Zacchary Weisz"She is no warp spawn!" Weisz howls in desperation. "She is my apprentice!"
YOU[Touch Weisz's hand] "It's not her. You cannot wallow in your own guilt forever. There are people, out there and in here, who depend on you. Living people."
Zacchary WeiszWeisz's expression is a mixture of pain, horror, and grief. He lowers his arms slowly. "I... know, Your Lordship/Ladyship. I know this is not Adeline, but an echo of the one who devoured her soul. I just wanted to see her again, hear her voice again for a brief moment." With jerky movements, as though shaking off shackles of ice, he picks up his staff. "Ghost of my failure, now is your time to vanish."
end of branch
YOU"Choirmaster Weisz, I order you to banish the warp spawn!"
YOU"Adeline is dead, and so are the rest of them. Live with your guilt. Do not let it consume you."
YOU"Astropath, remember the golden radiance of Holy Terra. Remember your own oaths. He wants you to be steadfast."
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."
NPCThe Choirmaster's mind fades swiftly and eagerly, weary from suffering, and the otherworldly horror lurking in the shadows dissipates. No longer do the daemons who haunted Zacchary Weisz reign supreme in this chapel.
end of branch
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."
NPCThe Choirmaster's mind fades swiftly and eagerly, weary from suffering, and the otherworldly horror lurking in the shadows dissipates. No longer do the daemons who haunted Zacchary Weisz reign supreme in this chapel.continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "I am sorry, Weisz. You have left me no choice."
NPCThe Choirmaster's mind fades swiftly and eagerly, weary from suffering, and the otherworldly horror lurking in the shadows dissipates. No longer do the daemons who haunted Zacchary Weisz reign supreme in this chapel.continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 6 of 15
Zacchary Weisz"I see her with my own sight, unknown to ordinary people. She is as alive to me as you are, Your Lordship/Ladyship."
YOU[Touch Weisz's hand] "It's not her. You cannot wallow in your own guilt forever. There are people, out there and in here, who depend on you. Living people."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Choirmaster Weisz, I order you to banish the warp spawn!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Adeline is dead, and so are the rest of them. Live with your guilt. Do not let it consume you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Astropath, remember the golden radiance of Holy Terra. Remember your own oaths. He wants you to be steadfast."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "I am sorry, Weisz. You have left me no choice."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 7 of 15
Zacchary Weisz"Light? There is no light here, Your Lordship/Ladyship, not anymore. Only shadows of the past."
YOU[Touch Weisz's hand] "It's not her. You cannot wallow in your own guilt forever. There are people, out there and in here, who depend on you. Living people."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Choirmaster Weisz, I order you to banish the warp spawn!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Adeline is dead, and so are the rest of them. Live with your guilt. Do not let it consume you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Astropath, remember the golden radiance of Holy Terra. Remember your own oaths. He wants you to be steadfast."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "I am sorry, Weisz. You have left me no choice."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 8 of 15
NPC(no text)
end of branch
Entry point 9 of 15
NPC(no text)
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"
NPCAfter a long silence, he says in a hollow voice, "In a bodily sense, yes, Your Lordship/Ladyship."
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"
NPC"A reckoning, Lord Captain. A reckoning for my great arrogance. Daemons have been pursuing me for years, following my scent, sending me dire messages, hunting me... And now they have me. The entities that manifested here during the ritual were banished, but a lingering echo of their presence has latched onto the shadows. It has sprouted in the darkness and pounced upon my mind."
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"
NPC"I am guilty. I wronged them. I had been promised a great future at the Scholastica Psykana, for my talents were exceptional. But fate would not have it, and instead of serving on Holy Terra, I ended up here in the Expanse, where barely a gleam of the Astronomican reaches. My pride took a heavy blow, but my spirit was not cowed. I set about to assemble a Choir unlike any yet seen here. A mighty, resonant, astounding Choir. Lady Theodora expended tremendous resources bartering with captains and governors to procure Astropaths of my choosing. I brought together talents and budding geniuses under my authority. They were to ensure I would make a triumphant comeback."
