VoidbornFamily Final — Rogue Trader Dialogue Archive

Entry point 1 of 6

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Entry point 2 of 6

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Entry point 3 of 6

KibellahShe closes her eyes and exhales convulsively. "You... may be right. Perhaps I am making a mistake. I will trust you."

KibellahKibellah, dismayed, looks first at the Erebis family, then at you, then at her own reflection in the steel of her dagger. "I... will not kill... Must I follow my orders when my entire nature shrinks from it and my heart screams it is wrong? This is not my will."

Kibellah"The Vizsier. The Bloodspun Web. These... people. They had the audacity to decide who I was and what I existed for. I was but a tool for them." Kibellah's lips twist in contempt. "But no longer. Now I am the Domin's shadow. I am greatness and power. I am the fear and fury of his/her foes. The infinite universe lies open before me..."

KibellahShe clenches her fist. "The Vizsier forged me into a weapon and stained it with blood. He named a mark. He gave a mission. Come, Domin. We must descend into the temple of death, where I will report on my task. And ask the Vizsier a single question. 'Why me?'"

Xioni Erebis"You have grown into a fine woman, Naaki. And though you may be lost now, I know the Emperor will point you right. We are... proud of you."

KibellahThe corners of her eyes twitch, as though she is in pain. "My name is Kibellah."

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Kibellah"I could have had a family and a future full of righteous service. A chance for a different life. That was taken from me. Who I would be and how I would serve was decided for me."

KibellahKibellah flinches, goes even paler... And then her eyes widen. She clutches her chest with a pained rasp and collapses to the floor like a broken doll.

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Entry point 4 of 6

KibellahThe look in her dark eyes grows colder than the void itself. "These deaths please the Undying One. They are not for me, but for Him. I am but a blade that must be sharp if it is to serve. And I will cut the threads."

KibellahThe Erebis family recoils in horror, but a gesture from Kibellah freezes them on the spot. "I ask you and your guests to leave the room — let only the Undying One witness my return to the thread."

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Entry point 5 of 6

VoidKibellah's cry brings the Erebis family back together. Six alarmed faces. Six people standing shoulder to shoulder like a fortress wall. And one lone, grim figure opposite them. The shadow peers into their dark eyes... The same as her own. Their pale lips, the same as her own. She clenches her fists, ignoring the steel claws that pierce her palms.

Kibellah"Enough. I... I know who Naaki Erebis is." Her unblinking gaze turns to you.

YOU"And so do I."

Xioni Erebis"Naaki..." Xioni Erebis looks at Kibellah with scarcely concealed fear, but her husband notices her reaction and shakes his head in warning.

Mattis Erebis"No!" Mattis screams. "How could you keep something like that to yourselves? How could you... How could you!"

Lorna ErebisLorna hugs her younger brother and sister, who cast frightened glances at their parents and the sinister woman with the wry smile.

Kibellah"Naaki Erebis..." Kibellah throws her head back, and her laughter resonates through the hall. "Naaki Erebis is me!"

YOU"So all this time, Mattis, your dreams were showing you..."

Mattis Erebis"The woman who was destined for me. Not the love of my life, but... my sister?" Mattis shudders and stares intently at Kibellah. "I didn't know. Do you... remember me?"

Kibellah"I remember what I am permitted to remember. The Tenets of the Web. Prayers to the Undying One. The names of poisons and intoxicants. The name the Vizsier gave me. But you... No. I do not remember you. I do not know you."

YOU"So all this time, Mattis, your dreams were showing you..."

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YOU"You mentioned a guardian in the shadows, did you not, Lorna?"

Lorna Erebis"An unseen shadow. A servant of death... Mother called her Naaki, but I knew she was talking to... someone she knew."

YOU"So all this time, Mattis, your dreams were showing you..."

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YOU"You mentioned a guardian in the shadows, did you not, Lorna?"

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YOU"You lied when you said the Emperor had taken Naaki."

Randor Erebis"We did not lie. We would never have dared." Randor looks over at Kibellah, her dark hair, her scars. "Naaki..."

Randor Erebis"A few years before Lady Theodora sent our clan's survivors to Dargonus, the Bloodspun Web's Vizsier came to our bay. He said the Emperor demanded the next firstborn of the Erebis clan. That He needed a new spinner."

