User:Wammnebu/TR TLR

The Beast Marked (Rejected)

The Marked (AKA the Beastmarked or The Ferral Ones) Legion Summary

Info

Legion Number: VIth Legion Strength: Full* (The number of converted Astartes is significantly larger than an average legion, however, most of those warriors are severely under-equipped). Primarch: Ru`TsoYan Tactics: “Holy” Berzerker Charges, Heavy Damage, Damage absorbing spearheads, Battle-Psykers, morale breaking. Battlecry: “Depart from me weak soul of man, grant me your mark to be born again.” (Usually chanted in unison until they enter a berserker state)

Strengths

There are few enemy forces that can keep their ground when the VIth legion comes charging in its feral state. The charges of shield bound warriors, protected by hordes of explosive tipped javelins, and amplified by the Holy Might of their Shamans. The hordes of maddened beast men will descend onto the enemy like a swarm of ants, hacking apart their vehicles with their melee weapons and soldiers with their hands and teeth.

Tactics

Most who see the VIth legion, likely assume they have no tactics, and are merely mindless berserkers. This is only half true. The legion is being coordinated and controlled, though rather than by conventional leadership, it is led indirectly by the Shamans. They are not “led” however, as much as they are orchestrated. These Shamans with their sacred wraithbone instruments and psyker abilities can set the tempo of the army, directing which legionaries fall into the “dance” of berserker rage, and which ones remain lucid, as singers. Each band of warriors has a few shaman, who can choose, based on the rhythm of the song to remain as part of a “choir” or to take their own group to perform a separate part of the music. All shamans are connected to the song of the other psykers, each indirectly fulfilling their part to complete the “song,” as directed by the head shaman. Thus the psyker shamans indirectly carry out the roles of military leadership, but given its emphasis on the sacred music, the Shaman’s are all in conversation with each other, rather than a top down performance. For this reason, Opponents who attempt to treat the legion as though they are merely mindless berzerkers have found themselves bitterly disappointed.

The Great Danes

Prior to the finding of their Primarch, The Marked were known as The Great Danes. This legion, which primarily (though not exclusively) hailed from the ancient Terran Kingdoms of Europa and Nordland, were hearty and steadfast warriors. Like the mythical species they were named after, the legion was a disciplined legion of hunters, excelling in the pursuit and were favored for sensitive operations.

From its inception, the legion was plagued with issues with recruitment. Many of its aspirants would die on account of issues with its geneseed resulting in a severely undermanned legion. To compensate for this lack of manpower the Great Danes became a formidable mechanized force. Utilizing their skills as tank commanders and mastering the maneuverability of their Armored Carriers, the force was relentless at quick deployment and rapid assaults. The Great Danes prided themselves on their tactical flexibility and adaptability to other Legion’s doctrines. Unable to act as a leadership role, they became the indispensable auxillary wing for many other legions, such as the Watchers of Akhet, Star Guardians, and Palantine Wings. And while the Great Danes were well liked and bonded with many of the Legions, there were none they were closer to Than the Silver Basilisks. Going back to the days in which they were the reclusive Faceless Heralds, the two legions shared a common bond in the defects of their geneseed. The two legions saw the best in each other, the Heralds admiring the Danes perseverance amidst the deaths of so many recruits, while The Great Danes admired the quiet stoicism of the Heralds bearing the flaws of their geneseed. When the Heralds were reunited with their Primarch Artellion Emerabron, the Great Danes rejoiced at their good fortune, hoping something similar for themselves. They developed a loyalty to Artellion as though he was their own primarch, and Artellion himself practically adopted the legion, admiring their tenacity, and their bond with his own sons.

