Legion Name: The Void Stalkers.
Legion Number: XX, the Last Legion.
Legion Strength: 34,750 Astartes, though its fleet and vast battleships are crewed by hundreds of thousands of ordinary humans.
Armour Appearance:
Symbol/heraldry:
Warcry: A single, muted whisper, followed by deafening silence:
“Death.”Dramatis Personae and Legion Organization: I.
First Chapter2,000 Astartes
Lead by: Balthasith the Destroyer, Black Guard, Void Master of the First Chapter. He acts as Gorseval's right hand and has ultimate authority over the Legion whenever the Primarch is away. Balthasith commands the
Avenger-class Grand Cruiser
Event Horizon, named so for the incredible lethality of its close-range armaments; stray too close, and death is guaranteed. Balthasith and the
Event Horizon famously destroyed an (ironically-named)
Void Stalker-class Eldar battleship during the Omicreth Campaign, earning him his epithet.
Description: The First Chapter has the most veterans among its ranks, and it is unique in the sense that all of its Company commanders are also members of the Black Guard. They form the vanguard during boarding operations and other close-combat operations. The Legion doesn't own many suits of Terminator armor, but those that they do have are all in the hands of First Chapter veterans. Their signature weapon is the multi-melta, a throwback to the Reach's origin as a mining colony.
II.
Second Chapter3,000 Astartes
Lead by: Nasgalur, Black Guard, Void Master of the Second Chapter. He was almost killed by the Eldar during the war in the Reach and all of his limbs, save for his left arm, had to replaced with bionics. He is solid and dependable, but not very imaginative, and never presumes to give advice to the Primarch. Commands a
Gladius-class light cruiser known as the
Shadow of the Reach. Description: Gorseval uses him and the Second Chapter to perform tough, straightforward missions that require discipline and tenacity. They share the 'ever forwards, never back' mentality with the Blazing Sisters, making them the odd-man-out among the Void Stalkers. They are the closest thing the Void Stalkers have to siege experts.
III.
Third Chapter, the Unseen1,000 Astartes
Lead by: Yndrasil, Black Guard, Void Master and a Stalker-Master of the Third Chapter, who are nicknamed the Unseen. He is famously more tight-lipped than even the Primarch, and it is said that he once sniped an Eldar pilot out of its
Nightwing-class attack fighter during the Omicreth Campaign. Yndrasil and the Unseen travel aboard a
Venom-class Destroyer, the
Phantom.
Description: Total opposites of the Second Chapter, the Unseen are the best snipers and scouts. They cover their power armor with camo-cloaks and use high-powered, slug-based weapons that allow the use of silencers. The Unseen rarely fight as a single unit, instead dispersing among the battle-groups to perform scouting and overwatch duties. During boarding actions or close-quarters combat, they ditch their sniper rifles for long, silver daggers. Good for sneaking up on Orks. Stalker-Masters are trained by the Third.
IV.
Fourth Chapter2,500 Astartes
Lead by: Doraelen, Black Guard and Void Master of the Fourth Chapter. He is generally considered one of the greatest captains of the Legion, tied with Gorseval and Balthasith, and is famous for never having fired a single bullet in combat. He remains aboard his
Lunar-class battleship, the
Dead Star, at all times. Should all else fail, Doraelen will still be there to command the fleet.
Description: Most of the Fourth Chapter specialize in piloting landing craft, Stormbirds and various types of attack craft. As such, they are spread out across the Legion's fleet, and many of don't see their Void Master for years on end. If the situation permits it, the Fourth holds a yearly gathering aboard the
Dead Star, though this occasion couldn't be observed during the entirety of the harrowing Forridien Campaign. Nobody knows what the Fourth do on that day -- not even Gorseval.
V.
Fifth Chapter6,000 Astartes
Lead by: Mandragul, Black Guard, Apothecary and Void Master of the Fifth Chapter. Mandragul is the only Apothecary that also holds the rank of Void Master, and he is regarded as the head of the Legion's Apothecarion. In his case, the rank of Void Master is mostly honorary, as he relinquishes command of his ship, the
Bulk-class cruiser known as the
Red Dawn, to his second-in-command, Raphael, a Theta-level psyker. A great warrior in his own right, Mandragul single-handedly slew an Ork Meganob in the Forridien Campaign.
Description: The Fifth draw inspiration from most of the other Chapters and pride themselves on their versatility, forming the flexible, all-round backbone of the Legion, together with the Seventh. Gorseval usually holds them back during the opening stages of a theater of war and subsequently deploys them wherever the Legion is weakest. This attitude of versatility is reflected in their Void Master, Mandragul, who is warrior, mentor and healer.
VI.
