The GEoM's Empress??

Rift120 · Feb 5, 2009

Wellthis was mostly posted on Spacebattles, but since that website is in dire need of a new server and rumor has it its not going to get one, I'll repost what I had here.

next part beginning was in response to someone who argued that Alicia would just lead a strike force into Terra instead of going to war with the imperium as a whole.

Rift120 · Feb 5, 2009

onto the imperium

In response to comments about the Grey Knights and adeptus mechanius

In response to a argument presented 'The imperium would accept the words of a Primarch and not fight Alicia.'

Lets begin to look at her Tech a bit

more to follow

Rift120 · Feb 5, 2009

phew this is taking a bit... hard to realize I wrote up so much supporitng material... anyway... lets look at Alpha Synth's

A quick side note on any STC's the human colonies Alicia 'found' in her empire... I suscribet hat any colony STC, while maintiaining a huge amount of data would have limited information on war machine, if only to prevent rebellion... thus any STC's she finds has data at best to create up to destroyers (for system defense), and possibly some low level titans.... enough to protect the colony, but not enought o allowe them to rise up in rebellion agasint the Dark Age of Technology Imperium (Also keep in mind the area's Alicia inhabits is on the fringes of HUman held worlds so STC's are likely to have been damaged over the years)....

in practice from Game/story standpoint Alicia has access to some Dark Age technology but by no means all or even a majority... (If she did she'd just curbstomp the imperium and that wouldn't be as interesting to read about than the stories of a new Imperium civil war.).

anyway on to some unique units

Rift120 · Feb 5, 2009

A few random thoughts I came up with before I started delving into the II legion 'coyote' marines

A very optional side thought... which I include mainly for completeness sake of what I posted over at space battles.

okay next post FINALLY goes into the II legion and its primarch.... man this is takeing sometime.. hope my net connection holds.

Rift120 · Feb 5, 2009

Stupid worthless D-link wireless router... cuts me off every night!

anyway where was I... oh yes... teh II legion... the Coyote 'Mamas boys' space marines. Enjoy

and part 2

finally caught up, as I haven't written up the last 4 units or the spirit guides quite yet (Although thanks to Daneel for letting me use Sayuri, I have plans to make her a unique warp entity...) Until I do, thoughts?

Rift120 · Apr 2, 2009

well two out of four promised isn't so bad...

(Credit to Book Monkey for inspiration for the ACME acronym)

ACME Marines- The Adeptus Cybernetic Mechanius Engineer Space Marines are the Coyote Legions version of the Tech marines. In the beginning of the II Legion the ACME Marines were their equivalent of Tech Marines. While the II legion remained with the great crusade, they were initially identical to any other LegionÆs tech marine complements. Trained by the Adeptus Mechanius and raised in the cult of the Omnissiah.

However the influence of the ShamanÆs upon the II legion, drove the II legionÆs tech marines to act as a counterweight to the ShamanessÆs mystical influences. As a result the ACME Marines embraced logic and science with a passion. Over the centuries of the II legionÆs time in the Great Crusade this passion led to the ACME Marines investigating the underlining principles of the various devices they maintened and repaired for their Space Marine brethren. As a result the ACME Marines were among the most knowledgeable and effective of all the tech Marines in the Legions during the Great Crusade.

This drive for knowledge served them well when Shiriki led his Legion away from the Great Crusade to seek out his Mother. As they were able to maintain the LegionÆs various war machines and ships magnificently during the centuries long trip away from any sort of support base from the Adeptus Mechanius.

Unfortunately in addition to their zeal, the ACME marines also possessed a great deal of curiosity about how the various technology worked, how to change it into new forms, and occasionally how to use it for more destructive purposes. Experimentation that the Adeptus Mechanius frowned upon as Heresy. While part of the Great Crusade this was not a problem, as the Adeptus Mechanius observers were sufficient to keep the ACME MarineÆs curiosity in check.

When the II legion left the Great Crusade howeverà Things changed. No longer bound by the Adeptus Mechanius from Mars looking over their shoulders the ACME Marines were free to experiment. Unfortunately through these experiments the ACME marines discovered a affinity for causing technology to break down and many of their æexperimentsÆ turned out to be faulty and somewhat dangerous. For a time chaos and mayhem reigned in the private laboratories of the ACME machines. Explosions too, much to the Delight of the ADC marines.

It was only after the unfortunate æIlludium p-32 explosive space modulaterÆ experiment took out a troop transport that Shiriki intervened and clamped down on the ACME experimentation. At least during the search. Although by far no means stopped them all together. It soon became common wisdom that to enter the ACME quarters on any ship without Blast armor of some type was a rather painful and messy way to create suicide.

Upon meeting with Alicia-T neither Shiriki, nor the ACME marines for that matter, could figure out why she found their name so amusing. Upon joining and enhancing Alcia-TÆs Empire, the ACME Marines were finally given a few planets and numerous barren asteroids upon which they could conduct several of their experiments in relative peace. And with no civilianÆs nearby to get caught in the resulting explosions from mishaps. These planets and Asteroids remain the main training ground for new ACME Marines.

