Lumen Vox

The 18th False Primarch

Lumen was one of the ill-fated “Primarch Secundus Project", designed to be a new generation of primarchs designed by the Mad Magos Clerval. Lumen Vox, also known as “The Ever-Changing” they were raised among Xenos and were addicted to the chemical “polymorphine”, making them a talented shape-shifter. They saw boundless opportunity for Imperial growth by allying with various Xenos races, embracing new technologies, using everyone to their fullest potential, and exploring new ideas; everything the Imperium hates for the catastrophic danger it threatens.

Lumen was all thing and nothing, able to become all appearances, all ages, all genders, all colors, all natures... or have no appearance, no age, no gender, no colors, and no nature. They were infinitely adaptable, free-spirited, and possessive of a mind comprehending excessively essortetic ideas far larger than itself. Lumen Vox was eventually unmade, losing their identity due to their continuous shape-shifting and body modification. It is thought that Lumen is now a daemon of Tzeentch.

## Early Years

Lumen was born on a world that joined the Tau empire when Lumen was still an infant child. They were raised as a member of their society. They joined the Gue'vesa and earned special distinction for their skill at arms and ability to bond units together for the greater good. They became Gue'vesa'ui (a sergeant) in short order and eventually their talents were recognized by the water caste.

While never a formal member of the water caste Lumen was intentionally assigned as an escort for them, commanding a propaganda squad of Gue'vesa as their Gue'vesa'ui while simultaneously acting as bodyguards. The unit was comprised of exceptionally attractive humans who helped the water caste convert an Imperial world after a prolonged political campaign. However, on their second campaign their ship was captured by Eldar corsairs who killed the water caste but Lumen was able to convince them to spare them.

The corsairs that Luman had encountered were willing to employ Lumen as an agent and they took the Eldar up on their offer. This was highly unusual and it has been suggested that Lumen Vox’s psychic powers were able to influence the corsairs or, more likely, that the Eldar knew exactly who was on that ship and planned to use them to some ends of their own. Whatever their initial plan, so skilled at diplomacy was Lumen that in short order the corsairs and Tau had a fragile alliance and were even trading information technology.

## The Xenos Emissary

Lumen quickly grew their diplomatic and economic influence to several other xenos species and even indirectly traded with the Imperium. Those Lumen influences became agents of peace, stability, and prosperity. The False Primarch seemed to have a supernatural ability to appease everyone and promote unity. The Tau and Eldar were the largest players in Lumen’s network but in time even Rogue Traders were linked into Lumen’s trade and diplomacy networks. At its height this shadow network included treaties with the Q'Orl Swarmhood, Hrud, Rak'gol, Saharduin, Antedil, Lacrymole, and Khrave. Conferences were held, treaties signed, join efforts undertaken, and all seemed to be going to plan. These were not strong alliances; mostly indirect trade, back-channel promises of local non-aggression, and many other things that allies of convenience might share. Still, the value (and danger to the Imperium) of this thin, far-spanning, network could not be understated.

Much of the aforementioned information was taken from Tau propaganda and may have been greatly exaggerated. This propaganda also replaced Lumen with *Lu’ek’men*, a fictitious Tau of the water caste credited with all of Lumen’s accomplishments.

During this time the Cabal was thought to have enlisted the help of Lumen Vox and much speculation has been made regarding the Cabal’s influence on Lumen’s ability to forge a network like they did.

## Polymorphine

It was during these formative years that Lumen first encountered polymorphine, a drug that Callidus Temple operative used to modify their body and shapeshift. Due to a genetic quirk, possibly one put there by the Mad Magos Clerval himself, Lumen was extremely compatible with the drug but became addicted to it. Lumen began to experiment with their form. They changed their gender, height, age, weight, skin, and even species regularly. It was impossible to tell where Lumen began and where one of their personas ended; Lumen was an ever-changing work of art who picked the form most suitable to their mood. Lumen referred to themselves in the third person often and was heralded as a “body artist” who would would demonstrate artistic shape-shifting.

Much of the polymorphine that Lumen obtained was from the Lacrymole though they later withdrew from Lumen’s network for unknown reasons. This is said to have caused Lumen immense pain and distress, reducing them to a puddle of flesh for several hours as the effects of polymorphine withdrawal nearly killed the False Primarch.

