House Cydonia, Forgeworld St Hoagland & Fleet D Gamma

[Battybattybats]

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A brief overview of the Forces of and Originating From New Ares and St Hoagland and remarks of interest to the Fabricator General compiled by Magos Gifford

Knight World New Ares:
Records and legends imply that the world of New Ares was founded early on in the Martian terraforming program though the exact date is unknown. The colonists are said to have originated from the Sydonian region and carry traditions that support this claim including the archaic spelling Cydonia. Upon arrival it is said that the colonists were so astounded at the similarity to ancient Mars they performed only minimal terraforming and devoted much of the resources to replicating some geographical features of great importance. The people are deeply religious with many sub-cults mostly belonging to the Gnostek traditions and a strong anti-heretek tradition.

Features of note:
The fortress of House Cydonia, the ruling of the Knightly Houses of New Ares, is ensconced within a massive pyramid precisely placed on the planets equator overlooking in one direction a replica of the Sydonian Mask of Mars and the other the capital city, if such a small structure may be termed a city, of Logopolis Ares.

Population centres are small and widely spread often requiring long slow yoyages by sand-ship, crawlers or ornithopters with faster measures reserved for military and VIP use. These voyages are dangerous as the deserts are stalked by cybeasts whose numbers oscilate in waves and origin is officially a mystery. When numbers grow great Knights will go on great culls to reduce their numbers and earn prestige within their own ranks.

Elsewhere in a series of artificially created canyons made during the terraforming process to resemble the Noctis Labyrinthus is the cliff-suspended black pyramids of House Tenebrae a minor but significant Knight House known for their almost exclusive role as scouts for a battlegroup of Nightgaunt class Titans, the Pennas Noctis, of the Titan Legio Summitate Pyramidis. There are other small Houses on the world but not of any significance at this time, staying almost entirely on New Ares as part of it's significant defence force.

Of most import however is the Forbidden Zone. My Lord Fabricator General I have learned that legends state that this contains the resting place of an intact terraforming vessel! One that manufactures the cybeasts out of it's gene-stock and uses them to collect the raw materials of flesh metal and mineral required to keep it repaired and in full working order! The huge perimeter of the forbidden Zone is patrolled by Skitarii Rangers, large groups of Ironstriders and an honour guard of Knights as well as the most ferocious of cybeasts but surely must have other more effective protections to have lasted so long. Alas all the agents I sent have not returned. Only a handful of High-Ranking pilgrims belonging to some secret sub-cult appear to have visited the site with one exception which i will mention later. Clearly this is a prize that rightfully belongs in the hands of the Mechanicus.

House Cydonia:

The ruling House of New Ares, called the Forge Defenders for their actions defending numerous Forgeworlds including the disaster of Von Neumann and called the Holy Knights for their unique training.
Their colours are dark red with golden trim, with some panels mostly on melee weapons and heat vents stripes of hazard in black and yellow. The House Insignia is a white or bone skull with a yellow or gold cog-halo. This has remained unchanged since the Heresy.
Their motto is: Noblesse Oblige, often used as a battlecry.


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The house emblem comes from the journey of the Binaric Apostle St Hoagland whose arrival was foreshadowed by a dream of portent by the Barron of the House, known as '7.8. of the Well', of a face with a golden halo too bright to look upon. This dream was seen by all as a miracle of the Omnissiah. St Hoagland found that the people of New Ares still practiced beliefs largely unchanged from those of Ancient Sydonia and lived a very spiritual life wholly compatible with the teachings of the Omnissiah Hoagland brought to them. A powerful pact was written giving the Knights an unprecedented position for Knights outside of Mars.

Every Knight is given basic induction into the Cult Mechanicus and basic Techpriest training. The 2nd child of each Knight is trained as a Sacristan. This training takes place on Mars whenever possible and so despite the nearby forgeworld of St Hoagland being capable of Knight construction most of the Knights of House Cydonia are constructed on Mars. Also of note is the large minority of Knight pilots who are female, an allowance said to stem from the necessity of keeping populations small due to the minimal habitability of the world. Their trust in the machine is so implicit that the viewport of their Knights is fitted instead with a bio-status indicator to show the state of the pilot who relies entirely on the sensors of the machine they are linked to.

