Warhammer 40K: Leagues of Votann Have ‘Ironkin’
If the AI Cores didn’t make the Imperium concerned then these new ‘Ironkin’ just might. Move over Men of Iron — the Ironkin are here.
The relationship between the Imperium and Artificial Intelligence is tenuous at best. There was the whole Dark Age of Technology that happened. And the Imperium did have that revolt…which caused the Imperium to renamed AI as “Abominable Intelligence.” So it’s a little surprising that the Leagues of Votann went the opposite route. They not only have the Votann Cores they also have machines that help them do other things — like march to war. And these aren’t mindless automatons either. Meet the Ironkin.
Each Ironkin consists of a Cerebral Unit – woven with microfield generators that make it very hard to destroy – and a unique mechanical body. An Ironkin’s body isn’t just some component to be replaced – it’s deeply personal, as much as the bodies of their fleshy cousins, and designed to fulfil a certain niche, such as mining support units, cargo luggers, combat pilots, or shock troopers. Some Ironkin even serve as Wayfinders, whose accelerated logic-cores help them cogitate probable paths through the warp.
Leagues of Votann Ironkin
Yep! The Leagues have fully mechanical members in their ranks as well! And no, they aren’t treated like slaves or lesser creations compared to their clone counter-parts. These Ironkin are treated as Kin. Meat or Metal, Kin are Kin!
“The Ironkin have accompanied the Kin since their earliest days – long before myth segues into recorded history. No one is quite sure of their origins, but they’ve always been there, equal partners in each Kinhold’s every endeavour.”
This certainly puts a rather unique spin on robotic and mechanical sentience in the Grimdark. The Leagues have welcomed these Ironkin and they have become part of their society. Unlike the Imperium who shuns AI and treat other mechanical creations as things that require “special prayers and rites” to function. The Votann have taken the mystery and mysticism out of the machine and treat them as equals. And the machine men that are Ironkin work, fight, and live right alongside the rest of the Kin.
These Cerebral Unit powered machine-kin open up the doors for a whole new batch of models and unit types. I can’t wait to see what GW has in store for them. I also can’t wait to see what happens in the universe’s lore when the Adeptus Mechanicus discover these Ironkin and the Votann Cores. That’s a conflict waiting to happen!
What do you think of these new Ironkin from the Leagues of Votann?
