Black Book - Insurrection (PUBLISHED)

[Sigismund229]

Getting working on it

 

The Darkness of Old Night

Long before the techno-barbarians were scavenging Terra’s rotting carcass, a similar state existed to that of old night, as pollution and lack of resources forced those early survivors to journey across the stars far from home. What awaited them were horrors uncounted yet rewards immeasurable. What foes that fought them or trials that crushed them are beyond our knowledge, only that humanity succeeded. Never again would Mankind be limited to a single system, but would manage colonies across the galaxy. At its zenith, humanity was rendered as gods of science, able to remake planets in the image of young Terra, harness the energy of stars, and give counterfeit-life to fashioned men from iron and clay to serve them. This was the Dark Age of Technology, an era of unprecedented human superiority as they reigned for millennia. All of it undone in a few short centuries, in which new age of bloody brutality and widespread ignorance rose as untold billions died, their screams unanswered and unheard. So ended the Dark Age of Technology, dark because we know so little of the accomplishments of those galactic masters.

 

question: Similair state to what?

Edited November 6, 2015 by Sigismund229

[simison]

Pre-Dark Age of Tech, Terra was polluted and resource-weak, a state that would be repeated when Old Night.

[simison]

The Council of Terra

Before retreating within the secret chamber-labs of his palace, the Emperor summoned Malcador and the Court to charge them with a new purpose. Now that the Primarchs and Warmaster Alexandros could be trusted to carry on the Great Crusade, no others were needed to lead in the war effort. The Emperor needed time and his complete attention for his project, which necessitated a replacement in administering the needs of the Imperium. To this end, the Emperor assembled the first Council of Terra. As opposed to Alexandros and the distant members of the War Council the Warmaster now led, the Council of Terra would attend to the state matters and the maintenance of Imperial Law throughout the vast array of worlds of the Imperium-where once only liberation and conquest had been the focus of the Imperium, now organization and infrastructure would be the priority. The Emperor named his most trusted advisor, Malcador, as First Lord of the Council, who would lead in the Emperor’s absence. Chief Custodian Constatin Valdor took a seat on the Council along with the highest-ranking members of the Astropath and Administrative divisions. Satisfied with the creation of the Council of Terra, the Emperor retired to the laboratories and workshops beneath the Imperial Palace into which vast resources would begin to flow into as he began work on a confidential yet important project.

 

Time trickled by as the Emperor continued his work beneath the Imperial Palace, silent and unaware as misgivings and suspicion took root throughout the Imperium. The Council of Terra had invoked indignation and resentment in many of the Primarchs, who once enjoyed having the ear of their father only now to be excluded from the halls of power with little warning and little experience on how to adjust to this strange twist of fortune. The more volatile Primarchs were outraged to by this act of exclusion and felt scorned. Even the Emperor’s more stalwart sons were disquieted and troubled by this decision. For some, this event marked a betrayal as the Emperor turned his back on his greatest warriors after they had bled and sacrificed all for the sake of his Imperium only to have control be given to petty administrators and a sycophantic Adeptus of Mars-to mortals over his immortal sons. The Warmaster worked tirelessly to heal this rift and to ensure the Primarchs’ voice was heard on the Council, yet it was not enough to prevent the honeyed tongue of darker powers from whispering sweet poison upon some of his brothers, stoking their pride and anger, though this was unknown at the time.    

[simison]

Athrawes, quick question as I tackle the next section, does anyone else know about the 'canon' Lighting Bearers crossing over from the Warp? I'm going to write it as a mystery, but I was wondering what the general idea about that was.

[simison]

The Canker of Doubt

The seeds that would later mature into the terrible days of treachery are only partially known to us. What is known to us is that Icarion Stormborn felt slighted and wronged when he was passed over for the title of Warmaster. Although it is known that the Emperor had spoken to his first son after the appointment, his words appeared to offer little effect, despite the defenses laid out by Alexandros. Perhaps the Emepror’s return to Terra aggravated Icarion’s heart since in rapid succession he was denied what should have been his followed by the loss of his close companionship with his father, a relationship closer than any of the other Primarchs enjoyed. Regardless, the damage was done and Icarion hosted a new shard of bitterness.

