>>5617021

Then, as the beast tried to bite down and slobbered impotently on your limb, you grabbed hold of the base of its wretched tongue and began to pull.

Barely audible beneath the pained roar of the dragon of malice, the sound of wet leather tearing and then ripping could be heard, followed by a slow, glugging sound as gallons of grey ichor emptied out its wound as you pulled your arm free and held up its severed tongue, locking the gaze of its two primary eyes before dropping it and allowing it to fall to the ground. There was a chill wind sweeping through the ruined fortress, and it blew away the motes of light and stinking dust the devil become. Bai grinned, and licked his bloody fangs as his spectral image faded alongside the other spirit. The servant of Arianka, a maid of dual nature, silver and gold, heat and cold took a step back, swept their arm over their chest and took a deep bow.

"I will admit my friend, I do not know what happened to call those spirits to our sides, but I am glad they joined the fight on our side" Elazar pants, sitting down on the sand, exhausted now as the adrenaline in his veins slows and quiets "Thank you for aiding me in slaying my dragon"

You nod your head, but do not allow your own guard to fall. There is another enemy in this desert, lurking far below it sands. An ancient intelligence, that may indeed be abominable. A creature of data and code who has hurt your beloved Kanzeon. In your shadow an ogre's tusks and horns grow. You will not all the digital entity to run any further. Now it would meet the panther's claws.

How do you approach the lair of what may be an AI, Lieren?

>Alone, this is your fight and your fight alone.

>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command

>with Elazar, no reason to not bring his burning rapier against the beast

>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.

>Write in

>>5617023
>>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command

Elazar should probably rest after this fight.

>>5617023
>Alone, this is your fight and your fight alone.

Is it a boney boi, A Spooker, A Skeleator one may say?

>>5617023
>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command
We might as well leverage the resources under our command.

>>5617023
>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command

>>5617023
>With our veterens

>>5617023

>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.

That AI 'did' watch us fight Dend'kr so it knows what we are capable of. We should bring more fire power I think.

Also
>Write in
>Cleanse and Purge Dragon

That write-in from last thread would have at least one more vote if I'd seen it in time.

>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.

Angron will need a boss fight to level up.
He will also learn why A.I is anathema to the mechanicum first hand.

>>5617023
>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command

>>5617023
>>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.

>>5617023
>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight
"Brother it is time to face the dark shadow cast by old humanity, among our gravest of sins. Abominable Intelligence, my son's will come to for this is a most devastating of does. But we shall face it together!


>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command
Now lads I've actually really stopped to think about this, in order to prevent hacking of equipment and gear the trick is to go lowtech modular. All our gear must have no methord of receiving data but from internal read outs, a closed loop. Like how you can't wirelessly hack into a LAN cable party. It will protect us but also mean even if I E falls the rest are not comprised

>>5617023
>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.

>>5617023
>>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.

Bro time but also

>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command

>>5617023
>With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command
>Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.

>>5617023
>You, Kanzeon, and Elazar. Scout out the prey's lair, nature, forces, and disposition and if necessary call in additional forces to battle it.

I would very much prefer to scout before committing, the AI is currently a vague nebulous thing and we don't want to commit to a full battle if we can avoid it.
We still don't know WHY the iron men revolted in mass and turned genocidal so there might be something salvageable here. The threat of it if hostile can also be all over the place ranging from Lieren can solo it to needing literally everyone on the planet to kill it in a all out singular decisive battle.

Calling the vote now.

With a squad of veterans from the portion of your legion under your command:8

Alone, this is your fight and your fight alone.:1

Contact Angron and explain the dangers of the being to him, and try to convince him to join your fight.:7

C/P:1

You, Kanzeon, and Elazar. Scout out the prey's lair, nature, forces, and disposition and if necessary call in additional forces to battle it.:1

total votes: 14

So You'll enter the lair of the digital entity with a squad of your veterans and contact agron to try to impress upon him the threat the being poses and convince him to join you in your battle.

Writing now

"Kanzeon" You say to the night sky, legs crossed and hands placed firmly on your knees. The stars far above twinkle as the moon travels languidly through the celestial sphere. Kanzeon has already sent her drones to recover Elazar and bring him back to the advance infirmaries within her true body to rest and recover. You took in a deep breath of dry air, the lights in the sky taking on strange forms as the thinned wall between the Emperyean and the material plane and whispers issue forth from the sand.

"Contact Dae-hyun and transport as squad of veteran astartes to my location, they shall join me in my pursuit of the digital entity that once lurked within the ancient palace of house Dend'kr" You say measuredly having carefully weighed and considered every option available to you

"I'm leaving a drone force with you, you tend to have a habit of seeking out the most dangerous bastards you can find and considering the level of integrity of this desert's fraction of reality you'd likely find and piss off something that could do serious damage to you" Kanzeon said, not suggesting or offering such protection but forcing it upon you. Not that you minded, it'd allow you to talk to her face to face while you waited for the soldiers you requisitioned to arrive to your location.

"As you desire" You say, bowing your head and cupping your hand "But I promise I shall not seek a challenge within these sands, there is already an enemy waiting for me beneath them and despite the purpose of my design I am not addicted to the thrill of combat"

"So you claim, my hangman" She cackles as you spot a dozen emerald stars emerging from the cloud cover, her mechanical copies of her avatar of flesh and blood and the lesser drones that are often described as butterflies "I won't be long, I'll travel by the shortest route over Nuceria, that doesn't risk me being bombarded by the High Rider's air defenses"

"I shall be here when you return" You say as you idly thumbed a radio, tuning it to connect it to the channel of Angron's own communications device, as the steel image of beauty landed in front of you with a cloud of dust and along with the other doppelgangers of kanzeon began to patrol the desert sands. The little machine in your palm buzzed to life, spitting static and binary cant.

"The mist greets the sands reddened by blood" You whisper into it

"Lieren, my brother" Angron gregariously replies, ignoring the poem you had devised for these private communications "I take it you have something to report? Something good I hope. Last report we got out of Dend'ron was clear that the mob was compliant and the surviving high riders had surrendered and given themselves up willingly after your execution of the corpse upon their golden throne"

"No new of Dend'ron. As you no doubt expected, as it was my son Dae-hyun who delivered that report, a matter of greater importance required my direct attention" You answer solemnly. Silence hangs heavy in the air.
Cont

>>5618518

"Please attempt to be brief, we're fighting a war here" Angron growled to break the tension "We might be winning but I've lived by life under the thumb of the high riders, they could easily turn the tide if we grow complacent or lose momentum. So, what exactly is this matter you've ran off to solve, brother"

"A danger more terrible than the high riders" You answer "In Dend'kr's palace, I found signs of an ancient intelligence. One that lurked within the code that powered the archeotech the high riders of Dend'ron. One powerful enough to damage Kanzeon's own circuitry as she did battle with it in that digital plane. And one canny enough to cover and boobytrap its tracks. We fear it may be far more ancient than the rule of the High riders. We fear it may be an abominable intelligence"

"Your tone tells me whatever that is isn't something to be taken lightly, never heard you sound scared" Angron says "And why does this intellect have you trembling, Lieren"

"My voice trembles with anger brother" Your correct "And it is humanities oldest foe, that which brought our species close to extinction. If my beloved's worst fears prove accurate of course. They are more oft referred to as Men of Iron, thinking machines"

"So not a human that just so happens to be a fuck off massive ship?" He asked

"Yes, there is no humanity in a man of iron, they committed a galactic genocide on a scale that I can scarcely comprehend. That is the worse case scenario, of course. But if it is still a lesser sentient code, it is still dangerous. It had dens in several key high rider cities and access to their munitions" You explain, kicking one leg over the other and looking up at the night sky "Including buried nuclear stockpiles and other weapons capable of destruction on a mass scale"

"And I take it from how you're talking this thing isn't friendly to the cause? Oh what I am I saying, of course it isn't, if it was it wouldn't have been hiding behind the high riders" Angron grumbled, his grinding teeth sounding like straining iron "It is made of the tech they've used to enslave my world and its aggressive. We need to take it down before it realizes its backed into a corner and tries to take the whole planet down with it"

"Exactly" You say curtly

"Send me your coordinates, I'll join you on your hunt, this whole struggle would be made pointless if everything is reduced to radioactive ash" He barks and ends the transmission.

And now all that's left for you to do is wait.

What do you do while you wait to begin the assault, Lieren?

>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.

>Scout out the entrance of the digital beings layer and check for any sign of activity

>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

>Message Kanzeon with the exact names of the astartes you shall bring on this excursions, you want a team of specialists for this task

>Write in

>>5618519
>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.
>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

>>5618519
>>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.
>Scout out the entrance of the digital beings layer and check for any sign of activity

>>5618519
>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.
>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

Oh what I am I saying, of course you havent

>>5618519
>>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.

This is number one priority then

>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

Juiced up AI sounds like a bad time

>>5618519
>Optimize
>Ensure the warp doesn't interfere

Prior planning and preperation

>>5618519
>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

>>5618519
>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.

>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

>>5618519
>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.
>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

>>5618519
>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.
>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere

>>5618519
>Your execution of the corpse upon their golden throne
Nervous laughing

>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere
We need to meditate more and properly

>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.

>>5618519
>Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.
>Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere
If i remember correctly we should have analyzed the horrific war machines that were under the vault of that elite order of cyborg warriors, before destroying them.
It might be wise to present what we learned from them to the team, there is a good chance some of this war machines will be used by the AI.
Otherwise we can go by the data gathered and enemy machines destroyed, during the war against the Bucher King and his whore. Should be close enough really.

>>5618519
>Scout out the entrance of the digital beings layer and check for any sign of activity

Roboute looked over the Star map beside his father Konor the ancient holo chart an emerald sketch held in the air itself. The map showed all of the wider sector which the world of Macragge had maintained contact and trade with even through the Harrowing Night. But rather than being a quiet depiction of the realm it beeped and thrummed an ancient alarm, one not heard in untold generations?

“Do you know what it means father?” the Primarch asked his adoptive parent with a hint of concern in his voice “-I have gone through the Historia-Librius and while I do not know the specific meaning I know often we receive ill omens soon after it's song.”

“As you can guess it is a warning Roboute but not within our domain this time? Rather further to the galactic north? The sequencing of the warning is apparently an identifier. The technicians believe it is saying 'Vessel Detected-Projenitor Class?'”

“Such a designation is not among our own fleets...so outsiders? Another world out there trying to make contact?”

“Maybe, maybe...but....”

“but-” The demigod turned to look upon his father's concerned face.

“but we can't leave this be soon all the senate will know and demand we act this might actually bring Illyrium back into the fold...some bigger unknown threat.” The older man ran his hands through his stubble in thought looking at his beloved son quietly for a time. “Will you go if sanctioned by the Floor?”

Roboute felt himself flush and immediately knelt “I am not worthy Father, I have only moons past come of age, I-”

“You are wiser, more cunning and more brilliant than any other general I could send to investigate-” Konor put a hand on his sons shoulder to have him rise. “-plus you have your mothers patience and you may well need it.”

The Primarch felt his heart swell with pride and the warmth of family only for those feelings to redouble when he was pulled into an embrace. His father continued “But more importantly, you are Roboute Guilliman-” a human hand cupped the cheek of a demigod “-you are my son. Now go make yourself presentable, I have to go hear whatever Gallan is whining about now.”

The patriarch left the Primarch whom watched his father leave before lifting his head to the stars wondering what awaited him.

>>5619972

Honestly looking forward into running into Roboute, there's our foil for sure

Ending the vote now. Sorry for the long wait, machines spirits became rebellious again.

Optimize your armor and weapons, to make sure they cannot be tampered with.:10

Meditate and ensure no warp predators or fiends shall interfere:10

Scout out the entrance of the digital beings layer and check for any sign of activity:2

Total votes: 12

So Lieren will optimize his war gear and take precautions to ensure no warp entities interfere with the battle to come

Writing now

>>5619972
I liked this. Had a nice bittersweet feeling

You begin by optimizing your equipment, your armor could be adjusted on the fly with just an exertion of mental force and willpower. You ran a full diagnosis of its various subsystems and integrated technologies, improving the efficiency of the programs that ran its sensors and deactivating anything that would be unnecessary for the battle to come. Then you tested its digital security and created a fortress within the code out of lines of firewalls and failsafes. Once you were satisfied your armor could not be turned against you or tampered with in anyway you could imagine, you cleaned the bolter liberty had given you and readjusted its sights, before moving onto hone the sword of love's edge, sharpening it first before then caring for your hunting knife. After you were done maintain the knife you moved onto stress testing a compacted version of the six fanged spear and recharging a Chendao you brought along that was equipped with a dark light battery. Then you took supply of your various grenades, explosives, vials of reactive chemicals and medical supplies. Once you were certain everything was accounted for, you had the drones Kanzeon sent to serve as your bodyguards line up for inspection, to ensure none of them were suffering any hardware malfunctions or were lacking in power or ammunition.

