Liber Challenge: The Fiends of the Apocalypse

[sitnam]

This is gonna be the first in a two parter DIY group. This initial post will go over the non-Astartes elements of this DIY Warband. I hope to post the space marine portion when a marine challenge comes up, as these challenges really motivate to put ideas floating in my head to paper. Anyways:
 

The Fiends of the Apocalypse (Non-Astartes Elements)

Leader: Tomasz the Hidden Blade
Home World: The barren world of Phot’nik VII, located in the Segmentum Pacificus on the edge of the Veiled Region.
 
History
Horus Heresy

On the eve of the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, the Phot’nik system was a growing colony of the Imperium; its foundations were laid upon the ruins of the Cthon Directorate. These parasitic xenos employed psyker magicks to brainwash and mind control hordes of other xenos, including slaves taken from nearby human systems. Their reign ended with the arrival of the XV Legiones Astartes, the Thousand Sons. The sons of Magnus ruthlessly persecuted these foul aliens and ground their pocket empire into dust. As reward for their victory, the colony established in the aliens core system would be rewarded as a protectorate to the XV legion, and colonists from Prospero would turn the system into a miniature replica of their beloved home.
 
As with many other advances in human progress the Great Crusade brought, the Horus Heresy would bring the downfall of the young and productive colony system. After the new of the death of Prospero reached the Phot’nik system, the systems governor would declare his support for Horus. This was not a unanimous declaration however, and the Phot’nik system would become a microcosm for the Heresy itself. In the end the war ended it catastrophe, most of the systems planets becoming lifeless rocks.

Despite all the carnage wrought, not all life would cease to exist. On the capital planet of Phot’nik VII, scattered remnants of the human population roamed the wastelands.

 
The Tribes

The Phot’nik system was slowly forgotten by the rest of humanity. It was originally destined to be the jumping off point for any expedition into the Veiled Region; the damage the heresy wrought would prevent this from happening. The survivors of the atomic war on Phot’nik VII slowly formed tribes and societies upon the ashes of the old world. Whereas the pre-Heresy culture was one that promoted science and philosophy, the new cultures that arose valued only survival through any means possible.

 

As the millennia waxed and waned on Phot’nik VII a number of distinct tribes began to form on the planet. Across the vast swathes of barren wasteland a number of nomadic clans roamed; known collectively as Dust Riders, these clans travel in large packs of ramshackle vehicles, remnants of the Imperial Army armories. The Dust Riders battle each other along the wastelands for territory and resources, weaker clans fragmenting or folding into larger clans.

 

While the Dust Riders are the largest clans, they aren’t the only communities on the planet. In the hills and mountaintops are the Crow Sisters. Maintaining the only flight capable vehicles in hidden spires and mountaintop sky pads, these Matriarchal clans battle each other in the same manner as the Dust Riders. Occasionally a raid of Crow Sisters will descend upon hapless Dust Riders convoys to take food, arms, and slaves. The Dust Riders attempt counter raids, though these are rarely as successful.

 

Originally the ruined cities that dotted the planet scape were home to tribes known as Stone Lords. Upon the ruined cities they built fortress towns, able to resist the raids of the Crow Sisters and Dust Riders with the ex-Imperial Army heavy munitions stores and Ogryn shock troops. However, as timed passed on, the outsider tribes noticed a change in the towns. With no outside interference the Stone Lords fell one by one, their fortress guns going silent forever. The last recorded Stone Lord fortress is thought to have fallen sometime in M34. For centuries the mystery of the Stone Lords confounded the outsiders. It wasn’t until an ambitious Dust Rider warlord attempted an expedition in one of the ruined cities that the mystery was revealed. As the convoy entered the old fortress they were set upon by hordes of mutants, warp spawn, and Ogryn brutes. At the head of this force were mutant psykers, each with a strange squid like mutation for a head. The convoy fought a running battle through the ruined city, beset on all sides by the mindless hordes. Eventually the Dust Riders escaped, though only a tenth of the tribe remained.

