General Discussion

[Kelborn]

Hey guys,

 

I would like to take Depths place if it is ok.

 

As I got 2 Legions at hand with one used as a basement for my Phantom Blades and the other being the Void Stalkers.

 

I assume that the new Legion should fit in the frame of the GW, being Tzeentch followers, being ruthless and rad weapons.

 

If it will be me, I would prefer to use my Void Stalkers. As I just started them, I can adapt them. Already have some ideas for them.

 

If my Phantom Blades are the ones, you would like to have as a Legion, I would be fine with it as well. :)

[MikhalLeNoir]

Mix them and make something new^^

[Doctor Perils]

I have to be honest, I'd rather not take control of a Legion, I'm not prepared to put the massive amount of work into it as everyone else is doing here. I am however open to giving a hand still :)

 

 

Hey guys,

I would like to take Depths place if it is ok.

As I got 2 Legions at hand with one used as a basement for my Phantom Blades and the other being the Void Stalkers.

I assume that the new Legion should fit in the frame of the GW, being Tzeentch followers, being ruthless and rad weapons.

If it will be me, I would prefer to use my Void Stalkers. As I just started them, I can adapt them. Already have some ideas for them.

If my Phantom Blades are the ones, you would like to have as a Legion, I would be fine with it as well.

Rad-toting, mutation-loving Tzeentchians would be cool, yeah. But probably not an over-psychic or pariah legion, keep them simple and different from the Thousand Sons.

 

Have you posted up the fluff you've already got for the Void Stalkers somewhere? I seem to have missed it.

[Skalpynock]

Spending the last couple of hours trying to get a color scheme for the Dawn Bringers, I've gotten more and more convinced that their pre-primarch identity can work as a legion on its own: the Ash Walkers, pretty close to the legion they were meant to replace, a legion of destroyers from a Baal-like homeworld. Now to try and give them a primarch and reasons for their fall to Tzeentch, without venturing too far in case they don't get the place.

[Sigismund229]

Hmm. But with the ghost walkers we lose a real chaos legion. Didn't they end up as tzeentch worshippers? If the new legion is on the suzeraintiys side, the insurrectionistd are heavily weakened.

 

To ne honest I am against a vote here. Let simison decide. Sometimes democracy leads to awful results "brexit", "trumpageddon". He knows best which legion would fit. If we vote cause we find a legion cool and then the legionuser jumps out again, we would have a problem as we are the next time deeper in the storyline and the legion more tied in than the ghost walkers were at any moment. And as you can see on niklaas response even that meant some work to be lost.

 

So what now? I would say no two legions anymore except for those we already have.even someone as creative as simison has to admit thst 2 are to much. And what I read skalpynok too thinks on leaving the void eagles in other hands (good he will wants to do the dawn bearers).

 

So what now? First come those on the project who work on it but haven't had the change to make a legion. Lord Thorn, SanguiniusReborn, Kelborn, Bluntblade, Meros and Drakzilla spring to my mind. If those guus don't want the job, we should ask in the bnc. The observer, Mrunoriginal, Xerxes( don't know if it was his name), wolfpack and this cool plant alien primarch guy spring to my mind.

 

 

Edit: But damn, I like your concept for the undying sons Sigi^^. You should mix elements of both togheter as we already have 4 pariah legions but the we kill everything mentality of the blackguard is cool. A psychic legion who kills everythin would be something cool. Exploding heads everywhere. Think of the possibilities when they fall to tzeentch.

Glad to hear you like the concept ;) that's a cool idea. I did toy with the concept that the BG do have pyskers but that their bodies are at war with themselves...now that would be interesting...

