
Gav
Lord of the Night wrote:(My money is on Astelan being the escapee.)
LotN
Spoiler: I really really liked the discussion of faith and hope and ideology in the book. I have - in the field of my work - read lots of academic discussions there, and - minus footnotes - this is just as complex and in depth.
The book really showed how it all boils down to the human spirit - and neither Space Marines nor Primarchs have any advantage over the normal baseline humans there. They can despair - or hope - just as easily as humans do.
I'm really glad Arendi was not the traitor. I felt so bad for him during his interrogation. And who can ever forgive him for what he did? Certainly Corax is not capable of giving him absolution there...
*tongue in cheek* They should start an Isstvan Survivors Anonymous self help group...
I bet Corax would very much agree with Horus on "functionally immortal is not invulnerable". That part just hurt to read.
The traitor and his last words were... *wince* I'm glad that he remained a complex person. Not merely a no-good scumbag, or a paragon. He was just a person.
Now, for the question(s):
Will we see more of the loyalist Night Lord? So happy he exists.
And what is your take on Lorgar? Did he lie to the abandoned loyalists? Or was it the truth when he told them that he loved them? Personally I feel that Lorgar, more than any other primarch, knows how love can be toxic and terrible... And how people can tell you they love you when in turn they just (ab)use you...
Dennis the Hamster wrote:As I am responsible for both, I can say with some confidence that Asmodai is certainly hardline, but I hope it comes across as believable in Master of Sanctity. There's a difference between what can be conveyed over the course of 1,000 words of background text covering a whole lifetime and the subtleties of character and motivation made possible by concentrating on a single incident across the breadth of a novel.
It was great fun to write Asmodai, particularly in contrast to Sapphon, and I hope readers enjoy their interactions.
Spoiler: Just who Cypher actually is, is of course a mystery. That it was a title, not really a person muddles the waters of course. I was rather amused by Astelan's nonchalance on being questioned about him - because to him it's really just an old title and a costume.
Which made me wonder. Lord Cypher (the person wearing the title on Caliban, to distinguish from Cypher, the FAllen from 40K) has a few appearances in the HH Dark Angels stories. IN Fallen Angels, his identity is revealed as 'nobody special'. In Grey Angel he shows up again, helping Garvi and Qruze escape from Caliban. At this point, Qruze actually recognises him, which is a very good indication that the Lord Cypher they met is not the person wearing the title in Fallen Angels.
For quite a while, I thought that it was Zahariel - except a) Zahariel also is not someone Qruze could have met and b) Zahariel definitely can't wear the costume in 40K. Now I'm wondering, if the person showing up as 'Lord Cypher' is actually Astelan? That would very much explain why he plays up the title aspect more than the person - "hey, it can be everyone. It even was me at some point" and it also would lean credence to his insistence he never betrayed the Emperor. Because, he helped the Emperor's Agents actually.
Astelan had a long history in the Great Crusade, so Qruze could easily have encountered him.
Liliedhe wrote:I'm not yet done with Master of Sanctity, but there was something I want to ask about...
*spoilered, because it crossreferences Grey Angel from the HH*Spoiler: Just who Cypher actually is, is of course a mystery. That it was a title, not really a person muddles the waters of course. I was rather amused by Astelan's nonchalance on being questioned about him - because to him it's really just an old title and a costume.
Which made me wonder. Lord Cypher (the person wearing the title on Caliban, to distinguish from Cypher, the FAllen from 40K) has a few appearances in the HH Dark Angels stories. IN Fallen Angels, his identity is revealed as 'nobody special'. In Grey Angel he shows up again, helping Garvi and Qruze escape from Caliban. At this point, Qruze actually recognises him, which is a very good indication that the Lord Cypher they met is not the person wearing the title in Fallen Angels.
For quite a while, I thought that it was Zahariel - except a) Zahariel also is not someone Qruze could have met and b) Zahariel definitely can't wear the costume in 40K. Now I'm wondering, if the person showing up as 'Lord Cypher' is actually Astelan? That would very much explain why he plays up the title aspect more than the person - "hey, it can be everyone. It even was me at some point"and it also would lean credence to his insistence he never betrayed the Emperor. Because, he helped the Emperor's Agents actually.
Astelan had a long history in the Great Crusade, so Qruze could easily have encountered him.
Pretty sure you can't answer this, but maybe you can cryptically hint?
Spoiler: The new Lord Cypher in the HH novels is in fact the last remaining Knights Lupus, the order that harbored chaotic creatures. The Knights Lupus who became Lord Cypher was a Knight who had been on a quest and returned to find his order destroyed. So he was something at least.
