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Hi everyone, My first post on B&C, and I thought I'd put my own chapter (models to be painted) into the wild. After 20 years of being out of WH40K, it's been a whirlwind trying to keep up with the changes. This chapter has existed in one form or other since 1996, but it's only been since the revamp (i.e. 8E) that I've put more effort into it. Anyway, onto the chapter! Tim Basic Information & History The Dusk Falcons are a 13th Founding chapter based out of their fortress-monastery, Akhetahema, located on Perheka in the Ultima Segmentum. The Perhekan system is located galactically East of Prospero and north of Golgotha, making it ideally placed to respond to Chaos incursions from The Maelstrom as well as Ork warbands that roam the sector. Their founding chapter is unknown, though their stealthy fighting style suggests the Raven Guard. However, they do not display the Melanchromic mutation common to the Raven Guard, and have a full set of Astartes organs. Those that know of the chapter have speculated that they are one of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's first successful experiments with the Sangprimus Portem, but the chapter does not know, nor do they care to ask the Mechanicus. Perheka itself is a Feudal Death World, upon which city-states battle each other and the wildife for control of the desert world's scarce resources. Soldiers tread lightly on the sands of the deserts, for they know that too much noise will draw the attention of the Sand Burrowers, Cuniculus Magnus Succo in High Gothic, and lead to their doom. However, they must guard the desert springs and the riverways from rivals, so they patrol on quiet feet and with no heavy animals. There are those that spend their lives in the desert, hunting animals and the city dwellers, who they see as thieves, trying to maintain the nomadic ways of their ancestors. These Sand Dwellers are regarded as uncouth savages by the city dwellers, but some of the best Astartes in the chapter come from such stock, including the current chapter master. Notable dates:310.M36 - Maatsa (The 8th Company) destroys a Traitor Navy unit, and the heretic transports they are escorting to Chiros, in the Aregulis system. 813.M37 - Sekhmetsa (the 6th Company) encounters Khoran Heural and his warband 'The Lidless Eye' for the first time on Kerythus Ostera, an agri-world. They manage to drive him off, though his sabotage destroys 80% of the world's crops and he coaxes nearly 60% of the population into slavery. 439.M38 - The start of a 3 year campaign by Kheprisa and Sobeksa (4th & 5th Companies, respectively) to eradicate an Ork warband from the minor Forgeworld of Hysperia IV. 620.M39 - Khonsusa (3rd Company) battles The Shining Spear Eldar corsair band on Agebon Prime. 320.M40 - Anpusa (2nd Company) drop onto Pharedon, the subsector's capital world, in response to an Inquistiorial request. There they find a Genestealer Cult, and spend the next 6 months hitting them in precise strike operations. The Loyalist PDF are impressed by their fighting style and reform into fast attack drop regiments to better prosecute the cleansing. 439.M41 - Nimatre Mentuhotep wounds Khoran Heural on Draken IV, after most of Apepsa (7th Company) is slaughtered in a brutal attack on the mining world. 513.M41 - Perasa (1st Company) board the Space Hulk 'Chains of Woe' when it drops out of the Warp in the Aephelia system. With the aid of the Adeptus Mechanicus they secure several important artefacts before it vanishes back into the Warp. 617.M41 - Niamtre Mentuhotep is promoted to Peraa (Chapter Master). 801.M41 - Maatsa is lost to the Warp when the Astronomicon flickers briefly. The chapter holds feats of remembrance and offers prayers to the Emperor for their safe return. 940.M41 - Tutamun Imontu is promoted to Hatyaa Anpusa (2nd Company Captain), when the previous captain is gravely wounded on Terrisina III fighting Necrons. 999.M41 - The 13th Black Crusade. Khoran lands on the Shrine World of Jeraphum IV, accompanied by foul Chaos beasts. He sacrifices enough priests to open a warp rift. The Falcons respond, and in the bloody slaughter evict the Chaos Lord, but it costs them 246 Ahautyu (battle brothers). 