Cromwald Walgrun

Cromwald Walgrun
Title/Honours	The Lion of Sommesgard
Discovered (world)	Sommesgard
Discovered (period)	c.914.M30
Legion	Ninth
Fate	Daemon Prince of Slaanesh

This page details people, events, and organisations from the /tg/ Heresy, a fan re-working of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. See the /tg/ Heresy Timeline and Galaxy pages for more information on the Alternate Universe.

Cromwald Walgrun, known as the Lion of Sommesgard, is primarch of legion IX (The Lions Rampant). A master strategist and gifted orator, he stood as a gentleman and noble soul. His insistence upon the utmost in standards of conduct and dress for himself and his legion made them a famed and vaunted legion in the eyes of the Imperium. This only made his downfall all the greater a loss for the Imperium, as his corruption now sees him as the chosen of Slaanesh, exalted among the followers of the Prince of Excess.

History

Youth

The early years of Cromwald were far removed from the lofty heights of a master of armies. From his pod the young primarch lived as an orphan in the pre-industrial streets of Sommesgard, where survival was a matter of wits, charisma and luck. Possessing all three, Cromwald grew rapidly into a shrewd and cunning survivor whose wit and impressive stature gained him the attention and patronage of Captain Edgar Walgrun of the Prathian army. Seeing potential in the young man, he afforded Cromwald the finest education and privilege of wealth and station. Given his origins, Cromwald plunged headlong into the indulgences of his newfound wealth; he consumed every new experience with a voracious appetite. He glutted himself on books and knowledge, threw himself headlong into the finer trappings of his newfound station, and found a drive to see the world anew with every opportunity to travel and test himself physically and mentally. Quickly Cromwald met the limits of what the world had to offer, and resolved himself to pursue new avenues. If the world could not give him a new adventure, he would make one for himself. He threw the wealth and prestige of the Walgrun name behind countless endeavors, becoming a patron of the sciences that would drive Prathia into an industrial age. With the revolution of automation, new methods of exploration and adventure opened up before him, but as with all things, these new sciences were turned to the purpose of war.

Sommesgard was host to regular clashes of nations in the constant shifting of power across the globe. These battles were fought in trenches and columns, with rifle and cannon. The revolution of industry had yet to transform the face of war on Sommesgard, until Prathia began to swell under the surge of raw scientific progress. The armies under her banner were armed with the fruits of the new industry, with engines capable of bearing soldiers over great distances in safety, and weapons of terrible power compared to the rifles of old. As with the sciences, Cromwald became a patron of the military. His education included extensive training in strategy and military history, and he took well to the lessons of exercising force on a national level. He became a pioneer of the new orders of battle, personally sponsoring and testing armored vehicles and mighty weapons in the crucible of combat against Prathia's neighbors.

Though gifted in battle, the true measure of Cromwald's genius as a general came with his boldness, his willingness to bring untested methods and engines to the front lines and apply them with stunning results. Under his command the first divisions of armored tanks rolled across the enemy lines in an unstoppable wave, while infantry clashed with aggressive strategies that relied of steely nerves and daring bravado to seize the initiative. Those nations unswayed by the boisterous oratory of the newly minted Field Marshal Walgrun fell swiftly to his relentless pursuit of global unification under one banner. Though he never claimed ambitions to rule, none would deny that when the final battle ended and the world was made as one, the prosperity to follow was the work of his hands.

A full decade of technological and social advancement followed, interrupted abruptly by the annihilation of the old state of Berau. Once a center for industry, Berau was wiped from the face of the earth by a monstrous meteor impact. The first rock fell directly into the city center, and soon after waves of other, lesser meteors crashed into Sommesgard in a hail of destruction. From these rocks poured forth a violent tide of barbarian greenskins, a foe unlike anything the people of Sommesgard had ever known. The ensuing war was savage, as the initial wave of orks overran a full half of the planet unchecked with their fury and superior engines of war. Cromwald, the unmatched and unbeatable general saw victory wherever he made a stand, but across the rest of Sommesgard losses were catastrophic in the face of terrifying walkers and steel behemoths. At the heart of it all rose a foul effigy to the Orky gods; a stompa constructed by the big mek leading the green tide. In a desperate bid to break the advancing horde, Cromwald led an armored spearhead against the titanic war machine, but found himself nearly annihilated alongside his vehicle under the massive guns of the stompa. With his right arm obliterated in the blast, he was forced to board the stompa and fight his way to the mek bare handed and injured, with only his innate inhuman physiology sustaining him. He broke the ork morale with the defeat of the big mek, and claimed a crude bionik arm as a trophy to replace the limb he had lost.

The following war waged on for decades, with the implacable will of the men of Sommesgard tested sorely against the brutality of the orks. Only with the coming of the Emperor was the battle finally won. His arrival was heralded with a counter-invasion of astartes, who joined the beleaguered defenders to break the green tide once and for all. The meeting of father and son was heralded with triumphant fanfare as it marked the end of a long and bitter generation of terror and strife.

