Editing Brennus (section)

===Youth===
[[File:Boxume 1439564350019.png|thumb|right|300px|Walled village on Alessia]]
Alessia was a world of seemingly infinite, teeming forests, stretching from one end of every continent to the other. Hills and mountains broke up these woodlands with some regularity, and it was upon one of these isolated hills which Brennus' pod came to land. The tribesmen that found him saw a babe, its fist wrapped around the throat of a dead Thunderhawk--one of the great, predatory birds reputed to control lightning and weather on Alessia--and immediately adopted him, viewing their find as an enormously good omen. They raised him among their tribe, and were unsurprised when the god-child grew at a rate far in excess of that of any man; larger and bulkier than any other. The Elders of the tribe fawned over the youth, and believed him to be an avatar of their plethora forest gods. This claim, among many others, eventually incited raids and attacks from many surrounding tribes, forcing the young Brennus into conflict from quite an early point.

Yet warfare on Alessia was not a grand affair of thousands of men and mass formations. The terrain was forever difficult, and rarely even enough to accommodate such tactics. War was a slow process, a series of skirmishes and blood grudges waged over the course of several years. There were more concerns than just your fellow man, for the dangerous woodland predators were only too happy to reap a bloody harvest as well. Thus, the style of war he learned was that of a cold, quiet, and patient hunter. It was a method whereby one carefully observed his prey before striking, and suited their tactics specifically to the given foe.

He earned his tattoos quickly, taking on the great blue snake of the Star-Eaters first. It took him a year to do it, but their defeat was utter and crushing when it came, their forces wiped out entirely. Yet he was magnanimous in victory: the Star-Eaters incorporated alongside his native Lords of Thunder in a new system, in a united tribal confederation. Thus it would be, that when a tribe was conquered, it would be rapidly assimilated into the fold of the growing tribal council. They were each equally represented, though Brennus always made it clear that he would be the first among equals there.

The wars eventually wound down, with eight tribes making up the tribal council. Together, they made up the greater sum of the planet's surface, but Brennus was determined to bring them all together--and so the Last Council of Alessia was convened. There, all twelve Alessian tribes gathered together and agreed to unite in perpetuity, creating what all hoped would be a permanent and unified state.

As a ruler, Brennus was just but unambitious. Where some Primarchs rose to create shining new empires upon or from their adopted planets, Brennus did no such thing. He was content to peacefully rule over that which he had won, aspiring for little more than the stability and prosperity his campaigns had already won his folk. He would sit as the first upon the tribal council for many years, shaping policy and decision making, but never choosing to deviate much from established custom and precedent. The majority of his work was peacemaking, in keeping the sometimes disparate tribes together and avoiding internecine warfare between them. It isn't clear to what extent Brennus believed what the Elders claimed, that he was the child or avatar of a god, but he certainly made every effort to meet their expectations and comport himself like one.

The coming of the Emperor is a well documented event in the Thunder King's storytelling culture. It is known that when Brennus received reports that one of the sky ships of the legends of Old Terra had come to the planet, He knew it would be worth investigating. He set out with his personal followers, the warriors of the Council of Tribes, to meet possible visitors from the lost homeland of his people; armed with sword and shield and a bag of cement missiles blessed by a smith of great skill. He did not bear his arms, wishing to both show a position of strength and be open to the possibility of friendship.  When Brennus saw the Emperor, he was stunned by the power the man radiated; as High King, Brennus was the only man on the planet allowed to wear clothing threaded with gold; but this stranger radiated an ''aura'' of gold. It was as if his soul were golden. Brennus spoke, stutteringly at first, relaying his deeds in uniting the planet, the slaying of great beasts and powerful men, and of forging bonds between disparate peoples to achieve peace. The Emperor smiled, and relayed his own feats: The conquest of Terra, Luna, Mars, and the remainder of the Sol system, his battles alongside his other sons throughout the galaxy, and the great Imperium he had forged. Brennus dropped to his knee, stating that he had no gift great enough to offer in fealty; the Emperor bade him stand, and told Brennus that he did have such a gift: He could become a general, and fight the enemies of the Imperium. Brennus stood and nodded, agreeing grimly to a life of war instead of the peace he truly wanted.