Name: Ak’kana Wro’teklan, the Great Devourer.

Gender: Male.

Homeworld:

Ag’itsi (local language. Translates to High Gothic roughly as Mother)

When rediscovered by the Great Crusade, the Administratum classified it as a potential Garden or Agri World due to initial data from early scans showing lush vegetation, fertile oceans, and abundant local fauna. A lack of dangerous atmospheric conditions made Ag’itsi appear to be idyllic. The world was immediately reclassified as a Death World after vox-transmissions of survey teams reached Imperial offcios.

Ag’itsi is lush world, containing several continents separated by clean, fertile oceans. The continents themselves are a mix of towering mountain ranges, wide open grasslands, and dense primordial forests and jungles. The climate mimics old Terra, with extreme northern and southern latitudes brining deadly cold while the center of the world receives the bulk of sunlight and can reach unpleasantly high temperatures. The world itself sits in the perfect orbit around its star to maintain life and keep atmospheric conditions mild in comparison to other Imperial worlds. What makes Ag’itsi so inhospitable to human life is not the planet itself, but the creatures that call it home.

On Ag’itsi mankind is the bottom of the food chain. Every biome is home to towering megafauna, monstrous apex predators, carnivorous plants, and worse besides. There are few things on Ag’itsi that cannot overcome an Imperial outpost, seeing the arrival of colonists as little more than an opportunity to feed. During the Dark Age of Technology mankind managed to secure a foothold, seduced by the natural wealth the world offered. The technology of the colonists managed to keep the locals safe for a time, but creatures adapt, machines wither, and during the Age of Strife the former settlements were eventually broken apart and lived a daily struggle to survive.

But survive they did. The tenacity of mankind would not be broken, and tribes formed and thrived among the beasts. Only the strongest and most cunning could survive in the wilds of Ag’itsi. It was among one of the smallest of these tribes that eventually discovered the fledging Primarch of the I Legion. While out on a hunt, warriors of the Wro’teklan found what appeared to be a child, caked in mud and carrying a spear crafted from the bones of predators. The look in the boys eyes unnerved the veteran hunters, but the fact that this young boy had survived in the wilds of Ag’itsi alone filled them with both dread and awe.

Unlike other worlds discovered by the Great Crusade, Ag’itsi remains untouched. By order of the Primarch the Mechanicum and Administratum were denied the planet. All other planets in the solar system could be theirs, but Ag’itsi would be preserved exactly as it was. Ak’kana knew that the strength of his people came from that planet, from the constant struggle to survive against nature. He would not allow the grinding infrastructure of the Imperium to destroy that which had forged him into who he was. Orbital fortresses were created to house the serfs and administration of the Legion, and the knowledge of the Imperium remains a mystery to the denizens of Ag’itsi. They live on the planet as they always have, the only change being that occasionally great warriors and hunters among them are taken to be among the stars. It is seen as both a great honor and a tragedy, as the loss of such strength weakens a tribe but provides room for others to shoulder the mantle.

Appearance: Ak’kana stands at about 12 feet tall, broad shouldered and heavily muscled like the ancient divine heroes of Terran myth. He exemplifies every bit of perfection that the Emperor imbued within his gene-seed. His skin is the deep tanned color of uncured clay, his black hair worn long but often tied or braided behind his neck in the traditional way of peoples on his homeworld. His chiseled jaw is clean shaven, aquiline nose and cheekbones giving his face an angular, hawkish appearance. A heavy brow arches over eyes that are shockingly green in color, a defining characteristic among the generally dark-eyed people of Ag’itsi. While huge and well-muscled, he moves with grace and agility that belies his imposing physique.

Ak’kanas’ battleplate is a more form fitting suit of Artificer armor than that of the standard Astartes warrior. His is the same pale ivory of his Legion, and Ak’kana has personally adorned his suit with ancient markings and trophies. Each decoration tells the story of a challenge the Primarch has overcome his life and the span of the Great Crusade. He does not gild his armor out of ostentation or pride like some of his siblings. Ak’kana decorates his armor to display to his enemies exactly who they have chosen to oppose. His amor informs his enemies that they face Ak’kana, Master of the First Legion, the Great Devourer of Ag’itsi and the ruin of those that stand in the path of the Emperor of Mankind.

Ak’kanas’ personal wargear is similarly lacking in flair. His weapons are tools rather than objects of reverence. He carries a matching set of power weapons, a straight handled ax with a hooked beard and poll spike, and a single edged knife the length of his forearm. The blades of each are flawless, honed to a monomolecular edge, and the hilts are made of bone from an indigenous predator of Ag’itsi wrapped in leather. While they appear plain, incorporated into the hilt of each is a psychoactive wafer attuned to his psychic imprint. No one other than the Primarch himself can hold the power blades, and Ak’kana can have the weapons return to his grip at will.

While he favors direct, personal confrontations over ranged combat, Ak’kana has one unique weapon integrated into his armor. Along the jawline of his helm are twin psychoreactive ranged weapons that his Legion refers to as “the Primarch’s Fangs,” which fire a powerful short ranged energy blast capable of melting through flesh and armor alike.

Personality: While some of his siblings react with passion and fire, Ak’kana is reserved. When first entering a room, he does not loudly announce his presence or boast, he observes and drinks in his surroundings. He choses his words carefully, weighing options, threats, and opportunities. He favors actions over words, and the platitudes of politics bore him. Some of his siblings are grand strategists, clever diplomats, and empire builders. Ak’kana is none of those things. He is a peerless hunter, a duelist, a champion of champions. But above all he is a survivor. Born in the fatal wilds, he fought with tooth and nail for his place. Even when taking command of his Legion, he was presented with a force that appeared doomed from its inception. In all challenges he has asserted his dominance, and he views all threats as a challenge to that. While he is loyal to the Emperor and the Great Crusade, Ak’kana’s true heart lies with his people. Both his Legion, the people of Ag’itsi. Threats to his people are taken with dire severity, and the claws of the I Legion are quickly unleashed.

Skills: Ak’kana is a hunter and a peerless duelist. He favors direct and efficient confrontation, quickly evaluating a battle and finding the lynchpins that are holding the enemies resolve together. Those are the places where the Primarch is, assassinating key leaders or destroying strong points that shatter the enemy’s willpower to continue the fight. Ak’kana takes pride in challenging the strongest champions of every world he has brought to compliance. In one-on-one combat he has bested them all, and the list of xenos, monstrosities, and men he has slain grows with every world the I Legion brings to the Imperium.

Ak’kana is a master of stealth warfare, one-on-one combat, lightning strikes, sabotage, and shock assaults. He applies the precise amount of force to neutralize a target. No wasted energy or resources, he simply identifies threats to himself and his Legion and removes them. He finds what gives his enemies strength and denies them that. He leaves diplomacy, plodding campaigns, and protracted sieges to the Imperial Army and other Legions. Ak’kana goes for the throat and leaves the rest for others to clean up.

Assignment Grade: Theta.

Ak’kana does not possess the psychic might that many other Primarchs have. He has three primary abilities that developed early for him.

Ghostwalk: Ak’kana has the ability to psychically manipulate those around him in order to mentally block out his own presence. Physically he is still there, but as far as those he chooses to can tell the Primarch is invisible.

Murdersight: A subconsciously manifested ability, Ak’kana will occasionally get flashes during combat of a psychic overlay that exposes the vital organs and weak points of his opponent. It is as if the layers of armor, skin, and bone are peeled away and the precise location for his blades to end a fight cleanly are revealed.

Community: Ak’kanas’ final power is a constant connection to every member of the Apex Predators. This is an ability that has been inherited among all Legionnaires of the I Legion, and it is what makes them so effective in the independent, small team-oriented style of war they excel in. Every member is linked to the other, capable of getting an imprint on the feelings and thoughts of another Astartes. While similar to another psyker reaching out to skim the minds of those around them, this unique trait of the Apex Predators is a permanent two-way street. It connects them and binds them together to be more than a simple shared gene seed.

Biography: When the gestation capsule of the Primarch of the was finally released from the Warp it found itself crashing down through the mile-high canopy of a temperate forest. The pods seals hissed and cracked, and the young Primarch of the I Legion stepped alone into the primordial nightmare world of Ag’itsi. No one knows how long the he survived in the wilds on his own. Even among the closest members of his Legion Ak’kana has not divulged this portion of his life. Perhaps he himself does not even know, or the memories of what he had to do for survival are too painful even for him.

