Editing Children of Armok

{{Infobox Spess Mahreen Chapter
|Name = Children of Armok
|Heraldry = [[File:Children loyalist emblem.jpg|200px]]
|Battle Cry = "For the Emperor" or [mocking laughter]
|Number = XIII
|Founding = First Founding
|Successors of = N/A
|Successor Chapters = 
|Chapter Master = 
|Primarch = [[Uriel Starikov]]
|Homeworld = [[Perfidiae V]]
|Specialty = Information control, Tactical and Strategic strikes, infiltration.
|Strength = Accurate Figure Unknown; between 71,000 up to 190,000. Official figure believed to be 120,000
|Allegiance = Chaos
|Colours = Black and White
}}

{{edit}}


Tzeentch, manipulation, heavy levels of espionage, and politics - AlphaLegion meets WordBearers with Cold War era spy-games and politics thrown in.

The '''Children of Armok''' are the Original Traitor legion.

=Legion Characteristics=

The XIIIth legion is the legion that the least is truly known about; As everything about them involves smoke and mirrors, for every one thing you think you know about them, there is at least one other piece of evidence contradicting it.

Infiltration, tactical assaults, hit and run attacks, information warfare, and deception are their strongest skills, and they make great use of subterfuge and sabotage in their campaigns, bolstered by ferocious raids and ambushes.
Strategically, the XIIIth Legion always try to remain flexible, adapting to changing circumstances, and always looking for opportunities to further their aims in the big picture.

They are motivated by acquiring knowledge and secrets, plotting and scheming to further their own and Tzeentch's agendas.
To the XIIIth, information, perception, and words are weapons, to be wielded alongside the bolter and the sword.

They have many creeds, but one of the most defining philosophies of the legion, is that the ends justify the means.
This acceptance of evil to serve a greater good is corrupted over time, as Uriel, and the legion become accustomed to the methods involved, losing touch with their original purpose.
Their dealings lead to an unexpected discovery: [[Tzeentch]].

Now they have no time, save passing respect for the other gods; their relationship with Tzeentch however, is wary at best. Which is partly why Tzeentch favors them as he does: he finds them so much fun to deal with, deriving endless amusement from the legions antics as Uriel guides his men, traversing the twists and pitfalls of fate laid out by Tzeentch to entrap them.


They avoid rampant mutation, perhaps as a result of a bargain with Tzeentch, but also through shady deals with xenos, criminals, and non-imperials. However, they are not immune to them, Tzeentch finding loopholes in any agreement they had made with him.

Any that do become mutated are sent to join the XIIIth Legions chaos warband to keep them hidden. 
But for the most part, mutations are extremely rare, and often concealable. 

Uriel Starikov's greatest, most secret obsession is to gain access to the Black Library, perhaps he hopes to find a way to circumnavigate his deal with Tzeentch, or perhaps he seeks to become a god himself. To this end, through the Eternal Zealots, the legion has managed to broker some deals with Dark Eldar and Vetrovnak among others, mostly by providing them of various safe targets to raid for their slaves. 
In return they give the Children of Armok access to information, tech, and other things. 
This clandestine invasion of the webway is why the Eldar are the Children's greatest foe - both the Eldar and the Children are engaged in a galaxy spanning clandestine war, often fighting via proxies and the manipulation of unwitting pawns in their 'great game'.

You can bet that no matter what is happening in the galaxy, the Children of Armok will either know about it, be among the first to find out about it, or sometimes, be directly involved. Or maybe that is just what they want you to think.

=Legion Organisation=

++ Report Request Pending... ++

++ Clearance Challenge: Gamma. ++

++ Clearance Level: Recognised ++

++ Report Request Accepted. ++

++ Subject: Children of Armok. ++

++ Topic: Legion Organisation. ++

++ Authored by: Imperialis Logistica Corpus Logistician, Merlynn Xavius. ++

++ Accessing// ++


Foreword: Greetings reader, I am Merlynn Xavius formerly of the Imperialis Logistica Corpus

Attempting to make sense of the methods and organisation of the Children of Armok one is, as always, forced to deal with paradox and contradiction, both through the numerous conflicting reports and the contradictory evidence left on worlds conquered by the hands of the XIIIth Legion, left wrecked and wretched in the wake of its arts of war. 
One source from an authoritative individual might present the Children's organisational mechanics as highly complex and cloaked in intricate webs of secrecy far beyond any other legion; However a different report, also from reputable sources, might describe the Children's inner workings as meritocratic and fluid. 
Certain commonalities do however exist, extrapolated from various accounts of battles the XIIIth Legion fought, and to some extent from what we think we know of the legions training and induction practices. But even with what we do have establish, there is doubt as to whether this is the truth or just more misdirection and misinformation.



The first of the common characteristics displayed by the Children of Armok, is the emphasis placed on unified action, and on initiative to further the legions aims in the big picture. Such finely tuned co-ordination and faultless loyalty to the legion is necessary to remain cohesive with the rapidly changing and adapting offensive and defensive tactics Uriel introduced into his Legion, and the fluidity with which the Children deploy on and off the battlefield. 

It has been reported that from their first days as Aspirants, the warrior-recruits of the Children of Armok would train and fight together as a single squad, rather than individual soldiers; the success of each marine, and even their very survival, dependent on the success of the unit as a whole, forcing the aspirants to work to further the unit rather than themselves, and fostered the close-knit bonds, and instinctive co-ordination that characterises the legionnaires of the XIIIth. 
Paradoxically, despite this stress on the importance of the unit above all else, each individual aspirant is taught to withstand torture and interrogation, and even some rudimentary principles in making a mind-probe by a Psyker a little more difficult, the Children following the wisdom of the old adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.


After much data-mining and sifting through reports of events involving astartes believed or confirmed to be from the XIIIth legion, the second common characteristic of the legion becomes clear: its supreme talents in the arts of espionage, politics, infiltration, information-control, and assassination. 
Tactics of attrition, trench warfare, static defence, and the frontal assault, are strategies eschewed by the Children, unless completely unavoidable, and even then they would only ever engage with those strategies on the XIII Legion's own terms or to serve a greater purpose. 

It would be a mistake however, to underestimate the Children of Armok's abilities in pitched battle or on a level strategic field, as they have repeatedly demonstrated their abilities to hold their own and repeatedly turn events in their favour, abilities which had drawn grudging praise from both the Warmaster Hektor and Thomas Gaudin[?] in action. 
The tactical coherence and fluid mastery of complex stratagems deployed by the Children of Armok, especially in the realms of infiltration and covert assaults also made them masters of eloquent maneuvers, feints and ambushes, finding their beginnings in Uriels mastery of Regicide and battlefield strategy, that were then expanded on and honed down every day since by the marines of the XIIIth. 


It is unclear whether the Children ever conformed fully to the original operating structures and organisational patterns laid out for the Space Marine Legions in the Principia Belicosa at the start of the Great Crusade, and post-Heresy in the Codex Astartes.

To an external observer though, the Children bears extensive resemblance to the basic Legion patterns, although the command structure and the organisation of the XIII Legion can be just about discerned as being radically more fluid, complex and specialised than any other legions. 
It seems entirely probable, given the evidence available, that the individual Legionary's role and position within the division he was attached to was dynamic, and changed frequently, presumably whenever the tactical or strategic need demanded so, but perhaps had some higher purpose the ultimate goal of which remains unknown to those looking in to the legion like myself.

The Children's companies, battalions and chapters (sometimes appearing to be referred to as "Sections", "Bodies", "Groups", and "Blocks" in shifting meaning) were created and deconstructed seemingly at the whim of Uriel and the XIII Legion's commanders, making it impossible for anyone to gauge the true strength the Children will deploy in until they finally reveal their hand. 



Continuing this concept of formlessness, unit numerations were swapped, or used outside of the unit, and heraldry changed and adapted. Personnel and resources were reassigned or removed entirely from an order of battle, only to be later again replaced. 
Such organisational ebb and flow were noted not only between active deployments but also even during the course of a particular campaign. This made the Legion's strength, intentions and deployments almost impossible to gauge or track to foe and friend alike.
This practice seems to have been continued long after the Children of Armok complied with the Codex Astartes, with some questionable reports claiming that marines of successor chapters regularly changed their identifying colours and insignia with those of other chapters based from the legion, making it difficult to assess any individual chapters true strength. 
This deceptive and secretive nature continues deeper, with some observers suspecting that some sightings of Uriel were actually just one of the Children marines tall enough to impersonate the primarch as a body double. Other theorists have suggested that some marines, believed to have been members of the Children's command structure, were actually Uriel himself, playing the part of a simple marine, as opposed to the primarch. 
Such reports and theories are unfounded however, and how anyone could not recognise the primarch of the Children is unknown. 



