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WH40k: New Frontiers and Promised Lands - A Rogue Trader Adventure

@Searat That's perfectly fine, feel free to put him in the Character tab.

WH40k: New Frontiers and Promised Lands - A Rogue Trader Adventure

You guys all joined the last one, so I thought it fair to give you all a head start if you're interested.

@Jamesyco@Bright_Ops@Hank@BangoSkank@Searat@Mortarion@Jarl Coolgruuf

If not, no worries.

WH40k: New Frontiers and Promised Lands - A Rogue Trader Adventure

This RP is NOT accepting new characters

Discord Link: discord.gg/GFjaqNa

Summary:

- A jaunt of daring and do within the Warhammer 40,000 universe and setting, the Warp Rift has torn the Milky Way in two and Robbie G is running around with his Nu Marines.

- I would prefer a Homo sapien-centric role-playing experience, mostly for ease of everything; if you do wish to roll with a xenos then please PM or Discord message me.

- All humanoid races will be considered - including Abhumans and the like.

- Character sheets will be accepted based on merit alone, not 'first come first serve'; the more odd/powerful your character, the more exceptional your character sheet will need to be.

- I fully expect, and intend, for characters to evolve over time during this RP. An example might be that someone loses a limb and seeks a bionic replacement, whether they get one will be both up to me as GM and the participants as a whole; character sheets will then be edited to show any changes, as with a TT role-playing game, and just remember that every action will likely have some form of reaction.

In Character Info:

This is the forty-second millennium, and if the Great Crusade was the golden age of Mankind and their space-faring voyage amongst the stars, then the current millennia is most certainly the complete reverse. In this universe, at this time, mankind stands upon the precipice of annihilation from a myriad of enemies both within and without - Xenos raiders, warlords and diplomats each seek to assail or undermine the God-Emperor's decaying and corrupt Imperium in any way that they can, heretics and worshippers of the Ruinous Powers plot the downfall of all that they may well of held dear, and even the Inquisition, those most loyal and incorruptible servants of He on Terra, commit genocides and the death of worlds at the merest whiff of such things.

All across the vast expanse of billions of worlds, held within the slowly dying cradle of the Imperium of Man, uncountable numbers live and cease in a darkness bought about by their own kind; Tyranids strip entire systems of life, Greenskins cleave apart any who stand before them in a tide of blood, and insidious Tau and Eldar follow their own pathways to some unforeseeable ends. Yet it is the Imperium which is its own worst enemy, keeping knowledge and and truth from its citizens, acting as an ever-present threat over their heads and always its agents and executioners there in the shadows.

There are those that transcend above this, men and women, scions of noble houses or individuals of varied extremes, that are gifted a Warrant of Trade by the High Lords and in the name of the Emperor himself. These 'Rogue Traders' set forth to save the Imperium in their own unique ways, to expand the borders of the realm and to carry out the Emperor's will across places yet unknown, gifted with authority almost as high as that of the Inquisition.

Rogue Traders are unique and powerful human individuals who serve as a combination of freelance explorer, conquistador and interstellar merchant for the Imperium of Man. They are hereditary Imperial servants and nobles, given a starship, a crew, and sometimes a contingent of Space Marines (in very rare cases) or troops of the Imperial Guard and carte blanche to roam those worlds of the galaxy that still lie beyond Imperial control or knowledge.

In their task of exploring and exploiting the still-uncharted regions of the galaxy for Mankind, Rogue Traders might come across worlds harbouring long-forgotten human civilisations which will be later incorporated into the Imperium by official Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator fleets and expeditions of the Imperial Navy and Imperial Guard. Other times they find empty or alien-dominated planets ripe for colonisation, conquest or exploitation by the Imperium--and themselves.

Edmund H. Livingstone (the H stands for Hildred) is one such man; possessed of both a Warrant of Trade signed in the God-Emperor's own hand, and coming from a long line of Praetorian explorers and traders, he has been tasked by his family – but more specifically his overbearing father, an already well established dynast – to take both and go and make something of himself in the wider galaxy... or was it 'you are a disgrace to this family, why can you not be more like your brothers?' No, it was probably the former.

Either way, he has established himself in a public house aboard one of the orbiting stations of Bakka and began a recruiting drive (or press-ganging, call it what you will) before he sets sail into the unknown reaches of space beyond the Imperial borders... and beyond where any sane citizen would go.

This is where you come in.

For whatever reason, and those reasons are no doubt your own, you have decided to travel to Bakka (or at least the orbiting space station above it).

Now is the time of a gathering, but space is a very big place indeed - the Milky Way Galaxy but one part of it - and who is to say what lies beyond the fringes of the known? To join a Rogue Trader, one charged with charting and setting off in that very direction, is to gain that knowledge...though whether you survive to share it is another matter entirely.

(This is deliberately short, more-or-less everything you need to know will be gotten to during in-character writing.)

Out of character info:

Welcome, one and all, to the grim darkness of the future where their is only war!

As part of a group, you shall be forming an entourage or retinue of sorts around the Rogue Trader.

Exactly how you are perceived by he and the others of the group will depend on any number of factors - species, armament, religion and more- but no matter what scuffles occur and what friction might develop, all of you are there willingly. That being said, I have no doubt that each and every character will have their own agenda, motives and overall goals in mind, and I would hope for nothing less.

To begin with, as stated above, we will have a short 'gathering of the clans' - basically getting everyone together - on the Bakka station, from there we shall go ahead with a narrative I have prepared and see where it takes us. Your character can begin anywhere on the station, in any state, but we will all be eventually running into one another, most likely in the 40K version of the Mos Eisley Cantina. In this case the 'Red Lion' bar/pub.

I expect everyone will have some knowledge of Warhammer 40K, but for those that might lack a little, I have always found warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Warhammer… to be one of the best places to look. Just make certain that the information has a source, otherwise it is very likely fan made and therefore not canon.