 

For a time, all seemed well. Icarion’s service to the Great Crusade was beyond reproach as he fought with valor and wisdom. Warmaster Alexandros would come to value his brother’s counsel as much as the Emperor once did. For though his title was Warmaster, Alexandros defined his mission with a broader intent than most would have as he traveled often between the frontlines of the Great Crusade and the chambers of the Council of Terra. As mentioned earlier, Alexandros sought to influence the Council for the betterment of the Imperium and to give representation to the Primarchs’ interests. Although successful, the Warmaster’s travels costed him time that wasn’t spent on the battlefield. Several of his brothers would take his time spent navigating the complexities of Imperial politics as shirking his duty and argued loudly that he was unworthy of the title bestowed upon him by the Emperor. Icarion was at the forefront of Alexandros’ defenders for of all the Primarchs, none enjoyed a close of a friendship as Alexandros and Icarion. During the times the Warmaster entered the war of words, he began to rely on Icarion to keep him appraised of the Great Crusade and to aid in its prosecution. It would not be long before Icarion became Alexandros’ unofficial voice of war until Alexandros returned to the battlefields.

 

Yet, this trust would be misplaced. Despite earning uncountable honors, Icarion was never able to undo the bitterness that secretly plagued him. The longer the Emperor denied his sons his presence, the more unruly the more barbaric Primarchs became and often they tested the Stormborn. None truly know when or what caused the tipping point from resentment into rebellion. Whispered tales speak of strange visitors from the Warp coming to Icarion by the whims of fate. These visitors warned him of future despair and treachery lest he take action. It was then, supposedly, he made his decision that would undo much of his father’s work, whether he was truly convinced of the visitors’ argument or desired to simply unleash his frustration upon the Imperium. Despite his conviction, no foe could hope to defeat the Emperor. Thus, Icarion would enter into a dark bargain.  

[Athrawes]

Simision: Honestly just Alexos as he was the one who orchestrated it. Aside from Him only Icarion and the Handful of BotL Legionaries who covertly delivered them to Madrigal and into Icarion's presence. 

[simison]

Athrawes, how's the section look? Too explicit or just right?

 

Grifft, remind me, how does Icarion persuade K'awil to join?

Edited November 7, 2015 by simison

[Grifftofer]

I've been trying to think about that a bit and it's proving to be a little tricky. K'awil has parallels with both Angron and Curze, he is broken so that he can't see the nobility in humanity or himself. This has lead him to embrace his monstrous nature and become the very thing he hates. So any persuasion would probably hinge around playing on his self loathing and jealousy of those who are like him (Pariahs), but able to function within society rather than outside of it (Gwalchavad). Part of why his jealousy is so strong is that deep within he wants to be accepted, but never can be because he is a pariah, so the offer of joining chaos and being welcome would be quite a powerful draw, if only subconsciously. The major obstacle from my point of view is that both of the proponents of Chaos are psykers (Alexos/Icarion), so there will be an innate antagonism to any talks.

[simison]

Well, something I've been trying to emphasize in my stories is that the psykers can interact with the pariahs, it just makes them very uncomfortable and maybe experience low levels pain. What I thought I'd write is that Icarion makes a hard effort to befriend K'awil before guiding him down the path of rebellion. How does that sound?

[Grifftofer]

That sounds reasonable to me. Not much fun for Icarion though, having to A ) spend time around a very powerful pariah in a legion of fairly powerful pariahs B ) convincing K'awil to begin to trust him. If he does the second then convincing him to rebel would be simple in comparison.

Edited November 7, 2015 by Grifftofer

[simison]

Finished the K'awil blurb. Squig, I remember that it is Koschei's nobility that leads to his corruption, but was there any particular incident or belief that shifted the foundations of his loyalty?

[Sigismund229]

The true Dark Age that followed would become known as Old Night in the commoner’s tongue, while the scholars preferred to call it the Age of Strife. For over five thousand years, the nightmares continued unabated. Warp storms would isolate the colonies of Man from one another and from Terra as interstellar travel became prohibitively deadly. Removed from Terra and one another, the bereft colonies descended into anarchy as old, local grievances exploded into civil wars on some, while opportunistic tyrants seized power over others. Human civilization was dealt a shattering blow, with death consuming whole worlds. Without trade and protection, colonies died via planet-wide famines, insanity, and – worst of all – the perils of the Warp.

