Constantin Valdor - Understanding 40K Lore (Adeptus Custodes) Ft Sean Michael Moreno

foreign to Fashion a future to enjoy it be part of it [Music] only in [Music] [Music] foreign s of a single will we are adjuncts we are orbitals we are the periphery of the immortal not its heart there are no bystanders in the war of life and death no place the battle cannot reach so fight it without remorse or relenting for death we'll surely do the same you are the bringer of the new age you are the warden of the old you are the Destroyer you are the preserver in the Grim dark future there is only War a dark tide of war and xenos Horrors plague every corner of the Galaxy the light of humanity touches the Imperium of mankind over a million worlds trillions of people cradled in the hands of a rotting Empire a dying dream of an age of myth filled with zealotry corruption and death an Empire whose Foundation was built by a triumvirate a master a sorcerer and a warrior Constantine valdo Shield of the emperor the chief custodian the captain general of the legiones custodies a man whose true character remained a mystery even into those close to the heart of the Imperium of man who lies behind the personification of the perfect Soldier how does one become the embodiment of the emperor of Mankind's will his Story begins in the 30th Millennium Terror the birthplace of humanity home to a billion stories and an Untold number of Lies lived to gaze upon it only the imagery of Sorrow would be reflected back a monument to our sins and failures as a Barren Wasteland is All That Remains the scars of old night of the age of strife where Humanity's spanning Federation collapsed due to war and violent warped hides thousands upon thousands of Worlds under the Dominion of mankind imploded into Shadows of their former selves Terror a rotten Place divide into warring Realms who battled over scraps and utilized technology of a golden era lost to mythology a child would be born into this Bleak World perhaps he had parents that loved him that truth would remain a memory lost in what was to come for a man nay a being had traveled vast distances armies had crossed continents just for this singular child he would be claimed a figure of primordial power utterly human and yet so above it the Emperor of mankind was at his great potential was it simply faked or was it the elimination of a future rival the truth would never be verbalized in the hands of this ancient being a psycho without equal this child was put through a process that others would only speculate the truth off the child was reforged on the molecular level every atom and fiber of his being tailored in a genetic manipulation that blurred the boundaries of science and art he began to grow faster taller smarter and stronger leagues above a mortal man psycho-conditioning followed him at every stage like a compass every thought every decision every achievement pointed north towards one being the Emperor of mankind Humanity needed to be ruled if it was to be protected from the horrors of the Galaxy and from itself it was a vision with a singular being at its heart the Arbiter of that future or the species and it would be this boy who would be charged with protecting him and in turn that vision any memories or identity of who the boy was and where he had come from were purged in this gradual apotheosis the being that emerged was a tailored thing a man Constantin valdo whether he was the first attempt or simply the first success he would never know for the truth of the events were only revealed to him if necessary you are the bringer of the new age you are the warden of the old you are the Destroyer you are the preserver if Humanity was to be with a rising ape met the falling angel Constantine valada was meant to be something greater he's enhanced enormous frame was flooded with information battle Doctrine philosophy knowledge encompassing all theaters in and outside of War valdo's mind was as much a weapon as any blade or the muscle in his enhanced form for as one of the emperor's perfect soldiers he would have to protect his King in numerous theaters of War his memory was perfect finding himself at the moment of his Awakening he would remember everything from that moment on with utterly perfect clarity his growth was not something maintained at a distance and his forging to his education saw the Personal Touch of the emperor of mankind they spoke they confided and counseled each other the emperor was a master and mental with his strength and power he would be the bringer of a new age a road fraught with war and conflict that required a worry of unparalleled skill the warden of the old the Emperor of mankind a being Millennia old who had seen Humanity suffer its mistakes sought to bring its previous Collective wisdom into this age of ignorance and darkness you are the Destroyer you are the preserver valdo was meant to protect the singular being guiding the dream of the species he was to be the destroyer of that dream's enemies it's a preserver in the Millennia to come strength power knowledge guidance all coalescing into one man as Constantine grew into adulthood he was a result of the hand crafting of the emperor he was utterly unique he was different for Constantine his perception of the Mortal man must have made him feel like an outsider he was human and yet in the ways in which we Define our Humanity he did not fit so neatly into that category emotional pain anger hatred love all were kept in check by a mind handcrafted for Duty and servitude to him base Humanity must have felt chaotic we are all often slaves to our own emotions Kicking and Screaming against an apathetic world for Constantine he found it difficult to connect to understand the irrationality of mankind only validating the emperor's statements that the species must be ruled to save us from ourselves emerging fully formed and a being leagues above a mortal man Constantine valdo stood alongside his Emperor and malkadore the sigilite the emperor's most trusted advisor within the Himalayan Mountains a triumvirate that began the preparations for the expansion of this new Imperium of mankind decades passed and the Imperium expanded others followed the same path as Constantine elevated through the mysterious process and changed them into superhumans a handful turned into dozens and then hundreds a force of bodyguards so Elite that they would never be bested in battle Defenders of the old world and the preservers of the new they were the Emperors custodians inside the emperor's Fortress the gates were thrown open the secret work of thousands of geneticists Engineers administrators and soldiers was unleashed the time to unite Terror had begun Constantine and the emperor's armies rolled out and so the unification Wars had begun rise Minister the voice was too low too resonant to be human nor did it convey anything in the way of human emotion a statues could speak they would speak with this Assassin's voice you know that if I am here you are already dead thing we'll change that now she sat up slowly though she refused to slacken her grip on the gun listen she said to the golden shape in the darkness negotiation is equally futile futa the killer assured her but as he's begging that set off a spark within her she filled her features hard and as her temper ignited her courage I wasn't going to beg she said her voice cold my apologies done the figure made no move what of my guards you know what I am gojizu to die alone over your the inevitable and I will leave this Palace only after killing everyone resides within it my son the thought welder bleeding hot and Savage my son she said the words aloud before she could help herself is of an age to serve kojizu's hand trembled as it gripped the gun no she said and how she loathed herself for the shaking her voice he's only four please no not the legions he's too young for the legions there are other Fates man her eyes were adjusting even as her blood ran cold in the Half Light of the hours before Dawn she could make out the ornate overlapping edges of his burnished armor the suit of golden plate emanated a low thrum the source of the mechanical purr in his hands was a long spear lowered to aim at her affixed above the weapon's arm length blade was the bulky chassis of a bolt gun claddin reinforced while work none of this surprised her what surprised her was that the killer stood unhelmed showing her face it had once been human I've never seen one of you like this I wasn't even sure you had faces now you know otherwise kojizu watched the Assassin tilted his head slightly hearing the whisper of his Priceless mechanics in the color of his golden armor though his towering form was scaled up whatever genetic meddling his martyr had performed to enhance the brute's intellect and physicality no Gene weaving could hide his roots he had been human once and I'll be in Heritage perhaps going by his features beneath the weathered flesh and Battle Scars may I at least know the name of my killer he hesitated and she dared to believe she'd caught him with an unexpected question yet his dark eyes never wavened my name is Constantine valdor Constantine she repeated slowly a schooling in Old Earth's mythology had been extensive and she often hearkened back to Old Tales a Legends in her speeches all the better to inspire the teeming masses of Godless hopeless Drake who served her now the minister found herself smiling no matter that her son was to be stolen away to a fate of genetic torment no matter that her death was a mere breath away she smiled a mad woman's smile all teeth and wide eyes I am to be killed by a man with an ancient king's name if you have any last words I will ensure they reach the emperor's ears kojizu's lip code Emperor how I loathe that title he is the ruler of this world and master of our species no title is more appropriate she bared her teeth in an expression too ugly and defined to be a smile have you ever considered just what kind of creature you serve yes the dark eye stared on have you master of mankind she shook her head feeling the welcome flare of righteousness he isn't even human Minister Zoo The Golden Warrior made a warning of her name one she didn't heed does he even breathe tell me that custodian have you ever heard him breathe he is a relic left over from the Dark Age a weapon left out of its box now running rampant valdo blinked once the first time she'd seen him blink so far the rare human movement was unnerving to her it felt false like it had no right taking place upon his statuesque features Terror world she knew then with those words she knew which of her many crimes she was to die for the one she had least expected a laugh queasy and unwanted tore itself from her throat oh you vile slave she said unable to keep the sick grin from her face other worlds suffer a similar thirst the golden Killer's eyes had glossed over with an inhuman Serenity made all the more uncomfortable by the living intelligence shining behind it yet none of them hold the war scarred a radiated honor of being Mankind's cradle world is the Beating Heart of the great Crusade Minister do you know how many men women and children now make their slow way back here to to first home do you know how many pilgrims wish only to see the ancestral Earth with their own eyes how many refugees flee their flawed and failing worlds now the veil of old night has been lifted already it is said unsettled land on the throne world is the most valuable commodity in our nascent Imperium but this is not so one resource far more precious she clutched the auto pistol tighter as he spoke breathing slowly and calmly even knowing she was to die even knowing she had no hope of drawing the weapon the body was reluctant to surrender its survival instincts Instinct demanded she fights to live what I did I did for my people and die you did for them he said without malice for that alone for that alone your other treacheries are meaningless in my Master's eyes your cleansing pilgrims your trade and forbidden flesh the army of Gene work detritus you have sequestered in the bunkers beneath the Germanic steps the prospect of your rebellion was never a threat to the Pax imperialis your crimes of apostasy on nothing you're dying for the sin of your Harvester machines drinking the last ocean for stealing water she felt like laughing again and The Sensation wasn't a pleasant one the laughter was creeping up through her blood seeking a release all of this be because I stole water pleases me that you understand the situation Minister Zoo he inclined his head once more with a curious courtesy and another subtle power of machine muscles goodbye wait what if my son what is his fate he will be armed with silver armored and gold and burdened by the weight of ultimate expectation is Zoo swallowed feeling her skin crawl and new will he live the golden statue nodded if he is strong in that moment her tremble subsided the fear bled away leaving only naked Defiance somewhere between relief and hope she closed her eyes then he will live she said there was a bang throaty and concussive and she was falling drowning choking in Thunder foreign marched across the wastelands of Terror seeing conflict upon every fractured continent he and his fellow custodians in the