 

As the news spread other tribes, a consensus was reached that these mind witches were a breed of mutant that arose from the radioactive fallout that remained high in the cities. The truth is close to that, though far darker than the other tribes realized; these psykers that lead the mindless hordes of the ruined cities are the descendants of the Cthon Directorate. A few of the abhorrent xenos creatures remained hidden during the Great Crusade, surviving the genocide of their species. After the desolation of the system the survivors slowly came out of hiding, infecting the few surviving psykers left in the human population. Over time the Cthon and human psykers melded into a monstrous new species that was a crossbreed of the two. These hybrids infiltrated the Stone Lords keeps, taking over the fortress towns by subterfuge and internal strife. When the Dust Rider convoy discovered them centuries later, the populations of the Stone Lords had been transformed into mindless drones, with mutant warp spawn boosting their strength. The Mind Kings, as they came to be known, replaced the Stone Lords in the power structure of Phot’nik VII.

 

Chaos Ascendant

During the Heresy, the conflict in the Phot’nik system remained a separate and minor footnote. Few in the wider Imperium paid attention to the far flung civil war. The war itself remained largely secular, both the Pro-Horus and Pro-Imperium sides remaining strict adherents to the Imperial truth. However a few warp cults were hidden in the Phot’nik society, transplants brought by Word Bearer emissaries’ right before the heresy. These secretive cults manipulated the strings of fate and would be directly responsible for the apocalypse that was wrought upon Phot’nik, though this truth would never be known to the wider population. The survivors of the cults slowly turned the forming tribes in worshippers of chaos; this cult even infected the later Mind Kings, who felt the lure of Tzeentch in their psyker hybrid bodies.

 

It was the Architect of Fate that would lead the Phot’nik system into a new era. 412.M37, a fleet of warships broke from warp into the system. This fleet was ravaged from recent combat, and its crewmen exhausted by the long voyage. Using long range sensors the fleet found Phot’nik VII to be the only habitable planet; they made planet fall in one of the ruined cities to find supplies.

 

Upon arrival the intruders found themselves beset upon by the numberless hordes of the Mind Kings. The intruders however were of a tougher breed then the Crow Sisters or Dust Riders the Mind Kings constantly fought with; these intruders were Astartes, members of the renegade Lions Vigilant. Their warlord was a giant chaos thing reminiscent of the spawn the Mind Kings drove into the guns of the marines. But whereas the spawn were mindless beasts, this creature was of a malevolent intelligence; Tomasz, the Hidden Blade, Corruptor of the Lions Vigilant, Fallen Angel of Caliban, Daemon Prince of Tzeentch. Eventually the corrupt marines defeated the attacking Mind Kings, though a few of the Psyker leaders were spared. Awed by his power and aware of his connection to the Chaos Gods the mind witches pledged service to him.

 

Tomasz realized that his blind jump into warp space, with his former Dark Angels brothers at his heels, had not brought him here by happenstance. Tzeentch, his patron whom he pleased with his corruption of the Lions Vigilant, had led him here for a reason. He found a world in a constant state of warfare, one in which hardened warriors were found amongst the whole of the populace. Though it was a ruined world, a few ruined factories and hidden laboratories could be salvaged and rebuilt. He was led to a world where his warband could recruit new blood, rebuild its armories, and conscript thousands of renegade warriors.

 

The former Lions Vigilant took upon themselves a new name, the Fiends of the Apocalypse, representing their ties to this blasted world. Tomasz subjugated the other Mind Kings, the Crow Sisters, and Dust Riders. Those chaos cults on the world that did not worship Tzeentch were wiped out or converted. His final victory was against the powerful Crow Sister tribe, atop the world’s highest peak of Mount Tizca. On the ruins of the Crow Sisters sky fortress he built an unholy parody of a fortress monastery. Employing masses of Mind King brain thralls he expanded the old fortress, sprawling across the entire mountain. Armories, factories, and training grounds dotted the peak. Slowly, the Fiends began to build an army.

 

Whereas Tomasz had dominated the tribes and brought them to heel, he did not seek to turn Phot’nik into some petty kingdom for his to lord over; he wantedAfter ensuring the loyalty of the various tribal leaders, he proclaimed a new era for the lost men of the world. The internecine warfare of the tribes must remain to keep the population hard and savage; however, a tribute of manpower was expected every two decades from the tribes. Those who contribute the greatest would receive in turn better arms and armor, alongside other vital supplies, with which to make war upon their neighbors. Those renegades who survived four decades of service to their Astartes overlords would be allowed to return to their tribes. Those few who do return become warlords themselves, the skills and loot of war they gain during their service making them formidable warriors.

