Thorne of Light

The bits:

-Tenebrus the Hand of Abaddon and his servant the sorceress Tharador Yheng boarded Kor Phaeron's cathedral ship the Dominant Will. Tenebrus warns Yheng not to antagonize or draw the displeasure of the Dark Cardinal. He tells her that it's true that he, as the Hand of Abaddon, should be treated as an equal by ones as powerful as Kor Phaeron but for the sake of the Warmaster's plans, he must swallow his pride. The Warmaster's plan demand that he treat well with the Dark Cardinal. For now, Abaddon is his master and Kor Phaeron's as well even though the Word Bearer does not like admitting it. They will reach an accord.

-The Word Bearers saw themselves as priests, the mediums between the mortal and the divine because of this they looked down on sorcerers.

-Tenebrus and Yheng were led by Pridor Vrakon, Dark Apostle of the Third Host to the throne room of Kor Phaeron. Once Yheng glimpsed the Dark Cardinal she was overwhelmed by his power and dark glory. She fell to her knees and bowed her until it touched the hot ground. However, despite all the power bestowed upon him by the dark powers, Yheng knew that he was different from the other marines. He was a man not truly a space marine.

-Tenebrus and Kor Phaeron engage in conversation. Kor Phaeron accused Tenebrus of speaking the word of faith but not believing.  Tenebrus replied that he is as faithful as him. He just worships differently from him. He respects Kor Phaeron's fervor so why can't the Dark Cardinal respect his manner of faith?

-Kor Phaeron said that there is only one faith. The lack of respect Tenebrus has for the gods is shown in his wretched form. If Tenebrus' faith was purer, then so would be his form. Tenebrus takes too much and worships little in return making the same mistake many sorcerers have, believing the gods serve them. So the Dark powers take a price for their gifts to remind them but they do not listen.

-Kor Phaeron continues by saying to be a servant of the gods is to give yourself completely to them and expect nothing in return. When Tenebrus pointed out that Kor Phaeron has power, Kor Phaeron responded that it was given to better serve the gods. He seeks no glory for himself, only that the true faith spreads through the galaxy and to usher mankind's salvation.

-Tenebrus comments that they have an interesting theological difference and moved on the conversation. He asks Kor Phaeron if has witnessed what he has witnessed. Kor Phaeron asks him to reveal what he has seen b before he could tell him.

-Tenebrus said that he has seen a golden figure bound on a throne. He has seen his chains break. He has seen the cry of a child. He has seen Abaddon's crusade scattered and the armies of Chaos destroyed. He has heard the screams of the gods. He has seen the end of everything they believe.

-Kor Phaerons reveals what the gods have shown him. The Imperial saints, holy visions, the Psychic Awakening of mankind, a spirit defiance surging through the Imperium despite the absence of all hope. The faith in the Corpse God is strong. The Anathema, the false Emperor, stirs. No longer does he sleep. He is working through his servants. And there is something else.

-Kor Phaeron was granted a vision of a most terrible child. Its coming heralds the doom of them all. The return of their most implacable foe.

-Kor Phaeron orders Tenebrus to find this child. It's the only way to avert this disaster. Abaddon commands it, he commands it!

-To find this child, Tenebrus asks for a sacrifice but not any meager sacrifice. He needs a soul that's the perfect mixture of faith, hopelessness, and power in the Warp. A soul that knows the highest of honors and the lowest of despairs. Due to being pressed by time, a sacrifice of these requirements cannot be prepared by the heretics. Instead, they would search for a suitable sacrifice among the captives of the Blackships.  Kor Phaeron looses Xhokol Hruvak the Master of Hounds. The hunt has begun.

-Cawl's hypno-training gave the Primaris marines an affinity for cooperative warfare.  However, the Primaris lacked the flexibility of the Firstborn. The older marines were capable of switching between supportive actions and sole heroics more fluidly than the Primaris. It was something the Primaris need to learn for they won't be fighting as the Unnmurbered Sons forever. Not all of their future engagements will feature an overwhelming number of marines.  There are legends of groups of Firstborn marines five or ten marines strong holding worlds against incredible odds. The Primaris weren't ready for such deeds yet.

-The astropathic relay on the world of Srinagar was one of the largest in Segmentum solar. It was one of the dozens of such relays that surrounded Sol. Through them, messages were sent from Terra to the rest of the galaxy-spanning Imperium. The relay on Srinagar was particularly important since the violent dance of its binary stars created a vortex in the Warp creating a potent astropathic conduit.

-Roboute's entourage featured two men that carried a yard-high copy of the Index Astartes made out of leather and metal. It was so heavy that the two men used a pole that was hooked at either end of the book's spine to carry it.

