#xenos morrow

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

@lumdays I'm pointing at you. Thank you for delivering the brain worms that are @alli-ily au, please notice me prince!!

((If at any point my worldbuilding conflicts with anything you initially had planned, feel free to to tell me ^^))

Story Time!! Sorry for yapping

Once upon a time, Queen Maria Alyana Castello ruled over the peaceful Kingdom of Soledosa. The island, rich with life and culture, thrived as more people from near and far heard of the idyllic coast, the fruit trees, and most importantly, the leaps and bounds they were making in their naval engineering. For years, the island had healthy trading relationships and a booming tourist market; a bridge was erected to connect the island to the mainland. While it took ages to complete, the celebration the night it was finished has been unmatched. Though there were no prominent nations nearby, the people finally had options for how they wanted to travel. The kingdom thrived, the Queen was loved, and the citizens, they were happy. Sometimes, if you stood at the edge of the mainland, a light breeze was more than enough to let you hear the joy and music that rang through the city.

That was over twenty years ago.

Where there was once an island, anyone peering from the mainland would see nothing but grey rocks arranged meticulously into a ridiculously large wall. The shore is visible, and on clear days, you can catch the glimmer of a golden spire poking out from over the wall; one that you could rightfully assumed to the castle.

There are chunks of a bridge still visible, weathering the storms of time, left in uncertainty if they will ever be a part of something bigger again.

On stormy days, when the water churns, and the wind blows, you have to be extra careful to not fall in. The water around Soledosa is no longer safe, hundreds of ships destroyed and discarded, done for no other reason than to make it difficult for large ships from other countries to make it to the shore; and nearly impossible for anybody from inside the walls to, somehow, navigate their way through the shipwreck graveyard to get to land.

When you stand at the edge of the mainland, you're met with nothing more than the rhythmic lapping of waves, a palpable absence in the air, even if you have never visited before. The silence hangs in the air like an omen.

I come here everyday.

Not much changes, but it is my duty, to my princess, to her people.

Every now and again, one of the commonfolk manages to slip through the wall, and waits for my signal.

As long as I can keep telling them she's alive, the people can cultivate hope, harness their anger, and hold strong until she arrives.

Maybe on that day, the people will truly, forgive me for what I've caused.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Characters:

Maria Alyana Castello: Current monarch of Soledosa. About twenty years ago, her most trusted seer relayed a prophecy in which she was told that her reign would be felled by a weapon stronger than man could forge. Shortly after, her husband became ill, and passed away from 'mysterious causes.' As a paranoid, now single mother, Maria saw it in both her own and her people's best interest if she cut them off from the rest of the world. If her people could get no ideas from the outside world anymore, there was no way that they would be able to develop something beyond man's capabilities, right? Her daughter would be safe from attempts on her life, and the people should be happy with maintaining their beautiful island. In her isolation and fear, Maria grows more irrational and cruel, taking pride in the absolute power she has over her people, and using it to her advantage. Anyone who dares defy her runs the risk of a death sentence, or, the less lucky ones end up suffering in the dungeon.

Xenos Tiberio Morrow: The Seer. After the queen's descent into madness, he couldn't help but feel personally responsible for the actions she took as a result of his prophecy. He helped the princess escape all those years ago, and knows returning now would make for an extravagant bloody show. He lives on the edge of the mainland in a humble hut, focusing his time and energy on finding the princess and confirming her well being. (whether this is like, the ability of connecting to a higher power or if its his magic depends on the world building of the au /lh ^^)

Viz⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Castello: Soledosa's heir and only hope. Since she was twelve, she would sneak out of the castle to supply the commonfolk with food, water and medicine. She learned plenty from them in exchange, like what life was like before, first aid, different languages, and more. Eventually, when she was sixteen, she was caught, and her mother instigated a mass killing of all those who had interacted with her daughter, taking it as a threat to her rule. During the absolute chaos of the executions, a few locals helped drag her out of the fray and to a hidden exit in the wall. The only thing the locals couldn't do, was teach her how to fight. Over the past four years, Viz has turned herself from a princess to a warrior under the moniker of the Scarlet Crusader; a rogue knight who wears armour of red (and possibly white or black or gold, its still a WIP LMAO) as a promise to avenge those who fell in order to allow her to help the rest of her people. While nobody on the mainland knows about her noble heritage, (and in many cases, her identity is credited to that of a man), she is known for many missions she has taken on, sometimes getting hired by other nobility to carry out certain tasks. (Depending on worldbuilding, I was thinking that she could also receive a cursed sword or ring because I wanted to find a way for her morals to become grey, but there are other ways in case magic isn't a part of the au!! /Lh/gen)

I was also debating Bard Cater to be the 'just a silly little guy' x 'badass' archetype LMAO but idk if I'll go through with it

Anyways, I can't wait to hear more about this au, and best of luck with your studies op ^^

[twistedwonderlandshenanigans]

Rubs my evil little hands together >:)

I know I basically answered a bunch of these questions here in my intro post for this au but it never hurts to ramble a little more LMAO

• i. what is your character's background and current status in the hierarchy? (don't be afraid to info dump <3)

Queen Maria Castello used to be a beloved queen, but paranoia and grief have turned her into a tyrant. The kingdoms she used to trade with have tried sending ships out to check on her after letters failed, only to find the water near Soledosa too dangerous to traverse.