Liliedhe wrote:I'm not yet done with Master of Sanctity, but there was something I want to ask about...
*spoilered, because it crossreferences Grey Angel from the HH*Spoiler: Just who Cypher actually is, is of course a mystery. That it was a title, not really a person muddles the waters of course. I was rather amused by Astelan's nonchalance on being questioned about him - because to him it's really just an old title and a costume.
Which made me wonder. Lord Cypher (the person wearing the title on Caliban, to distinguish from Cypher, the FAllen from 40K) has a few appearances in the HH Dark Angels stories. IN Fallen Angels, his identity is revealed as 'nobody special'. In Grey Angel he shows up again, helping Garvi and Qruze escape from Caliban. At this point, Qruze actually recognises him, which is a very good indication that the Lord Cypher they met is not the person wearing the title in Fallen Angels.
For quite a while, I thought that it was Zahariel - except a) Zahariel also is not someone Qruze could have met and b) Zahariel definitely can't wear the costume in 40K. Now I'm wondering, if the person showing up as 'Lord Cypher' is actually Astelan? That would very much explain why he plays up the title aspect more than the person - "hey, it can be everyone. It even was me at some point"and it also would lean credence to his insistence he never betrayed the Emperor. Because, he helped the Emperor's Agents actually.
Astelan had a long history in the Great Crusade, so Qruze could easily have encountered him.
Pretty sure you can't answer this, but maybe you can cryptically hint?
Spoiler: the Lord Cypher we see in Fallen Angels would preclude that man from leaving Caliban for the Great Crusade.
Spoiler: Lord Cypher was recruited for the purposes of helping with the Lion's research into the Great Beasts and the Chaotic taint that plagued Caliban, but that this research was suspended when the Emperor arrived and his own "engineers" took up the efforts alluded to in Fallen Angels.
Spoiler: Lord Cypher may have left Caliban with the rest of the legion, since the main portion of his duties would require him to be with the increasingly Calibanite legion.
Spoiler: Qruze
Spoiler: Luther fought alongside Abaddon during the Great Crusade (something that originally would have been impossible), the argument can also be made that Lord Cypher is someone he may very well have met on campaign.
Spoiler: Luther would have made Astelan the Lord Cypher. Remember, the Lord Cypher shown in Fallen Angels also wields the same weapons as the current Lord Cypher. Furthermore, Luther was supposedly fighting to take back Caliban for Calibanites. The novel strongly implies that Luther trusts Cypher rather completely. He is the one individual whom he keeps closest to him throughout the novel, and I don't believe that changes by its end. Furthermore, installing a Terran in the most tradition-based institution would go against the grain of such a struggle.
Spoiler: I am aware who Lord Cypher in FAllen Angels is. It's just nobody relevant in the grand scheme of things. That he has a purpose in the context of the book I do not dispute. Looking from 40K, he is a nobody.
The Luna Wolves recognise the man underneath the cowl. If they had merely met Lord Cypher on campaign, he'd recognise the costume, not the person wearing it. Even if Knight-of-Lupus-Cypher had been off Caliban, he'd have gone as Lord Cypher and that would be the only identity anybody can know him in.
I never meant to imply that Luther bestowed the Lord Cypher title on Astelan. I just wanted to ask if the person wearing the outfit in Grey Angel was Astelan. Wearing it for whatever reason, like as a disguise. Besides, the Fallen Angel there (that's what he is called in the script) gives the salute of Unity, which indicates he is a Terran or at least old.
Phoebus wrote:Gav,
The other was the surprisingly short time it took before Belial was willing to take on brand-new inductees to the Deathwing on missions as dangerous as the one you featured. I'm not going to lie to you: it felt a little rushed. Though the Deathwing is defined by its secret mission and it being a "circle of trust" (if you will), it remains the Chapter's elite. It isn't just the equivalent of another Chapter's First Company... it's exactly that. It's the Chapter's elite, and it felt odd having someone as unproven and raw as Telemenus being sped through that kind of induction. I certainly can't imagine any other Chapter doing so, and it didn't feel as if Belial was really that pressed to reinforce his numbers then and there. I'm interested to hear your thoughts about this.
(I don't believe the above constitutes as a spoiler; I will edit as needed, if anyone feels otherwise)
Midgard wrote:Hi Gav! I just finished "Ravenlord" a few days ago, and really enjoyed it. It did, however, raise a few questions, and I was wondering if you could give your perspective.
