Empire of Leng [WIP]

[Jape]

Empire of Leng

Formation: 001.M42

Allegience: Nurgle, Ynoggua the Daemon-Star

Leader: Antirex Cystus

Capital: The Barrows, Leng system

Sector: Verana

Segementum: Ultima

Races: Human, Uropygid, An'Guem, Cardicae

Forces: Carrion (Heretic Astartes), The Forgotten (Heretic Guard), Million Favoured Ones (Mutant Cult),

Malaport's Marauders (Pirates), Yellow Fang (Xeno)

The Empire of Leng is a Chaotic dominion that arose during the horrors of the Great Rift, beholden to Ynoggua the daemon-star. Stretching across several systems it is ruled from the Barrows. An asteroid field that rings Ynoggua, the Barrows are made up of the former inner planets of the Leng system that were destroyed in the birth of daemon-star.

Countless thousands live in the tunnels and habs of the Barrows, some purpose built, others cannibalised ship hulls. It is, as a great man once put, a hive of scum and villainy. Pirates, mercenaries, smugglers, cultists and many more rub shoulders in the markets, arenas and dark temples of the Barrows. All swear fealty to Ynoggua, the Sulphurous Duke, the Yellow Prince.

Unable to walk the earth in his current form, Ynoggua’s regent is the Antirex, Cystus. A veteran of the Long War as a member of the Death Guard, Cystus and his band the Carrion helped birth Ynoggua, a child of Nurgle.

In the depths of the Great Rift even on worlds not directly touched by the warp storms, it seemed the Imperium and its institutions were doomed. Loss of communication and transportation saw famine, plague and anarchy grip countless planets as all from Governors to serfs wondered if the end had truly come. In the night sky a strange star burned and some whispered it the herald of a new dawn. Various secret sects formed on a dozen worlds, the Astral Wisdom Cult, the Tattered Brotherhood, the Yellow Covenant, all bowing to the herald of redemption Ynoggua.

Led by Cystus, the Carrion travelled to isolated frontier worlds as often greeted as liberators as they were invaders. On the agri-world of Rurana 3, though the aristocratic leadership remained true to Holy Terra the same could not be said of their mutant slaves who rose up, their deformities not punishments but gifts in the eyes of Nurgle and Ynoggua.

The elites and their defence forces were slaughtered by sheer weight of numbers, the survivors ‘baptised’ in fetid waters to receive the blessings of Father Nurgle. The new masters of Rurana embraced the Sulphurous Duke as their mutations only increased. Led by the Goat, a hideous hooded demagogue, the mutants form a ceaseless horde of fanatic warriors known as the Million Favoured Ones.

On the promethium rich desert world of Zedar, a hastily assembled Imperial Guard army was quickly abandoned due to commitments elsewhere, leaving thousands of loyal soldiers to the plagues and guns of the Carrion. The commander of Battle Group Zedar, Marshal Tonman Brenner, a career soldier from a respected family, cursed the dying Imperium for its treatment of her bravest servants the Guard. Desperate for himself and his men not to die pointlessly on that burning rock, he met with Cystus and pledged his fealty to Ynoggua.

Many of his soldiers refused to join the forces of Chaos but thousands whether out of corruption, a need to survive or loyalty to the Marshal did so. What remained of Battle Group Zedar became the Forgotten, a legion of soldiers abandoned by the God-Emperor and bent on exacting vengeance upon his lackeys. Though nothing compared to the Traitor Astartes of the Carrion man for man, the cohorts of the Forgotten form the professional core of Ynoggua’s armies.

The anarchy brought about by the Great Rift proved a boon for pirates and other criminals. Due to the disturbance of the Astronomican, many pledged their allegiance to Chaos if only for protection. Most infamously in the Verana Sector was Dagon Malaport, rogue trader turned pirate lord.

Malaport’s Marauders hunt the space lanes of Verana in the name of Ynoggua, slaughtering and pillaging as they go. Experienced boarders they are highly prized by Cystus as assault troops, their brigand heritage belying their tactical skill. On Galeata VI, the current front line of Ynoggua’s invasion of the Imperium, the Marauders launched a mass gravchute drop over both banks of the River Mignola, seizing the strategic Miklos Bridge in bloody close-quarter combat.

Uropygid

The Empire of Leng is not limited to humans. At its highest level the Antirex is counselled by the Uropygids, a secretive cabal of xeno sorcerers said to have conducted the ritual that led to Ynoggua’s birth. Though few in number they are feared as powerful psykers, their bizarre insect-fungoid biology giving them a natural affinity for the warp and the blessings of Nurgle in particular.

