IL IX - The Warbringers (thread 1)

[Skalpynock]

Sooo, since it seems that the Halcyon Wardens are going to get a heavy weapon wielding legate, I was wondering if you'd be interested in seeing an Artillery Captain ? Could be an interesting character both in fluff and in rules

 

If you do decide to go down this route, I'd suggest that he could be mounted in an Artillery Vehicle or be an independent character that is purpose built to buff Artillery/Rapier pieces...

I like the idea, however with the Warbringers I am aiming at a "herohammer" approach concerning characters (not unlike the Imperial Fists). Those who will get rules will be Perkenas (first captain and lord of the Bogatyrs), Valsh Holzer (who buffs auxilia allied detachments) , and post-secession an Asklepian (initially thought about using their leader, Kelasor, but more and more thinking about a lower guy, given that he is away from the frontline)

 

I guess I could get Holzer to fit that role though.

[bluntblade]

Just a couple of questions - is the Pernach made up of Knyaz, and what's the plural for Knyaz?

[Skalpynock]

Just a couple of questions - is the Pernach made up of Knyaz, and what's the plural for Knyaz?

-Mostly, but not necessarily

-Knyazi

I'm just about to send an answer to your PM, with the composition of the Pernach at the time of the Prosecution and a bunch of other stuff.

[Sigismund229]

Hey Skalpynock, did you take the name Perkenas from the pre christian baltic thunder god, Perkunas?

[Skalpynock]

Hey Skalpynock, did you take the name Perkenas from the pre christian baltic thunder god, Perkunas?

I obviously did.

[Skalpynock]

And that's what a streltsy miecznik looks like:

 

[MikhalLeNoir]

Habe a lot in common with the wardens. Looks. Good

[bluntblade]

How do you picture the Borgatyrs fighting in close combat?

[Skalpynock]

Individually, completely separate from any squad organisation. They tend to use heavy blades (greatswords and axes/bardiches) combined with melta or plasma pistols. Break formation, rush toward foe, shoot once or twice to wreck armour, give a few very hard hits in melee, rejoin formation and scan the battlefield for new target.

[bluntblade]

Cool

 

Btw, I don't know if this made its way over to this thread before:

 

I know it's not quite the thread to discuss this, but... what about an Artillery Captain for the Warbringers ?!

Edited July 4, 2016 by bluntblade

[bluntblade]

Right, some fresh reading material has given me an idea concerning the Warbringers' heraldry and the importance of lineage. Now, Skal has come up with the idea of officers appointing successors to their position. How about, as part of that, it is customary for a succeeding officer to be gifted items of his predecessor's wargear wherever possible? The marks made by previous owners are prized as a symbol of the legacy that a Warbringer feels he is carrying on; to the initiated, these serve to differentiate otherwise equally ranked officers.

 

Conversely, a Warbringer will feel ashamed if these heirlooms are damaged, and react badly if an unworthy individual handles them.

[Sigismund229]

Just gone back and re read your summary of the Organization&Structure of the Warbringers. Didn't seem that complicated :p although it could just be that I've read too much Polish-Lithuanian history

[bluntblade]

Tried to build on my idea about the armour, and this resulted. If Skal approves, it'll go in the wider story I'm working on.

 

+++++

 

Asaev considered his armour as he set to the old routine. Legion serfs and Adepts attended to the more mechanical aspects, but the Warbringers considered it important to clean the plate and adornments themselves. These were the marks by which their deeds and worth were made known, and it was felt that this kept a warrior from taking them for granted.

 

At times like this, Asaev was struck by the weight of history that resided in his suit. While it was largely made up of Mk IV components, there were pieces that dated back many years, and had accrued great significance through their wearers. The Iron Bears took great care of their wargear, but that was a product of the esteem in which they held the art of smithing. Many of the VIth were like walking armouries, but their equipment was more of a testament to individualism. The Warbringer way, however, stood for something more.

 

His gauntlets and vambraces, for example, were Mk III, a relic of Jagiello, Asaev’s predecessor. As his cloth ran in circles over the burnished gold, he saw again those fingers buried in a greenskin’s eyes. The last blow Jagiello had struck; the Orks had mobbed him, bearing him to the ground and hacking chunks out of his chest. The Borgatyr had lived long enough to reaffirm Asaev as his successor.

 

It was customary for an officer to take up some item of a warrior who he had served under and learned from. So his broadsword was another heirloom - a rare sort handed down by a warrior who still lived, but who had found it no longer suited him once raised to the Legion's Terminator elite.

 

To fight with and care for such items was to demonstrate one's worth, but more than simple self-aggrandisement. It represented the debt he owed to the men who had taught him and raised him to his current place. One day, his own legacy would be symbolised by these items. Another warrior would carry the sword of Žilvinas one day, and perhaps even the helm of Asaev might be so revered by another Borgatyr. Thus another burden settled upon a Warbringer's shoulders every time he took up an heirloom; to defend and build on the prestige that his wargear held, both that the honour of his predecessors not be besmirched, and those who followed would not have to wrestle with the disgrace of a man who had led them.

