Dune Serpents

Dune Serpents armorial with Legion iconography

A Dune Serpents Legionary in camouflage variant armour.

### Observed Strategic Tendencies

Stealth Operations, Guerrilla Warfare, Hit & Run Tactics, Heavy Use of Chemical Weaponry

### Unique Organisations

Saboteur Squad, Dursk Rassan Heavy Assault Squad, Al'larramad Outriders

### Noteworthy Successors

Venom Lords, Viper Fangs(Both Traitor formations)

### Colours

Varies by Warzone

"*They are a dark and terrifying Legion to behold, barely human at all. They view honour, bravery, and kindness as diseases, to be excised from themselves and exploited in others. They will stop at nothing to get what they want.*"
— Diary entry of [REDACTED], Remembrancer attached to the 412th Expeditionary Fleet. Executed in 874.M30 for sedition and heresy.
Elusive and cunning, the **Dune Serpents** reveal themselves to their enemies only when they choose to. Before that point, enemy armies suffer sabotage as their communications are jammed, their officers go missing in the night, and their supplies are poisoned. It is only well after the Dune Serpents' venom has worked its way through the veins of their enemy do they finally strike, a lightning surprise assault while elite killteams and recon teams accomplish the objective right behind the enemy. For Azus, the Ghost of the Sands, views close-combat as a wasteful, vainglory endeavour. The only Primarch to wield an archeotech sniper rifle, Azus would have every opponent dead several kilometres from his lines, ideally without ever knowing his position. The Ruins would prove to be one of only two instances in which the Primarch and his Serpents would be caught off-guard and suffer for their ignorance.

## **History & Origins**

The Emperor’s Fourteenth were often known as an honourless Legion. Of all that was whispered of them, that much, at least, was true. Operating from the shadows, striking only where they knew they could win, and fleeing before the enemy had a chance to strike back, the Dune Serpents' way of war was described by their Primarch as 'practical and practical alone, for war's purpose is to yield results no matter the means'.

If others had viewed the Fourteenth Legion as unpleasant and without boundaries during the Great Crusade, the Five Ruins would escalate these views tenfold. The Legion splintered gradually over time, with nearing 40% of the Serpents casting off their Imperial colours and joining forces with the Traitors or Separatists, or simply making their own way in a galaxy of war. Their Primarch, however, stayed loyal to the Imperium, though whether out of respect for the Emperor or simply a need to survive is to this day murky. The Dune Serpents exemplify the belief of some that, to wage war against monsters, one must become a monster oneself.

### **The White Plains**

The history of the XIVth Legion begins in the latter years of the Unification Wars, in the borderlands between Orioc and the remnants of the Pan-Pacific Empire, among other powers. On the salt plains and ice drifts of the Shakletian Wastes, a nomadic culture had evolved to survive in the shadow of far more powerful neighbours. They sheltered in subterranean locales, always ready to flee at a moment’s notice, and they traveled in small, ragtag convoys of vehicles.

Circumstances dictated their way of war, with an emphasis on guerilla tactics. Shelters, once abandoned, became traps for overconfident invaders, as did the war machine graveyards that littered the plains. Often the largely featureless salt flats were exploited for their potential to disorient intruders. The most prized trick of all was to direct one incursion against another, knowing that the Shakletians were viewed as quite insignificant threats. At the end of a battle, any tech that could be made to function was salvaged, and so the nomads acquired a strange melange of weapons and vehicles.

However, they never had an opportunity to expand their domain to a significant degree. Narthan Dume and his rivals simply had armies too vast and too powerful to guard any fortress or border against. Moreover, they lacked substantial manufactoria and had no way of matching the gene-brute soldiers used by the barbarian kingdoms. When the Emperor finally toppled the Unspeakable King the Shakletians waited to see what would occur, wary of exposing themselves to attack by an ascendant power. Orioc, indeed, was emboldened, and its cultists of the Eternal Dirge launched a fresh wave of assaults against Dume’s old vassals even as the forces of Unity advanced towards them.

The first Imperial forces to reach Shakletia made much the same mistakes as their enemies had, and the Thunder Warriors suffered far steeper losses than had been expected. The nascent IInd Legion arrived to support them, but while they made substantial advances, their casualty rates too came as an unpleasant surprise. To be sure, the IInd would have achieved total conquest of the region within a few months, but Rollon, their first Legion Master, decided that another course of action was more desirable. Shakletia had little value except as a stepping-stone to Orioc, and the nomads were plainly no friends to the Dirge cultists. Over the objections of the Thunder Warriors, Rollon argued for an attempt at negotiation, even an alliance.

The Emperor saw the wisdom of Rollon's counsel, and made His way to the theatre to meet with the nomads. The Shakletian war leader, it transpired, was a young man named Jon Lawrenz. Orphaned by an Orioc slaving foray, he had grown up with a fierce hatred for the cultists, tempered only by his concern for the people he fought for. Many of the strategies that had stalled the Thunder Warriors were of his devising, and the Emperor recognised the potential for Lawrenz and his men if they could be elevated to the power of the space marines.

