IA - Shepherds of Eden

[Raktra]

Guess who fell asleep then went to work and is generally a bit :cuss.

Okay, so initial Legion rule ideas:
Secure the Prisoners - enemy units wiped out by a sweeping advance from a unit with the Shepherds of Eden rule grant +1VP
Hold the Line - Units with the Shepherds of Eden rule ignore negative leadership modifiers when within 3" of an objective
Mercy is our Gift - no destroyers or moritats

 

Really basic version of what the RoW had, I removed the stuff about Apothecaries because I don't wanna tread on the toes of the Scions Hospitaller.

[bluntblade]

All looks good to me

[bluntblade]

Now, hierarchy is pretty easy - companies, chapters etc, and the 60,000 Astartes being split into three or four fleets. The real question is material strength; what should that be? I'm thinking they'll have little in the way of Titans and so on, although their armoury will be supplemented by close links with the Auretian Technocracy.

 

Their use of Terminator armour and Dreadnoughts will be quite sparing, as they're a way down the pecking order and won't get as many goodies from Mars, especially as they're so cosy with the Auretians. Maybe limit them to one Termy squad for however many tactical/recon/assault squads they field?

 

Elites-wise, I'm thinking a Palatine Blade sort of unit, and sharpshooters. Now to trawl the Darksiders wiki for names. Perhaps Hellguard for the melee elite, and Tempest recon elite.

 

Also, a no-Destroyers rule. Conquerors, Not Ravagers or some such.

[Raktra]

Don't limit the terminators too heavily, Raktra's speed and drop pod based tactics necessitate something mucher more agile than a usual terminator elite, so there won't have been as much a call to hang on to them, aside from spite. The dreads yeah, keep them low.

[bluntblade]

I'm going on the basis that compared to the main Legions, they aren't as high a priority for the Mechanicus (Terminators rolling out in bulk after the split takes place), but I take your point. What do you reckon would be a sensible restriction?

 

Maybe most of theirs are Indomitus, not as good as the other variants but cheaper to produce and maintain while other Legions take most of the Tartaros

[Demus Ragnok]

Pokes head in.

 

Well for rule idea,

 

What say if something like to use the Pride of the Legion RoW they may only take a number of terminator squads equal to the number of vet tact squads taken.

[Raktra]

I was considering the Indomitus thing, not least because all the Shepherds I've made are in that pattern...

[bluntblade]

That sounds sensible. I'm gonna defer to you guys on rules.

 

I'm wondering about giving them a moderate bike element, either using jetbikes or adopting the Breacher bikes fielded by the Halcyon Wardens. The idea being to soften up an enemy force and weaken their formations, encouraging them to surrender.

[bluntblade]

I was considering the Indomitus thing, not least because all the Shepherds I've made are in that pattern...

It's the hand of the Emperor at work. Are any of them looking presentable at the moment? Is Khârn coming along?

[Raktra]

There's a halfway painted captain, and Khârn's bosy is ready, just sorting out the weaponry. Should have more progress later today.

[bluntblade]

Happy days

[bluntblade]

The Shepherds of Eden

 

Before Raktra was discovered on Uran, the VIIth Legion were warriors of a very different kind. Dubbed the Shepherds of Eden, they were among the most virtuous of Mankind's heroes, fighting to protect human life wherever possible. In a cruel twist, however, upon being united with their gene-sire, both parties found each other abhorrent. Raktra loathed the Shepherds' code of honour as weakness, and the Shepherds were appalled at the murderous tactics employed by the new VIIth Legion, especially their prolific use of Destroyers.

 

The Shepherds endured a purgatorial existence, blackening their armour and having the name Berserkers of Uran thrust upon them. Miserably they trudged in the bloody footsteps of Raktra's true sons, watching their once beloved Legion become a byword for cruelty. Yet this did not last, due to the defiance of a Shepherd named Khârn. The circumstances are not spoken of outside the Legion, but a decade after the reunion the Shepherds broke away from the VIIth and, championed by a number of Raktra's brother Primarchs, were granted the status of a small, auxiliary Legion.

 

Revitalised, they again carved themselves a place in the annals of the Great Crusade, though always wary of Raktra's hatred. They were viewed with distaste by several Legions, but they enjoyed good relations with the Halcyon Wardens, Iron Bears, Godslayers and Scions Hospitaliers. Over the century following the split, they steadily grew to the point where they numbered 60,000 Astartes, larger than both the Warriors of Peace and the Grave Stalkers. Lacking a Primarch of their own, they nonetheless possessed several capable and charismatic leaders, and they became beloved of the mortal soldiers and civilians of the Imperium.

