"Broken Lance" is a 3D animated short-film set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.
Long ago, the ancestors of House Corvec struggled to tame their world, which was inhabited by monstrous beasts. Through the use of their Imperial Knights, they conquered the beasts and erected fortresses to keep their people safe. In the present time, House Corvec is under siege by Chaos Knights aligned to Nurgle, the Chaos God of Disease and Decay. The exiled daughter of the previous High King, Lady Genevieve, confronts her Queen and Aunt and demands that she rallies their house to battle, but the High Queen confesses a dark secret...
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"Broken Lance" provides examples of:
- Cruel to Be Kind: After her brother's death, the High Queen usurped Genevieve's claim to the throne of House Corvec and exiled her. However, after revealing their Houses' ancient bargain with the Daemons of Nurgle, the High Queen's reason for exiling her was in the hopes that by exiling Genevieve from their world she would be spared of the corruption that has tainted their bloodline.
- Downer Ending: While House Corvec does triumph against the Forces of Chaos, and Genevieve claims her rightful place on the throne all the while believing that she has redeemed her soul and beaten the curse, the camera zooms in on Genevieve's neck which shows the corruption starting to take hold and it is implied that she too will succumb to Chaos just like her father.
- Gameplay and Story Segregation: The leader of the Chaos Knights, who is later revealed to be Genevieve's father, is a Knight Abominant, which is a class of Chaos Knight that is known to make use of psychic powers. However, it never displays such powers.
- The Kingslayer: After hearing the High Queen's confession and the dark secret of her House, Genevieve fatally stabs her aunt, thus assuming the throne of House Corvec and rallies the remaining Knights of her House in a final battle against the Forces of Chaos.
- Sibling Murder: The previous High King of House Corvec was stated to have died whilst battling a beast. His sister, the High Queen, later confesses to Genevieve that it was she who killed him. Her reason was because her brother was showing signs of Chaos corruption and he was bound to succumb to the curse. She killed him under the belief that their curse would die with him, but realizes to her horror that their entire house bears of the curse of Nurgle.
- Uriah Gambit: The High Queen bids her sons to do battle with the Chaos Knights. However, given that it is later revealed that the entirety of House Corvec bear the curse of Nurgle and the High Queen reckons that it is better that their bloodline be extinguished than allow their curse to continue, she likely knowingly sent her sons to a suicidal battle to hasten their Houses' extinction.
