Harbingers

"""I don't believe it's a harbinger of doom.""""-Stuart Schweitzer"

"Justice divine has weighted: the doom is clear. All hope renounce, ye lost, who enter here." -Dante Alighieri

"Memento Fatum.""""-A Legion saying." The Harbingers are the VIIth Legion of the 20 Legiones Astartes. The Legion favors a mobile, rapid and melee oriented way of war, with knack for unconventional warfare as well. They are vicious, unpredictable, cunning and creative force of Astartes, thought far from the most stable and reliable ones thanks to the common instances of mental instability and paranoia among the warriors of the VIIth. The Legion is known for having a great, and somewhat unhealthy, need and desire for battle, and has a lot of violent tendencies they wish to sate regularly. Despite all their lust for violence, they have almost surprising ability to act civil when the situation calls for it.

The Harbingers are a Legion known for its grim and morbid mentality and look at life, which is strangely offset by the sometimes almost jovial personalities of the Astartes. The Legion’s culture places heavy emphasis on fatalistic view of life, where doom and calamity are inevitabilities that must be dealt with or be dealt by. The Harbingers are characteristically seen as paranoid by their cousin Legions, for the VIIth seems to have not only a sense but a need for hardship and misfortune. Combined with the not too uncommon forms of  mental instability caused by the geneseed, the cultural fabric of the Legion is peculiar to say the least. The Legion’s love for battle and violence is seen by some as a side effect and response to their mentality, as war seems to offer the Harbingers something that keeps them together and from unraveling any further. Despite this all, the Legion has displayed a surprising ability for cooperation with forces outside the legion, at least when they feel like it. The Legion has a strong liking for borderlands and new frontiers, a notion that comes strongly from the culture of their homeworld, and as such they are very interested in the borders of the Imperium, and the final frontiers that lay beyond.

The Harbingers see themselves as one of the many great tools of the Mankind’s great empire. They accept and enjoy the role they have given as tools of war, maybe a bit more than they like the ideals of the Imperium. They largely don’t concern themselves much with the wider Imperium beyond its wars, and are content to do the duties they have been given, even if they prefer to have as much freedom and power over themselves as possible. The Imperium is an immutable fact, one that the VIIth Legion feels they naturally belong to as part of humanity. While the Legion itself can be somewhat loose with its loyalty to the Imperium at times, their loyalty to their Primarch in unbreakable and unconditional, and the Primarch’s loyalty is to the Imperium. The Harbingers are known to be rather mercurial when it comes to their attitude towards the mortal citizens of the Imperium, and there is much variation between different Astartes. Generally the Legion has shown it can be rather callous when it comes to the lives of regular masses of humanity, and sometimes they could even be called cruel in their conduct. The regular humans seem weak and rather insignificant to the mighty warriors of the VIIth Legion. There is an endless number of them, and something so expendable rarely bothers the mind of the VIIth Legiones Astartes.

The sire of the Harbingers is Primarch Skyrios Kadaron, seventh son of the Emperor of Mankind. Skyrios is a troubled Primarch, who started developing mental problems during the late Crusade, which developed into full blown madness during the Rangdan Xenocides and got even worse during the Great War. The Primarch is unpredictably drifting between sanity and lunacy, which has often made him even more deadly if less reliable fighter.

When the Secession brought forth the Great War, the Harbingers felt as if it a great doom had finally arrived, something that many of them had even dreaded in their paranoia. The treatment their fallow Legions suffered at the hands of the Emperor made the ever unstable Harbingers quickly develop a realistic fear of similar fate befalling them. As such, the Harbingers soon threw their lot together with the emerging Secessionists, hoping the oust the their former Emperor in a fearful act of self preservation.



The Great Crusade
During the Great Crusade, the Harbingers were a fast striking Legion that were very flexible and creative with their dealings with their enemies. They were more of a sharp blade than a blunt force instrument of war, but rather than the scalpel such as the Umbral Blades, Harbingers very very much a front line Legion. They also became known for their ruthlessness and love for combat and violence, which would have caused concerns if they had not been able at the same time reign in their worst impulses. While never the most reliable Legion, they rarely had trouble following orders and wishes of the Imperium.

