Reader's Notes

[simison]

There is such thing as a Shark pattern boarding ram. That is all.

[Kelborn]

Currently reading Jaghatai Khan - Warhawk of Chogoris (what a lovely LE <3). I will keep this post updated with everything notably.

 

- Jaghatai was the fifteenth Primarch to be discoverd.

- While Horus' arrival was celebrated by all available means, the Khans arrival was merely noticed. With each discovery, it became more and more of a daily routine.

- The first conversations between him and the Emperor turned out to be not as kind as with other Primarchs.

- The White Scars were formerly known as Star Hunters instead of Sons of Thule as FW presented us in the past.

- The Vth Legion was spread across the borders of the Imperium. Some were even out of range when they tried to tell them of their Primarch's discovery.

- It seems (though I may be wrong) that the Glorianas were designed / build after a Primarch was recovered. The Swordstorm was nearly finished when it was handed over to the Khagan. Seems like each and every new Gloriana was adapted to be better than the previous ones.

- Librarians were non existing or tolerated at that moment. Only soulbound psykers were accepted. Yesugei was told that the Imperium does not believe in gods and comparable "miracles". It was only about reason. Yesugei and the Khan told them that this is nonsense.

[simison]

I've had an opportunity to read Master of Mankind. Here are the thoughts I've had thus far:

 

• Apparently, the last of Terra's oceans were stolen by the Chinese Mafia. Who knew.
• Even as a child, the Emperor displayed enormous psychic power and precision. I am even less convinced of Molech.
• The book says the Emperor never smiles. I say nay. Though the sincerity behind the Emperor's portrayed humor is something I'm open to being questionable. 
• I now have a much better idea of how the Webway looks like and how we could incorporate into BotL. Perhaps I should read the stories where Guilliman crosses it in 40k.
• The new Fabricator Locum, aka Kane's Lieutenant, is Trimejia, a 'woman' who speaks only through three servo-skulls that surround her.

[bluntblade]

I do like the stranger, more grotesque Mechanicum. The Shattered Legion compilation has some good stuff in that area

[Chief Captain Redd]

I'm of the thought that Molech had nothing to do with The Emperor's personal power, but that maybe it was a way to learn how to give the Primarchs the last little Warp oomph. Or how to truly create life in general. Or potentially his first assault on the Warp Gods, since he'd already dealt with beings like the Void Dragon already.

[simison]

I like that last one the best. But more points from MoM

 

• The Aresian Path is the Webway route directly between Terra and Mars. Given the extra 30 years, I imagine the other tunnels between Terra and other places (such as Madrigal) have similarly poetic/melodramatic names.
• There's always mist and light in the Webway.
• One of the old Terran barbarian warlords was the Priest-King of Maulland Sen Confederacy. He would be killed by the Thunder Warriors, and, as such, may not be claimed by any of the legions. The only exception I might allow is students of the First Legion learning from the Thunder Warriors.
• Kane is an utter jerk. 

 

"In that regard, they are just as the Akhean gods and goddesses of Ulimpos were believed to be.’

Ra knew the legends. Zoas Lightningfather. Avena Warbringer. Hermios Swiftrunner. Heraklus Halfgod."

 

Somebody in GW is a big fan of Egyptian mythology instead of Greek.

Edited June 23, 2018 by simison

[Raktra]

I’m convinced that the Molech “theft” was the Emperor taking portions of the Gods’ power to empower the Primarchs so that he didn’t have to split/sacrifice any of his own.

[Kelborn]

I never saw it that way, though it makes incredibly sense to me, as well. Way more than my view on it. ;)

Thanks for sharing, Raktra! :tu:

[simison]

I’m convinced that the Molech “theft” was the Emperor taking portions of the Gods’ power to empower the Primarchs so that he didn’t have to split/sacrifice any of his own.

 

That's another theory I find tolerable. 

 

With Skal's assistance, I've been reading through the Sons of the Emperor anthology. Some really interesting material, including an explanation of what Corax has been up to during 31k-39k, the World Eaters' desire for vengeance against Lorgar and his sons, Sanguinius' use of Destroyers, Vulkan's first battle on behalf of the Imperium  (along with an interesting picture of Ferrus and the Emperor), and an argument between Curze and Magnus. 

[Raktra]

Ferrus and the Emperor? TELL ME NOW.

[bluntblade]

During the blockade of Mars, Camba-Diaz regularly had to intercept colossal missiles aimed at Terra.

