Tiran Osoros

"Felling enemies is not the same as raising crops. It is not trading with the next tribe. It is neither raising families, building cities, nor dispensing supplies. Making war does not mean we are built to make peace. If we cannot learn to do this, we must make way for those who can."

Tiran Osoros
Title/Honours	The Rider, The Scale Bearer, Warlord of Gand Wanunlen, The Beastmaster
Discovered (world)	Solnhofen
Discovered (period)	c.859.M30
Legion	Seventeenth
Heraldry/Sigil
Unique Weapon	Power Mace "Thagomizer"
Distinguishing Traits	Close to his Legion, skilled with beasts, never forgot his roots
Flaws	Takes losses personally, closer to beasts than his own brothers, misfortunate, slow to process news
Fate	Dead, killed by Rogerius Merrill of the Iron Rangers early in the Heresy

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

History

Youth

When the genetor-pod fell to the surface of Solnhofen, landing in the jungle near the village of Gand Wanunlen, few could have guessed that the child within would grow up to unify the planet. An old hunter named Ayl Osoros found the child two days after he landed, first witnessing the strange ability of the young Primarch - his command over the great saurians of the jungles. Already, he had befriended a three-horned, white-scaled hatchling. For thirteen years, the boy grew without a name of his own, known only as Ayl's son. That all changed when he repelled an attack on the village's food stores by the carnivorous pack hunters called Tirans. Fighting alongside his animal companion, who he had come to name Keradops, or "Hard-Headed," he killed the pack's leaders and convinced the rest to stand down. In honor of his defeat and taming of these creatures, the boy was named after them.

It was at this time that Tiran reached an epiphane. Across the planet, men and beasts struggled to become dominant. Village warred with village, and men and beasts attacked each other for food and defense. Within himself was the key. He understood that the planet could be united, and none would starve or be wont for food or safety. To this end, Tiran taught his village to ride the beasts he commanded, and taught the beasts to take commands of a rider. When the time was right, the people of Gand Wanunlen struck out to unite the planet.

Tiran wanted no bloodshed. His march brought many tribes under his banners simply upon seeing his command over the beasts. Some saw this as an abomination or witchcraft, and they would fight to the bitter end. But always he tried to be peaceful about his conquest. He did not want to conquer, he longed to unite. In between his travels to villages and tribes, he would search for more Sors to be brought into his pack. As with the tribesmen, he would always attempt to use his gift to allow them to join peacefully, demonstrating the benefits of a relationship with man. Sometimes they would fight. Sometimes they would show submission. Sometimes Tiran would happen upon abandoned nests full of eggs, the mother or pack killed or destroyed. But they always grew in number.

The campaign lasted twelve long years. By the end of it, Tiran dwarfed any man brought before him. Keratops was a massive, armored beast, dwarfing the other Sors. Only one village remained, Larun Tya. The village was the largest he had encountered in his travels, made up purely of those who were against him and fled as far as they could. Though his force was massive, the Tyans were prepared to meet him. They were the last enemy, and though it weighed on his conscience, he understood that for his dream to be accomplished, they must be brought into his tribe by force or eliminated entirely.

As his army approached their final battle, great plumes of smoke and flame descended from the heavens, rivaling the stars in their brightness. As the great burning stars landed near Larun Tya, a group of massive men in strange armor stepped forth, flanking a man who dwarfed even them. Tiran found himself strangely drawn to this man, whose armor shone like the lightning and seemed harder than stone. Instructing Keradops to guard his army, the leader of Gand Wanunlen's grand force stepped onto the great starship. At the break of dawn, he returned, wielding a great mace and clad in armor of green and bronze colors. He explained to his people the revelations he recieved - that he had been created and chosen by a ruler of many men to conquer beyond these villages, but that he first had a job to finish on his homeworld. With the aid of the Sors, Tiran completed his conquest of Solnhofen within a year, having found evidence of other continents on the planet in Larun Tya itself. In doing so, he brought the world under proper Imperial rule, and was in turn united at last with his Legion. The Primarch of the Scale Bearers was truly home at last.

