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

Investigate the Sea?

  • Yes

    Votes: 593 80.4%
  • No

    Votes: 145 19.6%

  • Total voters
    738
And why couldn't we import him or some other trainer when needed, especially given the number of Aesir that come through Avernus on a daily basis?

Doubly I doubt how much conventional knights are useful in this situation, seeing as knights traditionally cannot teleport (Daemonology is the most OP tree for psyker knights.)


Not a blood line problem and there'll never be many, so I don't think they'd care.

Sigmund won't come he is busy on Asgard. Any other Knight won't be on his level and be much less effective. Yes, you need the conventional training without it a psy-knight is a major hindrance, not an asset. The Aesir that comes through is a raw recruit that needs training not someone who can train a whole new style of Knights. Doesn't matter how strong a psyker you are without the proper foundation you are wasting time and resources.

Have you seen how many Deltas we have coming through now? It takes 25 Maniples of Knights min to become a Baron that is 125 Knights. We get more than double that in Deltas every turn passing the trials. Yes, they would care but not because we are making Knight. They would care because we are wasting resources on Psy-Knights who aren't being trained properly. Sigmund has been a part of every progressive movement in Asgard he has trained entire generations of Knight that are in the Aesir ranks and growing. He is not shackled by tradition and is the best teacher available to adapt to teaching Psykers the needed lessons of Knight Piloting.
 
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Sigmund won't come he is busy on Asgard. Any other Knight won't be on his level and be much less effective. Yes, you need the conventional training without it a psy-knight is a major hindrance, not an asset. The Aesir that comes through is a raw recruit that needs training not someone who can train a whole new style of Knights. Doesn't matter how strong a psyker you are without the proper foundation you are wasting time and resources.

Have you seen how many Deltas we have coming through now? It takes 25 Maniples of Knights min to become a Baron that is 125 Knights. We get more than double that in Deltas every turn. Yes, they would care but not because we are making Knight. They would care because we are wasting resources on Psy-Knights who aren't being trained properly. Sigmund has been a part of every progressive movement in Asgard he has trained entire generations of Knight that are in the Aesir ranks and growing. He is not shackled by tradition and is the best teacher available to adapt to teaching Psykers the needed lessons of Knight Piloting.
Busy doing what?

Isn't he mostly still training knights when he's not helping out house Bor, to say nothing of the fact we are one of the most powerful planetary governor's in the trust, with an excellent relationship with asgard asking him to train a potentially bounteous military asset, I think if we ask for him nobody in the trust will say no, even if it impacts on the training of normal knights for a bit.

How many of those deltas have primaris levels of control, how many of them have their skills line up in the correct way that training them in a knight is actually viable? How many of them can we afford to not be Pimaris psykers, the people who run the Psynastkana.

The supply is rather limited.

Being progressive helps, but he still can't teleport. I think we're on our own there.
 
Busy doing what?

Isn't he mostly still training knights when he's not helping out house Bor, to say nothing of the fact we are one of the most powerful planetary governor's in the trust, with an excellent relationship with Asgard asking him to train a potentially bounteous military asset, I think if we ask for him nobody in the trust will say no, even if it impacts on the training of normal knights for a bit.

How many of those deltas have primaris levels of control, how many of them have their skills line up in the correct way that training them in a knight is actually viable? How many of them can we afford to not be Pimaris psykers, the people who run the Psynastkana.

The supply is rather limited.

Being progressive helps, but he still can't teleport. I think we're on our own there.
He has more responsibilities than just training Knights. He has taken a major leadership role in the Aesir to the point if we don't get him he will become a Marshal of a branch replacing Sif most likely. He is still a major figure and leader for both the military and regular House management. He is extremely well connected that is why he is an option despite being the Third child of a powerful Ducal House and now a Baron on his own.

You are right but here is the thing we aren't going to be training large batches of Psykers at a time. It will take time to gather the experience to expand the training. I wouldn't be surprised if the first batch was anymore than a handful of the best-qualified psykers. This is a long term action it will take years to decades to set everything up so Psy-Knights are possible.

