The Lost Primarch Quest

[jjffjhjf]

The Work of Many
​

Kesar Dorlin stood in his workshop, looking at the tools he'd been using, the sensors, the machines, and realized that it simply wasn't enough. Not for what he had set out to do. He needed to understand the world, what made it up, how things worked, why they worked the way they did, and his workshop simply wasn't designed with that in mind. It was designed to fabricate artifacts, not understand them. He would need a new space. A dedicated place for learning of the galaxy, its functions, its constituent parts, how all of that interacted with each other. He had such grand plans for his Legion, and humanity. If he could but understand the Iron Halo's crafted by the Frabricators of Mars, could he a Primarch, not find some way to simplify their production, and make them available for all the forces under the Emperor's command? So many different things that are used by so few due to lack of understanding or knowledge. He WOULD see this fixed. The Cult Mechanicus craved information, their most sacred calling was the Quest for Knowledge, and while he was less than certain regarding the divinity of their Machine-God, he certainly agreed with the goals of their quest.

In order to further his own advances on the Quest for Knowledge, he decided his best bet was to ask for help. Specifically from Kelbor-Hal. So, while still on Velnias I, he proceeded to use the Astropaths within his fleet to send and receive messages from Mars. Hoping that by the time he was done here, they would between them, be able to create the plans, gather the materials, and enlist the expertise in the creation of a room dedicated to the internal Quest for Knowledge, as opposed to the external Quest that the Cult Mechanicus had been trying, and only partly succeeding on since it was founded.

The first message was a simple one. "My friend, Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator-General of Mars, I have a proposition for you, one that I think will lead to great things, and new knowledge of the Ancients being brought back into the records on Man once more. To do this however, I require your help. Would you be interested in helping me in this? -Kesar Dorlin, Primarch of the Eternal Wardens"

"Kesar Dorlin, Lord of the 11th, and honored servant of the Omnissiah, know that if this has to do with your plans for generating knowledge anew, my ability to help is limited. Such a thing screams of arrogance to the vast majority of my fellows, and fear strikes them of what mistakes being accepted as fact could mean for the future of the Mechanicus. Tell me what form this help is intended to take, and I will see what might be able to be done. -Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator-General of Mars"

"My hope Fabricator General, is to work together to design and create a facility for the studying of reality. To learn everything that the Ancients knew in the Dark Age of Technology, but that humanity lost in the Age of Strife, anew. To bring Humanity back to those rarefied heights again. I wish to do so in conjunction with the Cult Mechanicus. I do not think it possible for me to do so on my own, certainly not and keep up my work with Great Crusade. This facility, a Laboratory, would consist of the tools necessary to see, detect, sense, and manipulate the various aspects of reality. It is a grand vision I know, but this is a time of grand purpose, and renewed hope for mankind. -Kesar Dorlin, Primarch of the Eternal Wardens"

"I'm afraid such a thing is beyond my abilities to promise. Such an abundance of the secret's of the Omnissiah, created and put together at such a scale, for the use you would put it to? Without some proof of its effectiveness I could show to those who rail against such things, I'm afraid its just not possible. I fully approve of doing all in ones power to further the Quest of Knowledge, and even the detractors of your ideas approve of the intent. But they also have justified concerns regarding how these sacred machines would be used and treated, as well as the incredible potential for misstep involved in attempting to act as the Ancients themselves in the original Quest for Knowledge they completed so long ago. -Kalbor-Hal, Fabricator-General of Mars"

"If lack of evidence that such a method would bear fruit is an issue my friend. Then the courier I will be sending shortly after this message, containing much of my work so far should be of use to show that proof. I have made steps, small though they are so far, lacking in the proper resources for this task as I am. I will continue to work at it of course, but I am uncertain of how much progress I will be able to make, at least in any kind of reasonable time-frame. Please, when the courier reaches you, verify my work, and hopefully that will allow you greater freedom in helping me." Nephew's I know you are paying attention here. If you could send some of your brothers along with this courier, and ensure the information gets through to Kelbor-Hal safely, I would greatly appreciate it, I strongly believe it will help the entire Imperium.
"This data you had delivered has caused quite a stir in certain areas of Mars, Kesar. While much of what you have discovered has aspects that have been known by the Cult Mechanicus for centuries, yet your ability to grasp even the simpler knowledge of the Ancients with minimal support, and your insights into some of our most hallowed machines has left many on Mars willing to help you in this task. However, a full facility with all that you might need is still beyond what help we can provide. The Great Crusade has taken up the vast majority of the production of Mars, and every new Forge World we find is needed to continue the expansion of the Imperium. Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator-General of Mars"

"If a full facility is beyond the means available currently, something smaller will have to suffice. In particular, with where I stand in my understanding of reality, what I need most are cogitators, capable of complex computations. High accuracy sensors for light, and gravity. Microscopes, capable of seeing as small an object as possible. As well as a collection of magnets of various types. With these and the Tech-Priests to manage them I should be able to progress. Though, having accomplished Magos to work with me on this would also be of great help. - Kesar Dorlin, Primarch of the Eternal Wardens"

"I may be able to provide a limited amount of such devices, assuming you give your word that you will do your best to keep them safe. Such machines are holy artifacts and often utilized by senior Magos in their work. Speaking of senior Magos, keeping the Machine Spirits of such temperamental machines placated will require them. I have a number potential candidates for this task. I could send them to meet you, and to do the necessary groundwork for setting up this limited Laboratory. Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator-General of Mars" "Lord Primarch? Sorry to disturb you so late at night, but we have discovered some potentially incriminating discrepancies in the records of a 4 of the candidates sent by Mars." "Oh? Well, thank you nephew. You and your brothers continue to do your Father proud, it is important this work is kept to trusted hands."
"Your candidates seemed largely suitable for this task. Though there were a some I had concerns about. Details will be sent via courier as usual. As for promises of safety for the sacred machines? I intend for them to be located on the Vigilance, where I can work with them often. The ship will likely need a relatively minor refit to accommodate such delicate machinery according to your candidates, so that like likely need to be done first, but while I am overseeing Velnias I, this seems like a good time to take care of it. I thank you for your swift action regarding my request Kelbor-Hal, I hope this will lead to many a beneficial breakthrough. -Kesar Dorlin, Primarch of the Eternal Wardens"

"It seems my ability to judge the character of some of my subordinates is less accurate than I would wish. Thank you for sharing what data you managed to gather, though I might be interested in learning how you gathered such. Either way, I may need to do more work ensuring the health of the Cult Mechanicus on Mars. Still those candidates that have passed review tell me that you have already found a location within your ship that you wish to be turned into this Laboratory. I will ensure that a slip is made available for the necessary refits to the Vigilance, and send a courier with the details once decided. -Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator-General of Mars"

"Time, date, and location data has been received. I will ensure the Vigilance arrives on time for the refits, though I will not be able to accompany it due to the continued attention required on Velnias I. Instead my First Captain, Oriacarius will go with it to ensure any potential issues are handled. -Kesar Dorlin, Primarch of the Eternal Wardens"

"Refit has been completed on schedule, Lord Primarch, Fabricator-General, though a few minor issues occurred, they were resolved with minimal delay to the project. The Vigilance is now ready for the arrival of the new machines, and the Magos required to oversee their operation. -Oriacarius, First Captain of the Eternal Wardens"

"The accepted candidates have been given their respective orders and the sacred machines are en-route with appropriate escort. -Kelbor-Hal, Fabricator General of Mars"

"The Holy Machines have been successfully placed within the designated location. All testing has showed nominal operation of the Holy Machines. Security has been implemented and deemed Sufficient based on current Expected Threat Levels. -Arch-Magos Bordecca, Assigned Head of Laboratory 001"

"The Vigilance is ready for the return trip to Velnias I. -Oriacarius, First Captain of the Eternal Wardens"

"Kelbor-Hal! These machines have already proven to be of exemplary quality. I am certain progress will be significantly faster with these resources available. I thank you again for your willingness to help me in achieving this goal. -Kesar Dorlin, Primarch of the Eteranl Wardens"

 

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The Warp and Traveling through it
​

With his new Laboratory, Kesar worked hard to finally master the workings of the Void Engine, and with Arch-Magos Bordecca and the other Magos there helping him, progress went fairly well. While the machines within the Laboratory were not designed to interact with the Warp at all, the Cogitator still proved extremely beneficial for their work. Beyond that, some of the sensors used by the Laboratories machines could be copied and utilized for other things. This proved especially useful for testing just what methods the Warp Engine was using to produce thrust while in the warp.

