Iron Gauntlet 2020: House Jenius

[Focslain]

House Datafile:

House Jenius

Primary Data

Motto

Historia docet, aut mori aptet (History teaches, adapt or die)

Battle CryIllustrant eas (Commander only)

FoundingApprox 020.M41
Homeworld Verdazur
AllegianceImperium; Questor Mechanicus
ColoursMagenta, white, grey, silver edging

House EmblemA lightning bolt over (bisecting) a cog (image in the works)

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

House Jenius was founded on the bones of an old abandoned experiment.

During an expedition, Magos Perficio der Klaue discovered a buried knight hangar on the planet Verdazur. Those mostly intact were quickly recovered to be placed into service.

 

Further exploration revealed training equipment and a near intact base. An amazing discovery considering the age of the area dates back to just after the great crusade. The faded lightning bolt over a cog symbol on a few of the knights pointed to the venerated House Taranis as the original owners.

 

While the data files are incomplete magos Der Klaue theorized that the base might have been a way station or forward base for resupply and even training of new pilots. Given it's far distance from the venerated homeworld of Mars.

 

With luck, the local sector governor had contact with a pair of Freeblade pilots in his domain. While it took a little convincing to get the freeblades to agree to train new pilots, they only agreed to train one group and that group would have to train any future generations.

 

A large keep was constructed near the site of the hangar as Magos Der Klaue worked to restore the underground base.

 

With that House Jenius was formed, named after the top student Llywelyn Farnia Jenius. She was granted a Lordship over the area and is the current head instructor and dean of the academy

 

"Thank you Ms. Morwen, good to know someone was studying the material." the professor nodded to the female student as she sat down.

 

The dozen youths in the classroom turned their attention from their fellow student to the teacher as he began speaking, "Just remember that to better prepare for your future you do need a basic understanding of the past. Human civilization has forgotten more in its long history of existence in this galaxy than it can relearn in the next thousand years."

 

The familiar chimes sounded from outside, signalling the end of the lesson. A few students yawned and stretched before rising from their seats and heading towards the exit.

 

"Tomorrow we will be discussing the battle of Molov City, make sure to study the datafile. Also I noticed Sir Ashley was in one of his moods, make sure to study with your running shoes on."

 

One of the students let out an audible groan as they passed through the doorway.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The Jenius Knight Academy was built to train knight pilots and sacristan. House Jenius being it’s guard and faculty. For the past hundred years it has produced a few pilots and many sacristans in its mission given by the Confederation of Teradox. A semi-autonomous group of human controlled worlds located under the Ghoul Stars.

 

The primary mission of the academy and the reason for the Confederation fully supporting it is what is known as the Knight Initiative. That one day every planet in the Confederacy will have their own knight lance to defend it. A lofty goal, but possible in time.

 

HISTORY

 

Unlike other houses, House Jenuis has little true history and is only currently forging it’s path in the galaxy.  It is the goal of the current leadership to set up the house and it’s academy to have a history as rich and full as it’s progenitor.

 

Once the first few knight frames were repaired, pilots were needed.

 

The first pilots of the house were trained by the freeblades, Bjorg Rhonwen and Sebastian Seras. All the new trainees were taken from the titan crew training program on request of Magos Der Klause. Only eight made it through the harsh training of the freeblades. They took on the surname of Jenius by decree of the magos and Llywelyn was chosen as the commander.  Llywelyn doesn't keep this practice on the next generation since she believes the right of command is earned not inherited.

 

Since the opening of the academy there have been twenty graduate classes in its eighty years of operation.  Of which six groups have gone to establish their own garrisons within the Confederacy via the Knight Initiative.

 

During this time the House has sortied dozens of times as mentors take their charges out onto the battlefield to earn the right to pilot a knight. Outside of its’ early days, the house has not had to fully deploy to a war front, though Lady Jenius fears it may one day have to.

