WarHams - Narrative Declaration

[00:00] I'm not flying another void ship for you for 10,000 years! Steadily unbuttoning his uniform. Ayo! Ah, brothers, you've made it. We must make haste.

[00:13] But of course, are we all ready to play some Warhands of Chaos Odyssey, everybody?

[00:20] I'm ready for- I'm ready for violence. Or whatever. Excellent. Excellent, excellent, excellent. It's good to see everybody. Just double to make sure, Thirstando, are you good to go? Everything ready for you?

[00:34] Wedge. I'll take that as a maybe. So, I believe last time- Wedge! I guess that's a no. Alright, well, so's canceled. Fuck! Excellent! Oh, we can all go to sleep now. Oh, it's good to see everybody. I think we gotta- Exactly. Oh, finally, I can take this thing off! Bunch of chain sounds happen.

[00:58] The timers on our reverse bear traps fucking freeze. No, they put a fucking bomb on my chest today. I went to the fucking doctor and they stuck a thing on me. It's got like a USB on it. They're tracking me. That was not the doctor. That was Jigsaw. You need to cherish your life. Oh, Jigsaw put a chain charge on my chest. I've actually been Jigsaw the entire time.

[01:21] I always look at you all and I'm like, You wanna play a game? And I slide over the Pathfinder beginner box to you.

[01:28] And I'm like, No! Speaker D, for years you have won. Jesus, it's so true.

[01:34] See, this time, if Thurston could go back in time and someone asked if he likes Warhammer, he should just say no next time.

[01:44] I hear you like Warhammer. No fucking end credits play. No, just don't talk to him. Fucking Arrested Development. Just do it.

[01:57] Look everywhere. But of course, welcome back, everybody, to another exciting episode of Warhams, A Chaos Odyssey. Cut the name right still. Yes. Last time. Yes, he's doing it. He's on a streak. He won't fuck it up next time. I swear. On another note. I better not do it next time. No pressure. No pressure. No! So, of course, what happened last time? We all went down, finally, after so much trials and tribulations, on our so awesomely- I believe you mean side quests.

[02:29] Yeah, no, it was a trial and tribulation. We love side quests.

[02:33] I killed a ship. I have a better KD ratio, so I'm taking that.

[02:39] Whatever, dude. Yeah, fuck off. You were given that. Fuck you. Yeah, fuck you. It's like the equivalent. Yeah, with the Harvards. Like, yeah, they bought your fucking thing for you. Get out of here.

[02:59] So, we all went back down to the surface of Dahab. As we entered inside, we saw that there were murals and carvings on the wall, pretty much just showing off, basically, a long history of Terra itself, pretty much a memory of somebody who was dwelling down here, someone who couldn't quite escape. And that person was a Thunder Warrior.

[03:25] That Thunder Warrior was seemingly- He was seemingly trapped there, as if his entire torture has pretty much made this planet made manifest. And we got to learn a lot of things about him. Would you guys go watch the episode and learn all those cool things that he talked about? And of course, but the main thing that we found out is that our nemesis, Zolananke, has already gotten what he was after and has headed off.

[03:46] After we got in the location of where he has gone off to, we have now soared back up to the carcass, and I believe we are on our way. So Thurston- Thurston- What do you mean, don't you wanna race us? Thurston- I'm not starting, he just Jim- I do not want to do things in the name of Earth and Zolan or world or anything. I have a bad feeling that I might already have met myself and even less than that buddy who will come back and buy the difficult new food and remember to change your welfare center.

[04:25] I don't know how long we can sit down. That's why- worse than that of the xenos but we did one second can I read this again I stumbled a little bit yes do whatever you need to all right red card whole restart red card easy roll it back all right we're restarting the whole episode

[04:49] All right speaker I need to get like a little more emotion in there you know like as if as if you were the the character that was feeling these motions right now okay I need you to kind of take it back again let's start from the top and action my motivation we had dreamed of being children of a new age ones that would arise to claim our birthright but we were mistaken our fate was even worse than that of the xenos for we did not destroy it all but by surviving doomed ourselves to slow piracy we would be forever the children of a frozen war locked within it like an insect trapped in amber from a study of the reconstruction by diomedon of luna all right who's in the pilot seat of

[05:47] The thunderhawk um that is taking off from tara oh that ain't that ain't me how'd you you're already in there you're already in there I can't do the gesture but in reverse I can't do that you just gotta rewind hulky you are you are you are 10 000 years too late my brother or you've got a voice how did I get here

[06:16] Great great great grandpa ain't even a spoil him yet I would question is this the same thunderhawk that we were on when we were first leaving together it's a group correct that would be a service if I remember right who took there was a servitor in an autopilot but are any of you sitting in the cockpit uh no I'm not trying how does that fit I'm going to assume just because I trust that you are all intelligent space marines that there would be at least one of you sitting in the cockpit of the thunderhawk in case something were to happen and basic protocols would need to only the most intelligent and important space marines bit if just the rules I don't know marine should be allowed to look like they can drive a thunderhawk and uh though I did buy

[07:03] Operate point ship with the new xp I don't think that goes into effect uh circa like uh 10 000 years prior so um excellent I've always known how high is by his intelligence

[07:18] I got 40 well I have a 45 average I got him yeah that's fine but you're not as important as me you see so by zan no but I am cooler I aura farm in the back of the thunderhawk

[07:34] All right so in the back of the the uh the thunder I'm glad the scene's on me the more important character thank you thurston that's true I'm not serious I love you don't worry

[07:48] The back of the thunderhawk there is beth isle there is

[07:57] Lipos yeah and sitting in the far corner is helbros scorched teeth the other cornate marine who breathes heavily as the vessel breaches the atmosphere all of you can feel the shudders and shakes of constant explosions and atmospheric changes as you are ascending yeah by zan from your perspective it's a bit different in the front um you are seeing fields of flak go up you are seeing explosions in the sky you are seeing cities of of blue descending from the heavens that your small vessel in its far darker lightning-streaked blue dance between oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god yeah by zanti's having the time of his life

[09:01] Excellent excellent uh beth iel you were in the back you were you were uh seeing something yeah beth iel is going to be uh very restlessly uh pacing for at least the first bit before you're gonna turn to helbros and are we going after the conqueror is it already gone

[09:23] Uh no no uh no no we have to get out we have to get out We have to get out now. Get out. Keep the fight going however we can. Can't let it end. He's just rocking back and forth.

[09:37] The question remains, how? However we can. However we can.

[09:50] Byzantine. Yes. In the cockpit. You see that there is a alert chime.

[09:59] This chime that is blinking seems to be an incoming comm signal.

[10:09] I'll press the button, whatever is needed to acknowledge that comm signal or at the very least interrupt it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. As you establish the vox link, there is a crackle of static that you sure corresponds to the explosion of a nearby vessel. It appears to be, a Titan transport that was attempting to lift off and has now made a slow descent towards the surface as its engines are buckled under the constant attack of what appear to be cobalt blue vessels that streak past it and unload payloads onto its surface.

[10:48] You see the bright blooming explosions and then watch as this, this Titanic transport almost comically starts to fall. But it's, it's almost like it's a, it's like a slow falling, like dropping a balloon. It's not falling straight or fast. It's almost just this slow descent towards the surface.

[11:13] And then, then the vox crackles. Hello, brothers. Are you there, brothers? Let me just go ahead and make a willpower test. Yeah, absolutely. You're right, you're right. This is very shortly after the mental illness beam.

[11:32] Nice. No response. No response. You want to tell the podcast listeners what you rolled? Oh, that's a 69. Nice. Funny number.

[11:48] Lifos, can you give me an awareness test? Plus 20. Oh, sure thing. I've always been so observant. Watch as I observe. Is the aura farming too hard to notice? Oh, my God. He's super observant. He sees everything. You hear this voice from the cockpit crackling off the vox. You hear Byzantium not responding. This sibilant tone. Brothers, if you are out there, please respond.

[12:20] Lifos, knowing of his recent, I don't think he knows at this point, my bad. He will walk up to the cockpit and go, Byzantium, are you not going to respond? No.

[12:33] Hahahaha. Over the fuck's sake? He leans over and presses the button.

[12:41] Sorry. Go ahead. I'm going to drive you. It crackles right by Byzantium.

[12:49] Hail, friend, brothers. Oh, are you letting Liphos press the talk button? And now you're like, OK, now I can talk. I do this.

[13:08] I just I just couldn't I couldn't respond because it was a secret but then but now it's not a secret anymore thanks to Light though so now I can respond yeah I got you bro he fist bumps thank you fist bump

[13:26] Yeah yeah this is a friend I am attempting to extract anyone who can depart the surface the conditions as they are the blasted 13th have made their way in system there are many of them the other ships are departing I am providing the coordinates for the Visio Gloria Imperialis please board at your earliest opportunity we cannot stay long no verse attempting target

[14:09] I'll put in that information I suppose and I'll scan for any nearby vessels that match that ident yeah so at this point you're you are breaching the atmospheric bubble of the planet and as you do suddenly the starscape and everything beyond becomes quite visible

[14:30] You you never seen space on fire like this before thousands thousands of people have seen it thousands if not more wrecked hulks burn in the upper atmosphere of humanity's cradle vessels coming in the cobalt blue and then even other colors the the dark gray the dark black of the first all descending onto those that remain in system your fellow brothers who've made the trek to holy terra you can tell are being apart in basically desperate attempts to flee you see a vessel of the third legion explode it's proud purple coloration disfigured into a almost metallic gray before it buckles and implodes from overloaded plasma drives the next that you see is a red and white striped vessel of the world eaters crash directly into a vessel of the ultramarines the two kind of married together in this brief

[15:50] Moment as they then tumble towards the surface of the planet in some kind of death spiral you also see fleeing from the battlescape the sort of metallic green blue of the 20th legion coldly and methodically escaping and then the countless vessels of the imperial navy the ones that are not associated with the astartes chapters you see vessels belonging to various expeditionary fleets bearing no livery except for the eye of horus turning and running some of them not even stopping abandoning whole convoys of transports uh to be picked apart almost immediately thereafter by hungry ravenous shark-like fighters that descend on them all of this silhouetted by zanti as you you put in the ident codes and figure one lone vessel that is making an ascent from the upper atmosphere it is a venerable battleship that has the streaking

[17:01] Silhouettes of fighter craft dancing along its surface uh repelling what few vessels have decided to make it their target these these fighter craft blowing up every few seconds as you continue your ascent what say brothers care to take a little visit to the inglorious gloria the only choice we have hmm I'm so so pleased to hear your second my wisdom and I'll take control of the vessel yeah give me one of your new since you're in the void I'll let you do an operate void ship which you know you you only just got as a player but this represents by zante was was certainly far far better this this long ago had had so much going on before the indolence of the modern age got up to them give me that

[17:59] Check at a no just a challenging to check there's so much going on here you got it uh that's an 85 okay you you are you are flying through the void and you are seeing so many items the the aspects array on the vessel is filled with massive massive ping displacements as you see just too many vessels to count uh it becomes difficult to navigate all of you were holding on lifos you are seeing this through the the open viewport of the cockpit the servitors eyes sort of glazed back as it's engaging in what automatic controls it has by zante you attempt to to take over directly uh maneuvering out of the path of an incoming group of 10th legion fighter craft the sort of sheer black and cog symbols

[19:01] Of the zante and the zante and the zante and the zante and the zante and the zante and the raining missiles down on targets. As you weave between them, suddenly there is a juddering impact through the vessel as you've struck a piece of debris. One of the fins, the rightmost fin of the Thunderhawk has struck something. You've managed to correct the spin, but the engine, you can tell, is giving drag and is sputtering now from severe damage.

