hey all!

forgive me if this has been done before, but i thought it would be interesting to see what kinds of warbands were being run in your games. For my part, i give you the Covenant of the Shattered Blade.

Amon, The Forsaken Champion. (sorcerer)

A fell Sorcerer whose trappings lead many to wonder at his origins, Amon is a new arrival to the screaming vortex. Very little is known about the self proclaimed Forsaken Champion, save what has come from his own mouth. marking himself as the last psyker of a once great war host, the general consensus is that Amon is one of the last, if not the last librarian of the World Eaters Legion. His proclivity for close combat, fits of monstrous rage and armor design lend credence to this theory. A frightening combatant, Amon brings death with both bolt, force axe, and the mind bending psychic ability he wields. this however, is not where Amon's true talent lies. Amon is a gifted seer, capable of discerning the consequences an action can have on the future, a gift his benefactors in Forge Polix have come to rely on. Though Amon associates himself neither with Khorne nor the World Eaters, many a Khornate warrior has sought out Amon, sometimes in an attempt to offer up his skull to the Blood God, and sometimes to pay homage to the sorcerer, whom many believe to be touched by Khorne in one way or another. Amon himself has no opinion on the matter.

Amon is currently a guest of Magos Onuris in the Hollows, trading his battle prowess and precognition for sanctuary and unrestricted access to Polix's foundries and librariums. It is as of yet unclear what Amon is looking for, but the multitude of daemon engines and texts regarding one Kharn of the World Eaters lead many to believe that the Forsaken Champion has unfinished buisness outside of the Vortex.

Toryn The Bloody-Handed (Forsaken)

in a legion as cruel and murderous as the Night Lords, it may seem unthinkable that there are crimes that would warrant the legion to execute one of its own. however, there are times when a Night Lord's crimes against his own are so heinous that he must paint his gauntlets red, forever marking him as condemned for death. Toryn is one such soul. Though he refuses to say what crimes his committed, Toryn will say that he fled his warband rather than wait for an ignoble execution at the hands of his leader. A brilliant assault marine, Toryn seeks nothing more than to prove his martial supremacy, a trait that may shed some light on his marking. Toryn has also kept his gauntlets painted red out of a warped sense of duty, believing that all who deal with him should know him for what he is. Toryn has earned the everlasting enmity of the Storm Wardens Space Marine Chapter, for Toryn slew one of their champions in single combat and claimed his relic chainsword, a weapon from the dawn of the chapter, as his own. To this day, the Storm Wardens hunt for Toryn, both to reclaim their lost heirloom and to make Toryn pay for is grave affront to their honor.

Toryn has come to the Hollows in the hopes of Claiming a suit of Terminator Armor, believing that if he can challenge his once leader and win, Toryn can absolve himself of his crimes. To this end, Toryn fights on the behalf of Magos Onuris, testing himself against the many deadly creations of Forge Castir and, hopefully, improving his chances of winning a coveted set of Terminator Armor.

Magos Octavius (Heretek)

Magos Octavius, currently seconded to Amon, is a rather peculiar man, even for a Heretek of Forge Polix. Trained by the Exospectre himself at Forge Castir, no one is entirely sure why Octavius decided to defect to Forge Polix, but Magos Onuris cannot afford to turn down any help he can get. Octavius is a master siegecraftsman, rivalling even the warsmiths of the Iron Warriors, though the sons of Perturabo who have seen Octavius's work are loathe to admit it. Octavius has also dabbled in warpcraft and psykana, creating some of the most effective and frightening daemon engines Forge Polix has ever created. Magos Onuris constantly beseeches Octavius to teach other Hereteks what he knows, but to no avail. Octavius is jealous of his skill, and refuses to give it to others as long as he can. The magos is also a suprising combatant, wading into combat with weaponry and protection to fight even the worst of Castir's horrors to a standstill.

Magos Octavius has never left the Hollows, and is enraptured by the many stories Amon tells of the wider galaxy. though he knows his place for the time is aiding Forge Polix in its war with Castir, Octavius hopes one day to leave at the side of Amon, whom he believes to be his true master.