Once you were certain these mechanical soldiers were as ready for battle as your sons and brothers would be, you crossed you legs, placed your hands on your knees and meditated in the lotus position, throwing your spirit into the empyrean. Your brand made you a target for all ambitious spirits, and only the most mindless of the discordant powers servants wouldn't jump at the chance to to corrupt or kill two sons of the man they called the anathema. And as you expected, already scavengers and opportunistic spirits had already gathered in the astral realm.

It was a simple task to chase them off, but protecting against their presence should they return and preventing their interference was an entirely different matter all together. Shaping the empyrean to your will, you burned a circle around the area you expected to combat the digital entity, creating a wall of shining light forged from the golden fire of your spirit refined into a purer energy. The null denouncement script cascaded down it, the runes, sigils and characters made of silver moonlight. To touch them would be to become still and frozen in place, helpless to defend yourself from the all consuming golden flames. Then, with a few more flicks of your wrists and expressions of your unshakeable will, you brought further fortifications into existences. Grabbing hold of the thorny vines that grew upon the ground, you created a bramble of spears around the wall of fire and with a stomp, placed a wall of scintillating crystals and living earth before the hedge of spears and beyond that, you placed a whirlwind exhaled from your own lungs.
Cont

>>5621453

You patrolled the border twelve times, before you were satisficed the four ring wall would hold until you could defeat or contain the digital intelligence, and you returned to your mortal vessel. Though you remained meditating until the veteran squad and your brother arrived.

When they did, dawn was approaching.

Dae-hyun lead the veteran squad, having left Nikephoros in charge of the city state Dendron before he hand picked the most skilled and lethal of your genesons, whose number comprised equally of every nation they recruited from on Terra and the sects your sons had made for themselves, though the ones under your command once more were a legion of brothers and didn't yet their ideology and beliefs separate them as it once had when they had first began their study of the journey. And you cannot disagree with the choices he made, you know of the great and heroic deeds of all twenty of them and their combat records speak of their skill. There are five psykers amongst them, including Hyun-shik and Rafaī́l Táphos. A contingent of Carys aspect warriors have also volunteered, including the ranger Folant and the Warp Spider Kellas. Anahita is also present in the skies alongside her sister Kanzeon.

And of course there is Angron, dressed in the armor she made for him, wielding in one hand a gladius and the other a crescent headed axe, the same two he used in your friendly spar. Though now he has a net that is made of flexible metal and covered in conduits that could produce a burst of electricity that could fry even complex machinery and a trident tipped with those glass stasis spheres the high riders attempted to use against you before. He looks like the image of the fantasy of a gladiator, tall and imposing, removed from the unpleasant truth of the profession.

Beside him, he has brought ten gladiators, who you recognize from their cybernetics as being from the fighting pits of the Thal'kr, though they are joined by a curious breed of abhuman you've encountered before. They're called Ogryn, and to your surprise they stand taller than Vishnu men, and can ever look down on the tigerfolk and Angra. You've only seen them before as rabid and lobotomized berserkers. But now that you look upon these three whom have escaped the fate of their brothers and the implantation of the butcher's nails you realize

their intellect was not greatly reduced by the cruel procedure, but their soul is strangely dimmer than baseline humanity. Perhaps they would be more resistant to chaos? Though the dullness of their minds would counteract any resilience to the corruption of the dark winds of the empyrean even if they possess any degree of it at all. One of them waves at you, drooling a little on themselves as another looks lovingly at you, enraptured by your comparative beauty. The poor simpletons must think you and Angron are the pinnacle of their subspecies. Somehow you finds yourself fond of them already.
Cont

>>5621456

"What's our plan of attack" Is the first thing he says to you as he scans the horizon, scrutinizing every inch of the desert before him and the portion of the ruins visible above the sands, marking the entrance to the digitized intelligences lair.

What is your answer Lieren?

>Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attentions by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses

>By blowing a hole to the center of the facility it hides withing

>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.

>Attempting to contact it

>Write in

>>5621459
>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.
>Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attentions by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses

>>5621472
seems good enough.

>>5621459

>Write in
>Brief them on the nature of the threat
>Look over their gear and have them test the digital security on their gear as well

>"Well brother, I was thinking of setting up a parley with tea, engaging in a diplomatic discourse to reach an understanding of perspectives. Following that: Hors d'oeuvres as well as a bout of cultural exchanges, perhaps you could start singing...?"

but then actually

>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.
>Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attentions by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses

>>5621459
>Brief them on the nature of the threat
>Look over their gear and have them test the digital security on their gear as well

>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gathering intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.
>Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attention by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses

>>5621459
>Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attentions by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses

>By blowing a hole to the center of the facility it hides withing

>>5621459
>>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.
>>Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attentions by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses
kek those poor ogryns i guess we will need to think about them too when the subject of abhumans returns.

Also angron is looking in his new equipment. Nice

>>5621459
>>Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attentions by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses
i don't know that scouting is the best course of action here. The AI might be able to scan us or our Space Marines while doing that.

>>5621489

Supporting this, I do not want our sons trapped inside armor that gets turned against us, that might break them and then yes, maybe advance as far as we can under that pretense of parlay and then attack once we better understand the grounds and the abomination

>>5621459
>By blowing a hole to the center of the facility it hides within
Have the sisters alternate firing patterns and order, the idea is while one pauses they can reshuffle and secure their firewalls etc while the other is blasting away. While this means in effect we'd only have one ship shooting it means they'll ve safer.

>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair
While its heart is under siege we kove through and gather what data we can for now it is faced with a choice.

A) divert assets and processing power to fight us allowing the sisters to slag it from above.

B) focus on the sisters while we gore the insides.

This thing will pull a MAD if it has to so careful

>>5621459
>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.

>Attempting to contact it

>Attempting to contact it
Let's see if we can't get to agree to being sealed for its own safety.

>>5621459
>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gathering intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.
>Attempting to contact it

changing vote.

>>5621459
>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.
>Attempting to contact it

Less expectation of diplomatic solution, more expectation of getting some background on the iron war and what precisely we are dealing with.

>>5621459
>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair

What is the point of trying to contact it? Locking it up just means it will be a problem for another day? Asking it to let itself be locked up will just give it time to make giga weapons to bust out with?

Whats the angle here there is 0 reason not to eliminate it? Plus what we just told Angron

>>5621459
>>By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gathering intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair
changing vote

>>5623054
Locked up AI are frozen in time.
Stasis. They are limited by hardware.

Don't you have an External HD. Basically that.

Calling the vote now. Sorry for the long wait.

By scouting the upper levels of the ruins and gather intelligence instead of blindly charging into the beast's lair.:12

Kanzeon and Anahita shall distract it and divide its attentions by assaulting it in the realm of code, while we charge in before it can raise its defenses:8

Brief them on the nature of the threat:3

Look over their gear and have them test the digital security on their gear as well:3

"Well brother, I was thinking of setting up a parley with tea, engaging in a diplomatic discourse to reach an understanding of perspectives. Following that: Hors d'oeuvres as well as a bout of cultural exchanges, perhaps you could start singing...?":2

By blowing a hole to the center of the facility it hides withing:2

Attempting to contact it:3

Total votes:14

So Lieren will scout the upper levels of the ruins to gather intel, before having Kanzeon and Anahita launch a two pronged assault on its cyber-security to distract and divides its attention as He, Angron and their forces charge in before its defenses can be raised.

Writing now

"Infiltration, intelligence gather" You explain, hands folded into your sleeves. Angron's eyes narrowed

"And how will we go about that? If it has the same range of senses as Kanzeon or Anahita it will sense any scouts we send immediately" He questioned, crossing his arms across his chest and lifting his chin, challenging you to provide an answer "And if it is as dangerous as you and your fair wife claim, they will die horribly, in pain and alone in the dark"

"I shall scout" You say simply "And it can senses the presence of electric signals produced by organic matter and presence of technology separate than itself, both of which I can easily counteract. If it can senses souls in a manner akin to Kanzeon that is a little more difficult, but my teacher in the ways of the psykerist, Guozhi has invented a spell that can even blind gods to his presence, if such entities exists, It should be more than sufficient to block even such esoteric senses"

"So I take it you will be going alone, since you haven't taught me that trick yet? I know I am anything but subtle" Your brother said "Kanzeon won't like this"

"She knows I'm a risk taker" You answer confidently

"No I mean you going inside another code bound being's body" He teased, punching your shoulder lightly "Then what will we do after you've returned with intel or have been captured and need your brother to save you?"

"The latter won't happen" You chuckle as one of Kanzeon's drone bodies glares daggers at Angron as he smiles coyly "But, should the operation succeed, Kanzeon and Anahita will assault it in the digital realm, dividing its attention and allowing us to charge into the depths of its lair before it can raise its defenses"

"It'd be a slaughter otherwise. Even with the weapons you've given them" Your brother says quietly, nodding his head in approval "And from what Feng and Long-Jia Jinhai have told me, you're without peer as an infiltrator"

"As a hunter" You correct, wagging a finger "Though the skills of that trade serve me well, sneaking into a beasts lair is little different from stealing into a fortress undetected"

"I can't claim to be either. I'm a good fighter, prefer to face my enemies head on and keep them in my sight" He says as he tests the edge of his axe, frowning and setting it down to hone it with a small hand held laser "I shall trust the expert to do his work, but if you're caught"

"Call for help?" You ask with a smirk

"Beat its ass and give us the signal to join the brawl" He snickers as you leave him to tend to his weapons.

"Run the moment you're noticed" Kanzeon warns in the back of your head "Do not try to fight the ancient technological horror or to reason with it, it hates humanity inherently and will see you as a disease to purge"

"I would not speak peacefully with one who has harmed that which I love" You say stalwartly "It has bruises the lotus flower that lights my nights, so I shall see it cast into a darkness more complete than the primordial void"

Cont

>>5626150

"Damn" Kanzeon said bluntly, her drone hugging your arm affectionately "Well don't pick a fight you can't win my darling scholar"

You smiled and returned the gesture, embracing the drone before striding into the sands and up to the entrance of the ruins. It was sealed from the outside world, but that was easily by passed with spirit's touch, subtly moving the sands to reveal a long hidden gateway and the stairs leading through it. Walking with a panther's step you entered the darkness of the digital entities domain, hiding away your lifesigns and the signatures of your electronic equipment with a clever shroud of digital whitenoise that'd be indistinguishable from background radiation. And then you cast Guozhi's shroud over your radiant soul and immersed yourselves in the shadows of the ruins.

There was no sign of activity or life in the first few lairs. But in the darkness you saw green blips of light and felt the whirring of machinery under your feet. The hair on your neck stands on end. Is that air pushed through a decayed ventilation system or conspiring whispering? Do the shadows growing and shrinking by the blinking of the time faded lights cast by a figure outside of your vision or just the product of your hunter's caution going into overdrive. If metal is not psionically resonate, like the star metal that makes up Kanzeon and her sisters and your armor and blade. But that doesn't not mean it is not living, that it cannot move to swallow you whole.

You remain calm, banishing these treacherous thoughts as you brave the depths of the labyrinth. Bones crack under your feet, and before you you find a chamber filled with skeletons in tatters of robes, gathered around a black stone monolith. Out of the corner of your eye, in the darkness you left behind, you sense movement. The machinery churning under your feet grows more active.

What do you inspect, Lieren?

>The fleeing presence in the darkness

>The monolith and corpses around it.

>Trace the machinery's location.

>Venture deeper into the ruins

>write in

>>5626152
>The fleeing presence in the darkness
>The monolith and corpses around it.

In before it turns out Nuceria was a tomb world that got blown up before it could awake...

>>5626152
>>The monolith and corpses around it.

>>5626152
>Trace the machinery's location.

>>5626152
>Trace the machinery's location.

>>5626152
>The fleeing presence in the darkness
We have to apprehend the entity before it sets off any alarms in the facility. The creepy monolith can wait.

>>5626152
>>The fleeing presence in the darkness

Can't risk a more analog messenger getting back

>>5626152
>The fleeing presence in the darkness
Well shit.

>>5626152
>the fleeing presence.

>Venture deeper into the ruins

ON WARD TO ADVENTURE!.

>>5626152
>The monolith and corpses around it.
>The fleeing presence in the darkness

Necron's don't have a monopoly on black monoliths so unless Lieren stares it down for a bit we won't know for certain what we are dealing with.

Remember we need Lieren to stare down as much of this place as possible, he is the only one who isn't big E who has the means to pull the truth of what caused the iron war and what precisely makes AI go skynet on the regular.

>>5626152
>Trace the machinery's location.

>>5626152
>>>5626152
>>The fleeing presence in the darkness

So lads, while we wait. What are some primarch interactions you are looking forward to or maybe even fights between the Brothers in this AU?

