IL V - The Halcyon Wardens

[simison]

Notes on the Order of the Open Hand

 

Most common Arete/Dharma: Foreign Languages

 

Favorite Ancient Quote: "The greatest victory is that which requires no battle"

 

The Three Stances:

• The Rising Hand: Used to symbolize initial contact and intelligence gathering. Much as the Rising Hand is the initiation of peaceful contact, so too every member must begin at some point when enacting diplomacy.
• The Reaching Hand: After the foundation is laid, the next step is to actively work towards the objective. Whether it be a series of private encounters with local political/military forces or intense rallies that reach millions of people, the member is pressing onward to their purpose.
• The Clasped Hand: Mission success; diplomacy achieved. Symbolized by the trusted handshake of allies.
• The Closed Fist: Mission failure and embarrassment. The War of Words has escalated into the War of Weapons. Every member seeks to avoid this stance where they are forced to draw their weapon in battle.

 

Rank/title is affected by seven aspects (not listed in order): 

• Years of service
• # of successful peaceful resolutions
• scope of peaceful resolutions
• # of combat engagements (lower is better)
• # of Aretes mastered (higher is better)
• Who originally sponsored them into the Order of the Open Hand (heritage is a major factor in many cultural settings and this mirrors that aspect)
• Nickname (How the public sees them)

[bluntblade]

Maybe not embarrassment; there are those policies who'll never be talked round. See Gardinaal, Luna and those abhumans from the EC exemplary battle

[simison]

The Red Mariners

 

Unlike many of their Loyalist brethren, the Halcyon Wardens avoided horrific casualties on the Day of Revelation. The price inflicted by the First Battle of Madrigal was ultimately more symbolic. The war would soon correct this in the War of Expansion.

 

The Fifth legion would see thousands perish as they slowed Icarion's advance. Although the latter Insurrection would more than match this initial blood tithe, the Halcyon Wardens would not forget these early sacrifices. Before the Insurrection, the Eighth Cohort contained no true 'subordinate' units, given its nature. At most, honour rolls were grouped by campaign. Such a tradition could not encompass the calamity that spread across hundreds of battlefields and an entire decade of war. For the first time in history, an honourary brigade was formed for these noble dead.

 

The term originates from Raj Ataga. Red had long been a symbol of sacrifice and valour among the Fifth. Mariners, however, requires more of an explanation. A traditional belief among the Sindhuans of Delos was that a soul had to cross a river of death to meet final judgement. The Vaitarna river was described of being a formidable barrier against souls and composed of blood, while it divides the lands of the living and of the dead. For the Halcyon Wardens who earned this title, Ataga described them as fearless warriors who held true to their oaths and metaphorically proved themselves worthy of crossing the Vaitarna river.

Edited April 15, 2019 by simison

[bluntblade]

Last sentence of the first paragraph seems off. Maybe "However, with Mars gripped by turmoil, the Wardens swiftly joined their fellows in bleeding for the loyalist cause."

[simison]

Last sentence of the first paragraph seems off. Maybe "However, with Mars gripped by turmoil, the Wardens swiftly joined their fellows in bleeding for the loyalist cause."

 

Too limited. This is for every Warden who dies during the first ten years of the Insurrection.

[bluntblade]

Totally forgot to post the modified Athenoi fluff. Err, integrate it when we update the Red Box and put the next two out?

 

Athenoi Terminator Squad

Drawn from the most accomplished and valorous warriors in the Order of the Shield, the Athenoi were the principal Terminator elite of the Vth Legion. Clad in the finest Tartaros warplate and armed with storm shields, they symbolised their Primarch’s devotion to safeguarding humanity, unerringly deployed where the fighting was thickest. Other notable Terminator units existed within the Halcyon Wardens, but the Athenoi were the most esteemed, selected for their discipline and idealism as much as their undoubted prowess.

 

As well as anchoring their Legion’s shield walls, the Athenoi were a nigh-unstoppable force when the order was given to advance, their advanced armour making them capable of deceptively quick counter-attacks and charges. Thus the Warmaster himself usually took the field with several companies, and his Kavachoi bodyguard cadre were themselves part of the Athenoi.

[simison]

Totally forgot to post the modified Athenoi fluff. Err, integrate it when we update the Red Box and put the next two out?

