesing the awaking of Gork and Mork.

Also note that that testing his willpower can likely be done a number of ways besides purposely risking chaos corruption. Hell, he likely would have hit paragon during the last Incursion if he hadn't been knocked out for the last part and actually ended up killing the honored daemon after him.

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A number of those things you mentioned did risk chaos corruption. When Ridcully was spying on the Abomination, had he slipped we could very well have seen him become corrupted. Same for the birth of Yneed. After that when we went to watch Yneed tear Slannesh a new one, had we made a mistake we could have been corrupted there as well. Please keep in mind that these are two major gods, one of whom is a master at corruption. All of these things we did when were at even less piety. We made the choice to visit the abomination. We were swept up in the birth of Yneed.

Note that we've never heard of anyone getting corrupted after death. Also note that it's pretty much canon that all human souls go to the Emperor when they die and in-story everyone thinks that they end up with the Emperor in death.

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The thing is, just because some of our people believe that doesn't make it true. Sure, it might have been canon that souls went to the Emperor in 40k, but that's not where we are anymore. It is millennia later and the Emperor is for all intents and purposes dead.

I know he is supposed to return at some point in the far future, but while he is banished I doubt he is able to effectively scoop up our human souls. Maybe he'd make an effort for one such as Ridcully, but I can't say for sure.

Also, I want to mention that when the Emperor died there was a chance that the Abomination would have been the one our souls would have went to.

This just goes to show that the safety of human souls after death is no guaranteed thing. By my reading of the text, it feels to me that our souls will now go to the warp and what happens next is anyone's guess. But safety is no longer the only option.

 

[Durin]

The only real question is if they were dumb enough to use chaos gene seed.

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They were not. Over the last few thousand years they have leaned enough about chaos to know that that would be stupid

 

[Doomed Wombat]

The thing is, just because some of our people believe that doesn't make it true. Sure, it might have been canon that souls went to the Emperor in 40k, but that's not where we are anymore. It is millennia later and the Emperor is for all intents and purposes dead.

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IIRC We don't know if that was true (I believe it is canon that certain souls do go to him, like Ferrus Manus's), but they certainly don't now.

@Durin
1. How does Archmagos Prime Purge, feel about the fact that two of the most successful human polities got there by breaking the admech's laws and mass reverse engineering xeno tech.
2. To what extent does Horatius think the Tau tech is integrated into the Ultramarines stuff?

 

[Andres]

There is another way we know of to get Ridcully his Paragon Piety: a Great One blessing. He could go down the caverns to get one from the Radiance or maybe find some other Great One to give him power. It would bump him up over 50 Piety and it'd be significant enough to warrant Paragon.

 

[GhostKing 666]

To expand on this.

Best case scenario

Callamus: Bio tech, industrial stuff/efficiency stuff, as many progressive tech priests as we can buy, superior ship design (may do an omake to develop this), Titan schematics to save us time, in a very very unlikely scenario calculators which they fudge off as something else.

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You forgot nanotech like nano forges and possibly Nanyte Blasters(if they have recreated them). Possibly Daemon Slayer crusiers if they have expanded into Bakka yet.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

There is another way we know of to get Ridcully his Paragon Piety: a Great One blessing. He could go down the caverns to get one from the Radiance or maybe find some other Great One to give him power. It would bump him up over 50 Piety and it'd be significant enough to warrant Paragon.

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Yes lets go to one of the literally most dangerous places on the planet and badger the Great One living there for a buff...

I know you hopefully meant that as a joke...

You forgot nanotech like nano forges and possibly Nanyte Blasters(if they have recreated them). Possibly Daemon Slayer crusiers if they have expanded into Bakka yet.

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Durin doesn't seem to like using nanotech much (though that may just be because he decided this region didn't have the DAoT go that way at all) and remember, this callamus and the Deus Ex one are not the same, so possibly no Bakka and daemon slayer cruisers.

Regardless the Nanyte blaster is something I'd expect the Primarch's to have. GC tech.

 

[Andres]

Yes lets go to one of the literally most dangerous places on the planet and badger the Great One living there for a buff...

I know you hopefully meant that as a joke...

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Jacob had just 5 more Combat when he did it with no psychic powers and worse wargear. Ridcully could pull it off. As for badgering, one of your own canon omakes had a Great One personally interested in Ridcully, so it's not implausible for a Great One to be ok with giving him a blessing.

Not saying this is guaranteed to succeed or anything, but there would be an appreciable chance of success and the penalty for failure would merely be death rather than corruption.

 

[invictus1829]

Jacob had just 5 more Combat when he did it with no psychic powers and worse wargear. Ridcully could pull it off. As for badgering, one of your own canon omakes had a Great One personally interested in Ridcully, so it's not implausible for a Great One to be ok with giving him a blessing.

Not saying this is guaranteed to succeed or anything, but there would be an appreciable chance of success and the penalty for failure would merely be death rather than corruption.

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If this is the case, might we also consider sending Lin as well. I doubt that the Great One could save him but maybe it could do a thing.

Also, how neat would it be to have Lin and Ridcully be bros and fight through the caves together?

 

[Andres]

If this is the case, might we also consider sending Lin as well. I doubt that the Great One could save him but maybe it could do a thing.

Also, how neat would it be to have Lin and Ridcully be bros and fight through the caves together?

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Saving is out of the question, but I can see it maybe being enough to get him Learning Paragon. Certainly with A Shooting Star he'd get something out of the adventure.

 

[Doomed Wombat]

Jacob had just 5 more Combat when he did it with no psychic powers and worse wargear. Ridcully could pull it off. As for badgering, one of your own canon omakes had a Great One personally interested in Ridcully, so it's not implausible for a Great One to be ok with giving him a blessing.

Not saying this is guaranteed to succeed or anything, but there would be an appreciable chance of success and the penalty for failure would merely be death rather than corruption.

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Jacob did it when working together with Lulana an incredibly powerful psyker and combatant whose abilities compliment his and are very well tailored for surviving in hell.

Jacob would not have his main ability neutered by being in the caverns.

This is also forgetting a critical fact, namely we cannot get in the Caverns where the Radiance gives a ****.

It took a suicidal beta operating on super precognition and the final death wish of an alpha level to get Jacob and Lulana down there and even then neither of those was fully intentional.

As if Avernus doesn't have worse fates than corruption in store for idiots who tresspass where they don't belong.

You seem to have a very odd idea that just because Jacob and Lulana did it Ridcully could do it, when he probably can't. I mean of course there's a chance, there was a chance Jacob could make it so its possible, but the two are fundamentally different and its such a tiny chance that we may as well take the sword and chop his head off instead.

I never said it was Ridcully, merely implied.

Even if it was, wrong Great One and if the Wheel wants to do something overt with him it'd do it.

Also, how neat would it be to have Lin and Ridcully be bros and fight through the caves together?

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How neat would it be to have them both die down there.

Ridcully from being blinded by the sheer temporal fuck you, Lin from senescence (need I remind you that Jacob spent 20 years down there, while only a year or two passed on the surface.)

adventure

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Its not an adventure, its a suicide run.

 

[Andres]

Its not an adventure, its a suicide run.

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