The Castigators

[Tyrannicide]

I can see the confusion I wrought, with the term 'radical', it's very close to how the Inquisition uses the term.

 

I like the sound of the third company banner, I can't wait to see how it turns out.

 

The Castigators wouldn't be too happy fighting alongside the 'Consuls Librarian. I plan to have some sort of chaos cult psychic presence on the planet the Astartes force attack, so this could be one reason, why Alektas was chosen to lead the force. Another reason, could simply be his companion, the Black Consols Captain, could've died early into the fighting.

[flameseeker574]

I hate this IA article, simply because its existence (along with others that are of a similar standard) make it much harder for me to write a decent article, so commissar I'm going to have to ask you to stop writing articles that raise the bar, because frankly I can't keep up.

 

Sarcasm aside this is an incredibly well written article that I will use to help me with my Sanguine Templar IA.

[brother varen]

Commissar, i've been thinking alot about your home world section. You were thinking of the Castigators giving the inhabants some from of technology or supplies in exchange for new recruits. What if the Castigators gave them newly established colonies (not fully established, but with limited techology toward food and power). This would help the inhabants to colonize their planet and also give them the best recruits. This would also give the inhabants a nomadic life style. I believe this would help in trying to keep the gene-pool pure for future recruits. Also give the inhabants a reason to strive for. Just some thoughts.

[Commissar Molotov]

Commissar, i've been thinking alot about your home world section. You were thinking of the Castigators giving the inhabants some from of technology or supplies in exchange for new recruits. What if the Castigators gave them newly established colonies (not fully established, but with limited techology toward food and power). This would help the inhabants to colonize their planet and also give them the best recruits. This would also give the inhabants a nomadic life style. I believe this would help in trying to keep the gene-pool pure for future recruits. Also give the inhabants a reason to strive for. Just some thoughts.

 

Thank you for the response. I don't especially like the idea of pre-fabricated colonies being plonked down by the Castigators, if only for the fact that I like the idea of semi-established conclaves of Human existence that are defended. At some stage I did write the basis of some extra-detailed fluff for Losanco which will hopefully be placed on the website when it's re-established. Basically there were settlements, and some of the smaller ones had been over-run by Mutants, leading to retaliatory purges by the darksiders. I'm not sure that I want the inhabitants to have a nomadic lifestyle.

 

One question, though - why would the Castigators providing them with colonies keep the gene-pool pure? ;)

[brother varen]

With the darksiders purges into the light side of the planet, the damaging effects of the radation to the gene-pool will likely be a down fall within a contained community. Only by merging gene-pools of diffrent colonies could you keep the effects of radation at a stale mate. That is why i thought of a nomadic lifestyle.

 

For example, the mongols are a nomadic poeple that travel in family groups. During special ceromonies, they travel to meet other family groups(colonies) to marry and create new family groups.

 

this would create a stronger bloodline, that doesn't stagnate and get polluted. If you think of one colony or family group, how long would it be before the radation got the better of them on their constant purges to the day side? With the intrduction of new DNA, you could create a stable counter weight. Think of this, picture a funnel. The top of the funnel would be the sart of a colony's DNA. As the colony keeps purging the light-side they travel down the funnel (Damages done by radation) to where their DNA isn't enough to keep the colony alive. Without the introduction of new DNA a colony will die out. Just my thinking.

 

Do the inhabants only live in a number of settlements? Or do they try to establish new colonies? I mean no offence in my rabblings. just food for thought.

 

it all depends on how you wish to create the way the the inhabants struggle to survive the damaging effects to their gene-pool.

[Commissar Molotov]

Okay, I see where you're going with this. I didn't mean to suggest that each settlement was its own little isolated enclave. In fact, I think that many of the settlements would have to trade with eachother in order to survive. Although I imagine there'd be a barter system if anything. So I think that the people could move relatively freely from colony to colony. With that said, I've always pictured those that go to the lightside as looking something akin to the Tusken Raiders, swathed in rags to stave off the heat and radiation. They'd look incredibly rag-tag (in fact, I've talked to Tiberius about illustrating these hardy individuals at some stage).

 

And no offense taken! It's rare for people to provide this article with feedback, so I appreciate it all the more.

