Star Krakens (legacy)

Chapter History

Spawned from the Raven Guard late in the 39th millennium, this young chapter was originally tasked by the Administratum to cleanse several small worlds in a distant, fringe territory of an increasingly brazen alien race designated the 'Grendel,' whom had been raiding nearby Imperial worlds and taking human slaves, as well as stealing stores of weapons and food. Despite the apparent technological sophistication, and newfound aggression, of the species, the Administratum had never updated their classification of from the original xenos minoris designation. As such, the Star Kraken found themselves allocated only a dozen strike cruisers, and a small support escort including minimal Imperial Guard support, a force deemed more than adequate for dealing with the expected threat.

The Heorot Crusade

The first Chapter-Master of the Star Kraken was an especially pious - and naive - young man named Achab, and it was he who lead the newly formed astartes on their crusade. Making planetfall on Caprice, a lightly industrialized mining world bordering on the Deep, and the subject of many Grendel raids, the Star Kraken had their first taste of combat, and they found it tasted like victory. With minimal losses the lightly entrenched enemy were driven from the planet, however the marines were confounded in their pursuit of the fleeing aliens as they skimmed through the dark nebula, distorting all auger readings to the point of uselessness. The Star Kraken assaulted Dreshara some weeks later with the same result, a total route of the enemy, many of whom were already withdrawing, with barely a loss suffered by man. By the time they had reached Ruenor, the Grendel had already withdrawn, fearing the advance of the mighty heroes of the Imperium. Only a single enemy vessel appeared still in range, and as it plunged into the dark clouds, Achab ordered a full pursuit. In the murky clouds of the shallows the Star Kraken uncovered the first of the Grendel Bastion Worlds, and without hesitation, Achab ordered a full assault.

Assault on the Bastion Worlds

Within hours it was clear the Marines had overplayed their hand. The Grendel, whom had been so flighty and reluctant to engage on previous battlefields, now assaulted Imperial positions with ferocity. Before the first day was over nearly a third of Achab's chapter lay dead, despite having dealt a crushing blow to the planetary infrastructure. Were it not for the Strike Cruiser's in orbit and their complete space dominance, the first Bastion world would surely have been the Star Kraken's tomb. By the end of the first month, and with decorous valour from both the astartes and the Imperial Guard, all the major warrens on the world had fallen. Although the back of the alien war machine was broken, on this world, at least, it was still the work of a year to root out and quash all alien resistance. An effort which cost Achab many marines. With the world conquered Achab still could not luxuriate, for the fleet had seen alien vessels retreating into the nebula, and so he knew more worlds like this one lay just out of sight.

Withdrawing from the nebula Achab consulted with the Administratum, requesting aid in the face of such overwhelming defence. Checking their records on the sector and approximated strength of the aliens the reply came back: "You have sufficient forces, cleanse these aliens via any means necessary." Being a holy man, and taking the words of the Holy Administratum based on Holy Terra to heart, Achab did just that.

He ordered his apothecaries to begin raising new marines. Many new marines. As many as they could, as fast as they could, without caution, haphazardly. With his new plan underway, Achab traced and found the second of the Grendel Bastion worlds, and launched an assault. The Star Kraken captured and fortified a small continent at the northern pole, and from there assaulted outwards, taking the Grendel down island by island, replacing their losses with raw neophytes from the liberated, shipped down to their beachhead from orbit. The losses mounted, and as he saw his brothers fall one after another, he began to hate the Grendel with a passion that went beyond holy.

The Grendel Purged

A decade was spent leapfrogging between the small continents and islands of the second Bastion world, carefully cleansing each one of alien taint before moving onto the next. Finally cornered on the opposite pole, the aliens put up a final stand, there claiming many human lives in a futile fight. As the last of the aliens died, repeatedly stabbed in the chest by Achab himself, human attention turned onto approximate position of the next world. The assumed position of the Grendel Homeworld. The Star Kraken withdrew from the nebula and rearmed, Achab chomping at the bit, unable to stand this slow but necessary build-up before the final battle. More frustrating still were the constant assaults on their supply lines, by opportunistic Eldar corsair, Ork Freebooters, unscrupulous human renegades and craven elements of the Guard whom had wearied of fighting. Unable to stand these delays Achab issued the fatal orders, for his apothecaries to raise yet more marines, and to dispatch these new recruits to hunt down and exterminate any who would harry the flanks. Ignoring warnings from his advisers that this would push the Chapter beyond Codex regulated strength, Achab personally banished the first apothecary who refused his order.

As their numbers neared twelve-hundred the fleet set off, and Achab was personally aboard the first drop pod to smash through the roof of the Grendel capital warren. They scoured the world, expanding outwards from this drop point, winning each meter with the lives of dozens of guardsmen, or more galling to the Chapter-Master, the life of a marine. As new battlefronts opened Achab threw himself into them, diving into the thickest portion of the fighting, throwing himself at the enemy with a zeal unmatched by his brothers. His friends, those who had known him the longest, those few who had survived the campaigns across both worlds, speculated that perhaps Achab wanted to die, wanted to end his life amongst his brothers out of some misplaced feeling of guilt, guilt for losing so many on that first assault, or perhaps guilt for failing the ordained word of the God-Emperor. Yet no matter how hard he fought, slugs and claws and explosive shells always found his brethren, and left him untouched. Achab himself began to feel he might be cursed, doomed to outlive them all.

End of the Heorot Crusade

Finally, after two decades, and at great cost to his Chapter - not to mention the uncountable expense of human lives - the Grendel Homeworld was cleansed. Achab returned to his orbiting vessel, his Captain's were relieved, expecting their leader to turn them out of the dread nebula, the last of the Grendel worlds now laying deceased below them. Instead he roared onto the bridge of his cruiser, demanding the serf he had left in charge tell him the trajectory of escaping alien vessels. There had to be some, they had always escaped before, deeper into the cursed nebula, into the darker parts their auger arrays just couldn't penetrate. The vessel's commander threw himself on Achab's mercy: the alien ships had outnumbered them significantly, and although their weapons were no match for Imperial might, the vile xenos had begun using their vessels as weapons, seeking to ram their cruisers, forcing them to focus on maneuvering nimbly to avoid being sunk. In all that confusion, and with the auger arrays difficulty, they had no way to track every vessel...

Achab had the man flogged, publicly. He prepared to turn his vessels on the depths of the nebula, to plunge into it like the dagger he had used so often to tear open the thick burlap chests of the aliens on the world below, but other troubles drew his attention, and with frustration so hot no other man could have born it, Achab turned away from the nebula. For the marines he had left to eradicate the corsairs, freebooters and renegades had failed in their task: they had done nothing more than stir up a hornets nest.

And those hornets were heading straight for the Star Kraken's homeworld.

The Alliance of Three Fleets

By the time Achab had managed to withdraw his weakened forces from the nebula they were already many weeks behind the reported gathering of their enemies. Vastergo, Captain of his Scouts, had witnessed the amassing fleet first hand: dozens of vessels of many varieties; the delicate, swan-like frigates of Eldar corsair; the molten lumps of metal and rock the Ork called voidships; and many Imperial vessels of varied design, all of whom brazenly identified as renegade. All on a single vector, heading straight for the marines ancestral homeworld: Aoilis.

They made haste as best they could, staggered and strung out as they were, but in the end succeeded in nothing more than arriving in time to witness the end of their world. A powerful blow, struck right to heart of their fortress monastery, penetrated the crust of Aoilis, causing magma to spout from the planet like blood from an arterial wound, and rendering life on its surface impossible for millennia. With their hearts bowed by a great sadness, the Captains prepared to withdraw their vessels, knowing it was impossible to mount an effective assault as disarrayed as they were. Eleven vessels withdrew, but the twelfth plunged onwards, and the call to arms came: Achab, ordering the fleet to engage. Loyal still to their Chapter-Master the fleet followed their Captain, and became entangled in a brutal battle. No side managed to draw blood, both fleets being caught out of place and unable to organize, but the damage was severe, and finally bowing to the will of his Captains Achab ordered a withdrawal, cursing over the auspex the whole time.

The Fall of Achab

Yet Achab would not let up. Even as the Administratum ordered them to retreat, to await reinforcement from an Imperial fleet even now inbound, Achab drew up plans to launch a devastating ground assault. For the Alliance had moored their ships in the gravity well of a small moon, well in sight of the wounded Star Kraken, and had fortified a position in an abandoned facility there. Twelve men looked at the holographic overlay on the enemy positions, so artfully acquired by their scouts, and eleven of them saw a trap, clearly baited. Only Achab saw opportunity, and even without the support of his Captains, he would launch the assault on the next day.

That night his Captains met in secret, and they voted unanimously to end their Master's life. He would be given one last chance to repent, and if he refused - when he refused - his fate would be sealed. The men clasped hands on this, and with a great weariness in their chests, they awaited the final confrontation.

The Kraken fleet screamed in on the moon, and as Achab had predicted the enemy fleet scattered and withdrew. Now open to a ground assault, Achab ordered marines to pods, and he himself strode down the launch corridor of his great vessel, clad in the armour that had seen him through the Heorot Crusade unscathed. One last time his Captain's begged him to change his course, to withdraw in compliance with the Imperium's wishes, to await reinforcement so that they might truly vanquish this unholy collaboration of aliens and men. Without a word he climbed into his drop pod, the first which would crash down on the world, and looked expectantly at his men.

