>>5790368

Indeed, the only thing stopping you from traveling to his craftworld to seek his guidance and expertise immediately is that Luli begged you to join her radio show as a guest and you couldn't refuse, especially as she came with an official decree penned by Jinhai's own hand and bearing his imperial seal. Apparently one of lady Qian's spies met her and urged her to go to such lengths as a few paranoid minds had began to dream up outlandish theories and ridiculous tall tales every since you left to assist your brother in liberating himself and his world. And while you find the conspiracy theories a few hobbyists spread in their free time or to wile away their boredom to be amusing and have deemed they to pose little if no threat to the harmony and cohesion of society, who are you to refuse to refuse to earnest request of two of your dearest and most beloved friends, as well as an imperial edict demanding you accept the offer, which is in truth more of just a jest that probably gave a few of Jinhai's attendants and advisors heart or bowel troubles. You'd have paid to have been a fly on the wall when he decided to use his imperial authority for a gag, knowing well that his advisors and courtiers wouldn't have seen the humor in it and would've thought his command to be entirely serious and a cause for grave concern considering who it was he was bossing around.

You give a pleasant, warming smile as Luli leads into the part of her broadcast intended for younger audiences, giving a sanitized and child friendly version of one of the many legends told of you to impart a lesson of the journey in a way a child's innocent and impressionable mind could understand and appreciate. Cleverly, she separates the more mature, complex and potentially traumatizing portions of her daily preaching with a clear and unmistakable musical note that you recognize as being similar to the humming of the harmonic frequencies of the internal machinery of the medical equipment Kanzeon used to repair and remake her body with cybernetics and synthetic flesh. Beautiful. And it amuses you to imagine kids rushing in from play or their chores to hear Auntie Luli's story time.

Which today involves a truthful story, or well, a retelling of something that actually occurred but with the edges of its story sanded down so as not to frighten the children. Specifically it is the story of how you met her, and you do not know where she finds the strength to remain straight faced and speaking in so gentle and sweet a voice as she uses her own mangling and near death experience to teach a lesson that bullying is wrong. Luli has a strong will, you knew this, but her composure is astonishing, considering how traumatic that experience was for her.
Cont

>>5790369

Just thinking about the true events of that night as she, in a coddling tone, talks of being "bullied" makes your hands tremble, as if they are possessed by a will of their own to seek out the throats of men long dead by your hand to throttle them again. But you do not allow you contempt for monsters reduced now to corpses to seep into the lyrical voice you use as you lend your voice to her lesson and explain that while it is noble to protect another, one shouldn't relish in fighting or hurting "Bullies", nor should they lash out at others, and that ones first choice should be to tell an adult if they're being beaten or teased rather than balling their hands into a fist or using any martials arts they learned in after school programs to thrash the delinquents bothering them.

Another story follows, one that Luli seems to have made up just for her show, concerning a starving cat sparring a rat from their hunger and being welcomed into their family for that one act of mercy and made fat on cheese, berries and nuts which...is absolute nonsense, but its a cute story, so you seriously reply to her questions of what wisdom both the cat and rat showed in their meetings and how they both overcame their prejudice and fears to become friends, and that a giggle doesn't break your detailed explanations and philosophizing is proof of the control you have over your emotions, but once Luli takes back the microphone, you allow yourself to laugh, wiping tears from your eyes as you guffaw at the sheer ridiculousness of this morning.

"And is there anything you'd like to say to the audience before we sign off for the morning, Lieren?" Luli asks with a wink, as you did inform her that you and Kanzeon had an announcement to make, and while you'd have rather waited for both of your fathers to be present to give their blessings, she reminded you that one of them, the one who raised you, was getting on in the years and there was no telling how long it'd take for the nascent imperium of man to join hands with the empire of Long-Jia, and so your hand was force much like was when she wanted it to be a public and grand affair, rather than the humble and ascetic ceremony. You any marriage involving yourself or Kanzeon would never be private, considering how much the masses adore the both of you, but Your bride to be and friend and emperor both insisted to hold their ceremony in the new imperial capital at the gates of the palace in a wedding as grand as his own coronation.

And who are you to refuse either of them?
Cont

>>5790371

"Oh, well it is ungentlemanly and very improper of me to gossip, and I am sure my father would give me an ear tugging for the ages if he was in this room, since speaking of such private matters so brazenly is churlish and rude, but even I cannot contain the excitement and thrill that's blazing within this heart of mine, upon being introduced to that most alluring of poisons, love, pure and chaste" You laugh as you lean back into the chair and grab a hold of the microphone "Which is why I beg my bride to be's forgiveness, for while we have been engaged and promised to one another for sometime, that I break secrecy and forsake etiquette and shame to proudly announce, that I, Lieren of Nothing, and Lady Kanzeon of the Bone Devouring Forest, are soon to be wed in a ceremony held by the emperor of harmony himself, Long-Jia Jinhai, and that every listener of this broadcast and any one who they tell, is given an invitation to attend and be there with me on the happiest day of my life. May the mists thin and the rain be held at bay, and all of the birds sing their songs and all hands join together in peace and joy, for only such a serene day is worthy of the day a woman as wonderful, loving, and beautiful in body and mind becomes a bride. I hope you will accept my invitation, and that Kanzeon will not be to angered by what my loose lips have said, and plead with her to realize they are loosened by passion and jubliation, for what man can keep a secret when the secret is something that should be shared and celebrated, like truth and selfless love. Now I must take my leave of your pleasant company Luli, for I need to flee for the mountain tops to escape the fury of my wife to be"

Which is of course a joke, since Kanzeon was the one to ask you to make a public show of announcing your wedding. But its amusing to think of how many of the more naive and simple people of Long-Jia will think all of that lighthearted joking to be entirely serious, and how many more will be laughing with you. Though the exact wording of your declaration was chosen carefully, so if anyone notices your absent as you visit Ulthwe to seek the wisdom of Eldrad, they won't spread troublesome rumors but will instead joke that The giant has ran away from his furious wife deep into the mountains. Which will surely inspire creative minds to create a number of entertaining plays and songs, perhaps even by time you return from your outing to the craftworld.

But, as you prepare to travel to the nearest web way gate, with Kanzeon's assistance of course, you begin to wonder if you should bring along a guest. Not just to show them the beauty of Aeldari culture and architecture, but because doing so might foster better relations in the future for both of your races.

Kanzeon, refused, since while she may have become fond of and allowed Carys and her followers to worm their way into her heart, she still has a chip on her shoulder concerning all other Aeldari.
Cont

>>5790375

Who, if anyone, do you bring with you as you seek Eldrad Ulthran's wisdom, Lieren?

>Your father Wenyan, its been too long since the two of you have gone on a father and son's outing, and he deserves to see the world beyond Shangrala

>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia

>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself.

>No one, it'd be the height of rudeness to bring an uninvited guest.

>Write in

>>5790378
>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia
How could I not?
Also Luli better have a Sesame Street style broadcast in the future, puppets and all.

>>5790378
>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia
Part of me really wants to bring Wenyan, because that sounds like it would be hilarious, but bringing Jinhai makes a lot of sense.

>>5790378
>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself.

>>5790378
>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself.

>>5790378
>Your father Wenyan, its been too long since the two of you have gone on a father and son's outing, and he deserves to see the world beyond Shangrala

>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia

>>5790378
>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself.

>>5790378
>>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia
Glad Luli keeps growing stronger. Fucking Yan princes, only worthy to be crushed and burned.

Anyway, interesting choices. I am considering a few other people but frankly, they are pretty good.
Wenyan it would be a good gift, and would give a portion of understanding Lieren to the Eldars. Might humble a few by accident.
Jinhai for diplomatic and cultural exchanges, a mixed new ground to explore with one of our great friends and companions.
Guozhi, our master in the psykerist arts, wise man and mentor. Intriguing for any Eldar Farseers to know more about him, an opportunity for them.

>>5790378
>Father Wenyan

I wanna see eldari get talked at by an old man.
Lieren shall forever be known as "Lieren of the many followers" because he never visits without guests.

>>5790378
>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself.

>>5790378
>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself.

>>5790378
>No one, it'd be the height of rudeness to bring an uninvited guest.
Look as much as bringing someone else might be fun we are trying to be swift here and don't want complications.

We can't bring Jinhai lest something happen and we leave our world without its leader, we can't bring dad he is to vulnerable and bringing Guozhi is just tempting slannesh and tzeench to much and they'll work together.

We need to do it solo

>>5790378
>>Your father Wenyan, its been too long since the two of you have gone on a father and son's outing, and he deserves to see the world beyond Shangrala

>>5790378

>Your father Wenyan, its been too long since the two of you have gone on a father and son's outing, and he deserves to see the world beyond Shangrala

>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia

>>5790378
>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself.

Honestly Guozhi and his sect managing a way to reliably and honestly cheat death via reincarnation that preserves his memories and personality should absolutely be impossible and even Eldrad I imagine would be shocked that it is still possible after the coming of chaos.

We need to at some point while visiting ask Eldrad if any of Lierens other brothers are at the present moment in any serious danger from either chaos or more mundane threats and if our actions with Angron actually changed the future the farseers saw.

>Your father Wenyan, its been too long since the two of you have gone on a father and son's outing, and he deserves to see the world beyond Shangrala

>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia

I just had an interesting idea. What if we genetic engineering and spirit creation to make super plants for cultivation?

>Your father Wenyan, its been too long since the two of you have gone on a father and son's outing, and he deserves to see the world beyond Shangrala

>Jinhai. Acting as Long-Jia's grand architect, show him the craftworld and the wonderous craftsmanship of the artisans upon it, and see if you could convince the seer council to permit a cultural exchange between Ulthwe and Long-Jia

>>5791030
>>5791094
You really going to be that guy?

>>5791030
>>5791094
Bruhski this is not dee way

fuck did it twice. sorry ignore one of them

File: power move.jpg (15 KB, 612x612)

15 KB JPG

I propose we do what is commonly called "A pro gamer move"

>invite and bring our nameless assistant

>>5791511
Lol

>>5790378
>Guozhi, last time you brought Magnus, who you consider something of a teacher concerning the psykerist arts, so its only fitting to bring your first psykerist mentor. And because you want to learn how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself

>>5791511
I'll support that. Fuck Eldrad.

File: 1622668710057.jpg (46 KB, 500x500)

46 KB JPG

>>5791511
Support. Our assistant deserves a vacation, and maybe Malal will reveal whether he's a Red Herring or secretly a shard of Vaul.

>>5791511
Support let's go ominous assistant gang!

>>5791511
Fuck it lets do it, if nothing else they will record everything we see so we can tell Eldrad its inefficient.
I honest to the Emperor want him to just be a normal guy who is extremely keen on keeping his life private

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

202 KB PNG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the wait.\

Jinhai:6

Guozhi:7

Wenyan:4

No one:1

Nameless assistant: 5

Total votes:21

So Lieren will bring Guozhi with him to Ulthwe

Writing now

>>5790398
I'd love to see a muppet Lieren

There are others you consider to introduce to Aeldari culture and have them present at your meeting with Ulthwe's seer council and Eldrad Ulthran, such as your father Wenyan, whom you decide against taking on a trip through the webway due to the realm's treacherous and labyrinth nature and because he will surely be busy preparing for your wedding and as diligent a man he is, you know he will refuse even an offer to see an alien "world" if it would interrupt or otherwise delay his work. Jinhai, is also a candidate, and your certain your friend would be overjoyed to travel the webway again and visit the home of its masters, however is wife, children and subjects would be less so and you do not wish to cause familial strife within the imperial household nor assist your emperor in avoiding the duties and responsibilities he deems excessively troublesome. Your loyal and dutiful assistant, who has helped you build Long-Jia since you first began the giant's road, is another you consider, but the man is remarkably capable of alluding you by taking charge of the endless civic projects and construction jobs sent to the ministry of the developments everyday. Last you heard, he was helping build a dam somewhere in the Hellias region as part of a trade deal with the Zoroast to provide electrical power to its borderlands, power that will of course be shared with the Hellias living near to the dam, and the waters that flow through it will be re-routed to make arid regions more suitable for agriculture and hopefully prevent droughts from being as devastating as they were in the past.

While it would be amusing to see a man as stubborn as he meet with Eldrad and the man truly deserve a vacation despite his insistence of working tirelessly and never pausing as he moves from one project to the next, but you will not bother him or impede the good work he is doing. Another time perhaps, he is still young after all. But in the end, you decide to offer Guozhi the chance to join you in this meeting, as his miraculous technique of rebirth and ability to evade the fate that faces so many other psykerists in death time and time again, surely will intrigue the Aeldari, who so fear death as to bind their souls to the mortal plane, and perhaps they will be able to explain how it is done, as you have been long curious as to how exactly he manages to reincarnate himself while retaining the memories of seemingly all of his prior lives.. And besides that, the last time you paid Ulthwe a visit, Magnus joined you there. And as you consider your brother as much a teacher as a peer in the psykerist arts, it only right for you to take the man who was your first guide and mentor in those arts.

And as a wanderer by nature, he cannot resist the temptation to explore a locale like the Labyrinth dimension, for such a journey is rare even for a man who has lived a thousand lives, and its destination is nearly as priceless as the journey itself.

Cont

>>5794417

A craftworld, where few humans across all of history and time have visited as guests, and when they see his sagely wisdom and insights, he shall be one of even fewer who come and walk amongst their seers as an equal.

You approach him with the offer over tea, and he considers it, stroking his beard and frowning as he looks ponderously over his numerous students, including little Meixiu, who has spent the better part of the afternoon humiliating adult telekinetics by showing off both the brute strength of her spirit's touch, as well as her unnatural dexterity with it, a dexterity Guozhi and the other elders have been encouraging and testing the limits of with numerous tests involving complex and tiny mechanisms. Which has lead to a frustrated Meixiu crushing a number of artisan made clocks and music boxes to splinters and scrap metal, but she is now capable of setting a clock of all kinds, from the traditional sort, to the more advance and digital varieties, with her mind alone with as much ease as she is capable of snapping bones within limbs or controlling another human being's body as if they were a puppet on strings. If she was not such a good natured little girl, her capabilities would be frightening, especially since you have yet to find her equal as a psykerist amongst baseline humanity, how powerful she will be when she is fully grown and matured into a fine young lady remains to be seen.

"I suppose it is a rare opportunity" He muses, pursing his lips as Meixiu continues to show off and gloat, cloud walking and swirling Shangrala's ever present mist around herself as her older peers become red faced and sweat drenched, some of them sporting bleeding noses as they struggle to replicate the feats she deems as child's play while her friends, including Avinash and Ananya cheer her own, only encouraging her further "To see the vistas, behold the wonderous mysteries of that most ancient high way, and even more so to see with my own eyes the homes of the Aeldari, and speak with them as I have many youngsters in need of guidance and teaching in my many years as myself"

"You know the sect is in good hands, our first generation of students has already become teachers, and there are still three elders to guide them while we are both away" You tempt, smiling as you pour him a fresh cup of sun dried white tea, fragrances of honey and dried cherries rising from the cup, followed shortly by wet hay aromas lifted up alongside the rising steam "A journey worthy of a wanderer and seeker of mysteries"

"I just worry I will be carried off by a giant bird" He snickers, telling quite the dark joke as he brings his cup to his lips and slurps it noisily "But I know if you are my companion, that bird will be shot down and roasted before it can pick the tough flesh from these old bones of mine. I just wonder, what it is you seek from the seers gazing ever towards the horizon amongst the Aeldari?"
Cont

>>5794419

"Knowledge and answers, concerning those without mothers or fathers, who live without souls, who meander through the world with feeling, residing in a colorless world of pure logic, whose flesh is iron and whose blood is electricity" You answer

"Abominable intelligences?" He asks, tilting his head to the side. You answer with a nod, as you swirl your own cup of tea and gaze down on your reflection as it ripples and dances

"And their craftsmen. I seek to know of the Mathoth, and if a pattern I've seen in history is real or merely the imagings of a mind used to finding monsters in shadows" You explain with a causal roll of your shoulders "And of the Aeldaris' own history with beings of living metal"

"Hmm, something I do not know. Now that is enticing" He cackles, nodding his head "Allow me to pack my things, and we shall leave immediately"

"We will have to travel to the nearest portal to the webway, a moon where I believe the bodies of Aeldari slave takers still hang in the barren and thin air of the planetoid, unless a traveler has taken them down" You say with a smile "We shall take our leave of fair shangrala, once we've finished our tea and cleaned our wares"

"And before little Meixiu overhears us and demands to be taken along as well" Guozhi chuckles, only half serious with the dread in his tone "Haven't stepped on a moon in many lifetimes, this should be a refreshing jaunt"

"It shall" You agree with a nod

What do you do in the webway, as you travel to Ulthwe with Guozhi, Lieren?

