IL XVI - The Drowned

[Hesh Kadesh]

Also, exactly what genhancements were they working on before the Vizenko fiasco?

There was generally nothing in particular. Just the general enhancements to the necessities of the individual. In the same way that some have Acute Body Dysmorphia in the current world, and go to extreme lengths of plastic surgery to fix it (ranging from insanely inflated bolt on boobies to taking steroids, right up to the extreme ends of the spectrum, such as "tigerman" or those who undergo gender reassignment surgery), Morro was content, and encouraged those under his command to engage in what they desired; essentially, the essence of Slaanesh from the Daemon-grubs from the subdermal lattice already asserting their effect on him; reducing some of the restraints he had imposed upon himself after being discovered. Some would go ahead with the body modifications to whichever extent they desired - Apothecaries in particular were polarised by this, with no real trend across the legion, except for those few who were in the first few generations of Styxian Marines, who had seen what Morro's excesses had done. It was purely individual though, and while Morro would carry the case for encouraging it, it was for unfettered and unpunishable ability to do research whatever; citing their father's gene manipulation, and the hypocrisy that others presume to say others shouldn't do it, and that they as individuals have the ability, and arguably goal to wipe out entire civilisations spreading across multiple systems, utilising monsters like the Pariahs, Psykers, Abhumans, and indeed the Astartes themselves, but that improving the weak human body and adding to the abilities of the Astartes falls under their obligation of war leaders to create the greatest weapons in the galaxy.

 

Essentially, he doesn't want to be penalised for what is essentially scholarly research, and where the line stops between gene manipulation, biomechanics, or even the use of bionics, and how removing the flesh in favour of augmetics for certain legions and factions within the Imperium are considered okay. He doesn't want those under his authority to be dragged around and be subject to censorship for the sake of political games.

 

I've spent a lot of time getting stuff written about the Vizenko and the early days of the Drowned, and am now just proof reading + fact checking it - by the end of next week there should be something more complete and more final about the Drowned rather than half comments here and there!

 

~ ~ ~

 

There's a few changes to the Drowned's formation as the Lanterns; essentially, they don't like the name, yet others call them that; they've never seen themselves "enlighteners", and instead see it as a pseudo-political patois to make their nature as a "destructive flood" more palatable to the people. When Morro joins the Legion, the "Drowned Men of Morro" sounds vaguely "undead-esque" to him, and likes the idea that they've already died as individuals, and are now ironically "lifebringers"; they are "the storm that washes all away, and like the mythological storm of "No'a" leaves only the fertile soil of an alluvial plain in the fertile mind of a populace cowed by the horrors of Old Night, perfect for planting the doctrine of an Imperial Truth".

 

Following the Neptune War; the Drowned are split into several companies (20) and given orders to join the individual legions, with only a single one under Henno's command; as such, his tendril is much smaller than any other Expeditionary Fleet (but still the largest group of XVIth Legion), and is instead boosted by larger than normal Auxilia.  The command sections of each Drowned Tendril ostensibly follows the typical Legion Organisational Structure; to the outsider, the head of the command is the captain, etc, but in reality, the Captain, or Ayatollah, as he is called, is simply a figurehead - someone who the host Legion would give the orders to, under the assumption that he would ensure the rest of the XVIth would complete it. Instead, he would bring the order to the rest of the Legion Monarch's, who would be essentially democratically elected from the tendril's senior Astartes, and these would all debate over the plan of action - once the debate was decided (or if it was tied, the Ayatollah would provide the deciding vote), the Drowned would follow this decision. A lot of times, the orders of the Host Legion would be complied with, but at others, when the Drowned perceived that they were being used simply to soak up bullets for the host legion rather than as a legitimate use of the XVIth Legion's talents, they would do their own thing.

 

Many Commanders from Host Legions would either get in the habit of simply issuing a request for the Drowned to take specific targets, which the Drowned would complete in their own way - like many people in whatever line of work today, the like being told what to do, not how to do it. Of course, this has upsides and downsides, and other Commanders wouldn't like having their command usurped by someone who was a "mere captain"; these "mere captains" would however quote that they wouldn't be able to order Henno about, and that their orders essentially gave them his rank while he wasn't present. And this even continues post Primarch discoveries, so it's up to the individual Primarchs whether they would like to continue having the Drowned around when they potentially would ignore orders that they do not agree with - some may send them back, others may simply start using the XVIth Tendril appropriately. For example, a Drowned being told to make a Drop Pod Assault on a Fortress World as a distraction would consider it stupid; instead they'd tunnel underground.

