Black Book - The Eastern Expansion Campaigns

[Skalpynock]

The "third fleet" clocks at 12 500 Marines at the outbreak of the Insurrection. Many other renegade groups from the IV legion exist, such as the Sons of Nothingness, but these can run with Blackshield or Void Eagles rules.

[MikhalLeNoir]

So many traitors in the loyalists legions. You sure you still have a loyal legion^^

[Skalpynock]

The only reason the Void Eagles are loyalists, is that Yucahu knows he's a weapon and doesn't go questioning stuff.

[Nomus Sardauk]

So many traitors in the loyalists legions. You sure you still have a loyal legion^^

The Stormborn's influence runs deep, such is the true horror of such a beloved figure fallen from grace, they never fall alone.

[MikhalLeNoir]

The only reason the Void Eagles are loyalists, is that Yucahu knows he's a weapon and doesn't go questioning stuff.

Just wondering if the Stormborn could have been able to sway him to his cause

[Big Bad Squig]

We need some input from Squig as to whether there are any warband-size groupings of Traitor Serpents.

 

If there needs to be there can be - there isn't one at the moment but I can easily come up with some fluff for them.

[bluntblade]

 

We need some input from Squig as to whether there are any warband-size groupings of Traitor Serpents.

 

 

If there needs to be there can be - there isn't one at the moment but I can easily come up with some fluff for them.

I was thinking there could be one that coheres around the "Warden" though I think he'll need a name to avoid confusion. I'd like to have a force that's a good size who can help wipe out the Shepherds and Auretians.

[MikhalLeNoir]

What about the bloodlords?(broodlords?) Or are 10000 to few?

[Kelborn]

So, so far we have

Sheperds of Eden, Morning Stars, Malis' warband, a warband of traitor Dune Serpents.

 

Kel, do the Bloodlords go traitor early enough in the Insurrection to be found in this book?

 

Any others?

 

The Bloodlords

 

Deriving from the deep swamps of their homeworld of Mardum, these members of the XXth Legion never made the attempt to lay down their old habits and rituals of their ancestors. The tribes of the Mardumian swamps were known and feared for their dark belief. Rumours of them still practising blood rituals and other insidious traditions quickly spread among the rest of the Legion until their gene father Andezo Sambedi was forced to act. Censuring the whole Bloodlord tribe, he sends them on a penitent campaign under the watchful eye of one of his closest brothers, Alexos Travier. It was him, who offered his help in dealing with the rebellious tribe.

Attached to the ranks of the Eagle Warriors, the Bloodlords shall learn discipline and to follow the Imperial Truth. Unknown by Andezo, it was not his beloved brother, who offered his help. It was a more sinister being.

Soon, the Bloodlords learned the ways of the Dark Gods and openly celebrated their ancient beliefs. Blood sacrifices, dark magic, mighty tokens and even cannibalism made their way back to the sons of Mardum. Through their bloody beliefs, they soon heard voices from beyond, ordering them to slay and murder. It did not take long until Chieftain Odanka and his man gave into the whispers, opening their souls to the entities of chaos. The Bloodlords were reborn into the service of Khorne. Odanka, now known as the Devourer, led his men at the side of Travier until they finally met their fate in form of their former brothers of the Predators Legion.

 

--------------------------

 

Basically, they go traitor together with the Eagle Warriors. Now fighting on their own or at the side of their new allies of the Eagle Warriors, the Bloodlors fully dive into their old and vicious lore of Mardums marsh tribes.

 

Numbers: about 10.000, a whole tribe / chapter of the XXth Legion

 

So yeah, early on. :)

 

Had another one called Helriders. A former Space Wolve warband. But it will be enough to mention them within House Harkons entry. Nothing of a big deal to really considering them for their own entry. Maybe a sidebox but nothing more.

 

 

[Sigismund229]

I'm still not really comfortable with the idea of a Space Wolf warband. But that's a topic for another time.