Personality of the Legion

Unsurprisingly, the legion lacks the refinement of the Ist and XIIIth legions. In fact, it could be said that the legion has no character to it other than barbarism. There is no single legion culture as its primarch tends to take little interest in such an effort. In fact he is repulsed by the concept as, to him, it would mark the beginning of him leading his legion down the path of civilization. Each warband and tribe tends to form its own composite culture formed from shared experiences as well as the cultural traditions brought forward by the Astartes themselves. Given that the legion prefers to draw from Abhuman communities and primitive worlds, these cultures are often crude and violent. Their ships have all unnecessary technology scrapped and removed, replacing it with mounds of skulls, trophies, painted markings, and space for violent sports, drinking, and songs. There are exceptions to this, such as when individuals from more prominent cultures prove themselves to the Primarch. One such example is David Henri Mykanos, The VIth Legion’s Master Librarius (He should be Chief Shaman, but as the head, he is allowed to choose what he is called), who was a Mutant of noble birth, raised in secret by his family.

The only true unifying cultural force are the Shamans, thanks in no small part to the work of Mykonos. They have become the liaison between the different tribes of the warbands, recording their great deeds in song, spiritually guiding the warriors, providing ceremony for the dead, and coordination in battle. All songs and chants are performed in high gothic, which only a few of the warriors understand, adding for them a sense of awe and foreignness to the mystical rituals.

Primarch

Early Years

The Primarch was found at an early age by the Forest-dwellers of The Planet Dyo-Djynez. These forest dwellers were mutants and abhumans, the descendants of the discarded genetic experiments of the hive cities that littered the continent. These beasts took him in, thinking he was yet another discarded experiment, and as he grew he began to unite the disparate peoples. At first it was only to ambush Poachers from the city attempting to gather Abhuman lab-fodder for their quest to create the perfect man, but as his tribe grew, he began to lead counter-raids against the nearby city-state. One such counter-raid failed and he was captured by the Yan Arcology’s guard using advanced stealth technology. Yan’s Elders were impressed that such a fine specimen was living among the beasts, and as such brought him into the city for further study. The Primarch, who lived among a tribe that spoke only through grunts, hand signs, and rhythmic beats, had only faint idea of what his name was, which in the city’s strange tongue became Ru’Tso E’Yan. He was then trained by the head scientists of Yan, picked up their language and culture fairly quickly, and was even made into a warrior for the city-state, bringing several of the neighboring hives into submission.

There were many in Yan who hoped that Ru’Tso would be the closest to achieving the planet’s highest ideal of the Genetic new man, to which end they began working with his genetic material to create the Optimus helix, which would rewrite their genetic code to make them all “perfect” as the Great E’Yan. But Ru’Tso, horrified by the lab experiments, and way that these homo-sapiens treated his brother Abhumans, had other plans. Using his knowledge of warfare and tactics, that he learned from Fighting Yan’s wars, to lead an abhuman uprising. The Entire city was destroyed, and those deemed fit by the Primarch to survive were given his “mark” a patch that injected subjects with the Acrid Helix. This failed version of Yan’s genetic ambitions would, thanks to Ru’Tso’s Genetic material, cause the individuals who consumed it to devolve into abhumans (assuming they didn’t die). Those who became ferral were allowed to roam the planet freely, while the ones who maintained their intelligence were adopted into the warband.

With his new found army of beastmen, Ru’Tso returned to the forest, and united all of the Abhuman tribes under his leadership. Ru’Tso and his army led their feral crusade against each and every city-state on the planet, until every single light of civilization went out. The hives were made low, and those men who would not become beasts, became trophies or meals. The Planet Dyo-Djinez, once a hub of interplanetary knowledge, went silent. When the Emperor and his golden ships arrived, he was hoping to find the planet of fabled geneticists to rival that of Luna, but instead he found an overgrown planet of primitives, and his “son.”

As Primarch of The VIth Legion

As with the other Primarchs, Ru’Tso was free to remold his legion as he saw fit. Which in the Ferral One’s case, was to strip the legion down from its humanity. The VIth Legion, Formerly The Great Danes, was already woefully undermanned thanks to issues with their geneseed, and they lost even more of their original ranks from drinking the bitter chalice to be transformed. The rest of the legion was then filled with his Abhuman companions. Artellion and the other Silver Basilisks were horrified to see their Valiant comrades and companions in the VIth so betrayed and debased with the Emperor’s blessing. The legion of cautious strike teams, and tank commanders had been transformed into ravenous berserkers with the faces of monsters. It may not have been the reason for his fall, but when the time came to choose sides, the memory of The Great Danes overshadowed any pro-imperial propaganda.