Rules/Standards (Shamelessly copied from Dervish)

Rules/Standards

- No God-modding or power gaming of any kind. We're telling a story, not having a competition to see who is the biggest bad ass. Not to say you can't do awesome things when it comes around time for combat, but know your limitations. This includes self-insert characters, backstories that are designed to give the character access to abilities, skills, and equipment that would be considered an unfair or overpowered advantage, auto killing NPCs during fights with virtually no effort put into it, taking on a room full of people single handedly, meta gaming, trying to have everyone treat your character like they’re something unique and special, your character knowing things they shouldn’t, et cetera. The goal here is believable characters.

- The writing standard is typical Advanced. Read what you wrote over before you post, and ensure you have acceptable spelling and grammar. That said, I'm not a perfectionist, and mistakes are made by everyone. Just make an honest effort and we'll get along just fine. Posting expectations are at least 2 detailed paragraphs per post, probably more, within a two week period. If you think short paragraphs and single lines are the best thing in the world, than I direct you to the free section. Failure to post within the 14 day period without a notification of absence will result in your ejection from the game, no refunds.

- No speed posting. This means give other people a chance to post before you do. There won't be a strict posting order, but if I notice the same two people posting back and forward in a short time span without giving others involved in that group or conversation or whatever a chance to reply, I will not be happy. That said, if you have two characters conversing with each other, feel free to reply steadily back and forward if things are going slow. Just keep in mind posting expectations and if serious actions are taken during those posting, others will have to be taken into consideration.

- If you are going to be absent for any length of time, please let me know. I’m not going to kill of your character or kick you to the curb because stuff came up. Real life comes first, but that said, do try to be fairly active. Your character will be controlled by a GM until you return. If you vanish without word for more than 14 days, you will be removed from the game and your characters written off or killed. Consider this your only warning.

- If you disagree with contents of someone's posts, don't turn the OOC into some horrible flame fest. We're all hopefully mature enough to settle disagreements through logical discourse. If things start to go into flame war territory, I will warn the players. Failure to STFU will lead to your banishment from this RP with nothing more than an angry face to accompany you and your character being killed off brutally.

- If you want to do something, and you aren't sure, ask in the OOC so it can be discussed. Or, if you want it to be a surprise, PM the GMs. If it's a good idea, we'll work it into the plot. I like to encourage creativity and think that all good RPs involve ideas from all their players. Sometimes this leads to amazing subplots and character development.

- If you have questions or ideas for events, PM the GMs. Your input will help keep you not only invested, but it’ll give the GMs more fuel to work with for upcoming encounters and plot lines in the RP.

- If you feel the need to start a romance between characters, that's cool. This isn't exactly a rated role play, and it’s bound to happen. I personally like to graphically describe violence and swear quite a bit, but if you feel the need to indulge in smut, please take that stuff to PM. 4 pages of graphic sex isn't going to save the world; it'll just cause everyone else to feel really awkward and need a cold shower afterwards... or by Slaanesh you shall taste my shoe!

- Gary and Mary Sues will have an Officio Assassinorum contract put on them that they will never, ever escape from. The GMs may choose to do background checks to find out if you’re reliable and generally write at an acceptable quality, so beware that even if your character sheet is outstanding, if I discover you’re argumentative, write at an unacceptable level, go AWOL frequently, power game, and so on, there’s a good chance you WILL NOT be accepted.

Character Sheet

Please post your sheets in a hider in a comment in the OOC tab, NOT the Character tab.

[b]Name:[/b] Your character's name. A pretty obvious one, so enough said.

[b]Age:[/b] Unless you are not human, or a Space Marine, then please use common sense.

[b]Gender:[/b] Male, female or other.

[b]Race:[/b] Humanoid only, and try to keep them plausible.

[b]Appearance:[/b] A [i]written[/i] description of your character's appearance. No pictures. Please include here any [b]weapons[/b] they may have, and any [b]armour or clothing[/b] as well.

[b]Personality:[/b] What kind of person is your character, what are their motivations etc, and how do they interact with others?

[b]History:[/b] A sketch of your character's life and history, preferably until their arrival at Bakka. Give me three solid paragraphs, at least, please.

[b]Skills:[/b] What skills do they possess, how did they come by them, what have they used/been using them for?

[b]Equipment:[/b] What do they bring with them/carry on their person? Be sensible when deciding, as weight and wealth are both an issue.

[b]Miscellaneous:[/b] Anything you want to mention but haven't been able to cover yet.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

The Emperor Protects.

The Grim Crusade - A Warhammer 30000 RP

Kaelianos

Kaelianos

Gender: Male

Homeworld: Rasena was the original 'capital world' of the three-hundred worlds that would eventually come to make up the Rasenan Republic and the Latrurian Sector where they are located, a planet that was found and then settled in the Segmentum Tempestus during the earliest days of the Age of Technology by Terrans that bought with them records of humanities earliest endevours, as well as their failures.

An age of strife and planetary warfare between nations and worlds was concluded by millennia eighteen, the three-hundred worlds becoming nominally united under the Rasenan Monarchy via a series of treaties, laws and obligations, most worlds allowed to retain their own languages, traditions and so forth, indebted worlds required to tithe the Rasenans and their core worlds a portion of their manpower, natural resources, foodstuffs and on.

In the twentieth millennia the technologically advanced city-states of the homeworld were thrown into civil strife, the people no longer wishing to be ruled by one powerful figurehead, each girding their populations for war and eventually sending their assorted militaries against one another.

Centuries of destruction and then rebuilding would follow, the firm end of it all being an extermination of the royal line and the implementation of a republic in its place - thus the Rasenan Republic was born.

******

Rasena itself is a blend of civilised world and one which is far more advanced - columned buildings of marble blended with shimmering metallic agri-domes and terracotta tiled villas, whirring and rotating defence batteries nestled among fortifications taken from the ancient days of Terra, and surrounding the planet a never-ending swarm of vessels from across the sector.

Much has certainly changed from the days of the founding, technology and rulership included, city-states remain dotted over a tapestry of landscapes with climates varying from temperate to scorching, but their populations of citizen-warriors have become much more with the arrival of first the Primarch and then the Emperor himself.

Appearance: There was once an ancient Terran artist named Mikélanjalo, a sculpture who carved a seventeen feet high statue of a mythical figure, this figure was named 'David', and it is said that it was one of the most perfect artistic depictions of the human form ever crafted by mortal hands; how true or not this tale is is largely irrelevant, except to say that when the Emperor and his gene-crafters formed Kaelianos they not only did the same but far surpassed his work.