 

As to not having the creativity. You underestimate my power ;) (jk)

[Sigismund229]

Sorry for the double post but one thing I forgot to mention about the Black Guard. They also do discipline to a degree that makes the Roman army look kind and merciful. The company failed to take that position? All right. Decimate it. You failed to hold the line? How would you like being turned into a servitor. It's that kind of attitude. Hence why they're good at attrition warfare, forlon hopes and sieges to an extent. They either triumph or they die. Retreat or tactical withdrawal isn't an option. They will always fight like men with their backs against the wall because if retreat isn't something they can do and live. Edited August 5, 2016 by Sigismund229

[simison]

I'll catalog the suggestions for now. I don't want to make too many hard rules in this process, instead emphasizing guidelines. One of the few hard rules I will institute is that no one is allowed three legions.

 

Now, guidelines. The Ghost Walkers were to be a Traitor Legion that falls to Tzeentch. They were to ambush the Fire Keepers. Beyond that, we have little else. So, the simplest strategy is to fill in those dotted lines.

 

However, I specifically said guidelines for a reason. Someone suggested that this new legion could become part of the Suzerainty. I will not rule that out. Perhaps this legion returns to the Loyalists later on, I'll allow that. Perhaps they fall to a different Chaos god. Why not?

 

Because, unlike GW, we want there to be multiple galactic shifting events. We don't want just the Insurrection and the End Times. An imbalance of fealty to the Chaos gods can lead to some really interesting events as Tzeentch tries to upset the Eternal Game through his plans-in-plans schemes. As it is, the balance is already broken as Malal now has an army of servants. 

 

So, pitch your ideas, I'll consider them all. In my next post, I'll outline what the current proposals are.

[Kelborn]

I have to be honest, I'd rather not take control of a Legion, I'm not prepared to put the massive amount of work into it as everyone else is doing here. I am however open to giving a hand still

 

 

Hey guys,

 

I would like to take Depths place if it is ok.

 

As I got 2 Legions at hand with one used as a basement for my Phantom Blades and the other being the Void Stalkers.

 

I assume that the new Legion should fit in the frame of the GW, being Tzeentch followers, being ruthless and rad weapons.

 

If it will be me, I would prefer to use my Void Stalkers. As I just started them, I can adapt them. Already have some ideas for them.

 

If my Phantom Blades are the ones, you would like to have as a Legion, I would be fine with it as well.

Rad-toting, mutation-loving Tzeentchians would be cool, yeah. But probably not an over-psychic or pariah legion, keep them simple and different from the Thousand Sons.

 

Have you posted up the fluff you've already got for the Void Stalkers somewhere? I seem to have missed it.

 

Here's a very first draft of what I had in mind about them:

http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/topic/311978-general-discussion/?p=4447572

 

As I had some visitors here, I had my mind spinning around with the Void Stalkers: (just a few key words)

 

- their Primarch (Tarot: The High Priestess http://menducia.atspace.com/primarchs/II.html), he understands the warp in a way, none of his brothers could; he gets to know that in order to ultimately defeat chaos, mankind must be perished)

- cult hunters like the canon Imperial Heralds, but more secretive

- chase after demonical incursions, nearly no one knows about what they are doing

- became bitter and more desperate the longer the Great Crusade takes

- work seperated from the other Legions, only a few connections like Icarion or Gwalchavad

- when Icarion declares his insurrection, they join him and further follow Tzeentch to get to know more about the dark gods and their weaknesses

- their primarch creates special warriors, the Wraith Hunters (trained psykers) and the Totem Warriors (are you familiar with the Dark Elves of Thor 2? Those who went berzerk? something like this)

- though officially joining the traitor forces, their overall goal is to defeat chaos (like cabal / AL in canon)

 

Again, the very first draft. Everything is still in progress. ^^

 

My initial idea was something like Illidan Stormrage from WoW. A man who tries to do the right thing but with questionable tools: Fight fire with fire.

 

 

*edit*

Jezz...nearly forgot: Happy Birthday, BotL!! Well done, guys!

Edited August 5, 2016 by Kelborn

[Hesh Kadesh]

Once thing that could be nice is that we have no massive psyker potential, but 4 Pariah legions. There are the 1st Legion, and the Thousand Sons are killed, but outside of that? The Firekeepers have a specialised "penal legion" detachment of psykers, but that's more a case of their Psykers are not given command ranks. The Drowned have an affinity with Telekinesis, and a connection with the warp through failed experimentation with turning astropaths into Astartes, but isn't a psyker legion any more than most others.