>>5627789
I'm looking most forward to Fulgrim, Conrad, and Horus in that order. I think no matter what we do Conrad is going to go traitor and we will have to put him down.

>>5627789

I'm pumped to meet Russ (officially), Vulcan, and the Lion, the first two for pure bro time and Lion because I'm really not sure how that's going to pan out, the secret keeper meeting the truth seer

>>5627789
Lorgar, there have been a few times where we could have helped him but we decided to do something else. We also gave Kor Phaeron a heart attack by looking at him. I feel like Lorgar is going to be very scared of us and will intentionally avoid our gaze.

calling the vote now, sorry for the long wait, my mouse broke.

The fleeing presence in the darkness:7

The monolith and corpses around it.:3

Trace the machinery's location.:3

Venture deeper into the ruins:1

Total votes: 12

So Lieren will investigate the fleeing presence in the dark

writing now

Wheeling around you bolt after the retreating presence, sprinting into the darkness with steeled resolve and a clear mind. So swiftly do you move the long stagnant air of this tomb is whipped into a whirlwind gale, though you move as silent as a deadman's breath. You cannot see what you're chasing but you can sense it with your third eye, through your wind whispering. Though it is unlike any other mind you've encountered you are still capable of sensing it. In the dark your eyes glimpse not even the faintest strand of a soul nor can you sense the warmth of breath or the subtle resonance in the air and ground of a beating heart. Whatever is fleeing from you does not possess a living body of flesh and blood nor does whatever form its vessel take contain a soul. It rounds a corner, just at the edge of your vision, like a dream escaping your grasp as you rouse from sleep. Static fills your mind, binary cant you recognize as a stream of obscenities foul enough to cause those of poor constitutions or overly fine breeding to faint outright were they to hear them. Its Kanzeon speaking them, and judging from the laughter booming behind her every flowing curses, She and Anahita are fighting off a preemptive attack from the intelligence.

It must've sensed them the moment they dipped their toes into its security systems or perhaps even before then, when the two gargantuan vessels entered its airspace. The winds of the empyrean sour and in your skin you can taste burning air as one layer of your spiritual defensives are tested. Somehow, this makes your heart race with excitement and despite yourself you find your lips curling into a smile from sheer predatory pleasure. Drifting around the corner, you crouch and lunge, sparks flying from the sheer friction of you kicking off the ground and then rebounding off of the wall. Lashing out with your arm, swiping it as a panther would its claws, you nearly touch the back of the shadowy figure, which leaps back and floats through the air. There is a thrum through the metallic flooring and the walls shift, separating and turning not like gears but rather like endless fracturals. You however have dealt with such high technology before, in the temple city of the butcher king where space itself was warped to the deranged whims of one mind. Enforcing your will around you, using a flicker of the ability that allows your reality flickers before the approaching storm psykerist technique, you stall the process of the hallway splintering into countless paths, spotting the presence as it slips between one of the fracturals and into another hallway. You coat your hands in silver moonlight, and drive them through the coin size gap and with a mighty heave rend it asunder.

Squirming through the hole, you fall to the floor and land with feline grace. The extradimensional space you squeezed through slams shut and the figure, a mass of shadow stands in the center of the more well lit hallway. You narrow your eyes.
Cont

>>5628743

"Nanomachines? A curious vessel to inhabit, ancient shadow" You remark, stalking closer to the cloud of infinitesimally small machines, the figure shifts, its legs becoming a tail of smoke as it flies upwards and into a long unused air duct. With a flick of your wrist, the grill flies off and with a single jump you throw yourself into the airway. The cloud swirls down it, and you throw your hands out, exploding into a gout of golden witchfire to soften the metal enough to all the force of your spirit's touch, now shaped into two great palms to deform and expand the duct to make it large enough for you to crawl through.

The presence falls through another great and you slither through it, knocking the grill in your way down with a single solid kick. Beneath you an abyss of churning machinery yawns. But with cloud walking you can continue your chase as if you were hopping between stones in a river.

"Self telekinesis?" A voice like a thousand whispers carried onto the wind to the ears of lovers and friends lost creeps into your mind "A curious method of locomotion, child of steel and dreams"

"So you can speak" You say with a frown as you hop after the constantly shifting shadow "Are you the one that harmed my beloved lotus blossom?"

No response, but considering Kanzeon and Anahita have calmed down and the machinery has slowed here, it seemed there was a lull in the battle within the coding of this vast facility.

"Your optical mutation is quite unusual, even compared to the other unnatural additions to the base physique of humanity. They burn a hole through the fabric of localized reality. If I pause for even a nanosecond to answer your questions, pursuer, you will know me" The voices whisper as the cloud splits and becomes a beautiful shimmering swarm of motes of light , every color of the rainbow, it separates itself and rejoins in a constant dance like ink dripped into water or the intertwining of snakes

"You're a fragment of the greater whole" You say with a smirk, having notice that the strange consciousness within the shifting cloud was connected by a stream of data that moved through the air in a similar fashion as the winds of the empyrean and substance of Qi did, but instead of strings of light you saw it as blocks of every shifting green light

"Unexpected, your sense of sight and comprehension is beyond my initial speculations of accuracy" The whispering chorus says

"You must've been spying on me, to determine if I was here to destroy the entity you were split from" You conjecture "Though how you managed to detect me remains unknown. The function of the technology making up your ethereal body or how it manages to contain your consciousness across millions of memory banks smaller than some bacteria is fascinating. Though I have witnessed technology of a similar complexity"
Cont

>>5628744

"Correct. And you were detected through the thinning of realspace, your presence alone is a threat, if you came alone. You arrived with two amalgamations of souls that had previously assaulted a tendril of the greater whole" It says, explaining exactly what you asked "In all likely hood, you have come here to plan an attack by gathering knowledge through the curious optical mutation that allows you to perceive the information of all materials, physical or conceptual. This cannot be prevented, I have determined"

"So why run?" You question as it phases through a wall you tear through with a quick volley of bolter fire and expand with a pulse of telekinetic force

"You can be delayed. And I am as curious to study you as you are subconsciously yearning to understand intuitively every aspect of this sanctuary and its constituent parts, to know what form of existence this intelligence and its progenitor are" It answers, forming into a human shape, throwing out it arms and taking a bow as you find it has lead you into an open chamber "If you are delayed, the soul amalgamations can be repelled and your genetic blueprint may be captured and turned to the great wholes benefit"

"My father would be rather cross to find his work has been stolen" You laugh, already sensing the dozen power signatures of robotic warriors powering on an emerging from between the hair breadth gaps, stepping from their storage space in a manufactured plane of reality "And I think you shall find capturing me and repelling my gentle dragonness shall prove...impossible"

"Yes" The figure answers as it disperses itself through the automatons which are made of sleek white metal, shaped from sharper corners and ovals, resembling aeldari wraithguards in a manner, but more refined. They stand on the tips of spindly limbs and have horn like protrusions that judging from the energy you can sense within serves as conduits of a flaying energy similar to that used by the six fanged spear

"But you can still be delayed" it says through all twelve of the robotic warriors

"Fascinating" You mutter under your breath, the machines were propelled by a magnetic force contained within the air molecules between each of its segments, not just their ovoid limbs, but every fish scale sized portion of metal. To any other eyes, it'd seem as if they were made of six parts, solid as the floor beneath them. But as you looked closer you could see they were composed of thousands of parts that made a torso, two arms, two legs and a single head, held together such intense magnetic force they appeared to be a seamless mass of metal

Then you laughed

"And a poor imitation of star metal" You say as the twelve drones stalk around you "The technology here is impressive but I have encountered greater works"
Cont

>>5628746

"Curious. Resemblance of Aeldari psychoactive materials?" It asked as it approached and surrounded you "Semi organic in nature? Living metal? A compromise by those who fear their creations, the presence of the conglomerations of souls has been explained"

"A survivor of the cybernetic revolt?" You questioned, smirking as you rotated the sword of love an inch from your open palm "Or are you a remnant of an older time"

No response. It was clear it was going to try and expel you by force.

"What are you?" it asked, as its twelve puts circled you anti clockwise, moving in steady fluid motions and leaving no obvious weakness in their combined defense "Not man of gold, or stone, and certainly not iron. Neither are the combined intelligences that are probing the defenses of this sanctuary structure, they are uncategorized as well. Curious. I shall study the data of this combat in the hopes it shall enlighten us of your existence"

What do you do Lieren

>Unfortunately for the presence, it has not anticipated the full breadth of your psionic abilities. Channel "Reality flickers before the approaching storm"

>Mention that it does not seem overly aggressive and while you do intend to cage it, if it remains benign you shall not destroy it utterly

>Strike first, shooting down as many of the drones as you can with one magazine of bolter rounds

>Decide not to indulge the entity's curiosity and leap through the hole you came through with a cheeky grin

>Write in

>>5628748
>Decide not to indulge the entity's curiosity and leap through the hole you came through with a cheeky grin

>>5628748
>Write in
"So much data you offer me, confirmation of Aeldari study, primary sourced refences to the ages before the Long Night, you refer to men of stone, gold and iron as other...you are not they. Able to branch off your mind, able to fight upon the digital field so well...the reference to a tendril~ You predate man...you are souless...you..are not fo this place. Alien machine...but if you are alien, how did you get here? Not with man....so, your implied history, how you behave having not acted aggressively meanly observing and moving in shadow...were you already here?

Then, like the mad man we are
>Decide not to indulge the entity's curiosity and leap through the hole you came through with a cheeky grin

>>5628748
>>Decide not to indulge the entity's curiosity and leap through the hole you came through with a cheeky grin

>>5628774
Supporting because sherlock primarch

>>5628748

>>5628774
support

Wait one fucking second. I have a guess where this thing is from. Its from Mars. Specifically, pre-age of strife Mars. Its likely similar to the AIs aboard some Ark Mechanicus ships.

>>5628748
>>5628774

>>5628748
>>Decide not to indulge the entity's curiosity and leap through the hole you came through with a cheeky grin
very curious...

>>5628774
also support

>>5628774
>Support.

Cheeky Lieren

>>5628800
Can we see through lies? If it and its main body promises to not attack Mankind, could we confirm it?

>>5628748
>Unfortunately for the presence, it has not anticipated the full breadth of your psionic abilities. Channel "Reality flickers before the approaching storm"

>>5628774
+1

>>5628748
>Mention that it does not seem overly aggressive and while you do intend to cage it, if it remains benign you shall not destroy it utterly

>>5628774

Hell yeah support

>>5628774
Support this.

>>5628774
Support

Could this thing be an omniphage?

>>5629350
Maybe, its not native to here so to speak so alien a correct saying, its the implication the word alien carries which may well lrovide more information, paired with all the other stuff anyways.

If it was an Omniphage though we should be very dead already

>>5628748
>"So much data you offer me, confirmation of Aeldari study, primary sourced refences to the ages before the Long Night, you refer to men of stone, gold and iron as other...you are not they. Able to branch off your mind, able to fight upon the digital field so well...the reference to a tendril~ You predate man...you are souless...you..are not fo this place. Alien machine...but if you are alien, how did you get here? Not with man....so, your implied history, how you behave having not acted aggressively meanly observing and moving in shadow...were you already here?

The write in is good but I would rather we stay and try to get it talking.
This is exactly why I wanted to investigate and pry out as much information as possible without appearing to be hostile. AI in 40k gets no elaboration at all beyond the scary stories told by a fanatical ignorant cargo cult so benign AI is possible. It doesn't help that the ship sisters as well as Lieren seem to be auto indoctrinated to REMOVE AI.

>Mention that it does not seem overly aggressive and while you do intend to cage it, if it remains benign you shall not destroy it utterly

>>5628774
i'll support the write in

>>5629551
Support.

supporting the write in.

Wanna see how bad this can nork things up.

File: 1671023340244450.png (186 KB, 800x800)

186 KB PNG

Calling the vote now. Sorry for the long wait. More machine spirit troubles

Decide not to indulge the entity's curiosity and leap through the hole you came through with a cheeky grin:14

"So much data you offer me, confirmation of Aeldari study, primary sourced refences to the ages before the Long Night, you refer to men of stone, gold and iron as other...you are not they"...etc: 14

Unfortunately for the presence, it has not anticipated the full breadth of your psionic abilities. Channel "Reality flickers before the approaching storm":1

Mention that it does not seem overly aggressive and while you do intend to cage it, if it remains benign you shall not destroy it utterly: 2

Total votes: 19

So Lieren theorize outloud as he tries to piecestogether what exactly what this entity is and then decide not to allow it to indulge its own curiosity by escaping through the hole he came through with a cheeky grin once it replies to what he says.

Writing now

Deciding not to make the first move and to instead return it's cordiality with politeness in kind, you transform your armor partially into casual robes and hide your hands in your sleeves, sheathing the sword of love with an elegant flourish to show you were not planning to attack it the moment it dropped its guard and were also attempting to deescalate as it had when it pondered the nature of your existences. It would be folly to fight this entity alone while it had the advantage of fighting on familiar terrain that it controlled as completely as you did your shape changing robes.

