1. Chapter identification

• Full Chapter name: The Malum Vigilia

• Common short name: The Vigilia

• Accepted translation or meaning: The Evil Watch

• Founding: 26th Founding

• Approximate founding date:

• Gene-seed lineage: White Scars

• Known gene-seed mutations or peculiarities: None known

• Chapter classification: Fleet-based; broadly Codex-adherent

• Current estimated Astartes strength: Approximately 1,000

• Primary theater of operation: Ultramar and the Five Hundred Worlds

• Primary recruitment territory:  Ultramar and the Five Hundred Worlds

• Formal Imperial designation: Prototype Astartes / Mortal Integration Chapter

• Common informal description: First responders / mortal liaisons

2. Founding mandate

• Who authorized the Chapter’s creation: 

  • Roboute Guilliman and Belissarius Cawl

• Who first proposed the Chapter’s experimental doctrine:

  • The idea originally spawned from Bellisarius, who had recently become acquainted with an exceptionally well supplied sect of the Ordo Reductor, in possession of several thousand Lorica Thallax chassis.  Cawls intentions were much more direct than what guilliman eventually agreed to, which was to utilize the Thallax as a life saving measure for extraordinary service members.  This would include catastrophic injury as well as old age.  

• Why the Chapter was created: 

  • To exploit the unique advantages of Mortal and Astartes service members, as well as the unique traits that emerge from their pairing, in order to create a large rapid response network throughout the five hundred worlds of Ultra Mar.  

• Why a new Chapter was considered preferable to modifying an existing one:

  • Marines of The Vigilia can be created with the values of the Chapter in mind.

• What strategic weakness it was designed to address:  

  • Astartes often clash with the Imperial Guard or other forces that they are tasked to work with.  The Malum Vigilia are a Chapter of Space marines in the heart of Ultra Mar that is uniquely trained to work with mortal forces.  

  • Astartes response time can often be slow, and only called for after a great tragedy has occurred.  They maintain an active watch over the five hundred worlds and spread their forces wide in an attempt to respond to any threat with an Astartes grade response before tragedy strikes.

  • Additionally, Space Marines are costly, and limited within a Chapter.  Creating highly capable mortal members whose abilities pair and amplify with an Astartes is how the Vigilia maintains strength while spreading thin.

  • Throughout the Imperium there are often individual Astartes grade threats that do not warrant an entire chapter's strength, and thus are never addressed.  The Vigilia aims to respond to every threat.

• Why cooperation between Astartes and mortal forces was considered inadequate:

  • This was not necessarily the impetus of the Vigilia, more a pleasant by-product.

• Why White Scars gene-seed was selected:

  • They are a very stable gene-seed, whose carriers are not bound by tradition, or genetic variations.  Carriers of the Khans genes are fast, independent, and used to decentralized or unusual command structures.  

• Why the Chapter was assigned to Ultramar:

  • They are a unique experimental chapter, a project of Roboute Gulliman and Bellisarius Cawl

• How closely Guilliman was involved in its creation or planning:

  • Gulliman is responsible for the final, codex “compliant” form the chapter has taken.  Without his input Cawl could have had a field day.

• Which Imperial institutions participated in its formation:

  • The Astra Militarum

  • The Adeptus Astartes

  • The Ordo Reductor and the Adeptus Mechanicus

  • The Navis Nobilite

• What results the Chapter was originally expected to produce:

  • They were to be another Shield Chapter of Ultramar.  All other aspects of their culture and doctrinal identity evolved naturally from their unique circumstances.

• Whether the Chapter was intended as a permanent force or an experimental prototype:

  • A chapter of Space Marines will not go to waste, they will always guard the realm.  All other aspects are experimental.

• Whether similar Chapters were planned if the experiment succeeded:

  • No.  This would require access to a steady supply of Lorica Thallax chassis and exceptional mortal soldiers.  They do not have the former, and very few of the latter.

