Nevermourn

"Rejoice! For the Great Host has heard your yearning cries, and has sent his children to deliver you into His embrace."

- Planet-wide Vox Transmission, intercepted before a devastating Nevermourn raid

The Nevermourn are a warband of Chaos Space Marines devoted to the Chaos God of Longing, Praxia. Afflicted with a daemonic "blessing" constantly bombards their minds with the longing desires of every being in the galaxy, the Nevermourn search the galaxy for these individuals, hoping to recruit them into the service of Praxia. All those who stand in their way are slaughtered in the name of the Lord of the Outcast.

Dark Beginnings
The Nevermourn were originally a Chapter of Loyalist Space Marines known as the Iron Brothers, a 15th founding successor chapter of the mighty Ultramarines. At first they were a young and proud chapter, fighting the enemies of Man in the name of their Emperor and their Primarch. But as the Centuries wore by, the Iron Brother began to notice that for all the victories they had won, for all the monsters they had faced in the name of the God-Emperor, they never received any attention or praise for their great victories. They were, overlooked, overshadowed, and slowly the Iron Brothers began to become bitter, which eventually began to turn into hatred.

The final straw was drawn when the Iron Brothers fought alongside their Ultramarine progenitors on the Hive World of Nacris. The two chapters had joined forces, the Iron Brothers being led by none other than their Chapter Master Charon Icris, fough against a Tau occupation on the Hive World. The campaign was long and brutal, but in the end the Astartes prevailed. However, when the now liberated citizens of Nacris rejoiced, all their praise was directed towards the Ultramarines. When Charon asked the Ultramarine Captain why his battle-brothers were not celebrted as well, for they had fough and bled just as the Ultramarines had, the Captain unwisely answered; "Why not? We are the Ultramarines." This response threw Charon into a fit of rage, and he attacked and nearly killed the upstart.

As punishment for this act, not just Charon, but his entire Chapter, was sentaced to a Penitence Crusade through the Eye of Terror. Charon chafed as this unjust punishment, for surely it was only he that needed to be punished? But nonetheless, the Iron Brothers departed, unknowingly sealing their fate.

The Longing Desire
For nearly a half a century did the Iron Brothers fight against Daemons and Traitor Marines alike, moving from one warp-tainted hellhole to the next. Many Astartes died, and many more went insane from sheer exposure to the warp, or even worse, fell to the temptations of the Ruinous Powers, forcing the Iron Brothers to put down their own. Now more than ever they longed, not for recognition, but for an end to the torment, for the safety of his battle-brothers. But no respite was forthcoming, and the numbers of the Iron Brothers began to dwindle even further. Little did they know, that their longing desires had attracted the attention of a massively powerful denizen of the Warp.

A sudden shift the the empyrean suddenly transported what remained of the Iron Brother's fleet to a strange realm. Landing, Chapter Master Charon and his battle-brothers found themselves in an enormous desert of slate-grey sand, overcast by a storm-wracked sky. Hordes of Daemons, the likes of which the Iron Brothers had never seen, emerged from the dunes, but suprisingly did not attack the Space Marines. Instead the Daemons sheperded the Iron Brothers towards a massive lake of quicksilver-like fluid, where Charon, overcome by a sudden urge, touched the pool.

Bursting from the depths of the lake came a massive figure, twice as tall as a Space Marine, every inch of it's grey flesh covered with mournful faces. Charon had never seen this figure before, yet somehow he knew him. He had heard their yearning pleas, and he had answered, pulling the Iron Brothers from the Eye of Terror and welcoming them into his realm with open arms. He was the god of Longing, the Great Host, the Lord of the Outcast. He was Praxia.

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Warband Culture
"You will join Him, or you will die. Choose."

- Charon the Thrice-Blessed, Lord of the Nevermourn

Devoted to Praxia in all things, the Nevermourn's title is far more literal than one might think. Everywhere they go, the same simplistic smile is plastered on their faces, a smile that has disturbed and enraged allies and enemies alike time and time again. This is because the Nevrmourn are genuinely happy, they are content as they are servants of a God they believe to have saved them rather than damned them, content in their simple duty of bringing all life under the control of the God of Longing, and take a simple joy in annihilating those who will not join them in their worship.