 

Athenoi Terminator Squad

Drawn from the most accomplished and valorous warriors in the Order of the Shield, the Athenoi were the principal Terminator elite of the Vth Legion. Clad in the finest Tartaros warplate and armed with storm shields, they symbolised their Primarch’s devotion to safeguarding humanity, unerringly deployed where the fighting was thickest. Other notable Terminator units existed within the Halcyon Wardens, but the Athenoi were the most esteemed, selected for their discipline and idealism as much as their undoubted prowess.

 

As well as anchoring their Legion’s shield walls, the Athenoi were a nigh-unstoppable force when the order was given to advance, their advanced armour making them capable of deceptively quick counter-attacks and charges. Thus the Warmaster himself usually took the field with several companies, and his Kavachoi bodyguard cadre were themselves part of the Athenoi.

 

I thought I did post the updated banner? Did you check the book?

[bluntblade]

Quite possibly, I just forgot to put it in the thread.

[simison]

 

Introducing the Halcyon Warden's newest officer: Tribune Athanasios of Kynthos, commanding the 7th Battalion, serving in the 2nd Brigade of the 2nd Cohort.

 

Courtesy of our newest Discord member: SirSlipStream!

[bluntblade]

Vth Legion Praetor

Antipaton

Legate of the Third Cohort

Antipaton was of the old Delian guard, an infantryman at heart who had destroyed entire Ork Waaagh!s with the disciplined fury of his warriors. A young commodore in Delos’ navy before his Ascension, his Brigades were among the finest practitioners of boarding actions in the Vth. He had their skill to thank for his flagship, the Nautilus, a powerful relic vessel which Antipaton had seized from the belligerent and hostile Maelynos Knight dynasty.

 

Assigned to the Galactic south, the Day of Revelation found the Third Cohort resupplying at Hatross - it is testament to Icarion's certainty of securing their support that he set no traps for V^th Legion fleets. As a result, Antipaton was one of the first commanders to answer his Primarch’s summons to Mars. He arrived one month after Alexandros’ intervention, bringing substantial detachments of Knights and auxiliaries with him. He was at the forefront of the Halcyon Wardens’ actions after the casualties suffered by his comrades in the early weeks of the intervention, and commanded their vanguard on the Mariner Plain. The Third Cohort held against the waves of Skitarii, servitors and Adsecularis, and in the third hour Antipaton led a thrust which broke a formation three times their size, critically weakening the Insurrectionists’ centre.

 

Antipaton wears the same distinctive variant of Tartaros Terminator armour that the Athenoi favoured, with the armour’s hood reduced to accommodate his crested helm. The ornate storm shield he wields with his power spear serves as a badge of his rank as well as formidable protection, deflecting even the fire of Mechanicum battle-automata with its advanced power field. Also of note are the cross on his knee, a mark of valour in the Vth Legion, and lightning symbol on the crest of his helmet. The latter was awarded by the Emperor Himself during the Koloss Syntheticide. The Third Cohort counted several engagements from this brutal campaign among their greatest and hardest-fought victories, not least forming the orbital vanguard in the Battle of Catecion and the climactic Purge of Obzen.

Edited June 5, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

I approve.

[simison]

The Terran Root

 

As the Primarchs were one by one reuinted with their respective Legions, it became traditional for them to relinquish their recruitment rights on noble Terra. Icarion was the first, claiming the Madrigal Sphere more than provided the manpower needs of the First Legion. Hectarion echoed these claims nearly a century later given the size of the Dominion, along with several Primarchs who could call upon a planet to supply their needs as opposed to the region or two upon Terra. Others would ignore the logistical claim and eagerly sever their connection to the Throneworld in order to ensure their Legion precisely matched their ideals and culture set by their own worlds. 

 

The Warmaster would be one exception. Although Jermani paled in size to the entire Delian system, Alexandros would be the first to insist upon maintaining his Legion's claims upon Terra. It was his intention to ensure that the Halcyon Wardens would never be detached from where they began and to likewise have a place for the Terran marine among the Fifth. 

[simison]

Thus, while other Terran contingents were doomed to eventual extinction through attrition, the Halcyon Wardens' Terrans received just enough recruits to ensure a steady, if reduced, presence across the Legion. Given Alexandros' own efforts to bridge the differences between Delos' two primary cultures, it was without much difficulty that he extended his assimilation works to include the Terrans to ensure the Legion stood as a coherent whole. 

