Imperium Asunder

I see them as more like actual Norsemen (after the Christian shift) than the stereotypes presented in factions like the Space Wolves.

So, yeah, they use overwhelming close assault tactics, but they are not berserkers. More riddarasaga than volsungasaga. Nordic knights.

>Oathsworn get majorly fucked over and the gene seed bears the psychic scars of it.

>A lot of people were reluctant to purge embedded Oathsworn and ostensibly the tournament was designed to check in on everyone and ensure loyalty without being all threatening like Nikea.

>Sky Serpents might be getting their red thirst on, which is why they spend so much time being civilized.

Who are the Ash Bearers?

I've been thinking about the Black Suns though. They just really strike me in a weird way.

Is them having Dark Lances, or some cruder version thereof, pushing it? Something that just sorta *voips* people out of existence using weird dark matter?

The Ash bearers are a renegade sect of the Undying Scions legion, sworn to the service of the c'tan Nyadra'zatha, otherwise known as the Burning One. Even before their banishment from the Unyielding Vigil, the Ash Bearers were known for their heavy use of flame weaponry against the enemies of the Imperium in exile. The chapter was corrupted after discovering a necron tomb on the volcanic world of Rhakotis. The events that led to their defection are unknown, but it is believed that a shard of the Burning One was somehow able to possess the High Councilor of the Ash Bearers.

Sky Serpents have Baqar Hadbaal, the old legion master, and a Chief librarian. Could probably use some more dudes, like maybe the regent of Tepectitlan during the heresy.

I'd definitely like to see more Angels of Light, Fists. Heck, I think pretty much everyone could use a badass character or two. For the traitors it might help to make up a hero of each chaos God, like Kharn and Typhus, and then, after coming up with some M41 stuff, make their backstory.

Well, Negators are already running around with Deldar stuff.

Maybe rather than Dark Lances they have a few relic weapons that they've discovered while on the Tyrant Star's trail. Some unspecified arcane tech that might be xeno, might be golden age, and might be something else entirely.

P R O M T

Which Overwatch hero does your Primarch main?

Are they a patrician player or a horrible LoL tier shitmuncher?

>Overwatch

TF2 is dead, buddy, it's time to move on.

Same with most of the Undying Scions.

McCree = Anders Kor
Reaper = REDACTED
Hanzo = Xun Tohilcoatl
Genji=Gengrat Vannevar
Soldier 76 = Raydon Neratos
Junkrat = Saul Sheridan
Ana = Faustus Auscephalus
Winston = Don'Keigh
Reinhardt = Engerand
Mercy who just yells commands on voip= Alexios Constantine
Torbjorn = Marcus Sinistrum
Zenyatta = Anshul
Roadhog = Sarco Funerus

Archaeotect collective plays mei.

A few thoughts I wanted to run by everyone about the Jade Empire and Xun:

>The whole legion was close-ish with the Eyes of the Warmaster and picked up a lot of their tricks, and as a result has become incredibly paranoid. The best way to keep the Jade Empire in a state of eternal paranoia is for the Warmaster to every so often send over a few agents to get caught. The Sky Serpents freak out because imagine how many they didn't catch!

>Xun's writings do indeed tel everyone about the Heresy and all 20 primarchs, but this is also a body of works that contains stories about Grasshopper's debate with Albatross about flying. As a result, most people don't believe such stories.

>The ruling class is indeed a highly trained meritocracy that is open to anyone. It's like Confucian China with the Civil Service Exams. However, if you're not in the government, then you don't have need to know and are instead highly encouraged to work yourself to death for the Empire, because it is your duty. Not just to the Empire, but for yourself, because that's how you find meaning. The proletariat are livestock to be kept happy and productive and un-inquisitive.

>The Sky Serpents are great with logistics and scholarship and administrate beautifully. They also have a tendency to go a bit overboard in melee ala the Blood Angels.

>Xun was making Gal-Vorbak equivalent dudes. Some say this was a pilot program in preparation for merging the Jade Empire with the Emperor's segment of the warp.

Thoughts?

>The best way to keep the Jade Empire in a state of eternal paranoia is for the Warmaster to every so often send over a few agents to get caught. The Sky Serpents freak out because imagine how many they didn't catch!

They might not even be real agents. Some Eyes agents could set up elaborate scapegoats and witch hunts. They use the same sort of techniques the Iterators use in Horus Rising, except to sow violence and chaos.

>Xun was making Gal-Vorbak equivalent dudes. Some say this was a pilot program in preparation for merging the Jade Empire with the Emperor's segment of the warp.

What do they look like? Jaguar !Wulfen? I'm down for that.

>Is there High Councilor still possessed?
By all accounts, High Councilor Fahrenheit was under direct control of the Burning One for a scant few seconds before he was released. What he experienced none can say, but he is now the self-proclaimed prophet of Nyadra'zatha

>where do they resupply/roam
The Ash Bearers roam the chaos marches in the segmentum obscurus, having been led there on a great pilgrimage by Fahrenheit. It is unknown how they resupply, only that their victims are always the victims of esoteric heat weaponry.

