>>6116498
"Clan mothers spoke with distant emperor" you explain with a sequence of complex hand wrings and motions and tail flicks "Pact? Maybe, I do not know, but humans made offer. Soon we see bargain struck? Must be careful"

"Why?" They ask, head tilted as they pause, a single finger's pad pressed on the part of the passage they had reached before they lifted their head to say that single word. You tap the back of the same book's spine and whip crack the tail of your false form

"Book holds the answer, Better way" you answer vaguely, with all the mystery of a wandering sage as depicted in a dramatic play, and leave the Alf-Harim with his copy of the translated Journey, which quickly catches the attention of other off duty and indolent passers by, who gather and crowd around him, pawing and poking the page as they read together, while the smoker, after recovering from the surprise of you vanishing in a particularly dense but quickly evaporating cloud of vapors, begins to immediately tell and share what you told him to the curious onlookers now also reading through the Journey after catching the parting snippet of your conversation with him as they walked past the both of you.

Chuckling to yourself, you watch the crowd grow and the rumors spread, and return to the palace and cast of the illusionary disguise you had worn, and see that word had spread quickly to the guards, who are now lounging and rolling smoking leaf while chattering excitedly about the first thing they're going to do when they return home. Most of them are in agreement that they will throw themselves to the sands and roll around in the sun heated grains until the paint and dye on their scales is worn and scrubbed away and they need a fresh coat applied.

They're so engrossed by their conversation, they don't even notice the alien gliding past them and up to the heart of the palace, where the matriarchs and their eldest and favored sons are now, with Jinhai, completing the transactions most minute details, as your friend, the emperor of Long-Jia, quite gayly presents them a selection of dyes and paint pigments that you recognize as being of Olympian origin, as Perturabo had a certain fondness for that shade of blue when it was contrasted by the jade green waters flowing through the decorative but also very much defensible gardens he had built during his time upon Shangrala.

Of course, those are reproductions, as the architects and painters your brother had employed, had ended up sharing his passing fondness for the color and it had become somewhat fashionable to have "Olympia Blue" garden walls or sashes amongst the nobility and ministry officials. Just as several regiments of the imperial army had become rather fond of the Gladius and axes favored by Angron and the freedom fighters of Nuceria, primarily those who had seen the most intense fighting alongside the gladiatorial revolt lead by your most empathetic of brothers.
Cont

>>6116499

Smiling, you sit cross legged beside the father of the clan heads who are pruning and combing through the long list of goods the imperial household will present to the black abyss clan, asking questions concerning each item included and if it could be a danger to their mothers or their brood as they traverse the stars.

And you notice Jinhai is trying very hard not to laugh, and a wayward glance towards the unfurled parchment uncoiled on the brood chamber's floor, tells you why

Dragon's spit. You repress a chuckle and hide a smirk behind your hand, wondering if Alf-Harim tongues can even detect the intense bitterness and astringency of that particular delicacy.

The negotiations will not last much longer, and every matriarch and clan head is clearly overjoyed by the gifts Jinhai freely gives to them, even though in the grand view of the imperial budget and the material wealth of Shangrala, it is barely a drop in the well. Especially considering the stellar fever gripping all the peoples of your world. Shan's gift and the celestial explorers sailing it through the stars, have been broadcasting constant updates of their journey through the first world reached by the colonization program of Long-Jia.

And as you listen to the sons of the matriarch pluck hairs and ask the aids jinhai has present, your mind once more turns to the future, as you consider how best and most efficiently devote your attention and efforts going forward.

After you've explored the Black Abyss, without the presence of the twitchy Alf-Harim jabbing and pointing their guns at any shadows in the clouds, of course.

And what is the next project you with devote yourself to, Lieren?

>Establishing specialized martial schools to prepare the sons of Shangrala who have been found to be naturally predisposed to surviving the process of being turned into a space marine, and leading your sons in disposing of any threat found on the newly colonized worlds

>As the Grand architech, helping getting the first colonies of Long-Jia up and running, and finding places for the Alien and human refugees upon Shangrala on the world's best suited for their lifestyles while also encouraging some shangralan cultures to spread through the stars

>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

>Exploring ahead of the colony and exploration vessels with Kanzeon, to trail blaze and make sure there aren't any unseen threats lurking in the stars within reach of Shangrala's own

>Write in

>>6116501
>Establishing specialized martial schools to prepare the sons of Shangrala who have been found to be naturally predisposed to surviving the process of being turned into a space marine, and leading your sons in disposing of any threat found on the newly colonized worlds

>As the Grand architech, helping getting the first colonies of Long-Jia up and running, and finding places for the Alien and human refugees upon Shangrala on the world's best suited for their lifestyles while also encouraging some shangralan cultures to spread through the stats

Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

1 and 2 go well together and 3 is just good to do as well.

>>6116524
>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

don't know what happened to the 3rd :/

>>6116501
>Train with Guozhi

>Train our sons.

>>6116501
>As the Grand architech, helping getting the first colonies of Long-Jia up and running, and finding places for the Alien and human refugees upon Shangrala on the world's best suited for their lifestyles while also encouraging some shangralan cultures to spread through the stars
>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.
I'm hoping that means the Nameless passed muster with Malcador.

In the hope that more people vote like me, I thought I would explain how I think about my choice. as I said, one and two go well together. We have to build some kind of recruitment areas for our sons, so it's just as well to do it now. and after that we will still go with our sons and take care of the dangers that can be found on the colony planets, so just as good that we help them with the colonization while we are there. And when it comes to the third a little warp fuckory and a little anti warp fuckory is good for the soul

>>6116501
>>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

Ate Chaos.
No like Chaos.
Simple as.

>>6116501
>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

>>6116501
>>Establishing specialized martial schools to prepare the sons of Shangrala who have been found to be naturally predisposed to surviving the process of being turned into a space marine, and leading your sons in disposing of any threat found on the newly colonized worlds

>As the Grand architech, helping getting the first colonies of Long-Jia up and running, and finding places for the Alien and human refugees upon Shangrala on the world's best suited for their lifestyles while also encouraging some shangralan cultures to spread through the stars

>>6116501
>>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.
>>Exploring ahead of the colony and exploration vessels with Kanzeon, to trail blaze and make sure there aren't any unseen threats lurking in the stars within reach of Shangrala's own

>>6116501
>Establishing specialized martial schools to prepare the sons of Shangrala who have been found to be naturally predisposed to surviving the process of being turned into a space marine, and leading your sons in disposing of any threat found on the newly colonized worlds
>add on
Those Son's we have by our side need a training montage of their own, when we re-join our legion they will be instrumental in spreading our Beliefs and straightening out the issues within it. In effect a role similar to what chaplains would become, protect the spiritual and cultural wellbeing of the chapter. We need a hardcore training montage and really refine the boys then once they're happy can handle those threats once we begin to do whats next-

>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.
We need to be there at the end (Reminder Eldrad owes us Lorgar's Location, we need to track down the four keys, begin seeking a way to free isha and finally....Ymgr)

>>6116501
>Write in
>Contemplate another aspect of the Great Plan [Shattered Void]

>>6116501
>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.
>Establishing specialized martial schools to prepare the sons of Shangrala who have been found to be naturally predisposed to surviving the process of being turned into a space marine, and leading your sons in disposing of any threat found on the newly colonized worlds

>>6116501
>Establishing specialized martial schools to prepare the sons of Shangrala who have been found to be naturally predisposed to surviving the process of being turned into a space marine, and leading your sons in disposing of any threat found on the newly colonized worlds

>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

Setting up recruitment and having a jolly time with Magnus and friends seems fun.