The knight house is known for it's tenacity and stubbornness as well as making the most of the high position that their rank and religious role gains. Those Forgeworlds seeking their help have found themselves being audited as a condition of assistance with onerous stipulations of improved treatment for low ranking menials and even servitors placed upon them as being vital priority efficiency measures. Earning them a great deal of popularity amongst low ranking forgeworlders. This stubbornness is perhaps best represented by the tale of the defence of the Forgeworld Von Neumann.

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"Toll the Great Bell... says the ancient Mechanicus ritual.

At the heart of Forgeworld Von Neumann the ancient Great Bell would toll with countless ritual and with every completed shipment repaired Titan or constructed Great Engine. When the Forgeworld came under threat the pilot Marshalled Will of the Knight Quod Erat Demonstrandum of House Cydonia swore that the Forge's bell would continue to toll as long as the Imperium remained. A brave and noble and Knightly oath, and like too many Knightly oaths one that would result more likely in sure death than fulfilment. One by one the forces of the enemy destroyed the manufactora of the Forgeworld, battlefront by battlefront the war was lost. Finally with the heart of the forge under assault the Inquisition declared Exterminatus. What few of sufficient worth to be evacuated would be as the process of utter annihilation would commence.

But no Knight or worth or merit would easily break an oath, nor easily throw away the machine in their charge.

Deciding within seconds of the declaration the reaper blade of Quod Erat Demonstrandum whirled in the opposite direction to that of the enemy, cutting the ancient bell from it's housing! Quickly attached to a lug on the great machines leg by part of the Taghmata Hoagland's Enginseer Auxilia, Quod Erat Demonstrandum and the remnants of the household and the Taghmata in his charge barrelled through the enemy fighting desperate battle to the handful of ships withdrawing Astartes  Inquisition staff and other high ranking less disposable personal and equipment off the world even as the cracking of the crust by bombardment was underway on the opposite side of the planet.

Once returned to New Ares the Great bell of Von Neumann was welded to the end of the barrel of Quod Erat Demonstrandum's rapid-fire battlecannon. Now the Great Bell tolls with each shot, pealling it's holy tones accross the battlefields of the Imperium of Man. While some nobles of some houses consider the solution to be a form of cheating, many others have praised this act of defiant thinking even in the face of certain defeat.

But this poetic victory has not come without... complications. Technically the Forgeworld of Von Neumann is only destroyed once no more rituals are performed with the bell, so according to official records the Forgeworld is Exterminatus and yet also still exists!

Spacefleets have been sent by confused Administratum to finish the job only to receive back reports of an asteroid field where the Forgeworld once was, yet officially it still exists!

Whole Basilica Administratum have filled up to literal overflowing and been abandoned by the paperwork nightmare caused by this, claims for goods and taxes and tithes and demands all groaning and bursting at the buildings seams.When finally one particularly industrious official thought to send Astropathic word to the Forgeworld by way of House Cydonia hoping that those who last fought on the world might know why it was incommunicado, a message that was demanding the Imperium's share of the Forgeworlds products and taxes the nobles of House Cydonia in reply had transported in return, to the officials great bewilderment, a masterfully woven banner depicting the full record of the Battlecannon's kill count since the bell was affixed with the label 'the complete and entire record of the Imperium's tithe tax and dues of Forgeworld Von Neumann, paid in full'."


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Furthermore the skills and knowledge of techpriest trained Knights, their possession of Archaetech they are not required to share with Mars as well as the practice of failed aspirants being used as bio-material for Skitarii Alpha as led to an unparalleled incident. During an engagement on planetoid E11379865 where Skitarii were engaged in support of Knights of House Cydonia when the data buffers were full and the Magos in charge exercised its authority to order them to withdraw and leave the Knights to finish the battle somehow the Knights were able to take over the Phylactic connection with the Skitarii via an uplink Mechanism of their own aboard the Explorator vessel and using some secret authorisation (that i speculate stemmed from the experience of connection to the Throne Mechanicum of the Knight even though the aspirant failed) to override the command and keep the Skitarii engaged in the battle. Worse still they succeeded in applying for the commanding Magos to suffer severe sanction while they went unpunished!

