Author's Note: The song Loki danced to when channeling Cegorach was Viper by Brand X music, I like it lol

hr

In a place that was nowhere but everywhere, all at once.

The cauldron bubbled with horrifying life. Fungi drooped on the edges, verdant and full of wild growth. The fetid surface of the liquid inside was covered with algae and slime and as it was stirred, even more ghastly things rose from the depths of it. Worse yet were the things that could not be seen, the horrors that afflicted all species in the galaxy.

A great, horny hand held something that was incongruously beautiful. An apple, it was golden in color and looked deliciously plump. The hand turned the apple, examining it and there was a faint, unnatural shine of the purest gold. Anyone looking on it would sense that it was the most precious of things, pure and glorious.

The hand tossed the apple into the cauldron and it churned violently as it was energetically stirred. The supercharged powers of life contained in the apple released themselves and fueled the horrible concoction that was Nurgle's plagues. In that moment, a new, ghastly disease was spawned. It was immediately used on the test subject and white flesh shuddered as tightly closed blisters rose, causing agonizing pain as they stretched the skin.

Isha defeated the disease, but it took her long enough that Nurgle was pleased. He immediately unleashed it on a very hard target… not Hope, which was hard for him to reach at all, but Hive Antioch. He would be mildly disappointed by how it performed… Hopian STC's did not have the great Panacea of the later part of the Dark Age of Technology, but they were still full of valuable medical knowledge and sophisticated treatments. It would take them some time to beat the illness and there would be many deaths, particularly in one particular Hive, but ultimately a cure would be found and distributed.

Nurgle just shrugged and went back to his work. He had two more apples. He would save them, though, for an auspicious time.

It was unfortunate but trying to catch the last of the Norse Gods had never worked, so he had a limited supply of apples.


What is he doing?

Alilon Daire, only surviving member of her bloodline, noted the necron who seemed to think he was being stealthy. It was rather absurd, given he was a giant machine with glowing green flux. He was peeking out at them from behind a statue, slowly edging his head into view then pulling back if anyone looked at him.

Zakiron snapped his cards on the table, the gesture that indicated he wished to end his part in the round. His score was tallied and the three of them continued, fighting to get a score that could rival his. When someone dropped out early, that was actually a good thing for them, as they had made a sufficient score to feel good about dropping out. And it avoided the penalties associated with still having cards in hand when the round was forced to end.

What does that Necron think he is doing? Zakiron asked them telepathically as he took a sip of his drink. He is doing a very poor job of hiding himself.

He reminds me of a child trying to gather courage to speak, Inaria said and Alilon felt a momentary surprise, before regarding that idea seriously. It was a bit childish, but how old was this Necron? If it was a true necron, they had been told the youngest they could be was thirteen. Even by their standards, that was young, by aeldari that was a babe.

Now that you mention it, I think that is exactly what he is doing, Alilon said. Does he wish to play? If so, they would have to refuse him, this was the final round before they needed to go to sleep. Also, why would they welcome a necron at their table?

The necron finally gathered his courage and stepped out, placing his hands together and bowing to them respectfully. It was a bit unnecessary, they were all quite young and ranked as 'commoners' in the Sautekh Empire, but very polite.

"Hello, I'm Loki. I was wondering if you could teach me to play? Unless this game is only for four?" Loki asked and while necron body language was hard to read, he was clearly uncertain of himself. Alilon noted that he'd given them an easy out, they could claim the game was just for four and he wouldn't know the difference.

"I know you, you're the psyker who is also an Avatar," Khola spoke for the first time and Alilon looked at the necron sharply. He bobbed his head in acknowledgement. "This is the last hand, it's getting late, but perhaps in three days time?" That was when they were planning to meet anyway. Alilon was a bit upset with Khola, though. Why had they just agreed to this?

"Thank you so much! I will be here," he said with another bow before departing. When he was safely gone, Alilon rounded on Khola.

"Why did you make that offer? Why do we want to play cards with a necron, even one who is an Avatar?" she asked and Khola snorted.