 

That leaves with a severe imbalance, but it's possible to see why the Void Stalkers could be swayed by Tzeentch.

 

Don't suppose you'd be interested in something to do with the Drowned? The Drowned operate in front of most other legions, and were initially split up prior to the discovery of at least Morro, and gradually accumulated size by closing ranks. With the two being essentially loners, Morro may have tried to strike up a kinship, but failed to do so, because a; he's a knob, and b; I'm sorry, I'm already quite invested in the story and would hate to try and rewrite it all and get used to the new events! (Sorry!)

 

Might want to have a word with one of other legions over the "totem warriors"; the warriors of Mexicatii have lain claim to that name!

[Sigismund229]

I've already pitched the idea for what either of my legions would be character wise so I'll focuss on the whole Chaos etc.

 

For the Undying Sons, their primarchs would probably foresee a future where humanity is in slow decline and beaurocratic nightmare due to the Insurrection. In an attempt to prevent that, they'd join the Insurrectionists and try to bring them down from within. They wouldn't join the Revolutionaries because the Revolutionaries want to fragment the Imperium which is the oppossite of what the Undying Sons want so they'd fight against the Revolutionaries. The way I see it they'd gradually fall in Icarion's service, wanting more and more power to bring down the Insurrectionists from within until finally at some stage they realise what they've done and how far they've fallen and that the act of being loyal to Chaos that they put on is an act that they've gone so far into that they aren't acting anymore. From that point on their goals would be confused. They'd be wanting more power from Tzeentch to try and reverse their fall while at the same time wanting to break away from worshipping Tzeentch to try and weaken Chaos. By Terra, they'll probably be resigned to their fate, realise that they tried playing the future and they lost. As an end game, I was thinking that they might ascend to become one pyschic concsiousness, or perhaps a two way split of the legion(seeing as they have two primarchs).

 

For the Black Guard, I can't see them falling to Tzeentch. They'd need to fall to Malal as they hate Chaos and all it stands for. They'd join Icarion partially out of bitterness(always being consigned to wars of attrition), partly out of desire to be free of the Vizenko Prosecution and continue to find ways of bettering their endurance etc., partly out of loathing for the Emperor as a psyker and loathing for the beaurocrats who are taking over the Imperium. Once they joined the Insurrection they would likely become slightly zealot like in their support for Icarion, genuinely believing that they were doing the right thing for humanity and the Imperium as Icarion will restore the Imperium to how it rightfully should be. They'd view the Revolutionaries as weaklings who lack the determination to do what's necessary to win(bear in mind that they'll be slightly blinded by their loyalty to Icarion's side). When they realise that Icarion genuinely worships Chaos, they'll go into a whole load of self loathing and just wanting to die because they've chosen the wrong side and are too far gone to go back as well as believing that no side is right. So they'll side with Malal in the belief that he'll allow them to fight Chaos, the Emperor and the Revolutionaries and then grant them oblivion as penance for their mistakes(cos by this point they'd welcome oblivion).

 

Other general ideas:

Undying Sons

- Likely close to the Lightning Bearers, Halycon Wardens and possibly Wardens of Light.

- Would definitely not get on with the Fire Keepers so them attacking the FK could be a grudge match a bit like Phall was for the Iron Warriors.

 

Black Guard

- Would get on with the Fire Keepers and Berserkers of Uran so attacking the Fire Keepers could be a "Show me you're truly loyal. Go kill someone you're sworn brothers with" for them.

- Given the Black Guard's skill at attritional warfare and the Fire Keepers skill at siege warfare, their ambush of the Fire Keepers could end up turning into a ww1 style slogging match with chemical weapons aplenty.

- Following Icarion's death at Terra, the Black Guard would likely be a legion who put up a fight every step of the way into the Maelstrom and set up stuff like the Iron Cage.

