Warriors of Peace

Warriors of Peace armorial with Legion iconography

Warriors of Peace Legion appearance

### Noteworthy Domains

Han (Primary) and the Han System, Qui-Tan Domain (Formerly)Jin and the Fenghao System (Currently)

### Observed Strategic Tendencies

Complex Combined Arms Maneuvers/Operations, Psyker Suppression Operations through the Use of Artificial "Pariahs"

### Allegiance

Loyalists (Formerly),Separatists

Socius Solicitus (Currently)

### Unique Organisations

Golden Mountains, Dragon Hawks, Iron Monks, Nemesis Consul

### Colours

Midnight Blue, Red & Yellow

"*They will call us traitors. They will spit on our victories and our accomplishments. But when the flames have died and humanity rises from the ashes of this war, they will know what we fight for.*"
— Lord Chancellor Zhukelion, the Bronze General
Warriors who have emptied themselves of emotion before battle, the **Warriors of Peace** fight not as many, but as one. Every marine, every squad, every company is expected to fight as a single unit, operating in perfect coordination with their brethren, drawing strength from one another as they battle in near-total silence. The eerie movements of these Legiones Astartes is further enhanced by their Pariah officers which unsettle enemy combatants to weaken morale. They are commanded by the Jade General, a Primarch who tossed his natural name long ago as he devoted himself to studying Pariahs. Making war with a scholar's mind, the Jade General is an extremely dangerous ,martial artist who slays his foes with only his hands and feet. His and his sons path has always been one of choosing the most logical choice to his strange mind, whether it be loyalty, traitor, or something else altogether.

## **Legion History**

"*As Warriors in this Great Crusade, we fight for the notion of a Humanity at peace. Yet history has shown that peace will always come with a price."*
*"We will burn worlds. We will raze civilizations to the ground. We will erase entire species from existence. We will do all this, knowing that each victory brings us closer to a galaxy without war. A galaxy where Mankind can live free from the shadows of the Old Night.""For that, no price is too high.*"

— Excerpt from the First Address of the Jade General to the XVII Legion.
Unlike other legions, the Warriors of Peace approach warfare as one would any vocation. To them, warfare is their duty. Neither given into either the elation of slaughter or the despair of defeat, the Warriors of Peace maintain their stoicism in battle, no matter the odds they are against. It is only when a Warrior is at peace within himself does he achieve true mastery of the art of war.

This eerie detachment, combined with the pariahs serving in their ranks, has intimidated both foe and friend alike. Among the few exceptions are, strangely, the Mechanicum. As the Warrior of Peace seeks to shed himself of fruitless emotion in battle, the tech-adept seeks to shed himself of fruitless flesh.

### **Trial by Fire**

Founded in the early days of the Great Crusade, as the closing battles of the Unification Wars were being fought in distant lands, the earliest Warriors of Peace were recruited from the Kingdom of Qin in the east of what was once Aziatica. However, despite the large number of recruits the legion received, when the legions left Terra, the Warriors of Peace was the smallest, having barely 200 astartes. It was quickly discovered that the XVII possessed the most unstable of any of the gene seed strands, so unstable that only around 4% of aspirants survived the implantation process. Following the relatively heavy losses the legion sustained on Luna, the possibility was discussed of dissolving the XVII and striking their names from the record and merging the legion with another legion. However, while such talk would persist for much of the Great Crusade, the Emperor forbade any such action, decreeing that "the Legiones Astartes began in fire and if any of them are to be destroyed it shall be in fire".

Defended by the Emperor's decree, the XVII continued to prosecute the Crusade. However, they did not do so alone. Instead, they were attached to the XX legion, the Alabaster Order and it was alongside the XX that many of the XVII's early victories would be achieved. Indeed, it was from the XX that the XVII earned their nickname. After observing the almost trance like state of peace and calm the warriors of the XVII fell into while fighting, never using more force than necessary yet never using less, always using just enough to kill their foe, the XX dubbed them "Warriors of Peace". While it is unlikely the XVII themselves cared much for having been given the moniker, it stuck and they soon became referred to as the Warriors of Peace in official war council dispatches made by the newly discovered XX legion Primarch, Gustave Dunant. Due to this nature, the Warriors of Peace were often placed in the vanguard of the XX legion, using their particular skills to either diplomatically resolve the situation or the terror their pariah abilities granted them to carve a path through the enemy lines.

For much of the Great Crusade, the Warriors of Peace served under Gustave Dunant, who also took up the task of rectifying the instability in the XVII's gene seed, for the discovery of their own primarch was a long time in the coming. Through his efforts, the legion rose in size to roughly 18,000 marines by the time it was called to the world of Han. It was on that world that they found their primarch, the last of the Emperor's sons to be found.

### **The Final Reunion**

The world upon which the Jade General's pod landed was the planet of Han. A world of plentiful resources, Han was home to many flourishing kingdoms and to many grand temples. However, these were not temples to any primitive deity who required blood sacrifice but to something far more precious: knowledge. Where these temples may once have been dedicated to gods, they were now entirely given over to study and each contained thousands upon thousands of scrolls containing knowledge accumulated over hundreds of years, from ways to treat common illnesses that afflicted Han’s populace to chemical compounds one could use to make weaponry. At the time of the Jade General’s arrival on Han, there were three large and many smaller kingdoms, with a growing power in the flat and windy lands to the north.

