Ithradine
itarichanNelchitl Cuamani
The Emerald Priestess, The Serpent
Gender:
Female
Homeworld:
Ixhun - The Serpents Emerald
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.
Following the discovery of Ixhun by the Imperium, the planet was allowed to remain in its feral state of existence, it's warriors providing ideal stock for the XVII Legion now united with their Primarch. Along with being allowed to remain feral, the war has not ended on Ixhun. The Imperium, and specifically a small detachment of Serpents of the Sun serving in recruiting duties take up periodic culling operations against the Eastern nations to ensure that the West, and their stock of viable recruits, is not over run and destroyed. This has perpetuated the war on Ixhun which has continued to remain at status quo as it has for centuries.
Appearance:
Coming in at 9' 2", Nelchitl is on the smaller side of her brother Primarchs in size, but is relatively even with her sister 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 Primarch Nimue, 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.
War Gear:
-A set of custom armor directly drawn from the lessons learned in creating armor for the Sisters of Silence. It provides far better protection and ease of movement than her Legionnaires standard Mk II and Mk IV armor sets.
-A massive, single handed, double edged chainsword. Likened to the simple but brutal teethed weapons of Ixhun before the arrival of the Emperor.
-A custom made, master crafted plasma pistol. Larger than the average plasma pistol, this variant possesses the ability to fire further than standard plasma pistols and can fire up to 18 plasma bolts reliably before a risk of overheating.
Personality:
While Nelchitl's brothers and sisters are patient strategists and calculating logisticians, naval genius's 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.
Possessing a lust for excitement beyond simply thrill seeking, Nelchitl often places herself at the forefront of her Assault Squads actions much to the horror of her veteran Captains and officers. 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 man and material to sate her Legions unending thirst for resources. 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.
Skills:
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 Serpents 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.
Assignment 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.
Biography:
Taken by the warp, Nelchitl spent several decades of real time in the turbulent tides of the immaterium until finally her pod exited the warp and fell to the surface of Ixhun. Her pod had landed just beyond the walls of the city-state of Ocotopec on a day wrought with unnatural thunderstorms. It is said by the priesthood that the pod carrying Nelchitl traveled to ground on a lightning bolt sent from the Sun Above, though those that actually witnessed its entrance would say it more so just appeared a dozen meters off the ground before striking the dirt at speed.
Taken in by the priesthood of Ocotopec, Neclhitl's peculiarities soon became apparent. Just a handful of years after her arrival to Ixhun she was nearing the size of an adult and possessed an intellect that far outstripped the best the priesthood had to offer. Through her raising in the priesthood Nelchitl was brought up to be a devout follower of the Sun worshiping religion on Ixhun, even achieving full priesthood herself at the standard age of just seven.
At the same time that her religious zeal was being instilled into her, it became apparent that the girl from the storm possessed a strength, speed, and reaction time that far surpassed some of the best among the warrior caste of Ixhun and at the behest of the priests she was to be trained in martial ways, for to protect ones city was to give the ultimate service of sacrifice to the Sun Above. As her training progressed she quickly outgrew the capacity for her teachers to show her the way of fighting on Ixhun, leaving only true combat to further her skills as a warrior.
In her first battle with the Easterners she learned what it was like to truly use her abilities to their fullest. Where as she trained she had been limiting herself, against the unending tide of the East she could let go of her mental chains and funnel herself into the violent, instinctual nature of combat. Within only a month of fighting for Ixhun she had been seen as fit to lead at first a small unit of men, her ability to rally and inspire the men with even the slightest of words and her actions alone invaluable to the defense of Ocotopec.
As Nelchitl quickly rose in glory on the battlements of Ocotopec more and more men were trusted to her command. Though at first she accepted she became hesitant and even wary as it became clear to her that commanding every troop movement and deployment on a battlefield just fell outside of her range of interest despite the fact she was more than capable at accomplishing them. Denying near continuous offers to take more and more control of the warriors of Ocotopec and the surrounding city-states, Nelchitl found herself content to lead a smaller group of hand picked veterans from among the cities warriors.
