Gorgers

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"We shall never forget the dead, their flesh so strong and so sweet. Let the enemy be ever weary, for we always Hunger for more after each defeat."

Master Hunter Rove, moments before fleeing the Sol System.

Gorgers
Battle Cry	"The Hunt Begins!"
Number	XVII
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Primarch	Nathanog
Homeworld	Thorond-ul
Strength	180,000
Specialty	Bloody Close-Range Combat
Allegiance	Chaos Undivided
Colours	Iron, Blood-Red

This page details people, events, and organisations from The /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe.

The Gorgers were a Traitor Space Marine Legion. Led by the brutish though honorable Primarch of Thorund-ul, Nath-An-Og(spelled Nathanog in Low Gothic). Remarked even in the days of the Great Crusade as The Eternal Hunters, the Gorgers were seen as the pinnacle of war incarnate. Always craving the thrill and energy that comes from close combat, few can attest to match them in their skill. Before they fought to bring understanding and reason to mankind by ripping apart all who oppose the glorious age that was coming, but after their crushing defeat in the Segmentum Solar the Gorgers are splintered and fractured into hundreds of warbands.

Summary of Legion XVIII

Numeration: The XVIIIth Legion

Primogenator: Nathanog (also known as "The Mouth")

Cognomen (Prior): Blood Knights.

Observed Strategic Tendencies: Close Range Combat.

Noteworthy Domains: The Thorond-ul System (Primary), Tithe Rights to Albia Cities on Terra.

Allegiance: Traitoris Perdita

"You may not understand us. You may even hate us, but never do you dare underestimate us. Have we not shown time and time again that our will triumphs over all else? The enemy can outnumber us, can out gun us, but we have yet to meet a foe who can out fight us!"

Master Hunter Atmir, Second Company Captain, M.30

History of the Gorgers Legion

To the primitive mindset, the whole picture of the past is not required. Only that which is truly worth remembering is. The Gorgers honor the memory of past hunts in displays of veneration during battle. Sometimes the Gorgers will speak or sing of the deeds of those fallen during feasts, or make endless boasts to surpass the achievements of those who have long past into legend. Through this extensive oral recording, members of the 17th Legion during its tutelage beneath Nathanog and even to its inglorious state among the despondent Warbands of the Eye, their history will always survive.

The First Hunters

The members of the 17th Squad of the Sacred Band can be best described as over eager to meet in combat, and largely unresponsive to the teachings given to them by Hektor. Little of what the First Primarch taught them stuck, as they merely focused on meeting into battle. During the Pacification of the Merica Hives, several members broke away from their squad striking out alone. This behavior was not limited merely to them, as it was soon shown across the entirety of the Legion. During the Great Crusade, or Long Hunt as it was codified later, many would break up from their squads. Striking out alone along the chaotic battlefield facing foes without assistance. The rabid bloodlust displayed by these Astartes led to them being dubbed "the Blood Knights" by Thomas Gaudin himself. There are no notable campaigns or victories held by the Blood Knights, usually suffering major casualties as the result of careless conduct during engagements.

It was not a secret that many of the Blood Knights lamented about their unruly nature, due to them confiding in others about the nature of their plight. The Sacred Band many times asked Hektor to help them with the curse, but the Primarch was unable to. Roman Albrecht grew frustrated at their lack of ability to learn, attempting to approach them as regular Astartes when they were very much afflicted by irritation as a side effect of their geneseed. Many of the Gorgers had been picked up from the relatively primitive state of Albia, giving them experienced warriors but rather dim forces which were only hurt by the inherent genetic lack of anything not having to do directly with warfare.

The Pack Leader

The coming of Nathanog was a blessing to the battered Legion. The Blood Knights were quickly renamed after a kind of ancient Thorund-ul demons, a breed of megafauna which were the first to be culled by Nathanog. The Gorgers, who were great beasts who ripped apart all in their path only being destroyed by the efforts of some hundred warriors. The Legion was barely ten thousand strong, but thanks to Nathanog's guidance and the new recruiting base they enjoyed renewed vigor and success. At last a leader was presented to them who understood their primal need to kill and eat, giving them training thinking along these lines same as Nath had done in the many years ago to the wild child lost in the forests.

