Ravenlord

[Emperor's Furor]

Would anyone like me to post a general run down of this Novella? I got it today and just finished it.

[Brother-Sergeant Bohemond]

Yes please

[Barabbas Sogalon]

I would like it too.

[Phoebus]

Thirded!

[Jarl Kjaran Coldheart]

Forth'ed!

 

What travesty has Thorpe done to us now?

 

WLK

[Emperor's Furor]

Ok here goes a brief summary

 

 

It takes place after the previous novellas. Corax decides to return to a world he recently liberated and send a message out asking for all those loyal to the Emperor to rendezvous there (there's a lot of seconding guessing why would loyalists openly go to a world asking for them to come, when it could be a trap, basically comes up with the loyalist want to find that hope whilst traitors would expect a trap and be cautious.) Several small rag tag fleets and individual ships turn up, including a loyalist night lord and a loyalist warsmith. However what's even more suspicious is the commander of Corax's former bodyguard turns up, and after previous experiences he's not sure whether to trust him but after using a librarian to scour his and his mens minds he decides to for the time but they are all holding a deep secret.

 

Along with the former commander of his bodyguard comes the information that there is a heavily defended prison planet, and corax decides to test his new forces (he split all the other legionaries amongst what men he had to train them in the raven guard way, if they don't like it they can head for Terra) In something the Alpha Legion would probably do he uses a single marine to communicate with the resistance on the planet and a rebellion ensues which helps the raven guard asault the place.

 

He narrows down two important locations, one a prison where the guns for some reason are facing more towards the prison than at defending it, which makes him wonder what's so important they need the added fire power, but he also locates the commandants bunker. The raptors with Branne are sent to take the important prison cell, which turns out to be full of Fabius Biles experiments but also loyalist legionaries, in the process two raptors are killer and some of the loyalists are wounded, the leader of the loyalist in the prison is a blood angel. Branne asks why would you continue fighting if you saw who we were, he says because the commandant is one of you.

 

Corax is heading into a trap at the commandant's bunker, upon arriving after dogfighting with two aircraft where he goes all superman/iron on them he lands and is confronted by the "new men" fabius biles successful experiments which are described eerily like centurions from 40k, glad in an exosuit with all sort of experimental warp like weapon, including one which shuts down corax's suit of armour and the new men pin him down (Seriously in every thing he's been written in he's like 5 seconds from being own by things not at a primarch level). Some traitors turn up, a couple of word bearers and emperor's children, lead by a traitor raven guard who was from deliverance and was part of corax's rebels but he was a 13 serial killer who smuggled stuff. After gloating the new men are about to kill Corax when Agreni, the former shadow wardens commander drops in and distracts them, giving Corax time to get up and put his fist through their bodies in various dragonball methods. Agreni said he'd heard from Branne and diverted his squad here because he knew Corax had a habbit of getting in trouble, recalling on what he said on Istvaan.

 

So Corax and Agreni chase the traitors through the complex, killing them very easily until he comes upon the traitor raven guards command center, which is full of empty beer bottles which draws a raised eyebrow from corax. Corax asks him why he turned his back on the raven guard, he explains very emotionally how he was left under the corpses of word bearers near to where corax had fought lorgar and curze and that corax left him there and never came back, he says he hates himself because he truly believed in corax's view of the imperium but then lorgar spoke to him and others and opened his eyes to truths that Corax had held back from his sons. Corax then goes on about how you know what prison life was like and now you've become as bad as that, the traitor turns around brings up the pict screen of the raptors and basically points out how hypocritical he is. It is in fact a well written passage tbh, I'm not doing it justice but it contributes well to the eventual outcome of Corax's future.

 

 

In the end he sets the compound to melt down and then draws pistol, while looking "insane" corax goes tells him he can't kill him with that but corax will kill him, he says no he won't but he'll always be on corax mind through his immortal life, then he proceeds to blow his brains out.