After the meeting with the Emperor Nelchitl was quickly ferried off world to the behemoth void ships waiting above. Though the entire experience was jarring to say the least, it did not distress her as much as it would have a normal human. In only a matter of about two weeks Nelchitl was fluent in High Gothic, almost completely read up on the history of the Crusade to date, and a veritable master of a host of melee weaponry from the armorers inventory.
Since her acquaintance with the XVII Legion she has led the Legion in the successful conquest of dozens of systems, the annihilation of several xenos races, and the reconstitution of a handful of lost human colonies to the Imperiums control. Along the way she has earmarked feral and feudal jungle worlds as she has come across them as recruiting planets for the XVII.
The Meeting:
They had come that night just as they had come for every night as long as Nelchitl could remember. The chanting from the Easterners heralded their arrival, and though it had always struck a sense of unease into the brave warriors of the city-state of Ocotopec, today was different. There had been word from messengers all along the city-states that formed the united front against the East, word that unsettled every denizen of Ocotopec to the very core even as the sun shone bright above their heads. The East had broken the line in more than three dozen cities. Michoacan, Azultepec, Coapulco, and Cihultan to name only a small fraction of those that had fallen just hours before the sun had risen above the land.
Even with this news there had still been hope. Reinforcements from city-states further behind the line had been dispatched to reclaim some of the cities lost the night before during the day. But these reinforcements would barely arrive before dusk, the task of retaking a fully defended city nearly impossible even for the united fronts combined strength. Instead the word had been sent ahead of these approaching armies, to defend to the last, to serve as the rearguard for the evacuation and withdrawal of the bulk of the forces still standing on the front to the next designated line.
Nelchitl watched from atop the walls of Ocotopec as the treeline some four hundred meters away began to flicker with the light of torches, the warriors around her exchanging nervous glances as the torches continued to come to life in front of them. From a quick glance Nelchitl numbered the Easterners at well over twenty thousand strong. She grinned as the idea of her death played out in her mind. It was glorious. Marred in the blood of her enemies, surrounded by the slain, her weapon broken and discarded with only her fists and body remaining as a weapon. Slowly but surely she would succumb to the endless tide of their foe, but she could already taste the cries of a hundred hundred Eastern men as they died at her hand on her tongue, and she craved the dream come reality.
There was a low rumble at first as the Easterners began to beat their weapons against trees and palms, then a horn blared followed by more and more until they were drowned out by the cries of the tidal wave of Easterners charging the walls of Ocotopec.
Turning to the spearmen alongside her Nelchitl looked down upon them with a smile upon her lips, "Today we die for the Fifth Sun!" she exclaimed as the warriors took up the chant with her while the Easterners closed the distance. At once, the well versed warriors of Ocotopec threw their spears into the writhing mass of men before them felling a hundred or more in the first volley. Quickly they took up their spears and threw volley after volley into the charging men. Nelchitl watched as the missiles made barely a dent in the oncoming foe, her grin growing ever wider.
She grabbed a spear from the closest man and let it fly with a force none in the united front could match. She watched as the spear passed through three men before she lost it in the charging wave. She took another spear and continued to send them forth one after another until no spears remained along the walls of Ocotopec for any to throw.
The battle had quickly devolved after the defenders had run out of spears and missiles. The walls had been reached in no time, and though the defenders had tried valiantly to fight off every ladder and grappling hook that came over the parapet it could never have been enough to stop them all.
The first Easterners to make it to the top of the walls were met with clubs and swords and sent back to their kin below as quickly as they had reached the top of the wall. But the tide continued to flow up and over the wall, the Easterners numbers simply unstoppable no matter how tenaciously the defenders fought for their ground. Slowly the wall was lost, and though Nelchitl was remiss to give up the high ground she would never forgive herself for dying before her club had broken in the skulls of the foe. Though instead of falling back down the wall and into the city proper with the rest of her warriors she followed the taste of her glorious end over the wall and into the mass of Easterners pressed beneath her.
