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...Upon a Troubled Brow Located within the carved head’s leering mouth, Arslan surveyed the night jungles below from the balcony of the Panther’s Lair. Enjoying the beauty of the night sky with Primordus looming large on the horizon, Arslan didn’t turn as he heard the sound of feet on the flagstones. Jagaa: Chieftain, I would speak with you. Jagaa approached in a plain woven tunic, his Rosarius jangling around his neck. He leaned against the balcony’s guardrail, facing the Chieftain on his right. Arslan didn’t respond. Jagaa was speaking in formality. This usually preceded some sort of chiding. He knew where this was going to go. Jagaa: My Lord, that did not go well. Arslan: You don’t say? Jagaa: Your sarcasm is noted, but I warn you, you must tread lightly with the Council. Arslan, turned to face Jagaa, frustration in his eyes. Arslan: They do not need to be coddled. We are half the size we once were, we must adapt. Besides, they are an advisory council, I...am the Chieftain. Jagaa: Many agree as you do, but with the losses we’ve faced, many are simply seeking anything stable to grasp a hold of. Further reorganizing the Chapter has raised some hackles. The Council simply wants to know their advice is being taken seriously. The Council members know, we must adapt, but you do yourself a disservice by being so dismissive of their concerns. Arslan sighed in resignation. Arslan: I know I have been short of temper lately. But by thrones, it is not unwarranted. They have been questioning my decisions since I took Command. I..not Baraata...not any of the others, am Chieftain. I...was chosen. They must accept this. Jagaa placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. Jagaa: If they did not, I think we would be in a much more difficult situation. Still, this is nothing new to you, you are more on edge than normal. What is the matter? Arslan shrugged the hand off of his shoulder and turned back to stare out into the jungle, growing stiff. He said formally. Arslan: It is nothing of consequence, Jinong. Jagaa made the sign of the Aquila in frustration. Jagaa: By the Emperor! I am doing what I can to keep Baraata’s challenge from ever being issued. I think you are our Chapter’s best chance of rebuilding. But if you cannot tell me what is on your mind, then I have nothing left to do, but assume you are as impetuous and moody, as they say your are! Arslan sighed with resignation. Without turning, his voice lowered to almost a whisper. Arslan: The Sword has given me a vision. Jagaa:...and...? Arslan: It heralds dark portents. I saw what I can only interpret as the death of the Chapter...and I am ultimately responsible. Jagaa said nothing for a minute, processing the information. Then he spoke Jagaa: Are you sure? From my understanding the Sword’s visions aren’t always accurate. Arslan: You’re guess is as good as mine, old friend. But I can feel in my bones that there is truth to this. Emperor’s light, guide me away from this fate. Jagaa: Why not share this with the council. If you truly feel you’re going to be responsible for this catastrophe, why not abdicate? Arslan: Because I cannot guarantee that I won’t be responsible even if I am not Chieftain. I still wield the Sword, and as you know, that is not something that can be easily given up. No, I cannot second guess my decisions. Unfortunately my friend, the only conclusion I can come to, is that I must continue down this path, until I can identify a fork in the road. Jagaa: I understand, brother. The Emperor Protects. Your victories during the Rite of Conflict proved that.The Emperor put you here, you must trust the Emperor will guide you to the necessary decisions. In the mean time, I will go soothe the council. With that, Jagaa turned and left the Chieftain to his solitude, with the image of his friend attempting to stare his troubles into the jungle below, on his mind. “The Council has no idea the burden that Sword has put upon him. Heavy is the head that wears the crown,” Jagaa thought to himself, as he slipped back into the fortress. He would have many more conversations, before he could turn in for the night. Void Panthers Those who thrive in scarcity, overcome adversity. Scarcity begets Need. Need begets Necessity. Necessity begets Tenacity. Tenacity begets Strength. Strength begets Dominance. Founding: 23rd or 24th Founding, the Imperium records of this time detailing the founding date of the Void Panthers have been lost. However, through oral tradition, the Void Panthers can trace their founding to around this period of time. Geneseed: Since the records recording their exact founding have been lost, the Void Panthers have no knowledge of the origins of their geneseed, nor do they seem to much care. Background: . Founded sometime after the Age of Apostasy, the Void Panthers were originally sent to the Primordus System, to protect that region of space, from the numerous renegades, pirates, xenos incursions. Specializing in the complexities of void combat, they are adept at void assaults and ship (or space hulk) boarding actions. Due to events following the eruption of the Cicatrix Maledictum, a full two thirds of the Chapter and much of its fleet, has been lost. Now they must focus on rebuilding the Chapter, with limited numbers, limited resources, and a limited armory. Fortress Monastery: The Panther’s Lair Located on the Mitra, the moon of Primordus. Hewn deep into the black basalt bones of the Mt. Turaala, the Panther's Lair looks like its namesake, with giant stone paws jutting out of spur, hidden within a canopy of thick jungle forestry. It is unknown just how deep into the mountain the fortress monastery extends, however, dozens of blast doors can be counted, if one knows where to look. Mitra: Mitra is the jungle moon of Primordus. Mysteriously, much of the local flora and fauna that exist on Primordus are also found on Mitra, with one exception. The Atalan tree can only be found on Mitra, and is used extensively by the Void Panthers, in ritual weaponry and iconography. Disposition: What defines the Void Pather’s mentality is one of strength through struggle, and perseverance over adversity. A warrior’s willpower is his most powerful weapon. “If the will is strong,” they say, “then the body will follow.” Much of this mindset comes from the very culture that they are recruited from; where the struggle for survival is paramount. Thus they have an almost “Survival of the Fittest” mentality. The Void Panthers constantly test, and hone their mind, bodies, and wills, like a warrior sharpens a sword. Most of their rites and rituals involve some sort trial, be that physical or mental, that the participants must overcome. By always seeking to test themselves, they seek to emulate the great cats, from which they get their namesake -- the apex hunter; a predator of the highest order who can strike without warning, with the utmost ferocity and the cunning to ensure it’s victory. Like many Adeptus Astartes Chapters, the Void Panthers are fairly indifferent to plights of the average Imperium citizen. According to them, these citizens should be thankful for the opportunity the Emperor has given them to test their strength in his name. Individuals may vary, but many will not bat an eye at any collateral damage that occurs when fighting the foes of the Emperor; as those who endure are now better equipped for the future. Curiously, however, they do feel a greater sense of responsibility, maybe even attachment, to the people of Primordus. Their sole recruitment source, the Void Panthers feel responsible in the same way a man would feel about a beloved herd of Sheep. They must be carefully groomed and maintained. Should a wolf get one, that will only make the group better at avoiding, predators. However, should a wolf threaten them all, the Void Panthers will hunt it, with impunity. Humans who serve the Chapter as a squire or fleet staff, are treated like respected servants--they are treated with formality, but are very clearly of a lower status. “Our History has bent and shaped us, like the steel speaker’s hammer.” - Jinong Jagaa baratu Significant Events M38 Founding: The Void Panthers are founded as a Codex-compliant Chapter in the Ultima Segmentum. They establish their fortress monastery, the Panther's Lair, within the treacherous jungles of Mitra, the moon of Primodus. Early Campaigns: The Void Panthers earn a reputation for methodical and disciplined warfare in their early centuries, participating in several successful campaigns against Ork WAAAGHs!, Aeldari raiders, and rebellious human factions, in the east of the Ultima Segmentum. The Battle At Vaneer: The Void Panthers engage Astartes renegades known as the Hydra's Coil in void space, north of Forge World Vaneer. Boarding the renegade cruiser, the Panthers begin to methodically clear decks. Masters of deception, Coil, lure them deeper within the warped corridors, using feigned retreats and ambushes. The Panthers, suffering heavy losses against the Coil's tactics, are forced to rely on their melee training and numerical superiority, to batter through the Coil’s defenses, and are ultimately successful in destroying the voidcraft. This encounter, ignites a change within the Chapter. Recruited from a primitive society where melee prowess is paramount, they begin to favor close-quarters combat as a doctrinal preference. Their tenacity and ferocity in boarding actions becomes a hallmark of the Void Panthers. M39 The War for Zambula: Responding to a plea from the besieged Imperial world of Zambula, the Void Panthers Chapter arrived to find the planet overrun with Orks. A massive Ork WAAAGH!, calling themselves "DA MURDA-KILLAZ," had overwhelmed the planet's defenses, leaving the local forces on the brink of collapse. The Void Panthers understanding the need to “divide and conquer,” in order to be victorious, they abandoned their methodical approach and embraced a strategy of aggressive assault. Utilizing a drop pod assault, directly into the heart of the Ork horde, the Void Panthers tore through the enemy lines. Their close-quarters combat prowess proving devastatingly effective against the surprised Orks, they shattered the WAAAGH!'s momentum, turning the tide of the battle and securing a decisive victory for the Imperium. This triumph on Zambula marked a turning point for the Void Panthers, solidifying their shift towards a more aggressive combat doctrine, one that embraced close-quarters fighting and rapid deployment to overwhelm their foes. M40 The Untamed Maw Campaign: The Void Panthers become embroiled in a protracted conflict with the Drukhari of the Kabal of the Untamed Maw. The Drukhari, drawn to the Primodus system by its proximity to the Webway, launched a series of raids, seeking to enslave the populace and plunder its resources. The Void Panthers responded with aggressive counter-attacks, boarding the Drukhari flagship. Fighting in the close quarters of ship corridors, a strike team, famously known as the Midnight Claws, managed to sabotage the ship engines, destroying the main Drukhari vessel and scattering the fleet, back from whence they came. Hailing from the 1st Company, the Midnight Claws died in the performance of their duties. The 1st Company, adopts “The Midnight Claws” name for itself, to honor their sacrifice. The Scourging of Ondar: The Hive World of Ondar erupts in fervent rebellion, its populace enthralled by the insidious whispers of a "Six-Armed God." The planetary government, crumbling under the weight of insurrection, issues a desperate plea for aid before falling silent. Answering the distress call, the Void Panthers Chapter arrives in orbit to find Ondar consumed by anarchy. Captain of the Second, Tituus Kalaan, assessing the situation, orders his strike cruiser into a bombardment position, deeming the hive's claustrophobic confines unsuitable for the Astartes' armored might. However, the Sisters of the Valorous Heart, still clinging to a bastion within the hive, reach out to the Void Panthers, before the orbital strike commences. They reveal the existence of an ancient and powerful holy relic, now in the clutches of the cultists, and implore the Astartes to help them recover it. Its destruction, they warn, would be a catastrophic loss for the Imperium. The Sisters propose a daring strategy: the Astartes will utilize their heavy firepower to clear the wider avenues, while the nimble Sororitas navigate the cramped underhive, reclaiming the relic. Intrigued by the plan's audacity, Kalaan agrees to the alliance. A brutal and bloody campaign ensues, with the Sisters paying a heavy price in blood and lives. Through their unwavering faith and sacrifice, they succeed in retrieving the sacred relic. After witnessing their valor, the Void Panthers gain a newfound respect for their allies, acknowledging that even the mightiest warriors can benefit from the aid of others. The rebellion on Ondar is crushed, but the memory of the Sisters' sacrifice and the lessons learned resonate deeply within the Chapter. M41 The Wounding: The Great Rift's opening plunges the Primordus System into darkness. All psykers within the Chapter either die, or go insane, causing casualties in the wake of their madness. With the Imperium in disarray, and communications extremely limited, the Void Panthers faces a relentless onslaught of Chaos raiders and renegades, looking to expand their territory outside of the Warp. To survive, they mobilize their fleet in a desperate attempt to defend their home system. In the heat of void combat the Chapter lives up to it’s namesake, and strikes at the enemy fleets with a desperate ferocity. Over the course of the next seventy years, the Void Panthers manage to keep the system out of the hands of the various factions seeking control, but are losing the war of attrition. By the time the Indomitus Crusade had reaches them, they had lost over two thirds