Consuls Exemplar

### **Observed Strategic Tendencies**

Black Ops and Covert Operations, Development and Deployment of Warp Technology, Extensive Propaganda Warfare

### **Warcry**

Feel honoured! You’re to be burned away by the glow of His star

### **Legion Colours**

Gold and Crimson

The ****Consuls Exemplar******,** also known as the **Auric Legion** due to their armours shining colours, the thirteen *Legiones Astartes,* are a legion of elites; each Astartes studies and trains for countless forms of warfare, and serves tours of duty within dozens of the legion's Decurio before settling into the area they are found to excel.

The primary focus of this training lies within espionage, infiltration, impersonation, sabotage, with a wide array of battlefield tactics covered to ensure each warrior is adept at reacting and responding to the hectic complications of warfare in a frighteningly short space of time. With a web of secret operatives, a complicated tactical network, and the remnants of the Dark Age tech cult known as the United Achaean Cults, creating technology based on the energies and relics of the Warp; there are few battlefield scenarios the Consuls Exemplar are not prepared for.

Even should the XIIIth find themselves facing a foe they cannot conquer alone, the diplomatic and calculative nature of their Primarch has gained the Consuls more allies and technologies than many legions. The nature of Gaius has even seen whole swathes of the XIIIth trained and equipped by Prodigies and Heroes of other legions. Forming special Decurio and Kill Teams that shadow exceptional tactics and units from brother Astartes with a distinctive, and often sinister, Exemplar twist. For the Thousand-Armed Centurion's legion, there is nothing that cannot be turned into a resource, and the XIIIth pride themselves on the fact that they never squander a resource, no matter how trivial it may seem at the time.

The Consuls Exemplar are exceptional warriors and tacticians, however this is not how most of humanity has seen them. Though other Astartes Legions often only see this side of the Auric Legion, civilians and Astartes that have spent time among the Consuls outside of battle and on their fleets would find the truth of Consul society and structure. Many of the XIIIth's Expeditionary craft have vast sections converted to the comforts and housing required for human residence alongside the Astartes. What were once tertiary hangar bays, or storage depots, are now market places and cantinas. Remembrancers can be heard lecturing other civilians or even Astartes; while painters and sculptors share their trades in similar manner. Even the Astartes training pits have seating and accommodation for an audience. As civilians tend to their daily business aboard these space faring societies the Astartes of the XIIIth are at the core of it all, learning, teaching and when necessary policing the population aboard.

Some visitors upon Consuls vessels have stated they felt overwhelmed or that such practices surely lead to a drop in efficiency, however none can argue with the Consuls results. Civilians aboard these vessels come from all walks of life and a vast majority of them come from planets left compliant in the Consuls wake. Civilians are given a chance to travel with the XIIIth legion after a compliance ends, usually used in the Consuls rather sophisticated propaganda campaign many of the traders and skilled workers aboard the fleets will volunteer their skills and wares in evacuation sites created by Caligula’s Legion during compliance battles. Aboard the fleets these civilians operate the various establishments and help maintain the ships themselves to the dismay of the Mechanicum Enginseers.

Some of the civilians among the Consuls Expeditionary Fleets have been there for more than a generation; their families started and lived among the Auric Legion and on the front lines of the Great Crusade. In the rare instances that an Astartes hopeful from among these civilians is inducted as a successful full fledged legionare; the family is showered with honour and gifts in thanks for their sacrifice to the Auric Legion. These families are often elated to see the ascension of their child and follow his deeds in the Great Crusade, and each family has been granted residence on Caligula’s personal flagship where they even have the chance to meet with their former child on occasion and celebrate their success with them together once more.

Though the society cultured by Gaius aboard Consuls vessels serves to bathe the XIIIth in the glorious Auric glow that potential compliant worlds and imperial allies have come to know; like anything the Thousand Armed Centurion puts his resources to, the human presence on his ships serves a dual purpose. In addition to all his positive relations with humanity, Gaius has been able to find uses for the more unscrupulous or desperate of these human populations, bribing, tricking, or threatening them into to providing information on known contacts, sabotage important structures or equipment during what are supposed to be peaceful interactions, or in the most unfortunate cases, into being bait for one of Gaius' more secretive schemes. Though the Auric Legion present themselves as humanities paragon defenders; ultimately any resource is a tool, even human life.

## Legion History

### The Great Crusade

#### Compliance of Zeylt

The legion, currently known as the Fists of Sol, under the direction of the then Legion Master, Samuel Gallant successfully lay low a violent and resistant tech cult based off of the planet Zeylt, the compliance forming one of their earliest battle honours won during the Great Crusade. Samuel Gallant is slain during the fighting, his protege, Uulious Kaezar, being appointed Legion Master in his place. In the wake of the battle, the legion received several acolades from Imperial High Command for the exemplary conduct which they displayed within the battle, destroying the tech cult entirely, suffering only a trio of casualties of their own. Soon after, the Legion was renamed the "Sol Exemplar" in recognition of this fact, as well as catching the eye of the Mechanicum of Mars.

