The Larden are a race of reptilian humanoids conquered by the Starguild after a long and costly ground conflict.
Larden
Physiology[]
The Larden are an intelligent race of cool-blooded omnivorous that share traits of both warm and cold-blooded Earth animals. They weigh in at 260+ lb., are reptilian humanoids in appearance, and native to the High Gravity planet Cauldron with tough hides and armored shoulder plates.
Larden hides should be considered Light armor,
First encounter[]
First encountered in 2216, when an exploration craft from Parsec, a coalition of several Starguild corporations, discovered the world the humans named Cauldron. (The four corporations which were partners in Parsec were Heisson Aeronautics, BRANAC, Cheng Financial, and DelmarCo).
Harsh, volcanically overactive, and possessing high gravity, Cauldron was still important to Parsec and the Starguild for three reasons. It was habitable for humans (even if uncomfortable), there were large deposits of valuable metals near the surface, and there was a race of non-militant, low-technology sentient’s - the Larden - available for exploitation.
Only possessing early Iron Age technology, they were soon the targets of Starguild aggression.
Before the arrival of Humanity, -the Larden had been the unchallenged rulers of Cauldron. No species on the planet considered them prey; smaller creatures were no match for the Lardens' intelligence, strength, and ability to cooperate, while the only creatures on Cauldron larger than the Larden were a few species of herbivores. As a side effect of their natural superiority, the Larden did not develop the complex, technology- oriented society taken for granted by humans. Instead, they lived quiet lives supported by fairly primitive technology, settled their disputes through non-military methods, they had never fought what Humans would call a war and enjoyed a slow, steady expansion of their population. The Larden were a stately and confident race by nature, and were quite willing to let the Humans land, explore, and eventually settle in uninhabited areas.
The lack of weaponry and technology among the Larden led to the rapid development of a feeling of superiority on the part of the Starguild. It seemed only appropriate to treat the Larden as a subject race, and this attitude was lent further credence by the behavior of the few Larden who came to live and work with the Humans. These Larden were the underclass of their species; the Larden word for this class is Gorfer.
The "Gorfer” concept has no easy equivalent in Human language. The Gorfers were considered inferior to other Larden, and for good reasons; they were less intelligent and less creative than normal Larden, as well as being smaller and weaker. In Larden society they were not mistreated, but were relegated to roles as servants, living at the edge of Larden society. The Gorfers, apparently genetic throwbacks to a more primitive Larden form, were in fact the only members of Larden society not treated as full equals.
The Gorfers nature meant that they would be quick to investigate the Humans' offers of food and shelter.
Gorfers, however, would also be the only Larden to accept these offers, because normal Larden were far too proud and independent to accept servitude to anyone else.
Gorfers confirmed the Starguild's view of the Larden and alien races in general as inferior.
It was inevitable that on Cauldron the Starguild would use the Larden as labor to mine the planet's valuable resources; the rare earths and heavy metals which were readily available near the surface.
The Larden social structure is generally a tribal one centred around village and community life.
They often tend to live near or in the planets volcanic areas and use the hot sands and volcanic zones as breeding areas.
In 2232, after the Adite Incident, in which a Parsec official was accidentally killed in a Larden village, Parsec began the formal annexation of all Larden territory.
Next came the Larden Uprising. (2230 - 2260) (2232 – 2260) (Boxset& LEGionnaire 2), a costly conflict in which the Larden were supplied weapons such as the NELBAR shotgun and the LardenFaust grenade launcher, designed specifically for Larden by Neemis Enterprises. During the conflict the Cauldron Committee also armed Gorfers and renegade Larden who fought with the Starguild forces use against the rebelling Larden Clans.
Most of the battles in the Larden Uprising were hit-and-run affairs, short firefights of the kind associated with guerilla warfare. The Larden’s purpose was usually to destroy property and to drive away the Humans; killing Human soldiers was a secondary goal, and shooting Human civilians was very rare.
They were conquered by the Starguild after a long and costly ground conflict. This battle went on for years after complete destruction the Larden’s?cities? (Do Larden have Cities or just Villages and Towns?) by Starforce. The Lardens inevitable defeat was due to the Imperium’s Air Superiority, and more advanced weaponry, but they inflicted heavy casualties on the ground forces with the Neemis weapons as most of the starmarines were unable to wear heavy armor due to the gravity of the planet.
The last major campaign against the Larden ended in 2258, and although fighting continued in a low-key way right up to the Spectral Invasion with continued resistance by some hold out Larden groups, by 2260 the Larden Uprising was effectively over.