- I think it's likely that most mutations caused by Chaos would be hacked off by the Black Guard and replaced with bionics.

- It's also likely that they'd become a rogue Chaos element, fighting against pretty much anyone and possibly joining with the Imperium to fight back Black Crusades(or fighting on both sides, who knows)

Edited August 5, 2016 by Sigismund229

[simison]

Time for some lists:

 

The Auxilia

Kelborn - Interested

Lord Thorn - Not Interested

SanguiniusReborn - Unknown

Bluntblade - Not Interested

Drakzilla - Not Interested

 

The Legionnaires

Sigismund (2nd Legion)

Skal (3rd Legion)

Raktra (2nd Legion)

 

 

Skal, as I pointed out, I'm not allowing a third legion. So, if you can hand over the reigns for one of your current one, only then will I consider the Dawn Bringers as a viable choice. 

 

Raktra & Sig, how far along are your current legions right now? 

 

 

The New Guys

Dawn Bringers - Mihran the Paladin (Skal)

• Traits: Noble Warriors?

The Carthetics (Or however they spell it in 30k) - ??? Primarch (Raktra)

• Traits: Maintain ancient faiths/psyker legion (Strong connection to the future Ecclesiarchy?)

The Black Guard - Dievas Vils (Sig)

• Traits: Brutal to everyone including themselves, Chemical weapon specialist, small Pariah population, 'victory or bust' attitude

The Undying Sons - Alhur & Mazad (Sig)

• Traits: Persian influences, Anti-daemon, Psyker legion

Void Stalkers - Dillian (Kelborn)

• Traits: Anti-daemon, Very Spiritual, Aztek

Phantom Blades - Metheus Sa'Tal (Kelborn)

• Traits: Greek influences, emphasis on Assassination, sabotage, infiltration

 

 

The Seeking Servants

Warriors of Peace - The Jade General (Sim)

Void Eagles - Yucahu (Skal)

 

 

[i'll update this post as more info comes in.]

Edited August 5, 2016 by simison

[Sigismund229]

The Undying Sons have all the rough elements of their story sketched out and most of their organization and some ideas for exemplary battles.

The Black Guard are somewhat similar except for that I've written the first two chapters of their canon fluff, gotten some rough, short drafts for their exemplary battles.

The Black Guard's primarch is called Dievas Vils

[simison]

Sorry, I meant your current legion, the Crimson Lions. 

[Sigismund229]

Sorry, I meant your current legion, the Crimson Lions.

Ah right. All three exemplary battles are done. The section on their founding is done, I'm re-writing their organization&structure chapter to try and make it clearer. I've also written the fluff of Hectarion being found and about the Dominion.

Overall I'd say maybe 70-80% done.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Sigismund229

[Kelborn]

Once thing that could be nice is that we have no massive psyker potential, but 4 Pariah legions. There are the 1st Legion, and the Thousand Sons are killed, but outside of that? The Firekeepers have a specialised "penal legion" detachment of psykers, but that's more a case of their Psykers are not given command ranks. The Drowned have an affinity with Telekinesis, and a connection with the warp through failed experimentation with turning astropaths into Astartes, but isn't a psyker legion any more than most others.

 

That leaves with a severe imbalance, but it's possible to see why the Void Stalkers could be swayed by Tzeentch.

 

Don't suppose you'd be interested in something to do with the Drowned? The Drowned operate in front of most other legions, and were initially split up prior to the discovery of at least Morro, and gradually accumulated size by closing ranks. With the two being essentially loners, Morro may have tried to strike up a kinship, but failed to do so, because a; he's a knob, and b; I'm sorry, I'm already quite invested in the story and would hate to try and rewrite it all and get used to the new events! (Sorry!)

 

Might want to have a word with one of other legions over the "totem warriors"; the warriors of Mexicatii have lain claim to that name!

 

Hm... Yeah, we could do that between Morro and Dillian (WIP name). Their attempt of creating a kinship could fail because of Morros motivations and actions and DIllians overall plan. He (Dillian) does not want to get to close to his brothers as he knows that at some point in the future he might have to fight against them in order to defeat chaos.

