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This article, Loss of All Hope, was written by RagnarVulkus. Please do not edit or 'acquire' this fiction without the writer's permission. |
The Loss of All Hope is a relatively new Chaos warband that has become known for its brutal night raids. They are dedicated to the minor Chaos god Zetsuris, also known as the God of Despair, or the Hope Crusher. The Chapter was originally a Raven Guard successor, called the Hopebringers. They were part of a relief campaign to the worst affected areas bordering the Citrix Maledictum. However, the Inquisition then launch an Exterminatus of a planet full of innocent lives. Outraged, the Chapter Master abandoned the Imperium, who he felt had betrayed them. The God Zetsuris, newly empowered by the panic and hopelessness of the worlds bordering the Great Rift, granted the Chapter Master power enough to destroy the Inquisitorial fleet, and the Chapter quickly fell to Chaos. They have since become known for their brutal night raids, silently slaughtering small sections of encampments and impaling them on spikes.
Warband History[]
Founding[]
The Loss of all Hope was founded an unknown founding from the gene-seed of the Raven Guard as a fleet-based Chapter that would patrol the inner Ultima Segment. They were originally called the Hopebringers. During the time between their founding and their fall to the forces of Chaos, they gained a reputation for protecting civilian lives at all cost.
Fall to Chaos[]
Shortly after the Great Rift opened, the Hopebringers accompanied several Astra Militarium regiments and elements of the Inquisition into the Ska'Fel system, that had been recently overrun by Daemons of the God Zetsuris. The force was tasked to purge the system and recover it. After several years of hard fighting, the system was purged, at surprisingly little loss to the Chapter. However, shortly after the Chapter left the system, the Inquisition enacted Exterminatus on several planets, including all of the innocent civilians on them. Upon hearing this, the Chapter Master, Navias Korvaedyn went into a rage, feeling that the Imperium had betrayed his Chapter, for their entire purpose was to provide hope to the people of the Imperium, and they had just helped to kill millions of innocents. He was approached by an emissary of Zetsuris, who promised him power and revenge in return for his service. Navias accepted, and using the new power given to him and the Chapter he hunted down the Inquisition fleet responsible for the Exterminatus, slowly picking of ships that lagged behind and seeding the larger ones with marines that slowly slaughtered them, spreading terror across the ships. Navias eventually boarded the flagship, and hung the Inquisitor in charge. The new Warband and their fleet returned to the Ska'Fel System and took control of its largest planet. In the name of their new God, they took control of the Vor'Kai sub-sector on the eastern border of the Great Rift.
Unbeknownst to the Imperium and the Warband, Zetsuris, the God of Despair, had made a deal with Tzeentch shortly after the Great Rift opened in order to gain more followers. The scheme that Tzeentch created worked perfectly, and Zetsuris, now in his debt, gained a new Warband and an entire sub-sector of cultists.
Notable Campaigns[]
- 546.M38-550.M38 - The Hopebringers recover a system from the hands of the Word Bearers, and capture several ancient Grand Cruisers, though they are tainted with Chaos.
- 999.M41-003.M42 - The Hopebringers engage in a several year long battle against the Ork Empire of Hephastine, recovering several worlds.
- 007.M42-010.M42 - The Hopebringers help the Inquisition purge the Ska'Fel system, before turning on them and becoming the Warband the Loss of all Hope.
- 010.M42-~M42 - The Loss of all Hope conquers the Vor'Kai sub-sector, dedicating it to their new God. Navias Korvaedyn ascends to the rank of Demon Prince.
- ~M42 - The Loss of all Hope engages in a conflict with the Molten Fists 8th Company, and its flagship, the corrupted Inquisitorial ship called the Just Fist, is destroyed.
Warband Homeworld[]
The homeworld of the Loss of all Hope is Ska'Fel V, the largest planet in the Ska'Fel system. The Ska'Fel system is situated in the centre of the Vor'Kai sub-sector, which is controlled by the Chaos God Zetsuris.
Ska'Fel V[]
Ska'Fel V is a medium sized, Terra-like planet, covered in extensive mountain ranges. These mountain ranges are filled with the torture rooms, hunt gardens and cult houses of the Despair Cults. The Fortress-Monastery is situated in the largest of these mountain ranges.
