Warmasters Triumvirate XXIX

Je'She spoke first, striding forward to embrace his brother. “It has been too long since we met face to face, Frederick. I am glad that you have come. Rumors are flying across the galaxy faster than starships could ever hope to catch, eh? The Legions are restless, and the Great Crusade is suffering for lack of direction. I know... harsh words were spoken on Ullanor. Some of which were my fault. All of us were scarred when Father took those wounds, and all of us lashed out inappropriately. I accused you of arrogance and greed for leadership.”
“And I decried you as an idealist who would rather sit on his heels and lick the Imperium's wounds rather than take vengeance on the Ork species for their insult to humanity. I remember it well, brother”, interjected Frederick. “And I still believe that, for you have let yourself and your warriors stay on the back foot since Ullanor.”

Je'She narrowed his eyes with momentary anger. “And your forces certainly did advance, Frederick, I cannot dispute this. But for all your gifts tell me, how many men have you lost because of communication errors? How many Astartes have been claimed by pointless attrition that should have lived to fight another day? It is no crime to put one's house in order after tragedy!”
For a moment, Frederick grew shamefaced. He took a deep breath of hot desert air, reveling in its simple harshness. “Yes, that is true. Honor cannot go unanswered. But it does indeed come at a price. I am unused to your way of doing things. And you to mine. In hindsight, it is small wonder friction grew between us and our men. Neither offense nor defense shall carry the day alone. The Imperium needs your talents and mine, and surely Malcador will have the words to make that happen. I think you and I see eye to eye, or close enough to suit the Crusade's needs. But calming the two camps is more than you and I can accomplish alone.”

Je'She broke into a broad smile, teeth gleaming as white as the salt flats surrounding the Primarchs. “Yes, exactly! You cannot imagine how glad my heart is to hear you say that. I am an idealist, certainly. But that also means I believe you and I can solve this problem for the good of all.”
“How shall we do it then, Je'She?”

“Hold a moment, Frederick. I think I see Marduk's party approaching. Before we discuss specifics, he and Malcador will surely need time to speak.”

Frederick touched his hand to his collar, tapping into his Legion's comm-circuits as an insistent buzzing alert came through on priority channels. “Something's wrong, Je'She. I can't make out what's happened, but the fleets are on high alert. Comms are being jammed...”

“Yes. Look, Frederick... Marduk's alone. Malcador's not with him.”

Both Primarchs stood silently as a third giant approached, clad in armor grey as a storm-tossed sea. As Marduk, lord of the Leviathan Host crossed the salt pan, both Frederick and Je'She could see tears slowly dripping down from blue-green eyes. They evaporated in the heat, leaving tiny salt trails behind.

“I bring grave tidings, brothers. There is no easy way to say this but... Malcador is dead.” Both Je'She and Frederick let out an audible gasp of shock and dismay as Marduk continued to speak. “He did not die in honorable combat, but as a civilian trapped in a warzone. It was not a good death, and he had no chance to defend himself. Unknown saboteurs broke into the Barchamos' enginarium and overloaded the plasma reactor. Within moments the ship was filled with fire and overloading components from uncontrolled power surges. The ship was engulfed completely, and only a handful of the watch on duty managed to get to the escape pods before the Barchamos exploded mid-Warp.”
Frederick's expression was unreadable, flickering between grim acceptance and seething rage. Je'She looked as if he wanted to throw up, his face several shades paler than usual.

“That is not all, brothers. The worst news is this. When the survivors reported for debriefing, some claimed it was a Dragoon they saw roaming restricted areas. And others swore upon the Emperor's name that a Sentinel did the foul deed. Both have been psy-probed. And both believe absolutely that they speak only truth. All will attest to this, and my own Legion's psykers have independently confirmed as much. I do not want to believe either of you capable of such treachery. Yet here we are. I know not which Legion acted under cloak of night, yet Malcador is indisputably deceased and I cannot guess why.”

Je'She was the first to speak. “Tell me it wasn't you, Frederick. I know Malcador was never one to approve of precipitous action. I know he would not have approved of you further damaging the Imperium after we took such wounds at Ullanor. But tell me, tell me by the honor of the blood we share and the blood we have spilled together, tell me you did not silence Malcador for fear he would put a collar around your throat. Tell me it was another whose hand did the deed.”

Frederick spoke as coldly as the void between worlds. “So much for your idealism, eh? Something suspicious takes place and you assume the worst? I will not tell you any such thing, because you should know better. My honor is unimpeachable and untarnished, as is my Legion's. You throw the blame at my feet yet pretend you want to believe me innocent. How do I know it wasn't one of your people who destroyed the Barchamos! You're so afraid that I might seize the initiative from your laggard Legion and force them to measure up to proper Astartes standards, maybe it was YOU who ordered Malcador's death, so that we would have yet another tragic death to still the Imperium's blood and keep it sitting on its hands until I suffocated from idleness! And you stand before me wringing your hands like a schoolboy, playing the part of aggrieved mourner perfectly. What would I possibly have to gain by killing Malcador! Without him, the Crusade stands on ever more uncertain footing! The solution to any mystery is simple, and this is no mystery! The only one who benefits from Malcador's absence... is you, Je'She!”
Je'She's face fell in shock, and he stumbled back a pace under the weight of Frederick's accusations. “Bastard... You cannot possibly be this arrogant. Claiming that my Legion runs and hides while yours sallies forth oh so nobly. You think I came here with false face, that I delivered an irreparable blow to us all, just so that I could buy my Legion some R&R? Just because I urge caution doesn't mean I advocate coddling my men! You were reckless on Ullanor and you are reckless now! Of course I should lead the Imperium! Lead it in the Emperor's name, in his stead until he recovered as Malcador would have! As a steward not a usurper! You will burn the Imperium to ashes even as it reaches forward for just one more world to fly our banner! To fly YOUR banner!”

