[hider=Gorseval the Dark Star][b]Name[/b]: Gorseval the Dark Star, also known as the Silent King. 

[b]Gender[/b]: Male.

[b]Homeworld[/b]: Instead of a single planet, Gorseval was sent to a collective of inhabited asteroids orbiting a small star at a great distance, known as the Reach. Before the Age of Strife, the Reach had been a prosperous mining colony that supplied a lot of the precious metals and minerals for the industry in the nearby galactic region. As the galaxy-spanning network of mankind failed and fragmented, the Reach found itself isolated and without relief. Huddled together in the habitable bio-domes, the now-permanent inhabitants of the Reach waited out the Old Night. It wasn't until the arrival of Gorseval that the voidborn of the Reach expanded their territory and dared to branch out into the galaxy once more. 

After assuming control of the XXth Legion, Gorseval turned the Reach into a mobile Fortress-Homeworld. It was an enormous undertaking that demanded the undivided attention of two entire Forge Worlds and took more than a year to complete. The Reach was turned into a voidborne fleet of some seven or eight large inhabited asteroids equipped with enormous propulsion engines, warp drives and Gellar field devices. It trails behind the fleet of the Void Stalkers at a safe distance and functions as a mobile recruitment ground, the home of some fifteen million souls, a fortress for the Void Stalkers to retreat into if the worst should happen, and a massive shrine to the Silent King. 

Its defenses are crewed by the ordinary humans of the Reach, a regiment of warriors and technicians known as the [i]Aegis.[/i] Those that show the most potential are frequently recruited for the Astartes program. 

[b]Appearance[/b]: Like all the other Primarchs, Gorseval is immense, reaching slightly over eleven feet at his full height. His visage greatly resembles that of the Emperor, featuring a powerful jawline, pronounced cheekbones, an aquiline nose, a heavy brow and long, dark hair. The differences are to be found in the color of Gorseval's skin, which is as pale as a corpse, and his eyes, which are depthless pools of black ink. There is a grave, ancient expression near-permanently etched on Gorseval's face that speaks of a melancholy so powerful that merely gazing into the Primarch's eyes is cause for even the most exuberant reveler to lapse into sullen silence. 

His power armor echoes the colors of his Legion, having been painted in a deep, rich shade of purple, trimmed with cyan. A special coat of pearlescent paint means that the armor seems to shimmer, especially under dim lighting conditions, when the Primarch moves. A large black cape hangs from Gorseval's shoulders that reaches all the way to the ground and an equally black loincloth is fastened at his waist. Gorseval eschews the use of a helmet, even in combat, and an iron halo forms the backdrop to the Dark Star's baleful gaze. 

He carries [i]Darkness[/i] on his back, a black-bladed prototype force greatsword that's almost as long as he is tall; a normal Astartes wouldn't be able to lift it and the Dark Star has to use both hands to swing it effectively. Forged from strange and highly durable metal found in the deepest depths of the Reach's asteroids, its psi-convector is so large that it actually amplifies Gorseval's psychic powers. 

[b]Personality[/b]: Moreso than any other Primarch, Gorseval embodies the intense loneliness and ancient melancholy of the Emperor. He is seemingly bereft of joy and merriment, permanently exuding an aura of sorrow and loss. Even in the face of victory or other great achievements, Gorseval will barely flinch. Despite this, the Primarch is intensely driven and possessed by a great, almost obsessive and implacable ambition, like the inexorable advance of a glacier, that brings his armies to the limit and his enemies to their knees. Where this drive comes from is impossible to say, as Gorseval remains unreadable and his motives cannot be discerned. Some theorize that he is attempting to fill the void inside himself with success, trying to slake a seemingly insatiable thirst, and will stop at nothing until the entire galaxy lays at his feet. It is for this reason that the Void Stalkers are widely feared by the foes of mankind, and they and their Primarch demand hushed respect from the warriors of the Grim Crusade. 

[b]Skills[/b]: Gorseval's most notable skill and ability is his psykerdom, setting him apart even among a fellowship as illustrious as the sons and daughters of the Emperor. He specializes in reading the minds and hearts of his opponents and his allies; and, if necessary, bending them to his will. None, save for the most strong-willed and highly trained creatures in the galaxy, can keep their secrets from the Dark Star or resist the impetus of his commands. One of the favored tactics of the Void Stalkers is to abduct the commanders of their enemies and presenting them to Gorseval, so that he may break their will and obtain crucial intelligence. 

As far as martial ability goes, Gorseval isn't as experienced as most of the other Primarchs. He has an intense dislike for an honest fight and will utilize his psychic powers to demoralize or dominate any opponents that may challenge him in single combat; only when that fails does he draw his gigantic force greatsword, [i]Darkness[/i], and resign himself to physical violence. The psi-conductor that lines the black, metal blade of the weapon is so large that it boosts Gorseval's psychic powers, allowing him to deal devastating damage with a single swing. 