>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude

>Make sport of running circles around any Aeldari you encounter with your teacher, in philosophical debates or contests of psionic skill/ potency

>Ask Guozhi about his past lives and how his old sect came to attract the attention and earn the animosity of Jian Qi

>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.

>Write in

Very excited to write the next couple updates

>>5794420
>Ask Guozhi about his past lives and how his old sect came to attract the attention and earn the animosity of Jian Qi
>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.

>>5794420
>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude

>Ask Guozhi about his past lives and how his old sect came to attract the attention and earn the animosity of Jian Qi

>>5794420

>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude

>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.
We're soon to start setting up out interstellar civilization. Might as well keep an eye out for immediate threats as well as those who would only attack after we leave.

>>5794420
>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude
>Ask Guozhi about his past lives and how his old sect came to attract the attention and earn the animosity of Jian Qi

If I remember right infinity circuits act like AI's in a way, could Lieren try to replicate a infinity circuit as a way to dodge the sacrifice requirement? All the souls in a infinity circuit are intact and safe but they also all work collectively at the same time.

>>5794420
>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude
>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.
Kill all deldar

>>5794420
>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude
>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.
There are only two constants in this universe; Lieren doing that thing with his arm when he makes a speech and Drukhari behaving like rabid dogs.

>>5794536
>All the souls in a infinity circuit are intact and safe but they also all work collectively at the same time
Wouldn't individual souls working in tandem run the risk of stalling via disagreements?

>>5794420
>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude
>Ask Guozhi about his past lives and how his old sect came to attract the attention and earn the animosity of Jian Qi

>>5794420
>>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude
>>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.

>>5794420
I support >>5794483

File: muppet lieren laughs.gif (146 KB, 500x390)

146 KB GIF

>>5794357
you wish is granted, the muppet laughs, it laughs at the will of chaos

>>5794994
Goddamn, i got tears in my eyes from laughing


Luli is herself like humans in the muppet films
And all of his enemies are just colored socks with googly eyes

>>5794994
Kek based

>>5794420

>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude

>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.

>>5794994
Adorably benevolent

>>5794420
>>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude
>>5794420
>>Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.

https://youtu.be/E5g3gixP1bM

The skies of Terra were wreathed in stormclouds, blue thunder fought twisting gold, the rain fell upwards and those whom had perished upon the system wide war zone found themselves a celestial audience to Titanomachy. Half the Emperor's Sons had taken arms up against him, not in hate but simpler things; shame, disappointment, sorrow and at their head was the Emperor's Golden Son; Lieren. The palace was falling all around the Loyalists, Perturabo and Dorn both having well prepeared for their fallen brothers but none could ever be ready for the tide that was led by Horus, Sanguinius and the machinations of the Hydra.

Lieren the Warmaster himself was already within the Thone Room, the man he was but a shadow cast upon the wall by a behemoth of silver ice and golden flame. Arrayed against him the Emperor of man himself and two others; Angron and Magnus. They whom had been the Arch traitor's closested friends, they whom saw the weeping for what he was; a man who sought to end pain and suffering at whatever cost, a man sobbing pure aetheric matter and possibility...the doom of worlds.

Their battle would be fierce the once Giant of Shangrala's tears ever flowing begging his family to lay down their arms that he might change all Creation to paradise. They knew he was not lying, they know their beloved brother or son held no hate in his heard only love...

A love so consuming and burning it would bind all Creation,

A love so pure it would bleach the Warp,

A dream so innocent even Gods would die.

But they had to deny him, they had to fight him with tears of their own for they would save this world not the next.

Even when the Mad panther was laid low grappled in the embrace of his brothers for their father to slay like the beasts of his home world he begged. Even as he bled rivers of golden light and flowers bloomed he begged.

“Let me save you...”

He died, the Imperium survived but when Lieren died so to did the hope of man.

Has anyone thought of telling Malcador and the Emperor about the anti-Chaos properties of the Journey?

>>5796464
The Emperor has read it and allowed it to spread, he probably doesn't need to be told.

>>5794420
>>Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude
>Ask Guozhi about his past lives and how his old sect came to attract the attention and earn the animosity of Jian Qi

So, how long until The Journey itself coalesces in the Warp as a minor deity due to the dreaming, hope, and belief of both human and Eldar practitioners? Would the Emperor have to ban The Journey on principle, or would he take it as a protege, the dreamsoul child that evidently wants the best for all living creatures, by pushing them to be their best selves?

After all, humans under the T'au started(will start?) making a minor diety in the form of the Greater Good.

>>5797724
If we learn how to make spirits we could do something different.

https://youtu.be/wOqHZ3ItQs8

The power of the blood god roared through Dorn's veins, his will was forged brass, his mind fire and fury, rage at the deceptions of his father, rage at the betrayal of ideals, rage the had burnt worlds. Never had he lied, never had he deceived; upon the wall blade in hand the truth is known. The Emperor was unworthy, a schemer, a traitor, a man who had committed Filicide more times than there were stars. Now that rage had brought him to Olympia where like the titans of fable he crashed into the world and tore into it. But this world was not soft, nor was it unready. His brother still held loyal to the Carrion Emperor of Lies and this would had to die, it's foundries and stocks burnt and Perturabo's head presented to Khorne.

Drop pods rained from the sky as counter fire turned them into ash within the sky, not a single one landed but slowly the rain was pushing closer and closer even as the tally of dead rose by the hundreds then thousands. It was providence surly that saw Dorn's own drop pod avoid the defence batteries and crash through the roof of his Ironhearted brothers bunker.

---

Perturabo watched with tired eyes as things were slowly falling into place, the defences would hold long enough and those chosen sons would bait the Bloody Knight into his final confrontation, he watched via cameras and sesnors studying his brother's moves and skill, his speed and agility...everything taken in; understood and catalogued. All he had to do was wait.

Calmly he signalled for his first company into position all about the bunker...hidden with great thunder hammers and towering shields etched in his Mistborne brothers runes and wards. He himself powered up the colossus of adamantine and dark age technology making him tower over most...but he'd be looking in the eye of this warped Dorn. Minites passed in silence, none moved even as the bunker shuddered, as cracks fromed and dust rained from above; finally the bulkhead was breached and the Fallen arrived within the wide, shadowed and waiting hall.

“Perturabo come out you dog of a snake! Show yourself!”

He stepped into a central beam of light.

“I am here old friend, what a sad thing you have become. I expected better of you.”

Dorn snarled and the mad look in his eyes blazed, “better of me? To deny the truth of all things! I am the chosen of a God! A true god! An honourable and Good God!” he was spitting the words as he launched himself forward.

---1/2

>>5800051
Impossible?!

Dorn tried to pull away but the mechanised armour before him had not only caught his chainsword but were restraining him! Wrath and Ruin were his name and he roared in fury the machine before him creaking...but then he heard something?

From the shadows about him hammers beating shields...he'd been deceived again.

Perturabo spoke slowly, his voice colder than the void,

“You are upon Olympia now brother-” gears whirled...his sword broke...the shields began closing in.

Some hidden mechanism was triggered and from the very floor walls of quicksilver began to flow into bars about the warriors... strange shapes glowed and smoldered...he felt weak?

“-You are no god here-” His weapon finally snapped and with a quick upper cut the primarch of the Iron warriors sent him sprawling.

The cage finished closing; “-But I am.”

--------
Inspired by this https://youtu.be/YU93tQYoX_A Just cos i wanna see perti busting out broken tech and dabbing on Chaos

2/2

>>5800052
I'm not complaining about Perturabo. Cage of the gods.

I am however wishing that Dorn and Perturabo got along and constructed/built the best shit.

File: 1667855199707328.jpg (386 KB, 1618x2000)

386 KB JPG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the super long wait, machine spirits were feeling especially rebellious lately

Contact Eldrad ahead and warn him you are bringing a second, and tell him of Guozhi's ability, introducing the two ahead of your visit, so as not to be rude:11

Keep an eye out for slavers. While your warning outside of the nearest webway gate remains intact, criminals and villain of their sort rarely take heed of the fates of their fellows.:8

Ask Guozhi about his past lives and how his old sect came to attract the attention and earn the animosity of Jian Qi:5

So You'll contact Eldrad and warn him you're bringing a guest, tell him of Guozhi's ability and introduce the two ahead of the visit, while keeping an eye out for slavers and asking Guozhi of his past lives for a bit of a small talk

writing now

Total votes: 12

>>5794994
Brilliant, simply brilliant. Thank you, its perfect.

>>5796306
Fantastic music choice. Beautiful opening, really paints the scene

These lines were really powerful

"A love so consuming and burning it would bind all Creation,

A love so pure it would bleach the Warp,

A dream so innocent even Gods would die."

Made me tear up

>>5800051
>>5800052
Another fantastic choice for music, and record of Ragnarök, so its doubly based. Chaos dorn is terrifying, btw, loved how you wrote him

The ending gave me chills

Eldrad Ulthran, the foremost farseer of Craftworld Ulthwe, receives your message sent across the winds of the Empyrean and returns it privately, without his fellow seers of the councils. As you meditate, grasping into the astral currents of the great sea, the path you trod with Guozhi, who drifts along the sunset gold currents of hope as if he were sitting bowlegged atop a cloud, turns from a path of jagged stones awash with briny water and crackling with the tension born of a thousandfold nightmares into a far more welcoming approach of wraithbone woven together under and over like the carefully cultivated branches and roots of a tree shaped for a purpose, with lanterns dotted with empty soul stones swinging in a petal bearing breeze.

Eldrad awaits you, sat atop a tree stump, from which the wraithbone roots extend in all direction, gazing out across a burning meadow and ashen forest, measuring the embers rising to the heavens and catching the sparks that fall as they flicker and fade.

"Lieren, I had heard you came seeking a second audience with us, seeking understanding rather than aid in wading against the tides of destiny" He says, his voice nary a whisper, composed and measured, utterly calm and unaffected yet amiable and welcoming "But I was not informed by Carys that you were once again bringing a second to our meeting"

Guozhi frowns, his spirit freely floating in the winds drifting closer to the cliffs edge Eldrad's astral projection reposes atop, looking out across the same view and observing the burning wilderness far below as updrafts cast a powdering of pale blue ash in the sky.

"Forgive me, Eldrad of Ulthwe, forgive me for taking advantage of the hospitality of the man whose trust and faith in my abilities allowed me to free my noble hearted brother from the chains of oppression and see him pull apart the collar of tyranny around the neck of his world" You say shamefully as Eldrad smirks and raises an eyebrow "For once more I've acted the spoilt child and changed our plans without informing you, such a breech of conduct and trust must be addressed, which is why I've reached out to inform you ahead of time that I've brought with me a second"

"A Human psyker of no small talent" Eldrad surmises, studying Guozhi as the aged monk sits beside him, legs crossed and walking stick held in both hands "Nearing the end of his lifespan, yet I sense within him a peculiar patience and trial wrought cunning, though his is but a flickering flame, he is a powerful psyker, not because of any native strength, but experience alone"

"You humble me with your praise, oh he who eyes glimpse beyond a thousand horizion, he who holds the lantern that guides his people away from their final tragedy, he who grieves for gods and struggles against the machinations of that vile snake Sie Nie" Guozhi shouts loudly and deferentially , raising up his head to address and shower Eldrad with his utmost respect and highest praises.

Cont

>>5800763

"Clearly a close relation of yours" Eldrad says, his lips curling into almost a smile as he scrutinizes Guozhi's wrinkled and liver spotted feature "Your Aeldari is impeccable, a rarity amongst your species"

"It is not so different from Long-Jian" Guozhi chuckles with a sparkle in his eyes "Both are steeped with Symbolism, and incorporate gestures and posture into conversation, The only real challenge is figuring out the difference in idiom and understanding the sayings unique to each of our cultures"

"Birds may sing different songs, but their cries are all pleasing to hear" You agree with a nod "And he is my teacher in many forms. With him I first debated philosophy"

"And reignited my hope for the future I thought long withered and dead" Guozhi adds with a nod of his own

"And it was his hand that guided me into truly awakening and harnessing my psionic potential, when it first awoke" You continue on with a fond smile upon your lips "My austerely minded brother, Magnus, I consider to be my second teacher in the ways of psykerism, but Grandfather Guozhi was my first and as they say, a teacher is for a lifetime, so still I defer to his judgement, trust his counsel, seek his insights and know the value of the wisdom he has accumulated over his long life"

"The boy praises me overmuch, I am but an old man, he's surpassed me in everyway yet bows his head as I approach, You've met with Lieren before, surely the lord of divination understands my plight. Lieren is a hero whose greatness of deed and accomplishment is only overshadowed by his sense of humility!" Guozhi complains and praises, shaking his head and hand as Eldrad listens with an amused twinkle in his eyes "And I was defenseless against his show of gratitude to the little role I played in his development into a great psyker and greater man, and was unable to refuse his offer to show me a world few human eyes have witnessed, the domain of the Aeldari and the web hidden between worlds, woven eons ago from stars and dreams. What a scoundrel he is! soliciting this old man, who has lived his life in pursuit of wisdom and mysteries, the chance to learn beneath a great master such as yourself"

"It will take some convincing, but I believe my fellow seers will accommodate your presence, master Guozhi" Eldrad says with a smile "The risks this audience entails are far less severe than the doom we courted prior, they are still debating if it was wise to lend our aid to you, even though by your intervention your brother averted the grave tragedy we divined and in spite of the verbal and humiliating lashing they received from you as you regaled them with tales of chaos being denied and destiny averted...

His eyes alight with realization
cont

"Guozhi. The wandering monk you spoke of while presenting the story of tragic Meixiu" Eldrad says, a quiet source of awe as he looks upon your venerated teacher in a new light "Who took the storm trapped within the body of a little girl, trained her to control her power and lead her away from the dark future that otherwise awaited her, a single act of goodwill, that continues to ripple outwards, upsetting what was once preordained, averting the birth of a witch who would usurp,how did you put it Lieren? The "Crane of many colors and many lies"?"

