Night Lords Warband of the Chosen

[mega_marines]

Alright ladies and gents, since I restarted my Night Lords a while ago, I need a nice set of background material to work with them, and in this the Brotherhood of Chosen were created. I'm wondering how they'll come across, as they are purely Night Lords, but follow their own cause and ideals. Any feedback or thigns I could edit and change would be nice. Anyways, onto the show!

 

The Brotherhood of Chosen

 

"In the darkest of nights, we have come for you. We are the shadows, and the darkness. And it is your corrupt and weak we claim. Ave Dominus Nox" –Commander Torek

 

There are two types of Night Lords. One of which is Konrad Curze, and the other of Night Haunter. When the Night Lords Legion divided, each member typically fell into a category. But there were those that chose to follow neither doctrine, not caring for birth-right, or the ideal of the Legion that they were to become. But, instead chose to stay true to themselves. This group, an army of Night Lords, came to be. Risen from a mix of multiple squadrons and companies from across the Legion, they banded together to form their own style of life, and their own destiny in the universe. In short order, a fairly large amount of followers came to be, equaling a Chapter of today in numbers. Truly they were a brotherhood of the night, and with their fury, they would bring death upon swift wings to their enemies.

 

Initially the group started out as leaderless, and was an order of equal union, but since the dawning of M35, leaders needed to step forward as the warriors sprits began to wander. Elected by their peers, the new commanders of the Brotherhood were chosen by vote. Once leaders were voted upon, there would be a round of bloodless combat, in which the first to cause “First Blood” would be declared the winner. In a competition of pure love and devotion to their brothers, the fighters emerged. Over twenty individuals stepped forward, all chosen from the votes, and in the style of a classic tournament bracket, Brothers were matched up against one another until there were four semi finalists. It was in this that the final stage was to occur. Instead of the simple one-on-one combat, it became a two-on-two. The decision for this came from Brother-Ancient Rigvale, a former Captain of the Legion, now forever entombed in his Dreadnought sarcophagus. When the battle finally came to be, it was Captain Torek and Sergeant Shalk pitted against Lieutenant Zakyr and Brother-Veteran Nalz, each a different facet of their warband, each one proving their worth a hundred times over in the competition. Blow for blow, word for word, and fist for fist, no clear victor could be decided. Despite multiple injuries on both sides, no clear winner could be decided after over eight hours of pure, frenzied fighting. Each warrior had fought with utter ferocity and righteous battle-joy, and yet, they had tied. Again, it was Ancient Rigvale who decided the end result, his watchful eyes seeing that each Brother was worthy of leading the Chosen. It was in this that an almost unofficial council was created, the “In-Nomine Nox”. Each leader was a well respected Brother of untold greatness, and if war or battle were to be declared, they would run the decision between them on whether or not to pursue their efforts. If a tie were ever to be reached, a Dreadnought of the Brotherhood would be asked to be the tie-breaker. On more than one occasion, Rigvale has been chosen for his expertise on matters dealing with war, and has helped lead the Brotherhood to multiple victories of unparalleled success.

Oddly enough, despite being of a Chaos faction, no Night Lord in the Brotherhood of Chosen worships any facet of any Chaos deity. None use a gift of the Warp, save for the Navigators upon their ships. Almost every brother believes a warrior should fight with only his wits and skills, and need not rely upon the powers of otherworldly beings. The idea of worship has almost become a mark of anger too. If a Brother is found to be worshipping a deity of any kind, even the Emperor, he is almost shunned. He is still welcomed by his peers in every aspect of their lives, but will almost be at arm’s length for the rest of time itself. In time, Brothers who worship the powers, often leave on their own accord, the Chosen no longer offering them what they want in their perverse worship. On multiple occasions, have Brothers simply left and never returned, their dark wishes leading them on. In a way, the Brotherhood of Chosen does not miss them, but will mourn their loss. The loss of a Brother, akin to death. The being worshipping a power is considered dead if he leaves, his soul forever lost as a play-thing to the Gods. Though he may be living in body, his spirit will have been soiled. It is in this ideology that enemy Commanders lose certain understanding. For when they see the Brotherhood is upon the eve of battle, or the fields of war, no mark of the Dark Gods or Emperor is upon them. They fight for themselves, and their Brothers.

