Embers in the Dusk: The Heist of Isha
Screenplay by
Shard
Story by
Shard
Based on the plans as provided by Durin in
this post.
First Draft
February 2020
This screenplay is intended for public use and enjoyment.
Distribution and modification is encouraged.
With gratitude to Durin for creating Embers in the Dusk, and keeping it updated for so long.
Shard
Sufficient Velocity
PROLOGUE
FADE IN:
THE GARDEN OF NURGLE
The horrid and disgusting diseases make their home in the gardens eternally rotting mansion of Nurgle. Clouds of disease and pools of pus litter the place, as do countless horrifying daemons of Nurgle who patrol the grounds in search of intruders.
Display immediately:
THE THRONE OF DECAY
M44
A SPACE MARINE LIBRARIAN with the SILVER SKULL emblem attempts to sneak past a couldron, but is seen by an Exalted Daemon of Nurgle. The fight is brief, and his attempted escape is quickly ended - Show the Marine's body being rotted alive whilst he heroically struggles to the end.
CUT TO:
An Eldar Farseer. She has suffered plagues, and attempts to retreat from the mansion, getting ever more plagued as she nears her escape even as she evades the sight of daemons about her. Right as she nears escape, she succumbs to the countless diseases, collapsing at the entrance.
CUT TO:
RIDCULLY, a blind human seer. He is clearly diseased, yet reaches for the Door, before reaching out and touching it with his bare hand. Show ISHA on the other side, reaching out to the same patch and touching it. Ridcully retrieves a Scroll from his patch, and is visibly healed of his afflictions as ISHA blesses him.
Instantly, there is a great shaking. The clouds of disease grow denser, and the daemons more alert. RIDCULLY attempts escape nevertheless. He grows visibly diseased even as he evades the gaze of countless daemons, ISHA's blessing fighting the plagues which afflict him. As RIDCULLY escapes the Garden, he sees that he has barely evaded a vast army of daemons that had arrived to intercept him.
FADE TO:
Ridcully is in THE BLACK LIBRARY, diseased and holding a scroll. Show the corpses of the LIBRARIAN and ELDAR FARSEERS who failed to return.
Display MAIN TITLE. Play theme song.
FADE OUT
AVERNUS - UNSEEN UNIVERSITY - LIN'S SHRINE
FADE IN:
The UNSEEN UNIVERSITY is a Small Hive, unique among all the cities of Avernus as being the first and greatest Psyker City - But even better known for being the burial site of SAINT LIN, The Last Saint of THE EMPEROR. It is here, in a park meant for child psykers, that RIDCULLY and THE ANCIENT ONE, a veteran Saurus dating all the way from the War in Heaven, are paying their respects to a departed friend.
THE ANCIENT ONE
(Respectful)
"After the millions of years of civil war, I had not imagined that peace would come. Least of all, by a people with but scant centuries here."
RIDCULLY
(Musing)
"His greatest act. Yet, most humans would balk at recognizing it in the slightest."
THE ANCIENT ONE
(Respectful)
"One that will remembered so long as our people exist."
RIDCULLY
"Even in death, he changed the galaxy for the brighter. Only one other time I had seen another like him. The only one who could have healed him, along with the Slann."
The duo stand in silence as Ridcully remembers the time he accepted Isha's Scroll from her hand in Nurgle's mansion.
THE ANCIENT ONE
"The Galaxy changes all the time. Avernus is a demonstration of it. How goes your hunt for Khaine?"
RIDCULLY
(Grimacing)
"Poorly. Twice already he evaded our strikes to end him, even with him in our SIGHT. The Changer has abandoned subtlety to save him, for what reason I do not know."
DISSOLVE TO:
Upon a barren, desolate world, ARHRA, the True Avatar of Khaine, makes his stand. For four Phoenix Avatars have come to end his life, force enough to have victory a certainty. The wheel of fate turns against the Fallen Phoenix, but for TZEENTCH's gaze upon the fate of his pawn. An inglorious amount of power is expended, power enough to rend apart stars, and fate is torn apart, time rewound against the force of five incarnate gods. For Tzeentch has written an edict upon reality: No Pheonix Avatar shall die today.
One again, four Phoenix Avatars descend upon the Fallen Phoenix's forces, victory a certainty as it was before. But now among ARHRA's forces there is a traitor, a daemonhost to an Exalted of Tzeentch. It unleashes itself, and with the force of Tzeentch behind it rends apart a rift to the immaterium, summoning a Daemonic Incursion upon the planet. And in the chaos of the battle, ARHRA escapes once again. Victory for the Eldar is as certain as before, but not over ARHRA. It is over TZEENTCH. An empty victory.
FADE TO:
AVERNUS - UNSEEN UNIVERSITY - LIN'S SHRINE
Before the ANCIENT ONE can reply, a HARLEQUIN, agent of CEGORACH, the Laughing God, arrives.
HARLEQUIN
(Amused)
"Blind Seer and our most Ancient One. You are invited, to a play.. at your earliest convenience."
