Black Book - The Eastern Expansion Campaigns

[simison]

Draft of the specific intro for Book 2A

 

"...to the [T]hrone [W]orld."

 

"...all the [L]oyalist [L]egions..." (And all instances of 'Loyalist Legions')

 

"...of the [L]egion answered..." ("Legions" are a proper noun in 30k, hence always capitalized, per the FW books.)

 

 

 

1. Wouldn't Icarion have orders ready for what comes after the DoR since the Traitor Legions are spread out across the galaxy?
2. Perhaps mention that the stubborn Fire Keepers inflict heavy casualties as they die.
3. Should we capitalize 'galactic core'? Like how the 'South' is always capitalized in the US Civil War?

[bluntblade]

I had an idea about the renegade Halcyon Wardens and Morning Stars being set up for more prestigious battles by Icarion, so that might be worth adding. Also the fact that he'd be trying to build them up to sizeable fighting forces (we ought to discuss how much they grow before the Suzerain Schism, and then work out what happens to each).

[simison]

Regarding the earlier fief world idea for the Wardens and Morning Stars, what would count as being more 'visible', in the eyes of the false Imperium? Would that be worlds closer to Loyalist space where they can be more easily seen and heard from the other side? Or would it be closer to the heart of Icarion's territory where the new citizens can see them?

[bluntblade]

The latter. Close to Madrigal

[Sigismund229]

Trouble is, with them being set up for more prestigious battles, their numbers mean that even if they do participate in one, they'll still need to be playing second fiddle to one of the larger legions.

 

However, if they're assigned to the Shadow War first, as they build their strength, that means tey're accomplishing a task that needs doing and are away from the main battles where they can easily be destroyed.

 

So maybe save them forming part of the prestigious battles for the later war, first push against Terra maybe

[bluntblade]

I agree with that course. Icarion should use less crowd pleasing turncoats for the Shadow War

[Sigismund229]

I agree with that course. Icarion should use less crowd pleasing turncoats for the Shadow War

And the Insurgos fit that bill to a tee

[MikhalLeNoir]

I can already see the title screen.

 

Warhammer 30k

~Icarion Insurrection~

THE SHADOW WARS

[Sigismund229]

Also, for the Insurgos, are we saying that they can use the Blackshield units&armoury? Or should they still use the legion army list?

[simison]

Also, for the Insurgos, are we saying that they can use the Blackshield units&armoury? Or should they still use the legion army list?

Differences?

[Sigismund229]

 

Also, for the Insurgos, are we saying that they can use the Blackshield units&armoury? Or should they still use the legion army list?

Differences?

 

Blackshields get access to

 

Units: Reaver Lord and Blackshield Marauders

 

Wargear: Pariah wargear(armour, flamer, bolter), lascarbine/autogun, laslock and xenos deathlock. 

[simison]

Let's not. After all, these are supposed to be some of the largest Marine forces outside of the Legions. They are a grade above Blackshields.

[Sigismund229]

Done the editing for the intro to Book 2A

 

While the Day of Revelation had been a mighty hammer blow struck against the very foundations of the Imperium, the Stormborn knew and had foreseen that it would not be enough to break his father’s empire which, sure enough, stood bloodied but unbowed. Therefore, with the bloody toll of the Day of Revelation not yet fully realised by the Warmaster and with confusion across the Imperium, the Stormborn gathered those brothers who had chosen to stand with him, either upon Madrigal in person or by hololith. There, he shared with them his plan for the next phase of his war to topple his father from the Throne of Terra.

 

The Stormborn had foreseen that this war would be long, drawn out and bloody. While there were many planetary and system governors who had pledged him their loyalty, the vast majority had not, instead remaining loyal to the Throne World. Those who did rebel alongside the Stormborn were often, even within the galactic core where Icarion’s influence was strongest, separated by many loyalist counterparts. Therefore, as he outlined to his brothers, the next stage in Icarion’s plan was to build upon the fragments of an empire that they now possessed, build outwards, conquering surrounding systems and solidifying the Stormborn’s grip over that region where he possessed the most support: the galactic core.

 

However, not all the loyalist legions were so badly bloodied upon the Day of Revelation as to be unable to resist the Stormborn’s expansion. Of all the Loyalist Legions, the Halycon Wardens had, on the face of it, suffered the least upon the Day of Revelation and still remained largely intact. However, while nearly half of the legion answered Alexandros’ call and gathered in the Sol system to fight in the reconquest of Mars, in and of itself a bloody conflict that saw the Legions pitted against the full might of the Insurrectionist Mechanicum, tens of thousands more were spread out across the galaxy in defensive garrisons, from the 60 guarding the watch station on the moon of Bilkan to the thousands deployed to worlds that sat at the hub of major warp routes. Because of their place in these garrisons, the Vth would bleed heavily in these early years, paying as much blood as their brothers had had to upon the Day of Revelation.

