Post by Illithid on Sept 27, 2012 22:24:54 GMT
Bits of this have been "borrowed" (that's what all writers do right 
) - I tried to make my backstory unit.
Tyranid Hive Fleet Illithid
"Outside the ordered universe [is] that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the centre of all infinity—the boundless Hive Fleet Illithid, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space. And in the last days, the sleep of a thousand years shall end when the Ravenous One appears, blotting out the sun in all its glory. Its shuddering bulk shall sound the trumpets of destiny, The Gluttonous Horde. The ones that bind the dread master shall shatter, and the world shall tremble, wailing and clawing, begging their petty gods for escape from the wondrous return of the Unraveller, whose appearance shall set to right all wrongs, restore all balance, and reduce the abomination of creation to its primal, primitive state. Rejoice, the end is at hand…”
~ Unknown Prophet
Background
Hive Fleet Illithid is named after the prophecy that saw the consummation of humanity by the jaws of a slavering beast. This prophesy has been pronounced heresy, however, if the prophesy reads true, Hive Fleet Illithid hails from the whim of the alien entity it is named after, that drifts through space, continually assimilating planets, dividing, spawning, and breathing new swarms. Planets are pierced with free-floating rivers of violet-acidic liquid that sometimes flow along the atmospheres edge for a few feet before plunging into the planet’s surface. Strange green globes rain down from unseen heights, bursting when they strike an object and releasing aberrations the size of dreadnoughts that immediately scuttle off in search of blood.
Onlookers witnessing the final minutes of their planets doom will see gelatinous worms wriggle from layer to layer through tentacled vegetation encrusted with piercing blue moss, all of which is suspended above an amoebic sea. Vast multilayered shapes drift through the layers of Illithid, the smallest being the size of a city.
The original Hive Fleet was first identified millennia ago, shortly after the Elder Craftworld “Carrec Belah” was on a slow, inexorable course around the outer rim of the Maelstrom, moving toward the Regulus system.
The Eldar witnessed grotesque Tyranid mutants, each more repulsive than the last. These Tyranids possessed purplish flesh and bluish carapace, having an unusual consternation to sunlight. Though sunlight did not actually harm them, they loathed it with incredible ferocity.
The Tyranids further inserted their larva into the brains of a sentient creature. Upon being implanted, the larva then would grow and consume the host's brain, absorbing the host's physical form entirely and becoming sentient itself, a mature (but still young) Tyranid. This process is called Endoparasitoidosis and sees the larva assimilate the best attributes of organisms and pass these attributes on to subsequent Tyranid generations. In that way, the Hive became stronger with every victory and Illithid devours more worlds.
The Hive Fleet however became trapped within the maelstrom, the Elder making note of its placement in the galaxy. This isolation twisted the Hive Fleet to become independent of the Hive Mind, giving birth to a new entity know as Illithid. This entity was the largest of the gigantic living creatures making up the Hive Fleet and as starvation crept into the thoughts of this alien being, it began to devour the smaller lesser organisms in order to survive. In doing so, a strange metamorphosis took place and the gigantic form took further shape, developing a maw that looked rather like a four-tentacle octopus and large bloated white eyes. Its gaping mouth constantly dripped an oily, corrosive slime while its body constantly melted and reformed, one moment a towering horror of hooks and fangs, all pulpy flesh and exposed veins, and the next a slithering mass of ropy, violet-tipped tentacles.... having feasted on its fleet, the entity known as Illithid went into a state of frozen hibernation, laying dormant until its hateful mind sensed freedom.
Today, the Hive Fleet of Illithid is just a myth, outlawed by the Imperium. However, the dark shape of Illithid looms on the outer edges of the Milky Way.
Current Whereabouts
Within the past fifty years, Illithid has awoken and its glare has taken in the other stars with great hunger. Stretching out with subtle intelligence, Illithid began to pick off worlds that were uninhabited on the outer regions, building its swarm off the biomass it consumed, eating everything in its path.
Slowly crawling through space, Illithid sensed a world that it could feed off, building up vast reserves of biomass so that it could then feast on the entire Milky Way. This planet is known as Leccinum, the second last planet in the Klesius system and is the second Death World in the star system. This planet was a fungal nightmare. Every variety of toxic plant thrived in the moist, oppressive landscape and the outposts were small and heavily guarded due to the hostile varieties of poisonous, animate, odiferous, and sentient plant life that colonised the planet. It had long been an ideal recruitment ground and a rich source of minerals and crop cultivation, but due to the defection by the Rouge Traders in the Klesius System, it had been largely left to its own devices.
With its sights set on this world, Illithid slowly smothered the planet, sinking its tendrils into its surface before any cry could escape. Illithid quickly learnt from the rapid, crawling world known as Leccinum, discovering that the fungal entities and plant life grew at incredible speeds, leaving a plentiful and inexhaustible supply of biomass, if the Ravenous One could suppress the need to feed. Adapting in order to become larger, Illithid forced its swarms to inhabit the world, harvesting biomass ready to strike deep into the Imperium.
