First Contact

"There are several worlds in the Marthelus-Onius System, although the most important is arguably Gilranth, a former fortress world of the Imperium and current rallying point of the Orks. It is a large and habitable world, but before we lay siege to it and capture this system for Chaos, my attention was drawn to a different world. A smaller, but naturally habitable world known as Serrasal. Our psykers and sensors detected sentient life, and when we landed, we did not find Orks, but a xenos race I was not familiar with. They use the word 'Serrasal' as a name for their species as well, and we have gathered that they are an icthyo-mammalian species capable of surviving on land and underwater with ease. What intrigued me most about them was their limited mastery of Low Gothic, and their tales of ancient wars with heavily armored beings from the stars, that match the description of Imperial Astartes, and later tales of wars with green-skinned invaders, which would most likely be the Orks. To my surprise, these Serrasal were technologically primitive but somehow managed to survive a number of invasions from far more advanced and powerful forces.

Their tales infer that they were almost always slaughtered on land, but were unstoppable when they drew the enemy underwater. I have caught glimpses of them swimming in their massive oceans, and they are indeed faster and more agile than any other species I have ever sen, sapient or otherwise. I am curious as to what other advantages they have. I have spoken with their elders for several days now, and many share an interest with Chaos, and others have gladly pledged their aid to the Damned of Scipio in the event we go to battle with the Orks. Their mythology is very interesting, and shares many elements with the mythology of Chaos - I will need to look into this, especially if these Serrasal would be willing to join our ranks. Their world makes for an excellent foothold in the Gilranth Sector, and towards our eventual capture of Gilranth and this star system. They definitely feel like powerful warriors, and I need no proof if they have survived this long against the greater powers of the Galaxy.

While many Serrasal have pondered joining Chaos, their are many traditionalists who see us as just another enemy to push off of their homeworld. They would be invaluable allies in my campaign, and I have given their elders the notion that if they refuse to join us, we will slaughter and enslave them with force. I can have no stalls in the march towards Gilranth. While there seems to be much argument between elders and warchiefs on what to do, I would like to avoid civil war if at all possible, and assimilate the Serrasal into Chaos as wuickly as possible. They have an impressive capacity for knowledge and seem to learn extremely quickly, and their amphibious capabilities may come in handy should they serve the Damned of Scipio as soldiers. I continue to wonder what will become of my forces now that we control Ratius Station, and what will happen should we control this world as well. Nonetheless, I believe these Serrasal would be great additions to the forces of Chaos."

-Records of Rain Kryze, Gilranth Campaign
- 999.M41

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Introducing the Serrasal, my first (second if you count the Neo-Eldar) original xenos species for Warhammer 40k. Serrasal are icthyo-mammals (if that's possible.... they're fish/mammals) and are based on piranhas from real life (their name, "Serrasal" comes from Serrasalminae, the subfamily of fish that Piranhas belong to). They are physically about as capable as the average human, but have poor senses when they aren't in the water. They are easily screwed up by sunlight so they almost always cover their eyes with their signature hoods. When surrounded by water, however, they are extremely awesome, and each Serrasal is basically Aquaman.

So far, the Outcastes are not better than every other faction in any one category. Sure they are superior to some in many categories (better technology than the Orks, more numbers than Eldar, etc.) they aren't the 'best' in any one area, until the Serrasal arrive. Serrasal are normal soldiers in the Outcastes, until they are needed for underwater or amphibious combat, and when that happens, they are effectively the Space Marines of the sea and ensure a watery grave for their enemies. On land, their senses don't interfere with them too much since their sonar capabilities fill in for their sight and hearing, but they aren't really anything special compared to human until they are fighting in the water.

Things get more interesting on Serrasal, as you will see in the next few updates. I really just wanted to get this out so I could introduce them, and even though they aren't vitally important or anything, I think they're pretty cool. Even though (spoiler alert), the Serrasal join Chaos after this is all done, I freely allow anyone out there to use the species for characters or Rogue Trader and so on.

- Serrasal, Outcastes, and Kryze are owned by me
- Warhammer 40000 is owned by Games Workshop

(note: anyone keeping up at this point will notice the Gilranth Tunnel, the latest Warp portal, hovering in the background, because it's in the same star system as Serrasal and Gilranth. You may also note that the Damned of Scipio are updating and recoloring their armor, and eventually it will become Lorica Armor that the Outcastes makes use of)