 
Thralls to the Hidden Blade

Tomasz formed the recruits he received into a war band of dangerous renown. The Dust Riders, most numerous of the Phot’nikians, were the core of his force. With their experience living on the mechanized convoy colonies, the Dust Riders are adept at armored warfare. Using designs perfected over time by the barren nomads, the Dust Riders recruits rode in squadrons of mechanized infantry squads, light attack vehicles serving as reconnaissance and flanking troops whereas heavy gun carriages became tank equivalents. While their equipment was inferior to Imperial STC designs, their crewman had the experience to outfight similarly equipped Astra Militarum regiments. As time has worn on Tomasz has hired the services of Dark Mechanicus adepts to build vehicle analogues to the Chimera IFV and Leman Russ Battle TankIt is rumored that a Dark Mechanicus ally of the Fiends is now supplying super-heavy tanks to the warband, with Malcador Heavy Tanks confirmed by the Inquisition.

 

The Crow Sisters of the peaks had fought the invasion of the Fiends hardest. Before the arrival of Tomasz and his Chaos Marines the Crow Sisters were predominately Khornate or Slannesh worshipping; most resisted any attempts at conversion. As such their numbers were drastically reduced post-invasion. Those few that survived became fanatical worshippers of Tzeentch and to Tomasz himself. Tomasz, pleased with the fighting spirit and tactics of these warrior women, made their recruits his mobile strike force. At first using native designed gunships before transitioning to captured and copied Valkyries, the Crow Sisters act as long range strike forces for the Fiends of the Apocalypse. They often attack rear area supply depots and muster areas, keeping an enemy off balance for the frontal attacks of the other tribes.

 

The Mind Kings, the first to join the warband, play an insidious role for their masters. Using their powers of mind control to enslave numerous mutants and Ogryn, the overseers of the Mind Kings push their charges into the enemy guns, overwhelming their foes with superior numbers. Alongside their brain slaves the Mind Kings coordinate the packs of Chaos Spawn the Fiends of the Apocalypse bring to war, alongside a type of daemon engine unique to the Fiends: The Spawn Sentinel, daemon engines created by strapping captured pilots to their Sentinel walkers and forcing warp energy into them, turning each prisoner into mechanized monstrosities.

 

Tomasz has turned the savage tribals of Phot’nik VII into a legion of dedicated warriors to bulk up his limited force of Astartes. None within the Fiends of the Apocalypse know his true goals for such a force. The truth is, Tomasz himself has no long term goal or desires but purely to spread chaos and anarchy across the Imperium, seeding warp cults of his patron along the way. With the Phot’nik system as his hidden fiefdom he ranges out with his ever growing pirate fleet. Never do the Fiends of the Apocalypse take up their own goals besides pillaging and looting; most often they are under the employ of other Chaos Warbands or even non-Chaos rebellions throughout the Imperium, though it is almost inevitable that the latter are led down the path of the Changer of Ways. It is known that the Fiends will even offer their services to xenos species, especially if such a campaign would lead to damage to the Imperium or the xenos downfall to chaos.

 

 

Notable Battles

 

• 677.M37: Conquest of Eulexus X –
  Serving as mercenaries to a Word Bearers warband, the Fiends of the Apocalypse lead a diversionary invasion on the mining world of Eulexus X. On the rough hills and deep forests of Eulexus X the Fiends find themselves outmaneuvered by Scout Sentinel recon elements. To counteract these walker a Mind King known as Phaxis forms an insidious plan. Using mind control the witches of the Fiends mentally dominate several captured pilots. Using vehicles altered by warp powers the slave pilots infiltrate several Sentinel squadrons, allowing the Fiends to track and neutralize the Astra Militarum recon elements. After the enemy is blinded the corrupt pilots are then used to misdirect forward enemy elements during the final assault, their false reports leaving the Imperials dangerously out of position. After the initial assault began the last devious plan behind these corrupt walkers is unfolded. All across the Astra Militarum battle line the walkers begin warping and changing into mechanical monsters. Growing talons and spewing demon fire these light walkers are turned into the first Spawn Sentinels. After this battle these Daemon Engines of Tzeentch become a signature weapon of the Fiends.

