Year 13 Part 3
- Location
- Elsewhere
[X] Resolution. The Archdaemons are responsible for corrupting your brother, your sons, and countless others. These foul creatures enslaved the minds and souls of so many. These abominations must never be forgiven. You will fight them until your dying breath.
After thinking of his brothers' actions and the Archdaemons, Kesar felt resolute. These vile creatures had twisted countless humans. They enslave minds and souls all the while hidden in their domains. They will never get anything from Kesar, even if he would die to do so. For now, however, Kesar was determined to bring the only mercy he could upon the Word Bearers and his brother.
*+10 vs Word Bearers*
Meanwhile, the Emperor of Man continued. "THAT IS WHY I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE. THE FIVE OF YOU ARE GIVEN THE TASK OF PROTECTING THE IMPERIUM FROM YOUR BROTHER'S FALL. YOU MAY USE WHATEVER METHODS YOU SEE FIT. YOUR BROTHER WILL PROVIDE YOU THE INFORMATION YOU NEED." At this, Malcador pointed towards Alpharius, who had been hidden by the Custodes.
At his sudden appearance, the other Primarchs merely raised an eyebrow, except for Lion. He responded by a slight twitch towards his sword but did not react other than that. Giving a slight bow, Alpharius spoke. "As you know Brothers, I have assisted the Lord Sigillite with the Imperium's intelligence services. During this time, I became aware of an organized effort by several groups. At first, the schemes were contradictory, but I managed to piece together an overarching worship of a particular being called the Architect of Fate. This Archdaemon commands the daemons that seem to specialize in divination and psykers. I did manage to clear these issues, but it was not a simple task and there were agents I am still tracking."
With this, Alpharius stopped speaking and motioned to Konrad to speak. The Night Haunter then took the stage. "These things. They must die. They would have doomed mankind. I tried to stop Lorgar. I failed." At this, the Night Haunter paused. His visions were getting better, and one of them was currently about to hit him. He had gained some control, so he paid full attention. It was a mistake. Inwardly, the Night Haunter screamed and trashed. He saw the future now, and what was to come. Thankfully, Malcador noticed the signs of a divination and managed to freeze Konrad in place. It took a nightmarish amount of effort and was only possible since the Emperor of Man assisted him. Additionally, it was also could only be done since Konrad was not actively resisting him.
To the rest of the Primarchs, it seemed as if the Night Haunter had simply trailed off, so the Lion decided to ask a question of importance. "How dangerous?"
To this, Alpharius immediately responded. "They are powerful, on the level of our father. But, they can only act through the daemons they command. There are 4 of them. The first I already explained. The second is the patron of those plague daemons. The third is the one who is worshipped by daemonnetes and their ilk. The last is the Archdaemon who is worshipped by those blood crazed cultists."
Kesar was worried about this. It was unlikely that he would be able to take a being as strong as his father. Perhaps with his entire Legion and a few others it would be possible. For now, Leman Russ spoke. "If you know where they are, I shall take my Legion and end them. I may not be as strong as father, but with the Space Wolves we can take them."
"LEMAN, YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW DANGEROUS THESE BEINGS ARE. THESE ARCHDAEMONS HAVE PLAGUED REALITY FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS. THESE BEINGS WARP REALITY AND DRIVE MEN INSANE FROM THEIR VERY NAMES. DO NOT TRY FINDING THEM. YOU WILL DIE OR FORCE ME TO EXECUTE YOU."
At this, Malcador and Alpharius raised a metaphorical eyebrow, not that anyone else could tell, although Lion did seem slightly amused. Normally, the Emperor never warned people due to human psychology. Most of the time, people tended to not listen until something went poorly. Still, Leman seemed to acknowledge this and simply nodded as confirmation of his understanding. Now, the Emperor of Man took his leave before giving instructions to prevent Lorgar from damaging the efforts of the Crusade.
With this done, the Lion turned towards Kesar. As Leman walked over to Alpharius. Greeting his brother, Kesar spoke. "Brother, it's good to meet you finally. I hope my first captain was useful in your endeavors."
