LARPFEST

[DwarvenFood]

A

 

[Kayerts]

Ha, wow. For those who haven't figured it out, even with the giveaway, look at the "Epitaph" update:

Jeremiah’s council discussed if they should unleash whatever magics the Terminus Decree would summon; the Warmaster grew more tempted by the moment, seeing this siege as a pointless waste of his resources. Terra was just a ball of rock, but if he weakened his own army for long, they’d be overrun by the incoming tyranid swarm. The Lore Keeper was staunchly against it, arguing no one would ever recognize their legitimacy if they did not have the Golden Throne and that destroying Terra would mean breaking mankind apart and plunge it into another Age of Strife. The debates grew more heated by the hour.

This is notable as the last time Jeremiah is mentioned by name.

It was three days later when Doombreed’s message came through, the discussion already resolved by strength of arms.

Trial by combat, typical Chaotic way of deciding things. Nothing to see here!

The Warmaster acknowledged Doombreed's words, hearing a curse in reply.

He sounds mad! For some reason!

He put on a Tactical Dreadnought armour, his face covered by the black-on-black helm and his pauldrons bearing the Crux Terminatus. Fitting a master-crafted bolt pistol to his waist, he eschewed his traditional warhammer in favor of a pair of modified power swords, a prismatic haze of colour settling around their storm-fields.

Weird choice of weapons. Sounds like he's not quite himself.

The Traitor Twins stood beside the Warmaster. One wore dual pistols. the other, dual swords.

Could be coincidence!

“Even in death, I do not serve."

Inversion of the line from the dreadnoughts in DoW. Completely appropriate for the character, and kind of cool, but Jeremiah was never inside a dreadnought, so the reference doesn't totally work. Right?

...

I suppose theoretically Jeremiah could be elsewhere, ready to storm in and save the day, but it appears that a thousand years after their duel on Cadia, the Lorekeeper finally succeeded in killing the Reclusiarch. That's dedication.

So, choice-wise, we are no longer deciding for the uncompromising Scourge of God, but the Brokeeper, who is now the Bromaster. He should be more susceptible to this sort of offer--he isn't the one who's been running around the galaxy screaming "WAR IS GOD" for the last act--but I got to say, based on that pitch, Tzeentch is one hell of a bad salesman. He ignored the threats posed by Dragon, the Nightbringer, and our spiritual liege without a word, and he didn't address what alternative he offers for mankind, or even for Ignatius himself.

Without getting meta-gamey, we have no reason to believe Tzeentch has any understanding of the future to come, since we can be sure that the fateless C'tan will play a significant role in it, at least the next few hours of it. There's also a question of why Ignatius would sit on the Golden Throne at all. He was a Lorekeeper, not a Librarian, so he has no psychic power, and the throne's only use to him personally is as an uncomfortable chair.

I guess it's encouraging that Tzeentch agrees with Alpharius about us not dying against him, though.

 

[Jaedar]

That future does indeed look bleak

But not sure if lies. Also not sure if the alternative would be any better.

 

[Darth Roxor]

First thing, that was already mentioned, Brokeeper is no psyker. He can't sit on the Throne.

Second, it is a wayward essence of a generic daemon of Tzeentch (that is, he wasn't even named) that is trying to tell us it can see FOREVER, while not even Fateweaver could do that fully reliably. No, I think he's being full of shit.

 

[CappenVarra]

Curiouser and curiouser...

If your pauldrons weren’t so preposterously oversized

 

[Storyfag]

Flopping to A

 

[Kayerts]

Roxor: I think Ignatius's status as Tzeentch's vessel owes to some god-fallout embedded in him after Ahriman killed Tzeentch on Cadia. (His story about being exorcised by proximity to Ezekiel seems plausible. Curiously, there's a retconned-out bit of 40K background material about how being possessed by a greater daemon and exorcising it makes you immune to Chaos.) But I think it makes sense to view whatever just talked to him as more than your standard Lord of Change.

That said, Tzeentch in his full glory couldn't foresee Ahriman shivving him with a reforged phase blade, so there's no way this latter day knock-off should be able to make accurate predictions concerning the C'tan, their Necron hordes, or the pariah knights.

Slaughter:

Also, its just me or Tzeentch implied Khorne or some fraction of him is alive, or may be reborn?

The Dark Gods were born out of particularly strong emotional excesses; Root's continuity changed their back story a little, but I think that's basically intact. It's also been pointed out that declaring that war is god isn't much different from worshipping Khorne; Judge Holden and Kharn would probably get along pretty well. Or do whatever their equivalent of getting along was. Murder each other, I guess, but like respectfully. Anyway, a whole universe of humans living by the creed "WAR FOR THE WAR GOD" is probably going to see the reemergence of a Khorne-like deity.

B.) " In another future, I see the Winged Serpent without wings and the screams of the dying as their blood mixes with the metal of the undying, both bound to the same fate, for there can be no peace this side of the grave."

