# Black Librarys 2016 Advent Calendar!



## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Day 1: Perpetual.









*THE STORY*: _Oll Persson stands apart from the rest of mankind. He is one of the old ones, one of the undying. One of the Perpetuals. Now, fleeing from the ruins of Calth with his band of fellow refugees, the vagaries of the warp have brought him through the backways of time and space to a city that rests on the edge of oblivion... and no further. The path has ended abruptly, and Oll's enemies are finally closing in. Will his immortality be enough to save him this time?

Written by Dan Abnett. Running time 27 minutes. Performed by Gareth Armstrong, John Banks, Ian Brooker, Cliff Chapman, Steve Conlin, Penelope Rawlins, Saul Reichlin and Luis Soto._

So continuing from the short story Unmarked, Dan Abnett returns to continue Oll's story. Not sure what to make out of it just yet, I'm waiting to buy these for later. Also I couldn't find any information if there are two things apart of the claendar as previous years, the BL web-site is a [email protected]*king nightmare to navigate.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 2*: The Maiden of the Dream









*THE STORY*:
_Mylasa Yaygus is an enigma, her origins a mystery even to her master, Covenant. Of all of the inquisitor's acolytes, Mylasa is the least known and arguably the most dangerous. A powerful Primaris psyker, the truth about her past is as byzantine as her abilities. As Ilk, she is a hive-born wretch bound for the Black Ships, as Verrun, she is the daughter of a rich merchant clan... but if these are false memories, who really is Mylasa? She is the Maiden of the Dream, a psychic torturer and manipulator of consummate skill, and amongst her many lives and histories might there be a mote of truth that reveals who she really is?_

This seems to be John Frenchs next project after his Ahriman-series concluded.  I'm thinking about waiting of ordering these until I got all the contents out there.

*Day 3*: Into Exile









*THE STORY*
_When the traitorous allies of Horus and Kelbor-Hal seized Mars, they sent elite hunters to apprehend key targets and ensure that any loyal resistance would fail. One such target was the legendary technoarchaeologist Arkhan Land, the discoverer of many lost treasures and curiosities from mankind's Golden Age - and the Imperial Fists cannot allow such a valuable mind to fall into the hands of the enemy. Does Land have good reason to fear his apparent saviours?_

This is gonna be interesting to see ADB take on Mech outside of his character from the NL-series. 

Linky to the Advent Calendar.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

The ending of Into Exile has been kind of ruined by the fact

Arkhan Land plays a big role on Terra in Master of Mankind.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Khorne's Fist said:


> The ending of Into Exile has been kind of ruined by the fact
> 
> Arkhan Land plays a big role on Terra in Master of Mankind.




Thanks for the heads up as I haven't read that novel yet. 
 

*Day 4*: The Road of Blades









*THE STORY*
_Those who tread the Road of Blades do so seeking glory in the eyes of the Dark Gods, or so Ahazian Kel believes. He is the last of his tribe, a Deathbringer, a fearless warrior whose path leads him to the dreaded Soulmaw, a forge-citadel and bastion of Khorne's Skullgrinders, a place between realms. To breach such a fortress... the rewards could be beyond imagining, the power to determine your own destiny, but Ahazian must endure every trial of Chaos and prove he is worthy before he can become exalted._

Completely uninteresting for me as I don't read Fantasy/Age of Sigmar.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 5*: The Calculus of Battle 









*THE STORY*:
_The beleaguered Astra Militarum defenders of Varasine fight against the alien menace of a tyranid invasion, but their only possible salvation approaches in the form of something almost equally inhuman. Warleader Kardan Stronos of the Iron Hands, long having studied the xenos threat, now brings his fearless battle-brothers to join the war - only he can save Varasine, measuring his Chapter’s infallible logic and ruthless strategy against the cost in human lives._

*Day 6*: Fixed: A Blood Bowl short story









*THE STORY*:
_Nordland Rangers star player Greig Garr is in trouble, and living a lifestyle he can no longer afford now his glory days are over. As the team slips down the league, and his debts mount, it becomes harder and harder for him to keep his coveted position as team captain. Badly injured after a nasty run-in with a lizardman, Garr must find a way to play in the next match or he won’t be able to pay back his debts. A mysterious stranger offers to cure his leg, but what will the true cost of his amazing help be?_

Unfortunately two uninteresting stories IMO, so I'll skip these.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 7*: The Grey Raven









*THE STORY*
_Balsar Kurthuri of the Raven Guard has always followed his primarch's orders. When the Edict of Nikaea forbade psykers within the Legions, he returned to the line squads without a second thought. When the Warmaster's treachery became known, he gave freely of his powers. Now, as the war appears to be entering its final, grim stages, at Lord Corax's command he must return to Terra to face judgement for the apparent crime of unswerving loyalty…_