"You're just upset that we'll have to teach him." Well, yes! Teaching someone a game was never fun. Fortunately it wasn't a hard game but still. "And I want to play with him because he is an Avatar. I heard he channelled Cegorach and hosts some human god of mischief. It's interesting, I thought humans only worshipped their Emperor or Chaos. I had no idea they had more deities," Khola said and Alilon frowned. That was interesting, but still…

"What is done, is done," Zakiron said before picking up the piece of paper they were using to keep their scores. "I will do the tallies…" After a quick bit of math, Zakiron determined that Inaria had won. Alilon sighed to herself… she was the only who hadn't won a round and her overall scores were terrible. Well, it happened sometimes, this game was partially based on chance. As they parted for the night, Alilon's thoughts went to that strange necron. What did he want? Did he just want to make friends? But surely he could play cards with his own kind?

Well, they would just have to wait and find out.


Chapter Master Utiel found himself in a bit of a quandary.

Utiel had known, from a fairly young age, that the White Flames were descended from the Primarch Fulgrim. The reason for that was a series of events that had led to his squadron teaming up with the Raven Guard and shenanigans had followed… Utiel still wondered what they'd been thinking. But the enemies had been Chaos and at one point, he'd been alone, faced with three Chaos Marines wearing the colors of the ancient Emperor's Children. They had been ragged, their armor faded and patched, yet they had dignity and strength. And, to Utiel's absolute shock, they had spared him.

"We can smell our father's geneseed on you and it is untainted. Go, get out of here, hurry."

"Wait! Who are you?"

"We are what is left of the Emperor's Children. We did not swear ourselves to Chaos, we only followed our Primarch and while we regret this decision now, it is what it is. Go."

That had ended their brief conversation but had led Utiel to eventually make contact with them again. He'd learned they were a very small band, essentially a splinter group of Emperor's Children who refused to worship Slaanesh. Shockingly, several of them HAD worshipped Slaanesh for a time, before pulling away as they saw the trap of spiralling debauchery. Utiel was sure the Inquisition would say they were irredeemably tainted, but to his mind, that must have required a truly iron will, to cast aside the tainted fruit.

The greatest dream of this tiny warband was to serve Fulgrim again. Even the Demon Prince would do, but he never graced them with his presence, continuing his debauchery within the Warp. Utiel knew they would react to the clone as though he was a holy revelation, and that had brought him to this. He knew he might risk his position, even his life, and the lives of this entire splinter group. But should he not let them know? Should he not give them the opportunity to swear loyalty?

So Utiel had sent them the message, through the means they had given him, and searched through ancient records to create a cover story. He finally settled on the story that they would be the only survivors of a Chapter that had gone on a Penitent Crusade into the Eye of Terror. Time warped in there, so it was not beyond possibility for a chapter lost thousands of years ago to suddenly return. They had discovered within the Eye of Terror that they were Fulgrim's descendants and opted to stay there, eternally battling with Chaos. But the return of their Primarch had led them to exit the Eye of Terror and rejoin the Imperium… what was left of them, which wasn't much. Utiel would incorporate them into the White Flames chapter. As an internal matter of the Chapter, it should not be much questioned.

That was the plan, anyway, but it all hinged on Fulgrim deciding to accept them. Utiel knew this was very, very dangerous. He did not think that Fulgrim was the kind of leader to fly into a rage and kill them all, but Utiel wasn't sure. Also, Fulgrim might calmly and rationally decide that his Chapter Master was tainted by Chaos and needed to die. Still, you did not become a Chapter Master without taking many risks and Utiel believed in doing what was right. He'd long ago been convinced of their sincerity, so with Fulgrim's return, he had to take action.

"What precisely do you want to show me?" Fulgrim asked as Utiel led him to the top of the fortress monastery. He'd thought about doing this deep beneath, but finally decided it was more fitting to do it on high.

"It's more who," Utiel said before pushing the door open. Waiting inside were eight Astartes.

They were old, for their kind. Many of them looked worn and tired, and their armor was far from pristine. But they bore their scars with grace and they all had an honorable bearing. Fulgrim stopped dead as he saw them before speaking, in a strangled tone.

"Ramiel?" he said and the Space Marine singled out, one of the oldest, went to one knee.