Xenos Morrow used to be the queens closest friend and advisor- but also the princesses biggest advocate behind closed doors. He wasn't very vocal or obvious about his support for the princess, in fear of causing the prophecy he foretold to come to pass too early. When it was obvious nothing more could be done to prevent things from getting worse, he was the one who fled with the princess and used his gift to map out the safest path by boat to the mainland. In his exile now, he uses his gift of foresight to ensure the princess is well on her way to becoming her peoples savior, using the weapon he gave her the kingdom needs saving, even if questionable measures are taken...

Princess Viz Castello has always hated her title, but it gives her the power she needs when she throws it around. To the general public, she is known as the Scarlet Crusader, a rogue knight who, generally, has a strong moral code. After four years of constant training, she finally feels she has the courage and ...enough knowledge to ride to other kingdoms, announce her status, and ask for help.

• ii. what kingdom does your character reside in? and what's their opinion about it?

My three characters are all from the Kingdom of Soledosa, though (depending on the worldbuilding) Xenos would have been born in a different Kingdom.

Maria is disillusioned about its current state, believing whole heartedly that her domineering rule has only made the kingdom more vibrant - in reality, it's more like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, except for her castle.

Xenos wishes for the kingdom to be restored. He never saw the aftermath of the mass killing Maria instigated, and part of him hopes he never has to.

Viz never saw more of the kingdom than what was just outside of castle walls. She never knew the paradise that Soledosa once was, but she hopes that for her people, she can bring about some sort of restoration.

• iii. do they have any goals in mind?

To put it concisely ig:

Maria wants to maintain an iron grip on her kingdom. Her daughter is dead to her now.

Xenos wants the kingdom to be free, through any means necessary, (but cannot act on more than he has out of a sense of obligation to the people and the princess)

Viz wants to end her mother's reign and begin reparations with her people and other kingdoms to restore Soledosa.

• iv. what is your character's reputation within the society?

Maria is viewed negatively all around. Her people want to revolt, but cannot. The kingdoms she used to trade with were concerned until she finally sent one last letter, not explaining anything, just that she no longer wanted to trade, and any further contact would result in a declaration of war. It was extreme, and untrue, seeing as she had sunk her navy, but nobody would know that, and her naval force had been one to be feared. While not labeled explicitly as a tyrant outside of her kingdom, she is seen as unreasonable and has been blacklisted for trade for many countries.

Xenos is only known by a select few outside of the kingdom, other nobles and their seers/advisors if they have them. He is generally off-putting at first, but comes off as very charming (and sly). He is not easily trusted.

Outside of the kingdom, nobody knew there was an heir to the throne. She knew her mothers reputation would shackle her like a ball and chain; which is exactly why she built a positive reputation for herself as the Scarlet Crusader. She makes her motives known on every mission she goes on, announcing she aims to free the Kingdom of Soledosa, parading as a common person who managed to escape. She does not reveal her identity readily as the princess; only to those who Soledosa used to trade with. While she has no proof to her claims, she is the spitting image of her father. While mysterious and a little odd, her reputation as a noble and fearless knight precedes her.

• v. does your character have a good relationship with the common people?

Maria and Viz, I feel I have answered indirectly several times XD

But Xenos has a very mixed relationship with the common folk of Soledosa. Some say it was him and his abilities that manifested this fate on Soledosa. Some think he intended to take over Soledosa himself. Some people find him unsettling, but take solace in the fact he can prepare them for any foreseeable future. Some see him as a savior, for delivering their princess to safety; though the small population that knows that he took part in that cannot spread the word easily.

• vi. does your character have any allies? what do they gain from this partnership?

(This depends on worldbuilding :D)

• vii. what is your character's relationship with their family, friends, and perhaps servants?

Viz is suspicious of Xenos, but feels guilty for suspecting him. She generally has good intuition though...

Xenos and Viz are dead to Maria. Though if Viz were to return, Maria would be forced to question herself, whether everything she has done was truly for the well being of her daughter

• viii. who does your character fancy? is it a secret admiration? does this affection conflict with their goals?

SO THIS REALLY DEPENDS LMFAO

If I am allowed to worldbuild the Diamonds, then I will expand on it. If not, then I guess we'll see!!!

• ix. what is the most shocking rumor about your character? is it true or simply a story that's been made up?

Maria

- some say she's been possessed and needs a priest. (I will not confirm nor deny)

Xenos

- a god in disguise (False, but true when it's funny)

- a fraud (??)

- he had been planning a coup for a while (false)

Viz

- a fraud

- the princess of a lost kingdom (bitch how do you loose a kingdom its a whole ass island???)

• x. does your character have a secret?

I feel like Xenos does but I cannot!! Articulate it right now. Obviously Viz does with her identity.

•How does other nobles view your character? what are they doing about it?

Kinda answered this already!!

Idk what they're doing about it, hopefully agreeing to an alliance, or at least to open the idea of trade once she frees the kingdom. (That being said, I'm totally okay with Viz getting DUMMIED on a mission and needing medical assistance from someone if anyone wants that kind of interaction)

•Can you give us Fun facts about your character?

Maria has a compulsive need for order and patterns, though not diagnosed, it's likely she has OCD.

Xenos hates animals, especially small ones

Viz is a flirt but she's aro/demiromantic so it backfires sometimes LMAO

Please Notice Me Prince!!♡ AU {Note: Worldbuilding is still in progress, so I suggest skipping related questions on that until I post it!!}

📌👑 Question's for you!!

"Welcome esteemed guests. It is my utmost pleasure to present you to a series of inquiries that will hopefully guide you to your desires, ambition and secrets within this grand and intricate society. I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay and I wish you great fortune for this treacherous journey..."