 

• 412 to 432 M39: The Veiled Raiders –
  Returning to their home system to refill on arms and recruits, Tomasz finds his fortress keep badly damaged and several of his thrall tribes weakened or wiped out. Furious, he learns that some two years prior a large Eldar corsair fleet descended upon the world. They had taken thousands of slaves and besieged his fortress before mysteriously leaving the world. He declared that he would see every last Eldar pirate in the Veiled Region dead. In contrast to his normal operations, this campaign would see the Fiends bring along other warbands as mercenaries; most notable of these were the Slaanesh worshiping Kinsmen of Excess. Knowing full well the hatred and fear the Eldar had towards the worshippers of Slaanesh, Tomasz knew the Kinsmen would be a useful tool in this campaign. This was mostly a void based war in which the Dust Riders and Crow Sisters were ill suited for, though the more capable commanders soon adapted to the tight quarters of boarding actions. The campaign ended when the Fiends tracked down the corsair’s asteroids stronghold. Boarding torpedos filled to the brim with revenge hungry Crow Sisters and mutant Ogryn mind thralls slaughtered the defending corsairs; the few Eldar taken prisoner were given over to the Kinsmen as payment. The Fiends of the Apocalypse now maintain a void force to protect their home system and engage the scattered remnants of the Veiled Raiders.

 

• 640 to 667 M41: The Pecina Abductions –
  The Fiends were employed by a heretical cabal of Mechanicus adepts to discretely capture several advanced Explorator ships in the Texkan subsector. Over the course of nearly three decades the Fiends privateer fleets captured numerous vessels. The Explorator ships were kept on a secretive base on the airless moon of Pecin. The plot was eventually discovered by an Ordo Hereticus investigation, who sent a strike force of Adepta Sororitas from the Order of His Amethyst Heart and astartes from the Dancing Scythes Chapter to retake the ships. While the Fiends detachment on Pecina was defeated, the unexpected presence of traitor marines and well trained human renegades caught the Imperials by surprise, allowing the force to withdraw with several of the captured vessels in tow. This was the first of several encounter s between the Fiends would have with the Dancing Scythes and His Amethyst Heart.

   

Rivals and Allies

 

• The Blue-Beak Kindred:
   Imperial forces fighting the Fiends have noticed a sizeable number of Kroot mercenaries fighting alongside the renegades in recent months. The Fiends first encountered these xenos when a detachment of Fiends took the employ of a besieged Sept World. Dark Apostle Mundol, leader of spiritual matters for the Fiends, noticed strange similarities between the avian aliens and some aspects of the God of Change. Knowing the secretive mercenary ventures the Kroot took part and the payment they sought, he offered the Master Shaper of the Kindred to work alongside the Fiends, with a galaxy full of genetics as payment. The ambitious shaper, Prokla Hak, accepted the offer and brought his entire Kindred and their War Sphere to join the Fiends fleets. Over the course of decades Mundol slowly introduced the teachings of Tzeentch to the aliens, mostly in his guise as a god of change. Prokla and the majority of his warriors fervently took to Mundol and his dark master, finding that their worship had led to improved gene crafting. When Prokla finally left the Fiends to rejoin the Tau and introduce his new religion o his Kindreds, the more conservative Shapers were revolted by what the Blue-Beaks had become. The other Kroot mercilessly hounded the Blue-Beaks, driving them out as outcasts from the Tau Empire. With no alternative left the Blue Beaks rejoined the Fiends and offered their services to the warband. In return Tomasz would allow the Kindred to settle upon the haunted chaotic forests and jungles of Phot’nik VII, becoming themselves part of the eternal conflict between the clans. They know serve the Fiends as light infantry and skirmishers, their skill in rough terrain covering a weakness in the Fiends order of battle. Their greatest warriors serve as Mundols personal bodyguard and most devout followers.

 

• The Dancing Scythes:
  A chapter descended from the Iron Hands, the Dancing Scythes are known for their ties with the Mechanicus and their skill in mechanized maneuver warfare. First encountered upon Pecina, the Scythes and Fiends have clashed on numerous occasions within subsector Texka. It is suspected that the Scythes actions are spurred by their Mechanicus allies, whom desire revenge for the Pecina Abductions.

 

• The Order of His Amethyst Heart:
  An order of Soroitas long ago reduced to a mere hundred sisters, the Amethyst Heart are the elite Ordo Hereticus strike force in the subsector Texka. First encountered alongside the Dancing Scythes on Pecina, the Amethyst Heart has also been encountered several times. Proving an even more dogged foe then the Dancing Scythes, the Sisters and their lone Black Ship have been a wolves in the darkness to the privateer fleets of the Fiends.