With regret, no other man climbed into the pod. They launched it with Achab aboard. Alone.

It is said that during the descent to the world below he never stopped cursing. At first his brothers for their betrayal, and then the Imperium at large for forsaking him, and finally the universe itself, for failing to recognize the glory of the mighty Star Kraken. When the pod finally impacted the Captains stood silent, and with heavy hearts listened as Achab fought the grand alliance of aliens alone, slaying many before he finally fell. Then, even as the silken voice of an Eldar insulted their honour, trying in vain to tempt them into following their Chapter-Master. It might have worked, if the Captains of the Star Kraken felt they had any honour remaining to them. Instead they retreated from the system.

Seclusion in The Deep

Their vessels wounded, their men numbering barely half strength, and now without a homeworld, the Star Kraken withdrew completely. They wandered, and eventually found themselves once more in the sector which had claimed so many of their brothers, as well as Achab's sanity. Seeking simply to withdraw and heal their wounds, both physical and psychological, the Star Kraken dove into the black nebula, and therein found a great prize.

Known now as the Lighthouse, but then as the dual devices of Huginn and Muginn, they came to possess two great articles of ancient technology, along with a cache of breaching shields abandoned during the Heresies. After years of study the Chapter's tech-marines managed to activate the ancient devices, and they found a small portion of the previously unreadable nebula revealed to them. Able to observe other vessels moving in the Deep, the Star Kraken fell upon a corsair, identified as the alien whom had so taunted them as they had withdrawn from their world so long ago. Taking revenge upon this craven xeno was the first of many boarding actions the Star Kraken would carry out in years to come.

Chapter Specifics

Combat Tactics

The Star Krakens are space combat specialists, engaging almost exclusively in ship-to-ship combat and boarding enemy ships. This is made possible by their sizable store of Breacher Siege Squad wargear, found soon after they arrived in the Deep. They make almost exclusive use of Tempest rounds in their Bolters, as they are extremely effective in the close confines of boarding actions.

As for tactics, they are inspired by the Void Kraken - a monstrous, silicate-based lifeform that makes its home in gigantic asteroids and feeds on minerals therein. The ferocity of the Void Kraken is legendary: if any ship strays too close to the asteroid nest, it will emerge from its home - and tear the vessel apart. So too do the Star Krakens fight - stalking their prey from the darkness of the Deep, then emerging with a furious barrage of cruiser fire, and a great multitude of boarding torpedoes, being fired directly at the enemy vessel, a maneuver colloquially referred to as the 'Lateral Drop Pod Assault,' so the Battle-Brothers may fight the enemy on their home decks.

Chapter Organisation

The Star Kraken are organised into a non-standard arrangement: Every company has a single scout squadron, five tactical units, two assault units, one devastator unit and a unit of veterans whom accompany the Brother-Captain. This configuration best suits the nature of the Deep, where the Strike Cruisers of the Kraken are often separated by weeks of travel time, yet still expected to operate despite such isolation from one another. Likewise these units may be of differing strength or size dependent on the vessel they serve aboard, as individual Captain's may scale their forces based on experience, and any number of the companies veterans may be serving aboard the Holdfast at any given time. The exception to this rough rule is the First Company, who replace their scout unit with the Chapter's only unit of Terminators - Mokoyll, first company commander, believes there is no situation that can be solved via scouting, that can't be more effectively solved with a full terminator assault.

Flag Officers

Aboard each Strike Cruiser of the Star Kraken there are several notable officers, men of rank whom lead the company - and the charge - in times of peace and war. These Flag Officers are analogous to other Codex adherent battle brothers, but due to the nature of the Kraken fleet and the Deep itself, each has a rich and varied responsibility when compared to their more terrestrial bound peers.

Librarian

Star Kraken Librarians are both battle psykers and mystics, who act as teachers and leaders. Like in any other Chapter where Librarians are employed, when the marines discover one of their recruits have psychic powers, then they are send off to the Librarium. The recruit must not only survive the same training regime where only the fittest survive to become Astartes, but also survive the gruelling training that will make the recruit into a Acolytum. Star Kraken Librarian training, however, is far more difficult than usual. While in other Chapters only a handful survive to become Librarians, it is not uncommon for all the recruits to not survive the training. Those who do survive, on the other hand, could be considered the deadliest members of the Chapter.

Wielding mostly their runic force staves , their powers kept in check by psychic hoods, and their armor annointed with purity seals to keep the fangs of the warp at bay. On the battlefield, the Librarians use a form of cryokinesis to freeze enemies or create horrific psychic images, which can turn even the strongest of will into drooling madmen. Off the battlefield, the Librarians teach the recruits alongside the Chaplains. While the spiritual leaders teach them Chapter traditions and beliefs, the Librarians teach them history and tell about legends, mostly of their Primarch, Corax.

Chaplain

The Chaplains of the Star Krakens are the Spiritual Leaders of the Chapter. They guide their brothers on the battlefield and inspire them to greater acts of heroism. Armed with the Crozius Arcanum, they might also take a holy power blade into battle. Not a bolt pistol, nor any other gun. Just a power weapon is sufficient.

On the battlefield, Star Kraken Chaplains are the ones who draw first blood and lead their brothers to victory. Preaching the word of the Emperor and clashing with the Chapter's enemies, they are true warrior priests. Like the chapter's Apothecaries, the Chaplains are very protective of their brothers and will jump into a horde of Grendel to save them or to retrieve their bodies.

Apothecary

Star Kraken Apothecaries are a stout group of specialists among the chapter. Tasked with aiding their brethren with their medical skills and wisdom, these Space Marines are welcome in any group. Of course, they are Space Marines first and foremost, meaning that they are as good in dealing the same horrid injuries they usually heal. One particular characteristic of theirs is that they tend to be very protective of their brethren. When a battle brother gets critically injured, then the Apothecary is possessed of a tranquil fury and will even slaughter his way directly to aid a wounded brother.

The Apothecaries of the Star Krakens use various substances and materials found in the Deep in their medical procedures. Usually Apothecaries are part of a Command/Librarium/Reclusiarch Squad, but with the chapter understrength, the apothecaries have spread themselves amongst the squads, to keep losses to a minimum, and preserve the chapter geneseed. In conjunction with the techmarines, they have issued many bionics to the chapter, and specially designed helms with many optics to enhance vision and awareness, and to better preserve the craniums of their brothers, thus increasing their battle-proffeciency greatly

Roster

First Company - Strike Cruiser Novgorod

The first company, or Danegeld of the Star Krakens is captained by Canute Mokoyll, a veteran of countless boarding actions. Mokoyll and his terminators are feared across the deep for their brutal boarding actions. Fitted with brutal close range assault weaponry, ranging from might thunderhammers to ferocious lightning claws, the veterans are a force to be contended with, especially in the cramped corridors of a ship or station. A common tactic of Mokoyll's is to "flood the ship" when boarding. Distracting command points and drawing aggression elsewhere, strike teams of his marines gain control over the ship's systems and vent the atmosphere of the ship into space, often catching the ship's crew off guard and butchering them as they scramble for rebreathers and environment masks. This also has the added benefit of isolating resistance, as well as keeping the majority of the ship and it's cargoes intact for later examination.

"Let them breath the void, brothers. For Mobius, the First, and the Chapter!" - Captain Mokoyll

Second Company - Strike Cruisers Balmung and Gram

The Second Company are the Spears of the Void, a reference to their blinding assaults into the midst of their foes. Of the eleven Star Kraken companies, they are perhaps the most enigmatic, shunning the company of fellow Krakens unless absolutely necessary. The company is loathe to part with one its craft, seething with fury when they are forced lend even a single thunderhawk to another company, despite possesing more than any other two companies combined, and small fleet of gunboats. They patrol the Deep led by the mighty ship Balmung, which is supported by Gram, a lesser vessel. The whole company is lead by Captain Olaus the Mangled, a twisted and cynical man who deeply mistrusts his fellow Astartes.

Third Company - Strike Cruiser Dread Lantern

Company sigil is the Fouled Kraken. Formerly known as the Lantern Bearer this vessel was renamed when its new Captain took command, a bold action flying in the face of Chapter tradition - something Brother-Captain Yngvarr Gangari is known for. He was aptly named, for out of all the Star Krakens and certainly amongst his fellow Captains he is the most widely travelled. He remains one of the few Krakens to have served with the Deathwatch, and specializes in the destruction of the Enemy Without. Despite the controversy surrounding his tenure as Captain of the Third Company, none can deny his pitiless hatred of the xeno or his devotion to the Chapter and his crew. Some members of the Third Company have even taken to calling themselves "Ynglings". Whether exploring the depths of a derelict ship for ancient wargear or plunging via drop pod into the heart of an Orkish horde to decapitate its warboss, Yngvarr the Wanderer can be found in the lead, Power Sabre in one hand, Storm Shield in the other.

Fourth Company - Strike Cruiser The Trident

Jointly commanded by Brother-Captain's Kester, Olavi and Young Nyran - the Blade, the Barrage, and the Kraken respectively - the Fourth Company are a highly disciplined Chapter, envied amongst some of their peers for the striking balance they've achieved between disciplined military unit, and a family-like clan.

