The Liber Cluster

[Olis]

Six remaining missions:

 

1. Captain Nameless, taking the Sereiki Lions to Andalus (present and accounted for)

 

2. Sanguine_Knight, taking the Black Falcons to Thravis Prime (not present or accounted for)

 

3. Tiberius Cato and SanguiniusReborn, taking the Eagles of Glory and Scarlet Sentinels to Baluarte (present, accounted for, and probably working on their 25th page of content)

 

4. Aegnor and Teetengee, taking the Iron Ravagers and Angels Exultant to Cenicika (Teetengee is present and accounted for)

 

5. Conn Eremon, Wade Garrett and TDF, taking the Lords Inviolate, Black Judges and half of the Heralds of Letum to Evin Prime (Wade Garrett is present and accounted for)

 

6. Astus, keeping the remaining half of the Heralds of Letum at Venet (present and accounted for)

 

Okay, so I know we can cross off number four. Did any of the others cross the finish line or are we still waiting?

[Olis]

Double post-tastic.

 

So, things seem to have gone quiet. Okay. No problem. Let's solve this by adding content. ;)

 

I challenge... Ace and DAT to create one from the following:

 

• A Knight House
  
• A Rogue Trader Dynasty
  
• A Charter Captain (plus ship)
  

 

Yes, I’m picking on only two of us but they are the first two I found who don’t need to catch up. That also means challenges for other people (who aren’t catching up) can be made and it will all keep the ball rolling.

 

Nothing too strenuous – a paragraph will do. Just... be creative. ;)

[Conn Eremon]

Sorry, bit quiet here as I'm gone all day today (nephew's 3rd birthday), and I got a little something I'm trying to do that has a deadline attached, unrelated to this. And I don't have access to my files until I either get the Office issue resolved or select a good alternative. I can always revert to Word Processor, if need be, or try out OpenOffice, if necessary.

 

But yes, you are correct on current assignments.

[Nomus Sardauk]

Sorry Olis, I'm still working my part of the story, I'm trying to make this the last part but I've got a fair bit to include as a result. I'll try and get it done as soon as possible.

[Olis]

It's okay, brother. I'm kinda champing at the bit and it's unfair to expect everyone else to work at the same rate. Yes, we are still wrapping up things from months ago but that doesn't excuse passive-aggressive pushing. Apologies for anyone feeling pressured. It's not my intent or purpose. 

 

That said, I'm just itching for more content. If anyone needs a hand or anything, I'm here to help. The least I can do for others here is to lend aid should they need it. Don't worry if it sounds like an imposition, just ask away. I don't bite. :)

 

 

And also - this is a message to all the fraters reading the thread, not just the current project contributers - feel free to jump in and add more stuff to the Cluster. Although we aren't looking for any more marine chapters, we do want more of everything else. Pitch in ideas, concepts, discussion, content, pictures - you name it, anything at all. :D

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

 

Double post-tastic.

 

So, things seem to have gone quiet. Okay. No problem. Let's solve this by adding content.

 

I challenge... Ace and DAT to create one from the following:

 

• A Knight House
• A Rogue Trader Dynasty
• A Charter Captain (plus ship)

 

Yes, I’m picking on only two of us but they are the first two I found who don’t need to catch up. That also means challenges for other people (who aren’t catching up) can be made and it will all keep the ball rolling.

 

Nothing too strenuous – a paragraph will do. Just... be creative.

 

I'll do all three, twice over, if you can promise feedback on them and the Thundering Choir. 

[Olis]

 

 

Double post-tastic.

 

So, things seem to have gone quiet. Okay. No problem. Let's solve this by adding content.

 

I challenge... Ace and DAT to create one from the following:

 

• A Knight House
• A Rogue Trader Dynasty
• A Charter Captain (plus ship)

 

Yes, I’m picking on only two of us but they are the first two I found who don’t need to catch up. That also means challenges for other people (who aren’t catching up) can be made and it will all keep the ball rolling.

 

Nothing too strenuous – a paragraph will do. Just... be creative.

 

 

I'll do all three, twice over, if you can promise feedback on them and the Thundering Choir. 

 

Striking a deal, eh? As long as you set a challenge for someone else... Alright. Deal. 