NPC"And they could do that for me, that team of brilliant Astropaths whose talents were honed to perfection. Adeline, Annis, Antonius... Every one of them surpassed myself as I used to be. I saw that my time was coming, and... I lied when I told you it was Lady Theodora who had forced us to go through with the ritual. The idea had been mine. When, in her paranoia, Her Ladyship set out to find spies aboard the ship, I made her an offer. A ritual that would give her the names, in exchange for my fledglings' freedom and my own. It was... a good deal. She was willing to trade seven Astropaths for the names of traitors. And I doomed them all. My pride killed them."
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"
NPC"At first, Lady Theodora wanted to have me executed for what had happened, but then she regained her composure and graciously agreed to honour our deal. But... where was I to go? My dead were all here."
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"
NPCHe chuckles bitterly, and scarlet stains bloom on his blindfold made of sacred manuscripts. "Adeline was my ritual protector, only to become my greatest vulnerability. When the mad stream of other people's thoughts started to disorient my Astropaths, I became frightened for her. I hesitated, I wanted to spare her... and I lost control. The right thing to do would have been to sacrifice her, but... I couldn't. I had always had a soft spot for her. Her genius had made her my favourite."
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"
NPC"Not all of them. Stavros was the oldest in the Choir — he had been on the ship even longer than I. Mighty, wise man, if acrimonious. He envied me and criticised my ambition, but I was fond of him all the same. Thaddeus was the ship's confessor. Theodora had insisted on his presence. When it was over, he was the only other survivor, and he confronted me with angry accusations. I could not bear to listen to him, so... I silenced him. Killed him."
NPC"Sevitia was an ordinary servant. She fought the Immaterium's monsters until the warp began to prevail. She tried to save me, to lead me away, but I did not listen. She stayed at my side until the last moment and died a terrible death... all because of my accursed pride."
NPC"The rest were my voices. Antonius was the youngest. He had been in the Choir for only a short while. When the situation turned dire, fear got the best of him, and I... was infuriated by his weakness. I dominated Antonius's mind and impelled him to use up every spark of his life force for the ritual. Annis's doom came even earlier. She was the one person who told me, in front of the Choir, that the ritual was madness. In my anger, I ordered her servitorised. I believed I had to protect my authority. She died on the spot where you're standing now. I think she was still aware..." More scarlet drops seep through the Choirmaster's red-stained blindfold. "All my voices... I remember the name of each one whose life I cut short within these walls."
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now I know the truth."
NPC"That is for the best. I can no longer carry this burden alone. With Lady Theodora dead, the thought of my crime being forgotten, erased from history, is unbearable! I want to be judged and condemned!"
YOU"You have already condemned yourself to years of torment. I cannot give you a new punishment — only forgiveness. And you must forgive yourself."
NPCThe Choirmaster raises his grief-stricken face. The droplets of blood trickling from under the bandage land on the deck with a ringing sound. "Your words... are medicine for my soul, Your Lordship/Ladyship."
NPCAfter a moment's hesitation, the old man holds out his staff to you. "Please take it. This mighty instrument is the last reminder of Adeline and the others, of my guilt. It was with this that I performed the last ritual. I have no right to carry it any longer and would like it to be yours. A reminder of the painful lesson my pride has taught me."
end of branch
YOU"You have not allowed the warp to break you, and I believe the Emperor's light is strong in your soul. Continue your service, for Humanity needs you, and in duty you will find redemption."
NPCThe Choirmaster grips the Aquila on his belt so tightly that the gold wings draw blood from his fist. "You... are right, Your Lordship/Ladyship. Wishing to abandon my post is cowardice and an offence against Him."
NPCAfter a moment's hesitation, the old man holds out his staff to you. "Please take it. This mighty instrument is the last reminder of Adeline and the others, of my guilt. It was with this that I performed the last ritual. I have no right to carry it any longer and would like it to be yours. A reminder of the painful lesson my pride has taught me."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Your ambition was worth the risk, you were simply unlucky with your students. The weak are destined to be stepping stones for others on the path to knowledge — accept this sacrifice and live without regret."
NPCThe Choirmaster falls silent for a moment, trying to make sense of your words. "It is true. They are dead, and to follow them would be to undo all I have achieved. Thank you for believing in me. I will not fail Your Lordship/Ladyship again."