Tiran was quick to adjust to his position. He made it a point to learn every marine, from Chapter Masters to the freshest Neophyte. He treated his Legion as a large tribe. In between battles he would visit every galley he could. As he drank and ate with his men, his attitude became infectious. Like their Primarch, the Legion saw themselves as a force for unification, not for conquest. He would talk to them at length of his dreams of uniting man. Theirs was a force for peace. They did not fight for rite of conquest, honour, or glory. They fought for a day where fighting would no longer be necessary.

The Great Crusade

During the Great Crusade, Tiran adjusted easily to his Legion's role. The philosophy of his home planet's conquest carried over. The XVII Legion were not conquerors. They were there to unite. In some cases, this was achieved by their mere presence. In others, it required Tiran to meet and discuss with planetary leaders. In the remaining few, it required force. And the force of the Scale Bearers was devastating. Tiran led them on attack after attack, swiftly crushing planetary defenses and militias in quick and decisive battles. And as soon as a planet surrendered or accepted compliance, he was moving to the next.

He developed a deep hatred for the Orks. Their infestation of otherwise valuable planets was a thorn in his side, and their refusal to live in compliance with anything, even amongst themselves, created a deep-seated animosity in the Primarch. He would fervently attack any Orkish settlement as soon as he found one, and was known to drop everything to pursue a WAAAGH! in progress.

After the fall of Ullanor and Hektor's promotion to Warmaster, an urgent gathering of the War Council was assembled. In front of the collected Primarchs, a lone diplomat from Terra announced the War Council was to be dissolved. Leadership and major decisions were to be performed by the Council of Terra. The Warmaster was to keep his title and authority, but was still required to carry out the will of the Council. After a moment of stunned silence by the collected Primarchs, many acted out. Several yelled at the diplomat for wasting their time. Others viciously asked the purpose of such an idea. Some stayed quiet. Some argued that it was the Emperor's edict. As his brothers fought and argued, Tiran sat shocked at their reactions and behavior. Eventually he could take no more. The collected Primarchs slowly silenced and turned to him as he pounded his fist into the table in front of him. Many were shocked at the outburst of the normally agreeable Primarch. Once satisfied that his brothers gazed upon him, he stood and made his final statement in the War Council.

"I would like to start by thanking this man before us. He stands before what some may call demigods without armor or weapon to tell us this news. How many of you would do the same if we had to tell master of mankind he should not be conquering? This is courage. This is what drives man ever outwards. We are not the future. Men like this are. Many of you are confused and upset because you feel that we are being cast aside. I can only hope this is the case. It means our crusade is at an end! We are so close to uniting the last of the stars. When this is over, what will you do? Do you wish to rule? What right to you have to do so? Being scions of Emperor? Superior genetics? Strength of arms? Hyperintelligence and charisma? How does these things help a man who cannot feed his family? A farmer whose crops die in drought? We are ultimate weapons of humanity, no more. The greatest ever created, and superbly designed, but mere weapons nonetheless. We have no place in peace. Some of you fear for this day. I welcome it. When we are no longer needed, then humanity is truly king. We will be united. Our race will no longer fear the unknown, the xenos, the horrors of war. Children will never wont for food, and humanity will flourish. Perhaps you all should think on what to do in a world without war. Train your men to farm, to repair, to teach. Do not mistake this event for calamity, it is not. It is PROGRESS! And it shall be a better day when we shall be set aside. I know some of you still worry, but do not. We may be cast aside when we are successful, but our struggles, our losses, and our pain will NEVER be forgotten. With that, I thank you, and shall uphold the rulings of the Council of Terra."

The Hektor Heresy

As the Heresy broke out, Tiran was located in orbit around the planet Diamat whilst refitting and reassigning his marines. The XX Legion ambushed the fleet with their guard down, creating massive losses in the first salvo of combat. With his troops confused and disoriented, Tiran barely managed to cause them to regroup before fleeing into the warp. The short trip allowed them little leeway, as the enemy Legion found and renewed their attack shortly thereafter.