 

As I said, everything is still WIP at a very early stage. So names, etc. may differ because of adaption to the BotL. The Legions theme would be a mix between native americans and aztec. Wanted to do a spiritual Legion without the Word Bearers zeal. Lot of things concerning old rituals, ghosts, runes and the like.

 

While the "Totem Warriors" would be boosted by ancient runes and alchemy, the Wraith Hunters would make their Librarian. Trained to hunt down demons and their minions, they blind themselves in order to gain some sort of spectral sight to improve their hunting skills.

 

To add some information for Simison:

The Void Stalkers

(picture was taken from wowpedia but something like this; at least during the Insurrection, when they joined Icarion)

 

 

 

Numeration: The XX^th Legion

Primogenitor: Dillian, the Wraith Hunter

Cognomen: (Prior) The Revelators

Culture: something with shamans, totems, ghosts/ spirits and the like, a spiritual Legion without the Word Bearers zeal and fanatism, could be African, Aztec or something else; demons = wraiths in their culture, totem warriors can fend them off, Primarch acted as high shaman and first wraith hunter

Observed Strategic: Purgation, Pursuit of heretical cults, hunting cults + demons, small & specialized troop formations

Noteworthy Domains: Mardum & the shattered worlds

 

The Phantom Blades

 

 

 

Numeration: The XXth Legion

Primogenitor: Metheus Sa'Tal, the favored brother

Cognomen (Prior): The Sky Lords

Culture: ancient greece, Sparta but in a more shadowy, secretive way

Observed Strategy: Infiltration, Sabotage, Assassination, Multi-Vector assaults, ambush

Noteworthy Domains: Taspar and the Domerian Cluster

 

Need more?

Edited August 5, 2016 by Kelborn

[MikhalLeNoir]

I want waniku!!!!

[Kelborn]

Hm....though I would not feel comfortable in changing Waniku, I would give it a try.

 

Waniku stands for Hawaiian culture. Optimism, joy in battle, etc.

Both mentioned Legions just don't fit in there. It would ruin its theme. I'd created Waniku in order to give a White Scars successor a home not the other way around.

 

 

Forgot to mention:

 

Though the Void Stalkers are just in an Alpha stage, I already got special units, weaponry for their Primarch and an overall plot (brainstorm) of how they could fit in the BotL as well as the canon 'verse.

 

The Phantom Blades are nearly finished for canon 'verse, as you can see via my signature. I would need to extend their fluff, including a Primarch and rewrite their backstory to fit in our project.

 

As I said previously, I'm more comfortable with writing something new from the scratch than to revise a nearly completed project like the Phantom Blades.

 

I'll wait until we have a conclusion. :)

 

If you need something more, just ask for it. ;)

[simison]

That sounds good, Sig. And thanks for the info, Kelborn.

 

So, these are my thoughts on what we have so far:

• I really don't think we need to go outside the members to fill in the legion. We have enough legions here as is.
• Those of us trying to offer up our second legions, we might have to go outside the BotL forum to do so.
• How does Dillian work with Icarion already here? Both are anti-Chaos High Priestesses Primarchs. It makes Dillian seem a little redundant.
• And *sees Kelborn's newest post*...

Kelborn, if you want to start from scratch, you can do so. As far as I'm concerned, the bare minimum for filling in the XXth spot is a legion name. I do not require anything else.

[Doctor Perils]

 

Culture: American natives / Aztek, something with shamans, totems, ghosts/ spirits and the like, a spiritual Legion without the Word Bearers zeal and fanatism; demons = wraiths in their culture, totem warriors can fend them off, Primarch acted as high shaman and first wraith hunter

Observed Strategic: Purgation, Pursuit of heretical cults, hunting cults + demons, small & specialized troop formations

So the Void stalkers are the anti-eagle warriors :P

[MikhalLeNoir]

I see voodoomarines incoming.

