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This article, Tsunami Riders, was written by RagnarVulkus. Please do not edit or 'acquire' this fiction without the writer's permission. |
The historical protectors of Sector Baikal since the days of the Great Scouring, the Tsunami Riders are a nigh legendary Chapter within the sector. Officially founded in early M32 as part of the 3rd Founding, the Tsunami Riders originated as the White Scars Legion's Brotherhood of the Tsunami. With a long and storied past, the Tsunami Riders are specialists in extreme weather fighting, often relying on their own Stormseers to bring about this weather.
Chapter History
Brotherhood of the Tsunami
The Tsunami Riders have their origins as one of the Brotherhoods of the White Scars Legion. Having survived the Horus Heresy, the Brotherhood of the Tsunami, as they were then known, was on the frontlines of the Great Scouring.
They were pursuing a warband of the traitor Thousand Sons through the warp when they fled into the massive roiling warp storm of the Maelstrom. The Brotherhood attempted to flee, but after one of their vessels was destroyed they withdrew. After exiting the warp they found themselves on the frontlines of a massive conflict on the planet Grai in Sector Baikal. Traitor legionnaires were razing the ocean planet, and the loyalist defenders were being pushed back. The Brotherhood decided to help and made landfall. Later, defenders from across the planet would claim that they saw members of the Brotherhood, one moment here, the next there. Within months, the planet was clear.
Barely stopping, the Brotherhood travelled throughout the rest of the sector to assist its loyalist defenders against the forces of Chaos. The warp receded as what would be called Warp Surge Neptune ended, yet it took a further 60 years of relentless fighting for the Brotherhood of the Tsunami to claim that the myriad of chaos cults that had arisen had been put down.
Founding
By the time the Brotherhood of the Tsunami had finished putting down the chaos resistance, Rogal Dorn was calling for a 3rd Founding of Adeptus Astartes chapters. The remnants of the Brotherhood of the Tsunami, under Khan Torghik, made themselves known to the Imperium, and were officially recorded as successors of the White Scars legion. As part of this process, they were forced to choose a homeworld. They nominated the first world of Sector Baikal on which they fought; the ocean world of Grai. They had been impressed by the savagery of its tribal inhabitants.
The first group of Astartes founded from the gene-seed of Torghik - after it had been checked for purity - turned out to be particularly tall and strong. This allowed the chapter to grow in numbers and restock their losses soon after taking Grai as their homeworld.
The Brotherhood of the Tsunami soon took the name 'Tsunami Riders', and cemented themselves as the defenders of Sector Baikal, taking part in hundreds of battles to defend its citizens. They gained a reputation for lightning-fast attacks, and the stormy weather which precipitated their arrival.
Warp Surge Kimbazi
Warp Surge Kimbazi in mid-M35 had massive consequences for the future of the Tsunami Riders. The main chaos host to emerge from the Depths during the Warp Surge was led by the forces of Hellforge Maiur, dedicated to the Chaos God Slaanesh. While Legio Balror and several Slaaneshi cults distracted a large proportion of the Tsunami Riders on the now-Death World of Illius IV, several traitorous tech-priests led corrupted Skitarii against Grai itself.
They besieged fortress-monastery Ikoi almost immediately, mercilessly killing the Planet Defence Forces on the planet. The Astartes defenders of Grai, however, consisting predominantly of the Brotherhood of the Whale, stood the Dark Mechanicum to a standstill. As great storms from the seasons of Wrath raged on, Alakai Niru Patha slew the Slaaneshi leader in single combat. Believing they were victorious, the Tsunami Riders relaxed slightly. However, a secret force of corrupted Skitarii snuck into Ikoi's depths. They stole or corrupted over three quarters of the Tsunami Rider's gene-stock.
As alerts rang out, the defenders hastily retreated, attempting to prevent the Skitarii not from entering the Fortress-Monastery, but from leaving it. While they killed some, a large proportion successfully left the world.
Devastated at his failures, Alakai Patha surrendered his position as Alakai, swearing to pursue the Mauirians into the warp and recover their gene-seed. The surviving Kai Pahin, and Kai Pale Orbadi swore the same, abandoning their posts to attempt to recover both the vital gene-seed and their honour. All in all, over 100 Astartes embarked upon the Kimbarzi Crusade into the Maelstrom. None would return.
