TW ImperialGuardLeader — Rogue Trader Dialogue Archive

Entry point 1 of 7

Imperial(sequence)

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Entry point 2 of 7

Solomorne(no text)

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Entry point 3 of 7

Imperial(no text)

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Entry point 4 of 7

ImperialThe soldiers exchange anxious glances. There are hints of doubt and shame in their discordant voices.

Imperial"A sweet lie told by servants of the Riven Sky. Over and over... But not to worry: their end is nigh."

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

AbelardAbelard assumes a most stern expression and proclaims vociferously: "Guardsman, before you stands Rogue Trader [Name] von Valancius, by the will of the Emperor the ruler of millions of subjects and the sovereign of many planets, Leethus included! From now on, you will show His Lordship/Her Ladyship proper deference and obey any order without question."

ImperialThe man scrutinises you from top to bottom. "Yes, I see... I see the crux of the matter: you are someone very important, someone whose arrival can turn the tide. This is even more than I expected."

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Who are you?"

Imperial"Self-proclaimed Captain Walz, a Stepchild of the Imperium, as we all are here. A living tithe abandoned to his fate. And a death world veteran who ended up among recruits by mistake."

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"And you admit to murdering your commander so easily?"

Imperial"Commander? No, the enemy! He was hiding the truth from us and prevented us from taking action. His death opened the way to freedom and made us realise that there is nothing up there — we are on our own."

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"And you admit to murdering your commander so easily?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You had better explain immediately what the warp is going on here."

Imperial"Our illusions were shattered. The Arbites brought us here and left us to rot. For years, we waited for our chance to die heroically in the name of the Imperium, until we realised: the Imperium is gone. All there is... is the Riven Sky."

YOU"What makes you think there is no Imperium?"

ImperialThe revolting semblance of a smile appears on his melted face. "Look around you! Everything you see was a tithe — a sacred payment to the Imperium. And what became of it? Why did it never travel to other worlds as we'd been promised? Why are we starving here instead of doing battle among the stars? Because there's nothing there, that's why..."

YOU"What makes you think there is no Imperium?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You saw my shuttle arrive with your own eyes. Where do you think I came from?"

Imperial"The Riven Sky. You children of the abyss like to toy with our minds. You keep bringing new garbage here and dumping it on our heads — all just to maintain the feeble facade of your lies! And you keep talking about a future that will never come... Enough!"

YOU"What makes you think there is no Imperium?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You saw my shuttle arrive with your own eyes. Where do you think I came from?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What is the Riven Sky?"

ImperialThe Guardsman chuckles. "Don't try to fool me. We both know the truth: the Riven Sky is the abyss that has devoured everything outside — the primordial darkness. Sometimes, the Sky sends people, but they're imitations — shadows wearing human skins. They don't know that they don't exist, but I... I see right through them. They come from the steel star with the scarlet overseeing eye: from your rulers' throne."

YOU"What makes you think there is no Imperium?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You saw my shuttle arrive with your own eyes. Where do you think I came from?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What is the Riven Sky?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What nonsense! I am a fake? My name resounds throughout the Imperium — you must have heard of me."

Imperial"You are not him/her, just another of the Sky's tricks!" But the captain's voice is unable to drown out the whispers of the Guardsmen, who are already recounting your story to each other.

YOU"What makes you think there is no Imperium?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You saw my shuttle arrive with your own eyes. Where do you think I came from?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What is the Riven Sky?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What nonsense! I am a fake? My name resounds throughout the Imperium — you must have heard of me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"If the Imperium does not exist, then who feeds you?"

Imperial"We break the containers open, and we get our own sustenance. At least the food we have here is real. Your minions, the Arbites, toss us some rations, but they aren't enough for the whole regiment. There are too many of us now."

Solomorne"Destruction of the sacred tithe. Unlicensed reproduction. Repeated defamation of the Adeptus Arbites. I revoke your right to beg for mercy during the arrest."

YOU"What makes you think there is no Imperium?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You saw my shuttle arrive with your own eyes. Where do you think I came from?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What is the Riven Sky?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What nonsense! I am a fake? My name resounds throughout the Imperium — you must have heard of me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"If the Imperium does not exist, then who feeds you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You are insane."

Imperial"That's what you emissaries of the Riven Sky always say, because you're afraid of one who knows the truth."

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"And you admit to murdering your commander so easily?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You had better explain immediately what the warp is going on here."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What happened to you?"

YOU"People follow you because you have survived horrors they have never dreamt of. But if pain makes a person stronger, then you are nothing compared to me."

ImperialA tremor runs across the man's burned face. "You are not lying. We have both tasted pure agony and are forever changed by it. Yes, you are a dangerous opponent."

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"And you admit to murdering your commander so easily?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You had better explain immediately what the warp is going on here."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What happened to you?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"People follow you because you have survived horrors they have never dreamt of. But if pain makes a person stronger, then you are nothing compared to me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Guardsmen! I have walked the road from private to lieutenant general, and I say to you now: this madman has no right to lead you. Even fresh recruits like you should be able to tell the difference between a true commander and an impostor!"

ImperialShamed by your words, the Guardsmen avert their eyes from you, a great Astra Militarum commander, obeying whose orders comes as naturally as breathing to any private.

Imperial"A sweet lie told by servants of the Riven Sky. Over and over... But not to worry: their end is nigh."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Address the Guardsmen] "Make the decision here and now: are you loyal children of the Imperium, or are you traitors befuddled by a heretic?"

YOU"What do you need so many soldiers for?"

