IL VIII - The Godslayers

[Grifftofer]

I think that's fair. He's got much the same potential as before, but now his suppressing powers are potentially counter-able by an opponent. So the slight cost reduction is probably about right.

[Grifftofer]

Updates from the Discord:

• Godslayer psychic Mastery Levels will all be using the discounted 15 points/level to account for their completely defensive nature and limited application (A note will need to be added to the Godslayers rule page somewhere to ensure that Librarian Consuls also get this reduced rate.
• After some discussion Godslayer Librarians will be unchanged and have full use of their Force Weapons. The fluff behind their weapons will be unrelated to regular force weapons (WIP), but they will function identically from a rules perspective.
• Taking all this into account Alexander has been double checked and now stands at 185 points as stated previously.

[simison]

With Alexander passing muster, we return to Karl Volkov. In truth, I know little of his character, except he is Zbruchan and yet another man who was with Koschei before the Emperor arrived. Crunch shows that he's one of the muggles of his legion.

 

And he's still incredibly pricey. Nothing has changed from last time, so he needs no revision, but I'm nervous about the average special character cost compared to the canon field. 

 

That means we come to the Dreamer himself. As always, Primarchs are tricky beasts since there's no such thing as a 'default' Primarch. Originally, he was compared to Roboute, but we're really trying to translate him from the Pariah to the Psyker system. Just adding up all of the points from the Pariah stuff comes to a total of 60 points. 

 

Like Alexander K., Koschei wields no Force weapon so skips the Force debate. That also means it's purely calculating the mastery levels. Four levels with the discount is... 60 points. Huh, go figure.

 

Unlike last time I did a full run, Koschei has grenades, but that was addressed in a couple of posts later. It was determined that Koschei would have grenades and be priced at a flat 100 points given the Lorgar calculation. 

 

So, really, the only debate is what powers should Koschei have. Grifft has given him Empyreal Shield (4++ against psychic powers), Nullification Field (Ranged DtW), Quiet the Tempest (Psyker has to reroll a successful manifestation roll), Rend the Veil (+2 to Perils roll), and the Invisible Weight (+1 to manifestation rolls). 

 

I have no issues with these choices. This all means that Koschei simply needs to be approved by Blind for the Godslayers to be completed. Blind?

[TheBlindPrimarch]

My approval is given

[simison]

As requested...

• For the Godslayers, they participate in Kataii, and work their way back to the new Madrigal empire to expand the borders.

• They're summoned for the First Solar War and fight on the Southern Echelon

• After the Traitors retreat, they remain on that front, experiencing the Stalemate first hand

• They are part of distracting the Loyalists while Ixi enacts the Blood Crusade

• Afterwards, they are sent to flank the Loyalists from the South, taking Zbruch to threaten the Loyalists from the South

• Where they are corrupted

• After their corruption, their sent North in a punitive expedition against the new Suzerainty

• Once the Imperium and Suzerainty become allies, they fall back and are part of the fighting withdrawal

• When the Eastern Traitors rejoin the Western Traitors, they advance to the Second Solar War

• And then Terra

[bluntblade]

Someone remind me what we're calling the Chapter Master equivalents?

[bluntblade]

VIIIth Legion Praetor

Igor Vronskei

Velitel of the Second Brotherhood

 

  Vronskei was a young lieutenant in Koschei’s rebel army on Zbruch, and a general in the new order which the Primarch established. His rise within the Legion continued to be swift, and he came into stewardship of the old Legion flagship, the Wintertooth, when the last of the senior Terran captains perished in battle. The Second would serve in many of the Godslayers’ most illustrious campaigns, including the Purge of the Velocitarii and the destruction of the abhuman Spatha. In the latter campaign Vronskei fought beside Koschei at the height of the battle on Mirsk, and it seems that Koschei personally brought him into the Insurrectionist faction.

 

  At Kataii, Vronskei caused grave harm to the Iron Bears, destroying the Claw of Dusk in a prolonged void-duel and thus killing the commanders of the Fifth Grand Wartribe at a stroke. His ship was the target of a desperate boarding attack by the Iron Bears, but surrounded by his personal companies, he fended them off with little difficulty. However, Vronskei’s end would come mere hours later when, at the height of the battle, he came to the aid of the beleaguered Eye of the Void. Throwing itself into the path of the Dragon of Autumn, the Wintertooth’s bridge was destroyed by repeated volleys from the VIth Legion flagship. The Wintertooth survived relatively intact and would at length sail again, but Vronskei was killed along with most of his senior staff, and nothing recognisable as his corpse was ever recovered.

