Recruitment Advertisement & Artist Thread

[AlphariusOmegon108]

Grift, i am one of the founding members too, I was the second to apply to this project (Before any of tehse treads or anything were made), the rest looks amazing!

[Grifftofer]

Fixed, though you have moved down the list in order to alleviate my compulsion to make the names somewhat symmetric in shape.

[simison]

Grift, i am one of the founding members too, I was the second to apply to this project (Before any of tehse treads or anything were made), the rest looks amazing!

 

Hm, looks like my idea to give unique titles to people has backfired. And I thought founding member would've been too generic. My bad.

[MikhalLeNoir]

So after grifft and simison give their okay ( means also the board message should be edited and corrected as I post both, i will post)

[simison]

In the 'Galaxy of Fire', second paragraph, you didn't capitalize 'loyalists'. 

 

Crimson Lions blurb - This was an early one before I settled on a particular style, so it needs another sentence to hint at what happens to them during the Insurrection.

"That very rage would become a temptation as their enemies sought to use it against them."

 

Godslayer blurb - "...unique power to nullifying the sorcery..." Should be 'nullify'.

 

Warbringers blurb - "Always, the Warbringers command as they advance toward the enemy while commanding their lessers." Looks sloppy (and I wrote it). Change it to

"Always, the Warbringers command their lessers as they advance towards the enemy."

 

Firekeeper blurb - "To be a Fire Keeper psyker is to be condemned to a life of distrust and confinement." Change 'distrust' to 'suspicion'. 

 

Okay, I'm getting confused about the Scions. Is it Hospitalier or Hospitaller?

 

The narrative page, these sentences need to be in italics because they are personal thoughts:

We wrought another Cthonia in just five days.

Now for the mad part.

I bleed?

[Kelborn]

Oh may I have a title, too?

"Highlord of the Questoris Familia" or "The One with a lot of ideas and not enough time to do them" or "HE, who starts all but finishes nothing" or simply "that guy over there"...??

 

Beware the irony.

;P

[MikhalLeNoir]

How about " mad guy next to the other strange guy in the corner" ^^

[Grifftofer]

Okay, I'm getting confused about the Scions. Is it Hospitalier or Hospitaller?

I had the same confusion. In the end I decided that Hospitalier was right as that was name in their thread title :P

 

Honestly all the little typos make me wish that InDesign had a built in spell-checker :S Ah well. All updated to this point (with the exception of title changes).

How about " mad guy next to the other strange guy in the corner" ^^

 

I could give the titles Mad Guy #1 and Mad Guy #2, they are nice and short and so would fit into the space quite well :P

[Kelborn]

vote for alpha mad guy and omega mad guy

no ranking as we would be equal. :P

[simison]

Regardless of the titles, I've given my review and declare my satisfaction.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Is your post also corrected?

[Grifftofer]

In which case. I declare this the finished version. (Titles have been changed to Madman mu/omega due to my character map not having Alpha for the font I'm using :P)

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wm1l68l56tfa8bc/BotL%20Showcase.pdf?dl=0

[simison]

Is your post also corrected?

 

Which one what?

[Grifftofer]

I guess that mean no :P

[simison]

Oh, you meant the behemoth.

 

*glances at the elephant*

 

Nope. Think I can get to it today.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Will we post also in the amicus? Intern sources who don't visit the special projects subforum could be valuable too.

[simison]

I'm for posting in B&C, but wouldn't it be better if we placed it in the Announcements?

[Nomus Sardauk]

How about " mad guy next to the other strange guy in the corner" ^^

 

In which case. I declare this the finished version. (Titles have been changed to Madman mu/omega due to my character map not having Alpha for the font I'm using :P)

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wm1l68l56tfa8bc/BotL%20Showcase.pdf?dl=0

Uhh... *nervously raises hand* Again, not to be "that guy" but I've just noticed that the Eagle Warrior's right thigh plate isn't coloured. <.<

[MikhalLeNoir]

Slips, where would it be best to post the AD here?