*Day 8*: Wraithbound









_THE STORY_
_Though the Imperium defends its worlds with vigour, not all cries for help are answered in time, or even heard at all. A nameless Imperial world has been conquered by orks; its resources seized for the greenskins’ war effort, and its human population enslaved. The eldar have foreseen that if the ork warlord is not stopped, and soon, the consequences will be dire. Enraged by its losses, the Imperium will eventually launch an anti-xenos crusade of unparalleled ferocity. To protect the future of their own craftworld, the eldar must be prepared to sacrifice all to defeat the ork invaders._

Not sure what to make out of Gav Thorpes short as I thought he wouldn't write them anymore. The other short here feels like a filler for a new author to try out and see what he is made of.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 9*: The Soul Severed









*THE STORY*
_As Lord Commander Primus, Eidolon leads the Emperor’s Children in the absence of his primarch - who even knows where the daemon prince Fulgrim resides, now? But a challenge from within the Legion forces Eidolon to confront one of his rivals, the ambitious Archorian, a capable officer and tactician who would see the Legion returned to glory. Dissent is unacceptable. It is time for the Kakophoni to be set against their erstwhile brethren._


I'm currently treading through "_The Path of Heaven_", and I love Wraights portayal of the Emperor's Children. Can't wait to listen to this.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 10*: Prodigal 









*THE STORY*
_When Fabius Bile is attacked by daemons aboard his frigate Versalius, he is surprised to be rescued by an old friend, one of his very first experiments. It has ever been the Apothecary's desire to improve mankind, to render them hardy enough to endure in a galaxy of pain and war. Such desires have often led to abominations created by Bile's own hand, and enemies too numerous to list. This creation, Mesuline, though ostensibly an ally, bears a cryptic message, one that could bode ill or well for her Progenitor._

*Day 11*: Bear Eater.









*THE STORY*
_On the hunt for the vampire Mannfred, Hamilcar Bear-Eater and a handful of Astral Templars cross the Sea of Bones to find a civilization untouched by Chaos, and attempt to bring them back into the light of Sigmar. But Jercho is a curious land and a secret lurks at the heart of this wealthy, seemingly blessed realm. When all the Mortal Realms have been cast to flame, and ravaged by Chaos, how is it that these sun worshippers remained inviolate?_

The Fabius Bile short looks fairly interesting, but Age of Sigmar not so much.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 12*: The Embrace of Pain 









*THE STORY*
_While voyaging through the depths of the warp, the infamous blademaster Lucius the Eternal is challenged by a servant of another god - a champion of the old Death Guard Legion, no less. Keen to remain dominant over his preening and ambitious rivals in the Cohors Nasicae, Lucius takes up his sword without a second thought... but could an unfeeling daemonhost of Nurgle, or the voices inside his own head, be the undoing of his Slaaneshi curse?_

Lucius is interesting in his HH-stories but stories like this when it's like "_Can the curse be stopped?_" No. "_But under-_" No. "_What if-_" No. He has plotarmour as a playable character. You can't kill him! End of story. But I think'll read it to see for myself.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 13*: The Painted Count 









*THE STORY*
_Following the disastrous invasion of Sotha and the dimming of the Pharos' light, Gendor Skraivok languishes on board the VIII Legion flagship Nightfall. Distrusted by his allies and despised by his rivals, he nonetheless means to claw back leadership of the Night Lords from the pretender Captain Shang, by fair means or foul. And, rather than a portent of doom, the daemonic blade that seems to have chosen him as its bearer may be the answer…_

So this means I gotta read _Pharos_ soon then.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 14*: Becoming.









*THE STORY*
_As two young squires prepare for their ritual of Becoming, the Herald Markos Dar Draconis recounts the story of his first battle at the helm of a Knight Titan, a mighty Imperial war engine. In defending his home, Markos must quickly learn the ways of war and repel the greenskin hordes of the Warlord Skarjaw or see Adrastapol ransacked by an ork menace that has blighted his lands for many years. His deeds during the war will see Markos become a hero, an inspiration to his fellow Knights, a legend that only he knows the truth of..._

*Day 15*: Doc Morgrim's Vow 









*THE STORY*
_Having sworn an oath and despite his misgivings, Doc Morgrim is returning to Norsca and the hold of Krakadrak to take part in the Tournament of a Hundred Woes. His Blood Bowl team, the Middenplatz Manglers, must prove their mettle against The Dragon's Hold Drakeslayers in a game where victory will not only determine the spoils but something much more important to Morgrim... his freedom!_

Nothing particularly interesting of these for my personally.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 16*: Valerius.









*THE STORY*
_Though he knows such beliefs are forbidden, Vice-Caesari Marcus Valerius of the Therion Cohort is willing to lay down his life in service to the immortal God-Emperor, for the good of all mankind. Sent by Corax to the great slaughter at Beta-Garmon, every last one of the Imperial Army soldiers under his command knows that the end is nigh - but can Valerius' holy visions guide them to one final victory over the hordes of the hated Arch-traitor?_

This might finally pay off the vision he has been hinted at having but never explained since _Raven's Flight_.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 17*: The Aegidan Oath.









