Gorgers

Gorgers
Battle Cry	"The Hunt Begins!"
Number	XVII
Founding	First Founding
Successors of	N/A
Primarch	Nathanog
Homeworld	Thorond-ul
Strength	150,000 before the Heresy
Specialty	Close-quarters combat, boarding actions
Allegiance	Chaos Undivided
Colours	Iron, Blood-Red

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, Void Boarding Actions.

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

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 melee 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 all either worshiping one of the Dark Gods, all of the Chaos Gods, or none of them at all.

Legion History

After the discovery of their Primarch, the Gorgers were to be used by the Emperor as an Astartes force that would exponentially grow in strength battles after battles through the absorption of their foes and would then provide him with a force that very few could rival. Unfortunately the meddling of Chaos weakened the control the Primarch and the Emperor had on the Hunger of the Legion. Left in a state where only constant hunting could prevent them from going mad or dying, it became more and more difficult for the Gorges to find adequate preys. But then came the offer of Betrayal. A promise that the Gorges would participate in One Hunt that would provide with an immense amount of preys of the finest quality, their own loyalist brothers. The offer was too good for the Gorges to pass on. They pledged their allegiance to and embarked on the heresy with their stomachs ready for the feast.

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, so 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 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 Thorond-Ul 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. Nath reasoned that a creature who could craft a snare could also learn the other ways of men and cautiously approached the Beast-Man. Establishing contact was difficult, but patient Nath slowly won the Beast-Man's trust, giving him the name "Nathan" (or Brother of Nath).

Nathan's strength and native charisma 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.

The Coming of The Emperor

Then happened what only a few saw coming, with no more conquests to be had, Nathanog proceeded to hunt his own, those he had raised to strength now were fine preys and would sate his thirst for violence. This is when the Emperor arrived and managed to save both his Son and his planet by controlling and calming his Hunger. The Emperor offered his son an army and the perfect opportunity, a galaxy full of enemies to prey upon.

Post-Heresy

Nathanog died while serving as the rearguard of the Traitor Legions after the death of Hektor. The avenging Loyalists, led by the Silver Cataphracts, Steel Marshals, and Void Angels, were held up for weeks trying to clear the Gorger's stubborn resistance.

After the Primarch's death the Brotherhoods scattered, sometimes breaking down into their constituent packs. The resulting warbands wandered with no purpose except seeking fresh prey.

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 recognise their history as a Brotherhood under the nominal authority of a Chief Hunter.

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.

Specialist Ranks

Each Brotherhood's Deathspeaker served as ritemaster, and judged aspiring Neophytes and assigned 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 recognised a handful of Master Hunters. These superb warriors had proven their abilities against their founder and carried great prestige in the Legion.

Tactics and Equipment

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