vizn3r/warhammer40k-lore huggingface dataset:
Lazarus - History: During the Siege of the Fenris System, Lazarus was a sergeant of the 5th Company and defended The Rock against Daemonic assaults alongside companies of armed Dark Angels' Chapter serfs. The experience affected Lazarus deeply and caused him to develop a deep hatred for the forces of Chaos, particularly Daemons.Lazarus attained his rank as an officer of the Dark Angels when his predecessor, Master Balthasar, was slain in the chaotic battles that erupted in the aftermath of the Cicatrix Maledictum's emergence.Lazarus fought bravely during the Invasion of the Stygius Sector, after which he developed a powerful hatred for the forces of the Thousand Sons and the followers of Tzeentch he had engaged during that campaign. An expert strategist and tactician, his leadership prevented a total rout of Imperial forces on the Ice World of Rimenok, though he was mortally wounded by fell sorcery during the fighting.With even a Dreadnought's sarcophagus incapable of preserving his life, the only option remaining to the Dark Angels' Apothecaries to save his life was to put Lazarus through the crossing of the Rubicon Primaris and hope that he survived the grueling process of transformation. After solar days of surgery, Lazarus emerged as a changed Astartes, but very much alive, his determination to punish the mortal and Daemonic servants of Tzeentch stronger than ever.This was a momentous event for the Dark Angels. As a member of the Inner Circle, becoming a Primaris Space Marine made Lazarus the first Primaris in that elite group.During the events of the Psychic Awakening Lazarus led the Dark Angels 5th Company alongside a strike force of the Grey Knights in the Assault on Sortiarius to stop Magnus the Red from conducting a ritual on the Planet of the Sorcerers now that his new homeworld had been restored to realspace alongside his original homeworld of Prospero in the Prospero system. Magnus planned to use a sorcerous ritual to create a psychic beacon that would draw Human psykers from across the galaxy to Sortiarius in order to replenish his numbers. Some of those drawn to Sortiarius would become Daemonhosts, others sacrifices to Tzeentch. The other aspect of the ritual was to send out a wave of psychic energy that would rapidly accelerate the psychic development of any potential Human psykers across an entire sector. This was merely a down payment on Magnus' ultimate plan, which was to lead Humanity's psychic evolution to its fullest potential, the original goal that his father the Emperor had failed to achieve. The assault by the Imperial forces proved ultimately successful in stopping the ritual and disrupting the Daemon Primarch's plan.During the second assault on The Rock led by the Greater Daemon Vashtorr in the Arks of Omen Campaign, Lazarus helped command the defence of the inner sanctum of the fortress-monastery alongside Supreme Grand Master Azrael himself.
Lazarus - Wargear: Artificer Armour (Sized for Primaris Marine)Spiritshield Helm - The Spiritshield Helm is a relic helmet worn by Master Lazarus. It contains a shard of one of lost Caliban's Stone Guardians and projects a force field that protects both Lazarus and anyone in the immediate vicinity around him.Fellbane - Fellbane is one of the legendary Heavenfall Blades wielded by chosen heroes of the Dark Angels Chapter.Bolt PistolMaster-crafted BolterFrag GrenadesKrak Grenades
Leagues of Votann - Leagues of Votann: The Leagues of Votann are the collective confederations of the species of squat but powerfully-built Abhuman clones who refer to themselves as the "Kin."  They are sometimes pejoratively called "Squats" by the Humans of the Imperium. The Kin are an advanced, starfaring species who possess highly advanced technology and live amid the extreme environments that mark the resource-rich worlds of the galactic core. The Kin share their lives with self-aware, robotic constructs called Ironkin, which they treat as full societal equals in every way.The Kin have sometimes been misidentified by Humans and xenos species alike as different Abhuman or alien species than their true identity. For instance, the Kin have been mistakenly known to both the T'au and Humans as the "Demiurg," to the Aeldari as the "Heliosi Ancients," and to various other peoples as the "Gnostari," the "Grome" or the "Kreg," among others.The Kin vary in their classification by the Imperium between a sanctioned Abhuman sub-species of Humanity or a xenos species. However, the Kin's earliest surviving records do establish an ancient link between their Ancestors who settled the galactic core and the sublight, generational Long March mining fleets sent out by pre-Imperial Old Earth, thus making the Abhuman designation the correct one. For their part, the Kin care little what others think of them.Each of the Leagues of Votann are divided up into groupings similar to clans or nation-states known as "Kindreds," and are ultimately led by a self-aware machine intelligence called a Votann or "Ancestor Core." The Votann are treated as objects of near-worship by the Kin, and when they die, each Kin and Ironkin has their cerebral data uploaded into their Kindred's Votann, a semi-mystical practice referred to as "returning to the Ancestors."Few intelligent species in the galaxy are as redoubtable, courageous or determined as the Kin who comprise the Leagues of Votann. Nor are many as ruthless when it comes to the risk-and-reward calculus of war. To face them in battle is to stand before an armoured avalanche that crushes all in its path. It is to be appraised and then brusquely dealt with by attackers who see any foe as little more than an obstruction, or else as a hated nemesis whose annihilation is worth any cost.To those they fight alongside or trade with, the Kin are invaluable allies. However, those they deem a risk to their people's survival they destroy  with the same relentless rigour that the Kin apply to harvesting black hole accretion discs, manufacturing their incredible technologies or, indeed, anything else they set their minds to.The Leagues of Votann are huge and formidable stellar empires, united by a shared history, genetic kinship and culture. As the emergence of the Great Rift sends ripples of upheaval through the galactic core and beyond, they are coming into violent collision with the other starfaring races more than ever before.