 

Tactically, they favoured an approach which would avoid mass casualties among the rank and file of human armies as well as sparing civilians wherever possible. Instead they targeted enemy officers, sundering formations and plunging their adversaries into confusion. Above all they kept their arsenals free of the rad and alchemical weapons that the Berserkers wielded so proudly. Any who doubted their resolve, however, did not see the devastation they unleashed against tyrants and xenos. The Shepherds built a repute to match that of the ancient Terran knights, defenders of the weak and a scourge against the monsters of the Galaxy.

[bluntblade]

Courtesy of Raktra, one of our key Shepherds is well on the way.

 

Tubacinos paused, and considered his progress. The weapon floated in a grav-field, embryonic. The materials involved in making a waveblade - especially the super-heavy ore that would become the blade - meant that he could not treat it as he would any simple piece of metal. The haft was complete, but the ideal shape of the blade eluded him. It was unmistakably an axe - an axe had been specified, and even more than usual, Epinondas had impressed upon him the importance of this gift. Not that Tubacinos needed telling. He had seen Khârn's charge, knew that if not for his intervention Epinondas would have been slain in that valley, his company destroyed by the Dark Eldar and their victory snatched away.

 

At least, then, he knew how the captain fought, and function dictated form. He had briefly entertained the thought of a double-headed axe, but rejected it; such a weapon would be vulgar, and vulgar did not fit the Shepherds of Eden. Still, this above all was the weapon of a slayer, a feller of champions and monsters.

 

The blade became a fearsome, heavy thing, yet not brutish. A metal wing formed the counterweight - apparently cosmetic, it actually housed a key part of the grav-generators that made a waveblade so deadly.

 

He stepped back and regarded the finished weapon with more pride than any previous work had instilled in him. Then he corrected himself - almost finished. An Artificer of the Scions Hospitalier was expected to name his creation. This was part of the tradition around giving these weapons to a cousin. The waveblade was a weapon that only the Scions’ most brilliant forge-workers could create, and it was given for the recipient to carve out its legend. Stylistically they refrained from imposing their own hallmarks, and there would be no testing of the weight, for the Artificer had calculated the recipient's needs to perfection. The weight of his chosen weapon, his combat style, strength and speed, all factored into the creation of the new one. The name was the one claim that the Scions made on the weapon, a mark of authorship.

 

So for a time, he watched and thought, until the light of dawn finally reached through to the waters around the forge complex. A grin lazily unfurled across his face as the water outside lightened to almost match the hue of the blade. Then the choice was obvious, and it was merely a matter of waiting.

 

The door opened, and the Shepherd entered. “Artificer,” he said, inclining his head.

 

“Captain Khârn.” Tubacinos took up a silk cloth, plucked the axe from its invisible cradle and offered it to Khârn upon the cloth. “For the debt owed to you by the XIXth Legion, this blade is yours and your Legion's to bear henceforth. Its name: Daybringer.”

[bluntblade]

Might a suitable way of representing the Shepherds' Technocracy links be to give them some toys the Legions don't have access to? Like, maybe Arc weapons (or Galvanic rifles, minus the inbuilt micro-servitor brain), or plasma with a reduced likelihood of overheating? At the expense of annoying Kelbor-Hal even more.

Tech so far:

Material Strength

Never as well-supplied as any of the Legiones Astartes, the Shepherds are consequently sparing in their use of super-heavy tanks, with the Mastodon almost entirely absent from their forces. They often deploy in smaller, more flexible units than many of their cousins, and while the Stormbird features prominently in their arsenal, they were enthusiastic adopters of the smaller Thunderhawk. As their numbers and fleet expanded they became the most prolific users of this dropship.

Owing to their unusual position, they were considered a low priority for the Mechanicus; they were not issued with Cataphracti Terminator armour or its Tartaros follow-up. Instead, what Terminator units they fielded wore Indomitus plate, sacrificing some protection for relative mobility. This suited the Shepherds, who favoured more mobile tactics. In keeping with this, they regularly deploy jetbikes and javelins to harry and fragment enemy formations. One of the few heavy tanks that sees frequent use by the Legion is the Sicaran Battle Tank, along with its Venator subtype. Fast and powerful, these are invaluable in neutralising heavy vehicles that could otherwise threaten the Shepherds’ forces.

In contrast with their sparse supply of truly heavy vehicles, the Shepherds found themselves well-supplied with infantry weapons and armour, owing to their links with the Auretian Technocracy. This extends to their distinctive variant of Mk IV armour, dubbed the Sospes pattern. They have also benefitted from the support of the Iron Bears, who championed them from the time of the breakaway. Many of the Legion's ships hail from the Three Fires, and the swift, powerful Mashkode became a key part of the Legion's vehicular arsenal, along with the Chetan-pattern jetbike. Consequently, while the Shepherds must call upon their allies among the Legions and Army when confronted with a heavily fortified enemy, the Astartes themselves are as well-armed as almost any of their cousins.