Inquisitor Razaezel Kayne (Apostate)

Inquisitor Razaezel Kayne is perhaps one of the most influencial people outside of the Vortex. inducted into the Holy Ordos of The Inquisition by a secret Phaenonite, Kayne was placed in a position to rise inside the Tyrantine Cabal so that the Phaenonites could learn the patterns and perhaps a means of control over the Tyrant Star. However, Razaezel's connections to the heretical Phaenonites were discovered, and she was branded Excommunicate Traitoris. taking what few resources she could call to her side, Razaezel fled aboard her light cruiser, the Blackened, to the Great Warp Storms, hoping to flee to the Koronus expanse. unfortunately, Razaezel's ship was caught in the riptides of the Screaming Vortex, dragging her into its interior and depositing her crippled craft in orbit around the Hollows.

Turned completely to the worship of Chaos, Razaezel is integral to destroying Forge Castir From Within, having formed several small cults that seek nothing more than the augmented head of the Exospectre. though many of these cults have been stamped out, some have survived the purges, and established themselves in the lower foundries, where few dare tread. Although her primary function is as a facilitator of unrest, Razaezel can defend herself, although she prefers to leave the fighting to her more robust companions.

I think this is an outstanding idea! I am going to actually show this post to my group, it's exactly the sort of backstory I've been encouraging them to come up with. Once I have some of their backgrounds I'll pop a reply in here to add to the rolls of infamy.

Looks like a very fun thread. I'm afraid my own group has not done enough yet to warrent writing up much but I hope some others will share their dark adventures with us.

This is very well done. As soon as my players (An Apostate, Heretek, Forsaken, and Champion) get use to the setting, I'll publish their backstory as well. Speaking of such, does anyone know where I could direct my players for WH 40K Lore, besides the front/back of the core rules?

The Lord of Wisdom provides.

Hail Lord Thúmis!

http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Main_Page

I'm planning on having my adverntures revolve around a child like Own Krysler the 'Judge Child' from 2000ad. He was a child born according to a propecy that woudl save Mega City 1 and was marked by having a full eagle birthmark on his head. He als ended up having a mutant clone that was insanely powerful and turned the city in a zombie wasteland in a future iteration of the prophecy.

Lets see I ran a game a few months back with a few characters in it. Not all of them survived and I can't recall all of their names but I'll give a whirl at it. The group named themselves The Shadow Council.

Nicholas Santos (Nurgle aligned Heretek)

Nicholas Santos is a horrifying example of when the unhinged mind of a maniac and true genius are combined. No longer held back by any morals he might often feel he is doing them a favour by passing on Grandfather Nurgle's gifts. His mind allowed him fine manipulation of machinery but his true love was to mutate and create new diseases. It is said by some in hushed tones that he is trying desperately to balance the scales for some "vile" wrong doing, at least so in his own mind, against Nurgle. He gleefully spreads diseases, often creating more new and disturbing gifts from the Light Cruiser he has dubbed "Nurgle's Sleigh". Some said he was previously an Inquisitor of the Ordo Sepulcharum who created a vacine to cure a plague set to wipe out a world but the vacine ended in the torment of those he wished to save. Other tales tell of a talented master chirugeon who had to make the order to quarantine and purge his hospital including his son… all the tales end in much the same way, the purging of a disease and a horrible price paid that drove the man insane. None are ever voiced to Nicholas for though jovial in demeanor he is quite demented. Nicholas ascended to Daemon Princedom to have eternity to right his wrong at Grandfather's side creating a new batch of gifts "for all the good little girls and boys".

Malak (Undivided Chosen- Fallen).