His inexperience doesn't mean he is incapable, of course, as a Primarch is still an extremely dangerous enemy to all but the most vile and monstrous of beings. Even in combat, Gorseval will use his psychic powers to predict his opponent's moves, deduce their weaknesses and topple them with telekinetic blasts, and this has allowed him to triumph over legendary foes numerous times. 

[b]Assignment Level:[/b] Beta.

[b]Biography[/b]: When the Chaos Gods of the Warp scattered the Emperor's children across the galaxy, it was Gorseval that found himself flung furthest away from Terra. The pod containing the young Primarch materialized inside one of the many habitable bio-domes of the Reach, a collection of old mining colonies near the edge of the galaxy that had turned into a permanent residence for the descendants of the mining workers and corporate officials that lived there when the Age of Strife began. Isolated from the rest of mankind, slowly orbiting a small star at a great distance, the Reach was a miserable place and its inhabitants toiled in endless stasis, merely maintaining the status quo, until the next generation took over, waiting for the Old Night to end. The Reach's ruling class was the Council, a collection of representatives from the most influential families, that governed the Reach much like a corporation's board of directors might run a company. As such, it was inevitably woefully ineffective, and nothing significant was ever achieved. Political infighting and bickering were commonplace and accepted as a fact of life, while the rest of the population worked tirelessly to maintain the vital life support systems and agricultural hydro-farms that kept them all alive. The asteroids of the Reach were full of precious ore and minerals, but provided absolutely nothing that might sustain growth or expansion. A rigid single-child policy was in place to prevent overpopulation. 

The appearance of Gorseval was a shock to the entire Reach. There hadn't been any contact with the rest of the galaxy for generations, and the Primarch's arrival was seen as a sign that the long wait might finally, soon, be over at last. Gorseval was raised properly and in luxury, and as he developed rapidly, the Council eagerly awaited what kind of message he might have for them. 

Much to their disappointment, Gorseval didn't seem to have a message for them after all. As he approached the cusp of adulthood, the gargantuan Primarch-to-be remained silent and withdrawn, his lips sealed. He began to display psychic powers and started reading the minds of his caretakers – and, whenever they came to see him, the Council. Suddenly, and without warning, Gorseval used all he knew against the Council and performed a coup d'etat, using his psychic powers to bend those around him to his will. Those who surrendered were allowed to live and serve the new ruler of the Reach, but those who resisted were ruthlessly slain. The Dark Star spent the next two years subjugating the entirety of the Reach; not an easy task, as the various asteroids that comprised the Reach all contained largely independent cultures that harbored separate pockets of resistance. He abolished the Council and crowned himself king and dictator for life. It was his subjects that bestowed the epithet of Dark Star upon Gorseval, simultaneously honoring him for his brilliance and acknowledging the darkness of his soul. 

His conquest complete, Gorseval commanded the construction of starships from the plentiful ore to be found in the asteroid belt. The monumental implication of what the Silent King demanded shocked the Reach, but they were unable to resist. The Reach's meager militia and police force was expanded and put through rigorous training, and Gorseval's merciless tests and trials forged them into a proper army; the first iteration of the Void Stalkers. Through psychic imprinting, Gorseval shared a piece of his own soul with them all, allowing them to peer beyond the veil and into his abyssal depth and implacable drive. Through this, he demanded their undying loyalty. 

Even now, Gorseval remained silent and refused to explain his motives. The strength of his powers and the ruthlessness of his army meant that the people of the Reach had no choice but to cooperate. In desperation, a cult formed; if the Dark Star refused to talk, the people would do it for him. He was proclaimed a divine figure, a promised savior that would liberate them from the endless toil in the dark of the void. 

He let them. Their zeal propelled them onward, and the people of the Reach met Gorseval's demands. A  worthy flotilla of starships was raised and crewed by Gorseval's armies, and he led them into the void. A thorough scan of the local system had shown that a habitable garden world existed closer to their star, and the fleet charted a course there. The people of the Reach went wild with speculation; would Gorseval find a proper homeworld for them, with sunlight and blue skies? 

Alas, it was not so easy. As it turned out, a contingent of an Eldar Craftworld had been spying on Gorseval and the Reach for a while, and they were determined to stop any potential human expansion in the star system. A fierce war erupted when the Eldar attempted to ambush Gorseval's fleet, and it was only the prescience given to him by his psychic powers that allowed the Silent King to avoid disaster. The Eldar expected it to be an easy cleanup, but Gorseval's armies fought with inhuman tenacity and seemed to foil the Eldar's plans time and time again. It wasn't until the Craftworld's Farseer became directly involved with the war that the Eldar discovered that there was very powerful psyker on the humans' side. The war took an ugly, dishonorable turn after that; the Eldar were hellbent on discovering Gorseval's identity and orchestrating his assassination. 