Fortress-Monastery[]
The Fortress-monastery of the Loss of all Hope was originally a warp-capable space fortress called the Basilica Candlus. After their fall to Chaos, the Loss of all Hope grounded it in the mountain ranges of Ska'Fel V.
Now the Fortress-monastery acts as the central point where the Warband congregates, and contains a semi-stable warp gateway - similar to the Eldar's webway gates - which leads to the realm controlled by Zetsuris.
Warband Organisation[]
The Loss of all Hope operates in a Hierarchy based on strength and the Zetsuris's favour of the individual.
Hierarchy[]
- Anathema of Hope-Eternal: The overall leader of the Warband, the Anathema of Hope-Eternal is the strongest and most favoured individual in the Warband. As of present, the Anathema is Navias Korvaedyn and this is unlikely to change as he has been ascended to the rank of Daemon Prince by Zetsuris.
- Antonym of Hope: Directly beneath the Anathema of Hope-Eternal is 9 Antonyms of Hope. These each have control of a segment of the Warband. They are not as favoured by Zetsuris as the Anathema, but have each contributed lots to the God. Notable Antonyms of Hope are Tryris the Scythe-limbed, and Furior the Torturer.
- Fearmonger: The Fearmongers are the equivalent of Space Marine Sergeants, and each Antonym of Hope leads 9 of them. Each has typically been blessed with a gift from Zetsuris once. Notable examples are Aevzan the Hammerarm and Aajax Faithbane.
- Shadow Marine: The lowliest Marine in the Warband, Shadow Marines are the names given to Chaos Marines fo the Warband, and can fulfil a variety of roles, such as heavy weapons carriers, general troops or infiltration units. A Fearmonger may lead between 5 and 20 Shadow Marines.
Specialist Units[]
The Loss of all Hope fields Shadow Marines as their primary troop. These are heavily adaptable versions of the ordinary Chaos Marines, and can fulfil a variety of roles. However, a squad typically is fielded in the same loadout as their Fearmonger. For example, Aevzan the Hammerarm wears corrupted Terminator armour, and so his squad of Shadow Marines are similarly equipped.
The Loss of all Hope also has a unique type of squad, called Warp Infiltrators. These are the most elite of the Shadow Marines and are equipped with a brutal nine-pronged whip, a corrupted bolt gun and jump-packs. They are the marines that infiltrate enemy encampments and undergo the brutal slaughter missions that are the trademark of the Loss of all Hope.
Combat Doctrine[]
The Loss of all Hope fights in a way that continuously increases their God's power. They prefer not to take head on fights, and instead raid enemy encampments at night, silently slaughtering parts of the camp and hanging them in the middle. This happens in complete silence, so when the encampment wakes they are struck with the hopelessness of attempting to fight an enemy which can kill without alerting any guards. Even the most well trained soldiers can break after weeks of these raids.
On the occasions which the Warband is forced into a head on fights, they attack on multiple fronts, closing distance as fast as possible in order to begin ripping into the enemy with their signature 9 tailed whip.
Chapter Beliefs[]
The Warband follows the God Zetsuris with absolute conviction, following his will out of choice. To this end, they hold several rituals on their homeworld involving the prisoners that they capture. One of the most enjoyed of these is the Hunt. This involves allowing the strongest prisoners to escape into the mountains surrounding the prisons, before hunting them down and sending them insane through the sheer hopelessness of their situation. When they are recaptured and put back into the cells, beaten bloody and driven insane, it breaks the wills of any who remain.
Gene-Seed[]
The Chapter's gene-seed is particularly unstable and riddled with mutations, which points to it being from the 21st Founding. Like most Raven Guard successors, they possess a nonfunctional Mucranoid and Betcher's Gland. The Melanchromic Organ also makes their skin appear almost silver, and their hair and eyes pitch black. Perhaps most importantly, the gene-flaw known as the Sable Brand was particularly potent in the Hopebringers, which meant that many of their warriors became unable to fight after long periods of time, despite their extensive attempts to control it.
Notable Members[]
- Navias Korvaedyn - The current Anathema of Hope-Eternal of the Warband, Navias was its Chapter Master at the time of their Fall. After leading the Warband in its invasion of the Vor'Kai sub-sector, he was ascended to a Daemon Prince by Zetsuris.
