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Vaeloni
Sept 21, 2004 13:49:13 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 21, 2004 13:49:13 GMT -5
This is a totally unofficial race at the moment, as it has not been run past any of the higher ups and owners in this site, but I feel that if i post it, it will be easier for me to give them a reference so that they can see the race and either veto it or accept it as they have the right to do so (their site lol).
Basically it is just a little somethnig that has been inspired by my adoration of all things Canine and a few friends giving soem friendly advice along the way of drawing and writing stories about the plight of these Canine refugees... i hope that you enjoy reading what I have enjoyed writing!The Vaeloni - OverviewThe sections that will be covered are as follows, and each will be a seperate post: 1. Racial Overview - Biology and Mentality 2. Historical Reference - A brief History of Vaeloni Evolution 3. Historical Reference - The Devourer Comes... 4. Culture and Technology (Pre and Post Evac.) 5. Index Xenos - Tau and Imperial Archives of the Vaeloni It must be noted that this race is very thinly spread, and has hardly any population when compared to even the Eldar, as they only had their home system within their grasp before the destruction of their original culture. They are surviving and are still a viable racial gene-pool, but they are in an awkward position, close to extinction, and thus they will hardly ever be sighted in numbers unless they feel that they have alot to gain in one massive raid... This means that there have only ever been a dozen or so isolated incidents with Imperials, and thsu they are not that well documented by any other than the Tau... But how are they in Anargo? (if they are accepted of course) Well, that all boils down to the History Section of the archives... See you later and hope that you enjoy the posts!
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Vaeloni
Sept 21, 2004 14:35:00 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 21, 2004 14:35:00 GMT -5
Biology and Psychology of the Vaeloni
Vaeloni Physiology
The Vaeloni are a Canine race with several distinct sub-breeds, although all are genetically compatible and of the same race. Size and musculature varies slightly from breed to breed, but there are many things that all of these Canine beings have in common, and these things shall be discussed here.
Their senses are the most interesting part of them, as they have an acute sense of smell and hearing, but they are only able to perceive shades of grey, leaving them colour blind, although this does not seem to have any adverse effect upon their sensory abilities. They also have whiskers on the ends of their muzzles, which seem to have a role in helping them judge wind speeds and other environmental factors, although they have little role other than enhancing their awareness of their surroundings.
Their bodies are usually covered in some form of fur, although this varies from a thin velvety substance through to great shaggy coats of flowing fur. The most common is a little way between these two extremes, and colouration is predominantly black, although shades of reds and silvers can be seen where other breeds have managed to get aboard the evacuation craft.
They are bipedal, with two arms and opposable thumbs, allowing them to grasp tools and make good use of their technology, no matter how limited it is in comparison to most other races. Their lower legs are reverse jointed and muscular, allowing a good running speed and a high level of endurance whilst walking or jogging. They do not tire easily on route marches or other such stamina straining activities. Both sets of limbs have claws, although these are not razor sharp or long, and will only aid in hand to hand fighting as a last resort. The injuries that they can inflict on the average human are ragged and usually prone to infection or scarring due to the savagery that these beings resort to if in such a situation as to need the use of their claws.
They are very similar to humans with the placement and nature of their internal organs, although their digestive tract is more suited to the consumption of raw meats than the human stomach is, and they have a lesser ability to digest plant matter. They are semi-omnivorous, but only in response to a lack of fresh meat.
Skeletal strength is comparable to averages found in humans, Tau and Eldar, and no known biological defences are in place against severe injuries, leaving them as vulnerable to harm as most inhabitants of the galaxy, although they do seem to have a marginally fast clotting rate, though this could be due to medical practices involving 'Blood Doping' before combat, to introduce more heamoglobin and platelets into the blood stream in an effort to further increase effectiveness and stamina, tohugh there is no evidence to prove that this is actually effective in any way.
Vaeloni males are slightly more heavily built than the females, but there is no evidence to prove that they are in anyway strong or more capable, as males and females have been found populating the ranks of their Voluntary Brigades. This shows that they have little concern for the gender differences in their culture, although it is not know whether this extends beyond the military applications, as they do not tend to allow outsiders from other species onto their civilian vessel for fear of sabotage or loss.
Over all, the Vaeloni have superior senses to humans, and are better equipped naturally for close quarters fighting, but they are comparable to them in every other way, as they are every bit as fragile and dependant on an Oxygen rich atmosphere as most inhabitants of the galaxy...
Basic Psychological Overview
The Vaeloni have a rather strong sense of racial destiny, and despite their dire situation, they have a feeling that they will continue to learn their place in the galaxy and become an established race. This sometimes leads them to appear rash and easily anghered, but they are sensible and know when to reign in their pride for the good of their society.
They are not suited to space-dwelling and after the last few centuries are desperate to be on solid ground again. They are not happy that they have to be born, live and often die in harsh space, and so they are constantly questing for a new world to live on, to the point that it has almost become a compulsion to them.
As a whole, they have a surprising resilience to warfare psychologically speaking, although this seems to be a result of their long centuries of raiding and fighting anything that goes for their civilians. Their long-haul journeys in their Warpships have hardened their minds against the warp, but the Storm Songs of their Psykers (who live on a specific set of vessels docked with the Storm Rider warpship itself) seem to have also had an effect as it makes them less susceptible to the whispered urging and rantings of the warp, although they still have a primal fear of going into the warp away from their protective Storm Riders...