The being, the demi-godlike creation, called Kaelianos by his initial owner - a name of no special importance, but one that he has always been known by - is in no uncertain terms one of the most perfectly formed 'mortals' to ever tread the Milky Way, arguably one step lower than the Emperor himself in heart-aching and tear-inducing physical make-up.

From his head to his toes he is of perfect proportions, standing straight-backed at a height of twelve feet, his broad (but not too broad) shoulders narrowing down to a lithe yet muscular torso of sculpted flesh, unmarred and hairless skin of an olive tone covering asymmetrical limbs of a length neither too short nor too long, then continuing down legs clearly formed from a being as close to a deity as one may get.

To look upon the face of Kaelianos is to look upon a visage of a gigantic human youth in his prime - a smooth forehead above neat brows of chestnut colour, but below a curling mop of similarly coloured hair, his squared jaw tapering down to a strong chin, and his aquiline nose placed a precise distance from his full lips.

It is rare for most to be able to meet the dark-brown gaze of the Primarch, only those of strong will - fellow sons or daughters of the Emperor for example - able to do so without having to look away after a few minutes.

Out of battle he garbs himself in an enlarged version of the tunic worn by his sons, with colours ranging from deep crimson, to purple, to undyed white bordered in numerous colours.

When Kaelianos takes to the field it is in a suit of artificer armour to match his person, constructed and formed by the finest armourers he could find, made up of numerous pieces of shimmering reinforced ceramite sculpted in the most precise way to his body - it makes him look less like a living being, and more like a statue that moves far too fluidly to be one.

As for weapons, due to his upbringing he wields two Primarch-suitable gladii, blades crackling with energy and the end for many when set to deadly purpose.

Personality: Perhaps the most glaringly obvious thing about the 'young' Primarch is his inability to remain still, even when he is stood doing nothing at all; while he may not be moving psychically, there can be no doubt that an almost ethereal energy fills him from head-to-toe, Kaelianos always seeming to be permanently on the verge of mental or bodily movement, as if constantly on the edge of snapping into a blur of speed or a lecture of one sort or another.

This force can be seen and felt in almost every aspect of his being, as well as in everything he chooses to do, his joyous demenour and charismatic bon ami palpable in the very air around him by the psychically blunted - but almost like a hammer blow to those most attuned to the Emperor's mental gifts.

Such energy has turned the ever-youthful Primarch into an intellectual virtuoso, an orator of impeccable skill and verve, and a writer and author of innumerable works - primarily focusing on his own life and the campaigns of he and his fellow legions in the Emperors service.

Even before meeting his father and his sons he was ambitious, this only grew with knowledge of his origins, lending him somewhat of an arrogant air, but one that he could easily back up with either blade or the written word.

Now Kaelianos has turned himself toward the goals of his creator, taking his own pocket empire as an example, and wishing to recreate a universe - a human universe - in the image of the Age of Technology. Mankind managed it once, and he believes that they can become that great again, the Great Crusade of his progenitor being the primary step toward it.

Skills: Kaelianos employs skills that he has learnt throughout his life, made simpler by the very nature of his essential nature as one of the Emperors sons.

Starting life in the Rasenan fighting pits and arenas, training day-in and day-out in the ludus of the man that had first found him, he slew his first man when he was only ten years old - yet already as large as a full grown man, though he would grow larger still - specialising in the use of two blades at a time and caring little for the wounds which, until much later, he did not realise were unlikely to slow him down, let alone kill him.

With his skill as a duelist and combatant came the initial sparks of a charm that would see him become the autocratic leader of a three-hundred world spanning empire, casting uneeringly potent influence over the crowds before which he fought, the officials and politicians sat in their high seats and boxes, and eventually over the man who's death would make him semi-divine in the eyes of some.

Being allowed access to materials hailing from the earliest days of humanity, from scrolls of preserved papyri mingled with dataslates of gathered knowledge, to weapon schematics and the military treatises of geniuses, only formed Kaelianos into an exemplar of a warrior-scholar of the old school - a being as capable of planning a logistically challenging campaign as he was at taking to the battlefield at the head of his warriors.

Every skill was sharp before the arrival of the 'true eagle', his fleets of warships and his golden warriors, but the Princeps of Rasena only became razor sharp in light of texts from within the Imperium (as well as those of conquered and compliant worlds).

All-in-all he is a warlord at home in both court and killing field, more than prepared to do what he considers to be best for the Imperium, a Primarch as proficient at counting the corpses of his slain enemies as he is at sketching the supply routes for and organisation of his next military exploit.

Assignment Grade: Kappa – Kaelianos is void of almost all psychic ability, what little he does have manifesting itself in overwhelming prescence and force of personality.

Biography: Ergalisus had always been a greedy man, even his own parents had ejected him from the family home for the amount he ate, the citizen of Rasena having a craving for currency and a fine nose for good flesh - something that he had put to good use, better use than his parents and their stupid agri-farm! - becoming one of the principle lanisti to the sneering senators and military leaders, supplying them with all the creatures and all the lives they could ever want.

He was not a cruel man, no, just greedy... and it was just business!

This is what he told himself when he abducted a cherubic child, and a spine-chillingly silent child, from some manner of incubator. It did not appear to be asleep when he came upon it by a riverbank, dipping his scarred but strong arms into the broken glass and lifting the child free, those eyes... those deep eyes... he had known then that this child was different. He had just not known how different.

Even stranger was the urge, as was natural to him, to simply leave the child where it was - exposure not entirely uncommon in these parts - but somehow he just couldn't.

Time moved on, the young Primarch given to a wetnurse to be suckled but seemingly needing little in the way of sustinence, and always those deep, dark, eyes watched everything and everyone...

By the age of five Terran years the boy-child had grown to the size of an adolescent, able to speak the tongue of Rasena and often spending his time speaking with or observing the various fighters and trainers-of-fighters surrounding him in his 'fathers' training school.

