We know new rules are coming for Assassins, but check out the latest reveals for War of the Spider including renegade primaris!
GW has been focusing heavily on Psychic Awkening’s lore advancements lately. Over the past few weeks, in particular, we’ve been following some Custodes, some Primaris Marines, and the Officio Assassinorum. However, until now, the stories have all been a bit vague and unclear if they had anything to do with each other until now.
But before we jump into the latest story, we’ll be going over the highlights over previous weeks.
Assassins & Renegade Primaris War of The Spider Reveals
Previews paired with Psychic Awakening short stories, we know War of the Spider is going to have rules for the Death Guard, Chaos, the Officio Assassinorum, and the Adeptus Custodes. How all of these factions are intertwined is a mystery. However, more and more light is being shed on it all.
Space Marine Chapter Is Tired of Executing Their Awakened
We’ll be giving you a real short outline of the story, but you should read it for yourself as well.
Basically, Space Marine Chapters have been tasked with anyone showing psychic powers within their ranks to be executed. There’s an Astartes about to get mollywhopped by a Bullgryn and he blasts it with his mind bullets so he doesn’t get his melon popped. After his Brothers see this, they have to do the ceremonial execution led by the Chapter Master, Corian.
However, Corian gets fed up with killing his brothers and makes a fateful decision. He basically tells everyone in the room that he’s done fighting for the Imperium and says that he only fights for his brothers. With this Chapter, in particular, showing some serious growth in psychic abilities, they could be cutting ties with the Imperium to stop the executions and find a new purpose.
‘We are warriors, not cattle. We are the predators, not the prey. It is time we acted as such.’
It was Cathal who stepped forward, earnestness written plainly across his face. ‘What would you have us do, lord?’
Corian grasped him with both hands, a cold smile forming as he answered. ‘We take back our destiny, my brother. For you, me, and every one of our comrades that have died protecting this hollow, corrupt ideology of Mankind.’ The Chapter Master turned to take in the rest of the room, speaking with surety. ‘We fight for us now.’
‘Some will resist, brother.’ Cathal warned quietly. ‘What do we do then?’
Corian’s face took on an almost fanatical zeal. ‘Then we must enlighten them.’
Basically, this Chapter Master is fed up with having to kill his own kind. With this story in particular, there’s no real direction given that the Chapter would take (i.e pledging allegiance to a chaos god, just going renegade, etc.) although we know that whatever he’s doing is blatant heresy.
Custodes & Sisters of Silence Kill Primaris Marines On Ship
Even among the fleets that ferry Primaris reinforcements across the Imperium to their Chapters, heresy can be found. For the fleet carrying the Brazen Drakes to meet their battle-brothers on Khassedur, this will have dire consequences for all…
To do the story justice, we recommend you read it in its entirety or yourself. But to give you the cliff notes, there’s a Chapter of Primaris Marines called The Brazen Drakes is in transport with some Sisters of Silence and Custodes. They’re getting shipped as a package to a new homeworld ready to accept Cawl’s Primaris deal. However, mid-flight there’s a shoot-out that commences and leaves the Sisters and Custodes left to snuff them out.
‘And I am not in the habit of repeating myself,’ Tyvar replied. ‘Disarm. Command your brothers throughout the fleet to do likewise. Understand the lenience I show you in this, for your Chapter is confirmed Hereticus Diabolus Extremis.’
Fittingly enough, the orders were given ‘Apprehend these traitors.’
Here, we’ve got a Chapter called the Brazen Drakes. At this point, we know we’ve got two stories of Marines doing highly-questionable stuff to really piss off the Imperium. However, it wasn’t clear if these stories were linked….until now.
Psychic Awakening Stories Are Confirmed Connected- Latest
This is one of the coolest Psychic Awakening stories we’ve seen in a while. Giving the perspective of four different Assassins as they are activated for another mission, they are called “Execution Force Retaliation”. All of this is cool, but the kicker is that they’re on the way to some traitor Astartes, The Brazen Drakes (out of the 2nd story) to kill Chapter Master Argento Corian (out of the 1st story).
‘Execution Force Retaliation is en route. Target is of Adeptus Astartes origin, Excommunicate Traitoris: Brazen Drakes, Chapter Master Argento Corian. May the Emperor’s retribution strike swiftly and irrevocably.’
Some people seem to think that Fabius did some spooky surgery on a Custode (which we already saw). However, they think Fabius has him working almost as a secret agent, to essentially prod Marine Chapters into retaliation, to which they’re labeled Excommunicate Traitoris. Thus, the only decent option for the Marines at that point is to join chaos for safety (playing right into the hands of Fabius).
While we can see how that would work lorewise, at least for the Brazen Drakes, we already know that they’ve had their fill o the Imperium once they essentially said that they were done killing their psychically awoken brothers.
Who knows how all of this will shake out in the end. For right now, however, the biggest bit of info we’ve just gotten is that all of these short stories are intertwined.
What do you think Fabius is up to in Psychic Awakening? Will the Brazen Drakes be their own renegade Primaris chaos faction or will the Assassins having something to say about that in War of the Spider?
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About the Author: Wesley Floyd
Wesley Floyd
Job Title: Staff Writer
Joined: 2018
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Bio: Imperial fanboy, tabletop fanatic, and the self-proclaimed King of Sprues. Wes has been in the Warhammer hobby since 2015 and joined the Spikey Bits writing team in 2018. He knows for a fact that Mephiston red is the best-tasting paint and is the commission painting equivalent of a Wendy’s 4 for $4.
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