 

That said, a Primarch is levels above any other commanders' ability, and unless the Primarch is deliberately throwing the Drowned up as a shield rather than his own men, then the Drowned are on the whole more likely to listen. Following Morro's discovery and return to the Legion, he takes over Henno's fleet, and gathers up any of the tendrils which have been disassociated from the host legions, such as the Space Wolves tendril, and then goes about trying to return it to a more typical Fleet structure as per Principia Belicosa, but some tendrils are happy to maintain where they are, and in some cases, their Monarchs are less then amused when they find out the rumours of him selling the people on Styx, essentially refusing to return, and staying as smaller strike groups, attaching themselves to host Expeditionary Fleets as necessary, even non-Astartes ones.

 

Trying to put across the idea of things like a Siphonophore (like a Portuguese Manowar), which are instead living colonies of polyps, rather than a single entity, and to use the idea of "sardine balls" which stay constantly on the move, and their flashing scales to keep their true shape hidden, and thus makes it hard for predators to hunt them.

 

In regards to how the Drowned see the discovery of Pionus, they're really downhearted - not only have they had their chance of honour and recognition taken from them (having the entire legion split up and act as almost parasitic creatures to be used as another auxiliary force to another legion simply means that the host legion gets all the glory) post Neptune, but that the insistence on Pionus and his Legion to be trained as underwater combatants means that their "shtick" is slowly being taken away from them; why have a Legion of people who don't listen you potentially, when you can have a Legion of some of the most highly regarded humanists among the Legions, led by a Primarch? Greater War Materiel flooded into the Hospitallers as did more requests for aid, and Pionus accepted them all - his legion would need training after all.

 

However, this meant that the Legion that had been forever hunting for their place within the galaxy would gradually lose out not only on big glorious combats that were their entire raison d'etre (reason to exist), but the urgent repairs over the much more centralized XIXth.

 

I really like the Halcyon Wardens snub as well. It really fits well that the Drowned are just salty (sorry, pun intended) despite the good deed.

 

TL;DR - The Drowned are dogs that want to play fetch, but snarl and won't let go of the ball when they bring it back to you.

[simison]

Thanks. It was to fix a plot hole, seeing as there are no Drowned serving with the Storm Riders when Alexandros takes over. Of course, the meta reason is I started writing the story before BotL, but I didn't want to just say they were there hiding in the background.

 

So, I came up with this instead. I now plan on having them show up after Balov in Alex's first mission with Niklaas. 

 

I'll also get to work on tweaking the current material to better reflect this new info.

[bluntblade]

To check, is the Revenant Engines thing OK? And some info on how the Charonic Seekers originated would be handy.

[Hesh Kadesh]

Sorry, I'd not yet commented on those; honestly, I'm not quite sure what to make of "Revenant Engines"; it's not really something the Drowned did at all. The Dreadnoughts were not a priority for the legion at all; perhaps the difficulty of resupply as the legion was fractured meant that they traditionally got used to not using as many, and they never really paid too much attention to getting their numbers back up. 

 

It was only later in the Crusade, after losing his arm and he began to lose his sanity that he would use Rakarth to create the Forlorn, and that was often used as a punishment, and as a trial - those who were near to death and otherwise suited for internment would instead be turned into the Forlorn. I don't have a problem with using combat servitors, abhumans like ogryns, or even large xeno-beasts, like Mukaali (old FW Tallarn Desert Dinosaur things) to act as larger meatshields. Maybe much later in the insurrection, but I see that as more bio-tech heresy commited by those within the Mechanicum, more than it was within Morro's jurisdiction in regards to the Legion.

 

It doesn't necessarily need to be "The Drowned don't have many Dreadnoughts in comparison to other legions, lets have something to be replace them"; they simply don't make much use of them, in the same way that Iron Warriors might have a smaller Recon force than a typical legion.

[simison]

Alright, I've tweaked my last post to reflect the Drowned's secret bitterness toward the Scions and Pionus and their distaste of the epithet "Lanterns".

 

I thought about writing in the democrat organization of the Monarchs, but I decided that will be a better fit for the latter Legion Organization chapter since some Drowned fleets will continue to use that same template. 

 

Unless the tweaks don't meet Hesh's approval, I'm going to continue forward with the next section: the arrival of Morro. I did have a couple of questions. One, what is the planet like? Two, what personal gain does Morro get from the Dark Eldar?

[Hesh Kadesh]

Already got that covered mate Just reading through everything day by day and self editing a few bits. But yes, the changes are fine.

Edited May 11, 2017 by Hesh Kadesh

[Nomus Sardauk]

Two, what personal gain does Morro get from the Dark Eldar?