Fifth Company - Strike Cruiser Herlov

Previously Captained by Brother Isaias, whose death marked the last living link between the Ten Flags Council and the ancient Chapter Master Achab. Currently commanded by the young Librarian Alus, nominated to the role unanimously by his battle brothers and in accordance with Isaias dying wish. Their vessel contains a piece of Wraithbone, a trophy from a most difficult battle

Sixth Company - Strike Cruiser Martela

Brother-Captain Harvumy Bridmar. A man who plays brilliance off as luck helms the this strike cruiser. They are a rather humor filled bunch, as there Brother Captain said "Best way to face a deadly foe is to laugh right at it!"

Seventh Company - Strike Cruiser Beinum

Thorolf Frin commands the Seventh Company, which is more of a band of marauders than a company. Described even by their brethren as a vicious crew, the marines of the Seventh employ four assault units instead of two, and are rarely seen in port. The encouragement by Thorolf has allowed the seventh company to become a disorganized rabble where other companies send their "difficult" initiates, making up for the Sevenths inability to recruit its own new marines.

Eighth Company - Strike Cruiser Sigurd

Brother-Captain Tyr is the nominal leader of the Eighth Company , the smallest of the companies. Their last captain, brother Yoms, lead the company into a brutal ambush by eldar raiders, devastating the company. Now it is only thirty marines strong, and must rely on hit and run tactics to be of any use to the chapter. A single trap could very well spell doom for these brothers. Not that the rest of the chapter cares, for none of them will lend aid. The Second is especially cruel, with Librarian Alus informing the company that the second covets their ship, and that they will claim the Sigurd should the Eighth ever be destroyed

Ninth Company - Strike Cruiser Rurik

The great marine Thorkell the Tall commands the Ninth Company.

Tenth Company - Strike Cruiser Otrulegur

Edvard commands the Tenth Company. He and his brothers currently guard the invaluable resources of Mobius whilst they await the reconstruction of their vessel, damaged after serious conflict with

Varangian Guard - Strike Cruiser Holdfast

For as long as the Holdfast has served in this capacity, it has been under the command of Captain Yngvar. Known colloquially as 'The Eleventh Company' the Guard's complement of soldiers are, in fact, an ever-shifting sea of all the Kraken's tactical inclinations, he and his command staff remain permanent fixtures aboard the vessel, a self-enforced exile that some say dates back to a disagreement between the Captain and his brothers during the Fall of Achab. Many brothers in the Guard have chosen to join out of disatisfaction over their unsung victories in the Deep. Only when direct threats to major worlds are destroyed is any praise garnered, forcing the glory-hunters to leave the deep to find recognition. And they have certainly found it, for the Varangians are known outside of the Deep as supreme ship-to-ship combatants, and have helped to secure many star systems spinward of Ultramar

Mutations of the Geneseed

Like all Raven Guard descendants the Star Kraken have alabaster skin and eyes completely devoid of any white. Perhaps through repeated exposure to vacuum, or through Achab's constant press on the apothecaries to replace the Chapter's mounting losses during the Heorot Crusade, the Star Kraken have regained the use of their Mucranoid organ. This is something of a mixed blessing, as it is not wholly restored, but is given to fits of hyperactivity: these bouts can leave the marine feeling short of breath and uncomfortable in the most temperate of environments, and drive them to seek the comfort of extreme cold or low oxygen.

The Phorcius Sector

The Phorcius Sector

Founded by an Imperial Reclamation Fleet in 885.M36, the Phorcius Sector straddles the border between the Segmentum's Ultima and Tempestus, and is on the far edge of the Astronomicon's light. It is something of a wild sector, with little presence of any true Imperial justice, which has allowed it to fall into villainy. For centuries the unifying force of the sector hasn't been any one faction of Imperial government, but rather a vast conglomeration of Rogue Traders known as The Primrose Cabal: these powerful men exploit the many underdeveloped worlds for their own ends, with nary a care for anything beyond their own coffers.

Geographically speaking Phorcius is a rather barren stretch of the void, due in part to its most fascinating feature: a supermassive dark nebula the locals refer to only as "The Deep."

Notable Planets with the Sector

XV-113A7J

Known only by the Administratum numerical designation of XV-113A7J, this cold, dim world, sitting at the very edge of its stars habitable zone, has 90% of its surface covered by water. Its sole landmass, barring a few island chains, is located in the planets southern hemisphere. It's a dreary, wet locale beset by high winds and frequent storms. Agriculture is nearly impossible and the many creatures that inhabit the land include the Valravn; winged canines rumored to be able to take the form of a man, Arturachs; highly aggressive herd animals, and Gargugas; large armor amphibians that burrow into the ground and ambush passers-by. The few hundred souls who make up the human population are crammed into Port Elvers and tend to the automated fleets that harvest the ocean for exotic cuisine to sate the appetites of the sector nobility.

Vetinin

A world, much like XV-113A7J, that is almost entirely covered by vast oceans of salt water. Massive farms of water plants and animals are harvested to feed the nearby frontier and mining worlds. The surface of the planet is abundant with volcanoes, and as such, the thermal activity ensures that the vast seas are rich in mineral and nutrients for the creatures that live there.

The capital of Vetinin is called Higher Purpose, it's located on a gigantic, raised slab of rock just below the surface of the ocen. Portions of this massive monolith have been mechanized, allowing sections to be raised for space craft to take off and also to land. At night, the artificial lights ignite the ocean in color, shining like a beacon in the infinite oceans. The planet, especially Higher Purpose, if often the target of nearby Orks, who raid the farmers and floating cities with great, rusted, smoking machines, and Grendel forces.

The Imperium of Man has ensured that the few jagged mountains, that jut out from the oceans, are the foundations for towering cities that serve as both managerial offices and rallying points for military forces on the planet. Fishermen, Nauti-farmers and deep dwellers all use these cities as gathering points for their harvests, so that they can be processed and exported. Extensions of these cities are vast, floating processing platforms that absorb various kelps and fish. Some have built platforms that rest on the backs of massive colonies of pitch-black jellyfish, whilst others have plunged into the depths and founded cities to harvest the sea grass and to hunt the leviathans of the deep that have never seen the light of day.

Dreshara

Named after the colony vessel that brought the first settlers, dissension amongst the leadership quickly caused the settlements to engage in a full blown civil war. Widespread fighting quickly eroded the planets technological base and its people are now divided into small city-states, villages and nomad tribes. Barbarism runs rampant and the remnants of technology have fallen into superstition and ignorance, even more so than the rest of the Imperium. Formerly a Star Kraken recruitment world, a widespread shift in cultural beliefs, that run counter to acceptable deviations from the Imperial Creed, have caused the Star Krakens to relinquish their patronage. The planet is now under an Ecclesiarchy reformation campaign, spearheaded by the Adeptus Sororitas.

Jjojos

The sulfur world of Jjojos is a noxious and foul place, with average surface temperatures well over 170 degrees Celsius. It is a rocky and utterly inhospitable world, with towering basalt cliffs and mountains, wickedly sharp obsidian razor-plains, and lakes of boiling sodium. The world is a relatively recent addition to the sector, having only been brought forth from the Deep a mere eighty years ago. What is curious, however, is the presence of a series of Eldar ruins, including a complex communications array. These ruins are far older than the planet's life in the Deep, and it was the investigation of these ruins that lead to the terrible incident that forced High Chaplain Siewurd of Nine Nails to undergo penance. Since the ill-fated exploration mission, the planet has been declared forbidden for all servants of the Imperium.

Akkari

Akkari was so named for the collection of derelict ships surrounding its atmosphere in almost neutral orbit. Explorator Fleets sent by the Adeptus Mechanicus have begun investigating this phenomena and taken to researching the technology left by the derelicts, as well as breaking down much-needed components to replace the oft-embattled Star Krakens fleet. Human colonists have begun terraforming the surface, which is mostly comprised of wetlands and some outcroppings of mountainous regions in curious triangular pattern in different regions of the planet. The mountains are all comprised of the same materials at a cursory glance (some precious metals, etc) and ensconce the same amount of area within their beings. As of right now, colonists have yet to enter and explore the areas, however they have begun marking for mining purposes the major deposits of materials within the mountains.

Bivarar-Havn

Bivarar-Havn is one of the more densely populated Hive Worlds of the Star Krakens sector, mostly because of its location on the fringe of the sector, which allows for trading, and provides a port for other ships and Rogue Traders skirting the area. It also provides an abundance of available work for the middle class.

The various Star Kraken Brother-Captains often take their vessels here for rearmament and repair, due to the availability of their materials, rarity and uniqueness of their stores, and their worker's skills in engineering and labor. It's rumored that a hull welded by an Artisan Shipwright is nigh impenetrable, and several Star Kraken veterans would not be so quick to disregard this rumor. In exchange for labor and goods, the Star Krakens will sometime lead patrols into the lower habs of the Hives at the Governor's request, to help settle unrest and bring some order to the normally lawless lower class.

Bivarar-Havn is also a prime locale for recruitment, as their knowledge of ship maintenance and engineering is deep and second only to the Adepts of the Mechanicus, however the Star Krakens find the humans of Bivarar-Havn far more tolerable. Occasionally, Wright-Guild leaders, who normally engage in barter with Rogue Traders, will happen across items of great interest to the Brother-Captains of the Star Krakens, and will offer them up as first-come, first-serve, ensuring that Bivarar-Havn is one of the most protected Hive Worlds in the sector.