The terms he offered were simple: the Shakletians would serve as outriders to His forces, and the Emperor would destroy the last of the tyrants who had forced this hardship on them for generations. The importance of the latter can hardly be overstated, as the Shakletians’ existence had been moulded by those who sought to rule them even when they defied would-be conquerors. Plenty and comfort were luxuries they had never enjoyed; if the Emperor proved true to His word, their horizons would broaden exponentially.

The course of the war against the Dirge cultists of Orioc is of course well known, although the Shakletian role in it is less so. They served admirably, as they did with the IInd Legion against the last of Narthan Dume's viceroys and vassals. When the Emperor met with Lawrenz again, on the eve of His departure for the final warzones around Arrakis, He made a new offer. The men of Shakletia would form the XIVth Legiones Astartes, carrying the light of Unity beyond Terra. In return for his people's right to claim several of Orioc's frontier settlements, Lawrenz and the Shakletian elders accepted.

Lawrenz and the first captains drew on several martial traditions besides their own heritage. The Shakletian way of war had been born of vulnerability, fighting to survive in the shadow of powers mighty enough to contest the very planet against the forces of Unification. Now the power at their disposal went far beyond their previous bounds. It would only grow after total victory on Terra and the Pact of Mars.

The defining emphasis on motion remained; the XIVth fielded large numbers of jetbikes and were enthusiastic adopters of the Land Speeder when the STC was unearthed. The Land Raider, in contrast, featured less in their arsenal than many other Legions. Combined with intensive use of gunships for their firepower, the XIVth employed these in rapid attacks to wear down and fragment their enemies. Assault marines led the majority of infantry actions, closing quickly. Recon squads were expanded and deployed in open battle as often as the tasks for which they were named. Tactical squads remained the backbone of the Legion, but played less of a leading role compared to their cousins, deploying in the wake of initial strikes.

The XIVth understood the value of weapons that would sow fear among their foes, and so their assault units often used volkites, flamers and melta guns for their terrifying effects. Lawrenz also exploited the intimidating spectacle of the Astartes themselves, placing mortal troops on display before unveiling his warriors.

Under the leadership of Jon Lawrence as Legion Master, the Fourteenth Legion began to take shape. It quickly developed an aptitude for hit and run strikes, and so was often used in conjunction with larger forces of other Legions such as the Sixth and Twelfth. Another reason for this was that the Fourteenth themselves were a fairly small legion; many aspirants did not survive the process of gene-seed implantation – in fact, the violent side effects of the implantation process (which often led to total blindness in the earliest candidates submitted to the process) are what led to the name '*Sightless Fourteenth*' being adopted. Additionally, a tribal culture still existed among the Legion, meaning it was in effect divided into several almost fully autonomous groups, although in times of need these groups could be united. The Legion was left to function in this way, both due to the grudges and allegiances that Lawrenz himself still held on to and because destroying the way of life that the recruits to the Legion had known all their lives would inspire nothing but bitterness.

### **Risen**

By the time the XIVth was ready for its first deployment, the conquest of the Sol System was complete, and the Legions of the Great Crusade had begun to take shape. Their initial campaigns were fought beside the Iron Revenants and Blood Wolves, against some of the first Ork hordes encountered by the Imperium. What can be gleaned from the fragments suggests that Lawrenz and his warriors served with distinction, finding themselves suited to this kind of warfare.

Their following campaigns present a Legion growing steadily into its station as a force that could meet most threats on its own. Brooding and taciturn, they were never beloved of the common man as their cousins among the Vth and VIIIth were at this time, but they earned the respect of their cousins and the Army battalions who fought alongside them for their courage and tactical nous. The XIVth still took no cognomen for themselves, but came to be known among the common people as the Tempest Blades, owing to their fondness for fast attacks with tanks, gunships and massed assault companies.

Records of the XIVth's activities at the turn of the Crusade's first century are sparse, but it appears that they spent several years campaigning against the vile Sykkorat xenos in collaboration with another Legion, whose identity and actions were later redacted wholesale. What sources remain speak of fleets hewn from asteroids and 'bone-clad slaughterers', and the unusually aggressive recruitment drive that ensued implies heavy losses among the XIVth. Lawrenz was known to speak of the penultimate battle in that campaign as the most gruelling engagement he had ever fought.

The only major battle that remains documented today is the celebrated Charge of Tarados, in which Lord Commander Knyval led the armoured elements and gunships of three Chapters and two Army regiments against the alien scourge. Though few knew it, the time was fast approaching when such large, overt actions would be almost unthinkable for the Legion.

