Willy Vereb

~Of Flames and Fantasy~

Nilbergian Confederacy

Deep in the mountains, living in borderline isolation from the rest of the world there's Nilberg. Beautiful landscape ranging from snowy mountaintops, green valleys to unforgiving deserts. The home of Zeignons, also known as goattaurs. Though the Confederacy outwardly seems like a single ruling body in effect it's little more than just a strong alliance of nineteen cantons, each with their own autonomy and sovereignty. These cantons can be vary from de-facto kingdoms to democratic city states. Yet they share similar culture, beliefs and a strong historical bond. They are a modest sized country with scarce resources. This made forming connections with a wide range of other nations simple, nobody saw them as a rival or a potential target of conquest anymore. Combine this with the natural curiosity and wandering spirit of Zeignons and Nilbergians were prospering massively during the last two centuries.

Yet their almost two hundred years without military threat might be coming to a swift end. The last few months were tense for the Nilbergians even though they weren't directly effected. This is actually the fifth time the Federal Diet talks of the so-called "Outlanders" as its main topic. With thousands of Nilbergians leaving the mountains and almost as many returning every day it isn't surprising they got news about these mysterious strangers rather early. At first they viewed them with curious wonder but after the swift fall of multiple countries they realized the full dread of the Outlanders. A party rose which urged action against these strangers while many appealed to their historical neutrality and impartiality to offer their mercenary services.

"Fellow representatives, you should be all aware by now that the Qalyxh Isles were overrun by these Outlanders. What you may not know that these savages murdered Crown Prince Keaon in cold blood and ruined the wondrous city of Ocia. They currently hold the First Princess and the Third Prince hostage. They're slaves within their own country! This is nothing but a short glimpse into what awaits all of us if we don't act now!" Vito Liggenstorfer concluded his short speech. He advocates for a massive continent wide coalition against the Outlander threat.

"Need I remind the Diet that this splinter force of the Outlanders completely demolished the single greatest naval power in the world? If we-" Agata Iller, supporter of the moderates and one of the many representatives opposing Vito was already making her counterpoint when Vito interjected.

"Pardon to interrupt but we don't know what sorts of foul trickery the Outlanders used. Given the swiftness of their victory they might've used a divine artifact or called upon the favor of the sea gods. This is why I call for the urgency of this alliance. Strike them while they're weak!" Vito tried to reinforce his argument at all costs.

"I am sure you're aware that Nilberg is a landlocked region without any access to the great seas. What do you suppose we'd even do, Herr Liggenstorfer?" Nils Kölliker spoke up in objection.

"We can thwart their intrusion to the continent. We'd be the shield of civilization, warding off the viles of barbarism! The enemy may have some underhanded means of triumphing on water but we have the advantage on the surface!" Vito continued his defense.

"That sounds so grand and brave, Herr Liggenstorfer. Did you happen to forget the Outlanders' personal might? They carry magic rods and stormboxes, unleashing invisible lightning which slaughters dozens in a mere flash. How do you even fight an opponent like that?" Agata didn't let go, either.

"Those are just empty rumors at best. Even if they do possess such artifacts the amount of magic needed would only allow the best spellcasters to operate these. If we take them out we-" Vito continued his retort but this time he got interrupted, instead.

"Herr Liggenstorfer, your spirited belief is admirable but I'm afraid we need something of more substance than just mere theories." Leon Denzler suddenly spoke up.

"What do you mean? How can you prove any of these baseless rumors?" Vito retorted.

"I contacted a group of mercenaries from the free company of Naporia. They managed to acquire the Outlanders' stormboxes and have been using them for a while. Let me just say their findings were... extraordinary. Leon continued with a wide grin.

"Wait, what do you mea-" Vito was at loss of words.

"Let them in!" Leon declared and the guards opened the front door, revealing a quartett of deertaurs. One of them was Isak Gasser, Naporia's mercenary. He carried a strange boxy object with various protrusions on it. He was accompanied by three of Leon's adjucants carrying a suit of plate armor, a pig carcass and a stand. The overwhelming majority of the Diet were surprised, others had a knowing smile. Isak and the servants bowed down in respect before the Diet, expressing their courtesy. Following that Leon just said this: "I think an actual demonstration is in order. Herr Gasser, please?"

The servants set up the target. It consisted of a pig carcass on a stand, with a plate cuirass put over it and further decorated by something seemingly taken from a scarecrow. Then Isak inserted a smaller box into the larger boxy contraption, raised the object and something surprising happened.

BAM!

Though very distinct from everything they heard before the Diet definitely heard the sound of a gunshot. From where? The noise seemingly originated from the front, where Isak stood. Yet they saw no signature smoke, although the more observant could see a bright flash. With the attention of the entire diet on him Isak continued the demonstration. BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! Leaving barely a second of rest he kept pulling the trigger. After that he put down the weapon, giving the audience time to see the results.

"As you can see this is a type of gonne which the Outlanders use. There's no magic involved as far as we know, just expert craftsmanship. According to our information from Naporia this is the rumored Stormbox used by the Outlanders. A gun of unthinkable quality. Now observe the results! I know you all recognize the crest of the maker, yes, this is a famed Desiderian Armor. In spite of that the Stormbox punched clean through it. You could also see the rapidity of the shots. This weapon can fire thirty times in a row! Yet you haven't seen the true terror of this type of weapon yet!" Leon proceeded to explain it to the Diet. Things were about to get crazy!

RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA! *CLICK* *SLIDE*
RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA! *CLICK* *SLIDE*
RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA! *CLICK* *SLIDE*
RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA! *CLICK* *SLIDE*

If the crowd wasn't shocked before they absolutely were after exhibiting the gun's rapid fire capabilities. Isak unloaded 115 rounds within less than half a minute, swiftly exchanging magazines while all bullets hitting the target. Of course after withstanding over a hundred shots the entire dummy turned into scrap and mincemeat, plainly demonstrating the weapon's awesome power. "This is what they call a Sturmgewehr, common for all Outlander warriors. As you can see this weapon has firepower superior to our volley guns while it's actually lighter than even a Grond. Each Outlander effectively carries a portable artillery which can decimate entire companies of our own warriors. Terrifying, isn't it?"

"Don't believe him! This is a trick! It must be a trick! It's just a-" Vito was in complete disbelief, desperately trying to deny what he saw. Yet his words got deafened by the noise of another gunshot, this time aimed at him. To be precise at his finely decorated hat. Just one shot, swiftly aimed 2 inches above his head. The bullet hit the golden crest, punching a hole clean through it.

"It is no trick, I'm afraid. Now, let's talk about our next plan of action..." Leon casually continued, knowing full well he just saved Nilberg from a terrible fate.

~Of Flames and Fantasy~

Nilberg Confederacy

~Of Flames and Fantasy~

Yeah, just check the OOC.

~Of Flames and Fantasy Int Check~

@Crusader LordReminds me of Nightbro's game 2 years back which involved a post-apocalyptic near future human civilization finding a portal and sending various small factions out to explore the fantasy world. You could be "science" and "fantasy" side there, too.
Anyways, I'm mildly interested but will see how it goes.

The Grim Crusade - A Warhammer 30000 RP

Depths of Laeran

Silence.

The cold stillness of the depths enveloped the sparse ranks of armoured figures as they marched, with slow, soundless steps, over the pale sand of the ocean’s underbelly. Towering as they might have been among men, they would have appeared minuscule to an onlooker then, faded spectres lost in the writhing darkness. No lights pierced the murk to herald their movements, no blinking electronic eyes. Like creatures of the abyss, they saw through the watery shroud around them, smelled and tasted through it, found meaning in the whispering of its waves and surges.

Like denizens of the deep they appeared, too, strange and manifold in shape. Dark-garbed wraiths, faceless in their visors, bristling with claws, spines, curiously shaped chain-blades, strode alongside imposing colossi of mechanical plating, husks so massive that it could have been difficult to believe a single body, however superhuman, could don them as mere armour. Their sunken heads, looming spinal carapace and rounded, spike-studded pauldrons made them seem malformed, horrid stalkers of the seafloor, hunched like ghouls and incrusted with fanged teratomas, yet they scarcely were out of place in the shadowy procession.

For among them, between the outlandishly armed legionaries and the tremendous Scyllas, crawled beings more inhuman still. They dragged ahead on crooked, segmented legs, oceanic shapes grown hideously out of proportion, cannons and torpedo batteries sprouting from their backs like strange parasites. They glacially forged ahead as massive metallic simulacra of creeping life, raising clouds of sand with every stomp of an armoured foot, driven by the maddened will of undying warriors. They covered the seafloor like a plague of flesh, dragging themselves forward with hooked claws and pushing off in weightless leaps with hard-shelled limbs.

Ahead of them, blurred through the masses of water even to the piercing eyes of those who still had any, lay an impossible city. It stood, enduring, under the crushing weight of the global ocean, yet it clearly had not always been that way. Not with those spires, or those slithering domes that could not have been built by human hands. Like a corpse exhumed and brought back to unnatural life, its dry bones covered anew with flesh, it seemed as if a drowned relic had been reinforced and revitalised with alien ingenuity, no longer rusting and crumbling but once more teeming with life.

That was not to last, Morrek thought as he readied his bolter and motioned for part of his unit to break off to the right. Not for one day more.

Though he knew as well as any that distances in deeps could be deceptive, the outer sprawl of the city seemed close enough now, narrowly within reach. By his reckoning, his force was still safely outside the range of any precise spotting system, but the fact that he knew too little about these xeno beasts still gnawed at him, as it had from the outset of that expedition. They could cast their senses impossibly far, that much was clear, but how far exactly? Such questions might have sounded like minutiae, but in combat they were far more crucial than whatever insight into the breeding of those things the Fleshweavers had pried from the few bodies available to them.

They have their duty, and I have mine. No more time for reflection. If the enemy’s augmented eyes really were so prodigious, advancing any further was a pointless risk. He silenced all thoughts but the litany of the consensus. There is no I. Only duty.

Morrek raised a hand and lowered it in a slicing motion. Fire.

From the backs of crawling beasts, from heavy steel throats mounted on ancient sarcophagi or carried by entire Devastator squads, missiles whirred to life and shot out in eruptions of tempestuous currents. Their rippling trails streaked towards the buildings ahead, twisting and interweaving before crashing into their targets. The blasts were difficult to see, though the surreal flaming lights of phosphex blazed to life on some of the peripheral structures.

The enemy had indeed been caught by surprise. Serpentine shapes swarmed out of distant awning doors, rushing between the impact points like a disturbed nest of wasps. Groups of them split off to meet the advancing Lurkers as they emerged from the turmoil of sand and shadow, and soon beams of bright green energy cut through the water, answered by salvoes of gas-propelled bolts. Bodies on both sides were ripped apart and left drifting, spreading clouds of augmented ichor. None shed true blood.

Though momentarily disoriented, the Laer were more numerous, and their fire struck true. This does not matter. As long as the splinter group was able to get in position, the current odds were inconsequential.

Morrek’s vox-captor thrummed, more vibration than sound, once, twice, thrice. That was the signal. The beacon had been planted, close enough to the designated point.

Soon, the true assault would begin. Hopefully his Lions counterpart Maurinius also met with success.

Legate Maurinius chose a far more direct approach as swarms of modified boarding torpedoes crashed against the ocean. Working like improvised submersibles the torpedoes speedily descended down to the depths, outrunning any chasers. No Laer could swim as fast these sinking hunks of metal. The first phase of Operation Steel Rain was a resounding success.

Once at sufficient depth the torpedoes assumed formation, ready to take on the Laer counterattack. Being mere boarding torpedoes the craft had little defenses but rather they held a hidden ace, Terminators. Wearing the unique Saturnyne-pattern armour modified for aquatic assaults, these heavier than normal Terminators were anchored to the torpedoes’ hull during transit but now they are let loose. A number of torpedoes split off early, taking on their role as scouts and advance guards. Housed within the lead torpedo Legate Maurinius Acciai listened to the non-stop feed of Vox reports. One of the scouts was already lost, them being surrounded and then choosing to go down in blazing glory. Even if used like makeshift submersibles, a boarding torpedo is still a torpedo.

The Legate intently watched the craft’s Auger. One ping, two rapid pings, one ping. That was the signal. He ordered a strike team of 6 torpedo craft to back up the 1012th Squad immediately. As soon as their departure was covered he ordered the rest of the Aquatic Taskforce to form up in a circle. They took up defensive formation using the thick hull of the torpedoes like fortifications. Subsequently the craft unloaded its deadly cargo of 8 companies of legionaries. Aside from Maurinius and his elite company all of them belonged to the proud Mergulus Chapter of Lions Illustris. With underwater as their natural environment they shall not be bested by inferior Xenos.

All of a sudden, the Laer found that a fortress had appeared in the midst of their own city. It was a makeshift one, for sure, and not one that would have endured a lengthy engagement with a proper force, but the hulls of boarding torpedoes were not something that could be cut through all too swiftly by the scrambling defenders. And it held a mighty garrison, one that now sallied forth in brief darting strikes, now retreated into the cover of its circle, harrying and disrupting the enemy’s focus. The xenos swarmed and shifted around the formation, and where a weak flank was exposed for so much as a moment, deft Shieldbreakers struck out, carving dents into the bulk of their foes under the cover of the Lions’ line of fire.

Not to be outdone, the aliens whipped and darted about with lethal grace and agility, turning to face the marines’ assaults with dizzying speed and lunging wherever their unnaturally sharp senses saw an opening. Power blades clashed with augmented claws, and as the battle ground on armour as well as reinforced flesh was marked with vicious gashes. Barrages of energy blasts punctured the metallic walls of the impromptu fortification, infallibly striking its weakest points and leaving behind gaping charred holes. The tide of strife swayed back and forth, now threatening to spill over through the gaps in the circle and overwhelm the defenders inside, now rolling back, repelled by a daring counterattack.

However, the inner front that had opened up within their walls was not the only one that kept the Laer occupied. All around the city, ranks of dark-armoured Astartes continued to emerge from the shadows, accompanied by packs of stalking and loping beasts. What had at first appeared to be a mere exploratory force was now steadily revealing itself to be a full-fledged battle force, hundreds, nay, thousands of warriors converging onto the besieged walls. Torpedo missiles continued to rain from the backs of charybdes, careful not to aim too close to the Lions’ insertion point. Spires and ornate walls continued to chink and crumble.

The vanguard had already reached the outskirts, and the xeno defenders poured out to clash with them. Though at first the two sides had traded fire over the rubble of collapsing fortifications, soon a chaotic, brutal melee was joined, and truly to an observer it would have been unclear who between the warriors of mankind and Laeran was the least human. Unlike the Lions’ quick, accurate strikes, the Lurkers eagerly plunged into the mire of sustained combat, and their own claws and pincers came forth to match those of the enemy. The Laer’s artfully calculated and targeted blows were matched with stubborn ferocity, steel clutches ripping out chunks of flesh and tearing into limbs and eyes. For once, the Abyssal legion had met an enemy who did not waver before its brute force, and returned every blow in kind. A bloody murk soon rose to cover the thick of the fighting.

Beyond a doubt, the Laer were one of the fiercest foes humanity had met through the long years of its conquest across the galaxy. Even caught on two fronts and faced with the strength of the Astartes, their tactical wit did not fail them, and they coiled between one Legion and another, striking back and forth with serpentine grace, not yielding a single inch without a toll in blood. Yet even they had their limits. They had not anticipated an offensive of that magnitude, not there, not then, and as their forces began to wane in the face of the invaders’ relentlessness, the signs of defeat became evident. The gliding swarms of their warriors broke apart and dispersed, reaching for the safety of the upper seas. The city’s inhabitants, not bred with the same awesome physical might, swam about in panicking disorder, hampering the troops’ movements. Buildings continued to burn and fall around them.

And, finally, they broke.

A mighty collected charge of the Lions, who came darting out of their torpedo circle in a massed shock assault, scattered the inner ring of defenders at the same time as the waves of Lurker forces surged over the exterior walls. From then on, the battle became a slaughter, as the Astartes’ coordinated action wiped out the last pockets of resistance and set loose upon the foe, now in full retreat. The city had fallen, and many more were soon to follow.

New Man's Tomorrow(Solar NRP)

Ullevan United Star States

Ullevis

Ullevan United City States

Name: Ullevan United City States
Capital: The holy wandering city of Ullevis
Government Type: Confederation
Dominant Species: Aesir (space elves)
Population: 77 million

Ullevan are one of the numerous space nomads wandering through the Orion Arm of the galaxy. Aesir are an enigmatic civilization with no documented origins who periodically raided imperial assets. With the Empire's fall and the breakdown of the jumpgate network their already nebulous existence became a myth in the Sol System until a few decades ago when Clan Ullevi ventured near the Kuiper Belt. In spite of the return of once mythological elves the Sol System at large reacted with general apathy. Ullevans are isolated from the rest of the Sol's civilization and their culture is alien to anyone from the former Empire.

HISTORY

The roots of the Aesir trace back to long forgotten past of human history, before even the invention of jumpgates. Project Ragnarok was envisioned as a daring mission undertaken by the most faithful of a certain neopagan cult, Odin's Chosen. During this time Alpha-Centauri only had a minor research station and mankind was limited to a singular system. With extreme ideologies finding numerous hotbeds it was only a matter of time until another, far more devastating world war than the last one. Convinced the world will be burnt the chosen of Odin amassed all their wealth to construct a giant sleeper ship meant to find a new home for mankind. With almost 250,000 inhabitants the giant ship Yggdrasil set forth towards the stars. Yet the colonists never reached their destination. In imperial records this event stands as a foolish journey by madmen who met their doom. Turns out the gigantic war never occurred and sanity reigned over the Solar System once again. Humanity discovered jumpgate technology and they spread across the stars. Nobody ever found clues to Yggdrasil's fate and history books remember Project Ragnarok as a cautionary tale against man's ambitions to explore the unknown.

Yet the truth is even weirder. The ship entered unknown space and eventually crashed with the wreckage of another craft, created by a long lost civilization. Tough Yggdrasil remained mostly intact they were short on fuel and way off their intended destination. The crew of the ship thus attempted the impossible and after decades of effort managed to reactivate the ancient systems of the alien vessel. Choosing to call the aliens as Jotunn the advanced and unique alien technology opened up a rare opportunity and the Chosen took it. Using the Jotun technology they manage to turn their comparatively humble ship into a gigantic mobile colony, capable of supporting entire cities. At the same time the already extremist Chosen developed something else, a method to transform from mere humans into a new race, one viewed as "perfect" in their eyes. They became "space elves", in most aspects indistinguishable from the modern Aesir.

For a long time the elves remained space wanderers, traveling through space in their large spaceship-cities. Yet their ultimate objective remained the same: find a new home for their kind to prosper. Eventually they found the perfect place, a gaia planet rich with life. Calling it Gimilé the elvish settlers quickly established their new homeworld and thrived in peace. Yet some elves were so accustommed to their former lives as space wanderers they refused to participate. Though it took century to take form this happened to be the source of the Aesir-Vanir divide. The Aesir remained space wanderers while the Vanir chose to enjoy their life on Gimilé. Eventually these two groups developed entirely different cultures and became rivals. Aesir and Vanir fought many wars with never any decisive result. Then the Empire swept in. The Vanir put up a valiant fight but it only forced the Empire to be even harsher. They seared entire planets and reduced them to almost nothing. Yet their final betrayal came from their distant relatives. Ready to settle their centuries of grudge the Aesir were merciless and their genocidal campaign left no planet-bound elf alive.

Of course the Aesir had nothing to compete against the Empire's might. Nor they intended to. The Aesir fled into deep space, avoiding the Empire's prying eyes. They become enigmatic raiders, fighting the Empire to acquire some resources for survival. This gave elves a somewhat mythical status, a piece of fairy tale rather than something the average imperial citizen thought to exist. Given their fragmented state the Aesir grouped into clans with each its own unique culture and leadership. Sometimes fought in war, other times helping each other. While the relationship between Aesir clans were diverse the species as a whole had a strange sense of unity. Each clan was different yet compared to the humans who surrounded them, encountering elvish clans was like meeting between long lost siblings.

After centuries of struggles the unexpected happened, the Empire collapsed. With no jumpgate reinforcements, no central control and no universal flow of resources the human settlements were ripe for the plunder. The starved elvish clans were unleashed like locust and their wrathful greed might've crippled untold number of minor systems. During the midst of their voracious feast the Aesir received an unusual prophecy of their long lost homeland, Midgard. The Star Clan of Ull (Ullevi) was one of these pious zealots, excited to find their one and only holy land. Filled with religious fervor most clans abandoned their pillage and chose to wander the stars again, seeking the long lost holy land. About 50 years ago they reached the Solar System. Given its status as a constant powder keg the disruptive presence of elvish raiders were almost unnoticeable and Ullevans quickly integrated to the chaotic politics which defined Sol. Currently they exist as a strange and enigmatic force which either presents blight for Solars or unexpected source of mercenaries.

CULTURE & GOVERNMENT

Aesir are space nomads who spent most of their time in dark space. They enjoy harmonious lives aboard their citycrafts as they wander through space. The almost idyllic peace is enforced through strict rules and millennia of traditions, outright violence within their cities is considered one of the highest sins. Their aggressive impulses are instead channeled into competitive sports and sacred duels. It does worth noting though that outside the city premises the Aesir fully acknowledges the harsh world and rivaling groups have deadly feuds in the coldness of space. Elves are known for their longevity with the average lifespan of 200 and legendary sages recorded to live past 3000 years. Most of their lives are spent traveling between the stars, migrating from one dark spot of the universe to another. They never utilize sleeper pods, stasis or other means to preserve themselves. For elves the sometimes decade-long journey is more like an extended trip. There are even clans that never leave dark space and manage to establish a conservative yet sustainable lifestyle way out of the range of stars. Elvish longevity does impact their perception of time and decades may feel like years to a lot of Aesir. They desire to experience all that life has to offer and as such many elves learn multiple professions, moving onto the next after just reaching mastery. Aesir are deeply spiritualistic and believe that the universe is governed by gods who are beyond mortal understanding. Every clan has their own patron deity but otherwise the Aesir does follow a pantheon minted after ancient Norse gods. They have a firm belief in the existence of souls and are religiously averse to ever settle down on planets. They think gravity weighs down the soul and leads to damnation. This goes to the extend the Aesir holy cities refuse to be even effected by the gravity well of stars in order to safeguard the resting souls. Every Aesir wears a special rune-enchanted trinket called the soulgem which interacts with the Aesir's psionic powers. These amulets are supposedly protecting the soul upon death, allowing their comrades to recover the gems and carry them home. These lost souls find peace at the clan's holy city where the World Tree resides. Effectively the collective burial place of the entire clan the World Tree's role is only temporary. According to their holy text Midgard, their original birthplace, is the sole planet with sanctified gravity, a zone where Aesir souls may get their final rest. The location of this Midgard is long lost and many undertook the holy task of rediscovering it.

Aesir (Space Elves)

Average Height: 5'3" (160cm)
Average Weight: 72lbs (33kg)
Average Lifespan: ~ 200 years

The Aesir are distant descendants of the human race yet by now they became an entirely new species. Made to be the perfect race utilizing excavated Jotunn technology the elves are unlike any demihuman the Empire ever designed. The Aesir has slender and frail bodies with tough yet very light skeletal structure. They are meant to be wandering space for extended periods, not for hard labor. Aesir are known for their grace and lightning-fast reflexes. They have great spatial awareness and could move with agility humans may never dream of. At the same time they are physically weak and most humans can beat any elf in arm wrestling. As said they were meant to live in the perils of space and with the assistance of technology. Aesir are generally attractive and never appear to grow old. Yet their most famous characteristic are their innate psionic powers. Using the power of their mind the elves can manipulate the fundamental forces of physics. The average citizen only has mediocre talents but those with particularly high skill can be considered living weapons.

