Scars Episode XI Updated 16/10 (Spoilers)

[GhostMalone]

 

“Torghun made his way steadily through the Starspear’s lower reaches. The ambient grind of the warp engines thrummed around him. The ship was travelling fast – wherever the Khagan was taking the Legion, it was with his habitual speed.

Torghun passed a few menials on the way down. They bowed and hurried on, barely looking at him.

He reached the designated location and drew up to the slide-door.

He paused for a moment. As he lifted his finger to the entry-rune, a faint chill passed through him, momentarily, like a fever-shiver.

He depressed the rune with a soft click.

‘State nature of business,’ came Nozan’s “voice.

‘I can’t say,’ said Torghun.

He heard the faint whirr of a vox-detector confirming his identity, and the door slid back.

Nozan wore his cowl. Behind him the chamber was dark and flickering, as though lit by candles.

‘It has been a while,’ said Nozan.

‘And always a pleasure,’ said Torghun, pushing past him.

The chamber beyond was fuller than usual. More than forty figures stood in a loose circle, each wearing a cowl and long robes. The light was low, almost theatrically so.

Torghun took his place. Something shimmered at the centre of the circle, like air displaced by a thruster afterburn. He couldn’t focus on it. Every time he tried, his eyes slid away from it. None of the others seemed to be making the attempt, so he gave up.

‘Brothers,’ came a voice from the far side of the circle. Torghun recognised Hibou’s accent. ‘The lodge is expanded. Members from “across the fleet have joined us. For those new to this, welcome. The circle will keep expanding, faster now that matters are in motion.’

Torghun listened carefully. He still didn’t know what this was about. Lodge gatherings were normally small affairs, confined to a single ship. Perhaps this demonstrated that things were finally coming to a head.

Secrecy, secrecy. Surely the need for it would dissipate soon.

‘It is difficult to do this while in the warp,’ Hibou went on. ‘Though not as difficult as on Chondax, and we can all be glad to be rid of that world.’

A few gruff chuckles. Torghun had to work not to peek under the shadow of the cowls around him. Why were they all still concealed?

‘Now that the Khagan has taken us into the void, opportunities arise – ones we have been waiting for for a long time. Try to look at the light. For those new to it, trust me, it does become easier.’

Torghun’s eyes flicked back to the circle’s “centre. He narrowed his gaze, concentrating hard.

For a moment, all he saw was a faint tremor of movement – trembles, vibrations. Then something clarified: a column, less than a metre tall, hazy at the edges. It was translucent, almost transparent, but definitely there, like a pillar of glass, or maybe water, held rigid before them.

It remained hard to look at. Torghun felt his eyes sting and blinked away tears. A dim sense of nausea stirred in his stomach, accompanied by the awareness, somehow, of tremendous power boiling away close by.

‘What is this, brother?’ came a voice from halfway around the ring of bodies. Torghun didn’t recognise the speaker, but the tone was much as his would have been, had he spoken himself: uneasy, suspicious.

‘Calm yourself,’ said Hibou. ‘The nausea is normal. It fades. This is no different to the art of the zadyin arga.’

Torghun kept watching. Once he had started, it was hard to pull his eyes away.

Slowly, shapes emerged at the heart of the “glass pillar. He caught a glimpse of something long and sinuous, curling around an invisible axis like a flame.

Then, more clearly, words emerged: Khorchin script, glowing a dull silver, hanging in the body of the pillar and refracted as though underwater. Torghun traced the meaning as the letters flickered in and out of existence.

Your course is known. Your destination is known. A meeting will be possible. Until then, work as you have been doing. Do not force matters. The Warmaster is aware. He approves.

Torghun felt his hearts beating fast. At the mention of the Warmaster, the pulse picked up a little more.

Hibou stepped into the circle, his face mostly hidden by his cowl. ‘What of the Alpha Legion? We were not warned of that.’

For a while, the pillar remained empty. Then, slowly, more words emerged.