It is likely they would have succeeded eventually, were it not for the Emperor's sudden intervention. The Grim Crusade had found Gorseval at last, the final Primarch to be discovered, and laid waste to the Eldar forces. In a final suicide mission, the Eldar Farseer infiltrated Gorseval's flagship and engaged him in single combat on the bridge of the ship. Gorseval, then still armed with an ordinary sword, defeated the Farseer after breaking her mind with a powerful psychic blow and stabbed her through the heart. 

Unphased, he turned his attention to the Emperor's forces, declared them the enemy, and continued fighting. His soldiers were no match for the Space Marines the Emperor had brought with him, not to mention the two Primarchs (Mon-Kal of the Bloodied Host and Erron Khaal of the Wild Blades) that accompanied him, but Gorseval absolutely refused to surrender. Gorseval's fleet was destroyed and he was forced to retreat back to the Reach, where he hid deep inside the asteroids, waging guerrilla warfare on the ever-advancing Imperial forces. It wasn't until the Emperor himself, accompanied by his sons, forced his way into Gorseval's throne room and defeated him in a psychic battle that the Dark Star surrendered, and swore his loyalty to his father. 

The Emperor gave him the twentieth legion, Legio XX, and Gorseval named them the Void Stalkers. He turned his homeworld, the asteroid collective of the Reach, into a mobile Fortress-Homeworld, a project that took a little more than a year, before dedicating himself to the Grim Crusade. Gorseval plunged into the thick of the fray, using his experience commanding a starship fleet and psychic powers to outmaneuver the enemy in outer space, especially the Eldar, who he seemed to loathe. The first significant campaign the Void Stalkers engaged in was the Omicreth Campaign, a three-year-long affair fought mostly in space against the forces of the Craftworld Ulthwé, dangerously close to the Eye of Terror. The Omicreth system was uninhabited, but it contained an enormous asteroid belt filled with deposits of rare minerals and precious ore -- essential to maintain the endless industry that was the foundation of the Grim Crusade. There, the Void Stalkers felt right at home. The campaign came to an end when Void Master Balthasith and the [i]Event Horizon[/i] destroyed the Eldar flagship, and the xenos scum retreated to the safety of their hidden Craftworld. 

Another significant campaign in the history of the Void Stalkers was the Forridien Campaign, an arduous five-year-long ordeal fought against an enormous Ork Waaagh in the Death Worlds of the Forridien system. The Void Stalkers supported the I and X Legions, the Bloody Host and the Wild Blades, during the war. The Emperor purposefully sent these three Legions, hoping that their Primarchs would put aside old grievances. It was at least partially successful, as Gorseval and Erron Khaal became firm allies. 

The Void Stalkers spent most of their time hunting down and destroying the Roks the Orks wanted to use to propel their Waaagh to interstellar status, though the Sixth Chapter and a number of Unseen from the Third Chapter, under the command of Void Master Gabriel, descended to the surfaces of the Forridien worlds to provide fire support in person. Erron Khaal's legendary duel with Bonehamma and the subsequent escape of the Warboss marked the end of the campaign. The Void Stalkers had suffered significantly less losses than either the Bloody Host or the Wild Blades and were back in operational shape within a few months. 

It was then that the most infamous of the Void Stalkers' campaigns happened. Euphemistically called the Liberation of Byzathrian, the XXth Legion was given the charge to bring the long-lost Forge world of Byzanthrian into the fold. During the long isolation of the Old Night the warsmiths of Byzanthrian had become fiercely religious and xenophobic, and these humans refused to accept the Imperial Truth, much as Gorseval himself had done. Utterly pitiless, Gorseval declared war on them and the Void Stalkers terrorized them into submission within two months, culminating in the orbital bombardment of the planet's capital city by the Lance batteries of the [i]Eclipse.[/i] The Great Smith of Byzanthrian was brought before Gorseval and the Primarch broke his mind and will, forced the Imperial Truth upon him and sent him back to govern in a twisted imitation of what the Emperor had done to Gorseval. 

The cruelty of his actions drew criticism, but the Dark Star ignored it. Some began to wonder where Gorseval's limitless ambition would end. 

[b]The Meeting[/b]: He knew that the enemy was almost here. Gorseval had dismissed his bodyguards and locked himself in his throne room, awaiting the arrival of his foes silently on his iron throne. The throne room was buried deep inside one of the asteroids of the Reach and was only dimly lit by a few strips of glow-lights embedded in the ceiling. The Dark Star, in one of his prescient moments, had slowly figured out who the enemy commander was that had destroyed the Eldar for him -- something that annoyed him. Gorseval had wanted to crush the Eldar by himself. 

