Editing Quest:The Long Night:Volume Two:The Rise (section)

=The Recon and the Grand Conclave=

The Eldar have transported your diplomats to the bigger Human empires. Regular diplomats went to establish ties with Callamus, Julius went as an emissary to his home of Ultramar, and Saint Lin went to Imperium Quartus, the recently established realm of the Four Primarchs (Vulkan was very displeased at what his daddy put him through, and crafted him an Auramite rod to help with the soul pains – and smash daemon skulls). All of them agreed to meet for a technological exchange in twenty or so years, once the details are worked out.

Before then, however, the Eldar contact you with a proposition. They're feeling out the ground for freeing [[Isha]], and that means scouting out Nurgle's Mansion. They are gathering whatever Diviners are up to the task. Should Ridcully participate, they'll consider the Divination costs paid. Depending on the results, they might even owe you a big one.

After a bit of deliberation, you accept.

Lin divines what he can about Nurgle, you ask for aid from the locals (receiving a few potions to help against the rot), and, under the cover of a hundred attacks launched upon the domains of the Lord of Decay, Ridcully slips in. The requirements are to get into the Mansion from the garden (goes smoothly), and then scout out at least to the kitchen (a bit of disease sets in, but not too alarming). However, Ridcully decides to do more. To explore as far as possible.

He makes it to the door of Isha's jail. The locks are beyond his ability to break, but Ridcully does find a tiny hole Isha had poked through over the millennia. Not enough for her to get out, but she does pass through a note for her children, along with a blessing to help him get it back. Even with that blessing, the seer almost dies. Him getting the note was felt by Grandpa Nurgle, so he rushed back home full speed. As a result, a lot of the distractions were highly successful; in particular, [[Typhus]] is now truedead.

The Eldar owe you Massively now, and Ridcully is officially added to their pantheon. Turns out Isha's note contained about five terabytes of medical knowledge, including IVF technology upgrades, which makes it as priceless as it gets with their current demographic situation.

The favors didn't come a year too soon; Turoq and the Dark Mechanicus are preparing a general assault, and you could really use the help. For all your achievements, his worlds are still too far to counterattack.

Turoq's attack on your colonies results in him being destroyed by Areatha, the remaining fleets retreating in disarray before the Eldar. The Dark Mechanicus' attack on Asgard is repelled by forces under your direct command. The last force, at Muspelheim (originating from your once friend planet of Atlas), is bogged down trying to take the planet's flying cities long enough for the Eldar to join the defenders. Lostech surprises and all that.

Soon after, during a High Council meeting, you realize something. Remember that super-sneaky Catachan regiment? Now, its commissar is a strange guy named Dalv Sepet. At the same time, surviving records of Muspelheim mention a famous Helheim explorer named... Vlad Tepes. The names... could there be a connection?

First, however, you must attend the Grand Conclave. It turns out to be... quite the sight. The leaders of the three other polities attend, including Vulkan and Corax. These two bring Great Crusade era technology, including [[Thunder Warriors]], along with their own developments. Imperium Secundus (the Ultramar realm) brings stolen Tau tech. Callamus brings the technology of its Forge Worlds, mostly industrial. Finally, the Eldar, represented by Eldrad, bring some human tech they have collected over the millennia, along with the decoded data from your Data Jewels. Most importantly, it seems the Eldar have found the blueprints for the Psychic Cannon. Not the [[Psycannon]]; the unique starship-scaled DAoT weapon only a single ship had in the Imperium. Hardly surprising, considering its tech level seems to be at least halfway to Eldar weapons.

==Back home==

Everyone at home is really pleased with the results of the Conclave – even though the Conservative Mechanicus are on the brink of rebellion now.

You find a few hours to speak with Dalv. Yes, it turns out he is indeed that ancient explorer, who is quite pleased you've finally figured it out. Now you have another person who, like Areatha, can help you with contacting locals. Among other things, he has a friend named He-Who-Walks-Obliquely, an ancient Border Lion. Border Lions are both extremely stealthy and one of the few local species capable of traveling off planet, so the possibilities are considerable.

Meanwhile, Syr gets married to an Asgardian noble named Sigmund, while you, for the first time in your life...

...take a vacation.

==Darker Events==

It seems Vect has completed his treaty with Slaanesh. Slaanesh gets everything Vect has, while Vect gets every Eldar Slaanesh has. A few manage to get away in time; [[Lelith Hesperax]], for example, threw in with the Empire of Ashes, although they still demanded a few centuries of her proving herself before she gets out of the penal battalion.

According to Ridcully, the Tau and Imperium Secundus are soon to be attacked by a surviving [[C'tan]] named The Destroyer. There is little the Eldar can do aside from wrecking the Webway in the vicinity, while the Necron are too wary of The Destroyer's... well, Destroyer Virus abilities.

Someone keeps stealing Avatars. Ridcully, at Eldar request, determines it's being done by [[Arhra]], who's trying to restore Khaine. Of course, Khorne is trying to hijack the ritual.

Saint Lin is now entering his final decades. Among other things, it means a considerable hit to the Abomination should he manage to die a natural death. That means you are likely to soon face an actual incursion targeted at you directly.

Finally, some of the Tyranids have slipped past the Necrons and are once again invading. By the standards of the War in the Void, those are mere Splinter Fleets. For the Imperium, they would have been whole Hive Fleets. One is coming our way. At least there is no New Devourer in this setting; the closest you have is some older weird Zerglike Kroot/Tyranid hybrid, thankfully non-expansive, plus a group that now appears to be composed of Necrodermis at the cost of slower breeding. They're headed for Quartus. You are going to face Fleet Grábakr, a Psyker-heavy force.