>what are their immediate goals?
The modus operandi of the Ash Bearers is to descend upon Dark Imperial worlds and burn all their inhabitants to ash before ferrying away their remains to parts unknown.

>how have their combat doctrine and armament been influenced by their change of allegiance?
The Ash Bearers are adept at close-quarters combat, making use of flamers and heat weaponry of older design.

Go crazy with it.

Whoops I replied to the wrong thing

How do you guys feel about Oathsworn genecults? Alexios publicly censures the Oathsworn for the Warmaster, but he secretly runs an interstellar underground railroad for the Oathsworn. At the tail end of that railroad is the binary blue-green star system Cocytus. A small oathsworn remnant with tiny genebanks set up settlements on the moons of Cocytus' helium giants.

Cocytus is so far rimward that when the genecult precursors of the Tyranid hive fleets first start touching the galaxy the Oathsworn are their first target. The Oathsworn and their geneslaves begin to be infiltrated by the insidiously infections genetic patterns of the Gene Stealers.

>Soldier 76
Haven't played overwatch. Gonna have to go look this shit up.

I like it. I was hoping there were a few Oathsworn holdouts around.

He's operator as fuck.

youtube.com/watch?v=cPRRupAM4DI

>everyone's face when Kashaln and Aodhán both autolock Genji and refuse to switch

まだ、まだ!

Also happens to be on a quest for revenge.

...

Oh yeah. Repostan:

>Rakshasa
Daemonic possession occupies a position of reverence and prestige within the ranks of the Arms of Asura, seen as a means of further closeness to the ascendant truth of the Great Annihilator. Possessed Marines are referred to as Rakshasa, after the servants of the gods in Ravanic folklore, believed to be composed of effervescent flame wrapped in bodies of baked clay (this has led to the less common moniker among the Arms for possessed Marines as 'clay of the gods').

Already subject to a high level of mutation, those proven worthy of possession - usually through piety, virtue, and much meditation - are monstrous to behold. Blue skin, tinged with a prismatic gleam, is common among their ranks, and the multiple eyes and arms often naturally occurring among Arms of Asura become more prolific and misshapen.

The Rakshasa are the vanguard of the Arms of Asura, leaping into combat swathed in multi-chromatic flame. Many were psykers before their possession, and their unnatural talents have become all the more lethal since their bodies became infested with the denizens of the Warp.

>The Myriac
Among the Rakshasa there are an aspirational few who seek to hold within themselves the very central conflict of Chaos. These warriors, rare in number and often destroyed in their attempts to achieve chaotic harmony, take into themselves more than one Warp-fiend. Their bodies become host to several - in most cases, not more than four - daemons, each one constantly vying for control of the aspirant's twisted body, balanced between them maintained only through constant effort on the part of the host. Most commonly, Myriac seek to host one spirit of each primary aspect of Chaos - one dream of the Whisperer, one howl of the Warrior, one despair of the Witherer, and one incantation of the Warlock.

There's probably also some embedded in the Warhawk's fleet, as well as a few groups that set up shop after their escape from Luna post-heresy.

>Oceyolotl
Yeah, that sounds about right.

I'm thinking they tend to be pacts made with the more tractable Cherubim, the crazy expressions of the Emperor's love. These still have the hunger of the never-born, but know that humanity is off the menu. The Oceyolotl have a tendency to become quiet hunters, pouncing from the Warp to rend foes of the Imperium with Jaguar-like claws.

The ritual for creating them involves tearing open their chest cavity to set their primary heart ablaze with holy warp-flame consecrated in the Emperor's name.

The Scions think you guys are fuckin' weird.

>beep boop I am a robot

So, M41 daemon-marine grudge match? Rakshasa v Oceyolotl?

>Illuyanka Tlaloc, Chief Librarian of the Sky Serpents
I don't have much on him yet, except for the fact that he had been in Xun's court on Tepectitlan.
I think he goes on to become the first grandmaster of the Grey Knight equivalent. They replace his bones with adamantium etched with anti-daemonic runes and he is almost slain in a fight against a greater daemon, but another Sky Serpent psyker in need of a way to establish his credentials as a badass slays it and Illuyanka Tlaloc gets put in a dreadnought, probably a leviathan, you know, to keep that serpent theme going. They wake him up every so often, such as during a crusade, and when he is in stasis, they hook up an autoscribe to record his dreams. They're believed to be prophetic, and on a few occasions scryers claim that they include messages from Xun and the Emperor. Lately though, his dreams have been getting very, very weird because End Times. They're afraid to wake him up, given the deep state of reception he seems to be in, but they also are afraid they'll need him on the front. In particular, he was the only Librarian still alive who was there in M35 on Prospero with Xun, so as the legion prepares in case another ritual on Prospero is required, the debate intensifies.

>So, M41 daemon-marine grudge match? Rakshasa v Oceyolotl?

It seems likely.

Working on some characters of renown for the Arms and the Hearts, already done like... fifteen or something... for the Negators.

Silver Spears need some love too.

