~ Warhammer 40,000; Vigil ~
~
"The answer you seek, Lord Admiral, is within the the problem of the question itself. You cannot simply inquire about the survival odds of the Imperium for it is already long doomed to fail. It is a question of whether or not pure and faithful humanity can prevail..."
"And what are your thoughts on that particular matter, Lord Commander?"
"..."
"Lord Commander...?"
"Even though...every single threat before us is infallible proof of our mutually assured destruction or indoctrination...every victory behind us proves otherwise. Our race is an impossibility of imperfection perfected, Admiral. Wherever pure, untainted humanity will go to from here is anyone's guess."
"Farewell...Lord Commander..."
We find ourselves perched along as observers to the dawn of the forty-second millennium. The Imperium of Man, in all of it's grim and tainted glory, has crumbled into thousands of splintered factions. It began on Cadia, when Abaddon sacrificed his physical form to become the living vessel to a massive warp storm. The entire sector was swallowed whole as the Eye of Terror grew larger than ever before. Meanwhile, tragedy befalls upon Terra as the Golden Throne rusts into a dysfunctional state. The entire planet trembled with quakes as what little remained of the Emperor began erratically twitching, and in the very blink of an eye it all happened. An electrical surge of psychic energy transformed a home into a graveyard for hundreds of billions of citizens, ranking from the most powerful and influential to the most pathetic scum in the galaxy. Thousands of Imperial ships traversing the Immaterium had been lost forever, and the true time of ending had begun.
~
The Approaching Dusk...
A beacon has shown itself to all the forces of the galaxy. Situated within the outer fringes of the Ultima Segmentum, what can only be described as a psychic beacon completely outmatching the power of the Astronomican has continued to shine brightly for the last decade. Only four Imperial battlefleets had survived the utter chaos of the Fall of the Imperium, and had reorganized their forces within the beacon's sector. For the better half of ten years, no other outside contact was possible for the sector's obscurity and the beacon's power allowed it to throw other's off it's scent. Yet nothing would last forever in the end, sadly.
It was on the fifth day of August, the 19th year of the 42nd Millennium. Reports came in from the outermost rim of the Alisae Sector, thousands of hostile contacts swarming all radars. Having expected a hive fleet of Tyranids, the four battlefleets met face to face with an armada of battle barges bearing the various banners of the Ruinous Powers. It was Chaos Undivided come knocking upon their doors, seeking the power of the psychic beacon. As they proceeded to exchange fire, the massive ensuing conflict caused the destruction of a nearby moon. The astroid debris knocked out entire fleets on both sides, causing an effective stalemate.
Regrettably, aboard that very moon was a yet another strange beacon. Not psychic, but mechanical in nature. It's assured destruction had been the chiming bell to awaken a darkness within the galaxy. There had to have been a reason for the oddly clustered twenty one planets orbiting around in one sector. Regardless, Vigil would remain the one untainted garden world. It's forefront defenses still unprepared against the rise of the cryptic machines.
As the Chaos Armada reassembled, they met head on with the remaining three battlefleets of the shattered empire. After a solid three months of conflict, the Imperial fleets were wiped out with few ships returning planetside. Space hulks carrying the plagues of Nurgle crashed along the dozens of hive cities planetside, hundreds of Khornate and Tzeentchian battle barges taking Imperial forts by sheer force. It took over two months for the Imperial forces to regroup, counter attack and reclaim a concrete territory. Reports soon came in that thousands of gigantic space hulks just struck a massive Tyranid Hive Fleet head on beyond the mid-rim's asteroid field. Currently engaged in a stalemate, they continue ruthlessly and recklessly fighting with no side gaining on the other. Unidentified vessels have reportedly entered the west- southern fringes of uninhabited glacial islands, while rumors of Dark Eldar ships reinforcing the Chaos Armada concern the ground troop's resistance. Vigil, at the heart of the Alisae Sector, has become the eye of the storm for a war prophesied to change the course of the galaxy forever.
~
~ As prophesied by both sorcerers of Tzeentch as well as Imperial sanctioned Psykers, nine individuals from various backgrounds would gather unexpectedly on the planet of Vigil. These individuals have been titled many things, the Conduits of Fate, the Saviors of the Galaxy, the Keys to the Immaterium in rare manuscripts...
- The Vigilant Guard (Filled)
- The Symbol of Courage (Filled)
- The Siphon of Blood (Filled)
- The Harbinger of Decay (Filled)
- The Envious One (Available, Dark Eldar or Slaaneshi heretic or marine.)
- The Prophet of Ending (Available, Tzeentchian Sorcerer or Psyker with powerful aspirations.)
- The Hallowed Observer (Filled)
- The Warlord (Available, Ork Warboss whose size and strength matches his intelligence and cunning.)
- The Passenger (Played by me, a rogue trader whose role in the uncovering events is yet unknown.)
001.M42 - Abbadon the Despoiler conveys his spiritual energy to become a vessel to Warp Storm Vindication, Cadia and other surrounding sectors are swallowed into the now expanded Eye of Terror
002.M42 - The Golden Throne rusts away, becoming completely dysfunctional. As the Emperor seemingly dies, all of Terra is enveloped within a surge of psychic energy. Thus begins the disorganization of the Administratum, the splintering of the Astra Militarum and the disbandment of planetary governments from the Imperium of Man.
004.M42 - Ork fleets are appearing in dozens of systems across the galaxy, converging toward the Ultima Segmentum. Warbands from the Thousand Sons and World Eaters conflict heavily within the Eye of Terror. The Seven Plagues overwhelm hundreds of civilizations within the Segmentum Obscurus.
007.M42 - Thousands of Ork warbands pillage their way through the Ultima Segmentum. The Thousand Sons and World Eaters warbands form a strained alliance named The Ruinous Pact, Death Guard legions join them.
008.M42 - The Angels of Ecstasy join the Ruinous Pact, cultists of all loyalties number in the hundreds of billions as thousands of battle barges storm out from the Eye of Terror. Ork warbands continue pushing further into the Ultima Segmentum as Tyranid Hive Fleets pop up around the outer rim of the galaxy.
009.M42 - Sorcerers of Tzeentch compile the Prophecy of Vigil, detailing future events in vague and cryptic detail. They confess that even the Lord of Change himself holds no power to how the coming events will shape and change the universe forever.
012.M42 - The Segmentum Obscurus is declared lost to the Ruinous Powers. Chaos effectively controls an entire sector of the galaxy.
015.M42 - The largest Waaagh! In ever recorded history gathers outside the Alisea System, preparing to take on over a dozen Tyranid Hive Fleets encroaching toward Vigil.
019.M42 - The Alisae Orbital Conflicts begin, starting off with a stalemate on both Chaos and Imperial sides. Eventually the Chaos Armada manages to wipe out another 1/4th of the Imperial battlefleets, giving them the space needed to land several warships on Vigil. The War for Vigil begins as the Seven Plagues of Nurgle begin eradicating the Eastern Hive City Collective. World Eater and Thousand Sons legions annihilate hundreds of Imperial forts in the first two weeks. Two months later Imperial Command commences an operation known as October Rain, reclaiming a fourth of lost fortresses and storming Death Korps and Armageddon legions through the Eastern Hive City Collective. The war is about to get even more interesting, however...
~ Creating your character will be a relatively freeform and open concept. You are encouraged to create your titled character with as much liberty as you feel reasonable, without making it too overpowered. But, to make things simple, i'll outline an optional template.
Title: (Chosen prophetic title)
Name:
Appearance: (Pictures are fine, however if choosing worded detail I expect a good and vivid use of imagery.)
Equipment/Weapons Loadout: (Please be reasonable with this, not every species can carry five weapons and two hundred pounds of equipment on their backs.)
Psychological Profile: (A brief explanation of their personality and any quirks they might have.)
Brief Biography: (Notable battles fought, events witnessed/participated in, strange happenings, contacts or relationships made, etc.)
"I see...a passenger. With them lies the secret to forging the keys, the keys to the Immaterium. They will never know the severity of their actions until the dawning, when they will bear witness to all that they have accomplished."
~ Lord Captain Dhalia Belazovsky
-- Standing at a fair-height of 5'11, her long flowing black hair retains a certain degree of volume even in the heat of battle. A shadow appears to mask her aura, enveloping her as she blends perfectly within crowds as well as her surrounding environment. Her attire often has a flashy tint of jewelry or old war medals with an overall ordinary or otherwise un-intimidating set of clothing.
~ Equipment; An experimental holographic link to her most immediate crew is implanted in her right eye. A smooth wooden pipe laced with steel and rubber fits neatly in her jacket pocket, with a variety of spices and herbs on her at all times. She additionally wears an oddly shaped stone with even stranger symbols etched around it tied to a rope around her neck.
~ Weapon; A bolt-pistol of an odd, foreign looking human design inhabits her left holster. She additionally wields a standard Imperial combat shotgun strapped along her chest when headed into a firefight. A power blade is strapped to one of her ankles, with a worn and bloodied chainsword hanging through her right holster.
~ Psychological Profile; Dhalia remains the calm, cool and collected woman she was since the day she was awarded the honor of becoming a rogue trader. Her shady surface is masked by secrets that keep her from becoming too attached to anyone, as she maintains distance from even her first mates. Those who've tried to reach out to her are often met with harsh, cold replies. In battle she remains recklessly lucky, bullets and blades seemingly appear to curve around her at will. In melee scuffles she is said to almost become blurry in her swift reflexes, always with a wicked grin across her face as her opponents meet their end. Those who do become closely affiliated with her remark how insensitive they are when seeing her in danger, for they wonder if she ever truly is.
~ Brief Biography; What little is known about her past, her former identity and the person she arose to become today is kept secret between her closest of allies. Only the four she trusts most within her retinue know what she is capable of physically and mentally, further driving their insensitivities towards her and her objectives. Their loyalty is kept partially through comradeship, their history's spent together fueling their drive to complete whatever they set out to do.
For over a dozen years she has fought one foe or another, for the past six she spent scanning the furthest edges of the galaxy charting new locations. Along the way she met a few interesting individuals, whom she has accepted into her retinue.
-First Mate Azri Vin'Dyar, her right hand woman who has been with her from the start. They are almost never seen apart, always fighting, debating or relaxing side by side. There are things she knows of Dhalia that no one else does.
- Quartermaster Victus, When chartering a world scattered with islands, Dhalia noticed a single vessel patrolling the seas. A small crew of forty men abandoned by the Imperium had survived on the habitable world thanks to Commissar Victus. He had effectively halted seven mutinies by killing off 9/10ths of the surviving guardsmen, the remaining forty had immediately shaped up and became hardened survivors let into Dhalia's private army. Ironically it was by his suggestion that the crew turn pirate.
- First Officer Callahan, On the Imperial Prison World of Sethar, Dhalia was summoned by Imperial High Command to quell the uprising staged there. At this point no one knew of her recent pirating activities, event against the Imperium, so she promptly arrived at Sethar seeking more men for her army. When she stormed through the front door, she saw Callahan leading a group of over three hundred prisoners against an onslaught of well trained PDFs. Armed with nothing but concrete, rebar poles, and makeshift firearms they strategically ambushed and tricked their overwhelming enemy straight toward the docking area. When they finally met, he was promised a high ranking position among his comrades in exchange for serving in her private army. Four years to the day he and his men have slaughtered every threat against the crew.
- Renegade Inquisitor Odahr, Not much is known of Odahr or his "pet", Ghorn, only that the hive world they were discovered on has been redacted from all known galactic records. Rumors that he worshiped Tzeentch, or that he created Ghorn, are often silenced by Dhalia herself.
- Mutant Chieftain Ghorn, A brutish thing, he stands over nine feet tall and appears like a brick wall from a distance. While he keeps his pact of horrendous mutants in check, he himself is kept in line by Odahr.
- Dhalia's Private Army; From renegade guardsmen to bands of mercenary thugs, Dhalia's own private army of several thousand is loosely held together by strict enforcement, barely manageable living wages and a like-minded concept of appreciation for a good fight.
- Ghorn's Pact; Partly kept in line by Ghorn, partly kept in line by a love of alcohol. These few hundred mutant raiders are nothing more than a drunken band of brutes with bad tempers.
- Dhalia's Personal Valkyrie; An experimental prototype meant for stealthy drop offs, reconnaissance and beefier turrets for added protection. It is a sleak, shiny black Valkyrie with a skull and crossbones painted along the side. She's taken to naming it the "Crow".