 

Though the numbers of the Chosen have changed over time, lives being lost, and Brothers being gained, almost all of the warriors are of the Night Lord Legion. Despite being a group of warriors who live and breathe war, the Night Lords recruit individuals who strive to become a warrior of the darkness. In what could be considered a grand case of irony, the Brotherhood of the Chosen is still the Night Lords in every single way, but with only a small number of non-Night lords attached. Things change for the small few it seems. When speaking of matters of politics, of war, or of simple planning, the Night Lords think with their legacy and their heritage and not with that of others. Even fresh recruits are taught to think in the way of the Night Lords, save for those of other Legions or Chapters. Those types of warriors are typically kept at a little more than arms length until they can gain the full trust of their Brothers. It is in this way of trust gaining that a marine of a different party may be permitted to wear the colors, images, and armor of the Night Lords. Once he dons his new “essence”, the Brother may not return to what he was before. Though he is free to leave the Brotherhood, he may never return to his previous colors, for it would be considered a grand heresy and betrayal of the honor of his brothers.

 

But, from what can be considered a dark idea, has also brought about great warriors. Brother-Ancient Valderes, Brother-Sergeant Kat’als, and Heavy-Brother Ralis were all of different Chaos warbands, and joined the Chosen. Valderes was once of the Black Legion, though he didn’t believe in a single cause of his brothers, and viewed each and every one of them weak when they showed their true colors of selfishness or desire. In a matter of years, he gained Lieutenant Zakyr’s as well as Sergeant Shalk’s trust, and has become a welcome friend and brother of the Chosen. Kata’ls is a slightly different story, as he hailed from the Salamanders Legion. He joined the ranks of the Night Lords in M34, becoming disillusioned with his brothers and the ways of his Chapter after serving for over five hundred years. It was once he joined the Brotherhood did he feel truly at home. It took only days for him to gain the trust of his Brothers, as his spirit was that of a warrior of the night, not the dragon of the anvil. Lastly, Ralis. He is the most peculiar one of the bunch, as he hailed from the Iron Warriors Legion, and only during M38 did he join the ranks of the Chosen. The mighty warriors is an Obliterator, a amalgam of demon-virus and human flesh and armor. Having become hateful of his selfish Iron Warrior brethren, he left their ranks to find home among the stars, and subsequently joined the ranks of many warbands, none of which met his standards or ideals. It was upon the barren Forgeworld that he was discovered by Commander Torek, who had found the Obliterator studying prototype weapons and armor in a dusty lab of the Adeptus Mechanicus, long ago abandoned. The two warriors became good friends almost instantly, and despite the odd circumstances and times of waning in the Brotherhood, Ralis has become a valuable Brother, and an iconic figure. He despises his current form, as he despises the Demon in every possible way, and curses his Iron Warrior brethren for turning him into a creature of disgust. He has proven himself on so many occasions, that he is the only exception to the rule of demonic weaponry or symbiosis that the Legion has ever known. Ralis has also been offered to wear the armor and colors of the Night Lords, but has simply asked the he keep his colors. Reason being is that if he ever meets his old brethren, he will have proven that he has remained true to the image of a Space Marine, and that the legacy of the Astartes will breathe through him, unlike his ex-brethren.

 

Despite being a branch of divergent Night Lords, the brotherhood remains very close to their family. They consider each and every Night Lord a brother, and will do anything they can to help, even if they do not like them, or perhaps even loathe them. The legacy of their Primarch must continue, as well as that of the Legion. And despite being so different, the Brotherhood will provide aide to their family, no matter the circumstance.

 

The Night Lords have taken part in dozens of conflicts, and continue their war against all who oppose their Legion. They do not have a single hatred or focus for an enemy, but dislike the Imperium and the nature of Chaos in general. In a few instances, the Night Lords Chosen have aided the Imperium against hated enemies of Chaos, and on other conflicts, have aided their former brethren. Despite their nature, the Night Lords are survivalists, and will do almost anything to preserve their way in the universe. Like a specter of the darkness, they fight for their right. Having fought in hundreds of joint operations with their brothers of other warbands and armies, the Night Lords of the Brotherhood continue to have good relations with almost all of their closest brethren, and in times of need, will able to call upon them for aide. For to oppose one brother, is to oppose them all.

 

It is your weak they claim, your arrogance they see to strike from your shoulders, and your fear of the darkness and unknown, that they strike from. You are not safe. Do not rest upon your laurels, or believe yourself prepared for their arrival, for they are the night. You will die, your cause lost upon your dying lips. They have come for you.

 

 

Anyways, let me know if I need to fix, or even change anything.

 

-Matt :(

[mega_marines]

My background hopefully didn't make any of you raise a brow, did it? I seriously would like some feedback.