[Grifftofer]

Uhh... *nervously raises hand* Again, not to be "that guy" but I've just noticed that the Eagle Warrior's right thigh plate isn't coloured. <.<

 

Is it not? *runs to go and check* Ah I see. I think it's a cybernetic replacement. When I look at it closer there are what look like pistons (or something) in the green. It just looks as though all the recognisable bits have been hidden by the bolter so I can certainly see why you thought as you did.

[simison]

Icarion Insurrection

Courtesy of saint-max of DeviantArt

Civil War Divides the Galaxy

The Great Crusade is torn in two, and the Emperor's glorious vision of a united Mankind lies in tatters. Icarion, once the Emperor's most beloved son, has turned against his father and seeks to usurp him. With nine of his brother Primarchs at his side, his forces savage those loyal to Terra. The Space Marine Legions, the greatest warriors ever known to Mankind, are set against one another.

This split runs right through the Imperium, with every force from the mortal soldiers of the Imperial Army to the Mechanicus’ god-machine Titans dragged into this new war. Thousands of worlds are already war zones. None can avoid being drawn into the conflict. Nor can any be sure of victory.

In a day of terrible ambushes, Icarion has crippled several Legions and caused the death of Daer’dd, one of the Emperor's most loyal sons. Now, the Warmaster Alexandros struggles to hold back the tide as Icarion seeks to wrest control of the Imperium from the Emperor Himself. The Loyalists face massive odds with courage and resolve, but are forced to fight without their liege lord.

The Emperor is confined to Terra, fighting to keep the planet free from the grip of his most terrible enemies, primordial beings who regard Mankind with infinite malice. As the Galaxy burns, Dark Gods laugh and wait for their opportunity. Should the Loyalists fail, damnation awaits.

Enlightenment and knowledge have been cast aside in the battle for supremacy.

The Age of Insurrection has begun.

The Galaxy is Fire and Blood

Forced to reach out to xenos in the search for allies, the Imperial Warmaster has stalled the advance of the Insurrectionists. Ancient, alien technologies are now brought to bear on their enemies, wreaking devastation on one battlefield after another. However, while the Imperium has withstood the tensions that such cooperation brings, a new horror rises to assail the loyalists.

Alexos Travier has swayed Icarion, pretender to the Throne of Terra, to the service of Chaos. Even as the Stormlord’s followers are splintered, the favour of the Dark Gods has gifted him terrible power. Across the Galaxy, the Loyalists under Alexandros find themselves weakening against the tide of the Insurrectionists as the awful forces of the Warp empower their new servants. After decades of war, the Insurrection has reached a new, apocalyptic zenith.

The borders between the two empires are marked by thousands of ravaged worlds, but now the Insurrectionists surge over the scorched lines, bringing fresh horror to the Imperium.

Secessionists under Kozja Darzalas and the Jade General flee from the insanity Travier has brought about, but Icarion's forces remain strong and are now bolstered by the denizens of the Warp. Even Space Marines, once among humanity's greatest heroes, pledge themselves to Chaos and are shaped into abominations by the aether. The “Reformists” fear the destruction that Icarion might visit upon them and turn to gene-manipulation, hoping to create an army that can best the Stormlord's Legions, even as the Warmaster struggles to return them to the fold of the Imperium.

Alexandros and his remaining brothers fight desperately to keep these dreadful hordes from attacking the Throneworld, where the Emperor continues his decades of struggle to keep the Warp from consuming Terra itself. The noble Legiones Astartes have lost hundreds of thousands of warriors, to say nothing of the billions of mortal warriors who have died. Every hour, more lives are given to holding the line.

As the Emperor's greatest foes reveal themselves, the choice could not be more stark. Either the Warmaster and his allies prevail, or Mankind shall be engulfed by the tide of blood and madness.

Message to Hobbyists

Greetings, and welcome to the Brotherhood of the Lost. As many of you know, of the original twenty legions to serve the Emperor in the Great Crusade, two have never been explained or explored, instead referred to the Lost Legions. Not content to leave a void in this intricate universe, many hobbyists have crafted their own legions with imagination and creativity. Other talented writers and dreamers went a step further and crafted entirely new Heresies, such as the famed Dornian Heresy. Which brings us to this project, which started with this question: "What if the canon legions were replaced by lost legion projects?"

