In the grim darkness of the 51st Millennium, the endless war continues.
There was no great conflagration or calamitous final battle.
Across the vastness of the galaxy, the Imperium died-- not with a bang, but a whimper. The galactic empire of humanity crumbled, its enemies too many, too great and too terrible to imagine. The great conflict of Octarius had no victory, a war without end. In the fiery chasm of strife, the locust and the green holocaust fused, as beast looked upon barbarian and both saw the other as kin. The new entity spread with a speed undreamt of by Ork or Tyranid. War and hunger melded into a singular desire to ravage and remake all in the image of the New Devourer. Seeing the greatest fight since the War in Heaven, Ghazghul Mag Uruk Thraka led a billion trillion Orks against the New Devourer. The gleeful Orks fought and died until none were seemingly left, and for a season, the galaxy thought the orks extinct. Alas, their hopes would be quickly dashed by this new horror.
The Devourer's hybrid nightmares were regenerative and spore-born, combining into a grand horror which murdered the galaxy, leaving naught but fragments as it left. Metallic sentinels of unflinching dread rose up on some worlds, leaving them safe from the New Devourer Waaagh, but instead made them slaves to the silver sentinels, and fodder for their glowing metal gods.
As if things could not go worse, the Emperor perished. It is said by some that he could no longer bear the torment of sitting upon the Golden Throne; others believe that an assassin somehow slew him once and for all. Whatever the case, Terra collapsed into a second Eye of Terror, and every soul in the Solar System dead. Only Titan remained as a sphere of defiance, where the Custodes and Grey Knights still fight against hordes of demons every single day.
With the death of the God Emperor, the Imperium shattered like glass. Echoing the fate of the old Greater Human Federation during the final days of the Dark Age of Technology, its sectors were isolated from each other. Unfortunate worlds were set upon the devious legions of Chaos, hungering xenos, or simply fell to the internal strife inherent to humanity. Many planets, reliant on shipments from agri-worlds, simply starved to death. Mad preachers roared a new rhetoric; the Emperor had punished humanity for its sin, and that they rightfully deserved their fate. Clusters of planets that were within short range warp from each other consolidated; some waited in vain for the greater Imperium to relieve them, while others rightfully concluded that the Imperium was gone, and they were on their own. So were the Petty Imperiums born as shards of mankind's empire.
Surging from the Eye of Terror, Abaddon the Despoiler’s 19th Black Crusade swept across the west, and conquered thousands of planets. In a galaxy bereft of the Emperor’s light, there could be no coordinated response, no crusade to be launched. Abaddon forged his own Chaos Imperium, and none could stop him. In the Maelstrom, Huron Blackheart did the same, with his Red Corsairs and hordes of Chaos cultists seizing control of hundreds of systems.
However, there are some worlds that refuse to succumb to despair and madness. The greatest of these patches of sanity left are the Three Thousand Worlds of Ultramar, which successfully held back the New Devourer and Necrons alike. From here, the returned Primarchs, Roboute Guilliman, Vulkan, and the Lion plan the grand reclamation of their Father’s dream. How could they accomplish this, however, when His light can no longer be seen in the Warp? Even with their allies (though 'allies' may be a strong word to describe them; some are utterly self serving, but useful regardless), such as Belisarius Cawl and his string of four score Forge Worlds, the highly advanced Farsight Enclaves, the mysterious Realm of Fathers, and at times, the Craftworld Eldar, whose diplomatic missives are led by the ancient Wraithseer and arch-manipulator Eldrad Ulthran, what they have before them is a seemingly impossible task.
However, from a planet in the Eastern Fringes, a Mechanicus Explorator vessel had returned, reporting of an artifact of great power. The techpriests were unable to extract and analyse it as they were attacked by mysterious foes. With no resources to be spared from keeping Ultramar protected from outside forces, several rogue traders had been commissioned by the Primarchs to seek out this artifact, and return it to Ultramar. Only time can tell if they are successful.
It is the 51st millennium, and this a Second Age of Strife. And conflict shall never end…
Hello, everyone! Long story short, this will be set in a hypothetical Warhammer timeline, where the Emperor suddenly died and the Imperium shatters with Him. Players will be playing as members of a rogue trader crew sanctioned by the three Primarchs of Ultramar in a mission to recover an artifact of some kind. If you fail and die, well, nothing of value has been lost. If you succeed, however, you will be elevated as heroes, and be exalted by the Primarchs themselves. What is there for you to lose, anyway?
Players can initially apply as humans, Kin/Squats from the Leagues of Votann, or any of the other accepted abhumans, such as Ratlings and Ogryns. The RP will be open for as long as it runs; this gives the opportunity for people to app as other races such as Tau or Eldar, who we may pick up in the middle of our mission as our desperate situation demands.
As for knowledge of the Warhammer universe, you just need to know the gist of it. Any questions on the lore could simply be answered, probably in discord if this does get off the ground to warrant me making one.
Character Sheet
Take note that we'll be playing as higher ranking members of the expedition, as in the ones that will regularly come to/be regularly contacted by the bridge. Being a menial in the bowels of the ship wouldn't have too many opportunities for interactions with others.
You may have noticed that I didn't add a personality section. That's because I prefer that to be developed naturally in the IC over time.
[h3][b][u]CS[/u][/b][/h3]
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Species:[/b] Human? Super-human? Abhuman? Kyn? (xenos can join sometime in the middle of the expedition)
[b]Appearance:[/b] Image, along with height in feet and inches.
[b]Role in the ship:[/b] Basically what you do as part of the expedition. Are you in charge of maintaining the engines, leading boarding actions, or what?
[b]Notable Equipment and Augmentations:[/b] No need for a detailed list for literally everything. Just need what weapons, armor, and cybernetic enhancement your character has, if any. Make sure to describe their capabilities.
[b]Skills:[/b] What are you good at? Are you a good shot? Great at stabbing heretics? If you're a psyker, add what psychic disciplines you specialize in.
[b]Biography:[/b] Basically your life story. Two paragraphs minumum. It is essential that you add how they got to be part of the Rogue Trader expedition to begin with.
[b]Additional Notes:[/b] Trivia, theme, or whatever else that isn't covered yet.