NPCAfter a moment's hesitation, the old man holds out his staff to you. "Please take it. This mighty instrument is the last reminder of Adeline and the others, of my guilt. It was with this that I performed the last ritual. I have no right to carry it any longer and would like it to be yours. A reminder of the painful lesson my pride has taught me."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You do not deserve absolution. Your service will continue."
NPCThe Choirmaster lifts up his blood-smeared face toward you. He says faintly, "You are cruel. But I bow to Your Lordship/Ladyship's will."
NPCAfter a moment's hesitation, the old man holds out his staff to you. "Please take it. This mighty instrument is the last reminder of Adeline and the others, of my guilt. It was with this that I performed the last ritual. I have no right to carry it any longer and would like it to be yours. A reminder of the painful lesson my pride has taught me."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Zacchary Weisz, I find you guilty and condemn you to death."
NPCTears of blood are streaming down the Choirmaster's face, dissolving what was left of the inscriptions on his time-worn blindfold. "Thank you, Your Lordship/Ladyship."
end of branch
YOU"Now I know the truth."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now I know the truth."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now I know the truth."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now I know the truth."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now I know the truth."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now I know the truth."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 10 of 15
NPC(no text)
end of branch
Entry point 11 of 15
NPC(no text)
end of branch
Entry point 12 of 15
NPCAn unpleasant heaviness grows in your head, as if a vice were slowly tightening its grip on your mind. The Choirmaster is kneeling, his burnt-out eyes peering into the void. He raises his head, and you see a weary old man, weak and frightened. He whispers, "She is here. Adeline has returned. She is asking me for help. But you... You scare her. She is hiding from you. You will not harm her, will you?"
NPCFrom every direction, every shadow, comes playful girlish laughter. At times it transforms into an old man's rueful weeping; at other times, into a deep growl of annoyance. The sounds form cold, malicious words: "The sorrow will be eternal."
YOU"Choirmaster? What is going on?"
NPCWeisz says nothing. His otherworldly gaze is directed through you and past you, to a spot further inside the chapel. His lips silently whisper a name over and over.
YOU"Choirmaster? What is going on?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You must help me heal Kibellah, Weisz."
NPCWeisz merely covers his ears with his hands. "Please... I am guilty... Adeline!" The Choirmaster is unlikely to be of any help in this state.
YOU"Choirmaster? What is going on?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You must help me heal Kibellah, Weisz."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Address the shadows] "What twisted creature are you?"
NPCThe mocking laughter of an old man turns into a moaning whisper: "I am the victims. I am the murdered innocents. I am his guilt!"
YOU"Choirmaster? What is going on?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You must help me heal Kibellah, Weisz."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Address the shadows] "What twisted creature are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"How do I find Adeline?"
NPC"Adeline? She is there, in the shadows..." A tortured sigh escapes his feeble body. "Many shadows lie. The true ghosts are hiding among the false ones. But I hear... I hear! I hear Thaddeus's earnest prayer and old Stavros's words of disappointment — he always doubted my talents as a mentor."
NPC"I hear poor Antonius's scream... the scream he let out when he unwillingly gave up the last of his vitality. Annis's pleas — I condemned her to an existence as a half-machine. I can even... I almost sense Sevitia's touch. She tried to save me, but she fell instead. So many voices, all condemning me for what I did! Find them... Separate the true voices from the false echoes!"
YOU"Choirmaster? What is going on?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You must help me heal Kibellah, Weisz."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Address the shadows] "What twisted creature are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"How do I find Adeline?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I will find your Adeline and bring her out into the light."
NPCThe shadows croak hoarsely in an old man's voice, "Why do you seek his redemption? He was always a terrible leader and talentless mentor! He doomed everyone!" The indignant tremble grows into a roar of righteous condemnation: "He was arrogant! Having no notion of his own wretchedness, he did not put his faith in the Emperor, but instead believed himself to be invincible!" The voice grows weaker. It is now a young man's, soft and full of anguish: "And he paid for his mistake with our lives... It was cruel and painful."