 

To a lesser degree, the stalwart and unyielding Fire Keepers would suffer heavily. While they were not as widespread as those of the Halycon Wardens, no Legion could match the Fire Keepers skill for the defence and construction of fortifications and so many worlds of great importance were garrisoned by the Xth rather than the Vth. Due to their importance, these worlds would often prove beacons for the Stormborn’s forces, who fell on them without mercy and in their dedication, the Fire Keepers died where they stood rather than give way, always taking many of their foes with them when they fell yet always falling eventually.

 

However, it is likely that those who paid the heaviest price for their loyalty were the Void Eagles. They were not spread in garrisons, for the impatient sons of Yucahu had never been adept at manning walls. Instead, they would be used by the Warmaster as a rapid response force due to their expertise in void warfare and consequent fleet based nature and great mobility. Wherever the Warmaster saw a danger to the loyalist line, he would send the Void Eagles to plug it or, at the very least, slow the Insurrectionists until the massive bulk of the Imperial Army could be flooded into the danger zone. Therefore, in these early years, the Void Eagles could always be found where the fighting was fiercest, the odds the most desperate and played a crucial role in denying the Stormborn some crucial systems and most importantly buying the Warmaster time: time to assess the situation and regroup. Time to muster the Imperial Army. Time to rebuild his Legions. Yet this time came at a cost in IVth legion lives. Due to both the nature of Void Eagles as a legion and the chaotic nature of this early fighting, precise estimates are impossible for quite how heavy the cost they paid was. Some have cited the gargantuan and implausible figure of 130% casualties. However, for a Legion to have renewed itself in just two years would be nearly impossible and would have put severe strain on both the Legion’s command and combat effectiveness, even with use of the methods pioneered by the Warbringers in the years before the Vizenko Prosecution. Some have cited the erratic nature of Void Eagles units strategies and behaviours as evidence for use of such techniques however it is worth noting that even during the Great Crusade, the Void Eagles had never been a predictable legion.

 

However, for all their bravery, the loyalists could not undo what had been done. The iron fist of the Stormborn closed around the galactic core and it brought war with it, war like none had seen before. War between the Legions, raging across a thousand systems and consuming all it touched. Here I recount the story of this war’s earliest years and earliest campaigns, campaigns that raged before even the dust of the Day of Revelation had settled and continued to rage long after.

[simison]

Submitted the intro to Grifft. Needs a title. The section that follows the title, is it already written?

[Sigismund229]

Submitted the intro to Grifft. Needs a title. The section that follows the title, is it already written?

Section after the title? I don't follow

[simison]

Oops, combined thoughts. What's the title? And what is the next section after this?

[Sigismund229]

Oops, combined thoughts. What's the title? And what is the next section after this?

In the order they're supposed to be in the book? The Fall of the Comnena Cluster, being written by Blind.

 

The next section actually written is the intro the to the Part about the Shadow War

 

As far as the title is concerned...don't know in all honesty. The Storm Unleashed?

[MikhalLeNoir]

Storm Unleashed sounds really cool.

[simison]

[Agreed, Storm Unleashed sounds really fitting. The only alternative I can think of is 'Tempest Unleashed'. Either works.]

 

The Morning Stars

 

...

 

Yet, it was not to be. Although the Morning Stars continued to prosecute the Great Crusade with their ideals intact, they could not stop the stain to their reputation that encroached upon them. For while the Morning Stars exemplified chivalry, Yucahu and the Void Eagles would not cease their honourless ways. Caring little for collateral damage, Yucahu would bombard planets into submission, regardless of civilian casualties. All that mattered to the Lord of the IV^th was victory, however earned. Gradually, through no fault of their own, the Morning Stars' reputation was tainted by the deeds of their gene-sire, no matter how hard they struggled against it. As their reputation suffered, the relationship between the Morning Stars and the Void Eagles deteriorated. The final straw would be the final Rangdan Xenocide in the 950s on the Eastern Fringe. Four separate wars had been fought between the Imperium and this hated Xeno foe. In the fourth and final campaign against the Xeno, after the Emperor had broken the Labyrinth of Night, four Legions were called to destroy all tainted by the Xeno. It was during this purgation campaign that Yucahu earned the moniker 'Hellrider' for his merciless role. The Morning Stars were horrified by the Void Eagles' atrocities. While they remained part of the IV^th on official rolls, the Morning Stars never again fought alongside their brothers.  