Raised for a life of peace and study in one of the many monasteries, the Jade General grew up devouring knowledge. Soon, he was moving beyond simply learning, rediscovering lost technology and improving it. Though he had not sought a crown, the warring nature of the kingdoms had drawn him in, as the jealous kings sought his knowledge. With his hand forced, the General proved himself worthy of his name, leading his eventual conquest of the kingdoms and then cleansing of the world of empyric taint. By the time the Emperor arrived, the world was thriving, with new technology being produced by the General improving the lives of all the people on the world.

Whereas some legions’ reunions with their Primarchs were joyous events, for the Warriors of Peace it was cold and formal, the Jade General not being one for emotional displays. His first task was the stabilisation of his legions’ geneseed, using his own genetics to produce breakthroughs alongside Gustave, and the recruits from Han had a much better chance of successful implantation. The Jade General and the new Han recruits brought their culture with them, with the Pariah nature of their geneseed growing in importance culturally to the legion. The Warriors of Peace became known for their efficiency and reservedness, but distancing themselves emotionally from their brother legions. In the brotherhood of Primarchs, the Jade General made himself the distant cousin.

Though the Terran Warriors of Peace did not know it, the Jade General had judged them and found them wanting, too closely tied to the other legions and the Imperium to make the most logical choices. The greatest example of this was the Imperial Light, the leadership of the legion before his arrival, having formed bonds of brotherhood with non-XVIIth Astartes and made tactically subpar decisions based on emotion. On the world of Beprotx, these issues were resolved as a miscalculation by the Imperial Light saw them wiped out by ambushes, a vindication of the General’s judgement. From this point on, Han culture became the main culture of the legion, and the Terran culture began a slow and sorrowful decline in the eyes of its followers.

The legion, though none could have foreseen, had very little time with their Primarch on the Great Crusade. A mere twenty-six years, this did not stop the General leading his newly-shaped legion into compliance after compliance, ranking up a series of victories that ranked the Warriors of Peace as a rising legion that if given time could perhaps rival or even surpass their brother legions.

### **The First Stone Falls**

Then, as the Warriors of Peace were campaigning in the far north of the galaxy, news reached them that the Emperor had vanished. The Jade General seemed unphased by the news, calmly finishing his campaign and then returning to Terra. While reports of other legions speak of fear, sadness and rage, the Warriors of Peace maintained their stoicism and began planning for the future. Some at the time called them heartless or glad the Emperor was gone, but for the Warriors it was merely yet another challenge to be overcome. They spent the year afterwards performing the required tasks of maintaining order in the Imperium, stamping out a few rebellions as effectively as they had before.

    Once called the Conclave of Terra, the Jade General was a shadow on the wall, listening to what everyone had to say yet withholding his judgement. One could almost mistake his silence for a lack of an opinion, his eventual vote for a ruling council not being advanced with much force and his abstention from voting for a High Regent following in the wake of more shocking events. In the following organisation of the Imperium, the Jade General humbly put himself at the head of the northern defences of the Imperium, being chosen as the governor of Segmentum Obscurus, and immediately left Terra to gather his legion.

### **Flourishing Weeds**

The Warriors of Peace would seek to prove their philosophy to government and military affairs was the superior way, and would turn Obscurus into a Segmentum to rival Solar. The Jade General would lead the effort to re-establish order across the Segmentum from the front lines, employing many Remembrancers to document their successes. With the Segmentum stable, the General and Warriors of Peace would begin enacting their political and administrative reforms, with many Warriors overseeing worlds or specific industries. Every planetary governor was examined and scrutinised over their performances and loyalty and replaced if either was found wanting, and Obscurus was one of the many regions that boomed during the Halcyon Age. As the General’s position solidified and good governance spread, so too did the bounds of the Qui-Tan Domain. At first unofficially, then officially, the worlds nearest Han were refocused on providing supplies and defence to Han, as its status of Segmentum capital required, and those who could not be forced were brought into the fold diplomatically.

With the open side of the Warriors of Peace on full display, the covert operations of the legion grew apace. The death of a stubborn Imperial Commander here, a Terran-appointed governor there were covered up as to not arouse suspicion, for in such unstable times who could be trusted to not have become a traitor. The greatest of these efforts would be scientific in nature, as the secrets of the Astartes geneseed were slowly unlocked. Recruitment numbers increased as the successful implantation rate rose, with individuals recruited from across the Segmentum selected for suitability. The true breakthrough would come from an unlikely source, as his long-sympathetic brother Azus Bahmut approached him with an irresistible deal. The result would be a form of proto-Astartes, enhanced beyond the limit of regular Astartes. Though only able to produce a handful of successful Astartes before the First Ruin, the success would fuel the General’s ambitions.

## **Legion Organisation and Structure**

The XVIIth had a much longer history without their Primarch than any other legion, and so adhered strictly to the *Principia Belicosa* and had a strong Terran culture. Their small numbers, only reaching nine thousand by the time the Jade General was discovered, meant that they favoured diplomacy and minimising casualties. Lacking the numbers to deploy autonomously, they were forced to work alongside the XXth, both legions being understrength. When Gustave Dunant was discovered, the XVIIth took a supporting role, reinforcing the Amathame Brotherhood and lending scientific assistance to the medical side.

