Pan Humanism- warband of the God-Makers

[Gorkimedes]

Recently in the Horus Heresy section there was a thread discussing the nature of the warp and what not. One point someone brought up was the idea of someone worshiping chaos undivided, but only the gods humanity had a hand in creating. Well mind-blown I got to thinking about how one would add worship of the Emperor into chaos undivided. Made a rough first draft of what came to mind.

 

 

Name: The God-Makers

 

The Promise

 

"Why did we fail at Terra? The answer is simple, we allied with those who had forgotten their humanity.  My father tore down Dorn’s walls with such speed that it was embarrassing. Our legions stood outside the final gate ready to grasp victory… and where was Fulgrim?  At the deciding moment of mankind’s greatest war where were the rabble of the third? Breaking rank to gallivant through the streets of Terra screaming praises to there Xenos born god.

 

Look to the Eldar, how long did these things rule over the galaxy? I have heard tales that before their fall their lives were measured not by hundreds or thousands but by millions of years. These creatures claimed the very heavens as their home and what have they to show for it? One weak and petty god. Humanity has barely begun to walk the path to ascension and we already eclipse them. Our gods outnumbered theirs before we crawled out of the mud on Terra. Reject this xenos deity it offers you nothing that true human gods can give you.

 

Does mighty Khorne not give you the strength to fight, the will to draw your blade and stand between your enemies and all that you cherish? Who sustains us through our trials and our despair? Nurgle! When you look at the universe and say this is not right, this must change, that is Tzeentch freeing your mind from blindness! All of these gifts lend strength to our greater cause. But do the worshippers of Slaanesh seek the same greater glories as us? No, they are fickle, self-serving cowards. They would sacrifice humanities noble cause for their own ends!

 

I was one of the last to quit the field on Terra. As we were fleeing to our drop ships a vision overcame me. The Emperor came to me and told me of his fate. So-called loyal sons had imprisoned him within a throne of gold. The legions on Terra had not been defending him; they had been keeping him trapped. Dorn, Sanguinius and Khan, traitors who sought to prevent the Emperor from completing his great work.

 

Below his palace the Emperor was attempting to tear a hole into the very heart of the immaterium. A stable pathway where the living god could commune with the divine chorus. At Terra, Horus had contained a portion of the gods within himself. Compared to the nova that is the Emperor, Horus was but a candle. This was the promise made to me on Terra. Free the Emperor from his prison and he will summon his fellows within himself. The entirety of the gods will be infused into the Emperor and heaven will walk upon mortal soil. Mankind has created the greatest gods to ever exist, one more struggle and we will rise to meet them."- Tryket Verinan Speaker of the Truth.

 

Origins

 

"From its' inception I was with the Fourth. First hand I saw the reawakening of our species, watched as the Emperor reforged a shattered husk of a planet into the shining capital of an empire. As my body was reshaped by the Emperors gene-techs so too did my mind change. What had barely been noticeable before was now a loud booming voice. When the legion marched to war the heavens sang to me of  the certainty of our mission and I brought the manifest wrath of the Emperor down upon our enemies.

 

I was there at Nikaea when the strong were punished for the mistakes of the foolish. The numbers of the warp-touched were few among the Iron Warriors but it was seen fit to send a handful of us to observe the event. My heart sank when the ruling turned against us. We shared power with Magnus but never his hubris...his foolishness. As we departed I caught sight of Lord Commander Eidolon with a smug grin across his face. Secure I'm sure in his freshly reinforced sense of self-righteousness. 

 

Always the dutiful son I, regretfully, obeyed the Edict to the letter, giving up divine fire for simple bolt and blade. My mind I wrapped in a fortress of wards and traps, all but severing myself from the call of the Empyrean. Until Terra I remained blind in my self imposed isolation. As the legions were fleeing the homeworld a great wave of psychic pain rolled across the land. My wards were burned and cast asunder in an instant. I could feel the Emperor calling out in grief at his imprisonment.