 

And redundant? While the Storm Bearers kill with grace, I see the Void Stalkers kill with Rad weapons and exploding heads. Taking control of their enemies and let them kill each other or simply let their heads explode.

 

 

BOOOOOOOOOMM BABY

 

 

By the way....can you feel the tension in the air? The atmosphere? Damn, this is so exciting, I may wet my pants...

Edited August 5, 2016 by MikhalLeNoir

[Sigismund229]

I see voodoomarines incoming.

 

And redundant? While the Storm Bearers kill with grace, I see the Void Stalkers kill with Rad weapons and exploding heads. Taking control of their enemies and let them kill each other or simply let their heads explode.

 

 

BOOOOOOOOOMM BABY

 

 

By the way....can you feel the tension in the air? The atmosphere? Damn, this is so exciting, I may wet my pants...

(laughs in the corner trying to conceal nervousness) Edited August 5, 2016 by Sigismund229

[Kelborn]

To be honest, I created the Void Stalkers and especially Dillian for the canon universe.

 

Of course he shares the characteristics of Icarion. In the canon universe, there is no Icarion. ^^

 

Forgive me that I don't know the exact broverse profile of Icarion. I can only explain Dillians backstory and I do believe that together, we could find a niche to let him fit in our project. :)

 

I had that lurking Primarch in mind, who is a capable psyker but does not want to dominate the Warp but rather learn about its true nature and how to ultimately defeat its denizens. He starts to fight demons with their own powers, becoming the first Wraith Hunter of his homeworld which was plagued by Wraiths (=demons). The native tribes were united by him and together, they hunted down the foul and nightmarish creatures. Leading the elite of every tribe (=the Totem Warriors, who were improved by ancient rituals and powerful runes), he had soon brought peace to Mardum.

 

In order to justify runes, rituals and the image of a hunter, who wielded the powers of his enemies, I needed a culture consisting of shamans, ghosts & spirits and totems.

 

So yeah, there are some commonalitie with the Eagle Warriors.

 

While speaking with Mikhal, we came to the conclusion that the african culture could fit as well. Most of all the dark arts of blood magic and voodoo.

 

As I said, Alpha Phase. Everything can change. ;)

 

Here is the very first brainstorm & CANON version of his story:

 

 

 

"We are doomed...unless we find another way to fight them. And I will find that way.”

Dillian, the Wraith Hunter

 

 

Dillian, the second son, was the Primarch of the secretive Void Stalkers Legion. While most of his brothers did not stay long in the ethereal realm known today as the Warp during their kidnapping, he stayed there for years. Facing the ruinous powers of the Dark Pantheon right away had changed him drastically. He went blind, though he had gained a strange but useful form of spectral sight, enabling him to see both mortal and ethereal realm at the same time. Furthermore, he gained an enormous inside about the essence of the warp and its denizens. Though unable of being corrupted by them, the dark gods changed his fate and left their mark in his soul, making him so ferocious in battle that he could lost his mind if not careful enough. In this state, he did not make a difference between foe and ally.

                                                                  

When he finally landed on the world of Mardum, he was raised by the shamans of the native tribes, who taught him more about the wraiths of the void and how to control his fury. Runes of ancient knowledge predating even the rise of the Emperor were tattooed across his body, protecting him from the influence of the haunting voices of the realm of spirits. Shortly after unifying the different, rivalling tribes and his subsequent ascendance as the new Wraith Hunter of Mardum, he was discovered by the Emperor, being the second son to be found.

 

Because of his abilities and knowledge concerning the ruinous powers and its minions, their existence held as a secret by the Emperor for the wider Imperium, Dillian was given control of his own Legion. After reshaping them until they fit his ideals of warriors and hunters of the void, they started their own, secret crusade to bring mankind into compliance. Isolated from the rest of the Great Crusade for decades, they pursued every hint of demonical influences and incursions, preventing entire invasions and hunting those responsible for.