Iron Hearts guy:
>Pargashtan Grendel, Equerry of Rubinek
Pargashtan Grendel had been legion master at the time Rubinek was reunited with his legion. In many ways, Pargashtan represented what was best and worst in his legion. Dedicated, unrelenting, and tough, Pargashtan was also known for a rancorous disregard for anyone outside of his brotherhood.
Part of this, doubtlessly, was the genetic instability of the legion, for despite the Emperor's assurance that the legion would not be purged, even if their primarch proved unable to stabilize their gene-seed, but would instead be granted an honorable death in combat, Grendel feared that the Emperor would reneg on his promise should he discover the worst of the mutations.
As it was, Grendel was mostly bionic by the time his primarch came. The promise of salvation made him and the rest of of the legion fanatically loyal to Rubinek, regardless of where that path might lead.

Oh, fantastic.

Do we want him alive by the 41st millennium?

no pls this guy is a faggot

>Silver Spears need some love too.
So what is/should be the Silver Spears' deal?

They seem very similar to the Negators except where the Negators are trying to prove their greatness, the Silver Spears are confident in it and if you can't see it you're a fool. They're haughty bastards who think everyone is beneath them.

Idk, it seems like the concept needs...more.

IIRC the Silver Spears are more like libertines in power armor than monster hunters. They aspire to be the renaissance man of the future - a deft hand with a blade, an equally mind, an understanding and skill for art, etc.

Negators are about being the most masculine man to ever man man MAN. Silver Spears are about being seekers of perfection.

Behemoth Guard dude:
>Forge Lord Kjell Maximus
Recruited from the Stralsian Highlands south of the Yndonesic Block on Terra, Maximus was emblematic of the early legion.
He and his force served as outriders to the crusade and frequently operated for long periods without resupply. With the native ingenuity of his legion and the cultural precedents of the Rad-warriors of Stralsia in mind, he and many others like him began to tinker and customize their vehicles and equipment, at first out of necessity, but then as a matter of pride. After the legion was reunited with Gengrat, Lord Maximus served as one of the Primarch's forge attendants.

...

So just how Emperor's Children are they?

For Champions of Chaos...
>Khorne
Probably a Bloodhounds huntmaster, maybe on a daemonic jetbike, who rides across the sky with a pack of flesh-hounds howling. When he finds a worthy foe, he dismounts and, after a respectful nod, proceeds to butcher you. Normally, he just does fly-by decapitations and spreads bloodrage in his wake. They say he has 8 champions who accompany him.
Hyrne the Huntsman? We can disguise it up a little bit more if need be.

>Nurgle
I'm not sure. It's going to depend on the theme we want to go with. Typhus has that plague ship thing going for him, whereas this guy, I think, is more likely to have the mood of a black coach. It'd be more like a jet black ship that appears silently in the sky over a doomed world and leaves behind a silent, still, radioactive ruin.

>Tzneetch
The idea of naming the guy Siddhartha makes me laugh.

>Slaneesh
A being so perfect that where he walks, he leaves behind flowers in psychedelic flowers?

>So just how Emperor's Children are they?
They seem very similar and I think they would be well served by building on that and differentiating them from the EC a little bit.

If people want to just leave them alone that's cool too, but maybe we can brainstorm. How else can a slaaneshi chosen legion be slaaneshi? Any ideas for cool shit we could add to their concept?

I imagine the Champion of Nurgle is probably the Lord of the Beloved Sons.

In that vein, he probably does spend a lot of time just cruising around irradiating planets and turning people into ghouls. Probably with this playing in the background.

youtube.com/watch?v=nkr77jE5GFY

So, as it stands right now, the Silver Spears are an infantry based legion, I'm picturing a phalanx type deal.

They could have a very touchy sense of honor, have a continual need to turn up the difficulty or something. Eventually it becomes the sort of thing where they have a script their enemies are supposed to follow and they go nuts when they don't because it's ruining the honor.

They could be warp dust fiends.

They could be adrenaline junkies, looking for that moment of supreme calm in mid-combat. I'd suggested it a bit back, actually, now that I think about it. Basically, unlike the EC's, they're concerned only about the moment of the fight, the complete absorbtion in the act of firing the bolter or in the duel. Duels are best, but they all try to immerse themselves in whatever it is that they're doing. They consider this state the only true freedom, and so they spread enlightenment by spreading immersion in the sensation of the fight, the most intense moment there is (according to them). With their caste based homeworld culture, they see it as a great honor to treat all their opponents as warriors, and since warriors are top of the social structure, it's a big deal.
Unlike the EC they don't waste their time painting their armor weird ways unless it somehow heightens their ability to focus on that sublime moment of the cut.
Their's is a cult of action as action, it's minimalism.

You still here user?

Here's two bloodhounds dudes

>Gaspard Armistice, Second Great-Captain of the Bloodhounds
Captain Armistice is the most prominent of the Terran-born Bloodhounds, and the only member of Balthasar's Hunting Pack who wasn't recruited from Karach stock. Unlike his brother captains, Gaspard has a sense of honor and a respect for worthwhile foes. He was once issued a fifty year censure for granting mercy to an enemy soldier. The Bloodhounds to not take captives, and do not leave survivors, and to them allowing the enemy to live was a terrible breach. At the onset of the Great Hunt against the Void Lords, Gaspard is targeted by his brother-captain Cullen Blackburn. Gaspard fights alongside the Void Lords, and when they flee Octarius in their long retreat, he joins them.