 

Ok, so Bloodlords will be among the rogue legions of this book

[bluntblade]

If nothing else, there are very good reasons for not grouping all the Wolves into one or two warbands and not dispersing them throughout their new Legions

[MikhalLeNoir]

To be honest, I am not sure to ever mention the wolves again. Only small hints dropped like "yellow eyes stared at me, giving me the shivers." or "Gnazag the small let out a wolfish howl before he made his move. He earned this name because he was a head shorter compared to other iron bears. But he was still towering over the eldar. He attacked with a ferocious strike..." Keep the whole wolve thing in the shadows. That is my opinion. And conxerning the legion entry: "it was rumored that a few surving wolves found shelter among the other legions, but to whom exaclty was lost in the the times of civil war."

[Sigismund229]

To be honest, I am not sure to ever mention the wolves again. Only small hints dropped like "yellow eyes stared at me, giving me the shivers." or "Gnazag the small let out a wolfish howl before he made his move. He earned this name because he was a head shorter compared to other iron bears. But he was still towering over the eldar. He attacked with a ferocious strike..." Keep the whole wolve thing in the shadows. That is my opinion. And conxerning the legion entry: "it was rumored that a few surving wolves found shelter among the other legions, but to whom exaclty was lost in the the times of civil war."

Agreed

[Kelborn]

Seems like I used the wrong words.

 

Don't worry, I'm not intending to work out a Wolves warband. The Helriders will just be a possible adversary for House Harkon, mentioned in their fluff. Nothing will be said about their heritage or something like that, keeping it a mystery. It's just for my own imagination that they are Wolves, etc.. Nothing official.

 

There will be a warband called Helriders, which assaults the realm Harkon has once had sworn to protect. FW did a great job in mentioning many various and small forces throughout their books without diving into them too much, leaving them for the readers' fantasy. That's what I want to do with the Helriders. :)

 

Sorry, if I've confused you.

[bluntblade]

The Fall of Aureus

On the Day of Revelation, the Shepherds of Eden found themselves sundered from the main body of the Imperium, confined to an area of the Galactic southeast dominated by the Auretian Technocracy. With a dozen Imperial Army regiments, the superbly equipped Auretian Brotherhood and almost his entire Legion at his disposal, Hastur Sejanus devised a defence that held off the Insurrectionist forces for over a year.

 

However, they were unable to endure indefinitely, and once Raktra heard that his erstwhile sons were pinned down he hastened towards them, bringing with him the full strength of the Berserkers of Uran and swearing a blood oath that he would eradicate the “bastards” who had defied him. Icarion secured a promise from Raktra that he would attempt to retrieve intact the Auretian technologies, which the Stormlord coveted for the war effort, but gave him sanction to do as he wished with any mortals who stood by the Shepherds.

 

The odds were apparent to all, and the defenders’ resolve was nothing less than miraculous; no regiment deserted or turned its colours. Yet courage could not surmount the Traitors’ advantage, and the conflict became an unceasing, agonising retreat for the Loyalists until they found themselves behind the walls of the Iron Citadel on Aureus itself. Raktra knew that this mighty fortress would not fall easily; the Shepherds had defended it before, and even without their presence it was protected by a lethal arsenal salvaged from the Age of Technology.

 

Yet the Ashen King was also pleased by this turn of events, resolving to turn the siege into an act of torture. To this end he deployed the Blood Boilers and called upon not only the war machines of the traitor Mechanicus but also the Viper Fangs, a warband of Dune Serpents who had betrayed their own Primarch as well as the Emperor. These vile warriors added their own, uniquely cruel chemical weapons to the Berserkers’ already terrifying armoury.

 

Atrocity was a regular feature in the VIIth Legion's campaigns, but the Fall of Aureus was a war crime from start to finish. Minefields were dealt with by driving prisoners over them, fortifications pelted with rad-missiles. Any defenders who were captured faced torture and lobotomy, sent back to kill their one-time comrades as combat servitors. Worse came when the Viper Fangs launched chem-weapon strikes on civilian shelters, reducing their targets to slavering maniacs who wreaked awful violence on their own kind until they were cut down.

 

While the Shepherds stood firm, the never-ending torment preyed upon mortal minds, and whole divisions gave in to despair and madness. All of this was Raktra's intent, torturing the Shepherds with their own failures to protect the weak. The Berserkers also delighted in butchering their hated enemies, especially heroes as beloved as Nero Vipus, who fell to the claws of Riktus Innorvakon the outer wall, and Haren Svarrenson, ignobly disemboweled by Slynnat the Feral in the Copernican Gardens.

