The Furious Shivs

The Furious Shivs

 - A Slaaneshi Alpha Legion Warband

The story of the Furious Shivs is legend in the Crucible Sector.  It begins with Alpharius and the Alpha Legion...not ever fully trusting any other Legion, the original members of the Furious Shivs were tasked with infiltrating the Emperor's Children to better understand the nature of their chaotic transformation.  A small company of just over 200 men (led by Brother Captain Mer'kar) joined the Emperor's Children as they battled the White Scars in the Crucible Sector during the Horus Heresy.  Masters of disguise and deception, Mer'kar claimed that he and his men were novitiates that had just been sent to reinforce the 5th Company of Emperor's Children.

Though most Alpha Legion members do not commit to any one deity, Mer'kar and his company were indoctrinated into the worship of Slaanesh.  Being fully committed to the mission at hand, Mer'kar and his lieutenants took the blood oaths and began open worship of He Who Thirsts.  Many battles were fought during the Heresy but ultimately it came to an inglorious end.  With Horus being slain by the Emperor, most of the Traitor Legions, including the Emperor's Children, made a full retreat into the Eye of Terror.  It is at this point that Mer'kar saw an opportunity to fill the power vacuum left on the edge of the Crucible Sector.

Throughout most of the war, Mer'kar and his men had operated as an individual cell with only intermittent communication with Alpharius and the rest of the legion.  When news reached Mer'kar about Alpharius' demise at the hands of Rogal Dorn, Mer'kar decided that he would lead his battle brothers to glory and seek power for himself.  Mer'kar dubbed his warband the Furious Shivs and begun the pursuit of artifacts and weapons that would allow him to gain the strength necessary to obliterate the Loyalist scum.  Gaining favor for Slaanesh would afford him opportunities to commune with beings of the Warp and gain knowledge about where such power could be gained.

Evolution of a Warband

While 202 men originally set out to ghost the Emperor's Children at the beginning of the Heresy, only 116 of the original battle brothers remained.  The passing of time has seen some afflicted with the Obliterator virus while dabbling with warp weaponry.  Others committed more fully to the pursuit of ecstasy (magnified as followers of Slaanesh) and chose to walk the path of a Noise Marine.  Still, other battle brothers have simply stayed true to their original training as Alpha Legion and maintained their Legion tactics and training.

Needing to bolster their ranks, Mer'kar and his First Lieutenant Jorvo have tested other renegade marines and allowed only the best to join their ranks.  While they do employ the use of cultists and other more brutish berzerker marine types, the Furious Shivs only ever have 202 true members to represent and honor the original cell.

Having fought for Slaanesh for nearly 10 millenia and winning countless battles along the way, Mer'kar was shown the location of the Knife of Eternity.  A simple weapon, it had been crafted using the shards of Eldar soul stones and was an item highly coveted by the Dark Prince.  In the year 666 of the 38th Millennium, Mer'kar led his warband into the Covictus system and after subduing the local militia, captured the relic in the name of Slaanesh.  His reward for obtaining such a glorious prize was his ascendance into full daemon-hood as a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh.  Despite the jealousy that many of his subordinates felt at that moment, they had no choice but to submit and continue following Mer'kar.  His Lieutenant Jorvo ascended to the position of Chaos Lord and became the outward face for the Warband when dealing with other traitors and aliens alike.

Librarius of the Dagger

The Librarius for the Furious Shevs has always maintained a keen attachment to the Warp.  Even as Loyalists, Epistolary Dorb and his fellow Librarians would dabble and experiment on the people of conquered planets after the Crusade had departed.  This did not changed in their shift to Chaos...if anything has been turned up a notch.  Mer'kar always favored the Council of the Dagger and it is common to have a sorcerer accompany him on every mission.  Their past experimentation with the Warp on living entities has allowed them to perfect methods of enhancing the performance of the warband.  Mer'kar and the other Sorcerers favor using the Warp to increase the speed and strength of his soldiers rather than manifesting lightning or other more physical weapons.

