Void Krakens

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Void Krakens
Void Krakens armorial with the Calvaris Maris.
Void Kraken Battle-Brother
Space Marine Chapter
Allegiance	Imperium of Man (Fidelitas Sine Recursu)
Founding	13th 'Dark' Founding (M35)
Successor of	Unknown
Chapter Master	Phaedra Lolligo
Homeworld	Osinia
Fortress-Monastery	The Mariana (Ramilies-Class Star Port)
Allies	Rogue Trader House Helvenias Craftworld Il-Kaithe (Allies of convenience)
Number of Marines	900-1000
Specialty	Void Warfare, Boarding Assaults,Tactical Kill Teams, Blitzkrieg Warfare, and Psychic Warfare
Battle Cry	"For the Emperor and Alazath." "From the Depths we Rise!"
Colours	Dark Turquoise, Black and Gold
Successor Chapter(s)	N/A

"In waters deep do we thrive, from the Abyss of the void do we strike, and in oceans of fire do we drown our foes. "

—Common Battle chant of the Void Krakens.

The Void Krakens, also known as the "Alazathian Host" and "The Blessed Shoal"; are a Loyalist Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes birthed during the 13^th 'Dark' Founding of M35 by Inquisitorial means. Once held as renegades, due to the secrecy upon their creation and risks held with their continued existence they were declared Excommunicate Traitoris and ordered to be purged by the High Lords of Terra. Though through their fierce loyalty to the God-Emperor and his Imperium even when held in persecution and exile, with a ripe opportunity to turn from His light; they were granted a chance to prove their undying loyalty via penance and oath of servitude.

For a time their true Primarch and Legion origin was unknown to them, known only to those at the very pinnacle of the Adeptus Terra and the Ordo Astartes of the Inquisition, as official records state them to be Sons of Lion El'Johnson, while such a claim holds many discrepancies and is not represented in the Chapter, along with them having no significant relations with the Dark Angels chapter and its Successors.

Their true origins remained mystified for millennia, that was until the now traitor Kasbiel Cordaras, known as the 'Black Kraken' revealed it to be ░▒░░░░▒▒▒ -REDACTED by Inquisitorial Edict- .

For the past three millennia, they have undertaken a Crusade of Penance known as the Dead Star Crusade, within the Halo Stars to prove their loyalty to the God-Emperor and his Imperium and keep the threats beyond His borders subdued.

History

Founding

With a tragic and veiled history, their creation was brought about by the shrouded hand of the Inquisition within the 13th Founding of the 35th Millennium, but soon after their founding were they ordered purged by the High Lords of Terra due to the great risk of their continued existence and hypothetical treachery they represented.

Founded on the civilised world of Osinia, a Ringed Oceanic world of little land bar two narrow sprawling continents, brought into the fledgling Imperium during the Great Crusade by the Word Bearers Legion. Located in the outskirt stars close to the Koronus Expanse of Segmentum Obscurus. Osinia is as remote in location as it is in culture, with it's 70 billion inhabitants rarely intruded upon by the larger Imperium if only the rare Rogue Trader and Imperial authorities centred around the Imperial Tithe. This is mostly due to the Leviathan Void Kraken (known to Osinians as Alazath) that has taken residency within it's rings and Osinian culture centred around said Kraken believing it to be a divine being sent as protector by the God-Emperor during the Old Night.

An important place of notice upon Osinia is that of Lyumia, 'The Drowned City' once a thriving metropolis skirting the barrier between land and ocean that fell victim to warring convergent tectonic plates in an age passed, now a half sunken ruin, with great sectors of the city's foundations falling below to be consumed by the ever-encroaching sea, and other sectors razed upon high as great chasms opened up as Osinia's plates waged war. As an abandoned Lyumia, others saw the opportunity, whether for new dwellings or a place for their young, great monstrous creatures of crustacean, cephalopod and overall aquatic form laid a claim to the shallows and depths the ruined opus of man offered.

It is in this sundered city that the first novitiates of the Chapter had their mettle tested and one of the Chapter's first trials birthed. Pitted against one another with nought but their fists and minds to sharpen, before any gene-therapy had been administered the young neophytes first had to prove their worth. After enduring months of trials within the entropic city, having to survive and thrive against those within where a predator can easily become prey, neophytes had their numbers thinned as the unworthy fell victim to each other, the predatory creatures that lurked within the submerged city and the city's own crumbling foundations.

With recruits harvested from Osinia, the Chapter soon grew to full Codex-compliant strength, but novitiates were not the only thing born of Osinia to merge with the fledgling Chapter, culture and religious dogma became a centrepiece, an Osinian iteration of the Imperial Creed known as the Creed of Alazath, along with all it's traditions and aesthetics was the foundation to the Chapter, it's Reclusiam soon rang with rites and hymns in benediction to the God-Emperor and Alazath, it's Armourium became the Drenchfort where war-machines and weapons were inscribed with scripture and heraldry of the Aquila and Kraken, and it's Librarium teemed with tomes from the most mundane and generic of an Astarte Librarium to the most exotic of Osinian writings.

Due to this, the Chapter holds a strong bond with the people of Osinia, less than rare was it to see Astartes amongst the monastic sectors of cities or in temples of worship, while Abyss Keepers (Chaplain) would on occasion hold sermons to the people during The Feast of the Emperor's Ascension and other such days of importance. The people in turn viewed them as divine protectors and offered reverence whenever in their presence, a feeling of safety and protection from the Emperor's chosen that caused many an Astarte to become aloof and bordering arrogant.

Departmento Cartographicae pict-file of Osinia, ancestral home world of the Void Krakens chapter Adeptus Astartes.

As the decades passed and the Chapter grew so were they watched, when the Chapter's Librarium swelled in numbers far higher than that of an average Astartes Chapter, as perhaps was the true intent of their birth, questions were raised, a question that forewent all reason, based on hypothesis, things that could come to pass based on sins not of their own, suspicion was born, mistrust grew, as voices in turmoil questioned the severity of risks if their loyalty ever came into question.

A risk that proved to be too high of a cost. At the order of the High Lords of Terra, the Void Krakens Chapter were ordered Excommunicate Traitoris, and to be purged from the galaxy.