Xioni Erebis"Six months later, we had twins. A boy and a girl with eyes darker than darkness itself." Xioni smiles tenderly at Kibellah. "You were born first, Naaki. And with sorrow and pride, we gave the Vizsier our most precious treasure. For that is how one honours the God-Emperor."

YOU"A difficult choice, but a righteous and devout one."

Xioni Erebis"The most difficult one in our lives, Your Lordship/Ladyship. But we knew our daughter was alive and serving the faith. And, as mysterious and bloody as the ways of this service were, they were ways that pleased the Emperor."

Mattis Erebis"So if I had been born a minute earlier, that animated corpse standing before you today would have been me?" Mattis recoils from his parents. "But why doesn't she remember anything? Why was she never told?"

Kibellah"The ritual of releasing the burden." Kibellah steps up to her brother, who is so completely like her... and yet so thoroughly different. "New Bloodspun Web recruits undergo it in order to forget their past and devote themselves to the Undying One. And so that their souls do not suffer. Tell me, Mattis... is your soul in pain?"

Mattis Erebis"It only hurts because I never knew you all these years."

KibellahKibellah turns to you sharply. "We are here to settle our debt to the Undying One. We now have the name, the person, and the explanation. I... know what must be done. So why do I feel pain from an unseen wound in my heart? Why am I, for the first time in my life, hesitant to sever a thread? All this time, I have been wandering in the labyrinth of my mind, but the answer never came to me. What must I do, Domin? How do I end Naaki Erebis?"

YOU"Naaki is of the past. When those who remember her die, she will die too."

KibellahHer eyes grow colder than the void itself. "You are right, Domin'[Name]. Forgive my insolence, but you and the guests should leave the hall. I have... personal business to settle." The Erebises start to edge back in terror, but freeze in place at one gesture from Kibellah.

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YOU"Reckon with the past by spilling the blood of those who betrayed you. Do they still hold Naaki in their hearts? Then tear them out."

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YOU"You cannot kill your past. You can destroy the people who are connected to it, but are you truly prepared to murder innocent people just to cut yourself free?"

KibellahKibellah shakes her head. "You are wrong, Domin. I hear your words, but I also... hear the whispers of monsters wandering through my mind. And they are glad that the Erebis will not die. For these people are the source of my doubts — empty hopes, the ghosts of attachments. Weaknesses that displease the Undying One. Only by cutting their threads will I prove that I am ready to serve Him fully."

YOU"Killing your family will not bring you peace but only shatter your soul still further."

YOU"If you must kill innocents to vanquish your doubts, then you are not a spinner but a common murderer. You should fear the bloodlust you feel!"

YOU"You admit your mind is clouded. Do the Tenets of the Web permit you to do His will with tangled thoughts?"

YOU"If killing your family will relieve you of your doubts, then do it."

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Kibellah"I could have had a family and a future full of righteous service. A chance for a different life. That was taken from me. Who I would be and how I would serve was decided for me."continues where this line first appears above

YOU"I do not kill on others' orders. Neither should you kill Naaki."

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YOU"You are Naaki Erebis. The Emperor's will is clear."

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KibellahKibellah flinches, goes even paler... And then her eyes widen. She clutches her chest with a pained rasp and collapses to the floor like a broken doll.continues where this line first appears above

YOU"The choice is yours and yours alone. You are the Undying One's spinner."

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YOU"What were you thinking, giving your daughter away to the death cultists?"

Randor Erebis"We thought of the sacrifice we had to make, and... of the sacrifice the Emperor makes for all. It was hard for us, but we did not doubt His will. It was our sacrifice and our service."

YOU[Refrain from interfering]

YOU[Observe silently]

Kibellah"You said the Undying One had taken Naaki. But death whispered her name only a short while ago."

Xioni Erebis"Whispered... The God-Emperor demands a great sacrifice, yet it makes serving Him all the more honourable." Xioni's voice trembles, and she turns to her husband for strength and support.

YOU"You lied when you said the Emperor had taken Naaki."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Observe silently]continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You mentioned a guardian in the shadows, did you not, Lorna?"

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YOU"You lied when you said the Emperor had taken Naaki."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Observe silently]continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Lie] "And so do I."

