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[Lord Thørn]

Strelian Heraldic Houses

During Old Night, the people of Strela fragmented into many different tribes, each formed around a strong warlord, a Knyaz. The Knyazi would often make war among themselves, each fighting for supremacy in a world where supremacy no longer meant anything.
As time moved on, the descendants of a particularly influential Knyaz would begin referring to themselves as the sons and daughters of this tribal leader, seeing their ancestral blood as more important then their immediate family - together, they would claim the right to bear the sigil of that ancient Knyaz, and such conglomerations of individuals and families went on to call themselves Houses, pooling their resources to remain in power over several generations.
When Zalmoxite Platers finally returned to Strela after fifty generations, meaning to begin trading more advanced weaponry for men and food, the Houses stepped forward to start this new relationship with the off-worlders. With these guns, they began to conquer surrounding tribes who had not had the chance to buy the weaponry, and thus were born the early Strelian Nations.
As time moved on, the Platers bought ever more powerful artefacts and vehicles with them, and full Nations went to war with each other, the escalation causing ever more destruction and devastation.
When Kozja took control of Darzala, the Houses of the nobility opposed him at first. Afraid of loosing their power, they saw in him change made manifest. However, as his Genetnik Huszars pushed his conquests ever further, the nobility found that those who resisted Darzalas the most were generally those that lost the most members during the repression culls; conversely, the initial Darzalan Houses that had supported his claims to power fared best in his new government, where a parliament of nobles were even given the right to make political decisions in the Darzalan nation. As the pattern became apparent, more and more Houses decided to submit to Darzala, even before the Huszars were unleashed upon their borders, and soon all of Strela was under Kozja's control.
When Kozja became sole ruler of the Jagellonic System, the noble Houses once more saw a threat to their new power that they held in Strela's parliament. Rather then let the Vostalan and Zalmoxite magnates be granted seats by Kozja without any supervision by the existing members of parliament, the noble Houses asked Kozja to allow them to "adopt" magnates, thereby making them integral parts of the existing Strelian Houses. The Alabaster Prince - seeing an opportunity to increase his realm's cohesion - granted them this right, and increased the size of the old Darzalan parliament to incorporate representatives of the nobility from both planets.

On Kozja’s return from his time at the side of the Emperor in the Solar System, he found that Strela’s aristocracy had naturally continued their new tradition of adopting off-worlders, expanding that definition to the IX Legion. By this time of course, all pretence of keeping the Houses in a single blood line had been abandoned - instead, the Nobility had begun choosing new members according to shared values, such as loyalty, courage or tolerance. These new Patrician Astartes had started going to balls, presented as exemplars of the new order in which Strela would move forward as a major power in the galaxy.
This, of course, suited Kozja’s plans perfectly - three lessons did he learn from his lessons on Terra and Luna: first, the Legiones Astartes were fundamentally superior to mortal humans; next, his Fathers’ talents and his own could help humanity finally leave Old Night behind it and once more flourish grandiose and dominant; last, but definitely not least, his brothers and their sons could not be trusted. By learning the ways of the court, the Legionaries of the IX would be moving to the forefront of the political arena - a necessary step on the way for Kozja to help mankind evolve and grow into its full potential.
The Heraldic Houses of Strela followed the Warbringers into the stars. Though their existence skirted the very edges of the Emperor’s ban on Warrior Lodges, the formation of the Warbringers that was subject to most scrutiny was the Bogatyry. The Nobles of the Jagellonic system - whether Astartes, or officers of the Novadeka or simple civilians - were therefore free to mingle with the aristocracy throughout the galaxy, weaving a web of relations that should last for decades, if not centuries.

[Lord Thørn]

Streltsy Marksmen (Elite)
One of the northern nations on Strela, Arkanav's geography was caracterised by flat plains and dense forests. As such, it was one of the few Strelian states to develop combined infantry and cavalry tactics, producing their famed Voltigeurs in the process - after having been transported to a strategic emplacement, the Voltigeurs would dismount, becoming a skirmishing force in the process, while the true cavalry would continue its normal role.
However, Kozja found that the Voltigeurs were vulnerable in close combat, and so ordered his Huszars to make devastating charges into their lines - soon, Arkanav would capitulate, their entire military strategy of no effect against the warlord. Nonetheless, the Prince of Darzala saw the tactical value of such marksmen and he integrated them into his own ranks - later, his Warbringers would create new units of marksmen in the Arkanavian traditions called the Streltsy - after insertion into tactically advantageous positions thanks to diverse transport vehicles, they would make use of their rapid-firing sniper weapons to take out enemy generals, whilst also being given the Legion's signature Mono-Bardiches to increase their resilience in close quarters combat.