While continuous use of a single ships Warp Drive would likely lead to disaster, the Legion had plenty of different ships to use, and Kesar occasionally drafted some Thousand Sons to help ensure that nothing went amiss from that perspective either. The additional advanced sensors were placed throughout each ship participating in the testing, all of them created under the watchful cameras of Arch-Magos Bordecca. Together Kesar and the Arch-Magos compiled a list of every kind of propulsion that the warp engines used, attempting to divine how and why the engine choose each method.

With the help of the cogitator and thorough recordings of the warp-sensors readings, compared to the specific times each method utilized, and the insight of some of the Thousand Sons. Eventually they found the pattern that determined what method the Warp-Drive utilized each moment to propel the ship through the Warp. With this information, Kesar decided to try and find which method was most efficient, which was quickest, and which was safest. As well as to attempt to understand the reasoning behind the pattern used.

Thorough discussions happened for months as they worked out methods to test each of those details. Kesar was particularly concerned about the methods of testing each propulsive type. Safety in the warp is a very relative thing, for nothing there could ever be considered fully safe, always one Gellar Field failure from disaster, and he had yet to understand its secrets, and so could not improve the safety of these tests. With dozens of ships moving in and out of the warp on a regular basis, even for relatively short time periods, still, accidents happened, lives were lost in the testing.

Kesar was determined to make these sacrifices worth it, and while his Legion was concerned about facing an enemy they had no means to fight, they trusted their Father to do his best by them, and none complained about the risks he put his Legion through, all trusting that it was worth it.

Throughout every test, new characteristics of the pattern were discovered. Specific warp conditions that lasted fractions of a second no human mind could notice would change the propulsive methods the ship used. With the way the warp was constantly changing, and the fact that certain conditions caused the Warp Drive to use different methods at different times, progress figuring out which methods did what exactly was slow.

Eventually Kesar asked some of the Thousand Sons if they had any method of manipulating the warp within an area. This was something they could do, though with certain requirements and with some difficulty. They'd need multiple Sons to accomplish the task, and time to concentrate, but they could do it. With this, Kesar finally had a way to properly test matters. With the Thousand Sons there ensuring a stable warp condition within an area, they could set up sensors throughout the ship and successfully test what stresses the ship experienced as it utilized specific propulsive methods at a time. This was tiring work for the Sons, but there were thankfully enough to cycle through, and as they grew accustomed to the task, their ability to accomplish it grew.

Eventually both Kesar and Bordecca were satisfied that they had gained as much knowledge about the workings of the different propulsive methods as they could. From there it became a matter of utilizing the cogitator to run the numbers, and simulate a variety of different options. They knew the simulations were of limited utility, but they still gave useful information and it was significantly safer than any test they might devise.

After much time running simulators and discussing the methods they could use to test their proposed improvements, they eventually decided on the use of a small escort class ship that had proven to be operating outside normal parameters, traveling slower through the warp than expected. Here Kesar and the Arch-Magos, as well as the Enginseer in charge of caring for the ships Warp Engine, worked together to disassemble the Warp Drive, noting every part and where it went, and verifying the integrity of every piece. This kept the ship from its regular duties, but this was considered far important. Once they had verified the Warp Drive was not physically damaged, they then slowly reassembled the complex machine. It took time, but the process was incredibly informative for Kesar. Seeing how each individual piece fit together was an incredibly helpful experience for properly understanding the workings of the Warp Drive. Still they had new things to test. Arch-Magos Bordecca communed with the Machine Spirit through an ancient Rite of Reprogramming, and input a new test calculation and decision tree for use by the machine to decide which method of propulsion to use in specific instances.

With this new set-up, they put the ship through its paces. Testing its ability to travel through the Warp. It worked out better than the slightly damaged programming that it had before, but still not in-line with standard results. This didn't surprise Kesar or Bordecca at all. Instead, they worked together to design new tests to see just how their set-up was working, where it was succeeding well, where above, and where below expectations. It took some work, but they eventually created a new set of calculations entirely between the two of them for how the Warp Drive should act, under every range of condition and it worked. Specifically it worked as well as the other Warp Drives of the fleet, well within tolerances. They had used a different method however, showing that there were multiple ways to achieve this level of performance.

Of course, the current level of performance was not sufficient for Kesar, he intended to have better, for there were ships that could do better, if he could only understand how and why. Still though, what they had accomplished was an important milestone. Finally he could say he understood both the construction and instruction of a Warp Drive. He just hoped it was enough.

 

[Altered]

Cowards and A Greater Purpose

Personal Diary of Besaisk
Entry #100, Purpose

I remember the day we were sent off. I remember the sun was shining and the sky was clear, it was hot yet we were blessed with a cool breeze. Over a thousand souls stood at attention, our families standing before us to see us off. We all were ready, standing there in our new uniforms that we'd received just days before the send-off.

We marched through the town, shoulder to shoulder looking all the more proud, feeling like big heroes as we saw the other citizens of our town waving flags, shouting wishes of good-luck and more at us. They looked as proud of us as we felt, heroes was all we could think. We where to be heroes.

And here I stand now, looking back to that day. It has been years since I left, yet I still think back. As I look back on it, I question the eyes of all who stared at us. Cowards, I realize only now after years of bloodshed and conflict. They were all cowards, not celebrating us but rather their lack of being chosen. Their absence from where they stood. Brothers, father, cousins, family, and neighbours, they had been all that and more I thought. They were our family, our friend yet they were at heart truly cowards, glad it had not been them standing where we stood.

Yet even as I realized that, I stumbled upon a bigger realization. One far more important than that of before. Though they were cowards who celebrated us marching off to our death. Though billions of us would die for such cowards, we too died for those brave souls like ours. We would fight and die for the Emperor and his Imperium, for Humanity.

We would die for cowards, but we would also die for our own. For our species, doing our duty - our job. We would fight for the Emperor so his work did not go unprotected, we would fight for each other so we might meet again, we would fight for Humanity upholding it though we sheltered cowardice.

So let the cowards celebrate, let them have their moment. We cared not. For when we fought, we fought for something greater than them. We fought with a purpose they would never have, with a inner-resolve they could never achieve for something they never once understood. And that was okay, for we fought to ensure they might one day understand such things and walk beyond the shade to fight with us in the light.

---

The story of some poor soul in the Imperial Army, while we focused on others here lay the thoughts of the poor souls who die by the billions doing things that would have even Astartes take a knee out of honor.

 

[Altered]

Betrayal

We arrived in system, and as Primarch Lorgar had said, there was a single planet orbiting a star shining with a sickly pale light. As we approached the world, our vox began to pick up strange transmissions the words garbled. Though none of us where Librarians, we could all feel the presence that resided upon the world. It was a foul, slimy feeling that seemed to push against our minds yet we persisted and resisted. We had been sent here by our Primarch to show the Glory of the Emperor, and that was what we would do. Captain Eros decreed we would make planetfall and see to it the foul beings who inhabited its surface understood the might and strength of the Emperor. It was a moment that I can never forget, for it was only the beginning of our end.

As my squad's Thunderbird came screaming down to the planet's surface, I reviewed the images of our destination once more. This was a world that had long languished in the Warp, it's crust bearing scars from the abuse it weathered within. Though our scans were incapable of precise scans of the surface, we knew all too well what to expect down there. A hellish place, undoubtedly. Cursed with rot and corruption. One that needed to be purged.

As we breached atmosphere and made for the ground we passed through clouds of acid and toxin that had the alarms on the Thunderbird screeching like demented harpies. Meanwhile it's vicious winds hurled us through the air like mere specks of dust. Still we persisted, our belief - our faith, strong enough to overcome these obstacles. And though we were troubled and plagued with obstacles the Emperor protected and all survived to land. Hundreds of Astartes disembarked and took up formation, examining the world we would take - the world we would rescue.

A wasteland stretched before us, it's color as dark as the hearts of traitors. A gift from the Warp, I assumed. More evident of the abuse it forced upon this planet. When all were ready, we moved to march with Captain Eros leading the way towards the city we would soon rescue.

Yet the battle was not to be, for even as we marched the enemy appeared. A horde of unending cultists and daemons leaping forth against us. Mutated humans so twisted that only the status of abomination fit them, while their stood horrors so terrible that I can not name them for fear of calling their attention. Our foe was something we knew, and something we did not. Like all Legions we had dealt with cultists before, but the beings before us were something of a different ilk. They came screaming in, chants so terrible they hurt the ears rising on their tongues. We countered by shouting litanies of faith and more, yet it was not enough. We fell, their numbers overrunning us.

Though we were mighty, though we were strong… we fell. Exhaustion and fatigue setting in as the hours of combat turned into days against a nigh unending horde that seemed to only grow in quality. From twisted parodies, to flying daemons and shadowy neverborn. Our enemies came forth. They tore at us, they fought us, and they killed us.

