Imperium Asunder

Primarch Personalities edition

This is a 40k alt-lore thread , new posters are welcome.
The wiki is not as up to date as we'd like, feel free to post questions/clarifications/ideas.
1d4chan.org/wiki/Imperium_Asunder

Post your writefaggotry and argue about how cool it is.

Last thread ended with some good discussion of Alexios' personality, if you missed it.

I'm gonna post this here all at once in case anyone missed it:

Sarco did not know where he was. It was cold, and dark. Silence surrounded him, except for the telltale hum of a gellar field. The last thing he remembered... an Eldar titan, swinging at him with its massive sword. He had stayed to fight it so Engerand would have time to plant the explosives and destroy the alien shrine. Had he died? Was this crushing darkness what awaited the living when they passed beyond the veil?

+++Subject awakening+++
+++Administering stimulants+++

Green text appeared in Sarco’s vision and he recognized that it was similar to the tactical feed featured in his sons’ helmets. The primarch was jolted awake and only then realized that he had previously been half asleep. What was going on? His mind was still fuzzy from his slumber. Whatever stimulants were being used on him, they did not seem to be working as he felt himself drift back to a comatose state. He would have been content staying that way for a while, but a golden figure appeared in his mind’s eye. It spoke to him.

“My son.”

“Father?”

“My son, you must awaken. You are needed urgently.”

Sarco’s mind was still too groggy to fully comprehend what was going on, but he knew he must heed his father. He dragged himself from rest and once he was sure that he was fully awake, the tactical feed appeared once more.

+++Subject awakened+++
+++Performing system diagnostics…


+++Diagnostics complete+++
+++Gravity cannon: fully armed+++
+++Power claw: fully armed+++
+++Plasma generator output: 100%+++
+++Armor integrity: 100%+++

The tactical feed disappeared and, for a few moments, Sarco’s vision was filled with green symbols streaming past. He cursed himself for not learning binary when he had the chance. Suddenly, the data disappeared and Sarco was given sight again. He had a grainy view of a dark room. On the opposite wall were several monitors displaying vital signs. Sarco’s own, he realized. Standing before him was a golden figure, highly visible despite the gloom of the chamber around him.

“Father.”

Something was wrong. Sarco heard himself speak, but his words came but a fraction of a second after he spoke them. His voice sounded mechanical, and was louder than it should have been.

“What has happened to me?” Sarco asked. He could not move.

“My son,” responded the Master of Mankind, “The injuries you sustained fighting the Eldar phantom were dire.” His tone was grim, almost scolding. “You almost did not survive. I did my best to save you, but there are some things that even I cannot do.”

“Father, what do you mean to say?” Though he would never show it, Sarco was worried.

“You have been placed inside a dreadnought chassis of my own design. You will survive your injuries, but you will never be able to leave it.”

Sarco was in shock. He would never again feel the wind in his hair, or feel the thrill as he impaled a xeno warrior with his power spear. He would never again be able to scale a burned-out building to gain a vantage point for the battle raging below.

“What of my legion? What of my sons?” Was his next thought.

“It took you five years to become well enough for me to put you in the sarcophagus. In the meantime your legion campaigned with me.” Five years!? What had happened in the galaxy in that time? “We brought a hundred systems into the Imperium’s fold.”

“And what of my brothers?” Sarco asked.

“There has been no lack of strife among your brothers while you were recovering. Oramar has been accused of tampering with xenotech. He has been called to stand trial at an uninhabited world called Nikaea. We are on our way there now.”

If any of his brothers were tampering with alien technologies, it would be Oramar. The primarch of the XII legion was an odd one for certain. Before Sarco could continue musing on the possibilities of Oramar’s behavior, a harness that he had not noticed before was released from his chassis.

“The council is in five days. We will arrive on Nikaea in two. Come, Sarco, I must show you how to use your new faculties to their full extent.

Nice.

By the way, on the subject of how personally good a fighter each Primarch is that came up last thread, I'd say it's better to put them in tiers than to have a ranked list.

So like,

>Serious Monster Tier:
Klaus
Kashaln
Aodhan

>Notably Lethal Tier
Anders
Raydon
Engerand

>Dreadnought Tier
Sarco

>Normal Primarch Tier
Balthasar
Grahanak
Xun
Grengat
Oramar
Saul
Rubinek
Marcus

>Kinda Meh Tier
[redacted]
Anshul
Enoch
Faustus

>Alexios Tier
Alexios

We should probably try to get a basic sketch for the 'inactive' legions like the Iron Hearts and Arms.


I like it a lot.
It also occurs to me that Sarco might have multiple bodies for different purposes. A monster mash Knightnought, a smaller travel size for things like this--contemptor sized or so.

I like that idea. His smaller chassis is probably around leviathan size.

I laughed at that. And yeah, I think that seems like a good approach. I'd raised the question to aid in the writing of primarch fights.

In that vein I'm going to go through those for Xun. I'll also suggest some stuff for Gengrat.

>How does he feel about 'Imperium Secundus'
Xun is totally behind it. He wants to retake Terra, but believes that the Long War won't be won through futile campaigns, but instead requires a solution to the problem of Chaos. This in return, requires that they have the industrial capacity to defend while they develop new techniques. And they need to be able to thrive, lest attrition wear them down. So he thinks strong crusader states are the best thing. This said, he also sees a need to keep pressure on the heretics, hence why he supports Grah'anak and Raydon. Better that they were contributing to growth, but if they weren't out there in the Dark Imperium, Xun would have to send forces anyways, so even if it is a waste of primarch skills, he can support it in public and propaganda.
As a result, manufactorum posters often depict Crimson Warhawks or Void Lords with the caption Keep Them Fighting! Xun also refers to the Jade Empire (and the Forgespace) as The Arsenal of the Imperium.

>Conquest Approach
Xun prefers to use diplomacy and the predecessor both to Section 8 and the 'Inquisition' developed during the crusade as a political manipulation service which supported pro-imperium parties and military factions, as well as arranging the demise of leaders against the Imperium. Victory comes from eliminating the enemy's will to fight. (Or in some cases, their ability to do so.) (Or with some Xenos, every last one.) As a result, Xun's Art of War is as much a treatise on state craft and intelligence as it is a practical military text.
Xun prefers to use his enemy's strengths against them, the key to that being to force fights only on his terms. Hence mobility and fluidity in the data space and physical one.

>manufactorum posters often depict Crimson Warhawks or Void Lords with the caption Keep Them Fighting!

This is cool.