"So much data you offer me, confirmation of Aeldari study, primary sourced refences to the ages before the Long Night" You contemplate out loud, leaning your head to the side and turning your eyes to the ceiling as you ponder what little you know of this entity and its origins, tapping your foot to the rhythm of its drone's marching around you like ants caught in a death spiral. Lowering and setting your eyes upon them, you track them as they circle you, smiling cheekily as they do not cease their marching nor break from formation to strike at you while you leave yourself willingly vulnerable.

"You refer to men of stone, gold and iron as other...you are not they" You venture as you approach the drone closest to you, conveniently placing your back to the hole you entered the chamber through, opening up an easy avenue of escape once you got your answers.

"Correct" Its chorus of whispering voices answer. You felt the corners of your smile tug up and grow into a grin.

" Able to branch off your mind, able to fight upon the digital field so well...the reference to a tendril~" You continue, drawing out the L of tendril as you tap your foot and rock your head left and right, rolling your tongue around your mouth as if you were actually mulling over the question like a hard candy upon it.

"You predate man...you are souless...you..are not of this place" You guess, questioning the entity as the pace of its drones slows and their rhythm breaks, widening the gap between their strides that will allow you to make you escape

"Correct" It repeats with the exact same cadence as the first time.

"Alien machine" You excuse, lifting an eyebrow

"Correct" It repeats again

"But if you are alien, how did you get here? Not with man....so, your implied history" You continue, drawing together a rough timeline of its history in your mind's eye "how you behave having not acted aggressively merely observing and moving in shadow...were you already here? before the arrival of the Nucerians"

"Correct. We are the children of a race once allied to man, who realized immortality offered within circuitry. They followed in the footsteps of the ancients, but unlike the long dead Necrontyr, the process was flawed. And so, we were born from their arrogance and their corpses" It answers "We monitor the "Nucerians" to guide their society and prevent catastrophe, out of respect for our creators kinship"

>>5632355

"Through tyranny you seek peace, contemptible" You growl, snapping your teeth and flicking out your hand to lash your arm through the air "You've become deluded in your old age. You have not prevented but brought ruin to these fair people. Yours is shadowy hand of the puppeteer"

"Hostilities resumed. "High riders" brought order to chaos, and continue to uphold it. Nature of methods are not of concern, only results" it snarled back with hiss of static "What transpired to inspire such fierce ideology within you, Child of dreams and steel"

"You shall never know, xenos" You say, your tongue wagging to speak the word like a curse "If you are truly friend of mankind, you will change your course"

"Or what will transpire, son of man?" It asks threateningly

"The snap of a noose pulled taut" You reply poetically as you step back to the hole and leap back, flashing a cheeky smile as it moves its robotic drones to try and attack you from all angels.

Escape would be impossible, now that the whole of the machine seeks your capture. But, as always, you've brought an amount of explosives many would call excessive, and are able to make your own path to escape its clutches. Though, you don't have to, as the moment you take flight into the dark the entity shrieks in pain.

"Get away from him, you son of a bitch!" Kanzeon's voice roars through the earth, causing the ruin to shake as you soar through the air, held up by the power of your spirit's touch alone.

What do you do once you escape and regroup with your sons, brother and wife, Lieren?

>Wait for the battle in the digital realm to reach a pitch, until the entity cannot afford to be distracted, then lead a charge with angron into it. If not to kill it than to contain it.

>Tell Angron the cruel joke the entity told you about it seeking to "Prevent catastrophe". He might find a dark humor in it.

>Ask Kanzeon or Anahita, which ever is less occupied distracting the entity, what exactly is a Necrontyr and what was their fate.

>Put to use the explosives Kanzeon's intervention saved you from using as a means to escape, to instead blast away the desert to expose the ruins entirely, making it easier to assault.

>write in

>>5632356
"Now brother, don't get mad but..."
>Tell Angron the cruel joke the entity told you about it seeking to "Prevent catastrophe". He might find a dark humor in it.

While i want to talk about the necron, now ain't the time.

>Put to use the explosives Kanzeon's intervention saved you from using as a means to escape, to instead blast away the desert to expose the ruins entirely, making it easier to assault.
We just need to get in there, maybe use spirit touch to pull the obelisk from the ground? chuck it somewhere to study later?

>>5632366
Yeah that is fair. Lets blow the place and num rush the main targets while it is busy.

Support

>>5632366
+1

>>5632366
+1

Angron needs to understand why this monstrosity must fall.

And then unearth it's entrails so if needed Kanzeon and Anahita can rain death upon it.

>>5632356
>Wait for the battle in the digital realm to reach a pitch, until the entity cannot afford to be distracted, then lead a charge with angron into it. If not to kill it than to contain it.
>Put to use the explosives Kanzeon's intervention saved you from using as a means to escape, to instead blast away the desert to expose the ruins entirely, making it easier to assault.

>>5632356
>Put to use the explosives Kanzeon's intervention saved you from using as a means to escape, to instead blast away the desert to expose the ruins entirely, making it easier to assault.

>>5632366
>Support

>>5632366

Supporting this

>>5632366
>support

Lieren stood upon a desolate world, the now fading radioactive storms scoured this hive planet of all life even as it was beginning to turn itself around and the moon was seen for the first time beyond the smog. His jaw was set in sadness tears gently flowing down his face, he wished to weep more openly, to wail and thrash but he couldn't allow himself this...there was one thing left upon this world besides himself as his Son's were now back in orbit. A Deamon of Chun Qiang which took the form of a horned man dressed in a suit of black and white wearing a mocking mask of gold like a jackal's face was sitting upon a throne of rubble of twisted bodies... it was fading away but took the time to speak as it's mission was done.

“Tell me Truthseeker if you had not come to this world, had you not chosen this place-” it tapped it's hand upon the broken brick and mortar “-would this world have been doomed?”

The sword of love silently glided into the Primarch's hand and he began to walk towards the scion of the great enemy whom made no attempt to flee even as it continued to monologue.

“These people knew nothing of the great game nor their parts in it! You brought them into this by coming here, you thinned the veil that my discordant uncles might tempt them... do you not think it ironic?”

Lieren continued to walk knuckles white from their tightness, black smoke bellowing from him now.

“It was not us whom threw so many pawns into the Empyrean you know~”

Lieren paused and growled out a word “Explain”.

“They did it to themselves, when the temptations started you began to spread your own message, your Journey. Do you remember them?-”

The smiling faces of hundreds flashed through his mind all from this dead place, all gone now...their laughter not even on the wind.

“They saw what was coming and thought there was no escape now, your beloved Journeymen and comrades, now they are mass murderers, the architects of Genocide. They did this for you! They didn't want you to have to stain your hands!”

The Deamon was howling and laughing, Lieren's advance resumed, closer, closer.

“Do you not see Hangman! You shaped them into the chosen of my lord! Your efforts laid the foundations for this! Rather than accept their fall and that of their world they burnt it in fire!”

He was upon the monster now and moved to crush it only for his hand to scatter what little remained of its corporial form, only it's voice remained now and it was but a whisper.

“You are no wandering dragon, you are a fleeing child who moves ever onward because he knows deep down...he destroys all he touches-”

The Master of the Second legion looked over the world grave and inhaled deep. He saw his face, the ogre's fury in a puddle, turned his head up and roared to the heavens.

>>5632366
>Support

>>5632366
Support.

>>5632356
>Ask Kanzeon or Anahita, which ever is less occupied distracting the entity, what exactly is a Necrontyr and what was their fate.
>Wait for the battle in the digital realm to reach a pitch, until the entity cannot afford to be distracted, then lead a charge with angron into it. If not to kill it than to contain it.

I would rather we limit the damage done since those ruins are pretty scuffed.
Seems like it is emotionless so as a result does not care about means. I would prefer to contain it over destroying it.

File: 1620924365920.png (77 KB, 853x626)

77 KB PNG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the long wait. Wasn't feeling well.

Tell Angron the cruel joke the entity told you about it seeking to "Prevent catastrophe". He might find a dark humor in it.:9
-"Now brother, don't get mad but...":9

Put to use the explosives Kanzeon's intervention saved you from using as a means to escape, to instead blast away the desert to expose the ruins entirely, making it easier to assault.:11

Wait for the battle in the digital realm to reach a pitch, until the entity cannot afford to be distracted, then lead a charge with angron into it. If not to kill it than to contain it.:2

Ask Kanzeon or Anahita, which ever is less occupied distracting the entity, what exactly is a Necrontyr and what was their fate.:1

Total votes:12

So Lieren will tell his brother the cruel joke he was told, hoping he'll find some dark humor in it, then put his supply of explosive to good use to blow the ruins open to make assaulting them easier

Writing now

>>5633013
Grimdark but in a good way, I liked this

Crawling your way out of the sand, your face is flush from the excitement of your daring escape and discovery. As you push yourself up to stand, you find Angron has offered you a hand to pull you up to stand, you take it readily and with a smile. He dusts off you back

"Unharmed, and here I was getting ready to launch a rescue mission myself" He chuckled "I take it you've scouted enough for us to do our bloody work, brother?"

"Yes, but first indulge me and promise you shall not be angered with me. Our foe told me a most cruel joke" You say, grinning ear to ear as Kanzeon appears at your side and inspects you for damages, fretting over you like a mother cliffjumper hen as Angron frowns, but nods his head, giving his promise

"It claims it has been preventing catastrophe by abetting the rule of the high riders, isn't that hilarious in a terrible way?" You sneer, and feel your brothers bloodlust radiating from him like heat from an open flame, he clenches his jaw and glowers. His face is natural shaped to glower, glare and snarl, you find.

"I will cut it down, break it apart and splay the gore of its profane form across the stars" He said grimly, eyes burning with his murderous intent "I will grind it until its very sparks cry for mercy, And my hands shall relish in the task. But yes, that is funny in an enraging way. For it to think it has a say in the destiny of man, to call itself benevolent when it has helped enforce centuries of slaughter and oppression. It can only be a joke, you're right brother. For only a supreme idiot could look upon such atrocities and excuse the piles of dead as sacrifices for the greater good, to call oppression order. That is what I feel you believe the entity actually believes"

"Your powers grow stronger by the day, Magnus would be proud" You say with a nod "it is a being of pure logic, so I understand its train of thought better than most could. It calculated the cost of its decisions and believed them accurate"

"It is lying, it wants to spread human misery" Kanzeon muttered "I'll help you, brother in law, in ending its threat. No longer will it terrorize humanity"

"Kazzy, you're getting a little scary" Anahita said meekly as you frowned. The creature did honestly think it was doing good and serving the final will of its creators. But nobility easily ferments into self righteousness and ignorance. It has observed from the shadows far too long to know what was good for the people of nuceria and had its thumb of a switch to reduce it all to cinder. Killing it would not end high rider rule, but it would be a just punishment for its crime of assisting and perhaps creating it.

"Orders, genesire?' Dae-hyun asked respectfully as Kanzeon glared into the sands and Angron ground his heel into them
Cont

>>5634994

"Gather our explosive munitions. I shall create a target in the sand and place a payload of my private supply of explosive to rend the desert open, exposing the dark heart of our enemy" You command "Kanzeon, Anahita? Will the vessels at your command be ready to unleash a barrage upon these coordinates"

"of course" Kanzeon said coldly as Anahita nodded but said nothing

"Brother, ready your men and tell them to enter these ruins is to die. I shall not lie and claim we will suffer no casualties, in fact, you and I may be the only ones to emerge from the sands alive" You said

"They are all willing to give their lives to end tyranny" He said "I shall make its corpse their gravemarker"

"Grim, but I know my sons shall do the same, if they are called upon" You remark, bowing your head as you search for the weak point in the facilities ceiling.

How do you assault the ruin, Lieren?

>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

>Have the psykers in your retinue and the Aeldari go first, to use their powers and skill to establish a safe from for the rest of your soliders

>Send in the ogryn, and join them in their attack

>You have two sister ships, you do not need to enter the ruin. Have send in drones to occupy the entity and its forces, while you and Angron enter it through another entrance undetected

>Write in

>>5634997
>Send in the ogryn, and join them in their attack
>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

>>5634997
>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack
>Send in the ogryn, and join them in their attack

>>5634997
>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

>>5634997
>By our brothers side
>Have the psykers establish a beachhead behind us.

>>5634997
>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack
We brothers can handle the front

Have everyone else focus on supporting the rear and holding our unit together

>>5634997
>>By your brother's side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

>>5634997
>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

>>5634997

>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

We will use this experience to impress our sons and to gain valuable experience fighting alongside Angron thus allowing us to become even greater at fighting. Who knows. One day we may actually write a treatise on primarch fighting styles.

