Lions Rampant

Lions Rampant
Battle Cry	For valor, strike swift!
Number	IX
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Primarch	Cromwald Walgrun
Homeworld	Sommesgard
Strength	120,000 at start of Heresy
Allegiance	Chaos
Colours	Red, Steel grey and White

This page details people, events, and organisations from The /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe.

The Lions Rampant once stood as stalwart defenders of mankind. Credited with brilliant leadership and numerous victories, their former glories are now forever stained by infamy. During the Hektor Heresy they cast their lot with the traitors rather than the Imperium, and are now among the greatest examples of the excesses of Chaos. Now they ride in an eternal quest to satisfy their dark master, the god of Chaos Slaanesh.

History of the Lions Rampant

Before the discover of Cromwald, the Lions Rampant were an understrength legion known as the Highland Raiders. They were tasked with subjugating worlds that refused overtures of peace, and as a result were often set against well prepared foes. They lacked glorious campaigns in their formative years, especially in the wake of legions more specialized, organized, or simply more brutal in their ways. It was not until the discovery of the lost primarch that they would be catapulted to the role of a vaunted vanguard, earning their name and place in the Great Crusade.

Culture

The Lions fall took a finely tuned, highly disciplined machine and set it to run amok in the galaxy. Before the embrace of chaos forever tainted the legion, it gained a reputation as a keen, strategically minded engine of war. They engaged their foes with an eye for delivering their strength to the correct place at the correct time to leverage the maximum effect on the enemy. Their forethought and strategic cunning led to numerous victories over numerically or technologically superior foes. To do so, they formed tactics and doctrine that manifested as a highly mobile, heavily mechanized legion. By rhino or land raider, thunderhawk or bike, the Lions would deliver swift, measured aggression to their foes where they are weakest.

Hailing from ignoble origins, the Lions Rampant became an esteemed legion amongst their peers. The return of their primarch injected noble blood into the legion, drawn from Sommesgard's military elite. Youths drawn from the armed forces across the planet brought the values of their homeworld, introducing the ideals of nobility, valor, and etiquette to the legion. The brotherhood became a refined organization, led by marines groomed to standards both in war and in matters of state.

This grooming of noble born recruits led to a sharp contrast in the ranks. The ranks of officers were swiftly filled by promising candidates from the noble children of Sommesgard. Each peer was given the best training the Lion could offer, and those who excelled would swiftly find themselves in command over their brothers. Terran-born marines endured the prejudice favoring their younger kin with the same thankless stoicism that they had held before Cromwald's return, knowing full well that the greatest leaders of the legion were still those most exceptional marines that had endured the crucible of war and been forged into a lethal instrument of the Primarch's will. This mixture of fresh blood and aged experience blended together to make a cadre of soldiers that were the face of the legion. Each was a highly educated, highly disciplined, well spoken man. As an officer such marines carried themselves to exacting standards, and would in turn act as liaison to the greater Imperium with measured words and sharp intellect.

Below the officer corps stood the rank and file. These warriors were the backbone of the Lions, and carried a far larger percentage of the original Highland Raiders among their number. The unflinching stoicism of the old guard met with the exuberance of the new blood to form a culture of resolve in the face of all the galaxy's horrors. While not held to the same standards of conduct as the officer corps, the rank and file mimicked the culture of appearances; each man felt duty bound to present a collected, controlled face to their peers. In battle this often would translate to channeling stress and suffering as righteous anger or disdain for the enemy, which acted as a focus for the marines to cleave to when fighting. To falter, despair, or demonstrate a breach in the mannerisms core to the Lions' creed is to invite shame from one's peers. Those marines who do so suffer under a terrible stigma, as they become marginalized by their brothers in arms for their inability to keep a grip upon themselves. Only a demonstration of true valor will overcome this stain on such a blighted marine's honor, and most who seek to absolve themselves die in the attempt. For those who do not strive to save face in the wake of such matters, all that lay ahead is an ignoble career with no hope for promotion or glory. Even the loftiest of officers can suffer so, as to prove less than unflinching in the face of the most terrifying of fates is to be stripped of command. There is no room among the Lions' elite for men who lack resolve.