"Jian Qi" Guozhi asks, burrowing a finger into his ear, digging out wax with a sour expression "and yes, I recall how your castaways looked at Meixiu after they divined what was supposedly set in stone, even though with their own eyes they could see she in no way resembled the terror they prophesized"

"And I believe one of your juniors on the council was humbled when she declared the road not taken the result of a "Primitive playing with bones and offal", unaware it was Carys and her flock who foresaw what could now never be" You titter, hiding your face with the back of your hand in a most maiden like fashion as Eldrad winced as if the recollection of that novice's immediate and public humiliation physically wounded

"You need not remind me of how easily you ran circles around my fellow farseers of Ulthwe's council, Lieren" He cordially reprimands, making clear he does not wish to relive the day his peers were soundly trounced in debate and one by one made to bow their heads in shame after boldly challenging your arguments, one by one falling in disgrace as you expertly countered their own assertions as if you were dancing in the rain, avoiding every drop that fell from the skies "But if I recall, in that account, you stated that he has been born and died a thousand times"

"I stopped counting in truth" Guozhi meekly admits, lowering his head as Eldrad scrutinizes his soul carefully

"It was not a poetic turn of phrase, Guozhi has proven that he has incarnated several times, being reborn and carrying several names. He belonged to a sect of scholars seeking the secrets of the world and beyond to lock them away and guard them from minds who may be broken upon being exposed to them or else utterly corrupted into depravity and villainous madness" You explain with a calm smile as Eldrad's eyes narrow and he pinches his brow, as if a migraine has suddenly been afflicted upon him "A sect I believed to be destroyed by the machinations of Jian Qi, and stolen away to be tortured for that foul devil's sick sadistic delights or else reduced to little more than tatters of spiritual essence in eternal agony, left behind as a warning to those who would earn the herald of false hope, may he one day be plucked and submerged in a bath of liquid, burning promethium and rendered senile and listless, his senses stolen and intelligence reduced to that of brain damaged cliff jumper, may his countless eyes be put out with"

>>5800766

"Until to our surprise, we found one of them still living in a hut of furs with webbed toes, living amongst a splinter of humanity, just as surprised to see me as I was to see them" Guozhi interrupts as you, admittedly, get somewhat side tracked wish ruin and hardship upon the vile trickster Jian Qi

"Curious" Eldrad states subduedly "I've never heard of the like before, I admit, you've surprised me again, Lieren. Even when I was anticipating this, you've found a way to utterly stun me by presenting to me the impossible once again. I sensed there was some quality to him that was unusual, and I know of a similar condition present in some members of your race, that immunizes them to most means of expiring, but I had never heard of one being born again with all their memories, reliably and repeatedly while faced with all the chaos of Sha'iel. To cheat death"

"And yet he has not taught me the method" You state, throwing a meaningful glance the way of Guzohi "Nor explained how he is capable of such a thing, beyond vague mentions of evading the notice of Jian Qi's servants"

"And I regret not teaching those who have proceeded me in venturing in search of the last great mystery" He sadly sighs, remembering Cai and the other fallen members of the wanderers in the fog "And I'd have thought a race of naturally talented psionic, overflowing with Qi at birth, would've found our method"

"What is it?" Eldrad asks pointedly but not demandingly

"Perhaps I shall explain it to you when we meet in the flesh, Great seer" Guozhi answers mirthfully, grinning impudently with a look of mischief in his eyes "I haven't told Lieren because I know he has no interests in evading the fate all life shares"

"Death is part of life, all things must one day vanish and be forgotten" You answer with a shrug "I've been prepared to meet my demise since I first knew what death was, its nothing be fearful of, nor can it be escaped, even that which seems eternal must one day return to dust and be swept away by the wind"

"And one day, I will slip up and be unmade" Guozhi laughs happily "One day a great bird shall swoop down and carry me away, and not even my bones will be left to be found or buried. But, in this life especially, my actions have wrought great change that has only bettered the world and brought benefit and succor to its denizens"

"I will press the issue when you arrive, but you have peaked my curiosity, Guozhi" Eldrad applauds "You may both take your leave, I shall not delay you by demanding answers or forcefully seeking them. It is rare to find a mystery that intrigues me"

"And our conversation has turned rather gloomy with all this talk of finality" You answer with a cupped fist and bow "We shall take our leave, before this day darkens from our words and sours with a depressive atmosphere. I only hope the answers you seek is as enticing as the mystery surrounding it"
Cont

>>5800767

"Perhaps it will be, perhaps it will not" Guozhi huffs, plucking a few stray hairs from his mustache as Eldrad departs with a polite wave of his hand, and both you and Guozhi rouse yourselves from your meditation

"I couldn't place him, his aura was ever shifting and changing, I couldn't get a reed of his intentions, like as if he wore a mask around his whole being" Guozhi mutters "That is the mystique of the aeldari, I suppose"

"Well, not all of us are blessed to have the mists of worldly matters and lies parted and the truth of all they look upon exposed and laid bare" You answer with a sigh and crack of your neck

"Only you are so cursed" Guozhi answers with a nod

"The difference between a curse or blessing is a matter of perspective" You return as you rise to your full height "And, our discussion has reminded me, you've never told me of your past lives beyond vagaries and playful mentions of being present for turning points in history, or what the wardens of mysteries did to incite Jian Qi's wrath"

He frowned, a bitter look in his eyes.

"We should not speak of such matters while we walk a maze with cracked walls, one never knows who may be peeking from the gaps, spying on us" He answers back quietly "But besides my own caution of being plucked and dragged into the Empyrean if I speak too openly of my past, my lives are simply to numerous, I'd die of old age before I finished and as you well know, each life is of equal value"

"Thus choosing a few to entertain my curiosity is nigh impossible as in your eyes, that have seen the world from many different angles, and have been privileged to see life from numerous perspectives, cannot decide which are worth to regale me with, as all as equally as eventful and important in shaping you" You answer understandingly

"But I know you will benefit from the lessons learned in a few" He declares proudly, wagging a finger "But it will take me time to consider each life lived and determine which will benefit your development. But, despite my lucidity in my old age, the rigors of aging still afflicts me, so it will take me time to do this"

"Take all the time you need, Grandfather" You warmly reply, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "now let us be off"

"Hmm, you have a fierce look in your eyes, you're on the prowl" Guozhi notices, glancing up towards your eyes

"I know unsavory sorts lurk in the webway, the kind of criminal that deserves nothing more than a length of rope and a short fall" You answer coldly "I know their kind, I have hunted them all across Shangrala, contested with them upon Nuceria. Blackguards, scoundrels, vermin. Villains exist in all worlds. But that will not stop me from snuffing them out. And of all breeds of criminals, slavers are amongst those who I despise the most"
Cont

>>5800768

"Hah, we're going to have to kowtow and scrape the floor when we arrive at Ulthwe, for our lateness" Guozhi chuckles "Still, I do not often get to see the hangman as he stalks, only see the aftermath and hear the stories"

"I do not wish to defile your eyes with this grisly work, and I plead forgiveness if we do encounter these rabid dogs, for what I will do in your presence" You state solemnly as you and he sail along on the star metal ship you used to Travel to Nuceria

"I lived beneath several tyrannically regimes and been excused by a handful of them, witnessing justice will not curdle my bowels, Lieren" He laughs, standing at the front of the small vessel as he looks all around the webway, taking in all its wonders and looking at the strange realm with an innocence and awe that makes his young blue eyes seem even more filled with life than ever before.

And that youthful exuberance and jubilant manner is not wetted when he is met with disdainful looks upon arrogant faces or sneering cries of "Mon-Keigh" and filth whenever the two of you encounter travelers in the twisting, maddening roads of the webway with all its meandering trails and faults. And indeed, many of those who scorn him quickly regret it as he takes it as a challenge to prove his intellect and the sharpness of his wit, leaving his hecklers baffled and enraged, but without a means of recourse or avenging his slights, considering he is accompanied by a giant who a few of them recognize.

Seems your few clashes with the pirates who ply the webway and stars has made you something of an urban legend, that has only been bolstered by your encounters with Ulthwe, Kher'ys, and the spread of the Journey through sources such as Carys or Amaethon. And while many of the Aeldari you meet only turn their noses up at you or pause to mock Guozhi for one failing of character or quality only they can see, a few, away from their brethern, whisper in your ear concerning the quarry you idly seek as you and Guozhi near Ulthwe. Rumors and hearsay, though some of what you are told rings of truth.
Cont

>>5800770

Which rumor of slaver activity in the webway, if any, do you investigate, Lieren?

>A young journeyman Aeldari with a brand around their eye and heavy scarring, informed you of activity of that most loathsome bandit clan, the lords of the stellar hunt, whom you thought to be eradicated by your hand. A discrepancy that shall soon be undone

>A corsair who let you and Guozhi shelter in his home port for an evening in exchange from a story apiece, mentioned off handedly that he had heard of a slave trading hub and not so subtly slipped you its cordinants, being surprisingly upstanding and virtuously minded.

>A merchant told you of a raiding party who forced him to accept the plunder of their raids, and showed you a firearm of familiar make. A new varro revolver, wrapped in rattle hide. The memory of Michah forces your hand. The raiders will die for this

>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

>Write in

https://youtu.be/iRE2Pgp47jI

>Lieren when dark eldar exist

And memes aside, i had a blast writing this update. Most fun one to write in awhile.

>>5800771
>A merchant told you of a raiding party who forced him to accept the plunder of their raids, and showed you a firearm of familiar make. A New Varro revolver, wrapped in rattle hide. The memory of Michah forces your hand. The raiders will die for this

>>5800771
>A merchant told you of a raiding party who forced him to accept the plunder of their raids, and showed you a firearm of familiar make. A new varro revolver, wrapped in rattle hide. The memory of Michah forces your hand. The raiders will die for this

>>5800771
>>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

>>5800770
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you
We need to keep moving and not upset our hosts anymore than w already have

Simply take note of the New Varro news and since we have other survivors we can find our way back, the next world we save will be theirs...but it cant be now

>>5800771
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you
>we speed running the webway

File: coming for you.jpg (71 KB, 1280x720)

71 KB JPG

>>5800771
>A corsair who let you and Guozhi shelter in his home port for an evening in exchange from a story apiece, mentioned off handedly that he had heard of a slave trading hub and not so subtly slipped you its cordinants, being surprisingly upstanding and virtuously minded.
Total deldar death, Commorragh must burn.

>>5800908
But anon we can't get side tracked, we have this meeting then a wedding to get to....our own wedding before dad croaks.

Then we can begin the great work, find the stag, cull the fallen, see the stars and return to New Varro

>>5800921
Look at it this way, if we attack the slaver hub there's a good chance we'll come across some xenos to befriend.

>>5800908
Do not risk deldar weapons and tactics.
Not until we get sufficient back up.
And not while we have grandfather with us.
>>5800771
>New Varro Revolver

“Who are they?” Malcador asked the interrogator quietly,

Wiping blood and viscera from yet another cruel instrument the skull masked figure took a moment to respond and when he did the Sigillite sensed a trace of shame; “I don't know but they said they wish to speak with you”.

“If you can not tell me who they are what can you tell me?”

“Augmented bones lined with a microlatis mesh of adamantine, a network of super conductors lining the muscles all connected to a power cell also bound to their heart. Their bodies will never cease functioning so long as they receive neural instruction. The brain has been grafted with a chemducts which connect to external ports; likely for artificial mental stimulus? But most curiously is the memetic archeoscript engraved upon a thin insulating underskin.”

“Occult origins?”

“Unknown but here is a sample.” The interrogator turned ona view screen revealing a grid like pattern of runes...runes he knew.

“leave us” Malcador commanded, the servant obeyed and sealed the chamber as he left.

A few quiet moments passed broken only by the sound of dripping blood from this unknown person.

“Greetings Lord Sigillite; this one may be addressed as 'Hare'.” the voice was calm, at peace? Even with no eyes and a torn up face they smiled.

“You...are one of Lieren's pets are you not” he asked simply

“A pet of the Sage? No...no.. hare is not this, Lamb is here to bring you a message.”

“Speak” he commanded

“Do not seek us out as you have tried; we have no names, we do not answer to anyone and the Sage does not command us for we do all this without his asking and will not cease even if asked. This is our charge and purpose, the second son founded this order but not our mission.... we already knew you tread a thin line Grand Master-”

The Sigilitte glared

“-Brahm al-Khadour of Old Night.”

The dagger which appeared in Malcador's hand slit hare's throat before another word could be spoken.... Silence once more....until...

Slowly laughter, pitiful laughter...

The body began to smoulder and burn away in golden warp fire,

Lamb's head spoke without moving, golden fire staring from empty sockets, what it said none would ever know.

>>5800771
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

>>5800771
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you
They will meet justice, but it will have to wait

>>5800770
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

>>5800771
>A merchant told you of a raiding party

>>5800771
>>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you
They will all pay for this, and any other crime they did. The time when injustice was unpunished are about to end even here.


>>5800941
I am more afraid of possible damage to surroundings, though its not likely with Lieren and Guozhi.
To be fair the real danger, would be them trying to break the webway around (not smart) their base, and inviting in warp beasts of various kind and demons. I doubt any of their "allies" they call, would stay for fight with them though, in fact they would flee once they realize the situation they are in. Not to say they aren't powerful, but Lieren equipment, skills, miens and vast amount of tactics at his disposal (in addition to know how kabals fight and dark eldars think) can allow him to destroy this base of theirs however he wants it. Guozhi ain't no joke either.
However, i will say they have better chance of causing some minor damage (that can be repaired) to our star metal armor depending on their numbers. Light wounds if they are really a lot of fodder and regulars, and have no small amount of elites and veterans. Chance we aren't giving them though. And allies might indeed join us in this noble endeavor in craftworld Ulthwe, like eldar journeymen which seem to spread around nicely. That's good.
On that topic, we might want to establish a safe place for them here in the webway so they can find each other easily and talk together, also for turtle style lessons for the ones without military background. Having them in contact with Shangrila and able to go there and back home safely, would be also great.

>>5800771
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

>>5800771
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

You people realize that Eldar really hate DEldar right? Like even more than the rest of the Galaxy.

>>5800771
>A corsair who let you and Guozhi shelter in his home port for an evening in exchange from a story apiece, mentioned off handedly that he had heard of a slave trading hub and not so subtly slipped you its cordinants, being surprisingly upstanding and virtuously minded.

>>5800771
>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

>>5800771
>>A corsair who let you and Guozhi shelter in his home port for an evening in exchange from a story apiece, mentioned off handedly that he had heard of a slave trading hub and not so subtly slipped you its cordinants, being surprisingly upstanding and virtuously minded.

doing something good regardless of anything is pretty lieren to do.

>>5801757
You understand our bride to be will kill us if we stand her up at the altar and are late to our own wedding because we went on an adventure right?

File: Illustration7.png (182 KB, 800x450)

182 KB PNG

You just know Khorne is somewhere in the back like "LETS FUCKING GO!"

>>5800771
>A merchant told you of a raiding party who forced him to accept the plunder of their raids, and showed you a firearm of familiar make. A new varro revolver, wrapped in rattle hide. The memory of Michah forces your hand. The raiders will die for this

there is always time to slaughter raiders

>>5801898

She will understand.
"If you meet the space elves on the road, kill them. Except Chinaboo space elves, they cool"- Kanzeon

>>5800771
>>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you

>>5802665
Lol
>>5802647
Hahaha

+++Observations_of_Archivist:XXXXXXX+++
+++Trials_of_the_Chimera+++
+
AUD-LOG-BEGINS
-
“By the Emperor's grace I alongside a dozen others were stationed upon the Homeworld of his Second legion; the Legio Chimerai. Not only that I was fortunate enough to be among but a handful to observe the recruitment process, cultural customs and trials in almost their totality over my decades of service.

First recruitment; Upon Shangrala and any world taken or gifted to the legion a structure known the 'Academy of Eternal Duty' is raised, while these structures are great defensive structures in their own rights their purpose is simple and that is to house would be aspirants and begin making them ready for the trials ahead and suitably equipped for the next 'Choosing' [see further in this record].

One will approach and kowtow before the great gates for an undetermined amount of time, after which a candidate has shown their willingness, patience and endurance they will be taken within to be tested by the Legions Apothecaries for gene suitability. Those suitable will be kept within and named 'Disciples' and those unfortunates not able well fed, offered recompense and sent on their way. These Disciples will now spend their time training in all manner of weapons and receive a full education until the day a Legion recruitment vessel arrives which generally occurs every three to five years or so. When these vessels arrive 'the Choosing' will begin, this is a grand tournament where those whom are deemed worthy by the Wardens of the Academy may compete to show their aptitudes and skill in battles of martial or mental prowess.

It is not uncommon for whole competing groups be taken and nor is it an unexpected thing to have Disciples compete in several Choosing sometimes. Regardless those Chosen will leave their world and be taken to the hidden Fortress of the Legion.

Disiples are now aspirants and will undergo gene treatment and body modification to become a battle brother while experiencing a more extreme version of the Academy; but they also have a number of unique challenges they must undergo before becoming a full brother; the Three trials.

The Trial of Wills where one must sit in silence and be still even as the Legions psykers probe and pry at the mind, the Trial of Might where an Aspirant must demonstrate their combat capacity to their instructors and finally the Trial of Fellowship...they must serve beside a baseborn company for a campaign. Only once all has been done and found satisfactory will they become a battle brother and become Chimerai.”