[Octavulg]

Though the Tusken raiders put the idea in my mind, it seems apparent to me that travel between the colonies would need to be done in a fairly imposing fashion. Perhaps sandcrawlers are in order?

 

Certainly walking everywhere would seem a little...difficult.

 

Crawlers of some description might allow some mechanization and a bit more movement, while still avoiding the Mad Max feel.

[Heru]

Though the Tusken raiders put the idea in my mind, it seems apparent to me that travel between the colonies would need to be done in a fairly imposing fashion. Perhaps sandcrawlers are in order?

 

Certainly walking everywhere would seem a little...difficult.

 

Crawlers of some description might allow some mechanization and a bit more movement, while still avoiding the Mad Max feel.

From Tusken Raiders to Jawas... oh dear how very Tatooine...

[Commissar Molotov]

Certainly, which is why I wouldn't be in favour of 'sandcrawlers'. Certainly once you start using more and more terminology from that universe, Losanco becomes more like Lucas-land.

 

You say it'd be "difficult" to walk - but then "difficulty" is almost a prerequisite for Space Marine homeworlds!

[Orkdung]

Though the Tusken raiders put the idea in my mind, it seems apparent to me that travel between the colonies would need to be done in a fairly imposing fashion. Perhaps sandcrawlers are in order?

 

Certainly walking everywhere would seem a little...difficult.

 

Crawlers of some description might allow some mechanization and a bit more movement, while still avoiding the Mad Max feel.

 

Possibly Imperial Leviathans, converted to civilian use.

 

I have to reread the fluff, as I havent hit this thread in quite some time, but maybe the colonists had an STC or a Manufactorum ship that produces Leviathans. They are used as clan vehicles and wander the wastes of the planet, meeting once a year for social gatherings, recruitment by the Emperors "Star Warriors", and clan marriages.

 

Leviathan not Sandcrawler. GW not Lucas.

[Commissar Molotov]

...maybe the colonists had an STC or a Manufactorum ship that produces Leviathans. They are used as clan vehicles and wander the wastes of the planet, meeting once a year for social gatherings, recruitment by the Emperors "Star Warriors", and clan marriages...

 

Emphasis mine. :)

 

But no, seriously - the leviathan idea has some merit, but it removes the whole 'light side'/'dark side' dichotomy that I'm so keen to promte. It's also remarkably similar to Medusa, the Iron Hands' homeworld - they have giant vehicles that cross the deserts. So it's a little too... common for what I want to do. I like the idea of semi-established settlements. The Losancans live almost as techno-barbarians, anyway. I can imagine Losancans having to prove that they're not mutants before being allowed into settlements, things like that.

[Octavulg]

You say it'd be "difficult" to walk - but then "difficulty" is almost a prerequisite for Space Marine homeworlds!

 

Indeed. But impossible is too much - and the environment which seems to be prevalent would lean heavily toward the impossible.

 

Also, you REALLY need to read The Chrysalids. Seriously.

[Commissar Molotov]

Well, I read a summary of the book on the internet, and I'm intrigued. There are a great deal of similarities between the Losancans and those living in Labrador. Especially the idea that in order to keep God/the Emperor happy, those with 'deviations' must be cast out. Of course, the Losancans kill them wherever possible, rather than exiling them to the wastes. It's interesting, though. Very interesting indeed.

 

I'm not so sure that life would be 'impossible', though - I'd challenge that assertion.

[Octavulg]

Well, I read a summary of the book on the internet, and I'm intrigued. There are a great deal of similarities between the Losancans and those living in Labrador. Especially the idea that in order to keep God/the Emperor happy, those with 'deviations' must be cast out. Of course, the Losancans kill them wherever possible, rather than exiling them to the wastes. It's interesting, though. Very interesting indeed.

 

It is. Labrador's a lot nicer than Losanca, but it's still interesting for the look at the society.

 

It's quite a good book, really. I'd recommend you read it even if it weren't for the Castigators. That's just an additional reason. :lol:

 

I'm not so sure that life would be 'impossible', though - I'd challenge that assertion.

 

Travel, more. What with the roaming mutants, and the desert, and the radiation - plus the tendency in any culture where you walk everywhere for folks not to travel.

