XIth: Wardens of Light - Destined to be forgotten

[Doctor Perils]

What effect does this Soul Leaching have on a being? If it kills them, this seems rather overpowered as he'd be fairly easily able to kill normal primarchs (going off your reasoning)

First of all, I'd put non-daemon primarchs and daemons on a level above mortals in that classification

Then, I'd make this power only weaken such a being, not kill them outright - I'd possibly even make it a temporary weakening rather then a permanent one - going off Mikhal's analogy of the vacuum-cleaner from last night, I'd say Gwalchavad doesn't have a large enough bag to suck the entirety of another Primarch's soul up (though if the other Primarch is already emotionally weakened that might be a different story).

And then, possibly say that god like entities have such a radiant soul that simply sucking up any part of it would burn Gwalchavad throughout his entire being

[Kelborn]

Can't tell you what effect this have on a being.

I only remember that Gwal went blind for a while after defeating Travier.

 

Maybe I wrote it down in a wrong way. I imagined it to be like mortal < daemon < Primarch < entity

 

Mikhal should clarify and explain it, when he got more time. I've noticed that his answers were rushed and wrote via a phone. If he got more time, he'd come up with a better explanation. I'm just suggesting. ;)

 

I'm with you in Gwal would be burned while trying to suck up a god like entity.

[simison]

Kel, all you did was remove the 'auto-turn-off' feature that is at the center of my ire. Why would Gwal's eyes continue 'sucking' when there's nothing left to suck? 

 

Thorn, I'm okay with Gwal's ability being able to kill. (I might need it for a plot point later on.) What I'm not okay with is this unintentional protection clause. The mask should be the only method for keeping his 'soul-sucking' ability in check. Nothing else.

[Kelborn]

Funnily enough, I asked Mikhal if I've understood it correctly.

 

He confirmed that it is almost exactly like I've wrote it down.

 

Don't focus on that Auto switch off. It does not exist. Bear in mind that Mikhal wrote via phone, had to argue against several people in another language than his mother tongue. Try this by yourself and you'll see that it soon will lead to misunderstandings.

 

The mentioning of an "Auto switch off" was a mistake and he tried to explain it but was stressed.

 

There is no Auto switch off. It does turn off when there is nothing left to consume.

 

For netter understanding and an example:

 

Mortal soul would take a minute

Traviers soul would take five minutes

The Emperor would ne a nearly infinite proccess in which Gwal would surely die.

 

In the end, we're talking about something which was one of the key aspects of The WoL in both, BotL ans canon.

 

Questioning this is a bit rough. It's like questioning Pionus Eldar mode or Hec's demon shard or Andezo's spectral sight...

[TheBlindPrimarch]

I agreed, the severity of the criticism got a bit harsh, unduly so in my opinion.

[simison]

I apologize for my heated response. 

 

However, I want to point out something in your explanation, Kel. Gwal nearly goes blind. If this is an ability that can kill him, he should never be able to become blind from its use to maintain consistency.

[Kelborn]

Gwal going blind was something I remembered from previous discussions with Mikhal.

I'm not saying that this is fixed. :)

 

Just mentioned it as a drawback for this seemingly powerful ability / flaw. If we decide (and Mikhal agrees) that his ability is capable of killing him, then said drawback should be revised.

 

As for now, Gwal goes blind for a while after defeating Travier, if I remember correctly.

[simison]

Then there's still an inconsistency. Because if the eyes themselves will break from use before Gwal could die, that means he's never in danger of dying from the eye power. To be internally consistent, the eye power can't be damaged from their own use before the power absorption kills Gwal.

[TheBlindPrimarch]

Here's an idea that could explain it. The power has a negative effect on Gwal no matter who he uses it on. The severity of the effect depends on the victims power.

 

Normal soul= minor side effect

Primarch soul= greater side effect

 

The reason looking at the emperor could kill him is because the magnitude of the emperor's soul is so great that it can't be consumed gradually like a normal or Primarch soul can, it floods the vassal and overflows.

Does that make sense?

Edited December 14, 2017 by TheBlindPrimarch

[simison]

It makes sense, but we've already agreed upon that structure. The problem is the eyes themselves. Now, if Gwal were to be blinded in combat by a more mundane way, that would resolve the internal inconsistency and kept that idea around. 