Where once maybe a thousand had stood, now only a brave 300 remained. Yet we still fought on, until suddenly the enemy disappeared and before us lay our slain brothers, our own weapons slick with their blood. Cries of horror filled the air as we realized the deception, the illusion that had been lain over us. Many dropped to their knees, praying to the Emperor for their brothers and their own souls. As for me, I stood in shock. I could not comprehend what had occurred, yet all the same I understood what had been done.

The enemy had used foul sorcery to drive us apart, turning brother against brother. Forcing us to slay our own, thinking they were some other enemy. A horrifying tactic, one that had blindsided us. No wonder why the Emperor had forbidden Pyskers, I concluded. But with the loss of them, how would we avoid falling prey to such things again. Stop! I thought fiercely, I question the Emperor's wisdom, he foresaw the pain these foul witches bring and I like my brothers lacked faith in him, else we wouldn't have been caught up in such a foul tactic.

Slowly we gathered together again, each of us shaken by what had occurred. Unease was palpable in the air as brother had been turned against brother and now, each was worried unable to take their minds from the murder of their brothers. Our unity was crumbling before our eyes, for in each other we only saw kin-slayers and to a Word-Bearer such a thing was anathema. Words could not accurately describe such a feeling, such a loss that had taken place. But know no longer could we trust each other, muchless our own selves.

After a few hours of mourning and rest we continued the advance though our formation was broken by mood as well as the geography we crossed. As we moved on, the presence we all felt only grew stronger until it was all we could feel. Though one would assume we were hopeful, in truth all we felt was anger and brokenness. The enemy lay before us, and we would slay it for our brothers. But what if it turned us against one another again, the doubt niggling at the back of our minds.

Moving forwards we found ourselves transitioning from a wasteland to a beautiful oasis, and before us lay a gigantic amphitheater. Opulent in design, and gaudy in execution. Pillars of stone tall enough to rival Titans encircled the place, each bearing runic designs that were not unfamiliar.

We had entered a temple of sorts, I deduced as I stumbled upon the realization those runes we saw were daemonic ones, glorifying the warp creatures. I turned to raise the alarm with a shout, only for my voice to have died in my throat as he came to us.

It irks me to label such a being as a he, an inherently human designation but the form he came bearing was nothing but human. Masculine in size and gender, but human in nature. Though I recognized it as a foul daemon, I could not help but call it such.

The being spoke to us, declaring his name. It was one we knew all too well. Before us stood our Primarch. Lorgar. The one we called father, the one who gave us purpose and orders. And here he stood before us, speaking of the ignorance and falsehood that held us captive, obedient slaves to the Emperor. Our father who hath sent us here, our father who we hath obeyed.

We knew in our hearts that this man was Lorgar, we felt the spiritual connection the one thing all Astartes felt. Perhaps that was why none moved to speak, each in shocked by this development.

The words he spoke were full of fire and glory, spells that enchanted those listening. He spoke lies, yet they where lies that many could not doubt, even I great of faith could feel my will weakening. Yet even as I weakened, Captain Eros did not rallying the men up he charged forth at the Primarch commanding we do the same while decrying our father who dared to sully the Great Emperor's name.

We moved, many faster than others yet it was not to be. No one made it to the Primarch for as we charged, a great many Daemons appeared. And with our Lord's word, the reality before us washed away only to be replaced with a sea of darkness upon which an intense pain assaulted me.

My mind felt like it was splitting, while every nerve in my body felt like a thousand hot knives had been applied. I felt bones shatter and twist, while my innards seemed to be doing loops and knots forming entirely knew patterns. I felt myself grow in places and shrink in others, as a thousand voices whispered in my ears trying to wreck my sanity.

Through it all I prayed to the Emperor, to our the Lord Almighty who had bestowed upon us such strength and whose Light had guided us before. I prayed and prayed, chanting hundreds of litanies developed by my father who now subjected me to such tortures.

As the wretched things tried to profane my body, twist it into one of their perverse creations I prayed and spat curses upon it. The fury growing as I kept resisting, kept praying and cursing. It would not have me, I declared with my mind, heart and soul. For my soul had been pledged to the Emperor and only he could have me. Through it all, the anger intensened and so too did my resistance, until finally the pain stopped and the blackness faded away.

Crawling up to my knees I was greeted by the sight of veritable horror, where my brothers had stood now were monsters. Daemonic beings fused to their armor, and mutated beyond all hope. Their faith in the Emperor had not kept them safe, yet it had shielded me.

"What's this?" came a voice I was too familiar with. "One resisted, hmph… Come now son, allow me to educate you as to the delights of the Gods." And with that all fell black.

---

The worst of betrayals come not when sons turn on fathers, nor when brothers turn against brother - but when your father turns against you. Sending you to die, to fall, to be shattered and rebuilt, a twisted parody of what you had once stood for. Such betrayal is incomprehensible. These loyal sons of Lorgar, unwilling to fall were made broken things, angels cast into darkness not by choice but by fate and the treachery of one they named father.

Edit: Just for clarity, when the Space Marine says he knew this was a foul daemon that's him being capable of sensing Lorgar as a Daemonprince.

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X]Plan: Dedicated Cleaning Crew
-[X] Manual Sweeps (2 years minimum)
-[X] Sweep every inch (4 years minimum)
-[X] 4 years

With the cultists broken, Kesar knew that he would have to spend years ensuring that this world was scrubbed of the daemonic corruption that infested it. As such, the Wardens deployed upon the world and would spend years searching for the cultists that survived.

In the first year, the Wardens slowly marched upon a billion cultists. These people had survived the conflict by running after the Wardens massacred their military forces. The few that remained were unequipped and desperately sacrificed themselves to summon daemons. It did nothing. The daemons that were summoned were not a threat to the Wardens, especially not with the Primarch himself present. This was further assisted by the well-trained Pathfinders and telepaths who could find cultists within a certain radius. In the first year, approximately a billion cultists were killed by the Wardens.

The second year was much easier, instead of having to deal with the sheer numbers of cultists, they simply had to mop up the remaining bases. During this, the Wardens struck with overwhelming force over and over again. The cultists were shattered with ease, with the only issue being the time it took. During this second phase, nearly ten million cultists were killed, leaving the remnants.

The third year was far more difficult, as the Wardens needed to search for those cultists that were hidden in the wastelands. Compounding his problem, were the untainted survivors that were found in caves and deserts. These survivors were gaunt and malnourished, desperately trying to salvage food from any source. When a cultist would come by with food, they would accept out of sheer desperation. This resulted in many of the survivors falling to corruption. Nevertheless, the Wardens slowly searched the planet and survivors for those tainted by daemons. In the end, there was a single instance of danger, when some of the cultists managed to salvage a set of heavy weapons which were turned against a group of Astartes. This proved insufficient as they died when reinforcements arrived, although a small group needed to be hospitalized. Nevertheless, during this process over 30,000 cultists were found and executed.

The last year was simply more of the same, with the Wardens searching through all the survivors and the rest of the planet. No inch was left unsearched, as the Wardens looked high and low, ever vigilant for cultists. Slowly, the purged the remnants on the planet, and they managed to find what were likely the last of the cultists. If any survived, the Wardens estimate that their number would be less than a thousand. In short, an excellent campaign.

During the scourging of Velnias, the Wardens found groups of untainted civilians. These groups were desperate and ill-equipped, but they managed to eke out survival in the desolate wastelands. In total, around 3.5 million humans had survived on Velnias, a world that once housed 5 billion.

From this conflict, there were a few things that Kesar saw that could be applicable. The first was how much time it took to clean the planet of cultists. It had taken 4 years of the Legion's time, which was unsustainable in the future. However, in these four years, he had learned much about purging worlds once they have been pacified. In the future, this would likely help massively. Another idea was to have a dedicated explosives team. Captain Solarus had been incredibly effective with his explosion, killing three Keeper of Secrets. Hopefully, they could come in handy. The last idea wasn't from his own mind, but rather from the Primarch Alpharius. After the conflict, Kesar had found a message from his brother that explained the need for a dedicated counter assassin protocol in the Wardens. In the end, Kesar decided to implement

[] Dedicated Sweepers (No need to spend time purging cultists)
[] Explosives Experts (Bonus to explosions)
[] Counter Assassins (Saving roll against assassins)

As the Wardens worked on Velnias, the rest of the Crusade was not idle. When Lion and Vulkan moved to assist Khan, Oriacarius decided to assist. With three Orkish empires to deal with, the three Legions split to deal with one empire each, with the Wardens assisting the Legions as a whole. This proved extremely useful. While the first two years of the conquest against the Orks went well, the latter two were more difficult. With the Imperium now invading Orkish worlds, there were losses, and on several occasions, Astartes were nearly overrun. Thankfully, on these occasions, Oriacarius' contingencies proved extremely useful.

