Thunder Kings

Thunder Kings
Battle Cry	"For the High King and the Emperor!"
Number	XXII
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Successor Chapters	Hammers of Brennus, Red Branch Knights
Chapter Master	Corradh the Daring
Primarch	Brennus
Homeworld	Alessia (destroyed), Soctis Cluster
Strength	120,000 total before the Heresy; 5 Grand Companies loyal, 7 Traitor
Specialty	Generalists
Allegiance	Imperium of Man
Colours	Gold, blue, some green

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.

Summary of Legion XXII

The XXII Legion, the Thunder Kings, are the stalwart scions of Brennus, the 22nd Primarch to be discovered by the Emperor. It is rumored that the Thunder Kings claim descent from similar genetic stock as the Thunder Warriors of old, and are thus often simultaneously the subject of both interest and revile as a consequence. They are larger than the majority of other Astartes, yet exhibit no other outward signs that’d betray such lineage. They are seen as a stubborn, albeit noble Legion and Chapter, and are generalists suited to performing competently at nearly any role assigned to them. Notably, they have many successor chapters, with whom the Thunder Kings still maintain contact and friendly relations. After the voluntary burning of Alessia, the Chapter now recruits from a series of worlds located in a group of star systems known as the Soctis Cluster, where they de facto operate a kingdom in miniature within the Imperium.

Legion Tactics & Doctrine

A Thunder Kings Assault Marine

Legion Tactics

Though the Thunder Kings are generalists, their training harkens back to the days spent among the forests and hills of Alessia. Foremost is patience and wariness, instilled into Marines as a fundamental aspect of war. While fortune might favor the bold, untempered bravado is nearly always the same as recklessness. The Thunder Kings thus excel foremost at operational warfare, at orchestrating and dealing with larger fronts fought wide over numerous continents, worlds, or star systems. It might even be described as a talent for all things organizational. During the time of the Great Crusade, Brennus' logistical and operational apparatus, which included a plethora of mortal hangers-on, was said to operate near flawlessly. The Thunder Kings primarily use their talents for the gathering of information about enemy forces, their positions, numbers, and armament. The Thunder Kings will have a moderate presence at many locations in a war, each team geared up to counter the foe they are facing. The average Thunder King favors close combat, although they are always equipped with a weapon suited for keeping an enemy at range; the Thunder Kings are brave, but not so foolish as to rush in like berserkers. One tactic of the Thunder Kings that rarely changes, however, is their use of assault chariots, either regular ground patterns or jetbike patterns, to serve as harassing forces and to potentially cut off enemy reinforcements (when another force of Kings has not already stopped them, that is). These chariots are usually crewed by Veterans, with a Devastator Marine riding a bike customized with the heavy weapons he favors, or those best for the fight; the carriage is manned by an Assault Marine, slinging grenades and cutting foes in twain as the chariot speeds by, only to break off before any reprisal is possible. Other than this, bikes are no more common than other vehicles in the Legion.

Librarians: Librarians among the Thunder Kings are generally the greatest of the smiths, forging many of the legion's unique weapons and armor and bolstering them with psychic abilities. These Runesmiths will usually pick a particular specialization; a Smith who has focused on weapons may, for example, cause the weapons of the men he is serving with to course with electric force, or simply increase their force, whereas a more defensive minded Smith may install wards in the armor he creates, which allows him to focus his powers on bolstering the armor of his men. Those Runesmiths who have a proclivity for vehicles tend to work very closely with the legion's Techmarines; both will contribute to the creation and repair of vehicles, and where the Techmarines tend to the machine spirits of their charges, the Librarians will focus on enhancing their effectiveness in battle, allowing the vehicles to run more efficiently than they would otherwise. Librarians among the Thunder Kings rarely use their powers in an overtly offensive manner.

Apothecaries: The apothecary is known as the Filid to the legion; taken from the name applied to wandering bards and poets on Alessia, who would relay the deeds of the various tribal kings, and also compose satirical songs for one king about his enemies. After the Chaplain Edict, the Filid serve also as the Thunder Kings' equivalent of Chaplains; Brennus had always thought it wise if the men who would heal his warriors knew their histories, and could raise their spirits in addition to curing their wounds, and so their function changed very little. The Filid are selected from the most jovial and outgoing of the legion, and can often be found leading victory celebrations, or simply chatting with other legionaires to assuage their woes and determine their mood.