The Average ACME Marine is a adept mechanic, who has a desire to see how various machines are put together and taken apart. Drawn mostly from the Beaver tribe, trainees are exposed to a rigorous and dangerous program that is part study, part assistant, part guinea pig for established senior ACME technicians at the various training compounds. Those who graduate almost always have several cybernetic enhancements, not so much because they help the ACME marine due his duties to his fellow cadets (although this to is true) but as a result of surviving numerous lab accidents while their training proceeded.

Millennia away from the Adeptus Mechanius and Mars has altered the religious doctrine towards the Omnissaih heavily. The belief structure that machine spirits are in fact the cumulative spiritual residue of the sweat and effort the builders, creators, and users instead of some divine essence created by a clockwork god. This is naturally highly heretical to the Imperium Mechanicum, but the ACME marineÆs donÆt care. They have their brothers and their experiments, so they are satisfied with their lot in life.

Special rules and equipment for ACME marines:

DESTROY THE HERETICS! - ACME marine units are the targets of choice for any opposing Tech Marine and Adeptus mechanius troops. Furhtermore Elite and HQ Adeptus Mechanius units despise the hereticial beliefs of the ACME marines and MUST engage and eliminate ACME marine units before attending to other matters. (In game terms Elite and HQ units must move into position or direction of any ACME marines they are able to see and are unable to engage any units that are not in the way of such an attack. Other MEchanicum units and Tech Marines will in general choose to engage a ACME marine in lieu of other opponents if the choice came up.)

Road Runner Bullets- ACME marines have had a long history of tinkering, experimenting and ultimately BREAKING technology of all sorts. As a result of their research they have developed a special anti-mechanical ammo. These bullets upon impact explode intoa cloud of micro machines and specialized EM Pulses designed to impair, impede, or outright destroy mechanical units.
Game effects- when a ACME marine unit is declard to be using Road Runner bullets his attacks do NO damage to pure infantry that do not have mechanical enhancements (Avg Imperial grunts, Kroot mercenaries, Tyranid units of any type.) Instead a successful wound will eliminate any bonusÆs granted by mechanical equipments or bionics on that unit (Cybernetics, Auspex, radio, etcà)
Aside from that Road Runner Bullets have NO effect on purely biological units like Imperial grunts, Tyranids, Kroot mercenaries, and Daemons that donÆt have machines in their unholy biology.

Units in power armor, Dreadnaughts, Tau mech suits, etc (Orks, Necrons, and pure Daemon with tech weapons excluded see below) on a successful wound must roll d6.

1- No effect, defenses managed to fight off the attack

2- Impede movement- for rest of game unit always moves as if passing thorugh difficult terrain and is unable to enter difficult terrain at all.

3- Total movement shutdown- unit is unable to move at all for rest of game or until destroyed

4- Armor breach- toughness and invulnerable saves are cut in half (+2 becomes +4à +3 becomes +6.. +4 becomes no invulnerable save or +6 if unit lacks invulnerable save etcà)

5- Weapon malfunction- one weapon of opponents choice is no longer functional for rest of game

6- Power core breach!- Unit is removed from play as casualty (if any other game mechanic causes a re-roll that comes up 6 for this test unit receives only 1 wound instead.)

-Ork technology is a unique case due to the fact it works as much by belief as by any mechanical principal. As a result any successful wound roll by Road Runner Bullet requires the player to roll an additional d6. On a roll of 4+ the opposing player rolls on the above table. Any roll of a 1,2, or 3 means that the bullet was unable to overcome the OrkÆs belief that its Gear and Dakka will still work and thus has no effect.

-Chaos Marines often imbue their equipment with DaemonÆs to enhance them, and thus have the same extra roll to see if the Daemon is able to defeat the Road Runner bullet as Orks do

-Pure Daemons that include mechanical parts in their unholy structure (such as soul grinders)use the Warp to run and augment their mechanical devices. As a result any inconvenience caused by the Road runner bullet only lasts one round before the immaterium fixes it, furthermore a Core breach always only causes one wound instead of eliminating the unit completely.

-Necron units are a special case, as they are always completely machine. As a result a successful wound roll on a Necron unit always causes 1 wound on the unit. Furthermore the opposing player must roll a additional d6. On a Roll of 5+, the Road Runner bullet has disrupted the repair abilities of the Necron Unit. Said Necron unit cannot be revived by the æthey rise againÆ rule of combat once they are defeated on the field of battle and count as casualties immediately upon losing their last wound point.

Vehicles-a Road Runner bullet gets a +2 bonus to their armor penetration roll. Furthermore the Damage roll does NOT suffer from the -1 penalty for not being a AP weapon. Also:

-Crew Shaken is replaced by Drive damage- unit can only move half its movement the next round and is unable to assault or use Tank Shock as well during the round

-crew stunned is replaced by Sensors down- all BS are halved for the remainder of the game.

Remaining Damage table remains the same.

Again Ork and Chaos Marines get to roll an additional d6 and on a roll of 4+ manage to avoid any effect of the Road Runner bullet.

