Hello, after reading "The Price of Hubris" I thought about a good solution for Aurum. Rylus' idea to tell the Imperium that they are all becoming Genestealers so the Imperium stays away won't work due to the riches they sit on and the threat of a hive fleet approaching. It would only get them a nice virus bombardment. The best what could happen to the planet would be to found a Space Marine chapter there. The Aurans are a warrior culture and a chapter would have good reason to preserve the environment for future recruits while still mining the crystals. Additionally there are as far as I remember no chapters in the area, founding one would further reinforce the position of the Imperium. The problem is of course that no humble battle-brother has the power to found a chapter. According to the Lexicanum only the High Lords of Terra can do that. But as we all know the high lords are sitting... well, on Terra. As far as I know we don't even know their names. So someone must be able to petition them and be heard. The question is who?

Mjoellnir said:

Nice idea. The Watch Commander Mordigael can surely send out such a petition. However... how much time are you willing to spend? Because it might take some time before there is even an answer.

Alex

Yeah, Rylus' idea is pretty terrible. Even if the world was quarrantined rather than virus bombed he's only delaying the inevitable death- the Imperium is the lesser of a dozen evils here.

But an additional founding is no small feat, and it takes decades (some sources indicate 50 years or more) for them to create the materials needed to make the marines themselves. Additionally, the Empire is a bureaucracy if nothing else, which means it would probably take another 50 years for the request to get there and be processed. The Warmaster could try and petition for it, or possibly the Chamber of Vigilance or a Chapter Master. You'd have to come up with a really good reason for it, and 'protecting a proud people' I'm betting won't be high on the list of acceptable motives. In the time while your request is in process, the Crusade fleet will be landing on the planet and harvesting crops.

Rylus indicates his people will not 'find peace' in the servitude of farming, so have them find peace in the servitude of the Imperial Guard? Or an alternative to the founding idea, have one of the marines in the KT suggest that the world be turned into a recruiting world for their chapter. Storm Warden's are close by, and they're largely committed to the crusade, they may like the idea of having a recruiting world in the reach. Not sure how recruiting worlds are picked, mind you, but it seems to me to be easier to do that than suggest the creation of a whole new chapter- and who knows, maybe at some point after that they can spin into their own sub-chapter.

That way they get to be proud warriors, but they get to advance their vision beyond the soil of their planet. I can't imagine that would be a hard sell to the Crusade leadership, either, seeing that they're getting all their men and supplies from the other side of the warp gate. It's also not totally out of the question that Rylus could be named planetary governor if he cooperates with the Crusade, meaning he can still watch out for the best interests and try to dull the incoming changes from the war machine.

Founding a chapter there would be pretty rough.

Having an extant chapter move their homeworld there, or having the Black Templars or a similar crusading chapter set up a fortress and Reppledepple there would be a more attractive and less intensive option in terms of attention from outside the Segmentum.

Lucky_Strike said:

My game wound up with the Black Templar PC and Space Wolves PC both rushing to alert their chapter first to see who'd get the recruits.

And how many would that "save" if the planet became a recruiting center for a chapter, or even many chapters if they could agree to something as far fetched as that? Sorry my simple human loving friends, the planet belongs to the Imperium, whether they like it or not. And the Imperium's war machine must be fed, with food and bodies. Certainly a few deserving warrior youths might be selected, but the need for the planet is too great. Keeping it a nice unspoiled planet like it is won't decrease the likelihood that suitable recruits can be found anyways.

Bad news for Aurum. BTW, I did have the same idea after reading the scenario.

E

Charmander said:

This is exactly the thought I had after reading this section. The world should be very attractive for Space Marines since the natives are already so healthy. The Storm Wardens would be perfect, and the Black Templars would also be a great idea. The Imperial war machine rages on, but as has been said many times, the Space Marines take precedent, and if they declare this to be a recruiting world then there's not a whole lot the local commanders are going to be able to do about it. Despite the descriptions Aurum sounds pretty close to being a Death World anyway.

Tithe Grade > Aptus Non

Filling in that box on the form is why having the Adept from your ascension DH party around would be really nice right now.

I'm not sure that watch commander Mordigael would get through quickly, maybe the boss of the crusade or the chamber of vigilance with the Inquisitors would have better chances.

I know that founding a chapter isn't that easy, but the Aurans would be great candidates, they are already one head taller than average humans and their crazy hunting rituals take place in an environment that can even hurt an augmented Space Marine. I don't think that recruiting worlds have the same tithe grade as chapter worlds. I've read somewhere that the Imperial Fists recruit people from Necromunda, still there are no special exceptions I know of for that planet. Installing Rylus as the Imperial Commander won't help either because one of the enemies in Ascension is a planetary governor who wants to rebel because the tithe grade of his planet got raised by the administratum to a level that would ruin his planet. I loved the idea to give it as a homeworld to an existing chapter until I realized that the adventure is set almost a century before some chapters were disowned after the Badab war, so I don't think there are any around that want a homeworld and don't already have one.