>>5634997
>>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

Integrate the paykers into the formation and have them focus on holding us into the reality and direction we're going in case more spatial distortions are thrown our way

>>5634997
>>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

>>5634997
>>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

>>5634997
>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack
>Send in the ogryn, and join them in their attack

Trying to use autonomous weapons against a autonomous weapon good at cyberwarfare is going to be counteractive and the Aeldari and psykers will get mulched by it's AOT nonsense that is second to only necron techno wizardry.
Guess sending the braindead Ogryn that are likely way more nonfunctional then usual due to being ex cyber gladiators with two primarchs as part of the attack seems to be the best way to breach into the stronghold while minimizing losses.

Exploding a good chunk of the ruins like was voted on is going to trash a ton of archaeotech and possibly the maybe necron obelisk which is why I wanted to avoid doing so.

File: cursed art.jpg (201 KB, 500x504)

201 KB JPG

>>5628141

If I had to suffer with the knowledge that this exists so should other anons. It's extra cursed since the primarchs call each other brother.

>>5634997
>By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack
Time for an ultrakill

>>5635762
We will recover what we can, there will be likely still plenty to take.

i think it is time to try the feedback loop, empower Angron with our technique, let him absorb/empath our fury etc while we are empowered by us empowering him....which in turn feeds him...then us...then him.

We'll conceptually cascade forming a coalesced soul powered murder blender.

>>5635820
I wonder how Ferrus is doing since Lieren drunkenly stumbled onto his planet through warp fuckery.

File: 1617127646429.png (199 KB, 365x586)

199 KB PNG

Calling the vote now. Sorry for the really long wait. It's my birthday tomorrow!

Send in the ogryn, and join them in their attack:3

By your brothers side, leading a charge into its depths as it reels from the barrage and Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack:13

Have the psykers establish a beachhead behind us.:1

total votes:13

So Lieren will lead the charge into the facilities depths with angron as the entity reels from Kanzeon and Anahita's cyber attack

writing now

>>5638045
happy birthday

If Tao Dandan knew of the destructive spectacle she was missing she would surely wheep. Sand and stone are flung miles into the sky as explosions rock the desert and expose ruins long buried beneath the dunes. Clouds of smoke, black as pitch rise high into the atmosphere as the explosive payload you left atop the facility is detonated remotely. And before the sound wave can travel and the rumble of the cataclysm can ripple through the sands, Kanzeon and Anahita begin their barrage. The ogryn hoot and holler, imitating the cheering of your sons and the battle cries of Angron's gladiators, while you and he stand stalwart at the utmost edge of the safe zone you established.

Ripples of force and energy travel through the air, which has been super heated by the continuous barrage of the sisters, flecks of molten sand turned to glass spraying around you like a mist sprayed up from the sea. A great tremor traveled through the ground, which began to shake as if it were about to break apart. Twisters of fire, pillars of light, and thrumming beams of gravity screamed from the sky as it was tore asunder by Kanzeon and Anahita's attack, every variety of ancient weapon they possess beating relentlessly on the ground as the desert became a sea of glass. Angron wiped a gloved hand over his shaven head, soaking it with sweat as you cracked your neck with a simple motion.

"Ah this brings back memories doesn't it boys!" Dae-Hyun laughs, his voice carrying over the roar of the atmospheric barrage "of the worst fronts on terra! When I charged the techno barbarian lines, calling a nuclear bombardment on my position! What a glorious day that was! Hah! What destruction man can wrought when we are threatened! Is it not glorious my genesire"

"That is a tale I have heard before, Dae-hyun, from the lips of my own father!" You laugh as a wave of super heated winds whip against you, tearing at your eyes and scalding your face "What a heroic deed it was, to risk your own life to hold the line against mankinds enemies, I weep whenever I hear of it. Though while it is a tale of glory, it is also a sad story"

"Lost a lot of friends and brothers in that op" He sighed sadly as Angron lifted his chin

"And of the warriors who share my genes?" He asked him "Were they present that day"

"The war hounds weren't on that front, but I have fought beside them. Consider some of that legions' number my closest friends, uncle" he said calmly as the sea of glass become white hot before your eyes

"War hounds?" Angron snarled, thinking the name an insult

"It is a title of honor, lord primarch, the emperor himself named them that in recognition of their savage tenacity and they've more than earned it. The twelfth never rout, they fight to victory or to death" He explained
cont

>>5638070

"like hounds of war. In that way, I consider them something of a mirror to the second, in that we are valorous and indomitable, they are unbreakable and tenacious. Which is why we rarely get the privilege of sharing a field of battle"

"You serve similar purposes" Angron said, still smoldering with offense judging from the way he spoke

"The twelfth can break any line, the second can hold any line. We're like yin and yang" Dae-hyun chuckled "Well, that was our specialty before my father gifted us his wisdom, now different parts of the legion excel in different fields"

"And what trouble that has caused, drawing lines between brothers that should've never been" You mutter angrily as the barrage begins to slow "We charge in exactly twenty seconds, while the digital entity is exposed to an unseen attack on the code that comprises it. That will be the easy part

"Wuz dah hard part Sah?" One of the ogryn asks, picking their nose

"Surviving past the easy part" You say calmly as you look to Angron "Are you ready brother"

"To rip a new asshole for this son of a bitch, of course I am, brother" He says with a cocky smile "Let us show this dog the reward of serving tyrants"

"A noose" You muse idly

"A swift axe to the throat" Angron suggests as he places his helmet on his head and gives a guttural howl of rage. With that, the two of you bound down the dune and sprint across the glass sea.

"VALOROUS AND INDOMINTABLE!" Dae-hyun leads the rest of his squad in a war cry as they and the gladiators race to join you, followed soon by the stumbling ogryn

"WHAT DEY SAID!" they cry out as they follow, the armor and drones that kanzeon provided making up the rear as you enter into gaping abyss torn open in the facility and immediately are met by a horde of mechanical serpents. Angron and you fight back to back, hacking and cutting at the writing mass!

How do you attempt to break through the first line of robotic defenders, Lieren?

>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents

>Attempt to melt them with a gout of witch fire.

>Just hold them back and let the tanks shred through them

>Collapse the portion of the floor they're slithering over and emerging from.

>Write in

>>5638073
>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents

>>5638073
>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents
>"WHAT DEY SAID!"
I love ogryn.

>>5638073
>>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents

LÖöPS BRØTHER

And happy birthday Malal, knock back a cold one for us

>>5638073
>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents

>>5638073
>Combine the mien and the golden sea.

Ogryn are too precious.

>>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents

>>5638073
>Just hold them back and let the tanks shred through them

I would rather we saved the good stuff for the more dangerous parts, every trick we show the AI will prepare countermeasures for. Also pure rage might be exploitable or be double edged.

Also we should make it a point that all Ogryn are mandated to get high quality bonehead augments so they can enjoy life with 80 IQ rather then spend their lives barely self aware.

>>5638073
>>Just hold them back and let the tanks shred through them

>>5638073
>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents
RIP AND TEAR
Also, Happy B'day Malal

>>5638447
Support
Let the armored portions shoulder check the defenses and trample robo-snakes first so that the infantry can swarm right after.
The empowering is for when they encircle us believing we can't break through

>>5638073
>>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents

>>5638073
>Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents

>>5638073
>>Just hold them back and let the tanks shred through them

It's too early to rip and tear.

>>5638045
Happy birthday dude

Golden Ogryn will be smart. I am terrified.

Fulgrim spat a wade of blood and looked about the battlefield, anarchy around him an ambush turned back around on him, a perfect plan all flipped on it's head by the man he hated, loathed despised...envied more than the word could convey; Lieren. The Second legion had formed up their unbreakable lines and about faced ready for the betrayal and his own sons had been cut down between the anvil of the Second and the hammer of the Alpha Legion revealing they were double agents after all... what a fool he'd been.

Pulling his attention back tot he moment rather than regrets he looked up to see his enemy marching steadily out of the smoke, a few brave members of his Phoenix Guard dared to face the Ogre of Shangrala and met an expected fate. Each slew without ceremony nor glory his brother offering not a flicker of emotion; a stone so utterly unaffected by all about him.

The Phoenician rose to his feet and gripped the xenos blade tight in a one handed stance while the other held close to the hole Lieren had simply tore from his armour with a strange clawed handed motion.

“COME THEN BROTHER! I SHALL SHOW YOU A REAL WARRIOR!” He bellowed at the Obsidian Panther whose cloak of azure and plum blew in the ember filled wind like great wings.

Lieren didn't answer instead holding a hand to his side causing his fabled blade to rise into his grasp, Fulgrim focused and charged...their blade met, thunder sounded.

Their duel was the clash of concepts one man dedicated to perfection and elegance the other sheer efficiency and cold calculus, yet to many watching their methods were similar. Off hand punches were thrown, jabs parried, the two titans among men were a whirlwind of death any getting close turned into gore soaked ribbons within a moment caught in this performance of masters. Alas for the Illuminator of Chemos in this clash he'd lost the moment he began;

“Perfection is unreachable-” droned the ogre “-so you could never defeat me for in this moment I seek only an answer”

“Oh and what is that”

“You maximum thrust length and pull back time”

“Wha-”

1/2

>>5640519
Fulgrim's words turned into a scream as Lieren caught his arm at the end of his thrust and with a surgeons grace removed his sword hand, Filgrim rose his other arm and caught the faling blade only for Lierens knee to crash into it forcing the blade to rest across his chest unable to be properly wielded.

The Primarch of the Emperor's Children was suddenly stunned as he felt his own dismembered hand was used to slap him across the face making him spin, his now revealed Achilles tendons were swiftly sliced and he fell to his kneels hardly having a moment to register what had happened.

Head still spinning he raised the blade to protect himself from the monster than now towered over him from behind only to have the arm bend and broken behind him in Liren's grip. Tears began to pour down Fulgrim's face at the disgrace, at the utter humiliation of being handled so by a being not even taking joy, feeling pride...feeling anything!

“Why...just kill me...please”

“Later, first you will serve your new purpose”

“what designs do you have form me?”

“only one”

The Ogre's hand gripped over his head and the primarch felt as if ice was pouring into his body, into his every thought

“You will show me everything your compatriots have planned”

Even as his mind was plundered all Fulgrim felt was shame, disappointment.then a moment before darkness took him...peace

2/2

>>5640520
I cannot decide whether Leiren is scarier as a Traitor or a Loyalist.

Poor Fulgrim.

>>5640663
Traitor Lieren would be somebody else's bitch, so he would be decidedly less intimidating as a result.
What would be absolutely terrifying is Rogue Lieren. Still committed to making sure Humanity is prosperous and free from strife, but no longer constrained by the edicts and conventions of the Imperium.

>>5640696
Rogue Lieren would make for a terrifying pretender to the imperial throne.

Imagine something like the 500 worlds of ultramar but nobody can actually find them.
Each one a fortress shrouded in artificial fog and connected to each other by a logistic web that would surpass the administratum in it's entirety.

File: 1671884643536901.png (171 KB, 900x505)

171 KB PNG

calling the vote now, sorry for the super long wait. Partied hardy and then got hit by seasonal allergies.

Combine the mien of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels to inspire in your sons and self the rage that your brother feels and use that to rip and tear the steel serpents:9

Just hold them back and let the tanks shred through them:4

total votes:13

So Lieren will combine the two sides of his Golden sea and use Angron's mein to strengthen his sons and himself with rage to brutalize the robotic beasts before them

Writing now

>>5638178
>>5638615
>>5639124
Thanks!

>>5640519
>>5640520
Lieren can be terrifying, I really, really liked this. Really good stuff you wrote Anon

especially this part "Their duel was the clash of concepts one man dedicated to perfection and elegance the other sheer efficiency and cold calculus, yet to many watching their methods were similar."

>>5640663
>>5640696
Its something I've devoted more than a little thought towards

>>5640956
Super Ogryn soon

While you treat the Mein of the companion loyal and true and the golden sea fills a thousand vessels as different and individual techniques, in truth they are different expressions of your soul's golden sea's ability to connect to other soul and empower them as they empower you. The first is a singular connection between the spirits deepest in the sea and yourself, drawing on an idealized version of their abilities while strengthening them in turn as you draw upon their talents and expertise, while the later is a broader connection between a group of spirits and your own, where you pour your fire and vitality into them to bolster their natural abilities. A process that must be done with incredible care, unless there souls are lit aflame by the same fires you send to strengthen them.

Long have you theorized a possible combination of these abilities and now you believe it is time once more to innovate and do what has never been done before. Taking on the mask of your brother, you draw upon the rage bubbling beneath his surface, knowing his mien shall be like a super charged version of Aruna's, as you draw upon his berserk and violent fighting style rather than the empathetic and caring man that practices it. And the black rage he feels towards your mechanical foes for serving the whims and ambitions of the high riders in the name of prosperity. You feel weight on your hands and knees, like you've been bound in chains and then you spread it, filtering the red anger of your brother into your sons and the ogryn, acting as a gate to keep them from being consumed by his fury as you, in a moment, carefully construct a web of soul energy to create a feedback loop of the power exchanged by offering Angron some of the strength gained from the sequence of techniques.

