IA - The Nightguard

[Sigismund229]

The Blades of Light

Amongst the most treasured of the artifacts entrusted to the Nightguard are the Blades of Light. Forged at the order's creation, they were bestowed upon the Order by the Emperor. Each one was masterfully crafted by the last remaining master craftsmen of the Terrewat clans, each of whome gave their lives to forge the blades. However, what they forged were 12 blades of a magnificence and quality unheard of even amongst the Emperor's own Custodians. Near nothing is known of how these blades were forged but the blades themselves are of such wondrous quality that it is perhaps best that this is so. Glowing with faint white light, the edge of these blades never dulls and is capable of slicing through even the most masterfully forged plate yet the blades are also light, weighing next to nothing despite standing at almost two metres in length.

[bluntblade]

What about the character I recently had in mind as a XXI primarch?

 

An anti-chaos champion fighting against chaos to redeem his curse. Could be a loner within the Nightguard. Someone who can scout enemy territory, etc. Would make sense for him to join the Nightguard as he got nowhere else to go.

I'm leaning more towards a small band of Astartes that comes together over the course of the Insurrection and eventually becomes a part of the Nightguard in their own right after the siege of Terra. They can easily be recorded as lost in action after that. We can take the GoT influence further and call them something like the Astral Rangers.

 

Also, something's occurred to me- a couple of thousand Grey Knights can be hushed up, but can we really expect that to work with 50,000 Nightguard? Including secrecy from the rest of the Astartes?

[Kelborn]

Question is: will all members of the NG will be former legionnaires or separate recruits, trained by an elite cadre of former members of the Legions?

 

If the latter, than I don' t see Problem. Recruits can be from terra exclusively with their own fleet and possibly with a hidden ramilies starfort as their base somewhere within the core worlds. Potentialy the deathwach one. Doesn't it have a warpgate? Secret connection between them and terra for a while.

[bluntblade]

I think most will be seperate recruits- at least I assumed that in the piece I wrote.

[Sigismund229]

At the time of the Insurrection the NG are only 1,300ish strong so they should be fairly easy to keep secret until they come out in support for the Imperium.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Who recruits those worthy for the nightguard?

 

Do the legions sent people or do we have recruiter who approacj those they deem worthy? They appear suddenly on a battle field, or somewhere else, very mysterious. They tell the marines that they are worthy and that they have to make a choice. Live their lives or die in order to dedicate their lives to mankind in a new way(explain the whole thing). If they choose the first, the mind is wiped and the astartes remembers only a faint dream. If the marine choose the second, the recruiters( they need a special name: ghosts, innovaters, inheriters, lightbringers, watchers in the night, seekers( my favourite)) they "kill" the marine and dissappear with the "corpse". Sometimes fellow astartes witness their fallen brothers taken away by these ghostly figures. But never is a corpse beeing found or a trace of those dark knightz. Sometimes these knights help a unit to get to their aspirant and the suqad only remember s that they got help from these marines. But nobody knows what happened to brother x. Are they some mind of manifestation of the emperors will? Might they be some sort of death angels who help bit claim a soul of one of thrm as prize for their help?

 

Just a little idea on the recruitment phase. Hope you can make something of it sig;)

[Sigismund229]

What I had in mind was something like the second one(without the ghosts bit. I like that)

 

Legion of the Damned esc anyonr? ;)

[MikhalLeNoir]

I made a second one?

 

Legion of the damned was my intend, only that they are there to recruit guys for the nightguard. ^^ and of course without the flames (although flames and bones are so cool)

 

Lol, never post with a terrible headache.

Now I see my second option. Yeah. That is my fav too. Simply sending marines is lame. Maybe for the foundation. But with the time secrecy becomes more important and the nightguard get s new measures of recruitment^^

[Sigismund229]

I made a second one?

 

Legion of the damned was my intend, only that they are there to recruit guys for the nightguard. ^^ and of course without the flames (although flames and bones are so cool)

 

Lol, never post with a terrible headache.

Now I see my second option. Yeah. That is my fav too. Simply sending marines is lame. Maybe for the foundation. But with the time secrecy becomes more important and the nightguard get s new measures of recruitment^^

At the founding the Nightguard were handpicked by the Emperor from the survivors of the Qarith campaign

[Sigismund229]

The Seekers

Many a time upon the battlefields of the Great Crusade, legionnaires reported sightings of ghostly astartes in armour as black as night. Marching towards the enemy, their armour seemingly impervious to enemy weaponry and their own weapons seemingly killing with each strike. Sometimes these astartes would help them to fight their way through to an enemy commander or their objective, sometimes they would help them rescue squad brothers cut off by hordes of foes. However, when the battle was done, these ghostly astartes would sometimes have vanished along with one of the legionnaires or could be seen walking from the battlefield with one of their brothers in tow, now equally ghostlike in appearance. While the space marines who witnessed such events would disregard it as a trick, a hallucination, their began to appear rumours amongst the Imperial Army troopers who witnessed such things and retained their sanity. They began to say that they were angels, embodiments of the Emperor's will sent to fight alongside his troops so that, even if the Emperor was not their in person, he was represented by his angels in black.