Legion Equipment

The Thunder kings take great pride in their personal equipment, with blacksmithing being considered a high art to their warrior-culture. Seargents and Clan leaders often wear finely woven cloaks and well crafted, if slightly gaudy broaches and bangles. The Thunder kings often eschew weapons like Thunder Hammers and Lightning claws in the place of Power Swords and Spears. The Thunder Kings use a unique variant of attack bike, the Soctis pattern Assault Chariot, which has a sidecar placed behind the bike rather than alongside it. Jetbikes exist in this pattern, but are mostly operated by senior legion commanders.

Brennus, Primarch of The Thunder Kings

Brennus

Appearance

Brennus favored the appearance of a traditional Alessian tribesman, keeping his hair, beard, and mustache long and braided, and hung with various fetishes and runic charms. He was quick to show a lopsided smile, though his pale grey eyes always seemed distant, and rarely if ever displayed the passion that could be seen in those of his brothers. Though he had the appearance of a barbarian warlord brought into modern times, he was actually a fairly quiet and thoughtful man. He was tall, even for a primarch, but not overly bulky. His bare skin bore the 12 tattoos of the tribes of Alessia, the most prominent being a blue sunburst aound his left eye; this was the symbol of the tribe who had found him, whose name was quite close to the name of his legion. Brennus usually wore a suit of gold-colored artificer armor, covered with runes, and decorated with the symbols of the tribes at the same locations where they appeared on his skin. He also possessed a suit of Terminator armor, similarly decorated, though he wore this infrequently. He was rarely seen without the mighty sword he had forged as a chief, and which he enhanced with a power field after receiving command of his legion; this weapon was carved with runes of power, and bore the name "Mountain-Cutter." Along with this, he usually carried a kite-shaped storm shield named "Wave", which let out the sound of waves crashing on the shore when struck in battle, a massive bolt pistol named "Cloud Hurler" for which he carried many different kinds of ammunition, and a pouch of ceramite chunks he used as bullets for his sling. Like many primarchs, Brennus possessed a massive arsenal, and would commonly select other weapons based on the battle for which he was preparing. His belt, a gift from the Emperor, is perhaps the finest thing he wears, displaying in finely cut gold leaf Brennus' Last Council, where he told the tribes of his true heritage.

Youth

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 Thunder-Bearers 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

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 him 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.

The Great Crusade

It was fitting. They were the 22nd Legion, and he was the 22nd Primarch discovered.

The Thunder Kings had been bereft of a Primarch longer than most legions. Brennus was among the last discovered, and so a joy they had long not felt swelled the hearts of each marine within the Legion's ranks. They had been relegated to fronts bearing little prestige, and had grown bitter with envy as they looked on at the glory others achieved under the helm of their own Primarchs. Worse yet, they were a Legion that was ridiculed: rumors plaguing the XXII regarding its origins and genestock since its very first days. Such Thunder Kings of Terran-stock as Roc Galveoc and Zebulon Uriy managed to keep the Legion together and relatively united, but never managed to stir any fire into them, any great pride. Thus, while they were competent, they were relegated always to a secondary place, assigned fronts of little perceived value.

Brennus was initially dismayed by what he found. A people broken by hearsay and ill fortune, beset by insecurities regarding themselves and their background. There was no identity there, nothing to join them together. He chose to keep the name, reportedly amused by the similarity between it and that of his tribe. The Legion was reorganized along tribal lines, with the original Terran marines inducted directly into his personal tribe. A concerted recruitment effort took place, with many thousands of Alessians being taken into the ranks of the Thunder Kings. The Terran marines longed for identity, and many seized upon the opportunity Brennus offered by adopting Alessian customs and sometimes even names. A new council was established, for the Thunder Kings Legion alone, and each of the tribes yet again given a place upon it.

When the Thunder Kings thus finally pulled themselves from Alessia, they did so with a new face. They were a Legion which had undergone a significant reshaping, being tuned to the direct purpose of their Primarch. They would demonstrate this well over the years, and Brennus would display infinite patience with the demands, complaints, and commentary of his brothers.

They were relegated to many of the same types of campaigns as before, initially. Slow, arduous, and inglorious endeavors. Yet Brennus showed his brilliance there, proving exceptionally competent in dealing with just these styles of fronts. Though it was little quicker than before, these protracted conflicts always ended in utterly comprehensive victories. With time, he was assigned command of out-of-the-way but important theaters, executing long wars with his Thunder Kings over numerous systems and planets. It was in this which they proved to excel: as a patient, conquering force, one which fought to achieve such a victory as to never needs return to fight there again.

