Children of Astarot

Children of Astarot
Battle Cry	"For the Emperor!" or silence
Number	XIII
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Primarch	Uriel Starikov
Homeworld	Perfidiae V
Strength	Accurate Figure Unknown; between 71,000 up to 190,000. Official figure believed to be 130,000
Specialty	Deception and Counter-Insurgency.
Allegiance	Tzeentch
Colours	White and Black

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.

The Children of Astarot were once a greatly respected legion of the Legiones Astartes, commanded by primarch Uriel Starikov. Known as the Justicars, they watched over the Imperium from foes within and without.

Atypical for Astartes, the 13th joked, talked freely, and pulled pranks. They were gregarious - always supportive of their friends - yet would always put the needs of the Great Crusade before all else, which earned them the accolade of most trustworthy legion, as well as a reputation for reliability and diligence.

This served to make their eventual and surprising betrayal all the more painful. Now sworn to Tzeentch, the bitter truth of the 13th Legion is revealed: they were and still are, unbelievably deceptive and utterly self-serving.

Legion History

The 13th Squad of the Sacred Band

The origin of the 13th is ill-documented, but their peculiarity is readily apparent from the records that do persist. Orders of the Day from Hektor Cincinnatus often include reprimands to Aldous Cadigan for the squad's lack of discipline. The Thirteenth were often reprimanded for cavalier behavior on and off the battlefield, showing little respect for rank, and on occasion theft. As a result censures were sometimes severe. The origin of the recruits are established as being from all over Terra; presumably many either came from lowly stock, or were disowned once their irreverent streak emerged, yet there also seems to have been many of higher standing as well. Whether their origins are indeed from among the orphaned and criminal stock of Terra will never be known: all records of the legions origins have been lost.

During the Pacification of the Merican Hives, the Thirteenth were held in reserve and dispatched to suppress the partisans and militia that sprang up behind Imperial lines. Hektor's dispatches make it clear that this role was intended as a punishment, but by the end of the campaign he also gave grudging praise to Cadigan's efficiency and endorsed the squad's leader as the Master-Apparent of the Thirteenth Legion.

It seems likely that the Thirteenth Legion took part in other campaigns of the Unification Wars. They were certainly deployed in the Pacification of Urartu, but played a curious role. Cadigan's men were once again held in reserve and it is implied that they were used in a counter-insurgency operation of substantial scale shortly following the sacrifice of the last Thunder Warriors in the Battle of Mount Ararat. However, the dispatches of Imperial commanders make no report of resistance fighters. Who were the targets of the Thirteenth Legion?

The 13th Sacred Band squad roster:

• Aldous Cadigan, Squad Commander (MIA some time after Metnav I.)
• Oskar Reynhardt, Sergeant (Alive and captaining the legion in the Eye of Terror)
• Zlatko Tolyan Blazić (Unconfirmed dead, some time after Metnav)
• Karolus Vayne (Alive and leading the rogue warband Black Corsairs)
• Earl Togou, notable marksman (MIA during Metnav I. Unconfirmed report of various lone appearances post-Heresy in Golgotha Sector)
• Temur Oghruk (Confirmed dead during Heresy. Slain at the the Siege of Terra)
• Malik Al-Hasheem (Confirmed dead, before or during the Heresy)
• Kamaraj Kohli (Unconfirmed dead, some time after Ullanor)
• Arkady Balotin (Confirmed dead as of the Scouring, believed to have been killed before or during the Heresy)
• Lo-Zho Lou (MIA some time after Metnav I)

A Legion in the Great Crusade

Having earned a begrudging respect for their skills, the Thirteenth departed from Sol as part of the Great Crusade. In a short time, many gains had been made by the Imperium, and the 13th held their fair share of victories, yet they had not achieved anything of note. However, major transformations began in the legion. Cadigan, now Commander-Apparent of the 13th, commanded not with an iron fist, but an open palm - allowing the commanders to offer their own arguments and ideas to planning, and granted unprecedented levels of autonomy to his company commanders in company organisation and practices.

Under Cadigan's inclusive and anarchistic leadership style, the legion saw an increase in innovation and many positive and negative developments occurred. The good outweighed the bad however, and the legion began a slow move away from their popular image as ill-disciplined and rag-tag light-infantry, to a cohesive and professional all-round fighting force. Oskar Reynhardt, Arkady Balotin, and Karolus Vayne were intrinsic in these changes.

Reynhardt brought about a higher degree of professionalism among the legion. While the Justicars were still from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, Reynhardt's relentless training and inter-company competitions instilled in them a discipline and coordination the legion had not known previously. Reynhardt also headed a new recon initiative for the legion, believing firmly in solid intelligence and understand the terrain before it needs to be known, and thus expanded the scout units and auxiliaries to include reports on terrain and enemy movements and numbers. Although this recon initiative would be replaced by something new under Uriel, it's formation and the experience it gave the legion and its auxiliaries would prove to be highly beneficial in many areas.

Vayne's contributions were more tactical, with his close-quarter assault experience and that of his men being shared among the legion, and the legion began to develop its expertise in city fighting and boarding actions. Vayne also understood how to wield violence and fear as weapons, and despite his methods lacking subtlety, they lay the seeds for the legions later use of economic and psychological warfare.

Balotin is a notable case, despite being a Sacred Band member, he was put in charge of the training chapter, and his Sacred Band colleagues were expected to achieve far more than he. Yet fate had a different path for Arkady Balotin. Exhibiting an extraordinary understanding of morale and public perception, perhaps from his family background as the son of an officer, Balotin was largely responsible for laying the groundwork for the legions transformation into the most-trusted Legion in the Great Crusade. It was Balotin who understood like Vayne, that psychology mattered in warfare. But where Vayne used terror, Balotin appealed to hearts and minds and prosperity. He sought to win people over to his side, and to gain allies he could count on through helping them. This had effects on and off the battlefield, and it was not long before Reynhardt called a vote on second-in-command for the legion, stepping down and voting Balotin to replace himself in the position. Having unwittingly won the legion over with his helpful and trustworthy demeanour, Balotin was voted into the position by a significant margin, and became the legions "Quartermaster" or second-in-command.

