Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I feel it my duty to share with this forum a comment from one Karthak of the Bolter and Chainsword forum in response to Goon's summary:

The Visarch knocked on the door before entering with hunched shoulders. Yvraine raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like her champion to be this timid.
"My lady," he said, "you have received a...gift." Intrigued, Yvraine stepped outside, and stopped dead. A fruit basket the size of a Void Spinner sat in the middle of the plaza, next to a bouquet of flowers from all over the galaxy. The Visarch held out a card for her to take.
"Ahzek Ahriman offers his apologies and requests a date," the Visarch said.

Elsewhere...
"Brother, this is demeaning!"
"I don't care!" Ahriman said, frantically scribbling plans for an armour-tuxedo on a sheet of paper marked Rubric Reversal: Plan B.

This is getting a bit too Peacehammer and optimistic for my taste. Need to put the WAAAAAGH!! back into Warhammer and smash up this Umie/Panzie friendship powwow.

 GoonBandito wrote:
History is made as the Eldar and Humans come ‘as close to an understanding as their races had ever attained’. So the two forces – Imperial and Eldar – join as one, and begin the next stage of the journey.

Hmm, the first baby steps of the Order Grand Alliance?

I think they've done a much better job of creating a believable united Eldar faction with the Ynarri than they did in fantasy with the Elves. I suppose it was easier since the Eldar weren't in perpetual civil war but still, they've been dropping hints about Ynnead & a universal fate for the Eldar for years. It was well planned.

 Vankraken wrote:
This is getting a bit too Peacehammer and optimistic for my taste. Need to put the WAAAAAGH!! back into Warhammer and smash up this Umie/Panzie friendship powwow.

I'm sure the Orks will ensure that 40K remains a bigger free-for-all in the universe, da eternal WAAAAGH! is gonna smash der puny alliance asunder!

I'm wondering whether GW will do some kind of "twist" with the Yncarne or Ynnead at the end. There are already RL people speculating that the Yncarne (with its slightly Slaaneshi aesthetics) may be corrupted by Chaos, and Phil Kelly's ambiguous "or so they think" when talking about how the Ynnari think they have broken the hold of Slaanesh and achieved salvation.

Alternatively, I speculate whether the Yncarne and Ynnead will save the Eldar in the way they think they will be saved as the path into the future supposedly forked into the Rhana Dandra or into darkness with the sound of a mourning bell. It could be that the Yncarne and Ynnead will still lead the Eldar to death and only then save the Eldar as originally prophesied. In other words, Eldrad's attempt to alter fate won't work and Ynnead offers salvation on its own terms.

I also wonder whether GW will ever link Cegorach's plans and trick on Slaanesh to Ynnead. In the Valedor novel, the Harlequin play's final act showed Cegorach allowing himself to be tripped up by Slaanesh, in order to distract Slaanesh from Ynnead, and then just before Slaanesh landed the killing blow on Cegorach, Slaanesh turned around to see Ynnead about to attack. The play ended with Slaanesh showing fear on its face.

What happened to Yriel? He doesn't seem to get mentioned after his rebirth. Is he with the group? Too bad he didn't get a new model, but I guess it would be pretty similar but with a sword instead of a spear.

So, if there is only one sword left to get, and they know where it is, shouldn't be too hard to get it.

Iracundus wrote:
I'm wondering whether GW will do some kind of "twist" with the Yncarne or Ynnead at the end. There are already RL people speculating that the Yncarne (with its slightly Slaaneshi aesthetics) may be corrupted by Chaos, and Phil Kelly's ambiguous "or so they think" when talking about how the Ynnari think they have broken the hold of Slaanesh and achieved salvation.

Alternatively, I speculate whether the Yncarne and Ynnead will save the Eldar in the way they think they will be saved as the path into the future supposedly forked into the Rhana Dandra or into darkness with the sound of a mourning bell. It could be that the Yncarne and Ynnead will still lead the Eldar to death and only then save the Eldar as originally prophesied. In other words, Eldrad's attempt to alter fate won't work and Ynnead offers salvation on its own terms.