TERRITORY & ECONOMY

Clan Ullevi arrived to the Solar System about 50 years ago. They penetrated the Oort Cloud and currently the holy citycraft of Ullevi floats 120 AU away from Sol yet also billions of miles from the Kuiper Belt. Ullevi does not orbit the Sun as its anti-gravity technology negates such forces. The citycraft merely follows along the Sun, always remaining at the same distance. While Ullevi is the clan's capital it's hardly the sole citcraft they own. Ullevans have 47 cities total, all spread out in the outer reaches of the Solar System. In addition numerous small stations, resource operations and temporary hideouts are spread through the Solar System. Aesir are very frugal and efficient folk. Though small in numbers they are very well versed in making use of what little they have. Though elves are better known for their "magic rocks" this doesn't make them exempt from conventional mining and resource collection procedures. If anything these unique materials require great resource investment. Compared to the almost barred realms of interstellar space the Solar System is fairly abundant which led to the clan's prosperity.

Aesir use exotic technology which developed in isolation from the Empire. They never experienced the Jumpgate Age and instead their technology is heavily inspired by the long-extinct Jotunn. Aesir delved into scientific concepts foreign to the Empire and likewise there are entire rows of human scientific accomplishments not replicated by the elves. Though it's common to refer to Aesir technology as "wondrous" or outright "magical" their science is merely exotic rather than being straight ahead of Mankind. A lot of Aesir devices rely on their race's innate psionics (effectively "space magic") which only makes their technology harder to decypher.

Notable Techs

- Runecraft: Using unknown procedures the elves can allow technology to interface and even conduct psionic powers. Runic technology is widespread and hence psionics is the bare minimum to interact with Aesir devices. Runecraft can be also be used to amplify psionionics via external power, the so-called Runic Core.

- Pseudo-Souls: While the Aesir has sophisticated computing technology they never developed true AI, and even actively forbidden such. Instead they rely on the practice known as soul-etching. This creates a vague imprint of one's psionic profile containing fragments of the original's memories, skills and even bits of personality. The resulting "pseudo-soul" then undergoes multiple stages of refinement to fit its designed role. The end result is a robot with actual mind and consciousness.

- Aether Drive: Primary form of starship propulsion utilized by the Aesir. Unlike chemical and torch engines the Aether Drive does not require fuel and produces far less heat. It generates pure force without any sorts of medium. This makes much harder to track Aesir spacecraft from the distance. On the other hand Aether Drives produce a constant stream of hadronic radiation which is easy to detect and distinguish from ordinary sources of heat.

- Photonic Reactor: The most typical high-energy power generation plant used by the Aesir. At its core the device appears to be a nuclear reactor but instead of converting heat it breaks down material into pure light and converts it to motive force or generate electrical energy.

- Pulse Barrier: Aesir shielding technology finding widespread use. It very much resembles the Empire's energy shields but way more sophisticated and utilizes runic technology.

- Metastable Matrix Also referred as the M-Matrix, this unique material has no fixed form and instead can alter its form and properties via Runic powers. While quite versatile the production of M-Matrix is expensive and would never replace conventional construction methods, only finding utility in very specific uses.

- Compressed Space Technology: Aesir runic mastery combined with aether technology allows them to use space itself as power. Compressed space squishes space-time at an infinitesimally small region which is borderline 2-dimensional yet stretches over the 3-dimensional space. Compressed space can have a wide range of uses including barriers, energy storage, explosives or even as a method of propulsion. By releasing the compressed space in a direction the restored space-time stretches out within an instant. As a result the vehicle suddenly accelerates to breakneck velocities, the so-called Blink Catapult effect. Compressed space technologies consume extreme amount of energy and thus they aren't fit for constant use but their benefits can be seen.

- Signstones: Borderline arcane devices which allows to link with another device over potentially limitless distances. Signstones are runic technology which allows quantum superposition between a similar Singstone thus in a sense allowing FTL communication. They are immensely expensive and almost irreplaceable. Each holy city has singstones connected to the other holy city thus allowing communication in spite of the lightyears of distance. That being said the Signstones are delicate and preparing them for communication can take time.

MILITARY

Aesir are warlike scavengers who frequently fight for resources. Though living in a seeming harmony the elves highly value martial skills and consider fighting practices an elementary part of their culture. Those with exceptional dueling skills, psionic talents or sports performance often manage to rapidly climb up in the usually strict social order. It comes as no surprise that nearly all elves have some skill at fighting and they aren't shy to demonstrate it. Families with long lineage of exceptional fighters form the warrior caste, an elite which has massive influence over the military and even society. Aesir developed myriads of fighting styles, many unique to only specific clans. They fight with grace and blinding speed, at times further enhanced by psionics, shields and anti-gravity tech. A masterful elven warrior may seemingly defy the laws of physics with their movements and could attack almost too fast for humans to follow. It does worth noting though that the Aesir are space nomads and almost all combat they experience involves space warfare or boarding vessels. So it comes as no surprise that combat vehicles proper are almost foreign to the elves. They never needed tanks or even proper artillery. The nuances of ground combat is almost entirely lost to them. They have transport shuttles and flying mechs that can come close to function as ground vehicles but they aren't optimal. Instead of mechanizing their forces the Aesir just mounts more equipment on their troops to compensate. Infantry jetpacks, assault shields and so forth can all be utilized by elvish troops in combat.

Glossary of Military Technology

- Pulse Gun: Typical small arm firing bursts of plasma energy. They are simple to make and plentiful but Ullevans don't consider these worthy to be a warrior's weapon.

- Firgand (Plasma Staff): A quarterstaff-like weapon typically assiciated with the Warders. The Ullevan variant can freely collapse or extend to the desired lengths and has dozens of different firing function ranging from pulse gun like rapid bursts of energy to powerful energy blasts or even shotgun effects. Both ends of the staff are capable of fire and there are some styles where the weapon is fired while being spun around. Firgand can also manifest shock or plasma blades for either stunning or lethal use. It's an incredibly complex weapon with immense reputation to it. Some Firgands may even project shields or be enhanced with runic technology to enhance the wielder's use of psionics.

- Bogaster (Starbow): Creates a virtual bowstring with the combination of forcefields and psionics and formulates an ultradense particle arrow meant for destructive effect. Bogaster basically uses a derivative of what starship main batteries do and with great result. Energy arrows from the Bogaster can be immensely destructive, often capable of punching through tank armor. Since psionics are versatile it's also possible for the arrow to just explode, turn into multiple tiny arrows or disperse into molecule-thin shrapnel. Bogaster is characteristically the weapon of choice for Rangers although some other martial arts also teach its use. Firaboga (Plasma Bow) is a way cheaper and less intense type of energy bow, frequently used for hunting and recreational purposes.

- D-Edge: A very rare and quite expensive type of melee weapon which instead of plasma or dense particles relies on compressed space. These armaments are reputed for their ability to cut through practically anything, and for a good reason. On impact the blade's energy is partially unsealed, expanding space-time at a rapid scale. The resulting acceleration is so great it rips apart almost anything in its path. In comparison plasma swords are abundant and starblades of various size may also be utilized. While personal D-Edges are hard to find, when scaled up they are the signature melee weapons of Ether Liners known as Distortion Blades.

- Starcannon: Powerful cannon which similar to the Bogaster concentrates particles to a dense needle prior to firing. They are powerful but not that versatile but its relative simplicity and raw power makes Starcannons widespread. Starlance is an even more specialized variant which focuses on pin-point firepower over any other aspects and usually has a relatively slow recharge rate.

- Faybolt: A kind of energy bolt imbued with psionic guidance, turning it into something closer to a "missile". They are usually unleashed en-masse against multiple light targets and they are often the prime anti-missile and anti-starfighter defenses in Aesir use. Weapons launching faybolts are usually referred as Constellation weapons.

- Whisp: Tiny psionically guided tiny flying devices used for various purposes. Since they are chiefly made out of metastable matrix they can alter their functions on the fly which can range from tiny weapon platforms to, auxiliary field generators, capture devices or just overloading them and turning them into missiles.

- Missile Warheads: Aesir still utilizes missile weaponry in good variety. Aside from the Aether Drive and pseudo-soul replacing the AI they aren't that significantly different than those used by the Empire. Photonic warheads are effectively nukes with Photonic Lance denoting its sub-family of nuclear shaped charge explosives. Anything lesser is usually taken over by the usage of Faybolts. Runic Warheads are borderline arcane devices which could have varying effects depending on the psionic energies invested in them. That being said they are absent for all but the most niche applications.

- Blink Drive/Catapult: Blink is a mechanism when the compressed space is unleashed, resulting in rapid space-time expansion. When this expansion gets shaped it rapidly catapults an object to blinding speeds. While this method seems convenient it consumes huge amounts of power hence it has a far more limited usage. Blink Catapults are special devices launching comparatively smaller objects, allowing them to reach interplanetary velocities almost immediately. Yet for the select few Blink technology also promises unparalleled mobility. Ether Liners are often equipped with Blink Drives that allow these mechs to instantly accelerate and change their vector which normally would be unthinkable for a spacecraft. Blinking like this has considerable cost but can have immense tactical use.

- Varg Launcher: The elvish equivalent of torpedoes this device is unique in using compressed space technology not once but thrice. The spherical projectile (Varg) is unleashed via Blink Catapult, allowing it to cruise rapidly towards the target without any heat signatures. Once close the pseudo-spirit awakens and activates its own internal Blink Catapult to shoot a projectile at even greater speed, the so-called D-Bolt. This projectile also has its own compressed space mechanism to disrupt shields and punch even harder on impact. Vargs match the function of conventional torpedoes albeit with a lot of peculiarities. For starters they are a bit faster, reducing the time before they reach the target. On the other hand once reaching the target the D-Bolt behaves more like a railgun projectile rather than having any sophisticated evasion measures. The D-Bolt also relies on direct hit instead of explosive power which makes it more fiddly to deal damage. Yet since the D-field rips through any but the most concentrated shielding when a Varg succeeds it tends to punch holes through the entire vessel. Granted, sometimes even a successful hit only does superficial damage thanks to it failing to hit any critical components.

- Nova Battery: The primary armament of most Aesir starships. Rather than having multiple weapons across the hull they have a central weapon system that shoots superdense energy bolts in short bursts. Said bolts can be deflected by the shield system to circle the ship and fly out towards any direction. The bolts also have very limited ability to maneuver and go in directions other than a straight line, although their trajectory has to be determined prior to firing. The runic interface also leaves option for psionic enhancements, though it appears to be rare. The bolts themselves can behave in various ways, in some sense akin to how arrows released from Bogaster do, only at a far bigger scale. They can be penetrating dense needle of energy, semi-penetrating energy which explodes after piercing armor, shaped charge, general explosive, fragmentation charge (spreading countless micro energy bolts) and more.

Notable Warrior Classes

Aesir warriors can choose from a myriad of paths where they can express their desire for combat. Different styles popular in different clans and there are some fighting styles that are barely if ever seen outside of their origin.

- Voteor (Warders): The most popular and overall versatile style of military arts practiced among Ullevans. Warders wear medium armor and always carry Firgand (plasma staff) which can be utilized both as gun and close combat weapon. Warders are very agile in combat and near-constantly on the move. They fight without much of a formation and rather they rely on speed and combined effort to overcome the opposition. They are masters of using gravity belts to seemingly defy physics and catch less prepared enemies off-guard.

- Flakeor (Ranger): Aesir has many legends about wandering rangers traveling the stars and offering their services to various masters. They are expert marksmen trained in the use of starbows (Bogaster) and often raining sudden vengeance from ambush. The "true" Rangers are famously trained in Ullevis, the clan's holy city. What these legends rarely mention that rangers like these are the minority, adventurous vagabonds who choose to journey rather than safeguard their home. The Ranger Corps proper is a strict organization which trains excellent archers who are meant to support the rest of the military. While rangers wear light armor and prefer stealth, they aren't meant to be some sorts of elite commando. Starbows are quite versatile weapons with firepower sufficient to pierce even MBT armor. The arrows can be also guided via psionics and Rangers are frequently recorded to shoot down enemy aircraft if given the opportunity. In contrast the starbow is relatively slow firing, allows less mobility and near-useless in close combat. Instead the Rangers use starblades of various sizes to defend themselves. Given the requirement for above average psionics and immense skills the Rangers are only making up a fraction of Ullanor's military and operate more as force multipliers.

- Oracles: Psions with especially high potential receive special training to achieve great power. They are the Oracles whose psionic abilities are nurtured to the limit. There are numerous disciplines in the Art and as such the Oracles' abilities vary wildly. In combat the Oracle wears special outfit to amplify their psionics. Oracles are protected by a constant psionic barrier hence they can discard armor almost entirely. Even weapons only have a backup purpose as their powers tend to be way more destructive. Oracles often equip "micro-wisps", these tiny floating devices are controlled via psionics and can relay the Oracle's power more efficiently.

- Ether Knights: While more known for piloting their mechs the Ether Knights are also elite psionic warriors with peerless skills. They commonly wield runic blades in combat to channel their psionic powers to the weapon's edge. Ether Knights are well aware of their power and there aren't many foolhardy enough to challenge them in a duel. As an unspoken rule an Ether Knight can be only challenged by another.

Guardians

Guardians are humanoid machines meant to patrol Aesir territories and capable of fighting in all environment. It's 8 meters tall and equipped with decent armor, shields and wide range of weaponry. The most typical variant in Ullevis is the Berkanan-0331, a relatively old yet sturdy model with no outstanding features. In battle the Guardians freqiently equip large shields and starlances and behave akin to a mix between assault, fighter and strike roles. Guardians are slower than space fighters but can be surprisingly nimble when in the middle of a fight. On the ground they are the closest to the Aesir owning combat vehicles and they often support the rest of the army. While the base model of Guardian has no frills, specialists like aces and leaders may modify their mechs to shocking degree.

Ether Liners

While Guardians are dime in the dozen and commonplace, the Aesir made further steps to advance their art of warfare which created the Ether Liners. These 11-14m tall mechs are each like a work of art, made without any expenses sparred. They use Etheric Reactors and manifest psionics via their Runic Core. Ether Liners sport extreme performance which can be traced back to two sources. First, they utilize cutting edge technologies like Compressed Space almost regularly while the Runic Core enables them to further bend physics. The end result is a machine shockingly strong for its size which can easily take on a small army. Extraordinary technology also requires extraordinary operators and the Ether Knights definitely fit this view. They are all gifted psions who are trained to be masterful combatants and often dedicate their whole lives to the art of piloting Ether Liners. Calling the Knights as celebrities is hardly making them justice, they are often warrior nobles with a lineage dating back to the early history of the Aesir. Ether Liners are the pride of every clan and losing even one of them could be considered a major blow.

Starships

TBA

A Galaxy Divided (Sci-fi NRP)

Sarmakth Dominion

THE SARMAKTH DOMINION

Faction Name: Yel'krusu t'Sar'Makth (literally means "Star Empire of the Great Race")
Allegiance: Non-Imperial Aliens
Dominant Species: Sarmakth
Government Type: Dominion
Faction Leader: S'cum Ish-veh N'ssan (title: Sur'sim're t'Abru-ma AKA Grand Supreme Overlord)
Capital: Tsokal'yel T'Sar'Vafer (Great Beginning, primary star system of the Sarmakth, location unknown)

OVERVIEW:
Sarmakth are an enigmatic alien race hiding in the uncharted regions of the galaxy. They lack the strength to directly challenge major powers yet their inherent superiority complex strives to be above all races. They hate mankind with cruel passion yet not above using humans as pawns to achieve their objectives. They lurk in dark space at the edge of Milky Way, forming their lengthy plot to overthrow the Galactic Empire.

HISTORY

Martians are the descendants of an ancient precursor species called the Vesh'Makth. They were medusid creatures of high intelligence but prone to frequent civil wars. Millions of years ago these wars completely devastated Mars, making it the red wasteland humans know. Either through evolution or genetic experiments a new race called Sarmakth emerged. They were innately collectivist and could survive in Mars' terrible environment. After aeons of struggle the Sarmakth civilization rose up and began to prosper. Yet their telescopes enviously watched the bountiful Earth, always desiring its resources. In 1895CE they began the first invasion using primitive space pods and tripod walkers. While technologically superior the Martians never fought wars and were completely outnumbered. Ultimately the Martians were unprepared to earthly diseases and all invaders died within a month. The next war wouldn't occur for over a hundred years when a massively expanded Martian invasion tries to subvert Earth's leading countries. They fail and merely a decade later the humans strike back with their newly established space armada. Cornered and desperate the Martians utilize numerous untested technologies to turn the tide. This bought them some time and the Martian automatons scored some victories. Unfortunately the experimental hypercore powering their industry was deeply unstable and its detonation wiped out most of their civilization. The rest of the Martians were rounded up and kept in captivity. By 2200 even those held captive died and the race was considered extinct. Luckily for humans the hypercore detonation melted most of the ice caps, meaning they could terraform Mars with relative ease. Martians became a tiny footnote in human history. Since neither side communicated with the other the Earthers knew precious little of the Martians but the incident made them strive to never commit the same mistake again. They go on to lead the galaxy.

Yet unknown to the rest of the galaxy a tiny group of Sarmakth survivors fled their home using primitive FTL technology. Due to the long journey they were in stasis, leaving the journey to the navigational computer. Originally they wanted to settle within the Horsehead Nebula but calibration errors flung them to the edges of the Milky Way, many years into the future. While busy rebuilding their civilization they caught wind of the now dominant Galactic Empire. Recognizing it as the successor state of the despicable Earthers they swore vengeance on humans and began their enduring ambition to see mankind's fall. Sarmakth were once a peaceful race in dire straits. Over the time they transformed into conquerors and creatures of deep-seated spite. They began to establish their interstellar dominion through subjugating various lesser civilizations. Entire races disappeared only to re-emerge as perverted puppets of their Sarmakth masters. The Dominion grew yet they never hoped to match the Empire. Rather they turned for subtiety, supporting factions that worked to undermine the Empire. They also established numerous cults that secretly revered the Sarmakth like gods. This eventually resulted in the galaxy-wide terror organization known as the Interstellar Red Cross with their emblem being just a red "X" symbol. With the Galactic Empire split and at the brink of collapse the Sarmakth are also preparing their forces, ready to strike.

TERRITORY

TBA

GOVERNMENT & SOCIETY

The Sarmakth Dominion is a shadow empire ruled by the many-tentacled Sarmakth. They are giant cephaloid creatures of immense intelligence and cruelty who only communicate through telepathy. Their numbers is very limited and most Sarmakth are isolated within their hidden homeworld. Rather they rely on their many subjects to do their bidding. The Dominion has many tiers and layers of their society but it can be boiled down to this. Sarmakth are de facto gods in society and rarely seen by anyone. Amaumakth and other "successor races" do the brunt of executive work and lord over the Dominion's numerous subjects. Those who aren't willing to serve are rendered as slaves and have even worse living standards. Those who resist, wrong the Sarmakth or just meet the yearly quota of sacrafices are sent to factories to become food or worse, turned into horrifying biological drones called the Tselmakth. Sarmakth rule is oppressive by nature and seeks to completely dominate their subjects. To them humanoids are defective and ugly, unworthy of anything. The Dominion ultimately strives to "perfect" every species they rule, turning them into minions resembling the Sarmakth in almost every aspect. Although this process is long and expensive hence the overwhelming majority of Sarmakth subjects are these "unworthy filth" who live for nothing but to serve the Great Ones.

Sarmakth have natural telepathic abilities which is also their primary form of communication between each other. They so-called Great Link is a mindscape formed by the collective Sarmakth consciousness and in many aspects serves a similar function to the Empire's hypernet. Using quantum receivers it's possible to extend the Great Link across the galaxy, allowing Sarmakth to communicate everywhere. Transformed species like the Amaumakth or the converted Rushamakth are also connected through the Great Link, albeit their access is far more limited.

Dominant Species --- Sarmakth

Sarmakth are large roughly cephaloid creatures with their main body diameter around 2.3-3.2 meters wide, making them often larger than even a grizzly bear. They have a pair of huge bulging eyes and large beaks surrounded by numerous suctioning tentacles. Their eight powerful tentacle "legs" are shockingly dexterous and can easily overwhelm and strangle humans to death. In spite of this the Sarmakth often appear to be clumsy creatures that cannot survive without technology. Their body is massively overweight and they are incapable to stand up within Earth gravity. Over 80% of the Sarmakth's body is pure brain matter which is the source of their intelligence and psychic powers. This allows them to match computers in thinking speed but also leaves very little room for everything else. For example the Sarmakth has extremely underdeveloped digestive system which is unable to process most foods, requiring them to suck the blood of other creatures. On the other hand their metabolism is near 100% efficient which means they don't create excrement. Basically, Sarmakth never shit and they were utterly disgusted when they first observed human excretion, thereafter calling humans "Pekhmakth" (Race of Shit). Another curious fact is that the Sarmakth are asexual, they don't have a gender. Although their exposure to 19th century humans lead to most Sarmakth adopting masculine pronouns. Sarmakth reproduction can happen entirely at will, they just have to lay their flesh buds in pools of blood for nutrition. And yes, Sarmakth are also disgusted by the very idea of sexual dimorphism. Sarmakth use telepathic communications between each other, often interacting through the Great Link. This lead to rapid exchange of thoughts but also normalized Sarmakth consciousness into a larger collective, resulting in a gigantic echo chamber effect. Sarmakth are very smart but they are emotionally stunted and not really creative. They perceive themselves as creatures of logic but for outsiders the species are directed by pure spite. They are united in their hatred and every single negative experience only amplifies it. Not so surprising then that the Sarmakth are isolationist xenophobes who don't think of other sapient species as people, only cattle to exploit. Given their exclusive reliance on telepathy the Sarmakth never learned to speak, only responding in high-pitched screeches. Given sufficient time and effort a Sarmakth may learn to mimic voices but it's a rarity. Their telepathy also has a far higher difficulty to work on different type of species so more often than not you are greeted with deadening silence. When the Sarmakth is willing to communicate they call their "messengers". These human slaves of particularly high prestige wear "crowns" surgically grafted to their skull to receive Sarmakth telepathic signals. This allows them to "hear" Sarmakth thoughts and speak them out in words outsiders can understand. Needless to say the appearance of these messengers can be more than mildly upsetting.

Amaumakth

Called as the "imitation race", they are species whose genetics were tampered with to become just like the Sarmakth. While very much resemble their masters they still inherit traits from their past selves, most notably their stature. Amaumakth in general are just slightly larger than humans instead of the hulking brain-monstrosities that Sarmakth are. Just as their masters the Amaumakth have natural psychic powers thus access to the Great Link. Some even speculate that the Great Link enables Sarmakth to subvert cultures at lightning pace, explaining how civilizations wiped out and replaced with copy-cat Sarmakthish cultures within just a few decades. This so-called bioformation is a resource intensive process which can be only the very last step of a species' integration into the Dominion. In terms of race hierarchy the Amaumakth are "secondary citizens" which gives them considerable prestige. Due to the similarities many outsiders were led to believe that the Amaumakth are the true masterminds behind the Dominion yet in the grand scheme of things they are still inferior pawns to be lorded over by the Great Sarmakth.

Rushamakth

Literally translates as the "converted race". They are people who underwent extensive modifications to make them closer to Sarmakth in both appearance and function. For the slaves and cultists under the Dominion this is the highest gift, offered only to the most devoted and worthy of their kin. Rushamakth closely resemble the Sarmakth in looks yet in terms of genetics and physiology they keep their relation to their original race. To attain intelligence at least remotely comparable to their creators, Rushamakth are implanted with Cogitators. These are sophisticated brain interface computers giving them incredible thinking ability that may also awaken latent psychic powers. This tend to be very weak hence Rushamakth are given quantum relay implants to access the Great Link themselves. Due to their inferiority they are considered lower than Amaumakth, albeit this isn't universal. Some notorious Rushamakth managed to climb up fairly high on the hierarchy and command great influence within the Dominion. Rushamakth exist to serve their cephaloid overlords and convey their will. They have special importance as local leaders in distant cults where these creatures essentially become the apostles of their divine Sarmakth.

Fehmakth

Roughly translates as the "Slave Race", an expression obviously referring to the races under the Sarmakth's rule. Just narrowly escaped extinction the Sarmakth hardly has the "manpower" to function on their own. Thus no matter how much they might have wished cleanse the humanoid filth, they didn't. Rather they managed to effectively enslave all the races they conquered and brainwash them to adore the Sarmakth as their righteous lords. Most people living under Sarmakth rule are strangely content with their lives and follow the orders of their cephaloid overlords with religious zeal. The tendrils of the Sarmakth manipulations run deep. Fehmakth live in various level of cultural and technological development, depending on what the Sarmakth sees fit. They could live in medieval styled villages on backwater planets, existing as little more than livestock and raw materials for Tselmakth. Alternatively they could even live in industrially developed mega cities supported by Sarmakth technology. Regardless Fehmakth live in a meticulously crafted environment under strict control without them truly realizing it. They are also implanted with an "obedience chip" activated by Sarmakth telepathy in case they do anything which displeases their masters. Fehmakth are obviously excluded from the Great Link and only receive commands from various higher ranking races. This gets relayed to local leadership which then do the actual governance.

