Godslayers

"There is an old saying from the ancient days of mankind that goes something like this. "Fool is the man who mistakes Mercy for Weakness, and Honor for Cowardice, for he will find neither in a Merciful, and Honorable man." I recall this particular apothegm because it perfectly summarizes the character of my Lord Kharkovic's Godslayers. Merciful, but resolute. Honorable, some might say to a fault; willing to spend their lives in order to protect not only the citizens of the Imperium, but the ideal that one day mankind may live in peace, and freedom."

-Francis Vinterdraw, Personal Remembrancer of Koschei Kharkovic, Primarch of the Eighth Legion, the Godslayers.

What defines the Godslayers most is their utter dedication to humanity, willingly laying down their lives to protect them and holding them in the highest regard. Whilst earning derision from some of their brother legions, they are loved by their mortal allies and subjects. On the battlefield, the VIIIth wage methodical and cautious warfare, preferring close combat yet not being blinded by personal glory to seek engagements in unfavourable circumstances. Bolstering their ranks are their unique brand of psykers, known as Warp Suppressants, nullifying the psychic powers of their foes. Koschei and his legion's unbridled love of humanity and the struggle to reconcile that with the Imperium at large would lead the legion towards uncharted territory and ever more conflict.

Born of Ice
The VIIIth Legion rose late in the Unification Wars, their inductees taken from the ice wastes and mountains in the extreme north of Merica. Here, a confederation of techno-barbarians known as the Kulatic League had held out for centuries against the onslaughts of Nordyc, Maulhand Sen and and Narthan Dume. They did not survive through evasion, as did their counterparts in the southern hemisphere, but endured through a hard-won resilience. Even when their strongholds were broken, the survivors would retreat into the wastes and rely on their harsh environment to ultimately defeat the foe. This became their creed: stone might be reduced, but a people’s collective spirit could endure any ordeal.

Finally, however, they met a foe who would not be resisted, and submitted at the point of volkites. The League’s sons had long been earmarked for examination, as their military power suggested a potential pool of aspirants for the Legions Astarte. This hypothesis proved correct, but induction would be delayed for decades as the Emperor’s agents worked to eradicate the primitive religion which was entrenched itself among the former subjects of the League. Their faith revolved around a conflict between a mortal champion and a vengeful, and terrible god, who they believed lurked somewhere in the corporeal world. It was believed that the men of the Kulatii were bound to fight this god, the “Greatest Beast,” alongside the champion, and finish what their champion had begun. While the more overt facets were stripped away, it may be that some traces remained in the psyche of the VIIIth Legion.

The first three cadres, the ones who would steer the growth of the VIIIth, were drawn from across Merica and Atalantea, presumably to dilute any cult influence which might elude hypno-indoctrination. Nonetheless, a certain ruthlessness became evident early on, perhaps born of the Legion’s formative battles. The enemies they faced were the worst fanatics, who dug in and sold every life available in defiance of the Emperor. These few battles were followed by the murderous fight to conquer the Sol System, and it was here that the early VIIIth took its full form under the leadership of Prometear Thyris, who chose for his Legion the name Imperial Marchers, as it was his belief that it would be by the efforts of his legion that the Imperium would march onward to victory.

Thyris was one of only a few dozen survivors of the Screaming in the Azurite orbital cities, an action fought by hundreds of Legionaries. Already known as a hard-headed, taciturn warrior, this seems to have calcified with the Screaming into something darker. His brothers accepted this, and if the Disnomia Purge on the fringes of the Sol System was anything to go by, their loyalty to him had a fervor to it that his predecessors had not inspired. Under his leadership they would cast down demons and gods alike. Mortals, we can extrapolate, were simply beneath their notice.

As the VIIIth earned their spurs, an unusual trait became apparent in them. The Legionaries exhibited an ability to suppress psychic energies; not the deadening aura of a pariah, but the apparently unique ability to manipulate small pockets of the æther. The exact cause perplexed the Emperor’s scientists, with the dominant theory being that the gene-seed kindled or created a degree of psychic power in those inducted. As the Imperium confronted psykers both human and alien, the Imperial Marchers proved highly effective in combating them, less potent but more stable than pariahs.

Apart from this gift the Imperial Marchers were characterized by a merciless approach which stood out even in those shadowed days. Thyris despised the notion of taking prisoners, preferring to massacre those who failed to surrender at the outset. This led to outcry from senior commanders outside the VIIIth, decrying the Legion Master as a fanatic whose blood-thirst came at the expense of potential good subjects and the Imperium’s future stability. In the early Crusade, however, the Segmentum Solar thronged with enemies who warranted nothing more than extermination, and few had the authority to gainsay Thyris or steer him away from more sensitive targets. That is, until a Rogue Trader arrived in orbit above the planet Zbruch.