Legion Doctrine

The years spent on Thorund-ul shaped the Primarch and his system of belief. For him, the hunt was everything, and to truly live one had to draw blood to feed. The aggressive mutated beasts were challenge enough, but the true prey was that he found among the stars. The thinking beasts, and humans of great skill and finesse with deadly technology or unstoppable will. These gave him true challenges, ones of which he relished in taking on with his Great Pack. From him the Gorgers learned everything, only being aimless berserkers before his arrival to shape them into a fighting force that would be respected among their peers.

A single Gorger Marine is equal or perhaps even weaker than the other melee focused Legions, such as the Thunder Kings and Sons of Fire. But as a group, the Gorgers can overtake and beat any equal amount of combatants from any force. They treat groups of enemies as if they were the giant beasts of Thorund-ul, attacking at the constituent parts as if they were the limbs and body of the hulking giants. On the individual scale, each member of the Pack knows what the other is doing, all of them working in perfect instinctual unison for great efficiency. This is why as a group, Gorgers are known throughout the Imperium as the best at close combat.

The most famous contribution to the Great Crusade and later Hektor Heresy was the Gorgers talent for boarding actions. The Legion approached void-combat in two ways, either sending a single pack aboard the ship then departing, or sending all Legionnaires they had at the ship. In the case of the former, the Gorgers would stalk along the underholds, picking off enemy foes or in the case of the Heresy, Marines themselves. They became terrors, eventually leading to the ship surrendering to them in most cases. In the latter however, they would act in one massive rush to eliminate all opposition on the ship before having the crew capitulate.

Sometimes it is remarked as if the Gorgers are part of a great dance during battle, much to their chagrin. They move swiftly and fluidly in the thick haze of battle, acting with one will. Complete the Hunt, take down the Prey, and feast to satisfy their Hunger. Axe and sword are favored in the Legion, but not all close-combat is melee. Melta weaponry, bolters, and plasma are used almost in equal measure with the tools of chain and power. For example, a maddened Son of Fire might swing his fiery chainaxe at a Gorger only for him to shift away, blasting him away with a few well placed bolt shots from his pistol. The Gorgers fighting the Eldar are a sight to behold, as both mimic similar styles of close range combat. The results are usually ridiculously catastrophic for either side.

Legion Organisation

The Gorgers were not given to formal organisation even before their fall to Chaos. Their basic unit was the Pack, which could number from 5 to 25 Astartes, ranging from raw Scouts up to Veterans. Typically the most assertive and fiercest Gorger would command as Pack Leader. A body of Packs who had fought alongside one another would recognize their history as a Brotherhood under the nominal authority of a Master Hunter.

The Brotherhood were the second largest formations in the legion, the first being Companies. Both of these were led by the Master Hunters, who gained their right to command these formations through a hunt between an aspiring Gorger and the Primarch himself, Nathanog. Everyone in the legion was free to challenge the Primarch whenever they wanted, Nathanog would never turn down such challenges. After a deadly world had been chosen as the backdrop of the challenge, the Primarch would first hunt the aspirant for a whole Terran day. If the aspirant somehow survived he would have a full twenty-four hours to draw blood on the Primarch or die trying. This testing trial assured that only the most cunning and proven in battle Gorgers could ever rise to the rank of Master Hunter, to lead the Companies and Brotherhoods.

Larger formations were assembled ad-hoc according to the needs of the Legion. Typically, the Primarch would have a large body of men about him, but nothing else was fixed. The Companies consisted of three or six Brotherhoods, never having a uniform amount of Marines within them. The First and Second Companies were mainly consisted of Veterans, with some of the oldest and most well respected Brotherhoods comprising them.