of their number, and much of their fleet and weaponry. M42 The Indomitus Crusade: With the arrival of one of the Indomitus Crusade Task Forces, marked a possible reprieve from the eventual death of the Chapter. Bringing with it were: several dozen Primaris Astartes outfitted with the latest in wargear the Imperium could muster; a Adeptus Mechanicus research team, named the Probability Cascade; void shielded, system defense platforms, to shore up the Primordus Systems defenses; and the latest equipment used to create new, and transition old, Astartes into Primaris. The Culling: The nature of the Void Panthers is one of resilience amidst adversity. However, their willingness to endure can sometimes lead them to make overconfident decisions. Desperate to improve the status of their Chapter as quickly as possible, nearly all of the traditional Adeptus Astartes in the Chapter, chose to cross the Rhubicon Primaris. This arduous trial, would do nothing but further strengthen their resolve, or so they thought. Unfortunately, this made matters worse. Nearly forty percent of those who tried, did not survive the process. Even with the addition of the new battle brothers brought by the task force, the Void Panthers were now numbered approximately three hundred. The Sword Awakens: With the ascension of a new Chieftain in possession of the Chapter’s greatest relic, many believe there is hope yet for the Void Panthers. He has instituted drastic changes in the organization in order to maintain the flexibility needed to defend their System. Through his leadership, he has managed to stabilize the Chapter’s numbers, and almost doubled their size. Still, they contend with semi-regular incursions from the Warp, xenos raids, the discovery of Necron tombs within the system itself. Despite their growing numbers, the Void Panthers are pressed on all sides. But as the people of Primordus say, “Those who thrive in scarcity, overcome adversity.” The Oscillus Bombardment: Through system scans conducted by the Probability Cascade, a Necron vault is discovered on Oscillus in the Primordus System. Magos Grelt of the Adeptus Mechanicus orders the accompanying research team to prioritize the retrieval of xenos technology, unbeknownst to the Void Panthers, who understand the objective to be simple surveillance. Upon arrival, the Void Panthers Chapter and the Probability Cascade contingent find the vault dormant. During the investigation, the research team tampers with the vault's technology, activating it. Necron forces awaken and engage the Imperium forces. Chieftain Arslan Bataar, knowing the Chapter must contain the threat at all costs, orders an orbital strike that destroys the vault and all personnel on the planet. This incident creates a significant rift between the Void Panthers and the Probability Cascade, with both sides blaming the other for the loss of life and potential technological gains. Diplomatic efforts, by Jagaa Baratu, prevent further conflict, but the relationship remains damaged. “Hit Hard, Hit Fast, Hit First, with Finality.” - Training Seneshcal Jayaatu Battle Doctrine The Void Panthers are masters of a audacious and deadly form of warfare, a doctrine forged in the crucible of their history and refined by necessity. Their approach is a blend of calculated aggression and relentless assault, prioritizing cunning and resilience above all else. The Void Panthers' tactical doctrine is deeply rooted in their origins as specialists in close-quarters combat. For much of their existence, they excelled in shipboard assaults and boarding actions, honed in the confined spaces of voidships and the dense jungles of their homeworld. This specialization was further cemented by The Wounding, forcing them to rely on their existing strengths. The core of their battle doctrine is a swift and decisive strike, echoing the predatory creatures of Primordus. They favor medium-range engagements that rapidly transition into brutal close-quarters assaults. Expert marksmen with bolters and skilled with sword, axe and spear, they prioritize eliminating high-value targets and disrupting enemy formations before launching a ferocious melee assault. This aggressive approach is designed to overwhelm and scatter the enemy, allowing the Chapter to isolate and eliminate them piecemeal. This emphasis on close combat necessitates a high degree of cunning and adaptability. The Panthers understand that even the best-laid plans rarely survive first contact with the enemy. They have thus developed a philosophy of relentless aggression. They, "hit and keeping hitting,” allowing them to seize the initiative and maintain pressure on a flagging opponent. This often manifests as daring flanking maneuvers, feints, and ambushes, always seeking to exploit an enemy's weakness and strike at their "throat" with overwhelming force. Recognizing the inherent risks of their aggressive doctrine, the Void Panthers place great emphasis on cultivating tactical acumen in every Astartes. Puzzles, riddles, and strategic games like Regicide are not mere pastimes, but essential tools for honing their minds. They are trained to think several steps ahead, anticipating enemy movements and adapting their tactics on the fly. This mental agility allows them to react effectively to unexpected situations and maintain the initiative even in the face of adversity. While they favor swift and decisive victories, the Panthers also recognize the grim reality of attrition warfare. Their limited numbers make prolonged conflicts particularly costly, but they have learned to endure, embodying the resilience of the predators they emulate. As their saying goes, "One does not hunt a mighty beast without risking its bite." “Primordus has been our home for centuries. Just because the warp has spewed itself within our eyesight, and its infested with xenos filth, does not mean we will let Hemperator’s enemies just have it.”- Jinong Jagaa Baratu Home System Upon the eruption of the Great Rift, the Primordus System was caught right in the middle of it. Located in the Ultima Segmentum, east of Cirillo Prime and south of Corinthe, the Primodus System has been home to The Void Panthers since their inception. Unknown until recently, the Primordus System of planets, houses some sort of unusual "Pilons", within the mantles of most of the System’s planetary bodies. It is theorized that these "Pilons" may have stabilized the space immediately around the system. Whether that has anything to do with, why the System is within conventional travel distance of the “temporary rift corridor” between Imperium Sanctus and Imperium Nihilus, is unknown, but speculated. This “temporary rift corridor” opens for approximately nine months out every decade, making it a promising opportunity for the Imperium, if a way can be found to permanently keep the corridor open. A sizable contingent of Adeptus Mechanicus, known as the “Probability Cascade,” arrived during the Indomitus Crusade ferrying Primaris technology and new orders from the Lord Regent. Any surviving Void Panthers are to maintain control of the system, and assist the Probability Cascade research teams to stabilize the corridor. Such a thing would be a great strategic boon to the Imperium and ease the pressure on Vigilus. Recruitment Planet: Primordus Environment: Containing one major continent (Tuganda) and several subcontinents, Primordus has a varied climate, ranging from humid jungles, near the equator, to ranges of ice covered mountains toward the poles. Wildlife: Home to numerous species of megafauna, Primordus was almost classified as a death world, during the survey taken during the Great Crusade. The Apex of the local food chain is a species of feline, known as the Tugandan Panther. Standing at roughly seven Imperial Standard Feet tall, from foot to shoulder, the Tugandan Panther is one of the largest feline species recorded in Imperial records. Revered by many of the locals as the epitome of strength and resilience, luckily they tend to stay away from human settlements, and can only be found it the deepest and wildest parts of Tugandan Jungle. Other Dangerous Wildlife of Note: Strangle Trees: Similar in appearance to the extinct Terran Willow tree, the Strangle Tree is a rare type of plant, that is both aggressive and carnivorous. It uses its quick flexible limbs to constrict its prey. The desiccated corpses of its victims litter the base of the trunk where it drinks up the nutrients spilled from those rotted forms onto the soil. Terrorbirds: A carnivorous terrestrial avian, they resemble their Terran Prehistoric namesake. Standing at roughly six feet tall, these birds hunt prey in the tall grass of the plains and brush of the tall deciduous forests. Known for hunting prey of all sizes, they hold a particular hazard to humans, as they are highly aggressive, and extremely cunning. Other Planetary Bodies in the System: Tartarus: The fourth planet in the Primordus System, the atmosphere consists primarily of methane. Its lifeless crust is covered with large rocky outcroppings and large lakes of Hydrargyrum, which gives the planet a soft ghostly caste in the Primordus night sky. Charon: The fifth planet in the Primordus system, Oscillus possesses and atmosphere similar to Primordus. Moreover, it is just close enough to Tartarus, to catch the heat reflecting off of the other planet’s methanic atmosphere. This leaves Charon with a complex series of zones, based on the rotation and orbits of the two planets, that can sustain life. Within these zones, is a harsh environment resembling a mild ice age of ancient terra. Ferns and large deciduous trees have taken root amidst the frost covered rocky soil. Thick pelted animals of all kinds dot the area. Outside of the “Tartarus Zone” the planet is covered in freezing temperatures and endless tracts of snow. Oscillus: Cold, barren and lifeless, it has been discovered that Oscillus is a Necron Tombworld. The void panthers to their knowledge have destroyed what was left of the Necron presence on Oscillus, but time will tell whether that is true or not. Chaaribdis: The farthest Planet from the Primordus Sun, it is desolate lacking an atmosphere. It completes an orbit around its star, every five Imperium Standard Years. Due to its position in the system, the Void Panthers have installed an early warning censor station, called The Tower. This has since become the main operation center for the the research conducted by the Probability Cascade. Containing the “Black Pylons” like the other planets in the system, Magos Grelt continues his research on these pylons and their affects on the Warp, from the convenience of The Tower. “Mail will give a man a survivor’s chance – Steel will make him dangerous – but cunning will make him a predator.” - Primordus Folk Saying Inhabitants and Common Cultural Practices The people of Primordus have been inhabiting their world for millennia. Liberated during the Great Crusade, they accepted Imperial rule readily. However, because Primordus had no particular strategic significance, the Imperium quickly moved on, and left the local rulers to their own devices. Dangerous even then, Primordus was initially fated to be classified as a death world, however due to a typographical error in the assessor’s initial notes, Imperial records keepers ultimately classified Primordus as a Feudal world. Possessing of a feudal system, Tuganda is littered with city-state regions controlled by kings and warlords. Due to the harshness of the terrain and aggressiveness of the local wildlife, the people of Primordus, grow up hardy and wise, if not a touch barbaric. All of the settlements appear to be built around the ruins of some other civilization. Built in ages long forgotten, each city’s walls are a patchwork of ancient cyclopean black stone ruins, with strange glyphs carved upon them, and the more roughshod work of the most recent inhabitants. The reason they build their settlements within these strange ruins is simple, the aggressive plant and animal life seem to be repulsed, providing some much needed respite from the hazards of the wild. Even behind the protective walls of the cities, however, life is hard. With very little ability to farm due to the hyper aggressive nature of the local plant life, the inhabitants sustain themselves through the small communal farms located within the city walls (often stunted by the same ruins that stunt the more wild growths), and hunting the great beasts. The cultures among the different settlements are varied, but they all share this singular commonality. Life outside, these handful of stone sanctuaries is fraught with dangers. The “barbarian tribes,” (according to those in the “civilized nations”) live short, brutal lives, where anything gained is done so through blood and steel. Making their homes often in cave systems, for the simple amount of protection they provide, the “barbaric peoples” are not so different from their urban counterparts. Much of their time is spent hunting, like their city counterparts, but also raiding, and mercenary work is very common. Many cities will pay tough warriors handsomely, to add even greater skill in bush-craft to their military ranks. The Riddle of Steel: Metallurgy is an important foundation for the people of Primordus. Regardless, of city or social status, arms and armor are prized over almost everything, and for good reason. Not only must these people brave the wilds for everything they have, but must also defend it against other such people. As such, men who know how to “speak the tongue of steel” are regarded in the highest of esteem. Known as “shapers” or “steel sculptors,” their positions have grown into one that is both religious and practical. The spiritual leaders of their given communities, they guide their people, down the Great Hunting Trail. With their wisdom, they help every person discover the answer to the “Riddle of Steel.” The Riddle is the question upon