Darzalan Huszars (Fast Attack)
The Darzalan Huszars were once Kozja's elite soldiers during the unification of Strela. Augmented genetically and alchemically, armed with lances and armour, and mounted on sturdy Strelian steeds, the Huszars became the terror of the other nations. When the Emperor came to Strela to give the IX Legion to the Alabaster Prince, every Huszar under Kozja's orders was inducted into the Legiones Astartes, even being given simpler augmentation treatments when too old to be submitted to the full Astartes' ones.
With full sets of power armour, monomolecular lances, and assault bikes as steeds, the Huszars once more sallied forth, putting fear into the hearts of the enemies of mankind.

Tryzub Shield-Terminators (Elite)
The Oxy-acetylene weaponry used by the masters of the Oxytanian [Kings] were known to be incredibly devastating to flesh and armour alike. Though their short range made them vulnerable to the ranks of the IX Legion's Volkite and Bolt weaponry in their landed territories, they became deadly in the close confines of Valerian Hive. Needing a method to protect the large numbers of infantry used in the expansive Zone Mortalis of the hive, the Legion tasked certain Astartes to carry primitive Atomantic shield generators developed by the Terrawatt clans - it is believed that these men may have been the origin of the Moniker "Steel Guard" used to describe the entire Legion, as these new field generators were also known to be used in the protection of mortal soldiers or the rare non-combatants of the Hive that surrendered. The same technology would later be developed into the Atomantic Pavaise found on certain Deredeo-pattern Dreadnoughts, the Steel Guard would also mount them on their first specimens of Saturnyne-Pattern Tactical Dreadnought Armour, thereby creating the renowned Shield-Terminators. Using their Atomantic [Bucklers], they were known to protect different units of Legionaries  and men of the Imperial Army alike, on the battlefield or in the close confines of arcologies or ships.

[Lord Thørn]

Legion Command Hierarchy

Principates

The largest of the Strelian Nations were known as "Principates": though of varying sizes, they all had considerable military strength, and could rule vast territories, whether directly or through vassals and tributaries. After unification, only eight Principates remained as administrative entities in the Strelian territory. The first and most important was Darzala - the location of both the Alabaster Palace and the Fortress of Asklep, Darzala had become exceedingly rich through Kozja's initial conquests. As Zalmoxis and then Vostala were integrated into Darzalas' dominion, each of these became Principates of the Jagellonic System - though possibly of higher strategic value, their populations were far lower then that of the Strelian Principates, and so needed less bureaucratic supervision.
The Principates would later form the basis of the organisation of the Warbringers, each one becoming the recruitment grounds for one of the Chapters of the Legion - these nations would become so intrinsically linked to the very concept of a Chapter in the IX that the terms Principate would supersede it entirely, each one being known just as much by its Strelian name as by its identifying number.

[Lord Thørn]

Legion

Principatal Heraldry
When Kozja had decreed that all his soldiers should bear a golden right arm in their uniforms, had didn’t make any deference for tactical or personal markings. Holding to that tradition, the Legionaries of the IX therefore had to find other ways to denote different units on the battlefield: these generally took the form of Jagollithic runes engraved into knee guards or on helms.
However, no sections were put aside to denote a soldier’s principate, which began to grate at the Warbringers’ notorious pride.
The 2nd Principate Vostala were the first to circumvent the rule, by having the twin axes embossed in gold on their right shoulder guard - as such, they were able to show their homeworld, while keeping to the rule of the right arm. This marking rapidly spread to the other Principates, and soon were to be seen the winged sword of Darzala, the Zalmoxite sun, and the bow of Zhar, finally showing the different parts of the Legion.

[Lord Thørn]

WIP:

 

Real world:
Corps (30,000-50,000)
Division - combined arms (10,000-30,000)
1 to 4 Brigade or Battle Group Primary arm(2,000-5,000)
1 brigade or regiment combat support (often artillery) (2,000-5,000)
a number of direct-reporting battalions for support tasks (300-800)

Warbringers:
Corps (30,000-50,000)
Division (5,000) - PRINCIPATE (Knyaz)
3 Main Brigades (3*1000)
  10 Companies (100)
   10 Squads (10)
1 combat support Brigade (1000)
5 Battalions (5*100) - 1 per fellowship excl. Bogatyrs
Reserve elements (500) ?