Winged Serpent is most likely the Dragon, as in the Swarmlord's vision; him being without wings suggests he's been denied ascension. The undying are the Necrons and/or the Grey Knights. The outcome here is uncertain; being "bound to the same fate" could really mean anything. Death, slavery, deliverance.

According to you, this is B. You're only half right here. The winged serpent without wings is The Dragon, denied his ascenssion, but the Metal of the Undying is the Necrodermis. I think the dying are the dead, the blood is actually the Warp, and the mixing is actually the Nightbringer dying as the warp rift expands into Mars. I have to admit, this played better than my Mars' Penisgun shooting plan. No peace this side of the grave sounds like the TOTAL WAR EVER AFTER FOREVER future Tzeentch showed us

Eh, I voted for this one partially because it seemed like the most ambiguous prediction, and the meaning still looks unclear. The Void Dragon is the strongest candidate for the winged serpent, and we've even seen the serpent + aquila motif before, but it could be the Swarmlord (most of the Imperium thinks he's the dragon of Revelation, and his hive fleet is named "Iblis") or even Tzeentch (his daemons had that retarded avian theme, and calling him a serpent doesn't seem like a stretch). Neither of these alternatives make sense if you assume the Winged Serpent from the Swarmlord's vision is the same as the one in Ahriman's, though.

The mixture of blood and metal of the undying sounds a lot like the Grey Knights, who will probably battle the Tyranids under one emperor or another. Your take is just as likely, though.

Ghosts: Necrontyr
Ancient Ruins: Necrontyr homeworld.
Promises of Liberation: Failed Necrontyr attempt at being free from the C'tan.
Old man and lithe white figure: Marius Hax and The Deceiver.
Blazing Sun: Interesting, another sun. It scorches here too. I think this is the original Emperor, but it might be AI version too. There's the possibility it is The Great God, too.
Winged Serpent: Void Dragon
Carved Gemstone: Machine God/AI Emperor. It "outshines" the original because it has more psionic power, for there is no more God in the warp
Hall of Mirrors: Infinity Circuits of the Craftworlds?
Trapped Souls: Souls of the Eldar?
Place where knowlodge went to die: Black Sands? The Warp?

The blazing sun definitely sounds like the Emperor as the Machine God, as consistent with Ahriman's third vision. The sun smiling at the serpent suggests the Emperor Machine's cooperation with the Dragon's goals, as the Malcador Mind outlined. Regarding the ghosts trying to drown the serpent: this was never spelled out, and maybe it's been obvious to everyone else, but my guess is that the Necron fleet that just showed up is under the control of the Nightbringer, not the Dragon, and it wasn't trying to protect Mars; that was an invasion.

The place where knowledge went to die is the Black Library (Iblis took a detour there between Calixis and Terra). I think the Hall of Mirrors and Trapped Souls can't be the Eldar, though; I think the Infinity Circuits of every craftworld merged with Khaine to power him up for his duel with Slaanesh, so presumably they're free in the warp. I'd guess the trapped souls are Necrontyr--maybe the Swarmlord wants to liberate them from the Necrons?

 

[Jaedar]

Flopping to A.

I too have received a vision of the future, and all I can say is:
Tzeentch>Khorne.

That is of course, unless this is a Just as Planned scenario, where Tzeentches defeat will somehow turn out to be a greater victory. Not to mention that Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment and Tzeentch was first born when mankind felt hope.

Do not let the galaxy burn.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I also have the silly feeling that this is basically a choice between Tzeentch and Khorne (ETERNAL WAR!1), but I still think it's but a weak knock-off of Tzeentch that can't see shit of the future, so I stay by B and wait for the inevitable Just As Planned.

 

[Azael]

Just as planned! Now we just need to hear that Creed somehow survived all this and is secretly pulling some sort of strategic masterpiece behind all of our backs.

As for Ahriman's vision with the blazing sun, didn't root pretty much confirm that it was the Hivemind that he referenced, a light that creates equal amounts of life that it takes?

Hmm, Tzeentsch is indeed cooler than Khorne and if following Doombreed has meant that all we've done is created another incarnation of him, than that's bad. Of course, Khorne at least has some sense of honor which Tzeentsch lacks.

What the hell, flipflopping is the core of this game.


A

 

[CappenVarra]

funny you should mention that, since the original ending was

‘I’ve bested you, hive tyrant. Look around you; my mightiest dreadknights have crushed your hive fleet to a pulp. The entire populace looks on in awe as I destroy a monster out of legend. Their spirits soar high for they know I am their liege! Where is your hivemind now?’