"As despair suffocates the weak and the hopeless, a Symbol of Courage will rise from the fog of battle. He will save as many as he will slaughter, and lose thrice that in men. Ultimately, in the end it will be decided if he truly owes Vigil his body and soul."
~ Brother Arkos Leantes (Pathfinder)
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout: Tyrannic War Veteran Power Armor, Relic Bolt Pistol, Loi-Pattern Burning Blade, a chain of frag grenades meant to take as many of the bastards with him as possible, and the Banner of Macragge.
~ Psychological Profile: Arkos is tired. For centuries he fought and killed for the Emperor but when he learned that the thrown and all of Holy Terra was destroyed, he fell into a deep melancholy. He gazed upon what was left and for the first time, he knew fear. However, after the brief mourning period he shook off the shackles of grief and returned with a vigor he hadn't felt since his first several decades of his service. Renewed with a cause, Arkos armed himself with the weapons that could be saved and took up the Banner of Macragge. Arkos views himself as the last generation of standard bearers and is adamant to uphold his role as one.
If we are doomed to die than we shall cause the Ruinous Powers to choke upon us on our way out.
~ Brief Biography: Arkos has personally been in more battles than he could possibly ever remember however one battle is forever branded in his mind. He is a veteran of the Battle of Marcragge, a sergeant at the time. When the drop pods landed he and his battle brothers saw first hand the devastation of the tyranid hordes upon their home world. The fighting brutal, savage, and bloody. However everyone knows what happened afterwards, the 1st company was destroyed and the 3rd and 7th were sorely diminished but they had come out victorious.
Since that whole sordid affair, Arkos was one of the first batch of Tyrannic War Veterans to join the reconstituted 1st company and has since then been in many other battles involving the Tyranid hordes.
- Maccrage Veterans 1st Company; What few brothers were left that had survived the horrors of Maccrage took with them their physical and emotional scars to the reconstituted 1st Company. Through a system of sharing the stories of horrors faced, these few hundred battle brothers have forged a bond no mere Ruinous Power could break.
- The Novus Terminatus; No one could record exactly how the Novamarines, a brother chapter to the Ultramarines, met their ultimate demise. When word of their fortress monastery's destruction reached thr surviving members, they scrambled to save their home. Only forty marines returned from the attempt to reclaim their home, the blood of daemonspawn coating their terminator armour. They pledged sole allegiance to the Ultramarine's 1st Company, with no other goals to defend but man itself.
- The Howling Griffons Remnants; Just hours prior to the Invasion of Vigil, the Howling Griffons were at full strength next to their Ultramarine brothers. All it took was a single plague hulk crashing through their lines followed by extensive bombardment from several battle barges, and they were effectively wiped out. Only a platoon of seventy five strong remained on planet, witnessing the death of their chapter as hundreds of their ships came crashing from orbit, along with seven plague hulks.
- Black Templar's Kill Squads; When the Black Templars also learned of their monastery's destruction followed by the death of a chapter master, a strike force was already on Vigil. Two days prior to Operation October Rain, the strike force of three hundred initiated an unwarranted assault on Fort Tiber. They succesfully reclaimed the fort, losing almost all of their men in the reckless procedure. The remaining twenty five templars split into five teams of five, proceeding to initiate dangerous hit and run tactics on enemy posistions to thin their numbers.
"Once the Symbol of Courage succeeds in reclaiming the Key of Purity, it will be passed on to a Vigilant Guard. He will become the living beacon of hope for a shattered empire, and for a brief moment he will let the sun shine brightly before the dawning..."
~ Rune Lord Kurn Wolfstalon (Mattmanganon)
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout: Force Staff, Psy-Cannon, Runic Tartaros-patter Terminator Armour, Belt of Russ.
~ Psychological Profile: A being of indeterminate mental condition. Having lost most of his chapter to a trap by their most hated of enemies, the Thousand Sons, Kurn has become increasingly more desperate, turning away from some of the more established doctrines in order to ensure the safety of humanity. Many would call him a heretic for actually rescuing an Eldar Farseer, but desperate times called for desperate measures, as he see's it, the Eldar are deceitful, but they share a common enemy in Chaos, and with the destruction of the holy mothers of Fenris and Terra, allies are a commodity that one must suffer aliens to live in order to survive. Kurn may be a Rune Lord, but he will always be at the forefront of the charge, riding astride Russ, his great Cyberwolf. Much like his Primarch, he believes that Psyker powers do not give one the right to fight without honour, but can be used to tip the tide of battle in his favour.
~ Brief Biography: A being of great psyker potential, born on the Holy Mother, Fenris, he grew up as most youths did, hunting in the unforgiving wastes. Then, one night, whilst still a boy, his brother took him out fishing, an activity that they both enjoyed. Whilst on the ice, they were confronted by a giant Fenrisian Thunderwolf, a creature that his tribe considered to be invincible behemoths. The Wolf attacked his brother, who barely managed to escape, thanks to the intervention of Kurn, who roared a roar that the great Wolf King, Leman Russ, would have been proud. The Wolf doubled over in pain before seemingly being lifted into the air and thrown clear across the lake. It retreated and Kurn fell unconcious, but just before he did, he saw The image of a giant, metal man, clad in the pelt of a wolf, and adorning his head with its skull, approaching him. the Sky Warriors came for him, taking him to their great fortress atop the highest mountain on Fenris. They tortured him far beyond the breaking point of any 7 year old, but it was all because they knew he could take it, they sensed a powerful connection to The Warp inside of him. He was taken to the middle of the wastes and braved the 1000 mile walk back to the fortress, as all aspiring Sky Warriors do, and upon returning, was greeted by the Wolf Lord, Ulrik. Over the following years, he was trained by the various Rune Priests, before his powers grew to the extent that he was given to Njal Stormcaller, the Rune Lord, for training.
Eventually, he was finally sent into battle for the Space Wolves. Fighting against the forces of Chaos. His psyker powers proved enough to overcome even a Great Unclean One. The rest of the campaign proved successful and he was granted Terminator Honours for his feats agains the Daemons. He was then placed under the direct command of Wolf Lord Mogh Ironfang. Mogh was an excellent commander, specializing in mechanized warfare, as with most other "Iron" lords. Kurns abilities to control the elements proved useful, creating blizzards to mask their approach, summoning ice shard storms to cut down the unsuspecting foes, and even manifesting the jaws of the World Wolf in order to destroy their more heavily armoured enemies. The pair cut a bloody swath through the chaos lines that surrounded the Eye of Terror. But, it was not to last, when Abaddon finally succeeded in his plans of expanding the Eye of Terror, their battlegroup was answering a distress call from the Mordian sector, which, Although fortunately took them away from the Eye before it engulfed them, Cadia and the Holy Mother Fenris, unfortunately turned out to be a chaos trap, set by The Emperor's Children. Mordia fell in 180 hours... Even the assistance of Eldar that had followed the Slaaneshi worshipers in order to ambush them once they sprung their trap, proved in vain, Mogh was killed in a duel against the Chaos Lord, succeeding in killing him, but too weakened by the fight to fend off the Keeper of Secrets that rose from the fallen Chaos Lords body.
Kurn accepted the field-promotion to Rune Lord in order to take control of the remaining forces and called in the all-retreat. Knowing that the battle was lost and planning to take their forces to regroup, before committing to a counter attack. With the extreme losses at Mordia, his Space Wolves number only 79. But, took solace in that he was able to rescue over a thousand Mordian Guard that joined his cause. Just as he was in the planning stages of the counter attack, he received word that a fleet was massing at Vigil and so set course. If humanity was at its twilight, then it was going to go down fighting.
- Wolfstalon's Chapter; The remnants of his forces, while numbering only 79, are deathly loyal and headstrong. No horror of war can shake their resolve, and even in the face of utter defeat they would still fight for victory.
- Mordian Guard Remnants; With Mordia gone, the last thousand Iron guardsmen had lost their hearts. When they looked upon their fellow brothers, however, they realized part of them was Mordia. They carried their home in their hearts, and they would defend it to the death.
- The Spirit Wolves; As the Valiance and it's fleet made the treacherous leap through the Warp toward Vigil, they were met with unexpected ships on the other side. Of unknown origins, these ships carried the Primarch, Leman Russ, and battalions of powerful space wolves seemingly bolstered with psychic power. The Primarch spoke of several paradises within the Immaterium, of powerful places. When he boarded the Valiance, a platoon of fifty of these space wolves were put under Kurn's command. The Primarch spoke briefly with the Rune Lord, before leading the bulk of his forces toward Vigil.
- Vigil's Fighting First; With Operation October Rain being more successful than originally intended, a regiment of twelve hundred soldiers attributed it to their actions alone. While a highly contested opinion, Vigil's 1st Regiment has definitely proved itself time and time again. They have since than volunteered under Wolfstalon's command.
- Steel Legion Field-Declared Demolitionists Company; During Operation October Rain, a selective group of volunteers worked together to destroy the hive city Tirahn in a blaze of hellfire and explosions. The forces of Nurgle suffered a serious loss, not anticipating a small strike force capable of eradicating their own people with such mercilessness and tactics. These odd one hundred or so men and women are veterans of the Armageddon Steel Legions, banding together with a mutual cause to blow up as much of the opposition as possible.
- The Imperial 1st Armored Regiment;
"I never thought I'd see the day where I stood in front of a thousand Leman Russes ready to go. Wow...that's a lot of tanks." The largest force of armored firepower, armored troop transport and heavy tanks have gathered on Vigil, steamrolling through several victories during Operation October Rain. After the death of Lord Commander Wyson, Rune Lord Kurn Wolfstalon was unexpectedly placed under total command of the armored divisions.
"A Siphon of Blood will create rivers of flowing crimson, he will construct out of the bones of his enemies a pure mockery of the Golden Throne, and atop it he will sit and observe the glorious victory within his grasp."
~ Champion Leonothas Kargan, the Red Wolf
~ Appearance:
Standing nearly seven and a half feet tall, his body is a hulking mass of bulging muscles with long, powerful limbs and thick hands that could easily crush a man's skull with minimal effort. The nails of his finger have grown rather large and dark, each forming into a sharp point. They bear a striking resemblance to claws. His skin is a light olive and is covered in thick patches of coarse black hair; around his chest, back, arms, and hands especially; though recently areas of hard red-brown scales have begun to appear on the base of his neck and around his shoulders and thighs. His scalp is the only part of his body that is hairless, though dozens of outdated implant cables meant to connect to his power armor and similar interfaces almost give him the appearance of having silver dreadlocks. Thick jagged eyebrows are angled over his bright golden eyes and his thin-lipped mouth, which droops at the edges to form a perpetual grimace, is filled with several sharpened fangs.
In his power armor, his physique becomes all the more terrifying. Giant plates of jagged red and black metal adorn his body, each outlined in rusted, stained brass. Upon his shoulders and his knee plates is the terrifying symbol of his chapter: the circle of chaos becoming an inhuman fanged maw that is closing upon an indistinct world. Twisted metal spikes line his jump-pack and each of his forearms is wrapped in thick metal chain that extends around his weapons of battle; a simple, but effective way to make sure they are not lost when the blood rage fills his mind.
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout: Mark VI Veteran Power Armor, Valkyris Pattern Jump Pack, Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol, Corrupted Frost Blade: Khornesgrin.
All equipment was ‘stolen’ from the Space Wolves Chapter and have thus become tainted by the ruinous powers, in particular the chain sword. It was once known as ‘Wintermaw’, a relic Frost Blade made of an ancient alloy decorated in icy blue power runes made from energy crystal that glowed with power and fitted with the teeth of a Fenrisian Ice Kraken. Its hilt was formed into a wolf’s head, large jaw seeming to bear the blade between its fangs. Truly, it was a prized weapon of the Space Wolves and was thus bestowed upon Leonothas with great honors.
It has since succumbed to the dark blood rituals of Chaos: the teeth and runes of the weapon now bare a sinister crimson glow and the wolf’s head hilt has lost its noble air, becoming a fierce and feral creature with slathering mouth hanging open in twisted rage. When used in combat, one would swear it drips with vile spittle as if the weapon itself craves blood and flesh.
~ Psychological Profile:
When out of combat, Leonothas is surprisingly calm and collected; a shrewd commander and cunning tactician. He rarely displays emotion besides annoyance or anger and looks to those he determines to be ‘weak’ with disdain, while simultaneously hating those who prey on such weakness. This air of a noble and honorable warrior is often shaken, however, when he becomes inflicted by vivid hallucinations of people from his past: usually his dead wife and son. Unable to tell the difference between them and reality, their presence is a powerful corrupting influence on his mind and sanity. In his more controlled times, he believes that through a warriors death he can someday join them within the Blood God and so seeks to best as many warriors as possible.