Leagues of Votann - History: For thousands of Terran years the Leagues of Votann have exploited the riches of the galactic core and overcome the perils of that tumultuous region. Over the millennia they have battled many of the galaxy's starfaring species, and sometimes traded with or fought as mercenaries for others. Now, as the galaxy convulses in the grip of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus, they face new challenges, and new wars.The Kin are squat, powerfully-built humanoids. They dwell in vast numbers within the galactic core, being not so populous as the teeming Humans, but far better established than the nascent T'au or dwindling Aeldari. They are a clone species; each generation of new Kin emerges from artificial womb machines known as "crucibles," which draw upon vast banks of genomic data to produce a stable and varied populace. Their numbers are further augmented by the Ironkin, self-aware, machine intelligences clad in mechanical bodies that are dedicated to aiding their flesh-and-blood fellows. To the Kin, the Ironkin are equal and valuable members of their star-faring society, both in times of peace and war.Few species in the galaxy can match the Kin for resilience of body, mind and spirit. They are indefatigable, but also highly conservative. It takes a great deal to change their minds once their course is set, and those not of their species stand little chance of doing so. This makes the Kin implacable enemies. It also makes them valuable allies, but securing their aid is no easy matter. The Kin look to their own familial duties and obligations first, and ultimately to the survival of their people. If they deem the motivations of others to go against these particular interests, then they are more likely to become foes than friends.As a people whose earliest origins lie aboard void-borne mining fleets, the Kin have an unforgiving moral code. A filter changed late; a weak seam missed; a water tank left leaking: these and a million other minor lapses can spell disaster when voyaging through the inimical void. Equally, to overlook valuable resources locked away within a stellar body, asteroid field or particulate belt can leave a voidship without the raw materials required to effect repairs or to fuel systems.When waste, laziness or even simple error can spell death for all aboard, these become the worst of sins. From painful experience has emerged the rugged survivalist culture of the Kin, who find strength and unity in the endless quest to acquire the resources their Kindreds need to endure. It is this apparent acquisitiveness that has caused many other intelligent species to judge the Kin -- often harshly -- as selfish hoarders.
Leagues of Votann - First Ancestors: It is possible that the Ancestor Cores retain records of all Kin history since their earliest days. If such information survives, however, it is likely buried beyond recovery. Accordingly, even the perennially thorough and practical Kin have been forced to accept that -- after a certain point -- their ancient histories blur into myth and legend.The Leagues of Votann are named in  honour of Votann itself, who is also known variously as the "Primal Ancestor," the "Gilded One" or the "Stonemind," amongst others. In some Kin myths, Votann was not one being but many, and is sometimes depicted as a group of gleaming golden figures or a wheel of graven stone faces. In other myths, Votann fashioned the first crucibles, then raised the Kin up and sent them sailing into the dark void -- before oceans of fire and flesh rose to swallow them. Some myths speak of Votann as the eldest and wisest of the First Ancestors, themselves little more than ill-defined, shadowy presences and shown in many different forms in Kin depictions -- both humanoid and otherwise -- where they are depicted at all.With typical pragmatism, the Kin accept that their myths are too contradictory, allegorical and suspect to be cited as possessing a definite basis in fact. None of this troubles them overly. Steeped as they are in tradition and dour realism, the Kin feel less need than Humans to don the armour of faith. They are not frightened by the inexplicable.Instead, they accept reality as they see it to be; if there are matters in their ancient past of which they have no understanding then -- unless those matters suddenly become relevant to their present -- the Kin set them aside. Of course, many of the Grimnyr continue to interface with the Ancestor Cores in the hopes of asking the right questions to unlock portions of their ancient history. Most do this more out of simple curiosity and a desire for completeness, however, rather than being motivated by some existential need.For all this, there are certain articles of lost history that all Kin deem indisputable fact. They call these the "First Truths." It is a First Truth that their earliest Ancestors departed the Kin homeworld -- almost certainly pre-Imperial Terra during the Age of Technology -- millennia ago aboard fleets of sublight, interstellar generation ships known as Long March vessels.It is a First Truth that the Kin were a cloned people from the beginning, and that the robotic Ironkin have been with them since those earliest days. It is a First Truth, also, that the Ancestors of the Kin set out as miners, prospectors and void-dredgers, charged with exploiting the riches of the heavens.Kin myth blends into recorded history around the time their Long March fleets were approaching the galactic core. Why they did not return to the heartlands of Humanity's civilisation at that time is unclear. From the fact that so many Kin fleets plunged into the galactic core within a period of only a few Terran centuries, it might be inferred that a deliberate choice was made.
