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The Lost Primarch Quest
- Thread starter Daemon Hunter
- Start date
That brings up a similar terrifying line of inquiry: What happens if the key is used on a servitor? And will the result vary if the servitor was vat grown or was created from a lobotomized person? That is, do servitors still have ego barriers? Do they have mouths that still cannot scream, or are they entirely non-sapient?
I'm very much of the mind that it is a full "I have no mouth and I must scream" situation and Daemon seems to hint that is a very real possibility and something that Ravenloft doesn't want to confirm because that opens too many horrific possibilities.
They already tested a bionic heart in the second rounds of testing. It started producing blood and became mildly corrupted by Khorne.
There was also a test on an animal cadaver. Daemon didn't decide exactly what happened, but it either became a full zombie or a daemonhost. It also confirms that you cannot use the Skeleton Key to attempt resurrections of anything.
The other half of the question really, is, are servitors (or the corresponding possibly existing souls) already, by default, in a state of "I have no mouth and I must scream"? Because if the key doesn't do anything.... Or if the key just unlocks control of their mouths...
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For a mass unlocking like this, it'd essentially drain the Key enough that it wouldn't have its full effect. You'd see a few of the machine spirits die, some would be warped, some would turn hostile, and some would see a daemon infestation. Generally doing things en masse with artifacts ends porly.
You'd need a powerful psyker weilding the key to manage it. Otherwise the Key would be near impossible to activate, and if it is, would rapidly age the subject doing the unlocking.
Well, if you used the key on one, half would be entirely unresponsive, the other half would try and violently kill themselves.
- Pronouns
- Psychic energy
So, just as an example: magnus could do it?
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He could yes, it'd just exhaust him massively.
- Pronouns
- Psychic energy
Ah gotcha. I'm curious, how would emps react to what corvus has got going on if he finds out?
Emps probably would attempt to get Corvus to either quietly stop in exchange for massive favors or request that Sigillite detachments take part in Ravenloft in exchange for further resources and knowledge on the gods.
The reality is that Emps can't put this genie back in the bottle, and Corvus has created his secret organization and society. Not only that, Corvus succeeded in doing something that should have been impossible. In short, Corvus is too dedicated to this endeavor to stop or change direction.
Emps will likely have to accept this direction because he's fast running out of goodwill with most of his sons. Corvus is loyal, but he will not drop or change his decisions. He's basically seen too much now and his alliance with the Eldar further complicates things.
The Imperial Few
- Location
- Elsewhere
[X] The Sol System. First meet with the Primarchs that Mortarion has gathered on Mars to discuss matters with them and Kelbor-Hal, then meet with Malcador on Terra afterward.
[X] The Imperial Few - A trusted few Primarchs are brought to a discussion with the Emperor
[X] The Imperial Few - A trusted few Primarchs are brought to a discussion with the Emperor
"Do you know why father called us here?" Ferrus broke the silence within the heavily warded room, so choked of the warp that it almost felt like a blank was next to them. Around him sat five other Primarchs.
The Lion, ever loyal; Dorn, ever stoic; the Raven, ever mysterious; the Gorgon, ever mechanically minded; the Phoenician, ever brilliant; and lastly, the Angel, ever the perfect son. "There's a threat to the Imperium, one the Emperor cannot remove," the Lion stated with his notable lack of concern. "What it is, I do not know."
"The Mechanicum is involved in some way," Sanguinius began to share his expectations, "in the last few years, Kelbor-Hal has been seen moving massive numbers of Mechanicum soldiers."
"No, he wanted to use those forces to take the Maelstrom," Ferrus explained, "I was to give my support publicly for it, but he suddenly requested I do not."
"It's too quick of a pivot," Fulgrim agreed, "someone surprised him, maybe the demobilization revealed a secret of his?"
"Artificial Intelligence?" Ferrus suggested, "perhaps Mars is home to more than just men?"
Dorn glanced at Lion, the movement catching Sanguinius' eye. "Lion, do you know something?"
The First scowled, irritated at having been caught out, "the Mechanicum certainly has artificial intelligence in storage, they make for useful weapons in case of apocalypses."
"Please tell me you keep them secure," Corvus asked worriedly, "the damage those could do …"
"He does," Dorn bluntly said, "I've made sure of it."
The Primarchs in question sighed in relief, all of them clearly trusting defenses made by Dorn himself. "There is one question I should ask, it might give us some insight," Fulgrim took control of the conversation easily, drawing attention to himself, "why isn't Leman here?"