[19:29] Ah, damnation! Ah, damnation! It's too crowded! I bet a human can fly better than you, Sir Mercy. Go that way!

[19:40] I bet you in 10,000 years you'll find a human better than you. Or a thousand, but it'll work.

[19:54] No, it's 10,000. It's 10,000. Don't worry. I got it right. All right, so I want to help Byzanty for next roll. Can I use awareness to help out with that? Would that be appropriate here? I'll allow you. I'll also allow you if you would like to. If you have any psychic powers, you could do those, too. I'll just make sure I purchase a whole bunch of them.

[20:18] I didn't want to go all out later in the years. Let's see what I got. Yeah, totally. I got Inspire. You're the best sorcerer.

[20:28] Inspire gives a plus 10 bonus to... It's a healing test, a willpower test.

[20:34] Unless you allow that, just by the namesake itself, to be like, you could do it, Byzanty. Rah, rah, rah.

[20:42] Absolutely. Give me a check. You just want me to perils. No, I don't. I would never. You lie as you breathe.

[20:53] I am... Look, I am going to tell you that I am not looking for you to perils in this roll. Okay.

[21:02] Okay. Unless the best sorcerer never reveals all of his tricks, even in 10,000 years. Exactly. All right, let's make a roll. That's going to be a 19 for nine degrees of success.

[21:15] Sweet. Lyphos, you begin to tap into the immaterium, but as you do so, you realize it's still not there. Dang it! You still have no connection to the work. This is why he baited me! Damn you, Scythe! And by... And... And by Xanthi, you receive no magical embellishment assistance as more debris comes tumbling at you. Please give me a, um... You motherfucker. Another challenging... I knew it, too.

[21:44] And that's why I would have been aware of this first. And then you gave me the option for psychic powers. I'm like, oh, he's going to let me use psychic powers now during terror. Okay. Fuck you.

[21:54] You are a terrible psychic! I'm one of the best. Don't you ever forget it. Why? Watch this. One! One on the die. Holy shit! You're welcome.

[22:09] This is... Yeah. Yeah, Lyphos' terrible relation to psychic powers was the exact motivation that you, by Xanthi, desperately needed. Lyphos takes credit for the one. It filled me with so much disgust. My emperor's children desire to do something perfectly... Let me do the sickest anime bullshit ever here. We briefly turned it to an episode of Redline. It's not an episode of Redline, but we've Redlined. The remix of Kickstart My Heart comes on.

[22:47] Gas, gas, gas! You go through the most grueling flight gauntlet in ages. If, if, you know, of the saga, there's only one episode that's going to be the most grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling, grueling. Of terra the flight path you have to take to escape the planet and reach the embarkation deck of divisio gloria imperialis would be required reading in every textbook had it ever been properly recorded it not only starts with you dodging a flight of strike fighters belonging to the 10th legion at one point you skin dance along the top of a 13th legion vessel managed to fly through the carcass of not one but two sons of horus vessels that have broken apart using their debris to properly give you cover from the oncoming attackers at the edge of the gauntlet you actually rush a full destroyer

[23:56] That fires its forward guns at you and you manage to avoid all of the shots dancing over its hull to make a turn skidding stop into the moving battleship that is seeking to escape the combat zone as we as we slide in by zeti's gonna look at lithos you know just for that I'm not flying another void ship for you for 10 000 years and I slap him just his skull spins

[24:37] I'll hold you to that slenishy if I ever catch you flying one I'll explode you myself

[24:47] As as this flight is happening in the back uh beth isle and hell bros are sitting in like Instant strange maneuvers and shirking. You're all being held into place by harnesses.

[25:05] But Helbrose's helm looks over the sort of twin pointed crests looming up as the white and red armor glean in the emergency lighting here, giving the whole armor of your battle brother this like sickly, almost blood red appearance. And Helbrose speaks to you, Bethael.

[25:56] But then you can kill him later. Once you're done using him, you kill him. If I don't get to him, you promise me you'll kill him? Of course, brother.

[26:10] It brings me no greater joy than to rip the spine out of one of the sons of the Third Legion.

[26:22] Just like these bastard Thirteenth. We'll get away. We'll come back. They haven't seen the last of us. A new fight, a new day, more blood. A new fight, a new day, more blood. That's all there is. That's all that's going to be left to us now. We'll keep at it. But you can't trust them. And like, again, he's sort of in the corner and he's daubed in this red crimson over the armor, which gives him this feral, almost demonic appearance.

[26:56] But he just looks. The eye lens is even radiating through the dark. You'll have to kill all of them. You can't trust any of them. None of them. Not even me. You'll have to kill me later. And then you'll have to daub your armor and their blood. And he starts, like, rocking back and forth in the light. You're going to have to promise me each one of them.

[27:20] You'll do it. You'll do it fast. You'll take their skulls. You know what to do with skulls, right? You know what to do with them, right?

[27:31] Of course, I know what to do with them. Brother, I believe the nails are biting now. Take a moment. The fight will continue.

[27:44] And he just keeps rocking back and forth and back and forth until the back hatch opens.

[27:57] And you see that you are on board a vessel. And now, for the first time, Bethael, you can see out the back hatch of the Thunderhawk. You can see the screen, that faint void shield that protects you from the outside universe. And beyond it, you can see the birth world of humanity on fire. And the countless vessels pugilating in the atmosphere.

[28:32] And since the start of the siege, this is really the first time you've seen the planet from orbit and seen the full extent of the damage done to it. The once verdant blues and grays and greens are now just completely replaced with a brown-gray miasma that covers everything. The only visible colors through it are the burning orange lights that seem to flicker like candles across the surface.

[29:02] None perhaps larger than the region of the planet known as the Himalasia, where the Imperial Palace was once located. The entire thing is a macabre display, punctuated only by the explosions and rapid fire of the cobalt blue that comes in ever-increasing numbers.

[29:26] Look, it's almost beautiful, the way that Tata burns. Bethael's gonna stare at it for a long moment before just trying to stop her. Bethael gritting the teeth and just with a loud bang, slamming a fist down into the side of the wall.

[29:50] Fleeing. Fleeing like dogs with tails between our legs from the greatest battle that we have ever experienced.

[30:01] Leifos, at this point, I assume you would be walking back as Byzantium. You can unclasp yourself and come into the back as you see Bethael shouting. Yeah. And also, I have to make a correction for myself. I don't have a skull yet. I still have the helmet. I forgot. Parasite armor. Parasite armor. I forgot about that. Parasite armor. As he's walking through and he's like, he's just kind of looking at, you know, Bethael.

[30:29] He's like, oh, fuck. She's freaking out over there.

[30:36] It's like, are you in withdrawal or something?

[30:42] Quiet, psyker! He hands out and just starts walking away. Like, there'll be more battles to be had in the future. The war isn't over yet. It's a very recent back. But I'm sure as you look upon its body now, it'll begin to rot slowly. I'm sure we gain something today. That means we get to fight more in the morrow. Just think of it. If you won, there wouldn't be much more fighting for you there.

[31:22] Now get out. He walks off on the Thunderhawk.

[31:28] At this point, Byzantium, you would walk out. You know, berserker, if it makes you feel any better, you can always blame yourself.

[31:45] Cute. Every battle must have a victor, and every battle must have a vanquished. Be grateful that their victory is but pyrrhic. For now, we must regroup to fight again, if ever we wish to retake this stage. Now stop moaning and start walking. That's the only way to victory. I suppose you're right. If nothing else, it makes for a pretty corpse. As it burns.

[32:20] Halberus kind of moves back and forth. Go stay here. Go. Brother, I'm not leaving you behind. We will go back to the Conqueror together. Oh, for now, I'll catch up.

[32:38] Promise me. Promise me you catch up. And he just starts, like, screaming. Fine.

[32:55] I know better than to stick around for this shit. I'm gonna follow it like this. Yeah. So both of you walk out. Everything all right in there? Hurry up. The screaming, yeah.

[33:09] Yeah. So. So, Lyphos, you're the first to follow it by Byzantium and then presumably Bethael. You come out into a well-maintained, well-lit hangar deck of an Imperial Navy warship.

[33:27] The lighting is on, but the entire embarkation deck is empty. There's storage crates for munitions and equipment that are pushed up against the wall here. But all of the flight craft have been launched. Anything that was in this vessel is out in space.

[33:50] Do you know to whom this vessel is owned?

[33:55] Not a clue. What I have recognized. Oh, actually. Sorry, go ahead. Do your thing. I was just going to say, if that information was anywhere, it might have been in the ident. So Lyphos and I might actually know that it was there.

[34:10] Um, you know, you would, you wouldn't have had time to really look at the records. You'd have the identifier of the vessel, but not, not unless, um, let's see here. What would be a good, uh, check? Let me, let me double check. I think Byzantium. We might have a better, uh, I'd say common lore or for, okay. Forbidden lore, Horus Heresy, uh, which is apt and can basically be used for anything right now.

[34:45] Or, uh, Common Lore War, uh, would be the, the skills I'd want to, to see for this vessel. I'll go Common Lore War.

[34:56] Yeah, sure. Give me, give me that at a, uh, flat check. That's a six. God damn. That's, that's Slaanesh's favorite number. Okay. Uh, oh, it looks like you're fatigued on your sheet. Should be another degree of success. Oh, yeah. Why am I fatigued? Yeah, stop beating your, stop hitting yourself. He's tired. He's sleepy. He just got hit by his mental illness. I'm very sleepy. I, I would love to tell everyone about how sleepy I am, but it's a secret.

[35:24] Which is a new thing for him though.

[35:29] Absolutely. Um. Um. One sec here. Yeah, this is a vessel that was listed as belonging to the 47th Expeditionary Fleet.

[35:53] Okay. And a six with that many degrees of success would give you enough to know that that Expeditionary Fleet was commanded by Primarch Lorgar of the Wordbearers Legion. It's also enough for you to know that the majority of the Wordbearers were not part of the Siege of Terra, save for a small group of them who arrived under direct command of the Dark Apostle Zardu Layak.

[36:29] Uh, lucky us were here amongst the Wordbearers. Be relying now on the sympathy and empathy of the choir boys. Wow. Ah, the Wordbearers again. If nothing else, I have experience with them. More than enough.

[36:51] For a second, Byzantius says, was about to say, good, you take the lead. Then he remembered who he's talking to and stops.

[37:05] And Alucard, I'm surprised you gave that info.

[37:10] Yeah, true. Well, I could, I, you know, it's not like I could, you know.

[37:15] He's allowed to talk sometimes. I get it. It's real hard to keep track of it all or else you're just going to constantly just be rolling. I feel you. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Yeah. I'll, I'll force it when it's funny. True. Uh, Lyphos is waiting because as they land, he would assume someone would welcome them or just be like a welcoming party, not just get in and start roaming the ship.

[37:41] Uh, so he's expectantly just kind of waiting near them. I think he's expecting someone to come back to have someone greet them.