Landing with the cracking of several bodies beneath her, Nelchitl had quickly pressed into the confused foe before her clearing a considerable breathe around herself as she clubbed down scores of men in the torch light. She watched as with every swing of her club a handful of men fell before her only to be replaced by twice the amount in moments.
The initial space she had cleared for herself quickly closing back in around her as the Easterners got their wits back Nelchitl could see the end as she continued her ruthless assault into the eternal foe of her people. Swinging her club became harder as the space became less and less until finally Nelchitl was forced to drop the weapon as the press of bodies around her made it near impossible to swing it efficiently. Forced to use her fists in a tight press of people she systematically struck the Easterners closest to her and reveled in the sounds of snapping necks and cracking skulls with each meaty hit of her fists.
Fighting like she never had in her life, Nelchitl ignored the countless wounds she had already received as she continued her relentless strikes until almost all at once she became engulfed in the Easterners. The night sky simply ceased to exist as the Easterners piled onto her with knives and spears lashing out in the press of bodies.
She made peace in that moment, knowing that she had taken more men to the grave than any had ever managed. The blood she had spilled that night would sate the Sun Above for months to come, ensuring the protection of her people for even longer than she could have hoped. As she closed her eyes a blinding light pierced through the pile of bodies around her and as quickly as she had found herself engulfed Nelchitl was free from beneath the unending press of men. Rising she found that the Easterners that had been surrounding her were simply gone, but all the more astonishing was the sun now shining bright above the city.
In complete awe Nelchitl watched as the Sun above the city descended, falling toward the wall just meters in front of her. Completely transfixed by the miracle taking place before her she barely registered as the ethereal light shifted into a man and came to rest gently atop the parapet. She found herself shaking as she watched the spectacle unfold, the figure atop the wall turning his gaze directly to her as his radiance continued to spread around him and engulf the battle plains in a warm summer glow.
"My Daughter," the figure spoke with the most beautiful voice that had ever graced Nelchitl's ears, "I am not too late." he smiled at her.
Nelchitl fell to her knees at the words of the God before her, sobs wracking her body as the Sun once more fell softly from his perch atop the wall to ground in front of her. In only a stride he was before her, and she watched in rapturous supplication through her clouded eyes as the God before her reached down and wiped the tears from her face, "Rise, my child, it has been far too long in searching to find you. Were I only sooner." He spoke to her.
Nelchitl rose as around the two figures fire began to rain from the sky. Large objects fell to the plain around them and almost exploding from within came armor clad warriors of red and white that descended upon the stunned horde of the Easterners with a ruthless efficiency.
As booms and explosions sounded around them, Nelchitl without a second thought spoke to the divine being before her, "Father..." she replied as tears once more flowed freely from her.
"Father." she repeated as she thought to herself in a combination of surprise and utter elation at the idea that the phrase was a fact. So ingrained in her it was that she knew it to be true to her very soul.
They had come that night just as they had come for every night as long as Nelchitl could remember. The chanting from the Easterners heralded their arrival, and though it had always struck a sense of unease into the brave warriors of the city-state of Ocotopec, today was different. There had been word from messengers all along the city-states that formed the united front against the East, word that unsettled every denizen of Ocotopec to the very core even as the sun shone bright above their heads. The East had broken the line in more than three dozen cities. Michoacan, Azultepec, Coapulco, and Cihultan to name only a small fraction of those that had fallen just hours before the sun had risen above the land.
Even with this news there had still been hope. Reinforcements from city-states further behind the line had been dispatched to reclaim some of the cities lost the night before during the day. But these reinforcements would barely arrive before dusk, the task of retaking a fully defended city nearly impossible even for the united fronts combined strength. Instead the word had been sent ahead of these approaching armies, to defend to the last, to serve as the rearguard for the evacuation and withdrawal of the bulk of the forces still standing on the front to the next designated line.
Nelchitl watched from atop the walls of Ocotopec as the treeline some four hundred meters away began to flicker with the light of torches, the warriors around her exchanging nervous glances as the torches continued to come to life in front of them. From a quick glance Nelchitl numbered the Easterners at well over twenty thousand strong. She grinned as the idea of her death played out in her mind. It was glorious. Marred in the blood of her enemies, surrounded by the slain, her weapon broken and discarded with only her fists and body remaining as a weapon. Slowly but surely she would succumb to the endless tide of their foe, but she could already taste the cries of a hundred hundred Eastern men as they died at her hand on her tongue, and she craved the dream come reality.