"He was a useful asset. I hope to work with him in the future." At this, Kesar smiled, he was glad that his assistance was appreciated.
"Thank you for the compliment Brother. I appreciate it."
"No, it is I that should thank you. Lorgar was a thorn in both our sides." Kesar frowned inwardly but left his face neutral. It wouldn't do to interrupt his brother. "His departure from Lave V came at a horrible time. In total, I estimate 70,000 Astartes died from his actions, half of those losses were from my Legion. The deaths would have increased to 100,000 if not for your first captain."
Kesar nodded at this before expressing his own thoughts on the matter. "When we met, he was rather delusional. He interpreted events differently than what had occurred. Now, I wonder if he was already falling to these Archdaemons at the time."
"You had no reason to suspect him. He was always a fanatic in his beliefs."
"I don't blame myself for his fall, although I will admit that I wish it could be different. Nevertheless, now I will stay resolute and do what must be done."
"You are different than most of us, aren't you?" At this Kesar simply shrugged and responded neutrally. He didn't see himself as different from the other Primarchs, but there were only 19 of them, or 18 now he supposed. "It's merely an observation. For now, I will take my leave, I must prepare for the campaign against Lorgar. Entering the Eye is impossible, so I must find another solution."
"It was good meeting you brother."
"Likewise." With that, Lion issued a small smile, before he left. As he left, Alpharius noticed before calling out.
"Brother, this information is meant to remain secret. Guilliman and Perturabo both know about this in full. Vulkan knows important details, and Dorn merely has a general idea." At this, the Lion simply nodded before fully departing. Now, with Kesar unoccupied, and Leman and Alpharius still in conversation, the Night Haunter walked over.
As Konrad walked over, he seemed to pause for a moment before speaking. "Kesar, Lorgar will go after you." The Night Haunter pulled out a knife at this and began to clean it.
"I suspected as much. He seems to have an unfortunate hatred of me. I'll likely have to fortify Valhalla to deal with this." As he said this, Konrad paused.
"He won't attack Valhalla."
"I mean no disrespect Brother, but how do you know?" At this, Konrad completely stilled. Inside, he was in thought. His visions were getting better. Yet, they would get worse at the drop of a hat. If he went insane, they would get so much worse. The more Primarchs that fell, the worse it would get. If his Father was injured, the Imperium would decay into a rotten corpse. His brothers would try and fail to revive it. He had seen his Brothers die in so many ways. In some, he was the torturer. He saw himself breaking Vulkan piece by piece, over and over with the Primarch unable to die as his mind slowly deteriorated. Then, it would just get worse. His dying father, with the twisted worship he was given would turn into another monster. A fifth Archdaemon, this one controlling human souls. Even in death humanity would never be free. That was the fate that awaited them. Just endless torment with no one able to stop it. And yet, it was getting better. The fall of his brothers was prevented, the damage to mankind was getting better. His visions were starting to give hints of what to do. And now, he shared his answer.
"I, I see things, Brother." The normally grim Night Haunter wasn't his terrifying self, now, he was just a broken man, desperate for a better future. "The future, it's not pleasant."
Kesar extended a hand before withdrawing it. Konrad was not the type of person who would appreciate physical contact. Nevertheless, he did try to comfort his brother. "Konrad, do you want to talk about it?"
At this, Konrad shook his head. "It's, murky. It changes constantly. It wouldn't help. It's getting better though. Slowly, but it is getting better. Thank you for that Kesar."
At this, Kesar wondered what he had done, but he decided that Konrad would likely not want to discuss this. "I don't know what I did, but I am happy to help."
"You always will be." At this, Konrad decided to leave. As he did, he smiled slightly. Just a brief twitch of the lips with a slight crinkling around the eyes. Things were looking up. Perhaps he could do something about it now. There was hope, and he would never let go of it.
Finishing up his conversation with Alpharius, Leman Russ noticed that Kesar had just finished talking with Konrad. Walking over, the Wolf King of Fenris spoke. "Brother, you never visited."