The door to the throne room swung open and the Emperor stepped inside, sword in hand and blood splattered on the golden plate of his golden power armor, his radiance illuminating the gloom. Gorseval looked down on the Emperor from a raised dias in the center of the room, his face concealed by shadows, a perfect contrast to the almost blinding light of the Emperor's glory. Before either of them could speak, another bloodied figure entered the room. 

Mon-Kal strode in after his father, his armour splattered with the blood of many victims this day. Though his helm was on one could feel the rage radiating off of the Primarch as if his resplendent artificer armor would crack from the heat of his brow alone. His massive powerfists were dripping with gore as he cut in front of the Emperor, raising an accusing finger at the massive man on his throne, it still dripped with viscera. "You would dare to strike at the sons of the Emperor after they have provided you aid?! I should cut your whelp hide from your body and fashion it into a cloak for my finest captain! What say you in your defense, slayer of my sons? What say you!"


Erron enters the dimly lit throne room, the sounds of combat growing quieter behind him as the last of the resistance was being mopped up by the combined might of several Space Marine Legions. Green ceramite splattered red with gore, his shimmering blades dulled from blood that sizzled and popped with the flickers of energy that run along the length of the curved sword. He looked upon the scene before him, seeing his brother Mon-Kal pointing accusingly at the dark figure upon his throne, his father silent. 

So this was the man they came all this way to find? The man who had returned their aid with violence? How many had died in their quest to root this one out from his holes and make him see the error of his ways? Erron could not help but feel contempt for what he saw as needless death for the sake of one man’s vanity. He swallowed his anger, and stepped up next to Mon-Kal, removing his winged helm and shaking loose his long black hair as he addressed his brother.

“Calm yourself Mon-Kal,” he spoke quietly, but with firmness in his voice, his green eyes never leaving the darkened figure on the dais. “Enough blood had been spilt today on rash actions and even rasher tempers.”

Gorseval listened passively as the red-armored giant, Mon-Kal, raged against him. His ink-black eyes flitted over to absorb the face of the green-armored man when he removed his helmet. Gorseval immediately recognized parts of his own face, and the black hair was the same -- just as it was with the golden-armored figure, the largest of them all, who watched the confrontation with an unreadable look on his face. This confirmed his suspicions.

The pale shape of Gorseval's fingers gripped the armrests of his throne tightly and he leaned forward, a beam of light falling across his graven face. The Emperor drew a shuddering breath at the sight. Gorseval looked so much like him the two could have been twin brothers, were it not for the paleness of his skin and the darkness of his eyes. 

When Gorseval spoke, his voice was grim and cold. "You stole my victory from me," he said, as if that explained everything. Gorseval's mind reached out and touched those of the three fellow half-gods that stood before him. The Emperor returned this contact, and Gorseval almost recoiled -- he had never met another human psyker before. The other two seemed not to notice, and Gorseval concluded they must be blunts, like all the others. Where Erron's mind was full of contempt and Mon-Kal's was full of rage, Gorseval felt a great sadness in the Emperor's mind, and something else... was that pity? Nostrils flaring, Gorseval's mind retreated and he clenched his jaw. "The aliens were mine. I slew their witch in single combat."

Unable to bite back his retort, Erron lost his composure for a moment, snapping at the shadowed psyker. "Like you slew my sons? In single combat from within your darkened holes? Waiting until their backs were turned before your men butchered their fellows?" The sarcasm within his voice was plain, and his outburst left his face flushed with anger that was generally uncharacteristic of him. He calmed himself, but his eyes still glowered at the seated king, a ruler of nothing but rock and few souls now. "Your armies are defeated," he continued, calmer now. "There is no reason to continue this pointless campaign for the sake of your own pride, you have lost, brother." The last word is spoken with a mix of emotions, both an attempt at reaching the pallid figure as well as almost a sense of disgust.

As the 'King' claimed that the death of the Eldar was his victory Mon-Kal bristled with rage, and almost immediately retorted, were it not for Erron speaking first. He railed on about honour, and how his sons died dishonorably, which while true hardly seemed the most important thing to Mon-Kal at the time. As his brother finished Mon-Kal sneered at him referring to this bastard as a brother, "You would call him brother already? I will address him as such after his penance, and after he reigns in his arrogance!", Mon-Kal now turned back to the Primarch on his throne, he was the spitting image of the Emperor, though paler with darker eyes, "And you believe the Eldar to be [i]your[/i] victory? No one seeks their death more vehemently than I, Kinslayer." With that, he removed his own helmet, exposing his gaunt, drawn features and sunken eyes... and the Black Crown. "The blood of the Eldar is mine to take, as retribution for all they took from me! The life of their 'witch' was not yours, it was mine! Personally father," he spoke to the Emperor now, "I believe the Kinslayer deserves harsh punishment for the murder of Erron's and my sons, and I volunteer to carry it out," he sneered the last words towards the Primarch on the throne.

