[OOC] From Ashes We Rise : The Imperium Is Born

'Possession of this galaxy is Mankind's birth right. The stars are ours for the taking.'

In a time that is but a memory, humanity ruled the stars. With the power of technology they remade worlds, and even themselves, becoming unto gods of creation and building a stellar empire that rivalled the greatest alien civilisations of the time. This time of ascendancy was short lived, however, spanning mere centuries of dominance, before a collapse that would last millennia. Horrific stellar events known as warp storms burst into life across the galaxy, fed by the blazing souls of human psykers that were born in ever greater numbers. Vast and horrific wars were fought among humanity's fraying civilisation, as well as with the unrelenting Men of Iron, an enemy of mankind's own creation. Mankind was cut off from its cradle, the beating heart of its empire, and all fell into darkness. For over two thousand years since this great collapse, humanity has been isolated from itself, at the mercy of warlords, aliens and worse, in the great dark beyond.

The homeworld, Terra (Earth as it was once known) has not remained unscathed by this. Wars among the other Stellar bodies of our home system have burned as hotly as anywhere else, the Saturnye Ordo, the Tech-claves of Mars, the Selenar Gene-Cults of Luna and many more each vied for dominance while interplanetary travel became increasingly difficult as humanity stagnated. Upon Terra itself, great warlords vied for dominance, unleashing the worst technologies of Mankind's ascendancy upon each other, lands were irradiated and oceans boiled away, leaving those still alive to wage further wars over the dirt. Countless nations and empires have risen and fallen in the span of these long horrific years, haunted by their ghosts and worse, some cling to a forgotten idea of civilisation, while others revel in the atrocity of what they have become.

In the waning years of the 29th Millennium, a secret hope has begun to spark. A mysterious being calling himself the Emperor of Mankind has risen to power among the technocratic clans of Hymalazia, aligned with the mysterious custodian of the Sigillite Order. Through pacts made with the Gene-Cults of Luna he has created gene-crafted warriors of unrivalled ability, the noble Custodes and the brutal Thunder Warriors, as well as enhancing the abilities of many others. Beneath the mountains, the Emperor's hidden laboratories continue to work away, at projects secret to all but his most trusted allies and advisers. The Emperor's aim is a feat that has not been achieved for millennia, to unite the warring people of Terra and for humanity to once more stride forth from its cradle, unto the stars.

OOC Information

This RP is an alternate reality based on the setting of Warhammer 40,000 and it's origin stories, the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy. It takes great inspiration from a previous RP, the Grim Crusade, hosted originally by @BCTheEntity . Unlike the Grim Crusade, however, this RP starts right at the beginning of the Imperium's story, with the Unification Wars for Terra. The Space Marine legions have yet to see the light of day, and the long brutal years of war that will be required for the Unification are just about to begin.

Meanwhile, on far flung planets, the Primarchs, the Emperor's first secret geneproject, find themselves cast across the galaxy. Unaware of their birthright, these beings, utterly superior to the humanity from which they were created, will define the future of their worlds and many more, should they survive to once again meet their father and his growing empire.

There are two main options for characters in this RP. Players can take on the act of creating an Astartes Legion and their Primarch, playing the former when they are unleashed during the later stages of the Unification and the latter upon their isolated homeworld, and then during the Great Crusade should the rp progress to this point. The second option, and the primary focus of the rp, is to play as a character on Terra, be they a technobarbarian warlord, member of a gene-cult, officer in the new Imperial army or more beside. As time passed in the RP it is likely mortal characters will change, for this is a dangerous era and life is never guarenteed. Thus, instead of players taking on individual characters, you may opt to play a household of characters, represent a sub-faction of the world, or a role within the new Imperial society which will grow and change as the rp carries on. The scope for who or what you want to write is pretty vast.

The only major change at the onset of the game is that the Emperor's gene warriors, be they Custodes, Thunder Warriors, Astartes or Primarchs, are not gender locked. This is not a comment on the canon situation, but just something that myself and the previous writers of Grim Crusade prefer as an exploration of an alternate setting.

Our discord can be found here: https://discord.gg/rWZ7aJpTyb

Rules/Errata:

1: The Era which the RP starts in is the Unification Wars, a series of conflicts which in canon began during the late 29th milennium and lasted the best part of four centuries. The aim of the rp is to carry on into the Great Crusade itself but this is not to a set length of time IC or OOC. Characters will be born, live and die over the course of events and so I'd recommend the best way to engage with the rp is to expect to play a flexible suite of characters that will change over time.



2. Participation in the RP requires an acceptance that I as the GM will provide 'encounter' scenarios to your characters and/or factions. How these are dealt with is still a collaborative storytelling process but they cannot simply be ignored or hand waved. These will not always take the form of collabs and may be more of a prompt for you to run with, but the commitment to fulfilling them is still the same.



3. Players in this RP have a mixture of familiarity with the setting, don't neccesarily presume people are as informed as you. Feel free to be helpful, but not condescending, and ultimately my call on any lore matters is final.



4. Other than interactions with GM NPCs and GM provided events/encounters the scope of the RP is quite vast, players are encouraged to forge their own narratives within the remit provided, be they solo or (ideally) collaborations with other players. This isn't an RP with a regimented structure beyond the overall narrative, be prepared to take your own plots in hand.



5. Being in the game discord is not require for participation. It can be helpful for the community aspect of the game, but do not feel pressured to do so if you would rather not.



6. Activity: A bit of a dirty word around the guild these days. This is an advanced game but especially at the onset I wish to set an expectation of engagment. Ideally players will be able to post once a week, with a two week period being what I would consider the minimum commitment. Exceptions do apply both ways, someone playing a relatively minor, isolated plotline can anticipate a more relaxed schedule expectation, while those who take on key characters in the narrative will be expected to do more than the minimum in order to not have the rp flounder. IRL matters are of course more important, extended absences should simply be discussed with the GM.



7. The usual rules of be nice, don't take IC conflict as an OOC issue and listen/abide by the GM.

Character Sheets

Character Sheets:



Faction Sheet

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Faction Assets: (Brief Overview of their Strengths/Capability)

Key Characters:



Individual Character



Character Name:

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Appearance:

Biography:



Primarch Character



Name:

Legion:

Homeworld:

Psyker Grade:

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Appearance:

Concept:



Legion Sheet



Legion Name:

Associated Primach:

Concept:

Thread for the Wider Galaxy IC Posts: https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/189314-from-ashes-we-rise-the-galaxy-at-large/ic

Map Credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ImaginaryWarhammer/comments/d70e3t/map_of_preunification_terra_created_by_me_but/?utm_source=ifttt

[Ezekiel]

Here we go.

[Bright_Ops]

Strahlender Viktor

Name: Strahlender Viktor

Gender: Male

Legion: The VIII

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 plants 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 than 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 than 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 remains 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.

While prone to changing up his weaponry in response to battlefield conditions instead of using a singular weapon, Strahlender is best known for the usage of his custom made powersword that is almost as big as he is. While Strahlender could use it one handed if needed, he is much more comfortable wielding it with both hands.

The story goes that it was originally the primary melee weapon of a Armiger-Class Knight who was fighting alongside the 8th when they heroically covered a withdrawal of the Imperial Army from an armored ambush at the cost of the user and the almost complete destruction of the knight itself. Strahlender would honor this fallen hero of the Imperium by claiming the large powersword they used and using it to finish the fight against the foes that had killed them. Strahlender has kept it ever since.

Concept:
A literal 'Black Knight' to serve as the Emperor's chief enforcer with efficiency, skill and brutality if need be. However, things go wrong when he's introduced to Chivalry and a desire to embody the greatest of human virtues.


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 an 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 an 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.

The VIII

Legion Name:
The Black Guard.

Legion Number:
VIII. The Eighth.

Primarch:
Strahlender

Concept:
The Emperor's Enforcers.

Without the guidance of their Primarch, the Black Guard are notorious for their willingness to maintain the order of the status quo, regardless of if that order is just or fair. They are also prone to efficient brutality to restore order as quickly as possible, regardless of if it is the best course of action they can take for long term stability. Infrastructure is a much greater priority in their military planning then civilian causalities, since the tides of humanity can easily replace those revolting.

[Antediluvixen]

There'll be art of her eventually I swear I'm working on it

Eohsa Zherdabesdokht

Eohsa Zherdabesdokht
Primarch of the Legio XV, “Sirens of Terra”

Vestige of Hope

Though it will come to be known as, officially, the largest known space hulk within imperial space, the Vestige of Hope is in fact more akin to a derelict space station. A hulking bulwark of Dark Age humanity’s prowess so ancient that Imperial records answer nothing of their nature, and so vast it is comparable in size to Luna itself. Though huge swathes of the ship are uninhabitable - tainted by the effluents of the warp or by forgotten contaminants of the dark age of technology, exposed to the cold vacuum of space by great rents torn in armor plating from battles long ago, haunted by things best not seen or described that have come to infest its labyrinthine halls - much of it is. Home to a baffling array of seemingly normal humans, abhumans, mutants, and more, the enormous assemblage teeters on the edge of the Maelstrom that lies at the heart of the galaxy.

The history of the station is a mystery. Its ancient cogitators yield little information that has not been lost to the malign influences of the warp, and any of the original crew are long since dead. Even the inhabitants of the Hulk know little and ask even less, for their days are numbered by hunger and thirst, by predation of hideous abominations that spew forth from the Maelstrom, or from internecine conflict. The Vestige of Hope is, and always will be, a dangerous, lethal environment. Though food and ammunition are plentiful from the station’s ample manufacturing bays and the partly-intact vessels within enabling the pillaging of nearby debris fields for raw materiel, the hulk offers no shortage of abominations to threaten human life day by day. A fierce warrior-poet culture has developed within it, as rising talent seeks to prove itself against the deadliest of monsters that seem to spring ever forth from its deepest recesses and in the pursuit of knowledge, archeotech, and stories to tell. Returning triumphant these young warriors compose songs and sing fabled stories of their trials, bringing home not only glory but recovered archaeotech from yet-unexplored catacombs and passages. Among this number the most fitting may be selected for implantation with some of the bounty of archeotech the station continually provides and marked as the greatest of fighters to hold the line against the monsters that threaten their homes, and where their songs of prowess and learning and their feats of arms and valor may ring true into the void.

The Vestige of Hope’s original name has been lost to time, its purpose is self evident. Boasting enormous docking bays for arriving ships, an entire fleet could easily dock within the station’s moorings with room to spare. It is, at present, largely defenseless excepting the small vessels manned by its inhabitats, many of the guns of the ancient weapons lie in disrepair or outright destruction, once capable of turning aside even the mightiest of fleets but now sitting cold and dead. Lifeless Void Shield generators sit idle instead of protecting its structure and thick armor plating covering hardpoints for the weapons and dockyards has in places been blasted or burned through by the fire of an aeons old attack. Far cry from its former glory, the station is a testament to everything wrong with humanity’s position. Teetering precariously on the edge of oblivion and surrounded by the decayed splendor of a now dead golden age.

Psyker Grade: Alpha Plus

Eohsa is one of the most powerful psykers in the galaxy, and the most powerful of the twenty primarchs. Terrifyingly prodigious in numerous fields, she fights wreathed in warpflame, incinerating enemies with the thrust of a hand and sundering armor with the flick of a finger. Though lacking proper tutelage, her potential is self evident. In addition to these, she has unusual extra abilities beyond the norm.

Empath:

Eohsa is perhaps one of if not the most powerful Empath in the galaxy. She senses the emotions and feelings of those around her, sensing truth and lie, fear and hope, pain and pleasure. To stand amidst a throng of humanity is to stand amidst a swirling vortex of the human experience.

Warpseer:

When gazing upon another being, she sees not merely the corporeal vessel of their body, but the psychic print of the individual’s soul. Though similar to the normal “witch-sight” displayed by all psykers, the Fifteenth displays this ability to a degree well in excess of the norm.

Shapeshifter:

Eohsa has the curious ability to alter her physical form at will into nearly any shape she desires, she can additionally mask the powerful aura of a primarch from most, but powerful psykers are able to see through the guise.

Mind Warper:

most terrific and terrifying of her abilities is her ability to reach into the minds of others. A palm upon the forehead and a hapless captive can do nothing as information is ripped from their minds. With the wave of a hand she creates illusory glamors, fooling the five senses of entire crowds. With the snap of a finger, she instills thoughts, emotions, and feelings into those around her.

Capabilities

Psychic Scholar:

As the pre-eminent psyker of the Emperor’s Primarchs, Eohsa’s natural curiosity is in large part directed towards the study, exploration, and understanding of psychic phenomena. Rather than a cloistered scholar however she prefers to indulge wholly in the full breadth of what psychic abilities can bring to humanity. She explores not only the mysteries of the arcane, but explores how to wrap the minds of those around her little finger, both to further her end goals, and for simple mutual pleasure.

Empire Builder:

Eohsa is a primarch. Eohsa is an empire builder. She sees a ruined galaxy around her, a decrepit station in need of repair, and resolves that she will unite the galaxy, and bring about a golden age of enlightenment.

Artificer:

Eohsa is a natural born artisan. She delights in the exploration and modification of the plentiful archeotech aboard the Vestige of Hope, understanding its workings and tweaking its functions to suit her needs perfectly. Though not by any means as much a prodigy in technological matters as psychic, her burning curiosity and thirst to create extends to technology and craft as well.

Skill at Arms:

Like all Primarchs Eohsa is a masterful combatant and represents the pinnacle of human martial skill. Though she is not the most skilled combatant of the Primarchs, her skill in using her immense psychic prowess more than makes up, and to witness her whirling through battle unarmored, wreathed in archeotech shielding and psychic warpfire, is a sight to behold.

Artist:

Eohsa is a consummate artist and philosopher, a scientist and scholar in countless fields. She can craft sculptures and paint scenes that speak more than a thousand words ever could of her dreams for the future; vivid scenes of a million glimmering souls and a hope for a bright future, scenes of a humanity at one with its emotion and living with joy in a perfect world, lurid scenes of indulgences and exultations in a true utopia.

The Psychic

The Psychic. The Beacon. A giant of mental might and the gifts of the warp. Eohsa’s psychic prowess is second to none save the Emperor. She has many gifts, those of artifice and of planning, of combat and of persuasion - but her world is dominated by the psychic prowess she wields. For her, the Immaterium is not an intangible, imaginary thing. She sees the psychic print of each and every individual burning like dim candles in the void. She knows of a maelstrom of insanity and a yawning abyss that lurks beyond, and each and every one of those little lights must be shepherded and nurtured from its wrath.

Intended as the Anchor of the Golden Throne, the psychic paragon of the Primarchs, she harbors a burning curiosity for knowledge of the warp and a passionate drive to use the Warp’s gifts for the betterment of humanity. A woman driven by an inbuilt need to rebuild the decay she sees around her, she pursues everything in life with an unstoppable determination and unbreakable resolve. Be it knowledge of the warp, the repairing of her home, hedonistic pleasure, the expansion of her sphere of influence, or repairing the galaxy at large and ushering it into a golden age. She knows she was created for something great - exactly what, however, remains a mystery.

But psychic prowess is nothing without the will to back it up. Eohsa’s greatest strength is not her psyker powers, nor her gift at artifice, nor the treasure trove of archeotech upon which she sits - it is the indomitable will and unshakable determination to fight for a better future that propels her onward against the universe’s ravages. Eohsa is strong not because of the powers granted her by the Emperor’s artifice, but because she does not back down from the impossible. Her entire life will be spent fighting for what she believes is right, no matter what road to hell that path will lead her on. She will bring about her vision of a better tomorrow and she will lead the coming of the new dawn, no matter how outmatched she might ultimately be by the weight of the galaxy, and even if it ends with her own death - she would prefer to die accomplishing something real than live forever accomplishing nothing.

---

LEGIO XV: Sirens of Terra

The Gilded Daughters of Eohsa Zherdabesdokht

Scions of the Fifteenth Primarch, the Sirens of Terra carry her psychic lineage, her love for the finer things, and her unshakeable determination.

Flowers of the Achaemenid Empire, the Ladies of War

Moving almost gracefully through battle, the Sirens are a picturesque symbol of Imperial aspirations. Originating from the lands of the Achaemenid Empire, the Sirens are aesthetic, elegant, and refined in their conduct. They favor negotiation over assault and the refined arts of blade and psychic power instead of the crass violence and indiscriminate obliteration of total war. The Legion holds a strong appreciation for the finer things in life and the lofty aesethetic and enlightened virtues of the crusade against disorder and madness. Silk hiding steel, the legion is well capable of ruthless brutality when called to battle. One of the smallest legions owing to the low stability of their geneseed, it insists upon immaculate skill in every possible field from its Astartes. It positions itself as an elite force of impeccable poise and elan even when cleaving those who would defy the emperor in twain.

