Liber Challenge VI - Heralds of Excess

[heralds of excess]

Greetings Brothers & Sisters of the Liber Astartes!

I am completing this challenge for my namesake - The Heralds of Excess and have some elements ready to post. Please feel free to feedback as I am shaping these guys in my head as I go so input would be appreciated.

Warband name: Heralds Of Excess – Pre-Heresy Emperor’s Children 32^nd company.

Geneseed descent (if known): Primarily Emperor’s Children of the 32^nd company. With contingences of White Scars, Sentinels (see Corpus Brethren), Aurora Guard (see Perfection's Sorrow) & a myriad of others who have fallen the Prince of Pleasure.

Background (how they fell to Chaos): 

Pre-Heresy:
The History of The Heralds of Excess cannot be written without acknowledging the warriors that lead the accursed force. The bulk of the Warband were once members of the 32^nd company, Emperor’s Children Legion, led by Torren Andrastus. A son of Terran nobility from Olde Albia, Torren rose to prominence within a legion who respected the values of the old order. Pegged to become something great, his honest nature and informality with those of a lower rank was at odds with the political games frequently played by the upper echelons of the III legion. Although Torren was popular among the common soldiery, he was distanced from his superiors, who took to calling him ‘The Fallen Phoenix’ and ostracised him from his peers. Because of this, Torren was effectively ‘left behind’ and placed in command of a recently created company; fresh with recruits from both Chemos and Terra.

Torren took his recruits and moulded them in the crucible of war. With little interest in the legion that he perceived to have abandoned him, but with absolute faith in those below him, his men became experts at long range warfare, operating independently sometimes for months at a time, and becoming well versed in the bloody business of ship to ship raiding in the vacuum of space. Not a large company during the great crusade, nor one of particular note, the company did garner grudging respect within the legion for their impressive ship to ship boarding actions and were often called upon to assist in the hunting of pirates and naval heavy separatists. It was not until the Heresy however that the company gained true notoriety both within and outside of their own legion.

After Fulgrim pledged his legion to Horus’ Rebellion. He began the business of separating his men into those loyal to himself and those loyal to the Emperor, as well as gathering support from The Imperial Army and other factions. Fulgrim could not do these things alone and, whilst debating the fate of the 32^nd, invited Torren to meet with him within the halls of the legion’s flagship itself. Torren considered this an honour, to be personally invited by this father, and agreed without hesitation. No-one knows what was said in those chambers, but for six days Torren and his Father conversed in solitude. On the morning of the seventh day Torren emerged and, at a gathering of captains loyal to Fulgrim within the Heliopolis, was proclaimed Fulgrim’s Herald and dubbed ‘The Phoenix Arisen’ by Lord Commander Eidolon himself. What is known of that meeting is thus; Fulgrim was aware of a number of things: Torren’s loyalty to his men and the ideals of the legion, his disdain for his brother captains who ridiculed him and the true depths of his shattered pride. With this knowledge Fulgrim was able to bend Torren to his will.

Torren and his company left that day to bring together the scattered companies and allies of the Emperor’s Children under the banner of Fulgrim and the rebellion. Torren’s new position as a favourite of this father garnered him respect almost overnight, with many brothers who had previously shunned him willing to hang on his every word and pledge their support without question. Torren’s duty was two-fold however, and many captains who refused to see Horus’ truth where swiftly replaced with a more compliant Astartes from the rank and file. Often Torren would converse with the rank and file before meeting with a fellow captain to gauge his position and act accordingly.

By the time of the Isstvan III atrocity, Torren was responsible for bringing fully a third of those considered ‘Loyalist’ back into the fold of the legion and Horus’ truth. Whilst he did not take part in the atrocity his company was called to be present at the Battle of Isstvan V. Serving in a position of honour on the right of the line, Torren’s company endured some of the fiercest fighting against elements of the Xth & XVIIIth Legions. It was on the battlefield of Isstvan that Torren’s company first discovered the sonic weaponry that was becoming prevalent within their legion. Utilising its duality as both a boarding weapon and a devise to preach the word of Fulgrim, the company took to its use with vigour and continue to wield the devises to this day.

For the remainder of the Heresy Torren’s company are largely absent from record, although many allies of the Emperor’s Children can be counted among those Torren brought into the fold those seven long years. This is not to say the company was not active as a great many loyalist ships were also recovered drifting through space. Gutted and entirely devoid of life, save for a single crewman, tied to the captain’s chair without eyes or tongue, surrounded by a cacophony of screams and chants played through the internal vox system and a Phoenix, rising from fire, painted in blood and oil across the Bridges viewing port.

