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sillovn · 4 months

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Some Messmer thoughts

Followup on the original post, now about Messmer.

Messmer's power and aims seem difficult to reconcile with Marika's at a glance (assuming Marika is his mother in the first place).

Power wise, he is the 'omni-sinner' and appears to always have been. As of new trailer, we can discount the idea his current appearance is due to collecting 'heretical powers' post exile.

His purge comes as a response to Marika assembling the corpse mountain/Erdtree (and presumably separating the Land of Shadow?).

Its interesting that Messmer's purge targeted an "Old Tree Capital" whose society seems aligned with 'Gold'. This act was seen as so sinful, later history chooses to omit it. Here's a few quite mundane ideas that could explain this.

You could make an argument that Messmer served a purpose to Marika at some point - but either outlived his purpose or became too fanatical/uncontrollable. Messmer being a 'single-minded weapon' that Marika lost control of is a fine idea.

Alternatively, destroying the original 'Golden Capital' was a "necessary evil" to create a perfect separation between Gold/Shadow lands. Just as how Marika used Maliketh seal away death in The Lands Between - Messmer is used to purge the remnants of gold in the Lands of Shadow.

Going with the idea that Marika stole gold from a pre-Erdtree Goddess - Messmer's war could be very simple act of vengeance. The 'pre-Erdtree Culture' attacks to avenge Marika killing their god - then Messmer attacks in return. Here, the historical suppression is unrelated to Messmer's actions - but rather Marika's godhood being a stolen power.

These are all fairly sane ideas. So here's the part where I just start saying insane shit, because that's half the fun of souls lore theories.

Child of the Two Worlds

I stated in the earlier post that the whole Radagon-Rennala affair may be a recurring scheme that Marika pulls. When Messmer was 1st shown, he was assumed to be a child of the Marika x Radagon era (sibling to Malenia etc.). Fair idea, given his appearance - but its quite clear now that he predates all of that.

So, what if Messmer's parentage is actually Radagon x pre-Erdtree Goddess? It neatly explains his appearance and demigod status (running with the idea that Marika is neither a god nor married to Godfrey at this point).

We don't have a time frame from when 'Marika separates Gold from Shadow' to 'Messmer burns the 'Old Tree Capital'.' But, if Messmer is the child from long standing marriage - it explains him being an adult at the time of the war (assuming it happens directly after). Hell, you can just assume a repeat of the Rennala situation; where Radagon leaves with the adult demigod children in tow.

Alternatively, if there's large time span between 'Gold and Shadow separation' and 'Messmer burns the capital' - then what if the burning city *is* Marika's original capital of 'age of plenty' fame?

The golden sap dripping from the tree(s) forms the image of her great rune. The architecture also seems to be built for golden sap collection in a way that Leyndell isn't.

The 'Lion Dancers' have metal portions similar material to Crucible Knight armour. That faction is aligned with Marika in the present (though indirectly via. Godfrey).

In this scenario; Marika separates gold and shadow, creates the Erdtree (and city for her followers), which is then burned by Messmer, which forces the Erdtree faith to migrate to the Lands Between.

Thus, Messmer's purge is vengeance against Marika for killing his (other) mom.

Also perhaps why "serpent is traitor to the Erdtree".

The Lands of Shadow being separated could be related to trying to confine Messmer.

main caveat is that what little dialogue we have from Messmer makes it seem he still holds Marika in some regard and his mission is to burn those without grace. But its so context free, who even knows?

One last bit. Ive not named the pre-Erdtree Goddess (not convinced she is the Gloam Eyed Queen), but 1 thing that could be in favour of the GEQ identification is how twin demigods embody the physical aspects of each parent (eg. Malenia and Miquella). So if Messmer is from Radagon x GEQ, is Melina is his twin?

To be fair, this pattern doesn't hold well for the other demigods. so eh?

#elden ring #elden ring lore #shadow of the erdtree #queen marika #messmer the impaler #kin rambles

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tellusd20 · 6 months

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Artwork by @hirodraga A campaign I started in June 2021 has finally concluded and this band of tomb robbers and grubby mercenaries archaeologists and brave adventurers have gone their separate ways at the end of their expedition. Starting from top left and then zig-zagging down to bottom right, here are their brief bios and character arc conclusions: Qiliq: orc ranger and party leader. Minor noble from the empire of Alamgir who got roped into a matter of family honor. His uncle, the patriarch of their family, had been disgraced and accused of cowardice. His uncle had subsequently undertaken an honor quest into a magical wasteland (the remnants of a collapsed civilization) with the promise of retrieving the crown of a long-dead tyrant as a trophy for the emperor. He disappeared instead, leaving Qiliq to both solve the mystery of his disappearance and to complete the quest. The party accomplished both objectives, recovering both his uncle's corpse and the crown. The tyrant's crown turned out to be a powerful, sentient magic item that began speaking to them in their dreams, preying on insecurities and tempting them into bargains. Almost all of them desired it for themselves, but in the end, Qiliq ended up possessing it. Instead of returning to Alamgir and presenting his emperor with a new prize, Qiliq turned to a conquistador path, using his newfound wealth from the expedition to hire more mercenaries and carve out his own bloody "kingdom" on the periphery of civilization.

Minerva: elven druid, common born retainer of a reactionary noble house in the elven empire of Melate. A spy inserted into the group to ensure that any elven artifacts recovered on the expedition were returned to their homeland. Over the course of the campaign, she made a bargain with the fey to betray her sponsors in favor of the empress for her own gain.

