Could someone explain Variel to me?

[DaBoiKyknos]

So, I read the three Night Lord novels by Aaron Dembski-Bowden some time ago...

I guess I liked them, though I am not as crazy about them as some seem to be.

The depiction of the battles were ok and I really liked how they described how it feels to fight in power armour, but some parts were a little long...

 

Anyways, what really bothers me since is that I don´t really understand this one character, Variel from the Red Corsairs/ Astral Claws.  He is  an apothecary at  this space station of the Corsairs and helps regulary to ease Hurons pains from the injuries he got back at Badab.

His motivations are still a mistery to me.

I mean, yes, we hear that, he has some sort of past with the warband of Talos and that Talos saved his life once. But why exactly does he join the Night Lords and leaves his Corsair brethren behind? He doesn´t really seem to like them for some reason, but we still don´t get to know why...

He seems quite committed to the cause of Talos and this idea of his to fulfil his gene-fathers ideas, but I don´t really understand what makes this important to him.

The Corsairs seem far better equipped, organized and generally more succesful than the Night Lords who show no unity whatsoever and mostly hate eahc others guts. Why join them?

As Talos said to him more or less "you owe me" (because i saved your life), he answers "Yeah, well I just saved yours" (from the reoccuring complications with his geneseed/ his prophetic gift). Which just makes total sense to me!

 

But in the end, somehow he seems to be convinced like he got to join the Night Lords now and leaves the Corsairs.              He then is for the rest of the trilogy (appearing in the middle of the second novel and joining them at roughly the end of the book) part of this Night Lords warband and seems to be a crucial character until the very end (appearing in the epilog years after Talos´ death).

 

Could someone explain me why he is doing, what he is doing?

 

I might have mixed some things up. If that´s the case, I´m sorry. It´s been a while since I read the books and English is not my first language, thus I sometimes don´t remember things that good as in German.

 

Greetings, Velype

[Kelborn]

It's been a while since I've read the trilogy.

 

I assume that the Corsairs were far too enjoying chaos stuff. In the end, what differed them from others who embraced chaos? Everyone was a tyrant of its own, thirsting for power and recognition.

 

Talos instead, spit on the warp. He wanted to reunite his Legion. He wanted to give them purpose again. Maybe Talos (form Variels pov) stood for order, the true war and old times of brotherhood instead of power struggles and raiding as much as possible.

 

Never really thought about that. I was ok with him despising of what his own kind has become and instead choosing to follow a worthy leader and brother.

 

 

Besides, Talos' warband is far more enjoyable than the Corsairs, imho. :P

[Brother Lunkhead]

I think Brother Kelborn nailed it. Variel just doesn't like anything about Huron and the Corsairs. Their deep emersion into Chaos and raw ambition and Huron's personal empire building turns him off. He was looking for something deeper and a leader with more honourable (yeah.... strange word when associated with a chaos marine, but I think that's it) ambitions.

 

Unfortunately, none of this is actually stated. It's all inferred by Variel's actions. LordVelype, don't feel bad if you didn't catch it. There's a lot going on. You really have to pay attention to his attitude and interactions with his fellow Red Corsairs and Talos. Variel was looking for a deeper cause and a leader he could respect. In spite of his many imperfections, he found that in Talos.

[mc warhammer]

i think inference is more powerful than statement

[Brother Lunkhead]

Yes.... Actions speak louder than words.

[ChazSexington]

Kelborn and Lunkhead have it. It seems Variel was very disillusioned with the Red Corsairs raison d'être, and didn't seem, based on his actions and attitudes, to have any sense of brotherhood with the other Red Corsairs. 

Edited November 21, 2017 by ChazSexington

[DaBoiKyknos]

Again, thanks for your answers, fraters!

 

I think many of what you said already went in the direction I suspected. 

However unfortunately, there aren´t really pov passage where he actually elaborates on this rather drastic change of course. 

Instead we know pretty much about that one Raptor Champions, whos character and allegiance aren´t that ambiguous at all! 

It´s probably not that I couldn´t see any reasons for him to become a Night Lord, more that I find his reasons not so... convincing. 

That he has about zero respect for the other Corsairs is quite strange I think, given that he fought and lived with them for millennia. 

On the other side Talos is to him, like a guy we see sometimes at the bus station every once in a year.

                                                                       ~ 

To me the whole thing is a flawed piece of a well-written story. 

But the best part of it will still be the description of fighting in power armour, I guess... 

Edited November 24, 2017 by LordVelype

[Phoebus]

Warning: conjecture follows.

 

Variel's chief purpose appears to have tield around Decimus. None of us are privy to what gets cut out from a novel before it hits the press, and it's quite possible more scenes with that character were originally written, which might have added context to his relationship with Talos.

[mc warhammer]

yeah, i feel like all the clues are there...just not too obvious

 

i’m not surprised variel didn’t have any great love or respect for his chapter. he didn’t pick his chapter or his brothers...maybe he never fit in? a little like torghan khan in the white scars? or he fell out of love with them as the centuries passed. hell is eternity stuck with your friends, right?

 

i do feel like decimus is a piece of that puzzle...

[Mantras]

Don't forget, in saving Talo's life, Variel learns that Talo's gene seed is fighting his body, and that implanted into another, could be extremely potent. Variel I think sees this as an exciting prospect, having become a bit melancholy with the renegade lifestyle.  

[DaBoiKyknos]

Warning: conjecture follows.

 

Variel's chief purpose appears to have tield around Decimus. None of us are privy to what gets cut out from a novel before it hits the press, and it's quite possible more scenes with that character were originally written, which might have added context to his relationship with Talos.

 

Not so convinced about that. It´s more of a feeling but I think it´s very much written to a half-open end. The whole ominous building with the prophet etc works well with no big explanation in the end. 