He is progressive in the sense he is extremely adaptive. So what if he can't teleport he know how to fight those that do. He has fought every foe we have faced. From Chaos Daemons, cultist and their psykers, orks and all of their BS, Traitor Marines, Dark Admech abominations. He has plenty of experience dealing with psychic powers.
 
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I rather like the Prince.

For one, Klovis Ulthuan is not going to be around forever (he is older than Rotbart) so having someone we can groom for that position would be handy.

For another, he brings to the table an ability that most of our heroes are not good at: Working with/Intrigue involving Nobles. Something that Dragon's Nest has scads of, and we will have to contend with over time as The Imperial Trust and Dragon's Nest begin the process of merging.

I mean sure, The Trust has Vanaheim for local nobility, but other than that, most of the worlds are odd compared to the typical Imperial World and its Noble classes. This guy would be used to all the regular players and the ins and outs of every sub-sector in the Nest and Karnas.

I rate him equal to the Knight Commander in utility and above the good captain.
 
I mean sure, The Trust has Vanaheim for local nobility, but other than that, most of the worlds are odd compared to the typical Imperial World and its Noble classes. This guy would be used to all the regular players and the ins and outs of every sub-sector in the Nest and Karnas.

Vanaheim, Alfheim, Asgard, Jotunheim have regular nobles in control and in large numbers.

Svartalfheim has a noble group made up of the guilds.

The colonies also have nobles from the homeworlds that colonized them. That is not counting the Nobles we had before the Warpstorm cut us off and joined the Trust after that, along with the Rogue Traders that were also around when it happened we have plenty of nobles that we deal with.
 
I'm still inclined to the Asgard knight. Highest chance of survival and therefore highest expected amount of grandchildren bearing Rotbart's lineage.
 
His chances went up actually his score is 40 instead of the 38 it was at first. That puts him at nearly the top of the Aesir Knights in combat ability. And that is out of his Knight he would be even stronger in his Knight.
 
Baron Sigmund 'The Defiant' of the Aesir
Martial: 15+11=26- Baron Sigmund is an experienced commander who has been trained to lead forces of all types, though he is most comfortable leading Knights into battle.
Intrigue: 12+1=13- Baron Sigmund has a basic understanding of the importance of subtle action but has no talent for it himself.
Administration: 11+5=16-Baron Sigmund is a competent administrator, but little more then that.
Learning: 14+3=17-Baron Sigmund has received a good education which he has expanded on in several years.
Piety: 16+6=22- Baron Sigmund is has a strong will and a firm, but by no means unshakable faith.
Diplomacy: 13+6=19- Baron Sigmund is a reasonably inspiring leader and able to mingle with people of most walks of life.
Combat: 17+23=40- Baron Sigmund is one of the greatest Knights among the Aesir, and there are few who can beat him in a Knight.

Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson of the Vanir
Martial:24+12=36 Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson is a highly skilled naval officer, though his talents lie more towards commanding a single ship rather then a fleet.
Intrigue: 9+1=10- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has little to no skills in the more subtle pursuits.
Administration: 18+5=23- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has spent centuries as a captain, charged with keeping a warship running at full capacity. So far he has never been found wanting, even in the most challenging of situations.
Learning: 11+3=14- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has the education required for a naval captain, and little more.
Piety: 13+3=16- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has a strong dedication to his duty, though it is not backed by very much faith.
Diplomacy: 10+6=16- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson is well mannered and a is commanding leader when in his element.
Combat: 17+13=30-- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson is an expert shot and a veteran of multiple bloody boarding actions against all manner of foes.

Prince Amrit Misra of Karnas
Martial: 14+6=20- Prince Amrit has been extensively trained in the arts of military command, though he is not particularly experienced at it.
Intrigue: 17+18=35- Prince Amrit is a mater of intrigue in all of its forms, able to manipulate courtly politics, oversee spy networks and infiltrate even well secured locations.
Administration: 12+5=17- Prince Amrit has experience managing his holdings and proven to be a competent administrator.
Learning: 14+5=19- Prince Amrit has been well educated in a variety of topics due to his position, though he has never sort out further education.
Piety: 11+2=13- Prince Amrit believes in the importance of duty, though his belief has never really been tested.
Diplomacy: 16+11=27- Prince Amrit is an expert diplomat able to create deals that seem impossible and get on well with almost anyone.
Combat: 16+15=31- Prince Amrit has been trained for combat from a very young age, and been tested in many dangerous situations in his time as a Royal Herald.