"There isn't enough information," the Lion spoke next, his displeasure clearly showing. "We could spend months discussing what ifs, we need more."
"Yet, what else are we to do?" Sanguinius questioned, "father is delayed his journey from Carthago is longer than ours to this secret base."
"We may as well be productive," Dorn stated, "there is some information on Angron you should know." As he spoke, Lion crossed his arms his expression morphing into a displeased frown. "Angron was never alive, the Emperor brought him back from the dead."
The Raven was glad that all attention was on the Unyielding One, or they would have seen the flashes of emotion that may have revealed his ties to the Eldar. As it was, he leaned forward, clearly invested in the conversation at hand, as were all the others. "Horus was right," Sanguinius uttered in shock, "I thought he was exaggerated, that it was mere brain damage."
Fulgrim looked ill, and Ferrus himself seemed to pale. "How did he do it?" Corvus asked, "and is that why Angron is the way he is?"
"We don't know," Dorn explained, as Lion's frown deepened further, "and I suspect that is why."
"Did Mortarion kill him?" Fulgrim asked, stress filling his voice. "Is that why we're here?"
"No," Dorn responded, glancing at the Lion, who shook his head, clearly unwilling to contribute his own insights. "His plan is more insightful than that, he has Magnus, Kesar, and Horus advising him."
Corvus' eyes turned to Sanguinius, "what did he say?"
All eyes turned to the Angel, "it was confidential, it's not my place to say."
"They were planning something," Ferrus reentered the conversation, "is that why we were called here?"
Lion's head snapped up, his thoughts almost seeming to stutter, "we need a war plan, now."
"What?" "Explain that!" "You can't know that!" Several Primarchs shouted, their voices drowning out all discussion.
"You're being hasty," Dorn said, with stress in his voice.
"No, it fits, it explains why Alpharius isn't here, his loyalties aren't known. Leman must be acting as a scout or taking a classified assignment." Lion's thoughts stirred into action, his mind calculating. "Corvus, we need to link up with Roboute, he controls multiple production centers and Ultramar would make for a secure staging ground."
"Lion, stop," Sanguinius demanded, "you're assuming the worst, they are remaining within the boundaries of their authority."
"Are you sure?" Fulgrim asked, "if you're wrong … Mortarion would not have mercy."
"Are we actually considering Horus of all people to be plotting a rebellion?" Ferrus asked with noticeable shock in his voice. "He loves the Emperor more than any of us."
"He has been questioning the Imperium recently," Dorn admitted, "but he would attempt a diplomatic option first."
Sanguinius sucked in a breath, to which Corvus took to mean that was the original plan, "that's why the Tribunal was postponed." He said confidently, but with a voice tinged with worry, "they planned something for it, and the Emperor discovered it."
"Have they escalated?" Fulgrim asked, "we would have heard about it by now if they had."
"They're in the planning stages then," Lion relaxed, as the realization hit him, "we have time to de-escalate."
"There is nothing to de-escalate!" Sanguinius exclaimed, "mark my words when the Emperor arrives, we will discover it's another topic entirely."
"It won't be," Corvus said with mounting horror, he almost seemed to be listening to something, as if his own mind was whispering into his ear. "They've done something, something that cannot be undone."
"How do you know?" Ferrus rumbled, "all we have are idle musing and speculation."
"Exactly!" Sanguinius proclaimed, "we can talk in circles all day, but what we need is for the Emperor to arrive and tell us what is happening."
For the next three hours, discussion continued, the Primarchs arguing over various theories that nonetheless eventually circled back to what Kesar, Mortarion, Angron, Horus, and Magnus were up to. Each time the theories grew more outlandish, yet eventually, the discussion ground them down enough to allow Lion to make a tentative plan in case there was in fact a brewing civil war.
Then the Emperor arrived, and he revealed the reason for this meeting, "A FEW OF MY SONS DISAGREE WITH ACTIONS I HAVE TAKEN. I WISH TO DE-ESCALATE MATTERS, YET I FEAR IT IS TOO LATE."
Sanguinius' face fell, his shoulders slouching forward as he seemed to struggle to comprehend the words, to his side, Fulgrim reached out, gently placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him. "Do we know why?" The Phoenician gently asked.
"YES," the Emperor spoke in an oddly somber tone as if reflecting on a mistake he had once made. "DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU WERE MADE?"