Malak sought to gain the favour of the gods and wreak a bloody vengeance upon his foes, namely the Dark Angels and Lion El Johnson who had betrayed them. Having a rather black sense of humour he would often make mysterious comments. He gathered together other Fallen and sought the knowledge where ever he could to create new legionaires insisting that he would recreate the first legion in a pure form. His own descent into madness was noted by the other Council members but few could deny his skill at arms. Indeed so great a threat was he that an agent of the Officio Assasinorum was dispatched to end his life, though grevously wounded Malak survived. Later two full companies from a Dark Angel's successor chapter cornered him and the Shadow Council to end his life which they almost achieved however the fickle Chaos Gods whisked this chosen beyond their reach by means of Ascension. Now he rules over a world all of his very own in the glow of a warp storm where he has set up his own Order and of the knights he finds worthy will raise them to be lesser daemons under his guidance. Some day he will return to the wider galaxy at the head of a new first legion.

Count Valder Monsbergen (Undivided Apostate)

Tales are told of Valder Monsbergen, a man it is said was originally sent to study in Hive Tarsus upon Scintilla itself to enter the Ecclesiarchy. He only it is said wished to make sure people were happy but realised that the Imperium made people's lives miserable. He moved persued as he went through the sector his honeyed words spreading civil unrest. It is said his musings led a planetary governor and a hive world's populace to secede from the Imperium. Of course when the Imperium came to bring the world to heal by force Valder had already left… in his delussional mind there was not a shred of guilt over the blood shed that ensued. Many would mistake him for a follower of Slaanesh due to his many many wanton excesses. In fact he lived aboard a frigate plated in gold with his own maniacly grinning face sculpted upon the prow. The gods had blessed him with golden skin, silver hair and eyes that were said to look like diamonds. He penned a treatise on leadership which although many more strong minded and objective observers will recognise as nothing more than self agrandising propaganda of the worst sort, some have become enraptured by it. Valder's unwillingness to bend knee to a god clearly slighted them however as they found a place for him amongst the lower ranks of the servants of Chaos as a chaos spawn.

Garl (Undivided Renegade)

His homeworld wracked by ruin in the wake of the guidance of Valder Garl swore vengeance upon the man above all and then the Imperium. Tracking him through the years he sadly found him a few weeks after he had become a mewling pile of mutations. An accomplished sniper Garl carved a place for himself in the Shadow Council. He was not a member for very long before the descendants of the Dark Angels fell on the world they had claimed as their own called Nephilim in order to apprehend or kill Malak and the Fallen who followed him. After seeing Malak's ascension he swiftly left the world, took command of one of the Frigates and told the fleet he was to enact one of Malak's daring plans and to hold the line… before turning to the bridge crew of his own ship and said that the world was lost and he would see them to safety. He was last heard of leaving the Hollows, having as a full member of the council collected the Grand Cruiser they had left their for repairs… the other surviving members may have issue with his theft if they can find him and prise it from his hands.

Khan (Undivided Forsaken)

Khan is a White Scars Astrates who went renegade after he and his brothers ran afoul of a powerful Daemon, he gladly betrayed his brothers to save his own life… a fact he is not ashamed of in the slightest. A deadly shot with his two finely wrought plasma pistols the scaly skinned gunslinger seeks adventure and plunder as well as the grace of the Dark Gods

The Tzeentchian (Tzeentchian Psyker)

A quiet but powerful psyker and founding member of the council who survives, always sitting quietly and patiently in many of the meetings before unleashing his fury on the battlefield or in other more subtle unseen ways. It is said he was taken from his homeworld aboard the Black Ships but took part in an uprising which he was one of the lucky few to survive and flee.

Recently started a campaign - one of the characters was a pregen, but still...

Cassius , a Space Marine librarian formerly of the Storm Crows chapter, who realised that the Imperium is doomed, that the Lords of Terra have betrayed the Emperor's vision of an entirely secular humanity, and that his entire life has been built on a lie. Despite the fact that the next few hours will see him getting advice from mutants and assistance from rogue psykers, and making deals with demons, still denies he's fallen to Chaos. Naturally, the rest of us find this hilarious.

Rold Dundee , escapee from the prison world of St Annand's Penance (the player wanted a world like Australia - since St Annand is a desert inhabited solely by convicts, deadly reptiles, and venomous insects, I thought it counted). Out for revenge. Since he's spent the last 200 years in a stasis cage in an Inquisitorial ship, the trail might be a tad cold.

