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Good Evening Battle-Brethren, I became re-involved and interested in my Warhammer 40,000 hobby over the last few months, and I've rapidly become a silent follower of this great forum. After sporadic involvement in the hobby over the years, I appreciate how active this community is and would like to take some time to share a bit about my recently re-painted Blood Angels successor chapter, the Brothers Luminous. I first collected Imperial Guard back in 2003 on a recommendation from several friends, and quickly became enamored with their red-clad battle brothers with a thirst for battle and a rage against heresy. After moving away from my Warhammer friends (ca. 2005), I boxed up my old models until they experienced a small renaissance in the summer of 2010. Due to conflicts of time with my lab in college/university, I once again boxed my companions until this past August (reading The All Guardsman Party over the summer spent in Spain for work helped me stay connected to 'home' and allowed me to get re-energized with the lore and draw of the hobby), and after some initial work updating and painting my Imperial Guard (Astra Militarum now, I suppose...which I plan to make a thread for in due time) I finally decided on a color scheme and background for my Blood Angels Successor Chapter, dubbed the Brothers Luminous. This will be a WIP and edited thread, which I hope to update every few weeks. Big thanks to Grand Master Belial for the format below, originally found in The Brotherhood of the Angels 2016 thread, and Jolemai for the Pile of Shame thread (which inspired me to inventory my miniatures, and has helped drive progress on painting)!! I look forward to as much comments and suggestions as possible! In the grim dark future of the 41st millenium, humanity in and around the Carex system is represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the Carexaen Astra Militarum that provide millions of bodies for the war effort, and the Brothers Luminous Adeptus Astartes that serve to tactically crush their opponents. These are their stories. >>> Incoming Transmission: Magenta Level Encryption >>> Sender: Sandor Aether, Brothers Luminous Chapter >>> Directive: Fortress of Baal CHAPTER NAME Brothers Luminous SUMMARY ▪ GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): Blood Angels (Previously thought to be Raven Guard) ▪ FOUNDING: 13th Founding ▪ CHAPTER MASTER: Zorous ▪ CHAPTER WORLD: Achawasi ▪ FORTRESS MONASTERY: The Spire Resplendent ▪ FLAGSHIP: Luminous Aether ▪ MAIN COLOURS: Red, White, Black ▪ SPECIALITY: Stealth, Speed, Close Quarters Combat, Jump Infantry ▪ BATTLE CRY: Ours is the light that will pierce the heavens! ▪ CURRENT STRENGTH: 1146 Battle Brothers ▪ KNOWN DESCENDANTS: No Known Descendants ▪ ALLEGIANCE: The Emperor of Mankind, Source of Light and Guidance of the Imperium ORIGIN OF THE CHAPTER: As with most records of the 13th Founding (The Dark Founding), those of the Brothers Luminous have been lost, and only fragmented scraps of knowledge remain in official Imperial records. Legend states that the Brothers Luminous were founded ‘To bring the light of The Emperor to the forsaken, forlorn, shadow-infested corners of the galaxy’ and serve to defend or re-conquer many of the neglected worlds of the Imperium, such as remnants from the Great Crusade that have fallen into xenos or heretical hands. Ancient records suggest that originally, the Brothers Luminous were believed to be generated from Raven Guard gene seed stock. This initial Origin assumption was reflected in the initial theaters that the Brothers Luminous fought in, taking from their thought-to-be forbearing chapter the emphasis on stealth and rapid re-deployment, with high populations of scout and jump pack troops. Throughout these initial conflicts, a handful of battle-brothers demonstrated remarkable talent, and were elevated to the ranks of company captains. Rapidly, the Brothers Luminous began to build a reputation as cunning warriors, leveraging their tactical mindset to amass one of the highest success rates of any successor chapter. However, fate would soon intervene to show the true nature of their lineage. At the end of a hard-fought campaign, in the far reaches of the Segmentum Obscurus near the Ghoul Stars, a small moon called Zuphos Eta unveiled a flaw in the gene-seed of the Brothers Luminous, and nearly cost the Imperium the entire system. In the years that followed, the Brothers Luminous spent time searching for a reason why some among their numbers had been reduced to no more than raving blood-crazed lunatics. The Brothers’ chief apothecary at the time went in search of an answer, seeking to fill the knowledge gaps behind the Brothers’ gene-seed origin, and attempt to trace their lineage. Over time, he found more differences than similarities with their assumed patriarchal chapter the Raven Guard. A chance meeting with the Blood Drinkers chapter allowed the Brothers Luminous to consider a restructure of their own apothecarium into a sanguinary priesthood, and alongside the creation of a Death Company and eventual creation of a Sanguinary Guard, the Brothers contacted the Blood Angels chapter to be registered and officially added to their records of lineage. CHAPTER HOME WORLD/FLEET: Achawasi is the largest moon of Carex, a death world located at the border of the Ultima and Obscurus Segmentae. Achawasi is a densely forested moon with intermittent great lakes adorning the