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In Progress Emperor of Nothing [40k CYOA]

LogOS

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THE FOOL



Roboute Guilliman, Primarch of the 13th Legion, Lord of Ultramar, stands before the Golden Throne.

“They call you God-Emperor.”

The smell of ozone permeated the vast chamber. Its origin was the hideous contraption at the center, a thing of glistening coils and rusted metal, pockmarked surfaces covered in greenish-brown ichor as though sweating from scabrous pores. Etched golden plates were attached seemingly at random, and they too seemed corrupted by the general decay, their luster a sickly yellow that hinted at rot and fungus underneath.

YES.

The Primarch gasped and nearly fell to his knees when the answer came. It was not voice or subtle thought, but a bodily intrusion, a reverberation of bones and sinews and organs, their function momentarily usurped to convey meaning, leaving in its wake utter revulsion. He looked up, steadying himself, and saw that the figure that answered was not so much sitting upon as inserted into the device, an integral part of its obscene function. Averting his eyes, he asked:

“And you have allowed this?”

No answer came, and he sensed the foolishness of the question, the obvious answer. How could the Emperor not have allowed it? How could any thing, any thought, any action take place in the world of Man that was without the consent of His terrible majesty? The Primarch felt raw power oozing uncontrolled from the Golden Throne and the Occupant, a savagery of intent and purpose that he had never felt from the being he had once called Father. A terrible thought occurred to him.

“Are you truly alive? Is it you I see before me, or do you speak from some other place?”

THE QUESTION IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE.

“Nevertheless, I ask clarification.”

THIS MECHANISM IS A FULCRUM OF OBJECTIVE PERSPECTIVES. WE ENCOMPASS MANY REALITIES.

Guilliman considers this for a moment as he fights down the nausea he did not think possible in a gene-fashioned primarch.

“They tell me you have not spoken in ten thousand years. Why grant me an audience?”

WE MAKE YOU BETTER SERVE YOUR FUNCTION.

It seemed to Guilliman that the majestatic plural was no affectation but bald fact. The Occupant's responses came from countless points of view, an infinitude of human voices drawn from the sheath of the species. Was this a result of the Hollow Mountain? Or some deeper artifice, a wellspring of genetic memory already present and concealed ten thousand years ago? There was a stink here, a hidden purpose.

"Which function?”

THE QUESTION IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE.

“You give me answers yet evade the questions. You hint of knowable futures and unknowable realities. Do you now don the mantle of Prophet as well as King?”

WE ARE CLOTHED IN THE GARMENTS LAID UPON OUR FEET.

Guilliman nods, wondering at the depths of meaning and emotion carried by this voice. Does double meaning and metaphor conceal bitterness, an indication that his Maker is not wholly lost? Or is language here wielded as weapon, meaning enslaved to cold machine-logic, its purpose demanded by the continuation of this soulless Imperium? The Primarch thinks back on the sights he has seen on his way to Terra, the obscenities witnessed.

“I have seen…”

Thinking on how to best word his accusation, the Lord of Ultramar hesitates, only to realize the futility of it: his mind can no more hide secrets from Him-On-Terra than can Guilliman hide his reflection from a mirror, thoughts as yet unformed already dissected, analyzed and rebutted. He plunges on, a kind of all-too-human recklessness taking over.

“I have seen repulsive things in this new Imperium of yours. Everywhere is terror soothed by superstition and answered by despair. To be a human now is to live in one of the cruelest, bloodiest regimes ever wrought. Technology and science are tools of degradation, progress and understanding chimeras to impede cowards on their way to endless war. What peace for mankind among the stars, O Emperor? I see only an eternity of carnage.”

NECESSITY BEGETS EXPEDIENCY.

“And expediency begets atrocity?”

The Lord of Ultramar knows he goes too far, that he risks annihilation, for this Holy Monster brooks no discord. Guilliman understands the nature of the Long War, the sacrifices in the sake of a greater good. He knows there is virtue even in this darkest hour, that despite the degradation and despair humanity’s spirit has not been broken. Yet he cannot help but be revolted by the means of Man’s survival and its dread zealotry. The Primarch stands before his Demiurge and chooses to judge Him. To inherit sin is a terrible thing. He plunges on:

“We have lost Cadia, and the Eye of Terror has bloomed into a chancre festering across human space, seeping corruption. I mean to undertake a second Great Crusade, to retake and pacify as many worlds as I am able, and offer some measure of succour to those beyond my reach. Will you support me in this?”

YOU SEEK RESUMPTION.

“I seek redemption."

YOU ARE DEATH. REDEMPTION IS NOT FOR YOU TO FIND.