"That is not your decision to make Mon-Kal!" Erron turned, speaking directly to his aggressive brother this time, casting his gaze back to their father, "Our Father has decreed this man be rejoined with us and taken in as is his birthright! It is not for you to say who is worthy and who is not." 

The Emperor, who had been silent the whole time, placed his hands on the shoulders of his two sons. "Do not forget that all of you, my sons and my daughters, are made in my image," he said in a low and mournful voice. As his gaze fell on Mon-Kal, he smiled. "Strength through rage," he spoke softly, and he looked at Erron. "Nobility through honor." The Emperor's bright blue eyes, alive with emotion, met Gorseval's unreadable black stare, and he said: "And darker things too. He is as much my child as any of you."

Gorseval said nothing, though a shadow fell over his face and he looked more forlorn than ever. He had spent his whole life trying to fill the ghastly void inside himself and it had driven him to great heights -- from the cursory glances he'd taken at the minds of Erron and Mon-Kal, he knew that neither of them had raised a fleet and set off to conquer the galaxy before Emperor had found them -- but it didn't seem to matter. It was in his very nature to be hollow, and it was the Emperor who had made him this way. The Silent King, determined to defy his father one last time, reached out his mind once more and touched that of the Emperor, who sensed his intent immediately. "Stand back," the Emperor said and positioned himself in front of his sons. 

The temperature in the room dropped sharply and psychic frost formed on every surface, coating the floor and the bloodied carapace of their power armor. The very air seemed to buzz and warp with the intensity of the psyker-duel, and Gorseval's face twisted grimly. 

As the Emperor stepped forward, it began to dawn on Mon-Kal just what this arrogant Primarch was doing. He and the Emperor were... using their psychic powers in a sort of duel. He growled deeply at the sight, a son fighting his rightful father, "Erron... you know what is happening? The wretch duels with his own father through minds... the cur deserves punishment most extreme." Mon-Kal was tempted to interrupt the duel open fire on his so called 'brother' with his storm bolters... but were he to kill him he imagined his fathers wrath would be great and terrible... so he waited for the Emperor's inevitable victory.

Errons mind prickled with the psychic tensions filling the room, his breath coming out in puffs of white mist as the air grew cold. His head felt thick, his mind hazy, but he stayed his hand and kept his mouth shut, submitting to allow his father to take over and pull his wayward son back from the precipice of disaster. 

Against the unfathomable might of the Emperor's mind, Gorseval stood no chance, but he was determined to prove his tenacity and his strength. The duel itself lasted for almost thirty seconds before the Primarch was forced to surrender, but the Emperor seized this opportunity to reach into Gorseval's very core and show him his desires; a united, galaxy-spanning human civilization, brought together by the twenty Legions of the Space Marines, each commanded by one of the Emperor's own genetic children. He showed Gorseval images of the Legion that was to be his, the twentieth and the last, and promised him glory beyond all measure. Initially, Gorseval resisted -- he didn't need the Emperor's help, he could attain all that glory by himself, why would he stand side-by-side with these brothers of his that clearly hated him? But it was the Emperor's vision that won out in the end. [i]This is what you have longed for your whole life,[/i] the Emperor whispered in Gorseval's mind. [i]It is your rightful place. Come home with me.[/i]

Gorseval surrendered and withdrew his mind; the Emperor let him go freely. The Dark Star, breathing heavily and weak from exertion, rose from his throne and slowly descended from the dias to kneel before the armored figures. "Truly, you are my father," Gorseval said, his voice hoarse. "I surrender. Take me home."
[/hider]

[hider=Void Stalkers][b]Legion Name[/b]: The Void Stalkers.

[b]Legion Number[/b]: XX, the Last Legion.

[b]Legion Strength:[/b] 34,750 Astartes, though its fleet and vast battleships are crewed by hundreds of thousands of ordinary humans. 

[b]Armour Appearance[/b]: 
[img]http://i.imgur.com/sbczKeP.jpg[/img] 

Symbol/heraldry: 
[img]http://i.imgur.com/HWlLegQ.png[/img]

[b]Warcry[/b]: A single, muted whisper, followed by deafening silence: [i]“Death.”[/i]

[b]Dramatis Personae and Legion Organization:[/b] 
I. [i]First Chapter[/i]
2,000 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Balthasith the Destroyer, Black Guard, Void Master of the First Chapter. He acts as Gorseval's right hand and has ultimate authority over the Legion whenever the Primarch is away. Balthasith commands the [i]Avenger[/i]-class Grand Cruiser [i]Event Horizon,[/i] named so for the incredible lethality of its close-range armaments; stray too close, and death is guaranteed. Balthasith and the [i]Event Horizon[/i] famously destroyed an (ironically-named) [i]Void Stalker[/i]-class Eldar battleship during the Omicreth Campaign, earning him his epithet. 

