Kindred (Leagues of Votann)

"By the mysteries of the crucible are they given form and strength. By the molten fires and pounding pistons of the Forge are they armed and armoured. By the Votann and by the Fane are they given wisdom and purpose. And by the searing wrath of the Hearth are they filled with the fury to overcome any foe."

—The "Four Pillars" that maintain the society of a Kindred in the Leagues of Votann

A sigil commonly used to represent the Kin of the Leagues of Votann as a whole.

A Kindred is the primary social group of the Kin of the Leagues of Votann. These are groupings somewhere in size and complexity between extended families or clans and close-knit, genetically related, interstellar nation-states. They vary in size from a few dozen Kin up to many thousands, or even millions! All Kin -- barring only rare outcasts -- belong to a Kindred. All Kin in a Kindred are clones who have sprung from its artificial wombs or "crucibles," and thus share a genetic bond stronger than allegiance to any flag. They usually live, train and toil within their Kindred's home fortress or "hold," when not abroad amongst the stars for trade, scouting, mineral prospecting or war.

A Kindred can be a commanding force. Its hold may boast bustling cityscapes, industrial and military powerhouses, and many massive voidships. Yet greater still are the alliances or confederations of several Kindreds known as "leagues." Typically, a League of Votann is comprised of six to twenty Kindreds, but this number varies greatly among the leagues. Nearly all Kindreds are part of one or another league, proudly displaying their colours and emblems while sharing trade, military support, Guild tariffs and so on. Moreover, every Kindred within a league has its own way of keeping its customs, and may choose to focus on one particular aspect of its league's overarching traditions.

Every Kindred governs itself from a huge spherical chamber known as the "Spakerönde" located in its primary hold. Here, the "Hearthspake" gathers -- a ruling council of Guildmasters, senior officers of the Kindred's military Kinhost, and wise and cunning Grimnyr. For all their familial bonds as genetically-related clones born of their Kindred's crucibles, the members of the Hearthspake are much given to strident debate and obstinacy. Kin are slow to change their minds. When one believes firmly that he or she knows what is best for their Kindred, they can be remarkably stiff-necked.

Moreover, all are keenly conscious that the Ancestors are always watching. Though voices are often raised and debates may last for solar days, the Hearthspake sees little of the politicking or self-interested manoeuvring that typifies many other intelligent species' political arenas. The Kin might be hard-headed, but they are almost always earnest and honest in their desire to guide their Kindred well.

The familial bond of the Kindred remains with Kin and Ironkin whether they live and work within their hold, or roam the stars as warriors, merchants, miners or courageous Hernkyn Rangers. There is a shared, genetic understanding between members of a Kindred that goes deeper than words. It is a commonality of thought and action that binds their armies tight and can appear to outsiders like some form of low-level telepathy.

Every Kindred has its own name, chosen when it was founded. Some -- including Skâlfi's Kindred, the Kindred of Nârunn or Vykât's Kin -- are named for the Ancestor credited with their establishment. Others are named after a defining feature of their Hold World, such as the Kindred of Echodark, the Thousand Stars Kindred or the Iron Canyon Kindred. Oddly basic names are used by some, like Kindred Six or Kindred Eleven-D, while others boast names that speak to their essential natures, such as the Star-delver Kindred or the Kindred of Ork Slayers. The Kin are also known to mingle these forms, producing names such as Yôht's Black Pillars Kindred, or The Kindred Stoic of Nightgulf.

Four Pillars of a Kindred

Other than its people, the heart of every Kindred lies in its "Four Pillars." The first is "the Hearth" -- the fire that burns at the heart of the hold. Echoing the times when all Kin sailed the stars aboard vast generation ships, the Hearth is the blazing plasma reactor that powers the hold's defences and sustains light and life. Its fires are said to burn within the breast of all its Kin, only extinguished if every last member of a Kindred falls.

