Warhammer 40k: The Crimson Path

[Dovahsith]

Warhammer 40k: The Crimson Path
The 1st Black Crusade




It is the designated date 781.M31
The Imperium of Mankind stretches once more across a million worlds, the wounds of the Great Heresy scarring as an Age of Legends comes to a close.
Gone are the days of the Legions, those loyal having their strength scattered by the Second Founding, those of the traitors ilk now trapped forever in a hell of their own choosing, their singular refuge the great Eye of Terror, a great rend in reality, far from the light of Holy Terra. At best their incursions are sporadic, their lives trapped in an endless cycle of self-destructive warfare as old grudges are played out tenfold, battling for pride and the right to scavenge their scarce resources, doomed to whither away in lack of any leader capable of inspiring true unity....

Gone are the days of mighty Primarchs, True Demi-gods that walked as men,
Rogal Dorn, the Praetorian now Regent of the Imperium is left as the last of the sons of the God-Emperor,
to rebuild its crumbling ruin brick by brick as his brothers leave his side through battle, treachery or reasons only known to themselves.
Gone are the days of the Great Crusade, of the Imperial Truth and hope for the future.
Now is a time of faith and rejoicing, for the worst has past and mankind can rebuild its glory in the God-Emperor's light.
But every light leaves a shadow....

When the end came, it arrived not with a detonation, not a mewling whimper. It came with a scream of galactic agony as reality itself was wounded by its coming. Across a thousand worlds, populations awaken from nightmares of leering demonic faces and laughing thirsting gods. For the echoes of the Heresy still reverb within the Immaterium. Horus may have been slain, yet the Long War continues ever onward towards entropy's inevitable victory.

From Shame and Shadow Recast,
In Black and Gold Reborn

Abbadon Rises​

Mechanics:

• I'll be borrowing a mechanic from multiple of @Skrevski 's games which seems to work rather well, if adjusted for the setting. You'll be playing Player Characters, the Heroes and Villains whom armies and warbands gravitate around. Whether they be Chapter Masters, Champions of the Gods, Imperial Guard Generals or the like, they will be the leaders of the coming war.
• Each one will be assigned two sets of points. Force Points (FP) and Supremacy Points (SP). Both of these are essentially abstractions in order to keep track of the various no doubt complex organisations without needing to keep track of actual numbers of troops in a war which contains hundreds of ships and billions of men.
• Force Points (FP) will represent the forces you can bring to the battlefield. This is your armada's of war vessels, your armies, your hordes of conscripts or mutants. Though elite forces count as a multiplier, they are ultimately individuals who might effect the course of the battle, but these are the numbers which affect the campaign. In short, these represent the nameless, faceless beings who achieve great deeds through sheer numbers rather than skill, who hold the line in brutal battles of attrition and are blunt instruments at best. There is a reason the Astra Militarum is known as the "Hammer of the Emperor" after all.
• Supremacy Points (SP) however represent the special units within your ranks. These are the strike forces, Stormtroopers, the great Titans, the very reason the Space Marines were created. These are what you utilize against specific targets you want destroyed. Consider these when you attempt special missions. Though their limited numbers might be wasted in the chaos of the battlefield, when used correctly, they can turn the very tide of the war. Though ultimately this is a war, this also represents the agents at your disposal, should you be of the more subtle inclination.
• Ultimately, Victory and Successes will raise your points to greater heights. For Chaos, it means more warbands flock to your banner, the gods favoring you with their servants. For the Imperium, more troops are willing to respect to your commands and ultimately, you are in a position where replenishment is easier.

Rules:

• First and foremost have fun! Remember it is a game at all times and just enjoy yourselves.
• If you have any questions, please please ask a Mod about it, we are always open to questions and will do our best to give an answer.
• Claims: Put in three claims and the reason you think you want to play them and why they interest you. Canon characters will take preference for obvious reasons, but feel free to create characters with a brief description. We will require a Abbadon at the very least.
• PM Convos: Make sure you include me so that we just are all on the same side and we can help answer questions. If I am not included, that convo does not exist.
• Discord Convo: We are using Discord, but I want to make it clear that while planning can happen and I encourage it, it is not official and you MUST submit plans on SV or in a Google Doc to be official. If you need help making a private convo on discord just ask and I can help with doing so! IF you wish something to be considered IC, it should be noted when the conversation is started and if it is not then that conversation is OOC.
• Metagaming will not be tolerated nor will players that act disrespectful to others. The Mods reserve the right to kick a player if needed.
• Discord Link: Here for now
• The Alpha Legion don't exist. They are a myth made up by traitors to scare children.
• Applications for Writing Reports or acting as a Secondary GM are always appreciated.
• Lastly, remember it is a game and let's all have fun!