"I apologize for that Brother, but the Crusade has taken up quite a bit of my time. I have yet to visit many of our other brothers as well." Kesar could tell where the conversation was going, but he was trying to steer the conversation away from the minefield that was Magnus.
"I understand. Magnus and I hate each other, and you befriended him first. I don't like it, but I can't exactly do anything about it."
"That is a fair opinion." Kesar frowned at this, the Great Wolf was being rather civil, which was nice in his opinion.
"Tell me, before Lorgar betrayed us, he met with you last. What happened?" At this, Kesar frowned but he answered nonetheless.
"He accused me of breaking the Imperial Truth because my homeworld has created an ideology called the Golden Path." Kesar was careful to label it an ideology instead of a religion since it did follow the Imperial Truth. "Lorgar was not pleased with this and was rather delusional about past events. Eventually, I pointed out his hypocrisy and he stormed off."
"So, you are the reason he betrayed us." Kesar stared directly at Leman, who merely stared impassively back. He was not pleased with this accusation and he gazed angrily at Leman for several seconds. The Wolf King of Fenris merely stared back, before raising an eyebrow. Eventually, Kesar broke the silence.
"Brother, that is not the case and you know it. My actions did not lead to his fall."
"I'm not blaming you, I'm merely saying you should have handled it better. I respect your skills at killing daemons, but you are naïve. I don't know what the two of you thought and spoke of, but the outcome was clearly poor, and I wish you had done better Brother." At this, Kesar calmed down somewhat, but he was still not pleased with Leman's words. Nevertheless, he would remain polite.
"Brother, I disagree with your interpretation, but since you have been civil and polite, what do you mean by naïve?"
"Your friendship with Xenos, encouraging Magnus, your compliance rate, your approach to compliance, actions with Lorgar, …"
"Alright stop." Kesar was not happy at Leman just spewing his complaints about his strategic goals and actions. "It was easier to bring the Ruoult under our thumb than it was to kill them. My friendship with Magnus is quite frankly not your problem. I have met him once and only correspond with him. The Thousand Sons have proved immensely useful thus far. My compliance rate is because I prefer to make my domain stable sooner, and for that diplomacy has worked wonderfully. And finally, my action with Lorgar, as you put it, did not lead to him falling. He decided that my actions were unforgivable, despite those actions being not my own."
At this, Leman gave a lupine grin. "Well, at least you have guts. But I completely disagree with your explanation. Magnus is reckless. There's a reason why our father didn't tell him about this. Unlike me, he wouldn't listen when told these things were dangerous. He would lie, and just research them. How do you think that would end?" As Kesar moved to respond, Leman cut him off. "Magnus does not understand that there is a time to stop researching. All you have done with him is encourage him and validate his short-sighted beliefs. Then, there is your entire approach to the Crusade." At this, Leman stepped back before continuing. "Diplomacy is flawed. We constantly see nightmarish worlds where people suffer. By using it, you are slowed down, and people on these nightmarish worlds cry out for assistance that they will not get in time. It is naïve and harms humanity."
Kesar paused for a moment to think. The Wolf King did have some valid points, but there were certainly holes in his argument. "Brother, you say this, but your argument is flawed. Has Magnus done anything that has ended poorly thus far?" Leman started to speak, but Kesar steamrolled through it. "No, and our father has not deemed him dangerous so clearly he is not as bad as you make him out to be. Additionally, he has been working to create wards that specifically block daemons. Take the runes I have made. They are not dangerous. Instead, they work to make killing the neverborn easier. And Magnus is making a version which works to similar effect but alongside different principles. The idea that he is dangerous is short-sighted and proves that you are the naïve one here. The warp is dangerous, yet, I am not arguing against that. What I am arguing for is that it is a tool. Like fire, it can burn you, but like fire, it can save your life on a cold night. Simply ignoring the warp and not researching it is the pinnacle of naivety and you should be ashamed."
"Now hold on … " As Leman tried to get a word in, Kesar held up a hand.