Specialist Ranks

Each Brotherhood's Deathspeaker served as ritesmaster, and they would judge aspiring Neophytes before assigning them to Packs. After the Chaplain Edict, Nathanog claimed that the Deathspeakers would fill a similar role in his Legion.

The Gorgers Apothecaries were known as Lifebinders.

While the Primarch lived, Nathanog recognized a handful of Master Hunters. These superb warriors had proven their abilities against their founder and carried great prestige in the Legion.

Librarians, the small minority that there was, were called Fleshrenders. None of these survived after the Heresy and the Gorger warbands have not been known to recruit Psykers into their ranks.

Legion Equipment

Standard Despoiler Loadout

The Gorgers adored the rending power of Lightning Claws, but usually lamented at their cumbersome size which greatly limited their speed. The Techmarines of the Legion designed a new pattern of the Lightning Claw, which was dubbed 'The Mouth's Teeth', also known as 'The Gorger's Teeth'. These Lightning Claws were smaller and shorter, but quite faster and easier to use in regular power armor. The Assault Marine Veterans almost universally favored using the Teeth when they could get a hold of them, but after the Heresy it would be only until Atmir was able to make a deal with the Ramparts Warband that these weapons were produced again in small quantities. They are relics of a bygone age, each one being named by its wielder and prized above all other equipment.

Close combat doesn't exclude using ranged weaponry, as these tools are instrumental in taking down prey. It would not be unheard of for a Gorger to charge with combat knife and bolter in hand, attacking and shooting in a flurry of twirling might. Weaponry which was most useful when battle was met was used across the Legion, leading to a love of Inferno pistols and Plasma pistols. Volkite weaponry was treasured in the Legion, with many such devices surviving through the ages as the bearers cared for them meticulously. Equipment is sacred to the Gorgers, as it is the hunter's means to stave off Hunger and death.

Many relics of the Gorgers which have fallen from out of their hands and back into them with constant flux have been the 'Black Mourning Tools', named such for their distinctive opaque coloration. These weapons were all taken from the surface of Istvaan III after the Dropsite Massacre, known as the 'Turning of the Pack' by the Gorgers.

Nathanog The Endless Mouth, Primarch of The Gorgers

Appearance

Caucasian with a pale complexion. Dark, long, and untamed hair. Overall a handsome face if it was not for the abhorrent size his mouth can open and the gigantic, inhuman tooth in it.

Youth

The world of Thorond-ul had fallen back into feudal subsistence during Old Night, with its few inhabitants terrorized by ferocious predators. When one of the Emperor's Primarchs fell to its surface, there were no men to take the child into their family. The infant grew into a feral thing, neither man nor beast. He lived anonymously in the forests, hunting and feeding on the beasts and feared by those few men who caught even a glimpse of him. So it went for years, until Nath, a huntsman from the settlement of Dakh-agh happened upon the Beast-Man of the Endless Jungle slaying a great reptilian beast single-handedly.

What struck the huntsman was not the killing itself, but that the Beast-Man had snared his quarry in a trap. Nath reasoned that a creature who could craft the most basic of machines could also learn the other ways of men. With the utmost caution he approached the Beast-Man with weapons lowered and heart thumping. Establishing contact was difficult, but patient Nath slowly won the Beast-Man's trust. He ended up giving him the name "Nathan"(or Brother of Nath).

At first Nathan was not trusted by the local inhabitants. Some feared he would steal their children and babes to feast on in the night, others worried his natural tendency towards barbarity could lead to acts of violence over simple misunderstandings. Nathan took in stride, not worrying for the petty thoughts of scared fools. He had found a better life alongside Nath, and for that he would stay with him. Eventually the Predators broke down the cavaliers and footmen sworn to keep them at bay, causing great suffering to reign in the villages at the frontier. Using all he had learned from both spheres of the world, from the humid wilds to the stone and knowledge, Nathan was able to turn back the tide by his own will and strength alone.