I have also uncovered a long list of disappearances deaths and overt assassinations of enemies of the house that point to either the use of the Cydonian Sisterhood of Mars or a sister organisation existing on New Ares. Any action taken against House Cydonia or it's interests must be done with care.

As tools of the Omnissiah they are superb, however controlling them is a great difficulty, with the Forgeworld St Hoagland more mastered by them than being their master. Though this was to prove useful during the Great Heresy....

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[Battybattybats]

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Forgeworld St Hoagland
Founded by the Binary Apostle St Hoagland on his journey and the site returned to at the end of the Pilgrimage of Enlightening St Hoagland is the principle amongst a system of Forgeworlds put in place to meet the heavy demands of the Galactic North and to serve and be served by the Knight world of New Ares. 3 of the 6 Forgeworlds of the system including St Hoagland are a mixture of Munfactoria and data repositories, 1 has given itself over entirely to manufacture and another is now solely a data repositiory and conservatorium maximus. The last world designated Jubilee however is currently under investigation for remaining Xenos-taint after it's Titan Legion renamed itself from the Dread Stars to the Claws of the Children and partook in a devastating Genestealer Rebellion. This world is forbidden to approach under orders of the Ordo Xenos and any ship trying to enter or leave it without Odro Xenos approval is immediately destroyed. Small groups of Xenos have been rooted out on some of the other worlds but thus far evidence indicates the infestation is now contained.

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St Hoagland itself has been deemed uncontaminated, and continues to serve us a hub for many Explorator expeditions and Rogue Trader fleets. It is ruled over officially by the Engrammatic Binaric Saint St Hoagland though direct communication with the saint ceased even before the Great Heresy. Instead practical rule is done by a proxy Fabricator General elected by the Synod and granted the title The Hoagland, a shortened version of The Humble Proxy Who Speaks For The Saint Hoagland. However for millennia they only attempt actual communion with the saint by hard-link at the end of their careers, or in many cases as the end of their careers for doing so results in a transference of the Hoagland's consciousness into the engrammatic machine to join with the Binaric Apostle, often after 48.673 seconds of hysterical laughter, crying or screaming. Instead Augeries and Rituals are used by each The Hoagland to determine the will of the Saint indirectly to the best of their own interpretation and thus guide the Forgeworld.

The emblem of the Forgeworld is taken from the prophetic dream had by Barron 7.8. of the Well, however for distinctions sake it is usually depicted as a white or bone skull with a white or silver halo.
Though the Taghmata Omnissiah instead usually bear the standard Opus Mechanicum but with a golden or yellow cog instead of a halved black and white cog.
Whereas the Skitarii of Forgeworld St Hoagland, to show their holy interaction with the Omnissiah's will directly into their consciousness have a golden or yellow skull with a white cog halo.

Further influenced by the spiritual regard for House Cydonia the colours of the Taghmata and Skitarii forces are a dark red with on some occasions stripes of hazard in black and yellow or a golden halo or skull mask.

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Of particular note are the 1st Dragoons, honoured by frequently being deployed alongside Knights of House Cydonia where they run alongside the flanks of lines of Knights where their incense cloud and bodies privide some cover and their strength of the survivors is lent to the already powerful charge. A practice that has lead to legend and art as much as victory, frequently depicted in decorative sculpture and stained glass in high forge and templum as much as the shrines of hab-workers and forge labourers.

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The most decorated of the 1st Dragoons bears the crested helm of an Alpha as well as a rare sensor-suite upgrade only made by the secretive tech-artisans of the House Cydonia Fortress-Pyramid. It is a testament to the high grade of Cydonian nobility that often those nobles whose bodies fail to mesh with the Throne Mechanicum often rise to the place of the 1st Dragoon Alpha to win glory beside their siblings and cousins.

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This reverance towards House Cydonia even extends to the Titan Legion of Forgeworld St Hoagland. The Legio Summitate Pyramidis, known variously as the Pyramid Legion, The Apex of the Pyramid, or Legio Apex. Who again are dark red with golden trim, with stripes of hazard in black and yellow on heat vents and melee weapons. Their insignia being a triangle with a cog-haloed skull at it's peak.