No one understood why Ergalisus had shown up with a child, then proceeded to treat the boy like his own offspring, while simply ignoring the unnatural rate at which he grew and learnt, least of all the school owner himself, but it was apparent to all that no-one seemed able to dislike him unless in the grip of an extreme emotion - anger, grief and so on - which would explan why none of the pit-fighters dispatched him in his infancy.

By the time he was ten years of age he was training with the other fighters, besting most of the rawest offerings with little effort, once jovial veterans turning sour as he progressed at some speed - many complaining that their master played favourites and doted on the outsider a little too much.

During one incident he was opposed by a fighter known widely as 'the Reaper', a huge offworlder who had dispatched dozens of opponents, the larger man spitting venomous words at the growing Primarch and asserting that he would take his head and pleasure himself with it.

Needless to say, it was the thus-far unnamed 'son' of Ergalisus that came away from the fight, wounded and bleeding from five-dozen knicks and cuts, but carrying the head of his attacker.

In the decade or so that the Primarch, eventually named Kaelianos by the man who coveted him most of all, fought before crowds of Rasenan citizenry and allies of the three-hundred worlds - dozens at first, thousands by the time of his freedom - he earned a reputation as an undefeated but magnanimous fighter, never killing unless he needed to, and gaining the largest civilian following of any pit-fighter.

While he had been growing up, unbeknownst to one who had spent his entire life in relative isolation and knew nothing of wider Rasenan politics, a former consul had slain his appointed opposite and proclaimed himself dictator for life - something that the senate were powerless to do, as he held the military in his grasp; this had sparked revolts and conflict in the wider sector, allied worlds erupting in bloodshed when they heard the news from the capital planet, a campaign set up by the tyrant was planned to go ahead but he had one thing to do first.

In his thirty-fourth year, though he appeared to have stopped aging much earlier, Kaelianos was granted his freedom by Antius Esdras the Imperator of Rasena. His erstwhile master and father-figure slipped into obscurity as soon as the final contest was over, Antius having him slain, his school sold off, and Kaelianos bought to him the space of two days.

Now began a new phase of the Primarchs life, one of ease and leisure where he had known only hardship and competition, months and then years spent in the libraries and record-houses of Rasena nurturing the mind of the man as food and drink did not. All the while his new patron, the tyrant having semi-adopted him into his own household as a ward, went from world-to-world out in the stars of the wider sector, he said to bring order when he bought more than enough death with it.

While Kaelianos marvelled at the splendid works of the Rasenan people, the blend of high and feudal technology allowed by their unbroken lineage to a bygone age, as well as their mercantile pursuits, glittering metal towers and blue-veined marble temples and buildings, Esdras was returning to his homeworld in triumph.

With the revolts over and most things now as they once were the sector may have gone on much as it always had, but something had touched the Imperator as he fought his battles, and upon his return to Rasena he was different. Oh he had always been flamboyant, deceitful, even sadistic, but now he began proclaiming himself a living God and parading through the streets in garments of shining gold, and history turned swiftly against him.

What happened next, and for exact reasons, are known only to Kaelianos, but suffice to say he slew the former legate-turned-tyrant and through political and military means reformed the republic into a different creature together; now it was an autocracy in all but name, though Kaelianos respected the senate and invited representatives from two-hundred-and-ninety-nine worlds of the sector - he representing Rasena itself, of course - to play the dutiful servant of the state.

Reforms swiftly followed in all tracks of life, treaties being altered and ratified seemingly by Kaelianos alone, military reforms taking place at an alarming rate, and an insistence being made especially on the allied worlds to provide auxiliary forces for the Rasenan war machine.

It was in the midst of these sector-spanning upheavals that a single vessel appeared on the fringes of Latrurian space, a ship - nay, a fortress - bristling with weapons and larger than any in the navies available to Kaelianos, one that honestly he knew could not be contended with, and so he took a small guard and boarded his least impressive vessel and thus did he come face-to-face with his father and his creator.

The Meeting: Kaelianos had watched with ever increasing dread as it transpired that reports about this unknown vessel had not been completely accurate, the construct of clearly alien origin had grew larger and larger as he neared it, at times he had even thought of turning back; yet with two-hundred-and-ninety-nine warriors at his back, clad in segemented suits of gleaming armour, high-crested helmets framing their dour faces, it was clearly an option taken away from him as soon as he thought it.

They had landed in one of the many openings, in a hangar large enough to envelope the entire Latrurian ship, disembarking into a highly illuminated... cave?

It had seemed like a cave, with a ceiling so high that the top could not be seen, weapons far ahead of his own seemingly primitive ones tracking the movements of he and his praetorians as they made their way into the light and assembled themselves in serried ranks.

Kaelianos had always thought them so ferocious, eagle-topped standards held before each cohort of them, stoic centurions in 'sophisticated' suits of powered armour, tall plumed helmets framing the faces of the tallest and broadest warriors Kaelianos had been able to find and train.

Compared to the golden being that advanced toward them from the other side of the hangar-cave, and the ranks of giants clad in grey armour that followed in perfect step, they were but children.

At the sight of them the Primarchs heart began to quicken, and it was said in later years that he became as hard to look directly at as his gene-father.

"My son."

It was not a greeting but a statement, the blindingly bright figure coming forward to stand before Kaelianos, his own men shying away and more than one of them immediatly kneeling to the floor in his prescence. He could not deny that he too felt the need to kneel, forcing himself to remain where he was, intent on performing such a ritual of submission only if and when he desired.

In that moment he noticed a standard that one of the grey-clad warriors carried aloft, the banner showing an unknown scene upon it while at the top... at the top... his breath caught in his throat as he looked through squinting eyes at the two-headed form of a shimmering aquila.

"Who are you?" He managed to say eventually, dragging his eyes back to peer at the 'man' before him.

"I am the Emperor of Mankind, your father."

He wanted to reject this claim, wanted to call this shining beacon a liar and a false emperor, wanted to do anything but accept that he was who and what he claimed - of course he could not do it, such a notion was comical!

Kaelianos had grown rapidly, learnt more than any scholar or sage on Rasena, taken leadership of hundreds of planets from a senate of peers with nary a word spoken against him and no weapons raised.

How, he asked himself honestly, could he have achieved these things if he were like any other man? Any other mortal?

