The Renegade Legion

[Slips]

For a Second I Thought you were in Vancouver Canada, Arctic..I was about to suggest you move to the east coast and game with us in montreal :p

[Tiberius Cato]

I'd gladly move to Montreal if I had the means to! Gotta watch the habs mo' often. But yeah, I've yet to find anyone around here that will help me learn to play, but I'm perfectly content with writing fluff and modelling/painting for the mo' ^_^

[simison]

Darn, I have the opposite problem. I have the people to play with, but no money or spare time to paint. I'm a fast reader and typist so it doesn't take me oodles amount of time and effort to work on the writing portion of the legion. 

 

But no, the Return of the Wardens game would be limited to either polling or me rolling fate dice. 

[simison]

Preface

 

Even the brightest stars can cast the deepest shadows.

 

Many will assume I speak of the infamous Warmaster and the Heresy, but the shadows I speak of began many years before the Warmaster began his path of damnation.

For the first cracks of our seemimgly-unbreakable unity had its roots not in the vaunted XVI^th legion, but in the lost legions of II^nd and XI^th.

Perhaps if we had not been so quick to forget these two infamous legions, perhaps we would have been prepared for the shadows ahead.

For before their respective Falls, they too stood with us during the Great Crusade. They too earned their shares of victories and glories.

They too radiated their own lights before Fate cruelly extinguished them.

 

Make no mistake. My other volumes will stand in the light, revealing truth as others will dare to call them false and words of darkness. 

Yet, while this volume will radiate with truth as do the others, it is doomed to remain in the night.

For the Emperor's Ban remains in effect to this day. And so, though I believe this truth deserves to exist,

it will be a silent existence known only to a few.

A 'lost' volume to mirror the lost legions.

 

I saw with eyes then young and this is my testament. I was there when Tallarn burned and

Keoptis drowned in oceans of blood. I witnessed the skies of Terra riven with lightning and shadow on the day

that the Warmaster came and hell that followed him. I heard the funeral bell toll for the Emperor of Humanity and wept.

 

I remember.

[simison]

A small arena devoted to sparring witnessed an auspicious gathering today. Four demi-gods of war assembled around it: an Angel, a Khan, a Praetorian, and a Seer. All of them were ready for war, wearing gleaming armor of artificer-make and deadly weapons capable of felling hundreds, if not thousands, of foes. The Seer stepped into the arena. "I understand you have your doubts, Dorn, but I can promise, on the life of our dear Father no less, Horus will be here in three days." He nodded toward the Angel. "Sanguinius can vouch for me. His Sight has likewise seen their coming." 

 

Dorn glanced at the ethereal brother expectantly. A nod was given. "Our brother speaks truly, though my visions are not as accurate as his. Horus is on his way and will be here within the week."

 

"So little time remains to us," Alexandros continued. "We must prepare for his arrival and that means we must be prepared to fight our brothers." He unsheathed Ultimatum. 

 

The Praetorian grumbled, "I understand this. I don't understand why you insist that we be the first ones to spar." 

 

"We have yet to undergo the trials they have faced," Alexandros answered. He gestured to the Khan then to the Angel. "Jaghatai has already faced against Mortarion, while Sanguinius faced Ka'Bandha. They have fought beings equal to us in the art of combat. We must train harder to be as prepared as they are. Thus, we go first."

 

Alex's Usable Powers - Shriek/Hallucination!

Alex wins the first roll. He moves, Shriek bounces off Dorn, Hallucination goes through, and (despite saving all 5 Deny dice) so does Duelist with 2 successes. Plasma also bounces off Dorn and that ends the first turn.

 

With Shriek not much of a danger and Hallucination still in effect (which puts his WS on Alex's) Dorn holds position and opens fire. He botches on the to wound rolls and that's that. 

 

Shriek botches, Hallucination is back, but Dorn Denies Duelist. Plasma burns off 1 wound this time before Alex makes the charge. Another wound thanks to Xiphos before he uses Sundering Blow. Two 3's means he's not hitting this time. 

 

Dorn blocks Xiphos before two 1's ends his combat phase. No IWND.

 

Alex tosses all of his warp charges into Duelist but Dorn Denies it anyway. Xiphos is blocked and Dorn is back to only needing 3's to wound, but Aegis blocks. 

 

Dorn loses 2 more wounds, but even with Sundering Blow, he rolls a 1 then a 2, for his one to-hit, which means no wounds inflicted. Dorn gets IWND. 