Frederick laughed spitefully, voice dripping with malice. “And there it is at last. The sheep sheds his wool to reveal the wolf inside... I always suspected you felt you knew what was best for us all, Je'She. Idealists always do. And when times grow tumultuous, idealists always seek to impose their ways upon others. So sure of themselves. So convinced they hold all the keys. The moral high ground is a drug more addictive than any other. How does it feel? No, I will not yield to you, Je'She. Perhaps I am as reckless as you say, but I do not let emotion blind me to the needs of the moment. To the truth. I shall lead the Imperium, and no other! You lack the clarity we need to see us through hard times. I was born to rule, here just as on my home planet. Even the Emperor recognized this!”
The sparking hum of a teleporter surrounded Je'She as his orbiting flagship recalled the Primarch home. Even now, voidcraft left their docking bays and macrocannons began loading their armaments. The waiting Legions had observed all which transpired below, and cogitators blazed with ever more hateful rhetoric between the two sides, latching on to every nuance of the two Primarchs' words for ammunition to hurl at each other. Long-simmering grievances burst into the open, and every insult was fair game. Any hope of calming the warhosts vanished like water in Nemir II's desiccated air as the Primarchs finally parted ways.

“Never, Frederick. I will not let your ego take our father's throne in his time of weakness” said Je'She, disappearing into the Warp.

“Never, Je'She. I cannot permit your weakness to paralyze the Imperium because you are not the man our father was” whispered Frederick, sprinting to his waiting shuttlecraft.
Completely forgotten by both parties, Marduk gazed upon the cracked earth left behind from both Primarch's bootprints. Its previously flawless white facade broken and torn, now ugly brown earth showed through. “The truth beneath a dead sea...” thought Marduk, and the Leviathan's master howled with laughter at this sign of divine favor, his youthful countenance now marred with the madness so long held within. Disappearing into a blood-red cloud of Warp-stuff, Marduk strode proudly onto his flagship's vast bridge, and he gave the order to move in and destroy both Dragoons and Sentinels alike.

“Never, brothers. You will never see the truth of this universe... Until I break you with it.”

>Seraphium
I'm honoured ;_;

Will look into this and start writing ASAP

Je'She and Daemon Ashur fight confirmed. I'll definitely be writing on this.

All of this. Also, the main point of conflict was that Jon-Fred was pro-astartes leadership, whereas Je'She was pro-human leadership. Je'She doesn't want to lead singlehandedly, he wants the Lords of Terra to rule alongside Primarch military assistance. Jon-Fred believes this to be a load of rubbish. Believing Astartes to be superior in both combat and politics

All of this is Emil's, btw. Just posting to the thread for posterity

Ok, so here's the link for the description of the original Battle of Terra:
warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Terra#Siege_of_the_Imperial_Palace

Main points from OU event:

>Traitor fleet bombards Terra from orbit
>Loyalist fleet and Luna orbital defenses fight back valiantly, but are pushed back or destroyed
>Traitors begin assault via massed drop pods
>Ground troops eventually capture the Eternity Wall and Lion's Gate space ports
>Long fight back to the Imperial Palace walls
>Very brief stand off between Sanguinius and Angron
>Siege begins
>Traitors are repelled off the walls three times
>The Khan leads flanking attacks while this is all happening
> Traitor Titan breaches the wall
>Jaghatai has light bulb moment and goes for the Lion's Gate space port, takes it, and turns the orbital defences on the traitors
>This cuts the supply of troops and resources in half
>Other loyalists tried to take the Eternity Wall spaceport, but were easily forced back
>Traitors force Loyalists back to the Eternity Gate
>Loyalists hold it long enough for other loyalists to get in
>Bloodthirster challenges Sanguinius to duel
>Sanguinius eventually wins, then all loyalists retreat into the Eternity Gate
>Eternity Gate closes
>Day 55
>Horus receives news that loyalist reinforcements are coming
>He lowers his ship's void shields to lure in Emps
>Emps, Sangy and Dorn all hop aboard
>The rest is history

IMPORTANT NOTE: All of this is takes just over 55 days, for time referencing

Kyros is being painted now and Eusebias is assembled and awaiting undercoat. Seraphium was a 2nd hand model that needed a lot of work. I'm still toying with the idea of adding a lot of battle scars to him though.

Ok, so here’s my proposal for our Battle of Terra:

>Traitor fleet bombards Terra from Orbit
>The Loyalist fleet and the Luna Orbital Defenses fight back valiantly, but are ultimately forced back, taken or destroyed by the Traitor fleets. Spearheaded by the Leviathan Host’s superior void combat tactics
>Traitors begin assault on Terra via massed drop pods led by Soaring Host forces
>Traitor ground troops eventually capture both the Eternity Wall and the Lion’s Gate spaceports
>Long fight back to the Imperial palace. Desperate fighting between all legions as brother fights brother underground, in the streets, in the air, and above the planet
>Brief standoff between two primarchs as the Loyalists gather on the palace walls, and the Traitors prepare for the assault. I vote for Raj and Lambach
>Siege begins
>Traitors are repelled by Je’She and the Sentinels three times. Supported by other legion forces.
>Meanwhile, Linares leads an assault outside the Palace along the Traitor’s flanks.

Ok, so this is where it diverts

>Linares captures the Lion’s Gate spaceport, leaving behind a mixture of legion forces to hold it, as he continues on and besieges the Eternity Wall spaceport.

This puts pressure on the Traitor forces and forces Marduk’s hand into pulling such a desperate move as crashing his Daemon Ship into the Imperial Palace later on

>Meanwhile, the Walls are taken, and the Loyalists are forced back to the Eternity Gate
>Raj is holding the line in his Titan, surrounded by Doomsingers, Golden Mountains, and Death’s Heads
>Linares fights his way back
>Daemon Ashur makes his way through the breach, only to be stopped by Je’She to allow time for the others
>Raj in his titan, Pacha, Kinnevail and Linares defend against Elsu, Isheko, Kane and Lambach. Each with their respective legions
>Kane fights his way onto Raj’s Titan. Kills Raj Vokar. Titan explodes
>In their fury, both Lambach and Linares banish Kane back to the Warp
>The Traitor forces start falling apart from disorganisation and infighting
>Marduk, in his desperation, crashes his Daemon ship into the Imperial Palace, breaching it.
>He fights through the Custodes and remaining defenders, heading straight for the Emperor
>Linares and Pacha pursue him as the other loyalist Primarchs fight against the remaining traitors
>Desperate chase ensues. Marduke frantically fights his way through custode, astartes and human alike. Leaving behind a bloody trail as Linares and Pacha are in close pursuit
>Marduk arrives in throne room, The Emperor in sight.
>Marduk nearly makes it, finally dying mere feet away from his Father with Linares’ blade embedded in his hearts, and Pacha’s mace crushed into his torso