### **The Ghost of the Sands**

Far on the Eastern Fringe of the galaxy, a desolate, barely inhabitable world named Dhul'hasa was about to rise from obscurity. Once a hub of technology and scientific research, the Age of Strife broke Dhul'hasa, atmospheric pollution raising the global temperature of the planet so high that most of its surface turned to desert just as all contact with the wider Human Empire was lost. After this had followed centuries of territorial warfare between clans and factions, until almost all left on the world was dust. The one constant over this period of change and darkness was the ring of space stations and satellites orbiting Dhul'hasa, all scanning systems trained on the stars in the desperate hope that humanity would return from beyond the cloudless sky.

Onto this background, the Primarch of the Fourteenth Legion landed, his pod lighting up the night sky. Whether by radios receiving data from satellites or simply by looking upwards, all the tribes near to the landing site saw descent of the spaceship and rushed to meet it as it rushed towards the ground. The Primarch's journey had been long, and so he had already matured partially when he first made planetfall on Dhul'hasa. Stepping out of the pod, labelled AZU-5, he fled into the night before the amassed clans could investigate his arrival.

In the aftermath of the skirmish to claim the Primarch's pod, the Dhul'hasan clans each discovered the wealth of technology that this craft from the heavens had to offer and wanted more. So it was that search parties began to be sent out to trace whatever else had been in the empty pod, first only one or two per week, and then increasing in frequency until almost all the resources available to the clanspeople were directed towards this great search.

The Primarch, who had taken the name Azus, could only remain isolated in the desert for so long. He soon heard of the amassed forces searching for him, and due to their ever increasing size, he could not avoid them for long. And so it was that the first humans that the Primarch Azus encountered attempted to take him prisoner. However, despite his lack of training, Azus was after all a Primarch, and so tore through his assailants with ease. After that, he became more careful. Staying far away from others, hiding and only engaging enemies at range when necessary, Azus was able to survive the assault of the clans for well over six months.

However, one day, the inevitable happened. Well versed in the arts of stealth as Azus himself had become, Dhul'hasan warriors surrounded the Primarch at night, and although he killed near to one hundred in the ensuing struggle, he was captured, put in chains, and hauled back to the city of Kaobyrra, the stronghold of the Bahmut Clan, as a prisoner. There, this captured giant suffered months of research, his superhuman skin reknitting after every dissection, and bones healing after every marrow extraction. Slowly, the Dhul'hasan scientists' outdated, malfunctioning medical equipment began to reveal the secrets of the Primarch's advanced biology. Soon, the experiments became increasingly violent, all non-vital organs being removed and rudimentary brain scans being conducted in an effort to synthesize a compound nearing gene-seed.

Eventually, battling through the mind-numbing effects of the concoction of tranquilisers that he was constantly drip-fed, Azus developed a plan. During a simpler medical procedure, the Primarch pulled so hard against the restraints holding his left arm that his hand was torn clean off. He proceeded to batter the nearest scientists to death with his bloodied stump, freeing himself and staggering out of the operating chamber in which he had been kept a prisoner. The few that dared to oppose Azus' incandescent fury were blessed with quick deaths. After only about an hour, the people of Kaobyrra submitted to the Primarch in awe and terror. Azus' coup was brutally efficient. The surviving scientists' final task was to craft the Primarch a new bionic hand to replace the one he had lost, before they, along with the city's existing governing body, were executed, leaving none to oppose Azus' rule. His power within the city had become absolute within a week of his escape.

Over the next seven years, Azus waged a bitter war of subjugation over the rest of the planet. Slowly, the Dhul'hasan clans fell to Azus of Bahmut, a figure revered and feared in equal measure due to his martial prowess and terrifying presence and morals respectively. To most Dhul'hasans he was rarely glimpsed, a hidden fiend who ruled with an iron fist. His elusive nature earned him the title 'Ghost of the Sands', a name he grudgingly appreciated. Eventually, the entirety of Dhul'hasa came under Azus' rule, and he began to turn his ambitions skywards.

It was then that fleet approaching Dhul'hasa was discovered.

### **Dhul'hasa Under Siege**

Satellites began transmitting warnings that ships were approaching Dhul'hasa's system for the first time since the arrival of Azus Bahmut. Needless to say that these signals were taken very seriously by the planet's people, some fearing invasion, some hoping for a joyous reunion with the rest of mankind. Those hopeful few were to be disappointed. The fleet was revealed to be xenos in origin as it approached, and it was approaching quickly. Quietly, within his lair in the palaces of Kaobyrra, Azus began to plan. The few still functioning factories on Dhul'hasa's scorched surface were put to work manufacturing large quantities of weaponry. Outriders were sent to inspect the ancient orbital defence platforms and ready them for war. Within a matter of weeks, Azus had readied the planet for the imminent incursion, with predicted landing sites being surrounded with troops, traps laid around significant settlements, and the populace armed and trained in basics of combat. It was then that the fleet arrived.

It was nothing like Azus had expected. The ships careened towards the planet's surface with little care for their own safety, descending too quickly for the orbital defence batteries to lock on to them. Ignoring flat, empty areas, the ships crash-landed in a random pattern, belching smoke and crackling with flame. It quickly became clear that this had not been an invasion, but an escape.