But it is due to the Chapter's skilled and numerous Librarians that a vision of the coming purge was foreseen within the tides of the warp and with it time was bought for the Chapter, time to prepare for the coming storm.

After a frenzied confrontation within Osinia's system unable to hold against the full might of the Inquisitorial collation of Imperial Navy and other Astartes vessels while fearing for the safety of their homeworld if they remained; the Void Krakens fled Osinia, to space beyond the Imperium's borders where the Astronomican shines dimly and only the mad and desperate venture. The Halo Stars, a Perilous safe haven, for the confused and distraught chapter in exile.

Exile

The Time of Uncertainty

After their exodus from their home world of Osinia the Void Krakens entered a period known to them as the The Time of Uncertainty. An era for the chapter that was steeped in confusion and strife as they struggled to survive in the Halo Stars, as they were cut off from the Imperium.

Great change came to the chapter during this time, most notably their transition into a fleet-based chapter, their development of a ferocious naval doctrine and the birthing of a specialisation for boarding tactics which all battle-brothers within the chapter were required to master.

Not all contact with the Imperium had been fully severed, however, a flame in the dark existed, known to only the two parties involved, a deal was struck with the Rogue Trader House of Helvenias, a House that holds a Warrant of Trade signed by the Primarch Corvus Corax. Terms were set between the Lord Leviathan (Chapter Master) and the House head, and a symbiotic relationship was born. A force of Astartes to be lent to the House of Helvenias' service when needed, and in turn munitions and resources to keep the wayward chapter alive and strong.

Notable Campaigns

Pre-Exile

• Castel Nova Insurrection (487.M35) — The flames of rebellion and treachery engulf the Civilised world of Castel Nova, the world's Planetary Governor and by effect it's Astra Militarum and Imperial Navy elements also, succumb to the putrid taint of Nurgle. Responding to the cries of still loyal elements upon the planet, the Ordo Malleus of the Emperor's Most Holy Inquisition led a coalition of Imperial forces to the world, consisting of multiple Regiments of the Imperial Guard, elements from the nearby Battlefleet Hextilia, Legio Obcasus of the Collegia Titanica and forces of the Adeptus Astartes, consisting of the Void Krakens 2^nd and 4^th Companies, and the Iron Serpents 3^rd Company. After gruelling campaigns of attrition and rapid dominance as entire hive cities were wreathed in fire as the corruption of Nurgle was burnt away with zealous and wrathful intent, renegade forces were quickly routed and purged by Imperial forces, the Iron Serpents taking the lead of the Astartes ground elements, shattering Renegade strategic locations, some of which being the vast batteries of Earthshaker Cannons and Hydra platforms that were stalling the siege of the planetary Capital of Hive Noctalis and the collapsing of many of the labyrinthine networks of tunnels leading to and fro in the Underhive below to the wastes beyond the Hive walls. While in the void the Void Krakens shifted their focus to the Renegade navy in orbit and the heretic base upon the jungle moon of Tsi'van. Providing support for Battlefleet Hextilia, the Kraken fleet destroyed many of the smaller classifications of Renegade ships and boarded the few Capital-class vessels in their possession, meeting little resistance that could pose a true threat to the Emperor's finest onboard. During the preparation for the assault of the moon of Tsi'van, the Battle-Barge Silent Sunder was voxed by Inquisitor Daleitis himself, stating the cessation of the ground assault upon the moon, declaring Tsi'van to be subject to Exterminartus and ordered the Silent Sunder to unleash a Virus-Bomb upon it and igniting the flammable refuge of gaseous sludge that remained of the moon's ecosystem and sentient occupants, effectively transforming the moon's atmosphere into a horrific firestorm of Imperial wrath. After the eradication of the Renegade forces upon the moon and the subsiding of the firestorms, the Void Krakens were once more contacted by Inquisitor Daleitis, now 'requesting' a force of Marines to venture with him and his own retinue to the now blistered and blacked fortress that once held the heretical forces upon the ruined surface. What came to pass within the fortress is unknown, as the Battle-Brothers that accompanied the Inquisitor were subject to mind cleansing before their return. It is theorised that something abhorrent in nature resided within the fortress' heart, as two Void Krakens fell while in the Inquisitor's care. At scrutinization, Inquisitor Daleitis went so far as to swiftly ignore and proclaim his greater authority at the heated questions posed to him of their fate by Lord Leviathan Talvin Bekalis. When returned by their brothers it was noted that their armour was covered in gore and putrid sludge, while marred with great rends that seemed to look physically aged and rusted, with the Chapter's Librarium stating the wounds reeked of warp taint. It is known that the Ordo Malleus Inquisitor returned from the moon's surface with many of his retinue absent and within his possession some form of a large stone relic of unknown origin, though all else that transpired upon Tsi'van was seeming to be forever veiled in mystery and the Inquisitorial seal.