 

Hallucination fizzles, but Alex gets Duelist! Dorn suffers a wound for it, and tries Sundering Blow one more time, which Aegis blocks.

 

After losing 2 wounds, Dorn is done.

 

[i thought this might be the case when using Sundering Blow, not enough hits to carry the wounds over. To be fair, Hallucination was enough for reducing Dorn's WS advantage too.]

 

With a grunt, Dorn falls without even a glancing hit on his opponent. After a moment to catch his breath, Alexandros sheaths Xiphos before offering his hand. "You did well."

 

"Don't patronize me," Dorn replied.

 

"I was sincere," Alexandros countered. "My precognition is one of my most potent weapons and no one has ever disabled my connection to them for as long as you have."

 

Dorn stared up at him before accepting the offered hand. "If only I could've done the same for the illusions you placed over yourself. Was it necessary to make yourself to appear as Horus?" 

 

Alexandros pulled him up. "I believe so. While Horus' preference for devastating strikes is well-known, he can be just as talented as using guile. Expect distractions and feints. And the more you're used to fighting an image of Horus, the more you will be ready to fight the real one."

 

Now standing, Dorn stared at Alexandros. After a moment, he said, "I expected you to side with him, you know? After your chastisement and hearing of Horus' rebellion, I expected you to join their ranks."

 

Alexandros sighed but wasn't surprised. "Dorn, you and I have always been separated by the ideals we have held, even if we both shared many other traits. I thought you too dogmatic and you thought me too much of a rebel. But, we are united in our defense of humanity, and that has always been true. So, swear with me now, brother. In the coming battle, I will stand with you through fire and blood if you will stand with me. I will forget our past rivalry if you will as well, and, together, let us protect Terra and the Imperium," he declared as he again offered his hand.

 

A silent pause lingered as the three brothers watched the Praetorian. The pause ended when Dorn gripped Alexandros by the wrist as the ancient warriors did so. "This, I do swear."

[simison]

The Halcyon Wardens

Numeration: The II^nd Legion

 

Primogenitor: Alexandros Darshan VonSalim 

 

Cognomen (Prior): Storm Riders

 

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Liberation and Defensive Operations, Attritional Warfare, Enforced Pacification, Psyker and Counter-psyker operations, Co-ordinated Mass-theatre Warfare, Armoured Support Operations

 

Noteworthy Domains: The Delos System, Terra (Tertiary), the Balov System, and twenty-six systems under Protectorate status

 

Allegiance: Perierat

 

"To be granted a Governorship is always a high honor, but what that entails differs depending on whom came before. To become a governor of a planet brought into Compliance by the Night Lords means inheriting an obedient but terrified and disgruntled population who would love nothing more than to lash out against you but are kept in check by their own terror. To govern a planet conquered by the Word Bearers carries its own risk as the population will forever belong to the Imperium, but at the price of whispered superstitions and a strange adaption of the Imperial Creed. Finally, to be a governor of a planet liberated by the Halcyon Wardens requires you to forget their previous disobedience and treat them with the utmost respect as citizens of the Imperium. Do this and you will be rewarded with a peaceful and prosperous reign for the Wardens have already done the hard work."

 

Archai Luka Jovinius

Planetary Governor of Izanki

[simison]

[unless anyone offers preferences, I'm going to go through the rest of the Primarchs in reverse publishing order]

 

Forgebreaker's head hovered between them. "Perturabo, please," Alexandros began. "It doesn't have to be like this. Horus is leading you on a path of damnation, I've seen it. You must trust me on this, I am not here to deceive you. I am here to help you."

 

"Trust?" The Lord of Iron's voice grated. "Deception? Did you not deceive me with your supposed 'death'? Did you know, I actually mourned you. One of my truest friends, lost to the void. I've never felt my heart ache so." His countenance grew bitter. "And now, here you are, decades afterwards, expecting me to simply forget what you did to me. Telling me to break ties with the last one I still trust." 

 

"I can explai-"

 

"NO!" Perturabo roared. "I will not here it! My friend, Alex, is dead." He lifted Forgebreaker. "I am merely ending an illusion."

 

Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Shriek/Dominate

 

Perturabo wins the first roll and calls down a bombardment, knocking off Alex's first wound before shooting off another wound. 

 

Alex advances before Shriek botches, but does get Duelist. Nothing in Overwatch. After needing a reroll to turn his 1 hit into 4 hits, Alex stabs 1 wound off Perturabo before has the same luck with his to hit pool and his 1 wound bounces off Aegis. No IWND.