surface. Much of the land present is covered in sprawling networks of living trees that will reach out and devour any prey kept along the surface with their strongly corrosive sap. The only settlements manageable planetside were constructed millennia ago high up in the mountains, too far above water levels to be considered habitable for the living trees. Numerous identical palaces are carved into these high peaks, dotting the surface of Achawasi with ornate living quarters populated by the chapters’ serfs. Despite being populated by many palaces, only one is the true Resplendent Spire, hidden in plain sight amongst the palaces on the surface. The lights from these palaces serve both as a source of hope to all friendly Imperial travelers, and a warning signal to xenos and heretical threats. PRESENT ACTIVITIES: At the dawn of the 41st millennium, the Brothers Luminous are embroiled in a series of conflicts on multiple fronts against several foes, primarily on fronts against chaos, with occasional deployments against eldar and tau adversaries. Details Forthcoming The Brothers Luminous will eventually heed the call of their paternal chapter and advance toward Baal on the Luminous Aether, intent on assisting in any way possible to halt Hive Fleet Leviathan in its tracks. Details Forthcoming COMBAT DOCTRINE: The Brothers Luminous borrow strategies from both their supposed and true parent chapters. Chapter tactics usually begin with deployment of forward scouting parties to plan strategic deployment of drop troops and jump infantry, including assault marines, vanguard veterans, and more recently Death Company and Sanguinary Guard. While the original preference for the chapter was stealth and night-fighting, the discovery of the flaw has forced a shift to a more frontal assault-oriented doctrine in recent encounters. Of note, ever since the discovery of the flaw in their gene-seed, the Brothers have seen a drastic increase in population of the apothecarium/sanguinary priesthood, with High Priest Zorous currently searching for a way to temper the frequency of brothers afflicted by the flaw, though the exact nature of his work is shrouded in secrecy to all but a select group of brothers. ROLL OF HONOR: 126.M36 – Cleansing of Opfan-Rei Opfan-Rei was a fringe early warning facility on the edge of Imperial space, meant to keep watch for any chaos incursions. After an uprising of a cult of Tzeentch summons legions of horrors, Opfan-Rei is cleansed by a coalition force of the Brothers Luminous 4th and 10th Company, as well as White Consuls space marine chapter and the Cadian 11th. Notably, the tactics employed by the Brothers Luminous result in a rapid resolution of conflict with minimal casualties. 372.M36 – Liberation of Tradox Brothers Luminous scouts determine the location of the leader of Dark Eldar forces holding key sectors of the hive world of Tradox. After having proven the effectiveness of their tactics in many battles over the last millennia, the chapter builds upon this legacy by using scout information to eliminate Dark Eldar command by precision deployment of vanguard jump troops and marines from the 2nd company. In a single night, the Dark Eldar hierarchy was disrupted, sowing confusion and disrupting coherence across large areas of occupation to such significant degree that the Imperium drives the xenos to withdraw forces within two weeks. 798.M37 – Campaign for the Liberation of Zuphos Sector Engaged in initial assaults on Zuphos Alpha and Gamma to devastating effect. On Zuphos Alpha, after an initial head-on assault by combined forces of the 13th, 25th, and 34th Carexan regiments, and Death Spectre Space Marines. This initial assault identified key weaknesses in Genestealer Cult emplacements into which the Brothers Luminous dropped assault marines and pods, breaking their line and reclaiming 85% of the planet’s surface within 72 hours. On Zuphos Gamma, however, the flaw in their gene-seed leads to – OFFICIAL RECORDS REDACTED. 008.M38 – The Five-Moons War A detachment of Brothers Luminous primarily from the 5th Company forms up with the 28th and 46th Carexan regiments and led by Captain Zurviel engages in a war of attrition in the Eldar-held Korab system. Collectively known as Strike Force Calenus, Imperial forces make great advances and conquer three fertile moons of Korab thanks to the strategy of Captain Zurviel. However, the majority of Calenus falls into a trap set by the Eldar and become trapped in the webway. After the loss of the majority of their forces, and with reinforcements too far to assist, a final Eldar push drives Imperial forces from the system. 726.M40 – The Reclamation of Korab Squads from the third company led by Captain Pallas form into Strike Force Galikos, and are sent back to the Korab system after the Eldar loss of the system to Death Guard invaders, only to encounter heavy resistance on Korab IV. A cultist blockade makes travel to the other side of the system incredibly difficult. Trapped in a war of attrition with the defense-talented traitor legion, the stalemate lasted several decades until unexpectedly, an Imperial signal transmitted from the far-side of the planet registers with proper clearance. Strike Force Calenus, accompanied by a platoon of Carexan Grenadiers, emerges from the webway, having minimally aged despite having been lost in the webway for over two millennia. Being forced to fight on two fronts, the Death Guard and Nurgle cultists were forced to retreat from the system. It