It is difficult. We do not have that information. Alpharius is…

There was a pause.

…unpredictable.

“Any instructions, then?’

You have them. Your course is known. Your destination is known. The meeting will take place. Until then, stay faithful. The truth will become apparent.

‘Is it not already apparent?’ asked another cowled figure. Torghun didn’t recognise that voice either. It was hard, clipped, heavily Chogorian. ‘Things are finally revealed. We could reveal ourselves too. There is nothing to be ashamed of. I have nothing to be ashamed of.’

Again, a long pause. Then the glass pillar glowed with movement again.

I understand. No, you have everything to be proud of. But the Warmaster arranges this for a reason. Treachery is in all places. No Legion is free of it, not even his. The Imperium’s fate depends on it. Your Legion’s fate depends on it.

What was producing the words? It almost had the character of cogitator spiel, churning out platitudes, though some of the phrases were clearly answers to questions. Torghun watched the lines of text as they spiralled and danced in the pillar, his eyes stinging a “little less the more he read.

Trust to this – your Khan is as noble as he is powerful. He will see the cause for what it is. He will be shown the truths of Nikaea and the truths of Davin. We have every confidence. We have every confidence because of you all. Stay true.

The glass pillar began to ripple out of existence. The air around it closed in, swamping the fragile silver script. Torghun narrowed his eyes, trying to make out what remained.

For enlightenment. Freedom from tyranny. Fraternity. The last words were almost illegible. For the Imperium of Man.

Then it flickered out. Torghun breathed in deeply, suddenly aware of how hard he had been concentrating. His skin prickled; a line of sweat ran down the small of his back.

No one spoke for a while. Then the lights rose in intensity. When Torghun blinked, he saw reverse-colour impressions of the pillar on his retinas.

‘What was that?’ asked one of the gathering.

Hibou pushed his cowl back. ‘That is the “nature of them, brother. Cryptic. Unfortunate, but necessary.’

Others, following Hibou’s lead, removed their cowls. One of the speakers, the one with the hard Chogorian accent, kept his on.

‘If we were to try less opaque forms of communication, we would be discovered,’ said Hibou. ‘The star-speakers rely on riddles themselves. Why should this be any different?’

‘What is it, then?’ asked one of the brothers. Torghun knew him – Xo Hutan, of the Brotherhood of the Hunter’s Star.

‘A conduit,’ said Hibou. ‘A way of speaking to those we will join.’

‘They are already calling the Warmaster a traitor.’

‘And you know, Hutan, that this cannot be.’ Hibou turned to the others. ‘Horus is the only one who ever treated the Khagan with the respect he is due. If we are forced to choose between a tyrant and a liberator, what would a true son of Chogoris do?’

Low mutters of approval ran around the gathering. “The Warhawk will see it,’ Hibou went on. ‘He will see the truth, just as we have done, when the time is right, and we are charged to deliver it.’

Nozan nodded enthusiastically. ‘The time is right.’

‘For what?’ asked Torghun. His growing sense of unease had not abated. He looked around the chamber at forty pairs of eyes. ‘For whispering around weather-magic?’ He glared at Hibou. ‘We do nothing but talk.’

Hibou smiled. ‘For now. The Legion is not yet ready for more, brother.’ He turned to the rest. ‘I know you chafe at this, but believe me, words are more important than you know. Keep speaking to those who can be made to understand. Speak quietly, go carefully, so that our number will spread. Some will never be persuaded – we have been warned of this. If the other khans order their brotherhoods to silence us I wish for a hundred of their warriors to already be our allies. Harmony will prevail. That is the outcome we should aim for. The Legion will be set on its course, and the Khagan will see” “that we have taken the honourable path.’

Hibou glanced back at Torghun, warning in his eyes. ‘In the end, he must choose. All we are doing is easing his decision.’

‘I did not Ascend in order to talk,’ said Torghun, disliking Hibou’s sanctimony. ‘I joined to fight.’