 

Although as loyal as their Delian brethren, the Terran recruits split between following the principles set down by their Primarch, carrying the torch for the original attitudes as expressed by the original Storm Riders, or some amalgamation of the two. For those Astartes who were attracted to the Storm Riders' aggression, many of them would find their way to either the Blitzers or the Prefects. It would be these two military organizations that would ensure Delos alone would not define the Fifth Legion throughout the Great Crusade, into the Insurrection, all of the way until one fateful day of the Scouring. 

Edited May 2, 2019 by simison

[bluntblade]

"Extinction" might be a better word than "eradication", to describe the eventual fate of most Terran portions.

[simison]

Fixed.

[simison]

The Missing Ray

 

Eagle-eyed visitors of the Warmaster would notice that the star upon his belt was missing a ray of light. Far from being a mistake upon the expert craftsman Niklaas' part, it was intentional to represent the 8th Cohort of the Halcyon Wardens, the honorary Cohort for the worthy fallen of the Halcyon Wardens. 

[simison]

At our core, we are undoubtedly human. Yet, we are both something more and something less than human. The crowds see our prowess and size, and they marvel. In truth, we perhaps are the most broken members of Humanity there are. Our very souls have been forged and twisted, turned toward a single purpose: war. We do not and will never enjoy the full range of the human condition. It is here even the abhumans stand above us. 

 

- Alexandros Darshan VonSalim, On the Nature of the Primarchs

 

"...Out of all of us, I sometimes wonder if I perhaps the most cursed. At times, it seems that I alone am aware of what the Emperor took from us. It is so easy to simply surrender to our nature and enjoy the gifts we have been given. But I cannot forget, and I crave that missing piece of humanity we were denied."

 

- Recorded Audio from [REDACTED] on [REDACTED]

[bluntblade]

The Quiet Order

The Warrior Lodges were an informal society adopted by the Halcyon Wardens, which subsequently spread to a several of the Space Marine Legions. Serving as a space in which a warrior could put aside concerns of rank and station, the Lodges were intended to bind legionaries more closely together. Widely adopted, they would take diverse forms and have far-ranging consequences, both good and ill.

 

The origins of the lodges lie far back in the mists of time, predating any Legion. Their essential makeup was unchanged from their inception; a quiet order in which soldiers could gather and relax without the trappings of rank to burden them. However, Alexandros was to introduce a number of aspects that would turn the lodges into a discreet tool in reforging his Legion. In particular, debate both military, political and philosophical was encouraged, and the trappings of rank were set aside. Thus the officers of the V^th Legion would, in a private setting, be personally accountable to their warriors. 

 

Given Alexandros’ aims and his belief that a Legionary should be more than a warrior, it is hardly surprising that debate was a key facet of the V^th Legion lodges. Strategy, philosophy and tactics predominated, but the topic of conversation was known to range as far as art and the merits of various human cultures encountered by the Legion. No official policy existed regarding the lodges, but an informal expectation seems to have existed that any warrior aspiring to high rank would play an active part in them. Toven Madr, High Chaplain at the outset of the Insurrection, exemplified this custom.

 

The result of this was to encourage understanding between brother Astartes from different companies and brigades and, perhaps more pertinently, disparate worlds. The seeds of the quiet order had lain in several other Legions too, and these began to develop in their own ways even as the influence of the Halcyon Wardens' lodges spread.

 

Several Legions would prove enthusiastic adopters of Alexandros' changes. The Iron Bears and Crimson Lions were among them, though their lodges were inherently of a rougher and more tribal nature. The Godslayers adopted the alterations wholesale while the Scions Hospitalier, with a much more atomised structure, found the Lodges a great aid in cementing bonds within a Legion whose structure, above the company level, was continuously in flux.

 

Other Legions, however, disregarded or even scorned outright the lodges. To the Berserkers of Uran, they contradicted the fundamental laws of subjugation and obedience which governed the brutal VII^th Legion. The Drowned, bitter and insular, resented Alexandros' perceived efforts to alter their culture. and held themselves aloof.

 

Removed from these factions, however, were those who would take the lodges and twist them into a shape vastly removed from their humble origins. The Eagle Warriors had embraced the quiet order early on in their history, before their Primarch was found. But after his blasphemous revelations, Ixiptatlan would pervert the lodges to spread the foul truth of Chaos among his Legion, and the poison of dissent beyond.

Edited May 19, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

Ideas about Alexandros - Jade General interactions

 

• The Jade General visits and sees Alexandros' garden for their first interaction
• The Jade General playing a guqin, while the two discuss cultural differences. Meeting ends with a game of go.
•  

[simison]

Blunt, was Xeones at Madrigal?