[37:49] Uh, yeah, you, you stay there and continue to watch the explosions outside. Uh, you can see that your vessel from, from the view that you have here is tracking away from the battlefield. Um, you are, you are moving with all haste away from Terra. Um, so you're watching as everything becomes smaller and smaller. But the intensity of the battle does seem to follow you in some cases as though everyone is trying to escape in every direction.

[38:26] You wonder if you're going to be united or not. You wait for at least 20 minutes and no one comes.

[38:40] This is taking too long. We will find whoever is in charge. I, my thoughts exactly. Come, let's not waste a moment longer here.

[38:53] For once we agree. Lyphos begins walking pretty much. He's like, well, if the bird's going to be this way, it should be this way. And he just begins walking.

[39:04] We just get lost. Uh, you, you make your way into, into the halls of the ship. And this is where the interior seems to be somewhat different. Um, you can tell that the vessel itself is a well-maintained Imperial style battleship. But the walls are inscribed with tiny rocks. Runes, um, and sigils. It's enough for Bethael for you to recognize it as the language of the word bearers, their home language, Colchisian.

[39:40] Uh, the cuneiform script sort of goes along the walls. There's various spiraling texts that have been emblazoned. You can see that there are, um, different, different connotations here for different chapters.

[39:59] Uh, all sort of giving homage to different aspects of, uh, the word of Lorgar.

[40:08] Uh, in all of the time that the world leaders spent with the word bearers, uh, would Bethael have been able to pick up any Colchisian?

[40:18] Um. Also, I've super been pronouncing it wrong in my head the whole time. Oh, yeah. I pronounce it with a, with a hard. Oh, the audiobook. That's why you listen to the audiobook. Yeah. Because they got that pronunciation game. Yeah. Um.

[40:36] Writing that down. It's not Colchisian. Just for that, I'm sending you to the dark city of Comorah, or Comorah, or Gomorrah. Comorah. Exactly. Or Comorah. They never pronounce it the same way. Fuck you, Eldar fans. That's right. Comorah.

[40:53] Give me a linguistics check at plus 10. I'm sure that plus 10 will make all the difference. Oh, I'm so smarties. I know, I know Bethael loves words. I love words. Let's see if I can roll above or below a 22. No, I was not paying very close attention to the word bearers. I thought they were weird. That's a 50 for three degrees of failure. Yeah, you, you recognize the script, but you can't make anything out.

[41:22] Ugh. Um. But, but what you do make out about. Two intersections out from the embarkation deck is the first sign of blood.

[41:36] It pools in a, in, in an intersection coming across a right turn in the wall.

[41:48] You could see it on the ground. Vibrant crimson.

[41:55] Uh, Bethael was going to pick up the pace and actually kind of try to like barrel past Byzantium. At that and swing around the corner. Yeah, sure. Um, you, you run past, um, Byzantium, making yourself into the, the sort of intersection where you turn the corner to see up against the wall are three human corpses.

[42:26] Each of which has their necks slit. And the blood pools down out of the, kind of going up against the wall and then moving towards the intersection. Ugh. Their eyes are open and wide in some kind of like terrified last, last gaze.

[42:54] One of their fucking rituals. Always another ritual.

[43:02] Uh, do they look, uh. So they're, they're dying, but they're not fully dead yet. Oh no, they're all dead. Oh, they're dead, dead. These, these three are quite dead. Yes. But the blood is still coming out of them. To, to indicate this is fairly recent.

[43:21] One of the rituals. Syker! Lifo does not respond. Do you know what this is for? He, he's like, he's, he's kind of turned away. Does not answer to the word Syker. He's just looking around.

[43:37] You! Doesn't respond. Song of Magnus! Still looking away.

[43:46] There sounds angry today. The shot of a lasgun rings out. Bang. What? There it is. He begins walking.

[43:57] There you go. This was not me trying to deny your role play. There's another shot of a lasgun. No, you're so good. He was like, if you're not going to call me by my fantastical title, fuck you. Exactly. No, it's perfect. I love him. Yes. I love you. I love you. He begins to follow the lasgun cracks.

[44:15] As they go, Bethael. They crack out in rapid succession. Not like an auto fire, but like rapid single shots. Yeah. And then a pause. And then a string of shots that all take place at roughly the same time. Ooh. And then silence.

[44:38] As they go, Bethael is going to kind of seeing the blood pooling on the ground as he's moving toward the sound of combat very quickly. He's just going to very quickly dip down, scoop his hand in the blood and run his tongue down his fingers and see if there's anything. See if he tastes anything odd. Ooh. Yeah. Give me a, give me a straight up willpower at minus 20.

[45:01] Oh, minus 20. Yucky. Yeah. Oh, but I'll give you a 15. Ooh. For 20 degree of success. We'll succeed. Hell yeah. Bethael is the least mentally ill man. Yeah. You managed to prevent yourself from dying. You managed to prevent yourself from retching. And instead, what you see is clearly the last moments of, of these individuals, um, coming before you as what you sense is a sadness of like a destiny left unfulfilled.

[45:39] And then one final sacrifice and then darkness. Ugh.

[45:53] Rituals. Always rituals. Come, there's blood to be shed.

[46:02] And you rush forward, um, eventually coming to a sealed, uh, well, not a fully sealed door. It's a partly sealed bulkhead. There's maybe a quarter of a foot opening of two strong industrial bulkhead doors. Um. There's like strobing red, like emergency lumens on the other side. Uh, otherwise it's dark beyond the kind of strobing red inside. And it looks like this area is closed off, but the, the door is partway open.

[46:44] Is it working now? Hm? All right. Let's get this door open.

[46:52] He will start helping. Whiz. Okay. Very well. So, so, uh, I assume Bethael takes one side and Byzantium and Lyphos take the other side. Yeah. That's fair. Uh, who has the highest strength amongst you? Um, with my armor, I've got a strength of 70. I have 59. I have 60. Oh. Uh, Bethael, give me a, give me a strength test at plus 20. Plus 20. Be really embarrassing.

[47:27] Okay. It would be, but I don't and I get 88. Core number. Yeah. Hell yeah. But that's only one number. You grip one side of the door with both of your ceramide gloves. You pull and tear back. As you do so, um, the grinding sound and the alert sounds and everything kind of crescendo as you open into a room, um, and this room is filled with dozens of corpses.

[48:07] Uh, all human humans, um, human ratings of some kind. They look like naval officers, uh, or shipsmen, um, who have all been gunned down. There is a row of five individuals that stand between the door and this mound of corpses. Uh, these five individuals are also planted on the floor. Um, and as you come in, you can see that each of them has a single last shot that has gone from the bottom of the room.

[48:37] Uh, underneath their helmets, under their chin, up through their skull. Oof. They are decked in fine carapace armor with a, um, sort of dull red, um, upper, upper section with a, um, like dark gray sort of cloth underneath. They are clearly members of the Solar Auxilia, uh, the Imperial Army troops that fight along side you during this, uh, this conflict. Uh, but they, they have recently all taken their own lives, as well as clearly gunning down the various people in this room.

[49:16] The Auxilia. Why?

[49:24] Whatever. What are Largar's fucking sons? I'm sure they're somewhere, and if we dig deep enough, but we'll have to make our way through these sickly displays first.

[49:38] I have a stretch to ask. Okay. So, if I come upon a weird thing. Right? And you go, oh, oh, cult. So that goes to a cult. Can I use a cult to figure out why? Yeah, absolutely. A cult? Oh, cult. Absolutely. Yeah. Thanks. Thanks for my stupid fucking joke. Give it to me at a first-hand effect. Thank you. Yes. It's okay. I'll be funny later.

[50:08] I'll give you an eight for five degrees of success. That's, uh, that's Karn's holy number. Oh. This is all very ritualistic sacrifice, which is done in this way, and this haphazard of a method, but spread throughout the vessel as you're seeing it, would mean that this is some kind of desperate ritual that's going on.

[50:33] Possibly to fuel something very, very quickly, using lots and lots of people to accomplish it. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. They're sacrificing themselves. Either whoever is asking for this is very desperate or very quickly. We must go to the bridge as quick as we can. And he begins to just start running, really. Just like he... Go to the bridge. Now. Just... Just hauling ass. That's good enough for me. All right.

[51:13] I'm following right after. I'm hauling after him. Yeah, absolutely. Um, you, you begin to run, passing by dozens of similar scenes of carnage. In fact, as you are traveling, you can then hear screams and shouts from the crew. People protesting before the sounds of, of expert lasfire, or even the more macabre sounds of knives into bone. Uh, the closer you get towards the Strategium, however, the more that the sounds abate and it becomes this eerie, still quiet, as though it's almost like whatever order has been given is radiated out from the center and its efficiency.

[51:56] Um, as you get closer and closer, you realize you're, you're, you're getting extremely close. The vessel is occasionally shaking under some form of external pressure that you can't see. There are sounds of straining, um, components and metal. Uh, eventually the only sound you start to hear as... As you, you get closer to the bridge is weeping, um, a loud sort of, like, baseline weep, like a

[52:27] Augmented in some way, um, and as you, you rush towards the Strategium, you can see that there is a massive chamber that must have once been some kind of mess hall, possibly an officer or a, a bridge crew, ma, Strategium crew mess hall. Where, there are bodies that are arrayed in disturbing tapestries on top of tables, um, body parts have been cut up and placed around, uh, whereones, there were dozens of bodies.

[53:01] In that one cargo hold here, there might be hundreds, and amongst the sea of humanoid corpses in this room is a lone figure in sea green armor on his knees weeping at the sight.

[53:18] With... With... With... With... That I know uh I don't particularly know what the end result of this is going to be right no you just know it's like it's getting you power and it's getting you power fast my only thought is that this person is either someone's lost their mind and trying to ascend really fast or we need this power to get away uh you can tell the individual who is in this room is not affiliated with this ritual excellent uh the individual that is in this room is legitimately weeping at the loss of life before them I think I see what you're putting down oh my host rushes to him and as he he goes like brother and he's just running over he deliberately tries to not touch

[54:12] Any of the of the bodies at all like not the step on any of them which I assume would be hard because they're in there everywhere oh yeah yeah yeah yeah like like you you have to to somewhat like like maybe a hand here or something um and there's like the sickly cracking of bone as you do so on under ceramite boots uh but you see this this this sea green armored figure uh again sort of on their knees in this area uh weeping my host calls out to him like brother what has happened um you We were meant to defend them we were meant to defend them not like this this was never the dream not the emperor not my father's this is a nightmare I assume at this

[55:21] Point by zanting and f.i.l have caught up so I don't want to just exclude you guys out of it yeah yeah no absolutely we have yeah but I was really not sure what to make of it sea green armored figure with a vibrant red top knot sort of laying down as you get closer you can see the telltale um machinery of an arthesium gauntlet on their right arm an apothecary we can save more we need your help what are we going to save them from um we did this we did all of this we should just die things can always change if he grabs them by the shoulder plate it is a way we can always go we always have our choices now tell us who ordered the ritual who ordered so much death in this ship

[56:31] Strategium you'll find it just down the hall

[56:37] I came I must have got here before you I I heard I came I bear witness to this atrocity we were never meant for this

[57:08] The ritual always did turn my stomach leave this man to his melancholy we must go to the strategium we will avenge them and as he stands uh he will begin to we will avenge them and as he stands uh he will begin to we will avenge them and as he stands uh he will begin to towards the Strategium.