 

Perturabo rolls 5 successful Invul saves before he meets the same defense from Alex. But then Alex fails his Blind test with a natural 6. No IWND.

 

Alex keeps Duelist as he cuts 1 more wound off, even with the handicap, while Perturabo can't take advantage and Aegis blocks. Alex gets IWND and passes Blind test. 

 

Perturabo loses 1 more wound before once again failing to get through Aegis. No IWND and Alex fails his Blind test again!

 

With 5 successes, Alex Perils before failing a LD test for Warp Surge!? And, just to max out the ridiculous of this round, Perturabo fails all 3 invul saves and loses, even with a blinded Alex.

 

[Absurdity, just lots of absurdity in this fight. The only real insight I can offer was that I was mentally keeping track of 2 fights, one with Forgebreaker and one without to see if I should do a series with the other version. Perturabo still doesn't have high Initiative to strike first and he consistently wounded less, so I'm going to stay with just the Forgebreaker version, like I only did pre-Massacre Corax.]

 

His anger did nothing to help him overcome Alexandros, who, despite being initially caught off-guard by the bombardment followed by his Wrist cannon, kept up a flawless defense. All the while pleading with him. "Just shut up!" He screamed as he swung Forgebreaker.

 

Alexandros deflected the powerful thunder hammer before his blade sliced through half of his wrist. Forgebreaker flew from his hand before Xiphos stabbed through his knee. With a cry, Perturabo fell to the ground. He looked up to his opponent and snarled. "End me." 

 

"No," Alexandros replied, sheathing Xiphos. "I have not forgotten our friendship. I know you are a better man than this. You are a man that can create wonders of architecture and a man of brilliant intelligence. You know you can't win against me, but I know that words are how you truly want to end conflict. So, all I ask is that you listen to me, and I will tell you all I know. Then, after you have been given all of the variables, can you make an informed choice. Do you agree?"

 

The injuries inflicted upon him were already healing, and, given a short amount of time, Perturabo could fight. But the initial shock and anger at Alexandros appearance was subsiding. Emotion was never his ally, logic was and Alexandros was offering him just that. Perturabo pushed himself onto his good knee before giving a faint nod.

[simison]

All of the legions were made to serve Humanity. To reclaim our lost outposts of civilizations, to extend our dominion over the entire galaxy, and to protect those borders once established, that was their mission. At times, it is difficult to remember this since they stand above us in stature, both literally and metaphorically. Yet, the Halcyon Wardens never forgot this and struggled the most to ensure Humanity's security. Always ready to sacrifice possible glory for guaranteed safety, the II legion never matched the long lists of victories and triumphs of its brother legions. However, no legion could claim the heart of the common Man as the II legion could. For the Wardens not only worked harder to protect the Imperium, they made the most effort to connect with Humanity on a personal level. It was not an uncommon sight for Wardens to interact with the common man, to speak with and to learn from each other. It was perhaps for this very reason that when tragedy befell the Wardens, the Imperium as a whole was quick to forget, for to remember was too painful. 

[simison]

Perturabo's hands wrapped around Forgebreaker and he lifted it out of Alexandros' hands. He peered over the weapon, making mental notes as he did so. "It's been modified. To fit my own hands no less." He cast a curious look toward his brother.

 

"I figured if you were to wield it, you might wish to use it with your hands in mind as opposed to...Ferrus'," Alexandros quietly explained. Not all of his scars from Isstvan V had healed yet. 

 

Perturabo nodded. "Sometimes, I forget that you have talents in weapon-smithing."

 

"I dabble," Alex replied with a shrug. "Anyway. While we couldn't save Ferrus from Horus' wrath, you are still responsible for our legions escaping with over half of our strength. Were it not for you, it would've turned into a massacre."

 

"You give me far too much credit, Alex. It was your plan for me to ambush the Traitors, and it was you ending Alpharius and sending the Alpha Legion into chaos that allowed our five legions to escape Isstvan V. Still, I will not reject your gift. Though, isn't this Fulgrim's to give?" 

 

A grimaced appeared on Alex's face. "Fulgrim is...beside himself and lays no claim to the weapon. As of now, it is yours to take and to wield." After watching Perturabo give the hammer a whirl, he added. "Perhaps a spar will help you adapt to it?"

 

Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Hallucination/Shriek

 

Alex wins the first roll. Shriek bounces off Perturabo, Foreboding & Hallucination (It's So Beautiful!) goes off, and Perturabo Denies Duelist. Ultimatum's plasma merely warms up Logos.

