IL VIII - The Godslayers

[simison]

Ah, I haven't really explained that enough.  The septumvirates are just the name for the council of seven (because shameless Nurgle foreshadowing) officers that lead each Brotherhood.  I don't think I actually ever specified much about the officers that were members of the septumvirates and if I did have an idea about them it's completely left me now; I'd say now that they are elected in a very similar way to the Primarch's Council, in that the members don't necessarily have to be captains, just whoever is most fit for the role - the only difference here being that only Astartes would be members of a septumvirate, but beyond that anyone could attain a position had they enough experience.

 

Oh good. I only added a very minor addition to Blunt's work which mostly works. I'll just need to change one-word for the final fix.

[Big Bad Squig]

So for clarity, they represent the equivalent of Chapters and not companies?

 

Yep, chapters; companies still exist iirc

[bluntblade]

Fab. Have you had a chance to look through the exemplary battles so far?

[Big Bad Squig]

Oops, sorry, I had no idea I'd missed those PMs.  All good in terms of the fluff as all of it fits in my eyes - just a couple of editing changes.  In the first one the only mistakes I can see are:

 

- Alexander Kharkovic being called Travier

- Alexander Kharkovic gets mentioned as Koschei's brother - he's previously been described as his nephew

 

In the second:

 

- Krylataya Pobeda is spelt Krylata Pobeda

 

But that's all I saw.  I liked a lot of the changes you made, particularly the mention of Squighawks in the first exemplary battle.  I'm curious; are they your own creation or do they exist in official fluff?  Either way I demand more of them! 

[bluntblade]

We talked over Alexander being a son of the Archduke who sided with Koschei, remember? Koschei granted him the right to share the name he was goven by his followers (the foster family being a bit dead by that point). I'll take a second look for the Travier bit and flagship errors, though.

 

Squighawks are canon but they've never had a model or rules. They're on the wiki with pictures. Imagine a pterodactyl that dived 30,000 feet into the ugly stick.

[Big Bad Squig]

We talked over Alexander being a son of the Archduke who sided with Koschei, remember? 

 

 

Yes we did, I'd completely forgotten - ignore that part of what I said.  I blame the three hours of sleep I got last night for that. 

 

 

Squighawks are canon but they've never had a model or rules. They're on the wiki with pictures. Imagine a pterodactyl that dived 30,000 feet into the ugly stick.

 

Also this is far too brilliant a converting opportunity for me to pass up - I love them already!

[bluntblade]

The First Battle of Eront Secundus

Koschei’s early campaigns are defined by the usual growing pains and push-pull of new and old which characterised a Legion in transition. The ongoing attrition that afflicts any army on Crusade played a part. While this effect is usually confined to the rank and file in mortal armies, among the Astartes it was heightened by the “from the front” ethos so many captains and commanders subscribed to. It is only in hindsight that a darker side emerges to the changing of the guard, and that is best seen in the Conquest of Eront Secundus.

 

The Godslayers drew close to this world cautiously, but with no small amount of optimism. Historical record and reconnaissance data indicated a human civilisation, albeit one not yet developed to spacefaring levels. As the Godslayers fleet drew near, their auspex registered strange phenomena in the atmosphere, making it difficult to tell how advanced the civilisation below might be. Its cities were sizeable but nowhere near true hive cities, and electromagnetic readings proved inconsistent in the extreme. Still Koschei’s optimism was undented, and he took a small force, numbering only a few hundred, to the surface by Stormeagle. With Alexander Kharkovic at his side, Prometear Thyris and Griorsk Varangar, still known as Lords Commander at this time, were left in command of the fleet. Varangar was the one to hold command of the new Gloriana Krylataya Pobeda, while Thyris brooded on the former flagship Winter's Night.

 

Atmospheric interference foiled all efforts at vox-communication, and it was only through a handful of astropaths that Koschei and Alexander maintained contact with the fleet. Landing near the largest city, they were dismayed to find it deserted and ruined, but persisted in their search. This would not be the first world where humanity lived as a fragment of its former glory, dwelling in hovels and wary of the cities their ancestors had called home. Two hours later, Koschei’s party reported heat signatures in the northwest quadrant, which their Thunderhawks investigated despite the interference with their comms. By voxcaster they reported what they saw, and the advance party’s mingled hope and concern became outright horror. These were no humans at all; they were feral Orks, and within the tide of green flesh had swarmed into view.

