TrajantheGreat

Welcome, everyone, to the Brotherhood of the Lost's new club!

We have even more Primarch art, this time Ezharion Kulas of the Tempest Reavers. Art by Slaine

Art of Rang Talyc, the Ash-Blooded. Credit: Slaine

The Kimmastrean Immortal Crusaders were an Imperial Army regiment during the Great Crusade and Five Ruins. A proud and honourable regiment, the Crusaders would serve on numerous campaigns during the later half of the Great Crusade before returning to their home system following the Vanishing. They would find themselves relegated to garrison duty, defending the nearby Hive World of Cierus V. Resentment over this decision would fester within the regiment, until a messenger brought them an offer of proving their martial prowess. Regimental Appearance The Kimmastrean Immortal Crusaders are known for their heavily armoured infantry, even the most basic infantryman equipment in carapace armour. The more elite elements of the regiment would be equipped with a lighter form of power armour. Once the Crusaders joined the forces of Chaos, spikes became a common feature of their uniform, particularly on their backpacks and shoulder pads. Colours & Livery The Kimmastrean Immortal Crusaders wear dark green armour over dark teal clothing, with the more ornate armour having bronze trim. The regiment’s symbol is a sword bisecting a crescent moon.

A V A veteran of the Kimmastrean Immortal Crusaders, an Imperial Army regiment A regular Crusader

Art of Araphel, Primarch of the Iron Revenants Credit to Slaine.

Art of the Primarch Aato Vayrynen by Slaine

Art of the Primarch Gustave Dunant by Slaine

Legionary and Armorial of the Amathame Brotherhood, the militant arm of the Alabaster Order Art by Algrim Whitefang

The Rise of the Royal Syndicate Date: 004.M31 Location: Sialea, Segmentum Tempestus The Imperial government of Sialea was on a shaky footing even before the Vanishing, with the real power on Sialea being in the hands of the gangs of the underhive and the Imperial government only being needed to send the planet’s tithe to Terra. Following the Vanishing and the disruptions to warp travel, the heads of the gangs met and decided that without the Imperium there was no need for the imperial government. United in a new Royal Syndicate, the gangers poured out of the underhives and cleared out the government buildings across Sialea, killing the governor and dumping his body. Most of the PDF stepped aside rather than fight in a pointless resistance, with only a few trying to hold their defences. After the government was overthrown, the gangers returned to the darkness and ruled the planet from the underhives. The Godslayers led by Veliteľ Radousek Sirota, receiving reports of the planet’s failure to pay the tithe and disappearance of the governor, headed to Sialea with the aim of re-establishing the Imperium’s connection with the planet. The initial reports gave them optimistic expectations, as they faced little resistance from the orbital defences or aircraft. It was discovered later that the gangers did not have the expertise to operate the defence systems, and the pilots of the few fighters only had experience piloting skimmers. The Godslayers easily landed, retook the Governor’s Palace and all the key administrative buildings. This was not the end of the campaign as the Godslayers expected, as the military forces of the Syndicate had pulled back into the underhives. As the Godslayers moved to finish them off, they ran into increasing numbers of booby traps and ambushes. While the Godslayers never lost any of the large scale engagements, there was a constant stream of casualties as the gangers were adept at navigating the sprawling underhives. The gangers also had access to numbers of soldiers that the Godslayers had severely underestimated, with civilians also press-ganged into service to not waste their specialist elements. After several months of underhive fighting, the Godslayers were able to successfully pacify the world. A major breakthrough came when Veliteľ Sirota secretly negotiated the support of dissent elements of one of the three major gangs, resparking old gang grudges that paralysed the Syndicate forces in that hive. At the end of the conflict, Veliteľ Sirota had lost nearly half his own Kapitola and hundreds more from other units, but was able to claim victory. Not only did he bring the hives to heel, he also discovered several hidden or lost STC Templates pre-dating Imperial rule of the planet, and handed these over to Koschei.