 

As awareness flooded my mind I cursed those who had falsesly accused my kind and caused our censure, I cursed those to weak to hear the call, I cursed my own blindness! Had I listened, had I not rejected my gifts perhaphs I could have changed these events. I will not make the same mistakes again. Next time I march upon Terran soil it will be with divine words upon my lips and men of faith at my side."-  Recollections of the Truth-Speaker

 

Beliefs

 

" Chaos, never before has such a false name been used to keep the masses blind to the truth. It is not disorder our gods bring but change...and change has always frightened the weak. The gods come from humanity. The Heavenly Choir from our dreams, the Emperor from our flesh. Deny them and you deny yourself."

 

The God-Makers believe in the unquestionable divinity of mankind. It is humanities destiny to not just struggle to survive, but to grow, prosper and conquer. All the lights in creation will one day shine upon human eyes alone.

 

All other races of note have gods in one form or another. The Eldar and their Dark Prince, the Ork hordes and their empowered war-bosses. These races have ended their progress while mankind marches on because they failed to unite the divine with the material. The gods of the warp are beings of dream stuff, fickle and changeable things. Subject to the winds of imagination and the tides of emotion. The Emperor is resolute and strong, constrained within the iron laws of the universe. When mankind's dreams are combined with their reality all obstacles will be washed away.

 

Organization

 

" Change gave Horus' forces the strength to tear down the greatest Empire to ever claim the stars. Disorder is what allowed the strong to fall before the weak."

 

The God-Makers see the gods as vehicles for humanities growth, not excuses to descend into madness. Personal growth is encouraged but order is enforced. Tryket Verinan's word is law and his Iron Warrior brothers stand at the warband's head. The worship of the True Pantheon has limited the warband's growth, Astartes from the old legions look upon Verinan's belief in the Emperor with disgust. It is from the younger generations that most of the warband's new recruits come from. Space Marines dissatisfied after seeing no victory in sight after centuries of serving the Imperium, renegades who see their brothers accepting a life of squaller and pointless bickering hiding within warp storms.

 

The Eminent March

 

For the past ten thousand years the God-Makers have sailed within the void between stars. Striking at worlds, seemingly at random. While the actions of the God-Makers may seem without purpose they are not. The gods scream to Verinan from the warp, demanding that their vessel be freed from his prison. Their howls direct the fleet to search out the so-called living saints of the Imperium. Over ten millennia the God-Makers have captured twenty-one of these divine mortals.

 

 The ritual cast upon these paragons is simple and horrible. Taken to the heart of a warp storm a daemon is summoned into their holy flesh. Carry both the gifts of the Emperor and the blessing of the neverborn has killed all but one of these saints.

 

As they tear themselves apart Verinan listens to their death-screams. He has claimed to hear many things within these cries of pain. Whispers of words spoken upon Holy Terra, commands from the Emperor himself and even visions sent back in time from the united pantheon.

 

 Each sacrificial union has changed Verinan. When each saint finds the brink of oblivion he has fed upon their warp energy. Long gone is the Iron Warrior who fled from his legion at Sebastus IV. Those who have looked upon him describe him as a figure of constant change. At times he appears like his old self, a simple warrior of the fourth legion, moments later a tower monster of raw flesh and shadows. Still other times Verinan will seem to be perfection given flesh, his features twisting to a form akin to the Emperor himself.

 

The Saint Unblinded

 

Canoness Claretta saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. Bringing her multi-melta around she hesitated. Standing before her was a woman in shining power armor.  Striding amongst the group of sisters the woman looked at each with closed eyes. Claretta was unsure of what to do; this stranger did not resemble any of the daemons that had hunted them the past night. The woman seemed perfect in every way, disgustingly without flaw.

 

 As Claretta eyed the stranger her eyes darted back and forth seeing a flaw, something dark on the edge of her vision that disappeared when looked at directly. It was then that the thing opened its eyes and mouth, revealing pit black orbs and gleaming fangs. Claretta raised her multi-melta and shot at it with chemical fire hot enough to melt through the hardest armor. She looked on horrified as the creature let the blast wash over itself without concern. Then with a single shattering punch the creature sent the Cannoness flying through the air. Her armor broken and her body pulped Claretta fell into darkness.

 

When she awoke it was to a horrifying sight. The bodies of thirty sisters lay torn apart across the ground. The creature was atop sister Augusta, devouring bloody chunks of the woman’s body as the sister struggled in vain to kill the thing with her chainsword. As darkness once again took Claretta she heard the creature let out a mighty howl. To the dying canoness it sounded as if two voices were calling out. One full of mirth while the other sorrow. They continued to call out until the two blended together into one horrible scream. 