The Swarmlord stood amidst the corpses of countless Grey Knights and tyranids alike, facing the unscathed Emperor alone. Though the swarm was able to hold off the rest of the Grey Knights from storm into the Throne Room, it knew it was a matter of time until they were overwhelmed by the pariah warriors and utterly destroyed. But here, outside of their null-auras reach, he felt a small voice at the back of his mind, starting to assume control. The Swarmlord floated a few feet above the ground and crackled with energy as its eyes turned golden and its flesh black.

‘In my talons, I shape clay, crafting life forms as I please. If I wish, I can smash it all. Around me is a burgeoning empire of flesh. From my mind, lines of power careen into the skies of the universe. My whims will become lightning bolts that raze the mounds of humanity. Out of the chaos, they will run and whimper, praying for me to end their tedious anarchy. Join. Die. I am your genetic destiny.’

The Emperor had no time to answer before the prow of the Planet Killer crashed through the Imperial Palace’s vaulted ceiling and pinned the Emperor in place, his necrodermis punctured beyone repair. The Swarmlord rose with some difficulty from the pile of tyranid corpses around it and limped towards the Golden Throne, where the Emperor’s form was trying to reassert itself, wings and talons growing and disappearing from its surface. It spoke feebly:

‘How…to strike with such precision…a starship’s prow through my heart…only a tactical genius could...’ The Dragon suddenly noticed, in its death throes, the gleaming treads, the smoky haze above the Swarmlord’s cannon, the dull grey of its plating…It was a Leman Russ Demolisher! The battletank fired, obliterating whatever was left of the Emperor atop the Golden Throne.

A large, heavyset man with a scar running through his left eye jumped down from the crashed battle-barge, landing with the sound of a thousand Basilisk Earthsakers being fired simultaneously; discarding the power armour he wore as the Custodian, he looked down at the Dragon’s remains and said:

‘Well, it seems your death’ The man lit a cigar and continued ‘Will leave a void.’

:clap:

 

[Kayerts]

As for Ahriman's vision with the blazing sun, didn't root pretty much confirm that it was the Hivemind that he referenced, a light that creates equal amounts of life that it takes?

Hm, I didn't see Root confirm it. That probably makes more sense than the sun being the Emperor, though, especially if it's the same sun as in the Swarmlord's vision. (I originally thought the sun was the Outsider, for what it's worth.)

The thing is, I don't see how any of our actions except for popping the scroll could have led to the Hivemind's supremacy. The bugs die in any scenario where the Grey Knights aren't annihilated.

Anyway, I think the people who've been saying this is a choice between Tzeentch vs. Khorne / some Khornelike successor deity are probably right. Here's a candidate successor taking up the appropriate weapon, by the way:

Doombreed was motionless, warpstuff creeping over his body as he clutched a discarded axe from one of the fallen warriors.

Tzeentch's vision itself shouldn't be taken at face value, since he probably can't see the future that well and would be trying to manipulate us even if he could. The good news is that regardless of what we pick, it sounds like humanity survives and is free from the Void Dragon. (Unless siding with Tzeentch has awkward unforeseen consequences, e.g. it pisses off Ahriman to such an extent that he sits out the rest of the war, leaving VD free to correct Malygris's tampering and transcend.) I think this choice determines whether Change or War becomes the guiding principle of mankind following the demise of the False Emperor.

Khorne is honorable but not very creative. Tzeentch is a prick, but constant flux is at least interesting. Jeremiah would reject Tzeentch; his whole character motivation came from seeking judgment, which eternal jihad offers. But Ignatius was always more of a pragmatist.



What the hell, flopping to chAnge we can't believe in.

 

[Ulminati]

I count, chronologically

B Jaedar
B Darth Roxor
B skubhundaku
B Ulminati
A Johnny the mule
B Crooked Bee
B Yaar Podsnik butthurt
B Kayerts
A Kz3r0
A Hoodoo
B azael
A Grotsnik
B unspeakable horror
B Crazyloon
A Cappenverra
B Azira
A Dwarvenfood
A Storyfag
A Jaedar flopping
A Azael flopping
A Brazilian slaughter

B = 9
A= 10

So yeah, faggot choice wins. Codex officially has no testicles.

 

[Unspeakable Horror]

Indeed.

 

[Azael]

Just as planned

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Ulminati, you lazy git, you have misspelled my name.

 

[Ulminati]

Fixed

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

At first I , but then I .

Anyway, you flip-floppers suck. I just hope that root will show us the other ending eventually.

 

[Crooked Bee]

A has won? Lolz.

 

[Johnny the Mule]

yeS YESSS LET THE WARPSTUFF FLOW THROUGH YOUR BUTTHOLES

IT HURTS NO MORE^!!!!

 

[Esquilax]

Fuck this shit. I vote B for BRO. Tied now, muthafuckas!!!

 

[Ulminati]

 

[MonkeyHead]

B, as it must, be?

 

[Johnny the Mule]

So, if someone with a low post count would happen to vote A now, would there be any complaints?

 

[Darth Roxor]

Flip-flopping faggots