beginning were clad in the best equipment the burgeoning Empire could find it began in steel and Leathers some were lucky enough to equip ancient powered armor scavenge from their enemy Constantine standing side by side with the emperor and the Chosen Few were often outnumbered outgunned by horrific armies of mutants corrupted zealots of dark faiths or regimented militias and mercenary groups but it was irrelevant no war was unwinnable for he was leading them Constantine's belief was absolute they were Unstoppable with dust and Ash under his feet Constantine slew a countless number of enemies each of them utterly overwhelmed by the strength and speed barely perceptible to their fragile mortal Minds it was like a black hole of Fate all possible Futures leading to one Event Horizon death each Victory saw the imperium's territory and numbers expand each piece of equipment each infrastructure and administration was built in tandem a rapid rate of expansion that bloomed over Terror Constantine saw the transformation in front of him as after each conflict his armor became ceramite his Rivals became Proto bolters until finally the Guardians of the emperor donned brilliant gold aurumite powered armor Constantine and the custodians involved the imagery the genetic crafting represented they were symbols as well as Warriors evidence of this imperium's impending Golden Age Constantine and many other custodians such as Sagittarius jessarik Amon and aquilon led growing armies of mortal men but they were not alone in the category of Gene altered Soldiers the Thunder Warriors superhuman men created with a meshing or specialized vat grown organs and stimulants poured into adolescence stronger faster and larger than their mortal counterparts but where Constantine and his custodian brothers were a hand crafted cell-coded piece of art these warriors were crude mass-produced stock a brutal tidal force that worked as a stampeding mob of Bolter and sword Constantine saw them fight he led them upon the field and in those moments the contrast became apparent in the infamous conflict with the priest king mullard sen and his Fanatics under the weight of a bone-chilling freeze he would never forget Constantine the emperor and 30 custodians alongside thousands of Thunder Warriors and Mortal men crashed against his outnumbering Force face to face with the leader of the Thunder Warriors ushitan donned the Primark unleash a Slaughter and raid sent shockwaves of alarm through Constantine the frenzy the crackle of joy as a blood street from the Primark and his Thunder Warriors they exuded a Vigor and Rapture Constantine had never experienced in his disciplined mind it was alien unbridled and chaotic orders fell upon deaf ears unable to tear The Butchers away from their meat the unification War upon Terror was Bloody decades upon Decades of conflict and diplomacy that brought the Imperium to the furthest Corners it was a conquest under the personal hand the triumvirate many had fallen at the hands of Constantine not least many of the ruling tyrants and despots such as Minister KOJA zoo with a voice and tone that Drew dread from the darkest corners of the human psyche Constantine had come to put down this obstacle to culture Zoo Constantine was barely human how could any be that large that imposing it was frightening even to her a warlord who had seen and done nightmarish things even him blinking seemed alien as if he had done the motion to put her at ease to assure her he was human her actions so far had been inconsequential all her crimes her sins were nothing for all her schemes were powerless against the growing Imperium except for one that affected the heart the throne world she had evaporated the last ocean she had stolen water she mocked him for the absurdity but for a mind so focused upon the dreams of his King there was nothing absurd in dealing with all threats no matter how little perhaps he no longer had the capacity for absurdity there are no bystanders in the war of life and death no place that battle cannot reach so fight it without remorse or relenting kojizu asked what would become of her son Constantine told her that he would serve the Imperium the resource would not be wasted she asked if he would survive only if he is strong as the fear and panic left coach's Zoo Constantine dealt the blow feeling absolutely nothing Constantine took the late warlord's son and he was offered up and transformed into something greater just as he was a warrior who'd become the custodian raw and dimion the lingering thoughts remained have you ever considered just what kind of creature you serve the master of mankind is he human have you ever seen him breathe he is a relic left over from the Dark Age a weapon left out of its box now running rampant yes he knew Constantine knew in a way that the emperor was not human he was the first custodian he was privy to more of the emperor's knowledge plans and true feelings and the part of his master that were kept secret were for season it was not his place nor in his capacity to question with the unification of Terror complete after Decades of War all opponents by the destroyed or integrated work began on the next stage Constantine was as much as administrator as soldier as plans and Foundations were drafted and created for structures designed to Encompass a civilization much larger and more powerful than all of terror's current might combined the Imperium was stretched to the Stars the dream of mankind the destination where hope and caution merged but to Constantine the emperor and malkador that war required a new breed of soldier men who could be diplomats as well as Warriors a force rigorous and disciplined enough to survive the dangers of void space a war that had no place for the brutality mentality and genetically unstable Thunder Warriors Constantine had seen numerous times this savagery up close a brutal force that was just good enough to unite Terror but not the Galaxy upon the slopes of Mount Ararat thousands of Thunder Warriors met their end a glorious last battle would be the truth the history books would remember a massacre I drew the attention of one of the high Lords Of Terror Grand pravors Marshall a warmer Candor wire something had happened off the books in the dark the connotations were frightening what was Constantin the emperor capable of and what force was strong enough to eliminate the hulking Warriors of thunder I don't much like them either valdor admitted punching his Gauntlet through the helm face of an imperial Guardsman before rounding an already stricken Thunder Warrior but they are here nonetheless you should I think have seen them coming snorted driving his blade through a second Angel and flinging its twitching body aside we always knew something was up he never made us stupid or maybe he did Trooper to have gone along with it for so long he was staggering into range now battering his way towards valdo with his habitual blunt force doggedness for all that the Primark had taken damage these angels weren't like the powered armored prey he'd cut down so contemptuously before each one had landed a blow before the end cumulatively they would have got him eventually like wolves dragging down a bear not that valdor would have allowed it to happen that way you had no choice valdost said now fighting his way into the primark's presence spinning imperilously on his heel to dispatch the last of his bodyguards all around the true principles the fighting raged unchecked though the remorseless Mart of the gray-clad Angels was now breaking the back of the enemy counter Advance none of us did you almost sound like you regret that usatan said lumbering right at him his blade held in that distinctive rigid two-handed style don't tell me you're having second thoughts their weapons crashed Together For the First Time sword Edge grazing against Spear tip and the kinetic release flattened a dozen fighters in all directions then they were driving savagely into one another slashing parrying hacking testing I regret nothing valdo said pushing the Thunder Warrior back with a single spine jarring thrust only because you can't remember how usatan laughed pushing back hard for all his decrepitude all his battle damage he was still a furnace of energy raging against the fading light still I always wondered what it would be like to fight you valdo smashed a pauldron away ripping a metal from its shackles and exposing blood-laced flesh he followed up with a jab that would have taken the primark's head off had he not jerked it back at the last moment many people have wondered Faldo remarked battering him back another few Paces so they tell me uchitan was spitting Blood by then his shoulders dropping his blade worker never let up though and kept on pressing kept on blocking we all did now I guess he spat trying to shoot another Grim smile it comes for us all in the end hammering back putting all his strength into a sudden push that checked the apollonian spear for a moment and held it locked in a snarling mesh of electric overflow their faces came close for the first time a blank mask of pure gold and a brutish pig iron Helm Grill I always knew you would outlive us because I saw what you did to all the others angels will fight for you now but one day they'll realize the truth about you they'll see you coming for them too late to stop it we're all dispensable every one of us that he made for these Wars all but you felgol threw off the deadlock hat back at him piling strength onto strength he could feel abundance flowing through his sinews filling him with a familiar cold martial Perfection already he could perceive the end to this encounter it's possible outcomes narrowing swiftly now pisslessly shrinking down to the singularity of another Conquest I am nothing he counted finding that he uttered the words with more vehement than he'd intended an instrument decide when its function is performed and what function is that do you even know or are you just playing along with this hoping it becomes obvious later on valdo saw the Gap then the weary slip of lactic acid heavy arms and pounced spinning the spear and Lancing it dead straight uchitan tried to Parry and almost got there but the strike was just too atom perfect and the Blazing spear Point crashed through the primark's breastplate shoving him backwards usatan roared grabbing the hilt of valdor's weapon and trying to wretch himself free of it but by now the disrupted charge was spilling across him tearing up what remained of his battle plate and shearing into the skin below faldor cast him down using the spears leverage to slam him to the snow piled ground the impact was shut entering sending a shock wave dancing across the terrain and snapping uchatan's spine gray clad Angels coolly Advanced around them both past the kill site driving the last of the Primos ragtag Army back towards the ridge leaving burning vehicle shells and freezing corpses in their wake valdor extinguishes Spears disruptor and knelt besides his victim as he did so he withdrew a long knife from his belt when ushitan saw that he coughed out a final dry laugh the messy stroke okay he rasped his face transfixed with Agony up close the black veins are fermenting poisons were visible on his Exposed Skin the last integrity you always were a miserable bastard valdor placed the tip of the knife over ushitan's heart fresh snow was falling around them turned brown and Flaky by bird promethium I meant what I said Lord Primark one of our finest commanders and these new toys of yours lead them now they have their own commanders no they're lost all the better for you then the island was right you can't bear rivals was not my doing yeah it wasn't spasmed hacking up oily blood you know I know you were at Mullen said and I said I pity you I meant it I'm not trying to goad you I really do pity you Faldo remained motionless for a moment his hands on the grip of the knife I lived Captain General it was short and it was painful but by the nine Hells I lived I'd rather have it that way than yours no joy no hate no fear unbreakable without growth Immortal without passion as valdo reigned himself to apply downward pressure hit a sudden vision of a far or future State spun out of reality into the cold Halls of an Undiscovered time with a Galaxy itself was darkened by strife and whole world were cast into flame where wonders and Madness had been unlocked and now screamed their way through the arch of reality were the foundations of physics creased beneath the ravaging scuzzle of nightmarish unreason and he was still there still unchanged still cold and pure and steadfast and unable to fill anything but the ubiquitous press of unending responsibility what he's left for you Constantine breathed blood bubbling up beneath his bird lips what more can he take from you has it already thought or Drew in a long breath and then plunge the knife in ending the primark's agony for a moment he did nothing else his head bowed the storm exhausting itself around him and caught in the land of the film of pale drifting Gray then slowly he withdrew the blade he said very softly nothing at all [Music] all our strength our will has the power to shape worlds yet it is kept in Chuck restrained by our beliefs our doubt everyone is made up