During this purging of the Tribus Empires, the Dark Angels and White Scars were cut off when the Orks arrived unexpectedly and happened to charge the exact point to isolate Astartes. However, the contingencies that Oriacarius had instituted allowed the Dark Angels to utterly destroy the Orks, as the organized defense allowed for minimal loss of life. The White Scars suffered more, however, as the contingencies were not fully along the lines of their combat doctrine. Nevertheless, they certainly saved lives. When the last of the Orks were killed, the Wardens took their leave, but not before Jagathai Khan personally sent his thanks to the Eternal Wardens. As a gift, the Great Khan sent a rather unexpected compendium. In it, he had compiled some of Chogoris' best poetry, as well as the best poetry of the White Scars, along with several verses he had written himself. He had then sent the gift to Kesar as thanks for Oriacarius saving thousands of Astartes.

During the first year on Velnias, the Crusade itself continued. Magnus continued to have an excellent compliance rate, as his strategy from the previous year continued to work excellently. In fact, his compliance rate had gotten so high, that he was assisting Horus since the Cyclops was struggling to integrate his worlds properly. Meanwhile, Sanguinius had also had an excellent year and assisted Angron and Rogal Dorn, who had both been struggling against several Orkish and Xeno empires. With the assistance of the Blood Angels, the issue was solved thankfully.

In the second year where the Wardens were purging Velnias, Corax and Horus struggled with a surprisingly competent Ork, before Sanguinius diverted to assist, easily destroying the Orks with the weight of three Legions. Meanwhile, the Iron Warriors had a masterful display of siegecraft to the point where Guilliman repeatedly asked for Perturabo's assistance. Lastly, Fulgrim and Ferrus finally managed to finish off a Xeno empire that had given the two brothers trouble for years.

In the third year, the only major piece of new was about Mortarion and Magnus. During the year, Mortarion had experienced great difficulty with an Ork empire, before reluctantly calling for assistance, even when he knew that Magnus was the only one available. Despite Magnus' assistance, Mortarion remained distant, never really interacting with his brother. In the end, the Thousand Sons did prove instrumental in defeating the Orks, but the two Legions split without much fanfare.

Besides this, events on the Primarch's homeworld were also changing. The Valhallan faith had continued to evolve, although, at this point, it was expanding across the planet. While the faith was still entirely based on his homeworld, it had spread significantly. In fact, currently, about half the planet followed it, a number that continued to grow. There had been some mentions of missionaries to other planets, but the religion as a whole decided to remain focused on Valhalla itself.

Meanwhile, Valhallan culture also developed, as an art exhibit had opened, displaying cultural artifacts that had been discovered during the crusade. The art proved very popular on Valhalla, with millions visiting. Inspired by this, other literary works were created. Poetry made a resurgence as did theater. While still confined to parts Valhalla, if their success continued they would eventually spread across the planet and perhaps even the Imperium if they were lucky.

There was an interesting thing to note however, Lorgar had not been seen by the Primarchs in the past few years. This would have been worrying, but the Word Bearers continued their compliance at their normal rate, so clearly the Primarch was not injured. Nevertheless, it was curious what Lorgar was up to.
"Thank you for the perspective Kor, these talks are very enlightening."
However, Kesar could continue his research. During the conquest of Velnias, he had been too busy to properly conduct this, but he had found some time to begin studying the basics of mathematics as well as a new field he called geometry. It was surprisingly difficult to properly create a number system from scratch, and it was very irritating to create a coordinate system. What was the absolute worst, however, was finding the relationship between the diameter of a circle and its circumference. When he first began to calculate the multiplier, he initially suspected some form of memetic hazard, but he had managed to determine that nothing of the sort existed. Nevertheless, it took weeks to calculate. Thankfully, his sons assumed that this anger was directed towards the cultists instead of math. Lastly was the brief study on how objects moved. The time spent observing the neophyte's training had certainly paid off, as the insight helped create a guide to how objects moved. Useful, but more could be done.

Additionally, he had also viewed some notes that Oriacarius had sent him on teleportation. An interesting device although extremely complicated. Nevertheless, the first captains' words did help Kesar understand how precisely teleportariums functioned, and this was the first step towards improving them.

Another idea had popped into the Primarch's head. He had the idea to create a grand structure. A monument to those that had died. Billions had fallen for the sake of mankind, and many of them were forgotten. They deserve to be remembered for their sacrifice. To this end, Kesar decided to begin creating a monument to those that had fallen. It would be a lengthy process, but Kesar believed it would be worth it. The first step was to choose the location, and to this extent, Kesar decided to build the monument at

[] Valhalla where he killed a Lord of Change
[] The site where the first Astartes death occurred
[] Gehenna Station
[] Where Kesar met the Emperor
[] Write-in

Now, however, Kesar had to decide what he would do this year. In the end, he decided to

AN: You can sacrifice an action in one category for another. Also, for this vote, infrastructure will be separate, and I would prefer if you made a plan just for that. Effectively just vote for the other options, and pick infrastructure as a plan. So, have the vote look like this
*Legion Upgrade
*Monument Location
*Research 1
*Research 2
*Research 3
*Social 1
*Social 2
*Plan Infrastructure
*What is in that plan

Research (Pick 3)

Spoiler: Research Options

[] Pinpoint Teleportation – Advanced
[] Runic Linking – Master
[] Runic Crossing – Master
[] Vortex Mathematics - Basic
[] Warp Genetics – Advanced
[] Runic Linking Theory - Master
[] Runic Crossing Theory - Master
[] Pentagrammic Runic Lattices – Grandmaster
[] Basic Material Science - Basic
[] Warp Reflection Manipulation – Master
[] Basic Human Design Principles - Basic
[] Human Soul Reflection – Basic
[] Void Shield Advanced Design – Advanced
[] Physical Machines - Basic
[] Gene Seed Mastery – Mastery
[] Warp Engine Mastery – Advanced
[] Higher Order Fundamental Modelling - Grandmaster
[] Basic Cyphers - Basic
[] Trigonometry – Basic
[] Calculus – Basic
[] Mathematical Logic – Basic
[] Topology – Advanced
[] Fractal Geometry – Advanced
[] Measure Theory – Advanced
[] Thermodynamics – Advanced
[] Relativity – Advanced
[] Eletromagnetics – Advanced
[] Atomic and Molecular Physics – Advanced
[] Architectural Reflection Manipulation – Advanced
[] Advnaced Understanding of Cultist Behavior - Advanced : Requires Basic Understanding of Cultist Behavior
[] Basic Cultist Countermeasures - Advanced : Requires Basic Understanding of Cultist Behavior

Social (Pick 2)
[] Horus
[] Leman
[] Ferrus
[] Vulkan
[] Perturabo
[] Mortarion
[] Curze "The unjust scream as justice descends. Their sins cleansed as the righteous enact oblivion."
[] Malcador
[] Write-in

Runic Design (Pick 1)
[] Create Basic Rune – Master
[] Create Advanced Rune – Grandmaster
[] Create Master Rune – Pioneer
[] Create Grandmaster Rune – Paragon (Begins the process, doesn't actually complete until requirements are met)

