Barret Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 --edit-- Added to the Origins and Organization sections as per people's feedback. Additions to previously completed sections are marked with NEW:. Filled in Beliefs, Gene-Seed and Battle Cry. --edit-- Filled in Organization and added a little preface to the article. --/edit-- --edit-- Filled in Combat Doctrine. --/edit-- --edit-- Filled out the Homeworld section. I'm not sure if it's really finished or not, and I would appreciate any feedback on it. If anyone's wondering, I'm basing the mythology of the Chapter off the Inuit of northern Canada, and the planet off the same area, where I grew up... --/edit-- Ahoy, The Spirit Walkers are a pre-crash invention of my that unfortunately did not survive the warp. However, I've taken this as a good sign they needed to be reworked, which they do. And so I am. I've decided to stick fairly closely to the original ideas and origins of the chapter, but rework them with an ethnic-base that I think is pretty uncommon, and familiar to me. As always, with anything based on a particular ethnicity/culture, I'm running the risk of offending someone through my alterations of mythology and practices, both accidental and purposeful, but I hope I won't and don't intend to. The other driving purpose behind this DIY is a) it is by far the most detailed project I've undertaken, and :lol: I'm a little tired of all my armies of wild and wooly barbarians running around whacking peoples' heads off and I'm ready for a something a little more sedate. ;) Anyways, may I present...the Spirit Walkers... As they are. The blank section will get filled in, I promise, but I'm done typing for the moment. ;) The Spirit Walkers Steeped in mysticism and highly aloof from an Imperium they barely remember, the Spirit Walkers are only now beginning to return to the galactic stage and be acknowledged by their allies and brethern in the fight to defend humanity. For over a millennia since their founding, the Spirit Walkers have struggled to rebuild a Chapter shattered in its infancy, while staving off the predations of the xeno threat and stay true to Emperor-worship. Traits Suffer Not the Alien to Live (Orks) Faithful Unto Death Origins The precise origins of the Spirit Walkers, a name that was to be recognized as oddly proptheic, have been lost in the catastrophic first decades of the Chapter Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron father Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Ahoj! Woah, that's intense. A lot of stuff going on here. Very detailed, but possibly a little ponderous. My first comment would be a slight correction in regards to: The Ork warlord, in a display of disturbing tactical cunning, I believe you mean "taktikal kunnin'." I like the description of the engagement with the Orks. An exciting addition to your chapter's history, and the tremendous losses experienced by the Spirit Walkers explain how they were put in the position to differ so widely from the codex. With the spirits of the land, I like how you've imposed a limitation on your chapter. The idea itself is interesting and unique in teh 40k universe. I am curious, though. These spirits are not merely the hallucinations of a chapter, as they impart useful information, so what are they? Latent psychic abilities? Some form of xenos entity? Actual spirits? Each of these is problematic in its own way - and when I say problematic, I don't mean that you should revise it. I mean that it would likely bring your chapter into conflist with other elements of the Imperium who are not quite so understanding in regards to a chapter which worhips a god other than the immortal Emperor. That could be interesting, though. Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1052454 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barret Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 My first comment would be a slight correction in regards to: The Ork warlord, in a display of disturbing tactical cunning, I believe you mean "taktikal kunnin'." Fixed. Sorry about that, I've been away from my Orkses for far too long. ;) I like the description of the engagement with the Orks. An exciting addition to your chapter's history, and the tremendous losses experienced by the Spirit Walkers explain how they were put in the position to differ so widely from the codex.That's what I'm aiming for, so it's good to know it comes across. :P With the spirits of the land, I like how you've imposed a limitation on your chapter. The idea itself is interesting and unique in teh 40k universe. I am curious, though. These spirits are not merely the hallucinations of a chapter, as they impart useful information, so what are they? Latent psychic abilities? Some form of xenos entity? Actual spirits? Each of these is problematic in its own way - and when I say problematic, I don't mean that you should revise it. I mean that it would likely bring your chapter into conflist with other elements of the Imperium who are not quite so understanding in regards to a chapter which worhips a god other than the immortal Emperor. That could be interesting, though. The idea here is that the 'spirits' the Spirit Walkers commune with are a number of things. Some of them are warp daemons and agents of Chaos for certain. Others are the 'ghosts' of the deceased natives of the planet, as well as fallen Marines who have been interred on the planet. I'll go more into this when I get to Beliefs, but what I've been thinking is that due to some strange property of the planet, souls/spirits/ghosts/whatever are unable to leave the planet and so populate the spirit world. I haven't decided