The second pillar is "the Forge," wherein the Kindred known as Brôkhyr craft the weapons, equipment, tools, vehicles and technologies required to sustain them. In planet-based holds the Forge may be a conventional -- if vast -- industrial workshop, but in others it may take the form of a huge factory-vessel, a hollowed out industrial asteroid or a grav-anchored factory-station.

The third pillar is "the Fane," tended to by the Living Ancestors. From the Fane flows the wisdom of the Votann, for it is here that the Grimnyr interface with their Kindred's Ancestor Core.

The final pillar is "the Crucible," whose genomic cloning technologies and artificial wombs ensure the Kindred's continuation as a people, and whose ancient devices are defended by the oath-sworn orders of the Embyr, elite protectors who are one of the few bearers of a psychoactive cloneskein.

Kinhosts

"Every part of the hammer matters. The haft just as much as the head, or the microgenerators, or the regulator couplings. All must be wrought. All must be perfectly balanced. Any weaknesses, however small, and it won't strike true. So it is too with the Kinhost."

—Extract from Teachings of the Hearth, Vol. 4

A Kinhost of the Ymyr Conglomerate mobilises for war.

The assembled military forces of a Kindred are known collectively as its "Kinhost." Comprising the Kindred's massed soldiery, its Einhyr elites, the artillery and war engines of the Forge, along with auxiliaries from groups such as the Hernkyn and Cthonian Mining Guilds, the Kinhost is a potent force indeed.

A Kinhost is usually built around a solid core of what the Kin call "soldiers of the line." The most prevalent of these are the Hearthkyn -- stoic and dependable bands of Kin soldiers who form the main infantry battle line in combat. Hearthkyn are technically citizen soldiers, in that many of them have side trades and interests they focus on during peacetime. However, as members of the Kinhost, they are trained as frequently and rigorously as the elite warriors of many other starfaring races.

As Kin do not engage in anything unless they are willing to do it to the best of their abilities, Hearthkyn boast excellent discipline and prodigious martial skill. Indeed, a trainee Kin warrior may not join a band of Hearthkyn until they are able to pass a rigorous series of tests to prove their endurance, marksmanship, aggression, tactical acumen and courage.

Those Kin who aspire to become Hearthkyn -- or indeed other designations of soldiers of the line -- typically boast cloneskeins well-suited to their ambition. They may be especially resilient, swift of thought and action, able to rapidly heal physical injuries, see in low light conditions, and so on. As with the Cthonian Guilds, the Kinhost also invests in cybernetically augmenting its personnel -- many Hearthkyn benefit from augmetic organs or limbs, cerebral communication chips, ocular targeting implants and various other useful additions.

Each Kindred's Forge prioritises arming and equipping their Kinhost soldiery above all other priorities but the most essential duties of hold maintenance and voidship construction. The Hearthkyn are no exception to this, and thus go to battle clad in hardened void armour, wielding an array of potent weaponry from Autoch Pattern Bolters and Ion Blasters to HYLas Auto Rifles.

No Kin soldier of the line is considered expendable, despite serving as their race's infantry rank-and-file. Rather, every Kin warrior is seen as a valuable combat asset, not to mention family members and scions of the Ancestors. Field medics are common amongst their ranks. These Kin are provided with exhaustive training in first aid under fire, as well as limited engineering tuition that enables them to provide the required level of care to damaged Ironkin soldiers.

Kinhost military doctrine emphasises the intelligent use of lives and materiel by Hearthkyn and their comrades, never wasting either in the name of anger or vainglory. Strong bonds of loyalty bind the individuals of each Hearthkyn squad together and ensure the comradeship of one squad to the next, meshing Kinhost formations beneath the trusted leadership of their heroic leaders.