I always wondered that myself, I could only assume it was like some kind of protection money, mafia-style. Maybe Morro convinced the Dark Eldar it's more profitable if they allow the Styxians to just give them a tribute of slaves rather than raiding them as it leads to an excessive loss of human life, humans that could otherwise go on to reproduce and make more humans to be enslaved by the Cormorrites, like some sort of self-governing human farm.

Edited May 11, 2017 by SanguiniusReborn

[simison]

The Ferryman of Styx

 

Nearly a century the Great Crusade had lasted when the tendrils of the Imperial Navy came upon Styx. Although it was technically the name of a gas giant, the name was often used to refer to one of its satellites, a Death world that humanity had no right to exist upon. Yet, existed they did. It is posited that Old Night had dealt a particularly cruel hand to the humans living on this world, some terrible horror that had scarred the skies and seas of this world. For this globe was wrapped in a relentless and unyielding twilight, year round. What little land existed on the planet were universally swamp and marshlands that had somehow adapted (or modified) to subsisted on what little sunlight they could find during the short days. Upon the onset of night, no light could be found outside the light fashioned by man. Human life endured in either underground cities closer to geothermal sources of heat or on ancient, floating stations that travel across Styx's five 'seas'. 

 

[There's the first try.]

Edited May 12, 2017 by simison

[bluntblade]

Ah, bugger. Well, maybe another Legion might find a use for them. It would mean altering the exemplary battle to remove them,.

[simison]

The dark alone was crippling, a constant battery on the spirit that drove many Styxians to depression and despair. Yet, the people were not alone in the dark. Strange carnivores prowled the wetlands, hungry for flesh, making any expedition across the surface a risky endeavour as the beasts seemed to have developed a particular taste for man. No reprieve existed on the seas. For though fish provided necessary sustenance, more malevolent things lingered in the depths. Most Styxians sea-dwellers began their day with a silent prayer that these beings slumbered and paid no heed to them. If any of these behemoths struck, it was only at great cost would they be turned back, the Styxians always failing to deliver a killing blow. If these horrors were not enough, the planet had become a plaything for twisted Eldar, who fed on the treasure trove of misery.

 

It was upon this planet that one of the Emperor's son fell. Some Primarchs would transformed their worlds, leading to brief golden ages of technology and prosperity. Others would become great warlords, spilling blood yet defending their people from the xenos. Morro would offer neither to his adopted homeworld. 

 

It is not known where the young Primarch fell on this planet or even what his original name was. The first sign of his arrival was discovered when a subterranean excursion journeyed to the surface. Their colony's crops had been wiped out by a blight and new seeds were needed to prevent complete starvation. While the Styxians carried rudimentary las weaponry, the surface carnivores were renowned for their speed. It was expected that a third of the team would die in the attempt. Instead, to their incredulity, they came across half a dozen corpses of the slithering creatures. All had been killed through brute force and revealed teeth marks. Although the team leader believed that the event had occurred only an hour earlier, he refused to investigate or search for the cause of this strange sight.

 

It would not be until six weeks later would Morro make first contact with the native population aboard the floating city of Phlegethon. The city on waves possessed a failing sonar system that was its only warning system against the world's behemoths. During the blackest hour of the night, the sonar system warned of an approaching life-form. Unfortunately, due to a malfunction, it multiplied Morro's already impressive size, until it appeared that a leviathan approached. The city guard scrambled to prepare for the threat, already on edge from fear. By dark fate, Morro approached the floating city from a district that had weathered a previous assault and had lost all power. Weak lumens provided the only light as the city guard gathered, primarily armed with las and flame weapons. 

 

When Morro hauled himself out of the water in the dim light, the city guard panicked and opened fire. Scorched and wounded, Morro attacked. In minutes, the Primarch slaughtered half the guard before the local captain ordered a cease fire. This action alone was unable to quench Morro's fury. It was only after his extensive demands were met would peace be granted. 

Edited May 14, 2017 by simison

[simison]

Hesh, how do you feel about giving Morro an innate disgust/hatred of fire from this first contact?

[Nomus Sardauk]

Man, can you imagine Morro's reaction to first meeting Niklaas "Burninating All The Peasants Witches" if Hesh agrees to that idea?

[simison]

[That's what I thought. And it establishes this Light v. Dark theme between the pair.]