All in all, they are psychologically stable, non-genocidal, but intolerant of those that do not respect their claims to territory or salvage. They can seem overbearing and aggressive, but this is mainly a result of their isolation and desire to get what they perceive as their racial right, in the form of a new world and peace for their civilians.
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Vaeloni
Sept 22, 2004 12:31:07 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 22, 2004 12:31:07 GMT -5
A Brief History of the Vaeloni Human Calendar Date System
This is a brief section that details the pre-history of the Vaeloni race, up until their consumption by the Tyranids. The areas of their history after 698. M41. will be covered in a later section.
Circa 2100 AD - The earliest Vaeloni settlements and civilisations form. Fire has not yet become part of their culture, due to their lack of a need for cooking, but their artistry and primitive weapons are slowly improving up to an early bronze age level within a couple of centuries of founding the first settlement on their primary continent.
Circa M.16 - After an incredibly long period of religious development and a lack of progression since a move into classical stage civilisation (Greece is a good example) the Vaeloni discover the art of Iron crafting and begin to develop at an accelerated race, developing swords and armour. Unfortunately this accelerated rate of technological development is not matched by any developing maturity, and so wars spring out of the once utopian civilisation, as debates move from words and harmless arguments into outright warfare as differing factions discover their lack of common ground. On the secondary home world continent, a simpler hunter-gatherer culture has formed, though it is not nearly as glorious as the previous age of the primary continental dwellers.
Circa M.24 - The warring on the primary continent has cooled, and five major nations have started to build sailing ships and medieval transport. Technology is developing slowly, but a metaphysical area of study has been the area of attention for almost all of the Vaeloni. Members of their race have started to show signs of powers and precognitive tendencies, but although frightened by what this means, the Vaeloni accept them as messengers of the gods, and allow them to direct their attentions away from mundane technology and into the arts and religious sides of culture. This does not aid in unifying the nations, as these first generation Psykers are still tainted by the natural racism of their homelands. The secondary continent remains undiscovered, and their thriving natives have found happy copper age equilibrium of hunter gathering and social shamanism, led by their more developed Psykers.
346. M.24 - Contact is made with the secondary continent by the now Renaissance age Primary Vaeloni. Although the Secondary and less warlike Vaeloni submit to their demands for land and material wealth to begin with, they quickly get word from heir Shamans that they have to fight back, before the heathen Primaries steal their souls. A War ensues, but the superior technology of the Primaries is thwarted by the Defensive Psychic Powers of the Secondaries, and so the Primaries capture and colonise the eastern coast of the continent, while the Secondaries maintain a truce and retain their continent for the most part, although a seething rage suffuses both sub-breeds at this point in their history and border skirmishes are common.
M.26 - Technology has again come to a standstill, but this time due to the unification of the Primaries and Secondaries after one final horrific war (the War of Eternity (see Appendix). A Messiah is born to the Secondaries, known as the All-Seer. He preaches that a great evil will come from the stars and block the Vaeloni from the eyes of the Gods, taking their souls and turning them to horrific evil. The highly spiritual and superstitious Vaeloni only question this messiah briefly, for his powers are beyond those of the most advanced Shamans or 'Advisors' of the current age. His teachings and actions prevent the downfall of the Vaeloni race, and technological progression is once again seen as more important than annihilating the varying beliefs of the Vaeloni sub-breeds. Before his death, the Psykers and governments of all parties gather and swear a blood oath in the sea between the two continents to prevent the 'Devourer Prophesy' from removing them from the attention of the Gods...
Circa M.34 - The Vaeloni have reached a high point in their culture. Their metaphysical arts have discovered the existence of a parallel universe that they name 'The Ever-Storm'. This shifting sea of emotion and horror is found to be the source of psychic power, and this discovery in turn leads to advances in psychic technology, allowing them to perform great feats of psychic work, although less than 0.5% of the population is psychic still. The rest of the Vaeloni maintain a technology levels slightly higher than 20th century humanity, with space travel becoming ever more important as the teachings of the All-Seer advocate a great expansion to prevent the coming evil from wiping out all Vaeloni and stealing their souls and bodies. Their space program eventually leads to the creation of simple rockets which are soon developed into trans-orbital craft. Construction of the 'Destiny' class settlement-ship is started, although it is a primitive vessel with little amenities, and no gravity.
999. M.34 - The Destiny class is completed and three vessels make way to the closest planetary body over the course of a five year journey. This world is theorised to have the ability to sustain life on a basic level, although it is a barren desert with no evidence of water. The Shaman Council, which has become the representative body of the Vaeloni race, encourages the following of the All-Seers teachings in that this expansion is the will of the gods and a step towards racial survival. The knowledge concerning the Ever-Storm has not yet reached a point where the Vaeloni will consider using it as a means of transport, as all experiments with small inanimate objects under laboratory conditions show that they are quickly converted into raw energy by the fury of the warp. After the completion of their journey, only one of the Destiny ships returns, the other two having set up rudimentary colonies for the 1450 Vaeloni now living on the surface of what will be known as Vaelos 2. The discovery of an extensive underground ocean system makes it possible to colonise, and possibly consider a millennia long terraforming scheme, and so it is quickly sanctioned by the Council, although they still feel that there is not enough distance between Vaelos 1 and 2 to prevent the evil that is coming their way from totally destroying their race and manifest destiny.