Here we are, seven months later, with 18 new legions that have led to a new conflict: the Icarion Insurrection. While many things have parallels to the canon, such as the infiltration of Chaos and the fall of the greatest Primarch, many differences have emerged. No longer is this a two-sided conflict lasting only seven years, but a multi-front war between several different factions lasting decades.

As far as we have gotten, halfway through completing our first book, there is still much more to go through. More importantly, while we have a solid crew who brings together their own unique skills and talents, we lack good artists. So, we would like to extend an invitation to anyone with an artistic expertise to join us and be a part of one of the most ambitious 30k fan projects on the Internet. Not only do we invite artists, but also writers. There's so much new potential and territory to cover, that our own efforts have only reached over a small percentage of it. Lastly, we invite everyone to come by and simply enjoy our hard work at establishing a new universe and all of the surprises within.

The project is located in a sub-forum on the Bolter and Chainsword website (http://www.bolterandchainsword.com/). If anyone isn't a member, to join, one must ask one of the administrators to create an account.


Sincerely,
simison, Project Leader
Grifftofer, PDF expert
Sigismund229, writer
MikhalLeNoir, founding member
Raktra, founding member
Athrawes, founding member
Big Bad Squig, founding member
Skalpynock, founding member
Demus Ragnok, founding member
AlphariusOmegon108, founding member
Slipstreams, founding member
Chief Captain Redd, founding member
Hesh Kadesh, rule master
Praefectus Invictus, founding member
depthcharge12, founding member
bluntblade, writer
Kelborn, member
SanguiniusReborn, member
Lord Thorn, member

The Legions

The Harbingers

Numeration: The I^st Legion

Primogenitor: Icarion the Stormlord

Cognomen (Prior): The Lighting Bearers

Allegiance: Traitoris Maximus

The greatest of the Emperor's Space Marine Legions, the Harbingers were once the standard by which all Legions were judged by. Led by the Emperor's favoured son, Icarion guided his Legion to uncountable honours and glories with his mastery of divination. Although a Legion of psykers, the Lightning Bearers were viewed as heroes throughout the Imperium as they battled their enemies with prescient grace and wisdom. Now, they epitomize the face of betrayal. Re-naming his Legion from the Lightning Bearers to the Harbingers, Icarion has declared the Emperor to be a tyrant hiding a darker nature and intends to free the galaxy from his rule, uniting ten Legions to his banner.

Space Wolves

Numeration: The II^nd Legion

Primogenitor: Leman Russ

Cognomen (Prior): None

Allegiance: Fidelitas Sine Recursu

Wearing cloaks of wolf pelts and barbaric ferocity, the Space Wolves were amongst the fiercest warriors to serve in the Great Crusade. Nicknamed the 'Executioners', they were the Emperor's judgement given form. Their loyalty was shaped into a bloody axe that cut down all who dared to oppose the Emperor, whether xeno, mutant, or human. The II^nd Legion was composed of a tribe of warriors, ever hungry for battle to add to their own growing sagas. Alas, the Wolf King and his cubs would never see the end of the Great Crusade when disaster necessitated erasure...

Crimson Lions

Numeration: The III^rd Legion

Primogenitor: Hectarion Mycenor

Cognomen (Prior): The Blood Wolves

Allegiance: Fidelitas Sine Recursu

Warriors of rage yet of shields, the Crimson Lions stand tall among their cousins, both literally and metaphorically. For when the Crimson Lions appear on the battlefield, it is always with a roar, always advancing behind their shield walls. Yet, within their Primarch's empire of Mycenae, the Crimson Lions have shown the discipline and patience necessary for administration. Each Crimson Lion marches forward into battle with the history of his service on his skin as they add tattoos to represent their growing records of service with their veterans covered from head to toe in red pictograms. At the head of this legion of clans is Hectarion, a Primarch of warrior's prowess and berserker's rage. That very rage would become a temptation as their enemies sought to use it against them.

