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The Setting of All War, All the Time
I used Donjon star system generators to make the Rekhel system. Then I used dice-rolling to make all it's inhabitants using 1d4chan's faction creation tables. The more I rolled, the less creative I got with them, so some lack fluff besides the base statistics I rolled. Note that the Rekhel star system is wholly in the imperium's grasp, all alien/chaos factions belong to neighboring systems. Also understand that most of this is a direct copy-paste from my documents, so some may have annotations and personal commentary that was meant to help me as a writer (I left it in because I thought it would add flavor). Here's where you really get to see how bad I've gotten with building random armies for fun.
Dramatis Personae: (Not yet finished)
Dagda: A low-ranking priest and member of the Fraternis Militia. Humble personality, ministering to savage hive-gangers. Unremarkable, lackluster in virtually every way, and currently attracted to one of the Battle Sisters, Enyo. Dark brown hair, brown eyes, and pale skinned. After risking death to "protect" Enyo from a mutant (she could have easily defeated it herself given her wargear and training) he is rewarded with an eviscerator chainsword in addition to his humble laspistol for "Devoted Service". Note that he's only about 5 foot two inches (or 1.5 meters for those of you across the pond) which means he can't use an eviscerator for gak.
Enyo: A member of Adepta Sororitas and Dagda's personal romantic interest. She takes Dagda's Eviscerator and trains him with it personally. She also finds Dagda's fawning to be completely embarrassing and unprofessional, and sincerely wishes he would stop.
Alecto: Hermenegildo's assistant psyker, a pale and unhealthy looking woman with a mutation of yellow eyes. Known for her simple-minded worldview and her iron discipline against the temptation of ruinous powers. Ironically she forced upon herself the aforementioned simple-mindedness in an attempt to thwart "The voices". Since the ruinous powers utilize very basic instincts that no human can completely suppress, this has led to Alecto being, in addition to simple minded, completely insane.
Lord Callen Hesker:
The Rogue Trader descended from the man who founded the Area, Callen Hesker is a ruthless meritocrat, insisting on merciless efficiency. He is also Vask's father. His entire attitude can be summed up by the character Thomas C Durant from "Hell on Wheels" (Warning: the following content in italics is not my work, all credit of the following quote goes to the TV show "Hell on Wheels" and those who created it.)
Looking for a villian? I'll play the part. After all, what is a drama without a villian? And what is the building of this grand road, if not a drama? This business is not for the weak of heart. It is a thorny, brutal affair that rewards the lion for his ferocity.
"What of the zebra? What of the poor zebra!?"
Well, the zebra is eaten, as the zebra should be. Make no mistake. Blood will be spilt, lives will be lost, fortunes will be made, and men will be ruined. There will be betrayal, and scandal, and perfidy of epic proportions.
But the lion shall prevail. You see, the secret I know is this; all of history is driven by the lion. We drag the poor zebra kicking and braying, staining the earth with it's cheap blood. History does not remember us fondly. But then, history is written by the zebra; for the zebra.
One hundred years hence, when this railroad spans the continent and America rises to be the greatest power the world has seen, I will be remembered as a caitiff. A malefactor, who only operated out of greed for personal gain. True. All true.
But remember this: Without me, and men like me, your glorious railroad would never be built.
-Thomas C. Durant, Hell on Wheels.
Captain Vask Hesker: An imperial captain of an escort vessel. Noted for his bold, sometimes outright foolhardy maneuvers. Captain Hesker soon makes a name for himself ordering for the boarding of a Dark Eldar raiding vessel, personally attending the boarding party, not to seek glory but to give his troops a sense of "Unwavering Faith" in their abilities. He orders that any slave or indentured worker who might kill one of the Dark Eldar scum be immediately released from bondage. He then orders his storm troopers to take full advantage of the suicidal rushes made by such slaves & serfs, using them as meat shields to allow the troopers their shot at taking down the superior Dark Eldar pirates. After taking the craft, he has all the Dark Eldar corpses lashed to the outside of the captured craft and has it left in orbit around one of the outer moons to "Serve as a warning to any Xenos foolish enough to interfere with Humanities Manifest Destiny."(No, he has no idea that this serves absolutely no deterrence to the Dark Eldar. He wasted a whole lot of human lives for absolutely no purpose. Grimmdark.)
