2204 - This Week in Hobby
Backstory of the Alabastrine Candle, a glut of Combat Patrols, Mimics, and a couple of dark TTRPGs.
Worldbuilding for the Alabastrine Candle, Part 2
Welcome back to Valria IX, home of the Order of the Alabastrine Candle.
Last week we talked about the Night of a Thousand Rebellions. How the sisters fought to repel the forces of Chaos. That the Alabastrine Candle could represent a miracle that happened on that night.
But what is the Candle? When I picture it, I see an average-sized marble candle, carved to create the appearance that it's lit. Wax dripping down the sides. The implied motion of a breeze causing the light to dance.
An orb of radiant light rests above it, inexplicable and pure. The candle is not lit, yet it's clearly the light of the candle. A beacon of hope in the long, dark night.
The connection struck me like thunder from the proverbial heavens. For the Adepta Sororitas, miracles do happen. They're a routine part of the backstory and mechanics of the army. They're the Emperor's chosen. Whatever is going on with the Candle, it's proof of the Emperor's divine work and a blessing on the Sisters.
Imagine a small force of Sisters defending their convent against the sudden incursion of Chaos. They won't win. They can't win. It doesn't matter, the Emperor will guide and protect them. And he does. A wave of daemons tries to press forward. When all hope seems lost the Candle erupts with the pure light of the Emperor's grace, and no weapon can break through the sisters' ceramite armor. They expel the forces of Chaos.
Battered, bruised, but unbroken, the Sisters win the day. The convent stands. The Alabastrine Candle remains lit.
In light of the miracle, the convent dedicates a new order. No longer will they be a backwater outpost of the Order of the Sacred Rose. They become the Order of the Alabastrine Candle, their sacred duty to protect and promulgate this proof of the God-Emporer of Mankind's holy beneficence.
Junica Celestane, Cannoness of the Valria IX Convent
There remains one major question to answer at this point. Why does the Alabastrine Candle exist in the first place? For that we need to go back a few thousand years to the 39th millennium.
A strong contender for the name of the Order was the Obsidian Sepulcher. Imagine the tomb of an unknown warrior, their name and deeds lost to time. The black stone edifice carved in their honor stands eternal. The name didn't resonate, but the mental imagery did. What if the Alabastrine Candle stood at the center of the Obsidian Sepulcher? The contrast is stark. The white stone of the candle, alone, surrounded on all sides by smooth black obsidian.
At first I thought the Sisters might have founded the convent on the site of the Sepulcher. Thousands of years of history exist before the Adepta Sororitas were even founded. It could have been an unknown martyr to the Emperor's cause from the time of the Horus Heresy. That idea could have worked, but it didn't feel right.
What if they buried a sister there? She would have needed to be extraordinary. A saint of some kind? There are plenty of saints in the history of the Adepta Sororitas. Each of the founding sisters of the original Orders became a saint. It felt right, but who was she?
The forces of Chaos are ever at work. They released a plague on Valria IX and the Sisters fell deathly ill. Cannoness Junica Celestane, wracked with pain, began to prophesy. She warned the sisters of the dark provenance of the illness and impending invasion. They called for reinforcements, which arrived in time to repel the invaders. Before the illness took her, she issued several more prophesies. One stood out above all others: a living saint would rise on Valria IX.
For the miracle of her prophetic visions the Ecclesiarchy declared Junica a saint. The convent interred her body in the Obsidian Sepulcher beneath. A sister-artisan carved the Alabastrine Candle to represent her light shining like a beacon in the darkness, a monument to the lives she saved.
She was the first saint of Valria IX. She would not be the last.
Next week we'll take a look at the sisters who remain on Valria IX three millennia later. Subscribe now to make sure you don't miss it!
Shiny Trash (New Releases)
Games Workshop
Uncle James announced next Saturday's slate of new releases, plus a few teasers.
The core set for Kill Team is being reboxed into two separate pieces. The Ork Kommandos and Veteran Guardsmen Kill Teams remain unchanged. The fancy scenery will now be available on its own in a Warzone: Octarius box.
Imperium magazine is launching in the US. Anyone looking for a Space Marine or Necron army would do well to take a peek. The subscription runs at around $50/mo, which is still a large discount for the models included.
Combat patrols T'au, Grey Knights, Thousand Sons, Adeptus Custodes, and Genestealer Cults have been announced with no date given. The Thousand Grey Son Knights boxes include most of what came in Hexfire for each of the two factions. Custodes and Genestealers include a few choice units that weren't in Shadow Throne.
One of my secret joys is Blood Bowl. I don't have the time or money to play, but I keep my eye on new releases and sometimes am delighted for my effort. The goblin team sees two new Star Players this week, who Definitely Aren't Cheating Thank You.
The first books of Season Nachmund are dropping: Chapter Approved and Munitorim Field Manual 2022.
TTRPGs
There are almost too many new TTRPG Kickstarters to list. I've picked several that look delightful.
Mimics, An Unnecessary Work includes rules and tables for fleshing out Mimics. The fact that it's so obviously unnecessary does half the work to making it delightful. Backers at $25 will also get "Jiggles & Wiggles," which expands the lore on Gelatinous Cubes.
GMs looking for something a bit different might enjoy Horizon Rising. It's an "art heavy system neutral" setting in the doomed playground of "so-called deities." They promise all the usual fluff. New spells, new creatures, roll tables. If you're looking for something with a bit of a "Dark Sun but Moist" feel, this might be for you.
Hull Breach extends Mothership RPG with an anthology from 20 new independent authors. The inclusion of a collection of play-ready horror-themed contracts caught my eye. They had me at "life insurance ritually collected by your mourning crewmates."
Mage Forge is 250 magic items on tarot-sized cards. What more can I say? You either want that or you don't.
For Honor and For Glory is a new action-adventure fantasy RPG from Orion Scott Kroulek, Actual Archeologist. The twist seems to be leaning hard into the realism. Think less "swords and sorcery" and more "each sword is used for a very specific thing and you better pick the right one."
Programming Notes
How is Monday working for everyone? I'm considering that Wednesday might be a better publishing day for This Week in Hobby. My concern is that inevitably I'll be at a convention and miss the ship date. Post your thoughts below!
In Other News
I read the Games Workshop half-yearly report so you don’t have to. You can find my review on the blog.