by the events of their past and it forms walls around one's Spirit or breaks such walls down the Mind makes some powerless and gives strength to others because we are not ready to give up our ties or codes we surrender ourselves slaves to teachings and belief that is why belief will always rule you to truly believe in an ideal you must be willing to betray it to not to follow it so dogmatically that is the lesson of strength alone valdo stood staring down the remnants of the Thunder Warriors led by Usha tan and Grand Provost Marshal a woman candle wire in Alliance with the geneticist Amma astarti they stood against what the Imperium was becoming fighting for accountability democracy they knew that plans had been made generals to replace the Old One's accountable only to the emperor and they had to stop it Constantine told Candor and ushitan that there were no new generals but there were new armies behind the Constantine silhouetted in the driving muck of the ice storm where the snow and hail screamed and the Frozen Earth cracked ten thousand Helm lenses suddenly ignited then began began to advance the adeptus astartes genetically altered super soldiers created with the meshing of specialized organs and pumped with stimulants faster stronger and more disciplined than a mortal man and yet far more genetically stable than the Thunder Warriors armed with the imperium's finest armors and weapons this new breed of super soldier was Unleashed upon utitan and his remaining Brothers the Thunder warriors were like lions Primal strength tearing and breaking the wash of a start he's flowing through their ranks but one by one they were torn down these new men hunted like wolves bring down the larger and stronger beasts in front of them as a group Constantine with every slash and stab with his spear reaped death his precision and skill were utterly perfect perceiving in mid melee minute drops in speed due to lactic acid build up he was moving fast enough that the Thunder Warriors couldn't even register his movements or parries the gap between Constantine and ushitan closed spear met two-handed Sword and the melee so brutal so mind-numbingly fast and to Bear witness to it vibrations would Cascade through your weak mortal form utitan taunted Constantin trying to punch through both his physical and emotional walls but it was fruitless I am nothing Constantine's life his thoughts his feelings were utterly unimportant the two superhumans clashed and struck fighting at the Pinnacle of human martial prowess but it was not enough for the Primark of the Thunder Warriors Constantine rammed his spear through his enemy driving him to the ground as a loss of the Thunder warriors were cut down around them with the snow falling Anusha Tan's black blood spilling he railed against Constantine one last time telling him I pitied you I meant it I'm not trying to goad you I really do pity you I lived Captain General it was short and it was painful but by the nine Hells I lived I'd rather have it that way than yours no joy no hate no fear unbreakable without growth Immortal without passion what more can he take from you that he hasn't already the ma mind makes some powerless and give strength to others because we are not ready to give up our ties or codes we surrender ourselves we become slaves to teachings and belief that is why belief will always rule you to truly believe in an ideal you must be willing to portray it Constantine a man with no ego no passion it had been purged in the elevation the emperor had done to him he was the epitome of control an emotional state of neutral had he ever felt the Roar of Rage excitement or joy in his blood like ushitan had he ever cried felt love or true happiness how much of his Humanity had the emperor taken and yet with the one thing he was left with Duty did he really believe in it could he make that choice could he like a warmer Candor wire choose to believe in the Imperium could he like her be willing to betray it was he a creature of power or strength did he ever make any fundamental choices in his own life did the emperor alter him because he feared a rival one who had the strength to make choices in the ashes of Victory Constantine reflected on the slain Primark of the Thunder Warriors a man he confessed he did like but the duty remained and his death was necessary for the future of the Imperium a warmer Candor wire was left alone the dreams of a diplomatic Imperium fading with the opposition that could do nothing the genetic Laboratories in Duality have been sabotaged by Omar astarti disgusted with how far the emperor had gone and was seemingly willing to go a fruitless scheme counteracted by the imperium's own copies of the research and materials the operation for the production of this Army was to be taken from the hundreds to the thousands to then the hundreds of thousands Constantine did not like these astartes too much imperfection in them they were too human he had been there decades ago during their creation when he had borne witness to one of the imperium's greatest failures deep in the imperium's innermost sanctums under layers of protection thought to be so Ironclad lay the new generals Forge the war in the stars the Primark project 20 specimens created from the emperor's own genetic material with a foundation of an army that would conquer the Galaxy but they were lost a tear into the warp opened within their gestation chamber ripping the capsules from their ceramite foundations Constantine and Amar astarti had Rush within recovering as much research and material as they could with the Emperor of mankind utilizing his enormous psychic might to hold the collapsing roof as Constantine in Amar rushed the loss of these new primarks these generals was insurmountable the truth behind their loss was only known to the emperor malcador and Constantine a secret kept even from Constantine's custodian Brothers chaos within the war the immaterial the reflective realm of Rippling psychic emotions some foul an evil stirred four dark entities eldris Horrors that called themselves gods embodiments of Humanity's were first Tendencies their very existence was only a supportive claim to the idea that Humanity must be United together lest the influence of these foul Gods corrupt and warp us with the trial by fire of the adeptice astartes created from the surviving material of the Primark project Constantine declared that the Imperium was truly born the palace was now secure all it needs now is a throne a symbol and a weapon a resource that would guide the Imperium through the warp a Golden Throne with a preparation underway Constantine heard the news from malcador that planted a seed of caution the Emperor of mankind had felt his primark's presence out there in the galaxy immediately Constantine's mind went to threat evaluation what if these primarks have been painted could they ever trust these superhumans raised without the guidance and conditioning of the Imperium perhaps they should be destroyed but most troubling of all the emperor had called them his sons it was like commuting with a star all-powerful brilliant so far above the existence of all others Constantine knew exactly what the emperor was what he had seen and what he had done and what he intended to do but it caught him off guard when this Timeless god-like creature expressed Humanity Sons they were meant to be weapons told Constantine it was not often but there were periods where the emperor seemed more connected to his Humanity something Constantine accepted but did not understand but his regimented mind did not have the space to question Constantine's caution his distrust would only heighten in the events to come in an interaction white from all Imperial records Constantine noticed some suspicious activity taking place within the Imperial Palace he and the custodians were the Pinnacle of discipline exhibiting a caution and concentration so absolute that any threat to the emperor was met by Guardian Spear and death in the imperium's Royal Courtyard the emperor descended down in a Thunderhawk to the surface but an imperfection an error was caught as Geral doe had failed to respond the deeply coded language voxed into silence atop an angled roof overlooking the landing pad a figure lay in watch a threat dawned in the custodian's own golden auramite armor Constantine launched himself at this imposter the golden thunderstorm his personal apollonian spear lashing with tongues of lightning despite his size despite the bulk of his armor he moved as smoothly as a dancer along the narrow Ridge he was the emperor's greatest champion terror's mightiest Warrior and Peerless in combat a jewel broke out the two enormous figures match each other blow for blow something too fast for the Mortal eye to see a contest that was broken apart just as quickly as it has started as Market all the sugilite told them both to stand down Constantine asked this Intruder who he was the large superhuman responded I am alfarious one of the primarks done in the armor and personal weapon of his fellow custodian garudo only geraldo's death would have allowed this alfarious access to his equipment each custodian was a genetic Masterpiece a work of science and art each one of them the emperor's finest who accumulated names as they achieved and accomplished in the emperor's name Constantine himself had achieved nearly 2 000 names each etched onto the inside of his own custodian armor the loss of Garrow doe a loyal servant of the emperor was a magnanimous loss and yet here he stood Constantine's first interaction with a Primark in the armor of a murdered brother interrogating this alfarious he revealed his purpose for his actions to expose a weakness in the security of the Imperial Palace a protection that needed to be impregnable in any amount of sacrifice in the name of the emperor's protection was worth spilling though that did not mean he liked it Constantine understood that Gyarados death may have been necessary he accepted it but he was not devoid of all emotion and still felt Kindred for his custodian Brothers alfarious went further saying that Constantine could not think like an enemy of the emperor his mind was forged with unbreakable loyalty he could never choose to portray the emperor even in thought a weakness their enemies could exploit it'll be that weakness it'll be this attitude to war treating it like a dark game that led Constantine to develop a way to fortify the palace from threats of that nature creating the blood games a contest poisoning the emperor's own custodies against each other in a contest to reach the inner sanctums of the palace the lesson had been important as well as for the fact that this Primark alfarious had the potential to think like an enemy something that only stoked the caution of Constantine after centuries of work Origins armored in steel and leather to brilliant auromite gold Constantine stood at the side of the emperor Terror had been unified 20 Legions of the adeptides created and an alliance with the mechanicum of Mars The Vision was coming to fruition the Emperor of mankind declared the birth the great Crusade enormous armadas launched from Terror venturing into the cold void of space to conquer the Galaxy at the emperor's side concertin began to battle upon countless worlds facing horrifying xenos and non-compliant colonies of mankind like ink in water the boundaries of the Imperium spread a die cast over millions and then billions and then billions upon billions and then after a decade of a war upon the world of cathonia a crime ridden under Hive they found him Horus lupacal number 16. a Primark a reunion that became a rally cry to the Imperium as the first openly acknowledged Primark had been found with a Primark reunited with his Legion his Sons Constantine finally began to understand why why the emperor had forged such terrifying beings walls collapsed under the onslaught of a genius Primark like mine the effect they had on others to be in their very presence made people weep as the decades rolled past more and more of them were found treated like long-lost Sons there were some he respected one such as rogel Dawn who in their first Jewel together Constantine emerged Victorious centuries of skill paired against the innate strength and speed of a Primark but never again did Dawn lose these creatures learned fast as the Imperium spread further and further across the Galaxy the Imperium of mankind grew transforming Terror into a bustling Administration Hub something that over time Drew more of the attention of Constantine at the primarks and their Legions spread out conquering leaving the cleanup and the real compliance to others decades upon Decades of War Constantine and the custodians fought alongside their emperor in achieving compliance across the Galaxy the dream the Grand Vision at the imperium's heart was within grasp the emperor decide that the great Crusade was stable and the next great work upon Terror would begin on the world of all in all cleansed the filthy xenos the Orcs a grand Triumph was prepared billions of astrum militarum regiments numerous astartes Legions and their Primark stood in parade Constantine stood at the side of the Emperor as billions wept at the Majesty of such a perfect being Constantine saw his King