‘Do you really think you will not?’

For a moment the two of them held one another’s gaze. Eventually, Torghun lowered his. He didn’t even know why he was arguing. Something about the ritual bothered him, and made him irritable. His skin still prickled, as though static rippled across it.

‘So, that is all,’ said Hibou, addressing the rest. ‘We will convene whenever we may before we reach our destination. Until then, stay in communion. Keep the fire burning.’

He bowed, and the assembled lodge bowed in turn. One by one, talking amongst themselves, they broke away from the circle. Platters of food emerged from somewhere – slivers of grilled meats and cha-tazen pickles. The lodge meeting took on its more usual character and a hum of earnest conversation “broke out.

Torghun saw Nozan heading towards him and slipped away, hoping to avoid talking to either him or Hibou. As he made his way towards a pitcher of something smelling alcoholic, a figure blocked his path. It was the Chogorian, the one who had kept his cowl up.

‘You don’t have to stay hidden here, brother,’ said Torghun. ‘Not if you don’t wish to.’

‘You are Torghun.’

Torghun raised an eyebrow. ‘And you are direct.’

The Chogorian pulled back the cowl. When he saw who it was, Torghun could not hide the faintest twitch of shock.

‘I am told you know Shiban, of the Brotherhood of the Storm,’ said Hasik Noyan-Khan. His tanned, scarred face looked like weather-hardened leather.

Torghun nodded, swallowing his surprise. ‘We fought together on Chondax.’

‘He gave me this.’ Hasik handed him a lodge medal.

Torghun held it up to the light. It looked “very much like the one he had been given, years ago. ‘He’s a member?’

‘Not at all. He found it on Phemus.’

Torghun looked up into Hasik’s steady gaze. ‘Forgive me–’

‘You want to know, what does this have to do with you?’ asked Hasik, placing a hand on Torghun’s shoulder and guiding him to the wine pitchers. ‘I like Shiban, he is one of the best in my ordu. But things are moving fast now and he has already made some noise, and I would like to stop that.’

Torghun eyed him uncertainly. ‘What happened on Phemus?’

‘Nothing of our doing, to my knowledge. The Snakes, perhaps? But here is the important thing.’ Hasik leaned closer, and Torghun saw how deep his scar had been cut. ‘I do not wish to see him harmed. Perhaps he can be talked to. Like Hibou recommends. When the choice is made, I wish to see him on the right side of the argument.’

Torghun thought on that. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘We didn’t see eye to eye on everything. He’s Chogorian, and I’m- “You are a White Scars legionary. You are a warrior of Jaghatai. This is all that matters.’ Hasik fixed him with his penetrating stare. It was hard not to be overawed by his manner. He was one of the few who had been there from the start, who had fought with the Khagan centuries ago. ‘Do this for me, Torghun. I will arrange it. Speak to him. I think he will listen. Those who fight together – they share a bond.’

‘And if he cannot be persuaded?’

‘He will be open to reason. I was.’

Hasik poured a glass of wine from the pitcher and handed it to him. Then he poured one for himself.

‘A long time ago, the Khagan told me the only enemy we had to fear was decadence. Each time he slit an emperor’s throat on Chogoris I saw him whisper the lesson to himself. Never rest. Never grow fat. Never sit on a throne, for it will become your coffin. When he told me that, I saw it was true, and I loved him more than ever, for I saw how ardently he believed it.’

He took a sip, then smiled at Torghun. “We do this for our souls,’ he said, and not a shred of doubt existed in his warrior’s face. ‘When the time comes, you will make him understand.”

 

[Brother-Sergeant Bohemond]

So there might be a fight between two sides internally before this is all done

[GhostMalone]

I think not I have a feeling shiban will convince the Terran khan otherwise and the khan will stop the schism.

 

Indications make me think the scars that are in the lodge are only loyal to the warmaster due to false intell, once they hear of the massacre I feel the legion may shift to terra and that Magnus will advise against standing with Horus.