I also wonder whether GW will ever link Cegorach's plans and trick on Slaanesh to Ynnead. In the Valedor novel, the Harlequin play's final act showed Cegorach allowing himself to be tripped up by Slaanesh, in order to distract Slaanesh from Ynnead, and then just before Slaanesh landed the killing blow on Cegorach, Slaanesh turned around to see Ynnead about to attack. The play ended with Slaanesh showing fear on its face.

Yeah this mystery is what interests me most about the whole story

The Eldar are pinning their hopes on the benevolence of a God of the Dead, and the Grand Plan of a Trickster God.

Yeah.

That sounds like a great plan...

I really hope they leave these questions for the most part unanswered. It's this sort of 'can we trust them' that makes for the best stories there are in 40k. It's the lynchpin of Cypher's character, and he's one of the most compelling around. I hope they realise that telling us either way will end up being a let-down, and keep the mystery there for all to speculate upon.

Albino Squirrel wrote:
What happened to Yriel? He doesn't seem to get mentioned after his rebirth. Is he with the group? Too bad he didn't get a new model, but I guess it would be pretty similar but with a sword instead of a spear.

So, if there is only one sword left to get, and they know where it is, shouldn't be too hard to get it.

Unless it's the sword Failbbadon carries around...... Of course there could be a whole thread dedicated to such things. Cypher has a funny sword as well.

Yeah I wondered if that was going to be a twist, but the background of Drachnyen is apparently quite well established and they'd need to change it to make it a Crone Sword. Doesn't mean they won't, but it'd require retcons.

Just read it, awesome read. It feels like everyone gets their chance to be awesome.

 GoonBandito wrote:
Creed has been captured in Trazyn the Infinite's Pokeball.

Ayyy! I got it right.

Also, I really want Alpharius to pop up with a bunch of new primarks he's made and turn the tide in the final battle like 'Yo, I was fighting for dad all along!"

Agiel wrote:
I feel it my duty to share with this forum a comment from one Karthak of the Bolter and Chainsword forum in response to Goon's summary:

The Visarch knocked on the door before entering with hunched shoulders. Yvraine raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like her champion to be this timid.
"My lady," he said, "you have received a...gift." Intrigued, Yvraine stepped outside, and stopped dead. A fruit basket the size of a Void Spinner sat in the middle of the plaza, next to a bouquet of flowers from all over the galaxy. The Visarch held out a card for her to take.
"Ahzek Ahriman offers his apologies and requests a date," the Visarch said.

Elsewhere...
"Brother, this is demeaning!"
"I don't care!" Ahriman said, frantically scribbling plans for an armour-tuxedo on a sheet of paper marked Rubric Reversal: Plan B.

Okay, that was great. Sigged.

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:


Also, I really want Alpharius to pop up with a bunch of new primarks he's made and turn the tide in the final battle like 'Yo, I was fighting for dad all along!"

And then kill Guilliman and disappear so we're all 'or was he?!?!?!?!'

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:


Also, I really want Alpharius to pop up with a bunch of new primarks he's made and turn the tide in the final battle like 'Yo, I was fighting for dad all along!"

And then kill Guilliman and disappear so we're all 'or was he?!?!?!?!'

And then Marinus Calgar takes off his helm and says, "I, am, Alpharius." And then a bomb placed under the Golden throne in M31 by the OG Alpharius (who is now lost to the ranks of his legion all going 'no I'm the real Alpharius') explodes releasing the Emps to the warp where he singlehandedly bitch-slaps the chaos gods out of existence and then Mala turns up and is all like "Ayy, remember me?" Then Gork and Mork (or the GW legal team, reports vary) punch Malal back into obscurity, then the Old Ones return to banish the Tyrannids and everyone in the 40k universe (except chaos who are now dead) teams up against the tyrannids and goes to the tyrannid galaxy to kick arse, and then Vulkan turns up and says, "Enough! You need to stop this unending killing and focus on improving everyone's quality of life," and then everyone settles down, builds houses, farms and enjoy the finer things in life.

Great Summary

Just finished reading the book and like your summary - I enjoyed it.

It reminded me alot of the Warmachine / Hordes books - lots of very cool characters (alot of them female which is a nice change!! ) who all do lots of cool stuff but never quite manage to kill each other even whe they finally fight.