• Rebellion of the Cleaved Skull (642.M35) — During the Alitos Crusade, located deep within the Tremdorma Sector bordering the Calyx Expanse of Segmentum Obscurus, Sub-Sector Alitos is embroiled in rebellion and heresy. At the corrupting hands of the Chaos Lord Gor' Kulma of the Khornate Warband of the Cleaved Skull, the Knight World of Dulva turns from its oath to the Emperor and the Adeptus Terra and swears its allegiance to the Dark God Khorne. Falling victim to his own arrogance and violent temperament, High King Norvail aligns his Knight House to Gor' Kulma, bolstering the already prodigious force of renegades, heretics, hereteks and Traitor Astartes. Following this heretical union, a grand tribute of blood and skulls is reaped throughout the Sub-Sector in the name of Khorne, as world upon the world and the very stars that divide them fall victim to a host of barbarous and pitiless servants of Chaos, as all Imperial defenders seemingly break and route at the might of Gor' Kulma's warhost, and entire worlds are crushed under the feet of the Daemon Knights of Dulva. Upon the heavily fortified Ice world of Korsaiov Gor' Kulma's Crusade reached a point of stagnation. The Ice worlders offered surprising resistance to the Heretical force and the world herself also posing a considerable threat to the ill-prepared traitor war machines and Renegade Knights as they fell victim to thin ice stretching lakes, hidden crevasses and avalanches birthed from their guns. After months of gruelling defiance, the besieged regiments of the Korsaiov Wolf Born receive salvation. A reclamation force of Imperial might answer the cries of the tormented Sub-Sector, amongst them being the Void Kraken's 1^st Company and a force of Arcanaeum Acolytes, beginning what was to be known as the Alitos Crusade. What followed would leave a scar etched upon the world of Korsaiov for generations; brutal and unforgiving, the Knight House of Teldema answering the call from Terra sought to bring retribution upon the traitors of Dulva, their warring sought to lay low entire sectors of hive cities in their titanic confrontations with many, traitor and loyal alike, falling to litter said cities with their corpses. While the Wolves of Korsaiov, emboldened by the presence of foreign Imperial Guard regiments swore not to be cast aside when a counterattack to the heretics was called, though great was their loss, greater still was their fury; fury that came forth in the thundering cries from the regiments' Armoured Battalions. But it was to be a gruelling and hard-fought conflict, with the presence of so many of the Void Krakens' Librarium, the berserkers of the Cleaved Skull knew a fresh rage and hatred, fighting with a fury unmatched in their need to claim the skulls of the 'cowardly' psykers they crashed upon the Sons of the Kraken akin to a great wave upon a floodwall. Atop a great plateau upon the ice plains of Atri'kolow outside the Hive city Jormun'kiliv does the war for Korsaiov end, alongside the ambitions and tyranny of Gor' Kulma. With the plateau embroiled in fire and chaos and the felling of High King Norvail and his Barrons at the hands of the Wolf Born Shadowswords Ice Fang, and Storm Breath the entrenched renegades hold a desperate and defiant last stand against the righteous forces of the Emperor's Imperium, only to be ripped from their trenches by psychic tendrils of flame and crushed under armoured feet and treads at the Void Kraken's advance. Upon the bloodied and ashen snow beyond the broken heretic line, mighty and unflinching to the hell of battle surrounding him Lord Leviathan Talvin Bekalis clad in Cataphractii armour steps from the formations of the Sons of Alazath, uncaring as bolt shells scream to and fro close to him, and stares in open challenge to Gor' Kulma, a challenge the Chaos Lord eagerly meets. With his brothers meeting the Khornate berserkers with blade and bolter around him, the Lord of Krakens and Champion of Khorne clash in a roar of thunder and sparks as bloodied gore-laced chainaxes meet the artificer craftsmanship of thunder hammer and shield. With the toll of hammer against breastplate and the quake of earthen snow and ice, the Korsaiov conflict is brought to an end, with the thunder hammer Tide Breaker embedded deep within Gor' Kulma's chest, he lays lifeless upon the reddened snow as the last of the Cleaved Skull warband to fall, with that the world falls silent and the winds of the arctic tundra reign over the world once more.

Exile

• Devastation at Viltessa Secundus (867.M35) - At the urging of the Librarius, the Chapter made for war. Due to a foreboding and persistent Tarot reading foretelling of great loss and anguish for the Emperor's Imperium. First to be drawn was The God-Emperor card face down, foretelling of a brutal conflict with hopeless odds, signalling great loss for the Imperium. Next, the Space Marine card was drawn face up, its meaning a sign of hope, a shield and bulwark for the enemies of Man to crash against in their folly, though when paired with the face down God-Emperor card could spell disaster and ruin. Last to be drawn was the Abhorrent card, signalling the malicious and abominable taint of the alien, a card that was left to interpretation, for when it's drawn it does not always lead to conflict, but an interaction with a Xenos race or something Xenos related in general is a certainty. The Chapter was drawn out of the Halo Stars to the relatively nearby outskirts of the Calyx Expanse, a region known as the Temnelis Sector. Like a creeping sickness, the Chapter was filled with an unease at the Tarot's message, but it was quickly culled before its insidious roots could take hold as they remained resolute nonetheless to their duty. Within the dual planet system of Viltessa, the worlds of Viltessa Prime and Viltessa Secundus found their home, the former a sprawling Hive World home to billions of Imperial souls and the latter a desert world with the classification of a Dead World. Even with the risk presented by entering an Imperial-held system, a flotilla of five Void Krakens' vessels, most notably the Battle Barge Depth Born and two Strike Cruisers Fell Tide and Vengeful Current, together holding the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd companies respectively, emerged from warp at the system's rim. It was during their course to Viltessa Secundus, a barren world of red sand wastelands and a harsh broiling atmosphere, that the Astartes' vessels came into a confrontation with an enemy hiding within the shadow behind the planet's dull ashen moon. A flotilla of Eldar ships bearing the heraldry of Craftworld Il-Kaithe and colours of purple and green sat within the moon's shadows.

• Salvation of Bael'tania (975.M35) - At the urgent behest of Rogue Trader House Helvenias, the Krakens are called to arms to honour their pact. Within the Koronus Expanse Bael'tania Helvenias, first born and most promising amongst the scions of the dynasty finds her venture into the unexplored region to be met with catastrophe, as one fell greed-ridden decision to board an uncharted Space Hulk in search of riches from eras past, leads to her subsequent entrapment and the all but annihilation of her retinue, as unknowingly to Bael'tania the Hulk has become a looting ground already by a tribe of Orks of the Bad Moons Klan. Trapped within a decrepit manufactorum deep in the belly of the space hulk, surrounded by the battle-lusted greenskins, Bael'tania and her surviving retinue; no more than a squad of battered Tempestus Scions and an Ogryn Bone'ead, send a vox for aid to her Ambition-Class Cruiser, Lamination's Voice and it's escorts. However through the tinkering and bizarre talents of Ork Mekboyz, the multitude of ancient and derelict weapon platforms that bristled with the gargantuan space hulk returned to life and opened fire upon the Rogue Trader's fleet with wrathful and devastating force. Aboard astropaths have time enough to let cry an astropathic call of distress before being engulfed in roiling flames and spitting metal as the cruiser ignites into a nova of blazing fire. Arriving at the