• i. what is your character's background and current status in the hierarchy? (don't be afraid to info dump <3)

• ii. what kingdom does your character reside in? and what's their opinion about it?

• iii. do they have any goals in mind?

• iv. what is your character's reputation within the society?

• v. does your character have a good relationship with the common people?

• vi. does your character have any allies? what do they gain from this partnership?

• vii. what is your character's relationship with their family, friends, and perhaps servants?

• viii. who does your character fancy? is it a secret admiration? does this affection conflict with their goals?

• ix. what is the most shocking rumor about your character? is it true or simply a story that's been made up?

• x. does your character have a secret?

Extra questions: (optional)

•How does other nobles view your character? what are they doing about it?

•Can you give us Fun facts about your character?

[owenthetokencishet]

I played in a narrative campaign last week and it's given me all sorts of new lore for my space marine army :) Check THIS shit out!

Space Marines knew no fear, but captain Morrow was certainly bewildered. As she and her Iron Ravens fended off a pair of the heretics' blasphemous Defiler engines, she saw something land in the distance with a flashing light. A teleport homer! She guessed, our missives has been answered!

But nothing came.

Three other Astartes chapters and a Militarum regiment in the subsector and nobody could spare as much as a squad of Terminators.

The combustion of brother Salazar's jump pack brought her back into focus on the battle at hand. She steadied her bolt rifle and took aim at the Defiler's waist. The round from her boltgun cut straight through the weak hydraulics and detonated deep in the daemon engine's flesh. The defiler's torso toppled like a Varakan hardwood as its legs collapsed underneath.

Morrow turned her attention again to the beacon. It was starting to give her a headache. She heard a ringing in her ears and saw spots in her eyes. She'd felt this before. Oh no.

Shadow in the warp.

The heretic astartes screamed in agony as the ground began to tremble. The first chitinous tendrils of the Tyranid swarm appeared on the horizon. From all directions.

The second Defiler's plasma cannon backfired and its entire right hull exploded in a bloody mist. A squad of legionnaries camped out in the east ruins was overrun by a swarm of hormagaunts, their dying screams echoing out across every mind on the battlefield; A cabal of posessed astartes was atomized by a neurothrope; and a horde of neurogaunts scratched and chewed at the drop beacon. Hellblaster sergeant Victus stared a Lictor dead in the eyes, and the Lictor did nothing but stare back before scuttling away. Whatever they're here for, Morrow thought, it's not us.

Thank the Emperor.

"<kzzzt>raven Gunship Corax Temperesta calli<kzzzt> captain Morrow," she heard through vox.

"Loud and clear, Temperesta. What's the matter, Vandeen?"

"Orders intercepted from fleet command, captain. Reads: "Tyranid response significantly <kzzzzt> than expected. Ordering immediate orbital bombardment of designated lure zone. By order of Inquisitor Hester LeVizikan" Temperesta is en route to your current location and will <kzzzt>in seve<zzzt>." They're bombing the <kzzzzzzzzzzzt>field. They've <kzzzt> us t<kzzzzzzt> "

Space Marines knew no fear, but Captain Morrow was shocked.

"Brothers!" She bellowed, "We have been ordered to evacuate!"

Her marines glanced back at her, perplexed. She switched to battlefield vox.

"Orbital bombardment imminent. All forces converge on south tower. Get as high as you can and await evac. Corax Temperesta en route and arriving in seven minutes."

Seven minutes, she thought as she fired a bolt round through the skull of a Plaguebearer shambling towards her, the heretic forces are nearly annihilated, and the xenos are not... so far... attacking us. We can hold out for seven minutes. In one last hail of bolter and plasma fire, she and the remains of Hellblaster squad Damnos climbed aboard their Impulsor escort and sped towards the south tower.

Aboard the impulsor, captain Morrow surveyed the passing landscape; A bombed-out ruin of a once-thriving hive city. She saw in the middle distance passing by, another of those same bizarre beacons pierce the desolate ground. She saw that it was emitting some strangely-coloured gas, and bore an inquisitorial seal. Skull and crossbones; The Ordo Xenos. She watched as the xenos converged on the signal and try to tear it open.

Morrow felt nauseous as her mind committed the sin of questioning. What are those things? Why are the xenos only going after it? why are they leaving us alone? And where are the reinforcements we called for?

She checked the chonometer she set in her HUD. Five minutes. The impulsor came to a screeching halt at the base of a large ferrocrete tower bearing the fragmented remains of a once-pristine palatine aquila. She banged on the Impulsor's cockpit hatch.

"Top of the tower! Come on!" Morrow ordered.

"---|| {Response}: NEGATIVE ||--- ---|| {Explanation}: error. Safety of Iron Ravens vehicle: IMPULSOR - IRON HEART at risk. " replied techmarine Charan X-01.

"Leave it, we can get a new one. Do whatever last rites your kind need to do and get yourself to the top of the tower."

The reclusive techmarine closed his hatch again and began to pray.

She and her hellblaster escort met with Lieutenant Hawat's force, Intercessor squad Colliss and the famed Stern Third veterans, at the front gate, where they had been keeping watch.

"Captain," said the young lieutenant, "What is this? What's happening?"

"Inside!" She cried as a bleeding Hellbrute limped to the tower gate. She banged on the impulsor's hull. "Prayer time is over. Out! Now!"