The World of Zbruch
A far cry from the frozen and barren home of the original VIIIth, Zbruch was a fertile world notable for its unusual red seas, and blue fauna. A planet occupied by a society that had been thrown back into the feudal age, its people managed to retain some simbalance of technology in the form of steam power, steel works, and some black powder. There were limited examples of archeotech still in use, but such wonders were understandably rare, and jealously guarded.

Zbruch was ruled over by a patchwork of kingdoms, each vying for power, but for all the power struggles that occurred amongst the nobility, there was a power which stood uncontested above them all. The Temple of the Walking Gods. For the planet Zbruch was not only populated by the far flung colonists of humanity’s Golden Age, but also by giant, hulking humanoids known as the Obri.

The Obri were massive bipedal beings with skin that ranged in hue from blue to red. They stood between twenty five, to thirty feet tall on average, with even the shortest easily dwarfing the tallest of the Emperor’s sons. Cruel, and voracious, the Obri were served by the corrupt priesthood of the Temple of the Walking Gods, and lorded over the Zbruchian people, demanding tribute, and sacrifice, less they visit their terrible wrath upon them. They either lived within the Forbidden Lands, a region in which no Zbruchian dare enter, or within far flung fortresses from which they could monitor the innocent humans they oppressed. It would be in the shadow of one such fortress, long since abandoned and left to ruin by its masters, that the incubation pod of the Primarch Koschei would land, far from any of the cities ruled over by the Obri’s puppet kings, and the priests that manipulated them. Deep in the woodlands of the province of Kolanska.

The Dreamer
Adopted by a freeholder whose name has been lost to time, and was known only to the Primarch himself, Koschei spent the first two years of his life turning his strength and intellect to agriculture, forestry, and the various needs of his village. It seemed as though this son of the Emperor was bound to live a life of peace, rather than the lives of conflict his other siblings endured. What this might have looked like, we’ll never know, for the arrival of a being as wondrous as a Primarch is nearly impossible to keep secret, and word of his existence had finally reached the ears of the Obri.

Of the events that followed, which would lead to the liberation of the people of Zbruch and the extermination of the Obri, there is a wealth of available accounts. However, of those accounts, few could be charitably described as factual, as it seems in their zeal to record the deeds of the young Primarch, the chroniclers neglected to verify the exploits they recorded.

What is known to be true is that an Obri known as Zberateľ, the Chooser of the Blessed, captured the young Primarch after razing his village to the ground and killing all of its inhabitants. Soon after, Koschei would lead a revolt of the Chosen, those selected to be sacrificed to the Walking Gods; and personally killed Zberateľ. This, the first victory won by the young Primarch, would be short lived, as Koschei's army of rebels would be decimated less than a week later by the army of the local Lord. Forced to flee, it is said that Koschei hid for a time in the ruined Obri fortress which overlooked the ruins of his village, the fortress which would later be converted into the Godslayers' base of operations on Zbruch, The Pevnosť.

Koschei would spend the next twenty years traveling the lands of Zbruch, leading uprisings against the Obri, and their puppet kings. Each time Koschei would slay the Obri himself, utilizing a strange, massive sword known as Bože Zabiják, which was said to glow with a black aura when wielded by Koschei in battle.

As the chronicle of Koschei's victories increased with each slain Obri, the Temple of the Walking Gods grew more and more desperate, but it would be the death of Večná krása, the Red Queen of the Obri, that would push them to put their most extreme plan into action.

Finally, as Koschei stood before the walls of the city of Sibronsk, he was greeted by a conclave of priests from the Temple, led by the High Priest Iosif Kharjalov, chosen of the Horned King of the Obri, Lámačkostí. There he was told that if he did not disband his army of rebels, and submit to the will of the Walking Gods, then the lives of all the children of Sibronsk would be forfeit. He was given a night to decide.

That night, after hearing the pleas of his Rada, Koschei gave his most trusted generals their orders. The army was to appear to disband, staying in the area and waiting for Koschei's signal. Meanwhile, Koschei would surrender, and allow himself to be taken to the Horned King. He would either succeed in killing the last of the Obri, or he would die in the process.

The next morning Koschei Kharkovic was led into the city in chains.

The accounts of what followed this are vague and contradictory. Some indicate that Koschei was led through an empty city, the silence so oppressive that even the Primarch bowed his head, while others allude to a great celebration breaking out in the streets, as the families of those taken thronged to praise, and thank, the great hero who had so willingly sacrificed himself for the well-being of their children. Whatever the truth of the matter, ultimately it is irrelevant. Koschei soon found himself brought before the Horned King, where after a great battle, he slew him and the High Priest, as well as the other priests of the Temple. Victorious at last, he threw open the gates of Sibronsk and welcomed his army in.

Hailed a hero of the people, it was the intent of not only his Rada, but the people of Zbruch as well, to name Koschei their new king. To their surprise he flatly refused when the notion was brought forward. He had liberated his people so that they could be free, not so he could rule. Instead, he said that the people should govern themselves, or at the very most, establish Radas of their own to govern them.