”You say that my God is one of murder… of war… of death incarnate… Yet I say he a God of life, for all that truly lives can bleed and that blood is precious to them. It is precious to Him also. He holds the blood of my family, now, and someday he will hold mine as well. Until then… you will make a worthy sacrifice.”
When battle is joined, an entirely different side of Leonothas is shown: one of pure bestial fury and rage, of red-hot burning hatred for any and all things, and a sadistic joy in the sight of the spray of blood. Hallucinations and delusions run rampant as the monstrous warrior cuts a swath through anything that is foolish enough to stand before him, becoming stronger and stronger the longer combat lasts. Even his own warriors know better than to approach Leonothas when he falls into such a way for they are well aware that his murderous intent will only abate when no more victims are left breathing.
"Hack! Slash! Burn! Bleed! Kill them all, leave none standing! KILL! KILL! KILL!"
~ Biography:
Like all other Space Wolves before him, Leonothas was born on Fenris to a small outlying tribe of nomad hunter-gatherers. He was strong in his youth; a capable hunter, though never a warrior, and much loved by his people. There was a time when he was disappointed that the ‘Sky Warriors’ never saw fit to choose him for their ranks, but that quickly passed as the task of surviving the harsh and unforgiving world was ever present. At 16 he married the love of his life, a girl from a neighboring friendly tribe, and within two years she bore him a son.
It was the happiest time of his life, but was doomed to end in blood.
In 968.M21, Fenris was infiltrated by a cult of Khorne and several of the Fenrisian tribes succumbed to its dark influence. One such tribe, led by the cultist who’d instigated the planet’s ‘conversion’, sought to make a worthy sacrifice to their new god and so descended upon Leonothas’ tribe in the dead of night. The smaller group of nomads put up a noble fight but was clearly fighting a losing battle and in the heat of it all Leonothas’ wife and son were slain. This sent the warrior into a rage and he cut a bloody swath through the enemy; personally lopping the head off the cultist leader. Just before the remaining tribesmen descended upon him the great scream of jump packs filled the air and much to everyone’s amazement and fear a squadron of Sky Warriors was in their midst. The Space Wolves had been well aware of the cult spreading upon their home and had been monitoring the behavior of each tribe from their Fortress Monetary. Wars between the tribals were not uncommon, but this particular conflict came from no apparent blood feud or territory war and so immediately caught their suspicion. Preparing their forces from the shadows, they sought to use the small tribe as a distraction until the leader revealed himself, though they had been too slow to reach him before Leonothas did. Within a matter of minutes the Space Marines had slaughtered the corrupted tribe to the last man.
Though most Chapter recruits were taken at an earlier age, they looked favorably upon Leonothas for his display in battle and so took him with them to the Monestary to both interrogate him regarding the cult and to, possibly, put him into the next group of recruits. He passed their trials and survived their augmentations, all the while being harshly indoctrinated with the ideals of one who ‘serves the God Emperor and mankind’. Before long, all memory of his previous life had vanished and he found himself a fierce and honorable Space Marine of the Space Wolves Chapter.
For nearly 30 years he served on the front lines of the Chapter, distinguishing himself for his fearlessness, his battle lust, and his skills in close-range combat and was eventually promoted into the Skyclaws as the leader of an assault squad. Here his accolades only grew as he gained victory of victory against the enemies of man, even having the relic Frost Blade ’Wintermaw’ bestowed upon him. Near the end of the millennium, he found himself in Cadia as part of the Chapter battlegroup defending the sector. Leading the defenders of one of the hive worlds, Leonothas found himself separated from his unit and injured by the round of a chaos bolter. He would likely have perished there on the street if not for the aid of a kind civilian who, with the help of her family, took him into hiding. He was amazed at the mortal’s bravery and something about her appearance gave him pause, though he knew not what it was. After a time, he was nursed back to health and was able to rejoin his battle brothers, leading a heroic counter-attack that sent the enemy running. His elation at this victory was short lived, however, when the Chapter command came down that they were to evacuate the planet and leave the populace. Leonothas fiercely protested, thinking of the woman who had saved him, saying that billions of innocent lives would be lost and that if they were only able to attack the enemy head on they would surely emerge the victor. The order was final, as command saw the planet beyond redemption and deserving only of an orbital cleansing that would reduce everything to ash.
As the majority of his forces were being pulled out, Leonothas disobeyed a direct order and led a small squad of volunteers back to the planet’s surface, hoping to reach the planetary comm. system and announce the planet-wide evacuation. Fighting from street corner to street corner, they stopped to rescue the family that had saved Leonothas and eventually made it to the station, barricading themselves inside. Before the announcement could be made the orbital cleansing began and the honorable Space Marine knew that they would soon die from the bombardment, sacrifices of the cowardly Imperium. It was at that moment that Abbaddon’s ritual was completed several planets away and the entire system became another part of the Eye of Terror. The cleansing ceased as the new warp storm raged around the planet and in the lull, Leonothas looked down to the woman who he’d been shielding but found that she was already dead; her weaker body had been broken by the concussive force of the Imperial bombardment. In that moment, the greater part of his Space Marine indoctrination failed and the memories of his past life came rushing back. This caused him to realize why this woman felt so important to him: she was a spitting image of the wife he had lost long ago. For the second time, the Emperor had betrayed him and let those he cared for die out of simple cowardice. If the Sky Warriors had only fought back on Fenris, his wife might still be alive. If the Space Wolves had only fought on Cadia, this innocent woman might still be alive.
This loss broke his mind and he flew into a blinding rage just as the forces of Chaos finally regrouped and descended upon the station. He slaughtered them as they came, wave after wave, until his blue-grey armor was stained red and dripped blood as he ran until finally they overwhelmed him through sheer force of numbers. Had these foes been ‘normal’ heretics they might have slain him right then and there, but these were ’World Eaters’ and they valued anyone who could fight with such bloodthirsty rage. For the second time in his life, he was taken from a pile of his enemy’s corpses only this time he needed no brutal indoctrination, no wiping of his memory. From that day onward, Leonothas’ sole purpose was revenge against the weak Imperium that would hide behind a shield of unarmed civilians.
His fearsome rage and bloodlust only grew as the years passed and more and more red and brass armored warriors fell in behind him. They followed the flow of war, from one planet to the next, until finally the planet ‘Vigil’ was in their sights.
- Kargan's Following; Thousands of heretical space marines follow behind the Red Wolf, their thirst for blood growing ever dire as the closer they get to Vigil.
- The Blood Wolves; The red and brass that followed Kargan's conquest weren't the only Chaos marines to take notice. In the shadows a reclusive traitorous legion, responsible for the massacre of billions across the Ultima Segmentum, made themselves known. The Blood Wolves, heretical Space Wolves who've sworn themselves to Khorne, met Kargan upon a world mere days before making the jump to Vigil. They bowed before him, surrendering their total allegiance to his cause.
- The Skull Throne; When Kargan and his newfound Blood Wolves made the jump through the Warp on their route to Vigil, a strange happening occurred. Their ships had suddenly vanished, and they had been relatively suspended in mid-air, observing the encroaching dark void that began to envelop them. They had all nearly suffocated within the confines of a freezing, empty atmosphere, before lights suddenly flickered on. Kargan and his wolves found themselves within what appeared to be a massive space hulk, adorned in skulls, bones and markings of Khorne. The ship's structure itself was relatively flush and organized, matching no known form of battleship in any recorded data. Within the core of the ship was an elegant gothic-style fountain of blood, with a tremendously large and vivid statue of the Lord of Blood himself.
- The Cult of Kharneth; As Kargan's personal crusade of blood led him to Vigil, his acts did not go unnoticed. Hundreds of thousands of cultists have amassed into a single gathering, boarding dozens of battle barges donning the Mark of Khorne as they follow the Skull Throne into battle.
- The Iron Bones Traitor Legion; Upon one such battle barge a legion of traitorous guardsmen await a glorious battle. Clad in iron helmets and armor, their makeshift weaponry and unmanaged firearms prove surprisingly and lethally effective against enemy infantry.
- Iron Bone's Blessed Armored Divisions; Blessed by the Lord of Blood & Skulls, nearly a hundred daemonic engines are operated by the Iron Bones guardsmen. Additionally, dozens of stolen and acquired chimeras and leman russ tanks are also operated within the divisions.
- The Unbound Hordes of Blood; Within the Skull Throne lies a watery portal of a crimson shade from which endless legions of khornate daemons spawn.
- The Wolves of Kharneth; One of many gifts supplied to Kargan on the Skull Throne. A pack of eight tremendous wolves, Fenrisian in nature, loyally serve their new master. Blood and saliva constantly oozes from their massive jaws, their mangy fur thin enough to see the outline of their thick bones. Blades and bullets seem to absorb into their flesh, as they pounce and devour any threat to their master at will.
"The seven plagues will be wrought upon the innocent by the Harbinger of their decay. Billions will bow before him, pleading for his mercy. None will be safe from his contagious aura, as he claims a permanent seat for himself upon the infested cities of his conquest."
~ Chaos Lord Athanagoras Fel
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout
- A corrupted rosarius.
- A powerful force stave known as a Plague staff
- Psychic amplifier: An alpha/alpha-plus psyker, Lord Fel relies on his considerable warp-powers along with the durability and strength granted by the wasting powers of Nurgle in combat. His ornate helmet is inscribed with powerful warp-runes designed to augment his power.
~ Psychological Profile:
Lord Fel reflects the dark beneficence of his master Nurgle, manifesting kindness, humor, generosity and even honor- all, of course, irredeemably twisted by the dark power of the Warp into perversions of their true forms. Beneath a mask of unflappable amiability and politesse lies cold cunning and megalomaniac ambition. Fel is driven by the desire to freeze the universe into a decayed, diseased stasis, a twisted image of the Imperium of Man, ruled by himself as its god-king. Convinced that in the eternal stagnation granted by the lord of decay lies the salvation of mankind, Fel is believes his work is the only possible salvation of the Imperium.
A shrewd manipulator, Fel is intensely hostile towards the other chaotic powers- though pragmatic enough to work with them when he must. Still considering himself a servant of the late Emperor and an Inquisitor, Fel possesses a certain admiration and fondness towards the servants of the Imperium- a fondness, it must be said, that does not prevent him from unleashing horrifying disease and destruction upon the dead Emperor's servants when it suits his purposes to do so.
~ Brief Biography:
Athanagoras Fel was once an Inquisitor in the service of the Imperium of Man, and for centuries hunted down the servants of the dark gods he would eventually come to serve. The scion an aristocratic family on Scintilla, Fel's intellectual curiosity and psychic power naturally inclined him toward radical philosophies within the Holy Ordos. He was famous within the Inquisition for his incredible charisma and ambition, as well as for his psychic talents.
Aware for many years of the failing mechanisms of the Golden Throne, Fel devoted ever more time and energy into seeking out solutions to the approaching doom, dabbling in secret and forbidden arts....
Fel disappeared with his entourage some seventy years before the coming of Abaddon, after an expedition to a pre-Imperial xeno-archeological site on Ploutus II. He was presumed dead by the Holy Ordos, which was anyway preoccupied with the mounting crises throughout the Imperium.
Reappearing in dramatic fashion within the disintegrating Imperium following the Emperor's demise, Fel contacted old Ordos colleagues and announced that he had found the path to the salvation of man. He declared himself the Emperor reborn, using his tremendously enhanced psychic abilities as evidence, and gathered vast armies of the deluded and despairing under his power...
- The Cult of Nurgh-leth; Like Kargan, Fel's actions have not gone unnoticed. Father Nurgle clearly favors Fel's self proclamation as the reborn Emperor, guiding hundreds of thousands of cultist forces to his cause.
- The Rotting Traitor Legions; An ancient legion of roughly seven thousand traitorous guardsmen follow Fel's command without question. Their only weakness is the length of their services, they have been kept alive by Nurgle for so long they appear as zombified guardsmen barely capable of bringing up their weapons to aim. Difficult to kill, but also difficult to train and order.
- The Plagued Hordes; The Eastern Hive City Collective continues to suffer from the Seven Plagues even with the Armageddon Steel Legions and Death Korps continuously pushing the line. Countless billions whom have begged for Fel's mercy find themselves mindless, zombified servants to Nurgle's cause, serving as a definitive door-stopper to the opposition.