In time, the XIIIth Legion would be one that was called upon often by the Mechanicum to accompany their myriad of fleets as they pushed out. Far from this being because the legion had an aptitude for technology, something legions such as the IVth and XIth eclipsed them in, this was due to the fact they did not yet have a Primarch of their own, meaning there was no figure who could unanimously decide against the pressures of the Mechanicum. In many cases, these deployments would act as shock troops for well-connected Magos as they encountered ancient tech-cults, or would simply assist in setting up satellites and listening posts on the edges of Imperial Space, before moving on, allowing those posts to be filled by the Imperial Army.

Despite this seemingly close relationship the XIIIth developed with the Mechanicum however, in truth the legion was regarded as simply a means to secure their own goals by the Mechanicum, a tool to be used, little more.

#### Gaius Augustus Caligula

> "*If you cannot end the lives of your loved ones in service to a future they would have died for; then your cause was insignificant and you will fade into the void. The future is for the strong.*"
> ― Gaius Augustus Caligula
>
>

Gaius Caligula is well known as an optimist and one of the more studious Primarchs of the Great Crusade. Often times when not in battle, Gaius can be found in the library upon his flagship, the *Pythonis Metricius*, reading the various manuscripts and tomes his legion have recovered from their many conquests. Gaius has been known to run experiments within his quarters at times; often coming up with a plethora of small enhancements for his equipment or the equipment of those close to him. Many times these enhancements are merely cosmetic, though at others, they represented a significant step forward in the workings of the device as well His quarters are little more than a workshop with a place to sleep, in the rare moments the Primarch remembers to do so, and are often cluttered with scattered books, schematics, tools, and pieces to various technological oddities.

The XIIIth Legion is known to contain the most remembrancers as well as their sub-cultures and Gaius has spent time with almost each and every one of them over the years. Fascinated by their work and motivations that led them to such hazardous environments, many remembrancers have noted that it felt more like they were the ones being interviewed, rather than the ones doing so. Nevertheless, Caligula has been forthcoming and provided all he could to the remembrancers to ensure this bright and hopeful time for humanity is properly documented and spread throughout the crusade, understanding the good it does for the morale of Astartes, Auxilia, and Civilian alike.  Caligula often returns to his home planet of Dux throughout the crusade, when asked why Gaius would only say “the Aphealids smell nice.”

Obsessed with knowledge and control Gaius has taken it upon himself to watch and observe all of his brothers for just about any reason. At times he wishes to learn weaknesses or flaws in their methods of war, while other times his interests are as simple as ranged accuracy ratings across different legions. This is due to Gaius upbringing as the One True Saint of Dux. Trained to slaughter countless millions solely because a liar told the primarch they were enemies to the only family he ever knew. Gaius now sees ignorance as the gravest of sins and being could ever commit, leaving those guilty of such crimes to be used as tools in the machinations of the ambitious.

Though many of his brothers see him as ruled by emotion and too attached to their father, Gaius would prove to surprise most of his fellow Primarchs by the time he chose to betray the Emperor. Though many were shocked that he would chose to do so, it wasn’t his betrayal that provided the surprise. On the battlefield and in theaters of diplomacy Gaius seems to become an entirely different beast. Cold, calculated, and grim, the Thousand Armed Centurion would prove to be more of a foe than much of the Imperium was prepared for. The Primarch’s tactics were ruthless and seen as cowardly by several of his brothers once his web of lies had been revealed. Murdering the leaders of a planet during diplomatic meetings that didn’t go his way; tricking others into agreeing with his plans, or giving away vital information, by using double-edged questions with no true answers; making offers that only truly benefited Gaius and his allies despite sounding of mutual gain; and sending Consuls forces disguised as allies to enemies whose resources he intended to destroy. Honor and ancient tradition are the provinces of the ignorant and those without the conviction to truly do what is necessary are seen as weak; to Gaius nothing is as important as bringing about the best possible future for humanity and he will sacrifice just about everything to see his dreams a reality.

Caligula is a master strategist to rival any of his brothers, and believes precise, measured tactics that take full advantage of all the Consuls strengths and his enemies weaknesses are the key to absolute victory. No tactic or action is below the XIIIth's Primarch, so long as it assures success.

#### The Second Rangdan Xenocide

See Also: The Second Rangdan Xenocide

Taking place over seven decades after the First Rangdan Xenocide, the Second Rangdan Xenocide, often known simply as the Second War, was the largest of the three conflicts, over 75,000 Astartes perishing in the five years of punishing warfare. Though the scale of the Second Xenocide exceeded all others, the First is still considered the most deadly, drawing in and draining away far more of the fledgling Imperium's strength. Though the Second was deverstating, it never reached the level where the Imperium itself was truly on the brink of collapse, as some belived it to be during the First War.

Having only been reunited with the Primarch scant months earlier, and having been one of the few legions not to participate in the first war, the XIIIth were caught off guard, taking hideous losses in the first months of the war. Nevertheless, they would perciveer, the Imperium eventually standing victorious, Gaius hailed as one of the heroes of the war, though not holding a candle to the one hailed as the ultimate hero of the war, Camelous of the Dragon Lords.

In the wake of the campaign Gaius and the remnants of his legion would crusade with Almire Leoric, Primarch of the Imperial Justicars and future Warmaster of the Imperium, until such a time as his legions strength had recovered enough to continue alone. When the legion finally stood whole once more, Gaius made a final change, renaming the legion one last time, before setting out into the galaxy at the head of the Consuls Exemplar.