NOTE: This is a rough draft. Feel free to include legions and characters and anything else I've missed

I'm really looking forward to how they come up. And yeah, I reckon you could totally do up Seraphium with battle damage

Here's a tutorial I found a while back if you want it, in case you haven't already seen it

youtube.com/watch?v=jIKEfVoqC5U

This is a pretty good summary imo. Let's see what the rest thinks and then feel free to paste it in the Siege's Doc

Emil's prologue:

(PROLOGUE)
-Aboard the Barchamos, Dauntless-class Light Cruiser-

Three steps forward. Turn in place. Two taps on the bulkhead, one gentle kick to the fourth coolant line, a soft push against five of the eight promethium drums awaiting refueling in the enginarium.

Listen to the voice, always listen to the voice. The feathers feel the air, the feathers feel the wind, the feathers know where to go and the voice knows what to do. Stay silent, stay silent, stay silent, until you must make noise.

A painted pauldron briefly visible. A Legionnaire's tattoo flashing in the ship's emergency lighting. The recognizable accent, the unique smell, the taste left lingering in the air for the subconscious to process. Sow the seeds to reap the harvest, leave marks that will be remembered only in due time. Six paces forward, three up, twist the large blue handle, raise the two small levers to maximum.

Keep going, there's so much to be done. So many whispers to to be answered. Without speaking, of course. Never speak, until you must speak, then speak with another's voice. Whisper down the hallway, curse your stubbed toe, lament your overconsumption of amasec, make merry with invisible friends. Sow the seeds to sprout in memories. But do not speak yourself. Only the voice may speak from the back of your mind.

With another's tone.

Lock the fuel lines fully open. Let the guard on duty see the back of your boot from the corner of his eye. Kill him as he follows, paint the walls red with his blood. Obey the pattern, the voice will tell you. You are a good and faithful servant, ally, friend. This is right, your ancestors proud. You do this for the future of all.

Now leave, flee ahead of the searchers, flee as the alarms blare, to the place prepared for you. Walk through the gap, disappear without trace. Most will die. But this is nature's way. The dandelion sheds its seeds to the wind, and those seeds will bear new life.
There were forty-six survivors of the Barchamos' untimely demise, ejecting in two escape pods just before the vessel's main reactor suffered massive drive failure which could not be halted in time. Most of the ship was on standby, the majority of the crew resting in their bunks to avoid Warp-fatigue in transit. Only a few guards on duty escaped alive.

Malcador, the Emperor's right-hand man, the architect of neutrality between conflicting Astartes factions, was not among them.

Elsu Eyanosa's involvement was never established, in accordance with the will of Chaos. That damaging piece of information remains securely in the Changer of Ways' arsenal, for use at his own inscrutable discretion.

This is a VERY Solid skeleton I think as for the standoff with Raj and Lambach, the way I'd do it is Lambach keeps raising undead that Raj flattens, if it comes to a 1v1 melee fight I think Lambach would have the upper hand but he'd have to get through Raj's deadly volly. That itself could be a cool scene where Raj fires everything he has at Lambach who just goes full T1000 mode through it all with wounds reknitting faster than Raj expected.
However another route might be to let some of the less involved Primarchs take this cake? Pacha and Isekho spring to mind?
Either way add this to Linares document so we can expand on it?
Thanks I'll give it a watch and see what I can do for him.

Isekho could work, but the Marchers might be a bit too… loud for the Stalkers to properly deal with?

Could also be that Raj expects to easily repel them, but the Daemons become a real problem.

I think we should add it asap. Get some more opinions and then add it.

Also, volunteers for gaining control of the Lion's Gate Spehssport?

Hell. What a lovely piece.

I was thinking Pacha vs Isekho face off. Kinda like settling the score from the censure? But we can do a bunch of showdowns. Elsu vs Kinncaid could be another good one seeing as we haven't really found much for them to do?

Leviathan Host itself, I would imagine

Then I'll get to write about how the Blades retake it asap

I have no major input in what the Death's Heads do on Terra, but there is a small contingent of them there, and they end up getting wiped out for some slightly heroic slightly "muh orders" reason

Maybe the main body of the Legion could be on their way to reinforce the defenders during the Siege.

Along with Star Warriors, like Ultras, DAs and Wolves.

Well Einchurt is stuck in Separatist space, but I could see a number of elements getting the vox requesting backup for Terra

A lot of Einchurt's time during Heresy can be spent trying to get back. He might even end up near Sotha at some point.

Yeah, he initially tries to get over, then gets double-crossed by Mot when Mot reveals he's a traitor, and spends the rest of the war trying to get back and also hunt down Gyahdred

Solomon is fighting Separatists as well, along with Traitors. Maybe Solomon finds a way to traverse the Ruinstorm due to his Eldar!Merlin? When Solomon and Einchurt reunite they could run for Terra.

Cool deal. My goal was to break the ice and get the group thinking about one of the more important events in our story. I recommend that whoever knows the most about the pieces I left out get started adding those in. Then it'll really be everyone's writing, not just mine.

Glad you liked it.

I don't know much about Solomon, but having the two work together would be interesting
What does Solomon think of Einchurt?

...

>Pacha vs Isekho face off
Yeah, would be baller, particularly with Pacha still emotionally dealing with the fact that he might've just prevented Isekho from falling had he used different words to tell him to stop getting his marines killed, or done something afterwards.

>Elsu vs Kinncaid
Sounds interesting, but maybe we can play on Elsu and Pacha being somewhat similar, and instead make it go Linares vs Elsu, where the latter lashes out at being treated with far less closeness that the Silver Blades primarch has with the Golden Mountains' one?

