The Liber Cluster

[Wade Garrett]

=Redacted=

Because there isn't much sense in preserving a borderline offensive scene in a quote when the original is being edited to be less so.

 

Really?

 

Did we really need to have the SPACE AMERICANS get SPACE 9-11ed in a snippet posted on 9-11?

 

Key Riced All My Tea.

[Ace Debonair]

Hmm.

My only question is : Why not try looking for support from the Chapters that like the Eagles of Glory first?

 

I'm pretty sure the Lords Inviolate and the Aetheric Swords aren't the only ones who get along with the Eagles, but I can't for the life of me find the table saying which Chapters got along.

[Tiberius Cato]

Hmm.

My only question is : Why not try looking for support from the Chapters that like the Eagles of Glory first?

 

I'm pretty sure the Lords Inviolate and the Aetheric Swords aren't the only ones who get along with the Eagles, but I can't for the life of me find the table saying which Chapters got along.

They're the closest (proximity-wise) to th Eagles, atleast in my head. I imagine word would spread quickly of the attack on Libertas and the Liberite chapters would come and stop some Lions.

 

Cue the Stars n' Stripes campaign badge.

[Conn Eremon]

The Eagles of Glory and Scarlet Sentinels have been skirting a fine line with their obvious parody of the U.S. and U.K., respectively, since their inception.

 

But I fear that the Eagles of Glory are veering into forced parody territory, and it isn't really working for me.

 

As some constructive criticism, I would recommend rewriting it to be more loosely based on the event. I think the Chapter overall would be best suited if their thematic origins were implemented more loosely than it has been.

[Tiberius Cato]

Alrighty Cormac, I'll get to work on a revised version.

[Olis]

So. Tonagish has been pacified. Clearly the Sereiki Lions hadn't valued the Knights as much as the Knights thought they did. Gargantua is no more and Mnix, Emperor willing, shall be interrogated tomorrow. 

[Captain Nameless]

Dizzyeye, if you still want to write something on Sranav, I have a timeline for you.

[Conn Eremon]

Okay! So I’ve built up a semi-workable table of what’s what in the EWC. I’m going to post up a summary, make sure everyone is on the same page. You know the drill. Pipe up if something’s off.

 

 

So first of all, there are (obviously) eighteen worlds under the Lions’ sway. Of those, 14 are named:

 

Thravis Prime, Durtuvar, Sranav, Lelith Secundus, Baluarte, Heroda IV, Cenicika, Tonagish, Evin Prime, Zavatista, Venet, Barek Zayim, Nimobia, and Zyngeith.

 

Sranav, Lelith Secundus, Tonagish, Zavatista, Nimobia, Zyngeith and (technically) Venet have been conquered.

 

Thravis Prime, Durtuvar, Baluarte, Heroda IV, Cenicika and Evin Prime are currently contested.

 

Barek Zayim and four unnamed worlds are currently uncontested.

 

 

Now, as for the assignments that have been doled out and are still ongoing:

 

1st Wave

Sanguine_Knight has the Black Falcons assaulting Thravis Prime.

 

Dizzyeye has the Black Falcons assaulting Durtuvar.

 

ArcticPaladin and SanguiniusReborn have the Eagles of Glory and Scarlet Sentinels assaulting Baluarte

 

GreyCrow and Reyner have the Black Judges and Blades of the Lion assaulting Heroda IV (the target was chosen by me, as of now. If a target had already been claimed, just let me know and I’ll switch it)

 

Aegnor and Teetengee have the Iron Ravagers and Angels Exultant assaulting Cenicika (same as the previous one)

 

Captain Nameless has the Sereiki Lions assaulting an unnamed Imperial World

 

 

2nd Wave

Cormac Airt, Wade Garrett & TDF have the Lords Inviolate, Black Judges and Heralds of Letum assaulting Evin Prime

 

Promethean has the Heralds of Letum mopping up Venet

 

 

So this is what I see are current works in progress. Some of these people have not posted for some time, but in case they stalk the thread I’m putting this information up. If I don’t hear anything and the crusade threatens to stagnate, I’ll hand the assignments to volunteers. Once again, if anyone would like help with their assignment (everyone here has had writer’s block before), feel free to ask.

 

So! Let’s try and finish up the second wave, and see if we’ll even need a third wave.

The Angels Exultant, Black Falcons, Blackjaw Kindred, Conflagrators and Scarlet Sentinels are open for a second wave event.

 

Ace Debonair, Deathspectersgt7, helterskelter and Olisredan have finished their assignments.

 

Let me know if you four are interested in another assignment, and one shall be provided. I’ve only mentioned those who have done an assignment for the EWC before. There is plenty of room for some newcomers to the Imperium’s crusade against the Sereiki Lions (and even if we run out of room among the Imperials, the Lions themselves can use some representation).