#### The Colossustructure

See Also: The Battle of the Endless Arkium

Alongside, Almire, Shaaa Hydrades and later his newly discovered brother Khnum, and the Emperor himself; the XIIIth legion commits to a massive action against a semi-sentient system spanning structure capable of producing its own defenders. The campaign is extensive and the Consuls spend much of it dispatching kill teams into the depths of the structure to make at best temporary maps of their surroundings. During this event the Consuls come into contact with large amounts of esoteric and outright forbidden technology. Much of the structure was destroyed, including the remains of the stars the structure had harnessed for power. All Mechanicum forces attached to the XIIIth during the campaign perish in an overwhelming assault while exploring the depths alongside the astartes, or at least, that is what the official reports show...

#### The Great Feast

See Also: The Great Feast

Gaius and a selection of his astartes, and mortal companions join the festivities at the Brother’s Encarmine homeworld. A contest of Champions, a chance to hunt monsters and beasts from across the galaxy, the sharing of various cultures and veritable fountains of knowledge, and of course and extensive selection of food; the feast proved to be an invaluable time for all involved. The primarchs all gathered in one place for the first time in the history of the imperium, and unfortunately one of the last.

#### Crowning of the Warmaster

See Also: The Ullanor Crusade

Though not present for the Ullanor campaign itself, Gaius was certain to be there for the ceremony of his brother’s ascension. Almire is named Warmaster of the Great Crusade, and Gaius pledges his fealty to his already close brother. The two would share not only ideals and goals for the crusade, but also many plans on how to obtain such heights. The two would be in contact often, and share resources and information that other legions would murder to keep secret. Shaaa Hydrades is named Praetorian of Terra, and Gaius congratulates his brother. Though the Breacher Lord and the Centurion were not close, Gaius thought the new position suited his brother, and was sure he up to the task at hand.

#### The First Warp Portal

During the events of Ullanor and the subsequent crowning, the United Achaean Cult successfully created and maintained their first stable open portal into the warp. Gaius view all this from his helmet while attending the ascension of his brother Almire. Expeditions into the Empryean begin hastily and continue steadily.

#### The Dragon Unchained

The XIIIth legion is not capable of producing its own psykers. A flaw in Gaius gene-seed would see that the legion was not capable of harnessing the warp in any conventional method, but also ignorant to the whispers and the more conventional predations of the warp. It was due to this fact, and that the two legions would share many successful campaigns using the combined tactics of the Consuls and Psychic adaptability of the Dragon Lords, that the XIIIth legion would be given a Librarius from it’s brother legion to fill the void in their ranks. The Consuls would be led to many discoveries by their new Chief Librarian and chief among them was the use of crystal found within the warp. This crystal when brought to the material real would vastly enhance psychic potential and during testing this would prove disastrously successful. While operating alongside the Dragon Lords once more, the Consuls seeded the battlefields with hidden deposits of the warp crystal, hoping to measure its effects on the psychic might of their brothers. What resulted was a total massacre, as powers cast from the warp grew wildly out of control and decimated whole civilian sectors. The Dragon Lords would bow their heads in shame, while the Consuls would leave hailing their success.

#### The Council of Nikaea

See Also: The Council of Nikaea

Though directly responsible for the events that caused the Council, none of those present would ever know. Gaius conducted his research in secret, and the Crystal that caused the Dragon Lords to rage out of control was never seen. The blame of this event rested solely on the shoulders of his brother Camelous, who was as innocent as any one person could be. Gaius would publicly speak out in support of the librarius, however despite several of his brothers doing the same the choice was made; the Librarius was to be disbanded. Gaius allowed those alongside him to continue operation in secret.

### The Almire Apostasy

#### The Second Squat War

Gaius and his legion, poised to reveal their betrayal to the world attack the Khazadi Empire. Intending to cause full scale invasion of warp entities the Consuls launch a massive crystal spire into the surface of a Khazadi capital world and using arcane rituals combined with exotic technology on the surface, drag the entire planet into the immaterium. The Thousand-Armed Centurion is ecstatic with his new discovery. The War begins, and the imperium now knows the side the Consuls have chosen.

#### Evolution

Gaius posed for victory in the war against the Khazadi Empire is brought devastating news from the UAC research facilities on Prospero. His Mechanicum associate Cerbedax Sigma has turned on him, and initiated a full scale invasion of Prospero by warp Entities. Gaius is forced to send back his Obzhet Venatus units and their support to bring the situation under control. Splitting himself between two fronts, Gaius is still certain of victory until another astartes fleet shows up in Khazadi space looking for aid from the Empire. The XIIIth already weakened vastly by the war with the empire, must retreat as soon as Prospero reports that the incursion is taken care of. Gaius returns to Prospero with haste, attempting to outrun any potential pursuit. Upon arrival the Primarch deems it is time to push his legion to their next stage, and forces all of the legion present to be combined with Velterium technology.

