History FanFic / TheWeaverOption

** Of the positive kind. As the Black Templars attempt to get through the Webway Gate in the Desaderian Gulf, an Imperial General in a nearby ship mentions that, unless the Emperor grants them a miracle, the Templars are bound for catastrophe. Just as the Drukhari open the Gate, [[spoiler:cue the ''Flamewrought'' arriving in the system, destroying the Drukhari ships and paving the way for the forces in the region to go in and support the Caribbean Fleet.]]

* BigCreepyCrawlies: On every planet Taylor goes to, she finds at least one species of very nasty insect she can use against her enemies, and takes some with her when she goes. She can even control the robotic Canoptek Scarabs, [[spoiler:which greatly helps her in her first battle against Iash'uddra by taking control of his Canoptek swarm and turning it against him.]] When her forces end up trapped on [[spoiler:the Death Star]], the Mechanicus brings out the samples they had kept stored because they were too dangerous; soon after, Taylor is ''riding'' some of her new bugs. Coloner Erzin's Txacopec 1st Cavalry ends up riding Helspiders into battle, after their original mounts are slain.

* BigCreepyCrawlies: On every planet Taylor goes to, she finds at least one species of very nasty insect she can use against her enemies, and takes some with her when she goes. She can even control the robotic Canoptek Scarabs, [[spoiler:which greatly helps her in her first battle against Iash'uddra by taking control of his Canoptek swarm and turning it against him.]] When her forces end up trapped on [[spoiler:the Death Star]], the Mechanicus brings out the samples they had kept stored because they were too dangerous; soon after, Taylor is ''riding'' some of her new bugs.
** Coloner Erzin's Txacopec 1st Cavalry ends up riding Helspiders into battle, after their original mounts are slain.

''The Weaver Option'' is a ''Literature/{{Worm}}/TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' crossover fic by Creator/{{Antony444}}. It can be found at [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12115800/1/The-Weaver-Option fanfiction.net]], with a discussion thread and links to story threads located on [[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/weaver-option-thread-4-ashes-of-victory-discussion-only.539634/ alternate history.com]], as well as a [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/weaver-option-discussion-thread.834372/ discussion thread]] on Website/SpaceBattlesDotCom. An authorized spinoff fanfic, "The Emperor and Sons React to ''The Weaver Option''" can also be found at [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-emperor-and-sons-react-to-the-weaver-option.775384/ spacebattles.com]].

** [[spoiler:Lucius and Erebus die during the Extinction Arc.]]

* JumpedAtTheCall: The people of Drakkar are descendants of Guardsmen who were disarmed and forced to settle the planet by the Elesiarchy. Despite this, they have spent generations waiting for the day they could once again fight for the Imperium. When Missy removes the previous governor, the people ''volunteer'' to start a Munitorum tithe.

* TheyDo: [[spoiler:Taylor and Wei]] at the end of Decision 5.4. Within a few years, [[spoiler:Wei]] is officially recognized as [[spoiler:Taylor]]'s consort.
** In 9.4, [[spoiler: Taylor asks Wei to marry her. She says yes, and they get married later in the chapter]].

* DisadvantageousDisintegration: During the battle of Pavia Tanaka's body is destroyed by a near-direct weapon blast while Moonblitz and his entire fleet are vaporized by an Exterminatus-level weapon. When the bounties are registered with the Adeptus Almitas, the lack of proof means Taylor receives less than half of Tanaka's bounty and not even one ''percent'' of Moonblitz's. But since the rewards were 870 and 900 billion, respectively, the sums are still immense.

** As far as Taylor can tell, the reason Fist-of-Diamond Calico has a bounty of 1.3 ''trillion'' throne gelts is that he's better at using Imperial technology than the Mechanicus.

** During Operation Caribbean, in order to capitalize on the pirates' lack of unity, Wolfgang suggests getting them to fight each other to weaken their defenses. Taylor is reluctant but agrees to the proposal -- which pays off when one of the Eldar pirate captains decides to negotiate his surrender, allowing him to return to his Craftworld without suffering a casualty.
** The Emperor gives a very specific timetable for Taylor to [[spoiler:attack Comorragh]]. The timing is just at the start of [[spoiler:Asdrubael Vect's coup to take control of the city]]; The [[spoiler:Dynast of Commorragh]] blames [[spoiler:Asdrubael Vect]] for the invasion of the [[spoiler:Webway]] and commits forces to destroying his power base. [[spoiler:Vect]] is more than willing to respond in kind, ensuring the forces sent against him can't fight the invaders.
* DoNotGoGentle: Tens of thousands of the slaves freed in [[spoiler:Commorragh]] have had their bodies booby trapped so that leaving will cause them to die a horrible death. The Imperium forces simply don't have the resources and time to save them, but what they can do is give them a weapon so they can die fighting.