No communication has been heard from the planet for the past 10 years and all psychic signals have ceased. The planet is deathly silent, giving no clue as to what has happened until recently, when the first of the Blood Angels Chapter arrived in the Klesius System.
Loyal Governors have seen their plight in the last few years with the Udovra being captured by the Tau under the banner of Rouge Commander Farsight and Waaagh Bork seizing Metus, Governor Redas led an uprising against the tyranny of the corrupt officials on Esarius. With the planet under control again for a time, Redas ordered the Astral Choir to summon Imperial Aid. Redas’ signal via the Astral Choir to summon Imperial Aid has been met. Answering the call, a glorious host of super-human warriors, the Blood Angels were the first Imperial aid to arrive and continue defending the Imperium of Man as they have done for close to over 10,000 years.
The first scouting party arriving was sent to investigate the lack of communication and psychic signals from the Death World, Leccinum.
The objective of their mission was to seize ground amongst the fungal nightmare that is Leccinum and set up a base of operations so that they can strike at the Tau and Ork forces, reclaiming these planets for the Glory of the Emperor.
The mission ended in utter failure, with the small force being added to Illithid’s reserves of biomass… still no word has reached the Imperium or escaped Laccinum.
The next planet to fall was Altur'Rang. Recent Imperial construction had uncovered a lost technological secret that sent a psychic alarm and encrypted data across the Klesius System to all functioning planets awaking old technology. The underground ruins of the lost alien race on Altur’Rang has drawn the eyes and ears of all in the system and drawn unwanted interest to the Forge World.
Illithid’s keen ears heard the hidden psychic message. Turning its gluttenous eyes to the Forge World it sent forth a small Hive Fleet, its tentacles wrap around the atmosphere of Altur’Rang raining down mycetic spores.
The planet of Altur’Rang also became a fungal wasteland. The planet itself poisoned itself after Hive Fleet Illithid’s annihilation of all alien races that were drawn to the planet. Absorbing numerous biomass, the once vital Forge World’s atmosphere has been depleted and choked with spores from mountainous Capillary Towers and its planet-wide factories devoured by mycetic spores full of bilious acid that have burnt into the planet’s core.
After devourering the remaining fourteen planets, Illithid now eyes the Veiled Sector.
) - I tried to make my backstory unit.Tyranid Hive Fleet Illithid
"Outside the ordered universe [is] that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the centre of all infinity—the boundless Hive Fleet Illithid, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space. And in the last days, the sleep of a thousand years shall end when the Ravenous One appears, blotting out the sun in all its glory. Its shuddering bulk shall sound the trumpets of destiny, The Gluttonous Horde. The ones that bind the dread master shall shatter, and the world shall tremble, wailing and clawing, begging their petty gods for escape from the wondrous return of the Unraveller, whose appearance shall set to right all wrongs, restore all balance, and reduce the abomination of creation to its primal, primitive state. Rejoice, the end is at hand…”
~ Unknown Prophet
Background
Hive Fleet Illithid is named after the prophecy that saw the consummation of humanity by the jaws of a slavering beast. This prophesy has been pronounced heresy, however, if the prophesy reads true, Hive Fleet Illithid hails from the whim of the alien entity it is named after, that drifts through space, continually assimilating planets, dividing, spawning, and breathing new swarms. Planets are pierced with free-floating rivers of violet-acidic liquid that sometimes flow along the atmospheres edge for a few feet before plunging into the planet’s surface. Strange green globes rain down from unseen heights, bursting when they strike an object and releasing aberrations the size of dreadnoughts that immediately scuttle off in search of blood.
Onlookers witnessing the final minutes of their planets doom will see gelatinous worms wriggle from layer to layer through tentacled vegetation encrusted with piercing blue moss, all of which is suspended above an amoebic sea. Vast multilayered shapes drift through the layers of Illithid, the smallest being the size of a city.
The original Hive Fleet was first identified millennia ago, shortly after the Elder Craftworld “Carrec Belah” was on a slow, inexorable course around the outer rim of the Maelstrom, moving toward the Regulus system.
The Eldar witnessed grotesque Tyranid mutants, each more repulsive than the last. These Tyranids possessed purplish flesh and bluish carapace, having an unusual consternation to sunlight. Though sunlight did not actually harm them, they loathed it with incredible ferocity.
The Tyranids further inserted their larva into the brains of a sentient creature. Upon being implanted, the larva then would grow and consume the host's brain, absorbing the host's physical form entirely and becoming sentient itself, a mature (but still young) Tyranid. This process is called Endoparasitoidosis and sees the larva assimilate the best attributes of organisms and pass these attributes on to subsequent Tyranid generations. In that way, the Hive became stronger with every victory and Illithid devours more worlds.