 

 

What I intend to do is let things go as they have been for the EWC and maybe close off the 2nd wave off. I think the four I mentioned above should be enough for that. Anyone extra can be utilized to fill in the blanks and reveal what the Lions do on their own initiative.

 

Then I’ll utilize those who finish first to help out with those who need it (I don’t mean to rush, but . . . I kind of want to be done with the EWC).

 

Then we will do the 3rd wave, which will include any interested and comprised of a single battle.

[Ace Debonair]

Question:

Are the Sereiki Lions to be destroyed or just driven out of the Liber Cluster by the campaign's conclusion?

 

I'm just wondering what the end game for the Eighteen Worlds Crusade is.

Also if the Lions are to be destroyed, then I'm casting my vote early that the Lords Inviolate be the ones to strike the killing blow (aided of course by other Chapters where needed).

 

For a 'First-amongst-equals' Chapter, the Lords have had remarkably little spotlight, and striking the final blow against the Lions in open combat will surely reinforce their reputation, avenge the Sons of Calderon, and earn them due respect and deference amongst the other Chapters.

[TDF]

@ Cormac & Wade

 

So, any thoughts on my proposal for Evin Prime?

 

OK, so the first assault on Evin Prime was a complete disaster. My initial thought was that the Imperium would cut its losses and just Exterminatus the planet.

 

Evin Prime

 

The Hive World of Evin Prime is on record from the initial settlement of the Liber Cluster. A mercantile hub for a group of closely tied inhabited systems, focused out of the capital hive, Sitianau. Upon reclamation, appeared to be seat of power of local mercenary band, believed since destroyed. Resettlements not attempted, world uninhabitable following potential Exterminatus attack.

 

Current status: Quarantined

 

Population: 472 [ESTIMATED]

However, the Lions are likely to enjoy space and orbital superiority, making an Exterminatus campaign difficult to enact effectively. I propose an all-out attack on several locations where intelligence suggests Khroda might be hiding, in addition to surgical strikes on enemy fleet command (kill everyone on the bridge of Lion battleships / grand cruisers, then escape). Inevitably things go wrong, the Imperials carry out a hotchpotch Exterminatus and try to run-away sensible retreat with a shred of dignity.

 

@ Cormac

 

Also, Barek Zayim is not one of the Eighteen Worlds. It's an Imperial world attacked by Lions as part of a multi-system counter-attack that Captain Nameless is also writing about.

[Conn Eremon]

Ace: Based on prior discussions both here and in messages, I've been writing the 2nd post to reflect the Lions' continued survival as being cast out into the Deep. Still a threat, but now from a nearly indestructible base, in that the rogue planets and such within the Deep are next to impossible to map or plot.

 

But how it goes down is still very much in the air. A Lords Inviolate-inflicted final blow can certainly be in the cards.

 

 

TDF: First, noted on Barek Zayim.

 

Second, I knew I was forgetting something in last night's post. I'm cool with that, but I would recommend that a serious attempt to reconnect with the Sons is made as the first priority. We know that they are gone, but this is the event in which it is made known in-universe.

 

Hmm. You can add to the hodgepodge-ness of the exterminatus by having only some of the Imperials participate. Maybe the Black Judges are the ones to declare the planet's execution and enacted it, with the Lords yelling at them over the vox to cease, the Sons could still be down there. The Black Judges wipe out whatever evidence there might have been of what had happened to the Sons of Calderon, all the while casting judgment on the Lords Inviolate for leaving them in the first place.

[Wade Garrett]

Well, I kind of need the Black Judges to make planetfall for the story snippet I am doing, plus their battle doctrine states they try to always leave survivors to tell the tale, which means (in my opinion) an Exterminatus would be out of character for them.

[Conn Eremon]

Could still work, if desired. It sounds like there would be plenty of witnesses left afterwards, and the Judges can always make planetfall and then be forced back offworld.

 

Or maybe someone else could do it. The Heralds or the Lords, though if the Lords do it . . . Yeah, it would cast a bad light.

 

Or something else. When I originally wrote that quoted bit, I had been thinking that it was the Lions or the Sons who had caused the damage before the Imperial return.

 

Edit: On second thought, doesn't the power of exterminatus lie with the Navy, not the Astartes? I've been spending too much time in 30k.

[Wade Garrett]

Well, in Death of Antagonis, it is stated that the Black Dragons Strike Cruiser had the capability for Exterminatus, but the lnquisitor and Canoness aboard had to give the authorization.

[TDF]

In Battlefleet Gothic Armada it states:

 

Space Marines excel at planetary landings and attacking enemy-held systems. Their entire organisation and the weapons and ships at their disposal are designed solely for the purpose of reclaiming or destroying planets that have fallen into enemy hands.