Alfons Uberti of the Uberti Dynasty
????

Sigmund has decent martial and piety and very good combat
Asker has good martial and combat and decent admin
Amrit has good intrigue and combat and decent diplo and martial.
Alfons is unknown at this time.

Sigmund gives us psyker knights and has a bonus to teaching and is a progressive plus is over that 35 combat mark.
Asker is at home on a ship and may aid in training our fleet
Amrit has a bonus to stealth and spying, so may be able to provide some training to our intrigue forces though Jane is really really good
Alfons is unknown at this time.

Right now I favor Sigmund he lets us add psyker knights to our already good ground forces and lets us continue to leverage our obscene psyker counts and deathworld bonus.
 
@Durin Has Syr met any of her suitors, and does she favor any of them over the rest?
She has met many times with the two Trust candidates. She is friends with Sigmund. The Captain is also a friend as well I believe. The second part doesn't apply because it is up to us to choose. That question is asking the QM to decide when he is not the players.
 
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Giving a foreign spy access to our spy network is a bad idea. Them having a higher bonus than your own head spy makes it worse, not better.
 
Also in regards to spy stuff going to point out that Riduclly makes spying on the trust pretty next to impossible if we start using Ridcully to actually root out spies every two decades. An action every 4 turns doesn't really seem like much now that we are unlikely to use fanning the flames since Orks have become resistant to it.
 
Baron Sigmund 'The Defiant' of the Aesir
Martial: 15+11=26- Baron Sigmund is an experienced commander who has been trained to lead forces of all types, though he is most comfortable leading Knights into battle.
Intrigue: 12+1=13- Baron Sigmund has a basic understanding of the importance of subtle action but has no talent for it himself.
Administration: 11+5=16-Baron Sigmund is a competent administrator, but little more then that.
Learning: 14+3=17-Baron Sigmund has received a good education which he has expanded on in several years.
Piety: 16+6=22- Baron Sigmund is has a strong will and a firm, but by no means unshakable faith.
Diplomacy: 13+6=19- Baron Sigmund is a reasonably inspiring leader and able to mingle with people of most walks of life.
Combat: 17+23=40- Baron Sigmund is one of the greatest Knights among the Aesir, and there are few who can beat him in a Knight.

Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson of the Vanir
Martial:24+12=36 Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson is a highly skilled naval officer, though his talents lie more towards commanding a single ship rather then a fleet.
Intrigue: 9+1=10- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has little to no skills in the more subtle pursuits.
Administration: 18+5=23- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has spent centuries as a captain, charged with keeping a warship running at full capacity. So far he has never been found wanting, even in the most challenging of situations.
Learning: 11+3=14- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has the education required for a naval captain, and little more.
Piety: 13+3=16- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson has a strong dedication to his duty, though it is not backed by very much faith.
Diplomacy: 10+6=16- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson is well mannered and a is commanding leader when in his element.
Combat: 17+13=30-- Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson is an expert shot and a veteran of multiple bloody boarding actions against all manner of foes.

Prince Amrit Misra of Karnas
Martial: 14+6=20- Prince Amrit has been extensively trained in the arts of military command, though he is not particularly experienced at it.
Intrigue: 17+18=35- Prince Amrit is a mater of intrigue in all of its forms, able to manipulate courtly politics, oversee spy networks and infiltrate even well secured locations.
Administration: 12+5=17- Prince Amrit has experience managing his holdings and proven to be a competent administrator.
Learning: 14+5=19- Prince Amrit has been well educated in a variety of topics due to his position, though he has never sort out further education.
Piety: 11+2=13- Prince Amrit believes in the importance of duty, though his belief has never really been tested.
Diplomacy: 16+11=27- Prince Amrit is an expert diplomat able to create deals that seem impossible and get on well with almost anyone.
Combat: 16+15=31- Prince Amrit has been trained for combat from a very young age, and been tested in many dangerous situations in his time as a Royal Herald.

Alfons Uberti of the Uberti Dynasty
????