==Units and Organisation==
===Formations===
The largest permanent Formations of the Warbringers were the Principates, each one formed in and named after one of the administrative Principates of the Jagellonic System and later the Oneiron Cluster [stand-in for Divisions]. All the Principates from a specific territory of the Jagellonic System were standardised, with a certain amount of deviation between different territories - as such, the Darzalan Principates had a larger number of Biker Cavalry [Brigades] and [Companies], whereas the Principates of Vostala had mainly Armoured [Brigades].
Though the combined-arms' nature of the Principates meant that they could in principle function alone, they would often be grouped together under temporary [Corps], commanded by the Knyaz of one of the Principates, chosen through a complex system of precedence based on Principate Territory and number, as well as the age and House of the Knyaz in question. Further, a Corps-Knyaz could take direct command of human Auxilia of the Novadekan Regiments, vastly increasing his power in a particular theatre of war.

[Two Principates however were outside this structure altogether - the First Principate and the Primarch's Own were the two most prestigious units of the whole Legion, being respectively commanded by First Knyaz Perkenas and the Primarch Kozja Darzalas. Only the most Veteran Astartes could be granted the honour of being assigned to these Principates...]

[Algrim Whitefang]

Hey Lord Thørn, 

 

Thought you might like an updated pic..I wasn't happy with how the white on the armour turned out. So here ya go..a much better version!

 

A Warbringers Legionary. 

[Lord Thørn]

Thanks Algrim ! Yeah, I think the white does look better here

[bluntblade]

Idea for exemplary battles: both/all three of the Warbringers' should be tied to a single massive campaign, comprising a range of forces. That should back up Kozja's claim to rival Alexandros.

[Lord Thørn]

That sounds like a good idea - I believe there was a younger legion that was attached to the Warbringers before their own Primarch was found, I can't remember which though

[Lord Thørn]

An idea that has been floated is a campaign after the Vizenko Prosecution, in which Kozja attempts to regain face.

This would be a campaign against an Ork WAAAGH!!! : I believe the Orks are an interesting counterpoint to the Warbringers because they are Polar Opposite. Order/Disorder, Creation/Destruction, Humourless/Hillarious...

A further idea I had was that this WAAAGH would be led by a particularly powerful Painboss (ie a highly ranked painboy) - this would actually be a parallel to the Warbringers (in particular Kozja) which could lead to some interesting questions

[Hesh Kadesh]

I like the idea of a Painboy Waaagh. Waaagh Boletusk. Apofeckry Supreme, The Painboss? (Boletus being a type of mushroom).

[Chief Captain Redd]

I like it; seems like a solid base to grow from.

[Lord Thørn]

Thanks for the name suggestion, I might well end up using it ^^

[simison]

An idea that has been floated is a campaign after the Vizenko Prosecution, in which Kozja attempts to regain face.

This would be a campaign against an Ork WAAAGH!!! : I believe the Orks are an interesting counterpoint to the Warbringers because they are Polar Opposite. Order/Disorder, Creation/Destruction, Humourless/Hillarious...

A further idea I had was that this WAAAGH would be led by a particularly powerful Painboss (ie a highly ranked painboy) - this would actually be a parallel to the Warbringers (in particular Kozja) which could lead to some interesting questions

 

While I agree that this sounds like an excellent campaign idea, there's already a post-Prosecution campaign written for the Warbringers in the Prosecution chapter. So, this idea would make for a good exemplary campaign, perhaps just move it time-wise?

[bluntblade]

I think we need to do a Gaardinaal for Kozja; show him at the height of his prestige.

[Lord Thørn]

Perhaps it could be just before the prosecution - ie, the campaign in which the Crimson Lions discover Vizenko's dealings ?

I can't remember if the prosecution is before or after the Qarith Triumph

Edited by Lord Thørn, 26 February 2018 - 06:20 AM.

[bluntblade]

After. But I think it should be set a lot earlier on, with Kozja holding command over another Primarch or two.

[Lord Thørn]

After. But I think it should be set a lot earlier on, with Kozja holding command over another Primarch or two.

 

Well I was hoping that would be possible, yes - could be an opportune moment to explore his relationship with some of the other primarchs with extreme views on genetic experimentation, or possible recruits for the Suzerainty (ie, when he creates the Suzerainty, he thinks of calling out to these first)

Since the XVIIth Legion are attached to the Warbringers before the Jade General is found, perhaps this campaign could also be the first in which the General leads his sons? What Legion would you see as a possible second?