that his attention was required upon Terror and that there would be a new head of the great Crusade the war Master Horus lupacal the 16th the first found and favored son a new era had begun with Constantine following his Emperor back to the throne world the place of his birth and his transformation inside the innermost sanctums of the Imperial Palace deep below the incredible technological Masterpiece that was The Golden Throne the work escalated crafted in the time lost to history by a species long forgotten a shimmering dis disorientating vertigo inducing tear into another realm was open the web way the mirror Dimension Highway the grand plan the future of the species lie ahead but fate is never so kind [Music] faldor was among them his long cloak whipping in the ash blown wind more than 60 custodians of the Legion plus hundreds of support troops a regular auxiliary units were gathering for the push North the captain General looked almost Untouched by combat his armor was close to pristine giving off a reflective Aura under prospero's blackening Skies his apollonian spear seed with energy wrapping the golden shaft and a Corona of false sunlight he moved in the way he always did before battle proud confident measured Simone is bowed as he drew close Grim labor for stories faldor said indeed Lord now that I see this place he had been intending to say that he wished to see it utterly destroyed he he had seen sorcery of a scale and depravity he had never witnessed before but he never got the chance the land raided jotted in close gunmetal gray adorned with blood red decorations of writhing serpents it was the first of more than 20 such troop carriers driven insanely far through the rubble and kicked it up like a ship throwed a bow wave for a moment simonis never even saw Lehman Russ he had certain expectations of primarks that they Marsh on foot at the head of their armies issuing orders in clear voices like his own Master he did not expect them to ride into war hanging off the back of a personal transport one-handed a swinging a damn sword around like a berserk Constantine Ross Cried Out throwing himself from the still racing land Raider and crunching heavily to the ground his Blade the one imperial Scholars called Bale Knight but one which the wars themselves called myana gleaned with malignant silver white spitefulness the wolf King marched up to the captain General held swinging about him other Warriors jumped down from the skidding land Raiders the ringyar Terminators bearing axes and frostblades the liberally bloodied armor hung with fur scraps and Bone totems valdo waited for him flanked by his own Honor Guard the custodians were taller than their counterparts and no doubt more accomplished in some of the finer Arts of combat but there was something in the varungias latent Menace bleeding from them with every swaggered move that chilled the blood what took you so damn long Russ demanded Hawking up a goblet of spittle and loosing it on the ground he went helmetless the only one of them there who did a statement of arrogant confidence that struck samonus as borderline crazed we've been killing witches without your sisters to blunt their fangs valdor stiffened a little it was your wish to engage first Lord he said true Russ laughed there was a strange light in those Bastille eyes simonis thought he looked half mad true but you took your time when the order came order no living man gave the captain General an order save the one who had created him our Landings are completed valdor said calmly we advance on all fronts and the Knight Commander's sisterhoods are deploying throughout the city Ross growled low in his throat a sound that made simonis's spine tingle this will throttle them now this will crush them hell's eyes I have learned to hate these bastards but still here includes me is he even on this world asked vowed or doubtfully we have detected nothing Ross dropped a valid all then he was a little shorter much broader his armor stained and smeared where Val doors was pristine oh yes he hissed smiling a disconcertingly feral manner I can smell him now I can smell him hunkering down in his own filth fearful of me valdo remained unmoved even now I would see him taken to Terror if it could be done I would wish to know why Russ laughed a coarse bark that sent more spittles flying into valdo's faceplate you're still clinging to that ha he turned away swinging his great blade casually I've known since I first saw this world that we would face one another I did not come here for prisoners Constantine if my father had truly wished for such he would not have sent me you were not were not Russ glance back at valdo a Sly smile on his fanged face oh that's it is it he laughed again you have the power of magisterium and wish to cling to it Ross paced back to him again he was always moving Restless like a tempest bound up inside the Sham form of a man don't try to invoke The Lex with me you claim to speak to my father but you're not his blood are you not like we are that's what really gets you isn't it you're his instruments he toss you aside in an instant if he cared to we though we we're family Ross gave out a great belly laugh then amused by the idea you'll never understand that Faldo didn't reply for an instant seemingly genuinely non-plussed there are so many errors there he said eventually I don't even know but a reply never came fresh mortar blast boomed at the end of the Avenue the land Raiders gunned their smoggy engines and the graft tanks swung round to Target new markers in the far distance where one of the many Great Pyramids slumped in burning ruin and the clouds deepened towards Inky Vortex the enemy was moving they stir Russ roared joyously running back to the land Raider and leaping onto his chassis the walls were crying out battle chance slowing their blades against their armor and slathering for Action once more try to keep up Constantine you'll have to get your armor dirty sooner or later and then the column powered up and thundered down the shattered Avenue followed by looping packs of gray hunters and whole contingents of bound auxilia simonis watched them go the aquilon guard remained static around London the helm faces magnificently blank is he in his right mind Lord he ventured looking up at valdo inquiringly valdor didn't respond immediately he washed the Wolves race into battle wooping and hollering it was impossible to gauge what he thought behind that ornate mass of oromite and Cerulean Primark said finally a single withering expletive that sounded as close to a curse as the captain general of the 10 000 would ever get understand Faldo said staring at the distant Russ and speaking slowly and deliberately sure [Music] for him what is it with them all where did they get this monstrous Pride more flagstones cracked and Simone has heard the sighing Creak of breaking stone there was no sign at the Primark of the Thousand Suns now only the endless Bellows of his assassin he lurched over to valda Across the tilting Flags daring to reach out to pull him back from the edge but at last the captain General turned away as a debris of a world demise blew about them in a furious edisis he finally reached up to remove his Helm it came loose with a hiss and valdo inhaled the first unfiltered air of doomed Prospero the captain General was Furious never before had someone to witness such raw anger on that normally implacable face they are The Architects of this valdost said speaking to storm all of them he turned to look at his throne it could [Music] being born two centuries of war the great Crusade had expanded far and now the Imperium encompassed billions upon billions of humans but a rift had begun to form a festering wound that had finally spilled into a question a decision that needed the approval of only the emperor the use of psychic powers within the legionones as parties two sides have been drawn up the pro psychers Magnus the red sanguineous and jagatai Khan versus the anti-psychers Lehman Ross and mortarion and in part corvus corax and roguel Dawn others refusing to take aside the grand debate for the future of those who manipulated the powers of the war was overseeing by the most powerful user of that art the EMP horror of mankind and at his side stood Constantin valdo no judge but a loyal Guardian Constantine himself did not feel strongly for either side he had seen the misuse and danger of this power during the unification Wars against the vile self-declared priest king mullard sen the connection to the war that realm of Madness left him cautious of the influence of the great enemy the gods of chaos that had wrote the primarks from the palace centuries ago and yet his Lord his King was a psycho Constantine had seen his Emperor wield his abilities for the good of the Imperium he knew the value of astropaths and Navigators whose existence and Powers were vital to the survival of the Imperium keeping an Empire's Logistics alive with their very connection to the the war the Council of nicaea had begun each side presenting their case with passion but all turned into disaster but the revelation of the Primark magnus's hubris he had delved too far he and his Legion were unstable burned like a hand too close to the flame as they were walking the path of those who had brought about the horrors of old night the age of collapse from mankind whose scars were felt upon every world in the Galaxy a time of rampant uncontrolled psychic nightmare Constantine saw the matter put to a close as the emperor declared the Banning of psychic powers within the astartes legions a decision whose consequences would Ripple across the Galaxy with Constantine and the emperor returning back to Terror the great work continued the web boy portal beneath Terror had been opened its winding Roots conquered and claimed under the banner of the Imperium it was an alien place it's shifting Misty walls it's accurate smell and The Echoes of ghosts haunting the shadows and periphery of eyesight Constantine alongside the custodies and members of the adeptus mechanicus quickly garrisoned a long ruined eldari City its inhabitants long dead to an age almost lost her time but the seeming path of Victory turns to Ash in the imperium's mouth as after years of building these foundations it all came tumbling down at the side of his emperor Constantine saw this figure of raw hot psychic flame burst through the web way all the way to the steps of The Golden Throne itself the psychic Wards the emperor himself had placed shattered it the figure with one baleful eye exhibited a startling Panic as Constantine and his brothers began to fire upon it their shell was passing through The Apparition the palace began to shake an equipment exploded taking an Untold number of lives the figure in psychic fire looks to the emperor and in those eyes that has seen countless Suns and civilizations die he answered him Magnus the panicked miserable Primark answered father behind the projection of Magnus a tide of laughing Unholy vile sounds rushed like a tide Constantine the custodies and the emperor charged the demons magnus's breaking of the psychic Wards of the emperor had doomed Terror the web way was under assault and the immaterium tried to flood in only stabilized by the emperor's might Magnus had broken the Edict of nicaea but most importantly he had broken the dream for the species the emperor for all of Constantine's life had remained controlled his displays of humanity waxing and waning over periods we would call lifetimes but his Fury was obvious the center of Magnus was ordered immediately and a contingent of custodies ancestors of Silence led by Constantine were sent to Aid as space wars Legion the Thousand Sun's arrivals in the seizure of Magnus to stand trial upon Terror arriving within the prosperine system Constantine was United with the Primark Lehman Russ the enormous figure Drew up close boisterous and Lively just like how he had been the two had met near two centuries ago if Constantine was the warrior carved in marble unmoving and stoic Lehman Ross was the animated living thing that Drew All Eyes upon Him Lehman and Constantine both weapons forged by the emperor's personal hand yet where one exemplified order the other was Freedom Constantin despite his cautions liked the wolf King even if at times their Nature's mixed like oil and water you claim to speak for my father but you are not his blood are you not like we are that's what really gets you isn't it you're his instruments he toss you aside in an instant if he cared to we though we we're family Constantine was an instrument something he had told USA tan long ago he was to be cast aside when he was no longer needed but the idea that Lehman and all of his brothers believed themselves to be family with a man so far above mortal connections puzzled him was this part of the emperor's manipulation a way to keep his tools loyal or a display of his rare Humanity slipping through Constantine was bonded to Lehman Russ in a way he was not with the other primarks the apollonian spear one of a pair alongside the dionysian spear gifted to Russ both forged by the emperor's hand in the age of strife the apollonian spear was gifted to Constantin at his Ascension to the role of Chief custodian each foe