Minerva possessed the tyrant's crown when it was first obtained, but ended up trading it to Qiliq in exchange for a political marriage and a leadership position among the forces he intended to raise. She went on to conduct numerous atrocities in their conquest of a new 'kingdom'. Her player was aware that the lifespan difference between Qiliq and Minerva meant that the crown would pass back into her possession again within a few short decades, and she was fine with being patient.

Zerrus: tiefling warlock masquerading as a human sorcerer. A con artist, grifter, and criminal from Alamgir's lower classes, he misrepresented himself to acquire a spot on Qiliq's expedition and the opportunity to gain wealth, power, and most importantly, a way out of the country. During the course of the campaign, he somehow managed to keep his secrets. Zerrus liquidated his share of the expedition's treasure, purchased a townhome in the city of Aphursa (a bustling, Istanbul-style metropolis), and went on to invent the world's first multi-level marketing scheme.

Auden: human fighter, archaeologist from the kingdom of Talland. Marooned in the wasteland by the deaths of his prior party, Auden gratefully took the chance to join a new group after meeting them at a frontier outpost. Upon the conclusion of their adventure, Auden returned to his homeland and university, where he published numerous research papers on his findings. He became a highly sought subject matter expert on the wasteland; published tales of his adventures raised him to something of a minor celebrity and enabled him to found a profitable consulting service for other expeditions.

Aupo: orc, orthodox cleric from Alamgir's anti-magic Tathir religion. He signed up mostly to remove heretical and blasphemous artifacts from existence. His enthusiasm for the task often generated tension with the rest of the party, particularly when his hammer fell upon expensive relics. The crown never revealed its true nature to Aupo, and the rest of the party concealed the truth from him, knowing he would attempt to destroy it. He signed up with Qiliq's mercenary force, becoming a fanatical missionary in new lands.

Herwyg: human druid, archaeologist from the kingdom of Talland. Upon return to his homeland, he liquidated many of the mundane treasures but kept all the interesting pieces for his own collection. His research papers and artifact loans to museum exhibitions won him tenure and academic awards, as well as recognition from the royal government for his service to the kingdom's cultural prestige.

#D&D #dungeons & dragons #character art #adventurer #Tellus #ttrpg #love a good heroes to villains arc

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heedmywarnings · 2 years

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Of all the GOLD I could've stole 11

Thanks to:

@cherry-colored-petals & @wolf-spider10 for deciphering the colored letters!

"Wouldn't it make sense though? They're a child, they know that it was necessary for them to live... or rather... they were forced to steal?"

The Jewels Shine No Longer

The remnants of what you would call a human stood still before a noose, completely oblivious of whoever is talking. All they know is that they were reciting my their crimes, one by one.

They've given up, they'll soon die. Part of them wonders and shivers of the thought if the Gods would give them more punishment. More than they have already endured. Part of them wonders, are they going to be free, leave to the outside of their tormenting life? Or is it another torturous, sinful life they have to endure?

The pain of all the faults that wronged them started to seep in, making their empty heart ache. The pain came and go, so did my their head.

...

I'm done narrating.

This is pathetic.

What am I trying to do? Gain sympathy?

Who is reading this anyways?

Another devoted believer?

Nobody in this world would care.

Who would have pity on a heretic like me? Actually, no. Why are they so damn angry at me because I do not worship them? This goes to show how egoistic they are, how incompetent and irresponsible of such godly duties.

Even as I write this, the blood from my fingers starts dripping like my pen's ink. My blood? Red. I'd kill myself if I were to bleed the same color as that accursed creator. Its not that I'm "worthy" of such a privilege as bleeding the same color as them, its that I'm damn thankful me and them aren't the same... "creature"

I know I'm not a human, anymore. But that creator and their loyal lap dogs (Celestia & The Archons) are monsters, and they're unaware of that. It truly disgusts me.

Is it me? Or is it them? ... why am I doubting? Of course its their fault. Its always theirs.

Why are you sulking about a punishment that never came? You escaped, yet you are unsatisfied with the outcome? Ungrateful, if so then just take revenge. Its simple, why must you make it so difficult?

#genshin impact #sagau #self aware genshin #sagau cult au #imposter sagau #sagau impostor au #sagau x reader #sagau angst #impostor sagau au

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darkheliotrope · 6 months

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The First World - Echoes of the Vanished

The planet convulsed - a dying titan in its final throes. The very ground trembled, as if mourning its own demise. I stumbled across the desolate beach, my boots sinking into the ashen sand. The sea, once tempestuous, now raged with a primal fury - an ocean of wrath. Its waves clawed at the shore, pulling ancient bones back into the abyss.

The Bones and Fossils:

More bones lay scattered - a macabre mosaic. Rib cages, femurs, and mandibles protruded like broken promises. These were not remnants of creatures; they were echoes of civilizations - their architects and dreamers reduced to calcified whispers. The fossils bore witness to cosmic indifference, their hollow eyes staring into oblivion.

The Storm-Torn Sky:

Above, the sky had unravelled - a tattered veil. The stars had fled, leaving only voids - black holes that devoured light. The Milky Way - once a celestial river - had become a chasm, its banks eroded by entropy.