Exact figures for the martial strength of the XIII Legion prior to the beginning Hektor Heresy are few and far between. 
The few sources we do have vary wildly, some making incredible claims which may both overestimate or undervalue the Children's true manpower. 
The most reputable figure available, believed accurate around the time of the Istvaan Drop Site Massacre put the XIII Legion at between 120,000 and 130,000 Legionaries strong, placing it within the middle tier of Space Marine Legion strengths. 
Some theorists have argued that the true figure is far lower, somewhere in the 71,000 range based upon the largest concentration of Children forces ever seen in operation in a single theatre. 
With hindsight and diligent corroboration however, evidence of multiple simultaneous battle-groups operating in far distant locales suggests a far higher figure than either of these estimates. Numbers estimated well into the range of 190,000 Legionnaires which, if accurate, would make it one of the most formidable Legions in sheer size alone, a number obscured from both sides of the Heresy that was to follow. However, as with everything relating to the Children of Armok, separating truth from fiction is next to impossible, and while their is evidence that does corroborate the larger figure, many of the sources are unconfirmed, or unreliable at best, where the 120,000 figure seems far more credible. 

I have recorded the various theorised Legion Strengths here for posterity, and because any insights we can get into the Children may help us to unravel the truth behind their deceptions; even though they are loyal, it makes me uneasy to imagine Space Marines could still be hiding secrets from the Imperium, the scope and implications of which we can only fathom. 

The Legion appears to operate with only ~50% of their total forces ever campaigning together at once. The rest of the Legion being spread out across the Imperium in small self-reliant groups, regularly travelling great distances to the sectors and systems they see as areas of interest, always remaining in periodical contact with other divisions in the legion, even if that contact is through the Children's back channel intelligence networks.
 

The average Child of Armok will travel further in his lifetime, than 3 marines from any other legion.
They do this as a means of maintaining, extending, and culling their intelligence networks to ensure they know everything they possibly can about the galaxy, and more importantly, the players in it.
As a factor of this, the Children also spend the most time out of any Legion traversing through the warp.


From evidence gleaned from many hours searching old record, it seems that the Children use many terms for organisational force breakdown, with the 'Body' being the most regularly used term.
Although it seems interchangeable, shifting from a definition for a squad or group of squads, all the way up to multiple chapters in size.

The Children use a very dispersed organisational structure, dividing their legions into divisions, each individual division is referred to as 'a Body'.

Each 'body' is it's own self-contained, self-reliant combat force.
Each 'body' is broken down further into a cell-style structure, compartmentalising each cell, and limiting their exposure, while keeping them more or less self-reliant. 
The 'body' is made up of the Head, Arms, Torso, and Legs.

The Head is presumably the brains of the operation. Breaking down into specific roles, such as the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth if need be. 

The Arms are the muscle behind the body's operations. They do the on-the-ground shooting, and take part in the actual operations.
The units committed to the field are called 'hands'. With a hand being made up of as few as 5 individual marines, and upwards in size as necessary for the scope of the operation.

The Legs do the legwork for the body as a whole. They are in charge of transportation, but are also entrusted with doing any pre-operation prep-work, ie scouting, infiltration, tailing targets etc. 
They operate in the field, but nearly always in support of the Arms.

The Torso makes up the largest part of the body, with reserve units to support any of the other sections as needed.
They also maintain the body, including roles such as quartermaster, requisitions, armour, weapon, equipment, and vehicle maintenance and upgrading, logistics, and cleaning up after operations.

Using this metaphor as a basis for their legion organisation, is typical of the Children's playful demeanour, seeing it as a game.

==Specialist Squads==

===Stalker Squads===

Stalker squads specialise in reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering and were consummate masters of stealth, infiltration and sabotage deep behind enemy lines. 
Often remaining quiet when enemies were in sight, and reporting there location, direction, number, and armament to command so that other forces could be assigned to destroy them, allowing the Stalker squads to remain undetected, and continue providing up to date battlefield intelligence, as well as utilising their snipers and explosive charges to take out strategic and tactical objectives.

Stalker squads were also usually responsible for many of the guerrilla operations undertaken by the Children, using their skills of infiltration and sabotage to great effect behind enemy lines, working in conjunction with a Political Operations Officer to distribute propaganda, and win the local hearts and minds, while crushing the resolve and morale of their enemies with their constant hit-and-run attacks; always striking their target and disappearing before a retaliation could be organised.

The origins of the Stalker squads come from the Iron Rangers Heliwyr squads, who would use stealth and infiltration to get deep into enemy territory and help guide allied forces and harass enemy supply lines. 
Where other legions reconnaissance squads were used in a purely observational role, the Heliwyr and Stalker squads turned the humble scout into a fearsome formation, capable of wreaking great havoc.
The Iron Rangers often cooperated in operations with the Children early in their legions history, the two legions sharing an affinity for similar types of warfare, and thus the normally guarded Iron Rangers shared their experience and skills, the Children offering their own in return. 

These squads also spread to the other legions, although most were toned down from their incredibly clandestine beginnings, although still retaining the core concept of a guerrilla and reconnaissance role; it was from these formations that the later Adeptus Astartes Scout Marines were created after the Second Founding in the early 31st Millennium.

===Headhunter Squads===

The Headhunter squad was a new formation, created by Thirteenth to fill the role of rapidly disabling enemy command chains and eliminating persons of interest. They were comprised of legionaries chosen mostly for being the best assault marksmen and close quarters fighters in the Legion, but also for their quick thinking and personal agility; often the window of opportunity to make the "kill-shot" is mere moments, and thus fast and accurate reactions were highly prized.

Using the chaos of battle as a distraction, a Headhunter Squads primary role was to seek, identify and execute designated enemy targets. 
Commanders, officers, medics, demagogues, champions - whomever the target was, they were marked, and would be dead before the smoke of battle had cleared. 

The Children of Armok Legion were the first to form this squad configuration. It's deadly effectiveness earning it as much acclaim as it gained detractors for being dishonourable. Despite many legions resisting, its effectiveness made it popular, and many legions adopted it for their own use. 

Special ammunition and weapons were often deployed by the Headhunter Squads, to ensure a target was eliminated effectively and efficiently.

Headhunter Squads in the Children are also usually the best at Urban fighting in the legion, their quick reactions, and high precision giving them the edge in the cramped battlefield conditions of urban fighting, where enemy fire can come from difficult and oblique angles.
This predisposition for quick reactions and the emphasis on speed needed to function, meant that Headhunter Squads in the 13th would sometimes operate in scout armour, to allow them better range of movement.

===Counter Tactic Units===

Utilising the custom Koln pattern LandSpeeders (similar to the Landspeeder Storm) and Schwarzefalken-Pattern Stormtalon ground attack aircaft, which were customised and outfitted for transporting troops. 
The Counter Tactic Units, or CTU's, undertake sudden assaults and raids on unsuspecting foes, often far behind enemy lines, or in the flanks and rear of assaulting enemy forces, before their assault has made contact with the bulk of the allied forces.
Utilising the mobility offered by their transport vehicles, the CTU's strike the enemy hard and fast, hitting strategic or tactical targets quickly, then seizing and holding the ground, or remounting their transports to hit their next target.

Their targets are often designated by Stalker Squads, Insidiators, and Kokolny agents, giving the CTU's up to date intelligence to base their attacks on.
They are the most cavalier of all the Children of Armok, and tend to focus less on espionage and subterfuge, in favour of rapidly removing and enemies ability to operate effectively.
In environments unsuited to fliers, the CTU's utilise vehicles, often favouring bikes and rhino's, dismounting to do their assigned mission before remounting and riding off.
On rare occasions they will deploy from drop pods, but this tends to be a one-use attack, and so is only used as a last resort, with the CTU switching over to a regular combat role once the ground has been secured.

==Specialist Ranks==
The Children have 4 distinct ranks of 'Officer' relevant to their particular set of strategies. All officers above sergeant will rotate through training in each of the 4 roles, whereby they can pick a specialisation, or put themselves onto rotation. 

Being on rotation means that the marine will be given command in one of the 4 areas, on a case-by-case basis, meaning a Child of Armok officer on rotation could be put on political operations for one campaign, then in the next might be assigned to guerrilla operations, or counter-intelligence the next.
Rotation is generally only staffed by those who display equal talents in all areas, and are usually candidates for higher command later on. 

- 
'''GO2 - Guerrilla Operations Officer'''  - in charge of insurgencies, working with locals, and recruiting networks on the ground. Also responsible for on the ground political based long operations that require shooting and combat.

'''CIO - Counter Intelligence Officer''' - in charge of keeping the Children's operation secure, and managing exposure to outside influences. Deals with enemy spies, and internal informants recruited by the legion.

'''PO2 - Political Operations Officer''' - In charge of political interactions, usually of a subtle nature, but also small-scale or contained/controlled operations. In charge of political analysis, and interactions of the areas they are based in. Requires above average (by the Children's standard) abilities with language and persuasion.

