Editing The Dark Coil (section)

==Wait... What?==
The '''Dark Coil''' is a rather unusual setting/concept/sub-setting(?)/something which features in all the Warhammer novels and short stories of Peter Fehervari, not entirely unlike the sub-setting of 40k (the Sabbat Worlds, the Helican Sub-Sector) in which [[Dan Abnett]]'s novels take place. Although they take place on a few common settings or involve a few overarching general organisations, there are few direct links between characters or the main plotlines of each story, and it often takes a little extra work to spot the connections. And given the horror/psychological themes of most of Fehervari's stories, attempting to figure it out can be tricky. Or [[skub]]. Or both.

The simplest way to explain the Coil is as a subtle metaphysically (and metanarrative) pervasive force - drawing various places, individuals, and organisations deep into increasingly twisted and reflected layers of itself until said components either escape, are destroyed, incorporated, or are drawn even deeper into the folds of the Coil. Wether the Coil is a truly a deliberate, proactive phenomenon or just perverse Chaos delighting in its own contradictions has yet to be seen.

A crucial conceit of the setting is the malleability of time and reality depending on individual perception, often aided by [[Chaos]] shenanigans. Whilst regular Lovecraftian Chaos stuff does still occur within the Coil, it's rarely as direct and clear-cut as most depictions in the fluff. The typical hallmarks of Chaotic corruption, like mentioning Nurgle or Khorne, or having easily recognizable types of daemon are rare if not nonexistent in his work. Fehervari uses the Tau to show a contrast to the Imperium, as their scientific-minded, less-zealous and xenophobic mindset provides us a great point from which to see how horrific and uncaring the Imperium really is, although he also manages to show a distinctly unique dark side to the Tau quite apart from the usual soft-Orwellian overtones they usually have.

Attempting to unpick the Coil is tricky because most characters are unreliable narrators, insane, delusional, capable of rewriting or traversing reality to make it refit their perceptions, deliberately hiding things from the reader, or all of the above. This said, there are a few linking factors that overlap in most of the stories (which are generally recommended to be read in publication order as chronological order is......tricky).