Nano Pulse Cloud- A specialized form of nano clouds exists among the ACME marines to use when faced with a large number of mechanical foes. These clouds are controlled remotely by the Tech Marine to engulf and inhibit opposing mechanical opponents while his fellow marines take down the weakened opposition. However controlling these machines remotely and ensuring that they do not affect allied units require the ACME Marines full attention leaving him open to attacks.

Game effect- a ACME marine that neither moves, nor shoots or Assaults may instead opt to use a Nano-pulse cloud. Any enemy mechanical unit within 24ö of the Tech must roll a d6 opponents (except for Ork, DaemonÆs, Necron, and Chaos Marines )that fail to make a 5+ roll are affected.

Units that are not purely mechanical in their attack (Infantry grunts with cybernetics or auspex, Tau snipers, etcà) BS is halved as their sensors and weapons go haywire.

Purely mechanical units (Dreadnaughts, terminators, Tau Battlesuits, Gundrones etcà) lose one weapon in addition to having their BS skill halved for the next turn of the enemy.

Vehicles get a 4+ save to this to represent crew attempts to counteract the machines and pulse, failure to the role has the same effect as purely mechanical units and can only move half their normal distance during the turn.

-OrkÆs, Daemons, and Chaos Marines get a 4+ save for ground units and a 3+ save for vehicles to represent their Belief, the warp, or Daemon possession respectively

-Necrons are a special case, their advanced technology is harder to penetrate so they save the same as Orks, daemons, and Chaos Marines. However any Necron unit that is downed during the players and the next turn of the opponent (Counter attack) that is within 24ö of the ACME marineÆs regeneration is tampered and is unable to revive by the æthey will rise againÆ rule.

(For example a squad of Coyote Marines and a ACME unit face off against a squad of NecronÆs. The player declares before his shooting phase starts his ACME unit is using a Nano-pulse. His other squad of Marines attacks and downs four Necron units within 24ö of the prone Techmarine who is unable to attack or assault. The Opposing player gets his turn and assaults the Space Marine, losing another Necron Unit during said assaultà at the end of the round all of the 5 downed NecronÆs are immediately removed as casualties, unable to regenerate at all.)

* although mentioned only in passing I must make note the Sargath 7 are the creations of Academia nut.*

Meh the ADC didnÆt quite come out how I wanted it toà anyone who thinks they can write them up better feel free to.

ADC Marines- Adeptus Demolition Complexus AKA The EmpressesÆ nutcases AKA Worshipers of the Pwetty flame. Across the galaxy there are many groups that are noted for their destructive ways. The Sargath 7, the race of Orks, and of course than there is the ADC branch of the Coyote marines. This special section of cheerful pyros has set new standards for the concept of æcollateral damageÆ as they spread forth against all enemies in the name of Sayuri, Alica, and the cleansing flames of purity! *literally on that last one.*

Originaly formed from the Fox tribe members who joined ShirikiÆs II legion, the ADC soon became a dumping ground for every trigger happy lunatic and pyromaniac among the space marines.

The patron tribe of the warp entity Sayuri, the Fox tribe had always been a little flame and explosion happy. Indeed during ShirikiÆs rebellion against the Drallen on his home world, one could always tell when a ambush was set up by the fox tribe due to the fact that they always ended in large explosions.

It is thus no wonder that said tribe members quickly formed into a unique unit among ShirikiÆs space marines that focused on Flamers, Krak missiles, and Melta guns. If it exploded or caused fire, than the ADC was not only proficient at using it, but even went out of their way to tinker at it to make it explode more!
During the time the Coyote Marines spent pursuing the Great Crusade for the GEOM, the ADC soon came to be feared by Xenos across the front. Their battle cries of æMugyuu!!!Æ, æFOR THE PWETTY FIRE!!!Æ, and æLet the purity of explosions cleanse youÆ sounding across battlefield after battlefield, followed shortly their after by said battlefield becoming charred and cratered wastelands.

One would think that such that the cheerful ADC and ACME marines would be kindred spirits. Alas while the ADC are always happy to help the ACME marines with their experiments, mainly because they usually have æpwetty explosionsÆ involved, the ACME marines prefer to keep as far a distance from ADC squads as possible. This is because of the ADCÆs unfortunate tendency to suggest and press for new weapons that they dream up in their happy pyromaniac minds. After all who in their right minds would want to create Rocket Propelled Chainsword launchers, Nuclear hand grenades, Plasma guns with SÆmore creation material dispensers, and similarly overpowered explosive weaponry? Let alone their suggestions for vehicles and powerarmor!

*legend has it the ACME corp still has a bounty out for the head of whichever Fury it was who discovered the ancient Terra broadcasts of æanimeÆ and brought it to the attention of the ADC. When complaining to Alicia, she just responds æbe thankful they havenÆt discovered StrikersÆ*

Alicia herself has been noted to comment on the ADC. ôYes they are destructive pyromaniac nutcases who leave nothing but shattered burning ruins in the wake of wherever they goà but they are MY destructive pyromaniac nutcases.ö

The ADCÆs relation with Orks is complicated. While the ADC has clashed with the Ork race numerous times in the defense of Humanity, they have a slight fondness for the race. And Orks tend to like the ADC to. Several War Bosses have been known to refer to the ADC as æThe only Humies that understan the Dakka!Æ.

