The Rogo Dyss - The Pyre Re-imagined

[Dark Disciple]

Greetings Borthers!

 

With Chaos Legions rumours in full swing now seems like a fantastic time to start plotting and scheming for a return to the hobby.

I've been mulling over a few ideas ranging from a Night Lords splinter who've managed to destablise (sp?) their geneseed to the point of facing extinction through self-destructive obsessive alterations, to an exiled Host of my beloved Word Bearers.

My favourite at the moment however, is an idea based on the Pyre from the old 3rd edition codex which will be posted below.

 

The first part of the background is below for critique and hopefully enjoyment, please be gentle....

 

Disciple

 

Origins

Once counted amongst the most pragmatic and brutal members of Horus Legion, the 66th Company boasted a mastery of urban and siege warfare rarely seen outside the Iron Warriors or Imperial Fists. Under the iron discipline of Captain Luther Bale, the Warmaster would call on the 66th to act as his mailed fist should his spear tip fail to eliminate his opponents.

Unflinchingly loyal to his Primarch, Bale’s company remained largely untouched by the Istavaan purge going on to serve alongside both Death Guard and Iron Warriors forces during the push to Terra. Acting as the Warmaster’s eyes in the trenches, Bale moved easily amongst the morose company of his brother Legions, becoming a welcome site to many commanders and Captains in both. On the industrial moon Praesec X, Bale masterminded the closing stages of the siege of Hive φ2, leading the breaching force personally and earning the admiration of Warsmith Kreugor of the Iron Warriors XX Company. On Marjan VI the 66th fought in bitter street to street fighting alongside a company of Death Guard under the command of First Captain Typhon. Inch by bloody inch they forced back the combined Mechanicus, Imperial Fists and Imperial Army forces until at last Bale and Typhon planted the Warmaster’s banner atop the corpse of the last Imperial Fist. Cementing the oaths of friendship and brotherhood between the Death Guard 1st and Sons of Horus 66th. However, it was the ambush on Hallion V that would ultimately shape the future of the 66th.

[Dark Disciple]

Here is part 2, I'll upload the rest tomorrow.

Thanks for looking!

 

The Hallion Ambush

Hallion V was a feral class world which but for a twist of fate would have remained unspoiled by the raging civil war. Though having no valuable resources or strategic assets worth considering, the 66th descended on Hallion V in response to a century old debt owed to the IV Legion. Crippled during a pitched engagement the Iron Warriors Capital Ship Will of Iron had risked a warp jump to evade Imperial Forces only to be blown of course by the savage warp storms wracking the Empyrum. Having chanced upon the Astrophathic message Captain Bale had redirected his forces, arriving in system to find the Will of Iron little more than a blasted ruin on Hallion V’s central cotenant, still transmitting the same looping distress call.

Detecting no threats Bale personally lead the recovery teams down to the wreck though what he would find would forever scar him. Scant hours after arriving eight power signatures flared into life, masked by the gravity well of Hallion III. Vessels bearing the livery of the Imperial Army and the Salamanders Legion moved to engage the vessels of the 66th who, taken by surprise were forced into a fighting retreat, leaving the 66th forces planetside to their fate.

Moving deeper into the hulk the recovery teams began to find recent signs of battle. Spent bolter casings littered the floor in some areas, bulkheads were scorched black by chemical flame in some places and bore the telltale signs of melta weaponry in others. Entering into the Enginarium the recovery teams at last located the Iron Warriors.

 

Gathered together into great pyres the still armoured bodies and weapons of the dead Iron Warriors were still smouldering when the 66th found them. Of a more immediate concern however, were the explosive charges attached to the towering plasma batteries which powered the fallen behemoth. Bale ordered a full evacuation though not soon enough.

Hallion V burned in the fires of the Salamander’s Vengeance.