Tselmakth

Translates as "altered race", they are effectively the opposite of the Rushamakth. They are people forced to undergo transformation into "more pleasing" and "functional" bodies in order to serve the Dominion. They are worse than slaves, they are effectively little more than biomechanical robots. Tselmakth are viewed as a cheaper alternative to robots and other pure mechanical constructs of this specific scale. They can be anything from disposable soldiers to slave laborers. There are even Tselmakth invented for nothing but to serve as a piece of the cruel entertainment. In the past Tselmakth were literally only created from other species but as of late they only require "tithes" paid in living inhabitants in order to further refine the artificial wombs spewing out new Tselmakth biomechanical robots. Not to mention enacting these "tithes" helps them to keep the populations in line. Those involved with the local governance get their hands constantly stained by blood, stripping their old allegiances and reinforcing their devotion to the cephaloid overlords.

Important Characters:

S'cum Ish-veh N'ssan

Sur'sim're t'Abru-ma (Great Supreme Overlord) of the Sarmakth Dominion since their new beginning. Former lead scientist of Mars he managed to position himself to the very top of the new Sarmakth hiearchy, remaining the Dominion's supreme ruler ever since. He's a hateful person with delusions of grandeur who views all other species as tool to achieve Sarmakth supremacy. You could say this generally applies to all Sarmakth but that is merely a testament to the influence of S'cum whose dominance of the Great Link casts a shadow on the mind of everyone involved. Like all Sarmakth he's hyperintelligent and could tackle on the massive responsibility required to effectively lead his nation through the ages. Compared to the youth he's also much more cautious and probably the reason why the Sarmakth has yet to invade the Galactic Empire. He is keenly aware of the humiliation during the Earth-Mars Wars and has no intention to repeat the same mistake again. He both hates and fears Mankind, unwilling to fight the Galactic Empire unless he's convinced of an absolute advantage.

TECHNOLOGY

Sarmakth technology is unique and at times radically different from what could be found within the Empire. Their massive intellect grants them innately superior understanding of science. Yet having missed out a few millennia of progress they have some fields to catch up on. Sarmakth technology is unique and even weird by the standards of other species. For example Sarmakth relies on walkers moving on flexible tentacle-like legs which requires advanced computers to properly operate while humans merely use wheels and tracked mechanisms to achieve similar road performance. In general Sarmakth technology looks organic or even "alive" and some of their devices indeed use modified living tissue. It also shows in their transportation means. Sarmakth never invented the wheel and its association with human culture made sure they'd never rely on it, either. Instead they use various multi-leg transportation mechanisms or anti-grav systems. The Sarmakth themselves usually equip grav gliders which lift their bodies and save them from physical exertion because their species is accustomed to low gravity planets.

Notable Techs

- Weinol: The basis of most if not all Sarmakth construction. It's a versatile family of carbon allotropes akin to fullerenes and carbon-nanotubes. It's generally light yet strong material which depending on its grid structure can have various other properties. It isn't an exaggeration to say that over 90% of everything made by Sarmakth is a type of Weinol.

- Yel'yeturek (Stardrive): Also dubbed as hyperdrive (kwhul'mishu, lit: "hyper engine") it's a device which allows the ship to go beyond the ordinary three dimensional space and touch "kwhulret" (hyperspace) in order to allow faster-than-light travel. Stardrives are effectively the same as various hyperdrives yet achieving it through different means.

- Kahla'yeturek (Inertial Drive): Sometimes also dubbed as Impulse Drive, an arcane device utilizing laws of physics not yet understood by humans. The device allows vessels to ignore gravity as well as use a mysterious force to hover or move at subluminal velocities.

- Kwitau'tviyan (Impulse Core): Reactor which turns any conventional material into nuclear fuel to produce energy. They are compact and efficient as well as generally safe to use which makes them widespread within the Sarmakth community. Kwitau'tviyan are Sarmakth nuclear bombs, most of them are adjusted to induce a chain-reaction with ordinary material to dramatically increase its power during orbital bombardments.

- Kwhul'ifisek (Transporter): Vaguely related to warp drive development this system can temporarily break down matter into subspace rays and direct them to another position where they rearrange back into their original form. Basically it beams in or out material for quick transportation between a ship and a surface target. Said beams are also occasionally used to abduct civilians albeit the ship needs a specific holding cell in order to keep the subjects. The transition into subspace energy is temporarily and thus you cannot store people in batteries or anything weird like that.

- Falek'zehl (Heat Ray): Using a miniature impulse core it channels extreme radiation through a channel of non-conductive vacuum. Heat Rays are roughly comparable to lasers yet their mechanism makes them extremely different. Lasers can be reflected and have varying absorbance depending on material properties. Heat rays dump their energy direct on contact, making them much more energy efficient. Aside from weapons the heat ray technology also finds more peaceful uses in power and heat systems.

- Khrasaya'wun (Chargegun): Sarmakth equivalent of firearms, it uses coulombic detonation instead of chemical energy to propel projectiles towards the target. Through fine alignment of field projectors it's possible to induce this "charge propulsion" spontaneously thus Sarmakth guns turn portion of the projectile into its own propellant and require only electric charge to work. Khrasaya'thor (charge bombs) are the regular high explosives used by the Sarmakth which tend to disperse a cloud of molecule-thin shrapnel. Chargeguns that fire high-velocity penetrators tend to have triangle shaped barrels while explosive projectiles are disc-shaped and shot from a wide yet thin barrel.

- Mathra'wun (Wardiscs):Sarmakth equivalent to missiles, these thin circular plate-like objects have a compact inertial drive along with a sophisticated AI and a field manipulation system that replaces explosives. Essentially it's a flying disc that tracks the target and has a device which can turn its entire mass into explosive material within a split-second. Wardiscs are very sophisticated and could have a myriad of ways they detonate. Space-use wardiscs can also rely on atomics or more exotic sources rather than pure chargebomb functions.

- Feshel'wun (Disruptor): Sarmakth molecular rearrangement technology has many scientific and industrial uses but at times it could be also useful as a weapon. It fires a special ray which induces a chain-reaction to disrupt the material composition of the target, effectively dissipating it to constituent particles. The weapon is too sophisticated to be viable as a general issue weapon. It's expensive and requires complete understanding of the target's composition to succeed. More often than not Feshel technology is seen in the mining industry and automated robotic miners. Although said miners may be used in war out of desperation. Another common variant is the disruptor pistol which is a status symbol to signify the Sarmakth superiority. More often than not such pistols are used solely for public executions.

- Kwhul'wun (Hypermetric Accelerator): A term used to describe Sarmakth direct firing weapons which use either matter or radiation originating from hyperspace to project it at the enemy. The mechanism is often compared to opening a dam which is the boundary between normalspace and hyperspace and then let it flow straight at the enemy. These weapons tend to be the main weaponry of warships, albeit smaller ground support vehicle variant also exists. Kwhul'thor (Hyperbomb) is a variant used as a terrifying explosive with colossal destructive power which is only used on specific occasions due to its cost.

- Wak'danan (Stasis Barrier): Alternative usage of stasis field technology for protection. Effectively just a generic forcefield, albeit utilizing way different mechanisms. Commonly used by all Sarmakth vehicles and starships and there are even variants used for personal protection.

MILITARY

While most civilizations rely on professional military to provide forces in battle the Sarmakth are different. They view technology as their sole answer to military expansion, using warmachines and bioengineered monsters in battle. While they cannot entirely avoid to have their brethren fight in battles in general the Sarmakth want to minimize the danger they expose their populations to. This used to manifest in a very unbalanced army composition of pure warmachine forces. These towering tripods were fearsome yet unsupported they had some glaring weaknesses. To resolve the numbers issue the new Sarmakth Dominion relies on Tselmakth bio-soldiers. These are not infantry in the classical sense but a variety of biomechanical robots, often using horrifying bioformation techniques to turn other races into mere living machines. Tselmakth troops can range from tiny swarmer units to giant mammoth-sized beasts that are more akin to a tank. Many of them fight in melee and rely on numbers but Tselmakth are also frequently using the biological derivatives of Sarmakth technology. They don't wield weapons per say but rather they are the weapons themselves and have such systems internal part of how they function. Creatures with eyes modified to be heat rays or abdomen protrusions that are actually cannons would be some of the examples how Tselmakth troops integrate technology into their being. While not foreign to the idea of entrenched infantry and similar tactics, Sarmakth don't really have anything to replicate such. Their military is still very much unbalanced yet the Sarmakth believes it's to their benefit.

Tselmakth bio-soldiers

Tselmakth are developed by altering known species more to practical functions. The so-called Ask'hatik (bio-soldiers) are the militarized variants of Tselmakth usually meant for screening and swarm tactics to support the Sarmakth warmachines. This can range from swarms of palm-sized insectoid creatures to mammoth sized beasts.

Ripper Swarms: Tilau'bish are clouds of small palm-sized creatures equipped with extremely hard and more than razor sharp fins. They have an internal plasma organ which fills them with hot air while also helps them expelling gases akin to a jet engine. This allows them to build up considerable momentum to cut through some relatively durable object. The smallness of their blade limits them to be anti-infantry weapons, though. In effort to make them simpler to create the Rippers can only live for 12 hours.

Lancers:Li'wuk are roughly 2m tall bipedal armless creatures with two gigantic eyes. Said eyes house both targeting systems and a pair of heat rays, meant to incinerate objects and burn through light armor. They are the closest the Sarmakth has for an "infantry" and there are variants of this type that mount different weapons or have other functions. Lancers are relatively fast runners and have the ability to leap for 25 meters as a defense mechanism. It takes a while for the leg muscles to recover thus this is only done when really necessary. Some people who encountered them began calling this type as the "laser emus" due to the uncanny resemblance.

Breaklings: Pi'katar are a versatile strain of quadrupedal bio-soldiers at average 1.5m tall. They have a very pronounced head unit and overdeveloped underbelly portion. The original variants were and still are used as collector, breaking down wreckages and hauling up carcasses for reprocessing. Yet they are more often seen on the field as walking weapon platform. This can range from compact chargeguns to overpowered heatrays, various wardisc launchers and other equipment. They are more armored than the Lancers but still overall fragile but they can provide fire support. Since a number of variants have limited munitions it is not uncommon for Breaklings to have logistics variants carrying and producing extra supplies for the rest to use. Breaklings are deceivingly fast although don't have the ultra jump capabilities of Lancers.

Bulwark: Sahr'temok are bulky slightly beetle like insectoid bio-soldiers hiding various weapons inside their sliding containers. They don't have shields but their shells are made of composite Weinol which can even gradually regenerate. In order to facilitate replenishment it has a belly mounted dissassembler ray allowing it to collect key resources to heal and manufacture new warheads (if equipped with phsyical weapons like chargeguns or wardisc launchers). They are durable and fairly versatile units that can be outfitted for any role ranging from frontal assaults to artillery or even anti-air purposes. They are a bit slow compared to the rest of the bio-soldiers but by no means lumbering. They can be considered the equivalent of tanks.

Triads: Rehsak are heavy bio-soldiers utilizing miniaturized warmachine technology. Those who fought these creatures tend to call them as mini-tripods and this isn't that far from the truth. They are 3-5m tall (depending on if you count the arms or not) with three triple-jointed legs and a trio of tentacle-like arms ending up in hypermetric ray emitters. This made possible by the creature possessing a compact hypercore which actually makes it dangerously unstable. For additional protection the Triad class bio-soldiers posses their own shielding, making them more like a walking tank if not worse. Furthermore some variants of the Reshak can combine their trio of beams with the shield emitter for an overwhelmingly strong attack. Just as the other bio-soldiers the Triads are surprisingly nimble and their shielding can double as a gravity manipulation tool. Due to their unstable core the Triad distorts space-time around itself, making it relatively easy to detect by sensors. On the other hand if they get too close their unstable hyperspace radiation could cause random malfunctions on sensitive equipment and generally makes precise sensor locks impossible.

Predators: Feikha are giant 6m tall and 9m long creatures engineered from the indigenous species of an unspecified planet. These creatures underwent massive enhancement, receiving tough armadillo-like armor plates complemented with composite Weinol hide structure. The monstrous being is powered by a hypercore which allows it to maintain a shield to further enhance its defenses. In spite of its size the creature is extremely nimble and can leap massive distances. Its main purpose is breakthrough and shock thus it has a pair of oversized blade-like appendages for combat. Aside from that it has a mounth and tail mounted hypermetric radiation emitter. In addition it could launch wardiscs launchers and other secondary functions.

Warmachines --- TBA

SPACE FORCES

Sarmakth spacecraft are just like their warmachines in the fact they look less like purpose built constructs and more like living entities. Most Sarmakth space vessels look like deep sea creatures, assuming the shapes of starfish, jellyfish, crustaceans and cephaloids. Just as their surface vehicles these rely on tentacles but in a different way. The average Sarmakth warship consists of a main body and various tentacles. Main body houses all the essentials while tentacles mount the primary weapons. This gives a flexible and finely aimed platform for said weapons but also makes them fair bit more obvious as targets. Most Sarmakth warships have primary and secondary tentacles with the latter being considerably thinner. Said tentacles could be also used in close combat and are known to contract and stretch to unbelievable extents. Another less known fact is that while vulnerable these tentacles can grow back. At the root of each tentacle is a regeneration unit which gradually reconstructs the lost appendage while hidden within the hull, bursting out with full functions as soon as ready. Another observation is that overall the Sarmakth are less focused on space superiority than many other civilizations. Rather than winning space battles the Sarmakth focus is on establishing dominance in space enough to make planetary invasion successful. They suppress dissents, defeat rebels and invade planets. Their objective is usually to conquer and subjugate a planet, not to win over a hostile nation state. This may be an advantage or their greatest weakness depending on how the war is waged.

Common ship classifications

Sarmakth Dominion developed isolated from the galactic community and hence their terminology for warships is also relatively different.

- Pi'hali: means tiny/insignificant spacecraft, usually for starfighters but also for shuttlecraft.
- Glanthali: Means "watcher ship", corvettes or small frigates.
- Katahali: The so-called "devourer ships", they are synonymous with destroyers but with more ground supporting secondary role.
- Beshali: Means "cruising ship" and any medium sized vessel fits here like large frigates or cruisers.
- Nashali: Invader ships and are a mix of carrier and planetary assault ships, usually can mean either or both.
- Nen'puk-beshali: Translates as "main battle cruiser" and can be anything from heavy cruiser to battleships.
- Nelayhali: Suppressor ships are what the Sarmakth call their dreadnought equivalent vessels.
- Fik'nelayhali: Supreme Supressor Ships are what Sarmakth thinks Hyperdreads as.

Common Starship Classes

Aluuk class Starfighter: 30m diameter smallcraft shaped like a starfish with either 5 or 8 arms. Most of the size is taken up by said arms which can move fluidly like a living entity and are equipped with compact hypermetric accelerators. They can even combine these projectors into a singular attack for more massive damage. The starfighter also has wardisc launchers and a compact multi-purpose bay that can store supplies, bombs or even prisoners. It takes in or deploys said cargo via using its transport beam.

Zanax class minor frigate: Usually the smallest warship seen from the Dominion, and the most common one. Zanax are closer to corvettes but with multi-mission profile. They have the classic Sarmakth cuttlefish shape for warships but only with a pair of primary tentacles mounting hypermetric accelerators with several secondary tentacles used for point defense. They have considerable internal space for fighters, wardiscs and various cargo including multiple warmachines. They are meant to manage minor enforcement duties. The large "eyes" are the most unique aspects of the ship and they are housing long range sensors to fulfill the ship's recon role.

Ask'ersu class Destroyer: Named Ask'ersu (foot soldier), this is a long enduring design going through several upgrades. At the length of 250 meters it isn't significantly larger than the Zanax but has a much more robust hypercore and an overall different design. Unlike all other ships the Ask'ersu doesn't mount any weapons in its trio of tentacles. Instead it relies on its heavy wardisc launchers for ship to ship combat. In addition it mounts a giant spinally mounted hypermetric accelerator for its massive firepower. Lastly the Ask'ersu was designed to be dual purpose and has the capability to land on planets and walk on its trio of tentacle legs like any of the other Sarmakth warmachines. Its plethora of small weapon systems see decent use in ground combat while its spinal gun can overcome fortifications. Thus aside from being essential for screening in space combat the Ask'ersu can be also the largest Sarmakth warmachine to be fielded during planetary combat.

Sklada'nan class Cruiser: A medium size vessel meant to patrol the borders and engage in low intensity conflicts. They are multi-purpose vessels capable of subjugating the majority of revolts on their own. They have eight primary tentacles meant to engage smaller vessels while the secondary tentacles give it decently ranged anti-starfighter firepower. More importantly the Sklada'nan (meaning "warning message") has considerable transport and starfighter capacity, enough to house a small army. This gives them an important secondary purpose as battle carriers and assault ships yet this role isn't significant enough to re-classify them as Invader Ships.

Kresnayun class Invader Ship: Speaking of the devil the Kresnayun (Aggressor) is a massive ship of unique shape which resembles more of a starfish merged to a cuttlefish at each other's respective centers. Its spinning radial docking bay can disperse both transports and starfighters in a very rapid fashion, neccessiating the huge central ring. It has breeding chambers for producing armies of bio-soldiers while its mechanical bays could house entire divisions of warmachines. The chief duty of this massive ship is support, be it for fighter screening or to deploy immense number of invasion forces. The gigantic tentacle arms are multi-purpose and hous multiple kinds of weaponry, meant for both ground support and to gather resources to fuel its internal mechanism for producing even more units. Consequently the Kresnayun has relatively little firepower and requires constant escort, an acceptable tradeoff for such a fearsome vessel.

Kali'puk class Main Battle Cruiser: Primary combat ship of the Sarmakth these squid-shapen vessels have 12 primary and 72 secondary tentacles, making them highly capable of handling large number of vessels. These ships were made without interstellar treaty thus making them way more versatile and perhaps even more powerful than most ships of this size. In addition to having a lots of weapons the Kali'puk even has the capacity to combine them into a singular powerful beam, dealing heavy damage to other battleships. Of course this means that unlike other Sarmakth vessels the Kali'puk only carries hypermetric accelerator guns as its main armament and only of a set strength. This means the secondary tentacles have to substitute a lot of that versatility, hence their huge number. Regardless the Kali'puk is a very dangerous craft and compared to the overall strength of the Dominion these vessels are relatively numerous, may even outnumber enemy fleets.

Ek'zaprah class Suppressor Vessel: Equivalent to dreadnoughts in other nations this vessel dwarfs all the other Sarmakth vessels. Its 48 secondary tentacles each carry twins of Kali'puk's main weaponry while the 6 primary tentacles are sufficient to even take on other dreadnoughts. Unlike other Sarmakth ship designs the tentacles are relatively short with the main body looking absolutely massive in comparison. The body features a plethora of small weapon systems as well as complement for fighters or even carry escort vessels. The ship has facilities for planetary invasion, too. Yet most of the internal space is actually taken up by its utterly massive spinal hypermetric accelerator cannon. This ship is meant to suppress any resistance to the Sarmakth encountered so far, breech planetary shields and give the enemy a permanent reminder to their fooly. The name Ek'zaprah roughly translates as "absolute revenge" and like all other Sarmakth ship names this is very much fitting. Since never limited by any treaties the Sarmakth have a lot of these vessels, outnumbering factions of similar size in this aspect. Suppressor Vessels rarely come alone in Sarmakth doctrine and rather they arrive in squadrons of three. On the other hand the Ek'zaprah is a ship focused on siege role above all. This means they are much less of an "ultimate ship" but rather a specialist, needing its own escort to wage battles.

Bayonets, Brimstone, and Bullets - A Napoleonic Inspired NRP

Chevroiére League --- WIP

LIGUA SAINTETÉ DE CHEVROIRÉRE

OVERVIEW

Official Name: Ligue Sainteté de Chevroiére
Alternative Names: Chevroiére League, Chevroirere, The Holy League
Capital City: Lansemour
Government Type: Holy League (militant theocratic empire)
Leader: Pontifé Grandé (Archpriestess)
Dominant Species: Elafer/Elafé (plural: Elavis, also referred as deertaur)
Population: ~ 42,000,000

Chevroiére is a country with a long history dating back to the ninth century. They were defenders of faith and rulers of a large empire which had its golden ages during the 16-17th century. Following that they suffered a steady decline until last century when the Empire effectively dissolved and its members entered decades of infighting. Eventually the core territories reunited as the Chevroiére Holy League lead by the archpriestess. This new nation is governed by the Grand Order of Chevroicee and known for their zealous faith. Currently they are caught between the ambitions of multiple empires and must struggle to not only retain their safety but even their cultural identity.

Territorial Claims

Claim (light blue in the center)

Demographics

The Chevroiére League inherited the empire's most bountiful lands which is more recently bolstered by waves of migrants. Thanks to over a million Elavis fleeing Volstan oppression the deertaurs are again the most common species in Chevroiére with 16 million souls (38% of the entire population). The second most populous are humans with 12 million registered countrymen. The League also has significant number of Woofs, 6 million Yuukoman and 2 million indigenous or originating from other places. The remainder are various other species who were similarly present before the fall of the old empire. There's also a certain species which never makes it to the official statistics, Gnomes. Being subjugated by Elavis over many millennia these tiny men are born to serve deertaurs and very much part of their everyday life. Their number is uncertain but it's estimated around 20 to 30 million, making them unofficially the most common race in Chevroiére. Given that Elavis are the dominant race the deertaurs are first class citizens within the League. As much as 8% of their population are Chevaliers (nobles) with also lot of clergy, townsmen and other representatives of the middle class. Though "poor deertaurs" are far from uncommon a very large proportion of the high class are Elavis. The rest of the races are effectively secondary citizens who have less options to socially advance although barring a few professions they aren't actively prohibited. Slavery is technically illegal within Chevroiére and considered immoral. Yet certain forms of slavery are legally sanctioned. Those who commit crimes or fall into debts may find themselves punished with forced labor for the state. There are also the "Gnome Question" but as things are everyone turns a blind eye. Given their connection to Luchmeyern and their neighboring Yuukoman state there's also a relatively prolific ring of illegal slave trade. Lastly there's the topic of religion. As a theocracy the Chevroiére League's state religion is the Arvandore though they practice an odd type of religious tolerance. Foreign religions are tolerated but only allowed a few temples and are prohibited from converting citizens. These rules can be eased if the said religion is willing to adopt elements of the Arvandore faith. The ultimate objective is to integrate foreign faiths in Chevroiére into the greater religious system of the Arvandore and this is generally successful.

Elavis (deertaurs)

Official Name: Elafer (male), Elafé (female), Elavis (group name)
Common Name: Deertaurs
Average Height: 160cm
Weight: 125-200kg (depending on breed)
Maximum Lifespan: 150 years

Descendants of the borderline extinct centaur species the Elavis are smaller statured equine sapient creatures most frequently found at the Western portion of Yevrazha. It's easy to think of centaurids as human-horse hybrids yet the outward appearances can be deceiving. Centaurid physiology is only vaguely similar with the chest of the upper torso holding a pair of gigantic hearts. These hearts provide blood for a body 4 times that of its humanoid counterpart which is also explain their overgrown nature. The digestive tract runs from the human mouth down to the very end of the equine body, allowing way more sophistication. The lungs of the creature are in the equine part's abdomen, safe from nearly every form of attack. The brain is of course in the centaurid's head but they also possess a lesser brain in the equine body which allows more control. Thanks to their rich blood circulation the centaurids tire way slower and could maintain peak performance for surprising amount of time. The blood circulation in the arm muscles mean that while deertaurs aren't necessarily stronger than humans their hands seemingly never tire.