#### Assassination

Gaius finally begins to reveal to his brothers how far his planning and plots truly extended. Khnum finds himself beset by his own sons and a Consuls Splinter Cell, supported by one of the horrific GL projects during warp transit. GL-41-V1 would meet its end at Khnum’s hands, but not before having a Bio-meltdown and disintegrating several of Khnum’s sons, and causing a hull breach of the ship. Shaaa Hydrades is approached by what he believes are some of his own astartes, before finding out the soldiers arrayed before him are prepared to kill. Unarmoured and unarmed, the Praetorian manages to fight off the attackers, though not without grave injury to himself that sees him out of action for several days. Though the damage done is, in the grand scheme, relatively minor, the blow to moral of both the mortal and trans-human defenders is severe, many wondering what else the XIIIth legion had managed to worm their way into.

#### Return to the Structure

The Consuls require a more hidden and stable place to resume much of their experimentation. After the damage caused by Cerbedax in the event that would be known as the Prosperan Sacrifice most of the UAC’s warp portals, and more sensitive technology were destroyed. A small and secret facility is set up within the husk of the Collussustructure, reactivating technologies the Consuls had been tasked with destroying years ago, the facility becomes ground 0 for all future Velterium work of the XIIIth legion.

## Legion Organisation

### Great Crusade and Early Apostasy

During the Great Crusade, the Consuls Exemplar were divided into Seven Cohorts by order of Gaius Caligula. Officially the legions greatest size stood at a mere 75,000 strong at its height, although like so much of the legion, this figure was far less than the full picture of the XIIIth. The Primarch himself leads two of these cohorts from the head of the Consuls main expeditionary fleet, while other cohorts are in charge of other, smaller, fleets, either as a whole or split down further.

The number of astartes in each Cohort differs radically and is never a constant as resources are constantly shifted and brought to bear versus their specialized targets. The largest Cohort of the Consuls is led by Arch-Heraldor Brutus Alexander and contains over 25,000 Astartes, while the smallest is led by Arch-Centurae Gratius Legatii with less than 5,000. Each Cohort has the capability to wage war in most every form, though always has a preference for specific aspects. This is largely due to the fact that Astartes within the legion are free to choose their own paths and those with similar interests will fall into similar cohorts. This form of organization also leads to more obscuring of the Consuls Exemplar true legion size as no specific Legionary is truly tied to a single Cohort and most certainly not to a single Decurio.

This obsure method of forming the legion also serves as a cover for the true secrets of the XIIIth Legion, the so called “Eighth Cohort”, a force that travels with and directly answers to Gaius at all times. Responsible for the research, development, and integration of Velterium technology the “Eighth Cohort” is comprised entirely of secret Decurio and their constituent parts, and is kept from all records, its existence a closely guarded secret known to only a few.

At the head of the two primary Consuls cohorts that are under direct command of their Primarch are Arch-Heraldor, Brutus Alexander and Arch-Centurae, Alumin Breeche. Brutus leads the largest Cohort within the legion, containing all legion recruits as well as an veteran members that find themselves seeking regular frontline duties as opposed to the more specialist roles found within the various Decurio contained within other Cohorts. In contrast Breeche's Cohort is mainly shock assault and drop troopers. Used to hit specific locations with precise timing Breeche and the various Decurio within his Cohort are experts at mid to close range encounters. To balance the forces within the Consuls first expeditionary fleet, armoured warfare and ordnance weaponry are handled by the vast Auxilia force known as Caligula’s Legion, whose numbers are in constant and heavy flux due to the nature of Consuls Exemplar recruitment procedures and propaganda spread in Gaius' wake by Augustii Bucilator Teams.

Arch-Centurae Prime, Uulious Kaezar, Master of the Centurae Paradigm is the commander of the second Consuls Exemplar Expeditionary Fleet and contains several Black Thirteen sub fleets that work exclusively for Kaezar rather than the Primarch’s larger tactical network. Kaezar was the original master of the legion before reunion with their primarch, his tactics are similar to those of Gaius with a heavy favouritism for shock and awe tactics leading to massed heavy infantry assault. At odds with Gaius view on the warp and technology created from it, Uulious and much of the Black Thirteen flee the legion after the siege of Terra. Due to the more blunt nature of Kaezar's attacks on a planet, his Expeditionary Fleet is mainly brought to bear against Xenos civilizations where more widespread collateral damage is seen as negligible.

There are a further four, Secondary expeditionary fleets that contain astartes presence within the XIIIth legions structure, each one led by an Arch-Centurae and his Cohort and it’s contained Decurio. Each fleet also boasts it’s own Detachment of Caligula’s Legion to provide the flesh and bone for the ground based warfare in compliance battles. While each Cohort has its own set of preferred tactics and strategems, all of the fleets are connected to their Primarch and each other via the Consuls Exemplar Tactical Network, essentially a large and secure Noosephere the Tactical Network is maintained and most often contributed to by members of the Black Thirteen on a secure channel only seen by Gaius and the Arch-Centurae. Otherwise this network is used to arrange inter-expeditionary fleet operations with a precision that is unnerving for most foes to face. This Tactical Network is also the primary means by which astartes and Decurio are traded between fleets to ensure required skills are always available when needed. One of the primary reasons the true numerical strength of the Consuls Exemplar is hard for any administrator to pinpoint is their constant shifting and long term deployment of resources into various and often misleading positions.