The impact of Warp Surge Kimbazi can be felt to this day. Grand Alakai Segla Ghasa-Ai, of the Brotherhood of the Octopus, was forced to request unpolluted White Scars gene-seed from the Adeptus Mechanicus to help the Tsunami Riders recover from their losses. When the gene-seed arrived, the new generation of recruits from Grai were immediately implanted. Much to the old Tsunami Rider's grief, the White Scars' gene-seed lacked the nuances and minor mutations that had developed over the past 4 millennia, and compared to the old Tsunami Riders, the new ones appeared small and weak. Grand Alakai Ghasa-Ai was particularly angry at this, and though exact records are unclear, it is believed that this anger enabled his later possession and caused the Poseidonian Heresy.
Poseidonian Heresy
Early in the 36th Millennium the Imperium was rocked by the Age of Apostasy. Accusations of heresy and betrayal were ripe, yet in the Baikal Sector these accusations were correct. Grand Alakai Segla Ghasa-Ai, himself a powerful psyker, had become increasingly unstable in the prior centuries, and it is believed that he became possessed during a crusade in late M35. Wielding his considerable authority as an Astartes Chapter Master, he was able to corrupt fully half the Tsunami Riders, and cause the rebellions of many Imperial forces in Sector Baikal.
As the Age of Apostasy broke out in full, the heretics took their opportunity to rebel in full. War erupted across the Sector, and in response to the galaxy-wide torment the warp roiled, breaking through the Queroth's Blackstone network and causing the largest Warp Surge since Neptune, now called Warp Surge Poseidon.
Declaring themselves for Chaos, half the Tsunami Riders and heretics across the sector rebelled against the loyalists. The exact events of the Poseidonian Heresy have mostly been lost to time, but it is known that the apex Whale was grievously wounded as brother fought brother in Grai's depths. The uncorrupted and staunchly loyal Kai Pahin Loa Jetu Zhenjai from the Brotherhood of the Shark led the loyalist defence. He fought his former friend Segla Ghasa-Ai for hours as Astartes died around him. Empowered by the warp, Ghasa-Ai almost defeated Zhenjai, but the sacrifice of a loyalist Tsunami Rider distracted the traitor for long enough for Zhenjai to kill him.
With their leader slain, the traitors lost any sense of unity they once possessed. Though it still took many years of fighting, the traitors were mopped up, and the Warp Surge cleared up. The impact of the Heresy was felt for years, and in the immediate aftermath the Tsunami Riders came under close scrutiny from Inquisitors, examining them for any sense of heresy. This suspicion would not clear up for millennia to come.
Great Rift and Indomitus Crusade
Like every period of warp upset before it, the opening of the Cicatrix Maledictum caused a massive Warp Surge to break through the Queroth's Blackstone network. This was the largest Warp Surge the sector had seen since the Ruinstorm during the Age of Darkness, covering fully a third of Sector Baikal with warp storms.
Nowhere was the fighting more extreme than the Tsunami Rider's homeworld of Grai. Chaos forces, led by the Daemon Prince of Nurgle Vailrok Hota and his baleful host the Saints of Rot, fought the Tsunami Riders on Grai, spreading plagues wherever they stepped. Their goal was not necessarily to kill the Riders, but simply to hold them where they were. They knew they would win in a war of attrition, and without the protecting sword of the Riders, Sector Baikal would surely fall.
Grand Alakai Sairgi Saghata, seeing Hota's plans, ordered Alakai Kobo Troji to lead a quarter of the Tsunami Riders away from Grai, and, with the help of Ordo Baikal Inquisitor Marya Quento and tech-priest Nyriax from forge world Variun, attempt to jumpstart the Blackstone Network. Doing so would cause the Warp Surge to retreat and would hopefully relieve the pressure on the loyalist forces that remain.
Alakai Troji's forces forced a spearhead through the Maelstrom, only stopping to attempt to relieve the pressure on besieged Imperial worlds, but not staying for more than a matter of weeks on each world. Eventually they arrived at one of the Queroth Dynasty's outer edge worlds, Vraihum I. They broadcast peace messages to the Necrons, in an attempt at diplomacy which would be frowned upon by any other Inquisitor, and indeed caused unrest within their own fleet.