Elavis are referred as "deertaurs" due to their relatively small stature and more cervidae features. Elavis are short and relatively slender, often walking with grace. Compared to the bulky centaurs the Elavis are fairly agile. They have even-toed hooves making them not-quite equine and their lower body can twist and somewhat turn in the middle thanks to strong muscles and unusual flexibility in the spine. They can swim, climb trees or even mountains. Thanks to their build they can also achieve gallop speeds above 50km/h. They are living cavalry and some more. Yet this also has some troublesome perks. Elavis literally can't reach certain distant portions of their body, requiring external help. This had an effect in their communal nature and also like their predecessors the centaurs they often made smaller races into their servants as a necessity. Having an equine body is also far from the most comfortable in tight places, at average corridors made for Elavis are at least as wide as they are long (~ 150cm). Generally architecture for Elavis has strong preference to large open halls and places to provide sufficient range of movement. Also chairs. Elavis can remain standing for extreme periods and don't find sitting objects as a necessity. Though chairs aren't completely absent those are meant for other races. Due to having small mouths for a large body the Elavis also spend a lot of time eating. The more affluent may even have 9 meals per day. Other deertaurs compensate by effectively snacking during work, often spending hours on chewing.

Elavis as a species is rather diverse with multiple distinct breeds not to mention the uncountable variations of hybrids. Ovriers are the worker caste. They have a more stocky build sufficient for labor. Correurs are the "runner type", slender deertaurs with tall legs that excel in agility and traveling distances. Lastly there's the Juxteurs which are effectively the warriors who unite the strength of Ovriers with the speed of Correurs to be practically born for knighthood. They are often the largest breed of deertaurs and they consume a lot even by deertaur standards. Caste rule was powerful in the early times of history but nowadays one's type of breed only has relevance for certain professions.

Nain (gnomes)

Official Name: Nain
Common Name: Gnomes
Average Height: 120cm
Weight: 25kg
Maximum Lifespan: 150 years

Gnomes are a race bound to centaurid service for over a millennia. Their weakness and small stature made them an easy conquest after which the gnomes became the attendants of centaurids, helping them in many ways. Gnomes are distant relatives of dwarves and their hardiness can be perhaps attributed to this. They have oversized heads and limbs which makes them appear a bit child-like. Gnomes are in an odd social situation within Chevroiére. At one hand they are almost objectified, considered an asset to their deertaur masters. This is why no census in Chevroiére ever counted gnomes into the population. On the other hand they are often close to the high class and enjoy decent to great living conditions. Gnomes are nowadays only kept by the middle class of deertaurs or above. Those who lack the finances are instead making use of the Church Gnomes lent by the priesthood of Arvandore. The League Military also conscripts gnomes for war, usually to assist deertaurs. These Militant Gnomes also have the unique opportunity to attain freedom and become something akin to a minor noble thanks to their feats in battle.

Government & Society

The current Chevroiére is considered a "Holy League", a theocratic federation of states. The clergy of Arvandore is practically involved with everything within the League. They are the teachers, the scientists, the magicians, the government officials, the clerks and through the Paladin Orders they are also deeply connected to the military. Chevroiére has no constitution but they consider the words of their Holy Book a supreme law and many priests dedicate their entire lives to interpret its text. The Holy League of Chevroiére is divided into 7 realms which are further divided into many so-called commandries. These divisions are artificial and not representative of the old states and countries of the Chevroiére Empire. This territorial reform was geared towards military-style efficiency organized by the Paladins which helped to establish the League's current dominance.

History

TBA

Economy

Chevroiére is a troubled nation with considerable historical and social baggage. The Old Empire used to be the most developed nation in the region but as industrious as they used to be the rigid social norms and vitriolic foreign relations lead to stagnation. As a matter of fact the so-called industrial revolution of steam has yet to occur in the League. Steam engines and other machines are imported but only at a glacial pace and this sets back the League's development compared to its peers. With many of their neighbors hostile it even took herculean effort to open up the free market in Chevroiére. In spite of all this the League does relatively decently. The powerful traditions of Chevroiéren artisans makes them well-renown for their skill. They might be unable to compete with the machines and factories of more advanced nations but when it comes to handiwork the great cities of Chevroiére are still known throughout the entire continent.

Currency

After the League's establishment the Church reissued the empire's Florine in a different form. Switching to bimetal standard and adopting numerical denominations the new coin is issued in both gold and silver, depending on its intended value. Silver florines bore the denomination of 1,2,5 and 10 while golden florines were marked 10,20,50 and 100. For change the League soon resurrected the denier, also bearing numerical denominations but produced off cheaper mithril-iron alloy. Florines are a pretty reliable currency, accepted in most places.

Mithril

Also referred as Blancefer this metal is known for being lightweight yet relatively tough. Mithril is less then half the density of steel and has tougness comparable to wrought iron. Mithril requires very high temperatures to avoid the formation of impurities during casting and may be compounded with certain ingredients mithrilsmiths are reluctant to tell. The objects made of mithril thus are more rare outside of Chevroiére who used to held near-monopoly on the metal during the Old Empire. Pound for pound Mithrils are roughly equivalent to steel but thanks to their superior malleability they are less prone to fracture. On the other hand they are more likely to bend than flex which for example discourages pure mithril swords. In Chevroiére the usage of mithril is comparable to brass in other cultures.

Army

Chevroiére has long martial traditions which date back to a millennia. The age of knights might be long over but the Chevalier warrior-nobility still prides themselves in their combat skills. The modern Chevroiére military abolished the old feudal military system but established Commandries (Commanderies) each under the jurisdiction of a Paladine Order. These religious militant orders have the responsibility to manage the region's war resources, recruit troops, maintain the law and if necessary protect the land from outside threats. All Orders ultimately answer to the Grand Order of Chevroicee. This centralized might allows Chevroiére to wisely allocate its limited funds and field an effective army. On the other hand the region's deep cultural issues mean military elitism runs deep within the League. Though Elavis are only a portion of Chevroiére's population they make up the overwhelming majority of the military. This means their recruitment pool is relatively thin, an issue they try to alleviate through conscripting both genders. Those of other races are generally forced into auxiliary roles which the Elavis either refuse or incapable of effectively fulfilling.

In the era where infantry lines and artillery dominates the League Armed Forces are an oddity. They are effectively a pure cavalry force comprised of deertaur troops. While most nations concentrate on firepower to crush their enemy the Chevroiére are all about maneuver. Their troops are incapable of standing up to the concentrated volleys of an opposing company but their speed can allow them to choose when to fight. They rely heavily on speed and momentum and when they lose that they experience disastrous results. Due to stagnation the Chevroiére utilizes unique but rather outdated firearms which makes them more like horse archers than proper musketeers. Chevroiéren focus on mobility also applies to their artillery with nearly all their ordinance capable of keeping up with cavalry. Chevroiére also relies extensively on fortifications with their small garrisons capable of covering dozens of miles in response to threats. This kind of "mobile defense" combined with the ruggedness of the forts makes advance into Chevroiére lands a protracted slog.

Bruiarchieur/Bruische (Firearm Class)

Many nations experimented with arrow projectiles before settling down with the roundshot. Chevroiére never abandoned this idea and even adopted them to their mainstay firearms. Bruischieur means "loud archer" or "loudly shooting in an arc" which describes the weapon fairly well. Shortened to "Bruische" the guns fire long rocket-shaped arrows that only partially fit into the barrel. As a result the heavy projectile flies slowly and has a very distinct arc, just like with archers. With velocity between 140-220m/s and much better sectional density the performance of the Bruische degrades less with distance and provided the projectile is undamaged it could be fairly accurate. This gave the Chevroiére Empire considerable advantage in its wars but compared to its heyday in the 14-17th centuries the weapon is considered rather outdated. The Chevroiére League continues using them due to long stagnation and their still very active archery traditions. Barring some refinement these weapons remained the same for over 150 years. Projectiles were refined, guns streamlined, standardization and logistics improved and lastly they developed Faithlocks.

Though flintlock and percussion firing mechanisms are also utilized the Chevroiére has one that works through piety and magic, hence called faithlock. An enchanted silver cross with traces of magic crystal is embedded over the firing chamber. Upon pulling the trigger Gestalt magic specific to the Arvandore faith activates, creating sparks to ignite the powder. Since only those faithful to the Arvandore can use these guns the Bruische firearms now have more religous significance than ever. Though the Bruische guns chiefly fire heavy darts they can also launch incendiary heads, explosive warheads or to be loaded with stacks of flechettes (their canister shot equivalent).

Bruische vs Musket --- Pros&Cons

• Shorter&lighter gun for the same firepower and require less gunpowder
• Arrows fly accurately and can defeat armor better
• Projectile is also a ramrod with paper cartridge already attached means much faster reloads.
• Slow projectiles make them hard to aim at moving targets and require good shooting skills.
• Projectiles can get stuck in certain obstacles or thick objects (more relevant for handguns)
• Unlike roundshot, darts aren't good against lines of infantry in cannons.
• Darts are more expensive, need dedicated logistics and you can carry less of them.
• Darts have specific gun length/diameter ratio requirements which holds back gun development.

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Troops Overview

Chevroiére military proper almost exclusively only accepts Elavis (deertaur) conscripts/recruits with other races usually only taking part as support or auxiliary forces. This does mean that most of the military are effectively cavalry and they fight fully utilizing their mobility.

Notable Infantry Equipment

- Fusil Modéle 1788/18: Standard military handgun issued to the majority of troops. It's a fairly short gun with 1-cubit (~ 21cm) barrel which has the bore diameter of 10-ligne (~ 21mm) and usually fires a long and 10-talent (~126 grams) heavy dart with about 160m/s. In 1818 a new variant with simplified faithlock firing mechanism and relatively sophisticated volley sights were introduced and this is the current mainstay arm of the soldiers. Ammo is kept in quivers. Aside from standard darts the gun can also shoot a stack of 9 flechettes which has a shotgun-like effect. Unlike muskets these guns were never intended to mount bayonets.

- Tromblet Modéle 1821: Small pistol with a wide, stumpy and flared out muzzle. Unlike other weapons this is meant exclusively to fire flechettes of varying arrangement. These are meant chiefly for the League Navy who often fought in close quarters and required a weapon to clear corridors. It has a 1-pouce (29mm) bore and is usually filled with 17 flechettes but there's also a canister load which fits 42 lead balls. Tromblet is meant for "pistol-scale" blunderbuss type weapons while Tromblon is reserved for two handed types.

- Lance-fusil: A class of weapons found with auxiliaries. While deertaurs can comfortably carry a gun and a polearm the more humanoid auxiliary troops don't have this luxury. At the same time putting bayonets on a very short gun is nonsense, same with using pikemen to protect the gunners like this is the 17th century. Lance-fusil means "gun-spear" and as its name implies it has a gun that can accept a short spear attachment. Attached under the barrel this spear is fixed by clasps and runs into a deep notch drilled into the stock for solid mounting. Given the nature of auxilia and how these modifications are made there's no standard for Lance-fusils, they are made as needed with whatever firearms they might have at hand. Compared to bayoneted muskets the Lance-fusil has an odd distribution but in theory it is the more nimble weapon in melee.

- Brogone Modéle 1844: Brogone is a type of polearm most popular in Chevroiére. It's effectively a two handed club with a spike or a spearhead, allowing it to fulfill both functions. Though nowhere as sophisticated as halberds or pollaxes the Brogone is cheap and still rather versatile. Modéle 1844 is the newest variant which replaced the triangular blade with a more leaf-shaped spearhead to allow cuts. In a sense Brogone is the Chevroiére bayonet, used by all troops in melee rather than affixing blades to their stumpy guns.

- Dolman Dur: Chevroiére has long history with dolman style outfits, usually worn by hussars. Dolman Dur ("hard dolman") is actually a bit more than just a statement of fashion. The insides of the outfit hide a brigandine-style layout of armor meant to protect against pistols, bayonets and saber swings. Each armor segment has a face-hardened 1-2mm thick steel plate backed with 8mm layer of ironwood laminate of the best toughness. The wooden backing absorbs the energy and stops shrapnel. The entire outfit/armor weighs about 30 livres (~ 11.3kg) which also includes the steel epaulets that act like pauldrons. While heavy the Hussards of Chevroiére are grateful for the armor's protective qualities and unprepared forces often find it a nasty surprise.

- Plate Armor: Chevroiére has over a millennia experience at producing armors and even in the 19th century this practice has yet to cease. Chainmail and brigandine are often sold for commercial use but for the elites of the military they need plate armors. While many nations also produce breastplates and cuirasses, the Chevroiéren process is a bit different. In a sense Chevroiéren plates are composites. The outer layer is hardened steel of mirror polish. This is then backed by laminated ironwood and leather for comfort. More renown armorers go a step further. They introduce a thin gap between two wooden laminates which they fill up with molten mithril. This provides far more rigidity, although with an extra weight. How they accomplish to insert the searing 3000 degree Mithril globs into the wood without burning it is anyone's guess. Chevroiéren armors are renown for their toughness and those made by master armorers are definitely musketproof.

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- Voltigeur: The standard Chevroiére troop. Since the soldiers are deertaurs the Voltigeur are technically cavalry and as such they fight like that. They have Bruische guns, Brogone spear-cubs and have pack filled with various equipment. Voltigeur can traverse multiple dozen miles within a single day which gives them surprising tactical mobility. Voltigers Marins is a term used for their naval variant which is aboard ships. Compared to their surface counterpart the Marines are less about march and maneuver and more geared towards close combat like boarding actions.

- Pionnier: Chevroiére has relatively high standards for their soldiers yet requires considerable manpower. Those who wash out the initial selection are often become Pionniers (pioneers) who handle engineering&logistics tasks. They carry supplies, make/maintain bridges, dig trenches or perform other duties. It's said that for every Voltigeur there are three Pionniers. Pionners have a shorter shako and often wear a long overcoat. Unlike the rest of the army the Pionniers often work together with auxiliaries.

- Chasseur: More promising soldiers are often organized into Chasseur companies. They receive more training, better equipment and higher pay. These light cavalry are meant for rapid response, scouting and longer distance patrols. In essence they are akin to Hussards (see later) but less elite and meant to operate within a regiment. Their uniform is distinguished by the use of denser frogging and wearing the more angular czapka instead of traditional shakos. Chasseurs are also issued pistols and sabers while in common units only the officers have them. Some regions even have the custom of providing the Chasseurs with lances while others give them axes for some reason.

- Dragoon: Usually recruiting the stockiest of the deertaurs the Dragoon company are weapons specialists meant to lay down supporting fire or protect artillery. Their uniform and equipment varies depending on their role. The "light" variant have standard uniform, epaulets and their shako/busby with a mithril cross emblem. The "heavy" variant wear breastplates and helmets, the latter oddly lacks any sorts of cross motiff, consistency be damned. Dragoons often have gnome assistants and they can carry up to 3 Bruische guns for better rate of fire. Others are carrying special weapons like handheld volley guns, hand mortars or rocket stands. Generally the Dragoon companies are responsible for fire support.

- Hussard: Chosen from the tallest and most physically fit recruits the Hussards are a relatively elite unit meant for raids, skirmishes and other dangerous acts. As such they have their own regiments rather than and their leadership is frequently given autonomy. Hussards advance deep into enemy territory to cut off reinforcements, raid villages and destroy the enemy's logistics. They wear Dolman Dur, a type of medium armor akin to brigandine which protect against pistols and less severe weapons. Unlike common soldiers the Hussard also has gnomish servants accompany them into battle. These servants both tend for them while camping in the wilderness and also help during combat by reloading spare guns or defend against attackers from the sides. In a sense the Chevroiéren Hussard is a "medium cavalry" but they act and fight more as a light cavalry.

- Cuiracer: Heavy cavalry representing the shock troops of Chevroiére. They are traditionally Chevaliers, a class of warrior nobles, but for a long time now they also admit commoners who have the necessary skills. They wear heavy cuirass, open helm with feather top-piece and various plate reinforcements to guard against blows. Unlike the rest of the cavalry which are in constant movement the Cuiracers held in reserve to save their stamina. When the moment is right these well-protected elites assault enemy formations to scatter them. Cuiracers usually don't chase down armies unless they are already in the heat of battle. Unlike others the Cuiracer wields halberds and rarely carry full length guns. Instead they have entire braces of pistols loaded with flechettes meant to cause mayhem in the heat of engagement. Said pistols are constantly reloaded thanks to the help of gnomish servants that ride along with them. Some Cuiracers dropped halberds in preference to a type of awl-pike with more pronounced cup which has cutting edges, preferring its lance-like reach and nimbleness over the shear chopping power of halberds.

- Aumonier: As a theocracy the clerics of Arvandore are heavily involved with the military. Every company has 3 chaplains but on regimental level they also have something more. Aumonier is a type of cleric gifted in the art of Gestalt magic. Their duty is to dispense the miracles of God for the benefit of the people. While assigned on regimental level their numbers is sufficient to be dispatched to each company and still retain a strong cadre of magicians at HQ. Every regiment also has at least 5 Augures who are responsible for magic scouting and delivery of priority messages. They command eagle familiars and are capable sharing their senses with them. Aumonier in military service wear the same uniforms as soldiers and are required to have some training. Aside from the cross necklaces and occasional religious decorations they also carry round maces made of mithril-silver alloy with a magic core. While it can be used as a weapon these are the most significant as magical focus for casting miracles.

- Paladin: Spiritual successors of the Old Empire's knights a paladin is the cream of Chevroiére's military. Though relatively small in number they form the top brass of military as well as provide the best warriors the nation could offer. A good portion of paladins were trained since childhood to become religious champions and to further Chevroiére's glory. They wear heavy armor covering significant portion of their body and known to be capable of spellcasting. This is a curious phenomenon among the paladins because only a few decades ago less than 10% of the Paladins had any means of casting magic. Since not all people are born with the power of spells this seems impossible yet somehow every paladin is capable of showing the miracles of God. Since they wear armor harness and high quality clothes decorated in religious imagery the paladins easily stand out. Paladins are some of the most famous people in Chevroiére and their tales often find listeners worldwide. Due to their small number they rarely form companies and are rather often attached to a retinue of other troops.

Artillery Overview

Chevroiére's artillery is decent although not very powerful. They chiefly use Bruische type firearms which also fits their style focusing on mobility. Basically every field artillery in Chevroiére are also horse artillery which are meant for rapid deployment. This means the army generally focuses on light and easily drawn guns rather than heavy pieces. Chevroiére also doesn't have the same expertise with cannon as many contemporary nations which makes it almost a miracle they managed to achieve standardization (called the Toussaint System). Dart projectiles can somewhat make up for the weakness of cannons but it also has a price, literally. Dart projectiles are more expensive than roundshot and require more carts to haul the same amount of projectiles. This means overall the Chevroiére need to be more conservative with their artillery. Since measuring artillery in weight of shot does not work with dart projectiles the Tousaint System classifies them via bore diameter measured in pouces ( 1pouce ~ 29mm). Aside from cannons the artillery also uses volley guns and rocketry.

- Canon de 3-pouce Tousaint: Typical light artillery with the bore of 90mm with the usual dart munition weighing 25 livres (~ 9.5g). Even with the carriage and caisson the entire weapon is under half ton in weight thus can be portable by as little as a pair of deertaurs. The weapon need the crew of 4 and rather than darts it more commonly fires flechette and case shots. Dart munitions are chiefly reserved for suppressing enemy artillery or targeting weakspots in fortifications as the 3-pouce projectile otherwise lacks power.

- Canon de 4-pouce Tousaint: Heavy gun in 120mm caliber with the usual dart munition weighing 64 livres (~ 24 kg) which makes it actually useful for sieges, not to mention the 4-pouce being the standard naval gun in the League. On the other hand the gun alone weighs 600kg and the entire weapon could approach a ton. This and other requirements increase the minimum crew to 8. As the heavy component of Chevroiére's field artillery setup the 4-pouce are rather common sight.

Canon de 5-pouce Tousaint: Siege gun of 150mm bore meant to fire 125 livre (~47kg) darts to demolish walls. Compared to the other two these cannons are particularly rare due to them weighing entire 2 tons, leading to them never really catching up to the main army unless bogged down in a siege. The weapon sees more frequent use in fortifications where its could use a quintet of "superheavy" flechettes meant for long distance counter battery fire.

- Cannon á 60-dards Belmonte: Volley gun artillery with 60 small barrels mounted in a 6x10 arrangement and kept together via a wooden frame. Each gun has a faithlock for seamless chain firing. Originally each barrel was filled with 4 flechettes to unleash complete mayhem at point blank range but this practice is currently too risky. Instead the barrels are loaded with conventional darts in the 80-gram range and fired at a trajectory for saturation. They can fire at the rate of 120 shots per minute, emptying the barrels within half minute. Even with paper cartridges and no need for resetting the primers it takes 2 minutes to reload the volley gun for the next attack. As such it's common for this artillery to operate in groups of four to maintain a constant curtain of fire. Given crew fatigue this barrage can be only maintained for about 5-8 minutes and in practice rarely done. Volley guns as such have questionable effectiveness but given their smallness they can be a good defensive weapon for almost any place.

Affut Fusées:A mobile version of the more stationary rocket arms of Chevroiére. It's effectively just a ramp where a row of up to 6-8rockets can be placed upon (depending on size). The rockets themselves are usually transported in three pieces (frame, warhead and wooden rod) but during combat a different type of transport can also carry them in one piece. While their use of iron frame was revolutionary in the 17th century compared to the modern rocketry the Fusée utilized by Chevroiére are relatively antiquated. Rockets are utilized for their easy portability and ease of rapid fire. Entire volleys of rockets can be released within a minute after which the crew can retreat. Rockets are little use against fortifications but they can explode with shrapnel or set ablaze anything flammable.

Navy

The Chevroiére Grand Fleet once ruled the Midseas and were considered a naval powerhouse. Their unique ships were a constant marvel and for a century nobody could best them in combat. Yet this dominance soon broke in a spectacular way and lack of innovation lead to a series of embarrassing defeats. In the last 150 years Chevroiére suffered naval catastrophe thrice and lost most of their dockyards to foreign powers. Compared to their glorious days the Chevroire's League Navy is a sad shadow of its former self. Its primary purpose is patrol and to fend off pirates, asking for more is effectively impossible. The League Navy has 42 galleys, nimble ships with 6-12 front-mounted Bruische cannons as their main armament. They excel in coastal warfare and boarding actions. In spite of this the galleys are not eager to engage the enemy and rather prefer hit&run volleys. The reason is simple, the League Navy is pathetically weak with little naval experience. They don't have anything to stop a determined navy hence they opt for safety. This earned them a cowardly reputation among certain navies, something which irks the League immensely. Recently Chevroiére also acquired a trio of Astalian steam gunboats for riverine operations. Being the first steamboats in Chevroiére military these ships have considerable prestige and are used to learn more about modern naval technology. Obviously, with such weak navy the League could not survive alone. Thankfully their alliance with Eisengard also extends to joint naval patrols and defensive pact in case of either side suffering naval aggression. Thanks to this the Midseas have a relatively healthy balance of power. For now.

Guerravire

Chevroiéren type of the war galley, these small and sleek ships are the primary force of the League Navy. They are built in the League's military docks of Beauxonne and unlike before these vessels follow strictly standardized parameters. This is supposed to streamline shipbuilding yet in effect it only really helped training crews. The tight parameters also led to very nimble ships, especially with strong Elavis rowers. With sprint speed upwards 15 knots the Guerravire could catch up to any other vessel or often escape pursuers. The League's detractors often sneer at the Guerravire's speed, only consider it fit for a "fleet of cowards".

Weaponry-wise the ships can be equipped with rams but in practice most vessels opt to remove them for better speed. Instead their main armament is located on the rambade, the so-called "cannon dais". These are a rotating platforms capable of turning 160-270 degrees and mounts a stack of multiple Bruische cannons. Cannon Dais are turned via an axle mechanism from underneath and allows timely positioning of guns during engagements. This dais is often protected to withstand musket and light cannon fire, more or less the only portion of the vessel receiving such reinforcement. Aside from its cannons the ship also has a topmost combat deck used chiefly for boarding combat. It has sufficient room for marines and rows of swivel guns to decimate the enemy crew. Boarding itself is assisted by various ramps, hooks and other devices. During coastal bombardment the combat deck can be loaded with rockets and other field artillery, although this is a rather rare practice.

