# Emperor's Day



## Azezel (May 23, 2010)

Wishing everyone a very special Emperor's day.

All year long He stores up extra power, so that one day each year the Astronomicon may run without Him and His holy spirit travels the Warp to leave presents for good and faithful boys and girls in the bowls placed at the end of their beds.

He drags bad little boys and girls into the warp and leaves them there.

_So be good for goodness' sake._

Now sing with me.

_'Twas the night before Emperor's Day,
and he fought all alone,
in a four foot deep trench
lined with plasteel and stone.

I was traveling the warp
with gifts for the land,
when I saw this lone guardsman
making his brave stand.

I looked all about,
I looked near and far,
no Chimera, no Basilisk,
nor Techpriest or Commissar.

No Sergeant yelled orders
to this guardsman - no backing
to fight this ridge full of xeno
formed from pure evil, attacking.

His armor in tatters,
his eyes nearly blind,
A sobering truth
raced through my mind.

His position was doomed,
was my only thought
and this soldier's brave stand
would all be for naught.

The guardsman stared unblinking,
silent and alone,
his lasrifle at the ready
against his shoulder bone.

His gaze was so calm
in the face of calamity,
the perfect picture of
a guardsman of humanity.

Who was this brave hero
whose position I'd spied,
warring against
this unstoppable tide?

I now knew that all humans
I would see this night,
owed their lives to these guardsmen
who were willing to fight.

Soon all round the galaxy
the children would play,
and grownups would praise
the bright Emperor's Day.

They all lived their lives
every month of the year,
Because of brave guardsmen
like the one standing here.

A tear came to my eye
for those who stood alone,
on a cold Emperor's Day Eve
on a planet far from home.

Their great sacrifices
I could never betray
So I drew my burning sword
to join in the fray

The soldier did turn
and I heard a rough voice.
"My Emperor, rest easy,
this death is my choice;

I fight for a freedom
that may never be found,
but not ever shall I waver
on Your sacred ground."

Then the Guardsman turned
to face the incursions
of the foul xenos and
their unholy perversions

I kept watch for hours,
until the night was still
and the guardsman lay broken
on the bloody red hill.

I could not just leave
on that cold grim dark night,
this guardian of honor
so willing to fight.

And as the guardsman lay dying,
his soul strong and pure,
he cried, "Ave Imperator!
It's Emperor's Day! This world is secure!"

I kneeled before the fallen,
A great victory he'd won.
"Happy Emperor's Day my guardsman,
rest in peace, my son."_



And let's finish with an uplifting story.

*The Emperor's Day Martyr*

I. The Vision

T'was Emperor's Day, long past,
Or so the story goes,
And the Emperor took the journey
That every child knows.

When suddenly He was struck
By a vision dark and grim
Of subjects in grave danger
In prayer, beseeching Him.

But clearest seen by far
To fall upon His gaze
A girl, so pure and bright
She shined through all the haze.

She kneeled before a giant,
Its manner cold and dread,
And held it a great axe,
It brought down upon her head.

The Emperor broke the trance
And declared "It shan't be so."
Then through the warp He traveled,
To stop the killing blow.

II. The Children of the Emperor

He quickly found the world
From where the vision came
And went to join his subjects
Who fought on in his name.

Where upon He found
A schola under siege,
Full of faithful fighting
And praying to their liege.

Though he searched the schola,
The girl could not be sought.
"Perhaps, I'm merely early,"
The noble Emperor thought.

When through the din of battle
He heard the mournful cry
Of children sadly weeping,
In fear that they may die.

The Emperor went to join them
And with a joyful call
He proclaimed his many presents
To give to one and all.

III. The Gifts

When the children truly saw him
Their faces all turned bright
And quickly was forgotten,
The terrors of the night.

A trusty wooden lasgun,
To a young Storm Trooper boy
Who thought of all the Xenos
He would slay with his new toy.

And to a future Commissar
He gave a golden sash,
For he would grow to lead his men
With cunning, dare, and dash.

And to a little sister,
He gave a stuffed silk skull.
For to His honor would be pledged
All the traitors she would cull.

Then there among their number
Was one unlike the rest.
She minded all the children,
like a hen within a nest.

IV: The Daughter

Her soul was fine and wholesome,
Her faith was strong and pure,
Her whole life she had given
Unto the Emperor.

She was the oldest of them,
Though, truly, not by much
She simply was their sister
And was treated just as such.

Her training was just finished
Her time there was now spent
She only awaited orders
To join her new Convent.

She was every bit a blossom
That still had yet to bloom,
When then He did remember
That He had seen her doom.

For the vision He recalled
And knew it to be true
This young girl would soon die
And there was nothing He could do.

V: The Greatest Gift

The Emperor held her tight,
For His sorrow was so great,
And He showed her the near future,
That was to be her fate.

Then softly he did speak,
So gently to her ears,
To grant her one last present
To lessen all her fears.

"What gift may I offer
Or what thanks can I give,
To one about to die,
So that others still may live?"

The girl began to weep,
But her face, it was not grim.
She smiled just like an angel
As she explained to him:

"To die for the defenseless,
To succeed at my last task,
To stand here with my Emperor,
For what more could I ask?"

Then it was as He had saw,
For His vision came to be.
The chamber door burst open
To reveal the enemy.

VI: The Battle

For in, then, came the monster,
That would strike the angel down,
And carve from her an offering
To place upon his crown.

The children began to wail,
Some sought to run or hide,
While others could not move
And only stared and cried.

But between them and the monster,
The blessed sister stood
And fought there to protect them
As any mother would.

Yet, the monster was too much
And she fell down to her knees,
The monster raised his axe
Deaf to all the children’s pleas.

Then the Emperor spoke
And sparked fire in her heart
She thrust forward with her chainsword
And rent its chest apart.

VII: The Martyr

Even as she struck,
And ended the great strife,
The daemon axe came down
And stole away her life.

The Emperor knelt beside
And cradled the martyred daughter,
Knowing she had stopped
What would have of been a slaughter.

Then rushed in the instructors,
And defenders to the scene,
Of the Emperor and His daughter,
So silent and serene.

The Emperor told the story,
Of what there had transpired,
And not one could stand to hide,
The emotion she inspired.

Away the two disappeared,
And not a word was uttered,
Until loud cries from the courtyard said,
"A miracle's occurred!"

VIII: The Miracle

For there amidst the carnage
A statue of marble stood,
From where or when it had come
No one there understood.

For the statue was the Emperor,
So grand and finely crafted,
His hands upon the shoulders of
The sister He had raptured.

Her face was poise and beautiful
Free of flaw or blemish,
So perfect that they all agreed,
She had never suffered anguish.

For every Emperor's Day after
The schola would gather for prayer,
Around the perfect statue,
That the Emperor placed there.

And there beneath their feet,
Forever carved in stone,
"Always I am at your side,
You'll never stand alone."


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## Haskanael (Jul 5, 2011)

da fuq I just read


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## Archon Dan (Feb 6, 2012)

Very nice.


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