Sigmund has decent martial and piety and very good combat
Asker has good martial and combat and decent admin
Amrit has good intrigue and combat and decent diplo and martial.
Alfons is unknown at this time.

Sigmund gives us psyker knights and has a bonus to teaching and is a progressive plus is over that 35 combat mark.
Asker is at home on a ship and may aid in training our fleet
Amrit has a bonus to stealth and spying, so may be able to provide some training to our intrigue forces though Jane is really really good
Alfons is unknown at this time.

Right now I favor Sigmund he lets us add psyker knights to our already good ground forces and lets us continue to leverage our obscene psyker counts and deathworld bonus.
What? As it has already been made clear we don't need him for Psychic knights. And as for training, we can simply just request it from the Aesir directly, they like us.
 
What? As it has already been made clear we don't need him for Psychic knights. And as for training, we can simply just request it from the Aesir directly, they like us.
He is the best available trainer and would be too busy to come and train psy-knights if he was not on the planets. Anyone else would be subpar for making an entirely new training system. The Aesir like us but that doesn't mean they are going to give us one of their next Marshals without something to tie us to them.
 
Also in addition to psy-knights he will also allow us to have regular knight house on Avernus, and Knights with Avernite deathworlder and Eternal War veterancy bonuses would be sweeeeet.
 
He is the best available trainer and would be too busy to come and train psy-knights if he was not on the planets. Anyone else would be subpar for making an entirely new training system. The Aesir like us but that doesn't mean they are going to give us one of their next Marshals without something to tie us to them.
Cool, but that still doesn't mean he gives us psyker knights.
 
Cool, but that still doesn't mean he gives us psyker knights.
He is the best way to make them practical and probable. We could try and do it without him but it would be the same as trying to teach a non-psyker to use choir powers. Possible but so difficult it is not worth the effort.

All of the three options have good things going for them but Sigmund is everything that comes with Knights and that includes making the Psy-Knights a practical project.
 
@Adventwolf I know he's your character but plz tone down your assertions on various possibilities for Sigmund. He's Durin's game piece now and he can implement Sigmund differently than what you expect or want.

So Sigmund could be more, less or about equally available for things like Pysker Knights than you think for instance.
 
As I understand the current options:

[] Stay Unwed- Wait for a better candidate
- Yo these husbandos just don't cut it man, get us something better for our daughter.
- No children, are you serious.

[] Marry Baron Sigmund 'The Defiant' of the Aesir- best combat, decent Martial, allows formation of Knight House on Avernus.
- Maximum Survival while on Avernus, highest Combat+Piety Bonus. Variable survival during war.
- Knight-Titans
- Omake Character, has a crush on Syr.
- Better press the Spend Time With Action so he develops his skill base more (Admin, Martial).

[] Marry Flag-Captain Askr Albertsson of the Vanir- best Martial, decent admin, better political ties with Vanaheim, increases chance of Governor Bertil Mikaelsson being deposed.
- Gets to stay with Syr in a ship. Variable survival due to job being on a ship, high time in proximity may increase children likelihood.
- Not sure if quest-base cares about deposing Bertil anymore. (Also note that Bertil has pretty good Admin so he might really be the best for Vanaheim.)
- Mutual Love for Work with Syr.
- Better press the Spend Time With Action to develop his skills.

[] Marry Prince Amrit Misra of Karnas- best Intrigue, good diplomacy, far better political ties with Karnas Sub-Sector, better political ties with Dragon's Nest.
- Actually a political marriage.
- Great Intrigue, strong incentive to establish spy networks everywhere (Consequences???).
- Really bad Piety, so far lowest Combat+Piety Bonus.
- Sarnow is that you
- Also press the Spend Time With Action

[] Marry Alfons Uberti of the Uberti Dynasty- best admin by far, ties with Uberti Rogue Trader Dynasty of Dragon's Nest, better political ties with Dragon's Nest.
- PHAT LOOT (Amount of $$$: ???)
- More detail needed
- Probably should also press the Spend Time With Action
 
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The Thrice-Radiant
@Durin
-----------

The Thrice-Radiant


Background

Of all the ways a god may be born, the fastest and most reliable way is through a god lifting a mortal up into the ranks of divinity. The domain the newly ascended god takes is dependent upon their own mortal lives, and so a mighty warrior when ascended by divinities will, upon ascension, become a war god. In this manner, a pantheon may strengthen itself by uplifting mortals with specialised skills that they lack, strengthening the pantheon as a whole.