NPCThe voice grows heavy with a metallic clang: "We begged him to reconsider, but he took our minds away as punishment." The shadows' speech is now gentler and more feminine: "But we were loyal to him regardless. We tried to save him even though he had not saved us..." The voice becomes cold, resonating with sorrow from beyond this world: "He is guilty."
end of branch
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."
NPCThe Choirmaster's mind fades swiftly and eagerly, weary from suffering, and the otherworldly horror lurking in the shadows dissipates. No longer do the daemons who haunted Zacchary Weisz reign supreme in this chapel.continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."
NPCThe Choirmaster's mind fades swiftly and eagerly, weary from suffering, and the otherworldly horror lurking in the shadows dissipates. No longer do the daemons who haunted Zacchary Weisz reign supreme in this chapel.continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Walk away from Weisz]
end of branch
YOU"I will find your Adeline and bring her out into the light."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Walk away from Weisz]continues where this line first appears above
YOU"How do I find Adeline?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I will find your Adeline and bring her out into the light."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Walk away from Weisz]continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Address the shadows] "What twisted creature are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"How do I find Adeline?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I will find your Adeline and bring her out into the light."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Walk away from Weisz]continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You must help me heal Kibellah, Weisz."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Address the shadows] "What twisted creature are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"How do I find Adeline?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I will find your Adeline and bring her out into the light."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Walk away from Weisz]continues where this line first appears above
NPC(sequence)
ArgentaArgenta's scornful laughter cuts through the sinister whispers. "Sorrow? To perceive corruption is a triumph, for once you perceive it, you can eradicate it! Cower, blasphemous spawn! I hear your voices, and I follow the trail!"
end of branch
MarazhaiMarazhai hisses, glancing at the shadows anxiously. "I can almost feel the claws of She Who Thirsts clamping around our souls! The sooner we leave this place, the better. Have your servants void this compartment once we are gone."
end of branch
Idira"The whispers keep saying we should kill old Weisz. They're just so giddy about it... I guess we shouldn't kill him, then? The whispers never get excited about anything good."
end of branch
Cassia"His is such a terribly wounded soul... It has all but sunk beneath the grey-blue blisters of guilt, and they are swelling ever so rapidly. The last silvery speck of hope could fade at any moment."
end of branch
Entry point 13 of 15
AdelineThe ghost stares at Weisz mournfully. The muffled sob coming from the apparition almost seems to take physical form as it drifts toward the Choirmaster and envelops him.
Zacchary WeiszWeisz blocks your path, extending his arms in a gesture that both calls for restraint and pleads for mercy. "Do not harm her! Please! The poor girl is frightened to death! Let me talk to her! I cannot fail her again!"
YOU[Touch Weisz's hand] "It's not her. You cannot wallow in your own guilt forever. There are people, out there and in here, who depend on you. Living people."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Choirmaster Weisz, I order you to banish the warp spawn!"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Adeline is dead, and so are the rest of them. Live with your guilt. Do not let it consume you."continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Astropath, remember the golden radiance of Holy Terra. Remember your own oaths. He wants you to be steadfast."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "I am sorry, Weisz. You have left me no choice."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 14 of 15
NPCWeisz's breathing is laboured. "Thank you, Your Lordship/Ladyship. The burden was too heavy for me to bear." On the verge of fainting, he musters the last of his strength to sit down on the steps.
YOU"Weisz, are you all right?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What was that, Choirmaster?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Why are daemons pursuing you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"If you got your freedom, why did you stay on the ship?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What went wrong during that ritual?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"What about the other voices? Were they your apprentices as well?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"Now I know the truth."continues where this line first appears above
Entry point 15 of 15
NPCWeisz mutters incoherently, consumed by his frightful reverie.
YOU"Choirmaster? What is going on?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"You must help me heal Kibellah, Weisz."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Address the shadows] "What twisted creature are you?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"How do I find Adeline?"continues where this line first appears above
YOU"I will find your Adeline and bring her out into the light."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Grant Weisz the Emperor's Peace] "It is a Commissar's duty to subdue an out-of-control psyker. The Emperor protects."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Execute Weisz] "You are clearly the problem here, old man. And I cannot put the ship at risk."continues where this line first appears above
YOU[Walk away from Weisz]continues where this line first appears above