He was discovered by a group of hunters, naked save for caked mud and a spear crafted from wood and bone. He approached the hunting party boldly instinctively recognizing that these men were different from the infinite dangers he had overcome thus far. The boy appeared human, but his presence filled the veteran warriors with abject horror. The simple fact that a child had lived where countless others had become prey was enough to debate killing the boy on the spot and leaving his carcass for scavengers. The look in the boys’ eyes destroyed what willpower they had left, and instead the hunters brought the Primarch back to their tribe to consult the elders. Ak’kana eventually came to learn that this was one of the smallest tribes of Ag’itsi known as the Wro’teklan. He was brought before the elders who sealed themselves in the tribe’s central lodge with the boy for 3 days. When the tent flap was finally peeled back, the elders presented the rest of the tribe with their newest member. He was given the name Ak’kana, the Great Devourer, a mythological creature who stalks the spirit world devouring the souls of the dead.

Ak’kana quickly rose to prominence within his tribe. He was a fearless hunter, the only warrior who traveled alone into the forests and mountains of Ag’itsi and came back alive. When rival tribes threatened Wro’teklan territory or resources he would conduct raids singlehanded, driving back their warriors. He would fell the greatest beasts, supplying meat, bones, and fur to his people. As he grew older, his tribe thrived, growing to encompass others as they saw the prosperity of the Wro’teklan. Despite his obvious air of authority and power, Ak’kana never took the mantle of leadership. The elders consistently would offer him a position at their circle, even asking that he take on sole leadership of the tribe and carry them to greatness. He always refused. Ak’kana was a warrior, and a killer. He had no desire to forge empires and conquer the world. He provided and protected his people, but he did so on the edge of a blade rather than behind words. While word spread of this warrior and hunter who was rising as a mythological figure in their culture, Ak’kana made no efforts to conquer his planet. He was content to simply be the most feared creature in the wilds. Conquest was not needed, as tales of his deeds alone were enough. Over time the tribes flocked to him, sending emissaries to Wro’teklan elders, asking for peace and trade. Some stayed opposed, fearing the growing power of the Wro’teklan and desiring their independence. It made no difference to Ak’kana. War and peace were common, and the shifting territories and diplomacy of the tribes was just another facet of nature.

When the Great Crusade rediscovered Ag’itsi, the Emperor presented Ak’kana with his Legion. The Primarch of the I Legion looked upon the shattered remnants of his warriors and felt the weight of inevitability on their hearts. They were a dying Legion, losing a war of attrition as every new campaign left more dead that could never be replaced. He saw in them the same heart he saw in the peoples of Ag’itsti: doomed against the odds, facing immeasurable opposition. He saw into their hearts and he knew that these Terran-born outsiders may look different but their hearts beat with the same fire as his own. Ak’kana ordered his Legion to disarm and dismantle. Their former names, accomplishments, and glories were destroyed. Companies and commanders ceased to exist. Ak’kana even ordered the erasure of the Legions former title from Imperial records. His last order was for the Legions aircraft to return to orbit, leaving behind only a small medicae to being the process of regrowing the Legion with the gene-stock of Ag’itsi. While native warriors were carefully selected as aspirants and handed over to the Legions Apothecaries, Ak’kana ordered the Terran Marines to assimilate into the tribes. He scattered them across the world, putting them on the same level as mortal men, and simply watched as these warriors either adopted the lifestyle of his people or perished in the wilds. He had no use for warriors who could not face the horrors of this planet with nothing more than stone and leather. While genetically superior in every way, these Legionaries were not of this planet. The strong became ever stronger, while the weak became prey. The already dwindling Legion shrank even further as their Primarch reforged his Legion in the image he demanded.

While the Terran warriors integrated with their Primarchs homeworld, Ak’kana began selecting his aspirants from among the tribes. He handpicked the most promising warriors and leaders from the indigenous youth, handing the young men over to the Apothecaries. Grim faced and expecting the worst, the Legions Apothecae began to integrate the geneseed into the new aspirants. Against all hopes, the results from each new batch of aspirants were an outstanding success. Fatality rates were the lowest recorded of any Legion, as if the DNA of Ag’itsi was created specifically to match with the geneseed of the I Legion. Despite the sudden change in fates, and the knowledge that his Legion would survive, growth was painfully slow. Ak’kana was harsh in his selections, accepting nothing but the best. Even after the reception of the geneseed aspirants were put through grueling trials, pitting them against every nightmare the planet had to offer. As the weak were culled, Ak’kana crafted his Legion, combining old Legionnaires with new, forming the first Circles that would become their lifeblood. Tribal loyalties were shattered, old commanders replaced, and new names earned and bestowed. They were no longer Terran born or native born. When the call finally came from the surface and the ships of the I Legion descended from the sky they came upon a Legion reborn. From the ashes of a doomed Legion came the birth of the Apex Predators, and they would force the galaxy to fear their name once more.

The Meeting:

“No.”

The figure seated in front of Ak’kana gave no reaction. The being, since the word “man” did not hold the accurate description in Ak’kana’s mind, leaned back and a shadow fell across his face. “No?” the being asked, the tone of his voice clearly illustrating that he was not accustomed to being denied.

“No,” Ak’kana repeated, stirring the fire that was between them with a stick. His ministrations unleashed a plume of embers and smoke, obscuring vision within the already sweltering tent even more. Both men were naked save for a loincloth, sweat making their bare skin shine. Ak’kana had never met someone who exceeded the aura of unquestionable authority and strength that he possessed. This being, this Emperor of Mankind, was unlike anything he had ever encountered, and when he arrived at the Wro’teklan camp just hours before Ak’kana knew instinctively that what was about to happen would change the fate of his people forever.

“You tell me I am one of twenty, a demigod crafted by you for the purpose of conquering the galaxy in your name, the name of Mankind. You tell me I am destined to lead a race of warriors so powerful that every creature will know their name means death. You ask me to take up this mantle of command and my place by your side on a Great Crusade across the stars. My answer is no.”

The Emperor did not speak for a time, simply staring across the flames at Ak’kana. His square jaw was set, eyes flashing with the reflection of the flicking fire. He held Ak’kanas gaze, and the Primarch felt something he had never felt before. A tingle in his spine, beginning at the base of his neck, crawling into his scalp. His heart beat pounded in his chest, and he began to have an intense urge to divert his eyes. For the first time in his life, he felt fear.

“Why?” A single word to break the silence. A demand, not a question.

The heat in the tent would have been unbearable for mortal men, but the Emperor and Ak’kana appeared not to notice. “You claim I have nineteen brothers and sisters, and that the people of this world are few among untold billions. You say that it is my destiny. I believe you. Your face does not lie. But you are also wrong.” Ak’kana paused, and the Emperors face remained impassive. He continued, “those siblings, the other Primarchs, they are not my people. The rest of the galaxy, choked with Mankind, are not my people. This,” he scooped up a fistful of earth from the ground, “this is my people. Ag’itsi, everything that walks its surface and breathes its air, are my people. It takes more than a shared creator.” He finished, the dirt falling between his fingers.

The Emperor remained silent. The fire crackled and spit. He let the silence stretch, never shifting his gaze away from Ak’kana. The one who denied him.

“This planet means that much to you,” he finally said, “that you would turn your back on your true purpose?” Ak’kana shook his head, “no, not my true purpose. My true purpose is here, protecting what is mine.” The Emperors eyes narrowed, the first sign he had made of annoyance since their conversation began. “Very well. Let me tell you that what waits beyond the stars, poised to devour your Ag’itsi. It makes the horrors of this world seem like playthings. You know nothing of this galaxy and its true dangers, and if you truly cared about the protection of your people, you would accept this offer and fulfill the purpose I created you for. By accomplishing my Great Crusade you secure the safety and prosperity of your people for eons untold. Refuse me,” the Emperor rose to his full height towering over the Primarch, “and your people will cease to exist even in the memory.” Ak’kana felt the weight of the Emperors’ words, his teeth clenched tight as he struggled to determine if this was a threat or a warning. He met the Emperors eyes. His face did not lie.

Ak’kana rose, still needing to tilt his head back to look at the Emperor of Mankind in the eye despite his massive bulk. He knew what he needed to do, and he felt something else for the first time in his life. He knew that he had lost.

“Very well. You make your point plain, my Emperor,” Ak'kana nearly choked out those last words. “Give me the warriors to do this task, and I will see it done.”