Sixth Chapter3,500 Astartes
Lead by: Gabriel, Epsilon-level psyker and Void Master of the Sixth Chapter. One of only two Void Masters that isn't part of the Black Guard, promoted in part because of his gift for strategy, but also because he has learned how to communicate telepathically with Gorseval over long distances. This allows his Chapter to operate away from the front. As such, Gabriel is frequently the first to make planetfall after establishing void superiority. He was present during Erron Khaal's duel with the Ork Warboss, Bonehamma, at the climax of the Forridien Campaign. He wields an Eldar Singing Spear into battle, once used by the Farseer that attempted to assassinate Gorseval. Gabriel is known to attempt to replicate Gorseval's mind-breaking techniques when transporting a prisoner to the
Eclipse isn't a feasible option, to mixed success. He commands the Legion's only Battle Barge, an absolutely massive behemoth known as the
Starfall. Favored by Gorseval.
Description: The Sixth Chapter has more terrestrial combat specialists than the others and they follow their Void Master to the surface. They were the only Chapter to be deployed in its entirety to the surface of Forridien Prime, down to the last man, and they suffered the heaviest casualties. Their signature weapon is the storm bolter, which they favor for its maneuverability and relentless firepower.
VII.
Seventh Chapter6,000 Astartes
Lead by: Ectheliar, Black Guard and Void Master to the Seventh Chapter. He is similar to Nasgalur in temperament and capabilities and the two are thick as thieves. His ship was recently destroyed and Ectheliar and the Seventh Chapter currently reside on the
Eclipse until a replacement is acquired.
Description: Together with the Fifth, the Seventh are capable all-rounders. In recent times they have tried to distinguish themselves more by specializing in demolition weaponry and tactics, but it hasn't fully caught on yet -- an enormous explosion is considered inelegant by most of the Void Stalkers. The Seventh is frequently seen as a stepping stone; a place for battle-brothers who have finished their training in the Ninth to find their niche.
VIII.
Eighth Chapter, the Technicians 1,500 Astartes
Lead by: Zanthagar, Black Guard, Master Technician and Void Master of the Eighth Chapter. Zanthagar commands a swift
Gladius-class light cruiser, the
Comet. He is more interested in the ships of the Legion's fleet than its Legionnaires, and most stay well-clear of him, though he is highly respected for his technical knowhow.
Description: The Eighth Chapter specializes in maintaining the Legion's massive fleet and many of them are rudimentary precursors to the Tech-Marines, informally called the Technicians. Despite not seeing as much combat action as the rest of their battle-brothers, the work of the Technicians is considered honorable and vital to the Legion's success. Like the Fourth Chapter, the Technicians are spread out across the Legion's fleet in order to perform their duties.
IX.
Ninth Chapter, the Neophytes9,000 Astartes
Lead by: Querinus, Black Guard and Void Master of the Ninth Chapter. He generally oversees the training of new recruits, along with the Apothecarion. The enormous
Infernal-class battleship known as the
Void Maw holds the Ninth, and has Querinus at the helm. He is widely considered to be the Legion's harshest taskmaster, doling out cruel punishments for perceived failures and precious few words of encouragement. The officers of the Ninth mimic this and encourage the hard-as-nails attitude the Legion is infamous for.
Description: Considering the young age of the Legion the Ninth Chapter is the largest of them all, currently numbering almost 9,000 Space Marines, and a disproportionally high number of Stalker-Masters to show the neophytes the ropes. They are deployed behind the formidable vanguard of the First Chapter, or in support of the flexible Fifth and Seventh Chapters. Despite having to give them a taste of war so that they can develop, Gorseval tries to avoid throwing them to the wolves and having them die unnecessarily.
X.
Tenth Chapter250 Astartes
Lead by: Michaal, Master of Secrets and Void Master of the Tenth Chapter. Well-known for looking almost identical to Gorseval, and subsequently the Emperor. He commands a
Vengeance-class grand cruiser, the
Black Nova. Generally considered an enigma.
Description: Gorseval, always looking for new methods to dishonorably slaughter his enemies, has commanded Michaal, the second Terran-born of his sons to be Void Master, to perform experiments with chemical and biological weapons. This is a highly secretive project, and even among the Legion very few know exactly what it is that the Tenth Chapter does. They occasionally perform so-called 'black operations' during large theaters of war to perform field tests of the experimental weaponry on the enemy, most notably during the Forridien campaign, when they unleashed a cloud of highly toxic nerve-gas inside an Ork Rok. The Tenth also applied their experimental weaponry during the Liberation of Byzanthrian on a smaller scale, infecting prisoners of war with a horrifying plague to observe the effects.