Infrastructure

Spoiler: Infrastructure Options

[] Let the GM take care of it
[] Plan upgrades for the Legion
[] Unlock Education Centers (1000PP)
[] Asteroid Belt Shipyards Design – allows asteroid belt shipyards
[] Theoretical Megastructures (locked till certain conditions met)
[] Upgrade Planetary Infrastructure
[] Upgrade Planetary Technology
[] Build Valhallan Defense Grid, 1200 PP
[] Build Buildings
-[] Nursing Clinics – -10 to plague rolls if installed on all planets (percentage based). Costs 10 PP per planet.
-[] Hospital Complexes – -5 to plague rolls if installed on all planets (percentage based). Costs 20 PP per planet. Requires nursing clinics.
-[] Doctor Training – -5 to plague rolls if installed on all planets (percentage based). Costs 20 PP per planet. Requires Hospital Complexes.
-[] First Aid courses – Decreases civilian deaths during conflicts by 20% for the planet. Costs 2 PP per planet.
-[] Gene Monitoring – -90% to mutation rate if installed on all planets (percentage based). Costs 20 PP per planet. Requires Nursing Clinics.
-[] Dedicated Atmospheric Transport – +0.1% PP per installation. (Limited to +10%). Costs 50 PP per planet.
-[] Railroads – +0.1% PP per installation. (Limited to +10%). Costs 50 PP per planet.
-[] Wet navy dockyards – +0.1% PP per installation. (Limited to +10%). Costs 50 PP per planet.
-[] Distributed Spacecraft Production – Mechanicus can build more complex ships. Costs 100 PP per planet. Only available for Tier 10 planets and above (8 currently).
-[] Distributed Weapons Production – Mechanicus can build more complex weapons. Costs 50 PP per planet. Only available for Mid-Imperial worlds and above (33 currently).
-[] Spare Parts Manufacturing – Decreased logistic. Costs 10 PP per planet.
-[] Weapons Depots – Emergency stockpiles of high-grade weapons. Removes poorly equipped malus for PDFs and militias. Costs 10 PP per world.
-[] Interstellar Docking Ports – +0.01% PP per docking port. Costs 50 PP per world.
-[] Ground to Space transportation – +0.01% PP per docking port. Costs 50 PP per world. Requires Interstellar Docking Ports
-[] Improve Housing – Costs 100 PP per planet.
[] Build System Wide Improvements
-[] Dyson Swarm Megastructure – Tier 16 planet with Advanced Tech (5 million PP)
-[] Stellar Forge Megastructure – Provides 5 million PP (1 billion PP)
-[] Emergency Fueling Stations – In the event of a promethium shortage, suffer no penalties in this system (200 PP per system)
-[] Stealth Stations – Hidden stations for a variety of usages (200 PP per station)
-[] Lunar/Ring Mining – Provides 50 PP (1k PP)
-[] Lagrange Point Sensor Network – Provides sensor data on the entire system (200 PP per system)
-[] Ultra Hostile Colonies – Place a Tier 10 colony with High Imperial Tech (5 million PP, limit of planets/100 round down)
-[] Stealth Bases – Provides a hidden source of troops (1k PP, limit of planets/100)
-[] Training Facilities – Provides a random bonus to the Legion (10k PP, limit of planets/100)
-[] Rocky Body Colonies – Place a Tier 10 colony with High Imperial Tech (500k PP)
-[] Bases – Place Tier 5 colony with High Imperial Tech, can't be upgraded (1k PP)
-[] Mining Outposts – +0.01% PP (100 PP)
-[] Asteroid Miners – +0.01% PP (100 PP)
-[] Oord Cloud Miners – +0.01% PP (1k PP)
-[] Warning Sensors – Provides advance warning of invasions (100 PP)

Spoiler: Rolls

Sweep Year 1: 25 + 40 (Kesar) + 20 (Astartes) + 20 (Scouts) + 20 (Alpha Legion Trained) + 20 (Telepaths) + 5 (Detection Rune) = 150
Cultists Year 1: 2 + 20 (Large Planet) = 22
Sweep Year 2: 76 + 40 (Kesar) + 20 (Astartes) + 20 (Scouts) + 20 (Alpha Legion Trained) + 20 (Telepaths) + 5 (Detection Rune) = 201
Cultists Year 2: 67 + 20 (Large Planet) = 87
Sweep Year 3: 27 + 40 (Kesar) + 20 (Astartes) + 20 (Scouts) + 20 (Alpha Legion Trained) + 20 (Telepaths) + 5 (Detection Rune) = 152
Cultists Year 3: 96 + 20 (Large Planet) = 116
Sweep Year 4: 83 + 40 (Kesar) + 20 (Astartes) + 20 (Scouts) + 20 (Alpha Legion Trained) + 20 (Telepaths) + 5 (Detection Rune) = 208
Cultists Year 4: 60 + 20 (Large Planet) = 80
Corruption Resistance: 82 +40 (Kesar) + 20 (Astartes) +90 (Till Death do us Apart, A Warden's Rage, New Orders New Routine) = 232
Corruption: 87 + ??? = ???

 

[jjffjhjf]

Learning of the Machine
​

With all this time spent utilizing some of the most advanced constructions Mars had ever produced, and seeing how the Machine Spirits of all them served the Imperium so well, it was past time he learned just what these machines needed to be taken care of properly. So, Kesar talked with Arch-Magos Bordecca about taking the time to learn all the information regarding the basics of the Machine that any Tech-Priest might learn. This was something Bordecca was quite willing to do, a chance to induct one of the Omnissiah's own sons into the secrets of the God-Machine? Well, that was an opportunity that couldn't be missed.

So, the two of them spent time together working in Kesar's workshop instead of his laboratory. Here they brought many of the simpler machines the Cult Mechanicus creates, and here Kesar learned how to care for them. How they worked, what motivated these simple Machine Spirits and what did not. From the ubiquitous las-gun, to even the simple stubber. Kesar began to learn the Rites and Rituals for all the various basic machines that served man.

No single machine took long for the Primarch to master. His post-human mind able to notice and recall the exact details of every rite and ritual. It was a pleasant process for him, one that taught him much about the machine. It was an even more pleasant process for the Arch-Magos, who saw in Kesar something very much like a Saint of the Omnissiah, for surely only such could master the Rites and Rituals so quickly? It was a religious experience for the servant of Mars to work with him, and see the care he took and the respect he had for the various machines and their Machine Spirits. To know that this was one of the Omnissiah's sons, learning of the secrets of Mars itself? To be a part of such seemed like taking part in a piece of history, yet to be written.

Even as he learned each individual machine however, he began to notice commonalities. Little things that seemed to be a part of nearly every Rite and Ritual. With each machine he learned about, these commonalities became more obvious. Eventually, when he saw a new machine, he thought he new already how to service it, at least the physical acts necessary, if not the words to be spoken. His guesses proved correct. For at least these simple machines, his knowledge of how they worked, how they were constructed, and what they did was enough for him to understand the rudiments of their rites without ever actually learning the specific thing necessary for that machine.

When he discussed this with Bordecca, the Arch-Magos was floored. He demanded examples, and proceeded to produce new machines to test Kesar's new theories on. This proved to be a useful exercise for the Primarch, letting him test himself and refine his theories. It was also another experience of the divine for Bordecca. Surely this intuitive understanding of the machine could only come from the Machine-God itself?

Once Bordecca was satisfied that the Primarch did indeed have the ability to understand how to take care of a machine and its Machine Spirit from merely hearing about its purpose and function, he declared the Primarch an honorary Tech-Priest of Mars, sending a missive to Kelbor-Hal in order to get it officially sanctioned.

Kesar meanwhile began using this knowledge to construct his own simple machines in his workshop, often ones whose purpose was to help him in his study of reality. Altogether this time spent learning the secrets of these simple physical machines from an expert proved quite useful to him. Something that made him quite glad he spent such time and effort working with others as opposed to trying to achieve all of this alone.

 

[Altered]

Old Memories Made Tainted

Kesar sat reminiscing on old memories, of times before this crusade and the wider galaxy came to him. Before the Space Marines he called son showed up only to fall. He cast his mind back, thinking of a time long ago, far beyond the memories of mortals. Back to the days where he floated in a warm sea. Incapable of movement, yet still capable of sight and thought.

A transparent surface etched with unreadable glyphs even to this day, perhaps it had been those that inspired him and pushed him to learn runes, he thought. Looking past those glyphs in the memory he recalled a single man, forever young and aquiline in appearance standing at a table, a large white lab coat covering his body. Casting his eyes about, he saw more containers and within sat more beings so similar yet different from him.

Who am I, Kesar wondered. What am I came the unbidden thought. Staring out across the room, Dorlin saw nothing that would let me decipher my purpose and simple looked upon barriers to my vision. For days, months even this was all he knew - with the giant spending days down here at a time, his mouth moving as he stared upon our containers yet not words were heard. This was home and life, until the room alight with large flashes and objects shattered throughout the room. Kesar saw many new figures never seen before, from giant smaller than the original wearing large grey pauldrons to beings covered in dark, spiky armor bearing eyes that seemed to stare through you.

Then everything changed and his eyes were assaulted by a borealis of color. Everything and nothing appeared before me, visions danced through my head as creatures swam and floated by seemingly eager and angered by his presence. Worried, Dorlin thought back to the place before where the giant that he knew as father stood watch, protecting them.