Nathan's might quickly won over the small community of Dakh-agh. He became their chief and terrible protector, teaching the menfolk to trap and hunt the predators that had once hunted them. But the help of Nathan had a price. He forced his hunters to eat the flesh of the terrible beasts they slew. Many died, but those who survived grew strong. Dakh-agh became a bloody bastion of mankind's strength, drawing other humans to its growing walls and winning allied settlements. As the great beasts grew small, Nathan only had one choice if he wanted his thirst for hunting to be satisfied. He would conquer the surrounding lands, seeking new hunting grounds. The long years of war and hunting left only one master of Thorund-ul: Nathan-Og, the Endless Mouth.

He cared not to manage the affairs of state, only wishing greater prey but understood the necessity of a strong government. He pruned out the selfish and the deceitful, putting in their place the driven and honest. His rule on Thorond-ul was known as the Great Peace of Groghtuk(Advisers), for under the efficient hand of these functionaries the realm was brought into a never before seen golden age that they had never experienced during their feudal wars and battles with the roaming predators. Nathanog was happy to always have a large recruiting base to summon up new warriors for his hunts, as many did die in them and he always required new blood.

The Coming of The Emperor

The peace had left Nathanog bored, as the beasts began to dwindle as he grew to be too great a hunter and his pack too large to be sated. Depopulation of the great enormous megafauna gave the Mouth little to care for as he never had the skills or ambition to be anything more than being a warrior. He kept himself as supreme ruler only in the hopes another challenger would appear, another great beast to vanquish, just one last huge monster would be enough for him so long as he had that final rush of a hunt. It came to him as a golden ship appeared in the sky, larger than any castle yet it flew.

He raced out to meet the warriors descending down the huge ramp, which had a golden figure at its head. Nathanog charged at it, intent on carving out bloody the heart of this yellow demon. His battle lasted several hours, eventually being defeated by the being. It introduced himself as his Father, who's name was the Emperor. Nathanog was confused, but listened just as he had listened ages ago to Nath. This man was another Nath, but a Nath of the stars. He taught him of the Imperium, of all the glory that was to be had. Nathanog loved this idea, and quickly presented his best warriors to be turned into Angels of Death, the Astartes.

He would be able to hunt in the name of his Father, being able to create the greatest pack to bring down the most powerful prey imaginable.

What more could Nathanog want?

The Great Crusade

Nathanog helped shape up his Legion both from example and his own philosophy when it came to combat. He in equal parts inspired them inadvertently and intentionally, showing them the proper way to take down prey and ritualizing their before and after combat practices. Underneath him many worlds fell to the Emperor as they focused on crushing the spirit of those resisting as well as eliminate their mightiest combatants. Nathanog believed any flesh of those willing to battle his Gorgers deserved to be eaten, as they had showed perhaps not strength of body but that of mind. Even Xenos were consumed, which tested the internal organs of the Gorgers at times.

The Hunt continued on to the furthest reaches of the Imperium, but eventually Nathanog was called back to deal with liars and cheats who propagated on worlds conquered like weeds. He was shocked however, to see the civilian populaces targeted by the kill-squads of the Sons of Fire. Non-combatants had no place as losses, as they could not fight and it was a waste of potential for those who would one day be able to be strong enough. The misunderstanding did not cause them to come to blows, but the two Legions, and Infernox himself carried a special raging flame of hatred towards the Gorgers and Nathanog every since their arguments.

The Heresy

As time went on Nathanog saw the depths of the Imperium underhanded nature, and even came to agree with Infernox at the outrage over the Imperial Council once the Emperor was finished with the crusade.

Post-Heresy

After the defeat of Hector during the Siege of Terra, the Gorgers started a feuding in the planetary systems around the Solar System. Numerous Legions came to rid the outskirts of Terra from their assaults. As they have done during much of the Heresy the Gorgers erected numerous Gorges, abyssal holes in the ground filled with the corpses of the strong, those were used in the most blasphemous of rituals and opened the way to Reality for numerous demons of the ruinous powers.