While decorum is of tantamount importance to the Lions Rampant, it is not to say that as a legion they strictly cleave to a dour, restrained lifestyle. The men of legion IX adopt a "work hard, play hard" mentality toward their campaigns. In the halls of diplomacy and upon the field of battle they present the dignified front for the galaxy to see. Upon claiming victory over a foe, however, it is customary to celebrate the conclusion of hostilities. Here the legionaries and officers both demonstrate a hedonistic aspect that is otherwise kept very discreet. Among the rank and file feasting and revelry is commonplace, with wine, women and song being the order of the day. As they party as they once had as mortal men, the officers watch on, celebrating in a more refined (but no less indulgent) fashion among their own ranks. Field marshals and senior staff will often show solidarity with their men by joining the riotous celebrations for a brief appearance, but ultimately the segregation of the ranks is retained.

In this way the Lions Rampant have become something of a legend to the human auxilia they fight alongside. To the eyes of mortal men the marines of legion IX are the pinnacle of decorum, embodying the traits every soldier and gentleman aspires to be. Among nobles they are skilled hosts and capable courtiers; among soldiers they are bold, stalwart and able to relieve the psychological strain of war with rallying words and the time honored soldier's tradition of revelry. By both virtue and vice they are an example to the large auxilia forces that fight under their banner.

Recruitment

In the early days of the crusade, the Highland Raiders were drawn from the conquered warriors of northern Albyon and stretches of Franc. The men chosen to become astartes were selected on account of their hardiness and indomitable spirit. As part of the recruitment rites, applicants were subjected to numerous tests of will and fortitude by their people. These culminated in a sojourn across the wintry wastes of the Albyon highlands to the transports responsible for claiming the tithe of men. Only those who could brave the bitter cold and savage fauna to reach their new masters would become the Emperor's warriors.

The newly augmented marines then faced the crucible of war with only a basic indoctrination period. Training and discipline were instilled rapidly over a scant handful of years before feeding the men into the furnace of battle. This made for a high rate of attrition to the Raider's forces, but also forged a core body of seasoned warriors from those who endured, and reinforced the culture of unbreakable will and grim resolve.

With the coming of Cromwald, this practice changed dramatically. During the restructuring of the legion he shifted recruitment from the wastes of Terra to the now flourishing world of Sommesgard, and instated new methods of drawing troops from their human stock. At first, the mandate came that his marines would be built from the children of officers who served in the planetary defense corps, given their pedigree and training from youth. This worked for a time, but the needs of the crusade would mandate before the decade was out that more recruits be trained. So the edict was passed that all young men of viable age born to the military arm of the Lions' homeworld would be registered for conscription. Academies were raised to train the youth of the world to meet the needs of the legion; they offered education in tactics, sciences, humanities and the arts. These schools became some of the most prestigious institutions across the face of the planet, and acceptance was a high honor. They were expensive to enroll in, ensuring that most of the students held a pedigree own renown. These children were groomed to one day become leaders among Lions, serving to guide their brothers drawn from lesser classes by means of draft lotteries and mass conscription.

On the day of conscription, every prospective recruit faces his first taste of life among the Emperor's vanguard. The young men are grouped together and subjected to a week of constant trial, pitting them against their peers. Each group must complete several objectives, scattered across a broad stretch of land cultivated to be difficult to navigate, all while knowing that those who fail lose their chance to become space marines. Dubbed the Crucible, it weeds out those who lack the spirit to become more than men, and is judged by a panel of captains in command of the recruiting companies. They choose candidates to fill out fresh platoons to replace those already graduated to one of the crusading fleets using not the success of the mission as their measure, but of the performance of the men as they face a task meant to be nearly impossible. Those who falter, despair or break in the face of insurmountable odds are seldom given a chance to be any more than a legion serf or servitor. Meanwhile, those who exhibit fortitude of will, cunning, and an indomitable spirit are taken to the vast training grounds surrounding the legion fortress to begin their implantation and training.