 

Ork technology is unreliable at best, and the Orks of Eront lacked even that, so for several minutes the fighting was one-sided to an almost comical degree. But the greenskins still possessed astonishing numbers, masked only by their failure to fully subjugate the world’s architecture. Moreover, where crude war machines would normally be found in the Orkish line of battle, feral clans use Orkoid beasts in much the same capacity. Koschei’s force was swamped by Squigs, followed by Warboar cavalry and Squiggoths thundering down the highways as the main Ork force drew near. As ever, the Orks cared nothing for the toll exacted on their fellows or the danger to themselves. The horde simply absorbed the onslaught of gunfire, with three more aliens to every one that fell.

 

Guns ran dry, and the Godslayers were forced to grapple with the enemy in melee combat. The Stormeagles made charred offal of the tightly packed xenos and brought buildings crashing down on their heads, but while there was no artillery to threaten them, the Orks had Weirdboys and hideous Squighawks with which to assail them. By the time drop-pods breached the atmosphere, only a dozen gunships remained airborne, and Koschei’s force was beleaguered indeed. Only hastily scrambled bomber squadrons spared them from being enveloped completely.

 

Thyris, who had brought his ship to full readiness despite the Primarch’s optimism, led a drop-pod assault into the outskirts of the city, losing several squads to rushed dropsite designations which saw pods shattered against buildings. Even then this most rapid option had taken some twenty minutes, and the waves of Godslayers mobilising in orbit would take longer. All the while, Koschei and his force fended off a horde of Squiggoths, the Goliaths slashing at the beasts with their power blades. The defence cost Koschei hundreds of warriors, but they held long enough for the new arrivals to divert the enemy’s attention. More reinforcements followed, Stormbirds descending with fresh troops and tanks.

 

Now the Godslayers went on the offensive, their armour columns leading the way. Yet other Orks warbands were already drawing close, lured by sounds which they had never heard before but were unmistakable in their violence. Tens of thousands became hundreds of thousands, internecine strife cast aside now there were outsiders to kill. Thyris met them head-on, likely seeing a chance to prove himself to his Primarch at last as he drew within sight of the Warboss. Despite requests from Alexander to fall back and draw the Orks into the guns of the tank columns, he carried on into the mass of greenskins.

 

This exchange had been conducted over a broad vox-net, but now Alexander switched to a closed link, so the rest of the exchange went largely unheard. Less than two minutes later, the massed tanks were ordered to fire into the horde. Hundreds of Orks perished with their leader under the sustained bombardment, but so too did Thyris’ warriors. An unfortunate circumstance, brought on by the ugly necessities of battle, and a mere footnote in a battle which spanned a day and began a year-long war. Or so it was thought for many years, until a Godslayers data-core was captured and broken open during the Insurrection.

 

Now we know the truth of the old Legion Master’s death. Kept alive only by his Iron Halo, Thyris had furiously demanded an end to the bombardment over a closed vox-channel to Alexander, only to realise his comms systems were being impaired from afar. Alexander used him to lure the Warboss into his trap, and perhaps more pertinently, saw a chance to remove the biggest obstacle to Koschei’s control of the Legion. That this act of betrayal was improvised in the heat of battle speaks volumes of Alexander’s resourcefulness, and the ruthlessness with which he would work towards his brother’s dream. Things that went unnoticed as the Orks were routed and the Godslayers began their campaign to cleanse Eront and free the human slaves they found later on, but which had we known of them might have served as a warning.

Edited September 15, 2017 by bluntblade

[bluntblade]

The Purge of the Velocitarii

Though the Imperial war machine was mighty, the borders it established were not inviolable. The nature of the Warp ensured that, but equally there societies of raiders and pirates who had grown adept at evading larger and mightier forces. These would prove a persistent nuisance to the often cumbersome armies of the Great Crusade, and having endured the horror of the Screaming before even the Sol System was won, the Godslayers knew this better than most.

 

An especially cruel and cunning collection of vermin, calling themselves the Velocitarii, plagued a number of systems in the vicinity of the Julea Nexus. Their ships were capable of engaging and even overcoming a wide range of Army vessels in order to pillage their supplies and personnel. This was close to the 67th Expeditionary Fleet’s current location, and Koschei took it upon himself to root out and destroy these parasites before they could do further harm.