Baunn

An arid world dotted with hundreds of landlocked seas. Numerous kingdoms surround these seas vying for power while great empires rise to claim as much water as they can. Vast, empty deserts make the bulk of the planets surface with foolhardy and enterprising trade caravans trekking between civilizations. Due to the distances and lack of population, the deserts are frequently used as training grounds for mechanized Imperial Guard regiments, with the various kingdoms going to great lengths to secure the prestige and riches that comes with hosting these regiments. Rumors run rampant of vast alien ruins across the deserts, but so far no one has found anything, at least not anyone who has returned.

Marius

With many shrines dedicated to Cannoness Marias, this world was the originally designated Capital world of the sector. It houses organisations for the Ecclesiarchy, the Administratum, a Commandery of Sisters and other organisations of political importance. However, with the position of the black nebula, exerting influence over the sector became a difficult task, requiring an arduous journey around the Ekman Spiral to avoid any risk of becoming lost. With this obstacle, and without the direct influence of the military, the capital slowly came to rule the sector in name only.

Fetillus Svel

When the Navy split from the Ecclesiarchal fleet in M37, after the disappearance of their admiral, they set boldly off, discovering for themselves many of the worlds Rimward of The Njord Strait. Fortuitously, as they were in desperate need of resupply, they came across Fetillus Svel. Many worlds, when rediscovered, fall into a state of shock, or dismay, or panic. The Tech-Priests of this world simply asked: "What took you so long?" They had been stockpiling fuel, munitions and components since the Heresy, and were more than prepared to resupply any loyal fleet. Quickly the world became the seat of military power in the sector, and colloquially: "The Military Capital."

Primrose

Discovered in M39 by Allary Wentworth the 1st, a modest trader and paternal great grandfather to the famous Allary Wentworth the 4th, this single barren world - just slightly larger than Holy Mars - has been exhaustively terraformed into a picturesque garden world. No longer reliant on the Forge Worlds for voidship repair (Allary the 3rd dragged a moon here, and turned it into a minor Forge World) the world has quickly grown to become the Economic Capital of the sector, and even peasants on backwater feudal worlds know they owe their livelihood to the Primrose Trading Cabal and Allary Wentworth.

Donnybrook

Donnybrook's unorthodox title comes from the name of the Rogue Trader, Kalis "Donnybrook" Vestan, who discovered it at the end of M40. Claiming it as his own, he fought a brief war with the Imperial Navy before his fleet was crushed in orbit above the planet. The wreckage of his flotilla still orbits the planet. The world is comprised mainly of lava flows, a result of the thousands of volcanoes on the world. The settlers on the planet have done the exact opposite of what many would expect and made their homes inside dormant volcanoes. The heat shielded buildings are powered by the thermal energy that wafts up from beneath. Most of the settlements are crowded around the north of the planet as there is little tectonic activity there. The center of the planet is largely devoid of life. Most of the lava from the volcanoes pools at the equator of the planet, making a giant ocean of lava in the center. The aptly named “Sea of Fire” is home to strange creatures called the Yulth.

These beasts are large lizard like creatures that spend most of their time resting on pumice islands or swimming in the lava. They require little sustenance and drink only the condensation on their backs. These creatures are prized for their heat resistant scales and diamond hard fangs, making them a valuable commodity. Efforts to domesticate them have failed as they nearly impossible to catch alive, much less train them. They are mainly caught by cargo haulers with Yulth bone tipped harpoons and taken back to the settlements. Each Volcano specializes in a different metal, chosen by which metal is the most prevalent inside the volcano.

The high quality steel and servitor parts of Clan Ytterbium make it the richest followed by Clan Thulium whose metal is used in the fashioning of las weapons. The one major conflict this world has experienced was a brief war between the clans Gadolinium and Holmium over a dormant volcano rich in Scandium. The mainly air based conflict was finally stopped when a taskforce of Star Kraken Thunderhawk gunships intervened, marking high losses for the relatively light clan ships. An agreement was reached and the two clans rotate ownership of the volcano. A small garrison of Star Kraken marines are kept on the settlement to deter any power grabs, duty on this planet however is considered a punishment because the work is so uneventful.

The Deep

The Deep is a nebula stretching across most of the Phorcius Sector and trailing off into territories outside of the Astronomicon's light. It is made up of a so far unidentified compound with many curious effects; as well as severely limiting physical visibility, it renders conventional auger arrays totally inoperable and dampens communications systems, severely limiting their range. To look out of a vessel and into the deep is like looking at a black canvas, totally bereft of any detail, with even the light of the stars themselves being lost in the mire of the nebula clouds. Long exposure to this sightless, unreadable traverse can have unusual psychological consequences for those caught within, noted for inspiring an almost immediate sense of claustrophobic panic in the average man, and going so far as to drive high order Mechanicus priests temporarily mad.

Locations of note within the Deep

Mobius/The Lighthouse

Mobius is a collection of asteroids caught in the Lagrange point between the Phothom Sinkhole and [something else]. An ancient outpost which came to be called "The Lighthouse" stands on the largest of these Asteroids, serving as the primary base of operations for the Krakens. It functions, along with Huginn and Munnin, as a massive scanning array that allows the marines to navigate part of the Deep with relative ease.

The Phothom Sinkhole

A small black hole situated just outside of Huginn's Light, the Phothom Sinkhole is - like any black hole - a hazardous phenomena, but the Sinkhole is made doubly so by the nature of the Deep; many vessels, unable to take regular auger scans, do not realise they're caught in its gravity well until it's too late, and they disappear into the dense, murky clouds surrounding it, never to be seen again. The Phothom Sinkhole does have one advantageous effect on the area, however - it has thinned the nebula around itself, creating the Calm Belt, an area more easily navigable than other parts of the Deep.

Relations

Each Other

Although there are no recorded instances of two Kraken vessels ever coming to blows, many Brother-Captain's have long, tumultuous relationships with one another. Rivalries between certain ships, their crews and marine complements, are sometimes perceived as healthy, with each attempting to 'one-up' the other in their attempts to bring glory to both the Imperium of Man and the Star Kraken in particular. Every Strike Cruiser maintains a rich verbal history of its deeds, and in many cases the Captain has his acolytes carve murals of notable events onto the inner walls of the vessels meeting places, known as Great Halls, as well as making trophies of vanquished foes hull. These serve not just as morale boosters to the marines aboard, but also establish certain bragging rights amongst visiting Captain's - it's almost assured that one Captain, jealous of the chitinous plating of a fallen Tyranid vessel holding the place of honour in his rival's hall, will throw himself into the next battle with fervor so that he, too, might hold such a trophy.

The Varangian Guard and the Imperium

Although the majority of Star Kraken operations are concerned with patrolling and protecting the worlds surrounding the Deep - as well as cleansing the Deep of its own internal terrors - the chapter is careful not to neglect its duty to the Imperium at large. To that end the Varangian Guard, a special company of Kraken veterans, serving aboard the Strike Cruiser Holdfast, are on permanent detachment to the Segmentum Ultima. The Holdfast itself is forbidden to enter the Deep, and instead spends time every three years on its fringes, allowing veterans from any of the ten companies to join freely - or to leave freely, if they so desire. This creates an unofficial 'Eleventh Company' of veterans, sometimes only numbering a few combat squads, other times nearing a full one hundred marines, whom serve on foreign battlefields. Only the Captain and his guard are a permanent fixture, men descended from the chapters initial migration into the Deep.

The Varangian Guard have served with distinction in many of the famous theaters of war across the sector, earning the Star Krakens an outstanding reputation for honour and ferocity, and so glorifying the Holdfast that the Captain has begun etching his victories onto the outer hull, due to a scarcity of space within the vessel's great halls.

The Grendel

The Grendel are a minor species of xenos once inhabiting a tiny band of worlds on the far fringe of the Segmentum Ultima. In the late 39th millennium they took to raiding nearby Imperial worlds; stealing weapons, crops and taking imperial citizens to serve as slaves on their bastion homeworlds. Local naval patrols were confounded in their efforts to track or pursue these raiding fleets due to a local phenomena: a dense black nebula which obfuscates all attempts to scan it. The Grendel would skim the surface of this nebula, obscuring their ships from pursuit, only to emerge and strike another world once the navy had retreated.

An individual Grendel stands at nearly seven foot, has natural claws that can rend into ceramite and is capable of great feats of natural strength. They wield unusual weapons which combine traditional firearms with cybernetic and biological components, and each firearm seems to have a different ammunition profile: from a standard metal slug, biological components such as teeth, or even an organic cocktail of nano-particles which render the victim hallucinogenic, disorientated or even diseased. This has a devastating effect on enemy forces, making it impossible for combat medics to predict just what kind of injuries they'll see after a skirmish.

Eldar

The slipperiest foes of the Chapter are easily the eldar. The Deep is an occasional raiding spot for the dark kin, but it is the craftworlders who hate them more. For a burgeoning Exodite world, formed from the evacuees of an exceptionally small and damaged craftworld, was ruined by the command of First Captain Canute, his first action as a captain, sparking the hatred of Biel-Tan, which had seen the world as another step on the road to a new eldar empire. Now they ambush the Krakens when it is feasible, and a few recruiting worlds now hold stories of vengeful ghosts that shriek their hatred for mankind.

Writefaggotry!

Tales

Short bursts of Kraken fiction, to give you a salty, briny taste of the glory to come. No homo.