 

• The Kinsmen of Excess: 
  A motley group of renegade astartes pledged to Slaanesh, the Kinsmen are the only Chaos Marine warband the Fiends work alongside on a normal basis. Despite worshipping the Prince of Pleasure the Kinsmen and Fiends have found joint cause in spreading terror and mayhem. First employed to deal with the Veiled Raiders, the Kinsmen take great pleasure in hunting the Eldar in the name of their god.

 

• The Veiled Raiders:
  For over a millennia these Eldar corsairs had forced a reign of terror along the shipping lanes near the Veiled Region. With strong ties to Commorragh the Veiled Raiders sold vast number of slaves to the Dark City. When they came across the barren system of Phot’nik they quickly overwhelmed several clans and badly damaged the Fiends’ fortress in their raids, before a concentrated coalition of clans drove them off. The Fiends hunted them down in retaliation and destroyed their asteroid fortress, though a few remnants have remained at large, vengefully harassing the Fiends when the chance arises. If not for the xenophobia of the Imperium they would have revealed the location of Phot’nik VII to the Inquisition.

   

[Draakur]

Enjoyed this the whole way through, you've obviously put a great deal of thought into how you've approached the timeline, the force interactions, relationships, everything really - the various aspects of their history, agendas, character etc all gel so well and have come together a treat. It reads and flows well, nothing seems unrealistic or removed from the setting, and your general use of language is measured and effective.

 

I realise this reply is of little use to you, I'm really struggling to come up with much in the way of constructive criticism, but consider this a big thumbs up from at least one fan, who will be eagerly awaiting the next part. Probably even more excited to see what you've got in store for the Astartes components of your forces.

[sitnam]

Wow I really appreciate the kind words! I had gone through a number of ideas for the force; my original concept was that I wanted a well trained LATD force in comparison to the typical rabble theme. from there it went through a series of brainstorming ideas, from an army of abducted feral worlders to dark mechanicus conscripts. I'm pretty happy with the final concept, and home to get some models up soon

[sitnam]

The Fiends of the Apocalypse (Astartes Elements)

History
 
The Lions Vigilant

The Lions Vigilant were a Dark Angels successor of unknown founding, though records put them somewhere in the Third or Fourth Founding. Unlike many of El' Jonsons descendants, the Lions Vigilant were not a secretive chapter. They worked well alongside other Imperial forces, even working with the Inquisition with little distrust. This seem to draw the ire of the Dark Angels and their successors, whom had little respect for the Lions Vigilant. The reasons for this are unknown to outsiders, for neither the First or the Lions Vigilant would ever speak of the malice between the two.
 
The Lions Vigilant were a mostly uniform codex chapter, forgoing the specialized 1^st and 2^nd Company structures of the Dark Angels, though they did keep a fairly large number of Terminator suits and bike squadrons. They were well known for hammer and anvil tactics, with fast moving elements encircling opponents engaged by the chapters heavier forces.

The Persecution of Tomasz

In late M36 the Lions Vigilant were assigned to an Inquisitorial task force to hunt an apostate cardinal known as Tomasz Narud. The clergyman had sparked a rebellion across 3 systems in the Segmentum Pacificus, and although the uprising was cut down the heretic had escaped retribution. Operating alongside several Inquisitorial Scion regiments and even a Sisters of Battle convent the Lion led the hunt across half the Segmentum, chasing Tomasz for a decade and coming into frequent contact with cultists, mutant warlords, and even traitor space marines. After a ten year running battle, the chapters tracked the cardinal to a world known as Ojina V.

This world was well known to be a muster area for pirates and raiders, and had long been a stronghold for the Ruinous Powers. Chief Librarian Breniel, not wanting to give Tomasz a chance to escape, launched a lightning strike rather then wait on reinforcements. The first and second companies, alongside auxiliary Inquisition forces, dropped into the center of the main starport, catching thousands of renegades by surprise and slaughtering them wholesale.

The attack soon advanced into the main warlords stronghold where Tomasz had hidden, and it is here where the auto-recordings by the strike force began to falter. The last recorded messages showed the strike force being assaulted by dozens of warp spawn, rogue psykers, and even traitor marines. What happened after that is unclear, though future events would show the task force had failed

After three months other elements of the Inquisition and Lions Vigilant had entered the system, only to find the system ready for their arrival. The first task force was annihilated, their ships either burning hulks or serving in the traitors fleet. The Imperial forces were immediately set upon by a much larger fleet, including a trio of captured Strike Cruisers from the Lions Vigilant. Incensed at the insult to their honor, the Lions Vigilant were barely kept in check by Chapter Master Colius. The task force detected warp signatures behind them , and were soon surrounded on all sides by the traitors.