Legion Name: The Apex Predators (former name purged from Imperial records at request of the Primarch)

Legion Number: I

Legion Strength: Unknown, last reported Legion strength was 5,000. Legion is very secretive about the exact number of members and reports from the Legion serfs to the Imperial officials vary wildly by design.

Armor Appearance:



Armor color is bone. Individual Astartes are encouraged to decorate and modify their armor as they wish, and thus there is no uniform appearance to the members of the I Legion. Each warrior covers his armor in various trophies, markings, and personal items. Additionally, it is common practice to incorporate armor and wargear from fallen members into other Astartes arsenal. Thus, it is not uncommon for the members of the Apex Predators to wear a combination of different power armor marks, though due to the small number of Legionaries Mk IV and Mk V armor are most common.

Warcry: No official war cry. Individual warriors may have their own personal warcry, and mottos or battlecries may be shared by the members of a Circle.

Dramatis Personae: TBD

Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role: Small unit special operations: assassination, sabotage, ambushes, lightning raids, boarding actions and pinpoint shock assaults. The members of the Apex Predators excel in chaos of close-range combat, whether in melee or pointblank fire fights. They identify vital targets and launch precise kinetic operations to neutralize them, bringing an end to conflict swiftly and efficiently. Their way is to go for the kill, avoiding unnecessary casualties and waste of resources. The Apex Predators fight in a unique way that was developed by need rather than choice due to the diminished nature of the Legion upon the Primarchs discovery, and the traditional survivalist hunting cultures of Ag’itsi.

Warriors in the Apex Predators are given a large amount of latitude in the selection of their own wargear. Circle leaders may dictate specific members to adorn themselves with various equipment due to the mission requirements, but it is expected that each Astartes outfit himself with the armaments that he favors and can accomplish the mission. Each Circle operates as a distinct unit, given an operational area and a large degree of flexibility and autonomy. Due to the psychic bond that all Apex Predators share, Circles are always aware of the status of operations that adjacent Legionnaires are conducting.

Legion Characteristics/Ideology: When first reunited with their Primarch the Legion was vastly understrength, barely a few thousand remaining of the hundreds of thousands that had departed Terra. As the I Legion, they were formed and sent out into the galaxy ahead of all others, but there was an unknown flaw in their geneseed at the time of their inception. The initial creation of the first Astartes was flawless, and the Legion departed Terra at full strength. All attempts at the creation of reinforcements resulted in horrific failure, and after several attempts the Emperor’s genesmiths gave up. The I Legion would not receive additional manpower, and all Imperial officials began to write off the Legion as a failure. Their numbers were not replenished, and every campaign dwindled their numbers until they were a sliver of their former glory. The I Legion stood before their Primarch a weakened Legion, but he instantly saw them as his people, and they would not be forgotten or discarded. Ak’kana dismantled the Legion, stripping the Terran born warriors of armor and weapons and sending their ships back into orbit. He integrated them with the indigenous tribes, requiring that they fully assimilate into the ways of his homeworld. From the best hunters and warriors, he started to rebuild his Legion. The inclusion of the DNA from Ag’itsi grafted to the geneseed in a way that the Terran Legionnaires could not, and future efforts to create Space Marines from the planets genestock stock resulted in boundless success. For this reason, the Apex Predators do not recruit from other worlds, and their recovery remains slow.

The Apex Predators operate on a “Legion first, everyone else second” mentality. They will do what they need to survive and succeed, at the expense of those around them if necessary. It is not uncommon for them to leave Imperial Army units or even other Astartes Legions in harms way if it provides a clearer path to their own target or leave allies in the dark about their own plans. Ak’kana himself, while loyal to the Emperor and the Great Crusade, values his Legion and his homeworld more than the paltry concerns of conquest and expansion. Should Ag’itsi itself be threatened, or his Legion ordered to sacrifice itself for the good of the Imperium, Ak’kana would easily turn his back on others to protect what is his.

The Apex Predators are not organized in Chapters or Companies. They have but a single unit designation, known as a Circle. When aspirants are selected from Ag’itsi and become neophytes, they are formed into a Circle. Each Circle receives a numeric designation which is never repeated. Circles select a leader from among them based on merit, and that leader is not changed until his death. A Circle trains, fights, eats, and sleeps together. They become a single being, carefully attuned to the other members of their Circle. The Circle is the basis of all operations the Apex Predators conduct, with Circle leaders being given specific missions and areas of responsibility. Circle leaders are responsible for the supply of their mission, coordinating what supporting efforts may be needed by adjacent Circles. The Priamrch expect his warriors to be flexible and autonomous units that are capable of individual acts of valor that all combine to a decisive victory.

In memory of the dire beginnings of the Legion, Circles never receive new members. As Circle warriors die, they are not replaced, as doing so would upset the integrity of the unit. When a Circle is down to its last member, that warrior receives the title of D’waya, a word in the Ag’itsi language referring to a lone hunter. The D’waya become elite operatives or commanders, filling such roles common to Preators, Vigilators, and Moritats in other Legions. Those who show skill in leadership and battlefield logistics often are given responsibility of several Circles to coordinate and deconflict. Those D’waya whose skill at arms is legendary are left to their own devices, becoming elite solo killers who apply their deadly trade as they see fit. When that D’waya finally falls in battle the number of his Circle is retired permanently and all names of its members are inscribed in the Hall of Memories on the Legions orbital fortresses.

Relationships: TBD

Name: Strahlender Viktor

Gender: Male

Homeworld:
Sometime in the far, distant past Abenteuer was originally a tropical world. Humid, covered in vast and lush vegetation and inhabited by a large number of different mega fauna alien species that came in herbivore, carnivore and omnivore varieties. Originally it was settled in the hopes of turning it into a farming world, be it for planets or its animal population. This hope proved... unfounded. The soil proved ill suited for sustaining edible corps on a mass scale and the mega fauna was discovered to be uncooperative to domestication.

Despite these setbacks, Abentueuer's colonization continued. Rather then food production, it turned into a scientific hub as botanists and biologists from all over humanities worlds flocked to investigate what Abentueuer had to offer from its native life. It also proved to be a remarkable tourist destination for various big game hunters in the galaxy who were interested in the planet's mega fauna and the stories and trophies they could provide. It helped that a lot of them actually tasted pretty damn good when cooked.

When the Age of Strife struck and isolated the world, both scientist and big game hunter factions banded together for the sake of survival rather then fight a pointless war for dominance. After all, they were stuck there for the foreseeable future due to the rampaging warp storms, so they might as well get comfortable and make themselves at home.

Many years later in the modern day, about a third of Abentueuer's landmass has been converted into man made settlements and structures while the rest of the planet its flora covered self. One would think at first glance that this was a death world situation in which humanity had fought tooth and nail in order to claim what it had from the world but this is actually not true: Their scientific and hunter ancestors both had a deep respect for the natural world, even if for different reasons. As such, they largely invested their time and resources into developing and making use of 'green tech' in order to preserve as much of the world of Abentueuer as possible while allowing themselves to have comfortable lives.

Even if they are no longer bound to the resources of Abentueuer, its people continue to show the same respect their ancestors did. After all, if you hunt all of a species to extinction then the next generation isn't going to be able to make hunting stories of their own.

Appearance:
Strahlender is a giant of a man at 14 feet tall. While he is incredibly physically strong, he is actually somewhat naturally chubby in both body and face. His hair is brown and kept short, while his mustache is generally kept prim and proper while the rest of his face is kept clean shaven with a few exceptions (namely, long term campaigns in which there is little time to break and stop fighting).

Strahlender's power armor was originally based on an early design for terminator armor, but like the rest of his legion it has been combined with the designs of Abentueuer's 'Knight Armor' in order to maintain the same functionality and purpose, but have that familiar feel of home. The primary difference between Strahlender's personal armor and that of any of his legionaries is that of scale, since he tends to tower over them.

Personality:
Strahlender is a jolly, polite and honorable man who desires to travel the universe in the name of adventure, witness the wonders that it holds and collect and share stories of it. A moral man, it isn't strange for him to feel honor bound to defending those who cannot fight back or refusing to engage those who clearly aren't fighters. It is actually rather difficult to incite his ire with insults or aggression, but cruelty and indifference to the suffering of others will rile up a response. Never afraid to lead the charge into battle, but willing to ask himself if the battle needs to be fought before jumping in.