 

Agrini then comes in and corax is very angry, not with just he traitor but himself, questioning himself, whether he's being paranoid, whether he's done the right thing, he accuses Agrini of also being a traitor questioning how it was him who told him of this prison planet and how it couldn't of been a coincidence to find this subhumans looking like raptors and a traitor raven guard commanding it, he gets really aggressive with him and compels him to answer what the secret he was keeping was. Turns out the secret was that during their escape the raven guard ended up sacrificing salamanders and iron hands who were acting a diversion so the raven guard could steal the ships to get off planet but because their was so many traitors at the landing pad surrounding the salamanders and iron hands the raven guard ended up flying off and the secret was their shame. Corax still doesn't trust Agrini fully, especially after he saved Corax's life again. The final chapter describe how Corax orders the raptors to put down the sub humans, branne questions whether it's the right thing having monster kill monsters and Corax begins to ponder whether that is how he's becoming.

 

 

If there's anything you want cleared up, I'l try.

[SteelPaladin]

My copy is still in the mail, so I didn't read your spoilers, but can you give me a general idea about its quality? Better or worse than Soulforge? I thought Soulforge was a huge step up from Deliverance Lost, and I am hoping that this continues the trend.

[Emperor's Furor]

My copy is still in the mail, so I didn't read your spoilers, but can you give me a general idea about its quality? Better or worse than Soulforge? I thought Soulforge was a huge step up from Deliverance Lost, and I am hoping that this continues the trend.

I think it's roughly the same tbh, although I think adds significantly to Corax's personal feelings in a pretty good fashion.

[KJB]

I thought it was ok to start with but then just went down hill after that.

 

When I finished the last chapter, I sat there and genuinely thought to myself why on earth do I keep shelling out £30 for limited edition, sub standard rubbish

 

If you want good Raven Guard stuff, buy Extermination from Forge World

[Emperor's Furor]

Corax comes across as a bit of an idiot thinking he can take on the world solo, about the second or third time now he's nearly be bested by something sub-primarch.

[Ekim_Trub]

I actually like how Corax keeps going solo- it shows the desperation building in him, and a reluctance to risk his sons needlessly against "higher grade" enemies.
For me the disappointment came in the form of:  

Gherith Arendi's relationship with Corax. Why is it he gets away with speaking to Corax in the manner he does when the likes of Agapito & Branne don't? I understand he was head of the Shadow Wardens, basically making him chief bodyguard, but it would of been better imo to state they had a close bond in order to explain what pretty much subordination.

I also found the climatic scenes of the book to be rather rushed through.

Although:

I liked how you could draw parallels/similarities between Nathian and the Moritat character from Extermination, as both were murderers Corax chose to forgive their past crimes and allow into the Legion.

I also liked the idea of the Raptors being used to put down the subhumans, as in my eyes, it sets us up for the inevitable cull of the Raptors themselves at the hands of their Primarch. 

 

[Emperor's Furor]

I actually like how Corax keeps going solo- it shows the desperation building in him, and a reluctance to risk his sons needlessly against "higher grade" enemies.

For me the disappointment came in the form of:  

Gherith Arendi's relationship with Corax. Why is it he gets away with speaking to Corax in the manner he does when the likes of Agapito & Branne don't? I understand he was head of the Shadow Wardens, basically making him chief bodyguard, but it would of been better imo to state they had a close bond in order to explain what pretty much subordination.

 

 

I also found the climatic scenes of the book to be rather rushed through.

 

Although:

I liked how you could draw parallels/similarities between Nathian and the Moritat character from Extermination, as both were murderers Corax chose to forgive their past crimes and allow into the Legion.

I also liked the idea of the Raptors being used to put down the subhumans, as in my eyes, it sets us up for the inevitable cull of the Raptors themselves at the hands of their Primarch. 

 

 

As for the relationship

 

 

I think that was how they had a relationship before Istvaan, Arendi explains how Corax used to promote free thinking and free speech, and perhaps that was a strong reminder of how things were before the massacre, I think it was also added to further suggest Corax was being manipulated.

 

[Perrin]

Is there any more information on the loyalist Night Lord? Is it a single marine or a squad, company etc? Also does he survive?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but is this the first loyalist Night Lord we've come across?

 

This got a lot of slating on other forums but it sounds really, really good.

[Emperor's Furor]

Is there any more information on the loyalist Night Lord? Is it a single marine or a squad, company etc? Also does he survive?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but is this the first loyalist Night Lord we've come across?

 

This got a lot of slating on other forums but it sounds really, really good.