To be Continued - See Next Post! (I will be editing this post to get the last peices of the story together as and when I have time... any feedback on what has happened so far can either be sent by PM, or by email to archon_sokahr@hotmail.com - thanks in advance to any who take me up on this!)
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Vaeloni
Sept 23, 2004 10:06:56 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 23, 2004 10:06:56 GMT -5
Vaeloni History Continued...
345. M.35 – The Vaeloni have colonised every world that they can conceivably support life on, through natural or artificial means. Technological progression is accelerating, as the Council begin to experience dire waking-dreams about the downfall of the Vaeloni race, many of them reporting that they have had visitations from a spectral All-Seer who tells them that the Vaeloni need to reach for the stars if they are to retain the good graces of the Gods. The Storm-Rider project is begun, in an attempt to tap the Ever-Storm for a means of transport, as its effects on time and space are discovered. It is in this year that their first Warship is created, as a respected primary Vaeloni Psyker has risen to the rank of General (equivalent rank, see appendix for Vaeloni titles) and formed the Blooded Path – a school of thought that says that the Devourer can be defeated by physical means, advocating the move to build warships while the mainstream of Vaeloni society concentrate on more efficient transport and space-borne societies. This War-Cry class Gunboat is soon put through its trials against drone ships and other Vaeloni methods of ship testing, and performs admirably, no doubt assisted by the Solar-Array that it uses to power it’s life support systems, freeing up reactor power for weapons and shielding. For all of its effectiveness as a Vaeloni warship, it is a primitive, small vessel, with no warp capability and limited manoeuvrability compared to the Sword Class Escort. Its weapons are simple variations of short ranged Surface to Air missiles and armour piercing cannon, leaving it under gunned and short ranged, despite being hailed as an immense breakthrough in Vaeloni technology. Still it is a first for their race, and it is a good example of a design trend that will survive until the current day.
600. M.35 – Project Storm-Rider is well underway, with the first hull 34% completed in this year. The Ever-Storm research has shown that a reality bubble can be created with great expenditure of power, allowing the vessel to remain unharmed, whilst immersed in even the deepest reaches of the warp. At this moment, all of the work is theoretical, as massive drone-ships are used to scout the possibility of using warp-travel, but the Council is pushing to accelerate research to the living test-subject level, to see if individuals can travel in the Ever-Storm without adverse psychological or physiological effects. The Psykers of the Vaeloni have also concluded that the average Vaeloni will never be able to navigate a ship through the Ever-Storm, but they quickly come to the conclusion that they are able to form into ‘Choirs’ of Psykers, calming the Storm a little and providing a beacon that other ships can follow, while other Psykers can navigate the calmer streams of energy that are created by this Storm-Song. More and more mentions of an exodus through the Ever-Storm start to enter into the religion of the Vaeloni in the next century, but it is unclear whether this is due to prophesy or subtle changes through the generations. The Blooded Path has constructed a dozen or so War Cry IX class gunboats, as the next generation of their project. They have now fitted all vessels with a lateral solenoid, which is design to accelerate large torpedoes at immense speed, thus removing the need for propellant and increasing the yield of the warhead. The efficiency of the solar array has been vastly improved, and now they are turning to the possibility of energy weapons, although they still rely on solid state fuelled rockets and projectiles for the most part.
734. M.35 – The first of the Storm-Riders is constructed, while the culture of the Vaeloni goes through a Golden Age of philosophical and scientific idealism. The Storm-Rider is proven to be a massive success, and none dispute the fact that the recent innovation of Reality-Boost systems (which extend what Humanity knows as the Gellar field) to a massive 5,000 Km range is a blessing, as the garden and city ships of the Vaeloni are now capable of ‘riding the storm’ within the protection of a Storm-Rider’s Gellar Field. An exodus is planned for a mission to the closest stellar body, but this is postponed until the construction of the next two Storm-Riders is completed. The Blooded Path begin to petition for the rights to Gellar field technology, as they have started to design Capital ship class hulls, although none of these have made it off of the drawing board as the growing number of destroyers and gunboats is currently sating their desire fore a space navy. The Wolverine Space Superiority Assault fighter is under development, as new breakthroughs in miniaturised fusion technology have allowed energy weapons to become viable on a small scale. The fleet is recalled to be refitted with the next generation of weapons batteries – a collection of directed energy weapons ranging from high power pulsed lasers through to low-energy Plasma throwers. They are still incredibly under gunned by Imperial standards, but they have only their own race to compare themselves to, and thus they only improve the weapons load-out slowly, as they feel that they will be able to defeat any enemy that comes to take what it is their right to own.