Following the discovery of the Jade General, the legion’s structure has changed dramatically as numbers have increased and the General has brought the influence of Han into the legion. The General restructured the chapters and different aspects of the legion developed into five ‘Paths’, with a Warrior of Peace denoting which path he follows by wearing the appropriate colour on his armour or clothing, in the form of markings, sashes, plumes or trim. These paths are not rigid divisions though, so it is possible to change paths or belong to multiple paths at once. The individual paths permeate through the entire legion, from the lowest rank to the highest, and across the lines of standard Legion organization.

The first path is called *Mongsuti*, and is the path of swiftness, fury and martial prowess, most assault squads are members, along with legion champions, jump pack-focused squads and bike squads. They denote themselves with red cloth, trim, stripes, patterns or symbols.

The second is called *Jinsedao*, and represents the ideas of patience, thoughtfulness, practicality, hard work, and stability. This path has the highest number of officers of any path, with the Golden Mountains exclusively recruiting from Jinsedao. They denote themselves with yellow trim, stripes, patterns, or symbols.

The third is called *Yinshao*, and represents the ideas of firmness, rigidity, persistence, strength, and determination. This path is made up of the heavier assault forces, primarily Terminators and Dreadnoughts. They denote themselves with purple trim, stripes, patterns, or symbols.

The fourth is called *Liudongli*, and is representative of intelligence, wisdom and flexibility. This path is filled with the armoured units and vehicles, with breacher shields bearing Han characters of protection brushed upon them in blue.

The fifth path is called *Suiyu*, and represents the ideas of warmth, generosity, co-operation and idealism. The many diplomats of the Imperial Light formed the nucleus of the path when it was formed, as a way of keeping alive the old Terran traditions within the new Warriors of Peace. They distinguish themselves with jade green cloth, trim, stripes, patterns, or symbols.

A unique structure in the legion that has emerged since the discovery of the Jade General is the Iron Monks, who exist outside the Legion's structure. A Warrior can choose to give up his rank and any honours in order to devote himself to the teachings of their Primarch and the monastic orders of Han. The Iron Monks technically exist as a warrior class of the Han monasteries rather than a part of the Legion itself, yet it is highly respected by the Legion as a whole. Upon becoming a Monk, there is no re-joining the Legion, unless the Jade General or one of the other Generals personally orders it.

### **Legion Command Hierarchy**

Another divergence from standard organization are the Generals. These are handpicked by the Jade General himself to act with near-absolute authority over the Legion and any of their vassal worlds. They also serve as his counsel and emissaries to other legions and forces. The leading General is the Bronze General, Zhukelion, who is second in command of the Legion. The others are Shao Ziruan, Qua Feng and the twins Xian Yun and Xian Dong.

Due to their small size, each officer has fewer troops under his command than in other legions, and thus there is a strong bond between a squad and their commander. These smaller numbers have led to a leaner chain of command, with only the bare essential offices being in place.

Before the discovery of the Jade General, the Imperial Light was the elite unit of the Warriors of Peace, numbering 100 of the legion’s most seasoned Astartes. They were dubbed the Imperial Light by the citizens of an Imperial world they brought to compliance peacefully through diplomacy, as it was said that they had brought the light of the Imperium to this dark galaxy. The Imperial Light strove to be the epitome of the philosopher warriors, being both skilled in arms, their words and unravelling the secrets of the universe. In between campaigns, it was just as common for the Imperial Light to debate ideas and new theories as it was for them to train for combat. Every commander of the pre-Jade General Warriors of Peace was a member of the Imperial Light, and was denoted with a white shoulder pad with a flame on it.

With the arrival of the Jade General, the Path system he introduced replaced the old order of the Imperial Light, and his choices for high command were drawn increasingly from the newer Han recruits, sidelining the Imperial Light as the centre for legion commanders.

### **War Disposition**

The Warriors of Peace Legion at the turn of the millenium are at their largest that the legion has ever reached, almost 50,000 Warriors in total. Still, as the smallest legion they were only present in a few warzones, preferring to keep their forces concentrated as to have the highest number of resources available for any campaign. The Warriors of Peace had never entirely shaken off the withering effects of the first century of its existence. To bolster their numbers, they have at their disposal a significant number of Mechanicum forces, with many sympathetic tech priests serving with the Warriors.

In terms of its access to wargear and star-faring vessels, the Warriors of Peace are formidably equipped. Mixing marks of armour to fit their own particular specifications has spread the newer Maximus pattern armour across the legion, and the General’s close relationship with the Mechanicum has ensured that suits of Tartaros terminator armour and Sicarans have filled the Legion’s armories. Hidden from the rest of the Imperium, the Warriors of Peace keep vaults of anti-psyker technology stored away from prying eyes, with the Imperium only having seen the Psyk-Out Ammunition used during the Great Crusade.