It is probably just wild rumors that some OrkÆs have even decided that the ADC is truly Orky in the pursuit of Dakka and worthy of being considered Bosses to them. Obviously just propaganda, although it should be noted that some ADC marines do seem to have rather ramshackle power armorà.

It is known however that ADC members can, and do, enter various Ork empires openly and leave relatively unscathed. At least until they reach AliciaÆs empire space where they are scanned thoroughly. Officaily to make sure they didnÆt bring any Ork Spores with them, although he real reason is to locate and confiscate any new ædakkaÆ they pick up on their ævacationsÆ.

Despite the headaches of trying to keep Ork contraband weaponry out of their hands, Alicia-t allows the trips mainly because it allows her to have somewhat limited diplomatic affairs with the Orks. Even if the affairs are generally limited to ægee there is this strong enemy we are fighting, perhaps youÆd like to Waargh against themÆ and occasionally missions looking for artifacts that exist or wander into Ork held spaceà

Plus the fact that the ADC almost inevitably get involved in explosion contests while in Ork Space, means Alica has less worries about them releasing their inner pyros while on leave in HER empire...

While all the Coyote space Marines chapters are watched over by their Spirit Warp Animals, the ADC is particularly close to their patron Sayuri. Even the 10% of the ADC membership that arenÆt members of the Fox tribe are watched over by her or her daemons closely, and it is not uncommon for Sayuri or one of her Daemon minions to manifest in ADC controlled areas of transport ships and battle barges (the ADC often being assigned a specific sector on any ship they are stationed upon in hopes of containing the inevitable shipboard fire that will erupt when they get boredà while in transit) while in warp.

The ADC is deployed on battlefields where the enemy absolutely must be destroyed, and where there is nothing fragile of interest to the Coyote marines or Alicia. If there is something of fragile interest to their enemies on the other hand all the better. *Æcan we make the Daemon/Xeno/traitor marine artifact burn?Æ is a popular game among the ADCà one they almost always win to for that matterà*
Equipment

-Pwetty Tails of Sayuri- Any psyker can use these artifacts in lieu of their normal close combat weapon. Looking like a handle from which numerous fox tails erupt and wiggle around *especially when stroked and called pretty æwiggle, wiggleÆ* with a life of their own. The number of tails each weapon has is a indicator of the strength and seniority of the psyker wielding it, although none have more than 8 tails. In combat the tails will elongate and strike and entangle foes like living whips. Although this is not how the Tails do their damage. The real threat is from the intense heat the tails generate as they strike, either penetrating armor with a intense strike from the tip of the tail engulfed in heat like a shaped melta blast, or set alight a foe entangled in the tail through spontanteous combustion.

In combat during the shooting phase the wielder can elongate the tail for a quick strike up to 3ö away with the equivalent of a Melta weapon.
During the assault phase, a successful hit will æentagleÆ a opponent stripping them of any counter attack or their next action while they struggle against the tails. A additional roll to wound must be done as well to see if the target spontaneously combusts from the heat of the tails wrapped around them or not.

-Missile Dreadnaughts- A dream of any ADC is to be attached to one of these specialized dreadnaughts, one of the few victories in their eternal quest to get ACME marines to produce æcooler weaponsÆ. Rather than a storm bolter or any gun, the dreadnaught only retains its left arm close combat weapon. The rest of the unit is covered with missile pods, storage, and missile loaders with its right arm being host toKrak rocket launcher as well. In combat the Dreadnaught can loose one, two, or a swarm of up to 10 missiles downrange to its enemies. (Unless ordered otherwise, they will inevitably do a swarm launch of as many rockets as they can because it naturally creates a bigger boom.)

Although having generally a limited shot locker of one or two such æswarmsÆ, the effectiveness can not be denied. Achiveing damage equivalent to a long artillery barrage with better accuracy, before they are forced to retreat to re-arm. The missile Spam can break just about any charge or large concentration of enemyÆs menacing their allies in battle.

Special rules for ADC

All ADC members are explosion nuts, thus any ADC unit is always equipped with Krak Grenades at no point cost.

ADC units can equip a Melta or Flamethrower at half the point cost of a normal unit

I can burn thingsà with my mind!- Any Psyker ADC unit *yes librarians to* MUST have at least half of their warp abilities related to fire in some mannerà

æOoooh Shiny weaponÆ- If a ADC member defeats a opposing unit in assault that has a weapon that has more strength/better penetration than his own roll a d6. On a roll of 4+ the ADC has looted the weapon and for the rest of the game has the strength/penetration stats of the weapon they looted (at the agreement of the opposing player this may also extend into future rounds of a long term game).

Explosive tinkering- ADC members are always tinkering with their weapons. When using a blast, barrage, or grenade roll a extra d6. On a roll of 1, 2, or 3 the weapon acts as normal. A roll of 4 means the weapon has a wider radius, double the blast radius, 5 means the weapon packs more punch subtract 1 from the penetration level (I.e. a AP of 5 becomes a AP of 4) and automatically bypass any invulnerable saves. A roll of 6 means a æbig boomÆ the player must call out æmugyuuÆ in appreciation but the blast radius is doubled and the penetration is reduced by one while bypassing all invulnerable saves.