 

Add all that up and staying at home sounds pretty appealing. I'd expect either large caravans of people or some form of transport which made them faster and safer. Unfortunately, you don't really like either of those options (not that I blame you).

[Commissar Molotov]

My feeling is that there are certain settlements that would be somewhat larger, established and secure. And then there would be those that are closer to the light side, and more vulnerable. All the settlements would have defences of one sort or another - there would be established militias. And I think that most of the time, mutant assaults could be staved off. It means that the Losancans wouldn't necessarily need to go to the light-side to kill mutants - they could kill them on the dark side. But those that showed their determination by risking their lives in order to eradicate the mutant threat to them and theirs would attract no small interest from the Castigators.

 

There would be contact between settlements, but I don't see a constant flow between them. And perhaps there would be caravans - or convoys - so that those that wish to travel can do so with some protection. I can see it somewhat as villages, relatively far from each other, so news of a mutant assault overrunning a city might take a few days. I'm not sure.

[Octavulg]

My feeling is that there are certain settlements that would be somewhat larger, established and secure. And then there would be those that are closer to the light side, and more vulnerable. All the settlements would have defences of one sort or another - there would be established militias. And I think that most of the time, mutant assaults could be staved off. It means that the Losancans wouldn't necessarily need to go to the light-side to kill mutants - they could kill them on the dark side. But those that showed their determination by risking their lives in order to eradicate the mutant threat to them and theirs would attract no small interest from the Castigators.

 

OK - you definitely need to read the Chrysalids. :lol: You're an English major, IIRC - how is it you're afraid of reading? ;)

 

That said - entirely plausible and sensible. How do the periphery cities and villages see the interior ones? What, exactly, motivates these roving bands of anti-mutant warriors? How are they viewed by the villages? Dangerous extremists, glorious warriors of the faith, or some combination thereof?

 

There would be contact between settlements, but I don't see a constant flow between them. And perhaps there would be caravans - or convoys - so that those that wish to travel can do so with some protection. I can see it somewhat as villages, relatively far from each other, so news of a mutant assault overrunning a city might take a few days. I'm not sure.

 

You must then explain why these villages are so far apart, when centralization would clearly seem to be a better idea...

[Commissar Molotov]

Haha, I didn't say I was afraid of reading! I'll try and track down the book when I get a chance. If only to calm you down. :lol:

 

With regards to the centralisation aspect, I suppose you could argue that the ones closer to the light side are warmer - that would be one key reason to live there. Perhaps it's easier to grow food there. They take the risks on the frontiers so that they can survive that little bit better.

[Octavulg]

With regards to the centralisation aspect, I suppose you could argue that the ones closer to the light side are warmer - that would be one key reason to live there. Perhaps it's easier to grow food there. They take the risks on the frontiers so that they can survive that little bit better.

 

True - but why live several days from the nearest other village? Do they hate each other? Do they need the space for some reason? Do they like them their solitude? Is there some weird eugenic motivation?

 

Frankly, it doesn't make sense to live more than a day from other people in the world you're building (at least, I sure as hell wouldn't want to). This would seem to carry on right up the scale from individual up to large city.

[Commissar Molotov]

Well, considering that I'm not planning on drawing up a map of Losanco any time soon, with meticulously plotted trade-routes, it's mostly irrelevant. I don't want them to all live in one giant settlement. And thus it is so. :D Whether they live one day apart or more, I don't especially mind.

[Tyrannicide]

I see Losanco as a very bleak and distressing place to live. The Losancan people would no doubt, show this in their stern personalities. The Losancans would be a very bold and resolute band of individuals, but they would also have to deal with staving off the mutants. I believe the mutant 'kill-teams' motivation would come from the threat and possible danger the mutants possessed upon the settlements. One reason for the villages being so distant, could be the fact, that there could have been other settlements at one time, until some sort of extermination brought on by the mutants, killed all the inhabitants and destroyed the cities. This could also provide some reasoning, as to why the Losancan hunting parties go out, with such hate-filled vengeance towards the mutants, and risk their own lives now.

[Heru]

Perhaps it's easier to grow food there. They take the risks on the frontiers so that they can survive that little bit better.