Possible Character Choices

• Warmaster Ezekyle Abaddon of the Black Legion
• Rogal Dorn, Lord Commander of the Imperium, Primarch of the Imperial Fists, Praetorian of Terra
• High Marshal Sigismund of the Black Templars, Emperor's Champion
• The Lord Castellan of Cadia
• Thagus Daravek of the Legion Host, Battle-King and Lord of Hosts
• Chief-Apothecary Fabius Bile of the Consortium
• Great Wolf Bjorn the Fell-Handed of the Space Wolves
• Ahzek Ahriman, 1st Captain of the Thousand Sons

 

[Dovahsith]

Thagus Daravek
Iskander Khayon
Warmaster Abaddon

Click to shrink...

Welcome Khayon the Black, Lord Vigilator of the Black Legion.

1) The Lord Castellan of Cadia (Major preferred): I love Cadia, it is a desperate fight to the extreme and I love desperate fights and will make sure the guard will not break!
2) Great Wolf Bjorn the Fell-Handed of the Space Wolves - This could be fun to run as I do like Space Wolves!
3) Ahzek Ahriman, 1st Captain of the Thousand Sons - Back up for if I don't get the first two!

Click to shrink...

CADIA STANDS

1. Dorn. He's not my favorite Primarch, but I like pretty much all of them (except Curze. He can fuck off), and I'd be interested in trying to play the world-weary, angry, post-heresy Dorn who saw everything he built, everything he fought for, crumble right in front of him. To be honest he's probably not in the best headspace, what with feeling like an absolute failure and all of his brothers being gone, but he's Dorn, whose literal name is "Defiance". He's physically incapable of giving in.
2. Sigismund. Sigismund is one of my favorite 40k characters, and it was a real struggle not to put him in first place. The guy's got some fantastic possibilities for character interactions with the traitors.
3. Fabricator-General of Agripinaa. I like the Mechanicus, so it'd be my backup if I can't get either of the above.

Honestly though, I could play just about anything.

Click to shrink...

The Emperor has need of his Champion, High Marshal. The Black Templars stand ready.

1. Abaddon the Comedic Villain
Because as my track record as arch traitor proves I have 0 problems playing an incompetent (h)armless tool about to get his machinations destroyed by his own hubris only to shake his fist at the imperium and yell: "Ill get you next time!"
And this being 40k I think having a crusade leader who wont salt about its inevitable failure would be nice.
Plus hey maybe I actually win and will get to destroy the space nazis.


2. Lucif uhm I mean CYPHER the Fallen Angel. In case this was not clear from past games the Dark Angels are my favourites and the Fallen even more so. Playing Cypher in particular would give me a bit of creative freedom to just show up raise hell and then disappear again to do RL stuff without people getting annoyed at my absence. Also I have a cool sword.


3. Actually scratch my previous claim I want Doombreed instead for this. Because Doombreed.

Click to shrink...

Welcome Warmaster. The Long War calls you to arms.

Darn it!!

Yay!!

1. Lord Inquisitor Dorn of the Inquisitorial Task Force: Because if I am going to enter this situation I might as well do so as the most self righteous force available, that will wander around doing various stuff while stealing resources from other people that need them.
2. Lord General Wilhelm of the 234th Krieg Siege Army: I enjoy the Death Corps and the sheer brutality of their tactics. I want to set up a grand artillery line and launch bombardments that last weeks.
3. Blood Ravens Chapter Master: BLOODY MAGPIES!! That is all.

Click to shrink...

The Obscurus Conclave has need of your services, Lord Inquisitor.

1. Thagus Dravek, Death guard fun.

2. Fabius Bile for cloning fun.

3. The Lord admiral of the Cadian Battlefleet

Click to shrink...

Oh Lord of Hosts, it is time for the true Warmaster of Chaos to rise.