Onshin:
Leader of the craftworld Jusai-Iex by merit, this comparatively young Eldar is known as a cunning autarch. He has chosen the Path specifically to the exclusion of all others (yes, this is indeed possible from my findings on WH40K Wikia) However, he has a penchant for grudges. While he has whipped up considerable frenzy in the youngsters over the offenses of the Flensed Corpse Kabal, he sees the wisdom of the Zia-shui craftworld's counsel. Knowing that if he halts his war with the Flensed Corpse now his guardian warriors will most likely turn to the path of the Outcast, he believes it is time to end this fight once and for all. He will use the imperial system of Rekhel to bait the Flensed Corpse into an attack. From there, he plans to wait until the raid has evolved into a full-blown planetary wide raid, then he will strike. He will cut them off from their retreat, and crush them between his forces and the anvil of the Vet-ala, whom he plans to recruit.
Fharzan:
A truly ancient noble from before the Fall of the Eldar, this Dark Eldar Archon was recently cast out of his old Kabal. Knowing the value of such an old and wizened leader, a Hellion gang formed around him. The gang captured a ship forge in the docking spires, and soon became a Kabal in it's own right. While the Kabal was formed of sheer, giddy entertainment for the quest of excitement and sport, Fharzan has always had designs of political power in Commoragh. To this end, he hopes to sell off slaves from his frequent raids to amass the fortune he needs to bankroll the Kabal. He has no interest in continuing the feud between his kabal and the Eldar Craftworld of Jusai-Iex, however his kabalite warriors have every intention of seeing this affair to it's bitter conclusion.
Ynetra:
Autarch of the Craftworld Zia Shui this character has perhaps garnered a lot of misunderstanding if you've read my fic. The idea that she lets space marines aboard the craftworld comes as some consternation to many fans of the Eldar, and some believe that I am venturing into the realm of a Space Marine/Eldar love subplot. Read the next part very carefully: Screw. That. Noise. Now, first, lets point out the obvious part about Marines not getting romantically involved with anyone. That's a given. But furthermore, I need to stress my outlook on all these EldarXHuman fanfics flying around. To which I say that Warhammer 40k is not Lord of the Rings. There are not going to be Eldar/human relationships. Your personal special-snowflake guardsman is NOT going to swoon an Eldar princess and sweep her off her feet. No matter how valiantly you write, and no matter how well you write it, that part of the canon is not changing. If your fic has Eldar/human romance, then it falls into two delicate piles: #1) Fapfic and #2)Kaldor Draigo levels of Mary Sue. Sorry to burst your bubble.
So how would I go about explaining Ynetra's strange infatuation with the rogue space marine chapter calling themselves the Marines Apostate? Well, question: Have any of you ever read a story called Big Red? No? Allow me to enlighten you: In the story of Big Red, the titular show dog (named Red) is a particularly large Irish Setter. The main character, Danny, is taking care of this dog for a very rich owner who spends most of his time off-screen. But Danny loves this dog as if it were his own. He uses it to go trapping, hunting, and all sorts of other outdoorsy and very manly activities that mostly involve killing animals, eating their meat, and skinning them to wear their fur/sell their fur as pelts. At the end of the book, Danny is trapped by a bear. Big Red intercedes, allowing Danny to shoot the bear, but is greviously wounded in the process. Danny apologizes to the rich owner, and the rich owner responds thus:
Danny, there is absolutely nothing to apologize for. Red is a show dog. You are a person, and one of my valued tenants. A dog, no matter how magnificent, will never equal in worth to that of a human life. Red will never be able to show again. But my primary concern in this matter is that you, Danny, are unharmed. Red is a wonderful companion, and no doubt deserves all the love that you have heaped upon him. But you must never forget that he is but a dog, and that you are a man.
As many of you have heard, the Eldar regard the humans as humans would regard animals. Are you seeing where I'm going with this? Yes. Ynetra considers the Marines Apostate to be her very loyal hounds. She may play fetch with them, she may pet them, she may heap all types of praise upon them. But they are not, and never will be, Eldar. Their lives will always be of infinitely less worth than any of her craftworld companions.
The Star system:
The Rekhel Star is a brilliant white star in the A classification, it star bathes the system in bright white light, searing the closer planets.
Rekhel's veil: The first feature of the system is not a terrestrial body at all, but a cloud of dust and debris that jams sensor systems. This veil is the primary reason the nearby planet of Rekhel I is habitable at all, as it shields the planet from harsh radiation.
Rekhel I:
Type: Terrestrial
O. Radius: .99 AU
O. Period: .81 EY
Planetary Composition: Large Iron/silicate
Gravity: 1.25G
Hydrosphere: 13% (Mostly located in the polar ice cap)
Atmosphere: Thin,Breathable without assistance
Civilization: Adepta Sororitis convent, Space Marine Chapter of the Brothers Grimm
Special features: 1 large moon
Rekhel I satellite I:
Rekel I's moon is known in-system as "The water balloon", having a hydrosphere covering 100% of the planet. It is just below .5 earth gravity, meaning that the Adeptas Sororitas convent (The Ebon Shroud) stationed there must utilize artificial gravity to maintain proper body strength. Intense cloud cover shrouds the world in perpetual darkness, leading to the convent's name. Other notable features are massive plankton farms manned by the abhumans known as Nightsiders, a pale, blind race with nearly no eyes to speak of after living on worlds of complete darkness. Floating cities reminiscent of ancient oil rigs dot the moon, providing the Nightsiders with a place to sleep.