Tarriq Daviduus Tarriq had always been small in stature compared to his brothers. He had trained harder than most to make up for this, and although his aiming and target practice was above average, his combat drills left much to be desired. Indeed, his brief service in the assault companies was unremarkable, save for his undauntable spirit and the marks of a leader inside his soul. Were he only more skilled with a blade, it is doubtful he would have been reassigned. However, tactical brilliance and an unwavering spirit only gets you so far in a brutal melee. After his fourth consecutive major injury, he was reallocated to the Legion's armoury as a tank gunner. After all, even a blunted tool can be put to good use. Within the turret of his first Predator, he quickly garnered attention for his unerring marksmanship, and knowledge of the vehicle and its tactics. By the time he had served with distinction as both a gunner and a driver, it was only a matter of time before he received a command of his own. When it happened, during a compliance campaign, unremarkable save for the large number of armoured units available to nascent human inhabitants, he was up against poor odds. With a handful of armoured units, Tarriq was required to hold position against a superior enemy force, including illegally modified Leman Russ variants. Tarriq's force began by setting up tank traps and ferrocrete barriers. Able to hide their own vehicles behind them, their Predators’ high turrets were still on display whilst the enemy Leman Russ were unable to make use of them effectively. Tarriq, leading the Predator Destructor pattern Squadron, and a singular damaged Predator with Lascannons, held their preordained positions for 23 hours, their chosen battlefield littered with the corpse of their foes. Even the Predators under his command seemed inspired by his masterful leadership and calm disposition, their machine spirits working harder than ever, overcoming crippling damage to remain operational for as long as possible. By the time the relief force arrived in the form of the massed armour formations of the Imperial Army, they found an immobilised Predator with a gash in its Hull and its pilot on display, mercilessly trading fire with a Leman Russ. Its commander, Tarriq himself, firing his bolt pistol at the enemy driver's vision slits. The limping Predator Annihilator, shielded by its commander, was able to deal with the foe, just in the nick of time. Rewarded for his skill and tenacity, Tarriq found himself ascending the ranks, a hero in the making. Indeed, his masterful command was responsible for a number of victories, the Fire Keeper's armorium remaining a small, but skilled part of the Legion. Upon Ullanor, during the disastrous decision to build a veritable fortress Palace to welcome the Imperial Regent, he was one of the few to speak out against the frivolous display of artsmanship and skill, advising the maintenance of the defensive lines. Unfortunately, the Chaplain Sovereigns disagreed, their belief being that there was a legal responsibility for the Legion to ensure the safety of their guests. Even with the entire armorium at his disposal, when Tarriq relented and took his assigned role as the armoured shield of the new foundations, he chose his favoured mount, the Predator Destructor, the Loyalty of Obsailes. Later analysis would dictate that his decision was perhaps his fatal mistake. Yet the facts remain, that as the Ork horde fell upon the armoured convoy, fighting with minimal infantry support, it was Tarriq in his Predator that was personally responsible for the crippling of their armoured elements. Against all advice and odds, Tarriq took his Squadron into the front lines, and then advanced on into the Ork lines. He engaged the enemy wagons and gun vehicles without support, and it became apparent that it was a losing battle. Unwilling to let the mainstay of the Ork firepower reach the defensive lines intact, Tarriq continued his manoeuvres, the Squadron operating in perfect synchronicity, weaving through enemy fire, breaking the lines of infantry, and slowly whittling down the enemy armour. As the conflict drew to a close, the Loyalty of Obsailes, with both its sponsons damaged, one track lost, the gunner dead, and the armour compromised in a dozen places was the sole survivor. Ork boyz in their dozens were swarming the tank, even as Tarriq hauled the corpse of the gunner out of his seat and took command of the main turret, with its final shot. The last of the Ork vehicles, a monstrous gun wagon of impossible armour, given its speed hurtled towards the defensive lines. Its momentum, let alone its firepower, would give the Orks the breach they needed. The heavy front armour of the monster shrugged off the shots of a dozen tanks, the gun opening up in kind. Tarriq was said to have ordered that no tank break position, as he made his final shot, even as the first Orks hauled themselves into his vehicle. The shot was true, a virtually impossible shot, arcing through the air, and descending into the rear upper armour of the beasts' vehicle, detonating the ammunition stored within. Even as it exploded in a ball of flames, the Loyalty of Obsailes and its commander were lost, not in a blaze of glory, but with the angry descent of a horde of axes, swords and meaty fists. There was nothing of the vehicle to be salvaged, the Ork lootas clearing it up quickly, and of Tarriq's armour and geneseed, there was no sign. Perhaps, if Tarriq had not been pressed in the Legion's vainglorious display of majesty, his skill and knowledge could have been put to better use during the day's to come.

Exiles and Adventurers The earliest roots of the Second legion can be traced back to the warlike Terran state of Jurfik. Located in the north of the Albyonic territories once called Angle-land, Jurfik’s warlike people had not only survived the wars of the Age of Strife, they had in fact thrived. When the Emperor revealed himself to Mankind, Jurfik's empire was at its zenith. From its heart in Jurfik itself, it stretched out across the north of Terra, spanning much of Albyon and Hibernia, either as conquered territory or vassal states, western Norsca and Frysa. At the head of this empire were the warrior kings of Jurfik. While they ruled their empire alongside their Thegns, these kings were warriors first and foremost, as evidenced by their frequent wars with the realms of Ursh, the Jermani and the Suomen nomads. They took the technology and gene-lore of Albyon for their own armies, fielding proto-Dreadnoughts and ironclad gene-brutes against their enemies. However, Jurfik’s succession was frequently disputed as, upon the king’s death, rival petty kings would each seek to install himself as king of all Jurfik or to carve out a larger realm for himself from amongst Jurfik’s vassal kingdoms. The resulting civil wars were often brief and brutal, with one side rapidly emerging as the victor and the losers being forced to flee along with their supporters. These exiles often sought to find pay as mercenaries in the armies of Terras other rulers, with many winding up in the armies of Kalaggan, the tyrant of Ursh. However, when his realm was conquered by the armies of the Emperor, the exiles from Jurfik found another employer: the Emperor of Mankind himself. While many of the warriors who took up employment as mercenaries in the Emperor’s armies were too old to attempt the process that would transform them into legionaries, the youngest of their number were not. So, while their elders became soldiers of the Imperial Army, these young warriors found a place in the Emperor's armies as warriors of his Legiones Astartes and while some were taken into the Ist Legion, the vast majority were recruited to the IInd Legion.