But even still, the Nevermourn still long for one thing, silence. The daemon-curse that afflicts them assaults their mind with the longing wishes of every living soul. The Nevermourn thus take it upon themselves to silence these voices by either bringing them into the worship of Praxia, or silencing them permanently. The constant chatter in their heads has drives most if not all of the Nevermourn mad, and as a result they etch the snippets of the voices on their armor and even into their flesh, covering themselves with strange phrases like the inside of a madman's cell. Thus, the Nevermourn are considered depraved and deranged even by the loose standards of Chaos, the well-known followers of a little-known deity.

The Nevermourn look upon loyalists and other servants of Chaos with a strange mixture of pity and hope. Pity, that these "unbelivers" have divorced themselves from the embrace of Praxia, but hope that they might one day see what they are truly missing, and thus will embrace the God of Longing with their hearts and souls. The Nevermourn are quite willing to work with other Warbands, but only if it benefit's their own goal. However. the Nevermourn are abhored by the servants of Nurgle, as the rivalry between the Plague God and Praxia is well known to them.

Organization
The Nevermourn number only 800 Chaos Space Marines (currently), and thus bolster their ranks with thousands if not millions of Praxian Chaos Cultists. Their main organization is relatively simple, Charon and his lieutenants making up the leadership of the Nevermourn, other Chaos Space Marines below them serving as the main fighting force of the warband, and Chaos Cultists serving as cannon fodder and meatshields. In addition: the Nevermourn also have several specialist ranks:

The Cabal
The Cabal was originally formed from what remained of the Iron Brother's Librarius, now a group of powerful Chaos Sorcerer's, who's exact numbers are unknown. While powerful in combat, the Cabal's main purpose is the summoning of Praxian Daemons, as their combined strength is enough to tear a hole in the Materium, letting the forces of the Lord of the Outcast into the material realm. However, on his own a member of the Cabal is able summon lesser Praxian Daemons such as Twisted Hosts or even Jackals of Praxia, which are used as shock troops by the Nevermourn.

The Grey Talons
The elite fast attack force of the Nevermourn, the Grey Talons are a group of 100 Chaos Raptors of a very different breed. When they attack, rather than the trademark shrieks of the Raptors, the Grey Talons fight in complete, bone-chilling silence, even as they fall upon their unfortunate victims. Even their jump packs are whisper-silent, allowing them to jump completely out of the blue and surprise their opponents. Each armed with a pair of jagged Lightning Claws and wearing their signature slate-grey power armor, the Grey Talons are by far the most terrifying force within the Nevermourn.

Those Who Hear
The honorific title given to the Nevermourn's small cadre of Praxian Daemon-Possessed Chaos Space Marines, each one driven beyond the point of insanity by the constant whispering of the voices inside of their heads. These living engines of destruction are only used as a last resort by the Nevermourn, as once unleashed, Those Who Hear are near impossible to restrain. Grotesque parodies of the Space Marines they once were, Those Who Hear are massive creatures, their grey armor fused with silver-scaled flesh. Their hands are warped into massive claws or fused with the weapons they wielded before their transformation. Their only unchanged feature is their faces, although their mouths have become chasms of serpentine fangs and little else.

Those Who Hear are deployed only to devastate the opponent's forces, as their mournful fury is amazingly hard to coerce once roused. When released, the possessed marines will rip apart their opposition until they themselves are killed (which is no small feat) or they have ripped the enemy into bloody shreds.

Favored Tactics
"We are one cohesive body, brought together by the will of The Great Host. You may slow us, but you will not stop us."

- Unknown Nevermourn Chaos Marine

Even after their corruption, the Nevermourn still use the same combat tactics as when they were the Iron Brothers. This mostly entails deploying large quantities of Chaos Marines via drop pod, which the Nevermourn happen to have a prestigious amount of. Using simultaneous deep strikes on to enemy locations and even directly into enemy lines, the Nevermourn plunge directly into the thick of combat. Once on the ground, the Nevermourn attack with chainsword and blade, or at close range with a bolter, caring little for their own safety. However, the Nevermourn also utilize Cultists, deploying hordes of their fanatical minions to distract the enemy and draw them away from the Nevermourn's main assault.