MiscellaneousGorseval the Dark Star, Primarch. Beta-level psyker, skilled swordsman and highly capable strategist. He commands the
Apocaypse-class battleship that functions as the Legion's flagship, the
Eclipse. Asmodal, Black Guard and a Stalker-Master of the First Chapter. Asmodal has been by Gorseval's side since the very beginning, serving the Silent King voluntarily, and killed several Space Marines of the Wild Blades and the Bloody Host in the pacification of the Reach. The process of turning him into a Space Marine made him exceptionally large, and he wears one of the Legion's few prized sets of Terminator armor, carrying a multi-melta and a power sword into battle. He is generally considered the Legion's most dangerous combatant. Despite not being in a position of great authority within the Legion, Gorseval possibly values Asmodal's advice above all others. Knows how to brew a mean drink.
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Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role: The Void Stalkers are in their home element when engaging in void warfare, and are renowned specialists in boarding actions and spaceship combat. Their Legion possesses more battleships than almost any other and they usually become responsible for establishing void superiority when involved in a battle. That doesn't mean their involvement ends there; after the fight in space has been won, the battle on the ground is frequently still going. The Void Stalkers use dropships and deep strike teleportation technology to quickly become involved with the ground war, where they specialize in targeting enemy commanders and demoralizing the enemy through terrorist tactics. The Void Stalkers lay ambushes and prefer to fight inside or underground, bunkering down deep inside enemy territory and delivering devastating strikes before vanishing into the shadows.
Gorseval himself often oversees the battle directly and uses his considerable psychic powers to predict enemy movements and identify weak positions, though he doesn't lead from the front. Captured enemy commanders are brought before Gorseval for him to break so that he may learn their secrets. If necessary, the Void Stalkers will utilize a primitive predecessor of the Exterminatus protocol in the form of sustained orbital bombardment.
The flagship of the Void Stalkers, the
Eclipse, is an
Apocalypse-class battleship that Gorseval personally commands. It has been retrofitted with enhanced shield flux capacitors that allow quick redirection of power to boost certain parts of the shields, and weaken others, to take maximum advantage of the psychic foresight that Gorseval is capable of. It is designed to protect those parts of the ship that are about to be hit, instead of the entire structure. This allows the
Eclipse to direct more power to the Lance batteries that line the broadsides of the ship, turning it into a veritable planet-killer.
Like most Legions, the Void Stalkers are divided into ten Chapters. Each of these Chapters is headed by a Void Master, and all but two of these Void Masters are also part of the Black Guard. In addition to being Chapter commanders, these Void Masters are also captains of their own battleships, frigates or cruisers, where their word is absolute law, second only to Gorseval's or the Emperor's. They only rarely descend to the surface in a ground war, preferring to command their Chapter from the stratosphere with their ships in geosynchronous orbital anchor.
During boarding actions, deep strikes or prolonged ground wars, it is one of the Stalker-Masters that assumes control over a Company or a Tactical squad. The Void Stalkers rarely fight as a single, cohesive unit, instead spreading out over the battlefield in small groups of up to one hundred Space Marines. They use long-range vox comms to coordinate their attacks, but avoid creating a centralized front for the enemy to attack. The Stalker-Masters are experts at what they call 'shadow warfare', and are responsible for carrying out the Void Stalkers' infamous tactics of assassination, abduction and guerrilla warfare.
Legion Characteristics/Ideology: The Void Stalkers are extremely rigid and emotionless both in combat and out. They revere Gorseval above all else, including the Emperor, and will not hesitate to lay down their lives for him. They are cold, calculating and logical, and don't engage in frivolous activities like small talk or hobbies. Every waking second is spent preparing for the next fight. They care little for the lives of others outside the Legion, including other Space Marines, and will sometimes kill whole swaths of innocents to complete an objective. Terra, and the Imperium it represents, means nothing to them -- they exist to serve the Silent King.
The elite core of the Void Stalkers is comprised of the Black Guard, an informal title for the men of the Reach that served Gorseval before the Emperor found him. They are the very best of the best that the asteroid collective had to offer, having survived both a war with the Eldar and the guerrilla campaign against the Emperor's forces. As such, some of them are very good at killing Space Marines. Some of them also serve as Gorseval's personal advisers, though he has a tendency to ignore their words. There are roughly 500 of them scattered throughout the ranks of the Legion, though they make up the bulk of the leadership and the officer cadre.
The Void Stalkers are moderately superstitious and revere Gorseval as their supreme leader, who they often still refer to as the Silent King (especially the Black Guard and fresh recruits from the Reach do this). Gorseval is seen as a prophet among the people of the Reach, born of the hallowed void, sent to lead them to a better future. Because the psyker mutation never occurred among the Reachborn, Gorseval's powers were seen as supernatural and divine before the Reach was brought into the fold of the Imperium.
Hated Enemy (optional): Gorseval has a particular hatred for the Eldar, who were the first significant enemy to resist him. He still searches for the Craftworld that harassed him so much before he was found by the Emperor.
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