On a smaller scale, the XIIIth began to expand it's battlefield roles. For what purpose wasn't entirely clear, but the capabilities of the legion greatly expanded during this time, with Cadigans unique leadership allowing individual battalions to develop specialisations outside of their standard modus operandi. Many new specialist squad types were developed and tested during the short time from leaving Sol to the legions reunification with it's gene-sire Uriel Starikov in 817.M30.

The Tartaros Campaign

In 813.M30, the Justicars, under the command of Aldous Cadigan were dispatched to conquer the Messonian Empire, in the Tartaros cluster. By the standards set later in the Great Crusade, the Messonian Empire was only a small challenge, but for the fledgling Imperium it was a formidable foe.

Old logistical accounts reveal that the campaign was expected to be long and bloody; the logisticians estimated the conflict's time frame to completion would range between 4 and 8 months. This investment of time was deemed economical, as the Messonian Empire had a flourishing and highly valuable industry, and crucially controlled an important warp nexus that could speed the Imperial push into the galactic North East and greatly strengthen lines of supply for future campaigns in the Ultima Segmentum. The Justicars were allocated the objective of taking it.

The Messonian Empire had an incredibly large population for it's size, the majority of its planets being what the Imperium would call 'hiveworlds', with the capital, Tartaros rivaling even the most impressive of Imperial hiveworlds. But where the Imperium would support these hiveworlds with sister-worlds dedicated to agriculture, the Messonians supported their empire via planetary subsistence farming; vat-grown meats and an high-yield fungi crop grown in titanic laboratories deep under the ground kept each planet fed, each lab compartmentalised from the others for security.

With no way to starve the Empire in a siege, and facing a numerically superior foe, the 13th devised a stratagem to suit the circumstances. The legion committed its entire fleet to ensure orbital supremacy in the Messonian Capital. They then landed their troops, focusing their assault initially on the capital, Tartaros, then expanding to assault 8 more cities. Once the cities were taken the legion fortified every street and building and held their ground, waiting.

The Enemy was well prepared for the assaults, and put up a fierce fight, but with the orbital barrage supporting the attackers, they were forced to concede the cities. Regrouping their forces with consummate speed and skill, the Messonian Armed Forces encircled and besieged the city with large forces, that moved into position via underground tunnels. The Messonian forces deployed their troops so close to the Imperial frontlines that the ships in orbit could not fire on them without risking hitting their own forces too. The Messonians however, kept back considerable reserves, wary of a trap. The fighting in the cities was brutal and unforgiving, with each hab-block and warehouse becoming a citadel; areas of the city were lost and retaken several times a day. But slowly and surely, the Imperials were pushed back. 2 of the 9 besieged cities were abandoned as the legions forces retreated back into the safety of their orbital blockade, and one city was lost entirely; now convinced of their superiority, the Messonians began to commit more men to the assaults on the remaining cities.

It was in the second month of the campaign that, having drawn the majority of the enemy forces into battle, and lulled them into a false sense of security and superiority, the Justicars finally revealed their true strategy. New forces deployed from orbit, using drop pods and aircraft to deploy troops behind the enemy lines, whereby the tunnels were collapsed. Fierce battles raged as the Messonians realising they were now trapped sought to break out to have a chance at survival, but were met with brutal ambushes. Those resigned to their fate in the tunnels were given an ultimatum: Surrender or die by suffocation in the tunnels. In droves the Messonians surrendered. But many held their ground also, resolved to defend their empire until death. These valiant defenders fortified the tunnels expecting an assault, but none came. The 13th collapsed the tunnels on their frontline, leaving behind only promethium tanks with explosives rigged to them to make powerful incendiary bombs. These bombs detonated, doing little damage to the enemy forces, but the fires consumed all the oxygen in the tunnels, and in short order the defenders died, either fleeing to the surface to be cut down, or by suffocating in the tunnels.

After seeing how outwitted they had been, how ruthlessly their forces had been dispatched, and how effective the Astartes truly were when on the offensive, the Messonians capitulated. While the military may have surrendered, and the false Emperor been overthrown by his own generals, many soldiers and civilians formed anti-Imperial guerrilla forces to continue the fight. But this course of action was a hopeless endeavour against the Justicars, for they were masters of counter-insurgency. With their full expeditionary manpower, the Justicars prosecuted a lightning campaign against the insurgents. Within a week, the entire sector had been purged of all anti-Imperial sentiment, and the populace won over by Balotin's hearts and minds efforts, which began a program of reconstruction of the planets infrastructure, military, and economy.

A Primarch Reunited

When Uriel Starikov was rediscovered on Perfidiae V in 817.M30, the Justicars were campaigning in Segmentum Ultima. Bringing their campaigns to a close, the legion set out for north eastern Obscurus to reunite with their lost primarch. Their excitement was strong, and morale was high at the thought of finally reuniting with their primarch, but the legion was not prepared for what it would find. They had hoped and expected to find in their primarch a leader like Hektor Cincinnatus, or at least an individual with a strong purpose and knowledge like Arelex Orannis. Their expectations lead to great disappointment however, as their primarch soon appeared to them as an incompetent and ineffectual leader. Instead of taking command with strength and conviction, Uriel suggested that the Sacred Band should continue leading the legion, claiming he wasn't a soldier knew little of war. This, Uriel explained, would leave him to observe and advise on political or administrative matters, which he claimed was his strength.