"Father, we have waited for you for so long," he said and the others took a knee, raising their voices.

"We know we made a mistake."

"I am so glad to see you again," that was another old one, and Fulgrim murmured something, likely his name. He seemed completely overwhelmed.

"We followed our elders, maintaining the traditions, waiting for you to return… please, may we come back?" That was one of the younger ones, who had never known Fulgrim in life. As Fulgrim looked at him, he lowered his head. "We know we made a grave error, but is it too late?" Fulgrim took a deep breath before moving among his sons. Gently touching shoulders and reassuring them.

"It is not too late. It is never too late, as long as you are still alive," Fulgrim said with assurance and Utiel internally rejoiced. This was the outcome he had been hoping for, that the young clone would take back his wayward sons. And they turned to him like flowers to the light, finally seeing the way out of their damnation. "Utiel… is this what you have been hiding from me?"

"Yes, father," Utiel said, bowing his head. "I will accept any punishment you deem appropriate." If Fulgrim demanded his life he would give it without complaint. A hand rested on his shoulder for a moment.

"I'm just glad that we've brought this out into the open. This will be between just the two of us. What plans do you have?" Fulgrim asked and Utiel felt deeply relieved as he described his plan to Fulgrim. He was sure it would work, there was no reason for word of it to even go outside the White Flames, this story would be for the benefit of their own Astartes. No one else would even need to know. The only mild danger was that Guilliman or the Lion might see Ramiel or a few of the others, and recognize them, but the chance of that was vanishingly small.

Utiel was confident that everything would be fine.


Far away, on Egg and Phoneix.

"This is really the strangest family reunion I could possibly have imagined," Jan said and Boris made glyphs of amusement and pleasure.

Before them, almost the entire clan was assembled. In the interests of advancing Egg further and assisting with the building of mobile repair facilities, among other things, they had been asked to resettle on Egg. Just the men could have come but they had decided to bring their families with an eye to staying permanently. Why not, after all? Boris was an excellent teacher and could assist with passing skills to the younger generation.

So wonderful! I can train the children, while I continue my true research on the surface of Phoenix, Boris thought to himself as his wife, the lovely Delores, brought out a great casserole dish full of savory stew. Her body now was cold metal but her sculpted face was the image of her in her youth, and her metal braided 'hair' was in a low ponytail, exactly as she'd always worn it. With her were the young wives of the family, bringing out baskets of bread and other dishes. Boris sat at the table with them to be polite, along with Jan, although it felt a bit odd and mildly uncomfortable. Nothing unbearable, however. And at the table were all the adults, so many young and vibrant faces. Ah, how he loved it!

As Boris enjoyed the social occasion, though, part of his mind ruminated on his true work. Helping with the recall facilities being built was wonderfully useful to be sure and he enjoyed being of such use to the war effort. But what he really wanted was to go back to his research in bionics. So many people thought his research was a bit silly, given the increasing prevalence of shells. Oh, they saw the use for bionics, for all those who didn't want to cut their organic lives short when they'd just lost a limb. But the current bionics were decent enough, why did they need more?

So shortsighted, Boris thought to himself as he passed the breadbasket down the table. He pretended to be an addled uncle, amusingly obsessed with bionics, but there was something much deeper at work. Only the Dean of the University had been aware that his security clearance was Special Researcher S. That meant Boris had the same level of access to the STC as only five other individuals on the planet, including Simokh. The authority to order the STC to do things his way, against her better judgement. Boris had never once in his life used it but he had that power. For a brief moment, he thought about the Prophet… he'd had that power too and used it. Boris had read the STC's record of the incident and it was remarkable because from just the facts of the matter, the STC's approach should have been correct. But some unexpected variables had come up when the terraforming was halfway done and vindicated the Prophet. If the colony had done things the STC's way, there would have been a delay of roughly a year. Not a small thing at all, that early into a colony's life… STC reckoned that could have caused population failure and extermination of the budding colony.