[heralds of excess]

Second part:

Post Heresy:               
After escaping to the Eye of Terror and the subsequent legion wars the Warband briefly relocated to Fulgrim’s pleasure planet. Here, seeing Fulgrim in his daemon form, the 32^nd company began to worship him as the living embodiment of Slaanesh. Torren, having retained his role as Fulgrim’s herald, began also to preach in his name. Whilst Fulgrim was pleased to receive such adulation; other members of the legion began once again to plot against Torren. After several attempts at his life, and with no support from Fulgrim, Torren came to the realisation that he was not the Primarch’s favoured son; but simply another pawn. Tasting the bitterness of betrayal once again, Torren abandoned the planet, taking his company and allies with him to ravage the imperium.

Since that day The Heralds of Excess have been a thorn in the side of the Imperium. Striking mercilessly and without warning many worlds, considered too powerful for attack, have been brought down by the members of the old 32^nd. Leaving behind scenes of utter damnation and horror that many of their victim planets are rendered uninhabitable. The Warband still excels at ship to ship combat as many of its warriors are those that fought in the dark days of the Heresy and takes extreme delight in ravaging the ships of the Xth and XVIII legions in memory of their battle on the fields of Isstvan V. The Warband has grown much over 10,000 years and currently stands at just below Chapter strength with a number of heretical cults and hordes of warp cursed abominations in tail. The Warband also draws upon the warriors of the 713^th Xarosian grenadiers, a regiment that was perverted and twisted to the will of Torren several decades ago. 

A number of non-Emperor’s Children marines also answer to the banner of the Heralds of Excess. Ranging from solo marines to whole companies, these younger brothers are looked down upon by their older kin, but welcomed nonetheless by Torren into the folds of the Warband. Most notable among these groups are almost a company each of the Sentinels (Corpus Brethren) and Aurora Guard (Perfection’s Sorrow) warbands. Although the Corpus Brethren keep within their own vessel outside of deployment, the members of Perfection’s Sorrow have fully integrated themselves within the warband. Led by the Sorcerer Quintec Pal; the Corpus Brethren are secretive even for Astartes. Refusing to bond with the rest of the warband, they keep mainly aboard their vessel The Empty Child unless called upon. Many within the warband secretly question Torren’s reasons for adopting the brothers of the cursed company and, whilst it is true Torren has no love for the Corpus Brethren, it is apparent to most that the Witch leading their company is of special interested to the lord of the Heralds.

In contrast to this are the members of Perfection’s Sorrow. Relatively new converts to the worship of the Dark Prince; Torren himself was personally responsible for their fall from grace. Having tailed their crippled vessel through the warp after a foolhardy attack on the Heralds much larger fleet, Torren unleashed his daemon allies onto the beleaguered marines. For months the daemons infected every moment of the Astartes lives, wearing away at them with honeyed words and the promise of experiences unknown to their brother space marines. After 16 months a single message was picked up by the vessel left to guard the stranded marines:
We are the alabaster mask before a lepers face. We are the kiss before the kill. We are Perfection’s Sorrow.
Torren arrived aboard his flagship, The Cacophony Incarnate, at the head of the Heralds fleet to welcome his newest flock. Clad in Blue armour washed in the blood of their loyalist serfs, the brothers of Perfection’s Sorrow swore fealty as one to Torren and the Prince of Pleasure. Guided by the hand of Artious Mentel, the members of Perfections Sorrow have given themselves fully to the Dark Prince and all of his vices, reaching heights of excess only dreamed of by their loyalist brothers.

Of special note are a small contingent of White Scars. Not unusual in their fall as any other first founding chapter, these marines are unique in that they follow the ramblings of the severed skull of Doomrider. After his head was returned to Chigoris it started to heal. With the healing the skull eventually regained the ability to speak once more. Sgt. Midujin Shu, assigned as part of the honour guard at the White Scars citadel, began to experience waking dreams and nightmares of Chigoris aflame; burning under a sea of diesel. Then the whispers began. Soon the Sgt was consumed by the visions presented to him by Doomrider. His behaviour changed, and with his squad mates, began to ignore their duties for bigger and more extravagant hunts. By the time the rest of his company became aware it was too late, Midujin had given himself fully to Doomrider and Slaanesh. With his squad in tow he fled Chigoris and headed for the Eye of Terror. It was here, after a number of years, that Midujin Shu – renamed the Golden Khan sought refuge and council with the Torren and the Heralds of Excess. None know of his need for the master of the Heralds, but it is certain that Doomrider will have had a hand in it.