Void Eagles

Numeration: The IV^th Legion

Primogenitor: Yucahu Sumakutaa the Star Born

Cognomen (Prior): The Morning Stars

Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus

Prowling through the deep reaches of space, the Void Eagles wage war from the heavens above. Adhering strictly to the Principia Bellicosa, Yucahu cares not for high-minded ideals that guide his more noble brothers, nor for the thrill of battle that tempts his more bestial brothers, all that guides him is the mission set forth by the Emperor: to prosecute war in the name of the Imperium. Above all else, the Void Eagles are a pragmatic lot, divided into Great Fleets. Sailing through the Warp, this fleet-based Legion now turns their ship guns on their errant brothers as they show the Traitors who the true masters of void warfare are.

Halcyon Wardens

Numeration: The V^th Legion

Primogenitor: Alexandros the Warmaster

Cognomen (Prior): Storm Riders

Allegiance: Fidelitas Totalis

The defenders of the Imperium, the Halcyon Wardens serve as one of the most noble of Legions. Always seeking to protect the common man, the Wardens often place themselves between their charges and danger, forming a living wall to push back the threats to Mankind. Leading them is none of other than the Warmaster, Alexandros. Chosen to finish the Great Crusade in the Emperor's stead, Alexandros has guided the Imperium for these last four decades with wisdom and honour. Alas, Alexandros and the Halcyon Wardens must now call forth their every skill, for now they must defend the Imperium from their own kin.

Iron Bears

Numeration: The VI^th Legion

Primogenitor: Daer'dd Niimkiika

Cognomen (Prior): The Sixth, The Giants

Allegiance: Fidelitas Totalis

Where Space Marines stand tall, the Iron Bears stand taller. A byproduct of their gene-seed, along with their lengthened implantation process, the Iron Bears are transformed into giants always standing twenty to thirty centimetre higher than their cousins, their physical statures enhanced by their good-natured bravado. A legion of mechanics, the Iron Bears are infamous for their habit of tinkering with their war machines, adding new or unusual features to their mechanical beasts. Together, the Iron Bears and their oversized fleet of heavy tanks, form a steel tide that washes over their enemies. Daer'dd, tallest of the Primarchs, leads the legion with his arsenal of warhawks, a figure larger than life on and off the battlefield. In the end, the Iron Bears will be tested to the limit by the tragedy of the Insurrection, as they will suffer one of the greatest losses a legion can suffer.

The Berserkers of Uran

Numeration: The VII^th Legion
Primogenitor: Raktra Akarro
Congnomen (Prior): Eden's Shepherds
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Even prior to the onset of the Insurrection, the Berserkers were a divisive and hateful assembly. The battle-axe of the Crusade, the Berserkers' combination of massed assaults at near-legion strength and absolute ignorance of the concept of "collateral damage" made even members of their own Legion hate them. Members of the Legion's pre-reunification forces, named Eden's Shepherds, split from Raktra's rule many years prior to the Berserker's betrayal of the Imperium. This in itself put the Berserkers on the very edge of Imperial tolerance, but the public execution of their appointed Chaplains and participation in Icarion's assaults against Imperial worlds forced the Warmaster himself to demand their destruction. Few foes are more dangerous than the Legions, and fewer still more than a Legion that can see every last weakness you possess.

Godslayers

Numeration: The VIII^th Legion
Primogenitor: Koschei Kharkovic
Cognomen (Prior): None
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Few legions have begun so brightly, only to fall to such disgusting depths. The Godslayers were once counted among the most faithful of legions, eager to embrace the lost colonies of Mankind in fellowship, while brutally destroying their enemies. Although they share many similar traits to their Pariah cousins, the true name of the Godslayers is that they are a particular breed of psykers, known as Warp Suppressants. Incapable of manifesting any power or spell, the Godslayers have a unique power to nullify the sorcery of warp-craft. Thus, the Godslayers have fought many such foul magicks threatening the common Man, commanded by their idealistic Primarch, Koschei. In the end, it would not prevent their damnation.