During the Great Crusade, the VIth legion was less of an army and more a divine scourge or force of nature. The Primarch, who already had experience in leveling a civilized world naked with primitive weapons, could do so much more damage with his genetically modified warriors by his side. When the legion was sent, the planet would effectively be clean for recolonization. Thus most viewed the legion as a force of last resort, to be used for particularly resilient targets. Two legions had other ideas, as the Marked would become a favored diplomatic tool for The Light Bringers and Consuls Exemplar for quickly pacifying interstellar Empires. They would make an offer to the empire, and then invite several heads of state to witness the VIth legion make quick work of a particular member state, invite them to tour the aftermath, then make the offer again.

David Henri Mykonos

Just as important to the Legion as the Primarch, was the influence of its First Shaman, David Henri Mykanos. Mykonos was born to noble house Mykonos on a planet now lost to history. His affluent home world was one of the first to join the Imperium in the Great crusade and as such had Ministorum agents watching for signs of mutants (ie Chaotic Influence). Born with a mutation as a Gor, his parents hid him out of fear for his life. Raised in secret among the vast halls of House Mykonos, the child flourished academically, becoming an immensely talented musician, scholar, and -with the help of a tutor - psyker. Whatever his destiny would have been on his home world, it was interrupted by a revolt against the chafing laws of the imperium, and the closest legion was dispatched to deal with it. Unfortunately for the planet, that was The VIth legion. Ru’Tso and his horde of barbarians swooped down, and made short work of the rebels. Only Henri David Mykonos forced the Primarch to pause. The young man was an abhuman, but well-dressed with a squad of humans by his side. The raving legion fearing the Gor’s magical abilities, would not approach him. The Primarch was impressed with the young man, as well as his magical abilities, the primarch thought he finally had found the weapon he needed to destroy the technological world. He offered him the chance to join him as his high priest. Mykonos, less than impressed with the barbarians, only agreed on the condition that his family, friends, and companions be spared and allowed to rebuild.

As the Legion’s now head shaman. Mykonos set about forging his talents with music and pysker ability as a way to improve the legion. He also began to develop strong bonds with the Librarius of other Legions, particularly the Watchers of Akhet, who Mykonos envied and admired. Meanwhile the relationship with his own primarch was tense to say the least. A man of refinement, the Gor was disgusted with the unapolegetic barbarity of his battle brothers, and refused to allow his shamans to indulge in such savagery. And as his primarch became more disillusioned and contemptuous of the Imperium, realizing that The Emperor was even worse than the geneticists of his homeworld, Mykonos became more attached. He had never had much love for the Imperium at first, after all it was them who his parents were protecting him from. But as he engaged more with the other legions, and the other threats to humanity, he began to see the danger of his primarch’s views. Bleak or not, the only shot humanity had at a future was with the Imperium. It also did not help his opinion of the primarch, when he encountered feral wulfen-mutants on the ship bearing tattoos of his family crest.

The Death of Ru’Tso E’Yan

During the Antaran Apostasy, Henry David Mykonos reported to The Warmaster, that their Primarch, Ru’Tso E’Yan was killed. According to reports, The Primarch was assassinated by a Strike Team of The Consuls Exemplar for refusing to join the traitors. A quick memorial service was held for The Primarch and a hundred of his closest companions. The Librarius, the closest thing the anarchic legion had to a leader now, assumed command and urged the legion to act in vengeance against the traitors.

As the Apostasy progressed, the other loyalists noticed the VIth legion, while still crude, barbaric, and unorthodox, began to take on semblances of organization and restraint. The Shamans, under the direction of Mykonos, were implanted into the bands to help guide the previously self serving warbands. It could hardly be considered an organized army by any means, but it was clear that there was now a method to the madness.