[57:32] Yeah, and you enter into the Strategium. There are banks of servitors here, but on the floors around, as the doors, the twin doors open, you can see that most of the living crew are splayed out on the ground, having taken knives to their own throats, the blood pooling in their station alcove, spattering everything in crimson, up ahead is the command throne of the captain of the vessel, but the throne itself is obscured by some sort of crackling storm of energies, and between that storm of energies that covers where the command throne is, and you is a figure standing in blooded crimson armor, their plate, their marine plate, bedecked in parchments that dangle down from joints or nail affictions that have the sort of cuneiform script in red blood text of the Colchisian dialect, an eight-pointed star prominent on the shoulder pad,

[58:56] A brazier of burning purple, with warp fire behind them, and a skull mask, and in one hand, they hold what appears not to be a staff, but more like an icon of office that re-depicts the same eight-pointed star. This figure looks out at all of you as you enter the chamber. Ah, brothers, good you've made it. We must make haste.

[59:32] You were expecting us. Ooh, oh it's the boy!

[59:40] Sorry, this artist's sick as fuck. Yeah, Jers is a great job. There he is. Are you Lydek, the one who commands this vessel?

[59:53] No, Zadu Laak perished many months ago. No, brothers, I- No, Zadu Laak perished many months ago. I am Apostle Zulhananki, and I bid you salvation from this place. Were you expecting us?

[1:00:12] I saw your efforts to flee the surface. I could not well leave brothers behind, not like these other Kurs who flee and run. You see... It is the only thing that will keep us together. In the times to come, we'll be our bonds together. Together, we must not break. That way will lie madness and the end of everything.

[1:00:44] Beth, I was going to kind of curl a lip a little bit. All of this, what was the purpose?

[1:00:54] All of what? He gestures at the ritual sites and all of the carnage around the ship. The disciples of the primordial truth. Their moment was upon them. They were prepared. They were prepared for the sacrifice. They shall see our way safely through the shoals. We shall live to fight another day for their brave sacrifice. Can I analyze his situation here?

[1:01:36] All the stuff he has set up to be like, now that I see him doing all this, I can pinpoint what he's trying to achieve. Absolutely. Give me another occultism. Check plus plus. Let's see. Actually, once I'm going to double check something. Yeah. Give me give me another occult. Check. Give yourself a plus 20 on it. Thank you. Here we go.

[1:02:01] That is a 37 with three degrees of success.

[1:02:06] Yeah. He's going to try to translate the ship in the system. And do I believe he's incredibly dangerous? Yeah. What? But with enough power fueling it, you could theoretically do it.

[1:02:27] Now I have a debate. Everything I've seen here from all the death of an entire ship, I believe he's going to have enough power to do it right. But the consequences. I mean, if anything is going to do it.

[1:02:45] Oh, is it the great and magnificent life host? The show?

[1:02:50] Yeah. Show them up. Show them how it's done.

[1:02:57] Oh, no. I have to play the disorder.

[1:03:04] Mm hmm. Yeah. No. Feeling fucker.

[1:03:12] You're 100% right, man. This is my comeuppance.

[1:03:19] Yep. You just zoom in. You zoom into life host's brain, and you just hear on repeat the song. I am the one and only starts.

[1:03:34] Oh, my God. Is the curse going to be your fault? I see the shit is in my pants this time.

[1:03:43] Life pose as if comedically rolling up his sleeves when he has none goes, you obviously don't even prepare the right way. This side is wrong. You have to sacrifice enough people in this quadrant. He begins the walk in and criticize everything. And he goes, this is all on obvious begins the block and goes, you must understand that you are now in the presence of greatness. The good thing that this teleportation, this translocation that would have inevitably failed.

[1:04:14] It can now be saved and bring us to victory and safety because of me. The great and magnificent. Life owes the greatest source of all the prosper. May the galaxy as you know it. I am glad to be your teacher in these ways. Now, begin apprentice his. He sits cross legs in front of him.

[1:04:45] Let us do this right. Of course, brother. I would be honored to train under your direction. Correct tutelage for this auspicious moment. I am truly unworthy to have you on this vessel to assist in guiding us out of.

[1:05:10] The false emperor's retribution. Oh, I wrote my big fat ego belly. Oh.

[1:05:19] He just looks at Bethiel, gives him a glance and just whispers under his breath. Damn, he's good.

[1:05:27] But I'll just. Sikers. Fucking sikers. Now, what would you like me to do Thurston to assist him in this ritual?

[1:05:43] To show him how it's done. Yeah. I can't even do psychic powers right now.

[1:05:53] Show them how it's done. It's very true. I mean, I mean, to be clear. You could tap into. The power that is present here and utilize. Oh, I see how it is. Sacrifices to fuel.

[1:06:12] The psychic forces, the immaterial forces that are dormant. You could essentially use the sacrifice of these individuals like a jumpstart cable from your disconnection from the source power. Oh, I see how it is. Asshole. You plan this from the start. Yeah.

[1:06:35] I'm making this all up as I go along. What are you talking about? There's no story here. All right, man.

[1:06:42] I'll take that gamble. Okay. How would you like me to pursue this?

[1:06:50] I want you to give yourself. Sign a science check. Okay. Actually. No, no, no, no, no. Make a psychic power test. Oh, yeah. There it is. Okay. At plus 30. Oh. Okay. Plus 30. Yeah.

[1:07:12] To make it fun. I'll cast inspire and use that as the thing. Yeah, please.

[1:07:21] So fettered, right? The way of rituals is difficult to control, my friend. So. Yeah. I'm just going to have you roll. The check first. And then I will as the game master who is not an adversary, but is really here to assist in the storytelling that is. Yeah. Whatever. I will have you gladly roll me that psychic powers check. You can in fact treat it as a push just for reasons.

[1:08:01] Okay. That's basically the max thing. All right. Okay. Yeah. Thanks. I'm glad you. I like that bullshit route. You sat at the table. You got to the fucking answer. All right. All out, baby. Just this once. Here we go. I believe.

[1:08:21] Oh, good thing. I have high everything. That's a 69. Nice. For seven degrees of success. Nice. Nice. Now.

[1:08:31] Here's the thing. That's going to be a success. But this ritual is very powerful. Yeah. So I'm going to get you to roll one D100 for me.

[1:08:48] There you go. Okay. Sorry. You rolled the psychic phenomenon. I just wanted to D100. I apologize. I thought they were just going to four. Here you go. You're good. It's going to be a 80.

[1:09:07] Cool. Just because I can't roll high enough on the psychic phenomenon thing. You might as well just go to the deep end.

[1:09:16] Well, the deep end is very, very, very, very appropriate here. Oh, no. Do you want me to read it?

[1:09:26] Cataclysmic Blast. Ah, shit. Oh, shit. Do you want to read that? Yeah. What page is it on? Oh, boy. It's on page 211. Thank you. I didn't have it pre-picked up. On 80.

[1:09:49] The psychic's power overloads. In great bolts of warp energy. Anyone within 1d10 meters, including the Psyker, takes 1d10 plus 8 energy damage with a pin of 5. The Psyker may not dodge this or stop the attack with a field save. In addition, all the Psyker's clothing and gear is destroyed, leaving him naked and smoking on the ground. The Psyker may use no further powers for 1d5 hours after the event.

[1:10:27] Oh, that's really appropriate, actually. Can I narratively declare that the cataclysmic blast is because I'm letting my ego get too bad. This is what causes him to be a skeleton of sand. Thank you. Ah, I'm glad we're on the same wavelength. Couldn't be the rubric, because the rubric would have not been good. But this is exactly what I think causes it. Well, I went with the warp guys because they did try to bring their bodies back and everything messed up. And they did, I think I remember it does say they basically got bones back. They got some of it back.

[1:11:02] Yeah, but that was far later. This is, yeah. Yeah, this is cooler. I like this narrative more. In fact, what is going to happen here. Oh, also roll me 1d10. This will be important. Yeah, is this the damage I want to roll or just a d10? I want to d10 for the distance. Gotcha. That's going to be 10. The whole fucking bridge goes up in this. Oh my god.

[1:11:32] Even by Xanthi and Bethael, who this damage wouldn't like, like, Space Ring can tank this damage. Max damage? Huh? He rolled max damage? What was that? No, range. Well, okay. Oh. Yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no. Here, roll me another d10. And I'll tell you how bad it gets for a Space Marine that's hit by this. Roll d10 plus 8 for damage. Yeah, that's what we're waiting on.

[1:11:58] Oh, yeah. Yeah. That is a 12. Okay. It could have been worse. So like an average Marine here, they're going to take like,

[1:12:13] They're going to take like very little because most of them are going to have like 16 toughness, give or take. So, so this would like hurt a Space Marine, but it wouldn't kill them. You on the other hand, Lyphos, you have this, like this moment where the, the, this, this cackling, crackling electricity of warp energy radiates off of you. The, the only thing that seems to be destroyed in the immediate blast is not your gear, but instead your helmet, because rather than your gear, your, your corporeal body is rent into sand and bone.

[1:12:56] And Bethael and Byzantium are the only two of the party who will ever gaze upon you with proper flesh. And it only is visible for an instant before everything else is stripped away. And a floating skull is all that remains. The lightning, however, arcs out towards the tempestuous, spherical storm that is the captain's, um, command chair. And in that there is a howling and Lyphos at this point, you feel much of your psychic potential drained from you.

[1:13:37] Um, the greatest sorcerer ever, um, who conveniently was unable to cast psychic powers because of, um, you know, the backlash of the war master dying and now can, and now conveniently is being de-leveled as much of your psychic potential is pulled into this sphere, um, which suddenly unleashes this howl. And that howl all of the plate decks, um, the emergency shutters of the vessel come tumbling down, crank, crank, crank, crank, clang, clang.

[1:14:10] And as they do so, um, all of you feel the very sudden jerk....... Of a warp translation, perhaps the fastest you've ever taken. And as the ringing alert sirens go off and you all feel the immaterium wash over you as you begin the translation and the bubbling chirping sounds that come from the storm in the captain's seat, all three of you hear the subtle whispers of the word bearer who simply says, the gods provide.

[1:14:59] And with that, let's change scenes.

[1:15:08] Erndel, I want you to read this quote, please. The flesh is weak, but deeds endure. Attributed to Primarch Vulcan. There is the rhythmic clicking and hissing of apothecarian devices as we come to a new scene in a new time. Another echo.

[1:15:44] A figure, a giant, a transhuman, once a pinnacle of humanity, now rendered into a mockery of flesh and pain.

[1:15:57] Lies still on the back of a Medicaid bed.

[1:16:04] Their vibrant pink and black armor removed in most places.

[1:16:13] Various surgical equipment and devices have been set up, monitors placed, probes.

[1:16:22] There's a wound on the figure's chest. A gape. A dripping, brutal wound inflicted by a weapon that by all rights shouldn't exist. It's simply so ridiculous. But the wound is there nonetheless. The figure, though breathing, the breathing is so imperceptible, it might not ever be noticed. There's a simple click, hiss, click, hiss, as the devices continue to plod away.

[1:17:06] Menial servitors walk around the room, some attending to minor projects or minor wounded who come in or out. But of those, one person in this chamber stands apart from the rest.

[1:17:25] A single mortal by the name of Yevgeny. A single mortal by the name of Yevgeny. Sitz beside the wounded near-death angel he's come to know as Byzant viz.