 

Eventually a fleet led by Bepheros of the Scions Hospitalier arrived in the system, catching the Insurrectionist fleet by surprise. It is unknown who ordered their mission, but what few sources exist point to some agent of Malcador the Sigillite. A daring gambit, but by then it was far too late to do anything but save the remaining refugees and what technology was left in the hands of the Technocracy. A few dozen Shepherds remained to depart with them, save for Sejanus and his guards who confronted Raktra himself in the ruins of the Citadel, dying to ensure the escape of their comrades. The flight itself was fraught with peril, and several vessels were destroyed as Bepheros led them across the great swathe of hostile territory.

 

The downfall of the Loyalist stronghold was trumpeted as a great victory for the Stormlord's forces, but the events were thoroughly censored within his domain. Among the Loyalists, the atrocities were held up by the Emperor's propagandists as evidence of the rebels’ inherent malice, and the fallen defenders as martyrs to the Imperial cause.

 

The Shepherds of Eden were utterly broken as a Legion, and the handful of survivors are widely believed to have been absorbed by the Halcyon Wardens. Their loss was commemorated on Terra by the peals of the Bell of Lost Souls, and it is said that the Emperor Himself wept openly for the loss of these valiant warriors. Two of the Shepherds, however, would survive to profoundly affect the course of the Insurrection, at its very end.

[Sigismund229]

A few thoughts.

 

1. I doubt that war crimes exist in the 31st Millenium. Besides, it's rhe 'Serkers. That it's a war crime should go without saying ;)

 

2. I'd say allow a few more SoE to survive by dint of not being present. A few companies worth maybe who become a shattered legion force in effect.

 

3. I'm still very far from convinced about St.Khârn due to the whole "basically killed Raktra" thing so that last part doesn't sit too well but that could just be me.

 

4. Is this meant to be a boxed section or what?(forgive me, I've just had my first week back at school so I'm tired and easily confused)

[MikhalLeNoir]

A few thoughts.

1. I doubt that war crimes exist in the 31st Millenium. Besides, it's rhe 'Serkers. That it's a war crime should go without saying ;)

2. I'd say allow a few more SoE to survive by dint of not being present. A few companies worth maybe who become a shattered legion force in effect.

3. I'm still very far from convinced about St.Khârn due to the whole "basically killed Raktra" thing so that last part doesn't sit too well but that could just be me.

4. Is this meant to be a boxed section or what?(forgive me, I've just had my first week back at school so I'm tired and easily confused)

Well let us see how it plays out. I mean we are talking about a daemon primarch. Having a team up action could be awesome. Only one thing must be certain:

 

Gwal: Hec do it now!!!

Hec: *some cool onliner on his lips* bla trusts his axe and Grandfather with a double strike into the burning flesh of his former brother, decapitating the daemon of khorne and ending his terrible rampage in the mortal realm ( or his part in the insurrection)

[bluntblade]

Raktra feels that the daemon primarch, fuelled by all the carnage, will want something pretty dramatic. We aren't even talking about a battle on par with Sanguinius vs Ka'bandha, after all.

 

I kinda feel a decapitation would be too neat. I'm picturing it more like the final fight in The Raid, only scaled up a bit and ending in an explosion.

[Kelborn]

The Raid 1 or 2?

I'm I right by saying that the final fight in The Raid 1 was in that room and it was as well a brawl as high end martial arts? ^^

[bluntblade]

Yep. Replace that bit of strip light with a fulgurite, and have it kill the person holding it (it's really just that key stab I'm thinking of).

[MikhalLeNoir]

So i watched the scene now and it really fits very well from the composition ( okay, raktra is a bit big then) . but how do nix and st. Khârn fit in there? Hec amd Gwal vs Raktra using that scene yay. Two more? Gimme a draft.

 

 

And yes, really dirty fighting

[bluntblade]

Nix doesn't much, other than being part of the Knights Errant who rush Raktra when he's bludgeoned Gwal and is close to doing the same to Hec (giving Khârn a chance to close with him). Khârn's hand is on the fulgurite (so he pays the price for wielding it).

