Search the Community

~ The XX Legion - Veilwalkers ~ Legion Number: XX Legion Size: ~65,000 at Ullanor - Wide autonomy and deployment make accurate estimates impossible. Rift-Strider: long periods from legion contact and the highly independent nature of the courts lead to non standard modifications and adaptations. The gold splatter present on many units indigenous to the Veil is as a result of curious interaction with Aether winds of unknown origin. Legion Modus Operandi: Widespread use of unconventional auxiliaries in standard operations. Reliance on personal combat prowess and psychic gifts. Use of various archeotech and xenotech encouraged. Known for judicious deployment of real-space and chrono distortion devices. Every member of the legion exhibits at least low level psychic ability. Primarch Name: Oberon Ve'Argent, The Eternal King, The Whyche-King of the Silver Citadel, Consort to She who is Shattered. Homeworld: Dite - exoworld located just beyond the galactic rim, artificially moved during the dark age of technology, it’s proximity to what locals refer to as the 'Veil', a series of bizarre realspace/warpspace phenomena possibly point to its placement as being a deliberate move in order to further study the area, a darker rumour suggests that Dite is the last remnants of an empire, a border world saved from the reality shattering weapons unleashed on the core, the Veil left behind in the aftermath. The surface of the world is devoid of flora and light, the only landmarks being twenty-seven citadels, the largest, oldest and template for those that followed being The Silver Tower: a vast moonlight clad edifice reaching out into space, its highest reaches now playing home to docking facilities of the Veilwalkers fleet. At its apex sits a great brazier, the light it emits a glimpse into the core of the world below. Before discovery the concentric rings of walls at the base of the Tower played host to a semi constant conflict between the Paladins of the Eternal king's court and various forms of twisted xeno beast. Behind these walls cavernous openings lead deep into the planet, each rift leading to ship manufactorum and staging grounds; further still lie great man made caverns, hewn from rock, each hiding towns and barracks, cities and great forges; until at the root of the tower above sits a space so large that its roof disappears from view and should one wander lost among the glades and finely wrought palaces that dot the landscape you would think yourself on a paradise planet of old humanity. It is here at the origin of the tower where the beating heart of Dite dwells; a fusion reactor of ancient providence, root like cables feeding all life on the planet with power, its light harnessed and allowed to bleed out and illuminate the caverns below and the tower above. The planet's population is to the outside viewer, split in two parts: its living masses, its hosts of armsmen and craftspeople fall under the remit of the Eternal King, as do the astartes of the Veilwalkers and the ships of the fleet; to the Shattered Queen belong the tech adepts, and the golem-smith, the stargazers, rift makers and the dead; whose bodies are willingly given to the Queen, to be used as the raw scaffold upon which to build her hosts. Below the King and the Queen serve their courts, some greater and some lesser, each a pale reflection of the beings to whom they owe fealty. The great lie of Dite, one known only to the highest classes, is that the masses ruled over by the courts of the aristocracy have never been truly human in aeons, instead their flesh and bodies grown in vast laboratories in the depths of the tower; the vat born babies carried by the Queen's handmaidens to deserving parents in the metropolis' below. Legion Synopsis: Pre-Primarch History: created after the unification wars were all but won from the stock of Franc and Europa before being split up into pioneer companies and attached to smaller expeditionary fleets, they gained a close relationship with magos of minor explorator sects often functioning as security during the investigation of real space tears and long dead alien civilisations. Their culture at the time was rough and superstitious, the size of the pioneer companies requiring little in the way of concrete command structure, their psychic gifts muted compared to what they would become, wielded in the manner of rough blunt tools of death. Their preeminent master was named Bedwyn Gelt, a doughty and brutal commander who exemplified the culture at the time, indeed it would be inaccurate to name him as legion master for any reason save expediency, for as the great crusade reached out into the stars the legion would never gain the sense of cohesion or identity as the others, Gelt's Bone Eaters casting a shadow on the pages of history distinct to that of Athtar Misandral’s Sepulcral Guard. The sorcery of the XX at the time was considered more an oddity of their geneseed: gifts of foresight poorly understood and employed, psychic power channelled into mighty blows and gouts of energy. Post-Discovery History: Upon discovery of their primarch, a call to reunite the legion was issued, but would take over a decade before the whole host was assembled, Oberon would make no effort to break up the bonds of brotherhood that bound sections of the fledgling Veilwalkers together, instead pioneers companies would become Courts, taking on their names and their holdings; for example Misandral’s Sepulcral Guard would be reborn under the name of Fortebraccio, and the matriarch of that Court would be charged with arming and supplying the 26th going forward. One change Oberon did impose on the legion as a whole was the pursuit of the strict code of honour held by the nobles with whom he was raised; no longer would strength be wielded like a cudgel against friend or foe, nor the psychic gifts all legionnaires possessed be left to wilt or flourish at the whimsy of chance. Indeed the legion’s prolonged stay in the Veil during this reorganisation would see their innate psychic powers grow under the baleful light overhead. Although battle would still see the Veilwalkers set sword and axe against the foe, bolstered by their gifts, Oberon would instruct them in clairvoyance and far-sight, in bending the fabric of the Veil and tearing at the skin of reality; the forced isolation of Dite giving way to an alternate perspective, removed from the act of building a new world, one could come to consider the kind of world to build. In the Courts the Veilwalkers found a dual purpose, no longer simply the brutish guardians or dispossessed orphans of the pioneer companies, their opposites in the Dite nobility saw them become more: Artists, poets and craftsmen, hours and days spent in the company of soft spoken wrights and alabaster skinned maidens exploring their identities beyond the nameless attack dogs of yore, their roles as guardians and creators of peace, the necessity to destroy but afterwards to rebuild and to teach, the fruitlessness of a world built on by an unenlightened conqueror on the back of unlearned populace. Even after the fleets left the Veil and took their place once more in the Great Crusade, the relationship between mirrored halves continued, the ships and forces now bolstered and crewed by all aspects of the Courts.

