Ruling the Warp secretly while being the finest military mind in the Imperium of Man...something like that would require a tactical ge-
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...he can't make me say it. Not yet. Not now.
Also, as we were talking about the 'finer' aspects of the Warp Gods, I'm not sure if I asked this before, but I had an idea for a Daemon World thing that wasn't absolute hell and was rather more like a DnD world on the surface, with the hints of what it actually is under a surface of apparent adventure or something. Wonder what you guys might think of it. Repasted from where I'd originally put it, sorry for wall of text, but, meh.
So, for a while now I've been thinking. Been thinkin' real hard about an idea for a world or setting in the 40k vein. See, I was thinking about how Khorne is the god of honor and courage, not simply blood and skulls. And I was wondering what it might be like if there was a warband focusing on that. I came up with an idea for Knights of Khorne (definitely NOT Khornate Knights), and yes I know Fantasy has that as the name of theirs, but this is a bit different.
I then went on to thinking about how this might be applied to the other Chaos Gods. Their positive aspects, with hints of their true nature, fallen Knights and the like who reveal the darker side of Chaos. Possibly it's set on a Daemon World and a giant illusion or other Warp trickery is going on.
Oh, and there's Isha, and thus probably Eldar, but that's just Nurgle letting his Waifu join in, and Slaanesh licking her lips at the opportunity. So, possibly a form of Crone World, which somehow got living Eldar (Exodites? Unsure as to that bit yet) on it. Orks are a must, of course, but it's probably not going to have much to do with the Imperials save in what would amount to an apocalypse scenario for the denizens.
Even just the description for the Knights Chivalric(aka Khorne's followers) is too big to fit if I have anything else, so I'll follow this up with it. I can post the other three Chaos Gods, Isha, and their fallen equivalents if anyone wants.
>Knights Chivalric; Every member of the Knights Chivalric has dedicated their lives to their patron Khorne, God of Valor and Strength, and during initiation, they undergo a painful and bloody ritual to inscribe themselves with the tattoos and marks necessary to gain their God's blessing and power in battle, enabling them to fight with greater fury, even when heavily wounded. They are also blessed with great Beasts of War to serve as their noble Steeds, whom can fight nearly as well as their masters in battle. As they are injured, or see their fellows fall in battle, they exp>Knights Chivalric; Every member of the Knights Chivalric has dedicated their lives to their patron Khorne, God of Valor and Strength, and during initiation, they undergo a painful and bloody ritual to inscribe themselves with the tattoos and marks necessary to gain their God's blessing and power in battle, enabling them to fight with greater fury, even when heavily wounded. They are also blessed with great Beasts of War to serve as their noble Steeds, whom can fight nearly as well as their masters in battle. As they are injured, or see their fellows fall in battle, they experience an event known as the Blood Rage, gaining strength and dismissing pain, able to overcome even mortal wounds in their berserk fury, but eventually becoming unable to distinguish friend from foe, save those others who have been caught in the Blood Rage. Even their blood inflicts death upon their foes in this state, as it begins to boil even within their veins when caught too deep in the throes of the Blood Rage. However, they dedicate their lives to being, as their order name implies, chivalrous; defend the innocent, protect the weak, fight honorably and prove own's strength. As such, they tend to be the order most popular with the commonfolk, and are the largest order.
>Knights Repentant: Serving their deity Slaanesh, God/dess of Perfection and Beauty, the Knights Repentant, sometimes known as the Lancers of Slaanesh, are known for two things: their fastidious care when in control of their urges, and their hideous neglect when said urges are uncontrolled. This is in part due to the oaths they swear to keep said desires under control, and the fact that their power is, in part, fueled by their resisting temptation. When they finally falter in keeping those oaths, though they can be atoned for(and thus the naming of the order become clear), their line of thinking tends towards the belief that since they've already broken it, holding back would be pointless now. Thus, the combination of attempting towards perfection, and always faltering when coming near it, has led to...strained relations with some of the other Orders, to say the least, especially with the Knights Chivalric, who tend to view the Knights Repentant as insufferably smug hypocrites with pretentions of being noble, whom inflict more harm with their failures then they make up for with their successes. The Lancers, meanwhile, see the Knights Chivalric as peasants aspiring to rise above their station, and unstable bloodthirsty maniacs as liable to rend an ally apart as they are the enemy. In any case, so long as they are able to keep themselves in check (and the order hosts some excruciating punishments for those who fail in their vows), their dedication to perfection shows; tactical maneuvering and high-speed warfare is their specialty, and on their own steeds, bipedal, vaguely avian beasts known as Chargers, they are more than capable of controlling the battlefield. The Knights of Khorne may be better in sustained combat, but a charge into the flanks by a group of Knights Repentant is truly devastating.