 

Perturabo calls down 2 bombardments which knocks 2 wounds off Alex. His wrist cannon shoots one more off before he charges. And...and he rolls a 3...then rerolls a 2....wow. He still loses a wound to Overwatch. No IWND.

 

Alex casts Shriek which is still useless. No Duelist again leaves Alex in a nervous place. Ultimatum gets another wound off before Alex makes his charge. He stabs another wound off before Perturabo promptly beats him.

 

[bombardment without Precognition hurts. A lot.]

 

Even with Aegis, the blows from Forgebreaker threaten to break through both his arm and his defenses. Fulgrim truly created a masterpiece. Coupled that with Alex's inability to foresee the next moves, his defense is much more fragile than usual. With one last measured move, Perturabo sweeps his new weapon, the first blow shoving Aegis out of the way before the pommel crashes into Alexandros' chest. The force alone threw the smaller Primarch off of his feet. 

 

With a sharp breath, Alex made a judgement call. "I think you've mastered the weapon."

 

"I concur," Perturabo replied with a ghost of a smile as he offered a hand, which Alex gladly accepted. "Perhaps this will be the weapon that ends Horus."

 

Alexandros chuckled. "It would certainly be a fitting sense of justice for that to happen. With his grandiose trap ruined, the odds are against Horus. Soon, we'll put an end to his rebellion."

 

 

[simison]

Origins: The Armored Spear

 

Few remember, but the original, Terran-based II Legion was a much different beast than what it would become under the ideals of their Primarch. In those early days, the II Legion consistently displayed a much more aggressive temper as they fought in the Unification Wars. The legion as a whole adopted and gradually mastered a variety of assault tactics as they preferred to meet their enemy face-to-face before destroying them, whether it be by bloodied blade or by grinding tanks. Early theorists believed that this was perhaps a side effect of their unique gene-seed, but these theories would eventually be disproven by later evidence. 

[simison]

Explosions occurred all around Alexandros as his desperate strike yielded results. He had already foreseen the arrival of reinforcements, but knew that unless they could slow down the enemy's pace, the Siege of Terra would result in a terrible draw: the Emperor broken and Sanguinius slain. It was this truth that led him to organize a secret counter-strike, dropping him and a detachment of his Wardens directly in the center of the Traitors' siege batteries. Said siege batteries were being destroyed by his surprise attack as Wardens fired portable lascannons and attached melta bombs to the heavy artillery pieces. 

 

Alexandros was in the center of it all as he coordinated their efforts. It had taken him an hour of deep meditation to find this small window of opportunity, and it was steadily shrinking as seconds went by. He had to destroy at least 30% of the batteries here to avoid the dark future lingering just ahead of them. Three more artillery guns were destroyed in the span of moments, but it still wasn't fast enough. Already, the Traitors were reacting to his attack. Infantry units were beginning to converge upon their position. With a jolt, he realized one being had already penetrated his outer ring of Wardens and was making his way straight toward the Strategos.

 

With a spin, Alexandros turned as he aimed Ultimatum. "Brother, please, turn back."

 

Perturabo sneered as he approached. "We've come too far, Alex."

 

 

Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Hallucination/Shriek

 

Perturabo wins the first roll. Two bombardments get direct hits, but Aegis blocks one. Wrist cannon does nothing.

 

Alex scores an early wound with Shriek before activating Duelist. Both guns do nothing before Alex makes the charge. With an unusual amount of luck, Xiphos stabs 3 wounds off Perturabo. Alex passes the Blind test while taking 1 wound. No IWND. 

 

Perturabo watches as Alex's attacks bounce off before Alex does the same. Blind test passed. No IWND.

 

Alex throws a Hallucination on his brother before rolling four 5's for Duelist. Perturabo tries to Deny and gets two 6's, but it's obviously not enough. Cuts off another wound, leaving the Lord of Iron on his last one. Aegis keeps away the hurt and Alex narrowly passes the Blind test. No IWND.

 

Two 1's on the invul save seal Perturabo's fate. 

 

[same old, same old. That's the last of the Extermination Primarchs. Next up is Vulkan.]

 

 

 

"This isn't yours," Alexandros coldly said before Xiphos cut off one of Perturabo's hands. The hand along with Forgebreaker flew into the air before Alexandros instantly sheathed his sword in time to catch the falling weapon. 

 

With a grunt, the bleeding and crippled Lord of Iron fell to one knee. "What now, Alex? Are you going to try to appeal to my better nature? Use our past friendship to convince me to see the error of my ways?"