Dyo-djynez

While the Emperor never saw Dio Djenez at its zenith, his son did. Following the scattering of the Legions, the pod carrying the primarch landed in the deep forests between the towering hive cities. These forests held brutish creatures, genetic abominations created by the city states for their quest to create the new man, and rejected once they were seen to be useless. These Biological leftovers were simply dumped into the no-man’s land between the cities, with all parties involved viewing the inclusion of yet more beasts as a wall of sorts from their neighbors.

Following Ru’Tso E’Yan’s revolt, any trace of civilization more advanced than hunter-gatherers was erased. The Empty and destroyed hive cities have become ecosystems in of themselves. With entire bands of tribesmen and humans dwelling within the fauna filled caverns and ruined floors. The one exception to this is Hive City Yan itself, which has been transformed into a fortress monastery for the Chapter. There the shamans, the only semblance of civilization permitted on the planet, gather recruits, maintain equipment, and study the arcane arts and the song of the universe.

Equipment

Apart from the trophies which can come from any number of their fallen enemies. Much of the equipment of the VIth Legion is crude, often primitive. The tribesmen often prefer the antique weapons from the Antarran apostasy, if not something outright primitive. These weapons are then fought over as prizes should a legion fall either in battle or in the legions many bloodsports.

That is not to say that they never upgrade their equipment at all. The bloodsports offer the Shamen an indirect way to control the equipment of the Warriors. By equiping one of the combatants (often a random tribesman, Prisoner of war, or Imperial Guardsmen), with the state of the art weapon, it becomes a “trophy” in the eyes of the warrior, and thus an acceptable weapon. Additionally, should the shamans “award” the warrior with their weapon or armor in exchange for completing a quest they made up, then it would also be acceptable to the warriors.

The weapon of choice for many in the VIth legion are large talons on their hands and feet. These claws made from nigh-invincible material, are used to rip through enemy combatants and vehicles. They are also used to scale structures and large vehicles, such as when Ur’Burrows, and the Tribe of Brown hooves destroyed an Eldar Phantom by scaling it, crawling through the head, and slaughtering the pilots inside.

Ranged Weaponry

The Legion is averse to guns and most forms of weaponry that does not require physical strength. As such, they tend to prefer thrown weapons such as Arrows, Javelins, darts, Slings, Atl-Atl’s etc. Each tribe and warband has a different preference, and the Mech-Shamans do their best to provide them with appropriate weapons.

Vehicles and Ships

Vehicles are considered to be acceptable to the tribes, so long as their purpose is transportation to the battlefield, and not as combatant. The Closest exception to this is their tanks and carriers being outfitted with Catapults, trebuchets, and ballistas, all manually operated by the troops themselves.

With Ship combat, the Warriors absolutely refuse to travel by teleporter, believing that the soul may be lost in the transference . The VIth Legion prefers boarding combat, and if boarding their enemy’s ship is not an option, they will invite their opponent onto their ships, which are filled with traps, wild animals, garbage, and ambushing locations.

Armor

Armor poses a unique problem for the Legion, because so many of their members are abhumans. The Standard Astartes Boot has little use for a Son of Ru’Tso with Goat’s feet, and what sort of Mark III can fit an Ogryn fully converted into an astartes? When combined with the legion’s aversion to upgrades, this results in many warrior’s being under armored when compared to their brothers. Though, to be frank, there is very little that is going to penetrate the skin of an Ogryn with the Genetic Augmentations of an Astartes, and the mystical protections of dozens of trained psykers. The Shamans can on occasion convince the Mechanicus to provide them with unique armor for their warriors, but usually at great cost and pains.

Geneseed

For a legion with whose primarch died in the Apostasy, the Legion has exceptional access to untainted geneseed. The mechanicus has reported that very little of it has distorted since the Apostasy, and that the only deficiencies and mutations are the ones the legion adds to itself.

