OK, just thought that I’d share some more of my own findings/guesses about the brilliant novel here, for you fellow Coil-wanderers to ruminate upon. Hopefully they’ll be of interest!
(I’m yet very new to this forum, but have been enjoying the Dark Coil for more than a year already, so…)
The Resplendent Ones
- Oh, they were hugely welcome guests in the book, with so many little details about them, despite not much overall time compared to other heroes. We even got to glimpse their Chapter icon and colours for the first time! Regarding this, it was mentioned that
Spoiler: their old Librarian had a strange, repelling work of art on his pauldron – which, to me, looked pretty much like something devised (imitated?) by the antagonist… I wonder whether the warrior has seen it in reality or in his psychic meditations… And why I’m at it, is it the mystical Razor that serves as the original of the self-appointed architect’s creation?..
Spoiler: - During Athanazius’ wanderings in the tainted building - which might as well have taken decades for all we know, hence his white hair (just as it might very likely feel like mere days for some…), had he glimpsed the Resplendents (Penitents?) shuttle caught in the labyrinth that Jonah saw entangled there? And had maybe found that answer then, as well?.. (or, equally plausible, it was confided in him later, by a certain xenos being…)
- One tiny detail: their Apothecary from the spire fortress may well be a recruit from Providence (this guess is based solely on his voice – described as a melodious
twang – but still, might be possible…)
- It’s funny that Asenath hadn’t learned of the Resplendents’ presence since her arrival on Candleworld. Surely their respective fates could’ve become…
entwined somehow? Maybe at some future point, the Angels come searching for the Sister, and she’ll finally recognize them?..
Sister Darkstar/Mercy
- Personally, I do believe that Sister Mercy is
Spoiler: a daemonette/herald. Some words from her ramblings/testimonies even made me think of possible involvement by a Keeper of Secrets…
And as we learn, the township of Trinity was cursed by a Norland witch, so maybe it was her... particular taint that changed Asenath and spawned Mercy further on?.. Plus, the order of Thorn Eternal seems to dangerously court the attention – possession – of Chaos. It’s really curious how her fellow Repentias never questioned Asenath’s overtly, inhumanly flamboyant behaviour… Maybe they simply thought it to be the signs of her righteous zealotry all along?..
Anyway, it’s no wonder that Asenath was deemed the best candidate for an Incarnate, as it’s mentioned that they are Chaos entities dwelling inside their mortal hosts – the Sister was effectively ready for such a fate! Whatever the case, this particular version of Jekyll&Hyde motif was artfully presented and very enjoyable to follow. Though, since “we are not responsible for the sins of our shadows” (and so obviously don’t have to repent for them), I’d really like to learn more of the discordant sisters’ fate… Does feel like some very bad blood would be imminent, and bitter feuds would ensue...
- Additionally, I’ve glimpsed some common traits in the fates of Asenath and another, later pilgrim of the Coil...
Spoiler: Both had killed, or helped to kill, their mentors (and had been chosen for service by them seemingly at random!), and for most of their lives, simply followed in the wake of their respective superiors. And all this before having their, well, personality splits.
Of course, I've no idea if the similarities were intentional or just something I wish to see!
- Btw, if I recall correctly, it was mentioned in ‘Fire Caste’ that Providence had been brought into the Imperium only 200 (and not 1300, judging by the dates of Damocles Crusade) years ago. So, was the campaign of Father Deliverance just the initial (and not too successful one) attempt at conquering the Arkans?
The Commissar - It was a nice surprise that the good commissar is from another wonderful world that we know and love
Spoiler: (Childe Wars, Grandpa Death and all that stuff…)
It seems that Fehervari’s two commissar protagonists – Lemarché and Iverson – may be called complete opposites, for even though both
Spoiler: had become warp-tainted, the former still managed to die honourably, while the latter brought about not just his own doom but that of his compatriots.
And curiously, they were both met at one point by the same message:
“Death is the beginning, Holt Iverson/Ichukwu Lemarché”.
Btw… Can the
dark(er) man apparently confronting O.Vedas in his “memories” actually be Iverson in his daemonic form (maybe on Providence in the distant future-that-was-to-be?..)
- Last but not least, my humble take on the “violations”... It’s easily the most cryptic feature of the novel, but as I’ve learned both from this forum and Hachisnax website about Fehervari’s literary influences, one of them was Robert Aickman (remember the Tempestor from 'Spiral Dawn'?..) And from what little I’ve read of Aickman’s style, it was heavily characterized by
fundamental wrongness of things around us and overall predilection for ‘English understatement’. So who knows, there may be something in this regard… To add, it's kind of hinted once in the novel (rather masterfully, at that) that of the characters themselves,at least one of them pretty much understands his
true nature in the narrative. After all, he knows two
mutually annihilating verities of the Coil: that
nothing is chance and
everything is a lie… And if so, any variables in the character’s fates are effectively their creator’s prerogative – along with everything else!
Well… that's it, for now. Enjoy!
Alina