#mita ashyn

[like-tears-in-rain-storms]

Just finished "Lord of the Night"! and my question is: Why are not all of you reading it rn? If you're a Konrad Curze/Night Lord fan in particular - damn you can't imagine the Night Lord fanservice, or the Curze insight. Zso Sahaal is Goodest Daddy's Boy, Mita is BAMF, and Krieg Acerbus is a major, major, MAJOR SOB. Also, really good fast-paced, pleasantly emotive in parts writing.

Do yourselves the favor and Ave Dominus Nox.

[like-tears-in-rain-storms]

Hear, hear. The absolutely visceral grief of Sahaal at his Primarch's death, and more than that, at his fall and betrayal, is the absolutely most enchanting part of the book for me - it brings to the fore the father-son traumatic bonds of the Astartes in general, and the sons of Curze in particular, in a way that reads so relatable and empathetic even as Sahaal runs around casually commiting atrocities for most of the book. And the way he explains himself to Mita in the end is perfectly rational, from his point of view, and even if he doesn't, obviously, has the whole story, and is crazy biased, the sheer fact that he the story he says is reasonable enough to make sense demonstrates Big E's stragetical parenting failures and the Imperium's internal ones.

And Mita's disillusionment comes in small increments throughout the book, and it takes her until the very end to break, instead of being ready from the beginning, which is so believable and relatable, once again. And the best thing, I think, is that Sahaal doesn't even prove to her that the Emperor doesn't love her, personally - he strikes at "even if he does, is it enough to protect you when everyone else hates you? What will he do to keep you from them?" and it's what opens Mita's eyes to her predicament.

@ladyalisette We're talking about our boy, goodest boy!

I don’t want to just start posting excerpts and don’t have time to talk about things while on a uni deadline but there’s so much in Lord of the Night buried there that more NL folks should see. I thank the contributions of Simon Spurrier nightly at my figurative Night Haunter shrine. Lord of the Night is a gem that appreciates the beauty of the NL’s tragedy, and it does not fall back and go “traitors are evil and gross for betraying the imperium just to be clear kids they’re not cool anymore” every moment CSM are shown as sensitive, beautiful, strong or loyal to their primarchs/brothers/purpose.

Sahaal is also deeply biased but he’s deeply passionate and devoted and it’s good to see. And there’s so much beauty and grace and artistry and theatricality of the Night Lords. I can’t shut up about it.

Here’s the first thing that came to mind; not the most illustrative excerpt of what I just described but there’s beautiful, tragic, naked Konrad addressing his sons and what do you expect from me? I believe most NL fans have seen the line “he was naked but for a cloak of black feathers, and had never been more magnificent” but there’s more.

In the screaming gallery, where a carpet of moaning faces rose in broad steps — writhing spines and clutching fingers shivering along every edge — the Dark Lord received his captains with a bow.

He was naked, but for a cloak of black feathers, and had never been more magnificent. Sahaal and his brothers dropped to their knees and hailed him: their father, their master, their lord, their Dominus Nox.

He regarded each in turn, and to each he nodded once, a feral jolt of recognition, like a wolf regarding its pack. All of them were there: Quissax Kergai, Master of the Armoury, whose scouring of the Launeus forgeworld had crippled the loyalists of the Trigonym sector. Vyridium Silvadi, Lord of the Fleet, who had routed the flotilla of Admiral Ko'uch and bombarded the Ravenguard for five days before they could retreat, unsupported, like the cowards they were. Even Koor Mass, encased now in the sleek shell of a dreadnought, its every surface decorated with flayed skin, had deigned to attend his master's audience.

There was one other who Sahaal noted amongst the menagerie, and he avoided that one's gaze, finding his countenance distasteful. Krieg Acerbus, youngest of the Haunter's captains, incalculably vast and swollen with pendants and gory souvenirs of his works, leant on the shaft of his great poweraxe and smiled with insolemn pleasure at his master's attention.

Sahaal ignored the giant's smirking features and concentrated instead upon his lord, resplendent upon a throne of obsidian and silver.

The Night Haunter paused to gather his thoughts, drawing his feathered cloak around him like a great crow folding its wings — and then he spoke.

He told them of his bitter crusade. He told them of his hate for the traitor-Emperor who had turned upon him without warning or honour, a hate that burned bright and uncfuenched, but as patient as time itself. He told them that they, his children, his dark warriors, his prefects of fear personified, were each worth a dozen of any loyalist Marine, with ''purity'' on their ignorant lips and devotion in their hollow, hypocritical souls.

He told them that they would have their revenge upon the withered god, and they cheered in the shadows of the writhing mausoleum and clashed their gauntlets against their breasts in joy.

And then he drew breath and told them he was going to die, and their joy crumbled like ash.