 

Among his demands was a meeting with whoever ruled this floating metropolis. Each of these sea poleis was headed by its own government, whether it be some form of monarchy or oligarch; yet they were connected to each other through an antiquated vox system that had survived Old Night that connected both the Styxians above the sea and those beneath the ground. A wealthy man by the name of Nitas ruled Phlegethon. Upon their meeting, Morro declared Nitas to be unfit for rule, Nitas was spared through a quick surrender of his authority and his riches. From this first night, Morro would expand his rule across the entire world, sending declarations of his rule to the other poleis that demanded recognition and tribute. Any city-state that refused was destroyed by the vengeful Primarch. Even in these early days, Morro became renowned for his unorthodox assaults, seemingly able to attack from any vector on the 3D plane. Throughout these wars of conquest, Morro scoured ancient caches of knowledge, ignored by the Styxians who could not comprehend their importance. It was from these ancient treatises and schematics that Morro elevated Styx's technological level. The only other benefit to the Styxians themselves was Morro's possessiveness. The Primarch would not suffer any challenges to his domain, whether man or beast. It would be Morro who would break the carnivorous canines' hold on the swamplands. It would be Morro who challenged the Styxian behemoths for control of the seas. 

 

With victory upon victory, Morro's strength and fortunes grew. During one of his subjugation campaigns, Morro equipped his forces with several, newly fabricated drill tanks to conquer the underground city of Tartanlus. As his assault forces bore through the earth, Morro discovered that the planet was rich in minerals and resources, suggesting that Styx may have originally been a mining colony during the Dark Age of Technology. Once Tartanlus bowed to their new master, Morro enslaved those who had resisted and put them to work in new mines, further enriching Morro's coffers. It would be through these actions that Morro would become known as 'Sorrowsworn'.

 

It is not known why Morro alone of his brothers pursued wealth with such obsession. Perhaps it was a source of solace on this miserable planet. Perhaps Morro saw it as yet another means to increase his power. Or maybe it was some kind of vengeance against the Styxians for setting him aflame. Regardless, these actions, though distasteful to some, would be of no real cause for concern when the Imperium would across this dark world. 

 

No, it was would be something far worse that would damn Morro's standing among his brothers.

 

Xeno raiders have been a plague on many planets from brutish Ork to treacherous Eldar. Not even homeworlds of Primarchs were safe havens from these threats as evidenced elsewhere. Yet, in every other case, they were resisted. When the Dark Eldar, the most twisted of their kind, came to Styx, they found Morro halfway through conquering his planet. A battle would have been costly, but with the information we have, victory was a distinct possibility for the Emperor's son.

 

To the eternal shame of Morro, he did not wage war against these disgusting creatures. Instead, he coveted their technology and their opulence. He struck a bargain with them. He sold his own people into slavery for bounty, into an agonizing fate that's only escape was death. It did not end there. With these new and hateful weapons, Morro accelerated his conquest. When the Dark Eldar returned, Morro was stronger than before and on the verge of wiping out the last holdout. No longer did he require additional firepower to complete his rule. Yet, once again, Morro's greed led him to renew their trade, this time selling even more of humanity for greater luxuries. 

Edited May 15, 2017 by simison

[simison]

Rough Waters

 

Sorrowsworn Morro would not have a third chance. A few months before the next scheduled trade, the Imperium came to Styx. Led by Icarion and [REDACTED], the expeditionary fleets established orbital supremacy and, after deciphering the ancient Styxian network, were able to arrange a meeting between Morro and his brothers. Given the circumstances, details are scant regarding this first meeting, but not all truths could be hidden. It is known that initial talks went well, until Morro's horrific commerce was discovered. It was only through Icarion's direct intervention was Morro spared from a quick death from enraged parties. Although mercy and duty had motived the Lord of the First, it would have perhaps been of greater kindness to allow Morro's death here instead of his eventual fate. 

 

Regardless of idle speculation, Morro lived and assumed command of his Legion. Whatever hope and honour the XVI^th felt was swiftly ruined as word spread of Morro's betrayal of his charges. This shame grew stronger once the Emperor was informed of Morro's discovery. In penance for his prior actions, all of the technology he had gained from the foul xenos was eradicated. His vast wealth was appropriated and invested into Styx and the Great Crusade. The harshest blow would be the final one. Morro would become the first Primarch to be denied a period of tutelage within the Imperial Palace. 

 

Instead, upon the recommendation of Icarion and Alexandros, Morro would be integrated into the Imperium under the guidance of Pionus Santor. Pionus, out of all of his brothers, had the strongest relationship to the Drowned Men and possessed a noble spirit that many hoped would pass onto the new brooding Master of the XVI^th. 

 

For a time, it seemed to work. Their respective specializations of underwater combat allowed the two brothers and their Legions to bond, increasing ties. Upon meeting Hennasohn, Morro respected the veteran command. However, to Hennasohn's frustration, Morro asserted little authority, believing its current structure worked well enough. The few changes Morro instituted were new Legion colours and heraldly, along with renaming the XVI Legion to a simpler 'The Drowned'. While he commanded with a light touch, Morro was not idle during this time, taking part in the Great Crusade and earning his share of victories. 