• The Veil-storm Encroachment (Unknown) -

Post-Exile

• Reclamation of Grey Wyrm (587.M41) - The fabric of the Materium quakes as a warp rift rends itself open within the Halo Stars, in consequence, the tides of the warp undulate viciously across the minds of the sons of the kraken. At the behest of the Arcanaeum Lord Xanxus Völlenhünd, the council of the Gladius Lex is called to convene, it is at this convergence of the Lords of the Chapter that Xanxus shares the premonitions that recently shook the Librarius. He spoke of a great shift within the Immaterium, visions of their cousins clad in armour of ashen grey, caught in strife with Greenskins and Daemons alike, and that of a colossal hulk adrift in space. The shadow that hung slowly dispersing within the warp while relatively small in nature was not a cause of concern, but its proximity to the Mariana certainly was, a concern that was unanimous within the Gladius Lex, and at the agreement of the two others of the Triptych, Lord Leviathan Pheadra deemed it to be worth the Void Krakens intervention. At the Lord Levianthan's call, the Strike Cruiser Drowned Angel, along with its six escorts ventured as a vanguard to the unknown anomaly that threatened the Chapter with its presence. Arriving from warp within a close by nebular, the small Alazathian flotilla is greeted with the sight of a mass of debris and derelict vessels that once clearly made up a greater whole of a colossal space hulk, a whole now halved, as now at the centre of the storm of wreckage, like blessed Osinia surrounded by it's ring, a mass amalgamation of ships and rock lay adrift. Preliminary augur array scans showed the hulk to be lifeless, though maliciousness could easily be shielded within such a bulwark of minerals and adamantium, though through further scans power signatures deep within the hulk are unveiled, and with it, the dead hulk held the attention of the sons of the Kraken.

Chapter Organisation

Specialist Ranks

• Lord Leviathan - Equivalent of Codex Chapter Master.

• Kraken Lord - Equivalent of Codex Captain.

• Kraken Knight - Equivalent of Codex Lieutenant.

Specialist Ranks

• Arcanaeum Lord - Equivalent of Codex Chief Librarian.

• Arcanaeum Acolyte - Equivalent of Codex Librarian.

• Depth Lord - Equivalent of Codex Honour Guard Commander.

• Exalted Abyss Keeper - Equivalent of Codex High Chaplain.

• Abyss Keeper - Equivalent of Codex Chaplain.

• Deep Caller - Equivalent of Interrogator-Chaplain/Judiciar.

• High Shoal-Medicae - Equivalent of Codex High Apothecary.

• Shoal-Medicae - Equivalent of Codex Apothecary.

• Master Tide-Forger - Equivalent of Codex Master of the Forge.

• Tide-Forger - Equivalent of Codex Techmarine.

Line Ranks

• Veteran Sergeant

• Veteran Marine

• Sergeant

• Kraken-Brother - Equivalent of Codex Battle-Brother.

• Scout Marine

• Neophyte

• Aspirant

Specialist Units & Formations

The Gladius Lex

Amongst the brothers of the Blessed Shoal those who have earned the rank of leadership through acts of great valour, prowess and devotion then become a member of the Gladius Lex, the Great Council of Krakens, it is within this council that all matters deriving to the Chapter are brought to review and solutions discussed and given, and rectifications made.

The current seats within the Gladius Lex are held by:

• Lord Leviathan - Lord of the Void Krakens, The Great Kraken.

• Mistress of the Fleet - Lady of the Depth, The Kraken Mother.

• Depth Lord of the Teuthida - Lord Aegis of the Leviathan, Commander of the Honour Guard.

• Arcanaeum Lord - Lord of the Librarius, Knowledge and the Arcane.

• Kraken Lord of the 1^st - Lord of the Venerated, "Alazath's Chosen".

• Kraken Lord of the 2^nd - Lord of the Vigil, "Eye of Alazath".

• Kraken Lord of the 3^rd - Lord of the Ordnance, "Kraken of Wrath".

• Kraken Lord of the 4^th - Lord of the Void, "Dark Kraken".

• Kraken Lord of the 5^th - Lord of the Deployment, "Kraken of the Call".

• Kraken Lord of the 6^th - Lord of the Rite, "Kraken of the Offering".

• Kraken Lord of the 7^th - Lord Victualler, "Gift of Alazath".

• Kraken Lord of the 8^th - Lord Executioner, "Kraken's Maw".

• Kraken Lord of the 9^th - Lord of the Relics, "Kraken of Hallowed".

• Kraken Lord of the 10^th - Lord of the Recruits, "Kraken Sire".

• Exalted Abyss Keeper - Lord of Sanctity, Master Kraken of the Reclusiam and Doctrinaire of the Creed.

• High Shoal-Medicae - Lord of the Apothecarion, Arch-Healer of the Shoal.

• Master Tide-Forger - Lord of the Drenchfort, Kraken-Sire of the Machine.

The Triptych

Amongst those of the Leviathan's council, the Gladius Lex, two of these exalted Krakens are chosen from all others to ascend to higher stature within the Chapter, with vows spoken and runes of fealty carved into both armour and flesh before the eyes of the God-Emperor and Alazath within the Chapter's Reclusiam, they become members of The Triptych and become the Lord Leviathan's closest confidants and strategists.

And with him, they become the sacred three, the Emperor's finest warriors and his fury made manifest within the Alazathian Host.

Current seats within The Triptych are held by:

• Lord Leviathan Phaedra Lolligo

• Kraken Lord Vallis Venandi

• Arcanaeum Lord Xanxus Völlenhünd

The Stygian

A feared conclave, a respected order and a necessary evil.

A select few amongst the brotherhood of the Blessed Shoal are selected from their peers, those bearing a talent for seeking the tainted and malignant presence that dwells within the Chapter, these feared and respected Astartes go on to join the Reclusiam under a sect known as The Stygian, and are tasked with an eternal vigil of seeking out those in the Chapter that succumb to the curse hidden in their gene-seed and offering them the Emperor's Peace.

They are the guardians of secrets, the last salvation of the brotherhood and the veil of secrecy that falls upon the eyes of the ever vigilant Inquisition.