a warrior’s death, Hemperator, the god of light and sky, will ask the newly departed soul. Imperial Cult scholars believe this to be a local derivation of “The Emperor,” he is viewed as the source of order and wisdom, by the local inhabitants, something prized above everything in such a wild place. Should the wayward soul not know the correct answer, it is believed n eternity of doom awaits—an eternity of torment, conducted by the four great behemoths. Thus the “Shapers” help each person in their community find the answer to the Riddle. It is believed only through trials, such as hunting the great animals of Primordus will the truth reveal itself. The Great Hunt: Held every year the Great Hunt is a festival celebrated across all Tuganda. The festival has a wide variety of rituals depending on which community is celebrating. However, in all communities the Great Hunt culminates in one simple rite. Those young hunters who seek to become one of the “Chosen,” the “Warriors Supreme of Hemperator,” will travel to the highest mountain within their region. Shapers say these mountains became holy sites, when aeons ago, Hemperator's chosen signaled their significance with blinding pillars of light from the sky. Traveling alone, they must find along the way a trophy worthy of their skill as hunters. Once they reach the mountain, they must scale its heights to the offering site, with their trophies. A difficult climb without carrying the dead weight of an animal, once at the top they will present their trophies. If the Hemperator is pleased with their offering, it is said they will be whisked into the sky to become one of the “Chosen,” never to be heard from by their families, again. It is known by the people of Primordus that only offerings showing the youth's skill and valor have a chance of being accepted. Pelts of Tugandan Panthers are known to be prized most of all, as to hunt the hunter, requires the highest of skill, if one is to survive. Other offerings such as mail and weapons of steel won through battle, and Terrorbird feathers are thought to be of value to Hemperator as well. Even so, showing up with these trophies is no guarantee of acceptance. Most die in the endeavor, while a handful of others, return home with tales of a terrifying masked warrior who, insulted by the meagerness of their offering, rejected them, and “cast them off the mountain.” The Final Test Tars' breath came in deep gulps as he pitched himself over the side of the cliff face he had been climbing for the better part of three hours. As he lay there at the top gasping for air, he pulled on the rope that was dangling around his waist. At the end of the rope was a tied package, covered in waxed linen, that he dragged up hand over hand. Once he had the package in hand, he stood up and surveyed his surroundings. The bare rock of the ledge gently sloped upwards into a crested hill. With a quick breath, Tars loped up to the crest of the hill, and noticed that the peak of the mountain was actually a perfect half sphere depression. The rock was unnaturally smooth, like volcanic glass, and the depressions was approximately fifty meters in diameter. As he looked into the depression, he could see several alters arrayed in a circle surrounding a raised platform. On that platform sat a lone figure. Tars noticed several staircases carved into the rock leading down from the sides of the bowl to the center of the depression, which was, in turn, covered in pure white sand. Walking along the edge to the nearest staircase, Tars began to descend. As he was doing so, he noticed three other figures, all young men like himself, at three of the other alters. As Tars' foot touched the last of the steps, he loped towards the nearest alter, untied his package and placed a thick blue black pelt on the alter. As was tradition, Tars spoke, “I have hunted and won my trophy. I have braved the mountain, with my trophy intact. Great one, I dedicate this trophy to you, in the hopes of being one of Hemperator's Chosen. I await the final challenge.” As Tars finished the words of the ritual, he took a good hard look at the figure on the dais. He was seated crossed legged, on a large dark skin, very similar to the one Tars brought. The man was a giant, with corded muscle bulging as if it was about to tear out of his skin. He was bare to the waist with a thick leather girdle topping his hide breeches and his left hand was covered in steel gauntlet. Curious metal like discs were embedded in his flesh at regular intervals in his chest and arms and neck. The Warrior wore a pelt covering the top half of his face, head, and back of this neck. The pelt was of the face and head of one of the great panthers. Its eyes had been removed and their place Tars could just see the whites of the Warrior's eyes peaking through. The mask ended just beneath his nose, where the jagged teeth of the panther pointed down to the permanent scowl that was painted on his unreadable face. It was clear to Tars by the expression on the other youths' faces, that the warrior had sat motionless, as they completed their ritual, as he had with Tars. Now they were all just waiting for something to happen—and at last something did. The Warrior spoke. “You have traveled a great distance to come here. You have scaled the jagged crags of T'Chara, to bring me an offering of your bravery and skill. Very well, your offerings are accepted. But take heed, I am watching you. Every action you take, every word that you speak, will bring you credit or disgrace. I can see inside the hearts of men. Every emotion you feel, every pain in your bodies you endure...I know them. You have been warned. I have but one question to ask of each of you, and your answers will prove your worthiness. I will approach each of you, and you will whisper the answer to my riddle. As with all great mysteries, the one true answer should not be known to those who have not earned the wisdom to know it.” Tars' eyes widened as the hulking warrior, stood. He was even larger than expected, a true giant, standing close to double his height. Tars watched as the warrior approached the first alter on the right. The warrior paused as he looked at what was offered, it was a headdress of large greenish feathers. He picked up the headdress and examined it. The young hunter offering the headdress, gulped visibly, this close to the inhumanly large warrior. The young hunter was smaller than than the rest. Clearly, the Spring of Youth had not fully bloomed, even though he had reached the Age of Trial. The warrior, towering over the hunter, asked in a booming voice. “What is the Riddle of Steel? I would have your answer.” The warrior knelt on one knee, as an adult would, to hear a secret from a small child. The hunter leaned in close and whispered his answer, and the warrior nodded and stood. “When you awake, get off my mountain.” Faster than Tars could see, the warrior backhanded the young hunter into the sand. The hunter was unconscious. The Warrior then stalked to the next alter in dangerously powerful yet graceful strides, and gazed down at the next offering. It was five mailed hauberks. The hunter who offered these was covered in battle scars, clearly a young but very fine warrior. The giant moved the chain shirts around with the tip of his index finger, lifting them up, flipping them over; discovering the various holes in them. Clearly a sign of what happened to their last wearers. “Before you give me your answer, I demand another,” boomed the giant. With a small amount of awe in his voice the Pelted Warrior asked, “Did you single-handedly slay all the warriors who wore these?” Encouraged, the hunter nodded in the affirmative. The giant replied, “very well....liar!” and he punched the hunter so hard in the chest that he flew backwards thirty paces and collided with the interior edge of the bowl. The hunter crumpled over, with his chest caved in, clearly dead. The warrior turned towards the remaining aspirants. “To be a great hunter one must possess cunning, and deception is a part of that. However, in the hunt, as in battle, if a deception fails, the deceiver often pays with their life. I have no time for someone who is too stupid to understand when to rely on cunning, and when not to. I see inside your hearts, lies will avail you nothing!” He then approached the next offering. It was a Rhinodox hide and horn. Standing behind it was a youth sporting a black warrior's mohawk with a shock of red through the center. The Warrior spoke, “I would have your answer,” as he knelt. The youth answered, and the warrior stood. “OH SO!” bellowed the Warrior with mirth. “If you are right, tell it to my gauntlet.” The youth was doubled over and vomited, as the Warrior swatted at the youth's midsection with his gauntleted fist. The warrior looked as though he was doing nothing more than batting away cobwebs. “Begone. If flesh were stronger than steel, you wouldn't be in pain!” the Warrior exclaimed. Slowly the young man collected himself and started hobbling towards the nearest staircase. Tars tried to still the racing of his heart as the Warrior approached his alter. The giant didn't even seem to care about the Tugandan Panther pelt, that Tars had almost died to acquire. “I would have your answer.” The Warrior boomed as he knelt close to Tars. Tars, staring into the almost inhuman grey eyes of the Warrior, swallowed, and whispered. “I do not know.” Before, he could even inhale another breath, Tars felt a vice grip around his throat as he was lifted off his feet. He was caught in the clutch of the Warrior's massive fist. The Warrior stood holding Tars outstretched as if he was doing nothing more than examining a doll. The muscles in Tars' neck strained from the exertion, the fight to get any air a pure agony. “You do not know!?” exclaimed the Warrior. “You dare to come here without an answer! I can see the fear in you boy, coward!” Clawing at his throat, Tars fought down the panic rising in his chest, as he heard the Warrior dishonor him. Urgency was upon him, but the fear was being burned away, burned away by hot searing defiance. Tars let go of the Warrior's wrist with one hand and reached down for his knife. With all the force he could muster, he drove the knife point deep into the giant's forearm. The giant's brows narrowed. “Do you think such a paltry attack could release you from my grip?” Tars' vision began to blacken at the edges as he was running out of oxygen. He pulled the knife out and plunged it back in, over and over again, the wounds almost instantaneously clotting as he pulled out the knife. Tars was weakening, but he kept stabbing. He was moments from blacking out, when he felt himself drop to the hard packed earth, air flooding into his lungs. He wheezed in gasps of air through white hot lungs. Only a second or two had passed, by the time Tars' mind raced back to the threat at hand. As quickly as his weakened body could, he settled into a fighting crouch, knife pointed at the Warrior. “I tire of you, little thing. Go back to your people,” spat the Warrior, “or die here!” Tars remained where he was. Amidst gulps of air, Tars managed to croak out a response. “It is clear, I cannot best you, honored Chosen. However, I would sooner die here, than leave in disgrace!” Tars exclaimed. A resigned smile settled on Tars' face. One that spoke of a pure resignation of purpose and coming consequence. With his free hand, Tars beckoned the giant close, “Let us end this, you and I.” In a blur the Warrior had slapped the knife out of Tars hand and had knelt to meet the youth at eye level. He placed his massive hand on Tars' shoulder pinning him in place. The grip was firm but gentle. “You are truly seen, young warrior. Your struggle this day has ended, your answer is accepted. Say nothing, and wait for me over there,” the Warrior said pointing at the central dais, “There is still one more that may be in need of further testing.” A flood of emotions flooded Tars all at once in a massive adrenaline dump. Relief, elation, curiosity, trepidation, almost overwhelmed him. But he managed to control his demeanor and calmly staggered over to where he was told to wait. Tars watched as the Warrior, examined his wounds or the scabs that were already forming on his forearm. His struggle complete, Tars noticed The smallest youth was slowly regaining consciousness. As minutes drifted by the Warrior stood where he was, watching the slowly awakening young hunter. The young man, blinked and looked around to get his bearings. When he realized where he was, the look of disappointment covered his face, as he remembered what had happened to him and the giant's last words. He sunk his head in shame for but a moment, then he slowly climbed to his feet, widened his stance and stood, not like a defeated dog, but as a proud young man. The Warrior addressed the young man, “I told you to get off my mountain. You told me your answer, 'you cannot trust living beings, but steel you can trust.' A clearly false answer, as that steel you carry, will not stop me from killing you. Can you trust it when I take it from your broken hands, and ram it in your imbecilic face?” The hunter stared placidly back at the Warrior. “I don't know what happened to the others, but do what you must, I...am...not...leaving.” Tars watched as the warrior brutalized the young man, and time after time, the young man kept getting up. It was then, that Tars understood the game being played here. The Warrior had such overwhelming strength, he could have killed all of them with one blow at any time. He had proven that, and yet, he hit his latest victim with just enough force to keep him alive. Every time, the youth struggled, and stood back up, just to be knocked down again with the unstoppable force of the Warriors blows. “I've broken six of your ribs, and your left arm at this point, how much more can you endure?” The youth glance towards Tars, then back at the