KibellahKibellah senses your lie and smiles bitterly.

Xioni Erebis"Naaki..." Xioni Erebis looks at Kibellah with scarcely concealed fear, but her husband notices her reaction and shakes his head in warning.continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What is going on?"

Xioni Erebis"Naaki..." Xioni Erebis looks at Kibellah with scarcely concealed fear, but her husband notices her reaction and shakes his head in warning.continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Observe silently]

Xioni Erebis"Naaki..." Xioni Erebis looks at Kibellah with scarcely concealed fear, but her husband notices her reaction and shakes his head in warning.continues where this line first appears above

Entry point 6 of 6

KibellahKibellah's lifeless body convulses in death throes. You cannot feel her heartbeat. The Erebis family surrounds her, panic and fear crossing their faces for only a brief moment before their rigorous voidsman training takes over.

Xioni ErebisXioni leans over and puts an ear to her daughter's unmoving chest. "Her heart isn't beating! I must restart it! Step back!" She lays her palms on Kibellah's breastbone and pushes — once, twice, thrice... ten times... thirty times...

KibellahA heavy, raspy sigh escapes Kibellah's chest.

YOU"You still have the dexterity of your former profession, Xioni."

Xioni Erebis"Thank you, Your Lord/Ladyship. Some things are never forgotten."

YOU"You still have the dexterity of your former profession, Xioni."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Lean toward Kibellah] "Are you all right?"

Kibellah"Naaki Erebis... is dead. Only... Kibellah remains."

YOU"You still have the dexterity of your former profession, Xioni."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Lean toward Kibellah] "Are you all right?"

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YOU[Let the Erebis family reunion proceed undisturbed]

Xioni ErebisXioni touches Kibellah's cheek. "Naaki... The Emperor is merciful! He has not parted us!" Kibellah carefully moves Xioni's hand aside.

Kibellah"Naaki Erebis... is dead. Only... Kibellah remains."continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What is the meaning of this?"

Kibellah"Death called the name... and my mind could not take in the will of the Undying One. The shock extinguished all thought, but there remained a hardness in my heart that my consciousness lacked. It... simply stopped. It did what I could not do by my own hand."

Kibellah"I was weak. Reluctant to be taken in His hands. But then a haze clouded my eyes... And I saw her. A frightened girl. Naaki. The part of me even the ritual of releasing the burden had failed to erase. And I knew that a part of me had always clung to a past I did not even remember. My fear of death subsided. I let Naaki go, for the Undying One had been waiting to take her. And what was broken became whole. Naaki is gone. Only Kibellah remains."

YOU"You still have the dexterity of your former profession, Xioni."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Lean toward Kibellah] "Are you all right?"

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YOU[Let the Erebis family reunion proceed undisturbed]

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YOU"What is the meaning of this?"

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YOU"I am glad you survived."

KibellahKibellah nods and casts a strange glance at those who, in another life, would have been her family. "Naaki Erebis is no more. Death's dues are paid. There is... one last thing to be done."

YOU"Perhaps you would like to bid your family farewell?"

Kibellah"My family... is waiting for me on the flagship."

VoidShaken and devastated, the Erebises can only watch helplessly as Kibellah walks out of the throne room.

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Kibellah"Farewell. Naaki... spent all these years missing you. But I will not."

VoidShaken and devastated, the Erebises can only watch helplessly as Kibellah walks out of the throne room.continues where this line first appears above

Kibellah"My family abandoned me many years ago."

VoidShaken and devastated, the Erebises can only watch helplessly as Kibellah walks out of the throne room.continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Come."

VoidShaken and devastated, the Erebises can only watch helplessly as Kibellah walks out of the throne room.continues where this line first appears above

Kibellah"I could have had a family and a future full of righteous service. A chance for a different life. That was taken from me. Who I would be and how I would serve was decided for me."

YOU"I am glad you survived."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Let the Erebis family reunion proceed undisturbed]

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YOU"What is the meaning of this?"

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YOU"I am glad you survived."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Lean toward Kibellah] "Are you all right?"

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YOU[Let the Erebis family reunion proceed undisturbed]

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YOU"What is the meaning of this?"

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YOU"I am glad you survived."continues where this line first appears above