While he is very much onboard with the grand quest of uniting humanity from all across the stars, Strahlender is one of the Primarchs that doesn't judge others for their species and has no ill intent towards xenos races solely because of them being xenos. For him, they are just another interesting part of the universe and more reason to explore it. That being said, the actions of these species can quickly result in Strahlender making it a personal mission to wipe their breed of evil from the universe but even then he'll still be prone to sparing civilians in the event that the species in question understands the concept of non-combatants.

Orks are an interesting species in that Strahlender doesn't hate them. In fact he honestly enjoys fighting them! The savage greenskins always make an for epic tale of battle and glory on the battlefield and their actions against humanity, while horrible and clearly needing to be stopped, actually lack the malice intent that normally incites his ire. Granted their are individual orks who trigger it by being sadistic bastards, but Strahlender cannot help but feel that the greenskin's vile actions off the battlefield are caused by the fact that to them, there is no concept of a place that isn't a battlefield. To them the Orks aren't butchering civilians, they are merely fighting the poorly equipped and trained dregs of an enemy force. They clearly have to be purged to make a safer universe of course, but at least the fighting will be interesting until their final days.

Prone to festivities, drinks that have been designed to be strong enough for the legionaries to be able to enjoy and the collecting and telling of stories, Strahlender has a charisma about him that makes people see the universe the way that he does; To want to be apart of a universe where adventure is possible and that the honorable are remembered for their deeds for eons to come.

Skills:
Leader of Men:
Strahlender is a strong, charismatic man who fundamentally feels that humanity doesn't need to be driven like sheep, but led. He will never ask someone to do what he is unwilling to do himself and if battle must be fought, he will always be among the first leading the charge. These convictions bleed over into his words and actions and inspire loyalty and a desire to follow him on his cause and to do the best that they can in its name.

Weaponsmaster:
Strahlender makes use of a number of different weapons, depending on the battle in question he is about to fight. He knows how to use all of them at a inhuman, master level.

Strength of Conviction:
Strahlender is an honorable knight who follows his own code of chivalry and glory. He will follow this code of honor above the laws of men and Emperor. There is no force in this universe that would make him deviate or abandon it, consequences be damned.

Science Nerd:
Despite being a adventuring knight with a code of honor and a desire for glory, Strahlender is rather intelligent and highly educated in various fields of science and technology.

Assignment Grade:
Kappa

Strahlender really doesn't have much in the way of psychic ability, nor has he ever tapped into it before. Maybe one day he might sit down and actually explore this side of himself but for the time being he has better things to do.

Biography:
No one knows the details of Strahlender Viktor's early life apart from Strahlender himself and he doesn't speak of them. While many might find such a thing odd, the people of Abentueuer understand that Stranhlender is embodying the knightly virtue of demut: Humility. While the knights of Abentueruer and later the 14th legion have a practice of telling heroic tales of their exploits, it is considered highly improper to tell the stories of ones own achievements; Abentueruer knightly tales are designed so that the group in question will all take their part telling the story, enshrining the virtues and achievements of their comrades and allies rather then their own.

What is known is that one night, lucky residents of Abentueuer looked up into the sky and witnessed what appeared to be a shooting star. Those of a more astronomy bent even calculated the trajectory and found that it's course found it crashing into a section of their homeworld far from civilization and generally home to some of the more aggressive predators on Abentueuer.

For the most part this was just viewed as an interesting tidbit of information. Something to talk about with friends or coworkers but not really an earth shattering event... despite the fact that the point of impact likely suffered its share of earth shattering because of it. With one exception.

A group of young knights, who were planning an expedition into that region anyway in order to prove themselves and earn some stories and glory, not only saw the falling star as a good omen for the hunt but also decided to make finding and collecting it an objective in its own right. They were going there anyway, might as well make the adventure all the more interesting by seeking out a hunk of star metal that crashed down.

The adventure of this group of young knights was an epic tale in its own right filled with heroism, comradery among brothers and sisters in arms and tales of combat deserving of song, but when they reached their destination the story encountered a twist that would make it the foundation of legend. It took them over a year and a half in order to reach the area of their quest and their search for the 'fallen star' proved surprisingly easy. It was hard to miss the pod in the middle of a boneyard of various animals of the region.

While one would have thought those bones were caused by the impact itself, that idea was quickly disbanded due to the the fact that some of the dead were fresh and had clear signs of having their flesh and meat cut off... alongside the small boy that was sitting by a campfire by a leanto made of a mixture of bone, leather, wood and other plant materials. This seemingly six year old boy, wearing makeshift hide clothing and cooking a stew with a hand made stone pot with stone and wooden tools carefully placed around a camp in the middle of one of the most dangerous regions on the planet, looked up at the arriving knights and tilted his head in curiosity for a moment before beckoning them over to join him.

What followed was a surreal meal. The child didn't seem to understand the knights at first, but was a remarkably quick learner and before the stew was ready to be served up they had clearly learned enough to at least be able to understand what was being said... or at least the underlying intention behind the words. In return he didn't speak because the knights suspected he didn't know how, but the boy proved to be very good at charades when it came to imparting meaning of his own, even if it wasn't as detailed as he might have wanted it to be.

At any rate, after some discussion and a day or two at this camp site, everyone agreed to head back to civilization and to take the pod with them. Considering how long the journey back was, the young boy would spend a lot of time with the band of knights. Within the first month he was able to fluently speak to them. With six months he had gone from a remarkably effective but brutish method of fighting which had been developed to survive out in the wilds to the fourth best fighter of the band of knights, despite the fact that he was still much smaller then they were. By the end of the year he was not only grown into the body of a teenager, but he had taken the undisputed title of the best duelist of the group.

By the time they had returned to civilization, the leader of the young band of knights Herrliche Tapferkeit had unofficially adopted the strange boy from the stars as family and gave him the name of Strahlender Viktor before personally vouching for him to undergo official training for knighthood. This was largely just a formality, since by this point Strahlender was more skilled at combat then most veteran knights and the band had done a solid job of teaching him the various codes, oaths and ideologies of being a knight, but as they were willing to admit that while they were officially recognized as full knights there were better, more experienced teachers. Everyone agreed that Strahlender's time with the band (and the time alone before that) counted as far as proving himself a full knight via questing was concerned.

Unsurprisingly Strahlender officially became a full knight of the order within record time, through he credited the achievement largely to his friends and family in arms for giving him a solid education to work from. Rather then go on a quest like most newly minted knights did, he instead turned his focus towards the scientific.

The scientific community on Abentueuer was still active after all this time, through one might have found it was heavily slanted towards certain fields; While the planet had originally served as a hub for science research, it had largely been focused on researching plants, animals and biological factors of the planet. Cut off via the Age of Strife, this resulted in having limited resources on other fields... if they had resources at all. As such, much had to be developed from scratch. In all fairness they had done a remarkable job of retaining what they had while expanding their knowledge base from practically nothing in a lot of cases over the length of the Long Night.

Strahlender taking part in the scientific community took the hard work of all those who came before and accelerated it beyond their wildest dreams. Optimistic estimates had placed the first maned mission into space as Abentueuer's first step to reclaiming their spot in the stars between 40 and 60 years. Because of Strahlender, they were able to land a manned craft on the planets moon and return within 3. 2 years after the first trip, a colony had been established as probes and satellites were sent out as plans to visit the rest of the system were being made before a Rogue Trader detected one of the probes and followed it back to its source.

The visit proved rather beneficial for both parties, with the Rogue Trader finding a pretty good world with a respectable human population open to joining the Imperium and picking up a fighting force of the planets knights in the process because they wanted to go on an adventure to see the stars and Abentueuer in turn was brought to the attention of the Imperium... and quickly drawing the personal eye of the Emperor himself after the Rogue Trader met the giant science knight that had pushed the planet to take to the stars so quickly and flagged him as a possible Primarch.

The Emperor arrived soon afterwards and quickly confirmed this and welcomed his lost son to the Imperial fold, as well as putting him in charge of Abentueuer. Strahlender in turn decided that the local government had been doing a pretty good job of things as it was and more or less empowered them to continue doing what they were doing as he went with the Emperor to study and learn from the best that the Imperium had to offer before he took control of his legion.

When Strahlender learned about the 14th and their brutal but effective nature which reminded him very much about how he once was, he sat at the top of a staircase that led to a training field that was used by the elite forces of the Emperor's personal guard and pondered deeply for eleven hours and twenty three minutes. When one servant of the Imperial Palace asked Strahlender if he was alright, Strahlender was rather jolly in his response as he answered 'Oh, yes. I was just pondering how to turn my poor lost children away from the savagery that they have had to use to survive and remake them to be paragons of ideals they were meant to be. Some might consider that an impossible task, but the more impossible the task, the greater the tale when it is achieved!'