Azus sent a delegation to meet the first ship to land which he himself accompanied, albeit in secret. While the Dhul'hasans were prepared to negotiate with the refugee xenos, the aliens opened fire as soon as they caught sight of the delegation, slaughtering it to a man. Azus watched from the shadows, and fell back to Kaobyrra. It seemed a war was to be fought after all.

The clans were informed, and readied for battle. Warbands mounted on outdated, barely-serviceable jetbikes were sent to harass the xenos as they disembarked from their ships, striking so quickly that the attackers had barely any time to respond before the Dhul'hasans fled once again. Struggling to navigate the planet's monotonous and harsh terrain, the refugees' first attempts to make territorial gains were easily repelled. Quickly, however, the xenos began to breach the first lines of defence Azus had put in place, making targeted pushes for nearby oil refineries. It became obvious that the objective of the invaders was to refuel and depart as quickly as possible, rather than to take the planet. While it may have been easier to simply stand back and give the xenos the resources they needed, Azus' rise to power had come via uncompromising strength and bitter justice, and in the act of invading Dhul'hasa, the xenos had slighted Azus personally. This was something that they would come to regret.

Using hit-and-run tactics, Azus' forces baited the xenos to collect in large numbers. At that point, chemical strikes were launched, decimating the invaders and damaging their morale. The reprieve for this was violent, with diversionary attacks being launched by the xenos into nearby settlements, while other forces desperately rushed to the refineries. The Dhul'hasan soldiers moved to defend the oil refineries, while incendiary bombing campaigns were launched against settlements in which the xenos attackers were most concentrated, with no concern for the lives of the unlucky human civilians. The fighting became so bitter that the arrival of a second fleet in the system went completely unnoticed by the Dhul'hasans.

Fleeing desperately from their newly arrived pursuers, the xenos launched a final push to break free of the Dhul'hasans and escape. The clans mustered to retaliate as quickly as they could. Azus himself took to the battlefield, sensing that his men's morale needed to be boosted. Seeing an opportunity to destroy the aliens outright, the Dhul'hasans fought with every weapon in their arsenal, no matter how unpleasant, cutting down xenos by the thousands. Although they fought back with terrified determination, the invaders were finally defeated in the ensuing pitched battle. The relief of Dhul'hasa's liberation was palpable. So when Azus saw across the sea of xenos corpses an amassed fleet of Imperial craft descending through the planet's atmosphere, it came as a surprise.

In the ensuing meeting, Azus was introduced to the leader of the xenos' pursuers, a human commander belonging to the Imperial Army. His name was Hector Krum, an elderly, battle-hardened Terran who had been chasing the xenos fleet after having been ambushed in deep space. The enemy had finally been forced to make planetfall on Dhul'hasa after their ships suffered colossal damage in a void engagement. Instantly recognising the visionary despot of Dhul'hasa as a famed Primarch, Krum offered Azus a place amongst the Imperial Great Crusade. Azus was initially hostile to submitting to a mere human, and as such the Emperor Himself arrived in secret in order to get the measure of his newfound son. After the Emperor revealed his identity, Azus quickly accepted the offer to join the Crusade, both seeing it as an opportunity to take the people of Dhul'hasa to the stars once again and fearing the wrath of the Imperium of Man should he refuse.

### **An Uneasy Reunion**

Soon after Azus' discovery, he was transported along with the few men he counted among inner circle to the relatively nearby world of Choler, above which orbited a vast network of stations and docks, at which a combined force of the 83rd, 412th and 1087th Expeditionary Fleets (all belonging to the Sightless Fourteenth) had recently arrived to refuel and rearm. The news of a Primarch’s impending arrival came as a surprise, and after scrambled preparations had been made by the stations' workers and inhabitants, the leader of the Fourteenth’s fleet (the current Legion Master, Jon Lawrenz) was reunited with his Primarch.

At first, the reunion was not entirely amicable, with Lawrenz being thrown by the dark, unforgiving personality of his Primarch. Azus, on his part, was determined to make this new legion his own, and had little regard for Lawrenz, whom he was suspicious of due to his potential to act as a barrier to Azus' ultimate authority, something which he had become accustomed to during his rule of Dhul'hasa.

However, over time the relationship between the two men grew less tense, in part due to Azus recognising an aspect of himself in the cunning, slightly amoral Terran veteran. Additionally, the two saw eye-to-eye around the issues of the legion's division, with Lawrenz' method of allowing the Fourteenth to maintain their tribal divisions and splitting the legion among multiple near-autonomous fleets appealing to Azus. Previously, Azus had served as the orchestrator of only significant action and reform on Dhul'hasa, preferring to command from behind the scenes in other areas with his trusted lieutenants able to act in important governing positions, submitting to Azus' authority where necessary. Thus, the most recent system of the Dune Serpents' organisation evolved, allowing the legion to operate in multiple small semi-autonomous fleets that would be under the overall command of Azus.