The techmarine clambered out of the Impulsor as the Hellbrute aimed its meltagun straight at the machine's chapter badge. X-01 had timed a smokescreen to go off just as his boots hit the rubble and he and the Captain were lost to the daemon engine in a thick haze. they, and all the marines outside ran indoors and slammed the gate behind them.

Four Minutes.

She turned to lieutenant Hawat and answered his question.

"Our distress call was answered. By the Inquisition."

"Captain?"

"I don't know, Bran." she said. The marines climbed the stairs to the second floor. "The rest of you, push ahead. Command meeting."

The intercessors, hellblasters, and sternguard continued up the stairs.

"Take off your helmets," Captain Morrow ordered, "No tracking."

The two subordinates obeyed. The tube coming out of Charan's eye still bothered her, but she kept her composure.

"The only reason we even KNOW the bombardment is coming is because Temperesta INTERCEPTED a tight-beam vox communication across the Imperial fleet. We're not supposed to evacuate."

"You're disobeying an order from the inquisition?" Lieutenant Hawat exclaimed, "Captain, you are bordering on heresy. There are many who already want you burned as a heretic for your mere existence."

"I'm a space marine, they can take it up with my Primarch." she said, coldly.

"But Corax hasn't been seen since the scouring,"

Morrow stared frustratedly at her first lieutenant.

"Charan. Any guesses as to what those things are out there?" she asked the techmarine, pointing to another Ordo Xenos beacon being gnawed on by Rippers.

"---||{response}: UNCLEAR||--- ---||Possibilites: SEVERAL||--- ---||Speculation: [Pheremone emission device Evidence: organic compounds present in atmosphere surrounding devices. Sniffing sounds recorded from nearby XENOS: TYRANIDS bioforms.] [Speculation: Warp de-

A garbled vox-message from captain Morrow's helmet interrupted Charan's diatribe and promtpted Morrow to put her helmet back on.

"ATTACKING. I REPEAT, THE XENOS ARE ATTACKING. CAPTAIN, RESPOND."

Three minutes.

"Gravis squad Gilvane, status." Morrow replied.

"<kzzzzzzzzzzzzt> heavy casualties <kzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt> only survivor <kzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt>AYSIN COLE, REMEMBER ME<kzzzzzzzzzzzzzt>"

As if on cue, the xenos rammed themselves at the front gate, and the marines ran. By the third floor captain Morrow and her subordinates had caught up to the infantry. They made it to the fifth floor when a Gargoyle broke through a solid plasteel window and mauled hellblaster sergeant Victus before being blown apart by brother Henrix's bolt rifle. They heard the scratching of gaunts and rippers climbing the buildings outer walls and the chittering of more bioforms below. Brother Kyrien threw every grenade he had down towards the oncoming swarm.

"SUFFER NOT THE ALIEN TO LIVE!" he screamed as he emptied his whole clip.

"Hold your fire, brother!" Morrow barked. "Supply is limited! Save it for the shots that count!"

They kept climbing, letting those with enegry weapons cover their tail.

Two minutes.

on the roof, Morrow caught a brief glimpse to the beacon again and watched as a neurogaunt dragged a human brain out of its casing.

She heard a low mechanical scream coming from her right. The Redemptor Dreadnought Farren Undying charged towards the tower, crushing Tyranids beneath his feet. He wildly flung arms he didn't currently have, slamming his Ballistus lascannon across the skull of a Leaper. Morrow hated seeing her old mentor like this. She knew he wasn't going to last long entombed, every primaris marine knows a redemptor dreadnought is a slow and painful death sentence. Part of her was grateful for the extra time she had with him while he was still coherent, but another wondered if it wouldn't have been a greater kindness to let him die on Merenghast. But this is an unkind galaxy, she assured herself, Even in death, we still serve.

The tyranids scrambled up the tower walls and Morrow's troops took position on the roof's edge and opened fire at the hordes below.

"ONE MINUTE 'TIL EVAC, BROTHERS!" Morrow cried, "HOLD THE LINE."

Intercessor Sergeant Vikram's bolt rifle ran dry, the hand carrying his bot plistol was torn off by a genestealer now overpowering him. Once it had a good grip on its prey, the creature bit sergeant Vikram's head off. Sternguard veteran Fenslor was shot by a parasite weapon that ate him from the inside out. Morrow heard the roar of jet engines fly overhead and saw the stormraven gunship 'Corax Temperesta' descending on their position. Half a second too late for brothers Henrix or Kyrien, Temperesta drove back the tyranids in a fire of lascannon and bolter fire before hovering level with the roof and opening its bay doors.

"Now! Now! Everybody aboard! Now! Let's go!" the other survivors from across the battlefield commanded to the astartes below.

All astartes on the roof ran for the gunship, shooting, slashing, or beating back whatever Tyranids made a grab for them. Once all the survivors were safely aboard, the pilot slammed the aircraft's bay doors shut in a crunch of alien chitin and climbed above the bombed-out skyline.

They were safe. A lot of good men died to get here, but we made it. we're okay.

"Deep-strike Sergeant Kallen reporting in, I hope you weren't planning on leaving without us."

"Kallen! You're alive!" Morrow exclaimed through vox.

"Don't sound so surprised."

Morrow removed her helmet and called up to the cockpit, "Open starboard bay door! We've got survivors incoming!"

The light of jump pack engines arose from the ruined streets as sergeant Kallen's Intercessor squad flew up to join the evacuees. Five survivors joined them aboard temperesta. The gunship ran one last lap around the city's perimiter, scanning for any other survivors. They spotted on a crumbling buttress, Farren Undying.

