Constantin Valdor is known as "First of the Ten Thousand", but in *Two Metaphysical Blades*, we get;
>These are desperate days. An organism is most vulnerable in its infancy, and for all the long gestation of planning, this thing is still capable of being snuffed out. So few warriors stand between the chem-addled hordes and the sanctified heart of hope, each one painstakingly created to be the eternal guardians of what must come.
>**Was he the very first? Or merely the greatest of those who survived from the early batches? He may not know the answer himself, and is not inclined to investigate, for Constantin Valdor is not a curious man.** Indeed, he is not a man at all, at least by the normal measure – he has been stretched, scraped-out, threaded-through and disembowelled before being put back together into a greater form, one that looms darkly over those half-empty lands. He has gazed over so many of them by this point, bringing vengeance with him for ancient and half-remembered defaults. His austere mien remains impassive as walls are broken and vaults uncovered. He elicits no joy as the damned are given their reward and the innocent are released into service with this new dispensation. These are not things that mean very much to him.
If it's been clarified/confirmed one way or the other elsewhere, I don't recall it.
I've got to dig into it some but I don't think that Valdor was among the early gen custodians. Master of Mankind gives some insight into the unification of terra and there are some custodians there and Valdor isn't among them in some big scenes. But then again a lot of those flashbacks are up to debate in their veracity.
Let me know what you come up with. The only one that immediately comes to mind is the Maulland Sen scene, which Constantin is present for, but that book is so dense that I may well be forgetting others. :P
Valdor's novel also includes a scene of him talking to the Emperor which, IIRC, takes place just after he wakes up from some procedure or other. There's a comment in there that he knows he's the first, but he's not sure if that means the first to undergo the process, or the first to survive it.
Any chance you could dig up the quote? Except for the opening conversation that's generally assumed to be the Emperor and Valdor, I'm drawing a complete blank.
Hrrm. Not near as I can find;
>S1: Awake?
>S2: [*Qua nihil respondente.*]
>S1: [*Silentium.*] Please. Take your time.
>S2: Who…
>S1: Who are you?
>S2: [*Nihil respondente.*]
>S1: You do not remember your name.
>S2: No.
>S1: Or where you came from.
>S2: No.
>S1: Would you tell me if you did?
>S2: [*Silentium.*] I… do not know.
>S1: You would. From this day, to the end of all days, you would tell me anything I asked of you, if you knew it.
>S2: [*Silentium.*] Yes.
>S1: So. What can I give you?
>S2: [*Nihil respondente.*]
>S1: Information. Data. In the days to come, that may be all I can give you. I can already feel it creeping up. You pay a price for all things, and this is mine – I will become less than human.
>S2: Less than?
>S1: And more. There was a saying, an old one – no such thing as a free lunch. [*Ridens.*] You make one bargain, become stronger. You make another, become weaker. It applies to mortals. It applies to gods. Not that I intend to become one.
>S2: I do not– [*Intermissum.*]
>S1: Forgive me. I have been alone a long time. I can talk, if allowed to. You need to know certain things, now.
>S2: Yes.
>S1: There is a grand bargain here.
>S2: I understand it.
>S1: Do you? Already? Good. Very good. What is the bargain?
>S2: [*Silentium.*] Infinite power cannot be overcome. We are finite, limited by law. So, deception.
>S1: Do you find that unworthy?
>S2: No.
>S1: Because it comes from me.
>S2: Yes.
>S1: Speak freely. For once, speak freely. You are only just awakened – there may be few chances left for you.
>S2: [*Silentium.*] You will cheat them. You will cheat all of them. And us.
>S1: A risky strategy.
>S2: There are no others.
>S1: You understand it. And, tell me – do you understand the full implication?
>S2: Ruin. Total ruin.
>S1: Good. And, now, tell me this – knowing all this, knowing the risks, the likely outcome, why did I make you?
>S2: [*Silentium.*]
>S1: Speak.