There was a low rumble at first as the Easterners began to beat their weapons against trees and palms, then a horn blared followed by more and more until they were drowned out by the cries of the tidal wave of Easterners charging the walls of Ocotopec.
Turning to the spearmen alongside her Nelchitl looked down upon them with a smile upon her lips, "Today we die for the Fifth Sun!" she exclaimed as the warriors took up the chant with her while the Easterners closed the distance. At once, the well versed warriors of Ocotopec threw their spears into the writhing mass of men before them felling a hundred or more in the first volley. Quickly they took up their spears and threw volley after volley into the charging men. Nelchitl watched as the missiles made barely a dent in the oncoming foe, her grin growing ever wider.
She grabbed a spear from the closest man and let it fly with a force none in the united front could match. She watched as the spear passed through three men before she lost it in the charging wave. She took another spear and continued to send them forth one after another until no spears remained along the walls of Ocotopec for any to throw.
The battle had quickly devolved after the defenders had run out of spears and missiles. The walls had been reached in no time, and though the defenders had tried valiantly to fight off every ladder and grappling hook that came over the parapet it could never have been enough to stop them all.
The first Easterners to make it to the top of the walls were met with clubs and swords and sent back to their kin below as quickly as they had reached the top of the wall. But the tide continued to flow up and over the wall, the Easterners numbers simply unstoppable no matter how tenaciously the defenders fought for their ground. Slowly the wall was lost, and though Nelchitl was remiss to give up the high ground she would never forgive herself for dying before her club had broken in the skulls of the foe. Though instead of falling back down the wall and into the city proper with the rest of her warriors she followed the taste of her glorious end over the wall and into the mass of Easterners pressed beneath her.
Landing with the cracking of several bodies beneath her, Nelchitl had quickly pressed into the confused foe before her clearing a considerable breathe around herself as she clubbed down scores of men in the torch light. She watched as with every swing of her club a handful of men fell before her only to be replaced by twice the amount in moments.
The initial space she had cleared for herself quickly closing back in around her as the Easterners got their wits back Nelchitl could see the end as she continued her ruthless assault into the eternal foe of her people. Swinging her club became harder as the space became less and less until finally Nelchitl was forced to drop the weapon as the press of bodies around her made it near impossible to swing it efficiently. Forced to use her fists in a tight press of people she systematically struck the Easterners closest to her and reveled in the sounds of snapping necks and cracking skulls with each meaty hit of her fists.
Fighting like she never had in her life, Nelchitl ignored the countless wounds she had already received as she continued her relentless strikes until almost all at once she became engulfed in the Easterners. The night sky simply ceased to exist as the Easterners piled onto her with knives and spears lashing out in the press of bodies.
She made peace in that moment, knowing that she had taken more men to the grave than any had ever managed. The blood she had spilled that night would sate the Sun Above for months to come, ensuring the protection of her people for even longer than she could have hoped. As she closed her eyes a blinding light pierced through the pile of bodies around her and as quickly as she had found herself engulfed Nelchitl was free from beneath the unending press of men. Rising she found that the Easterners that had been surrounding her were simply gone, but all the more astonishing was the sun now shining bright above the city.
In complete awe Nelchitl watched as the Sun above the city descended, falling toward the wall just meters in front of her. Completely transfixed by the miracle taking place before her she barely registered as the ethereal light shifted into a man and came to rest gently atop the parapet. She found herself shaking as she watched the spectacle unfold, the figure atop the wall turning his gaze directly to her as his radiance continued to spread around him and engulf the battle plains in a warm summer glow.
"My Daughter," the figure spoke with the most beautiful voice that had ever graced Nelchitl's ears, "I am not too late." he smiled at her.