-Psykers aboard the Blackships were chained with anti-psychic metals and subjected to psychic-suppressor machines. They were fed a little so that they would starve and they were denied sleep by a bombardment of flashing lights and clamorous bells. The holds' floors were uncomfortable to lay on and the discomfort was compounded by the fact that the holds did not have toilets or any washing facilities. The bodily waste of the psykers would collect into slops beneath the holds' floor grilles. All of this added to the collective psychic despair of the prisoners ensured that they were exhausted beyond the hope of quick recovery. They were laid out on the hard floor crammed together to the point that they touched each other whenever they moved.

-Knight-Excubitor Phyllia Torunda ruled the decks of the Black Ship Sacrificium Ultimum. She sat upon a black throne that amplified her Pariah abilities to the point it affected reality making the space around her flicker like a bad vid-feed. Her power armor was partly made from Warp proof metal and inlaid with hexagrammatic wards.

-The crews of the Blackships were chosen from the humans with the least psychic potential. Even the servitors were tested for any remnant of psychic talent.

-The Sisters of Silence that led the Blackships were the proudest of their Order. They are the Chamber Astra. While the other chambers of the Sisters of Silence scattered and disappeared into myth following the HH until they were recently resurrected, the Chamber Astra never went away. They continued their grim task of leading the Great Tithe.

-Aboard the Word Bearer ship chasing the Blackships was a calcified horror of hair and flesh that hung from ropes of sinew in the command deck. This mutant creature was the heretic ship's navigator. His third eye was left exposed. The Word Bearers have long passed the point of madness so the horror the third eye meant nothing to masters of daemons.

-Xhokol Hruvak used his pet khymerae to track down the Blackships and the required sacrifice. Due to the khymerae being half rooted in the materium they were unaffected by the conditions of either the Warp or Real Space. It allowed them to scent the prey through the turmoil of the Warp and the wards of the Blackships.

-Pridor Vrakon, who was traveling as a guest aboard the Hound Master's ship, pointed out that the khymerae are unpure creatures. They are Warp beast born not of the four.

-Hruvak told him that he doesn't care what he thinks. The khymerae are more refined than any lesser daemon of the four. They are expressions of the Warp in its purest form. They are children of the interactions between the mind and matter. They do not obey the laws of real space or the Warp. And this makes them perfect. If the khymerae are impure, then he himself is impure. If that's true then he wouldn't be enjoying the favor bestowed upon him by the Dark Powers.

-The khymerae are capable of hunting creatures of the Warp just as well as creatures of flesh. Hruvak used them to hunt and enslave daemons to his service

-The Word Bearers' daemons would not be able to stand against the Sisters of Silence. However, the khymerae would as they are half-real. Another point that made them superior to daemons.

-Rather than face the Word Bearers and the infinity of daemons in the Warp, the Blackships burst into real space but their translation proved to be costly. The Imperials came out of the Warp in disarray. Only one of the Blackships emerged unscathed from the Warp. It maintained good formation with its escorts and sped away. The two other Blackships weren't as fortunate. One was limping away with less than half its propulsion power. The other was floating helplessly in space, its engines nonfunctioning.

-These two Blackships will be the fifth and sixth of the Blackships that Hruvak has taken.

-The Word Bearers boarded the Sacrificium Ultimum. Though Blackships were armed with weapons similar to ships of the same line, their innards were vulnerable. Primarily designed as prisons, the cavernous halls and long corridors made containing the invading enemies difficult. Though Blackships were crewed with more armsmen than warships of comparable size, it didn't matter when fighting against the wrath of the Chaos Marines. The Word Bearers strode unharmed through the storm of shotgun pellets and lasguns as they slaughtered the crew with murderous efficiency.

-The Sisters of Silence fought back against the Word Bearers. Torunda led her sisters and the armsmen against a squad of five Word Bearers. The Sisters attacked from rear while the armsmen provided cover. The bolters of the Sisters were of lesser caliber than the ones wielded by Space marines so they struggled to break through the power armor of the marines. However, under concentrated fire one of the traitor marines was struck down wounded.

-Torunda charged one of the marines and he opened fire on her. Her percipience reaction allowed her to lean to the side. The bolt round cracked her rerebrace but did not spoil her charge by much. She crashed into the traitor marine and slashed him with her power sword. The traitor marine backhanded her tearing the muscles in her neck and sending crashing back. Before the marine could finish her off, he was stabbed in the back by one of her sisters. For a single moment, the sister stood in triumph over the slain space marine before his battle-brothers reduced her to blasted pieces of gore with their bolter fire.

-Something moved amidst the confusion of the fighting. Warp filth. Normally these creatures would shy away from the presence of the Sisters of Silence but these things were fearless. She recognized them as khymerae. They were literal nightmares given form and flesh. Half-real abominations that were resistant to the pariah aura of the Sisters. They flicked in and out of reality. Bolts passed through them as if they were ghosts but when they struck their attacks were deadly.