"Let me finish Leman. Then there is your idea of diplomacy. Is it slow? Yes, it is. Does it make my domain more stable? Yes, it does. When your worlds rebel, mine will not. Then, I will catch up in terms of compliance rates. Not every world that says no deserves to be conquered. Some are simply scared from the terrors of the galaxy, others may simply have fears of psykers and will be hesitant to join one where the ruler is a psyker. Kill on sight is inefficient. Diplomacy saves technology, infrastructure, information, and brings in worlds that are immediately useful to the Imperium. War devastates planets and makes them useless to us. You claim I am close-minded and naïve, yet the truth is, your ideas are flawed, your preconceived notions are in desperate need of updating, and you clearly do not understand the uses the warp brings. You are a child, scared and stubborn, refusing to acknowledge that you can be wrong."
During this, Kesar had grown angry with Leman. His brother had attacked his methods and blamed him for Lorgar's fall. As he waited for Leman to respond, he was pleased to see that Leman had a shocked look on his face. "Well, I can see why you are called Daemonsbane." Sadly, Leman swiftly recovered and slowly clapped. "How long did you rehearse that for? Still, you got guts. Even if I think you're an idiot, at least you can back it up. If you ever want a spar, feel free to meet. I do want to kick your ass. Don't disappoint."
"Leman, I look forward to winning that duel." At Kesar's response, Leman's grin just grew wider. With that, the two Primarchs separated. They weren't friends, and they both disliked each other immensely, but they both knew the other was skilled.
As Kesar walked over to talk to Malcador and Alpharius, he thought of what he would do with the Crusade
AN: So, now planets have threat levels. The scale ranges from easy, medium, hard, extreme, and maximus. Then, I generated a planet that literally had a 0.001% chance of being worse. So, you get a new threat level. Threat Level: Maximus Extremus represents an extremely dangerous world that should likely be exterminated if it wasn't so hard to get to.
[] 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 surveillance. This has continued, so something is clearly wrong. More teams have been sent, and none have returned, although a single transmission was made screaming of how the world itself turned against them. Threat Level: Maximus
[] 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. In the past year, the Mechanicus has made some progress against the hereteks, but they are requesting assistance. Threat Level: Easy
[] 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 something. Transmissions have since ceased. Threat Level: Extreme
[] 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 has reported that they have found a remarkable food source that could dramatically boost Agri world production and request that a Primarch arrive, so they can demonstrate. Threat Level: Maximus "Brother, my agents have been subverted. Be extraordinarily cautious."
[] Rekti II – The Imperium vessels that arrived here found a world that was ruled by two alpha class psykers. The two are extremely skilled with their abilities and have access to fanatical soldiers. These soldiers are unusually skilled and in high numbers. This will not be an easy world to take. Threat Level: High
[] Unknown System – The Imperial scouting fleet was destroyed before it could send any warnings. Threat Level: Maximus Extremus
[] Valhalla IV – Kesar's homeworld. While Konrad has stated that Lorgar won't attack here, it is still possible that a portion of the Word Bearers would. As such, defending forces may be needed. Threat Level: Easy
[] Colchis – Lorgar's homeworld. The Space Wolves are headed here directly to ensure that the world is compliant, and they may need support. However, they should be enough to handle it. Threat Level: Easy
[] Lorgar's Domain – The Lion has begun to invade Lorgar's domain. So far, all of the worlds have remained compliant, but due to the large area, it will take him a few years to deal with it. Threat Level: Easy
[] Pursue Lorgar – Lorgar needs to be brought to justice. Heading towards the Eye of Terror is a poor idea, but it may prove useful. Threat Level: Variable
Lion Relation: 84 + 15 (Omake) + 20 (Hates Lorgar) + 10 (Oriacarius) = 129
Leman Relation: 5 + 20 (Respect) – 10 (Opinion) = 15
Alpharius: 96 + ?? = ???
Konrad: 66 + 20 (Visions) + 30 (???) – 30 (Konrad) = 86
Malcador: 87 + 10 (Omake) + 20 (Relationship) + 20 (Anti-Daemon Specialization) = 137
Emperor: 75 + ?? = ???