The Great Crusade

Cromwald Walgrun, Lion of Prathia and Field Marshal of the armies of Sommesgard was the final primarch to be discovered during the Great Crusade. The reunion between Emperor and primarch was a joyous one, for there was much work still to be done, even after so many long years of warfare on a galactic scale. For his part, Cromwald viewed the Emperor's charge of conquest as a brilliant new means to explore and adventure beyond the domains of his homeworld; his acceptance of his role in the Crusade was wholly without reservation. In celebration, master artisans among the remembrancer order were commissioned to restore the glories of Berau, which would become the new seat of Legion IX's administration. Alongside the reconstruction of the devastated city came a symbolic gesture from the Mechanicum. Gifted to Cromwald was a bionic arm crafted by the greatest tech adepts the expeditionary fleet possessed. The new limb was peerless in design and shone with a magnificent platinum luster that could not be dulled. Leaving behind his crude graft as a trophy of victory, the Lion of Prathia ascended to meet his gene-children whole once more.

The reunion between Primarch and legion would be met with far less adulation and praise. The Highland Raiders were a dirty, inglorious rabble, wholly unlike the noble ideal of Astartes Cromwald had envisioned. Their assembled strength consisted of a somber, joyless lot shod in dull grey. No heraldry or banners depicted honors or glory in their ranks. To a celebrated conqueror such as Cromwald, it was an insult to his genetic legacy that his men be so utterly without pride in themselves or their accomplishments.

Five years were spent restructuring his legion and injecting fresh blood into their ranks. The nature of the newly christened Lions would swiftly change to reflect the dynamic leadership of their primarch, but such would not end his woes. By the time Cromwald had been reunited with his legion, the crusade was well underway for over a century. He was the last primarch to be discovered, and his brethren all by then had a list of accolades and honors that left him faced with personal inadequacy. His legion's reputation would take time and effort to salvage, for even after they had been reforged many voices would still jeer at the Emperor's dogs, ill fit for the glories other, more capable legions garnered. Cromwald seethed quietly for his damaged pride, as each slight against his gene-sons was an insult to his daring leadership and peerless abilities. In this respect, he became a driven man; his honor demanded that the Lions earn their place as heroes of the Crusade. No number of victories would satisfy his need to prove his worth, nor would any accolade ease his need to be the greatest among his brethren.

Naked ambition would serve to sour relations between Cromwald and several of his brothers. He would cross words with his more refined kin with some regularity, as his differing worldview and brazen attitude to life matched poorly with more reserved or jaded primarchs. Similarly, his pride in his pedigree would alienate others further; he viewed the less refined of his kinsmen as a tragic waste of potential. Such an attitude, matched by patronizing words left Cromwald with cold relations to several brothers.

Only in the company of other gentlemen did his sometimes abrasive demeanor ease. Above all others, Roman Albrecht could instill humility and fraternity in Cromwald. In each other's company pride became a matter of sport, and consequently camaraderie grew between the Steel Marshals and the Lions Rampant to reflect the close knit friendship of their masters. The even temperament of the noble Albrecht for a time would bring peace to Cromwald, tempering his ambition with a degree of patience he would otherwise have lacked.

Post-Heresy

After the defeat of the Warmaster, the Lions fled to avoid annihilation. Unlike many of the Traitor Legions, they did not make for the Eye of Terror. Instead they split into divisions and headed for the far rim of the galaxy, on the outskirts of Segmentum Ultima, raiding targets for supplies as opportunity arose to sustain themselves in their flight. They lurked on the edge of the galaxy and waited for the Scouring to slowly burn itself out, laying low and keeping their forces split to avoid being slaughtered all at once.

As the Scouring began to fade, the Lions reorganised their efforts, with the Legion once again falling under the iron fist of their Primarch. He led them to begin raiding and pillaging Imperial worlds across the edges of charted space. At first he did so with near impunity; his warbands landed and conquered in lightning fast strikes that shattered the defender's command structure and crippled their fighting will, then set about the task of rebuilding the world in Slaanesh's name. Those who did not convert were subjugated by those who did.

The momentum of these raids slowly picked up, until the Lions were no longer a force that could be denied or ignored. A task force consisting of several chapters of Space Marines, numerous Guard regiments, the Inquisition and the young Ministorum descended upon the slowly expanding empire of excess and begin reclaiming it in the Emperor's name. Heretics burned by the billion as the Crusade pressed on, hounding the Lions and bringing them to battle at every turn. The heretics' power was shattered when Cromwald, now a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh, was finally cornered and ultimately struck down. With their leader cast back into the warp, the Legion splintered and scattered. Several warbands were annihilated by the vengeful crusaders, but many escaped to scatter across the stars. From there they begin to pursue their own objectives and desires. Some fight their Primarch's war still in his absence, others fell to infighting, others simply wage war for the sake of the carnage and glory of Chaos. Only in the Black Crusades are the Lions brought back together in any meaningful fashion, where they relive a brief throwback to their glories as a Legion.

Personality

Though bold and boisterous, Cromwald above all prides himself on being a clever man of clearly refined tastes. He demands of himself carriage that befits the pride of his station, and sees his reputation and honor as paramount in importance. This drives him to be something of a renaissance man; to be uninitiated in the many manners by which a man can be measured is to admit himself as a lesser son of the Emperor. Such stubbornness driven by pride only fuels his brazen love for his cultivated, larger than life image of the scholar-adventurer.