Achab's Insanity

The Librarian took Achab by the elbow, urging him in a low whisper: "To be so enraged, by nothing but... But a weak xeno. Achab, it is blasphemy." Before the last word had even left his mouth he felt his Lord's arm tense, and a moment later he was violently shaken off. Achab rounded on him, one fist raised as if to strike, his ink-black eyes both seeing him and seeing nothing.

The Chapter-Master began to rant again, starting slow, building in tempo: "Speak not to me of blasphemy, man! I'd strike the Eye of Terror if it insulted me. Look outward, Barsus... All visible objects are nothing more than masks. Some inscrutable yet reasoning thing has molded their features. The Grendel... tasks me. They heap me. Yet they are but a mask. It is the thing behind the mask I hate; the malignant thing that has plagued mankind since time began. The thing that maws and mutilates our race, not killing us outright but letting us live on, with half a heart and half a lung. It is that which I hunt, and we shall not see home again 'til I have it dead at my feet. Hail all ships: Onwards, into the dark heart of the nebula!"

The Hatred of Achab

Commodore Achab stood on the scorched battlefield, steam rising off his bulk and lingering for a few moments in the pallid air. Pulling his chainsword out of the carcass in front of him he turned to his fellow Marines. The remains of several suits of power armour lay about the floor in miserable little heaps, several Marines were limping or being carried by their Brothers. "Administer the rites to the dead." Achab growled quietly, his deep voice echoing across the now silent plains. Whilst a number of the Marines started to gather up their falled brethren, one staggered towards the Commodore. His dark green armour now plastered with blood and gore from the recent skirmish, the Marine limped over to Achab. "Brother Tostvig, you will have to visit the Apothecary and get that looked at" Achab rumbled towards the Marine. Brother Tostvig looked down and saw a gigantic claw attached firmly into his thigh, the intensely sharp claws had cut straight through the armour into the Marines skin. "I could not go to them knowing my fellow Brothers were in need of more urgent care, Commodore" Tostvig answered in an equally deep rumble.

"I do not give advice, Brother Tostvig, I give orders!" Achab bellowed to the Marine, his gaze was that of carved oak, solid and unyielding. Brother Tostvig nodded and limped off to join the rest of his Brothers, Achab, surveying the landscape, overhead a quiet wheezing noise from a few metres away. He looked over and saw a green, scaly chest rising up and down, albeit very slowly. Achab's vision immediately narrowed, his blood boiled and his veins pulsed with anger. Running over to the dying Xeno, he pulled out his combat knife and plunged it into the Grendel's chest. Achab gritted his teeth and hissed at the disgusting creature "From hell's heart I stab at thee." The Commodore pulled the knife and stabbed again. The Grendel's eyes rolled into the back of it's head as it took it's last breath, under the overbearing awe of the Star Krakens Chapter Master. "For hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee." Achab continued to stab and curse the Grendel until it was nothing more than a pile of wet bone and scales.

"Damned Xeno."

The Vote of Ten Flags

It is established fact within the Chapter that, on the eve of their great battle against the murderous alliance of traitors, xenos and cowards that so thoroughly destroyed their homeworld, all of the Brother-Captain's voted unanimously to end Achab's life.

The truth is far murkier.

They met aboard his Battle Barge, not yet called Huginn, in a quiet reliquary in its depths. Above them Achab raged, pacing the bridge of his vessel, insisting two score scribes be constantly at hand to note down his ramblings, for the glory of the chapter. The first vote was cast, to the tune of three holdouts. Impassioned speeches were made, arguments and counter-arguments flew, as did fists and false accusations; of cowardice, betrayal and a spot in hell reserved for he who would turn on his Chapter Master.

The vote was taken again, eight to two. Haugr, Achab's own sergeant, standing in for the company the Chapter-Master commanded, and for the Star Kraken flagship, had changed his stance. Achab stood apart, he reasoned, and Haugr would stand with his brothers - so long as their leader was given one last chance to repent. Another hour passed, until finally young Isaias conceded. He was not concerned with betrayal, but rather with honour. He would have no part of Achab's death if it were a knife in the back or a bolt to the head whilst the great man slept, but an honourable death..? Ah, that he could endorse. Achab stood apart, but he deserved that much.

The vote was taken once more, and one last holdout remained: Vastergo, master of the scouts. He would follow his lord to the death, and no argument could assuage him. After a night spent fruitlessly battering the man with words, insults, promises, blows, the nine Brother-Captain's conceded that they could gain no traction, and instead banished him from the room. As he left he made one last plea: "Do not do this brothers. Achab may stand apart, but it is our duty as his vassals to move with him, not judge him. You are weary of war, I am as well. But what we do here borders on blasphemy... We don't have the right!"

His brothers would not swayed, and so Vastergo left, bearing none of them ill, but unable to stomach remaining in the same room as any one of his craven brethren. The vote was taken again. Nine in favour. Finally unanimous.

So it was that Achab's fate was decided, Achab who stood apart, if it was that he would continue to stand apart, would die alone tomorrow: honourably, but alone.

The Fall of Achab

The most important figure in the history of the Star Krakens is also its most reviled. Long ago, when the Star Krakens still had a home, the planet Giraud, a marine by the name of Achab was chosen to be the Chapter Master. A devoted, talented marine, his dedication to the Emperor hid a deeply obsessive nature. As the years went on he focused his attention less on the enemies of the Imperium and more upon those who he believed had besmirched the name of the Star Krakens. Eldar corsairs, Ork freebootas, xenos mercenaries, any who had crossed the path of the Star Krakens and were not completely destroyed. Soon the list expanded to include friendly forces ranging from Guard regiments who struck the decisive blow of victory, Naval fleets whose bombardments ended wars from on high, to other Astartes chapters whose mere presence alongside in battle he saw as an insult to the honor of the Star Krakens. Finally, to the cheers of those ignorant to his true nature, he announced a grand crusade to rid the sector of the enemies of Mankind. The first few years were successful, Ork strongholds shattered, the xenos mercenary bands and their Rogue Trader patrons rooted out, and uprisings and rebellions smashed by the full weight of the chapter. However, several began to doubt Achab's methods as the chapter's losses were slowly outpacing their replenishment. Soon Imperial forces began to feel his wrath as assistance requests were summarily denied, naval operations were disrupted, and even outright fighting between the Star Krakens and other forces erupted for the flimsiest of pretenses. Stretched thin and suffering from logistical problems, the Star Krakens were left weakened and vulnerable. Soon, it's enemies would come.

A most curious event in the history of the galaxy emerged. Eldar corsairs reinforced by mercenary bands joined with Rogue Traders and Ork Freebootas launched raids against the now understrength and isolated Star Kraken battle groups. Overwhelming force and numbers slowly whittled down the Star Krakens as Achab's advisors begged him to retreat and regroup at their homeworld, but Achab refused to call off his crusade. His determination led him to be dragged around the sector by wily foes as they killed his chapter piecemeal. As the losses mounted his obsession grew, promising wild riches and rewards for those who could bring down the cowards who not fight him in open battle. At last dire news reached the flagship; Giraud was under assault. The defensive fleet drifting wrecks, their fortress monastery was under direct attack from the combined forces. Achab ordered all Star Kraken forces to return immediately to Giraud but it was too late. The first ships dropped out of the Warp to witness the fall of the Star Krakens. It's fortress monastery, weapons silent, collapsing upon itself into a heap of rubble; as they watched in horror the combined firepower tore a hole through the crust and unleashed an eruption large enough to blast rocks and dust into orbit. In fire and thunder the planet Giraud ceased to be able to support life. Mad with grief and rage, Achab ordered the remnants of his chapter to follow the enemy fleet. Tracking them to a remote star system, he prepared for them to unleash a final victory upon those who destroyed their homeworld. His lieutenants pleaded with him, showing them sensor readings that indicated it was all a trap but he cast them from his war room and ordered all Star Krakens to prepare for a combined ground/space assault. That final day Achab spoke no words, resplendent in his Terminator armor he strode to the drop pods, his former lieutenants casting their glances aside.

Settling into the drop pod, his former advisers approached him one last time to call it off, to swallow his pride and find a new home for their chapter. He spit at them and cursed their names, stripping them of their honors and ranks. Ordering his troops to their pods, no one made a move. Before he realized what was happening, the doors to his pod closed. Screaming obscenities through his vox, he pounded futilely at the walls of his pod as the marines, with heavy hearts, launched him, and him alone to the enemy encampment below. Throughout his descent he never stopped cursing the Star Krakens, claiming them all to be cowards, useless little men playing soldier while he alone knew the glory and responsibility. After what seemed like hours the pod touched down and his curses and swearing gave way to rage-fueled gibberish and gunfire. The fight was brief, it's end signaled by the cruel laughter and taunts of Tarellian Dogs. As the remnents of the once mighty Star Kraken fleet turned to leave the system, the honeyed and belittling tongue of an Eldar captain sung through the vox system. Endlessly he mocked the Star Krakens for their failures and tried to provoke their wrath by insinuating the humiliations that would be visited upon the corpse of their Chapter Master. With a heavy heart, Jehu, the first of Achab's lieutenants to ask him to turn his crusade aside, told the Eldar to do what he wished with the corpse and the relics contained on the body. There was no glory contained within them anymore, no valorous history, only the story of the madman who had made them orphans.