Leagues of Votann - Kindreds, Holds and Leagues: All Kin -- barring only rare outcasts -- belong to a group known as a "Kindred." These are groupings somewhere in size and complexity between extended families or clans and close-knit, genetically related, interstellar nation-states. They vary in size from a few dozen Kin up to many thousands, or even millions! All Kin in a Kindred are clones who have sprung from its artificial wombs or "crucibles," and thus share a genetic bond stronger than allegiance to any flag. They usually live, train and toil within their Kindred's home fortress or "hold," when not abroad amongst the stars for trade, scouting, mineral prospecting or war.The Kin habitually load apparently simple terms such as "hold" with nuanced meaning, being disinclined to even waste words. Thus, while the term is used throughout the Leagues of Votann, it can refer to wildly different structures and locations. Some holds are fusions of fortification, city, industrial complex and strip mine, the largest of which may sprawl across -- or honeycomb beneath -- much of a so-called "Hold World"'s surface. Others may be heavily armed void stations, chains of domes scattered through asteroid belts, nomadic harvesting fleets, mobile matter-energy syphoning plants riding the fringes of black holes to harvest their accretion discs, or even stranger marvels of advanced technology.A Kindred can be a commanding force. Its hold may boast bustling cityscapes, industrial and military powerhouses, and many massive voidships. Yet greater still are the alliances or confederations of several Kindreds known as "leagues." Nearly all Kindreds are part of one or another league, proudly displaying their colours and emblems while sharing trade, military support, Guild tariffs and so on.Many of the Leagues of Votann have existed for millennia. The Greater Thurian League, the Ymyr Conglomerate, the Urani-Surtr Regulates, the Typhon-Styx Protectorate and others are established and ancient Kin power blocs. Some, such as the ill-fated Kapellan League, have declined over the centuries, while others -- like the Kronus Hegemony or the Seran-Tok Mercantile Leagues -- are more recently established.At the heart of every Kin league lies at least one Votann, also known as Ancestor Cores. The Kin believe these venerable, artificially intelligent thinking machines were created in a lost age of myth, and departed their homeworld aboard the first Kin mining fleets. The Votann were sent into the void alongside the Kin to provide them with all the wisdom and aid they would require. The nodes through which that wisdom flowed have now become the "Fanes" that lie within all Kindred holds.The Votann are of incalculable value and importance to the Kin. The passage of Terran millennia have wrought strange changes in these machine intelligences, rendering them ponderous and senescent, yet they remain all-knowing repositories of lore and treasured links to the Ancestors of untold centuries. Those Kin who can commune with the Votann are known as the Grimnyr, or sometimes "Living Ancestors," and are universally respected.
Leagues of Votann - Living and Working in the Core: Terran millennia have passed since the very first holds were established in the galactic core. The Kin have been content to remain largely within the bounds of that strange region of the galaxy, which has long daunted many other starfaring races. Powers such as the Imperium's Adeptus Mechanicus, the Aeldari and the worshippers of Chaos have forged inroads into the core, of course. Some sought the incredible riches generated by the region's stellar nurseries and other cosmic phenomena.Others hoped to hide amidst its turbulent gravitic anomalies or to investigate the dense asteroid clusters flung out from the accretion discs around the supermassive black hole that lay at the galaxy's heart. Yet the core is a forge for stars, an immense swathe of Wild Space within which the fundamental physical forces of the universe rage. Many are the blasted ruins and the drifting void-hulks that form the headstones of those who sought sanctuary or fortune there.Such was not to be the fate of the Kin, however. Boasting physiologies and technologies seemingly tailored for survival in this perilous region of space, they prospered where others failed. Their Cthonian Mining Guilds were the hardiest of all, and it was these organisations' heavily augmented and suicidally courageous individuals who delved swiftest and deepest. By the bloody light of red giants their space-borne particle excavators disassembled newborn stars from the inside out, then employed their bountiful fusion harvest to refine fundamental elements undreamt of by other intelligent species to fuel their burgeoning interstellar industry.Kindred voidships sliced whole planets apart, then deployed external refinery-rigs on kilometres-long umbilici to reap the molten harvest. Cosmic radiation and particulate belts that had been old when the War in Heaven was fought between the Old Ones and the C'tan were drawn into immense plasma-conductors or caught in atomic scoops, then transmuted into the materials the Kin required to survive.One by one, the leagues formed. Trade routes bridged void-straits battered by searing stellar winds, or saw merchant craft ply back and forth between the galactic core's outer Circumnuclear Disc and the ominous dead zone that encircled its heart. More and greater holds were raised upon worlds where night never fell due to the sheer stellar density in the skies above.Life in the core was hard, but the rewards were plentiful and the Kin saw clearly the benefits of thriving in a region of space where competitor species could not. Thus, as the Terran millennia passed, the Leagues of Votann continued to focus upon settling the immense sprawl of the core and exploiting its boundless material riches.