'''ICO - Intelligence Case Officer''' - In charge of gathering intelligence for the Children. They tend to operate alone, or with a small squad, and  are often isolated from the rest of the 'body' they are assigned to. They are responsible for setting up networks, and are usually those who make the initial connections with Xenos/Rogue Traders on behalf of the legion, before passing them off to a PO2.


The Children also have 2 special roles they assign to Marines who display impressive talents in the required areas.

1 -  'Emissarius', or legion liasons - these individuals have a good grasp of both intelligence, and counter-intelligence, but excel in political interactions, and have a great deal of diplomatic and inter-personal skill. 
They are assigned to other Space Marine Legions, and travel with them, working as a point of contact between the legion they are attached to and the Children, usually feeding intelligence and messages to the Primarchs/Leaders they are attached with. They also spy passively on the legion they are attached to, obtaining in depth intelligence on all the key individuals, legion and unit strengths, and current actions the attached legion is undertaking. They don't always find out everything, but that isn't their role - that is covered by the Childrens non-marine agents and ICO's.

2 -  The Insidiators, who are explained below.

==Legion Infiltrators - The Insidiators==
'Insidiators' or independent field agents - these are marines deemed to have skill sets that make them well suited to working alone or leading entire chapters outright.
Displaying talent in all of the roles the Children have for officers, insidiator's are given their own jurisdiction to go where they please, and pursue the objectives they see as benefiting the Children in the short, or long-terms. 
They are occasionally given direct aims to achieve by their own chosen methods, but these are usually only when something needs to be done with the utmost speed and secrecy - this job falling to those most capable to achieve it. 
As a result, they are often on first name basis with Uriel himself, who commands the Insidiators directly. 
Operating under code names and aliases, they often pose as, or travel with rogue traders (or non-puritan Inquisitors post-Heresy) as they provide the insidiator with a good cover, and the means to achieve his ends.

In some cases, with Uriel's approval, the insidiator's will be assigned a 'body' to achieve their ends, posing as the higher command, thus keeping the 'Body' in the dark, and thus deniable.
As a result of their covert nature, insidiators often eschew the use of their power armour, for less obvious garb or scout armour, but will always have their power armour available for any circumstance they can foresee they will require it.
As a result of this, their power armour is nearly always repainted, only using the legion's colours when that serves a useful purpose.

'''Meta-Knowledge Notes'''
Insidiators are believed to be recruited directly from the legions neophyte program, as no marine from any chapter can ever recognise them. 
In fact, the Insidiators are recruited from the ranks of Group 13. In extreme circumstances, a marine inducted into Group 13 will undergo Insidiator training before he has even seen active service with the Group.


==Group 13==
++ Report Request Pending... ++

++ Password Required. ++

++ //CircleOfArmok ++

++ Password Challenge: Recognised. ++

++ Clearance Level: Alpha Omega. ++

++ Report Request Accepted. ++

++ Subject: Children of Armok. ++

++ Topic: Group 13. ++

++ Welcome, Chapter Master. ++

++ Accessing// ++


Group 13 is a secret sub-group inside the Children of Armok.
Only Uriel, his command staff, advisors, the Insidiators, and Chapter Masters know of their existence.
All of Group 13's marines are selected personally by Insidiators, the Group 13 commander, or Uriel himself. 
They use different armour colours, and even have to learn and adopt different mannerisms to the Children, so that no-one could link the two. 
Most notably, they bear no legion emblem, their pauldron painted jet black.

The recruits for Group 13 are spirited away in the middle of operations, usually in a situation that makes it look as though they were killed, where they are written up as 'dead/missing'. 
Their identities are officially killed off, and they have any identifying marks removed, from fingerprints to tattoos, even old wounds are grafted up and new ones made to make them impossible to identify, then they undergo facial reconstruction surgery.
Once they are completely unrecognisable, they begin their official training into Group 13, which brings them up to incredibly high levels of skill and fitness, and fostering self-reliance and initiative.

This gave rise to their own nickname, used among those who served in the Group 13 only: 'the Unlucky Bastards'
They assume this nickname due to the fact joining the Group requires you to "die", lose all your friends, your battle honours, and all of your possessions; you lose your identity. Then you have the dirtiest, most suicidal missions the Children, maybe even any marine, has to go on. Thus casualties are comparatively high in Group 13, the kick being that no-one ever knows they existed or died - like they were never even born.

This harsh, unforgiving take on the reality is tempered by the Children of Armoks nascent humour.
Thus the nickname 'Unlucky Bastards' is also used as a dark joke, with enemies treated as being 'Unlucky Bastards' too for having to face the elite Group 13.
Common in-unit jokes are along the lines of "The enemy have us surrounded - now we can't miss them now, the unlucky bastards!", and "Which way to the front lines? Just turn left when you get shelled, then drive down that road until you get blown up", and other jokes stemming from a casual attitudes towards dying caused by the high likelihood that they actually will die. 


Any Group 13 marine questioned on who he is, will likely just reply with "I am an Unlucky Bastard", and nothing more.

Once training is complete, they are assigned to a section, whatever their previous rank was, they start in Group 13 as a marine/squad member. 

In Group 13, there is very little room for advancement - those that survive long enough to become leaders, are by that point hardened and skilled enough that death in battle is unlikely, the only real room for advancement that offers consistent opportunity, is as an Insidiator. 

Insidiators are all former Group 13 members, given almost unlimited jurisdiction and direct oversight by Uriel, and of course the Group 13 commander, whom they still operate under. 
Other than pursuing Legion specific aims, the Insidiators also prepare intelligence and ground work for the Group 13 troops, calling in the allocated sections when the designated target is identified and investigated.
Then Group 13 hit hard, fast, and with the element of complete and utter surprise.

Group 13's purpose is black flag operations (attacks on friendly targets), assassinations, and long-term infiltration missions, as well as undertaking kidnap/capture missions, and guarding and smuggling intelligence and items deemed critical to Uriel or the Children's needs and aims.
Sometimes Group 13 conducts operations against the Children themselves, but usually they are involved in attacks on Imperials - these attacks designed to turn opinion, galvanise support, or manipulate troop movements to better aid the Children, and Uriels plans.

During the Heresy, Group 13 was responsible for cleansing the relatively few loyalists in the Childrens ranks deemed to be a problem.
Only Arkady Balotin and a handful of his marines escaped, being pursued all the way to Terra by a small force of Group 13 manhunter squads, where Balotin's pursuers, who he presumed to be a traitor legion unit from the colours of their armour, were forced to withdraw, leaving Balotin the lone survivor. 
A significant number of loyalists still remain in the ranks of the XIIIth Legion, being manipulated and kept in the dark to be used as distractions for investigators, keeping any investigation away from the corrupt marines, and leaving the impression that the Children are loyal and unspoiled by the influence of Chaos. 

Group 13 remains loyal to Uriel, operating on both sides of the legion (the ''"loyalist"'' side, and those in the traitor ranks)
But they mostly operate on the Imperial side, it being where the black operations Group is most needed.

'''Meta-notes:'''

Group 13 are a secret, and small 13th Chapter. 
They are mainly used for counter-intelligence roles; where the Imperium is looking into the legion and its activities, Group 13 are actively preventing anything damaging from getting out. 
They also are used for black flag operations, and assassinations that cannot be linked back to the legion. 

They are kept secret by making extensive use of disguising their legion heraldry, thinking nothing of painting their armour in another legions colours.

After the Heresy, they remain in their role, but undertaking many more counter-intelligence operations.
Since the Codex Astartes, the Children of Armok having been split down into chapters, Group 13 operate outside the Imperium's knowledge, hiding themselves using the colours of many of the XIIIth Legions successors, so that they may travel the Imperium without drawing attention to themselves. 
They operate in smaller numbers than they did previous to the Heresy, sometimes travelling in just small squads under the disguise of a Rogue Trader or more riskily, an Inquisitor, using controlled Astropaths to send ridiculously complex coded messages, that are only decipherable with the codex used to create the code in the first place.

When they fail in a mission, and their bodies are recovered, it is assumed that they are traitor marines attempting to infiltrate the Imperium, but due to their lack of recognisable identity, they are never linked with the Children directly.

==Non-Astartes Agents: the Kokolny==

++ Report Request Pending... ++

++ Alpha Clearance Required. ++

++ Clearance Challenge: Recognised. ++

++ Clearance Level: Alpha. ++

++ Report Request Accepted. ++

++ Subject: Children of Armok. ++

++ Topic: Non-Astartes Auxiliary Forces. ++

++ Authored by: Imperialis Logistica Corpus Logistician, Merlynn Xavius. ++

++ Accessing// ++



The Children of Armok make an abnormally high use of non-astartes in their ranks, surpassed by only by the Silver Cataphracts, and their Strelky in terms of numbers, but possibly not in terms of use.