 

Knowing that to simply hunt would be wasteful, he resolved to set a trap for his prey, and willingly offered himself and his sons as the bait. So a small fleet of Godslayers descended upon the world of Verden to resupply. Koschei made the bait as enticing as possible, feigning a degree of complacency that no Primarch would be found guilty of without reason. Munitorum vessels met with the Godslayers above the world’s third moon. Koschei moved his flag from the Krylataya Pobeda for this operation, knowing that the Gloriana’s size and evident power would put any raider on their guard.

 

From here, the Primarch and his retainers proceeded to a meeting with the planet’s governors, leaving most of his ships festooned with maintenance scaffolds. These would clearly hinder the ships in battle, making it difficult for them to even begin responding to a threat, let alone properly defend the Munitorum vessels. Naturally, this was an opportunity no self-respecting corsair would pass up - less than an hour after Koschei had landed on Verden, the void lit up with a Velocitarii fleet emerging from the Warp.

 

The Verden defence fleet suffered cruelly under the guns of the pirates, their formation splintered before the Godslayers fleet could respond properly. Ship were boarded, soldiers and “useless” civilians killed and valuable prisoners dragged back to the pirate vessels when they could not secure the ships entirely. Several of the smaller VIIIth Legion ships were likewise run down and boarded, a feasible course for the pirates as the Astartes were absent, with elite soldiers taking their place in VIIIth Legion livery. Koschei had known the cost of his ruse, and insisted on crewing the fleets only with volunteers from his fleet as well as the system’s. Such was the Primarch’s charisma and the depth of his ideals that he did not want for manpower in his charade, though it caused him anguish to see others fight and suffer in his place.

 

Koschei hastened back with a fresh wave of ships and as expected, the Velocitarii withdrew, taking their spoils with them and taunting the Imperials until they fled realspace once more. Now their scorn was turned upon their captives, and they promised that they would never see the Imperium again, except as unwilling accomplices in piracy. They had every reason to feel certain of this claim, but in truth it was a hollow boast, for Koschei had exploited a key gap in their knowledge.

 

The Velocitarii knew of psykers well enough, but they had never encountered astropaths, gifted with their talents by the Emperor’s tempering power and mastery. Claiming to be Navigator acolytes who had fallen into disgrace, their true nature thus went unsuspected until the pirates began their own process of resupply and rearmament above a hitherto uncharted world. We must not trivialise the ordeal these brave souls and their fellow prisoners underwent, nor the value of their actions. The planet, which they dubbed Sixty-Seven Twenty-Five among themselves, was the closest thing the Velocitarii had to a central base, with slave hives feeding vast industrial complexes. The astropaths sent out this information, and waited.

 

Twenty-seven Terran days later, their cries were answered. The Godslayers burst into realspace, not the small and unprepared flotilla the pirates had encountered over Verden but the 67th Expeditionary Fleet in all its vengeful glory. While the Velocitarii had more ships in this quadrant - for the fleet which Koschei pursued was only one of several - few of them could seriously rival the invaders. Koschei, once again ensconced on his Gloriana, had his quarry where he wanted it, and rapidly set about tipping the scales further against them.

 

Ploughing into orbit, the Krylataya Pobeda and its fellow battle-barges unleashed drop-pod attacks against 67-25, followed almost immediately by gunships and Titan-carriers. The Velocitarii ground-to-orbit batteries would have presented a brutal challenge, if not for the fact that Koschei had selected the city where his volunteers were held. Among their ranks were a handful of Callidus Assassins, killers of great patience and guile who could pass for the weakest of civilians. The rest were, to a man and woman, loyal and skilled in combat, and the astropaths harnessed their own gifts to subverting the prison overseers.

 

Guards, apropos of nothing, drew their weapons and killed their comrades. Power failed in several districts, cannon stuttered and fell silent. The Velocitarii watched with horror as their slaves seized the chance to revolt and they faced the prospect of a hostile force seizing a vital facility, even the planet. Yet they believed this could be reversed; the Godslayers beachhead was small and their second wave had not yet materialised. Thus the nearby pirate vessels immediately scrambled gunships, deploying tens of thousands of paratroopers directly onto the Godslayers’ positions.