 

However, the truth is not that they were angels, or even a trick of the warp. They were, in fact, the Seekers of the Nightguard. Sent out across the galaxy, the task of the Seekers was to find new recruits for the Nightguard, legionnaires of great belief in the Imperial Truth and equally great skill at arms. Appearing on the battlefield via teleportation and using relic devices know as refractors which distort the light around them and cause them to appear as ghosts to any who see them, at the battle's end they will find their quarry and offer him a choice. He can continue to serve the Emperor within his own legion and potentially rise to achieve great deeds and rank their or he can "die" in order to serve a greater purpose. If the astartes chooses the first, he will be mind wiped and remember the encouter as just a dream. However, of he chooses the second, then he will be teleported back to the Nightguard escort ship awaiting in orbit and be taken to one of the Nightguard's Keeps in order to take the black and swear his vows to the order, taking on a new name and repressing his memories of his former life, dedicating his new life to battle with the denizens of the warp. However, while there is great honour in this path it is a great sacrifice to make. Listed as killed in action upon the world he was recruited, none shall ever know the names of those brothers of the Nightguard who fall in battle against their eatheric foes save for their brothers within the Nightguard and none shall ever know the true heroism of their actions. However, such is the dedication of these warriors to the Imperial Truth that they never lament this fact for a moment, knowing that by their actions humanity is kept safe.

[Kelborn]

Marines being recruited in the same way they were recruited before joining their Legions. I like it. Like being a neophyt again. :)

[Nomus Sardauk]

I'm not sure I like the idea of the Nightguard wiping their recruits' memories upon inducting them, it doesn't make sense to me, I mean you recruited this guy for his considerable skill, experience and belief in the Imperial Truth right? But by mind-wiping him don't you lose all that?

His years of experience gone, his inside knowledge of the Traitor Legions gone, all his training gone, his personality gone, all you're left with is a blank slate you have to teach everything again to, you might as well have picked a fresh neophyte cause the seasoned veteran you decided on is no more.

[Sigismund229]

They dom't have their memories wiped otherwose the act loses all meaning. But they do need to repress all emotions or memories they have and not let it influence them. In effect, to them those past memories need to feep like the memories of another person or of a past life that has no influence on their actions now. For example, they are listed as KIA upon joining and they take a new name.

[MikhalLeNoir]

I meant to mind wipe tbe last few hours IF the aspirants decides to stay with his legion. So the approach by the "seekers" never happened.

 

Or am i confused here?

 

Edit: hah sig ninjaed me

 

Drawing their foundation marines from quarith triumph makes little sense as there are not all legiones involved. How about it was instigated when the emperor returns to terra he orders for every legion to send the most nobles to him to terra. ( but hadn't we let malcador choose the first worthy at the beginning?)

[Slips]

Alright so heres some Ideas/Concepts/Brain Vomit from my end for the Nightguard:

Everything is up for change.

