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Trodai an Bas

The Trodai an Bas used to be a 4th-founding loyalist Chapter of Space Marines before becoming corrupted by Chaos. Their home planet was a feral world named Riocht.

At the time of the Great Crusade the people of Riocht lived in many fragmented tribes that shared the same culture. Their military technology was limited to chainmail and steel swords. Their religious beliefs revolved around the worship of nature and warriors. Their cities often were home to only a few thousand.

However they were advanced in their tactics and strategies. Due to Riocht being close to the Maelstrom incursions of Daemons were very common and the people developed tactics to fight them. Similarly they learnt how to defeat Dark Eldar pirates using just swords, bows and nature.

When the Imperial Army landed on the planet the people of Riocht resisted greatly. One great leader, Rialoirmor, united the tribes and defied the Imperium. At the Battle of Reimse na Rithe, Rialoirmor used guerrilla tactics, the tactics they used to fight against Daemons and Dark Eldar, to defeat a much larger and better equipped army. Finally, however, Riocht surrendered to the Imperium. Rialoirmor disappeared and became legendary amongst the people.

One reason why Riocht was chosen to be the homeworld for a 4th-founding Chapter was that it was a feral world. The new Chapter was called the Trodai an Bas – Warriors of Death. They became embroiled in many conflicts, from the sieges in Cadia to Ork Waaaaghs!. Eventually they gained a reputation for using hit-and-run tactics and using natural defences to overcome foes.

The Trodai an Bas became more and more powerful. They became one of the most effective fighting forces in the Imperium and vanquished foes across the galaxy. However they were never as loyal as other Chapters. This was due to them being told the story of Rialoirmor as children – his heroic stand against a far superior foe, his disappearance and how eventually he will return to his people.

One night, during the 38th Millenium, the Chapter Master, Cormac MacEoin, had a dream. In this dream he saw Rialoirmor’s disappearance from his army, his capture by the Imperial Army and his brutal execution. MacEoin realised that the Imperium was not worth fighting for.

He ordered his Chapter to return to Riocht. There he rebuilt his Chapter to full strength. Finally he declared that Riocht was to be independent from Imperial rule and that he would accept all renegades into the ranks of the newly independent realm.

Hundreds of thousands of rebels joined the Trodai an Bas. The renegades taught the Space Marines about the worship of the Chaos gods and what they could do for them. The Chapter fell into heresy and they began to practice how to invoke the god’s powers. The Techmarines and Chaplains started to become sorcerers capable of casting spells that replicated the effects of the marine’s weapons. They began to become almost priest-like figures – Druids of Chaos.

The Chapter diverged at this point. About a third became interested in the worship of Khorne and martial practices. MacEoin and another third became interested in Slaanesh. The final third refused to worship a single god and worshipped all of them as a whole pantheon.

The Imperium sent several companies of Space Marines and many regiments of the Imperial Guard but they could not defeat the renegades. In fact the ranks of the renegades grew after each successive victory as Imperial soldiers defected.

The war caught the attention of many other Chaos Space Marine warbands and they joined the Trodai an Bas in their war. Inspired by the leaders of the Trodai an Bas, many re-painted their armour into the warriors of Riocht’s colours. Soon thousands of Chaos Space Marines had joined together to fight on Riocht and even more Cultists had joined them.

As the warriors of Chaos swarmed the planet, 4 entire chapters of Space Marines arrived on the planet: Aethelstan’s Reavers, the Magma Tetsus, the Lords of the Emperor and finally the Black Death. Supporting them was the Space Wolves’ 4th Great Company. New arrivals also included Keasar’s X Imperial Guard Regiment, 100 regiments of the Imperial Guard and the Order of the Sacred Heart.

Across the world the rebels and the loyalists clashed. Every tree, every scrap of land, every lake and every hut was fought over. Thousands of battles were fought between the two sides.

Gradually however the rebels lost ground as they were pushed back. The religious differences between the Trodai an Bas’ members were put aside as they fought tooth and nail for control of the world.

At the world’s main city, Aletara, the rebels fought their last stand. The loyalists besieged the city and across each street, square and tower desperate battles were fought. Havoc squads and Devastator squads clashed for control of high ground, Berserker and Raptor squads fought against Assault squads for control of the roads and Tactical Marines fought against the Chaos Marines at barricades and walls.