The Hunger for More

Though the warband has fought together for a long time, there is always a need to advance  whenever possible.  When the Furious Shivs were still in their infancy, infighting cost them multiple victories as a result of jealousy and backstabbing foiling the proper execution of battle plans.  It didn't take Mer'kar long to realize he needed to quash these actions if he wanted the warband to survive long after the events of the Horus Heresy.  Though his chaotic heart relished in the violence, Mer'kar was able to instill into his soldiers a discipline not so dissimilar to the notion of "honor among thieves".  The tool he used as an outlet was simple:  whenever there was a matter in question where one Aspiring Champion thought glory or some other trophy had been wrongfully taken, he could challenge the opponent to a Battle of the Shivs.  It was a simple combat where the two would face off in no armor using only a simple bone shiv as a weapon.  The first to inflict 6 cuts on his opponent would be declared the victor and would claim the spoils as his own.

Simple and brutal, it has proven an effective way to retain some semblance of order.  Lemen, Aspiring Champion and squad leader of the Dissonance (First Squad of Noise Marines) has the most victories in the Battle of Shivs.

The Twins

Oreh and Ireh are twin brothers and head up the "regular" Chaos Space Marine legionnaires whenever they enter battle.  Preferring longer range engagements, the brothers are responsible for organizing the squads and choosing champions whenever they go out on missions.  Many times in the past it has seemed that one of the brothers had been fatally injured only to miraculously recover from their wounds after coming in contact with the other brother. 

It is thought that Alpharius and Omegon themselves bestowed upon them a gift or latent Psyker ability that allowed them to share a life force.  Oreh and Ireh work perfectly in concert on the battlefield and have a stranglehold on the Chaos Space Marine element of the warband.  This extends to squads of Chosen, Havocs, and Raptors.

Presence in the Crucible Sector

Having attained daemonhood, it seemed that Mer'kar would be content to sit on his laurels and have his Warband go out and strike at the Imperium, wreaking havoc where ever they were weakest.  But being a Veteran of the Long War compelled Mer'kar to push for more and to one day strike out at the corpse god himself!  With that in mind he again began communing with some of the older denizens of the warp and came to find out about an artifact of great power in the Crucible Sector.  The Vibora Morada was an idol that had been broken in millennia past.  It was shattered into 6 different pieces and the pieces were dispersed to different planets.  Though the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh was purposely vague about what it did, finding all the pieces and fusing them back together would give the wielder a greater control of the Warp in the Crucible Sector.

With images of the site of each of the fragments, Mer'kar and the Furious Shevs set out to recover the fragments to gain dominance in the Crucible Sector.

Campaign Rules - The Conquest of Entara

I originally wrote the basic campaign rules and tried to keep things as simple as possible.  As the campaign progressed, I updated a few to reflect some of the things that happened in game ranging from characters surviving attacks with post-game rolls to simply killing off characters that had taken one too many Las Cannon shots to the head.  Below are the final rules I came up with.

Campaign Special Rules

This campaign is first and foremost a way to learn the basic rules for Warhammer 40,000 and to “forge the narrative”. The basic rules will be followed with a few fun exceptions introduced.

 

Special Rules for Imperium of Man

Any Squat model (using the rules for Codex: Astra Militarum) have +1 Toughness. This represents their increased resistance to gravity and how they’ve adapted to centuries of working in mines. To represent how some of the colonists have become cultists of Nurgle, each Squat unit must roll a D6 at the beginning of the game. A roll of 1 results in the unit suffering from Fear: Nurgle (i.e. any unit with the Mark of Nurgle or devotion to Nurgle will cause Fear on the unit).

Starting Mission 6, all models with Chapter Tactics (Iron Hands) have gained Hatred: Nurgle for the rest of the campaign.

 

Special Rules for Eldar

The Eldar Warlord in every scenario must roll a D6. On a roll of 4+, the Warlord gains the “Knowledge of Elleem” rule to show how much they have studied the historical maps for the region of conflict. This rule allows the Warlord to redeploy up to D3+1 units after they have been deployed. Conversely, the Warlord can choose to instead give the Scout USR to 2 separate units.

Farseer Teldrim is considerably more adept in all matters pertaining to Elleem. As a result, he gains the “Knowledge of Elleem” rule on a roll of 2+. However now that he possesses the Index, he automatically passes his roll when in the battle.

Autarch Ithrain has proven to be quite sturdy despite getting shot down in various battles. As a result starting after Mission 7, he never has to roll on the Curse of Defeat table.

 

Special Rules for Chaos Space Marines

Any unit with the Mark of Nurgle or devotion to Nurgle rolls a D6 at deployment. On a roll of 3+, the unit gains the Preferred Enemy: Imperium special rule to represent the knowledge gained from the cultists of Nurgle.

