Star Lords

## Star Lords(*Zvaigzde Valdovas*)

The **Star Lords** (also known by their Strelian name as the ***Zvaigzde Valdovas***) are a Fellowship of the Warbringers formed after the Suzerainty's secession from the forces of the Traitors.

Originating from elements of the legion ordered to secure trade routes, the Star Lords eventually formed into their own semi-renegade Trade Companies, before being reintegrated into the Warbringers proper by decree of the Quadriumvirate. They bear red cloaks and the heraldry of the Trade Companies. Nominal leader: Syndic Flash Vallant.

## Origins

### Lords Among the Stars

Logistics have often been said to be the essence of war. The ability to bring resources, information and troops from one place to another has in many conflicts been more important than numbers or weaponry. Never has it been more obvious than in the dark days of the Icarion Insurrection.

Where other legions would acquire them by extortion or blackmail, the Stormborn ordered the Warbringers to secure the main trade routes around the Nova Imperium, be it by word, by gold or by sword. In return, the Astartes were gifted with governorship of the worlds they were bound to control. Oftentimes, these "Star Lords" withdrew themselves from active warfare, taking at heart the power they were granted. In extreme cases such as that of *Knyaz Walian*, entire subsectors were under the political rule of Astartes.

With the advent of the Suzerainty, most of these garrisons turned against the traitors, constituting a backbone for the new state and depriving the Stormborn's forces from a vast materiel wealth. The Star Lords' diplomatic approach, using a mixture of blockades, offers of protection, and material gifts was instrumental in the first stages of the Suzerainty's formation, placing Astartes in a position of distant - but still tangible - power, without openly declaring martial war. Notably in those early stages, the life quality of civilian population on nominally Warbringer-owned worlds was on average better than on those under the sway of the **(Add Legion)** or Steel Legion.

***This may be a bit extreme considering the migration of some of these peoples: A nuance should probably be added here.***

**Just going to write up a bit more about the "Star Lords" or "Zvaigzde Valdovas" as they are officially known in the Strelian Dialect. I haven't yet conferred with anybody about this so expect considerable changes:**

### **A Pompous Name For Their Official Creation**

As the Insurrection wore on into its second decade, Kozja Darzalas found himself ever more absorbed by ruling the Suzerainty and his work on the foundation of the "One True Legion". Despite his incredible mental faculties, the Primarch was ever more obliged to delegate tasks to his subordinates.

The Star Lords had long enjoyed a certain amount of autonomy during the days of their fealty to Icarion - this was made necessary by how far they could be scattered from their Primarch and Strela. Now referred to in official Strelian texts as the "*Zvaigzde Valdovas*", they began taking on more responsibilities, both in protecting hub-worlds and escorting the trade fleets upon which the nascent Suzerainty relied - though cynics may have viewed this as "governing" and "commanding" instead.

If no such thing as Legiones Auxilia were ever instated in the Suzerainty, with a political emphasis on unification rather then dispersal, few Imperial Loyalists would have been able to tell the Star Lords were in truth a part of the Warbringers' legion five years after the foundation of the Suzerainty. To go with their unique identifier, the Star Lords had adopted new liveries and a full organisation had evolved around their original leaders - creating so-called "Trade Companies".

Each Trade Company was to be in charge of a set number of worlds and trade fleets, couriering the goods necessary for the Suzerainty to run smoothly. On each of the most vital trade-nodes, the Star Lords built and garrisoned "Trade Posts" which acted both as fortresses and warehouses, helping them to protect a small amount of materiel from potential enemy strikes on those worlds.

The main particularity of the *Zvaigzde Valdovas* was how the Trade Companies were not only military assets, but had become a whole new mercantile class. After ordinary merchants began contracting Astartes of the Star Lords to run certain risky ventures in their place, the Trade Companies started to dabble in the financial world of the Suzerainty and quickly amassed considerable wealth. Soon, many of the mortal interstellar traders were forced into bankruptcy, and Trade Companies began squabbles between themselves to prove their own economical superiority over their kindred.

Initially, Darzalas saw the new aspect of the Star Lords as beneficial to the Suzerainty - after all, human error could cause major economic breakdown, and on the galactic scale, this could spell the end of his new realm. What's more, he had long been an advocate of intra-legion rivalries, as these could push Astartes to strive to surpass each other.

However, as the situation carried on evolving, his doubts grew. Finally, after conferring with his brothers Nomus and the Jade General, Darzalas decided that he could no longer let the Star Lords continue playing their games so recklessly - they now controlled considerable military and financial assets, which could prove damning to the realm should they implode into a civil war.

Darzalas therefore summoned the leaders of the Trade Companies and laid out his conditions for their continued autonomy from the rest of the Legion:

First of all, their numbers would be slashed - until that point, the Star Lords had controlled a large proportion of the Legion's numbers, as they had rarely seen combat. From then, the Star Lords would be limited to 5000 marines of the line, split evenly among the 5 only Trade Companies allowed to remain in operation. The remaining numbers would return to the Warbringers proper, to fight under the orders of their Primarch - in the future, the Star Lords would recruit their own neophytes from the worlds they de facto controlled, and excess marines would be sent to the Warbringers.

Second, Darzalas imposed an overall leader to the Star Lords - though he would only control the Trade Companies on a military level, Flash Vallant would be a clear hierarchic general, able to command the full forces of the Star Lords in the most dire of circumstances.

Finally, the Star Lords would be in charge of maintaining a good relationship with the Paternova of the Navigators for the whole Suzerainty - this apparent boon actually hid a considerable taxation, as the Star Lords would have to bear the brunt of paying for gifts offered to the Navis Nobilite.

## Fellowship Appearance

### Fellowship Colours

As decreed in the *Zvaigzde Valdovas* accords drawn up by Kozja Darzalas, the Star Lords repainted their armour in the white and gold of the Warbringers legion. However, they added to their uniform a greatcoat, coloured in the patterns of their respective Trade Companies - this greatcoat would become their symbol within the suzerainty and beyond.