Me : Somehow I can picture a scene that goes "That's not a daemon weapon, THIS is a daemon weapon"

Kastalla , a rogue Psyker, who is determined to live forever by killing anything that threatens her. This, too, is hilarious.

Jrska , hyena-headed beastwoman mutant, native of the Screaming Vortex, and enthusiastic devotee of the Lord of Excess and Pleasure. Temporarily captured by the forces of the Imperium while bringing the joys of sex, drugs, and rock & roll to the Imperium. Played by yours truly, and oh my it's going to be fun .

Jaenus, Chem Hunter and Chosen of Nurgle: A native of the Imperium, he nonetheless considers Messia to be his home, and is of course dependent on the pollutants and intoxicants of that planet's atmosphere. He doesn't stop there, however, consuming intoxicants of all sorts at every opportunity, including railing the last mortal remains of Ynesth. One might consider it a miracle that the Lord of Plagues sank his claws into Jaenus before Slaanesh did. He has a blistering hatred of mutants, though he is seemingly oblivous to the glowing eyes of his that mark him as the same. A consummate tracker and bodyguard, nothing escapes his sight, whether mundane or empyreal. Nurgle has marked him on his tongue as one of his with a trio of festering sores. Rarely acting a manner one would consider sane, he seems to fit in quite well in the Screaming Vortex. His storied durability has seen him through all manner of difficult conflicts, and it seems that no-one so far has quite what it take to kill him. He stands tall with a solid, though not wide, frame, and his body is covered in a saga of scars and healed wounds, many of which would kill a man on their own. His black hair is usually crudely combed in an attempt at propriety, and his face shows an age beyond his middling years, wrinkles and mars on his fair skin. He wears carapace armor, and lays waste to his enemies with grenades filled with various poisons and intoxicants as well as a precise lasrifle. In melee, he uses a power fist of singular impact that has become tied up in the stories of him - with it, he has slain mighty Astartes and Demons alike.

Torch, Renegade and Chosen of Tzeentch (played by yours truly): Born to the Sparti family on Scintilla, an influential trading and mercenary house, this woman has seemingly cast aside all trappings of her previous station sans a general sense of superiority. Known for her stunning beauty on Scintilla, when one of her family's ships, with her on it, was captured by Khorne-worshiping piratical raiders from the Screaming Vortex, she eventually found herself in the fighting pits of Kurse, and with the blessing of Fate managed to survive the slaughter long enough to develop her skills bit by bit, finally becoming a deadly combatant in her own right, in spite of her soft upbringing. Eventually she won her freedom, and has become an adventurer, seeking dark knowledge in the vortex, and has initiated herself into the arts of sorcery. She wields the dueling sword and shield of the Kurse pits to deadly effect, able to place a wall of steel between her and any opponent, aided by a slight prescience granted to her by the Architect of Fate, and exposure to Warp energies has dulled her pain response to nothing. On her right palm is the Mark of Tzeentch, glowing electric pink. At range, she favors heavy weapons such as Autocannons, and she is not above using a jump pack to keep her distance from dangerous opponents while raining destruction upon them.

'Double Aught' (0.0), Magos Idolitrex and Disciple of Chaos Undivided: A prodigy among the sorcerer-priests of the Dark Mechanicus on the lesser of the Hollows' two forges, he is a cautious and circumspect man, who, while nominally loyal to Forge Polix, is not above working towards his own ends. In theory on a mission to locate more resources for the Forge, he seems willing to aid the more general cause of the Dark Gods with his technical skills and sorceries. A master of Demonology, he is responsible for countless bound demons and rituals, and his exacting precision in this regard causes few mishaps. His enhanced brain is a repository for countless dark arts and secrets too terrible to tell. He disdains melee combat, and at range prefers the burning heat of a multi-melta or the devastation that dark magicks can wreak upon his enemies.