Combat Doctrine

Void Warfare

While the Void Krakens haven't always been known as an entirely fleet-based chapter, due to circumstance and survival they have developed a ferocious and deadly Void Doctrine. What knowledge available to the Imperium speaks of their terrifying specialisation in Void Warfare, Close Combat Shock Assaults, Boarding Assaults, Tactical Drop Deep Strikes, Psychic Warfare and a passion for combining Boarding Shields with Meltas and Flamers, the sight of a Kraken fleet within system brings both relief and wariness from any Imperial element.

Following shortly after as the void is filled with thunderous waves of Torpedoes and lightning-like streaks of Lance Batteries and Fusion Beamers acting both as destroyers and deceivers to the enemy fleet as they provide cover for Kraken Caestus Assault Rams, Boarding Torpedoes and if a vessel is close enough, under the cover of broadside armaments, Kraken Void Breachers squads equipped with Jump Packs, Bolters, Boarding Shileds, Meltas, Flamers and Melta Charges, with support from the infamous and numerous Librarians of the Void Krakens Librarius known as the Arcanaeum Acolytes.

Once aboard an enemy ship or station, the Krakens Void Breacher Squads move with a surgical and brutal efficiency, in tendril-like formations with each battle-brother working in pairs, shoulder to shoulder, each a shield and blade for their paired brother. With steadfast boarding shields forming an impenetrable wall of ceramite and adamantium, denying their foe of any opportunity of inflicting damage upon the Krakens behind their guard, The Calvaris Maris upon their shield's faces slowly advancing breaks morale, just as bolt shells soon after break their bodies, for the Kraken is a bane to any navy vessel be they upon the waves of Terra or bleakest stars within the void.

As one they slowly bleed the enemy from within, with meltas reducing any blockade, bulkhead and armour to nought but molten slag and cauterised flesh, while the screeching of flamers fill entire decks with burning promethium and the Emperor's wrath, broiling bulkhead and body alike. Not even distant assailants are safe from the tendrils of the Kraken, for Bolter marksmen and Librarian sorcery haunt their every move, breaking morals, mind and body all the same, as visions fill their minds, visions of them falling helplessly to be devoured by the great maw of Alazath, and their bodies turned to smoulders by great tendrils of flame summoned by the Arcanaeum Acolytes.

Planetary Warfare

When a foe seeks either refuge or conquests upon an unsuspecting world the Krakens bring forth their planetary doctrine for warfare, when set upon a world liberation or incursion, the Void Kraken utilise two methods of battle dependent on the nature of an enemy's strength and threat, surgical strike forces and devastating company strength assaults, preferring to decapitate their hated foe in a single blitzing shock assault, rather than a prolonged campaign of attrition, the targeting of strategic enemy emplacements and Commanders are key as standard Campaign protocol dictates they are to quickly instil disorder and panic within their enemies ranks before finally silencing them.

When a foothold upon the planet has not yet been established the Void Krakens are quick to correct it, through a hailstorm of Drop Pods and Thunderhawk Gunships they descend to the surface below, their place of landing depending upon the resistance they meet, if minimal a direct surgical assault upon the enemies' location is preferred and with the quick dispatch and securing of strategic emplacements and enemy Commanders via elite Vanguard kill teams, effectively driving a blade through the enemy's heart or breaking and routing a leaderless force to be scythed down by the greater force of the Chapter.

When resistance is met upon deployment or orbital Auger scans show a great threat posed by an enemy upon a planet's surface, the Void Krakens would then prefer to deploy a vanguard force to establish a forward command centre upon the planet and scout enemy forces and fortification. With enemy troop data collated and a tactical entrenchment established, once further Krakens have made planetfall within this secured staging centre, it is already too late for any defending force to strike preemptively, for the tendrils of the Kraken have already coiled around their throats.

Utilising a blitzkrieg-like stratagem, the Void Krakens advance upon their enemy in a company (or greater) strength of overwhelming force, akin to crashing waves multiple tendrils of Kraken armour split from their deployment zone and surround the enemy's emplacement from numerous strike points in an act of strangulation and flanking, engaging their foe at all sides, as Land Speeders take lead, scouting their foe and highlighting fortified areas for orbital bombardment and Whirlwind strikes, acting as a cover to the advancing Astartes. Rhinos and Razorbacks storm forward as they form the bulk of the strike forces, all holding contingents of Kraken Battle-Brothers ready to descend the Emperor's fury upon their foes, Predator Tanks and Land Raiders thunder next to them, their guns eagerly waiting to reduce enemy armour to molten slag and burning skeletons, while Stormhawks and Stormtalons screech overhead demanding aerial dominance, unleashing hell to those below and their hardier Stormraven brethren carry Astartes of all variant and dreadnoughts to the forefront of battle.

Just like the Kraken of old Terran myths, their tendrils can come without warning in insidious silence and drag an unsuspecting foe to the depths with no chance to scream or cry. Or breach the surface in full terrifying glory and come crashing down in a moment of raw power of ferocity.

Only the most fortified and durable of foes can withstand the constricting tentacles of the Kraken, as all others break and fall to ruin to be devoured by its maw.

While these two doctrines are the preferred method of waging war in the Chapter, they are not so foolish and naive to be unwilling to adapt to an especially unconventional or fearsome foe and utilise other methods outside their dictated war doctrines. Wars of attrition, siege, orbital bombardment, assassination and infiltration are all skills the commanders of the Alazathian Host can and will call upon if a situation requires it.

Chapter Gene-Seed

"A darkness dwells within the brotherhood of the Blessed Shoal. A darkness that followed us to our birth on blessed Osinia. It comes with rage and madness, it comes with biting teeth and flailing limbs, dragging you to the depths even we Krakens fear, dare not to speak it's name brother, lest we journey to The Stygian."

— Unknown Void Kraken

Primarch Curse: Curse from the Depths

The Void Krakens suffer from a horrifying gene-flaw referred to as 'The Drowning' by the Chapter, a flaw that afflicts a rare fraction of their number and is culled as quickly as it appears.