M.36 - On the surface of Vaelos 1, the Council has formed a cadre of navigation specialists, known as the Guiding Light. They are trained to use their Storm-Song abilities to calm the warp around the Gellar bubble of the Storm-Rider, and thus allow it to move quickly and safely with all of the attendant craft within the bubble of reality it projects. The Blooded Path is allowed to use Gellar technology at least, but although they have their own Psykers, have to submit to the Guiding Light to provide them navigation systems and guidance. This creates a symbiotic relationship between the military and civilian aspects of the fleet, although the naval element is much smaller than the civilian element at the point. The second Storm Rider (The Exodus) is completed and supply loading begins. The Storm-Rider (the first one) is sent on it’s exodus towards the galactic core, heading to what is to be Tau space in the near future. The third Storm-Rider is put into a refit dock, as the Blooded Path begin refitting it with a basic defence network, enabling it to travel without the need for a constant guard of escorts and the new Righteous Class Cruiser. The Righteous is the pinnacle of current Vaeloni technology, and has a unique weapon, which the Vaeloni are currently trying to miniaturise for their escort size ships. This weapon is the Plasma Vent Accelerator Cannon (PVAC), which directs Plasma directly from the fusion reactor to the spine mounted accelerator, forming the first example of anti-capital ship Lances within the Vaeloni fleet. It is impossible to make them smaller at the stage, and they are a massive energy drain on the ship, greatly reducing manoeuvrability and speed at this stage in their development, although break5throughs in Solar Array technology are slowly being incorporated into the design of these vessels to allow firing of the PVAC on the move.
015. M.36 – The Storm-Rider has been reporting the conditions form the Mile-Stone system, the first solar system outside of the Vaeloni home system to be explored. All of the worlds within this system are found to be dead and too hostile to support any description of life as they know it. Still, the current decade has been spent cataloguing the material wealth of the system, so that any follow up Storm-Riders can set up a resources dump for the Vaeloni on their quest to evade extinction. Back in the Vaeloni home system, many Vaeloni are starting to volunteer for the exploration fleets as the Prophesies are revisited and played out across the entire Vaeloni media network. The apocalyptic nature of the mission has been played down due to the enthusiasm shown by the race, and it has become more a mission of religious expansion then survival. Recruits to the Blooded Hand, which is slowly making the change into the Vaeloni Defence Fleet (VDF), have been flooding in, and ship construction has been accelerated, with the next generation of Superiority Fighters and the newly devised Bombers being mass produced for the Shadow Fox Class Carrier, a refit of the Righteous Hull with the PVAC removed to make room for the massive space required to refuel and rearm a flotilla of strike craft. The new generation assault fighters are unique in that although they are manoeuvrable, and heavily armed, it is only their turrets and high speed that are meant to help with in a CAP (Combat Air Patrol) faculty. Their forward Mini-PVAC armament is used to super-heat the hulls of other capital ships, allowing the hardened ‘nose’ of the ship breach the vessel to punch through and open, disgorging elite Vaeloni Combat Teams into the enemy ship. The Vaeloni have started to make use of small directed energy fire-arms, equal in performance and effect to the lasgun of the Imperial Guard. Many of their other weapons have yet to be improved to the standards of their fleet-borne cousins, leaving the majority of their weapons as Grenade or Projectile based weapons, with many types of ritual blades used by the various Kindred bands that have immersed themselves into the protection of the non-combatant cousins.
Continued in Next Post
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Vaeloni
Sept 23, 2004 10:07:43 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 23, 2004 10:07:43 GMT -5
Vaeloni History Continued
768. M.37 – First contact is made between the Storm-Rider first fleet and the Orks. Although they have been reinforced with all manner of modern warships, they are forced to retreat as they have stumbled across a heavily defended system. It is small comfort that these barbarous creatures are many light-years from Vaelos, still the only system that is totally in Vaeloni hands. Although many among the Vaeloni masses declare that these aliens must be destroyed as they may be the Devourer, the Council veto any declaration of war, saying that they are not the adversary that was described by the All-Seer, and that this species is too capable in combat to face currently. More power is given to the VDF to reinforce and improve their ships, and the first examples of mobile PVAC carrying escorts and cruisers start to appear. Raids against Ork held systems, though costly, do liberate technology that the Vaeloni start to integrate into their own ships and the first evidence of energy shielded ships appears in their navy. The other two Storm-Riders have returned to Vaeloni space after an unsuccessful tour of the surrounding systems. No other races are encountered, but similarly, the Vaeloni are unable to tame the wild and hostile worlds around them to their will, and they known that they will have to restock and make their Storm-Rider fleets totally independent of the home world to be able to power a venture into unknown space. The next century will be spent refitting the fleet and preparing a full 1/3 of the population for an exodus to a system that seems to have a habitable ecosystem, 150 light years north west of the Vaelos system.
150. M.38 - The Vaeloni have set up a successful forward base on what is now named Frei-Dahla (lit. Border World). Although a small Ork presence was detected, the few ships that they sent to face the now massive Vaeloni naval force (and third, well armed, sotrm rider) were destroyed after causing a few losses to the Vaeloni expiditionary ships. The Ork presence on the surface is scoured with PVAC fire until the Vaeloni decide that they should deploy their own ground troopers in a mopping up action. After several decades, feral Ork activity is within acceptable levels, and the Storm Rider (Glory's Hammer - owned by the VDF) starts to unload various industrial, military and civilian constructions in preparation for the full colonisation effort. The second Storm Rider remains at Vaelos 1, while the original Storm Rider heads back towards the Galatic core, with a fleet of the most modern warships, and a fully functioning ecosystem spread across the many ships of the fleet. This fleet heads directly for what has now become the Tau homeworld, although it will never reach it before the Tau Empire is formed.