"Larissa? Are we going back for the old captain?" Lieutenant Hawat asked captain Morrow.

She watched him down on the ground swinging his missile launcher wildly, flinging projectiles at random as a screamer-killer charged towards him. She turned away, and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Temperesta's damaged and overburdened as it is," she sniffled, "We'd be putting the rest of us at too great a risk."

Morrow put her helmet back on. Lieutenant Hawat could see that she clearly needed a minute and took charge. He climbed up to the cockpit,

"Leave the dreadnought. Our first priority is to the living."

Temperesta sealed all airlocks and ascended to orbit.

Morrow would naver dare show it in front of her troops, but she wept. She wanted to scream. There were too many unanswered questions and hurt feelings for even her transhuman mind to keep track of. What are those beacons for? Why did he have to die? Why weren't we told about the orbital strike? Why did it have to be now? Where was the hive-ship these xenos had to come from? They clearly responded, why didn't the imperium send reinforcements? WHY DID HE HAVE TO DIE?

Why has the Emperor forsaken me?

[provider-of-pronoun-checks]

👀

Xenogender:Bluecrumblic (I know your fond of cake related xenos!)

Names:

Molly

Morrow

Marles

Miles

Jolene

Blueberry

Crumb

Muffin

Emerson

Emma

Lemon

Pronouns:

Lemon/lemons/lemonself

Mask/masks/maskself

Dance/dances/danceself

Hop/hops/hopself

Bake/bakes/bakeself

Cookie/cookies/cookieself

Twirl/twirls/twirlself

Laugh/laughs/laughself

Giggle/giggles/giggleself

Picnic/picnics/picnicself

Field/fields/fieldself

Sky/sky's/skyself

Hum/hums/humself

Drift/drifts/driftself

Music/music's/musicself

Fade/fades/fadeself

Hmm/hmms/hmmself

[just-horrible-things]

Psychic powers are a curse, and no one knows that better than a psyker. And if he had to have this curse, Morrow would rather have had anything but telepathy. He wouldn’t mind the battlefield, he thinks. At least that’s straightforward. Follow orders, blow the other guy’s head up before they blow yours off, and die a nice straightforward death in the line of duty. A black and white existence.

Telepathy is always murky grey. What’s worse than knowing a person right down to the core as you destroy their life? Every hope that you are snuffing out, every loved one that will probably never get closure.... Well. Morrow does know what’s worse. Daemons are worse. And that’s what it’s all for, in the end, isn’t it? Keeping the daemons out, and the xenos, and the traitors, and anything else horrible that turns out to be lurking amongst the stars. Deciding what’s right and wrong isn’t his job.

Still, no one said he has to enjoy it. And laying eyes on his next victim, he knows instantly that he really, really isn’t going to enjoy this one.

The man is broken. Some one’s clearly been trying the old-fashioned way for a while, and aren’t those memories going to be fun to dig through. Broken bones, broken skin, and sightless, unfocused eyes that suggest a broken mind within. Fun, fun, fun. If the man were recently injured he’d ask for him to be dosed with painkillers so that Morrow doesn’t have to dig through that agony.... But if he’s going memory-diving there’s little point.

The poor sot doesn’t even look at Morrow as he rolls up his sleeves and tries to brace himself for the task ahead. He’s clearly a long way gone inside his own head. Pity that there’s nowhere in there to hide from a telepath. Still, at least once Morrow’s done, this will be over for him one way or another. Sometimes they find it’s a relief, to have the pressure of holding out taken away. Not their fault, if Morrow rips it out of them. More often it’s just horrifying.

He’s not sure what to expect when he lays hands on the man’s fever-hot skin and reaches out with his mind. Agony, certainly. Madness, probably. A hard kernel of resistance in the middle of a worn-down mind, or the evidence of psychic tampering. He certainly isn’t expecting the man’s mind to push back. He’s startled enough that he could cuss, if stoic silence weren’t well drilled into him. Any display of surprise or uncertainty during manifestation risks a bullet in the brain.

He pushes again, more carefully, thoughts enveloping the unexpected defences and feeling out their bounds. It has the feel of a patterned response, a routine so well-practised that it rises to the fore without the need for conscious effort. This one’s trained to resist telepathy. But there’s give in those mental walls. He doesn’t have much will left in him to hold an intruder out. And Morrow doesn’t have to guess what tools to use against him. Pain, bones breaking, flesh burning. Fear. The dark of a bare cell. The horror of knowing he will never be free again. And on top of it pain and pain and pain.

The victim’s mind flinches from the sharp jabs of thought, and his defences buckle. It barely takes effort.

The thin body under his hands bucks against the restraints as the mind tries to recoil from the invasion. Morrow is used to the rush of fear and horror and loathing that accompanies brute force telepathy, but every individual’s reaction is a little different, and worth pausing to examine. It can lead directly to what they are most trying to hide. This one feels very little shame at the intimate violation, only mind-blanking panic. And - that’s interesting - he isn’t afraid of having his secrets unearthed, he’s afraid of... daemonic possession. Ah, well, it’s not the first time Morrow’s been taken for a daemon. People jump to conclusions when there’s something wrong and not-self in their heads.