 

In an Exterminatus scenario, a battle barge can be used as an Exterminator, unchanged from the following data sheet (battle barges are equipped with virus bombs and cyclotronic warheads as standard). In addition, once a battle barge is in position to exterminate the planet, you need to roll a 3+ to do so rather than a 4+

My understanding was that space marines could usually get away with Exterminating a planet, unless they made a real habit of it and attracted undue attention from an Inquisitor or if they blew up planets belonging to other powerful organisations like the Mechancicus or Ecclesiarchy.

[deathspectersgt7]

Read a BL story where the Doom Warriors Virus Bombed a planet. I can do some more stuff if needed I'am not very good at writing stuff but I'am willing.

[Conn Eremon]

Seems to me that, while the Space Marines can effect an Exterminatus, it's more reserved to the authority of Inquisitors or high military command (Naval or Guard). Being that these Chapters are freshly born, somewhere between two and three centuries old, it stands to reason that they wouldn't be as trusted with such capabilities as some older, more well renowned Chapters.

 

I'm inclined to agree with Wade that the Black Judges don't seem the type. While the Lords Inviolate would certainly feel that such actions are part of their duties and well within their authority, I don't feel they are quite there yet and it certainly wouldn't be appropriate considering the context of their prior involvement and the absence of the Sons. I believe if such measures are to be taken by the second wave, it should come from a non-Astartes source. I'm sure there would be an Inquisitorial presence, all things considered.

 

However, I'll bring it back up what I said in my last post. What I had in mind while posting that was that when the Imperials return to the Evin system, they find that quite a bit of damage has been wrought than what the Lords Inviolate saw prior to leaving, almost as if an attempt was made at an Exterminatus. Whether this was evidence of the final actions of the Sons of Calderon, or a sign of how much it took before the Lions were able to finally exterminate them, is unknown.

 

A third option is that the potential Exterminatus event is post-EWC and unrelated, leaving us free to expand on the second strike without needing to incorporate an Exterminatus if it's not wanted.

 

Whichever one you two would like to go with, I've no real preference.

 

DSS7, duly noted. I'm going to wait for more to come forward.

[Olis]

++Transcript begins++

 

Captain Chomodae: But you at least admit you are Therat Mnix.

 

Mnix: Lord Therat Mnix.

 

Subject is struck twice.

 

Cpt. C: You are no lord, nor deserving of anything less than contempt. Now, you can tell me what you know or we shall take it from you. 

 

Subject spits blood onto the floor.

 

M: Ha! Take my thoughts indeed. You would not dare. If you could, I would be dead by now and you precious little tinkerers - 

 

Subject is struck twice. Subject grins.

 

M. Go on. Hit me again. You'll get nothing from me.

 

Cpt. C: Lie still, wretch. 

 

Codicier Serpus enters the room.

 

Cpt. C: This will hurt.

 

Subject screams, 34 seconds.

 

Codicier Serpus: It seems the recidivists are planning something. I will need to explore this mind thoroughly.

 

Cpt. C: Do not spare him. Break him if you must. 

 

Cdcr. S: Is death a concern, brother?

 

Cpt.C: Not at all.

 

Cpt. C leaves.

 

Subject screams, 28 seconds.

 

+Transcript ends+

 

 

The interrogation is done and Mnix is likely either dead or a drooling wreck. Serpus was not gentle. 

 

 

(I am also slightly late. For shame.)

[Nomus Sardauk]

Sorry for the recent inactivity everyone, unfortunately real life has been demanding my attention with things like an SIA training course, the recent release of Destiny and two of my housemates trying to move out without me or my brother knowing. Again, I apologise for the delays, I'll try and make more time for this in future.

---

Beneath his charcoal helm, Commodore-Captain Drake wore a dark smile, finally, finally they could stop holding back, no more waiting, no more babysitting the damned Eagles, now the Sentinels could do what they did best: dominate the void.
Through the bridge's viewscreen he watched as the Spirit of Saint Jocelyn surged forward to meet the oncoming Ark, both vessel's void shields flaring brilliantly as they traded shots. With a thought Drake quickly opened a vox-link, he couldn't let himself forget their objective.

"Chaplain Charlen, status report."

"The rites of battle have been administered Commodore, the Void Lords await your word."

"Then consider it given brother, good hunting."

"Aye-aye Commodore, may the Emperor have mercy on our foes, for we shall not!"

At that moment a quintet of red-and-white Caestus assault craft rocketed from the Ark Imperial's starboard hangar bays, streaking through the carnage of clashing vessels and dueling starfighters with unerring co-ordination and skill as they closed with the looming form of the Junker's Jump space station.
At their approach, a wing of aging Fury Interceptors swooped in, eager to claim some easy kills on the seemingly-oblivious Astartes. Ruby beams leapt forth from the  fighters' nose-mounted lascannons, barely missing the boarding craft as they expertly jinked out of harm's way. With blinding speed the Caestus' forward thrusters flared into life, slowing them enough so their pursuers were suddenly the pursued. Taken by surprise the Furies had no time to react before angry swarms of frag missles from the assault rams' wing-mounted launchers tore them apart.