>Second Battle for the Lion's Gate Spaceport

The Traitor forces were advancing relentlessly throught the planet. The cradle of humanity itself! The Leviathan's Host managed to gain control of the Lion's Gate Spaceport, giving the followers of Chaos the chance to bring their heavy engines of destruction to the Terra's surface.

"We need to do something or they are going to drown us with those stupid crabs!"
"Surely work of your Brother, Hadad, my Lord"
"Surely. Gather the staff! I have a plan"

Minutes later, the Grandes Maestres of the Three Tercios were gathered, along with the Master of the Armory, Signals, Fleet, and Linares' personal Astropath.

"¿Estamos todos?"
"Yes, my Lord. Please, start"
"I have a plan. First of all, we are more efficient in the offense. Secondly, that filthy scum has managed to take control of *both* Spaceports, somehow. We have to regain control of at least one of those."
"The Lion's Gate one, sir?"
"Probably. Yes. We have to find a weak point in their lines and throw a lighting attack throught there."
"We don't have that many vehicles, they will slaughter us in a handful of minutes"
"We will ask for them to our Battle-Brothers. Sad, but we have no other option. Master of the Armory, please, send a message to my Brothers. Ask them to let us use their Rhinos."
"As you wish, m'Lord"
"Next, the weak point"

An hour later, the Rhinos were being gathered and the Legion was ready. Most of the First and Third Tercios were to attack the Traitors, while the rest of said Tercios would create a distraction in a convenient place, and the Second would stay in the walls defending them. Everything was ready and set.

"Green light, my Lord?"
"Green light, my Friend."

And the Silver Blades started their attack. First, the distraction force, who managed to get the attention of many Traitors.

>Address Mot's daemons
How do you mean?

Then, the Task Force. A strange column made with vehicles from different Legions, mostly transports.

The tanks rushed throught the wall's gate, course set to the weak point. Guns blazing, engines roaring. Linares' command Land Raider leading the vehicular charge. Lascannons and melta guns targetting the Loyalist's tanks, taking down several vehicles whose surviving passengers quickly ran towards the enemy lines. They were Silver Blades. They will *never* surrender.

"Tell everyone to not stop! We can't loose any time, or we will be crushed in a counter attack!"

The Loyalist behemoths crushed the Traitor lines without problem. Many chaos followers were crushed under the tanks' threads, while others were being shot with the vehicles' guns.

The tank rampage succesfully broke the enemy lines, loosing several vehicles but still strong. The momentum gained pushing them towards their ultimate objective: the Lion's Gate Spaceport.

The Leviathan's Host that were defending the landing site called for reinforcements as soon as they saw the armored strike's course. Some chapters joined them, and a daemonic host materialized in the place. They were ready.

The troops built a barricade in the main access, a barricade that would surely stop most vehicles.

But not Linares'. The Land Raider pushed its own limits. The enraged Machine Spirit pushing the engine to give more power. More speed.

"Brace for impact, passengers!" The Tank Commander cried
"FOLLOW MY LEAD!" Shouted Linares throught the comms systems

BLAM

The behemoth rammed the barricade, and wrecked it. Its passengers were shocked. But they were in their objective. Time to clear the way for the next vehicles.

The Land Raider accelerated again and ran over a group of renegade Astartes, just before unleashing its deadly payload.

Linares charged towards the closest enemy, cutting him in half. A veteran sargeant tried to stop him, got his hearts stabbed. The Escogidos were unleashing their fury against their old Battle-Brothers. Because there's no place in the Galaxy for Traitors like them.

The Spaceport was being assaulted from several points at once. The mechanized assault rushing throught barricades, streets and groups of Traitors with ease. When they were about to reach the main control tower, the daemonic host surprised them, and made the inital push loose momentum. They lost ground in a couple of points. But no daemon could stop the fury of the betrayed sons of the Emperor. No daemon could stop them, at the very gates of their Father's lair, nonetheless!

They regained strenght. They pushed. They stabbed, thrusted and butted. The daemons slowly losing ground again, and the Silver Blades demonstrating that they were worth of their titles.

They pushed back the daemons, and gained control of most of the Spaceport in less than a single day. The only enduring redoubts were isolated and eliminated quickly. The daemonic host, banished to the warp. The Spaceport was under Imperial control again.

"Second Tercio, chose a garrison and take control of the place. First Tercio, we are going back to the Palace."

The rush towards the Palace was met with some resistance in the Traitor's lines. A big assault to the walls was taking place, and the Silver Blades caught from behind an important contingent of Traitor forces.

"We are joining the assault! Charge these traitors, for the Emperor!"

And so finished the lighting attack at the Lion's Gate Spaceport. Shortly after, the walls were taken, and the fight got closer and closer to the Eternity Gate.

Marduk saw the lost men and Spaceport as a great loose, but the great reward was closer and closer with every Loyalist dog killed.

"Father. I'm going for you"

This is it. Isn't as long as they use to be, I know. I can expand it if needed.

Weren't you trying to get a concrete picture on how Hashut damon work?

>To fight until one's last wisp of soul is burned.
In a concealed room in the Imperial Palace, assisted by a few members of the Mechanicum and his Coven, Quteq watched the entirety of the siege of Terra unfold.

The best twelve Mountain Warlocks aside from the artificer were arranged in an array around the Artificer, allowing them to channel their psyker might into him, for the best of their order to use it to its fullest extent.

Servoskulls had been placed all around the battlefield, with redundant ones and the same had been done for the relays, a whole picture of the battlefield.

The Artificer did not even need to have a direct communication with Pacha, the Equerry's familiarity with the Primarch's simple thought patterns making it enough for him to understand the Earthquake's intentions from just seeing his movements in the map.

And when the battle started, the artificer started channeling. The earth sunk or raised all across the planet, tipping over buildings into the forces of Chaos, blocking charges or creating defenses for the Loyalist forces to take a moment of relief. Of course, even with such a sight he couldn't handle every single place at once, but his power was applied with a far vaster effect that if them had been spread around the battlefield and using their earthen soldiers as additional troops.