However, the Legion may have the psychic prowess of their Primarch, counting an abnormally large number of psykers in their ranks. They may have her love of the arts. But they do not grasp the bigger picture of their Primarch, or the Emperor himself. Their ideals are not truly humanitarian, and like many they fight because they are ordered to by their Emperor, rather than for his professed ideals. A grandiose plan for a bright future, a wondrous vision of a united galaxy full of wonder and enlightenment - these things are, for now, lost on the Legion marked more by their pride and self-described elite status as wondrous heralds of the Imperium to come than by their ideological resolve.

[FrostedCaramel]

The City State of Sanctii

Faction Name:
Guardians of Sanctii and Her Illustrious Holdings

Faction Overview/Concept:
Located in the frozen wastes outside of the borders of Northern Ursh, the City State of Sanctii is a massive hive city poised on the edge of a great rift in the earth. It has stood defiant against Ursh invasions for as long as the city has kept records of itself, and stands as a shining beacon of progress and science in the Northern lands drawing many a wayward and weary traveler to its curtain wall.

Sanctii operates on a parliamentary council system, with matters of state being proposed and debated at length high atop the central spire and the effects of these decisions being felt as far down as the foundations of the hive. Its people enjoy a standard of living seen only rarely amongst the warlord nations and lone hives of Terra. Food, water, and animal meat is in abundance, due in part to ancient automated mechanisms deep within the hive that provide all manner of genetically modified and strengthened crops and animals for consumption above. Medicine is plentiful, as the hive has a thriving pharmaceutical industry that trades regularly with the Terrawatt Clans to the west, and less frequently with the Selenite Gene-cults of Luna.

This same pharmaceutical industry is also responsible for the purity of the hive, gene therapy, widely learned from and improved upon in many ways from the Selenite methods is widespread, and in many lower areas of the hive it is mandated to stave off aberration and mutation. Among the middle and upper class within Sanctii, gene modification is taken to extremes of beauty and tastefulness. This occurrence extends even to the defenders of Sanctii, the Council providing gene therapy and enhancement to even the lowliest of its defenders. The renown of these defenders is well known to Sanctii’s neighbors, who fear their hulking and deadly defenders.

While the gene therapy of Sanctii lends much of the bite to the cities defenses, it is the massive technological gap that exists between Sanctii and all of its neighbors that has seen it survive so far. Like the ancient mechanisms that keep the city fed and supplied for, Sanctii possesses a considerable cache of Standard Template Constructs practically unheard of in size among all of Terra. Although the exact number of STCs and their specific patterns is a closely guarded secret, it is no surprise to any that visit the city, and especially not to any that have attempted to take it, that the weapons of war Sanctii maintains are both lethal and enduring. Disintegration guns and advanced enclosed carapace armor is standard issue amongst even the lowest of defenders, while weapons and armor only increase in protection and lethality as the ladders of the cities defense force is climbed.

Faction Assets: (Brief Overview of their Strengths/Capability)
- Thriving Pharmaceutical and Gene Tailoring Industry
- A sizeable cache of STCs (Presumed by outsiders to be in full working order)
- Standing professional and genehanced army of 650,000 with an additional reserve of 100,000 and militia numbering close to 1.1 million.
- Capable of stellar travel in limited scale (No further than Luna)

Key Characters:
Yurij Arturovych Yarov - Prime Minister of the City State of Sanctii
Deep Winter - Central Administrator
Nina Kuzmenko - Keeper of the Keys
Stefan Popov - High Negotiator of Sanctii and Her Illustrious Holdings
Vadym Yaroslav - Commander of the 51st Genehanced Guards Assault Brigade

House Hastings

Faction Name:
House Hastings

Faction Overview/Concept:
Mercantile House of Albyon, relocated all House assets to the Hymalazia's after Marquess Willem Hastings encountered emissaries of the Emperor during an expedition to establish trade with the Pan-Pacific Empire. Now entrenched as a middling mover of goods and materiel for the Emperor's war machine, attempting to climb ever higher.

Faction Assets: (Brief Overview of their Strengths/Capability)
- Extensive network of trade assets and connections stretching from Albyon to the Pan-Pacific Empire.
- Hastings House Guard: Well equipped and trained interior Guard of House Hastings
- Considerable supply of land based and airborne trade and security vessels (trucks, land sailing vessels, airships and flyers)
- Hastings Estate: A massive complex of trade related buildings and the luxury villas of the Hastings family, overlooking the entrance to the Kora La Pass.

Key Characters:
His Lordship Willem Brallow Hastings, Marquess of Kora La
Her Ladyship Robyn Vesten Hastings
Lord Grayson Montre Hastings, Baron of Mustan
Lord Jasper Everett Hastings
Lady Elodie Elaine Hastings
Lady Dahlia Amber Hastings

Custodian Guard

Character Name:
Amaranthus Gallus

Rank/Role:
Ephoroi, Adeptus Custodes

Appearance:
Baroque golden armor of grandiose design, golden helmet with crimson plume, and lenses of the deepest red. Amaranthus has not been seen by those outside of his order unarmored since he was inducted into the Ten Thousand.

Biography:
Amaranthus Gallus Kaspian Venetiae Barkand Labellan Nilus Venetus Lutetia Taramanac Kiev Katabac Zarinam Sanctum Dicentis Xozer Somnium Selenum Aeternum’s story has just begun.

The XVII Legion Astartes

Legion Name:
Frontrunners

Associated Primarch:
Nelchitl Cuamani

Concept:
The major emphasis of the Frontrunners is on maneuver warfare and combined arms. With nearly a third of the Legion made up of Devastator Squads, the Frontrunners prefer to lock an opponent in place at key locations in a battle with overwhelming fires from these squads before sending in Tactical and Assault Squads to maneuver on and destroy the pinned down force using a combination of Dreadnought and mechanized armored assault carriers vehicles to close the distance.

XVII Primarch

Name:
Nelchitl Cuamani

Legion:
XVII Legion Astartes, Frontrunners

Homeworld:
Ixhun, Segmentum Pacificus

A dense jungle planet located in the Segmentum Pacificus. Originally colonized in the later stages of the Age of Technology, Ixhun was to be used as a major exporter of wood and exotic animals among other jungle related goods.

As the planet received a handful of STCs and more colonists began to bolster its population in preparation for the exploitation of its resources, great warp storms cut the entire system from the rest of mankind even before news of the Men of Irons revolt was able to reach them. Ixhun, like many other planets, was plunged into a state of disarray. For millennia Ixhun remained cut off from the greater whole of mankind. The population of Ixhun finding itself split almost down the middle as the Warp Storms influence began to corrupt the jungle, animals, and even the populace themselves. At first the change was subtle on Ixhun, animals migrating enmasse for unexplained reasons, great blights upon the jungle, and eventually, the loss of contact with the city-states of the Eastern hemisphere.

When the war began it was without warning. In the dead of night the combined forces of the now corrupted Eastern city-states had fell upon the pure states of the West. The fighting was brief, and several smaller cities fell to the sudden onslaught, but as quickly as the attacks had begun they had ended just before sunrise. This pattern continued as night after night the Eastern states attacked only to withdraw before dawn in the event of unsuccessful sieges.

In desperate wars for survival, the loyalist city-states in the Western hemisphere of Ixhun warred with the savage and unrelenting corrupted city-states of the East. Over time the warring took its toll on what little infrastructure and industry existed on Ixhun, causing the planet to slowly revert back to a nearly feral state of technology and knowledge. Weapons slowly moved back to melee focuses as the STCs were one by one lost or simply unable to be maintained by the loyalists.

As the wars raged, the loyalist city-states found themselves pushed ever further back by the (unbeknownst to them) corrupted city-states of the East. Falling back into great walled cities of stone the Western city-states would continue their nightly fight against the East from behind their walls for the next several centuries. This everlasting conflict saw the populace of the West recognizing the Easts apparent disdain of the sun, and in time the West built great flat topped pyramids to perform rituals closer to the Sun, adopted symbology and a mythos that revered the Sun as their ardent protector, a God that kept the night at bay.

The fighting as well gave rise to a great warrior culture, placing emphasis on ones combat ability above most other forms of intellectual pursuits and seeing the ascendancy of great Priestly Warrior Kings within the city-states themselves. Seen as the chosen of the Sun and the protectors of its light, the Kings were worshiped on the level of a deity, and ritual sacrifices of captured enemies were offered to them just before nightfall in order ensure their protection from the encroaching dark lest they fail in their duty to their cities.

Psyker Grade:
Nelchitl's Assignment Grade is Kappa. She possesses no ability to actively harness and unleash her latent psychic ability, though it manifests regularly as miraculously lucky events.

Skills/Abilities:

The Suns Fortune - At times it has appeared to those that lay witness to it as if Nelchitl possesses an uncanny amount of luck at times when even her fellow Astartes have pulled a bad lot in life. Though not documented, it is claimed among the Legion that Nelchitl has walked away from shot down Thunderhawks while her entire retinue has not, that she has emerged barely burnt after artillery barrages that leveled entire sections of Imperial Soldiers and Astartes alike. Though her Legion sees this as all the more reason to follow her, the Imperial Soldiers among them see it as though the game has been rigged against them from the moment she arrived.

The Serpent's Tenacity - What Nelchitl lacks in strategic vision or tactical genius when compared to her Brothers and Sisters, she makes up for tenfold in her tenacity. Possessing a determination that could be likened to the corrupted Eastern City-States of Ixhun, she doggedly pursues that which she desires until she has it in her grasp.

Appearance:
Coming in at 9' 2", Nelchitl is the smallest in stature of her sibling Primarchs. With dark brown eyes known to deeply entrance or unsettle most mortals Nelchitl looks upon and black hair to match, she is a strikingly beautiful Primarch stirring great emotions in all mortals who gaze upon her. Though her beauty flickers and falters when compared to her sister Primarchs, her beauty is yet undeniable. Possessing a far more lithe figure than the majority of her brothers, Nelchitl is not lacking in strength despite this apparent size difference.

When not in her power armor, Nelchitl opts to wear rather standard Astartes robes and a body glove beneath it.

Image

Concept:
While Nelchitl's brothers and sisters are patient strategists and calculating logisticians, naval geniuses and thousand year empire builders, Nelchitl is none of these things. The tedium of war councils do not suit her, the endless numbers and data sets of the logistics of war bore her, the complex navigational and firing data of naval engagements mean little to her mind, and the finesse of diplomacy required in empire building fails her. Impatient and ever wanting for the next burst of excitement in her life, Nelchitl is very much the antithesis of the vast majority of the children of the Emperor, a tool to be used for the most unceremonious of work. His will be done.

Intended as the Emperor's Executioner, Nelchitl is practically peerless in close combat and possesses a lust for excitement and war beyond simply thrill seeking. Nelchitl often places herself at the forefront of battle where the action is thickest, chasing a worthy opponent and a fight worth remembering. With a tenacity practically unrivaled among her siblings, Nelchitl is relentless in her pursuit of that which she craves. Be it the next hill in thick combat, a planet teeming with xenos filth, or men and material to sate her unending thirst for action. She pushes forward by what means she has along the path most open to her victory until the victory is hers to relish in.

Nelchitl is by no means a blind war crazed Primarch. She understands that not all battles can be won and is more than willing to withdraw a failed bid for the chance at victory another day. Though she possesses a mind more suited to battle than the planning surrounding every engagement, she is more than aware of that fact and leaves the majority of planning to her trusted war council.

[grimely]

The Order of the Sigilites

The Order of the Sigilites

Overview

Naive scholars often wonder why the Age of Technology is called Dark, possessing as it did the greatest wonders ever wrought by mankind's hands. The Sigilites know the truth of the matter however, and consider the current terrors let loose upon Terra to be marks of shame and great failure. Founded at the zenith of that so-called Golden Age, they were tasked and entrusted with the safeguarding of weapons too terrible for even men of that era to unleash, and knowledge too precious to ever be lost.

Bitter failure is the legacy of the Order as they gaze out upon the technobarbarian infested wastelands of Terra, the dark power of high technology cracking continents and boiling oceans. They have retreated to their last fortresses and holdfasts in these wretched days, the vast vaults carved into the living stone of the Hymalazias a final redoubt from would be conquerors without, and protection of the monstrous powers caged within.

Yet, not every one of the stasis vaults contains horrors. Here too is kept the great legacy of mankind's cultural and technological advancement, each relic of the past preciously guarded with as much energy and vigor as the most dire weapons created by human hands. There is no distinction between the two in the minds of the Order - they are equally precious, and must be equally protected by those who would destroy or misuse them.

Assets

In theory, the Order possesses the greatest network of fortresses within the entire Hymalazian range, along with vast vaults of forgotten knowledge and powerful techno-artifacts. In practice however, they have given over almost all of their material wealth to the trust and use of the Emperor, who they view as the only figure capable of saving Terra from self-destruction.

This has left the Order a wealth of people over anything else, even the lowest novice of the millennia old institution being more learned than the vast majority of the population on the homeworld. While these have been identified by the Emperor as the core of his budding imperial administration, currently they continue on in their ancient mission without interruption.

Key Characters

Malcador the Sigilite: Master of the Order

Malcador the Sigilite

Malcador the Sigilite

Brahm al-Khadour

Rank/Role

Master of the Order of the Sigilites
Personal adviser to the Emperor
Master of the Administratum
Grandmaster of Assassins
First Lord of Terra

Appearance

An intentionally understated figure, Malcador appears to be a slender and sickly old man, dressed in plain robes with the only concessions to ostentation being a curious collar about his neck and an ornate staff in hand. A cascade of long white hair trails down from his head, his face clean shaven. At first sight, most would assume that he was scribe-servant of a technobarbarian warlord, perilously close to death from the weight of years, an illusion assisted by the chain he carries with him at all times. Many have considered him a weakling to be tossed aside, a fragile relic of a bygone age.

Many have been wrong.

Biography

Sing, O muse, of the rage of Mankind, sons of Terra, that brought countless ills upon themselves.

Born in the closing centuries of humanity's last era of galactic preeminence, Malcador has borne witness to the greatest triumphs and blackest atrocities in history. A witness to the Cybernetic Revolt and mankind's subsequent fall from grace with the onset of Old Night, he has lived the long millennia of his life following but one creed: never again.

A Perpetual from an era that to most is now little more than myth, there are very few who can corroborate anything that Malcador says about his life, and even fewer who would if asked. What is known without a doubt however is that he was inducted into the Order of the Sigilite at some point in his life, and eventually became its master. From that position, he advocated for the Order to side with and support the Master of the Lines, a Hymalazan warlord who possessed more culture and vision than the typical technobarbarian. It was Malcador who urged this man to take the title that he is far better known by: the Emperor.

Possessed of the wisdom of lost ages, and of such psychic might that only the Emperor himself is his better, he is one of the greatest assets of the embryonic Imperium. However, his talents go far beyond mere destruction, and he is often far from his master's campaigns, remaining instead in his mountain stronghold to administer the rapidly growing realm that they are busy forging.

When he speaks, all know that he does so with the Emperor's voice. When he takes the field, the wise cower from his psychic prowess and gouts of rad-flame. Nearing his seven thousandth year of life, the Sigilite sees his life's work slowly but surely being brought back from the cusp of utter ruination, and he will do anything in his power to see that task accomplished.

For he has seen the dark and its terrors, and they must never come again.

Daeno io Azrael

Daeno io Azrael

Primarch of Legio I Judicator

Legion

The First Legion, firstborn of the Astartes gene-forges, crafted with absolute care and precision as proof of concept for the entire project. They are to be entrusted with the greatest secrets and weapons, the first blade honed by the Emperor's hand, and they shall brook no dissent. The loss of their Primarch is of little concern to them on a material level, held close at the side of the Master of Mankind in these early days, their gene-seed stable enough to ensure that they can endure for centuries without their sire.

Homeworld

Irkalla Solum, classification δτ ("Death World"), should not exist. Records from the Dark Age of Technology name it as Irkalla Tertius, the least of three worlds capable of supporting life in that star system - but humanity's fall from grace took a bitter toll. During the Age of Strife both the hive world of Irkalla Secundus and the agri world of Irkalla Primus were destroyed in an unknown cataclysm that shattered the system, untold trillions perishing. Naught now remains of them save for circling rings of dust and rock that dance about their home star. But by some stroke of luck one world settled by man remained intact, preliminary analysis by the Mechanicum suggesting that a conjunction of Irkalla Tertius with the gas giant of Irkalla Sextus sheltered it from the storm.

Once an overlooked mining world feeding precious minerals to the flourishing society within the system during humanity's zenith, that past is immortalized by the monumental hulks of long inoperative mass excavators. Now, it is one of the few stellar bodies capable of supporting an atmosphere in the Irkalla system, and the only one with a gas mix compatible with human life. But though it was saved from destruction, the scars of that ancient calamity are deep.