268. M.38 - The first Storm Rider, on it's journey towards the galactic core, encounters the Imperium for the first time, after totally bypassing the slowly developing power of the Tau (who are not yet an interstellar power at this point, and are unknown to the Vaeloni due to warpstorms that they have to navigate around to get to their desitnation). The Imperials react with their usual xenophobic fervour and destroy a Gardenship that tries to hail them, before the Vaeloni counter-attack, diverting the majority of their defensive assets around the Storm Rider to destroy the humans and scour the life from the colony outpost in retaliation. The world is earmarked and a rudimentary defense grid is placed, but the Vaeloni are puzzled by the lack of response to their vengeful actions, and so they carry on, interested in what they will find further into this race's empire. (Note - the Vaeloni victory was only against standard System ships.. It is doubtful that they would have considered attacking an Imperial Navy cruiser at this point, as it would have outgunned them 10-1 when against a Vaeloni ship of similar mass, despite their fearsome PVAC weaponry)
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Vaeloni
Sept 25, 2004 7:44:58 GMT -5
Post by CELS on Sept 25, 2004 7:44:58 GMT -5
I'm sorry that I have not had the time to read the entire history yet, but I'll just ask some questions anyway, before I have to go. 1) Why are the Vaeloni so similar to humans? The more diversity, the more interesting it gets 2) Are Vaeloni less intelligent than humans? Their advances in science weren't exactly lightning fast, were they? Even with a culture that is wildly different from that of humans, I'm surprised that it took them so long to reach 20th century tech. 3) What happened with the All-Seer, and what status does he have in Vaeloni society? 4) We need to know a lot more about Vaeloni society. Never mind that the Imperium knows very little about them. The Imperium knows very little about the Eldar as well, but in the ASP we write a lot of background from an 'omniscient' point of view. 5) It sounds like the Vaeloni are just trying to be an 'established' race in the universe. I don't understand this goal, unlike the typical goal of total conquest (Imperium, Orks, some Eldar) or total harmony (Tau). 6) Can Vaeloni psykers function as psykers, navigators and astropaths at the same time? If yes, why and how?
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Vaeloni
Sept 25, 2004 9:15:10 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 25, 2004 9:15:10 GMT -5
1) Why are the Vaeloni so similar to humans? Hmm... Good point. I originally had them down as a proxy for what a more stable and less fanatical human civilisation would have turned out as, sort of a jest that a race based upon animals had the common sense to keep it together so to speak.. This may have to change though, as they are slowly developing their own little niche and I am tempted to make a big division from the human paralells. 2) Are Vaeloni less intelligent than humans? Their advances in science weren't exactly lightning fast, were they? It is not so much that they are less intelligence, and mroe that they had the natural abiltiesto remain at the top of the food chain in their society and ecosystem without the need for technology, thus slowing the development of their technological base. Also, they focussed more on hunting and metaphysical exploration in the early days, leading them to prize spiritual and religious theory above technology, although they have slowly justified technological research by introducting the preachings of the All-Seer as a catalyst for their scientific studies. 3) What happened with the All-Seer, and what status does he have in Vaeloni society? The All-Seer died a normal mortal death, but the Remembrance Howls of the Council tell stories of how his soul lives on in the 'Fel-Draikhan' (lit. Promised World) and that he will be there to greet his people when they finally reach a place where nothnig can truly harm them). He was basically a very gifted Psyker with ALPHA level prophetic abilties, but ultimately one with a finite lifespan (80-120 years average for modern vaeloni, but only about 60 in the era of his birth). 4) We need to know a lot more about Vaeloni society. Never mind that the Imperium knows very little about them. The Imperium knows very little about the Eldar as well, but in the ASP we write a lot of background from an 'omniscient' point of view. On it's way and nearly ready to go Gotta get through a few more historical notes and then the Social over view prior to the Tyranic Invasion will be posted - ETA next saturday I hope! 5) It sounds like the Vaeloni are just trying to be an 'established' race in the universe. I don't understand this goal, unlike the typical goal of total conquest (Imperium, Orks, some Eldar) or total harmony (Tau). Their Spirituality dictates to them that they must find their Promised World (after the destruction of their homeworld). Doing the will of their Gods as voiced by the ancient All-Seer is what most of the Vaeloni aspire to, although they do put basic survival above their spiritual endeavours. They do not understand a society that wishes to take everything, as they themselves lack even the basic resources for interstellar conquest. They do not wish for total harmony, as they have a clannish and mildly xenophobic society, which is essentially fearful, but possibly accepting of other races (they beleive that many faces are 'Faces of the Devourer' prior to the Tyranic Invasion, which teaches them otherwise). There is also still a friction between the various temples (which have not been discussed yet) of the All-Seers words, but these are mainly put aside by the Council, who have ultimate sanction as to the interpretation of Sacred Texts. 6) Can Vaeloni psykers function as psykers, navigators and astropaths at the same time? If yes, why and how? Vaeloni Psykers are strange in that they become exponentially stronger when they are in the company of other Vaeloni Psykers. A single Vaeloni Psyker may be able to perform a minor miracle like mind reading, prophetic trance or the likes. Three can scrye distant places and transmit a short range (12 Light Year) Astropathic message when in full ritual trance and communion of spirit. A whole host (dozens to hundreds!) is needed to guide the Storm Rider warp-ship through the Warp, although additional choirs of Psykers are needed to calm the warp enough for the Gellar Field to contain the thousands of Vaeloni vessel that ride inside the protective bubble of reality. Thus they need to work together to strengthen their psychic powers, as individually, they are less able than the average Imperial Sanctioned Psyker. I hope that this helps, but you have raised a few points which I will be onig back over - and I wil be covering all of the Social issues very soon. TY for posting though !