Leagues of Votann - Kin Society: Traditionalist as they are, the Kin hold true to core societal structures and ideals no matter which Kindred or league they belong to. The Kindreds, the Guilds and the Leagues of Votann form the foundations upon which the Kin build their society, and also the venerable institutions whose survival they fight to ensure.
Leagues of Votann - The Guilds: Employment-based civilian organisations known as Guilds spread through Kin society like veins of ore through bedrock. They are uniting bodies made up of all those Kin who perform a particular occupational role or provide a particular service within a region of Kin space. Every Guild is ruled over by its Guildmasters, who set standards for Guild accreditation, expected levels of workmanship and the tithes their members levy. The most prominent Guildmasters also attend their Kindred's governing Hearthspake to give voices to the civilian Kin in their Guilds.In theory, the Guilds exist apart from any Kindred affiliations. They are meant to be a means by which fair competition is maintained across Kin space without Kindred political loyalties carrying undue weight. In practise, smaller Guilds rarely extend their influence beyond a single hold or Kindred. Moreover, Guild affiliation is a voluntary step that not all Kin take; Guild members look askance at those without a Guild membership who are known as "freelancers," while freelancers in turn despair at those they see as hidebound Guildsmen. Where the larger Guilds do reach across multiple Kindreds, there is no guarantee another enterprising group of Kin won't decide to set up a rival Guild.Competition can become heated between such bodies. Other starfaring races have been caught in the crossfire as competing Guilds sponsor Oathband expeditions into rich star systems, caring far more about beating their rivals to the punch than about the luckless civilisations already inhabiting contested worlds.Despite their fractious natures, the Guilds are invaluable to Kin society. They smooth trade, commerce and transit between Kindreds. They provide organisational administration and support throughout the Leagues. From star-mining and gravitic fracking to smoothly-functioning military supply chains, voidcraft repair, the provision and preparation of food and drink, the construction of homes and holds and every other aspect of Kin manufacture and distribution, it all functions better thanks to the Guilds' competition and high standards.
Leagues of Votann - The Leagues: The first Leagues of Votann were formed by those Kindreds in direct possession of Ancestor Cores. The leagues were initially only military alliances intended to ensure the precious Votann were protected, and sprang naturally out of the Human Long March mining fleets that had settled the galactic core. Soon enough, the leagues became mutually beneficial, allied bodies comparable in size and culture to star-spanning nations.Each league possesses sole claim to the ancient heraldic colours and logos of one of the Long March mining fleets. Every Kindred that belongs to a league is thus entitled to display these schemes and sigils in whatever fashion they see fit, providing it is suitably respectful. Over time, the territories claimed by each league within the galactic core have become relatively set, while prevailing cultures, specialisms and outlooks have come to prominence within their member Kindreds.The many Kindreds of the Greater Thurian League, for example, tend toward the core Kin values of trade and prospecting, and are known and respected for being especially mercenary. Those of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance are renowned as explorers and voyagers, for they possess an almost puritanical drive to enrich the Votann as much as possible -- whether by discovery or military conquest. The Kronus Hegemony and Grendl Dominance are overtly warlike, with the Kindreds of the Kronus Hegemony particularly notorious for their mechanised onslaughts and apparent willingness to declare a Grudge at the least provocation.The Jotun-Erydani Combine are renowned for their craftsmanship and forging, the Urani-Surtr Regulates have a reputation for incredible stoicism and self-reliance, the Ghulo Industrial Complex are unmatched in the fields of void mining and terraforming, and no league boasts greater or more indomitable fortifications than the Kindreds of the Typhon-Styx Protectorate.These are but some of the many Leagues of Votann scattered throughout the galactic core. Even the Kin no longer know the full extent or composition of these alliances for -- while it is uncommon due to their conservative natures -- it is not unheard of for Kindreds to leave one league in order to join another.In addition, some leagues have declined in power and importance until they fragmented, while others have been annihilated wholesale by war or tragedy, or have been cut off by the emergent Warp Storms of the newborn Great Rift. Other leagues have been newly founded, sometimes in far remote territories, or else have been refounded in name by those who wish to honour some ancient league believed long lost.