While the geneseed itself has shown no bearings of mutation, its effects on humans have remained. There are very few humans who can survive the process of joining the VIth legion. Much of this can be avoided however, should abhumans be implanted instead. For this reason the recruits still employ “The Mark of The Beast” as used by their primarch. Assuming that the aspirants survive the mark with their mind somewhat intact, they are substantially more likely to survive the transformation into an Astartes.

View on the Imperium

Most of the warbands are too self-indulgent, and concerned with their own pursuit of glory to give thoughts on the wider thoughts of the imperium. Their shamans and ancient primarch were loyal to the imperium, and thus so are they. There are, on occasion warbands and shamans who fall to the ruinous powers, but those are quickly hunted down by the legion.

The Shamans have more nuanced opinions than their brutish brothers. To them the Imperium does represent the best hope for humanity, but it must be so for all of humanity. They have very little patience for those Governors and Administratum officials who are unkind towards the many abhuman species that populate the imperium, and view themselves as their protectors. The Shamans are also keenly aware of the perils of the warp, and as such generally support efforts to monitor non-sanctioned psykers.

Citizens

The Legion thinks very little of the Citizens of the Imperium. To them they are weak fodder that are in the way of their great fight. The best thing for a citizen of the Imperium to do when encountering one of The Beastmarked is to seem weak and get out of the way. Those with the misfortune of showing some sort of bravery and defiance are invited upon their ships, where they will be rewarded with the opportunity to fight in bloodsports for the legion’s amusement, either with other civilians or with wild beasts. Additionally, they could also be offered the opportunity to join the legion by receiving the mark, which will either kill them transform them into one of the many ferral beasts that roam the ship, or worse, make them into a fellow Beastmarked.

Abhumans

Perhaps in contrast to their treatment of normal civilians, the Warriors (particularly the shamans) are very protective of the various sub-species of Humans that exist throughout the Imperial. Learning that a planet is cruel to abhumans is often a quick way for the Legion to become a greater threat to the planet than whatever they were sent to fight.

The Mechanicum

One might think that a legion founded by a raving luddite would have nothing but hatred for the tech-worshippers of the Mechanicum. However the relation between Mars and The VIth is generally amicable, if complicated. The Tribes and Warrior bands are a very superstitious people, and as such the Mechanicus talk of machine spirits and the omnissiah is perhaps the closest they have ever come to appreciating technology. To the tribes, the Magi of Mars are shamans of a different tribe, and as speakers for a world they don’t understand they should be treated with respect and distance as shamans. The warbands are particularly fond of Electro-Priests, who they see as mighty sorcerers rivaling their own shamans.

The Shamans of the Beastmarked have a very strong relationship with the Mechanicus. Unlike other Legions who have the gall to keep archeotech they find, the Beastmarked can be relied on for supplying relics found by their chapter. So long as they are provided with baubles, The Warbands will view this as a great quest and challenge, while the Shamans will happily provide the Archeotech in exchange for much needed custom equipment.

The Imperial Army

The Imperial Army view the beastmarked as the blind, impersonal wrath of the emperor, and as such it is best to set them loose on a target, and order the troops to follow the wreckage left behind. So while the Imperial Army is more than happy to call for the ferral VIth when facing an Ork incursion, a Tyranid infestation, or a Tau Planet. The Imperial brass would dread their “help” for any mission that involves the protection of valuable assets, given their uncontrollable looting, indiscriminate slaughter, and recklessness. If the VIth Legion is sent out to “protect” a sensitive location, it is likely it was done so by a rival Imperial faction (such as the Mechanicus), in the hopes of looting it.

On those occasions where the Imperial Army must work side by side with the VIth legion, they generally put their more Abhuman-heavy forces up as liaisons. The result has been a greater presence of abhumans in the imperial army. It is not uncommon for the legion to recruit from the Imperial Guard.

Psykers

The Legion’s opinion on Psykers is what the Shamans tell them their opinion is. They believe that there are good spirits and bad spirits, and its up to the Shamans to protect them from the servants of bad spirits. The legion will generally treat Psykers with contempt and fear unless approved by the Shamans.

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The Great Danes

Battle Cry

Our Brothers Shall not Find us Lacking!