** Weaver earns the eternal enmity of the Eldar for possessing the Nebula's Shard that has slain many of their kin. [[spoiler:Being indirectly responsible for Trazyn capturing an entire Eldar fleet at the Battle of the Death Star makes it worse]]. [[spoiler:Leading the invasion and razing of Commorragh, which ends up causing the destruction of Slaanesh, ensures she is not only enshrined as the Angel of Death, but that the Eldar as a whole develop the "doctrine" of immediately canceling any plots and running away if there's a hint of her being anywhere near the same system as any of them.]]
** Lelith Hesperax is this to the Necrons. Her appearance makes Trazyn the Infinite get serious, briefly fighting her with weaponry that would be overkill for anyone else, which still does nothing more than prolonging his defeat.

** Neferten and Trazyn, who know the Ymga Monolith is actually the Throne of Oblivion, one if not the single-best defended Necron territory in the galaxy, are silently terrified of its power; apparently ''no one'' has even been able to breach its outer defenses, even during the ''War in Heaven''.

''The Weaver Option'' is a ''Literature/{{Worm}}/TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' crossover fic by Creator/{{Antony444}}. It can be found at [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12115800/1/The-Weaver-Option fanfiction.net]], with a discussion thread and links to story threads located on [[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/weaver-option-thread-4-ashes-of-victory-discussion-only.539634/ alternate history.com]]. An authorized spinoff fanfic, "The Emperor and Sons React to ''The Weaver Option''" can be found at [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-emperor-and-sons-react-to-the-weaver-option.775384/ spacebattles.com]].

* The Swords of Vaul, a set of one hundred incredibly powerful blades forged by the Eldar smith god Vaul for the war god Khaine circa the War in Heaven. Most have gone missing in the eons since -- even the Eldar aren't sure where 90% of them are. The ones to have appeared are:

** Vilith-zhar, the Sword of Souls. Largest and most powerful of the swords, able to shift shapes. Wielded by the [[spoiler: Queen of Blades]] to destroy [[spoiler: Behemoth]].

* CoolSword: The Swords of Vaul, a set of one hundred incredibly powerful blades forged by the Eldar smith god Vaul for the war god Khaine circa the War in Heaven. Most have gone missing in the eons since -- even the Eldar aren't sure where 90% of them are. The ones to have appeared are:
** Ala'ra, the First (1st Sword of Vaul). It can change shape to become any kind of sword its wielder might want, providing the perfect blade for any possible scenario. Its true power, however, is the ability to cut and sever, no matter how resistant or strong the target it. [[spoiler:Owned and wielded by the Queen of Blades.]]
** Shrax'lor, the Blade of the Abyss (5th Sword of Vaul). When drawn, it drains energy from everything in the surrounding area -- including its wielder. Owned and wielded by [[spoiler:Sliscus]] until his death, then claimed by Weaver, who has no intention of using it herself.
** Elsar'bryn, the Nebula's Shard (72nd Sword of Vaul). Stabbing a creature with it causes their life-essence to be absorbed. Daemons are also affected, the crystals can burn other daemons and, if struck enough times, not even their regeneration can overcome it. The weapon can also shapeshift the blade part into a swarm of size-shifting, impossibly sharp crystal shards with the same effects, which the user can command in a variety of ways like a bombardment with a rain of crystals numbering in the ''millions'', to launch long crystals at enemies from afar like spears, or just to increase the range of her slashes to shred hundreds of enemies at range. The first time Taylor used this ability, she shredded a group of Eldar to nothing in seconds. Although rarely used, it can also turn the bodies of those she has stabbed into crystals that break apart to temporarily add to her shard swarm. Finally, it has a psychic field that can be charged with [[spoiler:Taylor's Saint anathema power]] that becomes more amplified the more life-essence or psychic energy is channeled into it, which Taylor later shows when she commands hundreds and thousands of insects to be disintegrated by it to power the field up when fighting Sliscus, and which she can also use to launch crystals charged with her [[spoiler:anathema]] power to act like delayed-explosive anti-daemon projectiles. Trazyn had it originally, then he gave it to Weaver, who has used it ever since.
** Laisa'drakh, the Deception of Emotions (98th Sword of Vaul) used by [[spoiler:Cegorach]] to battle [[spoiler:Slaanesh]] and protect himself from the [[spoiler:Blackstone Fortress]]. Although the author has refused to reveal its true function yet, it is shown to provide near-complete resistance to psychic energy, allowing him to easily deflect a psychic tornado that had the power to destroy several [[spoiler:Webway Gates]], and help him survive unscathed in the middle of the [[spoiler:''Will of Eternity'''s Warp Cannon]] shot powered by the [[spoiler:Emperor's anathema]] energy. Unfortunately [[spoiler:Slaanesh]] manages to throw it through a Webway Gate and away from the battlefield[[note]]Where it is implied to have landed on San Leor[[/note]], but not before being seriously injured by it.
** Trazyn has outright admitted that he has several more of them in his collection, though their names and powers are not known.
** The Eldar know the location of eight more of them, but their names, powers, and who (if anyone) is using them is unknown.
** Commander Farsight's famous Dawn Blade is confirmed by the author to be one (possibly the hundredth, which Vaul named the Light of Dawn). Out of all the Swords of Vaul, this one provides the best psychic and mental protection for its wielder. Farsight is also unconsciously able to extend this aegis to his men. It's why the Farsight Enclaves haven't immediately collapsed into civil war without their Ethereals to keep them in line. However, the sword can only effectively be used to protect one T'au caste at all times (since Farsight is a warrior, this aegis is always focused on the Fire Caste).

* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Captain Bacurius practically worships the Codex Astartes, refusing to consider that the Codex — and by extension his Primarch — could ever be wrong, let alone require adaptation or reform. His stubborn adherence to prescribed doctrine in face of terrible odds not covered by the Codex gets his entire Company slaughtered.

''The Weaver Option'' is a ''Literature/{{Worm}}/TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' crossover fic by Creator/{{Antony444}}. It can be found at [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12115800/1/The-Weaver-Option fanfiction.net]], with a discussion thread and links to story threads located on [[https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/weaver-option-thread-3-bis-the-5th-black-crusade-discussion-only.506949 alternate history.com]]. An authorized spinoff fanfic, "The Emperor and Sons React to ''The Weaver Option''" can be found at [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/the-emperor-and-sons-react-to-the-weaver-option.775384/ spacebattles.com]].

* {{Doorstopper}}: Antony writes ''a lot''. As of the end of the Black Crusade Arc, the word count (including author notes) stands at 1.3 million words. And based on the ever-growing number of enemies that Taylor and her allies have yet to face in combat, it could easily get to be four times as long by the end.

* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: To become Emperor or Empress, an Aeldari needed to defeat a Phoenix Lord in combat and either command or kill 666,666 warriors of the court. [[spoiler:The razing of Commorragh allows Taylor to meet the requirements and claim the crown]].

[[folder:# to E]]
* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: Taylor becomes adored in Nyx well beyond what her status as a Saint would dictate, thanks to her sweeping reforms, her purge of the nobles that exploited the lower and middle classes to the bone and her efforts to make sure everyone can benefit from her rule.

* ExtremelyShortTimespan: While the arc about preparing for Operation Caribbean takes seven years, the actual operation only lasts one hundred hours plus travel time. The Commorragh arc, which starts immediately after Caribbean ends, also lasts about one hundred hours. Two story arcs, the first of which leads to [[spoiler:the destruction of nearly a dozen pirate fleets, a partial alliance with the Necrons, the recovery of many pieces of technology and maps to several [=STCs=]]], and the second leading to the essential destruction of the [[spoiler:Dark Eldar empire, the looting of Commorragh and the destruction of ''Slaanesh'']], both significantly changing the future of the Imperium of Man, take place over the course of ''eight days''.

** [[spoiler:Theodora Gaius]] throws herself in the path of [[spoiler:Fulgrim]]'s blades. Her armor is easily pierced and she is fatally wounded, but she is able to shield [[spoiler:Rogal Dorn]] and hold the blades still long enough for her fellow soldiers to disarm [[spoiler:Fulgrim]]. This will possibly also lead to the healing, and return, of Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman.

* CurseEscapeClause: [[spoiler:Malal]] inflicts a curse on [[spoiler:Lorgar]] that converts him into a Chaos Spawn and will soon do the same to all his Marines. The only way out for his followers is to forsake [[spoiler:Chaos Undivided]] and swear themselves to a single Chaos God.

* CurseEscapeClause: [[spoiler:Malal]] inflicts a curse on [[spoiler:Lorgar]] that converts him into a Chaos Spawn and will soon do the same to all his Marines. The only way out for his followers is to forsake [[spoiler:Chaos Undivided]] and swear themselves to a Chaos God.

** Commander Farsight's famous Dawn Blade is confirmed by the author to be one. Out of all the Swords of Vaul, this one provides the best psychic and mental protection for its wielder. Farsight is also unconsciously able to extend this aegis to his men. It's why the Farsight Enclaves haven't immediately collapsed into civil war without their Ethereals to keep them in line. However, the sword can only effectively be used to protect one T'au caste at all times (since Farsight is a warrior, this aegis is always focused on the Fire Caste).