 

Equipped with jump packs and carapace armour, the corsairs had sown misery on dozens of worlds. They functioned much the same as assault marines, and had a similar effect upon mortal soldiers, delighting in the torment they inflicted. Their dismay as they came down upon these enemies, therefore, must have been immensely satisfying to the Godslayers. Bolter fire ensured that many hit the ground in chunks, and as the survivors landed the orange sea closed over them. Small-arms fire was deflected by breacher shields, blades broke on their armour, and the Astartes were utterly beyond the strength and prowess of even these seasoned marauders. There would be no second chance to overwhelm the Astartes, as fighter and gunship wings flooded the skies and added tenfold to the numbers on the ground. The desperate pirates poured men and machines into the ground war, dooming themselves both in the void and on the surface. Their arsenal was formiddable, but it had no answer for the technological might wielded by the Space Marines.

 

The first hives were stormed in short order as the Velocitarii fleet fell apart. Several ships fled, while their more loyal compatriots fell victim to the superior cohesion of their attackers. The Velocitarii were, like so many of their ilk, a force bound together by little more than common interest. The Godslayers, in stark contrast, had the profound unity of a Legion Astartes fighting under its gene-sire. Koschei and his Goliaths led the Oblochka onto the vessel which had led the Verden incursion, exacting retribution for the suffering of their people. Across near space the pattern was repeated, the Godslayers mindful of the likely use of slave crews aboard the pirate vessels and thus unwilling to simply destroy them.

 

The pirates resisted with their most brutal weapons, unleashing feral beasts and venting the atmosphere from passages. The Godslayers came on regardless, dismantling defences and doing much the same to the defenders. They cared not for the losses they sustained in the fighting; this was their duty, and they owed it to the mortals who had already suffered in the course of bringing the Velocitarii to justice. The corsairs were dragged from their command thrones and sentenced to servitorhood, reduced to menials in the Imperium they had preyed upon.

 

Within three days, the world lay firmly in Imperial hands, the last pirate ships scattered to the tides of the Warp. Koschei distributed the captured vessels among those worlds victimised by the Velocitarii, and devoted several months to building a benevolent government on 67-25. As the hives developed into grand works of Imperial architecture, a plethora of statues emerged dedicated not to the Godslayers but to the mortals who had risked - and in several cases given - everything for the ideals Koschei upheld.

[simison]

Alexander Travier?

[bluntblade]

But I hit the search thingy with it. Balls.

Fixed

[bluntblade]

The Siratius Ambush

The Exodite System formally designated Siratius was first encountered by the Godslayers Legion at the height of the Great Crusade. As the 67th Fleet moved to bypass what at first seemed an uninhabited system, navigators aboard began to sense a surge in psychic activity. This activity was traced to Siratius, a relatively small star system consisting of only three populated planets. Preliminary scans indicated hostile conditions on all three of the planets, but the Fleet’s commanding officers resolved to investigate nonetheless.

 

The 67th Expeditionary Fleet moved into orbit of the outlying world. Preparations were made to launch landing craft to the surface to search for clues on what or who could be causing this tremendous amount of psychic activity. Before these could be implemented, however, the Krylataya Pobeda itself received a transmission. This transmission detailed the inhabitants of the system as Eldar Exodites, and warned the Imperial ships against mounting an attack on the xenos. The Exodites were told, in return, that the Godslayers had no wish for violence between the two races. Negotiations were organised, to take place on the surface of the world below.

 

These bare facts were kept quiet for many years; some of our order suspect Alexander Kharkovic, warding his foster brother against the suspicion and accusations of his master’s fellow Primarchs. We are left to conjecture for the reasons behind Koschei’s actions. Perhaps pragmatism drove the decision, or maybe his idealism and naivete were stronger than any realised at the time, rivalling only that of Gwalchavad. It is suggested that, coming off a campaign against the Maelynos Knight Dynasty, Koschei felt fatigued by the moral cost of fighting fellow humans, and was keen to avoid conflict if possible.

 

Kharkovic himself led the diplomatic detachment to meet the Eldar, as had become customary; none could match his intellect, rhetorical flair and sheer presence. He did not wish to provoke the xenos who, although relatively primitive in relation to their Craftworld-dwelling cousins, boasted considerable numbers and psychic power, and so he brought with him only a small number of Legionaries, two companies alongside his bodyguard. He was greeted by a group of seers who called themselves simply the Parliament, and the bodyguard of Eldar that accompanied them.

