The Liber Cluster

[Tiberius Cato]

commentary is always welcome, and I invite you to try your hand at contributing to our little corner of the universe, brother. We can always use more things to kill, or allies to kill more things!

[Urauloth]

Love to give that a shot at some point! I'd have a lot of reading to do first...

[Wade Garrett]

The rules are simple:

 

Is someone alive?

 

Yes?

 

KILL THEM ALL.

 

Is something Grimdark?

 

Yes?

 

MAKE IT MORE SO.

 

Is something completely over the top BS?

 

Yes?

 

MORE BS SOMETHINGS!

 

;)

[Olis]

I've been reading some of this after back-clicking the link in Heathens' sig and there's some really great work here, I should have seen this way before now. (hope you don't mind passing outsider commentary in this thread, btw)

 

Go for it, brother. The more the merrier. Do bear in mind that a good chunk of the important info is in the updated original posts on page one, but by all means comment on what you will and critique what you think might need some refining. :)

[incinerator950]

Also, timeline wise, I think the Angels Exultant should fall (and the remaining Doomsayers arrive in the chapter) after the conclusion of the Vandire nonsense, just when we felt spiritually secure, ya know. ;)

Let me know if that is an issue with anything or if anyone has an idea that would necessitate different timing.

I can drop an Asteroid on their planet if you want.

[Teetengee]

I forgot not everyone was here at the beginning. The Angels Fall to Khorne, rather than fall in battle (well they fall to Khorne in battle, but you get the idea).

These posts should give you an idea of what happened, but if you want your forces to cause that fall go for it, the only restriction right now that isn't necessarily obvious is that at least one fallen is attached to the group that caused the Angel's fall. But that probably shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as he keeps on taking heads.

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/292767-the-liber-cluster/?p=3727413

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/292767-the-liber-cluster/?p=3731702

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/292767-the-liber-cluster/?p=3724828

[Dizzyeye01]

How about the Angels are forced to fight through a swarm of enemies where they are forced to release their rage after their "calmers" are killed. The Fallen could leak info about the angels and/or help set up the attack with said enemies

[Teetengee]

The vast majority of the Angels aren't really in control the vast majority of the time. ("Forced to release their rage" seems to imply a little more control than they really have.) The calmers are more there to keep them all fighting the same enemy and shooting while running at said target rather than any more mindful activities. That being said, the idea that the Fallen leaks the information he has discovered about the Angel's weaknesses to another force and facilitates an attack seems entirely a good one.

[Vesper]

Hey people,

 

Let me present to you a first addition to Ktevaa Sero's unholy alliance : the Pale Prowlers.

 

In the regions close to the Warp storm we refer to as the Tempest, interesting bogeyman stories turns out to be closely related to strange creatures that appear to have sinister origins.

 

According to varying sources about cultural beliefs around the Tempest, a common figure in many folklores is the one of a pack of large wild creatures that hunts the living to eat their meat. They are called the "Hungering Ghosts" on Astarel IV, the "White Glow" on Pratkore and so on.

 

It appears that those "ghosts" are in fact a warband of Chaos Marines, or more precisely what they call a Raptor Cult, hideously mutated by the corrupting winds of the Tempest. Among the inhabitants of the worlds of the Tempests, they are refered to as the "Pale Prowlers". It is so far impossible to say if that is according to the Prowlers' will, or if it's just a nickname they were given.

 

The Pale Prowlers are an animalistic pack of a few hundreds Chaos Raptors behaving like animals. They commonly walk on all four, using their claws to climb on walls and on ceilings. Their jump-pack is now part of their anatomy, and is used to make great leaps. Most interesting is the mutation of their armor, who is now fused to their body. It is now a translucent white exoskeleton through which an external observer can see the internal organs of the Raptor, along with his Black Carapace and features like their red eyes, entraped in a closed socket made of their skull merged to their helmet. They also appear to have the ability to make that translucid carapace glow, much like glowworms, even though we have yet to determine what purpose it serves, it may be used to terrify their victims, but it's only speculation.

 

They have a pack-like organisation. The Alpha is said to master classical ways of human communication, mainly language, when the rest of the pack communicates through shrieks. Yet again, we ignore if knowledge in Low Gothic is required to become an Alpha, or if the whole pack is forbidden to use it safe for the Alpha.