Siewurd of Nine Nails

Even among a Chapter of frightening warriors, Siewurd of Nine Nails is a fearsome servant of Humanity. Standing at an imposing seven-and-a-half feet tall in his Power Armor, Siewurd towers over lesser warriors of the Emperor, and the intensity of The High Chaplain’s will is almost tangible, even among others of the Astartes. His black armor is decorated subtly with twisting brass-inlaid bas-relief images of tentacles, pierced with nails and writhing over his armor like vines. Beneath his traditional skull-helmet, augmented with filtration cables, is a face that has been described by the renowned Inquisitor Gaius Kajerian as “unnerving to the eye and to the spirit.” His flesh is pale and haggard, with pockmarked skin stretched thin over jutting cheekbones; scars of various kinds crisscross most of his body. His biological lower jaw has long since been taken from him, and he habitually grinds the adamantite teeth of his cybernetic prosthetic jaw. His eyes are the inkiest of black, and runic wards of protection, faith, and penance are carved into his flesh in a band that crosses his face, just below the eyes.

With his left arm, he is entrusted with the mighty Dagonssultr, The Hunger of the Deep . This terrifying weapon is a chain fist incorporating a Crozius Arcanum, and the massive saw blade is etched with holy writings and scripts of purgation and vengeance. The relic is one of the oldest weapons in the chapter, dating back to the days of Achab the Exile, and it is entitled of all High Chaplains. The weapon is worth considerably more than Siewurd himself, and his squad is entrusted to choose the Maw over the Chaplain's body, if necessary. He also wields a long power spear known as Gungnir, and occasionally a storm bolter or bolt pistol when ranged combat is required. Siewurd’s right arm is a far different story. Much earlier in his life as an Astartes, when he was a newly appointed Chaplain in the Fourth Company, he was entrusted to lead a mission onto the world of Jjojos, a noxious sulfur world that had been belched out of the Deep quite suddenly. Their task was to conduct initial reconnaissance for the planet, and determine whether or not further monitoring of the world would be required. With a hearty squad of ten Krakens, all trained for battle, the Astartes landed on the sulfur world and quickly located signs of life; ruins of the hated Eldar, long since abandoned…or so it seemed.

What the Astartes could not detect was an ancient Eldar communications array, and the presence of the Battle-Brothers triggered its reactivation…and the reactivation of its Wraithguard protectors. The bony constructs caught the Battle-Brothers off guard, and although they fought bravely, there were simply too many. By the time the group returned to the Thunderhawk transport they arrived on to make their mistake, only two of the original party survived; a certain Brother Majnus and Siewurd himself. Although their deaths were in no way Siewurd’s direct fault, he blamed himself for their deaths, and grieved greatly for it. In self-inflicted penance, he drove nine long runic nails into his arm, one for each of his fallen brothers, and he displays these nails openly as a sign of what he considers to be his greatest failure. Siewurd is not the kind to forget, and since his earliest days as a Chaplain he has vowed to dedicate his life to nothing but the service of the chapter. Around his fellow Battle-Brothers he is cold, distant, and eerily silent; when he speaks, it is in gravelly tones and short words. There are, however, two exceptions to this behavior. The first is his oratory, legendary among the chapter for its complexity, intensity, and solemnity. The second is his skill with the ritual Hymns of the chapter, and when these complex sagas are performed, it is often Siewurd’s deep resonance that carries the furthest and the loudest.

Teuthys Addresses the Drowned

They stood in almost complete darkness, silent save for the subtle rustling and shifting of their armour plate and mechadendrites. The vast launch bay was almost totally unlit save for the eerie glow of the Chaplain's armour, it's bioluminescent engravings wavering and shifting like moonlight through seawater.

"Remember!", Chaplain Teuthys whispered, his voice rippling through the silence.

"Remember Achab. Remember his sins. He was weak. He succumbed to obsession. He succumbed to the desire for vengeance. He succumbed to warlust, and his passion weighed him down like a great stone.

Achab drowned himself! Achab nearly drowned his chapter with his hubris. But we, the pure... We do not drown. Our lungs are full of saltwater and our eyes stare into the dark. We do not drown. WE RISE."

The air reverberated with the slow moaning rumble of the Dreadnoughts as they sang the Hymn to the Deep.

Judgement by the Void

Though the Star Krakens are ruthlessly efficient warriors with no mercy for their targets, they do occasionally take prisoners from raids. Being captured as a prisoner of the Krakens is a fate so horrible, even rumors of the treatment of the prisoners are spoken with hushed whispers and superstitious sailor's gestures. The prisoners are kept encased in chains on their journey to Mobius, in solitude and darkness. Eyes covered, they are carried each to special isolation chambers built on to the side of the station and rechained hand and foot to a cross shaped adamantium rack. Rumors say that the prisoners are left like this for up to a week before anyone returns to them, subsisting only on the dripping briny water from above their covered heads. Suddenly, when all hope is lost to the prisoner, the door will re-open. Footsteps approach the rack, and the somber and unforgiving tone of a chaplain of the Krakens will begin to read to the prisoner of one of the rites of drowning: the Trial by the Void.

"Lament! Lament brothers, for this one has been judged UNCLEAN in the eyes of the Emperor. He has not felt the void! He has not drunk of the oceans and lived to tell the tale! Lament that this man must be initiated to the righteous path so late into his existence. He has cried out, that he is prepared for your benevolent touch. For what other reason could one summon forth the wrath of the Kraken?". The Chaplain then removes the overhead woolen bag from the prisoner, allowing him to gaze upon him in his faintly glowing robes in the otherwise dark chamber. "Allow this cretin the chance to join the blessed in the deep, and see the truth." The footsteps fade away once again, before the door latches more securely than before.

There begins a creaking noise, slowly followed by a pop and suction. The wall of the chamber the prisoner faces is opened wide to the void, leaving them gasping and thrashing on the rack. Inevitably all prisoners cease their thrashing, and fall limp in the chains, at which point the chamber is closed once more and the Chaplain resuscitates them. "Oh glorious father, this one is not prepared to join you yet. Allow us this opportunity to test his willingness to become one of the drowned." The chaplain then turns questioningly to the prisoner, who undoubtedly is unable to draw enough breath to reply to him. "This unworthy one chooses silence in the presence of the void. He shall be allowed to think on his sins, and perhaps in the next case he shall be more repentant." Prisoners are then left, for days on end in silence and darkness, chained to their rack. Unable to move, see or hear and kept alive by the chapter's servitors administering injections to them nightly upon their collapse, the prisoners are kept in their cells for time eternal from their perspective.

The chaplains return when they feel it is appropriate, to administer the rite once more, posing the question once again upon resuscitation of the prisoner. Eventually, their mind breaks from the solitude and exposure to the inky black of the void. It is said that the prison wing of Mobius echoes with the screams of prisoners, begging to be allowed to drown...

The Council of Ten-Flags

When the chapter’s fleet was founded, it was the first Chapter Master Huskor the Wailer who called the ten captains of his ten companies and declared: “You are my best! You are the ones I trust with guiding the troops and guiding our ships and I do so without fear or worry! So it is only fair I trust you to speak your mind and demand the proper support for your ships, each! Thus, you ten shall be my council – Represent your ship with your flag, and carry it with you when you come together. The Chapter Master who succeeds me shall be handpicked by me from among the ten of you, and he shall heed your counsel as you all shall serve him with wisdom and reason, and this shall be the same for all Chapter Masters who follow. I shall fulfil my part of this oath in all my lifetime and I shall see that all my successors shall do the same.”

The council would later be increased, as the captains were allowed to bring a retinue of two of their choosing from their crew with them to advise them in their thoughts and discussions. The captains would take their most trusted lieutenants and sergeants, sometimes even their first mate who would otherwise overlook the ship in the captain’s absence. So it was, the Council of Ten-Flags was part of the Star Krakens since its beginning, and for decades before Achab’s madness, the battle brothers would shorten the name to the “Ten-Flag council”, as it was not their nature to speak in flowery terms. And then the madness began: Chapter Master Achab, later to be known as “Achab who stood alone” would sacrifice his proud chapter of then 1500 brothers for the single-minded, reckless pursuit of vengeance and hatred. Fearing for their existence, the Ten-Flag council conspired against him and led the rest of the chapter to abandon their Chapter Master at the peak of a great battle that would have consumed them all.

After they had abandoned Achab in his mad pursuit, the remaining captains of the fleet were in dispute: Whom of them should they appoint to the position of Chapter Master? Their rivalling nature left all of them claiming the most competence for the position. Eventually, Brother-Captain Alfonsius of the 4th company, then commandeering captain of strike cruiser “The Trident”, stepped forth, with his ship’s first mate, sergeant Njord Egilson of his veteran boarding unit and the ship’s Chaplain Lyrion backing his daring claim: “A kraken may have one head, but he has many arms. Each of our ships is but an arm, yet only our unity will form a head. Thus”, he spoke, “All of us shall be as one - when each arm grasps the same prey. In that time, one shall lead us, and he shall be not more than the first among equals: Choose one who shall take the old Chapter Master’s seat and he shall be Commodore of the fleet. And he also shall be the face of the chapter, for there will be many who will seek audience, Who will wish the Kraken to surface and hail them. The commodore shall be the chapter’s voice from out of the Deep and he shall present the outsiders’ wishes to the chapter, so that these council members, who are all part of the head as well as each arm may discuss and decide. For as it has always been tradition of the worlds from which we draft our initiates: all men must agree on a matter before it is settled.”