Leagues of Votann - Ironkin: The Ironkin are self-aware robots, machine intelligences who are considered full and equal citizens of the Leagues of Votann by the organic Kin.The Ironkin were created by -- and to this day are still manufactured by -- the Votann. Ironkin are truly self-aware, sentient machine intelligences. They possess tremendous cogitational power and are able to mimic Kin social behaviors so well that they have integrated fully with their flesh and blood cousins within League society.Each Ironkin consists of a Cerebral Unit -- or CU -- and a unique, mechanical body. An Ironkin's CU has microfield generators woven into its physical structure, rendering it nigh-invulnerable, while its body is designed to fulfil one of a variety of societal roles, be that a generalist, a strategic advisor, a combat shock trooper among the Hearthkyn, a mining support unit, a cargo lugger, combat pilot or any other role that League society might need.An Ironkin's body is as personal to it as the flesh-and-blood frame of any organic being. It requires repair when damaged, rather than simply being replaced like that of a non-aware machine. In extremis, however, an Ironkin can survive as its CU alone. Should they be reduced to this condition, they are able to enter a state of torpor or inactivity while projecting an all-frequency distress beacon to any League assets in range.The purpose of the Ironkin is to aid the organic Kin in every aspect of their lives, as was common in ancient Human societies long Terran millennia ago. However, the Ironkin are not slaves of their organic brethren like the Men of Iron who rose up during the Cybernetic Revolt, nor are they treated as subservient menials by the Kin. It is simply in their nature to find whatever niche they best fill in League society, and then to perform that role to the best of their abilities.As such, the Ironkin can only imitate the emotions and drives of their biological fellows. It is thus rare that Ironkin possess any degree of true ambition for themselves, or seek to become leaders among their people. While they may express emotions such as pride, camaraderie, courage, empathy or anger, in truth, these are but facsimilies of such emotions intended to optimise their societal integration with the organic Kin.In battle, the Ironkin will fight besides the organic Kin as Hearthkyn and will often accompany Brôkhyr Iron-masters as assistants, serving alongside the Kin's non-self-aware COG robots, offering their technical support and entering combat themselves when their organic comrades find themselves in a pinch.
Leagues of Votann - The Truths: So conservative is Kin society that -- as a species -- there are certain truisms and idioms that have found universal acceptance amongst them. The Kin call these their "Truths," and treat them as articles of sincere good sense that are loaded with more nuance and meaning than is immediately apparent.The most common of these is the frequent Kin saying, "The Ancestors are watching," which often doubles as a battle cry. One interpretation of this Truth is that all the generations who have gone before are judging the deeds of the living Kin, who must strive their hardest to live up to those who came before. Yet equally, this Truth can remind the Kin that their Ancestors live on in every new generation, and that they are never alone while their forebears stand with them.There are many other Truths, from describing worthless objects or foolish schemes as "a prize for an Ork," to encompassing the depth of their race's space-faring prowess in the simple statement, "The void is in our veins."Like the Kin themselves, to outsiders the Truths seem uncomplicated and direct, yet in reality they are far more complex and nuanced."First Truths" are those Truths that all Kin believe about their own history and origins. For example, a First Truth is that the Kin were a clone society from the very beginning.
Leagues of Votann - Notable Truths: The Kin's Truths are an expression of the conservative common sense that defines the culture of the Leagues of Votann. Some of the most common Truths and their meanings are defined below."Sailing to Far-space" - This expression describes an endeavour, strategic manoeuvre or the like which appears foolhardy, as Far-space -- anywhere outside of the primary League territories in the galactic core -- is considered risky and unwise to stray into without good cause."Their Hearth burns" - Referencing the Hearth -- the power source that blazes at the heart of every Kin hold -- this expression implies that an individual has become especially impassioned or angry, or else shows an unquenchable energy or drive towards a particular goal."It's Kin" - An expression used to indicate something is of or belonging to the Kin as a race, and therefore inherently durable and reliable."As true as wrought" - The Kin use this expression for anything so incontrovertibly true that to question it is considered insulting and foolish. It may be applied to oaths, battle plans or any wisdom derived from the Votann, amongst other things."The Ancestors are watching." - This idiom is both a reminder that Kin must always live up to their Ancestors' expectations, and also a reassurance that the Ancestors live on in the families of the Kin. It can be used as a battlecry, a warning or a blessing."The void is in our veins." - An expression that simply means that the Kin have been starfarers since their earliest days; this expression also carries a strong implication that they are the most skilled in this theatre."Luck has. Need keeps. Toil earns." - This expression asserts that those who work hardest to attain something, and can prove greatest need of it, deserve to have it regardless of the cost to those who lose it. See also, "By merit of need.""Waste feeds the void." - Personifying the inimical environment of space as a hungry predator, this Truth expresses the idea that wastefulness, idleness or oversight is likely to feed the crew of a Kin voidship to this ravenous beast. It can be applied to almost any situation in Kin society, from expending ammunition on poorly chosen targets to failing to recycle food waste.
Leagues of Votann - Kin Naming Conventions: Each Kin has a first -- "given" -- name, and a second -- "chosen" -- name. The given name is assigned by the Votann at birth, appearing in a small slot in that Kin's crucible in the moments before their emergence. A given name cannot be changed in Kin culture, for it is the will of the Ancestors and to cast it aside would be deeply disrespectful. Only Ironkin are permitted to choose their own given names, selecting whichever Kin male or female name they most like the fit of.Yet the Kin are ultimately a clone society. In such a system, individuality is highly prized, as is the sense that each Kin has some control over their own destiny. Thus, in most cases, a Kin's chosen name is something they select themselves and are free to change at will.The chosen name may incorporate some component of their Kindred's name, their hold's or their league's, should the Kin wish to express their pride in the institutions they belong to or their family names -- chosen names such as Thuȗrk or Hȗri are common amongst the Kin of the Greater Thurian League, for instance. Other chosen names reflect a societal role, or a particular talent that a Kin feels defines them.Amongst soldiers of the Kinhosts, chosen names like Kêynshot and Thûndryk see regular use, while the Cthonian Mining Guilds are full of chosen names like Dêlvyr and Strângyrm. There are also instances where new, more descriptive chosen names are ascribed to Kin as a mark of respect by their fellows, which can be anything from "Ork Bane" to "the Lucky." Some Kin accumulate several such names, but will always choose one to be their true chosen name.