"Made? Not born?" Corvus asked curiously.
"YES, YOU ARE ARTIFICIAL, LIKE MYSELF," His eyes roamed across the Primarchs, locking eyes with each, those aged weathered eyes having seen millennia. "I WAS NOT BORN, I WAS MADE."
"Has something gone wrong?" Fulgrim asked with worry, "the Blight, was I simply the first to suffer from it?"
"NO," the Emperor explained, "IT IS NOT YOU THAT PAID THE COST FOR YOUR CREATION."
Unseen as his brothers looked towards the Master of Mankind, and as he gazed towards the Phoenix, Corvus Corax had an expression of pure shock, disbelief, and a rare semblance of fear at those words. "What did it cost you?" The words seemed to spill from Dorn, he needed an answer.
"THE COST WAS MORE EPHEMERAL THAN YOU THINK," the Emperor began to explain, "TO MAGNUS, I GAVE MY LOVE OF THE WARP, TO YOU DORN, I GAVE SOME OF MY STUBBORNNESS, TO YOU FULGRIM, I GAVE MY LOVE OF CULTURE." Five Primarchs sat in silence, refusing to speak, "THERE IS A PART OF ME IN EACH OF YOU, AND SOME PRIMARCHS BELIEVE THAT I CANNOT FUNCTION WITHOUT THOSE PIECES."
"Are you sure you can?" Sanguinius asked concern and worry in his eyes. For who was unknown, "most humans would consider that brain damage. Are you even the same person that you were before we were made?"
The Emperor didn't speak for several seconds, deeply considering the question at hand as Corvus could only stare as if overwhelmed by the situation at hand. "NO, I AM NOT." The words shocked the Primarchs, the admission causing them to fear the worst, "YET, IT WAS NOT WHAT CHANGED ME MOST." Dorn frowned at the words, his own thoughts a mess. "BY THE TIME I CAME TO THE DECISION OF WHAT MUST BE DONE, NO ONE WOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED ME." The Emperor began to explain some of his history, an odd sense of nostalgia and irritation mixing seamlessly, "I WAS NAIVE, AND MADE MANY MISTAKES. I BELIEVED HUMANITY COULD SURVIVE ANYTHING ON ITS OWN, YET I WAS WRONG. AND SO I STEPPED IN, TO CORRECT THAT MISTAKE."
"But you could not do it alone," Ferrus realized, "you needed generals, people that could keep up with you, and be where you could not."
"I HAD ALREADY GIVEN UP MOST OF MY HUMANITY BY THEN, THE DREGS THAT REMAINED HAD NO PURPOSE." His eyes traveled from Primarch to Primarch, lingering for a moment on Corvus yet still giving focus to each of his creations. "MALCADOR AGREED WITH MY DECISION, AND SO YOU WERE MADE."
Five Primarchs sat in the room, three of them shocked into silence. Ferrus seemed to be deeply considering the Emperor as if several mysteries had just been solved. Then, there was Lion, "it was the right decision."
Fulgrim and Sanguinius both looked at him with complete shock. "I think you underestimate how big of a deal this is," Fulgrim began to speak, "the ruler of humanity is … arguably not a human."
"Neither are we," Lion responded smoothly, "if you claim that removing a part of himself would make the Emperor unworthy of ruling, then what are we? Those who are only a part of him?"
No one responded to that, what could be said about it, after all? For nearly a full minute, the room remained silent, as all the Primarchs processed the revelations that had just been unleashed upon them. It was only then that the Emperor spoke, "THAT IS WHY WE ARE ALL NEEDED. TOGETHER WE ARE MORE THAN ONE MAN, ONE TO LEAD MANKIND. THAT IS WHY WE MUST BRING AN END TO THIS CURRENT INSTABILITY THAT IS BEING THREATENED."
"Then what do we do?" The Angel of Baal asked, "they only want what is best for humanity."
"THERE IS A SAYING FROM OLD TERRA, ONE OF ITS MANY RELIGIONS." The Emperor recited an ancient phrase, "'THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTION'. AND THAT IS WHAT I FEAR IS HAPPENING NOW, THAT THE GOOD INTENTIONS OF MANY WILL CAUSE HARM TO MORE."
"Let's talk to them, then," Fulgrim stood up, the easy solution seemed almost obvious to him.