 

It would not be enough for Hennasohn who still was responsible for the lion's share of maintaining the Drowned. It is recorded that the Terran veteran periodically pushed his gene-sire to become more pro-active as Legion Master. A decade passed before Morro would do more than ignore Hennasohn. Morro separated their tendril fleet into two to be free of the Astartes' prodding. But, as the years rolled on, Morro began to consolidate the Drowned into his personal fleet. Drowned pathfinder fleets that were shunned by other Legions were the first to join their Primarch. One by one, the Drowned began to operate as a traditional Legion with Morro at its head.

 

Among the exceptions of those who either were not given the call to regroup or rejected it stood Hennasohn. With his new sub-command, Hennasohn joined the Apostles of War, less than a decade before they underwent their own transformation with the discovery of the Primarch Gwalchavad. Despite the radical changes Gwalchavad implemented, he allowed Hennasohn's pathfinder fleet to remain, allowing Hennasohn to be an early witness to Gwalchavad's rise. It would be a merciful decision that would unintentionally lead to far darker consequences. 

 

For one of Gwalchavad's first campaigns would be the near disastrous first contact with the Mechanicum Abyssii. The 11^th Expeditionary Fleet's first assignment under its new master was to investigate the status of one of Mars' Arks Mechanicus in a region of space simply labeled 4E6F-78-0D0A. For two weeks, the Wardens of Light and Drowned surveyed the region, gradually updating stellar maps of the region.  Leading the way, it would be the Drowned pathfinders who would make first contact in the first habitable system discovered. Where expectations of a surviving Mechanicum presence had dwindled with each day passed, the Imperium was surprised to find a fully-functioning Forge World who had complete control of their own system, deemed the Nox system. Calling themselves the Abyssii, an interdiction fleet composed of Mechanicum-pattern warships intercepted the Drowned tendril fleet at the edge of the system. First contact would end in a short yet brutal battle that savaged the Drowned tendril fleet.

 

When Gwalchavad arrived with the core of the 11^th Fleet, he ordered the Drowned to fall back while, in a move that was protested by Drowned and Wardens of Light alike, offered himself as a hostage to create a cease fire. Before submitting himself to the Abyssii, Gwalchavad sent a secret call for reinforcements given the large military advantages Abyssii possessed in case he failed. No less than three Primarchs would answer the call, a furious Morro at their head. Although Sorrowsworn desired no less than Abyssii's complete annihilation, Alexandros VonSalim overruled him and another Primarch in a rare moment of asserting his authority at this stage of the Great Crusade. Instead, negotiations began between Alexandros and the Mistress of the Abyssii, Archmagos Mortera. After a few tense days with half of the Imperium forces just waiting for diplomacy failed, Alexandros announced success, averting a costly war.

 

Although furious with a denial to restore his Legion's honour, Morro and the Drowned were mollified by restitution payments arranged from Alexandros' own Halcyon Wardens and from the Abyssii itself. Attempting to capitalize on the situation, Morro tried to improve relations between himself and his brothers as they awaited the Emperor's arrival in system to seal the new alliance. Unfortunately, that too ended in disaster. 

Edited May 22, 2017 by simison

[simison]

Thinking on it, I'd rather have the Abyssii first contact battle be a Drowned exemplary battle, showcasing the Drowned in void warfare and using more traditional tactics with a twist under Hennasohn. This way, the Rough Waters section isn't slowed down, and we don't overload the Drowned General History chapter. 

 

Here's what I'm saving for later use:

 

"Although the communication codes were centuries old, it took only a few hours before a working dialogue was established, giving time for nearby 11^th fleet elements to arrive and reinforce the original Drowned scout force. The situation deterioriated as the Abyssii demanded that the Drowned warship stand down and prepare to be boarded. At the time of this exchange, Hennasohn remained absent, a mere thirty minutes away as his ship sped to the Nox system. Command laid in the hands of the Monarch Bloodravager Vaisso, who refused to recognize the Abyssii's authority. With this simple rejection, the Abyssii, in their binary thinking, labeled the unknown ships as enemy forces and opened fire."

 

I'll flesh it out later and will continue working on ideas with Talonair for the tempo and technology shown in this battle. I've rewritten the above post to keep the narrative flowing.

[Talonair]

Could easily work the larger story into the Abyssii general history? Since the Abyssii's first contact with the Imperium would be a significant enough event to go into great detail there

[simison]

Hm, let's give different perspectives. Here, since we're working from the Drowned's perspective, the emphasis will be on the battle and their losses.