 

  The Mk III Iron Armour which Vronskei wears here carries heraldry associated closely with the Legion’s breacher companies, making it a point of pride to face the worst dangers that his warriors confronted. His frequent participation in close combat is further evidenced by the telltale signs of additional plating, added by his Brotherhood’s artificers, and his power fist is masterfully wrought and augmented with a flamer. While in this image Vronskei also carries a bolt pistol, he preferred to wield his melee weapon in conjunction with his breacher shield, here locked to his back.

Edited July 5, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

BL Fluff Segment (12k words)

Anthology: 30%  - Incomplete - (WORDS!)

FW Fluff Segment (10k? words)

History: 15% - Incomplete? - (Does the title page have a quote?)

Organization: 15% - Complete

Exemplary Battles: 15% - Complete

Crunch

Legiones Astartes & Unique Wargear: 5% - Incomplete (I'm including the fluff for the Praeligation discipline, which none has been written I think.)

Rites of War: 5% - Complete

Unique Units: 5% - Complete 

Unique Characters: 5% - Complete

Primarch: 5% - Incomplete? - (Does he have a quote and fluff paragraph?)

 

Total - 45%

 

The Godslayers don't look particularly ready, but a lot of it is just because I can't verify since I don't have access to the original Insurrection file. It could easily be as high as 65%, but I just want to err on the side of caution. 

Edited April 25, 2019 by simison

[Doctor Perils]

Just so we're all on the same page, what's the feel or cultural inspiration of the Godslayers? And their conventional tactical preferences (ie, not the anti-psyker schtick)

[bluntblade]

Feudal Russia was what I was going with, personally.

[simison]

To answer your question, Thorn, there's been a definite shift to drawing from Feudal Russia under Blind's leadership. Tactics-wise, the Godslayers are primarily about endurance, I believe. Think of them as a more idealistic version of the Death Guard with a heavy emphasis on infantry and weathering all kinds of pain to complete the objective. 

 

 

A Terrible Weight

 

Vsevolod gritted his teeth, hiding his discomfort as best as he was able. His goal laid tantalizing close. Only eight paces stood between him and his coveted goal: initiation into the Legiones Astartes. Standing at his goal was Chaplain Sokolov. Lined along the path to ascension were his would-be brothers. Despite the number involved, all were silent, watching. There would be no bellowing as befitting the Bears or catcalls from Lions. To become a Godslayer was a somber event weighed with duty. 

 

"Begin," Sokolov commanded.

 

Vsevolod had been standing in the unpowered armour for only seconds and already felt his breath shorter than he liked as he forced the first step forward. 

 

"We are not the Berserkers, slaved to aggression as we make war," Sokolov intoned.

 

Another step brought Vsevolod a quarter of the way. 

 

"We are not the Dune Serpents, hiding in shadows and sand."

 

Vsevolod could no longer hide his exertions as he struggled to bring his foot to the next step. With a tortured grunt, he managed it.

 

"We are not the Void Eagles, slaying enemies that we cannot see from above the heavens."

 

The next step brought Vsevolod to the halfway point. He could feel himself starting to sweat.

 

"We are not the Steel Legion, substituting technology in place of spirited valor."

 

Vsevolod paused and regretted it immediately. Merely standing in the armor was a challenge in of itself. If he waited too long, his body would cave before making another step. A spike of anxiety and fear filled him, though he took care to hide it. He did, however, use it to make the next step. 

 

"We are the heirs of an ancient tradition, beholders of a warrior's spirit lasting millennia."

 

Trying to maintain what little momentum he had, Vsevolod forced another step, though he could not stop a tired gasp from escaping his lips. No one commented on it.

 

"We stand in the mud, enduring every challenge with undiminished resolve."

 

Vsevolod pulled at his foot. For one, brief terrifying moment, his strength failed him as his foot remain rooted. Drawing on his reserves, he managed to drag his foot forward, only a few centimeters off the ground. 