The Coming of the Imperium
The people, who for so long had been under the yoke of absolute authority, were slow to accept the young Primarch's new order, but with encouragement from both Koschei himself, and his trusted Rada, they soon embraced their newfound freedom with enthusiasm. Zbruch soon entered a golden era of peace, and prosperity. However, this freedom from authority was not to last, as less than ten years later the Emperor's fleet arrived in orbit over Zbruch, intent on bringing not only his wayward son into his Imperium of Mankind, but his planet as well.

Alas, Koschei’s laudable principles would bring the reunion with his father to near disaster. Koschei regarded this golden king with deep distrust, despite the kinship he felt with both him and Alexandros, who had accompanied the Emperor. When they drew close, the sheer magnitude of the Emperor’s psychic presence overwhelmed Koschei, and he leapt to attack what he saw as a tyrant seeking nothing more than to once again oppress the people be had fought so hard to free. Mercifully, Alexandros succeeded in holding Koschei back, and the Emperor managed to placate his son. Over the following weeks, he explained to Koschei the true scale of his intended destiny, and arranged for the now willing Primarch to assume control of his Legion. His people, still unsure of their freedom, embraced the rule of the Imperium without hesitation.

Master of the VIIIth
Here, Koschei would first assert himself. Having read his Legion’s histories, he was appalled at the reputation they had garnered, and the baleful influence of Prometear Thyris. So as the first generation of the new VIIIth, both of Terra and Zbruch, began their ascension, Koschei summoned the Godslayers to his world. In some ways he was generous, doing little to alter the Legion’s culture, but when it came to the echelons who ruled the Legion he was uncompromising. Thyris and his most brutal lieutenants were removed from frontline service and sent on individual redemption crusades, the first of their kind within the Imperium; risking the anger of much of the Legion. Yet having seen the strength of bonds between Astartes and their gene-sire, Koschei was willing to make this calculated gamble, and it proved a remarkable success.

From the first, he took the brunt of whatever battle the Godslayers fought, and this swiftly earned him the respect of the remaining holdouts. It may be deemed a happy accident that Thyris fell during his crusade only a few years after the reunion; an honourable death, but one that reduced him to little more than a footnote in the Godslayers’ story. It is said that the day before his death he sent a communique to his gene-sire thanking him for teaching the former legion master how to be loved, rather than feared. He is believed to have died saving the people of Vikaram from xenos raiders.

Whatever the truth of Thyris’ end, it ushered out the last remnants of the old VIIIth and completed the Godslayers’ new lease of life. Along with a newfound feeling of purpose, they found acclaim from their cousins and the Imperium at large. Koschei made them liberators, and thus they were loved. Companies were placed within Kapitola, and in these Terrans mingled with Zbruchans as they did in the flourishing lesser Radas that emerged throughout the legion.

Koschei spent his formative campaigns at Alexandros' side, and the influence showed in the Godslayers’ use of their strength to shield their mortal allies. Indeed, they took it further, and while they used many of the units available to a Legion Astartes, they often skewed towards close-combat. Perhaps it was by Alexandros' example or a continuation of Koschei’s own policies, but in council all senior officers were given an equal voice in principle, be they of the Legion, Army or a Titan maniple.

Soon, the Godslayers were known for their determination to negotiate with any human culture they found, to an extent only seen among the Halcyon Wardens before. In Alexandros, Koschei found a kindred spirit who was quite willing to share his decades of experience, and dozens of worlds were brought into the Imperial fold by his rhetoric and that of his sons. Nonetheless, the Godslayers rigidly upheld the Emperor’s line on xenos and mutants, and the VIIIth had ample battle honours to go with its diplomatic triumphs.

Under Koschei their reputation in combat was for steadfast endurance and willing sacrifice, offering their lives to break sieges rather than starve the defenders. To some of Koschei’s brothers this was cause for concern or scorn; an unwillingness to face the hard facts of galactic conquest. But in the grand scheme of the Great Crusade - as multifaceted a scheme as Mankind has ever known - these were but minor worries, apt to delay the VIIIth's growth but nothing more. Besides, the Godslayers’ high regard for the Army ensured that they did not want for mortal support in their campaigns.

Yet beneath the surface, there was strain. The rate of attrition wore on Koschei as he watched his sons sacrifice themselves for the Emperor’s dream. At the same time, he was frustrated by the stratified society of the Imperium and the way that rulers were so often imposed on a conquered populace. Of course, he was often obliged to do exactly this to ensure a full compliance, and the charge of hypocrisy stung even if none spoke it.

Notable Godslayers



 * Koschei Kharkovic - Primarch of the VIIIth Legion
 * Gradimir Jovanovi - Prvý Veliteľ of the Godslayers
 * Igor Vronskei - Velitel of the Second Brotherhood, a ferocious fighter and close-assault specialist, Vronski preferred to fight amongst the ranks of his Legion's Breacher assault elements.

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