That was a bit off topic, however. Boris' mind wandered back to the thoughts of bionics. His passion in life, and the reason for his incredibly high level of clearance, was his work on a secret project sanctioned directly by the Stormlord. Over the course of the assassination attempts on Zahndrekh, several Callidus assassin's corpses had been preserved. They had the one killed on Hope, as well. The STC had been able to identify the drugs the Callidus used as a very advanced form of the Doppleganger serum. The STC had the entire human tech base within it, so it contained some truly horrendous things that the STC would not normally give them. What use did a colony like Hope have for the Doppleganger serum? Only something truly nefarious.

Things were quite different now and Boris was hard at work creating biological weapons. Humans who would look, on the surface, like completely normal people yet be something completely different inside. The purpose of this was espionage, assassination and law enforcement. Espionage against the Tau, mostly, although it was not beyond possibility that Imotekh would target the Imperium of Man. Assassination… was actually the least likely duty. Deathmarks worked excellently well and were capable of varying their tactics, to provide uncertainty of the nature of the culprit. Still, his special humans could be used for it, if it needed to be established that a human was responsible.

Law enforcement was the most interesting. Given the secretive nature of these enhanced humans, they wouldn't just be handed out to regular police organizations. No, they would be given to Overlords like Ke'yanakh, who specialized in the rooting out of Chaos. Infiltrating Chaos Cults was very, very dangerous and these special humans would have a much better chance of survival and success. Boris thought this was where the modified humans would be used most extensively.

It's a real shame we can't use fetuses, Boris mused to himself as he turned to listen to one excited granddaughter telling him about her new friends and the odd things they believed. Some of them believed they needed to say a small prayer before turning on their datapads? How odd, but harmless. Fetuses though… it would be so much easier to accomplish his modifications if he were allowed to use clones, but Boris knew that came incredibly close to violating the Code of Terra. Such a clone, when allowed to gain sentience, would be a child soldier and that was allowed only during truly dire circumstances. Sadly, that had happened once on Hope… that very bad time, when they had almost gone into planetary population collapse. Fourteen year olds taking the battlefield, so tragic.

(seeing children under arms had actually been what had told the drukhari that they'd gone too far. They gave Hope fifteen years before they returned after that, and still found the population much lower than ever before)

(it had been a sharp lesson that even human fertility had limits)

Right now, the Sautekh Empire was just not in the kind of dire straights that would justify such an action under the Code of Terra. Also, clones normally required heavy indoctrination for loyalty, and that posed other ethical issues. Mindshackle scarabs could also be used but it was starting to get rather filthy at that point. Despite how troublesome it was, Boris was committed to completing his work on full grown adults. He would make it work!

Of course, all this depended on getting back to his real research. No one knew about it, not even his wife, although she was aware of his incredibly high security clearance. The rest of the family didn't even know that, thinking of him as an amusingly obsessed old professor.

"Grandfather, can you take a look at my work?" One of the older boys asked him and Boris gladly left the table. His second greatest passion after bionics was teaching. He truly loved his subjects and that showed in his lectures, making them intensely popular with the students. Boris was soon having a great time, gently explaining some of the spots the lad had gotten wrong and the areas he could refine his knowledge. He made sure to give words of praise, though, as it really was excellent work for someone so young. But then, he would have expected nothing less from one of Lev's children. Not just because they were intelligent, but because Lev had an excellent work ethic and had passed it on to his sons. Boris reflected sadly on the one failed branch of his family tree… his one son, Rurik, hated hard work and simply wouldn't do it. All of his children were much the same, despite their able minds. Boris had washed his hands of that situation years ago.

After the family time was done, they all helped clean up, along with some lovely new machines. Related to Canoptek Scarabs but designed for household use, Jan had been the one to create them. It made fixing everything up after a gathering much easier, much to the pleasure of the ladies. They were very much AI's and smarter than the Scarabs, roughly on the same level as the one in the Tomb, what was it called again? The one that was very dangerous for intruders yet actually meant to get rid of larger rubble. The name escaped Boris at the moment. Either way, the AI of these little cleaning helpers was not remotely dangerous although they took care to not let any Imperial visitors see them.