 

HOMEWORLD

 

Home Planet: Verdazur
Planetary exports: Food, focusing crystals, rare metals (asteroid mining) and tourism

Classification: Garden World

Population: appox 1.5 million

Tithe Grade: Decuma Particular (Resource yearly, Regimental decade)

 

History:

Discovered in M36, Verdazur is a  watery planet covered with several archipelagos. The largest land mass ,Gaufertier, is barely large enough to be called a continent. While Gaufertier hosts the planet’s capital of Havrisar as well as the knight household’s primary base in the city of Davumior. The planet is dotted with several island towns and estates. Verdazur is classified as a garden world. Though it has a few industries, food production and underwater mining being it’s primaries. It’s natural beauty with thousands of beaches and centralized location in the Confederacy make it an excellent vacation spot for the richer nobles of the area.

 

However in the opening year of the 41st millenium, Mt St Hilary, thought to be a dormant volcano on Gaufertier erupted.  After it had calmed, investigation into the surrounding area revealed the entrance to the buried knight keep.

 

The keep was dated to over ten millennia old, pre-dating the founding of the colony. Further examination of the underwater region known by the locals as Lyza’s Ring points to an extinction level event in the planet’s history. Based on the timing some in the higher government fear it might have been a man-made event.

 

Notable Locations:
Sacventdeile - Founder’s old estate, currently a  major resort.

 

Jenius Knight Academy

 

Lyza’s Ring - A 10 km wide hole in Verdazur’s ocean, the bottom resting on the mantle of the planet. The walls contain several crystal deposits with the most pure being closer to the bottom. Between the heat and pressure few have been mined.

 

COMBAT DOCTRINE

 

Light lance - A questoris or dominus pattern escorted by a squad of armigars. Students are taught this method for a two fold reason. First, the mentor phase is done in this formation so it doesn’t take much tactical relearning. Second, the Throne Mechanicum is the hardest part of the knight to manufacture making the larger knights rarer currently. If a larger force is needed then a few light lances are combined into a more formal Knight lance.

 

NOTABLE KNIGHTS

 

All knights of House Jenius have the lion helm, a design from Magos Der Klaue to mark her charges. The house took them up as a design for the thier knights. Graduate pilots of the academy use other helms and colours of their design if they chose garrison duty. The house emblem is still displayed on all knights (garrison or house) in some fashion.

 

 

Königin der Löwen - Llywelyn’s personal knight frame, the frame was modified to allow for weapon swaps prior to battle allowing her to use whatever class is needed for the mission. Her preferred class is Crusader.

 

Jägerin Mond - Warden class Questoris operated by Lady Hotaru Jikan, one of the academy’s primary mentors. The Jägerin Mond has fought on many battlefields, it’s avenger gatling cannon taking the lives of many foes.

 

Zorn des Löwen - A Castellan class, it wreaked havoc during the Flesh War campaign. With its volcano lance and upgraded plasma destructor it had the honour of standing up to and defeating a chaos warhound near single handedly. It’s current owner is the house second in command Lady Gwyneth Thranc Jenius.

 

NOTABLE PERSONNEL

 

Lady Llywelyn Farnia Jenius - Headmistress of the academy and leader of House Jenius. She was already tracked for the coveted Titan program before being tapped for knight training. She has helped in the training of several generations of knight pilots. Even in her advanced years she manages to hold her own versus many foes. Her ruthlessness is legendary, both on campus and the battlefield. Her mount ,Königin der Löwen, has the ability to mimic any class of knight, showing that she has the ability to teach for any frame.

 

Lady Gwyneth Thranc Jenius - Llywelyn’s second in command and the primary administrator of the academy. She is a stoic and pragmatic woman, one of the reasons she was given command of the castellan Zorn des Löwen. Which she has piloted to victory in many sorties.

 

Lady Hotaru Jikan - Current lead mentor of the academy. She only takes on two students at a time, but pits them against the odds and is as harsh a master as Lady Llywelyn Jenius. She pilots the Jägerin Mond with skill and grace, though that might also be due to her more ingrained connection. A paraplagic, her limbs are bionic augments that integrate with her throne. 

 

Awateru Tsuki - Recent graduate of the academy. During her senior term she kept the skies above her allies clear while piloting the helverin Beta 02. Fighting alongside her mentor Lady Jikan and her twin brother Kyofu she earned her seat with honours. She is currently piloting the Echavalier XX, leading her lance on a pilgrimage to Mars.