[Conn Eremon]

I approve! :p

[Demus Ragnok]

I also approve.

[JeffTibbetts]

That's a wild concept, man. I'm eager to watch you flesh this out. 

[Wade Garrett]

I fully support your ideals and wish to subscribe to your newsletter!

[Scribe]

A great (and fitting!) concept really.

[Gorkimedes]

Thanks bros.

[Olis]

An interesting take on the gods, brotastic. Would make for a great pychological basis for a Chaos Undivided warband - any ideas of what the warband would consist of?  

[Gorkimedes]

Combined with first post.

[Gorkimedes]

Combined with first post.

[JeffTibbetts]

I think this is a unique and interesting idea, but they are bat crazy in their own way. If it were true that the dark gods only gave you strength and power, Horus would have actually toppled the Empire. But he didn't. I love that they are able to twist this philosophy into something that looks good on paper, if you will. I'm not entirely sure how they explain away the madness, physical corruption and suffering that comes along with the worship of the dark gods.

Side note: I like the idea of the pantheon still numbering 4. The Emperor should replace Slaanesh, by rights. I think the symbol of a triangle is a powerful image that brings with it real, modern human ideas about religiosity to the table. Maybe that's it. A triangle to represent the lords of the warp, and then a symbol in the middle of it to represent the Emperor who balances the others.

This is a fun concept. Verinan seems interesting but I think he deserves a better origin. The current one doesn't sell me on why he became what he did. I think he'd be more interesting as a psyker, personally, who felt that his own connection to the warp brought him strength and the Nikean edict was a misguided decision. Works well with the Iron Warriors bitter streak too if he's all butthurt about it, honestly.

[Gorkimedes]

The original idea I had was that Verinan in his twisted and or enlightened thinking sees the Golden Throne as a prison. He believes that after the Emperor is released he'll basically become a daemonhost for the entirety of all the gods, bringing them out of the warp and into physical reality. Maybe they can rationalize the corruption and suffering as symptoms of "gods" incompleteness. Right now each of the powers is an uncontrollable but powerful facet of humanity in the warp. When they're united in the Emperor these sideeffects wouldn't happen.

 

Like the idea of him being a psyker. For the traitor legions, was it just the Death Guard and Emperor's Children who didn't use them? I can't remember any examples of Iron Warrior or Luna Wolves/Son of Horus librarians.

[JeffTibbetts]

I can't either but I haven't read the whole series. I think they had them. Librarians are so downplayed in HH stuff. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

You might be interested in Zhuang Zi, a Taoist philosopher. One of his parables is of a musician who quite playing, because he realized that when he played an instrument, the sounds he created drowned out the sounds of nature, and only in silence can the sounds of nature be appreciated. The lesson is that, when humans impose order upon chaos, they are sowing chaos by disrupting the natural order of things- that there is order in chaos, and chaos in order. For all things, the right and wrong, good and bad, are subjective.

 

The idea of "order in chaos, and chaos in order" may bridge the conflicting ideals of those the God-Makers seek to recruit.

 

By the way, study the Eldar's fluff more. The pointy-eared xenos do not worship Slaanesh, they despise him, for his birth resulted in the deaths of the gods the Eldar actually worshipped- Khaine, Asuryan, Vaul, etc.

[Gorkimedes]

Sounds interesting, I'll be sure to look it up.

 

O I know, was just trying to get it across that they see Slaanesh as an Eldar god, one that humanity shouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. Hmmm I'll have to reword some stuff.

[ElectricPaladin]

This reminds me of the idea I had for a daemon army where all the various flavors of daemon were replaced by various beautiful and angelic - or at least beautiful and strange - forms, rather than the horrific figures that we're used to. Khornate daemons as warrior angels, Nurgle daemons as water angels, Tzeentch daemons as burning wheel angels and pillars of fire with eight wings angels, and Slaanesh daemons as gorgeous humanoid angels. The fluff behind it was to be that this was a host of daemons who represented what it would be like when humanity stopped fighting and gave itself to the Warp, and the Warp in turn stopped fighting to be recognized.