As the death knell was about to fall on the chapter and its allies, an unexpected event happened. The lead captured Strike Cruiser, the Lions Justice, began firing at every traitor vessel around it. This sudden betrayal left the other Strike Cruisers burning hulks and opened a hole for the task force to escape. As they began a hit and run battle across the system to the jump point, the Lions Justice opened vox traffic and Chief Librarian Breniel came on. He explained the assault on the stronghold, how the task force was overwhelmed by traitor Astartes. He detailed how the enemy had held him and two dozen survivors of the first and second companies aboard the Lions Justice to watch his chapter die, until he was able to break free and take command of the vessel.

The Lions Vigilant and their allies escaped the system, bloodied but intact. In retrospect, many believe it would have been fortunate for the chapter to perish that day.

The Betrayal in the Void

Licking their wounds, the Lions Vigilant broke away from the hunt to rebuild its strength. Knowing the apostate was probably long gone from the system, the Inquisition ended the hunt to focus resources elsewhere. The Lions Vigilant had lost nearly their entire first and second companies, and the loss of so many veterans would curtail their fighting strength for decades. While elements of the chapter were deployed, most of the Lions Vigilant were rebuilding on their asteroid fortress monastary. This was not only a rebuilding of material strength, but of their spiritual strength as well. Breniel and Chaplain Mundol, another survivor of Ojina V, were regarded as heroes by the chapter.

During this rebuilding the chapter made many changes to their beliefs. Mundol would become High Chaplain of the chapter in five years, his predecessor slain fighting Orks in a void battle. Breniel himself was rewarded the rare honor of becoming the Chapter Master and Chief Librarian when Colius was mysteriously slain during the counter invasion of a rebellious world.

As the centuries passed, allies to the chapter noted a change in demeanor, procedure, and even battle tactics. The classic hammer and anvil tactics the chapter was known for was replaced by an increased number of Librarians, as well as usage of subterfuge and diversion. Some thought this a natural progression for the chapter; the chapter had always had a sizable Librarius, and with the loss of the majority of the Terminator suits the chapter could no longer rely on its heavy handed tactics of centuries past.

On 307.M37 the Lions Vigilant, now fully regrown, received unexpected visitors during a crusade against an Ork WAAAGH. Elements of the Dark Angels, alongside Angels of Vengeance, Lions Sable, Disciples of Caliban, and an Inquisitorial Black Ship requested audience with the Lions Vigilant. Meeting onboard the Lions Justice, now the personal flagship of Breniel, the visitors demanded the chapter turn over Breniel, Mundol, and any other survivors from Ojina V. Confused and angered, Breniel demanded to know why; before he could answer the boarding party drew weapons and attacked the Lions Vigilant. The visiting fleet opened fire and boarding operations against the Lions Vigilant, with seemingly no provocation. Caught off guard nearly a third of the chapter was nuetralized within an hour of combat, with a quarter of the fleet caputred and the other quarter destroyed. On board the Lions Justice Breniel and Mundol were able to lead a counterattack, slaughtering their betrayers

Confused, the Lions Vigilant demanded to know why their brothers were attacking them. The Inquisitor who led the force accused the Lions Vigilant of harboring traitors and worshiping the chaos gods. Infuriated the surviving Lions Vigilant rallied, and once again the chapter broke through an enemies trap and escaped after a harrowing hit and run battle. With a little over four hundred survivors the chapter disappeared into the warp; this was the last time the Lions Vigilant would be seen by the Imperium.

The Blade in the Warp

Once the shock of betrayal had settled, the surviving officers of the chapter demanded to know why they were accused of such heresy. Breniel and Mundol revealed the truth about Ojina V. Once they began the assault on the warlords compound, the strike force was overwhelmed by a vast array of Chaotic forces and were taken prisoner. Once prisoner they were given audience to their former prey, Tomasz Narud. But Tomasz was not a simple apostate clergymen, instead he came to them in the guise of a traitor Astartes, the markings on his armor reminiscent of the First Legion of old. Tomasz was one of the hated Fallen, ancient traitors of the Dark Angels.