Afeahamra Alsuwa’Qan On Azus’ homeworld of Dhul’hasa, there was one clan that did not seek conquest or kingship, they sought infamy and wealth. Holding a single, unassailable mountain fortress, the Alsuwa’Qan Clan were expert assassins and infiltrators, trained not to challenge their opponents on the plains but to eliminate key targets before their opponents even arrived. They would even sell their services to other clans, though even then would be enacting their own agenda. When Azus Bahmut conquered Dhul’hasa, he stood outside their fortress and gave them one day to surrender or be destroyed. The Master of the Alsuwa’Qan Clan spoke with his fellow warriors, and that night the top assassins of the clan were sent to kill Azus. The next morning, the heads of the assassins were posted on stakes in front of the fortress. As the Master declared he would surrender to his inner circle, Azus appeared from the shadows and accepted the surrender, and the Alsuwa’Qan Clan joined Azus. The Alsuwa’Qan Clan fought against the xenos invaders of Dhul’hasa, and when Azus was reunited with his legion he brought the lessons from the Alsuwa’Qan with him. Adding the name of Dhul’hasa’s venomous snakes to its own, the Afeahamra Alsuwa’Qan was formed by those handpicked by Azus himself, with a new Master chosen to lead this shadowy group. No one even within the legion knows who the members of the Alsuwa’Qan are, with most not even knowing that the Afeahamra Alsuwa’Qan exists. The ranking officers of the legion who are aware do not command them, only able to request the removal of specific targets from high command and then have them sometimes mysteriously disappear. The members of the Alsuwa’Qan are spread across all of the Hordes, with their commanders not knowing which of their brothers are a part of the group. Only Azus and the Master know who the members are, or what their assignments are. The Afeahamra Alsuwa’Qan is divided into different tribes based on preferences over methods of assassination, similar in philosophy to the clades of the Officio Assassinorum. Whilst they differ in methods, they all work from the shadows to remove their targets, whether through poisons or a blade to the back. Unlike the clades of the Assassinorum, it is not unusual for multiple Alsuwa’Qan members to be sent on the same mission, often working together to coordinate a single strike against a target.

Valkten Chosen Terminators On the eve of particularly troublesome and dolorous battles, the Ochranic Cavaliers kneel before Absalom, their heads bowed in reverence. Then, he chooses those among them that will serve in the Valkten for the next battle. This selection, although temporary, since it only lasts for a single deployment, is viewed as a great honour, an acknowledgement of a Cavalier's skill by their Primarch, who rewards them above all their peers. Adorned in relic Tartaros terminator armour in resplendent black and gold, armed with master-crafted weapons, they follow Absalom to war, the aftershocks to the Amber King's earthquake, or strike out on their own, charged with assignments of vital importance for the success of the Legion. There is also a hidden purpose to this practice; the cultivation of intense competition in the ranks of the Cavaliers, the contest for their Father's fickle favour gruelling and never-ending. By using this subtle manipulation, Absalom sows the seeds of competition and rivalry, thus ensuring that his elite warriors will never stop honing their skills and improving. Art by Wilph

Paradis Trovato Paradis Trovato is the barren Civilised World that is the homeworld of Gustave Dunant and the Alabaster Order. Once a lush, temperate garden world, the population had spread throughout the planet, and coexisted peacefully. Science, the arts, and philosophy were common focuses. A deadly disease known as the Ravager Plague broke out and swept across the world, infecting all the animals, humans and even plant life. The surviving humans were forced into living in domed mega-cities, with the rest of the planet being a barren wasteland roamed by nomadic tribes of scrappers. The Dome Dwellers fare little better, and appear as a people besieged by an invisible foe. All inhabitants wear Personal Protective Equipment (oftentimes worn or recycled), and any sign of sickness is violently cast out. Medicae Adept Reine Lanicca Reine Lanicca is a human woman, and is basically Gustave's research assistant. She's a brilliant doctor, and is unique in Gustave's circle as being someone who actually seems to understand Gustave's drive. She's probably best described as being in the height of her physical prime, with black hair, and glasses. She's prone to pushing her glasses up sub-conscientiously, and she chews on her stylus when she's thinking.