When everything was straightened and goodbyes had been said, Boris spent some quality time with Delores. Nothing intimate, they didn't have the upgrades for that, but that had always been a misdirection anyway. Boris loved Delores so much… she was so wonderful! Loyal, strong and fiercely intelligent, as brilliant as him in her own way. That nonsense about sex… even the Dean had bought it! Really, they'd just wanted a free shell for her. That had been the plan all along.

Boris knew all the children would be aghast, if they knew how many secrets he had and how he manipulated those around him, yet he felt not the slightest bit of shame. Secrets were necessary sometimes and it was all for the best. He had no qualms about using the skills God gave him and he always used them with a pure heart.

He was confident his contribution to the galaxy would be a net positive, when all was said and done.


A few notes on all of the remaining Gods.

Loki: The only remaining deity of the Norse Pantheon. He survived only because Odin informed him, as the attack on Asgard was beginning, that they were all doomed and he asked Loki to absorb his power and all the other gods he could. He asked Loki to survive for them, to be their remembrance, so their stories and myths would not be lost. Despite his nature as a Trickster god, Loki did dearly love his family and shed bitter tears as he followed Odin's wishes. Hel, in particular, offered herself to him, understanding that her only other fate was to be absorbed by Nurgle.

As the only survivor of the Norse pantheon, Loki was left without purpose in life. He amused himself by challenging Cegorach to a riddle contest, and sometimes meddled with humans, for good or for ill. He took care of the children – Fenris and Jormungandr are still around – and just generally existed in a state of mild depression. Loki was too mentally strong to ever truly succumb to despair, but he couldn't help but feel it at times, as the only survivor of his world.

In terms of personality, Loki is capable of being a manipulative little shit. He has extremely good social skills and will use them to get what he wants, or even to lead people astray out of pure malice. However, he is mercurial and does have a kinder side. If someone touches his heart, or even just gets lucky and happens to encounter him in a good mood, he might offer a helping hand. One thing he does not normally do is bargain unfairly… if Loki deigns to make a deal at all, he will normally honor it, as your word is all you have in the Chaos of the Warp. But because of that, he rarely makes deals with anyone, preferring to do what he likes. In general, it is very hard to know what Loki wants and what his motivations are because, sadly, he rarely has any. Right now, he is motivated to remain incarnated because he's found he very much enjoys it. It's possible Loki might try to incarnate in the future, now that he's had this experience.

Because Loki absorbed so much of the Norse Pantheon – many of them were lost to Chaos – he is stronger than he should be and has powers he shouldn't. He possesses the golden apples of Idun and a touch of Odin's foresight, although fortunately without his curse. Loki could always use the runes but he's much better at it now, reflecting Odin's skill. Loki can also summon Hel's legions although that is a slightly dangerous thing to do, as it will attract Nurgle's attention.

In general, Loki wishes he could strike out at Chaos but considers it to be too dangerous. He was never much of a fighter, his power is roughly on the same level as Cegorach now, but that's not enough to be any kind of credible threat to the Ruinous Powers. Loki does sometimes plot against them but because of all the powers he absorbed, which resonate with the Ruinous Powers, he really can't afford to offend them too much.

The one Chaos Deity that Loki has some ties with is Nurgle. Loki actually stole substantially from him in the fall of Asgard, robbing him of all the Norse fertility deities. With Odin's foresight, Loki can see a terrible future where if he refuses Nurgle's demands, the god of rot and decay will make a temporary alliance with Tzeentch to hunt him down, and he will end up chained up in the gardens beside Isha. So despite his disgust, Loki bargains with Nurgle, handing over golden apples to keep the greater deity sweet. Some of the worst plagues to blight the Imperium have come from such apples.

If the Loki in our story knew about this, he would be horrified and would refuse to visit the Land of the Dead ever again. Unfortunately, this would be meaningless as time in the Warp is not linear and depriving Nurgle of golden apples at this 'time' would just mean he'd get more from Loki at some other point. So, it's probably just as well Loki doesn't know and can enjoy his fantasy in peace, oblivious to the horrors that lie beneath.

Ishtar: The only remaining deity of the ancient Sumerian pantheon, aside from Nurgle himself. The fact that Nurgle is named in that ancient time could mean that he played ball with the pantheon for a while, or it might indicate that he invaded and humans heard his name, probably from his daemons. Only Ishtar would know for certain.