The Atmosphere’s Demise:

The air tasted of sulphur and despair. The atmosphere had unravelled, molecules torn apart by cosmic forces. Steam rose from fissures in the ground, carrying with it the memories of lost cities. Debris - shards of crystalline structures - swirled like ghosts. The suns, feeble embers, cast elongated shadows - the last dance of entropy.

The Skeleton’s Scream:

And there, on the beach, sat the skeleton - a relic of defiance. Its bones were charred, fused by the heat of cataclysm. Its skull, tilted toward the heavens, bore the etchings of cosmic runes. Hollow sockets stared at the fractured sky, and its jaw hung open - a silent scream. What had it witnessed? What horrors had etched themselves into its calcium lattice?

I approached the skeleton, drawn by morbid curiosity. Its ribs seemed to vibrate - an echo of terror. Had it been a scholar, a lover, a heretic? Its bony fingers clawed at the sand, as if trying to escape its own fate. But the sky above was indifferent.

The Cosmic Tragedy:

“Why?” I whispered, though the wind carried my words away. “Why did you stay?”

The skeleton’s jaw moved - an illusion, surely. But I heard its voice - a rasp, a lament.

“Curiosity,” it seemed to say. “The hunger for answers.”

Answers that had led to oblivion. Answers that had unraveled the fabric of existence. The planet had become a cosmic tragedy - a requiem for forgotten souls. The last person - the one consumed by unspeakable horror - had left no trace. Only this skeleton remained - a sentinel of despair.

As the lava stream surged, devouring the beach, I sank to my knees. The sea roared, the sky wept, and the skeleton’s scream echoed through time. I closed my eyes, feeling the heat lick my skin. The planet pulsed - a dying heartbeat.

And then, as if in response, the ground split open - a maw of molten hunger. I fell, my fingers grazing the skeleton’s ribcage. Its scream merged with mine - a chorus of anguish.

The planet trembled, I couldn't surrender to the abyss - I had to leave. Electra why did you send me to witness the final threads of a dying world?

May its echoes linger in the void…

#dark heliotrope #dark art #my nightmare #dark world #space #generative ai #ai art #horror #macabre #macabre art #end of world #other worlds

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pyrrhiccomedy · 8 months

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Hello, Ive been following your heretic lore avidly but I'm still very confused as to how Bastian is the anti-Christ and his relation to all the Hours, and how Christ in general fits in with the Hours - is Christ an Hour?

Bastian (and Emily) are still figuring out how Christ fits into all of this themselves! I can tell you what she knows; or at least, what she thinks she knows.

Christ was not an Hour. He was the same kind of entity as Bastian: the Blood of the Sun, which was shed during its calamitous Division under the jaws of the Emperor Wolf. He was the mortal aspect of a divine thing; and, being mortal, he died. Whether he died a failure or whether he submitted to death for some more mysterious purpose, Bastian doesn't know yet.

When Christ was the Blood of the Sun, he made an alliance with the Sun-In-Rags; the Metatron, as Bastian understands it, that remnant of the Sun that has been in hospice under the care of the Madrugad ever since the Division, whose voice (apparently) carries God's authority. Bastian knew of the Sun-In-Rags's voice as Hauteclair, the high clear sword that could break the chains of the Emperor Wolf, before he knew practically anything else: killing the Sun-In-Rags in order to claim Hauteclair was in Bellefleur's orientation packet, when she took on the role of John of the Baptist for this new incarnation of the Blood, and woke Bastian into his spiritual life.

Gradually, Bastian has come to understand that a number of the great powers of his world are bound together in the drama of the Division of the Sun; and gradually, he believes he's come to understand how. The Sun-In-Glory - the Sun before the Division - was, he suspects, Lucifer himself: splendid in his radiance, first intercessor to our universe, commander of the angels, prince of this world. The Glory is enigmatic, great but silent: the Sun was its Adam Kadmon, its active agent in the world, who spoke with God's authority and could be known by ordinary people, at least as a bringer of light.

And then the Emperor Wolf rose from the darkness and slew it. The Emperor Wolf, who was the embodiment of Lucifer's rebellion and pride.

And then the Histories turned over, and the Emperor Wolf did not slay the Sun: but it was divided into many parts -

The Sun-In-Rags, the voice of God;

Mother White, the hungry corpse, irrepressible in its vitality and strength;

The Pyre-Hawk, the Lightbringer's burning cloak of radiance;

The Rending, the hatred which fueled the crime;

and the Blood, that mortal essence: what is left of the Devil (or the Prince of the Angels) when everything divine is stripped away.

All of these powers (the Emperor Wolf included) do desire some form of reunification, but they don't want to be reunified in the same way: Mother White wants to consume the rest, the Rending wants to destroy them, the Emperor Wolf to rule over them, the Sun-in-Rags (perhaps) to be reconciled with them (so far as Bastian can tell - although learning that the Sun-in-Rags committed genocide against the entire order of angels set to watch over our world casts his gracious motivations somewhat into question), and the Pyre-Hawk to be ecstatically intermingled with them.

There is a certain balance of power between all of the above which has uneasily persisted since the War of Intercalation ended with the Rending's pacification and Mother White's bondage. The Blood is the disruptive force, whenever it emerges: and the Reunification of the Sun is, broadly, to be understood as the project of the Blood.

What that will look like, which forces will be ascendant and which will be cast down, and whether or not he succeeds, will be up to Bastian - this time.

#heretic #dice matters

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ficretus · 8 months

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Heresy and Knightfall

This one is not gonna be a theory, more of a thoughts based on assumptions about Knightfall I made in previous theories. I won't reference them here, feel free to check them out if you are interested.