Under the Astartes Expeditionary Fleets are the small and secretive Black Thirteen Fleets. Though many serve with specific Fleets for most of their operations, each fleet is ready at a moment’s notice to leave post at the Primarch's bidding. Ultimately the Black Thirteen form what Gaius considers his “true” body, while he himself is it’s nervous system. Providing intel on potential compliant worlds,  the movements of xenos and eventually enemy astartes movements, and even spying on and infiltrating brother legions, the Black Thirteen give Gaius eyes, ears, and even hands on far away places when necessary. While at first operating as merely the most elite and exceptional of astartes from all the legions that sent support to Gaius over the years, as the heresy started to reach its end the Black Thirteen would at times literally become the embodiment of their Primarch as the increasingly esoteric and demonic Velterium technology continued advancing down its twisted path, and allowed for the Primarch to directly control marines within the Black Thirteen at any given time. Operating primarily as agents of espionage, watching and listening at a distance, more than once the Augustii veterans within the Thirteen have become assassins or raiders when the mission at hand has called for it; each time the fleet pulling together the best of its operatives most suited to the role and creating devastating Augustii Kill Teams striking like lightning before disappearing again into the void.

Like many legions, the Consuls Exemplar also have many expeditionary fleets entirely manned by heir allies in the Mechanicum and the Imperial army, most being led by outstanding commanders within Caligula’s Legion. These fleets are widely allowed free reign and are only called to arms in support of the primary expeditionary fleets when the situation or need is dire. These fleets are responsible for seeding planets with human operatives that will contribute to the wider Consuls Exemplar Tactical Network. While non astartes are generally not allowed access to the information provided by the Network, Human Operative leaders are often given access to limited information or specific channels within to allow greater tactical flexibility for the human operatives in distant locations as they can request resources or help from nearby Consuls operatives or outposts.

The Consuls Exemplar Tactical Network is the primary means of all war planning and coordination among the XIIIth legion. Though at first a development by the UAC to allow for research collaboration over the vast distances of the void, it was quickly adapted to work as a virtual command centre for Gaius once he was given control of the Consuls Exemplar, Gaius has since had many of his units outfitted with technologies that allow him to see battles and events through the eyes of his own marines and broadcasted into his own private channels within the Network. Gaius uses this network to great effect and at one point even personally coordinated three separate compliance wars through his armour as he fought in one of them. The network has given the Consuls access to a near unmatched tactical precision that has earned Gaius the moniker “Thousand-Armed Centurion” as it seems no matter where the primarch is located, his hand can be found personally influencing the battles of his legion.

#### Specialist Ranks and Formations

**Augsutii Kill Teams**

The Consuls Exemplar make heavy use of infiltration and advanced insertion tactics, each one catered around the use of hyper flexible and malleable squads known as Augustii Kill Teams. There are several common types of Augsutii Kill teams including, but not limited to; the Augustii Aquilor, Augustii Concertii and the Centuriae Ursus. Each kill team has a unique function and set of tactics that they embody on the battlefield and they are equipped and trained as such. Often times Kill Teams are from the same Decurio unless they draw specialists from across the legion to fill holes in particular battle plans, as such the Consuls Exemplar legion organization is extremely fluid and hard to pin even for some within the legion and the legions exact size is hard to determine despite the Thousand-Armed Centurion’s insistence on being 75,000 Strong.

The Augustii Aquilor Kill Teams are bright and shining masters of close quarters combat. Polishing their armor to a bright and brilliant gold, equipped pistols and power weapons of various makes, the Aquilor teams descend from the skies on their jump packs as front line shock assault troopers. Breaking enemy defensive formations and scattering survivors of the assault with their ferocious and relentless resolve. The Aquilor are seen as the talons of Augustus reaching out to dismember his enemies with surgical precision. Often supported by a low level librarian from the allied Dragon Lords librarius the Augustii Aquilor can adapt to changing battlefield situations with biomantic response. Wherever the shrieking of the Aquilor’s jump packs can be heard, the enemies of the Auric Legion are sure to run in fear, or die where they stand.

Centuriae Ursus are the teams dedicated to protecting and saving the resources of the legion as well as civilian lives caught in the war for compliance. Working closely with the Auxilia force known as Caligula’s Legion, the Ursus are often mounted in Drop Pods, and equipped with Combi-Weapons for rapid response to developing battlefield situations dictated by the information provided by Caligula’s Legion and its support. Responsible for danger close combat drops against concentrated enemy forces the Ursus have gained a reputation among humanity as fabled heroes and defenders. The Centuriae Ursus are one of the most common forms of Augusti Kill Teams due to their nature as the face of the Consuls when saving civilian and auxiliary lives. As such each Ursus Augusti Veteran is heavily decorated and they are the most public of all the Auric Legion’s Kill Teams.

The Augustii Concertii are the shadows in the night and the faceless killers. Experts in stealth, infiltration, and all forms of black operations the Concertii are rarely seen by anyone save the Primarch. Indeed many Consuls Concertius Cells are so compartmentalized that they won’t even know how many kill teams have been assigned to the same task (as is often the case with the infiltration of an Astartes Legion.) In battle they are often snipers and ranged fire support, infiltrating into a forward position to bring combi-weapons to bear or within cover to offer lethal marksmanship with Stalker pattern bolters. Should anyone other than the Primarch or their Decurio brothers learn the identities of any Concertii Operatives, that poor soul is executed or thus made to “disappear” without a trace. Luckily the Concertii are so adept at their job that such executions are exceedingly rare.