Rekhel II:
Type: Terrestrial agri world
O. Radius: 1.52 AU
O. Period: 1.56 EY
Planetary Composition: Largely silicates, with traces of Iron.
Gravity: 0.84G
Hydrosphere: 66% of surface area
Atmosphere: High levels of oxygen, breathable
Civilization: Underground fungus farms, civil spires to house workers, most landmass devoted to farming.
Special features: Planetary rings, orbiting space hulk
*The orbital space hulk has been cleared of all threats and is now dedicated to record keeping, and a base devoted to the scholus progenium. Most farming on the planet is done by Servitors. The population of the planet is over 75% female. The males are taken away at the age of ten to serve in the scholus progenium, while the women oversee the farming servitors on the surface. Sperm is donated by the newly pubescent boys to be artificially inseminated into the women. The women of the planet, in addition to acting as taskmasters to the servitors, act as breeding sows for generations of stormtroopers dedicated to the Imperial Tithe. What space is not taken aboard the space hulk by the drill abbots and their charges is dedicated to the Order Dialogus.
Asteroid Belt
Rekhel III:
Type: Ice planet
O. Radius: 4.32 AU
O. Period: 14 EY
Planetary Composition: Ice crust with a core of Iron and other heavy metals
Gravity: 2.3
Hydrosphere: 100%
Atmosphere: Thin, breathable.
Civilization: 1 hive city housing 10 billion inhabitants and 1 space marine chapter
Special features: Thriving ogryn population
Rekhel IV:
Type: Jovian gas giant
O. Radius: 6.7 AU
O. Period: 20 EY
Planetary Composition: N/A
Gravity: 13.52G
Hydrosphere: NA
Atmosphere: Mostly Hydrogen and helium
Civilization: 5 mechanicus forges and 12 hive cities based off the surrounding moons.
Special features: 18 small moons & 13 large ones rich in valuable minerals & metals
Rekhel IV Satellite I:
Semi-Orthadox forge world producing small arms and microtechnology. They are secretive, very suspicious, and are borderline tech heretics. Their skitarii are praetorian elites, though severely depleted.
Rekhel IV Satellite II:
An orthodox forge world producing space marine arms in bulk. They are also secretive, borderline tech heretics with standard mars pattern skitarii in average numbers.
Rekhel IV Satellite III:
These folk are a unique forge world completely different from the tech priests of mars. The dice were being really strange today. They produce vehicles using microtechnology. The closest explanation I can use is that these above forge worlds were all established during or before the Dark Age of Technology and the Age of Strife, and were later reconquered by the great crusade. They probably kept all their strange practices, and the imperium let this slide because the tech is simply too valuable to risk all-out war over it.
Rekhel IV Satellite IV:
This forge world follows standard orthodox mars practices, producing very sophisticated servitors & bionics. Of all the forge worlds, this one must've been established later, for they worship the father of mars fanatically, unlike their sister moons. They have Skitarii defense forces (modified imperial guard units) at baseline strength.
Rekhel IV Satellite V:
This orthodox pattern forge world produces imperial guard arms in bulk. They walk the middle road: being independent-minded, yet transparent in their fealty to Mars. Their standard skitarii legion is below strength, but rebuilding.
Factions of the story:
Hermenegildo's Hussars:
An absolutely massive (800-1,000 man) detachment of stormtroopers serving the inquisition, Hermenegildo's Hussars are an elite force reared by the scholus Progenium to serve as Hermenegildo's personal hammer for the task. They are well known for stealthy trench raids, infiltrating traitorous positions on the front lines and eliminating them quickly and quietly. They use a specialized valkyrie variant to help achieve this. Serving on the front lines in their specialized position against the dread forces of Chaos, they have seen horrors that would have driven other men to lunacy.
Order of the Ebon Shroud.