[b]Description:[/b] The First Chapter has the most veterans among its ranks, and it is unique in the sense that all of its Company commanders are also members of the Black Guard. They form the vanguard during boarding operations and other close-combat operations. The Legion doesn't own many suits of Terminator armor, but those that they do have are all in the hands of First Chapter veterans. Their signature weapon is the multi-melta, a throwback to the Reach's origin as a mining colony. 

II. [i]Second Chapter[/i]
3,000 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Nasgalur, Black Guard, Void Master of the Second Chapter. He was almost killed by the Eldar during the war in the Reach and all of his limbs, save for his left arm, had to replaced with bionics. He is solid and dependable, but not very imaginative, and never presumes to give advice to the Primarch. Commands a [i]Gladius[/i]-class light cruiser known as the [i]Shadow of the Reach.[/i] 

[b]Description:[/b] Gorseval uses him and the Second Chapter to perform tough, straightforward missions that require discipline and tenacity. They share the 'ever forwards, never back' mentality with the Blazing Sisters, making them the odd-man-out among the Void Stalkers. They are the closest thing the Void Stalkers have to siege experts. 

III. [i]Third Chapter, the Unseen[/i]
1,000 Astartes 

[b]Lead by:[/b] Yndrasil, Black Guard, Void Master and a Stalker-Master of the Third Chapter, who are nicknamed the Unseen. He is famously more tight-lipped than even the Primarch, and it is said that he once sniped an Eldar pilot out of its [i]Nightwing[/i]-class attack fighter during the Omicreth Campaign. Yndrasil and the Unseen travel aboard a [i]Venom[/i]-class Destroyer, the [i]Phantom[/i]. 

[b]Description:[/b] Total opposites of the Second Chapter, the Unseen are the best snipers and scouts. They cover their power armor with camo-cloaks and use high-powered, slug-based weapons that allow the use of silencers. The Unseen rarely fight as a single unit, instead dispersing among the battle-groups to perform scouting and overwatch duties. During boarding actions or close-quarters combat, they ditch their sniper rifles for long, silver daggers. Good for sneaking up on Orks. Stalker-Masters are trained by the Third.

IV. [i]Fourth Chapter[/i]
2,500 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Doraelen, Black Guard and Void Master of the Fourth Chapter. He is generally considered one of the greatest captains of the Legion, tied with Gorseval and Balthasith, and is famous for never having fired a single bullet in combat. He remains aboard his [i]Lunar-[/i]class battleship, the [i]Dead Star[/i], at all times. Should all else fail, Doraelen will still be there to command the fleet. 

[b]Description:[/b] Most of the Fourth Chapter specialize in piloting landing craft, Stormbirds and various types of attack craft. As such, they are spread out across the Legion's fleet, and many of don't see their Void Master for years on end. If the situation permits it, the Fourth holds a yearly gathering aboard the [i]Dead Star[/i], though this occasion couldn't be observed during the entirety of the harrowing Forridien Campaign. Nobody knows what the Fourth do on that day -- not even Gorseval.

V. [i]Fifth Chapter[/i]
6,000 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Mandragul, Black Guard, Apothecary and Void Master of the Fifth Chapter. Mandragul is the only Apothecary that also holds the rank of Void Master, and he is regarded as the head of the Legion's Apothecarion. In his case, the rank of Void Master is mostly honorary, as he relinquishes command of his ship, the [i]Bulk[/i]-class cruiser known as the [i]Red Dawn[/i], to his second-in-command, Raphael, a Theta-level psyker. A great warrior in his own right, Mandragul single-handedly slew an Ork Meganob in the Forridien Campaign. 

[b]Description:[/b] The Fifth draw inspiration from most of the other Chapters and pride themselves on their versatility, forming the flexible, all-round backbone of the Legion, together with the Seventh. Gorseval usually holds them back during the opening stages of a theater of war and subsequently deploys them wherever the Legion is weakest. This attitude of versatility is reflected in their Void Master, Mandragul, who is warrior, mentor and healer. 

VI. [i]Sixth Chapter[/i]
3,500 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Gabriel, Epsilon-level psyker and Void Master of the Sixth Chapter. One of only two Void Masters that isn't part of the Black Guard, promoted in part because of his gift for strategy, but also because he has learned how to communicate telepathically with Gorseval over long distances. This allows his Chapter to operate away from the front. As such, Gabriel is frequently the first to make planetfall after establishing void superiority. He was present during Erron Khaal's duel with the Ork Warboss, Bonehamma, at the climax of the Forridien Campaign. He wields an Eldar Singing Spear into battle, once used by the Farseer that attempted to assassinate Gorseval. Gabriel is known to attempt to replicate Gorseval's mind-breaking techniques when transporting a prisoner to the [i]Eclipse[/i] isn't a feasible option, to mixed success. He commands the Legion's only Battle Barge, an absolutely massive behemoth known as the [i]Starfall.[/i] Favored by Gorseval. 