[simison]

My wife briefly showed interest (mainly because so many of our friends were in it) and gravitated to the Eldar. To help ease her in, I bought the Path of the Eldar 3-in-1 book. Well, it didn't work, but I've started reading the giant book at work in-between calls.

 

It's been a fascinating read. Between this and Lorgar, Gav Thorpe seems to like to explore how weird and different space and space cultures can be. So far, I've seen mentioned of a Path of the Poet, Artist, Dreaming, Awakening, Mourning, and, of course, the Warrior. Honestly, I've found the cultural aspects more interesting than the actual combat thus far. 

 

For the first time, I've gotten a pretty good idea of just how intense the Eldar emotional states are. 

 

It's a miracle they're not insane from the get go. Like, I'm not sure if they're more intense emotions give them any actual advantage other than perhaps being the reason why they've become a completely psychic race before humanity did. Which, if my sudden theory of "high octane emotions = faster psychic development", this could mean that once humanity reaches its potential (barring becoming the Chaos gods' buffet), they'd actually be a much more rounded and just as powerful race.

 

The other two big interesting notes are the Exarchs and Khaine. I did not realize how Grimdark the Exarchs were. I thought it was just the Phoenix Lords who resurrected with their suits. Nope, it's every single Exarch of the Craftworlds who have the same thing. And this novel shows just how terrifying it is to be consumed by the Exarch's primary spirit. Something I found interesting is that the Exarch suits will sit idle but will also 'call out' to their future host. Why that is tied to...

 

Khaine. This book has really captured just how much the Eldar war god is a detriment to individual Eldar even if the race as a whole really needs his influence to stave off annihilation. The book states that every Eldar, before entering combat dons the 'war-mask'. It is a psychic/emotional/intellectual state where the Eldar actually doesn't remember what happens during combat and removes any sense of compassion or guilt they might have during combat. This is mentioned as an explicit 'gift' of Khaine. Those Eldar who can't take the 'war-mask' eventually become Exarchs, unable to resist the pull Khaine has on them, even as a dead war god. Not only that, most Eldar stumble onto the Path of the Warrior because they are struck by an anger plague because of the war god, and the only proper release (since therapy isn't a thing) is to become a Warrior and kill things. 

 

The other thing I should mention are the Aspect Shrines. Even for shrines dedicated to the same Aspect, they can be wildly different as befitting their particular nuances in martial philosophy and the personalities of the original Exarchs. The book shows two for Striking Scorpions: one is a dark swamp while the other is a dry desert. The only three things they have in common is the Aspect, a ziggurat within the Shrine, and both are on Craftworld Alaitoc. 

[simison]

I've finished Path of the Warrior and not too much to add. The big thing is that the Phoenix Lords are not like the Exarchs. For one, it looks like a Phoenix King can only absorb an Exarch to replenish themselves. I find this reminiscent of a game mechanic of Vampire: Requiem where the oldest vampires lose the ability to feed on humans and can feed only on other vampires. Also, the Phoenix Lords don't have the Exarchs' council of souls within because the Phoenix Lords simply absorb them entirely. Jain will never hear the thoughts of the Exarchs' souls she uses to maintain herself. Not sure if the previous souls are annihilated during the process or if the Phoenix Lords' personality is just that powerful.

 

Which brings up perhaps the only funny moment in the book. Apparently, the souls within an Exarch armour will argue at length if they are a 'we' or just an 'I'. 

[simison]

Started Path of the Seer. It's not quite as interesting to me. Though, Blunt, it might be a good resource to compare how the Eldar do divination to distinguish the Harbingers/Icarion. The other stand-out is the Infinity Circuit as seen by a Seer. It's shiny and the warp spiders (not the Aspect warriors) are surprisingly cute. The one thing I'm struggling with is what's the exact relationship between a war-mask and a seer. I think the war-mask actually interferes with a seer's ability to do magic, which means all seers are completely cognizant of what's going on in combat. 

 

Also, the Eldar have a comb that changes hair color with a single stroke. After watching my wife wrestle with hair dyes for hours on end, it just really stuck out to me. 

[Kelborn]

More than halfway through Corax.

Nothing that noteworthy, still a solid one this is.

 

But

It features a zombie virus, which is used by the enemy civilization.

[simison]

So far, the only Campaign unique rule I can think of that I haven't seen yet in Conquest is unit progression system, akin to the character progression system. Of course, I'm not done yet, so who knows?