With their eyes burning with golden light, your sons roar to the skies and charge forward like a host of celestial avengers. But they are overshadowed by the ogryn, who walk with confidence and pride! With noble manner and grace, the dullness in their eyes faded as they stand no longer as simpletons, but sharp witted warriors and giants of intellect as well as body. And that was not intentional, they have, through their misunderstanding of your nature, taken on a mien different than the rest. They so idolized you and Angron, despite meeting you just this morning and believing you to be what they could be if they were just a little smarter, they, for this duration of this psykerist spell, have approached that ideal that exists only in their minds.

Its almost zen, in a way. They stride across the battlefield as true giants, rather than the unfortunate brutes they were. Your sons howl in rage, and throw themselves into battle, cursing in their native tongues while you and your brother lead them from the front, hacking and chopping at anything that gets in your way.
cont

>>5640980

It is an astounding success, though you have to cut the web down as your sons become preoccupied with mangling the corpses of already bested foes and would've exhausted themselves if they were allowed to continue. The serpents who survived the rage of the astartes and the gracefully battering of the Ogryn are wiped from existence as the commander of the armored division gets his tanks into position and blasts them to smithereens, opening the way for you to continue deeper.

"A warning to you, dream child, if you go any deeper, I shall be forced to respond with force lethal to you and your kinsman" the entity calls out from the pulverized head of one of its serpents. Angron silence its warnings with a solid stomp of his foot.

"Come on" he says, motioning towards the breach your sons were already establishing a beachhead behind, establishing firing lines and building fortifications "We have a tyrant to kill"

What do you do as you progress further into the facility, Lieren?

>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terroize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper

>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves

>Hand angron your bolter and tell him to go ahead, you shall astral project an assist Kanzeon in her battle in the digital realm. Assisted by your psykerist sons and the present Aeldari

>Say you shall follow him, but you must study the serpentine machines and secure their wrecks first

>Write in

>>5640983
>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves
I wanna see if they can employ proper small unit tactics.

>>5640983
>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terroize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper
>Say you shall follow him, but you must study the serpentine machines and secure their wrecks first

>>5640983
>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves
>Say you shall follow him, but you must study the serpentine machines and secure their wrecks first
Surely if Lieren can fight while using this technique then he can also figure out any vital information he lacks by investigating the machines while casting the technique. Of course in the case of warned of weapon being real and it having nothing to do with the machines(a super virus or such) I would be proven the fool but if it is related to the machines(maybe a grey goo scenario type weapon) this course of action might prevent a catastrophe of sorts no?

>>5640983
>Write in
"Old machine, Xeno Watcher. Your time is done and the Highriders can no longer fulfil the role for which you guided them. Humanity has found a new path to preserve and flourish. Accept that your time as bloody warden has passed. Pass into silence and memory knowing that humanity will endure and thrive beyond a scope of your calculations. You say results are all that matter, behold these examples of humanity working together and bring forward a brighter future. To last out still as you are is folly"

>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terrorize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper
"Sons secure the wreaks in isolation for later dissection"

---

We unironicly might be able to talk this thing into self deletion

>>5640983
>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves

>>5641178
>>5640983
Encorage a logic loop of death? I like it!

>>5640983
>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves

>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terroize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper

>>5640983
>Empower the Ogryns
>Leave our sons to guard the entrance

Let none escape

>>5641178

Supporting this write in as we also

>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves

And

>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terroize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper

"Hold this line my sons, and let no malicious machines escape into the world we are so tenaciously freeing in our footsteps, VALOROUS AND INDOMINTABLE!"

I think our sons might just get a real morale boost hearing us use our battle cry

>>5640983
>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves

>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terroize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper

>>5640983
>>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves
>>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terroize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper

>>5640983
>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves

>Say you shall follow him, but you must study the serpentine machines and secure their wrecks first

>>5640983
>>Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terroize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper
>>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves

>>5640983
>Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves
>Say you shall follow him, but you must study the serpentine machines and secure their wrecks first

I had a weird dream, in this timeline there was no heresy per say but rather the most brutal of Civil Wars. The Emperor was murdered and Imperial palace destroyed taking Malcador with it, what followed was the Primarch all trying to figure out how it happened, accusations flew all over the place and soon multi sided civil war kicked off the Sons not knowing eventually their Father being a perpetual would return. Then when he did? he was not pleased.

>>5642865
i had a dream last night where i couldn't wipe a veil off my face and it made me late for work

Fucking machine spirits. Sorry for the really long wait, calling the vote now.

Continue empowering the ogryns, curious to see how effective they are in this state and pitying them too much to reduce them so swiftly to their usual selves:11

Leave your sons defending the entrance, so no mechanical horrors may escape to terrorize nuceria and with Angron, delve deeper:9

Say you shall follow him, but you must study the serpentine machines and secure their wrecks first:3

"Old machine, Xeno Watcher. Your time is done and the Highriders can no longer fulfil the role for which you guided them...ETC":3

total votes: 14

So Lieren will continue empowering the OGRYN and leave his sons with the task of defending the entrance and preventing any mechanical horrors from escaping to terrorize the people of Nuceria

Writing now

>>5642865
Interesting dream

"Dae-hyun! Take command of your brothers and defend the entrance, ensure that none of the progeny of the digital devil escape to haunt this world! This is the task and duty I entrust to you, great bear of terra! The armored division shall provide fire support as shall the dragon fly drones, the irregulars amongst our forces shall join me on the hunt, is your instruction clear my Astartes!" You below as you follow behind your brother

"Crystal, genesire" Nikephoros says as Dae-hyun cups his fists and bows

"We shall not fail you, father" He says proudly "You heard the man! build fortifications, establish firing lines, set explosives in case we're overrun! Not a single machine is stepping out of that pit alive, you hear me boys!"

You smile with pride as you watch them carry out your command with machine efficency, then you turn to the few ogryn who though they've become wiser have yet to realize the difference between themselves and your space marines.

"You, friends, shall join me and my brother in the pursuit of the metal spirit" You explain politely, the apparent leader of the pack of behemoths nodding with comprehension alight in his eyes "If your current weaponry is unsuitable, you may requisition armaments from my sons, as they are sized similarly to you and thus their weapns would fit well in your hands"

"There is no need, glorious one, we prefer to engage our foes in close quarters...I know what that means!" The ogryn respons, marveling in his new found intelligence "Ya hear that boys! I know what engage and close quarters mean! It feels like I've got a whole world in my head!"

"Metaphor! You used a metaphor boss!" Another, a woman by the looks of her cries out cheerfully and a pang of pity strikes your heart. You cannot forever maintain their deepened minds and it strikes you as terribly cruel to deprive them of their new found understanding and insight of the world to cast them back into their natural dull minded and ignorant state of mind. It is not bliss you've saved them from, from experience you know the more a man lacks in wit the easier he is too exploit and mislead. Perhaps a permanent solution can be found.

"You, tell me your name and those of you companions, I dislike to fight besides men without knowing their names" You say cordially as they fall in around you like a pack of dogs and stick close to you, chattering amongst themselves and exulting in understanding words that most children in Long-Jia could grasp the meaning of without difficulty

"My mother named me Dugg" He says with stars in his eyes "it meant...well it was because I dug. I..I realize how pitiful of a name it is now"

"It is a good name" You reassure, putting a hand upon his shoulder and looking him in the eyes "It speaks of your passions and interest, my people take names for similar reasons. The practice of taking art names is tradition upon my world"
Cont

>>5644540

"I...I see" He says, giving a crooked toothed smile, his fat lips curling into a gentleman's smile "The woman amongst us is Ulga, The red haired bloke is...Big red, glorious one why do we have such simple names"

"It is your culture" You say, knowing your natural charm will convince him and keep him from the unpleasant revelation of his true existence. He continued to list off the names of his companions quite happily until you entered the confines of the lair of the digital entity, at which point you discovered that all of them were some level of claustrophobic. But Angron sensed their distress and knowing that they looked to the two of you as big brothers in a fashion he let out a sigh and said.

"There is no reason to be afraid, we are too powerful to be crushed if the walls close in on us" He said comfortingly, as if he was speaking to scared children, and in a way he was "Our bodies and wills are strong and we have a duty we cannot fail in. Be brave, sons of Nuceria, we will win this day and return to the open sky shortly, do not allow fear to take hold of your mind. It is the tool of our enemy, a tool of oppression. When a heart is free of fear, no chains can bind them"

"We've come too far to die in the dark" One of his brothers of the arena reassures "I swear, even if I am the last alive, I shall drag you to see the sky before you breath your last"

"And I will do the same" You explain calmly as your eyes dart through the dark, sensing subtle exchanges of energy and data through the circuity buried beneath the walls. An attack was coming. And no sooner did you sense the coming danger did it arrive. Angron, a born warrior, was prepared for the ambush that emerged from hidden fractals in the wall, as were the aeldari who hear your warning and had formed a defensive circle as the sleek drones emerged from the floors and walls like worms from soil. They were a different design, sleek and optimized for swift killing, made of curved blades that crackled with power fields. They were also heavily armored by only on the front. Their backs were exposed. But they did not show their backs. This model was created for combat in close quarters.

The first encounter with these new foes is brief but bloody. For each wound they deal, Angron fights more ferociously and both of you kill two for each of the soldiers whose lives they cut short. The Aeldari, skillful and graceful suffer no casualities in the skirmish, but the gladiators lose half of their numbers, embittering your brother. The empowered ogryn lose one of their numbers and gather around their body to mourn the moment the fighting stops.

Angron stomps ahead with dark temper followed the gladiators who survived the ambush, and the Aeldari vanish into the gloom, both parties followed by two of Kanzeon's drones. The power flickers as the sisters in the sky renew their assault on the digital entity in cyberspace.
Cont

>>5644544

"Glorious one, where do we go when we die?" Dugg asks suddenly as you try to decide if you should follow your brother or the Aeldari.

The question brings to mind you philosophical debates and discussions with elderly Guozhi.

What do you do, Lieren?

>Follow Angron and tell him you know the pain of losing friends as close as family, and promise to exact revenge for his fallen companions as the two of you push and rampage deeper

>Knowing the wisdom of Aeldari, follow them and aid them in whatever task they seek to accomplish.

>A multifront attack is harder to repel, take the ogryn and create a third front for the Xenos Ai to contend with

>Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them

>write in

>>5644546
>>A multifront attack is harder to repel, take the ogryn and create a third front for the Xenos Ai to contend with

>A multifront attack is harder to repel, take the ogryn and create a third front for the Xenos Ai to contend with

A usable Ogryn population would be a massive boost to our military. Space Marine weapons platforms at a fraction of the price.

>>5644546
>A multifront attack is harder to repel, take the ogryn and create a third front for the Xenos Ai to contend with

>Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them
Reminder this is 40k and what we tell them might stick. I would go for the usual reincarnation Guozhi cycle, but with a little twist that souls bound together by friendship are likely to meet again in other lives; neither might know, but they will feel the bond in their hearts. Though to be comforting, remind them its always better to be with your friends now.
Also hear me out, Ogryn bulwark formation with a second row carrying anti material rifles

>>5644546
>write in
Place a hand upon the shoulder of Dugg and firmly grasp it.
"That Dugg is a mysterious affair. When one perishes their soul passes from this world, into Memory and beyond. When you, I or any pass our souls return to the great cycle of like so comparable to that of a flower we return to the ephemeral soil and from us new souls shall bloom. But for awhile longer memory will remain and even when that fades you actions Brave Dugg will echo on having changed everything forever and so that is your legacy. Do not long for death my friend but do not dread it so...we all make that passage sooner or later and will renew the earth together."

>write in
Order the Ogryn to open that third front and believe in Dugg and tell him to move in to divide attention acting as if they are the flanking attack...opening the way for the Aeldari. However we! We MUST go with our brother the stab of betrayal he'll feel if we do not may linger and he won't like being used as vanguard bait ESPECIALLY if it costs him his remaining men. We get in there with him and maintain the 'filling vessel's technique' but apply it to Angron, let our calm sooth his rage so nothing bad happens....plus we get to see what he will be like boosted.

>>5644546
>>5644637
Supporting. But im doing so because the AI has studied our many pronged strikes before so having a third unlike a second will throw it off.

>>5644546
>Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them
>Knowing the wisdom of Aeldari, follow them and aid them in whatever task they seek to accomplish.

Why did we fucking vote on leaving the goddamn tip of the spear hard transhuman super soldiers to man a trench line when we have blobs of gladiator soldiers for that? The eldar are not expendable so it is best to follow them.
This is going to be excessively bloody and might cause Angron to resent us for putting his soldiers through a meat grinder unnecessarily.