Votse: 11

Martial schools: 6 Add: 1
Grand architech: 3
Exploring the Empyrean: 9
Exploring ahead: 1

Writ in: 1
Shattered Void

Horus stood at the heart of the assembly as his keen eyes looed over the gathered warriors. The air heavy with anticipation as the command staff of the Astartes legions he had only recently come to know knelt in adoration, their voices raised in oaths of loyalty. His return to Terra, his discovery, had been a triumph, and these soldiers the sons of distant brothers were truly eager to serve under him. All but for one group.

Horus turned his gaze to the warriors of the Second Legion. Whom unlike the others, stood in ordered ranks, faces unreadable and their disciplined silence stark amidst the fervor. There was no bowing of heads, no jubilant cheers like their cousins. Instead they watched him with a cool scrutiny that stirred unease in his heart. He could feel their judgement in the stillness, an unsettling undercurrent that gnawed at his confidence. Sons judging a man whom would dare to command them, they whose father's name was spoken in reverence despite his absence. Their loyalty was not so easily won.

It was Malcador who spoke appearing as silent as those whom judged him, his voice low as though sharing a secret best left unspoken. "The Chimera," he said, a hint of concern lacing the name. "That is what some call them. Tread carefully among them Horus they are stalwart and unyielding but... unpredictable. Their minds do not bend as easily as others, for they have seen much, perhaps too much. They will judge you, test you, and if they find you wanting…"

Horus felt a flicker of anger at the implication but he remained silent listening to the Sigillite’s warning.

"Beware-" Malcador continued, his eyes narrowing. "-The Chimera do not serve blindly. Should they deem you unworthy, they may well undermine everything you hope to achieve and instead follow the protocols of their own making. Their father's shadow is long, long enough to reach even here."

Horus’ jaw tightened. He had never felt the need to prove himself to any before. But now, before these silent warriors and their unspoken judgement, he found himself…perturbed.

1/2

>>6117723
Later the First Returned Primarch stood at the edge of the sparring ring his arms crossed and his expression impassive. Around him, the gathered Astartes from different legions watched the duel unfold with rapt attention. In the centre, a warrior from his own Lunar Wolves one; Kalus Ekaddon whom faced a champion of one of the Chimera Legion’s more warlike sects; Aatos-Khil.

The Lunar Wolf wielded a sword tall and broad, it's edge gleaming in the light, circled his opponent with predatory grace. His blade was an elegant weapon, finely balanced and deadly, and the crowd expected nothing less than a swift victory from one of Horus’ own so embolded by their Father's return.

But the Chimera warrior was different. His armour was marked with the odd sigils and verses of his Legion, movements languid yet purposeful. He held a strange weapon?A glaive unlike anything Horus had seen before with a long haft and a curved blade which crackled with energy, shifting in his grip as if it were an extension of his body. There was a strange, almost playful precision in how the Chimera held himself, as if the duel were more of a game to him than a contest that could well end in death were things to sour.

The Lunar Wolf lunged, his sword slicing through the air in a calculated strike, but the Chimera shifted at the last moment pivoting on his heel and letting the attack miss him by inches. With a fluid motion the Chimera's glaive arced through the air, the blade humming with power. The Lunar Wolf barely had time to parry, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through his arm, rattling the blade in his grasp.

Horus narrowed his eyes. He recognised the skill in the Chimera’s movements; calm, controlled, as if the warrior was already three steps ahead of his opponent. The duel became a dance, the Lunar Wolf pressing hard, but the Chimera glided between his attacks, never hurried, always in control.... studying...

Then it happened in a blur. The Lunar Wolf overextended, and the Chimera stepped in with a savage grace, his glaive sweeping low before coming up in a brutal arcing strike. The blow sent the Lunar Wolf’s sword spinning from his hand and before he could recover the Chimera’s glaive was at his throat, the fight over in an instant.

The ring fell silent.

2/2

>>6117724
But despite the defeat of his opponent the Chimera warrior did not relax. Instead he turned his head slowly, his gaze locking onto Horus. There was no reverence, no fear in those eyes only a cool, calculating stare that sent a ripple of unease through the Warmaster... the nerve. The Chimera’s glaive remained raised for a heartbeat longer than necessary, as if the warrior was daring Horus himself to intervene.

Horus clenched his fists, feeling a surge of anger at the insolence. This was no mere warrior, this was a statement, a challenge not just to his legion but to his authority.

Malcador’s words echoed in his mind. The Chimera do not serve blindly.

The champion lowered his glaive at last, stepping back, and the crowd erupted in cheers and gasps. Yet Horus stood in silence, his gaze still fixed on the Chimera warrior, a seed of doubt planted deep within him.

He could not shake the feeling that he had just witnessed more than a sparring match. He had seen the shape of things to come.

3/2
----
I miscounted words oops.

>>6116501
>Establishing specialized martial schools to prepare the sons of Shangrala who have been found to be naturally predisposed to surviving the process of being turned into a space marine, and leading your sons in disposing of any threat found on the newly colonized worlds

>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

Votse: 12

Martial schools: 7 Add: 1
Grand architech: 3
Exploring the Empyrean: 10
Exploring ahead: 1

Writ in: 1
Shattered Void

>>6116501
>As the Grand architech, helping getting the first colonies of Long-Jia up and running, and finding places for the Alien and human refugees upon Shangrala on the world's best suited for their lifestyles while also encouraging some shangralan cultures to spread through the stars
>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

Votse: 13

Martial schools: 7 Add: 1
Grand architech: 4
Exploring the Empyrean: 11
Exploring ahead: 1

Writ in: 1
Shattered Void

>>6116501
>As the Grand architech, helping getting the first colonies of Long-Jia up and running, and finding places for the Alien and human refugees upon Shangrala on the world's best suited for their lifestyles while also encouraging some shangralan cultures to spread through the stars
>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

Pretty sure we still have terran astartes and integrating people is more important anyway

>>6116501
>As the Grand architech, helping getting the first colonies of Long-Jia up and running, and finding places for the Alien and human refugees upon Shangrala on the world's best suited for their lifestyles while also encouraging some shangralan cultures to spread through the stars

>Training with and exploring the Empyrean with Guozhi and Magnus, sensing that the current incarnation of your great teacher is near its end. And to ensure, with the assistance and oversight of the Void School headed by Malcador, to safe guarding the now Stellar holdings of Long-Jia, from the stain of Chaos.

Votse: 15

Martial schools: 7 Add: 1
Grand architech: 6
Exploring the Empyrean: 13
Exploring ahead: 1

Writ in: 1
Shattered Void

So I have an idea how we can solve the sister ship problem in a moral and practical way.
So the reason we use human souls is that uncorrupted souls are relatively "pure" warp energy wise.
So if we take volunteer people on their dead beds and scrape away their egos and theirs memories, so we start with a completely blank surface, they will probably have childhood phases and not have the same dysmorphia that the old "models" had.
or if we make it so that each sister takes a bite of her cord and unites them into one and lets it grow up into a new soul written in code.

>>6118574
We were already told what we need to do to learn how to make souls. We need to observe the soul of someone being born and someone dying.

There is another option:

We have learnt the containment old one ability, so, make a box for psyker energy, have people put a little bit of their psykerism into the box on a regular until whats inside the box is enough to gestate a soul for a ship.