Interesting thing with Jaune's Joan of Arc is that he is a heretic. Not in a literal sense of the word, more of in context of Joan of Arc and being a Huntsman in Remnant.

JAUNE THE HERETIC

His first major heresy is his enrollment at Beacon. He wants to become a Huntsman without having any knowledge or abilities required to do so. Yet, he does it anyways thanks to his forged transcripts that made him out to be skilled fighter. This is double heresy, both in universe, as well in the context to Joan of Arc.

It's obvious that you shouldn't be apply for position of responsibility without any qualifications, especially when that position requires you to save and protect others. In context of Joan, Jaune's minimal qualifications are reference to Joan being given role in military despite her having no combat experience.

Difference which makes Jaune heretical here is that Joan was given that role because she managed to convince her superiors she had divine visions that might help them in battle (or at least, at multiple occasions she convinced them her visions were not demonic or heretical). If Joan applied to lead relief army to Orleans while completely winging it, she too would have been a heretic.

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There are some other instances of Jaune being a heretic, but are either not heresy in universe or not major enough. Yeah, Jaune going on revenge quest to kill Cinder is fairly heretical when you think about it in context of Joan of Arc, but completely justified in universe. Nobody gave a shit when Blake and Yang murdered Adam, I sincerely doubt Jaune's friends would have freaked out if he murdered Cinder. You also have some minor naughty bits like Jaune suggesting stealing Atlas military airship. Yeah, you really shouldn't steal things, but circumstances required them to do so.

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Second major heresy involves Jaune's mercy kill on Penny. This is once again double heresy. Joan of Arc at no point in her military career did murder anyone, despite carrying a sword. This doesn't translate literally to RWBY since existence of Grimm forces main cast to kill all the time, and Jaune doesn't have some hard "no killing" rule for it to translate to villains (he went straight for the head when he had a chance against Cinder). So they translated this to even bigger taboo of Jaune being forced to kill one of his friends.

I'd say this is intentional Joan of Arc reference/subversion. They could have had someone else kill Penny, Weiss for example would have been much more personal choice, yet they chose Jaune. This wasn't even necessary for turning Jaune into a mess he was in Ever After. The fact Penny died because he couldn't save her would have broke him either way (he would have felt similarly if Penny killed herself). Yet, they ended up going for an option that puts Penny's blood directly on Jaune's hands.

If you dissect for any other detail or reference, this incident can be read as another heresy. During the Joan of Arc's heresy trial, she was trialed for crowning a King (this was to delegitimize Dauphin's coronation by implying he was given power by heretic instead of God). Jaune's act of killing Penny gave Maiden power to Winter, and as I explained many times before, Maidens are royalty. He effectively "crowned a king" with heretical act.

MANY JUDGES OF JAUNE ARC

Of course, actions have consequences. Cardin realized Jaune forged his transcripts and used it as blackmail material. Cardin is on the nose reference to Cardinal of Winchester, one of the interrogators during Joan's heresy trial (even more on the nose when team CRDL is team Cardinal). The fact Jaune was a fraud is also catalyst to Ren lashing out against him during the Volume 8.

Interesting thing is that the ones judging Jaune in both instances were on his side faction wise (yeah Cardin is piece of shit, but at the end of the day he is fighting against Grimm and Salem). I suspect this trend will continue when it's eventually revealed Jaune was the one to kill Penny. No matter the reason, the fact one of their friends killed the other is not gonna sit well with everyone. They didn't pull this trigger when Ruby and Jaune had a falling out in Volume 9, which makes me think they are saving this for something big.

JAUNE IS... RIGHT?

Weird thing with Jaune's instances of heresy is that his actions end up being justified in a long run.

Yeah, applying to join huntsmen academy when you don't even know what Aura is and pretending you know what are you doing while people's lives are on the line is kind of dick move. But through his hard work Jaune indeed became full blown Huntsman with one of the most useful Semblances in entire verse. Removing Jaune from the plot would cause a butterfly effect that would negatively impact the odds of good guys winning.

Same thing with some minor instances mentioned above. Yeah, going on a revenge quest to kill Cinder is probably not the most morally sound idea, but it worked out in the end. Even ignoring all the instances his presence was somewhat useful, his encounter with Cinder was a catalyst that lead him to realize his worth and helped him to fully unlock his Semblance. Stealing Atlesian military airship is not morally right, but you do need to reach Atlas somehow. Without that, they'd have much harder time reaching it and making difference in Volumes 7 and 8.

His mercy kill on Penny is another similar case. Yeah, killing your friend is not a cool thing to do, however, when you think about it, it was overall net positive decision (disclaimer: don't kill your friend). Without Jaune killing Penny and letting her have a choice in passing Maiden power, Weiss and Winter would have both died immediately and Penny and Jaune would have likely died in the aftermath.

Jaune's morally questionable decisions positively drive the plot forward and allow his character to grow.

KNIGHTFALL IS HERESY

Well, this is self explanatory, thank you for reading..

Knightfall is indeed a heresy, very interesting heresy, but one nonetheless. I consider it to be plausible ending of Jaune's and Cinder's character arc, although not particularly likely at the moment (especially since show itself is kind of stuck in limbo).