The forces of Chaos have gained access to summoning the Daemon Siri. She/He always possesses a new body and as a result may not be upgraded and never rolls on the Curse of Defeat table.

As a result of Henrick’s treachery after Mission 8, no Daemons of Nurgle or units with the Mark of Nurgle may be taken by Henrick’s forces. His Chaos war band has been split into multiple factions.

 

Character Progression/Penalties

Special characters are vital to the campaign. These characters stand to gain benefits from victory in battle. That said defeat also comes with its penalties.

 

Campaign Victory Points

Campaign Victory Points (CVP) can be gained by an army in various ways. Any army gains victory points by fulfilling one of the following:

1. 1 Campaign Victory Point is gained by winning a game.

2. 1 Campaign Victory Point is gained for completing the “special” mission for the scenario.

3. 1 Campaign Victory Point is gained for defeating the enemy warlord and having yours survive.

 

Boons of Destiny

Every 2 Campaign Victory Points gained allows the general to grant a benefit to any character in the army. These bonuses can be applied to a model with the Independent Character or Character rules. In order to gain a benefit, roll a D6 then consult the table (the effects are permanent as long as the character lives):

1. Battle Lust: +1 WS and +1 Leadership

2. Athletic Conditioning: +1 Strength or +1 Toughness

3. Perfect Timing: +1 BS and +1 Initiative

4. Lightning Reflexes: +1 WS, +1 Initiative, and +1 Attack

5. Overwhelming Power: +1 Wound or +1 Mastery Level (if not a Psyker, character becomes ML 1)

6. Wisdom of Battle: Gain 1 USR selected from the following list:

a. Adamantium Will

b. Eternal Warrior

c. Stealth

d. Infiltrate

e. It Will Not Die

f. Furious Charge

g. Daemon

Note - The player can save up to 4 Campaign Victory Points before they must be used.

 

Curse of Defeat

This campaign isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Using special characters and giving them the ability to gain powers also means they can lose them in a battle. This applies to any character that has rolled on the Boons of Destiny chart or is the Warlord for your force. If the character loses all their wounds in combat, they must roll a D6 at the end of the battle. On a roll of 1-3, they are considered to have Major Wounds. If they roll a 4-5 they have Minor Wounds. On a roll of 6, they have shrugged of their maladies. The actual penalties are as follows:

Minor Wounds – Character suffers -1 WS/BS/Initiative.

Major Wounds – Character suffers -1 Strength, -1 Toughness, and -1 Wound (all to a minimum of 1).

If the character is an Eternal Warrior, he or she may add +1 to their dice roll to show that they have been hardened by years of war or physical training. Every time a character already has Minor Wounds and suffers an additional Minor Wounds effect, they are downgraded to having Major Wounds. If they have Major Wounds and suffer an additional Minor Wounds effect, the effects are cumulative and they are on the brink of death (but are still alive). Any further wounds suffered at this point will result in permanent death. If a character already has Major Wounds and suffers another Major Wounds roll, the character is removed from play (potentially altering the storyline). On the flip side, if a character has Major Wounds and survives a battle, they are upgraded to only having Minor Wounds. Any character that has Minor Wounds that survives a battle loses the negative effects of Minor Wounds. The player can choose to not have the character participate in a battle at all. If this happens, the character loses any Major Wounds and Minor Wounds effects they are suffering...they make a full recovery!

Subsector Strellia Lore (Part 4)

The Forces of Chaos

The Arturian Scythes had once been a mighty chapter in the war machine for the Imperium of Man. A Second Founding Chapter, it was never clear what Space Marine legion had contributed to their gene seed (though many speculated they descended from the Ultramarines). Jack of all trades but master of none, their chapter did not specialize in any specific type of warfare, simply adjusting to whatever was needed to complete their mission.

They had participated in numerous campaigns against Waaaagh Rokfist; an Ork gathering that persistently threatened their monastery world of Artur Prime in Subsector Olimar.  Their methods had always been deemed “efficient” as they never cared for how many non-Arturians needed to be sacrificed to earn victory.  Though they were loyal to the Emperor, their primary mission was always preservation of Arturian life and society.  Their Chapter Master, Grand Master Henrick, had been consistently warned that such tactics caused their chapter to be looked upon poorly by many of the governors in their subsector.  He often scoffed and dismissed such warnings as stupidity coming from entitled sycophants. Unfortunately in year 254 of the 36th Millenium, a rogue Imperial governor from nearby Jaxxa Three had become incensed that many of his personal holdings had been lost in defense of his hive city.  The governor blamed the Scythes for employing what he deemed “poor tactics” and swore he’d make them pay.

