Hello!

  Due to the growing size of these Story Notes and for easy review, you'll find a copy of this batch of updates below.

  I'll continue to add info from newly posted Royal Road chapters as I can.

  - Brian

  Herald of the Stars Table of Contents updates (Showing Marwolv Date if available):

  Aldrich Isengrund page updates:

  Alliances, Contracts, and Trade Deals page updates:

  Blessings and Castigations page updates:

  Ardent Bane information updated.

  Characters and Groups page updates:

  Discovered in a stasis chamber aboard the . At that time, he was just a nine-year-old Junior Navigator. He wears robes in the Rey'a'Nor grey and red with a blue sash with a sea-green buckle. A platinum, diamond-shaped ornament rests on his forehead, set with a large, black opal. (c0028)

  Until able to heal or control the mutations, Quanni returns to the stasis chamber in the chapel. (c0062)

  His skin has a grey hue, his arms and legs are thin and disproportionately large to his frame, making him three and a half metres tall. If I did not know it was him, I would not recognise Quaani as I did the first time I found him. (c0077)

  Cured of extreme Warp mutations in the ritual conducted by Aldrich and aided by E-SIM. (c0107-c0108)

  Reports on the Stellar Fleet Pathfinder Task Group mission. (c0152)

  Quaani gains the Liber Heresius as a wedding gift. (c0228)

  "The Liber Heresius is a guide on how to permanently weaken or slay every demon in existence, so long as you know their true name. It has their names too, if you dare to compete for them. This includes the four major gods. Once the book is bound to a person, only they can read it, and when they die, they will, in turn, be bound to the book. One can break this curse by hunting down the other eight copies and slaying the person who commands the Liber Heresius. Doing so will directly increase the survivor's power and absorb the extra copy. Should one complete this quest, they will be given a choice. To reach apotheosis and become a new god, or to destroy the book, lose all the power and knowledge they have gained, and become mortal once again. To fail is to be bound to the book, even if all you do is lock it away and wait for old age to kill you. Your Soul and knowledge are added to the book to fuel the growth of those who come after you." (c0229)

  Quaani is freed from the Liber Heresius. (c0229 - c0230)

  " Only Navigators can withstand his presence now." (c0250)

  Quaani's voidskin has turned purple, and his artificial hair has been replaced with electric blue feathers. His warding electoos are obvious against his skin, constantly glowing with a blue-white light. The nictitating membranes covering his three eyes are still present, as are his longer fingers and thumbs with their extra joint. The mutations, while odd, are within the bounds of Navigator's expected debilitations. That they warped his voidskin and thermoregulation hair, and returned him to an organic state, is concerning. The electros are organic as well. Most notable, however, is the aura constantly blasting from his third eye. Within my Warp sight, his aura is a mass of golden threads that look like the end of a frayed rope. They are spread throughout the chapel and constantly try to jab their way into my head, only to be rebuffed. (c0250)

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  E-SIM page updates:

  Tools do not directly improve my body, meaning that they are not beholden to the Arcanotech Soul Burden that all my other implants are. The environmental suit isn't even Arcanotech, but it still costs me souls.

  The more souls I consume, the more souls I need to improve myself to the next limit, increasing the cost of my implants. When I spend souls on implants from E-SIM, I'm not actually spending souls. I am documenting my achievements.

  This acts as a gatekeeper to my own improvement, so that I do not install more arcanotech than my body can support. It also fulfils the philosophical requirements of the Enlightened Self-Interest Module, which states that everything must be earned to prove one's capability and responsibility. One does not appreciate power if it is handed to them; thus, such individuals are more likely to misuse it. That would be a disaster, given the amount of power that E-SIM offers.

  Yet here I am, consuming souls, increasing my arcanotech limit, but then not spending that increased limit on more implants, while the cost of my implants increases anyway. That means each object I purchase from External Tools is a permanent debuff.

  Bugger. (c0172)

  The resurrection serum and the hacking tool must require a material or manufacturing method that a standard STC can't provide. The only thing left is soul energy.

  " Given the Emperor's hypothesised reluctance to use more serums, those items could inflict a smaller debuff than an STC, but still create enough of one that demanding too many would cripple my progress. Crippling my progress could lock the Emperor out of the path or task he needs me to take, as this theoretical path requires a large amount of personal power.