Have them pour in feelings they would want the new ship to have, philosophical musings, ideas, principles and philosophies

Souls create souls - we are just mimmicking the natural cycle without the need for the natural biological side of it.

>>6118760
I'm pretty sure that wouldn't create a soul, it would create a daemon.

>>6118784
How? its a contained box with only a limited or selected input with no connection to the greater warp. Unless its a daemon of the journey.

>>6118808
You're filling it with warp energy, emotions, beliefs and concepts. As far as I understand them, that's pretty much all a daemon is. I don't know why you think doing this would somehow create a human soul rather than a daemon or some kind of psychic construct like the tortoise spirit.

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I'll try to call the vote in the morning and get an update out, very sorry for the long wait, but its the damn heat again, thankfully it should start cooling down the next couple of days. It only got cool enough for my PC to not cook itself when I was too tired to write today. And trust me, I did try

>>6118449 Thanks for counting up the votes! Its a big help and I really appreciate the assist man.

Also I'll give my thoughts on this equally appreciated drabble this anon wrote
>>6117723, when I wake (If I wake up before the machine spirits are made indolent via the heat and I am made to delay for longer because I don't want my PC to melt)

Fucking hate not having a working AC. Sorry again lads.

>>6119555
Hi Male one question is Grand architech valid or does it not count?

15/2= 7.5

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89 KB PNG

>>6117723
>>6117724
>>6117725
The prose you used for this was phenomenal, you ever think of running a quest yourself? Really liked how you wrote Horus and Malcador, felt very true to text and their character, especially how Horus views the behavior and actions of others. Also like Kalus showing up, and that you used a real finnish name for Lieren's boy, and I especially like their duel, how it was described and its choreography
>>6119586
Nope. Misses it by one. if the total was 14 or 13 votes, it'd get in. One less than half is the cut off point

So! Lieren will establish specialized martial schools to train candidates for space marine selection, and prepare his sons to defend the new colonies of Long-jia, as well as assistance of the Nameless' newest school, ensure the colonies are free from the stain of discord

However, sensing his teacher's impending death by extreme old age, he will, while the grounds for the schools are being prepared and the schools themselves built, take the chance to be taught a few, precious final lessons with Guozhi, exploring the Emperyean with him and Magnus.

writing now!

And good news everyone, its already cooled enough that I don't have to have my fan on full blast just to tolerate the heat!

Data has been compiled and reviewed, refined and narrowed. The secretive tests and measurements taken in White Lotus run hospitals and maternity wards across Shangrala, from the frosty peaks of Bask to the mysterious shores of the Lomb, taken of course with the consent of the parents of young boys and expecting mothers alike, have revealed where the greatest presences of those with natural compatibility with the gene seed derived from genome naturally congregate across the much varied ethnicities and cultures of the Long-Jia empire. Al-Uzza and Mari, greatly assisted in this effort, though Kanzeon and Anahita both contributed valuable insights and effort to the cause of examining the various physiological and biological chemistries that will one day, in the future when you are summoned to fight a stellar conquest, greatly reduce the causalities of the new recruits brought into your Legion of astartes.

And while this Data could be taken and used to arrange couplings and partnerships for the sole purpose of producing candidates for the second legion made in your image, the very idea of resorting to eugenics heats your blood and darkens your temper, to intrude on the privacy and overrule the free will of others for the cause of producing soldiers so utterly abhorrent a thought that you redact and hide these discoveries and only make use of the information provided by the tests groups to make a list of those who have the best chances of surviving the gene-therapy and implants and marking the regions where the lines drawn between the populations containing these individuals intersect.

Regions where, making use of the natural geography and environment, you will build specialized martial schools to harden and train these candidates, if they choose to walk the path of the space marine when the time comes and they are of age and that will also serve your sons already serving in the legion as strongholds and armories, and places of sanctuary and serenity should they require rest, contemplation or training during their patrols down the giant's road.

With a single missive signed by your hand and carrying the seal of your office of grand architech, the order to clear the grounds of the future sites of these warrior monasteries is given, and like a well oiled and tuned machine, your architects move to begin the initial stages of construction in these remote, and indeed, hostile environments. But you do not fear for their safety, your sons could use the work out, and guarding them from the elements and wild life will be good if light exercise for the transhuman soldiers under your command, as well as the regiments who loyally marched from terra at their side. Who, of course, provided samples of their own genetic material for testing, and proved the hypothesis you had that a percentage of genetic markers that increase the survival odds of aspiring space marines, are also present in the genomes of the Sheowl, Creti and Shuomi peoples of terra.
Cont

>>6119721

Fascinating


However, you cannot oversee the project personally, and so entrust the planning stages to your most trusted assistant though you still do not know his name, as well as the handful of your gene-sons who found architecture as their artistic calling. Guozhi, your most venerable and beloved mentor, who was the spark that enlightened your philosophy and who guided your hand when you first awoke your psykerist powers, who tirelessly worked into the utter limits of human life span even extended by a few of his canny self cultivation techniques to seek out, find and instruct the as you now know, unusually high number of psykers born upon Shangrala, shielding them from the lures of discordant powers and the ever present danger of self destruction, is dying. He hides it well, with illusions like his shroud, disguising the growing infirmity to his fellow elders of the wanderers in the fog and their numerous students.

But even a master of spiritual stealth and fakery as your grand teacher cannot hide the truth from your weary and sorrowful eyes. He is nearing the end of this lifespan, and all around him, the shadows grow and lengthen, their darkness growing as ethereal talons reach out to grasp at his ancient soul the moment it is relieved from his body. Kanzeon only realizes the nearness of his impending death, when met by the grief you feel contemplate the loss of the man who taught you so much but was so humble to refuse to be called your teacher.

"Go to him" Is all she says, consoling you with a comforting touch upon the cheek, pressing her brow to yours "You know you will regret it for centuries if you don't make that old man's last days ones he can remember even when he is born again...you know, if his claims of being able to reincarnate himself are accurate and we can verify his identity. Making an impression in his dying days would make it a lot easier finding him again"

"I believe he will be reborn, we have proof do we not?" You say tenderly, brushing aside her hand as Kanzeon begins, silently, compiling data concerning Guozhi's personality traits and habits, just for that "When he recognized you and the other surviving Dai Monk?"

"I don't believe what cannot be in some manner observed or recorded" Kanzeon answer somberly, lips pouting "But, I will admit, he's always felt, well not as familiar as I am to him, but like an aquitance I forgot. If it is true...I'll find him for you"

"We'll find him" You correct, tapping her nose and dodging her retaliatory swat, laughing as you hop away, mentally giving her your thanks and deep gratitude as you seek out Guozhi in his solitude.

"An old man shouldn't be climbing mountains alone" You respectfully address your teacher, kneeling down as you find him, sat atop a cushion, his only company butterflies and curious monkeys,
Cont

>>6119722

atop what little remains of the mountain that Kanzeon stripped mined and consumed to repair her beautiful form and kick start wartime production on the eve of the wars against the shuni caliphate and Butcher's monstrosities.

"The mist and fog covers me, from even the starved tigers who'd pick their teeth with a leathery old man like myself" Guozhi smirks, glancing at you, his young blue eyes at last clouded over with age "I suppose, it was hubris uncharacteristic of one who is called a sage, who styles himself a teacher, who lived his whole life as a monk, to think he can deceive eyes as sharp as those owned by his most treasured and excellent student, hm, Lieren?"