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Almost invariably Knights of House Cydonia and House Tenebrae of New Ares spend a period of time within the forces of the Legio as scouts for the larger God Machines and despite what is usually a situation of great rivalry a profound and solemn respect and cooperation is found between these forces. This is said to stem from the holy writings of instruction St Hoagland authored for the Legio. And their Motto: "The summit serves the foundation as the foundation serves the summit" or "Fastigium inservit pro fundamento est fundamentum, culmen inservit" (though i note this does not translate as such in High Imperial Gothic) shows this principle. However an informal battle cry has been used since the felling during the Heresy of an Imperator Titan of the Heretics when a Reaver whose reactor was overloading sacrificed itself to bring the corrupted Imperator to it's knees that the rest of the force might finish it off with the immortal last words of Princeps 'Will of the Wall' of the Titan 'Wrath of Hoagland' being simply "Inload This!"

Where there is rivalry however is between Legio Summitate Pyramidis and Legio Ignatum, known as the Fire Wasps, over ancient enmity due to the similarity of Heraldic colours, and one between House Cydonia and House Taranis, where House Taranis's freedom from the conditioning of the Throne Mechanicum is seen by House Cydonia as a weakness of the flesh and a step away from the Omnissiah rather than a sign of greater favour and trust. How House Cydonia became aware of the conditioning of the Throne is unknown, it is most fortunate that they have not revealed this secret to any other Knight Houses and they appear honour-bound to keep it thus.

The Heresy and The Anti Hoagland:
While records are fragmentary some detail is known about these forces during the great heresy. Corruption was found even on New Ares as one of the Magos Lachrymata of great skill born on New Ares was refused entry to the higher secret orders of the sub-cults of New Ares and particularly the rite of pilgrimage into The Forbidden Zone. This Magos whose original name is not long lost rose through the ranks of Forgeworld St Hoagland's Synod till becoming The Hoagland. This was a time of great strain between St Hoagland and House Cydonia. This Hoagland proved quite receptive to emissaries of the Warmaster and it appeared that St Hoagland would be pledged to Chaos, however the new Archmagos Prelate to House Cydonia remained loyal and told the Knights of the Hoagland's statement that the Emperor was not the Omnissiah.

Determining this was false by means of putting a black and a white stone into a bowl, asking a yes/no question and drawing one of the stones House Cydonia declared that the Hoagland was instead The Anti-Hoagland, declared their rule false and the entire present Synod but for the Archmagos Prelate excommunicate. When news of this reached the Synod 5 of it's members instantly died through causes unknown within a single nanosecond and then another exploded with sufficient force to wound the Anti-Hoagland and kill many more of the Synod. The wounded Anti-Hoagland ordered the Legio Summitate Pyramidis destroy House Cydonia. What followed was a battle unheard of in all the hoistroy of the Collegia Titanicus.

The Battle of One Shot:
When the God-Machines of the Apex of the Pyramid landed outside Logopolis Ares The entirety of the armed forces of New Ares of the system were arrayed as if on parade, and as the Titans marched towards them still well out of range they marched forward to, but instead of readying weapons they raised their weapons and began ejecting ammunition. They powered down their chainswords, shut off volkite energisers and the Skitarii attached to the Knight House for the worlds defence discarded their weapons with gentle reverence on the red sand and stone. By the time they entered range they were as completely unarmed as they could be. What took place then was a war of words over the communicator between the Grand Marshal of the Legio and the Barron of the House. The Knights refused to surrender or to fight their brothers in arms either and declared their charges against the Anti-Hoagland arguing that his orders were invalid. The Grand Marshal likewise refused to surrender nor to march without defeating the enemy. The baron reasoned that the enemy must therefore surely be the unknown and that to defeat it the alleged Anti-Hoagland must be tried, if found innocent then the destruction of the house would commence, if guilty then the titans would march on St Hoagland instead! But how to test the guilt?