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Vaeloni
Sept 25, 2004 18:02:26 GMT -5
Post by Kage2020 on Sept 25, 2004 18:02:26 GMT -5
I have to ask/point out... Why when reading this am I thinking "Vargr"? Also with regards to psykers... It might be worth trying to think about integration with how 'psyker abilities' are represented elsewhere. If you dare, check out RPG which at least attempts to create consistency where only 'hand waving' exists at present. Oh, but also wanted to say that I kinda like them... but only if they have Basset Hound equivalents!
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Vaeloni
Sept 26, 2004 7:12:29 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 26, 2004 7:12:29 GMT -5
Vargr? Dunno what these guys are, but any refence to them in any way is prolly coincidence... What rpg/wargame are they from? Hehe - I hope that I cna create some more consistency, at the moment the history is my guide, as that is the main thing that I am using to create a general outline, which I am only now revising and filling out in detail. I will have alot more info by next weekend, when i will put up three more posts, concering their Society, their Psykers (in-depth with scientific fluff - ooooh ahhhh etc) and their weaponry/tech. Untill then
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Vaeloni
Sept 28, 2004 2:55:37 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 28, 2004 2:55:37 GMT -5
Taking a quick break from the time line to discuss the Vaeloni culture, as it is in the current era of the Vaeloni that you will come across them as they get their homeworld wasted in M.41 706 while the current date is something like 460 M.41
The Vaeloni
Society and Politics The Vaeloni have a rather static form od government, ruled by the heads of the five different churches of the All-Seer, each one espousing a diffferent facet of his divine words. All of them rule through a religious autocracy (Theocracy), but the lay-peoples of Vaeloni society do not protest, as they are deeply spiritual, and feel that all of their futures, hope and fears are contained in the words of these individuals. Tyranny and corruption are not unknown, but in the modern era, the Vaeloni Prophetic Council (the 6 leading psykers of their race at any one time) is filled with individuals who beleive their words and are strict adherents to whatever they preach. It is truly a time of expansion and peace within Vaeloni society.
Social-life within Vaeloni society revolves around providing for the community in what is essentially still a hunter-gatherer society, although the advent of firearms and weaponry has made this so easy for the already skilled hunters among them, that few if any go hungry. Those that have not decided to provide for society in this way are called upon one of the Burden of Minship tasks. The Burden of Kinship is embraced by the race as a way to make sure that all Vaeloni respect one another, through doing something that only gives to others, their only reward being similar treatment by their fellows and the wider race. Examples are the Burden of Guardianship, where they are drafted into the VDF or Planetary Assault Forces to protect their kin and lead the colonisation efforts of the species; the Burden of Provision, which entails the gathering of resources, food stuffs or work in any menial labour to provide confortable living; and the Burden of Wisdom, the art of creating technological wonders and buildings.
Although this may seem alot like the Tau caste system, it differs in that each of the Burdens is represented by one of the Churches of the All-Seer and that membership is not hereditary, but chosen for the Vaeloni if they show promise in that field. It is wider Vaeloni society that decides what the youth will do, as they are able to equate the needs of the culture, whilel ooking at the raw talent that they can use to support the future generations of the race - such is their doctrine and such is their lifestyle, some may grumble about it, but they all know that there would be no society without it.
Life for those vaeloni aboard the massive Eco-System Fleets of the Storm Riders live a similar life, but the Burdens present on such ships are alot more diverse than they are in Vaeloni cities, as the needs of the ships are alot more demanding of specialty skills and warriors.
Psykers are taken to the Halls of their local onastery as soon as they are divined by the aides of the Council. They will have no burden, but that of their powers and of guiding their race, which is considered a holy, but demanding calling. Many of the most promising Psykers are drafted from the Secondary sub-species, as their minds are more powerful than their smaller bodies, although it is not unknown for Primaries to show psychic powers in the current age. They learn to act in concert with the new kin, learning the secrets of the Vaeloni bloodlines and how the race is developing it's powers slowly. They also study the mysteries of the warp, but they are naive in these matters and see it as little more than a tempestuous energy storm. They do know of and protect themselves from the voarcious entities that inhabit it, knowing that to not do so would be apocalyptic. As their powers grow as they add more voices to the Spirit Songs (elaborate howls venerating the many gods of the Vaeloni and their messenger 'The All-Seer'), they always move around in groups of three - One to speak and project the collective power, One to watch and ward off the Daemon and the possessing spirit, and another to Scrye the path ahead, to see if danger lies in their future. In thsi way, they preserve their bodies, spirits and minds, acting to further the will of the gods and their race. (More details on Psykers in the Religious breakdown of Vaeloni society and the descriptions of basic Psychic powers)
Relationships with other Races
THE IMPERIUM OF MAN What little contact we usually have with the Imperium always ends in conflict. These beings target our civilians for reasons unknown, and they too claim that the All-Seer has blessed them with the right to own the galaxy. But this is tainted by the heresy of their beleif that he is a corpse, and not the beneficient guiding spirit that he is. These fools must be avoided if they cannot be destroyed...