Those who survived the shattering of Irkalla slowly picked up the pieces, the old mining concerns forming the basis of a new path forward in an uncertain world. Man labored tirelessly to raise himself from the calamity's ruin in a world forever changed, a stranger to them once more. It is a challenge depressingly common throughout the former realm of humanity during the Age of Strife, but the challenges here were greater than most.

The local wildlife on Tertius, fierce to begin with, were not cowed by the devastation wrought upon their home. Instead they grew stronger, and some whisper that they seemed to grow crueler, monstrosities unknown to humanity stalking them at their weakest hour, turned mutant and feral on a world inundated by radiation and worse. And more beside stalk the wastes, for stalking the blasted landscape are the relics of the long past golden age. Maddened automatons, clouds of death, and horrors forgotten generations ago all bring destruction and terror. Yet even here, surrounded by great and powerful terrors, humanity pressed on.

Irkalla System Gazetteer

+++Accessing Carta Galactica...+++
+++Primary information recovered from Dark Age data core, record date approximation M22+++
+++Supplemental information gathered by the hand of the Glorious Emperor of Humanity M30.890+++
+++Beginning record.+++

Welcome to Irkalla! Whether you've come to our home to stay, or just passing through, you'd do well to get accustomed to our little slice of the galaxy. Please note that accommodations for non-human physiologies are significantly hard to find outside of Irkalla Secundus, if you require such please contact the +WARNING: DATA CONTAMINATION DETECTED. PLAYBACK SKIPPING CORRUPT SEGMENT.+ and do enjoy your stay!

Irkalla Stella: A standard yellow dwarf, similar in many respects to Sol itself. Stellar cartographers estimate that the Irkalla star is approximately halfway through its lifespan. [Kids, click here for more fun star facts!] +Supplemental information for adolescents was unrecoverable.+

Contemporary examination of the star reveal it be aberrant, having somehow transformed into a blue dwarf. Local reports indicate that it intermittently surges purple-violet in defiance of known science, but this was not recorded by Imperial instruments. Mechanicum scholars have requested permission to erect a stellar observatory.

Irkalla Primus: The breadbasket of Irkalla! Located about as close as you can get to the sun without burning up, crops grow here at a rapid rate. So bountiful are its fields that over ninety percent of its output is exported to other star systems within +WARNING: DATA CONTAMINATION DETECTED. PLAYBACK SKIPPING CORRUPT SEGMENT.+ and that's just to name a few of the local delicacies. Visit today!

Irkalla Primus has been destroyed, orbital track now inhabited by a ring of planetary fragments.

Irkalla Secundus: Capital of the Irkalla system, the great cities here are home to over eight hundred billion people and counting. If you're interested in high arts or the nightlife, or anything in between, there's something here for you. Restaurants, bars, clubs, opera houses, and more dot the spires, some local outposts from establishments linked back to Terra itself!

Irkalla Secundus has been destroyed, orbital track now inhabited by a ring of planetary fragments.

Irkalla Tertius: If you like to rock a little bit more on the wilder side, this is the place for you! A cold world rich with mineral deposits, several mining concerns from +WARNING: DATA CONTAMINATION DETECTED. PLAYBACK SKIPPING CORRUPT SEGMENT.+ dot the surface, enticing explorers new and old! But take care, outside the mining zones little has been done to push back the native wildlife, and they're not the funnest critters to mess with. For those day trippers out there who want to spend the afternoon risking life and limb and evening in a warm bed, this is the place for you!

Redesignated Irkalla Solum. The planet remains intact and its original record remains approximately 60% accurate. Exploitation of mineral deposits is highly encouraged, as the same calamity that destroyed the rest of the system rent great chasms in the surface, exposing a bounty of wealth. Local fauna have become only more dangerous however, and there are reports from the locals that technology predating the Age of Strife remains active. Extreme caution is advised.

Irkalla Quartus: We like to think of Quartus as our last little light before you head out into the great dark beyond. It's a small planet, barely large enough to keep an atmosphere, and rests at the opposite end of the habitable zone from Primus. Settlement is extremely minimal, and we ask that any who wish to do more than tour the planet sign several liability release waivers. If you just want to get away from it all and eke it out like humanity used to, you can't get better than here.

Irkalla Quartus has been destroyed, orbital track now inhabited by a ring of planetary fragments.

Irkalla Quintus: If Quartus isn't remote enough for you, give Quintus a shot. Resting outside the habitable zone, your only neighbors will be the occasional mineralogical survey. Please note, settlement assistance is not available on Quintus.

Irkalla Quintus has been destroyed, orbital track now inhabited by a ring of planetary fragments.

Irkalla Sextus: An immense gas giant near the outskirts of the system, Sextus is the home of the largest refueling depot for light years. For many travelers, this is their last stop before heading off to parts unknown, and trust us that you'll never forget the sight of an entire fleet of sprint traders lighting their drives as they depart.

Redesignated Irkalla Quassus. The very world seems to bleed, a great cloud of gas trailing from it as it drifts through the void, and it is significantly smaller than prior records suggest. Mechanicum envoys hypothesize that examination of this wound could be used to date the shattering of Irkalla.

Irkalla Septus: Sextus' little sister, Septus is a far smaller gas giant but still rich in hydrogen and helium fuel. Travelers frustrated with the wait times at Sextus can make use of the smaller depots located in orbit here, but it's most commonly used by local shipping.

Redesignated Irkalla Moror. The former gas giant has dissipated entirely, leaving only the dense metal core to mark its passage. Even this has been knocked significantly off course, its orbit now highly elliptical.

This document was prepared by the Irkalla Tourism Board. We hope you enjoy your stay!

+++End of record.+++

Psyker Grade

Delta. Though most associated with the discipline of divination due to their uncanny pronouncements, their ability with such powers is rather limited in comparison to true masters. Danae is most proficient with telepathy, using it as effortlessly as speech. Sending orders, reading minds, inspiring their followers, or simply striking down those who face them are all within their capabilities.

Skills/Abilities

Flight: Though mutated, some use may be made of their affliction. The wings upon their back are fully functional, capable of lifting them into the air and enabling them to fly with shocking maneuverability. Such is their strength that they can even fly in full power armor, though they prefer a far lighter suit of artificer armor designed for them.

Resilience: Danae's mind and body both are difficult to break, the Primarch having been exposed to horrors beyond human comprehension before being rescued by the Emperor. Spikes of hard radiation and the sight of countless companions falling have both hardened them, and they are all but immune to both environmental hazards and psychological distress.

Inquest: Observation and evaluation are two sides of the same coin, and they have mastered both. With but a glance, they are able to determine the weak points in an opponent's armor, their relative strength compared to both themself and other foes, and determine how best to strike them down. Prolonged examination of a person, place, or problem permit them something close to true understanding, keen intuition filling in the blanks and providing a more or less accurate picture off of minimal information. Such insight is often combined with their psychic powers.

Deathsight: An irregular and not always desired psychic gift, Danae has the ability to gaze at any being with a soul and determine its manner of death. This is not true foresight, but instead the future most likely to occur with the clarity increasing as the event comes closer into being. Due to the lack of context provided with such visions, it is impossible to tell if actions taken in response to such information are truly averting the fate - or simply playing out as designed.

Decree Absolute: Rarely does the Primarch use this ability, but when they do woe betide all upon the field. Channeling the force of their own conviction, they pronounce a mighty doom with such force that all who hear it are convinced that not only should the judgement come to pass, but that it must. Armies and nations have been whipped into furor upon their word, never stopping until all is as was said or they lay dead.

Appearance

Daena is clearly a mutant, fully formed wings sprouting from their back. Even overlooking these, their form is distressing for most to look upon, blessed by a beauty beyond the human to the point that their perfection is inhuman. Over nine feet tall, their face is set with eyes of pure white, tresses the same color cascading down from their head. To some, they are an angel sent from on high, to others, an abomination of the human form, but to all it is clear that the giant is no ordinary human.

At peace they wear fine, if unornamented, robes appropriate for one one of high station, all such clothing tailored not just for their superhuman form but also the horror of their unwanted gift. At war they gird themself in finely wrought raiment, a suit of artificer armor that remains light enough for them to take flight unaided. They make no attempt to hide the truth of themself in any arena, forcing the awe struck and the disgusted both to deal with the sight before them.

Concept

The First Primarch, an androgynous warrior capable of siring Astartes of any gender as a test of the gene-forges, and the Emperor's Truthspeaker. Designed to be beyond baseline human restrictions and identities, they were the first great craft of transhuman engineering and serve as proof of what is possible. In their rule as Truthspeaker, they were intended to be able to see the absolute fact of any matter, and deliver it to the Master of Mankind without fear or favor, a capability that he simply lacks from his mortal subordinates.

Legio I Judicator

Legio I Judicator

Offspring of the First Angel

First forged of the Astartes, Legio I was designed from its inception as a proof of concept for the Astartes project and its capability to enhance as much of mankind as possible. Possessing extremely stable gene-seed intentionally crafted to reduce chromosomal rejection, they can and do recruit from almost every reservoir of the human gene-pool that has sworn fealty to the Emperor. Lacking any singular cultural tradition, aside from the general Hymalazian origin of the earliest Astartes, they are the first fighting force that can be considered to be 'Imperial' in character, the melange of technobarbarian traditions all forced to adhere to and compromise with the broader institution without a central point to rally around.

Serving as both a rapid reaction force that can revitalize its numbers by recruiting from allied local forces as well as a promise that if one surrenders they may attempt to gain such power themselves, it is increasingly common to see them distributed as penny packets across fronts. However, within their central barracks, the First have been given custodianship over some of the most horrid weapons ever constructed, entrusted with using them only at the most dire need or upon the Emperor's orders. This combination has led to many sociology-sages to posit that, over time, the Legion culture will adapt to view itself as the defender of and bridge between humanity and transhumanity at best, or as mankind's rightful rulers at worst.

[Jamesyco]

Primarch Johannes Von Kurplauen

Name: Johannes Von Kurplauen

Legion: XVIII Legion

Homeworld: Belivahnn

Belivahnn

A Feudal death world in the Ultima Segmentum, Belivahnn is the only livable planet within the Volana solar system; the ninth celestial body away from the sun is only the ninth of twenty-six planets. The planet is primarily covered in ever-expanding plains that coat most of the surface, with three small seas that dot the landscape in continent-sized bodies of water near the southern pole of the planet and near each other, creating a green zone near them.

On the far side of the planet, away from the seas, the plains are dotted with thorny forests and rolling hills that break up the landscape but also harbor dangerous creatures the more habitable size of the planet does not allow for. The few rivers that line the lands leading down into the habitable have enabled human settlement far from the sustainable southern regions. The north hosts the singular ice cap, from which most rivers are created. Rains are few and far between, but they allow the water cycle to function correctly.

The human populations in the south are primarily a part of one of five kingdoms that span between the seas and around them. But heading north, most settlements are independent, part of smaller duchies, or supplemental towns to knightly orders. Most of these knightly orders protect from the roaming bands of marauders and packs of feral beasts that skulk the landscape for survival. Herds of grazing beasts roam as well of several forms, but the most noticeable is the Donkdar, which are large tusked beasts known to eat the forests of thorns, and are heralded as their saviors. But Horses and bovines are those typically found in the plains.

The knightly orders, fall under two distinctive groups. The first are those that are not permanent settlements. Typically horsemen who ride at day out of temporary encampments, who hunt the packs of lesser beings for food, and who protect traders and shepards throughout the plains. They also protect the Donkdar herds, as they try to rid of the thorn growths throughout the land.

The second are typically those that create large castles, fortresses and walls. Most are small compared to the fortifications of the southern cities, but these are more practical, and focus on utilizing the best of the small populations of the northern peoples. They are more known to be guards, lawmen, and priests. Having more of a wide range of experience in many fields, besides those needed to survive.

Both forms of knightly orders tend to unite under the binding of honor, and fighting along side each other as brothers in arms despite cultural differences of different orders, and peoples..

Psyker Grade: Beta

Skills/Abilities:

Pyroclast focus - His abilities with the warp focus as a pyromancy, and his pyroclastic abilities grow strong and uncontrolled with his anger. When in control, his sword, and helmet typically become immolated in his fire. He also can grow a large pair of firey wings, or at least it appears to be wings from his back. He can release a burst of flame when controlled, and when uncontrollable, he can create a firestorm around his body without thought. While he does study other parts of warp powers, fire is what comes from him the most.

Knight of Belivahnn - Being of one of the roaming knight orders of his homeworld. He is someone who tries to protect others and will do anything to save the lives of the innocent. But, it teaches him tactics, comradery, weapon maintenance, and diplomacy.

Master of Creation - Someone who builds spectacles of engineering and the forge. Creating weapons, engineering ships and vehicles, and constructing incredible architectural feats in buildings and fortresses. Making not only creations of great power, but those that are somewhat pleasing to the eye.

Mighty in Body and mind - While not a militant genius like some of his siblings. He is relatively balanced in the battlefield, a jack of all trades but in one department. He is massive, a hulk of a man in both height and strength. Who's body would be destroyed without any training purely based on his physical might alone. His other half, that of the psyker, is also incredibly powerful, while not as powerful as all, it still helps him in battle with or without him knowing it.

Appearance: A tall bulky man who towers over almost all beings and can be the contender for the tallest of the primarchs. His skin is an almost creme porcelain color, with a thick head of hair. Typically kept in a braid, and his beard was typically kept tamed. The color of his hair is primarily brown, but with red layered to give his hair a brighter color. His eyes are a rose gold color.

His face is relatively rough, and cracked from work, the sun, and wind upon his face.

Possible Reference Image

Concept: Polish Winged Hussars/Russian Cossacks/Teutonic Order after unification

XVIII Legion

Legion Name: Nightbringers

Eventual Primach : Johannes Von Kur-Plauen

Concept : Not Unified with primarch - Line Infantry and artillery - The Nightbringers legion - Currently Thunder Warrior legion - see below

Color Scheme : Grey, with red highlights/markings.

Known Flaws : None

XVIII Legion (Thunderwarriors)

Faction Name: Nightbringers

Faction Overview/Concept: A Warband of Thunder Warriors underneath the Emperor of Mankind and the namesake of the Eighteenth Legion Astartes, and where the legion of Astartes adapts their tactics from. These warriors typically wore grey, purple details, and a bright red plume on their helmets. Known to be brutal warriors and savages, they are known to make trophies of their enemies and treat battles like competitions. Their mental status tends to see them as rather dull compared to most Thunderwarriors, who use simple and dangerous tactics to defeat their enemies. Mental instability and degradation seem to be expected through the lesser ranks of this legion of the Legio Cataegis.

Faction Assets: (Brief Overview of their Strengths/Capability)
Two hundred and sixty~ Thunder Warriors
Three hundred estimated melee weapons sized for Thunderwarriors
Twenty incendiary projectile weapons
Hundred and fifty larger caliber auto weapons sized for Thunderwarriors
Seventy estimated large caliber shotguns sized for Thunderwarriors

Four hundred men and officers
Three hundred and eighty autoguns
Thirty estimated handguns
Four hundred knives
Twenty estimated swords
Fifteen artillery pieces - 155mm
Twelve large caliber tripod mounted autoguns - 10mm
Five direct-fire assault guns - 80mm
Fifty Hauler trucks
Five Armored Personnel Carriers (Think M54 gun truck from Vietnam)
Seven Armed transportation cars (Think Willys jeep with a machine gun on the back)

Key Characters:
Commander Theadon Red - Commander of the Eighteenth Legion Thunder Warriors - Known for his ability to tame and release the anger within his legion, most notably his captain. He is the one who can reign in the legion and who knows how to release them with 'minimal' damage and casualties. He typically refers tactics and communications to his Lieutenant Bombda. He is also the most potent and capable officer in the legion regarding fighting.

Captain Grunbah - Second captain of the Eighteenth legion Thunder Warriors - Known for his high volatility, skills with a chain axe, and who usually see in red in the moment of a fight. Brutal in combat and post-combat until he has come down from his murderous high. Usually, he has to be led away from people for a short time after the battle has concluded.

Lieutenant Bombda - The tactical 'genius' of the legion, able to mold both the legion's barbarous identity and the combat scenario in front of them. He has to plan and communicate with the legion commander to place the order through, even while in the heat of battle. Typically being in the backlines with the human retinue that mans their heaviest weapons, he would be considered the commander, if not for his lack of authority, as he is seen as the runt of the legion, even though he is one of the most immense; as the legion favors strength and battle capability to decide their leadership.

The Forever priest

Character Name: Kelso Vaharr

Role: Priest

Appearance: An older-looking man maybe a hundred years of age. He is bland in most looks, typically seen with a pepper beard and fading, stringy hair. His skin is thin, dusty and ashen, quick to bruise and damage, and it typically shows. He is very boney and gaunt, to the point of looking malnourished. Even though he is pained, he is typically seen with a smile upon his face.

He is usually seen with a wooden walking staff far taller than him. He typically wears bland brown robes and a thin white headwrap.