Many marines refused to believe a primarch could be so lacking in martial qualities, but most were made to believe when the legion undertook training exercises with their gene-sire. Uriel was physically able, but inept at leading, and indecisive at planning, and the men suffered. Still, some did not believe this was possible. How could a primarch - a veritable Demigod(bold) - forged by the gene-science of the greatest human of all, be this weak? Even among the native Perfidians, undergoing induction into the legion could not shed any favourable light on their gene-sire; they had known Uriel Starikov as a meek but shady politician propped up by influential factions who sought a weak leader. Some began to turn their back on their primarch, disregarding his presence completely. This continued for a month, and all the legion had made their minds up on the matter. Most would reluctantly follow their primarch as that was their duty, but others openly treated him with disdain and outright insubordination. Even some members of the Sacred Band would betray their liege in such a manner, most notably Karolus Vayne and Oskar Reynhardt.

It was at first-light on the 32nd day of their reunification with their gene-sire that everything changed. Overnight, their gene-sire had transformed from the non-entity they had come to know, into something very different. Forming the legion up in an open field for inspection, Uriel spoke with strength and oratorical skill. He revealed the truth of his plan to his children: that he did it to test the legion to the limits of its loyalty. He had wanted to see just how far his legion would follow him when completely ignorant of his plans. Those who had shown themselves insubordinate were formed up separately from the rest of the legion, and Uriel addressed each of them individually. He explained his disappointment in his sons at their behaviour, but assured them he would not punish them. Instead they would carry their mistake, and seek redemption and forgiveness from their gene-sire by fighting in the vanguard of the legion. Then Uriel spoke again to the gathered mass of the legion. He outlined the all-encompassing reforms he would be instituting to the legion, and the new challenges the legion would face under his command. Drawing from his own experience, Uriel introduced the legion to the ways of intelligence, building upon the expertise in reconnaissance the Justicars had accrued since their inception. Sweeping doctrinal changes occurred, with every area of the 13th's methods of war being expanded upon, from psychological warfare to mobility. With these changes the legion's focus expanded, from purely tactical superiority, to strategic and operational dominance as well. Even the marines themselves were changed: Uriel put forth a program of education, encouraging marines to further themselves by learning new skills, from new martial talents to simply expanding the marines foundation of knowledge. Uriel held this as very important for personal and legion-wide innovation, as it expanded creativity on and off the battlefield.

Metnav I Campaign

Campaign with small contingent of IR. Uriel captured and forces hit hard and scattered. Uriel learns important but hard lessons about upping his game for the big leagues, and develops his philosophies - never trust anyone, and always be prepared for everything.

A New Beginning

And A new master.

Operation Ouroboros

bringing down the house, Uriel style.

A Legion in the Heresy

Perfidiae V the loyalists besieged Paramar the biggest con of the war Mars infiltrating the IR onto the surface covertly, as "advisors" and then running amok potentially getting their filthy fingers on classified info and blueprints Terra Uriel's game of duplicity is revealed in a duel at Terra when Tzeentch morphs him to show Uriel as he really is. Never meet your heroes kids!

A Legion in the Scouring

flight to the Eye

Post-Heresy

Legion Wars

Organisation

Attempting to make sense of the methods and organisation of the Children of Astarot one is as always, faced with an exercise in insanity and foolishness.

A major feature that at least seems consistent, is the legions dynamic command structure. Scattered sources suggest that the Thirteenth's operational command is lead by a small squad of marines whom possess the most experience across the broadest range of operationally relevant areas. Nominal command is then deferred to the marine who has the most relevant skills for the current situation. However, changing circumstances seem to reportedly force a change of leadership mid operation, with the former commander reverting to an advisor of the new commanding marine. Many sources have discredit that this largely implausible and convoluted command structure could even function in war, but the interpretation is borne out by how effectively the legion usually responds in operational combat situations that should have sown confusion.

It also speaks a great deal of the training and understanding the legion's marines share with each other; being able to transition commanders seamlessly on the battlefield, and adapting to emerging circumstances with great ease implies a great deal of practice and skill.

The Thirteenth seems to have take the adage "'knowledge is power'", to a literal and practical conclusion, ensuring their most knowledgeable experts are at the forefront of problems. Furthermore, given the 13th's propensity for deception and misdirection, it seems to be a method to misdirect enemy forces as to who is actually in command of the legion. This is further reinforced by the observed tendency of only deploying standard bearers with Chapter commanders and upward, or when better coordination with allied forces is required.

This philosophy of flexibility and deception continues down through the ranks to the organisational breakdown level, with there seeming to be no clear line between a company, battalion, and chapter. Through the use of vague and coded terminology, such as 'section, echelon, body, group, cell, and team' to denote the movements of troops ranging in size from a few marines to an entire chapter. Of course, the legions commanders themselves seem to fully understand the numbers involved in troop movements, as they coordinate them, which would imply some form of encrypted communications are used to convey sensitive intel from being divulged to the enemy. Presumably the legion maintains as high a level of security on these covert communications as they do with everything else.

This practice was present during the Great Crusade, and while effective, had drawn criticism from many commanders unused to fighting alongside the legion for its lack of clarity in the heat of battle. Where many legions might have forced their allies to adapt to their methods, the 13th attempted to compromise. To quell complaint, the legion embedded trusted serf's and human agents into the allied command as liaison teams to all of the allies they serve alongside. This proved to be a suitable compromise, as the liaison teams held an understanding of the legions methods, and functioned as a strategic and operational administrative unit, coordinating troop movements and intelligence to allied formations on the fly. It didn't take long for allied formations fighting alongside the legion to adapt to their methods in this way, and had the side effect of tying the force closer to the formation.