 

In those days, the existence of warp creatures and daemons and the threat they posed to the human mind were little understood. Wherever there were gatherings of emergent psykers, the barrier between physical reality and the Immaterium weakened to the point where the denizens of the warp could cross over to the material realm on a whim. Any invasion of the Immaterium is catastrophic, but in those days entire worlds were swallowed by the Warp, to the eternal horror of their inhabitants. With the fall of human civilization looming, old foes and opportunistic aliens, who had long lurked in the shadows, seized their chance to satisfy their nefarious purposes, whether it was a chance for vengeance or a chance for plunder and slaves. Hundreds of human-inhabited star systems were ravaged and sacked, their peoples enslaved, tortured, and massacred. The final casualty was civility as surviving mankind settlements tossed away culture and knowledge in place of raw barbarism for the sake of survival.

 

Humanity stood on the edge of abyss and destruction as its children faced uncountable challenges. All around, the human race was under siege by ravaging aliens, corrupting warp denizens, starving famine, infecting pestilence, and bloody internal strife, leaving the surviving embers of Mankind a pale shadow of their former glory as the dead rapidly began to outnumberthe living. To those few who weren’t consumed with the bitter task of survival, it seemed that the end times were here, and it would be a slow death of decay as their race slipped into the yawning void. None could see a way out of the hellish chains dragging them to the depths of annihilation and save Mankind. Yet, hope would come.

 

The Age of Strife would show Terra no mercy. Already suffering from ills that had driven its early inhabitants to seek more welcoming shores among the stars, the birth world of humanity would suffer yet further as many indignities forced themselves upon it. Incessant war reduced the planet to nothing more than a barren wasteland with the few exceptions of fortified techno-castles of the barbarians built over the corpses of lost civilizations, while its people degenerated into hordes feral nomads. Led by religious demagogues, vivisector-warlords, cyber-augmented butcher-kings, and insane prophets, the tribes were led into war after war as one tyrant after another rose to prominence only to fall back into obscurity. Tribes formed, fought, and disintegrated as petty empires fought to establish themselves only to break apart, while humanity languished. Whispered tales like of the Unspeakable King and the Seven Neverborn terrified generations as uncounted billions died unremembered. Bloodshed and anarchy was Terra’s only true ruler.

Edited November 7, 2015 by Sigismund229

[simison]

What's loomjnh?

[Slips]

What's loomjnh?

Looming, I assume?

[Sigismund229]

Yes, looming

[Hesh Kadesh]

Just a bit of a filler box-out.

 

The Pariah and the Legions

When the Emperor created his Primarchs, each was said to embody an individual aspect or group of aspects of the Imperator's psyche. Whether by accident or design, it is unclear, but one of the more curious of events is that many of his ilk were considered to be "Pariah"; an aberrancy and genetic mutation that had been persecuted with near uniformity across the entirety of former human civilisation during the Age of Strife. That the Emperor himself was considered to be a Psyker of no possible comparison, [Editors note; the highest level of Psyker rating according to "The Assignment" scale is an Alpha-Plus; a quasi-official rating which extends past the typical twenty four point scale contained within. Alpha-Plus is considered a catch-all term. Clearance for study comparison with other "Alpha-Plus" requires a much higher rank than I possess, although it is theorised that among the Primarchs, the Warmaster Alexandros and Icarion are both noted as being Alpha level. Given the nature of events which took hold within the Insurrection, that Icarion himself became a so called "Alpha-Plus" is almost without question. One Alpha-Plus level psyker was able to unite humanity. Another destroyed its hopes for what would have passed for an eternal peace. Poetic aphorism's aside, I hope that this throws light on the subject.] but was able to create so many progeny which would rank as the greatest [Ed; lowest?] rank of Pariah speaks volumes and has proven to be a conundrum that the genetic theorists which have attempted to catalogue the events. Normally, entire generations on a planet would pass without one birth of a Pariah gene, but that four would arrive, by accident or design, as the Emperor's chosen son's would leave many heretics apocryphally attributing this to knowledge of something that he denied ever existed. How true this is, none will ever now know.

 

The Pariah gene is hard to describe. For the lay person, the warp itself is hard to describe, which makes the antithesis of it even harder to describe. Even those who work daily with the warp itself struggle to describe it, as what each individual sees within the warp is dependent on their own unique experiences, prejudices, and even their own reception and connection to the warp. A Navigator is thought to have the most pure connection to the other side through their third eye, and most describe it as some form of "sea"; although how accurate that is, due to few Navigator houses having much experience with a true ocean. It is said to have tides, and currents, squalls, or areas of becalming. There are known paths through which much intragalactic transport occurs. It is an alternative dimension, every bit as deadly as the submarine death worlds like Iona.