Those Kin soldiers of the line who show sufficient aptitude are given additional training in order to wield specialist weaponry -- such as L7 Missile Launchers or EtaCarn Plasma Beamers -- or to serve their comrades as scanner operators and communications officers. If a Kin shows particular drive and aptitude toward leadership, they will be nominated by their superiors or comrades to be promoted to the rank of "theyn" -- which roughly translates to squad leader. This is a great honour and responsibility both, which most theyns strive to live up to.

Kin who truly excel at war may be selected to become members of the elite Einhyr formations, or else to ascend to the rank of "kâhl." Treading one of these paths does not preclude following the other at a later date, and some Kin have even belonged to both elite circles at once. Most commonly, however, the kâhls stand apart as war leaders and generals, while the warriors of the Einhyr fulfil roles such as elite strike troops, bodyguards, voidship boarding parties and the like.

Votannic Council

The Votannic Council of a Kindred plots its strategies for an upcoming engagement.

When a Kinhost of the Leagues of Votann mobilises for war, it is commanded by its Kindred's Votannic Council. This military command council consists of the most senior and respected heroes of the Kindred. It often includes the high kâhl who commands the Kindred's Kinhost, the Brôkhyr Forge-master who leads all of the Kindred's Brôkhyr, the Kindred's Lord Grimnyr who leads all of their fellow Grimnyr in communicating with the Votann, and senior figures of power and authority in the Kindred, as well as their assembled advisors.

The Votannic Council is normally gathered only for the greatest conflicts, however -- usually when the entire Kindred or their hold face direct and potentially existential peril. At other times, portions of the Kinhost's forces may be led to war by smaller gatherings of leaders such as kâhls, Brôkhyr Iron-masters, Living Ancestors, or even by just a single one of these brave commanders.

Notable Kindreds

• Deeprock Kindred (Greater Thurian League) - The Deeprock Kindred of the Greater Thurian League was one of many Thurian Kindreds whose Hearthspake voted to take up defensive positions and face the onslaught of the forces of Chaos pouring out of Warp Storm Örgvayr after it was created in northeastern Thurian space with the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus.

• Farsail of Thryk Kindred (Trans-Hyperian Alliance) - A far-travelled people, the Kin of the Farsail of Thryk embark on exploration and adventure with compulsive determination. While other leagues may dispatch large Prospects or Oathbands into the void to bring back resources and knowledge, the Farsail of Thryk Kindred are entirely voidborne and ever on the move. Their hold is an entire fleet of huge voidships complete with fortified city, mining, and factory vessels escorted by heavy warships. In the wake of the fall of the space hulk called the Gallowdark to the Forge World of Bheta-Decima in the Nemesys Sector of the Segmentum Tempestus, the Genestealer Cult present on Bheta-Decima known as the Cult of the Chittering Verse has since managed to finally draw the notice of the xenos they call the "Star-Children," who they believe will soon arrive to save them from the present conflict and usher in their long-promised spiritual salvation. As such, a small splinter of Hive Fleet Leviathan is currently en route to Bheta-Decima, but its bio-ships were detected in transit and engaged by the Farsail of Thryk Kindred of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance league. These Kin seek to trap and then harvest the resources of the splinter fleet, as the Leagues of Votann have discovered that they can render bio-ship organic matter into rare and exotic compounds that can be used in all sorts of highly profitable applications, from new medicae treatments to voidship engineering projects. Scout vessels were deployed ahead of the Tyranid splinter fleet to identify its prey worlds, but the Quicksilver-class Scout Ship Vektrônn's Eye was shot down over Bheta-Decima by the Genestealer Cultists. The ship crashed into the central hold of their Genestealer Patriarch in the subterranean region known as the Seethe, named the Deeprealm. In a desperate panic, the troops of the Chittering Verse, including the Traitoris Militarum Cadian Neo-917th Regiment comprised of Brood Brothers and Genestealer hybrids, descended upon the wreckage of the Leagues of Votann ship and were battling with its Kin to eradicate the intrusion.

• Iron Canyon Kindred - The Iron Canyon Kindred is an example of a Kindred that has been named for a defining feature of their Hold World.