It has been noted many times how incredibly effective the XIIIth's battlefield communication networks are, despite their seemingly disorganised ways making such a feat seem illogical. Many have claimed their ill-disciplined image is just a facade, while yet others have claimed they use xenos technology that allows the legion to communicate across implausible distances without the need for astropaths. These claims should be ignored as disreputable, yet not disregarded; the 13th are known for their skill at deception, despite how trustworthy they were once deemed.

In hindsight, it is readily apparent how the legion was able to keep the secret of it's true allegiances for such a long time. Indeed post-Heresy, the XIIIth legion continues confounding the friend and foe alike with it's convoluted methods, which seem to get more intricate as time passes.

Specialist Troops

The 13th legion with its unorthodox and ever-adapting methods, are among the legions with a larger number of specialist troops than average. Many squad formations are formed to deal with a single campaign-specific threat, and once the campaign was complete they would be disbanded. The marines that formed those specialist units then go on to take their experience to new formations, leaving the 13th Legion a surprisingly wide pool of expertise to wield, and the ability to employ surprisingly unorthodox maneuvers with little difficulty.

There are however, many specialist troops whose roles were more universal, or had a broader potential, and so were maintained as permanent fixtures to the legion. Some of these even spread to other legions. The 13th were also very keen to acquire or learn new formations from their brother legions, always striving to push the boundaries of their own knowledge and capabilities.

Stalker Squads

Roles:

• Active and passive reconnaissance, and observation of enemy forces
• Guerrilla warfare
• Capture, assassination, and protection of Designated Targets
• Sabotage and observation of target locations
• Infiltration
• Additional capability to attack targets of opportunity

Stalker squads specialise in reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering and were consummate masters of stealth, and infiltration, being required to assassinate, kidnap, and sabotage designated targets 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, often as they saw fit.

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, harass enemy supply lines, and attack enemy targets of opportunity. 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. In a short time these squads also spread to the other legions, it was from these formations and the reconnaissance squads, that the later Adeptus Astartes Scout Marines were established after the Second Founding in the early 31st Millennium.

Headhunter Squads

Roles:

• Assassination of high value targets usually under combat conditions
• Spearheading urban and void-based close quarters strikes and assault operations
• Direct action strikes on dangerous battlefield targets, such as small voidships, titans, and close-quarter defensive positions
• Deployment of specialist munitions and explosives as vanguard assault infantry

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 would later add other capabilities to their role, most notably elimination of dangerous vehicle targets and as close assault infantry. 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. It wasn't long before nerves of steel became a practical requirment, as while they may have begun as an anti-personnel unit, they quickly broadened their capabilities to also destroy or capture large armoured targets, such as titans and small voidships. This highly dangerous target-hunting role ensured Headhunter squads endure heavy casualties.

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 13th 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.

Mobile Assault Commando squads (MAC's)

Roles:

• Rapid deployment strikes, by air, sea, void, & land.
• Commando direct action and unconventional assault operations on high value targets
• Rapid deployment battlefield support
• Capability to attack targets of opportunity

Most commonly 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 Mobile Assault Commando squads, or MAC's, undertake sudden assaults and raids on unsuspecting foes, often far behind enemy lines. They are also deployed in the flanks and rear of assaulting enemy forces, before their assault has made contact the legions lines. This is to sow confusion among the enemy, and destabilise their ability to prosecute their plans. Often the MAC's are also used to lure or coral enemy forces into kill zones and traps laid out by the rest of the legion.

When not airborne, the mobility offered by their transport vehicles, MAC'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. In environments unsuited to fliers, the MAC's utilise vehicles, often favouring bikes and custom 4-wheeler light transport vehicles's designed for maximum speed and agility. Utilising a brash dismounting assault, the MAC's complete their assigned mission before remounting and riding off, leaving enemy reinforcements without targets and out of position.

Their targets are often designated by Stalker Squads, Insidiators, and Kokolny agents, giving the MAC's up to date intelligence to base their attacks on. They are the most cavalier and foolhardy of all the 13th Legion, and tend to focus less on deception and subterfuge, in favour of rapidly removing an enemies ability to operate effectively.

On occasion, MAC squads will be given a mission to assault a high-value target location. Deemed either too crazy or too heavily defended for a sudden assault without a larger operation organised to lay the ground work beforehand; that is where the MAC's are consulted. They will devise a plan, that is highly unorthodox and will probably seem doomed to fail by all forms of logic. But despite this, whether through finding refuge in the plans sheer audacity, or sheer luck, the Commando's have an impressive success rate, and casualty rate to match.

Casualties vary from mission to mission, sometimes very high, sometimes almost non-existent over an entire campaign - The squads Modus Operandi is either shockingly effective, but the high level of risk employed in their attacks can leave them at great risk should a mission go wrong.

Due to the nature of the MAC'a operation, they attract those who are highly aggressive, highly efficient, and quick on their feet, both mentally and physically. However, many calm and more methodical marines still make it in the squads, although often in specialist or leadership roles.

Specialist Ranks

The Children have 4 distinct ranks of 'Operational Officer'. All officers above sergeant wishing to advance further, are assigned to a battalion commander as adjutants, and serve a number of campaigns to give the marine training in each of the 4 roles, whereby they can choose a specialisation, or elect to list themselves onto rotation full-time.

Being on rotation means that the marine will be assigned one of the 4 roles, on an operation by operation basis. The majority of marines elect to pick a specialisation, as the demands on skill, endurance, and flexibility that rotation requires leaves it a highly stressful and highly challenging position - even for marines. As a result Rotation is mostly staffed by those who display equal talents in all roles, who are likely to become notable members of the legion in due course.