First, there is an interesting mention of a wide assortment of Legionaries who now follow Corax, including members of Shattered Legions, and even some loyalists from the Traitor Legions. I find it interesting considering the theme of mistrust in the novella, and RG's (and Corax's) experiences with Alpha Legion infiltration (not to mention the nature of "Ravenlord'"'s ultimate enemy). Is the presence of the non-RG amongst the surviving Legion a ticking time bomb, and is this something you expect to play into the continued self-doubt experienced by both Corax and his surviving sons?
Second, I noticed the presence of Navar Hef again, also in a minor role, but now promoted to Lieutenant. I have a definite impression that at some point, he will have a large role to play in the overall Raven Guard storyline. Is he going to be more prominent in a future story/novella/novel, especially as he is, in my opinion, one of the more likeable characters amongst the Raven Guard?
Thank you in advance!
Words_of_Truth wrote:Are you doing more Raven Guard Novels/Novellas? If so any chance we may see some interaction with the Nomad Predation fleets?
Liliedhe wrote:I finished Ravenlord yesterday.
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. It didn't make me cry, but it made me feel like crying. Given what you said after the last one, I'm pretty sure that was the intention^^. By now, reading HH books has become a rollercoaster and more than a little harrowing on occasion - but it's still so bloody good. Everything that can evoke such emotions has to be, even if they are not pleasant emotions.
Following is a bit of rambling and a question.Spoiler: I really really liked the discussion of faith and hope and ideology in the book. I have - in the field of my work - read lots of academic discussions there, and - minus footnotes
- this is just as complex and in depth.
The book really showed how it all boils down to the human spirit - and neither Space Marines nor Primarchs have any advantage over the normal baseline humans there. They can despair - or hope - just as easily as humans do.
I'm really glad Arendi was not the traitor. I felt so bad for him during his interrogation. And who can ever forgive him for what he did? Certainly Corax is not capable of giving him absolution there...
*tongue in cheek* They should start an Isstvan Survivors Anonymous self help group...
I bet Corax would very much agree with Horus on "functionally immortal is not invulnerable". That part just hurt to read.![]()
The traitor and his last words were... *wince* I'm glad that he remained a complex person. Not merely a no-good scumbag, or a paragon. He was just a person.
Now, for the question(s):
Will we see more of the loyalist Night Lord? So happy he exists.
And what is your take on Lorgar? Did he lie to the abandoned loyalists? Or was it the truth when he told them that he loved them? Personally I feel that Lorgar, more than any other primarch, knows how love can be toxic and terrible... And how people can tell you they love you when in turn they just (ab)use you...
EDIT: PS: I read the Master of Sanctity excerpt on the BL Blog. *OUCH* *steals Astelan*
Spoiler: The Night Lord seems to be a bit controversial in some quarters (not BL towers) but I think he would make a nice adjunct to the freedom-is-lovely-we-should-be-defenders-of-liberty schtick of the RG. A very different attitude to prisoners... Whether he gets any more appearances, I don't know yet.
The Lorgar intervention was important for me to include, because Corax is usually so un-primarchy in that he hides his awe-sum power, is quite aloof much of the time but down-to-earth and comradely when he does mingle. A RG confronted by the full majesty of Lorgar in full charisma mode is going to wonder what king of a dud did they end up with?
For his part, I think Lorgar would not hesitate in using love to corrupt, just as his own twisted love corrupted him. In the abandoned loyalists he sees fresh minds in which to sow the seeds of his vision, a fertile ground for his hopes and dreams. At his heart Lorgar is a proselytiser, and the opportunity to convert to the cause, even if that cause is the ruination of everything, would bring him happiness.
On your other point, I'm glad you liked how the confrontation at the end worked out. When dealing with primarchs I'm reminded of the old comic-book conundrum -
How do you hurt Superman?
Emotionally.
Liliedhe wrote:Alright guys. I'm sure that would make a fascinating discussion, unfortunately this is the "Ask the author" thread, so I can't engage you.
Dennis the Hamster wrote:Yes and no, to my mind. Is there a bit off narrative-provoked urgency to their acceptance? Yes, while the induction scenes are entertaining and informative they couldn't fill in the rest of the novel for those characters. Weighed against that is the fact that all of these space marines are already 'veterans' by several centuries. I don't mean veterans in the sense of rank, but they certainly know their way around a bolt gun and combat knife. In other Chapters their length of service alone might have qualified them to the 1st Company, but of course the DW have slightly different criteria. Any hesitation on Belial's part would be about dealing with the newly taught secrets of the Fallen and subsequent attitude, rather than any skill deficiencies.
However, I'm glad it didn't ruin the novel for you anyway!
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