Biography: Born long ago to another name in the province of ancient Africanus, he was destined to become a sacrificial offering to an ancient god. He was rescued when a man in gold slew the ancient winged god and banished it's soul from the Earth forever. Thus, he and his mother secretly began to worship this savior, as did many others. Becoming another addition to their faith.

But this tribute Vaharr, like this saintly figure, would live on past this time. This man, during his time, would be considered a witch or a seer. It entirely depended on the times he was alive, an Eta-level psyker, and a perpetual. He lived many lives and sometimes felt the inching in his head that a familiar soul was near him. But he would typically be a priestly figure in his life, someone who, even when secular thought was prominent, believed in a higher power, but he believed that that higher power lived among us.

That is what kept him going through the ages; living in different times and places, he would typically hide in the populations and make small sanctuaries within places he had set up in his prior lives. Usually, staying out of people's way and preached to those who needed something to believe in. He lived through many tragedies; he lived and saw many places, met many people and lived thousands of different lives.

But, it changed when those who hated his church and his teachings in one lifetime decided their faith was the true faith. While he survived the onslaught of hordes, martyrs, and murderers, he saw creatures from beyond the mortal realm rip his followers apart and destroy his works. He knew that his higher power was the savior, and that would protect him. He knew that figure out come out to save him, not in this life, but in the next. Thus he took his own life to escape and has done that several times when he has seen the touches of this evil in the universe come for him.

In his current life, he lives in a church in the area of his original birth of the Desert Wastes. His chapel, built into the side of a mountain, is enough to house a hundred souls and is made of stone of the mountain it is built into. There is a system of caves that lead to open basins that are hidden by the mountain. Within these are small ponds of water. Here, he does small experiments to try growing wildlife in the open air and local soil to try to have the old wildlife of Terra reborn into the world once again. So he can see his homeworld as something besides an irradiated wasteland once again. Most of these plants he gets from a small bio lab inside the mountain, he placed them there in a prior life, and now he is trying to help his planet again. But, it is also how he grows food, as a hydroponics bay is connected to it, another hindsight he had placed in.

It does mean that he has to give a food tithe to local warbands sometimes who travel in the area and claim it as their own, although most do not live to pick up a second payment. So he lives as a recluse within the world's wastes, hoping to be left alone with those who believe and have faith.

Powers :
Perpetual - Rebirth upon death, his body forges itself anew, or repairs itself back to life. He does use some of this power to try and revive the plants within his laboratory, but often than not, it is up to science, and not the warp to help him there.

Concealment - Able to conceal himself, or when concentrating an area of 150m for a short amount of time to seem as if it is just landscape

Words of empowerment - His words, although they cannot directly control someone to do something, will tend to do as he asks or believe him in most cases. Such as when preaching or when trying to get out of trouble, it works the best.

[ReedeThe23rd]

Soon-to-be-Imperial Army bois

Faction Name: The Schuisse Guardians

Faction Overview/Concept: An elite mercenary regiment claiming a heritage of bodyguards and hired soldiers for rulers dating long before the Age of Strife, roving the wastes of Terra to offer their services in exchange for supplies and advanced technology. What they lack in numbers they make up for in skilled training and organization.

Faction Assets: The core fighting force of the unit is around 1,000 combatants, with additional support staff, transportation, and similar. Primarily they operate as a special operations infantry force, outfitted with general infantry small arms and body armor. Their more specialized troops, known as the Honorbound, utilize a special form of power weapon, a halberd with a tip that fires a concentrated beam of energy.

Key Characters:
Nico Thron - The current standing leader of the Schuisse Guardians, he's a stern man with a fierce dedication to duty and tradition. Much of his time outside of battle and day-to-day affairs of the company has been to organize what they know of their traditions into a unit history of sorts, cataloging everything the formation's stories say about their past, and how they claim to have been organized and drilled since the start of their existence. After recent success in the lands east of Europa, he's ordered the unit to move further east, hearing rumors of a great warlord in Hymalazia preparing for battle.

Mathis Risch - The second-in-command and leader of the Honorbound, Mathis has long had a reputation for playing opposition advocate to Nico, pushing for consideration of various reforms, reorganizations, and reconsiderations on who to ally with for a contract. He's currently trying to talk Nico out of introducing the company to the ruler of Hymalazia, fearing the lands' proximity to Ursh makes it an unenviable position.

[Bright_Ops]

Orde Galaksi Baru

Faction Name:
Orde Galaksi Baru

(Or the New Galactic Order)

Faction Overview/Concept:
The immediate successor state of the Yndonesic Bloc. The Orde Galaksi Baru was officially recognized by the former leader of the Yndonesic Bloc, Cardinal Tang, and the leading figures of his regime on Vox, TV and before a mighty thong of citizens of the capital Hive City of Baru Jakarta as they handed over the right and power of governance of the Yndonesic Bloc to its new leader Dagon and his new administration, for which they were also turning themselves over for their crimes against the people of the Yndonesic Bloc.

The fact that Dagon is an insanely powerful psyker who actively used their abilities to puppet Cardinal Tang and his people into doing this performance before they were all tired and executed publicly was an open secret. However due to a combination of the hatred of Cardinal Tang and his regime, the fact that anyone in a position to try and lead a war in the name of restoring the old regime was dead and the fact that, despite how questionable the performance might have been this was honestly the least bloody the transfer of power away from Tang and his vile Church was ever going to get, the general population has largely accepted the change in leadership peacefully.

The Orde Galaksi Baru is a relatively new political entity on the stage of Terra and thus its virtues and faults haven't manifested yet. Master Dagon addressed the public after the executions of the former regime, assuring them that effectively immediately that all of the former regimes edicts under Cardinal Tang were to cease and the purging of intellectuals was over. They also proclaimed that this would be the dawn of a new era; The start of humanities return to glory as first they strove to reunite Terra once more before not only returning to and reclaiming their place among the stars, but restoring mankind as the dominate power of the galaxy.

It remains to be seen if the Orde Galaksi Baru can actually achieve this lofty goal, but it is a hopeful message in the darkness of war torn Terra.

Faction Assets:
The Orde Galaksi Baru has inherited the Yndonesic Bloc and did so in a relatively peaceful, popular manner. As such, they have managed to lay claim to the region without the destruction and bloodshed of conquest, civil war or a succession crisis that such an event would normally trigger.

The cessation of Cardinal Tang's various genocidal polices that made up their eugenics program has given the Orde Galaksi Baru a great deal of support and loyalty among the population, but for good and ill those policies were in effect for an extended period of time under the former regime. While the population is likely among the most genetically stable on Terra with mutations and mutants in low numbers due to the purges, the Cardinal didn't exactly limit himself to just mutations in his zeal for racial purity.

The purging of intellectuals with views that opposed the former regime is also something of a blow. Yes there were bright minds that managed to endure the whole mess and they were going to be invulnerable in getting things back in order, but recovery was going to take time... and some things were lost to the flames of mad zealots forever.

Master Dagon

Character Name:
Dagon

Rank/Role:
Master. Ruler of the Orde Galaksi Baru.

Assignment Grade:
Alpha Plus

Appearance:
There was once a time in which Dragon could have blended into the masses of the Pan-Pacific Empire as just another face in the crowd. That time has long passed.

Standing at eight feet tall and bulging with raw physical muscle that seemed far beyond the means of baseline humanity, a pair of glowing gold eyes stares out at the world as they crackle with barely contained warp energy. A pair of beautiful black feathered wings extends out of his back, strong enough to actually lift Dagon off of the ground and keep him in the air for short periods of time. His head is devoid of hair, through its hard to tell if its just not growing or if they shave it off.

His hands and feet have mutated into reptile like claws, covered in scales of the purest white. Patches of white and black scales dot along his tanned skin, creating the framework for an interesting pattern that has yet to fully develop.

Biography:
Dagon was not born Dagon. Truth be told they don't actually remember what their birth name even was. It was just something else that was shed during his awakening.

The human that would become Dagon was born in the Pan-Pacific Empire. They had a family that is remembered in blurs, if remembered at all and was raised under the regime of Narthan Dume. Crushed under the weight of the infamous warlord's oppressive government, the family tried to flee into a neighboring region with the hopes that life would be better there. They did not survive the attempt.

Dagon... doesn't quite remember their awakening in crisp detail. Sometimes they remember it one way, sometimes another... but what is consistant is that they remember watching people they were were sure were their family being killed by... something and the pain and stress of the whole situation triggering something deep within his very being. What happened next on the physical world only took six minutes and forty three seconds, with all evidence of what actually happened that day erased from existence in the process. But mentally? Mentally thousands of years passed.

The teenage boy that became Dagon saw the history of mankind play out before him in a grand tapestry of visions. It's early beginnings... its development into a species that could leave their planet and venture into space. The glories and failings of the human nation that claimed the stars before the nightmares of the Age of Strife truly began and tore it all down. Right up until that very moment as the young boy who mentally wasn't a boy anymore sat on their knees in long dead soil as the sheer power of the warp overtook his flesh and twisted his body, screaming until his voice was horse and the bodies around him had completely been removed from reality itself.

The process and knowledge shattered the mind of the former human. But from those shattered pieces something new began to emerge.

The being would call itself Dagon going forward, because that was the name it had held when it was cast out of heaven by God so very... very long ago. This hadn't been the first time it had worn meat and flesh in its long existence, but it was always an interesting experience to have a mortal body of its own again. It was a shame that the human they had been before they had awoken to their true nature had to be discarded, but humanity needed divine intervention if it was going to turn from its dark course.

The age of enlightenment would start in the Yndonesic Bloc.

[MarshalSolgriev]

Zaphariel ibn Varranis

The XIII Primarch

Primarch | Zaphariel ibn Varranis, Malik of the Illuminated Pandjoras Star Sultanate, Sheikh of the Star Serpent, Unifier of the Thirteen Houses, Child of the Hassan, Star Emir of the Dusk Sands, Master of the Suma’tah, Grand Faris of the Thirty Palaces, Grandmaster of the Assassins, Emissary of Falak, Nazim of the Seventy Sectors, Padishah of the Umbral Armada, Conciliator of the Three Hundred Worlds, the Arbitrator, Caliph of Neu Amalut, the Steel Companion, Grand Rival of the Dawn

Legion | The Thirteenth Legion, the undying blades of the dusken lands of Achaemenid. A legion built with the concept stolen from ancient Terran legends in the desert sands of the middle-eastern continents. Their mutability is unparalleled, fashioned from the DNA strung from their Primarch’s ability to adapt to environments at a preternatural rate. Most of their number are referred to as dreamers, awaiting their promised primarch and growing aggressive over the time passed between the dreams of their progenitor.

Homeword | Pandjoras; The jewel of the serpentine Star Sultanate, once classified under Imperial record as a (“Civilized World”), resides in space as an arid beauty unparalleled in its savage nature. At the height of the Dark Age of Technology, Pandjoras was the crux of its region of space as the primary supplier and hubworld for the sector. The inhabitants of this desert world lavishly delighted in all of their amenities being met to such an extent that majority of their homes were lifted on anti-gravity mounts. Entire hovering palaces oversaw the automated process of a miniature empire within the realm of humanity. Vast aqueducts acted as the arterial veins that saw their world slowly reforming into a utopian paradise; however, doom met the sector when the Old Night split apart all the work of humanity. Pandajoras felt its death throes as the planet suffered an acute polarity shift in its magnetic core. Millions of anti-grav shunts fell silent leading to a sector-wide apocalypse that resulted in nearly five millennia of famine, death, and technological decay. From then on the golden grains of sand that blanketed the desert paradise became naught but warped, ashen fragments of dusk.
Mere thousands survived the Old Night apocalypse on Pandjoras and untold numbers on other worlds connected to the former coreworld in the sector. The leviathan aqueducts that once saturated their world failed to survive the catastrophic onslaught of post-explosion graviton particles. The natural resources that dubbed the world the crown jewel of the sector were exhausted beyond tribulation. The Pandjorans could not flee their world, nor could their cries be heard to the greater beyond. Thus did the Pandjorans hide beneath the dusk tides of their dune sea in subterranean caverns where the natural lifeforms of the desert world prey upon the meek. Unknowingly, these caverns became the birthplace of the asasiyun and their hashshashin traditions. From the guidance of a lone, old man did the Pandjorans rise from the gray grains into their inhospitable world once more. Legacies of the Age of Technology were claimed, cannibalized, and reused to return to the lives their ancestors once had. Pandjoras, however, had significantly changed from oratory stories of their past. The gravity alone had warped along with its sands, vibrant springs of graviton particles pooled in malignant ponds, and hills had become imposing mountains. Hundreds of native born Pandjorans died in pursuit of bringing mankind back to the surface, yet they succeeded at the turn of the 30th millennia. The people had adapted, refitted their archeotech palaces, and walked the wastes astride specialized suits of powered armor fueled by the very material that had destroyed their civilization previously.
Humanity walked the scarred surface of Pandjoras once again, but fate had other intentions for the Pandjorans. Conflict arose as to the legacy that would lead their people to prominence among the stars again. Wars erupted over petty squabbles of long dead inheritances. The old man that had guided their people ushered in the first House of the future Star Sultanate - The Caliphate House of Varranis. Those souls that had wholeheartedly believed in the old man banded as enclaves of assassins that either silenced or pushed the usurpers off-world. It was only the beginning of a long conflict but the House of Varranis had won and secured Pandjoras. Thus were the pillars of creation erected for the dwellers of the ashen sands to heartedly live above their subterranean homes. The old man continued to guide his people into building the modern infrastructure and veritable House that would rule the dusken wastes of their world.
In the most modern term, Pandjoras has been restored to some level of technological height through the future efforts of Zaphariel and the sheer amount of archeotech rubble scattered across the planet. Instead of millions of hovering palaces in the Dark Age of Technology, there now reside a mere thirty that operate as both suborbital stations and bulwarks against foreign interlopers. Foreigners traveling the surface of Pandjoras are prone to extreme shifts in weight, requiring first time travelers to wear specialized suits of powered armor. On the surface, the black sands lay host to a variety of post-apocalyptic dangers such as graviton lakes and physics-defying serpents the size of mortal men. Despite its initial upheaval, the former desert world still remains hell scorching through the everlasting gray skies. Enormous refineries stretch the length of the planet, carefully harvesting the particles in an effort to return Pandjoras to it’s original beauty.

Skills |
Weightless: Countless years spent in the strange, abnormal conditions set on Pandjoras grants those that withstand the planet’s atmosphere a level of permanent buoyancy and weightlessness. Zaphariel, and by extension Pandjorans, perform with insane ease within zero-G environments. This includes locations with remarkably heavy gravitational weight. This adaptiveness has allowed the Primarch to act as a flitting wraith in normal environments, further pushing his ability as a trained assassin and granting an air of lightness around him. Despite this special trait, Zaphariel and the Pandjorans must routinely weigh themselves down with adamantium augmentations and avoid extremely punishing blows lest their skeletal structure cave beneath the force.

Master of Coercion: Albeit less of a preternatural trait, Zaphariel is remarkable at convincing and manipulating those around him to act or perform the things that he wishes. This profound ability to weave words, dance around political games, and duck through near-galactic incidents has granted Zaphariel a form of impenetrable shield in most situations requiring any level of dialogue. While this skill is invaluable in regards to interacting outside of the Legion, it falls short when interacting with those within the Dusk Wardens. This is due to the fact that the Sons of Zaphariel require no coercion to blindly follow the orders of the Star Sultan, neither do those under the hierarchy of the Primarch require overt persuasion. This refined skill comes with the downside that those under his ‘thrall’ that awaken from their stupor, on the rare occasion, realize they’ve been coerced.

Suma’tah: One of the most intriguing abilities about the Primarch is his stumbling creation of a martial ka’tah. Suma’tah was born from the intrinsic fighting ability of the Star Sultan, the strict survival scenarios on Pandjoras, and the harsh lessons taught to him by the Master of Assassins. The suma’tah is the dance of the desert, twirling between grains of sand with the breath of the wind upon one’s lips. This fighting style focuses on nimble footwork, precision blade handling, and oneness. Stillness of the body allows for perfect control over one that is already considered genetically perfect. This bladework is slow, methodical, and utterly deadly; however, patient and immovable opponents are able to maneuver around this desert dancing technique. Before Zaphariel had met his Legion and the Emperor, he had simply thought it was necessary to learn as part of their furusiyya. A bastardized, imperfect version of this fighting style has been passed down from Legion Master to Lord Commander to below across the Dusk Wardens.