The minor god alliance has been doing this, both to gain gods with domains of particular benefit to them as well as to merely replenish their ranks after taking casualties in the eternal war against Chaos. In one case, however, they ascended a mortal in service to themselves, but in service to another: Cegorach, the laughing god of the eldar. In exchange for a boon of great value, the alliance would create a god that would serve to distract the Gods of Chaos, that whatever inscrutable scheme the Laughing God was carrying out would succeed.

Though the alliance distrusted a figure so treacherous and conniving as Cegorach, the alliance's desperation made such a lucrative offer tempting. Ultimately, Zahak broke the stalemate, convincing her compatriots to accept so long as payment was made up front. With great skill, they searched amongst the mortals, human and xeno alike, for the one who would act in the role, and eventually found a suitable candidate. The mortal was told that they would be a distraction, and while they would have a chance of long term survival, it would be a very slim one. The mortal, knowing that even with a short lifespan it could do more for the greater good of the galaxy as a god than as a mortal, accepted regardless.

So was born the god known only as the Thrice-Radiant, whose aim is to spread righteousness, protect the innocent, and vanquish evil for as long as they can.

***
Appearance

What race the Thrice-Radiant was has been deliberately kept a mystery so as to not cause divides over species lines. It is considered a sin to depict them as being of any specific race in religious iconography. Only one of their mortal servants has been allowed to see their face since their ascension, and only because they have a somewhat personal relationship with the deity.

***
Powers

To serve as the distraction they need to be, the Thrice-Radiant could not reside in the Warp. There, they would be too quickly set upon by the daemons of Chaos and destroyed. Neither could they reside in the Webway, where their reduced ability to act and increased safety would draw too little attention. They would need to reside in the Materium. They would not inhabit the flesh of an avatar, however. Using technology developed though ultimately unused by the Sun Goddess, they would instead be held in the centre of a gargantuan warptech machine. There they would be immobile and unable to maintain an afterlife, but would be safe from direct attack by daemons and could act in ways that an avatar-bound god could not.

The Thrice-Radiant provides general, low-level protection against the influence of Chaos to those who worship them, the same as other gods. They can have their power channelled to perform miracles, though as is the case with minor gods, that is a very rare thing. They can also create divine servitors and provide blessings, the latter of which being where the lion's share of their power goes, with them having many champions for a god of their strength.

***
Religion

The Thrice-Radiant's faith is centred around doing good deeds and bringing hope to the galaxy. It is racially open, allowing for humans and most xenos to practice worship of the Thrice-Radiant and live under their strictures. Though very new and still yet establishing a foothold on other worlds, the openness of the religion as well as its general attractiveness has been seeing the faith spread very quickly to numerous different worlds and species, the Laughing God's followers ferrying its missionaries far and wide. In the Thrice-Radiant's home alone, this has naturally resulted in a number of faiths that branch of from the original faith that, while different in certain areas, remain truthful in totality to the spirit of the Thrice-Radiant's faith. The orthodox faith acknowledges, allows, and to a large extent incorporates them into the wider organised religion, ensuring unity.

The reasoning behind this policy of openness and tolerance of difference is in part practical and in part theological. An adaptable, fluid religion makes it easier to spread amongst new populations, who may otherwise reject the religion wholesale on the grounds of a few ultimately irrelevant details. Additionally, dynamism in the faith prevents it from fossilising and becoming stale, keeping it from souring and turning into the same spiritual abomination that was the Imperial Creed.

Unfortunately, this has made the Thrice-Radiant's faith fertile ground for heresies: beliefs that, whether in theory or practice, go against the spirit of the faith and pervert its teachings, even as they claim - whether truthfully or otherwise - to stay true to the Thrice-Radiant. The Thrice-Radiant's clergy responds to these heresies with censure, denunciation, and excommunication, which is divinely affirmed by the Thrice-Radiant themselves. While harsh, to the Thrice-Radiant, the idea of being twisted by such beliefs is worse than death, and opts to be absolutely sure he'll remain uncorrupted. As of yet, the worlds where the religion has only recently gained a foothold have yet to develop these heresies thanks to their small size, but the mechanisms are in place to ensure they'll remain on the right path once they grow.

