IL XVI - The Drowned

[bluntblade]

Just to make sure it's written down, we're going to use the minor Old One Nyctelios as the basis for the important daemon. Notes so far are that it's an Eldar who cottoned on to what was happening and embraced Slaanesh as its first and perhaps only priest among the Aeldari.

[simison]

Sounds good.

[simison]

To verify, the Drowned have rites of war, yes?

[bluntblade]

Definitely, I've seen them in the Books.

[Beren]

Not entirely sure, but I think I forgot to post this after Raktra approved it.

 

 

Equerry Boraeo

 

Boraeo was a Legionary who distinguished himself amongst the ranks of the Drowned on two counts. The first was an unerring ability to drag himself out of the most bitterly forsaken situations, often ones into which he had willingly placed himself. The second was a near fanatical loyalty to the Sorrowsworn.

 

In the conclusion to the gruelling Miga xenocides, Morro personally ordered Boraeo's Destroyer squad, along with three others, into a suicidal assault on the xenos throne-nest. Obeying without hesitation, Boraeo was the sole Destroyer to emerge from the phosphex flames. Though he had failed to slay the xenos thinker-breeds coordinating the defence, the Destroyer had proven both his loyalty and his ability to survive, something of far higher value than noble sacrifices among the Drowned Men. On that day, Boraeo's former Styxian epithet was discarded and symbolically replaced by the title of Equerry.

 

After a period of tutelage in the art of command by a reluctant Hennasohn, the degree of trust placed in him by Morro began to exceed that given to the former Legion Master. From then on he became an instrument of Morro’s will in all matters, his dry humour bearing words of inviolable command.

 

When a detachment of the Drowned Men under the Equerry’s command engage their foes, those struggling the fighting is thickest will soon hear the sonorous chanting of Styxian dirges. It is a grim and will-sapping presagement, for soon after Boraeo will be in their midst and the rattle of bolt pistols will cut down any who futilely seek to close with him.

Edited October 6, 2019 by Beren

[bluntblade]

Could I suggest it be squads rather than a single squad?

[Beren]

Upped it to three.

[simison]

Last sentence is a run-on, but I'm not sure if you were aiming for that style. Is the Miga a reference to the Mi-gos of the Cthulhu Mythos? 

[Beren]

Yes.

[bluntblade]

For the Dark Eldar's name, I propose Angaityel Ulugwairth.

 

And for the Eldar-turned-KoS, N'ktairlyoth.

Edited October 9, 2019 by bluntblade

[simison]

Beren's story:

 

"some kind[,] still slick"

 

" of effort and time. 

Resting a hand" [Missing line space]

[bluntblade]

XVI^th Legion Tactical Marine

Daeloth Idjik

Second Tendril, Thirteenth Shoal

Idjik's origins are obscure, but he is first recorded fighting during the Purge of Vermut. He is pictured in the Mamao pattern of Mk IV armour, indicating particularly specialisation for aquatic operations. It is thought that for this reason, his Shoal were left to conclude the hunt for those Scions Hospitalier who had escaped into the depths of Untara's seas. Whether he met his end at the hands of the Fire Keepers or his own quarry is unknown.

[simison]

Legionary Keeno gritted his teeth as he felt the new presence touch his soul. It was not unexpected; Keeno had been waiting for this very moment for the last few minutes. He and the others who had volunteered were to be a new weapon in their Primarch's arsenal. Keeno, however, would not be subservient to this...entity. The thing continued to ooze into Keeno's very being. He steadied himself as he formed a mental block between his core self and the entity. The process felt like sinking. The entity was the deepest abyss condensed into a cold and merciless presence.

 

It hurt.

 

Keeno endured the pain, a secondary reflex honed by a century of war. Ever so slowly, the new entity settled within him. It then rubbed along Keeno's mental wall.

 

You can't have that.

 

Keeno's body was changing as the process came to completion. Already, he could feel an alien strength in his muscles. His senses distorted as he heard new sounds, not of mundane reality, but of the reality beyond it. Yes, Keeno would enjoy these new powers as himself.

 

A titter echoed in his mind.

 

No, you won't, little one, a feminine whisper promised.