 

When we get to the Mechanicum book and the Abyssii's general history, we'll give their view of the battle and add a much larger and thorough account of the negotiations since that will allow Mortera to be more heavily involved. 

 

That sound good?

[Talonair]

Sounds great to me, makes a lot of sense to do it this way. Plus I don't think there are many accounts etc in the Heresy that have both perspectives written, so that'll be a good thing to add

[simison]

Matters deteriorated during what was supposed to be a friendly game of Regicide between Morro and another Primarch. At the game's climax, Morro broke the game's rules to demonstrate his martial philosophy that there are no rules on the battlefield. An argument broke out. With growing tempers, Morro's opponent struck him. Although VonSalim and Gwalchavad immediately stepped in and attempted to defuse the situation, Morro refused to let slide this sleight against him and attempted to reply in kind. Gwalchavad reacted and sliced off Morro's arm. Spitting curses at his brothers, Morro returned to his flagship for medical attention, his fleet leaving the system the moment he was aboard. 

 

The Sink into Darkness

 

While our Order has compiled the most complete account to date of these following years, it is by no means comprehensive, due to how little information was found of this time. It is well known that Morro took the majority of his Legion to the infra-galactia-planum, also known as the sub-galactic plane. From that point on, the Drowned had no contact with any Legion or Imperium military forces outside the Scions Hospitalier. Even then, Morro never took to the field himself in the company of the Emperor's war machine. Despite the lack of contact, the War Council received continuing Compliance records as the Drowned prosecuted the Great Crusade. During this time, the Drowned's tactics would become more brutal and bloody as they reaped system after system in the name of the Emperor.

 

Morro would not appear to his brother Primarchs, until fifty years had passed. Details are scant, but two facts were confirmed. The first was that it was during 973 that Morro acquired a second Gloriana warship, the sole Primarch to possess two of these unique battleships. The second, and a mystery to this day, was that Morro had not healed from the prior incident, still possessing a single arm. It had long been assumed that Morro would have had replaced his arm with a vat-grown replacement or, at the very least, sought out a cybernetic replacement for war. Theories range from the unique nature of Gwalchavad's attack as responsible to an early portent of Morro's corruption taking form, the latter suggesting that the missing arm had been a key ingredient to a fell ritual. The truth, unfortunately, is denied to us. 

 

For both the Warmaster appointment and the conclusion to the Vizenko Prosecution, Morro's thoughts were shared only through intermediaries. In response to Alexandros' appointment to Warmaster, Morro made it known that he condemned the action, favoring Icarion over Alexandros. When the Emperor convened the Prosecution, Morro sent Hennasohn and his Equerry, Boraeo to represent Morro and the Drowned. As detailed earlier in this tome, Morro stood in defense of his brother Kozja. It would take a summons from the Warmaster's own hand for Morro to appear to the Imperium.

 

The Agonium Imperator was supposed to be a celebration of the Emperor's success in leading the Great Crusade and a renewal of purpose under the new Warmaster. Alexandros planned the event as an way to reforge bonds of brotherhood between the Legions and the Primarchs. For seven days, feasts and games played out as Terra, for the first and last time, was the temporary home to all eighteen Primarchs and their personal guards. 

 

Sorrowsworn Morro, still crippled, would be a dour participant, alternating his time with his brothers Pionus or Icarion when he wasn't keeping his own company. It was quickly learned that the Lord of the XVI^th would not answer any question regarding his disability, and it was a reliable way to raise his ire. Throughout the Agonium, the Warmaster several times would offer a hand in friendship. Each time, Morro rejected him and would leave the moment he was free to do so. 

 

It is during these last decades of the Great Crusade that the most disturbing signs would surround the Drowned and their erstwhile master. At some point in the early 32^nd millenium, the Drowned encountered the Dark Eldar as revealed by later sources. During the battle, the Drowned succeeded in capturing one of the twisted leaders, a Haemonclous as we now know by the name of Urien Rakarth. Against the wishes of his senior advisers, Morro did not execute the cruel xeno, who promised to finally heal Morro of his deformity. In a decision that would seal his fate, Morro agreed. 

 

By some unknown means, the hated creature was able to succeed where Morro's own apothecarion had failed. Although technically a captive, Rakarth began to exhibit hateful influence over Morro. It would be during this time that the Forlorn would come into being, twisted experiments that turned crippled Legionaries into foul weapons to serve at their Primarch's discretions. The Drowned redirected their priorities to attack Eldar targets at the 'request' of Rakarth, laying the seeds for the Eldar's on-going hatred of Morro and the Drowned. 