Organizational Structure

The Lions Rampant form a legion that seldom fights as one. Instead, the legion is split into six divisions, each numbering over 20,000 marines apiece. These divisions are autonomous; each forms the heart of a crusade fleet with its own array of capital ships, logistical support, and administrative backing to prosecute protracted campaigns with little outside influence from the rest of the legion. These divisions are commanded from above by a dedicated headquarters battalion formed by the Primarch, his hand-picked advisors and his elite guard. This command group attaches itself to a division for a period of time (usually the length of a campaign), providing the host division with the Primarch's leadership and the might of most illustrious warriors the legion has to offer. For the duration of his presence, Cromwald commands the division directly. Once it is time to move on, the Field Marshal reclaims control over his men and returns the crusade under his own authority while the Sovereign departs for the next division in need of guidance.

Each division is further broken up into a quintet of brigades, which nominally number between 4-5 thousand marines. The first brigade is a dedicated heavy armor brigade, while the rest are predominantly infantry. Each brigade is then broken into multiple battalions of roughly a thousand marines, which are in turn broken into companies of one hundred, then sections of thirty, down to the base squads of ten men.

Aside from the segregation of armor in the legion organization, the Lions vary from their peers in the manner of their doctrine pertaining to close quarters engagements. Very few marines are equipped in the fashion of codex assault marines; jump packs are reserved for forward observation teams and reconnaissance elements. Lions' doctrine suggests instead that marines not hurl themselves into the guns of the enemy, and instead developed the concept of marines equipped for counter-assaults. Squads selected for this duty are armed with combat shields and blades to supplement their standard equipment. They form a reserve that is called into action in the face of an enemy assault. Should a foe brave the torrent of bolter fire and rush to close quarters, the reserve teams surge forward in a spearhead formation meant to check the enemy's momentum and shatter their cohesion.

Additionally, it is of great note that on each level of command there are multiple attachments to the unit headquarters that help expand upon its capabilities. Signals companies, medical units, librarian detachments and reconnaissance companies are often held separate from the standard organizational table, and regularly report directly to brigade or division command rather than following the conventional hierarchy. These forces are even further supplemented by maintenance and recovery units, auxilia forces and other assets that form the extensive infrastructure of war. Though each division on paper numbers roughly 25,000 marines, in practice this number is highly flexible and does not account for the small legion of serfs, technicians, servitors, orderlies, administrators and other necessary forces to ensure the engine of war is well maintained.

Fleet Assets

Given the legion's division of forces, the Lions Rampant maintain an extensive fleet to support their independent operations. The heart of this fleet is the Primarch's own flagship, the Gloriana class Indomitable Sovereign. This vessel is a highly modified warship rebuilt to Cromwald's tastes, with an emphasis on high-speed firepower. This ship is the heart of the primarch's personal fleet, surrounded by no less than ten other ships of the line and numerous escorts. Beneath this command fleet lay the numerous crusading fleets that fall under the Lion's authority. Each of these expeditions is built around a single division, borne on a fleet of between 10 to 20 ships of the line, and supported by assets from both the legion's fleet and the Imperial Army. Aboard the flagship vessel is the Master of Ships, an officer serving as a counterpart to the marshal in command of the division the fleet serves to transport.

Aside from the crusading fleets, the Lions possess one additional battlegroup: the Praetorian Flotilla. It is an honored collection of relic warships of all sizes and classifications. These venerable vessels stand vigil over Sommesgard and the legion's primary source of new men and materiel. While not as powerful as any of the expeditionary fleets, the numerous orbital fortresses, defense monitors, and other static engines of destruction give the Lions' homeworld a potent ward against enemy action.

At the onset of the Heresy, the combined force of the Lions Rampant fleet assets totaled over 90 capital ships, with an extensive number of escorts of cruiser class or lighter. Though outnumbered by the larger legions in terms of raw firepower, battlegroups under the Lions' banner form a highly mobile strike force that focus on outmaneuvering their enemies.

Exemplary Formations

Throughout the Crusade the marines of the Lions Rampant have earned countless battle honors. These merits, issued for valor and victory, have helped shape the name and legend of several formations within the legion.