Dorlin thought back to the laboratory as the capsule's machines call it, implanting the knowledge directly to my brain. The 11th Primarch thought back to the warm golden aura that sufficed the room - comforting and blanketing them in a curtain of comfort and security. Yet even as he clung to these thoughts voices come, rushing to him. Screaming, yelling, whispering, cajoling, all that and more. Dorlin blocks them out, unable to comprehend what they were and unwilling to learn. Yet one voice speaks still, and he attempts to block it out too.
Child, allow me to set you free… allow me to saved you from the damnation the Anathema brings. We seek not control, but to allow you a choice in your purpose
Squinting his eyes close and gritting his teeth as the voice speaks once more, Kesar throws more mental barriers up, unwilling to hear it and only too eager to ignore the words it has to say.
Child, merely listen and all shall be well. We wish to educate you, to show you what horror your future will be without us helping you. Listen, please. We beg of you.
He ignores the voice that has been with him since he been taken yet again, thinking back to the warm golden aura that filled the area in the laboratory. Back to the figure awash in gold, and lost to the light. To the being he knew was father, and called me son.
Lies…. The Anathema is not your father, he stole you and your brothers from us. We merely come to reclaim you, our son. Our precious child, so we might once more have you within our fold rather then taken as you were.
There's an immense pressure on his skull as the voice grows in power and seeks to pervade the Primarch's consciousness, but yet again he ignores it casting the speaker and it's sound away.
We have plans for you, our child. We proud four would seek your greatness and in doing so, secure the stars for all. Simply listen and accept as we bring you to a world filled with ours, a world where you shall grow strong.
I am a son of the Giant, I am a child of the planet we came from, came my inner mantra. I am the son of the Golden Being, the son of Humanity. I am the son of the Emperor, of Terra. Slowly but surely the mantra gained power and knowledge as I kept on repeating it, drowning out the voices attempts to be heard.
You are not like them at all… You are one of us. Though cast in his image, you are born of our power - of our design. It was we who made you, it can be we who end you child. Listen and obey your parents.
He thinks back to his father and Terra, and the tutelary machines kick in filling his head with knowledge. The plans to reclaim the galaxy, the plans to protect man from the horrors of the immaterium. It burns and yet fills him with purpose. To protect and shelter humanity, to end the daemons that dare plague them all.
No… that is not your purpose. You are to free humanity, not bind it with further shackles. Anathema works for your doom, we work to save all. Listen child, help us save you.
Yet even as he ignores the voice, some odd works pierce the veil - breaking through the barriers he erected. "Anathema" rings forth. What is anathema? Is it my father? Is it the voice speaking I wonder? What could it be?
It is the being who stole you from us, child. He tries to claim you as his, yet he is wrong for you are and always shall be ours. His Great Crusade shall condemn humanity to a slow death as he starves even us, sowing seeds of ruin through the cosmos
What is this realm he wonders, his eyes still shut yet the memory of the color and horror all too vivid in his mind. What is this place of nothing and yet everything? And the voice ultimately breaks through, it's words pouring in and he was incapable of not hearing them.

It is many names: the Immaterium, the Aether, the Sea of Souls, and the Warp. Were it your brother Lorgar, this place we be that where God and Mortals meet. Your other brother will name this the Primordial Creator even as he bargains away his eye, seeking the wisdom we offer.

The Anathema refutes this realm, labelling it an unstable dimension that his ships use to travel faster than light, yet it is so much more. As Lorgar said, this is the Realm of Gods, the realm of Chaos. It shall be thy Alpha and Omega, heaven and hell. The truth of the universe. The universal truth that everything that occurs shall be decided by us, for us, with us in mind. It is by us, the Pantheon - your parents that this universe was created and it was the Anathema who stole you away. You and your brothers are demi-gods, destined to bring our truth to mankind and free them from the horrors the anathema wishes to visit upon them.

"You claim the anathema shall bring humanity to it's knees, yet he uplifts them - raising them higher and higher." Said Dorlin, his voice steely.

HE shall DOOM your species… HE seeks his own way into apotheosis. Into our realm, to steal our power and become a God. He shall sacrifice all and any to see it done.

Shaking his head with false admonishment, the Primarch spoke. "Foolish, foul creature. If the Emperor sought to be a God, he need look no further then my brother Lorgar and all the other humans who name him so. Yet he speaks out against such though, such practice. His 'Imperial Truth' decries beings such as you."

For the first time since this presence invaded his memories, Kesar felt it pause. Hesitance feeling it's being as it took in the words.

"I name you a fool," said Kesar as he spoke once more to the being. "A creature of lies and deceit. Your words hold no purchase here, begone and scatter to the wind like the frail spindly being you truly are."

No one can defeat the GODS Child, not you. Not your brothers, not the Anathema. Your folly here will be your undoing. Molech was where you were made and it shall be where you end. Of that we promise. We claimed you as ours, you will obey or be cast aside and slain as promised. Pick now! Choose or allow us to choose for you!

"I am not yours," came Kesar's answering statement. "I am my father's son, the 11th Primarch. I am his to command, not yours and certainly not the beings you serve. I am Daemonsbane, your end manifest. I will bring destruction to your realm in the name of the Emperor, this I solemnly promise."

Perhaps you will… or perhaps you won't. Many of those you call brother shall fall before us, and turn against you thus we promise. Thus we swear. To defy them, to defy us… is to defy the will of the Gods. They are eternal and can not be killed by such paltry mortals, not by you now - not by you ever.

"Again," commanded Dorlin his voice a snarl of anger as he spoke. "I rebuke you foul being. I am the son of the Emperor, I am the son of Terra - I am your end. Before me Daemons flee, knowing that where I step reckoning comes. Before me, you are equal to the mortals you use. So once more servant of Chaos, I swear to you - I shall visit death and destruction upon all who threaten the Imperium."

And with that the voice is drowned out in a scream of voices and explosion of golden light, the memory coming to an end even as Kesar awakens from the trance he had been stuck under.

Once he had been wounded, once he had not been swayed. Twice he had been wounded, twice he had rejected the whispers. Thrice he had been wounded, thrice he rebuked them. A fourth time they would not get, for with that fourth time came their end.

 

[jjffjhjf]

Exalted of the Omnissiah
​

Throughout the fleet of the XIth Legion, the Tech-Priests talked. They always did among each other, discussing new discoveries of Dark Age Technology. Worlds found and their infrastructure or tech levels. They talked of the many things needed to keep their precious holy machines working and the Machine Spirits well cared for. These were things the Cult Mechanicus always talked among itself about. However, this particular Legion had two things about it that interested the Tech-Priests of the Machine-God beyond all others. The realization of this Rite of Remembrance and its ability to ever so slightly awaken the Machine Spirits of the equipment it was performed on, and Kesar Dorlin, the Primarch of the Eternal Wardens.

This demi-god, for what other term could better apply to the gene-son of the Omnissiah himself, had done things that constantly kept him in the minds and hearts of the Tech-Priests in support of his Legion. From the discovery and sharing of the air-filter to begin with. To the finding of an ancient Titan, and the STCs for more, to the capture of a Dark Age Station, filled with technology, to his new stated goal of completing the Quest for Knowledge not by going out and finding that knowledge throughout the galaxy, but instead creating it anew. Everything the Primarch did seemed calculated to ensure their devotion to him.

Perhaps he had done a few things that made them question at first. His bringing of Hearth IV into his personal domain, without requiring them to admit that his father was the Omnissiah seemed questionable, at best. Though they trusted he had good reason for it, and its willingness to help the Great Crusade regardless seemed to have born out their faith on that. Especially since the Fabricator-General of Mars himself ensured their continued compliance with the teachings of the Machine-God. Then his seeming arrogance, saying he would relearn the lost knowledge of the Ancients, and calling on the Mechanicus to aid him in this task? It was infuriating at first... and then he made progress. Even better in the eyes of much of the Mechanicus, he shared that progress. Ensuring that the knowledge gained went to its rightful caretakers.

All throughout the fleet the servants of the Omnissiah spoke in hushed machine-speak, of how their Legion would see the most progress towards the completion of the Quest for knowledge. Of lesser import, thought still spoken well of were the few Tech-Priests who worked directly with the Primarch. Arch-Magos Bordecca so new to the fleet, Magos Averenth a long time helper and expert in Void Shields. Both of these Magos had proven themselves of great benefit to the Primarch's stated intent.

With all this going on, it was no wonder that hear and their throughout the fleet Kesar Dorlin, Primarch of the XIth Legion, started being called by another name. Exalted of the Omnissiah, and while few of the Tech-Priests were willing to let others hear them refer to Kesar as such, throughout many a workshop his name was sworn by, or invoked while in the process of understanding an issue with a Machine Spirit. It was small things to begin with, but with time, and as ever more discoveries of ancient knowledge, or creation of new knowledge happened, the habit spread. Being used by more and more of the Tech-Priests throughout the Legion, and ever more out in the open.

Even outside the Legion, his name was heard and remembered, and some whispers still occurred. The Tech-Priests working with the other Legions were often heard enviously comparing their own overlord to that of XIth, and only a few compared at all favorably. With Ferrus Manus and Vulkan often being considered fully worthy of their leadership. Perturabo's had a far more mixed comparison, though much of that was due to his course personality as opposed to his respect for the Machine. For many of the rest however? Well, there was a reason the Mechanicus had favorites.

On Mars his name had gained a great deal of respect, spoken of in high esteem, due to many a factor, though Kelbor-Hal's clear friendship with the Primarch was a definite contributor. When he learned of these whispers of Exaltation, he did not censure them, though he also did not endorse them. While he didn't view the Emperor as the Omnissiah, he certainly had no issue with Mars coming to better appreciate one who went so far out of their way to find and create new knowledge, especially when he shared it so readily with Mars. Others on Mars continued to wonder at this new path, and in Magma City one such had heard much of Kesar, and had worked in secret for years to find a new way to complete the Quest for Knowledge. Perhaps however, their paths could merge?