- Death Guard Legions; Coupled with the strength of two thousand strong, and dozens of operators maintaining the daemonic engines of Nurgle, the jovial legions of plague marines masquerade like nobles through the Hive City Collectives.
- Fel's Undying Hordes; A gift from the Plague Lord himself. An archway containing a portal seemingly leading into a filthy garden has opened up within the core of hive city Vahl. Legions of daemonic forces from Nurgle's grasp have poured out ready to unleash havoc.
"An Envious One will forge the Key of Emotion, the Key that was never meant to become reality. With it they will be driven mad with power, commiting the ultimate betrayal as promises of raw power and unlimited pleasures compel them."
"There is one among us, one who cannot ever know the truth of the prophecy and his role within. A true prophet of ending will aspire to use the Key of Change to unleash a power thought impossible."
"There exists within the Immaterium two brothers, constantly challenging one another. One day they will fight each other to the death, and their physical manifestations will imbue within the soul of one of their own. A Warlord's soul, who will lead the entirety of his people towards an enemy worthier than the rest. It is by his actions alone the galaxy will question who or what they should truly fear."
~ Grand Admarul Fraurn da Sun Crusha
-- Equipment/Weapons Loadout
Da Grand Admarul wears a mix of looted Imperial carapace armour bolted together to form a full suit; it is light (for an Ork), resilient and very shiny, though he always wears his trademark fur and leather trench coat over the top, stitched together from the corpses of a hundred felled enemies.
Unlike most Warlords, Fraurn has a minimalist attitude to his own armament, preferring to use only a rather elegant looking slugga built from claimed Imperial bolt pistols. In combat he relies more on his sheer bulk as a weapon, tearing the enemy limb from limb and using their own weapons against them.
-- Psychological Profile
Da Grand Admarul is an aberration, a true freak of his kind. Even among his fellow Blood Axes, Fraurn's fascination with the Imperium and human ways was considered disturbingly un-orky. Now that he rules however, emulating Imperial tactics has become the norm for the combined clans of Waaagh! Fraurn and his people are experiencing the nearest thing to a kultural renaissance that Orkind is capable of.
Fraurn himself is an obsessive creature, determined to conquer every last vestige of humanity and learn what it is that makes them truly human; current theories include the presence of a certain organ that exudes 'Uminess or some kind of drug that makes them work together so well. Regardless of the details, Fraurn is dedicated to harnessing that secret to make all Orks everywhere loyal to him alone.
And perhaps in time, he may become da Emparoar of Orkind.
-- Biography
No-one is certain where the Ork Warlord known as Fraurn came from or how his obsession with humanity began, but tales told around the campfires of Waaagh! Fraurn say that he served as a mercenary for a Rogue Trader for many years, part bodyguard, part attack dog. When the Rogue Trader ran out of enemies for Fraurn and his Boyz, the Ork turned on his erstwhile master, taking the old man's mantle and ship for himself. For decades he travelled as a Freeboota, sometimes joining larger fleets, sometimes striking out alone until a chance encounter on an isolated world changed his life forever.
The then-Kaptin Fraurn and his crew landed on the remote world of I-995315 and proceeded to massacre their way across the surface until the local Planetary Defence Forces were able to mount an effective defense. The armies met on the plains outside the capital city, clashing head on in a battle that would last for days. Despite being horribly outnumbered and outgunned, the humans refused to give an inch of ground, killing a dozen Orks for every man lost. Impressed with their stubborn dedication and refusal to retreat, Fraurn took to studying their movements and commanders and was soon copying their actions, sending in kommandos to kidnap key officers and destroy high-value targets. By adopting the PDF's own tactics, the Orks were able to turn the tide, turning what had become a war of attrition into a game of cat and mouse through the capital's deserted streets. Fraurn's Freebootaz grew exponentially as they warred back and forth across the planet, forming the foundations of what would one day be Waaagh! Fraurn. And the Kaptin himself took on a new persona, aping the actions of his Imperial counterparts; his host was slowly organised into a loose army, with some semblance of a rank system and integrated support. This organisation would one day catch Imperial forces completely offguard as Waaagh! Fraurn swept through the Ultima Segmentum in the early days of the 42nd millennium. The details of his meteoric rise to power are also shrouded in mystery, though many humans believe that a systematic campaign of surgical strikes, assassinations and brainwashing is responsible. Perhaps this is the case, as it seems the kind of thing a human would do.
Of course that is but one of a thousand tales told of da Grand Admarul across a million campfires. Regardless of where he came from, Fraurn knows where he is destined to be; the seat of Gork and Mork themselves, deep within the Eye of Terror. Once he completes his domination of the galaxy, he will challenge the Gods themselves for supremacy over all Orkdom... and beyond.
-- Krew
~ ForToo
As the leader of da Kommando Korps, ForToo is Fraurn's right hand Ork. He is well known as the sneakiest git in the Armarder and has built up his own kult of stelf that has amassed hundreds of thousands of adherants. These die-hards make up the core of the Kommandos, the nearest to a professional soldier an Ork can ever get and of which ForToo is the quintessential example.
~ Mekdok Krakghar
It isn't often that a Mekboy dabbles in the arts of a Dok, but Krakghar takes the union of Ork and machine very seriously. Like many of his kind, he is the very picture of a mad scientist, always pushing the boundaries of what is and is not possible. His first great creation was his own bionik modifications, performed on himself and without anaesthetic in the true Orky way. He is also responsible for creating a cadre of horrific cybork killers, capable of being dropped behind enemy lines for assassination, cutting supply lines or just plain carnage.
~ Waaagh! Fraurn ~
- Da Grand Armarder
The backbone of Fraurn's war machine is the combined fleets of a thousand Ork clans, held together by a strict framework of distrust and mutually assured destruction. If a single ship steps a toe out of line, the rest of Da Armarder turns on it like a pack of sharks. It would take a political mastermind or a force beyond reckoning to sustain such an organisation; it's a good thing that Da Grand Admarul is both of these things. Da Armarder consists of hundreds of thousands of Roks, looted ships and kroozers of various designs, led by dozens of space hulks. Fraurn himself commands from the largest hulk in recorded history, known simply as da Big Rok.
- ForToo's Kommando Korps
ForToo's Kommando Korps is a semi-professional warband with strict entry requirements and training. Every Kommando is a stealthy killing machine, fully capable of operating alone behind enemy lines or as part of a larger army. Their tactics and equipment have been copied from certain elite Imperial formations, including the Adeptus Arbites and the Imperial Guard's own Storm Troopers. They are not to be trifled with.
- The Assembled Clans of Orkdom
Waaagh! Fraurn has united warbands from almost every clan, from Goff to Snakebite. Each clan brings their own unique style to da Grand Admarul's armies; with the Goffs come massive gargants and entire warbands of Nobz, the Evil Sunz bring a plethora of fast-movng vehicles and the massed legions of feral Orks from a thousand worlds ensure that there is always a plentiful supply of Boyz.
- Da Freekorps
One of Fraurn's more enlightened ideas, da Freekorps consists of human pirates and captive bred slaves-soldiers. These troops are given looted Imperial equipment and can, sometimes, pass off as being Imperial Guard. Their combat role is mainly tank crew and artillery, but they are sometimes used to sow disorder behind enemy lines. Da Freekorps is kept in line by a mixture of death threats, religious indoctrination and in some cases, bionik implants.
"The prophecy concludes. There will be a Hallowed Observer whose actions will either bring a light unto his kind...or keep them forever shrouded in the hallows of the void."
~ Commander Triumph /Shas'O Vior'La Shi'ur (docblargle)
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout:
O'Shi'ur uses an experimental XV22 command stealth suit. Commanding a large scouting force, O'Shi'ur has access to a variety of gear for his battlesuit, and often changes his suit's loadout to suit his current needs. However, here is his general threat loadout.
-Twin-Linked Arm Mounted Burst Cannons
- Shoulder Mounted Missile Pods
- Command Drone
- Gun Drone
- Shield Drone
~ Psychological Profile: Shas'O Shi'ur is steadfast in his belief in the greater good. He is noble and honorable to all he has dealt with, ally and enemy alike. He is slightly naive in that he believes that most races of the universe, aside from the Tyranids and Orcs, can come together and thrive under the guidance of the ethereals and their teachings of tau'va. His only blemish in his faith in the ethereals is he questions their decisions regarding Commander Farsight. In combat, O'Shi'ur follows the Tau doctrine of observing his enemy for a weak point before striking, preferring to hold back his forces until the opportune moment. In most social scenarios, O'Shi'ur is fairly direct and to the point, preferring to stay towards business. However, in private with his friends he is far more approachable and congenial.
~ Brief Biography: Shas'O Shi'ur is a relatively young Tau commander, but has served in a variety of situations. He has both fought as a soldier and commander against Orcs and Tyranids alike, with a few engagements against rebel human auxiliary worlds as well. As a fire warrior, O'Shi'ur quickly demonstrated his skill and competence in battle, and eventually commanded a squad that would be known for both bravery and tactics. O'Shi'ur was quite infatuated with the XV25 stealth suits, but certainly did not complain when he was called upon to pilot an XV8 crisis suit after his trial by fire. O'Shi'ur spent an equal amount of time perfecting both his skill and tactical knowledge, and considered Commander Shadowsun his personal hero. O'Shi'ur was promoted to the rank of Shas'O after a daring mission in which he rescued an ethereal from an Orc invasion of a frontier world, holding the horde back until reinforcements arrived. O'Shi'ur was placed in charge of a scouting fleet, whose purpose was to patrol the edge of Tau space to preemptively strike at any invasion force until backup arrived. Recently, activity close to the border of tau space has the ethereal's nervous. After deliberation, they chose to outfit O'Shi'ur with the latest prototype XV22 command stealth suit, and sent his scouting fleet to investigate the disturbance.
- Dagger of O'Shi'ur; An Or'es El'leath-class Battleship, it has been outfitted with stealth fields, upgraded rail and pulse battery cannons and faster engines. It is truly a marvel of future Tau technology.
- Pathfinder Cadres; Hundreds of various cadres work together in almost perfect unison as they progressively scan the massive planet of Vigil. For the past two months they have faced little resistance from splintered Tyranid hordes, although strange scans continue to mislead them into believing a massive force is gathering directly under their main base of operations. Additionally, worrying reports of thousands of misplaced civilians are converging closer to the south-western continent as they seek refuge from war.
- Fire Warrior Cadres; Numbering little over a couple thousand, these experienced warriors are adaptable and precise under O'Shi'ur's command. They share increasing concerns of misleading communications reports, converging refugees giving away their presence as well as increased Tyranid sightnings. Were it not for the importance of the secretive mission at hand, many fellow Tau would have folded cards by now.
- Stealthsuit Team "Duskfall"; Twelve operatives whose identities are known only to O'Shi'ur and Tau High Command were ordered onto this mission. Their suits vary wildly from one another, painted a pitch black color and outfitted with prototype auto-firing photon cannons and pulse grenade launchers.
- Tau Armored Divisions "Thundering Quakes"; A significant force of Hammerheads, Orcas, Piranhas and other Tau armored vehicles have been placed under O'Shi'ur's command.
- Tau Aerial Reconnaissance Divisions "Shadowed Lightning"; Thousands of aerial drones and dozens of stealth and reconnaissance aerial vehicles have additionally been placed under the Commander's thumb.
- Kyark's Pack; A couple hundred Kroot mercenaries can be bought or persuaded, but a highly lethal tribe of trained assassins and hunters are hard to find. Kyark's Pack was no easy force to find, and even costlier to persaude him toward the cause.
- XV8 Crisis Battlesuit Team; 5 XV8 Variants of the Crisis Battlesuits make up the highly efficient and important squad of veteran Tau. Each member of this team knows whats at stake, working with Duskfall to clear areas and update intelligence on enemy forces.
Rules/Updates;
~ I feel a minimum of one post, roughly two to three paragraphs, per day is achievable and you're all capable of that. If any special regulations need to be made i'll comply so long as it works out for everyone. If you're not able to post on any day just give us all a heads up. Depending on your length of absence I may take temporary reign over characters to move things along. Don't worry, i'll do my best to stay true to them.
~ Being OP isn't quite a problem with me on this particular roleplay. I've set out to make a badass game and I feel the players should be equally badass. I don't want players to have to worry about being super realistic when it comes to battles.
~ I'll be the judge of PvP, and while I'm a lax GM in most areas, this is where i'll put my foot down. No pissing matches, i'll make the PM arrangements and you guys make the plans. Once I've decided the outcome, the both of you can than make a collaborative post or simply write your own viewpoints of the battle.
