IA: Wings of Dawn - v2.0

[Berzul]

I've continued to write. Mostly a preamble to future text.

 

See, I run a lot of narrative campaigns for players in my country. The last of which is based in a setting I devised, that could be used by my local gaming group as a close and personal place and narrative through which to play some games. Something that could tie up the Necrons, T'au, Tyranids, Death Guard, and Ultramarines that form up my regular group of friends and players.

 

My friends have already agreed that we shall run a LOT of narrative games, to build up the armies and their lore, as enemies that often find themselves in conflict with one another... In fact, if anyone is interested in THAT setting, I'd be happy to share some info on it! It is part of a country wide narrative I started this year, which —saddly— got postponed due to COVID-19.

 

Also, with 9th edition coming, I will start to collect Primaris, at last.

 

So, I am trying to set up the lore of the chapter in such a way as to (1) lead my writing into the narrative of the battles we will be playing with my friends, and (2) give me a good narrative basis for the incorporation of Primaris into my collection.

 

This text, then, is a WIP preamble to that. A set up, if you will. From here, I plan to start writing small entries as battles take place,. and the army expands.

 

 

+++ +++ +++

 

+++ CHRONICLES OF WAR +++

An account of the chapter’s history in the 42^nd millennium

 

The Wings of Dawn has always been a homeworld-bound chapter. Seldom crusading beyond the limits of its own sector, and even then, mostly in small numbers. This, since the battle brothers are vowed, first and foremost, to keeping their Eternal Watch at the east end of the galaxy.

 

At any particular time, one will find the bulk of their forces —in the form of the Reserve Companies, led by the First Company—, stationed in Alcides. These warriors being tasked to hold the planet from inside their halls in the Sigmalite Fortress. With their lives dedicated to prayer, to training, and to keeping guard against the many dangers that abound in every direction.

 

Still, warpaths are kept by the Battle Companies, for their part. With their large numbers being deployed constantly into the multiple warzones of the Charadon Sector, through divisions formed from their various Demi Companies.

 

These warriors, as sustained by regular rotations from the Alcidean reserves, help to keep humanity safe in this far off part of the Imperium. By fending off the mortal dangers posed by the daemonic forces that surge from the tail-end of the Cicatrix Maledictum, the virulent traitors of the Death Guard’s plague worlds near Ultramar, the slave armies of the Sautekh tomb worlds, and the insidious treachery of the T’au Empire.

 

This balance to their power has been upset, however, since the early days of the 42^nd millennium. The battle brothers of the chapter having become increasingly scattered across the stars. With their strength now stretched across new warzones far beyond their ancestral home, and with the fate of many of their own being unknown and uncertain.

 

 

An brotherhood, divided

 

At the turn of the first century of this 42^nd millennium, and for reasons privy to the highest echelons of the chapter command alone, the Fourth and the Fifth Companies have ventured beyond the known limits of the Eastern Fringe. Past the Orientis Lux system, and into the vast darkness of the great black that extends outside the Imperium. With a number of heroes from the First Company and the support of many neophytes, along with them.

 

No communication has been possible with these warriors for a great number of years, and with each passing day the Grand Master feels more pressure, both from his advisors and from the members of the inner circle, to declare the companies as lost. To rebuild them with the fresh blood of new recruits. Perhaps even through the use of the gifts offered by the joint efforts and genetic craftsmanship of Mars and Ultramar: The Primaris Marines. Something to which the Arch Chaplains advice strongly against, with a great sense of foreboding.

 

The Grand Master knows that a decision will have to be made soon, as the recent events of the so-called Psychic Awakening, which has thrown the galaxy into new turmoil, make it all the more evident that the chapter needs to return to its full strength if it is to survive these harrowing times.

 

The choice remains a pending task still, however, even if for a but few years more. Poorly buried under other more pressing matters, as the enemies of the Imperium gather on mass near the sector. In the form of great swarm of beasts, born as a splintered strain from the terrible and terrifying Hive Fleet Kraken. Going rampant and unchecked across the north bank of the Cicatrix Maledictum, endangering the corridors that serve as the only true gateway into the Imperium Nihilus. Creatures already driven to a mindless frenzy of bloodlust, after consuming entire human worlds in their path towards the Imperium, as well as at least one full chapter of the Adeptus Astartes. One which is said to have been made up of the very brethren of these heirs to the First Legion.

 

The Grand Master has answered the call to war himself. He has taken direct command of the remaining warriors of the First Company, as well as the full might of the Second Company. Thus, leading a combined army of nearly a hundred and fifty battle brothers up the far side of the Hadex Anomaly, and towards the Carima System. The one place where the head of the snake may be cut, before it swallows the bridge that holds humanity together, whole.