*THE STORY*
_Almost a thousand years after the Great Heresy, the apparently insignificant backwater world of Sotha has been all but forgotten, out on the Eastern Fringe. Why, then, are warriors of the Ultramarines treading the overgrown paths to Mount Pharos once more? Chaplain Segas has been charged with a most solemn duty - to erase the last evidence of Roboute Guilliman’s greatest mistake, by dealing with the venerable Captain Oberdeii once and for all..._

So this I imagine is a continuation from _Pharos_ some years later. I haven't read the novel myself, but perhaps could be interesting to check out. The frontcover seem to indicate it is a connection to L J Gouldings Scythes of the Emperor Chapter as well.


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## Khorne's Fist (Jul 18, 2008)

forkmaster said:


> The frontcover seem to indicate it is a connection to L J Gouldings Scythes of the Emperor Chapter as well.


Sotha is the homeworld of the Scythes, so it's very likely.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

Khorne's Fist said:


> Sotha is the homeworld of the Scythes, so it's very likely.


Yes I read up on that, and apparently the named characters of the short later became funding leaders of the Chapter apparently. 

Day 18: Carcharodons: The Reaping Time









*THE STORY*
_The human Imperium is vast indeed, and not all worlds are happy with the terms that grant them the Emperor’s protection. When the Carcharadons land on the mining planet of Zartak, instead of being welcomed, they are treated with suspicion and hostility by its population of miners. What dark secrets does this planet hide, and how far will its inhabitants go to protect them, even if it means pitting themselves against such powerful adversaries as the Adeptus Astartes? With both sides pursuing their own agenda, bloody conflict can be the only outcome._


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 19*: Exocytosis









*THE STORY*
_Having long been hounded across the galaxy by the Dark Angels, First Captain Typhon of the Death Guard has limped his fleet to sanctuary in Segmentum Obscurus - as a guest of the separatist Luther of Caliban, no less. On the world of Zaramund, long a symbol of brotherhood amongst the Legions, Typhon begins to suspect that a new form of corruption has followed him out of the wider war. Will he embrace it, or escape into the darkness once more?_

*Day 20*: Pantheon









*THE STORY*
_In the age before Chaos, during a time of myth, the pantheon of gods ruled at Sigmar’s hand. As dark times return to the Mortal Realms, Sigmar beseeches the goddess Alarielle to heed a tale of those better years, one he hopes will restore not only her faith but the faith of all noble creatures. Heed then the saga of the mage Bayla who seeks the Realms' End, a mythic place believed to hold a great secret. Beseeching the aid of wise Teclis and dread Nagash, Bayla's desire for knowledge and the fulfilment of his quest blinds him to the danger in his midst, one that could imperil his very soul._

James Swallow is back with some Death Guard.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 21*: The Art of Provocation 









*THE STORY*
_Amongst the Space Wolves, the name of Lukas the Trickster is as much a curse as anything in the old tongues of Fenris. Named Jackalwolf by his masters, none of whom wish his dubious fealty, he now plays a dangerous game with the hordes of orks massing on Polix Tertius. Risking the ire of Wolf Lord Kjarl Grimblood, as well as the blades of his xenos foes, he turns his attentions to the planetary vox-communications network, and begins to broadcast..._


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 22*: Unearthed









*THE STORY*
_When his inquisitor master is killed by the Alpha Legion, Interrogator Kiefer swears revenge. He marshals a force, a band of Attilian Rough Riders and a cohort of Ogryn Auxilia, and tracks the killers to Grendl's World. Here in the dust of the deserts and the carcass of a derelict freighter, a deadly game of cat and mouse begins, with neither side prepared to back down or accept defeat. With overwhelming force and the element of surprise on his side, Kiefer's confidence grows, but the Alpha Legion are seldom outmanoeuvred easily..._

*Day 23*: Da Bank Job 









*THE STORY*
_Brobag, captain and owner of the Big ‘Uns, is in trouble. His lacklustre orc team has never won a single match, they’re running out of money, and they’re on the verge of being relegated. A local invitational gives him the opportunity to change the team’s fortunes, but there’s one big problem – they have to fight their way past all the other challengers, then play the Reikland Reavers, one of the most famous Blood Bowl teams in the Empire! There’s just one option left to Brobag – bend the rules big time (and hope he can keep his pet squig under control)._

Rob Saunders going back to the Alpha Legion and the Inquisition surely seems interesting so I will read that later on.


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## forkmaster (Jan 2, 2010)

*Day 24*: The Last Son of Prospero 









*THE STORY*
_The Thousand Sons sorcerer Revuel Arvida guided his White Scars kinsmen through all the horrors of the ruinstorm, even though the psychic exertion almost killed him. Now on Terra, he clings to life by the merest thread, his body ravaged by the curse of his Legion - the insidious flesh-change. The primarch Jaghatai Khan demands that Arvida be saved, no matter the cost. But even if such a thing were possible, what would remain of his mind and soul?_

I recently finished _The Path of Heaven_ and I am wondering where this character is going, as at first it seemed like Blood Ravens, then dying from the Fleshchange and now an Knight Errant. You never know. But it is Chris Wraight and I like his stuff.


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