Despite their demonic aides and the frenzy the Gorgers, the cooperation and righteous fury of the united loyalist legions were too much for Nathanog and his marines to withstand. In a moment of lucidity, the Primarch managed to regroup and boost the resolve of his legion with the promise of One Last Hunt the likes of which they have always craved. A Hunt where they would concentrate all their offensive power in one quick brutal charge across the stars. On this day many of the Gorgers decided to join their Primarch in this bloody Last Hunt. Some were denied this honor however, as Nathanog spoke to his trusted Second Captain Atmir. The Legion would not die, but live on. With a weighted down mind, a portion of the fleet with ten thousand Marines and the entirety of the Legion's geneseed pushed off in the direction of the other Legions which had fled from Sol.

The fight that ensued was bloody for both forces. The Gorgers fought like a beast cornered on all fronts, showing even more ferocity than usual. Nathanog himself was at the very forefront of the fight, enduring an impossible amount of wounds and shots. Several ships of the Silver Cataphracts became overwhelmed, as the Legion had never been the masters at melee combat and were facing the epitome of close combat perfection. The Steel Marshals and Void Angels launched themselves into the breach, only clogging up the astral battle lines with ships as the Gorgers set about boarding each one and unleashing their horrible might.

But still the Loyalists eventually stopped their momentum, the Gorgers started to suffer loss after loss. Nathanog became to focus excessively on the relentless assault of the Loyalists. He broke their spearheads, he shattered their phalanxes, he crushed their assaults. He stood with a shard of a powersword stuck in his knee, plasma burns and volkite marks all over his armor and skin. His face was half-burned by a flamer. He was almost feral in these final moments, but the teachings of his homeworld and that of Nath echoed in his mind honing in his primal instincts with decisive insight.

Leading an attack personally on the last few Gorger Terminators surrounding Nathanog, Roman Albrecht strode forth with his own honor guard. The battle was tough, but Nathanog would be an equal match for Albrecht normally but his wounds limited him. The Steel Marshal's Primarch saw a gap in Nathanog's defense and took advantage. With a careful strike of his weapon, he laid low his brother sending his lifeless body shambling down a high terrace into a catwalk below. The loss of their Primarch sent the legion into a surprising realization of their impeding demise. In the hastiest of retreats, the few remaining Gorgers still alive left the battle. In their disarray they couldn't retrieve the corpse of their Primarch, a mistake that would forever haunt the legion and its descendants in the coming millennia.

After the Primarch's death the Brotherhoods scattered, sometimes breaking down into their constituent packs. It would not be until Atmir united the largest of these to join him in his attack in the Imperium would the Legion see some form of cohesion. Still, many Gorgers live out their lives as simple mercenaries working for prey and supplies.

The Legions War

The alliance to Hektor had been uneasy at best during the Legion's history, as many desired to kill the Sons of Fire who were not even attempting to hide their desire to burn everything to ash anymore. The wise leadership of their Primarch and that of the Warmaster kept their tempers in check, but without them now many wars were fought between the two Legions in the form of skirmishes and invasions via warbands. At every point in the history of the Legions War, there were always at least one battle going on between Sons of Fire and Gorgers.

It was Master Hunter Atmir who was able to quench their hatred, letting the Sons of Fire regroup while allowing his own warbands to recoup. This peace was tentative and did not last long, but it is worth noting as it allowed both Legions to thrive for a time before hostilities continued. Some wonder if was not for the First Black Crusade to bind these Legions towards a common goal, they might have fought one another to oblivion.

Culture

The Gorgers Legion had a thriving culture before the fateful battles in the Sol system. The warbands and other descendants have inherited many customs, but they become skewered and half remembered as the years tick by.

The Philosophy of the Hunt

The most important aspect of the Legion was the Hunt. This was the ultimate quest in their eyes, the culmination of humanity's abilities and will. Taking on a prey that is even stronger than you are as a collective is the epitome of the Hunt. The Hunt is driven by the Hunger, which is always prevalent and must be sated. Without calming the Hunger, madness and kinslaying will occur as the dark nature of the Gorgers origin as crazed combatants will arise again making them unwieldy, wild, bloodlusting.