[1:17:43] A Yevgeny, it was my understanding that when Byzant was wounded, you did spend a lot of time by his side. We come to one of those moments. The many, many days where Byzant was unconscious. The apothecarian on board the carcass following your arrival here.

[1:18:05] Click. Click, hiss, click, hiss. It's the only sound beyond the plodding of the servitors. What are you doing?

[1:18:21] Evgeny has lived through a scene like this many times in his comparatively brief life,

[1:18:30] Watching over his brothers and sisters in arms,

[1:18:35] Slung up, tended to by Medicaid, decay, more often than not missing more parts of themselves than they came in with, but still hoping, amid everything else that has happened to them, or whatever prognosis was delivered, that they would still yet pull through, every person having left their mark

[1:19:01] On his brief, sad little life just the same.

[1:19:06] Now, Byzantium, of course, is no different to someone like Evgeny, the only difference is...

[1:19:14] Evgeny, paradoxically, has even less control over his own life, while also a little bit more, yet he's still just as powerless,

[1:19:27] And so he does what he normally does when faced with a situation like this, and silently observes and muses to himself,

[1:19:42] Hoping that maybe, thinking out loud, might rouse them out of unconsciousness.

[1:19:55] You certainly took a tumble there, didn't you?

[1:20:02] In response, there is a sound, a,

[1:20:09] Something loud and particularly heavy is approaching. But if someone like you could be laid low, such as this, me, what hope do I have?

[1:20:38] You are wrought from primordial clay, perverted, You are wrought from primordial clay, perverted, clay, though you may be, clay, though you may be, is greater in strength than I ever will be. The sound, the footsteps getting quite loud. Someone's approaching.

[1:21:06] Evgeny looks back over his shoulder, the source of the sound not yet having approached fully.

[1:21:14] You see... The figure of Sephis of the Cleaved entering the area.

[1:21:26] The figure of Sephis of the Cleaved entering the area. Sephis is, dutifully, having his arms at his side, his grenade launcher is not equipped on him at this time, however, his power sword is neatly sheathed in a rather nasty-looking, tattered, leathery scabbard at his side.

[1:21:44] He turns his head as he enters in towards Byzante's position, a little bit disinterestedly at first, he's been down here a few times to check on the status, and he sees that Evgeny is there, and this will cause his head to very gently tilt up, as though this is an oddity for him.

[1:22:09] Ah. What are you doing here, little mortal? We lost our way.

[1:22:16] No, no, sir, but it's good to see you, Cephis.

[1:22:23] Just tending to the wounded, well, with a brief chuckle, kind of. Flicks his head over. Flicks his head over to motion to the stripped, not, I want to say corpse, but the still breathing, but very battered body of Byzante.

[1:22:47] Just, I don't know, I would be lying if I said that this wasn't a bit of a sentimental streak in me. I'm nowhere near as, well, big and powerful and ceramite-clad and augmented as any of you.

[1:23:09] But I can't help but feel, even if you take care of me, that you're no less my charges as well.

[1:23:18] And what kind of comrade-in-arms would I be if I didn't tend to those who are not as well off or didn't make it as well out as I did?

[1:23:29] Have you an understanding of space marine biology?

[1:23:37] I can't say I have much beyond. Much larger.

[1:23:44] Much stronger. Faster. Faster. Resilient.

[1:23:51] Actually, Thurston. Yes? How much knowledge would the average stormtrooper have of space marine biology? Do most people know? You know that they have two hearts, and they have something called the black carapace, and that's about it. Most wouldn't even know that, but because of your particular background, you'd know that much.

[1:24:19] You've heard rumors. You've heard that if they, uh, eat a man, they can turn into him.

[1:24:30] Well, I know that even if that one monitor flatlines, I know that there's another one hooked up to his other heart.

[1:24:39] There's something, though I've not seen any indication of its presence, called a black carapace. I've also heard that the starties of your ilk could eat a man. And turn into him, for whatever that means, although I don't think you could compress your biologies down to someone as small as myself. So I would say that little factoid is a bit suspect, at best.

[1:25:10] You could have simply said no, mortal. But it's worth trying, is it not? I'm unsure what you're trying to do. You are not put to this by Drask, I presume. You are down here, too. You are down here, too. To monitor him, correct? For no other benefit than my own peace of mind and responsibility.

[1:25:41] Cephas will tromp over at this. He's moving at a gait that is very, obviously very slow. He does no particular rush to be anywhere. It's about as slow as Thurston, pantomimed out with the thudding.

[1:25:59] It is not your responsibility unless you were put to it, which you have indicated that you have not been. It is for your own peace of mind that you are not responsible for this. So I must ask, if for no other reason than my own curiosity, why are you here? Your presence will not speed his recovery. He doesn't even know you are here. I would find a curious level of camaraderie from one who has barely known us to suddenly sit by our side as one brother mauls another.

[1:26:38] That may be the case. I'm sorry. But in my own time serving the Inquisition, there's been no shortage of men turning on each other, forced and faced with the most dire straits a man could ostensibly be put through. Sanity breaking sights, actions which defy every bit of moral fiber that had rent them upright into their current station.

[1:27:11] Sure, I've seen you. You bark and back and forth at each other, and threaten dismemberment or any number of horrible outcomes. But I also know that amid all of that, you four are stuck together, like was everybody else who's still here.

[1:27:33] The what? And even if I'm not like you four, or Drask, or anybody else here on the ship, even if I was impressed into service, I'm still no longer here. Nevertheless, part of your unit, I am your charge, am I not?

[1:27:58] Hm. It is curious you put it in such a way. It would lead me to believe that you have history with looking over your brethren mortally wounded upon a slab.

[1:28:13] That would not surprise me, I suppose. Mortal guard regiments, heretic, as it were, or loyalist.

[1:28:23] I suppose. They are all equally prone to demise.

[1:28:37] True. Death may not favor any particular one of us over another. In time, it'll reap its tithe and walk away satisfied, or conversely, an Evgeny perhaps a bit too trusting in this moment. Well. He will unfasten some of the straps on his chestplate, lifting it up just above his face and dropping it down with a loud thunk as his carapace armor hits the ground.

[1:29:28] Perhaps there's times when death does not walk away so satisfied. And as he says this, he's steadily unbuttoning his uniform. Or at least his chest. Yeah. Sure. Don't. Bear with me here. Don't get it. Don't get it. Tell more artists. Ayo! La nece! Yeah, get his ass! It's inevitability. It's inevitability. But trust me, this is important. Okay.

[1:30:02] And as he lets his service top fall past his arms, or at least pull down past his shoulders, Cephas would see before him a patchwork not just of......other regimental iconography, tattoos, markings, little blurbs of Evgeny's own history and the people he's served with, but a veritable highway system of scars and patchwork tissue, some not even the same color as most of his skin, divots, deep ruts, burns, every manner of damage strewn across his torso.

[1:30:50] Perhaps death is just lagging behind, or maybe smiling at even one mortal's attempt to outrun the reaper.

[1:31:12] Frankly, I'm not sure, as he halves his shirt back up and begins dressing himself once more.

[1:31:20] I'm not sure which case I find myself in, but I know that death is never far behind, and that's why I'm here. And I cherish whatever time I have not fighting for my life, with even the loosest of allies.

[1:31:40] And though you four are far from anyone I would have rightly ever considered to be my brothers-in-arms, you still plucked me out of the grave yet again, and gave me another push along that great road ahead. No, that scythe still glinting the sun behind. So no, I might not be able to do anything to tend to Byzantium or you, Cephas, or any of you, but time is the most precious thing that I have, and I have plenty to give when not fighting out there.

[1:32:36] Life is the time it takes for one to die, certainly.

[1:32:41] It is as long as it takes to reach that point. It is as long as it takes to reach that point. In that, in that matter, I must inquire, since you seem to have a rather not unique, but certainly detailed experience with it. What is your opinion of death, little mortal?

[1:33:14] Well, that's the million-thrown question now, isn't it? It can be as simple or as complex as an answer as you like. I may yet share mine with you, but for now, I would have you answer, as it will certainly help shape my response.

[1:33:43] Well, if you must know, Cephas, being among the most expendable carrion yet to be processed into tomorrow's rations, in his wider imperium, death is as much something we all fear as death. As many of us find a blessing.

[1:34:10] Yes, it is very much a removal from the suffering of laboring and toiling, living in fear of not just Fao Xenos, what once was the fear of chaos and the ruinous powers, but also far too often your commanding officer and the power structures behind them. Mm-hmm. It was freedom to be able to know that duty ends in death, that the Emperor would take you into his embrace and usher you to some kind of rest thereafter.

[1:34:53] Now, of course, things are much more muddy, with four other gods clamoring and craving even for my immortal soul, but that's neither here nor there. Even back then, when there was some semblance of peace to be found in the afterlife, plenty of men like myself still live in fear of the Reaper.

[1:35:19] There's still much that we care about, you know?

[1:35:24] People who we keep close to each other, your brothers in arms, your sisters who you serve alongside with. Yes. You make the most of the hell that you're in. Sure, death might be the end, but you still find the small, simple joys in life. It's the people that make it worth living, the impact that you make. It's also what makes it that more terrifying when... No. It's neither here nor there.

[1:35:55] But, so far as you should understand, I do not wish to die, Cephas, but I do feel that fear the day that it comes, even if I can smile and breathe my last, knowing that at least I won't be processed into rations necessarily. Now, I think I might be able to do something a bit more with the end. Yes. You may be risen as a wight of some kind, something to usher along more things, or perhaps processed into a servitor.

[1:36:35] I assure you it is all very much the same, unfortunately. Ah. But that's neither my concern nor yours, as you will be dead. I find that answer remarkably banal, but it is an answer, and I will have to accept it.

[1:36:57] I do find it curious that you would, as an individual who fears death so much, that you would sooner take up a far more open mind. That is, that you would take up a more open and free life amidst the warbands of chaos, in exchange for losing a guarantee, so to speak, in the afterlife. It makes me wonder which of the two you fear more. Do you expect to live forever by joining us, or do you simply expect to live better and die worse?

[1:37:42] Hmm.

[1:37:47] Evgeny ponders that for a second. Is, is, how long is, so is Evgeny taking a bit of time in thinking there? Yeah. Yeah, so as Evgeny is sort of pausing and thinking about this, almost like, wisp-like from behind, um, appears the sea-green armor of Valthor Trask, almost coming out of nowhere. And the True Sun stands, kind of arms, arms crossed.

[1:38:28] And there's like, his presence is only really revealed by like a, a snort, like a harumph, uh, through a Vox grill. Followed by a very, very direct,

[1:38:42] We're not worth it, nor are we to be trusted.

[1:38:55] Am I, am I also hearing this, Thurston? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. Cephas will turn to face him. Just, not like turning his body, but just like turning his head. Yeah. Ah. Apothecary Drask. He gives you a brief nod, like, something of, of again, a bit of, of, a bit of respect, um, being shown. But then his, his, his head turns back to Evgeny.

[1:39:23] We're not. They'll tell you all sorts of things. That you're important to the power. That you might find life immortal. That your service will go beyond time. I implore you, if you have the time, look at the decks here. Look at the halls. I assume the Imperium has not fallen so far that its halls no longer have fine metal or pristine colors. That umber hue you see.

[1:40:04] That's the blood of all of those who came before you. The blood of sacrifice.