Tiran Osoros knew his fleet was in far worse shape than the Iron Rangers' fleet. He also knew that he stood a far better chance of defeating Primarch Merrill in ground combat, where he could bring strength, firepower, and Sors to bear, than in void warfare. He deployed to the moon below, ordering Brother Rychad Owain to take the fleet back to Loyalist Forgeworld Tigris and there attempt to repair and regroup. With Tiran was a large contingent Marines, led by his old friend Kratei Shias; a Company of Blackboot Riders with accompanying Sors; and a company of Battle-Bike Marines. They did not have long to wait, however, as the Iron Rangers' fleet arrived shortly and their Primarch, leading his Legion, made planetfall.

What unfolded over the next 12 hours was warfare at its most brutal. The Scale Bearers would ambush; the Iron Rangers would feint retreat and counter-ambush. Dozens of hand-to hand battles raged in the forests of Sorfall, each small group fighting to the last man against his foe. Primarch Tiran led several charges into the teeth of the enemy, taking wounds and losing Marines and Sors in the process. An assassin managed to get close enough to the Primarch to wound him grievously. Realizing the severity of the situation, Tiran led a handful of his most trusted warriors and charged the Iron Rangers' lines. The Traitor Marines fell back in an orderly fashion, opening a hole in their lines and allowing the Primarch to pass through. Primarch Merrill was waiting for him in a small clearing. The two finally faced in single combat. The fighting was so fierce that Marines of both Legions stopped to watch their gene-fathers fight to the death. Finally, Rogerius found an opening and drove the head of his broken spear into Tiran's skull. The elderly, enraged Keradops, seeing his master and oldest friend fall, rushed at the enemy with reckless abandon, felling dozens before finally being consumed in tank fire. The Iron Rangers fought what was left of the Scale Bearers, who, mad with grief and rage, sought to reclaim the body of their Primarch. The Traitor Legion departed Sorfall, leaving the remnants of the fallen Primarch's personal guard alone on the planet.

Post-Heresy

Ever since the Heresy, the Scale Bearers have been highly active in defending the Imperium from a number of threats, first and foremost the unending green tide of the Orks. Whenever the Iron Rangers have been found in realspace, the Scale Bearers and their successors have been known to deploy en masse to get revenge for their fallen Primarch. They have also seen limited deployment against a variety of other Xenos factions (including Eldar), and by the 41st Millenium have gained an intense dread of the all-devouring Tyranids - and not without cause, for the biology of the ever-important Sors could be disastrous in the hands of the Hive Mind.

The Second Founding saw several Successor Chapters formed from what was left of the Scale Bearers, including the Knights Saurian, Violet Serpents, and Ivory Lances.

Personality

He is friendly to all, human, marine, and Primarch alike. His even-tempered mannerisms may be considered weakness by some, but that and his stature belies a great strength and speed.

Appearance

Though Tiran is exceptionally short for a Primarch, standing a mere half-head taller than his marines, he is exceptionally bulky. He is dark-skinned, with his black hair tightly braided against his scalp in rows. He walks with a firm step, and seems perpetually ready to burst into a run or prepared to mount his Sor, Keradops.

Wargear

The Armor of Ankyros is a mighty suit of Power Armor. While perhaps not as ornamented as the armors of other Primarchs, the sturdy additional layer of plates on the back and the thickened ceramite make it extraordinarily difficult to pierce this shell. Preferring close combat where possible, Tiran Osoros wields the formidable Power Mace known as the Thagomizer. The Primarch's one concession to warfare in the 31st Millennium is a relic Plasma Pistol from the Dark Age of Technology. This incredible sidearm fires more powerful blasts than the standard Plasma gun, and is far less prone to overheating. As Tiran Osoros unified his planet he carried with him a stone knife, made by his own hand. Now this primitive blade, more accessory than weapon, sits on his belt as a reminder of who he is and where he comes from.