 

So, as he readied for the climactic phase of the war for Locria, he began not quite a prayer, but a vow to those who had gone before, that he would not fail their memory.

[Skalpynock]

That's exactly how I view 40k marines considering their wargear, while 30k is more "yeah, it's a slab of ceramite, I can just get it replaced". Knights versus soldiers, and we know which side the Warbringers fall on.

[bluntblade]

I just need some more info on what Vizhenko's overarching goal is while he's Primus Medicae, and how much he'll willingly reveal to a non-apothecary from another Legion. After that, I think the story will be good to go.

 

Well, we have the likes of Loken and Solomon Demeter caring for their wargear, so I actually built on that.

Edited July 22, 2016 by bluntblade

[MikhalLeNoir]

Well blunt, I appreciate it too for the wardens.we even "lent" armor parts from our friends legions and battle scars are kept.^^ bling and and battle worn= wardens of light. It is all to remember what war and violence can do to people. Edited July 22, 2016 by MikhalLeNoir

[bluntblade]

I like the idea of the two Legions having different views on what makes decoration matter.

"My bling is more meaningful than your bling!"

[bluntblade]

Also, I think I have the thing about Vizenko that will truly unnerve Nibaasiniiwi. He doesn't get the whole picture, but begins to wax lyrical about what they could achieve of they truly understood the gene-seed of each Legion and "move beyond the differences." Nibaasiniiwi is creeped right out and makes a hasty exit, the previous goodwill he bore towards the Asklepians tainted by distrust.

 

Because, even if Nibaasiniiwi only has a suspicion, there is a kernel of truth there with regard to what Vizenko's order are doing...

Edited July 22, 2016 by bluntblade

[Sigismund229]

I just need some more info on what Vizhenko's overarching goal is while he's Primus Medicae, and how much he'll willingly reveal to a non-apothecary from another Legion. After that, I think the story will be good to go.

 

Well, we have the likes of Loken and Solomon Demeter caring for their wargear, so I actually built on that.

In Deliverence Lost, Alpharius/Ort and Sergeant Dor place wagers with the penalty being 10 days armour maintenance and in Angel Exterminatus Kroeger retooths his chainsword himself

[Skalpynock]

"We could stop looking at the differences, and finally see all the possibilities beyond them"

 

Also, I'm getting quite attached to Asaev now, for a "character" only supposed to be an example color scheme initially. The same thing happened with Holzer. Now I have plans for his helmet...

[bluntblade]

I like building up from little incidental things. Sweet, I should be able to draft the last couple of scenes tomorrow.

[bluntblade]

Oh, just a few details I need. What do Perkenas and Valsh Holzer look like, including wargear? All I have so far is Perkenas wielding a broadsword.

[bluntblade]

About that draft:

 

+++++

 

Vizenko was at work when they found him. “Praetor Nibaasiniiwi,” he said, raising his eyes from the body of a fallen Warbringer, Narthecium array whirring softly. “I apologise for the lack of ceremony, but the demands are great. Even against our combined might, the dread works of Locria exact a cruel toll.”

 

Vizenko’s face bore testament to a life of unusual length, even for an Astartes. He was among the oldest living space marines, so old that he was now free of any battlefield duties. A fate perhaps unique among the Legiones Astartes, Nibaasiniiwi mused. He bowed his head, trying to match the Warbringer's formality. “We are well aware of the unhappy burdens your order bears so diligently. I would not demand unnecessary ritual of you while so much remains to be done.”

 

Etiquette appeased, he moved to the dead form of a Bear. One of his tactical marines, killed by a burst of filaments that had torn his throat clean away. It had been a small miracle that his progenoids had both remained intact, though the degree of damage to the armour and flesh around it had seemingly required the expertise of a veteran apothecary. It was unlikely that any of the Bears' could have done it this well.

 

He motioned to his men, who quietly took hold of the gurney on which the unfortunate Bear lay, and wheeled him away. A capsule marked with a VI stood on a surface nearby and he lifted it delicately.

 

“A peculiar notion, that so much of what we are can stem from so small a thing.” Vizenko stepped up beside him. “Notion is altogether the wrong word, though; we have learned that these globules exert such immense influence on almost everything about us, both as Legions and as individuals.” In an adjacent chamber, through a glass door, servitors helped another Apothecary back into his armour. Syanocron Taleko, he recalled, watching the purple Asklepian cloak settle over the man's shoulders.

 

“But they are only one factor of several,” Nibaasiniiwi countered. He didn't know quite why he retorted, but something had crept into Vizenko's voice that sat uncomfortably with him.

 

“Granted, but those others cannot be subjected to empirical scrutiny. They cannot be exactly understood and consequently there is little improvement to be achieved there.”

 

Nibaasiniiwi felt a chill that owed nothing to the clinical atmosphere of the room. “Improvements?”

 

“Logically, yes.” Vizenko's tone had changed somewhat, but there was no hint that he considered the subject to be a cause for alarm. “Our different gene-seeds grant us potent weapons, but ones that we cannot unify as a single arsenal to be brought to bear against the enemies of Mankind. Just imagine what might be achieved if the strength of the Iron Bears could be harmonised with the cohesion of the Warriors of Peace. To learn just a little more will gift so much to us.”