Leagues of Votann - Example Male Kin Given Names: Kôrv, Krynn, Ȗkyr, Yôht, Vykât, Nârunn, Hâk, Vôrk, Yâhp, Tôryk, Vânn, Ôkhav, Hêtynn, Ânnyk, Yûka, Pykô, Vâk, Ȗtann, Okkâ, Vynn, Êttok, Nîyak, Drûkh, Okyp, Ȗnnvyr, Kôttak, Âdunn, Hyvôr, Akkyt, Tôk, Yhêl, Ynnôk, Hâvyr, Pyûk, Pûnnak, Âktol
Leagues of Votann - Example Male Kin Chosen Names: Thuûrk, Grât, Hypêk, Trânna, Krônn, Hegêm, Ymyk, Conglahr, Ȗrann, Regyl, Sôldyk, Hyrthka, Farstrydd, Dêlvyk, Cthynn, Gylûr, Strykk, Rokhewyr, Stârflyt, Iyrnwêrke, Thûndryk, Sêykr, Skêyfyr, Wârspeke, Vôtyk, Kynn, Gâard, Keen Eye, Stôyk, Star Seeker, the Wise, the Unbroken, the Stern, the Lucky, the Swift, the Strong
Leagues of Votann - Example Female Kin Given Names: Pôkhamm, Ymmâ, Kîrv, Vymm, Vêyha, Êkhya, Ôrumm, Dêki, Yvâ, Mûrym, Ȗmyk, Ryûk, Sîmmka, Êkyr, Hâluk, Vûkha, Kylû, Vyhâ, Kîmm, Pîya, Âmmuk, Hêykha, Kâhyrm, Îyka, Pôyuk, Ymmî, Pêmm, Yrêk, Vîya, Êyv, Vêmmha, Pôlyk, Ymmê, Îhap, Mêmm, Kvyma
Leagues of Votann - Example Female Chosen Names: Ânhad, Hûri, Rânsa, Pêrya, Ônas, Emônyr, Myrr, Côn, Sûrta, Ȗlaty, Skârstreng, Kêynshot, Stûrmm, Dûtyk, Fyrgrîte, Vydsêke, Wôlbrokke, Nytgâard, Flytstêp, Hârvyr, Blôhdfyr, Sêyr, Iyrnstêde, Deyprôkh, Faenwrôght, Ânstyr, Styrdâh, Fyrfist, Beast Slayer, Ork Bane, the Stoic, the Skilled, the Strong, the Intrepid, the Unyielding, the Fierce
Leagues of Votann - Returning to the Ancestors: Ironically, the cultural practices of the Kin may actually have contributed, however unwillingly, to the Ancestor Cores' decline. The Votann have long borne responsibility for regulating the genomic data required to breed each new generation of Kin, even as the species has grown exponentially in population. Perhaps most demanding of all, they have also accepted into themselves the accumulated -- and often duplicate -- the cerebral mapping data of endless generations of dead Kin and Ironkin.It seems likely this custom was once purely practical, part of the same pragmatic routine that saw the bodies of the fallen recycled for nutrients and raw materials. In more recent millennia, however, it has taken on an element of religious ritual and spirituality that has seen mountainous drifts of accumulated cerebral data drown even the hyper-advanced mind-cores of the Votann.All Kin desire to rejoin the Ancestors upon their deaths, with their bodies and minds offered up to the Votann in the belief that their experiences will enrich the machine minds and aid future generations of their people. This places great pressure on individual Kin to live up to the perceived ideals of their Ancestors, driving them on to illuminate dark new corners of space, to witness sights no Kin before them has, and to engage in adventure and battle across the vast span of the galaxy.It is a major motivator in Oathbands setting out to fight as soldiers of fortune in the wars of other starfaring species, for doing so allows them to learn much from their temporary employers -- not least the movements of potentially hostile foes and the locations of rich caches of resources. They then return to their people more grizzled and wise than ever before.The tradition of returning to the Ancestors also provides the Kindreds with their greatest means of sentencing transgressors in their society. It is viewed as a waste of resources to incarcerate those Kin so aberrant that they would commit cardinal crimes against their own. Murder, extreme wastage and abject failure have but one possible punishment. That they might no longer burden their family, the culprit is sent into exile from which vanishingly few ever return. At the same time, their name is told to the Votann, so that the Ancestors know who has failed them and can forbid the transgressor entrance into another Kindred or league.To the Kin the true horror of this sentence is neither death nor loneliness, but rather that they will never be permitted to join the Ancestors. Their entire life and all of their experiences are thus rendered meaningless. The Kin say of this fate that it would be better never to have drawn breath than suffer it. The thought of exile is one of the very few things that inspires true dread amongst them, and its threat does more to stay the hand of lawbreakers than would any amount of corporal punishment or fire and brimstone religious dogma.