"You should not have hidden it" You sadly reply, unable and unwilling to expose him to any of the vitriol you shamefully feel, the quiet sensation of betrayal that he would even try to hide his mortality from you and others "But, I understand your reasons, I grieve terribly, such is one effect of my intense emotions and you are the pillar and foundation of the wanderers in the fog. You thought it better that your expiration be a surprise, rather than a dark cloud heralding an impending storm"

"I do not need to say how correct you are, that was my exact intent, you know the contents of both my thoughts and heart, as you always have" He says warmly, patting the ground next to him "I have often died alone, so I will appreciate having company as I draw this vessel's last breath. Please, sit with me, let us meditate on the beauty of Shangrala's freedom, her flourishing natural world, and the opened tomb of the mother who carried me and mine here so long ago. Let us reflect, on the short time we have spent together, my student"

You wipe a tear from your golden eyes, feeling them chill silver as you approach him slowly, cautiously, like a child afraid to disturb an ailing grandparent in their final hours.

"At last, you call me student" You say, unable to have humor or high spirits in this sad hour as you respectfully kneel beside him, and match the pace of your breathing and rhythm of your hearts to his own. Feeling how each breath he takes in rattles his body, and how each exhale made exhausts him

"In my final hours, I can allow myself a drop of arrogance" he answers, looking up to the thick mists gathering above you "Ah, new growth, these trees are healthy, ready for the spring to come. I must prepare myself as well. Will you, do my the kindness, of holding my hand as we meditate? I have somethin to show you, in the vastness of the Emperyean and the depths of the great sea, and i need an anchor to ensure I do not expire before the time is right"
Cont

>>6119723

"A chance for a final lesson given by the most sagacious of men? How could I refuse, and you know the answer I will give already" you say as, tenderly, gingerly, with all the softness and care of grabbing a child's hand or brushing a lock of hair from Kanzeon's eyes, you set one of your massive, steel crushing hands atop his wrinkled own, counting the scabs and bruises from his day to day life, making certain to remember the feel of his thin skin and the coldness of it so it may become a treasured memory

"However, I must make a selfish demand. Another friend and student of yours, should be by your side to learn this wisdom as well" You say sternly, looking into his age wearied eyes

"Magnus, he has already reached out to me, sensing my fading life force, I assumed he'd follow me in this last journey of this identity, no matter if I contacted him or not" He wryly answers, eye brow arched "Pay close attention, to how the energy of these young trees, the wooden qi, flows into this tired body of mine and mingles with my soul..."

A portion of his secret method of evading the predation of the crows and buzzards of foul Jian Qi.

In the mirror of the peak in the Emperyean, Guozhi is as a flickering flame, his face shifting between the kindly old gentleman you've known and trusted, and strangers, withered with age and beaming with overflowing youth. He is as smoke and mist, pictures bleeding into eachother, paint seeping through one canvas to another. And his soul is scarred, bleeding from the swipes of talons and beaks.

Magnus, from across the vastness of the great sea, emerges from its surface, his psionic and spiritual presence like that of a great whale breaching the surface of an inverted ocean.

"Is there still time?" He asks hurriedly, frantically as he kneels besides the old man "Can he be..."

"Death cannot be avoided" Guozhi says softly, patting the red skinned giant on the chest, like he were calming a scared hound "This body has reached the end of its cycle, and my soul will be renewed, and this face, this man you knew, shall be transmigrated, to a new vessel, and it will not be the I you knew. There is nothing to fear"

"You are wounded, sundered, your very essence has been drained" your brother presses, concern radiating from the core of his powerful being as you stand, composed and silent to the side, allowing him the chance to face his grief and grapple it to the ground

"Wounds I wear proudly, for I bear them in place of children and novices" Guozhi answered magnificently, head raised proudly as, for a brief second, his spiritual form took on the appearance of a mighty warrior, before it shifted, between the hunched old man, and a dozen other elders whom you have never met "Do not fear for me, do not waste your concerns for me, Son of Prospero. I grant you and your brother, one last lesson, one last shared moment, one last training session, between us psykers who cultivate our own power"
Cont

>>6119724

Magnus took in a deep breath through his nose, both hands placed on Guozhi's shoulders, and slowly breathed out

"I am honored" He says at last, chin lifted, and crystal tears cascading from his every shifting eyes "I will not squander this opportunity, and I will escort you to whatever destination you seek. No malefactor shall reach your noble spirit, Guozhi of Shangrala, my brother's mentor and guardian of so many windswept psykers"

"I am proud to have met such fine young men in my final years" Guozhi wails, in a thousand voices, tears flowing from hundreds of pairs of eyes

"I am grateful to have met you in the garden that day not so long ago" You say, composing and reigning in your emotions with a sharp breath, so as to maintain the dignified atmosphere of the start of this last walk shared between three great pyskerists "My eyes were opened that day"

"You have taught us prosperans much in the short time we were acquainted" Magnus states ardently, lifting Guozhi with you, as you both put one hand under his arms "There are no words in any language or culture i've encounter, that do justice to the depths of your wisdom. Brother, let us carry him"

"It is only right" You answer with a nod and then

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING HIM!?" Meixiu roars, managing to perceive the bubble that Guozhi built to hide himself that you and Magnus fortified, but not pierce it "He isn't that old! He isn't! It isn't his time yet! Gramps! Tell them!"

She bangs her fists on the outer, protective layer of the shield, and Magnus' eyes twinkle with pride as the two of your behold the falling feathers, that were all that was left of a wicked spirit lurking and waiting for Guozhi's protections to fail. Meixiu had splattered its immaterial body just from her comet like arrival through the emperyean. How mighty she'll be, when she is fully grown.

"Only to a place where I would have gone on my own, my last breath will be given, to enlighten these two" Guozhi answers simply, though distantly, the cohesion of his personality fraying as he speaks "A place of grave danger, a place you shouldn't tread until..."

A emotional tremor cracks what can be considered the earth of this patch of the emperyean. And a second, writhing evil spirit, is taken, and like petals from a flower's head, torn to piece as Meixiu shudders with a mixture of child's pique, anger and uncontrolled grief

"Meixiu!" Guozhi roars back, quieting the quaking of her emotions, reclaiming the wholeness and consolidation of his personality "You know these two great men would do me no harm, I intend to expend the last of my vitality to teach them a lesson that may prove vital"

"But what about me!" She wails back, slamming her fists, head and body against the shield "Aren't I your student as well, why can't I come along! Why can't I be by your side grandpa! Why are you leaving me!"

Guozhi shudders, guilt pouring from the cracks in his bleeding soul. You and Magnus exchange glances.

Cont

>>6119725

With just a meeting of the eyes, much is spoken

What do you do Lieren?

>Tell Meixiu, for all her raw strength, her spiritual defenses have not been trained enough for her to join the three of you on your journey. And that Guozhi turns her away, for her own safety

>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus

>Give the young psyker a minor task, fetching a simple trinket, but tell her it is vital to ensure the safety of Grandfather Guozhi in this journey. To serve as a lesson to her, of grief and the inevitability of death

>Write in

Not going to lie, I cried the whole time I was writing this update

>>6119725
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>>6119726
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>>6119726
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

Aw man, I'm gonan miss Guozhi, atleast alot of our friends got to see our kids.

>>6119726
What lesson do we impart.

Fuck it.
>Give the young girl a minor task.
>"You aren't ready, your spiritual defenses lack and it is for your safety he turns away. But Grandfather Guozhi shall return in time, of his 1001th life. And you may prepare to meet him then. For now, bring us a stone from the meditation cave to aid him."