 

"We are the slayers of the false, the guilty, and the cruel, fearing no man or god."

 

Vsevolod could no longer hide his agony as his body burned with exertion. A roar of pain twisted his throat as he threw his entire will into taking one. 

 

More.

 

Step.

 

A clank echoed in the room as adamantium slammed against the floor. 

 

With a small yet satsifed smile, Sokolov finished, "We are Godslayers."

[simison]

The Highest Standard

 

Koschei Kharkovic marched at the head of his legion. He ignored the projectiles and fire that bounced off his armour or forcefield. A rocket spiraled towards him, only to detonate in front of him without effect. The voice throbbed with brutal voices and mindless roars. Koschei endured it all with the seething stoicism he and his sons were known for. 

 

At least to a degree.

 

Behind Koschei, he knew the Goliaths were closely monitoring their Primarch. At the slightest hint of true danger, Koschei knew they would break ranks to shield their gene-sire. Koschei both acknowledged this with vexation and affection. The Emperor had already given him several more gifts to thrive in war that his sons could not enjoy. He should also be treated with no greater value than their own lives. 

 

Not to mention, the Greenskins were terrible shots. 

Edited June 24, 2019 by simison

[simison]

Koschei cared little for the names of the Ork leaders except for the usual obvious hint as to what form of war they preferred. Boss 'Eadkrusher was no different in that regard. The large Ork had developed an addiction to crushing heads and would claim eyeballs as trophies. In order to please and emulate their leader, this particular batch of Greenskins favoured mauls and other bludgeoning weapons and were all too happy to aim for heads. This singular targeting of a being's most precious bodily region meant this horde had an added lethality not usually found elsewhere. Several systems, originally compliant, had fallen to this xeno offensive. 

 

The Godslayers would not tolerate another innocent to suffer at their hands. 

 

"Open fire," the Lord of the Eighth commanded. 

 

Combi-bolters answered. The blocks of Godslayer infantry reaped a tally among the Greenskins rushing towards them. As was typical of a marauding horde, the Greenskins could not countenance staying on the defense, especially against an army dwarfed by their numbers. Thus, they had acted in typical fasion. They launched themselves at their enemies, no doubt expecting to overwhelm them as they had countless Defence regiments. 

 

It was a gross miscalculation Koschei was more than happy to reveal to them. 

 

The sea of green offered pitiful fire since so few of them were armed with ranged weapons. Another commander, knowing to expect a vigorous offensive, may have established a series of defence emplacements to receive and then counter against the threat once the offensive was exhausted. But they were Godslayers. They would meet the Greenskins, head-to-head, and show them the folly of challenging the primacy of Man. 

 

Swathes of the Greenskins died beneath the bolters. More pressed forward. Koschei inwardly grimaced at the cost this day would inflict upon his legion. Duty, however, would not be denied. As the last few meters rapidly disappeared between the two armies, Koschei raised his lance and shouted, "For Humanity!" The war cry repeated itself, a hundredfold, as his sons took it up. 

 

With the long reach of his weapon, Koschei achieved the first blow. He slammed the weapon down on the first Ork; his gene-crafted strength crushing the alien's head. Then the Orks slammed into the Godslayers. 

Edited June 20, 2019 by simison

[bluntblade]

I have yet to look over the Godslayers' fluff, but I do want to put in an early mention of the Vremalkyr Incursions before the House Rakham fluff elaborates.

[bluntblade]

OK, fluff collected here for the run-through:

 

Intro + Origins

A Dreamer’s Beginnings

Master of the VIII^th

Unit and Formation Structure

Legion Praetor: Velitel Igor Vronskei

Exemplary Battles:

The Battle of Eront Secundus

The Purge of the Velocitarii

The Siratius Ambush

Edited July 3, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

Most of the filthy beasts swarmed toward the Primarch. On some instinctual level, they believed that Koschei's weapon would be a disadvantage in close quarters. To a degree, Koschei admitted it was true. Yet, as one sidestepped as Koschei skewered two, Koschei feared not. It roared and raised its axe. Koschei punched. The xeno's head crumbled in blood and bone beneath his strength. 