Warrior, and replied, “As much as I have to, to stand next to him.” “I can see in your heart, young one. I know the pain your body, and the conviction in your heart.” He stepped back to be able to address both aspirants. “You both, through hardship and pain have discovered the answer. Steel is not strong, it cannot be trusted, for what it does depends on the wielder. Neither is the hand that wields the steel. What is strong is the force of will. The will bends the metal into the shape the forger desires. The will, forces the hand to practice, through pain an agony, over and over to develop skill in weaponry. It is the force of will that changes this galaxy. You two have shown a will stronger than steel. You have proven yourselves worthy, and your struggling ends for today. But understand this, while this trial is over, the real tests have just begun.” “The regent wrote the codex astartes. Thus it should not be questioned. Necessity unfortunately, seems to disagree.” - Lord Arslan Bataar Organization Over the centuries the Void Panthers' organization has significantly diverged from the Codex Astartes. Change was incremental, until the heavy losses incurred by the The Culling, forcing the change from strict company based assignments, to lodge based assignments to each company. This was done to create more flexibility with less manpower, and maintain the functioning of the Chapter. Lodges: Due to their significant losses from their new situation, it was a necessity to be more flexible with their organizational structure. Having culturally adopted lodges centuries ago, they have recently adapted this system to allow more flexibility in responsibility of an individual marine. As a brother progresses through the ranks he will enter a new Lodge as his skills grow and his responsibility increases. If needed one brother can always serve in the lodge they left long ago. The Void: This is the first lodge a battle brother is inducted into after “walking” the Wheel of Pain and completing the transformation into a true Adeptus Astartes. This lodge is used to reinforce the lessons learned during their aspirancy, these Astartes typically serve the standard Infantry role. This allows them to gain experience in all manner of fighting situations, and perfect the skills of the predator. In other Chapters they would be part of an Intercessor squad, but Brothers of the Void form a much less strict grouping called a Host. A Host consists of five to twenty Brothers of the Void whose ranks are increased by future brothers still undergoing the Trial of Combat. Their numbers are selected based on the tactical needs of the given mission. Iconography: The Void, black backdrops with stars and other celestial bodies. Colors are typically red, yellow, and black. Depictions of chains often feature among the Void motif. Traditions: Commonly amongst the Brothers of the Void is the use of chains to secure their weapons. This is both a practical and spiritual necessity. These chains are a visual reminder that one must always be centered, and that force of will is a much more potent weapon in the warp than the weapons the chains are connected to. These chains metaphorically bind them to their service to the Emperor. When times become trying, they remind them of that commitment. The chains are made from the iron bark of the Atalan Tree. A type of tree that grows only on Mitra. The Moon: As the young Void Panther's skill as a “predator” grows, he masters the art of stalking prey and closing the distance for the quick and quiet kill. After the Astartes' has proven himself as a Brother of the Void, he will be inducted into the Lodge of the Moon. Brothers of the Moon typically serve as close assault support and scouting/infiltration units. The Lodge of the Moon, symbolizes the protection of night when a hunter can truly come to grips with his prey. Iconography: Moons of all phases. Colors are typically black, silver, white, sometimes dark blues and reds are also seen. Traditions: Brothers of the Moon often undertake ritualistic hunts. To strengthen their awareness as a predator, they will arm themselves with the traditional weapons of Primordus (sword, spear, and ax) and hone their stalking abilities, by hunting down one of the apex predators, the Tugandan panther. The Sun: The Sun signifies heat, strength, and overwhelming power. Moreover, during the day is the most difficult time to hunt prey, as the hunter doesn't have the benefits of the cloaking darkness of night. For this reason, only veteran brothers of the other two lodges get inducted into the Lodge of the Sun. They usually serve as fire support, heavy weapons teams, and vehicle operators. Only experienced hunters can be trusted to effectively use these highly valuable, and in the case of their isolation, often hard to come by weapons. Iconography: Suns, sunrays and beams, triangles are also common. Colors are often red, yellow, orange, and white. Traditions: Fire support is not something that comes instinctive to the Void Panthers. Despite their Ultramarine predecessor's preference to flexibility, they often prefer medium to close ranged engagements. Despite this, Brothers of the Sun know the necessity for these powerful weapons, and the tactics needed to employ them. They have grown to appreciate the patience required to strike from a distance, and strictly enforce this in their newer members. Seneschals of the Sun are often seen with swagger sticks, that they use to viciously strike new Sun Brothers should they show anything other that pure cold stoicism in the heat of battle. The Eclipse: The significance of the eclipse is that it encompasses all celestial bodies in the Primordus sky. Brothers of the Eclipse are the eldest most experienced members of the Void Panthers. Veterans of centuries of warfare, they have the honor of holding the leadership positions within the Chapter, as well as wearing the Chapter's few remaining suits of Tactical Dreadnought Armor. Many also serve as the Chapter's Seneschals, the veteran sergeants to other squads within the other lodges. Iconography: Suns and moons combined. Colors include, black, white, red, and yellow. Traditions: Eclipse Brothers are the elite of the Chapter. They are the apex predator; deadly in all cycles of the day, and with all weapons. Having mastered all types of the hunt, they no longer operate within a squad or Host structure. It is at this point they are given the future role within the Chapter. Often they are made Seneschals of a Host from a lodge their demeanor most readily favors. However, some truly zealous brothers are chosen for the Chaplain Corps. “I...bear the Horns of Power. That does not mean my decisions are infallible...but I challenge any of you to prove me wrong!” - Lord Arslan Bataar to the Twilight Council Ranking Structure Chieftain: The current Chieftain, or Chapter Master, is Lord Arslan Bataar. Notable Responsibilities: Master of the Wheel: As the Chapter Master, Arslan serves as the Master of the Wheel of Pain. His role is to devise the tests and trials used to ensure their Acolytes have the will to stand against the Emperor's foes. With the assistance of the Twilight Council, each trial is meticulously designed to test the aspirants where they are weakest to forge their wills into steel. Supreme Namer: Officiator of the Rite of Naming, as the bearer of the Sword of Portents, it is the current Chieftain’s responsibility. Jinong: Jagaa Baratu is the Jinong or Master of Sanctity of the Chaplaincy. He along with the other chaplains are responsible for the Void Panther's spiritual well-being. Notable Responsibilities: Witchfinder: Jagaa is responsible for rooting out any taint from the Warp within their Acolytes. The Void Panthers have a complex relationship with psychic ability. Due to the human stock they recruit from, they have an abnormally low to practically non-existent occurrence of latent psychic ability. Additionally, due to the proximity to of the black "Pilons", most latent psykers go insane very early in life. The Namer: Should the Sword of Portents not have a bearer or is unavailable, the Jinong becomes the officiator of the Rite of Naming. Twilight Council: An advisory council to the Chieftain, it consists of available Captain Orlacs, senior level Astartes from the Chaplain Corps and Apothecariate. While ultimate decision authority lies with the Chieftain, the individuals on the Council wield considerable “soft power” within the Chapter. Apothecariate: The corps of Apothecaries that administer to the medical needs of the Chapter. They are often attam, the Void Panthers, have a spiritual reverence for forged steel. It takes a special kind however, even among the Void Panther Chaplains to seek out the arcane knowledge of the Machine God. These individuals are marked by the Machine Gods color (red), and no longer typically perform the traditional duties of a Chaplain. They are still capable of doing so, which is becoming more and more common; however, they are no longer devoted to hardening the soul into steel, but to the steel itself. Notable Responsibilities: Machine Rites: The members of the Tetragrammaton perform the typical Techmarine duties of any other Chapter. After the schism with the Adeptus Mechanicus, they have become even more vital. Captain Orlac: Each Orlac leads a Ja'un, or Company. The Void Panthers currently have seven Ja'uns. Seneschal: The seneschal is one who has attained the knowledge of the “Apex Predator.” As such, they use their advanced wisdom to guide the younger, less experienced brothers. They serve as the Sergeants of any particular squad, or Host as they are sometimes called. Some also hold the honor of wearing the few precious remaining suits of terminator armor the Void Panthers still have in their depleted armory. Acolyte: Unique to the Void Panthers, the Acolytes are aspirants that have not yet completed the transformation to Adeptus Astartes. Like other Astartes, these Acolytes must go through a rigorous series of trials and screening. In the case of the Void Panthers, this is called “Walking the Wheel of Pain.” Usually these individuals in a compliant Chapter would be put on a squad devoted to scouting. Not so, in the Void Panthers.They simply no longer have the numbers to have that luxury. All acolytes are put in with the rank and file battle brothers, to understand what they are facing, for themselves. Imbedding acolytes into a Void Lodge squad, is one of the Spokes on The Wheel, known as the Trial of Combat. The acolytes are guided and cared for by the Seneschal, and they may only leave the squad, when they prove themselves or die. There is no time limit to how long this takes. However, since each member is named in the Book of Names alongside the Seneschal who approved their worthiness, each Seneschal is very exacting in ensuring Acolyte IS worthy. Acolytes imbedded in a Host is typically called “Acolyte,” or differentiated by the sequential number they are given when are introduced. They will be given their true names once they complete walking the Wheel of Pain. Ja'un: A Ja'un is a company, in the Codex's lexicon. The Void Panthers currently have five such Ja'uns. Each Ja'un is organized to be as flexible as possible, with an even distribution of assets across the Chapter. Due to the lack of specialization, they not only have fewer Ja'uns than a Codex Chapter would have companies, but the numbers within each Ja'un is typically more. Even so, even with maximized recruitment, they are still only half the size of a typical codex Chapter. The Librarius and other Psykers The Librarius of the Panthers Chapter has always been small, even by the standards of other Astartes Chapters. The people of Primordus seemed to possess an unusually low incidence of latent psychic ability. But the Great Rift's eruption and its proximity, proved catastrophic for the Chapter's Librarians. Most perished outright, their minds overwhelmed by the raw power of the Immaterium. The two Chapter Epistolaries survived initially but were driven to madness, turning their powers against their battle-brothers before they were finally killed. A few survived, because they happened to be protected by a Gellar Fields on one of the Chapter’s voidcraft. However, after the decades of intense battle following the eruption of the Cicatrix Maledictum, all remaining members of the Librarius are dead or presumed lost. This tragedy, known as The Wounding left a deep scar on the Chapter's psyche. The Void Panthers developed a profound aversion to psychic powers, viewing them as a dangerous curse. The Apothecariate instituted rigorous screening procedures to identify and eliminate any aspirants with even the slightest hint of psychic potential. These unfortunate individuals were quietly executed, deemed too great a risk to the Chapter's stability. Recently, the discovery of ancient xenos artifacts known as the “"Pilons"” has offered a possible explanation for the scarcity of psykers among the people of Primordus. The Chapter's Apothecariate theorize that the “"Pilons",” whose true purpose remains shrouded in mystery, somehow suppress the emergence of psychic abilities. The Chapter's aversion of psychic powers extends even to the Astropaths and Navigators they require for interstellar communication. These psykers are recruited from outside the Primordus system and treated with a mixture of respect and caution. When their services are not needed, they are confined to luxurious but isolated quarters within the Panthers' fortress-monastery, the Panther's Lair. These gilded cages are perpetually shrouded in a Gellar Field, effectively keeping the Astropaths quarantined and preventing any potential psychic contamination. The Chapter's stance on psychic powers is a complex one, born of tragedy and a deep-seated hostility of the Warp's corrupting influence. While they recognize the necessity of psykers for certain tasks, they remain wary of their