## The Collapse

Lumen’s network collapsed in a bloody series of clandestine actions taken by many actors. This “War of Assassins” was fought in many sectors, killing many sorts of people, and resulted in much change in the universe. The exact reason is unknown but it seems that single event caused as political cascade that even Lumen’s diplomatic ovatures could not stop.

This casts must doubt on Lumen and their true intentions. It is probably that Lumen saw this coming and may have even initiated it. Another theory is that Clerval was aware of Lumen’s actions and sent Lumen’s gene-brother Bora in to start the collapse, knowing it would end disastrous and make Luman willing to join Clerval. The most insidious possibility is that this was the will of Tzeentch and marked the first act the Changer of Ways took using Lumen. Lumen may have been in league with Tzeentch as early as the incident with the Eldar and the water caste, as some Inquisitorial reports suggest, and it is highly likely that Tzeentch had Lumen in their employ by the collapse (knowingly or unknowingly).

## Reunion with Clerval

After the collapse Lumen fled Tau space and took refuge on an Imperial Planet. It was not long before Lumen was uniting the people of the planet and creating a cult of personality on the world. This caught the attention of the Mad Magos who dispatched the false primarch Pandu Hagar to recruit Lumen into the fold. Pandu and Lumen were kindred spirits in a lot of ways and Lumen was convinced of the sanctity of their campaign. Because of this Lumen would always follow Pandu rather than Clerval and was seemed to keep their distance from the Mad Magos.

## Role in Clerval’s Crusade

**Main Article:** Clerval's Crusade

    As they were picked up later in the campaign, they did not receive as much training or combat experience as their gene-brothers. Their skill at shape-shifting was able to compensate for much of this deficiency and they had a natural grace that made Lumen more than the equal of its peers. Lumen the Ever-Changing was seen as Pandu’s second in command and was an exceptional leader of men. Lumen often served as the commander of key units who needed to remain cohesive in the face of danger. Lumen was immensely creative and could come up with impromptu solutions to seemingly impossible challenges. They had a way of always seeing the bigger picture, a level or two up from everyone up in terms of scale. While Pandu, Bora, or Hamish would focus on the battle Lumen was able to forsee how the battle would impact the planet, system, or even sector and use that to their advantage. In a way Lumen was the Crusade’s political tactician and was regarded by their peers as one of the wisest. Only Bathory Sims was smarter but the two had such widely different outlooks that their skills were employed in totally different ways.

As time progressed Lumen became less and less grounded in reality though and their plans became more and more fanciful and impossible to enact. It was clear that Lumen was living in a dream world rather than the real world and things were not going to end well for Lumen. Pandu asked to cleanse Lumen of the taint of Chaos but was either unsuccessful, unable, or unwilling to harm their friend.

During the campaign it was clear that Lumen was in contact with the Cabal and may have been its agent. Clerval made overtures to them through Lumen and may have obtained support and even xenos weapons for study through them.

## Fate

As the campaign progressed Lumen became increasingly unstable. They used more and more polymorphine to achieve more and more extreme, exotic, and beautiful forms. Lumen became unglued from reality; existing in a place of peace in art when the universe was full of violence and pain. Lumen developed myriad personalities that fragmented their psyche and shattered their mind. Unable to handle the cognitive dissonance between their perception of reality and the beautiful reality they saw as being possible Lumen retreated into the warp sometime prior to the Siege of Nar’Whin.

## As a Daemon of Tzeentch

After Lumen lost their form and identity they are thought to have become a powerful daemon of Tzeentch. The connection with the Tzeentchian daemon known as The Changeling has been hinted at, though Lumen’s relationship with this being is unclear. It may be that the Changeling absorbed or consumed Lumen’s essence, that Lumen is impersonating The Changeling (either on its orders or acting against it), or that The Changeling is dead (possibly slain by Lumen) and Lumen is its latest incarnation.

## Starseeds

Lumen’s forces were known as the Starseeds. They employed many xenos weapons and technology that others found disgusting. During the later stages of the campaign they took a vow of non-aggression and began serving primarily as a defensive force for Clerval’s crusade. Clearly on track to fall to chaos once Lumen was lost to the Warp, they were all executed by Bora and his Doomtroopers on Pandu’s insistence.

A Secundus Astartes from Lumen’s Starseeds.