-One of them spotted Torunda and pounced. Before it could maul or disembowel her, she grabbed it by its neck and dug her fingers into its flesh. The khymerae were resistant to the Pariah aura but not immune. She drew on her soulless nature turning the khymerae's growls into whimpers. She drew out the poison of the Warp from it. The khymerae's flickering intensified as she obliterated its essence.  Then she cast the dissolving beast aside. Her triumph was short-lived as she witnessed the last of her sisters being cut down.

-Hruvak appeared before Torunda and grabbed her by the throat. She told her that she killed his pet. He continues by saying that he thought the days of their sisterhood were over but now he has killed many of their kind. It's curious what ancient wrongs the 13th is bringing back.

-Hruvak gave her one last chance to speak before he crushed her neck. She was free to make one final prayer to her false god or beg for mercy. If she does beg he might spare her. The Chaos Gods could find uses for her. Torunda shook her head. "Suit yourself" was Hruvak's reply before he squeezed.

-After securing the required sacrifice, Hruvak allows his khymerae to feed on the remaining captive psykers.

-Catachans are called "baby ogryns" by other Imperial Guard regiments but not to their faces. This was due to their overly muscled bodies. It wasn't a result of mutation but an adaptation from living on their high gravity homeworld. Though, for all intents and purposes, the Catachans are human they looked different. And in an Imperium difference meant mistrust and scorn.

-The Adepta founded by the returned Primarch the Logos Historica Verita faced resistance from the Inquisition and elements of the Adeptus Administratum.

-Roboute ordered Historitor Fabian to embark with a Torchbearer fleet sent to Segmentum Solar to reinforce a crusade of Black Templar. The fleet will be accompanied by fifty Unnumbered Sons from Dorn's line. These fifty marines were chosen from the most devout and faithful of Dorn's Primaris. Though the Primarch doesn't agree with marines worshipping the Emperor, he knows it's important that the Unnumbered Sons integrate with their adoptive chapter.

-Fabian's mission is to ensure that the historitors have proper representation within the Crusade fleets fighting in the Segemtum Solar. Their mission there is especially important since they are going to find themselves working alongside the members of the Adeptus Administratum’s Officio Verus. This means that the lines between useful propaganda and outright lies are vague and treacherous. After Fabian completes his mission in Segmentum Solar he is to head to the Nachmund Gauntlet and pass to Vigilus. There he would work with Lord Calgar. His true mission lies in the Imperium Nihilus. Under the cover of trying to uncover the past of the Imperium, Fabian is to gather as much information about the Imperium Nihilus as possible.

-The Primarch's return and efforts have been opposed. In the Imperial Sanctus the Primarch has an idea of who is standing against him within the Imperium. However, he is blind to the attitudes and loyalties of the Imperials in the Imperium Nihilus. Fabian will draw a picture of the state of the Imperium in the north and deliver it to the Primarch whenever he decides to cross to the Imperium Nihilus. In the meantime, there is much to do in the Imperium Sanctus.

-Brother Lucerne was assigned to safeguard Fabian. Before being snatched up by Cawl, Lucerne was being trained to be a priest. His faith in the Emperor survived Cawl's Hypno-conditioning.

-After Fabian left, the Primarch spoke to Lucerne. Roboute told him that he chose him because of his faith and warned him of the Black Templar Crusade. The Black Templar Crusade, the Angevin Crusade must accept the Primaris. The Black Templar, despite their fanaticism, are valuable. They form a bridge between the Space Marine chapters and the Imperial Church. If they reject the Primaris then the news would spread.

-Lucerne was puzzled by the seeming Primarch's fear that the Black Templar of the Angevin Crusade would reject the Primaris. He assured the Primarch that High Marshal Helbrecht accepted the Primaris and commanded that they be inducted into the ranks of the Black Templar.

-The Primarch said that this is true but it's not straightforward.  Not all Black Templar marshals are in agreement. They are a non-codex-compliant chapter. Their numbers are unknown and their leaders are fiercely independent.

-The Primarch went on to say that the former leader of the Black Templar Crusade have met with a Torchbearer fleet and swore loyalty to the Primarch. Then they came under attack and nothing more was heard until recently.  The Angevin Crusade reappeared and was instrumental in the victory at Talledus. But intel delivered to the Primarchs revealed that the Crusade was depleted and that Marshal Angevin was dead. Most concerning was that there is no sign of Primaris among their ranks. The Primarch believes that a worse thing has happened than the Black Templar rejecting the Primaris. Lucerne's mission was to find out what happened to the Torchbearer fleet.

*Note: So they resolved the main narrative of the "Psychic Awakening: Faith and Fury" in one throwaway line in this novel. That's funny since the T'au 9th ED codex also resolves the main narrative of the "Psychic Awakening: The Greater good" in one throwaway line (The T'au won).  What's with GW and its contempt toward the Psychic Awakening books?!

-This was not all. The Primarch has another task in mind for Lucerne concerning his charge Fabian. The Primarch explained that Fabian was part of a miracle. Fabian through a series of unlikely events, coincidences, and his dogged insistence circumvented the Imperial bureaucracy to deliver messages concerning the Pariah Nexus and other threats to the Primarch. Against all odds, Fabian delivered the information the Primarch needed to act on before it was too late.