My reasoning here is that it fits what to me seems like a running trend with Jaune's heresies: act needs to be morally questionable, condemnation comes from his side and Jaune is right in the long run. At the end of the day this is arbitrary and based on observations I made above. However, this to me feels like a good criteria, to have Jaune be morally questionable but never cross the line into villainy. After all, Joan of Arc was falsely accused heretic.

If you remove the first criteria, then it's not really heresy and his friends are picking on him for no reason. If you remove the other, then you just end up in "Blake and Yang murder Adam" situation (technically morally wrong, but justified). And if you remove the last one, then Jaune is just committing morally questionable acts (and he ends up feeling like Ironwood).

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Does Jaune need another heresy to commit? This is once again arbitrary, but I'd say yes.

While extremely important to his character, Penny incident aftermath is not resolution to Jaune's character arc. In fact, as seen in Volume 9, even though it was right thing to do, Jaune hits another character low point. I feel like whatever final heresy Jaune commits it will be resolution to his character arc, finally becoming a hero his own way and ending his self worth issues.

It also comes relatively too early. This might sound bit weird since it happened in climax of Volume 8, but I feel like whatever his final heresy is, it's gonna happen near the climax of story itself. Think about Ruby for example and repeated motif of wolves in her story. She has Beowulf in her backstory, she has Cinder as a wolf that tricked her and "ate" her friend, she has Hound as spiritual family member (since he is also silver eyed) getting devoured by Grimm. However, none of these feel like a final wolf. Ruby's final wolf likely being either Grimm Summer Rose or herself as Grimm. I feel the same way with Jaune, that there is another major heresy down the line.

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What was I yapping about before? Right... Knightfall. Sidenote, when I say Knightfall in my posts I consider both platonic and romantic versions. I tend to lean towards romantic interpretations mostly due to various literary allusions and themes.

As I said above, Knightfall is heresy of highest order. Hero redeeming the villain that completely broke him. That's what makes it appealing to me and why it seemingly fits with Jaune's previous heresies.

Is it morally questionable? Kind of, you are letting one of the main villains off the hook and are willing to give her a second chance. If they end up playing Joan of Arc allusion straightforward and Jaune ends up giving Cinder Crown of Choice, then that's magnitudes more questionable.

Would he face backlash from his side? Absolutely. Pretty much every major character was hurt in some way by Cinder. Once again, if he ends up giving her Crown, then it gets considerably worse.

Is it good in a long run? Yes, it is. Not only do they deny Salem one of her most powerful assets, they gain new powerful ally. Ally that is finally able to break free and make her own choice, completing her character arc. Jaune is also able to triumph in his own way by "weaponizing" his kindness.

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Those were some of my thoughts on Jaune's heresies and how Cinder could fit in them in the end. Of course this is all purely speculative and could end up meaning nothing. Maybe there will be completely different event down the line that fits heresy motif. Maybe these are all just coincidences and writers are winging it, who knows.

Either way, what are your thoughts? Feel free to comment if you have your own interpretation of Jaune's heresy. That's all for today.

#jaune arc #rwby jaune arc #cinder fall #knightfall #rwby cinder fall #rwby knightfall #cinder as dauphin #jaune as joan of arc

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the-abyssal-lord · 17 days

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The Abyss Chasers - Revised 3.0

(( Hello heretics! Haven’t been as active but I am still whittling away at my usual 40k hobbying. Some months ago I made a big post about my homebrew warband, well a little bit ago I’ve finally complied it into something I’m relatively happy with. More story feeling. Hope you like it! I am also planning on writing a few 40k fics in the future to rekindle my passion for this little world I’ve made! ))

Chaos God: Chaos Undivided

Allegiance: Chaos

Founding: 999.M32

Numbers: roughly 1000-2000 marines and untold thousands of the Lost and the Damned

Leader: Silas Decurin, The Abyssal Lord

Home World: Vorago; Former Maiden World

Allies:

Sons of the Serpent

Rot Heralds

Brazen Skulls

Helsson’s Hounds

Battle Cry: Unknown

Colours: Black, Purple, & Silver

Pre-Heresy

Cognomen (Prior): Emperor’s Children

Home World: Chemos (Perditas)

Colours: Purple & Gold

“Let it be said that on this day we have finally cast aside the shackles of our past, our fathers and brothers, fallen so far into the depths they cannot see the stars, would weep at our achievements. We have claimed this world in the name of the Gods, in the name of our Legions, and in the name of our legacies. In the name of true glory, we shall bring ruin to the Imperium!”

- Lord Silas Decurin, at the Triumph of Vorago

The Abyss Chasers are an infamous Chaos Warband formed in the bloody age shortly following the Horus Heresy. During the Great Crusade and later Horus Heresy, the warbands eventual leader, Silas Decurin , was a captain of the Third Legion, the Emperor’s Children. Along with the rest of his brothers, Silas would sink into the depravity and excess the legion would become known for, under the sway of the Dark Prince Slaanesh. He fought in many of the major battles the Third were known for, such as Isstvan and even the Siege of Terra. When the Heresy ended and the Traitor Legions soundly defeated, Silas accompanied his brethren fleeing to exile in the Eye of Terror. There the future Abyssal Lord witnessed the Emperor’s Children further splinter, and fall apart entirely, scrabbling to survive. Awakening to the reality of the path he had fallen upon, Captain Decurin took his company and broke away from Fulgrim’s Chosen. If the remnants of the legion even noticed, Silas did not care. Over the next ten thousand years, he would gain allies and build a new force, attempting to return the Third Legion to the glory they deserved, trying to keep his brothers united despite their fracturing minds and souls, the galaxy their birthright, whilst also struggling against the corrupting, twisting influence of the Dark Gods that he and many swore allegiance to in this new, grim age.