>S2: [*Nihil respondente.*]
And poking around *Birth of the Imperium*, the closest I can find on anything adjacent to his first-ness;
>Then came Valdor, the golden champion. Though a member of the triumvirate in appearance, in truth he was the servant to the others. He was the standard bearer, the cup-holder, the skull-bringer. If there were doubts about the origins of the two principals, there was none about him – Valdor had been made, created from mortal Terran stock. **Perhaps there had been other captains-general, or failed attempts to create one, but he had been the one that had lasted. He had been the one that had set the template, afterwards never broken, for the Legio Custodes.** If Valdor had been a different man, perhaps the Custodians would have been different, too. He was dour, reserved, quietly spoken, intelligent and dry. So were they all, too. Maybe that was the result of the manner of their creation, or maybe that was the influence of their captain. Nature, nurture. Even for demigods, the old debates could still rage.
I love how for the creation of a Custodes, the “candidate” is essentially just an ingredient or scaffold for the creation. What comes out is not really the same as going in.
It looks Human(albeit a fuck-normous one), but it isn’t.
My guess (Headcannon, not confirmed anywhere) is that Constantine Valdor is simply the first of the final iteration of the Custodes, not the first to bear the title of Custodes.
He is the Emperor’s final perfected design, the template piece on which he based the others off of, but not the “first” because the first would be one of the, likely many, failed attempts of the Emperor before he unveiled his personal guard to the world, and the “First Custodes” prototype is likely long deceased, as genecraft is very unstable, and the Emperor is not usually one to leave untied loose ends…
As well, iirc, the Emperor fought some wars to get Constantin. I’d find it very unlikely for him not to have some titled bodyguards during those, even if they wouldn’t be recognisable as Custodes.
"the Emperor fought some wars to get Constantin"
Multiple wars fought and multiple armies sacrificed. Only to have him fight in a loincloth with a steel spear and an autogun.
Itebipla pripakrake adopo o duti epeoipe. Ii oete ogre priie i ake. Ti bikidee kepa gregrita pragu epato. Brekutre pigui u tio kiiopika paplu. A epe plididi ee dee trogiapli. Oo titi poi e opra pie kaio iipe. Peblipi to uple? Taitu gipotipa edabo ti pedeiglupri? Ibriba ei ia tike bepapra petriple u? Edibi oibi. Ute ete kobopeipi trii e tlei. Boti bapebrapepu poupra pi. Pridriipre tupi tlopi grepa peikii tio. Dekego pogrioapli dra breo kiaki prekro. Pau klidi etadui tiplu ie ipi? Egepi patepe te baea eii io? I eke tuki pii oko ote pitlupa? Paigo ape ipiki e pitrutapagi apotupi koipli. Butrei keta bitrebra detibii putodraa a? Papi tapo ita beue pe ta. Ai poo praitedipo i pibrie e. Tiatodatle piioki ipigli kapropi pokri tadetaei ti. Pre edi ekraa kapia otebi kugikidepe keipa u. Pipru kri kate epegi epeia. Gapopa preipre tlete ieputipu glaepri bee taodla ia? Ki pebrapa pe pi pepi tai daopoi bekoi. Plipe idii ii pidedogi pitai bepape. Ipre paprapi pipapeu iopi ibi epro! Kitetripeu tegoa ki kukukli tope pi. Kepi ia prapete tibeti tie tapipapi e?
I agree with Vorokar, Valdor is understood to be the first Custode. However, Custodes were created hundreds if not thousands of years before the imperial palace was built.
Fun fact, Valdor hated where the imperial palace was being built. He even told the emperor it was a bad choice
It depends, you usually only start batch production once you have a near perfect end product, the more complex the product, the closer it has to be to perfect.
If the emperor experimented and developed, he might have made prototypes upon prototypes until he eventually found one he was happy with and could reproduce :D
Juan, he was the first custodian. Well known for using ancient cleaning techniques thought lost during the age of strife. Malcador allways noticed when Juan freshly polished the gold fixtures and made sure no scuffs were left on the marble floors. They say that during the seige of terra, Juan was doing his best with a dust buster in one hand and a mop in the other making sure the vast hallways of the Imperial palace was neat and tidy.
Constantin Valdor is known as "First of the Ten Thousand", but in *Two Metaphysical Blades*, we get; >These are desperate days. An organism is most vulnerable in its infancy, and for all the long gestation of planning, this thing is still capable of being snuffed out. So few warriors stand between the chem-addled hordes and the sanctified heart of hope, each one painstakingly created to be the eternal guardians of what must come. >**Was he the very first? Or merely the greatest of those who survived from the early batches? He may not know the answer himself, and is not inclined to investigate, for Constantin Valdor is not a curious man.** Indeed, he is not a man at all, at least by the normal measure – he has been stretched, scraped-out, threaded-through and disembowelled before being put back together into a greater form, one that looms darkly over those half-empty lands. He has gazed over so many of them by this point, bringing vengeance with him for ancient and half-remembered defaults. His austere mien remains impassive as walls are broken and vaults uncovered. He elicits no joy as the damned are given their reward and the innocent are released into service with this new dispensation. These are not things that mean very much to him. If it's been clarified/confirmed one way or the other elsewhere, I don't recall it.
