Herald of Destruction

The *Herald of Destruction* is a Gloriana-class Battleship and the flagship of the Star Guardians *Legiones Astartes*, and served as the flagship of Shaaa Hydrades, during the Great Crusade and the early years of the Almire Apostasy in the late 30th and early 31st Millennia, continuing to serve the legion in the decline that followed the cataclysmic war.

## History

Spanning over twenty five kilometers, the ship was huge beyond imagining for those who had not laid eyes upon one of her class, and has the distinction of being the very first of her kind, constructed in the mighty orbital facilities of the Ring in the years after the Squat Wars, its construction proceeding according to Shaaa’s exacting specifications. It is this age and pedigree that lead many to believe it is also one of the greatest of her class, an opinion Shaaa wholeheartedly agrees on, though there is little stand out evidence of the ship standing head and shoulders above others of its kind.

Constructed seemingly from a single piece of adamantium meters thick by the shipyards of his homeworld, Shaaa decreed that the *Herald of Destruction* would be without viewports or external windows of any kind, having seen too many ships gutted in the Squat Wars by opportunistic blows to their bridge, a weakness presented to the enemy in the name of vanity. Instead, the vessel's bridge is nestled deep within the heart of the ship, surrounded by the very superstructure itself, ensuring that the bridge will continue to operate until the ship in its entirety is destroyed. The crew of the bridge have quickly learnt to adapt to this new form of warfare, hundreds of thousands of sensors built into the hull of the ship with uncountable failsafes and backup relays ensured the crew would have any and all information required to wage a war in the void. In Shaaa’s mind, a battle of starships was a matter of arithmetic, even more than ground warfare, simply an equation to be balanced, without the need for the distraction of visual inputs.

Designed with Shaaa’s specific method of warfare in mind, the *Herald of Destruction* excels at the long ranged kill, placing a huge emphasis on torpedo tubes, dozens covering her prow, able to deliver hundreds of ship killing torpedoes into the void in a matter of moment, or more deadly yet, waves of Star Guardian boarding parties. Further enhancing this artillery vessel are the maws of Nova Cannons and forward facing Lance Batteries ensuring that to stray in front of the vessel is to die, none able to escape her vengeful wrath.

To say the ship was deadly at long range was an understatement, but she was no less proficient in killing if an enemy managed to close to close range by void standards. As befitted a vessel of her size, hundreds of Macro-Cannons dotted her slab sided flanks, further enhanced by plasma projectors and mighty bombardment cannons, all designed to quickly and utterly render a vessel into little more than a lifeless hulk.

All of this comes at a price however, paid for gladly by the Breacher Lord. The ship boasts almost no attack craft of its own, and its close in defences while formidable, pale in comparison to some of her sister ships. Its extremely heavy armour and armaments cause the ship to be slow and ponderous, even by Imperial standards, even battlecruisers being able to outrun her with ease. Her power levels are also unmistakable, her arrival in system being obvious by even the most primitive of orbital sensors. However, with her preference for long range combat, it matters little if a foe can outrun her, or if the foe knows she is coming, the *Herald* easily capable of decimating entire fleets, before turning its mighty guns onto the now hapless world below, few vessels as proficient as she in orbital bombardment, and even fewer matching her fearsome tally of Exterminatus actions, the single vessel that could exceed her in that aspect invariably belonging the the Hounds of Surmah.

Bearing Shaaa’s flag, the ship became the last sight many would ever see, commanding the largest concentration of Star Guardian vessels for most of the crusade, easily able to act as a control point for the entire IVth fleet if required, allowing Shaaa to conduct a void war wit absolute precision, before moving in for a planetary invasion, or its destruction, the ship carrying various means of planetary Exterminatus, ready to be unleashed upon worlds slated for destruction by the Breacher Lord. When the IVth returned to the Sol system after Ullanor, the *Herald of Destruction* would be promoted just as its Primarch was, becoming the flagship not only of the IVth Legion, but the entierty of Battlefleet Solar, the old flagship, the *Amphion* carrying the flag of the mortal admiral of the Battlefleet.

## Notable Features

### The Forge

Shaaa's inner chambers aboard the *Herald of Destruction* were simply known as 'The Forge', no other name being assigned to them by the Primarch or the Legion, all knowing where in the galaxy they spoke of when the words were uttered. Constructed of steel, stone and armour-glass, the vast chambers were as close to one could get to the cold and austere nature of the Ring that the Primarch called his home. Blocks of shimmering black rock from the heart of the death world of Hydra kept the chamber dark, while armour-glass cabinets of war trophies and weapons stood as silent sentinels over the Primarch's most private moments.

The Forge was were Shaaa kept his most prized relics and personal creations. Its gleaming walls were fashioned from smooth, glassy basalt and hung with all manner of wondrous weapons, armour and machinery crafted by the Primarch's own hands. A vast anvil of dark iron sat in the centre of the forge, and Shaaa had long declared that none save his brother Primarchs were permitted to enter this most private sanctum.

Artellion of the Silver Basilisks Legion had once declared it a magical place, using the language of the ancients to describe the magnificence it contained. To honour Shaaa's skill at the forge, Artellion had presented him with a Beirniad banner, which hung next to a wondrously crafted gun with a top loading magazine and perforated barrel formed in the shape of a snarling beast which Artleiion had taken for his legions namesake. Its brass and silver body comprised the finest workmanship ever seen, its lines and curves so beautiful that to simply label it a weapon was to deny that it was in fact a work of art.

### The Chambers of the Verethragna

Located within the vastness of the forward prow of the *Herald of Destruction* was The Chambers of the Verethragna, the seat of the mason's order of the Star Guardians Legion which had been gathering aboard IVth starships even before their Primarch had been reunited with his gene-sons, the Dark Watchers creating the order at the express command of Lord Commander Varinius Rampt. Far from being a meeting place of occult meaning or shadowed intent as some of the other warrior lodges that appeared within other legions were accused of, the Verethragna was common knowledge amongst the IVth legion and the other Imperial Institutions, although none of them were ever permitted to set foot inside the Orders holdings aboard the legions ships. It was only when Shaaa was found that this was changed, the Hydra Auxilia being permitted within upon their reforging, both on the Flagship and the Ring itself, a place where mortals and Astartes would walk together, their differences put aside within its walls, at least in theory, and while none were denied entry, in practice only those of the higher ranks of the legion had the opportunity to attend any of the lodge meetings

The Verethragna was a place where Star Guardians could indulge in their more mechanically minded pursuits, as well as demonstrate feats of skill at arms. New weapons patterns were unveiled, previous battle were refought via cogitator banks, and duels were common place, the cold calculating side of the Star Guardians present alongside the rage that they fought with. No ranks were held within the Warrior Lodge, save for two, Lieutenant Commanders rubbing shoulders with human Auxiliary, both voices being granted equal worth in theory. In practice, few members of the Auxillia saw themselves as equals of their lords, and while many attended, few spoke.

The only two ranks recognised within the Order were that of the Primarch himself, and that of the Salar Castellan, who acted as the Order’s Master, and oversaw the smooth running of the Orders meetings. The Primarch on the other hand, technically had no greater sway within the Order, few among his sons would ever see themselves as his equal, even when he gave them leave to do just that, similar to how the Auxillia saw themselves as lesser even when there were no rules to enforce the view.

## Technical Specifications

* Length: 25 Kilometers
* Role: Long Range Artillery Ship and Fleet Command
* Date of Construction: M30.901