Shadow Warriors

"I adhere to the Relso'nare. Our armour, our skill at arms, our Aliit, our language, our leader — all help us survive. We must train our recruits in the ways of the legion, obey the commands of Rang Talyc and defend our clans and help them prosper. This is what it means to be a Shadow Warrior."

- Alor'ad Serenis Khall speaking to Equerry Roderic of the Red Eyes

The Shadow Warriors are the VIth Space Marine Legion. Under the Command of Rang Talyc, The Ash-Blooded, they have established themselves as a bold and controversial legion, striving to match the high standard they set for themselves. Bound by their strong commitment to mastering combat and an intense sense of community within the legion, the Warriors were always at the forefront of the Great Crusade. These commitments also came with downsides, as the Shadow Warriors put their community above all others, particularly non-Astartes, and within the legion individual Aliite had their own sense of community that promoted independent action. It was this independence that would lead the Shadow Warriors following a dark path that none of them could have predicted.

Origins
The VIth Legion was founded during the Unification Wars, drawing its first recruits from the Nordafrik Conclaves following their conquest by the forces of the Emperor.

Solar Reclamation
The Sixth earned their first cognomen when they conquered the Saturnine moon Enceladus.

Keld'abe: Blood On the Ash
The planetoid known as Keld’abe is an ash-choked moon orbiting a gas giant nearly the size of Jupiter. Keld’abe’s orbit is highly unstable, causing massive tectonic instability. Also its proximity to the warp storm known as The Maelstrom caused an unusually large portion of the population to be born with psychic powers, and warp corrupted mutant beasts ran rampant upon its surface.

The pure humans upon the planet formed tight-knit clans, known as an Aliit (pro. AH-leet, pl. Aliite, pro. ah-LEE-tay) out of necessity, and out of fear of being destroyed by corrupted beasts or rogue psyker covens. These Aliite are usually nomadic, tending herds of reptilian labor-beasts called Basilisks. These Basilisks function like the equines of ancient steppe cultures, by providing protection and transport while alive, and once they die, their carcasses provide food and pelts to the Aliit.

When the pod carrying the being that will become known as The Ash-Blooded fell to the surface of Keld’abe, it fell during the seasonal migration festival of the Rang Clan. Upon discovering that the pod contained an infant, the Aliit’alor of the Clan adopted this child as his own.

The Relso'nare
The Relso’nare is a code of six acts that define what it is to be Rang’ade, and are the central tenets of their society. This code is self-perpetuating and was directly responsible for ensuring the survival of the culture and society of Keld’abe long after the Breaking of Keld'abe and the exodus of the Rang’ade. Rang’ade who do not or can not embrace and live according to these tenets are thought to lack Rang and are believed to be dar’Rang, a state of seperation from the soul of the people of Keld’abe which they find emotionally painful and shameful. These Six Acts are: Ke’juri bes’kor’gam (Wear Armour), Ke’jorhaa’i Rang Joha (Speak the Language of Ash), K’ara’novo aliit (Defend the Family), Ke’gaa’tayli Aliit bralir (Help the Clan to succeed), Ke’ba’juri sa Rang’ade (Raise Children to be one of the Rang’ade), Ke’shekemi haar Rang’alor (Rally to the cause of the Rang’alor).

Unit and Formation Structure
On first examination it would appear that the Shadow Warriors follow the Principia Bellacosa with limited deviation. However this is somewhat misleading, as while their structures bear similarities, the doctrinal realities are notabaly alien to the Principia Bellacosa.

Legion Command Hierarchy
The highest authority in the Legion is the Primarch, The Ash-Blooded, and His ruling Council made up of the Ver’gebuire (pronounced ver-GEHB-ew-eer-ay, translates as Bodyguards or as Almost Fathers, close in role to the Legates of the Halcyon Wardens or the Margavi of the Black Stars), and the Alii’Aliit (pro. ahl-EE-ahl-eet, trans. Clan Council). The Alii’Aliit is made up of the thirteen Aliit’Alor (pro. ahl-EET-ahl-or trans. Chieftains) of the thirteen Aliite. Each of the Aliite are comprised of ten Akaan’ade (pro. ah-KAHN-ad-ay (pl.) trans. armies), each led by an Alor’ad (pro. ahl-OR-ad trans. captain). Each Akaan’ade is then divided into five great companies led by an Al’verde (pro. ahl-VEHRD-ay trans. commander) which is further divided into two companies. One of which is led by the Al’verde the other is led by a Ver’alor (pro. VEHR-ahl-or trans. Lieutenant) each of these companies is further divided into three platoons. Each platoon led by a Ruus’alor (pro. ryus-AHL-or trans. sergeant) finally the Platoons are devided into three squads lead by an Alor’uus, (pro. ahl-or-ews, trans. corporal). The 130 Akaan’ade also possess their own Specialists including but not limited to the Akaan’ade’s Forge and armoured forces (Bas’koryc), Apothecarium and Chaplaincy (Baar’ur) and Fleet (Tra’ade).

The Legion’s fighting strength is about one hundred and seventy-six thousand Astartes, which makes it a moderately sized Legion. However, this is mildly offset by the large number of Akaan’adiik (Children of War), a unique formation of unmodified humans who fulfil role of rank-and-file soldiers in the legion. The Akaan’adiik are remarkably well-equipped, with even the lowest of them being equipped with carapace armour made of a unique alloy of Iron, Carbon, and Adamantium, called Bes’kor fully capable of shrugging off bolter shells. This so called “black adamantium” is heavier than pure adamantium, and less hard, and more brittle, although it makes up for this disadvantage with its remarkable energy dissipation properties.

Adyrk'uur
An example of the relentless and adaptable warfare of the Shadow Warriors, the Adyrk'uur are the progenitors to what most would later come to know as the Moritat combat role. given special dispense by Rang Talyc they operate in pairs to develop their skills, passing on experience from the old to the new as a close-knit group of hunters always found in the heart of combat.

Notable Shadow Warriors

 * Rang Talyc (The Ash-Blooded) - Primarch of the Shadow Warriors, the Rang
 * Rang Dalyc (the Lady of Ash, Lotara Sarrin) - Wife of Rang Talyc
 * Lorak Saar, the Ka'rta - The Step-Brother (Ka'rta) of Rang Talyc on Keld'abe
 * Tos Saar - The Adopted Son of Rang Talyc on Keld'abe
 * Bo Saar - The Adopted Daughter of Rang Talyc on Keld'abe
 * Mohammud al’Sayuf - Aliit'alor of Clan Zahil, later Master of the Saturnine Raptors
 * Pre Chikal - Aliit'alor of Clan A'den
 * Beln'ykin Ka'ra - Aliit'alor of Clan Ka’ra
 * Serenis Khall - Aliit'alor of Clan Kal

Gallery
[[Category:S]]