There are more defences, too. The panicked thoughts are not wholly disordered, and they are full of litanies against the daemon, recitations of faith to drown out all other thoughts. Interesting. It might baffle a lesser psyker, but Morrow is very, very good at what he does. He ignores the frantic abjurations, dismisses the conscious train of thought, and pins down the underlying panic like a bug beneath a lamp for closer examination. And it’s not the wild accusation of a confused mind, not the simple child who sees a shape in the darkness and thinks monster. This is the panic of a mind that expects daemons, that has fought them off before, that knows what such an assault feels like.

And faster than Morrow can sift through the meaning of that, this mind is reacting to his presence, feeling the contours of his mind in turn and starting to realise not daemon? It’s always odd, feeling another mind feeling his, and it’s even stranger this time. There are layers of perception that he doesn’t understand, alien-shaped, worrying thoughts that set alarm bells ringing. And at the same time, he is still chasing that thread of expectation and history. Why has this mind so much experience with daemons? Where did he learn these defences?

And then everything comes together at once, and Morrow has several revelations in short succession.

One: this man is a Navigator. And as if that weren’t shocking enough alone, that means --

Two: he sees the Warp directly and --

Three: his memories must be full of the unfiltered percept of the Warp which means --

Four: it is very very unsafe for Morrow to be rooting around recklessly in his thoughts.

In the same span of scant instants, the Navigator is having his own revelation that this invasion of his mind is not daemonic after all, but Morrow doesn’t stick around to watch the relief and surprise develop. He is pulling back from that mind as if burned, because he doesn’t want to stick around to get burned.

In the physical, their eyes meet. The prisoner’s are wild, bloodshot, too wide from the wave of fear and relief and confusion that just broke over him. Morrow’s must be wide too, stunned and apprehensive. Why the hell did no one warn him before setting him on a Navigator? He keeps his breath steady. No need to alert the watching soldiers that this isn’t going as planned. His hands are still on the man’s ribcage, and he can feel a broken bone shifting with each panting breath. And it’s not even the worst injury. It’s the sort of thing that might once have made Morrow feel sick.

He breathes steadily, in and out, and gathers his will. The Navigator is a minefield of incomprehensible, warp-drenched thoughts. But Morrow didn’t earn his position through cowardice, or through not doing his job. Cautiously, he presses back into the prisoner’s thoughts, taking far more care this time to guard his own, and to be careful what he focuses on.

He doesn’t have to push against mental walls this time. They are lowered readily to let him in. And the panic has been replaced entirely with urgent, desperate relief and eagerness to let the psyker in. It’s unnerving. Morrow’s never been welcomed into someone’s mind like this. And it’s not a warm or a healthy feeling. Please, clamour his thoughts, jumbled from pain and exhaustion and shock. Please, look everywhere! Here, I’ll show you, anything you want to see. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I won’t think about Sight. I’ll help, tell me what you want me to think and I’ll find it, I’ll show you. Please I want to help! Here, look at my memories. Here, deep as you like. I won’t think of the Warp please I won’t I’ll keep it out of mind. Thank you thank you thank you. Please, show her. Please! I’m so glad I’m so grateful I’m so glad. Let me comply I want to help please I want to give you whatever you want to know.

Morrow brushes away those irrelevant thoughts, and tries to ignore the awful, hollow ache in his own heart. He’s been in the heads of people who genuinely aren’t hiding anything. But they’ve never been quite so broken before. Not the innocent ones. All too often the only mercy he can get them is a quick kill, but at least that’s something.

He’s never been inside a mind quite so compliant, either. There’s no revulsion here, no instinctual struggling, no shame or anger at the loss of privacy. There’s no concept of privacy in here at all - that notion is a tattered rag lost in the depths of memory. The instant Morrow starts to examine a memory, the prisoner - Tacitus, there’s a name - brings it willingly into focus, readies other related memories for perusal. It’s dreadfully convenient, so much so that part of Morrow suspects he may be somehow being duped.

The only things Tacitus tries to hide are those elements of his memories that are not sight or sound or touch but Warpsight, that eldritch sense that Morrow’s mind would struggle to interpret. And Morrow is deliberately avoiding those thoughts too, trying not to look too closely lest he start to understand. To an extent he is forced to trust Tacitus to flag up and suppress those thoughts, and to interpret them for him. He can’t understand the raw sensory information, but he can understand the concept of seeing a soul, or of sensing peril in the thinning of the Veil.

Tacitus is good at rearranging his thoughts, focusing on certain aspects, staying on track. There are very few stray lines of distraction that Morrow has to rein in. He rarely flinches reflexively from a thought that Morrow brings into focus. There’s little extraneous noise. It’s suspicious. But Morrow can’t find any evidence of deceit. And here, memories of childhood as a Navigator-in-training, learning these tricks, learning to keep order inside his own head. And here, sorrow and guilt that he is not better at it, that he cannot be more helpful. Torture has scrambled his mind and shattered his will, and he is apologetic that he can’t be more help to Morrow.

He pushes reassurance into Tacitus’ head to quiet the clamour a little. I hear you, he projects, and You are helpful. Relax, I will find the truth. Thank you, think Tacitus’ own thoughts, overlaid. Thank you thank you thank you please, here are my memories, here are my crimes, please, every detail is yours.

Trawling through those memories is traumatic for both of them. Months of torture that feel longer still - and perhaps Morrow can help a little by imposing some order on those memories, dividing them by day, making them finite. Before that, the fear and guilt of anticipation. Morrow leafs through Tacitus’ capture, back further through the work he did.... nothing suspicious, not by the Inquisition’s standards, though he was lying to a lot of clients.

