"No matter how far through the stars I may roam, still I carry the fires of the Hearth in my heart."
- —Traditional utterance of the Hernkyn before setting forth on an expedition.
A Hernkyn Pioneer seeks to make a deal on behalf of his league after getting off his Magna-Coil Grav Bike.
A Hernkyn Pioneer is a Hernkyn of the Leagues of Votann who rides an anti-gravitic, Magna-Coil skimmer bike into combat and often serves with others of their kind as an Oathband's scouting and reconnaissance force.
Hernkyn Pioneers skim across alien worlds and scout enemy positions, riding on their Magna-Coil Grav Bikes. Fast, resilient and possessed of formidable firepower, these far-ranging bands of warriors often strike at the foe from unexpected quarters, or send back intelligence on enemy movements to their Oathband's kâhl.
Role[]
Trans-Hyperian Alliance Hernkyn are among the furthest-travelled and most courageous of the Kin.
The Hernkyn are those Kin who serve as the Leagues of Votann's explorers, scouts, prospectors and pioneers. To the Kin, any region of blank space upon their star charts is a mystery in need of solving. The desire to plumb the depths of the void, to discover its secrets and claim its riches is deeply ingrained in their psyche, as is the need to know what -- if any -- sources of peril might lurk amidst the shadows.
The Hernkyn are the furthest travelled of their species. Their sturdy boots have left prints in the aeons-old dust of lost moons. The Hernkyn Pioneers have skimmed across the baking plains and through the carnivorous jungles of worlds never before seen by the Kin. Bands of Hernkyn leave their Kindreds behind for solar decades at a time, forging out into the dark spaces beyond the furthest trade routes, or shining their lights into regions long declared lost or forbidden.
A Hernkyn Pioneer of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance riding atop his Magna-Coil Grav Bike. This bike is outfitted with a Pan Spectral Scanner above the rollbar.
In many galactic cultures, such a wanderer's role might fall to outcasts and loners, and be synonymous with rebellion against confining social structures. By comparison, becoming one of the Hernkyn brings high honour amidst the Leagues of Votann.
By ranging the dark void, the Hernkyn do great service to the Votann. Such a wild and rootless existence leads Hernkyn to see unbelievable sights, uncover ominous galactic secrets and experience countless -- often perilous -- adventures. All of these experiences ensure that, when Hernkyn finally return to their Ancestors, they bring with them swathes of enriching experience.
A Hernkyn Pioneer of the Greater Thurian League wielding his Bolt Shotgun. His Magna-Coil Grav Bike is outfitted with a Rollbar Searchlight.
The Leagues of Votann also benefit greatly from the efforts of the Hernkyn. It is often an intrepid band of these brave scouts that identifies and warns of an impending peril, be it a star preparing to go supernova, a hidden Webway spur employed by Drukhari slave-raiders, an onrushing Ork WAAAGH! or some other unforeseen threat. The Hernkyn also locate potential trading partners for their Kindreds, mark navigable void-channels, scout viable regions for Kindred settlement and -- most important of all -- locate valuable resources to be exploited.
To achieve all this, however, the Hernkyn themselves make great personal sacrifices. It is this that makes them such heroes in the eyes of their fellow Kin. It is not easy for family-focused clones to spend such extended periods of time away from the comfort of their Kindreds and holds. Moreover, there is always the danger that -- if their band is wiped out far from League space -- the Hernkyn may never return to their Ancestors. That these brave scouts are willing to take such risks says much for their character. It also speaks volumes of their species' inbuilt drive to survive no matter the hardships or dangers.
Hernkyn Pioneers of the Greater Thurian League. From clockwise, a Magna-Coil Bike with a Rollbar Searchlight, one with the vehicle-mounted HYLas Rotary Cannon and gunner and one with a Multiwave Comms Array.
The Hernkyn take pride in the perils of their role as frontiersmen. It is perhaps unsurprising that they are amongst the most rugged and dour of all their people, holding hard to the bonds of loyalty that bind their pioneering bands together, who are all the family they can rely on so far from home.
The Leagues ensure their Hernkyn are as well-equipped as possible to face the dangers inherent to their role. Guild affiliates furnish bands of Hernkyn with the most advanced and redoubtable scout ships in Kindred space, piloted by voidmasters as courageous as they are skilled.
A wide array of armoured gunships and rugged exploration and combat vehicles provide the Hernkyn with transportation the equal of even the most hazardous alien landscapes. Meanwhile, their enviro-hardened void armour suits are supplemented with an impressive arsenal of weaponry -- both Kin-portable and vehicle-mounted -- along with a range of force field generators, survival gear and pan spectral scanners.
The Kin's pan spectral scanners are useful both in prospecting and combat. They can detect an incredible range of energy spectra not only through solid matter, but even across multidimensional wavelengths, ensuring the Hernkyn are rarely surprised by even the most cunning or esoterically empowered foes. These scanners are equally unlikely to miss the presence of natural resources the Kin would prize.
When such rich discoveries are made, Hernkyn mark the location using powerful claim-beacons, whose multispectral energy signatures are bounced back along networks of relay satellites all the way to League space. It is at such times that the Cthonian Mining Guilds rumble into action.
Unit Composition[]
- 3-6 Hernkyn Pioneers
Wargear[]
A close-up view of a HYLas Rotary Cannon mounted on a Hernkyn Pioneer's Magna-Coil Grav Bike.
- Magna-Coil Autocannon (Magna-Coil Bike-mounted)
- HYLas Rotary Cannon (One out of every three Hernkyn Pioneers can add this rear-mounted weapon to their bikes)
- Ion Beamer (One out of every three Hernkyn Pioneers can add this rear-mounted weapon to their bikes)
Notable Hernkyn[]
- Simmka Farstryd - Hyvôk's Kindred is a Hold World of the Leagues of Votann. Its people were once saved from destruction by the famed Hernkyn adventurer Sîmmka Farstryd and in thanks, a unique void suit called the Wayfarer's Grace was crafted for her.
Sources[]
- Codex: Leagues of Votann (9th Edition), pp. 18-19, 40, 96
| Leagues of Votann Forces | |
|---|---|
| Command | Kâhl • Theyn • Brôkhyr Iron-master • Grimnyr • Einhyr Champion |
| Elites | Einhyr Hearthguard • Embyr |
| Troops | Hearthkyn Warriors • Hearthkyn Salvagers • Hernkyn Pioneer • Hernkyn Yaegir • Brôkhyr Thunderkyn • Cthonian Beserks • Ironkin |
| Vehicles | Magna-Coil Grav Bike • Sagitaur • Hekaton Land Fortress • Colossus |
| Robotic Support | COG (CORV • E-COG • L-COG) |
| Heroes | Ûthar the Destined • Yôht Grendok • Kôrv Grudgekeeper |