The Lament of Votann

[Kronos]

Some Time ago I shared a little snippet of my Army Lore on my WIP Log. However I wanted to add some context to that devloping Lore by expanding the Lore of the Leagues of Votann. My only bugbear with the Leagues of Votann current Lore has been that it’s Origins are aluded to be Terra. But I wanted to give the Votann an Older Creationist Story to the Leagues, something more comparable to the Aeldari and Old Ones. Or at least to the Votann Ancestor Cores.  It’s still in it early drafting but keen to hear any devlopment ideas from other fans of the League Lore.

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The Lament of Votann

Born at the Roots of the Void, The Kŷn are older than the ancient fractured data logs and inscrutable Node flashes wouod ever suggest, if even such data could ever be retrievable. The Leagues, as we know them now may indeed have set off from the Terran Solar System many Thousands of Years ago, but this is not where the Votann and it’s Children were created. The Serpens Edda Slates tells of a Celestial Race of sentient beings albeit with molecular compostiins not dissimilar from Minerals and stones.

Beyond the Stars, and past the Fields of Hollow Giants and many lives over the Galactic arm - the Origins of the Votann lie in Galaxy further than the reach of any of the civilised Races. In an unknown cluster of Star Systems, the Intelligible life that created the Votann had awoken. The Primal Ancestors, or the Stone Minds as they are often referred to had created Cogitators to expand their Powerful albeit waning Civilisation. The Primal Ancestors sought to expand their works with the aid of the Votann. The mighty Civilisations of the Stone Minds flourished even further. Held back only by their few numbers and  . The First Ancestral Core, who Stone Minds called Votann. The venerable Cogitator Mind had resolved that the most efficient method  to expand their interstellar Workforce would be with a legion of carbon based life, coded, created and produced under exacting gestation inside the Cruibles. The First successful Clone Kŷn were created. With them came the Ironkyŷn to aid their Exploration and harvesting of resources for the Stone Minds Sector spanning Nations. Expanding out from the deep Galactic Heart from Where the Stone Mind Homeworlds Lay, the First Leagues expanded out. In a few short Centuries the stoneminds and their Kyn Hosts had explored the majority of planetoids in their sector. Acquired ever growing resources that fuelled even more Technological Advances. With each exploration more data and knwledge would be given to the growing Votann mind. In the Stone Mind Capital World, the Nodes, processors, and Data of Votann had grown to the size of small City, the jewell of the Stone Mind Civilisation, and the pride of their technological marvels. 

But the tale of Pride and Hubris is a constant  doomed to repeat itself. empire after empire, Galaxy after Galaxy. For the stone minds and their Cognitive guide Votann had created the first and only life in the entirety of their Galactic Sector. In their Greed and Hubris the Primal Ancestors pushed for more yields, for more resources. Until they encountered the last planet in their Galactic Rim. The acquisition of the last World wasn’t only a celebration for the magnitude of such an accomplishment, but the World Was Unlike any Planet the Clone Kŷn had discovered. This was not another barren World of Rich Ore, gasses and fuel rich deosits, this World was  with Life. 

Stonemind Leaders and scientific Councils had gathered to the verdant World before it was dismantled and delved. Millions of Clones from a Hundred Fleets had all come. To Aid in the great Mining and to bear Witness the Great Living Orb. At first many Stonemind Analysts and Archivists took samples. Many to study further, and the rest to present to Votann. 

The naivity and hubtis of their actions were soon laid bare. In the greatness of their growing empire the Stone Minds never considered why their Worlds were Devoid of life. Theories had passed the Votann’s Logs than the Stone Minds were simply the first. That other Life had not evolved and that the conditions of the Planets in their Galaxy, thus far were inhospitable to all but beings such as theirs. The jubilant celebrations of finding a Verdant World of Flora was a short Lived scientific Miracle, soon, the Horror and Anguish would be bourne once more into the Their Galaxy and beyond. 

The Clone Kŷn had not met resistance before, though conditions were inevitably treacherous. From Seismic activity to radiation spitting Suns. The Clone Kŷn were created to be tough and their tools could eadily be turned onto attackers. But they had not been created to counter the threat of a Hive Mind, and all their durability and craft were not enough. 

The Celebration Fleets were the First to fall. In days the landing parties hd been consumed, almost silently by ravenous Flora. The Strange vegetation soon had become airborne. In the Widespread havoc Millions of Clone Kŷn were devoured. The Great Bane became stronger, different, better suited, and terribly sharper of mind. In their Slow escape the Exploration Fleets were eaten to a Kŷn. Thr IronKŷn and Stoneminds that fought back were soon destroyed, but their bodies left as scars  drifting in the void. Mining World after mining world was stripped of their Clone Kŷn Workers, eateb and their biomass consimed by the Bane. In months Billions had been consumed by what was Now a Living Fleet,  with a single purpose, to Devour. 

In the Stone Mind Capital World Masses had gathered around the Votann for answers and solutions. The great Golden Mind pulsed and rocked with strain, it’s guidance would either save the Stone Mind Nations or doom them. Votann answered 42, the Remaining 42 Kŷn fleets must Leave. To save the Kŷn Clones and starve the Bane of it’s Bio Matter. The Great Votann divided its consciousness amongst the fleets. In effort to save the learnings of the Stone Minds and it’s Votann the great Cogitator divided it’s teachings as equally and considered as it could. 

Equipping the surviving Exploration vessels,  The Kŷn began their Long March to refuge, to leave their Stone Homes behind and escape the Galactic spanning Devouring from the Emerged Threat. Faring the Void the Kŷn Vessels set out on different Paths in the Cold Void. Escaping their doomed Galaxy, and the Teeth of the Great Devourer, but it’s Shadow would forever haunt them. For Millennia the fleets travelled the Darkness of the Void. Many in stasis, some taking Long Watches with their Ironkŷn brethren. Where the other 41 fleets found themselves is lost now to the Stars and the Darkness. But one Fleet managed to find harbour in the Known Galaxy, by time that this generation of the Clone Kŷn arrived to the new Galaxy the memories of their ancestors were now fables, corrupted code and although they could not describe it clearly, the Kŷn knew to equally hate and fear the Sbân. Some ships of the fleet could bear the travel no longer. Desperate to claim Worlds in the Galaxy perimeters. But most ventured forth, seeking the comforts of the Core. It would be Chance, or the Weavings of Scheming Beings that would lead these dispossessed Fleets to the Solar System. The fledgling Human Race and the Kŷn shared in trade and technology for many years. The Kŷn safley harbouring on the Red planet of Mars, rebuilding their ships, repairing, and of course, harvesting resources required before they continued their journey. In Exchange for the vital resources and r.are earths the Kŷn Shared STC’s with the Terrans, and equally the Terrans shared their crude but efficient technologies in exchange for guidance on mining and resource acquisition. The Fleet had repopulated it’s Fane Mind, the Votann onto more ships, hoping the Guidance that was provided to the Prime ship would be of aid. Some of these Fanes were built on Mars as part of the remaining Kŷn Colony of Olympia and  even shared with the allied humans of Terra. Human progress grew with the guidance of the new Votann cores and with the aid of the Terran Born IronKŷn. 

With the Fleets now ready to continue their Long March into the Galactic Core, The Leagues of Votann set forth the claim its Wealth and riches. Through time, Over the Millennia, The  Votann lost all memory of it’s origins. Stories feel into Myth, Myth into little kore than disparate data, memory recalled a time a on Terra, but scant else remained over the millennia. But the Scorn and Hatred the Leagues had for the Bane remained in their very being. For the Shadow of the Great Devourer and Stalked across the Abyss to find its quarry.