- Tryris the Scythe-limbed - One of the 9 Antonyms of Hope. He was the previous Captain of the Hopebringer's 5th Company before their Fall.
- Furior the Torturer - One of the 9 Antonyms of Hope. He ascended to this position after leading a Warp Infiltrator squad into the most well defended stronghold in the Vor'Kai sub-sector on several occasions and contributing massively to its fall.
- Kyrin Morad - Another of the 9 Antonyms of Hope, Kyrin and the segment of the Warband he controls have all fallen victim to the Sable Brand, and is the only of the 9 segments that is at least partially dedicated to frontline combat.
- Aevzan the Hammerarm - One of the most notable Fearmongers, he leads a squad of Shadow Marines in Terminator Armour.
- Aajax Faithbane - One of the Warband's 81 Fearmongers, he leads its largest squad of Warp Infiltrators.
Chapter Fleet[]
The Warband has a relatively large fleet, mostly due to the fact that it inherited the ships from an Inquisitorial Fleet shortly after its Fall. One of the Warband's Flagships - an Inquisitorial Cruiser called the Just Fist - was recently destroyed.
- Smothering Hopelessness (Gloriana-class Grand Cruiser) - The Smothering Hoplessness is the Warband's main Flagship, and its largest void-capable ship. It was captured from the Word Bearers by the Hopebringers before their Fall, but wasn't used due to its Chaos corruption. However, after their Fall, Navias appointed it as his personal Flagship.
- Hand of Despair (Avenger-class Grand Cruiser)
- Void Praetor (Avenger-class Grand Cruiser)
- Unending Horror (Inquisitorial Cruiser)
- Talon of Sorrow (Hunter-class Destroyer)
- Promise of Salvation (Strike Cruiser)
- Infinite Torture (Strike Cruiser)
- An unknown number of other Strike Cruisers, Inquisitorial Cruisers and Destroyers of various classes.
Chapter Relics[]
The Warband possesses an unusual amount of relics from a range of Imperial, Chaos and Xenos forces. It is thought that it has gained these from its conflicts with other Warbands that worship other Gods. However, very few of these relics are of particular power or renown.
- The Whip of Zetsuris - The Whip of Zetsuris is a large nine tailed whip that is possessed by a Greater Daemon of Zetsuris. It was gifted to Navias Korvaedyn when he pledged his loyalty to the God, and upon his ascension to Daemon Prince status the Whip grew massively in size and strength. Those struck by the Whip experience a similar affect to being in the proximity of a Daemon of Zetsuris; a sense of the extreme futility of fighting the forces of Chaos, a complete loss of hope and in some cases instant insanity.
- The Gateway of Possibilities - The Gateway of Possibilities was a Webway Gate taken from an Eldar Craftworld by the Warband shortly after its Fall. It was corrupted by the power of Chaos, and now has the ability to travel to most points in the Warp. It currently resides in the centre of the Loss of all Hope's Fortress-monastery on Ska'Fel V and is used as a gateway to Zetsuris's Warp domain.
Relations[]
Allies[]
- Death Guard - The Loss of all Hope has made allies with the Death Guards, partially due to their patron Deities representing similar things.
- Despair Cults - The myriad of cults that worship Zetsuris are called the Despair Cults, and most reside within the Vor'Kai sub-sector, with some of the largest ones on Ska'Fel V itself. The Loss of all Hope maintains good relations with the vast majority of these cults.
Enemies[]
- Thousand Sons - The Loss of all Hope, and most subjects of Zetsuris, bear a particular hatred for Tzeentch and his minions, after he put Zetsuris in his debt by helping to organise the scheme which put the Warband in the service of Zetsuris.
- Inquisition - The Inquisition is particularly hated by the Loss of all Hope for the brutal Exterminatus orders that they issue on innocent planets.
Notable Quotes[]
By the Loss of all Hope[]
- "These people call themselves protectors. They say they guard humanity from the threats of the void. But who will protect humanity from them!? Who gives them the authority to destroy millions of innocent lives in storms of hellfire!? They are not deserving of our support. This Imperium is not worth protecting."
- — Navias Korvaedyn, after hearing of the Exterminatus upon the world of Ska'Fel I.
About the Loss of all Hope[]