[EesiOh]

DOOMRIDER! You're warband (which was good enough) just became amazing man, all you need is a little talking drug addicted daemon head, and you get the best white scars ever. Good job with the challenge too. It was an enjoyable to read story but managed to stay informative rather than branching out into every possible boring detail you could have come up with. Well done 10/10 

[heralds of excess]

@EesiOh - Have no fear, there will be a flaming demon head incoming once I get all the parts for my White Scars. Thankyou very much also for the kind words! I was worried I had made them too mary-sue- ish by inserting them too heavily in the Heresy stuff, but at the same time figured it might have been plausible. 

Updates incoming,

Heralds 

[heralds of excess]

Notable Characters (leader etc.):
Lord Torren Andrastus – (Pre-Heresy) Captain, Emperor’s Children 32^nd company. The Phoenix Arisen. (Post-Heresy) The Twice Banished. The Phoenician’s Herald. The Lord of Heralds. The Butcher of Cadus VII. Lord of the Heralds of Excess.

Undisputed commander of the Heralds of Excess, Torren is worshipped as a god made flesh by the mortals under his command as well as by a growing number of marines within his ranks. Since being banished from Fulgrim’s pleasure planet within the Eye of Terror, Torren and his warband have been on a crusade deep into Imperial space. Gaining followers and leaving dead planets in his wake, none are sure of the motivations of the Lord of Heralds.  

Centurion Philean Rax – (Pre-Heresy) 32^nd company champion. (Post-Heresy) Torren’s Executioner. The Phoenicians Tallyman. The Hunting Phoenix.

The right hand of Torren. Philean Rax has served with the company/warband since his ascension from the factories of Chemos during the Great Crusade. He is utterly loyal to Torren and encourages the worship of his lord among the cultists attached to the warband. He can always be found in the vanguard of any assault, hunting the battlefield for enemy commanders whose heads he will take to line the walls of his lord’s inner sanctum.

Atticus V’Pathian – (Pre-Heresy) 32^nd company Primus Medicae. (Post-Heresy) The Silent Apothecary. Damnation of Dastel Secondus. The Vigilant Phoenix.

In contrast to the bombastic Philean Rax, the left hand of Torren is a silent and manipulative creature. Atticus V’Pathian joined the 32^nd shortly before the heresy after the previous Primus Medicae was killed in a boarding action. V’Pathian, in contrast to his predecessor, would not take to the battlefield until after the fighting was done and although this caused the ire of his peers, it has kept the Apothecary alive for 10,000 years. Usually to be found aboard the warbands flagship experimenting on cultists and Astartes alike, Atticus will occasionally take to the battlefield if something of worth takes his eye.    

Midujin Khan – (Pre-Corruption) Sgt, Chigoris Honour Guard. (Post-Corruption) The Golden Khan. The Trove That Rides. Commander - Midujin Khan’s Horde Contingent. Doomrider’s Mouth Piece. The Gluttonous Phoenix.

As keeper of the head of Doomrider, Midujin Khan follows the ramblings of his master’s voice. With his small contingent of White Scars, Midujin had hired himself out as a mercenary in the service of the dark prince for a number of years before joining the Heralds of Excess. What his motivations are remain unclear, but for now the Warband are content to keep the ex-White Scars within their ranks.

Quintec Pol – (Pre-Corruption) Librarian, Sentinels 4^th company. (Post-Corruption) The Imperium’s Shame. Commander – Corpus Brethren Contingent. Sorrow’s Witch. The Sullen Phoenix.

The leader of the Corpus Brethren warband within the ranks of the Heralds of Excess is even more reclusive than those under his command. Rarely seen on the battlefield and only spoken too by Torren outside of the Corpus Brethren, Quintec Pol inspires fear and mystery among the other elements of the Warband. What is known of Pol is that, while a gifted Psyker and a devout follower of Slaanesh, he feels personal shame for leading his chapter into damnation but holds the imperium to fault for abandoning him. The reason Torren tolerates the sullen brotherhood are unknown, but the talent of Pol wielded by Torren is a cause of concern among Imperial agents.

Captain Artious Mentel – (Pre-Corruption) Captain, the Aurora Guard 2^nd Company. (Post-Corruption) Alabaster Blade. The Wailing Death. Commander – Perfection’s Sorrow Contingent. The Ecstatic Phoenix.