[bluntblade]

No, as he's Pyrrhicles' deputy he guards Alex in his stead

[bluntblade]

The Shields
With Alexandros’ hand firmly on the tiller, the V^th Legion grew to eclipse their previous incarnation utterly, both in power and the Emperor’s favour. Alexandros brought the same guile which underpinned his political manoeuvring to the battlefield. While the Halcyon Wardens were known for phalanx warfare, that stolid reputation masked a capacity for cunning ruses and explosive assaults when the situation called for it. Alexandros was alive to the strengths of the Storm Riders, and maintained the numerous and well-trained assault squads as well as keeping and expanding their powerful armoured echelons. Indeed, he went so far as to mould the auxiliary forces under his banner - the Balovian Vanguard being the best example - the better to support his sons in that mode of warfare.

For this was another pillar of Alexandros’ command; few commanders of the Great Crusade, indeed few of his own brotherhood appreciated so keenly the potential of the mortal soldier. His ability to inspire them went beyond even Icarion's, and his compassion shone through even in the bitterest wars. While some Primarchs might be held in greater reverence, Icarion most of all, none were loved so much as the Second Son. This would have immeasurable ramifications for the Insurrection.

Unsurprisingly then, men clamoured to serve beside the Halcyon Wardens, and Alexandros quickly amassed a redoubtable army with which to fight his campaigns. The Auxilia he raised from Delos and elsewhere were joined by regiments either famed already or soon to rise to greatness under his command. The Legio Contego also attached maniples of their Titans to his fleets, and the Knight House of Zivich sealed a particularly close pact with the Halcyon Wardens after the liberation of their world.

Nonetheless it was Alexandros and his sons who most often carried the day, against all manner of enemies. In the Hortem Cluster, Alexandros lent his forces to the defence of a polity not yet sworn to Compliance, destroying an Ork Waagh! 4 billion strong and winning over several worlds to the Imperium. He overthrew the human tyrants of Colya, crushing their augmented armies in carefully targeted attacks and ensuring so clean a conquest that within a decade, Colya was supplying troops to the Emperor’s expeditionary fleets. Many times he fought beside Icarion and his father, and his stature among the common people of the Imperium only grew.

Among his own brothers, as they were found and given command of their Legions, Alexandros was a far more divisive figure. Several - perhaps most - held him as dear as Icarion did, but others were exasperated by his idealism, and others even came to loathe him. Alexandros was quite willing to make enemies rather than break with his principles, should he be forced to the choice, and this even applied where his father was concerned.

In contrast to the harmonious picture which many remembrancers and propagandists are wont to paint, the Emperor and His son disagreed on a great many matters; mildly enough that Alexandros would still fight and advocate for the Great Crusade, but enough that their relationship was also strained for several years at a time. That the Emperor continued to favour the V^th greatly, when others outdid them in terms of raw conquest, was a mystery to many in the Imperial Court. A few hypothesised that the Emperor valued Alexandros’ willingness to serve as a naysmith, a voice which would identify any flaws he found in his father's vision, but we cannot pretend to know the mind of the Master of Mankind.

What is incontestable is that save for the Lightning Bearers and Eagle Warriors, the Halcyon Wardens fought under the Emperor’s command more than any other Legion across the span of the Great Crusade. In 924. M30, the Third Cohort took the field on Zefrin under His personal command along with 100 Custodians. Three decades later, the Battle of Vait was decided when the Emperor stormed the Osseus Basilica at the head of 1,000 Custodians and a mixed force of Halcyon Wardens and Eagle Warriors 20,000 strong. Most significantly of all these honours, both the V^th and I^st were present in the Koloss Syntheticide at the close of the 30^th Millennium, along with the Wardens of Light and the Shepherds of Eden.

The Legions fought for years against the machine armies of the Abominable Intelligence for which the campaign was named. With the Master of Mankind at their head, they matched their power against a foe which, while its forces did not rival the Qarith in sheer numbers, were just as deadly. Finally Alexandros, Icarion and their father confronted the monstrosity on Stengah. In the climactic battle, the Emperor was struck down by the gargantuan machine which housed Koloss’ mind, only for Alexandros and Icarion to intervene and drive back the construct. Thus given an opening, the Emperor destroyed Koloss utterly and purged this sin of Old Night from the Galaxy.