Xulli 'Kinslayer,' Frost Father and Disciple of Khorne: A legend on her home planet of Xur for having slain eight consecutive aspirants who dared to try to take the Throne of Baphtar as their own on eight consecutive years, her legend is being spread throughout the Vortex at large as well. She did not consider herself ready to take the Throne herself, however, and slaughtered an unfortunate shuttle crew that landed on the planet and took to the stars, threatened pilot in tow. She has since cut a bloody swath through every opponent in her way, from tribesmen of Talax to Messian mutants. She stands tall, at six feet, for only the mighty survive on Xur, and wears the skulls of her siblings as adornment, slain by her to stop the threat of their competition in her childhood. In combat she enters a berserk rage, tearing at her opponents with a massive Hellblade wrested from the ownership of a demon, and on the rare occasions she needs to shed opponents' blood at range she favors a belt-fed autogun capable of a prodigious rate of fire.

Yog Tyren, Chaos Champion of the Word Bearers legion and Disciple of Chaos Undivided: After almost 10 millenia of fighting the Long War, Yog has finally realized that to gain the favor of the dark gods, he needs to strike out on his own. Surprisingly un-mutated and benign in appearance, he speaks with a voice clear and loud, and his cunning mind makes short work of the machinations of his enemies. Inspiring and commanding, his impeccable logic can be surprisingly persuasive in a Vortex gone mad, despite all predictions. He hopes to gather a mighty army of the faithful of the Dark Gods and lay waste to the Imperium, but first he must prove himself a master of the Vortex. He has finally gained the attention of Chaos itself, and practices foul cannibalistic rituals to empower his soul. A small army of mortal humans follows him, powerful heretics stand by his side, and he even commands his own voidship with a crew of thousands. His time is now. In melee he favors his ancient power sword, but at range he switches between a Combi-Bolter and a Heavy Flamer of unique construction, depending on how he wishes to show his enemies the error of their ways.

Okay, see how this goes down..

D'juhah the Hunter, Chosen of the Blood Gorgons

Having survived the initial betrayal at Hauts Bassiq he and his bond brother Tarukh languished under the ministrations of the Dark Eldar kabalites, until some twist of fate allowed them to escape. Seeking vengeance, they discover the Muhrites treachery in allying with the Death Guard, only too late. Tarukh is slain by Gorghast, henchman to the Muhrite Balthus, who flee. Now the only survivor of his squad, carrying the gene seed concealed in his Lightning Claw, D'juhah seeks retribution.

His path brought him to the Screaming vortex, where he has traced rumours of the Muhrite and his lackey having pledged themselves to one of the warbands. For D'juhah the Hunter this is not only simply revenge but a debt of blood and honour to be settled, vowing on the gene seed and his fallen comrades of squad Yuggoth that he will send the Muhrites, and those who were so foolish to harbour them to the dark gods...

Our party was a little odd, as it was focused around the rebirth of Malal, who we wrote as the 5th Chaos God and a God of Truth, and that the Tyrant Star was his birthing place (It drives people mad because he shows them their true place in 40k, strips their comforting illusions and delusions of grandeur, and in a setting like this you absolutely need those to stay sane). Our PCs were:

Kalia, the Chosen of Malal: Kalia was a young psyker woman, taken from the surface of Kurse to be a Gladiator at a young age and managing to mostly conceal her psychic abilities. She was also really good at killing people in hand to hand combat, and we ported over an eviscerator taken from a captured ministorum priest forced into the ring for a sort of signature weapon for her. She was a strongly anti-authoritarian woman, slim, short-haired, and wiry, with a fierce love of tearing the powerful off their self-deluding thrones. This may be why, when the Tyrant Star passed by Kurse, she didn't go insane. Instead, she started laughing, and used a warp variance from the chaos to simply walk to another world (we all thought that bit of fluff for the Vortex was awesome). She could hear the voice of the Star, telling her to help it to be born and to show Chaos, the Imperium, and everyone else the truth of how little so much of their self delusion mattered. Her psychic power was mostly used to boost her considerable abilities in melee, and her reckless, brash demeanor led to her getting more messed up than any of the others during the course of the story. She was a true believer in her new God, eagerly seeking to spread the word of the Tyrant Star and bring her Lord back into the world. For her efforts, she was granted Daemonhood as one of his great Heralds at his rebirth, and is currently wandering the Vortex, proclaiming His existence and rabble-rousing cults of the disaffected or oppressed to rise up and bring some new upheaval to Chaos, to avoid letting it get too set in its ways or letting the Chaos Lords become too comfortable on their thrones, lest they bring too much order.