>Cullen Blackburn, Fist Great-Captain of the Bloodhounds and Master of the Legion
Cullen Blackburn is a cruel, heartless monster. Known to imperial citizens as the Butcher of Mordian, Captain Blackburn is notorious for the sadistic way in which he tends to prolong conflicts. Instead of bombarding cities to dust from orbit, he will drop only enough bombs to cause the populace to flee the city, then riding after them in hunting packs, harrying them to exhausted collapse before slaughtering them. Cullen Blackburn wears a cape of tanned pink flesh from the xenos world of Murder. Pic related.

>adrenaline junkies
This is neat. They want to achieve a state of flow in combat, a state where they can focus totally on the sensations given to them in the present.

I'm not sure I like the rigidly honorable script idea. I actually think maybe the opposite might be neat. When they face enemies that use very rigid and predictable tactics, they would get bored and insulted that they're not being made to think on their toes. They might even just completely give up on a compliance action and leave with the campaign unfinished because they get bored and it's not fun anymore.

Yes. That's fantastic.

I don't know how to feel about this.

Spot on on the flow.
I like the preference for interesting tactics. Depending on how weird we want to go, I could imagine them seconding members of their force to go and try showing the other side how to run a proper defense.

>Name Name, Regent of Tepectitlan
This is the guy that Xun put in charge of the Legion stuff and the Fortress Monastery Tepecyolotl? Songshan? Penglai?
He was the guy that had to decide what to do about the Oathsworn (he didn't purge most of them, instead fudging troop movement records to hide them.)
In the end, it became largely irrelevant, when the Iron Hearts attacked. They did a pretty good job of handling the situation, as warp storms hampered movement and the Iron Hearts appeared out of nowhere to attack with shocking brutality.
When Xun called for reinforcement, it was this person that immediately dispatched much of the legion fleet and remained behind to personally organize the defense of the Jade Empire, using human auxiliae to stand against the warp horrors and Iron Hearts.

Hmmm... I'm going to write up an outline for that, actually.

The Hawks think they are borderline heretical.

I've always seen them as phalanx types, its not about the moment of combat, but the perfection in a smooth running machine.

Its a duality between being the perfect soldier, but also being only a part of the bigger organisation. (something that escapes their haughty viewpoint)

They would be heavily greek themed, like the OU Minotaurs.

Spears, Shields, Cool helmets with the spine etc.

>They want to achieve a state of flow in combat,
I think this can be achieved from what the phalanx idea, the flow of battle dictated by not a single fighter but by a unified group, so well practiced they know how their partners / squadmates will act without voicing it.

The Oceyolotl aren't exactly common knowledge, they try to keep them classified whenever possible. Rumors abound.

Oooh, that works too.

The Defense of the Jade Empire M31

>Raids begin on the sector peripheries. Fragmentary reports suggest the assailants are Astartes.

>When the order to purge the Oathsworn comes through, Song Yongle, Regent of Tepectitlan deploys the legion fleet in the sector to the Oathsworn fortress monasteries with orders to stand down or be destroyed. Most Oathsworn do indeed surrender and are taken to Tepectitlan for processing. Those that do not are slain.

>Raids continue and the first clear sightings of Iron Hearts are reported.

>Raids intensify, Yongle leads the fleet in the defense of the realm, fighting several major engagements, during this period are the battles of 1st Tindalos and Procryon

>Rumors begin to circulate of events at Cadia, even as warpstorms begin to hamper mobility

>Xun signals the legion from Prospero's caves, summoning support. Yongle dispatches the fleet to aid him. In the defense of the realm, Yongle institutes a set of policies later famous across the loyal legions. All human auxiliae are called up and the Oathsworn are relased from observation into active duty. Warp capable craft are requisitioned and a convoy system is instituted to protect them while troops are moved to the front. The shipyards at Tindalos work around the clock to refit suitable ships and Explorator fleets are recalled to serve in the defense of the realm.
Major battles include:
>Battle of Baal
>2nd Battle of Tindalos
>Battle of Thule
>1st Battle of Tepectitlan
>Battle of Argon
>Siege of Tindalos
>Battle of Prism
>2nd Battle of Tepectitlan (the Great Siege)

>Xun returns to the Jade Empire, taking the Iron Hearts rear by surprise and shredding through their lines, effectively cutting their forces in half as the Sky Serpents make for Tepectitlan to break the siege.

>Song Yongle
And here I thought I was bad at names

>By this time in the Great Siege, Yongle is personally leading the battle from the walls of the Fortress Monastery complex in the capital. Every civilian that could not be evacuated has been given a weapon and stands with him. In a desperate bid for victory, Rubinek and a guard infiltrate the central citadel, hoping at the very least to spike the reactor. Xun descends in person, with an elite guard of Jaguar Warriors to find Rubinek. In front of the civilian population and assembled warriors, Xun fights Rubinek atop the pyramid, tearing out his heart and hurling the corpse down the outdoor steps.

