Hi,

one of my players is interested in delving deeper into the Dark Angels' secret past. Now I wonder about the secretive layers described e.g. in the Deathwing description.

I am not a WH40k expert thus I ask myself if the most protected secret is 'only' the treason of Luther? With Rites of Battle you can start to learn more about the guarded secrets by taking the Chapter Deed 'Initiate of Secrets'

So … what is it then? I guess it is not simply a on / off situation like "Oh well, you took that deed … okay then … you know about the treason … roll for the insanity points please."

What could be the first secrets to learn if a Dark Angel is initiated? Starting to enter the Inner Circle and being a member of the 1st Inner Circle, regardless of how many might follow to learn directly from Belial, Grandmaster of the Deathwing….

Cheers,

-- TechVoid

They would probably be told a shortened and highly propagandised version of the story of Luther's "betrayl" of the legion leading his brothers into the arms of Chaos and subsequent "death" at the hands of the Lion in the fires of Caliban's last hours.

Then they might be told that some of these fallen angels are still out there.

Artfully avoiding the truth of the circumstances or severity of the situation.

You mean, that a Dark Angel knows nothing right at the beginning? Nothing about Luthor, the Lion, the Treason and thus even nothing about the Fallen Angels?!?

In my campaign the Players are in search for the Childen of Achilus which lead them eventually to an ancient eldar, held in stasis. I thought that the newly initiated Dark Angel Player might learn, that the Dark Angels are working together with the Eldar: They make use of visions while the Dark Angels have something similar with their Watcher in the Dark. Thus they work occasionally together. That should be enough and the purpose of the joint operations of Dark Angels and Eldar and the knowledge about Watchers in the Dark is left for the following circles …

I do not know if it fits the WH40k background about the Dark Angels, but it would make sense in my campaign.

Cheers,

-- TechVoid

An uninitiated DA basically only know that the Lion was lost along with Caliban during the Heresy, for the loss of their Homeworld and Primarch they must atone.

That's it. No truth, no fallen, no nothing you don't keep secrets by sharing them.

It's a labour of centuries for a Dark Angel to become trusted enough to learn even a fraction of what the average nine year old in a GW store knows about the Dark Angels sordid past.

there is morec about the past of the DA.

there is of course the honor wound that half of the First Legion going traitor.

But the truth is witch part of it was traitors, cause if you look a the past you could only guss why the Lion and the DA was not on Terra fighting the Horus army, why have they wait in the dark for the event to pass? What if their Primarch had wait to know the end of the rebellion to knpw where to rally.

Off course, the fallen are a problem to be deal with, and a private problem known only to a few. But the real stain on the DA honor is that they can fall, they can all be traitor, they are weak, and it is this weakness that make them so secretive. What could happen if other SM know about the failure of the Angels, the First legion.

What about the doubt of the Lion about going to war against Horus or Guilliman. The guilt to not have done the good thing. The heavy weight of the guilt about Caliban and the awfull destiny of Lother and half the Legion. Where they really traitors? Or had they been killed because they was doubting the true allegiance of their Primarch.

Had they been killed because they have tought de nied the ground of Caliban to traitors? The lion could have avoid that by taking a real part ion the Horus Heresy wars and side clearly with the emperor instead of resting in the shadows.

The actual DA aren't they the real traitors searching atonnement for there past crimes?

That isthe real weight upon the shoulders of those who know and as there Primarch try to shield them from the truth… they are coward and traitors…. DA genessed should have been destroy, they have killed brothers and have done nothing for the imperium…Nothing but wait till the victory of one.

There may be other reasons the DA didn't make it to Terra… (see Horus Heresy novels)

A newly initiated DA knows nothing of the Fallen. They are told parables such as the tale of two heads talking with bits of truth wrapped in allegory. They will be told nothing concrete until their higher ups are certain beyond doubt the initiate can both cope with the knowledge and will keep it.

The one bright side to the secret is that the Unforgiven are fanatical in punishing the enemies of the Imperium, if only to wash away hidden sins in rivers of blood.

This sounds all quite interesting.

Now the question remains for me: How to play a Dark Angel? It sounds a bit like "Dark Angels are highly secretive even if they do not know, which secrets they keep." ?!?

One thing comes to my mind, according to The Purging of Kadillus, that Dark Angels value highly information. Whether about their friends or foes.

Cheers,

-- TechVoid

Decessor said:

The Dark Angels are working with Kairos Fateweaver?

Somehow, deep down, I always knew it to be true…

TechVoid said:

Any scrap of information could be useful. All passed on to the higher ups of course.

And the tale of Two Heads Talking .