- GO2 - Guerrilla Operations Officer

The Guerrilla Operations Officer, or GO2, is one of the oldest rank in the legion, dating back to Terra itself. With it's counter-insurgency role, the legion accrued a highly focused expertise in counter-insurgency operations. As the legion broadened it's capabilities, the need for specialist leadership became apparent, and the GO2 was officially formed. Originally intended solely for leading counter-insurgency operations, the expertise gained in eliminating insurgents made them unusually suited to managing insurgency operations too - they knew how counter-insurgency worked, and thus knew how to counter it.

Responsibilities:

• Commanding insurgency and counter-insurgency operations (primarily the latter)
• Managing 'Hearts and Minds' campaigns on the local populace where applicable
• Forming and managing local militias and dealing with civilians
• Long-term political and economic operations requiring overt combat, including assassination, capture, rescue, sabotage, and theft of key assets.

They are often viewed as the toughest of the four operational roles due to the resolve and resourcefulness required to operate without supply for extended periods, often in enemy territory. While not as prestigious a role as the other three operational roles, the practical experience and respect earned serving as a GO2 ensures a reliable chance of promotion to a commanding role, usually a battalion. Many GO2's also find themselves being recruited into Group 13, or the Special Military actIvities & Logistics Echelon(SMILE) various sub-sections.

Post-Heresy many former GO2's would find leadership positions in warbands, and cause a lot of problems for the Imperium by infiltrating imperial space and establishing cults to Tzeentch and the Legion, putting their skill at counter-insurgency to great use in eluding and evading capture.

CIO - Counter Intelligence Officer -

It is impossibly to establish when Counter Intelligence Officers, or CIO's, were officially formed; a testament to their skill. Their purpose however is clear: to maintain the legions secrecy, and security from enemy spies and reconnaissance. They quickly adapted from a purely technical role, to finding a place on the battlefield, often leading the MAC's and Stalker squads in eliminating and ambushing enemy scouts, and disrupting enemy communications to protect the legions secrecy. The roles paternal nature in the legion also helped establish the CIO's as morale officers, as they were regarded as the most trustworthy men in the legion.

Responsibilities:

• Ensuring the security of the tactical, operational, internal, and strategic intelligence from friend and foe alike
• Analysing intelligence risks and deciding how to deal with them
• Capturing and eliminating enemy spies and reconnaissance, and disrupting enemy communications
• Morale management among the legion, it's auxiliaries, and its allies

They are often comprised of the quieter and more observant individuals of the legion. Despite trying to remain inconspicuous, the CIO's are highly respected, and much liked as they look out for the legion and its marines in and out of battle.

Post-Heresy CIO's would find themselves in great demand by various warbands who wished to keep their warbands secrets hidden from rivals and allies alike. Many CIO's would take these roles only to betray their new employers as part of a longer scheme for their original warband, or as a means to gain themselves power. Warbands lead by CIO's are especially dangerous as they are nigh inscrutable, especially those lead by a CIO psyker.

PO2 - Political Operations Officer

Political Operations Officers, or PO2's, were formed by Uriel in the wake of the Metnav I campaign to deal with detailed intelligence on non-imperial human worlds. Unlike the CIO, PO2's were designed as a dual combat-technical role from their conception. The PO2 was responsible for attaining incredibly detailed intelligence on local planetary government, military, and economic figures and locations. It was to analyse the value these held as targets or assets, and propose a course of action for approval. The PO2 would then coordinate, and in most cases lead, small-scale tactical strikes on said key targets. On top of this the PO2 was also responsible as part of any diplomatic negotiations required in a campaign.

Responsibilities:

• Leading diplomatic negotiations with neutral and hostile factions
• Commanding small-scale tactical raids on military, political, and economic targets of interest
• Maintaining up-to-date intelligence of key local figures, locations, factions, and forces
• Establishing local intelligence networks, and recruiting dissidents and criminals

The role requires above average (by the 13th's standard) abilities with inter-personal skills, especially persuasion and lying. Highly valued are an understanding of human and xenos culture, psychology, and language.

While the PO2 seems far more limited than the other three roles, the PO2 is actually quite often central to the pacification of a planet. They often run psychological and economic operations, which are usually more time consuming than operations of other roles, but are highly effective methods of bringing a world to compliance. PO2's who distinguish themselves in their role will find themselves serving a term as an Emissarius, which is a highly prestigious role in the legion, and a fast-track for Chapter Master, or serving in one of the special formations. Notably, a significant number of Insidiators began as PO2's.

Post Heresy, many PO2's would find themselves in positions of power, and those who also possessed psyker abilities could find themselves leading a warband. PO2's operating in the Imperium would often cultivate ties with local Rogue Traders and criminal groups, using the criminal networks as vectors to spread chaos and destabilise the Imperium economically, psychologically, and politically. Despite seeming rather mundane, in some ways the PO2 is one of the most fearsome threats to the Imperium: the skills to destabilise or destroy a sector economy or undermine Imperial authority can cripple a sector and have further reaching consequences than that of a direct assault, tying up Imperial resources for decades.

ICO - Intelligence Case Officer

Formed in the wake of the Metnav Campaign, the Intelligence Case Officer, or 'ICO's role was to ensure that the legion would never be caught so off-guard again. In charge of gathering actionable intelligence for the legion, managing the reconnaissance vanguard units, and establishing and maintaining legion networks. They tend to operate isolated from the legion, with anywhere from a small squad up to a company of marines, and operate ahead of the rest of the 'group' they are assigned to.

responsibilities:

• Establishing intelligence networks outside of Imperial territory
• Assessing locations and physical targets and recommending action for the legion to follow
• Scouting Xenos and non-Imperial territories and conducting preliminary operations

ICO's are often the most audacious and self-reliant marines of the legion. Operating well ahead of the main forces and almost constantly outnumbered and outgunned, the ICO needs a special kind of wit, guile, and insanity to accompany the marines natural combat abilities. Marines in this role often found themselves recruited into Group 13 as Insidiators should they serve in the ICO role with distinction, or into SMILE to lead one of its sub-sections.