She's not strong enough and shouldn't got to this "well of reincarnation" as I'm gonna call it. Life happens, so does death. Make peace with it Meixiu

>>6119726
>>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>>6119726
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson
Conditional on:

>Write in
>"Meixiu. Whether you come along or stay Guozhi will be leaving regardless. If you cannot admit this, your attendance will endanger yourself and Guozhi, as well as likely preventing yourself from learning a vital lesson. You cannot learn a process if you cannot accept one of it's steps, after all. This is not only Guozhi's last will but also a secret that will place him in grave danger if lost."

If she wont accept this then >>6119765

>>6119726
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

Miss that old man

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger he'll need protection, so will the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus
And that this will not be a final goodbye, you'll meet again even if it will be you who will be older then.

(You can really make these tear jerking moments shine Malal.)

>>6119726
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>Write in Inform the senior members to be vigilant against warp based dangers

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus
"He has every been their watcher, we will receive the final lesson and bring what we can home. The sect needs you now, in his place be their protector, preserve what he and you made together."

>>6119726
>>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus
>>Give the young psyker a minor task, fetching a simple trinket, but tell her it is vital to ensure the safety of Grandfather Guozhi in this journey. To serve as a lesson to her, of grief and the inevitability of death.

Honestly, I think it is a harsh, but necessary lesson for the young girl. Considering we are Mr-Warp-Mark-On-My-Face, it's obvious shits gonna go FUBAR on the way. Also, I don't trust the kid not to be able to let go at the last second and somehow accidentally push Guozhi's soul into perils.

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus

All the anons bullying Meixiu instead of just shielding her and letting her say her goodbyes.

Shameful.

>>6119726
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>>6120195
I'm not taking any kid into a warp zone.
It's just irresponsible and she needs to prepare herself for these life lessons

And if she uses this as motivation to improve. All the better.

>>6120238
This.

We ain't God. If Tzeentch shows up to starts some shit, things are going to go tits up real fast.

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger he'll need protection, so will the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defences may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus
Drive home this is what Guozhi want's a last duty to her gramps, please take care of the others while he's away.

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger he'll need protection, so will the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defences may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus

change my vote due to sound logic

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus
This is both a valid concern that should be addressed and a way to keep her from potentially injuring Guozhi's soul if she can't let go. She needs to learn that even she shouldn't meddle with the inevitability of death, not without true reason. And it would really suck if we got back only to learn that one of our guys gave into grief and got demon'd.

>>6119726
V:15

>Tell Meixiu:1 AD:?

>Burning your soul: 8

>Tell the girl: 6

>Give the young psyker: 2

>Write in: 1

>>6119726
>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>>6119726
V:16

>Tell Meixiu:1 AD:?

>Burning your soul: 9

>Tell the girl: 6

>Give the young psyker: 2

>Write in: 1

>>6119726
>>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus

>>6119780
>>6119765
>we nearly got killed and got our forehead mark for a keepsake. this might also be a matter of focus and skill, one that all present except Guozhi are complete novices in.
>unless one can keep observing his ritualized death to begin a new life again, we risk not meeting him in another life.
>Mexiu would better memorize Guozhis soul so she can race all of us to find him first

>>6119726
>V:17

>Tell Meixiu:1 AD:?

>Burning your soul: 9

>Tell the girl: 7

>Give the young psyker: 2

>Write in: 1

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus
I don't think we should show the child what might be some eye of creation tier stuff, that's how you create a late game enemy but also our students back home will be exposed

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus
I got a bad feeling about letting her into the lesson, she ain't on Lieren and Magnus' level. I feel like her time for goodbyes is right here and not during the lesson.

>>6119726
>V:19

>Tell Meixiu:1 AD:?

>Burning your soul: 9

>Tell the girl: 9

>Give the young psyker: 2

>Write in: 1

I wonder how our Aeldari have been doing andbwhere our favourite wraithguard is? He missed the wedding and I'm worried for him.

>>6119726
>V:19

>Tell Meixiu:1 AD:?

>Burning your soul: 8

>Tell the girl: 10

>Give the young psyker: 2

>Write in: 1
So I miscalculated 100%

>>6122124
100% correct now

>>6119726

>Burning your soul a bit more intensely, shield Meixiu with brilliant gold fire and chilling moonlight and protect her from the darkness of the warp, so she may witness Guozhi's end and join the lesson

>>6119726
>V:20

>Tell Meixiu:1 AD:?

>Burning your soul: 9

>Tell the girl: 10

>Give the young psyker: 2

>Write in: 1

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger he'll need protection, so will the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defences may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus

I'm sorry anons, I usually lurk but powerful as she is, she's still a child. The amount of fucked we will encounter can't be good for her, also that way the others will be safe too

>>6122496
>but powerful as she is, she's still a child
This.
Reminder that the warp loves trying to tempt you into embracing it. She is in no state of mind to deal with daemons offering to save Guozhi from Tzeentch in exchange for small, harmless favors.

File: 1660427871773558.png (1.27 MB, 850x1100)

1.27 MB PNG

Calling the vote now. Sorry for the wait, was waiting for the tie to be broken one way or the other, and catching up with my Monster hunter grinding

>>6122296
Thank you for the help Anon! Always appreciate it.

So Lieren will tell Meixiu that Guozhi is in danger but so are the other psykers, and that as the strongest psyker in the cultivation sect, it is her duty to guard them while they're away traveling with Guozhi and Magnus

Writing now

>>6119726
>Tell the girl that while Guozhi is in danger, so are the other students of the wanderers in the fog. When they hear of his death, their mental defenses may waver. Tell her, as the strongest cultivator and pyskerist besides yourself in the sect, it is her duty to protect them while you travel with Guozhi and Magnus

Also hi a lurker here I finally read all of this quest and i must say malal you have done an amazing job and I am excited to see what this quest offers in the future

For all of Meixiu innate psionic strength and inborn potential to wield it and harness her gift, and the tragedy she suffered before Guozhi found her, she is not prepared to venture into the deeper sea of the warp. For all of her natural strength as a psyker, she is not strong enough to take the trek, the innocence of youth would break the mental and spiritual armor she is still training and forging the desperation of a child to keep hold of the man who became, in all but official records, her adoptive father, by her side after having lost her family and village at so young an age. Meixiu is head strong, and is well aware of her power, but has yet to clearly glimpse and grasp its limits. She is a child, a grieving, wheeping child. The favoured prey of the denizens of the discordant realms

Both you and Magnus are in agreement that her safety and well being cannot be risked, even if denying her would wound her heart. Bitter tears are a small price to pay to avoid damnation.

"Grandfather Guozhi is in danger" You answer, voice booming and resounding through the currents of the Emperyean disturbed by the presence of four great practitioners of psykerism standing so close together in its current "But he is not alone in being threatened, Meixiu. The other members of the wanderers in the fog sect, your fellow students, honored teachers, they to are in danger"

Through her tears, Meixiu perked up, wiping the steaming drops of sorrow from her cheeks with the sleeve of her robe as she heard your words, and at the mention of her dear friends be in danger, stood up as tall as she could, eyes a swirl of cosmic potential, the weight of her peerless spirit's touch compressing and sinking the pearl hued soil beneath her feet.