The solution that Strahlender came up with was to reorganize his legion from the ground up. This would take time, since it would require getting legionary production from Abentueuer's knightly stock up and running in record time, but it was manageable. Rather then sending new recruits to reinforce the existing legion structure, he instead called the various task forces of the 14th to Abentueuer one at a time in order to break them up in implant them into the new task forces. Officially this was a 'Veterans teaching the rookies' kind of scheme in regards to combat on the galactic stage, but Strahlender made sure that in whatever force they were apart of, the Terrans would be in the minority. Nor where they the highest ranking authorities.

This created an interesting environment where the Terran's hard one experience and knowledge was valued due to the fact that a number of foes that would be encountered upon the Great Quest to unite Humanity were completely devoid of honor or just complete bastards and these lessons would prove vital to many of the Abentueuer marines going forward, but the overwhelming Abentueuer culture would encourage the Terran marines to become their better selves and follow the example of their Primarch. This wasn't a perfect system, for more then one Terran marine rejected the possibility of becoming something better then a savage brute in tactics or ideals. Since these often proved to be the most monstrous and sadistic of people who reveled in the atrocities they committed, they would usually be executed via being killed in an honorable duel with Strahlender without anyone missing them. With one exception.

Sergent Metzger, when challenged to a duel by Strahlender due to his inhumane, dishonorable and cruel actions on the field of battle, murdered two of his former squad mates and tried to hijack a thunderhawk to flee. Strahlender subdued Metzger, but took him alive and dragged the murderous traitor back to his flagship. That was the last time anyone saw Metzger alive and while there are numerous theories ranging from throwing Metzger into a plasma reactor to dangling him outside of the ship via a cable and then entering the warp, if asked Strahlender will insist that Metzger is very much alive and will remain as such for the foreseeable future.

The Meeting:
Abentueuer had been expecting a proper Imperial delegation to further cement the diplomacy that Rogue Trader Roberts had started. In a manner of speaking, they got more then they bargained for when it arrived.

Strahlender had donned his armor and stood at attention in the ranks of the other high ranked knights as part of Abentueuer's diplomatic welcome. His choice of position at the end of the line put him right next to the science representatives, physically making him the link that overlapped both fields and honoring his achievements in both. He had not been expected to speak during the welcoming ceremony; There would be a chance to have conversations with the Imperials later, but despite all his achievements earning him the honor of being apart of the welcoming party, he was not of a position of authority to speak for Abentueuer to a foreign power openly.

There was something about the Imperial landing craft through that drew his attention to it, even before he had been able to see it up in the sky. Granted, the transport itself was a sight to behold; The amount of light from Abentueuer's sun that was reflecting off of it was almost blinding, as if a second, smaller star was descending. Only once the craft had properly landed that the reason for the sheen was the amount of gold that seemed to be covering the whole thing, carefully crafted to look artistic and impressive instead of gaudy like the Rogue Trader's own personal transport had appeared with its decorations.

As the landing ramp lowered and the figure strode forth, Strahlender stared at the Emperor of Mankind; There was simply no way that the shining, gold covered figure before him could be anyone else. Someone who, despite having never seen them before... he felt a deep connection to that he couldn't explain right away. As the speaking members of the delegation went forward in order to great this guest to their world, the figure... ignored them. Walked right passed them as if they weren't there as he made his way with total authority right towards where Strahlender was standing. Their eyes met, despite the fact that his head was covered by his helmet.

When the Emperor came to a stop in front of Strahlender, there was a moment of silence that hung between them. It surrounded the whole area, as all watched this breech of decorum with a mixture of shock, awe and confusion. Until at last, Strahlender was the first of the pair to speak. Despite how loud and proud his voice naturally was, the knight spoke with a gentle softness that might not have been heard if there had been any other noise at the time "Do not worry. We will talk soon enough. I'm not going anywhere. But we both have our duties and obligations and you're being awfully rude right now." before with a simple gesture beckoned towards those that the Emperor should have been speaking too right now.

For his part, Strahlender got to see the small look of surprise as the Emperor turned and seemed to notice the diplomats for the first time. There was another moment of silence before the Emperor offered a small, barely noticeably nod and turning in order to greet the representatives of Abentueuer.

The two would talk later and the discussion would prove enlightening in many ways. In fact, the fact that the Emperor of Mankind had, for a brief moment, forgotten himself and his duties as Emperor due to finding one of his long lost children after an accident separated them while Strahlender was a baby many years ago not only excused his slip in protocol, but ended up wiping away any lingering doubts of the Abentueuer people swearing their loyalty to him and his Imperium. Once Abentueuer had officially joined the Imperium, Strahlender was proud to kneel and swear his services and loyalty to his lord, master and father and rose as a Primarch of the Imperium.

Legion Name:
The Honorbound (Stralender's rename)
Condemned Ravagers (Their former name)

Legion Number: XIV. The 14th.

Legion Strength:
93,000

Armour Appearance:
The standard suit of power armor for The Honorbound is the Mark III, with the Mark II and IV being assigned to its supportive units. The bulk of the armor plating is painted a light shade of grey, with the joints being being a darker shade of grey. The pauldrons are the only part of the armor that get touched by other colors, both of which are painted in heraldry.

The left pauldron is always painted in the coloration and symbol of the marine's original squad; The one they joined when they officially became a true legionnaire after proving themselves as an aspirant. There are some rather byzantine rules when it comes to the design of a squad heraldry and all new ones are checked against the record of heraldry before meeting approval. The left pauldron of the Honorbound will always bare the original heraldry, no matter what happens or what kind of career the marine in question leads. It will of course be touched up and redone, but it will always be the same imagery and coloration.

The right pauldron bares the heraldry of the marines current squad. Unlike the left pauldron, the right one is prone to change and will be repainted in the event that survivors of two or more squads need to be combined into a new squad. Generally, the 'new' squad will continue to bare the heraldry of one of the squads that made it up, normally decided by the number of marines from each squad and the biggest number winning: In the event of a tie, a new heraldry altogether is designed and submitted, normally taking aspects of all the former squad heraldry as inspiration.

Warcry:
"I am insert name here of insert planet of origin and you will feel my WRATH!"
"HAVE AT THEE!"

Dramatis Personae:
WIP

Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role:
The Condemned Ravagers and later The Honorbound both favored a straight up melee fight and both had a vary similar method of operation: They would select a location on the battlefield or some objective and and assault it in force, the front elements wearing the heaviest armor in order to tank enemy fire while charging to close the distance and start fighting while the lighter armored supporting units would provide covering fire, medical aid or mobilize to help in the event of changing circumstances such as a surprise enemy flanking attack.

The primary difference between the two was in the nature of their targets. The Condemned Ravagers tended to favor weak and poorly defended positions or just outright civilian targets altogether, since terror tactics to insight emotional responses among the enemy was part of their play book; Ideally, the longer the campaign lasted the more the enemy would fear, dread and hate the Ravagers to the point that it would compromise their ability to think and operate clearly, alongside dealing with the issues that the blows to the civilian infrastructure was causing.

The Honorbound will by their nature always aim for a military target, the stronger then better. Despite what their critics might say through, they're not stupid about this. They're not going to charge over a minefield if they can help it after all. While there is much honor and glory in fighting a strong opponent getting your comrades and brothers in arms killed in the process isn't ideal but in certain situations is grimly understandable if there are no other options; Getting them killed in a battle that didn't need to happen because you were a glory hungry idiot is a deep mark of shame and often personal guilt.

The Honorbound will actively seek to aid allied forces where they can. Their record and reputation for doing this is such that if the 14th cannot dispatch anything to answer a call for reinforcements or aid, the situation they are currently in is so intensive and dire that they physically cannot spare a single marine without risking defeat.

The Honorbound are also known for their views on civilian life. Namely, they will not harm or kill civilians unless there is literally no other option to take. This applies to enemy civilians; If an enemy civilian pulls a weapon, a Honorbound marine will actually try and subdue them and resort to killing only if lives are actually in danger. This applies to xenos civilians as well. Of course, this is dependent on the xenos race in question actually understanding the concept of civilians and not being horrible hive mind like monstrosities, but the Honorbound will invoke the EoT in order to protect a xeno civilian population of an area they have taken by force. Normally the 14th will have moved on to the next campaign before the ruling on if the species is accepted or failed EoT requirements is made.