Back a little further and here, the summoning, the great crime, the worst mistake of his life. The last part, the appearance of the daemon, is hard to view without risk of Morrow perceiving the daemon in too much truth, but they work around it carefully. Neither of them want to draw its attention here. And the majority of the ritual is easy to observe, because Tacitus was without his Warpsight. Darkness, isolation, cold corpse bodies, helplessness. Morrow can’t help but understand why he did it, feeling Tacitus’ desperation as if it were his own. But he’s not here to empathise. He’s here for facts. Tacitus pushes the knowledge of the summoning diagram and the incantation at Morrow pleading here, you want this? Morrow pushes it away. He doesn’t want to know that. It’s enough to know that Tacitus knows it.

And back further they go, freedom, poverty, desperate yearning. A few short years of darkness and independence, and then, skipping faster, deeper and deeper, the wounding of his soul, the betrayal, years of training, childhood... Morrow doesn’t press too deeply. There’s nothing of relevance here. As far back as Tacitus is able to remember, there is nothing suspicious.

I’m going deeper, Morrow thinks at Tacitus, because this will be easier if Tacitus doesn’t start resisting. The warning is met with more affirmation and more sickeningly submissive gratitude. Everything that Tacitus is is open to Morrow’s search.

Below memory, below conscious thought, Tacitus is a maelstrom of pain and terror and despair. He only wants mercy, only mercy. The relentless pain has broken down everything that he knew how to be and he is grieving for his lost self. He fears desperately that the torture will never stop, because he’s hiding nothing, only lying occasionally and out of desperation - and badly at that. He fears an end to torture, too, because he expects nothing but death, and he expects death to deliver him into the claws of the daemonic. Morrow understands too well.

Deeper still, peeling back the layers of the subconscious. There is a little resistance now - it’s instinct. It doesn’t trouble Morrow. It’s still weaker than it should be, and he’s forced his way into plenty of unwilling minds. Here is guilt, a thick layer of self-loathing. On some level Tacitus believes that he deserves this. Here are the discarded parts of a self-concept that hasn’t survived this ordeal. Altruism, honour, humour, yearning, love. A will to survive, a quick, manipulative mind, curiosity, restlessness... things that should not be buried so deep. Here, deeper still - deliberately so, far out of reach of the conscious mind - here is anger and hatred and outrage at the way he’s been treated. Morrow feels that outrage, that horrified fury at the injustice and the inhumanity. It’s hard to tell if it belongs to Tacitus or to Morrow. Always hard, once he’s this deep.

What else? Here is the part that watches and learns. Higher thought has given up on learning, has concluded that there is nothing to be done. But something deeper is still watching. Learning dreadful lessons, like which patterns of screaming and gasping are most likely to cause his tormentors to let up. Which of the soldiers take satisfaction in his pain and double down when he is desperate, and which find it difficult and might hit a little less hard if he is crying and wailing just so. Subtleties of expression that suggest it might be worth pleading, or that the Interrogator might let up if he seems sufficiently broken. Other signs that today there will be no mercy and he should just retreat as far inside himself as he can.

These are not things Morrow wanted to know. They are not relevant his objective. He wrenches himself away from it with effort. Distantly, he can feel the prickle of sweat breaking out across his body, and the sharp jolts of pain in Tacitus’ broken bones as he convulses against the restraints.

Further, deeper. Looking for psychic scars, for hidden things, for evidence of meddling or thoughts erased. It is painfully obvious that Tacitus isn’t hiding anything purposefully, but there’s always the possibility that another telepath has been in here, has tampered until the victim doesn’t know that they are holding back...

But there’s nothing.

Morrow pulls back from the depths. Back through the desperate self-loathing. Back through pain and fear and despair. Through not-quite-conscious thoughts that are begging him please stop please it hurts it feels bad please stop. The fully conscious ones are louder. They run: thank you thank you I’m so grateful I’m so glad thank you, and I’m sorry I struggled I’m sorry I tried my best I’m sorry no excuses my fault I’m sorry, and please please tell her please will you tell her please I’m not hiding anything you saw you saw please make her believe.

Breathing is difficult. Thinking his own thoughts is difficult. Peeling himself away from Tacitus’ agony so that he doesn’t feel it as his own is difficult.

He’s not here to do anything to Tacitus’ head. He’s just here to observe. He doesn’t have permission to tamper. But Tacitus is overflowing with desperation and agony, and Morrow has the power to help. He’s been very deep indeed and he’s losing track of the boundaries between Morrow and Tacitus. This will help with that too, he tells himself. He’s bending protocol, not breaking it. Help me? Tacitus thinks, the barest shred of hope overlaid on doubt and despair. And the fact that he’s picked up on that thought is further proof that their minds are too entangled.

So Morrow pushes his will onto Tacitus’ mind, quieting thought, quieting sensation, quieting emotion. A gentle force pushing him down and down until all the jabbering psychic noise is finally still and silent. The shaking body goes limp beneath Morrow’s hands. And finally Morrow can tell where he ends and Tacitus begins.

But even when he severs the link, his mind is still saturated with Tacitus’ thoughts, dripping with Tacitus’ emotions. He knows from experience that it will fade with time. But that doesn’t make it any easier in the moment.

“Have you killed him?” the Interrogator asks, seeing Morrow lift his hands and step away from the limp body. He draws in a sharp breath. He knows her now, in a way that he really wishes he did not. “No,” he answers promptly. “No, he’s j-just unc-conscious.” Throne, he’s shaking and he can’t stop. “C-can, can I h-have ten minutes before I report? That was... I’m a b-bit drained.”