Despite the lack of resources afforded to the Shepherds, they do possess an abundance of jump packs, enough to equip well over a quarter of their infantry as jump units should the mission require. This is due to the bizarre prejudice of the Berserkers towards aerial infantry; during the remaining Shepherds' brief tenure as members of the VIIth legion, many Techmarines were aghast to see the Primarch order the destruction of such masses of serviceable technology, and so they conspired to secret away any functioning jump packs where possible before they were recycled for other uses.


A warrior of the Legion's Bulwark Terminator elite

[Raktra]

I've always wanted to paint white MkIV.

[Raktra]

Extra note of fluff:

 

Despite the lack of resources afforded to the Shepherds, they do possess an abundance of jump packs, enough to equip well over a quarter of their infantry as jump units should the mission require. This is due to the bizarre prejudice of the Berserkers towards aerial infantry; during the remaining Shepherds' brief tenure as members of the VIIth legion, many Techmarines were aghast to see the Primarch order the destruction of such masses of serviceable technology, and so they collaborated to secret away any functioning jump packs where possible before they were recycled for other uses.

[simison]

Like what I'm seeing, although I'm a little confused. I thought it was Sejanus who caused the split?

[Nomus Sardauk]

Like what I'm seeing, although I'm a little confused. I thought it was Sejanus who caused the split?

Sejanus officially declares the split from the Berzerkers, laying out the terms to Raktra (who is unarmoured and at gunpoint), but it's Khârn's refusal to let Raktra tear out Nux's gene-seed for his failure and verbal savaging of the Ashen's command that is the breaking point.

[bluntblade]

Nix's, but yeah, what Raktra said. One other correction - it's not at gunpoint, and the real threat Sejanus makes is that Raktra will face censure if he purges that many of his Legionaries

[simison]

Got it.

[bluntblade]

The position of the Librarius and other senior figures like the Master of the Apothecarion and Forge Master need detailing, is there anything else I should add? The latter will probably have an interesting role, whatever position he takes in the relations between the Shepherds and the Mechanicus.

I'm going to add Raktra's addition regarding the abundance of jump packs tomorrow as well.

Hierarchy and Legion Structure

Adhering largely to the Principia Bellicosa, the Shepherds are grouped into five Brigades, each led by a Marshal. Typically numbering twelve thousand Astartes, they are further divided into Regiments of four or five companies under the leadership of a senior captain. The Legion also retains the rank of lieutenant, frequently combining it with the role of an equerry. However, lieutenants of the Shepherds are not to be underestimated, as the Legion's emphasis on flexibility in battle frequently requires them to lead several squads independently of their captain.

Specialist units such as recon, assault and rare Terminator squads are usually dispersed throughout the companies, except for the Shadehunter recon elites and their melee-focused counterparts, the Oedon Blades. The Bulwark Terminator elite also form companies of their own, although their presence is confined to the Brigade of the Legion Master, referred to by his own Legion as Captain-General.

 

The Legion hierarchy also includes the Master of the Apothecarion, Chief Librarian and Master of the Forge. In principle the triumvirate remain with Captain-General Sejanus at all times, but in practice the Master of the Forge is frequently tasked with diplomatic duties, building alliances with Forge Worlds less wary of the Shepherds than Kelbor-Hal. The Fabricator-General is known to disapprove of the Shepherds' close links with the Auretian Technocracy, and therefore even the Legion's techmarines are viewed with suspicion by the Lord of Mars.

[bluntblade]

Now, thinking symbol. Raktra, are you still keen on it being a gate? Alternatively, seeing as Oedon in Bloodborne is superficially a force of healing, maybe we could adapt this?

http://bloodborne.wiki.fextralife.com/file/Bloodborne/Formless%20Oedon%20Tier%203.png

The three downward lines could be swords, maybe. Heck, invert the sphere and that could be the Dusk Blades' sigil.

[~Drakzilla~]

Not sure about the lines being swords. I feel like we have a lot of "weapon" themed legion symbols (featuring swords, spears, knives, etc.). Warbringers, Apostles of War, Stygian Jackals, Godslayers, Predators, Scions, off the top of my head.

 

What about an apple? Possibly in gold or something? Doesn't really scream legion symbol, but subverting the fearsome icons of space marines might fit the Sheperds.

 

Another idea is something involving a sheperd's cane, maybe? Just spitballing here. Gates sound good, too.

[bluntblade]

Just gates, or maybe something else as well? I like the idea of using that almost bird-shaped gold thing there.

[~Drakzilla~]

Gates around an eagle maybe? Gates alone might be good enough though.