 

"Worship us and you will see our kinder faces."

 

But then I realized that this would involve playing daemons, which has never interested me, that all the rules would be fighting me, and that I'd basically have to sculpt an entire army from scratch, so I bagged it.

[JeffTibbetts]

@ Palidin, that sounds awesome! You know, I've really never thought of warp entities in that way but it makes a lot of sense… 

[Gorkimedes]

This reminds me of the idea I had for a daemon army where all the various flavors of daemon were replaced by various beautiful and angelic - or at least beautiful and strange - forms, rather than the horrific figures that we're used to. Khornate daemons as warrior angels, Nurgle daemons as water angels, Tzeentch daemons as burning wheel angels and pillars of fire with eight wings angels, and Slaanesh daemons as gorgeous humanoid angels. The fluff behind it was to be that this was a host of daemons who represented what it would be like when humanity stopped fighting and gave itself to the Warp, and the Warp in turn stopped fighting to be recognized.

 

"Worship us and you will see our kinder faces."

 

But then I realized that this would involve playing daemons, which has never interested me, that all the rules would be fighting me, and that I'd basically have to sculpt an entire army from scratch, so I bagged it.

Thats a cool idea. In my mind for the God-Makers while the regular blokes may suffer the standard mutations powerful sorcerers , daemonhosts etc would be a little different. The more "special" individuals like the possessed saint would at first appear like walking perfection. But as you look at them longer something starts to feel wrong...they're to perfect.

 

I'd describe the feeling I was going for like  Don't look into the light to long, all you might see is darkness.

[Conn Eremon]

It's really nice to think that a simple throw-away musing sentence I had has so inspired someone! This is interesting to read.

 

I do concur that their Chaos Lord needs more expanding upon.

[Gorkimedes]

Working on a better origin for Verinan.

 

"From its' inception I was with the Fourth. First hand I saw the reawakening of our species, watched as the Emperor reforged a shattered husk of a planet into the shining capital of an empire. As my body was reshaped by the Emperors gene-techs so too did my mind change. What had barely been noticeable before was now a loud booming voice. When the legion marched to war the heavens sang to me of  the certainty of our mission and I brought the manifest wrath of the Emperor down upon our enemies.

 

I was there at Nikaea when the strong were punished for the mistakes of the foolish. The numbers of the warp-touched were few among the Iron Warriors but it was seen fit to send a handful of us to observe the event. My heart sank when the ruling turned against us. We shared power with Magnus but never his hubris...his foolishness. As we departed I caught sight of Lord Commander Eidolon with a smug grin across his face. Secure I'm sure in his freshly reinforced sense of self-righteousness. 

 

Always the dutiful son I, regretfully, obeyed the Edict to the letter, giving up divine fire for simple bolt and blade. My mind I wrapped in a fortress of wards and traps, all but severing myself from the call of the Empyrean. Until Terra I remained blind in my self imposed isolation. As the legions were fleeing the homeworld a great wave of psychic pain rolled across the land. My wards were burned and cast asunder in an instant. I could feel the Emperor calling out in grief at his imprisonment.

 

As awareness flooded my mind I cursed those who had falsesly accused my kind and caused our censure, I cursed those to weak to hear the call, I cursed my own blindness! Had I listened, had I not rejected my gifts perhaphs I could have changed these events. I will not make the same mistakes again. Next time I march upon Terran soil it will be with divine words upon my lips and men of faith at my side."-  Recollections of the Truth-Speaker

[JeffTibbetts]

Nailed it! 

[Gorkimedes]

Nailed it!

Thanks.

Hmmm color schemes....

*looks at pile of poorly painted Black Templars*

Anything but black, anything but black

[Vincent val Munshin]

Good lord. This is so heretical it hurts. Just when I thought no more insults could be done to the Emperor, this.



Well done, sir!

[Gorkimedes]

Good lord. This is so heretical it hurts. Just when I thought no more insults could be done to the Emperor, this.

Well done, sir!

Thanks bro.

Some symbol ideas for the warband I've been brainstorming.