Prior to the finding of their Primarch, The Marked were known as The Great Danes. This legion, which primarily (though not exclusively) hailed from the ancient Terran Kingdoms of Europa and Nordland, were hearty and steadfast warriors. Like the mythical species they were named after, the legion was a disciplined legion of hunters, excelling in the pursuit and were favored for sensitive operations.

From its inception, the legion was plagued with issues with recruitment. Many of its aspirants would die on account of issues with its geneseed resulting in a severely undermanned legion. To compensate for this lack of manpower the Great Danes became a formidable mechanized force. Utilizing their skills as tank commanders and mastering the maneuverability of their Armored Carriers, the force was relentless at quick deployment and rapid assaults.

The Great Danes prided themselves on their tactical flexibility and adaptability to other Legion’s doctrines. Unable to act as a leadership role, they became the indispensable auxillary wing for many other legions, such as the Watchers of Akhet, Star Guardians, and Palantine Wings. And while the Great Danes were well liked and bonded with many of the Legions, there were none they were closer to Than the Silver Basilisks. Going back to the days in which they were the reclusive Faceless Heralds, the two legions shared a common bond in the defects of their geneseed. The two legions saw the best in each other, the Heralds admiring the Danes perseverance amidst the deaths of so many recruits, while The Great Danes admired the quiet stoicism of the Heralds bearing the flaws of their geneseed. When the Heralds were reunited with their Primarch Artellion Emerabron, the Great Danes rejoiced at their good fortune, hoping something similar for themselves. They developed a loyalty to Artellion as though he was their own primarch, and Artellion himself practically adopted the legion, admiring their tenacity, and their bond with his own sons. The Great Danes Legion suffered from a severe flaw in their geneseed. It did not cause any unique mutation or deformity, but instead most applicants for admission to the Legion died. So high in fact was the rate of death among applicants that legion was considered unsustainable. Many of the legion refused to take on new recruits and scouts given so many died. Between the slow rate of reinforcement, and several brutal campaigns during the early stages of the Crusade, The Great Danes had been whittled down to the point where the entire chapter could fit in the few requisitions of Rhinos and APC's granted to them. Remembering the Thunder Warriors, and Fearing that they would be similarly discarded, Legion Master Harald Skorvessan decided that their continued usefullness would need to come with a bitter pill of humility. Noticing that the legion had a disproportionate amount of vehicles compared to its size, the entire Legion was mechanized. The Great Danes refocused their doctrine towards Armor and rapid infantry deployment, supported by large numbers of Tanks and artillery.

Organization

The Legion was divided into "Kennels" consisting of approximately 2 APCs and 5 Tanks. The Standard Bolters and Powerswords, as well as riskier plasma weapons were discarded in favor of heavy weapons such as Meltas, Rocket Launchers, and phosphex cannons. Those who did get one handed or light weapons were also given Ballistic shields and trained to rapid deploy and protect the heavy teams. Each of these Kennels would act autonomously to the other, and told to attack specific targets.

The standard attack pattern was for the APCs to Deploy under the protection of the Tanks, assault the enemy with heavy weapons, re enter the apcs, and quickly redeploy.

On its own this would likely be a problem, but when paired with a much larger force capable of being the focus. Thus the Great Danes transformed themselves into an auxillary wing for the other legions. Rapidly Deploying to help alliveate overwhelmed forces, rescue marines who had strayed too far from the front lines, provide logistical and fire support, or provide some much needed muscle against a particular target.

About the Symbol

The scratches are formed from the wearer scratching their right pauldron with the talons of their left hand. That's it. That is the symbol. Ru'Tso E'Yan did it to his own armor and all of his legionaries followed suit. For some of the older armor you can see some faded paint of the old Great Danes symbol. For others its either blank/unpainted armor, or armor stolen from the bodies of other legions, and as such may show an old symbol scratched out.

Description

Names

The Beast Marked would not have standard names from any culture. Instead the names should be "low gothic" translations of their titles and achievements. Helping to give the impression of a "mad max" like warrior band.

