Vostroyans made a huge decision during the Horus Heresy that has affected them, and their Firstborn, in the millennia since then, right down to this day.
Via Lexicanum
The Vostroyan Firstborn are Imperial Guard Regiments. Vostroya is a world in the Halo Zone beyond the Eye of Terror, which swore allegiance to Mars during the Age of Strife. It is now ruled by a committee of Techtriarchs, a mix of Mechanicus Magi and more traditional Imperial planetary government. During the Horus Heresy, Vostroya refused to provide regiments to the Emperor, preferring instead to reserve the population in the manufactoria blanketing the world.
After the Heresy, the Vostroyans, out of guilt, agreed to supply every family’s firstborn son to service with the Imperial Guard. According to Vostroya’s Offering of the First Born, the eldest son of every family must enlist in the Regiments. There are no exceptions to this law, which applies even to the Techtriarchs and the most noble families. For most Vostroyans, it is an honour to join the Firstborn, as great importance is attached to the payment of the debt owed to the Emperor millennia ago.
Unlike other Imperial Guard regiments that are raised en-masse, the Firstborn get a steady flow of new recruits from their homeworld. As a result, the Firstborn regiments have existed unbroken since they were first created.[5]This is not always easy to organize, but ensures that Vostroyan regiments maintain their highest potential, as well as ensuring there is a core of veteran warriors. One consequence of this method is that the Firstborn are considered a brotherhood of warriors and are proud to train the recruits according to their own exacting standards. Few Imperial Guard regiments have a stronger brotherly bond than the Vostroyans. The Firstborn are trained in very difficult conditions among the ruined industrial areas of their homeworld.
Vostroyans are disdainful of Imperial Guard regiments which they consider to be less devoted than themselves. They are strictly disciplined and act as a warrior brotherhood when in the field. They specialize in urban and winter style combat. Being away from centralized control of the Imperium, Vostroyan soldiers and officers retain a very archaic appearance compared to the rest of the Imperial Guard. Their weapons are passed down from firstborn to firstborn and are usually worth more than the guardsmen who carry them. Firstborn use long and very ornate rifles. Officers bear lasguns integrated with axes.
Standard bearers bear ancient tribal sabers and daggers, and ritual scars on their upper torsos. The Vostroyan Firstborn prefer to use Plasma Guns and Heavy Bolters. Their pattern of Lasgun, produced on Vostroya, is known for its fine hand-crafted detail. The Firstborn are based in appearance on the real world Russian Cossacks and the Czarist Russian army, whereas the Valhallan Ice Warriors are based on Russia’s Soviet Red Army.
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