Guerravire Legere
The most common type of Chevroiére war galley. They are 36m long at the waterline with the beam of 4.25m and the displacement of 80 tonnes. It has 20 oars per side with 120 rowers total. Along with the crew it has the the capacity for 300 people and a week of provisions. Its front-mounted Cannon Dais has 6 Bruische cannons together.

Guerravire Lourde
Heavier type of war galley built for size while retaining largely the same agility. They are 45m long with the beam of only 5m. It has 25 oars per side with 200 rowers total and could carry upwards 720 people (including the crew) with provisions. Rather than a single Cannon Dais the heavy variant has two, one mounted in super-firing position. For balance the front Dais is smaller with only 5 cannons while the top Dais supports 7 cannons for the total count of twelve. Compared to the "pirate chaser" light variant the Guerravire lourde are the mainstay war galleys meant to fight other ships or transport an entire company of troops.

Guerravire Regal
A massive war galley which should be perhaps called a galleas. With the total length of 72 meters and beam of 8m the ship has an imposing scale. Its rambade supports a pair of Cannon Dais with 20 guns in a 8-12 arrangement (front-back). In addition the ship has smaller deck mounted Cannon Dais for 6x5 guns. This adds up to 50 guns total. While impressive the ship is overall fragile. Furthermore it struggles to keep up with other galleys in spite of having 500 rowers. Ultimately the "Guerravire regal" was a vanity affair with the NSN Godefroy as its only ship. It acts as command vessel for the League Navy and there are also proposals to utilize its array of guns for coastal bombardment.

Bruischière

A type of gunboat recently adopted by Chevroiére. As the first steamboats used by the League's military they are subject of much curiosity. These ships are 25-26m long and displace 180-200 tonnes while capable of achieving 11 knots. Though far from the most impressive ships their technology makes them very worthwhile. The original loadout of cannons were replaced by Cannon Dais in 2x5 arrangement, allowing them to bombard shores from distance. Compared to the average Guerravire this ship is actually rather capable yet on insistence of Astalia the League Navy is forbidden from deploying these gunboats at the open seas.

Traits

- Traditional Mastery: The Chevroiére Empire used to be one of the most industrious and innovative regions back in its prime. While Chevroiére fell into stagnation the traditions of their artisans remained. Old mechanical contraptions that may amaze even modern engineers with its complexity, metallurgical knowledge never distributed to the rest of the world, art techniques that only set root in Chevroiére. Artisanship might be devalued in the new age of industrial revolution yet their achievements worth the praise.

Foreign Relations

- Yuukoma: Bitter rivals with long history. The rise of Yuukomans was one of the reasons why the Old Empire fell, including most of Chevroiére's port towns. In return the League participated in the coalition against the Great Yuukoman Empire. As a result Chevroiére and Yuukoma both has territorial claims on the other which is a source of constant feud. Ideologically the Yuukomans are considered blasphemous for their faith and their hedonism is taken as proof of their moral inferiority.

- Volstan: The big bad wolf of the North, Volstan is a looming threat which may gobble up the League any time. A conquest by Volyudki is widely considered an existential threat and they are the one enemy which can force Chevroiére to forget all hostilities with other nation in order to create an united front.

- Tanwir: A former ally against the Great Yuukoman Empire the two nations quickly broke up all relations after the war's conclusion. Ideologically distanced the Tanwir consist another threat neighboring the League's borders.

Rolls

Land Area: 11
Land Fertility: 19 (-2, switched with navy)
Social Development: 19 (+7)
Technological Development: 4
Land Power: 14 (+4)
Naval Power: 4 (-3, switched with fertility)
Economy: 12 (-3)
Magical Reserves: 12 (-3)
Magical Sophistication: 16
.

Capabilities:

Societal Development:
Chevroiére is one of the oldest still active cultures on the continent. They have dense road network, numerous towns and some great cities. Centuries of laborious river control eradicated most swamps and country-wide irrigation systems keep the agriculture flourishing. Mills, hydro-powered machinery and other old contraptions keep things efficient. Chevroiére is a beautiful country, even if dated.

Technological Development:
There's little sugarcoating it, Chevroiére is somewhat stuck in the past. Though considered pioneers during the 17th century the dogmatic nature of the Church and overall lack of serious innovation means as if the country exists in the previous century. Steam engines are more of a curiosity than something seriously utilized, for example.

Economy:
Chevroiéren economy is decidedly average. They are very slowly adapting to the new demands of the market and feeling outdone by the more industrious countries but they are still strong in fields where the advent of steam had moderate impact like: agriculture, light industry, carpentry and clocks.

Land Power:
The Old Empire used to be a titan of military might and some spark of the old giant still remain. Chevroiéren hussars are known worldwide and the core of their army is known for their prowess. On the other hand Chevroiére has a relatively small army . Their artillery is also outdated and a relative dead end in terms of improvements.

Naval Power:
Through the last 150 years Chevroiére suffered multiple naval catastrophes while also losing their key naval ports to rebuild. The current League Navy is only a shadow of its former glory with a fleet compromised almost exclusively of galleys.

Magic:
Chevroiére is a theocracy with Arvandore as its state religion. The pious population, deep-running religious customs for a Gestalt faith and the institutionalized magic study all contribute to powerful magic. Unlike their technology the faith of Arvandore is constantly evolving and integrates new deities and ideologies. This makes the chevroiéren Gestalt magic surprisingly versatile. For some reason Chevroiére has a huge quantity of clerics with some degree of magic. The reason for this is unknown but about 25 years ago Chevroiére's magic became significantly stronger, almost overnight.

The Grim Crusade - A Warhammer 30000 RP

Primarch --- Hyperion Aigleos

HYPERION AIGLEOS

Name: Hyperion Aigleos
Titles: The King of Lions, The Golden Giant, The Second Sun
Gender: Male
Height: 14'1"

Homeworld:

Planet: Hemera
System: Ashvinium
Sector: Vesta

Hemera is the only habitable planet of the Ashvinium dual star system. The yellow giant Sulis is orbited by the red dwarf Orcus. Also called the planet of everlasting daylight, every portion of Hemera is illuminated by at least one star. Rather than the usual day-night cycle Hemera is defined by white, yellow, orange and red shifts. It's a knight world home to House Lucienus who also also formed the ruling class of Hemera. The planet itself is under constant peril of the Orchinates, a mysterious breed of techo-biological creatures that are especially active under the pure shine of the red sun Orcus. As the former capital of the Vestan League and later the famous birthplace of Hyperion the planet underwent a rapid growth and became something akin to a Hive World while still being admninistered by House Lucienus. One of Hemera's curious elements are the extensive orbital structures left behind from the Age of Strife. Astrum Vis Conligitor, a gigantic archeotech solar collector array which got reactivated and now powers wide range of orbital structures.

Hemera is where Hyperion grew up yet his seat of power was relocated to the artificial fortress-moon of Heliopolis. Used to be an abandonned archeotech megaconstruct found by Hperion he eventually made the artificial planetiod the new capital of the Vestan League and later the Vesta sector. The surface is dominated by defensive emplacements and sprawling hive cities, having untold miles of ceramite and plasteel as their foundation. The middle levels on the other hand feature an artificial ecosystem with vegetation-rich soil, hydrophonics and residence for the affluent. Some of these levels also act as the Lions' personal training grounds ranging from exercise places to wildernesses made to simulate dangerous environments. The innermost levels are the heart of Heliopolis, featuring engineering rooms and wide range of technological marvels which needs constant care from a legion of Techpriests. Though has its own power source and even capable of erecting void shields Heliopolis is incapable of locomotion, limited to only maneuvering engines needed for orbit corrections.

Appearance:

Pictured in his armor

Hyperion is a statuesque person known to possess an imposing physique even by Primarch standards. He's known to have auburn hair but occasionally it can change anywhere between the shades of platinum blond to deep crimson. His piercing eyes have a sky blue tint but they can be also overtaken by a golden glow. His well-kept mustache is an iconic part of his face. In terms of body shape Hyperion is known for his wide shoulders and frankly overdeveloped upper body. Even compared to his already towering stature his chest rivals that of an Astartes Dreadnought. Even moreso than the other Primarchs he has a difficult time to go through narrow spaces. Hyperion usually needs transport custom fit for his dimensions in order to board them. His brass colored shining armor is accented with blue, its high polish often makes Hyperion a truly radiant giant. Its multi-scaled construction rattles with a distinct melody which broadcasts his approach.

Personality:

Hyperion is a boisterous yet entirely dignified giant of a man. He's warmhearted and generous person who approaches others lovingly even if he keeps them at arms length. Hyperion rarely uses indoor voices and wherever he's the place almost resonates of his presence. And yes, he has a superiority complex. He consider himself the pinnacle of humanity and second only to the Emperor. There's practically no end to his confidence and he remains positive even when facing grave adversity. Hyperion doesn't look down on other people yet he does pity them for their inferior birth. This extends even to fellow Primarchs, although Hyperion would never make this apparent. Given his complex it's given that Hyperion has a constant desire to prove himself and reaffirm his place in the world. He loves challenges and competitions, sometimes even treating combat like a game. He is a gracious loser who treats failure as something he could learn from to be closer to his ideal self. Hyperion is honorable and dislikes unfair challenges that favor him. On the other hand he is not repulsed by the other side trying to stack the challenge in their favor. He believes the increased adversity and stacked odds only give him more to strive for.

His life philosophy is rooted in texts of Hemeran sages, the so-called Inner Sun Theorem. According to the sages one's inner bastion can be likened to a blazing sun which enriches their life. One has to identify their own sun and kindle it to true radiance. Like the changing shifts of Hemeran day cycle, one's sun has many faces. Discovering new faces to one's sun lead to fulfillment. Hyperion has found many faces to his own sun yet the most radiant facet of it all is the Emperor himself. As the very personification of his sun he serves the Emperor with almost blind faith. Hyperion considers the Emperor the only person worthy of his devotion and unconditional trust. In addition to following this difficult yet dignified path he made sure to teach his interpretation of the Inner Sun Theorem to his own legion and even government officials he had particularly lasting relation with. Hyperion has firm beliefs yet he does not force people to share them. The essence of the Inner Sun Theorem is about self-discovery and Hyperion follows this almost religiously.

Skills:

Hyperion is a mighty warrior known to fight with unparalleled ferocity. Like a whirlwind on legs the giant's swings mow down masses without leaving options to approach him. His bulky build may not make him the fastest warrior but the sheer strength behind each blow leaves no room to exploit before the next strike comes crashing down. Upon analysis the reason behind his whirlwind nature becomes apparent, he never strikes with his full power. Hyperion has an overdeveloped upper body which grants him phenomenal strength even from his arms alone. He does not need to strike with all his might. Nor it's wise for him to do so. Hyperion's body is unbalanced with his huge upper body being barely supported by the comparatively smaller legs. He has a weak foundation and must hold his strength back to avoid being caught flat footed. If he were to deliver strikes with his full strength it'd be devastating yet it would also give a massive opening for his enemies to exploit. Thus Hyperion must fight conservatively. This is the curse of his inhumane strength. On the outset Hyperion may appear to be a simple fighter who relies on their pure muscle to overcome obstacles yet deep down his technique is refined and very nuanced. Normally his body build would make Hyperion a questionable duelist but combined with his unique style he can actually dominate in mock fights against his fellow siblings.

His imposing body and boisterous confidence also lead room to charisma. He's an awe-inspiring figure whose presence and words could be like something spoken by a fierce god. He's a dignified and glorious leader, always capable of commanding respect. Be it in governance or out on the battlefield, Hyperion is a person who could rally people behind him. He may not be the best speaker, nor an absolute genius in tactics but those he interacts with burn with fire likened to thousands of suns. He isn't perfect, nor he pretends to be such. Yet his men cannot help but admire Hyperion, viewing him as their ideal. His faults don't mar this radiant existence, rather complement it.

For those unfamiliar with Hyperion outside his reputation may be surprised to learn this shining giant does not merely revel in war. Hyperion derives the most enjoyment from seeing his work in its destined glory. He's a builder, both of wondrous crafts and whole nations. He has a keen eye for management even if he prefers to leave the paper work to his subordinates. He has eyes to see greatness in people and nurture that to fruition. He likes to surround himself with great people rather than trying to take on a task on his own, appointing the right men for the right jobs. All the while Hyperion is open to new experiences, always ready to improve.

Assignment Grade:

Alpha-class Psyker
Hyperion is a massively powerful psyker, taught by multiple disciplines even if never mastered any. His most famous ability is the so-called "battle aura", a mysterious instinctual forcefield which reinforces his body, protects him and can be even expelled as raw psychic energy. When his battle aura is at its height Hyperion's body grows while his muscles bulge even further. More importantly his unseen aura bursts into psychic flames and his body radiates dangerous heat. Obviously maintaining high levels of aura and using large amounts of psychic energy will tire Hyperion out hence needs to use this in moderation. A psyker's mental fortitude can fluctuate but for Hyperion this is extreme. His beliefs are rooted in the Sun and he's remarkably weaker during the night. Conversely his power rises dramatically during the day and reaches its plateau during the noon. It's said that Hyperion is second only to the Emperor during the noon. When the Sun shines the brightest, he is the most radiant.

Hyperion had learned psychic arts from multitude of places yet his foundation originate from his mother, Agamadea's witchcraft. This unconventional method straddles the line towards sorcery yet never quite passes it. Her mother may had been a sorcerer but Hyperion possesses the iron will to resist the charms of tainted power. One of his unique abilities involve the absorption of raw heat and radiant energies, turning these sources into his personal power. For example he could breach plasma reactors and use them like batteries. Very rarely and with preparation he could also convert some weapons fire into power but this is far less reliable. Aside from that he inherited some of Agamadea's healing talents and has relatively decent expertise with elemental fire or setting up psychic wards. As a psyker he also has premonitions on occasion as well as the capability to communicate telepathically. Yet as far as proficiency goes neither of these are Hyperion's forte.

Wargear:

- Tuagh Solais:
One handed axe crafted out of Nemean Lion's very heart. A massively powerful force weapon imbued with Nemea's mysterious xenotechnology. Like any force weapon Tuagh Solais stores, amplifies and directs Hyperion's psychic power which makes it very handy both for combat and also controlling his innately large psyker potential. Tuagh Solais is famously so powerful any mortal it cleaves burst into flames from the raw immaterium. When fully charged with Hyperion's psychic powers the axe is known to be an immeasurably destructive device. Bound to Hyperion the axe at times appear as if it has a will on its own. For example once struck in the ground only Hyperion is worthy to lift it. The axe also flies back to Hyperion once he had thrown it, be it however many miles.

- The Promethean Gauntlet:
A giant power fist worn on Hyperion's left. The main body is made of auric-adamantium alloy, the only material assured to never break under Hyperion's strength. Its sheer size allows the gauntlet's wrists to hide a trio of Lastrum Bolters. Over the years the gauntlet was adjusted and upgraded by multiple artisans and even Hyperion himself. The current variant holds only one of the original Lastrum Bolters, a Volkite Blaster a Nova Projector. Power is supplied by a Nemesis Force Bracer replacing the comparatively weak generator and turning Hyperion into the gauntlet's battery. The end result is a very versatile equipment which can be used at all ranges and could even temporarily project refractor fields for protection.

- Orichalcum Scale Mail:
By using an extract made from slain Orchinates to cure the steel they can create Orichalcum. The process is labor-intensive and requires a supply of Nemean beast carcasses. In addition the Mechanicus only gave provisional sanction to its production. As a result only Hyperion has permission to wear armor made of this new material. Orichalcum is about on par with high quality personal armors yet when it comes to maintenance the Orichalcum scales are easy to replace even in the middle of the campaign. Another important feature is that they react to Hyperion's psychic power, allowing them to stretch and enlarge as needed to follow the Primarch's temporary size changes. The armor is kind of heavy, almost twice the weight of artificer armor yet provides the same protection. The scale armor flexes better than solid breastplates which gives him a modicum of speed yet also tires him faster, turning Hyperion into a deliberate and well-contained tornado of power.

Weaknesses:

While Hyperion is well-known for his might he also has some less-known yet still understood weaknesses. For starters his imposing physique has a sorts of Achilles heel, it's largerly unbalanced. With the combination of restrained strikes and psychic assistance he manages to keep himself upright but in case he'd need to deliver a strike with all his power it'd unbalance him enough to take painful seconds of recovery. More skillful fighters may also take advantage of his comparatively weak legs to rob Hyperion from his anchor to the ground. Of course the King of Lions may expect your trick but this doesn't change the fact he has a physical weak point in a sense.

His second famed weakness is psychological in nature. He grew up on Hemera of the everlasting daylight and developed a philosophy rooted in the sunlight shining down upon him. As a consequence he feels weaker when caught in the darkness. Depending on the extend of dark and the length of exposure this could sap his strength considerably. Although this weakness is only psychological and Hyperion has shown to occasionally harness alternative sources as his "Sun". The Inner Sun Theorem considers everything that gives meaning to a person their "sun" and by that extension Hyperion considers the Emperor his ultimate sun which always shines upon him. In case he's in a bind Hyperion can use his faith as a sudden burst of power although this forced state may not last indefinitely. Overall it's a wise advice to not poke the Lion unless you are prepared to get burnt.

Biography:

Early Life
Hyperion's capsule drifted to Hemera of the everlasting daylight. His foster parents were the witch Agamadea and the giant mutant Phoronestor. While abominations by the Imperium this pair seemed to be an exception to the rule. They were of upstanding character whose corrupted nature made them ostracized from society. Hyperion spent the next 10 years in the wilderness. He slept among lions, foraged food, competed with Phoronestor and taught witchcraft by Agamadea. Eventually he had learned of his foster parents' sacred duty: they were guardians watching over a wellspring of immense power. The energies of the well permeated the forest which attracted Orchinates and unsavory individuals alike. Once old enough to fight Hyperion patrolled the forest alongside Phoronestor to ward off trespassers. This is around the time when he met Lykourgos the Great, esteemed errant knight. Hyperion mistook the knight for a malicious individual and attacked him, only to be disarmed and forced to yield. Realizing the youth's potential Lykourgos then offered to train him in knightly arts and promised to warn every soul to avoid the woods. The friendship between these two lasted a lifetime. Yet this serene and almost idyllic situation soon shifted for the worse. Agamadea became ill, afflicted by the strain of suppressing the well for so long. Without her input the power of the well only increased, drawing in hordes of Orchinates on the weekly basis. Worse, the forest began to take up frightening shapes and the once peaceful animals gone crazy. One day a horde of unparalleled size assaulted the fortress lead by a giant Orchinate resembling a lion-chimera. They battle was hard fought but the exhausted Phoronestor could not vanquish the lion. With all hope lost Agamadea used the last ounces of her power in a heroic struggle only to end up within the lion's maws. Hyperion just barely escaped with his life yet swore revenge.

Facing the Nemean Lion
The forest of Nemea soon became a new nest of Orchinates and the once huge lion-orchinate turned into a borderline invincible beast of colossal size known as the Nemean Lion. The delicate balance between knights and orchinates broke immediately and numerous villages fell prey to the beast's ire. Even when the combined might of the noble houses gathered to face this creature it only produced a standstill. The Nemean Lion was seemingly unstoppable. During this time Hyperion was a wanderer who slowly elevated to the status of a folk hero. He was neither a knight nor a noble, only an enigmatic commoner who fought beasts. Four deadly years passed under the crisis in which time Hyperion's might and skills only grew. With his preparations complete Hyperion was determined to end the Lion of Nemea for once and for all. Hyperion approached the lion's lair, the resting place where the colossal orchinate is kept away from the White Sun Sulis. Carrying an arsenal of mighty weapons Hyperion began his ambush. Yet the creature proved to be beyond his wildest imagination. Weakened as it were the beast still seemed impervious to all mortal means of harm. The fight went on for long hours during which every single one of Hyperion's equipment broke down. He had nothing left. Yet his concentrated efforts managed to break off one of the lion's claws. Capturing his price Hyperion took it for the exit, still chased by the lion. Even if by instinct the Lion of Nemea knew if it loses sight of Hyperion it'll die. The Primarch was counting on the beast's tenacity and so a 7 day long battle of attrition ensued. Hyperion will strike the beast with fervor during the White Sun and will hide in shelter during the Red Sun when Orchinates at the height of their power. Both sides were at their wits' end when the lion's impenetrable armor finally gave out. Using every last ounces of his power Hyperion leaped forth and delivered a vicious series of blows, ending the lion's reign of terror. With the beast vanquished the creature lost its form, turning into a massive puddle. Within the center of this puddle Hyperion saw a pulsing organ, the lion's heart. More than that Hyperion had recognized the wellspring's power. Using the strange amorphous material Hyperion then forged his legendary weapon, Tuagh Solais.

The Vestan League
Hyperion's charisma and heroics soon turned him from a vagabond sword for hire into the most prominent person in all of Hemera. His legendary strength slain humans, beasts and even xenos invaders. At one time dark eldar landing crafts descended upon the planet. Infuriated, Hyperion threw Tuagh Solais at their vessel and the overload of psychic energies were said to have extinguished all life aboard. Hemera experienced peace yet the sector as a whole was in turmoil. Upon his orders a large fleet of voidships assembled. These ships were primitive yet warp capable and could transport knights and numerous soldiers. This so-called First Vestan Reconquista sought to unite the relatively isolated human civilizations in the sector and drive off the Xenos threat. After a decade of crusading this culimnated in the formation of the Vestan League, an interstellar alliance of more than ten human worlds. His armies stretched and exhausted Hyperion chose to settle down and solidify his rule. During this time he found an artificial planetoid-fortress and renamed it Heliopolis, though lacking the means of restoring it to full order. Though nowhere near to the current glory of the sector, the Vestan League was flourishing.

Meeting the Emperor
News of the Vestan League reached the Emperor's ears, convinced this has to be one of his lost sons' doing. Disguising himself as Prince Lupus from the distant Uhulis Sector he personally journeyed Hyperion's realm. He was impressed yet the personal cult and accomplishments of the Primarch worried him. The Emperor chose to visit Hyperion in his home of Hemera to conduct the final test. He must learn humility. Prince Lupus challenged Hyperion to which the prideful Primarch agreed immediately. They decided to prove their skills in Hemera's classic sport of Dodekathlos. In spite of Hyperion's superior experience he lost all 12. Yet the Primarch's pride could not allow to end things there and challenged Lupus to match him in another set of challenges tomorrow. He lost, again. And again. After 10 days and exactly 120 competitions the Primarch was exhausted yet far from broken. He learned neither humility or true defeat. Impatient the Emperor chose to reveal himself, cancelling the psychic disguise. Faced with the full might and brilliance, Hyperion felt neither fear or rage. He felt devotion and the prideful and spirited man chose to kneel down by his own will. Hyperion needed no further explanation. He met a superior man, a person worthy of devoting his entire life for. And then the Emperor realized his mistake. Hyperion had both pride and humility. He feared no obstacle, even relished to face it. Even if unintentionally the Emperor's demonstration of superiority only fanned the flames in Hyperion. Realizing the futility of his test the Emperor laughed, ordering his son to rise.

Later Activities
Hyperion followed the Emperor, leaving the governance of Hemera to the experienced Lykourgos the Great. He spent years journeying the stars, learning the ways of the Imperium, the Imperial Truth and to command Astartes Legions. In M30.842 he formally met up with Legio XIII referred as the Bronze Dragons. His sons were few yet bristling with ambition. Only after decades of work and arduous effort did his legion return to its true strength. With his new and powerful army and grand task of reuniting mankind Hyperion returned to Vesta and began the Second Reconquista. With his mighty sons and the Imperium's support his campaign was a glorious success. Many dozens of worlds joined the Vestan administration and the sector officially became Legio XIII's new home. With Mechanicum aid a number of industrial planets transformed into Hive Worlds with a select few very promising enough to eventually become Forge Worlds. Soon enough Hyperion launched the Third Reconquista. By this time the freshly renovated Heliopolis became the new Vestan capital and seat of Hyperion's power. While the conquest of the sector was far from over any further crusades had to be put on hold as the Imperium called for his services elsewhere. He fought in many wars, bested countless challenges and his legendary visage became known across the galaxy. He did not neglect his home though and the fourth, fifth and finally sixth Reconquistas succeeded bringing Vesta under his full control. Hyperion tried to focus his activities in Segmentum Tempesta and his fights against Xenos filth earned very telling epithets Orkslayer, Elfeater and Bugsmasher. Whenever xenos arose, Hyperion answered the call.