THE ELDAR (Craftworld and non-DE raiders) These beings are ancient and possessed of terrible weapons. Do not anger the Angels of the Stars, for they will burn you with their gaze and destroy your families with a single sweep of their fearsome ships. They are followers of ancient gods as well, and thus they must be respected, although they will not accept that we too are followers of the true Gods, under a different and more acurate guise... They will learn in time.
DARK ELDAR These twisted demons are the dark side of the Angels of the Stars. They are a blight of twisted and perverted desire that must be eradicated. Defend you homes and try to kill as many as you can before they over-run you... They don't just Kill you....
TAU Younger than us in their journey across the stars, but their race has technology enough to colonise inhospitable worlds if needs be. Worth talking to, if you can get them to do something other than try to subsume you into their Empire, as there is alot to be gained from trading with them. It is thanks to them that we have strength enough in our ships to explore this hostile corner of the galaxy without true defeat, although that must surely be the will of the true gods and not their Ethereals... They will bear some watching...
NECRONS Animate robots and ancient walking Gods! Don't be a fool! Everyone knows that only the Tau have machines that truly think, and they are mere pets with guns. Do not think to anger the Gods by beleiving in stories of eldritch entities with earthly power beyond any true deity. Such ignorance of reality in inconceiveable... Living machines indeed...
ORKS The first ones... They know only War and so Death is our only gift to them.
TYRANIDS (No contact... theological analysis only) There will come a time when the stars will be filled with living carriers of plague and pain. In this time, you will leave the cradle of your birth and take to the stars, so that the Vaeloni will continue and shall becoem great in the eyes of the Gods. Remember only that these creatures will take of your souls and bodies... They will not listen to a rational one among you. Words of the All-Seer.... be wise and listen well to them.
CHAOS Corrupted members of races that dabbled too far into the Ever-Storm. They will need studying so that we can avoid this fate, although the Council has long known that working miracles only when within groups conforming to the divine number set by the All-Seer (3) will ward off the false gods and their minions. The true Gods will always sit within our hearts and minds, not some Storm-born abomination...
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Vaeloni
Sept 29, 2004 8:24:02 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Sept 29, 2004 8:24:02 GMT -5
Religious Beleifs and Psyker Data
The Vaeloni are ruled by a Council of their greatest pskyers, the oldest and wisest of that breed. This has led to the Secondary Vaeloni having a strangle hold on the rulership of the entire race through theological suppression, but surprisingly they have not succumbed to this temptation and instead defer to the Primaries in many matters of economical or military importance. The true purpose of this council is to rule over the religious nature of the Vaeloni, and to keep the words of the All-Seer alive despite his death nad subsequent journey to the Promised Worlds.
The majority of the Vaeloni are remarkably versed in the political aspects of their religion, as all of them are wary of manipulation from anyone that is not actually a true adherent, and they do not victimise those that do not follow the All-Seer as such, although they are less likely to be included in any social functions as religion is such a big part of Vaeloni life. There is no uniform day of attending the various Shrines and Churches, as the monks (who are initiate psykers) are always ready to receive those that wish to venerate the All-seer and the Vaeloni destiny.
The five major Gods of the Vaeloni pantheon are as follows:
Um'Silghur - The God of plant life and all that grows but is not truly 'alive' as the Vaeloni see it. There is not depiction of this God, as it is seen as an asexual entity of adundance, the promise of worlds that bear life of their own. The common representation of this concept is an elabroate illustration of a Garden with three suns orbiting above.
Vaelon - God of the Vaeloni. He tired of seeing the creations of the other gods doing only what they needed to survive and chose the race that he had set upon the world, changing them from insensible beatsts into the race that they now are. He is also the creator of the All-Seer, who was his voice and avatar on the Material plane according to Vaeloni mythology. The Imperial equivalent is the God-Emperor aspect of the Emperor.
Muhr'Dichi - The God of Blades. Not just an deity of war, this being represents all things that are not alive, but which allow the Vaeloni to create or destroy life for the benefit of their race. Although most technology is shrouded in this god's mysteries, the Vaeloni still know that the machines themselves do the work, it is just thanks to this god that they can conceive of such devices. (Their beleif/tech has not reached the stagnation of the AdMech by a long shot)
Kaelaus - The God of the Stars. He separates the worlds with his vast reach, providing barriers so that only the strong may explore the galaxy at large. This god is seen as a hinderance to the Vaeloni, but it representated as a great tester, a kindly scholar that just wishes for the race to better itself by figuring out the puzzles that he has set before them. He is beleived to know more of the Ever-Storm than any other entity in existance according to Vaeloni religion.