[1:40:12] So don't, Evgeny. Don't for a moment fall for that.

[1:40:18] Ascension is a trap. And if you take it, you'll end up where you least expect it.

[1:40:28] Well said. You are here to do what you are here to do in life.

[1:40:41] I would. Agree, however. Depending on where you are going. Try to stick to mortal matters. I see many who claim that immortality via demonhood is vastly preferable. But you are simply trading a cycle of life and death for a cycle of existence and non-existence. It is all the same. Perhaps worse. Perhaps better. I know not. I am mortal like you.

[1:41:15] As is Drask. I would assume as much anyway, brother. Been around long enough that I question it sometimes. But yes, my two hearts beat. I have no gifts of the gods only. My narthesium and my wits.

[1:41:39] But... You can see what happens to even the most... Gifted of us. And like, as punctuating that, there just continues to be the click hiss, click hiss of the pneumatic machines that pump fluids and other such things into Byzante's fallen form.

[1:42:07] As I said, life in the warbands is better. But the death may be worse. Life is about choices and trades.

[1:42:22] We know what we're here for. The question is to you, Yevgeny.

[1:42:35] Click, click, hiss. And at that question, sound fades to just the repeated click, hiss, click, hiss. And the camera pans over to the life monitors of Byzante, which slowly but surely... Begin a brief uptick.

[1:43:07] Ahem.

[1:43:12] Let's give this quote... To Odo.

[1:43:23] Let's see. Sorry, I had Drask on my screen. Just looking at him. That's right. That's right, everybody. This is your warning. Finish your dailies. I'm calling back other people. Oh, my... Oh, no, my options! That's right. That's right. That's right. People who weren't in that scene. My options. Way up. Ding dong.

[1:43:46] Alert, everyone. Oh, crap. Where was it? Oh, there it is. Alert, everyone. The scene is here. The scene is here. Oh, my God. The scene. The scene. The scene is here. Okay, good. We heard... Yes. We heard speakers speak. That was the important part. All right. Odo, read the quote. There you go. He's alive. In the shadow of the false emperor, we carve our own eternity. Faith is not given.

[1:44:13] It is seized from the throats of the weak and forged in the fires of betrayal.

[1:44:21] Excerpt from the Seventh Testament of Xol Ananke. Hey, I was just talking to that guy.

[1:44:31] We return to the carcass at another point in time. The Strategium. As much as it has been, from Evgeny's first perspective, rows of servitors locked in their sections, couple living crew member milling about, the thing that sits on the throne and the woman who gives it its voice. There's a locker in the room that has not had a mortal stuffed in it yet. Not yet.

[1:45:16] That sits unaccosted. There are three base marines from our troop on the bridge. There is the powerful Lyphos, the determined and powerful in the physical space of Bethael, and the erratic perfection of Byzantine. They stand together on the Strategium looking at a hololithic display. The display shows a vast object spread out over hundreds of kilometers in length, though rendered into miniature with the dancing green lights of the hololith.

[1:46:11] Another figure stands with them. A friend. Someone who they have spent much time with in their time on board the carcass, in the few sojourns they've made off the vessel before being inexplicably pulled back onto it. It is the fourth member of the band,

[1:46:42] The dark apostle Zolananki. He's summoned you all to the Strategium. Not summoned in the ordered sense, but summoned as an offering of something new that he has found. Each of you have made your way here.

[1:47:01] The dark apostle looks at the holographic display in front of you. The horse helm, the horse skull helm of his armor, reflecting some of the light. That's the level of its polish, the accursed Crozius, the scepter-like object he holds, crackling with barely restrained power as he looks over it. I believe this might be it. The power source inside this space hulk we have found could be a means of escape.

[1:47:39] Were we to harness it, the powerful, potent abilities of Lyphos, that is, who would undoubtedly be able to utilize it far more adeptly than I ever could, might be able to break us from the bonds of this vessel. Of course. Only I can do so. As he rattles the skull. I imagine this is just kind of a general part of the dynamic everybody is used to, and Bethael just kind of, like, looks over like he's looking into the camera, like Jim from The Office.

[1:48:15] I am going to ask a question here, and I'll go either way, and this will be posed to Byzante and Bethael. Mm-hmm. Are either of you, like, like, close friends with this dark apostle? Oh, fuck yeah, dude. I fucking love this guy. Okay. Okay. Bethael is definitely wary of any psyker. Just any psyker out there makes the nails start to itch, and it's just, generally uncomfortable to be in their presence.

[1:48:52] Now, I want to be, I want to be clear.

[1:48:55] Zolananki is not a psyker. Oh. There is a very big difference between rituals and psychics' powers. Mm.

[1:49:14] Like, to put this into wargaming terms, a dark apostle is typically, um, like, a chaplain equivalent, right? Right. And they are not necessarily all psykers, especially, you know, like, post, post-heresy. Mm. That's true. Though they'll be more and more common for a lot of them. They are, at their core, like, those who can sort of harness the powers of chaos, but not necessarily, like, through just, like, ah, I have immaterial powers and am a psyker.

[1:49:51] Not all of them are. Oh. Then in that case, yeah, I would say that, um, though he is always innately wary of the rituals and isn't really as on board with all the spiritual, uh, aspects of, uh, being a part of chaos, Bethael probably would, uh, find himself starting to warm up to Zolananki, mostly because it reminds him of, um, his days burning through Ultramar. Um, he fought alongside the word bearers for a very good chunk of the heresy.

[1:50:33] And so it kinda, it kinda takes him back a little bit, takes him back to the good old days. Yeah, absolutely. And Byzantium, you're like, you love this guy. I think that this guy is an artist. I think that it's so funny how he plays Lythos. Um, and I think that he is, uh, relatively tolerable to me. Uh, I accept on some level, I'm probably being manipulated, but, uh, quite frankly, I'm, I'm, my, my choices for company otherwise are Lythos and Bethael.

[1:51:05] So yeah, I like the fucking world. Word bearers.

[1:51:10] Everybody loves the word bearers. I deeply, deeply appreciate the like, oh, and I know I'm being manipulated. And this guy is a complete asshole. But it's like watching an artist make art. And I just have to go along with the artist making art. I can't be too mad about it. You know, like I can, like it, it hasn't reached the big crescendo to where I'm like, like shaking my fist at him.

[1:51:35] Like I, I get the feeling it's coming, but what the fuck? Who am I going to, what am I going to do? Kill him? Have he left with these assholes?

[1:51:48] Blessed be brothers. For now is the time where I think we can shirk these bonds we have been so unrightly shackled in. At no fault of Lythos's might I add. His ritual did see us safely away from the benighted skies of terror in that dark time. I would place no blame on him for our current predicament.

[1:52:18] He beams. Well, I'm more interested, brother soul, in what about this power source you think can break this enchantment.

[1:52:29] Much like as the mortals who so dutifully sacrificed their lives so that we might engage in this long war that we have partaken in for many years together, my brothers, I believe this power source could act as a receptacle. Something, something that could empower us to escape.

[1:52:58] The gods, they are not direct. Whether this is some xenotech or some innate relic of their own fashioning from ages past, scurried away on this hulk in space, I cannot say. But what I can say is that I believe this power could

[1:53:21] Fundamentally alter the relationship. Now, I have coordinates for it, but I will need to stay here to precisely determine the location to guide you through. I obviously cannot be the one to go. The ritual object will need Lyphos' attention directly.

[1:53:51] Oh, he proudly stands. Only I can control its power.

[1:53:59] And he starts ranting. Just like goes on a full speech of like, not since the days of Tizka City. Yeah, okay. Yeah, let's go the whole thing.

[1:54:14] Right. He waits patiently. He never interrupts you. Damn straight he wouldn't. He knows who's king here.

[1:54:24] He's so nice and sweet. This guy's never done anything wrong in his life. Ever. Hashtag Zolanonke truth. After an hour, he's over. Okay. Oh my God. Byzantium was preparing to go ahead and ask Zolanonke like, hey, are you sure? Like, hey, don't you need help? Maybe I could stay behind. You know, maybe he would get a little suspicious, but Lyphos has talked for so long that he's completely forgotten all of that.

[1:54:56] Yeah, like both of their eyes are glazing over. And he's like, what? What? Where are we? Please. Oh my God. Get us out of here. Well spoken, brother. And so succinct in your points. Yes, I do. I do certainly agree with everything you have stated. This is a time for radical change in the paths that we have.

[1:55:21] Yeah, it's time for more. Yeah. Very good, very good. Such a piece of shit. I can't wait for this guy to throw us all into the Fever Breaker. I'm waiting on it. I can't wait for him to drop a greater demon on our heads.

[1:55:49] So what precisely needs to be done with this object? You must find it and bring it back here. Here, there, Lyphos will be able to utilize ritual magic to bind it to this vessel.

[1:56:12] And what then? We are no longer bound to the vessel. Yes. Would that mean that whatever this witchery is that keeps us here would be dissipated enough that we could use it to return to our legions? You could depart forever.

[1:56:35] Yes, no more being trapped like this. I certainly hope that we would not depart one another's company. I have come to value it, but I do not believe that we should be trapped.

[1:56:52] We will not have another repeat of what happened to both of you at Scalathrax.

[1:57:00] We do not need to speak on Scalathrax any further. Very well. I agree.

[1:57:12] Of course, of course. It was no offense, brothers. I mean only to emphasize the importance of us freeing ourselves from this vessel. Should we do so, our aims could be far greater than they are right now. We could make a difference in this war that so far we have only skirmished in.

[1:57:38] Then let us get it done. The Thunderhawk is prepared for you to make the...

[1:57:48] The... Captain. We are in position. And there's like this, like, it sounds like chiming and humming in this discordant cacophony of both melodic and bubbling organic sounds that comes from the throne in what is undoubtedly an annoyance to the captain's voice. The woman by this thing that was once the captain and the navigator. The woman by this thing that was once the captain and the navigator. As Zul'Ananki communes directly with it.

[1:58:25] Yes. Good. My friends, the captain says we are ready. The embarkation deck is prepared. The Thunderhawk is prepared.

[1:58:37] Byzante. I know that you have made a promise, but it has been 10,000 years according to chronometers. So I trust you can... Temporarily take a break from your pledge not to pilot it over. Well, I suppose since it has been 10,000 years, I might as well give it a little whirl. Though I might be a tad bit rusty. Let me just stretch the muscles. Oh, Zul. When we return, remember that thing we were going to do?

[1:59:16] Yes, of course. Yes. We'll have to make sure. We'll have to make a thing of that thing that we were going to do.

[1:59:25] I promise you, brother. We shall do the thing. I cannot wait to do this thing. So much so that I would love to talk about it. But alas. Let me make a minus 10. Let me guess. Let me guess what you have many of. Oh, my God. Get fucked. Get fucked, speaker. Get absolutely fucked. The one time you set it up not to talk. The dice. They're like, fuck you, speaker.

[1:59:54] Tell me your truth. Truth. Well, in that case, by Zanti goes into exhaustive detail about the thing and tells you all about it for an hour.

[2:00:08] Another hour. But I was like dragging his hands down his face. Zolanaki refuses to interrupt the discussion of the thing. But I do have an important question. Does Lifos interrupt the discussion of the thing? Can Lifos stand another human being to talk for an hour? It's like I have to over filibuster him or some shit. I'm going to go an hour and 30 minutes on how much Zeech's plans would have been a lot better of that thing he wanted.

