IA: Stormwalkers

[Preacher No'ki]

Long time lurker in these parts, but this is the first time I've posted here. For a long time I've been going over ideas for my own DIY, mainly to give me a current timeline loyalist to play with. Long term goal is for these guys to be antagonists for my other projects, but I also wanted to be able to create a slightly different style Marine army (table-top wise). Model wise they wont be much beyond a kill-team project for now, but hopefully they'll evolve into a scout based force.
 
This is all very much work in progress, but I wanted somewhere to post it to let it evolve and hopefully gain some feedback, rather than it just being on my desktop. There's still a lot to fill in, and not much to go on so far but I'm worried the history section is already too long.

 

 

Index Astartes: Stormwalkers

Founding	12th Founding, M35
Progenitor Legion	White Scars via Rampagers
Known Descendants	None
Homeworld	Myrce Kype. Destroyed.
Allegiance	Loyalist

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v340/PreacherNoki/Stormborn_zpsacvbjc40.jpg

Scheme

 

 

Origins
"Not all those who wander are lost"
-Chapter Motto
 
A star-spanning Chapter of uncertain providence, the Stormwalkers’s own records aboard Myrce’s Vigil, place their founding as amongst the 12th in the later years of M35. Whilst it is the 13th Founding which is known as the Dark Founding there is only limited knowledge about previous 12th and the names of most of those Chapters are lost to time.
 
The earliest official record of the Stormwalkers can be found within the pages of the Mythos Angelica Mortis compiled in late M36 which speaks of "savage sons of steel and void...defenders of his realm from the outer dark..." Whilst the tome itself is often vague and incomplete, along with the chapters own traditions it presents the best estimates for their founding.
 
To be a foundling chapter during M35 was to be born into the darkest times for the Imperium of Man since the days of the Horus Heresy. The Stormwalkers were quickly embroiled in conflict after conflict, primary within the Segmentum Pacificus, carving for themselves a bloody reputation.  Their esoteric, shamanistic beliefs drew them into conflict with Imperial Church frequently and as the wars progressed some sources suggest they sided with forces loyal to Nova Terra. The veracity of these claims is fiercely disputed, but little of detail remains to support either stance.
 
What is clear is that shortly after the Time of Two Empires the wanderlust that would come to define the chapter set in. Perhaps this was a chance for the Stormwalkers to distance themselves from the political mire, or avoid the attentions of the Ecclesiarchy, perhaps they merely sought new foes to test themselves against. From this point records show the chapter fighting across the length and breadth of the galaxy, and at times beyond the realm of man.
 
Over half of the War Clans accompanied the Dark Marches Crusade launched in 610.M36 to reclaim the lost portions of Segmentum Tempestus. The Dark Marches were close to the location of their own homeworld, and was one of the last times the majority of the chapter would fight together until the Heptarchy of Myrce was established in M41.       
 
The chapter held a distant relationship with their homeworld, the mist shrouded Myrce Kype. The War Clans returned infrequently to the planet to recruit and resupply. This meant that at all times there would be a single company’s worth of marines in orbit, however when returning home the Clans were often far below optimal strength.
 
As the Clans wandered for longer and further it appeared many of the Warlords, the equivalent of company captains, had forgotten their oaths to defend the Jadoc Drift. Many felt there were no new adventures to be faced in the drift, that any threat could easily be subdued by those rearming at Myrce Kype.  This disconnected attitude would prove nearly fatal to the chapter.
 
In M.39 a Hrud migration swept up from the veiled region and whilst the majority of the war clans were away, Myrce Kype fell. Calls for aid were sent by those garrisoning the monastery, but the Clans were scattered far and wide.  By the time the majority of the Clans arrived it was too late. Whilst they were able to eradicate the Hrud from the system the damage had been done.  The time distorting effects of the Hrud had left the chapter’s home a husk of what it once was. The local star had been twisted and aged, and now frequent flares and radiation busts have stripped away any hope of survival for the human population.
 