This splinter of the Ardent Shroud was founded as seen by the Emperors Tarot. They are zealous in their hatred of heretics. Their figure of legend was a celestian commander who brought an entire sector back to the emperors light after the whole sector fell to rebellion in the 36th millenium. Due to the sectors history, they firmly believe in worship through penance and obligation, the whole order being a model of humility and service. Their world is a shrine world with vast oceans, though they only maintain enough presence in the political arena to make sure the leeches don't threaten their order. They are uniquely organized, and prefer armored assault. They use unique weaponry, keep bestial companions, and are very particular about they way they purge. Said modified weaponry takes form of a modified thunderfire Chassis that mounts the head of a turantula sentry gun with twin-linked multilasers. Their companion beasts are a type of giant salt water toad indigenous to the world, known for it's intellect. They maintain strong ties with another order, and hold a burning hatred for the Bloody Fists Chaos Marines.
Order of the Fiery Heart:
This Crusading Order was founded to strike at enemies in the Sector, though they fully credit the Sector's subservience to the Order of the Ebon Shroud and their Celestian Commander. However, that does not mean that they have no heroes of their own. Their patron saint was a Sister Superior who slew a demon prince. True to their namesake, the Feiry Heart takes the "Cleanse and Purify" approach to their crusades, burning everything to the ground. Their Desert Homeworld is a shrine world to the Emperor, though they hold no influence over said world. Their Chapter organization differs slightly from standard, as they have a large supply of blessed objects. Their tactics rely heavily on Close Air support. They have a unique brand of faith which most others cannot understand, and maintain close ties with The Brothers Grimm
Shock Troopers (Name needed):
Schola Progenium trained soldiers from Rekhel I, they are a mechanized group. They are specialized shock troopers utilizing unusual combat gear. They are led by Guard officers. About 200 strong, they are well known. They are a no-nonsense group who keep their cool, no matter what (Rolled a 97, picking two demeanors.) Keep good relations with a nearby imperial guard regiment. They hate a specific disciple of chaos.
Penal legion (Name Needed):
All female penal battalion, this unit is drawn from the more unruly female specimens of the Agriworld of Rekhel II. They are composed of mechanized infantry, but were tempered in Hive Warfare during the rebellion in the 36th millennium, and their specialization has been passed down through the ages. Found thoroughly unfit for the Scholus Progenium, these women are known for flouting authority, but have renowned devotion for the God Emperor. Being a mechanized unit, they have forged close ties with the Adeptus Mechanicus.
Titan Legion: (name needed)
Legion of Reaver Patterns led by a Nightguant Pattern who was the bane of Orks. They come from a Primeval forgeworld founded during the Age of Rebirth. This Legion lost virtually all their titans (the commander being the exception) in shameful defeat. In addition, the chaos legion which they fought recorded the defeat and has spread it via holopict so that everyone may know how they were beaten. This Legion has spent considerable political clout in order to stay out of any crusades or wars since their defeat, and have just recently come to a full strength of 50 titans once again. They are on good relations with the Skiitarri Legions of the system, and they have a Titan-buster doctrine.
Fraternis Militia: Rekhel II's Faithful unfit
This all-male militia is found mentally defective by the standards of Rekhel II's stringent standards, but still willing and able to serve. Most of them suffer from some kind of psychological ailment, resulting in unusual and disturbing forms of worship highly frowned upon by others. This regiment has some rare pattern of heavy weaponry, and are particularly favored by the lord Callen Hesker.
The Void born:
These vat-grown troopers were raised for fighting in space, a hand-grown regiment of void armsmen. They are the remnants of an exterminatus during the rebellion in the 36th millennium, the cloning technology being the only thing salvaged from the homeworld before it was destroyed by cyclonic torpedoes. They are supreme marksmen, specializing in ranged combat. They have been biologically augmented, and are utterly fearless in combat, being raised to truly know no fear. They do not back down, they do not retreat, they do not surrender. They will burn a memory of their homeworld in the minds of the imperium, so that even if their planet died in shameful rebellion, it will be remembered on in glory.
Rekhar VII "Brute squad"
(My personal favorite so far, I got some lucky rolls when I rolled this regiment)
Training: Drilled and Competent Infantry Regiment
Notable for it's use of the local abhuman population, combined with standard conscripts of the middle-class from the local hive world.
Specialized in Ranged combat
Known for being fearless and for it's notable use of specialized heavy weapons
Strangly fatalistic belief in it's imminent doom, but determined to take as many enemies with it as possible.
Friends with Adeptus Titanicus.
Has a particular hatred for Orks
"It's not that the Ogryns are stupid, it's that they're focused, as a man once put it to me. That said, they can do damn near anything if you've got the patience to walk 'em through it half a hundred times. That means they can aim, and not only can they aim, but they can aim well. Combine that with the fact that the brutes can carry an autocannon like you or I would carry a lasgun and you've got yourself a force that'll make any make any heretic piss himself." -Commissar Kanklin of the "Brute Squad.