Warband History

1. Remembrance

During the Great Crusade, the company Silas led gained many honours, fresh souls born of Chemos and raised under the light of the early Imperium. Notably fighting alongside the Sons of Horus, due to their Primarch-Father’s close friendship with the Warmaster. Captain Silas Decurin was particularly noted for his ability as a poet, even amongst his brothers of the artistic and proud Third Legion. Captain Decurin is also known to have made a friendship with a Remembrancer attached to his company, and the pair recorded many of the early campaigns in a flowing prose.

2. Heresy

It was upon the alien planet Laer that Captain Decurin and his company would be forever changed, the taint of Slaanesh falling like a shroud upon the legion. Not long from there the Warmaster’s rebellion would begin, and the company would battle throughout the Galaxy at the behest of their primarch and their leaders. Most notably Isstvan III and V, and the Siege of Terra. Along with the rest of the traitors, they would flee into the Eye of Terror after the failure of the Siege.

3. Legion

In the Eye of Terror the former united legions splintered, squabbling and fighting amongst themselves. The Emperor’s Children, fully lost to depravity, barely even noticed their fall finally sealed for the rest of time. Captain Decurin and his company were entirely in the thrall of the Dark Prince, and it would take some time for this to change, the company practically fighting on their own. Time is fickle in the warp, and it's hard to say how much time truly passed, but eventually Silas awoke to the truth, seeing how utterly ruined the legion he once saw as the finest Astartes in the Galaxy had become. At the end of the aptly named ‘Legion Wars,’ Silas would take his company and truly break away from the remnants of the Third Legion.

4. Warp

For centuries the scraps of the company would travel the currents of the warp, emerging to raid isolated worlds, void-stations, and supply fleets, and conserving their greatly diminished strength. By this point the small fleet they had was reduced to a single strike cruiser, the flagship of the company, the Echo of Glory. To the sons of Fulgrim still with minds to recall, and the former captain, they felt as though merely a century had passed, a short time in the near-immortal forms of the Astartes. When they would finally track the time in real-space, they would find nearly a millennia had passed. Drifting along the winds this would continue, the company slowly being corrupted by the malign influence of Slaanesh. Captain Decurin would struggle to keep them all on the same path, like a family watching helplessly as a loved one succumbed to addiction. Their numbers would only further diminish, a full company dropping to maybe fifty battle-brothers by the end of the thirty-second millennium.

5. Allies

Moving into millennium thirty-three, Captain Decurin was on the verge of abandoning his endeavour, the whispers of Slaanesh nearly impossible to ignore, pressing upon his mind to merely return to the Eye and join his gene-father and spiral into the depths of damnation. This changed with an unexpected arrival. On a piratical raid of an Imperial void-station, the company encountered a single frigate on the far end of the solar system they resided in. This frigate belonged to the newly formed ‘Sons of the Serpent’ warband. A faction of the enigmatic twentieth legion, the Alpha Legion. The leader of this group introduced himself as Alpharius, as the masters of misdirection always did, after Captain Decurin pressed the warlord to drop the antics, the Alpha Legionnaire would re-introduce himself as Naethar Sestus.With the aid of Sestus and his company, Silas would find some relief, and his numbers bolstered as the Alpha Legion soldiers offered an accord to band together.

6. Abyss

Some time later, the level-headed, and seemingly uncorrupted Sestus advised that Captain Decurin truly disconnect himself from the past that could no-longer be reclaimed. Silas understood that clinging to the past would not bring back the glory he knew his brothers could achieve, and thus did he rename the company, The Abyss Chasers were born, if they would be damned, they would be the hunters of the depths, not the victims. The strike-cruiser flagship would also be renamed, an acknowledgement of the god that Decurin could never truly escape from, the Echo of Ecstasy.

7. The Left Hand

On a forgotten world, now dead, the Abyss Chasers and their allies would fall upon the innocents of the Imperium. It is said a single boy stood against the Abyssal Lord, noting his courage and psychic potential, Silas would take the boy and through the baleful magics of the Empyrean, and lost sciences, raise the child to the ranks of the Astartes. Now called Vezeral, who would become one of the warbands finest leaders, and close advisor of Lord Silas. Vezeral in his risen form is a master psyker, a sorcerer of Chaos who utilizes the magic of the Dark Prince as easily as he uses his wargear.

8. The Red Hand

In the following centuries, in a tale now lost to time, the Brazen Skulls warband would splinter off from the Twelfth Legion, the World Eaters. This warband was led by Tyrax Revka, once a proud captain, now feeling the bite of the Butcher’s Nails just like the rest of his brothers. Tyrax would encounter the newly formed Abyss Chasers and their leader Silas. For reasons known only to the pair, either an understanding, a duel, or anything in-between, the berzerker lord would offer his allegiance and the forces of his warband to the Abyssal Lord, further strengthening the growing Chasers with the warriors of the Blood God. This also marked the first time the warband could be called an Undivided force.