Explosive and flame experts- Through trial and error every ADC member is a expert at the use of explosive and flamers.

Offensively- a ADC unit can re-roll any scatter effect of barrage and blast weapons if they donÆt like where the blast scattered. Player must accept the second roll no matter where it lands tho. Flamer using units roll a extra d6, on a roll of 4+ they can specify one opposing unit that MUST take at least one wound (unless of course all wound rolls fail) before the opposing player distributes the remaining successful wound rolls as normal.

Defensively- ADC units can reroll any one successful to wound roll per unit within the template when hit by a Barrage, Blast, or flamer weapon. The second roll stands.

Dakka trips- A ADC unit CAN be equipped with a Ork weapon (except the SHokk attack gun no gretchin to fire dontcha know) at twice the point cost a Ork unit would pay for the weapon.

Special ork rules

Surely thatÆs a rumor? -Occasionaly Orks like to study the Dakkaness of the ADC and will accompany them in battle (sometimes in disguise) or so rumor statesà a ADC player can insert a Ork unit into their combat forces for triple the point cost of said units. HQ, Elite, and unique Ork charcter can NOT be used.

Explosive contest- a ADC unit that comes within 12ö of a Ork unit of the same type (infanty, Elite, Heavy, etcà) can challenge said unit to a Explosion contest before the start of the next round. Neither units can shoot or assault during that round another unit directly. Rather the two players must choose a target on the field within range and then have all fo their units in the squad fire their most damaging weaposn at that spot which is assigned a toughness agreed upon between the two players (Generaly 4 or 5). Rolls to wound are made *if blast or barrage weapons are used, any other units within the blast radius can and will be injured indirectly and roll savings throws as normal*à the player with the most successful wounds is considered to be the æwinnerÆ having caused the most damage to the target.

If the Ork player wins they immediately gain a free shooting attack on the opposing ADC units with a +1 bonus to their rolls to hit and wound as they fire in celebration.

If the ADC unit wins, the Ork unit retreats from the battlefield to find a new place to train to become æmore orkyÆ so they can win the rematch. The squad is removed from the table *including any independent characters attached to them!* and half their numbers are counted as casualties when determining points. *note said units arenÆt killed they just leave to become more Orky, so in a multiple stage scenario units defeated in this manner can return with no penalty in later battle settings*

If both players tie in the number of wounds they inflict the contest continues to the next round of battle and neither units can attack anyone else in that round, nor can they be attack tho (The ADC units view it as a holy challenge that must not be disturbed, other Ork units just sit and watch and cheer on the Ork participants. ) If the contest continues to the last round of the game, neither players units count towards points when determining the score.

bissek · Apr 2, 2009

Some thoughts:

Alicia would probably be referred to in the GEoM's records, at least in some parts (Which might not have anything to do with the sections that refer to his Empress), by her MoJ codename of Fury. There would probably be a lot of people trying to figure out who this 'Fury' was..

What about the two Xeno races from In Fury Born, the Rish and the Quarn? The Rish would likely still be enemies to both Imperiums (And possibly be corrupted by Tzeentch, given their love of manipulations), but the Quarn had always been an ally to humanity, something made easier by the fact that Quarn have no interest in the kind of planets humans like to colonize and vice versa. How are they getting along?

Do the records mentioning either 'the Empress' or 'Fury' mention her Marine/Cadre record? The Space Marines would have a hard standard to live up to if they knew there was once a Space Marine (of a sort) whose unit once took 80% casualties on insertion, and was still willing to lead an attack against a heavily armed and entrenched foe that outnumbered hers by 10:1 (more like 100:1 if you don't count the ones killed in the drop) - and won? How would the Space Marines and the Sisters of Battle react to knowing that the original Space Marines (Whether you consider the Imperial Marines or the Cadre to be the original Space Marines) had female members?

Wouldn't the Sisters of Battle know that the GEoM had a bride that predated them that he wished to be reunited with? That would mean that they would know they could very well end up being supplanted if/when 'the Empress' returned. Of course, that doesn't mean that they would acknowledge that Alicia DeVries is the Alicia DeVries rather than just someone using that name (assuming they know the Empress' given name).

For an alpha synth's storage capacity, In Fury Born states that 200 cubic meters is less than half the available volume of Megaira's cargo hold after she had been generously loaded with perishables and spare parts for her own usage. And the hanger bay is large enough to hold at least three large shuttles. Which means you can actually transport a hundred people in an alpha synth for short distances (1 alpha synth pilot, plus 33 people per assault shuttle).

Rift120 · Apr 2, 2009

bissek said:

You have to remember that in WH40k a LOT of data has been lost, and where the emperor is concerned relegated to myth.

the farther back you go, the more fragmented the record gets.... and keep in mind 99% of any records teh GEOM has on Alicia would date from teh Dark Age of Technology prior to the age of strife, and most of THAT would be official documentation that was most certainly lost during the age of strife. At best the most intact records might be in private diaries of the GEoM.