[Isengrin]

Yes! That's even better than I had expected.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Jaw droppingly good. The sculpting on that is epic!

Thank you sir, I try my best to improve myself.

 

Yes! That's even better than I had expected.

Good to hear. I bought me some new stuff. Obliterators....curious what I do with them? ^^

 

 

So any given sunday ( if I manage to finish something) the next Destroyer.

 

Say hello to number 2.

 

This time I tried to make the chest armor not too thick. The mold lines will be scratched before I paint, promised.

 

 

C&C are always welcomed

[Cryptix]

Are you aware that they look like they're wearing sunglasses?

[MikhalLeNoir]

Lol? Never thought about that. They are the blues brothers^^

 

No, for real i elongated the rebreathers because the wardens wear masks. Maybe i habe go back to the.concept and either make them.longer and covering the brow or skip them.and say destroyers don't wear masks

[Corswain]

Man, I love those old Raptor jump packs. Looking great!

I loathe the Reivers but you’ve done some fantastic work with them and totally transformed them.

Edited December 18, 2017 by Corswain

[Quixus]

Lol? Never thought about that. They are the blues brothers^^

Brother Elwood: "It's 106 parsec to Terra, we got a full tank of prometheum, half a pack of lho-sticks, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses."

Brother Jake: "Hit It."

[The Traitor]

Definitely better now, this conversions are very inspiring, now I want some destroyers myself! Seriously, reiver heads and old raptor jump packs combine perfectly. The squad is going to look breathtaking when finished!

[Vairocanum]

Wow you've outdone yourself again Mikhal, that destroyer looks jaw dropping! I think you're right regarding the mask, making the GS cover more of the brow would probably look better. Can't wait to see the next destroyer, happy holidays!

[MikhalLeNoir]

Revamped origin story. Still WIP but now readable thx to Vairocanums edit. Thx to Thorn, Blind, Raj, Kelborn and Sim for their input.

 

THE ORIGIN OF LIGHT V.4.1

 

The Cold of War

When the Primarchs were spirited away from the Emperor's genelabs under the Himalayan mountain by the powers of the vile chaos gods, the gestation pod containing the XIIth primarch was damaged in the process, allowing inhabitants of the warp access into the young primarchs sanctuary. Burning with red hot fire, he plunged into the depths of the warp. Unspeakable pain and relentless agony made it feel like time ceased to exist for the young primarch as countless daemons fed on him. The continuous torture deepened his hatred of the fate that damned him to this hell. After what seemed like an eternity passed, when all seemed lost, a white light emerged from the primarchs eyes as the pariah powers planted by the emperor awakened, Burning through the denizens of the warp and tearing a hole into the immaterium, ending the agony and bringing the infant back from the precipice of madness.

 

The infant Primarch landed on the far western boarder of the known galaxy, on Caerbannog. A planet of rare structure, consisting not of landmasses surrounded by seas, but of islands and continents drifting in the skies. Thick layers of clouds hid the inner core of the world.

The cause of this state was heavily argued upon among the people of Caerbannog. Some speculated it must be the effect of long lost archeotech or incredibly powerful magic. Others saw them as evidence of powerful deities that wanted to reach the light of the sun and lifted the landmasses into the sky.

 

 

Littered across surface of the floating continents were ruins from a distant past, holding within them the keys to technologies long forgotten and to unknown riches.

Eventually, the humans who set foot on Caerbannog began to exploit these forgotten technologies. With fleets of primitive airships and proto-jumppacks, civilization spread across the face of the world, but soon splintered into smaller tribes fighting over riches from the ancient age. More and more ancient weapons were excavated from the dormant ruins, but power gave birth to ambition, and ambition to war. Nations declared war on neighboring lands, who had also discovered ancient weapons. The battles became epic struggles. And peace was a dream discarded for superiority over one another.

 

 

These were indeed dark times and the peasants of Caerbannog prayed for a ray of light to end the time of constant wars and free people from the yoke of violence they were unable to escape.