The response to Chaos heresy is to scourge and purge.

The duty of the Paladin's God's priests is primarily to cultivate and protect the spiritual well being of their flocks. They direct worship of their lord, provide spiritual guidance, organise charities, and ward against the influence of Chaos. (This latter duty is all but unnecessary in the Thrice-Radiant's home system but vital elsewhere.) They also act as advisors to secular authorities, though are never such themselves; the Ecclesiarchy of the Imperium of Man is well-remembered across the galaxy.

The sacrifice of sapient creatures is heretical to the Thrice-Radiant's faith. Slaying foes of the forces of Order in combat, however, is looked upon well by the god, as is the formal execution of Chaos heretics.

Polytheism is allowed and to an extent enacted on the worlds where the Thrice-Radiant holds sway. As the Thrice-Radiant cannot maintain an afterlife themselves, they are reliant on another god to hold the vast majority of their worshippers after death. As a result, that god maintains a priesthood on the Thrice-Radiant's worlds, who primarily enact a person's last rites to ensure safe passage into the afterlife. The Thrice-Radiant's worshippers pray to the death god for the sake of loved ones who've passed on.

Exceptionally holy people can be canonised post-death as one of the god's saints.

***
Templars

By far the most noteworthy of the Thrice-Radiant's servants are the Templars. The Order of the Templars an organisation of elite warriors trained in the use of power armour dedicated to serving the Thrice-Radiant and their people by means of battle. They are organised partially in emulation of the legendary Space Marines, who are looked upon with respect by the Thrice-Radiant who, along with those who would form the core of the Templar organisation, fought alongside them against the forces of Chaos when the god was a mortal. They are a super-elite force of fighters, and at their peak their equipment and training allow them to effectively contest enemy super-elites such as Chaos Space Marines, albeit at a ruinous cost in lives. The Templar Order is a greatly privileged organisation, as the Thrice-Radiant invests the majority of their power in them, through blessings; the Templars are host to more Champions within their ranks than many other minor gods have Champions at all.

The Templars are organised into independent Hosts of 10,000 Templars each, sub-divided into Spheres of 1,000 each. Currently the only Host at full strength in terms of numbers and wargear is the one based on the Thrice-Radiant's home system. Those based on other worlds are understrength, not yet having a full complement of warriors and with very few of them having their own suit of power armour. This is expected to change over time as faith in the Thrice-Radiant spreads and the Order gains more access to resources abroad.

Templars are recruited from orphans, with preference given to war orphans, and trained throughout their lives to wage war in the name of their god. These initiates are also given a rounded enough education so that if upon reaching adulthood they choose to leave the organisation, they can still integrate effectively into society. The tutors of the homeworld Templars are well known for being of the highest quality, and when there are vacancies open they will take on pupils from outside their Host for payment to help fund its operation. Pupils of the Templar Host exit with a very high education and great faith in the Thrice-Radiant, to the benefit of all.

After an initiate has completed their training, they will be inducted into the Templars' ranks as a probationary member, whereupon they will traditionally be given carapace armour and deployed in war operations. If they perform well, they will be inducted as full members of the Templar Host and given their own suit of power armour.

Every Host, even those abroad, where it the Host has the assistance of the ruling body, has a psyker attache that provides psychic and sorcerous support, effectively acting as a Librarian. This psyker is pure of heart, incredibly powerful, and incorruptible, though not entirely sane, or at least not by human standards.

A Templar Host is led by a Grandmaster, and is aided by the Masters of the Host, who each lead one of the Hosts' Spheres. When a Grandmaster dies, one of the Masters who are pure of heart will be elected by the rest of the Masters to become Grandmaster. If none are pure of heart, a sorcerous ritual will be conducted to determine who is the most pure, and they will become the new Grandmaster.

Perhaps the Templars' greatest claim to fame is how common it is for Paladins to rise from their ranks.

