The Test of Faith

[rookie40K]

Anyone read The Test of Faith from the advent calendar? It sounds interesting and the description is that it is another story about the rift between Primaris and old marines regarding inner circle secrets. It is also focused on a new Primaris chaplains Character. With all the DA speculation on new characters, I was wondering if anyone would be willing to spoil this one?

[Darkwrath121]

Right, I read it yesterday and was not a fan. Slight rant regarding topics incoming.

 

I'm personally just sick of there being a functionally complete lack of stories about DA that DON'T degenerate into moustache-twirling villain silliness and obsession with secrets, which is heavily overdone. It tells us nothing that the War of Secrets book (which I personally was not a fan of at all) or that recent White Dwarf did not.

 

The first half is promising, focusing on action against genestealer cultists, but clearly I was wrong in hoping for any story which focuses on the Dark Angels doing what they do 99% of the time, rather than homing in on something sketchy.

 

Plot summary in a few sentences:

Hidden Content

Primaris squad and chaplains (firstborn Interrogator-Chaplain and a Primaris chaplain) take part in an assault on a cult-held mining hulk. All goes as planned. However, a psychic attack on the primaris chaplain makes him remember things which were previously mindwiped. He's killed on the ground by the interrogator-chaplain. Asmodai and this interrogator argue about/discuss the lack of trust in primaris marines to earn entry to the inner circle. That's about it.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Darkwrath121

[The_son_of_Dorn]

So, Dark Angels and Flesh Tearer hierarchy (Read this months White Dwarf article with Seth and the new Primaris Captain, its brutal!) Have issues with Primaris.

 

I really enjoy this sort of darker deeper look at first gen and second gen marines. It will not be an easy merge as Guilliman Hoped.

[Shinros]

Right, I read it yesterday and was not a fan. Slight rant regarding topics incoming.

 

I'm personally just sick of there being a functionally complete lack of stories about DA that DON'T degenerate into moustache-twirling villain silliness and obsession with secrets, which is heavily overdone. It tells us nothing that the War of Secrets book (which I personally was not a fan of at all) or that recent White Dwarf did not.

 

The first half is promising, focusing on action against genestealer cultists, but clearly I was wrong in hoping for any story which focuses on the Dark Angels doing what they do 99% of the time, rather than homing in on something sketchy.

 

Plot summary in a few sentences:

Hidden Content

Primaris squad and chaplains (firstborn Interrogator-Chaplain and a Primaris chaplain) take part in an assault on a cult-held mining hulk. All goes as planned. However, a psychic attack on the primaris chaplain makes him remember things which were previously mindwiped. He's killed on the ground by the interrogator-chaplain. Asmodai and this interrogator argue about/discuss the lack of trust in primaris marines to earn entry to the inner circle. That's about it.

That...doesn't sound great. Honestly a part of me is thinking about writing some Dark Angel fan fiction later on, since I think the secret knight templar order is a cool shtick, but I think GW are forgetting that the Dark Angels are also knights. I think they should also be pretty heroic at the same time. 

[b1soul]

DA are really one-note in BL

 

They'd really benefit from a Wraight or ADB helming a few novels about them in 40K

[Angel of Solitude]

I also read this the other day, and I think the easy response is to have a moan about how yet again, the only Dark Angels story worth telling is how the Inner Circle aren't trusting of the Primaris, but the Primaris are desperate to prove their worth. However, I personally think that this story arc is very interesting, and quite fundamental to the ongoing Dark Angels narrative.

 

So what do we get from this story? For me, I think there are two exciting developments:

 

First, this is a second occasion in which the mind wipe that the Primaris is being subjected has failed. Thus a key mechanism of the Inner Circle keeping the Primaris distant is no longer completely effective.

 

Second, we are now seeing divisions within the Inner Circle that there is a difference of opinion on the trustworthiness of the Primaris. Asmodai is clearly in the dis-trusting camp, but as more and more of the other Interrogator-Chaplains fight alongside Primaris, the more they appear to believe that the Primaris should be given a chance.

 

Both of these point to the fact that the Inner Circle have to, at some point very soon, upfront accept and trust their Primaris bretheren.

 

I agree that a short story can't really do a subject like this justice, but as a Dark Angels fan, it makes me excited about what is in future for Dark Angels fluff.

Edited December 27, 2019 by Angel of Solitude