[b]Description:[/b] The Sixth Chapter has more terrestrial combat specialists than the others and they follow their Void Master to the surface. They were the only Chapter to be deployed in its entirety to the surface of Forridien Prime, down to the last man, and they suffered the heaviest casualties. Their signature weapon is the storm bolter, which they favor for its maneuverability and relentless firepower.  

VII. [i]Seventh Chapter[/i]
6,000 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Ectheliar, Black Guard and Void Master to the Seventh Chapter. He is similar to Nasgalur in temperament and capabilities and the two are thick as thieves. His ship was recently destroyed and Ectheliar and the Seventh Chapter currently reside on the [i]Eclipse[/i] until a replacement is acquired. 

[b]Description:[/b] Together with the Fifth, the Seventh are capable all-rounders. In recent times they have tried to distinguish themselves more by specializing in demolition weaponry and tactics, but it hasn't fully caught on yet -- an enormous explosion is considered inelegant by most of the Void Stalkers. The Seventh is frequently seen as a stepping stone; a place for battle-brothers who have finished their training in the Ninth to find their niche. 

VIII. [i]Eighth Chapter, the Technicians[/i] 
1,500 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Zanthagar, Black Guard, Master Technician and Void Master of the Eighth Chapter. Zanthagar commands a swift [i]Gladius[/i]-class light cruiser, the [i]Comet.[/i] He is more interested in the ships of the Legion's fleet than its Legionnaires, and most stay well-clear of him, though he is highly respected for his technical knowhow. 

[b]Description:[/b] The Eighth Chapter specializes in maintaining the Legion's massive fleet and many of them are rudimentary precursors to the Tech-Marines, informally called the Technicians. Despite not seeing as much combat action as the rest of their battle-brothers, the work of the Technicians is considered honorable and vital to the Legion's success. Like the Fourth Chapter, the Technicians are spread out across the Legion's fleet in order to perform their duties. 

IX. [i]Ninth Chapter, the Neophytes[/i]
9,000 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Querinus, Black Guard and Void Master of the Ninth Chapter. He generally oversees the training of new recruits, along with the Apothecarion. The enormous [i]Infernal[/i]-class battleship known as the [i]Void Maw[/i] holds the Ninth, and has Querinus at the helm. He is widely considered to be the Legion's harshest taskmaster, doling out cruel punishments for perceived failures and precious few words of encouragement. The officers of the Ninth mimic this and encourage the hard-as-nails attitude the Legion is infamous for. 

[b]Description:[/b] Considering the young age of the Legion the Ninth Chapter is the largest of them all, currently numbering almost 9,000 Space Marines, and a disproportionally high number of Stalker-Masters to show the neophytes the ropes. They are deployed behind the formidable vanguard of the First Chapter, or in support of the flexible Fifth and Seventh Chapters. Despite having to give them a taste of war so that they can develop, Gorseval tries to avoid throwing them to the wolves and having them die unnecessarily. 

X. [i]Tenth Chapter[/i]
250 Astartes

[b]Lead by:[/b] Michaal, Master of Secrets and Void Master of the Tenth Chapter. Well-known for looking almost identical to Gorseval, and subsequently the Emperor. He commands a [i]Vengeance[/i]-class grand cruiser, the [i]Black Nova.[/i] Generally considered an enigma. 

[b]Description:[/b] Gorseval, always looking for new methods to dishonorably slaughter his enemies, has commanded Michaal, the second Terran-born of his sons to be Void Master, to perform experiments with chemical and biological weapons. This is a highly secretive project, and even among the Legion very few know exactly what it is that the Tenth Chapter does. They occasionally perform so-called 'black operations' during large theaters of war to perform field tests of the experimental weaponry on the enemy, most notably during the Forridien campaign, when they unleashed a cloud of highly toxic nerve-gas inside an Ork Rok. The Tenth also applied their experimental weaponry during the Liberation of Byzanthrian on a smaller scale, infecting prisoners of war with a horrifying plague to observe the effects. 