Leagues of Votann - Grimnyr and the Fanes: It is the Grimnyr or "Living Ancestors" who come closest to speaking to the Votann. The chief amongst the Grimnyr is known as the "Lord Grimnyr" who represents the other Grimnyr in their Kindred's Hearthspake and on the Votannic Council of the Kinhost. To them falls the duty of asking the Ancestor Cores for wisdom and guidance, and interpreting the resultant output. This they do within the arcane technological structures called Fanes.Every Kin hold has a "Fane" -- a space of timeless devices and quiet contemplation, at the heart of which lies a complex tangle of machinery that is part altar, part cogitator interface. It is said that once, these machines were simply the nodes through which the wisdom of the Votann flashed with the speed of thought from one voidcraft to another in the Kin's ancient Long March mining fleets. They still fulfil this practical purpose. Culturally, though, the Fanes have taken on a greater spiritual significance to the Kin, so that now they are viewed as places almost akin to other intelligent races' temples. A Fane is the place where a Kin stands in the full regard of the Ancestors, and where the presence of the Votann lies heavy and sombre.Indeed, through arcane technological processes that even the Kin do not understand, there have been instances recorded of Fanes miraculously developing an artificial intellect in their own right, and so joining the ranks of the Votann themselves. These occurrences of miraculous self-awareness are cause for great honour and celebration amongst the Kindred in whose hold they occur.By comparison, though, more than one Votann has degenerated in recent centuries until they have become little more than Fanes themselves. To witness such a decline is a terrible tragedy to the Kin. Alliances such as the Kapellan League or the disintegrating Balor-Attal Conglomerate endured long Terran years of mourning after their Ancestor Cores suffered this fate.
Leagues of Votann - Lost Ancestor Cores: The Votann, as might be expected, are protected with every technological and strategic art the Kin can conceive, including Oathbands of Einhyr Hearthguards and war engines, who stand guard over each Ancestor Core. Some are buried deep in fortified vaults, or encased behind layers of force fields at the heart of impenetrable strongholds. Others are kept on the move, housed aboard the mightiest flagship of their league.For all this, some Votann have fallen to the predation of foes, much to the shame and sorrow of the Kin. The Five Hundred Years' War was triggered when the Orks of WAAAGH! Morbok overran the hold of Oriâkh's Irongate Kindred and tore apart the Ancestor Core within. The Grand Orion Compact swore the most widespread Grudge in recorded Kin history for this death of their Votann, hurling all their might against the Warlord Morbok's Empire of Scrap for more than five Terran centuries, until the last Ork was slain and the insult answered.More tragic still is the tale of the Emberg-Aegnir Bloc, who found themselves in the path of a tendril of Hive Fleet Leviathan. Consisting of only a handful of Kindreds, the Emberg-Aegnir were forced to stand their ground when the Hive Ships closed in around their Hold World beneath whose surface resided their Votann. Hopelessly outnumbered, the Kin fell to the last in its defence. Yet the bitterest irony was yet to come; the Tyranids ignored the Votann entirely, leaving it buried alone in its pit upon a Dead World.The accumulated pain and desolation of those who had fought, died and been returned to the Ancestors -- to keep their bodies from the hungry maw of the swarm -- flowed into the machine mind of the Votann and drove it insane. The sorrowful tale of the "Mad Core" is still told amongst the Leagues, and all know not to sail by the wavering beacon of its tortured mind on their journeys.
Leagues of Votann - Circumnuclear Disc: This strange liminal zone of space fringes the galactic core. It appears from afar like a shifting mosaic of many-hued particulate nebulae that fall eternally inward toward the core.Close up, its true perilous nature is revealed -- the disc is wrenched at by unstable empyric currents just beneath the skein of realspace, and bedevilled by strange radiation spectra, errant gravitic anomalies, dense asteroid fields and tumbling rogue stars on the material plane.It is a truly perilous region to cross, even for the most skilled helmsmen and navigators. The circumnuclear disc is considered the far borders of League space by most Kin, and to venture beyond it is to enter Far-space.