Eyes of Hassan: The mystical eyes of Hassan are the mutations granted simply by surviving on the dusk sands of Pandjoras. These are rumored to be gained whenever the ashen grains touch the bareskin of a person, others speak that it is the graviton pools that pollute the atmosphere. In truth, it is a combination of both. Graviton particles occasionally sublimate dusk grains into micro powder that infiltrate the retina and open porous’. Those with the Eyes of Hassan experience their retina turning orange and their pupils sharpened to slits, granting distinct predatorial eyes. An unusual side effect of the Eyes of Hassan, other than cosmetically, is the ability to physically see vibrations and changes in the wind. Zaphariel gained the Eyes of Hassan from an early age while left in the open air of Pandjoras’s volatile atmosphere; however, this mutation only further improved his abilities as a warrior and a hassassin. When the Legion arrived on the dusken sands to reunite with Zaphariel, he bade them walk into the deserts without a helmet such as he did. Now, as a process of initiation, Legion recruits will wash their eyes in a processed mixture known as the ‘Tears of Pandjoras’.

Grandmaster of Assassins: To the people of House Varranis, it is no secret that Zaphariel holds the title of Grandmaster to the Order of Assassins. The only recorded individual on Pandjoras to own such a title is only known as the old man of the mountain - Zaphariel’s adoptive father. The old man has passed on every single shred of knowledge known to him onto his adoptive son, molding him into the ultimate asasiyun. The title alone holds significance to those around him, one that he isn’t afraid to use in the appropriate circumstance. Through the old man’s training, Zaphariel can become one with the shadows or the twisting dusken sands of Pandjoras. Any tool was a weapon of assassination from a a grain of sand to a macroclade fleet. Any single individual was a body to utilize. These tenets passed onto his sons as a form of teaching from master to students. A hafiz in his own right.

Assignment Grade | Beta. The Malik of Pandjoras has never known, or never used, any form of offensive psionic ability to the best of his knowledge. His temperament had been perfect, controlled, and never prone to outrageous outbursts in fits of psionic energy. Instead, the psionic capabilities of the Star Sultan focused solely on improving his latent talents with biomancy. As a youth, Zaphariel unconsciously used forms of psionic persuasion to influence those around him; however, the old man of the mountain could never be swayed by such feeble talents. Although his adoptive father was no psyker, he understood the machinations of control. Alongside training Zaphariel as his successor, the old man taught the young Primarch oneness.
In the height of his prime, Zaphariel has been known to excessively use biomancy psionic abilities that allow him to traverse great distances unhindered by wind pressure or control his cells on a molecular level.

Concept | The Thirteenth Primarch, supplanted with the guile and spoken charisma of the Master of Mankind in genetic form. He alone bears a level of persuasion unparalleled in other beings of his kind, but he does not share the strength or fortitude of his siblings. Smaller and weaker, the Thirteenth proves his worth to the Emperor with his cunning, martial skill, and diplomatic prowess. Designed with the thought of a unifier in mind, the Thirteenth has proven his abilities through his accolades; however, his deceitful nature has only awakened doubts beyond peril within the vast expanse of his mind. This natural doubt evolved through the teachings of Pandjoras’ hassans, willingly accepting the ideology of weaponizing everything and everyone. Despite this, the Malik of Pandjoras readily accepts his siblings either in truthfulness or in an attempt to utilize them for future endeavors.

Legio XIII Bronze Scorpions

Legio XIII Bronze Scorpions

Assassin-Dreamers of the Thirteenth Primarch

Associated Primarch | Primarch Zaphariel ibn Varranis

Concept | Those prophets, scum, and dreamers that survived in the harshest deserts out on the outskirts of the Achaemenid Empire had transformed into the Emperor’s personal scorpions. Whether they be born from the mountainous steppes bordering the region or from within the integrated realm of the Achaemenid, the Bronze Scorpions rose as the dusken facsimiles of their progenitor. Shrewd, cunning, and calculating warriors with brash charisma unrivaled amongst the first Astartes Legions. Like their far flung liege, the Scorpions retained the preternatural ability to adapt to environments and hone their martial craft; however, their bolstering forms were cursed with the Thirteenth’s frailness and thus saw little in the way of direct combat. Due to this, the Scorpions were seen for their namesake as insectile assassins that striked at the vulnerable flesh of their enemies. And so their reputation amongst the Legions, despite their Primarch’s recessive charisma, grew notorious through each and every conflict. Skullduggery became the norm for the Legion, enhanced only by their ruthlessness as they hoped and dreamed of meeting their progenitor.

The Scorpions, however, retained their cultural fascinations and shared much in common with the ancient residents of the desert continent. Each of the Thirteenth Legion inscribed forgotten scripture on their armor for each victory, taking trophies of their enemies with them and adorning their plating with trinkets to prove their eventual worth to their liege. This further added to their infamy, others showing outright disdain for the crass and deceitful Astartes that continued to prove their worth. Thus did they grow insular, preferring the closeness of their Legion and forgoing

[MarshalSolgriev]

Legio Cataegis 'I', the God Slayers

Legio Cataegis ‘I’, God Slayers

Faction Overview | The First Thunder Legion, the first gene-warriors amongst their numbers to bear the lightning and eagle of the Emperor’s sigil. Titanic, bloodthirsty Himalazian knights with the same genecode as the most honorable of their number; Aeternus Rex. The foremost amongst the twenty regiments to cast off the shackles of religion and guide humanity alongside the legendary form of the Master of the Lines. Their gauntlets, stained red with demagogues and warlords claiming divinity, bear the right to grip the heraldry of the Emperor as the ‘God Slayers’. A brazen, uncouth name for a Thunder Legion built for the sake of slaughtering those that proclaim themselves as deities. The eldest Legion with a tide of veteran warriors that have plunged into the strongest citadels to slaughter technobarbarian kingdoms wholesale. When called upon by the Emperor, or His stewards, the First readily accepts the order with an unnerving readiness. Compared to the barbaric nature of their cousin regiments, the First retain an identity of nobility while showcasing the utter savageness within. Thus their legacy is written by the efforts of their leader in perpetual pursuit of accolades to prove his worth.

Despite their Primarch’s attempt at proven accolades, the First saw the most notable deterioration at the end of combat. Often their fellow Thunder Warrior would slay them in an attempt to preserve the wishes of Aeternus. These actions have been looked upon favorably by the Emperor and his companions, providing the First with more time and warriors to further prove themselves. This culture of noble ‘mercy’ has resulted in no shortage of infighting or emotional outlash. Each argument, complaint, and plea from the First is heard by Aeternus, who shares their burden and relieves their pain with charisma uncharacteristic of their brand of gene-warrior. Thus does the First secretly uphold a personality cult driven around their Primarch, a change that has not gone unnoticed.

Faction Assets |
Three-Hundred Thunder Warriors
One-Hundred and Fifty Units of Mark I ‘Thunder’ Armour
One-Hundred Units of Umbra-Pattern Bolters
One-Hundred and Fifty Units of Scavenged Armour
Two-Hundred Units of Lasrifles
Fifty-Units of Powered Melee Weapons
One-Hundred Units of Motorized Melee Weapons
Innumerable Units of Melee Weapons
Innumerable Number of Escort Vehicles
Innumerable Number of Unmodified Support Staff

Key Characters|

Primarch Aeternus Rex: The noblest, strongest amongst their number handpicked to lead the God-Slayers by the Master of the Line. Devoted, loyal, and charismatic to a fault with a stoic face that hides the pain of watching his brothers die to the ever-present deterioration. Aeternus is well-renowned throughout the Emperor’s forces as a warrior unparalleled in war, compared frequently to the likes of His companions. A perfect warrior, echoed only by a noble soul fraught with strife over the warriors under his command.

Captain Caestus Caligula: First Captain of the God-Slayers, personal protege of the Primarch and friend to many in the Thunder Legions. Caestus is widely known amongst the regiments for the driest humor, rivaled only by the apparent age of the draconic Thunder Warrior. His reputation is eclipsed only by his martial prowess with a lasrifle, capable of decimating and surgically killing. Unfortunately, later into his years, Caestus has sparingly been known to stop dead in the middle of a joke and stare off into the distance before resuming. A worrying sign for the Primarch and those that adore the captain.

Captain Victorius Nero: Second Captain of the God-Slayers, the tactical arm of the Primarch and a renowned, callous general to boot. Where Caestus is the soft commander for his hundred warriors, Victorius is the harsh warlord of his hundred warriors. Few are the times that the two commanders agree on a single topic, usually devolving into a show of force between themselves in front of their warriors. Despite Victorius’ reputation, the Captain heralds results exemplary of his status as a commander within a Thunder Legion. In battle, the Second Captain is a berserker in comparison to other gene-warriors, fighting with a pair of motorized melee weapons in a gruesome hurricane of blood.

Captain Curzio Tiberius: The Third, and final, Captain of the God-Slayers. The voice of reason in a storm of aggression, Curzio is renowned amongst the First for his unnaturally calm attitude towards anything and everything. Where tempers flare between the First and Second Captain, the Third readily steps in with cryptic advice. This strange attitude is a front for an otherwise psychopathic, sinister side that Aeternius begrudgingly exploits. The Third Captain is a master of skullduggery, a capable commander that has harmonized innumerable strategies of the God-Slayers through ambushes and feigned retreats.

[MarshalSolgriev]

Old Man of the Mountain

The Old Man of the Mountain

Pandjoran Grandmaster of Assassins

Appearance | A tall, lanky elder man with a skull-faced mask permanently suctioned to his face, dressed in dark fabric fashioned from void serpent scales. A short, black beard escapes the bottom of the mask, while salt-and-pepper pulled back hair decorates his scalp when visible beneath his cowl. A pair of unnaturally bright blue eyes stare out from the lenses of the skull facial wear.

Biography | The heritage and history of the Old Man of the Mountain has long been forgotten by the annals of time, hidden in the dark sand of the dusken world. What is known collectively by the unified technotribes of Pandjoras is that the title has been passed down through the ages of their people. This iteration of the Old Man is commonly known as ‘Unifier’, or Muahad in Pandjoran. The name was given to this elder man from his efforts to bring the people of Pandjoras back to the surface from their subterranean homes beneath the black dunes. Through perseverance, innovation, and bloodshed was Muahad able to successfully uplift the Pandjorans to once more rule over the umbral plains. The Old Man guided the local tribes to the tallest mountain across the surface of the dusken world and built Neu Alamut with his own hands. When Neu Alamut was completed, Muahad journeyed across the planet in a grand pilgrimage to reunite the lost tribes and scavenge the archeotech ruins of the long forgotten stellar empire. So it was that he gathered the descendants of the survivors of the Long Night, pillaged the sacred vaults of collapsed palaces, and birthed the first Caliphate House of Pandjoras - the House of Varranis.

With the formation of House Varranis and it’s home of Neu Alamut, the unification effort of Pandjoras began in full swing; however, the Old Man knew that conflict would plague the dark sands of their homeworld. Thus did he band together with the techno-savants of the fallen palaces to construct the first model of powered armor for navigating across Pandjoras. The second House of Pandjoras was born from their technological union, bestowing them the name of Bahamut and allowing them sovereign rule over the archeotech wastes. Humanity could now walk the sands of the world without worry of imminent death, yet even this would not be enough to unify their people. Self-proclaimed warlords began to appear in tribes that had yet to receive their formal proclamations as Pandjoran Houses. Raids and skirmishes peppered the dark dunes of the dusken planet; however, Muahad had anticipated this as his tribe had always done. His tribe, the first of the asasiyun, understood the necessity of death more so than any clan on Pandjoras. It was through the actions of the hassassins, guided by the Old Man, that quelled the rebel warlords and settled the disputes between warring factions.

With time, either through assassination or diplomacy, Muahad united the dusken wastes under the rule of the Caliphate House. Although the Old Man had no wish to rule over his people, he ultimately accepted the responsibility of continuing his role as a hafiz. Under his watchful gaze, the first of the floating palaces was reconstructed and the beginning of modern Pandjoran society began to expand from Neu Alamut. Houses were proclaimed, approved, and allowed their sovereign rule over sections of Pandjoras. Time would pass as the Old Man oversaw the growth of their homeworld, but nothing would prepare him for the arrival of the Thirteenth Son…

[Bugman]

Fabricator General

Individual Character
Character Name: Fabricator General Archmagos Salkor Hyfoj

Rank/Role: Archmagos of Olympus Mons

Appearance: As any Magos of many years, Salkor is an ancient agglomeration of machinery. Beneath coils and slabs of plasteel and adamantium there is a small patch of red robes and viewing lenses. He does not have legs or any other traditional means of movement. Rather there are a series of glowing anti-gravitic engines around the area one imagines his "waist" that give him a rather wraith-like appearance as he spins and wriggles through the air with vast crimson robes flowing behind. As well, the Archmagos has an exceptional amount of mecha-dendrites and mechanical tentacles even for one of his status owing to his constant need to interface with as many databanks as possible. For this reason, he is often seen with a baggage train of hundreds of similarly hovering databanks and cogitators, a small army of servitors and lesser tech-priests typically having to follow to maintain these. It is for this reason of immobility that with the years the Fabricator has become ever more stationary, digging ever deeper into Olympus Mons to accommodate his ceaselessly growing lair of servers, databanks, and cogitators.

Biography:
For all of his relevance to the Martian Cult, the Fabricator General is not a native to Mars. He was born near the Yndonesic, to a family of followers of the Singularitarian Brotherhood. The Cult was despite completely Terran origin very similar to the Mechanicum in its belief of transhumanism. Yet, millennia ago, during the adolescence of a boy named Salkor the Cult's presence on Terra was effectively destroyed. But, in the Brotherhood's technological advancement, they had just enough space faring capacity left - perhaps the very last spaceworthy craft on all Terra - to flee the world. Though less than a million managed to flee and only a few thousand survived the exit of Terra's Orbit from crashing into space debris brought on by the Kessler syndrome, many nevertheless managed to land upon Mars for safety.

The vast majority of the landed folk found ignoble ends, very lowly positions within the Mechanicum awaiting them as they struggled to reconcile the few, but nonetheless important doctrinal differences between their own ideology and the galaxy spanning religion born on Mars.

Yet, Salkor was just young but intelligent enough to adapt to the new world he came into. Lucky enough to become a mere Lexmechanic, he was careful to never step out of line through his efforts for fear that his Terran heritage be used against him. His progress through the ranks of the Mechanicum was thus glacially slow as he was careful to not take any major initiative lest a boundary be crossed, and his increases of ranks often came dangerously close to a time when his previous levels of enhancement weren't sufficient to extend his lifespan any further. But despite the pace, he nevertheless did progress through the ranks of the Mechanicum. Eventually becoming a true Tech-Priest, his gradual progress had a small degree of benefit for his future in that he met a great many other figures ascending the ranks of the Mechanicum that was a very crude sort of networking.

It was thus that well over a thousand years over his birth, Magos Hyfoj was by seniority and greater trust of his superior considered first in line to the rank of Fabricator Locum. The Fabricator Locum was far younger than Salkor, and indeed for some years Salkor was his superior before he was surpassed. It was at last that Salkor was in a sufficiently high position that he felt secure enough that the ancient issues of Terran origin from when he was more meat than plasteel were finally beneath him. Now he was a complete inductee into the Machine Cult that had more confidence in his faith than most natives. Now he had gained a great deal of ambition beyond mere survival and comfort, ideas that now seemed alien. Yet, all of this ambition was with the Omnissiah's will in mind.

The first act of major initiative he showed in his career was when he lobbied the Fabricator Locum and the Fabricator General by proxy to send out an armada of Explorator fleets. Recounting the activity of his Terran home that now seemed more like a bad dream than a true past, Salkor convinced the Martian governance that Mars needed to be more proactive lest in study and research within the comforts of their forgeworlds the Mechanicum become complacent, soft, easy to be swept up by less learned but larger civilizations just as the Brotherhood of Singularitarianism was long ago.

Though reluctant to devote some grand exodus to study and explore the galaxy, the Fabricator General at the time nonetheless agreed to the base proposal, partially simply to strengthen ties to distant Forgeworlds that had grown cold with time as communication was made more difficult by the waning number of Navigators and Astropaths in the clutches of the Martians.

It was not too long after this that the prior Fabricator General died, perished by assassination from a Servitor within the flesh of whom were hidden dozens of melta bombs. Though Salkor ascended to the second highest rank of Mars as a result of this, many were eager to point fingers at him believing this to be some sort of play from the refugees of the Singularitarians for perceived slights and mistreatments. But though he bore what he learned from them at the back of his mind he considered them a nuisance from his past. Thus he was happy to make a show of cracking down on them to restore confidence from the rest of Mars in his position. With most of his former brethren dead, he cracked down upon their children he could track down for crimes real or imagined. Though unsophisticated, the show of force was nonetheless appreciated by the many thousands in positions of power that thought an imposter was in their ranks.

Fortuitous then, was that the death of the following Fabricator General came several centuries later, when the last suspicions of Salkor were at last eroded. With his predecessor melting down a reactor he pushed to its limit in the midst of high power demands for a particularly interesting calculation, it was at last Salkor's turn to hold the highest rank of the entire Mechanicum.