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Knight House Ongira, 'Layers of Shrouds' - Chevalius's first Knight house, Ongira was at the time a rare breed, newly formed unlike the much more numerous houses more ancient than the Imperium. Instead of being bound by nobility and ritual, Ongira was instead tightly chained by lack of resources and the need for them across countless fronts. The Cluster's Silence was still lifting, and material that might have been used to repair and replace these Knights had to be carefully limited and were often instead applied elsewhere. The pilots of House Ongira quickly learned to make the most with what they had and capitalize on every advantage. Gradually they would be given everything they needed, but by that time they had already cemented their brand of warfare - dirty, brutal, and clawing every last scrap of blood and steel they could from the enemy. The presence of these dull blue and silver Titans is never a good sign for a hostile civilization, as the Knights care little for the difference between civilians and warriors among their foes. The death toll they tend to leave behind is staggering, especially for xenos, who they eradicate grimly, but without hesitation. Their amorality has earned them their nickname, for when they come for a world, it's time to bring out its death shroud.

 

Ongira has formed a strange rivalry with Daranthior. Though both detest the other's methods, neither can deny their effectiveness, and respect, while mutual, has been hard won. The fact they've served many campaigns together and often, are the only kind of Titan or even Mechanicus presence in much of them has formed a strange kinship. Aye, they have their Imperial allies, but only Knights can understand Knights it seems. Still, each house struggles to outperform the other through as much a desire for vindication as friendly competition.

 

 

Knight House Daranthior, 'Pilgrim Guards' - Chevalius's second Knight house. After seeing what Ongira had become, many were understandably wary at creating any more houses, and so when the decision was eventually made, the candidates for Daranthior were selected by their personality as much as their capability. These pilots would be tempered souls, positive and idealistic. To some extent, this approach worked, but the machine-spirits of Daranthior had their own wills. The first few Walks of Daranthior were strained affairs, as pilot and machine spirit adjusted to each other, the innate bloodlust of the Mechanicus creations struggling against the dutiful and restrained minds they were yoked to. Such was the discord that the Seneslau Mechanicus considered simply letting the house die out, if they could not fight. It wasn't until a battle that would be later regarded as historic to Daranthior that a compromise would finally be made. The world of Thysris had been recently liberated from the Orks, and a relic uncovered that had been in the hands of the enemy. Many Imperial citizens flocked to the world to attend a ritual of purification for the relic. When the ritual went underway, the foul greenskins attacked, hoping to reclaim it for their own filthy ends. The Knights of Daranthior, who themselves were protecting the ceremony, laid into the offending Orks with a righteous zeal that pleased both machine and pilot. They quickly found the role of guardians in high risk areas suited them all immeasurably well, and became the foremost force to come to when something holy needed protection. Quickly they too earned reverence for their skill and simple exposure to the blessings of the Emperor-Omnissiah. 

[Ace Debonair]

I challenge... Ace and DAT to create one from the following:

• A Knight House
• A Rogue Trader Dynasty
• A Charter Captain (plus ship)

 

I thought after my world-building spree I should leave something for everyone else to do.

 

Hmm. I think I'll leave the Knight Houses for folks who don't already have a Chapter in the Cluster.

Soooo... Trade ship it is!

 

 

-=-= The White Fox =-=-

 

While the Liber Cluster can lay claim to several impressive vessels, when talking about the greatest ships in the Cluster no list is complete without mention of the White Fox.

 

Originally belonging to the Taelborn Dynasty of Rogue Traders, the White Fox still bears the family's ancient Letter of Marque aboard the main Command Chamber. The ship itself is simply gigantic - it dwarfs most other spacefaring vessels in the Cluster and boasts a population that would not be out of place in a Hive City. Moreover, thanks to the careful wording of the Taelborn's Letter of Marque, the White Fox is permitted to maintain and carry a truly incredible amount of weapons and armour for it's own defence - in terms of combat ability it's sheer size and power makes it all but unassailable.

 

Notably, the White Fox is home to two sizable regiments of their own Imperial Navy Troopers, also licensed as a method of self-preservation. Officially designated the "White Fox Heavy Void Infantry Regiments", these highly adept troopers are known to use the short-hand name of "Fox-hounds".