Yet Quteq was plainly not made to tolerate the constant effort, and psionic might channeling through him. Even the moments where his body required rest barely felt like a relief on the sheer effort he had to maintain all the time.

The battle raged on. Quteq felt like he had crossed some threshold, some permanent damage taken for this massive effort. It didn't matter. Terra was his home, specifically, and it was worth every price to be defended.

The battle raged on. The Artificer kept at his task, his duty to the Loyalist forces first and foremost. The battle raged on. The Second Legion's Equerry knew that his mind was already paying the toll.
>CONT

>CONT
The battle raged on. The palace had been breached, and Pacha and Linares seemed to be bent on going through the blockade of traitors to defend The Emperor. The Mountain Warlock focused on aiding them, hundreds of earthen soldiers making simultaneous charges at the enemy formation, the earth flattening as to leave them without any cover. The Mountain Warlock would do his most to allow his father to succeed.

The Battle Raged on, and and Pacha managed to break through. They had to protect from . The Golden Mountain decided he wouldn't rest any longer, despite the worried looks from his battle brothers. Even with their helmets and cloaks on, he could tell. This last line would cost him his life, but if another wave of reinforcements reached there in time to aid the Archtraitor, it would be the end. He was sworn to help his side in this conflict at the expense of his life, that had been his oath.

The battle came to an end, and the psyker just stood there, a gentle look in his eyes. It wasn't that such was his face, but simply what ashes remained of the fire that once burned in them. The other psykers around him pushed him around, first joyful but then worried. didn't know why. He could barely think anymore, anyways. The only duty that remained in his mind was completed. He needed no longer reason to remain awake.

And thus, Quteq the Artificer's hearts and brain stopped, the will in them long fed to the fire of his effort to fulfill his duty.

>This last line would cost him his life
*This last effort would finally consume his very life and essence

>Title
Instant hard-on

>The rest
Nice! Only problem I find are these , although I know why they are there. I think is easy to fix it. But yeah, great piece!

Yeah, didn't know how to format just some black line spaces (don't know if just spoilering empty spaces would work), so used that instead.

The problem isn't the format but what they try to cover. Are those supposed to be names of the Characters involved?

I assume they're placeholders, yeah.

No, it's meant to be Quteq slowly forgetting things that he otherwise knew. Which is also why he goes from his name to his personal title to his rank to his legion to being just a psyker.

>DamnSon.mp4
That is really cool. Never thought about it

In the comfort of his private chambers, Eslu drew the short axes that Marduk had presented him with. They were well balanced, but the focal point was clearly the blades themselves, made out of some sort of dark stone. Ordinarily, Elsu would have relished the bladelore and metallore that united smith and weilder in appreciation of the artistry that went into weapons, but these were Davinite blades. Athme or something like that. Elsu didn't care. Once the hand of Davin was evident, he had ceased listening to his brother's words and the joy of the presentation and meeting had gone out. Davinites did not make art, they made tools for securing their own power. They fancied themselves indispensable because they claimed a unique knowledge of Chaos. As if Chaos wasn't self-evident. As if they were the only world to discover the primordial truth. As if they could hide things from the Chosen of the Changer of Ways.
No, Davin fancied this rebellion was for its benefit. Chaos worked for the interests of none save its own. One rode the swells for a time, but in the end, the price always came due. Perhaps it was time that Davin learned that final lesson.
Elsu pressed the button on the vox.
"Helm, set course of Davin."
He felt much better, a weight that had hung since Thashunke lifted.

So Elsu goes for Davin, eh? I'm kind of confused about the Anatheme thing though. Are his axes supposed to be the Anatheme?

Oh, I figured that Marduk would have given him some nice blades to say thanks. Or something, and as I understood it, Erebus makes mini-athames to hand out to people.

Pretty sure that's only possible once the original Athame got broken, right? They didn't actually have the means to make more from fresh material, IIRC.

And those are still just forged from shards, yeah.

Ah, gotcha. Well, then they'll just be nice Davinite made

Davin is a tribal shithole. They make nothing good. :P

That's the point. It's some sort of chaos tainted blade. And the Davinite Smith is all "WOW THIS SO GOOD DAVIN IS GREAT." And Elsu's gotten to the point where he's at fuck that. I'mma go blow up Davin.

...

I'm really liking how Elsu is the one that's going full rage mode. Good stuff.

As Discord seemed pretty full of it today I thought we should revive an old prompt about what weapons your Primarch actually uses. I think we should also add a tab to the spread sheet about it for the sake of making writefaggotry easier in the future.
>So what type of weapon does your Primarch use and what are it's special properties, if any.

Venus Gospel:
Made by Gyahdred to thank Lambach for assisting in his research into the ailment afflicting the Dusk Phantoms. Venus Gospel is a Force polearm of immense power and a marvel of technology. Expertly customised to suit Lambach’s unique fighting style.
During thier time together Gyahdred noticed that Lambach used an archaic silver bladed spear that looked like a twig in the mighty hands of a Primarch. He felt that it was unbecoming for a man of his Brothers stature. Venus Gospel, when powered down resembles nothing more than a thin, red metal staff. Though when Lambach forces his will into the haft of the weapon it ignites a blade of sheer Psykic energy that can cut through any metal like a hot knife slicing into butter. The more power Lambach pumps into the weapon the longer, brighter and more potent the blade can be. Also built into the haft is a heavy flamer for clearing large crowds.

Garbage-disposal-on-a-stick (working title)
Mot's weapon is a massive two-handed flanged mace, with chainblades for the... flanges.

I know this isn't high on anyone's priority list right now, but I'd like to work on rules for making Hashut-aligned characters in Black Crusade. Anyone up for it?

The Silver Slayer

A mighty old weapon, forged by the Primarch himself before getting to power. An adamantium-silver alloy was used in it's forging, maintaining the original characteristics of the adamantium, but with the bright and clean look of silver. At first, a simple bastard sword with a type-XIIIa blade, but after reuniting with the IVth Legion, Linares turned it into a powerful power sword, said to be able to cut an Astartes in two without any problem.

An Avatar of Kaine survived to getting it "sticked into their asses", as some guardsmen described the action.