"MALCADOR WAS PLANNING TO," the Emperor explained, "THEY ARE NOW ON MARS, DISCUSSING PLANS WITH KELBOR-HAL."
A snapping sound came from Sanguinius' chair, as the armrest shattered under the Primarch's fury, "damn it Horus, out of everyone, you went to him!"
Ferrus leaned as far back as he could, forcing himself to take a deep breath. "Even if we talk them down, Kelbor will spread this, won't he?"
"UNDOUBTEDLY," the Emperor of Mankind agreed. "AND SO WE NEED TWO PRONGS, A COMPROMISE WITH YOUR BROTHERS, AND A PERMANENT SOLUTION FOR KELBOR-HAL."
"But how can we get both?" Sanguinius muttered, more to himself than the company around him, "Kelbor will insert himself within their ranks, making his own voice a part of their demands."
"And said solution is predicated on that compromise.," Dorn summarized.
"Emperor, I must confess", Ferrus spoke up, chagrined at his past actions, "Kelbor-Hal had approached me about taking the reins in the Maelstrom conquest in return for favors. I had agreed to it as it seemed beneficial to both, but I had not realized it was part of such a complex game." Ferrus' contrite tone drew another comforting pat from Fulgrim and a glare from Sanguinius.
The Emperor merely raised a hand to the Medusan Primarch, "I DO NOT FAULT YOU FOR ACCEPTING HIS OFFER. KELBOR IS A CUNNING POLITICIAN AND HAS INGRATIATED HIMSELF WITH SEVERAL OF YOUR BROTHERS, HORUS AND KESAR IN PARTICULAR. THOSE TWO FRIENDSHIPS HAVE GIVEN THE FABRICATOR GENERAL MUST INFLUENCE BEYOND WHAT HE WOULD HAVE NORMALLY. I HAVE LITTLE DOUBT THAT HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF VULKAN'S GROWING DESPERATION TO COUNTER THE WORST OF HUMANITY TO MAKE SUCH A DEAL POSSIBLE WERE IT NOT FOR OTHER MATTERS THAT CAUSED HIM TO SHIFT ABRUPTLY."
"What?" Was Sanguinius's only response to the revelation that the Fabricator general had befriended Kesar as well as Horus.
"IT IS WHY I HAVE GATHERED YOU HERE. EVEN WITH THEIR GOOD INTENTIONS GUIDING THEM, I FEAR THE MACHINATIONS OF OTHERS WILL CASCADE THEIR ATTEMPT INTO FAR WORSE THINGS THAN MERE DISAGREEMENT."
"Civil war..." Lion said with a hint of vindication. "We need to classify this information," Lion then demanded, "prevent them from spreading seditious thoughts among the Imperium."
"No," Fulgrim shook his head, "that will only encourage them to take harder stances." The Phoenician tapped his lips, considering the matter, "can we kill Kelbor? Without him this problem becomes simple to resolve."
'MALCADOR HAS TRIED," the Emperor said bluntly, "UNLESS WE INVADED MARS, WE WILL NOT SUCCEED."
"And at that point, we are at war with the Mechanicum," Ferrus said morosely.
"Then we start acting against him," Lion began to do what he did best, plan. "We cut off Kelbor's support base, it's a lengthy process, but will have an effect immediately." The First grimaced, internally debating what he preferred less, "increase the Lord Commander Militant's powers, give him more control over finances, he's no friend of Kelbor's."
"Kelbor is, if anything, a consummate politician." Corvus murmured, "At this point, it is clear that he is acting out of his well-established opportunism to ensure the primacy of the Mechanicum and prevent his absorption into the Imperium as a subject state...perhaps a compromise with him would serve to not only give us time but perhaps be framed in such a way as to provide a permanent solution over time?"
Sanguinius shook his head, "I highly doubt he will settle for anything short of outright demanding priority for all STCS to ensure the supremacy of Mars, let alone our efforts to bring all forge worlds not already under his yoke to heel."
Ferrus turned to the Angel of Baal, "He will ensure that he comes ahead in a deal but that does not mean he is disloyal to our treaties. Better we deal with him than drive him to stoke the fires of rebellion in others."
"HE WAS ALREADY PLANNING A REBELLION," the Emperor interrupted, to the surprise of the Primarchs, "MALCADOR'S AGENTS HAD REPORTS OF SHIPMENTS FOR MATERIALS USED IN THE RESEARCH OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE."