Salkor would privately admit to himself that he was admittedly not prepared for the position. Though in recent years he was happy to show great will compared to what he had displayed prior, his entire life having been spent not pushing any boundaries made it very difficult to assume his new position of Fabricator General when he realized just how many different interest groups he would have to balance.

But, balance he would. He ordered the construction of a great many cogitators and other necessary infrastructure to allow himself to do many calculations, careful to likewise build sufficient power infrastructure to not be atomized as his predecessor. With this machinery the necessary computations would be made such that in almost all issues brought to him the Fabricator General could find some sort of compromise.

Very quickly the nature of Salkor's reign became clear to those around him. As de-facto leader of the entire Machine Cult, Salkor was convinced that it was his sacred duty to serve all the children of the Omnissiah rather than to be the monarch of a Martian Empire. He gave great audience to the Knight Houses in service to Mars and the broader Mechanicum, offering them many a new world that the Explorator fleets had discovered. Great deference was shown to the Forge Worlds outside of Mars, a near equal voice given to them as the scions of the Machine Cult's homeworld. Acknowledgement was given to many a sect of the Machine Cult, conflicts over minor doctrinal differences ordered to cease outright hostilities and co-exist.

The rule of Fabricator General Hyfoj would be a curious one with the progress of time. Though the Speaker of the Martian parliament, the majority of his support base was from the greater diaspora of the Mechanicum and its appendages like the Knight Houses, extra-solar Forgeworlds, and minor sects and tiny schisms that enjoyed his protection. Though these factors were important, the critical thing that prevented a vote of no confidence or other means to depose him were cyclical campaigns of public works. Though Salkor did not believe he could herald some sort of golden-age for the Mechanicum, he believed he could at the very least prevent it from falling into a dark age of complacency as a cruel mirror to the unrestrained changes of the dark age of technology. Centuries old infestations of feral servitors were cleansed from many worlds. Explorator Fleets were made to kidnap navigators and astropaths from other human civilizations to restock the waning supply of these critical mutants within the Mechanicum's inventory. Great projects of stellar defence systems were made to prevent raids from spaceborne pirates, committees were set up to create solutions for ancient and yet unsolved scap-code threats and patches in software and wetware were developed. Orkoid worlds were bathed in fire to prevent their rise in threat, and new systems of audits were made to seek out hereteks.

The exploits did not do enough to earn Salkor the favour of the Magoses of the Martian Parliament, but they did enough to curry favour with their underlings who felt their ramifications on their daily lives. It was just as the mechanical eyes of the Fabricator General began to turn to Terra, that all of his attention was stolen by the landing of a set of gargantuan, silvery children in a crater outside of Olympus Mons.

[Bugman]

The Twins

Primarch Character
Name: Amunal and Slynn, the silver twins

Legion: The Hordes of Enlightenment

Homeworld: Mars

Psyker Grade: Rho

Skills/Abilities:

-The Voice: Each twin and the most prodigious of their children can sway the world with their speech. While in the most base form, this simply makes it nigh impossible for mortals to disagree with them or find flaw in their words, even if the effect is lessened with increasing degrees of transhumanism. But as the twins grow to adulthood, the power of their words becomes increasingly diverse. Sometimes their speech will yield such volume it becomes a sonic weapon. At others, it could clear the scrap-code infecting an ancient machine-spirit, or gently push out a tainted blade from a wound its stuck in.

-One with Brahma: The twins have insights into the ultimate reality of the world. Most evidently this is expressed in their ability to perform maths and similar processes that would otherwise require entire Forgeworlds’ worth of cogitators to perform; indeed, it is said in rumour that they know the final digit of pi. Further, it is said their vision is sharp enough to see the very atoms of the world and in all spectra, whilst their hearing can span whole worlds. Nearly any object or information that crosses them will be found with near instant comprehension. They run models within their minds that make lying to them particularly difficult. Yet, if one successfully deceives the twins this will cause something like a memory-leak for a computer within their minds. They will fall into a stupor before dissolving into a metallic puddle, only reconstituting themselves in weeks, months, or potentially even years depending on the depth of the deception. It is for the reason of this simultaneous fragility and strength of their minds that the twins will try to avoid matters of the warp, for even with their initially infantile understanding and considerations of the matter they already found the inability to quantify or arithmetically compute the Empyrean to cause great mental anguish. Yet as they master everything in the world, they still yearn for the day they may likewise master what is outside of it.

-Form: The twins are considerably shorter than most of their other siblings. But despite not bearing as powerful and imposing a form, they are hardly less durable. This is owing largely to their skin being a silvery silvery fluid that flows into new forms across their skeleton, hardening and softening for different impacts and strikes that may come upon it making them exceptionally resistant to cutting and crushing strikes alike. The Emperor likely intended this ability for the Twins to mould their faces into beautiful forms such that they may appear as beautiful and appealing as possible to any culture they come across. But, instead in an almost perversion of this, the ability is largely used by them to create sockets, ports, and other such interfaces for technology within their bodies.

Appearance: The twins are shorter than most of their siblings by around a foot, with largely androgynous forms. Their skin is a flowing silvery substance swirling across their flesh to new shapes giving the appearance of men or women across the siblings on top of their otherwise gender neutral bodies. This fluidity of skin has them be works of art in appearance without any effort, their image further transmogrifying to the beauty standards of whatever culture they come across. Yet typically they choose to conceal their appearance in red, Omnissian robes. As well, they typically plug in great deals of machinery and technology into themselves that they easily interface with as they mold their bodies to become sockets, ports and plugs to connect. Thus it is rare for any save those they truly need to be diplomatic with to see their inherent aesthetic and one instead simply witnesses what they could easily mistake for particularly large Tech Priests.

Concept: The twins were likely designed by the Emperor to be the premiere diplomats and orators among his children, and yet by virtue of their placement on Mars were in practice robbed of this destiny and given wholly new ones by their induction into the Omnissian cult. While certainly their speech and insight into other people is still present, it has transmogrified into something physically and metaphorically mechanical rather than human. An appreciation for peoples was warped into appreciation for machinery. Faith in the future of humanity has been transformed into faith of the Omnissiah’s benediction to the people of the ultimate equation. While not quite disdain, the twins have come to look upon the unaugmented and unfaithful to the Omnissiah with a feeling of seeing animals, cattle, or even pets. Inferior, almost pitiable beings that while potentially having value as say a house cat or a cow might, they will always be expendable if the needs of a real person demand it.

[Bugman]

The Hordes of Enlightenment

Legion Sheet
Legion Name: The Hordes of Enlightenment (The Swords of Truth, for the brief period prior to discovery of their Primarch)

Associated Primarch: The Twins Amunal and Slynn

Concept: The Horde or the Enlightened (the chosen colloquialism depending on one’s personal standing with the Legion) are a particularly technologically advanced Legion owing to their very direct and personal relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus. Following the discovery of the Primarchs, every new inductee into the Legion is a fully conforming member of the Cult Mechanicus. In a very immediate and kinetic sense this ensures they have weapons and equipment otherwise alien to the Astartes such as transuranic and galvanic rifles, or complements of Kastellans and similar robots to wield. Every Space Marine is as much machine as flesh, each one augmenting their own cybernetics as a sort of never ending project. The Legion has neither Techmarines nor Chaplains in the traditional sense, for with every member being formally a Tech-Priest ensures that all can minister to machinery and that officers further within the Cult can minister to the mental and spiritual wellbeing of their underlings.

The Legion has non-negligible institutional friction with other segments of the Imperium, including some other Legions that may not appreciate the cybernetic religion and all that implies. When new worlds are taken by the Legion, more often than not they are turned to the administration of the Mechanicum rather than the greater Imperium, a fact oft looked down upon.

Throughout the prosecution of the campaigns, they will wage war in a fashion not dissimilar to the rest of the Mechanicus. A great fleet of servo-skulls will be used for reconnaissance and tracking of targets, whilst other machinery like artillery and vehicles do most of the destructive work rather than any glamorous infantry combat Astartes are typically associated with. The rare cases that the Legion makes infantry maneuvers are typically the ones that demand stealth, and usually just mere prelude to their more typical style of warfare. Perhaps the most gruesome part of their warfare, is that when fighting human opponents they will make careful sure to take great masses of prisoners such that they may be servitorized. While they see this as an opportunity for these people to repent against the Imperium of Man, foes and allies alike are oft unsettled by this.

The attitude to Serfs of the Legion are also very, very different to that of most other Astartes. The Serfs of the Legion are treated almost as experiments, toys, whimsies to play with. Each Astartes will work upon the Serfs given to them, tuning their precise augments and cybernetics to what they would need from them. Further, they tend to be far more pro-active in the utilization of these serfs in campaigns, often including them as outright complements to their armed efforts in the event that Mechanicum or Imperial Army support is unavailable. Thus a Hordesman of Enlightenment might be accompanied by their own augmented humans to do anything from dig an emplacement they would defend to covering their advance with an AA missile launcher. This attitude is not extended just to the underlings of the Legion, however. Every Marine is instilled with values of transhumanism, and thus they will keep working upon themselves until there is naught left of flesh save a brain and a few supporting organs. Indeed, even the Apothecaries and Librarians gradually take this into consideration as they work upon the human and Astartes biologies alike. Though this is done far more discretely, the Serfs of the Legion's Apothecarion and Librarius are oft beasts of almost alien flesh and great forests of cabling from the skull respectively. Though more careful in applying these advances to themselves, one can at times see them take the lessons they learn experimenting upon humanity upon themselves.

The Geneseed of the Legion is relatively stable, though at some cost: namely that it suppresses most mutations. It is for that reason that the Legion has perhaps the smallest Librarius of all the Astartes for most psykers lose the whole of their psychic powers wholesale upon the implantation of the progenoid gland. It is for that reason they particularly treasure their Librarians, rarely fielding them in battle and always accompanying them with a bodyguard of serfs. Yet, though true psykers are a rarity in the Legion, the majority of its children benefit from the quasi-psychic powers that their Primarchs have. Its members have acutely analytical minds with natural technical skills, and bear some degree of The Voice that somewhat smooths over otherwise ineptitude skill of diplomacy of the Legionnaires. More often the voice is exhibited as "machine-whispering", providing an easier time in their works with technology greater than mere machine-litanies of other Tech-Priests. Yet, the most gifted of the Twins' genechildren inherit their parents' traits to the point that they too are of a liquid metal form. Considered to be exceptionally blessed grandchildren of the Emperor, they usually are the public faces of the Legion speaking to outsiders after molding their appearance to whatever they believe their counterparts will like.

The Legion has quite a wide fleet, and an arsenal along with stockpile of supplies that has them be not particularly cautious with their logistics knowing the great support they have from the Mechanicus in supplies.

[Jeddaven]

Ierné

Faction Name: the Emerald Monarchy of Ierné

Faction Overview/Concept: a highly militaristic society ruled by a long, ancient bloodline of Navis Nobilite, Ierné has waged a bloody war against the invading forces of Albyon for hundreds of years. They've survived only by sheer, stubborn will, fighting against a nearly overpowering enemy that worships rapacious bloodshed, led by the notoriously brutal Uilleam the Red, reviled by the populace of Ierné as a demon of war and rampant destruction. Ruled by Luigsech, the latest in the line of Novators to rule Ierné, the monarchy employs highly advanced technology, the materials for which are often purchased from Merica or their allies in Franc, then refined in Ierné into locally-produced armaments.

The massive, emerald plateau has been painstakingly preserved -- relatively compared to its surroundings, at least -- though it is still effectively a wasteland compared to what once was. Although somewhat strangely spiritual, due to their ongoing war with Albyon, most psykers are highly distrusted by the people of Ierné, as are those who claim to speak to spirits, other than those capable of binding and disabling other psykers. Others are usually executed or imprisoned in perpetuity after being nerve-stapled.

Ierné exports large quantities of alcohol, drugs and medical equipment, various industrial chemicals, and even anti-pollutants, vital for the production of potable water (particularly those made of gypsum), highly valuable resources only matched by the skill of its chirurgeons and alchemists, who are also given the responsibility of sequencing the genome of every citizen in Ierné, ensuring genetic stability and keeping watch for newly discovered bearers of the Navis genes and ensuring that the inbreeding required to reliably create navigators does not result in crippling genetic defects.

Faction Assets: necessitated by their constant war with the much larger Albyon, despite their military alliance with Franc, most adults in Ierné have some degree of military training, while those actively serving in its military are themselves impeccably trained, well-armed soldiers, heavily genetically modified and augmented, often cybernetically. Short on the materials necessary for promethium fuel, Ierné instead relies almost entirely on its infantry, equipped with light armor, a large quantity of energy weapons, and rarely-used chemical ordnance, employed to pacify and cripple the crazed soldiers of Albyon. Ierné also employs a wide variety of intimidation and psychological warfare tactics, horn-amplified war cries to sonic weapons designed to disrupt enemy troops, and even hallucinogenic chemicals, exploiting the bloodthirsty nature of Albyon soldiers by tricking them into slaughtering each other in the gas-induced confusion.

Gallogach -- the legendary heavy infantry of Ierné, the Gallogach are equipped with a primitive form of powered armor, energy shielding, jump packs, and a wide range of melee weapons, all the way from power spears to melta-bombs, chainblades, their famed Klaimor, and plasma-edged long-hafted axes. Few, if any, are equipped with ranged weaponry, their jump-packs designed to allow them to quickly close with the enemy where they can do the most damage. Like most of Ierné's elite soldiery, the Gallogach receive a relatively large quantity of combat augments to supplement their already impressive physical ability. Most Gallogach are equipped with chemical grenades modeled after old-Earth crowd control gasses and particle dispersants to stun and confuse their enemies before closing into melee.

Gallogach are almost always selected from long bloodlines selectively bred to serve as Galloglach and only Galloglach, the failures typically relegated to labour and doomed lives of social rejection and insignificance.

Kierna -- the light, skirmishing equivalent to the Gallogach, although quite capable in melee, the Kierna are primarily intended to provide Ierné's ranged firepower. Unlike the Gallogach, Kierna wear comparatively light armor, and are equipped with proper "jet" packs designed for highly agile longterm flight. In addition to chain and mono-edged swords, targe-type shields, and shortspears, the Kierna equip shoulder-mounted dart launchers containing various types of energy shells, heavily charged mitralock, artisan laslocks, and rapid-fire melta-pulsers for the destruction of vehicles.

Militia and other forces -- the militias of Ierné are armed with a wide variety of weapons, though most commonly multi-purpose jezailli allowing the. to fight equally well in melee and at range without needing to carry multiple weapons. They are also equipped with a wide-variety of energy-based infnatry support weapons, from lascannons to multilasers, though they use very minimal quantities of artillery.

A handful of formations in Ierné's military are lucky enough to ride genetically-enhanced steeds or war-bikes, equipped with everything from powerful vehicle-destroying las-spears or melta-lances, large quantities of throwing weapons, and a smattering of other armaments. They are, however, primarily light skirmishing cavalry, trained to accompany the Kierna battle, harassing enemy forces and crippling supply chains, already difficult to maintain in the toxic, blistering wastelands of Terra.

Falanagh -- even more elite than the Gallogach are the Falanagh, Navis Nobilite trained to cultivate their powers specifically for combat, armed and equipped with Dark Age-era artifacts, from highly advanced personal shields to artificer-quality armor, supercharged las-gauntlets and pistols, and even a small handful of disintegrators. In the heat of battle, the Falanagh are utterly terrifying, capable of boiling away the flesh of their enemies with mere glances from their third eyes, locally altering probability itself, and reading the moves of their enemies before they even act them out. They are also capable of hiding themselves from psychic sight and dampening the effect of psychic powers, making them especially effective against psykers, though not outright immune to their abilities like true Blanks.

As part of Ierné's nobility, the Falanagh are often placed in leadership positions as generals, given their choice of weapons and armour from their own armories, and occasionally rewarded with special equipment from the monarch's armories themselves. They, as with all Navis, are expected to spend much of their free time producing viable heirs, and are forbidden from impregnating or being impregnated by anyone not possessing the Navis genes. Otherwise, however, they are bound by relatively few rules, though they are punished incredibly harshly for misuse and misappropriation of vital war resources and food supplies. They also serve as bodyguards for the Novator.

Key Characters:

Novator Luigsech dé Dannah -- the current ruler of Ierné, Luigsech is the unquestioned leader of her people, and the most potent Navigator in their ranks. Although technically not a psyker herself, she is capable of incredible feats of power as one of the most potent living Navigators, handily obliterating whole formations of her enemies with her eye, burning away the souls of the corrupted like kindling, dampen psychic powers by forcing the warp into calm, or utterly paralyze soul-bearing beings. It is said that she can even peer directly into the souls of those she directs her gaze at, uncovering their most deeply-held secrets with incredible ease. Unmarried, she instead reproduces with whichever Navigator she pleases, selecting only those with the most desirable genetics.

