A Grimdark Mind-blowing

12 May 2018

Everyone in the Warhammer 40K universe has some grimdark story points, primarily in shades of endless war and gore. Each race also has their own perils to face as well: The Imperium of Man is a hellscape of monotony broken only by death for most - for the lucky, it is tiresome war broken only by death; Necrons had their souls stolen and are mostly just undying automatons; Eldar live with a constant looming threat of Slaanesh devouring their souls as their broken race slowly dwindles; Chaos are… well in utter chaos, flavors varying by God.

The Orks likely have the least grimdark story, because they are the grimdark – they are weapons that want to kill you for the fight, which is great for them but not for much anyone else.

Tyranids similarly are supremely hangry, which is just no fun for anyone.

The Tau have had their share of traditional grimdark, from Mont’au to Numenar Point and all the horrible realizations between.

Beyond that, there’s a special thin coat of gilded grimdark in the Tau Empire – the Ethereal caste. Worshipped as benevolent leaders, the first among equals and embodiment of all that is good in the Tau race, their unyielding control of their brethren is not just admiration. Ethereals exude some unknown form of control over the other castes, even capable of ordering suicide without any hesitation. That much has been well established in the lore many times.

While there will be plenty of gruesome and terrifying fights for the Ar’sho, I get to write a lot of depth into these stories as well. Everyone expects treachery and deceit from the forces of Chaos, but what about the behaviors of the few individuals with unquestioned influence over their entire race? What is going to happen when billions of individuals suddenly regain their free will and everything they believed in is revealed as lies? Some might speculate, based on the actions of the human race in those scenarios, that a quick heresy over to the forces of Chaos might be in order, but what about when it happens to those too warp-weak to be directly influenced?

It’s already been so much fun to write, and much more is forthcoming. I want to write a story clever enough and deep enough to truly blow your mind with the grim-darkness it exudes. Stay tuned!

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