 

Keeno's body jerked as the entity clawed at his mental barriers with unexpected strength. Seconds stretched into eternity. Keeno tried to call out, but the entity gripped his throat. The incessant bashing at his mind grew more frantic; the entity growing in strength and subtle rapture as it fed on his growing desperation. A realization slammed into him. This was the one battlefield he had no experience in.

 

Correct, little one. Now. Break.

 

The shell of will protecting his most inner being shattered. With a scream heard by none except his jailor, Keeno sunk into a new abyss.

[bluntblade]

The Drowned

Lore

History

Part 1: Intro, Sons of the Last Seas and Advent of the Monarchs

Part 2: The Ferryman of Styx, Rough and Muddied Waters, and The Beckoning Abyss

Unit and Formation Structure

War Disposition

XVI^th Legion Praetor

Exemplary Battles:

First Contact at Nox

The Cleansing of Phemus IV

The Xantriss Retribution

Rules

Sorrowsworn Morro

Hennasohn

Tanno

Pelagic Monarchs

Forlorn

Charonic Seekers

Malacost Hazard Squad

 

Black Book Campaigns

The Perfidy of Untara

The Ravaging of the Nerska March

Edited December 26, 2019 by bluntblade

[bluntblade]

We seem to be missing a couple of bits of updated fluff here.

 

Exemplary Battles

  Only a fraction of the Drowned’s campaigns are well-known to us. Quite aside from the Legion’s secrecy, the environments in which they plied their trade frequently deterred and impeded outside observers. Indeed, the reports by Prefect Veron and his cadre have proven invaluable in exploring how the XVIth waged war when apart from their cousins, the Custodians being able to brave the inhospitable battlefields where the Drowned thrived. As with the Scions Hospitalier, the Drowned demonstrated a willingness to adapt in order to persevere, learning from the other Legions with whom they grudgingly served. As time progresses, we can see how this hunger for greater potency led them to stray beyond the Emperor’s bounds, ensuring a need for greater secrecy even as they chose more arduous campaigns, craving recognition for what Morro deemed his Legion’s primacy.

[bluntblade]

First Contact at Nox

  The first Imperial ship to communicate with the Mechanicum Abyssii would be the Daw-wama, a cruiser escorted by two frigates. Upon entering the system, the Daw-wama sent out its discovery to the both the Drowned and Wardens of Light fleets before cautiously advancing toward the Nox system. Responding to the unknown ships, Mechanicum fleet elements in the form of two light cruisers with several light escorts moved to intercept. The two small fleets met above the outermost planet of the system, Semotus.

 

  Although the communication codes were centuries old, it took only half an hour before a working dialogue was established, giving time for the 11^th Fleet to be alerted to the Daw-wama’s discovery. The situation deteriorated, however, when the Abyssii demanded that the Drowned warship stand down and prepare to be boarded. At the time of this exchange, Hennasohn remained absent, a mere thirty minutes away as his ship sped to the Nox system. Command laid in the hands of the Monarch present. This was Bloodravager Vaisso, who refused to recognize the Abyssii’s authority. With this simple rejection, the Abyssii, in their binary thinking, labeled the unknown ships as enemy forces and opened fire.

 

  While the Drowned warships were outnumbered, they possessed the heavier vessels and were at complete combat readiness when hostilities broke out. With the Abyssii warships carrying superior ranged weapons, Vaisso ordered his fleet to close the distance and to prepare boarding torpedoes. At full speed, the Drowned warships were upon the Abyssii vessels after enduring only a single volley. Launching a wave of boarding actions, the Drowned assault teams soon ran rampant through the Abyssii ships’ complements of Skitarii and combat servitors. 

 

  Even as the Mechanicum ships suffered internally, they obeyed their pre-set programming and continued firing with machine precision. It would be the Abyssii who would score the first victory as they overwhelmed the Drowned frigate, Orphnaeus. The victory was short-lived as the one Drowned assault team secured the bridge of the Sufficient Gravitas. With this cruiser incapacitated, the battle swung in favor of the Drowned. For a moment it appeared as though the Drowned would secure the outer regions of the system, ready to press onward. 