As the nuclear holocaust subsided, the Salamander’s deployed in force to confirm the elimination of their foes. Though badly mauled in the Istavaan V betrayal, many of the surviving Salamanders Captains had resolved to conduct a fighting retreat, harrying and disrupting the traitor forces as much as possible before being forced to withdraw. Though outnumbered and injured the survivors rallied around the horrifically burned Bale and engaged the loyalists. Though the fighting was ferocious, without the support of the Imperial Army the badly mauled Salamanders could not fully prosecute their foes for fear of loosing yet more of their numbers and inching closer to extinction. Though each legionnaire of the 66th who fell was a keenly felt loss to his squad mates and company brothers; the loss of a single Salamander was a tragedy for the broken Legion. Ultimately, it was this fact rather than any decisive victory which forced the Salamander to break off the engagement and retreat. In the blasted ruin of Hallion V a final act of spite began a tradition that would forever define the 66th. The bodies of the dead were collected, stripped of any useful equipment and burned upon great pyres, and with them the genetic legacy of Nocturne was rendered ash.

[Azarias]

Interesting. What I like most is the sort of inversion of loyalist connotations present in your tale. Usually you hear about one marine "earning the admiration" of another from a different legion it concerns loyalists. You don't much hear about bonds of loyalty (oh you know what I mean) and heroism from the heretics.

[Dark Disciple]

Thanks for your kind words Azarias.

It always seemed a bit of a shame that the traitor Legions always seem to despise each other, even during the Heresy

Here's part 3 and 4 of 6, hope you like it.

 

Disciple

 

The Heresy Spreads

Both in honour of those who had fallen and as a mark of shame for falling into the Salamanders ambush, the 66th marked their armour with a flaming skull sigil. Though commended by the Warmaster for their staunch resistance and gaining the gratitude of the Iron Warriors Primarch for coming to the aid of his warriors, the 66th would throw themselves into the crucible of war to expunge the stain on their honour and silence the ghosts of the fallen.

Many amongst the 66th found solace in the teachings of the XVII Legion Chaplains, embracing the ways of the Warmaster’s esoteric allies. Soon the great pyres once seen as a final insult to their former brothers began to take on a more sinister tone until by the Siege of Terra the pyres were wholly dedicated to the Pantheon of the Primordial Truth. Like a cancer Chaos had spread its tendrils through the 66th from the rawest recruit to Captain Bale himself. Gone were any pretences of maintaining the secular Imperial Truth with Bale regularly bargaining with Daemons of the powers for both knowledge and support in battle.

 

Burned almost beyond recognition Luther Bale continued to lead the 66th through the Heresy much as he had during the Great Crusade. Though in the Great Crusade the Company had learned to maximise the advantages of Legions Astartes physiology held over un-augmented humans and xenos alike, the bitter fighting of the civil war taxed the 66th heavily. Already battered from ambush at Hallion, the rigours of siege warfare, brutal urban conflicts and pitched battles against foes every bit their equal further diminished the company. In response Bale increased recruitment tenfold, harvesting and discarding thousands of recruits in an attempt to bolster his forces. When even this proved insufficient, he turned to Apothecary Fabius of the III Legion and his now legendary cloning techniques.

 

When the veterans of the Marjan Cleansing learned of the loss of the Death Guard fleet many were overcome with grief at the loss of such close friends while others swore vengeance in their names. When the Death Guard joined the Iron Warriors and 66th in the trenches however, what should have been a joyous event quickly turned to one of horror. Gone were the stoic , resolute warriors of the Death Guard Legion and in their place the dour warp tainted Plague Marines. Though openly still sworn friends, inwardly the majority of the 66th were horrified at the fate of their allies, though some saw only the power at the Death Guards command. Regardless the 66th fought side by side with their pestilent allies, working tirelessly with the Iron Warriors to bring down the walls of the Imperial Palace itself and allow the berserker World Eaters the entry they craved. As the siege ground on the great pyres of the 66th were built, forming part of the Word Bearers ineffable rituals. With the terrors of the warp at their side, victory had seemed assured.

 

 

Exile

When the Warmaster fell the 66th were amongst those who abandoned their posts in the confusion, desperate to come to their Lord’s aid, and subsequently allowed the loyalists to mount a counter offensive which forced their allies into a costly fighting retreat.

Despite his reservations Bale acceded to Abaddon’s orders and retreated with the bulk of the Legion into the Warp Anomaly known as the Occulus Terriblus, or Eye of Terror in Low Gothic. There Bale witnessed the fracturing of the Legion as the disparate Captains vied with each other to claim Horus legacy. Disgusted with what had become of his brother’s Bale and the 66th withdrew from the politicking and attempted to strike out on their own. What he could not have anticipated however, was the enmity with which the Sons of Horus were now held after the defeat at Terra. Ultimately he was forced to broker a deal with Abaddon, in exchange for supporting his claim Abaddon would supply Bale with the resources he required to wage his own war. Thus it was that the last action of the 66th Company was to fight their own brother’s and destroy the body of their own Primarch.