[2:00:43] Filibustering him. Just fucking keep going. Belial turns and walks out of the room very briskly. I can't do this again.

[2:00:54] No, but I'd rather get into corn. Damn it. With moments like this, trust me when I say, that relic will be of the utmost importance for us.

[2:01:09] I cannot wait. I sure bet it will, bud. Is there something that doesn't involve you wanting to listen to all that I say?

[2:01:17] Sorry, I didn't hear that. I wasn't listening. I could tell. He said it. Damn. And then I get it. I start moving. All right. We get to Hoth and Hoth. Good bit. Good bit, streamers. Good bit. Good bit, streamer. Good bit.

[2:01:35] We snap forward by Xanti, Bethael, and Lifos.

[2:01:51] You have retrieved what you were sent to retrieve, but you are still reeling from the discovery. Okay.

[2:02:07] So much so, you've hastened your pace to distance yourself from what you were sent to retrieve, because it doesn't make sense. And the second you found what it is you were to retrieve, the carcass stopped responding to Vox transmissions.

[2:02:36] And though the Nurgle-affiliated Astartes walking behind you... Was not what you expected to be the ritual object that would free you from your damnation.

[2:02:56] It's what you're currently bringing back to the ship.

[2:03:01] And you have a bit of time as you hop to in front of this slow, plodding, white-armored Astartes that you've now picked up in this green-skin-infested hulk. What do you say? What do you say to one another? No, I can't believe it. I cannot believe it. I cannot believe our supposed salvation smells this bad!

[2:03:29] Somehow he smells better than you. I'm going to get you, you know that's not true. Good thing I can't even smell it.

[2:03:39] I was waiting. I was waiting for you to find a way to spin you, turning yourself into a skeleton, by accident, into your masterful plan, into some great benefit, and here it is. At this point, it's not even like Cephas can't hear you because you're just fucking yelling so much. So, yes, Cephas is hearing all of Byzantium's just, like, outbursts. Cephas, uh, just, like, you hear his voice just kind of, like, groan to a starting position, like a lawnmower engine that you've had to pull, like, 20 times to get active.

[2:04:16] The three of you do not seem to be on the best of terms with one another. Very curious. Why are you all together if you're at such odds?

[2:04:28] We are bound together. By what I am unsure, some kind of profane sorcery has kept us together for the better part of 10,000 years, and you now see why that would be an unfavorable position to be in.

[2:04:51] If I'll oversimplify this, I would go into more detail, but, uh, roll the dice. Rolling a 97 on my willpower check. It's a secret. Oh, piss off!

[2:05:04] Oh, God, he's so smelly! It is the natural state of things for one such as I. It's very curious that you all showed up at that exact moment. We were hoping to take this hulk for the cleaved, however, that has gone terribly awry. I suppose I have you to thank for getting me off this......blasted, worthless lump of greenskin hive. You are boarding the Thunderhawk now. I suppose you do.

[2:05:34] It is a crudely, like, dented, damaged, and most of the paint stripped off, though there is some still visible of midnight blue and the occasional lightning bolt visible underneath the hull.

[2:06:03] You board it. This vehicle, I fear, will not survive a return trip. It looks barely held together as it is. I expect when we land aboard whatever ship you have, it will simply fall to pieces.

[2:06:19] It has served us for this long. The better part of ten thousand years, or so I'm told. I do want an asterisk, and I'm assuming Bethael's just kind of, like, skipping this. It's not as though each of you has lived ten thousand. Years, because Time in the Warp is very different. It's ten thousand years have passed. It's probably been, like, decades or centuries. It's hard to tell.

[2:06:47] Mm-hmm. But yeah, I assume it's the street cred of, like, no, we've been around for ten thousand years. We haven't lived that long, but fuck right off. It's more or less saying that, yeah, this thing, this thing has been operating for ten thousand years. Yes. Whether or not time......is working the same way, he doesn't know any of this shit. Yeah, that virtual... He barely knows what day it is.

[2:07:11] That virtual wasn't to get us alive. It was for the clout, so that's why I'm here. It's true.

[2:07:17] It's true.

[2:07:23] This hunk of metal saw us from the siege on Terra.

[2:07:28] It will live. You board the Thunderhawk. You depart.

[2:07:39] Cephas, it's your first time seeing the carcass from the exterior as you fly towards it. You see the beaten, battered hull of an Emperor-class battleship. You see the embarkation decks, the dull, almost lack of illumination in them, emergency lighting on at almost all points.

[2:08:08] It's quaint. It's damaged and wounded. It's a hurt thing. But it's a thing that clings to life.

[2:08:23] How interesting. How old did you claim this vessel was again?

[2:08:32] This particular one, I do not actually know. It's a secret.

[2:08:39] Shut the fuck up! But again, it bore us away from the siege on Terra, so it is at least that old. Well, clinging to life. Very interesting. These vessels are indeed venerable. It's very odd that it has not succumbed sooner to torpedo fire or a catastrophic mutiny, especially with such wonderful examples of the other three gods as yourselves not surely fighting over the innards like some kind of angry nest of rats.

[2:09:20] Very interesting. Very fascinating. Very beautiful. What would you know of beauty, corpse-thing?

[2:09:31] My friend, my brother, all life is beautiful. For after all, you are a unique and exquisite form of life. And you are beautiful in that way. As are all of you.

[2:09:51] Byzantine's eyebrows raise at this as he considers your perspective. Hmm. Maybe you're not completely useless after all.

[2:10:02] I should hope not. I have slain many creatures in our path. I'm certain you have need of some such thing. And beyond that, I could certainly take a round or two. Well, perhaps we'll get along in the end, though you will still need to apply liberal amounts of perfume.

[2:10:20] I'm certain. Once we get in contact with my brethren in the Cleaved and they learn of my brother's fate and indeed mine, they will endeavor to accommodate. Oh, I'm certain.

[2:10:38] Byzantine, you bring the Thunderhawk to a perfect landing within the embarkation decks of the vessel. There's no crew to greet you. The vessel is entirely different from when you aboard it during the siege. It's dark light. The supplies here have been ransacked, tossed over. Th- Th- The… The fine script that once was on the Wall has been replaced by rust or… Strange formations of rock-like crystal.

[2:11:17] But it's you all disembark where do you go to the strategium zola nunke will have want to have words with you I imagine very well yes this is apparently the final piece that he needs

[2:11:46] Why I don't really know. Not my job to know. About a third of the way to the Strategium, all of the lumens on the ship go out, dousing all of you in complete darkness. Only the emergencies would kick in, but they don't. Not for as far as your eidetic memories can can recount, eight full minutes. Then everything spools back up. Live host would like to immediately do a science. Sure, give me a check. Give it a challenging. So straight up, that is a 37. But two degrees. Two degrees of success. As I begin to be like, this ain't normal from what we're used to. It is. It is the the psychic equivalent of fresh car smell like.

[2:13:09] There has been some some cleaning or or effect and it is left everything despite the the you know the nature of the vessel spiritually immaterially it's there's there's some kind of cleanse that's happened and as you look out with your psychic sense you do see one thing tendrils tendrils of the immaterium that grow like vines the swirling unnameable colors of the warp like a fog in the halls of the ship now fully dissipated where instead they would always permeate every area instead now they're like vines all wrapped around the feet chest and arms and face of Cephas. My folks will look Cephas up and down. Sorry, I'm finding that you got tentacles on you. Um, is there anything I can potentially look into more to figure out more of the meaning of this? Yeah, give me an occult occultism check. Any ups and downs?

[2:14:51] Uh, you know, we just sign a science. I'll give you a plus 10. Thank you. That is a failure. 69. Two degrees of failure. It it is it is not enough as you're trying to piece this together you are unsure of what you're doing. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not sure of what has happened here. Um, but something has fundamentally changed and the ship is reacting to Cephas. Um that that coiling at least is enough for you to tell it's getting its hooks into him like it has its hooks into you. I'm not sure if I want to tell Cephas. I have an idea. I mean, Cephas is just kind of he's not even fighting back. He is placidly just

[2:15:44] Standing there and letting whatever is going on go on. Well, well, you don't see any of this like this is just the psychic site that ah I got it. Lifu's has yeah so you're just walking along and like Lifo's turns on spider vision and is like what the fuck. Lifo's will motion by Zanti to him.

[2:16:04] As he takes a as he wants to bring a conversation away from the nerd lights ears.

[2:16:12] What what seems to be amiss?

[2:16:19] One of us. How does that help us? Oh, if I were to make an educator guess balls to his freedom such everywhere psychically for the man I will do so through my own enhanced senses the cons nation we must be careful as we move through this ship it is reacting to potential there is something of him that it is not find appeasing let's be careful as we go to the Stratagem. Prepare for anything. Oh, I'm prepared all right and I'll heft my sonic blaster to arms making sure it's properly tuned. Feel free to tell him of his own predicament. I leave that to you and he walks off. Yeah, oh and he walks off and he walks off and he walks off and he walks off. Yeah, yeah, you fucking tell the fucking Nurgle Space Marine's ghost.

[2:18:01] I take a look at the Nurgle Space Marine. Thank you. I love it. I'll go to him and I'll say, You know, Lathos has something he wants to tell you.

[2:18:20] Oh. Well, I would surely be interested in hearing it. I mean, you can't tell him that. It's a secret. You don't know where it's from. No, the secret was, I was trying to tell him one thing, but I couldn't. I can't even if I tried, you know? What I'm trying to say is, don't roll me into this shit. I'm trying to shove it up to you. You roped him into this shit.

[2:18:40] Overruled. That's what I wanted, Dan. Wait, wait, wait. Overruled. I'm getting punished for what I did. Punish him instead for doing the exact same thing that I did. Fuck you. Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah. Fucking sit down, Hulky. We haven't got to you in your pain yet. Yeah, shut up, Muteo. I don't even know if you've been born yet. No. Probably not.

[2:19:03] Shut up. Shut up, Nod Ascendant. You have no rights on this ship.

[2:19:11] You reach the doors of the Strategeum. They are open.

[2:19:21] I walk in. The disruptive form of the captain is there. The captain's voice is unconscious beside it. All of the servitors are inactive. In the center of the Strategeum, in the same spot where a ritual once took place 10,000 years earlier, is another ritual.

[2:19:59] Traces of blood and shock outline. A strict series of cuneiform sigils that begin to dance briefly, as though they're moving under their own power.

[2:20:18] And as you enter, Lyphos, you have enough to tell that these this was part of some ritual that you were coming into the the tail and not not the tail end of the ritual, but the end of the like the the tools used for the ritual. As they literally burn themselves up in the final moments of their existence, you look at the strange sigils of Colchisian make as they dissipate.

[2:20:48] You can tell that one of your crew has traded their passenger seat on the boat for another. Yep. No.

[2:21:07] I was, I was, I was like, ah, you fucking traitor, asshole. I see.

[2:21:16] And of course, our dear friend is not there.

[2:21:22] Correct. And as you see those sigils disappear, you can tell the same power that has whisked them away slightly whisked him away.

[2:21:39] Zephys, was it? That is my name, yes.

[2:21:45] I have some unfortunate news. News for you.

[2:21:51] Oh. You have now been recruited to be for now an additional crew member of the caucus.