• Khâld's Star Breaker Kindred (Greater Thurian League) - Khâld's Star Breaker Kindred of the Greater Thurian League was one of many Thurian Kindreds whose Hearthspake voted to take up defensive positions and face the onslaught of the forces of Chaos pouring out of Warp Storm Örgvayr after it was created in northeastern Thurian space with the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus.

• Kindred Crimson-Two (Greater Thurian League) - Kindred Crimson-Two of the Greater Thurian League was one of many Thurian Kindreds whose Hearthspake voted to take up defensive positions and face the onslaught of the forces of Chaos pouring out of Warp Storm Örgvayr after it was created in northeastern Thurian space with the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus.

• Kindred of Aârnok - The Kindred of Aârnok is known to possess Balewind harvester stations. This is an example of the extremophile inclinations of many Leagues of Votann Kindreds.

• Kindred of Liminus Crag (Trans-Hyperian Alliance) - The Kindred of Liminus Crag is a Kindred of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance. The folk of the Kindred of Liminus Crag are famed as shipwrights of the swiftest voidcraft and atmospheric gunships among the Leagues of Votann.

• Kindred of Echodark - The Kindred of Echodark is an example of a Kindred that has been named for a defining feature of their Hold World.

• Kindred of Nârunn - The Kindred of Nârunn is an example of a Kindred that has been named after its founding Ancestor.

• Kindred of Ork Slayers - The Kindred of Ork Slayers is an example of a Kindred that has been named after the defining nature of its Kin.

• Kindred of Six (Kronus Hegemony) - The Kindred of Six is a Kindred of the Kronus Hegemony. The brutally direct Kin of the Kindred of Six pride themselves on their mastery of urban warfare. They are known rivals of Sylâkh's Kindred.

• Kindred of Vôrtun (Greater Thurian League) - The Kindred of Vôrtun is a Kindred of the Greater Thurian League. Its Hold World is the world of Obsyd Gate. This is the home Kindred of the famed Thurian kâhl Ûthar the Destined.

• Kindred Eleven-D - Kindred Eleven-D is a Kindred whose name is an example of the Kin's tendency to sometimes use oddly basic names for their Kindreds.

• Kindred Six - Kindred Six is a Kindred whose name is an example of the Kin's tendency to sometimes use oddly basic names for their Kindreds.

• Kôrynn's Kindred (Kronus Hegemony) - Kôrynn's Kindred is a Kindred of the Kronus Hegemony. The Fane of its hold achieved self-awareness and became a full Ancestor Core, less than a Terran millennium ago. This rare event allowed the Kindred to become the founder of an aggressive new major league, the Kronus Hegemony.

• Lâkhryr's Kindred (Greater Thurian League) - This Kindred of the Greater Thurian League was swallowed by Warp Storm Örgvayr the instant it was created in northeastern Thurian space with the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus.

• Nôthka's Kindred (Trans-Hyperian Alliance) - Nôthka's Kindred is a Kindred of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance. So hardy and technologically advanced are the Kin, that they have claimed many regions of space viewed by other starfaring species as inimical. Nôthka's Kindred, for example, maintains a hold amidst the calamitous ruin-belt of the Broken Triplets. This trio of worlds were smashed together during some ancient catastrophe, and the colossal quantities of debris from their demise still whirls and ricochets in a vast cloud to this day, trapped by the gravitic anomaly that caused the disaster. Few other peoples could consider such a devastating region home, yet the hold of Nôthka's Kindred -- Sunder Stair -- sits at the heart of the anomaly behind a breathtaking bulwark of interwoven force fields. These both shelter the immense void station that serves as the hold and also maintain clear space lanes for its voidcraft to take in and out of the system. Not only do the Kin of Sunder Stair enjoy the natural defence of the planetary ruin-belt -- which would swiftly cripple invading voidcraft -- but they have also spent Terran centuries mining the exposed innards of the Broken Triplets.