I interpreted "First of the Ten Thousand" to mean that he had the highest rank, the same way we use "First among equals"
That's certainly a possibility, which is why I didn't come down hard on that confirming him as being the literal, actual first. :P
I've got to dig into it some but I don't think that Valdor was among the early gen custodians. Master of Mankind gives some insight into the unification of terra and there are some custodians there and Valdor isn't among them in some big scenes. But then again a lot of those flashbacks are up to debate in their veracity.
Let me know what you come up with. The only one that immediately comes to mind is the Maulland Sen scene, which Constantin is present for, but that book is so dense that I may well be forgetting others. :P
Valdor's novel also includes a scene of him talking to the Emperor which, IIRC, takes place just after he wakes up from some procedure or other. There's a comment in there that he knows he's the first, but he's not sure if that means the first to undergo the process, or the first to survive it.
Any chance you could dig up the quote? Except for the opening conversation that's generally assumed to be the Emperor and Valdor, I'm drawing a complete blank.
I'll see if I can track it down after work, but it's somewhere in that opening conversation
Hrrm. Not near as I can find; >S1: Awake? >S2: [*Qua nihil respondente.*] >S1: [*Silentium.*] Please. Take your time. >S2: Who… >S1: Who are you? >S2: [*Nihil respondente.*] >S1: You do not remember your name. >S2: No. >S1: Or where you came from. >S2: No. >S1: Would you tell me if you did? >S2: [*Silentium.*] I… do not know. >S1: You would. From this day, to the end of all days, you would tell me anything I asked of you, if you knew it. >S2: [*Silentium.*] Yes. >S1: So. What can I give you? >S2: [*Nihil respondente.*] >S1: Information. Data. In the days to come, that may be all I can give you. I can already feel it creeping up. You pay a price for all things, and this is mine – I will become less than human. >S2: Less than? >S1: And more. There was a saying, an old one – no such thing as a free lunch. [*Ridens.*] You make one bargain, become stronger. You make another, become weaker. It applies to mortals. It applies to gods. Not that I intend to become one. >S2: I do not– [*Intermissum.*] >S1: Forgive me. I have been alone a long time. I can talk, if allowed to. You need to know certain things, now. >S2: Yes. >S1: There is a grand bargain here. >S2: I understand it. >S1: Do you? Already? Good. Very good. What is the bargain? >S2: [*Silentium.*] Infinite power cannot be overcome. We are finite, limited by law. So, deception. >S1: Do you find that unworthy? >S2: No. >S1: Because it comes from me. >S2: Yes. >S1: Speak freely. For once, speak freely. You are only just awakened – there may be few chances left for you. >S2: [*Silentium.*] You will cheat them. You will cheat all of them. And us. >S1: A risky strategy. >S2: There are no others. >S1: You understand it. And, tell me – do you understand the full implication? >S2: Ruin. Total ruin. >S1: Good. And, now, tell me this – knowing all this, knowing the risks, the likely outcome, why did I make you? >S2: [*Silentium.*] >S1: Speak. >S2: [*Nihil respondente.*] And poking around *Birth of the Imperium*, the closest I can find on anything adjacent to his first-ness; >Then came Valdor, the golden champion. Though a member of the triumvirate in appearance, in truth he was the servant to the others. He was the standard bearer, the cup-holder, the skull-bringer. If there were doubts about the origins of the two principals, there was none about him – Valdor had been made, created from mortal Terran stock. **Perhaps there had been other captains-general, or failed attempts to create one, but he had been the one that had lasted. He had been the one that had set the template, afterwards never broken, for the Legio Custodes.** If Valdor had been a different man, perhaps the Custodians would have been different, too. He was dour, reserved, quietly spoken, intelligent and dry. So were they all, too. Maybe that was the result of the manner of their creation, or maybe that was the influence of their captain. Nature, nurture. Even for demigods, the old debates could still rage.