Inspired by his words, some rose to applaud, but then Birgir Brynjarrson, then captain of the 8th and strike cruiser “Hafgufa” intervened: “How can we be sure that this one we choose does not succumb to the same warmongering like Achab Who Stood Alone? I see wisdom in your words, brother Alfonsius, but we must make sure this one does not grow too fond of his strength – And as is tradition of the fringe worlds from whence our initiates hail, only those of proven worth shall claim leadership and they must prove their worth time and time again. I say for every century that passes in the Deep, a new Commodore shall be chosen from among this council, and if one of the council finds the commodore lacking in his abilities to lead, it shall be allowed at all times that one of the Ten Flags may challenge him for his leadership. I shall not agree until this demand is met!”

Alfonsius grew wary of his Brother-Captain, fearing for a cleverly disguised scheme to take control, but agreed nevertheless because the arguments of Birgir were still sound and wise, and so did the whole of the Ten-Flag council. Right then, they chose Argonnár of the 3rd company and captain of strike cruiser “Lantern Bearer” to be their first Commodore of the new Ten-Flag council, for he was known to be the most patient among them, striking not before necessary or before the blow would be most devastating. With this as their leader, most of the Star Krakens became very secretive, leaving all public service to their serving Commodore and estranging themselves even further from the Imperium.

That is, until the recognition of the Varangian Guard.

Zyou Gunthrop and The Iconoclast Fleet

Zyou Eloise Adila Guntrhrop the Ninth, Duchess of Aldervenge, Marquess of Nokaige, Baron of Karkett-Upon-the-Stars. Born the second child of the Duke of Aldervenge by his third wife, she was raised and educated for lifelong military service as was custom for the second child in her family. Due to her family's high rank, third cousins to the sector governor, she was commissioned captain of the battle cruiser Lament of Bosphor, where she spent the first five decades of her career. Following the Purge of Islafax and the subsequent downfall of the Hemogene naval dynasty, she secured her position of subsector Admiral and it's flagship, the Judgement's Contempt. Following two decades of uneventful service, she thrust herself into the annals of villainy when she led her fleet in the Puryos campaign.

The Cardinal world of Puryos had come under the assault of the Ork Warboss Thrunn "Two-Hed" Deddkilly and a massive naval fleet gathered to protect them planet along with its numerous shrines and basilicas. During the battle several of the world's cathedral's and pilgrimage sites in areas protected by Gunthrop's fleet were obliterated by orbital bombardment. A full inquiry was launched, and Gunthrop threw herself upon the mercy of the inquiry taking all the blame and offering the rest of her life in crusade as atonement. Unfortunately for her, the inquiry discovered that Gunthrop belonged to a denomination of the Imperial Creed that viewed that viewed veneration of saints and relics as impiety and idolatry. This, along with evidence of Imperial weaponry being used to destroy some of the sites, led to her excommunication and death warrants placed upon her and her captains. However, her spies within the inquiry informed her of this information coming to light and, before said evidence could be revealed, Gunthrop sailed her fleet from Puryos.

Using her connections, both familial and military, she remained ahead of her pursuers for decades as her crews believed themselves to be on a pentient crusade; her fleet swelling in numbers with captured Chartist vessels and ships from small naval detachments unfortunate enough to cross her path. After hearing of the Deep and the fabulous archeotech array contained within, she turned her fleet towards the Star Krakens to wrench the Deep away from them and claim it as her personal fiefdom. Feeling secure in her numerical superiority, the Iconoclasm fleet was unprepared for the extent of the navigational and communication difficulties imposed upon them by the Deep. Her advance forces outmaneuvered by the Star Kraken fleet, the Astartes threw themselves directly at her capital ships while using weapons unknown to disable her escort ships. The battle ended when the Judgment's Lament was rammed by an enemy vessel which detonated its magazines while embedded in the damaged battleship. Though its flagship destroyed and Gunthrop's fate unknown, the Iconoclasm Fleet still remains, an opportunistic predator that hunts the distant spaceways for unwary prey.

The Freyrsvero

An ancient Dominator-class cruiser, the Freyrsvero was found adrift in the nebula, nonfunctional and with no crew, living or dead, onboard. Years were spent repairing the ship to add to the Kraken's fleet. However, the machine spirits that inhabited the vessel had gone mad and the ship attempted to attack any vessel or facility within range regardless of commands given. The ship was mothballed and the techmarines and bonded techpriests of the Star Krakens spent three centuries attempting to appease the spirits without avail. The ship sat unpowered and unmanned until the renegade fleet of Admiral Zyou Gunthrop, declared Excommunicate Traitoris for her iconoclasm, approached the nebula intent on capturing Huginn and Muninn. Outnumbered three to one in ships, the Krakens crewed and rearmed the Freyrsvero and set it in the path of the oncoming fleet. Backed by the Star Kraken fleet and their death song on their lips, the Freyrsvero roared to life. With the Lighthouse beacon disabling approaching enemy vessels, the Freyrsvero wreaked havoc upon the escort vessels of the Iconoclast fleet before plunging at Gunthrop's flagship, Judgment's Contempt.

The flagship's guns shattered the Freyrsvero 's void shields and it's lances burned gouges deep within it's armor. As the rest of the Kraken's fleet watched helplessly, entangled in combat with the enemy forces, as the Freyrsvero was slowly blown apart; it's weapon decks ripped open by macrocannon fire as its crew burned alive in the wash of plasma flames. Deep within the dying systems the machine spirits let loose one last scream of hatred and fury and plunged the Freyrsvero into the Judgment's Contempt. Her armored prow split open the armor of the Judgment's Contempt like an axe upon bare flesh. As she shuddered to a stop the remaining Nova Cannon shells in her magazines were detonated, vaporizing a full quarter of the Judgment's Contempt 's mass and knocking it out of the fight.

Wotan Hamiltonius

To those new to the Star Krakens Sixth Company, the aura of awe and reverence that surrounds Techmarine Wotan Hamiltonius seems to have no basis. He is small for a Marine, mild-mannered and completely blind, rejecting any occular implants. Those veterans who remember the Battle of Aegir's Shoal are quick to correct any misconceptions. The Shoal's Imperial outposts were under heavy attack from a Tyranid splinter fleet, and the Kraken fleet rushed to their aid. During the resulting battle, the Lighthouse suffered heavy damage. Pulling back from the field, it was pursued by an aggressive Tyranid suicide-ship, intent on clinging to the ship and dragging it down to oblivion. While in the process of making repairs to the limping Battle-Barge, Hamiltonius was dragged overboard by a gravity current, his helmet torn off by a near-mortal impact with the edge of the hull. Decompression set in rapidly, and his comrades thought him lost as his body drifted into the path of the damaged Lighthouse's flickering beam. As the dying Techmarine crossed the beam, however, his Machine-spirits called out to Huginn and the ancient machine responded. The energy of the beam enervated him, and casting off his helmet Hamiltonius drifted alone in space, blood pouring from the sockets where his occular implants had overloaded.

What happened next is a matter of hearsay, but the most prevalent rumor is that the Tech-Marine rode the beam directly at the heart of the Tyranid beast, tearing it to shreds with his armoured fists. Though Hamiltonius refuses to comment on the Battle of Aegir's Shoal, to this day he seems perfectly comfortable in a vacuum without a helmet, and shows greater agility and dexterity while blind than most of his fully-sighted battle-brothers do.

A Meeting with the Ancient Mariner

Audvald didn't know what to think, as the vessel filled the view screen. It was old and dilapidated, but the name was still as bold in it's burnished gold as it was in life. The Albatross, Asylum for the Ancient Mariner.

His boots echoed upon the tarnished decks of the once proud vessel, he could only imagine that clamor of thralls and astartes going about their business. Now? Only the slight creaking of the worn grav-plates.

"Why are you here, young Kraken? Have you come to hear of glories old... or glories anew?" There was a single man sitting upon the command throne, huddled and skeletal. The Ancient Mariner. The old captain of the Albatross. Sightless eyes gazed at Audvald.

"I see you, young Kraken. I see who you might be. I see you taking a foolish path, the first step visiting this tomb." He laughed, a raspy sound that echoed in the chamber.

"Oh, but the glory that would be yours! The honours that would be heaped upon you! Songs will be sung of your deeds. But..." He turned his head to the side. "That path does not see you living through the century. But you are at a fork in a road, two paths divergent. The other path, I see silver and black. I see hideous monsters who's baying cries you answer with the silent of the Deeps. Savior of the Imperium, time and time again... but with no one to know." He stroked his chin, once more looking at Audvald.

"Hnnn... what do you choose? Glory and death... or servitude and life. It does not matter. My throat is dry and I tire of your continued presence. Leave this place, you have your Rime."

Rolling Krakens

There was a clatter, followed almost instantly by a slam. The two more. Slam, slam, slam. Three objects impacted against the metal, and the tension in the atmosphere cracked up another notch. Creaks issued through the air as the objects were shifted and the things they contained were examined. For a few seconds, no-one spoke. Then a voice issued out.

“Three threes”

“Raise, four threes”

“Six fours”

“Hmm... seven fours”

“I call that, you fool”

With those words, the three figures that sat around the metal table raised their leather cups from the surface. Under the cups were ebony dice, five apiece, with small black spots marking the numbers, all except one. Each die had its one represented artfully by a twisting Kraken image, startlingly black on the bleached white. The players all glared at their opponents dice, and the one who had spoken most recently tossed his cup away and cursed. There were only six fours evident among the fifteen dice.