The governor’s plan for revenge was executed swiftly.  He paid a local band of pirates to wire a false distress signal in a nearby system warning of Orks.  The governor then issued what seemed to be an official Imperial Order to the Scythes to exterminate said Ork threat with extreme prejudice.  With the bulk of the Scythe’s forces deployed on the mission, the governor had the pirates unload what he thought was a simple bomb on the monastery fortress of Artur Prime.  Unfortunately it was a bomb with the Life Eater Virus only ever employed in an Exterminatus order.  Astartes and Imperial citizens alike were wiped from the surface of Artur Prime.  Upon arriving to the false distress signal, the Scythes knew something was amiss but were too late to stop the devastation on their home world.  They returned in time to apprehend the pirates and learn of the Jaxxan governor’s treachery.  In a rage, Grand Master Henrick unleashed the entirety of the Scythe Chapter forces on Jaxxa Three as a form of retribution for what had been done.  Servants in the governor’s palace claimed that Grand Master Henrick personally ripped off the governor’s head after invading the palace with his Honor Guard.  It is thought that at that precise moment, Henrick fell to the Ruinous Powers.

The High Lords of Terra sent multiple Space Marine chapters stabilize Subsector Olimar and prevent any further destruction from the Arturian Scythes. After being warned by beings of the Warp of an impending counter attack, Lord Henrick ordered all remaining Scythe forces to retreat and regroup to a distant system he used as a staging point during the conflict with Waaaagh Rokfist. This would serve as a new home for him and his brothers.  Henrick's mind was filled with thoughts of conspiracy and paranoia.  He blamed the Imperium for allowing such a tragedy to unfold on his world.  The way he reasoned, only the High Lords of Terra had the authority to issue an Exterminatus order; the death of Artur Prime had been no accident. Still he questions, "Why issue such a devastating punishment? What did the High Lords fear?"  His fellow Arturians had done nothing wrong.  In his mind, the Emperor had abandoned them. Perhaps the Emperor was simply a corpse on a throne...

After the events of Jaxxa Three, the Arturian Scythes were branded traitors of the Imperium. The more time passed, the more Lord Henrick’s rage and anger seemed to grow within him. He began conducting raids on Imperial strongholds throughout the sector wishing to impart pain where ever possible. With no one else to call an ally, he began to commune with beings from the Warp while offering no allegiance to any specific deity. His warriors began to worship the various Chaos gods as well, throwing in their lot with the Chaos god that promised more power. Though this caused some infighting among his warband, Lord Henrick was seemingly blessed by all four of the Ruinous Powers and as such commanded the respect of all his men. He welcomed other traitor marines as they turned from the Emperor to bolster his forces further. He had pledged to the Ruinous Powers that the entire sector would one day fall by his hand.

Years turned to decades. Decades turned to centuries. Despite the passing of time, beings in the Warp had not forgotten him. A Daemon of Change (Tzeentch) by the name of Cambi had long known of a Greater Daemon of Nurgle perpetually keeping a sector of space from being accessed by the “lesser beings”. Cambi knew that some planets in this subsector housed objects of great power that could be used for by the Scythes in the “name of Change”. He came to Lord Henrick and presented him with a plan. The Imperium desperately needed to gain control of a planet named Entara in Subsector Strellia. He claimed he could hold off the Greater Daemon of Nurgle from unleashing another warp storm to give him and his war band a chance to capture artifacts of power. Not only would he gain strength from the artifacts, but would also gain access to some of the machines of war he needed to unleash his plans of destruction on throughout the galaxy. The chance to ruin the plans of those who followed the corpse god only further sweetened the deal for Lord Henrick.

Knowing this was the opportunity he had been waiting for, Lord Henrick immediately sent his best underling, Sorcerer Adamar, to establish a base of operations. The Daemon Cambi had also told him that the millennia of despair drove some of the inhabitants of the planet to the worship of Papa Nurgle. While Cambi was no fan of the Lord of Pestilence, it was an advantage that could be exploited. The cultists would help them go undetected and could serve as acceptable vessels for beings from the Warp.

Lord Henrick would not be denied. His campaign for revenge could encompass two subsectors!  Subsector Olimar would burn…but it would begin on Entara.