>how does he socialize?
Xun genuinely enjoys time with his fellow primarchs. He enjoys debating and discussing everything from tactics to art. This does not endear him to some primarchs, who prefer not to have everything debated. Xun figures that there's no point in having ideas if you can't question and discuss them.

Xun cares little for small talk, there's nothing to analyze. Similarly, he'd have a hard time at a super bowl party except to discuss team strategy and the like.
He does make jokes, odd, surreal jokes and he genuinely enjoys the things he does. He thinks that passion has a place in the mature psyche, but cannot stand zealous inflexibility. He'd probably have strangled Lorgar shortly after meeting him. Xun generally keeps his emotions in check, but if you want to send him into a rage, be a Word Bearer.

>Legion Demeanor
The legion picks some of this genetically. They tend to naturally favor multi pronged assaults, hence the old name Storm Wolves. At the legion's hesrt, there's something feral. They do a pretty good job of keeping it under wraps, particularly with the culture of intellectualism Xun brings to the table, but they enjoy their speed and prowess. They've got that war-joy, a manic astartes battle grin.
The legion had always respected strategy, and knowledge as a whole, but Xun intensifies that, he makes it into an art.
The legion on the whole is fond of calligraphy, painting, poetry, gardens, go, and archery. Archery is practiced blindfolded and is less about hitting the target than the moment of the shot. Xun uses these things to mold a flexible mindset able to run a society or conduct a war.
You might say they've got a Daoist soul and a Confucian structure.
These arts remind the legion of why they fight, but they also remind them how they fight.

>Xun and humanity
To Xun, the Emperor created the primarchs and launched the crusade to inspire humanity. He could have built legions of robots guided by efficient adepts.

Yeah, I think everyone should go through these questions to expand on their characters. Obviously changed to fit the individual Primarch.

>Does Anders immediately start looking to found the Protectorate?
No. The Protectorate was just something that happened, Anders was only looking to give the refugees a new place to live.

>What is the kind of stuff he would do in his down time?
Train, play politics, and gather information about the other states. Also go out and meet the people.

>Does he have a wide circle of comrades / advisers
Yes. Anders is a very social person.

>What does his personal domain (flagship, room, whatever) look like.
Cydonia is an ocean world, and has one big floating hive. The hive has smoother architecture than Imperial ones due to xenos influences.

>How does he respond to the other primarchs
Generally, he doesn't. Pre-Heresy he didn't really take the time to get to know many of them, and after the fall he has very little interactions with them. Despite this, he treats them like they are his brothers on the rare occasions he meets them (even if they don't treat him the same way).

>Does this attitude get passed down via geneseed? Is it a mentality that is fostered among the legion or is it just him
It's just him. Many of the Paladins and their successors think very highly of the other primarchs.

>What kinds of things does he like? And what value are they to him/his legion/war efforts.
Anders is fascinated by xeno culture and enjoys tinkering with small machines. While the Paladins are encouraged to gather as much information on new xenos as possible, the tinkering is just a hobby for Anders he's had since his youth.

>Does the Kor Protectorate have different laws for astartes/humans/xenos?
Yes, for Astartes. While Chaos, Emperor, and other deific worship are permitted for humans and xenos, Space Marines are expressly forbidden to distract themselves with religion. Otherwise everyone gets the same rights.

Cont. The Emperor could have built legions of robots lead by faceless adepts. The Emperor himself could have been clad in dull grey functional plate, but instead, the Emperor made demigods to lead hosts of angels. Xun believes that they are there to inspire humanity to be the best that they can be and to protect them while they figure that out. Xun would be a huge fan of Nietzsche. His legion is there to be the Übermenschen, overflowing with life and through their example inspiring humanity to follow. To Xun, the worst thing is the Last Men, those who refuse to become more than they are. Perhaps Rubinek is the sort to accept everyone exactly as they are and believes in self sacrifice of the strong so as to keep the weak from having to step out of their comfort zone. Rubinek says that he's protecting the innocence of the baseline human, Xun thinks he's denying their personal gowth.

As a result, everything in the Jade Empire is grand and designed to inspire people to do their best.
This does make for a pushy society and causes conflict with those who say that the Astartes are there to serve humanity.
Xun is like the depiction of Iskandar in Fate Stay Night.

>Law codes
So there's a single law code for everyone. Everyone takes the Civil service exams to rule, everyone has a duty to the state which defends them, everyone has the responsibility to be all they can be. For the excellent, this is greatness and inspiration, for the lesser, it is to follow and be part of a greater vision.

Xun designs everything with backups and keeps things pretty decentralized. Or rather, the center is everywhere.
>OU parallels
He's got the attitude of the Khan to him, but the desire to build of G-Man. In a lot of ways you might sum him up as "what if Malcador was a primarch. And from Ancient China."
>Why is he loyal?
Xun is loyal because he firmly believes in the ideals. To phrase it in Nietzschean terms, Chaos is the path of going under, the way of the last men.

>Alexios Tier
Alexios

>How does he feel about 'Imperium Secundus'
I know Xun is a pretty sneaky dude, how much of that is common knowledge - if Raydon already considered Xun "one of three" who he would want as the new Warmaster, would he have been aware of those intentions at the first council of Titans?

I have some other questions, im trying to find the scrap of paper I wrote them on. Until I post them however, keep this up, much good.

Also if you have any questions for others based off how they answer, I think this is one of the better ways to try and organically flesh out interactions and such beyond "we both like to hit things with clubs".

And as always, post questions I havent thought of

>Is there an in-canon parallel?
Not that I know of, and if there is it isn't intentional.

>What does he think of the Codex Astartes?
Anders doesn't follow it. He appreciates what it does, but he feels like it is unnecessarily restrictive.

>how does he react when people socialise with him ie. make jokes, invite him over for beers, etc
Anders loves it. Happy people is what he's going for, after all. He's kind of like the uncle that tries REALLY hard to make people have a good time.

>Why did he fight in the crusade, and why did he go renegade?
Anders fought because he was told it was the best way to keep the galaxy safe. Eventually he came to his own conclusions, and when the Emperor died he took the chance to do things his way.

The more questions the better. This is good.

>What does his personal domain (flagship, room, whatever) look like.
Sorry, so the point of this question is to draw out the interior design of their bed rooms, common work spaces etc.

I find I get a better insight into characters when I think about this stuff, because if I think of Russ for instance, he would have his room with pelts, weapons, trophies, maybe even maps, and holo-picts of comrades.

When I think of Gorrilla-man, its more fine tapestries, news articles, his desk busy but organised, post-it notes and those little "in/out" trays.

