Volendrunus Clan

"Volendrunus. Once counted among my blood brothers, and inner circle. Now him and his kin are vagabonds, cast out, until they can make recompense for their crimes."

- Tyraxus the Younger

The Clan of Volendrunus were once a member of the mighty Tyraxus Tribe, but have since been expelled from the Tribe because of grave crimes committed against their kin. Until they can bring a symbol of their penance, they are unwelcome by the Tyraxus or their allies.

Founding
The Volendrunus were originally founded by the Chieftain Volendrunus, grandfather to the current Chief Volendrunus. A warrior of some renown, he was a close ally of Tyraxus the Elder's father, Tularkus. When Tyraxus the Elder brought fame and power to the Clan, during the waning years of of the Great War, Volendrunus allied his clan with them, using ancient blood ties to achieve allegiance. The Volendrunus, along with the Meteranus, would be the first Clans to join the growing Tribe.

Post War
After the war, the Clan would move to the leadership of Golus, son of Volendrunus and continue to serve as the left had of the Tyraxus Clan. However, during a routine patrol above an uncharted world, Golus was ambushed by the Covenant. His warships were destroyed and his forces trapped amongst mountains on the surface. Besieged for almost six weeks, the toll had been catastrophic. Of 7000 warriors, only 800 survived when ships from the Tyraxus clan found them and relieved them. During the siege most were deprived of sleep and once they ran out of food, they were forced to consume the corpses of their fallen warriors. Golus lost two of his brothers and his eldest son, and became convinced they Tyraxus Clan had simply not bothered to look for him, when in truth they had begun extensive searches for him the day after he failed to report in. All of these losses drove Golus insane with grief, and this insanity quickly spread.

At the Koruk, the meeting of the clean leaders, it quickly became apparent that Golus had lost his mind, and his insanity and mindless ravings had spread to his clan, who believed they had been abandoned by his allies. When a routine patrol for Covenant ships resulted in Golus massacring almost 3000 civilians without any evidence of their allegiance, the other chieftains distanced themselves. They began trusting him less and less with tasks, and his domain ceased to grow. This further deepened his madness. Despite this, his son and heir, Volendrunus, had become close to Tyraxus, and swore in each other as blood brothers.

Growing ever madder, he began to bring a plan into place to seize the Tribe for himself and exact revenge.

Betrayal
Convinced Tyraxus, Iramus and Meteranus were plotting against him, Golus assigned his best agents to sow mistrust among the Tribe, culminating in framing Qrevemum for an attempted assassination on Tyraxus and Iramus. Hoping to tear apart the Tribe with civil war, then seize control, he wasn't counting on Caeus to not only prove Qrevemum's innocence, but uncover evidence of Golus' involvement. Instead of waiting, Golus attacked with the full force of his tribe, intending to capture Tirex's rest while the majority of their armies were away. In the ensuing battle Meteranus' mate and one of his sons were killed, Iramus wounded and countless civilians killed. Battering on the doors of the council chambers, Golus announced his intentions. He would kill Tyraxus, his entire family and Meteranus and his kin, then seize power, to avenge the deaths of his family and clan. At this point, Volendrunus realised the depths of his father's insanity and challenged him to a battle for right of control of the Clan. Casting down his father, taking up his hammer and announcing his control of the Clan, he ordered his forces to retreat. Falling back to defensive positions at the edge of the system, when the Tyraxi and Meterani fleets arrived, he met them with a single ship to parley.

Exile
While a close friend of Tyraxus, and responsible for ceasing the attack on the capital, he was complicit to the attack on the Tribe and had killed many warriors himself. His clan had been willing to follow Golus into betrayal as well and had slaughtered unarmed men, women and children. After convening peace talks (During which Meteranus repeatedly threatened to rip Volendrunus in half and violate his sisters, all at the same time), it was decided that the Volendruni would be exiled from Tyraxus space. They would receive no aid, be welcome at no port of theirs, or their allows and could only return if they performed a penitent crusade.

During the assault by the Volendrunus clan, mercenary auxiliaries hired by the clan had looted numerous archives, stealing information, charts and most importantly, relics. Nine were stolen in all, each a part of the Tribes history.

With the ultimatum given, the Volendrunus clan departed their former home, and set out into the stars.

The First Three Years
The first three years of their exile were some of the toughest challenges followed by Volendrunus and his clan. Many believed that the Volendruni should turn back and attack the Tribe, despite the fact they were massively out numbered and out gunned. Volendrunus took a great many challenges to his throne, both direct challenges and subversive plots. He weathered them all, but infighting left their strength waning and loyalties divided. Using the last of their wealth to resupply, they planned to find work as mercenaries in the war torn Urakas territories.

Journeying through Nor Yarag, their rag tag fleet was assaulted by a fleet of raiders. The fleet began to splinter until rallied by Volendrunus, who rounded the ships up, positioned them in a defensive position and fended off the raiders. Earning the trust of his clan, he brought them back onto their journey.

When they got to the Urakas territories, they immediately found work, providing security for much larger clans in the region. Their numbers severely reduced, they resorted to slave raiding, assaulting three human colonies. Utilising overwhelming numbers and sheer intimidation, they captured all three colonies without firing a single shot and rounded up the populace. Stripped of their belongings and herded into the cargo bays, these slaves would soon help to rebuild the strength of the clan.