The Brotherhood of Iron

Centuries ago, a prison barge headed for Xantos (a mining agri-world) intercepted an as-yet undiscovered space hulk, crash-landing on the surface of the mammoth structure. The survivors of the crash banded together, searching for a place within the hulk to call their own. Eventually they discovered a grotto, deep in the bowels of the vessel where metal, stone and earth melded into a series of echoing caverns and myriad tunnels.

Here they created their new home, named Freedom’s Landing in bittersweet memory of the ship that brought them here and saved them from their fate on Xantos.

Unbeknownst to them, they shared their new home with a terrifying organism - whether it had arrived with them on their prison barge, or had already been present on the hulk was unknown. Whatever the case may be, they soon found members of their small community missing. As the days and months passed, more and more members vanished into the eternal gloom of the tunnels around Freedom’s Landing.

Until, one night, years after the first disappearance, those first few who had been lost returned, celebrating rejoining their friends and families, and telling of their journeys through the mighty hulk. Of their discoveries, and the friends they had made. As the night progressed, more and more of the lost appeared, and some brought with them children, misshapen, terrifying to behold, but doted upon by the returned.

As they sought to calm the horrified survivors, a presence intruded into the minds of all present. Images of the haven Freedom’s Landing could become wormed their way into the survivors’ minds, and resistance ceased as the idyllic scenes took root.

A monstrous being strode into their midst, arms spread wide in welcome. Though no sound issued forth from its mandibles, a warm and welcoming voice echoed through their minds, welcoming them all to the growing family, a brotherhood.

The creature introduced itself as Father, and welcomed them to its home. It was not upset that they had intruded - if anything, it was glad to have company again after so many years. It looked around Freedom’s Landing, commending them for all they had wrought, and asked that all be welcomed back into their fold, to allow the town to become a thriving city in the heart of the huge ship around them.

As the community grew, they discovered pockets of xenos activity, orks and other less civilised creatures. Father directed them to form a group of defenders, and named them the Brotherhood of Iron, in honour of the iron shackles they had broken free of when they started their new life. They found portions of the cargo bays of their erstwhile prison ship untouched, and made use of the equipment that had once been destined for Xantos to equip themselves and expand their now booming home. As their influence expanded, they named the hulk Deliverance.

The Thrice-Blessed

As Freedom’s Landing grew and generations came and went, there were a large number of children born who grew to monstrous size. Rather than being treated as outcasts, Father taught that they were truly blessed, closer to true perfection than many. These children Father took under his wing, naming them the Thrice-Blessed, and taught them of the stars. The most promising of these children he named Son, and gifted him power even greater than that held by the Thrice-Blessed. Son led the Thrice-Blessed to help liberate many other sections of Deliverance, their mere presence often pacifying their enemies before it came to bloodshed.

The Thrice-Blessed often serve as the shock troops of the Brotherhood, and are often times served by the more medically and biologically inclined members of Freedom’s Landing, who seek ways (with Father’s approval) to further improve upon the blessings of the Thrice-Blessed.

Rodrigues’ Raiders

This group is a small band of vigilante outlaws who follow Harrek “Deadeye” Rodrigues, a folk hero in Sternwood, one of the frontier towns far from Freedom’s Landing, near the rear of Deliverance.

Sternwood is unusual in that it is not under the influence of the Brotherhood, so far away that not even Father’s presence reaches it. In this town, the children of Father mingle freely with the descendants of other survivors from the prison barge and many other lost ships and expeditions.

The true nature of the Brotherhood and Harrek’s followers is hidden from these townsfolk, as they are not yet ready for the truth of Father’s love. In the meantime, Harrek defends the town from the horrors of the void, as the location of the town makes it one of the more susceptible to raids from marauding Orks, perfidious T’au, and even the occasional overzealous Imperial Inquisitor.

Sons of the Furnace

Far below the sprawling metropolis that Freedom's Landing has become, there resides a cavern. This cavern is covered floor to ceiling, wall to distant wall in piping, cabling, conduit, and vents. Nestled within the centre of this chamber is an enormous plasma reactor, thrumming with an unsettling intensity as leads and cables feed power to all corners of Deliverance.

Here there dwell a certain caste of the Brotherhood, those for whom family and machine are one and the same. They see Father as a physical manifestation of Deliverance itself, and strive to serve the hulk, merging human flesh with both the enhancements of Father's touch and the physical perfection of machinery.

Those who work within this vault appear at first glance to be more machine than man, before the all-too-familiar forehead ridges, chitin, and disconcerting yellow eyes of Father's kin become apparent. The sons toil to preserve and improve the throbbing heart of their home, their worship of Father and of Deliverance being one and the same.

Many regard the Sons of the Furnace as enigmas, their reverence for the mechanical aspects of their birthplace as blasphemy against Father. The more moderate among the Brotherhood, however, understand their place in the great cycle, and entertain their unusual views as simply another expression of adoration and veneration of Father and his vision.