Lord of the Night part 2

[possiblyhereticalultramarine]

The Night Lord who had a Happy Ending

Zso Shaal was the Legion Master of the Night Lords before the arrival of Konrad Curze.

When the Heresy began Sahaal's loyalties lay with his primarch and so served him well throughout. Sahaal believed devoutly that the Emperor had betrayed Curze and his legion. Before the Night Haunter's death it is believed by Sahaal and others he was prepared to be his heir. When it was discovered that the assasin M'Shen had killed the Night Haunter, Zso Shaal immediately led a pursuit of the killer with the Corona Nox (a Night Lords artefact that was traditionally belonged to whoever was Lord of their Legion). However, he was caught in an ambush by the Eldar. It was here Sahaal and his ship was trapped in a warp storm that lasted 10,000 years.

Thanks to Zso Sahaal's Sus-an Membrane he did not die when the warp storm ensnared him. Instead, time passed and when Sahaal awoke, he discovered his ship had crashed into the world Equixus roughly 10,000 years into the future. Sahaal began his quest for the corona once more and began by killing the gang that had stolen this precious item. However, Sahaal was unlucky in that members of the Inquisition were investigating the world for heresy. His hunt made harder by the presence of the psyker Mita Ashyn within Inquisitor Kaustus's retinue and so Sahaal led the gangers to war throughout the hive on Equixus. Sahaal also continued to attempt to regain the corona and eventually signaled his brother legionnaires. He was, however, disappointed when upon the summons in his absence the legion forgot Konrad Curze's teachings of "Fear through focus" and discovered that the legion was now fear craving psychopaths led by the embodiment of corruption in his eyes.

The last known trace of Sahaal was of him exfiltrating Equixis' star system with Mita, with whom he had developed a personal bond of sorts in the aftermath.

@askkonradcurze 

[ladyalisette]

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category: F/M

Fandoms: Warhammer 40k (Novels) - Various Authors, Warhammer 40.000

Relationships: Mita Ashyn/Zso Sahaal, Mita Ashyn & Zso Sahaal

Characters: Mita Ashyn, Zso Sahaal

Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, graphic depictions of injuries, VIIIth Legion | Night Lords (Warhammer 40.000), Psykers (Warhammer 40.000), Slow Burn, not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing (soul-deep codependancy), updates weekly, You ever get to unwell about a pairing you go and write Volume 2? Yeah that's me, tags to be added as story progresses

Language: English

Summary:

He could still see the glimmer of the Corona through the smoke, the fireglow reflecting off metal and stone alike as his brothers set the hive alight. So close - the jump pack whined as he accelerated downwards, and somewhere by his ear the witch was screaming, sound lost to anyone else in the gale of their dive. -- Equixus is burning, but they survived. So far. They have the Corona Nox in their hands. For now. But they paid for it with the loss of every security they had before. No more familiar patterns, no more comfortable lies. They have to do this on their own now, relying on a stranger's skills. Fortunately, Mita Ashyn and Zso Sahaal have skills that work very, very well together and the same goal: Revenge on the Imperium that used them both.

Heyyy so i finished this fic and it's now slowly going up on ao3! Updates weekly except when I'm on vacation.

Edit: this time it actually included the link. Tumblr's such a functional website.

[like-tears-in-rain-storms]

Guys this is amazing!!!!! Go read it, peak quality canon-compliant NL goodness taking up straight from LotN's ending. 11/10

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Category: F/M

Fandoms: Warhammer 40k (Novels) - Various Authors, Warhammer 40.000

Relationships: Mita Ashyn/Zso Sahaal, Mita Ashyn & Zso Sahaal

Characters: Mita Ashyn, Zso Sahaal

Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, graphic depictions of injuries, VIIIth Legion | Night Lords (Warhammer 40.000), Psykers (Warhammer 40.000), Slow Burn, not romantic not platonic but a secret third thing (soul-deep codependancy), updates weekly, You ever get to unwell about a pairing you go and write Volume 2? Yeah that's me, tags to be added as story progresses

Language: English

Summary:

He could still see the glimmer of the Corona through the smoke, the fireglow reflecting off metal and stone alike as his brothers set the hive alight. So close - the jump pack whined as he accelerated downwards, and somewhere by his ear the witch was screaming, sound lost to anyone else in the gale of their dive. -- Equixus is burning, but they survived. So far. They have the Corona Nox in their hands. For now. But they paid for it with the loss of every security they had before. No more familiar patterns, no more comfortable lies. They have to do this on their own now, relying on a stranger's skills. Fortunately, Mita Ashyn and Zso Sahaal have skills that work very, very well together and the same goal: Revenge on the Imperium that used them both.

Heyyy so i finished this fic and it's now slowly going up on ao3! Updates weekly except when I'm on vacation.