-The Primarch is theorizing that the hand of the Emperor is in this. Some in the Imperium believe that the Emperor is stirring. The Psychic awakening is intensifying across the galaxy, saints, the Legion of the Damned, holy visions that saved worlds, and many such things linked to the Emperor.  If all of these are taken to account, the Emperor might have a plan for Fabian. A current of fate carrying him along and allowing him to change the fate of the galaxy. It's as if the Emperor is manipulating events.

-However, the Primarch acknowledges that there are other so-called gods exerting their will on reality. The Primarch was targetted by four of them and some of their schemes were so subtle that he nearly fell to them. And there is a flaw in the theory. Roboute met with the Emperor. The experience was painful and contradictory. From a certain point of view, they did communicate but his experience with the Emperor makes him believe He is not capable of acting directly.  The conclusion is that the "miracles" are not His work. Humanity is so desperate for intervention from higher powers that they are willing to accept them blindly for hope's sake. Here lies the risk. Hope is a weakness that the Dark Gods know well how to exploit.

-In truth, the Primarch doesn't know exactly what to make of all this. The Emperor was ever a manipulator. During the Great Crusade, He manipulated the Primarchs. Perhaps this was his latest plot but what is most likely for Roboute is that Fabian is the pawn of another power.  Perhaps  Fabian was meant to create a hope that blinds the Imperium to outside manipulation.  It's not in the best interest of the forces of Chaos if the Necrons rose and completed their Pariah Nexus. By using Fabian, Abaddon and the masters he serves might be setting one foe against another eliminating both the Imperium and the Necrons in one stroke. The Primarch believes this is the most likely possibility

-Lucerne understood the implication. The Primarch wants him to slay Fabian if it revealed beyond a doubt that he is a pawn of Chaos. Both the Primarch and Lucerne are fond of Fabian. They know that he is a good and loyal man. If all of this was the work of the Great Enemy Fabian would be an unwitting pawn. Regardless, such revelation would necessitate his death.  Lucerne vowed to kill Fabian without hesitation.

-It was unfortunate for Tenebrus that Kor Phaeron knew of the child. It complicates things but from a setback, one can find the seed of success. The divination ritual he is preparing to cast will attract the attention of the gods themselves and other interested parties. By casting the ritual under the roof of Kor Phaeron, the eyes of these curious sorts will be set on Kor Phaeron rather than Tenebrus. Kor Phaeron will protect them from the attention of his gods.

-The ritual required 9 devout followers of Tzeentch. 9 holy men loyal to the Emperor. 9 sacrifices that are a mixture of the innocent, the damned, the sane, and the insane. the willing, and unwilling. The composition of the final sacrificial group didn't matter much since Tzeentch is a god that will find a pattern where none exists. He will find a purpose in the third sacrifice and approve.  Since they are summoning one of the Great Daemon Lords, Tenebrus will break the Argent Rod of Caius a Chaos tainted relic of ancient technology. This will be done to display their devotion.

-Tenebrus reveals to Yheng who they will summon. It was Kairos Fateweaver. The most favored of Tzeentch and almost a god in his own right. Tenebrus bids Yheng to go and prepare the psyker they took from the Blackship. He will be Fateweaver's vessel. He needs to be purified so he would be more accepting of his role.

-Before Yheng could leave Tenebrus he ordered her to fetch him someone to eat. He moved closer to her and caressed her cheeks with his long fingers. The look in his eyes spoke more of one kind of a need stirring within him. It made her shudder in revulsion.

-Rostov's psychic ability required him to cover up since a mere touch of skin was enough to trigger it. He would see into the soul of anyone he touched. It was always painful for him to see into the memories of others. He would be taunted by memories of love and joy denied to him by his lonely existence and add more sorrow to his own. Misery was omnipresent and the Imperium he served caused most of it.

-It has been five years since the Indomitus Crusade was launched

-The psyker taken from the Blackship was called Gavimor. He was a former Imperial noble removed from his position when it was discovered that he has psychic abilities. Tharador Yheng comes for him and allows him to leave his cell. She pampers him and plays on the wounds of his lost status. She reveals the fate of weak psykers like him in the Imperium, to be devoured whole by the Emperor of Mankind. She promises that if he chose her masters then he would know immortality and power far greater than any he had before. Unlike the power of the life he left behind, it would be power earned not given. Eventually, the promises of power, the drugs soaking into his body, and Yheng's sexual advances wear him down and get him to swear allegiance to the Dark Gods.

-Lucerne finally located the Black Templar Crusade. All that remained of them was a  single damaged ship. Boarding the ship, Lucerne found that 14 Templar remained on board and they were in the middle of group prayer. Their chaplain was offended by Lucerne intercepting their prayer though it was obvious there was more to his anger.