The Meeting:

TBA

Legion --- Lions Illustris

LIONS ILLUSTRIS

Official Name: Lions Illustris
Other Names: Suns of Hyperion, The Lion's Pride, The Lion's Legion
Old Names: Imperial Suns, Nova Vanguard, Astral Claws, Bronze Dragons, Celestial Champions
Legion Number: XIII
Primarch: Hyperion Aigleos
Legion Strength: exactly 120,000 active Legionaries at all times
Warcry: "Praise the Sun!"

Armour Appearance:

Lions Illustris are known to possess the largest supply of Mark II armors. The early cooling issues of the Maximus Armor and the Lions' traditional views made the upgrade unpopular and instead the Vestan armorers began modifying old equipment to meet the new standards, named Mark IIa. This introduced new ceramite plates inspired by the Mark IV, rearranged cabling to reduce exposure, replaced old systems where appropriate and numerous other minor alterations. These changes were quicker than producing new armors but still have drawbacks compared to just equipping the new Mark IV armors thus it's unpopular with other legions. The Lions are easily recognizable for their shiny and highly polished brass and bronze colors, meant to represent the Sun. For more visible accents they use neon blue metallic paint which gives them a will-o-wisp visage while illuminated by fire. While advanced sensors render typical camo pointless there's something to be said of the bravery of the Lions to brandish shining equipment easy to see even with the naked eye. And to be watched they shall. Their old Mark II power armors are known to be highly customized and often feature decorations to awe people.

Legion Characteristics/Ideology:

The Lions Illustris recruits exclusively from Sector Vesta, Hyperion's own realm. As part of the Tithe children are examined by the officials and those with the highest potential and compatibility are admitted as pupils to the Brotherhood of Sun. Geneseed implantation usually occours at the age of 6 but some candidates may let to grow until 9. After implantation the children candidates undergo training, education and constant tests. Aside from learning to be better soldiers they are also taught Vestan arts and philosophy, craftsmanship and skills that are commonly associated with Hyperion. Many of the tests themselves are in a sense recreation of Hyperion's deeds. Of course with such standards not a lot of candidates succeed becoming full Astartes but depending on how far they got these individuals from the Brotherhood of Sun could achieve various heights of prestige in Vestan society. Unlike for many other legions the Astartes also retain their memories and have a vague yet existing connection to their old families.

The Lions Illustris are warrior poets who value both martial prowess and wisdom. They consider life a journey to self-perfection and their ideal being Hyperion. While many Primarchs have strong personal cults what Hyperion established is very much over the top. Lions are nurtured to be staunch atheists but they view their Primarch almost like a walking deity, their unquestioned Sun. They are constantly inspired by Hyperion and consider his words to be law. They all groom their mustaches in the fashion of their Primarch and some even dye their hair or change their appearance in other ways to resemble Hyperion.

Lions are rather sociable yet also keep outsiders at arms length. They are considered prideful yet not unreasonable. Many are eager to compete yet not afraid of actually losing. To them a defeat with the knowledge is almost more valuable than triumph. Yet this changes completely when it comes to the legion as a whole. While the individual legionary is brimming with optimism the entire body of the legion has a certain reputation which they must maintain at all costs. As a group the Lions Illustris struggles with a centuries old superiority complex. They must be better than anyone, the alternative is almost unthinkable. On a good day this could serve as a sorts of inner fire, galvanizing all the legionaries to action. Worst case scenario their wounded pride could send the Lions into an unexpected frenzy and they are willing to do almost anything to remedy it.

Brief History & Name Origin

Legio XIII's heroics began during the Unification Wars which earned them the name Imperial Suns. Conversely they lost almost their entire legion and recovery took over an entire century. During the first years of the Great Crusade they saw no action and rather posed with various authorities as honor guard. Frustrated by their idleness they were renamed Nova Vanguard and undertook special missions which required swiftness and precision. Of course this didn't satisfy the warrior hearts of Astartes and they have striven for more. By 824.M30 they grew to seven chapters and renamed Bronze Dragons. No longer hiding in shadows they brandished shining bronze armor and were feared as methodological assault specialists. In 842.M30 the legion reunited with Hyperion and using his genes Legio XIII soared up in size.

In 850.M30 they earned the name Celestial Champions with the reputation of undefeated elites. This of course was a fabrication and in effect the Champions were just ordinary Astartes of an under-strength legion. Yet the myth prevailed through artificially low numbers, careful choice of only "worthy" battles and manipulation of records to highlight the Champions. Legio XIII always had a superiority complex but during their time as Celestial Champions this behavior peaked completely. Of course this didn't last forever and they were forced to participate in the Second Rangdan Xenocide. The conflict was a dreadful meatgrinder and the Champions fell like any Astartes. Though records imply superior performance of losing only 10 chapters the truth got laid bare for the Legionaries, breaking their confidence. With moral at its all time low Hyperion's sons faced a colossal crisis. They were "saved" in the last minute by xenos invading the legion's heartland in Sector Vesta. They left for the other end of the galaxy and defeated the aliens in a long yet glorious skirmish. In the conclusion of the war Hyperion made his famous "You are all lions!" speech which lead to their current name, Lions Illustris.

Geneseed Characteristics

Hyperion's geneseed is known to be stable and does not interfere with any of the implants. This doesn't equate for easy recruitment, though. The eccentricities of the Lions' geneseed means treatment must begin during the preteens, never after it. The alternative usually results in death and immense rate of failures. Second, the recipients need 2-5 years of incubation period which is followed by a painful transformative process. This period has many phases and future candidates may fail during either and wash out, if not die during the process. Preparation and training of both body and mind is essential to avoid catastrophic results.

The early hormonal boost usually result in a slightly tougher Astartes, albeit the differences are hardly significant. More importantly the 13rd Legion has the unique visual ability to see heat. This "infravision" is fairly acute and could distinguish very minute differences, albeit overall inferior to dedicated heat sensors. Regardless this gives the Lions an unique outlook on the world with some specific perks. Putting tiny infrared markers on their armor the Lions can identify each other from long range while not divulging the same knowledge to their opponents. Heat signals can also be used to leave behind messages. Lastly their perception of the infrared spectrum makes them experience fire and intense heat a bit differently. They find flames a thing of beauty and explicitly see better in the midst of chaotic flames rather than feeling overwhelmed.

A more inexplicable quirk of this legion is what they call the "Incarnation Phenomenon". The exact reasons behind this are unknown but Legionaries can gradually change to resemble their Primarch more. They can grow taller or stronger, change hair color, have their face resemble Hyperion, acquire skills attributed to their Primarchs or even awaken to their psyker potential. The extent of these varies but generally all accomplished Astartes at least experience a minor version of this. The reason behind the Incarnation Phenomenon is unknown and there are countless theories. The process can start at random and speed up, slow down or stop due to similarly unknown factors. For the Lions the phenomenon is a spiritual experience which affirms them they follow the right path for perfection. Those experiencing Incarnation are usually already veterans or accomplished within the Legion yet the experience usually has the side effect of launching them even faster up on the social ladder.

Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role:

The Lions Illustris is considered an assault focused legion which methodically tears apart their opponent. Most of their equipment is colored in highly polished brass which abandons camouflage for the sheer intimidation factor. They put the enemy forces into disarray before conducting precise and timely strikes to collapse their ability to fight as a group. To do this the Lions gather lot of intelligence and give fair degree of initiative for individual squads. They rarely fight in full strength, preferring to keep reserves in such state they could be deployed rapidly. The discipline of the Lions is perhaps their most remarkable aspect, able to coordinate to such degree the enemy has little time to adapt. Their flexible chain of command further capitalizes on this, allowing them to mix and match soldiers from different units when necessary. Merging units and creating new formations could happen on the whim yet retain cohesion and teamwork to remarkable levels. Alternatively they can quickly absorb reinforcements and, a characteristic they share with the Immortals. The Lions Illustris rarely attacks from the same direction as other forces of the Imperium. It's believed that the erratic nature of other armies would only disrupt the Lions' own maneuvers. Vestan forces who train specifically with the Lions Illustris are the only exception.

Equipment-wise the most obvious quirk of the Lions is their preference for fire. They have a large stock of Volkites which they maintain excellently. Rather than Bolters they still carry Volkite Chargers as their standard armament. The Lions use a borderline obscene amount of flame, melta, volkite and to a lesser extend plasma type weapons. They associate the flames with the Sun and are outright exhilarated when surrounded by fire. Their deep armories and relations with the Sollex sub-cult of Mechanicum also provide them with some technology unique to the Lions. Most notably the Drakon Casters that can expel their content of Prometheum either as tongues of flame or intense streams of Melta. In melee the Lions chiefly use their Labyris, a more compact chainaxe distributed for all legionaries. On the other hand the artificial gravity of Heliopolis makes grav-vehicles unstable and as such the Lions Illustris uses little if any hovercraft due to the poor training environment.

Unique Wargear

-Labyris: A relatively small type of chainaxe that hangs off the belts of every Lions legionary. It has a short handle of only 60-70cm, ending in a relatively small head and compact power source. Labyris originates from Hemera's knighthood and the weapon is compact enough to be wielded by ordinary humans. Their smallness makes them easy to carry and they are the universal melee weapon among the Lions Illustris. The short chain spins the diamantine teeth at literally blazing speeds, often producing sparks and orange glow. The weapon is resilient enough to block other chainswords and bites into armor better. On the other hand the ordinary chainswords do a meaner damage so Labyris requires more finesse. As a backup and utility tool the Lions still use high-quality knives albeit of more modest size (35-40cm) referred as combat daggers. In spite of their smallness their tapered monomolecular blades make them into really effective stabbers.

- Labyris Varys: A larger variant of the compact Labyris chainaxes, designed for heavy melee combat. It's 150cm long with long guard-rail protecting almost the entire shaft against glancing blows. In comparison the head is relatively small and sheated within a pair of monomolecular blade sections. The idea is that the conventional head delivers the impact, biting into the armor after which it is pushed back thus allowing the chain teeth to grind through the target. This combination gives the weapon remarkable performance against armor, albeit a bit tricky to handle. Thanks to the great strength of Astartes it's possible to wield a Labyris Varys in one hand, although both hands are recommended for delivering the most powerful blows. As such it's more common to combine the Labyris Varys with a combat shield.

- Sollex Pattern Power Weapons: Sollex is a sub-cult of Mechanicum found within the Vestan Sector. While not sharing the Vestan beliefs they are similarly obsessed with light&heat related studies to understand the Sun, regarding each other as kindred spirits. Sollex power fields are unique in their blazing quality which vaporizes rather than disrupt matter and known to coat the weapon in a visage of flames. Sollex powerfields are less stable and hence are only recommended for weapons where the field covers less than half the weapon surface. Axes are common but they also produce various hammers and maces where the field only intensifies at the moment of impact. One such example is the Sollex Morning Star, usually a one-handed mace with ball shaped head protruded with numerous triangular spike blades. The weapon's Sollex power field explodes on impact while the remainder of the energy helps the spikes to punch deep into the target. Thanks to the power field the spikes are never stuck and they tend to explosively vaporize flesh or even metal in their immediate vicinity.

- Dawnbringers: Two-handed power weapon resembling pollaxes wielded by ancient knights. The weapon is a sophisticated mixture of a Sollex powerfield generator and a Volkite Caster. It can hack like a power axe, thrust like a power spear and bash like a power mace. While there are weapons excelling in each of these roles better than the Dawnbringer the combination what makes this a truly remarkable weapon. The Volkite Caster itself is built into the shaft and perfectly in line with the weapon. It lacks aiming devices thus less useful as a ranged weapon but it sees excellent use during combination attacks. As the blade tears through the target or the spike punctures the armor the user can unleash a point-blank Volkite blast to incinerate the vulnerable internals. Obviously the proper use of a Dawnbringer requires immense amount of skill and even more practice thus only Champions and similarly accomplished fighters are allowed to use them. This and the fact the Dawnbringer's successful swings can incinerate people like Hyperion does with Tuagh Solais means the mere appearance of these weapons commands adoration and respect among the Lions Illustris.

- Drakon Weapons: A complex yet ingenious weapon uniting the features of Flamer and Melta type weapons, making use of the fact both relies on the same source of prometheum fuel. The end result is a somewhat bulky but versatile weapon of questionable origins. According to the Sollex sub-cult the Drakon weapons are entirely canonical, assembled based on STC fragments while filling up some of the blanks. In the eyes of the Mechanicum as a whole it's to be decided thus only the Sollex sub-cult, Lions Illustris and House Lucienus are authorized to make use of such weapons. There are three main variants: Drakon Caster, Drakon Projector and Drakon Siege Array. Being the smallest the Drakon Caster is essentially combining Hand Flamers with Melta Pistols in effectiveness, lacking range but decently portable. Drakon Projectors on the other hand are bulky heavy weapons that equate Melta Guns and Heavy Flamers. Lastly the vehicle exclusive Drakon Siege Array functions both as a Multi-Melta and Inferno Cannon. The multi-functionality obviously adds bulk and complexity thus they aren't a perfect replacement to their parent weapons. Still, the added convenience is decently useful for the Lions Illustris.

- Melta Beamers: While Drakons were merely something Sollex improved upon the Melta Beamers truly bear their handiwork. Using a long acceleration tube and ionizing lasers it allows the searing hot streams of fusion matter to retain their potency for greater ranges. The first product was the Inferno Rifle which shoots fusion streams for many hundreds of paces. While not an anti-vehicular weapon its power is sufficient to breach most personal armors. Next they developed the Thermal Beamers, a type of Melta Cannon with dramatically increased range. Melta weapons usually have a niche for very short range punch against hardened targets but the beamer technology broadened these horizons. For now the Melta Beamers are still under Mechanicum evaluation thus only the Sollex sub-cult and their typical affiliates are using these.

Unique Units

- Sabre Strike Tank: While most legions utilize them the Lions are especially fond of these small vehicles which seems to thrive in assault. While not particularly well-armored they are fast and carry hard-hitting weapons. Aside from the usual loadout of Volkite Sakers and Neutron Blasters the Lions also install them with Drakon Siege Arrays which allow the Sabres to pretty much melt their way through any opposition or belch out massive tongues of flesh-boiling flames. They also have the Sabertooth Recon Tank which uses the same chassis but replaces the heavy weapon with Auspex and has a top-mounted heavy weapon turret as its sole armament.

- Arquitor Bombard: Sabre with even heavier ordinances mounted backwards for higher stability. They are called for close artillery support and the Lions have a few unique munition types for them. Spicula for example could equip Phosphor Warheads which cover large swathes in unquenchable fire to deny entire hive blocks from the enemy. Morbus meanwhile has the limited option to load Nova shells which contain their own melta core for overwhelming effect.

- Predator Eradicator: Medium tank which mounts a Drakon Siege Gun instead of the standard autocannon turret and usually carries a pair of Volkite Culverin sponsons into battle. It's meant to be a frontline vehicle thus outfitted with reinforced front armor and flare shield. They are meant to excel in assaults where they melt bunkers, tanks and fortification alike while the flame thrower function allows them to ignore cover.

- Wolfram Lykaios/Skoll: More obscure variants of the Wolfram MBT these tanks enjoy quite the popularity among the Lions Illustris. Lykaios replaces the Battlecannon with the more arcane Volkite Demi-Cannon and has a hull-mounted Volkite Demi-Carronade (short range gun that incinerates all in its way regardless of obstacles). Wolfram Skoll features a melta cannon and melta siege array for evaporating all obstacles although the Lions utilize the more exclusive Sollex Pattern. It uses a Thermal Beamer (which has more than twice the range of Melta Cannons) and a Drakon Siege Array (which also doubles as a flamethrower). The Sollex Pattern is more versatile but requires more frequent maintenance from specialists. This does not deter the Lions Illustris to utilize them in almost every battle.

- Hemeran Lions: Native beasts of Hemera these creatures are renowned as noble pets and loyal partners. They possess sharp claws and fangs which could tear through even metal and their thick hides can be surprisingly resilient to weapons. Hemeran Lions exist in various breeds and their ferocity combined with their unusually high level of cunning meant they also found utlity as weapons of war. Hemeran Lions are organized in prides and commanded by an Astartes Pridemaster.

- Lion-Knights: Hemeran Lions that grow to giant proportions (Dire Lions) can function as mount for Astartes. These beautiful creatures only accept a select few who forged strong bonds with their respective Lion. These so-called Lion-Knights are well-decorated elites who literally charge into the enemy lines using their power lances and the fiery breath of their Dire Lions. Though not so fast compared to jetbikes the Dire Lions are very nimble and could climb and traverse terrain normally difficult to reach with vehicles. They almost always strike from unexpected angles and without leaving time for the enemy to prepare.

- Sky-Dragoons: A term used in reference to the Lions' own type of jump infantry. Their main duty is to spew fire and send enemy units into chaos. They wield Drakon Casters, a short-ranged weapon uniting flamer and melta functions. Said weapons can be put on mag-holsters during close combat where the Sky-Dragoons employ a wide range of melee weapons. Every fourth squad may even eschew Drakons for various power weapons, heightening their close combat prowess. Sky-Dragoons are meant to attack locations that normally are difficult to approach and quickly put them out of commission. The combination of flames and heavy-hitting yet point blank ranged melta means they could immediately accomplish their primary objective after which they engage in close combat and prevent the enemy to recover.

- Shieldbreakers: Lions' own version of the Breachers. They wear reinforced version of the Mark III power armor rather than adopting the boarding shield. Though this doesn't provide the same defense it means the Breachers of the Lions Illustris are more nimble and have more decisive actions rather than just holding up in a firefight. Rather they use relatively heavy weapons like the Labyris Varys or torrents of flames and melta via Draken Casters to eliminate threats. While the core of the Shieldbreakers are assault veterans their main bulk is composed of the so-called "forlorn hope", shamed individuals who try their hardest to restore their honor in such grim battlefields. Shieldbreakers are heavy assault infantry who carry twice as much equipment compared to their peers and are expected to lose quadruple the count. They aren't meant for prolonged combat but they are quite dashing when seen in the fight. With the advent of Tactical Dreadnought Armor the Shieldbreakers really only seem as cannon fodders, meant to add more bodies since equipping entire chapters as Terminators is costly.

- Eclipse Watch: Elite recon troops and also special agents whose history dates back to the Legion'a formative years. They wear midnight black armor with symbol of the Nova Vanguard and lead by veterans from Terra. Tactics wise they share more with the Night Watch than the rest of the Lions and viewed somewhat as outsiders. Since the leadership is Terran from the early years of the Great Crusade this isn't that surprising. In terms of battlefield role they are the scouts, seekers and secret agents of the Lions. Their midnight black armor is outfitted with cameloine to meld into the surroundings and they wear customized Mark II armors to be the most silent. They prefer to act alone in support of the larger legion and even Hyperion at times finds them difficult to control.

- Saturnine Pattern Terminator Armor:The Mark II Tactical Dreadnought Armor "Saturnine" was in a fierce competition with the Mark II, later known as the popular "Cataphractii Pattern". Those involved with the development of the "Saturnine" soon migrated to Vesta and kept refining the armor rather than work with the Mark III. As such the Forgeworld of Sollex eventually became the Saturnine Pattern's primary maker, although the low numbers meant they chiefly produced Terminator armors for the Lions Illustris. Defined by its giant pauldrons that make up a hemisphere the Saturnine Pattern is robust with practically no weak points at the front. The shoulder pads hide auxiliary generators and combined with the suit's sheer bulk it can support a wider range of functions. The drawbacks are in its size, agility and vision. Though the Saturnine pattern has even more limited vision than the Cataphracti the Lions Illustris learned to fight in groups to cover that. The lack of upper arm movements may be restrictive at first but given the sheer strength of the Saturnine's servos it actually doesn't limit melee combat. The top part between the two pauldrons can also house various special weapons. There are two variants, normal and fire support. The normal variant houses weapons that are fixed to a forward arc and usually house weapons like Phosphor Launchers or other special munitions deployment measures. There's also a bulkier option where the suit houses an semi-automated turret thus allowing the Saturnine to lay down fire from any directions. This makes the Terminator a literal walking tank and even carrying autocannons or stripped down lascannons is not outside the possibility. On the other hand the "fire support" optimized Saturnine misses the main purpose of a Terminator which is to lead assaults. Yet just as the Deredeo Dreadnought there are some situations where a turreted Terminator is just what you'd need.

- Phoenix Guard: The elite of the elite, these 120 individuals are selected from the best of the Lions Illustris. Each of them bears title named after the 120 competitions Hyperion fought against the Emperor. They are usually picked from the Legion's champions and if a Phoenix Guard falls, another takes his place. They wear artificer armor embedded with Orichalchum scales gifted by Hyperion and they act as his personal retinue of bodyguards. Their weapon of choice are Phoenix Halberds which are actually Force Chainaxes with each teeth extracted from the psycho-active Orchinates. Though the majority of the Phoenix Guard aren't powerful Psykers they have training to exercise their power in groups and support Hyperion in combat. As sidearms the Phoenix Guard usually carries Volkite Casters on their off-hand wrist and may even replace that for Inferno Casters or similar attachments if necessary. Phoenix Guards are also remarkable for their height as they are rarely shorter than 8 feet and may even approach 10 feet on occasion. This is thanks to that without an exception all Phoenix Guards have experienced high degree of the Incarnation phenomenon.

- Magius: Effectively the Librarians of the legion who are taught somewhat differently from the norm. Magius are heavily influenced by Vestan clergy, white wyches and Hyperion's own experiences. They are a relatively new addition although psykers to some shape were always present in the legion. Magius do maintain cordial relationship with the Librarius department but they aren't strictly part of it.

- Skald: A role which is akin to the Chaplain mixed with duties of Remembrancers. Skalds are warrior poets who record the legion's deeds, craft songs and generally uphold the legion's spirit. They are also somewhat heavily involved with propaganda and partially responsible for the legion's penchant for twisting records to their favor. Each Chapter usually has 3-4 Skalds.

- Legatus: High-ranking member in the Legion. They aren't neccessary the strongest of the legion but they are people of strong character with leadership skills befitting their position. They are effectively people who are second only to Hyperion and in his absence the words of a Legatus are the words of the Primarch himself. Legatus is a title to be earned and unlike most position their numbers vary. Legatus aren't neccessarily required to lead a battle and at other times more than one Legatus could be present. At times like these disputes are resolved through prior discussions or even casting a vote.

Dramatis Personae:

Lykourgos, The Younger: Son of Lykourgos the Great he's one of Hyperion's closer confidants. Being too old to undergo the full Astartes process he only carries portion of the Space Marine enchantments but regardless a valiant fighter and worthy to stand beside Hyperion. Currently he's tasked with the protection and governance of Vesta during Hyperion's absence.

Escanor the Giant: Towering Space Marine and one of the mightiest among the Phoenix Guard. His imposing 10 feet height and customized Saturnine Terminator Armor renders him a complete juggernaut, a champion who's said to never lose during the noon. Hyperion is impressed by Escanor's prowess and personally spars with him on occasion. As mighty Escanor might be he's hardly wise and known to be somewhat bullheaded.

Brother Cassiel: Venerable Dreadnought serving the 13th Legion for over two centuries. He fell during the Unification Wars after saving the Emperor's life. In return for his service Cassiel became the first ever Astartes to be entombed within a Dreadnought sarcophagus and he loyally serves the Imperium even to this day. The procedure was experimental and compared to other Dreadnoughts his mental state is in a constant flux. One moment he's sharp as he were in life when another time he's hallucinating and relives visions of the Unification Wars. In such fantasy state Cassiel usually grasps his surroundings but reimagines them as other characters. Orks may become techno-barbarians, he starts babbling terms nobody understands anymore and his actions take a strange turn. This usually doesn't degrade his combat prowess, may even provide him with newfound fury. Yet for fellow legionaries this is a sad reminder of Cassiel's broken psyche.