Nelchitl fell to her knees at the words of the God before her, sobs wracking her body as the Sun once more fell softly from his perch atop the wall to ground in front of her. In only a stride he was before her, and she watched in rapturous supplication through her clouded eyes as the God before her reached down and wiped the tears from her face, "Rise, my child, it has been far too long in searching to find you. Were I only sooner." He spoke to her.
Nelchitl rose as around the two figures fire began to rain from the sky. Large objects fell to the plain around them and almost exploding from within came armor clad warriors of red and white that descended upon the stunned horde of the Easterners with a ruthless efficiency.
As booms and explosions sounded around them, Nelchitl without a second thought spoke to the divine being before her, "Father..." she replied as tears once more flowed freely from her.
"Father." she repeated as she thought to herself in a combination of surprise and utter elation at the idea that the phrase was a fact. So ingrained in her it was that she knew it to be true to her very soul.
The Serpents of the Sun
Formerly known as the Frontrunners, renamed upon the arrival of Nelchitl
Legion Number:
XVII
Legion Strength:
105,000 Astartes
Countless Imperial Army, Mechanicum and other supporting units
Armour Appearance:
Standard Mk IV Tactical Marine
Standard Legion Apothecary
Standard Legion Devastator
Standard Legion Assaulter
Warcry:
Upon Nelchitl's assumption of command of the legion, the warcries quickly changed to reflect the adoration and respect the Legion held for its new Primarch. Specifically the Legions warcries are based in the mythology of their Primarchs homeworld.
"For the Fifth Sun!"
"For the Serpent!"
"We Run to War!" (Old Warcry, allowed by Nelchitl)
"For the Serpent!"
"We Run to War!" (Old Warcry, allowed by Nelchitl)
Dramatis Personae:
(Will expand as needed)
- Xipil Nenetl - Captain of the First Company
- Itzel Mayalen - Captain of the Second Company
- Atl Yaotl - Captain of the Third Company
- Gabriella Fernandez - Captain of the Seventh Company
- Maya Garcia - Chief ApothecaryNon-Astartes
- Sofia Di Fabrizio - Mistress of the Fleet
- Mandred Leben - Lord Commander of the Army
- Hayden Andradez - Master of Astropaths
- Octavian - Mechanicus Representative
XVII Legion
Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role:
The major emphasis of the Serpents of the Sun is on maneuver warfare and combined arms during the daylight hours. With nearly a third of the Legion made up of Devastator Squads, the Serpents 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.
At the same time, the Legion relies on the support of the Imperial Army in this tactic. Specifically it is the Imperial Army that must engage with and delay larger portions of a battle front in order for the Serpents to successfully take key positions and key leaders to ensure a swift resolution to all battles. As the Imperial Army holds a pivotal part in the Legions battle strategy, most of the Legion Sisters hold an above average level of appreciation for the role the average Imperial Soldier plays in the Legion, and the Imperiums successes.
Though the Legion prefers to assault during the day, it is still perfectly capable of night fighting.
Legion Characteristics/Ideology:
The Legion itself is rather unique in the fact that it's Primarch believes the Emperor to be the manifestation of the Sun, the one true God. Many among the Legion adhere to their Primarchs claim of the Emperors divinity, though not all within the Legion have been so keen on following in Nelchitl's reverence in the Emperor. Many of the initial Veteran Founding Marines that remain and the new Aspirants that have been recruited from the jungles of Ixhun have been quick to take up the torch of their geneseed and follow Nelchitl in the worship of the Emperor. But recruits from jungle planets other than Ixhun have been harder to bring to the light of the truth of the Emperor. This has caused a healthy amount of issues among the Legion. Despite this, Nelchitl allows these opposing views to persist, confident that it creates an air of rivalry among the Aspirants and new Astartes that is required to grow their martial prowess and better the Legion.
Majority devout followers to their Primarch's new faith, the Legion has a reverence among them for all things Emperor related. Be it His name, His past actions, or His orders to the Legion. Everything about the Emperor is approached with a devotion to its every word. Though much of their Primarch's religion before her rediscovery has been left on Ixhun, parts have been carried over to the Legion and stuck quite well within it's already set in warrior culture. Particularly the Legion has taken a great liking to the iconography of the Sun so common in the Sun-based religion of Ixhun, adopting a sun with a halo of light as the center piece of their Legion Standard. This icon has become the emblem of the Legion itself, visible clearly on the left pauldron of every Astartes in the entire Legion.