9. Corruption

Despite the best efforts of Lord Silas and his advisors, he could not stop the endless march of the power that is the warp. The tenuous alliances of Heretic Astartes would only indulge their dark desires, bloodlust, and other whims as time went on. Even the Abyssal Lord himself was not immune, as the taint of Chaos can never be removed once it takes hold. Daemons run rampant in the depths of the Echo of Ecstasy, and the brothers of the warband mutate and twist. Silas constantly teeters on the edge of sanity at all times, keeping the Abyss Chasers together. His goals remain ever the same, but the methods grow more brutal and depraved. The honour he once sought out would forever be lost, but the glory, now that could still be attained. In response, the advisors formed the Council of Claws to keep the drifting mind of their leader on the correct path.

10. Judgment

In the Galactic North, Segmentum Obscurus, was a region of Imperial space known as the Judicium Sector, small but well traveled and fortified by various forces. In 988.M41 the Immaterium would once more spit out the twisted vessels of the Abyss Chasers, and they made their way towards the agri-world of Riothea. The planet would be raided by the warband and razed to near destruction. The local PDF held for weeks until the timely arrival of Astartes assistance in the form of the Marines Exemplar chapter. The Abyss Chasers would battle the loyalists for weeks, eventually being forced to withdraw. To the Imperium it is unknown why the heretics attacked the planet, to the Council of Claws, it was to test the defenses of the Sector, and the response times of the servants of the Corpse-Emperor.

998.M41 would see their return, a trail of worlds were razed by the warband before coming into fire with Judicium's battlefleet, and the Abyss Chasers were forced onto the capital planet Rubedo where a lengthy engagement continued for months. The local Planetary Defense Force was eventually aided by a detachment of Adepta Sororitas from the Order of the Black Sepulchre, and the Atropan 985th Imperial Guard Regiment. The fighting grew so intense that a company of Adeptus Astartes were even deployed, from the Flesh Tearers chapter. This great conflict would become known as the Scouring of Judicium, the largest engagement the warband had ever fought in since the ancient days.

11. Maiden

After being pushed back to the Eye of Terror, the Abyss Chasers were battered but succeeded in their goal, while they recovered they examined their discoveries. Just beyond the edge of the sector, close to the Eye, they had discovered a world that was held in secret by the Imperium’s foul Inquisition, never traveled and dubbed ‘taboo’ due to its connotation. An Aeldari Maiden World called Blathdahan. The mostly Slaaneshi forces could not pass up such a prime chance to bring carnage to their ruinous mistresses' most delicious foes. At the command of Lord Silas and the Council of Claws, the fleet, and the Echo of Ecstasy began the journey through the warp to find the hidden world.

12. Witch

The warband discovered the world after pinpointing coordinates stolen from Rubedo, and fell upon the lush, green world with all the wrath of the Ruinous Powers. The world would not take it lying down however, as the native Aeldari, called ‘Exodites’ fought back against their kind’s most feared enemies. Heretic Astartes and mortal cultists fought against wild xenos and their dinosaurid mounts and pets. The battles raged across the surface for weeks, but the corrupting influence of the unleashed warp eventually wore down the Exodites, and their planet would fall to the full force of the Abyss Chasers and all their accumulated allies, including the original advisors, as well as the Rot Heralds of Nurgle, and the Scions of Dawn of Tzeentch. Chaos Undivided conquered the world, and Lord Silas would lay claim to it. A hidden world known to few, a perfect foothold to launch even greater devastation upon the dogs of the corpse-god. The fallen Maiden World was renamed ‘Vorago’ from an old Chemosian word for ‘witch.’

13. Port of Call

Similar to other Chaotic ports of its kind, Vorago would quickly grow due to its proximity to the Eye. More arrivals and allies came to the banner of the Abyssal Lord. A renegade Knight known as the Violet Tear, the warband of Heretic Astartes known as Helsson’s Hounds, who are former sons of Russ, and many, many others. With the numbers swelled, the warband was no longer that broken shadow of the Third it used to be, so long ago. At the centre of the former Exodite city was a temple to their xenos gods, now renamed ‘Cordomus’ and transformed into a dark temple, and fortress, to the four gods of Chaos. In the centre of that bastion, is the throne-room of Lord Silas Decurin.

14. Thirteenth Black Crusade

In 999.M41, before the warband could begin any further plans, Lord Silas was contacted by an emissary of the new Warmaster, Abaddon the Despoiler. This envoy told the Council and the Lord of the incoming Black Crusade, the Warmaster’s attempts to attack the gates of Cadia and ram down the doors of the Imperium. Lord Silas was always unsure of the Black Legion, but he understood that Abaddon had similar aspirations, to finally bring an end to the Emperor that forsook them so long ago. The Abyss Chasers agreed to the accord, and would sail to join the Black Legion in their great siege of Cadia. It is noted they took up the colours and banners of the Warmaster’s forces during this brief period, alongside the many other groups that came to Abaddon’s call.

15. Dark Millennium

After the 13th Black Crusade came to a galaxy-shaking conclusion, the Abyss Chasers would break away from the Warmaster of Chaos’ forces and return to Vorago. Their journey was fraught with calamity as the massive warp-wound named by the Imperium as the Cicatrix Maledictum tore itself across the stars. Battered by the end of the trek, Lord Silas and the Council of Claws decreed the warband lay low for a time. Of course, the silence did not last long as only a few standard years into the new age the forces sworn to the Abyssal Lord once again began their raids. The Judicium Sector plunged into shadow as a result of the Great Rift.