Looking at their warships, the Warriors of Peace have moderately sized fleets despite their lower numbers, having rigorously trained their armsmen and voidsmen to operate at near Solar Auxilia levels. This allows ships to have only a minimal Legion presence and still be a threat to both xenos and later Legiones Astartes forces. The most potent vessel in the fleet is the Jade General’s flagship, the *Qiang Shui*, with rumours even suggesting that it does not require gellar fields as the pariah nature of the vessel protects it from the Warp.

Like most Legions, the Warrior of Peace forces had previously been distributed across the various fronts of the Great Crusade, but the events of the Vanishing have led the Legion to focus on the Han System, the Qui-Tan Domain and then the whole of Segmentum Obscurus, and have remained there since the General was named governor of Obscurus.

* ***Dàjūn*** - Translated as 'Grand Army', contains 10,000 Legionaries.

* ***Dà yíng*** - Translated as 'Grand Battalion', this formation contains 1,000 Legionaries (Chapter equivalent).

* ***Yíng*** - Translated as 'Battalion', stands at 500 Legionaries (Demi-Chapter equivalent).

* ***Gōngsī*** - Translated as 'Company', stands at 100 Legionaries.

* ***Dui*** - Translated as 'Squad', stands at 10 Legionaries.

* ***Dàxiá*** - Translated as 'Noble Hero', 'Swordsman' or 'Hero', a battle-brother equivalent.

### **Specialist Units and Formations**

* **Iron Monks** - Removed from the structure of the rest of the legion, the Jingdaolu, known as the Still Path, is the pinnacle of emotional detachment and inner balance. Those in the Jingdaolu whose Pariah natures were particularly strong or who showed exceptional combat skill were handpicked to join the Iron Monks. Renowned for their lightning reflexes and signature power staffs, they spell doom for any psyker in their path, and as the Ruins progressed found new targets from the Warp.

* **Dragon Hawks** - Embodying the spirit of swiftness in the Path of Mongsuti, the Dragon Hawks are masters of the air, spinning and speeding across the battlefield in a storm of bullets. Many enemies have tried to tie the Dragon Hawks down, but all have failed as the Dragon Hawks will disappear the instant the enemy tries to close in. While they are not necessarily the hardest hitting squad on the battlefield, their harassing and mobility makes them a force that cannot be ignored.

* **Golden Mountains** - The Golden Mountains originated from the Jade General’s time on Han, when the warriors of an isolated monastery near to the Jade General’s own monastery were among the first to swear themselves to him and promised that their support would be as unshakeable as the mountains themselves. For the Golden Mountains, the mentality of the guard is a central factor in selecting new members, on par with their loyalty to the General and martial skill. Members were chosen for their internal harmony and emphasis on simplicity in life, being the embodiment of stability within the legion. This internal balance allowed the Golden Mountains to exert that same balance in combat, adapting to new developments with ease and calculating battlefield strategies in an instant. Inspired by their father, the Mountains seek to defeat the enemy with their fists, using a pair of power fists and thunder gauntlets to be able to switch between lightning jabs and powerful strikes. Their armour is for the most part unadorned, as they spurn extravagance, with the unique sigil of the group being the only sign of their symbolic importance and status.
* **Nemesis Consul** -

## **Legion Wargear**

#### **Sinaean Weapons**

* Power Staff
* Thunder Gauntlets
* Han Broadsword
* Twin Tiger Hooks

## **Notable Campaigns**

### **Beprotx Campaign (978.M30)**

The Beprotx Campaign was the first and sole joint campaign between the Primarchs, the Jade General and Theoderaf of the IVth, Theoderaf being keen to get to know his new brother more through a campaign. As such, the Jade General and his newly reorganised Warriors of Peace took the lead in bringing the world of Beprotx into the Imperial fold. The General decided to utilise his legion’s past expertise in diplomacy, wanting to test his Terran officers. The initial diplomatic overtures were given to Mao Shi, the former legion master and commander of the Imperial Light, who was respected both within the legion and throughout the others.

The world of Beprotx was a former human colony from the Age of Strife that had weathered the storms of the millennia and emerged relatively unscathed. The world was home to industry and a flourishing artistic culture, both of which made it resistant to accepting compliance from the more brutish Imperium from their perspective.

The Warriors of Peace started by hailing the world, issuing a statement that the Imperium of Man was peaceful and looking to open negotiations. The Red Eyes and Warriors of Peace descended to the world in two Storm Eagles, each Primarch with a small bodyguard. The initial interactions were positive but tentative, as the Beprotxian government was wary of newcomers from the stars who could threaten their control of the world. The Primarchs were led to the palace, where they spoke with the emperor and his wife. In the face of two Primarchs and the diplomacy of the Warriors of Peace, the rulers agreed to begin talks for the integration of Beprotx. The rulers ordered their officials to take the Primarchs on a tour of the capital city, to show it off and the benefits of a relatively light integration with the Imperium.

The Jade General felt an uneasy feeling as he toured the capital, something about the people of the world that seemed off to him, reminding him of a feeling he had felt during his campaigns on his homeworld. He secretly sent orders for the Golden Mountains and Iron Monks to join him on the world, but not in a noticeable fashion. As the General and Theoderaf finished their tour in the city’s main street, the populace suddenly emerged, people pouring out of their homes armed with all sorts of arms and improvised weapons. Mutated brutes were released down the street, bull-like and with white eyes. The Primarchs and their entourages fought back, the Warriors of Peace remaining calm amidst the storm of bodies. The Warriors of Peace reinforcements arrived swiftly, drop pods landing in the street and through buildings as the Golden Mountains and Iron Monks came to their lord’s aid. However, the sudden onrush had taken its toll on the Warriors, as it was discovered that the diplomatic entourage of the Imperial Light had been slain in the chaos of the city. Theoderaf and the Red Eyes began securing the area, as the General led the Warriors towards the palace.