power, preferring to rely on the strength of their arms and the purity of their faith in the Emperor. We have been wounded, but hardship breeds strength, we will endure. For Hemperator! - Jinong Jagaa baratu ARMORY The Void Panthers exemplify a resourceful spirit, born from enduring hardship and honed by the scarcity that has become their constant companion. The losses inflicted during "The Wounding" were profound, impacting not only their Librarius but also their armory and fleet. Forced to operate with limited resources, they have become masters of conservation, adaptation, and ingenious integration. Fleet: Originally quite sizable, the Void Panthers have lost much of their fleet in the wake of The Wounding. The Savage Wrath: The sole remaining Battle Barge in the Chapter’s possession, it is outfitted with dense plates of void armor. Still of gothic, cathedral-like design, the Savage Wrath has a more aggressive quality. Gone are much of the ornamentations, such as the golden eagles, and soaring spires. . Originally named “The Emperor’s Justice,” “The Savage Wrath” was renamed after The Wounding. Through decades of continuous conflict, the Savage Wrath has been retrofitted, over and over again, from parts savaged from the destroyed wreckages of the other two battle barges that no longer exist in the Void Panther fleet. Painted midnight black, the Savage Wrath is the hammer that the Void Panthers use to scatter their foes in void space, and bring wrathful vengeance to any that seek to threaten the Primordus System. Strike Cruiser Fleet: The Void Panthers currently possess four strike cruisers. “The Shadow of Primordus,” “The Stalker in Solitude,” “Prowl of Ondar,” and “The Starfang.” Tactical Dreadnought Armor: The Chapter does not possess many suits of Terminator Armor, having lost many during the void wars following The Wounding. What they do have, is lovingly cared for by the Tetragrammaton. By last record, the Chapter currently has no more than thirty of these prized relics. Transport and fire-support: While the arrival of reinforcements from the Indomitus Crusade brought a welcome influx of advanced wargear, necessity dictates frugality. They recognize the value of the new anti-gravitic technology embodied in the Gladiators, Repulsors, and Impulsors, particularly suited to the challenging terrain of their home system. However, they understand that relying solely on new technology is a luxury they cannot afford. The Techmarines of the Tetragrammaton, guided by their arcane knowledge of the Machine God, are adept at not only maintaining and repairing existing equipment but also at merging old and new technologies. When a new vehicle is damaged beyond conventional repair, they skillfully salvage its valuable components, integrating them into older chassis and weapon systems or visa versa. This practice ensures that no valuable technology is wasted, extending the lifespan of their arsenal and maximizing their combat effectiveness, even if making it makes their equipment look a bit “patchwork.” This resourceful approach extends beyond their vehicles and weaponry. Ammunition is meticulously accounted for, armor is maintained with painstaking care, and every piece of equipment is valued and utilized to its fullest potential. The Void Panthers have partially thrived because they have prioritized making the most of what they have, a testament to their ability to adapt and overcome any challenge, no matter how scarce their resources may be. “We come from a very superstitious people, from a certain perspective, they are also wise. Our ceremonies honor them, just as much as the God emperor.” - “Jinong Jagaa Baratu Significant Rites Right of Ascension: The ceremony conducted when a battle brother joins a new lodge. The rites differ from each lodge, based upon what they specialize in. Like most of the rituals in the Chapter, the rite takes the place of some sort of challenge, in which the participant must prove their worthiness, usually through triumphing through some sort of physical or mental hardship. Trials in the past have taken the form of, ritual duels, stare downs, bullrings, and games of strategy. Regardless of the form, it is the Lodge-Master, a position held by one of the Orlac Captains, who designs the rite. Should the participant fail the rite, they must stay in the lodge they are currently in, until they again prove themselves worthy for another attempt. Trial of Combat: The ritual starts fairly simply. The participant is given armor and weapons, and assigned to a Void Host. The participant will then be a part of that Host under the guidance of the Seneschal until they have proven to the Seneschals satisfaction, they are worthy to walk the final spokes of the Wheel. These aspiring Astartes, are considered to be “under” this right, until they have died, or proven themselves. Rite of Conflict: This ritual has a unique prize, the Horns of Power. A relic and symbol of the office of Chieftain, when the bearer of the Horns dies, this rite is held to determine the new one. Any and all challengers are welcome to participate, however, it is typically accepted that only those of the Eclipse Lodge are experienced enough to have a chance at triumphing; and even then its usually only the Orlacs, who are considered “next in line.” This ritual takes place in an underground arena, built within the Panther's Lair. It consists on several single elimination rounds, where participants are pitted against each other. However, each participant is forced to independently undergo a series of exhausting trials, to tire them to the point of mental and physical exhaustion. Then, and only then, do they engage their opponents. Depending on the number of participants, this ritual can last for weeks, given the constitution of an Adeptus Astartes. None of the participants are allowed to sleep until they are defeated, or are declared the winner. Each member of the Twilight Council is responsible for creating the parameters for each challenge of the ritual. Participants can face physical duels in traditional sense, to mental challenges such as, games of regicide, riddle competitions, to even stare-downs. Each challenger must be ready for anything, especially the cunning of their opponent. The rounds are designed to find the most well rounded, warrior within the competition and ultimately find a warrior that can truly think and perform under the most adverse of circumstances. That is the warrior that has earned the right to rule. Rite of challenge: Invoked when there is a serious disagreement amongst brothers, this rite is a ritualistic duel. The challenged chooses the type of duel. Then the two participants let the Emperor decide. Recently there have been hushed whispers, behind closed doors, on whether or not this tradition can be used to claim the title of Chieftain. A Lesson in Cunning Tulaak had had enough. The verbal taunts of Training Seneshcal Jayaatu, had gone too far for his liking. He may be the master of training, but that does not make him an expert in everything. Besides, it had been a half-century since Tulaak had fallen under Jayaatu’s tutelage. “By the glory of the Emperor, you have gone too far,. I demand a satisfaction!” Tulaak exclaimed. All swordplay in the practice hall immediately ceased. A half dozen eye-pairs, stared at the interaction in silence and anticipation. Jayaatu’s eyebrow raised in curiosity. Seeking to placate the proud warrior in front of him, Jayaatu offered, “I have simply been pointing out flaws in your form. Constructive criticism is essential for improvement, you should not take offense.” Unmoved Tulaak retorted,“I am not your student any longer.I have long earned my mail.” Tulaak shook his ax, “Famed swordsman or not, I’ll show you the ‘flaws’ in my axe swing!” Jayaatu smiled, “Of that I have no doubt. Clearly, I have another lesson to teach my former pupil, you were always so hard headed. Very well I accept.” Tulaak backed up a space in eager anticipation. He set his feet in ready stance. Tulaak taunted, “Whenever, you can draw your sword....” Jayaatu, slowly walked to the outside of the practice ring, toward the rack of weapons. He bypassed the weapons and walked out the door. Some of the onlookers stood perplexed, others smiled to themselves. The “Old Drillmaster” was up to something. Seconds later, Jayaatu returned with a small folding table. He nonchalantly set it in the sand of the practice ring. “The source of the problem, is that you telegraph where you will strike.” Jayaatu continued as he pulled out a small box from his belt and began setting up the small Regicide board. Tulaak’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.“You may be powerful, but you still think simplistically. Brute force will not solve everything, especially if your opponent is clever. He finished setting up the board, “I choose Regicide,” he said firmly, “You may have the first move.” .“You trapped me. You know I cannot beat you in Regicide.” Tulaak croaked, trying to save face. “You trapped yourself, issuing a foolish challenge,” Jayaatu said in the tone of a stern schoolmaster. “I could have chosen to embarrass you, and chosen hand to hand combat. But, there is more to combat than strength, you should know this. So this will serve as a better example for you to learn from. Now play, or don’t, either way we both know you’ll admit I am right.” Rite of Naming: A ceremony held for every new full fledged Astartes, this is one of the few rites that is not a test, in the traditional sense. Traditionally, the bearer of the Sword of Portents, will use the sword to look into the new Astartes' future. The sword never shows a clear picture of the future, however, the bearer will usually see enough to be able to interpret the new Astartes' death. He will then relay this vision to the participant to allow them to reflect upon this. The idea behind this, is knowing your own death will further breed a willpower of steel. At this point, based on what the Bearer saw, he will give the new Astartes a new name, and record that name in the book of names. Should there be no Sword Bearer at that particular time, or he is unavailable, the duty of naming falls upon the Jinong. Since he monitors the execution of the training of all Acolytes, it is believed he can use his divine faith, and knowledge of the Acolyte, to bestow a name the Emperor would approve of. Rite of Willpower: The fifth spoke in the Wheel, the Rite of Willpower is a trial that takes place in the mind. After initial hypnotherapy, the participant is put through a series of mental tests, designed specifically for them to test where they are weakest. Whether its their pride, fear, or pathos, the Chaplains designing these trials, do their jobs well. Indeed, some do not make it through this test, as they are driven to insanity. The majority that do, become even stronger warriors. “Our relics remind us who we are....and who we once were.” - Relic Master Ni’all Significant Relics The Book of Names: The Book of Names is a massive tome, filled with lists and lists of names, and how they heroically die. This is recorded when they first get their name during the Rite of Naming. Their names and potential deaths are recorded, and once they die, their accomplishments and honors are transcribed for record. In the extremely rare occasion when a brother is dishonored, that is recorded as well. While the Void Panthers do possess electronic records of all of these, they maintain these paper records out of a sense of tradition. The Hammer of Hemperator: This relic is currently carried by Steel Speaker Gruune. The eldest in the Tetragrammaton. This relic appears to be a standard Forgehammer, and it functions as such. However when it is activated for war, the switch activates a miniature de-atomizer in the head, which deconstructs all matter at the atomic level when struck. It seems this was designed to take away the need for all momentum in a swing of the hammer. Chapter historians claim the device inside was recovered long ago in a mysterious cave deep under the surface of Oscillus, the eighth planet in the solar system. Given recent events, the Hammer has raised a few Mechanicus proboscises. The Horns of Power: The Horns of Power is not only a symbol of the Office of the Chieftain, it is also contains an extremely small force shield embedded inside the Horns. This allows the user to shrug off even the most powerful of wounds. Such is the rarity and status associated with this relic, in order to wear it, the bearer must be the champion of the Rite of Conflict, and thus the Chieftain. Typically the “best” warrior in the Chapter, the last Chieftain died in battle just months before the eruption of the Cicatrix Maledictum. The Sword of Portents: Much mystery surrounds the Sword of Portents. Even the secretive and knowledgeable Adeptus Mechanicus, have no knowledge of it’s origins. The Sword of Portents is both the Void Panther's most cherished of relics and their most potent weapon. It's blade is made from an unidentified alloy. The jewel centered in its hilt, named the Eye of Primordus, gleams with a dull red shine. What makes the Sword truly unique, is that it seems to choose its bearers. By itself it is an inert, almost dull blade. It is said, that it only awakens in times of dire need. In the hands of its chosen user, it becomes filled with energy, capable of cutting through almost anything, like the finest of relic power swords. Reportedly, it also grants the bearer visions of the future. Before its most recent bearer, Arslan, “conquered the Eye,” the sword had been inert in the Chapter reliquary for the last five hundred Imperium Standard Years. Conquering the Eye Arslan surveyed the armory. He was the Chieftain now, and needed to review the Chapter’s supply and logistics capabilities. “My Lord...” said Ni’aal, as he slowly knelt in greeting and subservience. Ni’aal was the fortress monastery's