[simison]

Yet, it was not solely the shame of being associated with the Void Eagles that would tempt the Morning Stars away from the Imperium. Many observers had believed that their ideal of honour would forever ensure their loyalty since the Morning Stars had sworn oaths to the Emperor. That bond, however, was also strained. The Emperor's retreat to Terra and the creation of the Senatorum Imperialis shook their faith. No longer did the Emperor rule directly over his Imperium, but instead had placed such widespread power among a council, not of warriors, but of politicians. While the Warmaster created the Hands of Terra to ensure that the Legions were heard by the High Lords, it was Yucahu who was given the choice of sending a representative, not the Morning Stars. Gradually, the Morning Stars feared and were disgusted as they perceived the Great Crusade becoming a sport of bureaucrats instead of properly led by the honorable crusaders who bled on the Emperor's behalf. It would be through this combination of outrage and weariness that Icarion would turn the Morning Stars to his cause.

[simison]

When the Stormborn approached the Morning Stars, it was in the guise of a fearful confidant. While no exact recording of the meeting exists, secondhand accounts tell of a dire warning of a growing tyrannical bureaucracy. The worst fears of the Morning Stars were confirmed as Icarion called upon his reputation as a seer without measure to forewarn them of an Imperium which did not deserve their honour. Murmurings of a planned betrayal only highlighted the Morning Stars' anxieties regarding the Emperor. In addition to ominous news, Icarion offered sweet promises. No longer would the Morning Stars have to trudge behind Yucahu, staining their honour in the mud because of simply who their Primarch was. Instead, Icarion vowed that they would be restored to their former reputation, finally freed from the Brass Lord. Not only that, but the Morning Stars would be given their own fief within Icarion's future empire, able to forever ensure that their ideals of justice and honour would be safeguarded regardless of circumstance. Given centuries of built-up bitterness over their fate, the Morning Stars gladly pledged themselves to the Stormborn's cause. The few dissidents were quickly and quietly eliminated, one way or another. 

[simison]

Three points before I write the next piece.

 

One, what are the Morning Stars doing on the Day of Revelation? Well, more about has something already been established about what they were doing? I couldn't find anything from a quick check on this thread.

 

Two, I just read the Shadow War chapter. I think it's important that there's a note that not all Insurgos were used in the Shadow War. While some Traitor Insurgos will fit that role very well (Traitor Iron Bears, Dune Serpents, the Ember Host, etc), some of the Traitor Insurgos are demi-Legion size and strength (Morning Stars, Malis' Wardens, Bloodlords). These later three especially have the size and strength of command that they can fight on the front lines. The Morning Stars and Malis'  Wardens especially could be a valuable propaganda tool for Icarion as Blunt established.

 

Three, Sig, did you pick a title? 

[bluntblade]

Picaro on should use the Morning Stars against a smallish force. Maybe a fleet of Void Eagles or Predators? I'd make it a less noble target. Perhaps pit them against one of the more savage Crimson Lions Clans?

[Nomus Sardauk]

Picaro on should use the Morning Stars against a smallish force. Maybe a fleet of Void Eagles or Predators? I'd make it a less noble target. Perhaps pit them against one of the more savage Crimson Lions Clans?

The Void Eagles seem the most likely target, Icarion could team the Morning Star up with whoever it was he assigns to ambush the Eagles on the DoR so that when it happens they get their revenge, thus cementing the MS's loyalty to Icarion. Hell, the MS could be instrumental in the ambush succeeding, luring in or infiltrating the loyalist fleet until the trap is sprung and then devastating the VE from within, maybe even share IVth Legion vox encryption codes with the Insurrectionists.

[Skalpynock]

 

Picaro on should use the Morning Stars against a smallish force. Maybe a fleet of Void Eagles or Predators? I'd make it a less noble target. Perhaps pit them against one of the more savage Crimson Lions Clans?

The Void Eagles seem the most likely target, Icarion could team the Morning Star up with whoever it was he assigns to ambush the Eagles on the DoR so that when it happens they get their revenge, thus cementing the MS's loyalty to Icarion. Hell, the MS could be instrumental in the ambush succeeding, luring in or infiltrating the loyalist fleet until the trap is sprung and then devastating the VE from within, maybe even share IVth Legion vox encryption codes with the Insurrectionists.

 

Given that the main legion assigned to the VE on the Day of Revelation is the Steel Legion, the Morningstars handing them the vox-scryptales to the SL may give them an edge, and account for the huge losses taken by the Eagles.