Whisperwind

The Whisperwind, or “Velen’den Ru’lak” in Farsali, is the Flagship of the Tempest Reavers. Commissioned shortly after Ezharion Kulas’ assumption of command of the XIth Legion, it is designed to act as a primary fleet command flagship, artillery vessel and a versatile close range combatant if need be.

Initially the keel and hull was laid down in the Ring of Iron above Mars itself, but a critical shortage of resources and lack of pressing demand for it by the pre-unification XIth kept it relatively incomplete, with only the hull having been barely finished by the time of Kulas’ discovery. Immediately, Kulas ordered it be moved from the docks of the Ring and moved to the Saturnine Fleetyards, where it may continue its construction without taking up precious capital ship dockspace in Martian orbit.

Based on the Zulmoxite design template, the Whisperwind is one of the largest Gloriana Classes in existence, surpassed only by the Antares and the Finality of Self. The exterior of the ship is also reminiscent of the Zulmoxite pattern, but it boasts a narrower and more concentrated prow, designed for better deflection angles against Lances and Macromunitions. The ship's hull is coloured in the typical light blue and storm grey of the Legion, with the Legion symbol being present on each side of the vessel. Another feature present on the exterior is the inclusion of Boarding Bridges. An unconventional inclusion for any vessel, Boarding Bridges are designed to arrest the momentum of a vessel and provide a stable way of transporting large numbers of troops across the void in relative safety compared to typical breaching and boarding tactics.

The interior of the Whisperwind is designed with boarding defence in mind, a labyrinthine arrangement of hallways, access tunnels and other routes throughout the ship are designed to favour the defender heavily, with crossroads and open galleries designed for Astartes usage. Near the centre of the ship’s armoured citadel is the Throneroom of Ezharion Kulas. The Throneroom serves two primary functions aside from merely being a throneroom; as the Primarch’s personal auditorium and as the main diplomatic area of the vessel.

The Whisperwind is armed to the specifications of the Tempest Reavers’ fleet doctrine: batteries of Lances and Hecutor Pattern Plasma Macrocannons flank the sides of the ship and Minelayer Bays are planted there also to deploy Deadfall Torpedoes, along the dorsal spine there are four twin barrelled Heavy Lance Turrets supported by two Plasma Macrocannon Turrets and perhaps the most intriguing armament is the massive Super Heavy Disruption Cannon mounted on the Prow. Taking the principles of Disruption Macrocannons and upscaling them, the Disruption Cannon is, in effect, a giant electromagnetic pulse cannon. Any formations of ships caught in its blast are left stripped of all power, void shields drained, engines coming to a dead stop, plasma reactors suddenly flickering out and dying. With its targets defenceless, the Whisperwind is free to pick them apart with its assortment of long range artillery, ripping apart formations within minutes and disrupting enemy fleet cohesion and wreaking havoc on their morale.

To power this vast and mighty armament, the plasma reactors of the Whisperwind have been enhanced beyond normal specifications for a ship of its size, enabling it to feed and power all these systems simultaneously. Another key upgrade of note is to the vessel’s augur suites. The Tempest Reavers fleet demands nothing less than the best accuracy available, making up for their lower number of capital class warships with superior accuracy, power and overall qualitative improvements to make up for the quantitative deficiencies. With its enhanced augur suites, the Whisperwind is able to track and engage multiple warships at once, or concentrate its full power in a single vessel, with the augurs enabling gunnery officers to rapidly acquire their firing solutions and ensure that the majority of shots find their mark.

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