Greágar, General of the Fionnach -- as the commander of Ierné's Fionnach, Glunnar is charged with hunting down and capturing or killing witches and those believed to be consorting with otherworldly powers, effectively serving as a hunter of witches and priests. Though old and grizzled, he's kept well in fighting shape, despite visible deformities resulting from his advanced age and the Homo Sapiens Navigo genes. He is a consummate master of the Aether doldrums, able to severely dampen the power of psykers, as are most of the Navis in his command, though the Fionnach are still primarily composed of mere Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

Lady Aishlin -- the Novator's seneschal, Lady Aishlin manages the daily business of the Novator's palatial fortress, from her day-to-day servants, to her harems, to her daily itinerary and travel arrangements, aided by her own staff. She is herself a Navigator, though a relatively young adult, and her powers have thus remained relatively muted so far.

Édoain -- Commander of the Gallogach, Édoain is perhaps the best-equipped baseline human in Ierné, and one of its most skilled warrior. A giant of a redhead, she features prominently in Iernéan propaganda, armed with an absolutely massive artificer-quality power axe capable of cleaving even men in power armor in twain with a single swing. She, like many of Ierné's best, has been extremely heavily augmented, towering over mere mortal men.

Novator Luigsech dé Dannah

Character Name: Luigsech dé Dannah

Rank/Role: Novator

Appearance:
Hauntingly beautiful, the young Novator adorns herself only in the rarest and most beautiful fineries, adorned in jewelry and dresses found nowehere else but in Merica's most exclusive ballrooms. Even her cybnertic augments -- a pair of clawed, gold-brushed secondary arms, are of the finest quality, though despite her preference for decoration and ceremony, she is an extremely lethal and physically fit combatant.

Biography: As Navigators are wont to do, Luigsech's family history has been precisely recorded further back than most surviving nations of Terra -- and her own life was no exception, gene-tailored before birth to remove any hint of defect or undesirable trait from her genome. By then, her people had become masters of genetic science by necessity, pruning out the inevitable unwanted result of the thousands upon thousands of years of selective inbreeding that was deemed necessary to ensure as many Navigators were produced as possible.

It was no surprise, then, that much of the Novator-to-be's early life was tightly controlled, from who she interacted with, to how she spent her free time, and even her hobbies -- the day would eventually come when she'd have freedom, but until then, her duty was to prepare for her duties as Novator and war-leader of her people, and not a thing more. As such, while the capital of Ierné was in the arcology-hive of Bailatlith, her family in reality lived far to the west, on a heavily fortified underground estate in the country's center, where Luigsech spent most of her childhood, occasionally visiting the heavily fortified capital on propaganda visits alongside her parents and her many siblings.

From a very young age, after all, Luigsech showed an unusual degree of potency in her Third Eye, and although she too would inevitably mutate so vigorously that even the chemical science of Ierné could not stop it, she was chosen to have a long career as the leader and public face of her people for as long as it was tenable. She took to her assigned role well, unflinchingly confident in the righteousness of her power -- and Ierné's cause -- even from her early childhood, the horrors of Albyon's bloodthirst burned into her mind by both education and second-hand experience of the horrors they inflicted on anyone they captured.

However, despite her enforced distance, Luigsech did genuinely care for her people in her own, twisted way, taking every opportunity she was offered to show her face and encourage their propagandized love of her, also intermingling with both her fellow Navigators and the visiting chieftans and generals of their Francish allies, reassuring them that she, too, would continue their ancient alliance once she took her place as Novator. For decades, she served this role, occasionally joining the armies on Ierné in battle once she reached adulthood, earning herself a reputation as a coldly vicious combatant and a capable commander, capable of both martial and preternatural lethality, earning her a pseudo-spiritual quality as a saviour figure among the general population.

It wasn't until she turned forty that her parents were removed from power, killed by Albyonese assassins, thrusting her into a position she has held for nearly ten years as of present, leveraging her immense power to systematically cripple Albyon's armies and re-establish connections with Merica, bringing vast quantities of much-needed raw material into the country for Ierné's capable weaponsmiths. Word has reached her through distant traders and contacts in House Hastings of a powerful Himalazian warlord with ambitions to conquer Terra, however, who she now seeks to contact, to assess whether he could prove a valuable ally, or whether he, like Albyon, must be stopped at all costs.

[Eldritch Puppy]

House Parthian

Faction Name: House Parthian

Faction Overview/Concept:

House Parthian is the dynasty that has been reigning supreme over the Hyrkanian Hegemony for two hundred years; a city-state sat on the triple border between Ursh, the Ethnarchy and the Kievan Russ Khaganate, composed of the hive city Hyrkan and the surrounding wastes harboring sparse settlements and hydroponic farmsteads.

Hyrkan is situated on a key merchant route and a sizeable portion of the trade flowing back and forth between the Mediterranean Dust Bowl and the glacial north transits through it. Its people has ever fought back against its three neighbors who covet its riches and strategic position, but ironically always managed to remain independent because it is so coveted. As much as the Kievan Russ Khaganate, the Ethnarchy or the Ursh wish to bring Hyrkan under their control, they cannot allow one of their rivals to control the city-state. And so, when the Ursh invade with a horde large enough to overcome the hive, the Kievan Russ and the Ethnarchy repel them. When the Ethnarchy’s war machines threaten to break the Hyrkanian defenses, the Kievan Russ and the Ursh counter-attack. And when the Kievan Russ marches its armies forth to siege the city, Ursh and the Ethnarchy break the siege with a pincer attack.

The Hyrkanian Hegemony’s domain teeters on the edge of a razor blade, steered by its monarchic leaders named Kazars. It must maintain a careful balance of relations with its bellicose neighbors, while having enough bite to make any invasion a slow and costly affair. The Hegemony does not have the manpower needed for an in-depth defense of their whole territory. Instead, it relies on vast numbers of aircraft churned out by the hive’s forges, along with a massively bloated airborne force capable of deploying quickly, striking hard with infantry and all manner of vehicles light enough to be airlifted, and then flying away before the enemy can bring its full force to bear.

Faction Assets: (Brief Overview of their Strengths/Capability)

- Large-scale aircraft factories.
- The Silver Hawks: the elite of the Kazar’s warriors who get first pickings for aircraft and wargear.
- Tremendous wealth acquired through trade.

Key Characters:

Kazar Solomon: The current monarch of the Hyrkanian Hegemony and head of House Parhtian.

Kazarin Kazaenen: Wife to Kazar Solomon, she rules Hyrkan alongside him.

First Prince Jakub: Eldest son of the royal couple, commander of the Silver Hawks and heir to the throne of Hyrkan.

Princess Thensyra: Younger daughter of the royal couple, honorary commander of Hyrkan’s Urban Guard.

[Lauder]

The Black-Hawk

Character Name: Amalasuntha, the Black-Hawk

Rank/Role: Venatari Custodes

Appearance:
Amalasuntha would fit any amongst the custodes, tall and the pinnacle of physical physique but she is as lithe as a hunter on the Himalayan mountainside. Her skin is rough and calloused of years of exposure to the cruel elements and the vast gene-modification and training that those of the Custodes must go through. Her wings have been painted black to mark her shadows amongst the skies, so that those may feel their final fear knowing that one of the Emperor’s chosen has come to slay them. Her head, shaved clean save for a single taut ponytail that would be a clear refinement of her head, though the most notable would be the mask that belongs to another faction within the Imperium - which covers her mouth to nose. While she is not amongst such a role, it is a more personal item that she carries on her person.

Biography:

Amalasuntha’s past, whatever of it that has not been completely wiped clean of her time being amongst the vaunted Custodes, was clearly bonded with that of a psychic blank that served as a test for the Emperor, her true sister. No amount of hypno-therapy had been able to break such a bond, her will had been unshakable. However, whatever that sister's name Amalasuntha had never known, given the two were raised in quite different environments, all that was left was the great feeling whenever the two worked in concert. Amongst the heights of the Himalayan Mountains, as the Emperor’s own bodyguard, there was little time for the two to truly understand and get to know each other - nor for any true conversation to occur. Yet, with any chance for performing an operation with her sister, she would always force herself to work alongside them and hunt the psykers that plagued Terra. With Amalasuntha’s one focus being the service and protection of the Emperor, she could not afford such distraction. And yet, she could not say why it was that she felt such anger and hatred when it was her bonded sister that had been felled in battle, felled by a shot from one of the barbarous ‘Thunder Warriors’ that her lord employed whilst securing their first foothold.

It was then that she had slaughtered the Warrior, killing him savagely and swiftly as if the Thunder Warrior had threatened to kill the Emperor himself. Amongst her shield-kindred, it was known that her aggression and ferocity had grown and her goal had been shifted to keep a distant eye upon those warriors so that they might know what happens if they were to be given into their degradations. It is Amalasuntha who served as a great judge of how the Warriors conduct themselves, inspiring fear and awe amongst their ranks. For this reason, she had been given the armor Venatari, so that she might cast an infernal shadow amongst the battlefields of Thunder Warriors, marking any who might stray from their path for an early demise. Amongst these prospects she has been effective in determining the quality of them, becoming a hawk with her mice.

[Ever Faithful]

Primarch Character
Name: Muriel Boissonade d'Gallia

Legion: IV Legion Astartes Valiant Hearts

Homeworld: Gallia, an agricultural planet of feudal traditions

Psyker Grade: Beta

Skills:
Inspiring Orator - For someone that revels in glory leading the charge in every battle, Muriel is surprisingly patient with her words and very amicable towards everyone that's not an enemy of the Imperium. No one can whip up the unwashed masses and soldierly alike in such utter devotion and self-sacrifice as Muriel.

Blade Master - Like all Primarchs, Muriel displays unimaginably adept skills at arms. However, instead of diversifying her armaments, she devoted her entire life to mastering the two-handed chainsword, the flamer, and the grenade. No doubt the best thrower in the Imperium from all the bombs she threw.

Wall-breaker - Although not the most intelligent and innovative field commander, Muriel's military success primarily derives from her siege assaults and grand offensives. The sheer speed with which she can overcome any bastion or fortress, cross entire distances, and immediately recover to move on to the next target frequently surpasses her siblings. Cities built by Muriel are easily noticeable due to the Gallian-style fortifications and entrenchment.

Iron Chef - Growing up in an agricultural world, Muriel can cook up confections that would make any taste bud weep in joy. Even when deprived of many ingredients, she can accomplish a lot with very little. "Dinner Diplomacy" is a favorite tactic of hers when appeasing planets and governors or smoothing relations with her siblings.

Abilities:
Banishment - Muriel can weaken enhanced foes by blocking their connection to their gods, dissolve the material body of daemons, or simply immolate a target in a white-hot wreath of flame.

Purge - Either through words, gestures, or indomitable will, her psyker strength can cast out possessive demons or intimidate them.

Appearance:

My Hider

Concept: Primarily inspired by the legend of Saint Joan and the Sisters of Battle. A martial-oriented leader has been assigned bureaucratic duties as a "reward" due to Imperium's ever-present need for competent administrators and governors; essentially a politician general.

Legion Sheet

Legion Name: Valiant Hearts

Associated Primach: Muriel Boissonade d'Gallia

Concept: Specialists in siege warfare and close-quarter combat. An all-female legion of space marines, they are adorned in heavy armor that emphasize the female form and equipped with copious amounts of explosives, flamers, chemical weaponry, and melee. The chainsword and the heavy flamer are the most iconic weapons of the legion. The legion itself is divided into three main classes: the Engineers, the Sappers, and the Hospitallers.

The Engineers manage the construction and maintenance of the needed war machines and siege engines while providing heavy fire support from the rear. Additional duties included entrenchment, construction, and rapid repair of recently conquered territories.

The Sappers are the primary assaulting force, given their expertise in demolition and melee combat. They are the ones that work to undermine the structural integrity of enemy placements and fortresses and create breaches.

The Hospitaliers is a dedicated logistics and medical wing that ensures that the Engineers and Sappers have the ammunition, weaponry, equipment, and armor to fulfill their tasks. While combat doctors and logisticians, they also serve as torturers and interrogators should the need arise.

My Hider

[Baalshamin]

Ashur Esarhaddon

Name: Ashur Esarhaddon ‘The Lion of Night’

Legion: VI The Greycloaks (The Ashen Lions)

Homeworld: Nemea

Art by Denis Sirenko

Nemea is a dry, arid superhabitable world dominated by vast polar deserts and glacial icecaps situated in Segementum Tempestus, and has a long and storied history with humankind. The system was first settled in some the earliest vast eon spanning migrations of humans from Terra, who extensively terraformed the inhospitable environment of Nemea, most notably melting much of the expansive polar ice caps to create a belt of interlinked inland seas akin to the ancient Mediterranean. Certain artificial intelligences were then designed to administer creches of genetic engineered fauna, releasing new species once it sensed the world had hit certain key markers. With fertile farmland established and many small colonies thriving, the planet seemed like it would remain a pleasant if isolated and backward system in humanities burgeoning interstellar empire.

However the discovery of rich reserves of Adamantium in the planets northern pole would change Nemea's fortunes permanently. With access to this rare resource the Nemeans were able to redirect trade to their world and develop it both culturally and economically to new heights. It quickly became a centre of trade and a core world in the network of systems that bound early humanity together, establishing its control diplomatically and militarily over many of its neighbouring systems. However despite its involvement in the heavy exploitation of Adamantium and other rare resources, it never made the full evolution into a Hive World or Ecumenopolis due to the natural beauty of the manicured landscapes of its equatorial coastline, and the gorgeous turquoise-blue waters of the Great Apsu Sea. As such Nemea maintained a mixed but prosperous economy, with its equator serving as coastal hub for cities and coastal resorts, whilst the more arid and harsh landscapes of the Whispering Desert were left to mining and exploitation. Thousands of years of peace and prosperity reigned on Nemea even during this time; even the decline in the output of Adamantium could not hinder its growth as the trade lanes it had built had become ossified, ensuring its continued importance in trade in this far flung sector of human civilisation.

However much like Terra, Nemea suffered greatly in the fallout of Old Night. The eruption of warp storms disrupted the intricate network of interstellar trade Nemea had used to support itself and threw the planet into chaos. Even worse the Warp storms corrupted the intelligence of the ancient AI's of the world, leading them to vomit forth unceasing tides of increasingly monstrous fauna upon the mostly defenseless inhabitants until they were reduced to cinders and charred circuits by powerful atomic weapons. The surviving bureaucracy of the Dark Age of Technology bound itself together into powerful houses and declared war on each other in a brutal struggle for control over the badly damaged world. As such, what had once been one of the jewels of humankind was quickly engulfed in the savagery of technobarbarian warlords and powerful merchant city states as they sought to dominate and destroy one another in an endless cycle of bloodshed. Worse still, many of the monstrous fauna created by the old machines had survived their creators fall and now spread across much of the Whispering Desert, turning much of the world into a dangerous, hostile place beyond the narrow band of the equatorial coastlines, and fatally isolating the remaining civilisations from the raw resources necessary to bring their civilisations out of the Age of Strife.

Currently the nations of Nemea are split between the opposing powers of Seluktar, Korshamash, Astarea and Balan-Ur who each control a corner of the vast equatorial sea lanes of Nemea. This fragile balance has been maintained for a century as whenever one empire turned upon another and looked to be succeeding, the others would assist in forcing it back. As such there has ruled a stalemate across Nemea for five generations, allowing the empires to gear up for a vast final confrontation. All would change however, when a flaming comet erupted through the skies of Nemea in 'The Year of Thunder', and bring with it a figure that would change the face of Nemea forever...

Psyker Grade: Alpha

Skills/Abilities:

Administrator- Ashur is a highly competent administrator and organisational mastermind which enables him to sift through immense amounts of information and come up with decisive plans of action. This ability allows him to manage an immense bureaucracy with relative ease as well as strategies and engage in longterm planning which can stretch across centuries. As such, Ashur has the innate ability to bring order from chaos and control and guide an immense empire effectively, a talent that will become useful in the coming centuries.

Propagandist- Ashur is excellent at harnessing the masses to his will and propagating ideological doctrines across the political and social sphere with startling rapidity as well as suppressing any dissent to his aims and ambitions. He is excellent at crafting a professional and respected public persona that is built upon both conciliatory and coercive means, bringing ideological opponents into the fold whilst removing those who cannot be swayed. A highly capable public speaker, he is a master of showmanship and has a natural instinct for managing a crowd, although he much prefers working behind the scenes than out in front of the people.

Truesight and Telepathy- due to his immense psionic abilities Ashur has extremely potent skills in reading the minds of mortal men and picking apart their plans and ambitions behind the veneer of civility they paint over their desires. This ability feeds into Ashur’s abilities to plan around and defeat his opponents, as he knows them often as deeply as they know themselves. Only extremely powerful latent or active psykers - such as Alpha Class, Primarchs and the Emperor himself - are free from being read, dominated and crushed by his razor sharp mind. Ashur also has the ability to see through psychic trickery of the warp and read the lies and deceits of those that dwell within, being able to see things as they truly are and dispersing hallucinations and illusions with ease. This however does not come without its costs, as the maddening realities of the Empyrean cannot be hidden from his eyes, nor the nightmares and horrors within them.