During the wars of the Great Crusade, the mental state of the Primarch started to slowly deteriorate. Skyrios became increasingly delusional and paranoid, which did not always hurt his efficiency in combat, for somehow he was able to reap benefit from his delusion and paranoia, as if he had supernatural abilities to read situations. With the guidance of the Primarch, this not totally understood ability to harness something from the madness, which was not uncommon in the Legion, became as if a new tool for the Legion. While their creative ways of war were not always reliable or successful, they managed to bring the Legion some rather wondrous results as well."“Doom is predictable. We must not be.”""-A Legion saying"Due to its paranoid tendencies, the Vth Legion was famously quite a distrusting legion, and most viewed other legions trough reserved lenses, especially highly renown, strictly organized and deeply Imperial Legions like the Paragon Order, Immaculate Sons and the Apostles of Lazari. Of special note was their dislike for the first Legion, the Titans of Vayrd'un, who the Harbingers saw as the pinnacle of imperialistic authority, hubris and control.

The Rangdan War
Elements from the Harbingers were among the first Legionnaires to make contact with the Rangdan. The Harbingers were a important presence on the warzones of the Rangdan Wars, and with its Legion was part of the pivotal strategic decapitation assault against the Ragndan Queen.

The Great Secession
"Thunder and blood and night must usurp our parts, to complete and make up the catastrophe of this great piece.""-E.R. Eddison" When the First War between the loyalists and the secessionists ignited, the Legion was thrown off by the sudden choosing of sides and drawing of lines between the Legions, and were so taken back they were not quite sure which side to follow at first. The Primarch felt like the Emperor had in some convoluted way betrayed him and was after him and his siblings, which was what lead to the Primarch meeting with his closest brothers, Nemiza of the Hunter's Eternal and Irawaru of the Void Watchers on a remote world to discuss the sudden new state of the Imperium. The three Primarch negotiated, contemplated and debated weather their Legions should join the side in opposition to the Emperor. During this meeting between Skyrion and his siblings, the Primarch of the Harbingers however suffered an episode of severe delusion, and in his paranoia and madness suddenly attacked his siblings, causing them severe wounds. The situation was high tension and had a danger of getting out of hand, however the two Primarchs were able to detain their brother in the claws of madness. Cooler heads prevailing and right choices being made on the sides of all Legions, and the Primarch of the Harbingers was firmly detained and no further escalation ensued. The Legion’s First Captain, Osiron Saius, negotiated in his Primarch’s stead and with the authority of the Legion, and an agreement was reached that the VIIth Legion would join the Vth and the XIth in siding with the secessionists. After Skyrios' head cleared up, he was of the same mind as his brothers, and did not challenge the course negotiated by his First Captain in any way.

The Imperial Reformation
"An overall feeling of doom that one cannot ever escape no matter what one does""-Lemony Snicket"In the age of peace and prosperity, the Harbingers have found hard it hard to adapt. Their desire, and some would say need, for combat and violence has haunted the already troubled Legion through the years. The Legion has adapted by limiting its numbers and leading regular small scale wars into the dark reaches beyond the Imperial borders, where some xenos races still lurk. The characteristics paranoia of the Legion drives them to seek out any looming threats in the dark corners of the galaxy. In particularly peaceful times the Legion has even made do with venting their passions on Death Worlds in absence of greater sources of battle.

The Legion has taken up the task of keeping a watch on any notable xenos presences beyond the Imperium’s reach. While they keep these small threats in check with measured interventions, they rarely lead campaigns of conquest and extermination against them, for they know that if they destroyed them completely, what would they fight then in the future? The Legion is suspected even of cultivation of xenos like Orks and others for the sole purpose of satiating their need for conflict. If any threat of significant scale is spotted, and is reasonably beyond the Legion’s ability to handle, the Legion will call assistance from other Legions, thought such instances are rare.

In addition to these duties of roaming the Imperial frontiers, the Legion has taken up the task of scavenging ruins of dead civilizations, both human and xenos that they come across. The Legion has little interest in experimenting with xenos technology, so they usually merely deliver them to appropriate authorities like the Mechnicum. At rare times the Legion is known to have acts as escorts for exploration and colonization fleets in the frontiers, usually in cooperation with their cousin Legion Void Watchers.