The immediate threat dealt with, the Caestus re-assumed their prior formation and powered forward on a collision course with the misshapen form of Junker's Jump. Another volley of missles, this time krak warheads, heralded the incoming rams as they softened the station's exterior plating before their Magna-Meltas flared brilliantly, the hellish beams of heat punching through the metal with callous ease. The Caestus pilots gunned their engines one last time and plunged headlong into the molten breach they had forged, ploughing through bulkheads and chambers until finally grinding to a halt. Barely had the engines begun to wind down when the crafts' assault ramps burst open, hulking Astartes storming from within to take up defensive positions around the landed vessels.

"Area secure Brother-Chaplain." A low voice growled through the encrypted vox-link as the skull-helmed form of Chaplain Charlen emerged from the Caestus, Crozius crackling in his hand. Charlen quickly took in the scene before him, they had come to a stop inside one of the station's crew quarters, all around them hung the broken corpses of the poor unfortunates that had been occupying the room before their dramatic entrance, floating in the zero-g. None of this drew much attention from his compatriots however, who diligently scanned the area for signs of danger.

Unlike their brethren, these Marines wore void-hardened, matte-black power armour with baleful crimson eye lenses. Only their left pauldrons retained the standard chapter heraldry, the white trident-and-shield still proudly emblazoned upon scarlet. In their left hands they held great black Boarding Shields, and in their right they bore specially-customised Combi-weapons, each squad bearing an even mix of flamers and meltagun variants. The weapons had been stripped down by the Chapter's techmarines, both to save weight and make them more compact for ease of use in the close-quarters enviroments. Their belts were swollen with ammo pouches, grenades and melta bombs.
These were the Void Lords, the elite veterans of the Scarlet Sentinel's 1st Company, undisputed masters of ship-to-ship combat and close quarter firefights, and Charlen's heart swelled with righteous pride at the sight of them.

"Good, you all know our objective; capture the Command Centre, seize control of the station and prevent any still-docked vessels from joining the fight. Heavy resistance is expected, so if you see something move, kill it. In the Emperor's name, Scarlet Sentinels!"

"SECOND TO NONE!" The Void Lords replied, following Charlen's lead as he marched towards the door that would take them further into the station, it was shut tight, automatically sealed upon the room's sudden decompression. A wry smile crossed the Chaplain's lips. Where are my manners?  He thought to himself, hefting his Crozius. One should always knock before entering a room.
 

+++++

 

"Sir! Enemy vessel is turning hard to port, they're trying to bring their broadside guns to bear!"

 

"Captain! Enemy Bomber squadron incoming from our 5 o'clock!"

 

"Sir! Saint Jocelyn has launched assault craft and boarding torpedos! Estimated time to impact is three minutes thirty-two seconds!"

 

The bridge of the Ark Imperial was deafening as crewmen fought to be heard over the blaring sirens and pounding of guns, chapter serfs darting back and forth as they went about their work. It was madness, but it was organized madness, despite the chaotic appearance there was an underlying, instinctive order to it all. Crewmen shouted to be heard, but never over one another for fear of blurring a vital warning, serfs ran ran this way and that but never colliding with one another, always slipping through whatever gaps they could and making sure not to injure anyone. And in the centre of it all, he was there, a fixed point of calm amidst the hurricane of activity, an immovable mountain in the eye of the storm. Commodore-Captain Drake stood ram-rod straight, his arms across his chest as he drank everything in, this was what he lived for.

 

"Helmsman, roll us 90 degrees to starboard and dive underneath them! You, contact our bombers and tell them to knock out those guns! You, relay orders to the next Stormtalon squadron to launch to intercept those Bombers! You, notify the point-defence gunners to take out as many boarding craft as they can! You, alert the Shipguard and make ready to repel boarders!"

 

Drake's powerful voice cut through the carnage around him like a blade, the crewmen he'd addressed immediately leaping to their tasks as he turned his eyes back to the viewscreen. He'd heard of the Spirit of Saint Jocelyn, he'd studied it's history and the events that had lead to it ending up in the hands of the Sereikei Lions.The sailor in him seethed at the thought of such a honoured vessel in the clutches of renegades.

The Scarlet Sentinels would reclaim the Saint Jocelyn for the Emperor, he resolved, even if the Mechanicus had to rebuild the entire ship from the leftover pieces, but they would reclaim it.

 

"Ready the port guns, I want that damn ship crippled."

 

CONTINUED HERE.