Post Heresy ICO's would find themselves in a strange position: they were sought after by many warbands for their skills, but more importantly their knowledge of secrets and established networks. However, those same skills, secrets, and networks gave them the power to lead warbands in their own right, a fact any competent warlord knew, forcing the ICO into a tough decision. ICO's are responsible for many of the far reaching traitor networks that plague the Imperium and keep the Inquisition busy.

Insidiators

Created in the sweeping reforms Uriel instituted after the Metnav I campaign, the Insidiators are without a doubt the strangest of all the legions idiosyncrasic formations.

They are an element of the mythical Group 13, who does not answer to or interact with the rest of the legion. Like all Group 13 marines, the Insidiators are given new identities and undergo extensive surgery to alter their features and make them unrecognisable. Where Group 13 operates separate from the rest of the legion, Insidators are one degree further in this separation, operating completely alone, even from Group 13 forces. They travel across the galaxy, sometimes ahead of the Great Crusades front line, other times in conquered Imperial territory. They seek out enemies of the Imperium, and designate locations and people of interest for the legion to follow up on.

Insidiators have countless purposes, but primarily they act as Uriel's eyes and ears, informing him of the state of affairs in the galaxy and also enforcing his will across it; Insidiators answer to Uriel and the Group 13 commander directly, and while rarely exercised, they have jurisdiction to overrule any commander in the 13th should they deem it necessary. This degree of power comes with great responsibility, and only those who have repeatedly demonstrated that they possess exceptional minds, understanding, and talent are ever recruited into the Insidiator ranks. As a result, Insidiators are entrusted with complete autonomy in their actions, given only a list of objectives to achieve and a time-frame to work within.

Fundamentally, Insidiators encompass the roles that the 4 operational officers of the 13th fill, but instead on a strategic scale. It was Insidiators who first made diplomatic contact with the Vetrovnak on behalf of the XIIIth legion, seeing the value in cooperation, however temporary.

It was also Insidiators who forged the close bonds with various Rogue Traders that the legion came to use so effectively in its doctrine, travelling with the Rogue Traders out to the frontiers. Even more so than ICO's, Insidiators are the cutting edge of the legion, directing its very focus, and surveying the galaxy ahead of the Imperium, finding the best routes and most important locations and people. Crucially, like Group 13, the Insidiators handle all missions of a sensitive or 'black' nature, and are believed to have even been involved in the theft of Imperial and Mechanicus secrets.

During the Heresy the Insidiators were constantly busy completing endless objectives; creating anarchy, inciting and leading rebellions, raising and marshaling traitor militia's, spying on Imperial forces, assassinating key figures and sabotaging critical locations. Insidiators were also involved in the daring operation to infiltrate onto the surface of Mars alongside a small force of Iron Rangers ahead of the traitor vanguard, to advise and support the Martian rebels, and to secure secret information, and technology blueprints.

After the Heresy most Insidiators that fell would continue to work alone or with a small retinue as mercenaries, on behalf of whatever warband offered them most. Some would lead deadly warbands, and wreak havoc deep inside the Imperium. Loyalist Insidiators were forced to turn renegade or surrender to the Imperium. Most were hunted down by the Inquisition after the Scouring, although some found great success outside of Imperial control leading criminal organisations and pirate warbands.

Emissarius

Akin to the Crusader Host on Terra, the Emissarius was officially a non-combat role, with a single marine embedded into each of the legions. The role is a temporary position, held for an indeterminate duration before being returned to the legion and replaced by a new Emissarius; the average time spent in the role is 20 years. The rotation is designed to teach the brightest and best of the 13th skills and experiences of the other legions, that can then be studied and adopted or methods devised to counter them.

responsibilities:

• Handling diplomacy and inter-legion communication, speaking with the authority of Uriel himself
• Coordinating operations between the 13th and their host-legion when required
• Discreetly watching over the host-legion for any questionable behaviour
• Establishing intelligence networks for potential future counter-insurgency operations

However, while officially a non-combat role, by nature of being attached to the retinue of a Primarch or Chief Commander of a battle-group, Emissarius often saw a great deal of combat.

The Emissarium was formed to fulfill several purposes for the 13th, and it's members were among the brightest and most well-rounded individuals the legion had to offer, providing a wide range of skills to fill those purposes. Many of its membership would go on to lead chapters and fill other important roles, including serving in Uriel's Inner Circle.

Primarily for maintaining and strengthening relations with the other legions, the Emissarius was required to be a consummate political operator, as well as possess an impressive understanding of people. However, the Emissarius was also to watch over their assigned legion, mostly for any troubling behaviours or events that may require the intervention of the 13th in their role as executioners. Due to this, there were some legions who refused the Emissarium access.

This caused the role to expand it's requirements to include espionage; several legions refused the Emissarius assigned to them access, as was their right, so the Emissarium had to resort to using spies to watch over their charges instead. While originally limited to those legions who refused the request for embedding, the practice of using agents was soon adopted universally by the Emissarium, and would expand from just watching over the assigned legion, to include pursuing their own operations, and establishing isolated networks throughout the galaxy whose loyalty lay with the 13th.

At the outset of the Heresy, Uriel had manipulated the rotation of the Emissarium to ensure that he had marines he could trust in the right positions; the fallen members of the 13th assigned to the legions Uriel had determined to side with Hektor, and select loyalists assigned to the legions Uriel believed to remain loyal. In this way the Emissarius was a vital source of information for the 13th, and helps explain how the Traitors in general were so successful prior to the Siege of Terra.

However, the loyalists among the Emissarius, like those among the legion at large, found their loyalties tarnished by association with the rest of their traitorous legion. Yet where the loyalist faction of the legion had the opportunity to flee as renegades or face the misguided vengeance of the Imperium, the Emissarium did not, and all but one of their number were hunted down and slain. The fate of the last loyal Emissarius is unknown however, all that is known is that his life was spared.