 

NOTABLE CAMPAIGNS: BRIEF

More detailed descripts are here

 

The Cleansing of Block 76 - Early battle against a necron force to reclaim a forge.

 

The Flesh War: The house’s first major campaign against a durkari incursion.

 

The Sunsus Campaign - House Jenius assists a forgeworld in dealing with a xenos incursion. Lady Jikan used it as the final trial for her students.

 

The Mecha Trail - The pilgrimage of Lady Tsuki’s lance to Mars

 

Organizational Connections

Confederation of Teradox - A semi-autonomous group of human controlled worlds located under the ghoul stars. Verdazur is in their territory. (My IG army)

 

Conclave of Esus - Perfactio’s mechanicus group. They not only teach new sacatians but build new knight frames for House Jenius and their allies. (Admech)

 

Fel Knights - A group of freebladed knights that roam the area under the Conferatacy’s protection. They can be spotted by the wolf helms their knights wear.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Focslain

[Bjorn Firewalker]

You're off to a good start, in my opinion. Did you name the House after Maximilian Jenius, from Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Macross 7?

[Focslain]

You're off to a good start, in my opinion. Did you name the House after Maximilian Jenius, from Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Macross 7?

 

Kind of, more a reference to Mirage Jenius, their grand daughter in Macross Delta. The house colours are taken from her fighter. 

 

There is going to be a lot of anime reference in this article, just a heads up. 

Edited March 25, 2020 by Focslain

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I once proposed the following:

Attach a Stormhawk interceptor's wings to pivot points under an Imperial Knight's pauldrons, allowing the wings to retract as needed; the Stormhawk's engines to the Knight's back, to serve as a scaled up jump pack; the Infernum halo-launcher to the Knight's carapace, to defend him from those too cowardly to face the Knight in close combat; and the Stormhawk's weapons to the Knight's forearms, to create scaled up combi-weapons; and repeat the process until you have a full squad of "Space Knights" capable of accompanying your battle-brothers in "deep striking" enemy positions from orbit. What use are allies, if they cannot be right where your battle-brothers need them?

In an Iron Hands thread. Do you think the idea works?

[Focslain]

I once proposed the following:

Attach a Stormhawk interceptor's wings to pivot points under an Imperial Knight's pauldrons, allowing the wings to retract as needed; the Stormhawk's engines to the Knight's back, to serve as a scaled up jump pack; the Infernum halo-launcher to the Knight's carapace, to defend him from those too cowardly to face the Knight in close combat; and the Stormhawk's weapons to the Knight's forearms, to create scaled up combi-weapons; and repeat the process until you have a full squad of "Space Knights" capable of accompanying your battle-brothers in "deep striking" enemy positions from orbit. What use are allies, if they cannot be right where your battle-brothers need them?

In an Iron Hands thread. Do you think the idea works?

 

 

Sounds like an imperial riptide via an up scaled EXGear from Marcoss. Not sure the Stormhawk's engines can stall a knight's decent. Might if powered by the knight's plasma reactor but that is going to place a strain on both the reactor and engines.

 

Outside of the mechanicus having a fit I don't see why it couldn't work. Would look awesome. Also seems something more akin to Raven Guard. 

[Trokair]

If the home world is mostly ocean with limited land mass then it would feel a bit weird for the hanger to have been undiscovered for so long.  How about instead have the hanger and related structures all be underwater. Essentially sunk in a past age. Maybe it used to be a ice world and some event during the Hersey caused orbital realignment so that it is now closer to the sun so the ice turned into oceans flooding the land.

 

Some of the Knight base would be flooded and corroded but some (such as the Knights storage/maintenance area) are sealed off and fine. Once the base had been reclaimed and secured (do void shields hold back water?) it should be quite functional.

[Focslain]

If the home world is mostly ocean with limited land mass then it would feel a bit weird for the hanger to have been undiscovered for so long.  How about instead have the hanger and related structures all be underwater. Essentially sunk in a past age. Maybe it used to be a ice world and some event during the Hersey caused orbital realignment so that it is now closer to the sun so the ice turned into oceans flooding the land.

 

Some of the Knight base would be flooded and corroded but some (such as the Knights storage/maintenance area) are sealed off and fine. Once the base had been reclaimed and secured (do void shields hold back water?) it should be quite functional.