Artious Mentel embraced Slaanesh with his brothers after their foolhardy attack on the fleet of the Heralds of Excess. Answering a distress beacon from Cadus VII, the 2, 4 & 8^th companies of the Aurora Guard found a world burning at the hands of the Heralds. Artious gave the order to attack the fleet whilst personally leading an assault on the ground. After substantial loses, the Aurora Guard were forced to retreat. Artious, back aboard his cruiser, attempted to disengage but his vessel was crippled and left to drift. It was then that Torren unleashed his demonic allies and slowly twisted the minds of the trapped marines until they had become devout followers of the dark prince.

[heralds of excess]

Last update for the Liber challenge anyway.


Notable engagements:

The history of the old 32nd carries well beyond the veil of mortal memory, and indeed eclipses that of the post-human and mechanical archives at the disposal of the Imperium of Man. Torren and his company have fought across the galaxy since before the Heresy and their list of atrocities and war crimes could fill even the largest archive on Terra. Notable engagements include the Dropsite massacre of Isstvan V where the company first developed their obsession with sonic weaponry, and the legion wars of the Eye of Terror during the Scouring. In recent history the Heralds have been documented near the home world of the Iarann leanaí, a successor of the Iron Hands, and have engaged in small skirmishes although no great battle has occured between the two factions yet.

Of particular note is the destruction of Cadus VII. The Heralds of Excess attacked Cadus VII, a shrine world located in the galactic east, to provoke a response from the Salamanders chapter who were known to be operating in the area. For 6 days the Heralds ran amok on the surface of the planet desecrating shrines and enslaving the local populace. Torren allowed only a small number of marines to make planetfall, mainly renegades from younger foundings and a contingent of marines under the command of Philean Rax; who was tasked with launching the distress beacon under the guise of the planetary governor. Most of Torrens force planetside was made up of cultists and human soldiers. The bulk of the warband however, remained hidden in an asteroid field in preparation for the Salamanders reprisal.

On the 7th day a small fleet of crimson vessels, identified as those of a Salamanders successor The Aurora Guard, entered orbit around the planet. Without firing a shot, a large force, commanded by Artious Mentel, disengaged from the fleet and made planet fall around the governors palace. Here they came under fire from the marines under Philean Rax. With the bulk of the enemy force planet side, Torren engaged the under strength fleet in high orbit.

Realising that he had underestimated his opponent, and with heavy loses to the three companies under his command, Artious Mentel ordered a withdrawal. One of the smaller craft, crippled early in the naval battle above, had escaped the Heralds blockade and was hiding on the other side of the planet, ready to receive the ground forces and warp jump to safety. With the forces of Rax throttling his escape route, and more Heralds making planet fall every minute, Artious condemned the men of the 8th company to death by ordering them to protect the rear of his forces as they broke through the cultists encircling them. Of the three full companies deployed, Rax escaped with 144 men, although many more would die before the Aurora Guard reached their waiting vessel. The 8th company were entirely destroyed, their battle banner lost and their keeper of deeds sacrificed on the parapet of the governors palace. The 4th company too, had lost their banner but had rallied behind Artious' own 2nd company banner during the withdrawal. As the marines returned to their stormhawks, Torren's fleet unleashed a barrage into the retreating vessels; destroying many in the air and killing a third of the surviving battle brothers. 

Once aboard the lone frigate, Artious and his remaining men fled the Cadus system, destined for home and with revenge on their lips. Unknown to them however, the fleet of the Heralds was in pursuit, and many souls had been sacrificed to keep the Aurora Guard from reaching home as loyal Astartes...


Pictures:

Heralds of Excess main scheme
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u116/DiscipleofNoise/Heralds%20of%20Excess%20scheme%201_zpsdmx12jhh.jpg?1442502503132&1442502505540&1442502573201&1442502574198

Heralds of Excess alternative scheme
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u116/DiscipleofNoise/Heralds%20of%20Excess%20scheme%202_zpslahhoqwt.jpg?1442502503132&1442502505539&1442502573201&1442502574198


Corpus Brethren colour scheme
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u116/DiscipleofNoise/Corpus%20Brethren%20scheme%201_zpsdon3sap3.jpg

Warriors of the Golden Khan
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u116/DiscipleofNoise/Midujin%20Khans%20Horde%20scheme%201_zps7ic7rcmj.jpg?1442502503132&1442502505540&1442502573201&1442502574198

Noise Champion 1st Cohort
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u116/DiscipleofNoise/IMG_1326_zpsff635d3f.jpg?1442502574199&1442503382744