Little is understood of its nature and origin, only its symptoms. It first appears when a seemingly stable Astarte at any place and any time with causes unknown, loses all sense of rationality and sanity, a maddening rage overcomes them and they become lost to the world around them, harbouring a blood lust they begin harming everything and everyone, including themselves. This continues till they become nought but a howling berserker, tearing parts of their armour off to reveal malignant malformations that twitch and pulsate, until finally the marine is either killed or kills himself, this all coming to pass over the course of minutes.

It is unknown why or how this occurs, with their exile and scrutiny under the watchful eyes of the Ordo Astartes no opportunity has been had for the chapter to discover a possible brother Chapter with a similar plight.

A correlation has been made, however, between the flaw and a marine's psychic sensitivity, something that is in abundance within the Chapter, as many of those that have fallen to the flaw have come from the Chapter's Librarius and seem to suffer far greater in terms of violent mutations.

The reason this flaw has not come to the attention of the Inquisition as of yet can again be linked to the Chapter's high link to the Warp, as a select few amongst the brotherhood seem to be able to sense the onset of The Drowning in their brothers, these feared and respected Astartes go on to join the Reclusiam under a sect known as The Stygian, and are tasked with an eternal vigil of seeking out those in the Chapter that succumb to the curse and offering them the Emperor's Peace.

Chapter Traditions

The Rebirthing

The Rebirthing is a tradition of the Void Krakens where a newly initiated Astarte before being allowed to adorn his armour for the first time will bathe and fully submerge himself in a pool of black ink, ink said to be taken from Alazath himself, in a special sanctified chamber within the Chapter's Reclusiam.

After a day's passing the Astarte must then rise from the black viscus ichor in which he is now covered head to toe, while uttering the following, to be witnessed by the members of the Gladius Lex.

'Behold, now that I have been reborn, my body now one with the protector Alazath, my soul now bound to the God-Emperor and his glory, may I never fail in their grace, may I never be felled within their sight and may the enemies of Man fear my coming, for I am a son of the Kraken. In waters deep do we thrive, from the Abyss of the void do we strike, and in oceans of fire do we drown our foes. For the Emperor and Alazath!'

He will then be presented with a grail and dish by a Chaplain, the grail holding the same ink that he had bathed in and the dish a small slither of raw flesh, both said to be from the birthing pods of the young of Alazath that fall to the oceans of Osinia.

Placing the flesh upon his tongue and then drinking deep from the grail he must then fall to one knee and raise both grail and dish high and speak oaths of benediction and servitude, it is said through this the brothers of the Void Krakens Chapter forge a unique bond and latent psychic connection to the Kraken in Osinia's orbit, stating they can 'feel' Alazath's presence in the shadows of their mind, the validity of this is up for speculation, though it has been noted that Void Krakens vessels can encroach closer upon Alazath within his demesne in Osinia's orbit without fear of risking the Kraken's wrath.

After this ritual the Astarte is then cleaned of the ichor upon his body, to then be collected in vials hung on chains and while what residue remains is used to write wards of protection and prayers upon purity seals and parchments, both will go on to adorn his armour. This is a sign of his ascendancy and place amongst his brothers as a Battle-Brother of the Void Krakens Chapter.

Notable Void Krakens

Pre-Exile and Exile

• Talvin Bekalis - The Great Kraken, The True-born Son of Alazath, The Old Kraken and The Venerated One, was the first Lord Leviathan of the Void Krakens Chapter, creator of the Gladius Lex and the Triptych and one who witnessed both the rise and fall of the chapter. As one of the first sons of the Kraken to be sired Talvin held great influence in the Chapter's culture and traditions, choosing many from his birth world of Osinia and creating many exclusive to the Chapter, such as the tradition known as the Rebirthing. In life Talvin was a mighty and imposing sight to behold, clad in ornate armour of the towering Cataphractii design, wielding the relics Tide Breaker and Sea Splitter, the former an ornate Thunder Hammer adorned with a golden Kraken's head and etched in Osinian writings, and the latter a master-crafted Volkite Charger. His origins being that of a son of one of Osinia's noble families he was amongst the first to be recruited at the dawn of the Chapter's history and soon proved to be a fitting candidate to take up the mantle of the first Lord Leviathan and lead the fledgling Chapter through it's formative decades and set a path for the Chapter's future. During this time he led the Chapter to many a victory and honour such as destroying the Khornate Chaos Marine Warband of the Cleaved Skull, the repelling of Drukhari raiders on the world of Galdai along with the eradication of the Poisoned Fang Kabal and Soul Seducer Wych Cult, the Exterminatus of the moon of Tsi'van held as a base for a Nurgle cult and Renegade forces from the nearby world of Castel Nova, and taking part in the reclamation of the Shrine World Armensia II. After the Void Krakens exile, Talvin, continued to lead his brothers with even greater determination and tenacity, resolute to overcome these trying times and strive to ensure the survival of the Chapter, though it was clear to see that it had taken a toll upon his mind and shaken his faith. It was Talvin who agreed to the treaty between the Void Krakens and Rogue Trader House Helvenias, an action that became a vital lifeline to the wayward Chapter. During the Battle of Viltessa Secundus Talvin finally fell, like many of his brothers did that devastating day while fighting alongside the Eldar war-host of Craftworld Il-Kaithe in an uneasy alliance against the insidious silent hordes of the Necrons, having been slain in a dual upon the red sands against the Necron Lord and it's Lychguard cortege. After the Pyrrhic victory against the Necrons, his broken body was reclaimed and while it was sundered and maimed beyond any healing skills of those within the Apothocarium, in a testament to his resolve and stubbornness, life still clung to his shattered shell. Talvin now resides entombed within the sarcophagus of a relic Leviathan Dreadnought, within the deepest most revered sanctuary within the Void Krakens' Fortress-Monestry, the Star Port The Mariana. There he slumbers with the rest of the Chapter's greatest relics, held in reverence above all, venerated and worshipped by those that have come after him, and only to be awoken in times of greatest need.
• Celvetis Heuk - Previous Depth Lord of the Teuthida, fell during the battle of Viltessa Secundus after defeating the Cryptek Amon' Tephek. Sacrificing his life for the survival of the Chapter he and four others of the Teuthida volunteered to give their lives in order to destroy the inner catacombs of the Necron Tomb World. Ambushed by a cortege of Flayed Ones after setting the beacon and securing the last of the melta charges that would open the earthen canopy above the catacombs and where the waking Necrons would be met with the fury of the Kraken Navy's guns.
• Kasbiel Cordaras - The Black Kraken is a previous Arcanaeus Lord of the Void Krakens, it was Kasbiel that foretold his brothers of their origin and the knowledge of their Father and Primarch, though not in person, but in fervent and frenzied tomes and script, as he was the one to come into contact with an entity, this so called 'Shard of Crimson' that Kasbiel states to be -REDACTED-. It spoke to him of the past and the present, unveiling many mysteries of the Chapter, and subsequently, he was driven to madness with an insatiable hunger for knowledge concerning his father, as the truth of their exile became known to him, the seed of hatred was sown and soon nurtured. Eventually after indoctrinating many within the chapter to the truth and his perspective, and after a brief confrontation, he and his sect fled leaving only his studies to be found by the Lord Leviathan and kept as the Chapter's most guarded secret, known only to the members of The Triptych, that being the Lord Leviathan himself and his two closest confidants.