Elite Formations

Group 13

Group 13 is a secret operation unit, involved in covert and black operations. Officially, they do not exist, and even within the legion the name is spoken with disbelief and conspiracy. In reality, they are another chapter of the legion, whose numbers are not included in official records as all recruits to the formation have their deaths faked and new identities given to them, up to and including facial reconstruction and the adoption of new mannerisms.

Aside from black and false flag operations, Group 13 is involved in high-risk and often seemingly-suicidal operations; retrieving compromising intel, long-term infiltrations, assassinations, and the kidnap or capture of targets where the Imperium - or even the legion - cannot be seen to be involved. As a consequence of this, Group 13 regularly sustains significantly higher casualty rates than most units.

Recruitment is heavily steeped in counter-intelligence preparations, with recruits only being selected from marines whose geneseed has been fully harvested. Selection takes place before the recruit is even aware they are being considered as a candidate, with a profile on the potential recruit being assessed, and reports of how the marine acts in and out of combat. Only marines that have displayed that their talents extend well beyond those required on the battlefield are considered, with most candidates exhibiting extreme self-reliance, quick wits, and a wide range of knowledge and experience.

The theories on Group 13's rigorous and brutal selection, the seemingly-suicidal nature of their missions, and the isolation from the rest of the legion has lead the unit to refer to itself as the Unlucky Bastards, and it has become a humourous joke among those few in the group.

Group 13 was crucial in the Justicars preparations before the Heresy, and were responsible for eliminating any threats to the legions secret allegiance to the Ruinous Powers; only Arkady Balotin escaped their reach, but even he was slain before he could reveal the truth. Since the Scouring, Group 13 has gone to ground somewhere in the Imperium, and are believed to offer their services to any warband or criminal element who can pay their price. Their allegiance is unknown, but there have been reports of Vetrovnak in their ranks, leading some to claim wildly that they have sold their services to the Vetrovnak Protectorate, though this is unsubstantiated.

Support Formations

The XIII legion's use of its support formations is more indirect than most legions, but they still wield immense power on and off the battlefield. Taking the doctrinal tenet of Coordination to heart, the support formations of the 13th work almost imperceptibly as one.

Librarium

Psy Ops Interrogation Support/buffs

Apothecarium

Interrogation Kidnap and Capture

Armorium

Psy Ops Information Warfare Gadgetforge

Doctrine

The Doctrine of the Justicars is expansive, designed to primarily prepare the legion for any eventuality, and retain the strategic, operational, and tactical advantage at every turn. Colloquially known as Unrestricted Warfare, the legion's doctrine is essentially a modernised form of the Total War doctrine, where instead of using and and targeting all the available apparatus that fuel and fund military ambitions, those apparatus are themselves turned into weapons and applied directly to the enemy. The flexibility inherent in this doctrine lies in the implementation of its tenets; not all of the Imperium's foes are susceptible to psychological warfare for example, in which case this tenet is retired in favour of tenets that are applicable to the enemy being faced. It should be mentioned that the Justicars ability and willingness to innovate and adapt may have informed this doctrine considerably, but an equally convincing argument can be made of the opposite. Irregardless, it's effectiveness lies in its ability to strip the enemy of its ability to prosecute a war, and limits the strategic and tactical options the enemy can choose from. It is also remarkably effective against foes who are more technologically advanced than the Imperium, as it's concepts do not rely on technology or advanced weaponry to be utilised successfully.

Strategy

The Strategic doctrine of the XIIIth is formed around 5 basic tenets:

• 1. Deception
• 2. Mobility
• 3. Unconventional Warfare
• 4. Information Warfare
• 5. Joint Operations

1. Deception

Deception is perhaps the most defining tenet of the legion, as it pervades everything the legion interacts with, from communication to organisation. The 13th go to extraordinary lengths to conceal their plans from friend and foe alike, only ever revealing what they want to be revealed, and even then in a manner that would deceive an opponent into a course of action the legion desired. As such, it is very difficult to counter the XIIIth's attacks and penetrate their defenses, as the enemy can never be sure whether they have been lured into the chosen course of action, or have genuinely gained an advantage over the 13th and should press their attack. Even against foes that either cannot, or choose not to follow conventional methods of war, simple deceptions such as baited ambushes are strikingly effective.

2. Mobility

Mobility is the legions second most important tenet, although the most overlooked. Where mobility for some other legions means heavy use of vehicles, the 13th see mobility as the process of responding to a threat and deploying for battle within the shortest time, and in the most efficient manner. As such, they highly prize their naval and aircraft fleets, both of which are used extensively to allow the XIIIth to deploy with alarming speed and range. The legion's vaunted CAT units exemplify this, operating entirely from aircraft and skimmers, or fast ground vehicles when flyers are impractical. Using their mobility, they are able to deploy rapidly around the battlefield, striking at strategic and tactical objectives, and harrying and baiting the enemy into responding, before remounting their vehicles and deploying elsewhere. Mobility is also a great strength when used in conjunction with the other tenets, allowing the legion to act and react at a speed that is difficult to match for most foes.

Furthermore, mobility stretches into the legions infiltration and intelligence operations, using their range and speed in conjunction with secrecy to allow for vital covert and clandestine operations to be undertaken. Maintaining mobility while including secrecy has lead the legion to acquire and maintain many civilian and xenos vessels, in addition to cultivating, close links with Rogue Traders, whom aid the legion for profit found in their economic operations.

3. Unconventional Warfare

Unconventional Warfare is the most peculiar of the legions tenets. While other legions do engage in harassing enemy supply lines and sabotaging strategic positions, this is generally the limit of their pursuit of unconventional warfare. The XIIIth legion however, take the concept of unconventional warfare far beyond standard levels. This tenet includes a countless number of methods and strategies, but the core concepts are the following: psychological, political, and economic warfare.