After the victory over the Loyalist in the Secession War and the establishment of the new order of the Imperium, the Harbingers solidified a treaty known as the Caderran Accord, which had been given a start in the Secessionist Conclave at early stage of the war as part of the terms Harbingers demanded in return of pleading their forces to the Secessionist side of the war. The Accord grants Harbingers considerable independence in the new Imperium, and some might even consider the liberties somewhat worrying. Thanks to the Accord negotiated by the Harbingers, the Legion is relatively loosely controlled by the Imperial rule of Terra. This stems from their dislike for centralized command and over reaching authority outside of the Legion, and their distrust for many factions of the Imperium. Worth noting for example is that the Harbingers have fiercely reserved a privileged to be free of many forms spying by the imperial intelligence and the Umbral Blades Legion, who the Harbingers distrust almost beyond compare in the modern Imperium.

The Accord also frees the Harbingers of any sort of forced demilitarization that could be levied against them. The Legion is famously war-minded and deeply abhors the demilitarization of the rest of the Imperium. In the doom aware and paranoid minds of the Vth, such debilitate weakness in the face of the universe is unwise. Due to this the Harbingers possess considerable military might that they firmly hold on to, both as a defense against the hostile universe as well as internal Imperial forces that would move against them. The military power they possess is firmly used to protect any and all attempts to tread upon them, which has caused many imperial factions to be wary of the Vth Legion, and the great potential for violence they hold. As the Harbingers are mostly content on roaming the borderlands of the Imperium, the Legion coming to blows with other Imperial factions is rare but most assuredly not unheard of.

Notable Campaigns

 * Lifting the Siege of Farsalus  During the 3rd year of the Great War, the Harbingers main attack from the galactic southeast eventually lead them to the assistance of the Wind Ravers Legion, who had been besieged on their homeworld of Farsalus since the early part of the war. While the engagements of the Harbingers against the Loyalists were brutal, they were also relatively soon resolved. The arrival of Harbingers fleets soon forced the Loyalists forces to retreat or risk destruction, relieving the XVII th Legion and bringing the siege of Farsalus to an end.
 * Siege of Krykat During the incursion into the Segmentum Solar in the 4th year of the Great War, a Chapter of Harbingers laid siege to the world of Krykat that had been totally caught off from all Loyalist contact by the advancing forces of the Secsessionists. The world had only nominal mortal forces defending it, but a small detachment of Iron Lords had been stranded on the world and had thus entrenched themselves into firm defensive positions. The overwhelming and bloodthirsty Harbingers force laid siege to Krykat, but the Iron Lord had great defensive positions and were determined to sell their lives dearly. While eventually the Iron Lords were butchered to the last marine, they managed to cause severe Astartes and material casualties to the Harbingers. The Siege was victory for the Harbingers, but an extremely costly one.
 * Battle of Yarant In the fifth and last year of the Great War the Harbingers were part of the massed Loyalist assault directed at Yarant in the galactic south of the Segmentum Solar. The VIIth  took part in massive and brutal battles against the Loyalist with extreme prejudice, having developed a great loathing for all Loyalists, Astartes and mortals alike, during the costly years before. As such, as the Loyalists were eventually pushed to retreat towards Sol system, the Harbingers took part in committing some of the most vicious massacres of the whole war against the defeated Loyalist worlds, resulting in countless mortal deaths and massive planetary  devastation.
 * Solar War and the Siege of Terra

Recruitment
The Legion recruits almost solely from Cadorra. The dangerous jungles and wildlife provide plenty of material for the trials of the Legion's aspirants. Trials of new space marines usually involve survival in the wilderness, hunting of wild beast as well as cooperative missions with other aspirants. While the trials are harsh as one might expect from a Space Marine Legion, the trials are not known to be particularly more demanding than with other Legions.

The Stricken
The Stricken were a special unit type of the Harbingers fielded during the Great Crusade and the Great War. Warriors whose mental state and skills meet certain requirements are formed into these elite combat units. The stricken are known to be deadly close combat fighters who wield some of the more exotic close combat weapons of the Legion. Their mental states have usually been rendered into quite disturbing states; they are known to be very psychotic and violent, and are known to be almost suicidal in their mentality and conduct of war, thought there can be great variations between individual Stricken marines. The units deadlines does not lie in solely of their skill in melee, for the Stricken have been recorded to employ many unconventional and even bizarre tactics to catch the enemy off guard.