Legion Characteristics/Ideology:
In the past, when the Legion was called the Condemned Ravagers, the 14th held a sinister reputation. They were the ones that the Emperor and the Imperium sent in when the target needed to be made a brutal example of and many of the old guard took a sadistic delight in the work that they did. They would recruit from the worst elements of humanity, often giving brutally violent criminals that under any other circumstances would have been condemned to die for their actions a chance to serve the Imperium in a manner more... suiting to their temperament and skills.

The Imperial Army hated working alongside them due to the Ravagers habit of using, abusing and discarding their solders in a heartbeat on mass if it meant achieving their objectives and ends. In pursuit of victory, any cost in lives was acceptable... not their own lives, of course but the cost of human solders was perfectly fine.

The arrival and take over of Primarch Viktor changed the 14th on a fundamental level. Instead of the worst in humanity, the legion strives to embody the best humanity has to offer. The practice of recruiting the scum of humanity was abandoned and those who refused to abandon the monstrous practices of the past despite the Primarch's efforts to reforge the 14th into a new legion were given the small mercy of an honorable death at the hands of their disappointed genesire; The one shred of honor they could call their own after a lifetime of vile, wicked deeds.

It took decades of time and effort, but the 14th managed to prove that the change in their character was real to the Imperium and the Imperial Army via their deeds and actions. It isn't strange for members of the Honorbound to take on small 'quests' of their own creation while stationed on a world or passing through a system that is dedicated to aiding or improving life in that area for the people living there. For younger marines who were recruited after the return of the Primarch, these quests are done purely out of a sense of adventure and a desire to improve the lives of others. For the older members, these quests often serve as a self imposed penance for their actions back when they were Ravagers.

Despite the change, there are places within the Imperium where the dark legacy of the 14th remains even after all these years. Systems that still remember what happened when the Condemned Ravagers were sent in to deal with the situation.

The 14th has an... interesting relationship with Xenos races in that they are not inherently xenophobic. This was true even back during the dark days of the Condemned Ravagers, as shocking as the idea might seem. They are not xenophiles either through. Rather equal in its treatment of humans and xenos alike, the 14th in both renditions has generally always dealt with either with the same mentally: If diplomacy can get reasonable results without having to spend resources or waste lives, great! If not, war it is.

Relationships:
The 14th has a... complicated history with the various branches of the Imperium. It's dark actions and reputation as the Condemned Ravagers linger still in some places for both the Imperial Army and the civilian administration of the Imperium have long memories, but in the modern day and after decades of hard work the deeds and actions of the Honorbound have largely banished most of the actions of the Ravagers to the pages of history. It's not strange for the average Imperial to mistake the Honorbound and the historical Condemned Ravagers as two completely different legions.

Of all the enemies the Imperium has faced, the Honorbound favor fighting Orks the best. This isn't because they hate the Orks in as much as they actually like fighting the bastards. They're fun! Make for some truly epic and sometimes funny stories!

Name:Shūguan of Jing, given name Huo

Gender: Nonbinary. Chromosomal sex is Female.

Homeworld: Penglai
Known in Imperial records as Mundus Planus, Penglai, according to fragmentary data, was one of many worlds in its local sectors that was part of a massive, concerted Terran colonization long before the Long Night. While many of its neighbors maintained a highly impressive level of technological advancement, such as the nearby Forgeworld of Thaxis or the Factory-world of Vossus, or even the packed-full Hiveworld of Thanadus, the people of Penglai regressed to the Gunpowder Age, relying on horse, steel armor, and black powder weapons for much of their warfighting, most of which was done between the ancient Jing Dynasty and the steppe riders of the less-habited parts of the planet. As the local sectors are increasingly secured and settled, Huo has begun the process of selection new names for each world of import, to better reflect the hypothesized origins of their colonists.

Its population was nonetheless enormous, at least for a world that could only just avoid being called Feudal, dotted with great cities, massive canals, and all other manner of wondrous construction. Although dominated in many places by open plains and great oceans, Penglai's terrain is, nonetheless, quite variable, similar in variety to ancient Terra itself.

Appearance: Truly, Huo is a sight to behold at an exact thirteen feet tall, the picture of androgynous beauty and tightly toned musculature clad in wheat-gold skin, bulkier than most of their AFAB sisters but more slender than their brothers, their entire body powerfully defined, sculpted almost like a marble statue - aside their relatively large breasts. Relatively slender lips sit on a fox-shaped face, deep brown eyes staring out from between thin, black brows, matching their loose, long hair, tied into a moderate topknot at the top. Two ‘legs’ of hair hang down in front of their shoulders, while another two bend back from these, joining up with the rest of their hair in the back.

Personality: In many ways similar to Malcador, Huo was practically engineered to be the penultimate administrator, calm and collected in even the most intensely stressful situations in ways that few mortals could hope to be. They are not cold, however, but rather gently warm, a calculating mind tempered by an almost parental warmth, alloyed with a keen awareness of the value of mortal beings and the respect which their servants and comrades deserve. Such is this warmth that on most occasions Huo can be found displaying a warm, incredibly gentle smile, showing no teeth but displaying their friendliness nonetheless.

It’s unsurprising, then, that Huo is a genius of statistics as befits a consummate master of logistics, supposedly able to track and organize the numbers of entire armies and even nations with their mind alone, though they lack the ability for artifice of some of their siblings.

As befits a well-rounded administrator, of course, they are skilled in many arts, too - from teamaking, to calligraphy, painting, and even a handful of instruments, Huo is practically an artist’s collective in themselves, befitting someone so beyond-mortal as a primarch, though their hobbies, of course, take the back-seat to their duties to their people.

Loyalty is, likewise, a trait that Huo exhibits in spades - loyalty not only to their ‘family’, their siblings and ‘father’, but to the Imperium and its people, viewing their work for the Imperium as a required uty in much the same way that a soldier can be said to have a duty to their commander. In other words, though Huo does hold a position of power, they believe that their position is earned only by their suitability for it and, therefore, if they were to become unfit, they would gladly give it up to someone more suitable, just as they readily delegate duties to capable mortals and Astartes within their own Legion.

Of course, even primarchs have secrets - and although Huo is no spy themselves, in their time as an Emperor, they learned to keep secrets - such as their mostly-distant fascination with the Aeldari, held within mental vaults from but the most absolutely trusted in their Legion.

Equipment:

Golden Dragon Crescent Blade: Easily the most legendary of weapons in Huo's armory, the Golden Dragon Crescent Blade is said to descend from one wielded long ago on terra by one of its greatest warriors, though its precise origin is unknown. Superficially similar to a glaive, the long, bladed polearm is in reality an incredibly powerful force-weapon, channeling its primarch's immense power into a point to make an already incredibly sharp weapon extremely deadly.

The blade itself is mounted on a long metal pole covered in red, wood-like lacquer carved into the shape of scaled, capped on both ends by intricately carved gold - toward the top, the maw of a dragon from which the blade emerges, and at the bottom, the tip of its tail. A smaller dragon emerges from the golden maw, carved into the surface of the blade, the mere touch of which can destroy the life force of its victim and burst their blood vessels, drenching it in blood. It is said that, in the heat of battle, the weapon has the appearance of a massive calligraphy brush, the blood of its enemies its ink.

The Gold-Vermillion Panoply: Though they may have once worn another armour, the Gold-Vermillion panoply was forged specifically for Huo’s use, one of the few suits of power armor capable of accommodating their extraordinarily agile fighting style. Despite being relatively slender, the Gold-Vermillion Panoply - so named for its colour scheme, gold accented by vermillion red. Despite its origin, however, the armour is made in imitation of the traditional style of her people - and the local sector, lamellar scale plating in the shape of tiny mountains laid over their chest, arms, thighs, and groin. Their tall helmet, topped with a high red tassel, slopes downward and over their neck in a similar pattern, helping to ensure that no joint can possibly remain weak. Their pauldrons, relatively small compared to most patterns of Imperial power armour, take on the shape of the flattened heads of lions, while the maw of a dragon forms the center ‘buckle’ of their belt.

Aside from it being designed specifically to accommodate Huo’s agile style, the panoply is specifically hardened against the weaponry utilized most by Huo’s legion, from incendiary devices to phosphex and meltas, allowing Huo to wade through the devastation creation by the advance of her Astartes with no fear for their own health. The armour additionally carries large banks of compressed Promethium fuel for the Black Dog Fire-Gauntlet, designed to self-eject in the event of a dangerous rupture or unwanted ignition, along with incredibly high-quality air filters to allow them to breathe safely in even the most polluted of environments.