Where other Legions interaction with Non-Astartes was limited to fighting alongside them, or having them under their direct command as Imperialis Auxilia, the Children utilised their Non-Astartes as espionage agents, terrorists, and saboteurs to sow anarchy and confusion in the enemy ranks, as well as provide up to date intelligence for the arrival of the Children themselves.
Unlike the other legions who swore their fealty to the Emperor, the Kokolny swore fealty directly to the Children of Armok, serving them before others.
Whether they do this for the (mistaken) concept of glory of being a spy, for personal gain, or for personal reasons is not entirely clear. 

Believed to be called the 'Kokolny', an ancient Perfidian word believed to translate as 'puppet' or 'pawn', the Kokolny make up the largest percentage of the Children of Armoks networks of agents and assets. Whether Kokolny is the true term is under speculation, as in the few existing reports of Remembrancers and Imperialis Logistica officials, various names have been used.
Kokolny being one of the most common names along with 'Chanakya', but others used are 'Peshka', 'Diandang', 'Zameya', 'Hydra', 'Colubrum', and 'Ningyo'. Other terms may also exist.
It is unclear whether these terms are interchangeable, or if they represent different roles or ranks inside the Kokolny




The Kokolny's role seems to be in doing the 'grunt work', and infiltrating locations and organisations where the Children Legionaries can only remain temporarily, being the recognisable Astartes that they are. 
More than just spies and assassins however, many Kokolny seem to keep their profession or job when they become Kokolny, giving the Children's networks facilitators for their operations; smugglers, legitimate and illegitimate merchants, rogue traders, hitmen, forgers, con-men, armed-robbers, criminal underbosses and enforcers, custodes officers, munitorum and other Imperial logistical and administrative officials, even Imperial Army/Guard soldiers and officers.

Even xenos are thought to have been brought into the fold of the Children's networks, presumably being identified in the same way all Kokolny are - by a discreet tattoo of a serpent, travelling in a circle to eat its own tail, usually hidden somewhere on the body,  hidden by clothing, jewelry, or hair. The hands, palms, and armpits are common places to find these tattoos, but it varies so much that no true pattern can be ascertained. 


Many Kokolny that are recruited undergo biochemical, cybernetic, and surgical augmentation to enhance their abilities, and to obtain the perfect disguises for where they are to be sent as undercover agents. 
Others operate independently, being trained how to blend in, and being left to do so until they are contacted. 
Others are highly trained, and work directly with the Children themselves, providing light infantry, manning vehicles, scouting, etc.

All recruits are trained in a facility, always referred to as the 'Greybox'. It is unknown whether there is one single facility, or a great number of these facilities scattered around every sector, as the Kokolny are believed to be recruited from all over the Imperium, making one single facility seem unlikely.

Basic Kokolny training seems to involve being instructed in intelligence, and counter-intelligence techniques, unarmed combat training, small-unit tactics, weapons training, with specialisation in the use of small weapons, such as knives, sub-machine stubbers and auto-guns, and pistols, as well as methods for making, using, and defusing explosives. 
Kokolny recruits also seem to be taught medicine, survival skills for harsh environments, the basics of Imperial law, and receive expert training in driving  vehicles and piloting of small craft. Criminals captured that were believed to be Kokolny, have all displayed these talents along with a variety of other skills, these being the only constants. 

After basic training is completed, Kokolny seem to go through voluntary specialisation training, where they may be taught skills such as forgery, smuggling, acting, disguising, methods of assassination, breaking and entry, safe-cracking, architecture, various forms of engineering, esoteric history, cryptography, how to read body language, and skills related to investigation and tracking.
One claim torn from the mind of an agent believed to be one of the Kokolny, implied that the Kokolny recruits would instruct each other and their ''Giant Instructors'' (who are presumed to be Space Marines) in a very open and meritocratic manner, sharing experience and skills with everyone involved. 
The same mind-grab implied that the Kokolny were able to weigh in on discussions with the same weight to their words as their ''Giant Instructors'' and more experienced Kokolny members. 


Some agents believed to be Kokolny have also been reported as displaying psyker abilities, usually limited to mind clouding, and wiping, possibly being used as a means for Children of Armok legionaries and their agents to walk openly in places they would normally be easily noticed. The Children themselves have been reported as having used these methods themselves, so to have taught the Kokolny would seem to make some degree of sense. 


Those that are recruited into being Kokolny seem to come from a variety of professional backgrounds, although a great many seem to have military, or criminal related backgrounds.
Many are believed to be criminals, as there are many reports of prison complexes, and gulag-ships transporting penal regiments around the Imperium having been attacked, and prisoners taken. 
Whether this is related to the Children of Armok or not is impossible to tell, but with so many of the captured or killed agents believed to be Kokolny having their DNA samples match known fugitive criminals, it seems a possible that the Children were involved. The implications of such a theory however, beggar belief, and in this light it seems implausible there is a link, yet when one delves through the scant available evidence, one cannot miss the potential link, although it would seem to be little more than a conspiracy theory to all but those convinced of the Children's guilt.


What missions exactly the Kokolny undertake are purely speculative, as any that have been captured and suspected of being Kokolny have never said a word to authorities, and have most peculiarly, had their minds wiped of their original identities, and seemed to be shielded from all casual mind-probing, only the most thorough of searches yielding anything relevant, most of this ,. 

The mind shielding is most telling, as it indicates some form of mind reprogramming by a powerful psyker, which would presumably be far beyond the resources of any criminal organisation. However, shortly before publishing this report, in a small system near to the deathworld of Catachan, a criminal organisation operating out of the jungles of their own deathworld had a powerful psyker in their midst, blanking and shielding the minds of all the members of the organisation, so that they would never inform on their criminal brethren's operations. This would seem to prove it is within the capabilities of even a small criminal organisation, yet this could be yet another layer to the deception the Children would have us believe is the truth. 


Most criminals believed to be Kokolny that are captured, yield very little to interrogation and mind probing, what we can ascertain is that they are highly trained, fanatically loyal, conditioned to withstand torture and interrogation, and rarely have any knowledge about other operatives or their masters. 
Thus, with no evidence of who they work for or what their purpose is, the whole 'Kokolny' theory of the Children of Armok, is just that. A theory.

Worthy of note however, and the one thing that brings the whole theory to a close in a typical fashion, is that all those captured that were believed to be Kokolny, have been rescued and take away by unknown forces, usually by force, although sometimes through bluff and disguise.

This consistent recovery of suspected operatives makes one wonder if the Kokolny, if they exist as we believe them to, are a valuable member of the Children's legion, or a disposable asset.  


++ End of Report ++


'''Meta-notes:'''

The Kokolny are recruited from all over the Imperium - they are always individuals who have displayed some level of talent in a field related to espionage or assassination, or have an unusual skill or knowledge that cannot be easily found at their level. 
They are looked after and trained heavily by the Children, and do the things the Children cannot do, such as infiltrate organisations, and blend into crowded places. 
However, they are still used in ruthlessly measured ways, and Kokolny agents are not expected to survive for more than a decade, though many still do - it all depends on how active the sector they operate in is. 

They are often criminals or soldiers, but anyone with the talents or position the Children deem relevant for their operations are taken. 
Not all Kokolny survive the recruitment process and training, as it is quite rigourous, especially the torture and interrogation resistance training. 
But those that survive are highly skilled, highly motivated operatives. 

The Kokolny agents skills and insights are recorded and anything new that they share is passed onto the rest of the Children legion, to further train Legion marines and Kokolny alike.

== [WIP] Legion Command Hierarchy==

++ Report Request Pending... ++

++ Alpha Omega Clearance Required. ++

++ Clearance Challenge: Recognised. ++

++ Clearance Level: Alpha Omega. ++

++ Report Request Accepted. ++

++ Subject: Children of Armok. ++

++ Topic: Legion Command Hierarchy. ++

++ Authored by: Imperialis Logistica Corpus Logistician, Merlynn Xavius. ++

++ Accessing// ++

Foreword: 
This was the hardest part of my report, as there is a veritable Logistica Librarium aisle just for reports and observations on the XIII Legion's apparent Command Structure. Thus the following can, at best, be only a theoretical guideline; There is simply too much conflicting evidence to draw any true pattern from. 

Much of the information that I speak with confidence on, is only due to the insights and evidence gathered by Inquisitor Enoch Vestin, who has invested vast quantities of his time and power into investigating the Children's nebulous forms and elusive leaders. 
And it should be noted that, even Inquisitor Vestin is careful to add caveats to what he knows, but here I will take liberties with what he says, as his knowledge and insight is vastly superior to my own on this subject.

++

[[File:Children1.png|300px|thumb|The Children of Armok's chain of command.]]