>A young journeyman Aeldari with a brand around their eye and heavy scarring, informed you of activity of that most loathsome bandit clan, the lords of the stellar hunt, whom you thought to be eradicated by your hand. A discrepancy that shall soon be undone: 0

>A corsair who let you and Guozhi shelter in his home port for an evening in exchange from a story apiece, mentioned off handedly that he had heard of a slave trading hub and not so subtly slipped you its cordinants, being surprisingly upstanding and virtuously minded: 3

>A merchant told you of a raiding party who forced him to accept the plunder of their raids, and showed you a firearm of familiar make. A new varro revolver, wrapped in rattle hide. The memory of Michah forces your hand. The raiders will die for this:5

>You're only allowed into the webway by the goodwill of a few, going on a killing spree within it, will only make your presence here less tolerated. Hurry for Ulthwe, but make not of each rumor, so you can track them outside of the webway. An easy task for you:11

Votes: 19

i vote to be polite and the merchant

The imperial Dungeon was quiet and the Black Host were gathered around the kneeling forms of Three Primarch before them; their Father. Despite all the master of mankind's hopes and efforts the Primordial Enemy was to close to discovery and so with a heavy heart he'd gathered these Son's whom he felt could perform this new duty he had for them best.

Lieren was to be the tracker of this new hidden group; the eyes and ears in the dark whom would locate the trappings of the Warp. The Lion knelt his eyes open and steeled for whatever duty was demanded of him; he would be the exterminator and the one to remove all traces. Finally knelt in the middle was Magnus whom had been the hardest of choices for he carried the most risk; he would study and understand the enemy providing further information for the other two to act upon.

The Custodians and even Malcador were uneasy and so would maintain an overwatch of the Demigods though the Emperor had spoken of a plan within a plan. The Giant of Prospero was indeed the most dangerous but now he was beside two he trusted beyond measure whom would do what need be done if things turned ill. He looked at them remembering a past so unspeakably distant...he remembered wind swept sands and a winding river...how nostalgic...maybe it was providence? A scholarly king in a pyramid; warded by two feline.

Any ideas on how we are going to organize our legion down the line?

My best guess is mostly the veterans and the newbies stay in the main legion forces with occasional sects having their own place. Those trying to learn, grow, or spread their wings get to have a yearly option to use the gold dragon to go to other legions to mingle and learn from others.

Other different legion members get to have their own place/giant spaceship if they want to also enroll in 2nd legion space marine college.

File: 1625446596242.png (894 KB, 960x895)

894 KB PNG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the really long wait. Wasn't machine spirits, I just got hit with a bit of writer's block.

>>5805043
Thank you for doing the hard part, anon.

So Lieren will put the execution of scoundrels and miscreants on the back burner and instead hurry to Ulthwe, making note of each rumor he has heard so he can track the Aeldari villains out in realspace

Writing now

>>5801021
I really enjoyed this, nice and spooky, and a nice display of what the nameless could become. Excellent work. Also this makes me wonder how the nameless would interact with say, the Excorcists chapter

>>5802647
YES! Its perfect, exactly what I wanted!

>>5803956
Excellent write up here as well, very lore friendly for the quest and 40k as well. I can imagine some other legions and chapters wondering why they bother with the trial of friendship, thou
>>5805047
Liked this one as well, of course. And reminds me how excited I am to write Lieren and Lion meeting

But while each fragment of atrocity, sadism and villainy that reaches your keen ears stokes the fires of the black, murderous rage until it threatens to cloud your mind and wrestle with your self control and sense of discression to send you on a rampage searching for every associate and every sapient, Aeldari or not, who has assisted in the loathsome crimes of kidnapping and slave taking and dealing with them as you have every blackguard and brigand you have gotten your hands of, you know you must show restraint. While you are aware that those of the Aeldari who do not partake in these raids, who have moved beyond their past of banal hedonism and cruelties look down upon their yet debased kinsfolk at times with a disdain and contempt that comes close to rivaling your own. You are also aware that those same eyes look upon you with suspicion, and even scorn if they realize you are the cause of the growing movement of youths and even respected figures in their ruling classes abandoning their societies and forsaking their rules to live by the code of a "primitive" philosophy.

Your access to the webway and all of its wonders, are allowed by the goodwill of the respected few, whose voice is enough to quiet the complaints of their small minded, conceited and above all else arrogant lessers. And while it was enough for Long Jia's imperial army and its allies to earn passage through the labyrinth, it is a fragile allowance, one whose limits you dare not test unless you once again are forced to hear stories of those who choose to see the world as you do and live as you do meeting unpleasant and untimely demises. Just the memory of those brave journeymen who wandered Yan before and during its liberation fills you with a rage that nearly eclipses the dark clouds that had already fallen over your mind just thinking of the wicked raiders find sanctuary in this realm between realms. But you must show restraint.

Support and permissions can easily be taken away, if enough voices rises up in complaint. The Aeldari are a threatened race, and outside of those empathetic and sagacious few, or those who have turned from their rigid paths to find their own destiny in a journey without end, they place the value of their own kind far above other races. And who is to say they would not forget for a time the depravity of those you'd hunt, or feel threatened by your execution of so many within the one place that provides any level of calmness and safety of mind to them across the stars beyond their own craftworlds?

The tolerance you are shown, when you do not disguise yourself as an aeldari for their peace of mind and to move covertly through their ranks, would lessen greatly if give into the demands for justice and retribution roaring within your usually gentle heart. Perhaps one day, when their prejudice of you or of all mankind has lessened, there would be less of a risk involved but for now, you must show restraint.

Cont

>>5805312

Within the webway at least. You thumb the hammer of well cared for and finely made revolver of New Varro make, sensing from within it the lingering emotional resonance left within its sun beaten, sand worn metal. Fatherly pride, fatherly rage, bottomless despair. Hatred. Hatred as deep and dark as your own. There is death surrounding this weapon, and tragedy. You close your eyes, holding the killing tool between your two hearts, swearing a silent oath to yourself and the memory of Michah that you will see the hands that wrenched this weapon from its previous owner's still hands after subjecting them to sights a father, nay, any man should never be made to witness, bloodied as his were, before they are left to become bones beneath their thorned spires' shadows.

And of the rumors of the lords of the stellar hunt and a hidden hub for slave trading, you to shall see to, once you are no longer beneath the scrutiny of the wardens of the webway. Violence may take place here, but most of the travelers and inhabitants here still call you Mon'keigh.

Which unpleasantly reminds you of how the Yan propagandists named you a man eating ogre. You smirk at the memory, amused as you recall that outside of museums, you may be in possession of the last surviving examples of the propaganda spread by the latest and hopefully last in a long line of Thralls controlled by the loathsome Huli Jing.

Handing the revolver to Guozhi, there's a flicker of disappointment across his features as he senses your rage calming.

"Don't tell me you've cultivated bloodlust in your old age, grandfather" You mock as he shakes his hand

"We both are of scholarly mind, Lieren, I've heard accounts of you in battle and witnessed the aftermath, but I've never seen it with my own eyes. It is man's nature to be curious, and it is common sense to wish to see the wicked cast down and ground into powder" He answers with mock offense, acting as if he was defending his character before a court of peers "And I simply abhor that they must pollute the air we breath with their foulness and darken the night sky with their ill deeds for longer than they should"

"A hungry panther does not lose the scent of their prey" You answer, the idiom more than sufficing the explain your stance, not that it is necessary, Guozhi knows you will never allow a criminal to escape your reach once you have decided the only punishment fitting their crimes is death

"Jackal's den in curious places" He warns, wagging the revolver around with abhorrent trigger discipline, luckily it is not loaded or else a bullet would be dancing around the meager cabin you added to your transport for his benefit

"Rats always flee at the first sign of smoke" You chuckle, crossing your arms "And mousers know when a fire is lit"

"I suppose" He tuts, setting the revolver down "But trying to keep steam in a pot will only scald your hands"
Cont

>>5805313

"I served the worm of Gao for years without my rage getting the better of me" You remind with a nod of your head "And these cretins will not escape the reward of their foul deeds for half as long"

"A teacher must always be ready to scold his student, even when they have far out grown his lessons" He chuckles, good humor warming his expression as he scratches at the back of his wrist "Will we reach this Ulthwe before dinner, I may be an ascetic, but even I must surrender to the needs of this well weathered vessel"

"We should, with the pace we've set and the haste we're making" You answer "I will admit I am curious to see your reaction to Aeldari cuisine"

"Hmm, cannot be queerer or more unpleasant than Lai dishes or bask fare" He snorts, referring of course to the fermented mares milk Lai song makes every man he considers his friend sample, a habit you've noticed is shared by many of his family and the region that shares his name, and a peculiar dish that wanes in popularity in the ascendant bask republic, consisting of the viscera of a wooled breed of oxen "aged" beneath the permafrost before being allowed to "Air out" beneath the sun until it is thawed. A dish that is currently under debate of being banned and whom a few members of the nameless are investigating. You'd never imagined food would catch the eye of those nameless guardians, but you suppose you can see the connection between the dish and the corrupted rulers of that frozen land.

"Or the more experimental festival cuisines" You laugh, recalling a particularly loathsome dish served to you by a misguided but very artistic soul who wanted to see if Dragon's spit liquor could be tamed with anything besides fruit and juices. Their choice to tame the flavors of the spirit with spices and aromantics that were strong tasting themselves, before stir frying with fish guts used in the production of dragon's spit and burying the whole platter in curdled milk, made it very much an acquired taste that even Yin Lei, who is fond of the bitter elixir itself, found difficult to keep down, in spite of how rich in nutrition and vitamins it was.

You were welcomed to Ulthwe not long after, with much less fan fare or notice paid to your arrival and were directed to Eldrad's private chambers rather than the chambers of the seer council. And almost the moment you stepped on Ulthwe, Guozhi, as he was wont to do, began to wander.

Even though he was paid little attention, due to him disguising his presence and reducing it with the shrouding technique he uses whenever he travels alone, as he stated he would not tolerate being looked down upon with disdain like a dabbler or charlatan or treated like a child, when he chose to reveal himself to speak with one craftworlder or another to question them or simply make light conversation, he would be speaking with them for sometime as they took him as a pleasant curiosity rather than a pest, seemingly forgetting his earlier desire for dinner.

Cont

>>5805314

And while it is amusing and you cannot fault him for his drive to learn about the alien world he has stepped into, the two of you do have an appointment to meet.

But even so, you cannot help but smile as he entertains a flock of Aeldari children with a few slight of hand tricks that could easily be mistaken to require psykerism to perform, such as pulling a candied treat he stowed away in the sleeve of his robe from behind on of their ears, or using cold reading on them and astonishing them with his "gentle mind reading".

What do you do, Lieren?

>Join in on Guozhi's game, Eldrad probably foresaw you being late again anyways, and it is always nice to bring a smile to a young face

>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss

>Quiet the few Aeldari mocking Guozhi by encouraging him to display his psykerist techniques to them, teaching them a valuable lesson in humility

>Just go meet Eldrad, you have slavers to catch and things to learn

>write in

By the way, if You had brought Jinhai, he would be humiliating an aspect warrior with the carp's dance right now

>>5805315
>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss

>>5805315
>Quiet the few Aeldari mocking Guozhi by encouraging him to display his psykerist techniques to them, teaching them a valuable lesson in humility

>>5805315
Ah, now I do want to have brought Jinhai.
That shit'd be funny.

>Join in on the game.
Children, our 3rd weakness.
>Trick Eldrad into joining us for dinner.

we are a merry prankster.

>>5805315
>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss
On the topic of Jinhai, has he managed to replicate the Bullet Time ability he displayed while fighting the Butcher King?

>>5805315
>write in
Keep a timely pace but maybe adopt an Aeldari social stance showing we are open to talk. Bring attention from our teacher to ourselves inviting challenge be it martial or debate... defeat/rebuke each in turn until we are at our destination

...
I rewatched three kingdoms and Kongming's approach like this was fun

>>5805315
>Join in on Guozhi's game, Eldrad probably foresaw you being late again anyways, and it is always nice to bring a smile to a young face
>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss

>>5805315
>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss

Need I remind you lads we're here to talk about the Necrontyr, the ancient past and what might infact be the Rangdan? It's gotta be in a study for a reason because that's where he keeps everything and this is hardly stuff for a dinner setting.

>>5805341
You do need remind me.

Because I hear "lets have food" and "trick an eldar" immediately go to that one.

>>5805356
Is it going to change your vote though? Because this is one of the few times we do have to be serious, this is war in heaven lore and the ultimate fate of another species which may connect to the xenocides.

>>5805376
Why does this require us to be serious?

Its dark knowledge, grim topic.
But its not especially secretive or sensitive knoweldge.

>>5805315
>>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss

This'll be hilarious

>>5805315
>>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss

>>5805315
>>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss

>Join in on the game.

>Trick Eldrad into joining us for dinner

>>5805315
>Just go meet Eldrad, you have slavers to catch and things to learn

File: OIG (87).jpg (99 KB, 1024x1024)

99 KB JPG

Eldrad wandered the craftworld as an unseen wraith, something learned from one of the Second Son's companions which he found to be a simple but so very desirable technique for while he'd never let any know he'd used it to escape over a handful of audiences and debates which brough a little mirth to him as he chuckled; only to catch himself and so frowned. Was Lieren was rubbing off on him with that unnatural charisma? Maybe it effected him so because of the culture he bore, close enough for familiarity and comfort, different enough to bring the curiosity of the exotic?

Regardless after watching the performance of a travelling troupe whom had been making notably more regular visits of late he found himself before a some commune, a place were Aeldari adherents of 'The Journey' had gathered together so they could debate and live without feeling exiled within their own Craftworlds. Many had viewed them as tainted and so several youthful aspect warriors had stepped forward their minds guided by the Warrior's path to try and drive them out...they were expelled and not without notice for those that had chased them from the commune were warriors in their own right... a new Aspect of War whose inspiration was clear to all.

Walking through those whom were still his people even if they now walked this path let him sift through memory and emotion like browsing a library, the Ancient seer being both scholar and warrior taking great care to learn all he could.

This new face of war was that of what was for the moment being referred to as 'Scaled Spears”, their armour similar in many ways to those whom walk the Banshee's path if slightly heavier but lacking the total bulk of a Scorpion. Their sleek armour was palest eggshell blue which brought feels of peace and tranquillity filigreed in silvers and white, etched with patterns like water and scales. The armour bore decorations which brought him images of aquatic life or ancient wyrms. Their weapon of choice; A beautifully honed long spear.

1/2

[Art provded by Abominable intelligence]

File: OIG (88).jpg (95 KB, 1024x1024)

95 KB JPG

>>5805931
Flickers of the past unfurled before his eyes from the psychic traces left behind... A Scaled Spearman dancing with a Banshee the shrieking fury unable to touch the Spearman whom danced much like she, ducking and weaving between the swinging swords but his reach allowing him to again and again strike her with the Spear's blunt. Another battled a Scorpion and while clearly having much more trouble showcased a unique peace of curious tech? It seemed they'd rigged small antigrav fields to themselves which not only allowed them to literally swim through the air (though not quite achieve flight he noted) but also simply absorb impacts by slowly drifting back or spinning as if in water; he chuckled when a spear man dodged a Dire Avenger's blade only to land on the end of his own spear and look down upon his foe almost playfully. It was clear from their way of war they would never be full line combat units but would make exceptional honour guards or decapitation strike forces.

He left the past and returned to the present watching the handful of these new warriors spar among themselves and he felt a small sliver of concern; first came the Journey and now upon it a new path of war. They had rangers a plenty among their ranks, more and more warlocks...now fighters.

He was about to leave when a specific individual caught his eye; a youth whom as he recalled had at long last returned to the Craftworld having walked among the dread Corsairs for some time before suddenly returning? This man was clearly the leader of this new temple of war, but when he looked upon the notched rope bound around his arm he saw something that brought a cold sweat to him.

This warrior had been a raider and pirate pillaging and killing but when he slew a journeyman he came into possession of the lore...and when he read it...he was subsumed by it, he slew his former comrades, hung them from the mat of their craft which he set alight... he remembered how many other humans Lieren had slain and so a shadowed mirror.

2/2

>>5805315
>Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss
>Write in
If we're going to do this lets do it in a way the Aeldari will like! Lure him out by ordering some food and floating up tot he window of his study, let the wafting smell of some good home cooking bring him to us. Have a laugh with it and chat on the roof of his Study looking over all he preserves. Let the old man feel young again

>>5805934
Comfy write in so I'll support it

Ha ha ha ha

agree with >>5805999

The hunter found himself deep within the wolf's lair, surrounded by perilous dangers. The enraged wolf wasted no time in venting its fury: "You've stumbled into a trap not set for you, foolish hunter," it growled. "This was meant for the Lord himself! You've made a mess of things again!" The wolf's fangs were bared, sharp, numerous, and anything but ordinary for a wolf.