[bluntblade]

Honestly I wouldn't go that blatant. I would put Koschei or Nomus in the picture, along with a small force from another Legion or two, plus multiple Army regiments (I need to work out what's a sensible number for Qarith Prime and Stengah one of these days)

[bluntblade]

The key thing here is Kozja's martial prowess rather than political matters.

[Skalpynock]

Nomus is found way earlier than Koschei, which also means the grimdark-er primarchs haven't been found yet. As for the other legions, Morning Stars and Shepherds of Eden?

[bluntblade]

That could certainly work. I vote Morning Stars.

[Lord Thørn]

Tentative Timeline for the Warbringers:

Warbringers timeline
====================

- IXth Primarch created and lost
- IXth Legion created during unification wars
- Conquest of the Oxytanian Marquisate
    > Burning of Valerian Hive
    > Creation of the first Atomantic Mantlets
    > IXth become the Steel Guard
- Early Great Crusade & Kozja's Conquest of the Jagellonic System
- Kozja rediscovered
    > Steel Guard become the Warbringers
    > Begin to integrate noble houses of the Jagellonic System
- Training on Terra and Luna of the Primarch
- Stabilisation of IXth geneseed
- Compliance of the Oneiron Cluster
- Defense against WAAAGH! [?]
    > Kozja takes overall command of the campaign at the head of three legions and multitudes of auxiliary forces
- Vizenko Prosecution
    > Asklepian Fellowship disbanded
    > Kozja partially mind-wiped
- Day of Revelation
    > The Warbringers ambush the Dune Serpents
    > Dune Serpents succeed in mainly evading the forces of the Alabaster Prince, thereby keeping a largely intact legion for the beginning of the Insurrection
    > What world?

- Battle of the Forge
- First Solar War
    > Warbringers are sent to secure Luna -> Though they ultimately fail, they succeed in capturing a large portion of the surviving Selenar Gene-cults (and keep them secret from the rest of the Insurrectionist forces) and largely destroy the facilities on the Moon
- Kozja becomes ever more wary of his more fanatic Insurrectionist brothers who seem to have accepted help from warp entities
    > Enlists the help of the Jade General to reverse the mind-wipe
    > Triggers a psychic mind-trap, which sends him into a state of deep slumber (3 years?)
    > Jade General calls on Nomus Sardauk to save the Alabaster Prince
- Suzerainty is founded (secret at first)
    > Additional fellowships are created
    > Diplomatic envoys are sent to those forces that could be open to join them
- Catastrophe of the Godslayers
- The envoy to K'awil returns, inviting the Suzerainists to Kabieb
    > K'awil listens to his brothers' propositions, but chooses to reject them
    > He sends word of the Suzerainists' treachery to Icarion, thus making the Suzerainty public
    > In revenge, Kozja, Jade and Nomus murder K'awil
- Half the Segmentum Tempestus turns to the Suzerainty, including major Forge Worlds like Lucius and __
- Han, homeworld of the Warriors of Peace, is invaded and destroyed by the Eagle Warriors
    > Their rapid reaction suggests either that they were expecting such an eventuality, or that their dark pacts were strong - probably both
    > The survivors of Han resettle on Qin within the Suzerainty
   
- Invasion of Madrigal at the time of the Second Solar War

 

 

(can't remember the name of the Warriors of Peace's new homeworld, so I've left Qin as a placeholder)

Edited by Lord Thørn, 08 March 2018 - 06:23 PM.

[Lord Thørn]

HISTORY

 

The Prosecution of Baal

===================

Aftermath

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

___

With the Asklepian Fellowship disbanded and their headquarters erased from History, one task remained on Strela for Constantin Valdor: though only the ceremonial master of the Fellowship, Kozja Darzalas had received regular reports on the progress of the Apothecaries at the Ziggurat; what’s more, his brain had been designed by the Emperor himself, and his memory was perfect to a degree of .1 percent. To remain free, Darzalas would have to submit to a mind scrub, in which he would give up all recollection of the Asklepian's findings.

Reluctantly, the lord of the Voitely bowed to the Emperor's order - under the supervision of the Adeptus Custodes and a delegation of Crimson Lions, he travelled to Mars, where ancient Magi of the Mechanicum and a whole Astropathic Choir, along with the last surviving members of the Selenar Gene-cults, toiled night and day to a full Terran Standard year, in which time every recollection of the genetic heresy was wiped.