Psychological Warfare has been in the 13ths doctrine since its conception, but expanded exponentially in scope after the legion was reunited with Uriel. At first, the legion only employed psychological warfare in the form of terror, using controlled instances of excessive violence to intimidate and coerce foes into compliance, or damaging their morale. But after Sol the legion would expand this concept under the guidance of Arkady Balotin , Karolus Vayne, and later Uriel himself. More than just spreading fear, this tenet also reflects the legions aim of undermining enemy resistance by turning their civilians against them and encouraging desertion, or winning the populace and soldiers over to the Imperial cause by addressing their needs. These methods referred to as Hearts and Minds operations, saw use against hostile and friendly populaces, and was a crucial factor in the 13th earning the reputation as the most trustworthy of all the legions in the Great Crusade. This tenet often overlapped with political and information warfare, using the mediums to aid in spreading both the legions terror efforts, political manipulations, and its hearts and minds campaigns.

Political warfare is simply the means of limiting and enemies military capabilities through using politics as a battlefield. Whether supporting rebel or government factions, using diplomacy, or instigating civil wars and insurrections, political warfare has a permanent place in the 13th's arsenal; It has enabled them to bring worlds into compliance without needing more than a handful of legionary forces present. While it would seem to be limited in effectiveness against xenos, many Ork Waaghs and Dark Eldar cabals have been defeated by significantly smaller legionary forces who simply pitted them against each other, playing on personal ambitions and animosities to incite infighting, and mopping up the remains. Political warfare is also intrinsic to the intelligence networks of the legion, which utilise this tenet's methods to extend the network and gain additional intelligence by exploiting the divisions in the enemy ranks to gain access to the vital information each side protects.

Finally economic warfare turns economic means, such as trade, industry, and even currency into weapons to defeat the enemy. Wars have economic, infrastructural, and logistical requirements to remain a viable course of action. Warehouses and stockpiles of both strategic and domestic goods are destroyed or seized in targeted raids by the legion to diminish the enemy's ability to act. Over time the legion has fostered close links with Rogue Traders to enact these missions, with the Rogue Traders facilitating or participating in the missions for a share of the looted goods. They are also used directly to destabilise the enemy economy with economic apparatus and encourage inflation by flooding the enemy markets with goods and crashing prices. The strategic effect of this is in increasing the cost of war and making it harder for the enemy to act, and also in fostering chaos in the enemy camp. As these methods are limited in scope against xenos however, when facing such foes, the legion limits its economic warfare to raiding supply lines and bases for weapons and ammo, although the legion always pursues new innovations to allow them to apply these methods to foes previously immune. The aim of this being to limit the strategic options available to the enemy. The legion peculiarly seems to retain the stolen goods and uses it to finance or supply its own covert and clandestine operations.

4. Information Warfare

Information warfare involves enemy communication networks, intelligence, and the control of information, both in the military and civilian scope.

The aspect of information warfare that defines the XIIIth most is Espionage. Also known as Intelligence, espionage is the process of discovering everything about your foes - especially their secrets - while simultaneously guarding your own. From simple battlefield reconnaissance to highly complex operations to infiltrate enemy organisations, the legions is fully engaged with this concept. By the time of the Reformation, the legion's intelligence networks have been found across the entire Imperium, one wonders: just how far did their influence reach? And perhaps more worrying, how far does it still do so?

Another important aspect of the legions information warfare is control. The basic principle being that controlling information means control of how it is perceived; being able to exert influence on an enemy's civilian populace, or demoralise its enemy soldiers is a powerful tool, even against many Xenos foes. Enemy military and civilian communication networks are infiltrated to gain usable intelligence, or compromised with jamming technology and cybernetic machine spirit attacks. Sometimes these attacks are combined with Pschological warfare strategies from the 13th's PsyOps group, who will hijack enemy battlefield communication networks and use them to project propaganda or carefully selected pieces of music and audio to disorient, dismay, or disrupt the enemy. As a result of its technical nature, the methods used from this tenet are often overseen or prosecuted directly by the Techmarines of the 13th, and techpriests of their auxilia and allies. Side note: this tenet has lead the legion to have an interesting interaction with the Remembrancers.

These tactics seem to have only increased since the Heresy, to great concern among the Imperium.

5. Joint Operations

Joint Operations is similar to the 'combined arms' approaches other legions employ, but at strategic scale, with all relevant commanders involved in the planning of any operation, be they Imperial Navy, Imperial Army, Legiones Astartes, or any other body, including local PDF. This is a tenet introduced by Uriel after talking with the members of the XIIIth Sacred Band squad. Observing the effectiveness and loyalty engendered among the marines by fighting alongside other legions, and for Hektor Cincinnatus especially, Uriel sought to achieve similar results.

The tenet served a purpose beyond forging bonds however. Close coordination between the Thirteenth and other Imperial forces, including factions like the Adeptus Arbites and the Adeptus Mechanicus, allowed for the legion's tactical and strategic capabilities to be incredibly potent and flexible, coordinating all the participating elements to fight as a single force. It would later be revealed to also have been a tool to infiltrate numerous factions with agents and extend the reach of the legions intelligence networks, which would prove to be a significant problem once the 13th's allegiance to chaos was revealed.

Tactics

COIN MOUT Contained raids, rapid CQ assaults

Culture

Traditions, Philosophies, and Pastimes

Loyalty

the prank

the troika (a trinity) 9 being a auspicious number - a trinity of trinities. (Also Tzeentch's number)

sense of humour + G13 humour

boisterousness

equality + informality

drug use

secret societies

competitiveness

theft "5 finger game" and "Prize seeking"