-Lucerne asked them for forgiveness in the name of the Emperor and the holiest Saint Sigismund. This angered the chaplain further who asked Lucerne by what right does he carry the emblems of their faith. By what right does he make oaths to Sigismund. These are the symbols of the Black Templar's faith. For this insult, the chaplain threatened to strike down Lucerne.

-Lucerne replied that if faith in the Master of Mankind is restricted only to the Black Templar then he should strike him down for he has faith. The chaplain moved to deliver on his threat but was stopped by the Templar's leader Castellan Beorhtnoth.

-Castellan Beorhtnoth asks if it's true that Lucerne believes in the Emperor. Lucerne confirms that he does believe in the Emperor and his salvation for mankind. Once again the chaplain rants saying that it cannot be so since Lucerne is a thing of Cawl's, an infidel.

-Lucerne goes on to say that he isn't alone in his faith. There are other Primaris that believe the same as Black Templar in the divinity of the Emperor. He has under his charge fifty such Primaris marines sent by the Primarch to reinforce the Black Templar.

-Beorhtnoth rejects this aid and the suggestion that the Templar should link up with the rest of the Primarch's Crusade. They have the right to reject the Primarch's offer as the marine chapters are independent and don't answer to anyone but their own as per the codex that Lucerne's Primarch wrote ten thousand years ago. They need no guidance except that of the Emperor.

When Lucerne objected that Roboute was not his Primarch, it was Dorn the same as they, the chaplain ranted that Cawl was his true gene-father.

-Beorhtnoth reveals the fate of the Torchbearer fleet. The fleet did reach their system but all that remained of it was a single heavily damaged ship beset by enemies. Marshal Angevin died trying to save that ship. The Black Templar took it as a sign from the Emperor to reject the Primaris and to doubt the Primarch. They believed it was a sign that they should maintain their purity as works of the Emperor and reject the works of Cawl. They are His angels, Cawl's creations are not.

-Beorhtnoth bid Lucerne leave in peace but was surprised when Lucerne called for trial by combat. It would reveal the will of the Emperor.  He was asked by what right does he invoke this right when he isn't a member of their brotherhood. Lucerne responded that he IS a Black Templar. He swears the chains, he made his oath to Sigismund. By decree of High Marshal and the Primarch, he is by all rights a Black Templar.

-Beorhtnoth moved to reject Lucerne but one of the Templars spoke for Lucerne. Sword Brother Alanus agreed with Lucerne that he does have a right to trial by combat. Though he is misguided, Lucerne is of Dorn's line. It was true that he was a Primaris and that makes him impure but the Black Templar afforded honor to Xenos before. This was their way.

-So Beorhtnoth and Lucerne fought each other in an honor duel. The outcome of which decided the fate of the Primaris. Beorhtnoth dealt Lucerne two blows, A cut to the face and a headbutt that flattened Lucerne's nose. Lucerne managed to cut Beorhtnoth's leg. When they parted Beorhtnoth said that the Primaris are praised for being bigger and stronger than the Firstborn. They are said to be better than them. But where was the Emperor's blessing in Lucerne? Why does he bleed?

-Both combatants dove at each other again. When their swords locked Lucerne used his extra height and superior strength to slowly drive Beorhtnoth to the ground. Lacking the enhancements of the Primaris and with his leg wounded, Beorhtnoth could not escape from being pinned to the ground. Their swords were wedged between them so all Beorhtnoth could do was reach out and dig his fingers into Lucerne's face wound and rip it wider. Lucerne endured the pain and positioned his elbow on Beorhtnoth's throat and in the agonizing minutes that followed he choked him into unconsciousness.

-When Lucerne rose up over his defeated opponent, his cheek was hanging free from his face revealing his teeth.  The chaplain demanded that Lucerne finish Beorhtnoth. He must either yield or die. That's how a trial by combat ends. Lucerne refused. He dragged Beorhtnoth and dropped him outside the ring. Lucerne said that he would not sully his hand by killing a loyal servant of the Emperor that could not defend himself. By the laws of the Trial of Blades, by casting his opponent outside of the ring he is the victor and now he demands his prize. As agreed the Primaris will join the Black Templar.

-The chaplain finally agreed to this but he said he would only allow Lucerne to join. When  Lucerne objected to this as not part of their pledge. The chaplain told him that he has proven his worth and earned the right to join. His Primaris brothers have not. All of them have to fight the Black Templars in order to earn the right the same he did. This was the rite of the Black Templar. He also proclaimed that as long as he lived he will not allow Lucerne's Primaris brothers to join them.