When the red comet of the incubation pod appeared over the skies of the shattered world, many inhabitants of Caerbannog did not realize that it announced the arrival of the son of the Master of Mankind.

 

The incubation pod crashed near the capital of Boletaria, a relatively small and insignificant nation. The people of Boletaria suffered at the hands of their warmongering neighbours, as those conflicts often crossed over into the small state's borders. Living in constant peril from wars not their own, the rain turned red with the blood of innocents.

When the infant Primarch emerged from the wreckage, his powerful pariah gaze wrought absolute havoc. Most who looked into his eyes lost their souls. Those unfortunate enough to survive the encounter spoke of unspeakable pain and fear, as something gripped their soul and tried to tear it from their body. Many peasants died on that day, and through what must have been sheer luck, the royal knights of Boletaria managed to capture the starchild.

The queen of the tiny nation, Luiseach, a woman of remarkable intellect and ambition, having witnessed the destructive nature of the child, ordered her brightest scholars to find a way to utilize the boy as a weapon to defend Boletaria if war once again spilled over their borders.

 

The rapidly growing boy was given an archeotech mask excavated from the ancient ruins, which would hide his eyes to protect the people around him from is pariah nature. As long as he wore the mask and concentrated on suppressing his powers he could stay in control. He was tutored in the arts of war and battle meditation the boletarians had cultivated over the centuries and when the ordained time finally came, the boy Primarch was unleashed upon the enemies and drove the hostile forces out of the land.

 

Fueled by righteous hatred and combat stimulants, the boy quickly grew to manhood mastering all aspects of warfare his teachers had to offer. The Queen saw this as her chance to break from the insignificance and write her own destiny. The small country started to attack its neighbours and began conquering the floating lands of Caerbannog. With the wild primarch leading her army, the queen plotted to destabilize the surrounding countries. Utilizing airship cannons to shell shock the enemy, the Primarch would lay down a storm of explosions on the opposing armies before he and his troops hurled themselves towards enemy fortifications in suicidal maneuvers only equipped with jetpacks and twin blades. Having destroyed most defenses with brutal efficiency, the primarch unmasked himself in front of the remaining defendants holding their ground to sow terror in the enemies ranks and break their last resistance. Whenever a victory could not be achieved to weapon strength alone, Luiseach sent the primarch to assassinate those in command, leaving the enemies army without proper leaders. Blood flowed in deep crimson rivers wherever the boy went and left only trails of burning waste and corpses behind.

 

 

With every victory the young Primarch, who the people had named Gwalchavad, felt that the tides were turning. The victories filled the queen with pride and she grew fond of her prized weapon, like a aristocrat growing fond of his successful attack hound.

But after continuous attempts at her life the heart of Queen Luiseach hardened. The years passed and the Queen who only wanted to defend her homeland vanished, leaving Luiseach to become an ambitious and mistrustful ruler. Battle by battle the people of Boletaria had gone from the oppressed to the oppressors, conquering continent after continent. Always afraid of finding traitors around the next corner, Luiseach established a system of torture and cruelty to ensure that nobody will rise against her or question her legitimate reign.

 

As the forces of Boletaria approached one of the last free city on Caerbannog, fate struck and Gwalchavad's airship was shot down from skies. He disappeared into the sea of clouds, further below the islands than any has ever returned from. Luiseach in her rage blamed the defenders, and sacked the city, slaughtering all residents as a warning to all that would dare to stand in her way. Seeker Squads were sent out to recover the Queens prized weapon, but they always returned empty handed and as the years passed the hope of finding the primarch kept dwindling. However, after years of fruitless search one seeker squad finally managed to return with Gwalchavad at their side. However, the man that returned was no longer the same.

 

 

The Warmth of Light

When Gwalchavad regained his consciousness he was alone. His ship had crashed and he was the sole survivor. Thick mist made it difficult to see further than a few metres. As the fog lifted slightly and the sun shined through, he realized that he stood amidst the remnants of an ancient city, now lost to time. Ruins and scarred earth told a sad story, everywhere around him Gwalchavad found the terrible traces of a war long past. The entire city was broken. More buildings had roofs fallen in than had them whole. Towers stood shattered, abrupt and jagged like broken sticks. Uneven mountains made of rubble could have been the remnants of palaces and blocks of the once proud city. Scattered everywhere, and preserved from the grasp of time bleached bones surrounded Gwalchavad, grinning skulls with hollow eyes watching the lone intruder.