 

I am making my way through the relics. All of the generics, Mechanicum, and SA are in BotL as in canon. And most of the Legion relics do too. The ones I have read so far are essentially found by the Imperium, not created. I've run out of time now, but I'll compile a list. We should explore what happened to these relics in BotL, even if we don't use them in our crunch. 

 

EDIT: Have a little more time, will start on list.

 

• Blind Helm of the Black Judges - Meratara Cluster - Someone still needs to destroy these guys
• Parthinian Serpent - Chogoris - Since Alexandros personally brought the world into Compliance, this will end up as a Fifth Legion weapon. I'll try to have it show up in Second Son. Later on, it'll make its way to one of the Successors.
• Indomitan Mantle - Inwit - Either the Berserkers or the Shepherds will get their hands on these. Probably the Berserkers. Nasty combination.
• Nostraman Mancatcher - Ghoul Stars - Iron Bears are in the area. Not sure if they'd ever be interested in the weapon itself, but it'll be their plaything. It could be a non-lethal way to capture a target.
• Photonic Blade - Baal - I imagine at least one of these might have been unearthed by the Fire Keepers prior to the Prosecution. So, they'll have at least one. Other than that, I can't remember who claims Baal, if any of the Legions did. If no one Legion has, then these 30k-lightsabers will filter around the Imperial war machine. Alexandros might claim one as Warmaster. Because I like lightsabers.
• Grav Gauntlet - Eastern Marches of the Galatic Core - They're actually first found by the Mechanicum who give them to the Iron Hands as gratitude for their support during those wars. I'm not sure if we'll simply replace with another Legion or if the Mechanicum will keep them. Madrigal would be the closest, but this might be part of the conflicts with the Demiurge or whatever campaigns lead to the creation of Mark 3 armour.
• Gladius Invictus - One of the outer planets of the Prandium System, Ultramar sector - Ultramar itself doesn't belong to any one Legion, so I'm not sure who will get these blades. 
• Cataphractii Primus - The first Cataphracti terminator suit - Whoever invents the terminator armour. I believe the Morning Stars?
• Fractal Harrow-Blade - Terra, the Xeric Tribes - Some Raven Guard came from these tribes, but I'm not sure who claims the lineage in BotL.

 

Now, this isn't to say the rest of the relics don't matter, only that they're not from one specific location and are up for grabs by anyone interested.

 

 

 

And potential battles:

• Campaign in the Larkar Rifts - Time: Great Crusade. Location: Unknown. Extermination of 'horror-shrouded exo-strains". Recommended Legion: Hellrider Legion

Edited January 29, 2019 by simison

[bluntblade]

I think armour marks including TDA should be Mechanicum works with input from Legion techmarines and Primarchs

[Skalpynock]

Nostramo was purged by the Godslayers and Void Eagles, so either of these could have the Mancatcher.

[MikhalLeNoir]

 

Blind Helm of the Black Judges - Meratara Cluster - Someone still needs to destroy these guys

 

Kel made a story of knight houses(?) And wardens destroy the judges. Not sure.if still bronon but we might change.it a bit to fit again

Edited January 29, 2019 by MikhalLeNoir

[Kelborn]

Mikhal is right. The Judges are defeated by Knights and Wardens. Have to look for the story, it has been a while since I've last touched this.

 

It also was the ascendance of House Valcorian and the very first Great Tournament on Olympia.

[simison]

Blind Helm of the Black Judges - Meratara Cluster - Someone still needs to destroy these guys

 

Kel made a story of knight houses(?) And wardens destroy the judges. Not sure.if still bronon but we might change.it a bit to fit again

 

 

What is it with you guys and helmets?

 

 

Nostramo was purged by the Godslayers and Void Eagles, so either of these could have the Mancatcher.

 

Although the Night Lords use the Mancatcher, it isn't from Nostramo, but the Ghoul Stars.

 

 

I think armour marks including TDA should be Mechanicum works with input from Legion techmarines and Primarchs

 

Not sure how that applies. There's still going to be a prototype that's typically better than the mass-produced version. 

[bluntblade]

I just meant that no Legion should invent an armour mark, or the Cataphracti and Tartaros patterns

[MikhalLeNoir]

I just pointed out, that kel already wrote a story about the judges. Gimme the lightsaber, you get the helmet^^

[simison]

I just pointed out, that kel already wrote a story about the judges. Gimme the lightsaber, you get the helmet^^

 

No, my lightsaber.

[Nomus Sardauk]

I just pointed out, that kel already wrote a story about the judges. Gimme the lightsaber, you get the helmet^^

I thought you Warden of Light didn't like using swords...?