3. Development of Bond Cell doctrine

• Was the Bond Cell structure planned before the Chapter’s founding, or developed during its earliest missions:  

  • The structure of the bond cell was one of the first propositions for integrating mortal soldiers.  There were alternative methods, but this one had the most appeal.  The tight knit cohesion of a bond cell proposes the most efficacious use of all elements of the cell.

• When hounds were formally integrated:  

  • After “Relics”.  Eli Voss was a unique Vigilia operative who specialized in the use of mechanized hounds.  The success of the mission on Veyrfall Sanctus prompted the creation of the Vigilias Hound program.

• Why permanent teams replaced temporary mortal attachments:

  •  A permanent team is made of members that want to be there.  If a Space marine wishes to be excised from his cell, this can be taken into consideration.  If a Mortal wishes to be placed back into the selection pool, this can be taken into consideration. 

5. Chapter organization

• Number of companies (Floatillas): 

  • 10

• How closely the companies follow Codex organization: 

  • They adhere to every rule except for Company distribution.  Because they are such a widespread chapter, each Foatilla is a self-sufficient entity, and must keep the codex compliant level of personnel for a Chapter.  Essentially, the companies are split up and distributed equally.  The one thing that takes place in a centralized fashion is recruitment and training, which happens in the heart of Ultramar

• How the ten Flotillas are organized:

  • Chapter

  • 1,000 Astartes total

    • 10 Flotillas

  • Each Flotilla

  • 100 Astartes

    • 1 Captain

    • 10 Apothecaries

    • 10 Techmarines

    • 1 Chaplain

    • Minimum 1 Librarian

    • 77 Bond Cell Astartes

  • Each Flotilla contains

  • 7 Response Forces

    • 11 Bond Cells per Response Force

    • 77 Bond Cells total

  • Each Bond Cell

    • 1 Astartes

    • ~ 5 mortal operatives

    • Varying number of hounds

    • Varying number of Thallax Veterans

  • Typical full-strength Flotilla

    • 100 Astartes

    • 77 Bond Cells

    • Up to approximately 385 mortal Bond Cell members

    • Hounds as requested and available

    • Additional Thallax veterans and support personnel as available

  • Typical full-strength Chapter

    • 1,000 Astartes

    • 770 Bond Cells

    • ~3,850 mortal Bond Cell members

    • ~3,000 hounds chapter wide, many in reserve

    • Additional Thallax veterans and support personnel

• How Bond Cells are numbered: 

  • 1-77

• How Scouts and inductees participate in Bond Cell training:

  • They train together.  Seems appropriate…

• What forces remain concentrated as Chapter reserves: 

  • Many hounds held in reserve

  • Many mortal applicants held in reserve

14. Panoply of war

Astartes

• Preferred armor: 

  • Mk VI Corvus / Phobos armor

• Use of heavier armor:

  • The Chapter uses heavier armors selectively, up to and including Terminator Armor.

• Standard primary weapon:  

  • A Marine of the Vigilias Primary weapon is his Melee Weapon.  However, various bolter marks are assigned to marines that specialize in their use, as well as on a mission sensitive basis.  Assault, stalker, and carbine bolters are all commonly used.

• Common ranged weapons: 

  • Bolt carbine family

• Common ammunition:  

  • Standard or suppressed bolt rounds.

• Common sidearm: 

  • Plasma Pistol or Bolt Pistol

• Common melee weapons:  

  • The Malum Vigilia maintains a wide variety of melee weapons and encourages each Marine to learn as many as he can, and find his own preferred weapon.  Common among these are powered and chain variants of the sword, axe, hammer, spear, claw and gauntlet as well as more esoteric weapons like the gravity hammer, bo-staff and many more.

• Common shield patterns:  

  • The Vigilia maintains all shield patterns within their arsenal, though individual marines specialize.