The 111th "Brute Squad" brigade is a guard unit who are known for their proficiency in ranged combat, the Phobos 111th earned it's nickname from it's Ogryns. The Ogryns of the Brigade display remarkable marksmanship for their species, and the Brigade cultivates this from the very onset. Every Ogryn is set with a squad, and each squad takes at least an hour out of their day to help the Ogryn with their accuracy. Each ogryn is given a specialized autocannon that not only has the standard pistol grip, but a stock and a forward grip as well. Each Ogryn is meticulously trained to aim down the sights of his weapon (As opposed to enthusiastically pouring out belt after belt of ammunition from the hip, as most Ogryns are prone to do). That said, the Brute Squad finds itself stationary more often then not, as the Ogryns are too busy picking targets and firing to heed any command to advance or retreat.
Space Marine Chapters:
Brothers Grimm
Founded for crusading, this chapter was founded in the 34th millennium. Based off the geneseed of the Imperial Fists, a flawed gene stock has left 10% this marine chapter completely mute. They are suspicious of other chapters. Their hero was a company captain of the devastator marines who has slewn so many orks that the greenskins still remember him to this day. They're a fleet based chapter who specializes in armored assault, with a unique chapter organization, and they field no assault marines. They have large stockpiles of rare weaponry due to close ties with the administratum.
Hallowed Vexillatio
Founded upon the Rebellion that shook the sector in the 36th millennium, this chapter didn't even get to full strength before the Sisters of Battle of the Ebon Shroud managed to bring the entire sector to heel. They are based on the nearby hive world, an iceball (Friends of the Rekhel Brute Squad, then?). They are a chapter radically divergent to the standard Codex template. They are standard strength, have no librarians, and have modified weaponry. They maintain close ties with the inquisition. Like the Brute Squad, they truly hate the Orks.
Dark Eldar Factions:
The Flensed Corpse.
A young Kabal based in the docking spires of Commoragh with an Archon of Pre-fall nobility after they decided to split from another Kabal, seeking excitement and sport. Leader is calculating and curious, and the Kabal as a whole relies on stealth and pulling strings from behind the scenes. They take pleasure only when the enemy is within arms reach, abstaining from ranged weapons. They take special glee in abductions. Their territory is in a state of decay, though they have a ship forge to barter with. They are currently using the Orks as Patsys. They have goals of political power.
Kabal of the Grinning Skull
Led by an Archon of Pre-fall nobility, this older Kabal originally belonged to Fharzan before it was usurped by the delusional Khanmien. The members of this Kabal realized the strength that the Eldar had to possess in order to birth a God, and are truly inspired by the depths of depravity that their race has fallen to. Fharzan had been simply interested and curious about the Dark Eldar of old, but the whole Kabal soon became a cult gripped by the spell of Khanmien, a fool who openly worships their ancestors and demands the Kabal members revere them like Gods. They go so far as to hold ritualistic masses in which they ingest stimulants and hallucinogenic drugs, and such consumption fuels a need for ever more of the stuff.
The Kabal has forsaken the usual finesse and and tact that epitomizes the Dark Eldar, instead resorting to raw strength. They favor the heaviest weapons that their race can field. Their arrogance shows absolutely no limits, for they do not hesitate to attack the most heavily defended targets, believing that the spirits of their ancestors will protect them. Unsurprisingly their performance art is Death, slaughtering as many enemies as they can. Fharzan understands that this delusion and psychosis will be short lived, and knows it is only a matter of time before they engage in something truly stupid that undoes the Kabal entirely.
Little does he know, Khanmien has already and unknowingly contributed to the Kabal's destruction, seeking an alliance with Noise Marines of all things. Believing he will destroy the servants of the Eldar's Great Enemy, he has temporarily allied with them to bring them into a trap. Even his most fanatical followers would abandon him if they knew of this folly.
Eldar Craftworlds:
Jusai-Iex
Discovered in M35, this craftworld is unusual in that it hosts swamp biomes aboard a massive wraithship craftworld. The favored path is that of the mariner (crew who man the ship/ships). This craftworld is at nominal strength, and prefers rapid assault or lightning warfare. The most common warrior aspect is the Black Hunter (a variant of the Crimson Hunter) possibly because their hero was just such a soul who himself outmaneuvered a Dark Eldar archon, and killed him for stealing the spirit stone of the craftworld's previous ruling autarch.
While the archon was killed, the spirit stone was destroyed, losing the beloved autarch's soul to Slannesh. With both factions sworn to vengeance upon the other, the feud has drawn on, being a bitter and lasting conflict for centuries. Soldiers on both sides mercilessly feed the souls of their opponents to she-who-thirsts.