 

And hence, the allegory. The Warp is a reservoir, filled in some inscrutable manner, theorised by some to be by emotion. Emotional extremes, like fear, or hate, or lust can cause the "walls" to weaken, and the powers to flood through, reminiscent of shaft spillways with the dimensional walls acting as a dam. Some individuals can tap into the warp. These "taps" can siphon off power, which, dependent on the ability of the psyker and their strength of will can master the force of the warp rushing through them. They are effectively a gateway, and to use a water like analogy, it flows through the gap under the effects of high pressure. The more powerful the psyker, the wider they can make the hole and keep it under control, but the warp flows through. This can either come out shaped, or directed, as if in a hose, or it can spray everywhere, and is unwieldy. Those who can shape it in a particular manner are attributed into disciplines.

 

All creatures touched by the warp can be affected by it, similar to how some can breathe underwater, but still get wet. Pariahs are not like that. If the Psyker is a tap, the Pariah is the hole. What little is about Psykers, even less is known about the Pariahs. The three institutions within the Imperium still maintaining information on Pariahs are the Sisterhood of Silence, the Astartes, and the Assassinorum Clade calling themselves the Pariah Temple. The first, if you'll excuse the play on words, are holding their tongues on the matter, the second completely ignoring any requests for aid. The third, I didn't even dare draw my attention to in the vain hope that they remain unaware of my works. The rest is guesswork, where I can only use my premature death as a guide in regards to its accuracy. 

 

The Pariah, rather than being a single gene, is also rated in regards to the warp. Everyone, and everything is connected to the warp, even down in inanimate objects, and indeed, the very atmospheres, right up unto the vacuum of the black void of space. The Pariah Gene is used to describe to someone new to the idea the basic concept, but I do not believe it to be a "gene", in the biological terms. It is something which has seemingly avoided isolation. We have been able to isolate other warp born mutations to our DNA, ranging from technological marvels of the eradication of disorders like Trisomy 21, up to the ability to "design" our Navigators, with the more influential and rich Navigator Houses able to spend the resources on perfecting their latest generations of steersmen and women. Yet the Pariah yet eludes us. It is not a genetic disorder or mutation. Hence, I posit the theory that is something that changes with the soul of the person.

 

Each person is connected to the warp in some manner; like all fish get wet. Those with the greatest connection or sympathy to the warp, like Navigators or Psykers are those more sensitive to its changes. But it is this connection, this sixth sense that allow us uninitiated to sense when someone is looking at us even if we cannot otherwise be aware of their presence, deja vu, or even the more rare, yet spectacular spontaneous combustion - although in the form of the latter, spontaneous combustion is more appropriately a form of self immolation due to the lack of finesse or control available. It is hardly as developed a tool or sense for us to use in the manner of touch, or taste. A Psyker can use this power to manipulate items telekinetically, or rather to have more control on causing someone to ignite. A Pariah's connection to the warp is the opposite of a psyker; as mentioned earlier, a plughole. The power of the warp doesn't get their soul wet, it just slips inside them. To where, we don't know. I wouldn't have thought they'd get the sense of hair raising to warn of a danger to which the pariah is as yet unaware, of the sense of deja vu for certain events due to their disconnect, but when one flings corposant flames at them, they can walk through them unharmed, the power dissipating and slipping into the singularity that forms their soul, their "soulspace" tearing apart the fabric of unreality. 

 

The average human, without observing such events is unlikely to know a Pariah by sight, but physical closeness to the Pariah is enough to feel the discomfort that the void of the "soulless" Pariah [Ed; accordingly with this theorem, their is no such thing as a "Soulless". Perhaps identified by the quotation marks to show his opinion on this common descriptor-cum-insult for those noted as being Pariahs], who, like Psykers, can vary in "power". [Ed; Again, to repeat, "the Assignment" notes Pariahs to be of varying degrees, rating from Sigma to Omega, with a final quasi-official rating of "Omega-Plus".] Those of greater power have a stronger "singularity" and a greater void, meaning more of the "water" that is the warp to slip through. The most powerful Psykers can have many varied effects on the soulspace of those nearby; either reaching out in a sense of warmth radiating out, or even a creeping sense of horror at alien unknown of an unreality, while others have nothing but an animal magnetism which can even cross species, letting fauna or even flora be receptive of the psykers intentions. But a Pariah does not have that; their soulspace intrudes on all others, and it drags and claws at the souls of those nearby. Those with only the most fleeting of warp connections cannot properly sense it, but they can feel a "wrongness" about the Pariah, not realising the battle that their immortal soul is fighting against the inexorable pull of the blank soulspace.  It was said that few humans could stand before a Primarch, but virtually none could stand before the Pariah Primarchs as their very presence ripped souls from the weak-willed without control. Some, like Gwalchavad would self-impose exile on them in order to stave off this most horrific of none-deaths.