 

Something that I was thinking of, the base was buried under an old eruption. Clarification of the age of the knight base and the colony is in order. The base is from just pre Horus Heresy and the colony is around a few thousand years old. The planet was rediscovered by a rogue trader after the age of Apostasy. He was the one that gave the planet its current name.

 

But I like the idea of an ice age that ended and made the planet into an ocean world. That would change the topography to such a degree that it doesn’t match anything in the records and is easy to consider the planet new.

 

Another idea is a drive by exterminatus, basically during the heresy the heretics decided to make quick work of the forward knight base and dropped a magma torpedo that devastated the planet. Add a volcanic upheaval nearby and the void shields of the base might have saved it, but created a tomb for those inside. Age a few thousand years and you get a hidden base. The semi-failed attack even altering the spin for a time.

 

Just that no-one in the present knows what happened. Even ruins of old cites would be turned to coral and undersea mountains by that amount of time.

 

Though there could be mention of a strange circular mountain range under the sea, a mark that will never heal.

 

Also the main landmass of the planet is about the size of Australia.

 

Plan for the hanger was to have it located underneath of the campus by a few hundred meters. Course now I have to figure why the magos was there in a first place and/or how it was found. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Nitpick: The hangar you keep mentioning, is spelled with two "a"s.

[Focslain]

Nitpick: The hangar you keep mentioning, is spelled with two "a"s.

 

Fixed and thank you.

 

Added a few more details, will add some characters later once I pick the important ones. I have a list of around two dozen.

[Focslain]

Changed format and added more on the Homeworld section.

 

Also if someone can figure out a way to close the space between the primary data header and the table I'd be very thankful.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Notable Locations:

Sacventdeile - Founder’s old estate, currently a major resort.

Jenius Knight Academy

Lyza’s Ring - A 10 km wide hole in Verdazur’s ocean, the bottom resting on the mantle of the planet. The walls contain several crystal deposits with the most pure being closer to the bottom. Between the heat and pressure few have been mined.

NOTABLE CAMPAIGNS

 

The Cleansing of Block 76 - Early battle against a necron force to reclaim a forge.

The Flesh War: The house’s first major campaign against a durkari incursion.

The Sunsus Campaign - Final exam lead by Lady Hikura

The Mecha Trail - The pilgrimage of Lady Tsuki’s lance to Mars

The lack of a blank line to separate these entries, makes these sections difficult-to-read "walls of text." It may also help to bold the names like so:

The Cleansing of Block 76: Early battle against a necron force to reclaim a forge.

 

The Flesh War: The house’s first major campaign against a durkari incursion.

 

The Sunsus Campaign: Final exam lead by Lady Hikura

 

The Mecha Trail: The pilgrimage of Lady Tsuki’s lance to Mars

[Focslain]

Thanks Bjorn,

 

Fixed and added a pict, I have more for the Flesh war and going to hunt down others. I wish I had picts from the block battle, it was on an awesome factory table.

 

I'm planning on having separate articles for the academy and the campaigns. So not to enlarge the main article. Seem like a good idea?

Edited March 30, 2020 by Focslain

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I'm planning on having separate articles for the academy and the campaigns. So not to enlarge the main article. Seem like a good idea?

I agree.

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Your models look good. Where'd you get the lioness masks for Lady Llywelyn's Knight?

[Focslain]

Your models look good. Where'd you get the lioness masks for Lady Llywelyn's Knight?

 

It's Gadetplus's Iron Tiger head

 

He has his own shop site now at Iron Wolf Minis, but it doesn't have all his shapeways stuff and also has new stuff. 

[Bjorn Firewalker]

Thanks for the info.

[Focslain]

Added more to the house history and a combat doctrine section.

 

Working on the personnel and campaigns as well as will add a section for the academy proper later.

Edited April 3, 2020 by Focslain

[Bjorn Firewalker]

"History teaches, adapt or die" is an appropriate school motto. Will "Adapt or die!" serve as the Knights' war cry? Edited April 3, 2020 by Bjorn Firewalker

[Focslain]

"History teaches, adapt or die" is an appropriate school motto. Will "Adapt or die!" serve as the Knights' war cry?