Building on this perhaps the settlements are set up where the best ground is for crop growth (zones with water, good soil?), and that these pockets are distanced particularly far apart. Also perhaps the people on the frontier have to be there in order to feed the people on the "safer" dark side.

Now with the mutants perhaps they don't just raid for kicks, perhaps they raid the frontier settlements for supplies and captives (perhaps they need pure bloods to breed with?), this would give a rather realistic reason for the Dark Siders to form anti-mutant parties, to recover the supplies and the captives and cull the mutant numbers.

[Tyrannicide]

Now with the mutants perhaps they don't just raid for kicks, perhaps they raid the frontier settlements for supplies and captives (perhaps they need pure bloods to breed with?), this would give a rather realistic reason for the Dark Siders to form anti-mutant parties, to recover the supplies and the captives and cull the mutant numbers.

This could actually work, and it seems realistic enough. I think that the mutant-killer bands would have much more of a motivational reason, than just a personal protection one, if it means they're women and children are in constant danger from the mutants.

[Octavulg]

Kinda kills the xenophobic edge, though. They're not hunting them down 'cause they're mutants, they're hunting them down cause they took their wimmin.

[Darrell]

I think it makes perfect sense for villages to be spaced apart, aside from the fact that Mol wishes it to be so, of course. :(

 

Consider that Losanco's people are forced to live in what amounts to perpetual twilight, which means there's not going to be a lot of resources around to live on. I imagine that places suitable for farming (At least large enough to support a settlement) would be relatively rare and treasured. Spacing settlements out allows them to maximize their ability to find these places and utilize them effectively, probably rotating crops between fields to ensure they don't drain one area of soil completely. Spacing out also allows you to avoid being completely run over by any mutant attacks, diseases, crop shortages or any other kind of disaster that can run rampant through concentrated populations.

 

It could also be a matter of circumstance. As I said earlier, fertile farming patches or hunting grounds may be days apart from each other which forces the communities to spread out in order to use them. The answer could be as simple as the natives of Losanco coming to the planet on different ships which all experienced some sort of failure and crashed in separate locations. Communities sprang up near those wrecks and the other ships were considered lost, or not worth the trouble to search for. Years later, they discover the existence of other communities but by this time suspicion has set in. They are naturally distrusting and, even after the other communities prove themselves, are inclined to stay amongst themselves. Eventually trade routes spring up and alliances are formed, but each is essentially its own isolated society.

 

There are plenty of real examples around. Why didn't all the city-states of ancient Greece just gather in one spot and form a country right away? Why did the first pilgrims to America spread out along the coast instead of staying in one place? It's perfectly reasonable for the people on Losanco to form communities that are some distance away from each other.

 

One thing about this is there are some potential rivalries that spring up amongst them. Those communities closest to the light-side see themselves as brave and warriors of the Emperor, while those communities closer to the dark are cowards or backwards barbarians. Those closer to the night-side see themselves as tougher and stronger than those communities closer to the light (Near-Night siders perhaps forming large, annual groups to venture towards the light to kill mutants while the Near-Light siders have smaller, more frequent parties), who perhaps are seen as being fattened by their more bountiful crops or are only a hair's breadth away from being mutants themselves.

 

Of course, all of that is just detailed conjecture that isn't necessary. The most important thing we need to know about the people on Losanco is they manage to stay alive on a harsh world, and thus they make great candidates for the Castigators. How they travel amongst communities, or how those communities feel about each other, are just details that would belong more in a novel than an IA. While it may be fun to theorize about, it doesn't really say much about the Castigators themselves, and they're the focus of the article!

 

I do have to say, though, it's hard to critique the Castigators. They've been refined over the years by someone who is very adept at the art of Chapter creation, and you could probably have an easier time critiquing the Ultramarines or the Salamanders than you could the Castigators. The hard work at refinement is obvious, but it also makes feedback hard to give.

[Commissar Molotov]

You're absolutely right that it lies outside the scope of a typical IA article, but with the Castigators, I'm keeping in mind that I'm hoping to resurrect the Castigators' website in a new and improved form. As a result, I'm able to expand things so as to delve fully into the background of these scarlet-clad zealots.

 

So I don't mind this discussion whatsoever. :)