Mournguard
The bodyguard of the Primarch, the Mournguard are veterans of the Legion who are responsible for protecting the Primarch. Their duties include fighting by the side of the Primarch on the battlefield when they are able, but they are also responsible for tending to the Primarch and looking after his mental state. A large squad is guarding the Primarch at all times with others nearby, and a single Psyker, known as Cultivator, is always included among them to better monitor the mind of the Primarch.

As there are more members of the Mournguard than are necessary to guard the Primarch at any one time, a portion of the Mournguard’s number are often deployed as guards of other significant Harbingers officers or invaluable assets. It is from these reserves that the replacements for the Primarchs companions are called whenever an warrior of Mournguard falls in battle.

Dark Augurs
Dark Augurs are a fast attack specialist unit in the VIIth Legion equipped with Svarn pattern jump packs. Excelling at rapid strikes and hit and run, the Dark Augurs are vicious evolution of the exosuit warriors of the jungles of Caderra, and some of the best killers in the entire Legion. In combat the Dark Augurs rely on fast strikes aimed at just as much demoralizing the enemy as killing them. The refined Sanity Eclipser technology used by the claws of the Dark Augurs strikes sudden horror and loss of control in all but the most stalwart enemies, often costing them precious moments in the thick of vicious melee combat with Dark Augurs.

Equipment
The VIIth Legion prefers fast and mobile war, so their use of heavy vehicles and equipment is limited. They have a great appreciation for melee and melee weapons, and as such they are known to wield a wide variety of such weapons, and some of their wargear is very exotic in their design if not the level of technology. Fast vehicles are used widely, though the Legion prefers fighting on foot. Jump packs are not as common as one might think, for the jungles of Cadorra make them hard to use, which has left its mark in the Legion’s mentality. The Legion has some appreciation for venoms and other biological weapons, but what they really have taken a liking to is weapons that affect the minds of the enemy in one way or another. It is from this area of equipment that the most horrifying arms of the Harbingers come from.

Due to the nature of their homeworld, where the wars before the Imperium's arrival were fought in the extreme darkness of the deep jungles, the Legion is very adept at night fighting. As with the advanced warsuits used by the old Cadorran warriors, the power armor the Legion fields commonly posses much better visual sensory capabilities in dark environments than in most legions.

Sanity Eclipsers
Taking form in a few different types of weapons, the Sanity Eclipser is a general term used for the mind affecting weapons wielded by the Harbingers Legion, used in both ranged and melee forms. These weapons are all based on the weapon technology from Caderra. General idea is that the weapon in able to affect the biological functions of the brain in one way or another, causing various harmful effects depending on the weapon. Many of these weapons are capable of causing horrible suffering to their victims.


 * Mind Discombobulator. A device that emits bursts of debilitating waves with the purpose of disorienting a nearby foe.
 * Sanity Nail. A small piece of equipment mounted on close combat weapon. The faint field emitted causes feelings of dread and nausea in any enemy to suffer a blow from the weapon, which combined with the shock from the wound causes severe mental distress.
 * Sanity Desolator. A special issue gun that fires nerve damaging waves.
 * Sanity Harrower. A heavy weapon that fires high intensity brain disruption waves that attempt to make the target hurt itself.

Cadorran Mindvenom Blades
Harbingers are known to sometimes wield exotic weapons incorporating fauna-based organic material from their homeward. Usually hand crafted to be hollow, these exceptionally light blade weapons are capable of cutting most types of armor with great ease. The deadliness of the blade however comes from the Liquid Doom, the titular mind venom that the weapon's technology employs. The venom affects the user, not the victim. The weapon's mind venom reacts to the act of delivering a strike with feedback to the user's nerve system, which enhances their reflexes, sensory organ sensitivity and bloodlust in an adrenaline filled battle state. Intense and rapid usage however pushes the feedback pulses into overdrive, which might cause harm to the user.

Svarn Pattern Jump Pack
A highly modified pattern of the Imperial Jump Pack technology that trades greater power and flight ability for more precision and agile control. The jump pack is much smaller and less unwieldy, and not usable for more than very limited flight. The intention of the pack is to enhance the mobility of the user without limiting operation in difficult environments like jungles and close quarters. The user is able to run much faster, jump much higher and perform small and rapid movements in the air with great precision thanks to the small thruster bursts of the pack.