No matter their kill team, Decurio or Legio organization, each member of every kill team is an Augustii Veteran, a marine that has served in several Decurio with masterful skill and found the role most suited to them. Astartes in the Consuls chose their own paths and as such by the time the Augustii Veterans have made their final choices they are devastatingly effective in their chosen field of action and capable of adaption to battlefield changes that would shame many other elite astartes units and even indeed other Consuls. Each Veteran is gifted with a Power Dagger and access to the Consuls Exemplar vaunted supply of advanced technology upon induction into the ranks of the Augustii and the veterans carry their symbols of office with them each day, regardless of use the equipment may find on the battlefield.

**Obzhet Venatus**

 The Void Revenant Decurio, led by Obzhet D'art Veneticus, Crassus Hayden; is the sole home to the entire XIIIth legion's complimentary of Obzhet Venatus units. Originally a secret organization,  after the outbreak of the Warmaster's betrayal, Gaius would order many of these units to service on the frontlines of Consuls Exemplar engagements. Hulking brutes that operate in teams even smaller than the Augustii Kill Teams the XIIIth are well known for, each Obzhet Venatus team is comprised of astartes that have undergone extensive and all inclusive modification that binds them to their new armor permanently.  Each member of the Void Revenant was a veteran of untold hundred of battles as an astartes, but since their new employ have become veterans of thousands if not tens of thousands due to the vagaries of the Warp. In fact these post-astartes have operated in the Warp for so long that they cannot even live outside its confines for extended periods of time, unless they saturate reality around them with its malign touch.

Crassus Hayden was considered the first successful Obzhet Venatus, though the project had went through dozens of iterations, all had their failures; and even those that came back from the Warp alive would do so empty handed and many would be changed. Crassus was the only one who would come back both alive, and with a relic from the other side. At this time Crassus was a newly inducted member of the Venatus and his entire team had lost their lives while he barely escaped with his. Crassus had returned with a crystal sphere from the edges of a labyrinth he has found inside the immaterium, the crystal radiated the energy of the Warp, and when brought to real space would almost render Gaius' warp portal unstable by mere proximity. This sphere would come to be known as the “Wellspring” and it wouldn’t take long for the scientists of the United Achaean Cults, and the Magos Cerbedax Sigma to develop a power source from the Wellspring capable of running not only their entire operation on the planet Prospero, but also being partially integrated with Astartes technology in a manner that would create the next stage of Gaius' warp based technology, or D'art Veleterium Technology as the primarch would refer to it.

Crassus would be the first of the legion to undergo the procedure that transformed him from an Astartes into what the others in the legion would begin to refer to as a Revenant; named using dark age slang which would compare the Astartes to one of the Revenax used by Shaaa and the Star Guardians legion Astartes. The procedure was similar to the process that prepared a fallen Astartes for internment in a dreadnought, yet the subject was very much alive and well before the process. When complete the Revenant can then be merged with an Obzbet Venatus harness to allow the now limbless and modified astartes a semblance of a “normal" body. The process to merge the revenant with its harness is painful and often referred to as being “plugged in" be the Void Revenant themselves. The main reason for the procedure is to ensure that no upgrade enacted by the UAC on the Revenants would render the Astsrtes obsolete as the Dar't Veleterium technology, or Vel-tech as it was called by the UAC engineers, continued to advance at a rapid pace; as each successful breakthrough would gather them more relics and information with which to advance further.

The Obzhet Venatus harness is the main focus of the Vel-tech created for the Void Revenant, while overall the UAC and Cerbedax Sigma would attempt to integrate the technology on a much wider basis to varying degrees of success. The Obzhet Venatus harness is an upgradeable combat system that connects to the Revenant via a combination of their remaining black carapace and the near dreadnought like internment procedure. The connection to the harness is enhanced by crystals hewn from Tzeentch's domain in the Warp, one such crystal piercing through the back of the revenants head into a circuit attached to their brain, allowing the Obzhet Venatus to operate as if he were in his natural body. The Obzhet Venatus harnesses started out as little more than elaborate terminator suits and eventually advanced to full scale war suits designed for extended expeditions into the warp itself. Tested and re-forged by the fires or constant battle the weaponry of the Obzhet Venatus harnesses are terrifying and had the Warmaster not instigated betrayal they might have never seen battle outside the warp.

The standard weaponry of an initiate Venatii is their choice of Velterium power weapon, and a Velterium Combi-bolter. Each is a weapon that defies physics in their capabilities as they are powered directly and thus enhanced by the warp energy provided by the Obzhet Venatus harness. The Velterium Combi-bolters fire crystal tipped bolter shells, still backed by an explosive payload the crystal penetrates armor and then is blasted into malignant shards peppered throughout the victims body. Veleterium Power Weapons have their power field generators replaced by attachment ports that allow the weapon itself to connect directly to the Obzhet Venatus harness and instead sheathe themselves in the baleful energies of the Warp, such energy is fickle and though the generally operate the same as other power weapons they have the potential to occasionally bypass a targets armor entirely. As a Venatii advances in skill and survive battles within the warp they are given access to higher tiers of weaponry to upgrade their harness and perform more specialized duties within the expedition teams, such weaponry consists of the Hell Claws, and the Warp-Vile Cannons.