  Alternatively, the serums and hacking tool use all the required soul energy during construction, shrinking my capacity and thus leaving no debuff at all. That would imply that sticking bits of my Soul inside other people to resurrect them has consequences the Emperor will not accept except in the most dire of circumstances. I don't believe he can remove that influence, but I would bet it would be expensive. Seeing bits of my Soul burn at the Astronomicon suggests that miracles also shrink my Soul and don't incur a permanent debuff for each one.

  " Unfortunately, I have no way of proving any of these theories without finding a way to observe and measure the size of my own Soul. If I could, I would measure how my Soul improves as I consume other souls to understand what the numbers you present me actually mean. Then I could buy a serum and see how my Soul changes while you manufacture it."

  ++You need to purchase another navigator module if you want to observe your own Soul rather than just others.' ++ (c0172)

  My awareness blooms, and I immediately notice two new functions. First, I now see the Materium and Immaterium at all times, simultaneously, without having to focus on my third eye. (c0324)

  Second, the Materium has taken on a dream-like quality. There is an underlying instinct that all I see are waves, moving through a vacuum. Reality feels fragile, and seeing so much at once requires two minds to process. (c0324)

  My new upgrade is not easy to adjust to, and it has drastically increased the time I have to spend at maximum acceleration to get all my work done. I dislike doing this as it is terribly lonely, even for someone with my emotional disability. It also messes with my sense of time, forcing me to live by a strict schedule so I do not lose track of what I am supposed to be doing, unlike those living at a much slower pace. (c0325)

  I have also noticed a significant increase in my ease of comprehension and recall. I don't quite have technopathy like Alpia does. I do have the next best thing; I no longer have to rely on my implants to decipher the purpose of a component or device. I need but look and touch, and I will know, my brain flashing through all the relevant details without prompting. With my extensive knowledge base, I have yet to come across science beyond my intellect. In addition, my mind is constantly creating new links between different disciplines, deepening my understanding of the Materium and Immaterium. What was once a challenge for me has been rendered effortless. (c0325)

  I am used to being the most knowledgeable person in the room, and I am self-aware enough to know that this has made me prideful. It is pride that has led me to my most self-destructive decisions, and I am wary of what being the smartest person in the room will bring. So far, it has been an exercise in frustration. (c0325)

  Before Hyper Intelligence, I had to perceive time differently from others to give myself more time to think. It made me look smart, and I felt good about working through motivations and decisions at my own pace. (c0325)

  Now, combined with my Navigator and Psyker Powers and my implants, listening to people is more like watching a holodrama that I've seen multiple times. I already know exactly what they are going to say, and I am forever waiting for the Materium to catch up to me. (c0325)

  I even wrote a sub-routine that analyses all my actions, social interactions, and decisions to ensure I remain patient and polite. I am constantly driven to seek intellectual stimulation, absorb knowledge, run scenarios, and work on puzzles. Falling asleep naturally has become impossible. Every moment is spent in a constant state of hyper focus that leaves me stressed more often than not. (c0325)

  I find it most concerning that I can absolutely see how everyone else whom we experimented on with Hyper Intelligence ended up narcissistic, cocky arseholes. It's the first upgrade I regret taking, yet it is far too useful to discard. (c0325)

  Taking refuge within my own Soul is my only respite, and if I could not do so, I know that I would be joining my research subjects in their madness. I may have said otherwise to Brigid and Alpia upon waking, but now I know better. This time, I was even wise enough to share my thoughts with my family. We are all hoping that I will learn to adjust with enough time and practice. The brain is a remarkable organ, and I remain confident that no problem is insurmountable. (c0325)

  Fleet Information page updates:

  Haddon Defensive Fleet

  Stars, Planets, and Stations page updates:

  STC Library page updates:

  Void Ships by Name

  Void Ships by Type

  Miscalaneous updates:

  Readers: Is there anything you want added?

  Source Chapter: “(c9999)”

  Please leave a review, share your thoughts in a comment, or send me a note with any suggestions you may have.

  Thank you,

  Brian