War Disposition
The VIIth Legion is rather average in size among the Legiones Astartes. Never among their more numerous cousins, the Legion achieved the peak of just over 120 000 marines before the war with the Rangdan. The Legion is divided into Chapters roughly 10 000 marines strong, that are further divided into Wing Companies, Pinion Companies and Demi Companies. Chapters were versatile fighting forces capable of large scale warzone deployments without further support. Wing Companies and especially Pinion Companies ware rather commonly more specialized inside the Chapters, fielded as dedicated purpose forces such as Assault Companies or Heavy Support Companies.

Due to the Legion's modest size, it has been able to efficiently field its resources, wargear and weapons. The Legion is however very inventive if forced into demanding circumstances such as poor supply lines and limited resources. During the Great War, the Legion was very adapt in scavenging and capturing, allowing them to use and field a lot of equipment taken from the opposing Loyalist Legions.

The Legion holds not particular love or animosity for the Mechanicum and see them just as  one vital part of the Imperium and their lives. The Legion offers the Mechanicum the respect it deserves and tries to maintain cordial relations, for they understand full well the importance of the Priesthood of Mars. The Legion and the Mechanicum have seen eye to eye many times among the years, though there have been a few incidents that have resulted in some high tension disagreements.

Cadorra
Homeworld of the Harbingers is a jungle world with short days and long nights. The deep jungles can at times filled be with pure darkness, and many dangerous fauna live in these realms beyond sunlight. While not quite a death world, the planet’s vibrant wildlife provides plenty of danger and challenges for the human population. The human civilization on the planet remained quite advanced through the Age of Strife, with a relatively good level of technology preserved after the fall of mankind's first galactic empire. Before the Primarch’s discovery, the Cadorrans spent their years fighting at times against the vast and dark jungles for new territory and against each other for the old territories.

The Primarch eventually rose to a position of leadership of one of the numerous nations, after which he led the conquest of the whole world. With his leadership, an era of relative peace and prosperity was achieved, and the efforts to conquer the jungles for humanity were put at the forefront. Numerous calamities and disasters, both natural and human caused marked the years of the Primarch on Cadorra, but he and his people continued their struggles forward no matter what they fate put on their way. After being found by the Imperium of man, the Primarch limited the efforts to conquer the jungles, for he saw them as a valuable part of the world and his people’s identity and culture, as well as a useful training ground for his VIIth Legion.

The culture of Caderra places special emphasis on misfortune and calamity, and this culture was heavily adopted by the Legion. Caderrans believe in dark futures and inevitability of doom of some form or another. This notion seems to have its roots in how dangerous life on Caderra is. This culture was perhaps even amplified in the newly named VIIth Legion, due to the mental effect of the Primarch’s geneseed. At the same time the Legion thinks all life is subject to similar doom, and they reveal in themselves being the doom of their enemies. Paranoia and fear of some mysterious upcoming doom soon became widespread among the Legion mentality, and especially in the Primarch.

The Legion has a positive disposition towards Psykers, which partially stems from their fatalistic worldview and liking all forms of precognition. The tides of fate are a source of great intrigue to the Legion in almost a childish manner, and as such Librarians are highly valued, and mortal spykers as well should their abilities touch the enigmas of the universe."To be alive is to be vulnerable. To be ageless is to be doomed.""-Primarch Skyrios Kadaron, private writings"""

Legion Combat Doctrine
"Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.""-Sun Tzu"Harbingers excel at fast paced warfare, where their unpredictability can be best put to use. They not only shine, but revel at close combat, where they can best savor the thrill and exultation of battle. They prefer light, flexible and mobile way of war, with as much freedom as possible, which allows them to employ their creativity and cunning to defeat their enemies. While the nigh fighting and cover of darkness are not huge part of the Legion's way of war, the Harbingers are perfectly capable of using them to a great affect when a good opportunity presents itself.

Legion Geneseed
The Legion’s GZeneseed is of average purity and successful implantation rates among the Legions. Other than a signature graying of irises and marginally sharper than average reflexes, there are little to none physical traits typical to the VIIth Astartes bloodline. On the mental side, however, the geneseed is known to be capable of causing various things to the implanted human, most prominently mental instability and paranoia. It is unclear to what degree these things are caused by the geneseed and to what degree the Legion's culture.