After thinking of his brothers' actions and the Archdaemons, Kesar felt resolute. These vile creatures had twisted countless humans. They enslave minds and souls all the while hidden in their domains. They will never get anything from Kesar, even if he would die to do so. For now, however, Kesar was determined to bring the only mercy he could upon the Word Bearers and his brother.
*+10 vs Word Bearers*
Meanwhile, the Emperor of Man continued. "THAT IS WHY I HAVE BROUGHT YOU HERE. THE FIVE OF YOU ARE GIVEN THE TASK OF PROTECTING THE IMPERIUM FROM YOUR BROTHER'S FALL. YOU MAY USE WHATEVER METHODS YOU SEE FIT. YOUR BROTHER WILL PROVIDE YOU THE INFORMATION YOU NEED." At this, Malcador pointed towards Alpharius, who had been hidden by the Custodes.
At his sudden appearance, the other Primarchs merely raised an eyebrow, except for Lion. He responded by a slight twitch towards his sword but did not react other than that. Giving a slight bow, Alpharius spoke. "As you know Brothers, I have assisted the Lord Sigillite with the Imperium's intelligence services. During this time, I became aware of an organized effort by several groups. At first, the schemes were contradictory, but I managed to piece together an overarching worship of a particular being called the Architect of Fate. This Archdaemon commands the daemons that seem to specialize in divination and psykers. I did manage to clear these issues, but it was not a simple task and there were agents I am still tracking."
With this, Alpharius stopped speaking and motioned to Konrad to speak. The Night Haunter then took the stage. "These things. They must die. They would have doomed mankind. I tried to stop Lorgar. I failed." At this, the Night Haunter paused. His visions were getting better, and one of them was currently about to hit him. He had gained some control, so he paid full attention. It was a mistake. Inwardly, the Night Haunter screamed and trashed. He saw the future now, and what was to come. Thankfully, Malcador noticed the signs of a divination and managed to freeze Konrad in place. It took a nightmarish amount of effort and was only possible since the Emperor of Man assisted him. Additionally, it was also could only be done since Konrad was not actively resisting him.
To the rest of the Primarchs, it seemed as if the Night Haunter had simply trailed off, so the Lion decided to ask a question of importance. "How dangerous?"
To this, Alpharius immediately responded. "They are powerful, on the level of our father. But, they can only act through the daemons they command. There are 4 of them. The first I already explained. The second is the patron of those plague daemons. The third is the one who is worshipped by daemonnetes and their ilk. The last is the Archdaemon who is worshipped by those blood crazed cultists."
Kesar was worried about this. It was unlikely that he would be able to take a being as strong as his father. Perhaps with his entire Legion and a few others it would be possible. For now, Leman Russ spoke. "If you know where they are, I shall take my Legion and end them. I may not be as strong as father, but with the Space Wolves we can take them."
"LEMAN, YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW DANGEROUS THESE BEINGS ARE. THESE ARCHDAEMONS HAVE PLAGUED REALITY FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS. THESE BEINGS WARP REALITY AND DRIVE MEN INSANE FROM THEIR VERY NAMES. DO NOT TRY FINDING THEM. YOU WILL DIE OR FORCE ME TO EXECUTE YOU."
At this, Malcador and Alpharius raised a metaphorical eyebrow, not that anyone else could tell, although Lion did seem slightly amused. Normally, the Emperor never warned people due to human psychology. Most of the time, people tended to not listen until something went poorly. Still, Leman seemed to acknowledge this and simply nodded as confirmation of his understanding. Now, the Emperor of Man took his leave before giving instructions to prevent Lorgar from damaging the efforts of the Crusade.
With this done, the Lion turned towards Kesar. As Leman walked over to Alpharius. Greeting his brother, Kesar spoke. "Brother, it's good to meet you finally. I hope my first captain was useful in your endeavors."
"He was a useful asset. I hope to work with him in the future." At this, Kesar smiled, he was glad that his assistance was appreciated.