 

 

His name was Kusati Nuon, I think he may of come in with others but then again he only appeared during an officers meeting, afterwards any non RG legionaries were split up amongst several squads and companies to minimise the possibility of betrayal by restricting them from speaking to one another often, on the surface it was to teach them how the RG will fight the war and if they don't like it they are free to head to Terra.

 

[Lord Lorne Walkier]

Is there any more information on the loyalist Night Lord? Is it a single marine or a squad, company etc? Also does he survive?

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but is this the first loyalist Night Lord we've come across?

 

This got a lot of slating on other forums but it sounds really, really good.

This is my first thought aslo.    The Night Lords were the last traitor legion with out a loyalist and i had about wrttent them off.  This alone would make me want to read the book, even more then that im a RG fan boi.  This would be a great idea for a 30k force.

[Wade Garrett]

What are you people talking about? Everyone knows all the entire Night Lords Legion was made up of kind hearted idealists who were all just itching to renounce their insane Primarch and rejoin the Imperium.

 

#Has Had a Belly Full of Special Snowflake Traitor Legionaries Who Are Really Loyalists

[Marshal Rohr]

So Gav read Prince of Crows and decided it would be really cool if the Raven Guard took in a Night Lord! 

[Lord Lorne Walkier]

What are you people talking about? Everyone knows all the entire Night Lords Legion was made up of kind hearted idealists who were all just itching to renounce their insane Primarch and rejoin the Imperium.

 

#Has Had a Belly Full of Special Snowflake Traitor Legionaries Who Are Really Loyalists

So that means if the Night Lord makes it back to Terra to join Garro and Co you will

 

#Throw up in your mouth?

[Scribe]

 

What are you people talking about? Everyone knows all the entire Night Lords Legion was made up of kind hearted idealists who were all just itching to renounce their insane Primarch and rejoin the Imperium.

 

#Has Had a Belly Full of Special Snowflake Traitor Legionaries Who Are Really Loyalists

So that means if the Night Lord makes it back to Terra to join Garro and Co you will

 

#Throw up in your mouth?

 

100% since I find the Super Friends force really quite annoying and largely something that shouldnt exist...

[Phoebus]

The first half of that is an opinion you're certainly entitled to... but how did you arrive at the second half of that statement?

[Greyall]

Indeed, Phoebus. Jesus, people, one minute you're asking from grimdark and 'realism', the next you don't want a few in a group of tens of thousands to diverge from the Legion's mindset because that somehow makes for poor storytelling.

 

Did anyone really believe not a single Night Lord preferred to stay on the side of the Emperor? It's not that they turned out of convinction, anyway, they're nihilistic to the extreme...

[Plague Angel]

I think people just get tired of Drizzt Do'urden Syndrome is all.

[Greyall]

I'm afraid I'm not familiar with the chap :)

[Wade Garrett]

I think people just get tired of Drizzt Do'urden Syndrome is all.

This. So. MUCH. This.

 

For those of you who don't know what in the Warp a Drizzt Do'Urden is, in Dungeons and Dragons there exists a race of Dark Elves. You know what the 40k Dark Eldar are, you know these guys' deal: Torture, slavery, daemonology, armor looted from an S & M adult supplies warehouse, yada yada.

 

Drizzt was the creation of writer R.A. Salvatore, a dark elf swordsman who turned from his wicked ways to be fully clothed and walk the earth having adventures while pontificating about racism and the nature of morality and stuff.

 

Drizzt was a good character, his stories were well written. The 98,435,568 good guy dark elf renegades who came after him, now? Those guys were awful. Those guys turned "good drow" into a swear word and even caused a bit of a backlash against Drizzt himself.

 

Which has something to do with the situation created by Dantioch, Saul Tarvitz, Loken, Garro, Solomon Demeter, Macer Vareen, Iacton Qruze, Narek, and all the rest of them.

[Greyall]

Not saying it can't be overused, but the hostile reaction might also have much to do with years of exposure to a black and white situation, as far as Legion loyalty is concerned.

 

I, for one, am open to good interesting plots, regardless of the central character's nature, and more traitors among the loyalists' ranks.

 

But back to Ravenlord, the mindsmash Corax is experiencing seems pretty interesting. This, along with Extermination, is starting to shape Corax a very value-driven character - usually prone to shattering revelations about pragmatism once things spiral out of their control.