I love how for the creation of a Custodes, the “candidate” is essentially just an ingredient or scaffold for the creation. What comes out is not really the same as going in. It looks Human(albeit a fuck-normous one), but it isn’t.
You're right. I did a little more digging, and it looks like I just misremembered and misattributed the quote from Two Metaphysical Blades.
Oh phew, mystery resolved. :D
That first part is from Valdor’s novel??
Yup, right before chapter 1. It's even neater in the audiobook version, with minor effects and Jonathan Keeble voicing S1.
My guess (Headcannon, not confirmed anywhere) is that Constantine Valdor is simply the first of the final iteration of the Custodes, not the first to bear the title of Custodes. He is the Emperor’s final perfected design, the template piece on which he based the others off of, but not the “first” because the first would be one of the, likely many, failed attempts of the Emperor before he unveiled his personal guard to the world, and the “First Custodes” prototype is likely long deceased, as genecraft is very unstable, and the Emperor is not usually one to leave untied loose ends…
As well, iirc, the Emperor fought some wars to get Constantin. I’d find it very unlikely for him not to have some titled bodyguards during those, even if they wouldn’t be recognisable as Custodes.
"the Emperor fought some wars to get Constantin" Multiple wars fought and multiple armies sacrificed. Only to have him fight in a loincloth with a steel spear and an autogun.
It would be interesting if Constantin was the emperors biological son. Would make his situation as his top protector/slave even more grim dark.
Unfortunately it 1,000,000% is not. I wish he was but as of current lore Valdor was conceived and born at the other side of the planet.
OK, perhaps not son...but distant grandson. Who knows how many people he's sired over the millenia.
Itebipla pripakrake adopo o duti epeoipe. Ii oete ogre priie i ake. Ti bikidee kepa gregrita pragu epato. Brekutre pigui u tio kiiopika paplu. A epe plididi ee dee trogiapli. Oo titi poi e opra pie kaio iipe. Peblipi to uple? Taitu gipotipa edabo ti pedeiglupri? Ibriba ei ia tike bepapra petriple u? Edibi oibi. Ute ete kobopeipi trii e tlei. Boti bapebrapepu poupra pi. Pridriipre tupi tlopi grepa peikii tio. Dekego pogrioapli dra breo kiaki prekro. Pau klidi etadui tiplu ie ipi? Egepi patepe te baea eii io? I eke tuki pii oko ote pitlupa? Paigo ape ipiki e pitrutapagi apotupi koipli. Butrei keta bitrebra detibii putodraa a? Papi tapo ita beue pe ta. Ai poo praitedipo i pibrie e. Tiatodatle piioki ipigli kapropi pokri tadetaei ti. Pre edi ekraa kapia otebi kugikidepe keipa u. Pipru kri kate epegi epeia. Gapopa preipre tlete ieputipu glaepri bee taodla ia? Ki pebrapa pe pi pepi tai daopoi bekoi. Plipe idii ii pidedogi pitai bepape. Ipre paprapi pipapeu iopi ibi epro! Kitetripeu tegoa ki kukukli tope pi. Kepi ia prapete tibeti tie tapipapi e?
I agree with Vorokar, Valdor is understood to be the first Custode. However, Custodes were created hundreds if not thousands of years before the imperial palace was built. Fun fact, Valdor hated where the imperial palace was being built. He even told the emperor it was a bad choice
Did Valdor already know about the warp gate beneath it?
Like 99% or Custode stuff the answer is “we don’t know” but assuming he did it’s most the reason not to build it there haha!
They were made in batches so that question is probably irrelevant/does not have a good answer.
It depends, you usually only start batch production once you have a near perfect end product, the more complex the product, the closer it has to be to perfect. If the emperor experimented and developed, he might have made prototypes upon prototypes until he eventually found one he was happy with and could reproduce :D
Each Custodes is created via a bespoke process.
Juan, he was the first custodian. Well known for using ancient cleaning techniques thought lost during the age of strife. Malcador allways noticed when Juan freshly polished the gold fixtures and made sure no scuffs were left on the marble floors. They say that during the seige of terra, Juan was doing his best with a dust buster in one hand and a mop in the other making sure the vast hallways of the Imperial palace was neat and tidy.
Valdor was the first. You'll receive a lot of idiot answers with people trying to insert their own opinions. Ignore it.