Ember Host

The **Ember Host** are an element of the Fire Keepers Legion. Many of these were psykers, lost in the Gershonite Guilds, with their powers too weak to be an individual asset, so were corralled into groups.

After the Third Ruin was declared, Korah and a select group of his brothers, sought to escape the ever tightening shackles of The Chaplaincy, and were spurred on by the voices whispering in the backs of their minds.

## **History**

The 333rd Assault Company, led by the Patriarch Jehu led the attempt to bring the Aquatic World of Untara into the fold of the Imperium. Upon arriving in system, they found a highly developed human society, living upon the waves of their planet, in the midst of a war against a xenos threat, seeming able to materialise out of thin air

The artificial floating islands, a strange mech hybrid between seacraft and natural ecosystems were under assault by birdlike xenos, materialising out of thin air, and capable of breathing fire, and rending the air with psychic attacks.

Against this unorthodox assault, the human defences were falling, one after another. Indeed, many said islands had already been pressed to extinction, their burnt and mutated husks growing crystalline structures.

Upon his arrival, the Patriarch found himself relying heavily on the advice of the Gershonite Gulids at his disposal, particularly those of Korah, the only thing capable of predicting an incursion.

No longer forced on the defensive, the assault company split into constituent parts, scattered across the remaining artificial islands, shoring up defences wherever possible and bolstering the resolve of the desperate locals. The faster moving elements, and the Gershonite Gulids were pressed onto the offensive, striking down the xenos as they appeared from their portals, guided by their psykers.

The campaign took a strange turn, as the xenos seemed to have unlimited numbers and almost no fear of death. No matter the casualties inflicted, the conflict showed no signs of ending, incursions growing in strength and numbers.

At this time, Korah, and his few allies within the Fire Keepers Legion managed to locate several crystalline tower of interest, sprouting from abandoned husks of the previous lost hulks, and began to infer their presence as to the xenos abilities to seemingly teleport.

Striking at these became the priority, and with each tower's destruction, the foes arrayed against them seemed to lose their potency, and will to fight.

As the Astartes struck at the final Tower, fighting through the hordes of tiny xenos, capable of splitting into even smaller copies upon their deaths, they encountered a foe unlike any they'd seen.

The huge xenos showed evidence of intelligence, mocking the attackers, and unleashing a final teleport action of elite xenos around them, surrounding their isolated spearhead, and keeping them from the final objective.

The reports indicate witchcraft unleashed against the Legion in untold precedence, Astartes melting within their armour, or exploding into tentacle monsters. Bolt guns would grow fangs to savage their owners, and the very sky wept crystal shards, capable of blocking the servo-motors and jump-packs of power armour.

Indeed, without the Gershonite guild, all would have died. As it was, their holy flames, and protective wards, and the ability to cause the psychic phenomenon to diminish or vanish from existence bought the Patriarch the time he needed to form a counter attack, single-handedly launching himself upon the greatest xenos monstrosity, as his assault squads set melta bombs to the last Crystal Tower.

Jehu's duel, was one sided and horrifying. His sword could not touch his wily foe, who moved out of harms way from blows before they were launched, and parried feints with effortless ease, capable of reading the Patriarch in a way no previous foe had managed. The sorcerous staff, flared bright, and with each heavy impact upon his armour, melted and scorched the armour, ceramite melting like wax.

Indeed, his death was almost a foregone conclusion, his power sword shattering as his opponent dived to bite down upon it with its beak, eyes glowing as it prepared a final sorcerous outflow.

At this point, the melta bombs exploded, the Tower coming down in a torrent of glass shards, the wail of xenos almost deafening. The monstrosity, visibly dwindled before their eyes, seemingly disintegrating into plumes of steam, like the superheated water around the ancient vessel. The Avian eyes fixed upon Korah and it uttered a final sentence, before vanishing as though it never existed.

"You dared block my sight..."

With the xenos fading back from whence they came, and the beleaguered survivors cutting their way out, the survivors of the Gershonite banded together as they were wont to do, using cleansing flames to cover the main force's retreat.

In recognition of their use upon the field of battle, Korah and the remnants of the guild attached to the 333rd, were left as a garrison on the vessel, to ensure their foes never returned, the witches of the Fire Keepers seemingly adamant that they would.

This garrison remained upon Untara until the outset of the heresy, and then returned to the Galaxy at large as the Ember Host, a shadow of the noble warriors they had once been.

## **The Fanning Of The Embers**

Korah became the second in command of the garrison, only the Chaplain left to "monitor" them, his superior.

The psykers could feel the great well of power, leaking from the air where the Crystal Tower had stood, and predicted their foes' return. As Fire Keepers are apt to do, they built a fortress upon the location, the source of the disturbance buried deep within it, the fortress built as much a prison to keep things in, as well as out.

It became a daily occurrence for Korah to visit the heart of the fortress, namely to ensure that nothing had changed. Yet, each time he left, he seemed more disturbed, and less himself. The same could be said of many of the psykers left to garrison.

The Chaplain left to observe became more vocal of his criticisms, and more oppressive with his punishments and restrictions, ruling his Fort with an iron fist, searching for any perceived discipline offences with extreme prejudice.

Tensions rose, and Korah became more insular and withdrawn, speaking less to his superior. When the Ruins finally broke out, Korah rose up and supplanted the Chaplain, psychic fire scouring the Commander from existence as thoroughly as paper within a flame. Korah's powers had grown exponentially, and none could believe the passion of which he spoke of changing the Galaxy, of securing supremacy for those of his kind. The Ember Host, caught upon his words like a kite in the wind, flowed back to the War, psychic powers growing, to wreak vengeance upon the very soul of the Legion that had chained them.