struck down by the blade their very Soul their core being would flash through Constantine's mind in an instant each conflict where thousands upon thousands died at his hand he left feeling like he knew every one of them KOJA Zoo ushitan corrupted Terran zealots zenos all laid a bear before him it was a gift from his Lord an augury into other lives that kept the threads of his own Humanity together he was a man despite his transformation his Humanity was too precious to lose to indifference as a force of the Imperium were set to loose themselves upon the Thousand Sons new orders had come in from the war Master the Judgment had been changed to Annihilation the planet burned and the walls of Fenris roared as the custodies marched billions of lives were lost and each thousand sun such as full sister car Constantine cut down he saw their treachery their Gene flaws he saw them become monsters in his own mind mutated beyond recognition 30 a start he stood against him each gifted with prescience but still they fell single-handedly to the unbelievable strength of Constantine the hubris of Magnus had brought him here and at the moment of Victory the wolf King Victorious and his Jewel were the Crimson King they vanished the Thousand Sons were gone and in the ashes of a world on fire amongst the fegaliers and hubris of another Primark Constantine came the closest in his entire life to anger they are The Architects of this their monstrous Pride they could have been prevented yet when the hour came we merely watched them being born man ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed or if you merely offend them they take vengeance but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that Vengeance cannot be feared the Battle of Prospero had ended in disaster their objective failed returning back to Terror Constantine heard the news that would change the fate of the Imperium forever the war Master Horus has declared open Rebellion alongside the Emperor's Children death guard and World eater Legions open rebellion was now alive and like a malicious disease that would wash across the various worlds of the Imperium Constantine could find it in his fellow custodian he had been there when Horus Lupa Cal had been discovered by the emperor he had watched him seen him learn and grow into command of his Legion he had seen him be crowned War Master at the Triumph of Illinois he knew the hidden Pride that lay Beneath The Humble mask he pondered on the idea of a building resentment fostered outside of the emperor's influence but it did not add up it was not enough to fuel a rebellion perhaps something had driven him to it the Imperium was in shock lions were being drawn up and sides chosen the realization of horus's betrayal had called into question the burning of Prospero billions had died and a legion had been destroyed on the false orders of the war Master Horus Constantine had seen their corruption the genetic faults were rupture through the Thousand Suns as they delved too deeply into their psychic powers but the fact that their destruction was architected by a traitor pained Constantine with the return of the Primark roguel Dawn to Terror preparations for defense and retribution was enacted with much of the emperor's attention drawn to the web boy under assault underneath the Imperial Palace the war and the material was left to Dawn and Constantine seven Legions were sent to bring these traitors to heal to rip them out of their hole in the world of istfan 5. Constantine had always been cautious of the legiones and startis he found those feelings more and more reinforced when the further disastrous news reached the throne world the night Lords iron Warriors wordbearers and Alpha Legion had turned upon their allies three loyalist Legions had been decimated their primarks missing the Battle of isvan Phi one of the bloodiest most mind-numbing cacophonous battle sent the Imperium into disarray Constantine and Dawn began to lock down Terror and the Soul Sister system preparing for the battle now that would inevitably come to their doorstep Constantine knew the capabilities of Horus his first meeting with a Primark alfarious of the alpha Legion had taught him a lesson he needed to put himself within a traitor's mind to understand them to understand how to fight like them Terror already under the washful Gaze of the custodians blurred the line into a surveillance State the probability of spies for the war master lurked in the shadows many people and worlds have been forcibly complied into the Imperium sphere and there were plenty who had no love for the emperor the Galaxy began to burn as the traitor's forters began to spread out like dark fingers shadowing worlds under their vile grasp the Imperium was falling apart as various warp storms began to cut off whole sectors making communique impossible it was becoming clear that there was something more to this Rebellion just as Constantine had suspected there was a dark benefactor to the war Masters actions Whispers of vile rituals Human Sacrifice creatures of nightmare that did not seem like xenos the great enemy the gods of chaos the secret known only to the triumvirate of the emperor malcador the sigilites and Constantine valdo but now the secret was out and the fury of many such as Dawn was ferocious to be kept in the dark against such dangers they had prosecuted a war the great crusade in the name of the Imperial truth bringing Humanity across the stars out of the darkness away from the ignorance of mysticism and the enslavement to belief and yet there were creatures in the war entities that called themselves gods creatures had answered the prayers of the desperate and cruel the truth had become evident to the emperor malcador and Constantine that this was a war for the species for its very Soul a war against enemies that would use every foul trick in the book Constantine began to take the steps necessary to fight that wall within a dark corner on terror Constantine draped in Rose and hiding his identity made his way into one of the imperium's most inner sanctums there he met with perhaps the most dangerous men and women within the Imperium the officio assassinorum chemically and genetically altered Killers crafted and armed with technology beyond the reach of most within the Imperium an order who had operated directly under the emperor a necessary tool for some enemies could not be with appearing before the assassinorum council it was Constantine who became the architect of a plan to deal with their enemy a United task force from all sub-schools of the order working in tandem on one target Horus Lupa cow men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed for if you merely offend them they take Vengeance but if you injure them greatly that they are unable to retaliate so that the injury done to a man or to be such that Vengeance cannot be feared Horus needed to die Emperor's son or not he was a threat to his master what some would consider cowardly others might call expedient Constantine's movements have not gone unnoticed by the praetorian of Terror Primark rogal Dawn he confronted him clearly disturbed by the secrecy and the implication of this hidden order's use Constantine deflected and lied he was used to the lies he had Hidden Truths from candle wire just like now he was lying to Dawn lies did not offend him because he trusted that if he was not told then he did not need to know an utter acceptance that bristled against Dawn he was preparing a mighty defense against forces he was told was a lie the protection of the emperor was Constantine's goal and he would employ any method he would utterly destroy his master's enemies so that the consequences done ought to be such that Vengeance could not be feared Dawn pushed back against cons and that your first remit is to safeguard the life of the emperor of mankind Above All Else mine and that of my brothers is a safeguard the Imperium Constantine responded that the two are the same to Constantine the Imperium was the emperor the singular Vision at its heart he could not imagine an existence without him did he fight for the man or the dream was he even capable of Defending Humanity from the emperor which would he let die first the species or the master the tension between these two demi-god-like figures never went away as Dawn left with a distasteful feeling any feelings of Shame any wavering of morality that would run through our minds never entered the rigid egoless Temple of Constantine as he left Terror in preparation for the assassination of the traitor Horus lupacal would you Dawn's Fury was palpable crackling in the air around him I'm sure my father is capable of defending himself and tell me Captain general what kind of Victory exists in a war like the one you would have us fight he jested at the room around them a war fought from hidden places under cover of falsehood innocent lives wasted in the name of dubious tactics underhanded clandestine conflicts fueled by secrets and lies for a moment vardel half expected the Imperial fist to rip up the table between them just so he could strike at the custodian but then like a tidal wave drawing back into the ocean Dawn's anger seemed to subside valdo knew better though the Primark was the master of his own Fury turning it inward turning it to Stoney unbreakable purpose this war Dawn went on sparing malcadora glance is a fight not just for the material for the worlds and for the hearts of men we are in a battle for ideals at stake are the very best of the imperium's ultimate principles values of Pride nobility honor and fealty how can a veiled killer understand the meaning of such words valdol felt malcolo's eyes on him and the tension in him seemed to dissipate at once he felt a cold sensation of conviction rise in his thoughts and he matched the Imperial fist gaze answering his challenge no one in this room more as intimately as you have my Lord and so surely it is you who must understand better than any one of us that this war cannot be a clean and Gallant one we fight a battle like no other in human history we fight for the future can you imagine what might have come to pass if Kell and the rest of the execution Force had not been present on dagane if this creature spear had been reunited with the rebel forces he would have attempted to complete his mission come to Terror to enter the sphere of The Emperor's power and engage his murder gift said sire Alexis he would never have got that far insisted servanus he would have been found and killed surely the sigilite or the emperor himself would have sent such an Abomination and crushed it are you certain valid or pressed Horus many allies Allah some of them closer than we wish to admit spear could have reached terra made his attack even a failure to make the kill a wounding even he trailed off suddenly appalled by the Grim possibility he was describing such a psychic attack would have caused incredible to Stone said nothing for a moment it seemed as if the Primark was sharing the same terrible nightmare that danced in the custodian's thoughts of his lead Lord mostly wounded by a lethal enemy clinging to fading life while the Imperial Palace was a raging Inferno all around him valdor found his voice once more your brother will beat us Lord Dorn he will win this war unless we match him below for blow we cannot we must not be afraid to make the difficult choices the hardest decisions Horus Looper called will not hesitate to I am not Horus Dawn snarled the words striking the custodian like a physical blow and I will enough the single utterance was a lightning bolt captured in a crystal shattering everything around it silencing them all with an Unstoppable immeasurable force of will Robo Dawn turned to the sound of that voice as every man woman and astartes in the chamber sank to their knees each of them instinctively knowing who had uttered it the sigilite was the last to do so shooting a final unreadable look at the Primark of the Imperial fists before he too took to a show of obedience the question escaped Dawn's lips father the darkness the great curtains of shadow that had filled the furthest corners of the chamber now became lighter the walls and floor grew more distinct by the moment as the unnatural Gloom faded he blinked strange how he had looked directly into that place and seen it but without really seeing it at all it had been in plain sight for everyone in the room even he and yet none of them had registered the strangeness of it now from the black came light a figure stood there effortlessly dominating the space his Patrician features marred by a mix of turbulent emotions that gave even the mightiest Imperial fist a second pause the Emperor of Mankind's wore no armor no finery or dress uniform only a simple surplus of gray cloth threaded with subtle lines of purple and gold silk and yet he was still magnificent to behold perhaps he had been listening to them all along yet it seemed to be a Defiance of the laws of nature that being so Majestic so lit with power could stand in a room among men authorities and the greatest mortal cycle would ever live and be as a ghost but then he was the emperor and to all questions that was sufficient answer his father came towards him a robot Dawn bowed deeply at length joining