• Oriâkh's Irongate (Grand Orion Compact) - Oriâkh's Irongate was a Kindred of the Grand Orion Compact. The Five Hundred Years' War was triggered when the Orks of WAAAGH! Morbok overran the hold of Oriâkh's Irongate Kindred and tore apart the Ancestor Core within. The Grand Orion Compact swore the most widespread Grudge in recorded Kin history for this death of their Votann, hurling all their might against the Warlord Morbok's Empire of Scrap for more than five Terran centuries, until the last Ork was slain and the insult answered.

• Orksbane Kindred (Ymyr Conglomerate) - The Orksbane Kindred is a Kindred of the Ymyr Conglomerate. The Orksbane Kindred built their hold upon the heavily-irradiated world of Tamâkh. Known as Brôkhfyre, the hold is dug deep into Tamâkh's planetary mantle -- insulated against the exotic and deadly energy spectra that pour from the world's nearby star. What violent apotheosis the tortured star is undergoing, none can say, but for three Terran millennia now the Kin of the Orksbane Kindred have captured the energies of its raging solar flares using kilometres-high stellar vanes. These energies power their hold's Forge, which is amongst the greatest in all the Leagues of Votann, renowned for the amazing weapons of war it can produce.

• Star-delver Kindred - The Star-delver Kindred is an example of a Kindred that has been named after the defining nature of its Kin.

• Sylâkh's Kindred - The Kin of Sylâkh's Kindred, a known rival of the Kindred of Six of the Kronus Hegemony, favours massed artillery and siege warfare.

• Skâlfi's Kindred - Skâlfi's Kindred is an example of a Kindred that has been named after its founding Ancestor.

• The Kindred Stoic of Nightgulf - The Kindred Stoic of Nightgulf is an example of a Kindred whose name is a combination of several common naming conventions, in this case a Kindred that has been named for a defining feature of their Hold World and the defining nature of its Kin.

• Thousand Stars Kindred - The Thousand Stars Kindred is an example of a Kindred that has been named for a defining feature of their Hold World.

• Void Strider Kindred (Greater Thurian League) - This Kindred of the Greater Thurian League was swallowed by Warp Storm Örgvayr the instant it was created in northeastern Thurian space with the birth of the Great Rift in the Era Indomitus.

• Vykât's Kin - Vykât's Kin is an example of a Kindred that has been named after its founding Ancestor.

• Ukûlak's Kindred (Trans-Hyperian Alliance) - Ukûlak's Kindred is a Kindred of the Trans-Hyperian Alliance. Ukûlak's Kindred have chosen to honour their league's exploratory traditions by having every last one of their Kin serve at least a Terran decade as Hernkyn during their early years.

• Urvû's Kindred - The hold ship of Urvû's Kindred was the place where the Trans-Hyperian Alliance relic of the CORV Duas was created during the years of the Longest March. These robotic CORV COG units contain shards of psychoactive crystal recovered from a scintillating anomaly of the galactic core. Like escorts around a capital ship, the CORV Duas employ their psycho-amplified resilience to shield their companion Grimnyr from harm. At the same time, the empyric resonance generated by their presence magnifies the fortitude of the Grimnyr's barrier-tech, helping them to ward off harmful enemy manifestations.

• Yênna's Kindred - Yênna's Kindred is known to possess Balewind harvester stations. This is an example of the extremophile inclinations of many Leagues of Votann Kindreds.

• Yôht's Black Pillars Kindred - Yoht's Black Pillars Kindred is an example of a Kindred whose name is a combination of several common naming conventions, in this case a Kindred that has been named for a defining feature of their Hold World and after its founding Ancestor.

Sources

• Codex: Leagues of Votann (9th Edition), pp. 6-11, 15-17, 20, 24-25, 28, 31, 52
• Kill Team: Termination (Specialist Game), pp. 27-28