[i]Miscellaneous[/i]

[b]Gorseval[/b] the Dark Star, Primarch. Beta-level psyker, skilled swordsman and highly capable strategist. He commands the [i]Apocaypse[/i]-class battleship that functions as the Legion's flagship, the [i]Eclipse.[/i] 

[b]Asmodal[/b], Black Guard and a Stalker-Master of the First Chapter. Asmodal has been by Gorseval's side since the very beginning, serving the Silent King voluntarily, and killed several Space Marines of the Wild Blades and the Bloody Host in the pacification of the Reach. The process of turning him into a Space Marine made him exceptionally large, and he wears one of the Legion's few prized sets of Terminator armor, carrying a multi-melta and a power sword into battle. He is generally considered the Legion's most dangerous combatant. Despite not being in a position of great authority within the Legion, Gorseval possibly values Asmodal's advice above all others. Knows how to brew a mean drink.

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[b]Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role[/b]: The Void Stalkers are in their home element when engaging in void warfare, and are renowned specialists in boarding actions and spaceship combat. Their Legion possesses more battleships than almost any other and they usually become responsible for establishing void superiority when involved in a battle. That doesn't mean their involvement ends there; after the fight in space has been won, the battle on the ground is frequently still going. The Void Stalkers use dropships and deep strike teleportation technology to quickly become involved with the ground war, where they specialize in targeting enemy commanders and demoralizing the enemy through terrorist tactics. The Void Stalkers lay ambushes and prefer to fight inside or underground, bunkering down deep inside enemy territory and delivering devastating strikes before vanishing into the shadows.

Gorseval himself often oversees the battle directly and uses his considerable psychic powers to predict enemy movements and identify weak positions, though he doesn't lead from the front. Captured enemy commanders are brought before Gorseval for him to break so that he may learn their secrets. If necessary, the Void Stalkers will utilize a primitive predecessor of the Exterminatus protocol in the form of sustained orbital bombardment. 

The flagship of the Void Stalkers, the [i]Eclipse[/i], is an [i]Apocalypse[/i]-class battleship that Gorseval personally commands. It has been retrofitted with enhanced shield flux capacitors that allow quick redirection of power to boost certain parts of the shields, and weaken others, to take maximum advantage of the psychic foresight that Gorseval is capable of. It is designed to protect those parts of the ship that are about to be hit, instead of the entire structure. This allows the [i]Eclipse[/i] to direct more power to the Lance batteries that line the broadsides of the ship, turning it into a veritable planet-killer. 

Like most Legions, the Void Stalkers are divided into ten Chapters. Each of these Chapters is headed by a Void Master, and all but two of these Void Masters are also part of the Black Guard. In addition to being Chapter commanders, these Void Masters are also captains of their own battleships, frigates or cruisers, where their word is absolute law, second only to Gorseval's or the Emperor's. They only rarely descend to the surface in a ground war, preferring to command their Chapter from the stratosphere with their ships in geosynchronous orbital anchor. 

During boarding actions, deep strikes or prolonged ground wars, it is one of the Stalker-Masters that assumes control over a Company or a Tactical squad. The Void Stalkers rarely fight as a single, cohesive unit, instead spreading out over the battlefield in small groups of up to one hundred Space Marines. They use long-range vox comms to coordinate their attacks, but avoid creating a centralized front for the enemy to attack. The Stalker-Masters are experts at what they call 'shadow warfare', and are responsible for carrying out the Void Stalkers' infamous tactics of assassination, abduction and guerrilla warfare. 

[b]Legion Characteristics/Ideology[/b]: The Void Stalkers are extremely rigid and emotionless both in combat and out. They revere Gorseval above all else, including the Emperor, and will not hesitate to lay down their lives for him. They are cold, calculating and logical, and don't engage in frivolous activities like small talk or hobbies. Every waking second is spent preparing for the next fight. They care little for the lives of others outside the Legion, including other Space Marines, and will sometimes kill whole swaths of innocents to complete an objective. Terra, and the Imperium it represents, means nothing to them -- they exist to serve the Silent King. 

The elite core of the Void Stalkers is comprised of the Black Guard, an informal title for the men of the Reach that served Gorseval before the Emperor found him. They are the very best of the best that the asteroid collective had to offer, having survived both a war with the Eldar and the guerrilla campaign against the Emperor's forces. As such, some of them are very good at killing Space Marines. Some of them also serve as Gorseval's personal advisers, though he has a tendency to ignore their words. There are roughly 500 of them scattered throughout the ranks of the Legion, though they make up the bulk of the leadership and the officer cadre. 

The Void Stalkers are moderately superstitious and revere Gorseval as their supreme leader, who they often still refer to as the Silent King (especially the Black Guard and fresh recruits from the Reach do this). Gorseval is seen as a prophet among the people of the Reach, born of the hallowed void, sent to lead them to a better future. Because the psyker mutation never occurred among the Reachborn, Gorseval's powers were seen as supernatural and divine before the Reach was brought into the fold of the Imperium. 

[b]Hated Enemy (optional)[/b]: Gorseval has a particular hatred for the Eldar, who were the first significant enemy to resist him. He still searches for the Craftworld that harassed him so much before he was found by the Emperor.[/hider]