Ashen Maulers

The Ashen Maulers, known among themselves as the Cult of Staeom'kontieg, are a warband of the Lost and the Damned that specifically worships the Slaaneshi Daemon Prince Staeom'kontieg. Unlike many Slaanesh cults, the Ashen Maulers dispense with all of the twisted parody of decency or civility typically found among Slaanesh worshippers like the Emperor's Children. Instead they are unabashed murderers and torturers, kidnapping entire planetary populations and subjecting them to horrors beyond comprehension by all save perhaps the most depraved among the Drukhari. Unlike the Dark Eldar, however, they have no excuse for their actions. They serve no purpose, no overarching goal, no deeper meaning--their object of worship doesn't even specifically demand it of them. The depredations of the Ashen Maulers are committed for no higher purpose than satisfying their own twisted, sadistic impulses.

Origins
Vicor IV was a luxurious pleasure world, a paradise almost unparalleled in all of the Imperium... at least for its noble visitors. For those who actually lived on and maintained the world, however, it was a life of unending hard labor, thankless servitude, and abuse from their so-called "betters." For Dark Apostle Faustus of the Knights of Laeran, it was almost too easy to sow the seeds of heresy among the populace and drive them into open revolt in the name of Slaanesh. Before long Colonel Kaspar Vektaris and his Ashimar 30th Nova Guard arrived to reassert order, and soon after that the Knights of Laeran arrived in full force to claim the planet.

As the fighting intensified, a seemingly unremarkable Cultist achieved apotheosis in the middle of the battle, becoming a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh. This being, in mortal life, was an administratum menial assigned to Vicor IV known as "Steve, from Accounting" who appeared unremarkable on the surface, but was in fact secretly the world's most infamous serial killer. When the Knights of Laeran invaded the world, he and his fellow Chaos Cultists rose up to aid them, and in the process Steve managed to earn his 666,666th kill. Upon achieving this, he immediately ascended to Daemonhood. Those non-Astartes who witnessed his daemonic rebirth, including the vast majority of Ashimar Nova Guard they were fighting, were immediately enthralled and swore fealty to him. Afraid that he would lose control of his entire warband to this newly ascended being, the leader of the Knights of Laeran, Lord Gaius, immediately withdrew his all of his Heretic Astartes and what few Cultists he still had control of. In a matter of hours, the Imperial forces were destroyed, the Imperial Navy vessels that had brought the Nova Guard were stolen, and the Cult of Staeom'kontieg was free to ravage any Imperial world they came across.

Present
Ever since, the Cult has ravaged every undefended world or vulnerable ship they've come across, as well as attacking their former comrades among the Ashimar Nova Guard whenever they're vulnerable. While they never openly declare themselves, or even communicate with others outside their cult, one of the barely intelligible words they often shout in battle is "Ashimar", in reference to their origins. During one of their first incursions, survivors misinterpreted the word as the cultists identifying themselves as the "Ashen Maulers," and the name has been their official designation in Inquisition records ever since. While it's highly unlikely that these Ashen Maulers have any true goal or strategy, experts have noticed that they gradually appear to be making progress in the general direction of Daemon World of Laeran for reasons unknown.

Warband Organisation
Other than some key leaders, the Ashen Maulers have almost no consistent organization whatsoever. Portions of corrupted Imperial Guard or Imperial Navy will enforce vestiges of their original command structure onto those they're strong enough to bully into it, but for the most part the warband stays together solely out of mutual self-interest. Infighting for position is common, and rather than preventing it, Admiral Falcor merely insists that they take such conflicts onto the nearest habitable celestial body rather than damage any of his ships. In such a way the weak are weeded out and the bored and satiated until they can find a fresh target. Whenever Staeom'kontieg manifests among them, however, all of this aggression is set aside momentarily while they follow their master in ravaging whatever target he commands them to.