The pariah nature of the Iron Monks and the Jade General helped them cut through the civilians, the enemies falling like puppets whose strings had been cut when the Iron Monks got close to them. The General kicked down the door of the palace, finding the emperor floating in the air surrounded by his advisors, who revealed themselves to be a kabal of psykers who held a stranglehold over the royal family, and thus the whole empire. The General soon dispatched all of the psykers, none of them able to oppose him in close quarter combat. Once the psykers were killed, the citizens controlled by them all fell into comas, and the Warriors began focusing on helping heal them.

The campaign was a great success for the Warriors of Peace, a rapid compliance with minimal casualties, plus the boon to their image of the picts of them aiding in the healing of the afflicted. The General went to great efforts to carefully craft how the event would be spun, diverting attention from the failed diplomacy of the Imperium and his own legion towards a more positive portrayal of his command. Many of the Terrans in the legion mourned the loss of their former leader and high command, but the newer Han recruits showed little emotion as was the preference of the Jade General that was quickly replacing the old Terran culture.

### **Pacification of Faentyr (001.M31)**

After the Conclave of Terra, the Jade General headed to the north of Segmentum Obscurus to begin campaigning. Surveying the information, he determined that the Tanika System was a primary target as it was strategically placed near Han and on the northern edge of the Segmentum. Rogue traders headed into the system, obtaining the information that the outermost planet was rich in minerals. However, they were attacked by a rapidly moving adversary, forcing them to flee the system with several being killed in the retreat. The Jade General thus gathered his legion and planned for a full invasion of the system.

The Warriors of Peace fleet entered the Tanika System in a defensive formation, prepared for immediate conflict. However, the space was quiet, with no ships in sight. The Warriors landed on the outermost world with no opposition, established a small outpost and then headed deeper into the system. The second planet they came across was a lush jungle world, with no sights of human contact previously, yet a distress signal from one of the rogue traders was faintly echoing from the interior. The Warriors again made planetfall, the General keeping rigorous discipline as they landed in waves and began pushing into the jungle. As they advanced, suddenly creatures burst from the trees on their flanks, large reptilian creatures moving at the speed of bikes came charging into the lines of the Warriors. As this happened, in front of the Warriors the forest was filled with energy blasts as hidden foes let loose with their ranged weapons. The Jade General reacted swiftly, calling for a defensive perimeter to be set up and heavy support to begin immediate retaliation. From the few fallen bodies of the enemy that were recovered, it was clear that these were Eldar, yet not like those encountered on the self-named Craftwords, more primitive technologically.

The Jade General sat in the centre of it all, deep in contemplation as the Eldar circled around the Warriors of Peace. He waited until the Eldar attempted another large charge with their reptilian mounts, and as they were repelled Xian Yun led a mighty countercharge with the jetbikes and javelin speeders, chasing the Eldar back and cutting many down. The General charged forward, leading his troops straight forward and kept a rapid pace towards the source of the distress signal. The Eldar scrambled to harry the sides of the Warriors, but they were unable to stop the Astartes’ advance and the legion found the distress signal was coming from the remains of the ship, with no survivors. The General ordered flamers to clear the forest and the Warriors to slowly retreat, allowing his men slightly more freedom to attack the Eldar and slowly withdrawing back to the landing zones.

The General organised systematic clearing of the planet, slowly scouring it of xenos combatants and any Eldar craft that attempted to flee the world were shot down by the navy in orbit. He left the process to his first captain Xian Dong, who in a few weeks had secured the world and grown the command base into a more permanent campaign base. The General took the majority of the troops and the navy and left to continue the conquest of the system.

As they passed a dead world, the General had to decide whether to divide the fleet to cover more ground quicker or keep the fleet consolidated, as the planets from then on were grouped in two clusters. The General insisted on remaining together, and made the decision to head towards the west cluster. As the fleet began to turn, ships suddenly appeared from the east and behind the dead world. The designs of the ships were similar to the recorded Eldar vessels, but they had significant alterations, not fitting any seen previously. The General did not turn to engage these new threats, despite the calls from some of the more aggressive commanders, maintaining course for the nearest planet. The only retaliation he sanctioned was on those enemy ships that were too reckless and got too near the fleet to be able to retreat before the strike cruisers in the rear could turn and unleash devastating volleys.

The fleet passed a few worlds, all being barren with no signs of life, and the attacks by the Eldar increased in intensity. Eventually they picked up a lot of activity on the final world in the system, which was revealed to be a paradise-like world. The Eldar, pushed back to their last world, gathered their entire fleet to oppose the Warriors of Peace, but in a straight contest of firepower the Eldar were hopelessly outgunned, with the Gloriana *Qiang Shui* taking several kills. The final phase of the campaign was the compliance of the world now designated 97-33 but known to the Eldar as Faentyr, where scans revealed significant hostile forces.