The Children of Armok seem to have an endless repertoire of command structures and various forms of complex hierarchies. However, based on the average, deduced from hundreds of reports, they have at least 2 main separate Chains of Command, either of which may be the real one, if they do only have the one. 
One we will call the 'official' hierarchy, recorded by the Logista Corpus and datalooms, which is of an uniform nature with the standard structure used by most legions. And another, that we will refer to as the 'unofficial' hierarchy, this being a far more complex structure, on a record authored by Inquisitor Vestin's former master, Inquisitor Harlon Zaros, before the Inquisitor was stranded in the warp. 
This record, though badly damaged in many places did survived, and gives those who can read between the bursts of static and harrowing screaming, a valuable insight into the possible inner workings of the Children of Armok.  
Though the single reference to a ''Group 13'' is quite perplexing.

Leadership has been observed as being selected on a case-by-case basis, often given to the Marine with the most experience in the relevant field. This leads to strange phenomenon, whereby lower ranking officers are able to outrank their superiors as their expertise is deferred to in situations that are appropriate to it.

To hold any officer role in the Children a marine must have served in a minimum number of campaigns, having served in each area of the legions roles, and have experience relevant to the operation the marine is assigned to, ie having the most experience in guerrilla operations, will likely mean you are in command of guerrilla operations the next time they are needed. 
This has 2 main ramifications for the Children:

Firstly, their leaders are experienced and tested individuals, who have proven their talents, and thus have the utmost respect and loyalty of the men under their command. This is why the sergeants insignia is that of a veteran. 

Secondly, the average experience of the average squad member is far higher than most, due to the fact that so many marines rotate through different roles as they survive campaigns, and continue this rotation through specialist roles, while only a relative handful of leadership roles are available. Leaving the average XIIIth Legionnaire skilled in all roles, if not an expert in one, which is often the case. This broad experience base is useful for a Marine, allowing them to maintain an understanding of the ever-changing strategy and tactics of the Children.


==The Children of Armok and their Dual Loyalty==

[CURRENT WIP]

This will detail how the Children are able to maintain their double agent position in the loyalists camp, while being a traitor legion, and how they work on the Traitors side of the divide. 

Pending relocation to a more suitable heading/section of this wiki page.

Naturally inclined towards deception and duplicity, the Children of Armok felt at home living double lives, so after Hektor failed the Children adapted to the post Heresy status quo, slipping naturally into the double agent role within the Imperium.
However, this was not a normal situation for the Children to adapt to; the Heresy had just been fought and won by the loyalists, with tensions and emotions still running high, suspicion and distrust was rife.


Just prior to Aubrey revealing himself as a traitor at the culling of the Gorgers etc, Uriel warns the Imperium of the treachery, partly to maintain their cover, and partly to have all eyes be on Aubrey, and away from Uriel and Hektor. 

Uriel continues this calculated revealing of the Traitors plans, sometimes in a way that means the loyalists win at the expense of another Traitor legion - Uriel thinking nothing of selling out an asset to keep his larger game of duplicity going. 

Paramar is set up, as far as the loyalists are concerned, Uriel warns that Hektor will attack Paramar, and sets off to protect it. Once there he is besieged and assaulted by the Traitors, sustaining heavy casualties in the process - this is not what really happens however, the Children gifting the world to Hektor and staging a fight, having their "casualties" repaint their armour in the colours of the Heralds and Zealots, so that they may hide in plain sight, and continue their operations on the Traitor side of the civil war. 
Having "fought and died" for the Imperium, some of the suspicion is averted, all witnesses on Paramar having been killed by the Children or the Traitors.  
 
Various small battalions of the XIIIth Legion that were scattered across the Imperium on their assigned missions were now ordered to find the nearest loyalist legion, and pitch in to help - Uriel making a lot of use from the legions loyalists, kept in the dark about the Childrens fall by exploiting the one way information chain that a cell-structure organisation allows, and keeping them busy out of the reach of the main legion.

For the rest of the Heresy, the XIIIth are largely out of reach of all the major events, only present in small numbers. 
Their intelligence helping in places, and harming in others - a picture of the XIIIth being outsmarted by Hektor becoming a popular take on the legions involvement among much of the Imperial leadership. 

Uriel and Hektor have a small disagreement over strategy when the Traitors reach the Sol System leads to Uriel not warning Hektor about the approaching 3 loyalist legions, the Void Angels, Silver Cataphracts, and Steel Marshals until it was too late. (Uriel cautioning Hektor to wait and build up strength before taking Terra, Hektor stubbornly sticking to his unforgiving and relentless attack philosophy.

Post-Heresy, Gaspard Lumey investigates the XIIIth personally, but due to careful manipulation, doctoring of evidence, and careful blackmail, assassination, and coercion of witnesses, the Children are found to be innocent of any actual wrong doing, although come out of the investigation looking to be incompetent and uncoordinated - something very far from the truth. Uriel leads Lumey to this conclusion of incompetency as a means of getting Lumey off of his back - operating on the assumption that the investigation needs to find something or the Children would look "too clean" in the investigation. 


After the legion is broken down into Chapters, it continues to operate as it did before, just now in slightly smaller organisational formations than they used to operate.
Counter-intelligence becomes paramount, with all information about the Legion controlled and obscured. 
Due to the distrust towards Space Marines, the legion is forced to make even greater use of its Kokolny agents than before.
Generally, the legion will mainly pursue Xenos threats, leaving the Chaos side warband that split off at Paramar, and Group 13, to do the dirty work on the Imperium itself. Although, the Children and their successors still occasionally will be involved in deniable operations, due to the increased scrutiny they are under, especially from certain Inquisitorial factions, these types of operations are eschewed to maintain a more codex image.

=Legion Combat Doctrine=

Strategically, the Children are generalists, able to operate under any normal circumstances like any other legion can. But the Children's strength and main means of operating comes from their use of stealthy and rapid tactical assaults mixed with their long term strategic insurgencies and counter-insurgencies to weaken and manipulate their foes.
They also make extensive use of espionage and political intrigue to cause confusion, and remove their enemies ability and will to fight, with the added benefit of often turning the enemy on itself with mutinies and rebellions.  

Atypically to many legions, the Children always look for ways to minimize the fighting needed, by exploiting local politics, blackmailing targets, and using diplomacy to make their foes surrender or fall into line with the Imperial way. 
With xenos the Children often force them to leave through violence and coercion, or more commonly lull them into thinking they are at peace with the Imperials, before mounting a mass of attacks to prevent any concentrated retaliation from occurring, then mopping up the remnants.

They also are very skilled at manipulating friends and foes alike into achieving the Childrens aims for them, without the Children having had to fire a shot, or be directly involved. 
In the Great Crusade, the Children, using their dispersed operational breakdown, would often work in conjunction with other legions, playing the 'good cop', willing to talk and peacefully bring the non-imperial worlds into line, leveraging themselves against the violent and unforgiving 'bad cop' of the other legions. 

Of course, the Children were actually using their diplomatic position to spy on the worlds and empires in question, and undertook clandestine raids and attacks on the worlds in question, weakening their means of detection, communication and defense, allowing the space marine legion they were working with at the time to attack with the minimum of resistance.
Just prior to the 'Bad Cops' assault, the Children would launch widespread tactical operations on key locations and routes, so that the other legion could land and go about the fighting with a minimum of fuss. 

Most notably, the Core Worlds were brought into line with this 'good cop/bad cop' strategy, with the Children working closely with the Void Angels - the terror tactics playing perfectly into the bad cop role, and allowing the Children to seem all the more reasonable and welcoming to deal with. In fact most of the Children's covert raids and insurgency tactics in the Core Worlds were blamed on the Void Angels by the victims, even though the Imperium itself knew better.



As for tactics, the Children are urban specialists. No other legion understands how to fight in cities as the Children do, having honed their skills over the centuries to incredibly scary levels. 
Its easy to contain situations the terrain does it for you. 
Cities are also closely linked with espionage, on account of most political and economic centers being located in cities.

The Children excel at contained tactical assaults - small, fast and very technical raids on well investigated targets, with a very specific goal. They get in fast, always using the element of surprise, and hit hard, grab/shoot/destroy the target, and get out before any response can be mounted.
These raids always have a secure perimeter established, to contain any enemies/witnesses trying to escape, and reinforcements from getting in.
(They operate like Swat or Counter-terrorists would do in a urban environment)

The Children also regularly make use of insurgency and counter insurgency tactics. Long, long campaigns aimed at destabilising the local status-quo through eroding their enemies public support, and using local media, and hearts-and-minds campaigns to win over the locals, and get them to provide assistance to the Children's operations. Then establishing pro-imperial (pro-Children) leaders in the chaos.
They also excel at dealing with insurgencies, using their expertise, espionage skills and establish intelligence networks to root out cultists and insurgents and deal with them as the Children see fit.