Don't misunderstand me, I know that the crusade needs men and food, but the Aurans are simply too good to be wasted in the Imperial Guard. They managed to contain (more or less) a symbiont outbreak with primitive weapons, something other humans can't do with lasguns and bolters.

Mjoellnir said:

But how many reclaimed planets in other crusades could've been put to better use than they are? Probably lots. As for being 'wasted' in the guard I'd disagree; there are a number of regiments that are renowned for their prowess. The men of Aurum are just men after all- even unarmored the splitting of the rock encounter is ridiculously stilted in the PC's favor. Should the Catachan soldiers be marines instead as well?

I don't know that a chapter has to recruit from a single world- some of them have homeworld but several other world where they draw recruits from. I'm just saying add it to the list, and if it's 'owned' by a chapter even a crusade may think twice about crapping on it. Necromunda is recruited from, but it's the environment of the place that makes it appealing- the feral struggle for survival makes good recruits.

Just because one enemy in Ascension is a govenor that is thinking of rebellion doesn't mean it's exactly what would happen to Aurum. The DW carry a lot of weight, and simply securing the planet and giving any tithe at all from it should be considered a win by the Crusade managment. They may be willing to listen to an argument from the Inquisition if it's a good one. Rylus would at least be able to soften the blow if he were in charge- there is no stopping the Empire, but a good manager can often make the most of an otherwise crap situation.

Mjoellnir said:

Watch Commander Mordigael is the Master Of The Vigil and iirc appointed by the High Lords of Terra.

Mjoellnir said:

Then they will surely excel in their role as Guardsmen and serve the Emperor well. Greater sacrifices have already been made for the survival of the Imperium of Man.

Alex

As stated above, the Aurans might be prime some specimen of humans and would seem to be "wasted on mere Imperial Guard" enlistment. But so is the Catachans and the Cadians.

Nah. This is an example of 20:th century white-man guilt about the various native tribes exploited and opressed in the name of [name of ruler/religion] or "progress". The Imperium has no such guilt and neither does the average Marine.

As a player I can't help getting sympathetic feelings for the Aurans but would my character (the rock-hearted, fanatical Black Templar that has been involved in three Extermitaus "treatments" and slaughtered millions of humans in his crusade to eradicate heretics) even pause to think twice about this one backwater planet no matter how pastoral it might be?

If a crusade of the Imperium is in need of resources the Marines will help said crusade to obtain them and Emperor **** anyone who gets in their way.

Blatifagus said:

Not necessarily.

It's worth remembering that the Deathwatch in the Jericho Reach aren't part of the Achilus Crusade; their goals, duties and objectives are often beneficial to the Crusade, but that doesn't prevent the Deathwatch having an agenda that may clash with the intent of part or all of the Crusade.

A Kill-Team's duty is to the Deathwatch; whether or not that benefits the Crusade is irrelevant.

N0-1_H3r3 said:

True. The Deathwatch may have an agenda and plans for the planet of their own in conflict with the crusade. In that case the Deathwatch marines will ofcourse follow the DW orders and not that of the crusade. But the marines (players) would by necessity know of that agenda beforehand. It'd have to be a direct order/briefing stating that they have to "oppose" the forces of the Imperium (but not necessarily why though).

But then again this is a RPG played to have fun and tell stories of our own. The GM may use whatever elements of narative he/she chooses to spin the tale. I was just being anal about the brainwashing of the Astartes.

Charmander said:

Ah yeah but therein lies the fun bit.

Have Rylus propose the idea, have it mulled over and considered to be unrealistic. Then have a player find out there was a large stock of geneseed recently rediscovered in the Jericho Sector. Its on an Imperial tithing barge, which crashed into an Ork space hulk, which is currently on track to slam into a tendril of the Hive Fleet. Also some Tau and Chaos Marines are after it, And the Sun is about to explode.

Better send the Deathwatch.

The DeathWatch itself may have preselected this planet already for a founding a while ago. The request is simply
"in the pipe", then DW in s succeeding adventure have to stop a splinter faction from taking all the native as forced conscript ( a very know but also very bad at it commander is trying to hide is catastrophic life losses by capturing and press ganging the warriors of the population.

The KT as to expose the fact, while insuring that the locals stay with the Imperium and remain wild and dangerous because the fouding is underway (~1 - 5 years out) and insuring they take down this commander without attracting attention, murdering a stupid inefficient commander is condamnable but all SM understand that the waste the Commander is generating is counter productive even dangerous for the whole crusade when he is the next in line to commandeer the entire crusade...

What happens with the chapter is up to you... could be lost at this point, still undergoing the founding... the number of geneseed reaching the chapter was never enough and the chapter is a squelaton at best. It's members are more then often assigned to low DW duty in the Jericho Reach, either as gardians or scouts.

Eventually trough deaths the chapter number should grow again and there is rumors of a shipment of geneseeds to have left terra heading for the reach but how long will it really take?