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Plan Konrad is crazy
-[X] Dedicated Sweepers (No need to spend time purging cultists)
-[X] The site where the first Astartes death occurred
-[X] Basic Cultist Countermeasures - Advanced : Requires Basic Understanding of Cultist Behavior
-[X] Gene Seed Mastery - Mastery
-[X] Warp Engine Mastery - Advanced
-[X] Void Shield Advanced Design – Advanced
-[X] Visit Curze
-[X] Create Basic Rune – Master
-[X] Spend PP: Upgrade Valhallan Infrastructure from Tier 8 to Tier 15 Costs: 650 PP, Buy Valhallan Defensive Network for 1200 PP, Upgrade Valhalla to Low Imperial -70 PP | All of these go on Valhalla: Buy Nursing Complex -10 PP, Buy Hospital Complex -20 PP, Buy Doctor Training -20 PP, Buy First Aid Courses -2 PP, Buy Gene Monitoring -20 PP, Buy Spare Parts Manufacturing -10 PP, Buy Weapons Depots -10 PP, Buy Railroads -50 PP, Buy Dedicated Atmospheric Aircraft -50 PP, Buy Interstellar Trading Ports -50 PP, Buy Ground to Space Transportation -50 PP, Buy Wet Navy Dock Yard -50 PP. Bank 75 PP

Research had been difficult this year. After 4 years purging cultists, Kesar felt as if his skils had rusted. This was especially evident with the Rune of Purity he had been attempting to create. It was the first time he had attempted to create such a high-level rune, and it showed in how difficult it was. While he was fortunate enough to create a template, the carvings would have to be made incredibly precisely. In fact, he had yet to make progress on this topic and estimated it would take nearly 8 years to create this rune.

His work on understanding gene seed was also difficult. He had spent months trying to determine how it function on the psychic side but had been at a narrow impasse. The only reason he made progress was a report by the Mechanicus on how psykers were affected by gene-seed. In it, Kesar managed to perform a series of extrapolations that allowed him to come to a conclusion. There was some sort of resonance between gene-seed and the warp, but what exactly that was would take another year to understand.

His work on how cultists could be countered was far more difficult. The topic was extremely aggravating since different cultists would act differently on different worlds. Compounding the problem was the need to keep these guidelines secret as if they were discovered, then there would be signficiatn dangers. Nevertheless, his own experience on Valhalla and on Velnias eventually allowed Kesar to create a rudimentary guideline for the Witch Hunters on various planets. While it was rather simplistic for now, it would undoubtedly grow more refined with time.

*+1 to Witch Hunter rolls in Kesar's domain*

He had also spent time working to further understand how void shields operated. He had been studying the exotic particles created by the generators and had come to some interesting conclusions. These particles were essentially creating an extremely tiny warp rift when struck with energy. This rift would not only throw the energy into the warp, it would also convert the energy into radiation. *Requisite Research not completed for understanding* Sadly, Kesar did not understand why this was the case, but it was largely irrelevant to the issue. Still, now that Kesar properly understood these particles, he could work on improving void shields in the future.

During the year, Kesar had also spent time learning the various rites performed by the Mechanicus. He had found some interesting connections between the various rites that helped him predict what rites were needed even for machines he had not seen before. The Mechanicus seemed oddly excited about this, but their excitement seemed to be good for him and his Legion. Now however, Kesar could begin properly researching Machine Spirits.

Lastly, Kesar also spent time understanding how precisely warp engines functioned. While he understood that they used some form of particles to create force, there were still things that he did not know. For weeks, he began to look through records of warp travel, looking at sensor recordings, crew reports, cargo stored, etc. Finally, he began to find subtle patterns in how the warp engine operated. It was slight, but from this one thread, Kesar could begin to predict what force a warp engine would use at a given moment. Currently, this knowledge was not very useful, but once he could determine how the particles from the warp engine and the particles from the Gellar Field interacted, then he could begin to improve both of these crucial instruments.

Now however, Kesar had decided to visit his brother Konrad Curze. The Night Haunter was a solitary brother of his, but he was still his brother. While Kesar may not enjoy using such ruthless tactics, Curze used terror and fear as a weapon and could bring worlds to compliance from their sheer presence. Useful, but not something Kesar enjoyed.

When Kesar arrived, Curze was wearing an extremely disturbing smile. At the Night Haunter's request, Kesar was meeting the Primarch on the Vigilance. When Curze stepped off the Stormbird, Kesar was surprised to see that he had not brought an honor guard. "Brother, I am curious as to why you have not come with your honor guard?"

To this, Curze's smile turned into the scowl he normally war, before he responded. "I didn't want to insult you by grouping you with them." Now Kesar was simply confused, why couldn't more of his brothers be normal? Nonetheless, Kesar was slightly worried and curious as to who they were, but before he could respond, Curze preempted him with a smile. "It's not important." As Kesar frowned at this, he never heard the words Curze spoke next. "You changed it."

"Brother, do you mind if I show you around the ship?" Curze simply grunted at this, which was odd to Kesar, the Night Lord had seemed rather happy when he first arrived, but his personality seems to have shifted completely in moments. Nevertheless, the two Primarchs and Kesar's honor guard walked through the ship. As they were doing so, the two began to speak of their conquests. "Brother, I must thank you for dealing with Hinge IV all those years ago, it made my life easier."

As Kesar said this, he could have sworn that he saw Curze momentarily smile, but Kesar doubted this as Curze's face adopted a rather strange facial expression. It was some type of cross between joy, anger, and despair, but none were entirely dominant. Nevertheless, Curze responded anyways. "It was nothing, if you need me, just ask."

"Thank you for your offer Brother, the same applies to you as well." As he said this, he noticed Curze take on a quizzical expression as the Night Haunter smiled, the effect was somehow always disturbing. However, Kesar ignored the expression and decided to focus on the tour.

During the tour, the Night Haunter acted extremely strangely. Sometimes he would appear rather terrified and saddened but then that would be replaced with a slight smile. Worried, Kesar was about to comment when Curze once again preempted him, "It's nothing. I was merely thinking of past conquests."

At this Kesar understood, the Night Lords did pacify a large number of worlds through rather terrifying tactics. While Curze seemed fine with this, the toll it would take on anyone would be evident. "I understand Brother. It is not an easy task that we take up. Again however, if you ever need assistance simply ask."

"I will not risk your Legion." This was a demand from Curze, not a statement. It was unexpected, but Kesar could tell a few things from it. It seemed that Curze was adamant that the Eternal Wardens remain at full strength. Unexpected, but welcome nonetheless. As the two continued to where the Eternal Wardens were gathered, Kesar began to tell stories from his time on Valhalla, but he quickly stopped when the Night Haunter seemed angry and guilty.

As he was showing Curze his Legion, the Night Haunter spoke up suddenly.
No, no, NONONONONONONO!
"I must leave." Then, he began to walk out before he paused and turned. "There is an issue I must deal with immediately." As Curze walked out, Kesar was unsure as to what had just happened, however he had heard rumors of how the Night Haunter would shift between personalities at times. It was honestly worrying how broken the Primarch seemed, as he left, Kesar decided to call out to him.
It's in flux. Need to fix it. Stop it. Need to stop him.
"Curze, if you ever have need of the Wardens, we will assist." As he said this, Curze stopped momentarily from his walk, before turning around and speaking once more.
He's fixed it, can't let it stop. It's getting better. I WON'T LET IT GET WORSE!
"Thank you, brother, but for now it is I who will assist you." At this, the Night Haunter left, leaving Kesar to plan the next steps of the Crusade.
Kesar, you do not have the Night Haunter's permission to die.
After the unexpected ending to their meeting, Kesar was concerned as to the sudden departure of Curze. The Night Haunter did seem to act strangely, with his demeanor changing rapidly. Hopefully this would not be an issue, but it was worrying.
You must live, no matter the cost.
Now however, Kesar decided to focus on other matters such as Gehenna Station. The Mechanicus had managed to purify the station, despite it taking longer than expected. Nevertheless, it was ready to be analyzed. The first thing Kesar needed to decide is what aspect of the void shields he should look into. Looking back, it is fortunate that Kesar had decided to learn more about void shields as without the past years spent in research, the void shields would have been very difficult to understand. As it was, it was merely a matter of time before he managed to understand how these Dark Age artifacts functioned.