 

- Extracted from the collected notes of Zergyiff Lukanensko, executed and all works ceased as Seditionist, M.33. Additional notes have been compiled by a Servitor of undisclosed designation and dictated by [[REDACTED]]. Both [[REDACTED]] and Servitor have had their eternal souls commended to the Emperor for their service. 

 

If, when we write this up, could the redacted bits be done as if redacted rather than written?

[Athrawes]

That was a fascinating piece Hesh, and as an in character editorial on the Pariah I can't fault it. I do think the analogy with Water is nice.

 

I think it is probably just that we have different opinions on how the pariah Genes work, or effect the world around them. I'd like to be clear that I'm not saying you're wrong, as I don't really think their can be a "wrong" when it comes to theorizing the nature of the Pariah Gene. I'd love to talk about your thoughts on this, I Like your analogy of the plug, but I think think your mixing analogies when you describe it both as a plug to the Psykers "warp tap" and then go on to describe Pariahs as a void that absorbs Psychic energy.

 

I think a better solution, would be to stick with the "plug" analogy, and say that a pariah is like the negative charge of the warp. The warp bounces off them, or is repelled by their presences as opposed to being absorbed and "shunted" into some  soulless void.

 

I think this carries over to how people react to Pariahs. If a person is around a pariah (and that pariah is absorbing/shunting their emotions and psychic emanations), that is a bit vague in why that would bother a person. Or rather, why a person would experience that event and then feel loathing towards the pariah, or feel their wrongness.

 

In comparison, if a person interacts with a pariah who is negatively charged to their emotions and psychic emanations, then those "things" are being rebounded back to person, and that could be what gives them the sense of wrongness. If Pariahs are negatively charged to the warp, their presence then "plugs the hole created by the psykers tap.

 

++++

 

Again, I am not saying you're wrong, I just think it would be interesting to discuss differing views on the pariah, and from a literary standpoint, I think mixing your analogies about both "plugging the hole" and "absorbing/having the warp slip inside them" is a bit confusing or at lest unnecessary.  Maybe pick one, or present them as two different interpretations of how the Pariah works.

[simison]

The Negative: I don't quite understand your question. Warp is always capitalised. 

 

The Positive: This is awesome! It has the right 40k feel to it and can fit so well within our universe. Well done!

 

Now, I understand that you were aiming for this to be later, but would you be against it appearing in Insurrection? After I finish 'Conspiracy', what came next was a chapter on Space Marines. It's basics all of it, and since Betrayal is necessary, I see no point in re-writing it. Instead, Hesh, would you be willing to let us use this piece as a major part of the replacement chapter? It addresses one of the key differences between BotL and canon and you've written it so well. I think we can even leave it in it's current form as a narrative and make it simply a large sub-section. 

 

Also, Athrawes replied and read it as I got to this point, and thought he had a good point about making sure we're in agreement over the Pariahs, perhaps showing multiple theories if needed. Regardless, perhaps our 'Space Marine' chapter could be a 'Pariah' chapter.

[simison]

