after a great deal of time pouring over the lore tabs for the weapons in the Leviathan, Eater of Worlds, and Spire of Stars raids i have cataloged all the weapon lore tabs chronologically.
the weapons tell a story. a story most disregard as unimportant, but i contest.
To defeat one’s enemy, one must understand thy enemy.
I Inaugural Address
My first act as emperor was to send the Consul into the wasteland. The golden sun would burn away his corrupt form—a fitting symbol for the revolution that was to be my reign.
I wanted a desert of pure white sand to stage my celebration. It took them three days to clear the wasteland of any stone or plant of offending color, but when they were done, it was a perfect canvas for the violet pavilion. We recreated my court in nearly every detail beneath the glinting sun.
The first act of my coronation was to have the Consul kneel at my feet. He was a pathetic figure, stripped of title, rank, and clothing. He would never wield power again, and would beget no heir. I made sure of that personally.
I had only a single word for him: “Run.”
II Mob Justice
Life offers few greater pleasures than to humiliate the venal aristocracy before a crowd. I am father to the people, and they shall adore me above all others.
I never thought of my palace as the true court. The only throne that mattered to me looked down upon the public commons. From that seat, there was no barrier between me and the glorious, adoring mob. I was their father; they were my children.
It was there that I brought the corrupt to suffer the people’s justice. How they cried as I threw their riches to the crowd. It amused me to see the dawning of realization in their eyes—there would be no safety for them, as there had been no safety for those they had made to suffer.
One by one, I tossed those weeping fools to the people. The mob let out a great cry of joy and stripped them of their robes, tore the jewelry from their bodies.
III The Ghost Primus
The Ghost Primus was strong because of his disfigurement, not in spite of it. He alone had the vision to share my dream of a new, perfect world. Ghaul was a creature of singular beauty, and I loved him. Ghaul was an unexpected gift to my coliseum—a disfigured albino from the outer wastes who defeated opponents three times his weight. How could I resist such a unique creature?
He fought with terrible discipline and patience. Most gladiators wanted to stand in the center of the arena and trade blows until the weaker one died. Not Ghaul. He never attacked from the front, never stood in one place. Frustrated and exhausted, his opponent would make a mistake.
I used to play a game with those puffed-up aristocrats that would gamble at my arena. I bet on Ghaul, and anyone who had displeased me had to bet against him. It was fun for a time, but his talent was too valuable to risk in the coliseum. I appointed him Primus of the Red Legion and instead, set him loose upon my enemies.
IIII Conspirator
Did Ghaul always dream of a republic? What terrible worm burrowed into his heart that he would betray my love and plot against me?
Ghaul spent too much time in too close communion with those I had humbled. No good would come of those hushed tones and sidelong glances. Did he think I would not notice?
I dispatched a spy to follow him. To think that I felt guilt in that moment; one should never doubt their gut when it comes to trust in another.
I realize now what I should have realized then. As I am like no other, then no other is alone as I. What a curse it is to be a god that loves!
V Midnight Coup
The conspirators were too afraid to kill me—rightly so. I am the beloved father of the people, and the glorious mob would not suffer my death. My sentence was exile.
The conspirators came late in the night, skulking into my court while we caroused. Ghaul himself led the coup, and it was by his own Red Legion that we were arrested.
Imagine my surprise to see the Consul stride into my court so puffed up with pride. He took cheap pleasure hurling spittle in my face. We were frog marched to the Leviathan under cover of darkness.
There was to be no execution; Ghaul and the Consul feared the mob. They knew how tenuous their grip on power would be, and how the people adored their god-emperor.
Ghaul dared not look me in the eye. What was the emotion on his face? Was it shame? How could he bear such hate for one who had been as a father to him?
We were sealed inside the Leviathan and ejected into the furthest reaches of space, left to the same fate I had determined for the Consul so long ago. We were left to die.
VI It Stared Back
At the edge of the universe, I stared into the infinite deep. It stared back, and was pleased. I would become the herald of its victory, and bear witness for all creation.
The Leviathan came to a halt before a wall of infinite void. It could go no further, as the navigation system had suffered a cataclysmic failure. The course that the conspirators had set crossed a space that simply didn’t exist.