 

Finally, besides the corruption of body and mind, Morro delved past boundaries established by the Emperor himself into forbidden lore, tainting his very soul in the process. During these explorations into the taboo, an unexpected visitor would firmly set Morro on the path of Insurrection. It is not known exactly how Alexos Travier became aware of Morro's dark curiosity, but after a visit from the mad Primarch, Morro embarked on a pilgrimage for 'truth'. Not even the Drowned know what transpired on this voyage. Only that when Morro returned, it was with a haunted look on his features. When Icarion approached Morro to persuade the Lord of the XVI^th to his cause, Morro agreed without hesitation, only on the condition that Icarion not pry into Drowned affairs. Never truly realizing the evil before him until it was far too late, Icarion assented, all too eager for allies in his coming war.

 

[Maybe a red box covering Morro's frustration and insecurity over his status of being one of the weaker Primarchs and having fewer accomplishments to his name?]

Edited May 18, 2017 by simison

[Talonair]

I love this, really nicely written. Perhaps gives rise to more interactions between the Abyssii and the Drowned? Mortera would attempt to offer Morro the services of her Magos Biologis with regards to the loss of his arm, an offer which would no doubt be refused

[MikhalLeNoir]

Not sure it it should be refused but it will fail... The hrud crystal in gwals weapon grandfather causes the wo und to age and nothing can be Attached and that drives morro insane. And he even accepts the hell oft rakarth.

 

And yes sim. Great writimg here

[simison]

Thanks, Mikhal.

 

Given Morro's immense bitterness that this wound was caused during the Abyssii incident, I don't see him accepting help from Mortera. Pionus does offer to help too, but I decided that it was simpler and stronger to just say that all of Morro's attempts to heal his arm fail.

 

So, save that note, Talonair, and we'll put it in the Abyssii entry, either demonstrating a moment of charity from Mortera or manipulation.

[simison]

Unit and Formation Structure 

 

In a rare reversal of the typical evolution of Legions, the Drowned would begin the Great Crusade with an organizational system far removed from the tenets of the Prinicipia Belicosa, and it would be Sorrowsworn Morro who would bring the Drowned more in line with standard structures. Furthermore, not all of the Drowned fleets would adopt their Primarch's guidance in regards to structure, choosing to maintain traditions established at the onset of the Great Crusades. 

 

For these tradition-bound tendril fleets, the figurative head was found in the Ayatollahs, or the Ayatollah of the Abyss. It would be with these officers that host commanders would interact with, reviewing over tactics and strategies. Never would an Ayatollah would commit to any one course of action, until he had a chance to confer with his 'staff'. On board the Ayatollah's flagship, the Pelagic Monarchs convened to discuss operations and what orders the host commander intended to implement. While the Monarchs held ranks equivalent to subordinate staff officers, in reality, it was the Monarchs who would decide what course or role the Drowned would play in the upcoming campaign. After a period of debate, the Pelagic Monarchs would vote for one course of action or another, and it was then that the Ayatollah would return to the host commander to deliver the Drowned's decision.

 

In the early phases of the Great Crusade, the likelihood of the Drowned performing as their host fleet desired could vary considerably. The Shepherds of Eden never treated their XVI^th Legion attachment with nothing less than full courtesy and consideration. As such, the Ayatollah and the Monarchs serving with the VII^th Legion not once had countermanded their hosts. Occupying the opposite end of the spectrum was the toxic rivalry between the Drowned and the XV^th Legion, then known as the Wraiths. The Wraiths would consistently order their Drowned allies to fulfill diversionary roles, while the Wraiths carried out psychological warfare. Given that these battlefield roles would lead to a substantial amount of casualties, the Drowned would vacillate between modifying the orders to reduce casualties or outright refuse to take to the field. A mere decade into the Great Crusade, the Drowned tendril fleet would completely abandon the XV^th Legion and instead offer their services to the 60^th Expeditionary Fleet, one of the first fleets composed with no Astartes elements.

 

Although the Drowned tendril fleets would prefer to accommodate their host fleets, no Legionary commander was beyond challenge. Far less willing were Ayatollahs in challenging the command of a Primarch. The Sons of the Emperor wielded great power and personal charisma that it was the rare Ayatollah who could stand against them. Often this was cited as yet another source of bitterness that wore the Drowned's spirit as many tendril fleets became coerced into fighting costly battles that tended to spare their hosts from the reaper's tally.

 

This more traditional structure of Drowned forces was named the 'Psalida' by Sorrowsworn Morro, while the Drowned directly beneath his command he dubbed the 'Kelyfos'. When Morro assumed his rightful place at the head of the XVI, the Kelyfos consisted a single fleet that had originally been commanded by Hennasohn. After assigning Hennasohn his own fleet, Morro began to consolidate existing tendril fleets into his own, gradually growing in concentrated strength, until the Kelyfos featured more than half the Legion in one massive fleet and outnumbering the Psalida. 