Heaven-Shaking-Thunder Bombs: A stun bomb style designed to be wielded by a primarch, the Heaven-Shaking-Thunder bombs produce such intense noise and light that even the audio and light filters of power armor are inadequate, stunning nearly anyone that suffers a detonation, and permanently deafening and blinding most. Though rarely lethal, the bombs are, nonetheless, devastatingly useful in close combat, leaving all but the most resilient people insensate as their means of seeing and hearing the world are robbed from then, either permanently or only temporarily.

Black Dog Fire-Gauntlets: Designed to work in concert with the Gold-Vermillion panoply, the Black Dogs take the form of a tri-nozzle melta gauntlet nestled in the ornamental mouth of a Black Dog on each wrist. While technically similar to a melta-weapon, the unique design of the Black Dogs allows them to fire in a wide cone akin to a sweeping flame, designed for taking down large groups of armoured enemies, or an ‘ignition’ mode, which produces high heat and induces combustion, but is significantly less effective against armoured foes.

(REMOVE LATER) Legion was very dreadwing-esque prior to rediscovery of Huo, still retains this purpose of total war

Skills:

The Little Emperor: Perhaps Huo's greatest skill, above even their martial or psychic prowess, is their near-absolute mastery of civil service and logistics; their skill for the organizing of enormous armies across difficult campaigns in nearly any circumstance, even moreso with the aid of their carefully chosen advisors, both Astartes and human. Intricate, well-insulated systems of logistical supply stretch across their miniature Empire, ensuring that each world is given exactly what it needs, and on campaign, rations and ammunition are doled out in exactly the needed proportion, additional efficiency allowing for plenty of surplus to cushion unexpected pitfalls.

Where their knowledge is insufficient, they are more than happy to delegate duties to selected mortal and Astartes administrators, or, oftentimes, to their siblings - they will frequently request with the Daughters of Iron on matters of weapons development, for example, or the Imperial Star League on matters of fortification. In general, they are quite capable of negotiation and delegation, including as a highly competent diplomat - though there are, of course, few opportunities to practice the art of winning a war by never fighting it at all. In service of all this is perhaps matched perhaps only by Eiohsa, though they absolutely lack the skill for artifice of their sister, instead turning their calculations entirely toward administration, strategy, and logistics, and language.

Sage of Legions: Like many of their siblings, Huo is a powerful psyker, though just like them, their abilities take on a unique character of their own.

First and foremost, perhaps, is their ability to influence the weather - it is said that, during their time before the Yellow-Gold Emperor's arrival, they would trap opponent armies into crossing ancient riverbeds only to drown them under torrential rains, or that they can even transform a cool, breezy day into a searing sirocco capable of cutting steel with a mere thought. These abilities, of course, have limited usefulness against many enemies they would face in this new millennium, but they nonetheless hold utility for manipulating the battlefield itself and hindering enemy logistics. There is some utility to their ability in void combat, allowing them to generate localized geomagnetic storms and other weather-like phenomena.

Second, while no sorcerer-queen, Huo shows some impressive ability for pyromancy, both in manipulating the flames they create and conjuring them from thin air. Whether utilized to burn out the crew of a tank or even to cauterize and heal wounds, Huo’s mastery of fire and potential for raw destruction is nearly outmatched...

Aside from their ‘family’, a handful of xenos, and, perhaps, the Sigillite himself.

Additionally, Huo is unusually resistant to psychic power themselves, though not entirely immune - and dedicates a not-insignificant portion of their psychic ability to this role, hardening herself against and unbinding the predations of the Warp. There are, however, relatively few opportunities for them to hone this power.

Martial Artist: Huo's fighting style is relatively unique among their siblings for its emphasis on quick, fluid movements, leaving them terrifyingly agile despite their enormous (compared to mortal humans) size and the strength of their armour. Put simply, they move too quickly for mere mortals to track or strike them effectively, in some ways fighting like a strange hybrid of both Aeldari and Terran styles. They are, likewise, skilled with many weapons, but most impressive is their ability when fighting unarmed, and, of course, with their trusted Guandao, though they are quite fully capable of killing with their bare limbs alone. Part of their martial art, also, is a supernatural ability to maintain calm in the heat of battle, leveraging their analytic mind to predict the enemy's moves and calculate the best places to strike. So impressive is their agility that they are said to be able to jump in mid air, though this ability, in reality, is a result of psychic power, allowing them to be carrier far higher with a single jump than would otherwise be possible.

Artist: Much like Eiohsa, Huo is skilled in many arts, from the ancient danqing style of painting to the native instruments of their people; these styles, however, are quite distinct from any practiced by their siblings, just as culturally distinguished as their individual worlds of origin. Many of their Astartes practice the same arts, and although Huo rarely has the time for it, any free time they can find is usually spent on their artistic or rhetorical skills.

Assignment Grade: All Primarchs have a large presence in the Warp, courtesy of being the Emperor's children, and some can manipulate their power in the form of psychic abilities, to a lesser or greater extent. To that end, please include your Primarch's Assignment level in this section, and some examples of what they can do if anything particular. Sigma-grade and below indicates negative psionic potential, an impossibility for a Primarch given their heritage, and in practice they will likely possess at least an unconscious degree of psychic ability.

Legion Name: The Celestial Dragons

Legion Number: III

Legion Strength: 160,000 legionnaires, plus a large number of human auxiliaries and dedicated support personnel.

Armour Appearance:

Like their primarch, the Celestial Dragons are clad in gold, their icon the very same dragon’s maw on their legendary spear, snarling in a terrifying war-cry. They, too, are equipped with a modified form of power armour; though fundamentally based on the Mark IV, their suits likewise employ lamellar plates to provide additional joint protection in battle, especially around the necks.

Warcry: Aside from simple roaring accompanied by the Legion’s drums, a handful of basic battle cries are employed.

“Let the dragon swallow them whole!”

“From the Heavens, for Emperor and Imperium!”

Dramatis Personae:

Matriarch Ruan: Unseen in the years since Huo’s rediscovery, Matriarch Ruan, the unquestioned head of the Ruan family of Navigators, serves both as the head of her house and the navigator of Huo’s flag-vessel, the Great Emperor of the Celestial Waters, an ancient vessel believed to date back to the Dark Age of Technology, when Penglai was first colonized. Entire systems on the massive flagship are dedicated to her protection, for her power is so potent and valuable that Huo fears her many children cannot hope to replace it for many centuries. She is, of course, especially capable of navigating the Warp, but Ruan’s greatest ability is to hide herself and those around her from the warp, or even to assault its fabric directly, going so far as to set the taint of Chaos within a soul aflame.

Fleet Admiral Namkoong: The mortal admiral of Huo’s fleets, Namkoong in an exceptionally skilled fleet commander, and has remained in overall command of Huo’s fleets for several decades. Selected for his relative youth, Huo greatly appreciates Namkoong’s preference for three-dimensional maneuver tactics, taking advantage of the inherent nature of space to strike the foe in unexpected ways.

General Akane: The eldest currently serving Astartes in Huo’s Legion, Akane presently commands the largest share of living Terran Astartes under Huo’s overall command; the First Division, along with a small corps of heavily augmented human troops. Her aggressive, hard-bitten tactics make her and the soldiers under her command favoured for shock assaults, made possible by the specialized army’s use of large numbers of Land Raiders, Mastodons, and Terminator armor.

General Wei: One of Huo’s most trusted generals from before the Emperor’s arrival and a childhood friend of their ‘home’ village, Wei is an impeccably skilled and agile swordswoman, fighting with such agility and quick-thinking that her likewise specialized division commands the large majority of the Dragons’s airmobile infantry, charged with high-speed bite-and-hold operations aerial encirclements. Together with Akane’s shock troops, they are frequently the first to be called upon to form aerial beacheads as the Legion first lands on the surface of a hostile world. We commands the 2nd Division.

General Lao: Lao is an augmented human given overall command of the garrisons of Penglai and the surrounding systems, a position which she, perhaps surprisingly, takes on with great honour: Penglai is the primarch’s home, after all, and what place would they cherish more? Like Wei, Lao is an old friend of Huo’s, the son of the farmer Huo’s father bought most of his vegetables from. He is not stoic, but he is suitably protective, almost a father to his soldiers. Lao commands the 16th Division.