yet on whether or not the Spirit Walkers have an increased incidence of pyskers or are simply 'seeing what really is there', as it were. Game-wise, I very rarely use Librarians, and never Chaplains (hence the lack of Reclusiam in the founding), and I was thinking of making the Librarians into very isolated individuals, apart from the rest of the Chapter and rarely taking to the field alongside their brethern and rather guiding from afar. As for the worship aspect, what I'm thinking, and what I'll go into more, in the Beliefs section, is that the major deity the Spirit Walkers venerate is simply a divergence of Emperor-worship as the settlers of the planet brought with them before they became the ferals they are now. So while they do technically worship the Emperor as a god, it's divergent enough that they will definately get into trouble with the Ecclesiarchy and the Ordo Hereticus should either of those agencies become too aware of what the Spirit Walkers are up to. They're not heretics and they're definately loyal to the Imperium, but they're also aware that whole Chapters have been condemned for far less. Nothing like a little tension to make things interesting, as you say. Cheers, Barret Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1052467 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hemal Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Woah there - I thought I'd stumbled upon a thread about small Eldar Dreadnaughts :P Lovely colour scheme and pretty cool background stuff - however, it's the cataplesean node, not the sus'an membrane which would keep them working - they didn't all gon into stasis, they kept awake constantly ;) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1052492 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barret Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 Woah there - I thought I'd stumbled upon a thread about small Eldar Dreadnaughts :P I know, but they're so rare I don't care. ;) Besides, it's a cool name... Lovely colour scheme and pretty cool background stuff - however, it's the cataplesean node, not the sus'an membrane which would keep them working - they didn't all gon into stasis, they kept awake constantly ;) Ah HAH. I thought there was something wrong with that. I guess I misread IA: Crimson Fists. Thanks. :) I'll fix that now. Cheers, Barret Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1052501 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sigismund Himself Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 About their chapter symbol. Has it been changed when they took Tuaq as their homeworld or did they know the language before they got there? :D ;) Part from that, looking like it can become a great chapter cheers Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1052842 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severus6 Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Very impressive and unique,...I like it a great deal. There are two issues that I would bring up; the first Iron Father has already brought out. The onset of the voices to your Chapter might be described differently,...maybe simply based on the fact that your Chapter has a higher content of psychic abilities based on some type of mutation within the geneseed. The planet has some unknown "quality" that acts as a catalyst that has affected the Marines in such a way. Additionally you could describe the "attribute" as possibly addictive thus the need to return to the planet on a regular basis. I can easily see where you could combine the office of Librarian and Chaplain with some additional war gear. Regardless I like your Chapter idea, its very well done. Severus6 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1052993 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barret Posted July 13, 2006 Author Share Posted July 13, 2006 About their chapter symbol. Has it been changed when they took Tuaq as their homeworld or did they know the language before they got there? :blink: ...that...never...occurred to me. D'oh! :D I'll have to think about that one. I suspect they just took it as their new symbol during the reorganization period, and their original symbol has been lost with their original records. The onset of the voices to your Chapter might be described differently,...maybe simply based on the fact that your Chapter has a higher content of psychic abilities based on some type of mutation within the geneseed. The planet has some unknown "quality" that acts as a catalyst that has affected the Marines in such a way. Additionally you could describe the "attribute" as possibly addictive thus the need to return to the planet on a regular basis. I can easily see where you could combine the office of Librarian and Chaplain with some additional war gear. I like that idea, but I think I'd like to just leave an exact explanation of the voices, and any potential mutation or outside influence, to the reader's imagination. I don't really have a clear idea of what exactly is happening to the Spirit Walkers, and I like that air of mystery. Kind of like the hints of the Blood Ravens being tied to the Thousand Sons... :) Thank you all again for your feedback, and please keep it coming as I fill out more of the fluff. Cheers, Barret Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1053126 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Woop Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 The chapter has a unique feel to it, with the shamanism and the arctic environment. About two companies being lost when a strike cruiser was destroyed, saying "two whole companies were lost" sounds a little vague. You could elaborate a little bit more, what the others felt when the saw it etc, but that's just my opinion. What happened to their serfs and servitors after the disaster, did any of them survive? Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1053244 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barret Posted July 14, 2006 Author Share Posted July 14, 2006 The chapter has a unique feel to it, with the shamanism and the arctic environment. About two companies being lost when a strike cruiser was destroyed, saying "two whole companies were lost" sounds a little vague. You could elaborate a little bit more, what the others felt when the saw it etc, but that's just my opinion. What happened to their serfs and servitors after the disaster, did any of them survive? Unique is exactly what I'm going for, so cheers. :D I think basing it off the environment and mythology of the place I grew up in helps me make it more sound, too. I think I'd rather leave more detailed descriptions of that first battle, especially when it comes to what specific Marines saw and felt, to actual fluff. I want to keep this article as 'historical'-feeling as possible. I -am- going to write fluff for them, and what you're suggesting is definately going to be done. As for the serfs and servitors, thank you for bringing that up. I hadn't even thought about that issue, and now I am. I suspect the answer is "No, not really", for reasons I'll go into under Beliefs, I think. I may go back and talk about it in Origins and possibly Organization, too. Thanks. Cheers, Barret Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1054407 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severus6 Posted July 15, 2006 Share Posted July 15, 2006 Lack of Chapter serf and servitors may simply one more trial to endure. All things old are swept away, a virtual purging of the former ways of the Chapter. Besides, if only a few of the Marines were able to survive this harsh climate, how would a mere serf/servitor? Something to consider. Severus6 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1054964 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barret Posted July 17, 2006 Author Share Posted July 17, 2006 Lack of Chapter serf and servitors may simply one more trial to endure. All things old are swept away, a virtual purging of the former ways of the Chapter. Besides, if only a few of the Marines were able to survive this harsh climate, how would a mere serf/servitor? Something to consider. Severus6 Thanks for the feedback, again. I used this piece of advice and added some to the "Origins" section about serfs and servitors. There's a Kill-Team/Tac Squad of Spirit Walkers under construction right now. I'll post up pics in a day or two once I've got a couple more made and I've built myself a photo/light box thingy. Cheers, Barret Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1056668 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severus6 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Additionally, have you considered, for later background writing, the idea that your Marines maintain tribal ties as well as the necessity to make planetary landfall on constant basis? Possibly small keeps that the Marines will visit and stay in while they are on the planet. Maybe even going as far as writing the names of fallen brothers inside and out of the keep as "spirit marker" for the fallen to return home. Just a thought, hope it helps. Severus6 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1057031 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heru Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Spirit Walkers are cool B) Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1057052 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barret Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 Additionally, have you considered, for later background writing, the idea that your Marines maintain tribal ties as well as the necessity to make planetary landfall on constant basis? Possibly small keeps that the Marines will visit and stay in while they are on the planet. Maybe even going as far as writing the names of fallen brothers inside and out of the keep as "spirit marker" for the fallen to return home. Just a thought, hope it helps. Severus6 That's an interesting idea. The Marines continue to live amongst their original tribes when not on tour, similar to the Salamanders? It would strengthen the idea of heredity recruitment and ensure the Battle-Brothers remain connected to their homeworld... I was thinking more of the spirits of the fallen inhabiting their grave shrines, but mini-keeps where they could congregate to communicate with the living would be cool. Spirit Walkers are cool :D Thank you! :tu: That's what I think, at least. ;) As a side note, the first four Spirit Walkers are over in the PC&A. Cheers, Barret Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1057389 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severus6 Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 "I was thinking more of the spirits of the fallen inhabiting their grave shrines, but mini-keeps where they could congregate to communicate with the living would be cool." Barret Why not both,...you could base it off region, signifigance of the fallen Marine or location of the shrine or keep. Shrines could be a holy place for the tribe and Marines, keeps could be strictly for Marines. Just a thought, hope it helps. Severus6 Link to comment https://bolterandchainsword.com/topic/91606-spirit-walkers/#findComment-1059100 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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