{"id":30,"date":"2026-03-10T03:08:43","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T03:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/?p=30"},"modified":"2026-03-10T03:08:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T03:08:43","slug":"once-youve-been-to-war-you-never-want-to-go-back-its-like-france","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/?p=30","title":{"rendered":"Once you’ve been to war you never want to go back. It’s like France."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Art by Chase Toole<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Warden of the Void kicked rocks the size of Ork heads out of his way as he approached where his commander sat. The walls and the streets around him bore scorch marks from repeated jump insertions and teleport flares, like someone had taken a flamer to the entire city square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the jump marines might have had a flamer,<\/em> he thought. He didn\u2019t exactly get much chance to use it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He found Kallor Veyran, the Oathbound Serpent, sitting on the ground with his back against the smoking remains of an upside-down turquoise Rhino. His face was streaked with soot and blood welled from a gash on his forehead. He was holding something in his hands, staring at it; the Warden couldn\u2019t tell what.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA token,\u201d the Warden said, tossing the folded cloth in his hands at Veyran\u2019s feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veyran threw whatever was in his hands towards the Warden. \u201cLikewise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Warden caught it in mid-arc with an unusual metallic clang. He held it up, studied it for a moment, an odd cross between a trident and a fork, about 25 centimeters, blades long and thick and sharp. After a moment his eyes opened wide in a combination of surprise and respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShrike?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veyran nodded. \u201cShrike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDead?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo such luck,\u201d Veyran said. \u201cDid manage to send some very old Raven Guard to meet their father, though.\u201d He reached forward to pick up the token the Warden had brought him. It was some sort of rolled fabric; as he unwound it he squinted at the markings on it. Not to see it better \u2013 he certainly didn\u2019t need any help \u2013 but to focus his attention like a scientist studying a specimen. The fabric was lush and red, something worked over by artisans, with repeated script in gold filigree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked up. \u201cThe writing. Chogoran?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Warden tilted his head a fraction and shrugged as much as power armor would allow. Maybe.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou,\u201d Veyran said, clearly not believing any of this, \u201ckilled Aethon Shaan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, no.\u201d The Warden grimaced. \u201cBetween Night\u2019s Terror and the Shatterwing we hit him with more lightning claw strikes than I would have thought possible in one fight.\u201d He spat. \u201cNothing could get through. Like trying to kill smoke.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what the Inquisition says about us,\u201d Veyran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt must be frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veyran held up the cloth. \u201cAt least you managed to relieve him of his most dangerous\u2026\u201d He glared at it. \u201cPennant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Warden shifted his position and opened his mouth, ready to argue the point. Veyran held up his hand to forestall him: not now<\/em>. \u201cJust tell me \u2013 \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Veil-Speaker?\u201d He actually grinned. He made a show of carefully considering his next words. \u201cHe\u2026 fell. Heroically<\/em>. Enemies on all sides. Fighting to the last.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShame,\u201d Veyran said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it?\u201d He reached a hand down to his commander, pulling him to his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veyran surveyed the smoking ruin of the city. \u201cNot a total loss, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Warden made a face of mock surprise. \u201cIs it ever?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Art by Chase Toole The Warden of the Void kicked rocks the size of Ork heads out of his way as he approached where his commander sat. The walls and the streets around him bore scorch marks from repeated jump insertions and teleport flares, like someone had taken a flamer to the entire city square. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[11,10,12],"class_list":["post-30","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tymas-folly-apocalypse","tag-alpha-legion","tag-crusade","tag-that-could-have-gone-better"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=30"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32,"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30\/revisions\/32"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=30"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=30"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loreaccurate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=30"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}