16. Advent

“My brothers, we have received word of something most dire. The wretched son of the False Emperor, Roboute Gulliman, a thousand curses upon his name, lives again. Alongside him came an abomination to our perfect forms, the so-called ‘Primaris Marines.’ We will show the lapdogs what true Astartes look like, and pray to the Dark Gods that foul Gulliman meets his true and final end.”

- Lord Silas Decurin, addressing the Abyss Chasers

As the 42nd Millennium began its cycles, the Abyss Chasers would first meet Gullimans Primaris on an outskirt world called Drenades. These new marines clashed with the fallen first and showed how powerful they were despite the difference in experience. Outwardly Lord Silas would show disgust and disdain as many of the Heretic Astartes did across the galaxy, but silently he wondered if their power could not be turned to a better purpose, a purpose of enacting the will of Chaos.

Experiments would begin in the secret levels of Cordomus, under the watchful eyes of the Chasers’ Apothecaries. Indeed, Silas would even hear word of the great and terrible Fabius Bile attempting similar testing, and would wonder how perfect they could be if such creatures were created.

More and more conflicts arose across the neighbouring sectors as the forces of the Imperium pushed their way across the Cicatrix Maledictum, but the Abyss Chasers heeded it little, as always their purpose was personal glory in the name of the gods.

17. Endless War

All across the galaxy war erupts, grim and bloody and full of the laughter of the gods. Octarius saw Tyranids defeat and devour the Orks that held it for ages, the Realm of Ultramar came under siege by the noxious forces of the Death Guard, and a region of the Nephilim Sector falling to all-out carnage as the Necron xenos created the Pariah Nexus. As always, the Abyss Chasers continue their raids into the Judicium Sector and its surrounding regions, now contending with Primaris Marine bolstered chapters and renewed Inquisition forces under the Ordo Hereticus. They do not stand alone however, Vashtorr the Arkifane sending daemonic envoys to Vorago, as well as others to neighbouring warbands. Their numbers increased with the techno-arcane horrors of the aspiring god. There are also the ever-flowing arrivals of lost and damned, demigod and mortal alike. War is eternal, war is ecstasy, and the Abyss Chasers welcome it always.

#warhammer 40k #40k #warhammer #chaos #slaanesh #fic writing #ask the abyssal lord #Silas Decurin #Decurin Energy

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dragonspleenistasty · 1 year

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yo dweeb. tell us a bit about your worldbuilding project

Oh why thank you, dear Anonymous!

I guess I will start with the fact i have a few worldbuilding projects going at the moment, all of them are just casual thought experiments I work on for fun! I know you see my blog, so I'll just give a brief rundown of the most recent few projects hehe <3

I have a sci fi setting with galactic intrigue, dozens of species, and the near devastation of our beloved Terra by an unknown yet clearly hostile force. Humanity now lies fractured, though the premier force, the grand NAU, has stepped up to unify humanity alongside its alien allies. But just as humanity begins to stand up again, it seems that galactic stability may finally collapse. Unforseen, mysterious invasions occurring at the frontier regions, the official announcement and subsequent isolationism of a large post-human nation, civil war in the Ridi lands, new species of aliens beginning to appear across the local region, threats from a militaristic human splinter state, strange signals from a far away yet unknowable vast Alien empire, perhaps the very one which destroyed Terra. How will the Galaxy survive?

And now i will cut this off because I wrote WAY too long of an explanation "brief rundown" my ass I am an unskippable cutscene

Are you happy, babygirl? Are you? Anyway feel free to ask more this was so much fun

There's an industrial era world boasting some of my most in depth worldbuilding yet, thousands of years of history leading into the current era, as old societies show their age and crack and the new find their foundation, as technology explodes with industry and worldwide trade, as the understanding of magic and the past and the future becomes sophisticated, what will come in the next chapter? Geopolitical tensions rise to a boiling point as two nations face eachother. Masitochia, the republic rising from the scorched remnants of an empire brutally put down, now a modern, world power pioneering scientific thought and trade, and the White Stone, an empire of truly gargantuan size, long beloved in history as the protecting giant. For a thousand years the empire has been strong and a thousand years back it was still a grand power. The Empire now lashing out as the world leaves behind the archaic feudal, authoritarian world in which it thrived. Revolution and war leaves the White Stone uncertain, and ready to yet again put down the feisty Masitochians.

In the depths of the WoodLands, past the ferocious thickets holding untold horrors, there lies the setting of my most recent setting, and coincidingly my least developed. In this world- if it is a world, there exists seemingly nothing but the vast, unending forest. But in the middle of the vicious woods lay the Imperial Realms. Styled after the 16-1700s H.R.E, here lies an incredible fragmented empire. Hundreds of princedoms, counties, lordships, bishophrics, Knightly orders, duchies, kingdoms, electorates, free cities call this realm their home, and all hail to the emperor. Knights participate in the chivalric tourneys in the Prince's courtyard, competing for the right to serve the Prince-Lord. Serfs warn their children not to venture into the woods, for though in the thicket lies the magical tower, a walk that deep into the woods makes the simple tower as much another world as the kingdoms in the sky, or the Emperor's court. Mysterious things lie in the woods, obscured by mist and pagan magic- or so the bishops warn. There are those who brave the woods, those who speak of other nations, Realms to rival that of our beloved empire! But these are but fables and heretical hearsay. Isn't it?

#long post #like LOOOOONG post #sci fi #fantasy #writing #worldbuilding #holy shiiiit #i have so many thoughts about this #ive been writing just this for like an hour straighg fuckk #so much for a short description

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