Overlord Takhabash responded to the hails after several hours, inquiring why primitive beings were in his system. Quento said that if the Queroth restarted their Blackstone, it would relieve the pressure on the entire sector, and the Imperium would be in their debt. Takhabash sounded angry, saying that the entire dynasty would was embroiled in combat, and that they would have restarted the network if they could.
Nyriax in turn offered Variun's assistance in fixing the network. After much deliberation, Takhabash agreed to let Nyriax help. The group managed to find a way to temporarily jump-start the network, but it required Nyriax to give up his life in the process. He did so willingly, his last act being to transmit all he had learnt to the loyalist fleet. Jump-starting the Blackstone Network in Vraihum started a chain reaction which temporarily turned the rest back on, causing the warp to withdraw slightly.
The loyalists retreated from Vraihum, returning to Grai to find the early elements of the Indomitus Crusade relieving the exhausted firstborn defenders of the planet.
New Primaris Space Marines from the ranks of the Unnumbered Sons refreshed the losses suffered by the Tsunami Riders, and formed a new chapter to defend Sector Baikal from the warp; the Iron Faithful.
The deeds of Nyriax would go mostly unknown, covered up to hide rumours of human-xenos cooperation. Inquisitor Quento was arrested and executed by the more traditional members of Ordo Baikal, and Alakai Troji swore himself to a vow of silence. Sector Baikal was safe, however.
Notable Campaigns
- Warp Surge Neptune (043-094.M31) - First Warp Surge following the Ruinstorm and Horus Heresy. Was successfully held off by the efforts of the Brotherhood of the Tsunami.
- Warp Surge Typhoon (131.M32-125.M33) - Weak yet long-lasting Warp Surge. Didn't require much military commitment, yet still needed a permanent force of Tsunami Riders to be stationed around the Depth's edges.
- Warp Surge Kimbazi (601-639.M35) - A large Warp Surge mostly led by the forces of Hellforge Maiur, during which a large proportion of the Tsunami Rider's gene-seed was either stolen or corrupted. Immediately followed by the so-called Kimbazi Crusade, claiming the lives of a further 100 Tsunami Riders.
- Poseidonian Heresy (Early M36)
- Warp Surge Ceto (501-512.M38) - A warp surge containing the Saints of Rot. Vailrok Hota slew the Inquisitor Sarl Xan before she became a living saint and banished him.
Chapter Homeworld
Grai is a large ocean world dotted with archipelagos that house its population. Outside of the shallows surrounding each of these archipelagos are wide expanses of deep ocean, the true nature of which is unknown. What is known is that the depths are deep enough to house monstrous "apex" sea creatures. 11 of these have been identified, each once spawning its own cult and followers on different archipelagos.
Each archipelago is typically low-tech, and training takes place from a young age.
The natives refer to the year-long storm seasons that plague Grai as the Wrath of the Emperor. These storms and tectonic instability turn the ordinarily calm seas of Grai into a tsunami-ridden nightmare. Not even the most experienced of Graiian sailors dare the seas at this time, and only those wanting to become Tsunami Riders leave their shelters. Though they only happen once every decade, Graiians often dedicate a significant time praying and making sacrifices to the apexes to make the Wraths calmer. During these periods, the Graiians retreat underground, as that is the only place safe from the worst of the Tsunamis.
Fortress-Monastery
The Tsunami Rider's fortress-monastery is called Ikoi. It is a massive floating fortress that is free to move across Grai's surface, filled with the history and relics of the Riders. It is in the Fortress that recruits undergo their training and gene-seed implants.
It is divided into 11, one for each Brotherhood, and is covered in detailed carvings dedicated to each apex creature. It is the only thing on the surface of Grai sturdy enough to survive the Wrath seasons.
Recruitment
Recruitment among the Tsunami Riders is dangerous. During each Wrath season, potential aspirants must leave their underground shelters and return with the corpse of a creature dedicated to their apex. For example, an aspirant who is dedicated to the Shark apex must return with the corpse of a shark.
Those who succeed are immediately tested for gene-seed suitability, undergo intensive training, and join their respective Tsunami Rider Brotherhood as scouts within the year.