-Gavimor life became of indulgence. Drugs, warm bodies, and fine food were delivered to him. It was merely to fatten him up for the sacrifice. When the time for summoning came, Yheng guided him to the ritual chamber. He was fooled into saying the ritual chant that would cause offer him willingly to Tzeentch. Then it began. Chains of light took wrapped themselves over Gavimor. The sorcerors chanted and the serfs slew the three sacrificial groups. At first, Gavimor was panicking but as power followed through him he believed that Yheng's promises were being filled. He could see all of time, the future, and the past stretching toward infinity.  He felt pleasure at all of this knowledge and power but then it faded. Madness came first as his mind crumbled before the weight of eternity. Pain followed as his body twisted and changed. He screamed in agony as his soul was snuffed out. Before he was cast into oblivion, he knew what it meant to serve the gods of Chaos.

-In Gavimor's place, stood Kairos Fateweaver. The Oracle of Tzeentch and the master of the Well of Eternity. When he spoke, Yheng was brought to the edge of insanity. Every word brought with it visions of countless futures and an unrecognizable past. Her fellow sorcerers were suffering the same as her, moaning and bleeding from their eyes. Only Tenebrus was unaffected. He wore the same smug satisfaction that he displayed for everyone.

-Kairos heads spoke simultaneously. The right head greeted Tenebrus as an ally in a courtly fashion while the left head snapped its contempt at him. Kairos reached toward Tenebrus but found that he was bound. Tenebrus apologized for this. He has bound Kairos here to ask him a crucial question. The war in the materium hands in the balance.

-Tenebrus asked Kairos about the Golden Child. The Warp trembles with the news of its coming. Tenebrus would know what it is and where to find it.

-Kairos' right head said It was the Anathema the bringer of unity under a name long unsaod. The left head said Mutant that heralds the end. It brings lies and victory for the four under the hand of the shaper. Much power to all-knowing Tzeentch. Then both heads said all shall fail.

-Tenebrus asked for the child's name. Kairos right head said it doesn't know while the left said it can't be said. The child is hidden by a greater power, one stronger than all others. The name cannot be told to the likes of Tenebrus nor can it be uttered by the likes of Kairos.

-Tenebrus asked if the child is the Emperor returning in a new form. Kairos right head said that what is whole can return, what is not cannot. The left asked has the Emperor the desire? The right answered that it's impossible.

-The left head said that the Emperor bids his time. The right head disagreed saying that the Emperor is out of time, The child is not He.

-The right head said that the child cannot be seen. The left said that it knows where the child is but it won't tell for to attract the Emperor's attention is to court doom.

-Kairos right head said that the answer lies on a world called Srinagar. There he would find the path of knowledge said the left head. There he would find the path to ignorance said the right head.

-As the summoning time ran out and Tenebrus power over Kairos went out. Kairos lifted his claw and the left head said that he is going to reward him. Bestow a gift from Tzeentch in recognition of his mastery of the Warp. The right said he will curse him for his insolence in summoning them.

-Tenebrus was knocked out. Sorcerers attempted to ward off the sorcery of Kairos. Some were successful but some were not. Flesh melted off the bone. Eyeballs burst from eye sockets, grew legs, and ran off. A man split into two identical versions of himself that fell on each other with murderous rage. This and many other gifts of the Changer of Ways played in the ritual chamber.

-Before vanishing, Kairos warned Tenebrus to beware of his ambitions. He might succeed in attaining them.

-Yheng ran to Tenebrus and checked on him. He was coming to. Tentacle moved under his robes. Tzeentch has blessed him. Tenebrus told Yheng that it's more a cost of using the power of Chaos than a blessing. It's all a matter of perspective. This is something fools like Kor Phaeron can never understand. Chaos cannot be served nor controlled. It destroys those who worship it just as well as those who seek to control it. It's after all the primordial annihilator as the Aeldari call it though it's not as old as this term suggests.

-Tenebrus explains to Yheng that mortals are forever locked in a game with the dark gods. It's a game of cat and mouse. The gods are the mortals' nightmares. Without mortals, the gods cannot survive. but the gods desire to be their masters. And they have grown powerful enough to consume mortalkind. Tenebrus tells Yheng that she must not let the gods control her. The true power of their path lies on the knife edge between submission and mastery.

- Tenebrus continues but saying that Chaos cannot be controlled. It cannot be defeated. You can only survive it. And to survive Chaos on must become it. This is what Tenebrus seeks. Only by transcending the limitation of flesh and becoming one with the Warp does mortal kind have a chance of preserving their souls.

-Tenebrus doesn't care, like Kor Phaeron and the Word Bearers, in what manner Abaddon will achieve his victory. Nor do the gods. To the gods, the struggle is the game. All Tenebrus cares about is slaying the Emperor. The death of the Anathema would buy him the power he needs to be free and survive Chaos.

-Fabian's former profession as a Terran adept kept the sexes segregated. The last thing the department needed was a population explosion among the adepts. He barely had any contact with his own mother Moreover, the adepts were given sex suppressant drugs to get them to focus on their work. This made Fabian struggle to understand and relate to women.