After the fall of Myrce Kype detailed records of the chapter’s activities all but cease and they disappear from Imperial Records all together for nearly two millennia. Disparate sources and local legends speak of Astartes matching the description of the Stormwalkers throughout this time but none are confirmed and no actions of a chapter sized force appear.
 
However one text recovered 500 years after the fall of Myrce Kype suggests what became of the chapter during this time. Although the Hrud had been halted, victory tasted of ash to the brothers. For months the assembled war host hung above the ruin of their homeworld. With the heavy losses sustained, including the loss of their home and Chapter Master the remaining Warlords argued over what direction they should take and where the blame lay for this catastrophe. Arguments were heated and blades were drawn on more than one occasion.
 
A chapter birthed into civil unrest, and fiercely independent, in their grief the Stormwalkers nearly tore themselves apart. Although their independence may be what ultimately saved them at this juncture. Used to working alone for extended periods with little contact with the other companies, one by one the Warlords left the tomb of their world, taking their companies with them.   
 
After the loss of their homeworld and their failure to reach a consensus the disparate war clans of the chapter splintered.  Each crusaded across the Segmentum Tempestus and Segmentum Pacificus, seeking their own path to redemption. During this time a number of War Clans would venture out beyond the Emperor’s light, either alone, or escorting exploratory fleets. Some Companies would not return from these ventures whilst others were changed.  In these years of wilderness bonds of brotherhood were forged and broken time and time again, between the war companies themselves and between those they fought alongside.

 

...
 
Homeworld
The world of Myrce Kype would not warrant even a footnote in the annuals of the Imperium were it not for its position. A feral world whose low laying land is primarily mist shrouded fen. It had little to offer the imperium at large beyond basic man power. However it sat at the entrance to one of the few stable warp routes into the Jadoc Drift. An isolated area of space the drift is a collection of star systems on the very edge of the galactic plane and a gateway to the veiled regions to the galactic south.
 
Whilst broadly classified as feral the human population of Myrce Kype would better be described as techno-barbarians. Any history of the planet’s initial colonisation is lost to time and legend but the nomadic tribes of its surface maintained a basic level of technology. Mostly this technology was passed down from generation to generation, although occasionally new caches were found in sunken ships or outposts in the ever shifting marshes. These nomad clans constantly battled with each other over the planets limited resources. The clans fought with guile and cunning. Experts in guerrilla warfare, they would strike from the mists and waters, take what they needed and then disappear as quickly as they had appeared.  
The Stormwalkers took little direct interest in the activities of warring clans, only occasionally descending to the mist soaked surface to claim new initiates from the clans’ young. However the clans took great interest in gaining the attention of the Stormwalkers.
 
The clans worshiped the Emperor as “Donar, the Lightning King”, and viewed the Stormwalkers as his divine warriors. The exact beliefs differed between the clans but they saw the technology they used and coveted as gifts, scattered across the land by the Lightning King. They used these tools to protect themselves from the planet’s wildlife and wage war between themselves.  Clan legends spoke of “Warriors of Thunder”, those clans who had found the Emperor’s ultimate gift to his people, the ability to reforge themselves in the likeness of his Stormwalkers. However these Warriors of Thunder were always doomed to short lives, but glorious deaths. To many the chance to become Thunder Warriors was the closest they would come to joining the ranks of the divine Stormwalkers, who once a generation appeared from the mist and took the strongest of their children to raise them up.
 
All of this has changed. That was Myrce Kype that was, the world the Stormwalkers remember and honour in their traditions. Now it is a dead world, an airless rock, scorched and twisted by the tides of time. Whilst all hope is gone for their home, at the dawning of M.41 the Stormwalkers restored their presence in the system by anchoring the ancient starfort, Myrce’s Vigil, in high orbit of the dying star. An act to remind the chapter that all wanders must return home.  

[Conn Eremon]

Welcome to the Liber, once-lurker!

 

If you are concerned with the length of your origins, I would suggest breaking it up into two parts with appropriate headers. You do provide two stories in your Origins as is, that of their vague, murky early years and the history of their home world.