No, the Emperor could not be lying.

"And them?"

"They are my warriors, my Astartes, my Space Marines."

A gesture bought one of these strange warriors forward, a word of command from the Emperor disengaging a helmet with a hiss, the face that confronted Kaelianos like looking in a slightly warped mirror; this Astartes was beautiful as any mortal would measure it, the face so different and yet so uncannily similar to his own, the dark eyes assuredly containing within them a portion of the Primarch himself.

"These are your own sons," continued the ruler of Mankind almost casually, ignoring the look on his progenies face, "Astartes of the Eighth Legion created in your image, their former lives beginning across Terra, now they are here."

"And... this?" Asked the Primarch, gazing at their meeting place in wonder even as he absorbed every detail of the Space Marine beside his father.

"This? This is a fortress taken by your legion from my enemies, an action that earned them their titles. It too belongs to you."

Kaelianos allowed himself further moments of contemplation, the Emperor allowing an amused expression to appear on his face before it vanished as quickly.

"I-I cannot leave Latruria undefended, there are worlds that need rebuilding and..."

"My son," said the Emperor, cutting him off, "I would not ask you to abandon so many worlds of Man. No, the crusade I lead is to forge our people into what they once were. I ask that you come with me, lead your sons, join me and your siblings."

"There are others?! Others... like me?"

"Yes, Kaelianos, your brothers and sisters."

The chuckle that followed was like the peeling of a thousand bells, and made Kaelianos forget about asking how this being - his father he reminded himself - could know his name.

"I place what worlds and warriors I possess into your hands, father. I shall come with you to the stars and help you forge anew a future for Mankind."

Only now did he kneel, the image of the Palatine Aquila and the face of the Emperor both burnt into his psyche, his eyes finally cast down at the deck of the monstrous vessel that would soon be his.

Legio VIII 'Certa Constans'

The Eighth Legion

'Reliable and Steadfast'

Legion Name: The Eighth legion has never had a previous legion name, having been straightforward and wary of names and titles even before being gifted to their Primarch - as such they retained only their number from founding, to reunion, and beyond.

Legion Number: VIII

Legion Strength: Approximately 180,000 Astartes, shifts often due to legion combat doctrines, as well as nearly innumerable auxiliary formations of the Imperial Army.

Warcry: "We bring death, that man may thrive."

Not so much a war-cry, the Eighth not being generally fond of such 'barbaric displays', but more a reminder and affirmation of why they fight, typically said prior to an engagement.

Armour Appearance: The armour of the Eighth is by and large uniform, gunmetal being the colour of the masses, with brass/bronze trimming; of course, differing ranks require different accoutrements – Centurions with transverse crests etc – and more ornamentation.

Those under the Primarchs own command, of the Praetorian Cohorts, come into possession of the most advanced Marks of armour and weaponry. As it well should be.

One quirk of the legion due to their Primarchs adoption of Rasenan military equipment and stratagems, these being chiefly frontal assaults, is the overly high amount of Mark III power armour – the so-called “Iron Armour” - and the adoption of the scutum (a breacher shield in most respects) by Marines of nearly every rank and the infantry masses for certain. If it is not one of these, it is likely to be a prototype 'Storm Shield', a smaller version currently in development.

A second part of the Eighths armament, designed to work in tandem with the shield, is the gladius - a weapon which is ubiquitous with the legion - almost every soldier of the legion using this shortened and broad-bladed power-sword in replacement of other melee weapons.

Constant training is needed to wield these effectively, the shortened blade meaning that one needs to get into reach of ones enemy to unleash the full potential, and luckily constant training is something which this legion do particularly well.

The legion symbol is the encircled laurel wreath, a sign of victory taken from Terran history as well as Rasenan athletic feats.

Terminator of the Corporis Custodes.



Centurion of the legion, 8th Cohort, 12th Vexellatio.



Legionary in Mark III armour, 10th Cohort, 3rd Vexellatio, equipped in standard armament.



Centurion of the 2nd Praetorian Cohort, note the more advanced mark of the armour.



Guardsman of the 7th Praetorian Cohort, equipped for close quarters.



Decurio of the 10th Praetorian Cohort, equipped for close quarters.

Legion Organisation:

The Eighth were one of the foremost adherents of the Principia Belicosa not long after their founding, something in their very gene-seed moulding and shaping to the streamlined approach of the foundational Imperial document on strategy and legion order. With the reunion of legion and Primarch, and the additional governance of his mind and upbringing, Kaelianos swept over the internal structures of the Eighth with ruthless efficiency, seeking to form them according to his desires as thoroughly as possible.

To this end a simple structure was put in place, using the Principia and many hundreds of additional treatises , but mostly native Rasenan military forms overall.

Firstly the entire legion was separated into thirty-two formations, known as a vexillatio, thirty-one of them being their own forces whilst the last was known as the vexillatio praetoriae and was under the direct command of Kaelianos himself.

Each of the vexillationes contained approximately five-and-a-half-thousand legionaries, as well roughly one-hundred-and-twenty bike-mounted equitesused more often than not for scouting and reconnaissance.

From here the vexillatio can again be separated, this time into nine cohortes of five-hundred-and-fifty Astartes and a tenth double-sized cohort of eight-hundred. Every cohort has a trio of officers – the centurio, optio, and tesserarius – as well as the cohorts signifer, the man chosen to carry the cohorts standard into battle. Lastly is the cornicen, originally a horn-blower used to give orders, it now concerns the Astartes of a cohort charged with their communications.

The cohorts can even then be split further, into six-centuria of eighty marines, and five of one-hundred-and sixty, all lead by a lesser centurio.

Overall command was given to a number of senior officers, beginning with the Legatus- the most senior officer, but also commonly accompanied by his Vexillarius or standard-bearer carrying the banner of the Legate and vexillatio - to the Tribunus Laticlavius – or 'thick striped tribune', a Rasenan political appointment made military in the legion – and followed by five subordinate tribunes. After them comes the Praefectus Castrorum, third in command of the vexillatio and master of logistics and fortifications, and the Primus Pilus who is the most senior of the centurions.