Hence why this fragmentory record would be highly debated as to whether the wife of the GEoM actually exists, is still alive, or was just a metaphor for something. Let alone those who might say teh fragmentory records weren't authentic in the first place.. hence why the Ecchilscery is schismed.

AS to her offical records, keep in mind IN fury born was set roughly in the year 4000, the age of strife in comparison didn't occur until the year 23,000.. and the further back we go the more fragmentory the data gets.

Also there is a decent chance the GEoM deliberatly obscured the data on Alicia. Keep in mind from the horus Heresy Series we know the GEoM was deliberatly trying to elminate religion and mysticism in exchange for Reason and Science. Keeping clear data of the existence of Tisiphone would be counter-productive to that point. And from the short story 'The last Church' we know the GEoM was not above erasing from history and recollection things that might contradict his 'reason and science' crusade.

(its in the novel 'Tales of Heresy' new release if your curious.)

Remember the Emperor never wanted to be viewed as divine (indeed he chastised Lorgar for promoting his 'divinity').

As to the sisters, keep in mind the 'bride of the GEoM' is a splinter subcult of the ecchiliserchy, not the main accepted belief. And even than there are multiple interpretations of what teh GEoM meant when he spoke of his 'bride'. (for RL comparision lets look at the classic 7 days creation.. some argue its literal, there are other that argue that it means more like 7,000 years from 'day is = 1,000 years' later in the testamant since man was only there to keep track on the last day, others that its fully metaphorical....)

For that matter Alicia and the GEoM were never officially married, they were closer to friends with benefits, as Alicia was literally the only human who was close to a peer through the millenia for the GEoM and even than they didn't always see eye to eye. The GEoM once he became Emperor of earth and long term goal of Humanity just assumes Alicia will submit to be his empress, and really she is the only choice as the closest thing to a peer he has, but is at best a after thought.

As to the Rishan and the Quarn. I figure the Rishan are extinct, in 'In fury born' they were already on the losing edge against humanity in the year 4,000. Give a couple millenia later and Humanity perhaps getting more xenophobic as they expand and desire more space. Humanity's old enemy the Rishan would be a easy target for genocide at that.

as to the Quarn, in my head its a bit more complex. If you read Shiriki's entry, you'll note I mention the Coyote marines stumbling across a Quarn colony fleet, a species that was thought to be extinct.

I actually have a rough outline in my head as to what happened to the Quarn... We know the Quarn enjoy bodily humor jokes a lot... unforutnatly for them around the year 10,000-12,000 they began to sicken as a race as a plague swept through them... during this period Alicia had a suspciious number of 'crisises' that kept her away from Quarn controlled areas...

It was only towards the end as several healthy quarn colony fleets fled their doomed race that she ran into them and discovered that it was Nurgle Daemons infecting the Quarn race with teh plague. Alicia managed to fight off the Daemons long enough for several such RTF to escape into the deep warp and was herself deeply suspcious as to why she kept being 'called away' during the majority of the Quarn plague

(GEoM plot to get rid of the Xeno's inhabiting planets he thinks humanity might make better use of?)

Essentialy in the Imperium the Quarn are no more and if met would probably be considered a unknown Xenos. not to eb tolerated, especially since the Imperium has no problem colonizing heavy G worlds that have minerals they desire.... humanity can't survive unaided? no problem we'll make it a penal planet and force the prisoners to mine materials for the good of the imperium.

Alicia's Empire doesn't have the Trillions of Humans to make such a penal colony profitable, and she's much mroe Xeno friendly. So the Quarn exist in her Empire as trading partners and mostly merchantmen. Of course this is only one more thing the Imperium will hold against Alicia and her forces....

bissek · Apr 2, 2009

Well, it should be fairly easy to prove Alicia is not an impostor. DNA evidence could easily prove that she is the mother of the Primarchs.

The theory that she is corrupted by Chaos is harder. Even if she points out that she's known Tisiphone longer than she has the GEoM, that could be seen as evidence that she has always been corrupted and managed to hide this from him somehow. Some might even postulate that the mother of the Primarchs being corrupted before they were born is why some of them ended up being corrupted themselves.

If the Quarn are still around, they are likely in a long and vicious dispute against the Dark Eldar. While the Quarn don't fight often, they are merciless when they do, and one thing that sets them off is pirates (Who are not just criminals, they're criminals who are bad for business). And a lot of Dark Eldar tactics can be seen as acts of piracy.

Rift120 · Jul 24, 2009

once more into the breach Spirit marines:

It lives! Man this has taken forever.. but still here goes 'spirit Warrior' marines

Spirit Marines

The Coyote Marines have always been close to the warp and warp entities. Indeed one could argue their relationship with their pantheon of spirit guides marked them as even closer and wiser than the Thousand Sons were with all their research into psykers and Sorcery. However it is also true that Coyote and his Pantheon are much more frugal with the lives of their followers than the ruinous powers due to limited supply. Thus it is that while heavily influenced by the warp entities, warp mutation is fairly rare and controlled.
Indeed during the great crusade Spirit Marines were all but unheard of, both due to the need to avoid scrutiny by agents of the GEoM, and the fact that access to the spirit pantheon was difficult to perform under controlled situations.