 

Though he and his Legion were soon called loners and indeed favoured to work alone, the reasons were different. For the wider Imperium, the Void Stalkers, how Dillian had renamed them, were a mysterious and frightening force which was completely unknown to them like the Alpha Legion in the later years of the Great Crusade. For Dillian and his sons, isolation was the only way to prevent the mortals of getting to know about the dangers of the other realm.

Nevertheless, Dillian and the IInd Legion made a couple of friends within the other Legions, most notably those of the Wolf king Leman Russ, the angel Sanguinius, the genious Roboute Guiliman and the Warden Gwalchavad. Especially with Leman Russ did Dillian have a deep and intense friendship as they were often tasked to bring down rebels and Heretics.

 

During their secret crusade, Dillian learns more about the nature of the Dark Pantheon and came to the conclusion that they were not able to defeat them if they continue their path. Seeing the demise of his kind and the overall victory of the dark gods, Dillian decided to change mankind’s fate and swore to defeat the pantheon, even if it would force him to extinguish every human soul.

 

 

[Sigismund229]

Here's what I have for the Black Guard. It still needs detail and editing but yeah

 

Origins: Blood and Iron

Raised only a short while after the I^st legion, the original recruits for the II^nd legion were drawn from the military academies of Pruss. Placed as it had been, between Jurvik and the Norsk tribes to its north, Ursh to its east, Jermani to its east and Europa to its south, the state of Pruss had rapidly developed into an extremely warlike nation and gave birth to the fabled Jaeger regiments. Feared across Terra, these units were considered by many to be the best troops on Terra. Sent into military training at the military academies at the age of 6, the Jaegers had frequently turned back forces many times their own numbers through iron discipline. However, the Prussenians did not fight the Emperor. Instead, they made common cause with him in order to overcome their neighbours and as part of their alliance, the cream of the Prussenian military cadets were taken to form the II^nd legion. Physically and mentally speaking, these recruits were prime candidates for the Legiones Astartes for they were physically tough, fiercely well motivated and already possessed of an iron discipline.

 

Imperial records tell us that the II^nd legion gene seed produced certain side effects that were noted. One was the gradual draining of colour from the eyes of those implanted with the gene seed until by the end of implantation the eyes were utterly black. Another, the astartes were noted to uniformly have little sense of humour left following the implantation process. The final and perhaps most serious of the mutations was that approximately 2% of recruits developed the pariah gene either during or shortly after implantation. However, despite these mutations the II^nd legion strain of was of average stability and not marred by the problems that would blight the III^rd and XV^th legion’s beginnings.

 

 

The first engagement in which the II^nd were deployed was not one of the final battles of the Unification Wars, as was the case with many other legions. Instead, the Emperor gave them a grim task: to annihilate the last of the Thunder Warriors. The most numerous of the Legiones Astartes after the I^st the II^nd lacked any close bonds to the Thunder Warriors and so it was that they were given the task of murdering the soldiers the Emperor had used to conquer Terra. This they did with the grim discipline and devotion to duty that would characterise the legion in these early years, turning their guns on the Thunder Warriors and scything them down with disciplined volleys of fire before closing in to finish them off at close range with knives and chainswords. While the Thunder Warriors did not die without a fight and the II^nd lost a disproportionate number of warriors to their weapons, for the most part the “battle” of Mount Ararat was a massacre as the Thunder Warrior had been taken by surprise, outnumbered and surrounded.

 

The Destroyers

Following their debut engagement at Mount Ararat, the II^nd took to the stars along with the other legions as part of the Great Crusade. Like many legions, they played a part in the pacification of Luna, fighting the genetic horrors spawned from Luna’s labs in a brutal battle amidst the winding tunnels in which the genetic laboratories were located. While the other legions fought pitched battle upon the surface or cleared the orbital stations, the II^nd were sent into Luna’s tunnels to do battle in their flickering light and it was there that they died. In some cases, tunnels were flooded with acids and poisons, in others squads were cut off and annihilated in trick tunnels. All told, perhaps some 4000 died in the tunnels from a legion that was 12,000 strong.