• Multiple Watch Fortresses Scattered around the Eye of Terror and the Maelstrom (or as close as they can get).
  • Each Fortress is manned by 1000-2000 Nightguard Marines. The relative small size of each individual fortress permits them to be outfitted with Archeotech-Levels of Cloaking Technology that more or less hides them in Pocket Dimensions not unlike the Webway. However, if anyone wants to get on/off the Fortress, they have to shift back into reality making them vulnerable for a time.
  • Each Fortress is commanded and Overseen by a council of 3 Doom Wardens.
  • Each Fortress has a small retinue of Mechanicum Abyssi who have sworn to oversee the production and maintenance of their Gear to ease the work of the Nightguard Techmarines so that they may more readily be deployed on the frontlines.
  • Each Fortress has its own Version of a Librarius called the Potentiate who scour the galaxy for threats or signs of new Aspirants; each Fortress Recruits independently though they do coordinate when it comes to forming strike forces to deal with threats.
  • Each Fortress has its own Pariah Cadre who are only called upon when grave threats are to be dealt with so precious and few they are. Members of this Cadre are called The Nhil or Nhilists.
• Prospects are scouted and recruited by squads of 1-5 Marines, with one always being a Psyker proficient in memory manipulation to erase traces of their passing. These Squads are known as Appellant Squads (to differentiate them from standard Seekers) with the Leader being the Revealer.
• Initiates to the Nightguard are inducted into Quiescent Squads who all take a Vow of Silence until their full induction into the Nightguard. To break this vow is to have their Memory Wiped and returned to their Parent Legion. They communicate through a Variant of Astartes Battle Cant unique to the Nightguard.
  • Wear Power Armor
  • Have Bolter, Bolt Pistol and CCW/Chainsword
  • Standard Sergeant Gear.
  • May take 1in5 Special Weapons or Suspensor Heavy Weapons.
  • May All Take Jump Packs or Boarding Shields and/or Melta Bombs.
  • 10-20 Marines; Replaces Tactical, Breacher and Assault Squads for list building purposes.
• Veteran Wardens, known as Ulcitores, then gain the option to use Terminator Armor or may equip rare Personal Teleporter Units for rapid battlefield movement.
  • Wear Artificer Armor
  • Have Bolter, Bolt Pistol andCCW/Chainsword
  • May Purchase Personal Teleporters*
    • *Think GK interceptors: Can move 12" or Re-roll Charge, once per game 30" Shunt Move, Ignores Difficult/Dangerous Terrain also gives a 6+ invulnerable
  • Standard Sergeant Gear
  • 1in3 Special or Suspensor Heavy Weapons.
  • Each Member may replace [bolters] with Combi-Weapons.
  • Chainsword/CCW may be swapped for a Power Weapon.
  • May Take Squadwide Melta Bombs.
  • Whole Squad may be equipped with Terminator Armor and gain access to Terminator Wargear options maintaining the 1in3 Special/Heavy Weapon ratio. (yes, this means that if you dish out the points, you can have Termies with personal teleporters.)
  • 5-10 Marines. Replaces Tactical Veteran, Seeker and Terminator Squads for list building purposes (ie they cannot be taken)
• Insert special black-ops pariah unit and psychic powers for NG Libbies.
• Insert Doom Warden Profile and Gear Options; essentially a Praetor level character with some fancy archeotech options
• PML1 Librarians and Techmarines can be taken as Elites choices of 1-3 per slot (like apothecaries) and are independent characters. Librarians taken in this manner have Apothecary Wargear options but retain their force weapon; techmaine remains unchanged but may not take servitors.
• Artillery eschewed in preference for speed on the battlefield due to how they fight (no rapiers or artillery tanks more or less)
• Everything else remains unchanged except for a new coat of paint in Nightguard colors.

And with that I'm off to bed which is long overdue and might explain why this gets all wonky at some point.

[Nomus Sardauk]

 

They dom't have their memories wiped otherwose the act loses all meaning. But they do need to repress all emotions or memories they have and not let it influence them. In effect, to them those past memories need to feep like the memories of another person or of a past life that has no influence on their actions now. For example, they are listed as KIA upon joining and they take a new name.

Oh. Well, I feel like a blind idiot now. *headdesk*

[bluntblade]

My issue is simply with the dramatic side. You wipe, say, Odyssalas' baggage from the slaughter of his men and remove the context for his skills, and you effectively junk his character.

 

Hence my suggestion of Rangers, whose background wouldn't interfere with their work.

[Nomus Sardauk]

My issue is simply with the dramatic side. You wipe, say, Odyssalas' baggage from the slaughter of his men and remove the context for his skills, and you effectively junk his character.

 

Hence my suggestion of Rangers, whose background wouldn't interfere with their work.

Yeah that was another issue I had with the mind-wiping thing before Sigismund corrected me, what's the point of having these interesting characters like Khârn, Nux, Yoxer Bellows & Odyssalas when all that engaging character disappears as soon as they swear the oath?

[MikhalLeNoir]

Would be far more interesting if they should forget their past lives but struggle with the task and their past haunts them

[Sigismund229]

Would be far more interesting if they should forget their past lives but struggle with the task and their past haunts them

That's what I envisaged them having to do(seeing as they don't get mind wiped)

[bluntblade]

Any amount of having to forget it is a problem for me, honestly. It could be interesting for one character, but for a whole bunch that we've come to know it's potentially counter-productive. Especially as they'll spend years fighting the good fight before the Nightguard takes a side (damn the timeline changes alter a lot of things).

 

The Ranger option is basically a compromise on that, giving those Astartes something to do whilst keeping them adrift from the main Legions.

[Sigismund229]

I don't really like the idea of the Nightguard for some reason just saying "Eh fine you guys can keep your memories and old names but join us anyway"

Perhaps they could encounter each other somehow and become somewhat like the crew of the Sisypheum?

[bluntblade]

Err, remind me?

 

My thought is that these would basically be the remnants of the rangers, who've withstood everything the Insurrection could throw at them. They'd be joining in the aftermath of the war

[Sigismund229]

The Sisypheum were a bunch of IH, RG and Salamanders who escaped the drop site massacre and ran around messing with the traitors plans for the rest of the HH(even shooting Fulgrim in the head).

 

Still....The idea that the Nightguard doesn't require that they cast off all loyalty to their former legion brothers and any grudges they have left over from their time in the legions doesn't feel right. It feels a bit like something which was crowbarred in for plot purposes

[bluntblade]

Ah, yes. Sharrowkyn and co.

 

Well, otherwise I suggest we just put them somewhere else. At least we can wait and see how the group develops and who survives (I only have one definitive survivor in mind so far, and one!who certainly won't).