[symphonicmetal101]

HE LOOKS SO GOOD

Thank you so much for taking my comm!!!

(For some reason my twst blog is crapping out on the rb??? Idk hopefully this works lol)

Heya!! For some reason my tumblr says you can't receive messages from me anymore? I just wanted to check in ^^ hope you're doing alright

- @twistedwonderlandshenanigans

Yes!!! hey omg ^_^

i've been looking for u!!!!!

just for u pookie ^_^

[fidg3ty-blog1]

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[lumdays]

VIZZIE CONTENTTT WAHAHHHEUHRUI💞💕💕💞💕💕💕💕💕eating this up🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

@lumdays I'm pointing at you. Thank you for delivering the brain worms that are @alli-ily au, please notice me prince!!

((If at any point my worldbuilding conflicts with anything you initially had planned, feel free to to tell me ^^))

Story Time!! Sorry for yapping

Once upon a time, Queen Maria Alyana Castello ruled over the peaceful Kingdom of Soledosa. The island, rich with life and culture, thrived as more people from near and far heard of the idyllic coast, the fruit trees, and most importantly, the leaps and bounds they were making in their naval engineering. For years, the island had healthy trading relationships and a booming tourist market; a bridge was erected to connect the island to the mainland. While it took ages to complete, the celebration the night it was finished has been unmatched. Though there were no prominent nations nearby, the people finally had options for how they wanted to travel. The kingdom thrived, the Queen was loved, and the citizens, they were happy. Sometimes, if you stood at the edge of the mainland, a light breeze was more than enough to let you hear the joy and music that rang through the city.

That was over twenty years ago.

Where there was once an island, anyone peering from the mainland would see nothing but grey rocks arranged meticulously into a ridiculously large wall. The shore is visible, and on clear days, you can catch the glimmer of a golden spire poking out from over the wall; one that you could rightfully assumed to the castle.

There are chunks of a bridge still visible, weathering the storms of time, left in uncertainty if they will ever be a part of something bigger again.

On stormy days, when the water churns, and the wind blows, you have to be extra careful to not fall in. The water around Soledosa is no longer safe, hundreds of ships destroyed and discarded, done for no other reason than to make it difficult for large ships from other countries to make it to the shore; and nearly impossible for anybody from inside the walls to, somehow, navigate their way through the shipwreck graveyard to get to land.

When you stand at the edge of the mainland, you're met with nothing more than the rhythmic lapping of waves, a palpable absence in the air, even if you have never visited before. The silence hangs in the air like an omen.

I come here everyday.

Not much changes, but it is my duty, to my princess, to her people.

Every now and again, one of the commonfolk manages to slip through the wall, and waits for my signal.

As long as I can keep telling them she's alive, the people can cultivate hope, harness their anger, and hold strong until she arrives.

Maybe on that day, the people will truly, forgive me for what I've caused.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Characters:

Maria Alyana Castello: Current monarch of Soledosa. About twenty years ago, her most trusted seer relayed a prophecy in which she was told that her reign would be felled by a weapon stronger than man could forge. Shortly after, her husband became ill, and passed away from 'mysterious causes.' As a paranoid, now single mother, Maria saw it in both her own and her people's best interest if she cut them off from the rest of the world. If her people could get no ideas from the outside world anymore, there was no way that they would be able to develop something beyond man's capabilities, right? Her daughter would be safe from attempts on her life, and the people should be happy with maintaining their beautiful island. In her isolation and fear, Maria grows more irrational and cruel, taking pride in the absolute power she has over her people, and using it to her advantage. Anyone who dares defy her runs the risk of a death sentence, or, the less lucky ones end up suffering in the dungeon.

Xenos Tiberio Morrow: The Seer. After the queen's descent into madness, he couldn't help but feel personally responsible for the actions she took as a result of his prophecy. He helped the princess escape all those years ago, and knows returning now would make for an extravagant bloody show. He lives on the edge of the mainland in a humble hut, focusing his time and energy on finding the princess and confirming her well being. (whether this is like, the ability of connecting to a higher power or if its his magic depends on the world building of the au /lh ^^)

Viz⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ Castello: Soledosa's heir and only hope. Since she was twelve, she would sneak out of the castle to supply the commonfolk with food, water and medicine. She learned plenty from them in exchange, like what life was like before, first aid, different languages, and more. Eventually, when she was sixteen, she was caught, and her mother instigated a mass killing of all those who had interacted with her daughter, taking it as a threat to her rule. During the absolute chaos of the executions, a few locals helped drag her out of the fray and to a hidden exit in the wall. The only thing the locals couldn't do, was teach her how to fight. Over the past four years, Viz has turned herself from a princess to a warrior under the moniker of the Scarlet Crusader; a rogue knight who wears armour of red (and possibly white or black or gold, its still a WIP LMAO) as a promise to avenge those who fell in order to allow her to help the rest of her people. While nobody on the mainland knows about her noble heritage, (and in many cases, her identity is credited to that of a man), she is known for many missions she has taken on, sometimes getting hired by other nobility to carry out certain tasks. (Depending on worldbuilding, I was thinking that she could also receive a cursed sword or ring because I wanted to find a way for her morals to become grey, but there are other ways in case magic isn't a part of the au!! /Lh/gen)

I was also debating Bard Cater to be the 'just a silly little guy' x 'badass' archetype LMAO but idk if I'll go through with it

Anyways, I can't wait to hear more about this au, and best of luck with your studies op ^^