 

The chapter held a distant relationship with their homeworld, the mist shrouded Myrce Kype. The War Clans returned infrequently to the planet to recruit and resupply. This meant that at all times there would be a single company’s worth of marines in orbit, however when returning home the Clans were often far below optimal strength.

This could do with some rewording, as it feels contradictory. The Warclans only return infrequently, when they have fallen far below optimal strength, and yet there is always a Clan present? I think you'll need to decide which one you'd rather have, or add something extra to the mix to keep both, such as a homebound force.

 

While you could swap infrequent with frequent, making the Clans appear more often, I think it would best serve the conclusion you are building to if you suggest that their home world rarely plays host to a returning Clan.

 

The quoted bit could also be reworded and moved to the Home World section, to ease up on the Origins, but it fits just as well where it is.

 

 

All in all, it is a good start. I like that their more defining trait has consequences attached that force them to reevaluate and inhibit this trait. But you will need to consider the deeper consequences attached. Their home world is gone. Barring any additional sources for the following being added in, your Chapter is now severely lacking in the production of equipment and ammunition, and have lost their store of gene-seed. Your Chapter can recover these resources and means of production, but recovery takes time and is not without risk.

[Draakur]

Always so amped with Scars descendants :D

 

This is already pretty polished. While there are some minor inconsistencies and areas not filled out enough to completely make sense yet, this looks like it's already had a lot of thought put in. I very much dig the "exotic warriors, wandering the stars waging war and seeking adventure" direction, there's a romance to it that (strangely?) still works in the Grimdark we know and love. 

 

Some comments:

 

- As much as I've always liked the saying that you've used for their chapter motto, I don't know how appropriate it is to them. The connection to their temperament is clear, but was there ever any question they were "lost"? It almost sounds like a defense to a claim made against them. 

 

- Are you planning to add more story/closure about them finally joining up or all dying off or whatever, or is their current status pretty much as you've described so far, ie. splintered and on the decline, with no real direction? Just curious, neither option seems better or worse than the other, it will just dictate how you approach the rest of the IA. If you're leaving their current storyline status as is (and I think you might, given you said you thought their history might already be too long), then to give them more character and depth you'll need to focus a lot on their cultures, beliefs, combat doctrine etc from here on out I would imagine.   

 

- Will you be going the facial scarring etc route of the Rampagers? How exotic or feral will their general aesthetic be leaning? I ask because the Scars are heavily influenced by their home planet and peoples' culture - your lads have a distinctly opposite connection to their world and people, so this might have a certain impact on how they live and think. Would be interesting to see your take on this part of things. 

 

Keen for more! :)

[Preacher No'ki]

Thanks for the comments guys, an outside eye is always useful on these projects. I want to ensure they fit the universe well, especially considering I've borrowed a chapter name that GW has never fleshed out, so feedback is always appreciated.

In all likelyhood I won't be able to update properly until mid week, but I wanted to get back to you on your thoughts before then and hopefully hammer out a few concepts.

This could do with some rewording, as it feels contradictory. The Warclans only return infrequently, when they have fallen far below optimal strength, and yet there is always a Clan present? I think you'll need to decide which one you'd rather have, or add something extra to the mix to keep both, such as a homebound force.

While you could swap infrequent with frequent, making the Clans appear more often, I think it would best serve the conclusion you are building to if you suggest that their home world rarely plays host to a returning Clan.

The quoted bit could also be reworded and moved to the Home World section, to ease up on the Origins, but it fits just as well where it is.

This is one of those moments when I had an idea of what I wanted to say but failed. Like you said at the moment it's contradictory. I will likely change this up to the Clans rarely returning. At this point in their history they're not ones for sitting still. However, would a chapter leave their home completely undefended? I think in my mind there is always a small group on the the homeworld, watching over the chapter serfs etc. I can't imagine this is a favourite duty of full brothers. It needs some work I agree.

I'll move it to the homeworld section when I flesh it out (oddly enough that's where it was in an earlier draft).