Edited May 20, 2017 by simison

[simison]

One aspect that was shared throughout the entire Legion were battlefield tactics. The Drowned mastered the various arts and intricacies of three-dimensional warfare, whether operating in void, subterranean, or aquatic environments. Non-linear strategic thinking was sought and developed as the Drowned preferred to ambush foes from unexpected corridors. Standard combat doctrine had Drowned fast infantry and light armour elements launch simultaneous strikes against enemy forces, both to pin enemy detachments and to confuse enemy commanders about the nature and strength of Drowned elements. Area denial weapons, from artillery to phosphex weapons, were deployed and valued for their ability to fix the enemy. When the enemy was sufficiently 'flooded', the Drowned delivered the final blow, called the Rostrum, via heavy armoured or elite infantry units that would break the enemy army. 

 

The Drowned showed no preference for any particular type of unit over another, instead only allowing brute utility to determine which units served throughout campaigns in trademark Drowned blunt pragmatism that granted the XVI^th a great deal of flexibility when combating threats. The only nonstandard unit in the Drowned's stockpile were combat-grade breaching drills that gave the Drowned another avenue of attack against their foes. Every Drowned expeditionary fleet maintained a number of these subterranean vehicles, in addition to well cared for drop pods, submarine vessels, and any other equipment that allowed the Drowned to operate outside of the two-dimensional plane.  

 

[include Drowned hostility toward embellishments in Legion Command Hierarchy section.]

 

Legion Command Hierarchy

 

Whether Kelyfos or Psalida, the smallest unit was not the standard squad. This was a result of the Drowned discovering that in void and underwater environments, units of twenty Marines were clumsy and cumbersome, easily fragmented. Therefore, it was standard procedure for the Drowned to break apart into "combat squads" of five, each commanded by a corporal-equivalent, who answered to a sergeant. Although these combat squads could operate as an independent units, only the squad was recognized, sharing its name with its sergeant or a sardar. 

 

Above the squad, shoals replaced companies in title if not necessarily in substance as shoalmaster stood for captain. Additionally, instead of a Gothic numeral, the Drowned used an ancient, Levantine numeral system. For example, while the Departmento Munitorum would list the 27^th Company under Captain Esdra, the Drowned would list Shoal Bet-Zayin under Shoalmaster Esdra. Since the early Drowned rarely had the necessary numbers, battalions were discarded from use and would not be brought back under Morro's command. 

 

Where other Legions used chapters, the Drowned used Psalida, which could denote a single chapter/hive fleet or all of the tendril fleets. This is where the Ayatollahs and the Pelagic Monarchs commanded and made known their influence. While Ayatollahs may have been the technical commander of his chapter, in truth, the Monarchs retained true control over the Psalida's actions and path. This was highlighted by the shifting nature of the Ayatollah, who was voted into the position by the Monarchs for a single campaign. Once operations were concluded, the Ayatollah stepped down and re-assumed the mantle of Pelagic Monarch.

 

Rank throughout the Drowned was denoted by subtle marks on armour. In the hostile environments the Drowned fought, ornamentation and decoration were seen as liabilities and treated with hostile suspicion. This would spill over into an unspoken distrust of other Legions who were far more willing to avail themselves to embellishments. 

Edited May 21, 2017 by simison

[simison]

War Disposition

 

On the Day of Revelation, estimates place the Drowned numbers at 140,000 Adeptus Astartes. It should be noted that although this placed the XVI^th Legion on the smaller side of Legions, this was after a period of rapid growth through heavy use of 'reaping' or forced recruitment during the Drowned campaigns as compared to earlier records of 100,000 a mere twenty years prior. Before this rapid expansion, a combination of heavy attrition and the Drowned's scattered strength imbued a glacial growth even with Morro providing genetic material. Unknown is the number of Forlorn at this date, for Morro would not unleash them until much deeper into the Insurrection. 

 

Well over 100,000 of that number accompanied Sorrowsworn Morro in his personal fleet. It would be this fleet that would ambush Pionus Santor and his Scions Hospitalier on Untara Prime. The other 40,000 Drowned maintained their own commands with one or two exceptions that continued to serve with other Legions. Most among these Psalida would end up siding with their Primarch, but conflicting loyalties among the Monarchs would lead to intense, mini-civil wars among the Drowned that outright led to the near annihilation of the 2513^th Expeditionary Fleet when the Pelagic Monarchs divided in half between loyalty to Morro and loyalty to the Emperor. Only a single Psalida would survive the Day of Revelation with their loyalty to the Imperium intact.