"Grandfather's time has come, and when they hear of his passing, they will feel a sorrow just as deep and painful as you are now" You say softly, voice somber and delicate like a murmuring stream, head bowed "Such intense emotions, may weaken their mental defenses, and as their guard wavers. They may be spirit away, ridden by foul winds and cruel devils"

"A lapse in their attention is all it would taken, if they seek solace in the shores of the great sea. The malevolent of its denizens can easily disguise their attentions and appear as benign entities" Mangus adds with a nod "And the same is true for you, Meixiu, despite your prodigious strength and natural talents harnessing your gift, that is why you cannot come"

"That is why I kept this a secret, but these two, could sense my impending end. Because they are both skilled and powerful enough to join me in this, the last leg of my journey, to escort me to the door waiting for me far away" Guozhi continued gently, tears shimmering in his bright blue eyes as Meixiu's brow wrinkled and furrowed

Cont

>>6122632

"And while we walk into the storm, you will wait on the shore, guarding the hearts of your sect-mates should they waver and give into despair" You proudly command, clapping your hands three times, forming a point on a triangle with each one "That is your duty, as the strongest of the wanderers in the fog beside myself. Protect them, while my brother and I escort Guozhi to where he must go"

"It is the final kindness I'd ask of you, little girl" Guozhi says solemnly, head bowed

"You are more than capable of it, Meixiu, if you remember your training and endure your grief for the others sake" Magnus adds with a tender smile.

And then, without a word, Meixiu is gone, only cupping her fist before her spiritual form vanishes as she returns fully back to the Materium, eyes focused and hardened with conviction even as tears roil at their edges.

"The final goodbyes are always the most painful" Guozhi sighs, lifting up his head as he rests between you and Magnus, both of you lending one hand to support the sagacious monk as you take the first solemn steps on his last journey, acting alone as his funerary possession and his mourners.

"We will meet again" You answer, head lifted and drearily looking to the swirls of mist and fog unfurling ahead of you, revealing new pathways through the ever shifting realm of chaos

"Providence must never be trusted to arrive, fortune is an unsteady foundation to build a house upon" Your teacher replies simply

"We will do all in our power to ensure it" Magnus states with confidence, head held high, beholding and gazing upon the horizon hopefully

"It is not the place of a student to be whipped for the failure of his teacher" Guozhi answers back plainly as he glances around, figures vague and unsubstantial appearing out of the mists to march beside you, each of them sharing one clear feature. Blue eyes, young yet filled with the wisdom of the old, ancient yet overflowing with the wonder and vigor of youth. The past lives and previous incarnations of Guozhi

"Remarkable, so this is the true form of your soul" Magnus remarks under his breath

"My memories from my first birth, to what could be my last" Guozhi answers, smiling fondly as scenes from previous eras of Shangrala's history emerge and are played like shadow theater before your eyes "The travels I had with my brothers and sister of the dai monks. The conflicts we had with the servants of Jian Qi. Our efforts to save fair Kanzeon's soul from the degenerated off spring of her passengers and crew. And yes, the lonely lives I lived away from their kinship, the roads I wandered with only myself as company"

He frowned, sadness summoning the illusion of rain to the dirt trail the tree of you walk down, surrounding by memories woven of mists and written in fog, as faint images of the burning of the Dai Monk's monastery and the monks themselves played as clear as autumn waters.
Cont

>>6122634

Magnus' eyes blazed with fury as he watched this memory play out, seeing from Guozhi's own eyes the execution of his fellow sages and monks who lived several lives, but your brother said nothing and merely watched the tragedy as it unfolded.

"Both of you have far surpassed me" Guozhi says, after you have spent hours, days or perhaps mere moments wading through the sea of the memories he's acquired and held onto firmly throughout his thousands of lives "And have long before this moment reached heights I cannot dream of reaching under my own power. It is the greatest honor, to be recognized as and called your teacher, even if it was only momentarily"

"The wisdom of elders is invaluable" you answer simply, with a pure and blithe smile as you stare down into the abyss ahead, the road paved with memories having lead to a shortcut into the crushing depths of the warp

"I respect all who have taught me" Magnus replies as well, curiously looking down the drop "Is this our destination?"

"We will wander the wilds of the empyrean and explore its unseen shores" He answers calmly "This journey I've so often undertaken alone, will be serve as training for you two titans standing tall in these always churning waters, and at the end, you shall see how I've cheated Jian Qi so often, the secret way we Dai Monk's slip the shackles of mortality and survive the eroding energies of the warp"

"I am humbled to be offered such a chance to learn and be taught privately by a master such as yourself, in your final hours" Magnus respectfully thanks him, in both the prosperan and Long-Jian manners "I will cherish the memories we make this journey to my final day, and cherish the knowledge I gain until the stars grow cold, Guozhi"

"Where will we be venturing to during this journey, my eyes can see far and pick out many peaks and valleys, citadels and towers, I can see the march of armies and the wastes they leave behind, and the dreams of entire worlds from here, on the edge of the stygian depths" You ask curiously, kneeling down and dipping your hand into the swirling waters of the emperyean pooling ahead of you, seeing hoof prints alongside the treads of tanks in front of it, as the locale of the warp the three of you rest at is shifted to that of a peach formed of molten glass and pitcher leafed plants whispering all the secrets of the drowned dead

"Ah, that depends entirely on what it is you wish to be taught, in the embers of this life, the records containing all I have known across the passing of my lives is revealed to me with as much clarity as your kind, ever gentle golden eyes, Lieren, my boy" He answers, voice warm and comforting, filled with his fondness for the both of you "And in the deep eddies and remote mountains of the warp, much can be revealed. I will serve as guide and lantern, for both of you, so you may claim these insights as your own. And then, at the end, I will show you the truth I alone am privy too"

Cont

>>6122636

"And the reason Jian Qi and his ilk pursue you so fervently and ferociously" You say, seeing what is left unsaid. Guozhi nods, eyes closed as he hums a song that you've heard played on board Kanzeon before. A Voidfairers melody, from eons ago.

What is it you will ask Guozhi to teach you, through the memories and knowledge acquired over his many lives, Lieren?

>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques in their entirety, and the silver moonlight granted to you by the princess of order Arianka

>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>Of storms and of masks, and your ability to inspire and empower others and be strengthened in turn, and the ways perception dye reality.

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers

>Write in

>>6122593
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, I'm also thrilled to hear you guys are enjoying this, and I promise, some real exciting stuff is coming up very soon!

>>6122637
>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers

>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques in their entirety, and the silver moonlight granted to you by the princess of order Arianka

>>6122637
>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers
I feel like there's no bad choices here, so I'm opting for the mystery box of "darkness is not evil".

>>6122637

>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul
Have we healed someone with our Golden Flames before?

>>6122637
>Of storms and of masks, and your ability to inspire and empower others and be strengthened in turn, and the ways perception dye reality.

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers

>>6122637
>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>>6122637

This seems like a way to heal himself and others. And given the way Loren tends to push himself until he has one foot in the grave, I think refining his self destructing soul should extend his endurance.

>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>>6122637
>>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>>6122637
>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques in their entirety, and the silver moonlight granted to you by the princess of order Arianka

So does the archive working for you guys ?

>>6122637
>Votes: 8

>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques: 2

>How fire and flames may heal and destruction: 4

>Of storms and of masks: 1

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis: 3

Works for me

>>6122637
>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques in their entirety, and the silver moonlight granted to you by the princess of order Arianka

>>6122637
>How fire and flames may heal

>>6122637
>Of storms and of masks, and your ability to inspire and empower others and be strengthened in turn, and the ways perception dye reality.