Eventually, the Terran Sightless Fourteenth transitioned to become the '*Dune Serpents*' (or *Alrrabeshr*), a name adopted by Azus as a nod to the fabled king of the *Afaehamra* snakes native to his homeworld's deserts, which play a fundamental role in Dhul'hasan culture and medicine. The legion's colour scheme was also altered, transitioning from a pure white to dirty yellow and violet, once again colours appearing in Dhul'hasa's tradition as those worn to denote a Badisin, or tribal leader. These, despite Azus and Lawrenz's eventual amicable relationship, would not be the last of the changes made to the Serpents to cement Azus' power.

Fundamental changes to the legion's tactics were also introduced upon Azus' discovery; namely, the increased emphasis on stealth and infiltration, rather than sole reliance on speed which had defined the early Sightless Fourteenth's campaigns. However, the Fourteenth's emphasis on mobility was not lost upon Azus' discovery, and in fact was incorporated by Azus more heavily into his legion's tactics, especially given the proficiency of the Terran legionnaires in hit-and-run engagements. Due to the multitude of semi-autonomous Dune Serpent fleets often containing either almost all Terran or Dhul'hasan legionnaires, a number of different variants of tactics emerged, meaning that, apart from at points when the legion was united either as a whole or as part of a *Hashd*, the early Dune Serpents often operated using a number of slightly different approaches to tactics.

This system of division of the Legion into various *Hashd* meant that, as the Great Crusade progressed, each *Hashd* developed their own divergences in culture. The emphasis within the Legion placed on independence, therefore, led to it in essence being comprised of autonomous groups, a trend that could be seen from the *Hashd* to a single battle company. While the ability of Dune Serpents fleets to operate independent of the large part of their Legion was of great benefit during the Crusade, as the Fourteenth were able to deploy their resources to numerous warzones simultaneously, allowing the Serpents to arguably be in more places at any one time than any other Legion, it would also be the Legion’s downfall. For as the First Ruin approached, the Fourteenth were divided, and upon the advent of Five Ruins would be unsure of where their loyalties truly lay.

### **The Rot Spreads**

For Azus and the Dune Serpents, the disappearance of the Emperor made little difference to their operations or beliefs. The four Hordes were used to operating independently, and so being cut off from communicating did not affect them to the same extent as other legions. The Serpents were quick to wrap up their various campaigns and return to Dhul’hasa in their own time, making sure to scavenge or requisition the necessary supplies before leaving to compensate for the disruptions to shipping. As the ships slowly dripped into system, Azus looked upon the threats that faced the Imperium and smiled.

Whilst several Primarchs made heading to Terra a priority, Azus cared little for how the rest of the Imperium was coping. Xenos raids and rebel uprisings erupted across the boundaries of Imperial expansion, a situation that provided the Serpents with ample targets. Azus, not known for his eloquence or charisma, is recorded as having given a single statement to his legion as they gathered as a whole for the first time in decades. “The hunt awaits us”. The Serpents moved out in erratic patterns, attacking enemies unpredictably and relieving belated loyalists with no warning. The most that the Serpents paid service to Terra was in sending a single message that the Imperium held its borders.

After a year of campaigning, Azus was infuriated to receive a summons to Terra for a Conclave. Knowing he could not refuse such an offer, Azus took only a Grand Cruiser and six Serpents with him, leaving his operations to the *Hashdin*, the Leaders of the Four Hordes, to oversee their own operations. Azus would find himself aligned with the Successors and Consolidators, believing that with the Emperor gone it was vital to appoint a new transhuman leader to lead the Imperium lest mortals try and rule it. In this, he was only partially successful, his preferred candidate Alexandros being appointed High Regent but the Council of Terra too firmly established to remove mortals from the high command. Azus and the Serpents were able to sow two seeds in the few days of the Conclave that would prove a mixed blessing. The first would be the surprise alliance of Azus and Kelbor-Hal, both seeing the advantage to be gained from using the other to their own ends. The second would be a meeting between Jon Lawrenz and First Captain Xian Dong of the Warriors of Peace, forming an initial contact point that Azus would need in only a few years. The Serpents left Terra as soon as possible, returning to their campaigns with an official command from Alexandros.

Unseen by any in the Serpents’ high command, a rot had already infected the Serpents by the time Azus returned to his legion. As the years dragged on and the Serpents dealt with rebellion after rebellion, discipline within the legion began to slip, with elements within the Serpents growing increasingly callous and disgusted by the weakness of the mortal forces of the Imperium. In a perverse sense, the brutish Orks or cunning Eldar were a more worthy foe than innumerate mortal rebellions led by barely competent governors. The legion in this time won several great victories, engaging in a fierce two-year campaign against the Orks of the Ghaslakh Xenohold that saw the Ork Empire cut to pieces. It would not be until 007.M31 that Azus would deem it time to allow the four Hordes to separate back to their pre-Vanishing posts, with the Western, Northern and Southern Hordes departing the Eastern Fringes.