The Sword itself is Linares-sized, too big even for the average primarch, except, maybe, Pacha. It's perfectly balanced, being so easily to swing that a Silver Blade could do it without much aditional effort, despite weighting nearly 20Kg.

Its hilt is engraved in one of its sides with the following: Linares, the Giant. at the other, we can find what would become the Legion's battlecry: A Sangre Y Fuego. Under the grip's leather cover, the Primarch's adoptive parents' names are engraved, along some ancient Kadirian quotes, refering to swordsmanship, battling, and general courage. When Linares met his Legion, the fuller was engraved on one side with the following: Master of the IVth Legion, at the other with: The Lord of the Ale.

It's said that Linares sleeps with it at his side, and that he doesn't leaves Kadir without his silvery sword. So far, only thing that's for sure is the later.

The “Flor de Plata”

The “Flor de Plata” (Silver’s Bloom) was a gift out of both concern and friendship from Raj to the Lord of Ale, whose pride in his martial prowess was such that he saw no need for a weapon that took his hands away from his precious Silver Slayer.

So Raj went ahead and got rid of that problem.

Mounted to the left forearm of Linares’s power armor, the Flor de Plata a compact platform that with a simple thought can release a hail of bolts at the target. Designed and based off of the Storm Pattern bolters used on most heavy vehicles at the time the twin barrels sat snugly side by side and while they lack the range due to the shorter barrels, they made up for this with the sheer volume of fire.

To Accommodate this prestigious amount of fire, the mountings that secure the Plata to Linares arm double as the feeding rails for the voracious weapon, feeding in from a Canister that sat beside the powerplant. In reality this Canister was little more than an armored storage box, with a number of standard bolter magazines feeding into the hopper.

While this system was far more complex than having a large drum magazine, this system gave Linares the ability to also carry more specialized munitions and with a simple mental command allowed the cannister to switch the form of ammunition it was feeding; it also had the added benefit of being quick to reload, simply removing the empty magazines and replacing them. The feed rails were engraved with filigrees of Silver and Platinum and looked more like vines and stems of a plant, leading all the way up to the weapon itself; Whose top was adorned with flower petals of crimson and silver, a glowing green gem resting at the center of the “flower”. And while a small touch on the well hidden ammunition canister is a small silver plaque with the words “While Titans have no blades, No Primarch should be Unarmed.”

Rahman has a panoply of esoteric items, but is most known for the Night Saber, a strange blade that crackles with green energy, and cleaves through even force and power fields with its swings. He has other blades but the Night Saber is the one he is most known for.

In small arms, he utilizes several as well, but most often the Infernus Serpenta, an archeotech Volkite weapon capable of firing either precise thermal blasts or a burst of power over a wider area. Additionally, he carries an macroripper, a macrostubber loaded with virulent ripper toxin rounds and firing off a storm of rounds that shatter into razor shards on impact, introducing their venom into a targets bloodstream through repeated hammering shots.

Einchurt weilds a seemingly common Power Maul in hand-to-hand combat, but the truth of the device is much more maleficent than it initially seems. The Maul, hooked up to the gas canisters on Einchurt's back, bleeds alchemical fumes as it is swung. Even foes who avoid his attacks risk being poisoned by the gasses, skin melting and disfiguring, organs necrotizing, and muscles sloughing.
At range, Einchurt utilizes a Photon Gauntlet, an esoteric weapon of the Mechanicum, gifted to him by the Primarch Gyahdred, alongside a weapon of unknown origin, the Eradication Array. This device functions similarly to a Conversion Beamer, albeit on a smaller, yet more destructive, scale.

>The Maul
Glad you found a melee weapon so cool, user.

First off, his armor. He wears an expertly crafted Cataphractii-Deva Pattern Terminator Armor, the "Kavach Vokar".
The armor is a larger variant of the Cataphractii-Deva Armor worn by several Titan Marchers, but Raj was sure to include some personal modifications. These mods include a more modular design, allowing Raj to exchange certain wrist mounted weapons, and a meticulously hand crafted power battery, allowing him to not have to worry about the drain of his arsenal on his power supply.

As for his weapons, Raj has an immense arsenal, most of which are personal creations. The only exception to that is his personal, close quarters sidearm, the "Kagolus". The Kagolus is an archeotech weapon, the size of a rifle or shotgun for most mortal men, but after a few minor alterations, it serves as a pistol of sorts. Pic related is a close approximation. It fires large, but slow moving spheres of energy that tear through most organic matter it comes into contact with. It can also be fired in a manner similar to a Volite weapon, firing directed blasts of concentrated heat. The weapon was given to Raj by his adoptive mother, shortly before her death. As such, it holds great sentimental value to him.

Besides the Kagolus, Raj carries many different weapons, some of which are attached to his armor directly. These weapons include wrist mounted flamers, shotguns and bolters and shoulder mounted missile launchers. He also makes use of many heavy weapons, including heavy bolters, plasma cannons, and grenade launchers, though his personal favorite is the autocannon.

While he does not often engage in melee combat, he does carry a curved Power Sword into battle, based on designs commonly found on his homeworld. While the blade does not get used that often and Raj is not a great melee combatant, it is still a finely crafted tool of death.

>Encallíon the Sabre Resolute
Jon-Frederíc's exceptionally long power saber is a masterwork, nearly as long as he is tall in order for the weapon to be able to cut down infantry whilst riding his attack bike. The blade's power field extends to the elaborate hand guard, in the shape of grand folded wings, the tips acting as blade catches to be utilized in duels. The scabbard is just as magnificent, filigree and ornament decorating the sheath. The internals of the scabbard are magnetized, to assist in drawing the over long blade, and to reduce awkwardness when mounted on his vehicle.

>Mk III Laris Pattern Flechette Caster
Based on the Flechette Blasters of the Adeptus Mechanicus, Aristide's sidearm is a light, rapid firing autopistol that fires volleys of penetrating darts, ripping through flesh with ease. The ammunition varies from the Blasters found amongst the Mechanicus in that the homing devices in the base also act as small yield explosives that are activated when a tracer round within the volley finds its mark amongst a dozen or rounds, causing a deadly chain reaction. The explosive capabilities of the munitions reward sustained and accurate fire, but in the hands of the tactically proficient Aristide, whole scores of enemies can be felled with a well distributed volley

Does your Primarch have a personal ride? What is it

The famous Apocalyptican; the greatest Titan ever built.