Relationships:

The Lions Illustris are a popular legion and their tales spread across the Imperium. They are considered noble and powerful which is exemplified with their towering Primarch. They are borderline idolized by the masses and considered the very example of what the Astartes should be. As the Celestial Champions they strived for universal appeal but since their reorganization to Lions they bravely show what makes Legio XIII unique, only to awe the people further. They are considered heroes and if possible Imperial censors are even more zealous to strike at sources attempting to besmirch their name. Criticizing Astartes is already a crime which may result in capital punishment but with the Lions' support one's loose lips could quickly cost an entire family. That being said for being so noble and respected, beneath the surface the Lions have a much more complicated web of relationships.

The Emperor, Hyperion and the Lions: The Lions' Primarch is revered not just personally but also spiritually. Though the legion is atheist they view Hyperion as an entity closest to god. This is particularly troublesome since Hyperion is devoted to the Emperor and would want his legion to feel the same. They don't, they only follow Hyperion and do everything else to respect him. The only exception are the Eclipse Watch and other small groups of Terrans who have this relation reversed. They are loyal to the Emperor first and consider Hyperion to be their superior and somebody like their "esteemed elder", not even a father figure. Hyperion knows this and even appreciates their behavior. Weird as that may seem.

Other Legions: The Lions Illustris consider themseves to be the best of all the twenty legions and would not shy away from proving it. They are fairly competitive and have a high opinion of themselves. Yet they are also indoctrinated to view other legions as their distant brothers, though with mixed effect. Another large group pays respect to fellow legions to not displease Hyperion, a similar reason as how their "loyalty" works for the Emperor. Then there are the occasional bad apples who pick fights and have to be reigned in by their comrades.

Imperial Administration: As a "popular legion" the Lions frequently have interactions with the imperial governing system. In general these relations are positive although a strong minority of Imperials beleive that Hyperion is carving out his own personal empire. This could keep officials more wary of him or even perform actions to undermine the legion. The Eclipse Watch itself actually has their own separate relationship with the Administration, a rather shady one. The Eclipse Watch occasionally works in ways that is contradictory to the Lions yet serve Imperial intentions. They are loyal to the Imperium, not Hyperion, afterall.

Imperial Citizens: Hyperion wants to guide humans to prosperity, that is his grand duty. He believes in mankind's great destiny. He is widely regarded as a just ruler beloved by his people. Yet when it comes down to the individual Hyperion may get oddly pragmatic about it. The life of a single human is inconsequential to the whole. While he's amicable in his interactions the Primarch doesn't really care of lowly people's lives. His gaze is fixed on the future while almost being blind to the present. His legionaries have varying stance on regular humans. Some can form personal connections with them while others are completely incapable of empathizing with humans. They prevent causalities to please Hyperion or to maintain the legion's image but when nobody sees them the Lions could be downright cruel.

Vestan Sector: Though Hyperion respects all of mankind it's obvious he has a very soft spot for the Vesta Sector. After joining the Imperium the region flourished like never before. In some sense it became an experiment from Hyperion to see if he can create his perfect nation on a small scale before trying to apply it on the galaxy as a whole. As for the legionaries they of course have a lot of connections to Vesta, bordering on patriotism.

Cult Mechanicum: The Lions have a bit odd relation to the Mechanicum. In general it can be regarded as positive but there are some obvious strains. For starters the Mechanicum is troubled over the Lions' usage of technology with questionable approval. While they don't disrespect the Mechanicum the Lions were treading a fine line on the eligibility of some of their equipment. Another stress point is Sollex, a Mechanicum sub-cult which has a tendency to shelter factions who were falling out of favor in Mars. The fact the Lions keep a very close relationship with Sollex members only make this more problematic. Regardless, compared to other legions where actions bordered on tech-heresy the behavior of the Lions is just mildly concerning.

Xenos: The Vestan League fought off numerous Xenos threats and this early experience shaped Hyperion's thinking about them. He has pretty sour experiences with most alien races and his title "Orkslayer" was not just earned for show. That being said he doesn't close up to the option of negotiating with Xenos. As a ruler he has experiences in making practical deals and for that matter he considers the Edict of Tolerance as such. While mankind is superior the xenos are good "fertilizer" for humans to grow upon. He has little intention of establishing cordial relationships with aliens but he will be delighted to use their xenopower as subjects and workforce for mankind's future. In his eyes the Edict of Tolerance is nothing less than an expression of mankind's imperialism. Xenos are inferior, treacherous beings yet there's some merit in subjugating them. The very least it's more productive than wasting power on exterminating docile aliens.

Psykers: Hyperion is a born psyker and raised by a witch. He views psychic powers like a crude gun, devastating but delicate. Hyperion is aware of the Immaterium and that malignant creature lurk within its depths yet largely obvious of demons, not to mention the nature of Chaos. What he is aware of is the dangers of sorcery. His adoptive mother was a sorcerer and Hyperion saw the terrible price of such powers. He considers psychic powers an useful tool, one that should not be ignored. At the same time he takes up a cautious stance and this is the main reason he does not completely trust the current Librarius even though he was one of the founders.

The Grim Crusade - A Warhammer 30000 RP

Primarch --- Hyperion Aigleos

HYPERION AIGLEOS

Name: Hyperion Aigleos
Titles: The King of Lions, The Golden Giant, The Second Sun
Gender: Male
Height: 14'1"

Homeworld:

Planet: Hemera
System: Ashvinium
Sector: Vesta

Hemera is the only habitable planet of the Ashvinium dual star system. The yellow giant Sulis is orbited by the red dwarf Orcus. Also called the planet of everlasting daylight, every portion of Hemera is illuminated by at least one star. Rather than the usual day-night cycle Hemera is defined by white, yellow, orange and red shifts. It's a knight world home to House Lucienus who also also formed the ruling class of Hemera. The planet itself is under constant peril of the Orchinates, a mysterious breed of techo-biological creatures that are especially active under the pure shine of the red sun Orcus. As the former capital of the Vestan League and later the famous birthplace of Hyperion the planet underwent a rapid growth and became something akin to a Hive World while still being admninistered by House Lucienus. One of Hemera's curious elements are the extensive orbital structures left behind from the Age of Strife. Astrum Vis Conligitor, a gigantic archeotech solar collector array which got reactivated and now powers wide range of orbital structures.

Hemera is where Hyperion grew up yet his seat of power was relocated to the artificial fortress-moon of Heliopolis. Used to be an abandonned archeotech megaconstruct found by Hperion he eventually made the artificial planetiod the new capital of the Vestan League and later the Vesta sector. The surface is dominated by defensive emplacements and sprawling hive cities, having untold miles of ceramite and plasteel as their foundation. The middle levels on the other hand feature an artificial ecosystem with vegetation-rich soil, hydrophonics and residence for the affluent. Some of these levels also act as the Lions' personal training grounds ranging from exercise places to wildernesses made to simulate dangerous environments. The innermost levels are the heart of Heliopolis, featuring engineering rooms and wide range of technological marvels which needs constant care from a legion of Techpriests. Though has its own power source and even capable of erecting void shields Heliopolis is incapable of locomotion, limited to only maneuvering engines needed for orbit corrections.

Appearance:

Pictured in his armor

Hyperion is a statuesque person known to possess an imposing physique even by Primarch standards. He's known to have auburn hair but occasionally it can change anywhere between the shades of platinum blond to deep crimson. His piercing eyes have a sky blue tint but they can be also overtaken by a golden glow. His well-kept mustache is an iconic part of his face. In terms of body shape Hyperion is known for his wide shoulders and frankly overdeveloped upper body. Even compared to his already towering stature his chest rivals that of an Astartes Dreadnought. Even moreso than the other Primarchs he has a difficult time to go through narrow spaces. Hyperion usually needs transport custom fit for his dimensions in order to board them. His brass colored shining armor is accented with blue, its high polish often makes Hyperion a truly radiant giant. Its multi-scaled construction rattles with a distinct melody which broadcasts his approach.

Personality:

Hyperion is a boisterous yet entirely dignified giant of a man. He's warmhearted and generous person who approaches others lovingly even if he keeps them at arms length. Hyperion rarely uses indoor voices and wherever he's the place almost resonates of his presence. And yes, he has a superiority complex. He consider himself the pinnacle of humanity and second only to the Emperor. There's practically no end to his confidence and he remains positive even when facing grave adversity. Hyperion doesn't look down on other people yet he does pity them for their inferior birth. This extends even to fellow Primarchs, although Hyperion would never make this apparent. Given his complex it's given that Hyperion has a constant desire to prove himself and reaffirm his place in the world. He loves challenges and competitions, sometimes even treating combat like a game. He is a gracious loser who treats failure as something he could learn from to be closer to his ideal self. Hyperion is honorable and dislikes unfair challenges that favor him. On the other hand he is not repulsed by the other side trying to stack the challenge in their favor. He believes the increased adversity and stacked odds only give him more to strive for.

His life philosophy is rooted in texts of Hemeran sages, the so-called Inner Sun Theorem. According to the sages one's inner bastion can be likened to a blazing sun which enriches their life. One has to identify their own sun and kindle it to true radiance. Like the changing shifts of Hemeran day cycle, one's sun has many faces. Discovering new faces to one's sun lead to fulfillment. Hyperion has found many faces to his own sun yet the most radiant facet of it all is the Emperor himself. As the very personification of his sun he serves the Emperor with almost blind faith. Hyperion considers the Emperor the only person worthy of his devotion and unconditional trust. In addition to following this difficult yet dignified path he made sure to teach his interpretation of the Inner Sun Theorem to his own legion and even government officials he had particularly lasting relation with. Hyperion has firm beliefs yet he does not force people to share them. The essence of the Inner Sun Theorem is about self-discovery and Hyperion follows this almost religiously.

Skills:

Hyperion is a mighty warrior known to fight with unparalleled ferocity. Like a whirlwind on legs the giant's swings mow down masses without leaving options to approach him. His bulky build may not make him the fastest warrior but the sheer strength behind each blow leaves no room to exploit before the next strike comes crashing down. Upon analysis the reason behind his whirlwind nature becomes apparent, he never strikes with his full power. Hyperion has an overdeveloped upper body which grants him phenomenal strength even from his arms alone. He does not need to strike with all his might. Nor it's wise for him to do so. Hyperion's body is unbalanced with his huge upper body being barely supported by the comparatively smaller legs. He has a weak foundation and must hold his strength back to avoid being caught flat footed. If he were to deliver strikes with his full strength it'd be devastating yet it would also give a massive opening for his enemies to exploit. Thus Hyperion must fight conservatively. This is the curse of his inhumane strength. On the outset Hyperion may appear to be a simple fighter who relies on their pure muscle to overcome obstacles yet deep down his technique is refined and very nuanced. Normally his body build would make Hyperion a questionable duelist but combined with his unique style he can actually dominate in mock fights against his fellow siblings.

His imposing body and boisterous confidence also lead room to charisma. He's an awe-inspiring figure whose presence and words could be like something spoken by a fierce god. He's a dignified and glorious leader, always capable of commanding respect. Be it in governance or out on the battlefield, Hyperion is a person who could rally people behind him. He may not be the best speaker, nor an absolute genius in tactics but those he interacts with burn with fire likened to thousands of suns. He isn't perfect, nor he pretends to be such. Yet his men cannot help but admire Hyperion, viewing him as their ideal. His faults don't mar this radiant existence, rather complement it.

For those unfamiliar with Hyperion outside his reputation may be surprised to learn this shining giant does not merely revel in war. Hyperion derives the most enjoyment from seeing his work in its destined glory. He's a builder, both of wondrous crafts and whole nations. He has a keen eye for management even if he prefers to leave the paper work to his subordinates. He has eyes to see greatness in people and nurture that to fruition. He likes to surround himself with great people rather than trying to take on a task on his own, appointing the right men for the right jobs. All the while Hyperion is open to new experiences, always ready to improve.

Assignment Grade:

Alpha-class Psyker
Hyperion is a massively powerful psyker, taught by multiple disciplines even if never mastered any. His most famous ability is the so-called "battle aura", a mysterious instinctual forcefield which reinforces his body, protects him and can be even expelled as raw psychic energy. When his battle aura is at its height Hyperion's body grows while his muscles bulge even further. More importantly his unseen aura bursts into psychic flames and his body radiates dangerous heat. Obviously maintaining high levels of aura and using large amounts of psychic energy will tire Hyperion out hence needs to use this in moderation. A psyker's mental fortitude can fluctuate but for Hyperion this is extreme. His beliefs are rooted in the Sun and he's remarkably weaker during the night. Conversely his power rises dramatically during the day and reaches its plateau during the noon. It's said that Hyperion is second only to the Emperor during the noon. When the Sun shines the brightest, he is the most radiant.

Hyperion had learned psychic arts from multitude of places yet his foundation originate from his mother, Agamadea's witchcraft. This unconventional method straddles the line towards sorcery yet never quite passes it. Her mother may had been a sorcerer but Hyperion possesses the iron will to resist the charms of tainted power. One of his unique abilities involve the absorption of raw heat and radiant energies, turning these sources into his personal power. For example he could breach plasma reactors and use them like batteries. Very rarely and with preparation he could also convert some weapons fire into power but this is far less reliable. Aside from that he inherited some of Agamadea's healing talents and has relatively decent expertise with elemental fire or setting up psychic wards. As a psyker he also has premonitions on occasion as well as the capability to communicate telepathically. Yet as far as proficiency goes neither of these are Hyperion's forte.

Wargear:

- Tuagh Solais:
One handed axe crafted out of Nemean Lion's very heart. A massively powerful force weapon imbued with Nemea's mysterious xenotechnology. Like any force weapon Tuagh Solais stores, amplifies and directs Hyperion's psychic power which makes it very handy both for combat and also controlling his innately large psyker potential. Tuagh Solais is famously so powerful any mortal it cleaves burst into flames from the raw immaterium. When fully charged with Hyperion's psychic powers the axe is known to be an immeasurably destructive device. Bound to Hyperion the axe at times appear as if it has a will on its own. For example once struck in the ground only Hyperion is worthy to lift it. The axe also flies back to Hyperion once he had thrown it, be it however many miles.

- The Promethean Gauntlet:
A giant power fist worn on Hyperion's left. The main body is made of auric-adamantium alloy, the only material assured to never break under Hyperion's strength. Its sheer size allows the gauntlet's wrists to hide a trio of Lastrum Bolters. Over the years the gauntlet was adjusted and upgraded by multiple artisans and even Hyperion himself. The current variant holds only one of the original Lastrum Bolters, a Volkite Blaster a Nova Projector. Power is supplied by a Nemesis Force Bracer replacing the comparatively weak generator and turning Hyperion into the gauntlet's battery. The end result is a very versatile equipment which can be used at all ranges and could even temporarily project refractor fields for protection.

- Orichalcum Scale Mail:
By using an extract made from slain Orchinates to cure the steel they can create Orichalcum. The process is labor-intensive and requires a supply of Nemean beast carcasses. In addition the Mechanicus only gave provisional sanction to its production. As a result only Hyperion has permission to wear armor made of this new material. Orichalcum is about on par with high quality personal armors yet when it comes to maintenance the Orichalcum scales are easy to replace even in the middle of the campaign. Another important feature is that they react to Hyperion's psychic power, allowing them to stretch and enlarge as needed to follow the Primarch's temporary size changes. The armor is kind of heavy, almost twice the weight of artificer armor yet provides the same protection. The scale armor flexes better than solid breastplates which gives him a modicum of speed yet also tires him faster, turning Hyperion into a deliberate and well-contained tornado of power.

Weaknesses:

While Hyperion is well-known for his might he also has some less-known yet still understood weaknesses. For starters his imposing physique has a sorts of Achilles heel, it's largerly unbalanced. With the combination of restrained strikes and psychic assistance he manages to keep himself upright but in case he'd need to deliver a strike with all his power it'd unbalance him enough to take painful seconds of recovery. More skillful fighters may also take advantage of his comparatively weak legs to rob Hyperion from his anchor to the ground. Of course the King of Lions may expect your trick but this doesn't change the fact he has a physical weak point in a sense.

His second famed weakness is psychological in nature. He grew up on Hemera of the everlasting daylight and developed a philosophy rooted in the sunlight shining down upon him. As a consequence he feels weaker when caught in the darkness. Depending on the extend of dark and the length of exposure this could sap his strength considerably. Although this weakness is only psychological and Hyperion has shown to occasionally harness alternative sources as his "Sun". The Inner Sun Theorem considers everything that gives meaning to a person their "sun" and by that extension Hyperion considers the Emperor his ultimate sun which always shines upon him. In case he's in a bind Hyperion can use his faith as a sudden burst of power although this forced state may not last indefinitely. Overall it's a wise advice to not poke the Lion unless you are prepared to get burnt.

Biography:

Early Life
Hyperion's capsule drifted to Hemera of the everlasting daylight. His foster parents were the witch Agamadea and the giant mutant Phoronestor. While abominations by the Imperium this pair seemed to be an exception to the rule. They were of upstanding character whose corrupted nature made them ostracized from society. Hyperion spent the next 10 years in the wilderness. He slept among lions, foraged food, competed with Phoronestor and taught witchcraft by Agamadea. Eventually he had learned of his foster parents' sacred duty: they were guardians watching over a wellspring of immense power. The energies of the well permeated the forest which attracted Orchinates and unsavory individuals alike. Once old enough to fight Hyperion patrolled the forest alongside Phoronestor to ward off trespassers. This is around the time when he met Lykourgos the Great, esteemed errant knight. Hyperion mistook the knight for a malicious individual and attacked him, only to be disarmed and forced to yield. Realizing the youth's potential Lykourgos then offered to train him in knightly arts and promised to warn every soul to avoid the woods. The friendship between these two lasted a lifetime. Yet this serene and almost idyllic situation soon shifted for the worse. Agamadea became ill, afflicted by the strain of suppressing the well for so long. Without her input the power of the well only increased, drawing in hordes of Orchinates on the weekly basis. Worse, the forest began to take up frightening shapes and the once peaceful animals gone crazy. One day a horde of unparalleled size assaulted the fortress lead by a giant Orchinate resembling a lion-chimera. They battle was hard fought but the exhausted Phoronestor could not vanquish the lion. With all hope lost Agamadea used the last ounces of her power in a heroic struggle only to end up within the lion's maws. Hyperion just barely escaped with his life yet swore revenge.

Facing the Nemean Lion
The forest of Nemea soon became a new nest of Orchinates and the once huge lion-orchinate turned into a borderline invincible beast of colossal size known as the Nemean Lion. The delicate balance between knights and orchinates broke immediately and numerous villages fell prey to the beast's ire. Even when the combined might of the noble houses gathered to face this creature it only produced a standstill. The Nemean Lion was seemingly unstoppable. During this time Hyperion was a wanderer who slowly elevated to the status of a folk hero. He was neither a knight nor a noble, only an enigmatic commoner who fought beasts. Four deadly years passed under the crisis in which time Hyperion's might and skills only grew. With his preparations complete Hyperion was determined to end the Lion of Nemea for once and for all. Hyperion approached the lion's lair, the resting place where the colossal orchinate is kept away from the White Sun Sulis. Carrying an arsenal of mighty weapons Hyperion began his ambush. Yet the creature proved to be beyond his wildest imagination. Weakened as it were the beast still seemed impervious to all mortal means of harm. The fight went on for long hours during which every single one of Hyperion's equipment broke down. He had nothing left. Yet his concentrated efforts managed to break off one of the lion's claws. Capturing his price Hyperion took it for the exit, still chased by the lion. Even if by instinct the Lion of Nemea knew if it loses sight of Hyperion it'll die. The Primarch was counting on the beast's tenacity and so a 7 day long battle of attrition ensued. Hyperion will strike the beast with fervor during the White Sun and will hide in shelter during the Red Sun when Orchinates at the height of their power. Both sides were at their wits' end when the lion's impenetrable armor finally gave out. Using every last ounces of his power Hyperion leaped forth and delivered a vicious series of blows, ending the lion's reign of terror. With the beast vanquished the creature lost its form, turning into a massive puddle. Within the center of this puddle Hyperion saw a pulsing organ, the lion's heart. More than that Hyperion had recognized the wellspring's power. Using the strange amorphous material Hyperion then forged his legendary weapon, Tuagh Solais.
[To be continued...]

The Meeting:

TBA

Legion --- Lions Illustris

LIONS ILLUSTRIS

Official Name: Lions Illustris
Other Names: Suns of Hyperion, The Lion's Pride, The Lion's Legion
Old Names: Imperial Suns, Nova Vanguard, Astral Claws, Bronze Dragons, Celestial Champions
Legion Number: XIII
Primarch: Hyperion Aigleos
Legion Strength: exactly 120,000 active Legionaries at all times
Warcry: "Praise the Sun!"

Armour Appearance:

Lions Illustris are known to possess the largest supply of Mark II armors. The early cooling issues of the Maximus Armor and the Lions' traditional views made the upgrade unpopular and instead the Vestan armorers began modifying old equipment to meet the new standards, named Mark IIa. This introduced new ceramite plates inspired by the Mark IV, rearranged cabling to reduce exposure, replaced old systems where appropriate and numerous other minor alterations. These changes were quicker than producing new armors but still have drawbacks compared to just equipping the new Mark IV armors thus it's unpopular with other legions. The Lions are easily recognizable for their shiny and highly polished brass and bronze colors, meant to represent the Sun. For more visible accents they use neon blue metallic paint which gives them a will-o-wisp visage while illuminated by fire. While advanced sensors render typical camo pointless there's something to be said of the bravery of the Lions to brandish shining equipment easy to see even with the naked eye. And to be watched they shall. Their old Mark II power armors are known to be highly customized and often feature decorations to awe people.

Legion Characteristics/Ideology:

The Lions Illustris recruits exclusively from Sector Vesta, Hyperion's own realm. As part of the Tithe every male child is mustered in the sector, seeing if they could offer worthy candidates. Those found worthy will be taken to Heliopolis at ages as early as 6, welcome to the Brotherhood of Sun. Unlike most the Lions' geneseed is preferably implanted in the preteens, leaving plenty of time for growth. During this time the children candidates undergo training, education and constant tests. Aside from learning to be better soldiers they are also taught Vestan arts and philosophies, craftsmanship and skills that are commonly associated with Hyperion. Many of the tests themselves are in a sense recreation of Hyperion's deeds. Of course with such standards not a lot of candidates succeed becoming full Astartes but depending on how far they got these individuals from the Brotherhood of Sun could achieve various heights of prestige in Vestan society. Unlike for many other legions the Astartes also retain their memories and has a vague yet existing connection to their old families.

The Lions Illustris are warrior poets who value both martial prowess and wisdom. They consider life a journey to self-perfection and their ideal being Hyperion. While many Primarchs have strong personal cults what Hyperion established is very much over the top. Lions are nurtured to be staunch atheists but they view their Primarch almost like a walking deity, their unquestioned Sun. They are constantly inspired by Hyperion and consider his words to be law. They all groom their mustaches in the fashion of their Primarch and some even dye their hair or change their appearance in other ways to resemble Hyperion.

Lions are rather sociable yet also keep outsiders at arms length. They are considered prideful yet not unreasonable. Many are eager to compete yet not afraid of actually losing. To them a defeat with the knowledge is almost more valuable than triumph. Yet this changes completely when it comes to the legion as a whole. While the individual legionary is brimming with optimism the entire body of the legion has a certain reputation which they must maintain at all costs. As a group the Lions Illustris struggles with a centuries old superiority complex. They must be better than anyone, the alternative is almost unthinkable. On a good day this could serve as a sorts of inner fire, galvanizing all the legionaries to action. Worst case scenario their wounded pride could send the Lions into an unexpected frenzy and they are willing to do almost anything to remedy it.

Brief History & Name Origin

Legio XIII's heroics began during the Unification Wars which earned them the name Imperial Suns. Conversely they lost almost their entire legion and recovery took over an entire century. During the first years of the Great Crusade they saw no action and rather posed with various authorities as honor guard. Frustrated by their idleness they were renamed Nova Vanguard and undertook special missions which required swiftness and precision. Of course this didn't satisfy the warrior hearts of Astartes and they have striven for more. By 824.M30 they grew to seven chapters and renamed Bronze Dragons. No longer hiding in shadows they brandished shining bronze armor and were feared as methodological assault specialists. In 842.M30 the legion reunited with Hyperion and using his genes Legio XIII soared up in size.