The Baron proposed that the Omnissiah would show that guilt in a trial by ordeal. That the Grand Marshal should fire his plasma weapon directly at the Baron's Knight while the Ion Shield was left stationary at the fore. If the plasma destroyed the Knight then the Hoagland was innocent, if not then then the charges were true. Such was the Barons faith.

The titan closed range till there was no chance of missing even if the Knight's virtue failed and levelled it's weapon. And fired! The plasma came in contact with the ion shield and a blessed miracle occurred! While enough of the plasma burned through to boil away almost all of the paint upon the Knight not one part of the Mechanism was damaged so much as to fail, only the House Cydonia emblem remained scorched but visible on a Knight rendered polished and shining like an avatar of the Omnissiah! The titans turned as one and marched back to their landers and the assault of St Hoagland was begun.

The battle for St Hoagland was swift and brutal, with minimal damage compared to many others through the Heresy, but no less than 3 different alleged corpses of the Anti-Hoagland were recovered. To this day the system has been haunted by tales that this arch-heretek survived and escaped...

From there the forces fought those of the Warmaster throughout the Heresy.

The Knight Errant, The Betrayed:
One of the most notable Knights of House Cydonia during the Heresy was the Knight Errant who has come to be known as The betrayed. The original name of the pilot and Knight are forbidden to be transmitted or spoken lest it set back attempts to control the machine. What is known is the nature of the trauma that created the famed and blessed berserker.

When the Schism of Mars struck the sons of the original pilot of The Betrayed were training on Mars as is the tradition. Midway through the Heresy the noble learned that they were both killed, murdered and not even able to die in battle. The betrayal of the Mechanicum turning on the Mechanicum had haunted him as it was, this personal grief of a father who has outlived his children sent him into a rage that has never ceased burning for 10,000 years! At first he kept fighting with the House but as his ability to follow orders failed he took up the role of Freeblade so as not to cause the deaths of his comrades with his disobedience or be held back by tactical orders. He took as his livery a mixture of halved aquila and cog to show his loyalty as well as on one shoulder a half living half dead aquila to show how the Imperium was sundered. The Betrayed fought throughout the Heresy and the Scouring. When finally he could find no more Hereteks to purge he returned to New Ares where he was welcomed back, allowed to keep much of the freeblade livery as a sign of respect for the deeds accomplished, but the brooding torment, the rage and berserk fury and the nightmares never left him, and they passed on into the Throne Mechanicum.

Since then only the strongest willed and calmost of disposition may exert enough control this Knight to field it safely in battle, even then they are doomed to a life of constant struggle for self-control and nights rent by the screams of someone else children millennia dead. And while it has been brought down many times and parts worn out many times over the millennia still the Throne and it's ghosts have always survived even as the rest of the Knight has been wrecked or replaced several times over.

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Explorator Fleet D Gamma
Designated after the commander of the fleet Explorator Fleet D Gamma has earned itself many distinctions through it's years of service.
D Gamma was born in the Lathe Worlds on the Forgeworld Lathe Hesh as a clone of Magos Vahl D Marr who was contracted to be the Enginseer Prime aboard the Dauntless Class Vessel Pax Mortificator of the Rogue Trader Glorious Maximus. When Vahl was killed by a being of the warp that managed to get through the Geller Field D Gamma took up the position, with Vahl's remains reverently turned into his servo-skull, moving the bionic eye laser from Vahl into D Gamma's own cranium.

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When eventually they parted ways D Gamma was given the Pax Mortificator as a gift. Joining this vessel to an Explorator fleet that rushed ahead of Tyranid incursions to rescue what may be found before the hive fleets could destroy it this regular skirting with danger not only gave D Gamma a great deal of practice at managing risk but also opportunities of advancement from frequent casualties. The discovery of a partial but near-complete STC printout for a compact handheld mandibular cleansing apparatus, even though attempts to construct it have lead to terrible casualties from excess power application, earned D Gamma great esteem and the dispensation of an Arkcruiser to join what remains of the original fleet which are mainly refurbished Imperial Navy Vessels.

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Explorator Fleet D Gamma rendezvoused with the Arkcruiser at Forgeworld St Hoagland where negotiations were made to take on a large force of Skitarii and a Taghmata Omnissiah. There a deal was struck with the Knights of House Cydonia...