The battle at Aletara lasted 10 years. Over the course of the battle the Magma Tetsus and the Black Death chapters were annihilated and the Lords of the Emperor chapter was incorporated into Aethalstan’s Reavers. On the field of battle corpses lay strewn over defensive lines, towers, ruins and fortresses. Eventually, however, the Trodai an Bas accepted defeat. With the remaining citizens of Riocht, several regiments-worth of traitor guardsmen and the rest of the Chaos Space Marines the Trodai an Bas evacuated the planet, leaving it to the Imperium.

In the fringe of the Galaxy, far from the eyes of the Space Marines and the Imperial Guard, the Trodai an Bas and their allies built up a small empire. From there raiding actions took place against Space Marine homeworlds, manufacturing planets and Imperial strongholds.

The warband will ally with anyone who is willing to help them fight the Imperium. These allies may be Necrons, Dark Eldar, Tau or other Chaos Space Marines. The Trodai an Bas will never fight with Chaos Daemons.

Two of the captains were elevated to the rank of Daemon Prince – Aodh UiBrannagh and Cairbre Lyory. MacEoin also became a Daemon Prince. The other 8 captains refused to become a Daemon Prince and instead chose to maintain their humanity.

ORGANISATION OF THE TRODAI AN BAS

The Chapter organisation has been altered from the Codex organisation. The Chapter has been split into 4 “warbands”:
• Lords of Pain – the warband devoted to Slaanesh.
• Warriors of Riocht – the undivided warband.
• Knights of Rialoirmor – the warband devoted to Khorne.
• The Order of Priests – the warband devoted to Tzeentch.
The Lords of Pain are led by Aodh and the Knights of Rialoirmor are led by Cairbre. The Order of Priests is led by Bradan the Magician. The Warriors of Riocht are led by a group of a fluctuating group of 4-7 lords.

The Order of Priests were created soon after some members of the Trodai an Bas began to develop strange mutations that allowed them to use psychic powers. The librarians and Druids took them in and developed their mind. After capturing some Thousand Son automatons the newly trained sorcerers became the leaders of these almost obedient units.

The Lords of Pain have painted their armour in grey. The Knights of Rialoirmor have painted their armour in shades of orange. The Warriors of Riocht still have their armour painted in the same colours of their Chapter days – green armour and brown shoulder pads. The Order of Priests have their armour painted in blue.

The Lords of Pain and Warriors of Riocht are mainly made up of Chaos Space Marine squads but due to their dedication to Khorne the Knights of Rialoirmor are mainly made up of bloodthirsty Khorne Berzerkers and Raptors. The Order of Priests consists of the Druids of Chaos and the Thousand Sons captured automatons.

When embarking on an operation the leaders of the warband will convene and decide which units travel. Often the units chosen will be a mixture of all the different groups in the army. The Slaaneshi lords and princes are deemed very useful whilst the Tzeentchian infantry are highly prized. The Khornate units are often deemed to be too untrustworthy but occasionally they will be set loose on a target that is very powerful.

CORMAC MacEOIN

An ancient and wizened Daemon Prince, Cormac has fought across the galaxy during many battles. A disciple of Slaanesh, it was he who led the Trodai an Bas into heresy and rebellion.

He was born in a small village on Riocht. From a young age he was taught to fight. When he turned 7 he was adopted by another village as Riochtian customs decreed. It was then when he truly gained an understanding of the sword and shield.

When he turned 10 he passed the screenings required to become a Space Marine. During this time he extensively trained until he was inducted to the Trodai an Bas a brother.

He quickly rose through the ranks, spending mere months as a scout and then only a few more years as an Assault Marine. He was inducted into the 1st Company after 10 years in the chapter as a Vanguard Veteran.

During a battle against a Dark Eldar raiding force he proved his worth by defending the Chapter Master against several squads of Hellions after they were cut off from the rest of the army. The Master was severely wounded by this point and so Cormac defended him and created a mound of dead enemies around him. The Chapter Master eventually died from his wounds, however, and Cormac took his place.

As the leader of the Trodai an Bas, he undertook several crusades against the Imperium's enemies. The chapter became more and more aggressive in its tactics that warranted an inspection from the Inquisition. The Inquisitor never returned to Terra.

When the chapter turned heretical, and after their defeat on Riocht, Cormac led his nomadic warriors in the assault of many Imperial planets and fleets. Their numbers, swelled by other warbands, allowed them to capture many planets and steal their geneseed. When they escaped from the Imperium and after they had built up a small empire Cormac was elevated to the position as a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh.

Currently Cormac is leading a unit of Khornate Berzerkers and Slaaneshi Marines on a dark crusade with the Necrons of the Sautekh dynasty. Imotekh finds Cormac repulsive and his followers barbaric but he will co-operate for some time with them as long as his needs are met.