In 850.M30 they earned the name Celestial Champions with the reputation of undefeated elites. This of course was a fabrication and in effect the Champions were just ordinary Astartes of an under-strength legion. Yet the myth prevailed through artificially low numbers, careful choice of only "worthy" battles and manipulation of records to highlight the Champions. Legio XIII always had a superiority complex but during their time as Celestial Champions this behavior peaked completely. Of course this didn't last forever and they were forced to participate in the Second Rangdan Xenocide. The conflict was a dreadful meatgrinder and the Champions fell like any Astartes. Though records imply superior performance of losing only 10 chapters the truth got laid bare for the Legionaries, breaking their confidence. With moral at its all time low Hyperion's sons faced a colossal crisis. They were "saved" in the last minute by xenos invading the legion's heartland in Sector Vesta. They left for the other end of the galaxy and defeated the aliens in a long yet glorious skirmish. In the conclusion of the war Hyperion made his famous "You are all lions!" speech which lead to their current name, Lions Illustris.

Geneseed Characteristics

Hyperion's geneseed is known to be stable and does not interfere with any of the implants. That being said this is only if fairly specific course of recruitment is followed. For starters geneseed implanatation must happen at early age, preferably before 8. Second, the recipients need 2-5 years of incubation period which is followed by a painful transformative process. During these points many of the recipients could fail to pass and may wash out from the program early. Worse, if they are unprepared the process may even kill them. As such extensive care is needed to groom these individuals to the right state.

As for quirks the most notable peculiarity is the Lions' infravision. This allows them to accutely discern heat sources and even use it as a simplified IFF between brothers which is indiscernible for others. This also influences their view on flames which they find beautiful. Their acute senses allow them to almost see better in the midst of blazing infernos rather than be overwhelmed by it. Another less explainable quirk is what referred as Incarnation. The exact reasons for why is unknown but Legionaries can gradually turn to resemble their Primarch more. Some claim it has to be spiritual, through aligning one's soul with their progenitor. Others think it's down to physical compatiblity. Either way a number of Legionaries experienced this to various degrees. This can appear in growth spurts, facial resemblance, acquiring skills they never possessed before or in the most rare cases even psychic awakening. The process is gradual and could stop or restart at any moment. Some may only grow a few inches taller while there are extremely rare cases of Marines becoming 10 feet tall. Incarnation is a mysterious yet welcome phenomenon among the Legionaries and soon accompanied with said individual climbing the Legion's social ladder.

Favored Tactics/Battlefield Role:

The Lions Illustris is considered an assault focused legion which methodically tears apart their opponent. Most of their equipment is colored in highly polished brass which denies camouflage for sheer intimidation factor. They put the enemy forces into disarray before conducting precise and timely strikes to collapse the enemy's ability to fight as a group. To do this they gather lot of intelligence and give fair degree of initiative for individual squads. They rarely fight in full strength, preferring to keep reserves in such state they could be deployed rapidly. The discipline of the Lions is perhaps their most remarkable aspect, able to coordinate to such degree the enemy has little time to adapt. Their flexible chain of command further capitalizes on this, allowing them to mix and match soldiers from different units when necessary. For example they can immediately merge two under strength squads or even chapters which then would continue the relentless assault. Alternatively they can absorb reinforcements rapidly as if the unit never suffered any loses, a characteristic they share with the Immortals. The Lions Illustris rarely attacks from the same direction as other forces of the Imperium. It's believed that the erratic nature of other armies would only disrupt the Lions' own maneuvers. The only exception are Solar Auxilia and Questor Imperialis from the Vesta sector who trained alongside the Lions.

Equipment-wise the most obvious quirk of the Lions is their preference for fire. They have a large stock of Volkites which they maintain excellently. This allows them to carry Volkite Charger as their standard weapon rather than the Bolter. Be it flamer, volkite or melta it's likely the Lions use an obscene amount of them. They associate the flames with the Sun and are outright exhilarated when surrounded by fire. Their own craftsmen and rock-solid relations with the Sollex cult of Mechanicum also provide them with some weapons unique to the legion. Most notably the Drakon Casters that can expel their content of Prometheum either as tongues of flame or intense streams of Melta. In melee the Lions chiefly use their Labyris, a more compact chainaxe distributed for all legionaries. On the other hand the artificial gravity of Heliopolis makes grav-vehicles unstable and as such the Lions Illustris uses little if any hovercraft due to the poor training environment.

Unique Wargear

-Labyris: A relatively small type of chainaxe that hangs off the belts of every Lions legionary. It has a short handle of only 60-70cm, ending in a relatively small head and compact power source. Labyris originates from Hemera's knighthood and the weapon is compact enough to be wielded by ordinary humans. Their smallness makes them easy to carry and they are the universal melee weapon among the Lions Illustris. The short chain spins the diamantine teeth at literally blazing speeds, often producing sparks and orange glow. The weapon is resilient enough to block other chainswords and bites into armor better. On the other hand the ordinary chainswords do a meaner damage so Labyris requires more finesse. As a backup and utility tool the Lions still use high-quality knives albeit of more modest size (35-40cm) referred as combat daggers. In spite of their smallness their tapered monomolecular blades make them into really effective stabbers.

- Labyris Varys: A larger variant of the compact Labyris chainaxes, designed for heavy melee combat. It's 150cm long with long guard-rail protecting almost the entire shaft against glancing blows. In comparison the head is relatively small and sheated within a pair of monomolecular blade sections. The idea is that the conventional head delivers the impact, biting into the armor after which it is pushed back thus allowing the chain teeth to grind through the target. This combination gives the weapon remarkable performance against armor, albeit a bit tricky to handle. Thanks to the great strength of Astartes it's possible to wield a Labyris Varys in one hand, although both hands are recommended for delivering the most powerful blows. As such it's more common to combine the Labyris Varys with a combat shield.

- Sollex Pattern Power Weapons: Sollex is a sub-cult of Mechanicum found within the Vestan Sector. While not sharing the Vestan beliefs they are similarly obsessed with light&heat related studies to understand the Sun, regarding each other as kindred spirits. Sollex power fields are unique in their blazing quality which vaporizes rather than disrupt matter and known to coat the weapon in a visage of flames. Sollex powerfields are less stable and hence are only recommended for weapons where the field covers less than half the weapon surface. Axes are common but they also produce various hammers and maces where the field only intensifies at the moment of impact. One such example is the Sollex Morning Star, usually a one-handed mace with ball shaped head protruded with numerous triangular spike blades. The weapon's Sollex power field explodes on impact while the remainder of the energy helps the spikes to punch deep into the target. Thanks to the power field the spikes are never stuck and they tend to explosively vaporize flesh or even metal in their immediate vicinity.

- Dawnbringers: Two-handed power weapon resembling pollaxes wielded by ancient knights. The weapon is a sophisticated mixture of a Sollex powerfield generator and a Volkite Caster. It can hack like a power axe, thrust like a power spear and bash like a power mace. While there are weapons excelling in each of these roles better than the Dawnbringer the combination what makes this a truly remarkable weapon. The Volkite Caster itself is built into the shaft and perfectly in line with the weapon. It lacks aiming devices thus less useful as a ranged weapon but it sees excellent use during combination attacks. As the blade tears through the target or the spike punctures the armor the user can unleash a point-blank Volkite blast to incinerate the vulnerable internals. Obviously the proper use of a Dawnbringer requires immense amount of skill and even more practice thus only Champions and similarly accomplished fighters are allowed to use them. This and the fact the Dawnbringer's successful swings can incinerate people like Hyperion does with Tuagh Solais means the mere appearance of these weapons commands adoration and respect among the Lions Illustris.

- Drakon Weapons: A complex yet ingenious weapon uniting the features of Flamer and Melta type weapons, making use of the fact both relies on the same source of prometheum fuel. The end result is a somewhat bulky but versatile weapon of questionable origins. According to the Sollex sub-cult the Drakon weapons are entirely canonical, assembled based on STC fragments while filling up some of the blanks. In the eyes of the Mechanicum as a whole it's to be decided thus only the Sollex sub-cult, Lions Illustris and House Lucienus are authorized to make use of such weapons. There are three main variants: Drakon Caster, Drakon Projector and Drakon Siege Array. Being the smallest the Drakon Caster is essentially combining Hand Flamers with Melta Pistols in effectiveness, lacking range but decently portable. Drakon Projectors on the other hand are bulky heavy weapons that equate Melta Guns and Heavy Flamers. Lastly the vehicle exclusive Drakon Siege Array functions both as a Multi-Melta and Inferno Cannon. The multi-functionality obviously adds bulk and complexity thus they aren't a perfect replacement to their parent weapons. Still, the added convenience is decently useful for the Lions Illustris.

- Melta Beamers: While Drakons were merely something Sollex improved upon the Melta Beamers truly bear their handiwork. Using a long acceleration tube and ionizing lasers it allows the searing hot streams of fusion matter to retain their potency for greater ranges. The first product was the Inferno Rifle which shoots fusion streams for many hundreds of paces. While not an anti-vehicular weapon its power is sufficient to breach most personal armors. Next they developed the Thermal Beamers, a type of Melta Cannon with dramatically increased range. Melta weapons usually have a niche for very short range punch against hardened targets but the beamer technology broadened these horizons. For now the Melta Beamers are still under Mechanicum evaluation thus only the Sollex sub-cult and their typical affiliates are using these.

Unique Units

- Sabre Strike Tank: While most legions utilize them the Lions are especially fond of these small vehicles which seems to thrive in assault. While not particularly well-armored they are fast and carry hard-hitting weapons. Aside from the usual loadout of Volkite Sakers and Neutron Blasters the Lions also install them with Drakon Siege Arrays which allow the Sabres to pretty much melt their way through any opposition or belch out massive tongues of flesh-boiling flames. They also have the Sabertooth Recon Tank which uses the same chassis but replaces the heavy weapon with Auspex and has a top-mounted heavy weapon turret as its sole armament.

- Arquitor Bombard: Sabre with even heavier ordinances mounted backwards for higher stability. They are called for close artillery support and the Lions have a few unique munition types for them. Spicula for example could equip Phosphor Warheads which cover large swathes in unquenchable fire to deny entire hive blocks from the enemy. Morbus meanwhile has the limited option to load Nova shells which contain their own melta core for overwhelming effect.

- Predator Eradicator: Medium tank which mounts a Drakon Siege Gun instead of the standard autocannon turret and usually carries a pair of Volkite Culverin sponsons into battle. It's meant to be a frontline vehicle thus outfitted with reinforced front armor and flare shield. They are meant to excel in assaults where they melt bunkers, tanks and fortification alike while the flame thrower function allows them to ignore cover.

- Wolfram Lykaios/Skoll: More obscure variants of the Wolfram MBT these tanks enjoy quite the popularity among the Lions Illustris. Lykaios replaces the Battlecannon with the more arcane Volkite Demi-Cannon and has a hull-mounted Volkite Demi-Carronade (short range gun that incinerates all in its way regardless of obstacles). Wolfram Skoll features a melta cannon and melta siege array for evaporating all obstacles although the Lions utilize the more exclusive Sollex Pattern. It uses a Thermal Beamer (which has more than twice the range of Melta Cannons) and a Drakon Siege Array (which also doubles as a flamethrower). The Sollex Pattern is more versatile but requires more frequent maintenance from specialists. This does not deter the Lions Illustris to utilize them in almost every battle.

- Hemeran Lions: Native beasts of Hemera these creatures are renowned as noble pets and loyal partners. They possess sharp claws and fangs which could tear through even metal and their thick hides can be surprisingly resilient to weapons. Hemeran Lions exist in various breeds and their ferocity combined with their unusually high level of cunning meant they also found utlity as weapons of war. Hemeran Lions are organized in prides and commanded by an Astartes Pridemaster.

- Lion-Knights: Hemeran Lions that grow to giant proportions (Dire Lions) can function as mount for Astartes. These beautiful creatures only accept a select few who forged strong bonds with their respective Lion. These so-called Lion-Knights are well-decorated elites who literally charge into the enemy lines using their power lances and the fiery breath of their Dire Lions. Though not so fast compared to jetbikes the Dire Lions are very nimble and could climb and traverse terrain normally difficult to reach with vehicles. They almost always strike from unexpected angles and without leaving time for the enemy to prepare.

- Sky-Dragoons: A term used in reference to the Lions' own type of jump infantry. Their main duty is to spew fire and send enemy units into chaos. They wield Drakon Casters, a short-ranged weapon uniting flamer and melta functions. Said weapons can be put on mag-holsters during close combat where the Sky-Dragoons employ a wide range of melee weapons. Every fourth squad may even eschew Drakons for various power weapons, heightening their close combat prowess. Sky-Dragoons are meant to attack locations that normally are difficult to approach and quickly put them out of commission. The combination of flames and heavy-hitting yet point blank ranged melta means they could immediately accomplish their primary objective after which they engage in close combat and prevent the enemy to recover.

- Shieldbreakers: Lions' own version of the Breachers. They wear reinforced version of the Mark III power armor rather than adopting the boarding shield. Though this doesn't provide the same defense it means the Breachers of the Lions Illustris are more nimble and have more decisive actions rather than just holding up in a firefight. Rather they use relatively heavy weapons like the Labyris Varys or torrents of flames and melta via Draken Casters to eliminate threats. While the core of the Shieldbreakers are assault veterans their main bulk is composed of the so-called "forlorn hope", shamed individuals who try their hardest to restore their honor in such grim battlefields. Shieldbreakers are heavy assault infantry who carry twice as much equipment compared to their peers and are expected to lose quadruple the count. They aren't meant for prolonged combat but they are quite dashing when seen in the fight. With the advent of Tactical Dreadnought Armor the Shieldbreakers really only seem as cannon fodders, meant to add more bodies since equipping entire chapters as Terminators is costly.

- Eclipse Watch: Elite recon troops and also special agents whose history dates back to the Legion'a formative years. They wear midnight black armor with symbol of the Nova Vanguard and lead by veterans from Terra. Tactics wise they share more with the Night Watch than the rest of the Lions and viewed somewhat as outsiders. Since the leadership is Terran from the early years of the Great Crusade this isn't that surprising. In terms of battlefield role they are the scouts, seekers and secret agents of the Lions. Their midnight black armor is outfitted with cameloine to meld into the surroundings and they wear customized Mark II armors to be the most silent. They prefer to act alone in support of the larger legion and even Hyperion at times finds them difficult to control.

- Saturnine Pattern Terminator Armor:The Mark II Tactical Dreadnought Armor "Saturnine" was in a fierce competition with the Mark II, later known as the popular "Cataphractii Pattern". Those involved with the development of the "Saturnine" soon migrated to Vesta and kept refining the armor rather than work with the Mark III. As such the Forgeworld of Sollex eventually became the Saturnine Pattern's primary maker, although the low numbers meant they chiefly produced Terminator armors for the Lions Illustris. Defined by its giant pauldrons that make up a hemisphere the Saturnine Pattern is robust with practically no weak points at the front. The shoulder pads hide auxiliary generators and combined with the suit's sheer bulk it can support a wider range of functions. The drawbacks are in its size, agility and vision. Though the Saturnine pattern has even more limited vision than the Cataphracti the Lions Illustris learned to fight in groups to cover that. The lack of upper arm movements may be restrictive at first but given the sheer strength of the Saturnine's servos it actually doesn't limit melee combat. The top part between the two pauldrons can also house various special weapons. There are two variants, normal and fire support. The normal variant houses weapons that are fixed to a forward arc and usually house weapons like Phosphor Launchers or other special munitions deployment measures. There's also a bulkier option where the suit houses an semi-automated turret thus allowing the Saturnine to lay down fire from any directions. This makes the Terminator a literal walking tank and even carrying autocannons or stripped down lascannons is not outside the possibility. On the other hand the "fire support" optimized Saturnine misses the main purpose of a Terminator which is to lead assaults. Yet just as the Deredeo Dreadnought there are some situations where a turreted Terminator is just what you'd need.

- Phoenix Guard: The elite of the elite, these 120 individuals are selected from the best of the Lions Illustris. Each of them bears title named after the 120 competitions Hyperion fought against the Emperor. They are usually picked from the Legion's champions and if a Phoenix Guard falls, another takes his place. They wear artificer armor embedded with Orichalchum scales gifted by Hyperion and they act as his personal retinue of bodyguards. Their weapon of choice are Phoenix Halberds which are actually Force Chainaxes with each teeth extracted from the psycho-active Orchinates. Though the majority of the Phoenix Guard aren't powerful Psykers they have training to exercise their power in groups and support Hyperion in combat. As sidearms the Phoenix Guard usually carries Volkite Casters on their off-hand wrist and may even replace that for Inferno Casters or similar attachments if necessary. Phoenix Guards are also remarkable for their height as they are rarely shorter than 8 feet and may even approach 10 feet on occasion. This is thanks to that without an exception all Phoenix Guards have experienced high degree of the Incarnation phenomenon.

- Magius: Effectively the Librarians of the legion who are taught somewhat differently from the norm. Magius are heavily influenced by Vestan clergy, white wyches and Hyperion's own experiences. They are a relatively new addition although psykers to some shape were always present in the legion. Magius do maintain cordial relationship with the Librarius department but they aren't strictly part of it.

- Skald: A role which is akin to the Chaplain mixed with duties of Remembrancers. Skalds are warrior poets who record the legion's deeds, craft songs and generally uphold the legion's spirit. They are also somewhat heavily involved with propaganda and partially responsible for the legion's penchant for twisting records to their favor. Each Chapter usually has 3-4 Skalds.

- Legatus: High-ranking member in the Legion. They aren't neccessary the strongest of the legion but they are people of strong character with leadership skills befitting their position. They are effectively people who are second only to Hyperion and in his absence the words of a Legatus are the words of the Primarch himself. Legatus is a title to be earned and unlike most position their numbers vary. Legatus aren't neccessarily required to lead a battle and at other times more than one Legatus could be present. At times like these disputes are resolved through prior discussions or even casting a vote.

Dramatis Personae:

Lykourgos, The Younger: Son of Lykourgos the Great he's one of Hyperion's closer confidants. Being too old to undergo the full Astartes process he only carries portion of the Space Marine enchantments but regardless a valiant fighter and worthy to stand beside Hyperion. Currently he's tasked with the protection and governance of Vesta during Hyperion's absence.

Escanor the Giant: Towering Space Marine and one of the mightiest among the Phoenix Guard. His imposing 10 feet height and customized Saturnine Terminator Armor renders him a complete juggernaut, a champion who's said to never lose during the noon. Hyperion is impressed by Escanor's prowess and personally spars with him on occasion. As mighty Escanor might be he's hardly wise and known to be somewhat bullheaded.

Brother Cassiel: Venerable Dreadnought serving the 13th Legion for over two centuries. He fell during the Unification Wars after saving the Emperor's life. In return for his service Cassiel became the first ever Astartes to be entombed within a Dreadnought sarcophagus and he loyally serves the Imperium even to this day. The procedure was experimental and compared to other Dreadnoughts his mental state is in a constant flux. One moment he's sharp as he were in life when another time he's hallucinating and relives visions of the Unification Wars. In such fantasy state Cassiel usually grasps his surroundings but reimagines them as other characters. Orks may become techno-barbarians, he starts babbling terms nobody understands anymore and his actions take a strange turn. This usually doesn't degrade his combat prowess, may even provide him with newfound fury. Yet for fellow legionaries this is a sad reminder of Cassiel's broken psyche.

Relationships:

The Lions Illustris are a popular legion and their tales spread across the Imperium. They are considered noble and powerful which is exemplified with their towering Primarch. They are borderline idolized by the masses and considered the very example of what the Astartes should be. As the Celestial Champions they strived for universal appeal but since their reorganization to Lions they bravely show what makes Legio XIII unique, only to awe the people further. They are considered heroes and if possible Imperial censors are even more zealous to strike at sources attempting to beschmirk their name. Criticizing Astartes is already a crime which may result in capital punishment but with the Lions' support one's loose lips could quickly cost an entire family. That being said for being so noble and respected, beneath the surface the Lions have a much more complicated web of relationships.

The Emperor, Hyperion and the Lions: The Lions' Primarch is revered not just personally but also spiritually. Though the legion is atheist they view Hyperion as an entity closest to god. This is particularly troublesome since Hyperion is devoted to the Emperor and would want his legion to feel the same. They don't, they only follow Hyperion and do everything else to respect him. The only exception are the Eclipse Watch and other small groups of Terrans who have this relation reversed. They are loyal to the Emperor first and consider Hyperion to be their superior and somebody like their "esteemed elder", not even a father figure. Hyperion knows this and even appreciates their behavior. Weird as that may seem.

Other Legions: The Lions Illustris consider themseves to be the best of all the twenty legions and would not shy away from proving it. They are fairly competitive and have a high opinion of themselves. Yet they are also indoctrinated to view other legions as their distant brothers, though with mixed effect. Another large group pays respect to fellow legions to not displease Hyperion, a similar reason as how their "loyalty" works for the Emperor. Then there are the occasional bad apples who pick fights and have to be reigned in by their comrades.

Imperial Administration: As a "popular legion" the Lions requently have interactions with the imperial governing system. In general these relations are positive although a strong minority of Imperials beleive that Hyperion is carving out his own personal empire. This could keep officials more wary of him or even perform actions to undermine the legion. The Eclipse Watch itself actually has their own separate relationship with the Administration, a rather shady one. The Eclipse Watch occasionally works in ways that is contradictory to the Lions yet serve Imperial intentions. They are loyal to the Imperium, not Hyperion, afterall.

Imperial Citizens: Hyperion wants to guide humans to prosperity, that is his grand duty. He beleives in mankind's great destiny. He is widely regarded as a just ruler beloved by his people. Yet when it comes down to the individual Hyperion may get oddly pragmatic about it. The life of a single human is inconsequential to the whole. While he's amicable in his interactions the Primarch doesn't really care of lowly people's lives. His gaze is fixed on the future while almost being blind to the present. His legionaries have varying stance on regular humans. Some can form personal connections with them while others are completely incapable of empathizing with humans. They prevent causalities to please Hyperion or to maintain the legion's image but when nobody sees them the Lions could be downright cruel.

Vestan Sector: Though Hyperion respects all of mankind it's obvious he has a very soft spot for the Vesta Sector. After joining the Imperium the region flourished like never before. In some sense it became an experiment from Hyperion to see if he can create his perfect nation on a small scale before trying to apply it on the galaxy as a whole. As for the legionaries they of course have a lot of connections to Vesta, bordering on patriotism.

Cult Mechanicum: The Lions have a bit odd relation to the Mechanicum. In general it can be regarded as positive but there are some obvious strains. For starters the Mechanicum is troubled over the Lions' usage of technology with questionable approval. While they don't disrespect the Mechanicum the Lions were treading a fine line on the eligibility of some of their equipment. Another stress point is Sollex, a Mechanicum sub-cult which has a tendency to shelter factions who were falling out of favor in Mars. The fact the Lions keep a very close relationship with Sollex members only make this more problematic. Regardless, compared to other legions where actions bordered on tech-heresy the behavior of the Lions is just mildly concerning.

Xenos: The Vestan League fought off numerous Xenos threats and this early experience shaped Hyperion's thinking about them. He has pretty sour experiences with most alien races and his title "Orkslayer" was not just earned for show. That being said he doesn't close up to the option of negotiating with Xenos. As a ruler he has experiences in making practical deals and for that matter he considers the Edict of Tolerance as such. While mankind is superior the xenos are good "fertilizer" for humans to grow upon. He has little intention of establishing cordial relationships with aliens but he will be delighted to use their xenopower as subjects and workforce for mankind's future. In his eyes the Edict of Tolerance is nothing less than an expression of mankind's imperialism. Xenos are inferior, treacherous beings yet there's some merit in subjugating them. The very least it's more productive than wasting power on exterminating docile aliens.

Psykers: Hyperion is a born psyker and raised by a witch. He views psychic powers like a crude gun, devastating but delicate. Hyperion is aware of the Immaterium and that malignant creature lurk within its depths yet largely obvious of demons, not to mention the nature of Chaos. What he is aware of is the dangers of sorcery. His adoptive mother was a sorcerer and Hyperion saw the terrible price of such powers. He considers psychic powers an useful tool, one that should not be ignored. At the same time he takes up a cautious stance and this is the main reason he does not completely trust the current Librarius even though he was one of the founders.

@Willy Vereb

Updated my sheet. While my Primarch is almost untouched I added my Legion sheet.

@BCTheEntity