Been thinking about trying to model a small force of these guys. I'd like to have background for each miniature, no nameless heroes in this bunch! First ideas for characters I came up with are

Prime Advance

Praetor Greven

"Praetor, that word used to mean something. To be labeled as such was to be hailed as a living legend, a paragon of human virtues and strength. I used to be all of these things, my name was known across the breadth of the fledgling Imperium. When men spoke of the Astartes legions my name ranked amongst their greatest champions. But … that was millennia ago and the bones of those who once sang my praise have long since turned to dust. Once I led thousands of geneforged demi-gods into battle, now I am simply the mightiest warrior of a band of two hundred.

I was there when our father stood atop an altar of rended flesh, I watched as warp fire remolded his flesh and turned him into something unnatural. Without his steadfast hand the Warsmiths turned upon themselves. I had neither the heart nor the desire to claim power at the price of Iron Warrior blood. Where the other legion-commanders saw rivals I saw brothers. I saw men driven man by bitterness and rage, I saw men throw their brothers and countless mortals into hell-storms without a second thought. Did they forget their own pain at being used like nameless machines of war?

Verinan served under my command since the earliest days of the Fourth. We were never close but he had my respect. I could see the hunger for power growing inside him and gladly I handed over that mantle; my time at the helm had passed. Over the long years I attempted to be a mediating influence upon my old subordinate. At least he has never treated his brothers’ lives like trash to be flung away.

It is brotherhood, not faith that has kept me fighting through the long years since Terra. I see some value in Verinan’s creed. I truly would like to believe the Emperor never betrayed us; I would like to believe the gods could lead us to glory. But I suffered through the long years of the Great Crusade; I saw the monsters Angron and Mortarion had become upon Terra. I do not know, for now the Truthspeaker has my blade not my heart. "

Brother Metaxas

"For one hundred and fifty three years I marched at the whims of the Lords of Ultramar and Terra. As a Battle Brother of the Genesis Chapter I was heir to a legacy second only to that of the original legions. I saw my brothers rise up to meet this past with fervor. As they slaughtered the enemies of the Imperium I saw a fire within my fellows that I never felt. For reasons unknown to me at the time every triumph we claimed seemed false, every victory hollow.

Even in front of the Primogenitor Lord’s shrine, as my brothers were moved to tears by the brilliance of his sight I was left feigning devotion. Around the shrine were the names of all past Ultramarines. A monument to ten thousand years of sacrifice and what did we have to show for it? How many trillions upon trillions of human lives has the Imperium sold since the last of the fathers left? Our grandeur should eclipse theirs a thousand fold and yet we are left scrabbling to hold onto the remnants of their glory. We burn heretics and slay the xenos upon worlds long ago bought with blood.

It was on the world of Cano’Nor that I made my mistake. The war to reclaim this planet had taken seventeen years. The fields of that place had been paved with the bones of countless Guardsmen and Astartes alike. After the fighting had stopped the local Sector Governor toured the world. He walked upon hallowed ground; land men had died sing praises to the Emperor upon. Something inside me broke with his smiles, I strangled him, throttled the life from him before his bodyguards could drive me off.

I fled, eventually sneaking my way off world. For years I hid in the dark bellies of cruisers sailing from star system to star system. Somehow I found myself in the ruins of a city purged by the Truthspeaker. Verinan came to me alone, introducing himself and asking me of my origins. After I finished my tale Verinan smiled and spread his arms wide, to this day I don’t know if he was showing me the city, the Imperium or the universe itself. He spoke only six words". “This is not the Emperor’s will”.

General ideas, will expand these later.

Brother Hartha- Iron Warrior who was a regular battle brother during the heresy who leaves the Iron Cage broken. Drawn to Verinan by the idea that all the suffering during the Great Crusade wasn't for nothing. Slowly walking down the path of a berserker, Greven is trying to prevent him from ending up like Ilshofen ( the guy below).

Brother Ilshofen- Deceased - A mighty warrior who's embraced all of chaos' gifts. Eventually the mutations overwhelm him with madness and Hartha has to kill him.

Brother Otthold- Deceased - will return when inspiration is found!

[JeffTibbetts]

I like the badge in the lower right, with the 'rays' dividing the powers. Makes me think of the circle in the middle not as isolated, but that it controls the other three and keeps them all separate and in balance.