Veleterium Dar't Malignus Talons, more commonly referred to as “Hell Claws" by those that know of them, are the weapons designed for those Venatii that prefer testing their mettle as the vanguard of expedition forces. Vast lightning claws that again replace their power source with ports that connect directly to the generators of their harnesses, each talon of these monstrous claws is sheathed in warp energy and can penetrate targets entirely as if they wore armor no more dense than the air around them. The terrifying speed with which these hulking relic hunters can dispatch their foes is enough to keep most targets at range, though this will not protect them. Each pair of Hell Claws contains built in “warp condensers,” which allows the Venatii to form balls of weaponized warp energy within their fists which they can then hurl at their prey. As with most of the Veleterium technology the power of such things can wax and wane,  and while they seem to create wounds in line with many standard imperial plasma weaponry they have the potential to force the biological of matter targets to entirely melt down or mutate radically and quickly.

Warp-Vile Cannons are given to Obzhet Venatus that show proficiency at ranged combat and providing overwatch for their other brethren within the group, officially designated Veleterium Projector Cannons these weapons may be the most horrific used by the Obzhet Venatus units. Large heavy weapons that require two hands even with all the upgrades and enhancements provided by the Obzhet Venatus harness; each cannon is capable of selecting between two firing modes that make them lethal at most ranges required by the expedition teams during their excursions. The first firing mode is a close range defense method or used for clearing out buildings and other enclosed spaces, when triggered the Warp-Vile cannon releases a torrential wave of raw unfiltered warp energy, blanketing the target area in a form of dimensional radiation that has proven lethal to most all beings in large enough concentration. The second firing mode allows the Obzhet Venatus to operate as ranged firing support or mortar style teams, instead of releasing entire torrents of warp energy, a single projectile is launched over long distances to explode in a more concentrated area of effect. This raw energy however is entirely dangerous and renders whole areas or battlefields inhospitable and lethal, as psykers can lose control, weaker beings mutate and change, and in several instances the fabric of reality itself has torn and demons of the Consuls pardon God begin to pour into our realm.

All technology utilized by the Obzhet Venatus relies heavily on their modified power generators, capable of storing and transporting immense amounts of warp energy, Condensed into what is essentially fuel each containment unit is highly volatile and constantly saturates the area around each Obzhet Venatus unit with the hostile and baleful power of the Immaterium. To approach these beings sees flesh weaken and heads cloud as they are overcome be the interdimensional atmosphere surrounding them. This effect is intentional however, based on mechanicum Rad-Furnace technology, the power sources of the Obzhet Venatus units are spilling the energy not only as a weapon against their foes, but also to ensure the atmosphere around them is livable by their new standards. When not warring in real space every member of the Void Revenant decurio is confined to the warp, their power sources requiring that time to re-condense and fill with warp energy. However it is not just their power sources that require this time away, each Revenant has operated in the warp so long that they have been permanently changed and begin to weaken the longer they remain in real space, with at least one UAC recorded instance of a Venatii dying due to lack of warp exposure.

Within the Warp Dominus Cerbedax Sigma has built and maintained a vast forge complex built more like a fortress than any more typical forge known to the Consuls Exemplar, this complex has been the primary source of all Veleterium technology production and is patrolled constantly by the twisted automata of the Dominus as well as members if the Obzhet Venatus.  This forge facility is also responsible for housing the Obzhet Venatus within the warp, with an entire section converted to their personal and Decurio related needs. Cerbedax Sigma has put great effort into the creation of the Obzhet Venatus alongside the UAC, yet is more focused on his own projects which he pursues with what some would describe as childish glee.

When the Obzhet Venatus  take to the field of battle during the mass betrayal it is quite clear to all who witness them what Gaius and his allies have truly been researching, and the results are no longer truly Astartes. Monsters, warriors, hellions, and pariahs within their own legion, the relic hunting warrior cult is constantly grim and dour as they carry out the orders of their primarch. Having seen hell and then being forced to live there, there are none among the Void Revenant that know fear, for they are constantly assaulted by fear Itself.

#### Caligula's Legion

Like many of the Legions, the Consuls Exemplar hold command of a mortal auxiliary force, known simply as Caligula’s Legion. Designed to suplement the warriors of the legion with numbers, the Legion is ferociously loyal to the Primarch, holding him as their leader, rather than the officially designated commanders recorded in the beurocracy of the Imperial Army.

Little more is known about the Legion, even their true size is a mystery, just like their Astartes overlords. What is known is their numbers are constantly in flux, even more than standard mortal forces, rising and falling as Gaius's many propaganda networks take hold to boost recruitment, or falling as warriors are removed from the auxiliary, placed into more shadowed deployments.