[Wade Garrett]

Random stuff:

 

The Aulethrain

Of all the specialized cult formations within the Blackjaw Kindred's pagan hierarchy, the one devoted to the Angel Sanguinus is perhaps the most controversial. As with all the Emperor's sons, the Kin's depiction of this Primarch differs radically (some would say, heretically) from that of the larger lmperium. Sanguinus is conceived as ruling over art, creativity, and insanity, and is often depicted as a stocky figure with a flaming red beard, one of his eyes missing, and wings of precious stones and metals, not feathery pinions, sprouting from his shoulders.

 

Those Kin who venerate him above all others serve as the Chapter's Techmarine equivalents, but they eschew indoctrination in the Machine Cult and extensive bionics in favor of a regimen of memory and cognition enhancing drugs and rituals performed by the Medicine Dogs (Librarius equivalent) which render the aspirants high functioning technosavants, and induce an almost uncontrollable urge to tinker, modify, and create that has been unfavorably compared to that of the jokaero and greenskin xenosbreeds, although rarely in the hearing of other members of the Kin, who tend to be violently protective of their "inspired" brothers.

 

Those newly inducted into the Angel's sect are generally grouped together when their Circle goes into battle, fighting as a mass in the ornate, heavily modified suits of power armor each brother customizes and personalizes according to his own taste and flashes of "genius", a practice cynical observers have noted confines all potential collateral damage to a single unit should said modifications end up backfiring dramatically on their makers. Those who survive this stage and stabilize their altered psyches will be honored with promotion to the Morghaeth, the true master craftsmen of the Kin, who forsake the joys of battle so that they may devote all their time to repairing and maintaining the Chapter's most sacred and complex machine-relics.

 

On multiple occassions, accusations of tech-heresy have been lodged against the Blackjaws for perpetuating this (to say the least) non Codex compliant system, but each time the process has broken down into legalistic wrangling between the Martian Orthodoxy and the Saneslau Mechanicus, over who has the authority to chastise the wayward Astartes, disputes some claim are instigated by the Kin themselves. Although for the latter to be true, the Grandfather and his Patriarchs would need to have a taste for and talent at intrigue far outside the norm for Astartes.

 

 

The Lord lnquisitor Markova

The closest thing the Liber branch of the Ordo Hereticus has to an acknowledged leader, Markova is unusual even among that august and eclectic company permitted to name themselves as Lords of His Divine Majesty's Holy lnquisition.

 

The position is in fact held jointly by lnquisitor lsaac Markova al-Salvador, and his wife lnquisitor Terys ap Diarmuid de Markova.

 

The two seem a bizarre pairing. lsaac is often blunt spoken to the point of rudeness, prefers to wear a battered jerkin of chainmail and leather at all times, and proudly displays the scars and contusions of a long and violent career of dispensing justice in the God Emperor's name. Meanwhile, Terys is ever the picture of a courtly aristocrat from her homeworld of Shenac, with a passion for learning and scholarship noteworthy even among her lnquisitorial colleagues.

 

Delving deeper into their background (a not entirely risk free endeavour where movers and shakers of the lnquisition are concerned) reveals the pairing isn't quite as peculiar as it seems at first glance.

 

Isaac holds an open guest lecturer spot at six major universities, and his sole published book Some Observations On The Dynamics of Planetary Bodies was given the laudatory (albeit brief) foreword "Dashed insightful" by then Master of the Fleet Hornblower of the Scarlet Sentinels.

 

Likewise, anyone tempted to dismiss Terys as a mere wallflower would do well to educate themselves on the traditions of the knightly orders of Shenac, so ably represented by the famed "Bladecatcher" regiments they tithe to the lmperial Guard, and to contemplate the fact that she is one of the few non-Space Marines found worthy of being gifted with an Honor Falx by the Sons of Calderon Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes.

 

House Salvador

One of the pre-eminent Rogue Trader dynasties of the Cluster, Salvador is beliefed to have weathered the long isolation of the Silence relatively intact and them embraced reunification with the Imperium with a fanatical zeal.

 

"Believed", because while the aristocracy of the House do indeed possess a Writ, such lmperial records as date back to the initial settlement efforts have them as a miniscule if not insignificant dynasty, which makes their current level of status and prestige within the Cluster baffling to contemplate.

 

A popular rumor is that the a faction of the same criminal syndicate which would eventually spawn the Saneslau Mechanicus invested a great deal of time and effort buying out and co-opting several smaller Rogue Trader Houses, essentially purchasing themselves a legitimate pedigree.

 

While occasionally alluded to by those who have come out on the wrong side of a business arrangement with House Salvador, there is no hard evidence to support it, and given the House's slavish support of the Administratum and the Ecclesiarchy, repeating the accusation too loudly tends to turn out badly for the complainer.