Warbringers

Numeration: The IX^th Legion
Primogenitor: Kozja Darzalas
Cognomen (Prior): Steel Guard, "Stalwart Ninth"
Allegiance: Socius Sollicitus

Space Marines convinced of their own superiority over the common Man, the Warbringers see their responsibility as greater than simple weapons of war. Instead, they believe they represent the first step above, and that they must guide humanity in both war and peace. Built on top of this inherent sense of superiority is a war record filled with battlefield honours and glories to impress even the highest ranks of nobility. When the Warbringers go to war, it is rarely alone as they are often supported by the Imperial Army and auxiliary units. Always, the Warbringers command their lessers as they advance toward the enemy. It is this legion that would earn the Emperor's judgement at Baal for their forbidden work in genetics. It would be this legion that would side with Icarion only for their road to take an unexpected turn deep in the Insurrection.

Fire Keepers

Numeration: The X^th Legion
Primogenitor: Niklaas
Cognomen (Prior): None
Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus

The Fire Keepers are the renowned siege specialists among the Legions. No keep nor stronghold has ever withstood the methodical discipline of the Fire Keepers, while their own redoubts are some of the strongest fortresses throughout the galaxy. This unrelenting discipline does not hide the heart of artisans. Many intricate weapons of war were created in the shops of the Fire Keepers. Although loyal to the Imperium, the relationship between the legion and the Emperor has always been a mixed one. For though the Fire Keepers have fought with duty and honour throughout the Great Crusade, like their gene-sire, Niklaas, they distrust the witch and the psyker. To be a Fire Keeper psyker is to be condemned to a life of suspicion and confinement. The Insurrection would provide the spark that would temper the Fire Keepers in the forge of war.

Thousand Sons

Numeration: The XI^th Legion
Primogenitor: Magnus
Cognomen (Prior): None
Allegiance: Fidelitas Constantus

A legion of powerful psykers, it would be that same power that would doom them to oblivion. Before their destruction, they had served in the Unification Wars with the same dedication and exemplary service as the rest of the Legions. Their fate changed when the Thousand Sons developed widespread use of psychic disciplines. For a brief, shining moment, the Thousand Sons wielded their ethereal powers against the enemies of the Imperium in glorious display. Much like ancient Ikaris, the Legion enjoyed their time of ascension only to fall into the abyss. Inflicted with a horrific, flesh-change, it seemed to be their doom to wait in the reserves of the Legiones Astartes and merely watch while their cousins scored victory after victory for Mankind. Hope returned to them with the discovery of their Primarch, the One-Eyed King Magnus. Magnus would prove to be a false hope, for Prospero would be their tomb.

Wardens of Light

Numeration: The XII^th Legion
Primogenitor: Gwalchavad
Cognomen (Prior): Apostles of War
Allegiance: Fidelitas Tenebrae

The Wardens of Light represent an exotic arm of the Legiones Astartes. For most Wardens are Pariahs of varying strength, whose powers are contained by a masque capable of restraining their nature. With this tool, the Wardens of Light have turned their natures into a surgical weapon, emulating their ways of war. Moving with expert precision, the Wardens of Light seek to overwhelm their enemies with unearthly skill as they initiate complex military maneuvers to strike their enemies from several angles, collapsing the enemy's resistance. With an unusual streak of pacifism, Gwalchavad is a forgiving soul, attempting to integrate the lost colonies of Man as bloodlessly as possible. Fate, in turn, would not spare this idealistic soul from the cruelty of a brother's dagger.

Eagle Warriors

Numeration: The XIII^th Legion
Primogenitor: Alexos Travier
Cognomen (Prior): None
Allegiance: Traitoris Maximus

Damned above all other Legions, the history of the Eagle Warriors is a dark chapter among the famed Legiones Astartes. Blood and sacrifice are the twin desires of the XIII^th, as they throw costly armoured assaults at their enemies. These first assaults are merely a distraction as they reduce defenses before the final blow is struck in the form of a rapid strike of jetbikes, fast vehicles, and beasts of war. Military efficiency is no virtue to the Eagle Warriors, who do everything they can to sate the bloodlust of their Primarch. Alexos was a Primarch marked by rumours as a failed son of the Emperor before he would enact the Serpent Lodges, supposed places of warrior equality but tainted with whispers of grisly rituals. On the Day of Revelation, the Eagle Warriors' would reveal the full extent of their inhumanity to the galaxy.