“By the depths, I thought I had you there Gêrôr, I really did”

“Hah, you’ll have to get up earlier than that to out bluff me, Harjek. Hand it over”

The marine named Harjek sighed, and tossed a die over to the gloating Gêrôr. Once again, the three marines raised the leather cups and shock them vigorously, before slamming them onto the table and examining their own dice. Gêrôr started again, casually letting his eyes skim across the six dice under his cup. Then he made his bid.

“Five fives”

“Step carefully, bold one. Six fives”

“Your one to talk. I call that”

Delmore wore a wolfish grin, while Gêrôr was yet to lose the serene, unreadable expression he employed while his dice were down. Harjek kept up his facade of brash confidence for a few second, until the dice were once again revealed. His were the only sixes, bringing their number to only four. With a grunt, he pushed a die to the third marine at the table. His battle brother’s grin widened still further at his ill grace.

“Cheer up ‘Jek, not everyone can understand the laws of probability. At least you can shoot a bolter. Granted, you never hit anything, but you always work out how to pull the trigger”

Harjek, who was an excellent marksman, wagged a finger at Delmore.

“We’ll just see about that. Again”

And so the game continued. Known as liar’s dice, the game was a popular way of killing time and gaining bragging rights amongst the fourth company. It was all about making calculated guesses on the results of the dice, based on the ones you could see and the bids your opponents had made. The astartes held almost everything in common, so the games were mostly played for honour. Sometimes small trophies or trinkets would change hands, or one astartes would wager a favour to another.

In many space marine chapters, either free time is non-existent or leisure activities are frowned upon. In the Star Krakens, time between battles could stretch from weeks to months and sometimes even to years. Patrolling the deep was hard without sensory equipment, and it took a long time to locate an enemy. Every marine was mindful to keep their skills sharp and their gear well treated, but there is a limit to how many times you can clean a bolter before you’re just wasting polish. The same was true of training or the discussion of tactics. The longer the marines were away from a battle, the more free time they were allowed, to a maximum of about an hour a day.

Now Gêrôr had almost all the dice under his cup, with Delmore retaining a single cube and Harjek’s cup completely empty. Gêrôr was yet to lose a game to the other two, and they were beginning to focus entirely on stealing dice from their irritatingly calm brother. It never seemed to work though. He would give nothing away, his manner and face held completely rigid, until every dice was his. Then he would let a smug, self satisfied smile slide across his face as he separated the dice back into the separate cups.

If there was time, he generally offered another game, but today they had already played through their allowance of time. It was time for another seven hours of training, followed by the cleaning of their armour and weapons. Marines never grumbled about their training or intense schedules, for they enjoyed the simulated battle as much as the games. The only complaints you would hear from a Star Kraken would be about how long it had been since they had tasted the heady thrill of battle, except in the fourth company. Occasionally, one of the battle brothers would comment on the obviously fractured command structure, and the way most meetings of the three points ended with either Nymar or Olavi storming out. All was not well aboard The Trident, but perhaps things were about to change. Prey had just been sighted...

Chronicles

Collected in this section are longer tales of the Star Kraken, their champions and their exploits. To be considered a 'chronicle' the fiction must exceed 1000 words. Many of these do so in spades.

The Depth-crossing Ritual

A curious young Inquisitor seeks to discover the dark secret hidden by the isolated Marine chapter, only to find himself blocked at every turn "for his own safety"

The Depth-crossing Ritual

All Hands on Deck

Renegade Pirate Caglish and his dread crew of pirates find the vessels around the Deep to easy pickings, until the day they suddenly find themselves the prey.

All Hands on Deck

Initiation Rites

Brother-Captain Isaias travels to a desolate world on the edge of the Deep, there to collect twelve young recruits - the price owed to the Star Kraken by a formerly enslaved people.

Initiation Rites

Black Fist Boarding

Harjek and his hardened squadron - the Black Fist of the Fourth Company - launch a vicious assault on an Ork vessel.

Black Fist Boarding

Can't Keep a Void Dog Down

A mysterious vessel adrift on the fringes of the Deep attracts the attention of the Eighth Company and Captain Tyr, who find things aboard are less clear cut than they first appear to be...

Can't Keep a Void Dog Down

The Nautalica Action

The Kraken tell a legend of a dark moment in their history, before the fall of Achab, when they came to blows with certain of their kin around the wasted moon of Nautalica. Chapter scholars today debate the veracity of this tale, unsure if it is indeed history or just a cautionary tale to warn neophytes against hubris, but still it lingers on...

The Nautalica Action

We Rise

A tale that chronicles the events that caused the naming of fourth company's first tactical squad, Squad Black Fist.

We Rise

The Fear of Death

Moyokll and Siewurd, two titans of the Star Kraken, prove that sometimes words can be the most powerful weapons...

The Fear of Death

"Negotiations"

Out of thrones, out of time, out of luck and in unfriendly seas? What's a Void Dog to do when his Cruiser is in need of repairs?

"Negotiations"

Sin of the Chapter

The Albatross and Helvellyn

Characters

Amongst the Star Kraken several names are known to all, either through glory or infamy. These are just a few of the champions whose names are upon the lips of many young aspirants whom seek to join the Star Krakens.

Commodore Achab

The deceased Commodore of the Star Krakens. Nearly brought ruin to the chapter, reducing them from a 1500-man overstrength chapter to a brotherhood of barely 800 souls through his insane and suicidal campaigns. Died after being abandoned by the chapter.

The Mariner

The captain of the Albatross, a Star Kraken vessel that was lost and presumed destroyed. Years later it returned, the only survivor it's captain, who was discovered amidst the bodies of his brothers, who had died gruesome deaths fighting creatures of the Warp to protect their Captain. The Mariner is said to catch glimpses of the future through his madness, and initiates visit the haunted shell of the Albatross to hear his predictions, and to learn the lesson of sin and condemnation from their oldest brother.

Wotan Hamiltonius

Wotan is the techmarine hero and revered engineer of the Star Krakens. Although completely blind and without ocular implants, it is said he fights as well as any of his sighted brethren.

Mokoyll The Great Destroyer

Canute Mokoyll is amongst the oldest of the veterans of the Star Krakens, having inherited captaincy from Sweyn Frok two centuries ago. He sits as the First Company's representative on the Ten-Flag Council. Mokoyll is a leviathan of a man, tall even for a space marine, and minor modifications have been made neccesary for him to wear the tactical dreadnought armor. His right eye is a mutli-optical bionic replacement, made on his request to better aid him in the dark and lightless space-hulks he frequents.

His trademark equipment includes the relic hammer which he has dubbed Alffinnur, which he retrieved from the wreckage of a world under his first command, as well as his heavily customised tactical dreadnought armour. He has adorned his armour with additional ablative ceramite plating from the numerous ships he has breached with his company, along with decorations using the bio-luminescent markings common among the chapter's decorations. Canutes eyes are set firmly on leadership, not just as first among equals. His goal is to become Commodore, Chapter Master of the Star Krakens.

Siewurd of Nine Nails

Siewurd is the feared High Chaplain of the Star Krakens. A cold and haughty figure, he speaks with a hoarse voice and grinds on the metal teeth of his cybernetic jaw. The High Chaplain is known for his harsh expectations of faith from his fellow brothers. Siewurd's title comes from the nine runic nails he pierced into his right arm in penance for a sin he committed early in his command. He wields the mighty relic Dagonssultr, a chainfist that incorporates a Crozius Arcanum into it.

Captain Olaus The Mangled

Surtr Olaus is a deeply superstitious and cynical man, known for his mistrust of his fellow Astartes. He received his name due to extensive injuries he received at the ill-fated Revolt of Zjoldus during his time in the Deathwatch. Half of his face, his left arm, his right forearm, most of his chest, and both of his legs have been destroyed and replaced with cybernetic prosthetics. He commands the mighty strike cruiser Balmung, and in battle he wields the mighty power-sword Lævateinn.

Hymnals and Prayers

The Star Kraken have a rich oral tradition, something they've carried with them from the cradle of their homeworld into the cold depths of space. Sampled below are some of the more popular hymns and prayers of the Kraken, recited during Crossing Ceremonies and other ritualistic moments aboard each Strike Cruiser (dependent on the zeal of its Brother-Captain.)

In Darkness Dwells

In Darkness Dwells that fearsome might

Which heeds its summons to our side

Through war and battle, brawl and fight,

On black tides our boats will ride

From strange home to stranger ports still

Roaming the depths, as is our fate

On ancients ships, by Emperor’s will

On the void’s winds that deliver our hate

Ten flags of ten heroes, lost in the dark

To resurface again when the time is right

Manned by the lost ones is the old ark

Hear the oars strike in the sea with no light

To chapter and master I now speak my vow

To ship and crew I give my life

Emperor guide me to fight your foes now

Emperor guide me to win in this strife

“Arise, arise!” the kraken is beckoned

“Arise, arise!” with ten ship bells

“Arise, arise!" all foes shall be reckoned

“Arise, arise!" in darkness dwells!

On Black Tides

In darkness dwells that fearsome might

Which heeds its summons to our side

Through war and battle, brawl and fight,

On black tides our blows do ride.

From a strange home we sail toward ports stranger still,

On ships ancient and weary with weapons striking true

In Death's name we travel, the Old King claims our kill

Our guns blaze blood hot, our enemies lay corpse blue