Relicmaster. Approaching the venerable age of one hundred and twenty three, Ni’aal, like many of the staff in the Lair was once an acolyte in training. For one reason or another, he could not complete the Wheel of Pain, but was lucky enough to come out of it roughly unscathed. So his potential life as one of the Emperor’s Chosen, ended, but his new life in the service, of those Chosen began. Arslan nodded in greeting and gestured for the servant to rise. Slowly rising to his feet, Ni’aal looked up at the towering Chieftain. “I beg your pardon, my lord. These old bones don’t move as quickly as they used to.” laughing, he continued, “I’ve been told you’ve come to see the reliquary?” “Yes, it is the last item remaining in my assessment, and, I hear...” Arslan emphasized, “that you are the one to speak to.” Turning away from the chieftain, Ni’aal began to walk down the hall toward the vault door. “Of course, my lord,” he said over his shoulder, with an air of nonchalance, “follow me.” Arslan couldn’t stop a smile from crossing his face, as he followed behind the old man. He always liked subtle impertinence of this old quartermaster. .... The vault door ground closed behind them, Arslan gazed upon a long corridor with display racks covered in force fields aligned along each wall. The corridor ended in a thirty by thirty imperial foot room. This was the vault that stored all of the fabled weapons and trophies since the beginning of the Chapter. A room only a select few, with permission from the Chieftain could enter. Now he was here, gazing upon banners once flown by long dead heroes, or taken from long defeated foes. Ni’aal pulled out a dataslate and started going through the catalog of each item. As they slowly made their way down the corridor, Arslan felt a subtle tug. Something was amiss. He felt himself being pulled toward the room at the end of the hallway. “Is there something wrong, my lord?” Ni’aal asked, as Arslan started to slowly walk down the hallway. Arslan continued down the corridor, until he stopped at the threshold of the small room. “Something is trying to draw me into this room.” Surveying the room, in the center, on a raised pillowed dais sat a sheathed long sword, with a prominent glowing red jewel inset in its curved handguard. Ni’aal arriving from behind, audibly gasped. “My lord Arslan, the Sword of Portents it has awakened. The last record of this,” he checked his dataslate, “was over five hundred years ago.” Arslan hesitantly released his gaze from the sword and looked down at the old servant, “so what does that mean?” Clacking away at his dataslate, Ni’aal replied, “Records are unclear, however, there are notes about the Sword becoming active during great times of need. Be cautious lord, there is much evidence that not all who touch the blade remain with the living!” .... Arslan found himself floating in a black void, immediately after gripping the Sword. But it wasn’t him as he is, but as he was. He appeared to be a normal human man. As he looked around, he noticed a deep dark abyss below him. The abyss was darker than dark, as if light never existed there. Then he heard a voice, “Are you worthy?” it asked. “What is this, who are you?” Arslan replied. Suddenly his wrists were wrapped in a vicelike, invisible grip. Slowly he was being pulled down into the black abyss. Again, he heard the voice, “are you worthy?” Arlsan began to fight against the grip, but to no avail. It felt as if all the strength in his body was being drained away. His thoughts racing, he could not allow himself to be pulled into, what he instinctively knew, would be his doom. He struggled and struggled, but it did no good, he was slowly sinking toward the abyss. “By throne,” he thought, “I will NOT die like this. You...WILL NOT...BREAK ME!” With that thought, he could feel the pull weakening. The fire of defiance rising up within him. He grit his teeth as hard as he could, and concentrated, and resisted. He would not be pulled into this abyss. The spirit of this sword will not succeed, he will win, he will conquer! And then he pulled... With every ounce of willpower he could muster, every fiber of muscle, he resisted the grip. Slowly he felt the pull ebbing, then he was held in place, as his efforts brought him to a stalemate, with the ghostly grip. He bellowed a mighty roar, and clamped his mouth closed so hard, he broke his teeth. With blood pouring down his chin, he redoubled his efforts. He pulled, and pulled, and pulled. He could feel the his elbows dislocating from the strain, and yet he still pulled. Suddenly the grip released. Arslan’s breath came in huge gasps, as his body collapsed from the exertion, floating where he was. “You are worthy,” the voice said, “see and understand.” He saw himself off in the distance of an unknown battlefield. Heavily armored, he was fighting with the Sword against a huge monstrosity. The monstrosity was sleek and powerful, and its skin seemed to be made of pure molten metal. He watched the duel play out for a few minutes, before he saw the foe impale him on a massive spear. He crumpled as his life was oozing out of him. He saw himself being lifted off the ground so the enemy could inspect its handywork. With a last gasp, and a great heave, Arslan saw himself pull himself along the spear shaft to close the distance and strike the monstrosity in the neck with the Sword. The monstrosity’s head came clean off of its shoulders, and they both flopped to the mud. With three feet of spear protruding from in between his shoulder blades, Arslan saw the light go out of his eye, dead. Arslan bowed his head in solemnity, as the vision ended. Then he collapsed backwards within the darkness of the void he was floating in. His back arched involuntarily in pain, as he instinctively put a hand over his right eye, it felt like a blazing inferno. As the “fire burned,” he saw images of battles, wars, victories, defeats, friends, enemies, glories and tragedies. The images came in unclear and jumbled together, then the pain subsided and his vision cleared. .... He awakened standing right in front of the dais. As he looked down he noticed he was holding the Sword, its jewel glowing with power. A small blood drop, streaked down his face to drip on the floor. He pulled the blade of the sword toward his face, to see himself within the reflection of the blade. His right eye had been burned out of his head, that was the pain that he had felt. As he looked at the glowing jewel, he could almost hear, “The price has been paid. You may bear me." ++VERMILLION++ My Lord, Having spent the better part of a year, researching the relic in question, I have found nil definitive evidence of its origins. However, given the accounts recorded and the similarities to other relics in the galaxy, I humbly submit these three possible theories. I . The Sword is a weapon made during the Golden Age of Technology. Either it was found or given to the Void Panthers by someone of high rank within the Imperium. Records suggest it may have been ++REDACTED BY ORDER OF INQUISITOR GENERAL++ It should be noted, Lord Ferrus Mannus and his Xth, originally liberated Primordus during the Great Crusade in M31. It is documented that he spent several months upon the surface, records of his purpose cannot, as of yet, be found. II. The Sword originates from the Warp, and is possibly some sort of possessed weapon of unknown origin. The possibility that it may be influencing this Chapter, bears some serious consideration. The suspicion of this alone, is enough for the Ordo Malleus to call for their extermination, should this information be released to the greater Inquisition. The Void Panthers have yet however, to show any signs of taint that can be detected. This should be watched very carefully. III. There is some evidence to suggest the Eye of Primordus is an ancient piece of xenos technology known as a “Soul Stone.” Based on Chapter legend, the entity may have some sort of interest in helping the bearers, should they prove worthy. Rumors of such an artifact match accounts that this may be one of the accursed “Crone Blades,” of the Aeldari. Currently awaiting information from my Ordo Xenos agent: ++REDACTED++ Trivor Gent, Inq Inquisitor Trivor Gent, Ordo Astartes ++THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SWORN TO THE MOST HONORABLE INQUISITOR GENERAL, AS TRUE, IN THE SIGHT OF THE SUPREME GOD EMPEROR OF MANKIND.++ ++USE OF THIS INFORMATION IS Restricted to EYES ONLY FOR AGENTS OF THE ORDOS, WITH A NEED TO KNOW++ ++ORDOS PERSONNEL MUST REQUEST ACCESS THROUGH THE OFFICE OF THE INQUISITOR GENERAL, IN WRITING.++ ++HAIL THE GOD EMPEROR OF MANKIND++ ++VERMILLION++

+++INCOMING TRANSMISSION+++ +++FID Indicator - ALPHA+++ +++Via Astropath 7NBS2069LVP1+++ +++Via Astropath 8849042+++ +++Via Astropath 100496-B7+++ +++Thought for the day: Do not wait for death.+++ +++Begin message+++ My noble and revered cousins of the Legio, Attached for your consideration, you will find a datafile containing the summation of the noble and resolute Astartes Chapter, the Sanguine Gargoyles. It is a most esteemed honor to have been entrusted with compiling this Index, with the hope of inclusion in the Liber Astartes. Within the datafile you will find my own annotations; please forgive my additions, but I do not feel my Librarium staff quite captured the soul of my beloved Chapter, and I felt the need to elaborate and explain certain aspects I felt were noteworthy. Once again, I humbly thank you for the opportunity to honor my Brothers in blood and arms of the Sanguine Gargoyles. May the Emperor ever watch over you. Your humble servant, Pellegrino Tempest-wright of the Sanguine Gargoyles +++Begin Datafile+++ Index Astartes: Sanguine Gargoyles "May your soul be cleansed by the rain." Index Astartes Chapter Datafile [INSERT CHAPTER EMBLEM HERE} CHAPTER NAME: .............. Sanguine Gargoyles PRIMOGENETOR: .............. Sanguinius GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ... Blood Angels (IXth Legion) FOUNDING: .................. 21st, 991.M35; Ultima, 999.M41 [Rebirth] CHAPTER MASTER: ............ Lucian, Chapter-wright and Master of Pandemonium HOMEWORLD: ................. Fleet-Based, semi-nomadic SEGMENTUM: ................. Obscurus FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........ Pandemonium, Forgeship COLORS: .................... Dark stone gray w/ dark crimson right shoulder pad SPECIALTY: ................. Terror, Guerilla Warfare SUCCESSORS: ................ None STRENGTH: .................. Unknown (estimated to be nominal to above strength) BATTLE-CRY: ................ "For Sanguinius!"/"We avenge the Angel!" The steadfast warriors of the Sanguine Gargoyles Chapter stand amongst the ranks of the Emperor's finest, ever ready to deliver His wrath and justice upon those that would seek to subvert the Imperium. Origins The First Millenium When: 992.M35; 21st "Cursed" Founding Why: Strategic Prgonostication Founded as Saviors of the Chalice Captain, Chaplain, Librarian, Sanguinary Priest, five Veterans, Veteran Sergeant and ten Marines permanently seconded as training cadre The Aerie Fortress Monastery on Bowden IV Bowden IV destroyed in Gothic War Battle Barge Light of the Angel used as de facto fortress monastery until new homeworld can be found Friends and Enemies The Mutant Gene-seed manipulation by Mechanicus to remove progenitor flaws appears successful at first, but is later seen to have made genetic flaws devastatingly worse Genetic instability leads to weakening of chapter's forces Death of a Chapter Gothic War - Most of chapter lost in destruction of homeworld Less than 200 battle-ready Astartes left Remaining forces give up on finding new homeworld, decide to embark on crusade until they are destroyed or the chapter is rebuilt A Chapter Reborn Chapter gene-seed is stabilized with help from Mechanicum and Blood Angels' Brother Corbulo Primaris reinforcements from Guilliman's Unnumbered Sons Some Firstborn undergo the Rubicon Primaris, many do not; those who remain Firstborn continue to experience exacerbated genetic mutation New Primaris forged with stabilized gene-seed lift the chapter out of the ashes of death and into Chapter is reorganized to make best effect of new troops and Guilliman's new strategic force organization Voidborne Mechanicus gift the chapter a forgeship Geneseed Progenitor: Blood Angels Purity: Flawed Data archives list the known, stable, gene-seed mutations the Sanguine Gargoyles currently suffer from. No known cure or treatment for any of them has been found thus far: Melanchromic Organ Malfunction [Some Astartes' skin bears grayish discoloration; severe cases have stone like growths over large portions of their bodies.] Mutated Catalepsean Node [This causes what is effectively extreme insomnia; all members of the Chapter suffer this mutation.] Non-Functioning Betcher's Gland [All members of the Chapter suffer from this mutation, as well as calcification of their vocal cords, which appears to be one side effect of the mutation. However, the severity of calcification varies widely from one brother to the next. One might be unintelligible when he talks, nothing but the sound of cascading rocks or rushing water issuing from his throat; another might simply have a rich baritone voice; a third might offer a barely audible whisper.] The Apothecarion and the Ordos Biologis have been unable to decipher why only some members of the Chapter suffer certain mutations while others don't. But hope still remains that a solution might be found, for once every few generations, a battle brother suffers none of the Chapter's genetic mutations. Fleet-Based Fortress-Monastery: Forgeship Pandemonium Recruiting: tithe agreements (demands) from saved worlds/systems as primary source of new recruits; small number of volunteers from within fleet taken as supplemental recruits; kidnapping all children, ages 5-13, from an entire planet as emergency source of