 

The Pale Prowlers have a predatorial behaviour. They hunt to eat, and sadly for the Imperium, they are anthropophagous. So far, they have only attacked civilian targets, but under the leadership of Ktevaa Sero, we fear we'll have to deal with these skilled predators sooner or later, for rumours say they've left their den, a Space Hulk called the Hunger's Nest deep in the Tempest, to join the alliance of the Black Legion warlord.

[Teetengee]

Is it just me that is getting a slight wendigos in space vibe from these fellas? Anyways, I love them, and may write up some local legends.

[Vesper]

Nah, I didn't have the Wendigos in mind. They're part of american folklore, and I'm not really familiar with it. Traditional european bogeyman figures, like the French Croque-mitaine, inspired me.

 

Glad you like them ! I am quite happy with their feel.

[Teetengee]

Fair enough, although I imagine that some locals have varying views on what these monsters are (at least that is what I am going with ;) when I write my local color).

[Vesper]

Oh, that's for sure.

Feel free to use the Wendigo myth and stuff like that. That's absolutly cool.

[L33TFROG]

So, what can I write about, since I don't have the time to sift through this 49 page thread right now.

[Tiberius Cato]

Anything that isn't an Astartes chapter. Heretics and traitors are the current threats

[Conn Eremon]

What would you like to write about?

[Nomus Sardauk]

Sirens echoed across the Ark Imperial's bridge as her crew worked with razor-sharp focus, reports and orders were yelled back and forth as the battle outside unfolded. Commodore-Captain Drake leaned on the railing of his command platform overlooking the crew, his face an impassive mask that betrayed nothing of his thoughts or emotions. They had quickly dealt with the first group of defending ships they had engaged them but since then several small group of enemy ships, recalled patrols he reckoned, had dropped out of warp and engaged the Sentinel fleet whilst they had agonisingly waited for news from the Eagle strikeforce.

"Captain! We've just recieved word from Ancients Nelson and Hawke!" His comms officer spoke up.

"It's about damn time! What's the situation?"

"Mixed sir, Ancient Hawke reports just under half of the Eagles survived the assault on the Terua facility, apparently they were ambushed and took bad losses but managed to prevail with our assistance. Unfortunately the traitors also sabotaged the base's weaponry before they died."

"How bad is it?"

"Bad sir, they lost twenty-seven brothers and Captain Biddale is so badly wounded he's gone into Sus-An, only twenty-three can still fight. The defence systems could eventually be repaired but it would take far to long to have any impact on this fight."

 

Incompetant whelps! Drake fumed, outwardly trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible. Thank the Throne our father isn't alive to see such worthless wretches polluting his gene-legacy...

"I see, what about the Luare base?"

"A similiar situation sir, Captain Grant and his men were ambushed and suffered moderate losses before being captured by the enemy. However, a handful of Eagles did avoid capture to bring warning to our brothers, together they freed those who still lived and have since seized the facility."

"And how many Eagles survived?"

"Including Captain Grant, seventeen brothers. Eight more still live but are too severely injured to continue the battle."

Drake growled in frustration, that left forty marines, forty battered marines to assault and seize the planet's capital city. Emperor damn them for losing so many, didn't they realise how vital this mission was to the Campaign? How big of a blow losing this port would be for the Lions? How many more servants of the Emperor would die if the Sereikei fleet continued to operate unmolested?!

 

"Sir? Are you alright?"

 

The Officer's voice brought Drake's mind back to the now, suddenly realising he had accidentally crushed the metal of the railing in his grip. Foolish, he mentally chided himself. You're letting your anger get the best of you, take back control of your emotions and then the situation.

 

"I'm fine. What about the Luare Base's weapons, I take it the enemy sabotaged them as well?"

 

"No sir, they were caught off guard by Squad Townsend and Ancient Nelson whilst dealing with the Eagle prisoners and were wiped out before they could do anything. Techmarine Babbage is re-consecrating the base's machine-spirit even as we speak, it should be back in the Emperor's service and ready to cover our advance any minute now."

 

"Finally, some good news. What are the Eagles doing now?"

 

"Captain Grant and his remaining men are apparently eager to avenge their dead sir, he believes they can still carry out their part of the assault."

 

Drake was silent for a moment, weighing his options.

 

"...So be it, but I'll not risk Dolrado's capture on his word alone, tell Nelson, Hawke and Squads Chapman and Townsend to accompany them to the surface. Once orbital control is achieved and Junker's Jump is ours we'll provide more support as best we can. Tell the Philadelphia to form up with the fleet and prepare to drop onto Barluate's surface, it's time we put these mongrels down."