The General held a war council with his commanders, determining that an all out assault was the best way forward. No safe landings for the legion available, the Warriors fell in drop pods onto the world, getting to grips with the Eldar in close quarter combat. The General took to the field in person, killing all xenos and reptiles alike who dared stand against him. The highlight, and the image that circulated to civilians, was the Jade General standing on top of the body of a huge deadly reptile holding the Eldar chief in his hand raising them high. The report of the compliance was widely praised as a great Imperial victory, a sign that the Imperium was not weak without the Emperor. In the aftermath and propaganda victory, the administrative details of the system were misplaced, which at the time meant little in the grand scheme of things. It was only later with the benefit of hindsight that the later appearance of the knight world of Tanika, a fortress world and mining colony discovered in that area proved the real prizes of the campaign.

### **Last Stand at Strisis**

While the reputation of the Warriors of Peace was primarily set in the popular imagination of the Imperium after the discovery of the Jade General, they were the legion that crusaded the longest without their Primarch. For one hundred and eighty years, the XVIIth served in a supporting role in the service of other legions, and none more so than the Alabaster Order. The two legions worked together with such regularity that some regarded the XVIIth as a chapter of the XXth. However, this was not the case, and the XVIIth would not allow themselves to be subsumed into another legion. The battle that would show more than any other both their uniqueness and coordination was the Last Stand at Strisis.

Occurring in the middle of the Great Crusade, the Alabaster Order and Warriors of Peace came into conflict with an Ork Waaagh! Several worlds had already been overrun and calls for aid reached the ears of the Primarch Gustave Dunant. He swore that no more civilians would be lost to the green menace. By the time the combined force had arrived in the Soter System, only one planet remained intact, the world of Soter Prime. The refugees of four other worlds in the system had flocked their in whatever vessels were available following the ravagings of their worlds by the Orks, throwing Soter Prime into a panic. The inflated population had caused severe food shortages and put pressure on all aspects of life on Soter, leaving the planetary defences under-prepared and lacking the needed resources. Gustave noted all of this in his overview of the situation when he arrived and he determined that Soter needed fortifying but that he could not allow the humans trapped on the worlds currently being struck to be left to die. The risks involved with rescuing the surviving civilians were immense, far too great for most within the Imperial high command to countenance a rescue operation. When he put forward his plan to his officers to divide his force, Mao Shi of the XVIIth stood up and declared that he and his brothers would go on the extraction mission to act as the wall against the green tide.

Accompanied by a number of apothecaries and support elements of the Alabaster Order, one thousand Warriors of Peace travelled to the world of Strisis, a once productive agri-world that was in the process of falling to the Orks. All organised resistance on the world had collapsed and the Orks roamed with impunity. The largest group of human survivors had constructed a fortified camp on a flat mountain top, hoping against hope for Imperial forces to airlift them to safety. Gustave launched a decoy assault on the Ork fleet in the void to draw attention away from the rescue team, hoping that the Orks would swarm to fight the Alabaster Order and allow for a bloodless evacuation. As the Warriors of Peace approached in orbit with their ships powered down to reduce their chances of being detected, their auguries showed that the Orks had finally reached the survivors in large numbers. Mao Shi ordered an immediate deployment and drop pods dived towards the planet. The humans, surrounded by howling Orks and saying their last prayers, cheered the arrival of their saviours, crying tears of joy. The Warriors and Alabaster Order landed on the mountaintop and formed a perimeter around the humans, the Warriors holding the line and the Order aiding the humans to prepare for evacuation.

The Orks were not about to let their prize be taken from them, and the prospect of fighting Astartes rather than weak humans drove the Orks into a frenzy. The hordes roared and charged the Warriors. The XVIIth would not fail in their task, each one a veteran of numerous campaigns and duels, and they slew any Ork that got too close. However, as the minutes turned into hours without any sight of evacuation, the war of attrition turned inevitably against the Warriors. The camp’s defences were abandoned as holes appeared and the Warriors were forced to discard their bolters and rely on their skills with a blade. The camp began a slaughterhouse as both Orks and Astartes fell, Warriors covering their brothers in a synchronised fall back.

It was here that a moment that a legend of the XVIIth was born, one of the few moments that would define the Warriors for the Imperium at large. As the lines slowly closed, the roar of vehicles came over the horizon as Ork War Trukks came barrelling towards the camp. Mao Shi ordered the few missile launchers to bring them down, but one managed to reach the lines and crash through. Orks piled out and charged the centre of the camp where the civilians were huddled. However, three Warriors of Peace stood in their way. A sergeant, Liu Gutir, and his two battle brothers Juan Zu and Ziang Dei, held a choke point that the Orks attempted to break through, but none would make it past. The choke point became blocked by the corpses of Ork dead as the blades of the three spun and parried. Pict-captures by their Alabaster Order cousins would survive the battle and make its way into the hands of remembrancers that spread the legend of the Warriors.