 

Salvador's members seek to emulate the greater lmperium to a degree that can border on comical, for instance, attempting to have the elite detachments Household soldiers imitate the heraldry, ideals, and combat tactics of the Ultramarines, lmperial Fists, and Blood Angels no matter how impractical this may be with non transhuman forces. In this, they are assisted by a pact of mutual support with the Lords lnviolate, who will detail a single battle brother to train and Salvador's indentured soldiery and serve as a permenant bodyguard for the family head. The House believes that the brother chosen for this task is the most elite warrior of the Chapter, a subject the Lords themselves have been silent on when questioned.

 

Salvador and House Barandion are deadly rivals in almost any sphere of commerce one might name, with gossip claiming that if half the resources the two dynasties devote to undermining each other were instead deployed to the Reclaimation, the lmperium could have conquered the entire Cluster five times over.

[Wade Garrett]

Whew!

 

And now...now l still need to write up the Black Judges and Lords lnviolate on Ewin Prime, and a story about lnquisitor Androcles Enkidu Tamberlane Wladislav Siegfried Salvador XXV that won't stop bothering me.

[Olis]

Got a double whammy, tonight. First up is a tract on the Devoted and the next is of the Untaken.

 

 

The Devoted

In truth the Conflagrators owe little of their character to their primogenitors - the Salamanders. They do not share the more humanitarian aspects of the Salamanders' demeanour nor do they tolerate psykers beyond navigators and astropaths, and even these necessary evils are barely countenanced. Short of genetic heritage, an outside observer could be forgiven for believing the Chapter comes from different stock. It is interesting to note, however, the curious similarity of a Chapter Cult. Where the Salamanders have the Promethean Cult, the Conflagrators have the Devoted. 

 

Being a Chapter that adheres to Imperial Creed very closely, even fanatically at times, and recruiting from pious stock means that particular emphasis on faith and zeal permeate the strata of the Chapter. From the lowliest menials to the Chapter Master himself, all are required to make observances to the God-Emperor of mankind. As an extension of this, any of the Chapter - astartes or otherwise - can be inducted into the Devoted if they demonstrate particular piety. Once a member of the Cult, the adherents of the Creed take on the suffix 'Devotee' in addition to their official title or rank. The Chapter Master must formally eschew the suffix - he is seen as the lord and master of the Chapter, and therefore the Devoted also. To ascribe him to the Cult would be superfluous. The same can be said of all of the senior command echelon - the High Reclusiarch and Chief Apothecary also must dispose of such ties. 

 

Membership in the Devoted generally takes the form of a branding, typically on the chest or the face. The symbol itself has varied over time but in modern usage the Imperial Aquila super-imposed on a ball of flame is the official marking within the Cult. Further brandings are treated as marks of honour, for those that truly test their faith and prevail. Outward appearances on the battlefield usually take the form of symbolic white flames and aquilas over traditionally orange armour, braziers and censors adorning the Devotee and, for some, lengths of chain to represent the ties that bind them to the Emperor Himself. To the lay man, a Conflagrator brother appearing mostly in white and bearing tokens of creed is expected to be looked upon with reverence and pride for he is a living embodiment of worship and war.  

 

The hallmarks of fanaticism are rife within the Devoted, as to be expected. Wounds are common with self-flagellation perhaps being the most common cause. Other known self-mutilations by the Devoted include scourging and scarification. It is often seen as a means to deny prideful urges or penitence for infractions, genuine or otherwise. The use of these practises are common and not hidden from anyone. 

 

Within the Chapter itself, being a member of the Devoted does not officially influence personal standing, nor does it confer any special privileges. Unofficially, it does exactly that. Devoted members of the Conflagrators generally tend to be more outspoken than their uninitiated brethren and more likely to associate with fellow Devoted. This in turn lends the Devoted a strong say in many matters when they convene in numbers, from strategy to diplomacy (such as it is with the Conflagrators). Even when new Captains and Chapter Masters are 'impartially' chosen by the Chaplains, there have been times when piety has trumped skill, when zeal outweighed experience. One such example is Lord Hellfyre, second Chapter Master of the Conflagrators, who was selected for exactly those reasons. He had proven able as commander of the Conflagrators but ill-suited to the politics of the Liber Cluster. A more shrewd individual could have mitigated this flaw, had one been chosen.

 

Although the Devoted have often waxed strong within the Conflagrators, there's been occasions when they've been diminished by war or fallen out of favour in some way. These fallow periods vexed remaining Cult members, though much of the time their responses to such crises for the Devoted have been to pray, attend pilgrimages and even induct more moderate brothers in an effort to polarise their views. Sometimes this has worked, sometimes it has not. That the Cult has survived the millennia tells of the lengths the members of it have gone to in effort to keep it alive.  