The Lionhearts

The first brigade, third division have borne the title of their first and greatest lord marshal in the wake of the victory over the hulking Tsulkik xenos. When faced with the terrifying alien juggernauts, the lord marshal gathered his armored assets to meet the lumbering enemy armor on the field of battle. It was here that the first "Lancer" formation of vanquisher equipped predator and vindicator tanks was fielded. With mobility on their side, they harried the xeno war machines at extreme range, driving the enemy forces into disarray. What followed was a bold assault to finish the disorganized xeno armor, with the marshal's land raider "Indomitable" forming a mailed fist that hammered through the enemy guns. Lauded for their victory, the armored might of the 3rd division have since proven time and again that their courage will not be broken. Since the initial christening, the Lionhearts have refined the armored doctrine further. The Lancer formation now forms the backbone of their strength, with other patterns of tank supporting the vanquishers when enemy armor is engaged. Always the Lionhearts pursue aggressive, direct tactics; their penchant for focused aggression and dauntless courage continues under the command of marshal Basil Heart, who leads in the wake of his mentor.

The Duke's Own

Attached to the headquarters of 3rd brigade, 2nd division, the Duke's Own are a recon unit named for their parent vessel, the Duke Vanderoy. The marines of the brigade reconnaissance detachment are experts in their specialization; each is a veteran of numerous drops and an artist with the jump packs they take wing upon. Present for the scouring of the moons of Anhorath, they acted as the eyes and ears of a blinded brigade. Where auspex and augur arrays failed, they took flight and positioned precariously close to the enemy warrens where heathen men gathered in strength. Braving the threat of imminent death, they relied on visual signaling to coordinate legion artillery onto their own positions. They relied on their jump packs to escape to safety as the shells began to fall. This, among other operations, highlights the recon group as elite among their brethren and courageous to the point of insanity. Only volunteers are ever assigned to the team, and of those volunteers only those skilled in flight, evasion and gifted with preternatural situational awareness are gifted the wings upon their armor marking them as one of the Duke's Own.

Renowned Figures

The Sacred Band

Squad IX of the sacred band was chosen from the newly developed Highland Raiders, whose human stock had been drawn from the wastes of what had once been the western stretches of old Europe. They were a hardy group whose powers of endurance and stalwart hearts had made them excellent Astartes candidates. From this legion the ten marines chosen to join Hektor in his subjugation of the broad Merican wastes were not the strongest, the most skilled, or the greatest champions. Those men chosen to ride with the warmaster possessed a far greater quality: intellect and leadership. They were the best examples of scholarship and integrity, of cunning and of charisma necessary to spur their marines to ever greater feats of military excellence. When the legion reached for the stars at the onset of the Great Crusade, it would be under the command of the survivors of the band and wielding their tactics across the stars.

Eight of the ten survived to take the reigns of their legion. Of those eight, only six lived to see their primarch restored. Four of these six were given mastery over a division of the legion. The remaining pair would serve alongside the primarch as advisers and specialists whose talents and understanding would prove utterly invaluable.

1) Geoffrey Calisth - The Lionheart, a warrior whose aggressive tactics would help shape the core of the Lions armored might. Mentor to Basil Heart, who would succeed him. Died in battle as master of the 3rd division, leading the brigade that shared his title.

2) Callidan Taylor - Shrewd, cunning, and gifted in deception and subterfuge. His contributions would be marginalized in his later years as too underhanded and indirect. Slain in battle shortly before the discovery of their primarch.

3) Frederick of Lomstead - A simple, down to earth individual whose plain manner hides a very keen intellect. A good anchor for his peers, he was often chosen the broker of peace between astartes for his level head. Joined Cromwald's command company upon discovering the primarch.

4) Isaac Venetus - A tactician and capable fighter, he was renowned for his stubbornness and eye for positioning and deployment. A good shot with heavy weapons, he would go on to lead the 2nd division.

5) Ricard Leminway - An expert marksman with a cheerful demeanor, he never ceased to show pride at being chosen as one of the legions best and brightest. His jovial ways helped morale, as no horror of war ever seemed to phase him. Died on the crusade before Cromwald was found.

6) Russel Brennenburg - A heavyset, somber man who bore the names of slain brothers and battles branded upon his skin. He would never forget a defeat, and would avenge his fallen brothers as a grim reaper upon his enemies. Slain in the final days of Unification.