 

And I think the dead legionaries shiban found were caused by AL and they are already placed within the legion

[Lord Lorne Walkier]

I bet the White Scars find Revuel Arvida on Prospero.  He would tell the story of his run in with the World Eaters.

[Greyall]

Hmm, Prospero, eh? I wonder what will be waiting for the Scars there, since the Thousand are already long gone.

 

Awesome scene with the Primarchs, there, and nice to see Mortarion get some respect. Fulgrim is incredibly irritating there, but the Khan, much as I respect his seclusiveness, is not as all-seeing as he thinks, at least in this matter. His view that Fulgrim treats everything as a game is obviously wrong, though whether the Khan is aware of that and is just delivering a verbal smackdown or genuinely believes Fulgrim is as vain in battle as he is in a conversation, I can't figure out.

 

He is obviously a wise man with a deep understanding (right or wrong) of most things he knows. He just...doesn't seem to know many things outside his comfort area.

 

His part in the conversation makes me think of Churchill, who stuttered a lot and so decided to write every conceivable insult that could be thrown at him - along with the best retorts - hence why he has some truly golden one-liners.

[Ozeryk_Sleipnijr]

I presume nothing was told about Russ?

[Emperor's Furor]

Sorry I couldnt post my traditional spoilers report, I had an appointment at university this morning and have only just been able to read the book. Cracking scene on Ullanor though and it's nice to see more of Mortarion, Death Guard/Dusk Raiders are one of my major interests but I've not read much about them, even having Betrayal the reasoning behind Mortarion's treachery remains obscure and basically unknown.

 

P.S Jaspcat I wouldn't post sections that large, quotes are ok but full on pages etc may cause a problem legally.

[Greyall]

So WoT, any words on/by the other characters? Russ, Dorn, etc.?

 

The decision not to go to Terra seems strange, especially since I assumed Jaghatai already knew that Magnus had 'died'.

[DuskRaider]

I definitely feel that perhaps the conversation on Ullanor may point to the Battle of Terra and the Port Battles between White Scars / Death Guard. Honestly, we know nothing of Mortarion's battle prowess, and I think a lot of people underestimate him.

[Greyall]

I think a lot of people underestimate him.

 

Both in-universe and out. Maybe that's why the Khan says he can't pick a winner. A scythe is most definitely not a weapon made for duelling (or battle, for that matter), so I'm guessing Mortarion is a very cold and clever opponent, one-on-one.

[Vesper]

Well the Alpha Legion was never believed to have sought shelter in the Eye or the Maelstrom, that's why in their IA article, a point was made that even though they are always so far away, they have an alarming rate of mutation, in contrast with the Night Lords who have a shockingly pure gene-seed.

 

Well.

I'm ready to bet that there are some Alpha Legionnaires in the Eye. Most likely even warbands. And not only in the Eye, but also in the Maelstrom, and in bajillion other warp storms/anomalies.

I see the "wiped out" thingy under a much more simple and realistic light. It may of course come from the AL itself, wanting the Imperium to lower its defenses in key points of its structure, but it also could come from random people, eager to rise in hierarchy, or to get some glory or material gain out of it.

The Imperium is dumb. It's not a machine that thinks, it only reacts (while being predictable). It's not hard to manipulate it to one's profit.

[Daemon2027]

Having not read this, is there anything interesting information wise, regarding the Alpha Legion?

[Sevatar]

Hmm, possible battle at Terra?

The unstoppable White Scars against the Immovable Death Guard. That would be awesome - the two Primarchs we know nothing about battling it out at Terra. Good Primarch dialogue - those occasions are what make the Heresy... it just captures the scale/significance of the situation so well.

[Kol Saresk]

 

 

Well the Alpha Legion was never believed to have sought shelter in the Eye or the Maelstrom, that's why in their IA article, a point was made that even though they are always so far away, they have an alarming rate of mutation, in contrast with the Night Lords who have a shockingly pure gene-seed.