"Thank you for the compliment Brother. I appreciate it."
"No, it is I that should thank you. Lorgar was a thorn in both our sides." Kesar frowned inwardly but left his face neutral. It wouldn't do to interrupt his brother. "His departure from Lave V came at a horrible time. In total, I estimate 70,000 Astartes died from his actions, half of those losses were from my Legion. The deaths would have increased to 100,000 if not for your first captain."
Kesar nodded at this before expressing his own thoughts on the matter. "When we met, he was rather delusional. He interpreted events differently than what had occurred. Now, I wonder if he was already falling to these Archdaemons at the time."
"You had no reason to suspect him. He was always a fanatic in his beliefs."
"I don't blame myself for his fall, although I will admit that I wish it could be different. Nevertheless, now I will stay resolute and do what must be done."
"You are different than most of us, aren't you?" At this Kesar simply shrugged and responded neutrally. He didn't see himself as different from the other Primarchs, but there were only 19 of them, or 18 now he supposed. "It's merely an observation. For now, I will take my leave, I must prepare for the campaign against Lorgar. Entering the Eye is impossible, so I must find another solution."
"It was good meeting you brother."
"Likewise." With that, Lion issued a small smile, before he left. As he left, Alpharius noticed before calling out.
"Brother, this information is meant to remain secret. Guilliman and Perturabo both know about this in full. Vulkan knows important details, and Dorn merely has a general idea." At this, the Lion simply nodded before fully departing. Now, with Kesar unoccupied, and Leman and Alpharius still in conversation, the Night Haunter walked over.
As Konrad walked over, he seemed to pause for a moment before speaking. "Kesar, Lorgar will go after you." The Night Haunter pulled out a knife at this and began to clean it.
"I suspected as much. He seems to have an unfortunate hatred of me. I'll likely have to fortify Valhalla to deal with this." As he said this, Konrad paused.
"He won't attack Valhalla."
"I mean no disrespect Brother, but how do you know?" At this, Konrad completely stilled. Inside, he was in thought. His visions were getting better. Yet, they would get worse at the drop of a hat. If he went insane, they would get so much worse. The more Primarchs that fell, the worse it would get. If his Father was injured, the Imperium would decay into a rotten corpse. His brothers would try and fail to revive it. He had seen his Brothers die in so many ways. In some, he was the torturer. He saw himself breaking Vulkan piece by piece, over and over with the Primarch unable to die as his mind slowly deteriorated. Then, it would just get worse. His dying father, with the twisted worship he was given would turn into another monster. A fifth Archdaemon, this one controlling human souls. Even in death humanity would never be free. That was the fate that awaited them. Just endless torment with no one able to stop it. And yet, it was getting better. The fall of his brothers was prevented, the damage to mankind was getting better. His visions were starting to give hints of what to do. And now, he shared his answer.
"I, I see things, Brother." The normally grim Night Haunter wasn't his terrifying self, now, he was just a broken man, desperate for a better future. "The future, it's not pleasant."
Kesar extended a hand before withdrawing it. Konrad was not the type of person who would appreciate physical contact. Nevertheless, he did try to comfort his brother. "Konrad, do you want to talk about it?"
At this, Konrad shook his head. "It's, murky. It changes constantly. It wouldn't help. It's getting better though. Slowly, but it is getting better. Thank you for that Kesar."
At this, Kesar wondered what he had done, but he decided that Konrad would likely not want to discuss this. "I don't know what I did, but I am happy to help."
"You always will be." At this, Konrad decided to leave. As he did, he smiled slightly. Just a brief twitch of the lips with a slight crinkling around the eyes. Things were looking up. Perhaps he could do something about it now. There was hope, and he would never let go of it.
Finishing up his conversation with Alpharius, Leman Russ noticed that Kesar had just finished talking with Konrad. Walking over, the Wolf King of Fenris spoke. "Brother, you never visited."