I don’t know how long we traveled. Years? Millennia? Time had ceased to have meaning as I wallowed in the despair of my exile. But this event shook me out of my stupor. At the edge of the universe, we had found something. No—we had found a nothing.
From the seat of my observation chamber, I stared into the perfect void. Only I, a god, could understand what I witnessed. It was a thing greater than myself. And if such a thing exists, then I, too, can become more.
VII Sins Of The Past
What once was old shall be knew again, and history will have its revenge.
I weep for what the Cabal have become—a war machine forged in Ghaul’s own image. His obsession with the ideal form has produced a hollow people devoid of culture, robbed of their history.
The Leviathan is now home to the last of us true Cabal. We will remember the old ways, for I am the wellspring from which our great civilization flows.
And when my empire returns, the traitors will see us as through a dark mirror. We will be a terrifying reminder of their former selves. In that moment, they will feel the shame of their betrayal. They will know I have come for my revenge.
The Red Legion will not escape the sins of their past. They shall be consumed by them.
VIII Traitor’s Fate
Let the emperor’s gratitude end your foes as swiftly as you have ended his.
Know that I am Calus, the last and greatest emperor of the Cabal. Know that the Ghost Primus was false and that your place in my court was secured when he met the Traitor’s Fate. Finally, my champion, little else stands between us.
Look to the heavens and you will see me with my arms spread wide. Fly to me and I will bathe you in gold, share the fruits of my gardens, and watch you grow dizzy on libations.
Know that my heart swells with love. I yearn to find those who can accept my gifts, who can take my hand, and share in my mirth.
Together we shall rebuild an empire.
IX I Am Alive
"When the end comes, I reserve the right to be last." —Calus, Emperor of the Cabal
Now I’ve seen everything. We were all so wrong. All of this—the machines, the Eliksni, the worms, the Light, the Nine. All of it meaningless. This galaxy is tumbling toward a singular conclusion and there is nothing—no one—that can stop it.
How could I have missed this? It’s the small moments, the simple pleasures that matter. They’re all I can think about now. Food and drink aren’t mere sustenance. They’re a reminder that I am alive.
This Leviathan. This prison ship. I will remake it, as I have been remade. No longer will it represent a mythical beast from the dreams of worms. It will serve as an icon for my newfound gluttony.
(Note i am not including Zenith of Your Kind because that is just Calus rambling about how powerful guardians are it has nothing to do with the empire)
X Last of The Legion
"Vex technology on Mercury. Energy on Mars. This system is rich in spoils, if one knows where to look."—Val Ca’uor
Ghaul is lost. He stood before the Light and met a warrior’s end. The Red Legion suffered a great blow today, and in time we shall mourn the Dominus.
There is still much to be done. Our forces have been routed, but the Cabal are not so easily deterred. We need arms, supplies, and most importantly, we need a ship. We do not lay in defeat like the wretched Eliksni. No, I will not return to Torobatl in defeat.
The Dominus was a strong leader, but the Red Legion had more to offer than simply overwhelming force. The Guardian presence on Mercury and Mars is soft at this time. We can strike quickly and restock our arsenals. They think us weak and insipid. I will show them the might of the Red Legion, and they shall not forget.
XI The Emporer’s Envy
The son’s ambition will be his undoing.
Calus. That conniving coward, spawn of a war beast. Betrayal was not Ghaul’s gravest sin against our former emperor. Calus may proclaim otherwise, but what he truly loathed was Ghaul’s ambition. Of Calus’s vices—of which there are plenty—envy is his greatest.
The Red Legion came to this wretched system to claim the Traveler, and it was within our grasp. We did it not for personal pride, but for the collective glory of our people—for Torobatl. If Calus possessed an iota of dignity, he would have helped Ghaul against the Guardians instead of gallivanting around the system. This was his moment to redeem himself. Instead, he proved himself the traitor we knew him to be.
No more. I will take the Leviathan for the Red Legion. The great machine is a weapon of the Cabal, and if Calus holds no allegiance to his people, then he is not worthy to wield it.
END
Note: it was after entry XI that the Spire of Stars raid took place when Val Ca’uor attacked the leviathan and we fought him off. i personally have one question. why did Ghaul overthrow Calus? Calus doesn’t explain as to why Ghaul wanted to throw him out. perhaps we may never know