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Custodes don't age in presence of the Emperor! Valdor?!

Kastor Krieg

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Kastor Krieg Novitiate

Kastor Krieg

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https://youtu.be/0DD8VenFXIM

From the ADB's Voxcast, after 18:30 mark

 

 

I'm not sure if I should say this, but we had a lot of meetings about Custodians [...], their actual nature [...], can they be corrupted? And one of the things that was put forward by one of the IP managers at the time was that they don't age. [...] If they're in the Emperor's presence, they literally never age. So, the ones who are guarding the Throne Room could very well be the ones who were around during the Heresy - and that's why they didn't go out into the galaxy [...]


https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Constantin_Valdor

 

Following the failure of the Warmaster's assault upon Terra, the Emperor's surviving loyal sons lead a furious war of vengeance, which came to be known as the Great Scouring, in which they hounded the fleeing Traitor Legions across the galaxy. Yet the newly reorganised Adeptus Custodes took no part in this time of violent catharsis and retribution, standing their sombre watch upon the Throneworld and contemplating their ultimate failure. Though records conflict as to how and when, it is during this period that Captain-General Constantin Valdor disappeared from Imperial histories, along with his weapons and armour, which never made their way to the Hall of Armaments. The Custodians elected Valdor's successor from amongst their ranks and continued their watch.


So, it's absolutely feasible that the secret is that Constantin Valdor, the chief of the Companions, has "retired" to eternally accompany the Emperor whom he had failed to protect and stand guard next to the Throne, forever.
RikuEru Venerable Brother

RikuEru

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So, it's absolutely feasible that the secret is that Constantin Valdor, the chief of the Companions, has "retired" to eternally accompany the Emperor whom he had failed to protect and stand guard next to the Throne, forever.

While this is in its entirety very interesting and opens up quite some amazing storytelling possibilities...

(Some of the Custodes guarding the Palace really knew Guilliman personally, when he returned, for example.

Also, would a Saint's Presence or a powerful blessing be enough of a connection to the Emperor for a Custodes' Agelessness?)

 

 

...but regarding Valdor you should read the short-story 'Two Metaphysical Blades'

Gederas Venerable Brother

Gederas

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I was also really intrigued by that line. Was that designed in them intentionally, or accidental warp shenanigans? Would the same be true of marines had they been the ones chosen to guard the Emperor?

Probably intentionally designed. It'd be annoying if you're an immortal, ageless being to have to keep replacing your bodyguards every thousand years or so :laugh.: Especially when said bodyguards are hilariously resource-intensive to make.

Ranulf Venerable Brother

Ranulf

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Well, Valdor does have an origin-story coming up for release this year entitled - Valdor: Birth of the Imperium. If he is the ageless guardian of big E, all might be revealed over the course of a trilogy.

 

Book II - Valdor: Family Reunion on the Vengeful Spirit.

 

Before concluding with:

 

Book III -Valdor: Caring for Dad. 

 

-Ran

Karhedron Venerable Brother

Karhedron

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I was also really intrigued by that line. Was that designed in them intentionally, or accidental warp shenanigans? Would the same be true of marines had they been the ones chosen to guard the Emperor?

The Emperor is the sort of person who would put something like that in as a safety mechanism. If any Custodes go walk-about, they lose their immortality.

Kastor Krieg Novitiate

Kastor Krieg

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I don’t think ADB is saying this is a fluff fact, just something they discussed as a possibility.

 

Plus we know from the codex that the ones who guard the emperor in the throne room rotate out every so often.

Well, the "presence of the Emperor" could just as well be "in the Palace". Close to Dad, not necessarily in the same room.

Robbienw Veteran

Robbienw

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Well, he did say specifically the ones in the throne room, in the emperors presence.  I still think it is just something they were discussing as a possibility though, given he said it was put forward by someone.  And we have other reasons given in the custodes fluff as to why they didnt leave the palace much in the intervening years between the heresy and the 41st millenium.

Kenzaburo Veteran

Kenzaburo

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That would be a bit of a problem, considering that there's a whole strand of Custodes who have gotten too old for the duty and now serve as spies in the Imperium (according to Watchers of the Throne, Auric Gods and the Codex).

 

There's a whole chapter in Auric Gods where the Custodes Veteran muses how his reflexes have gotten that tiny bit slower, he's gotten more sluggish through age. Although that age seems to be somewhere along the lines of millenia but centuries.

RikuEru Venerable Brother

RikuEru

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Ah the eternal clash of canons

Not necessarily.

He said he got older and kinda rusty.

If your might was 100 once, but now you can only use 95% of it, that's only a difference of 5 points.

If your might was 1000000 once and you are at 95% now, that is a margin of 50000.

 

So basically he isn't able to fight at peak performance. But only the most perfect results are acceptable for the Custodes.

And if there is a new recruit, freshly gene-forged, still in his prime, that can take your place - why wouldn't you step down and serve in another way, if you only want the best for the Emperor?

Kenzaburo Veteran

Kenzaburo

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That would still mean that the Custodes did age and thus be a clash of canons, as pointed out by noigrim. :)

 

The core of what you say is true and was not opposed. Even an aging Custodian, who's got a bit rusty (he actually says that he's gotten slower by a tiny fraction of a second, I think), is a beast in combat and more than a match for any Astartes. But he did age, I think he even mentioned his hair slowly turning grey. Also: Ixion Hale certainly doesn't look like a man in his prime who hasn't aged. :)

Beren Venerable Brother

Beren

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According to forgeworld custodes are fubctionally inmortal and never age

Are you refering to the HH Black Books? Because if so, then it's possible that there hadn't been enough time for Custodes to noticeably age at the in-universe time of writing, depending on hoe long it takes them to do so.

Darkwrath121 Battle-Brother

Darkwrath121

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If I remember correctly, they can at least reach a significant age somewhere around several millenia. Weren't there mentioned Custodes 3-4,000 years old somewhere in the Codex or the fluff?

Yes. Centurion Longinus in Our Martyred Lady was a companion even in M36, making him possibly 4500(+) years old, and still doing perfectly fine.

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