Examples

• The-Titan-Killer
• Disembowler-of-Eldar
• He-who-killed-thirty-astartes
• Runs-with-live-grenades
• Thrower-of-promethium

Cultural Touchstone

They really do not have one. They honestly have more in common with the Orkz and Beastmen then the other humans. The closest "cultural touchstone would probably be "neanderthals."

The Shaman can be a little different. Perhaps taking cues from the Iroqois, Pictish, or Xhosa tribes.

The Great Danes

The Great Danes were to be inspired by Early 20th Century French Tank Crews. A nice pastel blue armor with red or bronze trim. Maybe at one point they would have drawn primarily from Evropa and Nordland, but by the time we see them they would be a fairly broad legion ethnically and culturally. The reason for this is due to the high mortality rate of their geneseed, forcing them to cast a wide recruiting net.

Quotes about The VIth

"Not all exterminations are equal. You may think the VIth sacking, looting, and devolving a populous is just a more sloppy and slow exterminatus, but I assure you that is not what our opponents think. Yes, we could exterminatus a planet by way of orbital bombardment, but for many that is the preferred alternative. There is a romantic victory that can be gleaned by such a destruction, knowledge that the planet is now useless, and will forever stand monument to them. They gain nothing, and over their charred corpses we are bequeathed a barren lifeless rock. Same too with a devastating battle and conquest. There too is a cold comfort. For even in defeat some lingering aspect of their legacy will remain in the histories spoken by thehushed whispers of slaves, and in the repurposing of their cities and buildings. Small romantic comforts can lead to defiance for these petty empires, who could see in their defeat a vengence that will sprout several generations hence.

None of those hopes remain when The Beastmarked enter. Bring their finest to watch, let them observe what our Ferral Brethren do to a planet. Watch as the leave no stone atop another, leave no farm unburned, and no livestock yoked. Let them watch as they brand housewives, scientists, scholars, criminals, clergy and soldiers with the Ferral Lord's gift. See them writhe in madness, see them change, see them as the mark forces them to give either their life or their humanity to the throes of madness. Then finally take them to a newly established Imperial realm pacified by the VIth, and you will know it makes a difference. Do not worry about the time and expense, we have plenty of both. But the VIth has given us the final and ultimate bargaining chip no civilized world will bear. When they see Imperial colony ships building small settlements in the shadow of mountains that may or may not have been buildings and wild beasts that may or may not have been men, they will see that we will leave them with truly nothing. The VIth can offer complete amnesia, and this the civilized realms fear most."

-Auxillius Diplomae Clodus Apellius of The XIIIth.

In that moment I wished it had attacked me, charged forward with fangs barred and claws reaching for my heart. Or at the very least a growl and snarl. Something that would give me the andrenaline to put it down as a rabid beast. But he just whimpered. Whining like a pained dog and staring with vapid empty eyes. -Cynog Cadwalader, Warrior of The Silver Basilisks upon seeing Fmr Artois D'Ophelian post transformation.

The Many Fates of The VIth Primarch

Keeping in the WH spirit of "Nothing is true, everything is cannon," I have several fates for what happened to the Primarch of The VIth legion, Ru'Tso E'Yan. Eventually one ending could be settled on for the true ending, or not.

The Truth of History

As kept by the great memory keepers of the VIth Legion, ambassadors of the Counsels Exemplar, requested an audience with the Lord of Beasts. These heralds told him of the Plans of the Scorpion and Light Bringers, and how events were already in play to rebel against The False Emperor. The heralds of the Thousand Armed Centurian attempted to tempt the primarch with all sorts of treasures and rewards if he renounced The Imperium and took up arms in the Name of Chaos. The Primarch, of course, laughed off their petty promises and told them that he had no interest in betraying either his father or his brothers. The Primarch and his companions promptly killed the heralds with ease, despite their pathetic attempts to "kill him." But while they could never have hoped to fight Ru'Tso in an equal match they were able to win by trickery, a small bomb was set to overload the power packs of the heralds resulting in the vaporization of the primarch and his companions, leaving nothing left but his memory.