That kind of stuff.

In saying that, Homeworlds are cool too and should be included, it just tells me less about personality.

Ah. In that case, Anders' personal space would be mostly organized, with suits of armour, weapons hung on walls, and probably a workbench covered in small metal parts. There'd be a room to entertain guests, with some modest furnishings, xenos artifacts and other things you'd expect to see in a parlor.

OOH and a personal collection of xenos war stuff. Ork choppas, Necron skulls, Eldar boobplates and stuff.

QUESTIONS

You have Anders as a pretty normal / social guy, but then later he doesnt take the time to get to know his own brothers - why?
> Also what was he doing in the crusade that meant he didn't fight with other legions?
If he doesn't pass on his personality genetically, do the Paladins try and emulate him though deed/words - why/why not
>he likes to tinker, how does he feel about the Mechanicus, and how do you think they feel about him - if poorly, does he try to fix it
So Astartes are also citizens in the protectorate, does that mean they aren't soldiers or is it case-by-case. Can a Astarte "quit" essentially.

Xun seems to be a mission command type of guy, giving his subordinates his intent, setting left and rights of arc and letting them go about it in the best way they see. If so, how does he have backup plans? Does he just assign multiple agencies the same task to ensure one gets it done?

I like Anders a lot more than I did before this thread. (Still a Dirty Xeno Loving renegade but hey, noones perfect)

Cont.
He sees chaos as a path of submission, an end to humanities ability to improve. It's madness.
The Astartes were made to overcome nature and the universe and their own shortcomings and that's what they do.

>what is his personal domain like
It's a grand. Think Art Deco. He is fond of using negative space, as well, so he is the sort to have courtyards in his buildings with white walls and a single stone set in the middle so that as you walk around it, you see new facets offset against the plain backdrop.
He thinks that elegance is in having only what you need and no more. He also adores fractals because of the simplicity at the heart of their complexity. That's why he loves math, actually, and that informs his approach to sorcery.

>in his down time
He paints, writes treatises and poetry, tinkers, he has a bonsai room on his flagship. He reads academic research.

>other primarchs
I'll revise the old chart once a bit more stuff is up, but
>Alexios
Alexios should actually try enjoying things a bit. Other than that, and his tendency to think in dualisms, Alexios is a pretty good guy, though his view of humanity doesn't give them enough credit.

>Kor
Their interactions are always very awkward, Kor asks 'how are you' and Xun knows that Kor means it, but has no idea how to respond. And really, Xun has no desire to talk about it. He'd rather discuss interesting xeno cultures and what they say about potential social structures.
That and he finds Kor way too idealistic.

They'd have talked about it and argued both sides of it, so Raydon wouldn't be caught completely by surprise by Xun's decisions. He'd probably know that Xun wanted to find an anti chaos weapon and that if he became Warmaster, he'd hold a counter attack until he had something, but I don't think Xun would come down firmly on a plan, in part because Xun doesn't tend to plan like that. He comes up with potentialities and chooses them in the moment based on the data he has.

I think Xun would be the closest thing to a friend Alexios has. More like a close colleague, as Alexios doesn't really have the emotional capability for friendship. They would spend long hours into the night debating philisophical or strategic concepts together with Anshul and Oraamr

Alexios would see the Librarius project as a betrayal, having warned all three of them of the dangers of sorcery for a long time. Their 'friendship' would break down into bitter resentment at that point.

Yeah, that's basically how he goes about it. On the operational end, he generally expects that his subordinates will make backup plans.
If it's a delicate assignment, then yeah, he will assign multiple agencies to it, for example, he'd order the Argon Apemen to retake a world, have astartes standing by, and an inquisitorial ship standing by with cyclonics, just in case.
Most of the time, his form of back up is a different course of action to take if the mission fails because sometimes that happens, even if your subordinates are careful.

>He thinks that elegance is in having only what you need and no more.
He would love to see Raydon fight then.

We should definitely put those 4 together in the Crusade. Im thinking maybe heading out NW circling around to the N & then E. At the time of the Librarius though Alexios requests transfer or whatever and heads S instead to meet up with another major expeditionary fleet, maybe he even passes through what is one day the Imperium Minoris.

Why is Aodhan high?
Is it just his weapon?

Anders is a duellist and Raydon is the Lion on roids, how does he top them?

>he doesn't take the time to know his brothers - why? Also what was he doing in the crusade that meant he didn't fight with the other legions?
He was too busy making sure the worlds they took over STAYED taken over. Anders was the guy that was called whenever Chaos came back, the next generation of Orks found guns, or the Eldar tried to get revenge. It was very rare that he'd be at the front of the Crusade with his brothers.

>If he doesn't pass on his personality genetically, do the Paladins try and emulate him though deed/words - why/why not
Well of course they do, they're his sons. They're taught to follow Anders' ideals, and the majority of those that become Paladins agree. Those who choose not to usually join the Errants, where they can do things differently. They are their own men at the end of the day.

>he likes to tinker, how does he feel about the Mechanicus, and how do you think they feel about him - if poorly, does he try to fix it
Anders hates the Mechanicus. He grew up on a heretek forgeworld, and was forced to purge it by the Emperor when the Mechanicus got all pissy about the tech-heresy. Murdering the people you love because they made something better is not something you forgive and forget about.

>So Astartes are also citizens in the protectorate, does that mean they aren't soldiers or is it case-by-case. Can a Astarte "quit" essentially.
Technically yes, but in practice retirement doesn't really happen. They're Space Marines. They have the same sense of duty in the Protectorate as they do everywhere else.

>maybe he even passes through what is one day the Imperium Minoris.
Imperium Minoris is Imperium Minoris during the crusade. That's a pretty key trait of Alexios. While his other brothers conquer worlds and then leave it to the civilians to rebuild, Alexios does that rebuilding himself, leaving restoration chapters on conquered worlds to establish compliance, maintain order, and rule the populace. It's mile Girlyman's five hundred worlds of ultramar.

Among his many nicnkames is the sarcastic and insulting 'little Emperor,' used to mock him, though rarely to his face.

Anders and Raydon fight fair. Aodhan fights dirty.

Awesome, the 2nd ech. Probably functioned occassionally as reserves for dire situations as well.

>Raydon fight fair.

heh. Yes, quite.
and while people keep thinking that, he has every advantage he needs.

seriously tho, not quite. The dude is a wannabe hit man.

Raydon is sneaky but I feel like Aodhan's the sort of dude to do things like poison your rations, lay traps, real dishonorable shit. He's the sort of warrior who wants EVERY advantage he can get. Maybe I'm wrong though, IDK.