The hunter responded with a touch of sarcasm, "Isn't it a hunter's duty to protect the people from creatures like you, those that threaten and prey upon them? Surely, a mere wolf doesn't consider itself important enough to warrant the Lord's attention?" As the walls seemed to close in, the wolf's kin howled, and the hunter danced merrily with his spear in hand.

"I am no ordinary wolf!" the black-coated beast howled in rage. "I am a master of War, Death, and Destruction!" The wolf's jaws snapped at the hunter's heels, but the spear lashed out, narrowly missing. "You've entered where you shouldn't have, all alone, into a trap that will end you, even if unintended."
The hunter laughed and struck again, gouging the black beast's side. "You may be a master of war, but this isn't a war, my black friend. It's a hunt. And I am far from alone."

The wolf chuckled, disregarding the injury, and gestured to the lurking wolves and other monstrous shadows around them. "Your false bravado won't save you from me," it taunted.

Suddenly, an unexpected impact disrupted the wolf's advance, leaving him bewildered. The lair fell silent as the majestic specter of a lion appeared, its claws sharp and fangs bared. "What trickery is this?" the wolf demanded, with hatred in his eyes as the spectral lion tracked his every move.

The hunter retorted, "Oh, wolf, you set traps, but you didn't expect one to be sprung on you? How foolish." He thrust his spear forward, and although the wolf evaded, the spectral lion descended upon him, tearing and rending. As the wolf regained his composure, he watched in dismay as more spectral figures joined the hunter: another deadly wolf, a golden-armored knight, a Grecian hero from ancient myth, a gladiator, a statesman, and a long-deceased gorgon. The wolf had always boasted of being the best, but he never expected to prove it this way.

How had things gone so wrong?

>>5805315
>Just go meet Eldrad, you have slavers to catch and things to learn

>Join in on Guozhi's game, Eldrad probably foresaw you being late again anyways, and it is always nice to bring a smile to a young face

man I missed you guys. I have a lot of catching up to do, like the aftermath of fighting the super cyborg and the end to helping Angry Ron.

>>5807091
Welcome back Brother

you know we mgiht be giving Eldrad a heart attack here, Koronus and Isha were the parents of their species and now he's gonna see us; the Hunter. Playing and having a laugh with Aeldari children. We're gonna cause a damned racial memory triggering.

>>5807147
Forget about that we're pulling pranks in the clowns backyard! We're just asking to get dragged into some slapstick comedy. WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY ASK US TO PLAY THE HUNTER IN A PLAY?!

>>5805315
>>Join in on Guozhi's game, Eldrad probably foresaw you being late again anyways, and it is always nice to bring a smile to a young face

>>5807184
We would be honored and accept!

https://youtu.be/RPkHu8M_U4c
-
There are pivotal moments of history, fulcrums where fate and providence are levered from and upon a hidden vessel above an unnamed world such events were unfolding Horus Luprecal and the Emperor of Mankind were meeting a delegation of Xenos; Aeldari. The exemplars of Humanity meeting upon the alien vessel to show their convictions. Walking through wraithbone halls and past legions of Aspect warriors whom watched like hawks for the slightest sign of betrayal neither said a word as they were escorted by a flock of warlocks. Finally after a grim march they entered the ships central chamber and found their contact; Eldrad Ulthran himself.

Two ancients locked eyes, two guardians of their perspective races. Horus remained silent but watched all about them as figures moved in shadow and guards tensed...a meeting of beings unfathomable. Until finally Eldrad spoke in a calm and calculated manner.

"Your request is unprecedented," Eldrad began, his voice a haunting echo in the chamber. "Why should I aid the Imperium and its mighty ruler in this matter?"

The Emperor, his face etched with concern, spoke in measured tones. "Lieren, my son, I gone. I know he yet lives but for him to vanish so is out of character even with his proclivity to wander."

Horus glanced at his father, a mixture of concern and frustration tugging at the corners of his features. The ceasefire with the Aeldari was unsettling for both of them, but the fate of one of their own compelled them to act.

Eldrad, his fingers interlacing with an air of deliberation, leaned forward. "Lieren was unlike his brothers; unique. He found kinship with the Aeldari, earning much respect for his empathy and understanding. To preserve the balance between our races, to preserve what the Hunter has built, I will assist you."

Horus and the Emperor exchanged a glance, both acknowledging the gravity of their situation. The unease of working with the Aeldari directly was a suitably alien motion for them but in this situation they knew they could even dare they say; Trust the Aeldari.

"Thank you, Eldrad," the Emperor replied, his voice laced with a rare vulnerability. "For Lieren's sake, we must put aside our differences and seek a path through the darkness."

Eldrad nodded, a flicker of emotion in his eyes that hinted at deeper concerns and long-held secrets. "For the sake of Lieren and a brighter future we shall embark on this perilous journey together."

1/2

>>5807967
https://youtu.be/0SiNVYMzF6g

Colours swirled, blood oozed like ichor becoming a miasma of mist and rainbow paint. Two being stood locked in a perpetual stalemate...a stand off unheard of in Creation. Through six circles of seduction the Second Son had stalked, six challenges overcome by a mind clearer than a still puddle of rain and just as pure. But when the Silver palace came into view, when the Silver prince themselves roused to strike the Panther of it's audacity.

The mask had been placed.

A mask She who thirsts recognised,

A face she'd devoured so long ago.

A hunter with stag horns was before them, an illision which should have been swept aside without a spark of thought...but for one thing.

A spear plunged into her gut and tearing into her bowels.

Within the depths of the Doom of the Aeldari those within flocked to the wound and grasped to escape, pushed at alabaster skin, they screamed for release.But no man could slay a god, they were bound now together joint by spear haft and blood from both Lieren could not remove the mask or have but a single thought lest he fall, she could not pull back lest her wound open more even as things escape like steam from ruptured tank. They were stuck.

Yet across the warp upon a throne of skulls the tyrant clapped proudly,

a feathered snake in its tower cackled with glee

and a grandfather in his garden showed his wife the curious sight.

A black thing beneath the surface lingered in the shadow of primarch and god...which to push.

A clown walked through now empty silver halls~

2/2
---
>Be Lieren
>Empty Mind
>No think only Doomslayer
>Stab bitch whom relies upon temptation
>head empty only https://youtu.be/kpnW68Q8ltc

>Khorne is happy he didn't kill Lieren

>So enraged by this terrible crime, Lieren flew into a rage and wore the hide of Golden flames once more
Rereading this quest. It’s amazing how well the story posts have aged and how poorly the player takes have aged.

explain the last bit how have we aged badly?

File: 1617554702954.png (372 KB, 718x580)

372 KB PNG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the long wait. Figures machines spirits would be rowdy the moment I get back into a writing mood. And not just on my PC, heater isn't working and its cold as hell.


Trick Eldrad into joining you and Guozhi for dinner rather than meeting in his surely ominous study, to discuss what you came here to discuss:11
-Lure him out by ordering some food and floating up tot he window of his study, let the wafting smell of some good home cooking bring him to us: 3

Quiet the few Aeldari mocking Guozhi by encouraging him to display his psykerist techniques to them, teaching them a valuable lesson in humility:1

Join in on Guozhi's game, Eldrad probably foresaw you being late again anyways, and it is always nice to bring a smile to a young face:5

Keep a timely pace but maybe adopt an Aeldari social stance showing we are open to talk. Bring attention from our teacher to ourselves inviting challenge be it martial or debate... defeat/rebuke each in turn until we are at our destination:1

Just go meet Eldrad, you have slavers to catch and things to learn:2

Total votes:16

So Lieren will trick Eldrad into sharing a meal with Him and Guozhi as you discuss what you came here to discuss

Writing now

>>5805931
>>5805933
>Jinhai aspect warriors
>Deldar becoming a journeyman
Yes, Yes! Loved how the way you described the action, Eldrad's thoughts and the details of their war gear. 11 out of 10.
>>5806466
Enjoyed this as well, especially the ending
>>5807967
>>5807970
good music choices, excellent prose. really enjoyed this
>>5809459
:)

>>5809930
Legit I wouldn't be mad if Eldrad pulled a reverse Uno card and tricked Lieren. It can be a game.

Well you cannot fault an old man for delighting in the smiles of children, it is one of the simple pleasures of life you to indulge in whenever possible and what harm is there in Guozhi's games? Children, no matter species or creed, need entertainment and enrichment, and what better game than one that may chip away at the arrogance so many of their elder's stubbornly hold to their chests. So you sit down, knowing that Eldrad must be expecting the two of you to walk into his study at any moment, flanked by the trusted escort who are much less thrilled by Guozhi's and find absolutely no reason to smile at them as you have. But as you look at their suffering, exasperated expression a mischievous idea is sown. No cruel trick or whimsical treachery, but just a harmless bit of light hearted fun. Your teacher had complained about dinner's lateness before his attentions were caught and otherwise occupied by the wonders of the craftworld, and it is about that hour now that the last meal of the day would be best served, and usually is in the original provinces of Long-Jia, since the schools you've built schedules have began to alter how the villages, towns and cities around them allot their time.

Eldrad is a shrewd man, sagely in mind and sharp of wit, but you believe you could lure him from his tower and trick him into sharing a meal with you and guozhi as a close friend would. You've been able to do it with Al-uzza when she is at her most manic and work consumed, Mari when she is at her meekest and once you managed to draw Angron's father, Oenomaus, into removing himself from the war table to share tea with Jinhai and his foremost generals, without even being present in camp.

Smirking like a jackal, with a feline narrowing of your eyes, you turn to one of your unnecessary escorts and wave them over. With a quick whisper upon the wind between you, vaguely foreboding in nature especially if one shifted through its contents for a hidden message, to fetch their master as their is something important that you must do in the craftworld, so you cannot hurry to his private abode at this time.

Any who know your reputation would assume the important task you mention would be the subjugation of some threat, hidden to all eyes but your own, and not say, a humble dinner to delight your master and fluster your host for a bit of innocent fun. And then, once they're gone, you begin to pick through the idle thoughts, the unconscious urges, and the psionic chatter of the crowd watching Guozhi entertain their children and the busy passerby's, with all the subtlety of a pickpocket, your presence unknown to all as you screen through them to know where a good restaurant or diner can be found. For there is one fact of life that is immutable across nations and the stars. People crave familiar flavors and often think about their favorite dishes, no matter the time or work they are doing.
Cont

>>5810026

It doesn't take long at all to find what you are looking for. But you wait for Guozhi to finish his game before alerting him that you found a place for you both to take your time and enjoy a hot meal together
_
<Xenos artifact, Catalogued as specimen Sigma epsilon NO: <Category under process of reorganizing>, Species of origin: Aeldari. Date of creation: CA <Data lost>.m30. Addendum: While this artifact was received by the rogue trader <Data....removed>, as a gift from an Aeldari traveler, and then presented to <No data> , it was crafted by human hands. My predecessor's prejudices have wrought ruin on this archive

Artifact description: A replica of a popular piece of Long-Jian art drawn in a traditional style. Similar surviving recreations are often mass produced, and lack much of the nuance and details of the original, and printed upon low quality synthetic plaspaper. This particular replica however, is a handmade, and perhaps a copy made by the hands of the original piece, drawn on a canvas made from tanned, treated grox hide.

The piece that this artifact is a replica of, and depicts with only minor deviation from the original, is a scene of a portion of Craftworld Ulthwe devoted to agriculture and hydroponics, the spire farms and extensive fields dominating much of the background of the piece, which is painted expertly with vivid biological pigments, though of note, this replica does include a few extraneous details amongst the background that do not appear in the original, who resemble several mythologized figures of Primarch Lieren's past before his reuniting with the wider imperium and members of the Wanderers in the Fog sect, specifically ones known to the original painter closely, who had perished in battle against a cult of technobarbarbic false birth raiders who waged war upon the then rising power of the Long-Jia state. This would lend credence to the theory held by my fellow scholars, that this is a copy made by the original painter, Guozhi, an early mentor and respected sage who sadly passed peaceably before the imperium arrived to Shangrala at <Data under debate>.m30

The main subject of the scene is a table beside a railing of wraithbone, Primarch Lieren and Eldrad of Ulthwe, sat beside each other at a table, set with several plates of Aeldari cuisine, primarily vegetarian. It is drawn from the perspective of an unknown third party, whom both the primarch and farseer are looking towards. The farseer, unusually, looks shocked to the point of stiffeness with widened eyes and stilted body language, which has never been reported outside of this piece and its copies. Primarch Lieren, however, looks jubilant, with rosey cheeks and a broad grin, his eyes closed with one arm slung around the farseer's neck and over his shoulder, pulling him over the table as he raises a crystaline cup of an unknown, lilac hued liquid.
_
Cont

>>5810027

Your laughter echoes across the vast chamber, as the aromas of stewed, alien vegetables and fruits and colorful grains that gleam like fragments of shattered gemstones wafts around you, drawn by an artificial breeze across the fields where this curious fare was recently harvested. You'd have to ask the chefs the names of what you've been served and see about procuring some seeds, as from scent alone, you can tell that the meal is not only delicious but nutritionally complete and would be a welcome addition to the Long-Jianese diet. Eldrad is stiff against your side, with a perplexed expression slowly giving way to annoyance as he realizes exactly what you've done, after you put you arm around his shoulder and pulled him in close as you raised a glass of some manner of berry juice that has a mouthfeel similar to thickened syrup.

It takes a moment longer for annoyance to turn to exasperation and for the escort you sent to fetch him to realize exactly how you fooled him. And you believe you've never seen an Aeldari from the craftworlds look so incandescent with rage before Eldrad calms him with a flick of his sleeve as you release him and he sits opposite of you on the small, rounded table set with a pale emerald cloth and a course of vegetarian dishes the owner of this establishment recommended, with no mention of payment for them. In fact, they seemed rather pleased to have your patronage and had spent some time chatting with you about the finer details of farming and the science behind it.

Guozhi is still laughing as Eldrad composes himself, and waves off his confused honorguard as he brushes his shoulder and looks to restrain a sigh as he glance from your howling mentor to you.

"You do realize the consequences of this childish prank, Lieren and the disturbance it caused amongst my inner circle" He says sternly, speaking like a disappointed parent as you smirk

"Did it make your blood flow in reverse?" You ask, tilting your head "I see you didn't cough up any blood, nor that the unrest spread beyond you and your fellow leaders, but I offer my most sincere apologies, I did not mean to cause a commotion, just..."

"Trouble me to amuse yourself?" He supplies, as he begins portioning out his share of the meal onto a plate "You purposefully were vague in the message, knowing where cautious minds beset daily by unseen threats would leap to, all to surprise me with the mundanity of what exactly prevented your timely arrival for the meeting you yourself scheduled"

"Lieren does things like this when he is bored, but only to those he considers close friends" Guozhi supplies as he warily watches which dishes Eldrad picks from "And you must admit, lord farseer, this is amusing"

"I was expecting a deadly battle, not a midday brunch" He says, his annoyed expression cracking as his eyes narrow as he finds the humor in his predicament "I suppose it was inevitable I'd find myself the victim of another's machinations one day"
Cont

>>5810028

He lifts his glass, and you pour him a draft of the berry juice the moment he does, stopping just at the lip of the vessel. He gives an appreciative nod

"Especially considering that I had, in arrogance, thought myself incapable of being tricked" He chuckles before taking a delicate sip, that does not even stain his lips "I suppose it is fortunate that it was a harmless prank I fell victim to, and not a deadly trap that would deprive my craftworld of my leadership and...open mind"

"I have heard your fellow seers are more close minded than our Carys" Guozhi says blithely as he reaches over and steals a bundle of meat and herbs wrapped in a thick, sap ridden leaf from eldrad's plate. The farseer just stares aghast at the poor manners of your teacher as he crams the treat into his mouth with absolutely no decorum

"Your Carys" Eldrad repeats, sounding truly amused now rather than the half mirthful of finding some humor in a pranked player at his expense "Well, I suppose that is what she has chosen. I'll have to give a memo to my peers that there is nothing to be concerned about after we've had brunch"

"And you treat me as a heartless trickster?" You giggle as Eldrad allows himself to smirk once again

"The humility of falling for a Mon'keighs innocent ruse, would do wonders for the more conceited amongst the seer council's ranks" He states calmly, setting down his glass and with expert control, snatching a grape like fruit from Guozhi's fingers with spirit's touch without so much as bruising its surface "But you asked to receive my wisdom, and guidance, to learn what I know of the past forgotten"

"Hmm, poetic, I'll have to tell the playwright those exact words when I commission him to retell our two meetings, Wise Eldrad" You remark off handedly as you carefully peel and portion out a peach sized fruit with skin like sugar glass "But yes, I sought an audience with you so I may receive answers to questions that troubled me greatly, of myths and lost friends"

"What specifically do you wish to know?" He asks plainly, his tone telling you he knows much of the subject of the war in heaven, Necrontyr and Mathoth

Well what do you ask first, Lieren?