Don't forget, in saving Talo's life, Variel learns that Talo's gene seed is fighting his body, and that implanted into another, could be extremely potent. Variel I think sees this as an exciting prospect, having become a bit melancholy with the renegade lifestyle.  

 

So, like a mini-Fabius Bile, who is just very excited about this biological project? He seems pretty cold to me, that could fit. 

[Sabadin]

I've always had a head cannon that it was along the lines of;

 

Variel: "Why are you fighting this battle with us Night Lord"

 

Talos: "My name is not 'Night Lord', I am Talos, you are fighting mortals, and I enjoy wearing mortals as capes"

 

Variel: "I also enjoy wearing mortals as capes, do go on"

 

 

And thus one of the best bromances of the 41st millennium was born.

[Phoebus]

Not so convinced about that. It´s more of a feeling but I think it´s very much written to a half-open end. The whole ominous building with the prophet etc works well with no big explanation in the end.

To each their own! I mean, again, I have absolutely no proof A D-B intended for there to be more about Variel, but I don’t think more clarification behind his relationship with Talos constitutes explanation for Decimus.

[DaBoiKyknos]

Yes, maybe he wrote more, but storytelling-wise it makes sense how it ended.

Maybe he had to scale making things understandable against having a nice finish to the story. 

It was a good ending, I think; leaving things open for interpretation and all...

I just hope they didn´t abduct Septimius´ and Octavias child after all and turned him into Decimus (by the way who is Quintus "The Ninth", then?)... 

Edited November 24, 2017 by LordVelype

[Kelborn]

The guy Talos took from the Mechanicum station.

Book 2.

 

And I always thought that Decimus is the child of Septimus and Octavia... oO

[Brother Lunkhead]

Decimus IS the child of Septimus and Octavia. Talos warned them that Variel would come for their child.... and that's exactly what happened. Variel took their child and implanted Talos' progenoid gland in him and presto chango....Decimus. Once again implied, but not in a subtle way.

[Ascanius]

Yeah. I think Decimus is the perfect example: AD-B doesn't always spell things out explicitly, but if you read between the lines it's clear enough.

 

Variel doesn't have any great love for the Red Corsairs or Huron Blackheart, but he's got a kind of purpose there - it's just that Talos awakens in him the hope of a more fulfilling purpose as part of the Night Lords.

[DaBoiKyknos]

Decimus IS the child of Septimus and Octavia. Talos warned them that Variel would come for their child.... and that's exactly what happened. Variel took their child and implanted Talos' progenoid gland in him and presto chango....Decimus. Once again implied, but not in a subtle way.

 

I guess that´s left open, too. I mean, why should their child be better suited than any other child? Plus he is almost a species on his own, a hybrid between Navigator and normal human. We don´t know anything about such a being and if he is suited to become an Astartes. It´s almost like trying to make an Abhuman a Space Marine.

 

~ 

 

For they sake of my soul, let´s just hope it´s not him!   

Edited November 25, 2017 by LordVelype

[Phoebus]

I think you answered your own question as to the why. It's a rather heavy allusion for Decimus to be anyone other than the child of Septimus and Octavia.

[Kelborn]

And there goes your soul. Say farewell, old friend. :P

[Ascanius]

 

I guess that´s left open, too. I mean, why should their child be better suited than any other child? Plus he is almost a species on his own, a hybrid between Navigator and normal human. We don´t know anything about such a being and if he is suited to become an Astartes. It´s almost like trying to make an Abhuman a Space Marine.

 

The whole point was that the child of a human and a Navigator, conceived in Warp space, might be a more receptive host for Talos's prophetic gene-seed and unlock its full potential to see the future as Curze did.

[DaBoiKyknos]

The guy Talos took from the Mechanicum station.

Book 2.

 

And I always thought that Decimus is the child of Septimus and Octavia... oO

 

Ah, you´re right. And I overread your post the whole time; sorry!

The guy who gets thrown in the pool of the old navigators´ :cuss? :/ That was just downright cynical btw...

 

 

 

I guess that´s left open, too. I mean, why should their child be better suited than any other child? Plus he is almost a species on his own, a hybrid between Navigator and normal human. We don´t know anything about such a being and if he is suited to become an Astartes. It´s almost like trying to make an Abhuman a Space Marine.

 

The whole point was that the child of a human and a Navigator, conceived in Warp space, might be a more receptive host for Talos's prophetic gene-seed and unlock its full potential to see the future as Curze did.

 

Hmm, well, it could have not be the plan the whole time. Talos was very angry with Septimius first, because getting here pregnant was dangerous for the only Navigator on board and all. If it was Variels planl, we again lack of insights in his thoughts. 

 

Yes, maybe you´re right. You probably read the books better than I did. 

But, I just don´t want to kill that kindle-flame of doubt in me entirely...  Well, maybe those two still lived somewhat happy afterwards... 

Edited November 25, 2017 by LordVelype

[DaBoiKyknos]

(sorry for doublepost...)  

Edited November 25, 2017 by LordVelype

[Phoebus]

I don’t think anyone meant that it was Talos’s plan. Talos was a shrewd guy, though, and knew what Variel would have in mind for the baby. Hence why he doesn’t (to my recollection) warn Octavia and Septimus until he’s resigned to the fact that he’s going to die.

[DaBoiKyknos]

Yes, you´re right. One of interesting bits about this book is, I think, that it has a bunch of characters banded together, whose lifes and aims depend on each other, but who also can never fully trust each other.

Well, on the issue if Decimus is the Night Lords ex-slaves´ son or not: He said Variel would find them, but Septimius is quite one able individual and Octavia isn´t dumb either. They could have hidden from him... That´s how I want to see it at least...