The campaign the Thunder Kings would best be known for was the War for Agrippa's Cross. A gauntlet of star systems running between the Norma and Scutum-Centaurus Arms of the galaxy, it had been occupied and ruled by Xeno-worshiping humans for many centuries. With such a route having significant implications for the future of developing human worlds in the latter galactic arm, Warmaster Hektor, weary of the slow pace of fighting there, eventually assigned Brennus to the front. There, Brennus displayed caution and patience in spades, managing to win over as many worlds through careful diplomacy, threats, and surgical strikes as he did through open warfare. While the campaign may have consumed nearly twelve years, Agrippa's Cross was a staunchly Imperial holding by the end of it. It was this way everywhere they were assigned, and soon the Thunder Kings earned for themselves a reputation as being hardy fighters that could weather down, with enough time, nearly any foe. Attrition wasn't the reason for it, but instead the careful, considered, and methodical approach they always undertook.

The Heresy

During the Heresy, seven of the twelve tribes abandoned the Emperor and Brennus, heading towards Terra to assist Hektor Cincinnatus. Four of the remaining tribes set out in the same direction, assisting loyalist forces in various skirmishes and battles in the vicinity of the Sol system. It would be almost a year before Brennus lifted himself from Alessia, burning the world behind him, and took his last remaining tribe--his personal one--with him to Terra.

News of the Heresy didn't reach Brennus for some days until it began, by which time he and the majority of his Legion had gathered in orbit around Alessia to both celebrate the completion of a campaign and to recruit once more. When news finally did arrive, seven of the twelve tribes immediately departed, leaving no notice or explanation as to their intentions. As word spread, it became clear that Ferdiad--who proclaimed himself leader of these rebelling tribes--had thrown his lot in with the Archtraitor. Thereafter, four of the remaining tribes left, with a course bound for Terra itself. Brennus himself remained on Alessia for a month more, brooding silently as he carefully considered his failure; the treason of his sons. He did eventually stir himself, decidedly burning Alessia before following his loyalist sons towards Terra.

The majority of the fighting the Thunder Kings did during the Heresy took place in the Sol system, specifically in orbit around Jupiter and Saturn. The Jovian and Saturnian fronts had begun before the first fighting took place on Mars and Terra, and control of them was assumed by the Thunder Kings once they arrived. It was characterized by several pitched space battles and desperate engagements across the surface of Jupiter's and Saturn's rocky moons. A number of precious archaeotech stations and refineries were lost to Black Augur spite, and the eventual arrival of the Eternal Zealots forced the Thunder Kings onto the defensive. Brennus did his best to keep the front together, and managed to keep the Voidwatcher and Aubrey at bay. The fighting would eventually culminate in the 5th Battle of Titan, where the Void Angels arrived with nearly their entire Legion to relieve the Thunder Kings and decisively destroy the Eternal Zealots and Black Augur forces present.

With the Hektor dead and the traitors fled, the Thunder Kings rapidly set out in pursuit of their traitorous brethren. The assistance of the Void Angels was appreciated in this matter, and Brennus took to this particular task with a zeal it is said he rarely ever exhibited.

Post-Heresy

In the modern era, the tribal structure has been disbanded, and the Chapter no longer recruits from a single world. The loyalist tribes were instead broken off into their own individual Chapters, and are known to maintain close ties to the original Thunder Kings--who are all of Brennus’ original tribe. The Chapter is now mostly Codex Astartes adherent, at least with regards to organization, though it still maintains more Marines than is considered standard--owing to its extended garrison duties in many locations. Most notable is still their fondness for unified tactics, and it is unsurprising to see the Thunder Kings working alongside their brother chapters or with regular Imperial forces in the conduct of a combined front against a greater enemy.

Following the voluntary burning of Alessia, the Thunder Kings instead now recruit from a multitude of planets spread out over a gauntlet of stars known as the Soctis Cluster. With several black holes orbiting the periphery of the cluster, the habitable planets scattered throughout the Cluster are habitually bombarded by erratic seasons, exotic radiation, and altogether experience harsh conditions. It is from these worlds that the Thunder King recruits are drawn, with a permanent garrison maintained on each one.

Notable Figures

The "Horned Gods"

The greatest veterans of the 1st Grand Company, which was formed mostly from members of Brennus' personal tribe, were all equipped with Terminator armor, and served as both the Primarch's bodyguard and the most elite shock troops of the legion. The Horned Gods were called in when a foe resisted the Thunder King's strategies for too long, the Horned Gods were teleported in to end resistance as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. In keeping with the Legion's generalist strategy, these veterans each had a mighty personal arsenal, containing weapons fit for any situation; they usually carried as much of this arsenal as possible, to allow for shifting needs in battle. The Horned Gods got their name both for the rite they had to undertake to prove they were worthy to join, and because of their appearance; anyone wishing to join had to hunt and kill an Alessian mega-stag, with only a spear, a sling, and a pouch of stones, and they wore the stag's antlers on their helmets as a sign of their rank. Unusually, the Gods always had a dedicated apothecary, one of the Legion's Filid, and a dedicated Librarian Runesmith.

