Warhammer: The 11th Primarch - The Black Emperor

The Primarch gave a slight nod and walked over to an observation platform, gazing at the telescope atop it.

Unlike those knight mech-sized giant observatories, this telescope wasn't particularly large, just a bronzed antique about the height of an average human.

"My lord…" The observer, realizing he should be the one to brief the Primarch, did his best to remain composed.

"This telescope is over ten thousand years old. It was created during the early Age of Technology, an era that didn't yet have warp drives..."

Nareth nodded subtly and thought to himself:

'The main lens emits a glow of spiritual energy, it's definitely a potion material, though not one I recognize. Most likely it's a material that aligns with either the 'Parragon' pathway Sequence 5: Astronomer, or the 'Door' pathway Sequence 7: Astrologer.'

He immediately turned to Bredshaw and the observer and said, "I'll be taking this telescope."

That afternoon, Nareth toured the entirety of the Grand Observatory and discovered five mystic materials. He also selected four additional items to be delivered to his courtyard.

That evening, upon returning to his villa, he encountered Arsenna Dunn, who had just returned from the Cranium Library.

"My lord, while reading through some books today, I came across a poetry collection by Erich Baum."

"It radiated a spiritual glow, so I requested that volume along with a few others."

Arsena presented the poetry collection respectfully. Nareth skimmed the table of contents, spotting titles like The Moon and Dresden at Night, instantly identifying it as a primary material for the "Midnight Poet".

He placed the book on his desk and continued, "I've compiled a preliminary list from the various factions requesting an audience."

Taking the data slate, Nareth noticed the name Tairava.

In an instant, dozens of strategies formed in Nareth's mind, ranging from cooperation to conquest to alliance...

"Tomorrow night, I'll meet with Telavar's chieftain."

He didn't know much about the Tairava, nor their current circumstances or intentions, so he decided to assess them during the meeting.

After scheduling the audience, Nareth turned his gaze toward the courtyard. "You will go and offer our thanks to the people at the Grand Observatory."

The observatory director, along with several staff, had personally delivered the selected instruments to the villa.

Arsena exited to deliver Nareth's thanks. Meanwhile, Nareth returned to the third floor, entered the Kingdom of Disorder, and directed his Jokaero, whom he'd named Anthony, to brew one batch each of the "Lawyer" and "Arbiter" potions.

He then summoned Hollis and Bredshaw. After accepting their offerings of Cold Stone, he watched them each drink the golden and black potions.

Moments later, after instructing the newly promoted "Arbiter" and "Lawyer," Nareth said:

"I have a mission for you both."

The two newly inducted court knights responded excitedly, "Father, we will obey your every command."

"You are to go to Luna and forge the Terra-born candidates into true Shadows of Order."

Terra-born candidates would continue entering the legions for some time. Though their numbers would decline, they were still part of the Shadows of Order.

Rather than waiting until after they joined the legions for cultural indoctrination, it would be better to imprint the Order's ideology during their transformation and training.

Noticing a flicker of disappointment and gloom on their faces, Nareth smiled and said, "Your task is of great importance. Thousands of candidates will be shaped under your guidance into Shadows of Order."

"I chose you two from among the Honor Guard. That is a mark of trust."

Hollis and Bredshaw, realizing their Father's confidence in them, immediately bowed. "We shall give our all, and raise the candidates into true Shadows of Order."

"For those who are eliminated during advancement but embrace the Legion's culture, return them to Vostroya. Based on their aptitude, assign them to the Auxilia forces."

"Before departing for Luna, you must also draft the training program and report to me. It must include sections on governance, law, and related subjects."

The two warriors took their leave to begin drafting the new curriculum.

On his fourth day on Terra, Nareth took Arsena, Hollis, and Bredshaw once more through the underground palace passageways.

As Arsena entered the strange tunnels, his psychic powers were instantly suppressed, leaving him feeling weakened.

As a "Reader," he had no combat-related abilities, and even his ritual magic couldn't be used since the necessary language and steps hadn't yet been fully developed.

He instinctively touched the ring on his finger and the orb at his waist for a sense of stability.

His will was tested severely. It took nearly a hundred meters of walking before his pale complexion returned to normal.

Hollis and Bredshaw, now enhanced by their Beyonder transformation, no longer suffered hallucinations from the ceiling's crystal illusions due to Nareth's intense sensory presence.

Prepared this time, they began loading chunks of Cold Stone into Astartes-sized backpacks, over half-filled and carried slung around their necks.

Nareth's destination today was the Library. After receiving Arsenna's offering of the poetry collection the previous night, he moved up his visit by three days.

Emerging from the tunnel beneath the Grand Observatory, he walked in the opposite direction of its entrance.

He paused briefly before a large statue carved from onyx and quartz, Copernicus, and the first page of his magnum opus.

This was the most dazzling artwork among all the statues, though not a portionof material.

After appreciating it for a moment, he continued along the gilded avenue, toward the Cranium Library.

With a clear objective and the wide-ranging spiritual vision of a "Briber," Nareth finished exploring the immense library in a single day.

He found 111 books. Aside from primary materials for Sequence 8 "Midnight Poet" and Sequence 9 "Reader," there was one book that wasn't a material, but proved to be his greatest find:

The Book of Thelema. In ancient Greek, Thelema (Θελημα) means "Will.

This book detailed numerous mysteries surrounding the nature of will.

As Nareth flipped through its pages, he mused:

'Most psykers call the refinement of willpower "the weaving of fate." Some refer to it as "Akasha." The Vlka Fenryka' shamans call it "Wyrd." The seers of Chagatai speak of "Riding the Infinite Storm." But only one group ever used the term "Thelema", the Thousand Sons.'

He finished reading the entire book in under a minute, despite its unusual alphabet and symbols entirely different from Gothic script.

'Interesting... The text has a strange rhythm and structure. It'll be incredibly helpful to Arsena in developing a mystical language. The symbols are unique too, understanding them might help us develop new runes.'

Thinking of the runes Magnus once comprehended from books and passed down to his sons, Nareth made a decision:

'I should begin researching will-enhancing runes myself. My children possess heightened senses; they're more susceptible to influence. Chaos corruption will become a serious threat in the future. Relying solely on their willpower isn't reliable.'

'Runes etched onto their power armor could slightly amplify willpower and resistance to corruption, similar to how the Chogorian speed-glyphs used runes to marginally boost speed.'

'Though the increase would be small, considering the scale of the Legions, every bit counts.'

Nareth also recalled the mental techniques Magnus developed and taught his sons.

'Yes, I can create my own mental training techniques and pass them on to my children, so they won't need to rely solely on repetition. Once Magnus returns to the Imperium, I'll exchange ideas with him to improve it.'

'I can also incorporate the Eldar's unique mental disciplines to further refine these techniques.'

With that, Nareth picked up The Book of Thelema and said to Bredshaw:

"Have the head librarian deliver all 333 books I selected to my courtyard."

Aside from potion materials, he also chose texts on cryptids, folklore, and geographical records, which he intended to pass on to Tyrny for study.

Alongside potion materials, he'd chosen bestiaries, geographies, and folklore for Tierney's review.

Upon returning to his villa, Nareth received the Telavar chieftain.

.....

If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.

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