Despite all of the bravery and skill of the Warriors, after hours the sheer calculus of war pointed to defeat for the Imperium. The once one thousand strong chapter numbered less than a hundred, and all of them were bloodied in some way. Mao Shi made a rousing speech about the glory of the sacrifice the Warriors had made for humanity and how the Imperium was built upon the thankless sacrifice of billions of such servants of the Emperor. At that point, news finally reached the survivors that the Storm Eagles were on their way. The Warriors renewed their line of defence, just needing to hold on a few more minutes. The Orks sensed the shift in spirits in the defenders and redoubled their efforts, and the Weirdboy leading the Orks revealed himself. Knowing what needed to be done, Mao Shi with a heavy heart ordered ten of his Pariah brothers to eliminate him. Using jump packs, the ten Pariahs launched themselves into the air to descend down on the Weirdboy. The crackling green energy that surrounded the Weirdboy sparked and fizzled out, the Weirdboy howling in frustration and surprise as his executioners landed surrounding him and slew him. Though they were immediately swarmed and torn apart, they had sold their lives to destabilise the Orks.

The Storm Eagles roared out of the clouds as the Orks wavered, rallying both the defenders and attackers as the end was in sight. The Warriors continued to hold as the Alabaster Order shepherded the civilians onto the transports, and only once all were on board did Mao Shi order a retreat. The Imperial force fled into the air as the Orks filled the camp, unable to do much but roar and destroy the remains of the camp. The civilians had been saved at the cost of nine hundred and thirty Warriors, a grave loss for the legion that would take the XVIIth a decade to recover from. Gustave would hail the Warriors of Peace as the greatest sons of the Imperium, willing to sacrifice much despite their size. Within the XVIIth, the losses would be mourned and their names remembered in the annals of the legion, each one added by Mao Shi to the *Shiming Risdan*, the tome of those who had given their lives in the service of the legion. Though the Alabaster Order would crush the Ork threat in the system, it would be the Warriors’ stand on Strisis that made the largest impact in the minds of the Imperial citizens. The ideals of brotherhood, sacrifice and duty exemplified would be taken by remembrancers to represent all that the Great Crusade was for.

## **Legion Gene-Seed**

The Warriors of Peace have a very unique geneseed, which both gave them their greatest strength and severely hampered their growth as a legion. The Warriors possess a form of artificially-created pariah marines, not true soulless but an approximation that produced the same effect. They are one of the smallest legions because of this, with an extremely high rejection rate only partially solved by the Jade General’s discovery.

## **Legion Beliefs**

### **View on the Wider Imperium**

The Warriors of Peace care little for the civilians of the Imperium, their main concern being for the pursuit of knowledge and scientific understanding of the universe. The XVIIth Legion has been counted as one of the Imperial Truth’s most consistent defenders. What was a straightforward application of the Imperial Truth would become more nuanced with the arrival of the Jade General.

The Warriors of Peace's eerie detachment, combined with the pariahs serving in their ranks, has intimidated both foe and friend alike. Among the few exceptions are, strangely, the Mechanicum. As the Warrior of Peace seeks to shed himself of fruitless emotion in battle, the tech-adept seeks to shed himself of fruitless flesh. The biologically focused tech-priests have also found kinship with the Warriors and the Jade General, as the problems of the geneseed required work from both groups.

The Pariah nature of the Warriors has put off many mortals serving in the Imperial Army, many not wishing to serve alongside them as opposed to the more friendly legions. The Warriors’ efficient way of waging war has earned them a degree of respect from commanders, as the Warriors will never wantonly throw the Imperial Army into pointlessly bloody situations.

The one exception to this is Lord Militant Jaacos Nurada, who is the Warriors’ favoured commander due to their shared experimentation and sharing of knowledge.

## **Legion Combat Doctrine**

Every marine, every squad, every company is expected to fight as a single unit, operating in perfect coordination with their brethren, drawing strength from one another as they battle in near-total silence. The eerie movements of these Legiones Astartes is further enhanced by their "Pariah" officers which unsettle enemy combatants to weaken morale.

### **Rite of War: The Art of Battle**

Under the tutelage of their Primarch, many officers of the XVIIth Legion would come to approach war not simply as a duty, but as an art form to be mastered. The unified nature of the Warriors, combined with an extreme focus under pressure, allowed them to be wielded like a set of artisan's tools in the hands of an astute commander. A favoured tactic that exemplified this was the use of mass infantry formations in which squads could combine to harness each other's strengths, and thus adapt their combat style to the ebb and flow of battle.