 

==================================================================================================================

 

The Untaken organisation and appearance

The Untaken, informal as they are, do not refer to each other as 'brothers'. They much prefer more intimate terms amongst peers, thus they will often use given names. In the field communications between units are far from standardised, as battalions, companies and even squads practise their own battlefield cants. 

 

In an organisation that has deviated far from the Codex strictures of old, the Untaken surprisingly still use sergeants and captains. However in a force that has far outgrown the old restrictions, delegation of power was needed. Between the rank of captain and chapter master (known simply as the 'Master') arose the rank of commandant. Each commandant is likely to command several hundred warriors and multiple captains, much like chapter masters of more traditional Imperial institutions, in formations of companies referred to as 'battalions'. These commandants each answer to the presiding master, offering greater strategic flexibility than just one homogenous force under the master himself. The amount of commandants has varied over the centuries and millennia but usually they number about seven.

 

In the ranks of the Untaken specialists tend to be less prominent than they are in regular chapters - they often will bear normal Untaken heraldry (dirty grey/white) and would normally be indistinguishable if not for the specialised gear they require to operate. A coloured helm or a stripe on one is the most common way to denominate a specialist but others choose to use differing markings, from a full-on pseudo-loyalist appearance to more esoteric designs. Typically the Untaken will use the old colours held over from the time when they fought for the Throne, such as blue for a wyrd, red for a techmarine and alabaster for an apothecary. Generally, veterans and officers choose black to proclaim their prowess. Commonly amongst the Untaken an astartes will use chequered patterns, scrawl script and declarations and utilise other more orthodox ways of decorating their battle-plate, ensuring that no two Untaken look the same. 

 

In the field squad sizes - without the strictures of the codex to guide them - wildly varies. Often units are folded together when casualties are taken, creating an almost random amount of men in every squad. Techmarines, wyrds, apothecaries and commanders alike will accompany squads very much as a regular warrior and take to the field with little more than some specialised gear and a man to put in front of him when the shells begin to fly. 

 

 

 

 

Comments and critique is always welcome.

[Wade Garrett]

All right.

 

The Devoted...I'm not sure what to make of them. On the one hand, they seem to be an lmperial Creed adherent Chapter cult, but when you discuss how Conflagrators who are part of the Devoted have an "unofficial" higher status than those who aren't, and how they've fallen in and out of favor...then they seem something like a Heresy era warrior lodge.

 

What I'm trying to say is...it feels like you're trying to make one faction do the work of two.

 

For instance, take the Space Wolves Chapter cult. It doesn't fall in and out of favor in the Chapter...in a very real sense it is the Chapter.

 

In my opinion, the best thing to do would be to split the two elements into two seperate things, that is, have the Chapter Cult and the super special we're more zealous than you insider's club.

 

On to the Untaken!

 

For starters, the 5,0000 Astartes...even if they somehow harvested the gene seed of every Lion and loyalist that fell in the 18 Worlds Crusade it wouldn't get them those numbers.

 

Let me throw some ideas out there regarding these fine fellows. They were simple raiders and pirates until they fell in with ibn-Khroda and his Lions, and then they got a taste for ruling. Now, what seperated the Lions from your usual renegade trash was the big honking hordes of mortals they had to do their bidding. A battle brother of the Lions could exercise more authority over mortals ("You, regiment of Coyotes! Stand on your heads for my amusement!") Than many Chapter Masters get to.

 

And that's what I think the Untaken wanted. Command. But not just over puny mortals. Other Astartes would be the best, but it just isn't practical. No, consider the Hyenas. Consider the Mastodons. Maybe they aren't the equal of a a Space Marine, but they're much easier to create, and make much more useful servants than mere humans. That's the prize the Untaken brought with them when they fled Zavatista...enough living and dead specimens of those two forces that their own Apocetharies and Techmarines could reverse engineer their own.

 

Thus, the "Little Brothers" who make up the bulk of their forces. Each one of them is enhanced like Al-Rashid's elite...and fitted with the cortex controller implants that allowed the Mastodon officer class, Og the Gentleman and his fellow Right Sorts, to direct their less intellectually enhanced brethren with no fear of disobedience.

 

Each Astartes in the Untaken maintains his own retinue of Little Brothers, and how many you can afford to create and equip determines your status.

 

Likewise (if my idea meets with approval) I think they'd go in for much more grandiose ranks than Sergeant, Captain, Commandant, and Chapter Master.

 

Say, Prince, Lord Commander, High Lord...and Emperor?

 

(Also, I imagine each Prince spends a lot of time scheming to steal the command codes for the Little Brothers owned by his colleagues so he can add them to his own forces after he assassinates their former owner.)