This would prove the catalyst for one of the most important moments in the history of the XIVth. Azus led the Northern Horde into Segmentum Obscurus, where he led a joint campaign with his brother the Jade General. The campaign was a cover for the true purpose: the beginning of the Winged Serpents project. Azus had long held beliefs that posthumanism was humanity’s only salvation, but had lacked the scientific ability to pursue it in any significant way. However, in the Jade General he had found an ally who had the skills required to take posthumanism even further. In a secret deal, Azus handed over a selection of his legion’s geneseed in return for experiments into whether a new breed of Astartes could be created that pushed the already mighty physiology of the Astartes even further. Leaving a group of trusted Serpents to oversee the project, Azus departed, setting the Serpents on a path that would dictate the fate of the legion for 10,000 years.

For while Azus may have had dreams of a posthuman future, for several Astartes the idea of a new generation of improved Astartes meant a future without them. They knew the stories of the Thunder Warriors, and feared the same fate for Astartes if something new were to be created. One of Azus’ most trusted commanders, Madrid Ganzur, so trusted that he was one of the few sent to oversee the Winged Serpents, fell prey to these fears and bitterness, and so the corruption of the legion found a new conduit.

## **Legion Organisation and Structure**

### **Specialist Formations**

#### **Dursk Rassan Heavy Assault Squad**

Taking their name from an ancient Dhul'Hasan war prayer, the Dursk Rassan or 'they who rise' were formed from the Legion's assault companies, tasked with occupying key positions and holding them until reinforcements arrive, or funnelling the enemy towards sniper positions and firing lines, and as such are more heavily equipped than most assault companies.

Besides melee weapons they also wield hand flamers and chem-munitions, and while most of their comrades use Mk IV armour, the Dursk Rassan favour Mk II armour. These suits, augmented with modern auto-sense and targeting systems, have enabled them to endure the grinding battles that often follow their lightning assaults. They are also adept users of gas weapons, favouring substances which induce or intensify fear in their enemies, and most commonly fire these from Poisonbreath launchers attached to their shoulders or wrists. They also embellish their armour extensively, seeking to frighten their enemies.

Initially considered an oddity by their peers, under the leadership of Kalhu Nachash they have earned a reputation as bold, tenacious warriors. Nachash is revered by his brothers for securing a bridgehead on the walls of the Thabosian High City in the battle against the so-called 'Emperor' of that system. The imposter’s forces had been severely depleted on the plains of Thabos III, but nonetheless he retained hundreds of thousands of soldiers armed with technology that was a match for the Imperium's. Despite this, Nachash and his men seized their objectives, holding the enemy at bay until the main Legion force joined them. As the defenders were driven back, the Dursk Rassan assaulted the palace and slew the pretender.

### **Traitor Formations**

#### **Venom Lords**

The Venom Lords wore the dubious distinction of being the first Insurgo created by the Five Ruins. The Dune Serpents, of all of the Loyalist Legions, suffered the most from internal schism, with well over half of the Legion would pledge themselves to the Traitors, leaving a shadowed remnant to maintain their fealty to Azus.

The Venom Lords were different to many of their traitorous brothers, as they had higher ambitions than simple glory or material gain. Under their leader Mahrid Ganzur, they believed themselves to be the true spirit of the Dune Serpents and that Azus had led the legion astray. They looked on enviously at the legions that gained praise or prestige for their actions out in the open, whilst Azus forced the Serpents to hide away from the eyes of the Imperium and failed to unify his sons. When Absalom Vaughn reached out to them and offered recognition and promised that Azus would be removed, Mahrid saw his chance to save his legion.

#### **Viper Fangs**

Led by Timur Leng, the Pitiless, these warriors were reckoned callous even by the standards of the Dune Serpents, and found themselves as frequent collaborators to the Destroyer companies of other legions due to their mastery of chemical warfare. As the largest of the cells which turned against their own Primarch, they were perfectly placed to strike at their loyal brothers. Yet so far did they descend into depravity as the rebellion progressed that, in time, "kinslayers" would merely become another of their epithets.

### **War Disposition**

The XIVth Legion's organisation largely confirmed to the *Principia Belicosa*. The XIVth spent most of their early existence divided into six Battalions. Even after the reorganisation that came with Dhul'hasa, veterans from these bodies would retain fiercely tight bonds. These would later be credited as one of the main factors in ensuring the Legion’s unity and even survival during the Ruins. As the space marines turned all their might upon one another, the lore of both Shakletia and Dhul'hasa would be called upon.