-Tenebrus decided that what Tzeentch bestowed with his will, he would remove with his. He had Yheng pin his tentacles in place with nails and he began using a las-cutter to rid himself of the tentacles. The things screamed and thrashed. By the time he cut through the second one, the pain proved to be too great. He ordered Yheng to complete the cutting. She obeyed and began to work. Even as her master fainted from the agony she continued to cut.

-When Tenebrus woke up he ingested a potion created from his Tzeentchian warped flesh. The potion allowed him to cast his mind into the body of a cultist on the world of Srinagar.

-From the mind of the cultist, Tenebrus witnessed a vision of a golden being standing from a throne of fire. There was a powerful mind at the heart of the astropathic relay. It's moving half in slumber. The violence of the system's star stirs the Warp so visions of it leak out.  The Child. it was a child. It was a man. It was a woman. It was everything.

-Tenebrus host was slain. There was an Inquisitor on Srinagar which meant things are swiftly progressing. The Word Bearers must bring war to Srinagar before the Inquisitor claimed the prize.

-The first Primaris wave created by Cawl lacked empathy for normal humans. They are almost robotic in their adherence to logic and inability to self-reflect. Fortunately, this fault is not shared by the new Primaris created by the chapters.

-Kor Phaeron's fleet engaged the Imperial battlegroup above Srinagar. As the Imperial forces were distracted by the void war, Kor Phaeron drew an athame. One of the shards of the blade that wounded Horus. He used it to cut a rift into reality. Vrakon and his men walked into the rift. They were followed by Tenebrus and Yheng.

-During the passage Yheng witnessed a terrible burning being. It had wings of light and it seemed to be in great pain. The beings wordlessly barred her passage. She struggled under the gaze of the being but Tenebrus dragged her out before it was too late. Her soul was charred and she was shaking uncontrollably. Tenebrus made her drink a potion that banished the influence of the being.  Tenebrus explained to his recovering servant that their passage was opposed.  The thing they were hunting doesn't want to be found. He noted that Kor Phaeron didn't come with them. Perhaps he wasn't as confident as he let on.

-Lucerne found himself being dragged away from his Primaris brothers by a sudden Warp jump by the Black Templar ship. The chaplain claimed that the Emperor sent a vision of where they should fight next. The vision led them to Srinagar. The Black Templar and Lucerne joined the void war there and boarded the ship of the Master of Hounds. They fought their way toward the ship's reactor and rigged it to meltdown. Before they could escape the doomed ship, Xhokol Hruvak blocked their exit. The Master of Hounds loosed his Khymerae against them. Beorhtnoth killed one of the Khymerae but was too late to save brother Alanus from having his head ripped open by other Khymerae. He avenged his brother's death and engaged the traitor. As Lucerne struggled against the last surviving Khymerae, Beorhtnoth traded blows with the traitor. Beorhtnoth kept the fighting up close to deny the traitor the use of his whip but by doing so he robbed himself of the reach of his sword and made him vulnerable to the traitor's serpent blade. The traitor found an opening and rammed the blade under Beorhtnoth's breastplate causing the power field to tear out his insides. This happened just as Lucerne killed the last  Khymerae.  Lucerne drew his bolt pistol and emptied it on the traitor killing him.

-Rostov made contact with the lead astropath. She gave her life to show him a vision of a child on a faraway world whose small arms twitched in dreaming.

-Tenebrus reached the interior of the Astropathic relay. The Astropaths were chanting "He is coming" over and over. Tenebrus wondered who exactly was this child whose image polluted the Warp. Was it the Emperor or one of his saints? Whatever it was it needed to be dealt with. This place held the answer to its location.

-Rostov revealed himself and confronted Tenebrus.  He asked Tenebrus if he was the Hand of Abaddon. Tenebrus gleefully confirmed that he was. Rostov demanded that he surrender to him. Tenebrus replied that he doesn't think so. The Inquisitor and his acolyte opened fire at Tenebrus but he brushed aside their fire and displayed overwhelming power. He tore open reality and flooded the chamber with daemonic shadows. He spoke to Rostov telling him this place was not safe from him. The death of the lead astropath meant nothing. All astropath minds are linked together. He is going to tear the information he sought from their minds and there is nothing he can do about it. The astropaths began to scream. Tenebrus then asked Rostov to surrender promising him to be as merciful to him as he was going to be to him. Faced with the sorcerous might of Tenebrus, Rostov had no choice but to flee.

 -The Word Bearer terminators smashed into the Primarch sending one of the Primaris hurling into the air, his chest completely destroyed by a powerfist. Captain Areios moved to avenge his fallen brother. He caved open the heretic terminator plate with his power sword and dodged the return blows that would have killed him if they had connected. The terminator covered the opening in his plate with his arm so Areios swung with all his Primaris strength at the traitor's arm shattering his elbow. With his arm hanging uselessly, the traitor could no longer hide the opening. Areios sent bolter into the opening until a bolter round found the traitor's chest and incapacitated him.