~
"The answer you seek, Lord Admiral, is within the the problem of the question itself. You cannot simply inquire about the survival odds of the Imperium for it is already long doomed to fail. It is a question of whether or not pure and faithful humanity can prevail..."
"And what are your thoughts on that particular matter, Lord Commander?"
"..."
"Lord Commander...?"
"Even though...every single threat before us is infallible proof of our mutually assured destruction or indoctrination...every victory behind us proves otherwise. Our race is an impossibility of imperfection perfected, Admiral. Wherever pure, untainted humanity will go to from here is anyone's guess."
"Farewell...Lord Commander..."
We find ourselves perched along as observers to the dawn of the forty-second millennium. The Imperium of Man, in all of it's grim and tainted glory, has crumbled into thousands of splintered factions. It began on Cadia, when Abaddon sacrificed his physical form to become the living vessel to a massive warp storm. The entire sector was swallowed whole as the Eye of Terror grew larger than ever before. Meanwhile, tragedy befalls upon Terra as the Golden Throne rusts into a dysfunctional state. The entire planet trembled with quakes as what little remained of the Emperor began erratically twitching, and in the very blink of an eye it all happened. An electrical surge of psychic energy transformed a home into a graveyard for hundreds of billions of citizens, ranking from the most powerful and influential to the most pathetic scum in the galaxy. Thousands of Imperial ships traversing the Immaterium had been lost forever, and the true time of ending had begun.
~
The Approaching Dusk...
A beacon has shown itself to all the forces of the galaxy. Situated within the outer fringes of the Ultima Segmentum, what can only be described as a psychic beacon completely outmatching the power of the Astronomican has continued to shine brightly for the last decade. Only four Imperial battlefleets had survived the utter chaos of the Fall of the Imperium, and had reorganized their forces within the beacon's sector. For the better half of ten years, no other outside contact was possible for the sector's obscurity and the beacon's power allowed it to throw other's off it's scent. Yet nothing would last forever in the end, sadly.
It was on the fifth day of August, the 19th year of the 42nd Millennium. Reports came in from the outermost rim of the Alisae Sector, thousands of hostile contacts swarming all radars. Having expected a hive fleet of Tyranids, the four battlefleets met face to face with an armada of battle barges bearing the various banners of the Ruinous Powers. It was Chaos Undivided come knocking upon their doors, seeking the power of the psychic beacon. As they proceeded to exchange fire, the massive ensuing conflict caused the destruction of a nearby moon. The astroid debris knocked out entire fleets on both sides, causing an effective stalemate.
Regrettably, aboard that very moon was a yet another strange beacon. Not psychic, but mechanical in nature. It's assured destruction had been the chiming bell to awaken a darkness within the galaxy. There had to have been a reason for the oddly clustered twenty one planets orbiting around in one sector. Regardless, Vigil would remain the one untainted garden world. It's forefront defenses still unprepared against the rise of the cryptic machines.
As the Chaos Armada reassembled, they met head on with the remaining three battlefleets of the shattered empire. After a solid three months of conflict, the Imperial fleets were wiped out with few ships returning planetside. Space hulks carrying the plagues of Nurgle crashed along the dozens of hive cities planetside, hundreds of Khornate and Tzeentchian battle barges taking Imperial forts by sheer force. It took over two months for the Imperial forces to regroup, counter attack and reclaim a concrete territory. Reports soon came in that thousands of gigantic space hulks just struck a massive Tyranid Hive Fleet head on beyond the mid-rim's asteroid field. Currently engaged in a stalemate, they continue ruthlessly and recklessly fighting with no side gaining on the other. Unidentified vessels have reportedly entered the west- southern fringes of uninhabited glacial islands, while rumors of Dark Eldar ships reinforcing the Chaos Armada concern the ground troop's resistance. Vigil, at the heart of the Alisae Sector, has become the eye of the storm for a war prophesied to change the course of the galaxy forever.
~
~ As prophesied by both sorcerers of Tzeentch as well as Imperial sanctioned Psykers, nine individuals from various backgrounds would gather unexpectedly on the planet of Vigil. These individuals have been titled many things, the Conduits of Fate, the Saviors of the Galaxy, the Keys to the Immaterium in rare manuscripts...
- The Vigilant Guard (Filled)
- The Symbol of Courage (Filled)
- The Siphon of Blood (Filled)
- The Harbinger of Decay (Filled)
- The Envious One (Available, Dark Eldar or Slaaneshi heretic or marine.)
- The Prophet of Ending (Available, Tzeentchian Sorcerer or Psyker with powerful aspirations.)
- The Hallowed Observer (Filled)
- The Warlord (Available, Ork Warboss whose size and strength matches his intelligence and cunning.)
- The Passenger (Played by me, a rogue trader whose role in the uncovering events is yet unknown.)
001.M42 - Abbadon the Despoiler conveys his spiritual energy to become a vessel to Warp Storm Vindication, Cadia and other surrounding sectors are swallowed into the now expanded Eye of Terror
002.M42 - The Golden Throne rusts away, becoming completely dysfunctional. As the Emperor seemingly dies, all of Terra is enveloped within a surge of psychic energy. Thus begins the disorganization of the Administratum, the splintering of the Astra Militarum and the disbandment of planetary governments from the Imperium of Man.
004.M42 - Ork fleets are appearing in dozens of systems across the galaxy, converging toward the Ultima Segmentum. Warbands from the Thousand Sons and World Eaters conflict heavily within the Eye of Terror. The Seven Plagues overwhelm hundreds of civilizations within the Segmentum Obscurus.
007.M42 - Thousands of Ork warbands pillage their way through the Ultima Segmentum. The Thousand Sons and World Eaters warbands form a strained alliance named The Ruinous Pact, Death Guard legions join them.
008.M42 - The Angels of Ecstasy join the Ruinous Pact, cultists of all loyalties number in the hundreds of billions as thousands of battle barges storm out from the Eye of Terror. Ork warbands continue pushing further into the Ultima Segmentum as Tyranid Hive Fleets pop up around the outer rim of the galaxy.
009.M42 - Sorcerers of Tzeentch compile the Prophecy of Vigil, detailing future events in vague and cryptic detail. They confess that even the Lord of Change himself holds no power to how the coming events will shape and change the universe forever.
012.M42 - The Segmentum Obscurus is declared lost to the Ruinous Powers. Chaos effectively controls an entire sector of the galaxy.
015.M42 - The largest Waaagh! In ever recorded history gathers outside the Alisea System, preparing to take on over a dozen Tyranid Hive Fleets encroaching toward Vigil.
019.M42 - The Alisae Orbital Conflicts begin, starting off with a stalemate on both Chaos and Imperial sides. Eventually the Chaos Armada manages to wipe out another 1/4th of the Imperial battlefleets, giving them the space needed to land several warships on Vigil. The War for Vigil begins as the Seven Plagues of Nurgle begin eradicating the Eastern Hive City Collective. World Eater and Thousand Sons legions annihilate hundreds of Imperial forts in the first two weeks. Two months later Imperial Command commences an operation known as October Rain, reclaiming a fourth of lost fortresses and storming Death Korps and Armageddon legions through the Eastern Hive City Collective. The war is about to get even more interesting, however...
~ Creating your character will be a relatively freeform and open concept. You are encouraged to create your titled character with as much liberty as you feel reasonable, without making it too overpowered. But, to make things simple, i'll outline an optional template.
Title: (Chosen prophetic title)
Name:
Appearance: (Pictures are fine, however if choosing worded detail I expect a good and vivid use of imagery.)
Equipment/Weapons Loadout: (Please be reasonable with this, not every species can carry five weapons and two hundred pounds of equipment on their backs.)
Psychological Profile: (A brief explanation of their personality and any quirks they might have.)
Brief Biography: (Notable battles fought, events witnessed/participated in, strange happenings, contacts or relationships made, etc.)
"I see...a passenger. With them lies the secret to forging the keys, the keys to the Immaterium. They will never know the severity of their actions until the dawning, when they will bear witness to all that they have accomplished."
~ Lord Captain Dhalia Belazovsky
-- Standing at a fair-height of 5'11, her long flowing black hair retains a certain degree of volume even in the heat of battle. A shadow appears to mask her aura, enveloping her as she blends perfectly within crowds as well as her surrounding environment. Her attire often has a flashy tint of jewelry or old war medals with an overall ordinary or otherwise un-intimidating set of clothing.
~ Equipment; An experimental holographic link to her most immediate crew is implanted in her right eye. A smooth wooden pipe laced with steel and rubber fits neatly in her jacket pocket, with a variety of spices and herbs on her at all times. She additionally wears an oddly shaped stone with even stranger symbols etched around it tied to a rope around her neck.
~ Weapon; A bolt-pistol of an odd, foreign looking human design inhabits her left holster. She additionally wields a standard Imperial combat shotgun strapped along her chest when headed into a firefight. A power blade is strapped to one of her ankles, with a worn and bloodied chainsword hanging through her right holster.
~ Psychological Profile; Dhalia remains the calm, cool and collected woman she was since the day she was awarded the honor of becoming a rogue trader. Her shady surface is masked by secrets that keep her from becoming too attached to anyone, as she maintains distance from even her first mates. Those who've tried to reach out to her are often met with harsh, cold replies. In battle she remains recklessly lucky, bullets and blades seemingly appear to curve around her at will. In melee scuffles she is said to almost become blurry in her swift reflexes, always with a wicked grin across her face as her opponents meet their end. Those who do become closely affiliated with her remark how insensitive they are when seeing her in danger, for they wonder if she ever truly is.
~ Brief Biography; What little is known about her past, her former identity and the person she arose to become today is kept secret between her closest of allies. Only the four she trusts most within her retinue know what she is capable of physically and mentally, further driving their insensitivities towards her and her objectives. Their loyalty is kept partially through comradeship, their history's spent together fueling their drive to complete whatever they set out to do.
For over a dozen years she has fought one foe or another, for the past six she spent scanning the furthest edges of the galaxy charting new locations. Along the way she met a few interesting individuals, whom she has accepted into her retinue.
-First Mate Azri Vin'Dyar, her right hand woman who has been with her from the start. They are almost never seen apart, always fighting, debating or relaxing side by side. There are things she knows of Dhalia that no one else does.
- Quartermaster Victus, When chartering a world scattered with islands, Dhalia noticed a single vessel patrolling the seas. A small crew of forty men abandoned by the Imperium had survived on the habitable world thanks to Commissar Victus. He had effectively halted seven mutinies by killing off 9/10ths of the surviving guardsmen, the remaining forty had immediately shaped up and became hardened survivors let into Dhalia's private army. Ironically it was by his suggestion that the crew turn pirate.
- First Officer Callahan, On the Imperial Prison World of Sethar, Dhalia was summoned by Imperial High Command to quell the uprising staged there. At this point no one knew of her recent pirating activities, event against the Imperium, so she promptly arrived at Sethar seeking more men for her army. When she stormed through the front door, she saw Callahan leading a group of over three hundred prisoners against an onslaught of well trained PDFs. Armed with nothing but concrete, rebar poles, and makeshift firearms they strategically ambushed and tricked their overwhelming enemy straight toward the docking area. When they finally met, he was promised a high ranking position among his comrades in exchange for serving in her private army. Four years to the day he and his men have slaughtered every threat against the crew.
- Renegade Inquisitor Odahr, Not much is known of Odahr or his "pet", Ghorn, only that the hive world they were discovered on has been redacted from all known galactic records. Rumors that he worshiped Tzeentch, or that he created Ghorn, are often silenced by Dhalia herself.
- Mutant Chieftain Ghorn, A brutish thing, he stands over nine feet tall and appears like a brick wall from a distance. While he keeps his pact of horrendous mutants in check, he himself is kept in line by Odahr.
- Dhalia's Private Army; From renegade guardsmen to bands of mercenary thugs, Dhalia's own private army of several thousand is loosely held together by strict enforcement, barely manageable living wages and a like-minded concept of appreciation for a good fight.
- Ghorn's Pact; Partly kept in line by Ghorn, partly kept in line by a love of alcohol. These few hundred mutant raiders are nothing more than a drunken band of brutes with bad tempers.
- Dhalia's Personal Valkyrie; An experimental prototype meant for stealthy drop offs, reconnaissance and beefier turrets for added protection. It is a sleak, shiny black Valkyrie with a skull and crossbones painted along the side. She's taken to naming it the "Crow".
"As despair suffocates the weak and the hopeless, a Symbol of Courage will rise from the fog of battle. He will save as many as he will slaughter, and lose thrice that in men. Ultimately, in the end it will be decided if he truly owes Vigil his body and soul."