Imma post prompts for Balthasar

Doin some of these questions.

>how does Aodhán approach conquest
At the start of the Crusade, Aodhán initial approach was to wow worlds into the Imperium by presenting its glories and promising protection. He sometimes personally undertook great labours in order to convince worlds of the Imperium’s greatness. In that case of war, his approach was decisive and up-front, making sure to crush any resistance as quickly as possible, but with an air of humanity and sportsmanship that would give worlds cause to reconsider.

>Does Aodhán immediately run off to Commorragh?
Nope. He quits the domain [redacted] set apart for him because he can’t stand the fact that he’s somehow serving the Warmaster’s purposes.

>What is the kind of stuff he would do in his down time?
Aodhán has always been too restless for real downtime. Battling monsters and fighting wars isn’t really work for him, it’s his lifeblood. When he’s not doing that, he’s enjoying the spoils of such things. If I’m not mistaken, he’s the only Primarch that is a family man.

>Does he have a wide circle of comrades / advisers
Definitely. Pre-heresy, Aodhán considered his lieutenants his treasured companions and steadfast friends, in a relationship similar to that of Achilles and his Myrmidons.

>What does his personal domain (flagship, room, whatever) look like.
Like Morgoth is rooming with Conan. Furs, trophies, grand tables, probably a gigantic imposing throne. Banners from defeated worlds. Tons of slaves just hanging around.

>How does he respond to the other primarchs
Pretty well, mostly. Aodhán is extremely personable and has a great deal of respect for many of his brothers. He most likely didn’t like Alexios and didn’t ‘get’ Oramar, but he wouldn’t have been an asshole to them, at least early into the Crusade.

> does he default to burn & burn or is that plan b?
Balthasar defaults to burn. He only really engages in diplomacy when working with another primarch who favors it and nags him into trying. He does not argue with them, however. He's not the sort to argue.

whats the kind of stuff he would do in his down time
Hunting, hunting, hunting. When he's not hunting orks and shit on the crusade he's fighting whatever large game he can find on nearby worlds.

> does he have a wide circle of comrades / advisors
ABSOLUTELY. Almost every primarch is close to Balthasar in some fashion, and his Captains are as close as sons to him.

>What sort of strategies does he employ? Planning, or reaction? Long view or short?
Balthasar in general prefers straightforward tactics, but often in the hunt mobility is far more important than strength. Sort of like Perturabo, many of his brothers underestimate his tactical cunning because he usually fights more directly.

I always got the impression he was more of a bare-chested classic barbarian type. He's described as incredibly strong, friendly, and such.

>Does this attitude get passed down via geneseed? Is it a mentality that is fostered among the legion or is it just him
Fellowship and loyalty to one’s comrades is a mentality that is fostered among the Negators. As is a level of honour and respect towards one’s enemies.

>What kinds of things does he like? And what value are they to him/his legion/war efforts.
Aodhán likes excitement. He’s something of a thrill-seeker. He likes proving himself, he likes adding to his glory, and he likes to indulge in pastimes he considers heroic. Above all else, he values free will, this ultimately being his problem with Big E.

>Is there an in-canon parallel?
Not really? Aodhán could be considered like a mixup of Fulgrim and Angron, I guess. He has more in common with Feanor or Cuchulainn than either of them, though.

>What does he think of the Codex Astartes?
Lel.

>how does he react when people socialise with him ie. make jokes, invite him over for beers, etc
Great!

>Why did he fight in the crusade, and why did he go traitor?
He fought the Crusade, originally, because he thought he was spreading glory across the galaxy. He saw the deeds of the Crusade as heroic, and strove to boast the greatest of them. As the Crusade drew on, he began to dislike what he saw of the Imperium, and more and more become preoccupied with how much freedom he – or anyone – could have in a world where Big E is in charge. Ultimately, he came to the conclusion that he couldn’t bear to serve anyone’s purposes but his own, and that dad was gonna turn the galaxy into a boring shithole.

>What does his personal domain (flagship, room, whatever) look like.
>Excerpt from writefaggotry:
The Captain climbed up the many passageways of the ship to it's command center, the Hunting Lodge. It was a massive circular chamber with a hololithic windowed dome, through which one could see the surface of 46-8. On the walls of the chamber were arrayed thousands of trophies of war. Rows of ork heads, monstrous talons of the megarachnids, and countless trophies of the myriad beasts of a thousand worlds. Arranged against the many taxedermied trophies hung thousands of weapons taken from the many worlds who had surrendered before the might of Balthasar's Bloodhounds. In the center of the chamber stood seven Astartes, armored like Armistead. They were his brother captains of the Warpack, highest and greatest officers of the First Legion. Each of Armistead's brothers were armed as he was, with crimson chainsword and black flint blade.

Forming two concentric circles around the captains were navigation consoles, data readouts, and auspex stations. In the inner circle sat Commodore Frost and his command crew, in the outer circle sat support staff. All of their stations were set deep into the ground so that no one's view of their Lord's trophies would be occluded. Occasionally Servitor Helots would skitter into the chamber, report to one of the staffers, deliver or receive some message, and then scamper back out again. The Lodge had always made Armistead think of a massive ampitheatre, except the audience was facing the wrong way.

Yeah its fine by me, I dont mind.
I mean without his (mostly unconscious) psychic abilities Raydon would probably be upper normal primarch tier.

Since spidey sense, and the ability to disappear are pretty useful when attempting to apply sharp objects to peoples faces.

This is more correct.

Aodhán lives and breathes battle. It's who he is, down to his core. I see Klaus and Kashaln as being Lion El's/Fulgrims in terms of combat, whereas Aodhán is an Angron. Insanely strong, fast, and tough.

sounds like Aodhan and Balthasar would be best buddies

>>Does this attitude get passed down via geneseed? Is it a mentality that is fostered among the legion or is it just him
the Bloodhounds have Balthasar's joviality but have a subtle sense of raw bloodlust that he lacks. His sons are the ones who convince him to join REDACTED.

>>What kinds of things does he like? And what value are they to him/his legion/war efforts.
Above all Balthasar appreciates a challenge. He wants strong, cunning, stealthy prey so he can feel the thrill of a good hunt.

>Is there an in-canon parallel?
Imagine if Angron never got the Brass Nails and was a sane person for a while

>>how does he react when people socialise with him ie. make jokes, invite him over for beers, etc
It'd be him sending out the invitations. Balthasar hosts many feasts for his brothers during the crusade.