-Areios moved to the next target but found himself smashed off his feet with such force that it shorted his armour and weapons and sent him reeling. When Areios recovered he was staring at the enemy commander a Dark Apostle. Areios fired at his head but the traitor just simply twisted his hand and sent the bolt sounds veering off target. The traitor commander expressed his contempt toward these new marines. Are they the best the Corpse Emperor could do? Thousand years of knowledge resulted in this? Warriors that think like machines. Their spirits were replaced by technology. The Primaris are called improvements but where are the fury and heart of the Old Legions?

-The traitor introduced himself so that the Primarus runt would know who is ending him. He was Pridor Vrakon of the Word Bearers. Vrakon said he never have seen anything less deserving of rank, before disarming Areios by shattering his sword. Areios pulled back but it caused him to stagger. He couldn't avoid having his arm ripped off by the traitor.

-Vrakon said that each time he faced one of their kind they proved to be weak. Each time he expected a challenge the Primaris disappointed. He smashed open Areios' chest and tore out a pauldron. He stared down at Areios as the Primaris fell to his knees. He said "pathetic" and left the Primaris captain to die.


-Tenebrus accessed the memories of the Astropath. He saw a vision of a child, a golden figure, a seated warlord writhing in pain. Tenebrus focused his mind and saw something that wasn't a metaphor or a trick of the Warp. It was a world untouched by the Warp and on that world was a man and a woman with a child wrapped in blankets. They have no idea of the child's importance.

-Tenebrus didn't have the exact location of the child but piece by piece he was following the trail. Tenebrus revealed that he has his own athame and he used it to cut a rift into reality. He held Yheng's hand and took her with him into the rift.

-Sensing that the Hand of Abaddon has departed the world, Vrakon orders his Word Bearers to teleport out. They have completed their mission here.

-Before Areios could slip to death completely, Belisarian Furnace activated and saved his life. He was found and rescued by his battle brothers.

-Lucerne and a Black Templar neophyte made their way to the extraction point racing against time before the Word Bearer ship exploded. He was greeted by the chaplain aiming his plasma pistol at him.  The chaplain revealed that he and his Black Templar brothers killed their own marshal and slaughtered the men on the Torchbearer fleet. That was because the Primaris were impure. They were the work of Cawl, not the Emperor. They were unclean. It didn't matter that Roboute ordered their creation. He was an Apostate and unbeliever. It's only a matter of time before he follows his brother Horus into treachery.

-Lucerne asked about the Custodes. Was he murdered as well? The chaplain confirmed that he was. Like the marshal, the Custodes refused to see reason. The Custodes paid the price for betraying the Emperor, though he nearly broke their crusade before they managed to kill him.

-The chaplain wanted to keep them in the ship as it exploded so that both would stand before the judgment of the Emperor. So that they would see who was in the right.  The ship quaked from the internal explosions which threw off the chaplain's aim. Lucerne struggled with the chaplain but was hurled back by a blow from his crozius. The chaplain stood over Lucerne and raised his crozius. Before the killing blow fell. the chaplain jerked as he was shot by the neophyte.  His last words to Lucerne before he fell down were that he shall never be one of them.

-The neophyte said he was a coward. He let them slaughter their brothers. Anyone that voted against the chaplain's plan was killed. As he was a neophyte he was not allowed to vote but he said nothing. To his eternal shame, he did nothing. Lucerne told him that he can purge his shame through penitence. Both Lucerne and neophyte boarded a traitor gunship and fled the ship before it exploded narrowly avoiding being vaporized by the explosion.

-With his first mission over, Lucerne returned to Fabian's side as his guard. Though he won't be alone in this task. The neophyte, his name is Botho, will be joining them on their journey to Vigilus

-In the aftermath, Inquisitor Rostov talked with Fabian. Telling him of an action that took place some time ago. Two inquisitors named Alexio and Fortez, whose philosophies opposed one another, joined forces against something they deemed a dire threat. Their target was the Cult of the Star Child, The cult preached that the Star Child was a benevolent entity, perhaps an expression of the Emperor, that was going to lead mankind to salvation. It was all lies and the cult was purged with the help of the Salamanders chapter. However, four of the cult leaders managed to escape. Perhaps the cult is making a return.

-Rostov revealed something else to Fabian. Tenebrus might not be the real Hand of Abaddon. The Hand of Abaddon that his late master was following was not Tenebrus.

THE STAR CHILD:

A few years after the Indomitus Crusade visions of a golden infant overlapped with visions of a radiant being rising from a throne.  These visions were reported across the astropathic networks beginning in Segmentum Solar. The nature and truth of these visions were hotly debated by loyalists and heretics alike. Some saw it as the Emperor taking direct action which led to a great outpouring of faith among the faithful and a wave of dismay among the traitors.

Among the most heretical interpretations drew parallels between the visions of the golden child and the insidious cult of the Star Child. Ideological lines were drawn within the Imperium regarding this new phenomenon lines that will be defended with violence. Each side is desperate to find the truth and exploit it for their own agendas.