Notable Harbingers
Primarch Skyrios Kadaron

First Captain Osiron Saius

A veteran of the Great Crusade and its countless battles, Osiron Saius leads the first chapter of the Harbingers, known as the Lords of Doom. Famous for his strategical acumen and especially his strong and stable mind, a valued trait in a Legion known for various forms of madness. Saius has never been known to have suffered from any form of mental problems typical to his bloodline, and as such he has solidified himself as figure of wisdom, reason and stability at the heart of the Legion. He is considered to be the most reliable and influential officer among his Legion. Due the the increasing deterioration of the Primarch's mental state over the the years, Saius took over overseeing much of the Legion in his Primarch's stead. It is widely know that Saius usually speaks with the authority of the Primarch behind him, especially in those situations where the Primarch is unavailable due to problems with his mind. The absolute loyalty Saius shows towards his genefather is widely known, as is the trust Skyrios places on Saius. In the later stages of the Great War, it was more Saius than the Primarch who was leading the Harbingers Legion.

Wing Captain Vanthas Hade

Almost certainly the best fighter and duelist among the Harbingers, Wing Captain Vanthas Hade, known also as the Death Dealer, is among the deadliest warriors among the Legiones Astartes. Hade is the commander of the first Wing Company of the first Chapter of the Harbingers. A relatively young Astartes exceptional talent for dealing our death to his enemies, Hade is a renowned warrior with many great victories as well as personal accomplishments behind him. While a skilled commander in his own right, Hade is primarily a lethal champion and expect of melee combat. While not completely sane like some other officers of the Legion, his mental problems seem to do nothing more than hone his already masterful fighting skills.

Equary Khalman Velk

A trusted Equarry to the Primarch, Velk is a man who has dedicated his life to looking after his troubled Primarch. While not a warrior of particular skill in combat nor strategy, he is none the less at the top of the Legion's hierarchy. Velk is a man whose genius intellect lies more in social skills and diplomacy, and he has great insight into wide arsenal of things that most officers can only dream of. While not officially commander of any forces, Velk is the de facto master of the Mournguard, and his influence over the Legion is greater than he lets show.

Pinion Captain Mexian Jorek

A madman among madmen, Pinion Captain Jorek is a devilish genius to embodies the Legion's ideal of mustering might from madness. Known for is unorthodox, convoluted and questionably sane plans of war, Jorek has despite his obvious lunacy achieved borderline miracles with his designs, even if his fractured mind will just as often provide no results. While a inconsistent one, Jorek is nonetheless a valued tool in the arsenal of the VIIth Legion.

Pinion Captain Sladian Victrimus

Pinion Captain Victrimus was the commander of the 5th Pinion Company of the Second Wing Company, part of the second Chapter of the Harbingers, as commander of the Strike Cruiser Peremptory. He is remembered to have been part of the first Legion force to have made contact with the Ragdan xenos species at the onset of the Rangdan War.

Legion Fleet
Harbingers are not of the largest legions, and their fleet size reflect that. Harbingers have fairly balanced fleets that favor speed and maneuverability. Boarding capabilities are also rather emphasized. Bigger classes like battleships are used, but the legion favors fleet compositions of many medium to medium-large ships rather than the heaviest vessel classes available to the Legions. This means a focus on heavy, grand and battle cruisers as the largest vessels of the Harbingers fleets at the expense of battleships.

Notable Vessels

 * Premonition - Gloriana-class Battleship
 * Peremptory - Strike Cruiser

The Dream Eater
A weapon of exotic designs that blends spear and sword, The Dream Eater injects powerful bioacid manufactured from the brain fluids of the Primarch of the VIIth himself. Once the bioacid comes into contact with organic matter, it immediately causes the victim to suffer extreme and horrendous mental effects. Total collapse of sanity is expected within moments, and the brain damage is often beyond recovery for most life forms. If not immediately granted merciful death by the user of the weapon, the victim is left in a state indescribable suffering with little chance of relief beyond death. This state of agony is considered the worst possible fate anyone can suffer by the warriors of the Harbingers Legion.

Legion Colours
The Legion color scheme consists of dark shades of green and blue.

Legion Badge
"No one sees black swan coming.""-Wing Captain Vanthas Hade"The Legion’s symbol is a singing Svarn bird native to Caderra, also known as the Caderran Swan. While the black bird is no way related to the avian swan species of the old Terra, the connection is made culturally. The idea of a swan song has great cultural significance, and the Svarn is believed to be capable of similar singing according to old beliefs. The black swan is also a symbol of unforeseen calamity and doom. These ideas are greatly liked by the fatalistic VIIth Legion.