Ishtar's fundamental nature is selfishness. Ishtar's world is all about Ishtar, her adoration and beauty and exaltation. However, in her complete selfishness she is absolutely iron willed. That iron will led her to survive both Khorne and Slaanesh and finally emerge to retake her place in the galaxy. However, her long period in hiding and her grim battle against the Ruinous Powers have taught Isthar a certain degree of humility. That manifests with her followers… in ancient times, Ishtar would be mercurial and dangerous even with her worshippers, but that is no longer the case. She treasures her followers and nurtures them, provided they do not fail her. Along with her innate charisma, which is obscenely powerful, this attitude ensures her followers are intensely loyal to her.

However, if you are not one of Ishtar's followers, you mean nothing to her. Isthar did not want to kill Manric for any particular reason, he was just collateral damage for her re-enacting the story of the Bull of Heaven. That is how she feels about all living entities that are not among her followers… they are objects to be used and abused. She will break her word in a heartbeat and unless you are her follower, you should never make a deal with Ishtar.

In terms of the Ruinous Powers, Ishtar is on quasi-bad terms with everyone but she is a very tough nut to crack. Khorne is the only one left who has a genuine claim to her, as she's both a goddess of love and war, but he's decided she's not worth the effort. Also, the way she will employ her lust properties to distract his followers makes him rather sick. He isn't sure he even wants to absorb her, Khorne would hate to gain that aspect of her powers and such things can be a bit random. He COULD actually gain some lust god properties.

Cernunnos: An ancient god that is something of an enigma, in terms of his worship among humanity. Virtually all information about him was destroyed. However, in this story, there was a time period on Terra called the Great Pagan Revival. I might go into those events at some other time, but that period revived the worship of Cernunnos and most of his current attributes can be taken from that era.

Cernunnos was an ancient and powerful god, most important of his pantheon. He was god of fertility and fecundity, but also god of the deep forests, the mysteries that lie beyond. The consort of the Great Goddess, he also symbolizes the turning of the seasons and the natural cycle. To survive to the modern era, Cernunnos deliberately surrendered his aspects of fertility and fecundity to Nurgle, weakening himself but also ensuring the Ruinous Power would have no further claim to him. Now, Cernunnos fully embraces his nature as a forest god, patron to the wild things and the great mysteries that lie in the deepest depths of the forest. His followers are uniformly from Feral worlds, including one world dedicated entirely to him deep within the Eye of Terror.

In terms of personality, Cernunnos is old and wise. He will not lead a petitioner false, but he is very difficult to approach. Not as bad as the White God but close, summoning Cernunnos is a truly arduous trial. He protects his own followers before all others, and has little to spare for the rest of humanity, although he does sympathize with their plight. If you wish to make a bargain with Cernunnos, he is completely reliable and will not play you false in any way, but he will also demand a very high price for his aid. But then, you get what you pay for. Cernunnos regularly incarnates among his chosen followers and as several groups of Space Marines on penitent quests have discovered, trying to cleanse his planet of Chaos will lead to a very sharp meeting with his Avatar. Death normally comes swiftly at that point.

Cernunnos has virtually no connection to any of the Ruinous Powers, just minding his own business and staying out of their way. They return the favor, since Nurgle was the only one with a true claim to him and he was satisfied with the sacrifice Cernunnos made.

Vishnu: The only survivor of the Hindu pantheon, Vishnu survived largely by chance. He fought with all the others to defend the cosmic order and while they were vanquished, Vishnu was one of the last standing. Seeing the situation was utterly hopeless, he abandoned the battlefield to continue it later, in a time and place of his choosing. Because Vishnu's essence is extremely orderly and has no affinity with the Ruinous Powers they let him go, a decision they would come to regret.

No one knows this except for Loki and Vishnu, but a large part of the reason Vishnu has survived is the Trickster God quietly gifting him with a modified cloak of invisibility. The ancient item once owned by Siegfried, Loki used Odin's runes to enhance it significantly and gave it to Vishnu without a word. Vishnu considers himself deeply in Loki's debt, but Loki has no intention of ever asking for repayment. To him, it is enough that Vishnu is opposing the Ruinous Powers in a way Loki can't.