>>Why did he fight in the crusade, and why did he go traitor?
The Emperor sold it to him as a great hunt, seeking to exterminate xenos from the universe.

Hope you don't mind but having read this and the negators page i've put it into Raydons history that Aodhan was one of his inner circle, along with Saul & Klaus (during the crusade anyway)

Question me friendos.

mmm.

So Klaus is literally meant to be a proxy for Sanguinius++, meant to be the perfect knightly warrior. Honour and skill and valour and such. Kind of like King Arthur.

Kashaln I think is meant to be similiar in combat terms to Fulgrim.

Raydon in fighting ability is probably most closely alike Lion (Except with spidey sense). Im not 100% sure how the Lion ranked against his brothers though.

Ill let someone with more lore-knowledge figure out the placings.

Speaking of Saul Sheridan, I think we should start talking about battles on the Red Road to Terra. Let's do some collaborative writing, shall we?

>The Battle for Armageddon

Dramatis Personae
>Loyalists
Undying Scions
Second Sons
>Traitors
Behemoth Guard
Negators
>Orks
A Bigass Megaboss

As the traitors and loyalists alike leave the tournament at Cadia, both sides of the war effort race to Terra. The tumults of the warp due to the Warmaster's pack with chaos leads the many fleets of the Astartes to seek temporary safe havens on nearby worlds to claim resources or safe havens before continuing on toward terra. These are the bloodiest battles of the Heresy, and greatest among them is the Battle for Armageddon, where the Second Sons went mad. In his desperation to defeat the enemies of the Imperium, Saul Sheridan deploys his archao-nuke bombs while he, his legion, and his allies the Scions are still on-planet. While the enemy is defeated, the exposure to radiation drives Saul and his men utterly insane, and in that madness they turn to Nurgle for salvation.

On that insane battlefield of nuclear fallout and seas of blood, Gengrat Vannevar, Sarco Funeros, and the Ork Megaboss KillKrush duke it out in a massive kaiju battle.

>Above all Balthasar appreciates a challenge. He wants strong, cunning, stealthy prey so he can feel the thrill of a good hunt

ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod


I posted a bunch of questions in the previous thread if you want to check that out. Ill give your wiki a read and come up with something extra if you want.

>A Bigass Megaboss
correction.

Bigass MEKAboss.

Aren't the Second Sons traitors?

ONE DAY, RAYDON, YOUR HEAD WILL HANG IN THE HUNTING LODGE. I HAVE ALREADY SET A PLACE FOR IT, AND LOOK, THE BLADES OF A THOUSAND DEAD WARHAWKS ARE ALREADY THERE TO FRAME IT.

They turn traitor mid-heresy, after the tournament but before Terra. If people like the idea, Armageddon is the place for that to happen.

...

oh fuck I spit out my food

Seems to make sense, considering.

Oh Jesus

>Thinking Balthasar would stand a chance against Raydon
>Thinking having hunting lodges makes you a hunter
>Thinking anyone can hunt like the Hawk can
>Thinking the Hawks even bother to collect trophies from the dogs they put down
>Thinking.
>Get back to your little kennel, mut.


thinking Raydon still even has a head :(

...

Gosh it disturbs me to see you, Raydon
Looking so down in the dumps
Ev'ry guy here'd love to be you, Raydon
Even when taking your lumps
There's no man in town as admired as you
You're ev'ryone's favorite guy
Ev'ryone's awed and inspired by you
And it's not very hard to see why

Actually, I was thinking about Saul and the Second Sons fall to Chaos. I pictured them kinda like the Purge, in that they exemplify Nurgle as Death and Stillness via wanting to kill every living thing in the galaxy to achieve some sort of peace.

Why not have this war take place on the Second Sons homeworld of Lorentia, which had become almost a utopia after Saul nuked 95% of all the people that lived there.

His quiet little slice of peace, the one he had taken the burden of billions of death's to achieve, shattered by the arrival of the chaos and war of the galaxy. He nukes everything to try and eliminate the forces on the planet, the orks and the traitors, but realizes that there cannot be peace anywhere in the galaxy. Addled by radiation and the insidious touch of Chaos, he gets his legion together and they decide to go full blown omnicide to destroy every sentient being in the galaxy because it's the only way to achieve something akin to peace. They're actual descent into Nurgle worship happens over the rest of the Red Road to Terra, as they realize just who their benefactor is in staving off their rad poisoning and ally in their quest to destroy all life is.

In all seriousness though, these two are an awesome pairing for the heresy..

>Why not have this war take place on the Second Sons homeworld of Lorentia, which had become almost a utopia after Saul nuked 95% of all the people that lived there.

Because
>I don't think it's between Cadia and Terra
>95% of its people are already dead
>There's no Ork Mekabosses
>not everything needs to happen on homeworlds

>There's no Ork Mekabosses
>Ork Mekabosses
>Mekabosses

Im glad the idea got traction.

AS AM I

It's currently no where really. I don't think it was ever placed on the map was it?

Well, a couple hundred years ago before he was even found by the Emperor. I'm sure there's a bigger population there now, seeing as it's been at least partly re-built into something better than it was.

Fair enough, but there could be.

Also fair, I'm just thinking of rationale for it being a real tipping point for the Second Sons.

So let's sketch out Gengrat a bit. Here's how I picture him:
>Burn it?
Gengrat could probably negotiate if he ever wanted to. But he really doesn't, preferring to listen to the voices and let it burns.

>Social interaction
Gengrat is surprisingly close to his warsmith eqs.
Really, he's a lot like a perturabo, but with nothing to prove and no Dorn to piss him off.

Gengrat prefers the company of the Ordo Reductor to most of his brothers, though he does like Saul.
Enoch's weak personality annoys him.
Kor is an idealistic fool.

I think Aodhan cracks him up. Something about Aodhan's ego strikes him as absurd. Sort of a 'sure Aodhan, go get those heads, priorities man. I'm going to go level a city, but you focus on that duel.'
He's an asshole. It's not that he's insecure and lashes out, it's not that he's traumatized, it's that he is a belligerent, blunt kind of guy who enjoys razing things. It's as simple as that.

His legion is much the same.

They all take pride in their work and have exquisitely crafted weapons.

>how does he socialize
He socializes on campaign or in the forge. His quarters have a forge. It's great industrial tech with hand crafted detail and gargoyle heads. He likes to leave the inner workings exposed, when possible, to show off the intricate machinery, though he's practical enough not to do this on a war engine.