This however changed once the Coyote Marines left the Imperium and discovered AliciaÆs empire. It wasnÆt even a century later that, acting upon vision granted to them the Shamness erected upon a remote backwater world several Dreamcatcher towers. Finishing their task mere hours before the planet was engulfed in a warp storm, the towers stabilized the planet into a unique warp world half in and out of the Materium, that became the first of several dozen Spirit Warrior planets.

The path to becoming a spirit warrior is long and treacherous. First a space marine must overcome a series of grueling mental and physical tests to prove they are worthy. Then they must travel to one of the handful of Dream worlds held under the banner of the Coyote Legion. Finally they must head into the wilds of the planet half in the Warp/half out.. with nothing more than some sacred herbs, holy fetish (sometimes aligned to a specific high spirit of the pantheon in hopes of attracting their attention), and a combat knife in what is often the second Spirit quest (The first being part of the induction ceremonies into the Marine legion)à leaving all other weapons and armor behind as they head into the wilds to commune with the warp.

The length of the commune varies, but the Marine in question will almost always eventually return.. in one form or another.

Ranks of Spirit warriors

Chaos Spawn- despite the best tests and trials, a few space marines inevitably slip through who are not up to the standards of the Spiritsà some of these are to full of pride or arrogance, perhaps they have a secret affiliation to the ruinous powers, or simply offend the spirits in some grievous manner. To those who fail in such a manner that should have been spotted earlier during the tests, Spawnhood is their eventual fate. For while not as hostile to humanity as the ruinous powers, the spirits do not take insults to their pride and time lightly. Any Coyote Marine that so insults the spirits will find themselves turned into these mindless amalgams of flesh and the warp, escorted back to the space port by a Spirit Daemon who will proclaim just who the luckless victim was, and which squad or chapter bears the shame of sending such a unworthy vassal as gift to the spirits.

The shame of producing a Chaos Spawn is immense, and over the millennia has resulted in adjusting the various tests and trials a potential Spirit warrior nominee must pass before even attempting their spirit quest. A result is Chaos spawn costs twice the number of points in a Coyote space marine army. Otherwise identical to the Ruinous powers Chaos spawn unit.

Warptouched- Above the Spawn, are those Space Marines who just fall shy of the demands the pantheon places for the Spirit warriors through no fault the spirits find offensive. These return to the spaceports bearing random warp mutations as a sign of their attempt to reach greatness. The shame of being warptouched is not so much felt among the chapter, but rather is a personal issue of the Warptouched Marine. One who thought he had what it takes, but was shown to fall just short. Such Marines tend to be humbled, and after a period o meditation and self-reflection often re-dedicate themselves to serving Alicia, Shirike, and the Coyote Marines with a renowned fanaticism to prove their worth on the field of battle.

Warptouched Marines are granted one Daemonic gift or psychic power at no cost (Said gift can NOT be specifically aligned to one of the 4 ruinous powers)
Their renewed dedication to prove themselves gives them the mental endurance to go above and beyond even the superhuman levels of the average space marine- during each round a warptouched can reroll one roll sans bonuses and penalties affecting that unit. The second roll stands.

Spirit Warriors- By far the most common outcome of all the tests, trials and preparations prior to the Spirit quest is a Marine who is pleasing to the pantheon, humble and loyal. So impressed the Pantheon will impress gifts upon the warriors very soul before releasing him back to his fellow marines to fight again.

Spirit Warriors also carry mutations, but whereas the warptouched are random and the spirit warriors mutations follow plan. All of their mutations are animal themed, albeit not all mutations come from the same animal! A spirit warrior is treated with great honor and will often be touted as examples of the strength and wisdoms of the chapter/squad/clan that they came from.
Spirit warriors benefit from Enhanced senses attempts to infiltrate/hide behind smoke screens/cover (essentially the same as Space Wolves enhanced senses but may be enhanced further)

Animal mutations- Each mutation (two free of charge.. roll d6 to see max number of mutations available to a unit.. 1Æs count as 2) grants a ability related to it.

A scorpion Tail for example might give a extra attack during assault, one that may include poisonà wings may grant the ability of flight allowing one to move through difficult and impassable terrain at no penaltyàEars or echolocation may make enhanced senses more effective (+1 bonus)à

Favored of the gods- The pantheon has limited resources, so those who they grant the honor of the title spirit warriors are by necessity made a little tougherà add 1 wound. To base states.

Spirit Champions- Occasionally a petitioning Marine really attracts the attention of the spirit animals. Those that do are guided through grueling tests of aptitude presented by one of the spirit pantheon aspects themselves. Those that fail become mere Spirit Warriors, yet for those who pass a greater reward beckons. Becoming a direct tool of their spirit guide themselves Spirit Champions essence are fused with that of a Warp entity fragment of their patron. Possessed by a warp entity loyal to the Spirit animals.

Unlike the possessed Chaos marine, a Spirit Champion tends to be more in tune and harmony with their possessing Warp Daemon, and as a result are more focused in battle as they do not have to struggle against the hungers of their possessing Daemons.