Post-Exile

• Phaedra Lolligo - Current Lord Leviathan of the Void Krakens, Leader of the Gladius Lex and The Triptych, and Exalted Lord of the Alazathian Host, oldest and chief amongst the Blessed Shoal, excluding those incurred within a Dreadnought, and one of the first to be recruited during the time of the Dead Star Crusade.
• Vallis Venandi - Trident of Osinia, Master of the Chosen and Member of Gladius Lex and The Triptych is the current Kraken Lord of the 1st Company The Depth Serpents, orphaned at a young age and destined to a life of a Hive-Rat and Gang member in the Underhives of Malcina, a Hive city upon the underdeveloped world of Nui'cie IX, for 9 years he lived a life of brutality, selfishness and strife, gang-life within the Dreadmouths quickly moulded his personality in a need for survival, de-sensitised to the brutality around him and seemingly aloof and dismissive he was no stranger to conflict and death, be it with rival gangs over territory, or against members of the Adeptus Arbites themselves. Though even at such a young age he had already begun to develop his own moral code and sense of honour, alongside a strong sense of devotion and loyalty to his betters and the God-Emperor of Mankind that would one day forge the Astarte he was destined to become. Upon the subsequent raid of Malcina by a Drukhari raiding party from the minor Kabal of the Sorrowdawn would fate reveal where his strings lay. Answering its call for aid, the Void Krakens fleet would soon appear in the system and after a day and a half of conflict, Nui'cie IX would finally be liberated and cleansed of the xenos upon its surface, though it would soon be discovered that over half its population was either deceased or taken as a tribute to the slave pits of Commorragh. In the wake of the Drukhari raid and subsequent clean-up Vallis would be found upon the bloodied and war-torn streets of Malcina by a squad of Krakens led by none other than Phaedra Lolligo, Kraken Lord of the Tenth Company at the time and the sight that met him was intriguing to say the least. Kneeling within the centre of the street, with ragged clothes, dirt-caked skin, blood-matted hair and eyes void of emotion and movement was Vallis, at his side, lay the body of a dead Kabalite Warrior, blood pooled from its less armoured neck and hip as stab wounds were clear to see. In Vallis' bruised hands lay the perpetrator, a long serrated blade of cruel Drukhari design. Seeing this boy of no more than 10 years standing victorious over a vicious Xenos warrior that would normally present at least some form of challenge for an Astarte, and holding its own blade that he used to slay it caused a spark of potential to flash through Phaedra's mind, it was soon after this moment and upon the departure of the Void Krakens that Vallis would be inducted into the Blessed Shoal and undergo the trials, tribulations and augmentations to become an Astarte.

• Xanxus Völlenhünd - Herald of the Forbidden Knowledges is the current Arcanaeum Lord, Master of the Lexicanum and Member of the Gladius Lex and The Triptych. It is upon the desert world and one of the chosen recruitment worlds of the Void Krakens a planet named Tetranodis, that Xanxus' story is born, this world while developed held an unequal and prejudiced society. Classified as a death world Tetranodis maybe it is not without its own aspect of beauty. For it holds many bountiful oases that stretch miles across the barren and unforgiving sands, these bastions of life each born from the world's only sources of water from cavernous underground lakes. Due to this Tetranodis is a world of two peoples, as mighty Hive-cities of rich and decadent design are birthed from the cores of the Oasis like a gathering of pearl white and shining gold obelisks, while along the Oasis' borders are collections of primitive and dishevelled sandstone villages that are in a state of constant disrepair. It is due to the nature of these diverging environments that the people of Tetranodis have built a flawed and biased system of governance, for within its hive-cities do the citizens of noble birth, higher standing and riches dwell, living a life of languish and glutton, the so-called Masters of Tetranodis, while those of low-birth, common blood and poverty struggle to even sustain basic necessities for survival and are treated as little more than slaves born to serve every whim and caprice of their masters. It's in this life that Xanxus was born, a slave boy to a noble family with a cruel patriarch. For the first 8 years of his life, Xanxus lived in a state of constant downtrodden, servitude and fear from the occupants of the palace, harsh words were commonplace and beatings were less than rare for any slave that overstepped or failed in their duties, for 8 years he kept himself unimportant and subservient, just another slave to be overlooked by his masters, unknowing by both child and masters that a great power broiled against the surface of this unsuspecting child's psyche, an all-consuming fire set about claiming all in its maw, even Xanxus himself, waiting to be triggered. It was on the eve of Xanxus' ninth name day did it all came to light, during a great banquet within the palace's hall, as nobles from all across the Hive city flocked to the palace, a serving girl, a year or two older than Xanxus had the misfortune of tripping, the contents of the platter within her hand spilling upon the fine dress-ware of the Master of the Palace himself. What followed next was brutal and merciless, enraged the master struck out at the serving girl, breaking bone upon impact and sending her crashing to the floor, unfinished the master descended upon the girl with kick after kick after kick, uncaring of her pleas and cries while the nobles around them looked on in approval and laughter until finally her cries stopped and body went limp after a sickening crack and spray of blood. Witnessing this horror, something within Xanxus changed, fury boiled, eyes glazed and subconscious power came to bear, moments later the hall was filled with the screeching of Warpfire and all occupants was consumed and left nought but ash, while Xanxus fled to the sands beyond the Oasis' boarder. It wasn't till two days later did the recruitment ship of the Void Krakens appeared in-system, due to their strong psychic presence they were drawn out of the schedule to Tetranodis by the strong ripples within the Warp and the visions they held, it was within the great desert plains did they find the dehydrated and unconscious form of Xanxus and there they took him to the vessel above, a further four days passed before Xanxus regained consciousness and when he did he was greeted by the imposing figure of the Arcanaeum Lord of the Void Krakens, and there offered an ultimatum to become part of something greater or be slain as all Godless witches should.
• Atreyu Essonus- Herald of the Deep is the current Depth Lord of the Teuthida and the wielder of the Blade of Atlanus.
• Kadorn Lytanion - The Tide Born is a Veteran Lieutenant Astarte of the 1^st Company and close confidant to his company Kraken Lord Vallis Venandi, amongst the elite and most experienced of the Chapter he has served for close to three centuries, he is rumoured to be the chosen successor to the mantle of Kraken Lord of the 1st Company, having served exemplary in the ranks of the Deathwatch.