I'll throw in some outlines of some of those battles in the next day or two.

Hey. The Song Dynasty was amazing and Yongle was the only good Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Netzualcoyotl?

Yeah. I need help.

I'm not learning a whole bunch of retarded lore for 12 year olds all over again.

Let me know when you've got Light Eldar and Forgeworld Eldar or whatever retarded shit this is going to have.

We have resurgent eldar who've decided to start actually claiming clay and building a unified empire again.

We've strived to make our legions only as self-indulgent and masturbatory as the canon ones.

Something like this?
>Thane Ulric Valsiggas
Thane Ulric is one of the better known captains of the Heresy Era Storm Hammers. His company favors teleportation strikes of massed breacher squads and shield bearing terminators. As the battle begins, Ulric's ships launch drop pods equipped with beacons. The pods carry rapier mounted artillery and legion ancients, such as the Venerable Bjorhern to provide a blinding fusilade of fire even as the shield hosts materialize in dazzling flashes of teleportation energy.
Ulric and his men were known for their gruff and unyielding approach to war, seeking not glory, but victory.
Ulric's flotilla was instrumental at the battle of Vanaheim, where his shield bearers boarded and captured several enemy warships.

How's this:
>Helmut Von Sommer, Siege Master of the Judgement Bringers
Von Somme is perhaps iconic of the post-Enoch face of the Judgement Bringers. Drawn from some unremarkable rock, Von Somme displayed a talent for siege operations that won him the regard of the VII Legion Primarch. A dark and brooding figure, unlike his close associate Chelkam Marne of the Behemoth Guard, Von Somme was notorious for his bloody assaults. Despite the often appalling death toll of his campaigns, he was well respected by his men, in part because of his insistence that he leaf from the front. He believed that no man should take risks he himself would not and by the end of the crusade had extensive cybernetic augmentation.
It was he that prepared the bombardment at the Tournament, though he was deployed on Luna at the time, where his talents were in need by the Warmaster.

(Perhaps he meets his end going over the top on Luna and is slain by an Oathsworn on a dragon. That or he gets dreadnoughted since he's crazy tough. He'd be like T5 with FNP.)

>Nordic knights.
Yeah, this. Sweden was a military powerhouse (not the greatest power, but A great power) during the later pike+shot periods of european warfare. They had sophisticated western culture just like the British Empire or the HRE.

Also, it's the Storm KingdomS, not the Storm Kingdom. Im thinking they have a very feudal structure, with commanders ruling fiefdoms in the name of the Primarch.

Society is regimented into three classes. You can rise through the classes by merit alone, but birth, political clout, and battle honors help a great deal.

The Herreklassen, or Lords, are high level commanders of fleets, stellar clusters, or other theaters. A Chapter Master and his direct lieutennants are known as Freiherr, and planetary governments, Navy Admirals, etc are known as Grafs. A Freiherr can supercede the orders of a Graf by tradition, but officially the are equal in rank.

The Riddarklassen, or Knights, are the Astartes soldiers and line officers. The sons of Engerand enjoy a special place in the Storm Kingdoms, and even common a Ritter has authority over the common folk. The Riddarklassen are typically chivalrous and respectful to their inferiors, but there are plenty of bad apples who abuse their station.

The Svenneklassen, or Squires, make up the planetary serfs, fleet support staff, auxiliary human soldiers. Some of the Storm Hammers see their squires as nothing but peasants, but others see them as the honored beneficiaries of the Great Crusade, the people for whom wars are fought in the first place. Many Skalds in the Storm Kingdoms sing of the deeds of honored squires, whos bravery in battle sees them promoted to Ritter, giving them the right to join Astartes squads as seconds. Such men are gifted artificer armor by the finest forgesmiths of the kingdoms, that they may endure what a Space Marine can, or near enough.

This is cool, it makes me think Judgement Bringers should have a !Erwin Rommel sort of dude, a skilled tank squadrom commander who doesn't give a damn about political nonsense or ideology, he just wants to serve his country.

In the same vein as the above:
>Chelkam Marne of House Veklar
Hailing from the mist shrouded wastes of Terrodyne, Chelkam had been raised in one of the great sanctuary cities and had been being groomed for command of the artillery regiments that kept his city safe from the megafauna that prowled in the fell light of the Eye. Accustomed from a young age to the scent of phycelene, the thud of artillery, and the sight of massed infantry charges, Chelkam was perfectly suited to command in the Behemoth Guard. Though some would claim that entry into the artillery manifold changed the commander, the truth was that Chelkam has always regarded war casually, a puzzle or a game for him to play. He directed artillery barrages with the care of an orchestra conductor and lovingly crafted his personal command vehicle, a heavily modified Spartan he called "Kalabrak". In contrast to his taciturn comrade Von Somme of the VIIth, Chelkam would gleefully heard servitor, mutants, and prisoners into human wave assaults, sometimes attaching homing beacons to them so as to improve his aim. Once the enemy resistance was deemed blunted, he and his company would rush to their transports and assault the enemy lines.

Kelkam was at Armageddon, among other worlds, his creations growing stranger as he spent more time in communion with the artillery manifold.

