Triglav

While most of the Palatine Wings legion was already ordered and organised before the coming of Bartosz, many of the organisations already in place when their sire was found, Bartosz did implement some of his own changes to the legion, ensuring that they would run to his own desires.

After the splitting of the legions centralised command, giving Chapter masters near total autonomy to act as they wished with their warriors, the chief change was the implementation of the Triglav, Bartosz’ chosen Warriors. These would be the greatest of the Palatine, elevated to serve as Bartosz’ chosen sons, either to fight by his side or attached to other Chapters across the galaxy as the situation called.

At the top of this organisation was Bartosz himself, the Imperial Sagittarius, and now the namesake of the organisation, the Triglav, named after a trio of the highest peaks on the now desolate world of Xenobia, former home of of the Shining Son.

Beneath their Triglav, three organisations took root, some having their origins in the days before Bartosz, or even the days of the Silver Wings, while others were entirely new, created by Bartosz specifically to serve in his new order.

First and greatest amongst these were the Perundan, or in Gothic, the Equus Hussars, most outside of the legion knowing them by their common name rather than their official title. These were warriors picked out and elevated to stand as wardens within the legion, the greatest bodyguards the XIVth could create, and led by one of the greatest warriors in the Imperium, former Legion Master Surag Genden. For them, no method of warfare would be unknown; mastery in all forms, from piloting jetbikes all the way to deploying in the disliked Terminator Armour the XIVth usually avoided, eventually being granted almost sole access to the famed Equus Maxium, their common name changing to reflect this honour. To stand as a Hussar was to forever exempt a warrior from rising higher within the legion. Their lot was to serve, to protect those within the legion who did command, but never to replace them. It stood as a testament to the attitude of the XIVth that warriors would happily give up the chance at command for the honour of a lifetime of service under the Primarch’s right hand.

Beside these titans were the Svetovid, the aptly named Skyguard of the Silver Wings, and the last true vestiges of the old legion. While the Equus Hussars may have been regarded as masters in all forms of war, including piloting a jetbike, it was the Skyguard who were the undisputed lords of that method of war. Some of the greatest pilots within the legions were found within the ranks of the Svetovid, this prestige going to the warriors head almost universally, the warriors standing as the last remnant of the bragards of the old XIVth. Bartosz, and Surag before him, had allowed the unit to stand, their skill undeniably effective, and worth the deviation from the new order. In battle, the Skyguard are often the first to reach the foe, streaking past on their lightning pattern jetbikes, a might spear clasped in their hand. Though it is not a weapon suited for prolonged combat, the Skyguard are adept at breaking from combat, only to wheel around and strike once more, killing with deadly purpose.

Finally, the third head is comprised of the Jarog, smallest of the Triglav’s heads, and comprising potentially the most potent weapon within the XIVth; Psykers. While the other heads require the warriors to have shown aptitude above and beyond the rank and file, the Jarog, or the Warp Striders, took in any warrior with psychic potential, no matter their skill or connection to the other realm of the Warp. For a time, the Jarog merely served as a place for the Psykers to train, a Librarius as in any other legion, but after the liberation of the obscure and isolationist forge world of Selvanus Binary, a new technology was made available to the legion, one jealously guarded by the Forge World, even from Mars itself, Personal Teleporter Packs. Unstable and dangerous for use by any Astartes, the risk was lessened considerably by use with a psychic pilot, and in time, all psykers within the legion were trained in their use, bending their powers to safeguarding their jumps through the Warp. Few had the power to both protect themselves and to manifest more offensive psychic powers, the legion not producing Psykers as powerful as the vaunted XIXth, but the XIVth see this as an acceptable trade off, their warriors appearing in a flash of light, able to keep up with any assault, and delivering sudden and unexpected blows that send the enemies of man reeling.

In the wake of Nikaea, the Jarog was changed once again, becoming a standard line company. Though the legion continued to screen for psychic candidates, placing them within the organisation, they were forbidden from utilising their powers, chaplains ensuring the Edict was adhered to, Bartosz defending his actions by pointing out that having all psychic legionaries in a single place makes ensuring the Edict is followed a far smoother process, especially for a legion as spread out as the XIVth. When the Apostasy erupted, many of the Jarog willingly broke the Edict of Nikaea, defying the word of the Emperor to better have a chance to stand before the tide of Traitors.

Finally, seperate from the three heads of the Triglav, were the Perun, the Hussars. Similar in aspect to the Equus Hussars, the Hussars were the most numerous members of the Triglav, serving as the rank and file warriors of the organisation, though to call such warriors mere rank and file was a gross mis-service to their skills. Each and every warrior within their ranks was a veteran in one form of combat or another, serving directly at the behest of their Primarch. While other members of the Triglav may have specialised into one of its more distinct heads, the Hussars formed the generalists of the force, making up everything from Terminator Squads through to the drivers of Fellblade Super-Heavy Tanks.

Together, these three heads alongside the Perun formed Bartosz’s personal warband, the fist of the Palatine Wings. Rarely did the warriors fight as one, often split across the galaxy, spreading their skills across the gargantuan legion, but when they did muster as one, there were few forces in the galaxy that could hope to survive for long.