[2:22:05] He. He motions to the ritual area that's now dissipating. Welcomes you aboard.

[2:22:19] And with that, let's do. Hey, hey, hey, Helki. Hi, Thurston. Hi. Read the quote, please. Yeah, sure.

[2:22:43] Faith is the soul of any army, be it vested in primitive religion or enlightened truth. It makes even the least soldier mighty. The craven is remade worthy, and through its balm any hardship may be endured. Faith ennobles all of the works that the soldier undertakes. Be they be so base or vile. It imports them to the golden spark of transcendent purpose, attributed to redacted.

[2:23:19] You are in a dark room, Yevgeny. There is an aquila that is embossed onto a one-way mirror that looks in. You have been stripped of your equipment, given a simple cloth shirt. Cloth pants. A basic rope belt. You sit in the chair.

[2:23:52] A voice crackles over a vox. Bursts into the room, the static harsh as it does so.

[2:24:05] This concludes the disciplinary actions taken against you. You must live with the actions you have undertaken, Trooper Pendergast. Your reassignment will be soon.

[2:24:26] You shall go to Von Celis's world, where you will act in accordance with the will of the Emperor and guard his most ordained sights.

[22:44] You may think this is a punishment. It is.

[2:24:49] You shall live in the wastelands far from civilization.

[2:24:54] With only you and your fellow Troopers for the rest of your days. You will toil in service to he who sits on the throne.

[2:25:09] Your assignment and detailed directions will come soon. You will be provided with a confessor with which to discuss your sins before you are sent. For once you are sent, perhaps even the light of the Emperor will not reach you. Use this time to speak your final confessions.

[2:25:38] The vox like cut. Giving you some time in silence in this room.

[2:25:50] Ticking sound. Go ahead. So that's it then. Nothing more.

[2:26:04] Just exile.

[2:26:12] Something clanging against a floor. It's coming from outside.

[2:26:19] Some sound that you're barely audible under the metal door of this cramped interrogation chamber. A shadow comes from the slit at the bottom of the doorway. It waits there.

[2:26:40] Your training is enough to tell you it's likely someone. Someone standing on the other side of the door. Are you to be my confessor? I know you're there. The door opens. A middle-aged man stands. Impressively tall. Has a set of gray silver stubble that forms like a beard, like mutton chops hair.

[2:27:20] He has a large ecclesiarchic hat of white and gold. He wears red, white, gold robes. An emitter, a vox emitter that is turned off is centered on his chest. And he walks in. He looks up and down at you and gives a warm smile. Raises two fingers in a sort of wording gesture.

[2:27:51] Greetings. I am confessor Nathanariah. And I am here. To listen. To listen. No prompting, no asking for a confession.

[2:28:16] Hail, confessor. But you may permit me, Grace, to be confused here. I thought with these penal proceedings, your purpose was to elicit some sort of guarantee of my repentance. To recant what I had said.

[2:28:48] Yes, that is what the doctrine teaches. But please, be at ease.

[2:28:58] I am here to listen. Your sins are confessed as they are. We know of what occurred at Plato's Folly. The Hab Block. All of it.

[2:29:15] It is all right. I am not here to discuss that. Not in any capacity beyond listening to what you wish to tell me.

[2:29:35] You made a choice. And now, son of the Emperor, you shall live with that choice.

[2:29:49] But I am here to listen and guide you. On the right path, a new path forward. Is that so? It is.

[2:30:13] You must think this is unfair.

[2:30:22] It is all right to say so. Do you think this is unfair, Evgeny? Whether I think it is unfair or not does not reflect upon my teachings that I know landed me where I am. My thoughts on the matter do not matter, no matter how many. Your thoughts always matter.

[2:31:07] The old man, or the middle-aged man, comes in and pulls up the second chair, sort of sitting opposite you.

[2:31:15] Please, continue. I am sorry for interrupting. It was not my intent. No. I know it wasn't your intent, confessor. Believe me, I hold no ill. Intention or malign purpose towards you. You are merely doing your job, like I merely do mine. And my superiors do theirs. It is not a job. It is service.

[2:31:48] Ah, yes, service. The most holy of axioms that the Emperor has laid out for all of his children. Service.

[2:32:06] Is that not what I have done? For so long, so unerringly, have done what I was asked.

[2:32:18] To do what you were asked. To sit here before me, damned though I may be, and listen to what is effectively my last will and testament before I am forgotten on some backwater world.

[2:32:34] Ho, ho, ho. Is that what you think?

[2:32:38] No. Did they tell you the lies? Did they tell you, oh, the Emperor's light can't reach there, you're damned forever, you're being forgotten there, all that hip-hop-a-da-hop? It's not true. None of which they told me. True any of that.

[2:33:06] You're still a servant of the Emperor. If you choose to be.

[2:33:13] If you view what is happening to you as fair, then you will continue that service. If you do not view what is happening to you as fair, then you may choose another path.

[2:33:35] What, pray tell, dear confessor, other paths do I have laid before me? To have my brain stooped out, chock full of augmetics and sent to labor in some factory? To have a searing bolt placed through my cranium? Tossed into the grinder and fed to tomorrow's batch of penal interies?

[2:34:14] Whether the death of the body or the spirit is irrelevant.

[2:34:19] Most sane men would choose their exile to serve until their bodies can serve them no more, and thus the Emperor no further. On some forgotten planet. In some far-flung reach. Of his grand imperium. I make no qualms with serving the Emperor. My only crime was questioning those who would spend the lives he has given so callously.

[2:34:57] A fair, fair assessment. If I may, I would say you should take the time where you are going to ruminate on that.

[2:35:16] To come to a conclusion of what you believe.

[2:35:21] I can tell you all sorts of truths from scripture. He sits on the throne on Terra and watches over us all. He is the guiding light of humanity who shall bring us from the darkness. But as you know, you are going somewhere close to the heart of madness. That is, well, it is a form of punishment, yes. But it is also a chance for revelation.

[2:36:03] To be so far from the center of your belief lets you re-examine your beliefs. Test them. And if you believe in him on the throne.

[2:36:23] Then that is what you believe. If you decide that he has forsaken you.

[2:36:32] Then you are damned.

[2:36:38] Lost and damned. But you will have time to think on those. You will have time to think on all those points. The far distant location.

[2:37:01] They picked it because the Inquisition had research outposts. They still do.

[2:37:14] You know, originally, Vancelis' world was simply a name on a map.

[2:37:23] Before Games Workshop decided to set an Eye of Terror campaign book there after I started this game. And those fuckers decided to canonize certain elements of it. I mean, what? I didn't say that. Damn it! That was GM sneaking through. Damn it! That was how you really feel, man. Get him! Our time! Thurston, your biggest mistake was being, was making a game, GMing a game in a mainstream piece of media.

[2:37:48] I know, man. Real GM for Lisa the Painful RPG. That's right. You see, I thought for a second this confessor was just like a tabletop, like, roleplay. Fucking roleplay master. In his spare time. Yeah, yeah. It's working out. No, I'm like, like, Asterix, I'm not fucking lying. The fucking Eye of Terror, Reign of Iron with the fucking. Iron Warriors actually started doing stuff with this planet that up until, like, fucking 20 years ago had never been touched.

[2:38:18] I'm not bitter. I think what they did was cool. Oh, my God. Canonically, it all still works. But I'm just like, if someone in the comments wants to point it out, I know in advance and I recognized it. Thank you. There's another one of these in the campaign that I'll explain when the campaign's over that really boils my blood. I love you, Games Workshop. All right. Oh.

[2:38:39] They're spiting you. Back to it, Hulki. Back to it. So before before that rant, the confessor goes on to say. You will have time on this world. It is far from the Emperor's light, but it is a chance for you to reflect.

[2:39:09] I've done plenty of reflecting already. I'm sure a lifetime of exile. Will only further deepen those reflections. Well, the confessor stands. You should know that every opportunity, every opportunity that presents itself is a chance for redemption or chance at a new path in your life. I pray, Evgeny Prendergast, that you.

[2:39:51] Find the right path in your life. He looks down, raises his his hand, wraps in two fingers and places them on your shoulder. I give you. My blessing.

[2:40:14] And then the preacher stands up and departs as this preaching confessor. Yes, yes, yes. He turns. For most men. Yes. Given time, they will find their own path. Yes. But what of the ones with the path finds them?

[2:40:51] Every path requires a man or woman to walk it. The path can certainly find them, but it's they who choose to walk it.

[2:41:04] I hope Evgeny Prendergast. That when you find a path or. A path finds you.

[2:41:14] That you choose to walk it. To the very end. And this time, with a sense of finality, the confessor turns.

[2:41:27] And walks out with broad shoulders on their incredibly tall frame. Evgeny, you are left to think on those words. And the impact, the weight of this moment and the sentence that has been put down on you and the change to your life makes your conscious mind forget the brief oddity where in the reflection of the glass for the briefest moment, you thought you saw the skull of an equine.

[2:42:06] And that is where we will end. Today's episode. Yippee! Oh, this fucking bastard! Yay!

[2:42:18] Good job, everybody. Oh, actually, one sec. One sec. I have one other thing, actually. One other thing. You have a quote. I don't have a quote. I don't have a quote. All right. No.

[2:42:40] Roll me a d5. A d5. OK.

[2:42:49] It's how many limbs you lose. Two! I lose two limbs! You gain two infamy from your infamous past. Byzante! Yes? I want you to roll me one d5 plus two. Oh, goodie!

[2:43:11] Oh, that is not a valid thing. Oh, that's right, because I didn't roll. I didn't put roll one d five I actually did yeah about that three for a total five you gain five infamy points the plus two is because of your uh badass uh traveling and the fact you rolled two ones this session so you get to have it yes roll me a d5 but but I cursed everybody roll the d5 okay three you'll get three infamy yeah I'm on it you joined you joined a terrifying crew of terror roll me a d5 all right let's see if I get one infamy I get four infamy I'll mark nice evgeny you had one of the most auspicious moments of your life that changed the destiny of your character roll me one d10

[2:44:22] Oh okay oh yeah oh

[2:44:34] Oh I'm assuming it was a one my overlay is broken yeah oh of course it is yeah it was a 10 we just forgot the zero evgeny you gain one corruption roll me one d10 one d5

[2:44:58] This is where he's gonna roll a one on this one d5 and it's just gonna be sad what did I say he rolled a 10

[2:45:13] Now evgeny has also rolled two ones this session damn it's true that's true uh but not on d100 uh you also all gain 500 experience for this and we will come back next time oh neat damn yay oh shit what happened thurston was he rolled a 1d1

[2:45:33] 1d1 thank you all so much for watching this episode of warhams a chaos odyssey fuck up thank you all so much for listening watching wherever you're enjoying us but of course the way we can keep this going is from your support over on narrative declaration.com where you can find us on twitter and facebook and you can find us on twitter and facebook and find our patreon merch everything else about it and maybe you might be some cool merch coming up very soon by the time you see this or maybe other stuff which you can always find at narrative declaration.shop for all of our fun merch stuff and everything keep a notice on all of our media socials and our discord to find out everything that's going on with us and of course

[2:46:12] Go to the website of narrative declaration.com to find everyone's socials and all the fantastic projects that they are up to love you guys so very much thank you thurston for watching and I'll see you next time for a great session thank you players for being great players and we will see you our fantastic listeners and viewers next time goodbye