Dune Serpents

Numeration: The XIV^th Legion
Primogenitor: Azus Bahmut
Cognomen (Prior): None
Allegiance: Fidelitas Scindere

Illusive and cunning, the Dune Serpents reveal themselves to their enemies only when they choose to. Before that point, enemy armies suffer sabotage as their communications are jammed, their officers go missing in the night, and their supplies are poisoned. It is only well after the Dune Serpents' venom has worked its way through the veins of their enemy do they finally strike from afar. For Azus, the Ghost of the Sands, views close-combat as a wasteful, vainglory endeavour. The only Primarch to wield an archeotech sniper rifle, Azus would have every opponent dead several kilometres from his lines, ideally without ever knowing his position. The Insurrection would prove to be one of only two instances in which the Mad King and his Serpents would be caught off-guard and suffer for their ignorance.

Grave Stalkers

Numeration: The XV^th Legion
Primogenitor: K'awil Pakal
Cognomen (Prior): None
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

Appearing as wraiths of Old Night, this small legion of Pariahs use fear as their chosen weapon. Numbering the smallest of all legions due to unstable gene-seed, the Grave Stalkers make up for their lack of numbers by destroying the enemy's morale long before the battle is joined. Atrocities cling to the Grave Stalkers as they prosecute compliance as both soldier and civilian soon feel the knives of the XV^th skinning them as a warning to others. At the head of this isolated army stoops K'awil the Soulless. Spurned by the Imperium due to the unnatural aura possessed by the Primarch and his sons, K'awil fought from the shadow of the grave before he was persuaded by Icarion to side with the Stormlord.

The Drowned

Numeration: The XVI^th Legion
Primogenitor: Sorrowsworn Morro
Cognomen (Prior): Laterns in the Darkness
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

There are few battlegrounds as dangerous as the ones that exist beneath the waves. But there will be no escape for the enemies of the Imperium, not even the depths of an ocean. In this dangerous environment, the Drowned go to war, exterminating strange creatures that few others see. Combat is an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse, where but a single puncture in armour can spell death, even for a Space Marine. This brutal environment has shaped the Drowned and their melancholic Primarch, Morro. With few friends and distrusted by his own sons, Morro is a dark figure who will tread the unthinkable paths during the Insurrection for the sake of his own goals.

Warriors of Peace

Numeration: The XVII^th Legion
Primogenitor: The Jade General
Cognomen (Prior): Warrior At Peace
Allegiance: Socius Sollicitus

Warriors who have emptied themselves of emotion before battle, the Warriors of Peace fight not as many but as one. Every marine, every squad, every company is expected to fight as a single unit, operating in perfect coordination with their brethren, drawing strength from one another as they battle in near-total silence. The eerie movements of these Legiones Astartes is further enhanced by their Pariah officers which unsettle enemy combatants to weaken morale. They are commanded by the Jade General, a Primarch who tossed his natural name long ago as he devoted himself to studying Pariahs. Making war with a scholar's mind, the Jade General is an extremely dangerous ,martial artist who slays his foes with only his hands and feet. His and his sons path has always been one of choosing the most logical choice to his strange mind, whether it be loyalty, traitorhood, or something else altogether.

Stygian Jackels

Numeration: The XVIII^th Legion
Primogenitor: Willym Jackel
Cognomen (Prior): None
Allegiance: Non Perduxit

The surest way to attract the Stygian Jackels is to present a large target. No matter how powerful or the danger a threat represents, the Jackels will swarm their prey in fast-moving packs of Space Marines before bringing it down however necessary. Brutal and uncaring, the Jackels have always proven to be an unruly Legion, obeying only under a strong hand. Their nature mirroring the independent nature of their gene-sire, Willym Jackel. If one has the strength to force submission, the Jackel is a reliable subordinate. But, if one lacks the strength or the will, the Jackels will follow their own destiny, carved through bloody ruin.