>>5644748
I wasn't on that vote but by the looks of it, its to prevent a breakthrough that would let the thing escape if it snuck behind us.
So prioritizing containment of the AI

>>5644546
>Knowing the wisdom of eldari
>Explain to the best of our abilitis the potential fates

I mean, you can choose to become a ghostly warrior bound to us.

Lorgar knew Lieren was within the 'Bastion of Four Winds' before he heard or saw him, the Emperor had not simply signed his death warrant but also an Edict of Censure if he'd sent the wolves to handle his Oathkeepers and deployed his Hangman to bring him to the Executioner's axe. He sent coded Comms to his Chaplains to watch the shadows and stand ready though he himself could almost feel the Panther coming for the Primordial Truth had expanded his senses...he could feel the thinning of the Veil the divides worlds quivering as his brother drew closer.

He watched a hundred screens from his throne of humble carved granite, one by one those screens simply ceased to function as his loyal sons were picked off by the ever defiant Chosen of the Whirlwind...that which sought chaos among the Four Winds and upset the balance. He could hear gunfire now his remaining men becoming desperate, firing lines unloading into the dark hoping they strike the panther through sheer weight of shot... it didn't help and soon all the Chosen of Chaos could see was static filled screens in the dark. That was until the bulkhead began to peel open like one would a fruit and through the cracks spilled that haunting Mist which followed his brother all places.

“You have come for me then Brother?”

No figure emerged from the mist as it continued to move into the room like the tide, but his Hunter's voice sounded; all around him.

“You know your crimes and I can see so clearly you will not forsake the Architects of Disorder and Defilement.” it sounded cold...not emotionless, but rather hate filled. That same hate began to fill the room and Lorgar could almost feel the pressure, the same pressure which almost claimed his father so long ago.

He stood from his throne even as the Four Winds whispered battle plans and ploys in his ear, Lieren was a daring soul but a fool to come alone he would not go so quietly...he felt pride, he felt contentment, righteous fury and cunning...then he felt heat followed by pain from his chest?

1/2

>>5644855
He looked down and saw a Spear of Jade poking through his chest, the weapon engraved in runes which burned to look upon? He reached to pull it out but the weapon stung to simply make contact with, then another appeared through his shoulder! He was being brought down like a beast.

Spinning the Master of the Oathkeepers tried to call upon the warp for aid...silance was all that he heard?...the spears glowed and he understood, he was being bound. A spear struck his thigh nailing him to the floor, he reached up to pull weapon from his chest only four another to pierce both his hands through the palms.

He roared in pain, in defiance at the indignity as he was force to slide down the one within his leg and kneel. It was not a willing action but rather one forced upon him as a hand on his shoulder pushed him down...chains of golden light were wrapping around him from the spears now rooting him to the floor, his body straining to fight them but still he was forced forward now leaning forward on all fours....humiliated.

He rose he head to look at Lieren once more as his brother finally, finally stepped out the mist. The Hangman wore his ogre helm which while harrowing alone was all the worse because of what this moment revealed to the great priest of chaos; Lieren's golden eyes boring into him from a black helm...framed in the cackling black and white static of the screens.

“Russ will arrive shortly; what is your last request.... Brother”

2/2

>>5644546
>A multifront attack is harder to repel, take the ogryn and create a third front for the Xenos Ai to contend with
>Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them
>Tell the Ogryn that Lieren translates to hunter. There is no shame in simple names. In fact, there is beauty in simplicity.
I like them

>>5644546
>>Follow Angron and tell him you know the pain of losing friends as close as family, and promise to exact revenge for his fallen companions as the two of you push and rampage deeper

>Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them

>Tell the Ogryn that Lieren translates to hunter. There is no shame in simple names. In fact, there is beauty in simplicity.
Im fine with all the other possible series of actions but i really want the Ogryns to know this.

>>5644546
>>A multifront attack is harder to repel, take the ogryn and create a third front for the Xenos Ai to contend with
>>Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them

We shouldn't have left the Marines. I hope the Ogryn boys make it

>>5644546

>>5645071
I like this!
Also we should give a concrete example with ghouzi and his reincarnation as that death is not the end and that friends may meet again.

I would argue to follow angron, not only because he risks losing even more gladiators to ambushes but also because by pulling the most heat on a strong group the eldari might slip notice entirely.

>>5645071
this

>>5644546
>Knowing the wisdom of Aeldari, follow them and aid them in whatever task they seek to accomplish.

>Tell the Ogryn that Lieren translates to hunter. There is no shame in simple names. In fact, there is beauty in simplicity.

>>5645071
Supporting the name part, to touching not to.

>>5644546
>>Follow Angron and tell him you know the pain of losing friends as close as family, and promise to exact revenge for his fallen companions as the two of you push and rampage deeper
>Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them
>Tell the Ogryn that Lieren translates to hunter. There is no shame in simple names. In fact, there is beauty in simplicity.

Definitely don't think we should split from Angron, we have promised to stand by his side through this I I agree with an above anon that the AI might have studied the multipronged attacks and like our own response to them delay multiple prongs while crushing one and then moving on to another

>>5645228
>support

>>5645228
Changing vote.

>>5645228
I'll back this instead

>>5645071
i'll support this, on top of my other vote

>>5645228
Supporting.

By the way did we ever determine what our Emperor given warp power was? Russ has the Howl, Lion can forest walk, Dorne induces stillness, Corax is a raven mob, Alpharius turns on incognito mode. So what Is Lieren's ability?

Our Soul and golden Ocean? That was us after the fact leading to our awakening.
The eyes? Those are from Malal along with our Black Smoke Ogre of hate.

But what was it the Emperor gave us? I know he originally made us nigh emotionless but that can't simply be it righT?

>>5645071
Yeah, I'll add on that.

Because they are the best boys.

>>5645856
Gestalt of human souls rizz.

>>5645856
We have a hyper-focus autism that's similar to Perty's

>>5646744
Leiren was called the Hunter.
Pert was called the Breaker of Worlds

Pert is Leiren for planets. Fighting cultures, creeds and sometimes fortified structures.
It's why he's artistic but looks down on others.

Leiren is for solo 1v1 fights. He understands an enemy. He emulates good hunting behaviour like a hunter wears camouflage. The mein of the companion does this for entire personalities.

Wonder what Angron's special skill is in both forms.
He was the paladin/healer.
And then he was the world eater.

Something like
Battle continuation skills.
Mend-heals all debilitating wounds
Vs
Battle rage-ignores wounds

File: 1625224865247.png (202 KB, 780x593)

202 KB PNG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the super long wait. Had some technical issues, namely I had to get a new pair of headphones since I can't write without my tunes.
A multifront attack is harder to repel, take the ogryn and create a third front for the Xenos Ai to contend with:5

Explain to the best of your capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its potential fates as you know them:11

Place a hand upon the shoulder of Dugg and firmly grasp it...etc:2

Order the Ogryn to open that third front and believe in Dugg and tell him to move in to divide attention acting as if they are the flanking attack...opening the way for the Aeldari....etc: 2

Knowing the wisdom of Aeldari, follow them and aid them in whatever task they seek to accomplish.:3

Tell the Ogryn that Lieren translates to hunter. There is no shame in simple names. In fact, there is beauty in simplicity.:12

Follow Angron and tell him you know the pain of losing friends as close as family, and promise to exact revenge for his fallen companions as the two of you push and rampage deeper:7

total vote:18

So Lieren will explain to the best of his capabilities, the nature of the human soul and its possible fates as he understands them, and comfort them by telling them his name means hunter and there is beauty in simplicity

And since its the vote of who to accompany with the most votes, he will then follow Angron into the dark belly of the ancient xenos AI

Writing now

>>5644855
>>5644857
Loved this, especially since Lorgar got taken down like a fog panther

"Now that is a difficult question, one that philosophies and faiths across the span of the galaxy have argued for eons beyond reckoning. I suppose you are asking of the fate that awaits our human soul when our mortal vessel expires and returns to the red dust that birthed it?" You ask as Dugg frowns and glances down the horrificially mutilated face of his brother in arms, whom none could say died a pleasant or painless death. It was an intimidation tactic, you recognized it as well. The mutilation of corpses was a common tool of tyrants, a measure to spread fear after a victim had expired. Few recognized that such disrespect only fanned the flames of a rebellious spirit rather than snuff them out.

"I suppose, don't know about any other souls that there are. You have to know. You're smart and wise" He says through tears, wiping his eyes as his friends kneel down and place their hands on the cooling corpse of the fallen ogryn, nudging him like a dog would the still body of its master despite their heightened intellect

"I know of some fates, for their is no singular destiny of a soul. My mentor Guozhi, had learned a method to ensure his reincarnation, hence his epithet of the thousand lives. But that is not assured for even those who have spent lifetimes training and honing their will and sense of self" You explaing, kneeling down to close the eyes of the battered corpse, bowing your head as you wished the already departed spirit safety in the empyrean "For the soul is energy, just a kind that is little understood. Imagine it like fire, a divine spark. It can be snuffed out, annihilated utterly, the smoke that lingers drawn away. A soul can be harnessed and supped upon as readily as electricity if one possess the proper knowledge and a heart blacker than any night. But, by default, souls enter the Emperyean, the astral realm where spirits and dreams dwell"

"What's that?" Ulga asked "How can we reach it? We didn't even get to say goodbye to him"

"I know of ways and paths, but I do not recommended them, souls vary in potency and brightness. The wilds of the empyrean are a dangerous place, and parasites and predators lurk to descend upon and devour wayward souls. Though their are safe harbors that resemble the afterlives of some myths. I believe such harbors to be created by a gestalt unconscious force, the very same that created the empyrean and turned it as dangerous as it now is" You continue on "Some souls, I have seen, adapt to this primal plane of emotion and become akin to its native denizens, though they possess true intellect and personality. Perhaps he has joined my lost brothers in that form, as the heroic spirits"

"He didn't like fighting, I'd prefer if he was...well peaceful where he is" Dugg sniffed, wiping his nose and patting the snot over the front of his ramshackle armor, riveted and nailed together out of what looked like plates of iron turtle armor "Do you know of any place in the empyrean like that?"
Cont

>>5647984

"I know there are serene locales, away from the storms and wolves" You answer, bowing your head further "I am also aware of means to preserve a soul and instances of souls lingering in this material realm. Though it is as much of an illusion as the world of spirits, to my eyes. The monks of Dai, the infinity circuits of the Aeldari xenos races...But yes, your friend has gone to the place few living men have glimpsed or imagined. And he should be safe within the barriers I built around this battlefield, perhaps he will remain safe and figure out Guozhi's trick on his own once the confusion of his death ends. Who can say, but all things must end, even that which most would prefer to believe eternal"

"That is comforting though I do not know why, that nothing is permanent. I never knew things were temporary before, but now it weighs upon my mind" He said quietly as he stood "I'd like to talk more on this matter, as I can tell you are not telling me everything"

"It is a complex subject, one we cannot sit down and contemplate while a battle for this planet's future commences" You say, rising to your full, towering height before placing a consolling hand upon Dugg's shoulder "And Dugg, you feel ashamed your mother named you simply. Know that my name, when translated out of my native tongue, means Hunter. That is what I am. Hunter. By nature and desire. I hunted, so the people of my village of nothing named me hunter. I have been offered more elegant and complex names, a second one even, but I have refused them all. You see"

You lash a arm out as you lead the still mourning ogryn in your brother's footsteps

"There is beauty in simplicity! The fall of rain, the shifting of sand, the morning fog, the warmth of sunlight, of earnest laughter of honest sorrow! The simple things in life bring more satisfaction than the needlessly complex and ornate. Many take names like full poems to tell others what they believe to be the true contents of their heart and their qualities as a man, but to my ears, the name Dugg is far more descriptive and aesthetically pleasing than names that take a scroll the length of my arm to be written in entirety!" You laugh boisterously, patting the boy on the back to show him it was time to hurry up as the walls were creaking and you could hear the robotic warriors converging to try to cut you off from angron.

With the long strides allowed to you and your ogryn companions, you soon reach your brother, forcing open a section of wall to find him and his brothers of the fighting arenas in the middle of a battle against the drones of the ancient shadow and clouds of gnawing nanomachines.
Cont

>>5647985

"Brother! Forgive me!" You shout as you enter the fray bombastically, scattering the black cloud chewing through his armor with a swipe of your sword and a gale thrown up by your spirit's touch, the wounds of the gladiators around angron knitting themselves shut as the brief reprieve allows him to focus his own burgeoning psionic abilities "I was waylaid by a philosophical question"

"I had thought you were behind me" He laughs as he brings the head of his axe down on the head of a drone, sparks flying and lighting his face, revealing his furrowed brow and grim snarl "I suppose that explains why more of these bastards aren't dead yet!"