 

True to his word, Abaddon supplied the remnants of the 66th with everything they could need. With the formation of Abaddon’s Black Legion the 66th also ceased to be, having never truly recovered from the Hallion V engagement. While Abaddon commanded his warriors to stain their armour black as a mark of atonement and grief, Bale saw this for the act it truly was. Claiming the title of Warmaster for himself Abaddon sought to re-forge the shattered Legion in his own image, in his own colours and for his own purpose. He would do likewise.

Searching for purpose, his mind was constantly drawn back to Hallion. He remembered the colour of their bare ceramite armour in the fires of a dying world so vividly it was as though he still stood on the scorched earth of that dead world. Gathering together the four hundred surviving members of his Company, he named them the Rogo Dyss, a title given to them by the Iron Warriors on Terra which roughly translated from Olympian to mean the eternal flames of war or in gothic simply, the Pyre.

[Dark Disciple]

And finally here are the last 2 blocks of text.

Thanks for reading, and please let me know what you think.

 

Disciple

 

The Plague Lord Rises

For over a millennium the Pyre waged war on the Imperium of Mankind from the shadows of the warp. Through the backing of rebellious governors, piracy and direct attacks on targets of opportunity the Rogo Dyss worked to expand both their own standing amongst both the warbands of the exiled Legions and with the Pantheon of Chaos.

Amongst the warriors of the Pyre however, many were growing tiered of the “Fire Lord’s” leadership which many saw as increasingly ineffective. Among the loudest dissenting voices was that of Xelekh Hastur, champion of the self styled Iron Breakers who called for a return to glory. A chance encounter with the Terminus Est provided just the chance the warband sought. Though still weary of the Rogo Dyss for their desertion on Terra, the Herald of Nurgle deigned to meet with the Fire Lord, remembering well the oaths sworn on Marjan. Though a millennium of exposure to the madness of the warp many of the Pyre still remembered the revulsion they had felt upon first seeing the twisted Plague Marines. Hastur however, unknown to his brothers had lusted for power over his one fear, death, and saw in the pestilent Death Guard his salvation.

In the disease ridden trenches of Romzen II, the Death Guard and the Pyre fought side by side once more against the Imperium. Protected by the warp-craft of the warbands Sorcerers, Bale and his warriors went largely untouched by the aura of disease and decay which surrounded their allies. In secret however, Hastur pledged himself to Nurgle in return for his salvation. His blessing, while not the same plague which gave unnatural life to the Death Guard rendered him all but immortal. For a time Hastur was able to hide the signs of his patronage, taking to wearing his helm at all times. While his fellows noted this strange habit, many merely assumed that Hastur’s armour was beginning to bond with his flesh, a mutation all too common amongst the exiled Legions. In time the Iron Breakers too were turned to the Lord of Decay’s service as Hastur quietly expanded his power base. When the coup at last came, it was quick and unexpected. Within hours of murdering his Lord in cold blood, Hastur and the Iron Breakers had revealed themselves to their brothers and seized power completely.

 

Under the auspice of the self styled Plague Lord many of the warband openly embraced the worship of Nurgle, though many more resisted. Yet it would be almost a full century before Hastur’s leadership would be challenged openly by his brothers. Bloated with power and grossly disfigured by the blessings of his diabolical patron, Hastur stood on the cusp of ascension. The halls of the Igneus Nox, the warband’s flagship had suffered greatly under the entropic warp touch of Nurgle while the ships mortal crew had almost entirely been reduced to mindless plague zombies. Those who remained were forced to endure almost daily ministrations from Valekh Sul, supplicant of the Changer and one of the most powerful of the warbands Sorcerers.