Rozea, the Radical: Rozea was a Radical Xanthanite Inquisitor, who had given up on the Imperium actually winning the Long War without something happening to change things. She found her answer in researching the Tyrant Star, even over her growing hatred for the Calixian Conclave. She discovered prophecies that spoke of Kalia, of a woman from nothing who would bring Truth to the galaxy and who might turn Chaos against Chaos, and was preparing to enter the Vortex to find her when a rival Radical attacked her ship. Inquisitor Thorn destroyed her Acolytes, captured her Interrogators, and only let Rozea escape into the Vortex so he'd have an excuse to hunt her there with an army as a 'fleeing arch-heretic'. Rozea was an Apostate, a political operator and spy who nonetheless happened to also have an inferno pistol and power knife for when things needed to go wrong. She posed as a seeress and advisor to the Chosen, trying to protect Kalia from her own brash nature and advise her on building an army and a power base in the Vortex. As she did so, she began to hear the voice of the unborn Malal, and slowly converted to his faith, rather than following it as a ruse like she intended. Over the course of the story, the party confronted and killed Inquisitor Thorn and his insane plans to awaken an ancient race of warp parasites that might be capable of devouring immortal daemons (or, he hoped, Gods) and revenged Rozea's defeat against him. She was quite surprised when she was raised to Daemonhood as well, at the Throne of Malal, during his rebirth. Now a true believer in the power of Truth, she wanders the Calixis sector as it burns from the birth of Malal, destroying the Inquisitors she hated and raising up the people against the cult of Drusus, who was revealed to have been a Daemonhost as was suggested in the Radical's Handbook. She's eager to bring a great cleansing and change to the Imperium, just as much as Kalia is for the forces of Chaos.

Vincent: Vincent was a fallen Imperial Hero who had joined Khorne after the death of his lover at the hands of a Commissar during one of the many pointless, meatgrinder battles he fought as a Guardsman. He fell to Khorne in despair, having nothing left but slaughter, and accompanied the party mostly to kill and to feed on the strife they spread, with his mighty chainsword Requiem and later his Chainaxe Nocturne. Vincent was, without a doubt, the strongest combat PC I've ever had in a 40k RPG. His deeds of valor and slaughter would make a Space Marine blush, despite being a human Renegade, and included taking down an entire combat squad of Marines in melee, single handed. He eventually broke with Khorne, after several encounters with an ancient champion of his God, a heresy veteran space marine who urged him to escape service to the nihilistic Blood God while it was still possible before falling in a duel against the mighty Renegade, and unfortunately for Khorne's vengeance, Vincent spoke his language really, really well. By which I mean he killed a fair number of Khorne Berserkers and eventually helped slay a Bloodthirster in melee. He came to the service of Malal, and at the God's rebirth, because the God's greatest champion, a mighty daemon-prince who seeks out those who lie to and send soldiers to pointless deaths and takes their heads. He's considered one of the greatest threats the Commissariate or Departmento Munitorium Adepts could ever face.

It was a pretty epic campaign, and it's now set the Calixis sector on fire and caused massive upheavals all over for later campaign plot seeds. I know it violates a lot of the standard lore, but we had a hell of a time running it and it was probably the most fun I've ever had running a 40k game, and I've had a lot of fun running them. Considering how terrifyingly powerful they were even as humans during the late part of the campaign, I imagine the Deathwatch party we're planning for after the DH2E Playtest isn't going to be too sanguine about fighting one of those former-PC Daemon Princes as a major foe. It'll be great!

This is very well done. As soon as my players (An Apostate, Heretek, Forsaken, and Champion) get use to the setting, I'll publish their backstory as well. Speaking of such, does anyone know where I could direct my players for WH 40K Lore, besides the front/back of the core rules?

Look up Warhammer 40k Fluff Bible. It has all the lore you could ever need.