Leagues of Votann - League Territories: The Leagues lay claim to star-spanning territories both within the galactic core and beyond. The star systems demarcated by each league's ident-beacons teem with strange races, unusual stellar phenomena, Wilderness Space and perilous environments to be overcome or exploited as the league's Kindreds see fit.Even the smallest Kindreds typically command either a Hold World, nomad flotilla or void station that they call home. The largest and most prosperous amongst them, meanwhile, rule over multiple star systems, possessing population centres, resource harvesting facilities and military power comparative to many minor alien empires. Considering that a typical League of Votann consists of between a half-dozen to a score of Kindreds, it is easy to see how even a single league can hold sway over a considerable region of space.Though there have been dark times when civil war raged between Kindreds or leagues, such occurrences are rare, for they are viewed with distaste by the Kin as dishonourable and wasteful. More usually, once a league has laid claim to a region, that claim is honoured by all other Kin. Established boundaries shift rarely, for they soon become tradition to the Kin. Usually, when such a change of ownership does occur, it is due to revised trade agreements, the changing allegiance of a Kindred to a new league taking their sovereign territory with them, or else the hostile onslaught of alien forces.The conquest of new regions not held by the Leagues of Votann is an entirely different matter. The Kin consider any region of space not actively claimed by their people to be open for conquest.  That other intelligent races might already dwell there is seen as either opportunity or obstacle. Should the inhabitants of a star system be amenable to mutually beneficial trade or peaceful cohabitation then -- so long as the Kin can continue with their desired acquisitions uninterrupted -- these options are often taken.Some Kindreds have managed to exist in peaceful alliance with non-Kin species for centuries at a time, forming compacts with their neighbours against the hostile attentions of invaders and pirates. If, on the other hand, military conquest is the only viable strategy by which a region can be added to a league's territories, and if the cost of the fight can be justified, then the Kin will not hesitate to go on the offensive. In many ways, such impersonal invasions can be as horrifying to the defenders as any hate-fuelled crusade of slaughter; being mercilessly eliminated by foes who view you as no more than an obstacle to be removed is a deeply unsettling and belittling experience.
Leagues of Votann - Holdings: So hardy and technologically advanced are the Kin, that they have claimed many regions of space viewed by other starfaring species as inimical. Nôthka's Kindred of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance, for example, maintain a hold amidst the calamitous ruin-belt of the Broken Triplets. This trio of worlds were smashed together during some ancient catastrophe, and the colossal quantities of debris from their demise still whirls and ricochets in a vast cloud to this day, trapped by the gravitic anomaly that caused the disaster.Few other peoples could consider such a devastating region home, yet the hold of Nôthka's Kindred -- Sunder Stair -- sits at the heart of the anomaly behind a breathtaking bulwark of interwoven force fields. These both shelter the immense void station that serves as the hold and also maintain clear space lanes for its voidcraft to take in and out of the system. Not only do the Kin of Sunder Stair enjoy the natural defence of the ruin-belt -- which would swiftly cripple invading voidcraft -- but they have also spent Terran centuries mining the exposed innards of the Broken Triplets.The Orksbane Kindred of the Ymyr Conglomerate, meanwhile, built their hold upon the irradiated world of Tamâkh. Known as Brôkhfyre, the hold is dug deep into Tamâkh's planetary mantle -- insulated against the exotic and deadly energy spectra that pour from the world's nearby star. What violent apotheosis the tortured star is undergoing, none can say, but for three Terran millennia now the Kin of the Orksbane Kindred have captured the energies of its raging solar flares using kilometres-high stellar vanes. These energies power their Forge, which is amongst the greatest in all the Leagues of Votann, renowned for the amazing weapons of war it can produce.There are as many examples of the Kin's extremophile capabilities as there are blazing stars filling the skies of the galactic core. The Greater Thurian League's holdings through the Shrieking Nebula; the darkstar mines clinging to the fringes of the Dead Zones; the holds of the Kârkyr Stellar Nursery; the Balewind harvester stations of Yênna's Kindred and the Kindred of Aârnok; the ice-locked holds of the Stygis Lagoon on the border of the Ork empire of Morzag: these and countless other holdings are renowned throughout the Leagues as sources of pride, and examples of how the Kin can conquer any region of space -- no matter how perilous.
Leagues of Votann - Far-space: "Far-space" is a term used by the Kin to indicate any area of the galaxy that lies beyond the borders of the Leagues' traditional home space, as delineated by the galactic core's circumnuclear disc. The Leagues of Votann have never restricted themselves or their operations solely to the galactic core. Hernkyn, Cthonians and their accompanying Kin soldiery form militarised expeditions -- known as "Prospects" -- to seek out far-flung resources galaxy-wide.Entire Oathbands of Kin depart from their Kindreds to serve as mercenaries, often fighting alongside Humanity and -- at times -- even settling on worlds within Imperial space, or integrating for a time into Human society. Meanwhile, planets such as Necromunda and Vordine have boasted populations of so-called "Squats" for as long as Imperial records have existed for those places.On occasion, one Kindred or another has relocated itself wholesale out of the core, sometimes travelling to the furthest reaches of the known galaxy on one quest or another. Most often, such undertakings are the result of insight offered by the Votann, and have ended either in incredible discoveries and deeds of heroism, or else the disappearance of Kindreds into the darkness between the stars.Whatever the nature of these departures or colonisation efforts outside of the core, all are said by the Kin to occur in "Far-space." Some amongst the Kin believe that a venture into Far-space is a fool's errand, and indeed the Kin expression "Sailed to Far-space" is used throughout many holds to mean that a Kin has embarked upon a dangerous course of action that they will likely come to regret.There are others amongst the Hearthspakes, however, who believe that just as the Kin originally hailed from the depths of Far-space so many Terran millennia ago, so their ancestral roots and their future now lie out beyond the core in the greater dark.