Some Brotherhoods recruit in unusual ways, however. The Brotherhood of the Octopus, for example, only recruits psykers, and even then only in limited numbers.
Chapter Organisation
The Tsunami Riders completely forego the doctrines of the Codex Astartes. In the traditions of their parent legion, they are organised into 11 Brotherhoods. For the Tsunami Riders, these are named after 11 apex beasts on their homeworld of Grai, each with different specialisms. For example, the Brotherhood of the Shark are experts at jump-pack assaults to decapitate enemy leadership. In battle, elements from three or more Brotherhoods are normally present.
Brotherhoods
Brotherhoods appear to outsiders as their own self-contained chapter, each with their own scouts, Battle-Brothers, and veterans. However, to one experienced with the ways of the Tsunami Riders, they are deeply interlinked. The Brotherhood of the Octopus, for example, would be unable to wage war on their own, as they consist only of psykers.
Battlehosts often contain forces from many Brotherhoods in order to be able to undergo a rounded battle plan.
Unique Squads
Kinships
In place of the standard squads employed by those chapters which adhere to the Codex Astartes, the Tsunami Riders use Kinships. Inspired in part by the Crusader Squads used by the Black Templars, alongside whom the Tsunami Riders fought in their early years, Kinships consist of up to 12 Astartes in any combination of Scouts, Battle-Brothers, and Veterans, all from a single Brotherhood. Often, they are evenly split, but the exact divisions vary. The Kinship's Makai - sergeant - is the most veteran of the Astartes in their Kinship.
Standard Kinships play a similar role to Battleline Squads, attempting to respond to changing battlefield conditions. Those from the Brotherhoods of the Swordfish, Shark, and Lobster, however, are known as Swordfish Kinships, Shark Kinships, and Lobster Kinships respectively, and have particular specialisms. The Shark Kinships make heavy use of assault bikes and speeders, Swordfish Kinships use jump-packs and are often sent on decapitation mission, and Lobster Kindreds wield anti-armour weaponry.
Very often, Kinships are deployed as semi-independent forces, told by their Alakai or Lesser Alakai to pursue a certain goal and more or less left to their own devices. When multiple Kinships fight together, it is a dire day for the enemies of the Imperium.
Storm Circles
When a group of Kaihno gather before a battle to manipulate the weather, it is known as a Storm Circle. The combined power of multiple Kaihno is often enough to create a sizeable storm, which are released at the same time as a Tsunami Rider attack.
Unique Titles
Command
- Grand Alakai - Chapter Master
- Alakai - Captain
- Lesser Alakai - Lieutenant
- Makai - Sergeant
- Kai Pahin (Loa)/Blade of the Tsunami - (Chapter) Champion
- Kai Pale (Loa)/Tsunami's Shield - (Chapter) Honour Guard
Specialists
- Kaihno - Librarian
- Grand Kaihno - Chief Librarian
- Maku - Techmarine
- Grand Maku - Master of the Forge
- Hoala - Apothecary
- Grand Hoala - Chief Apothecary
- Kahni - Chaplain
- Grand Kahni - Master of Sanctity
Headquarters
Brotherhoods
| Standard Brotherhood | Standard Brotherhood | Standard Brotherhood | Standard Brotherhood |
| Brotherhood of the Ray | Brotherhood of the Orca | Brotherhood of the Pirahna | Brotherhood of the Whale |
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| Fast Attack Brotherhood | Jump-Pack Brotherhood | Anti-Armour Brotherhood |
| Brotherhood of the Swordfish | Brotherhood of the Shark | Brotherhood of the Lobster |
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Combat Doctrine
The Tsunami Riders ignore the Codex Astartes completely. Due to being the only Adeptus Astartes chapter defending the denizens of Sector Baikal for millenia, they have been forced to adapt their fighting style to cover large regions with low numbers.
Sending small forces of Kinships from different Brotherhoods, the Tsunami Riders attack in quick bursts, destroying vital infrastructure and targets before retreating and attacking again from a different angle. They attempt to mimic the tsunamis of their homeworld, destroying a particular bit of fortification or infrastructure and allowing the greater bulk of the human support to surge in behind them, before the Riders retreat and attack elsewhere. The mobile and independent nature of the Kinships allow this process to happen simultaneously and repeatedly across a battle, often to great effect.