~ Brother Arkos Leantes (Pathfinder)
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout: Tyrannic War Veteran Power Armor, Relic Bolt Pistol, Loi-Pattern Burning Blade, a chain of frag grenades meant to take as many of the bastards with him as possible, and the Banner of Macragge.
~ Psychological Profile: Arkos is tired. For centuries he fought and killed for the Emperor but when he learned that the thrown and all of Holy Terra was destroyed, he fell into a deep melancholy. He gazed upon what was left and for the first time, he knew fear. However, after the brief mourning period he shook off the shackles of grief and returned with a vigor he hadn't felt since his first several decades of his service. Renewed with a cause, Arkos armed himself with the weapons that could be saved and took up the Banner of Macragge. Arkos views himself as the last generation of standard bearers and is adamant to uphold his role as one.
If we are doomed to die than we shall cause the Ruinous Powers to choke upon us on our way out.
~ Brief Biography: Arkos has personally been in more battles than he could possibly ever remember however one battle is forever branded in his mind. He is a veteran of the Battle of Marcragge, a sergeant at the time. When the drop pods landed he and his battle brothers saw first hand the devastation of the tyranid hordes upon their home world. The fighting brutal, savage, and bloody. However everyone knows what happened afterwards, the 1st company was destroyed and the 3rd and 7th were sorely diminished but they had come out victorious.
Since that whole sordid affair, Arkos was one of the first batch of Tyrannic War Veterans to join the reconstituted 1st company and has since then been in many other battles involving the Tyranid hordes.
- Maccrage Veterans 1st Company; What few brothers were left that had survived the horrors of Maccrage took with them their physical and emotional scars to the reconstituted 1st Company. Through a system of sharing the stories of horrors faced, these few hundred battle brothers have forged a bond no mere Ruinous Power could break.
- The Novus Terminatus; No one could record exactly how the Novamarines, a brother chapter to the Ultramarines, met their ultimate demise. When word of their fortress monastery's destruction reached thr surviving members, they scrambled to save their home. Only forty marines returned from the attempt to reclaim their home, the blood of daemonspawn coating their terminator armour. They pledged sole allegiance to the Ultramarine's 1st Company, with no other goals to defend but man itself.
- The Howling Griffons Remnants; Just hours prior to the Invasion of Vigil, the Howling Griffons were at full strength next to their Ultramarine brothers. All it took was a single plague hulk crashing through their lines followed by extensive bombardment from several battle barges, and they were effectively wiped out. Only a platoon of seventy five strong remained on planet, witnessing the death of their chapter as hundreds of their ships came crashing from orbit, along with seven plague hulks.
- Black Templar's Kill Squads; When the Black Templars also learned of their monastery's destruction followed by the death of a chapter master, a strike force was already on Vigil. Two days prior to Operation October Rain, the strike force of three hundred initiated an unwarranted assault on Fort Tiber. They succesfully reclaimed the fort, losing almost all of their men in the reckless procedure. The remaining twenty five templars split into five teams of five, proceeding to initiate dangerous hit and run tactics on enemy posistions to thin their numbers.
"Once the Symbol of Courage succeeds in reclaiming the Key of Purity, it will be passed on to a Vigilant Guard. He will become the living beacon of hope for a shattered empire, and for a brief moment he will let the sun shine brightly before the dawning..."
~ Rune Lord Kurn Wolfstalon (Mattmanganon)
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout: Force Staff, Psy-Cannon, Runic Tartaros-patter Terminator Armour, Belt of Russ.
~ Psychological Profile: A being of indeterminate mental condition. Having lost most of his chapter to a trap by their most hated of enemies, the Thousand Sons, Kurn has become increasingly more desperate, turning away from some of the more established doctrines in order to ensure the safety of humanity. Many would call him a heretic for actually rescuing an Eldar Farseer, but desperate times called for desperate measures, as he see's it, the Eldar are deceitful, but they share a common enemy in Chaos, and with the destruction of the holy mothers of Fenris and Terra, allies are a commodity that one must suffer aliens to live in order to survive. Kurn may be a Rune Lord, but he will always be at the forefront of the charge, riding astride Russ, his great Cyberwolf. Much like his Primarch, he believes that Psyker powers do not give one the right to fight without honour, but can be used to tip the tide of battle in his favour.
~ Brief Biography: A being of great psyker potential, born on the Holy Mother, Fenris, he grew up as most youths did, hunting in the unforgiving wastes. Then, one night, whilst still a boy, his brother took him out fishing, an activity that they both enjoyed. Whilst on the ice, they were confronted by a giant Fenrisian Thunderwolf, a creature that his tribe considered to be invincible behemoths. The Wolf attacked his brother, who barely managed to escape, thanks to the intervention of Kurn, who roared a roar that the great Wolf King, Leman Russ, would have been proud. The Wolf doubled over in pain before seemingly being lifted into the air and thrown clear across the lake. It retreated and Kurn fell unconcious, but just before he did, he saw The image of a giant, metal man, clad in the pelt of a wolf, and adorning his head with its skull, approaching him. the Sky Warriors came for him, taking him to their great fortress atop the highest mountain on Fenris. They tortured him far beyond the breaking point of any 7 year old, but it was all because they knew he could take it, they sensed a powerful connection to The Warp inside of him. He was taken to the middle of the wastes and braved the 1000 mile walk back to the fortress, as all aspiring Sky Warriors do, and upon returning, was greeted by the Wolf Lord, Ulrik. Over the following years, he was trained by the various Rune Priests, before his powers grew to the extent that he was given to Njal Stormcaller, the Rune Lord, for training.
Eventually, he was finally sent into battle for the Space Wolves. Fighting against the forces of Chaos. His psyker powers proved enough to overcome even a Great Unclean One. The rest of the campaign proved successful and he was granted Terminator Honours for his feats agains the Daemons. He was then placed under the direct command of Wolf Lord Mogh Ironfang. Mogh was an excellent commander, specializing in mechanized warfare, as with most other "Iron" lords. Kurns abilities to control the elements proved useful, creating blizzards to mask their approach, summoning ice shard storms to cut down the unsuspecting foes, and even manifesting the jaws of the World Wolf in order to destroy their more heavily armoured enemies. The pair cut a bloody swath through the chaos lines that surrounded the Eye of Terror. But, it was not to last, when Abaddon finally succeeded in his plans of expanding the Eye of Terror, their battlegroup was answering a distress call from the Mordian sector, which, Although fortunately took them away from the Eye before it engulfed them, Cadia and the Holy Mother Fenris, unfortunately turned out to be a chaos trap, set by The Emperor's Children. Mordia fell in 180 hours... Even the assistance of Eldar that had followed the Slaaneshi worshipers in order to ambush them once they sprung their trap, proved in vain, Mogh was killed in a duel against the Chaos Lord, succeeding in killing him, but too weakened by the fight to fend off the Keeper of Secrets that rose from the fallen Chaos Lords body.
Kurn accepted the field-promotion to Rune Lord in order to take control of the remaining forces and called in the all-retreat. Knowing that the battle was lost and planning to take their forces to regroup, before committing to a counter attack. With the extreme losses at Mordia, his Space Wolves number only 79. But, took solace in that he was able to rescue over a thousand Mordian Guard that joined his cause. Just as he was in the planning stages of the counter attack, he received word that a fleet was massing at Vigil and so set course. If humanity was at its twilight, then it was going to go down fighting.
- Wolfstalon's Chapter; The remnants of his forces, while numbering only 79, are deathly loyal and headstrong. No horror of war can shake their resolve, and even in the face of utter defeat they would still fight for victory.
- Mordian Guard Remnants; With Mordia gone, the last thousand Iron guardsmen had lost their hearts. When they looked upon their fellow brothers, however, they realized part of them was Mordia. They carried their home in their hearts, and they would defend it to the death.
- The Spirit Wolves; As the Valiance and it's fleet made the treacherous leap through the Warp toward Vigil, they were met with unexpected ships on the other side. Of unknown origins, these ships carried the Primarch, Leman Russ, and battalions of powerful space wolves seemingly bolstered with psychic power. The Primarch spoke of several paradises within the Immaterium, of powerful places. When he boarded the Valiance, a platoon of fifty of these space wolves were put under Kurn's command. The Primarch spoke briefly with the Rune Lord, before leading the bulk of his forces toward Vigil.
- Vigil's Fighting First; With Operation October Rain being more successful than originally intended, a regiment of twelve hundred soldiers attributed it to their actions alone. While a highly contested opinion, Vigil's 1st Regiment has definitely proved itself time and time again. They have since than volunteered under Wolfstalon's command.
- Steel Legion Field-Declared Demolitionists Company; During Operation October Rain, a selective group of volunteers worked together to destroy the hive city Tirahn in a blaze of hellfire and explosions. The forces of Nurgle suffered a serious loss, not anticipating a small strike force capable of eradicating their own people with such mercilessness and tactics. These odd one hundred or so men and women are veterans of the Armageddon Steel Legions, banding together with a mutual cause to blow up as much of the opposition as possible.
- The Imperial 1st Armored Regiment;
"I never thought I'd see the day where I stood in front of a thousand Leman Russes ready to go. Wow...that's a lot of tanks." The largest force of armored firepower, armored troop transport and heavy tanks have gathered on Vigil, steamrolling through several victories during Operation October Rain. After the death of Lord Commander Wyson, Rune Lord Kurn Wolfstalon was unexpectedly placed under total command of the armored divisions.
"A Siphon of Blood will create rivers of flowing crimson, he will construct out of the bones of his enemies a pure mockery of the Golden Throne, and atop it he will sit and observe the glorious victory within his grasp."
~ Champion Leonothas Kargan, the Red Wolf
~ Appearance:
Standing nearly seven and a half feet tall, his body is a hulking mass of bulging muscles with long, powerful limbs and thick hands that could easily crush a man's skull with minimal effort. The nails of his finger have grown rather large and dark, each forming into a sharp point. They bear a striking resemblance to claws. His skin is a light olive and is covered in thick patches of coarse black hair; around his chest, back, arms, and hands especially; though recently areas of hard red-brown scales have begun to appear on the base of his neck and around his shoulders and thighs. His scalp is the only part of his body that is hairless, though dozens of outdated implant cables meant to connect to his power armor and similar interfaces almost give him the appearance of having silver dreadlocks. Thick jagged eyebrows are angled over his bright golden eyes and his thin-lipped mouth, which droops at the edges to form a perpetual grimace, is filled with several sharpened fangs.
In his power armor, his physique becomes all the more terrifying. Giant plates of jagged red and black metal adorn his body, each outlined in rusted, stained brass. Upon his shoulders and his knee plates is the terrifying symbol of his chapter: the circle of chaos becoming an inhuman fanged maw that is closing upon an indistinct world. Twisted metal spikes line his jump-pack and each of his forearms is wrapped in thick metal chain that extends around his weapons of battle; a simple, but effective way to make sure they are not lost when the blood rage fills his mind.
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout: Mark VI Veteran Power Armor, Valkyris Pattern Jump Pack, Umbra-Pattern Bolt Pistol, Corrupted Frost Blade: Khornesgrin.
All equipment was ‘stolen’ from the Space Wolves Chapter and have thus become tainted by the ruinous powers, in particular the chain sword. It was once known as ‘Wintermaw’, a relic Frost Blade made of an ancient alloy decorated in icy blue power runes made from energy crystal that glowed with power and fitted with the teeth of a Fenrisian Ice Kraken. Its hilt was formed into a wolf’s head, large jaw seeming to bear the blade between its fangs. Truly, it was a prized weapon of the Space Wolves and was thus bestowed upon Leonothas with great honors.
It has since succumbed to the dark blood rituals of Chaos: the teeth and runes of the weapon now bare a sinister crimson glow and the wolf’s head hilt has lost its noble air, becoming a fierce and feral creature with slathering mouth hanging open in twisted rage. When used in combat, one would swear it drips with vile spittle as if the weapon itself craves blood and flesh.
~ Psychological Profile:
When out of combat, Leonothas is surprisingly calm and collected; a shrewd commander and cunning tactician. He rarely displays emotion besides annoyance or anger and looks to those he determines to be ‘weak’ with disdain, while simultaneously hating those who prey on such weakness. This air of a noble and honorable warrior is often shaken, however, when he becomes inflicted by vivid hallucinations of people from his past: usually his dead wife and son. Unable to tell the difference between them and reality, their presence is a powerful corrupting influence on his mind and sanity. In his more controlled times, he believes that through a warriors death he can someday join them within the Blood God and so seeks to best as many warriors as possible.