The Lost
When the Hiveworld of Necromunda was invaded by an Ork Waagh a Household Spearhead of House Cydonia was amongst the forces that defeated it. During this conflict one of the Knights was lost believed destroyed. However recently a Magos during penance for quasi-heretekal maintenance practices on Hive sump reclamation systems passed on information that suggests that deep in the Underhive the Throne Mechanicum of the Lost Knight may still be intact, having fallen through the hive structure through hivequakes and perhaps protected by the blessing of the Omnissiah. And so it is that the Explorator Fleet is currently in orbit around Necromunda while a small group of Explorators including a Noble who survived the destruction of their Knight and requires the salvage in order to get another chance at battle are searching the Underhive on the trail of this priceless treasure, not engaging in force for fear of tipping off billions of treasure-seekers.

During the ongoing exploration an encounter was had with a Heretek bearing a marked resemblance to depictions of the Anti Hoagland from the time of the heresy... investigation is continuing...

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The Angels
En route to Necromunda however the Explorator Fleet D Gamma faced several delays. On reaching a shrine world there was a dispute over relic ownership with some Sororitas who failed to recognise that all Archaeotech even amongst a Saints relics belong by the Treaty of Olympus Mons to the Mechanicus, the negotiations (of ordnance) were interrupted by raiders of the Arch Enemy resulting in the Sororitas and Mechanicus fighting side by side against Chaos Marines, including several encounters a hooded marine who fought with a pair of ancient pistols. During this series of conflicts other Marines bearing the markings of the Dark Angels chapter of Space Marines tried to take forceful custody of one of the House Cydonia Knight Pilots, but were shown the error of jurisdiction claim by the Knight Paladin Quod Erat Demonstrandum. Astropathic demands for an explanation of this incident have not yet been answered....

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+ALERT+ +ALERT+ +ALERT+
+Beta Level Security Breach+
+Intruder the Omnissiah's Wrath will fall on your lowly corpus+
+Remain stationary and pray for mercy for your grievous sins against the Machine+
+Vorax Released+
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[Olis]

Okay, I've been looking at the article so far for a few hours. I believe at the moment it is overly wordy - there is a lot being said, and perhaps there is a lot to say, but it was difficult to keep an interest for me. I think what has been written so far would benefit in condensing and jettisoning certain parts. Once things have been consolidated, then perhaps it'll be easier to read.  

[Battybattybats]

Okay, I've been looking at the article so far for a few hours. I believe at the moment it is overly wordy - there is a lot being said, and perhaps there is a lot to say, but it was difficult to keep an interest for me. I think what has been written so far would benefit in condensing and jettisoning certain parts. Once things have been consolidated, then perhaps it'll be easier to read.

Alas that is my writing style. It works for some which is why i have had work published, and not for others which is why i am not a rich author Perhaps blame my reading a lot of 19thC and early 20thC works in my formative years.

That is covering a lot of different forces, a Knight House with some details of a second, a Taghmata Omnissiah, A Forgeworld with satellite Forgeworlds, Slkitarii, A Titan Legion with references to a second, An Explorator Fleet led by a Rogue Trader RPG character and a Necromunda Explorator Gang. Even skimming a lot of each that still is a lot of material and add some flavour text and it becomes bigger still.

I might come back later when i get the chance and edit in some pics of minis from the forces which might help break it up into smaller pieces. This forum colour scheme can get rough on the eye with large blocks of text so that may help.

[CommodusXIII]

I find it good to break up blocks of text with pictures, even if you're just pulling GW images from Google.  It marks separations between distinct sections, and lets the eyes take a break momentarily before diving back in.

[Battybattybats]

Part 1 and 3 are now updated with pics to ease reading. I'll update part 2 once i can get a good pic of a titan or 2 and have an example of the insignia used by the Skitarii of Forgeworld St Hoagland.

[CommodusXIII]

Very good work, Bats!

[Battybattybats]

Edited further, now with pictures of the Skitarii Vanguard and Dragoon colours and the Skitarii of St Hoagland insignia, as well as further background particularly of the 1st Dragoons.