Tomasz unveiled the truth about Caliban to the captives, that it was the Lion himself who destroyed their ancient homeworld. Luther and his men were simply garrisoning the planet as ordered when the Lion arrived and began assaulting them without warning. It was only the benevolence of the Dark Gods that let a few survivors flee the slaughter. Tomasz wanted his brother Astartes to know the terrible truth of their gene-father, and show them the true path of Chaos. Breniel then unveiled that their escape from Ojina V was planned; Tomasz wanted to return to the chapter to spread the truth and turn the Lions Vigilant away from the False Emperor.

The captains were enraged at this betrayal, and the three surviving captains drew their weapons to slay their traitorous Chapter Master. Before a single shot was fired or blade energized all three were laid low by an honor guard of Breniel, a rather unassuming marine named Duran. As other loyalists responded to this betrayal, the entire Librarius of the chapter unleashed their might on the survivors. Across the fleet battle brothers took up arms to one another, but in short order the loyalists were slain to a man. At the end of the short battle two hundred astartes bent their knees in fealty to Duran, who was in reality the shipshafting Tomasz Narud.

Ever since the escape from Ojina V, Tomasz and his cohorts began a slow process of cleansing the chapter of their loyalty to the Corpse Emperor. Breniel corrupted the rest of the Librarius, showing them the knowledge and power of his new master, Tzeentch. Liekwise Mundol spread a cult among the chapter, starting with the chaplains themselves and eventually to nearly a fifth of the Lions Vigilant. Their plan was to slowly corrupt the entire chapter and bring them into the fold of Chaos, dedicated to the Changer of Ways. Their plans were cut short by the ambush, and it remains a mystery as to how the Inquisition got wind of their corruption. Despite the setback Tzeentch was pleased with Tomasz, and granted his ancient servant daemonhood.

Lords of Phot'nik VII

After months of turbulent warp travel the chapter broke into realspace above Phot'nik VII. They found that nearly a century of real time had passed, and were in dire need of resupply and rearmament. Taking the shattered world by force from the warlike tribes, Tomasz found a world perfect for his forces; littered with ancient but salvageable equipment, a populace hardened to war, and forgotten by the Imperium. He renamed the chapter the Fiends of the Apocalypse, which also encompassed the tens of thousands of renegade warriors he recruited from Phot'nik VII. The Fiends would soon become an ever present threat to the Imperium for millenia afterwards.

When the Lions Vigilant arrived in the Phot'nik system, barely two hundred battle brothers remained. With most of the Apothecarion slain and the majority of their gene seed left in their former Fortress Monastery, Tomasz lack the resources to rebuild his Astartes force. Instead he split up his remaining Astartes up into nine oversized squads called cabals. Eight of these squads would be commanded by his most trusted followers, such as Breniel or Mundol, each given the rank of potentate. Each cabal would have command over thousands of renegade warriors from Phot'nik VII, in over-regiment sized forces called throngs. Each throng would encompass warriors from every clan on Phot'nik, making each one an impressive combined arms force. Tomasz' personal force is composed of veterans tithed by the other throngs.


In battle the astartes of the Fiends act primarily as a command core for the throng. Most of the Potentates, such as Potentate-Apostle Mundol, divides their lieutenants up to act as battalion commanders for the various forces. Potentate-Supreme Breniel (Second in command to Tomasz) is an exception; he keeps his Astartes as an honor guard to fight alongside in battle, with all officers drawn from the mortal ranks. Recruitment by the Fiends is kept relatively low. Due to their geneseed issues and lack of facilities for producing new Astartes arms and armor, the warband keeps its number approximately the same as when they first landed on Phot'nik VII.

Each throng maintains its own small fleet, with a strike cruiser or equivalent ship acting as its core. The Fiends maintain no vessels larger then Strike Cruisers, and instead rely upon a multitude of frigates and corvettes for most of their fleet strength. This gives the Fiends terrible longevity in long term void engagements, but allows them to cover large expanses of space.

The Fiends stay ship-born for long periods of time, raiding the Imperium and completing mercenary work for a variety of factions. As such the fortress on Phot'nik VII is mostly used for rearmament, refueling, and training new recruits; it is not known by any grand name as others forces would name their keeps, it is simply called the Fortress by the Fiends and natives.