The Group 13 branch of the Children of Armok undertake missions that cannot ever be linked back to the Children. They undertake assassinations, black flag operations (even sometimes against the Children themselves), kidnappings and capturing, and long term infiltration based raids, where the marines have to remain isolated behind enemy lines for incredibly long periods of time while still operating. As such, Group 13 is trained in all Imperial weapons, and many common non-imperial weapons, so as to keep them fighting when they run out of ammo for conventional space marine weaponry.

=Legion Beliefs=
'''The Prank, and Sense of Humour.'''

'''Infiltration Dares and One-Upsmanship'''

'''Secret Societies and Brotherhoods'''

the belief and ingrained sense of unity and group initiative - everyone is included in planning, weighing in there own observations and experiences to the plan - even if the final decision is that of the highest ranking officer, ever had a chance to have their say. In this everyone is included in the plan, and has an idea of the bigger picture, allowing individual units to make judgement calls on events as they unfold, thus allowing them to react in a way that improves the strategic situation for the Children in the bigger picture.

Of course, with the Children it could never be that simple, and the intelligence supplied to the Children's units is always exactly what they needed to know, and little more. It wouldn't be surprising to discover that the Children's predilection for deception extends to their own units, who are fed lies to make them act in the desired manner, but this is just conjecture, as everything about the Children is suspect of being a fabrication.
This seems to be tacitly understood by the Children, who follow their commanders regardless of any real or perceived duplicity; perhaps they do this through their ingrained sense of unified action, or maybe they are just fanatically loyal to Uriel, and the Children's cause, whatever it may be.

==The Eldar Connection==

The legions bitter hatred for/rivarly with the Eldar.

Seeing them as the Imperiums more dangerous threat due to all the manipulation they do, using orks etc as pawns. 
The Children seek to challenge them, starting (from the Childrens POV at least) a galactic war, akin to Regicide.

Black Library heard about through interrogation after the Childrens regular combats with the Eldar yielded prisoners. One being a farseer or harlequin? Or just a normal eldar ranger who has heard of the BL but knows very little else.

=Legion Gene-Seed=

=Notable Children Of Armok Legionaries=
'''Artyem Bezhryukov'''
-----
[[File:ArtyemBezhryukov.jpg|300px|thumb|Artyem Bezhryukov in Group 13 colours]]
After Uriel himself, Artyem Bezhryukov is perhaps the most important individual in the XIII Legion. Artyem is one of the various Equerry's Uriel uses, and a member of the Circle. Not an original Legion member, having been recruited after Uriel was discovered, Artyem rose up the ranks quickly, spending time as both an ICO and CIO officer, before being given his own battalion to command. After being identified by an Insidiator for his skillset, Artyem was recruited into Group 13, and later became an Insidiator himself. Artyem now officially operates as Uriel's Equerry, and is the most politically powerful man in the legion.

Artyem Bezhryukov is not his real name. 


'''Ignacy Gagarin'''
-----
A quiet, incredibly observant, and surgically precise member of Uriel's Circle. A former Emissarius to the Iron Rangers Legion, Gagarin acquired many of their mannerisms, and retained them when he returned to the XIIIth Legion. 
Smaller in stature than the other Astartes members of the Circle, Gagarin is respected for his stealth abilities, which are second to none in the legion, and among the best the Imperium has to offer, although he never did manage to reach the levels the Iron Rangers achieved. 
He lead a battalion usually put on Guerrilla and Counter-Intelligence Operations, and is often used as the master of assassins inside the Circle, and as such has a close working relationship with the Group 13 Commander, and the Kokolny.
He masterminded the Purge of the Children of Armok's loyalists who were too close to the truth, with only Balotin managing to elude the trap Gagarin had set the Group 13 commander to lay out, before Gagarin caught up with Balotin himself, killing the latter on Uriel's direct orders. 


'''Arkady Balotin'''
-----
[[File:Balotin A.jpg|300px|thumb|Arkady Balotin]]
Affable, and balanced commander of the 2nd battalion 1st chapter. 
Arkady Balotin had a bright future ahead of him in the Children of Armok, having been put on the fast track to Chapter Master, there were even rumours of him being groomed to join Uriels Circle. 
He was one of the legions brightest stars, there were rumours in the upper echelons, that pointed out how like the primarch Balotin was, he was nicknamed 'little-Uriel'. One thing was certain - everyone liked Balotin.
However, Balotin was a loyalist, and as an influential loyalist, he and some of his men become targets of the XIIIths limited Purging.
Balotin survives, with help from his first sergeant, Faulkner, who sacrifices his life so that Balotin could escape and warn the Loyalists of the treachery of the XIIIth Legion. 
Balotin escapes on a ship and heads for Terra, evading Group 13 hit squads that pursue him the entire way.
His story ends however, when Ignacy Gagarin, Uriels assassin, catches up with Balotin, just as he had reached the Sol system.
There, in the small ship Balotin had escaped on, a ship he had evaded and eluded capture or death for so long, Balotin was slain by Gagarin on Uriels orders.

His death however, was not totally in vain. His body was found, under mysterious circumstances, the ship drifting lifelessly in space. 
This piqued the interest of one member of the newly formed Inquisition, who began a private investigation into the death of Balotin, an investigation that would evolve and expand to become a very serious threat in the XIIIth Legions games of duplicity.


'''Ozihel Faulken'''
-----
The most balanced member of Uriel's Circle, and the one whose role it was to find any problems in every proposed action by the Legion, from political and strategic, to those of public image and tone. 
Ozihel spent time rotating between a CIO, PO2, and ICO rank, before he was assigned to the XVIII Legion as an Emissarius.
In the company of Darius and the Sand Keepers, Ozihel's level-headed nature and keen analytical mind earned Darius' respect, causing the primarch to recommended that Uriel keep an eye on Ozihel, as he clearly was a useful and wise council to have for any commander. 
After returning from the XVIII Legion, Ozihel was promoted into the rank of Battalion Commander, where he acquitted himself with consummate skill. 
Eventually he was elevated to Chapter Master of the 11th, and was inducted into the Circle, becoming a highly respected judge of people and their likely reactions.


'''Oskarr Reinhardt'''
-----
Oskarr is the most straightforward of the Circle, and the most atypical of the rest of the Children.
One of few surviving members of the XIII Legion's Sacred Band, Oskarr is one of the oldest and largest marines in the legion, and has imitated Uriel as a body double before, but he lacks the tact and diplomacy of his master and fellow brethren. 
Instead his skills lie in tactical and strategic matters, Oskarr could have written the book on battlefield tricks, and despite being quite old by marine standards, he could still use that book to beat them over the head with. Oskarr is one of the original members of the XIIIth Legion, rising from trooper to Chapter Master of the 2nd; if anyone has seen it all, it's Oskarr. 
He did a stint with the Bulwark as their Legion Emissarius. He acquitted himself so well while with them, that they gifted him a large tower storm shield when he left to return to the XIIIth.
He also wields a halberd with an inbuilt bolter, not unlike the weapon a Custodes uses. 


'''Lucius Harrow'''
-----
Lucius Harrow is the most ambiguous member of the Circle; the best Insidiator in the legion, very little is known of him, or his origins in the XIII Legion, perhaps only known to Uriel himself.
He is also the most liked of the Circle, due to his unpredictable and fearless nature as a prankster.
He is roguish and charming, but like Uriel there is a predatory intelligence behind his appraising eyes. 
Despite being an Insidiator, Harrow spends a large amount of his time shadowing his Primarch, possibly working as a kind of left hand man, or champion for Uriel; Where Artyem is Uriel's Equerry, Harrow is Uriel's dirty work guy, pursuing the things of highest importance. 
Harrow has Psyker abilties, at an unknown Psyker-grade. 
Like Artyem, Lucius Harrow is not his real name. 


==Non-Astartes Notables==
'''Annastasya Key'''
-----
A former Reclusiam Student turned Hiveworld Gangleader, Annastasya Key is one of the most important people in the Children, even though she is just a regular human; despite not even being a Kokolny, Anastasya is even part of Uriel's Circle. 
Anastasya is in charge of the XIIIth Legions Imperial interactions: any interaction with the Imperial Army, Adeptus Mechanicum, Remembrancers, etc all go through Annastasya as the primary medium. 
She was recruited by Uriel personally, after Harrow discovered her while on an operation that took him into the Hives of Malekkai VIII, where he worked alongside her briefly, allowing her to prove her skills in espionage, politics, and people management to him. 
Her networks ranging across several hives, her influence running from the Underhives to the top of one of the spires, and she hadn't even hit her 20th Terran Year. Uriel was immediately impressed by Annastasya, and hired her upon their first meeting. 
Having her trained by various people, including Harrow, Faulken, and Uriel himself, bringing her already notable talents up to incredible levels. 