013.M42 - The Falcons encounter Khoran on Kheriban Prime, and attack his foul daemonkin pits. Khoran gains the upper hand, but the arrival of the Battle Barge Atet with Primaris reinforcements shifts the odds in the Loyalists' favour. Khoran escapes, but not before the world is burned to ash. Organisation The Dusk Falcons are not totally Codex Compliant, preferring to fight as demi-companies, and rarely as complete companies. Each Ahautyu (battle brother) is trained to be proficient in all of the chapter's weapons, although some will show better skill with a missile launcher than with a chainsword. As such, squad markings are eschewed and each squad is formed based upon the needs of the task by the Hatyaa (company captain), who will know the capabilities of each of the Ahautyu under his command. Over time, most Ahautyu will coalesce into informal squad formations, and utilise Perhekan hieroglyphs to mark themselves out to each other. The chapter is organised into 9 sa (companies), with each sa having a prefix depending upon the aspect of the Emperor that they are named after. For example, the 2nd Company are called the Anpusa, named after Anpu, the God of the Dead in Perhekan religion. Each sa is fully contained with their own scout formations, Apothecaries, Chaplains, vehicles and fleet ships. The 1st Company, the Perasa, are the Chapter Master's veteran bodyguards (the Kenytnesu) and the instructors for the Djamu (the initiates). The only other department that answers directly to the Pera are the Perdjehuty, the Librarium. The Nine Companies and their company symbols:Perasa - Falcon Anpusa - Jackal Khonsusa - was-sceptre Kheprisa - Scarab Sobeksa - Crocodile Sekhmetsa - Lioness Apepsa - Snake Maatsa - Ostrich Feather Hathorsa - Cow Each Hatyaa also has another title related to his other duties for the Chapter, as other Chapters are wont to do. For instance, Tutamun Imontu, Hatyaa Anpusa (Captain of 2nd Company), is also called Hery-Meket (Master of Relics). To take the Anpusa as an example of a Dusk Falcons company (A (P) next to the name indicates a Primaris marine): Company Captain (Hatyaa): Tutamun Imontu Lieutenants (Idnu): Zhanis Tezurian, Siamun Kosine (P) Librarians (Djehuty): Sokhar Ramses, Irubis Khejan (P) Apothecary(Senjw): Kelam Bydos (P) Chaplain (Hemnatar): Kothar Sept Standard Bearer (Tjai-seryt): Kephrim Suphan Techmarine (Hemut): Tulam Hebes Battleline Squads (Neyut): 40x Ahautyu (Tactical, Intercessor, Scout, Infiltrator) Close Support (Nakhtua): 35x Ahautyu (Assault, Inceptor, Bike, Landspeeder) Fire Support (Megau): 35x Ahautyu (Devastator, Eliminator, Suppressor, Hellblaster, Heavy Vehicles) Veterans (Minfyt): 10x Ahautyu (Company Veterans, Terminators) Elites (Nearin): 20x Ahautyu (Reiver, Aggressor) These figures do not include the auxiliaries and non-named HQ/Elites choices. (I'm not a player, so this list is purely from a fluff perspective.) Recruitment, Testing & The Cult of Amenra Prospective ahautyu are recruited from the many city-state dwellers that make the arduous journey across the deserts and fight amongst them. Life on Perheka is harsh, such that by the time a boy reaches 13 Terran years old he has already seen many battles and survived numerous encounters with the Sand Burrowers. On a world where the simple act of gathering food can result in death from arrow, blade or monstrous wildlife, many strive to become the heads of their city-state, either via gaining favour with the ruling Nome or by marrying into the family. It is from such a life that the Hemnatar plucks a boy, usually at the start of the brief rainy season. The Hemnatar will call at the boy's family house in the middle of the night and beckon the boy to come with him. The offer is never refused, as it is seen as a great honour for a family's son to be chosen. The novite, or djamu in Perhekan, will then endure the multi-year process to turn a callow youth into an ahautyu, with constant surgeries and tests. One of the final tests is called simply 'The Egg Trial'. In this test. the djamu must trek alone into the heart of the Great Western Desert and bring back a Perhekan Falcon egg. Whilst this trial sounds simple, the journey is fraught with dangers. Firstly, the djamu weighs more than he did as a boy, so must take great care, particularly when approaching the skyscraper-sized rocky pillars that the Falcon nests in, as the territory is also the home of the Sand Burrower Queens, whose senses are considerably