>Knights Arcanus: Devoted to the God of Knowledge, Progress, and Reason, are the Knights Arcanus; warrior-mages and scholars without equal. While there are users of magic greater than they, they are few and far between, and it is even rarer for them to come anywhere close in terms of fighting prowess. This belies their true power, however; for the Arcanus take the saying 'knowing is half the battle' to heart. Though most of their time is spent in study, whether to perfect their arcane powers, become yet more learned on a particular topic, or to preserve knowledge for generations to come, the Knights of Tzeentch have long understood the importance of proper intelligence; as such, they are masters of divination and scrying, and with enough time, they can become immensely well versed on a given enemy, and thus understand, in detail, what they are wont to do. However, their dedication comes at a price; they are the smallest of all the Orders save the Maidens, and even then Isha still has her Hospitallers. Additionally, they are prone to becoming separated from the rest of the world, locked in their towers, conversing among themselves, and growing apart from the common people. This is sometimes merely a result of their obsession with lore, both ancient and new, and said lore's frequent lack of practical application. At other times, it is more devious; summoning demons to gain more power and knowledge is not unknown among their ranks, however heavily it may be frowned upon, and rumor says that their Seekers, flying mounts claimed to be distant kin to dragons, are actually a form of domesticated demon. The idea is an absurd one, of course, a result of peasant ignorance as to the true workings and nature of demons, but...if anyone could tame a hellbeast, it would be the Arcanus...
>Whatever the case, their relations with the other Orders vary from Order to Order; the Maidens of Isha harbor a disdain for them that the Knights find confounding; such an utter lack of knowledge is rare for the Arcanus, and as such they find themselves in a position of reactionary disdain for the Maidens, partially fueled by their closeness to the Knights of Nurgle, whom they view as ignorant savages unwilling even to learn to read. They respect the Knights Chivalric, as most do, though they see their tactics as wasteful and their bloodlust as dangerous. The Knights Repentant earn their respect and disgust in equal measure, and the Arcanus have learned that it is best to judge them individually, rather than merely those who fail their oaths.
>Knights Feralis: Not all of the Knightly Orders are civilized, though some might say Nurgle's chosen are thusly not true knights. But the honor of the Knights Feralis can scarcely be impugned; of all the Knightly Orders, theirs is the least likely to witness one of their members Falling. This is in no small part due to the influence of the Maidens of Isha, whom they maintain close ties with; the purifying presence of those maidens also likely accounts for their good health, despite living in the wilds. For, as their name might imply, the Knights Feralis are not an Order based in the cities and townships of man. They are, instead, protectors, guides, and watchmen in the wilds, keeping their eyes on those that would seek to strike at the innocent. While they don't display the same degree of chivalrous behavior exhibited by their kindred, they are the kindliest of the orders, even more so than the Maidens themselves, who must hold themselves back from their patients, to avoid being traumatized by the emotional impact should one die under their care. Besides their survivalist capabilities and knack for the wilderness, the Knights Feralis are known best for two things; their odor, which blends in well with the wilds, but assaults the senses outside of them, and their ability to communicate with the beasts of the world. Though it is not speech, and the Knights are secretive about the particulars of this ability, they nonetheless retain the ability to convince creatures great and small to aid them or do their bidding. This also results in a fierce protectiveness of nature, even whilst they are attempting to keep civilization alive; to the Feralis, civilization must be kept in check, lest it overgrow it's abilities and suffocate in it's own secretions and muck. For this reason, they do not get along well with the Knights Arcanus, who believe that civilization must grow at any and all costs.
>They get along far better with the Knights Chivalric, whose goals and means line up with theirs most often. The Knights Repentant seem a perfect example of the excesses of 'civilization' and the extremes it results in, and while they are willing to work together, it is far less common than, perhaps, might be beneficial for everyone involved.
>Maidens of Isha: Isha is the Goddess of Healing, Purity, Fertility, and Life. As such, she is the closest to heart for many of the simple peasantfolk in the fields, though the entire Pantheon has their respect (or fear, concerning one God in particular...). So it is no surprise that the Maidens are often welcomed into communities wherever they go, regardless of circumstance. This generosity is helped along by their own in kind; the Maidens are blessed by their goddess more directly than many of the proper Orders, and for this reason, coupled with their nominal pacifism, they are not considered Knights. None can doubt their skill, however, or necessity; where a Maiden goes, crops bloom. They are able to heal minor wounds with but a touch, restore limbs that might otherwise require amputation, and create magical prosthetics for the maimed. Though they are not capable of taking a man at Death's Door out of the Reaper's grasp, they are able to perhaps give him the boost necessary to fight free for himself. The Maidens' powers come at a price, however; they require a great effort on the part of the user, and a great vulnerability, should their patient wish to exploit it...as with all magic, using it on a fellow human, elf, or what-have-you means that their soul strains for a moment towards the other.
>With such intimate magic as the Maiden's, the souls of the two meet and touch during the healing. It is from this root that the two practices most controversial of the Maidens are born from; their aloof demeanor, put on as an attempt to reduce the emotional trauma should a patient die after being treated, and their right to refuse care to those in need, should they believe such would place them at risk; the darkness that lurks inside some souls can taint and corrupt those Maidens who treat them, and it is for this reason that often the most compassionate of the Maidens are the ones most at risk to Fall. All Maidens care greatly for those around them, and are loath to see someone in pain or in need of aid they could provide. In most cases, this is not an issue. However, only the weak-willed give in to their instincts to treat the Fallen and Corrupted. The risk is further compounded by the simple fact of their being weak-willed, and thus less capable of resisting the tantalizing pull of darkness. The Maidens maintain close ties to the Knights Feralis, though the exact reason is unknown, and harbor a distaste for the arcane powers of the Knights Arcanis that shows this connection. The Knights Chivalric and Knights Repentant are treated more or less equally, with the signature aloofness of Isha's handmaidens.
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