40K Lore: Kroot of Pech
Today, Loremasters, the Birdmen of Pech are a topic of much debate.
Once again our lecture on foodstuffs of the Imperium must be put on hold. And, I’m afraid that I must continue this lecture under protest. I understand that the production, distribution, and composition of Imperial Foodstuffs might not be as glamorous as combats on distant worlds, or as dangerous as the heresy-courting lectures on Daemonic incursions. And of course how could they be as exciting as lectures on the proper rites to power servitors? But they are important. As nourishing to the mind as they are the body–however, since my complaint carries little weight, especially when the Inquisition wishes us to administer a surreptitious loyalty test to see who reacts positively to the description of the Xenos birdmen known as Kroot from Pech, I suppose we’ll have a fascinating lecture on what you’ll find on the distant Arboreal world of Pech.
Pech, Homeworld of the Kroot, is a primitive Arboreal world with few lasting structures and only bare minimum manufacturing capabilities.
The native Kroot live high among the tree tops in hives made of regurgitated wood. Areas devoid of the expansive planetary forests are covered in harsh tundra. The jagga tree, an evergreen tree native to this planet, blankets most of the largest continent where the fauna are also plentiful. Animal life of Pech consists almost entirely of Kroot and their cousin species including the peaceful, lumbering grazers called krootox, the savage kroot hound, and what may be the original kroot genus, the kroothawk. Pech has a deep spiritual significance for Kroot, and despite the Kroot presence across the whole Galaxy most will try to make a pilgrimage to Pech at least once in their lifetime.
Sometime prior to 844.M38, Pech and it surrounding worlds were overrun and occupied by Orks. Eventually, the Tau Empire agreed to liberate Pech from Ork control at the behest of the Kroot leader Anghkor Prok. After years of hard fighting which began with the War in the Place of Union, Pech and other core Kroot worlds were finally freed from Ork control.
It doesn’t stop there. The history of the Kroot is riddled with great battles fought by the Kroot and their allies, the T’au Empire. Anghkor Prok was a legendary Kroot Shaper who helped purge the Orks, and indeed, led a campaign against the Tyranid to purge all of the creatures from their homeworld, making it one of the few to survive a full fledged tyranid infestation, exemplary of the need for cooperation many worlds that could have done so without much fuss had they simply been in possession of a well-trained corps of planetary defense and Imperial Guard.
Here are some of the heroic Kroot.
Anghkor Prok was a legendary Kroot leader and is considered one of the greatest Kroot to have ever lived. He was one of the key Kroot leaders during the War of the Place of Union and convinced the Tau to aid him in the liberation of the Kroot homeworld of Pech. After the campaign, Prok went to Pech’s sacred oathstone and pledged the allegiance of his warriors to fight for the Greater Good (and regular payment).
Orak (or Orek) – A Kroot Shaper fighting under Commander Brightsword that met with Colonel Schaeffer, Kage and other Last Chancers, first helping them out of a bar fight (started by Tarellian mercenaries, in which they were badly outnumbered), and then by taking them back to their camp, where he tests the mettle and loyalty of the Last Chancers by making Kage eat a Human brain. As a Shaper, he states that both Tau and Human empires are doomed by their own stagnancy and superstition, as only constant change and adaptation can ensure survival. “As we learn from our ancestors, we change and adapt. We learn from our prey and grow stronger. The future is uncertain, to stagnate is to die.”
Gorok the Shaper was present on Gravalax during the Gravalax Incident in late M41. Shortly after Commissar Ciaphas Cain‘s arrival on Gravalax with the Valhallan 597th, he and his friend Toren Divas were attacked by a mob of pro-Tau humans, before Gorok appeared and called them off. He struck up an acquaintance with Cain, which proved useful later.
When war threatened to break out between the Tau and Imperial forces on the planet, both made the independent decision to send a scouting party into the tunnels under the capital city, to locate the third party stirring up trouble. Cain’s party, led by Inquisitor Amberley Vail, bumped into the Tauexpedition, which included Gorok. Their previous acquaintance helped to broker a temporary truce with the Imperials (though not, unfortunately, before one of the Kroot was killed by an Imperial sniper; Gorok appeared to take this phlegmatically, complimenting the Valhallan sniper on his skill). Because of the Kroot‘s ability to “taste” genetic variation, Gorok’s observations alerted Vail and Cain to the true nature of their opponents – a Genestealer cult.
As you can see, the Kroot have a lot to offer their allies in the T’au Empire. If you think you might be interested in joining the T’au Empire, please report this to your commander. They will have the tools necessary to emigrate to the Damocles Gulf ready and waiting for you.
And stay tuned next week, hopefully, for a lecture on the nature of corpse-starch.