Scions Hospitalier

Numeration: The XIX^th Legion
Primogenitor: Pionus Santor
Cognomen (Prior): Stygian Phantoms
Allegiance: Fidelitas Totalis

Masters of seas, the Scions Hospitaliers are a welcome sight to any ally of the Emperor. Although the Scions are not the largest legion, their Apothecarion dwarfs all others as they serve at the forefront of Medical Research, seeking ways to mitigate battlefield losses for themselves and their cousins. For life is their highest ideal, as they specialize not just in medicine but also in rapid rescue and retrieval operations. A hard enemy to pin or wear down, the Scions inherent resilience gives them an edge on the battlefield as they are led by the benevolent Pionus. Battling with the trident known as the Leviathan, no foe has overcome Pionus. Yet, the Insurrection will provide the one foe Pionus has never faced: another Primarch.

Ghost Walkers

Numeration: The XX^th Legion
Primogenitor: Coch'ise
Cognomen (Prior): Pathfinders
Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

The choleric Ghost Walkers are one of the most feared legions as utter destruction follow in their steps. Specializing in destroyer and 'despoiler' units, the Ghost Walkers have no compunctions of using biological weapons to break their enemies. The Ghost Walkers would establish forward posts before deploying veteran recon marines to locate the weak points in the enemies' lines. Once found, the Ghost Walkers would strike with rapid charges, falling back before striking again and again as the Red Haze overcame. Their taciturn Primarch, Coch'ise, would cultivate these bouts of fury to transform his sons into a more dangerous army as they killed their way across the galaxy. It would be Coch'ise's unquestioning loyalty to Icarion that would drag him down the path of damnation.

+++

We were brothers on Cthonia, even with our enemies.

He couldn't grimace at the ugly parallel with the fighting here. The Contemptor mask that served as his visage scanned the area impassively, taking in the bodies of his comrades, the Harbingers his sword and claw had eviscerated and the Baneblade he’d reduced to scrap. Around him the warren of streets rang with the sound of isolated, desperate fights. His home world, rendered in fire and metal.

The Battle of the Forge had passed the time for grand strategy and formations long ago. Now squads or individuals fought to find allies and momentary refuge or simply to spill more of the enemy's blood. We wrought another Cthonia in just five days.

A gaggle of traitor soldiers sprinted round the corner and screamed when they recognised the dreadnought's colours. By then the great storm bolter had swung up, and seconds later they were a smear on the rockcrete. He headed in the direction his victims had come from. Sure enough, power armoured figures soon appeared, jogging towards him. A second of tension, then a shoulder guard caught the firelight. Iron Bears. True brothers. He stepped out of the shadows, displaying the amethyst hue of his carapace.

Their leader made the sign of the aquila as he drew to a halt. “Hail, venerable brother. Captain Roanoke, 28th Company.”

“Ezekyle Abaddon. What news, captain? The vox has been no use to me the last two days.” Radiation and enemy action had seen to that; he had been fighting alone for thirty hours before his chrono gave out.

“We are to make for the hangars, brother. Command deems the planet too badly damaged to be worth holding. We are ordered to seize all we can take and withdraw.”

Abaddon had fought xenos, mutants and abominable intelligences. He had endured the breaking of his body and the unique trials of existence in a sarcophagus, but the import of Roanoke's words still rocked him. “We are to… retreat?” He grated. Not one step back had been the mantra ever since that last day on Cthonia. “Well, if every other certainty is being overturned, I guess it was only a matter of time. Which way, captain?”

The Warbringers and traitor skitarii who attempted to waylay them died messily, broken and thrown aside as an old warrior vented a kind of rage he had never felt before. The desolate fury of a man who, for the first time in centuries of war, has tasted the ashes of failure.