 

Tears slid from Alex's eyes as he slowly shook his head. "You and I both know it would be pointless. There is only one thing left to say." Forgebreaker swung back. "Good-bye." With a titanic detonation of screaming metal, Forgebreaker crushed the Lord of Iron's head into a meaty stump.  

[simison]

Nothing to do with the Wardens directly, but I played in a 3k game with 3 vs 2, with me on the 3-player team. Each of us had 1k points to spend, and I felt the restrictions very keenly. I tried fielding the Emperor's Children and ended up commanding over one of my unluckiest games ever. Short on time right now, so I'll save the gory details for later for any interested. 

[Black Cohort]

Nothing to do with the Wardens directly, but I played in a 3k game with 3 vs 2, with me on the 3-player team. Each of us had 1k points to spend, and I felt the restrictions very keenly. I tried fielding the Emperor's Children and ended up commanding over one of my unluckiest games ever. Short on time right now, so I'll save the gory details for later for any interested.

From what I have heard 30k armies are tough to field at 1000 points.

[Slips]

With a base cost of 150 for a single Tac squad, double since you need 2 and an HQ (which luckily can be pretty cheap)...yeah it gets rough...

[Raktra]

True dat. My 1k Iron Hands are even less numerous than my Grey Knights, for Ferrus's sake.

[simison]

These points are all horribly true. Because I wanted to field a decent army, but I wanted some EC flavor. So, I had a Master of Signal, 2x15-man TAC squads, and 1 Land Raider with the Phoenix termies. My allies were SM/IG detachment led by a librarian and a commissar, and a Chaos Space Marines army led by a daemon prince. We were up against Nate's Black Templar and Space Wolves. 

 

The worst part of bad luck that happened to me was on turn 1. The Wolves dropped a Murderfang directly in our lines next to my MoS and his TAC squad, who were holding one of the Maelstrom objectives. I labeled it a priority target since it could and was aimed directly at my squad holding the objective. Cue half of our army shooting it, it making an absurd number of saves to the point where I dropped the MoS' orbital bombardment. With an 11, it scattered right back onto his squad and kill 5 marines, which ended with a failed morale roll of 11 that sent them running away.

 

Then, my next turn, I roll another 11 and just like that, a quarter of my army is gone. 

[simison]

Instead, the II^nd Legion's belligerent temperament toward war seemed to be rooted in the psychological rather than any biological predispositions. Although the II^nd Legion achieved combat readiness and deployment earlier than many of its brother legions, any glory or victory gained was always in the shadow of the I^st Legion. Additionally, the First Legion enjoyed the privilege of testing out experimental prototypes of war. Thus, an early rivalry formed, an unusual exception to the unity shown by most Terran Astartes, though several remembrancers would point to this event as early evidence for the flaw carried within their gene-seed.  

 

To establish their own supremacy, the Second Legion began to shift an emphasis on close-combat tactics. Legionnaires became more proficient with hand-to-hand weapons, and assault squads began to displace tactical squads as the typical legion unit. Soon, they forged a proficiency and a reputation for being melee specialists, but at a price. Even when protected by power armor, casualties among the Second Legion were rising to then-current highs. Yet, none could argue against the effectiveness and potentially morale-breaking attacks their tactics were causing. A solution came in the form of new assault vehicles. For the first time, a legion other than the First tested out what would become known as the Land Raider and the Spartan Assault Tank.  

[simison]

Alexandros ran a hand over his new shield. Although it bore no mark of insignia yet, he was proud of his accomplishment. He looked up to his brother. "Vulkan, we've created a masterpiece."

 

A deep chuckle rumbled out of his dark brother. "If I remember correctly, this shield was entirely your own project. I never once touched it."

 

"Oh, come now," Alexandros countered. "My hands may have forged it, but it was only thanks to your guidance that it came out in its proper form. I'm sure if I had done this alone, I'd have made a mess of metal that probably would've been mistaken for a misshapen turtle." He hefted the shield. "Thank you, Vulkan." 

 

"My pleasure, brother," Vulkan smiled before he walked to the other side of the workshop. "Also, Alex, I have something else for you."

 

Alexandros looked up from his shield with utter confusion. "You do?"

 

Reaching beneath a table, Vulkan pulled out an ornate plasma blaster. "I do." He walked over to his stunned brother. "For you, a gift from my own hands for your valued friendship."