Finally comes the Aquilifer of the vexillatio, usually a veteran of many battles and the marine who carries into battle a standard topped by a solid golden eagle, touched by the Primarchs own hand and considered 'sacred' in many respects. Of course, great care has been taken that it be an obvious eagle, and nothing like the two-headed Palatine Aquila.

Using this structure allows the Eighth and Kaelianos control from the lowest rank of soldier to the highest, from the top-down and vice versa, a single cohort easily able to be used for independent operations with as much ease as a century or a single squad, and with as little complication as possible.

Auxilia Forces

The forces that fight alongside the legion are drawn from many disparate places, with the most elite obviously from within the three-hundred planets of the Latrurian Sector itself, whole populations sometimes taken away to assist or serve the Astartes in their conquests and the actions they take.

Most of these infantry formations follow the same outline as their Space Marine betters, a cohortes being made up by six centuries and following the same hierarchy within the unit, lead by an Astartes known as a Praefectus Cohortis.

The ones that fall outside this are the alae, mechanised divisions made up of sixteen turmae of thirty-two vehicles, under the overall command of a Decurio. The overall commander of these battle groups is known as a Praefecti Equitum.

Cohortes Equitatae can also be found, these being mixed groups of six-to-ten centuries of infantry and one-hundred-and-twenty to two-hundred-and-forty vehicles.

Naval Command Ranks

Praefectus Classis, the overall commander of an Eighth Legion fleet group.

Trierarch, or commander of a ship.

Navarch. the leader of a naval squadron.

Specialist Formations

There are only a couple of so-called specialist groups within the legion, the foremost of these being the Raseni corporis custodes or 'Rasenan body guard', each man a veteran of wars on Rasena as well as the wider galaxy, the only Astartes allowed to accompany their Primarch absolutely everywhere without question. These seasoned fighters are clad in terminator armour of Tartaros pattern, it's greater mobility the deciding factor in that regard, and most sport a version of the storm shield.

The second 'specialist' group would be the Frumentarii, the Eighths version of intelligence operatives and gatherers, shadowy informants gathered from Astartes and mortals alike, skilled in the multiple variances of deception, stealth and evasiveness that allow them to do their work to a most reasonable degree.

Finally are the Evocati, veterans among veterans who's skills and knowledge can do more good behind the lines, both as a reserve fighting force and as a training division for neophytes and members of the auxilia – this group is spread over the three-hundred worlds as garrison commanders, instructors and governors, but they are warriors first and foremost and can be called upon to fight with amazing rapidity.

Dramatis Personae:

Praefectus Praetorio Salvius Merula - Commander of the Primarch's bodyguard cohorts and also his equerry.

Tribunus Militum Minicius Paterculus - Tribune of the Primarch's personal guard, the Raseni corporis custodes, (Rasenan body guards) and his second-in-command.

Praefectus Fabrum Aulus Vetus - Techmarine and the Omnissiahs highest representative in the Eighth Legion.

Haruspex Primus Tages Attus - Chief Librarian of the Eighth.

Primus Medicus Galenus Dioskorides - Chief Apothecary of the Eighth.

Praefectus Castrorum Pinarius Celer - Overseer of the legions mobile-fortress the Castrum Aeterna, and second only to Kaelianos in matters of logistics and planning.

Vexillarius Modius Laevinus - Personal standard-bearer of the Primarch, carries the legion banner.

Praefectus Peregrini Cae Velthur - Mortal and overall commander of the Latrurian Auxilia regiments, as well as any other Imperial Army regiments of the legion.

Primus Praefectus Classis Abdosir Hiram - Naval commander of the legions space-borne vessels overall, also non-Astartes.

Frumentarii Primus Nemo - Classified

Favoured Tactics/Battlefield Role: Among the legions of Emperor's galaxy-spanning crusade there are known to be those that favour that space of conflict known in writings as the 'Zone Mortalis', that crushing mass of men and equipment one may find most ordinarily in a subterranean tunnel, at the breach of a wall or building during a grinding siege, or within the cramped corridors of a space-borne ship.

There are the lumbering aquatic warriors of the Ninth who, although not specifically formed about it, will inevitably find themselves within the boundaries of the zone mortalis due to their way of war. With them, or more than likely far ahead of them, are the Dread Lords who allow their fury and their zeal for combat to carry them forth into the zone and the face-to-face clash with their enemies.

For the soldiers of the Eighth the zone mortalis has, through various campaigns and hard-fought victories, come to represent their bread-and-butter of favoured battlefield conflict, so much so that Kaelianos has written a treatise focused solely on strategies and tactics available to the commander all the way down to the singular Astartes, once one engages in the clash of wills and domination which may take place in a battleground no wider than a mortal man or larger than a doorway to an entire front.

Using their good relations with the Mechanicum, as well as the forging power of their own home worlds, the majority of the legion are equipped and armoured for such confrontations. Armour of Marks II and III are paired with the scutum breacher shield and the gladius and, though the bolter is as ever-present as in any legion, trigger-discipline and continual drilling allowing the rank-and-file soldiers of the legion to lay down a withering fire as they advance, it is standing and fighting an enemy barely a few feet away where everything comes together for those of the Eighth.

Deploying on the field in a chequerboard formation as old as humanity itself, should space and time allow, the Eighth legion will march forth into the teeth of the enemy; through drill, professionalism and stolid determination, it is expected for them to close with the foe in as little time as possible.

Such a display has on occasion falsely lead others to believing that this is the only trick of the Eighth, as opposed to a favoured strategy, the marks of armour and the quantity of Ironclad-pattern Dreadnoughts among them doing little to dispel the notion. It is often a surprise therefore when the chequerboard – seemingly without orders – turns into a straight line of shield and bolter while marching over rough terrain, shifting again into a square, an oval or a wedge with an ease one would not expect from such cumbersome looking combatants. Only through dedication to the concepts of war, learning from and studying every engagement, and following orders to the letter are they able to execute such feats with split-second precision.

Attacks of this manner are supported greatly by auxiliary artillery batteries, as well as moveable pieces such as mobile batteries of Quad Launchers and Rapier Carriers and massed Devastator squads, entire formations of Imperial Army foot and armour moving about the legionary centre mass so that the Space Marines can focus on being the hammer they were always meant to be.