• Specialist heavy weapons:

  • The Vigilia maintains a suite of heavy weapons, such as the heavy flamer, bolter, and more.  They also maintain multi-meltas, and plasma cannons, as well as solid projectile explosive launchers.  Their selection of mounted weaponry is more sparse.

• Interference Pattern drop pod:  

  • The Malum Vigilia maintains a pattern of drop pods meant to accurately and discreetly deploy single astartes.

• Helmet and sensor-suite designation: 

  • Mk VI Corvus / Phobos armor.  Helmet systems are extensive and tailored to each marine individually before deployment

21. Bonded Thallax and Mortal Preservation

• Common informal name: 

  • Bonded Thallax / Thallax Veterans

• Nature of the process: 

  • A Thallax-derived preservation procedure that replaces most of a catastrophically injured operative’s body with a heavily armored mechanical chassis.  Also performed on soldiers of advanced age or those that have succumbed to illness.

• Who possesses the conversion technology: 

  • A sect of The Ordo Reductor

• Where conversions are performed: 

  • Central Thalaxii precessing facility in UltraMar

• Mechanicus forge, Magos, or covenant responsible:

  •  

• Whether the Chapter can manufacture chassis independently: 

  • No.

• Approximate number currently serving:

  •  

• How common they are within the Chapter: 

  • Common among senior mortal veterans by Vigilia standards, but extremely rare elsewhere.

• Is conversion voluntary: 

  • Yes, but opting in is also required in order to be considered for work with an Astartes.

• Can an operative withdraw consent: 

  • No.

• Whether age or terminal illness can qualify: 

  • Yes.

• Can anyone be ordered into conversion: 

  • No.

• Does the veteran retain their name: 

  • Yes.

• Does the veteran retain rank and honors: 

  • Yes.

• Does the veteran retain Bond Cell membership: 

  • Normally, where the original cell still exists.

• Does the veteran retain legal personhood: 

  • Yes; they are not servitors or Chapter property.

• How much personality and emotion survive:

  • Much of it, but they are forever limited, and changed.  Heights of valleys of emotion are no longer possible.

• Whether memories can be damaged during conversion: 

  • Memories are irrevocably altered.  The subjects ability to conceive of the physicality of the flesh, and their memories are thusly fragmented.

• Why the Vigilia preserve mortal veterans: 

  • Proven mortals are too valuable to discard after one natural lifetime or catastrophic injury.

• How the program supports the Chapter’s mandate: 

  • It retains experience, reduces permanent mortal attrition, and creates operatives capable of surviving closer to Astartes operational tempo.

Known Entities

Eli Voss

• Featured in “Relics” as the protagonist

• Hound Handeler

• 75 years old

• Callsign “Khasar”

• Accompanied by hounds Lumen and Olaf in “Relics”

Lukan Wrenn

• Protagonist of “Thallaxia”

• First member of the Vigilia to be interred in a Thallax

• Sharpshooter, before and after interment

• Callsign “Mergen”

Tiber Qori 

• Librarian Featured in “Relics”

• Discovered the “Lumens Tooth” relic

Brother Decimus Batur  

• Space Marine Featured in “Relics”

• Favored weapon - Thunder hammer

Brother Gaius Sukh

• Space Marine Featured in “Relics”

• Favored weapon - Power sword

Brother Aurelius

• Space Marine Featured in “Relics”

• Favored weapon - Power claw

Brother Cato Erdene

• Space Marine Featured in “Relics”

Brother Ferox Suld

• Space Marine Feature in “Thallaxia”

• Lukans Wrenns bonded Astartes during the story

• Favored weapon - Greatsword

Tangential Relations

Inquisitor Calpurnia Thorne

• Protagonist of “Blood Spelunking!”

• Steward of the planet Veyrfall, saving it from Exterminatus

• Flagship “The Death Of Us All”

Sister Cassandra

• Companion of Calpurnia in “Blood Spelunking!”

Pathfinder Drayvus Kern

• Companion of Calpurnia in “Blood Spelunking!”