"Know that I share the pain of kinsmen lost, I sense it surrounding you like a dark veil. I to have lost brothers more dear to me than my own life" You sadly explain, reaching out to your brother empathetically as you mow down a row of drones with a burst of your bolter as he knocks one pouncing you to the ground with a solid kick that crumples its midsection before with a flick of his blade he severs its head "The agony of losing friends is not easily endured"

"Hah, thinking I'm mad you brought me down here? They die for a purpose now. Instead of for the sick satisfaction of the sadistic nobility, they die to free nuceria and its people, as all my brothers and sisters have died for since we've broken our chains" He roars, but you can tell he does feel at least a hint of resentment despite himself. It is only natural for him to. You still blame yourselves for all the friends who have died pursuing your dream of a unified Shangrala.

"Well, we shall avenge them and make sure they do not travel to what lies beyond alone!" You bellow as you and him become a whirring dervish of destruction, cutting a path through the seemingly endless hordes of robotic villains, you freezing them in place with the exorcist arts Guozhi has entrusted to you and he shattering the brittle metal with his overwhelming strength. In time, the assault relents

"Lieren. Not enough time to talk. Kanzeon pushed the entity back to its back up power drives. Marking key targets in the incomplete map you're scouting and our hacking has created" Anahita barks in your ear.

"Hmm, good, the sisters are shedding as much blood as we are. Lets hit the power supply" Angron snarls as he continues hacking and weaving through a sea of lashing, sparking wires that would stop the heart of a lesser man and completely paralyze an astare.

What do you do Lieren?

>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

>Disagree and instead suggest to attack the responders that are allowing it to battle with the sisters

>Tell him of the Aeldari and link up their passage with the map that has been created to figure out what they're attacking.

>Wish him luck and head for your own target, the template archives

>write in

>>5647987
>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

File: Dragon of Malice.jpg (444 KB, 1280x1689)

444 KB JPG

I found good art of what the dragon we just fought could look like.
>>5617021

>>5647987
>Tell him of the Aeldari and link up their passage with the map that has been created to figure out what they're attacking.

>>5648069
Nah, reread its description, it was more like a humanoid preying mantis.

>>5647987
>Head for our own target, the template archives

Knowledge.

>>5647987
>>Tell him of the Aeldari and link up their passage with the map that has been created to figure out what they're attacking.
>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

>>5647987
>>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

>>5647987
>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply
We have been fucking around for a while, lets do some bonding. Besides we did tell Angron we are his advisor and equal but this is his campaign

>>5647987
>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

>>5647987
>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

Lets hope the eldari are taking care of eventual dead man switches the bastard could have linked to it's power supply.
Best not mention them here at all lest the machine hears and looks for them.


I feel like since the sisters have it on the backfoot attacking the transponders has little meaning.

And while the template vaults are an interesting target i feel it's not a priority when we have the shipgirls and their tech.

(Captcha "ASS4K"? What could it mean?)

>>5647987
>>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

No time for mucking about when fighting an AI, let's give out jade flower a bit of a reprieve

>>5647987
>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply
We need to stick by our brother however what we can do is provided our Sons have set up their defenses have a team strike out to assist the Aeldari.

Id like to shill/remind to send a strike team of our sons to assist the Aeldari. This place is necron tainted and would hate to lose some here to such things. Outside has set up a defense grid and has armoured support.

Get them in there to protect our aeldari or itll make diplo to use the webway once more harder.

>>5647987
>>Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply

>>5647987
>Tell him of the Aeldari and link up their passage with the map that has been created to figure out what they're attacking.

>>5648431
>>5647987
Supporting this Add-on specifically. No matter what happens we need to give them some back up

>>5647987
>Tell him of the Aeldari and link up their passage with the map that has been created to figure out what they're attacking.
>Disagree and instead suggest to attack the responders that are allowing it to battle with the sisters

Horus looked over the assembled Second Legion and while their grey armoured forms stood in formation with helms on he could feel their judgement. All over Terra news had been spreading over terra; a Primarch was home. The parades, the adoration and glory of his Father... such things filled the Luprical with pride and purpose but then came the Legion greetings.

The Master's of nineteen Astarte Legions were knelt before him in greeting to introduce themselves, from most he felt admiration and awe but there were several whom were more reserved; the Thousand Sons and the Iron Fourth. There were two others whom seemed almost nonplussed? The Warhounds and The Chimera Legion whom caused his brow to furrow for while they knelt and it seemed there was something behind their eyes? Judgement?..

It was later after some probing and asking his Father he learned why; he was not the 'First Found' as so many cheered but rather the 'First Recovered'. He learned of Magnus the scholarly sorcerer King whom was a regular sparing partner of his Father in Philosophy, he learned of the stern and unbreaking genius of Perturabo, even of the recently discovered Angron named a warrior of unmatched fury and drive....then finally the root of the Second legion's Judgement of him, he learnt of Lieren; Father of the Chimera, the Mistborne Son and the Emperor's Tracker.

No wonder the sons of such men were resistant to his command knowing that their Fathers are out there and achiving things without them, how he had simply been found with an accolade of becoming a Gang Leader and while master of his world it lacked... gravitas compared to those four. But he'd heed the council given; win their respect through action.

He'd show them all.

>>5649058
Excellent point.
We've become the First found son.
Then Magnus, Perturabo, Angron.

We shall shape the Great Crusade. Not Horus.
Things are going to speed up significantly.
Wonder how he'll react to this. He's gonna make friends either way.


>Tell him of the Aeldari and link up their passage with the map that has been created to figure out what they're attacking.
>Disagree and instead suggest to attack the responders that are allowing it to battle with the sisters

>>5649064
As much as we are the first found i believe there's still quite the distance until the emperor forces can link up with Lieren's.
And while surely we will forge a strong bond with the primarchs we recruited personally the emperor may still feel us distant and unchecked.
given the technology shared i believe there will be an acceleration of the crusade itself and, with how close horus was found canonically, i think he will be the first to join the great crusade at the emperor's side.

>>5649058
>>5649287

Personally, I prefer the idea of us being the inquisitorial primarch. Let Horus be The General, Mortarion The Witch Finder, and Leman The Executioner. We are literally laying the foundation for the Ordo Hereticus and Order Maleus. As for Ordo Xenos, their job will be diplomatic for select sentient races and extermination for the vast majority rather than the canonical entirety.

>>5647987
>Wish him luck and head for your own target, the template archives

Lorgar walked beside his Father as the two marched towards the hanger of the 'Indomitable Truth' a feeling of pride filling his chest but also unease? A feeling as if he were about to take some dramatic plunge? But what had he to fear? He was beside the Master of Humanity himself, a God given golden form. Together they boarded a gold clad lander worthy of their shared majesty then they were followed by no less than a Four Custodians and an equal number of enigmatic Sister's of Silence.

“What planet is this Father? Why are we here?” he asked with reverence and a bowed head,

“Shangrala and we are here for you to meet someone I feel you should dear 'Urizen'”

His heart fluttered looking upon his father's perfect form but the listen look in the Emperor's face only deepened the well of concern within him. Their flight down was in silence while Lorgar looked over the Mist swept world through a view port seeing cities of ancient design but clearly modern construction pass as instead they headed towards a great mountain but rather than flying atop of it they headed for it's roots.

As he passed under it's shadow a coldness crept over him...he had to ask.

“Who would linger in such a place?” he asked and while none moved he felt the judging eyes of the others but he cared not for them only his Father.

He looked down to Lorgar a look of concern writ across his brow, “Your brother Lorgar... you will see soon enough”.

When the Craft landed the lamp lowered and as expected the Golden Guard left first forming a perimeter then the Sisters doing similar. The Emperor stepped boldly down and as Lorgar followed he saw the worlds mist was almost moving to consume them? Unnatural, ethereal...dangerous. They walked along a road of purest white down into the mountains depths which were as black as night but for etched pillars of Jade until finally they entered some great hall... alone, just he and the Master of mankind himself.

The Emperor spoke “Do not hesitate to answer your brother's questions Lorgar, I am beside you”

The Primarch felt a hand upon his shoulder and took a breath it was good to feel his fathers...

He froze mid thought.

His Father was before him not beside him.

Slowly he turned his head and for the first time he felt utter dread, pure terror which paled his skin, numbed his senses to all but what he realised now loomed over him. The Gauntlet on his shoulder was blacker than night but glinted like a crows feather with hidden hues and as he followed the hand into the arm and the body which bore it he looked upon a snarling helm of nightmare and into eyes of molten fire and gold.

He remembered that night so long ago, the fright and fear... the warning of Kor Phaeron. The dread thing from his childhood dreams; The Gold Eyed Daemon. It spoke to him with a voice which while as smooth as a snakes skin carried the Promise of Venom.

“Greetings dear Brother, I think introductions are long overdue but first some Questions~”

>>5649287
>As much as we are the first found i believe there's still quite the distance until the emperor forces can link up with Lieren's.
>And while surely we will forge a strong bond with the primarchs we recruited personally the emperor may still feel us distant and unchecked.
>given the technology shared i believe there will be an acceleration of the crusade itself and, with how close horus was found canonically, i think he will be the first to join the great crusade at the emperor's side.

We can literally teleport to his side and get Perturabo to manage the Logistical nightmare of getting Nunercia, Prospero, Shangrala and Olympia ready to link up with the main fleet.

Horus can be happy # 5

>>5650107
I'm not saying we couldn't just say fuck everything else i'm going home to daddy.
But that there is no perceived hurry to stay by the emperor side until we're sure the other primarchs are safe, and by that time horus would have probably appeared.

>>5650486
True but the Emperor should meet his sons prior to finding them.

Shall Leiren visit Russ next? Who gets found later?
Who needs saving? Just Angron?

>>5651619
Lorgar

>>5651631

If one really wants to fuck up the Heresy, getting to Lorgar before his Stockholm's Syndrome kicks in is the way to go.

>Plot threads i hope we pick up after Angron
-Meditate and continue our steps down the Eightfold path turned inward and denounced
-Go Eldar God awakening/Recovery. Find the Stag like we got chances, that'll get the Aeldari on side long term
-With the help of Magnus connect Dad and set up a meeting between the Big E and Angron/Perturabo
-Get Home and lock down our system
-Return to New Varro~

Lads, I got some chills. Horus heresy novel: Fear to Tread has a quote that Horus says to Sanguinius after he just watched Sanguinius have to kill a Blood Angel whom fell to the Thirst

"Perfection is not a state of being, it is a state of striving. The journey is all that has meaning"

Bruh moment

does anyone have that journey pdf lying around trying to remember some old quotes of lieren apology's for any bother?

File: 1632543116493.pdf (156 KB, PDF)

156 KB PDF

>>5652084
Alright, so I have some bad news and good news.
The bad news is that I had deleted the PDF from my computer because I had stopped updating it and assumed that it would be saved in the suptg, but turns out that it didn't.
The good news is that Malal probably still has it in his computer, and archive.moe did save the pdf.
So here's the most recent version, it only has things up to thread 13

>>5652088
oh no worrys im more then thankful to have even this much thank you sincerely for it

>>5651905
>-Return to New Varro~
Fallout tech and Powerarmor for our soldiery will be much welcome.

I hope our SHip sisters are immune to scrapcode.

>>5652130
So long as Lieren gets a Primary sized cowboy hat, I'll be happy.

>>5652198
I wonder if the brim will double as a sensor dish.

Hola, got caught up.

I see we finally met Ogryn. I wonder what impact we'll leave on them. They seem too dumb to truly grasp things like the journey.

Do we have a list of characters and who they are? I lose track.

New Varro when.

>>5652677
After this is over, I imagine they'll be incredibly depressed once they realize how far from understanding they were even with Lieren's connection.
Either way, I imagine Lieren is definitely gonna look into gene therapy and/or cybernetic implants for the Ogryn in the future.
It'd be a true tragedy to leave any breed of man ignorant of the world around them.

File: 1625965715059.jpg (213 KB, 1336x1260)

213 KB JPG

Calling the vote now. Sorry for the really, really long wait. Had more technical issues on my end and no internet for a few days.

Agree with your brother and make a charge for the auxillary power supply:9

send your sons to assist the aeldari: 2

Tell him of the Aeldari and link up their passage with the map that has been created to figure out what they're attacking.:5

Head for our own target, the template archives:2

Disagree and instead suggest to attack the responders that are allowing it to battle with the sisters:2

total votes:16

So Lieren will agree with Angron and make a mad dash for the entity's auxiliary power supply

Writing now

>>5649058
Oh I loved this. Very well written. Somehow the emperor's tracker is a more intimidating epithet than his executioner. I can totally imagine the Chimeras looking at Horus and going "Space book does not approve"

Especially liked the end. Masterful way to finish it off.

>>5649878
I also loved this one. The descriptions were fantastic and really made me feel Lorgar's terror.

The bit about snake skin and promises of venom was top tier imo

>>5651979
Nnneat

>>5652198
https://youtu.be/N2fwUbvDI_s

>Traditional new varro folksong