***
Paladins

Paladins are the mortal Champions of the Thrice-Radiant. They are paragons of faith and righteousness imbued heavily with the power of their deity. To become one requires utter purity of heart, as well as to have first earned the Mark of the Thrice-Radiant. In battle, they are the equal of any Champion of the Chaos Astartes, and can turn the tide of war through their might and bravery.

Paladins are filled with superhuman physical prowess and know no fear. Upon the transformation into a Paladin, the mortal loses all signs of age and scars, and gains a lifespan equal to multiple of that of their race. Paladins speak with a rich voice, inspiring confidence in allies and dread in their enemies. Weapons wielded by Paladins often radiate with holy power, enchanted by their very touch.

Paladins are the only ones capable of summoning and wielding the most potent of the Thrice-Radiant's weapons: Soulstrike Weapons. While the vast majority of those souls who worshipped the Thrice-Radiant in life go to the afterlife, those who are pure of heart are given the option to serve their god even after death. If they agree, they will be fused together with other pure souls to create Soulstrike Weapons - weapons constructed of the compressed mass of one million pure souls. The radiant energy they shine with sear the hands of all but Paladins, who are the only ones worthy enough to wield such weapons. They hold so much power that it has been said that it is like wielding a Deathstrike Missile in your hand, which is where their name comes from. They are weapons meant to be used in melee and thrown. If thrown, the will of the souls that make up the weapon will see it strike unerringly into the enemy's ranks, before flying back into the Paladin's hand. Soulstrike Weapons remain in the Materium for only a limited amount of time, and after that time is complete, or in the near impossible scenario where they are destroyed before that, the weapon is permanently used up, and the souls that comprised it are released to their final rest in the afterlife.

Paladins can and do rise from outside the Templar Order, but it is a very rare occurrence. When it happens, they are offered the opportunity to receive Templar training and establish their own Host, or take over the leadership of an existing Host whose leader is impure.

***
Divine Servitors

The Thrice-Radiant has divine servitors, but less so than many gods. They have no Greater Divine Servitors, but a single Herald, no beasts and no steeds, and only a few lesser servitors. The god uses these servitors strategically and makes them for specific purposes.

The Herald is built for exactly one purpose: the purification of souls, via the Rite of Purification. The Rite of Purification is, for the most part, a ritual that summons the Herald of the Thrice-Radiant into the body. The Herald then invades every single part of the possessed's soul to locate and scour every trace of evil within. While it does have substantial amounts of raw power, its specialisation leaves it crippled in every other area. It is incapable of speech, it's worthless in a fight, it holds no warplore but what it needs to fulfil its purpose, and it's very easy to exorcise it from the body it's possessed. It is a rare mortal who cannot eject it from their body simply by deciding to do so. It is reliant on the possessed allowing it to complete its work, and merely the presence of too much evil within the subject's mind is, on its own, enough to remove it from the body.

The lesser divine servitors of the Thrice-Radiant, meanwhile, are in many ways the same as that of the lesser servitors of other gods. The main differences are that they have as little psychic power and physical ability as a lesser servitor can have, instead being gifted with greater combat skill and warplore. The purpose of these servitors is born of inevitable tragedy. There are many amongst the most powerful of psykers who, even though they try their hardest to master their powers, end up ultimately unlikely to complete their trials. A few manage to defy the odds and succeed, but most such psykers fail, with death and the afterlife being the result of the lucky, and eternal damnation the fate of the rest. To these poor unfortunates who are extremely powerful but unlikely to succeed in the trials, the Thrice-Radiant offers what mercy they can: to transform them into a spirithost. Should the candidate accept, one of the Thrice-Radiant's lesser servitors will be made to inhabit the body until its death, tapping into its host's well of psychic strength so that the servitor may serve as the psyker attache of a Templar Host. Meanwhile, the mind of the mortal psyker will be locked away, dormant and sleeping, dreaming sweet dreams as they bask in the presence of the divine until their bodies expire and they rest forevermore in the afterlife.

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The Thrice-Radiant hopes to create a Living Saint before their almost-inevitable death and, if possible, to find a way for their power to continue on even afterwards.
 
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