Imperial Army Regiments Loyalist: Odoacerian Foederati - Fire Keepers Soldiers of Smoke City Korrikan Steam Troopers Tegin Redboots - Halcyon Wardens Narawhi High Riders Sarmant Silahdars - Fire Keepers Crucian Dynasts - Fire Keepers Jurrakan Cavaliers Karrytine Heavy armour Borrydok Highlanders Voltine Hussars Thandrian Sons Alpine Auxilia - Crimson Lions Albion Ironsides - Obsidian Guard Threnean Frontier Hussars Traitor: Cagean Drop Troops Welvan Scorchers Aumet Revolutionary Army - Red Eyes Soldato of Andolyn - Stalking Leopards Skandrian Auxilia - Black Stars Akaan'adiike - Shadow Warriors Skiirad Cohort - The Riven Separatist: Vasalius 1st Terra Heredes Zayth Regiments - Warriors of Peace Cagean Drop Troops - Sky Reavers Tanith Ten Thousand Seran Seraphim Corp - Monastic Ascendants Rhinean Devils Grav Troops Regiments of Meri-Kata - Soul Forgers Houndskulls of Zetrabos - Godslayers Iron-hide Hussars of Haurus - Godslayers Solar Auxilia Cohorts Loyalist: 26th Merican Cohort - Fire Keepers 52nd Cohort, the Zanskat Guard - Halcyon Wardens 80th Cohort, the Balovian Vanguard - Halcyon Wardens Aschehunde - Obsidian Guard 2541st Cohort, the Screaming Eagles Traitor: 163rd Cohort, Cthonian Basilisks 297th Cohort, the Storm Spears 319th-321st Cohorts, the Skandrian Hussars - Black Stars Separatist: 372nd Cohort, the Camiramar Orbital Drop Marines - Godslayers 416th Cohort, Kallastin Ogryn Auxilia – Warriors of Peace 914th Cohort, the Ramien Celestials - Warriors of Peace Legion Serf and Planetary Defence Forces Ebedsakar - Fire Keepers Sanguinary Host - Red Eyes Molnimian Re-education Militia - Warriors of Peace Laogian Correctional Force - Warriors of Peace Cenobites of Ganden - Monastic Ascendants Zbruch Domobrana - Godslayers Rada Stráže - Godslayers

This is the new thread for the War of the Eightfold Path. The Warriors of Peace Numeration: The XVIIth Legion Primogenitor: The Jade General Cognomen (Prior): Imperial Light Observed Strategic Tendencies: Generalist, use of artificial "Pariahs" Noteworthy Domains: Han (Homeworld), later moved to Jin Allegiance: Separatist Symbol and Colours: Midnight Blue, Red and Yellow Inspiration: Medieval China, 3 Kingdoms Tactics: Every marine, every squad, every company is expected to fight as a single unit, operating in perfect coordination with their brethren, drawing strength from one another as they battle in near-total silence. The eerie movements of these Legiones Astartes is further enhanced by their "Pariah" officers which unsettle enemy combatants to weaken morale. Personality of the Legion: Unlike other legions, the Warriors of Peace approach warfare as one would any vocation. To them, warfare is their duty. Neither given into either the elation of slaughter or the despair of defeat, the Warriors of Peace maintain their stoicism in battle, no matter the odds they are against. It is only when a Warrior is at peace within himself does he achieve true mastery of the art of war. This eerie detachment, combined with the pariahs serving in their ranks, has intimidated both foe and friend alike. Among the few exceptions are, strangely, the Mechanicum. As the Warrior of Peace seeks to shed himself of fruitless emotion in battle, the tech-adept seeks to shed himself of fruitless flesh. The Warriors ultimate aim is to purge themselves of strong emotions or attachments, meditating to master inner peace. They train themselves to have almost inhuman focus, so in many ways, the Pariahs exemplify the ideals that they strive towards. I am currently in the process of going through the older posts and forming a cohesive and updated backstory.