 

"We've been in this room for six weeks straight as I struggled to master every lesson you've taught me to create my own shield. Where and when did you find the time to make that!?" 

 

Vulkan laughed as he offered the weapon. "Never underestimate a master Black-smiter in his own forge. While I fear no fire, I thought you'd prefer a weapon that wouldn't harm you. No matter how you use it, it will never overheat."

 

With a chagrined grin, Alexandros accepted the gift. "I suppose there's only one way to prove your claim."

 

Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Hallucination/Shriek

 

Vulkan wins the first roll. Shooting accomplished nothing. 

 

Alex moves before Shriek & Hallucination flounders, and activates Duelist. Ultimatum refuses to harm its creator before the charge. Xiphos does nothing against Vulkan. Seriously, my first to-hit roll was a complete fail and the reroll only gained 2 successes before failing to wound. Aegis protects its master.

 

Vulkan smiles as Alex fails to do any harm before knocking off a wound off Alex. 

 

[Out of time. Will continue tomorrow.]

[simison]

In the psychic phase, Alex Perils on Hallucination and loses a wound along with the useless Divination power before he Perils again on Duelist, but this time passes a LD test to avoid the pain.  Since Dawnbringer isn't unwieldy and concussive is in effect, Alex endures another round of blows, but manages to avoid or block them all. Alex has the same luck against Vulkan though. No IWND.

 

Vulkan's defense is still impregnable before he knocks another wound off Alex. 

 

Alex Perils for a third in a row on Hallucination and this time gets Warp Surge after passing the LD test. Duelist also passes, but Alex is still under concussive. Vulkan flat out misses. Even with Fleshbane and a higher WS, Vulkan's armor ignores him. No IWND.

 

Vulkan fails his first Invul save before he he fails to get through Aegis. He promptly heals on a reroll with IWND.

 

Alex does another Hallucination but Vulkan Denies Duelist. Alex manages another wound before taking one himself, knocking him down to his last wound. But he gets IWND.

 

Dawnbringer slams down in the wrong spot. Xiphos hits but can't harm. Vulkan gets IWND again, bringing him back to full health.

 

Another Perils grants Alex Warp Surge again and his Duelist. Out of 4 wounds, Vulkan fails 1. Aegis does its job better as it protects Alex. Alex gets IWND. 

 

Vulkan takes an unprecedented 2 wounds before rolling snake eye's on his to wound pool. No IWND.

 

No Perils and Duelist is still here as Alex stabs 1 more wound off. Vulkan knocks 1 off Alex in retaliation. Alex gets IWND.

 

Vulkan struggles against Aegis before Alex manages to sneak 1 more wound onto Vulkan bringing him down to his last. No IWND.

 

For the first time in this fight, Alex manifests both Hallucination and Duelist without issue. That doesn't help him getting through the Drake Scale though. Vulkan smashes the wrong spot again. No IWND.

 

After 14 turns, Alex manages to bring down his bigger brother. 

 

[i'll be honest, I think Hallucination had a bigger impact than Warp Surge. It allowed Alex to hit Vulkan on 3's, while reducing Vulkan's attack pool. I thought Vulkan was going to win, if nothing else, simply outlasting Alex as the latter burnt himself out with Perils.]

 

 

With a cracked ribcage and a broken arm, Alexandros gritted his teeth as he deflected Dawnbringer yet again. Its aim hampered by the fact that its master was fighting against 'three' versions of himself. In their mind's eye, Vulkan successfully 'defeated' one Alexandros. But the blow had left him wide open for the real Alexandros to slip in and smash his shield against the Black-Smiter's head, temporarily blinding one of his eyes. 

 

Already sporting quite a few injuries himself, this last one was the last straw as the ebony giant fell over. 

 

"Ha hah! I claim victory!" Alexandros declared shakily as he struggled to stay standing. Exhaustion proved stronger and the other Primarch fell flat on his face. "Vulkan?"

 

With a groan, his brother answered, "Yes, Alex?"

 

"I hope I never have to face you on a real battlefield."

 

With a pained chuckle, Vulkan replied. "I think that's one thing we'll never have to worry about."