1. Current Chapter Master of the Salamanders - We can't let the return of the traitors cause problems for the people of Cadia or the Imperium. For Vulkan and the Emperor! (Will have a name for him later if chosen)
2. Autek Mor, Chapter Master of the Red Talons - He's not dead yet and desires to reap havoc on the traitors who burned the Imperium to ash and killed his father.
3. Eliphas the Inheritor - The Dark Gods are whispering to him, demanding he destroy Cadia and all who stand in their way. The chapter master of the Ark of Testimony shall answer the call and achieve all he deserves.

Click to shrink...

Autek Mor of the Angriest Successor Chapter to ever exist it is.

1. Typhus the Traveler: Rot and entropy. Theres no use running from it, so why not embrace it and help Grandfather turn more people into his comforting embrace? But on a more serious note I always found the followers of Nurgle interesting and I figured I might as well try my hand at them here.

2. Kharn the Betrayer: I'd like to play as him because I think it would be fun to play as an insane murderblender. Thats just about it with him.

3.Whatever would be needed if the first two claims don't work out. Anything except an Inquisitor, don't want to play the spy game.

Click to shrink...

Grandfather Nurgle stirs in his slumber. He has need of a herald in the coming days Traveler.

1. Praetor Nerat Kirine of the Ashen Claws - The Ashen Claws were originally the 18th Chapter of the Raven Guard Legion during the Unification Wars, Great Crusade and Horus Heresy eras of the late 30th and early 31st Millennia. Comprised of several thousand Astartes, near every one was a Terran-born Veteran of the old XIX Legion, before their reunification with their lost Primarch Corvus Corax upon the world of Deliverance during the Great Crusade. Considered a Renegade Blackshield force by the Imperium, the Ashen Claws believed themselves to be continuing the work of the Great Crusade, carving a swathe of blood and ash across the void in memory of a dream which had turned to nightmare with the Warmaster Horus' betrayal at Istvaan III. Flagship - Wicked Claw (Infernus-class Battleship)

2. Shade Lord Arthun Manx Chaptermaster of the Carcharodons - The Carcharodons have always been a fleet-based Chapter, following the far rarer Nomad-Predation pattern rather than the more common Crusading pattern adopted by countless other mobile Space Marine Chapters. Flagship - Nicor (Battle Barge)

3. Autek Mor, Chapter Master of the Red Talons - Fecker dropped a moon on the World Eaters nuff said.

Click to shrink...

Shade-Master, the Void-Father calls his warriors to battle once more.

• Hecate the Awoken, Commander of the mismatched Warband Azure Claw, Commodore of the Chaos Fleet, and Psyker Sorceress. She is one of the very few non-Astartes to rise to such a lofty rank due to her highly potent wielding of the warp's powers without a single mutation thus far, her dramatic self-enhancement through biomancy and sorcerous rituals, her keen tactical mind, and of course her many successful military operation. Her forces are primarily the dregs of other bands either cast out or the survivors of mostly gutted bands, thus she has a divers if rather mismatched collection of Astartes under her thumb. Her motley crew have performed quick-strikes on many worlds, and have a love of obliterating key positions so other Chaos forces can move in unopposed.
• Ahzek Ahriman, 1st Captain of the Thousand Sons, because I love magic bullshit and if I can't play my own I'll play one of the best cannon ones.
• Chief-Apothecary Fabius Bile of the Consortium, because I love science bullshit and such almost as much as magic bullshit.

Click to shrink...

Welcome, Ahriman. You have your fellow exiles at your side, a massive guilt-complex and the utter hatred of the majority of the Thousand Sons.

OH GOD, THE CHOICES!

I just want to be included, and don't want to step on anyone's toes here

ok here goes

1st ) Current Grand Master of the Dark Angles. ( the first chapter of space marines that I really got into. I started collecting them when i was 8 and I have 4 squads of Deathwing, 4 squads of ravenwing and more then a company with of space marines painte in the 4th battle company. I would play another chapter of space marine up being the cheeky-gek that I am I want to control the unforgiven in the quest to curve stop chaos to overcompensate for.... stuff... you now things that totally didn't happen during the heresy, HERESY WHAT HERESY!)
2nd ) One of the many Imperial Guard task forces called in to fighting on the front line ( if I cant play a space marine chapter I will make up a damn interesting task force as cannon fodder for the traitor players )
3rd) Lheorvine Ukris (BLOOD FOR THE BLODD GOD! SKULL FOR THE SKULL THRONE!!!!