I liked the joke that one the Spirit Seers makes about which of the three facets of the Eldar Goddess Iyanna, Yvraine and Hesperax are (Maiden, Mother and Crone)

I loved the Phoenix Lords showing up and just straight-up dominating the Tzeentchian force. Greater Daemons were getting swatted like flies.

It is quite an enjoyable read, the book, and I really appreciated the side communique's which help flesh out some of what is happening throughout the galaxy (particularly Badrukk's and the Genestealer Cults bits).

Also I do really like the idea of a resurgent Eldar Pantheon of Khaine, Cegorach and Ynnead (perhaps even Isha will be added eventually). The Phoenix Lords remain one of my favourite parts of the entire setting, so I'm glad they had a prominent role and hope they will expand upon their role going forwards.

I'm liking how Ahriman was presented, but a but pissed about Skarbrand playing so well into She-Who Thirsts' hands. Overall this explains the weird stuff going on from fall of Cadia fairly well.

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:


Also, I really want Alpharius to pop up with a bunch of new primarks he's made and turn the tide in the final battle like 'Yo, I was fighting for dad all along!"

And then kill Guilliman and disappear so we're all 'or was he?!?!?!?!'

And then Marinus Calgar takes off his helm and says, "I, am, Alpharius." And then a bomb placed under the Golden throne in M31 by the OG Alpharius (who is now lost to the ranks of his legion all going 'no I'm the real Alpharius') explodes releasing the Emps to the warp where he singlehandedly bitch-slaps the chaos gods out of existence and then Mala turns up and is all like "Ayy, remember me?" Then Gork and Mork (or the GW legal team, reports vary) punch Malal back into obscurity, then the Old Ones return to banish the Tyrannids and everyone in the 40k universe (except chaos who are now dead) teams up against the tyrannids and goes to the tyrannid galaxy to kick arse, and then Vulkan turns up and says, "Enough! You need to stop this unending killing and focus on improving everyone's quality of life," and then everyone settles down, builds houses, farms and enjoy the finer things in life.

And from his newfound safety among the stasis chambers deep within Trazyn's Tomb World, a single smug thought briefly flashes across the brain of an old commander.

'Just as planned'...

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:


Also, I really want Alpharius to pop up with a bunch of new primarks he's made and turn the tide in the final battle like 'Yo, I was fighting for dad all along!"

And then kill Guilliman and disappear so we're all 'or was he?!?!?!?!'

And then Marinus Calgar takes off his helm and says, "I, am, Alpharius." And then a bomb placed under the Golden throne in M31 by the OG Alpharius (who is now lost to the ranks of his legion all going 'no I'm the real Alpharius') explodes releasing the Emps to the warp where he singlehandedly bitch-slaps the chaos gods out of existence and then Mala turns up and is all like "Ayy, remember me?" Then Gork and Mork (or the GW legal team, reports vary) punch Malal back into obscurity, then the Old Ones return to banish the Tyrannids and everyone in the 40k universe (except chaos who are now dead) teams up against the tyrannids and goes to the tyrannid galaxy to kick arse, and then Vulkan turns up and says, "Enough! You need to stop this unending killing and focus on improving everyone's quality of life," and then everyone settles down, builds houses, farms and enjoy the finer things in life.

And from his newfound safety among the stasis chambers deep within Trazyn's Tomb World, a single smug thought briefly flashes across the brain of an old commander.

'Just as planned'...

I know it's slightly off topic, but I REALLY hope they end up doing something with Creed other then having him just be a dust collector in Trazyn's museaum

Little pieces o side info that my hint future develop.

- A genestealer Cult has been found in Terra with at least 4th generation members.

- The Damocles Gulf Fire Warpstorm it's receding but seems to also spread randomly trought the warp so anything engulfed by it may end warped across the galaxy.(The Tau fleet is reported as missing)

- A massive Warpstorm near Oberon it's being *fought* by Sautekh Dinasty while thousand of their pyramids cage a kind of Obelisk, the ones who make contact with it aren't destroyed but somehow are duplicated.

- Waagh Badrukk seems to be floating towards Catachan, following a wounded Titanic Void whale, the Waagh it's almost as huge as a whole system.

- Lucius the Ethernal spotted in Extremis six with a Traitor titan Legion... also odd rumour about a sighted *huge snake* killing everything the Astra Militarum is sending against.