He's got a kind of deiselpunk aesthetic. His personal Stormlord, Ancalagon, is a brutish creation, with the front end of a mastadon merged seamlessly into the enormous tank, it's prow forged in the shape of a snarling beast. I'll sketch it out at some point.

>why fight?
He likes the challenge. War provides him opportunity to design.
>why betray the Imperium
Because then he gets to level more cities. And all that forbidden technology to play with!
Do we have any ideas for Rubinek? I want to start figuring out his relationship with Xun for their fight.

Yeah, go ahead. If you wouldn't mind putting pic related up for the legion while you're there that'd be great, because I can't seem to figure it out.

>Nurgle as stillness
Yeah, I like that. They're desiccated rad zombies instead of bloated plague corpses.

I like the drama of the shift at Armageddon.
The purges of Lorentia are a factor, but what if it's the fact that even when he takes a stand against the warp, even when he tries to protect life, he still loses-- which is what happens when he nukes Gengrat's legion. They just come back worse. And he realizes that in life, there is no victory. You just kill it all.

And it sets up Gengrat v Saul for Tzneetch v Nurgle.

Will do.

Just had an idea, copying the idea of how Night Haunter traps & hunts Vulcan except with Balthasar trying to hunt, Raydon in some sort of city, or maze, or something.

What is off limits IRT Balthasar? Will he be mortal at that point (during the heresy, or shortly afterwards). What can't I write about more or less, where can't the story end (ie who can't I kill off and/or maim.

That's a good alternative. I like it and hadn't thought of that interaction/dichotomy. It's also interesting given that Gengrat and Saul would probably have been the closest to each other out of all the other Primarchs.

Now, I've been trying to figure out a rationale why they wouldn't just set about bombing traitors as much as loyalists. I guess they probably realize that with Chaos being on that side they use their last dregs of sense to keep themselves for murdering any potential unwitting allies in their quest to kill everything. Though over the course of the next ten millennia they probably engage in more than their fare share of team killing.

This seems both accurate and inaccurate. I think a big part of Gengrat's personality is the juxtaposition of genius sorceror/engineer and mindless beast.

>Do we have any ideas for Rubinek? I want to start figuring out his relationship with Xun for their fight.
He's got a sentient AI in his chest, his body is an old, twisted mutant shell replaced by 99% cybernetics, and he's Dorn-tier when it comes to fortifying positions.

His character is based on one of the few possible references to the expunged primarchs in canon sources, plus a theory on the sort of shit that the Emperor would expunge one of his legions for: tech heresy. They find an archaotech AI on their homeworld, which controls STC foundries below the rusty red sand, and they fully embrace it. That's about all we've got so far. The user who OP'd them is actually a friend of mine and he's the user who offered to paint some stuff from IA canon a while ago. I think he's working on a hekatonkires knight.

Whats he like before the heresy though, surely not old, twisted and mutated.

Tell us about what he was before he became what he is.

>Just had an idea, copying the idea of how Night Haunter traps & hunts Vulcan except with Balthasar trying to hunt, Raydon in some sort of city, or maze, or something.

Cool idea. I definitely think Balthasar and Raydon make for a good rivalry that we should explore


>What is off limits IRT Balthasar? Will he be mortal at that point (during the heresy, or shortly afterwards). What can't I write about more or less, where can't the story end (ie who can't I kill off and/or maim.

The only thing to really keep in mind is that he spends the heresy in Ultima Segmentum keeping the Void Lords, Fists of Mars, and Angels of Light from joining the battle for Terra with the help of the Eyes of the Warmaster and some Silver Spears, so him being on Terra or something would be contradictory.

He ascends to daemonhood at a presently unknown time/place some time during the heresy. Any of his lieutennants can die.

They have a british gentlemen naming scheme with occasional touches of colonial indian names.

According to the wiki he's a nearly mindless beast before the Emperor even discovers him.

Yeah Raydon by design is nowhere near terra either, sent away by the Warmaster so that wont be a problem.

Maybe its best suits the timeline if its after the Heresy, when the Hawks first launch there Eternal Crusade.

Hunter becomes the hunted, and back and forth.

If a demon primarch gets banished how long does it stay gone for? I don't want to remove characters from being used in the future stories.

>If a demon primarch gets banished how long does it stay gone for? I don't want to remove characters from being used in the future stories.

It's intentionally left vague. It's dependant upon the daemon prince's power, the nature of his death, and how favored he is by the gods. Sometimes he comes back tomorrow, sometimes in ten thousand years.

Feel free to banish Balthasar.

Nice. So Raydon beats daemon Balthazar and Aodhan comes after him for it.

>Gengrat
Up to you guys on just how crazy he is how quickly, but I'm thinking he is smart enough to keep it under wraps during the crusade.

>Rubinek
So is Rubinek guy coming back, or should we make up stuff for him?

>Aodhan comes after him for it
That would be an awesome & sad reunion.

Raydon would probably hulk out at that meeting, loyalty and brotherhood was everything to him. His best mates turning traitor (and Klaus dying) is what makes him into the hate bot he becomes.

Probably actually weakens him since he is a controlled fighter not a berserker, though it might empower him psychically (psyker powers are linked to emotion right?)

>Up to you guys on just how crazy he is how quickly, but I'm thinking he is smart enough to keep it under wraps during the crusade.

Imagine if Dr Jekyl and Mr Hide were equally in control at the same time. I'm thinking Gengrat is a genius, but the voices in his keep him almost as aggressive as Angron. It's a constant struggle which none of his brothers fully comprehend. Usually he can manage self control, but there's when you're in his presence there's a constant sense of impending danger. Like being in a pen with a bear or tiger which seems tame. You know you're safe, but the animal instinct in the back of your head is screaming GET OUT, THIS BEAST IS DANGEROUS!

>(psyker powers are linked to emotion right?)
Psyker powers literally ARE emotion. The warp is the physical manifestation of the thoughts/feelings of mortals.

Explains why Raydon never liked being around him. If everyone gets eerie feelings from him then someone with spider-sense would get poppin' smoke real fast.

Yes. All of my yes.
You can hear him in his forge, roaring and howling as he works.

You come in and you see claw marks down the walls and a beautifully lethal new weapon on the anvil.

I'm imagining Anders first meeting with Gengrat. At first it's pleasant, but Anders quickly realizes Gengrat's a psycho wearing a mask, and nopes the fuck out of there.

>Gengrat's a psycho wearing a mask
this picture gets increasingly apropo

scribbling everywhere, notes on the walls, mostly chalk, sometimes blood. So many equations they overlap in some places, those with knowledge enough in the field see some of it doesnt make any sense, logical impossibilities - the math of how to determine the circumference of a square-circle, the mass of photons, etc.