Before the Hunt

The Legion has ceremonies before each battle where the Master Hunters would raise gigantic pyres around which duels, competitions, and revelries would be organized to increase the resolve of the marines and make them long for the coming battle. Members of other Legions and even soldiers of the Imperial Army would be invited to take part in these events as all were believed to be part of the Pack once a campaign had begun. These celebrations were always bloodless and merry, as the Hunt was about to begin. What more joyous occasion could there be? It was seen as allowing the Pack to mingle with itself, as a reminder that all were important to the whole, and the success of a battle.

Marines of high ranks would tell of the deeds they were going to perform in the following battle, of the amount of braves they shall cut and kill, of the numerous corpses that awaited them tomorrow. Each of those words would be remembered by their fellows, who would come to those who acted on their words and exalt them. Newcomers were encouraged to make oaths, which were sometimes humorous but other times serious in their declaration. Young blood which could fulfill the ambitious were held in high regard throughout the Legion.

After the Hunt

After a Hunt, the solemn ritual of the Feast begins. The mightiest of the enemy dead would be picked and chosen as the Gorgers closed themselves off from the rest of their allies. These corpses were kept to the side, sometimes cooked over mighty roasting hearths. The flesh of dead comrades took precedence over these, however , as small bits barely the size of a human's thumb would be passed out. Every Gorger received a small handful of these small chunks of skin or muscle, each chip came from a different brother who had fallen. The Gorgers were expected to eat each of the small parts they had been given, to commemorate their sacrifice and consume their strength.

After this, the Gorgers would set themselves loose on the either raw or grilled flesh of those they had beaten. This is the more jovial half of the Feast, where the dead are now remembered and the Hunger can now be properly satisfied. Many toasts are had for those who showed their mettle during the Hunt, leading to much cheering and chanting of songs.

The Slaughtering Grounds

In the cases of major battles against overwhelming force, once victory was achieved the Gorgers would start the preparations for the Ceremony of the Slaughter Grounds. The Gorgers were most of the time sent to worlds with quite strong resistance against Imperial forces. Whether physically or mentally, these people would not give up requiring the brutal hammer that was the XVIIth Legion. The Gorgers would come in a terrifying, non-stop display of violence would eliminate the resistance. The civilians would be mostly sparred but in order to gain their absolute loyalty and show them the cost of defying the Great Crusade and the Imperium, the Gorgers would create a Slaughtering Ground.

These were gigantic holes, surrounded with the iconography and symbols of the legion. Here the corpses of those the Gorgers just crushed would be amassed. Either the Legionnaires themselves or those human soldiers fighting alongside them would gather the leaders of the planet, along with a large following of civilians. The purpose of this was to show them the Ceremony of the Feast, which normally happened behind closed doors as a private enjoyment by the Legionnaires. There was to be no joy here, at the Slaughtering Ground. Those who witnessed that ritual learned the lesson remarkably fast. If you oppose us, you will be consumed.

The Gorgers would then be free to leave the planet or system to the Imperial regiments, hurrying toward new battles. The planets without exception never made a problem for the Imperium again. The irony of this is during the Hektor Heresy these planets formed the backbone of Loyalist defiance against the Traitors.

Attire

Gorgers would sometimes decorate their armors and weapons with feathers of great hunting birds. Gorgers of high ranks would instead use scales or eyes from dangerous animals, tying them to their armors. The more different the colors of those ornaments, the more prestige it gave to their wearers. While the normal Legion colors were Iron and Red, sometimes these would be fashioned in every color imaginable. Rainbow brows of feathers usually denoted Master Hunters, who had gone to Thorund-ul and killed every type of giant hunting avian on the surface in the remote regions of the world which still had them. A few of these feathers would be handed out to promising Legionnaires, as a sign of support and respect for their growing abilities.