the others that had bended the knee before the master of mankind the emperor did not speak instead he strolled across the shrouds to the tall Windows where the sail cloth draped hung with like frozen cataracts of Shadow with a flick of his great hands Dawn's father took a fist of the cloth and snatched it away the hanging tore free and tumbled to the floor he walked the perimeter of the room ripping away every last cover until the chamber was flooded with a bright honey yellow Luminosity of the Himalayan and saw the golden Raiden striking his father it gathered its brightness to him as if it were an Embrace for an instant the sunlight was like a sheath of glowing armor about him then the Primark blinked and the moment passed no more Shadows said the emperor his words were gentle summoning and all the faces in the room turns to look upon him he placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder as he passed him by and then repeated the gesture with validor no more veils he beckoned them all to stand and as one they obeyed and yet in his presence each of them felt as if they were still at his feet his Aura towered over them filling the emotions of the room Dawn received and Nod as did valdo my Noble son my loyal Guardian I hear both your words and I know that there is right in each of you we cannot lose sight of what we are and what we aspire to be but we cannot forget that we Face the greatest enemy and the darkest challenge in the depths of his father's eyes Dawn saw something no one else could have perceived so transient and fleeting it barely registered he saw sorrow deep and unending and his heart ate with an empathy only a son could know the emperor reached out a hand and gestured towards the dawn as it Rose to fill the room around them it is time to bring you into the light has been my quiet blade for too long an Open Sea principikov but no longer such a weapon cannot exist forever in the shadows answerable to No One it must be seen to be governed there must be no doubt of the Integrity behind every deed every blow landed every choice made or else we count or not his gaze turn to Dawn and he nodded slowly to his son because of this I am certain in the war to come every weapon in the Arsenal of the Imperium will be called to bear [Music] foreign they think of that as the exercise of power and do not blame them they are creatures of power built to dominate but they are wrong term is older than that it is the interpretation of the truth discovered through communion with the source we are interpreters of it not Masters we are slaves to it that is our first lesson all others are secondary all other attempts had failed intervened and halted by the vile first chaplain of the word bearers Erebus his dark patrons had whispered things into his ear leading each Imperial assassin to find themselves slain even by their own tools assembling a team of the most deadly creatures that defied the confines of the word human Constantine LED them to their target destination on dagonet the mission taking some of them to the darkest and most rotten places Upon This World Constantine even finding his ship shot down by a bunch of junk Hunters unarmored staring down at the end of a barrel however he noticed something off in the distance and with a voice that Rumble from the core of an enormous being he declared my name is Constantin valdo Captain General the legio custodies and I hold the power of the emperor's displeasure in my hand death death was handed out at the fingertips of Constantine's hand the miscreants exploding into mist and meet at the hands of horrifying assassins the plan continued the target was in sight stepping down from the land speeder they struck eliminating him only to find themselves duped a body double the plan had failed in regards to except one detail spear a nightmarish creature a horrific melding of a psychic blank and the corruption of chaos one drop of The Emperor's blood was the ingredient needed for an assassination plotted by the vile first chaplain Erebus Horus lived but the anomalous threat was expunged in the attempted regicide upon Terror Constantine met with the ruling assassinorum Council the disapproval of local Dawn was apparent this way of war was dishonorable I sinned on the Imperium that they were fighting for but Constantine felt Justified the tactics were dishonorable but what value did the idea of Honor have on a man who had the feelings of ego purged from him the Gambit had failed but the value of the death of this spear was immeasurable it had protected the emperor the very idea of their Master's death was a sobering moment for all at the table your brother will beat us Lord Dawn he will win this war unless we match him blow for blow we cannot we must not be afraid to make the difficult choices the hardest decisions Horace lubercal will not hesitate a mindset so at odds with the noble Dawn it didn't rain the Clashing of Constantin the enslaved weapon versus the Primark who had made a choice to serve the emperor but before the argument could escalate a booming voice silenced them all the emperor the brilliant perfect being spoke my Noble son my loyal Guardian I hear both your words and I know that there is a right in each of you we cannot lose sight of what we are and what we aspire to be but we cannot forget what we Face the greatest enemy and the darkest challenge the two Polar Opposites were merged the cold calculating of Constantine combined with the honor of dawn as the emperor brought the assassinorum into the light a new accountable force a sentiment content immediately accepted even if he did not understand the years began to drag on as the Imperium burned under the assault of Horus and the traitorous Primark and their Legions each of them slowly devouring and succumbing to the corruption of their dark patrons more and more primarks managed to limp back to Terror each scarred by losses against the traitors Lehman Russ sanguinius and most surprisingly jagatai Khan Allegiance loyalty who even Constantine and Dawn had held in doubt Terror itself was almost unrecognizable transformed into a Bastion that would give pause to any force in the Galaxy Constantine saw the great Towers where he and the first custodians had sat with the emperor barting in his personal tutelage places where they had once discussed philosophy and tactics the birthplace of the Majesty Arium the order of the adeptice custodies the place where the dream had started and now were destined to be Awash with smoke Fire and Blood all roads led to Terror both Loyalists and traitors knew this and after over seven years of civil Strife the war Master Was preparing for this final strike all able-bodied Defenders were drawn up ready to fight on the walls of this great Bastion except one Lehman Russ Primark of the Space Wolves he had repaired his own Gambit a surprise strike designed to cut the head of the traitor's cause before they entered the soul system Constantine malcador and the other primarks knew that there was no swaying him Constantine met with Russ before his departure noting the hypocrisy of Russ with Rune priests within his ranks to Constantine the rule ruling of the emperor was absolute and this break in the Edict of nicaea was unlawful despite Russ's protests that they needed to Fight Fire with Fire they think that as an exercise of power I do not blame them they are creatures of power built to dominate but they are wrong the term is older than that it is the interpretation of the truth discovered through communion with the source we are interpreters of it not Masters we are slaves to it that is our first lesson all others are secondary to Constantine any method was allowed within the confines of The Emperor's will the source he could not make a choice to portray that will he was a slave to it he could not enforce any opinion on it as a psycho-conditioning of his mind snapped his Kings will into his own moral confines the primarks the creatures of power struggled against those very confines their own truths struggling to mix with Constantine's absolute the emperor the magisterium he warned Russ that Horus would not fall for his Barbarian Persona Constantine knew the brilliant mind that lay beneath he disliked the primarks they were the cause of all of this but a part of him liked the wolf King Constantine presented Russ with the reason he had come to him the dionysian spear the other half of Constantine's own apollonian spear a weapon that had remained firmly locked with Constantine's grass for centuries whereas his counterpart had done everything he could to be rid of his as Constantin departed Rush told him that he had to do this it was his nature something Constantine understood well for reasons a mystery to him the emperor had made them this way with the departure of the walls the fortification of Terror continued Constantine took his role upon on the war council as his brothers continued their battle inside the breed web way underneath the palace the power of chaos had been growing the assault and Tide of demons putting more pressure on the Embers enormous psychic might the ten thousand the mightiest Warriors of the emperor were being pushed back their numbers whittled down as they faced the horrors of sentient nightmare each custodian who fell was a loss of unbearable proportions each a hand-crafted human by the emperor many with hundreds or thousands of earned names a loss on the mind of Constantine as a shadow of Horus began to loom overhead you refused our offer of assistance said Dawn we refused nothing said valdo you know where the order came from and you never resisted it of course not valdor Drew in a weary breath resisting orders has not given spectacular results thus far has it neither has following them said Dawn grimly the tension between the two figures was evident despite the informal setting the Primark rogal Dawn was unarmored as he preferred to be at less called to War as ever his aspect was Spartan claddin Robes of a warrior monk his white hair had grown long adding to the effect the many Stone tables of his private Chambers were stuffed with the paraphernalia of Imperial bureaucracy order capsules tactical reports innumerable requests for audience or support even though the doors were closed and locked Simona's guessed that dozens of attendants still hovered on the far side waiting for their moment to run the gauntlet of the Lord Commander's unpredictable mood for now though it was only the three of them locked away in the windowless heart of Dawn's cell-like sanctum breaking over old regrets before the storm hit there are days when I think nothing any of us do is free of the curse curse I did not have you have you so I wasn't we're all having to learn new things Dawn sat back in his heavy throne for a moment letting the aura of control slip he looked like some archaic warlord then hold up in his crumbling Citadel at the tides of ruined lapped closer Simone has tried not to meet his gaze the situation valdost said steering the discussion back to its purpose the emperor holds the Bridge Under The Palace the mechanicum works on a way to release but you and I both know they will not succeed in the time we have left to us but it's not the same though is it you should have withdrawn earlier tell me Constantine what did you gain Clinging On down there for so long you'd all rather have died following a command than countermanded I do not see that was a Fool's errant I tried to warn you unless we committed everything we had there was no hope of holding those portals but no only the pure could be risked and look how that turned out the order was given Dawn smiled cynically and without warmth you see there's your old problem you never see any fault in him you never push back you never stop think say to yourself is that sensible he pressed his great calloused hands together and now you have this conundrum the greatest of your existence you were created to be the embodiment of his will but we can then go discover what that is you are his voice but he is silent can you think for yourself now Captain General that is what is required Simone is hardly dared to look at valdo no one not even Russ who was as much Bluster as substance had ever dared to speak with such casual condescension to his master and yet when he finally lifted his eyes to that Noble countenance there was no anger there only a kind of thoughtfulness we were faithful valdo said quietly I watched while your Brotherhood was created I studied you I saw the dangers in you from the start and witnessed the way you fought and acted and quarreled and still he said nothing if there had been a time to question an order perhaps but the moment passed and your great success came soon afterward I will be honest now for you have been honest with me did not believe ever be that deadly I saw how swiftly you conquered worlds and said to myself perhaps this is why you were made in the way you were that you became Untouchable don't listen wearily simonis did awesome but now and you're forging I should have spoken earlier by the time war came to this place the moment had passed and we were all trapped by our Fates you say that the defense of the tunnels was doomed perhaps so I have fought in other Wars more than you will ever know that