- sudden Explosion from Forgeworld Glenescrede Raptus, all psykers at 18 suns from Terra haunted by a *Sol Daemon* emerging and with hunger from the void, along visions of metalic tentacles pushing into a closed vault.

So a lot of handy info there for future development.

Lucius the Ethernal spotted in Extremis six with a Traitor titan Legion... also odd rumour about a sighted *huge snake* killing everything the Astra Militarum is sending against.

That can ONLY be Fulgrim, my guess is he'll be the next primarch after Gulliman to apper

Lord Perversor wrote:
also odd rumour about a sighted *huge snake* killing everything the Astra Militarum is sending against.

But why's my penis in this book?

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:

 Ynneadwraith wrote:

 CREEEEEEEEED wrote:


Also, I really want Alpharius to pop up with a bunch of new primarks he's made and turn the tide in the final battle like 'Yo, I was fighting for dad all along!"

And then kill Guilliman and disappear so we're all 'or was he?!?!?!?!'

And then Marinus Calgar takes off his helm and says, "I, am, Alpharius." And then a bomb placed under the Golden throne in M31 by the OG Alpharius (who is now lost to the ranks of his legion all going 'no I'm the real Alpharius') explodes releasing the Emps to the warp where he singlehandedly bitch-slaps the chaos gods out of existence and then Mala turns up and is all like "Ayy, remember me?" Then Gork and Mork (or the GW legal team, reports vary) punch Malal back into obscurity, then the Old Ones return to banish the Tyrannids and everyone in the 40k universe (except chaos who are now dead) teams up against the tyrannids and goes to the tyrannid galaxy to kick arse, and then Vulkan turns up and says, "Enough! You need to stop this unending killing and focus on improving everyone's quality of life," and then everyone settles down, builds houses, farms and enjoy the finer things in life.

And from his newfound safety among the stasis chambers deep within Trazyn's Tomb World, a single smug thought briefly flashes across the brain of an old commander.

'Just as planned'...

High five.

Tyranno wrote:

Lord Perversor wrote:
also odd rumour about a sighted *huge snake* killing everything the Astra Militarum is sending against.

But why's my penis in this book?

Double high five. (High ten?)

I guess the tau fleet disappearing means tau will be included in some book to help fight chaos. The eastern fringe will probably get ignored once they get Roboute off Macragge.

 Crazyterran wrote:
I guess the tau fleet disappearing means tau will be included in some book to help fight chaos. The eastern fringe will probably get ignored once they get Roboute off Macragge.

or a future book like maybe the rest of the notes.

Or they get eaten / courrpted by Chaos

Iracundus wrote:
I'm wondering whether GW will do some kind of "twist" with the Yncarne or Ynnead at the end. There are already RL people speculating that the Yncarne (with its slightly Slaaneshi aesthetics) may be corrupted by Chaos, and Phil Kelly's ambiguous "or so they think" when talking about how the Ynnari think they have broken the hold of Slaanesh and achieved salvation.

Alternatively, I speculate whether the Yncarne and Ynnead will save the Eldar in the way they think they will be saved as the path into the future supposedly forked into the Rhana Dandra or into darkness with the sound of a mourning bell. It could be that the Yncarne and Ynnead will still lead the Eldar to death and only then save the Eldar as originally prophesied. In other words, Eldrad's attempt to alter fate won't work and Ynnead offers salvation on its own terms.

I also wonder whether GW will ever link Cegorach's plans and trick on Slaanesh to Ynnead. In the Valedor novel, the Harlequin play's final act showed Cegorach allowing himself to be tripped up by Slaanesh, in order to distract Slaanesh from Ynnead, and then just before Slaanesh landed the killing blow on Cegorach, Slaanesh turned around to see Ynnead about to attack. The play ended with Slaanesh showing fear on its face.

