Long ago before gunpowder and cannon, warriors were led into battle directly by their leaders. These kings and generals needed protection from the hazards of being the spearhead in a charge, so they would be clad in full plate armour and given the weapons of their choice. Their armour was treated with as much respect as the officer that wears it, and each suit is fitted specifically to that officer. After the Great Crusade brought Vatar into compliance, commanders and generals who proved themselves loyal to the imperium were awarded very primitive forms of power armour. Over time Vatarian armoursmiths were able to replicate and reverse engineer the armour, and soon began to produce a more modern form of Vatarian Plate Armour. This was dubbed VP.M35 and quickly spread throughout the Vatarian commanders. Once a commander has his plate, it belongs to him and he is expected to maintain it to the highest standards. It is not unheard of for the son of a high ranking officer to don his fathers armour, earning it and himself more renown with each battle fought. Currently, the VP.M41 is being tested by a select few high commanders, and is known as "Vatarian Heavy Plate"
I like this bit of fluff. I recently read 'Fire Caste' the Imperial guard in that have some men who are in steam driven armor suits, very steam punk but a really neat idea. I think your version makes more sense, but 40K has magic and crazy stuff in it so who says you can't wear a steam train.
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