is later discovered that a carefully laid plan by the Eldar Farseer Nightweaver essentially ‘borrowed’ Imperial troops to serve his own needs, using Strike Force Calenus to route the chaos threat in that portion of the galaxy. The reason for this tactical decision remains unclear to many Imperial tacticians. CHAPTER ORGANIZATION: While predominantly Codex adherent, the Brothers Luminous diverge in a few key ways. In addition to the Blood Angels' Death Company, and Sanguinary Guard, the ranks of apothecarium (and later the Sanguinary Priesthood) are proportionally much higher than most other chapters, with rumors that in protracted siege warfare, a sanguinary priest may be assigned to each deployed squad to ensure their gene-seed may be recovered. An additional divergence from Codex organization is the structure of the Fifth Company, The Eternals. Thought to be lost during the Five-Moons War, the Fifth company was rebuilt by pulling from other reserve companies in the time before The Reclamation of Korab. After The Reclamation, the Fifth company that emerged from the warp remained mostly intact, and the new fifth company was disbursed back to reserves. However, during its time in the warp, The Eternals redistributed to possess only four tactical squads, with two devastator squads and four assault squads. This decision by Captain Zurviel provides an increase in mobility, and to this day the chapter maintains this one unique company structure. FLEET ASSETS: Description of the chapter’s fleet strength and vessel names – In Progress BELIEFS: The Brothers Luminous' beliefs changed dramatically after discovery of their true lineage. High Priest Zorous is the spiritual Chapter Master, and commands a small company of veterans that answer only to him. Bearing the Chalice of Light, Zorous is the current bearer of the chapter's blood of Sanguinius, gifted from the brothers of Baal. Sanguinary Priests bear an elevated status overall, and Brothers believe that they carry the light and truth of the chapter. In recent years, they are often chosen to advise or even lead strike forces. RECRUITMENT: Neophytes are primarily drawn from the mid-far side of Carex Primarus. Due to its unique orbit patterns, the mid-far side of Carex Primarus is shrouded in darkness, save for some bioluminescent hemiparasitic plant growths that occur in the tree canopy. In this environment, wandering tribes learn tactics to ambush prey and develop enhanced physiological traits, providing ideal specimens for elevation to the ranks of Astartes. LOCAL RITUALS: On Achawasi, any brothers that have joined the ranks of the Death Company and survived are placed in stasis, scattered among the spires that dot the surface. Of the seldom visitors that are accepted into these palaces, some claim that the blood of these warriors is infused with the blood of those in the chapter that have managed to resist the flaw strongest, and rumor circulates that members of Zorous' staff conduct studies on these warriors, keeping hundreds of brothers in reserve and hoping to eventually cure them. CHAPTER BANNERS OR BATTLE STANDARDS: Coming Soon! HONORS, RELICS, DECORATIONS AND AWARDS: Coming Soon! BATTLE CRY: "Ours is the light that will pierce the heavens!" GENE-SEED: Originally thought to be Raven Guard; truly Blood Angel. Currently experiencing the flaw that all Blood Angels possess. CHAMPIONS OF THE CHAPTER: Play-Relevant Characters Chapter Master – Hyperius, Bringer of Light [Counts-as Dante] Sanguinary High Priest – Zorous, Keeper of Truths [Counts-as Corbulo] High Chaplain – Azaphael, The Penumbrant Voice [Counts-as Astorath] Chaplain – Helo, The Unfettered [Counts-as Lemartes] Chief Librarian – Nathaniel Xeton, Eminence to the Warp [Counts-as Mephiston] Captain Prometivus of the First Company, The Dauntless [Counts-as Karlaen] Captain Pallas of the Third Company, The Shining [Counts-as Tycho, pre-Death Company] Captain Zurviel of the Fifth Company, The Eternals [May be used as a counts-as Shrike, if using Raven Guard tactics] Captain Artemis Acteon of the Tenth Company, The Clandestine [May be used as counts-as Korvydae, if using Raven Guard Tactics] Lore-Relevant Characters Commander of Sanguinary Guard – Rhodael, Beacon of Salvation Watch Commander – Hadraniel, Protector of The Spire Logisticam Commander – Maquous, The Architect Armorium Commander – Luxos, Supreme Tech-Marine Auxilia Commander – Osiron, Warden of Achawasi Captain Logos of the Second Company, The Audacious Captain Midas of the Fourth Company, The Illustrious Captain Seraphael of the Sixth Company, The Absolved Captain Uriel of the Seventh Company, The Purified Captain Zeno of the Eighth Company, The Stormcaste Captain Chemael of the Ninth Company, The Ironwrought In the name of The Emperor of Mankind, Holy Anathema to Chaos. >>> By His Will >>> Message Received >>> Signal Terminated EDIT May 23, 2018: Here is my Pile of Shame, to be updated relatively frequently – 1 Sanguinary Priest 5 Vanguard Veterans (Want to Magnetize, Lightning Claws, Storm Shields, Thunder Hammers) 2 Command Squad Veterans 1 Brother Corbulo 2 Sanguinary Priests 1 Captain (TH, SS, JP) 1 Captain (PS, JP) 1 Librarian (Magnetized Pistol Hand, Power Axe) 1 Company Ancient 1 Company Champion (Power Sword, Combat Shield, Bolt Pistol) 1 Tactical Marines (Heavy Weapon [Heavy Bolter: 1/Heavy Flamer: 0/Multi-Melta: 1/Missile Launcher: 2/Plasma Cannon: 1/Lascannon: 1]) 15 Death Company 15 Scouts 1 Dreadnought (2nd Edition Assault Cannon version)