 

I was thinking on that. Honestly I'm thinking that there is no official house battle cry and to each their own. Only my wolves and guard have a battle cry currently.

 

Wolves: For Russ and the All Father

Guard: For the Emperor and Sonny Jim!

 

Since my wolves have their paws in all the local forces a turn on the classic wolf one might be in order.

 

I'll take another watch of Knights and Magic since the school and the Order of the Silver Phoenix are the main inspiration for all this. 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Focslain

[Focslain]

Rough for info on the academy proper.

 

JENIUS KNIGHT ACADEMY

 

The core of House Jenius is the academy they run to train pilots for not only the knights of the house, but to spread the power of the knight frames to several planets in the local sector.

 

The academy also acts as their Keep, built atop the buried keep in the shadow of Mt. St Hilary. The campus is sprawled over a dozen acres of ground. During the construction and in the years since the city of Davumior bloomed in front of the academy. It was originally started as a way station before the academy proper, over time it started to become a mostly self-sufficient urban sprawl. Most of the residents are the old retinues and servants of past students and their offspring.

 

Curriculum

 

Training of new pilots runs through three terms:

 

Freshman - Basically boot camp, lots of physical training and some lecture on battlefield protocol, fighting techniques and basic maintenance. Those that arrive with support personnel are told to leave them behind or just leave. Generally lasts 10 months

 

Junior - At this point the student body is split between those who will be pilots and those that will join the ranks of the Sacristan. Beginning of the term for the pilots the jack implantation is done, those that survive start frame training. Mostly simulation runs in multiple learning multiple frame warfare types. This helps determine placement next term. Generally lasts around 10 months.

 

Senior - The longest term, students are assigned a teacher/mentor to serve in combat while piloting an armigar frame. Once the instructor is satisfied that the student is ready they will 'graduate' to a knight frame. When this happens the graduate has the choice to stay an armigar pilot or take the final step to 'becoming' a knight pilot. This works just like the standard Imperial ritual of bonding to the Throne Mechanicum of a knight. If the bonding works then the pilot takes command of their frame and is assigned their own garrison force of grads that stayed as armigar pilots.

 

Course if the ritual fails the pilot dies. This is not told to the graduates until they make their choice, as a last chance to see what the pilot is made of.

 

Culture: The academy takes from all worlds in the Confederation, be it their best and brightest, or just those desperate and strong enough to get to the academy. This tends to be from the upper echelons so most of the pilots are of noble blood. Very few of the locals tend to  enroll, so the culture is a mix from across the sector. Enrollment is open every four years, if a candidate misses the window or fails the basic entrance exam, they can try again next open enrollment.

 

A new local tradition did spring up, during an enrollment year there is a contest held to see who among the local youth can attend the academy either as pilots or mechanics.

 

NOTABLE CAMPAIGNS

 

The Cleansing of Block 76 (018.M41) - Early battle against a necron force to reclaim a forge. The freeblades lead the new group of knight pilots into battle against a necron force. Bjorg requested that the knights take on the force alone. A lesson learned in the fires of combat. The battle went well for the knights, Llywelyn made her mark taking out a c’tan shard and rescuing a fellow classmate assaulted by wraiths. Even later when the group was ambushed by another xenos force Llywelyn led a charge into the center of the army, crushing dozens of warriors.

 

The Flesh War (021.M41): It starts with capture of a pilot from a warglaive on patrol. When Sir Rhonwen takes heavy damage in another patrol he calls  for support from House Jenius while Durkari raids a nearby settlement.

 

Lady Xue Jenius in Zorn des Löwen is first to walk as a sign of force. She reaps a heavy toll on the durkari and after a few sorties her frame is in need of repair. Llywelyn, piloting Korgin des Lowen, takes the lead force and starts to hunt down the xenos. Each engagement is bloody on both sides, the pilots pushing their knight frames to the limit. It was only after several brutal encounters that the Durkari finally stopped their raids. Paying too steep a price for the pound of flesh they tried to extract from the sellement.

 

The Sunsus Campaign (119.M41) - House Jenius assists a forgeworld in dealing with a xenos incursion. Lady Jikan used it as the final trial for her students.