RIDCULLY and the ANCIENT ONE look at each other.
FADE OUT
WEBWAY - THE BLACK LIBRARY
The alien wraithbone constructs of the dark and forbidden Eldar Craftworld hidden in the webway, once the sole intact repository of all the Eldar's knowledge of Chaos. This place is known as "The Black Library of Chaos". Strange and emphemeral structures coexist alongside slender Eldar figures and crystalline Eldar statues.
FADE IN:
BLACK LIBRARY
M44
In an unassuming room in the Black Library - as unassuming a room could be to the Eldar - dark and shadowed, the party gathered. Leading them is a HARLEQUIN of the Eldar Clown God, CEGORACH. Gathered with them are some of Avernus' greatest heroes, HE WHO WALKS OBLIQUELY (HWWO), an ancient Border Lion, AREATHA, a living example of a Dark Age of Technology miracle of genetics, as well as THE ANCIENT ONE and RIDCULLY, The Blind Seer.
As the scene begins, the HARLEQUIN leads them into the room, before turning around revealing it's identity to the party as none other than the Eldar Laughing God, CEGORACH.
Harlequin/CEGORACH
(Revealing it's identity.)
"The troupe is ready, the stage is set."
None of the party are truly surprised - Nevertheless, all save for THE ANCIENT ONE show slight surprise.
CEGORACH
(Anticipative)
"Chaos sets out it's play with it's grand ritual. But we shall intervene in it, and tilt the course of it's Fate against it. We shall show them all our pieces played out against them on their stage, helpless to act."
Cegorach leans in, as if sharing a conspiratorial secret.
CEGORACH
(Eager)
"Then, you will strike."
FADE TO:
CEGORACH
(In the background, musing)
"I have called in a.. favor with Gork and Mork. They will be attacking Tzeentch."
TZEENTCH, the Architect of Fate, is facing Gork and Mork. The Architect grimaces as legions of Orks clash against the Changer of Ways' forces. It is losing, pushed back at an uncomfortable rate.
CEGORACH
"Security, of course, is rather lax. Nurgle will discover this. Tzeentch shall as well, but such is the way of things. As always with Chaos, Nurgle will strike at his hated rival while he is being pummeled rather badly by our green friends. His forces will all be committed.."
Worsening the situation for TZEENTCH, NURGLE arrives, with him a great host of daemons.
FADE TO:
CEGORACH
"Then Ynnead and all the Phoenix Avatars shall strike at Nurgle's ritual."
Show a warpstorm, then zoom inside it to the star systems inside, before closing in on a greenish, diseased Daemon World. A Grand Ritual, the likes of which are epic in scope, is being conducted. Countless humans are sacrificed, as are numerous Daemon Princes. The final sacrifice is the greatest of them: an Exalted of Nurgle. In the background, a Craftworld appears, along with an entire Eldar fleet. YNNEAD and the Phoenix Avatars manifest upon the Daemon World, marching upon the centrepiece of the ritual.
CEGORACH
"I shall then.. muddy the waters of speech for Nurgle. And with everything we have committed.. He'll return to save his ritual. After all, there is nothing else we could possibly do, no?"
NURGLE's Forces manifest en-masse upon the Daemon World, his forces clashing with Ynnead and the Phoenix Avatars.
FADE TO:
In the unassuming room, CEGORACH is stroking a Gryinx as he speaks.
CEGORACH
"With all that done, walking into the mansion and breaking out mother shall be rather easy, I should say."
FADE OUT
THE GARDEN OF NURGLE
View begins from the Garden of Nurgle. As AREATHA monologues, slowly proceed in a first-person view to the Poxyards, then the Mansion, through the Entrance Hall, into the Larders and then the Kitchen and finally Nurgle's quarters and the same moss-covered door in the prologue.
AREATHA
(Inner Monologue)
"He Who Walks Obliquely will get us in. Ridcully will guide the way to the door. Then, either I will unlock the door with the weakness Ridcully discovered the first time around. If I can't do it, the Ancient One will bust it down... which would be problematic. Either way, Isha will enter this pocket dimension we're in. It'll take some time for her to expand it. Then HWWO gets us out."
AREATHA is at the moss-covered door, along with RIDCULLY and HWWO. She is focused intensely upon the door, working through it's complex mechanisms. Progress is difficult, even with prior preparations she has brought unto the task, and knowing of a weak spot discovered by RIDCULLY the first time he had come.
AREATHA
(Inner Monologue)
"Everything's going as planned, which worries me the most. Because things like these never go as planned."
RIDCULLY
(Whispering)
"Something's up. I just felt the mansion shift just now. I think someone's come in."
AREATHA
"Nurgle?"
RIDCULLY
"No- Too familiar-"
As if on cue, ARHRA arrives to the scene. AREATHA remains focused on the lock, appearing as if she is near breakthrough. HWWO and RIDCULLY immediately turn to ARHRA, weapons in hand. ARHRA, however, does not attack them immediately.