The mystical import of these words is not lost on Guilliman, the Arcana laid across his gene-memory. For the first time he wonders about the banality of the Occupant. Are all men fled from His soul so that only Man remains?

“But it is for me to seek.”

Mankind stretched, pawn in the Great Game. The Primarch XIII knows he is the Emperor’s Fury and the descent of angels. He is death.

But he is not Judgment.


You are Roboute Guilliman, The Thirteenth, Death on the Emperor’s Tarot. You are the last Primarch in this Fallen Imperium. The Cicatrix Maledicta has spread across the galaxy and the Thirteenth Black Crusade rages on. The irony of this last number is not lost on you. It falls upon you to guide mankind on the path you believe true.


A) The Golden Path, the prescient vision ascribed to the God-Emperor after His interment. The weak can fall into rot and ruin, only those who carry the traits necessary for the species' survival and psychic ascendancy are desirable.


B) The Middle Path, the path of morality within the trenches. You will protect all that can be saved, and consign to damnation all that is too far from the Emperor's light. Lives are the Emperor's currency; they can be spent, never wasted.


C) The Path of Heaven, the path of heroes. The Human Spirit is a repository of violence and virtue in equal parts, only the warrior-poets of ancient myth can thrive and effect change, and only the virtuous merit salvation.


D) The Path Of Man, ordained by the biblos of a forsaken era: The Path where every life is a deserving soul, and every movement of man's will is a reflection of Heaven. Passion is its own reward. To be human is to be humane; to sacrifice that is to become the Enemy.


E) The Path of Fate, the Path Indeterminate: All that will be already was, terror and grace exist in equal measure and only for their own sake. Mankind is past evolution and lacks only the maturity to make a choice: Prey or predator?


F) The Path Boundless, the path of unshakeable belief. The God-Emperor has mastered the Empyrean so that Man may master the Materium. Humanity must expand ever outward, removing all who would thwart it. To be victorious is the only proof for the righteous.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

muckguppy

Prophet
Joined
Jan 1, 2011
Messages
198
Yeah i'm with E, wait how's this going to work. Is this a common thing? Drat, I thought I'd be the first to do an RPGcodex choose your own adventure.

I expect a 130 page epic with 80 possible deaths and 5 endings.
 

Jokzore

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 18, 2017
Messages
623
I wish we still had buttons so I may brand you a heretic.

The God Emperor is incapable of speech, or letting his will be known in any way. He's been suffering each day for 10 000 years watching as everything he has built and loved slowly decay and wither away. Yet he still clings to life because he believes in Mankind. His sacrifice is unending. His wisdom infinite. His light will guide us on the path to salvation.

THE EMPRAH PROTECTS!
 

Andnjord

Arcane
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
3,496
Location
The Eye of Terror
C

I've got Root vibes too....
Is this a common thing? Drat, I thought I'd be the first to do an RPGcodex choose your own adventure.
We've had plenty of them in the past, including from this Root fellow who might or might be the same person as LoGos

I expect a 130 page epic with 80 possible deaths and 5 endings.
Nah, It will be abandoned on page 3.
 

Neanderthal

Arcane
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
3,626
Location
Granbretan
F) Purge the Xenos: When the galaxy is genetically pure, and mankind master of all they survey, then a path can be chosen. While a single enemy of the Emperor lives, there can be no peace. Faith, fury and zeal brothers.
 
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
1,854,387
Location
Belém do Pará, Império do Brasil
WWRGD?

Funny, are you in my head? I was thinking a similar CYOA, but I knew I lacked the WH40k lore level to write it.

Root? Is it you? I thought you died.

Anyway, its Dark Imperium time. Time to make Abbadon eat his own arms.

I'm not sure I want to do what I would feel is right, or what I feel Roboute Guilliman thinks is right.
All in all, a very philosophical start.

Ok, from what I know, Roboute is one of the most humane Primarchs. Not just that, he's one of the Primarchs that simply grox normal humans and politics the better. Possibly because he probably had the closest to a normal life any Primarch ever had. Roboute is also an epic organizer. He is idealistic, but also pragmatic. But his kindness and his other virtues are tempered by pragmatism. Theoretical. Practical. Theoretical. Practical.

Alright, I'm going to try and think like Roboute Guilliman.


A) The Golden Path, the prescient vision pre-ordained by the God-Emperor. Let humankind fall away to rot and ruin, and fortify only the core worlds which carry the virtues necessary for the species. Dorn, Horus and Perturabo ascribed to such an ideal.


