Requiem Infernal (Warhammer 40,000)

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The sky burned alive, its cry deepening to a roar as the red light of Damnation seeped through the maelstrom, transforming the Perihelion into a hellish abstraction. Lava bubbled up through the mountain’s multiplying fissures, spilling down its flanks like blood and boiling the rain into steam. As if some ineffable barrier had been broken, the tornado swerved towards the summit, spewing fireballs and lightning as it came. The living and the dead were swept up in its currents to swirl and blaze around it, their howls added to its own. A sprawl of interconnected metal modules of varying size and shape. A monolithic spindle rose from the centre of the tangle, towering over the other structures and trailing titanic extraction pipes into the world below.” I'll confess that part of me wanted to be frustrated that only one of the perspectives given to us was an Adepta Sororitas. But honestly? Requiem Infernal was so brilliantly written that I couldn't even hold a grudge if I wanted to. Instead, I find myself hoping for more works like this.

I’d already tested this with ‘The Thirteenth Psalm’ (a Space Marine haunted house story featuring the Angels Penitent), so I felt ready to attempt it in a novel, but decided to switch focus to the Angels Resplendent since they are more attractive and relatable. Hopefully I’ve pulled off the delicate balancing act of making them psychologically complex without crossing the line into ‘too human’ territory. Fehervari’s writing style is appropriately dense, gothic and flows in a smooth, lyrical way. This is a tale of horror during a futuristic dark age, and the language is both flowery and sombre. It will take most readers a while to get hooked; there are a lot of characters and there’s a lot going on here. Pretty much everyone has something to hide (or something they’re avoiding) and, by the time you’ve gotten the hang of these tangled lives, you’re a third of the way through the book. Tell me, sister, how can this candle cast its light across the Ring? How can it be seen from the ocean?’Peter Fehervari: Firstly, there’s the challenge. The novel’s opening ‘Exordium’ cautions that the journey ahead will be difficult and devoid of clear answers. Treacherous even. I’m aware that I have something of a reputation for writing arcane, puzzle-box stories, but Requiem Infernal takes that further than I’ve gone before. If you don’t keep your wits about you the tale will betray you. It was you all along. And watching character after character face that, and bow before it, was exhausting and incredibly painful. All the good intentions, all the highest benedictions and blessings, all the people that we want, need to be good -- none of them are strong enough. They never were. Sometimes these references have a deeper significance that hints at other connections or meanings, but often they’re simply thematic Easter Eggs for readers to hunt if they’re so inclined. For example, Requiem Infernal has nods to several classic horror tropes, along with many vampiric names that range from the obvious (Sisters Camille – i.e. Carmilla –, Marcilla and Genevieve) to the seriously obscure (Breacher Grout). So the intent is sometimes serious, sometimes playful, but either way, I feel it adds texture to the story. PF: The specific imagery or names usually arise when I develop a theme. In the case of the Angels Resplendent I’ve known about the personal artwork on their shoulder pads since The Crown of Thorns, but the actual pictures were chosen when I wrote the relevant scenes. The Mona Lisa reference was an exception to that. I’ve wanted to use it since I first painted a Space Marine and knew such a feat was beyond my own abilities. Actually that’s probably where the first glimmerings of the chapter itself appeared.

In simple, real-world terms the Dark Coil is a growing collection of linked 40k stories, currently spanning four novels, one novella and 13 short stories. These are not necessarily sequentially connected, but rather tied together by all manner of intriguing links and connections, some obvious and some much more subtle. Jonah Tythe is an Imperial Preacher. But like many others in this world, he is nothing and everything that he appears to be. His mission is his world, though it is one that he keeps close to his chest. It cannot,’ Asenath answered for her. ‘But it is not the candle’s light that we see from afar, sister, but our own. Faith.’Which brings me to me my second point. This is a full-blooded horror novel rather than military SF, with an emphasis on dread and dark secrets rather than action, let alone heroics. There are several intense action set-pieces, even a major battle in the final act, but the key conflicts are psychological and spiritual ones. Equally, while things sometimes become very gory, the overall tone is solemn and restrained. Beneath the violence and body horror, the true nightmare playing out is a metaphysical one. Nothing is quite what it seems here. That said, for those willing to navigate the Requiem’s thorny labyrinth, I’m hopeful it will be a rewarding read. Though it was commissioned before the advent of Warhammer Horror, I wanted to reach readers beyond the traditional fan base, particularly horror enthusiasts. This is a heavily revised version of a story I originally wrote to accompany 'Requiem Infernal', which tells you how long it's been in limbo. The delay meant I was able to bring it into line with the lore developed for 'The Reverie', and later Resplendent/Penitent stories, so it was probably for the best. It's a challenging story to place among the Advent Shorts so we'll see how it plays out with readers unfamiliar with the Dark Coil. I'm hoping most will accept it as 'Unconventional Space Marines on a doomed and decidedly shady mission to a city that's fallen to Chaos' and just enjoy the ride for what it is, while Coil Pilgrims will delve deeper. Within these recurring factions there are also characters who appear in multiple stories. Sometimes they slip from one world or time to another, disappearing “in strange, deliberately unresolved ways”. In the Dark Coil there are other paths than those visible to the naked eye, although what toll they take on those who walk them – either by choice, chance or fate – remains to be seen. It is up to each Coil Traveller to tease out those connections themselves, however, so this guide will focus predominantly on the overarching factions rather than individual characters. There was something so florid about the way in which Requiem Infernal was written. The words seem to just flow off the paper – getting immediately trapped inside my head. The world – as creepy as it was – came to life with the descriptions given.

As they climbed, Asenath glimpsed three of the spires through the murk. Their pinnacles were glowing bright white. Doubtless the other four were in the same state, for the Seven Spires were bound as closely as she and her sister. She didn’t know what their radiance meant, but the sight made her think of Athanazius. Was he watching the Perihelion’s fall from one of those stone towers? Once again she wondered if she had been right to aid the witch-boy, but in her heart she simply hoped he was alive. Perhaps that was all the answer she needed. WarCom: What was the reasoning behind writing about Space Marines – who famously know no fear – in a horror setting? The Adepta Sororitas of the Last Candle have stood vigil over their sanctuary world for centuries, striving to decipher their founder's tormented visions. Outsiders are unwelcome… yet still they come. Here on the margins of the Damocles Gulf we are embroiled in a cold war, an intricate game of deceit, manipulation and coercion waged against a master player.” Consider this a useful resource for any Coil Traveller, whether as a starting point for those taking their first steps along the Coil, or a point of reference by which experienced travellers can reorient themselves. The scope of the Coil is such that it’s impossible to examine every link individually, but here you can find an overview of the two clearest types of connection – the worlds of the Dark Coil, and the main factions that inhabit, visit or invade them. I’ll leave the specifics for you to discover yourself, so you need not fear that any secrets will be revealed, but this should see you onto the right paths.

The locals call this hovel Trinity, perhaps because it is ruled equally by ice, wind and snow, or perhaps because it once harboured something more than misery.” However, the answer to your actual question is somewhat paradoxical. While writing in the first-person definitely brings me closer to a character’s voice, it also amplifies my own voice, even if I have little in common with that character. Perhaps it’s about channelling intensity… In the case of Iverson, I felt very connected with the character and his journey into darkness (which sounds a little insane!) so the writing was very visceral and heartfelt. With Asenath, it was more of a cerebral process, as befits her intellectual nature, but her ‘sister’ was pure joy to write. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had with a character’s voice.