>>6122637
>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>>6122637
>>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques in their entirety, and the silver moonlight granted to you by the princess of order Arianka
fuck demons

>>6122637
>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers

>>6122637
>Votes: 14

>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques: 4

>How fire and flames may heal and destruction: 8

>Of storms and of masks: 2

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis: 4

>>6122637
>>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul
>Of storms and of masks, and your ability to inspire and empower others and be strengthened in turn, and the ways perception dye reality.

>>6122767
Isn't working for me. I'm worried that the storm knocked them out or something.

>>6122637
>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers

>>6122637
>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers

>>6123010
>Votes: 17

>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques: 4

>How fire and flames may heal: 10

>Of storms and of masks: 3

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis: 6

I hope the tg archive is not destroyed losing so many pieces of this saga would have crushed me mentally and spiritually.

>>6123462
I have locally saved atleast up to part way through angrons arc if worst comes to worst.

>>6123462
I hope so By the way malal, the fight with Be'lakor was awesome, especially when we marked him with a lotus symbol

If the archive comes back online I will copy it all over to my hard drive and my important shit USB

Male plz tell me you have the story saved on your computer

>>6122637
>How fire and flames may heal and destruction can be made into a force of creation, refining the golden flames constantly devouring and repairing your soul

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis. The night is not something to be feared, nor does darkness embody evil. A moonless sky and the ashes left behind will be what you mediate upon, the opposites of the two sources of your psionic powers

These are pretty cool.

>>6122637
>Votes: 18

>The breadth and full extent of the Dai exorcist techniques: 4

>How fire and flames may heal: 11

>Of storms and of masks: 3

>Fire-light, Moonlight. Both produce shadows, both create their anthesis: 7

the archive is up again but everything seems to be gone

>>6123896
The threads are still there.
https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/2023/5788584/

The directory listing is completely fucked tho.

What do you think happened to the archive? flood, lightning or a fire?

>>6123897
I wonder if we can still submit new threads then.

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Do not fear brothers, the Moe archive remains intact and I have PDFs of all the Threads.
https://archived.moe/qst You can find this quest via the search word "Primarch".

oh my god you are a goddamn hero!!!! Do you think you can contact tg archive admins so that you can get the story up there again. So that people can enjoy the story again.

The archive is back all 37 Primarch parts are there!!!!!

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Calling the vote now. Sorry for the long wait, real life issues had me stressed.

>>6123889
thank you for counting up the vote, as always, I appreciate the help.

So Lieren will ask Guozhi how to teach him how Fire and Flames may heal.

Writing now.


>>6124013
Incredibly based anon

The quiet moments of consideration and contemplation of which of the thousand fold insights and wisdoms old Guozhi has come to possess over his many long and historied lives, while by the measure of most men it would appear to have taken you no thought at all to make your decision, in a mind as efficient and quick as yours, the decision feels like a lengthy but imperative debate you're having with yourself. Magnus however, seems to have walked Guozhi to this shore with his choice already having been made.

"I wish to improve my understanding of the Alchemical arts, both traditional and scientific, chemistry and mysticism, to bridge the gap between the two different expressions of the same concept, the primitive and the advance, the mundane and the supernatural" He explains, composed and respectful as he turns to Guozhi, who strokes his beard, nodding along agreeably with your brother's request as he speaks it "I wish to master the art, to be known more as an Alchemist rather than a sorcerer supreme, to draw power not from these choppy and uncertain waters surrounding me, but through draughts and chemical compounds of my own design, infusions formed of the very stuff of the warp, purified and refined"

"You've already dabbled with this most dangerous art, taking from this empyrean realm and through crucible's fire and curious methods, turning it into something that can be made us of, safely I hope" Guozhi says, and you briefly halt your internal debate to shift your eyes to Magnus who breathes in sharply through his nose, knowing what you can tell at a glance from the subtlest shifts of his body language and the inner most chambers hidden in his heart

"I have, but I've been far more cautious than I would have otherwise been, had I not realized the dangers of incaution and recklessness, the same lesson that taught me that something as fickle as wind cannot be trusted as a power source, which lead me to pursue this alternative path of study" He explains, weighing every word carefully, his eyes locked with yours, trying to convince you more than Guozhi, and himself more than you "I've taken every precaution, sanitized and sealed the sites of my experiments and have painstakingly made certain the means of cleansing I employ are working effectively, with little room for mistake or miscalculation"

"You could've trusted me with this, I'd have been glad to help you in this research" You say truthfully and Magnus nods

"Oh of that I am certain, but we'd have come to different conclusions than what I have learned already on my own if we had worked together. I wish to create Alchemy useable by Prosperans, and while your perspective would've hastened the developments I've already made, I do not doubt, it would've also diverted the course, I feel" He explains politely
Cont

>>6125189

"And your initial experiments were too dangerous to be brought to my attention" You say with a frown and Magnus laughs

"I may have learned some sense of caution, but the same fright that taught me that, also inspired within me a curious determination" He answer quite jovially, arms apart and open kindly "To craft countermeasures to the foe...no, enemy, we faced that day"

"Hmmrph" Guozhi grunts, wacking Magnus on the thigh with his walking stick "No need to convince me, and I am sure your brother is simply relieved I'll show you a less treacherous path forward pursuing this not so new found interest of yours, red giant. I will gladly teach you what I know of Alchemy derived from the immaterial. But what of you, Lieren, what do you seek"

"My soul is lit aflame. It is a fire that spreads to whatever touches this welcoming heart of mine. It is a golden sea that empowers and inspires, while drawing power to renew itself and brilliance to enlighten me. But, though it has proven invaluable, filling the thousands of vessels with but embers of itself, I recognize the danger of these gilded flames, just as I know the cooling moonlight hidden away in my heart may freeze and bite" You answer, gazing towards a blazing eye of amber and coral flames far in the distance, reaching a hand up and slowly drawing your fingers as if grasping the lashing tongues of its fires "While I have made good use of the properties it possesses already, I seek to refine it. The flames that feed upon and rejuvenate my soul in a paradoxical cycle of destruction and creation"

"Emphasizing on the creation, when you have used the excess energies to covertly improve those whose souls are washed in the warmth of your flames" Magnus posits, crossing his arms as he too gazes upon the same horizon, but in his eyes, a different scene is reflected

"To learn how to wield what is performed subconsciously, the peculiar healing of this spirit of mine" You answer, smiling as Magnus does at having correctly guessed your intent "How something as all consuming as fire can be taught and made to heal rather than burn, how a force of destruction can be turned to creation"

"One may find a resemblance between this endeavor of yours, and both of the lives we've lived, born to lead armies, yet finding joy and fulfillment in more civilized callings" Your brother chuckles

"And this one, teaching cold logic and pure reason to become an overflowing fount of passion, love and kindness" Guozhi remarks with a chuckle of his own "I believe I can guide you to a place that can teach you the secret of healing fire, Lieren. Coincidentally, it is close by the place I must show Magnus, where the diagrams and designs for pure alchemy can be found for him to study and absorb without fear of tampering or corrupting influence"
Cont

>>6125190

A place of sealed knowledge and of strange fires with unusual properties. The roost of Jian Qi, the self imposed architect of fate. Your father on Terra would either be livid or greatly impressed by the audacity of this. And this journey chosen by Grandfather Guozhi, shows perhaps, why Jian Qi holds such enmity towards him and desire for his soul. The Lord of Lies, must detest being tricked and made the fool through no convoluted scheme or design of his own making.