"I apologize for that Brother, but the Crusade has taken up quite a bit of my time. I have yet to visit many of our other brothers as well." Kesar could tell where the conversation was going, but he was trying to steer the conversation away from the minefield that was Magnus.
"I understand. Magnus and I hate each other, and you befriended him first. I don't like it, but I can't exactly do anything about it."
"That is a fair opinion." Kesar frowned at this, the Great Wolf was being rather civil, which was nice in his opinion.
"Tell me, before Lorgar betrayed us, he met with you last. What happened?" At this, Kesar frowned but he answered nonetheless.
"He accused me of breaking the Imperial Truth because my homeworld has created an ideology called the Golden Path." Kesar was careful to label it an ideology instead of a religion since it did follow the Imperial Truth. "Lorgar was not pleased with this and was rather delusional about past events. Eventually, I pointed out his hypocrisy and he stormed off."
"So, you are the reason he betrayed us." Kesar stared directly at Leman, who merely stared impassively back. He was not pleased with this accusation and he gazed angrily at Leman for several seconds. The Wolf King of Fenris merely stared back, before raising an eyebrow. Eventually, Kesar broke the silence.
"Brother, that is not the case and you know it. My actions did not lead to his fall."
"I'm not blaming you, I'm merely saying you should have handled it better. I respect your skills at killing daemons, but you are naïve. I don't know what the two of you thought and spoke of, but the outcome was clearly poor, and I wish you had done better Brother." At this, Kesar calmed down somewhat, but he was still not pleased with Leman's words. Nevertheless, he would remain polite.
"Brother, I disagree with your interpretation, but since you have been civil and polite, what do you mean by naïve?"
"Your friendship with Xenos, encouraging Magnus, your compliance rate, your approach to compliance, actions with Lorgar, …"
"Alright stop." Kesar was not happy at Leman just spewing his complaints about his strategic goals and actions. "It was easier to bring the Ruoult under our thumb than it was to kill them. My friendship with Magnus is quite frankly not your problem. I have met him once and only correspond with him. The Thousand Sons have proved immensely useful thus far. My compliance rate is because I prefer to make my domain stable sooner, and for that diplomacy has worked wonderfully. And finally, my action with Lorgar, as you put it, did not lead to him falling. He decided that my actions were unforgivable, despite those actions being not my own."
At this, Leman gave a lupine grin. "Well, at least you have guts. But I completely disagree with your explanation. Magnus is reckless. There's a reason why our father didn't tell him about this. Unlike me, he wouldn't listen when told these things were dangerous. He would lie, and just research them. How do you think that would end?" As Kesar moved to respond, Leman cut him off. "Magnus does not understand that there is a time to stop researching. All you have done with him is encourage him and validate his short-sighted beliefs. Then, there is your entire approach to the Crusade." At this, Leman stepped back before continuing. "Diplomacy is flawed. We constantly see nightmarish worlds where people suffer. By using it, you are slowed down, and people on these nightmarish worlds cry out for assistance that they will not get in time. It is naïve and harms humanity."
Kesar paused for a moment to think. The Wolf King did have some valid points, but there were certainly holes in his argument. "Brother, you say this, but your argument is flawed. Has Magnus done anything that has ended poorly thus far?" Leman started to speak, but Kesar steamrolled through it. "No, and our father has not deemed him dangerous so clearly he is not as bad as you make him out to be. Additionally, he has been working to create wards that specifically block daemons. Take the runes I have made. They are not dangerous. Instead, they work to make killing the neverborn easier. And Magnus is making a version which works to similar effect but alongside different principles. The idea that he is dangerous is short-sighted and proves that you are the naïve one here. The warp is dangerous, yet, I am not arguing against that. What I am arguing for is that it is a tool. Like fire, it can burn you, but like fire, it can save your life on a cold night. Simply ignoring the warp and not researching it is the pinnacle of naivety and you should be ashamed."
"Now hold on … " As Leman tried to get a word in, Kesar held up a hand.