-----

Even before being interred, Abaddon had never quite belonged as a Halcyon Warden. However much he relished the prospect of a new family after the exile of his youth, he was too choleric to fit in with most of his brothers, and he struggled to adjust to his gene-father’s favoured tactics. The role of adviser which so many of the revered fallen occupied seemed wrong to him, and thus he remained a leader of terminator squads instead. Now those brothers were gone, lost to this treachery.

The Battle of the Forge had plunged him back into his old life, after a fashion. Alone, hunting through the tunnels of debris, fighting vicious battles in the dark, crawling over the dead. Now he could see more of his fellow Loyalists up ahead, assault Troopers flitting from rooftop to rooftop as they set off flares to attract any remaining allies. Transports were loading as the Loyalists prepared to abandon the planet.

-----

The trouble with the flares, of course, was that the Insurrectionists could see them too. Sirens broke out as they reached the hangar, and as they turned to face southeast a booming warhorn sounded. “Titans” spat Roanoke. As if his statement needed confirming, white light suddenly engulfed a tower block about three kilometres away. Through the fire strode a colossus, an Imperator, surrounded by a retinue of smaller Titans and Knight walkers.

“We don't have anything that can even delay that thing,” snarled an assault marine sergeant.

“Don't be so certain, sergeant.” Abaddon strode over to a stack of munitions. Demolition charges, if he was any judge. “Do your jump packs have any life left in them?”

-----

It was a mad plan, even he was willing to admit that. The upside was that, if he failed, no one would live to speak of it.

The Titans were a few hundred metres out of range when the assault marines opened fire with rocket launchers. As the Titans responded they fired their packs and shot away, pausing only to detonate the charges placed on either side of the concourse. To the Titans it meant little, but their crews were disorientated and their space marine escorts were buried in the rubble.

Now for the mad part. Abaddon burst from cover, storm bolter blazing and missile launcher hurling ordnance as he tore into the leg of the nearest Warhound with his sword. He'd placed himself right among the machines and aimed to cripple any within reach, not destroy them. Hopefully this would give them pause before they opened up with their ranged weapons. The terrain helped, the uneven ground providing a degree of cover and obstructing his attackers. Above him the Imperator turned ponderously, its princeps trying to bring its foot down on the irritant below. No doubt they thought him insane; even the mightiest dreadnought wouldn't stop them for more than a minute. If they did believe that, then so much the better. It would buy him a few more seconds. He could hear enemy Astartes getting closer. He would have to end this soon.

Fire engulfed him as another Warhound joined the fray with a melta. Abbadon roared and crippled it with a missile to the knee. He tore into his attacker, armour scorched black and his helm's topknot aflame, bellowing war cries in Cthonian, damning them for their treacherous deeds. A canon tore chunks from his carapace, and he felt an unfamiliar sensation within his amniotic cradle. I bleed? Now there really was no going back. Time to finish it.

He switched to Low Gothic, bellowing a furious valediction. “I am Ezekyle Abaddon, son of Cthonia, warrior of the Halcyon Wardens!” As a Knight came at him, he made no effort to parry its huge sword, just twisting enough to avoid his organic remains being speared. As it was the blow was fatal anyway, destroying several vital components, but all that mattered was that his power claw remained functional and he stayed conscious for just a few more seconds. “I die for the living!” he snarled in defiance.

The Knight made to pull its sword out and deliver the deathblow, but Abaddon’s talons sunk into its arm and he pulled himself further onto the blade, staring into its ocular sensors. “And I kill for the dead!” At the same time, he severed the failsafes on his reactor, sending it into overdrive. In his last moments, he saw the walkers recoil as they realised what he intended, knowing it was too late. Within his cage of fluid, a shark’s grin spread across his ruined features. “For the Emperor,” he whispered. And the Battle of the Forge claimed a few more hundred lives.

[Done.]

[Skalpynock]

Dune Serpents, first fluff line, repetition of "only".

[simison]

Dune Serpents, first fluff line, repetition of "only".

 

Fixed.

[Black Cohort]

That short story is awesome.

[simison]

Courtesy of bluntblade. I think it was one of his first ones as a new member.