”You say that my God is one of murder… of war… of death incarnate… Yet I say he a God of life, for all that truly lives can bleed and that blood is precious to them. It is precious to Him also. He holds the blood of my family, now, and someday he will hold mine as well. Until then… you will make a worthy sacrifice.”
When battle is joined, an entirely different side of Leonothas is shown: one of pure bestial fury and rage, of red-hot burning hatred for any and all things, and a sadistic joy in the sight of the spray of blood. Hallucinations and delusions run rampant as the monstrous warrior cuts a swath through anything that is foolish enough to stand before him, becoming stronger and stronger the longer combat lasts. Even his own warriors know better than to approach Leonothas when he falls into such a way for they are well aware that his murderous intent will only abate when no more victims are left breathing.
"Hack! Slash! Burn! Bleed! Kill them all, leave none standing! KILL! KILL! KILL!"
~ Biography:
Like all other Space Wolves before him, Leonothas was born on Fenris to a small outlying tribe of nomad hunter-gatherers. He was strong in his youth; a capable hunter, though never a warrior, and much loved by his people. There was a time when he was disappointed that the ‘Sky Warriors’ never saw fit to choose him for their ranks, but that quickly passed as the task of surviving the harsh and unforgiving world was ever present. At 16 he married the love of his life, a girl from a neighboring friendly tribe, and within two years she bore him a son.
It was the happiest time of his life, but was doomed to end in blood.
In 968.M21, Fenris was infiltrated by a cult of Khorne and several of the Fenrisian tribes succumbed to its dark influence. One such tribe, led by the cultist who’d instigated the planet’s ‘conversion’, sought to make a worthy sacrifice to their new god and so descended upon Leonothas’ tribe in the dead of night. The smaller group of nomads put up a noble fight but was clearly fighting a losing battle and in the heat of it all Leonothas’ wife and son were slain. This sent the warrior into a rage and he cut a bloody swath through the enemy; personally lopping the head off the cultist leader. Just before the remaining tribesmen descended upon him the great scream of jump packs filled the air and much to everyone’s amazement and fear a squadron of Sky Warriors was in their midst. The Space Wolves had been well aware of the cult spreading upon their home and had been monitoring the behavior of each tribe from their Fortress Monetary. Wars between the tribals were not uncommon, but this particular conflict came from no apparent blood feud or territory war and so immediately caught their suspicion. Preparing their forces from the shadows, they sought to use the small tribe as a distraction until the leader revealed himself, though they had been too slow to reach him before Leonothas did. Within a matter of minutes the Space Marines had slaughtered the corrupted tribe to the last man.
Though most Chapter recruits were taken at an earlier age, they looked favorably upon Leonothas for his display in battle and so took him with them to the Monestary to both interrogate him regarding the cult and to, possibly, put him into the next group of recruits. He passed their trials and survived their augmentations, all the while being harshly indoctrinated with the ideals of one who ‘serves the God Emperor and mankind’. Before long, all memory of his previous life had vanished and he found himself a fierce and honorable Space Marine of the Space Wolves Chapter.
For nearly 30 years he served on the front lines of the Chapter, distinguishing himself for his fearlessness, his battle lust, and his skills in close-range combat and was eventually promoted into the Skyclaws as the leader of an assault squad. Here his accolades only grew as he gained victory of victory against the enemies of man, even having the relic Frost Blade ’Wintermaw’ bestowed upon him. Near the end of the millennium, he found himself in Cadia as part of the Chapter battlegroup defending the sector. Leading the defenders of one of the hive worlds, Leonothas found himself separated from his unit and injured by the round of a chaos bolter. He would likely have perished there on the street if not for the aid of a kind civilian who, with the help of her family, took him into hiding. He was amazed at the mortal’s bravery and something about her appearance gave him pause, though he knew not what it was. After a time, he was nursed back to health and was able to rejoin his battle brothers, leading a heroic counter-attack that sent the enemy running. His elation at this victory was short lived, however, when the Chapter command came down that they were to evacuate the planet and leave the populace. Leonothas fiercely protested, thinking of the woman who had saved him, saying that billions of innocent lives would be lost and that if they were only able to attack the enemy head on they would surely emerge the victor. The order was final, as command saw the planet beyond redemption and deserving only of an orbital cleansing that would reduce everything to ash.
As the majority of his forces were being pulled out, Leonothas disobeyed a direct order and led a small squad of volunteers back to the planet’s surface, hoping to reach the planetary comm. system and announce the planet-wide evacuation. Fighting from street corner to street corner, they stopped to rescue the family that had saved Leonothas and eventually made it to the station, barricading themselves inside. Before the announcement could be made the orbital cleansing began and the honorable Space Marine knew that they would soon die from the bombardment, sacrifices of the cowardly Imperium. It was at that moment that Abbaddon’s ritual was completed several planets away and the entire system became another part of the Eye of Terror. The cleansing ceased as the new warp storm raged around the planet and in the lull, Leonothas looked down to the woman who he’d been shielding but found that she was already dead; her weaker body had been broken by the concussive force of the Imperial bombardment. In that moment, the greater part of his Space Marine indoctrination failed and the memories of his past life came rushing back. This caused him to realize why this woman felt so important to him: she was a spitting image of the wife he had lost long ago. For the second time, the Emperor had betrayed him and let those he cared for die out of simple cowardice. If the Sky Warriors had only fought back on Fenris, his wife might still be alive. If the Space Wolves had only fought on Cadia, this innocent woman might still be alive.
This loss broke his mind and he flew into a blinding rage just as the forces of Chaos finally regrouped and descended upon the station. He slaughtered them as they came, wave after wave, until his blue-grey armor was stained red and dripped blood as he ran until finally they overwhelmed him through sheer force of numbers. Had these foes been ‘normal’ heretics they might have slain him right then and there, but these were ’World Eaters’ and they valued anyone who could fight with such bloodthirsty rage. For the second time in his life, he was taken from a pile of his enemy’s corpses only this time he needed no brutal indoctrination, no wiping of his memory. From that day onward, Leonothas’ sole purpose was revenge against the weak Imperium that would hide behind a shield of unarmed civilians.
His fearsome rage and bloodlust only grew as the years passed and more and more red and brass armored warriors fell in behind him. They followed the flow of war, from one planet to the next, until finally the planet ‘Vigil’ was in their sights.
- Kargan's Following; Thousands of heretical space marines follow behind the Red Wolf, their thirst for blood growing ever dire as the closer they get to Vigil.
- The Blood Wolves; The red and brass that followed Kargan's conquest weren't the only Chaos marines to take notice. In the shadows a reclusive traitorous legion, responsible for the massacre of billions across the Ultima Segmentum, made themselves known. The Blood Wolves, heretical Space Wolves who've sworn themselves to Khorne, met Kargan upon a world mere days before making the jump to Vigil. They bowed before him, surrendering their total allegiance to his cause.
- The Skull Throne; When Kargan and his newfound Blood Wolves made the jump through the Warp on their route to Vigil, a strange happening occurred. Their ships had suddenly vanished, and they had been relatively suspended in mid-air, observing the encroaching dark void that began to envelop them. They had all nearly suffocated within the confines of a freezing, empty atmosphere, before lights suddenly flickered on. Kargan and his wolves found themselves within what appeared to be a massive space hulk, adorned in skulls, bones and markings of Khorne. The ship's structure itself was relatively flush and organized, matching no known form of battleship in any recorded data. Within the core of the ship was an elegant gothic-style fountain of blood, with a tremendously large and vivid statue of the Lord of Blood himself.
- The Cult of Kharneth; As Kargan's personal crusade of blood led him to Vigil, his acts did not go unnoticed. Hundreds of thousands of cultists have amassed into a single gathering, boarding dozens of battle barges donning the Mark of Khorne as they follow the Skull Throne into battle.
- The Iron Bones Traitor Legion; Upon one such battle barge a legion of traitorous guardsmen await a glorious battle. Clad in iron helmets and armor, their makeshift weaponry and unmanaged firearms prove surprisingly and lethally effective against enemy infantry.
- Iron Bone's Blessed Armored Divisions; Blessed by the Lord of Blood & Skulls, nearly a hundred daemonic engines are operated by the Iron Bones guardsmen. Additionally, dozens of stolen and acquired chimeras and leman russ tanks are also operated within the divisions.
- The Unbound Hordes of Blood; Within the Skull Throne lies a watery portal of a crimson shade from which endless legions of khornate daemons spawn.
- The Wolves of Kharneth; One of many gifts supplied to Kargan on the Skull Throne. A pack of eight tremendous wolves, Fenrisian in nature, loyally serve their new master. Blood and saliva constantly oozes from their massive jaws, their mangy fur thin enough to see the outline of their thick bones. Blades and bullets seem to absorb into their flesh, as they pounce and devour any threat to their master at will.
"The seven plagues will be wrought upon the innocent by the Harbinger of their decay. Billions will bow before him, pleading for his mercy. None will be safe from his contagious aura, as he claims a permanent seat for himself upon the infested cities of his conquest."
~ Chaos Lord Athanagoras Fel
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout
- A corrupted rosarius.
- A powerful force stave known as a Plague staff
- Psychic amplifier: An alpha/alpha-plus psyker, Lord Fel relies on his considerable warp-powers along with the durability and strength granted by the wasting powers of Nurgle in combat. His ornate helmet is inscribed with powerful warp-runes designed to augment his power.
~ Psychological Profile:
Lord Fel reflects the dark beneficence of his master Nurgle, manifesting kindness, humor, generosity and even honor- all, of course, irredeemably twisted by the dark power of the Warp into perversions of their true forms. Beneath a mask of unflappable amiability and politesse lies cold cunning and megalomaniac ambition. Fel is driven by the desire to freeze the universe into a decayed, diseased stasis, a twisted image of the Imperium of Man, ruled by himself as its god-king. Convinced that in the eternal stagnation granted by the lord of decay lies the salvation of mankind, Fel is believes his work is the only possible salvation of the Imperium.
A shrewd manipulator, Fel is intensely hostile towards the other chaotic powers- though pragmatic enough to work with them when he must. Still considering himself a servant of the late Emperor and an Inquisitor, Fel possesses a certain admiration and fondness towards the servants of the Imperium- a fondness, it must be said, that does not prevent him from unleashing horrifying disease and destruction upon the dead Emperor's servants when it suits his purposes to do so.
~ Brief Biography:
Athanagoras Fel was once an Inquisitor in the service of the Imperium of Man, and for centuries hunted down the servants of the dark gods he would eventually come to serve. The scion an aristocratic family on Scintilla, Fel's intellectual curiosity and psychic power naturally inclined him toward radical philosophies within the Holy Ordos. He was famous within the Inquisition for his incredible charisma and ambition, as well as for his psychic talents.
Aware for many years of the failing mechanisms of the Golden Throne, Fel devoted ever more time and energy into seeking out solutions to the approaching doom, dabbling in secret and forbidden arts....
Fel disappeared with his entourage some seventy years before the coming of Abaddon, after an expedition to a pre-Imperial xeno-archeological site on Ploutus II. He was presumed dead by the Holy Ordos, which was anyway preoccupied with the mounting crises throughout the Imperium.
Reappearing in dramatic fashion within the disintegrating Imperium following the Emperor's demise, Fel contacted old Ordos colleagues and announced that he had found the path to the salvation of man. He declared himself the Emperor reborn, using his tremendously enhanced psychic abilities as evidence, and gathered vast armies of the deluded and despairing under his power...
- The Cult of Nurgh-leth; Like Kargan, Fel's actions have not gone unnoticed. Father Nurgle clearly favors Fel's self proclamation as the reborn Emperor, guiding hundreds of thousands of cultist forces to his cause.
- The Rotting Traitor Legions; An ancient legion of roughly seven thousand traitorous guardsmen follow Fel's command without question. Their only weakness is the length of their services, they have been kept alive by Nurgle for so long they appear as zombified guardsmen barely capable of bringing up their weapons to aim. Difficult to kill, but also difficult to train and order.
- The Plagued Hordes; The Eastern Hive City Collective continues to suffer from the Seven Plagues even with the Armageddon Steel Legions and Death Korps continuously pushing the line. Countless billions whom have begged for Fel's mercy find themselves mindless, zombified servants to Nurgle's cause, serving as a definitive door-stopper to the opposition.
- Death Guard Legions; Coupled with the strength of two thousand strong, and dozens of operators maintaining the daemonic engines of Nurgle, the jovial legions of plague marines masquerade like nobles through the Hive City Collectives.
