rate of geneseed corruption (fluff question)

[Guest]

Okay, so the gene seed corruption, like the BA black rage or the SW desire to use urine to mark their territory, is that something that happens right away after neophytes recieve the geneseed. Or that that something that the marines develop over time?

 

 

 

[dalmer]

Damage over time.

Gene seed had process A way back when.  Then the Primarchs were located and were basically templates, call it process B.  Then marines' gene seed was effectively reharvested over time as folks passed.  Toss in environmental factors, other influences, instabilities in the other processes (C, D, E, F, etc.) and you get potential degradation.

The Black Rage and the Curse of the Wulfen aren't gene seed corruption per se... hypothesized to be more of an added flaw.  And one of the Space Wolves lore fans might be able to correct me on this, but I believe that their Legion's gene seed was specially formulated to they could recruit from more of their Fenrisian population, so they have had stability issues from the onset.  "There are no wolves on Fenris," etc.

[WestRider]

It depends on the variety. Degradation involving loss of function (like the Imperial Fists not having the Betcher's Gland), is pretty obviously an issue right from implantation. There are also some areas where it makes immediate physical changes as it activates, like the skin tones on the Salamanders and Raven Guard. Others, like the Red Thirst, get worse over time.

2 hours ago, dalmer said:

The Black Rage and the Curse of the Wulfen aren't gene seed corruption per se... hypothesized to be more of an added flaw.  And one of the Space Wolves lore fans might be able to correct me on this, but I believe that their Legion's gene seed was specially formulated to they could recruit from more of their Fenrisian population, so they have had stability issues from the onset.  "There are no wolves on Fenris," etc.

Both of these are actually weird exceptions. I will note that the fluff on them has been changed at least a couple of times, so this may not be accurate, but it's how I read it. The Black Rage isn't tied to the BA geneseed so much as to the process necessary to activate it. That involves exposing the aspirant to blood that was basically cloned from samples taken from Sanguinius after his death, which contains psychic echoes of that final battle and death, and those get imprinted on the new Marine. They do get stronger and harder to resist as time goes on, tho.

The Canis Helix is another odd one. There have been a number of suggestions that it at least partially results, not from the original SW Geneseed, but from its mingling with genetic alterations made on the colonists who first settled Fenris to allow them to survive in that ludicrously harsh environment, and that the original Fenrisian Wolves, who were there even before Russ arrived, were actually cases of the colonists' alterations going haywire.

[dalmer]

11 hours ago, WestRider said:

It depends on the variety. Degradation involving loss of function (like the Imperial Fists not having the Betcher's Gland), is pretty obviously an issue right from implantation. There are also some areas where it makes immediate physical changes as it activates, like the skin tones on the Salamanders and Raven Guard. Others, like the Red Thirst, get worse over time.

Both of these are actually weird exceptions. I will note that the fluff on them has been changed at least a couple of times, so this may not be accurate, but it's how I read it. The Black Rage isn't tied to the BA geneseed so much as to the process necessary to activate it. That involves exposing the aspirant to blood that was basically cloned from samples taken from Sanguinius after his death, which contains psychic echoes of that final battle and death, and those get imprinted on the new Marine. They do get stronger and harder to resist as time goes on, tho.

The Canis Helix is another odd one. There have been a number of suggestions that it at least partially results, not from the original SW Geneseed, but from its mingling with genetic alterations made on the colonists who first settled Fenris to allow them to survive in that ludicrously harsh environment, and that the original Fenrisian Wolves, who were there even before Russ arrived, were actually cases of the colonists' alterations going haywire.

Ayup... I believe both have been referenced in many ways (which I think is cool from a lore standpoint because it's not just "oh, fix the transmogrifier and we're good again!").

Warp taint.

I really like how the Horus Heresy novels (which I find amazing, but I understand not all feel that way) addressed the scattering of the Primarchs.  Was trippy for sure but made for an enjoyable "fill in a lot of blanks" for me.

[Guest]

Thanks for the help. 

And I guess I was thinking of flaws and corruption as the same thing, but I guess they aren't. 

Anyway, was asking because of my custom chapter of narcolepsy marines (Forgotten Gargoyles). Was planing to convert LS storms into something un-flying, but then got to thinking that the scouts might not be suffering from their geneseed flaw/corruption yet. It's my fluff, I can do whatever, but was double checking for a precedent. 

[Munkie]

2 hours ago, dalmer said:

Ayup... I believe both have been referenced in many ways (which I think is cool from a lore standpoint because it's not just "oh, fix the transmogrifier and we're good again!").

Warp taint.

I really like how the Horus Heresy novels (which I find amazing, but I understand not all feel that way) addressed the scattering of the Primarchs.  Was trippy for sure but made for an enjoyable "fill in a lot of blanks" for me.

I fell off the Horus Heresy novels as I felt like they were intentionally bogging down the story to explore every nook and cranny. Get on with it!

However. I would say First Heretic is probably the single most revealing and important piece of WH40k fiction. Required reading, if I were teaching a class. 

-How and why the Word Bearers were the first to be corrupted.

-How the pact with the gods of chaos was made.

-How the primarchs were created.

-How and why the primarchs were scattered across the galaxy (this bit of lore never made sense, but the book nailed it).

-Lorgar slapping Malcador in the mouth.

Sooo good.

[InfestedKerrigan]

11 minutes ago, Munkie said:

However. I would say First Heretic is probably the single most revealing and important piece of WH40k fiction. Required reading, if I were teaching a class. 

 

Maybe I'll give this one a try.  I have not for the life of me been able to get into a WHX0k novel.

[WestRider]

The First Heretic is one of the best of them. It also has a bunch of reinforcement on just how much of a d!ck Erebus is.

[Inquisitor66]

I second First Heretic, its also in the WoW Library.

[Munkie]

1 hour ago, Inquisitor66 said:

I second First Heretic, its also in the WoW Library.

I think, technically, you're fourthing it, but the more the merrier!