[simison]

With the advent of assault vehicles, three major changes occurred. First, casualty rates, while never high enough to threaten the Legion's existence, drastically fell. At the time, the II^nd Legion lagged behind some of the other legions' rate of growth, especially the stable IV^th Legion. With the new growth, the Legion was able to split between three expeditionary fleets upon the advent of the Great Crusade. Second, the emphasis on assault squads waned, but remained higher than most legions. Instead, tactical squads armed with close combat weapons would enjoy a renewed prominence, until the introduction of terminator armor. Alongside the Luna Wolves, the II^nd Legion were vocal proponents of the new assault units. Third, an elite corps of vehicle commanders grew within the Legion, garnering experience and honor. The II^nd Legion would be one of the few legions were a tank commander could ascend to the upper echelons of command and still continue their service from within their original assigned vehicle.

[Russ Brother 92]

All of the above reads amazingly well - I mean even the linking of Pert and Alexandros is plausible and incredibly well written. The only hiccup was stating Vulkan as a black-smiter - the proper phrase whether in past/present/future tense is always blacksmith :)

[simison]

Thank you! I so rarely hear people commenting on the fluff and it means a lot to me when people mention it. I only wish the fluff was coming out at a faster pace, but I started a new job last week that has me working midnight to 8 am and I'm still struggling to adjust my sleep schedule, which means the periods of consciousness are a bit random and leave me less time for my hobbies. 

 

As for the 'Black-smiter', I actually read that straight out of Forgeworld's Massacre. I'm not sure if there's a contradiction between Forgeworld and earlier works since I haven't read too much of Nocturne lore, but I'm going to side with Massacre since that is the material I'm trying to replicate. 

 

And since I'm taking a break from fluff and the sparring rounds, I'm going to make a couple of points.

 

1. Xiphos: on the suggestion of Nate, I'm inclined to trade out the 'Instant Death' rule for 'Force'. Alex is essentially an uber librarian after all. 

 

2. The Prefects: already the lore is changing as I near completion. The Prefects have moved from being a creation of Alex to an original part of the II Legion (and generating ideas for a pre-Primarch legion name). I've upped the cost to 15 points with suggestions I increase it further to 20 or 25 points. Additionally, with the new fluff coming in, I'm wondering if I should make the Prefects more unique, like giving them a movement bonus or the ability to reroll Dangerous Terrain tests. Nothing solid, just a couple of early thoughts.

 

Anyway, hope to hear more from y'all and hope to have more ready stuff done before the end of the day.

[Augustus]

I love you're fluff dude. Sorry I haven't commented earlier. I don't play 30k or even 40k even more, but man, it's great to read your stuff. I wish I coujd read more and more.

 

I do have a question. Do you have a set timeline. For example some fights are contradictory. Are there a "canon" ones?

 

Also, you have him pretty good a smithing which is cool. I see him more of a whitesmith than a blacksmith. The things he makes are more designated for charming and psychic powers. Just an idea. :) keep the fiction coming please. I'm

Always excited for the next bit

[simison]

Thank you! Glad you're enjoying my creation so far, and can assure that there's plenty more on the way.

 

I do have a 'canon' timeline that I've yet to lay out. The fights themselves are actually done in three different flavors per Primarch. One fight is in a reality where Alexandros returns to the Imperium during the Horus Heresy after his Legion's Cataclysm. Another fight is based in a reality where the Wardens never become a Lost Legion. And the third flavor is set in the Dornian Heresy, though I've heard that there are other Heresy's out there, like the Guilliman and Sanguinian, so I might feature those from time to time. 

 

For the general attitude toward the fights' fluff is that pretend you're a Psyker with Divination that was trying to see the future of Alexandros. These are all the possibilities that you would be seeing right now. Now, how many of them are 'canon', I'm not sure. I'd have to go back over them all, though I can tell you that none of the Lorgar (Transcended) fights are 'canon' since Alexandros is gone before that could happen. That said, I've tried to stick little bits of 'canon' in each fight. For example, I believe in one or two of the Alpharius fights, I give away the name of Alex's flagship, the Elpis.

 

 

And, I'll give you another peek into Alex himself with that last bit. He's not actually an expert at smithing when compared to Ferrus Manus or Vulkan, which is why he asks Vulkan to watch over him. But, since he's a Primarch, any trade he focuses for even a short period of time, he'll quickly master. After all, we never hear of Fulgrim take up smithing after his competition with Ferrus, but he is still able to forge a masterpiece after what could be his only attempt at the trade. I imagine that all of the Primarchs (even Angron if you could get him to focus properly) could become master smiths or masters of anything they put their minds to.

 

This leads into one of Alex's character traits. He's a dabbler. Unlike Fulgrim, who tries to be perfect at everything, Alex isn't interested in being perfect and tries to learn new things to help him connect with his brother Primarchs and with Humanity in general. You'll see this come up from time to time in the fluff. 