 

"Aye aye sir!"

 

"Then let's not waste anymore time, Helmsman, disengage and head straight for the enemy Space Station!"

 

"Aye aye Captain, with pleasure..."

 

With a shudder the Ark altered course, accelerating towards the haphazard-looking Junker's Jump station and the naval docks surrounding it as more Serekei vessels sought to take on their crews and weigh anchor before the Imperial could reach them. Behind the Ark the other ships of the fleet followed, fanning out to cover the lead vessel as the azure-and-red shape of the Strike Cruiser Philadelphia surged forward with all it's masters' reckless enthusiasiam.

 

As the Imperials roared ever closer the automated defences of Junker's Jump and it's nearby docks lashed out at the intruders. Crimson laser beams, smoking cannon-shells and sleek torpedos sailed through the void towards the Astartes ships, like great oceanic predators moving in for the kill.

 

"All ships, evasive manuvers on my mark...     Three...     Two...    One...     Mark!"

 

With a sudden flare of thrusters each ship rapidly veered off from it's previous course, the formation scattering apart as most of the incoming attacks sailed through the now-vacant space harmlessly, a few wider-shots just clipping the edge of some vessels' void shields to little effect.

 

"All ships engage and destroy as many enemy vessels as you can while they're still at anchor! Prioritise any that manage to power up their engines before they can clear the dock, the Ark will move to deploy boarding craft onto Junker's Jump before joining the rest of you!"

 

A series of green blips on his helmet's tactical display indicated his fellow Ship Captains' acknowledgements as they eagerly set about their bloody work, this was what they lived for.

 

"Philadelphia, now's your chance. While we distract them you move in and begin deploying your ground forces onto the planet!"

 

"Roger that Commodore, our thanks for the escort!"

 

"Just make sure it was worth the trouble Captain Grant... Good hunting."

 

"Sir! Sensorium reports an unusual contact has been detected in one of the large dock structures!"

 

"Unusual how? Can we identify it?"

 

"That's the thing sir, we've analysed it's signature and found a perfect match in the records. A Vengeance-class Grand Cruiser, it's the Spirit of St. Jocelyn, sir!"

 

"Emperor's teeth..." Drake whispered, staring through the bridge viewport as he watching the aforementioned dock violently break apart as the Spirit of St. Jocelyn tore itself free, blasting away it's cage with weapons fire and ramming through the wreckage with it's armoured prow.

 

Drake scowled. "Looks like the station will have to wait."

 

-----

 

Hey everyone, sorry for the wait, here's my next segment of the EoG+SS EWC story, I hope you like my little surprise at the end there. :)

 

Also, has anyone noticed some of the little "easter eggs" (if you can call them that) and themes I've added to the Sentinels? For example, Ancient Nelson bearing a ship's figurehead-like decoration on his chest to reinforce the naval theme or Chaplain Charlen's name (ie, Charlie Chaplain but with the name slightly altered as to not be so obvious and silly sounding).

[Olis]

So, what can I write about, since I don't have the time to sift through this 49 page thread right now.

 

There's a decent chunk of collated material in the first four posts on page one, if you loathe having a massive backlog to get through. But, as others have said, you can write about pretty much anything for the Liber Cluster, maybe brainstorm here within the thread if you need to, but all the slots for Imperial Space Marines have been taken. Which leaves renegade and/or Chaos Marines, if you fancy, Imperial Guard regiments, Sister of Battle orders, Inquisitors and/or Inquisitorial factions/groups/cells, various other Imperial groups or organisations (depending on what you can think up) and any other esoteric or obscure things that might fit in with the project.

 

 

Edit: Welcome to B&C, btw. It's nice to see that you're first stop is here in the Liber. I'm gratified for that and I look forward to reading what you bring to the table. Enjoy your stay and don't forget to pick up your forum-issued bolter and chainsword at the front desk.

 

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Notable Denizens

 

http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lznbv5L5Ov1qly4ouo1_500.jpg

 

++Baron Derrine Hippograf Catawse++

 

The first of a new generation of Merchant-Barons in the Liber Cluster after the defeat of the Sereiki Lions and principle title holder to Carver's World, effectively making him the Planetary Governor. Entire fleets of bulk haulers and clippers are at his disposal, including the largest ship in the Cluster - the Universe-Class Mass Conveyor Golden Throne. With the finest of luxuries and services at his beck and call, Baron Catawse is as ruthless with his acquisitions as he is with his indentured staff. 