Edited October 16, 2019 by bluntblade

[bluntblade]

An Unexpected Appointment
The Halcyon Wardens naturally made the voyage to Qarith Prime with the Emperor and Lighting Bearers, there to hold a place of honour at the Triumph. Alexandros stood at his father’s left hand atop the Emperor's tower, greeted with the loudest cheer but nonetheless overshadowed by some of his brothers. After all, he shared the space with Pionus Santor, whose generalship had taken Qarith Prime in the first place, and Icarion’s position as First Son had never changed.

The shock which followed the elevation of Alexandros to Warmaster is well-documented, but it would be remiss of us not to remark that the Halcyon Wardens shared in that surprise. No V^th Legion officer claimed to have expected it, nor any seer of the Librarius or even the Primarch himself. With that declaration, this most unassuming of the Legions was dragged to the heart of the Imperial war machine. Alexandros was well aware of the burden and honour which had been bestowed upon him, and he vowed to meet the Emperor’s expectations.

The sheer extent of the challenges he now faced were not immediately apparent on Qarith Prime. Alexandros was met with a cheer from the assembled troops which shook the air itself, and he was surrounded by his very closest brothers. Icarion hid his disappointment with immaculate grace, and Pionus, Daer’dd and Hectarion had always been staunch allies to the Shield Lord. Of the Primarchs who were there, only Sorrowsworn Morro dissented. The rest accepted with varying levels of equanimity.

Yet others within the brotherhood, busy elsewhere, would add their voices to the chorus of disapproval. Kozja Dazarlas had a claim to the title of Warmaster which, many would say, was just as strong as that of Alexandros or Icarion, and was restrained but vocal nonetheless. Raktra Akarro and K’awil Pakal, meanwhile, despised their brother’s entire philosophy. There were many lesser warlords - Imperial Commanders, the scions of Knight Houses and Mechanicum magi - who similarly looked askance at his lofty ideals.

From the beginning, then, Alexandros was at pains to mend relations which had been strained and put uneasy minds at rest. In this, we can say that the Emperor’s choice was indeed prescient, for the diplomatic prowess which Alexandros had shown so many times were drawn upon constantly. He established an effective relationship with the newly founded Council of Terra, negotiating and cajoling its members to ensure that their edicts did not hinder his own task. Simultaneously, he and his commanders threw themselves into a series of ambitious campaigns which served to announce that the V^th Legion would own their elevated position. These included some of the Halcyon Wardens’ greatest victories, such as the Humbling of the Maelynos. Alexandros frequently fought alongside his brothers, and treated them as generously as before.

For all these efforts, however, there were many who would or could not be appeased. In some quarters the Warmaster was denounced as a faintheart or mere politician, more interested in his own power and the petty workings of state than war. Others bridled at his meddling, for meddle Alexandros did where the conduct of others fell short of the standards he set. When he clashed with the likes of Morro and Raktra, no amount of diplomacy could ease their conflict. At the other end of the scale, Koschei Kharkovic found himself alienated as Alexandros grew into his role as prime warlord of the Imperium.

Against his will, Alexandros was obliged to favour some brothers over others. Daer’dd, Hectarion and Pionus could be relied on to ensure that his will was done, but Icarion remained his closest ally. When events drew the Warmaster away from the front and back to Terra, it was Icarion who was left holding the reins of the Crusade. For several years this was a boon to the Crusade, and the Warmaster’s work proceeded steadily if not smoothly. But cruel fate and the enemies of Mankind would see it turned to a source of ruin.

In the months before the Insurrection, Alexandros found himself beset with infrequent but lurid dreams, portents of calamity. The origin of these remained out of sight, and Alexandros spoke only of these visions to his closest confidants. Nonetheless they worked extensively to anticipate potential threats, running simulations for mass rebellions, some unexpected resurgence of xenos or an extra-Galactic incursion, which they deemed the most likely scenario. A very few, Malis among them, thought on the fate of the Thunder Warriors and conceived a deeper unease.

In terms of Alexandros' actions, disquiet manifested only in the proliferation of stronghold systems throughout the Imperium, and a regular appeal to vigilance in his oratory. Those of his writings which are available to us speak of a push-pull between his open-handed instincts and the need he felt to guard against whatever was coming. But despite that vigilance, the visions created a vulnerability which Icarion exploited. Dozens of expeditionary fleet deployments were motivated by security concerns, only for Icarion to manipulate these to serve his own agenda.

Edited October 16, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

Blunt, I can't remember, have Auxilia regiments been raised from Delos?

[bluntblade]

A few, but the Zanskat Guard are the only force anyone's put a name to.