recruits (also used as a punishment against a planet in some circumstances) Beliefs & Culture Chapter Beliefs: Revere the Primarch Daily meditations include prayers to Sanguinius for guidance, thanks, and forgiveness "Sanguinius blesses you," "May the Angel guide your body and mind," and "I offer my actions to our father Sanguinius that he might judge my soul," are common benedictions heard throughout the Gargoyles' fleet. Against the forces of the Black Legion, the Gargoyles fly into an almost murderous rage, eager to exact revenge from every single traitor legionnaire. Characteristic Chapter Training: Mens et Manus This chapter believes in building their brother's minds and bodies to peak performance, the better to be ready for anything. Demeanor: See But Don't Be Seen Armor is matte where possible, and appears chiseled from stone rather than forged of metal; overall appearance of statues when standing still Flaw: We Stand Alone Will only request support from other descendants of the IXth Legion except in the most dire of circumstances Will offer aid to those in need, but will disappear without word Will not fraternize with anyone outside the Chapter, even other Chapters of Sanguinius' line; will not even remove helmets around outsiders, except under very exceptional/dire circumstances Angel Graces/Warrior's Virtues The Gargoyles strive to embody the Graces of the Angel and the Virtues of the Warrior. Ever a work in progress, they understand is less about achieving those things, but rather that they continue to better themselves every day. Naming/Cultural Traditions Because of numerous different sources of recruits, the Gargoyles have no standardized naming practices. The chapter utilizes sculpturing and masonry as a way to hone body and mind; their statues are some of the finest in the sector, and numerous humanitarian efforts have been aided by their stone-working. They even apply the practice to their armor, often sculpting leering, howling faces onto their helms and valleys and ridges on their armor to allow water to flow better and create more "natural" sounds when running off them. When not armored, brothers wear a leather jerkin or linen tunic, leather trousers, boots and bracers, a stonemason's belt and tools, and a double-layered linen neck gaiter. Organization Unique Organization Over-Strength 7 Flights (Companies) Each Flight has thirteen Talons (Squads) except 7th, which has the normal ten. 1st Company has unique structure: First seven squads form Veteran Squads (Bladeguard, Sternguard, Terminator, and Vanguard), while the last six form the "command" echelons; Captains and Lieutenants are pulled from 1st Flight ad-hoc to lead Strikes, based on their strengths and capabilities. No Company Captain rank; instead, they are given the title Shisa (function is similar to the Black Templar's Emperor's Champion, but less dogmatic and less exclusive). It is their duty to mentor the Marines in their respective company. Chapter Leadership The Conclave, Chapter Leadership Chapter-wright Lucian, Master of the Pandemonium, [Chapter Master] High Blood-wright Armand, "the Anointed" [Master of the Apothecarion] Soul-Warden Philippe [Master of the Reclusiam] Tempest-wright Pellegrino [Master of the Librarium] Chief Forge-wright Solarus [Master of the Forge] Maester Lamonte [Primary Wing Commander] Maester Bellon, "the Young" [Strike Wing Commander] The Prefecture, Chapter Council Commander of the Arch-Angels; Primus Damascus Master of Reconnaissance; Prefect Zaphiel [2nd Flight Captain] Master of the Marches; Prefect Mercutio [3rd Flight Captain] Master of the Fleet; Prefect Namora [4th Flight Captain] Master of the Arsenal; Prefect Valenti [5th Flight Captain] Master of Relics; Prefect Xorbel [6th Flight Captain] Master of Recruits; Prefect Tovaani [7th Flight Captain] Specialty Restrictions: Limited Tech-Marines Chapter-specific terms Chapter Master - Chapter-wright Techmarine - Forge-wright Librarian - Storm-wright Apothecary/Sanguinary Priest - Blood-wright Chaplain - Soul-wright Sanguinary Guard - Arch-angel Death Company - Revenant Commander - Maester Company Champion - Shisa Captain - Stone-wright Lieutenant - Artisan Sergeant - Mason Brother - Apprentice Dreadnought - Golem Company - Flight Demi-Company - Strike Squad - Talon The Arch-Angels An Arch-Angel, the Gargoyles' Sanguinary Guard After the mutation of the Chapter's gene-seed, and with the chapter in near-ruin, a glimmer of salvation appeared. It took the form of a small number of brothers, seemingly untouched by the ravages inflicted upon their brethren. These warriors formed the core of the Chapter's forces during its dark years of recovery. After the Chapter had rebuilt its numbers enough to venture on its own once more, the Sanguinary Guard changed its name, to honor the warriors who brought the Chapter back from death. Just as with all Chapters descended from the IXth, the Arch-Angels stand apart from the structure of the Chapter's main force. They are the most highly skilled and venerated of the Gargoyles' brothers, each a Chapter legend in his own right, surviving battles against all manner of foe. There are no specific requirements to become an Arch-Angel; instead, spots are awarded based on merit and skill, regardless of rank within the Chapter. Like all iterations of the Sanguinary Guard, the Arch-Angels each bear a Glaive or Sword Encarmine and Angelus Boltgun or Inferno Pistol. Unlike the others, however, they eschew the golden armor of their forebears; instead they color their armor an alabaster white. [It is a curiosity worth noting that, throughout the millennia, a high percentage of brothers unmaligned by the Chapter's gene flaws have gone on to become Arch-Angels. It remains to be seen if there is a correlation between these two occurrences, or if they are merely coincidental.] The Revenants A Revenant, the Gargoyles' Death Company ... Chapter Fleet As a fleet-based chapter, the Sanguine Gargoyles possess a larger fleet than other Chapters might, though not its vessels all are commanded by Astartes. Though not nearly a match in scale, it is reminiscent of the vast fleets of the Great Crusade in regards to its composition. The Gargoyles' fleet is a blend of the Astartes' flotilla, the remnants of Penal Legion Theta-Delta-Beta's troop fleet, a few Explorator vessels from the Adeptus Mechanicus, and a permanent detail from the Order of the Shrouded Martyr (including their Dominator-class Cruiser, the Dominus Irae), plus the swarms of the fleet's attendant ships. The Gargoyles command the battle barges and strike cruisers while the rest of the fleet, with the exception of the Sororitas vessels, is commanded by Imperial Navy personnel. This arrangement between the Chapter and the Navy ensures the Gargoyles can prosecute their enemies as they desire, and the Navy gets to do its job, without either side getting in the other's way. The fleet of the Sanguine Gargoyles is split into three smaller fleets. The Main Fleet makes war, wherever it may take them. Up to five separate, flight-strength campaigns could be supported individually, though it is most often the case that numerous small-scale operations are taking place around one or two larger scale engagements. Additionally, The Rook heads a small splinter fleet, a fast strike force intended to neutralize the most dangerous threats present, or to offer Flight-strength support as rapidly as possible. The last of the fleets, the Fledgling Fleet, traverses the trail of outposts the Gargoyles have set up in their region, termed by the Chapter the "Aeyrie." The members of Seventh Flight see to the Chapter's recruiting as part of their training duties, and they draw aspirants from a handful of such outposts. Combat Doctrine Terror (primary) Lightning Strike/Stealth (secondary) Appearance Standard armor coloration of the Sanguine Gargoyles fair-skinned, but some have patches of stone-like growths; hairstyles vary based on tribe or planet recruited from Livery Prior to their rebirth as the Sanguine Gargoyles, the Saviors of the Chalice wore alabaster white armor with crimson pauldrons and gold detailing and decoration. Following the traditions of their brethren, helmets identified a warrior's squad type, with individual squad markings worn on the right knee pad. The Chapter Badge was worn on the left pauldron, while company markings and personal heraldry were worn on the right. Veteran status was denoted by a golden helm and pauldron trim. After the Ultima Founding and the rebirth of the Chapter, the Sanguine Gargoyles bear new colors. Their armor is a dark, stone gray, with the right pauldron painted crimson. Members of the Librarium, Reclusiam, and Sanguinary Priesthood follow their orders' traditional coloring, with the left pauldron painted the same dark stone gray as their battle-brothers' armor. Flight (Company) is denoted by pauldron trim, and battlefield roles are still identified by helmet color, however squad markings and personal heraldry are no longer worn. Sergeants' helms and right pauldrons are colored the same as the rest of their armor. Lieutenants are identified by a gray helm and right pauldron, while Captains bear an almost-white helm and pauldron. Chapter Badge White wings outstretched behind a golden chalice was the original badge of the Saviors of the Chalice. Since their transformation, the Sanguine Gargoyles' emblem bears only a small resemblance to their original; instead of angel-like wings, stone-gray bat wings spread open, with a crimson skull replacing the chalice. Veterans who wear the chapter badge have the skull colored gold. The Arch-Angels and the Revenants Both of the Blood Angel's unique companies, the Sanguinary Guard and the Death Company, bear visually unique armor colorations from their brothers. This is also the case for the Sanguine Gargoyles' interpretation of them. The Arch-Angels are adorned in sculpted plates of ceramite colored a white marble, evoking imagery of statues from the ancient Achaemid Empire, and their helms and chest detailing are gold The Revenants wear armor colored a pale, ghostly gray, with a deep bronze helm and chest detail. Red saltires are still emblazoned on various surfaces of their armor, and their helms' lenses are also colored crimson. Honored by their brothers for their sacrifice, the Revenants bear gold trim on their pauldrons, conferring the (honorary) status of Veterans on those in this baleful brotherhood. Chapter Arsenal Special Equipment: Blessed Wargear, Modified Jump Packs Dreadnoughts Storm-Golem Carmine, Librarian Dreadnought Dreadnought Force Weapon Frag Cannon Golem Verson, Furioso Dreadnought Frag Cannon Blood Fist with Heavy Flamer Golem-Ancient Quintus; Venerable Hellfire Dreadnought Paired Twin-Linked Lascannons Golem-Ancient Alessandro, Venerable Ironclad Furioso Dreadnought Paired Blood Fists, with Heavy Flamer and Meltagun Draugr; Death Company Dreadnought Paired Blood Talons, with Heavy Flamer and Meltagun Soul-Golem Derceus; Venerable Chaplain Dreadnought Plasma Cannon "Stonefist" Reliquary Angel's Light [Ryza pattern "Sunspite" plasma pistol; badge of office of the Master of the Librarium] Aza'zel [Relic force sword; badge of office of the Master of the Librarium] The Dread Spear [A relic spear of unknown origin, made from a xenos metal with a marble-like appearance; badge of office of the Chapter Master] Stonefist [A Blood Fist crafted using the shattered remnants of Soul-wright Derces' Crozius Arcanum, with a built-in meltagun] Death Masks [I think everyone with clearance to read this will already have knowledge of the death masks worn by those of the Angel's line.] The Fleet Common areas are subjected to constant "rain" from the ships' fire suppression system; this doubles as decontamination, and puts the Marines' minds at ease. Personal quarters have knobs to adjust the flow of the rain for desired strength. Pandemonium Forgeship gifted to the Gargoyles from the Adeptus Mechanicus [Once again, I have added a sub-list below containing the breakdown of the Sanguine Gargoyles' fleet disposition, for your perusal.] Chapter Legends Chaplain Derceus Derceus led his Chapter in many glorious campaigns, slaying hundreds of the enemy’s greatest champions. In the end, he was brought down by the Chapter's enemies, and is a reminder to all Battle Brothers of their holy duty. Brother Alessandro Referred to as Alessandro the Selfless; suffered mortal wounds fighting to recover the bodies of a squad of Initiates and their Sergeant from a Dark Eldar raiding party. Notable Battles & Campaigns ... ca. ~142–160.M41: The Gothic War (Abaddon's 12th Black Crusade) ca. ~999.M41: The Devastation of Baal The Sanguine Gargoyles, though barely a surviving chapter at the time, sent a squad of Marines and a pair of warships to aid in the void battle against Leviathan and its splinter fleets. None of the seconded members survived. Allies & Enemies Chapter Allies Adeptus Mechanicus Adeptus Sororitas (Order of the Shrouded Martyr) Astra Militarum (Wilson's Irregulars) Chapter Enemies Abbadon & the Black Legion Valorous Host Warband Kha'Banda Hive Fleet Leviathan Slaghulk's Killa Mob +++End Datafile+++ +++Closing Thought: Only in death does duty end.+++ +++End Message+++