The Tsunami Riders are experts at fighting in extreme weather conditions, and so their Kaihno (or "Tidecallers") specialise in weather manipulation. As a battle begins, they often summon storms to disrupt the enemy and give themselves an advantage. Vox and other technological disruption are among the most effective side effects of these storms, especially as the Tsunami Riders don't require long-range vox communication between Kinships to the extent of many other forces.
Chapter Beliefs
The beliefs of the Tsunami Riders are a combination of the ancient Imperial Truth followed by many of the Imperium's Adeptus Astartes, and the religion and tribal system on their homeworld of Grai. Though they do not believe the Emperor to be a God, they still believe him to be the pinnacle of humanity and manifestation of the wrath of humanity and the ocean.
The closest thing to gods that the Riders believe in are the 11 apex creatures that live in Grai's depths. They are beings of mysterious origin that are rarely seen and inform the names of each of Grai's tribes and the Rider's Brotherhoods. When an Alakai dies, the aspirants for his position return to their tribe on Grai and summon their apex creature. Whichever aspirant is shown preference takes the position of Alakai. In the event of a Grand Alakai's death, each Alakai gathers on Grai, and they summon the apexes. The Brotherhood whose apex arrives first is chosen to become the next Grand Alakai. This has led to strange scenarios in which librarians or even apothecaries have taken the mantle of Grand Alakai.
Their tribal system, both within the Chapter and on Grai itself, is completely sacrosanct. To break to tribal system - for example, by moving between tribes or Brotherhoods without the explicit permission of the Grand Alakai - is a crime punishable by death or exile to the Deathwatch.
Chapter Gene-Seed
The gene-seed of the Tsunami Riders is remarkably stable. Through some bizarre quirk of fate, its interaction with the genome of the human population of Grai leads to particularly tall and muscular Astartes, as well as enforcing a strong desire for ritual and fraternity.
Warp Surge Kimbazi
Warp Surge Kimbazi in mid-M35 led to the vast majority of the Tsunami Rider's gene-seed stocks being either stolen or corrupted beyond use. The chapter dropped massively in size, and they were forced to ask the Adeptus Mechanicus for replenishment in their gene-seed stocks. That the gene-seed the Tsunami Riders received lacked the slight nuances and quirks of their gene-seed before it was corrupted was a matter of great contention. The next generation of Tsunami Riders was smaller and weaker than those before them, much to their own anger and the annoyance of those that led the Chapter at the time. They also felt their Primarch's Curse much more severely, whereas it had been buried by ritual and brotherhood among the earlier Tsunami Riders.
This was thought to have, in part, caused the Poseidonian Heresy in early M36.
Eventually, the gene-seed was able to re-adapt to the Graiian natives, and the Tsunami Riders returned to their old selves. Surviving Uhaan Solban from this era, however, still insist that something is wrong with the "new" generation, and that they are inferior to the old.
Primarch's Curse
Whereas the White Scars experience a gene-seed flaw that is known as Chogorian Savagery, causing their Astartes to get lost in the throes of battle, the gene-seed of the Tsunami Riders reacted to the natives of Grai in a much different way. Instead of creating a savagery in the Chapter, it caused an insistence on ritual and feelings of brotherhood. These feelings informed the organisation of the Chapter as it is today.
Deathwatch Service
Though they acknowledge the importance of the Deathwatch's role, the Tsunami Riders dislike sending battle-brothers to serve there. To the Riders, the colours of one's armour, and the tribe and Brotherhood they represent, are massively important. To vandalise them by painting them black would be comparable to heresy.
Similarly, the Riders are loath to leave the close fraternal ties they create within their Kinships. These bonds are formed through years of fighting, and to break them would mean having to reforge them with a new group within the Deathwatch.
Only those Astartes which have disgraced themselves are sent to the Deathwatch. It is a form of punishment. The most common crimes for which a marine may be consigned to the Deathwatch are attempting to move to a different Brotherhood or acting in a cowardly manner. The line between caution and cowardice is a thin one, and often varies depending on who is currently Grand Alakai.
Notable Battle-Brothers
- {Khan Torghik} - Khan of the Brotherhood of the Tsunami at the time of their official founding.