Click to shrink...

As you wish Firefist. Ukris it is.

1. Kharn the Betrayer cause I am a fan of the Murderhobo that is Kharn
2. Wolf Lord Ragnar Swiftclaw of a random Space Wolf Chapter
3. Lord General Grimbald Haddex of the Armagedon Steel Legion

Click to shrink...

Kharn the Betrayer it is.
Blood for the Blood God
Skulls for the Skull Throne.

Zagthean the Broken - Leader of the Children of Torment, Zagthean is a cruel and brilliant astartes who leads a Black Legion warband.

Warlord Vanitar Lycan - Leader of the Host of Hort, a world along the edge of the eye and home to many warring states. It is often used as a recruiting world for the traitor astartes. Vanitar Lycan however proved to be an exceptional warlord, unifying a large swathe of the worlds warrior people. Then he set about improving them. Using light raider-class voidships, the warlord pirated and looted the equipment and tactical skill he needed to turn his warriors into true soldiers.

If either of these don't work, I'll come up with some different claims.

Click to shrink...

Zagthean the Broken

Due to me being AFK for a week, my characters will all be OCs with the context that I'll be joining late.


1) The Gallowmaster - Night Lord warband leader who abandoned his old name, (speculated to be Asyvenn N'Lasuuk, former 6th Company Captain), to lead a warband of murderous Night Lords named the Atrocity's Hand, from a battleship of the same name. While not large, the Gallowmaster's forces plague the outskirts of the Eye with a ferocity invigorated by the promise of carnage invoked by the Despoiler. The warlord seeks to bring blood unto the Imperium once more and has declared openly for any aspiring ruler provided he doesn't actually have to loan any fighting strength to the main force and continue on his relentless pursuit of the perfect kill.


2) General Isovold Magellan - A venerable general raised to command the 33rd Atreun Expedition, he is sent to Cadia on a routine mission to reinforce the Gate with a powerful fighting force heavily inspired by Guilliman's 'standard' model which was adapted by Cadia. The 33rd stand alongside the proud defenders of the wall!


3) Admiral Kornelius Hyparo - Admiral-in-Charge of Battlefleet Gallena, an Obscurus fleet brought from its long patrol to support Cadia's defense. Flagship is the Madam Disparina, an Emperor-class battleship of fearsome repute for being a bringer of order in the far reaches of the Imperium.

Click to shrink...

We have need of your loyalty Admiral. Battlefleet Gallena is yours to command.

1. Imperial Guard Task Force random

2. Current Chapter Master for the White Scars

3. Ahzek Ahriman

Click to shrink...

Pending a designation, welcome to the war, Lord General [Insert Name Here] of the 28th Generica

 

[Dovahsith]

I think at this point it is best to explain why alot of the focus of these Black Crusades has been around Cadia. The truth is, there are multiple, ranging from the arcane, the complex to the downright idiotic.

Cadia stands as a bristling ball of guns in the single largest channel of real-space into the Eye of Terror. While it is possible for fleets to exit through other, secret passages, they are risky at best, impossible and reliant on the whims of daemons and the gods themselves. Hence why the Cadian Gate is so important. Without it, everytime you wish to enter realspace without losing 50% of your fleet to an infinite warpstorm caused by the birth of an insane godling, you have to move through the killzone Cadia and its defenses create.

There are also other reasons, such as the Pylons mysterious nature, it's symbol as the gateway into the Imperium when symbols and meanings are everything within the warp and sheer stubborn hate that a bunch of mortals are daring to stand against warriors who can remember a time when they brought the galaxy to it's knees. It's also the location where Lorgar first began to understand the Primordial Truth, essentially making the planet a Holy Site to the Word Bearers.

But its existence as a genuine chokepoint into realspace makes what would otherwise be a temperate forest world on the edge of the galaxy into the single most important planet after Terra itself.

 

[Dovahsith]

IC Thread Up​

 

[Dovahsith]

With that, I believe we have enough players to make a start of things.

Plans are due 23rd August 16:00 BST​

 

[Dovahsith]

My apologies to all of you. But I have been reminded why I stopped trying to GM these things in the first place and will be bringing this game to a close.

Yet again apologies for the poor timing.
If someone wishes to take over modding you have my permission and support.