 

Well.

I'm ready to bet that there are some Alpha Legionnaires in the Eye. Most likely even warbands. And not only in the Eye, but also in the Maelstrom, and in bajillion other warp storms/anomalies.

I see the "wiped out" thingy under a much more simple and realistic light. It may of course come from the AL itself, wanting the Imperium to lower its defenses in key points of its structure, but it also could come from random people, eager to rise in hierarchy, or to get some glory or material gain out of it.

The Imperium is dumb. It's not a machine that thinks, it only reacts (while being predictable). It's not hard to manipulate it to one's profit.

 

 

I'm willing to bet there are some in the Eye too. That's why I made a point of saying that it is believed that the Alpha Legion stays away from the Warp because according to the IA article, that is the Imperial belief. Then again, that's all the IA articles are, the Imperial belief on what actually happened. That's why there are so many holes and "retcons".

 

I mean heck, how many Americans remember Andersonville as being no different from a Nazi death camp? Pretty much all of them. How many know that the lack of food shortage was real, but gave the guards the excuse they needed to practice their sadism? Quite a few. How many know that the food shortage was helped by a certain Union General who ran around pillaging farms, burning towns and destroying railroads? Not so many. And we're not even 200 years down the road and that's with technology progressing. Can you imagine what ten thousand years of suffering a technological and cultural regression would do to history? I mean, wow.

 

Sorry, I think I came across as preaching there, not my intent.

[Greyall]

Hmm, possible battle at Terra?

The unstoppable White Scars against the Immovable Death Guard. That would be awesome - the two Primarchs we know nothing about battling it out at Terra. Good Primarch dialogue - those occasions are what make the Heresy... it just captures the scale/significance of the situation so well.

 

Well pointed, mate. It does make sense for this to be a foreshadowing to a future duel.

[Emperor's Furor]

So WoT, any words on/by the other characters? Russ, Dorn, etc.?

 

The decision not to go to Terra seems strange, especially since I assumed Jaghatai already knew that Magnus had 'died'.

Nothing by the others, Sanguinius mentions he knows what Rogal wants and he knows what Roboute wants but after so long he has no idea what the Khan wants. The Khan believes what the Emperor is creating is based on a lie though, and predicts bad things will come of it, which it does. The Khan is pretty anti social he doesn't like the fraternal bond his other brothers displays and could relate to Mortarion more as he to had been on the edge of the crusade, keeping to himself, where even the Alpha Legion had spent more time at the centre.

 

It's obvious he doesn't like Fulgrim much, calling him a peacock and such, and there little back and fourth results in the Khan ripping Fulgrim a verbal new one, he absolutely crushed Fulgrim. Sanguinius calms it down though, he seemed to be doing it all a long. There's one quote I especially like -

 

"I heard from a contact on Mars, Jaghatai, that you do strange things to your ships." The Khan shot him a heavy-lidded stare." I heard you do strange things to your warriors."

 

lol cracked me up.

 

Khan seems to like Sanguinius, in that he sees Sanguinius as naturally elegant and could easily imagine him casting away his finer things, where as Fulgrim comes across as a try hard and would probably rather die than give up his pretty stuff. 

 

Also Mortarion talks about why he's so miffed at Horus becoming Warmaster, he's not Jealous of him, he's worried because while the Emperor was about no one was his rival and they all tried to catch his eye, however now they fight to gain a glance from Horus but Horus is just one of them and it will lead to trouble, the Khan agrees which surprised Sanguinius since he thought the Khan would feel the most joy over it.

 

 

The reason The Khan is heading to Prospero is explained to the female adminstatum officer, he explains that imagine your father and brother were having a dispute, you could hardly go to your father and believe everything he would say (he then mentions their relationship is difficult and this brings up the knowledge that the Khan knows the Imperium is based on a lie) equally it's the same with your brother, would it be right to side with either since both have a claim on your loyalty.