>As him first of the war in the heaven, to confirm or disprove the theories you have concerning it

>The Necrontyr are a subject that fascinate you, so ask mostly about them

>Are thinking machines destined to rise up against their masters?

>You need to know the fate of the Mathoth

>Write in

>>5810029
>As him first of the war in the heaven, to confirm or disprove the theories you have concerning it
>Speak of the turtle spirit.

File: rftortoise.jpg (637 KB, 800x450)

637 KB JPG

>>5810029
>>As him first of the war in the heaven, to confirm or disprove the theories you have concerning it
>Are thinking machines destined to rise up against their masters?
>You need to know the fate of the Mathoth
>Inquire as to the nature of the of the glyphs bestowed upon you by the bound Tortoise spirit. There's a connection to the distant past of the Aeldari, but the exact details are unknown to you.

>>5810029
>ask about the turtle spirit

>>5810029
>As him first of the war in the heaven, to confirm or disprove the theories you have concerning it
>Speak of the turtle spirit.

>>5810033
>Support

>>5810029
>You need to know the fate of the Mathoth
Playing off the 'reverse' line we shall work backwards into the past. Start with this as it is the more immediate concern and then we can settle down and talk 'deep lore'

>>5810033
>Support

>>5810029
>As him first of the war in the heaven, to confirm or disprove the theories you have concerning it
>Inquire as to the nature of the of the glyphs bestowed upon you by the bound Tortoise spirit. There's a connection to the distant past of the Aeldari, but the exact details are unknown to you.
>Tell Eldrad of the problem that led you to ask for his assistance, a way to humanely create new sister ships.

Would be very interesting if Lieren ends up finding the last of the Slann from following the turtle trail.

More importantly telling Eldrad about the root of the problem seems to be the only IC choice that would let Lieren at least learn about infinity circuits which could be the solution to the gestalt problem. Plus Eldrad is the dude at the absolute heart of the forge Ynnead scheme which is basically a super Eldar soul gestalt.

>>5810029

>supporting >>5810033

>As him first of the war in the heaven, to confirm or disprove the theories you have concerning it

>Are thinking machines destined to rise up against their masters?

>You need to know the fate of the Mathoth

>Speak of the turtle spirit.

>>5810033
>support

>>5810029
>>Are thinking machines destined to rise up against their masters?
>>You need to know the fate of the Mathoth
Need to know

Now I think about it, you can't deny a perfect time for dad to show up is at our wedding. That or when we arrive there is a Custodian rep there waiting for us "your presence has been requested upon the throne world"

>>5811860
He can do way more than that. He could use it as a tool attempt to pull Mechanicus into an alliance.

>>5811860
>we arrive home to find the Emperor standing there
>Legion is his wedding gift to us

mildly famished after read lol

>>5810029
>Speak of the turtle spirit.
>Are thinking machines destined to rise up against their masters?

So after the wedding can we please focus on making new technology, developing our psyker abilities, or preparing our people to become an interstellar empire?

>>5810033
Supporting, free my boy Turty

>>5812846
Imo once we're married we'll have a honeymoon exploring the local solar system and returning with localised charts.

From there we should probably meditate some more to continue our path to enlightenment

While we have a moment I would like to propose a question.
We have the colony ships on our side and a substantial population base, albeit still recovering from the recent wars we are soon going to hit a massive population boom as kids come of age.
How and if we expand colonize ours and nearby systems will weigh heavily once we join the great crusade, it would not be prosperous to have Guilliman do us over.
We have different options so I would like to propose a few.
>The second Giant's road:
Employ a vast crew of diplomats, engineers, biologists, educators, playwrights and organizers; along with appropiate military escort and scouting forces. Expeditionaries meant to explore our current sector, making contact to inhabited worlds and uplifting them for integration into a local network of worlds. So focusing on fallen colonies and exploration, not necessarily even touching down with the colony ships but rather using them for industrial and technological support in a system.
>Jade from nothing:
Using the colony ship terraforming capabilities to their maximum extent; bring vast crews capable of touching down and creating a colony within a few years, studying and taming local resources; attempt to integrate beneficial species to our overall catalog and focus on prosperity.
>Branches of a golden tree:
We build TALL, spend some years further refining the Golden dragon road, or at least the infrastructure necessary to power it; develop a version of the technology that allows us to move it around and install it quickly. This approach hinges quite a lot on our collaboration with the Aeldari; as we would be using the webway as with Angron, to reach worlds we discover through psykerism; be it making contact with a new brother, making portals for those we already know or reaching out for New Varro and integrating it. All this while heavily leaning on our research and development of the current fuckloads of knowledge we sit upon.
>anyways
That's for later, just wanted to get it out of my head.
We need to find a way to make Perto build a portal so we can give the man a damn hug

>>5812928
Not bad ideas, i like Jade from nothing.

>>5812846
That would be fine. The reason we are here is mostly for understand if there is a moral way for build new colony ships, something that wouldn't be cruel. Otherwise we leave the other colony ships sitting or repurpose them for vastly inferior in efficiency industries.
Its pretty clear the advantage we would have if all of them work and are online and living, but is offset by this current dilemma.

Happy Halloween, hope the clowns shows or atleast a reaper guitarist...or a curze cut away

I want to include the anti-khorn verses into the journey after the wedding. we never put them in because Lieren got drunk off our ass

File: 1622080877184.jpg (4.59 MB, 2480x3508)

4.59 MB JPG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the wait and happy Halloween

Ask him first of the war in the heaven, to confirm or disprove the theories you have concerning it:10

Speak of the turtle spirit:9

Are thinking machines destined to rise up against their masters?:4

You need to know the fate of the Mathoth:4

Tell Eldrad of the problem that led you to ask for his assistance, a way to humanely create new sister ships.:1

Inquire as to the nature of the of the glyphs bestowed upon you by the bound Tortoise spirit. There's a connection to the distant past of the Aeldari, but the exact details are unknown to you.:2

total votes:14

So Lieren will first ask of the war in the heaven, and then speak of the ancient tortoise spirit to Eldrad

Writing now

Hope the night isn't too spooky, I was on candy duty for a little while

>>5812928
I have a few problems with this, the biggest of them is that Eldrad explicitly said he wouldn’t help us with the Primarches until we show their fates can be changed and they won’t fall to Chaos.

Placing a segment of the turquoise flesh of the glass skinned fruit upon your tongue, you contemplatively suck on it, squeezing it of its juice so bright and acidic to seem like static upon the tongue and roof of your mouth, as you consider what question to lead with and which curiosity should be indulged first. While you think, Guozhi and Eldrad struggle to show proper etiquette and decorum for men of their station and great age, using their psykerists gifts to pilfer and snatch food from eachother's plates, hands and even their open mouths. But while you would remind both of them of their manners, it is too amusing to see two great psykers using their powers that could rent asunder heaven and earth for so childish a game, and there is no harm in allowing the serial reincarnate and the ancient farseer to have their fun at one another's expense. You imagine Eldrad has little chance to unwind and truly allow himself a reprieve from the grand responsibilities hoisted upon his shoulders and his species decline always weighing heavily upon his mind.

Flicking the electric blue drops of juice from your hands, the scent of fresh air and pollen rises up from you wetted finger tips, as you dry them in the air and then swiftly grab a pair of chopsticks you brought along, and with a testing click of their points and a flourish, impale a piece of fish stewed in a fatty, clouded broth with silk strand thin cuts of some sort of yellow root and roasted green stalks, hiding your mouth behind your sleeve as you sample its taste, finding it to have a fragrance that is not at all fishy, but instead like the aroma of a well trodden path, the vegetal and herbaceous broth seeping deep into the white flesh of the delicately flavored fish. This would be a very pleasant dish to enjoy on a road windy through farmland and river fattened valleys.

Cleaning your chopsticks with a second flick, you set them gently upon the empty dish in front of you and turn to Eldrad, who is now watching with some interest, Guozhi using spirit's touch to try and repeat his feat of peeling one of the glass skinned fruits without leaving a single mark upon its juicy meat.

"To begin, I would hear of the war in Heaven, to know the truth of it. Separate myth from the facts like chaff removed from grains of rice" You state, before grabbing a second glass of the chilled juice, wishing nothing more than for it to be replaced with a steaming cup of tea, but even so, you enjoy the aeldari beverage

"Which war in heaven?" He answers plainly, waving his hand and heating your cup of juice, the change in temperature preceeding a remarkable shift in hue from lilac to carmine "That of Kaela Mensha Khaine warring upon his fellow divinities and the houses Eldanesh and Ulthanesh after he had struck down the hero Eldanesh, or that waged by the most ancient of races, the Old ones, of which Kaela Mensha Khaine's war is something of a reflection, but neither are falsehoods, both are true"
Cont

>>5813939

"History oft repeats, there are only so many patterns a ripple in water can take on" You muse, swirling around the now bubbling cup in your hand, which has oddly enough taken on a earthly, meaty aroma very unlike the delicate almost ethereal notes of its unheated form "But yet each ripple is unique in form, for as much as one event may resemble another from the distant past, that is merely a recognizing of a repeating pattern. If one looks long enough in the past, all wars become nothing more than a continuation of the first"

"So you wish me to tell you of both?" Eldrad asks with a curious tone, hands tented in front of him.

"Yes. Knowing of each of these wars in heaven will answer many of my questions, as well as prove some theories I had of the first war in heaven you speak of" You answer with a smirk and a raised glass "For even though I have heard of it, I recognize a resemblance to stories I have heard elsewhere, whispers of a long dead species, who accomplished the abhorrent act of bio-transference and of my own kind's great folly in the creation of the men of iron"

Guozhi lifts his eyes.

"The death machines" He mumbles in agreement, nodding his head once as he picks apart what roasted, fat bulbed flower whose petals are lined with thorns

"As you stated, if one looks long enough in the past, all of history becomes a reflection of it and recognizes the patterns of reality itself, not just the actions of mere mortals such as us" Eldrad replies, sipping from his own glass with a scrutinizing look in his narrowed eyes "You have theories, and have heard the legend before, I would first hear the contents of your theories, before I explain the deeper complexities and symbolism of the death of Eldanesh"

"I know the beings you claim as your gods exist, I have looked upon isha and encountered lingering presences similar to her own" You continue on, carefully choosing your words and measuring your tone so as not offend your host "I have yet to meet a being I would call a god in this world material or the Empyrean, only powerful existences dubbed gods by those who lack understanding or who otherwise claim the title themselves. Naturally, though I weep for matron Isha whenever I think of her plight, I must wonder of her origin"

Eldrad shows no sign of insult or outrage, in either his expression, body language or emotional auras, so you continue speaking the unproven theories

"Is she a memory of a living Aeldari, a wandering soul grown into her position by the adoration and belief of her children? Or is she of an elder race, like these old ones you spoke of, who sowed the seeds for your people or else guided them into standing on their own two feet in the galactic realm" You ponder outload, flicking your chopsticks to and fro in a metronomic rhythm "Or was she born as she is now, a spirit"
Cont

>>5813941

"That is theological discussion, and one that just approaching would draw the ire of the more hot blooded amongst my people" Eldrad answers wryly, impressed and amused by your curiosity "She is Isha"

"And she must be freed" You answer back as Guozhi bussies himself scooping crystalline rice soaked in a vinegary sauce into his mouth "I mean to study the book of heavens torn, but have been unable to procure myself a copy"

"I will ensure you leave Ulthwe with a volume newly printed" Eldrad answers "I am, after all, curious now, which of those possibilities you will discern as the truth. Most Aeldari do not ponder such things as whence lost gods came, from what source did they spawn, nor their nature beyond the slain patrons of our fading race"

"For my benefit, may you repeat the story Lieren speaks of, I do not trouble myself with religion" Guozhi says, coughing and smacking his chest as he sets down his now emptied bowl "So I have had little chance or reason to ask my friends exiled by yours of their beliefs, they are all journeymen now, after all"

"You are rather proud of that fact, reincarnate" Eldrad chuckles as you swirl up the silk thin root strands up to taste them, allowing the broth they're soaking into to drip and flow back into the steaming plate beneath them "Very well, I will indulge your curiosity, and will tell the unabridged account of the War in Heaven waged by the bloody handed.

You nod

"I will raise no complaints, a story changes with its speaker. They are mutable things, never constrained to a single form" You answer as you decide to slurp the root strands like noodles, chewing them thoughtfully and finding them tannic in flavor, bitter but not unpleasantly so

Guozhi adjusts his posture and hangs on every word Eldrad speaks as he begins the tale, his voice reverent and low and thrumming, hinting at the vast respect he holds for the legend he repeats and mimicking the grandiosity of its characters, from the murderous god Khaine, to the tragic hero Eldanesh to the humble and respectable Vaul. You listen but do not watch Eldrad as he uses his whole body's language to tell the story of the mythological war in the heaven, instead, you turn your eyes across the curious form of farmland the Craftworld of Ulthwe keeps, inspecting it from afar and looking for inspiration. While the colony ships Kanzeon and her sisters are trapped within have their own means of growing or replicating food to feed their occupants and crew, obtaining and preserving fresh produce on mass whilst in the void is one of the difficulties presented to the newly founded space travel ministry on Shangrala. The generally accepted answer is hydroponics and diverted solar energy, but you believe that there are improvements to be found, that do not rely on the generosity and kindness of your bride to be's family.
Cont

>>5813942

The Aeldari method of farming is intriguing, but it is on a scale far larger than is necessary for the needs of Long-Jia and her people soon to sail the stars. But there is still inspiration to be found here, and perhaps that will lead to innovation. There is no telling if the biospheres of the planetary sisters of fair Shangrala or those dancing around stars nearby her own will be at all compatible with human physiology.

Eventually, the epic of the war in heaven comes to an end, Guozhi applauding a winded Eldrad as the story teller himself recuperates with a few long draws from his glass of fruit juice and a paste of dark nuts pounded together and mixed with a kind of sugar that from its taste, you would assume is derived from the glass skinned fruit, you wait for a few minutes longer, occupying the time with idle conversation and questions of the farming methods of craftworlds, before you urge Eldrad to tell you off the other war in the heaven.

"You know of the Necrontyr" He states firmly

"I've heard of them, and only recently, when I learned to of the Mathoth" You say, a pained expression passing by Eldrad's face, he is all too familiar with them and is pained by grief remembering them, what tragedy has befallen the kindly engineers? "And I recognized there were similarities to what little I know of them, the vague descriptions I've read, in some passages of the war of the heaven, as well as the rebellion of the men of iron in humanity's own history. Beyond that, they are but a ghost to me, a specter haunting my thoughts, faceless, vague and unknown except for a colony of Mathoth's interest in their supposed final fate. I take it, they were part of this war more ancient"

"They were the enemies of the old one's" He answers with a nod, appreciating your alacrity of mind and shrewdness "And I do mean enemies in the Long-Jian meaning of the term"

"They weren't this old one's enemy" Guozhi jokes to lighten the mood, but the glance Eldrad throws his way lingers as scrutiny before it itself lightens to mild amusement

"And who were these old ones, and what were the Necrontyr in truth?" You ask, folding your hands together and leaning over the table nearly conspiratorially in manner

"Purportedly, they were this galaxy first form of Sentient life" Eldrad says, raising a hand as you lift a chin to correct what he surely misspoke "Yes, sentient, not merely the first sapient form of life"

"Incredible, if it is accurate" You remark, before allowing him to continue

"The first to step into the stars, the creators of the webway itself through methods even the brightest Aeldari minds are yet incapable of comprehending " Eldrad lists illustrious achievement after illustrious achievement "Matchless masters of astrology and astronomy, this intimate understanding of the universe, combined with their great psionic power and cold blood wisdom"
Cont

>>5813943

Cold blooded? Your mind remembers the great design entrusted to you and the portions of its resemblance to Aeldari runes. A connection is drawn, a revelation! The edge of enlightenment, insight within your grasp but, you hold your tongue and remain patient. It would be impolite to interrupt again, just to voice a conclusion you are uncertain has any grounding in truth.