>Nice. So Raydon beats daemon Balthazar and Aodhan comes after him for it.

That would make a lot of sense if Aodhán was one of Raydon's good friends, as has been suggested. He'd want to give him a glorious death. If we go with the encounter I put down in my timeline, where Raydon rams Aodhán's ship and they fight atop the exploding hulks, he'd be like "haha yes this is so metal, I'm so okay with this, don't even care who wins at this point."

Also, it'd give Aodhán more reason to be pissed at Kashaln for the way he killed Raydon.

YES.
YES.

How does the fight end, if neither of them die though. Maybe an explosion throws one or both of them apart set to drift in space until picked up by their troops.

What I've got in the Negators timeline is:

>Raydon’s Warhawks ambush Aodhán’s own Reaver Fleet, ramming his flagship in attempt to bring death to the traitor. The two Primarchs duel atop the fiery debris of the collision, eventually parted by the catastrophic overload of a nearby plasma battery.

What about wargear and general fighting style? Those say quite a bit about your character

>What weapons does your primarch use?
>What sort of armor does he wear?
>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?
>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?
>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?

Yes! He probably comes across like Hannibaal Lester.

At Armageddon, he gets into Saul's head and makes him relive his worst campaigns by forcing him to ever more extreme violence, using the Negators as pawns, as expendable as his legion thralls.

I do think that it would be neat for Gengrat to have genuine affection for his sons, though. They're his protégés, his gift.

>Rubinek
Think he's the sort for jealousy?

Alexios
>>What weapons does your primarch use?
He wields a Volkite sidearm gifted to him by Xun and a power lance.
>>What sort of armor does he wear?
Power armor for mobility relative to terminators. He also rides his personally designed 5-man command platform, modified from land speeder designs, called the Quadriga.
>>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?
It's as though Alexios knows what your moves will be before they even happen. He executes the movements of his weapons flawlessly. If it weren't for his relatively low physical prowess, he'd be the best duelist by far. Instead he's one of the worst.
>>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?
Absolutely not.
>>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?
Kill everyone and sort it out later. Collateral damage is irrelevant, only victory matters.

Balthasar
>What weapons does your primarch use?
Two power claws with digital lasers
>What sort of armor does he wear?
Heavy cataphract terminator armor so he can get stuck in with the boys
>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?
He's brutally cunning. He keeps his enemies off balance with relentless offence, so that he can think and they can't. Later on he abandons the thinking part and turns into a total brute.
>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?
Yes. Balthasar has great respect for anyone who can survive the Bloodhounds' fury. Worlds who prove particularly difficult foes are often suddenly offered terms out of the blue.
>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?
"MAIM! KILL! BURN!"

Thoughts on this:

The blades clashed, again, and again.

Aodhans attacks came on, fast and bold - reckless even, but the assault was enough to force Raydon onto the defence. The two moved about the arena a blur, many of the spectators unable to truly perceive the duel as it unfolded.

Klaus stood to the side, a grin on his face. Critiquing the two, Aodhans form was far from perfect but his speed and aggression left little opportunity for his opponent to capitalise. Raydon a near polar opposite, his movements short and sharp, where Aodhan was passion, Raydon was precision. Aodhan attacked in large sweeping motions, he jumped and spun, and thrusted without end. Raydon's parries and dodges came late - or seemingly so, specatators would remark that he dodged each blow by barely an inch - Klaus knew differently though, his eyes able to perceive what others could not, his knowledge of battle far beyond those of regular astartes.

It was not barely an inch, it was an inch. Every strike evaded by precisely an inch. It was if he could read the Aodhans movements, impossible ofcourse, as Aodhans erratic movements confused even Klaus' exceptional skills. But the results spoke for themselves. Aodhand detected it to, more from instinct than conscious perception. It did not anger him, no, it inspired him. A foe forever just out of reach. His speed and strength increased, spurred on by his excitement.

Klaus loved to watch these Brothers duel, his favourite match-up infact. His knuckles grew pale as he gribbed his seat ever more tightly. He had duelled them both himself, any he knew from experience that Aodhan would most likely win, Raydon won only one in three times, and they drew just as often. His victories though were always upsets, times when Aodhan left an opening just too big, or left it open just too long. Raydons eyes were keen and he never missed the chance if it occured.

part 1

Suddenly a siren sounded, the round was over, inconclusive again. The two halted mid-strike. Aodhan laughed loudly.

"Next time, my Brother, I will have victory."

Raydon sheathed his blade.

"Im not so sure Brother, Im starting to see through you. Next time we fight I may just land a blow or two of my own."

The two walked from the arena together, as the crowd cheered. Klaus stood, applauding his brothers for another elegant match.

"Fabulous, you two are marvellous as always. I can hardly wait to see your next bout"

Little did Klaus know that their next bout would not be a duel in an arena, surrounded by friends and adoring sons. No, it would be atop burning ships, fought not for pleasure but because Aodhan knew what was to become of his Brother, and sought to give him a death he deserved. The last gift he could give his old-friend, if only fate was kind enough to allow it.

Ooh, hooray.


>What weapons does your primarch use?
The chainsword Libertas and the Storm Shield Murus.
>What sort of armor does he wear?
Light armour to allow for his fast, dance-like combat style. It is thought that it might be Thunder Armour, because it has the thunderbolt and lightning symbol on it's breast.
>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?
As a direct result of his legion's heavy use of artillery, Anders fights quickly and accurately while moving gracefully in order to avoid the dangers of heavy bombardment. His time training to do this lead to the discovery of a sort of trance, where he can almost reflexively protect himself from unseen attacks. Possibly a psychic power.
>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?
Yes, unless their continued existence would threaten the galaxy.
>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?
The only crime the enemy committed was following orders. Only the leaders and those who continue to resist are killed, and the rest are left alone.

>I do think that it would be neat for Gengrat to have genuine affection for his sons, though. They're his protégés, his gift.
I agree, Ithink he'd probably have a sense of a craftsman's loving pride toward his sons and his creations.