This is the thread for one of our new legions, the Obsidian Guard! I am making this thread for the actual creator. Obsidian Guard Numeration: The Xth Legion Primogenitor: Lukas Keath Cognomen (Prior): None Observed Strategic Tendencies: Offensive Siege Warfare with a preference for Flamers, Shock Assault Generalists (Pre-Primarch) Noteworthy Domains: Feuerstadt (Homeworld), The Feuerreich Allegiance: Fidelitas Totalis Symbol and Colours: A Blazing Inferno; Black and Grey with Bronze trim The Obsidian Guard are the 10th Legion of the Legiones Astartes, descended from the Primarch Lukas Keath, and specialists in siege warfare. Surprising, or unsurprising depending on your point of view, for their specialty the Obsidian Guard they find a common kinship with the mortal forces that fight beside them in the mud and blood of the trenches they often occupy. The Obsidian Guard take a methodical, calculating approach to their craft, drowning the enemy fortresses with infernus and phosphex shells before advancing into the bombed out husk behind massed formations of Breachers. Culturally the Guard adhere to a code of honor that prizes duty, honor, and loyalty, and welcoming punishment should either of those be compromised. The most common punishment for crimes such as that in the Guard is a holdover from Feuerstadt’s ancient past, walking barefoot over shards of obsidian. Through the pain, fire, and ash their sins are purged. When the Primarchs were scattered Lukas Keath, father of the Obsidian Guard, landed on the volcanic death world of Feuerstadt. The people of Feuerstadt were relatively primitive by the standards of the Imperium, at a post-industrial level of technology, and organized themselves into a smattering of city states based in the dormant husks of long dead volcanoes. Over the millennia of the Age of Strife these settlements grew in population and the scale of their defenses until each was a veritable fortress-city. These cities often found themselves in conflict with each, waging wars over vital mineral resources and the few patches of agricultural land that is both suitable for cultivation and safe from the almost daily firestorms that rage across the planet. Lukas’s pod impacted on the outskirts of the city of Sturmhafen, and he was brought before the Council of Oligarchs who ruled there so they could decide what to do with him. In the end the decision was made to raise him in their customs, as to who would be responsible for said raising the duty fell on the shoulders of Wolfrich Keath. Wolfrich gave this child from the stars the name Lukas and treated him as the son he had never had, given his wife had died young and he had never remarried. Lukas received the finest education available, groomed from a young age to one day assume his adopted father’s post and govern the people of Sturmhafen. This idyllic childhood was interrupted when Lukas was sixteen by the news that the city of Sturm Halten had been destroyed by their rival, Feuerlandung, and now the refugees were on their way to Sturmhafen pursued by the vanguard of the victorious Feuerlanders. In a very close vote the Oligarchs arrived at the decision to welcome the survivors and give battle to the Feuerlanders if they objected. By now Lukas had surpassed any of his contemporaries in every field, be it science, oratory, combat prowess, or strategy. So it was that he was made privy to the preparations for the near inevitable siege. Lukas was at the city’s arsenal, taking inventory of the artillery shells and overseeing the dispersion of ammunition caches, when a deafening explosion echoed across the city. Faster than any truck or tank could take him Lukas sprinted towards the rising column of smoke, towards the Oligarchs’ palace. The scene was worse than he had expected, bodies and rubble strewn about with fires sporadically burning here and there. Beneath the shattered dome in the council chambers Lukas found his father, who was mortally wounded by the blast. The exchange that was had between the two is unknown, as Lukas has never spoken of the details to anyone. Suffice it to say the result was that the teenaged Primarch was placed in command of the whole city’s defense. He rallied the citizens and military alike at the state funeral for the Oligarchs, declaring that he would never let the city fall, that those responsible would pay the price, and he would see Feuerlandung in ashes for this cowardice. When the enemy reached the outskirts of the city they were greeted by an artillery barrage so precise that no computer on the planet was capable of calculating it, Lukas’s handiwork. In the long range duel that followed between the besiegers and the defenders the Feuerlanders found themselves always on the losing side despite their numerically superior heavy guns. Whenever they brought up a battery it was knocked out by counterfire after a single salvo. Eventually the patience of the Feuerlanders grew thin and they launched a final desperate assault to overwhelm the presumably beleaguered garrison. In minutes they lost hundreds to inhumanly accurate artillery fire. Once past the killing fields outside of Sturmhafen the Feuerlanders were met by heavy stubber