AODH UiBRANNAGH

Aodh, a disciple of Slaanesh, was born in Aletara. Compared to the rest of the chapter, Aodh was relatively more civilised. His upbringing was more strict and regulated than the upbringing of his peers in the Chapter - for one, he could read and write. He attended a school and he learnt the three Rs. This allowed him to develop intellectually far more than many of the Riochtians. When he became a Space Marine, he was nearly instantly inducted to a Tactical Squad thanks to his ability to think logically.

As the chapter descended into heresy Aodh started to take narcotics and battle drugs to stimulate his senses. This drew the attention of Slaanesh who saw great promise in his character. Finally he fell into the worship of Slaanesh.

During the siege of Aletara he was urged to challenge the Captain of the 1st Company to a duel by Slaanesh for the command of the company. It was an easy victory and soon Aodh rose astronomically to become a top aide to Cormac himself. He proved his worth many times over and left little remaining when he fought.

When he led warbands of the Trodai an Bas he executed attacks with utmost efficiency, finding weak spots and breaking through them. When he had to fight, he did it with great efficiency as well. These attributes caused Slaanesh to elevate him to the rank of a Daemon Prince.

At the moment he is residing in the Trodai an Bas's capital planet, awaiting his call to duty.

CAIRBE LYORY

His origins are unknown. There is no record in the Imperium of a "Cairbre Lyory" fighting either in the Guard, Army or Adeptus Astartes. There isn't even a record of a resident bearing his name. Nonetheless, he first appeared sometime during the 36th Millenium, leading a warband of Khorne Berzerkers as a bloodthirsty Chaos Lord.

He wreaked havoc across the Imperium for years, laying waste to many areas and sections of Imperial space.

What led him to Riocht is unknown. Nonetheless, he arrived with his sizeable forces partway through the siege of Aletara. During the battles he led his warriors into vicious counterattacks, leaving many dead. His greatest feat was the killing of the Chapter Master and two Captains of the Black Death chapter whilst his warband slaughtered more than 8 companies worth of Imperials.

Cormac noted his success. Eventually, after the slaying of one of the Trodai an Bas' Captains at the hands of one of Aethelstan's Reavers, Cairbre was invited to join the warband as a commander. He gladly accepted and him and his Berzerkers became members of the Trodai an Bas, slaughtering in the name of Khorne and Riocht.

When the siege of Aletara ended, Cairbre fled the planet along with the rest of the peoples on Riocht and the chapter. He was, however, slow to re-join with the rest of the warband - he had been too busy looting and burning Imperial strongholds. Finally, when he did arrive in the Trodai an Bas' domain, he was given a heroes welcome.

Since then, he has rarely remained in the Trodai an Bas' realm for long. Instead, he has been slaughtering Imperials in the name of Khorne.

THE COUNCIL OF ALETARA

The Council of Aletara first convened during when Cormac announced to the audience his dream and Riocht's separation from the Imperium. At the time, it was made up of all the Captains and Planetary Chiefs on Riocht. Cormac decided that it would be them who ruled the planet during the battles on Riocht. The Council made laws, commanded the armies and represented Riocht's people during the siege.

As more warbands joined the Trodai an Bas, the council weakened - it was hard to control all these Champions of Chaos. To help this, five Lords or champions were elected by the soldiers to aid the old council. Thanks to this the planet was well governed despite the warfare and animosity.

When the Riochtians were defeated, it was the Council that lead them to their new realm.

Currently the Council is made up of the non-Daemon leaders of the Trodai an Bas along with the overseers of the planets. Due to the incorporation of the warbands that remained loyal to Cormac after the Siege of Aletara the number of Astartes in the council increased dramatically - there are well over 18 active members in the council, not all of them Riochtian in origin.

The Council works like this: all the members not engaging in any military activity meets every 3 Terran months. It is then when they decide where their forces will be sent, any new laws that will be passed, who to promote and demote, how to manage their growing empire etc. The members will bring up any issues and then there will be a vote. A Lord of Riocht or of Riochtian descent has 5 votes, a Lord not of Riochtian descent will have 3 votes and an overseer on the planets will have 1 vote. Of course, it is possible that there will be a lord that is also an overseer - the votes are therefore cumulative. The most votes any member can have is 6 - one for being a Lord of Riocht and one for being an overseer.

Their rule is most effective and works very well. Their empire is ruled justly and fairly. There is not much "Chaos" in their empire - except for when they fight.