'''Liev Sparatin'''
-----
Leader of the Kokolny, and member of the Circle. One of the first to become a human operative since Uriel was reunited with his legion.
He was a former violent criminal in a penal-legion, and before that a space faring mercenary who ended up running his own mercenary group before being caught by an Imperial Army fleet coming out of warp travel. 
He was broken out of the maximum security prison ship the penal legion traveled in by an Insidiator, with a group of other violent convicts, and recruited into the Children in the first draft of the newly formed 'Kokolny' an old Perfidian word for 'puppet'.

'''Donovan Speer'''
-----
One of the best operatives, recruited post-heresy. What he lacks in diplomatic skill, he more than makes up for in intelligence gathering, quick wits, and intimidation. A former Inquisitorial henchman/thug, who killed his own father, and managed to get the local Custodes leaders under his thumb through blackmail and coercion.

=Legion Fleet=
As for fleet strengths, the Children of Armok Legion was known to possess a very extensive and diverse fleet, although having less heavy capital ships and planetary siege craft in comparison to many other Legions.
The main strength of the XIII Legion's fleets then was found in a plethora of different intermediate and light vessels, with range and speed being their primary focus, requiring these capabilities due to the extended distances their networks and missions presumably extend. To this end, they make a lot of use of Vanguard variant Strike Cruisers, as well as Dauntless-class Light Cruisers, Exorcist-class Grand Cruisers, Nemesis-class Fleet Carriers, and Devastation-class Cruisers.
The Children seem to favour boarding actions over full-on fleet based combat, but they do not shy from the latter, the concepts Uriel learned in regicide translating well into his understanding of timing, fields of fire, positioning, and maneuver in void battles. 

The Children were also ''suspected'' of utilising a number of captured xenos  and non-imperial vessels, and indeed sometimes incorporating xenos and non-imperial technology into their warship designs –- a practice strictly forbidden without the sanction of the Mechanicum - but given the Legion's frequent activities far beyond the Imperium's borders and its hidden strengths and bases of operation, such suspicions are next to impossible to prove, if indeed such suspicions are are not just misinformation originating from the Children themselves.

At the beginning of the Heresy, the Children of Armok are ''believed'' to have had:

1 Gloriana-class Flagship (possibly 2)

~50 Battleships

~450 Cruisers

~710 Escorts

These fleet numbers do not include the Imperial Army and Navy vessels requisitioned to the XIIIth Legions command.



===Notable Vessels===
''' ''Perfidus Iter''- Gloriana class Battleship '''

'''Captain:''' listed as Sidor Ivanov (believed to be a fake name)

Believed to be Uriel's Flagship since his reunification with the Children. Often confused (possibly intentionally) with the other believed Flagship of the same class, ''Eris''. It is a contradiction, a vessel stripped down so that nothing remains that does not serve a useful purpose. Yet, everything that does remain is often lavish and of erudite taste and quality, creating a strange dichotomy of purpose and aesthetic.


''' ''Eris''- Gloriana class Battleship ''' 

'''Captain:''' listed as Ivan Sidorov

Identical to ''Perfidus Iter'' in every way, down to the smallest detail. 
It is believed to have been used as Uriel's Flagship more than once. Many observers have theorised that both ships are indeed the same, with the name and call signs somehow being changed, while others claim that they are indeed two separate ships, and the Children are simply playing mind games, although where they acquired the second ship is never explained. 
It is officially believed to be the same ship, as there have never been reports of 2 such vessels existing at the same time, although, there is one report of the ships showing up in 2 different sectors, although one may have been misidentified. There are many reports of the ships name and callsign changing midway through campaigns however.


''' ''Champion of Uraboros/Uraboros Aeternum''- Strike Cruiser '''
 
'''Captain:''' Algurnon Krieger

Linked with many major operations the Children have been a part of, seeing service since the XIII Legion left Sol. It was crippled beyond repair at Paramar, but it's parts were taken and rebuilt by the Mechanicum, being renamed Uraboros Aeternum. 
Despite it's active status, there have been many conflicting reports that have all stated that this ship has either been lost to the warp, destroyed by Tyranids, Necrons, Orks, or Eldar, and even one report claiming that the crew were all Traitor Legionnaires.   


''' ''Child of Armok'' - Strike Cruiser '''

'''Captain:''' listed as various.

This ship is shrouded in mystery, and many have claimed that the Children simply name one ship in every fleet division Child of Armok, as reports have a Strike Cruiser named Child of Armok appearing in over 30 different locations around the Imperium, in a time-frame that would make it impossible for the ship to physically travel those distances. Those more inclined toward evidence-less theories, have claimed that ''Child of Armok'' '''is''' the same ship, fitted with Xenos technology, allowing it to travel far further and significantly faster than any Imperial ship is capable of.


''' ''Qarin''- Battle Barge ''' 

'''Captain:''' Zachary Coreyeuses 

Destroyed in the fleet combat preceding the ''Battle for the Arcus Cluster'' during M41. In it's first ever battle, it sacrificed itself to ensure it could destroy a Tyranid Hive Ship, boarding it, and deploying all manner of unorthodox tactics to ensure that when they detonated the Exterminatus Bombs on the ''Qarin'', the Hive ship would be utterly destroyed. 
Of the few reports extant of this battle, everything from simple plasteel cable harpoons, to phosphex bombs were used to rip the Tyranid ship apart.

=Legion Appearance and Equipment=

At a strategic level the XIII Legion goes to great lengths to maintain a wide spectrum of military assets and capacities, its dedication to flexibility ensuring it was as capable in any eventuality, even though it would never operate outside of the legions preferred strategies, in situations where they had a choice. This mentality of being prepared for every eventuality was drilled into the Children by Uriel, but seems to have had some limited basis in the XIII legions operational ethos previous to being reunited with their primarch.

It was supported in maintaining these abilities by the legions voracious demand for, and questionable acquisition of matèriel, particularly supplied by Forge Worlds such as Ismazh, Degharon, Hohenzolle, and Behn-Gal - with some of these treaties of provender brokered directly by Uriel himself. 

These arrangements do not, however, account for the full scope of the XIII Legion's observed armouries and arsenals, particularly their observed acquisition of rare and specialised war gear only manufactured by the armouries of certain Legions and never released to others, or not yet issued outside of close prototype deployments. How they acquire these otherwise restricted items is up for speculation. 

A case in point is the evidence of the Children's access to a version of Mark VI Corvus Pattern Power Armour, not then in general circulation among the Legiones Astartes, as early as the Drop Site Massacre and the First Battle of Paramar. 
Later battlefield recovery and analysis of this so-called "Armok pattern-Corvus" armour shows it in fact to be a unique variant of the Mark VI suit likely developed separately from an early prototype of unknown manufacture. This suggests that the Children may have acquired incomplete schematics by covert means early in the project's life and chosen to develop it on their own without recourse to the Mechanicum. 

It has been surmised that long before the Hektor Heresy was to tear the Imperium asunder, the Children of Armok had sought to secure its own extensive facilities of manufacture and positioned numerous hidden supply outposts and arms caches, both within Imperial space and beyond it, the full extent of which will never be known. 

Another mysterious development observed by Loyalist Space Marines forces at Istvaan V and elsewhere, //???// were Banestrike Bolter rounds. These mysterious variant bolt shells, believed to have been designed in secret within the armouries of the Children of Armok long before the outbreak of the Hektor Heresy, had it seems a sole purpose; to breach the ceramite Power Armour of Space Marines. 

Used openly for the first time at the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V //???//, their dense explosive cores and firing stresses reduced their range and would quickly degrade the firing weapon, but their effect against fellow Astartes was frightening.
It is perhaps unfortunate that the Children were not present at Terra, as such rounds made available to the defenders, could have changed the course of the Heresy. 


==Legion Equipment==
In terms of access to wargear and vehicles, the XIIIth Legion seem to have been formidably equipped. Again, true estimates are difficult to arrive at, but most pictorial and second party reports show the XIIIth Legion as possessing extensive access to the most modern forms of Legiones Astartes equipment, not limited to new power armour, the Sicaran Battle Tank and their sub-types as well as extensive stocks of plasma and melta weaponry, and specialised munitions unknown outside the Legion. 

The Children of Armok have been observed to make use of all weapons available to them, seeming to hold a firm belief in adapting to changing circumstances, and as such seem to have no predisposition to any one weapon. With vehicles and equipment however, the Children are pragmatic; they may have something, but this does not mean they will use it. 
For example, the significant number of Sicaran Battle Tanks they possess only get used when the situation requires that, which given the XIIIth Legion's preferred methods of combat, means that this isn't often.
 
They do however have a predisposition to specific patterns of weapons and equipment. The Children use a custom pattern Bolter: the Grizwold-pattern Bolter.
The magazine lies flat along the top of the Bolter, with the whole weapon coming together into a lightweight bullpup system, designed to be compact and versatile. This is believed to have been developed for urban combat specifically, as it is well suited to their city-fighting predisposition, and the close confines that terrain offers.
It has been observed to be fitted with suppressed extended barrels, seem to often use Metal Storm and Stalker silent rounds, are fitted with combat sights, and have been observed to also take under-slung attached weapons. 