The An’Guem, reptilian mercenaries prized as scouts and trackers make up a large section of the armies of Leng. Once the premier power in the Verana Sector, the xenocidal campaigns of the Imperium shattered their realm, overturning a millennia of regional dominance. Many turned to Chaos for salvation, their faithful forming the Yellow Fang. Others retain their old gods but nonetheless fight alongside the Antirex against their mutual enemy.

Most unusual are the Cardicae, plant-based xeno feared for their biological weaponry. Rarely seen beyond their home world and then usually enslaved for their powers, the blessings of Nurgle were readily welcomed by them and it is said their planet is now a rampant garden of the Fly Lord, where countless unthinkable abominations are being grown to join the armies of Leng.

Planets of the Empire of Leng (light green) and major worlds of the Imperium (red) in Verana Sector

________

As I plan to jump back into 8th edition and always one who needs fluff to accompany an army, here is the rough stuff for Leng, a pocket empire dedicated to Nurgle, or rather his son Ynoggua born from the anarchy of the Great Rift. Getting DI box I'll be focusing on a Death Guard army but Guard are my first love so I've added the Forgotten, basically a Nurglite Blood Pact. Plus some minor xeno races for flavour, notably the Uropygids who are inherently Lovecraftian, I intend to convert a Mi-Go model from Actung Cthulhu to act as a stand-in Sorcerer.

A big Mythos fan, I plan on having a weird theme over the traditionally daemonic, the obvious being Ynoggua and my paint scheme will be bone, rusted iron and yellow the inspiration being the King in Yellow. When I (eventually) get round to creating a daemon-prince model for Ynoggua instead of the normal bloated MegaNurgling (lovely though they are) I plan on a grim reaper-esque figure with a rusty scythe, yellowed rags and a faceful of tenticles. So many tenticles.

Please all C&C is welcome.

[Draakur]

This is reeeally cool, very up my alley. It's approaches like this to the hobby that really bring it alive :) Can't wait to see what you do with it all!

[Jape]

Thanks Draakur, I really appreciate it. I agree. 40k has so much lore for inspiration and yet so much space to create your own, I love creating fanon to add life to an army. I think the Gaunt's Ghosts books really helped inspire me to go this route with armies and Chaos in particular.

[DiscipleOfTheWord]

This is great stuff, I can't wait to see some mythos inspired gribblies! I've always thought chaos should be more lovecraftian, especially nurgle and slaanesh.

[Draakur]

So I couldn't quite tell - is Ynnogua an entity, or an actual astral body? Or perhaps both, a sentient astral body of some sort? Or more along the lines of a minor God spawned from Nurgle's essence?

[Jape]

This is great stuff, I can't wait to see some mythos inspired gribblies! I've always thought chaos should be more lovecraftian, especially nurgle and slaanesh.

Cheers, yeah totally agree, daemons can be cool but the Warp is meant to be mind-bending horror.

 

So I couldn't quite tell - is Ynnogua an entity, or an actual astral body? Or perhaps both, a sentient astral body of some sort? Or more along the lines of a minor God spawned from Nurgle's essence?

 

All the above arguably. Its fiddly, I avoided trying to describe in the top post because I'd probably cock it up - basic headcanon is the sun of Leng was detonated in a major ritual intending to open up another *Eye of Terror however it didn't work - the sun went supernova but when it turned in on itself it basically became an anamoly, a star of 'chaotic fusion' in the material realm, not a passable gateway but still raw Warp energy.

 

My idea was this lump of Warp-iness developed a degree of sentience through its worship (or was taken over by an enterprising daemon) and is now in effect a major daemon confined to its fusion prision. As someone who is comfortable with Chaos having a thousand faces, Ynoggua is effectively his own god to many of his ignorant worshippers but others see him as Nurgle's son, Nurgle's herald or just an aspect of Nurgle.

 

But Ynoggua is not 'some dude' who plots and cackles, he effectively a semi-sentient star who the warp-shaman of the Uropygid race can communicate with to some extent. The only real goal is to free Ynoggua so he can lead his armies but that's not a simple process.

 

TL:DR - Cthulhu but stuck in a star rather than the sea - could be a minor god or simply a servant of Nurgle it all a bit murky as befits the Warp.

[Draakur]

Very cool - I dig :)

[Draakur]

Still working on these guys brother? You started so strong with them, have checked back a few times hoping for updates! :)

[Fat Necron]

Jape, come back to us, we need to know the future of Ynoggua!