I like that their more defining trait has consequences attached that force them to reevaluate and inhibit this trait. But you will need to consider the deeper consequences attached. Their home world is gone. Barring any additional sources for the following being added in, your Chapter is now severely lacking in the production of equipment and ammunition, and have lost their store of gene-seed. Your Chapter can recover these resources and means of production, but recovery takes time and is not without risk.

Are you planning to add more story/closure about them finally joining up or all dying off or whatever, or is their current status pretty much as you've described so far, ie. splintered and on the decline, with no real direction? Just curious, neither option seems better or worse than the other, it will just dictate how you approach the rest of the IA.

Hopefully the final part of their history will answer this, although I hope it remains in the realms of plausibility. But I'll to try and give some brief thoughts on the survival and future.

After the fall of their homeworld, the Clans scattered out again. Arguably at that point they haven't learnt a thing, falling back on their usual independence and self reliance. I don't want to suggest these were easy times for the chapter. It is likely that some Clans adopted nomad predation tactics to survive, others forged alliances or sold their services (not as true Mercs, but say helped a Forgeworld and took payment in supplies). But lets be honest, this is not a way for a chapter to survive.

I mentioned in passing the Heptarchy of Myrce. This is a potential turning point for the Stormwalkers (and one of those bits that probably doesn't make sense at the moment). At the dawning of M41 one of the Warlords, Varas Boeri, sends out a signal calling the Clans back home. Bit by bit seven Clans return to Myrce Kype, and for the first time the Stormwalkers can really see what has become of them. Seven out of ten clans, but barely 400 battle brothers between them. Some fared better than others. From Boeri's Clan has with 70 brothers, to one which returns on a rogue traders ship, only five brothers strong.

Boeri finally gets the Clans to see their mistake, they have been dying a slow death. In an attempt to save themselves they enact the Heptarchy. They agree to work closely again, as a chapter. The seven Clans that returned are kept, the three who didn't are considered lost and will not be replaced. It is agreed that four of the Clans will remain together as a combined fleet, whilst three are permitted to continue wandering. But these three Clans are assigned a duty, to call the chapter to war. Find new challenges for them to face as a whole. Cue political wrangling for which Clans are allowed to act as "outriders". (This allows me to build a small kill team sized force as one of the decimated outrider clans).

That's the rough idea. After the Heptarchy they begin to rebuild in earnest and understand their duties a bit more. But recovery is a slow process, and its possible they've swapped death by a thousand cuts for a headshot. The universe stands at one minute to midnight, and although they've bought themselves some time, I don't see them surviving as the clock strikes 12.

Will you be going the facial scarring etc route of the Rampagers? How exotic or feral will their general aesthetic be leaning? I ask because the Scars are heavily influenced by their home planet and peoples' culture - your lads have a distinctly opposite connection to their world and people, so this might have a certain impact on how they live and think. Would be interesting to see your take on this part of things.

The exact culture is something I've not hammered the details out of yet. Like most Scar's descendants they have that "savage" air to them. They will likely follow their predecessors with ritual scaring to an extent, but I want to wrap that into their beliefs as well. They won't be feasting on the blood like the Rampagers though. ;) To give an idea of how feral they appear, I want to mix in parts of FW Sons of Horus range (minus the eye of Horus), so topknots and spikes. I've always been inspired by Blanche's pictures of "techno-barbarians" and its something I want to try and pay homage to with these guys.

I hadn't fully considered how their relationship with their world might effect them. I had imagined that their Clan system and beliefs were originally based on ideas from their home, but then as they grew most distant they've diverged and some things have lost their meaning whilst others gained them. Their wargear is passed down the generations, which each marine making his own mark on them. This still echos the people of their homeworld. They're not great with tech, but they honour and respect the spirits of their wargear like ancestors.

I hope for the moment that gives you an idea of where I'm heading, and I hope its not too out there. Thanks again for the feedback, more is always welcome.

[TDF]

 

This could do with some rewording, as it feels contradictory. The Warclans only return infrequently, when they have fallen far below optimal strength, and yet there is always a Clan present? I think you'll need to decide which one you'd rather have, or add something extra to the mix to keep both, such as a homebound force.