Unlike Hastur’s murder of Bale, this challenge was made in the tradition of the old Legions as Valekh challenged Hastur for the right to lead. Initially dismissive, offering leniency for the immediate withdrawal of the challenge, Hastur was unnerved by the level of support within the Rogo Dyss his challenger held. With both combatants well versed in the Sorcerers arts, the duel was conducted both physically and mentally as blinding warpfire met with the pure essence of decay, weapons clashed and armour was sundered as each fought tooth and nail for power. Engorged with the power of his Patron Hastur’s victory seemed assured, barrelling with a vicious overhead blow to cleave his foe in two. Had HOLD attempted to meet the blow he would have perished, barely moving aside in time Valekh’s energised blade tore through Hastor’s insect like armour, cutting the legs from beneath him.

Defeated and broken, Xelekh Hastur awaited a death stroke that would never come. Knowing full well of Hastur’s fear of death Valekh sentenced him to interment within one the warbands ancient Dreadnaughts, where Hastur would learn that life can be just as terrifying as death. With a single sweep of his arm Hastur’s sword arm was removed at the shoulder, while the reverse stroke removed his other. As a last mocking act Hastur’s body was consumed in flames.

 

Rebirth

Cementing his position as Lord of the Pyre, Valekh and his Sorcerers conducted a great ritual at the heart of the Igneus Nox, summoning the powerful Lord of Change known throughout human history as the Fateweaver to cleanse the vessel of Nurgle’s taint. In return for this service the Rogo Dyss would forever more become pawns in the Fateweaver’s schemes.

Fateweaver’s flames cleansed the Igneus Nox, burning away the taint, the rot, metal bulkheads renewed themselves and the daemonic entities merged with the mighty vessels systems. Daemons of Khorne gleefully joined with the great void weapons, while the spawn of Slaanesh and Tzeentch vied for possessions of the ships communications and sensors. Great runes blazed into existence on the thick hull of the vessel and bulkheads ran like mercury into new forms. Through all of this one area remained untouched, enduring all attempts to purge so that the Lord of Change’s only option was to seal it. The Vault as it would come to be known became the domain of the Iron Breakers and those who had pledged themselves to Nurgle’s service during Hastur’s reign. This blighted area of the ship is surrounded by runes of change and aversion, holding the necrotising effects of Nurgle at bay. Centred around the great armoury which contains Hastur’s sarcophagus, the Vault stretches to contain the starboard-aft armouries, quarters and hanger bays. Visitors to the quarantined sections of the ship are rare, limited to void suited serfs and slaves ferrying in supplies. Likewise, the servants of Nurgle are loath to stalk the corridors of the Igneus Nox for the residual warp touch of the Fateweaver causes them great pain.

Since assuming command, Valekh Sul has worked tirelessly to re-build the Warband forging alliances across the shattered Legions and within the Dark Mechanicus. Always careful to never be drawn into costly battles, the Pyre have developed a reputation for being somewhat mercurial allies. Oath-sworn to the service of the legendary Fateweaver, HOLD is often forced to lead the Rogo Dyss in pursuit of seemly inconsequential goals, the ramifications of which are often not felt for centuries, or even millennia. When the Pyre go to war they do so at the head of scores of screaming cultists, supplementing their forces with daemons summoned from the warp and the hellish daemon engines of the Dark Mechanicus.

A mighty Sorcerer, Valekh has coveted the favour of Tzeentch to increase his power exponentially and even learn to read the strands of fate. Armed with the mighty Daemon Weapon HOLD, he has led the Rogo Dyss on hundreds of campaigns since rising to eminence ranging from raids to recover relics and set in motion his patrons multitude schemes to pitched battles alongside their former brothers in the Black Legion under the banner of the rising Warmaster Abaddon.

 

As the 41st Millenium draws to a close, Valekh has become obsessed with uncovering the secrets of an ancient ritual. For try as he might, the Rogo Dyss are being drawn inexorably into a battle from which they cannot possibly survive as their Patron’s great scheme at last take shape. With time running out, he attempts to defy the tyrannous stars and achieve what no mortal has achieved before, to re-write his own destiny.

[ThisisJimmy]

Cheers for the read, and apart for a few grammatical errors and perhaps a structural issue (when you talk about the Valekh challenge), was well written and told an interesting story. I really enjoyed the idea of a warband changing their alleigances to the Gods, something I don't think I've heard before.

 

Have you had any thoughts about how you wanted to model/paint these guys yet? It would be interesting to see you attempt to show their previous Nurgle worship in some way.