"The Humans sweep across us, like lava across the breeding sands. But no rock blocks their path, no channel turns them aside, and no sands are untouched. What will remain of us when the lava has passed, I cannot say."
Deck ' lask-tal, Larden emissary to Neemis Enterprises
Human Presence on Cauldron[]
The four corporations which were partners in Parsec were Heisson Aeronautics, BRANAC, Cheng Financial, and DelmarCo. They were equal partners in all ways, and cooperated well during the period of the Uprising. The Parsec coalition governed Human activity on Cauldron through the Cauldron Committee, which controlled all civil and economic matters, and Parsec Battalion Command, which handled the military.
Parsec outposts were almost always surrounded by high walls, and featured a Light Machine Gun in a reinforced position.
When the Larden Uprising began, the Human presence on Cauldron was still fairly small, numbering only a few thousand. Each decade saw a significant Increase In the population, however, until it reached into the millions by 2260. Humans were gathered in dense, well-defended communities in areas which had special strategic, resource, or mineral value. Unlike the Larden, the Human communities stayed as far away as possible from the volcanic areas, and this minimized the fiction between Human civilian communities and the natives.
Parsec was made up of four prominent Starguild corporations; each of them contributed a Company of troops to the Parsec Battalion. The Companies supplied by Heisson Aeronautics, Cheng Financial, and DelmarCo were Line infantry, while BRANAC sent a Recon Company.
During the peak periods of military activity, there were several Martial Houses on Cauldron which saw extensive action. Two of the most prominent were.
Union of Crestus Point (UCP): A full Company of the UCP's 2nd Advance Deployment Battalion, consisting of Crack Light infantry, was on Cauldron from 2238 through 2251.
Phaedros Airmobile Company: A single Platoon of this small Martial House was stationed on Cauldron during the most intense portion of the Uprising, but was soon evacuated. Phaedros’s organization was too small to replace the high losses which were sustained on the front lines from Arm & Leg injuries due to use of the Neemis/Larden NELBAR
Beginning in 2247, the Imperium also sent significant troops to the support of Parsec.
Two full Companies of the 16th Starmarine Regiment were present by 2249, and were not removed until 2260.
From 2252 through 2254, a Company of the 3rd Imperial Guard Assault Battalion was also stationed on Cauldron. This unit included two Platoons of Elite Line Infantry and one Platoon of Crack Power Armor
The Larden are still not pleased to be part of the Imperium and there has been continued resistance by them.
Many have been taken from Cauldron to labor in environments considered too harsh or dangerous for humans. Their capability to withstand prolonged exposure to high levels of background radiation, has led to their being used to run the planet’s Power Generators.
Larden on Rhand - North & South Pole Generators[]
The Larden are kept isolated at the polar Power Generators and guarded by a rotated force of Starmarines. This isolation, leaving only the waste heat of the Generators to warm their communities, keeps them in check.
The Larden were kept isolated at the polar Power Generators and guarded by a rotated force of Starmarines. This isolation, leaving only the waste heat of the generators to warm their communities, kept them in check.
Today the Larden hold the four north polar generators, having killed their former guards. They are not friendly to humans and are isolated and sealed off from the outside world by their own security teams. To survive, they still maintain the generators and are supplying power to remote Power Relay Stations. (to the Power Relay Stations of the northern hemisphere) LSHp072.
Larden can be armed with a variety of captured Starguild weapons but traditionally carry the specially designed NELBAR, a powerful bolt action rifle by Neemis Enterprises. Other weapons are the Neemis Mega-Magnum, an extremely high-powered pistol, and the Lardenfaust, a single shot weapon that fires a rocket-propelled explosive round. On Rhand, most Larden in the North Pole power Generators carry captured LMP8 Lase Machine Pistols. (LS Miniatures Box Set)
Larden Nth & Sth Pole Generators
The Generators are large complexes composed of a central hub structure and ten spokes radiating outward from it. Surrounding this massive spoked wheel is a high wall, inside which lie the smaller buildings and living quarters of the Larden communities.
The Generators were placed at the poles for two main reasons. First, putting them far from population centres minimized the risks of any contamination in the event of an accident or military strike. Second, the Larden require considerable heat to survive. They do not relish their role as Power Generator staff, and the polar location ensured that they would be unlikely to attempt to escape.
Today the Larden hold the four north polar Generators, having killed their former guards. They are not friendly to humans and are isolated. To survive, they still maintain the generators and are supplying power to the Power Relay Stations of the northern hemisphere.
Neemis Enterprises, also developed a Herculon-derived Combat Drug which was modified to fit the Larden physiology.
A small number of the rebellious Larden received special psychological indoctrination from Neemis Enterprises.