Taking a great reverence in the idea of the Suns protection, Nelchitl and the majority of her Legion see it as a vital duty in all of their battles to fight in the light of the Sun. This is to ensure that the Emperor can watch as they wage holy battle and claim glory in his name. When forced to fight at night, the Legion takes a far more somber mood and appears vaguely upset at the fact that the Emperor will not be able to "see" the glory carried out in his name.
XVII Legion Rituals
The most controversial of holdovers from Nelchitl's original religion that have been brought to the Legion are those that involve ritual sacrifice and cannibalism. As on Ixhun the Legion does not sacrifice it's own or Imperial citizens, instead opting to sacrifice captured enemies. So serious is this business that every company within the Legion is given a set number of enemies to capture in every engagement they take part in to be offered as sacrifices upon the conclusion of the fighting. These rituals are often performed on planet at high points in terrain to be closer to the sun at its zenith. Though the myriad rituals the Legion still takes part in can be carried out by any Astartes member the most important ritual sacrifices are carried out by the Legions Chaplains. Of the highest importance is the Rite of Flame, involving the extraction of the sacrifices heart (or equivalent of) while still beating and immediately burning it as an offering to the Emperor.
The second most important ritual within the XVII is that of The Transition. The Transition is the moment that an Aspirant, proven of their courage and skill in battle is to be inducted into the ranks of their fellow Astartes. Commonly completed in groups of ten to a hundred Aspirants at once, the Aspirants are brought to the highest point available and it is here that Chaplains once more cut the beating hearts from whatever unfortunate enemies of the Legion managed to get themselves captured instead of killed. The hearts are presented to the Aspirants who must consume it while the heart still beats. To fail to do so is to forfeit ones position in the Legion and ones life in service to the Emperor. Normally if an Aspirant fails this far into their trials, they are disposed of on the spot, though the instances of failure here are rare.
Of great importance to Aspirants is position within The Transition, the closer to the front an Aspirant the more it is said that they are marked for greatness within the Legion. On certain occasions involving more than a hundred Astartes, Nelchitl herself will oversea the ritual, herself carrying out the first sacrifice and offering the heart to the Aspirant at the top of their respective peer group. Without fail these Aspirants have always come to greatness in the Legion as Company Commanders, Assault Marines, and other highly sought after and respected positions.
The most controversial of holdovers from Nelchitl's original religion that have been brought to the Legion are those that involve ritual sacrifice and cannibalism. As on Ixhun the Legion does not sacrifice it's own or Imperial citizens, instead opting to sacrifice captured enemies. So serious is this business that every company within the Legion is given a set number of enemies to capture in every engagement they take part in to be offered as sacrifices upon the conclusion of the fighting. These rituals are often performed on planet at high points in terrain to be closer to the sun at its zenith. Though the myriad rituals the Legion still takes part in can be carried out by any Astartes member the most important ritual sacrifices are carried out by the Legions Chaplains. Of the highest importance is the Rite of Flame, involving the extraction of the sacrifices heart (or equivalent of) while still beating and immediately burning it as an offering to the Emperor.
The second most important ritual within the XVII is that of The Transition. The Transition is the moment that an Aspirant, proven of their courage and skill in battle is to be inducted into the ranks of their fellow Astartes. Commonly completed in groups of ten to a hundred Aspirants at once, the Aspirants are brought to the highest point available and it is here that Chaplains once more cut the beating hearts from whatever unfortunate enemies of the Legion managed to get themselves captured instead of killed. The hearts are presented to the Aspirants who must consume it while the heart still beats. To fail to do so is to forfeit ones position in the Legion and ones life in service to the Emperor. Normally if an Aspirant fails this far into their trials, they are disposed of on the spot, though the instances of failure here are rare.