Imperial"Me? No, no, we need each other! Only together can we take on the Riven Sky and its emissaries. First we take out the Arbites, then we fly to the steel star in the sky. There, we will strike down the false rulers and begin our restoration of the true Imperium!"

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"And you admit to murdering your commander so easily?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You had better explain immediately what the warp is going on here."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What happened to you?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"People follow you because you have survived horrors they have never dreamt of. But if pain makes a person stronger, then you are nothing compared to me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Address the Guardsmen] "Make the decision here and now: are you loyal children of the Imperium, or are you traitors befuddled by a heretic?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What do you need so many soldiers for?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"I need to get to the Arbites outpost."

Imperial"Of course you do. Where else? I know the way. I dream of their little fortress at night, overwhelmed and aflame. The avenues of approach, the adjacent high grounds, the shelters — they are all burned into my mind because of how often I think about that place. The Stepchildren and I will arrive there very soon."

Imperial"I will raise the bloodied head of the false law on a spike and destroy the illusion that the Riven Sky has any power left in it. Then, the other Guard units will join me, and our march toward the stars will begin!"

Solomorne"Conspiracy to murder members of the Adeptus Arbites. The sentence is death. Further questioning would be pointless, Rogue Trader."

YOU"No matter your numbers, you will never take the Arbites outpost."

ImperialThe madman's face breaks into a smile. "Ah, I'm sure that's what you think! You have one of the law dogs at your side. So, you are their commander, emissary of the Riven Sky! With you as my hostage, the Arbites will open their gates to me without a fight. Take this one alive, Stepchildren. We don't need the rest of them."

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YOU"Your plans do not interest me. I am leaving."

ImperialThe madman raises his only remaining eyebrow in mock surprise. "Pray tell, where on this Emperor-cursed world do you mean to go? Perhaps to the Arbites? Then, allow us to take you there. With such an esteemed guest for a hostage, I won't have to storm their fortifications: they will open the gates themselves. Stepchildren, kill our guest's retinue. They would encumber the negotiations."

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YOU[Attack] "I will put an end to this madness."

Imperial"That perfectly captures your rotten essence! You take true words and twist them into lies! No, we will put an end to the madness. Stepchildren, attack!"

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Imperial(sequence)

KibellahAfter examining the Guardsman, Kibellah gives a thoughtful nod. "The blood of a madman is hot, and his organs stay warm for longer... Useful for divinations."

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SolomorneSolomorne rubs the bridge of his nose wearily. "I have no further questions for anyone who is clearly out of their mind. The question I would like to ask is if there was ever a way to prevent this ugly situation."

YOU"No matter your numbers, you will never take the Arbites outpost."continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Your plans do not interest me. I am leaving."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Attack] "I will put an end to this madness."continues where this line first appears above

Imperial(sequence)continues where this line first appears above

Solomorne"Oh no. First, I will disembowel you in front of your Guardsmen. Then, I'd like to see what passes for the Arbites around here. I will ask them this: why in the void's name does rabble dare to speak of Arbitrators with anything other than terrified reverence?"

YOU"No matter your numbers, you will never take the Arbites outpost."continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Your plans do not interest me. I am leaving."continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Attack] "I will put an end to this madness."continues where this line first appears above

Imperial(sequence)continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Attack] "I will put an end to this madness."continues where this line first appears above

YOU"I need to get to the Arbites outpost."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Attack] "I will put an end to this madness."continues where this line first appears above

continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Address the Guardsmen] "Make the decision here and now: are you loyal children of the Imperium, or are you traitors befuddled by a heretic?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What do you need so many soldiers for?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"I need to get to the Arbites outpost."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Attack] "I will put an end to this madness."continues where this line first appears above

Imperial(sequence)

Argenta"There is no truth in your doomed mind, Guardsman. By succumbing to doubt, you have embarked on the path of the wicked — and now, you will not escape judgement. For so it is said that all who despair shall betray, and all betrayal shall draw His retribution."

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YOU"Fine, you got me: I am from the Riven Sky. What's more, I am its ruler!"

Imperial"At last, the puppet master has decided to face me. How does it feel to look into the eyes of the last loyal sons and daughters of the Imperium? Don't answer that. I can see all the hate and greed eating you up inside."

YOU"Abelard, explain to this man at once how he will address me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Who are you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"And you admit to murdering your commander so easily?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You had better explain immediately what the warp is going on here."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What happened to you?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"People follow you because you have survived horrors they have never dreamt of. But if pain makes a person stronger, then you are nothing compared to me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Address the Guardsmen] "Make the decision here and now: are you loyal children of the Imperium, or are you traitors befuddled by a heretic?"

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What do you need so many soldiers for?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"I need to get to the Arbites outpost."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU[Attack] "I will put an end to this madness."continues where this line first appears above

Solomorne"Your choice was between starving to death and desecrating the tithe. This mitigating circumstance will be taken into account during your sentencing."

YOU"What makes you think there is no Imperium?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You saw my shuttle arrive with your own eyes. Where do you think I came from?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What is the Riven Sky?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"What nonsense! I am a fake? My name resounds throughout the Imperium — you must have heard of me."

continues where this line first appears above

YOU"If the Imperium does not exist, then who feeds you?"continues where this line first appears above

YOU"You are insane."continues where this line first appears above

YOU"Fine, you got me: I am from the Riven Sky. What's more, I am its ruler!"continues where this line first appears above

Solomorne"They should have hanged a few of your unauthorised families. You would have learned an important lesson in maintaining order, without falling below your initial head count."