 

Answering a call for aid, Magos Der Klaue had house Jenius send a lance to help. Lady Hotaru Jikan was chosen for the task and only took with her two students, Awateru and Kyofu Tsuki and a small team of Sacristan. They were joined by a small strike force of astartes prior to exiting Confederate territory as additional escort.

 

Once in the system Lady Jikan landed her force and supported the techno guard in repulsing both ork and Aeldari assaults.

 

Things took a bad turn when House Jenius forces were told to help in an assault against an enemy base. Only to find out that base was defended by astartes of the Imperial Fist chapter. It was a harsh lesson for her students in the politics of the galaxy. Both Hotaru and Kyofu were badly injured during the assault. Not soon after they were requested to defend an important site, both their bodies and knights were quickly patched up. Once again House Jenius took the brunt on the attack, repulsing what seemed like an endless wave of Aeldari. Once enough damage was done the xenos abandoned the assault. When Hotaru found out what they were protecting she had enough of the lies.

 

She sent Awateru to contact the Imperial Fist commander and alert them of Magos Piotrna Marcin heresy. She did more than that. Awateru managed to get the Fists to help rescue both her fellow pilots and with a small group of sacristans, recover their knight frames as well.

 

Reports filter through that the Imperial Fists were able to destroy the xenos tech site.

Edited April 14, 2020 by Focslain

[Bjorn Firewalker]

I STRONGLY doubt the Space Wolves Chapter will leave the "Lost Sons of Russ" alone, due to concerns they may have turned renegade or even traitor- see Skyrar's Dark Wolves for one example that justifies such concerns. Better describe them as "blackshields" (Space Marines who forsook their Chapters, or whose Chapters forsook them). Be prepared for Dark Angels and Dark Angels successors knocking down the Academy doors to make sure the blackshields aren't Fallen Angels, with the Ordo Astartes close behind.

[Focslain]

I STRONGLY doubt the Space Wolves Chapter will leave the "Lost Sons of Russ" alone, due to concerns they may have turned renegade or even traitor- see Skyrar's Dark Wolves for one example that justifies such concerns. Better describe them as "blackshields" (Space Marines who forsook their Chapters, or whose Chapters forsook them). Be prepared for Dark Angels and Dark Angels successors knocking down the Academy doors to make sure the blackshields aren't Fallen Angels, with the Ordo Astartes close behind.

 

Oh I'm fully aware, Feltorin has(had) an excommuncatus(sp?) order on him since he is a mutate at this point. 

 

Guess with this being an offical record I might want to not include them as even to the general populace the existence of the Lost Sons is a secret. Just that they have ties to the house's creation...

 

Yeah, I'll remove them. Best to keep the secrets secret. 

 

Heck the two freeblades that trained the original group were of the Fel knights. But we'll keep that info for those that need to know.

 

edit: And I just realized that makes trouble for those marked for the Fel Knights... I'll figure something out. If anything it's a group of roaming freeblades that pull from the academy since they helped found it. A eternal debt of honour thing. Just have to find a prettier way to word it.

 

Edit Edit: I'm going to have to rearrange this article so that the top is more focused on the knight house that staffs the academy then I can go ham on the academy itself.  

Edited April 3, 2020 by Focslain

[Focslain]

*After binging five episodes*

 

Well that was a waste, knid of, everyone had their own battle cry, but I might have something.

 

In line of the school theme and the characters Llywelyn is based on (Sir Intergia from Hellsing and Cmdr Frolaytia Capistrano from Heavy Object) , the phrase illustrant eas (illuminate them) seems fitting. Especially when said with the contemptible tone both women generally use.  

[Focslain]

Minor update in the Notable Personnel section. 

[Focslain]

Ok, so got this to a point I'm happy with it. I still need to add some more graphics, but writing wise I'm ok with this.

I'm going to leave this for any last minute critiques but closing it next monday so I can get to work on some models I want to count towards challenge two. If my count is right this is just under the gold level.

 

Overall edits:
Added detailed for Campaign section

 

Reorganized main and secondary articles

 

Removed uniform section from academy. Need to rework the emblem system.

 

Added to main academy section.

 

Added battle cry.

 

Added to Notable Knights and more details to Notable Characters.