HWWO
(Growling - Show HWWO's speech in subtitles)
"What the hell are you doing here?"
RIDCULLY
"What does Khaine wish with Isha, Murderer?"
ARHRA
"I will murder Isha, and from her divine blood Khaine will be reborn! With that power in hand I shall shatter this mansion and tear the Grand Ritual apart! And then all of Chaos in time."
RIDCULLY
"That is the dumbest plan I have ever heard."
ARHRA
"It was Khaine who defeated the Nightbringer! Khaine who in ages past clashed with Khorne and won!"
Neither HWWO nor RIDCULLY show signs of budging. ARHRA's eyes narrow. And then he bursts forward to attack, going first for RIDCULLY. HWWO immediately strikes ARHRA in turn as RIDCULLY dodges. ARHRA contemptuously evades, easily holding the upper hand against RIDCULLY and HWWO in the fight that ensues, bloody gashes appearing on the great Border Lion after their first exchange, with RIDCULLY badly wounded as well.
ARHRA is quick, and defeat seems certain for the duo. Then RIDCULLY grimaces, and glances at HWWO. The Border Lion nods imperceptibly. As ARHRA bursts forward for the next strike, his Klaive is met by the AO's shield, the veteran Saurus having exited the pocket dimension. AO gives a hateful look as ARHRA narrowly evades AO's strikes.
ARHRA
"Surely one such as you, oh ancient veteran of the War in Heaven, understands the hard choices that must be made for victory?"
THE ANCIENT ONE
"You do not. You are a fool beyond imagining."
ARHRA is enraged, and furiously attacks the trio. AO easily intercepts ARHRA's attack, and the trio quickly gain an advantage over ARHRA.
ARHRA
(Snarling)
"Fool? Nurgle is coming here this very moment. Cede Isha, or we shall all die! Only Khaine has the strength!"
As if to punctuate ARHRA's words, the mansion quakes, and the formerly placid cloud of plagues act up - The same as when Ridcully retrieved the scroll.
AREATHA
"Got it!"
The moss-covered door opens, and ISHA, Mother Goddess of the Eldar, emerges. With but a glance from the Eldar Goddess of Life, RIDCULLY's and HWWO's injuries are instantly erased. ARHRA, seeing his chance at murdering Isha, abandons his defense to charge at ISHA, suffering blows from AO and HWWO and intense warpfire from AREATHA and RIDCULLY as they desperately try to stop ARHRA from reaching ISHA.
ARHRA
"I WILL BE REBORN!"
ISHA does not budge, does not dodge as ARHRA charges at her, standing her ground as a mother would against a rebellion child. ARHRA reaches ISHA in brief triumph, ready to slay her. And then, in a comedic moment, ISHA slaps ARHRA's face with such strength that the Fallen Phoenix is smashed through the floor of the room and below.
(Briefly pause, show the Heist Group in awe.)
RIDCULLY
"We need to go. Now."
ISHA enters the pocket dimension, but slowly - In the pocket dimension, she is massive, her entering hand filling up the entire space as it expands to accommodate the goddess. An Exalted Greater Daemon of Nurgle arrives, and fierce combat ensues as the clouds of disease quickly grow denser.
CUT TO:
Upon the Daemon World where Nurgle's Ritual is held, the Daemons of Nurgle are pushing back the Eldar forces as they fight desperately. And then there is a pause. A mass withdrawal occurs, and there is no doubt as to where the daemons are being withdrawn to.
CUT TO:
Back in the mansion, The Exalted Daemon of Nurgle is backstabbed by HWWO, then slain with a strike by AO, even as more Daemons arrive and are annihilated by the remainder of the Heist team as ISHA enter the pocket dimension at last.
Immediately, RIDCULLY enters the bag, followed by AREATHA and AO. HWWO stalls the swarming Nurglings and Daemons for the precious seconds to allow them to enter, before grabbing the bag as NURGLE arrives and power-climbing through the warp to reach a hidden entrance to the Webway, entering it as diseased splotches appear on the great Border Lion. NURGLE howls in rage as his foes escape by the barest of margins.
EPILOGUE
In the Temple-City of Itza, ISHA enters, the Temple Guard parting ways to allow her entry to the entombed Slann Relic-Priests within. Isha reaches out to touch one of the mummified Slann. There is a great glow, and the wrappings of the Slann fall off as it takes it's first breath of life once more in uncounted millions of years. There is a great cheering.
FADE OUT:
CREDITS ROLL
AFTER THE END CREDITS ROLL:
Fade back to Nurgle's Bedroom, and proceed through the hole which Isha had smashed Arhra through. Soon, the viewer sees Arhra in the bottom of the pit, filled with terrible diseases. We see that Arhra, though badly wounded, is still alive, though clearly diseased. The viewer sees the plague take increasing hold over Arhra and his breathing grow heavier as Nurgle watches the helpless Phoenix-Avatar intently.
FADE OUT
THE END