Jusai-Iex is hoping to manipulate the nearby space marine chapter into helping with this conflict. On this note, they are also known among the other Eldar for being somewhat merciful to Monkeigh victims (at least, if they're not corrupted by chaos). While they may ambush the occasional trade ship, they openly call for surrender and allow all who do so to live. While a ship may find itself bereft of all cargo, the crew compliment is usually untouched should the humans cooperate peacefully.
Vet-Ala
Discovered in M41, this craftworld is a massive ghostship craftworld with urban biomes. However, they're very different in that the favored path is that of the spirit seer. Indeed, it seems as if the craftworld is despised by their other Eldar kindred, for even though they have one of the largest populations for a craftworld, that doesn't seem to stop them from calling on the dead with near impunity. They use ghostships, hemlock fighters, wrathlords, wraithseers, and wraithguards to compliment their traditional units, bringing overwhelming numbers to the table in addition to overpowering technological advantages. This is combined with the fact that the most common Aspect of the warrior path is the Darkreaper means that the Vet-Ala can field a truly impressive army when they want to. The Vet-Ala were always known for doing whatever was needed to win. Among other Eldar, it wasn't until after the fall that necromancy came into heavy use. But in Vet-Ala it is a tradition as old as the War in Heaven.
Vet-ala have always seemed to favor bolstering their numbers with the dead even at the height of the Eldar Empire, driving their clans away from the others. Furthermore, they seem utterly callous to the plight of their species as a whole. As they see it, the Eldar who fell to Slannesh were weak and deserved to be consumed, and those craftworlds who have fallen so far didn't deserve to carry on the legacy of their species. In fact, they seem to think that any species may rule the galaxy so long as they are untouched by chaos. If the Eldar survive the coming storm, then that is good...but if they cannot, then Vet-ala simply shrugs as they believe this should be the natural way of the universe, where the strong consume the weak.
As a whole, the Vet-Ala craftworld is cold, uncaring, and logical. They do not concern themselves with petty matters of nostalgia, lost glories, or bygone days. But nor did they concern themselves with the wanton hedonism of their brethren before the Fall, isolating themselves in their necropolis at the far side of the galaxy, which ultimately saved them. They embrace every problem as an equation with a logical solution, surviving by cold efficiency. Even alliances of convenience with their ancient foes the Necrons are not to be cast aside if there is something valuable to be gained. The only exception to this rule are Chaos Space Marines, particularly those following Slannesh. Chaos cannot be trifled with, and even the most well-laid plans involving chaos may go awry due to the very nature of Chaos itself operating as an unknowable entity that may defeat whatever odds are stacked against it. They destroy chaos with all haste.
Their hero was a spiritseer who has been lost to the Warp when she went to contact the other Eldar through the webway at the time of the fall. Conventional wisdom holds that she should be dead or consumed by slaanesh, but she re-emerges time and time again when circumstances are dire, leading many to question exactly what happened.
Zia-shui
Discovered in M38, this massive ark is a space station the size of a continent. It hosts beautiful biomes of temperate rainforests providing visitors with soothing mists and deep green mosses. The path of the Healer is most common, and they are known for providing all other Eldar with aide in times of need. Zia Shui epitomizes the idea of cautious and measured rational action, preferring no extremes and would rather create than destroy.
As of now, they view the path of the Jusai-Iex craftworld to be foolhardy in the extreme, for they have lost many souls to slaanesh seemingly needlessly, being so consumed by their feud that they blindly feed themselves to the dark chaos god just to spite the Dark Eldar. They have endeavored to teach Jusaisians the ways of patience and tolerance. Their efforts seem to have been vindicated, as their neighbors are more willing to tolerate humans, though this may be solely for the purposes of manipulation.
Zia-Shui uses stealth and misdirection to evade it's enemies, as they are currently below strength and in no condition to wage a war. However, their striking scorpions will deliver a strike whenever necessary. They fear the Necrons and the Tyranids above all other things, as neither faction has been known to show any measure of willingness to broker deals or compromise in any fashion. They are both seen as little more than killing machines to be destroyed with all haste.
Zia-shui also houses the Renegade Space Marine Chapter known as the Brothers Apostate as allies.
Chaos Cults and Renegade Marine Chapters
The Brotherhood Apostate.
Renegade chapter of Space Marines who fell because they indulged in the heretical. Despite their succession from the imperium, they still have a deep seated loathing for chaos. Warband demeanor is honor amongst thieves. Their homeworld is a wasteland lost to a warp storm, and it's human occupants are feral. They make heavy use of drop pods, drop ships, and jump infantry. They found an ancient cache of weaponry, and make heavy use of it. They are slightly understrength after an ill-fated battle. They have a corrupt imperial official backing them. They hate a specific member or force of the inquisition.