7) Carloff Everts - Faced with the wisdom and knowledge of the Warmaster, he demonstrated an insatiable craving for more. He threw himself at theory and was always keen to adapt his academic understanding of tactics to practical ends. Mastered the 6th division.

8) Vincent Klienes - Psychically gifted and in possession of an iron will, he was a noble soul who fought brilliantly no matter the danger. He would be the first and greatest of the legion's librarians, who proved a dauntless explorer of the powers he wielded and the source of their might.

9) The Bear - Drawn from an annexed barbarian tribe and uplifted to the Imperial Truth, Bear was a surprisingly intelligent man. Built like his namesake and possessing a fearsome nature, he would become a legend among his brothers as a champion, and master of the 4th division.

10) Gabriel Belimond - A moody, dark man whose even temper restrained a slowly smoldering rage within. Died during unification.

Victor Chesly of the Crusader Host

Chesly stands apart from his legion as a brave, loyal soul whose career remains untarnished by the stain on his legion's honor. He was an esteemed officer in the late years of the crusade given command of the 1st division. From this lofty position he was chosen to join the Emperor's side as one of the Crusader Host. Taken aback by the peerless honor such a position entailed, he humbly resigned his post as marshal and prepared himself for the long separation from his brethren.

Victor embodies the very best of his legion. (to be continued)

A Legion Fallen and Fragmented

The already divided organization of the Lions Rampant did little to prevent the splintering of the legion. Before his banishment to the warp, Cromwald maintained supreme control as the chosen of Slaanesh. Upon losing their leader, however, the Lions fragmented under lesser warlords. Their armies and warbands began to build their own infamy across the centuries.

The Tyrants Legion

Warriors of the Whispering Tyrant, a Chaos Lord of Slaanesh that is reported to draw from the souls of those he faces their darkest secrets, and whisper terrible things to their mind. A generalist warband with a high concentration of sorcerors, they are based on a small stronghold near the Maelstrom, where the tides of the warp hide them from Imperial Justice.

The Lions Claws

Formed around an armored brigade that split from the legion, they are a horde of vehicle mounted marines that delight in the thunder of treads and the roar of big guns. Praising Slaanesh from their iron steeds, they raid for slaves and victims to satisfy their need for violence, flesh and souls. Their master reportedly feeds his Vanquisher pattern Predator tank the blood and souls of his victims to bring the daemon within to compliance. Where the tank rides, it is accompanied by the tortured screams and ecstatic howls of those condemned to the daemon's clutches.

Writefaggotry in progress

The Trial of General Betroval

--/Pict feed begins./-- Subject (identified General Griffon Betroval, age 98) is seated in center of wide chamber, stripped to only trousers and shackles. Pict focuses on Betroval. Blurred human figure in ornate long coat (Subject (i)) crosses pict source. Sudden light fixes on Betroval, causing him to flinch and squint.

Voice(i?): General Betroval. What has it been, three days? Three days, bound before this court. Three days denying the truth of your crimes before the Imperium.

BETROVAL: I have told you! I told you I am no traitor! You have the evidence for yourself!

Voice(i?): You deny still, then, the charges leveled before you?

BETROVAL: Yes! I do!

Voice(i?): In spite of the evidence to the contrary, to your cowardice and treachery?

BETROVAL: I have told you, I am no traitor! Your evidence shows that I have done nothing but my duty!

Subject (i) crosses pict source again, stepping into the light. Still pict capture identifies Subject (i) as Inquisitor Thaddeus Kranz. Kranz strikes Betroval with an open backhand.

KRANZ: Duty? You are unfit to have such a word on your tongue. Perhaps, though, if not I...perhaps you could say such things to your own men? Lie to them as you do to me, general.

BETROVAL: My men? You bastard, they died in the Emperor's name! How dare you...

Kranz cuts Betroval off with a second strike to the face. Betroval begins to speak, but falls silent, growing visibly pale (Poss anemia? Consult Medicae log). Kranz turns and gestures beyond scope of pict-feed in direction of Betroval's gaze.