positions embedded in the rockface and minefields. Then the counterattack hit them. To say the besieging army melted in the face of Lukas’s sally would be an understatement. In the aftermath of this heroic victory Lukas sent messages to the other cities, calling for a grand coalition to be assembled to bring the planet under one control and end the incessant wars. His offer was politely declined. He left a skeleton force to man Sturmhafen’s heavy guns and then lead the rest out on a crusade to conquer the cities that refused to bend the knee. Within fire years his ragtag army of a few hundred had swelled to a hundred thousand and he was lord all but one of the great city states, Feuerlandung. They had never recovered from their defeat and had no hope of victory. So Lukas’s army, dubbed the Obsidian Guard for the vast plains of volcanic glass that were located along the rivers of lava, erected their siege works and deployed their artillery batteries. Over the course of six months the city was systematically demolished, burnt to ash by high explosive shells. At the center of the husk that was once a thriving urban population center Lukas planted the battle standard of the Obsidian Guard, to signify the end of his war. Amidst the smoke and ruins a stranger approached Lukas, who demanded the stranger’s identity. In reply the figure cast off his cloak and revealed himself to be the Emperor of Mankind, Lukas’s true father. He had observed Lukas from the time he had won his great victory five and a half years before, through the first triumph to this last one. Now was the time for Lukas to return to the world of humanity’s birth and take command of his legion. While on Terra Lukas’s psychic powers manifested under the tutelage of his father, and he refined his tactics and martial skill alongside the Custodes. For a time Lukas fought with his father and the Tenth Legion, renamed the Obsidian Guard in honor of his forces from Feuerstadt.

The Sky Reavers “Captain, this is Fighter XV-212, it’s hell up here! They’re moving too fast, none of us can lock on to them. It’s hard enough to dodge the anti-air fire from the ground, but they’re circling around, picking us off one by one and there’s nothing we can do. It’s inhuman, sir, no man could pull those speeds or turns off. Permission to …” - Last recorded transmission from enemy combatant XV-212 during the Assault on Koccichi by the XIIIth Legion The fast moving lords of the air, the Sky Reavers aim to dominate the sky above any battlefield before committing to any ground operations. Their superior aerial skills, combined with the numerous modifications they have made to their aircraft, makes them highly mobile foes who can strike from any angle. Their primarch, Aato, is a caring and scientifically-minded Primarch, looking to form close bonds with his brothers and protect his homeworld above all. This love of his homeworld would fuel his scientific experiments, as he began obsessed with finding a way to travel vast distances without the need for the warp to guarantee the survival of his home system. It was this obsession that would lead him and his legion down a path away from the light of the Imperium. Numeration: The XIII Legion Primogenitor: Aato Vayrynen Noteworthy Domains: Maaparatiisi (Homeworld), Vesa System Observed Strategic Tendencies: Aerial Superiority, Multi-Vector and Sub-Orbital Attack, High-Mobility Warfare Allegiance: Separatists, Socius Solicitus Colours: Navy Blue and Gold Sky Reavers Legionary (Art by Algrim Whitefang) Sky Reavers symbol (Art by Algrim Whitefang)

The Stalking Leopards Numeration: The XVIth Legion Primogenitor: Kubwa-Chui-Khalfani Cognomen (Prior): Hunting Shadows Observed Strategic Tendencies: Stealth Operations, Hunting and Tracking Noteworthy Domains: Nyumbani (Primary), Vekros, A number of Jungle Worlds with exclusive Tithing Rights Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus Symbol and Colours: The Stalking Leopards are often garbed in a mixture of green and brown, with various foliage-like patterns sketched into their armor. Higher ranks often have more gold and red upon their armor, and it is with great pride that they can still hide in plain sight with even these bright colors. Various symbols or ornaments such as bones, beads, and feathers are added based on preferences. The leopards will change their armor based on ceremonies or differing environments, such as tundra, industrial, or desert areas. Because of their willingness to discard any symbol or garb, they have gained a reputation as a practical legion. The symbol of the legion as a whole is three jagged claw marks commonly placed on the vambraces of a battle brothers armor, though it is noted that the Primarchs personal honor guard have a snarling leopards head upon their breastplate, this is likely a mark of honor. Battlecry: Silence, except for a bestial roar when going in for the kill in some cases. When victory is assured the legionnaires will surround their victims, thump their spears, and bellow a rhythmic tribal war chant until moving in for the kill. Inscription: Various big cat species and basic African culture, primarily Swahili for language and ornamentation.