Aodhán
>What weapons does your primarch use?
Pre-Heresy Aodhán uses no weapon other than the Widowmaker, pretty much his favourite trophy and a badass magic sword of dubious origin. Post-Heresy, he wears a gauntlet known as the Hand of Doom, which spews torrents of crimson Warpfire.
>What sort of armor does he wear?
Pre-Heresy, he wore extremely form-fitting artificer armour of alabaster white, fashioned to emulate his physique. Now that he's a weird warp monster thing he doesn't bother with armour.
>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?
Overwhelming. He's fast, stronk, and tough, combining tons of experience in battle with a freakishly powerful physique.
>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?
Yes. He has a pretty mean sense of personal vengeance, but Aodhán was never the type to pluck the wings from a fly for no reason, so to speak. Aodhán has offered a lot of defeated foes, should they impress him, the chance to serve at his side.
>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?
Prior to the Heresy, Aodhán went about the business of subduing planets in a direct, show-of-force manner, maintaining a spirit of honour throughout the conflict and providing opportunities for resistance forces to reconsider their position. Defeated worlds would often have penalties imposed upon them in the form of plunder or tribute, but Aodhán was not partial to utterly annihilating populations or making demands that would essentially be death sentences. Nowadays he's more capricious and disinterested in such things, often just letting his Negators do whatever the hell they want, but he still defaults to his old ways.

This is exceptionally badass. You'd got Aodhán's style right, I'd say.

>What weapons does your primarch use?

He actually fights most enemies with his artificed bolter / bolt pistols. Certain enemies however who required a good ole' blade to the face, get to fight him with his sword, which was a gift from one of his brother Primarchs.

>What sort of armor does he wear?

Power armour, as with all primarchs its mastercrafted & ornate. Its designed to for stealth, being close to silent, some even say it has a small personal teleporter but this is unconfirmed.

>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?

In 1v1s he fights with precision & economy. His reflexes are extremely sharp, and his is observant. He likes to win with minimal effort. His fighting style could be summarised by "strike once, make it count". Essentially economy is everything to him.

>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?

Not particularly, he is honourable though, and accepts surrender - but treason is treason. And those who commit crimes will be punished accordingly.

>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?

He is a surprisingly poor commander (for a Primarch anyway), he doesn't enjoy being in command, preferring to be a hunter. By human or even Astarte standards he is a genius but he knows there are more suitable leaders and he is content being a follower to them.

His troops are outriders, they prosecute planets by infiltration, identification of crucial enemy capabilities, and the destruction and/or imbalancing of the enemy centre of gravity. Once the enemies will and or means to fight are eliminated he instates a government loyal to the Imperium, and moves on.

Targets that prove totally resistant, the Hawks don't waste time attempting to root them out, they mark the planets location for follow on forces and bypass.

IF they are forced to capture for whatever reason, they wouldn't shy away from orbital bombardment and essentially exterminis, but its not their style. very much a last case scenari

Have you read Name of the Wind / Wise Man's Fear? There's a minor character who fights just like this, moving exactly the amount she needs to avoid a blow and no further.

Her role is to teach the MC about moderation and thoughtfulness.

>What weapons does your primarch have
Prior to his interment, Sarco wielded a power spear and nothing else. He relied on his speed and wits to carry him through war. Afterwards, he used a grav-flux bombard and a sword taken from an avatar of Khaine that he dubbed the Baleful Blade.

>What sort of armor does he wear?
Before interment, Sarco wore relatively little, preferring agility over defense. After his encounter with the phantom, he wore a dreadnought sarcophagus.

>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?
Pre-interment, Sarco was agile and swift in battle, at one point even outmaneuvering a harlequin in a duel. Afterward, he mostly tanked shots until he got close enough to chop his enemy to pieces.

>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?
Sarco did not care to stay on a planet after ensuring compliance and liked to move on as quickly as possible while leaving a small envoy from his legion. Often, this led to a planet with the same government and culture as before, only now owing fealty to the Imperium.

>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?
Before his interment, Sarco planned elaborate sabotage missions to cripple a planet's ability to defend itself. After interment, he won battles with overwhelming force rather than subterfuge.

Anshul
>What weapons does your primarch use?
Phenomenal cosmic power!
>What sort of armor does he wear?
Colourful, elaborate armour with lots of chimes and smooth, overlapping plates. Probably horns worked into the design. Think pic related.
>What is he like in a personal fight? Agile? Overwhelming? Sneaky?
Indomitable. Fighting Anshul is like fighting a psychic avalanche.
>Does he show mercy to defeated enemies?
Pre-Heresy, almost always. Anshul wanted to spread knowledge and understanding, not bring worlds to ruin. Daemon Prince Anshul is willing to spare those who see the light.
>What about in command? How would your primarch prosecute an enemy planet?
Pre-Heresy, Anshul was an exceptionally soft-fisted, diplomatic Primarch. His approach was always to uplift resistant worlds and show them the error of their stubbornness in refusing the Emperor's will. For this reason, his Legion was often tasked with building up conquered worlds and defending them from external threats. When his hand was forced, however, Anshul's Legion would slaughter the armies of their opponents, hoping the use their deaths an an example.

Hurr, forgot muh pic.

I've read the first, not the second.

I liked the master namer guy whose name I've forgotten

The second is really good but slower paced and mostly fluff/characterization building up to him finally understanding the name of the wind. It's broken into three almost completely self-contained acts.

I can't fukken wait for the third book.

>Widowmaker

I just looked up the End Times rules for this motherfucker. Brutal as fuck.

What kind of psychic disciplines did he specialise in?
>did he ever just dominate the minds of resistant planetary governors to bring them into the fold?
>Indomitable. Fighting Anshul is like fighting a psychic avalanche.
If he had to fight without psychic ability how would he do so? would he even bother?

>Weapon
Still working on this one. I'm considering having him use a three section staff of adamantium, it'd look badass. He might also use a pair of talons or power fists. If he did that, he'd do bagua.
The other option is a jian.

Either way, he has a custom volkite pistol, not too different from the one he made for Alexios.

>Armor
The armor is light enough to move fast, closer in nature to a suit of Tartaros plate than anything else. It's heavily customized, with bright plumes decorative dragons. The helm is in the shape of a Serpents head.

>Style
Xun likes to fight with mobility and use his opponents initiative against them. I'm imagining him using something like Bagua or Taijiquan.
He respects and admires Raydon's style and knows he can't emulate it. He would really like to, but that's not his gift, so in a duel he instead fights not to win, but to keep his enemy from winning. He knows he's about average for a primarch, so he knows that odds are he'll be less skilled than his opponent in some important way, so he follows the logic of his home world and tries to be like water and flow. He moves with the blows. He's fast and had the psychic skill to cheat a bit, so he fights defensively until he finds an opening to unleash a psychic shot.

>Mercy
It really depends on the situation.

>to conquered worlds?
Same.

In either case, he's going to be sure to remove your capacity or motive to change your mind.
He's forgiving, but not a fool.