The Hive Fleet however became trapped within the maelstrom, the Elder making note of its placement in the galaxy. This isolation twisted the Hive Fleet to become independent of the Hive Mind, giving birth to a new entity know as Illithid. This entity was the largest of the gigantic living creatures making up the Hive Fleet and as starvation crept into the thoughts of this alien being, it began to devour the smaller lesser organisms in order to survive. In doing so, a strange metamorphosis took place and the gigantic form took further shape, developing a maw that looked rather like a four-tentacle octopus and large bloated white eyes. Its gaping mouth constantly dripped an oily, corrosive slime while its body constantly melted and reformed, one moment a towering horror of hooks and fangs, all pulpy flesh and exposed veins, and the next a slithering mass of ropy, violet-tipped tentacles.... having feasted on its fleet, the entity known as Illithid went into a state of frozen hibernation, laying dormant until its hateful mind sensed freedom.
Today, the Hive Fleet of Illithid is just a myth, outlawed by the Imperium. However, the dark shape of Illithid looms on the outer edges of the Milky Way.
Current Whereabouts
Within the past fifty years, Illithid has awoken and its glare has taken in the other stars with great hunger. Stretching out with subtle intelligence, Illithid began to pick off worlds that were uninhabited on the outer regions, building its swarm off the biomass it consumed, eating everything in its path.
Slowly crawling through space, Illithid sensed a world that it could feed off, building up vast reserves of biomass so that it could then feast on the entire Milky Way. This planet is known as Leccinum, the second last planet in the Klesius system and is the second Death World in the star system. This planet was a fungal nightmare. Every variety of toxic plant thrived in the moist, oppressive landscape and the outposts were small and heavily guarded due to the hostile varieties of poisonous, animate, odiferous, and sentient plant life that colonised the planet. It had long been an ideal recruitment ground and a rich source of minerals and crop cultivation, but due to the defection by the Rouge Traders in the Klesius System, it had been largely left to its own devices.
With its sights set on this world, Illithid slowly smothered the planet, sinking its tendrils into its surface before any cry could escape. Illithid quickly learnt from the rapid, crawling world known as Leccinum, discovering that the fungal entities and plant life grew at incredible speeds, leaving a plentiful and inexhaustible supply of biomass, if the Ravenous One could suppress the need to feed. Adapting in order to become larger, Illithid forced its swarms to inhabit the world, harvesting biomass ready to strike deep into the Imperium.
No communication has been heard from the planet for the past 10 years and all psychic signals have ceased. The planet is deathly silent, giving no clue as to what has happened until recently, when the first of the Blood Angels Chapter arrived in the Klesius System.
Loyal Governors have seen their plight in the last few years with the Udovra being captured by the Tau under the banner of Rouge Commander Farsight and Waaagh Bork seizing Metus, Governor Redas led an uprising against the tyranny of the corrupt officials on Esarius. With the planet under control again for a time, Redas ordered the Astral Choir to summon Imperial Aid. Redas’ signal via the Astral Choir to summon Imperial Aid has been met. Answering the call, a glorious host of super-human warriors, the Blood Angels were the first Imperial aid to arrive and continue defending the Imperium of Man as they have done for close to over 10,000 years.
The first scouting party arriving was sent to investigate the lack of communication and psychic signals from the Death World, Leccinum.
The objective of their mission was to seize ground amongst the fungal nightmare that is Leccinum and set up a base of operations so that they can strike at the Tau and Ork forces, reclaiming these planets for the Glory of the Emperor.
The mission ended in utter failure, with the small force being added to Illithid’s reserves of biomass… still no word has reached the Imperium or escaped Laccinum.
The next planet to fall was Altur'Rang. Recent Imperial construction had uncovered a lost technological secret that sent a psychic alarm and encrypted data across the Klesius System to all functioning planets awaking old technology. The underground ruins of the lost alien race on Altur’Rang has drawn the eyes and ears of all in the system and drawn unwanted interest to the Forge World.
Illithid’s keen ears heard the hidden psychic message. Turning its gluttenous eyes to the Forge World it sent forth a small Hive Fleet, its tentacles wrap around the atmosphere of Altur’Rang raining down mycetic spores.
The planet of Altur’Rang also became a fungal wasteland. The planet itself poisoned itself after Hive Fleet Illithid’s annihilation of all alien races that were drawn to the planet. Absorbing numerous biomass, the once vital Forge World’s atmosphere has been depleted and choked with spores from mountainous Capillary Towers and its planet-wide factories devoured by mycetic spores full of bilious acid that have burnt into the planet’s core.
After devourering the remaining fourteen planets, Illithid now eyes the Veiled Sector.