more sensitive than their warriors. A mis-step can result in jaws as wide as an ahautyu is tall snapping up from the sand and swallowing him down into the darkness. Once at the pillars, the djamu must be careful not to be seen climbing up to the nest, as the Perhekan Falcon has a beak as sharp as any arrow, and can easily cut through the bone of any Astartes. Once successful, the djamu must meet at the rendezvous point with the egg intact. The egg is then inscribed with his name and placed in a sus-an sarcophagus, which is worn on his armour until his death. If his battle-brothers can retrieve it, the sarcophagus is carried until the surviving brother returns to Perheka. It is then hatched and released. Thus is the ahautyu's spirit reborn in the form of the Falcon. The Cult of Amenra is the cult of the Dusk Falcons, and is derived from the beliefs of the native Perhekans. In this cult, the God-Emperor is venerated as the Perhekan sun-god Amenra. It is His light that makes the crops grow, and the aspects of His personality are with the Ahautyu from their birth until their death. He controls and shapes their lives, and it is because of Him that they endure. As such, it is to Him that they owe their lives, and they strive to repay that debt. The cult is led by the Hemnatar Tipamun (head chaplain) of the chapter. When not involved in battle, training, or prayer, the ahautyu spend their time writing their deeds upon papyrus scrolls, which are then entered into the chapter's Librarium once they die. After all, all knowledge can be useful, and if an ahautyu's experiences in the past help the ahautyu of the present, then he has lived on in the service of his chapter. Further, each battle brother pores over the ancient scrolls of their predecessors in an effort to spot patterns from previous times and avoid any mistakes. Chapter Colours Below is an example of a Dusk Falcons Primaris Marine in Mk X Tacticus armour. N.B. The badge in the 'Alternate Shoulder Insignia' is the jackal head of the Anpusa. The sergeant helmet is for an assault sergeant, standard sergeants have a grey face plate. The hatyaa's helmet is not shown because he wears a helmet shaped in the form of the aspect that his sa takes its name from. For example, Tutamun Imontu wears a jackal-head helmet. Officers and veterans also wear the company badge as a relief on their right pauldron, not painted on. Specialists within the chapter wear armour in the chapter colours, with their pauldron trim in a colour that corresponds to their 'branch'. The exception to this is the Hemnatar, who wears black armour. Their right pauldron has the relief of the 'branch'. Specialists Specialist Name Symbol Colour Librarian Djehuty Ibis Royal Blue Apothecary Senjw Ankh White Techmarine Hemut Sceptre of Ptah Deep Red Chaplain Hemnatar Crook & Flail Bone Cream/white ++ I'll add some painted Marines when I finally getting around to getting all of the colours and painting some stuff up! ++ Meta/Design Egyptian ninjas IN SPAAACE!!!! The chapter was originally inspired by a Thousand Sons converted Chaos Terminator I saw on the old GW site many years ago, with a headpiece that was very evocative of the nemes worn by a pharaoh (this was before the Sons got their full Egyptian-themed range). I love ancient history, and we studied the Ancient Egyptians in school. I also love the idea of having a sneaky-beaky Special Forces style of Marines. However, it's generally frowned upon to use Traitor gene-seed, so they couldn't be Alpha Legion; hence the Raven Guard as a possible precursor. If, however, using Traitor geneseed becomes acceptable, then they'll be shifting to Alpha Legion faster than you can say "I'm Alpharius"! My chapter of choice back in the day (90s) was the Space Wolves, because they weren't as boringly Codex compliant as most of the other chapters, so it was natural that mine wouldn't be either (hence the Nine Blades to make the Nine Companies). UPDATE (26/09/2019): I've updated a few things to remove some confusion and such, based upon the feedback from everyone here. Hopefully it scans better now! Also, I've read through the Raven Guard supplement (I got myself a copy), and I'm definitely leaning towards having them confirmed as Raven Guard, although I'm still waiting to see if GW creates a similar CSM 2.0 & supplements for Chaos before committing.