Gwalchavad felt mystified, as the sheer size of the city and its dead citizens was more than he had ever witnessed. To him the city was one gigantic grave, and he did not want to add himself to the collection of bones so he searched for a way out of the maddening surroundings.

 

 

The battlefield had a cold malevolent air to it, the wind howling past the primarch from all directions, as if trying to express it’s own uncertainty at the picture before it. As Gwalchavad wandered the city, he felt eyes on his back, tingling the hairs on his neck. The moment night set in, the fog intensified and from the ruins ancient forms emerged, approaching the primarch. Red eyes flared through the mist. Following his instincts Gwalchavad drew his weapons and attacked, smashing the unfamiliar constructs made from materials he had never encountered. It seemed truly otherworldly, the material was very resilient to the primarchs blows and with every construct destroyed, new ones appeared and those that were smashed seconds before would reassemble themselves. Gwalchavad roared in wild anger as he attacked anew, he fought for hours and the fearsome clash didn’t end until the the first rays of the rising sun lifted the fog and the unknown constructs retreated into the ruins. Every following night the scene repeated. As the sun sunk, and the mist thickened, the constructs returned and Gwalchavad met them head on in furious combat. But with every day that passed, the night held more and more constructs ready for the young primarch. The nightly fights drew heavy on Gwalchavad and he realized, that he can’t go on much longer and soon the constructs will overwhelm him. His deep anger and fury long vanished, he made a choice for himself. Tired of fighting he prepared himself for the end. The endless fighting only pronounced the inevitable.

He remembered the lessons of meditation and brought himself to accept his fate, and when the night finally approached, the primarch laid his blades aside and waited for the killing blow. But it never came. When he looked around himself he only saw the constructs watching him with red eyes from afar, but none made any attempts to attack him. It was only then that he realized that all the nights before, it was always him attacking first and that in the countless weeks he lived through this neverending nightmare, the constructs only reacted to his attacks.

 

 

Free from the burden to fight, Gwalcahvad felt at peace. A feeling at first unknown to the young primarch but soon welcomed as a much needed companion.

The following months Gwalchavad investigated more and more of the lost city and was able to retrieve several tomes of knowledge. At first he was not able to comprehend them as they were written in a language few humans were ever able to speak. As the days passed, he taught himself how to read the ancient tomes and mastered the language of old. In those ancient rites, Gwalchavad found answers that forever altered his perceptions of Caerbannog, and the universe as a whole. He learned that he stood on sacred ground and that the island was called Avelorn, a place where no violent behavior was permitted and the constructs served as wardens to ensure peace in this sacred place.

 

 

He learned that the original inhabitants of Caerbannog came to this planet to seek a new path for themselves, fleeing the corruption which befell their race. But soon the corruption found its way into their hearts once more and thereafter war after war was waged against each other much like the humans who now settled on this planet. Their arrogance was limitless and only amplified by their knowledge of destruction. Weapons of mass destruction were created and after centuries of constant war, the spiral of violence flew out of control. With the weapons created by the ancients, the planet’s surface was torn apart apart and the ancient civilization came to an end. Those who withstood the corruption had created Avelorn, a city hidden in the mist. But as the ruins suggested, they too were destroyed along with their brethren. The ruins were a mere glimpse of the true power the ancients inherited and with Gwalchavad’s previous experience of war they were a cruel warning to him that violence would only lead to more violence and eventually obliteration.

 

 

Gwalchavad spent his days meditating and studying every bit of knowledge he could obtain. Like a sponge he sucked up all information and called into question the way he lived before. He realized that he was little more than a weapon used by his mother to feed her ambition. His past victories turned now to ash in his mouth and he was ashamed by all the atrocities he committed in the name of his mother and worse that he enjoyed it. In front of his mind’s eye he could see every man, women and child he had killed, seeing the shock in their eyes as life bled out of them. Gwalchavad wept bitter tears and found humanity in himself. He swore to himself, that he would no longer be a tool of war.