- Fel's Undying Hordes; A gift from the Plague Lord himself. An archway containing a portal seemingly leading into a filthy garden has opened up within the core of hive city Vahl. Legions of daemonic forces from Nurgle's grasp have poured out ready to unleash havoc.
"An Envious One will forge the Key of Emotion, the Key that was never meant to become reality. With it they will be driven mad with power, commiting the ultimate betrayal as promises of raw power and unlimited pleasures compel them."
"There is one among us, one who cannot ever know the truth of the prophecy and his role within. A true prophet of ending will aspire to use the Key of Change to unleash a power thought impossible."
"There exists within the Immaterium two brothers, constantly challenging one another. One day they will fight each other to the death, and their physical manifestations will imbue within the soul of one of their own. A Warlord's soul, who will lead the entirety of his people towards an enemy worthier than the rest. It is by his actions alone the galaxy will question who or what they should truly fear."
~ Grand Admarul Fraurn da Sun Crusha
-- Equipment/Weapons Loadout
Da Grand Admarul wears a mix of looted Imperial carapace armour bolted together to form a full suit; it is light (for an Ork), resilient and very shiny, though he always wears his trademark fur and leather trench coat over the top, stitched together from the corpses of a hundred felled enemies.
Unlike most Warlords, Fraurn has a minimalist attitude to his own armament, preferring to use only a rather elegant looking slugga built from claimed Imperial bolt pistols. In combat he relies more on his sheer bulk as a weapon, tearing the enemy limb from limb and using their own weapons against them.
-- Psychological Profile
Da Grand Admarul is an aberration, a true freak of his kind. Even among his fellow Blood Axes, Fraurn's fascination with the Imperium and human ways was considered disturbingly un-orky. Now that he rules however, emulating Imperial tactics has become the norm for the combined clans of Waaagh! Fraurn and his people are experiencing the nearest thing to a kultural renaissance that Orkind is capable of.
Fraurn himself is an obsessive creature, determined to conquer every last vestige of humanity and learn what it is that makes them truly human; current theories include the presence of a certain organ that exudes 'Uminess or some kind of drug that makes them work together so well. Regardless of the details, Fraurn is dedicated to harnessing that secret to make all Orks everywhere loyal to him alone.
And perhaps in time, he may become da Emparoar of Orkind.
-- Biography
No-one is certain where the Ork Warlord known as Fraurn came from or how his obsession with humanity began, but tales told around the campfires of Waaagh! Fraurn say that he served as a mercenary for a Rogue Trader for many years, part bodyguard, part attack dog. When the Rogue Trader ran out of enemies for Fraurn and his Boyz, the Ork turned on his erstwhile master, taking the old man's mantle and ship for himself. For decades he travelled as a Freeboota, sometimes joining larger fleets, sometimes striking out alone until a chance encounter on an isolated world changed his life forever.
The then-Kaptin Fraurn and his crew landed on the remote world of I-995315 and proceeded to massacre their way across the surface until the local Planetary Defence Forces were able to mount an effective defense. The armies met on the plains outside the capital city, clashing head on in a battle that would last for days. Despite being horribly outnumbered and outgunned, the humans refused to give an inch of ground, killing a dozen Orks for every man lost. Impressed with their stubborn dedication and refusal to retreat, Fraurn took to studying their movements and commanders and was soon copying their actions, sending in kommandos to kidnap key officers and destroy high-value targets. By adopting the PDF's own tactics, the Orks were able to turn the tide, turning what had become a war of attrition into a game of cat and mouse through the capital's deserted streets. Fraurn's Freebootaz grew exponentially as they warred back and forth across the planet, forming the foundations of what would one day be Waaagh! Fraurn. And the Kaptin himself took on a new persona, aping the actions of his Imperial counterparts; his host was slowly organised into a loose army, with some semblance of a rank system and integrated support. This organisation would one day catch Imperial forces completely offguard as Waaagh! Fraurn swept through the Ultima Segmentum in the early days of the 42nd millennium. The details of his meteoric rise to power are also shrouded in mystery, though many humans believe that a systematic campaign of surgical strikes, assassinations and brainwashing is responsible. Perhaps this is the case, as it seems the kind of thing a human would do.
Of course that is but one of a thousand tales told of da Grand Admarul across a million campfires. Regardless of where he came from, Fraurn knows where he is destined to be; the seat of Gork and Mork themselves, deep within the Eye of Terror. Once he completes his domination of the galaxy, he will challenge the Gods themselves for supremacy over all Orkdom... and beyond.
-- Krew
~ ForToo
As the leader of da Kommando Korps, ForToo is Fraurn's right hand Ork. He is well known as the sneakiest git in the Armarder and has built up his own kult of stelf that has amassed hundreds of thousands of adherants. These die-hards make up the core of the Kommandos, the nearest to a professional soldier an Ork can ever get and of which ForToo is the quintessential example.
~ Mekdok Krakghar
It isn't often that a Mekboy dabbles in the arts of a Dok, but Krakghar takes the union of Ork and machine very seriously. Like many of his kind, he is the very picture of a mad scientist, always pushing the boundaries of what is and is not possible. His first great creation was his own bionik modifications, performed on himself and without anaesthetic in the true Orky way. He is also responsible for creating a cadre of horrific cybork killers, capable of being dropped behind enemy lines for assassination, cutting supply lines or just plain carnage.
~ Waaagh! Fraurn ~
- Da Grand Armarder
The backbone of Fraurn's war machine is the combined fleets of a thousand Ork clans, held together by a strict framework of distrust and mutually assured destruction. If a single ship steps a toe out of line, the rest of Da Armarder turns on it like a pack of sharks. It would take a political mastermind or a force beyond reckoning to sustain such an organisation; it's a good thing that Da Grand Admarul is both of these things. Da Armarder consists of hundreds of thousands of Roks, looted ships and kroozers of various designs, led by dozens of space hulks. Fraurn himself commands from the largest hulk in recorded history, known simply as da Big Rok.
- ForToo's Kommando Korps
ForToo's Kommando Korps is a semi-professional warband with strict entry requirements and training. Every Kommando is a stealthy killing machine, fully capable of operating alone behind enemy lines or as part of a larger army. Their tactics and equipment have been copied from certain elite Imperial formations, including the Adeptus Arbites and the Imperial Guard's own Storm Troopers. They are not to be trifled with.
- The Assembled Clans of Orkdom
Waaagh! Fraurn has united warbands from almost every clan, from Goff to Snakebite. Each clan brings their own unique style to da Grand Admarul's armies; with the Goffs come massive gargants and entire warbands of Nobz, the Evil Sunz bring a plethora of fast-movng vehicles and the massed legions of feral Orks from a thousand worlds ensure that there is always a plentiful supply of Boyz.
- Da Freekorps
One of Fraurn's more enlightened ideas, da Freekorps consists of human pirates and captive bred slaves-soldiers. These troops are given looted Imperial equipment and can, sometimes, pass off as being Imperial Guard. Their combat role is mainly tank crew and artillery, but they are sometimes used to sow disorder behind enemy lines. Da Freekorps is kept in line by a mixture of death threats, religious indoctrination and in some cases, bionik implants.
"The prophecy concludes. There will be a Hallowed Observer whose actions will either bring a light unto his kind...or keep them forever shrouded in the hallows of the void."
~ Commander Triumph /Shas'O Vior'La Shi'ur (docblargle)
~ Equipment/Weapons Loadout:
O'Shi'ur uses an experimental XV22 command stealth suit. Commanding a large scouting force, O'Shi'ur has access to a variety of gear for his battlesuit, and often changes his suit's loadout to suit his current needs. However, here is his general threat loadout.
-Twin-Linked Arm Mounted Burst Cannons
- Shoulder Mounted Missile Pods
- Command Drone
- Gun Drone
- Shield Drone
~ Psychological Profile: Shas'O Shi'ur is steadfast in his belief in the greater good. He is noble and honorable to all he has dealt with, ally and enemy alike. He is slightly naive in that he believes that most races of the universe, aside from the Tyranids and Orcs, can come together and thrive under the guidance of the ethereals and their teachings of tau'va. His only blemish in his faith in the ethereals is he questions their decisions regarding Commander Farsight. In combat, O'Shi'ur follows the Tau doctrine of observing his enemy for a weak point before striking, preferring to hold back his forces until the opportune moment. In most social scenarios, O'Shi'ur is fairly direct and to the point, preferring to stay towards business. However, in private with his friends he is far more approachable and congenial.
~ Brief Biography: Shas'O Shi'ur is a relatively young Tau commander, but has served in a variety of situations. He has both fought as a soldier and commander against Orcs and Tyranids alike, with a few engagements against rebel human auxiliary worlds as well. As a fire warrior, O'Shi'ur quickly demonstrated his skill and competence in battle, and eventually commanded a squad that would be known for both bravery and tactics. O'Shi'ur was quite infatuated with the XV25 stealth suits, but certainly did not complain when he was called upon to pilot an XV8 crisis suit after his trial by fire. O'Shi'ur spent an equal amount of time perfecting both his skill and tactical knowledge, and considered Commander Shadowsun his personal hero. O'Shi'ur was promoted to the rank of Shas'O after a daring mission in which he rescued an ethereal from an Orc invasion of a frontier world, holding the horde back until reinforcements arrived. O'Shi'ur was placed in charge of a scouting fleet, whose purpose was to patrol the edge of Tau space to preemptively strike at any invasion force until backup arrived. Recently, activity close to the border of tau space has the ethereal's nervous. After deliberation, they chose to outfit O'Shi'ur with the latest prototype XV22 command stealth suit, and sent his scouting fleet to investigate the disturbance.
- Dagger of O'Shi'ur; An Or'es El'leath-class Battleship, it has been outfitted with stealth fields, upgraded rail and pulse battery cannons and faster engines. It is truly a marvel of future Tau technology.
- Pathfinder Cadres; Hundreds of various cadres work together in almost perfect unison as they progressively scan the massive planet of Vigil. For the past two months they have faced little resistance from splintered Tyranid hordes, although strange scans continue to mislead them into believing a massive force is gathering directly under their main base of operations. Additionally, worrying reports of thousands of misplaced civilians are converging closer to the south-western continent as they seek refuge from war.
- Fire Warrior Cadres; Numbering little over a couple thousand, these experienced warriors are adaptable and precise under O'Shi'ur's command. They share increasing concerns of misleading communications reports, converging refugees giving away their presence as well as increased Tyranid sightnings. Were it not for the importance of the secretive mission at hand, many fellow Tau would have folded cards by now.
- Stealthsuit Team "Duskfall"; Twelve operatives whose identities are known only to O'Shi'ur and Tau High Command were ordered onto this mission. Their suits vary wildly from one another, painted a pitch black color and outfitted with prototype auto-firing photon cannons and pulse grenade launchers.
- Tau Armored Divisions "Thundering Quakes"; A significant force of Hammerheads, Orcas, Piranhas and other Tau armored vehicles have been placed under O'Shi'ur's command.
- Tau Aerial Reconnaissance Divisions "Shadowed Lightning"; Thousands of aerial drones and dozens of stealth and reconnaissance aerial vehicles have additionally been placed under the Commander's thumb.
- Kyark's Pack; A couple hundred Kroot mercenaries can be bought or persuaded, but a highly lethal tribe of trained assassins and hunters are hard to find. Kyark's Pack was no easy force to find, and even costlier to persaude him toward the cause.
- XV8 Crisis Battlesuit Team; 5 XV8 Variants of the Crisis Battlesuits make up the highly efficient and important squad of veteran Tau. Each member of this team knows whats at stake, working with Duskfall to clear areas and update intelligence on enemy forces.
Rules/Updates;
~ I feel a minimum of one post, roughly two to three paragraphs, per day is achievable and you're all capable of that. If any special regulations need to be made i'll comply so long as it works out for everyone. If you're not able to post on any day just give us all a heads up. Depending on your length of absence I may take temporary reign over characters to move things along. Don't worry, i'll do my best to stay true to them.
~ Being OP isn't quite a problem with me on this particular roleplay. I've set out to make a badass game and I feel the players should be equally badass. I don't want players to have to worry about being super realistic when it comes to battles.
~ I'll be the judge of PvP, and while I'm a lax GM in most areas, this is where i'll put my foot down. No pissing matches, i'll make the PM arrangements and you guys make the plans. Once I've decided the outcome, the both of you can than make a collaborative post or simply write your own viewpoints of the battle.