 

 

This would set a pattern for the Great Crusade. The II^nd were deployed almost uniquely in campaigns of extermination or attrition. Because of this, they soon became known as the “Destroyers”, for when the II^nd was sent into action their enemies could expect no mercy. Where the VI^th was the ultimate sanction for the legions and the VIII^th were the Emperor’s judges, the II^nd served as the ultimate sanction to the Imperium’s enemies. Before going into action, the II^nd would always offer their enemies a simple choice: surrender unconditionally or be destroyed down to the last child.

 

 

Once sent into action, there was weapon too terrible for the II^nd to use. Biological and chemical weapons were used frequently by the II^nd and it is thought that they laid the template for the Destroyer squads that would later become used in many of the legions. Even after they grew large enough to operate outside of being the Emperor’s butchers, the Destroyers continued to use this modus operandi: offer their enemies a chance to surrender and if their enemies refused, treat the entire civilization as an enemy, killing every last man, woman and child until they surrendered unconditionally and use any weapon at their disposal, no matter how “inhumane” or “dishonourable” it was deemed to be.

 

 

During these times it was also noted that, while the II^nd continued to produce astartes who bore the pariah gene, this mutation was not as minor as it had once seemed. While it gave the II^nd a great advantage against pysker opponents, the price they paid for this was a heavy one. From the minute the pariah gene manifested in a legionnaire, the clock began ticking. While it depended on the legionnaire in question how long it took, eventually(if battle didn’t kill them first) every legionnaire of the II^nd would be killed by their abilities. None of them died well, as their bodies finally gave in to the strain of controlling their pariah abilities and their minds began to break down and their bodies began to consume themselves. While a legionnaire who possessed the pariah gene could control his fate to some degree, keeping his body and mind going through strength of will, it was always a losing battle. They could never fully escape the pariah gene’s effects and they would always lose the battle eventually and succumb to the terrible fate that awaited them.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Sigismund229

[simison]

There's a lot of overlap between Dillian and Icarion as it stands right now. An uncomfortable amount, actually.  

 

Also, Hesh, the Halcyon Wardens are considered a psyker-heavy legion since since the Order of the Mind takes up an entire cohort, a seventh of the legion. Or do you mean something more pervasive than that?

 

At 4 Pariah legions, I really don't want to add a fifth, even if it's only a small part of the legion. I'm content with the legion if that element is removed.

 

I'm actually curious as to where we stand on warrior cultures. Time for another list:

 

Cultures Represented

• Lightning Bearers - Japanese
• Space Wolves - Vikings
• Crimson Lions - Anglo-Saxon
• Void Eagles - Modern naval?
• Halcyon Wardens - Odd mix of Greek/Indian/German/Roman
• Iron Bears - Native American
• Berserkers - Apocalyptic madmen?
• Godslayers - Eastern European
• Warbringers - Napoleonic Eastern European
• Fire Keepers - Pacific culture, right?
• Thousand Sons - Egyptian
• Wardens of Light - Gaelic
• Eagle Warriors - Aztec
• Dune Serpents - Arabic
• Grave Stalkers - Pan-pacific?
• The Drowned - ...cthulhu?
• Warriors of Peace - Chinese
• Stygian Jackels - European?
• Scions Hospitalier - Greek 

 

Suggested Cultures

• Dawn Bringers - Indian/Persian
• [Catholics] - Western European
• Black Guard - Roman
• Undying Sons - Persian
• Void Stalkers - Aztec
• Phantom Blades - Greek

 

Out of the new bunch, the Black Guard, the Dawn Bringers, and the Undying Sons would fill in an open niche. 

 

As far as I can tell, the Phantom Blades would bring in a true Alpha Legion equivalent that's their advantage.

 

I'm not sure how the Catholic Legion wouldn't get purged by the Emperor, even if Alex was intervening on their behalf...although that does open some interesting possibilities. 

Edited August 5, 2016 by simison

[simison]

Sig, could you make the text a little bigger?