Limited Precognition - Ashur exhibits a level of limited precognition that has been with him since his fall as a comet from the heavens unto Nemea. This ability has been a much of a boon as it has a curse, as even with his immense abilities there were moments where his precise plans would not follow their intended path. This precognitive sight allowed him to navigate such storms before they raised their head, or adapt quickly to changed circumstances and reorientate his strategies accordingly. It is however limited in function, able to give him occasional glimpses of the immediate future, but never giving him absolute foresight in all things, and much like his other psionic powers it is limited when encountering other potent psykers. Ashur has also been wracked by terrible images of a coming disaster since he awoke, causing manly sleepless nights and hours of fatalistic brooding to consume him. His administrative talents, the support of his companions and his single-minded dedication to his plans have kept him stable, but many a night he has seen a thousand worlds consumed in flame and the laughter of strange, horrifying gods echo in his dreams…

Warlord-Although not as skilled as some of his more fearsome siblings, Ashur is nonetheless a dangerous and terrifying opponent in combat and very capable of bringing an incredibly dangerous mind to the field. What makes Ashur skilled in this is not necessarily his martial prowess nor his brute strength, nor even his psionic abilities - although all factors play a part in this - but his ability to adapt and counter the tactics and weapons of his opponents. Although Ashur may not win the first bout of every conflict, he will inevitably become stronger and more dangerous with each successive battle, until at last he overpowers and destroys his opponent.

Shapeshifting-Ashur can engage in limited shapeshifting to change his size, height and appearance to those around him. Although this has its strongest effect on mortals he has shown in the past the ability to deceive even a Primarch for a time, although never for particularly long. This ability feeds into Ashur’s other skills as a diplomatic and political tool, allowing him to manifest himself as he desires according to his political intentions. He cannot however, alter his form beyond the baseline of human physiography, or alter his body into unnatural forms.

---

Art by Linda Marie Anson

Appearance: Perhaps the most enigmatic of the Primarchs, Ashur is at once both utterly unremarkable and simultaneously the shining image of Primarch. Much like his father the Emperor Ashur is capable of subtle changes to his appearance that can be used to emphasis or de-emphasis himself depending on the the situation. He can appear as a simple normal sized unadorned man, another unremarkable face in the crowd or as the shining demi-god in power armour with thunder roaring around his shoulders, burning with the wild flames of the Empyrean. Despite this ability, there is commonalities to Ashur’s appearance that stay constant when he chooses to appear openly, rendering him recognisable to his people and siblings.

Ashur as he tends to appear is a solidly built man with prematurely grey hair and brown Mediterranean skin, standing at perhaps twelve feet in height and with heavy lidded, somewhat haunted dark eyes. His grey hair is kept short - although upon landing he wore it longer - and he has a strong aquiline nose, which in combination with his heavy set eyes gives him an imperious air. A remnant of the time in the warp, his eyes are catlike and dusken orange in colouration. He sports a meticulously groomed and ringleted beard, which with his grey air gives him an older, authoritative, somewhat grizzled appearance.

In physique Ashur is the middle road between his lither siblings and his more physically impressive brethren, which sums up his combined arms approach to warfare and his more adaptive and selective tactics. He has a statuesque build befitting of a primarch but can move with tigerish speed when required and can strike fast and hard.

Concept: The intention behind the creation of Ashur was clearly as the Emperor’s chosen man for managing and suppressing internal dissent and ensuring ideological homogeneity. Ashur’s abilities for organisation, his mastery of propaganda and his capacity of controlling and managing an intricate bureaucracy clearly placed him in position to act as the emperor’s head of state security and propaganda minister. His close similarities to the emperor in personality and attitudes also suggest that the emperor wanted a Primarch that he could entrust to uphold his vision as regent whilst he was otherwise occupied, and an individual which he could be absolutely certain of their loyalty and obedience. The fickle gods of the warp however, perhaps had other designs in mind when they brought their changes upon Ashur when he and his siblings were scattered amongst the stars. What might have been their greatest bond of unity may now instead be their greatest hindrance, for Ashur has seen what the emperor has not; A bloodsoaked galaxy in flames, burning whilst dark gods laugh…

Legion VI 'The Udug-Kai'

Legion Name: The Udug-Kai 'The Greycloaks' (The Ashen Lions)

Associated Primach: Ashur Esharhaddon

Concept: The Greycloaks function as an blunt instrument of state control in the nascent Imperium, forming the iron fist of the emperor in squashing dissent and brutally putting down any attempt at rebellion. The Greycloaks are drawn from the worst and most wretched hiveworlds of Terra and exhibit brutal and inhumane tactics in tackling the Emperor’s foes. Many traits and gang rituals developed in the blackest and most lightless pits of the Neo-Beybul have been adopted into the legion, such as the scarification of the flesh to mark the deaths of notable opponents, the flaying of their enemies for battleflags as well as headhunting. The Greycloaks get their name from the dyed grey leather cloaks that they wear over their shoulder of their right pauldron which is traditionally made from the skin of a Pacific Hydra, but sometimes is made from the skin of human opponents. As such, the organisation that would become the Ashen Lions is a brutish cudgel compared to the sophisticated machine they will eventually become.

Yezerhim Mazdak

Character Name: Yezerhim Mazdak

Rank/Role: Fabricator-Mobad of Forge World Ctesiphon

Appearance: The Fabricator-Mobad of Ctesiphon is typical of his people in the immense number of cybernetic components that have been grafted into his flesh. Whilst still a tech acolyte, Yezerhim Mazdak was a gaunt, hairless grey faced figure with high cheekbones and pale yellow eyes, similar to so many of those produced by the clone vats of the forge world. In his latter years his face was replaced by a blank faceplate with optical lenses, clad in off-white robes and with his cybernetic components gilt in burnished bronze. His body sidles forth on many articulated limbs whilst four massive machine limbs allow him to work upon his deadly projects. In the middle of his bared chest, a single opening reveals a small pure white flame protected behind chemically reinforced hyperglass, a symbol of his dedication to 'The First Technology' of the Ctesiphon Canticles.

Biography: In the age of the Unification Wars, the Adept who would become Fabricator-Mobad of Ctseiphon was little more than one of many cloned tech-serfs in the employ of the Forge World of Ctesiphon. Here Yezerhim would remained if not for his incredibly sharp memory for the rites and ritualised sciences of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and his curious, questioning nature. In other Forge Worlds this latter aspect would have been a hindrance to his rise to prominence, but upon Ctesiphon, which had managed somewhat to recover from Old Night and the Age of Strife and rise into a new technological renaissance, it only enhanced his position as one of the most forward thinkers of his age. In the age of Ashur however, Yezerhim has not yet come into the prominence and influence of his latter years. A hundred years would pass before this would reach its nadir, and the Ctesiphon would bloom across the Satrapy of Nemea under the influence of its Primarch, the Lion of Night...

House Shamashsar

Faction Name: House Shamashsar

Faction Overview/Concept: House Shamashsar is a subject house under the Great King of Akkad that has stewardship over the Hive City of High Beybul in the time of the Unification Wars, one of the more important of the remaining major cities in the Akkadian region of Terra noted for the height of its spires and the depths of its industry. Expert biologists, House Shamashsar were recruited by the Great Kings of Akkad to help forge the Udug Hul into the fearsome warhost they are in the age of the Unification Wars. However their hard, burdensome work was met with little praise of acknowledgement by the Great King of Akkad, who took it as his right that he was due such gifts to be provided by his lessers. House Shamashsar’s standing was further damaged by an uprising arranged by the Great House Shamash-Eriba against the Great King of Akkad to attempt to claim the throne. Although House Shamashsar stayed loyal to the throne of Akkad and helped bring the revolt to a speedy conclusion, they were nonetheless rebuked and shamed before the other Great Houses for not recognising the perfidy of their masters prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Although they gained station as the only loyalist remaining House in Beybul - the others having been destroyed with Shamash-Eriba - they were not raised to the position of a Great House and were left merely the governors and stewards of the city, adding to the slights felt by House Shamashassur towards the Great King of Akkad.

Since this point the House of Shamashsar has thrown itself into industry and the modernisation of its ancient hive city, as well as the development of new biological and technological weapons. Outwardly this is presented as an attempt to build up its name in the imperial court of Akkad and undo the damage wrought by the revolt of the Shamash-Eriba, but inwardly Shamashassur have long grown tired of the contempt the Great King of Akkad has laid at the feet of the Shamashassur. Now they look out upon the desolate plains of Terra looking for someone worthy of their services and loyalty…

Faction Assets: (Brief Overview of their Strengths/Capability) House Shamashsar controls a large centre of industry on Terra in a key position of the territory of Akkad in the form of hive city High Beybul. The foundries and forges of High Beybul, fed by trade in raw resources and deep core mining provide an immense amount of manufacture goods that go forth to feed the needs of Akkad. Its scientific facilities are also some of the most sophisticated in the region and were responsible for the development of the Udug Hul gene-warriors that have so terrorised the region and broken the armies of the Achaemenids in the brutal wars in the East. Despite their more administrative and scientific interests, the Shamashsar are no strangers to martial skills, and have provided many generals and warriors to the technobarbarian warlords that serve in the armies of the Great King of Akkad, as all noble houses should.

Key Characters:

Shamashsar Sîn - the leader of House Shamashsar, Lady Sîn is a powerful figure within the family and a leading component in the houses revived prospects after the debacle of the Shamash-Eriba Uprising. A leading biologist and technobarbarian warlord, she has been at the head of Shamashsar’s developments into new genewarrior strains. Lady Sîn has become interested in the secrets of the Perpetuals after uncovering their presence upon Terra and wishes to acquire genetic samples to further her research. A beautiful, dark skinned, middle aged woman, she wears simple silver great silk robes and her greying black hair is shorn on one side, with one eye replaced by a yellow optical lens and several cortical implants networked into her brain through cords in her skull.

[Lauder]

Usriel Andreadth

Name:
Usriel Andreadth

Legion:
XIX - The Steel Sentinels

Homeworld:
Vion V (Fortress World)

Vion V was a world that would have been set to become amongst the other forge worlds of the Mechanicum, however, setback after setback occurred. It was a majority of the time the resistance of the locals, industrious as they were calloused to the change of the status quo upon the planet. While many forges and hive spires dot the planet, it is equal parts fortresses and redoubts - outposts and bastions made up the areas between the cities. While eventually, the planet had been subdued by the Mechanicum in late M25, it never could realize its full potential as a forge world. As such, there is a continued divide between the common natives of the planet and the great opulence of the ruling Mechanicum.

Yet, as warp storms clouded the sector, cutting off the Mechanicum from Mars, their balance would be tested. Changes had to occur lest their power be stripped away and their entire operation jeopardized. Ever pragmatic, the Mechanicum launched several culling campaigns throughout M26-M27 to keep the natives in line, but the Vionese, ever resilient, refused to allow their culture to be extinguished and would actively fight back against the legions of skitarii and the Legio Cybernetica. Countless were slaughtered, the dead and decaying littered the planetside until eventually war itself became more and more of a detriment to the Mechanicum. These campaigns would come to a halt after the Martians would sign a treaty with the natives, ending hostilities and allowing for an indefinite peace. This peace would allow the Mechanicum and the Vionese to intermingle peacefully for the first time in their shared history. It was the beginning of true change, as gradually the Mechanicum and Vionese would become one, their own sect.

The Martian red and white trimmings would become the great white and green that is now seen within the clergy of Vion 5 today. Lineages once hailing from Mars would mix with the native populace, allowing those hailing from the planet itself to become a part of the ruling body. These changes truly did bring a peace to the great ruling body.Yet, at the turn of M30, a new radical sect of the Cult of the Machine had come to rise, the Cult of the True Ones. They had not learned from the countless years passed, while the flesh was weak, the absence of it took away all humanity. They served to become more than humanity, seeking to become one with the machines rather than hoard the knowledge of ages past. As such, a war has come, one that threatened the very balance of the planet and the Cult of the Machine.

++ PRAISE THE MACHINE GOD. ++

Psyker Grade:
Beta

Skills/Abilities:

Master of Fortresses: Usriel is nearly unparalleled in the art of constructing the great bastions that the imperium rely upon for defense. It is his designs that many use as a standard for something that can be erected and defended. That said his preview goes beyond just building them, he is the great defender of the Imperium. A fortress under his command could theoretically last until there is nought but a blaster husk, able to rebuff assaults in the most dire of circumstances and able to turn a defensive action into a crushing victory.

The Lord of Plasma: A master in the use of plasma weaponry, the greatest weapon against those who try to use their armor to advance, and equally as good against standard infantry. While he has had plasma weaponry overheat in his hands, he now knows the precise means of using the unstable weaponry. Nonetheless any weapon he crafts that uses this volatile element will be of master artifice, even more so than any of the other countless creations that he formulated.

The Mechanicum’s Gifts: Usriel was born and raised upon the assembly line of the forges of Vion 5, his first thoughts past his parents were that of creation. His hands have forged many a weapon and many more shall be forged by the time of his inevitable death. They have each been classified as master-crafted, all having been able to outperform another. The only one that might be able to rival him in this regard would be another Primarch of equal skill or perhaps even the Omnissiah himself.

Psychic Awakening: While a powerful psyker, his abilities are unrefined and untapped for the most part, though he is known to react very quickly to sudden changes in a battlefield. This is partly because he can ‘see’ attacks before they occur, a fact that makes him a formidable duelist and achieve a perfect defense, but it would be the only thing to carry him to victory against another Primarch. As far as the more strange aspects of this nature, it is said that he can drive the machine spirits from enemy weapons and vehicles and that he can crush men with a wave of his fist should he have the need to do so. Though, none of these can truly stop an enemy's attack unlike his ability to make sure that enemy munitions cannot reach his men and that explosions hit something in the air that cannot be seen by the likes of mortal men.

Appearance:
Usriel has been described as twelve feet tall, looming over others with his mauled and otherwise scarred body on his body. These scars are all different in nature, though many are from combat and others from ceaseless work. His head shaved and kept clean, his pale body a mass of muscle built as if he were a very wall that he aspires for his legion to be. It is perhaps, that this is why his tired eyes continue to look on, ever vigilant of a threat against the threats of his legion and the Imperium itself. He looks as if he radiates tired energy, one who has grown tired of war, tired of rule over his home. This may be the reason as to why there always appears to be an unkempt stumble strewn across his face which sometimes is grown out as a short, black beard.

Additionally, his body hosts some implants from the priests of the Mechanicum which he controls finer than any of the cult could possibly imagine. A singular servo arm is normally attached to him, hosting a weapon of some form or some tool to help him continue his work.

Concept:

The Nineteenth Son of the Omnissiah, was made with an affinity towards protecting the holdings of the Imperium. Entrenching the great strength of the state behind towering walls and trenches to protect its countless soldiers so that none may dare raise a rifle against it. However, faith and duty has forged him into a great crafter of weapons and a staunch pragmatist who is willing to trade lives in order to keep the defenses running or to break the enemy. This is what he can provide his Lord, the Emperor - cruel and calculated sacrifice so that the Imperium may stand fast against the horrors of the galaxy and the enemies of man. No foe may pass his gaze, no haunt shall slip through the gap to Harry those who the Nineteenth has sworn to protect in the name of His Holiness the Omnissiah. Whereas others may be His Sword, Usriel is the great shield of the Imperium.

++ TO GIVE ALL TO THE OMNISSIAH IS THE ONLY COURSE ++

The Steel Sentinels

Legion Name:
The Steel Sentinels

Associated Primach:
Usriel Andreadth

Concept:

The Steel Sentinels are a very cold legion, calloused to the suffering of humans through the nature of war that they conduct, being surrounded by the dead and dying in trenches tends to shallow oneself. However, they do attempt to minimize this damage where they can out of the will of the Imperium itself, though this does not mean they are unafraid to kill them should they need to. The legion itself rarely associates with mere humans, only acknowledging their existence while patrolling and, in fact, they hold those of the Cult Mechanicum in higher regard due to how closely their Primarch is linked to it. Though, the Sentinels have always been closer to the Mechanicum, finding solace in the cold steel than the warmth of flesh.

They employ only the best technology available to them, wishing for what may best stop the enemies of man from taking any ground. This has led to a staggering requisition of plasma-based arms, though their Primarch had more forced this change upon them, as the legion had found itself finding that the weapon cares little if the enemy wears armor or not. This has led to the Steel Sentinels becoming far more concerned with the maintenance of their weapons, each Astartes becoming attuned to the in’s and outs that wholly make up their tools of war, learning from their contingent Mechanicum and many being unofficial Tech-Marines in their own regards.