The Bloody Fist:
A chapter of Ultramarines who fell to the worship of Khorne because they reveled in battle, they are now a fanatical fleet-based chapter. Their hero of legend was a chaos lord who almost corrupted a whole sector. They suffer not the weak to be counted among their number. They prize corruption of the human form to be the highest blessing. Such blessing often takes the form of unholy insomnia, for these marines have no need to sleep. They hoist their banners proudly, and feel the need to announce their arrival.
Malaria's Song
Descendants of the Iron Warriors, this chaos band worships Nurgle, and suffers not the weak to live. Even those who might surrender to them find themselves being ripped apart by bolter rounds or chainswords. Their demonic corruption takes the form of a truly terrifying voice. They live upon a space hulk, and share it with the lost and the damned of the Children of Khorne warband. They hate a specific ork klan. Their figure of legend was a possessed marine who lead great wars against the imperium, slaughtering countless foes. However, he was slain by the Chaos Marines of Lust's Flame, whom they still despise to this day.
Chaos Cultists: Children of Khorne
This group of cultists venerate Khorne (What gave it away?). They have a low number of blessing, but those that do receive them are often gifted with heightened senses that they may find their prey better. They harbor fleeing traitors from the imperium.
Chaos Marines: Lust's flame
[i"]The smell of prometheum and the stench of fear arouse me!"[/i] -Anonymous Marine of Lust's Flame
These Marines of slannesh fell from the Blood Angels after indulging in the heretical, becoming consumed with the desire to be perfect. Though they follow chaos, the habits of the Brotherhood die hard, and they still refuse to let the weak be counted among their numbers. Or perhaps it was a case of their pride in their human form being taken too far, it may never be known. They relish scorched earth and terror tactics, laughing maniacally as they destroy all that they can. Their leader led a campaign of extermination against a group of Loyalist marines, destroying the chapter and stealing their geneseed. They come from the warp-twisted jungles of a prison planet. Such is their success that an entire chapter of Loyalists decided to join their band, swelling their ranks to nightmarish proportions. They have allies in a rogue inquisitor, and hate a specific space marine chapter.
Keepers of the Shadow:
Band that worships chaos undivided. Rolled a natural 1 on a d100, this means that they worship Chaos Undivided.
I then rolled an 87, which means that the number of "blessings" is extremely high.
Then I rolled a natural 100, which means that the most common of these blessings is full daemonhood.
Then rolled an 81, meaning they come from an beyond the imperium.
Then rolled an 18 which means that the number of marines is very few, while the number of cultists is extremely high.
A roll of 76 means that they launch frequent raids into Imperium Territory, stealing away youths and brainwashing them for recruitment.
A d10 roll of 4 means they favor stealth (So they sneak in, and abduct people in the night? Pedophiles?)
Their champion was a chaos lord who brought a whole planet over to chaos.
Thanks to a random anon for the name of this warband. Possibly related to the Word Bearers.
Two tau septs:
#1 Geon G'alt's Merchant Fleet
So I rolled a nat 1 out of a D10 when it came to "Adherence to the Greater good", which means that they don't believe in the Greater Good. Seeing as how the warhammer 40k fanbase despises the tau as "Weeabo space communists" I had a bit of fun and went in the opposite direction: a fleet of space capitalists based on Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged". If the tau are weeabo space communists based entirely around japanese culture, then these guys are the space equivalent of Hong Kong where all trade is virtually unrestricted and unregulated. That said, I'm still trying to write fluff on how their Ethereal (And yes, it was a nat 10, so he's an Ethereal) came to such a conclusion.
Leading theory is that he didn't want leadership and just wanted to be left working among his friends in the Earth Caste. After the Tau tried to infest him with a Nagi brain worm to make him more "Agreeable" he gave up Greater Good completely. If anybody else has better ideas on how an Ethereal came to such a conclusion, they are free to leave a review.
Other facts about this "Fleet"
Rolled 9 on "phase sept was founded in" which means it is an "Outpost" (What the hell does that mean?)
Rolled 7 on "predominant terrain of your homeworld" which is urban.
Rolled 6 on Preferred tactical philosophy of the leader, which means they follow Kauyon.
Rolled 23 on the tactics of the cadre itself, which means they prefer to pound enemy positions from afar before wading into combat.
Rolled a nat 1 (I keep using that term, don't I? Nat 1, as if we have modifiers for this crap...) on the primary function of the Cadre, which means it explores new worlds.
Rolled a 3 on the size of the auxillaries, meaning they have high numbers of non-tau.
Rolled a 19 that they have "No majority" on their non-tau auxillaries, which means a good mix of all of them.