Conspiracy

When Icarion willingly drank the poisoned draught of insurrection, it has now become clear that the Arch-Traitor immediately began assembling the pieces he required for his intricate plan. Although lacking in official capacity to command his brothers, it would prove only to be a delay as he worked with a mastery of guile and subtlety. For above all else, Icarion was patient and discipline as he sought to gather his brothers to his banner. Positioned in close confidence with the Warmaster, Icarion was able to arrange a series of campaigns and private encounters with each of his brothers spanning over several decades as he worked in secret. It is with a great sense of irony, Alexos-and his dripping venom for his more noble brothers-would be the first to join Icarion’s cause. Long disparaged for the twisted rumors surrounding his ascension to the command of his legion, Alexos stood as a controversial figure among the Primarchs, openly questioning the Emperor’s decisions on several occasions with a brashness borderlining on rebellion. Many of his barbs had been aimed at Icarion, yet Alexos’ loyalty would be gained, though it later it was learned it was an alliance based on the wishes of far darker beings. K’awil of the Grave Stalkers had suffered a degree of ostracism from his brothers and the Imperium at large for his pariah nature. Never free from his unnerving aura, he was an aloof if dutiful commander but longed for companionship denied to him. One would imagine K’awil would find ready brotherhood from the Jade General or perhaps Gwalchavad. Alas, the Jade General had little use for petty affection, while Gwalchavad was an absent figure, routinely deployed on the other side of the galaxy due to chance at first before Icarion used his influence to maintain this state of being. Even Alexandros, famed for his efforts to keep his family healthy and whole, found his time spread thin between his many duties as Warmaster. It was into this void Icarion stepped forth. The Arch-Traitor sensing K’awil’s loneliness soothed offered a salve as the two fought together over several campaigns, earning the pariah’s loyalty. It was Koschei who fell the hardest and worst, throughout the Great Crusade he had fought as a paragon of humanity. It would be this very nobility that Icarion would exploit and lead to Kochei’s damnation. A Primarch deeply tied to his principles, Koschei was convinced by Icarion that the Emperor had failed them all and had sacrifice some of the most important Imperial ideals for the sake of expediency. Koschei would walk the path of rebellion, but at the end of that path came forth a twisted and disgusting creature that would plague the Imperium. There would be others, but these three would become the foundation from which the Insurrection rested upon and the Arch-Traitor’s greatest lieutenants. 

 

[Athrawes, AO, Grifft, Squig, how does that look? Did I do justice to your respective Primarchs?]

[Hesh Kadesh]

I had a creative splurge, the wording can be changed in regards to how people prefer. Just kind of wanted to get it written while I was in the mood :) No problem whatsoever in changing it. And in regards to timing, apologies, just wrote it so that there may be some background to it; please put it where you see fit!

 

The question was mostly the parts where I had wrote [Redacted] at the bottom that when it comes to putting it in the book, it looks like it's actually been struckthrough?

 

The plug analogy I had struggled with coming up with a convincing reasoning as to why they are not only the antithesis to psychic powers (and to why there are different levels of Pariah), as well as actually having an effect that was unsettling on the muggles.

 

Not entirely sure what the reference to plug is either, though. Only reference to plug through Ctrl+F is "plughole". Although I am kinda tired, wrote it over the course of a 3 hour long Skype meeting pretending I was working through some accounts XD, so I'm probably missing it.

[Athrawes]

I've been trying to think about that a bit and it's proving to be a little tricky. K'awil has parallels with both Angron and Curze, he is broken so that he can't see the nobility in humanity or himself. This has lead him to embrace his monstrous nature and become the very thing he hates. So any persuasion would probably hinge around playing on his self loathing and jealousy of those who are like him (Pariahs), but able to function within society rather than outside of it (Gwalchavad). Part of why his jealousy is so strong is that deep within he wants to be accepted, but never can be because he is a pariah, so the offer of joining chaos and being welcome would be quite a powerful draw, if only subconsciously. The major obstacle from my point of view is that both of the proponents of Chaos are psykers (Alexos/Icarion), so there will be an innate antagonism to any talks.

 

From my thinking, and due to the understanding that Icarion was fighting the Ghost crusade in this universe, at the beginning of the Insurrection and the years leading up to it, Icarion would not be a proponent of chaos. At that point, he has been purging chaos tainted worlds for centuries and would have seen first hand the tainted effect the warp has on humanity.

 

After Icarion is made aware of his legions ultimate (supposed fate) of being purged and expunged, he feels hurt, and betrayed. But he wouldn't just have a switch flipped and say, "Okay, dad sucks, so lets all embrace chaos."

 

To Icarion, at the beginning, the Insurrection is about what is best for the Imperium and his brother Primarchs (to a slightly lesser extent humanity as a whole). He might begin to appreciate the tainted bargains that the chaos gods offer but, he wouldn't view them as his new patron. To him, the Emperor is humanities Enemy, and Chaos (might) offer a dangerous but necessary means to challanging the Emperors Power. Of course this goes down hill and eventually Icarion Will make his journey into the realm of chaos as Horus did to win through conquest the power from The Chaos Gods to fight the Emperor. But that is down the road.