 

Though initial discussions were peaceful, the mood soured as Koschei was introduced to the eldest member of The Parliament, an ancient creature by the name of Mhuratah. This Eldar, unlike the others, seemed unwilling and even afraid to be near the Primarch. He claimed that his humours had been unbalanced (as far as the words could be rendered in Gothic), and demanded that the meeting be adjourned for a time while he gathered himself.

 

The Godslayers were unsurprised; they were by now used to the effect their presence could have on those with psychic ability. Before the meeting could even begin again, the Eldar struck. As they rested on the edges of the settlement in which the gathering had taken place, the unsuspecting Godslayers were struck by blasts of psychic energy. As the astartes scrambled to prepare for battle, they found themselves flanked by first hundreds and then thousands of the Exodite warriors, cutting through the hastily formed outer line with unrelenting violence and the astonishing bladecraft of the Eldar race.

 

In orbit, auspex feeds had been suddenly jammed, to the alarm of the Godslayers officers. Immediate extraction was ordered, while the diplomatic detachment was forced to flee from the Eldar settlement with their Primarch in tow. Koschei himself was the prime target, the Eldar casting off all concern for their own safety in their urge to attack him.

 

The commanders of the VIIIth had learned well the lessons of Eront, and gunships and fighters were already fuelled, loaded and on the launch-rails. Yet they faced searing volleys from the Eldar ranks as they neared the surface, and though assault marines leapt from Stormbirds to come down among the xenos, the press of bodies impeded them in reaching their master. Kharkovic and his guards were cut off from the rest and surrounded. At the head of this assault came the Parliament themselves, calling out for Kharkovic, whom they called ‘Kinslayer’, to come forward and face his end.

 

Koschei grimly accepted, slaying them all, but he was gravely wounded, and now the Eldar unleashed another weapon against him. Reality split open to reveal the Eldar’s revenant warriors; Wraithguard and Wraithlords, advancing implacably through the melee. The Godslayers on the ground were without anything that could match the Wraithlords, and the Stormbirds’ attention was largely focused on clearing a path for Koschei to escape.

 

In the midst of the fighting Kyr Volev, the master of the Goliaths, realised what was necessary. Calling the assault companies to him, he led them into a doomed struggle against the Wraithlords, accompanied by half his fellow Terminators. Their sacrifice enabled Koschei to escape as the Stormbirds descended, unloading their heavy weapons in a vain effort to deter the xenos.

 

The Eldar fleet had no way to truly threaten the Godslayers’ ships, being fewer in number and lacking the monstrous battleships of the Astartes, but with the Primarch not yet aboard his flagship the Astartes were in a position of rare vulnerability. The xenos vessels made no effort to stave off destruction, hurling all their atmosphere-capable craft into the void to intercept him. The Godslayers responded in a near frenzy, turning every weapon they possessed upon the foe. Fighter craft wove through the debris fields, fighting to ensure the survival of that single Stormbird.

 

The hunt was carried across an entire continent, Koschei realising the danger of attack from above as frantic communications came in. Instead of simply attempting to break for orbit, the gunships had kept low, seeking mountainous terrain. They found it, but the Eldar were on their heels well before that, and only Koschei’s Stormbird and another reached the mountains. Here Koschei and his guards disembarked, the crews taking to the skies again to draw the enemy’s attention. This time, the gambit worked perfectly; by the time the Eldar suspected something was amiss, entire wings of Lightning fighters and other craft were upon them.

 

With the Eldar ships blasted apart in the void, the Godslayers fleet began operations to scour the planet for any surviving aliens. It could hardly be called a glorious victory, but a victory it was, snatched in a battle which was unexpected and fought against an enemy of superlative guile. Woe then, that we may not now celebrate the endurance and self-sacrifice that won the fight, and that we do not have to guess why the Eldar gave Koschei that epithet.

[bluntblade]

Assuming the Godslayers are not all committed to the Eastern Fringe, willl there be any involved in the First Solar War? I guess lots of them will simply guard the southern ranges of Icarion's territory.

[Sigismund229]

Assuming the Godslayers are not all committed to the Eastern Fringe, willl there be any involved in the First Solar War? I guess lots of them will simply guard the southern ranges of Icarion's territory.