Of great importance to Aspirants is position within The Transition, the closer to the front an Aspirant the more it is said that they are marked for greatness within the Legion. On certain occasions involving more than a hundred Astartes, Nelchitl herself will oversea the ritual, herself carrying out the first sacrifice and offering the heart to the Aspirant at the top of their respective peer group. Without fail these Aspirants have always come to greatness in the Legion as Company Commanders, Assault Marines, and other highly sought after and respected positions.
The Serpents have a sour relationship with the Imperial Soldiers that work alongside them. Though it is not their choice, as many among the Legion would be more than grateful to be revered as many soldiers of the Imperium do for the Legions they work alongside. It is in fact the fault of their Primarch that the Imperial Soldiers dislike the Legion. Many claim her a bad luck charm behind closed doors, a heathen, a cannibal, and a worshiper of the Emperor going directly against his own words. As such, though the Astartes of the Legion have a good deal of respect for their Imperial allies and the role they play, they are seldom able to interact with them. There are well documented cases of past disagreements and foul words toward Nelchitl leading to unnecessary deaths. Nelchitl has issued a general order for all Astartes to keep interaction with the Imperial Army to strictly business matters.
The Serpents place a great deal of respect in the members of their Assault Squads. Being seen as directly following in the footsteps of their lauded Primarch, Assault Marines are not simply chosen based off of standard metrics. Instead Assault Marines are chosen through a number of daunting and deadly trials, many of which involve completing these trials during combat against a true enemy of the Legion and not just some wild animal on Ixhun as Aspirants might be required to. Though it is not expressly stated, it is barely a secret that in order to enter the ranks of the Assault Squads the Astartes in question must adhere to the truth of the Emperors divinity. Due to this elevated respect, many Assault Marines are sought after by other members of the Legion as mentors and trainers, with Veteran Assault Marines being in charge of the recruiting and training of all Legion Aspirants. With all of this in mind, Assault Marines enjoy elevated privilege with their Primarch and are the most veteran among them are held in close confidence.
Relationships:
- The Emperor: Regarded as a God by Nelchitl and the majority of the Legion. The Legion takes no pride in the fact that they constantly ignore the Emperors claims that he is not a God and to stop their worship, but instead undertake their faith with a solemn devotion that it must be done in order to one day force the Emperor to admit to his divinity.
-- - **NO LONGER STANDS**
Primarch Nimue Arcadia: Of all the Children of the Emperor, none more closely resembles the godhood of their Father than that of Primarch Nimue. Revered by Nelchitl as the closest among her own kin to godhood, she is looked upon by Nelchitl and the majority of the Legion as something of a demigod even among her own brothers and sisters. Though not following in Nimue's vanity, the Legion holds great respect for Nimue and the VI Legion, with several Astartes of the Serpents harboring regrets that they were not chosen to serve alongside the lesser god Nimue.
-- - Other Primarchs: Complicated beyond good reason. Though all the Primarchs are without a doubt her kin, rivalries and bad blood exist nonetheless.
-- - Other Legions: Despite her less than ideal relationship with her Brothers and Sisters, Nelchitl and the XVII Legion are more than willing to work with them to achieve victory for the Emperor. Whether other Legions are willing to work with the XVVI is up to the Legions in question.
-- - Imperial Army: Though wanting to have better relations with the IA, the Serpents have had little success in converting the common soldiery view of the Emperor to their faith and have in fact only widened the divide felt between the two entities. Despite this they are always willing to work with the IA in the name of the Emperor and take no real offense to any words that the unenlightened mortals have. For one day, they shall know their folly and seek the truth of all things.
-- - The Mechanicus: Though Nelchitl is wary of the many hidden agendas of the Mechanicum she can not understate their importance to the Crusade and her Legion. In a move quite out of her own character, she has tried her best to foster a mutually beneficial relationship with the Mechanicum in a bid for greater support and the much desired addition of an Adeptus Titanicus Legio to her Expeditionary Fleet.
-- - Xenos: Xenos existence is an affront to the perfection of the God Emperor.
-- - Chaos: Not yet known to the XVII Legion.