"And we're not shouting this on every street corner?" Sanguinius asked in shock.
"BECAUSE HE'S FRAMED HIMSELF FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CRIMES," the Emperor explained with irritation, "IF THERE'S A CRIME OUT THERE, YOU CAN FIND EVIDENCE HE COMMITTED IT, AND THEN EVIDENCE IT WASN'T HIM."
"We can still make use of it," Fulgrim said, "give me the evidence, I can start a smear campaign against him. I can at least remove some of his tentative supporters."
"YOU WILL HAVE IT," the Master of Man promised, "AND CORVUS, LION, I HAVE A TASK FOR THE TWO OF YOU," the two Primarchs leaned forward, "I HAVE A LIST OF PEOPLE THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED. BE DISCREET."
"It will be done," the Lion promised, plans already forming in his mind.
"As you say," the Raven responded, much more hesitantly, "why Astartes, however?"
The Emperor of Man scowled, "BECAUSE THE ASSASSINS ARE BUSY WITH ANOTHER INFESTATION."
Corvus' face twitched, all his willpower attempting to suppress it. If the Emperor noticed, he made no sign of it. "When it rains, it pours," Ferrus said with a self-deprecating chuckle. "What else are we dealing with?"
"LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE ELDAR," the Emperor began, "AND OF HOW THEY WENT FROM THE GREATEST OF EMPIRES THE GALAXY HAS SEEN, TO LESS THAN THE POPULATION OF MOST HUMAN WORLDS." The words hung in the air, as Corvus worked to blend into the shadows to ensure his true thoughts were hidden. "THIS IS THE STORY OF SLAANESH AND THE FOUR ARCHDAEMONS OF THE WARP."
Will wonders never cease? The Emperor willingly sharing information!
Nicholas Brooks
Redeemer and Destroyer
- Location
- United States
Malcador will come close to exploding into a Warp Rift if he ever finds out... so let's not let him
But man, there is such a jumble of "Oh dear" and "HA!" in this fucking update I don't know where to start. Kelbor-Hal's the subject that's the most iffy to deal with because Emps already muddied the waters, but everything else is actually surprisingly easy to pull apart, if you use the right dangling thread.
Well you don't need to lie to make the eldar look bad
Nicholas Brooks
Redeemer and Destroyer
- Location
- United States
You don't. On the other hand... All you need is the truth to make Lion look bad when you consider he's been using them in his fiefdom for years now. He doesn't yet know they're Eldar, but this would certainly take the wind out of his sails.
Wait when did that happens I thought it was Magnus and corvus who are dealing with the eldar
Nicholas Brooks
Redeemer and Destroyer
- Location
- United States
They are, but Lion got contacted by some Xeno mercenaries to take care of dissenters in his domain. He just assumed they were ordinary Xeno mercs, but in reality they were ex-Dark Eldar that left Commorragh when it blew the fuck up. Literally. He's been using them a lot since then.
Iirc they portrayed themselves as 'human' with mods and are in the process of getting Imperium grade paperwork confirming they are human so that they can sic the arbites on anyone that claims otherwise.
"They're totally aliens."
*five minutes later.*
"ATTENTION CITIZEN, MULTIPLE THIRD PARTIES..."
"They're totally aliens."
*five minutes later.*
"ATTENTION CITIZEN, MULTIPLE THIRD PARTIES..."
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Not actually xenos, he thinks they're abhumans.
Like Ogrens, ratlings and now Squats.
"We evolved on a lighter gravity world and spent much of our time in space, we...adapted..."
TinyGladiator
Just another SVer
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- I move alot.
For everyone unaware, or needs a reminder on this, you should all know that Corvus Corax recently got a new special trait after a grueling four year campaign against an undead army.
This trait is that he can get secrets from hearing the whispers of the dead and directly from the Warp. Secrets from around him, and the situation around him to put it simply.
I want you to consider that trait, the enormous potential of that trait, and combine that with everything we've just seen Corvus learn from this meeting and would learn.
And yes, it seems the Emperor is not yet immune to this power. Daemon Hunter said he'd need to know about it and take time to ward against it.
Corvus knows when the Emperor is bullshitting, and (at least an inkling) of what he's really planning right now with all this.
Corvus Corax also, uh, has connections with the Eldar. And isn't really onboard with all the Imperium's shit.
Yeah. The Emperor and Malcador made a massive fucking mistake in inviting him to this secret meeting.