 

While you could swap infrequent with frequent, making the Clans appear more often, I think it would best serve the conclusion you are building to if you suggest that their home world rarely plays host to a returning Clan.

 

The quoted bit could also be reworded and moved to the Home World section, to ease up on the Origins, but it fits just as well where it is.

This is one of those moments when I had an idea of what I wanted to say but failed. Like you said at the moment it's contradictory. I will likely change this up to the Clans rarely returning. At this point in their history they're not ones for sitting still. However, would a chapter leave their home completely undefended? I think in my mind there is always a small group on the the homeworld, watching over the chapter serfs etc. I can't imagine this is a favourite duty of full brothers. It needs some work I agree.

 

Perhaps you could word it so that when a clan returns to the homeworld battered and low on numbers they relieve the clan that was already there. They are then not allowed to leave until they themselves are relieved, which could be decades. The garrison clan might be able to stretch the rules by sending a squad of experienced marines and a squad or two of scouts to some nearby problem, but for the most part its just r&r and training the next generation of Stormwalkers. Not fun at all. So the clans stay out longer and longer, fighting on despite not really being viable military forces any more because they really really don't want to get stuck back home for years on end.

[Conn Eremon]

 

 

This could do with some rewording, as it feels contradictory. The Warclans only return infrequently, when they have fallen far below optimal strength, and yet there is always a Clan present? I think you'll need to decide which one you'd rather have, or add something extra to the mix to keep both, such as a homebound force.

 

While you could swap infrequent with frequent, making the Clans appear more often, I think it would best serve the conclusion you are building to if you suggest that their home world rarely plays host to a returning Clan.

 

The quoted bit could also be reworded and moved to the Home World section, to ease up on the Origins, but it fits just as well where it is.

This is one of those moments when I had an idea of what I wanted to say but failed. Like you said at the moment it's contradictory. I will likely change this up to the Clans rarely returning. At this point in their history they're not ones for sitting still. However, would a chapter leave their home completely undefended? I think in my mind there is always a small group on the the homeworld, watching over the chapter serfs etc. I can't imagine this is a favourite duty of full brothers. It needs some work I agree.

Perhaps you could word it so that when a clan returns to the homeworld battered and low on numbers they relieve the clan that was already there. They are then not allowed to leave until they themselves are relieved, which could be decades. The garrison clan might be able to stretch the rules by sending a squad of experienced marines and a squad or two of scouts to some nearby problem, but for the most part its just r&r and training the next generation of Stormwalkers. Not fun at all. So the clans stay out longer and longer, fighting on despite not really being viable military forces any more because they really really don't want to get stuck back home for years on end.

This is very similar to what I was going to propose. Continuing with it, the garrison clan could stretch these rules further and further as the wanderlust grows ever stronger. To the point where it might come to a time when the Clan truly leaves the world, just for a little bit. We'll be right back, it'll just be a minute, you'll be fine, we left a squad. But lo and behold, those left behind were not enough.

 

This might also lead to a fracturing of the Warclans, further degrading the Chapter's strength until this hero gets them to face the music. Maybe a Warlord takes half his Warclan offworld and decides not to come back, and so when the rest is relieved of garrison duty they elect a new warlord and strike off on their own.

 

 

Now, I do want to mention that a Chapter's fortress-monastery is defended by more than just the Chapter itself, though their presence is a major advantage. However, its extensive defenses, from the anti-siege guns dotting its walls to the plethora of orbiting batteries and stations, are manned first and foremost by Chapter serfs. No Chapter home world is ever left undefended. They can fall, but even without Space Marines present they would still be one of the most powerful strongholds the Imperium has. With Space Marines, they are on a whole other level.

[Draakur]

Yep I like it all so far, thanks for the clarification.

 

Had wondered about The Blooding - they didn't sound like they were on that level of 'barbarity', was just curious. I love the techno-barbarian concept too and will be using it in some work soon :)

 

Looking forward to seeing how you decide to have the relationship between them and their Homeworld influence things. You may decide to make it a non-issue, but it's got the potential to be a driving element in their story/character if you want it to be.

 

Keep it up!