Gwalchavad spent several more years in exile before he was finally found. Although the odds were slim, the Queen never stopped searching for her son. His loss meant a heavy blow to the queen's campaign of conquest as her opponents resisted attacks and managed to regain land in return. Everywhere riots broke out against the terror regime and the Queen of Boletaria stood with her back to the wall.

 

 

So when message arrived that the prized weapon was retrieved, the Queen rejoiced and a celebration in front of the people was arranged to show them their combined power. However, the man that arrived was a different man and when Gwalchavad was brought before his queen, he confronted her with his newfound views, declaring that he would not serve as weapon anymore. The warmth left the face of the queen and her smile changed to a frown. Furious, she ordered her son to be restrained in chains. She responded to his views with her own and that the only peace Caerbannog would ever have would be achieved through fear of her rule. Anybody who opposed her would suffer pain, along with their relatives suffering the same pain. So that as long as people remembered that pain, nobody would dare rise up against her and defy her peace. Looking disappointedly at Gwalchavad, the Queen ordered her guards to kill her son.

 

 

Gwalchavad accepted his fate, but the crowd witnessing the whole scene did not and they left their places to stand in and fight for their peace. When the Royal Knights drew their swords and attacked the people, Gwalchavad made his choice. He would not be a tool of war, but he would give the people of Caerbannog real peace and freedom. And so he broke out from the chains and met the Royal Knights with nothing more than his bare hands. He fought for the Fate of Caerbannogs people and the people fought along with him. Together they managed to overpower the guards and confront the mad queen. Now alone the Queen begged for mercy which Gwalchavad was willing to grant for her. However it was only a foul trick, shrieking out the Queen drew a knife and swung at Gwalchavads throat but the reactions of a primarch greatly outstripped a mere mortal and she only managed to hit the fastening of his mask. When their eyes met, the time seemed to freeze as Luiseach’s soul was claimed by her son, leaving only an empty husk behind that dropped to the floor.

 

 

 

The people of Boletaria elected Gwalchavad as their leader and from there on the primarch erased the name of his mother from history and reformed the authoritarian state she and her corrupt advisors had established. He gave the people of Caerbannog true peace. The movement spread across the planet and the people rejoiced at the changing of their fate, believing Gwalchavad’s return as the ray of light they had been praying for for. Soon they spoke of him as the “Avatar of Light”, sent by the heavens to free them of the darkness. Peace had quickly reached the remaining nations as the people finally freed themselves from the cycle of conflict.

 

Weapons only capable of killing were tossed aside and under Gwalchavads guidance the people finally found peace. Only in traditional ritual dances and ceremonies would weapons be allowed as Gwalchavad established a form of visual storytelling to remind the people about the atrocities committed by the rulers of old and what decades of war had done to the people of Caerbannog.

When he considered his work done, Gwalchavad put down the mantle of leadership and installed a council of wise men and women, representatives of the countries of old, giving his power back to the people of Caerbannog. They would work together for Caerbannog's prosperous future.

 

Gwalchavad retreated to Avelorn, the remote island hidden in the mist, where he had conquered his vicious nature and pursued further enlightenment. Every leader-to-be made a pilgirmage to Gwalchavad's sanctuary in order to study the ancient histories of Caerbannog and the wars that had nearly consumed it in ages long past to prevent anything like this from happen again. Gwalchavad himself became a legend and the people told the story of the Avatar of Light who had freed them from the darkness of war.

 

 

 

 

http://www.aphelion-webzine.com/poetry/avatar.htm

Edited January 7, 2018 by MikhalLeNoir

[MikhalLeNoir]

I have to share it here as well.

 

 

Thx Vampiredio for this magnificently done artwork

 

[MikhalLeNoir]

Thx to both of you. Totally forgot to answer during the holidays. Mea maxima culpa.

 

 

++++Transmission from an alternate universe+++

 

 

I have to share it here as well.

 

 

Thx Vampiredio for this magnificently done artwork

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

That is amazing.

[Isengrin]

Please tell me you're going to build that daemon prince.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Travier will be built^^

[Vairocanum]

Great artwork! Can't wait to see Travier built then! I hope you'll do him in the giant scale haha.