[L33TFROG]

The Sranav Partisans-

 

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/igbeta2.php?b62c=@i8khi_iaj0o.i9aHM@@@.@@@@@@@___..@@_hozqShozqSiakk7&

 

            “The Emperor has seen fit to grant me his wisdom, and he has told me that the denizens of this planet have not been corrupted by chaos or xenos, but by the machine. Due to that, there penance shall not come by exterminatus, but by service to the emperor. I shall bring to them the Imperial Cult and they will find value and purpose in dying for it.” – A letter written by Louis Ignatius Jagiellon, concerning the judgment of Sranav
 
               An imperial guard regiment from the world of Sranav with a long and storied legacy, formerly serving penance for the world’s former association with the traitorous Sereiki Lions. Placed under inquisitorial investigation, the highly-puritanical Ordo Hereticus inquisitor, Louis Ignatius Jagiellon took charge and conducted the investigation into the Mechanicus controlled forge world, for the inquisitor the investigation concluded quickly and the planet was found wanting. However, as the legend goes, the night before the planet’s doom was to be announced, Louis saw a vision from the emperor, who told him to request penance from the planet’s citizens in service to the imperial guard and for the world to be brought from the Omnissiah, into the direct worship of the Emperor, leading to the formation of the first regiments of Sranav Partisans. This led to an even deeper division on the planet between those of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who rejected the Imperial cult, and the other citizens of the planet, who became so devout as to put the citizens of a shrine world to shame. This led to an endemic of administrative errors in equipment shipments to the newly founded regiments, leading to the Partisans, finding themselves consistently underequipped for campaigns. This forced the Partisans into serving primarily as scouts and guerilla fighters in the campaigns they participated in. The Partisan’s organization changed heavily during the early years of the M37 as the reforms of Sebastian Thor, finally worked their way to the Cluster. The Partisans were both forgiven by an unknown high-ranking Ecclesiarchy member, after their regiment brought down the heretek demon prince, Fordan, ending their penance, and seeing the risk posed by the continuous conflict, the Adeptus Mechanicus sought to and ended the schism between the worshippers of the Omnissiah and the Emperoror, giving the Partisans access to the forge world’s ample forges and the products therein. While they still focus on reconnaissance, rather than trekking across planets on foot, they now travel in Tauroxes and Sentinels, electing to combine their established knack for guerilla warfare with the Leman Russ’ massive cannons.
 

Heres my contribution, I'll proofread it in a bit. I couldn't find the page that talks about the Lions in more detail, so some things might conflict.

[Conn Eremon]

Nice. I can see this being a big issue for the Mechanicus, to have one of their forge worlds withheld from them upon its reclamation from enemy hands. That Inquisitor has some brass.

[Olis]

Good to see something that mixes things up a bit. The ramifications of Inquisitor Jagiellon's decree would certainly include the Saneslau Mechanicus left rankled and hostile. For them to lose sovereignty over Sranav (even then only as a prize from the war) would be a big kick in the teeth. 

 

One thing to point out for now Frog - the Silence occurs before the Eighteen Worlds Crusade, so I advise the Partisan's organisation changing, say... in the closing years of Sebastian Thor's reign, for administrative reasons. :)

[Captain Nameless]

A scorched and in some places irradiated and poisoned prize, but a prize nonetheless.

 

It has taken me a while to get back on track with this, but now I'm finally going to finish the rest of the Sranav campaign.

[Conn Eremon]

Been a while since I've made a real post. You guys will have to forgive me. They're remodeling my work's breakroom, which meant its wifi, my lifeblood, was out for a bit. Then I got hit with strep, because :cuss you universe, which didn't really leave me in the mood to get onto my laptop and mess around with some lore. I'm technically over it, my 104 degrees (40 Celsius for those of you that don't do Fahrenheit, thank you Google) fever finally broke, but my throat still feels like I'm trying to swallow a mixture of razor blades and fish bones anytime I eat, drink or if I try to say anything more eloquently than a caveman could.

 

But I might as well provide what I have so far done.