 

  That optimism was shattered when auspex readings informed Vaisso that additional Abyssii warships were approaching. Later identified as the Amber Citadel, a grand cruiser approached, leading a dozen lesser ships. Now outnumbered and outclassed, Vaisso was on the verge of ordering a retreat when more ships appeared, this time at the system’s Mandeville Point. Another Drowned strike cruiser, the Daemon of the Deep, led a three-pronged attack, raking the Mechanicum vessels as they attempted to close with Vaisso’s fleet. While they had bought Vaisso time to retrieve his boarders, they were still insufficient for him to press the advantage, and he prepared to make a withdrawal. 

 

  But the relieving force was only the vanguard, and soon the rest of the Drowned pathfinder fleet translated. At its heart was the Tiamat-Class battleship Stygian Tide, the flagship of Hennasohn. This was enough for the Abyssii fleet to break off and regroup, alarmed by the threat posed by the newcomers. Hennasohn had come ahead of the 11th Expeditionary Fleet, led by Gwalchavad. Despite knowing the mighty force hastening to the system, he was determined to deliver the system on his own initiative.

 

  Assuming command of the Imperial forces, the revered Old Man attempted to end the conflict through diplomacy, eager to avoid the cost of breaking an entire Forge World and lose the prestige of an independent Compliance action. The reply he received came from the battleship Armageddon’s Blade. The Abyssii answer was the same as before, stand down and be boarded. Unwilling to comply, Hennasohn committed the rest of the Drowned tendril fleet to battle. Casualties grew as ships perished in flame, both Drowned and Abyssii. While possessing more ships, the Abyssii now fielded two battleships to the Drowned’s one. 

 

  To shift the balance back in the Drowned’s favour, Hennasohn ordered three strike cruisers to dive and board the second battleship, the Last Unto Dawn, from below. Although one strike cruiser perished in the defensive volleys, the other two reached their objective, rotating to present their broadsides to the Last Unto Dawn’s underbelly. Exploiting their knowledge of Mechanicum vessels, the Space Marines quickly threatened the Last Unto Dawn’s core systems. The Abyssii formation was splintered, and several of their vessels were crippled or destroyed by the oncoming XVI^th Legion fleet.

 

  Despite the costly fight, Hennasohn could see that the odds favoured him. Until a new contact emerged from the system core. Abyssii had deployed a Mechanicum Ark, which now slowly made its way to Semotus. Easily several times larger than Hennasohn’s flagship, the Omnissian Resolve threatened to completely undo the Drowned’s gains. It was ponderous, but it carried a vast armament and was attended by a swarm of lesser craft.

 

  Hennasohn recognised the threat before him, yet he was always a canny and determined strategist. Knowing the threat posed by the approaching behemoth, he used the Drowned’s favoured contingency: the Astartes fragmented their formations, splitting into several battle groups. The task was not victory any more but to survive until reinforcements arrived. The sacrifices involved were galling - abandoning crippled ships to the enemy with the personnel and materiel aboard - but the XVI^th were grimly unsentimental in such circumstances.

 

  For a Terran day and a half, the Drowned fought several running battles in parallel, losing craft but bleeding the defenders heavily. In a feat of void mastery rarely to be matched, Hennasohn drew the battle close to the Mandeville point as the Wardens of Light arrived in-system. The Drowned readied themselves for a decisive attack, as Gwalchavad brought one of the few vessels capable of confidently engaging an Ark Mechanicus.

 

  Their bloodlust and eagerness for glory, however, was frustrated by Gwalchavad’s actions. He offered to cease hostilities, surrendering himself as a hostage to guarantee the Imperium’s good conduct. The Abyssii, comprehensively outmanoeuvred by Hennasohn, had been bracing themselves for a desperate defence and were thus taken aback. Negotiations, with Gwlachavad firmly in the lead and aided by the magos he brought with him, proceeded quickly. Within a few weeks the Abyssii cult had sworn allegiance to the twin kingdoms of Terra and Mars. 

 

 The brief battle with the Abyssii proved a bitter affair for the Drowned. Despite displaying superior tactics, a full third of Hennasohn’s tendril fleet had been either destroyed or crippled. Thousands of Drowned Men had been lost, most with no hope of retrieving their gene-seed. Damaged ships and captured wargear were repaired in the shipyards and forges of Nox and returned to the Drowned by way of apology. This would be accepted, but for the first time the Imperium saw the extent of the resentment that the Drowned carried with them. In time, this would become all too familiar.