were also doomed and they always put some part in his pattern I shall cleave to that the only element that could not be accounted for and there he looked directly at dawn was Dawn lost his Chili's smile and as always the fault lies elsewhere from the first time I met you Constantine you were never quite able to keep the disdain from tainting your words oh you've been polite I've never met a more courteous soul but that doesn't really cut much with me the Primark stirred himself sitting forwards in the throne and jabbing a finger at the captain General see for all you look down on us at least we were doing we were building the Empire while you were musing over the finer points of the law that binds you we were making decisions over which planets would burn and which would be saved I'd rather have blood on my hands than book Inc for a moment Simona's thought valdo might snap then release the anger that he was surely capable of over heartbeats the two of them held one another's gaze as if engage in some hidden test at will and yet remains before us valdor said at last I came to conflict confer not to dispute we know Lupica will be here soon you are the Lord Commander I have invested in me the power of magisterium we must speak with one voice from now on lest further division hamper what preparation remains don't looked at the floor then pressing his fingers together in an image of contemplation Simona saw the curve of those Mighty shoulders and had a mental image of the weight of the entire Imperium bearing down on them I speak as my soul dictates dawn said slowly if it appears blunt to you then it is not intended as such I do not have time for much else only truth now he lifted up his eyes with a ringed from a lack of sleep and this is the truth your power was exhausted in that war you have fewer than a thousand Warriors under arms and half of them are beneath the apothecary's knife my father is silent and cannot guide you magisterium is an empty word I have no doubt you'll fight when the time comes and reap as great a tally as you always have but your place is by the throne now not on the walls simonis listened unable to keep the shame from welling up within him as a Primark reeled off his judgment the power of those words came not from their delivery which was issued more in sorrow than disdain but the fact they were being uttered at all you have given great service Captain General said Dawn working to keep the worst of the hardness from his voice but this war has moved Beyond you it will be settled by the legions if you wish to remain a part of it you will have to find some way to fit around that [Music] foreign this is why we strip the comfort of religion from Humanity these are the livers of vulnerability that Faith cracks open in the human heart even a belief in a lie will lead us to do good eventually it leads to the truth that we are a species alone in the dark threatened by The Laughing games of sentient malignancies that Mortals would call gods rare is the battle where the emperor's custodians outnumber our foes we are ever beset surrounded upon all sides by heresy and foulness just as is Terror itself yet like the throne World We Stand Resolute indefatigable indomitable let the enemy come let them darken the Horizon with their numbers still we will prevail Warriors in Gold armed with the finest weapons the Imperium had to offer cleaved apart sentient nightmares in the ruins of a Xeno civilization alongside their allies the sisters of Silence psychic blanks whose very presence melted away the immaterium's influence and contingents from the mechanicum of Mars the fighting was brutal Tides a disgusting horrifying demons rip hope to Sunder against the men who had fought like lions Spears were slammed into the floor a servant is rammed in ammunition in the blink of an eye the Glorious ten thousand gave everything they could in the defense of the web way but it was not enough against a tide that would never end against a force that was infinite upon the surface of Terror Constantine acted as their representation on terror's war council a task that he knew was important but each time reports came back of the Fallen more and more of the friends he knew perhaps even some who he had trained it took a toll the emperor was silent locked in concentration upon the Golden Throne for the first time in Constantine's life he had no orders he had to act upon his own interpretation of his lost his will Secrets had played a part in this whole Rebellion yet there was one still only known to the emperor malcador and Constantine a dream slowly revealed to another raw and dimion the son of KOJA Zoo one of the last tyrants of Terror that Constantine had slain taking the boy for elevation into his Brotherhood the Folly of Magnus had broken the wards around the web way ground the custodias fought so desperately full because of what it represented Humanity was changing over time it would evolve its psychic powers would one day rival the nearly extinct eldari it was a metamorphosis that could not be unguided this is why we strip the comfort of religion from Humanity these are the livers of vulnerability that Faith cracks open in the human heart even if a belief in a lie leads us to do good eventually it leads to the truth that we are a species alone in the dark threatened by The Laughing games of sentient malignancies that Immortals would call Gods even one group left unattended left to the predations of the comfort of religion could be corrupted taken advantage of by laughing malignant Gods the utter hubris of a man trying to control trillions to chase Humanity down until all was within his grasp a plan to bring the species into the web way out of the reach of the corruption that were taint our Evolution it was the singular Vision at the heart the dream that the emperor had told Constantine of long ago the dream that magnus's mistake had doomed it would be very easy to utterly despise the creature or creature that had doomed your entire species the primarks after years of fighting the ten thousand now barely numbered a functional 1 000 custodians the web way foothold was lost and with a lost desperate act the emperor had a thousand human psychers sacrificed The Golden Throne like a blazing star their King thundered into the web way the sight the brilliant Aura renewed the near muscle-locked custodians with a raw and Tide of brilliant Spears they thundered down to follow their King against hell itself radiant power that was Humanity itself purged miles of the web boy corridors allowing a respite for the survivors to seal the web way gate below Terror the loss and the Strategic decisions angered Roble Dawn he was right the custodians had bled themselves for a battle they couldn't you never resisted it the orders were outdated yet they couldn't maneuver around the orders of their Source their King the Mind truly does make some powerless and gives strength to others you'd all rather have died following a command than countermind it Constantin and Dawn the custodies and the primarks both forged by the emperor but the ability to truly think freely was a gift or a curse denied to Constantine a choice that showed its weakness when the very being his existence orbited was silent Dawn could sense it within him never quite able to master the disdain he had for the primarks how he saw their Free Will as an error in their forging but now it did not matter even with Dawn pointing out all the flaws the failures and the position they were now in words that would drive any manned indignation Constantine felt nothing and yet the task remains before us they needed to present a united front the protection of the Imperium of the emperor was all that mattered I am nothing the words he spoke to Usha tan centuries ago always remained true an instrument to be cast aside when its function is performed an instrument a weapon did not get upset but nor did a weapon doubt when all others were panicked resigned to the fact that they would have to face Horus without guidance unsure that victory was possible Constantine was unwavering he believed with absolute certainty that the emperor would speak that if this was the Fate given to them they would face it Constantine malcador Dawn jagatai Khan and sanguineous with all preparations made found the darkness corruption finally creep into the soul system Legions once birthed upon Terror who had fought besides Constantine at the end of the unification of Terror had come home bringing death and Chaos the layered defense of the Soul system was tested each stage designed to believe the traitorous for forces as they grew closer to the throne World thousands had died as shipped the size of cities clash and the deafening Hollow uncaring coldness in the void of space Horus and now the fully corrupted forces of the traitors were in the sky from the elevated such as Constantine to the ordinary people who just lived on terror they saw the drop pods falling like tears of nightmare Ordnance fell upon the sacred ground of Humanity's birthplace the smoke and fire began to clog the atmosphere and so the siege of Terror had begun they were approaching through the smog and fire they could see them the traitors their armor their weapons and their features had been contorted blood pus extra limbs surgically grafted technology their very Souls have been poisoned by the influence of laughing vile entities the gods of chaos undisciplined bloodthirsty butchers Warriors that reminded Constantine of the Thunder Warriors unworthy solds that needed to be put down the traitors in their hundreds of thousands launched themselves against the Lions Gate Spaceport an ongoing conflict that pitted the Brilliant Minds of roguel Dawn and the traitor Primark Puerto rabo of the iron Warriors the Loyalists had fought bravely but they were eventually overwhelmed the forces of Darkness entrenched themselves and then pressed further towards the heart of the imperium's capital Constantine deployed many of his custodians such as aemon Taro Machin to scour the grounds of the palace strange creatures have been appearing demons breaking the boundary between the material and immaterial Constantine himself began to hunt them down using his apollonian spear to slice and Pierce The Walking Abominations the unfathomable existence of dark sentient thought the demons so-called life flashed through Constantine's mind due to the power of His Emperor gifted weapon the corruption of chaos clashed against his mind finding no purchase each demon slain was a test of his character searching through his soul for even the smallest floor something no mortal man could ever endure the days turned into weeks and then months Ash and smote clogged the atmosphere no matter how long Terror existed it would never be the same scarred by the forces of Hell itself Millions were dead and the fate of those still living was a thought that would send Shivers of panic down your spine Constantine met with rogal Dawn once more the two had simply become weapons no time for rest both their minds and bodies strained by the demands the Imperium had on them it was then that Dawn uttered a thought he meant to keep private we were born for more it was an unguarded moment but Before Dawn could brush it aside valdor held his gaze in those eyes Dawn saw a sad hint of sympathy a moment so utterly human it had no place on a custodian's face born to Fashion a future and enjoy it said Dawn enjoy it yes be part of it not just its midwives when we were made the future was full and now there is only War all those centuries ago at the side of the emperor Constantine had heard his martyr Talk of the vision the salvation of the species you are the bringer of the new age you are the warden of the old you are the Destroyer you are the preserver Constantine and the custodians Were Meant To Be Humanity's guides and then when the dream was achieved he was meant to enjoy it perhaps it was why the emperor had given him the apollonian spear while he had made sure Constantine never lost his Humanity because it would be needed in the peace to come Constantine got tired he made mistakes he was human however elevated and transformed the being that lie beneath was a man we will prevail Rogan he said one day you'll break your sword and hung up your shield and you will sit and laugh and from the window see golden Towers standing without fear or ages or batteries freed from all possibility of threat because of what we do now Constantine believed it utterly and truly I have to the alternative is unacceptable the siege of Terror continued jacket icon Constantine and ralderon of the blood angels assembled a force preparing to Sally out in the defense of the colossi gate three figures that seemed like Heroes of long-lost myths to the Mortal Defenders barely holding on militant General Burr met the three figures the command of the front looked on in shock as the enormous Primark jacket icon told him he had deference as a leader of the Zone sharing into the horrors that was the traitorous forces he told the three it is my honor Lawns with respect I'd rather strip bare and charge those bars alone then give any of the three of you an order the Khan roared with laughter as a router on and Constantine smiled it felt good to be reminded of what