Hmm. Got a character concept: it's hard to be a tanker in an artillery and infantry legion.

>(Panzer Kommandant) Romulus Kursk
Romulus Kursk had faithfully served the VII legion since the earliest days, rising to command of the Armored Division. This put him in a singularly difficult position when Enoch assumed command of the legion.
Where formerly Romulus had fought mobile campaigns and heavily employed mechanized infantry, Enoch increasingly made use of artillery pieces. What proper tanks remained were employed as assault guns.
Famously, when Enoch ordered that all remaining rhinos undergo conversion to whirlwinds or razorbacks, Kursk asked his primarch how his troops were supposed to cross the battlefield.
Ever taciturn Enoch is said to have replied "You still have legs."
None the less, Kursk served competently and loyally into the Heresy, first on Luna, then elsewhere, enduring the continual diminution of his command and the ever stranger requirements of the Warmaster.
In the end, it proved too much for Kursk and he rebelled, charging that Enoch was simply the puppet of the Warmaster. After a failed attempt on Enoch's life, Kursk and his company took to the void, fighting their former brothers with an intense hatred.
It is suspected that Kursk linked up with his former comrade Baqar Hadbaal od the XIIIth and was eventually granted a domain in the Eastern Imperium, but this remains unconfirmed.

>so much information and good solid source material
>cant pronounce name so make up my own when I read it

Tragic. I'll applaud you now for all the references you make in the future that will go over my head.

This is my favourite.
I want one.

I lol'd. And yeah, Chinese names always look a bit funny. And the Aztec ones tend to look frightening. I'll work on the name. In the mean time, if you've got suggestions, lemme know.

Na man, I like the themes and source material you're going for. I don't get it, but I know there is something to get.

So far i've just been randomly generating names until I find one that sounds cool

Thinking it might be neat to try characters in other legions, as a way of playing around with the ideas, so here's an Angel of Light
>Belsars Diocles
Belsars is a native of Armatura in Imperium Minorum. Belsars Diocles is a well known figure amongst the people of Minorum, in part for his irregular style. In a legion that prides itself on careful planning and where generals can often be found at the rear until the key strike, Belsars prefers to lead from the front, atop his jetbike Theodora. While it would be easy to dismiss him as a glory chaser who takes credit for carrying out other's plans, Belsars is a canny leader who prefers to coordinate his forces from the battlefield. His jetbike is augmented to allow him to maintain a data link with his command ship as well as other commanders in his force.
Basically, he's a flashy cavalryman, but he's smart and gets results.
Post heresy, he decorates Theodora with icons of the Emperor and saints. He has a lance, which supposedly has a relic of the Emperor in its blade, as kind of a Saint George figure. He probably has an epic duel with a Behemoth Guard warp engine, a legendary battle which has since become the subject of many an icon.

Such a man would rise far and fast in the Angels of Light, he'd probably be given a Chapter . What would he name it?

I try.

And one more, though this one is going to be waaay more of a sketch than the others because it's late.

>Lord Commander Korvan Mobus
Crimson Warhawks range from adrenaline junkies to brooding avengers depending on their humors and past, yeah? Korvan tends towards the later. He has a bad case of the Harrowing. He was at the tournament and had personally taken Oathsworn onto his own ship. The moment the Judgement Bringers was forever seared into his memory. He gets off the planet and goes on a rampage with his fleet. He's like the Autek Mor of the legion, seeking to extract a payment in blood for the betrayal. His stealthed ships sneak in system, unleash a brutal attack or sabotage a site, setting it for destruction weeks after his fleet has left, creating confusion as to his location and the number of fleets. He has a particular obsession with a Judgement Bringers captain that he dueled on Cadia and has dreams of their final duel. He knows it's coming and alternately relishes it and dreads it, for he worries that in his final duel, his Wing will meet its end.
That thousands of years have passed has entirely escaped his notice--his fleet spends a lot of time in the warp, but an objective observer would note the touch of the warp on him.

Ideally we could work in an oblique Moby Dick reference to his name. I tried sneaking Ahab in there, but it was too obvious so I called him Mobus, but Korvan Mobus seems a bit odd. Pequot doesn't work either.

Anyways, vengeance obsessed Warhawk with images of his final battle against the Judgement Bringer that has eluded him for so long. For his course isn't random, he's chasing the Judgement Bringer. And he'll chase him until the crack of doom, until the stars burn cold.

Hmm... Cataphracts is too obvious.
The Lance of Alexios
Angelic Lancers
Thundering Host
The Seal Keepers
Archon's Blades
The Burning Ones
Praetorian Blades
The Anointed Angels

I'll keep thinking.

youtube.com/watch?v=hAyD3Ofi3VE

Alright, so I see that I have been negligent about explaining what my Silver Spears are all about. For that I must apologize. Let me try to give you guys an idea of what we are about.