Rolled a 5 on Leader's Personality, which means he is Reclusive.
A tau sept #2:
1rst expansion founding of a swamp world sept, this cadre was founded to conquer new worlds (note the difference: Ge'on's was to explore, this one by contrast conquers). It has fanatical adherence to the greater good, and a xenophobic lack of aliens within the cadre. They prefer fighting the imperium of man using the Kouyon method with mobile elements supported by stationary ones. The leader is an inquisitive fire noble. This sept is extremely aggressive and intolerant. Beware.
It was founded to follow the rogue merchant fleet of an Ethereal who has renounced the Greater Good entirely.
The local Ork Klans:
The Freegitz
Freebooters manning a terrorship clad in Green, started by a legendary Ork Kommando who was renowned for killing lots of imperial Guardsmen (Would explain why they hate orks, right?). A slightly undersized klan that reveres Gork, they have a temporary "Alliance" with the Eldar (Or so they believe). They especially hate the Dark Eldar who they believe stole a massive Tyranid Biotitan (was actually their Eldar "Allies", but they don't know that yet). Prized for having a high number of Stormboyz.
Lotzgrotz Klan:
An overstrength Klan renowned for it's many Runt Herdz and abundant use of Gretchins as expendable labor. It, surprisingly, conquered many other ork klanz. It's primary color is black. They're also freebooters, apparently. They had a legendary shoota boy. They favor Mork. They are "Allies" with the Dark Eldar and hate the Tyranids.
Lech's Raiders:
Freebooters
Grot Leader who led a waaagh into the warp
No preference for Gork or mork, but extremely organized and regimented
Extremely small in size
Allied with Dark Eldar against other orks
Have mostly standard orks (Choppas).
The Grot Leader stole a Crisis Mech, made it orkier, and ride it to battle.
(This was an ork klan I rolled up just recently, but it was just so hilarious I couldn't leave it out in good conscience. If anybody would like to contribute fluff to this comical group of greenskins, let me know.)
The Neighboring system: Acre
Imperial Knight House: House Cynocephaly.
Rediscovered during the Great Crusade, this house has several holdings across a few star systems, and owes it's allegiance to the Rogue Trader House of Vask (Yes, the man has his very own titans...he's that badass). Anybody on the planet may obtain the rank of Imperial knight, and the laws of inheritance are cognatic if (but only IF) the heir has performed a worthy task to obtain the title (For a random-rolled house of imperial knights, these guys fit the bill pretty well). The House became indebted to the Vask family after Vask spent a veritable fortune blunting the force of an Ork WAAAGH that attacked their holdings. The knight house vows revenge against said orks, but will diligently pay back it's debt.
Ritual governs a reasonable amount of their lives, as it does in the rest of the imperium. They value purity of human form, and are very stiff necked, doing as they will. Their figure of legend was a true hero of the imperium who stood against the Traitors, slaying a deamon prince. They rule their feral wasteland world only distantly, keeping hands off the affairs of their serfs. The House Hierarchy is extremely individualized, with each knight finding his own place on the battlefield as he wills, though such a place is often right at the very forefront of the vanguard. With liberty being highly valued, there is no "Preferred" knight variant. They uphold the Code of Chivalry, protecting the weak wherever possible.
The Iron Dogs
A chapter of the 26th founding (The most recent), the Iron Dogs are an Iron Hands chapter who have divergent geneseed stock that is less prone to mutation but still carries the same flaw as it's predecessor (The irrational hatred of flesh) despite all attempts to remove it. They are based in the Acre sector, the same sector as House Cynocephaly. In fact, they are based on the world of the same name (Acre), which belongs to House Cynocephaly. The wounds of losing their chapter master are still fresh, as he had led the chapter in many glorious campaigns, slaying all who stood before them. In their eyes, there was no greater man. Sadly, the marine was assassinated by none other than a Callidus Agent. To this day, they despise the Officio Assassinorum and the Adeptus Arbites whom they suspect aided them.
They were never quite as stringent as the Iron Hands, so perhaps the modification to the geneseed stock did in fact help. Or maybe a chapter so recently founded that it has yet to develop it's paranoia of all things weak and emotional. Only time will tell.
Regiments of Acre
Brought with the Iron Dogs are the Legions of Acre, humble farmers ready to fight for their Emperor. Given the influence of the Cynocephaly and the Iron Dogs on the world, it should come as no surprise that they blur the line between the Emperor and the Omnissiah even more than the standard citizen. From their primitive back water worlds, they believe that machinery is mystical and powerful in itself, and they await augmentation with bionic limbs eagerly. This has grown them much favor in the eyes of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who are willing to do services for them.
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