The Godslayers aren't committed to the Eastern Fringe in any major way. The two big legions on the Eastern Fringe are the Drowned and Steel Legion.

 

So yes, it's entirely possible that there will be Godslayers present for the First Solar War

[bluntblade]

Somehow I confused the Godslayers and Steel Legion

[simison]

[How does this look so far for the Godslayer Legionary blurb?]

Sergeant Isidor

4^th Company, 29^th Brotherhood

The Kataii Ambush

One of the last Terran recruits before the Insurrection, Isidor would support Koschei's attempt to end tyranny within the Imperium. After the Battle of Zemlya, where he demonstrated proficiency in close-quarters combat, Isidor was promoted to sergeant of his own tactical support squad. For the Kataii Ambush, he and his squad would be charged with supporting the terminator assault against the Iron Bears' battleship, Hammer Infamous. During the assault, Isidor's squad would become a bane of the Iron Bears as melta fire liquidated ship hulls and power armour with equal fervour. Despite their firepower, Sergeant Isidor would not survive the battle, slain by the Hammer Infamous' defenders at the battle's apex.

Although equipped with the most advanced weaponry from the Godslayers' weaponry, Isidor would go into this momentum battle wearing ancient Mk II battle plate, choosing to wear the same armour that his former and fallen sergeant had worn as a means of honouring him and symbolizing the Godslayers' efforts to undo present corruption. However, his mentor's helm had been irrevocably destroyed at Zemlya, so Isidor wore a Mk III helm instead. A chain-saw attachment was added to his meltagun to further improve boarding actions.

Edited November 14, 2017 by simison

[Big Bad Squig]

Yep that looks good :)

[simison]

I've revised it into the final draft. Everything look good?

 

On the topic of new Legion masters, are you willing to part with one of your Legions, Squig?

[Big Bad Squig]

Yeah, everything looks good in that.

 

And yeah, it seems only fair to hand over one if there's someone else to fill the role.  Do you have any developed ideas over which legion and stuff like that yet?  I'd personally rather hold onto the Godslayers just due to sentimentality, but I could give up either; the Serpents changing hands now might be a bit clunky as they're halfway through their chapter, although equally there isn't much development with the Godslayers and I've had some vague ideas for them later.  Basically, yes, I'm open to giving one up but we'll need to work out which and when. 

[bluntblade]

For the corrupted Godslayers, I have a quote:

 

"...graves have yawned, and yielded up their dead."

- Shakespire

[TheBlindPrimarch]

Nice, I'll take it. Papa Nurgle thanks you for your offering...here, have a highly contagious disease for your troubles. Blessings of Nurgle be upon you.

[simison]

Heads up, the Godslayers' rules will need to be tweaked. I know for a fact that the old Pariah rules system needs to be replaced. The LA rules and the unique wargear are fine. I'm a little unsure about the price tag of the relic. The Lantern's Fire RoW at least needs a wording change. Will be in touch.

[TheBlindPrimarch]

Duely noted

[simison]

Rereading my notes, the relic, will very pricey, is where it should be. Unless, my estimations are wrong, in which case, there's a different problem.

 

So, our first major issue is this line from the Lanterns' Fire RoW:

 

• Focused Suppression: An army using this Right of War must take a minimum of two HQs, at least one of which must have the Pariah special rule.

This is also tied to the Nemesis Consul as well. Since we have officially reclassified the Eighth to having no Pariahs at all, they shouldn't have access to this Consul. However, does that mean they need their own unique Consul for their unique suppressors?

[TheBlindPrimarch]

I suppose they would

[Grifftofer]

Possibly not. With the Harbingers potentially having access to the Fulmination discipline I've been re-considering alternate psychic disciplines. One option could be for the Godslayers in general to have a +1 to DtW rolls rather than Pariah rules and then their Psykers can only take from this discipline, which would be almost entirely defensive in nature (and obviously tailored to disrupt psychic powers). That gets around the need to write a new consul specifically for the legion and let the Suppressor unit be re-written relatively simply too (possibly psychic brotherhood with this new discipline?).

 

It also make it pretty straightforwards to do their post-fall rules. They'd swap their suppression for Nurgle psychic powers, or get nurgle as an additional option possibly.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Grifftofer