The auxilia of the Eighth are an especially diverse group, chosen and then formed mostly for specific purposes or roles within the legion, such as the feared cohors III Taviorum or Third Cohort of Tavians who has a well-deserved reputation as fearless and savage close-quarter fighters.

For a little ranged flavour they may call upon the I Canarom sagittariorum, a formation of extremely proficient soldiers that favour the lasgun over getting in close.

Either way, all those that march with the Eighth, particularly those from the three-hundred worlds, are expected to fight with the competency and grit of the transhumans they fight alongside.

In spite of this focus they are just as capable of building fortifications that fall just short of the standards of the Nineteenth Legion, of launching boarding actions that would make the Dread Lords smile, or even of intelligence gathering that may be but a tad less inaccurate than those drawn up by Micholi and his sons.

Legion Characteristics/Ideology: Kaelianos and his legion come from a realm that bore little of the brunt of the Age of Strife, a unified and technologically adequate pocket-empire that is becoming more advanced as time goes by, the Primarch wishing to see a unified mankind once more under the leadership of the most exceptional human – for he retains the belief that the Emperor is simply a super ordinary man, albeit the pinnacle of their species – that is may return to the Age of Technology once more.

Outside of this there are a number of things that drive the life of an Eighth Legion Space Marine, perhaps the highest being adherence to the Fifteen Rasenan Virtues, fifteen aspects of personal and mental development and fortitude required of every Astartes of the legion. This is combined with a professionalism and discipline seen almost nowhere else in the Crusade, everything from trigger discipline to internal competition between singular marines to entire formations, every aspect tailor made to produce a generalist soldier, rather than a warrior, who acts in concert with his peers.

One Remembrancer commented that watching the Eighth train was akin to viewing 'drills like bloodless battles, and battles as bloody drills.'

Adaptability and always learning in and away from the fields of war, loyalty, fidelity and espirit de corps in all they do, constant striving to excel at ones craft for the betterment of the unit, the company, the legion and the Imperium as a whole, these are the markings of the warrior-scholar par excellence and what the Eighth embody in their trials and tribulations.

Relationships: There is honestly not much to be said for the ins-and-outs of the legions relationships, Kaelianos more than understanding of his brothers and sisters, and always willing to try to view things from their own ways of thought and action.

His loyalty to the Emperor is absolute, though he is not a mindless drone, and his legions links with the Mechanicum are significantly more stable than most others, giving them the respect they require and receiving what he wishes in return. It is mutual and it is beneficial to both, as it should be.

As for humanity in general, and the bureaucracy of the Imperium, Kaelianos long ago decided to wield them as one might wield a blade, his innately born charisma coupled with a mind as keen at diplomacy as it is at war has allowed he and the Eighth to never truly come to blows with either the administrators of the burgeoning realm of man or those citizens within its borders.

Those that defy compliance and xenos races specifically, well, they should expect no mercy from Primarch or legion short of outright surrender for the former and outright extermination for the latter. Man is the true inheritor of the Milky Way and beyond, Kaelianos having no time for the Edict of Tolerance by which he nevertheless will abide because it is the law of the land and will of the Emperor... for now.

Warhammer 40k: Red Wake - A Red Corsairs RP [OPEN]

@TyrannosaursRex

Warhammer 40k: Red Wake - A Red Corsairs RP [OPEN]

The 42nd Millennium bought great pain to the vast majority of the galaxy, the tearing open of the Great Rift wreaking havoc that had not been seen since the all-encompassing warp storms of the Age of Strife, even the resurrection of the Ultramarines Primarch and the reinforcements of the Ultima Founding doing little more than barely holding back and containing the ever-flowing darkness; one misstep and the Imperium would plunge into nothingness, just another failed experiment in the long history of the Milky Way.

Of course, for those that railed against the Imperium and all it stood for, it was not all bad!

Indeed, the Era Indomitus has bought for Huron Blackheart and his legion-sized band of piratical marauders both magnificent highs and some setbacks to go with it - a Blackstone Fortress was gifted to the Tyrant by Abaddon himself, the Maelstrom now lies within the folds of the Rift, allowing unprecedented opportunity and choices for the Corsair warriors and ships, and a prolonged conflict against the White Scars even onto their homeworld of Chogoris had left the clawed fiend fewer in warriors but greater in pride... Perhaps even pride enough to forget about his humbling by Typhus of the Deathguard?

Nevertheless time does not stand still for the Corsairs, in fact it moves at breakneck speed, and the plans of the Tyrant of Badab with it; it is one of these schemes that you now find yourself embroiled, a warrior of a Corsair band under the Champion Kieron Umar - diehard servant of the Tyrant and one of the original Astral Claws - preparing drop and assail a Heretek facility within the Rift.

What you are looking for is not known precisely, but whatever it is, you have a feeling it is only the beginning of a much longer road...

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Welcome, welcome!

If you've read the above, then you will know what you're in for here - taking the role of a renegade Astartes in the service of Lufgt Huron and securing for him an item most precious, precious enough that he sent one of his own ex-Astral Claws to lead the attempt.

Thus this is where you start, aboard the Strike Cruiser Witch of the Void orbiting the Dark Mechanicum-held world of Gjardmer, willing (or unwilling) to sacrifice yourself for Chaos, for Blackheart, for glory, or even for yourself.

This roleplay is Astartes-centric, so please make sure you're writing and knowledge is up to the task; if you're a fan of Dembski-Bowden's Night Lord or Black Legion trilogy then I think you will have fun with this RP, personally hoping this can be a prolonged writing project as well as an adventure through the up-to-date 40k universe.

If you have any questions, please, please do ask - too many people do not and then find problems later.

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If the sound of this interests you, please fill out this short Character Sheet and post it in the OOC thread!

Name & Titles (if any):

Former Chapter/Warband: Even though you're all superhuman space pirates now, you had to come from somewhere!

Tactical Role: Self-explanatory, are they assault-based, tactical etc. Specialist roles - techmarine, apothecary etc - are welcomed, as they will be needed.

Patron Deity: You need not even believe in Chaos, it's up to you.

Brief Appearance: Quick sketch of your characters bodily looks, feel free to include armour etc if you wish.