[Olis]

The Devoted...I'm not sure what to make of them. On the one hand, they seem to be an lmperial Creed adherent Chapter cult, but when you discuss how Conflagrators who are part of the Devoted have an "unofficial" higher status than those who aren't, and how they've fallen in and out of favor...then they seem something like a Heresy era warrior lodge.

 

What I'm trying to say is...it feels like you're trying to make one faction do the work of two.

 

For instance, take the Space Wolves Chapter cult. It doesn't fall in and out of favor in the Chapter...it a very real sense it is the Chapter.

 

In my opinion, the best thing to do would be to split the two elements into two seperate things, that is, have the Chapter Cult and the super special we're more zealous than you insider's club.

 

You're right. They do seem like a rebranded warrior lodge. I hadn't realised. Separating the two might very well be the answer here. I'll have to go and do some tinkering.

 

For starters, the 5,0000 Astartes...even if they somehow harvested the gene seed of every Lion and loyalist that fell in the 18 Worlds Crusade it wouldn't get them those numbers.

 

This may or may not sound defensive...

 

The time period for them to expand is far more than enough given the only example than I can compare against - the Astral Claws. The Claws themselves boosted their numbers to some three thousand marines in the space of a couple of hundred years after withholding their tithe. My Untaken have had ten times as long to do the same. Even if they only used stolen gene-seed, I think a couple of millennia would still be enough to swell the ranks to several thousand astartes. However, they have their own to use - of Raven Guard gene stock - so five thousand, I think is a fairly conservative number.

 

 

Let me throw some ideas out there regarding these fine fellows. They were simple raiders and pirates until they fell in with ibn-Khroda and his Lions, and then they got a taste for ruling. Now, what seperated the Lions from your usual renegade trash was the big honking hordes of mortals they had to do their bidding. A battle brother of the Lions could exercise more authority over mortals ("You, regiment of Coyotes! Stand on your heads for my amusement!") Than many Chapter Masters get to.

 

And that's what I think the Untaken wanted. Command. But not just over puny mortals. Other Astartes would be the best, but it just isn't practical. No, consider the Hyenas. Consider the Mastodons. Maybe they aren't the equal of a a Space Marine, but they're much easier to create, and make much more useful servants than mere humans. That's the prize the Untaken brought with them when they fled Zavatista...enough living and dead specimens of those two forces that their own Apocetharies and Techmarines could reverse engineer their own.

 

Thus, the "Little Brothers" who make up the bulk of their forces. Each one of them is enhanced like Al-Rashid's elite...and fitted with the cortex controller implants that allowed the Mastodon officer class, Og the Gentleman and his fellow Right Sorts, to direct their less intellectually enhanced brethren with no fear of disobedience.

 

Each Astartes in the Untaken maintains his own retinue of Little Brothers, and how many you can afford to create and equip determines your status.

 

Likewise (if my idea meets with approval) I think they'd go in for much more grandiose ranks than Sergeant, Captain, Commandant, and Chapter Master.

 

Say, Prince, Lord Commander, High Lord...and Emperor?

 

(Also, I imagine each Prince spends a lot of time scheming to steal the command codes for the Little Brothers owned by his colleagues so he can add them to his own forces after he assassinates their former owner.)

 

 

 

I must say, as far as a plan B goes, this is a very interesting alternative. I'd be a little more circumspect with beefing their titles but to go with the idea of Little Brothers is tempting. My only concern is that it makes the Untaken spiritual successors to Al-Rashid and his men - a consequence that is not intended for them. At the moment they are a small legion of flawed astartes with a craving for empire building. I am looking to make them more vulnerable but maybe not via this route. 

...

...

...

Actually. Actually, actually. This is a collaborative project. I'll tell you what. If anyone can marry the two ideas (my mini-legion vs Wade's horde of Little Brothers) well enough then I'll adopt that. Sounds fair?

[Wade Garrett]

Well, I was actually trying to come up with a way to seperate the Untaken from the Lions when I invented the Little Brothers.

 

As I saw it, Al-Rashid and his men have an ideology. Perhaps not a sane one...something, fight for your freedom, burn down the Imperium, something... and in its place, a new order will emerge! A galaxy of the truly free, where people will be free to kill and die for what they think is right, not for money, or power, or some priestly lie! Where everyone is free to fight their own wars!

 

Ahem.

 

The Untaken, on the other hand...from the Master to the newest recruit with his pair of slave soldiers, if they have an ideology it'd be something like:

 

"Then everything includes itself in power. Power into will, will into appetite, and appetite, a universal wolf."

 

Every one of them seeks empire and rulership, thus every one of them has his own retinue.

 

And I replaced Sergeant with Prince to try and hammer home how serious these guys are about empire building, and because I thought having their forces be a coalition of backbiting princes gave them a Machiavelli's Italy feel.

 

Which is something 40k (in my opinion) needs more of.

 

(Tilea and the Dogs of War 4 Life! ;) )