 

Nibaasiniiwi kept his face impassive, but behind it thoughts and emotions whirled like a pict-vid of clouds, sped up. Did Vizenko hear what he was saying? Could his words really mean that he wanted to meddle with the works of the Emperor Himself?

 

Vizenko didn't seem to notice any sign of Nibaasiniiwi's consternation, and carried on. “Perfection is within our reach if we simply put aside exceptionalism and move beyond the differences.”

 

He forced himself to remain polite. “Intriguing suggestions, sir, but I am not at liberty to discuss them further. My company needs my attention, and I am loathe to distract you from your own work.”

 

He was Astartes, he knew no fear. So why, as he made his way back along the corridors, did the remaining flesh in his legs itch with the desire to run? The gene-seed canister felt suddenly heavy, even in his augmentic hands, and he found wondering how long Vizenko had spent with it, and more.

 

Now Odyssalas' unease was eminently understandable

Edited July 24, 2016 by bluntblade

[Skalpynock]

Properly creepy Vizenko.

 

Oh, just a few details I need. What do Perkenas and Valsh Holzer look like, including wargear? All I have so far is Perkenas wielding a broadsword.

There's a picture of Perkenas before he got his Cataphractii armor in a spoiler tag on the first page of this thread. It also pre-dates my decision that the higher the rank, the more gold Warbringers wear. So very ornate Cata armor, no helmet, both arms, knees, and chestplate (though not the "hood" of the armor) covered in gold, melta gun and huge power sword.

 

Holzer wears Mk III plate, with a Strelian Aquila (with downward-pointing wings like this ) on the right pauldron, and one of the oldest vambrace of the Legion: mark I that was artificered through the ages to keep up with current technology, a piece of armor that has seen the Legion's earliest deployments against the Valerian Neanthropes. There's a bunch of comm equipment on his helm and backpack, given his propensity to work with mortal troops. Physically, his face is just that of Nicholas II of Russia. He wields a power-bardiche and a master crafted combi-grenade launcher. If needs be to talk of his character, he doesn't share the aloofness of most Bogatyrs, being extremely proud of his warriors, Astartes and mortals alike.

 

Due to this there is an uneasy coldness between the two, born of different approaches at warfare and personal grudges. While Perkenas believes that Astartes should be even better warriors than what they are by themselves, Holzer is a convinced believer in augmenting mortal troops to Astartes level. Recreating the struggle between Perun and Veles in slavic mythology.

[bluntblade]

So my last job is to work out what Grimm would make of Kozja himself.

 

+++++

 

Sitting in Kozja's staterooms, Solomon Grimm considered his opposite numbers. The Warbringers seemed more comfortable with Cass than they did with Redd. Both were political animals, but Cass favoured a more formal system of command which Kozja and his sons could respect. Redd was too much the boisterous warrior for them. Cass liked to lead from the front, but was quite prepared to delegate to Nibaasiniiwi or Leonas if necessary.

 

Valsh Holzer was a welcome presence, though Grimm didn't really know him all that well. Holzer stood apart from his brothers due to an open, gregarious nature. His face had a distinctly aristocratic look to it, completed by a meticulously groomed beard and moustache. Cass and his officers had found him pleasant company, but Holzer was an artillery officer, and as such they had had little contact during the previous campaign. Of course, Grimm had only been a Praetor during that war, and Holzer a Boyar, so most of that contact had simply been formal strategy meetings where their superiors had done most of the talking.

 

The other Knyaz was a much colder presence, sat awkwardly in Cataphracti plate that was all the bulkier for its extensive decorations. His hair was coal black, and the face beneath was grim and unsmiling. Perkenas was a master swordsman, credited with dozens of valorous deeds, but that came with a humourless, prideful demeanour that alienated many officers.

 

Perhaps it was fortunate that the Praetors weren't present. Perkenas’ stiff formality, which Grimm had some experience of from the celebrations on Terra, hadn't dropped now they were in a private setting. He could almost hear Yoxer and Cyrn'ss grumbling; the phrase “starch-arse” would feature heavily. Perkenas was cut from a very different cloth to Grimm and his brothers, more a soldier than a warrior. He was known for his prowess with a blade, but his penchant was for neat and utilitarian kills, not the audacious charges that got a Bear's blood up.

 

Perkenas was also known for the disdain he frequently showed toward mortals. While Holzer believed passionately in augmenting them to fight alongside the Astartes, Perkenas considered such schemes to be a waste of time, arguing that the Astartes' superiority be increased. He had made no effort earlier to hide his disgust when Lotara voiced her concerns about the coming void battle.

 

Even Daer'dd's usually cheerful nature was dampened somewhat. Kozja had little time for personal news or accounts of the great deeds carried out across the Crusade, though he was pleased to hear of the success of the Ark Reach campaign.

 

As Daer'dd attempted to get Kozja enthused about the works of art that the remembrancers had recently begun, Grimm's eyes alighted on the other officer who accompanied Kozja.