 

The Insurrection Wears On

=====================

Recollections

-----------------
As some of his brothers' legions drew ever further away from sanity, Kozja began to feel uneasy: originally, he had followed Icarion's plans for the Day of Revelation in the hope that they would get their Father to hear their pleas, or at most to depose Him, should he still prove uncooperative. However, he had heard the desperate cackle of Alexos Travier, he had seen the preternatural speed at which the Drowned moved, and he had witnessed the mad butchery perpetrated by the Berserkers of Uran. Even noble Icarion had changed, though in more subtle ways.

Inwardly, he knew that, while still refusing the gifts offered in a half whisper from behind his shoulder, and without new equipment from Mars, the Warbringers would ultimately be surpassed and destroyed, whether by the Loyalist faction or his own. With no ready alternative, Kozja decided to reform the Asklepian Fellowship: this time, there would be, could be, no restraint.

Kozja at first began to make plans to call the surviving Asklepians back to Strela, but as he received few answers in the midst of the great warp-storms created by the Lord Anasem, he soon saw that another mean would be necessary: he would have to find once more the memories that were taken from him, long ago in the wake of Vizenko's Prosecution.
Consultations with his Legion's Librarium and Astropaths told him that alone, the Warbringers lacked the necessary knowledge to bring back the missing memories - finally, resigned to his fate, Darzalas called upon the only people he felt could be willing, and able, to help him in his plight: his brother, Nomus Sardauk. Not only was the lord of the XVIII as master of technologies, his knowledge of an Astartes' cognitive abilities was unparalleled throughout the galaxy: though his own talents had not been on trial at Baal, Sardauk had also made it clear from the very beginning that he supported Kozja, even though their differing personalities had never bought them to consider each other as friends. To the Ninth's relief, Sardauk accepted his invitation: whether out of a shared sense of purpose, or of curiosity for this unique access to another Primarch's brain, Kozja did not care; he thought only of retrieving the knowledge lost in the folds of his own White Matter.

And so, Kozja and Nomus began to work on the former's brain. Everything had been prepared: holo-scans, conventional and augmetic tools, any relevant documentation that could be found... and yet, as soon as Sardauk began to remove his brother's brain pan, Kozja began to convulse -

Visions from afar
In which Kozja's visions from the alternate heresies are described

- only to awaken again, a second later.

In truth, three years had passed: in that time, First Knyaz Perkenas had commanded the Legion, taking them to several minor victories, but the Legion's numbers had been mauled: however skilled Perkenas may be, he was no match for a Primarch; the fortification of the Jagellonic System had continued, but at a slower pace in his absence; more generally, the war continued, Icarion's troops gradually engulfing the galaxy and bringing it under Madrigal's control.

Once Kozja had been bought up to speed on the general state of his Legion and the War, he accepted a meeting with Nomus Sardauk, to discuss the outcome of his operation. Instead of finding only Sardauk as he had expected, though, he was also greeted by the Jade General: together, the three brothers discussed how incising Kozja's brain had sprung a psychic trap, designed to unleash psionic energy throughout the Primarch's neurons, to prevent him from recovering the hidden knowledge of the Asklepians. To save him, Nomus ordered the thrashing Kozja be frozen in stasis, then decided to call upon the Jade General: another supporter of genetic manipulation and a psychic Pariah, the General could well have been Kozja's only hope of surviving the psychic backlash and recovering the coveted memories.
Then, Kozja spoke to them of his own experience: in his pain, he had been visited by visions, false futures from universes where his brothers and he were replaced with strange imitations, or else had switched sides, or had been transformed into dark creatures of the warp... a single constant permeated throughout: there was only war. In every incarnation, whether the Insurrectionists were defeated or whether they killed the Emperor, each reality was engulfed in endless conflict for the survival of the human race, even if its soul could no longer exist.

He then exposed his plan: one that may save them and at least a little portion of mankind, even if the rest of the galaxy burned. He planned to secede, both from the Imperium and the Empire of Madrigal, creating a new realm in which the singular pursuit of the survival of humanity would take precedence over all other ethical rules.

As one, the Primarchs held out the wrists, and in that handshake, the creation of the Suzerainty was sealed.

[MikhalLeNoir]

Weren't the crimson lions sent to purge han before the first solar war? That aside very cool stuff.

Edited by MikhalLeNoir, 08 March 2018 - 08:32 PM.