## Dux

The planet of Dux is dark. Overcast during the day, and starless at night, the mountainous and sharp skyline of Dux is broken up by vast rolling hillsides and fields, or tumultuous oceans with salty waves lapping the mountainsides. Harsh and hostile, living on Dux is a constant battle of survival for all but the most wealthy minority. Constant storms and inclement weather plague the planet and there is at least one hurricane that has been travelling the planets surface as long as they can remember. The people who live upon Dux’s surface are adapted to life in a constant deluge and have regularly lost all they worked for in the worst of the storms. Yet the inhabitants of this gloomy world have proven extremely determined and like clockwork they start their work from scratch again.

Dotting the more open fields, or spaces safe from the storms under titanic rocky outcrops, are the human settlements and population centres. The majority of them being small farming  domains or settlements with barely a thousand people. The citizens of Dux are arranged into “Flocks” based on their religious beliefs and they follow whatever Apostle preaches the word of their god. Each flock and its Apostle occupy one of the great tracts of Dux of which there are many. Tracts of Dux are at most temporary boundaries, as each Apostles greed and lust for power causes them to attack and annex territory slaughtering all the “non-believers,” just to have those settlements and more taken from them again not even a year later. Usually in the center of the Tract is the Apostles personal fortress, down to the last Apostle of Dux each has his own fortress, be it a vast and sprawling complex with labyrinthine halls and enough wealth to provide for their whole tract, twice over, without sharing even a mote; or merely the safest and most luxurious structure they could mange, it is here where the riches and greatest offerings of their Flock is gathered and contained.

Apostles and their favorited followers reside within or around the fortress in the richest centres of interaction. It is here where armour and firearms are sold and created by the best smiths and engineers any particular tract could produce. Food is horded for those with the mean to purchase or trade for it, and most food never see's the outside of these dense population centres despite their origin being from those forced to dwell outside the safety of these cities. The farther one moves from the fortress at the heart of their Tract the more poor and desperate the people become moving from those whose services are considered useful to those within the cities, to the farmers and finally the outcast and the poor. Those on the outer edges of any tract are barely surviving, farming to the best of their ability in the flooded plains and defending what meagre gains they have from beasts, the elements, enemy flocks; or even on occasions, fellow starving settlers who finally broke under pressure. Using rusted armour and blunted blades passed on far after their time of usefulness has passed each settler on the edge fears for their everyday life.

Despite the mass poverty and famine, the members of the Flocks would pray daily to their Apostle and their god, a ritual forever unbroken. No challenge was made to the status quo, not only are the Apostles the physical embodiments of gods, but for each Apostle on Dux there were dozens, upon dozens of other “false” Apostles vying to slaughter your family, your friends, and take all you’ve gained. Living was not safe or easy, however  Life on Dux was simple; you either fought for survival, or fought in the Crusades against the “false” Apostles. The only way to keep you and your family safe was fight against those who have taken up arms for the same reason. In the end the only people on Dux who were actually advancing were the apostles themselves.

Technology on Dux was a wash. Some of the technology and wreckage found scattered across the planet would hint that at one point the people of Dux were far more advanced than they are now. The rich essentially using the Dux equivalent of autoguns and Carapace armour and the poor marching in numbers with nothing but the clothes on their backs, much of warfare on Dux is conducted in open fields with hordes of men merely charging at each other in a mass swirling melee while the nobility would stand on the outskirts shooting inward, often not caring where their rounds will embed. Technology advanced at a snails pace on Dux now, and it was all in the name of Warfare.

Unknown to the rest of Dux however, deep underground, is one of the United Achaean Cults secret complexes. Mainly scientists and researchers, the UAC forces were most comparable to solar auxilia elite troopers. Armed and armoured beyond any other force on the planet, these Augustii Singularis teams would conduct dangerous surface missions using stealth and subterfuge to compete their goals. The facility mainly researched the tumultuous weather patterns of Dux and what causes such consistent and in some instances permeant weather phenomena. However the UAC has also taken it upon themselves in recent years to study the population more closely, in particular one being that has cropped up, being called the “One True Saint of Dux.”

All in all Dux's harsh environments and social structures have produced a hardy and determined people that never give up in the face of danger or failure and are known for coming up with creative solutions to their constant trials. By the time their Saint would return to the planet of Dux at the head of an astartes legion, the populace would cry out in rejoice and throw off their old bonds. Some flocks would resist, but those that remained became the first generation of Dux citizens to finally see prosperity and progress for all their exhausting and dangerous work. Dux would from then on be loyal to their Saint and Dux would become the primary recruitment centre of the XIIIth Astartes Legion, the Consuls Exemplar.

## Notable Consuls Exemplar

### Pre-Apostasy

* **Gaius Augustus Caligula**
* **Legion Master Samuel Gallant** - The first Legion Master of the XIIIth Legion, perished shortly after the Legion left the Sol System.
* **Arch-Centurae Prime Uulious Kaezar** - Legion Master of the Consuls Exemplar
* **Arch-Heraldor Brutus Alexander** - The Centurae Prime of the Star Heralds and Champion of the XIIIth Legion.
* **Obzhet D'art Veneticus Crassus Hayden** - Lord of the Void Revenant Decurio and first of the Obzhet Venatus.

## Legion Fleet

### Notable Vessels

**The *Pythonis Mertricius* (Gloriana-class Battleship)**