This pride is also his greatest flaw, however. As the last of the primarchs to be found, Cromwald nurses an inferiority complex beneath the bluster and posturing that burns eternally. Beneath the mask of pride lay the need to not only succeed, but to surpass the achievements of his peers. While an excellent driving force, it sometimes drives him to ignore aid when offered, refusing to portray himself or his legion in any light that could be construed as weakness or inability.

Appearance

Cromwald has all the bearing of an aristocrat; he carries himself with confidence and poise as befitting his upbringing and is rarely seen in any state less than perfectly groomed. His charcoal shaded hair is short and neat, as is his well trimmed and maintained mustache. These are framed by prominent cheekbones and a well rounded, ruddy facial structure that lends him a noble, fatherly air. Despite his impressive presence as a primarch, he stands as disarmingly pleasant to look upon. Only his deep set brown eyes suggest anything other than a polite, erudite father figure. They are ever watchful, and have been likened to that of a hawk. No matter how amiable his expression or polite his demeanor, there can be no mistaking that Cromwald is constantly weighing the measure of those in his company.

Wargear

The Marshal's Rebuke - Originally a sidearm common to tank crews of Sommesgard, the Rebuke was a howdah pistol extensively modified for use by Cromwald's hand. Further upgraded by the artisans of the Mechanicum, it now sports two monstrous barrels fed with ammunition of an excessively large caliber. This miniature cannon possesses remarkable power and is said to ring clear over the din of battle, no matter how violent the sortie may become.

Triumph - The hallmark weapon of the Lion's armored divisions is the cavalry saber, suitably enlarged for use by Astartes. In this tradition Cromwald bears a curved blade of similar make, incorporating a singularly powerful weaponized conversion field that renders armor useless against its shining blade. With short, masterful strokes its wielder can hew through heavily armored foes, making even the battle plate of a tank vulnerable in the face of precise strikes of an expert swordsman.

A fan's attempt at rules

	PTS	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Sv
Cromwald Walgrun:	410	7	7	6	6	6	7	5	10	2+/4++

Unit type: Infantry, Independent Character.

Wargear: Aldmund's Plate, The Marshal's Rebuke, Triumph.

Special Rules: Adamantium Will, Bold Strategist, Bulky, Eternal Warrior, Fear, Fearless, Fleet, Independent Character, Inspired Pride, It Will Not Die, Master of the Legion, Thundering Steeds of Iron.

Aldmund's Plate- Armor crafted for the Primarch by the Lions Rampant master of the forge, Otto Aldmund. So impressed was the Primarch with his son's work that he insisted Otto inscribe his own sigil on the breastplate of the armor. The armor provides a 2+ 4++. In addition, Cromwald ignores psychic maladictions and witchfires on a 4+ (rolled seperate from deny the witch) and he always counts as having assault and defensive grenades.

The Marshal's Rebuke- "You come to our world and claim it as your own? Child, our race was old when your race wa-" BOOM. S7, AP3, 24' assault 2.

Triumph- Sabre of the Primarch. SU, AP1, Armorbane, Disruption (Any vehicle's AV value is counted as AV12 if it would otherwise be higher. Lance for melee, basically), and Rending.

Bold Strategist- Seize the initiative on a 4+ and you can reroll reserve rolls if you so choose. Additionally, *insert special Lions rampant elite unit* become troops choices.

Inspired Pride- All models in your army with Legiones Astartes: Lions Rampant gain Stubborn, and all units in the army gain preferred enemy against their counterpart in the enemy army (troops gain preferred enemy against troops, heavy support against heavy support, etc), but only against units with the Legiones Astartes rule.

Thundering Steeds of Iron- All vehicles in the army with one armor facing of greater than 12 can make a scout move after deployment, or add an additional 6' to their scout move if they could already make them. Additionally, they have Move Through Cover for the first turn.

Cromwald is pretty down the middle as far as primarchs go. He's not as killy as Roman, or as Durable as Tiran or Golgothos, and he doesn't buff as well as Hektor or Johannes, but he does all those things reasonably well. He's better against tanks than most, what with his "fuck your AV" AP1 sword and Rending mean that if he rolls a 6 while hitting a tank, he's practically guarenteed to blow it up (2D6 against AV12, D6 + 2 + d3 on the damage table), and his gun is better than most, being more or less an assault autocannon with better AP that he can fire on the charge. Additionally, having assault and defensive grenades mean he's better with charges, giving and taking, and for all that, he still buffs your army quite nicely, especially if you're a tread head, and he's one of the cheapest primarchs. All this means that Cromwald is actually one of the best primarch choices when it comes to relative points value to cost ratio.

Consider that you can stick him and a squad of elites in a spartan. That spartan can now scout 12 inches up the field, flat out 12 inches, disembark 6 inches, then charge. Assuming your opponent is using the "primarch in a spartan" method, you can cross the field, charge his tank, blow it up with your tankfucker sword, then butcher everyone inside it. Even if you fail the charge and come up short, who cares, you have defensive grenades.