The Apocalyptican is the only one of it's kind, an Apocalypse-class Super Titan. The design is not entirely original, it is a hybrid between the two largest 'common' Titan patterns, the Imperator and Warmonger class. In Raj's classic 'go big or go home' style, he has the size of the chassis increased in order to allow for all necessary weapon systems to be placed. He designed the required power systems himself.

Because of the combined weapons systems, the Apocalyptican is inevitably going to be the center of any battle, tearing apart foes from long to close range. Especially when the XVIIth legion marches alongside it.

After it explodes on Terra, it becomes a core part of Marcher legion culture. Not only because their gene-sire died alongside it, but because they believe the Titan warmachines to be the greatest machinations of mankind, and the Apocalyptican to be humanity's Magnum Opus.

Linares rides a pimped Land Raider, featuring maximum bling and beer barrels for a whole battle.

Jokes aside.

"Toro Bravo" is the personal Land Raider of the Lord of Ale. A bigger than usual vehicle, so that the Primarch may fit inside, equipped with improved communication systems, a shield generator and some extra armor, along with modular weapon sponsons and some kind of EW suite. There's still room for either his warrior retinue or his staff.

The exterior is completely silverish, decorated with the same motifs and filigrees made in silverish gold that decorate the Primarch's armor.

The tank itself hasn't seen much combat. Linares usually prefers to footslog during the battle, and when it is deployed is usually placed in the back, used as C3 post and providing EW measures. The tank saw heavy use during the Siege of Terra, when it lead the charge towards the Lion's Gate Spaceport and provided heavy support to the troops and transport to the Primarch

Feelings remain mixed regarding Emil's weapons. Likely to eventually be a pair of machetes, since he's developing a bit of an "explorer/pioneer" subtheme, and his combat style is extremely tilted in favor of offense rather than defense. Maybe a little Angron-ish, but not a berzerker.

Names pending.

Emil doesn't have a ground vehicle (yet) but he does fly the Incandescent Jewel.

It's a mostly repaired Dark Age cruiser that he dug up from cold storage (pun intended) and planned to use it to travel beyond his homeworld and see if any other humans existed anywhere, or if Nonimat IV was all that remained after Old Night. Instead of course, the Emperor found him first, but it remains his personal voidcraft and carries the Terquo Kannav Chapter of veterans aboard it.

The Legion itself has a different flagship, a "supercarrier" variant of the Gloriana-class named the Adamant Fire.

For battlefield deployment Lambach prefers a Razorback known as "Konabos". Vastly larger and more heavily platted than a standard Razorback, Konabos has lost none of the original designs maneuverability.
Sitting on top of this noble steed is a customized Assault Cannon that fires an ammunition known as Dragon's Breath. High impact shells filled with promethium that detonate on impact. Konabos has more than once lived up to the myths of the Fire breathing war horse from which it takes it's name.

Well, the dice have spoken, machetes it is.

Concept for Mot versus Emil story:

Emil is steadily moving from the Fringe towards Terra, following the conflict with the Death's Heads and seeking information about what has transpired in his absence regarding Heresy things. When he nears the border between Segmentums Ultima and Obscurus, he becomes aware that Mot and the Forge Lords are waging an altogether different war.

Emil leads his forces against the Forge Lords, attempting to prevent yet another important Forgeworld from being destroyed. Mot is looting and burning to his heart's content, unleashing the powers of Chaos as he pleases. For the first time, Emil is confronted with Chaos in all its terror, not just dim memories from infancy.

Shit gets very bad, very quickly. The Steel Souls learn through hard experience how to adjust their mental state to blunt the pain of Chaos energies being unleashed nearby and rally effectively, but not before taking heavy losses. Emil and Mot confront each other, and Mot intends to feed Emil to his Daemon ally Hashut.

The duel culminates in Hashut countering Emil's psyker advantage by roiling the Warp around them, and Mot shatters Emil's archaeotech sword completely by corrupting its technology from within. Emil lashes out with uncontrolled psychic energy in a last-ditch attempt to fend Mot off. He succeeds only for a moment, but that moment is enough for a war party of Eldar to arrive.

(Mot's author has told me that the Eldar are also hunting Mot at this time, seeking revenge for heinous crimes committed against their people. Because the Ruinstorm is raging, they can't get a good bead on Mot, but Emil's "flare" draws their attention and they teleport in via Webway Gate)

While Mot and Eldar duel, Emil makes his escape, leaving several thousand Steel Souls corpses behind. They are used as tribute to Hashut, and Emil never forgets this day.

>cont.

Regrouping in orbit of another world with a shattered fleet which won't last much longer before simply breaking into shrapnel after the strains of combat and emergency Warp-jumps, a fleet of Mechanicus vessels fleeing Terra to join the Separatists finds the Souls and aids Emil in repairing himself and their ships, and keep many of the wounded alive. They also gift him a pair of relic machete blades as thanks for coming to the aid of several Forgeworlds and out of respect for the long-held friendship between Mars and the Souls. They also tell Emil much of what happened further back in Imperial space, filling in many gaps.

By doing this, they earn Emil's trust, a rare thing. And because they healed so many of his wounded Legionnaires from death's door, Emil feels he owes them a life-debt of sorts. This will later come into play when Frederic confronts Emil about officially choosing a side, since either he will have learned of this event on his own, or those Magi will have told him.

(So be thinking about how that series of events might look, Frederic, it will be important eventually)

After the Mechanicus guys move on, Emil finds a place to hole up for a while. The rest of his Legion steadily rallies to their location, and after _____ time has passed, this is where it ties into the older story I wrote of Emil journeying to Terra in order to see things for himself, where he speaks to Constantin, things go badly, and the Steel Souls are chased back through the Ruinstorm into Separatist space, where presumably Frederic intercepts them in fairly short order.

