Hive Fleet Hel Fluff

[Ragged Warrior]

Hey Hive,

I'm currently working on creating fluff for my army and I need your help.

Essentially, my fleet is a sister fleet to Jormungandr. Jormungandr is the Midgard Serpent from Norse lore that spreads it's coils around the world. Well, this snake has two siblings: Fenrir and Hel.

Hel is Loki's only daughter and goddess of the underworld. She has great power, but lurks in the shadow, reaching her long cold hand out viciously and unexpectedly throughout her mythology. What I want to do is couple the norse mythology with how the Tyranids opperate. Hel will be a splinter fleet that works much like the goddess of the dead.

Slogging her way slowly through grim battlefields and destroyed kraft worlds, Hive Fleet Hel feasts on the dead and dying. But for all her vulture tendencies, she is no coward or emaciated enemy. To underestimate her is foolish. She spends her time collecting Biomass, waiting for her glorious moment. She reaches out and, with her long cold fingers, crushes those who stand in her way--but remains eerily distant.

Hive Fleet Hel was discovered by the Eldar, who, looking out on the destruction saw movement. The Tau got word of Hel's activity and has been monitoring them closely for some time--mysteriously guarding their interaction with the fleet, and donning a blanket of secrecy. The Imperial Guard intercepted a transmission from a Tau stealth team that seems to suggest that the Tau are seeking to control Hel.



Well, that's all I have for now. Thoughts? Questions? Looking forward to your input as always.

[FTGTEvan]

I think you've got a pretty good handle on some intricate plot (fluff?) points. I like the Norse myth references, as well as the perhaps hints of Starcraft and Broodwar (?) with the Tau trying to control or use the hive fleet (which we can all presume will turn out just peachy for them, right?).

I like the hint/idea of a fleet scavenging on battle scarred worlds and sectors from other races' conflicts, not because the fleet is week, but because they can. This gives a menacing hint that they are lying in wait and gathering strength for some impending doom. Very foreboding.

If you like writing it up from an Imperial observation perspective, I think you can seed in lots of menacing hints at some dark purpose to the fleet that the Imperials just can't comprehend. Same if written from the Tau perspective, though that would hint more about the Tau's potential downfall for their flaw of pride in thinking they can control the fleet. In either case, less can be more. If you know why they act like they do, that's fine, but it can be more menacing if it's not completely clear but very lightly hinted at, if that makes sense.

[Ragged Warrior]

That makes perfect sense, VTAries.

Here's the plan: I want to write it from the IG perspective. They will be encountering Hel at intervals, but they began their investigation late. They will be basing most of their information and decisions on what they've learned from the Eldar, and what they are intercepting from the Tau.

[Ragged Warrior]

Check out the my Battle Reports to get more information on the nature of my Hive Fleet.

Batrep 1:http://www.thetyranidhive.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Tactics&action=display&thread=41284

Batrep 2: www.thetyranidhive.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Tactics&action=display&thread=41462

[Ragged Warrior]

Here is my Tyranid origin myth:


An Old One, wearied from the war and havoc around him, created an organism that consumed disorder. Whenever war occurs, it attracts the Tyranids--the original intention being that the Tyranids would devour war. Once war ends, the Hives will dry up and die out, but as long as there are battles, there will be an alien force to consume it.

Granted, I don't know much about the Old Ones, but my stipulation is that the creator of the Tyranids gifted separate Hives to his subordinates, which would explain why different Hives have been known to act so differently from one another.

[douge]

Nov 21, 2012 14:59:33 GMT Ragged Warrior said:

Here is my Tyranid origin myth:


An Old One, wearied from the war and havoc around him, created an organism that consumed disorder. Whenever war occurs, it attracts the Tyranids--the original intention being that the Tyranids would devour war. Once war ends, the Hives will dry up and die out, but as long as there are battles, there will be an alien force to consume it.

Granted, I don't know much about the Old Ones, but my stipulation is that the creator of the Tyranids gifted separate Hives to his subordinates, which would explain why different Hives have been known to act so differently from one another.

When you mention the Old Ones, are you talking about the Great Old One's from HP Lovecraft? Sounds like, but I do like the idea that the Old Ones may have possibly created the Nids...interesting thought.

[Ragged Warrior]

New character!

Nidhoggr was Hel's personal dragon who devoured the dead from beneath Yggdrasil. This Flyrant is not reabsorbed into the hive after battle, but instead feasts on the remaining biomass and searches out the next prey. This is the reason that the nighoggr flyrants often appear zombie like on the field: their delayed re-entry exposes them to more battle-scarring.

He's a trademark look for Hive Fleet Hel, kitbashed with a carnifex torso. I'll post pics soon.

I haven't developed any new rules, and don't know if I should.

What do you think, Hive?

Regards,

[FTGTEvan]

I'm interested to see the model. And I like the Norse myth; I wasn't aware Nidhoggr was a servant of Hel. From what little I can remember, I thought of him as more of a Cerberus type; guarding the entrance/back entrance to the underwold. Also, dragon mythology (Smaug, as an example) makes me think more as a guardian type than scavenger, which I think could work; The Nidhoggr Tyrant is the last creature reabsorbed as it oversees the Hive Guard protecting digestion pools, and is the last of the Guardian types reabsorbed.