#longtext

edit: sorry in advance that this response is kind of long. i'm gonna be tagging it as #long text and #longtext for easy muting aaahhhh

Biologically, thrones are extremely similar to humans, with the exception that they naturally grow wings and toxin producing spines called thorns. This toxin varies little between individual thrones and nowadays most thrones are not harmed by anyone elses toxin.

Wing placement (purple) can be in one of three locations, the side of the head, the waist, and the ankles. Placement is hereditary, but not related to thorn growth or flight capacity. (Adult throne can all fly just as good as one another regardless of where their wings are) Adults are the only throne that can fly, children are able to fall slower but not much. Children are enrolled in flight classes as soon as they exhibit the ability to create lift. Its magic don't worry about it too much.

For all intents and purposes, all Throne are blind. They have receptors for sight, but lack the eyes to use them. Despite this they can still navigate effectively using their other senses. In addition they developed a special type of "eye"wear specifically to access their otherwise useless ocular receptors, allowing them to see normally.

Thorns are cartilaginous, and while not very rigid are very sharp on the tip. They will grow back if broken.

Thorn growth zones (green) can be in one of 7 different locations for an individual. As in, an individual will never grow two thorns in two different locations. Thorn growth is also hereditary, as is thorn shape and quantity. (If a Root and a Heart were to have a child, the child could be a root with the heart-parents thorn shape, or evern farther back familial traits, like a grandmothers zone if neither parent exhibit it)

Thorn position also lends to your class in society, with Roots (feet) being lowest, and the Crown (top of head) being royalty. (Crown refers to not only the position a thorn grows in but also the formal title of the ruler of the throne.) (the Crown (little t) refers to the body part, The Crown (big T) refers to the ruling class)

Root thorns, despite the diagram, are not always on both feet. If they are they are rarely symmetrical. They made effective soldiers in the races infancy due to kicking being a more effective way of administering toxin than tackling. Once weapons were developed foot combat was rendered obsolete but the class continued to be used as soldiers. Roots that are not soldiers are generally lower class and when not provided for by The Crown, are employed by Navals as couriers.

The Naval is the traditional "merchant class". Long ago a large group formed the "Navy" to ensure goods were delivered to throne worldwide, though any class of people can join the Navy. However, since space travel has been developed and normalized many Navals choose to serve on the mission ships as navigators and additional soldiers when needed.

Plexii were, along with Hearts, the "caretaker" type back in the day. Children need babysat, illnesses and injuries need healed, these two have a natural inclination to help. A trait which persists into modern times. While they are not required to perform certain jobs, generally they prefer caring for others. On mission ships they serve almost exclusively as attendants to the UPGe children.

Throats begin the classes of "government officials" and "authority figures". They are given preferential treatment in regards to choosing a commanding officer on mission ships, the title being called "Voice of the Crown" for a reason. Throats have a unique ability to project and boom their voice, lending assistance to the jobs theyre given.

Brows are the second of the "government" classes. They serve as advisors to Throats and the Crown with their ability to "feel" correct decisions. Not quite foresight but close enough to be effective. With the absence of a Crown a Brow will be chosen to serve as a planets Jewel until a suitable Crown can be provided.

So it’s well past the time when I should sleep anyway but the upstairs neighbours decided to be loud, hence I decided to finally start making my own posts on this blog, for the whole 2 or something people following me. And what else could I post about than my 40k RPG campaign and my experience with Wrath and Glory?

For context: my player group and I have been playing 40k RPGs for nearly 4 years now. The main campaign was Black Crusade, and I occasionally GM’d a few sessions of Deathwatch when our main GM was too busy or when he needed a break. Recently - with Wrath and Glory coming out - I decided to make a soft reboot of the campaign, with the players forming a new killteam, years after the events pertaining to their first characters. 

HOWEVER, since the two campaigns are linked thematically and in their content, I will use the first few posts to summarise the events of the very first kill-team, dubbed Hyperion. Later, I will switch to the current campaign with the Wrath and Glory system, and make roughly weekly updates of the campaign once I have caught up to the current day.

Killteam Hyperion was made up of six members: Tactical Marine Jarl Tyr of the Space Wolves, Apothecary Hales of the Hammers of Dorn, Assault Marine Venaraptus of the Flesh Tearers, Librarian Seraphiel of the Exorcists, Devastator Kadai of the Salamanders, and finally Techmarine Gregorius of the Imperial Fists.

During the closing days of the M41 - before the return of the hallowed Primarch Guilliman - Killteam Hyperion’s first mission was to travel to a long abandoned Watch-Station to retrieve any Marines stationed and any valuable artefacts stored therein. The Station, which had been mostly used as a surveillance based in the Jericho Reach, was running the risk of being discovered by other Imperial forces as the Achilus Crusade made its way through the sector, and the Deathwatch did not want to jeopardise its contents

To reach their destination, the Kill-Team had to travel aboard the ship of Inquisitor Karl-Gustav, a known Puritan and critic of the Adeptus Astartes. After a rather unpleasant journey during which they were barely tolerated by both the Inquisitor and his crew, they landed on the ice-encased moon of a dead world.

There, they found the Deathwatch station, embedded in the glaciers. They also found that all Marines stationed there had died long ago defending it from encroaching Chaos warbands, except for a lonely dreadnought calling himself Brother Skold.

The battle-brothers relieved tired, old Skold from his duty and retrieved a single artefact from the Watch-station’s vaults: a single artefact, a giant soulstone containing numerous souls of dead Eldar, called the Last Memory of Yrnathos.

Having gotten what they came for, Killteam Hyperion returned to the Inquisitor’s ship. They had barely boarded it however, that the forces of Chaos boarded their vessel, drawn like moths to the flame by the now unchained psychic treasure they held.

In the long, drawn-out battle that ensued, the Imperial forces gained the assistance of a group of Aeldari, under the condition that the lost souls of their brethren be returned to them. Begrudgingly, the Marines accepted this offer and with the help of the Xenos, they were able to repel the Heretic assaulting them.

During the fight, some important things happened: the ship’s main armoury blew up. Inquisitor Karl-Gustav was saved numerous times by the Killteam. The Aeldari got their artefact back. And lastly, the Marines failed to slay a Heretek by the name of Merliok, who teleported away after betraying the warband’s leader.

The fighting done, the Astartes returned to Watch-Fortress Erioch, where they were chastised for having lost the artefact, but praised for saving the Inquisitor and brother Skold while still somewhat making the best out of a bad Situation.

As they finished their debrief, the Omega-Vault, held within the depths of the Watch-Fortress, began to open, and out of its depths, the Players retrieved a lead lever with a white knob, bearing a single Orkish rune on it...

So yeah, that was the very first mission of the first Deathwatch kill-team. Next up will be their mission to destroy a new menace in the Jericho Reach: An Ork construct of colossal size, dubbed “Da Planit Krakker”.