Unhae - Last but not least, the Female Unhai is represented as a pregnant vaeloni female, who has a litter of cubs with her already. She is the goddess of fertility and the concept that to continue the existence of the race, new Vaeloni need to be brought into the world. Despite how it may seem, her priests and priestesses are chaste, and do not indulge in any such activities, as they prefer to preach her word and allow the race at large to continue the legacy that she espouses.
These are the five gods of the Vaeloni, and the majority of the Psykers of the Vaeloni race will serve in their temples, although each and every one of these priests'priestesses have to be well versed in the whole pantheon before they are able to take up the mantle of one of the Churches.
In addition to this, there is a sixth group of Vaeloni, those who have no dedication to any of the churches. They are the administrators, preachers and tutors of the Vaeloni, those who sacrifice total favour with a god to bring other Vaeloni into the light of knowledge in a particular field of study. They will also act as medical personnel from time to time, using their powers only in groups of three to heal the injured and sick, or to use their prophetic abilities to see if it is safe to complete a certain course of action.
all in all, the Vaeloni religion focusses on basic Pagan worship, but there is the facet of the All-Seer. he is seen as an earthly incarnation of Vaelos, and this gives him an almost God-like status in the holy books, although it is noted that the treu gods were using him to tell the Vaeloni what to do, he is merely a divine messenger. It is the duty of all Vaeloni to keep his teachings alive and preach them in addition to their usual creed - and his teachingas are as follows:
- The Devourer will come, in the times far ahead, and Devour your progeny, body, mind and soul. This cannot be allowed to happen, and thus you must take to the stars from which they will come, venerating those among you with the future sight to guide you!
- The Lore of the Gods has been laid out before you. Respect those with the skills that they have blessed us with, and never allow one to talk down to another - All Vaeloni are blessed by the gods as their true messengers.
- The Stars have many faces, and none of them are kind to a fool. When you reach for the Gods and see their other creations, do not turn your back on them for an instant, as this is all the time it takes for a snake to strike you dead.
- Venerate the mechanism, the theory and that which enriches the quality for the whole race. Only in doing this will you know that you are doing your duty to keep your race alive for all time.
- Listen well to those words that i shall leave in the Sacred Tome, that which will act as a guide till you are with me again upon the blessed soil of the Pormised Worlds.
There are alot more entries in this great book, all of them the original words written by the All-Seer himself, as it is a heresy to contemplate re-writing or improving that which is already perfected.
Thus is the destiny of the Vaeloni pre-ordained by the All-Seer and kept in progress by the Council. With their most potent psykers as their guides, and all Vaeloni united by their worship of their True Gods, they aim to establish temselves and spread the true spirituality, one which will allow them to find the worlds which their messiah promised them.
(To bo Continued at a Later Date)
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Vaeloni
Nov 3, 2004 11:27:37 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Nov 3, 2004 11:27:37 GMT -5
I have been doing some heavy update work and steeling myself for the massive prject of making a 'Secondary' (fox-like) Seer of some sorts out of various bits, peices and sketches... Will be a month until that is done, but I have the total remake of the Vaeloni ready soon... Look out for the Vaeloni Migration thread, for the new and improved history and cultural information. I am currently attempting to find a 'niche' in the aspects of war... any suggestions would be nice really, as i am having trouble doing anythnig other than fitting in some goos scouting units and a heavily modified 'battlesuit' style unit (way less advanced, but it is am offshoot from their close relations and technology trading with the Tau).... Well i hope to get that thread up and running soon, with all of the new material, but thanks for listening to me for so long already See you soon...
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Vaeloni
Nov 10, 2004 6:18:23 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Nov 10, 2004 6:18:23 GMT -5
In preparation for the new VAELONI MIGRATION thread, i will soon be psoting a few pictures of technology and the race itself, (I hope). I am also compiling a glossary of terms, which will be in the first post of the new thread after a short intro, to actually allow you to see what I am talking about if I get too wordy with the terms i have made. Sorry i have not replied in a while, but my worship of Slaanesh (in the form of my new patrol force) has taken a lot of my time, as well as design for the Unofficial Genestealer Cult list (which i hope is more reflective of their Cult style.. some others lists just do not hit the spot ). Over all, the Vaeloni have been on hold, but within the week their canine selfs will be getting a facelift and some dramatic changes after what has been a fun and educational first draft. I hope that the Migration will be well recevied into the space of Anargo
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Vaeloni
Nov 10, 2004 9:21:55 GMT -5
Post by CELS on Nov 10, 2004 9:21:55 GMT -5
Looking forward to it! By the way- the genestealer side of things needs a lot of attention in the ASP. So if you're already spending a lot of time writing up genestealer cult background for your genestealer cult combat patrol / kill team... feel free to share it
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Vaeloni
Nov 11, 2004 6:12:18 GMT -5
Post by Insidious Threat on Nov 11, 2004 6:12:18 GMT -5
Thanks dude I will try to get as much as i can posted about background for those Stealers asap... Is it ok to post lists at all (rules and such) in the Wargaming forum, cos I actually have the BETA cult army list ready...? Bout 5 days till the Vaeloni make a come back as well...
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