- {Alakai Niru Patha} (Brotherhood of the Whale) - Defender of Ikoi during Warp Surge Kimazi. He swore to recover the lost Tsunami Rider gene-seed from Hellforge Mauir after the Warp Surge, and embarked on a crusade with 100 other Astartes, but was presumably slain during it by an unknown foe.
- {Kai Pale Orbadi} (Brotherhood of the Whale) - Kai Pale of the Brotherhood of the Whale during Warp Surge Kimbazi. Was slain during the crusade.
- {Grand Alakai Segla Ghasa-Ai} (Brotherhood of the Octopus) - The name of Ghasa-Ai is all but wiped from the records of the Tsunami Riders. Once a Grand Alakai, Segla became angry at the relative weakness shown by the new generation of Riders. This anger caused his possession by a Tzeentchian daemon, and by the time of the Poseidon Warp Surge in M36 he had corrupted half the chapter. He led a massive sector-wide rebellion now known as the Poseidonian Heresy, and was slain by Kai Pahin Loa Jetu Zhenjai, who would later become Grand Alakai and lead the chapter out of its war-torn state.
- {Grand Alakai Jetu Zhenjai} (Brotherhood of the Shark) - Formerly a Kai Pahin Loa, Jetu's skill with a sword was legendary. Some say he would have been able to best any Primarch but Jaghatai Khan, but that is likely an exaggeration due to the passage of time. He slew the traitor Segla Ghasa-Ai and was appointed Grand Alakai afterwards, leading the Tsunami Riders from the edge of oblivion.
- Grand Alakai Sairgi Saghata (Brotherhood of the Ray) - Current Grand Alakai and the first Grand Alakai from the Brotherhood of the Ray in 2 millennia. He is known as being exceptionally cold-blooded, reducing all decisions to simple calculations. He is disliked by many for this, and for the preference he gives to the Brotherhood of the Ray, yet none can deny his effectiveness.
- Alakai Kobo Troji (Brotherhood of the Pirahna) - Leader of the attempts to restart the Blackstone Network of the Queroth during the Great Crusade. Swore a vow of silence after he returned successful.
- Alakai Qeem Sa (Brotherhood of the Shark) - A figure within the Tsunami Riders whose reputation matches, if not exceeds, that of their Chapter Master, Qeem Sa is the leader of the jump-pack regiment, the Brotherhood of the Shark. Under Sa's leadership they have become experts at decapitations strikes, often sending single Kinships into the heart of enemy territory to destroy key targets, before retreating under the cover of intense storms summoned by the chapter's librarians. Sa is one of the only astartes in the chapter who wasn't born on Grai. According to chapter records, he visited the planet with his high-ranking family, and while he was there the apex shark emerged and was said to look directly at him. The Tsunami Riders effectively bought the child and ascended him to an Astartes.
Chapter Appearance
Chapter Colours
The armour of the Tsunami riders is painted a vibrant orange on its right half, and a storm blue on its left. This represents the duality of Grai's tribes and its Wrath seasons. They are often adorned in tribal markings which dictate Brotherhood, Kinship, and often notable events in the Astartes's career.
Chapter Badge
The Tsunami Rider's heraldry is particularly complex and significant. Typically, on their left pauldron is displayed two stylised tsunamis chasing each other around a globe. On this globe is an icon representing the Brotherhood that particular Astartes belongs to. This marking is also present on the left poleyn. The right poleyn of a Tsunami Rider bears a pattern unique to that Astartes' Kinship, with the sergeant embellishing this in gold.
Chapter Fleet
The Tsunami Riders don't possess a particularly large fleet. What they do possess is mobile and prioritises deployment space and speed of deployment.
Notable Ships
- Tsunami's Wrath (Battle-Barge) - The flagship of the Tsunami Riders. It has been around since their founding and was used to transport the Brotherhood of the Tsunami. Some claim that the Primarch Jaghatai Khan once slept upon it, but the truth behind that rumour is unknown.
Chapter Relics
- Heart of the Whale - After the apex Whale was mortally wounded and killed during the Poseidonian Heresy, its heart was taken and gilded. It is now stored in one of Ikoi's segments in a place of honour and mourning.
Relations
Allies
Enemies
Notable Quotes
By the Tsunami Riders
About the Tsunami Riders
Gallery