"Let me finish Leman. Then there is your idea of diplomacy. Is it slow? Yes, it is. Does it make my domain more stable? Yes, it does. When your worlds rebel, mine will not. Then, I will catch up in terms of compliance rates. Not every world that says no deserves to be conquered. Some are simply scared from the terrors of the galaxy, others may simply have fears of psykers and will be hesitant to join one where the ruler is a psyker. Kill on sight is inefficient. Diplomacy saves technology, infrastructure, information, and brings in worlds that are immediately useful to the Imperium. War devastates planets and makes them useless to us. You claim I am close-minded and naïve, yet the truth is, your ideas are flawed, your preconceived notions are in desperate need of updating, and you clearly do not understand the uses the warp brings. You are a child, scared and stubborn, refusing to acknowledge that you can be wrong."
During this, Kesar had grown angry with Leman. His brother had attacked his methods and blamed him for Lorgar's fall. As he waited for Leman to respond, he was pleased to see that Leman had a shocked look on his face. "Well, I can see why you are called Daemonsbane." Sadly, Leman swiftly recovered and slowly clapped. "How long did you rehearse that for? Still, you got guts. Even if I think you're an idiot, at least you can back it up. If you ever want a spar, feel free to meet. I do want to kick your ass. Don't disappoint."
"Leman, I look forward to winning that duel." At Kesar's response, Leman's grin just grew wider. With that, the two Primarchs separated. They weren't friends, and they both disliked each other immensely, but they both knew the other was skilled.
As Kesar walked over to talk to Malcador and Alpharius, he thought of what he would do with the Crusade
AN: So, now planets have threat levels. The scale ranges from easy, medium, hard, extreme, and maximus. Then, I generated a planet that literally had a 0.001% chance of being worse. So, you get a new threat level. Threat Level: Maximus Extremus represents an extremely dangerous world that should likely be exterminated if it wasn't so hard to get to.
[] 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 surveillance. This has continued, so something is clearly wrong. More teams have been sent, and none have returned, although a single transmission was made screaming of how the world itself turned against them. Threat Level: Maximus
[] 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. In the past year, the Mechanicus has made some progress against the hereteks, but they are requesting assistance. Threat Level: Easy
[] 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 something. Transmissions have since ceased. Threat Level: Extreme
[] 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 has reported that they have found a remarkable food source that could dramatically boost Agri world production and request that a Primarch arrive, so they can demonstrate. Threat Level: Maximus "Brother, my agents have been subverted. Be extraordinarily cautious."
[] Rekti II – The Imperium vessels that arrived here found a world that was ruled by two alpha class psykers. The two are extremely skilled with their abilities and have access to fanatical soldiers. These soldiers are unusually skilled and in high numbers. This will not be an easy world to take. Threat Level: High
[] Unknown System – The Imperial scouting fleet was destroyed before it could send any warnings. Threat Level: Maximus Extremus
[] Valhalla IV – Kesar's homeworld. While Konrad has stated that Lorgar won't attack here, it is still possible that a portion of the Word Bearers would. As such, defending forces may be needed. Threat Level: Easy
[] Colchis – Lorgar's homeworld. The Space Wolves are headed here directly to ensure that the world is compliant, and they may need support. However, they should be enough to handle it. Threat Level: Easy
[] Lorgar's Domain – The Lion has begun to invade Lorgar's domain. So far, all of the worlds have remained compliant, but due to the large area, it will take him a few years to deal with it. Threat Level: Easy
[] Pursue Lorgar – Lorgar needs to be brought to justice. Heading towards the Eye of Terror is a poor idea, but it may prove useful. Threat Level: Variable
Lion Relation: 84 + 15 (Omake) + 20 (Hates Lorgar) + 10 (Oriacarius) = 129
Leman Relation: 5 + 20 (Respect) – 10 (Opinion) = 15
Alpharius: 96 + ?? = ???
Konrad: 66 + 20 (Visions) + 30 (???) – 30 (Konrad) = 86
Malcador: 87 + 10 (Omake) + 20 (Relationship) + 20 (Anti-Daemon Specialization) = 137
Emperor: 75 + ?? = ???
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