Theoretical: Fortifying the core worlds allow us to focus on the worlds that matter, letting the useless worlds die in order to preserve the core of human civilization. The enemies arrayed against us are too great to try and fight at all points. Maximum focus of forces, but we consign trillions to die.
Practical: Our two worst enemies (Tyrannids, Chaos) feed on people. Letting them feed and feast on our worlds allows them to build up in strength to punch through our inner worlds.

Theoretical: The Golden Path was a good plan, only technical brought it to ruin.
Practical: It was a plan built upon lies and deception, and dependent on a certain many parts that needed only the appropriate manipulation to fail and explode.

Theoretical: We need to get rid of our warp dependency.
Practical: Cawl is testing pylon-tech. We lack the neccessary pieces for re-starting the Webway Project.

B) The Middling Path, the path of morality within the trenches. You will protect all that can be saved, and consign to damnation all that is too far from the Emperor's light. The Lion, Magnus and Ferrus believed in it.

Theoretical: We need to defend what we can defend.
Practical: We can't defend everything.

Theoretical: If we don't defend, our enemies will feed upon it.
Practical: They will use it against us.

Theoretical: We can trade space for time.
Practical: We lost that luxury when the Rift defacto severed off half of the Imperium.

C) The Path of Heaven: The Human Spirit is a repository of violence and virtue in equal parts, only the warrior-poets will survive. You will fortify the worlds best suited to a new Golden Age of Humanity, with their population made up of heroes and sages. Fulgrim, Russ and Jagathai believed in this path.

Theoretical: We need heroes, not average men.
Practical: Average men built up the Imperium.

Not a fan of this option.

D) The Path Of Man, ordained by the biblos of a forsaken era: The Path where every life is a deserving soul, and every movement of man's will is a movement of Heaven. Vulkan, Lorgar and Angron are its champions.

Theoretical: Man is the Highest Standard.
Practical: Men are just cogs in the machine of the Imperium.

This path seems to be quite humanistic, but the "heaven" part worries me. A more compassionate Imperial Creed? Even if its better, do we want a more powerful Imperial Cult?

E) The Path of Fate, the Path Indeterminate: All that will be already was, terror and virtue exist only for their own sakes. Mankind is past evolution and lacks only the maturity to make a choice: Light or dark? Curze, Corax and Alpharius follow this path.

The Emperor considered present humanity merely its current state, the future of humanity was

Also, I do not like giving up the chance to make our own fate, when our enemy includes its Architect.
Sides, fate is even less determined now, since Guilliman returned.
 
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
1,854,387
Location
Belém do Pará, Império do Brasil
I'm choosing B)

It is idealistic yet practical. So, Guillimanesque.

Remember - this ain't early M41 anymore. The Imperium cannot afford to trade space for time. We need to save what we can save, and use it to muster our efforts.
I would prefer fortifying, but Guilliman is not the best Primarch for this (we're not Dorn), and I don't believe that works when two of our worst enemies (Chaos, Tyrannids) feeds upon people.
 
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,832
My interpretation:

E) The Path of Fate, the Path Indeterminate: All that will be already was, terror and virtue exist only for their own sakes. Mankind is past evolution and lacks only the maturity to make a choice: Light or dark? Curze, Corax and Alpharius follow this path.

The Emperor considered present humanity merely its current state, the future of humanity was

Also, I do not like giving up the chance to make our own fate, when our enemy includes its Architect.
Sides, fate is even less determined now, since Guilliman returned.

Not much to give up when we never had this "chance" in the first place. Rebellion is a yoke by another name. Guilliman's return changes nothing - fate governs that which was and is and will be, not that which is merely possible. All that will be already was. If we believe him, The Emperor, having grasped the "fulcrum of objective" which "perceives all possible realities," reached a kind of omniscience outside of time itself and used this eternal awareness to craft a thousandfold plan that would see his goal through, whatever the cost. This is the Golden Path.

Yet is the Emperor's goal our goal? In grasping the Objective, the Emperor would have turned into something other than what he once was. Something that could very well be as devastating to humanity as the terrors of the Warp.

I say we abandon slavish morality and take a brave step into the darkness.

Meanwhile, middling path reads to me like the most boring and fruitless position, in particular because it tries to strike a balance between expedience and morality. Those who attempt to accomplish both oft end up failing either. The Emperor seems to call these middling paths "resumption" and I don't think he is merely referring to the repeat of failed Imperial military policy. I think that, having grasped the Objective, he understands that the Warp returns eternally and knows the folly of these lesser ordeals, for otherwise he would have undertook them.

I say we either follow the God-King's plan to the T (or the A, as the case may be) or chase rape and revelation as per E, and as above I am much more inclined towards E.

All that being said, I am rather disappointed that this scene didn't end with Robot Gullyman being roughly sodomized by his inhuman mentor as it occurred in the source material.
 

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