Alchemist-General Hoi: although the "Division" the Thanadus-born Chirurgeon-turned-Astarted commands is merely theoretical in terms of the actual force it wields, its mere existence represents something important: Shūguan has seen fit to dedicate a large portion of their resources to the advancement and securely of medical science, both for their Astartes and the mortals under their watch. He is are charged both with general medical upkeep and the establishment of battlefield hospital and the maintenance of the Legion's geneseed stocks, stored in dozens of separate vaults across the systems around Penglai to ensure they are incredibly difficult to destroy in one fell swoop. Full data-screeds of each sample are meticulously recorded in each bank, too, ensuring that any emergent flaws or sabotage are easy to search out and repair or eliminate.

Fabricator-Locum Qaghan: the highest tech-priest of the forgeworld of Thaxis, Qaghan, supplies a large portion of the Dragons' armaments through the vast array of forges at its command, both on Thaxis itself and the nearby forgeworld of Vossus. A diplomat in their own right, Qaghan swaps between a wide-array of bodies depending on who it is meeting or whether it is engaging in combat, rarely wearing the same form day after day. Its techpriests can frequently be found serving alongside the Dragons, particularly Magos Explorator others of relatively scientific bent.

Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role: The Celestial Dragons, put simply, emphasize total war; specifically, the type characterized by mass maneuver, devastating weight of force, and rear-echelon strikes designed to cripple the abilities of an enemy to keep their armies fighting. It's for this very reason that they strongly prefer to fight alongside the Dusk Wardens when able, for Huo was quick to recognize the immense utility of a highly elite force of specialized troops when it came to rear-echelon sabotage and destruction. Dragon Astartes, however, are typically heavily armored, utilized as typical heavy infantry thanks to their supernatural resilience, while smaller, more flexibly non-Astartes are usually preferred for clandestine operations.

As befits a Legion expected to cleanse and purge the most dangerous foes, in addition to unusually large numbers of melta and flame weapons, the Dragons possess stocks of weapons usually proscribed by other Legions to be utilized in the most dire of circumstances: rad-weaponry, a large variety of chemical ordinances, and, in the absolute worst cases, phosphex, though most of the above are only ever deployed when absolutely necessary. The same is not true of incendiaries, however, up to and including specialized thermobaric weapons designed specially to purge underground nests of xenos, or large, bunkerbusting meltas capable of penetrating deep into underground fortified complexes.

Most devastating of the ordnances the Dragons hold, however, are their exterminatus-class weapons. Although not the exclusive steward of these devastating weapons, the Dragons to possess the largest number out of the Astartes Legions.

Legion Characteristics/Ideology: The Legionnaires of the Celestial Dragons are expected not just to act as Astartes, but productive citizens of the Imperium, too - it is a fundamental belief of their Primarch, after all, that the soldier who forgets what he is fighting for is nothing but a monster in the making.

To know what one is fighting for, however, one must not simply consume propaganda. Rather, Huo asserts, they must participate in civilian life wherever possible. They should cultivate camaraderie, they should engage in recreation, and, most of all, they should understand the fundamental harm that war causes, for it is not an end, but an ignoble means. Astartes that violate these strictures might be forcibly assigned to recreation and leave, while those who commit severe violations - in ancient days, termed as “crimes against humanity”, they are stripped of rank, imprisoned, and, in the worst cases, executed by hanging. Many Astartes, therefore, have some sort of training pertinent to the civilian world, and even those who do not are carefully prepared to coordinate and cooperate with non-Astartes support personnel, who themselves form a large, essential part of the warfighting capability of the Celestial Dragons.

Relationships:

Daughters of Iron Most notable of the Legion’s relationships is with the Daughters of Iron, whose primarch Huo counts among their closest friends, even in the wake of Eiohsa’s distance following the Rangdan Xenocides. The Legions cleanly cooperate when fighting in the same theatre of war, and a number of their unique pieces of equipment were contributed to by the Daughters.

Imperial Star League: Huo endeavors to maintain a close relationship with Wolfram - and although the two primarchs may have initially bonded over mere issues of civics and work, Huo remains one of the few primarchs able to coax Wolfram into a genuine friendship. One might not guess this at first sight, however, for Huo gives Wolfram’s desire for calm and quiet a healthy respect - nonetheless, their conversations and discussions over Huo’s tea are nothing but an expression of that friendship. Their Legions, likewise, frequently work together, collaborating on “nation-building” projects and civil works wherever they meet throughout the Imperium.

Dusk Wardens: The relationship between the Malik and and Shūguan is a complicated one, confusing to those not familiar with both primarchs, but to the Primarchs, it is incredibly simple. While they can certainly be said to be on friendly terms, occasionally collaborating on diplomatic matters and exchanging cultures and material aid to their respective worlds, they, like any typical pair of mortal siblings, hold a healthy rivalry with each other. In their case, however, their rivalry is resolved in just the same way as any fanciful diplomatic dispute: through apparently friendly conversation, grievances and hostilities veiled in such a way that only the participants can even tell they exist in the first place. It is through this that their relationship is kept ‘healthy’ - and with tea, of course.

The relationship between the Legions, however, is far more simple: they fight effectively in concert, the Celestial Dragons forming a superb mass front and distraction for the rear-echelon operations of certain elements of the Dusk Wardens, a role with the Dragons are more than happy to fill.

The Navis Nobilite: while Huo is not content to allow Navigator houses to abuse their positions for the hoarding of power, at least when able, they maintain a healthy respect for the Navigators, and have made clear to a number that they’ve met that they do not believe their continued survival should be dependent on their perceived utility to the Imperium. Those Navigator houses preferred by the Celestial Dragons, particularly House Ruan, are actively aided in proliferation, with Huo going so far as to dedicate large numbers of mortal aides to helping the Navigators find suitable carriers of the gene to reproduce with, along with providing extensively funded fertility specials to ensure successful reproduction.

The Mechanicum: The relationship between the Dragons and the Mechanicum cannot be defined in simple terms. While Huo is highly respectful of the unique faith of the Mechanicum, whether they ‘get along’ with the Mechanicum is entirely dependent on the individual forgeworld or Legio’s moral compass and efficiency. In other words, with sum their relationship is strained, but with equally many, it is generally positive.

The Sigillite and Administratum: Despite Huo’s quietly-held belief that the Imperial Truth will only cause strife and make bringing worlds into compliance more difficult, preferring a cosmopolitan view, Huo is a consummate Empire-builder, and one perfectly content to leave behind well-established infrastructures and civic works for the Imperium’s civilian government to build upon. Huo deeply enjoys the rare occasions they are able to engage in philosophical discussion with Malcador, also, and always trusts his counsel beyond matters of religion.

The Emperor: As aforementioned, Huo has little love for the Emperor’s policy of state atheism, though they make no effort to publicly oppose it, keeping themselves within the Emperor’s good graces - for despite their disagreements, who is unfailingly loyal to the Imperium, recognizing the Emperor as the one-and-only suitable to rule humanity aside, though Malcador remains a distant second. Otherwise, they are perfectly content to serve as a loyal advisor and civil servant whenever able.

Imperial Army and Solar Auxilia: to both major branches of the Imperial military, the Dragons are viewed as powerful allies, bringing a vast array of devastating firepower and quick ends to conflicts wherever they go.

Imperial Citizens: When the Dragons encounter Imperial citizenry, it is almost always on the offensive - and when they aren’t on the offensive, they leave a trail of gifts and administrative improvements behind, almost invariably improving the life of the average citizen. As such, away from the battlefield, they are viewed with wonder and relief - on embattled Imperial worlds, however, they are viewed with caution and even anxiety, frequently enlisting large numbers of able-bodied citizens into organized militias or mobilizing entirely planetary industries for war.

The Aeldari: A relationship secret from even the Emperor (though Huo remains convinced he is aware, but purposely fails to acknowledge it), the Dragons make efforts to keep a cautious distant from Craftworld and Exodite Aeldari, leaving them to their own devices.

Huo’s actual knowledge of the Aeldari is severely limited, however - primarily to mostly untranslated fragments of ancient Aeldari records, and the whisperings of worlds lost in the Eye of Terror. Whatever the case may be, one thing is absolutely clear to Huo:
The Aeldari are not to be trifled with, and the Emperor’s choice to exterminate them may very well be a grave error. To this day, the Primarch desperately seeks to establish secret contact with them, hoping that some way, somehow, they can be negotiated with.

The Barghesi: Purged. The few surviving Barghesi are to be slain on sight and/or captured for execution and summary anatomical study. There are no exceptions.