So let me say this first: We are not like the Emperor’s Children. We don’t prettify ourselves or our armor or our ships anymore than the other legions do. We do not seek perfection in battle or any other art; success is enough. We do not limit ourselves to aesthetically pleasing forms of battle, so long as the opponent is someone worth our time. Indeed, we quite enjoy the challenge a worthy fight provides, and are happy to accept it as the true measure of an astartes’ existence. Secondary activities are fine, but superfluous. I’m looking at you, little jade brother. Anyway, we would gladly join battle almost anywhere, but it must be said that skulking around in the trenches is ultimately less than what a space marine deserves– unless we’re talking about a Judgement Bringer or something.

The other legions look upon our demeanor with –and let us be honest here– more confusion and distaste than anything else. I will admit, our pride is great; we hold our heads high and our persons apart. But that is how brotherhood is supposed to work. What is the point of military division without a little cultural exclusivity? More importantly, however, our perhaps exaggerated facade is largely didactic in purpose. We are not arrogant because we are better than other astartes, we are arrogant because that is how every astartes should be. We are not the soldiers of the Imperium –any human with a stubber can claim that title– but the warriors of all humanity. We are the sword in the darkness. We are set apart, set above, and to act otherwise is to shame both your primarch and your Emperor... You know, if every citizen in the Imperium was an astartes from birth, my legion would not be the way it is now. I would, I would fight like the white one. Don’t tell any of my sons this. I would spread my arms wide and use the all breadth of strategy my mind could come up with. Contrary to what some of my brothers may imply, Father did not create any fools. I respect them all, even Kor whom I hate and Gengrat whom I despise.

Of course hatefulness and despicability are different things. Who taught you Gothic? Anyway, you must know that the Silver Spear is wielded in a way which deliberately harkens back to a vision of the past. After all, is the spear not a weapon which has existed since the ancient days of Terra? Yes, we have sheathed it in adamantium and strapped on a battery to give it charge, but the principle is still the same. So it is with my sons: The tactical marines and terminators are a stalwart phalanx, the devastators our hail of archers, and the jetbikes a mighty cavalry arm. We even teach our officers the art of oration so that they may mirror the brightness of the past. And when we need marines to operate on the squad level, we simply need to fill them with tales of heroes long past, who achieved greatness through wit, nerve, and initiative as opposed to the discipline of the regular army. One of the best things about a natural-born class of warriors is that, when you ask, they will provide.

I see you are not fully convinced. Well, rest assured that the point we are trying to make is being made, whether it be to our enemies, our inferiors, or to those of our brother astartes who simply do not know how to act their status. If that makes us unpopular, we will console ourselves with the fact that, even in ten thousand years, we could never be as bad as the Behemoth Guard. I kid, of course.

Sorry for dropping all this at once, and sorry again for being gone so long. Please tell me if there's anything I can improve on.

ok that's pretty damn cool but what about when they get all chaosy?

?

Ahh, okay, cool.

So I imagine their fall to Chaos is mostly about the fact that in the Emperor's ideal Imperium Astartes serve mankind rather than the other way around?

>Lord Commander Korvan Mobus

That is exactly what I've tried to portray with the Hawks. To the T.

This
> particular obsession with a Judgement Bringers captain that he dueled on Cadia
Is how I think most of the more notable Hawks are, not all, but its more or less how I envisioned the fleet hunts operating.

>And he'll chase him until the crack of doom, until the stars burn cold.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees.

>space marine deserves– unless we’re talking about a Judgement Bringer
perfectly summises both the arrogance of the Spears and the general apathy everyone feels towards JB.

>Kor whom I hate and Gengrat whom I despise.
Can't say its unjustified.

He is asking about why, if their attitude based on being warriors of mankind, how & or why they turn traitor.

Tried building a Silver Spears guy.

>Hesperos Lucos
In modernity, the feats of Hesperos' mortal life have been eclipsed by the tale of his bloody ascension to Daemon Princehood, but even before his fall to Chaos Lucos was a man of great renown. Known both for the success of his command and his endless greed, Hesperos loved all that glimmered and shone, and took vast tributes from the planets his Chapter brought under their heel. In battle, Hesperos was infamous for donning armour of resplendent gold, and artistic depictions of his many conquests remain in circulation today, showing him bedecked in the treasures of a thousand worlds.

Hesperos' ascension came at the conclusion to the 1st Crusade. For years now, Lucos had been gathering a hoard of unique trophies - the bodies of defeated Astartes, their skin petrified and glazed in silver, their eyes replaced by fiery rubies and fingers studded with diamonds. During the defense of Minoa, where Hesperos fought against forces of the Crimson Warhawks and the Storm Hammers, the Chapter Master completed his bejeweled chapter and, in and an act of reverence utterly opposed to his personality, offered them to Slaanesh.

The Dark Prince's pleasure shook the Warp, suffusing Hesperos in a blinding light. In an instant, roughly 90% of Minoa's population were turned to statues of horrified, immobile gold, a terrible aurora of Warp-distortion falling over the planet. Hesperos ascended to Princehood, his golden armour mingling into his flesh, horns of lapis lazuli and resplendant pearl bristling from atop his crown, and his army of trophies sprang to life, animated by the perfidious children of She Who Thirsts.

The devastation of Minoa and its rapid conversion into a Daemon World is considered one of the greatest failures of the hurriedly-composed 1st Crusade.