 

The White Fox is perhaps the most prominent vessel to make the perilous journey between the larger Imperium and the Liber Cluster, ferrying vital resources and rare commodities back and forth from Carver's World. The Fox is run by a Council, rather than a single Captain, each member of which is a leader of their own department within the ship. As a result, the Rank of Captain is regarded as mostly ceremonial and most decisions are influenced primarily by the opinions of the Chief of the Engines, High Quartermaster and Chief Hospitaller.

 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

 

I'm not so good at ships, so this is the best I can do. 

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

The Ghana-Mali Rogue Trader Dynasty - For many centuries, this rich family was actually two separate dynasties, the Ghana and Mali families, competing over many of the same trading routes in Segmentum Ultima. Their rivalry was just as often friendly as it was lethal, with few grudges being held, as most of the less amiable members of the families would be quickly eliminated in the feud, leaving the more cooperative individuals plenty of room to work together. Indeed, the houses were often grateful for the assassinations, seeing it as a mutual cleansing of unwanted hostilities. Thus it was inevitable that eventually the two dynasties merged into one, in a historic marriage ceremony that involved three Space Wolves, an actual piano, and the purchase of no less than six small fleets for any children that the couple might produce (and eventually, they had to purchase a seventh!). Shortly thereafter they received news that House Barandion's war of succession had been settled by Lady Ysbeta and was headed to the Liber Cluster. The newly combined Ghana-Mali Dynasty decided to send a significant portion of its own trading might to the Cluster as well, which settled in Subsector Liber Regnum. It remains there to this day.

 

 

 

 

Captain Rasmus Blyes of the Unchained Vigilant coming up, and no, the above doesn't count as two separate Rogue Trader Houses 

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Rogue Trader House Mokinrai - The state of the Mokinrai dynasty is a sad one, to say the least. Once, it was told they were once a grand family, spread out across the galaxy in the days of the Great Crusade itself. Now it is but a haggard and barely functioning collection of ships captained by men and women shackled in debt to the Seneslau Mechanicus. Some sort of contract binds them from keeping the vast majority of their profits, which instead go to the seedier parts of the Mechanicus, who in return only just manage to keep the ships in Mokinrai capable of making Warp jumps. There is little sign that things will change for the dynasty any time soon.

 

Captain Rasmus Blyes of the Unchained Vigilant - Once of House Mokinrai himself, Rasmus departed from them at the first opportunity, disgusted at how submissive and yoked his family was. Somehow, he struck a new bargain with the Seneslau Mechanicus, earning himself a Free Charter in the process. Since then he has poured whatever money he could into his ship, the Unchained Vigilant, an ugly, unsubtle ceramite creation. It's large, having the cargo capabilities to hold anything short of a Titan, and bristling with weapons, most notably the twin rams on the front. They've been seen twisted and bent, despite their great size, leaving many to wonder what kind of activities Rasmus Blyes engages in, for a merchant. Rumors surround him, but little answers are given either by the man himself or the Mechanicus priests he is seen most often trading with.

[Ace Debonair]

Cap'n Blyes sounds awesome.

 

I can't shake the vibe he's like a one-man mercenary A-Team for the Saneslau Mechanicus, willing to take on dangerous missions... for the right price.

[Wade Garrett]

Point of order!

 

Captain Blye was never framed for a crime he didn't commit, therefore he cannot be an A-Team of any variety.

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Cap'n Blyes sounds awesome.

 

I can't shake the vibe he's like a one-man mercenary A-Team for the Saneslau Mechanicus, willing to take on dangerous missions... for the right price.

That means I did my job right 

 

Captain Lithone of the Reforged Steel - There was once a time when Ms. Lithone was just a young captain of a stolen freighter, barely managing to scrape together the funds to keep her first ship running. A chance encounter with another fellow captain in a time of need changed all that, however. He was an old man, needing passage to the center of the Cluster, and lacking funds to do so. Lithone's response was to say she pitied the man, but she can't make a dangerous trip like that off credit. A fierce debate ensued over the matter of how much a down payment would be, until finally, impressed by her sheer gall, he revealed himself as the Admiral, a famed and mysterious holder of a Hereditary Free Charter. He was growing close to death, and lacked a successor. Desperate, he searched the underworld for someone who might be worthy, or at least be trained to be so. It seemed he had found what he was looking for. Over the next few years, Lithone was taught in the ways of trading, handling money, and how to properly handle a ship in both the Warp and in combat.