Unique Chapter Equipment

• Mortis Capsis - The Mortis Capsis is a grenade used exclusively by the Void Krakens Chapter, used for both offence and defensive tactics the Mortis Capsis is a terrifying weapon, roughly the same shape and size as a standard frag grenade it operates in a similar fashion, once it's pin is pulled and thrown to it's designated target it explodes with a soft thud, after which the surrounding area is coated in a thick adhesive black ink that once in contact with oxygen creates a thick black, green tainted miasma that provides a blinding smokescreen, also while it's defence capabilities are easy to spot, it offensive abilities are more subtle, upon contact the black ink begins to corrode with enough potency to eat through ceramite, and the thick miasma burns at the skin and eyes rendering those that come into contact with it blind and with burns similar to promethium burns. If inhaled, it induces extreme nausea, reduces motor control and eventually suffocation, collapsing the lungs of enemies without void-sealed armour.

Chapter Fleet

The Chapter fleet of the Void Krakens is known to contain the following starships:

• The Mariana (Ramilies-Class Star Port)

• Depth Born (Battle Barge)

• Silent Sunder (Battle Barge)

• Fell Tide (Strike Cruiser)

• Valorous Wave (Strike Cruiser)

• Vengeful Current (Strike Cruiser)

• Drowned Angel (Strike Cruiser)

Chapter Relics

• Ink of Alazath - Used during the initiation of novitiates and then held in vials and parchments adorning a Battle-Brother's armour.
• Ensign of Osinia - Banner of the Chapter, held aloft by the Teuthida ancient when the Lord Leviathan marches to battle.
• Blade of Atlanus - Relic blade predating the chapter, forged during the Great Crusade within the Drench Forts of the Capital of Osinia; Hive Atlanus, wielded by the Chapter Champion.
• Mortis Capsis - Rare specialised grenade, it's creation hallowed, using materials from Osinia.
• Sea Splitter - Relic Master-Crafted Volkite Charger wielded by Lord Leviathan Talvin Bekalis.
• Tide Breaker - Relic Thunder Hammer wielded by Lord Leviathan Talvin Bekalis.

Chapter Appearance

Chapter Colours

Dark Turquoise, Black and Gold.

Chapter Badge

Halo'd Silver skull with golden tentacles sprouting from it's maw.

Allies

House Helvenias

Rogue Trader House.

Craftworld Il-Kaithe

Eldar Craftworld. (Allies of circumstance, neutral relation kept)

Enemies

Kasbiel Cordaras

Arch Traitor of the Void Krakens Chapter in service to Tzneetch.

The Awoken

Sect of Traitorous Void Kraken Space Marines under the leadership of Kasbiel Cordaras.

Notable Quotes

"From across the Great Ocean did HE come, upon the tides of Starlight, The Emperor, magnificent and all-powerful did the Father appear, from the tides of the Great Ocean did he birth the Hallowed Creation, Alazath our protector and nurturer, From Alazath's flesh was Osinia moulded, a home for his children, from the God-Emperor's radiance did our Star first shine and warmth cast upon our world, by their grace was the great ocean filled and the earth held in a bounty of life, from the God-Emperor's benevolence did we first draw breath and flourished under his light; and in the times of the Old Night did Alazath shield us from harm until our Lord would return and cast away the darkness of night."

— Passage from the Book of The Creed of Alazath

"Tell me xenos, why in His blessed name should I place my trust, and the lives of my brothers within the palms of your misbegotten kind, young I may have been, but I remember all the same, I watched my home burn, my brothers and sisters in all but blood torn apart to the chorus of heathen laughter of your darker kin, what fool would trust an Aeldari, a cruel, deceptive race that offers the hand of peace while the blade of war lays hidden behind their backs."

— Kraken Lord of the 1^st Company, Vallis Venandi speaking to Farseer Celathanis Baelerith of Craftworld Il-Kaithe upon the fractured moon of Telimeth.

"Remember well Brother, to turn from the God-Emperor's light is to invite damnation, to reject his ideals is to invite the reckoning of Alazath, the waters of perdition are deep and its currents merciless, it is known that the Father and Protector's benevolence is without end, but neither is their retribution; and I am their instrument of unflinching fury."

— Abyss Keeper Ophion Tesaratre cautioning a fellow Kraken when speaking of the Traitor Legions.

"You are strange, you and your kin, Kraken Son, even by the pathetic standards of that of a Mon'keigh, even stranger are that the fates that bound our War-hosts, we, the Children of Il-Kaithe sworn to do battle against the Arch-Foe for as long as our people draw breath, and you the Sons of a fallen Father and Patriarch amongst the Damned."

— Warlock of Craftworld Il-Kaithe speaking to a Void Kraken Arcanaeum Acolyte.

[Source]

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to Overlord1980 and CrimsonLMB for their concepts and ideas in the creation of the Void Krakens.