 

When Icarion approaches and befriends K'aii, Chaos really would play no part in it. It would be a brother trying to save his brother from an uncaring father, and by standing together in true brotherhood, saving humanity from a tyrant who sits upon a throne made of lies.

[Big Bad Squig]

That's a pretty good representation of Koschei's reasons. There really is no specific event; Icarion starts to plant ideas that the emperor has failed them, at the same point that Nurgle (in one of his many guises) presents himself as an ally and a replacement for the emperor. I see him as being unsure about the assault on the iron bears, only really stepping in to fight with Daerdd to protect K'awil. Only once the Godslayers are afflicted with the plague does he turn completely (although his allegiance to Nurgle is rather grudging).

[Skalpynock]

- Extracted from the collected notes of Zergyiff Lukanensko, executed and all works ceased as Seditionist, M.33. Additional notes have been compiled by a Servitor of undisclosed designation and dictated by [[REDACTED]]. Both [[REDACTED]] and Servitor have had their eternal souls commended to the Emperor for their service.

Looks like we've got our first red page.

[Grifftofer]

Wow. Lots to reply to on here this morning

 

Now, I understand that you were aiming for this to be later, but would you be against it appearing in Insurrection? After I finish 'Conspiracy', what came next was a chapter on Space Marines. It's basics all of it, and since Betrayal is necessary, I see no point in re-writing it. Instead, Hesh, would you be willing to let us use this piece as a major part of the replacement chapter? It addresses one of the key differences between BotL and canon and you've written it so well. I think we can even leave it in it's current form as a narrative and make it simply a large sub-section. 

I think having something like this would be a really interesting, it also leaves us open to the option of including something on the gene-renegades too (probably in a later book) as they have particular views that are quite different to those in the canon universe. If we happen to struggle to find enough to say about Pariahs we could make it more of a general treatise on the nature of the warp/warp powers as the BotL universe has a different level of knowledge than is canon.

 

[Athrawes, AO, Grifft, Squig, how does that look? Did I do justice to your respective Primarchs?]

This looks good to me

 

From my thinking, and due to the understanding that Icarion was fighting the Ghost crusade in this universe, at the beginning of the Insurrection and the years leading up to it, Icarion would not be a proponent of chaos. At that point, he has been purging chaos tainted worlds for centuries and would have seen first hand the tainted effect the warp has on humanity.

 

After Icarion is made aware of his legions ultimate (supposed fate) of being purged and expunged, he feels hurt, and betrayed. But he wouldn't just have a switch flipped and say, "Okay, dad sucks, so lets all embrace chaos."

 

To Icarion, at the beginning, the Insurrection is about what is best for the Imperium and his brother Primarchs (to a slightly lesser extent humanity as a whole). He might begin to appreciate the tainted bargains that the chaos gods offer but, he wouldn't view them as his new patron. To him, the Emperor is humanities Enemy, and Chaos (might) offer a dangerous but necessary means to challanging the Emperors Power. Of course this goes down hill and eventually Icarion Will make his journey into the realm of chaos as Horus did to win through conquest the power from The Chaos Gods to fight the Emperor. But that is down the road.

 

When Icarion approaches and befriends K'aii, Chaos really would play no part in it. It would be a brother trying to save his brother from an uncaring father, and by standing together in true brotherhood, saving humanity from a tyrant who sits upon a throne made of lies.

 

You and simison seem to be working off of the same page, as his text above seems to reflect your view here. I'm happy to play down the influence of Chaos to begin with, it was just an option for you if you wanted it. Plus I had forgotten the specifics of the Ghost Crusade. A small thought is that to begin with Icarion could be specifically trying to turn the Pariah Legions to act as a buffer/counter to chaos for if/when he does need to make a pact with it/them. In that way he would be best prepared to face it/them, it would show an extra level of prescience. Ultimately a useless one, given his eventual fall, but even so a good contingency for him to have should he need to break a pact with them/face them in battle.

 

Lastly I want to say that Hesh your piece is awesome. A very nice in-universe reflection of the nature of pariahs.

Edited November 8, 2015 by Grifftofer

[MikhalLeNoir]

Yo Hesh, nice piece and i love the reference to a certain russian author ;) now we need something resembling the dangers in subways;)