Brief History: How your character came to be, and how they came to join the Corsairs - doesn't need to be novel length, although can be if you want.

Warhammer 40k: Enemy Without, Enemy Within - an 'Ecclesiarchal' RP [Mature][High Casual/Low Advanced]

@BCTheEntity@jbeil@Andreyich

Some time, and the gathering of several civilian women and one Arvus Lighter, later...

Victorine hadn't realised how much she'd dislike standing around in nothing but her under clothing - a sleeveless top and pair of loose trousers in the colours of her priory - but is dawned on her as she watched the three not-quite-large-enough figures seemingly discussing with one another; she may not be an Astartes, but her armour was nevertheless much like a second skin to her, with or without the gift of a black carapace and numerous augementations.

"Right," she said after a couple of moments, one hand running absent-mindedly over the hilt of her powersword, the other over the bolt pistol she would not be drawing unless absolutely necessary, "this is to be as quiet as possible, assume anyone not bound to be an enemy - should they not be, well, I daresay the God-Emperor shall know his own. We'll be landing on the roof of the palace, here... " she pointed to a marking on a piece of rough paper given to her in haste by the same stuffy Guardsman, "a rooftop entranceway and staircase lead to the armoury and barracks, both of which I assume will be thoroughly ransacked, and from there through to the living quarters and, eventually, to the Governors personal chambers." She gave everyone a quick glance, all seeming as eager as herself to get moving, "we shall take the Governor alive if we can, if this is impossible," she gave a small barely perceptible shrug in the shadows of the evening and gestured to the Lighter concealed behind a towering hab-block building close at hand, "let us get to it, ave Imperator."

---

The Sister-Celestian watched patiently as the Lighter began it's descent toward the quite expansive rooftop of the Governors Palace, the air blowing her neatly cut hair as she stood easily at the open doorway to the flying vehicles cargo hold, the structure getting closer and closer - the simple vehicle doing well to keep its squat bulk from impacting with any of the many gargoyles, statues of religious importance, or spikes dotting the roof.

"I'm afraid you're going to need to jump!" Crackled the pilots voice over the comm-vox, "we'll see you when you call us, best of luck, and Emperor protect you."

Victorine prepared herself and jumped the last couple of feet, crumpling her legs up under her and rolling to a crouch, waiting for the remainder of her compatriots before moving with as much caution as she could toward the doorway marked on the page.

"Epsilon 25... 79-12-15... Gamma Gamma..."

She muttered to herself until the code-pad flashed a delightful green, pressing against the heavy access door until it gave way and swung open without a sound, the top of a stairway just visible.

"Stack up on me, Lisbeth take point, there'll likely be sentries posted near the armoury. Prepare your minds, prepare your weapons. Blessed are those without doubt, and we are truly His servants and his judgement."

The Celestian motioned for Lisbeth to take the fore, judging that she would be the most useful there due to her youth and size, "take us in, Sister."

Warhammer 40k: It's A Wonderful Life! An Imperial Guard (40K) RP

@Lady Selune@ReedeThe23rd@BCTheEntity@CleanBreeze@Eisenhorn@Irredeemable@Reia

Time: 2 AM Location: The skies above Ventirest city, Vocintis, Weather and Temperature: Stormy, temperature unknown.

Moving from one warzone to another was never a swift procedure, especially when it came to the labyrinthe structure that was the Departmento Munitorum - matched with the military dedication of the Astra Militarum, and the religious fervour of the Adeptus Ministorum, it took nearly a month for everything to be sorted on Vernum and the various regiments assigned and shipped off to their newest posting.

The 87th 'Expeditio Vernum' Combined Regiment, C Company under Captain Di Fieroccu (much to the chagrine and annoyance of Colonel Vyacheslav) included, were marched raggedly onto the transport vessel Askellon and billeted aboard with at least four other regiments of the Imperial Guard, their whole journey to their new deployment taking seven months in realspace and a two week trip through the immaterium.

Once space was split open and the small armada of Imperial vessels, the Askellon along with them, reappeared in reality they were several days from their objective on thrusters alone.

In this time it was revealed to the officers, and through them the lower downs (though maybe not as low down as the rank-and-file), that they were heading for a civilised world called Vocintis - technologically as advanced as the rest of the Imperium, but still somewhat of a backwater near the Eastern Fringe - a planet that had become swamped in corruption during the coming of the Great Rift, but a strategically important one that the overstretched Imperium wanted back.

---

Sergeant... no, Lieutenant Sithech now, he had to remind himself, moved to-and-fro in the same manner as every other one of the soldiers of C Company gathered about him; each one of them was strapped into a harness inside the Valkyrie gunship, their weapons either clutched in hands or securely locked against the wall within reach.

Like his comrades-in-arms he was clothed in a mismatch of his own traditional uniform and the regiments own - a white and black pattern flak jacket and forearm armour covered by his usual tartan plaid, no helmet visible anywhere - his lasgun, bayonet already stuck on the lug, held softly in his experienced hands.

God-Emperor he hated the waiting, more so even than the way the gunship juddered and shook all around them, the sound of flak loud and clear outside the armoured plating, soon to turn into a lurching descent onto their objective.

Their objective...

From what he had been told, which had been somewhat more than the rest of the grunts in C Companies command squad, they were being dropped at the edge of Ventirest city with a company of Noctan Strike troopers - elite guerilla and stealth experts - as well as another company from the 24th Rigan Rilfes, all charged with securing the north-eastern city edge for further Imperial forces.

"ETA t-minus 5 minutes," crackled the voice from the cockpit, the side-gunner sliding open his doorway near the front of the gunship, the sound of flak and smaller calibres of weapons reaching the veterans ears with as much familiarity as the voice of his own dearly-departed mother.

"Well," he said with a chuckle to no-one in particular, "here we gae agin."

Warhammer Fantasy: From Small Beginnings...

@Weeping Raven Sorry for the large delay, but that looks good! Feel free to pop him in the CHAR tab, and join our merry band if you so wish as well.

Warhammer Fantasy: From Small Beginnings...

@Weeping Raven Write a sheet and put it in the OOC thread, then we shall see.