 

Koschei swung his lance, careening the bodies against the mob. Koschei arced his lance, firing the bolter built into it. Skin and blood exploded before him as the Orks' tough hide proved little value in stopping bolter rounds. The one Ork slipping through the deluge felt Koschei kick his boot into its chest. The snap of cracking bone filled the air as the beast collapsed to the ground. 

Edited July 10, 2019 by simison

[bluntblade]

VIII^th Legion Praetor

Igor Vronskei

Velitel of the Second Brotherhood

Vronskei was a young lieutenant in Koschei’s rebel army on Zbruch, and later on a general in the new order which the Primarch established. His rise within the Legion was swift, and he came into stewardship of the old Legion flagship, the Wintertooth, when the last of the senior Terran captains perished in battle. The Second would serve in many of the Godslayers’ most illustrious campaigns, including the Purge of the Velocitarii and the destruction of the abhuman Spatha. In the latter campaign Vronskei fought beside Koschei himself at the height of the battle on Mirsk. Wholeheartedly believing in his Primarch, he followed him into the Insurrection with little hesitation.

At Kataii, Vronskei caused grave harm to the Iron Bears, destroying the Claw of Dusk in a prolonged void-duel and thus killing the commanders of the Fifth Grand Wartribe at a stroke. His ship was the target of a desperate boarding attack by the Iron Bears, but surrounded by his personal companies, he fended them off with little difficulty. However, Vronskei’s end would come mere hours later when, at the height of the battle, he came to the aid of the beleaguered Eye of the Void. Throwing itself into the path of the Dragon of Autumn, the Wintertooth’s bridge was destroyed by repeated volleys from the VI^th Legion flagship. The Wintertooth survived relatively intact and would at length sail again, but Vronskei was killed along with most of his senior staff, and nothing recognisable as his corpse was ever recovered.

The Mk III Iron Armour which Vronskei wears here carries heraldry associated closely with the Legion’s breacher companies, reflecting how he made it a point of pride to face the worst dangers that his warriors confronted. His frequent participation in close combat is further evidenced by the telltale signs of additional plating, added by his Brotherhood’s artificers, and his power fist is masterfully wrought and augmented with a flamer. Vronskei preferred to wield his melee weapon in conjunction with his breacher shield, which is also prominent here.

Edited July 31, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

"nothing recognisable [of] his corpse was"

 

Out of curiosity, is this the actual end of Vronskei?

[TheBlindPrimarch]

no...well, maybe...wait, no...definitely...maybe

[bluntblade]

"Recognisable as" works grammatically, and felt bleaker to me.

 

I thought I'd avoided ambiguity there. Vronskei is vapour.

Edited October 2, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

Thank you.

[simison]

Koschei did not count the kills he rapidly added to his name. A few of his brothers went to great lengths to calculate the bodies and blood they reaped, but the lives taken never had mattered to the Dreamer. In this battle, the only lives he would count would be the sons lost in this noble endeavor. 

 

The orchestra of war continued its course. It was one of the first things Kosche learned was the distinct pitches of each flavor of battle. It extended to the songs each army would play in their quest for victory. The Legiones Astartes was a booming thing. Bolters thundered as the whining roar of chainswords ripped through the air. The Imperial Army was different. A bolter boomed, but the lasgun sizzled, drawing out a longer note. Paired with the heavy weapons of the Nemean Battle Tank, the Imperial Army performed a slow and overlapping melody, punctuated by the staccato of tank fire. 

 

To listen to Orks make war invited nothing but a headache. For all of their eagerness for war, the Orks' orchestra was never more than a discordant ensemble with the various sections constantly attempting to overpower the others. The sharp retorts of stubbers fought with the ill-disciplined cannon fire, which fought with the meaty crashes of their cleavers. The sooner it was over, the better, in Koschei's mind.

 

As he listened and slain, he became aware of a new series of notes invading the orchestra. The racket of clashing metal and exhaust-spilling engine climbed over the other sections. From within the horde, a wave of mechanical walkers approached the Godslayer lines. 

[simison]

I've reviewed Blunt's newest story. It is quite bittersweet, and free of error (with one stylistic run-on sentence). 

[bluntblade]

Which one?

[simison]

[So he’ll let me roam the grounds and brawl in the sparring chambers, until we break for the void again and he calls me to war.”]