For the first step, there were a few places Kesar could begin. The first were the emitters, which actually projected the particles that made up the void shield. These were rather different and would take time to research, but then again so was everything about this device. The other aspects to research were the materials it was made of, the mechanism that shaped the shield, the maintenance modules, the power source, and so much more. Nevertheless, for the first step, Kesar decided to reverse engineer the

[] Emitters
[] Materials
[] Shaping Mechanism
[] Maintenance Modules
[] Power Source
[] MANY THINGS ARE LOCKED

Moreover, the site at which the first Astartes death in the Crusade was currently being searched for, and hopefully, Kesar could get further details before the year ends. Nevertheless, he now moved on to the Crusade itself.

[] Lathe III is a world where infrastructure can clearly be seen from orbit that is well maintained. Why is it that no movement can be seen on the planet? When the initial team went down on the world to check, they disappeared, despite their being orbital survellaince. This has continued, so something is clearly wrong.
[] Hades II – A forge world that worships a Man of Iron, the hereteks here have stirred the Mechanicus into a frenzy. So far, the stalemate has lasted as the Imperium has been unable to breach the system's defenses. Hopefully with the support of an Astartes Legion the hereteks can be purged.
[] Liekana IV – A Death World home to 500 million people, this world boasts an incredibly hostile biosphere with extreme temperatures. The main issue on this world is the sudden temperature swings that can roast or freeze a human in minutes. Nevertheless, the world is demanding protection from *ERROR*
[] Kova II – Requests for exterminatus have been requested by the population's inhabitants. All ships that tried to approach were shot down from the orbital defenses.
[] Sacramentum I – This world has no infrastructure, no governing body, and no food production of note. How then is it home to 3 billion people? The Imperial Army that was assigned to this location have reported that they have found a remarkeable food source that could dramatically boost agri world production and request that a Primarch arrive, so they can demonstrate. "Be careful with this one Brother, my agents did not report back."
[] Abom VI – This world is currently controlled by a set of tech hereteks who worship daemons. They have been creating many daemon engines for centuries and now the world is a hell hole filled with monsters. Astartes support is requested.
[] Eae II – A hive world with a large population that has been stalling for months about joining the Imperium. It seems clear that the governor refuses to join, but the diplomatic proceedings have been stalled for a long time.
[] Aam III – A hive world currently split into eight groups that constantly war with each other, daemonic creatures have been sighted slaughtering groups before being slaughtered in turn. When Imperium vessels arrived however, the groups united against mankind. Astartes support is requested.

Spoiler: Rolls

Basic Cultist Countermeasures Time: 1 year
Basic Cultist Countermeasures (DC 10): 5 + 5 (Omake) = 10
Gene Seed Mastery time: 2 years
Gene Seed Mastery (DC20/2 = DC10): 19
Rune of Purity Time: 4 years
Rune of Purity (DC 50): 20
Void Shield Mastery Time: 1 year
Void Shield Mastery (DC 20/2 = 10): 65
Curze Roll: 45 + ?? - ?? = ??
?????? ????????: 2 + ?? = ??

 

[Speed53066]

Right here is that omake I promised.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Song of the Valhallaen people.
With musical and lyrical accompaniment form warframe's song: We All Lift Together
By, Keith Power

Play for full effect.



Cold: the air and water flowing

*Images of the harsh winter of Valhalla appear on the screen a blizzard of immense proportions wracking the land. The people in their homes trying to keep warm, and comfort family that it will pass. Just like it always has and will continue to. *
Hard: the land we call our home

* The scene shifts in to a large city battered by the blizzard, with the factories running to produce weapons, armor, and thick clothing. It shifts again to a hothouse, an old innovation that helps keep the people of this planet fed, and not starve in the cold winds. *

Push to keep the dark from coming

* The scene shifts again, this time it is focused on a cultist camp, the eight pointes star of Chaos glows balefully in the blizzard as the Cultists pray and sacrifice to there dark gods for glorious battle, sensuous suffering, a plan going right at the right time, or to just endure the cold.*
*The scene shifts again, this time those same cultists are drawing out a plan to attack the city, with the hot houses and the manufactories being prime targets for the assault. *

Feel the weight of what we owe

*In an old monastery monk of the golden path meditate on the nature of life, and how they may keep the people that they lead and protect on the golden path, and not fall to the whispers and false promises of chaos. *
*The scene shifts again, it flies through the city, and lands in the governor's office, reports are shone, on production, and food that they have. To survive the cold blizzard now, and the one that will come right after it as well. For in the calm between the cold, there is always someone wanting to attack what he holds dear. *

This: the song of sons and daughters

* The scene shifts once again, to a different factory, men, women and children are working long hours to have enough food and fuel to survive the blizzard. Some doing the job of two or three of them, trying to keep ahead of the quota, to make sure their family and the cities survive the blizzard blowing outside. *
*The scene closes in to the owner's office, there is a woman, slightly graying at the hair, and having battered clothes. She is looking at reports, one is the production of her factory, and the other is what they need to survive the blizzard at hand, and the attacks that may come after. All the while, looking out of window at the people who are hard at work, trying to keep up with the draconic demands of the city, to keep it safe and survive the winter. *

Hide the heart of who we are

*The scene shifts to that same factory, when one of the men are not able to hall any more, they are immediately helped by the people around them, even the foreman who is watching the workers, comes in to help out, and help take over the job for a bit to let the man rest. While another picks up where he left off. *
* The scene shifts to the city outside, where others are helping those in need, weather it be some extra food, or helping to patch up a roof that is heavy with snow. When someone falls, or is not able to keep going, the community weather it be a complete stranger, to a family member comes to help him or her up off the cold ground. *

Making peace to build our future

* The scene seems to fly from the outside into a large building, seaming to be decorated in many flags, with armed guards at the doors. The view seems to flight through the doors, and you see a meeting happening. Two different people are at the desk, with two different flags behind them. Both are smiling, and the seen shifts down to see a signed document with the words" Peace accord" written on them. *

Strong, united, working 'till we fall

*The scene shifts to a battle line, the people in them are dressed in large winter coats, with furred hats. All of them seems to have a different colored flag patch to their coats, but they are all in one line, together. On the other side of the battle lines, a horde of Cultists with the eight-pointed star of chaos raised high. *

Cold: the air and water flowing

*Behind the battle lines, there is a city, brisling with guns, and the air around it choked in smoke form smoke stacks, the snow is still falling, and the guns are turning towards the Cultists army.*.

Hard: the land we call our home

*In the trenches, men are praying in the time before the battle, some for forgiveness, others so that their families are safe, and others, so that they may see another day. The storm is starting to break, and both sides are almost able to see each other. *

Push to keep the dark from coming

*Priests of the Golden Path are in the trenches as well the symbol of the lotus is sark on their white robes. They are in the tranches with the solders, to provide both an anchor of faith, and a symbol to rally and protect. They help lead prayers and meditation to that the foul warp taint may not infect their charges. *

Feel the weight of what we owe

*Along with the men of faith, in their black coats and buckle hats, the witch hunters stock about. Making sure that the men and women are stable and whole. Those that aren't are given the Cold mercy. For no taint can escape the hard gaze of the witch hunters.
The storm begins to clear, the armies can see each other, and the final flakes of snow fall to the hard ground. *

This: the song of sons and daughters

*The silence is pincered by a loud Boom! The chanting of the cultists began to be heard, along with the Mantras of the Monks of the Golden Path. *

Hide the heart of who we are

* The artillery starts to fire from both sides, one is simple gunpowder and steel that slams and explodes in to the cultists line. The other is a corrupted ball of warp stuff that slams and corrupts some of the men, some attack those beside them, other take their own life, and the ones who survived it, charge the cultist line. *

Making peace to build our future

*With the boom of artillery in the background, the two lines meet, guns are firing, and swords are slashing. The daemons who are summoned are taken out by the Monks of the Golden Path, the cultists leaders are shot and executed by the witch hunters. The few psyckers in the cultist's army are focused down by everyone. All the while the screams of dying men and women fill the cold air.

Strong, united, working 'till we fall

*The daemons are slashed, shot, and broken by the faith, steel, and fire power of the people who call this cold and hard planet home. Where one man falls two appear, working together to kill the foul warp spawn, and those who killed their brothers and sisters. *

And we all lift, and we're all adrift together, together

*The camera zooms in to the battle, with brother and sister are holding the line, and for every one that falls, they take four with them. All of them with different flags and creeds, are standing shoulder to shoulder to hold the line, and push it back. All the while the artillery booms in the background.

Through the cold mist, 'till we're lifeless together, together

*The scene shifts once again, this time the battle is over, but the body count remains, all the cultists are dead, there bodies are burned so that their taint, and disease doesn't infect both the town and the soldiers. Those soldiers who have died, are gathered up in the flags of their country or tribes, and are cremated as well, with full ceremony and honor. For they all know, that the cultists would use the honored dead as a weapon if given the chance. In the end, they all pack up their arms and armor, and head home. All the while another storm is brewing on the horizon. *