The Children also make extensive use of Flash grenades, that emit a blinding set of flashes that disable and distract foes, as well as incapacitating gas grenades (like tear gas, but also mustard gas if necessary). 
Demolition charges are also common, which they normally have at least one marine from a squad carry on a mission.

In addition to the demolition charges, the Children use meltabombs, and breaching/directional charges for ambushes and for creating entrances into buildings where the enemy won't be guarding - especially useful in the brutal close quarters combat of city fighting, where every door and window can become a deadly killzone.

Each 'Body' division of the Children seems to have it's own individual armoury, giving them access to all the equipment they may need for any eventuality, suitable to their division size.

Group 13 has a large stockpile of non-imperial weaponry on top of their normal armoury, including various patterns of stubbers, autoweapons, xenos weaponry, and even some chemical weaponry. 
These non standard weapons are only used when deemed necessary, but also for training, as Group 13's deep infiltration missions often make resupply impossible, forcing the Group 13 marines to fight using whatever they can get their hands on. Also, when on black flag operations, they usually use non-imperial weapons, unless using imperial weapons serves a purpose.

All Children of Armok also go through extensive training in hand-to-hand fighting, deemed relevant due to the fact the Children often operate in close quarters, and often in the case of insurgencies, with limited supplies. 
Thus they are taught to use hand to hand fighting, as well as close combat using improvised and purpose-built weapons.
Their hand-to-hand fighting technique is utterly pragmatic, with a focus on disabling or killing the opponent as quickly and efficiently as possible. It also makes extensive use of the environment, and balance, often using a free hand to pull an enemy of balance, making it difficult for them to mount a proper defense or counter-attack. 
This technique is taught to the Kokolny and any of the Children's non-astartes agents for protection.

==Legion Colours==


[[File:ChildrenofArmok.jpg|200px|thumb]]



===The Colour of Deception===

==Legion Badge==

=Notable Successor Chapters, & The Serpents=

Due to the Children's unique position of being on both sides of the Heresy divide, they are forced to adhere to the Codex Astartes, and break down in chapters, but those on the Traitor side formed one coherent warband, the Children's ingrained tight-knit loyalty to the unit preventing them from too much splintering.
Of course, not basing themselves in the Eye of Terror helps too. 

==Successor Chapter 1==
==Successor Chapter 2==
==Brotherhood of Zeta==
'''Progenitor:''' Children of Armok

'''Force Strength:''' Unknown, believed to be over Codex strength

'''Status:''' Renegade


The Brotherhood of Zeta are a tale of caution to accompany the successes of the Children of Armok.
Mostly recruited from hive-gangers on Verdugo III, the Brotherhood were well suited to the strategic philosophies of the XIIIth Legion, namely those of secrecy, clandestine operation, and contained violence.
It is hard to tell if the Brotherhood turned their back on the Imperium because of their native culture, or if the XIIIth Legion's geneseed or methods are somehow inadvertantly responsible.
It has been officially recorded as an unfortunate mix of candidates whose internal morality was suspect, and the native culture of Verdugo III that when paired with the Children of Armok's methodologies and philosophies, resulted in the Brotherhoods fateful departure from the Imperium.


The culture of Verdugo is a perplexing to any non-native.
Religious corruption is very low, with Inquisitors repeatedly ruling it as safely within expected parameters, yet political corruption and bribery is part of the very structural organisation of the entire sub-sector.
Crime is rampant, yet the violence and overt negative impact is largely controlled, as officials from the governing bodies collect tax from the criminals, who are allowed to conduct their illicit business in peace so long as they don't disturb the peace too much themselves.


This creates a strange pyramid, whereby corruption and bribery grease the wheels of government, keeping the sub-sector economically efficient and politically stable through the proceeds of illegal as well as legal means.
It is from the criminal elements the majority of the Brotherhood of Zeta were recruited from, as violence in the sector is so low, and xenos threats largely unheard of.
Amid the hives, crimelords thrived, becoming captains of industry, running contraband into hives around the planet, and even off world, including supplying drugs to all levels of society, from the underhive to the highest spires.
These crimelords often compete over the most valuable real estate, from high-value extortion targets to smuggling corridors; all are fought over violently.


Why the Children of Armok picked such a world seems strange, yet some of the sector, and in one case, the segmentums biggest criminal problems, came from the planet of Verdugo. Furthermore, the Officio Assassinorum and various agents of the Inquisition seems to recruit from the sector, the violence and skills necessary for their work found in abundance among the criminals and Adeptus Arbites of the sector.
Regardless, the Brotherhood of Zeta's choice to 'go renegade', has had interesting implications for the Imperium, mainly due to the activities and skills the Brotherhood taken with it.


The Botherhood began their renegade-status by violently seizing control of the various criminal industries the Verdugo sub-sector plied; right from the start the Brotherhood sent a message that they were more than just corsairs and bandits.
With requisition flowing into their coffers, they Brotherhood began spreading their influence into neighbouring sectors, extorting planetary governors for highly-valuable resources they then sold on to unscrupulous rogue traders.


Whenever Imperial forces were marshalled against them, the Brotherhood would fight bloody insurgency wars, taking the skills they had gained via the XIIIth legions inter-Chapter training programs, and turning them into a criminal edge - the Brotherhood were more brutal, and more intimidating than just a bunch of corrupt and violent hive-gangers they had begun their lives as. They were Space Marines, and that meant they had significant military power.
Even if they were limited by the Codex, they wielded immense power locally, as the average sector was not cut out to defend against space marines, let alone a sector so far out to the borders of the galaxy.

To date, 2 crusades have been launched against the Brotherhood, but so far, despite both crusades showing great success, the Brotherhood of Zeta are still active and very much a problem.

==The Serpents==
[[File:Children_traitor.png|200px|thumb]]
The Traitor side warband of the Children of Armok.















placeholder text to anchor image

=Legion History=

==The Spectres==
the early XIIIth Legion and the XIIIth Sacred Band squad.


Proto- XIIIth Sacred Band squad

1 Marcellus Volker   

2 Oskarr Reinhardt    

3 Tobias Kastner    

4 Yevgenney Sparovich   

5 Ulysses Bohannon   

6 Elias Halder     

7 Pyotr Mishnin  

8 Yuri Orolov    

9 Duke Togo      

10 Konstantin Malakhov

==Shadow Wars==
The XIIIths part in the early, pre-Uriel days of the Great Crusade.
Great secrecy, and conspicuous lack of accountability. 
For the most part, no records exist of the XIIIth during this period.

==Integration and Deceit==
the arrival of Uriel, and the changes that brings to the XIIIth, including the end of the Spectres.

also amidst the rise of the Custodes, Assassinorum and other institutions.

Hijinks with the Sacred Band ensue

==Something Dark This Way Comes==
--working title--

Uriel's discovers the existence of a place called the Black Library, knowing little about it, except it's importance due to the secrecy surrounding it.

Uriel's discovery of Tzeentch and the other gods. 

And slowly but surely, Uriel drew his plans against us.

==The Fall==
Uriels's fall to chaos. And the purge that came with it.
The beginnings of the XIIIths moves to lay the foundations of the Heresy.

==Ouroboros Rises==
The operation begins

the XIIIth finish up their preparations for the Heresy, as they see it.

The turning of Aubrey and later others.

Some early opening clandestine actions against the Imperium, harking back to the days of the Spectres.
Rumours abound of the return of the Spectres.

==The Heresy==
The Heresy itself, and the Children of Armoks role in it, or lack thereof.

==Aftermath==
Post Heresy aftermath.

Investigation, Codex Integration, and embedding agents into the Administration. 


Also the Traitor side of things

and onwards into the far futuree

=Notable Campaigns=
===Metnav I===
++++

Metnav I 
Small number of Iron Rangers along for the ride

=Legion Relationships=
The other legions like the Children as they always say the right thing, and seem to be the reasonable neutral in personal/legion disputes between other primarchs/legions; but will quietly imply that they understand and agree with *your* side of the dispute, but of course they secretly imply this to everyone. 
They are also liked for their prankster and jovial nature. 

In fact, the prank is the oldest tradition in the Children, but since the fall the once innocent prank has become something far more sinister, with often lethal tricks played on unsuspecting rival legions and imperial forces in a never ending game of espionage one-upsmanship.

Uriel himself doesn't have true friends among the other Primarchs, to him they are just powerful assets. 

But that doesn't stop him, or his legion from enjoying themselves with the other Primarchs and Legions. 

Their constant ability to be incredibly useful, and their knack for politics and persuasion means even the Primarchs can't help but enjoy their company.


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[[Children of Astarot]]