Alongside the standard Chaos Space Marines are the Grey Talons, who are by far the most deadly of the Nevermourn's assailants. Gliding on silent jump packs, the Grey Talons are usually sent in via drop prod at the outskirts of a battle, as to get drop on enemy forces. Additional forces are sometimes sent in the form of a Sorcerer of the Cabal, usually accompanied by a a host of Praxian Daemons. If the battle goes badly for the Nevermourn, then they deploy Those Who Hear, sending the Possessed Marines to ravage the enemy until their is nothing left.

Recruitment
The Nevermourn typicaly recruit from the youngest members of their cultist forces, who they view as the most "worthy" to join the rank's of Praxia's chosen. Once selected, the aspirant is subjected to a horrific ritual by the Cabal, known simply as The Rite. The Rite afflicts the aspirant with the daemon-curse that afflicts the whole of the Nevermourn's Chaos Marines, opening the young man's mind to the longing desires of every sentient being in the galaxy. If the aspirant's mind is not torn apart by the experience, then he is deemed worthy of his acension, and is implanted with the Nevermourn's gene-seed by one of their few remaining apothecaries. However, often times the process fails and aspirant is killed in the process, as some of the Nevermourn's gene-stock has become faulty or corrupted.

Warband Fleet
The Nevermourn have no permanent base, moving from planet to planet in their fleet. The fleet is mostly made up of support craft, along with a few Strike Cruisers, but it's most prominent vessels are:
 * The Silver Storm - The Battle Barge that Charon and his battle-brother first embarked into the Eye of Terror with, The Silver Storm has long since become the flagship of the Nevermourn. Corrupted and twisted by the power of the warp, this massive cruiser is fitted with all manner of daemonic weaponry, enough to devastate a small enemy fleet all on it's own. It is the harbinger of destruction, as whenever The Silver Storm appears in orbit of a planet, another world burns and the ship departs with new followers in it's hold.
 * The Cage - This old battle-barge, once a proud vessel of the Ultramarines, has since then been transformed into a hellish prison ship. Within it's darkened corridors lie those the Nevermourn have captured, unwilling captives to be sacrificed to the God of Longing. The Cage also holds a large number of Those Who Hear, and is primarily used to transport these malformed fiends.

Charon the Thrice-Blessed
"I can hear a thousand voices in my head, all of them, yearning, crying, mourning, longing. I won't stop until these voices are silenced!"

- Charon

The Chaos Lord of the Nevermourn, Charon is a depraved madman amongst madmen, the only one in the galaxy to be touched by the "divine" hand of Praxia. He earned his title, the Thice-Blessed, because he is the only being in existence to be granted not one but three Chaos gifts from the God of Longing. The first gift was a Mark of Praxia, which he received when he first swore to become the Herald of the Great Host, allowing him to fight with a fervor matched by only the most passionate of zealots. The second was a Daemon Weapon of Praxia, the massive daemon-possessed axe Krevenoss, named after the Twisted Host that inhabits the weapon. He earned Krevenoss after "liberating" the underhivers of the Hive World Gomar's Folley, and bringing nearly a million souls into Praxia's embrace. The third and final blessing came when Charon and his Nevermourn claimed the Ultramarine Battle-Barge Valorous and slaughtered it's crew, transforming it into the hellship known as The Cage. This act granted Charon his final "blessing", an Aura of Covetousness.

Charon is a monster of a Space Marine, nearly eight feet tall, and clad in silver-grey terminator armor, decorated in a lunatic's scrawl of strange phrases, as well as mournful faces that have been sculpted into the grey adimantium, and blasphemous symbols of Praxia. He wields the two-handed Daemon-Axe Krevenoss, who's diamond hard edge drips with silvery acid, and a Storm Bolter is mounted on his left gauntlet, fed by an ammo belt from his backpack. Charon wears no helmet, and thus the teardop mark of Praxia burned into his forhead is visible for all to see. Finally, Charon is surrounded by a faintly glowing silver aura, which in close proximity overwhelms weak-willed foes with feelings of longing, sapping their will to fight and making all the easier for Charon to slay them.

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