"You both seem in deep thought" Magnus breaks the silence of contemplation as you rub your chin, in deep thought,

"Teacher is leading us some place dangerous" You state, and Guozhi nods

"Reckless in his extreme age, isn't he?" Magnus sighs

"It will be dangerous for all three of us" Guozhi cackles, winking like a man much younger and rowdier than the guozhi you know "But, a scholar without peer, a hunter without equal who are both visionaries and an unimpressive old man with a bad hip, should be able to muster enough effort to emerge out the other side unscathed"

"Well, all three of us have experience plunging the depths and dangers of the great sea" You brother says, trying to convince and rouse himself despite his misgivings, and concern for the safety of Guozhi's precious soul "There'd be no other triad better equipped to survive this learning excursion"

"Except if we brought our father along, or better yet, beat war drums and rallied all manner of trouble makers and evil spirits to chase after us" You snicker, no looking Magnus' way, out of worry he'd be actually considering doing just that as you venture into the Domain of Jian Qi, named by the Aeldari as Tzeeneth, and called elsewhere Tzneetch. Your sword hand twitches, as you recall your first encounter with a thrall of the discordant powers. The betentacled Unseen master moving the strings of the unliving sorcerer squatting above where Kanzeon slept through the ages, the corruption that ruined the tiger folk.

Perhaps you'd meet that vile abomination on the road

And kill it again.

"Oh, I'd not be so certain of that" Guozhi ponders outload, tapping his walking stick on the pearlescent waters in front of him "We'll be entering the Manse of Jian Qi, after all, to open boxes he couldn't pry or beguile open. Secrets of Cultivation styles passed down from one incarnation of me and mine to the next, claimed by that vagabond of wayward mysteries when some of us fell from the righteous path, but that he was unable to take possession of"

"The weaver of fate you warned me about?" Magnus asks simply "When you first told me of wicked spirits, before soon being assailed by one of the very same treacherous beings?"
Cont

>>6125191

"That is one of their self important titles, yes, and the one I told to you when we had first encountered one another. Fate is ever the salve of fools, and many such fools fall into trance by Jian Qi's mutterings" You whisper conspiratorially to your brother, as Guozhi, with gestures and protective hand signs, guide you both down a path lined with iridescent crystals and glittering green Warpstone.

And in front of your eyes, blue hued feathers fall, the tell tale scratches and prints left behind by hopping and dancing birds, capering like dancers, appears in the glass like surfaces appearing around you through mists dyed lavender and deepest midnight, the bird song of deceit.

Looking down at your hands, you find an archers glove formed of doe skin drawn over your hands, robes replaced with hunter's vestments, as Magnus' courtly scholarly robes are in turn replaced a hooded cloaked shifting with sands and wafting with clouds of incense and an odd raven's skull shaped mask over his own eyes, and Guozhi's eyes become fractals, displaying every emotion ever felt by mankind in the eyes of every life and face his spirit has worn.

And then, suddenly, your teacher becomes mist, though you can still feel his astral self firmly in your grasp even as his ethereal body slips through your fingers.

And the brand atop your brow begins to first ache, then sting and burn like white hot metal. Drops of blood dribble from one of the arrows forming the scar, not red, but ink black flecked gold, azure and plum.

Touching two fingers to the stream of blood, you catch the reflection of one burning eye in the sheen of the blackened blood and flick the drop away, before a pillar of azure fire erupts from just a drop of blood

"Tch, now things get trickery" Guozhi mutters, as vast, flapping wings sounds above "I'd hoped drawing on both of your immense spiritual presences would've been enough to strengthen my veil to shield the sign of that hateful brand"

Magnus silently draws a blade that curiously resembles a Vishnu saber, sands whirling around it as you scan the ever changing skies above your head

"It need not be" You answer softly

"Just because we are sighted, does not mean we are found" Magnus adds, lifting one finger from the grip of his blade

"Hah! I like that confidence! Will and self belief is an invaluable shield while traversing the Empyrean!" Guozhi proudly declares
Cont

>>6125192

What do you do, Lieren?

>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

>Disguise yourself as Guozhi and yourself, and lead the evil spirit to clearer skies, purposefully missing it with blasts of "The water becomes the void as the Void becomes the water" to rouse its hunting instincts and lead it into the range of another daemon

>Crack your neck, fingers and shake your wrists, and perform "Reality Flickers before the approaching storm", (What emotion/ concept do you use as a focus)

>Inspired by Guozhi's failed attempt at hiding the three of you, attempt it, but go in the opposite direction, creating what amounts to a spiritual flash bang by quickly transmuting moonlight you allow to flow and surge out of you into searing golden sunlight

>Write in

>>6125193
>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

>Disguise yourself as Guozhi and yourself, and lead the evil spirit to clearer skies, purposefully missing it with blasts of "The water becomes the void as the Void becomes the water" to rouse its hunting instincts and lead it into the range of another daemon

>Crack your neck, fingers and shake your wrists, and perform "Reality Flickers before the approaching storm", (What emotion/ concept do you use as a focus)

> An ancient forest green and lively, birds flying between the old and steady branches unaware of hunters, bow in hand, patience and determination in their heart ready to loose the bow and pierce the wicked bests that circles the beautiful sky.

>>6125193
>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

>Crack your neck, fingers and shake your wrists, and perform "Reality Flickers before the approaching storm", (What emotion/ concept do you use as a focus)

> An ancient forest green and lively, birds flying between the old and steady branches unaware of hunters, bow in hand, patience and determination in their heart ready to loose the bow and pierce the wicked bests that circles the beautiful sky.

ignore the first one Plz :)

>>6125193
>Fire kurnous' bow

What a trick it will be. To pluck a chicken, just for me.

>>6125193

Every other path involves leaving guozhi's veil, drawing more attention or both.

Shoot the scout and move on.

"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

>>6125193
>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

>>6125193
>4

>"I'll shoot this: 4

>Disguise yourself:

>Crack your neck: 1

>Inspired by Guozhi's:

>>6125193
>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow
Remind the contemptible fiend why we are a Hunter of Nothing.

>>6125193
>>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

>>6125193
>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

>>6125256
>>"I'll shoot this contemptible crane out of the sky, and while its feather falls, you go to where the alchemical mysteries lie locked" Then, Show the wicked spirit above exactly "How Kurnous Strings His Bow" with one fatal arrow

inb4 the trend of Lieren trying to one-shot his opponent and failing continues.

>>6125193
>Use the bow trick we learned from the Eldar hunter to one tap this lower lifeform.

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>>6125193
>Inspired by Guozhi's failed attempt at hiding the three of you, attempt it, but go in the opposite direction, creating what amounts to a spiritual flash bang by quickly transmuting moonlight you allow to flow and surge out of you into searing golden sunlight
The silver soul reflects the suns might. A reminder that finding your enemy can prove as dangerous as letting them remain hidden.

>>6125193
>>Inspired by Guozhi's failed attempt at hiding the three of you, attempt it, but go in the opposite direction, creating what amounts to a spiritual flash bang by quickly transmuting moonlight you allow to flow and surge out of you into searing golden sunlight
>>6125460
True. You go looking for trouble, you might just find it.

>>6125193
>Inspired by Guozhi's failed attempt at hiding the three of you, attempt it, but go in the opposite direction, creating what amounts to a spiritual flash bang by quickly transmuting moonlight you allow to flow and surge out of you into searing golden sunlight
The time has come to burglarize Tzeentch's home.

>>6125193
> Votse: 12

>"I'll shoot this: 9

>Disguise yourself:

>Crack your neck: 1

>Inspired by Guozhi's: 3

>>6125442
I mean pretty sure we one shot those twin from the palace