"They seeded us younger races, the Aeldari were in particular favored by them and lent guidance and mentorship" Eldrad continues on "But, it is widely agreed amongst circles that study these ancient eons, that we were not the only species whose origins or intelligence begins with some arcane plan or unknown purpose for the old ones, they left the spark of higher intelligence and purpose throughout the stars, wherever they touched. The K'nib. The extinct Rashan. The Jokaero. But personally, I do not believe them to be faultless as those who devout themselves fully to the study of this farflung past"

"Oh?" You question, tilting your head as you await the answer

"Orks. It drives some of these scholars of ancient past close to madness trying to understand how they share a creator with us fair aeldari" He chuckles "Sometimes they go onto believe those barbaric war mongers are in fact the perfected form of all life and...you've never encountered or heard of an Ork, have you?"

"I cannot claim to know them" You answer with a nod, but wave you hand in the air, as if dispersing smoke "but they can be a discussion for another day, please, tell me and Guozhi more of the work of these old ones'

"Little is known that can be confirmed to be true" He answers, swirling his glass around in his palm "We remember the hand they played in our infancy, but much has been forgotten, or was simply never revealed to our distant ancestors. We know the ancestors of the ork race, were created in a great war. The War in heaven, were the Necrontyr and Yngir sought to extinguish all life"

"And they didn't start with themselves? Why must the omnicidal always fill their grave the last?" Guozhi interrupts

"The Yngir and Necrontyr were not alive at this point, the latter had long hated the old ones, and sought to trouble them in every way, naming them their enemy though they had done little to offend them besides exist and prosper when they suffered and squabbled" Eldrad explains "But that was the fault of the Necrontyr themselves, they were contentious by nature, black hearted, and envious. Of the old one's longevity, unity, and the ease of which they rooted themselves in the stars. The necrontyr lived short, painful lives and demanded to be given what was innate to the old ones"

"Why were their lives short and painful?" You question with a raised eyebrow and knuckles pressed firmly to your chin
Cont

>>5813944

"The world they rose up from was bleached by a harsh sun, they were weaned and weakened on radiation" He answers

"And they did not adapt to this by evolution? Since they were not mentioned as one of the old one's proteges, I must assume their rise to sapience was naturally done" You press, leaning back in your chair as Eldrad sighs

"I do not know what ill fate lead them to not adapting to the environment of their homeworld" He answers as best as he is able "But they did not, and this made them bitter, misanthropic, xenophobic towards all other life, especially the old ones and their creations"

"Perhaps their sun turned bad after they had evolved beyond the point of being capable of resisting it, perhaps there were other factors" Guozhi rattles off numerous other explanation

"Perhaps their sun was altered by some technology, to purposefully cripple them, perhaps it is just a metaphor" You supply your own ideas

Eldrad holds up a hand

"it matters not why they were so stricken, what matters, is they hated the old ones, and named them an enemy as you have named the denizens of Sha'iel your enemy" He sternly answers, forcefully setting the discussion back on its tracks "And soughy to forcefully take the prosperity of the old ones and their longevity through force of arms. They were bested countless times by the old ones, the price of their arrogance their empire, and so they were exiled to the boundaries of the halo stars, where they first emerged and it is there, as they first looked to their sun with more than hatred and found the Yngir"\

"And are they the ones who ruined their sun, or were they just passing through" Guozhi questions, as if the story was any road side puppet show

"We know little of the Yngir, or the C'tan as the Necrontyr dub them" He explains with a wave of his hand "I do not know if they were the cause of the poor quality of the necrontyrs' mothers star, only that they arrived to feed upon its carcass like the parasites they originally were, stellar parasites, near mindless beings of raw etheric energy. Perhaps the one they found was nestled in the core of their harsh sun. The book of mournful night claims they were drawn by the Necrontyr's hatred, but their meeting could've very well been happenstance. Happenstance that wrought great ruin upon all life in the galaxy"

If the book of mournful night is accurate, perhaps these yngir are similar to the parasites of the warp, evil spirits or daemons. But you do not interrupt eldrad to ask this.

"Our own records do not recall or perhaps our ancestors never knew what occurred between the Yngir and the Necrontyr" Eldrad continues "Perhaps the old ones did, but none survive to tell and they left behind no histories of their own, But what is known, is that the Yngir were incarnated in bodies of living metal known as necrodermis, and the Necrontyr were reduced to soulless husks of the same, known as necrons"
Cont

>>5813945

"Living metal" You repeat in deep contemplation as Eldrad pauses, clearly finding repeating this portion of his species history distasteful. But you cannot help but wonder now, how humanity came to possess the star metal you wear that acts as the flesh and bone of Kanzeon, Mari, Al-Uzza, Anahita, and Liberty. If only you had a sample of necrodermis to compare to the star metal

"The Yngir had consumed their spirits, and reduced them to their weapons. They reduced planets to dust, extinguished stars, and cast entire star systems to nothingness in the maws of black holes" He continues "Eradicating entire species, destroying the work of the old ones to spread life across the stars, glutting themselves on their lives. War was waged, the younger races joined their creators in the field of battle. Aeldari, K'nig, Rashan, Krork and countless other, forgotten species. And the our gods to, fought their own war in the heavens"

"I hope the historian who named two wars fought in the same era the war in the heaven was flogged" Guozhi mutters, and you silently nod in agreement, it is rather confusing

"In the end, Neither Yngir or old one emerged the victor of this cataclysmic conflict. The web way was breeched, and the old ones were slaughtered, their light extinguished like so many of their creations, and our ancestors lead the charge brought the same doom upon the Yngir, and with them, the Necrons were sealed in the tombs of the necrontyr" Eldrad finishes the tale "And became the foremost power in the galaxy as the heirs of the old ones, but you know well what that lead to"

Burning fox eyes flash in your mind's eye, as a smirk curls on your lips.

"I do, thank you for the lesson, Eldrad Ulthran" You answer with a respectful bow and cupping of your hand "But, there is something I wish to tell you, I've told Carys of this before, but the brief description of the old ones and knowledge they uplifted and taught you Aeldari has made me wonder


"Oh?" Eldrad asks, intrigued, as he returns to his meal, while Guozhi just sits in contemplation, stroking his magnificent beard, just a step away from meditation

"When I fought in the shores of the great ocean of Nuceria" you begin, refilling Eldrad's cup "I found an spirit, shaped like a tortoise, ancient beyond reckoning, mined like a quarry by the fetid brood of Hei'an Fu, the tyrant in the shadows. It spoke in a manner that belied its towering intellect, and when I fought to free it, it revealed to me a blueprint of sorcerous design, geomantic in nature that it claimed as a fragment of a "Great plan" and when I showed it to Carys, she recognized within it Aeldari runes in their most ancient form. And upon grasping this sigil it branded into my mind, I was able to unleash a power unlike any I have wielded before, in my own flesh or in the lands of spirits"
Cont

>>5813948

There is a burst of psionic energy, sending plates and the food they held, table clothes and everything else in the cafe's seating area flying, suspended in the air as Eldrad's surprise unleash a great blossom of telekinetic force as he shatters the glass with a clench of his fist. He stares at you, eyes wide, fruit juice and blood dribbling down his fingers

"What?" His voices cuts through the air as you calmly reach to grab a grape like fruit floating past your eyes and place it between your teeth

"I freed it, and meant to seek it out later, but learning of the old ones and their work reminded me of it and I do not think I have to explain why" You say calmly as Eldrad rubs his temple and bows his head

"Show me" He requests politely though in a tone that would easily be confused for demanding.

And you oblige him, touching two of your fingers to his temple, and transferring the gift of the tortoise to his mind.

"All of it" he commands, and you oblige him. He shudders once, a trickle of blood falling from his nose as you reveal the entirety of the Mathematical enchantment the aged sage spirit permitted you to hold, that allowed you to free it from its long bondage and suffering.

"You couldn't have told me of what you encountered, when you were arranging this audience?" He asks, eyes open wide and sparkling with awe and faint lines of the script and geometrical sigils of the fragment of the "great plan"

"I did not think it important, It was not the first time I've encountered something strange in my wanderings" You say, ducking as Guozhi moves to smack you atop the head with his staff

"Forgive my pupil, great sage, his view of the world is at times twisted due to the many wonderous occurrences of his life" Guozhi grumbles "Such that his measure of what is miraculous is at times askew"

"Another impossibility" Eldrad mumbles, tenting his fingers as he mentally looks over the gift of the tortoise again "presented by a man of many paradoxes. What you have shown me changes our understanding of galactic history and the fate of our precursors, it is not something that should still exist, and yet, here it is. Do you intend to show me something I thought impossible every time we meet, Lieren?"

How do you answer, Lieren?

>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship

>So that spirit was an old one then? Curious. Perhaps I shall meet it again, in this life.

>Perhaps, but do tell me more of these Necrons...

>If I find more strange things in my travels, I may...Hm, you mentioned Krorks and orks, is there a connection between these two species?

>write in

>>5813950
>write in
"Well you know I am a hunter and scholar of lore, in future I shall endeavour to share the many curiosities..I do hope future ones may be of import. But I must ask, the Mathoth...what has become of them?

Then ask if he'd like to meditate with us, maybe he'll see what we see? Catch a glimpse of our many visions? We've never meditated on a craft world before! May be fun

>>5813950
>So that spirit was an old one then? Curious. Perhaps I shall meet it again, in this life.
Because that seems ominous; Plus
>>5813960
Supporting because we need to find out what happened to our bug boys; stay on target

>>5813960 and >Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship

>>5813950
>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship

>>5813960
Supported.

>>5813960
>Support

>>5813950
>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship

>>5813960
Also support

>>5813950
>So that spirit was an old one then? Curious. Perhaps I shall meet it again, in this life.

>>5813950
>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship
>Perhaps, but do tell me more of these Necrons...
I always love absolutely confusing the shit out of Eldrad. It's difficult to be a haughty, mysterious space elf wizard around a guy who can literally see through your bullshit and keeps showing you the most insane and impossible shit imagineable.

>>5813950
>"A good guest brings gift to their host. Hopefully it offsets my lighthearted pranks."
>"But let us continue to the necrons, the rebellion of man's creation and the fate of Matoth. I've come here to learn if the ripple of thinking machines is to always bring ruin upon their makers."

>>5813950
>"A good guest brings gift to their host. Hopefully it offsets my lighthearted pranks."
>"But let us continue to the necrons, the rebellion of man's creation and the fate of Matoth. I've come here to learn if the ripple of thinking machines is to always bring ruin upon their makers."

>>5813950
Do you have a headcannon of what Lierrens voice sounds like?

I'm liking this guy and I could easily imagine him reading the journey as Lierren.
https://youtu.be/CaVaF6TkSUU?feature=shared

>>5813950
>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship

>Perhaps, but do tell me more of these Necrons...

>>5813950
>"A good guest brings gift to their host. Hopefully it offsets my lighthearted pranks."
>"But let us continue to the necrons, the rebellion of man's creation and the fate of Matoth. I've come here to learn if the ripple of thinking machines is to always bring ruin upon their makers."

>>5813950
>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship
>Perhaps, but do tell me more of these Necrons...

>and...you've never encountered or heard of an Ork, have you?"
I love how Eldrad can tell just from Lieren's lack of reaction.
>poor human... he has no idea

I formally vote that we tame the first orks we see, or at least the Blood Axes. If anybody can forge a lasting allience with Orks that doesn't result in betrayal, it's Lieren.

>>5814652
We will tame them alright for become ash based fertilizers after seeing them raiding, conquering or destroying worlds, reducing buildings of all kinds and values to rubble for build nosensical structures, vehicles and equipment. And on top of it using humans and aliens has slaves, playthings, decorations and food.
Also add being only interested in fighting and war.
Lieren doesn't like barbarians (might just remind him of Nitya), and presenting him the setting savages will probably end ..... with said savages being interrogated and hanged.

>>5814688
Orks differ greatly from Nitya, for a very important reason.

Nitya fought to kill, to serve his God, to spill as much blood as possible.

Orks fight for the sake of fighting. Killing is incidental, and while many may enjoy a good Krumpin, it is the battle itself that they take the most joy in.

Orks crave conflict, conflict gives them purpose and direction, and Lieren is certainly sly and silver-tongued enough to convince Orks that he knows where the best fights are.

File: adeptus retardes.jpg (28 KB, 750x374)

28 KB JPG

>>5814652
This is a terrible idea.

>>5813950
>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship

>>5813960
+1

>>5814652
.... If we can figure out Old One mojo. Then this will be possible.

Full Kork however will be primarch tier.
We might end up destroying the galaxy this way because they would win everything forever.

>>5814808
They are fundamentally incompatible with humanity.

>>5814652
>>5814808
Even the Tau pre-grimdarkification gave up trying to reason with the Orks.
It's exactly because Lieren is so competent that he should know it's a futile effort at best.

>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship
>If I find more strange things in my travels, I may...Hm, you mentioned Krorks and orks, is there a connection between these two species?
>>5814897
Korks are the universes worst nightmare.
Though we should never give up since being a quitter is bad.

>>5815025
>>5813950
ment to link

>>5815025
Can’t quit if you never wasted your time trying.

>>5813960
+1

"By the way Eldrad you won't believe this but-" *laughs behind his sleeve* "-but you see on mars-" *giggles like a maiden* "-it turns out oh it's great-" *gwfuffles* "they're worshipping a Yngir-" *becomes suddenly very dtraight faced* "-maybe dad put it there so humanity could leech its technology through its influence thus creating the golden age which...led to the men of iron...oh....oh dear...it's likely still there?"

>>5814652
>>5814808
no thanks, anyone can see from a mile away you want to just aid them in becoming a bigger menace so they can devastate and kill more.
You fundamentally don't understand what Lieren stands for if you want to aid a genocidal, enslaving and malicious race.
Thankfully we aren't in that direction.

>incidental
hahaha
some of you really need to stop your inner favoritism and play just the quest.

Sirens blared through the Terminus Est, bulkheads sealed and lights exploded, computers were screaming not just alarms but some manner of infectious memetic script of golden runes and chants which wormed their way into the minds of those beholding them just as they spread through the mighty capital ship. Typhus roared command and prayed to the Grandfather for Deliverance; but he heard nothing. The Chimerai had found them and didn't even try to start a dialogue before their assault had began, now they were unleashing the weapons and mysticism they had been rumoured to have and those rumours didn't do this sorcery justice. They were not facing the flickering and agile Panther Brotherhood, they were facing something worse...the Unspoken... Demon Hunters.

Space marines in ivory armour, filigreed in bronze, adorned with charms and sigels so similar to that of the Word Bearers, yet Neverborn were not answering their calls instead it was something familiar, the forms of space marines wrapped in golden flames, their faces black holes devouring all things, they walked through walls like spectres before firing equally ethereal bolters which set their targets equally ablaze. These wraiths marching shielding their very corporeal brothers from harm...he knew what his Primarch had said was true; necromancy.

Then he was washed in light, all things burned away, his bitterness, his hate...he felt peace? Then he felt nothing...there was nothing.

>>5813960
>>5813950
+1 btw

>>5813950
>>5813960
+1

Been looking up what Old Ones could offer Lieren and turns out other than their warpcraft and understanding of life their very language can reshape reality.

File: unrelenting force.png (414 KB, 512x512)

414 KB PNG

>>5816250
Mmm space thu'um.