 

He wants to head to Prospero to get to the root of the problem to see who he can believe, he doesn't believe Magnus is dead, he thinks it would take a lot for that to occur and when he arrives at prospero, the answers would come.

 

In all honesty, everything indicates the Khan would join in the rebellion at this point, from his underlings sowing descent and already pledged to Horus, to the Khan not believing in the Emperor's fake truth, to him being friends with more traitor Primarchs than loyal Primarchs. I can't wait for that pivotal moment that makes his mind up, it should be truly spectacular. 

[Kol Saresk]

On Mortarion vs Khan, correct me if I am wrong but didn't the Death Guard protect the rear echelons of the Siege army? The same rear echelons that the White Scars continuously attacked? Maybe this is BL's way of telling us that the board will still be set up as normal when it comes time for the Siege.

[DuskRaider]

From what I remember, the Death Guard also held the Star Ports, which is where the Scars came down to meet them for battle. It's been a while since I've read the Siege of Terra story, though.

[calgar101]

This is shaping up nicely, the dialogue between the Primarchs there was very interesting! A duel between Khan and Fulgrim would have been spectacular.

[godking]

Loved seeing Fulgrim put in his place hard.

[Emperor's Furor]

He's portrayed like a snotty child in this story, honestly hate him as much as I hated him in Angel Exterminatus, the only book that showed him in a good light was Fulgrim, every other time he's been an idiot.

[High MarshalGR]

Hmm, Prospero, eh? I wonder what will be waiting for the Scars there, since the Thousand are already long gone.

 

Awesome scene with the Primarchs, there, and nice to see Mortarion get some respect. Fulgrim is incredibly irritating there, but the Khan, much as I respect his seclusiveness, is not as all-seeing as he thinks, at least in this matter. His view that Fulgrim treats everything as a game is obviously wrong, though whether the Khan is aware of that and is just delivering a verbal smackdown or genuinely believes Fulgrim is as vain in battle as he is in a conversation, I can't figure out.

 

He is obviously a wise man with a deep understanding (right or wrong) of most things he knows. He just...doesn't seem to know many things outside his comfort area.

 

His part in the conversation makes me think of Churchill, who stuttered a lot and so decided to write every conceivable insult that could be thrown at him - along with the best retorts - hence why he has some truly golden one-liners.

 

Pretty well put.

The lattest fluff presents a man with a really big idea about his judgment... It is what you said though: He knows what benefits his comfort zone, the zone where his lines become golden. Outside those, once his judgment falters, he fails but can't see it. He is like a blind man who insists he can see through everything. He judges the Imperium as a lie, when the traitor Primarchs made it a lie indeed, thus his point, even if it aimed to a different direction, hit another target. Also, I think he is kinda neutral towards Sanguinius. He might enjoy his honest and not extreme elegance but he might be despised by the fact he is the Emperor's soul. Guilliman didn't trust him, and he didn't like him secretly (like he did with Russ). 

Back in the day I started reading the fluff, my idea for Khan was pretty different than the one I read about now. I thought he was like an Asian warrior, full of honor, courage and pride, but I now see nothing of those. I see a man who judges ideals, but doesn't present what he considers proper to be done. Hope I'm wrong and the image I have isn't correct, because I used to admire Khan's personality.

[GhostMalone]

I like this rendition though, he seems to be real.

 

He takes everything into account not just slights against him and petty jealousy, he looks at what is best for the imperium as a whole united front. He is the rendition of the imperial dream

 

At least that's how in feeling

[Apothecary Vaddon]

If the Khan was merely distrusted over what is a pretty big heresy in and of itself in openly and seemingly vocally disagreeing with the Emperor's denouncement of the existence of Gods, then what the hell went down with the 2 missing legions?

[WarSpirit]

Is it Hibou, like in Hibou Khan, the one who sliced of little horus face ? If so, it will be interesting to see how he turns from lodge master to loyalist again.