[MikhalLeNoir]

Can you write this scene with exact the same composition and action expiration like in the movie scene? Just with weapons and considering that we have primarchs amd daemon primarch fighting? And add the two minis? Jist a quick draft so thst I can envision it better.? Then we can work in the scene for all eternity until the last book decents from heaven^^

[bluntblade]

The Loyalists are holding at the Eternity Gate. It's a messy scrum but, anchored by Hectarion and Gwalchavad, they are holding ground although Gwal in particular is fatigued after his battle with Alexos. The Traitors' ranks seem to be thinning, but any optimism is short-lived as the Daemon Primarch Raktra charges up the steps.

 

Bulldozing through any Astartes in his path, Raktra engages Hectarion and Gwalchavad. He was monstrous before but now, basking in the violence on Terra, he's nigh on unstoppable. Wounding Gwalchavad, he casts him aside and Hectarion is forced to stand alone against his former brother; for all his skill he is wearied by the battle, susceptible to factors that Raktra no longer has to worry about. The Ashen King forces him to his knees, the Grinder inches from his face. Then a new battle cry sounds.

 

The Knights Errant swarm Raktra, forcing him away from Hectarion. It's a suicidal attack, and in seconds most of them are dead or wounded - all are thrown aside by Raktra. Save for Khârn, who uses the confusion to get close. Burying his axe in Raktra's side, he takes up the shard of fulgurite gifted to the Knights by Malcador, and drives it into Raktra's shoulder. In doing so, he has condemned himself to death - to wield the power contained in such a vessel, he knows, drains the essence of the user - but even as the fulgurite burns away his life, so it weakens Raktra's monstrous form. Hectarion sees his chance and surges up again, bringing his axe down to cleave into Raktra's shoulder and splitting his blackened heart.

 

Under this psychic and physical onslaught, Raktra simply comes apart, his physical aspect ripping apart in an explosion that floors everyone around the Gate. But Nix is the first to recover his feet and charges the attackers, joined by the other surviving Knights, then the Primarchs and the rest of the Astartes. The Traitors are unable to weather this attack and are thrown into a humiliating retreat, giving the Loyalists time to withdraw and bar the Eternity Gate. The Inner Palace is sealed, and the stage set for the final act of the Siege.

[Sigismund229]

The Loyalists are holding at the Eternity Gate. It's a messy scrum but, anchored by Hectarion and Gwalchavad, they are holding ground although Gwal in particular is fatigued after his battle with Alexos. The Traitors' ranks seem to be thinning, but any optimism is short-lived as the Daemon Primarch Raktra charges up the steps.

 

Bulldozing through any Astartes in his path, Raktra engages Hectarion and Gwalchavad. He was monstrous before but now, basking in the violence on Terra, he's nigh on unstoppable. Wounding Gwalchavad, he casts him aside and Hectarion is forced to stand alone against his former brother; for all his skill he is wearied by the battle, susceptible to factors that Raktra no longer has to worry about. The Ashen King forces him to his knees, the Grinder inches from his face. Then a new battle cry sounds.

 

The Knights Errant swarm Raktra, forcing him away from Hectarion. It's a suicidal attack, and in seconds most of them are dead or wounded - all are thrown aside by Raktra. Save for Khârn, who uses the confusion to get close. Burying his axe in Raktra's side, he takes up the shard of fulgurite gifted to the Knights by Malcador, and drives it into Raktra's shoulder. In doing so, he has condemned himself to death - to wield the power contained in such a vessel, he knows, drains the essence of the user - but even as the fulgurite burns away his life, so it weakens Raktra's monstrous form. Hectarion sees his chance and surges up again, bringing his axe down to cleave into Raktra's shoulder and splitting his blackened heart.

 

Under this psychic and physical onslaught, Raktra simply comes apart, his physical aspect ripping apart in an explosion that floors everyone around the Gate. But Nix is the first to recover his feet and charges the attackers, joined by the other surviving Knights, then the Primarchs and the rest of the Astartes. The Traitors are unable to weather this attack and are thrown into a humiliating retreat, giving the Loyalists time to withdraw and bar the Eternity Gate. The Inner Palace is sealed, and the stage set for the final act of the Siege.

I'd say make Hec first to recover and Nix second immediately after(seeing as primarchs are kinda meant to be better than sm at everything)

 

Also, this gives me an idea