Warband Combat Doctrine
The Ashen Maulers rarely uses overly complex strategies, as they both only engage foes strong enough to require them when absolutely necessary and generally lack the necessary discipline to do so in the first place. Those among their number who are former members of the Imperial Guard fair a bit better, and can usually manage to wrangle some cultists into the occasional gunline to protect their Leman Russ tanks, while the less disciplined Cultists and Chaos Spawn charge the enemy to keep them at range and Valkyries rain fire upon them from the skies. When Staeom'kontieg himself takes the field with them, he will either guide the Chaos Spawn packs himself or sneak behind enemy lines to create mayhem and drive enemies out of cover. In any event, the warband only engages in true military campaigns when absolutely necessary, preferring instead to strike at vulnerable targets when they are available and move on in search of fresh prey when they aren't.

Warband Recruitment
The vast majority of the cultists making up the Ashen Maulers come from raiding relatively un- or under-defended worlds and kidnapping anyone they can. Few survive the unspeakable things these cultists will do to them, but those who do will inevitably be simultaneously traumatized and corrupted by the experience. Once their sanity is sufficiently broken, they're given a gun and some blades and are thrown into the horde with everyone else.

The more disciplined of the warband, those who actually direct their carnage and operate their ships and vehicles, are those among the Imperial Guard and Imperial Navy who have been recruited in a similar manner. While their sanity might be shattered, their military training and experience remain, allowing them to direct those with less experience and keep the cult just barely coherent enough to be a devastating threat.

Warband Leaders
Staeom'kontieg : Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, and obviously the object of the cult's worship. In general he doesn't particularly care about his mortal followers, simply using them to give him opportunities to indulge his many, many vices. The closest he comes to coordinating with his minions is manifesting to inspire them and appearing on the battlefield to cause mayhem among the enemy when the mood strikes him. In general, the cult's leaders work more around their master than truly for him, at least when doing anything other than presenting him with offerings or performing ritual sacrifices to appease him.

Colonel Kaspar Vektaris : The true master of the Ashen Maulers, Colonel Kaspar Vektaris was once the leader of the Ashimar 30th Nova Guard until he witnessed Staeom'kontieg's apotheosis in person.

Others
Beatrix Wraith : A renegade witch who was once a loyal servant of the Knights of Laeran. Beatrix was always in an awkward place on Laera, as she chaffed under Gaius's "One Law of Laeran" due to her addiction to causing fear and crushing hope in helpless victims. However, as a powerful psyker Gaius was hesitant to throw her life away as he usually does to those like her. As soon as Staeom'kontieg ascended to Daemonhood on the battlefield, Beatrix saw her opportunity and convinced the Cultists with her to abandon the Knights of Laeran in favor of the newly formed Cult of Staeom'kontieg.

Admiral Derivus Falcor : A former Admiral of the Imperial Navy, his Battlefleet was the first to be commandeered by Staeom'kontieg and his worshippers. He was famous for his masterful use of Nova Cannons, making up for their lack of accuracy with overlapping barrages capable of devastating fleets several times their size from ranges further than most other Imperial Navy Battlefleets can handle. Despite being deceived into losing his fleet, this was the first major mistake of an otherwise spotless naval career... but it only takes one mistake to set one down the road of damnation. Tortured and mutilated until his mind broke, the once heroic Admiral now ferries an insatiable horde of howling madmen onto unsuspecting, undefended worlds.

Warband Fleet
Once the 612th Cadian Regiment was brought under Staeom'kontieg's control, they deceived the Battlefleet that brought them to the battle into allowing them back aboard and took over their ships. In addition to these ships, the fleet includes a constantly fluctuating number of Light Cruisers stolen from the Imperial Navy (and occasionally other Chaos warbands,) usually between 40 and 50. These ships are destroyed and replaced so regularly that both the Inquisition and the warband itself has stopped bothering to track them all.
 * 6 Victory Class Battleships
 * 6 Mercury Class Battlecruiser
 * 12 Dominator Class Cruisers
 * 30 Escort Squads

Relations
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Allies

 * None. Not even themselves.

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Enemies

 * Ashimar Nova Guard
 * Knights of Laeran

By the Ashen Maulers
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About the Ashen Maulers


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