Garrick Hammerhand, Foeseeker and Captain of the Colgrist Tribe

After the unification of the twelve tribes of Alessia each chieftain was given voice as lord of his people. This tradition forged a unity previously unknown to the world, one which Brennus carried with him to the stars when he rejoined the Emperor. Each grand company of the Thunder Kings would draw from one of the great tribes for recruits, and as before, the chieftains, now captains over armies of astartes, served as the council for their primarch.

Garrick was one such captain, drawn from the Colgrist tribe of the far southern forests. His rise to authority had not been a meteoric one, but rather a steady rise through the attrition of war. His leadership and combat skills were well respected, but promotion by circumstance other than the death of his predecessors never came due to his clash with the patient ideal of the legions ways of war. Garrick was a bold man, favoring decisive action and swift, powerful deployment of the forces at his command. His peers view his command as a reckless one that risks too much for little gain. His retort has always been that fortune favors the bold, and only those who dare will know the glories of victory. To his credit, Garrick's style of leading the charge has galvanized a loyal following of troops within his tribe, forming a solid spearhead that faces the foes of mankind with unflinching resolve and fury. Upon his elevation to command of the 5th grand company of the Thunder Kings, the reputation of his troops was one of great renown and open mindedness, with a willingness to drive home unorthodox and aggressive tactics to gain victory.

Ultimately, the loyal following Garrick possessed would be his only saving grace. When the treason of the warmaster was discovered, so too were the roots of cancer that gnawed at his company. The drive for glory had become brazen in their ranks, spurred on by the success of the equally brazen captain. Yet his loyalty would have prevented them from testing their prowess against the most dangerous game of all: rival astartes. The 5th grand company had been long poisoned by the whispers of outside forces. Proud hunting tradition founded in the forests of Alessia had been twisted by the subtle works of the Children of Armok and their proxies; now the men sought to test themselves not for the edification of their tribe and Emperor, but to vaunt themselves above their kin. Garrick had been seen as the embodiment of this, but his fidelity to his primarch would harbor no treason.

In the end the captain of the Colgrist found his position usurped and his ship torn by a sudden, violent mutiny. His personal guard and loyal men from his days as a lesser officer quelled the fighting, but only after five hours of ceaseless slaughter as brothers in arms fell upon one another. Such bitterness only grew worse when his ship, the Astral Huntsman, was fired upon by the remaining vessels of the company's fleet. Word of the failed uprising had reached the other vessels where similar mutiny had ended swiftly in the traitors favor. Shocked and enraged, Garrick had to be restrained by his men, lest he command his ship on a suicidal final stand. Better, they reasoned, to flee and give word of their losses than to leave Brennus short a captain and the vital news. Fleeing from the treasonous Colgrist fleet, they rejoined with elements of the still loyal Thunder Kings. Swearing vengeance upon the grave breach of faith his men had committed, Garrick joined the marines bound for the Jovian campaign and became the Hammer of Brennus, instrument of the primarch's wrath.

The Hammers of Brennus

The Hammers of Brennus were formed in the early days after the Heresy from survivors of the loyalists that fled annihilation from the traitor tribes. They were added to the roster of one of the tribes decimated in the fighting late in the Heresy to bolster their numbers, the chapter now forms a vengeful, vindictive offshoot of the more temperate parent legion. The Hammers of Brennus hold an eagerness to exact a toll of blood and violence on those who turned from the Emperor's light, and hold incredibly strong ties of brotherhood within their own ranks as survivors and warriors, which extends to the rest of the Thunder Kings and their child chapters. Among the Thunder Kings, it is the Hammers that are first to fight. They respond swiftly to calls for aid (especially from forces facing the Archenemy) and deploy using an extensive number of drop pods form a sudden, explosive presence on the battlefield. From the bitter close combat of planetfall a landing zone is swiftly secured for the rest of the chapter's forces to deploy, allowing a multitude of heavier supplies to be ferried into the hot combat zone under extensive gunship protection. This vanguard force swiftly shifts from a defensive posture to an offensive one once the beachhead is secured. As reinforcements arrive, the chapter turns to a highly aggressive force focused on harrying the enemy and ensuring superiority of mobility by assaulting air and rapid attack assets. This in turn frees gunships from convoy detail, allowing for even greater reach. Ultimately, the Hammers turn the crucible of deep strikes and rapid assault into an art, one which marks the bane of slower, more cumbersome foes. Given their close ties to their imperial allies, it is safe to assume that when Brennus' hammers make landfall, relief is soon assured.