## **Legion Wargear**

* Poisonbreath Launcher - A weapon designed by the Legion's Techmarines themselves, it works by firing either a stream of highly toxic gas from the nozzle, or shooting out the entire canister, where micro charges detonate and seep the entire area in toxins. It has two variants - onesmall enough to be mounted on the wrist, or placed on armatures, allowing to to be fired from the shoulder, or even hooked up to the backpack of an Astartes, but this one is single use only. There is a larger, hand held variant used only by the Dursk Rassan and very high ranking members of the Legion, typically Praetors and Centurions. It is adapted so the user can reload it in combat, however as a result must be held and used much like a traditional flamer, only it has the capability to instantly eject an attached ammo canister, much like a grenade launcher.
* Sharibalddam - A large, two handed scimitar, with a power field and a specially designed hilt that coats the blade in a thick layer of poison

## **Notable Campaigns**

### **The Sykkorat Xenocide (circa 900. M30)**

The Dune Serpents waged a fierce war against the Sykkorat xenos in collaboration with another Legion, whose identity and actions were later redacted wholesale. What sources remain speak of fleets hewn from asteroids and 'bone-clad slaughterers', and the unusually aggressive recruitment drive that ensued implies heavy losses among the XIVth. Lawrenz was known to speak of the penultimate battle in that campaign as the most gruelling engagement he had ever fought. The only major battle that remains documented today is the celebrated Charge of Tarados, in which Lord Commander Knyval led the armoured elements and gunships of three Chapters and two Army regiments against the alien scourge.

### **Altai II (920. M30)**

The Dune Serpents join the Godslayers and the Legio Astraman in battle against an Ork Waaagh! on this world.

### **The War for Sequuntur Somnia**

Little is known officially about this conflict, except that the Dune Serpents were the main force involved.

### **Xantriss Insurrection (030.M31)**

A compliance undertaken by the Eastern Horde of the Dune Serpents in the aftermath of the Second Ruin, that unbeknowst to the wider Imperium would be one of the stepping stones in the lead up to the Serpents' role in the Third Ruin.

## **Notable Dune Serpents**

* **Azus Bahmut** - Known formally as Azus Bahmat Al'Dul'Hasin ben Alrrabeshr (though he detests this name), Azus is the *Al-Dul'Hasin ben Alrrabeshr* (Primarch of the Fourteenth Legion).
* **Venerable Jon Lawrenz** - Former Faylaqmat (Legion Master), he became *Al-Awalmali* (First Captain) *ben Alrrabeshr* (of the Fourteenth).
* **Idirmali Sharri'larramadi** - *Al-Shaba ben Alrrabeshr* (Chapter Master of the Northern Horde).
* **Tariqmali Afeahamra** - *Al-Alha ben Alrrabeshr* (Chapter Master of the Western Horde).
* **Kao'badismali** - *Al-Janu ben Alrrabeshr* (Chapter Master of the Southern Horde).
* **Salihmali Nafasnari (Deceased)** - Former *Al-Shaba ben Alrrabeshr* (Chapter Master of the Southern Horde).
* **Yusufmali Aistiralsm** - *Al-Sahir ben Alrrabeshr* (Chief Librarian).
* **Zengi Aisinha ('Poison Tooth')** - *Al'Musifin ben Alrrabeshr* (Chief Apothecary).
* **Saif Aldilu** - *Al'Alkishafin ben Alrrabeshr* (Chief Vigilator).
* **Zulfiq Fal'uak** - *Al-Shamshir ben Alrrabeshr* (Lord Commander) The Legion's undisputed blademaster, Fal'uak led the elite Shamshir company.
* **Kalhu Nachash** - Arch-Captain of the Dursk Rassan assault elite, Nachash was known for both his skill and the ferocity with which he and his company fought.
* **Amund Fyens** - Assault Captain Fyens was a fifth generation inductee into the Legion. He first distinguished himself at Ohelyuk Tertius against the insectoid Veskad. Steadily climbing the ranks, he held command of the 33rd Company by the time of the Third Rangdan Xenocide.
* **Edmyn Allinbi Al'Nayat ben Ard** - A Terran dreadnought and old comrade of Jon Lawrenz.
* **Tughatakin Al'Nayat ('Of the Dead')** - An ever so slightly insane leviathan dreadnought who insisted on having destroyer weaponry incorporated into his sarcophagus.

### **Traitors**

* **Mahrid Ganzur** - Captain of the 1st Chapter of the Eastern Horde, Lord of the Venom Lords.
* **Tashfimali Shifrat** - *Al'Eazim ben Alrrabeshr* (Chapter Master of the Eastern Horde).

* **Timur Leng** **('The Pitiless')** - Captain of the 4th Chapter of the Western Horde, Lord of the Viper Fangs.
* **Ismail Al'Sabeun** - Captain of the 70th Company of the Eastern Horde and the Legion's resident pyromaniac.
* **Shirkuh Al'Salathin ('The Bloody Eyed')** - Captain of the 37th Company.
* **Ayyub Al'Wahishryn** - Captain of the 21st Company. A consummate swordsman and duellist (although he poisons his sword obviously).