Interesting.

I guess the big divide between Negators and Silver Spears ethos is "I'm great because I do great things" vs "I do great things because I'm great."

>He is asking about why, if their attitude based on being warriors of mankind, how & or why they turn traitor.

A wild guess: It's because Big E requires Space Marines to serve mankind. In the view of someone like Kashaln, the warrior caste are the exalted, and the other classes exist to serve and praise them. So after falling to Chaos the Silver Spears would still see themselves as the warrior elite of humanity, but they worship a deity that actually acknowledges this, or at least doesn't preach the opposite of it.

Nice. I can see them a lot more clearly now.

I'd imagine that they see Aodhan as almost a parody of everything they stand for? Or is he a kindred, if extreme soul?

I think Aodhán, for his part, would probably have respected Kashaln prior to the Heresy. I don't see them working that well together, as they're both big egos, so I'm not sure they'd have quite had the level interaction required to fully delve into the specific differences in their ideology. Aodhán would look at Kashaln and see a great warrior of worthy kleos, and I suspect Kashaln would look at Aodhán and see a warrior with the proper demeanor of superiority, and they might not have any reason to dig beyond these impressions and get to the meat of what differentiates them.

Aodhán would be disappointed (and possible saddened) when he learns that Kashaln has devoted himself fully to Slaanesh, and absolutely luminous with rage when he learns how Kashaln killed Raydon.

Seems legit.

>He is asking about why, if their attitude based on being warriors of mankind, how & or why they turn traitor.

Of all the Chaos legions, I think that the Silver Spears and the Eyes of the Warmaster were the ones which changed the least in their conversions. For the former's part, Slaanesh kept them all in what basically amounts to a glass case within the Warp. Most of their taint comes from the extensive use of unique rad weapons whose nature I have not yet decided on, as well as the multiple pirate trips they have taken over the years.

As for the philosophy, it was rather simple: Kashaln gave the Spears an attitude of extreme exclusivity from Terra and the other space marines. It fostered their warrior's pride and culture, but also made them loyal to him when push came to shove. That is not to say their weren't some Imperial loyalists who defected from the main legion; I will write about that at some point in the future.

As of M41, the Spears have largely stayed their same old selves, although they feel less of an impetus to respect other astartes, for they now have something to set them apart (dedication to Slaanesh). Kashaln despises this practice, but has grown too isolated and interested in Slaanesh to purge it. What's more, the practice of gathering trophies and commemorating old glories has steadily compounded with time and the new pirate lifestyle, to the point that their fortress has entire rooms dedicated to housing stuff.

Excellent. Very morbid. I hope someone hoists him by his own petard.

Aodhan is... intense. Intense but respectable.

Also, if the author does not mind, I would like to make Kashaln's biggest enemy out to be Anders Kor. Like, there is absolutely no good blood between them. It's not even derision or rivalry gone too far-- it is the utter opposition of life views and personalities.

So then Slaneesh appeals to them by confirming just how great they are. This, in return, makes him a worthy lord to serve.
All the excess is really secondary, but it shows up in an obsession with proud trophies and chasing arete, rather than specifically kleos?

Nobody wants to admit it, but kleos can and often does act like gunk, clogging the arteries of a fighting system. But all those trophies just taste so good.

As for Slaanesh, think of him more as a doting lord and patron than some simple god of pleasure.

I'm reminded of Fafnir, a niebelungenlied feel to it. A hero who went out to slay a dragon, and became ensnared by treasure.

So in M41, are they still honorable? How about during the heresy?

What do you mean by "honorable?" If you mean living by a code of personal honor, then yes. The Silver Spears have always done that and will continue to do that until the end of their days.

Yeah, that was kind of what I was thinking. So they're the kind of guys who will treat their foes with respect.

I suppose another question is what they were like before Kashaln.

>So they're the kind of guys who will treat their foes with respect.
Not necessarily, and much less as time goes on and Kashaln becomes less active. Remember, these guys will oftentimes just refuse to fight certain opponents because the battle would be too easy or too tedious.

>I suppose another question is what they were like before Kashaln.
No idea. Any suggestions?

What do you think about the Scions getting more jaded and ruthless as time goes on? Like, they're always pragmatic and aren't prone to crazy warp projects like Xun or Alexios' boys, and they see all this crazy shit going on and start getting the idea that they're the only "true" successors of the imperium and stop taking any shit from anyone anyhow.

I'd think they would go insane like most dreadnoughts. But yes, that seems like a fun path to go down. "Only we remember," and all that.

>Respect
Fair point. So then is the big difference between them and the Negators as time goes on that essentially Kashaln says a warrior without a lord is just an animal?

>Before Kashaln
Hmmm... They could be a grim and serious bunch and Kashaln teaches them to enjoy their work?

Only if the dreadnoughts are prone to remarks like "I'm getting too old for this shit."

I'm sorry, I haven't exactly been keeping up with the Negators. What is their deal?

No worries.
They're obsessed with glory and their kleos. They seek out the baddest foes on the battlefield, if they die, then they die in glory. If they win, so much the better.
Pic related.