Essentially the same as a possessed Chaos Marine, although they cannot take any Mark of chaos to the Ruinous Powers (they are loyal to the spirit animal pantheons)

Rumor has it that a select handful of Coyote Marines prove themselves worthy enough to actually play host to a fragment of Tisiphone. These Fury Marines never return to their comrades, instead acting as personal warriors of Alicia to send forth against threats and black Ops as she sees fit. Legend has it the Fury Marines power is on par with that of most Imperium chapter masters, although this remains speculation as there are no surviving records of witness who see a Fury Marine in combat (Read I like the concept but canÆt think up even general stats

)

Avengers- Every rule has its exception.. and the Avengers are the exception to the grueling tests meant to weed out the unworthy aspirants to the ranks of the Spirit warriors. The universe is a violent and treacherous place. Even in AliciaÆs empire war and loss are always near at one point or the other. Especially for the Coyote Marines who are at the forefront of the battle to keep AliciaÆs domain alive.

It is natural than that some will fall, be it by combat or treachery. Most of the times the fallen Marines brethren will mourn their fallen comrades and move on to the next conflict. But for some thatÆs not enough. For some a special hatred grows for those responsible for the death of their brothers in arms, grows to focus upon a specific enemy to the detriment of team unity. At this point Shamaness step in to counsel and attempt to guide the Marine back from the abyss of obsessive hatred. Sometimes they succeedà. But should they fail the Marine in question may petition to be allowed to become a Avenger.

The potential avenger should he be allowed will transport themselves to a dream world and immediately enter the wildsà once there they will make their petition to the spirits.. grant them the power to revenge themselves upon those who took their brothers in exchange for their souls and eternal usage as pawns of the spirits.

At this point the spirits judge the aspirants caseà should they decide against them, only chaos spawnhood awaits. Should they favor the aspirant though, he is possessed by a daemon and is no longer considered one of the Coyote Legion. Instead he becomes a lone warrior travelling from battlefield to battlefield either searching out his nemesis or advancing the goals and plots of his spirit animal patron (it should be noted Alicia-T NEVER accepts a Avenger into her serviceà ).

On the battlefield Avengers are ruthless warriors, charging unheeding of numbers or danger towards their targets in order to rip them to shreds. However they are also well known for their disregard of their allies. Often blasting their way through friendly units that they perceive slowing them down or quitting the battlefield at crucial moments to chase after mere rumors of leads towards their obsessionà

A player using an avenger unit must decide at the start of the game whether the Avengers nemesis is on the field. For the purpose of determining a nemesis any HQ, elite, or Independent charcter of the opposing player is acceptable.

A avenger unit MUST proceed to engage their nemesis by the shortest route possibleà even if ti means going through allied or enemies forces. Avengers can only shoot or assault Enemy forces that are blocking its path to his Nemesis.

COMING THROUGH!- any successful assault on enemy forces will allow the Avenger to break through past them towards his Nemesis. However since the Avenger isnÆt focusing solely on his opponents instead of just bypassing them, the player must roll TWO successful wound rolls in order to actually injure the enemy units

YOUÆRE IN MY WAY!- if passing through a allied unit roll a d6 on a roll of 4+ the unit must scatter 6 inches in a direction away from the Avengerà should the player fail the roll however the Avenger performs a shooting attack on the unit (Unlike the coming through rule only one successful roll to wound is needed )

You canÆt stop my vengeance!- The player can reroll any killing blow on the avenger that doesnÆt come from his Nemesis as the Daemon attempts to ensure its pact with the Avenger by protecting him. If the second roll kills the Avenger he is assumed to have been spirited away into the Warp to try again another timeà the unit does not count towards points scored by either side if removed in this manner. (Only way the avenger counts as points is if it is killed or kills his nemesis on the field. )

Its You and Me now- Once engaged in assaulting his Nemesis, neither side is unable to unengagedà regrouping, retreating, or consolidating is not allowed and the Avenger and his nemesis will remain in assault until one or the other is killed or the game ends.

Alternatively a player can declare the Avengers Nemesis isnÆt on the battlefield. IN which case the Avenger plays as a normal unit with the following exceptions

You CanÆt stop my vengeance!- Avenger can reroll any killing blow.. second roll stands. If killed by the second roll Avenger only counts as HALF its point value when determining score of casualties as he is spirited away into the warp to continue his quest for vengeance.

Chasing Rumors- at the start of each round the player rolls a d6.. on a roll of a 1 or 2 word has reached the Avenger that a lead to his nemesis has popped up elsewhere. The unit immediately retreats to the nearest edge of the playing field and is unable to engage any opponents except in self defense from an assault. Upon reaching the edge the unit is removed from play for the rest of the game and counts as a full point casualty in favor of the opposing player when determining score. (In a multi round engagement the Avenger is no longer available in battle scenarios that follow BUT still counts against the point total of the player.)

heh... now I just have to do the 13 Labors unit and Shamaness and i am finally done with the Coyote Marine and can go back to other ideas I've had concerning this empire... oh and the Spirit animal Pantheon...

The GEoM's Empress??

Rift120

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