In terms of personality, Vishnu is honorable and true. Referred to as the God of Preservation, he is also the protector of all that is good. Vishnu lives these ideals and hates the Ruinous Powers with a passion that cannot be described. He sees them as breaking the cosmic order, shattering the cycle of growth and destruction, and believes that they MUST be vanquished to restore order to the galaxy. Vishnu lives and breathes this to an obsessive degree and all of the cults devoted to him are also incredibly hostile to Chaos. Vishnu will only make bargains if it somehow advances his efforts against Chaos, but if the one he is bargaining with has a solid plan to cause the Ruinous Powers pain, he will be easy to bargain with indeed.

Vishnu hates the Imperium of Man and sees it as what happens when the proper cycle is denied and stagnation is allowed to flourish. However, he places the blame for this squarely upon the Ruinous Powers and in particular, he utterly loathes Tzeentch. Exactly as Imotekh hates the bird for making knowledge a bad thing, Vishnu hates the Lord of Change and considers him to be a primary reason the Imperium is in such a terrible state. Slaanesh was nearly as bad, before she perished. Vishnu loathes Nurgle but considers him less corrosive to the social fabric than Tzeentch or Slaanesh. Khorne is the only Ruinous Power that Vishnu has a smidgin of respect for, because he understands the sweetness of battle. He still hates Khorne of course, he just doesn't quite consider him to be cosmic vermin.

Vishnu appreciates and approves of Imotekh's efforts in building the Sautekh Empire. He sees this as the start of a new cycle, healthy growth. However, despite this, Vishnu has no real intentions of helping Imotekh, largely because the battle against Chaos lies elsewhere. So despite his disgust with the Imperium, Vishnu is currently incarnated in the Imperium Nihilus and is assisting the Grey Knights in their eternal crusade. Only a few, very high ranked Grey Knights are fully aware of Vishnu and his nature, but they accept him as a stalwart ally.

Vishnu is well aware of the fact that he is probably tilting at windmills and his goals can never be reached, but he does not care. He will continue trying to right the balance of the galaxy until his dying breath.

Tiamat: Not a true deity at all, Tiamat is a cosmic horror beyond all comprehension.

The myth of a creator deity that must be sealed away for creation to continue is a nearly universal motif in the galaxy. Like the way the Nightbringer represents death, when something is universal, it normally originates from something very real. Even the aeldari have a version of this 'myth' although they do not speak of it because unlike the younger races, they are well aware that this is a real thing.

Tiamat has a thousand names and so does her prison, the Sea of Milk. Inquisitors and other scholars refer to it as the Deep Warp, the place even the Gods fear to tread. Entering the Deep Warp is unbelievably perilous because normally, there is no way out. Only Tzeentch might be able to enter and exit it, and even that is doubtful. He doesn't try because unlike the secrets of other things, he knows precisely what is there.

Tiamat is insanely destructive, but for an unusual reason: She vomits forth life. The new life she creates endlessly destroys the old, creating a vicious cycle that allows for nothing to truly settle and grow. Vishnu would say that she is the first part of the cosmic cycle stuck on endless repeat. If Tiamat were ascendant the galaxy would be full of verdant life, but it would be endlessly changing, engaging in ceaseless cannibalism.

Where did Tiamat originate from and how was she sealed? No one really knows. She could have been the true genesis for life in the galaxy, and was sealed away by the Old Ones. She could have been sealed away by Tzeentch, although why he would do that is up for question since her ceaseless change would seem to align with him. It could have been an older race, something predating the Old Ones, perhaps even Tiamat's first creations.

What is known is that both God and Tzeentch have seen an endarkened future where the Sea of Milk stirs, bubbles and froths as Tiamat begins to raise her head. Nothing can be seen past that point, as her power blots out their abilities of foresight. Right now, the chances of this future occurring are vanishingly small but they both keep an eye on it because this future must never come to be.

If Tiamat raises her head, even the Ruinous Powers will know true fear.