they were fighting for a brief light of humanity in the darkness of an unending War the task force lept forward cleaving demons and numbers worthy of songs of praise as they felt the Vengeance of humanity beat in their chest as The Siege continued months of ceaseless War as Constantine and the Defenders fought to near exhaustion protecting the weakening Emperor upon the Golden Throne who in turn battled with the immaterium with the dwindled force of the custodies dragged to every corner of the conflict duties they had attended to during the times of Peace began to be neglected deep below the palace inside the Infamous Blackstone prison where all kinds of foul artifacts and prisoners were kept one slipped out basilio foe the mad scientist who long ago had sought to create a virus designed specifically to kill legiones as tartis running through the wreckage and ruins of the palace the mad scientist found himself the prey of a monster dreaded throughout the Galaxy a night Lord's legionary wounded and at the edge of death he was saved as the emperor's greatest weapon slew the traitor Constantine debated with himself sparing basilio foam as the weapon he was creating may be of use men ought to be either indulged or utterly destroyed the injury done to a man ought to be such that Vengeance cannot be feared his Emperor was silent and so he would keep any weapon he thought may protect that being he orbited even if he respected and even liked some he wouldn't hesitate to eliminate all the astartes and even the primarks the siege of Terror had reaped her toll that will reverberate throughout the Imperium the sacrifice of many from the ordinary to the super soldier had bought time the traitor's alliance was falling apart and in a last Gambit the corrupted War Master Horus lowered the shield upon his Flagship the vengeful Spirit baiting the Loyalists into a strike they had to take with malcador a figure Constantine had known for centuries sacrificing himself upon the Golden Throne the Loyalists prepared for their strike the emperor Constantine sang Goonies and Dawn alongside the greatest warriors they had left boarded the vengeful Spirit they prepared to end this heresy [Music] because your own strength is unequal to the task do not assume that it is beyond the powers of man but if anything is within the powers and province of man believe that it is within your own Compass also a new age had been birthed one that will last 10 000 years before its eventual expiry a staggering limping age that will see the last Vigor of the Crusade dampened down and Stamped Out an age of forgetting and smothering war will never cease from that point not truly but on terror itself a shocked silence descends for a strange and short interval like a court breath after trauma the world holds itself static the surviving Titans are like Hayes wreath statues on the gray Horizon fighting men and women stand their arms slack by their sides their dull eyes staring at the falling Ash it is into this world that the wolf King returns at last too late to influence the outcome yet too early to escape it it is his surviving great hunters who stalk through the echoing corridors and banished the last of the ghosts from the still hot stone even the primarks are humbled by what has taken place they no longer strut not like they did on ullinore seven years before they are diminished the ones who survive valdo finds him in a place that was designed as an observatory but will become over a thousand painful years of all things a chapel your brother is looking for you he says he means the lion who has come back also too late and who now rage through the corridors lost in a storm of grief and Madness Russ Luxor his Mane is matted his fangs look blunt when he smiles it is gruesome a wretching of Flesh once ready and an apt to genuine mirth still studying that damned thing he observes valdo does not know if he can ever let go of it his fingers have been clamped around the grip for so long that they are hard to prize open the illumination still echo in his mind thousands of them he has killed thousands I am battle brothers sky Hey if the world he does my imperfection is my doubt [Music] [Music] my imperfection is my name alone where is yours valdo asks his voice cracks with fatigue even for him this has been like a lingering death he cannot forget what he saw on the vengeful Spirit nor what was lost on those never-born infused decks Russ norms I told you I never used it I gave it to you myself here before you left and it did what you told me it would Russ looks straight at valdor only my blade illuminates those it strikes not the hand that carries it did not achieve anything I don't know I never will now Faldo lowers himself crouching on cramped stiff muscles nothing he did was without purpose flower many centuries for its planting I have seen it myself rust looked sour you never stop even now even here you're still spouting those platitudes do not be so Hasty to write off his wisdom he's dead Constantine Russ roared finally rousing himself and shaking the dust from his Pelt all the plans are dead too we've pissed like dogs all over them another galaxy stinks from us for look around you try to see this world as those with associate try just for a moment to be angry valdo does try he indulges the Lord of Fenris and tries all he hears though are the voices of the slain you you he says quietly knowing the danger of such words understand this you took it up on Seraphina it claimed you as much as you claimed it coming back it will follow you through time for it was made for you and no other some things survive this is one of them Russ's shoulders slung his eyes deeply and flecks of bloody acid stain his robes you always did accept your fate but I never could I thought that was why he made me the way he did now I just think we're all tainted and I don't know anything anymore for some reason that triggers something in valdo as if from the catacombs far below he hears the echo of a voice that will never speak out loud again flocks and stasis you will you will neither will that cannot be random Russ is no longer listening the greatest sin on finrus fail your jaw and then valdo does something so out of character that even he is surprised by it but then this is a time of extremity the moment when one Epoch passes to another and all but the most mechanist Soul cannot fail to be stirred by that he places his hand on Russ's shoulder and exerts a faint pressure of reassurance this is not over yet Wolfgang Valdosta says in his empathetic a manner as he has ever managed there are sagas yet valdo looks up the candles glutter in the chamber shaken by a cold breeze that has no place in terror's humid atmosphere he looks out of his window and first sees mountains blue black against fenrisian night then they are City spiers again still half in Ruins Testament to the throne world's fertile power was of reconstruction there is so much more he would have liked to have done here for the Galaxy is bleeding and everything is in Ruins rebuilding must be done right the surviving tenets of the old Crusade cannot be allowed to die and even his custodians are forgetting so much but he cannot tell the wolf King to do one thing and allow himself to do another valdo has always been bound by the laws even those he made for himself he rises reaching for his armor by the time he leaves there'll be nothing left of him in the chamber no sign no message no cryptic clue he slips out unnoticed for the path has been prepared for a long time and unlike Ross he takes no companions with him that too is as it should be he has never been a gregarious Soul he looks back only once just as his Lander Powers up from the platform the heart of the old Palace is still there horribly damaged but structurally intact and within it buried deep is the one who made those things in the beginning for a moment he cannot take his eyes off of that sarcophagus trying to guess whether he knew how this would transpire from the start or whether as seems likely this is a desperate chance set against Unthinkable calamity once valdo half dreaded the appearance of his master's voice within his mind knowing that it would be there only to give orders or make demands but now that it is silent misses it is it there are many species of solitude but this for one such as he bound inexorably to the one who had made him is among the worst [Music] he whispers before leaving [Music] the emperor was crippled interned upon the Golden Throne as a carrion Lord the prize for the destruction of Horus a sorrow so deep and so so haunting washed over the Victorious Defenders of the Imperium from The Mortals to the primarks such as Lehman Russ all except one Constantine he believed that this must have been foreseen it was impossible that his King did not Factor this into his plans from his birth on terror Constantine had been taken transformed into something so far above the limits of a mortal man but it came at a cost no joy no hate no fear unbreakable without growth Immortal without passion a mind of power that didn't have the strength of choice he never chose to serve the emperor there was nothing more for the emperor to take from him it was a cost taken for the dream of the species a dream that needed custodians to protect it the emperor had taken much but there was something he could give him the apollonian spear a tool that kept him tied to his Humanity as he waged war from Terror all the way to the Stars a great Crusade a war to bring all of humanity together to save the species and after two centuries when that dream was within their fingertips it was ripped away by those whose forging was flawed the primarks Constantine chose to employ any method any deed that would achieve the protection of his King it did not matter if it was honorable cosentin was born to defend the emperor he would let the Imperium and even Humanity die for him all Constantine did all he endured all who he had killed and carried with him in his mind was for the emperor but now the emperor was silent for so long Constantine in his heart of hearts dreaded that voice the orders that would command him to do the impossible but now it was gone the hollowness the free thinking was horrifying he had changed in his last meeting with Lehman Russ he showed a display of humanity no other custodian was capable of he had utter faith that this must be part of his master's plan nothing he did was without purpose a seed May Flower many centuries from his planting I have myself because your own strength is unequal to the task do not assume this is beyond the powers of man but if anything is within the powers and Providence of man believe that it is within your own Compass or so Constantine believed he had made the choice perhaps the first choice in his life he had the strength where all others were melancholic only in death will be the last words uttered by the first custodian of the Emperor as he left Terror time for the Imperium past this age faded into myth Constantine the primarks all figures of Mythology to an Empire that has a rotted for over ten thousand years a vision of a far off future State spun out of reality and into the cold of an Undiscovered time with the Galaxy itself was darkened by strife and whole worlds were cast into flame a zealous authoritarian nightmare as the Imperium has rotted a name a title has been spoken in hushed Whispers linked to schemes that had danced in the shadows of the rotten Imperium a name who was the enemy of the Inquisition the forces of chaos and xenos alike inside a pocket Dimension with an army of psychic blanks Wing Space Marines and super soldiers armored in Gold a figure seeks a name the true name of the emperor of mankind a power that could have hold over the most powerful soul in the Galaxy control in the hands of the King in Yellow Constantin valdor the first custodian hero of the unification Wars the great Crusade and the Horus heresy the emperor's most loyal servant because what if the dream their Constantine's existence orbited did not die what if it had just changed what if to save his Emperor and the species that required something incredible a death an apotheosis what if Humanity required a god a god Emperor all at the hands of a King in Yellow a dream was created long ago and a warrior was forged to protect it he was its protector he was its custodian we were born for more born to Fashion a future and in enjoy it because only in death does duty end [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] foreign foreign [Music] [Music]

Channel: The Amber King

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Keywords: Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, 40k, 40k Lore, Lore, Satire, The Amber King, Amber King, Amberking, horus heresy, Horus heresy, Chaos, 40k daemons, warhammer 40000, total war warhammer, Primarch, The emperor, siege of terra, 30k, Siege of terra, audiobook, Horror, Games Workshop, sleep, collaboration, space marine 2, arch, darktide, black templars, asmr, Imperial fists, rogal dorn, perturabo, sangunius, Black templars, the king in yellow, constantin valdor, custodies, custodian, leman russ, painting

Id: 48ulgBwFzKU

Length: 150min 25sec (9025 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 28 2022