Thoughts?

Gyahdred's definitely got one, though I'm not sure what's most appropriate for him. Probably some sort of arcane mechanicum tank.

>Atreus Thyestes
Known throughout the Chosen of Hecate legion for his fury on the battlefield Thyestes was a powerful psyker as well as warrior. Atreus though would share little with the mannerisms of his father Primarch and would show no mercy in attacks that he was given charge of. He considered the option a weakness.
Despite being well at odds, Lambach could hardly deny the results achieved by Theyestes and his company and soon the volatile captain had earned a fierce reputation and significant favor from some of Lambach's brothers. Atreus would probably have been more at home amongst the Death's Heads or Iron Guard.
Atreus raged after his appointment to the newly formed Speartip after Nikea and in his fury openly decried Lambach as weak, of the pinion that his father should have fought harder for his beliefs and that it was this weakness that now cursed Atreus and his brothers to a "Glorious Suicide". An accusation that tore his father's heart, for Lambach believed his words to be the truth.
After Lambach's censure Atreus continued to decry the efforts of his father who had again cursed both him and his brothers, gaining even more support than ever before. Perhaps Lambach could have put a stop to the wayward captain but Kropor saw Atreus Thyestes as the personification of his own guilt and made no move against the captain.
With the Warmaster defeated after the Siege of Terra Atreus finally broke ties with his Legion. Calling out to his brothers and playing on their own insecurities in the faith they once had in their father. Atreus sundered the Chosen of Hecate, refusing to sit idly in the eye of terror and instead striking fear into the hearts of those he had once served. Now a powerful warrior Lich who can never truly die. Atreus’ vast horde of undead have left many Imperial and Separatist worlds alike barren wastelands.

Mot is a very busy boy haha.
Cool concept though. I like the weapon breaking part.
Large McEmil with a shake and fries!

The first bit looks good. Emil's ultimately fruitless attempts to get to Terra a quite endearing. Mot really serves as a good threat here, the Forge Lords properly stirring up shit like they're supposed to.

The Eldar arriving is an interesting twist. You're correct in assuming the Eldar want Mot's head and to prevent Hashut's apotheosis. That's the same reason Solomon attacked Mot in the first place; because he was sent by the Eldar.

Second bit looks good too. The SepMech arriving is a nice twist, and it adds some backstory to his machetes.

With ' the older story I wrote of Emil journeying to Terra in order to see things for himself' I take it you mean the one that ends with the AI in his ship reawakening?

Cool character. I take it this'll be an important Chosen warband?

Not really a seperate warband so to say. He's just the major catalyst for the Chosen breaking up. He'll essentially be my Typhus, in that unlike Lambach he chooses to embrace Nurgle and chaos.

Right, so they continue to call themselves Chosen of Hecate then?

I can see where he's coming from, having a leader that barely leaves his room for 10 millenia isn't be greatest thing in the world.

Yep they'd still be the Chosen.
I've been doing a lot of research into Mortarions relationship with nurgle and why Mortarion doesn't look all pussed up and changed unlike other daemon primarchs.
Apparently Typhus is held in higher regard by Nurgle and this guy will probably be the same.

Both of these sound good.
Are you thinking that among these SepMechs is a radical young magos named Belsarius Cawl?

I like him a lot. Gives a pole for Chosen/(ex-Chosen?) activity. Makes him kind of an Abbaddon figure while Lambach is in his lab and secluded.

A bit more thought on this--thinking Gyahdred has an archaeotech hovertank. The chassis itself is from Holy Terra and is reputed to be of a kindred with the graceful war engines of the Custodes. Most consider this nonsense, for the outer form of the vehicle is not nearly so streamlined.

Another option is that Gyahdred's ride is basically a Fellblade chassis that he's constantly working on. It's been built up a bit in places to allow for more room inside, but basically it's his portable mad-scientist gun with whatever experiment of the week he's got.

Another option, which is going to sound a bit strange, but consider Gyahdred's style is a personal Thunderhawk/Stormbird. Lets him pop up anywhere on the battlefield.

Another another option is an AT-TE.

That makes a lot of sense.

Lambach himself becomes a skeletal, pale and gaunt figure, what does Atreus become?

>Gyahdred's sweet ride
So I'm thinking whatever it is, it's a gift or incorporates a gift from the Emperor. The Dusk Phantoms have all that old night tech given to them like the OU DA. So he could very well have some sort of hovertank. He could also have a massive mechanicum crawler type deal, with some sort of relic systems on board gifted to him by the Emperor, perhaps a small nullfield that makes the thing invulnerable to psy...
actually...
How about the Emperor gives Gyahdred a null rod type deal. It's incorporated into his plate, into his iron halo or whatever, so where Gyahdred takes to the field, psyker powers fizzle and a palpable aura of dread surrounds him. His personal ride has similar technology. It comes in handy on Stovokor when warpflame literally won't touch it.
It'd bother most people, even a lot of Primarchs, but this is Gyahdred we're talking about and he just chooses not to feel those emotions. The tank crew just deals with it or is so machine at this point that they don't register dread.
It's point defense guns are all of top quality, perhaps even Lastrum bolters and the like.
The main gun is any number of things that depend on how Gyahdred is feeling that day.
Still leaning towards a massive hovertank, like the superheavy result of a Repulsor's and Coronus' one night stand.
Name like the Batleth.
Thoughts?

Sounds like it'll cause havoc when the Phantoms fight the Chosen

I was actually thinking He'd look something like this. But with more of a power armoured feel. Also weapon wise I'm thinking a powerfist and meltagun?

Valorn has a rather large Sniper rifle that his marines call "The Promise". It's not really that weird save for the fact that it is stronger than a normal sniper rifle (by a decent margin) and the fact that it can be converted into a stalker bolter just by flicking of a switch and removing a barrel extender.

He also carries a collection of throwing knives, some of which have frag grenades integrated into their hilts. After all, folk don't usually expect a knife that's already inside someone's sternum to be a threat to them, so having said knives blow up unexpectedly is both a good way to get rid of your enemies and a fantastic distraction