## **Legion Fleet**

* ***The Scimitar Fang* (Gloriana-class Battleship)** - Flagship of Azus Bahmut.
* ***Sands of Time***
* ***Lurker of the Dust***
* ***Abyssal Boa*** - Flagship of Tashfimali Shifrat, Leader of the Eastern Horde.
* ***Desert Strider***
* ***Mua'hulud***
* ***Kuhl'bahar***

## **Legion Appearance**

### **Legion Colours**

The Dune Serpents' most common colour scheme is a mixture of dark brown and sandy brown, designed to act as desert camouflage based on the deserts of Dhul'hasa. Some outside observers of the Dune Serpents report that they wore a vibrant purple and gold armour, in stark contrast to the usual camouflage colours worn by the Legion. Some have even believed it to be a different Legion entirely, the rumoured lost XIXth, as the colour scheme matched no official designation. However, the purple and gold is a relic of the XIVth, the scheme having links to the ancient Dhul’hasan past and the myth of the Alrrabeshram. When Azus was reunited with his Legion, the colour scheme was adopted as an honorific symbol within the Legion, used for Azus’ honour guard in the few ceremonial functions Azus was required to attend. Some outsiders have joked that it is ridiculous for a Legion based on stealth to wear bright colours, but that misses the core symbolism: those who wear the purple have no need for stealth.

The purple and gold colour scheme would become the target of subversion by the traitorous elements of the Serpents during the Halcyon Age and Ruins. Mahrid Ganzur would subtly play up the Dhul’hasan nature of the colours, slowly co opting them in contrast to the Terrans centred around First Captain Jon Lawrenz. In the impending conflict between brothers, the colours of Dhul’hasa would play a significant symbolic role.

## **Dhul'hasan Lexicanum**

### **Naming Conventions**

* **First Name**: Birth name+mali (meaning king in Dul'Hasan) on the end.
* **Second Name**: A name taken upon elevation to commander of a horde. Normally commemorating a great deed or something for which the legionary is known. E.g. *Sharri'larramadi*: 'He whose blade turns others to ashes.'
* **Third Name**: Al with their units name on the end. So *Al-Sahir* for the librarius or *Al-Shaba* for the Northern Horde.
* **Fourth Name**: Is always *ben Alrrabeshr* meaning 'of the Fourteenth'.

### **Glossary**

* ***Afeahamra*** Type of venomous snake found on Dhul'hasa
* ***Aist*** - Poison.
* ***Aistin*** - Poisoner (Destroyer equivalent).
* **Akharin** - Legionary from a world other than Terra or Dhul'hasa; a foreigner.
* ***Al***' - Of, belonging to, akin to (prefix).
* ***Alha*** - West.
* ***Alharin*** - Legionary of the Western Horde.
* ***Alrrabeshr*** - The XIVth Legion.
* ***Alrrabeshram*** - Serpent-king of the Afeahamra, mythical creature from Dhul'hasan culture.
* ***Alrrabeshrin*** - A Dune Serpent (Battle-Brother).
* ***Ard*** - Terra.
* ***Ardin*** - Terran legionary.
* ***Az***' - Possessing (a quality), of (prefix).
* ***Badis*** - Great.
* ***Badisin*** - Clan leader, extrapolated from badis meaning great.
* ***Dirah*** - Contempt.
* ***Dhul'Hasin*** - Legionary of Dhul'hasa.
* ***Dur*** - He who.
* ***Dursk*** - They who.
* ***Eazim*** - East.
* ***Eazimin*** - Legionary of the Eastern Horde.
* ***Faylaq*** - Legion.
* **Faylaqin** *- Legionary.*
* ***Haj*** - Dagger worn on ceremonial occasions.
* ***Hashd*** - Horde, the largest unit of the XIVth Legion.
* ***Hashdin*** - Leader of the Horde, derived from *Hashd*.
* ***Iralsm*** - Breath.
* ***Janu*** - South.
* ***Janurin*** - Legionary of the Southern Horde.
* ***Kaobah*** - City.
* ***Larramad*** - Ashes.
* ***Rassan*** - To rise.
* ***Sada*** - Ceremonial carpet upon which you kneel for a feast/celebration etc.
* ***Sahir*** - Librarius.
* ***Sahirin*** - Librarian.
* ***Shaba*** - North.
* ***Shabarin*** - Legionary of the Northern Horde.
* ***Shari*** - Blade.
* ***Shayash*** - A pipe smoked at ceremonial occasions.
* ***Shutuj*** - Regicide; chess-like game.
* ***Nabid*** - A beverage favoured by Dhul'hasan legionaries.
* ***Qan*** - To kill.
* ***Qatal*** - Butcher, killer.
* ***Yrra*** - Endurance.

## **Gallery**

Dune Serpents iconographyDune Serpents Legionary Veteran appearanceA Dune Serpents Dursk Rassan Heavy Assault Legionary VeteranA Dusk Serpents armorial with variant colour schemeA Dune Serpents Recon in variant camouflage schemeA Dune Serpents Recon sergeant in variant camouflage schemeA Dune Serpents Sharitat Al'Azus Sharpshooter in alternate colour schemeA Dune Serpents Dusk Rassan in variant camouflage scheme