 

+++ +++ +++

 

 

 

This whole text seeks to establish a starting point to the narrative of the army, at present. With the forces of the second company engaging a fleet of tyranids right above the cicatrix maledictum, before splitting up into two groups. One demi company from the 2nd Company being led by Zerephiel, my Grand Master, to pursue the while the other, led by the Master of the Second Company, takes a path further north, up the Imperium Nihilus, and towards another warzone where the T'au and the Necron have a chokehold on imperial lives. These, after all imperial forces in range within the Imperium Nihilus have been summoned to a reclamation crusade to a xenos infested system of great importance.

 

All of this follows the battles, and the stories, my gaming group is making up from our most recent games, and as we weave them into these narrative plans we have for the new edition and upcoming matches.

Edited June 6, 2020 by Berzul

[Berzul]

Well, I've gone and added those backgrounds I have already written down, on the heroes of the chapter.

 

This includes the Grand Master, the Chief of the Librarians, the Master of the Second Company, his second Lieutenant, and the Sergeant of the Third Tactical Squad.

 

I have plans on writing small biographies for a ton of my models. The chaplains, the librarians, the lieutenants, the command squads, the dreadnoughts, and each sergeant across the second company. Even if just a small blurb of text for a very tiny measure of characterization.

 

It is progress with the IA, I guess, in any case. Small an addition, though it may be, thus far.

 

 

I have also finished the text about where and how the chapter is right now. It has been hard tryuing to replicate the form and shape of the entry though. It uses a lot of images, and some text boxes for flavour side texts.... I haven¿t been able to upload it in a way I am satisfied with, yet. I'll try and figure out how.

Edited June 12, 2020 by Berzul

[Berzul]

Well, managed to add the final bit.

 

Again, its a part of the IA, as I have it in my computer, which is a way or recording my games with my friends, in a narrative we are trying to build up. In fact, some elements in the  backgrounds of the heroes  i have written so far follows this as well, mentioning (if in passing) heroes or elements of their own armies.

 

So, it is all work in progress, in the sense that it is actually a narrative that is developing, per the matches that take place.

[Berzul]

Just dropping by to add another battle report to the narrative the army is at. Its an old battle, of which I accidentally stumbled into some pictures of, so I decided to take the chance to add it to the IA.

[Machine God]

 

 

An brotherhood, divided

 

@Berzul - It should be: A brotherhood, divided.

 

An is grammatically incorrect in that sentence.

[Berzul]

Thank you. I had not noticed the typo. Ill fix it.

[Berzul]

I checked, and it seems I made the spelling mistake in the thread, but not when placing this text in the First Post, which holds the updated IA for the Chapter.

 

Please, if you DO find ANY spelling mistakes in the First Post, point them out to me. I'd be very grateful.

[Berzul]

It's been a good while since I last visited this IA. In the meantime, my gaming group and I have been working on a setting for campaigns, meant to be used for crusade.

 

We just started to play our first Crusade campaign, and I've taken the chance to develop some characters of the army. Creating a couple of Combat Patrols that make as much narrative sense as possible for the campaign. Mainly based on the story of Osric Helain, the 2nd Lieutenant of the 2nd Company, being tasked with taking a small combat force into a war zone populated with Necron forces, after his promotion into his position of lieutenant. This, at the same time, being a good cover for Casimir Naevis, 1st Epistolary of the Chapter's Librarium. Who has been sent with Osric into this war zone, and to investigate the activities of a particular daemonic incursion of Nurgle servants, that has also taken place there.

 

I started a thread in the Liber Victorum to record the campaign in as much detail as I can. It is a combination of Crusade and of 8th Edition's Urban Conquest rules. The main goal is to try and claim the small city of Exelia Tertius. A sprawl inside a larger shrine world which has been the epicenter of a great conflict between Xenos and Chaos forces. With the Imperium recently trying to recuperate it, through the use of force.

 

So far, the campaign has seen by Order of Battle split into two Combat Patrols.

 

One is led by lieutenant Osric, who has gone into the western part of Exelia Tertius. An exploratory series of missions through the ruins of the Hab-Blocks of the city. He has with him the company's 2nd Tactical Squad, and has been given the assistance of one of the company's Dreadnoughts as a mentoring voice of ancient wisdom, as well as the company's Apothecary to ensure the safety of his forces in this, Osric's first real command. They have gone and found themselves clashing, not against Chaos or Xenos forces, but rather against an overzealous hunting party of White Scars. Not once, but twice already.

 

The other is led by librarian Casimir, who has wasted no time heading into the southeast end of the city, to pursue the Chaos forces that make their central foothold there. Bringing with him a considerable portion of the 2nd Company's, 1st Assault Squad, as a scouting force against the cunning daemons. Along with the battle brothers of the 2nd Company's, 3rd Tactical Squad, led by sergeant Oriel Ortyrax; a man renowned for his skill in leading more secretive operations, and executing critical kill team missions.

 

Given the narrative nature of the campaign, and the way my gaming group is using this to develop their own armies, I figured it would be a good idea to link the event here.

 

Hope you guys can get a chance to read it, and give me your thoughts!