>>5816290
Except not magic

>>5816250
Well not really betting on us being able to get much from them, however if both we and the aeldari can get a better understanding of webway technology, there is no such thing as overstating how rad that would be.
Maybe the golden ratio is a long since misunderstood remnant of their technical basis

>>5816339
Honestly I can totally see it.
IRL the Golden Ration is just a bunch of pseudo-scientific hogwash with no objective evidence towards it being ideal in any application. It sure does give things that "classical" feel though.

I think we should ask Eldrad of the Mathoth and other xenos that allied with humanity to help humanity during the Age of Strife as well as their fates.

>>5813960
>>5813950
backing this.

I really hope we get more moments like when we cracked the prison of the ice maiden, Lieren slowly twisting makes good time markers but also psionic scars of his interactions because he does alot of dangerous stuff which could warp you mentally or physically.

>>5816516
You mean you want more mutations?

>>5816932
More like battle scars or more obvious marks of our activities.

>>5813950
>>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship

>>5813950
>"A good guest brings gift to their host. Hopefully it offsets my lighthearted pranks."
>"But let us continue to the necrons, the rebellion of man's creation and the fate of Matoth. I've come here to learn if the ripple of thinking machines is to always bring ruin upon their makers."

>Of course. I find it is one of the pillars of our friendship: 9

>So that spirit was an old one then? Curious. Perhaps I shall meet it again, in this life: 2

>Perhaps, but do tell me more of these Necrons... : 3

>If I find more strange things in my travels, I may...Hm, you mentioned Krorks and orks, is there a connection between these two species: 1

>write ins

Hunter and scholer: 10

A good guest: 3

But let us: 3

inform me if you see a miscalculation in the vote Plz :)

File: 1653595474401.jpg (88 KB, 882x500)

88 KB JPG

Calling the vote now, sorry for the long wait, real life was stressing me out.

>>5818391
I double checked, you counted one less vote for each of the write in votes than there actually were, but I still appreciate the assist.

and with a total of 21 votes, Lieren will say to Eldrad "Well you know I am a hunter and scholar of lore, in future I shall endeavour to share the many curiosities..I do hope future ones may be of import. But I must ask, the Mathoth...what has become of them?"

Before asking if he'd like to meditate with you

Writing now

>>5814213
I do, but I haven't found any good near enough examples for how he sounds in my head, but yeah, the reader in that video would read the Journey well, especially IC as Lieren. The video was a great listen as well and sounds like advice our boy would give

>>5815352
I don't know why but this made me laugh my ass off. maybe because the mental image it made

>>5815450
Spooky, I like it.

"Well you know I am a hunter" You answer cordially, swirling the warmed crystal glass in your hand, watching your reflection distort in the ruby liquid within as it twists around in its container, lapping at its walls "And a scholar of lore, in the future I shall endeavor to share many curiosities"

"And I shall await them, and see which can be used for the salvation of" Eldrad begins, lifting up his own glass while Guozhi ruminates on a particularly tough leaf wrapped around tightly packed, broth soaked rice like grains "Both of our people"

"Though were is the line drawn between them I wonder" Your mentor muses outload and without hesitation, youthful blue eyes piercing as he looks to Eldrad "All life is of equivalent value, from emperors to worms. A carp's scales are as valuable as a dragon's hide, it is said"

"A man possessed by such wisdom as yourself should know the answer to that question" Eldrad answers solemnly and you know well what he means, for as long as mankind and Aeldari can co-exist, for as long as both race's salvation does not result in the other's annihilation. Bitter realism, though a fate that can be easily avoided as simply as the more cynical of minds would declare it the only outcome of such an alliance. All it takes to avoid such a thing is to seek understanding and build foundations of unity between the races of men and Aeldari. A road that will surely be darkened by the shadows of those who would exploit the mending of relations between these races who once shared the stars.

Visions of barbed and razor edged armor, the cold gleam of depowered visors alighting in the moonlight dances before your mind's eye as the creaking of rope whispers in the manufactured winds of the craftworld.

"May such a thing never come to pass" You say, Guozhi speaking similar as he upturns his glass onto the table and nods in approval of your words, though his were not so different from them for their to be a distinction worthy of applauding between them "I do hope the curiosities I find in the future may be of import to our shared goals of shared prosperity between the scattered tribes of humanity and the wandering worlds of the Aeldari"

"Few are ambitious enough to hope, to dream" Eldrad answers with an light downward tilt of his chin "But to not do so is to invite apathy and begin a slow, cynical march to one's own destruction. Without hoping for better days to come, without dreaming that tragedies can be unmade before they transpire, there is no future to scry but death"

"Even if it does not matter, one should endeavor to live their lives fruitfully and find reasons to smile no matter the obstacles in their way" Guozhi sighs, picking his teeth with a sharpened stick as you nod, contemplating both of your elder's words deeply before you once again speak your own

"But I must ask" You begin, placing your elbows on the table, carefully distributing your weight so as not to tip or break the artfully carven furniture beneath it

Cont

>>5818626

"the Mathoth" You whisper, the mention alone making Eldrad sigh sharply through his nose, tent his fingers and bow his head, his brow troubled and furrowed "What has become of them"

"No species exists in the modern day that refers to themselves or is known as such. The Mathoth, as you know them, as were recorded by their surviving archives upon Nuceria, have faded into the annals of history like so many of the other species who once dared to hope of friendship and dream of cooperation and unity of purpose as we now do" He begins slowly, his words steeped with sadness and regret "Some races adapt quicker than others, their quickened lifespans or some peculiarity of biology or active tampering of their genetics or evolution through other, more mechanical means, shifting their features and changing their "Face""

Face, in the Long-Jian meaning of the word. Their reputation

"The humanity that would've first met them, would be as unrecognizable to their eyes as they would be to your own now" He continues, staring thoughtfully into his drink, his eyes reflecting its colors like dancing waves in lighted by a setting sun "Generations of persecution and betrayal, hardens the collective psyche of a species. All to frequently, a once kindly and welcoming race, naive and childish in their optimism, is over the course of eons, broken down and taught to look upon all others with suspicion or fear. The Mathoth, bless their hearts, endured longer than most have under their circumstances. They had a...talent for alluding extinction that impressed even the Aeldari of the time, no small feat as your bride to be has no doubt hammered deep into your skull the arrogance of our ancestors who wrought such devastation in pursuit of transient satisfaction and quick fading pleasures"

You nod, eyes narrowed as you listen closely to what the farseer tells you, sensing the pain in his words and the regret in his body language. The atmosphere becomes heavy and foreboding as you wait with baited breath to continue his explanation

"They felt" He starts again, before pausing, choking up as tears wet your eyes and cloud your vision "A deep kinship with mankind, despite their differences, though they had at times warred and at times bickered, theirs was a rare loyalty. Enduring and earnest"

"Our hands joined together at the loom" You mutter, recalling the words you used when you revealed humanity's lost brother to Jinhai and your sons upon Nuceria's soil

"You did a good thing, preserving the memory of what they once were, immortalize if only for a time a people truly worthy of remembrance" Eldrad answers, his voice wavering as you remember as well, in the stored data cache where you first looked upon the face of the vanished Mathoth, that amongst the races who stood beside them, there were Aeldari as well . And as you recall this, you remember what one of Qian Xia's men had asked with baited breath. Had we killed our friends?
Cont

>>5818628

"And their descendants are unworthy of such an honor?" Guozhi questioned pointedly, his words piercing like an arrow. Jinhai's speech to those gathered to see and learn of humanity's lost brother in arms resonates in the darkness of your mind '. If we remember the face of the Mathoth, mayhaps we will recognize their descendants and repay them for their generational kindness and loyalty to the human race'

"Lieren, you have met Aeldari worthy of only your scorn, you have killed scores of them. That was your first impression of our race" Eldrad begins again "Whips, collars, slave catches, cruel laughter and japes as they hunted the simple folk you had sworn to protect, as they wounded and killed your brothers in arms, as they desecrate the sacred wilderness of Shangrala, abusing the land as they did its creatures and peoples. You saw into their twisted psyches, gazed long at their blackened hearts, walked amongst them in disguise, fought against and slew them like the low beasts they had chosen to become"

"And he shall slay many more, he is nothing if not a persistent predator of the wicked" Guozhi remarks with a smirk and a coldness rarely found in his young eyes, smoldering with a hatred you more oft see in the eyes of your own sons. That you have seen in your own eyes.

"But would you have so readily tightened your hands around their necks, if the first Aeldari you met was of a different sort? An envoy from a craftworld, Carys herself" Eldrad asks

"It did transpire as thus, the first Aeldari I looked upon was Isha" You answer forlornly, knowing what he suggests with this question and how it concerns the Mathoth "And I was disgusted to see how her children had degenerated, when I first encountered the brood of Cearnarch . I thought them at first a twisted mockery of her, as I submersed myself in their memories and looked upon their faces untouched by the warmth of comradery and any sun's light. The first I found, Salaigh I believe he was named, said he had suffered from birth. Walking pits of fear and paranoia, squalling in the dark, hiding behind facades of malice and spite to disguise their true, terrified, selves"

"So arrogant, yet they were tricked by mere foot soldiers, from what I heard" He remarks off handedly, flicking his sleeve in a very long-jian manner "Didn't the warriors of your world wear masks to hide their expressions before, replacing them with facades according to their master's whims"

"And men of the time looked at me with suspicion for never decorating mine with a fake smile or snarl" You proudly answer "It is a custom yes, one I am uncertain will survive considering the reforms the military has gone through since Yan become Long-Jia"
Cont

>>5818629

"The masks the Mathoth wore to shelter themselves from the apathetic and cruel laughter of the universe and what passes itself as divinity have become their faces" He answers plainly "Even a benign colony such as the one you found by happenstance admired the Necrontyr, desired to become as they had, to become a new form of Necron to shield themselves from the harsh realities of life, to sever pain by numbing all emotion and snuffing out their soul. The ones who still loved humanity, sought to quiet their hearts, so...what of those who began to despise them or in their despair, fear the ones who they had so often ran back to and embraced as if they were their own brother by blood"

You lower your head, all to easily imagining what could've become of them.

"But others may have remained as they were, if not in appearance than in character" Your voice rattles, despite you having no will to admit this wayward hope openly

"And so you hope, and so you dream" Is all eldrad says in response "While their descendants benight the stars, squatting atop tombs and hoarding ancient relics, or else take upon the mantle of oppressor, slave owner and marauder"

"Both man and Aeldari have done the same" You rebuke

"So they have" Eldrad answers, a glimmer in his almond shaped eyes "Perhaps their endures, sheltered upon some distant world, shielded from the rigors and tragedies that twisted their abhorrent kin into their ghoulish, modern forms, a remnant of old friends, just as they are remembered, waiting, hoping, dreaming to once more step into the stars and hand in hand, walk them besides their ancient allies but"

Eldrad shakes his head

"Every encounter of a descendant species of Mathoth recorded has been violent. Abuse, treachery and enmity wears down on even the gentlest of souls" He continues on "But, perhaps, the impossible shall again be proven to be more than the dream of hopeful fools, such as ourselves. Perhaps"

"As I dream and as I hope" You answer sternly "But could you tell me of these barbaric descendants, your kind has encountered"

"I will provide you with a copy of our records, I'm sure the warriors made in your image will find them useful, in the days to come" He answers your request with an air of mystery and distance "And would in turn ask for a reproduction of your own memorial to our lost friends, the Mathoth"

"So you may be reminded their face, so you may recognize them if you meet them again" You state, proclaiming your hope to find some remnant of the mathoth that once were, barely disguising it as a question as you know how Ulthran will answer

"So I may weep for what they have become" He answers cynically

"Perhaps they have memories of their past lives" Guozhi sighs wistfully "And only need a spark to recall what once was, but in all likely hood that is nothing by a dreamer's hope, and I know well what poisons lurk in hopes and dreams"
Cont

>>5818631

"So we shall cease speaking of them, less we draw the attention of loathsome Jian Qi" You say under your breath as you move to leave the table "Though I would ask if you would care to join me and my grandfather in our daily meditations, to see if you may share in any visions that visit us, see what we see. Would you allow me this honor, Eldrad Ulthran"

"I see no reason to refuse" He answers spiritedly, rising from his chair "If nothing else, it shall cleanse my mind of these remembrances most bitter and allow me time to contemplate the impossibility you revealed to me this day, Lieren of nothing"
_

The spiritual realm of Ulthwe is a forest of wraiths. Whispering voices intruded into your mind the moment you entered a true meditative trances, and you saw the thousand thousand souls trapped within its infinity circuits, preserved from an unpleasant fate at the hands of the arch enemy of the Aeldari people, but prevented from passing on, kept from their natural demise and made to persist, to fight, to kill, to fall in battle for the defense of the living. Amatheon, your friend, lives like these wraiths who whisper in your ear and surround you as you meditate, sat atop a cushion, within arms reach of Eldrad who is sat upon another, while psionically active crystals rotate around the room, wraithbone singing at a frequency nearly too low for your ears to hear at all.

The sheltered, walled Empyrean within the craftworld is painted with fading colors and shows what you assume to be a scene of antiquity from the Aeldari's past. Of forests steeped in magic and mystery, clouded by the presence of the many minds languidly shifting through them.

A sense of familiarity sets you at ease, and is what allows you the serenity and calm of mind to truly meditate and wander this tamed portion of the warp, guided by whispering voices and ethereal hands.

And where do these wraiths lead you, Lieren?

>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.

>Lead you towards a library without walls, where books float freely revealing memories of the past, revealing the history of Mathoth, Aeldari and Humanity when they joined hands as friends.

>Someplace cold, some place dark. A crypt, a cradle, a place for the dreaming dead.

>They bring you to those who have not yet accepted their death, who wail at the injustice done to him, who still fear their doom that has already come

>Write in

Had a lot of fun writing this update

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road

File: Orion.png (719 KB, 469x706)

719 KB PNG

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.
ITS FUCKING TIME LETS GO! ISHA WE'RE GONNA FIND YA BOY!
I say this also because as much as I want to see the Clown he actually still has initiative and so can find us vs the other option. That and meeting the clown before getting married seems unwise, i'm for leaving the dead alone for now.

File: Stagboy.png (803 KB, 522x740)

803 KB PNG

>>5818649
related stagboy and his rune, maybe our Bull lads will find a kindred?

>>5818632
>>Someplace cold, some place dark. A crypt, a cradle, a place for the dreaming dead.

>>5818632
>Write in
>Invite Eldrad to the wedding
>Tell Eldrad of Angron and ask him for the location of Lorgar
Check-list items. Angron may not be permanently protected from falling to chaos, no one is, but I would say his original destiny is well and truly averted. We have another 'impossibility' to give before we leave.

>>5818632
>>Lead you towards a library without walls, where books float freely revealing memories of the past, revealing the history of Mathoth, Aeldari and Humanity when they joined hands as friends.

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.

don't understand how I missed so many votes. will do better this time

>>5818632 #
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.
The return of the stag option, will it win this time?

>>5818632
>They bring you to those who have not yet accepted their death, who wail at the injustice done to him, who still fear their doom that has already come

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.

>>5818632
>Hunters path

Literally our name on it.

>>5818632
>>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road

Decided to change my vote to this.

>>5818632

>Lead you towards a library without walls, where books float freely revealing memories of the past, revealing the history of Mathoth, Aeldari and Humanity when they joined hands as friends.

>>5818632
>Someplace cold, some place dark. A crypt, a cradle, a place for the dreaming dead.

>>5818632
>Someplace cold, some place dark. A crypt, a cradle, a place for the dreaming dead.

>They bring you to those who have not yet accepted their death, who wail at the injustice done to him, who still fear their doom that has already come

Looking into Ynnead might help with the gestalt problem, I think the other option leads to inspecting the infinity circuit? Either would address why we came here.

>Eldrad meditating on old one tech
>us meditating on the forest and hunter
Who knows what our teacher is doing....what will our combined efforts draw...

>>5818632
>Towards and over grown path, carven through the forest's undergrowth by the passage of many beasts, a game trail, a hunter's road.
-

>>5818632
>Lead you towards a library without walls, where books float freely revealing memories of the past, revealing the history of Mathoth, Aeldari and Humanity when they joined hands as friends.

>>5819979
> Looking into Ynnead might help with the gestalt problem
It would be better to just make a spirit wholesale for the ships. Fortunately Old Ones were experts in that.