## **Notable Warriors of Peace**

* **The Jade General** - Primarch of the XVIIth Legion
* **Lord Chancellor Zhukelion -** Equerry to the Primarch, *The Bronze General, The Sleeping Dragon*
* **Xian Dong -** Joint 1st Captain, *The Emerald General, The One-Eyed*
* **Xian Yun** - Joint 1st Captain, *The Ruby General, The Lightning Strike*
* **Liu Gutir** - 2nd Captain, *The Golden Hearted*
* **Qua Feng -** 3rd Captain, *King of the Southern Wind*
* **Shao Jian** - 4th Captain, *The Silver General, The Mountain Tiger*
* **Sun Li** - 5th Captain, *The Cunning Wolf*
* **Zhong Yin** - 6th Captain, *The Black Mountain*
* **Gengsu Zemin** - 7th Captain, *The Stallion of Pacificus*
* **Huang Ju-Long** - 8th Captain, Master of Speed, *The Flying Captain*
* **Duan Wong** - High Chaplain
* **Xu Chun** - Chief Apothecary
* **Xun Hia** - Master of the Forge
* **Tian Qiu** - Chief Vigilator
* **Ziang Dei** - Bodyguard of Liu Gutir, Battalion Captain of the 2nd Grand Battalion of the 2nd Grand Army
* **Juan Zu** - Bodyguard of Liu Gutir, Battalion Captain of the 1st Grand Battalion of the 2nd Grand Army
* **Yun Biao** - Battalion Captain of the 8th Grand Army, Champion of Malal
* **Gong Ru** - 4th Battalion Captain of the 2nd Grand Army
* **Zou Yuhan** - 2nd Battalion Captain of the 1st Grand Army
* **Shao Cao** - 1st Battalion Captain of the 4th Grand Army
* **Deng Wiang** - 5th Battalion Captain of the 2nd Grand Army
* **Mao Tian** - 5th Battalion Captain of the 8th Grand Army
* **Shao Ziruan** - Castellan of the Golden Mountains
* **Taskmaster Zhen** - Lord Preceptor, Master of Initiation. It is said that the only thing a Warrior of Peace fears is Taskmaster Zhen. One of the oldest members of the legion, Zhen has personally overseen the ascendance of thousands of initiates, and is infamous for his gruelling methods of training, even by Astartes standards. Yet the mark of a Warrior trained by Zhen is easy to discern: they are possessed of a cold discipline, and under his watch, will not be found wanting.
* **Guro Saion Kai -** First Sage of the Iron Monks, *The Iron Fist.* Saion Kai is the head of the Jingdaolu, as he embodies the detached nature of the path and his “Pariah” nature garners him a special amount of reverence in the legion. All of the recent “Pariahs” of the legion have been trained by Saion, with the Iron Monks being formed from the greatest fighters in the Jingdaolu trained by him.
* **Mao Shi (Deceased)** - Former Legion Master and Captain of the Imperial Light upon the discovery of the Jade General.
* **Tang Qigang (Deceased)** - Former leader of the *Liudongli*.
* **Hou Zheng (Deceased)** - Former leader of the *Suiyu*.
* **Lin Bah (Deceased)** - Former leader of the *Jinsedao*.
* **Hou Guiying (Deceased)** - Former leader of the *Yinshao*.
* **Du Zhenya (Deceased)** - Former leader of the *Mongsuti*.

## **Legion Fleet**

* ***Qiang Shui* (Gloriana-class Battleship)** - the flagship of the Jade General, captained by Admiral Cheng Lim
* ***Tian Sheng* (Legate-Class Battle Barge)** - captained by Admiral Cai Kun of the 1433rd Expeditionary Fleet, the lead ship of the 2nd Grand Army.
* ***Xiwan Guan (*Victory-Class Battleship)** - captained by Admiral Kong Xuefeng of the 2200th Expeditionary Fleet, the lead ship of the 4th Grand Army
* ***Zhan Wang* (Eclipse Battlecruiser)** - captained by Admiral Jin Liuxian of the 3851st Expeditionary Fleet

## **Legion Appearance**

### **Legion Colours**

The Warriors of Peace primarily wear lacquered, glossy midnight blue battle-plate with crimson coloured shoulder pauldron trim and accents. The colour red in Jin culture symbolises fire, good luck and is believed to ward off evil. Occasionally metal elements are also used. Members of the Officer Corps and distinguished members of the Legion utilise yellow or gold trim, stripes, variant patterns or symbols. These signify heroic deeds or recognition by a superior. The colour yellow represents power or royalty and is generally associated with higher social status, therefore, this is the reason why it is chosen for use by the Legion's heroes and officers. However, many officers choose not to include such elements on their amour, usually to show humility.

Assault units and fast-attack vehicles often utilise jade green cloth, trim, stripes, patterns or symbols. The colour green depicts a violent, ferocious character that lacks restraint, which is an appropriate choice to represent the Legion's fast attack units. The colour, patterns and symbols are also used to denote skill with the blade. Armoured units and super-heavy tanks utilise azure colour/cloth, trim, stripes, patterns or symbols. This blue colour is often associated with stubborness, staunchness and traditionally, immortality. This adequately conveys the Legion's intractable units such as heavy armour and terminators. Many Legion Breacher shields also bear Jin characters of protection brushed upon them in blue.

Iron Monks and Pariahs identify themselves through the use of grey or white robes, stripes, patterns or symbols. Grey is a neutral colour and white symbolises death and spirits, hence why Pariahs wear white and Iron Monks wear grey. These units exist as a class apart from the main legion, and while the other colours can be used somewhat flexibly, these are reserved for a special breed of warrior.

## **Notable Quotes**

### **By the Warriors of Peace**

*"One who stands straight does not fear a crooked shadow. I do what I know to be right, regardless of those telling me I am wrong. My beliefs are as this rock. Smoothed by the water of time and thought. It is no sculpture, like some of our brothers’ beliefs, large and grandiose yet brittle and prone to fall at the first breeze. While theirs stand tall for the moment, mine shall endure."*

- The Jade General speaking to Ezharion Kulas.

## **Gallery**

Warriors of Peace iconographyWarriors of Peace Legion appearance