 

 

 

http://i.imgur.com/zH654AD.jpg

 

When and how Ba’adike the Spear-Crowned entered the Liber Cluster is unknown at this time. He was first encountered leading a Blood Raid from the Tempest, giving credence to the ongoing theory that the denizens and allies of the Ruinous Powers are capable of using the Tempest as some sort of gateway into the Liber Cluster. However, this frenzied lord of the former World Eaters Legion has been known to the Imperium since time immemorial. Ancient records place him as a high-ranking sergeant within the bloodthirsty Legion, a warrior of valor and renown among his brother-butchers and potentially being groomed for the rank of captain. However, the days where such titles held meaning to those as the berserk World Eaters have long since passed.

 

The World Eater fought with some notability during the Great Scouring, as the traitorous and heretical were pushed from the brink of victory into the depths of hell itself. It is said that when he was slain he took with him an entire squad of honour guard, their freshly painted colors unfamiliar but marking them as sons of Sanguinius. A thrust of a spear lanced through an eye lens and burst free from his helmeted skull, yet the maddened warrior retained strength enough to grasp the angel by his throat in a grip locked tight by rigor mortis. Thus was he found at battle’s end, as scavengers flocked to pick the dead clean. Some craven creature, marked by the colors of a thunderous night sky, approached his still form. Kneeling, arms dangling, Ba’adike’s body was propped up only by the shaft of the ornate spear that had stolen his life. However, as clawed hands gripped and pulled at his armor and weapons, unseemly life returned to his limbs.

 

Ba’adike stumbled upon an encampment upon the ridge, where an uneasy alliance of World Eaters and Iron Warriors stood a knife’s edge apart from open conflict. The shaft of the spear had been shattered, gripped tightly as a staff to aid the warrior in his climb, the still-occupied Night Lord helm upon its tip. The blade of the spear and part of the shaft remained, the spear-head protruding overhead, the broken stub of the shaft projecting an inch from the ruined eye. With such a vision did his brothers see him return, the spiked and chained corpses of his would be killers dragging behind him like some sort of macabre train.

 

How the warrior survived such a death blow is known to none. Certainly, he seems to exhibit none of the signs of blasphemous immortality seen in a certain other traitorous World Eater. The speartip was removed, and an ugly, bulky augmetic plate of hammered brass now covers much of that side of his face. Since, the warrior’s rages have peaked at preternatural levels. To see the berserker Ba’adike in battle is enough to make one believe the other World Eaters are somehow inhibited, such is the comparison. For this reason, other warriors of the former XIIth flock to him in droves. However, it would be inaccurate to call him a Chaos Lord of his own warband. He clearly cares not for those who follow him, and those that do seem only to do so upon a whim in the midst of battle, their cohesion lost upon the fight’s end. Whatever you wish to call it, it is true that any battle that involves Ba’adike will also involve an inordinate amount of other Khorne-aligned Chaos Marines. There are many who would commit themselves to a fight simply on the knowledge that Ba’adike will be there himself.

 

Why such a thoroughly Khornate warrior would follow one such as Ktevaa Sero is a mystery, as usually warriors of such rival powers will attack each other upon sight. However, it is possibly due to Sero’s high place in the Black Legion, who wages war in the Warmaster’s name within the Liber Cluster. When the misbegotten son of Horus rose to dominate the remnants of his former Legion, Ba’adike was one of the first to bend knee.

 

Appearance:

Ba’adike is armored like any other Berzerker of the World Eaters, however his heavy brass plating prevents him from wearing the commonly seen horned-helm, and so his dark-skinned and scarred face is visible. The lens of his bionic eye is dull and inert, and likely no longer functional. He is commonly seen wearing heavy, lengthy chains, dotted with spikes and hooks, which hang from him like a cape and trail many feet behind him. When caught in a frenzied trance of bloodletting, his wild spinning can often turn the curtain of chains into a weapon in its own right. Often, slain enemies will become caught in the chains and will be dragged along behind him, his unthinking strength allowing him to drag and swing even the heavy corpses of the Adeptus Astartes.

 

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_R-YghyOAB-A/TBJNiuQnb3I/AAAAAAAAACw/kNBPUWrFklo/s320/World_Eater_finished_by_cyphercodicer2.jpg

 

Ancient Remembrancer pict-capture of Ba’adike as a World Eaters Legionary, unknown time before the Great Betrayal

[Vesper]

Cool stuff Cormac ! Glad you got the time to write about such a nice guy !

[Marshal Rohr]

Does anyone have a rough sketch of the cluster available?