Relations to Other Legions

XV The Silver Basilisks

Prior to the arrival of Ru’Tso, The XVth and VIth legion were all but inseparable, so much so that The Great Danes were effectively the Armored division of XV, and many considered petitioning the Emperor to Formally join the XVth.

X - The Light Bringers

The Light Bringers didn't have much use for The Great Danes. The Great Danes were an auxiliary battle force for conventional warfare, and such an approach had little use for a legion that prefered either not to fight at all, or to completely annihilate their opponent. Perhaps just as well, that Harald Sversson had little interest in working with The Light Bearers, as most of their methods were found to be unsettling by the more Kind-Hearted forces. When the Legion was remade by The VIth's Primarch, Ru'Tso E'Yan, Cassian was one of the first to seize the opportunity for a new ally. And while others lamented the loss of their Comrades in The Great Danes, Abner Cassian, did not begrudge his brother for wishing to remake his own legion as he saw fit. And while he would never emulate his methods, or adopt his ideology, Abner Cassian was impressed with how quickly, brutally, and efficiently the suposed mindless savage rebuilt his legion. Like the XIIIth, he too found the brutal ways of The Beastmarked a valuable diplomatic and combative asset.

I The Watchers of Akhet

While the relationship has been tarnished since the legion’s transformation, Mykanos has strove to repair relations with The 1st legion, if not with his entire legion, then at least with the Shaman Caste. Initially this had little effect, given those legionaries who remember The Great Danes, however; the Watchers are nothing if not adaptable. As the centuries wore on and the sheer volume of threats left little luxury in choice of Allies, the Successors of Akhet have made their peace with the Disciples of Mykanos, and have been able to work with them.

XIII - Consuls Exemplar

Though most were suprised by the Treachery of Gaius Calligula, and the grim opportunism on the battlefield, those who observed his behavior following the VIth Legion's Transformation would have perhaps seen a fortaste of his future behavior.

While The Great Danes were a valuable asset, The Thousand Armed Centurian put aside his qualms with the newly recreated VIth legion, and took the time to observe the behavior of his newfound brother. What he found was despite was a legion that was large, brutal, and very malleable. And while many of his brothers reeled from the possibility of working with The Beastmarked, the XIIIth was quick to ingratiate himself with The Primarch. The ferral legion served as an excellent contrast to the majesty of his own, with their barbarity making the Auric Legion seem even more restrained, intelligent, and powerful. In the rabid force of The VIth he found an attack dog, as well as powerful diplomatic leverage.

On a personal level, Caligula took a curious shine to Ru'Tso, perhaps seeing him an ideological foil. And while the details are scarce, it is known that Astartes of the XIIIth legion were present the day The Primarch of The VIth Legion died. To this day, the VIth Legion considers the XIIIth their most hated of enemies.

VII - Sirens of Kastor

Calling them “allies” would be perhaps a little strong, however, The VI and VII legion have a positive working relationship given the complementary style of their tactics. A combination of the Pincer/flank attacks of the Sirens with the unbreakable forward charge of the VI will turn most battles into massacres. The Shamans of the VIth and the Psykers of the VIIth have spent many centuries harmonizing their pysker-sonic calls into a battle melody that amplifies the other. The sirens have found their strength and reflexes seem stronger when fighting in the rhythm of the song, while the VIth’s berserkers has noticed their shouts seem to inflict pain, and disrupt electronics, when done in rhythm to the music that binds both legions.

XI – The Ashen Crows

The XIth legion thrives on distractions and duplicity, and there are few better distractions than a giant horde gene-addled ogryns in powersuits charging and chanting cries of lunacy. The Ashen Crows and the Beastmarked have worked together many times without the VIth Legion ever knowing.

I – The Watchers of Akhet

While the relationship has been tarnished since the legion’s transformation, Mykanos has strove to repair relations with The 1st legion, if not with his entire legion, then at least with the Shaman Caste.