An interesting point, i could see this twist happening. I also have the Valedor novel and love it tremendously. And if the summary has been any indicator they haven't been entirely loyal to it. They did make the tyranid monstrosities, but Yriel should still have been absent from Iyanden i think by this point with Sylandri Vielwalker. It does mention in the end of the novel that he was not seen again for many cycles.
They also forget to mention (Aloec, or Aluec, i forget the spelling on his first name) Sunspear, who was the senior most Autarch of Biel-Tan during the Valedor novel, he maintains his position as the highest ranking autarch on Biel-Tan in the Craftworlds codex as he leads Biel-tan and Iyanden forces to destroy more worlds to defeat hive fleet behemoth post Valedor.


So they do have a little bit of explaining to do on these inconsistencies and character disappearances and reappearances but otherwise i am pleased so far and will continue to watch and buy eldar releases from them as it has been fun and entertaining thus far.

 husker98 wrote:

Iracundus wrote:
I'm wondering whether GW will do some kind of "twist" with the Yncarne or Ynnead at the end. There are already RL people speculating that the Yncarne (with its slightly Slaaneshi aesthetics) may be corrupted by Chaos, and Phil Kelly's ambiguous "or so they think" when talking about how the Ynnari think they have broken the hold of Slaanesh and achieved salvation.

Alternatively, I speculate whether the Yncarne and Ynnead will save the Eldar in the way they think they will be saved as the path into the future supposedly forked into the Rhana Dandra or into darkness with the sound of a mourning bell. It could be that the Yncarne and Ynnead will still lead the Eldar to death and only then save the Eldar as originally prophesied. In other words, Eldrad's attempt to alter fate won't work and Ynnead offers salvation on its own terms.

I also wonder whether GW will ever link Cegorach's plans and trick on Slaanesh to Ynnead. In the Valedor novel, the Harlequin play's final act showed Cegorach allowing himself to be tripped up by Slaanesh, in order to distract Slaanesh from Ynnead, and then just before Slaanesh landed the killing blow on Cegorach, Slaanesh turned around to see Ynnead about to attack. The play ended with Slaanesh showing fear on its face.

An interesting point, i could see this twist happening. I also have the Valedor novel and love it tremendously. And if the summary has been any indicator they haven't been entirely loyal to it. They did make the tyranid monstrosities, but Yriel should still have been absent from Iyanden i think by this point with Sylandri Vielwalker. It does mention in the end of the novel that he was not seen again for many cycles.
They also forget to mention (Aloec, or Aluec, i forget the spelling on his first name) Sunspear, who was the senior most Autarch of Biel-Tan during the Valedor novel, he maintains his position as the highest ranking autarch on Biel-Tan in the Craftworlds codex as he leads Biel-tan and Iyanden forces to destroy more worlds to defeat hive fleet behemoth post Valedor.


So they do have a little bit of explaining to do on these inconsistencies and character disappearances and reappearances but otherwise i am pleased so far and will continue to watch and buy eldar releases from them as it has been fun and entertaining thus far.

While not properly explained in the Gathering storm book since it seems the history it's told from a rushed point of view it seems, the whole Yvraine history happens in a long timespan that takes months for sure maybe even cycles as they travel from one place to another. There are little snippets where they mention they spent Months traveling the Webway, when leaving out of commorragh, and traveling in and out of the eye of Terror, also spent quite a few time on Iyanden too.

Lord Perversor wrote:
Little pieces o side info that my hint future develop.

- A genestealer Cult has been found in Terra with at least 4th generation members.

- The Damocles Gulf Fire Warpstorm it's receding but seems to also spread randomly trought the warp so anything engulfed by it may end warped across the galaxy.(The Tau fleet is reported as missing)

- A massive Warpstorm near Oberon it's being *fought* by Sautekh Dinasty while thousand of their pyramids cage a kind of Obelisk, the ones who make contact with it aren't destroyed but somehow are duplicated.

- Waagh Badrukk seems to be floating towards Catachan, following a wounded Titanic Void whale, the Waagh it's almost as huge as a whole system.

- Lucius the Ethernal spotted in Extremis six with a Traitor titan Legion... also odd rumour about a sighted *huge snake* killing everything the Astra Militarum is sending against.

- sudden Explosion from Forgeworld Glenescrede Raptus, all psykers at 18 suns from Terra haunted by a *Sol Daemon* emerging and with hunger from the void, along visions of metalic tentacles pushing into a closed vault.

So a lot of handy info there for future development.

Sounds like the other old terrible guard models are getting retired yay.