 

When she finally received the Admiral's charter, she then proceeded to forge a new name for herself among the stars. Her chosen ship was thusly named to reflect that, and indeed, Captain Lithone is known as the steely woman who dominates much of the trade of the Cluster. A peerless captain, a relentless trader, and a gifted warrior, her name is currently legend among the naval community.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, about that feedback...   I'll issue a new challenge within the day :yes:

[Dark Apostle Thirst]

Point of order!

 

Captain Blye was never framed for a crime he didn't commit, therefore he cannot be an A-Team of any variety.

Point of order, I'm not that unsubtle  Both Rasmus Blyes and Lithone are expies of two distinct characters from two different franchises. Honestly, anyone who knows who Rasmus Blyes is referencing is going to find it incredibly obvious, regardless of how A-teamy I made him. Lithone is much more subtle and probably less likely to be realized, despite coming from something that has a way bigger fanbase.

 

 

 

 

I in turn challenge Anyone to complete one or more of the following:

 

1) A Battlegroup, or cluster of Battlegroups, of the Liber Imperial fleet

2) A renegade Fleet of any kind

3) A holiday on any of the planets 

 

If you complete the challenge, lay down a challenge of your own 

[Conn Eremon]

3) A holiday on any of the planets

I accept your challenge. :D

 

I'll put something up later tonight.

[Ace Debonair]

Point of order!

 

Captain Blye was never framed for a crime he didn't commit, therefore he cannot be an A-Team of any variety.

 

I was only using the term to colourfully illustrate a point, but still, fair play to you.

 

Let's not dwell too much on my clumsy use of similes, though, in case anyone spots I use most language in ham-fisted fashion.

 

EDIT:

Eighty pages and counting. I wonder how much more there'll be by the time the project's been open for a year?

[Captain Nameless]

sorry about the silence. Things got busy for me (purchasing the game of the year edition of borderlands 2 probably did not help), but now my laptop is finally fixed and I am ready to get back to Andalus.

 

I like how this challenge thing is starting up. I look forward to what will be available once I'm done on Andalus.

[Lucernius]

Putting in some finishing touches, this is the rough layout of the finished map of the "Near Cluster" hope you enjoy, hope its ok i used the B&C Logo for the finishing touch!

 

http://img04.deviantart.net/844a/i/2015/080/c/f/liber_cluster_near_sectors_finish_by_m00nprophet-d8mlzja.jpg

 

Updated the map with all the latest additions: (Remember to download for full sized map HERE)

[Olis]

Ah. That poses a problem for me. Mainly because I still need to tell you the locations of Moribus and Hammerlin. My intention was to place Hammerlin in the Deeps, outside of that red circle, there. Moribus itself needs to go somewhere in the bottom-right of the Centralis Sector, when the opposite map is created.

 

As for the B&C symbol - it's a B&C project so having a B&C symbol somewhere is probably a good idea. But I think the symbol should be in a corner, away from potentially obscuring any detail. And I feel a bit of a git for saying so but... I'm not a huge fan of the big red circle. Sorry. 

[Lucernius]

Removed circle and added point of entry from terra.

[Olis]

Removed circle and added point of entry from terra.

 

Much better, imho. Thank you for accommodating my perspective. ^_^

 

Now, to be a pain once more (I do apologise :P ), I think Hammerlin should be among the smattering of stars outside of the Arrenthal Sub-sector (roughly seven squares from the left and five squares from the bottom on the map). There's just enough stars in that area to plausibly harbour a few habitable worlds, I think.

[Lucernius]

Hehe nps mate i do what the project tells me to :D

 

Will add the 2 new planets later on, and also i know a armory world is not on the map but wanted to polish the "finished" layout and hear what people though.

 

Any help with the wording on the "pointer towards terra" is appreciated, i cant get it to feel right so far.

[Olis]

My connection is a wee bit weak right now (and attempting to load up the 7000x7000ish picture of the map breaks Chrome) so I can't quite make out the writing you are referring to, Lucernius. I will check it out tomorrow, though.

[Gorkimedes]

 On The yellow line in the upper right corner, it says 

 

Travel route to Segmentum Tempestus 

----------------------------------------------

Direction of Holy Terra & the light of the Astronomicon