[simison]

"The galaxy has gone mad."

 

Fulgrim glanced at Alexandros. Before them, past the battlements of the Imperial Palace, the hosts of Dark Angels and Salamanders surged towards them as they made another assault, each time gaining ground. "I will not argue that, brother. The Salamanders in particular have succumbed to a corruption most foul."

 

The Strategos had to agree. The once-steadfast green had been replaced by an agonizing splashes of color that only a madmen could appreciate. His passive senses revealed spirits mirroring their outward insanity, all fixated on achieving some form of demented pleasure. It tore his heart to see it. Their Dark Angel allies were little better, mired in their own kind of corruption as they all screamed for the death of the Emperor and His Defenders. The Seer's gaze jerked toward the center of the Traitor's lines as misery covered his own soul. "They come." Two Primarchs who had been his closest of friends now charged towards their position.  

 

"I will handle the Lion," Fulgrim offered as he unsheathed Fireblade. "You were closer to Vulkan, were you not? Perhaps you can still reason with him?"

 

"He is past words," Alexandros replied grimly, Xiphos in his hands. "Remember my visions, Fulgrim. I do not wish to lose another brother this day."

 

With a flourish and a grin, Fulgrim bowed to Alexandros. "Have no fear, brother. After this victory, we'll celebrate with a toast of wine." 

 

Alexandros managed a weak smile before he turned his gaze back to Vulkan. His erstwhile brother was about to reach the gates. With casual strength, Alex jumped off the palace walls before landing on the field a quarter mile below, creating a shockwave that threw nearby Salamanders off their feet. He rose and Vulkan stood before him with an unnerving giggle. "Alex, I have so m-"

 

"I don't want to hear it," Alexandros interrupted as he upholstered Ultimatum. "I just want you to die."

 

 

 

Alex's Usable Powers - Foreboding/Shriek/Hallucination

 

Alex wins the first roll. And immediately starts the fight on a different note as he screams 2 wounds off Vulkan. He also gets Duelist, and plasma does nothing against Vulkan. 

 

Vulkan's shooting is likewise pointless. To my surprise, Vulkan loses another wound in Overwatch then rolls a 3 on the charge. Fleet turns it into 12 and the combat is joined. Xiphos cuts another wound off before Vulkan smashes off a wound in turn. No IWND.

 

Alex manifests Hallucination and Duelist. Still, Vulkan swings first and hits an apparition. But Alex can't take advantage of it as his hits bounce off the Draken Scale. No IWND.

 

Vulkan maniacally laughs after another round of no wounds before he proves to be as fruitless. Vulkan gets IWND.

 

Alex fails to manifest Hallucination and Perils on Duelist (passed LD test to avoid wound) before Vulkan Denies it on a reroll. Alex's offense suffers, but his defense protects him. No IWND.

 

Despite rolling only 1 hit, Vulkan feels pain as Xiphos stabs him. He gets revenge by smacking 2 wounds off Alex. No IWND, leaves both 2 wounds.

 

Alex manifests Hallucination, but Duelist is Denied. Alex takes another wound, down to his last, and does no damage. No IWND.

 

Vulkan enjoys concussive affecting Alex before he deals the final blow. 

 

[Despite the hopeful start, Vulkan proves to be luckier in the endgame.]

 

 

The titanic clash between brothers draws to an end as the corrupted Vulkan scores wound after wound. The vaunted defense of the Shield of the Imperium grows more desperate as his powers of foresight are disabled. With a roar, Vulkan reels back before swinging his hammer straight down. Aegis raises to meet it, but Dawnbringer shatters the shield and the arm beneath it. With a scream of agony, Alexandros collapses before his opponent. 

 

"This will be delectable," Vulkan whispers as he stares down on his broken opponent. 

 

On the ground, Alexandros stares defiantly at his brother before noticing another scene above them. Another intense duel is coming to an end. The Lion and the Phoenician are blurs to all, but his eyes. As he watches, he replayed his vision, seeing the fatal mistake claiming his brother's life. His forewarning defeats that future as Fulgrim does not fall for the Lion's fated feint, instead dealing a grievous injury to El'Jonson. 

 

With a grim smile, Alexandros mentally contacts his brother. I'm sorry, Fulgrim. I won't be there for that drink. 

 

Dawnbringer smashes into the Primarch's head, exploding it like over ripened fruit. A wave of pure ecstasy rolls over Vulkan as he shivers. Then the horror of what he has done opens his eyes.