INDEX ASTARTES: DESERT EAGLES SONS OF GUILLIMAN Renowned for their adaptive warfare and righteous fury, few can resist the overwhelming onslaught of the Desert Eagles in their stride. Serving the Imperium since the earliest conflicts of the Great Crusade has earned the chapter numerous honours, as well as bitter enemies from the ranks of those who fled their advance. The Desert Eagles are proud descendants of Guilliman and honour his name with a storied list of campaigns won over his enemies. In contrast to the measured tactics of their progenitor the Desert Eagles utilise highly responsive advances, shifting entire frontiers of battle to exploit opportunities. This characteristic descends from the forging of the Chapter during the vicious battles against the Word Bearers of Lorgar in the Horus Heresy, when a Chapter of their Ultramarine forebearers were left isolated and betrayed on the deserts of Calth. The resourcefulness of the Astartes in reclaiming critical supplies and positions and their unrelenting nature during those crucial hours earned them the nickname ‘Carrion Eagles’ during the siege by local forces. The brown-and-crimson armour of the Desert Eagles now reflects the desert that defined them over mere hours, as well as the commemorating the lives lost in those cursed sands. A Desert Eagles assault unleashes The Emperor's Mercy upon a Chaos Warband Desert Eagles Astartes with Bolter When the Desert Eagles Chapter was brought into being during the Second Founding, Captain Catius Thassor, a renowned commander of the Ultramarines Legion, was chosen to be its first Chapter Master. Thassor's reputation was steeped in legend from the Battle of Calth, where he led what would become the Desert Eagles chapter against Word Bearers forces in desperate survival on the planet's surface. The savagery of the Word Bearers' assault upon the planet's surface was secondary only the conflicts within orbit. Even as Ultramarines forces were shattered at Komesh the fighting in the deserts of Cuneth grew fierce, where the planned betrayal faltered under sandstorms. Thrice Thassor led the united Imperial forces into the sands to reclaim vital communication facilities to allow their evacuation, splintering the ammassed followers of Lorgar under blinding walls of dust and fire. Such conditions proved fatal for many of the allied Imperial Guardsmen within the deserts, however the loyalist forces made frequent use of their littered supplies as the hours of desperate fighting bore continued. Battletanks and artillery positions were scavenged for shells and explosives, and the Ultramarine defence bore on. Communications reached the loyalist positions of the dire state of Calth, and with it news of impending destruction. The Word Bearers' obliteration of the system had destabilised its integrity, and soon the surface would prove fatal for any who remained on its surface. Thassor's forces turned their scavenged ammunition earthbound, and were able to detonate their way into the nearby subterranean networks where they would continue waging the Underworld War against Chaos forces until Ultramarines fleets returned several years later. By the time Thassor was able to return his Chapter to the Ultramarines Legion less than half of those he had led beneath the desert of Cuneth remained, and himself a hero of the Legion. With the completion of the Codex Astartes by Roboute Guilliman at the conclusion of the Horus Heresy, he commanded his sons to divide into 1,000-member Space Marine Chapters so that no single commander could ever control the power of an entire Astartes Legion again. As the Howling Griffons and Genesis Chapter ventured into the galaxy at the dawning of the Second Founding so to did the Desert Eagles, now united in their brown-and-crimson and once again being led into the unknown by Catius Thassor, Chapter Master of the storied survivors of Calth. The Desert Eagles' homeworld is located on the planet Audax, an Imperial Feral World in Segmentum Ultima. The planet consists of a pair of hive cities, both heavily damaged due to solar radiation, as well as the Desert Eagles' Fortress-Monastery Basilica Solitudinem. Audax's population still resides within the ruins of the two cities, as the remaining landscape of sun-scarred rocks and salt flats proves fatal to those who pass through. Life is fierce within the crumbling towers with scarce resources and even scarcer allies, and attempts to unite the cities by those residing fall quickly due to mistrust and infighting. The Desert Eagles Battlebarge "Heavenfall" hangs in orbit over Audax Watch the full animation here! The present-day Chapter utilises a variety of trials to select neophytes from those that remain clinging to the cities of eons past, their skills honed by the trials of living upon Audax. Representatives of the Desert Eagles descend upon each city twice within a normal human's lifetime and take the most skilled aspirants from the population, forcibly if required. Many that fail the trials are returned as servitors, and are tasked with rebuilding for the remnants of their short life-span. Some have noted that the cities may have yet been recovered if not for the recruitment and removal of their most hopeful youth who now litter the alleyways as glistening mechanised corpses. The method of fighting forced upon those of Audax for survival has served the Desert Eagles suitably over the millennia. Their modus operandi consists of fluid and interchanging attacks conducted by highly trained forces, destroying the enemy before any attack can be properly responded to and never allowing the enemy to force a static engagement. The Chapter emphasises the usage of shifting terrain and resources to their advantage, and each unit has a vital role within the overarching structure deployed. As a result, on some occasions that the tide of battle turned against the Desert Eagles the losses were significant, such as in M36 when they were ambushed by Drukhari forces who were able to interrupt communications systems between the Chapter. Although preferring to keep the foe at arms-length, the Desert Eagles are still capable of engaging in bloody close-combat just as readily as at range, and are readily feared by the enemies of the Imperium. Despite their seemingly indecisive nature when employing tactics, the Desert Eagles disdains the notion of recklessly charging against an enemy without sufficient intelligence of the situation or the surrounding landscape which could be used to their advantage. The Desert Eagles are classified as a Codex Astartes-compliant Chapter, and they follow the sacred tome with few variations in terms of organisation. They follow the tactics presented in the Codex, efficiently making use of different standard units, but frequently intermix and alter tactical decisions so that the Chapter cannot be readily countered. The addition of Primaris reinforcements has been received poorly due to their slow uptake of these decisions, a reflection of their Terran upbringing and previous engagements rather than ability. Desert Eagles Shoulder Pad (6th - 10th Company) The Desert Eagles are currently operating at near full-strength and organise their Chapter into 10 companies. In a reflection of the two cities of Audax the Chapter is often divided as two 5 Company forces known as Strikes, with the 1st - 5th Companies' shoulder pads being crimson to denote this whilst the 6th - 10th Companies have brown shoulder pads with a crimson trim. The appointment to Strike Captain is an incredible honour within the Chapter and often precludes appointment to Chapter Master, as a Chapter Master cannot himself lead a Strike as he must focus on the operation of the Chapter as a whole. The Desert Eagles were established in the Second Founding (M31) from a Chapter of Ultramarines that survived the Battle of Calth, and are therefore descended from Roboute Guilliman. They have not experienced any significant issues from their gene-stock and answered Guilliman's call for aid upon his return, though the deviation of their combat doctrine has brought issues when fighting alongside other Astartes forces. PRE-HERESY Chapter Master Catius Thassor - Catius Thassor was a former Captain of the Ultramarines Legion during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, achieving esteem for his service during the Battle of Calth. He became the Desert Eagles' first Chapter Master during the Second Founding and led them to their Homeworld of Audax, establishing the fortress-monastery Basilica Solitudinem upon the planet's weathered surface. POST-HERESY Chapter Master Martellis Riol - Martellis Riol is the current Chapter Master of the Desert Eagles following the death of his predecessor during the early Indomitus Crusade. Riol was formerly the Captain of the 5th Company and inherited Talonstrike, a Master-Crafted spear with attached bolt-pistol that is the pride of the Chapter. He was notoriously besieged by Desert Eagles forces for three days at the peak of one of the few remaining towers on Audax where he had made his lair prior to joining the Chapter, a feat thrice that of any previous aspirant. Utilising the crumbling nature of the ferrocrete building against them he was able to combat the incapacitating weaponry deployed against him in a cruel reflection of the Chapter's tactics. Only the intervention of an apothecary saved him at the conclusion of the siege from dying due to exhaustion, and the legend of his stand spread quickly throughout the Chapter. Strike Captain Adonis Rake - Adonis Rake was a former Captain of the 1st company and Strike Captain in M36, when he led the 1st, 3rd and 4th Companies as a Strike against a significant Drukhari pirate threat. The two forces tactics were each a reflection of the other, however the lightning speed of the forces of Commorragh caught Rake both unaware and unprepared. The ensuing destruction led to the complete obliteration of the Strike, and the loss of experience and resources was a severe hit against the Desert Eagles, who sorely swear vengeance upon those who inflicted their destruction. Ever since the Chapter has favoured younger leaders and highly commemorates exceptional service of an individual, rather than solely years in service. "Fluid/interchanging/responsive tactics" is justification for my terrible choices during actual games of 40k, thought it might reflect nicely in the lore as well. I understand that Calth was an Agri-World prior to the Horus Heresy, and though I haven't read the books covering the Battle of Calth I'm banking on an image of Calth pre-heresy containing what appears to be deserts. If there's any issues I could switch the planet that the desert fighting takes place on, I just imagined that the Battle of Calth would be such a significant and defining moment in the Ultramarines' history that it'd send shockwaves even 10,000 years later in how some chapters function. Full credit for the images goes to two very talented artists on DeviantArt, Kai Lim for the first which was for a series of Soul Drinkers novels, and Algrim-Whitefang for the Astartes image which I combined from a few of their images. I believe the shoulder pad is from the 5th ed. Space Marine Codex? Very easy to find on the various wikis. All were recoloured in Photoshop using Hue/Saturation layers. I've now designed a custom insignia similar to the Necropolis Hawks, however it invokes the look of a saw blade. I enjoy the Flesh Tearers' iconography a lot, and used it as influence here. If you wish to replicate the banners I've used here I'm more than happy to send the Photoshop file through.

++ INDEX ASTARTES ++ SOMETHING LURKS BENEATH THE SUFACE The Thalassians Space Marines Chapter Cruel and fierce, the Space Marines of the Thalassians Chapter bring a ruthlessness to the battlefield matched by few others. Sailing the inky darkness of the void as easily as the oceans of their aquatic homeworld, Vathys, they have engaged enemies of the Imperium in several vicious campaigns, leaving devastation in their wake - from raids against the enigmatic Eldar to brutal wars of attrition with the endless swarms of the Tyranid hivemind. While their effectiveness cannot be questioned, the sheer carnage of their methods and their preference for taking prisoners for dark purposes leave few Imperial forces willing to fight alongside them, and have at times drawn the scrutiny of the Inquisition's most suspicious orders. Origins Created in the mysterious Thirteenth Founding, the true purpose behind the creation of the Thalassians is lost to time. Even within the chapter, all that is known is that in roughly M.36, a great Adeptus Mechanicus fleet arrived in the dark skies above Vathys carrying progenoid glands and all of the material necessary for the operation of a chapter. The fleet brought with it ancient technologies and artefacts that would form the foundation of the chapter's fortress-monastery beneath the waves. The representatives of the High Lords of Terra sought out the populace on the various islands and atolls that scatter the surface of Vathys's endless oceans. These were hardy people, descended from ancient colonists who had adapted to survive among the world's massive predators and violent storms. From these isolated communities, the first recruits were taken to form the nascent chapter. Preferring to allow local custom and belief to influence chapter doctrine, it was decided to call the chapter Thalassians after the natives' deep-rooted fear of what dwelled in the depths. Whether the High Lords truly understood the nature of these beliefs, and what dark things the locals whispered prayers to beneath the waves, remains uncertain. What is known is that the chapter took readily to these traditions, incorporating them into their rituals and combat doctrine. The numbers of the chapter swelled quickly, and in training, it developed an affinity for close-quarters combat that went beyond mere skill. Their instructors noted a level of savagery far beyond that of even chapters as ferocious as the Blood Angels, though the Thalassians' brutality was cold and deliberate rather than born of battle-fury. They easily integrated the pack tactics they used to hunt megafauna on the high seas into Astartes combat doctrine, herding their foes into traps before closing in for the kill. Once readied, the chapter easily took to void warfare, its similarities to conflict upon the sea making for an easy transition. Aboard their newly christened battlecruiser The Breaker, they set out to dispense the Emperor's justice wherever it was needed. Their first recorded campaign was a series of lightning raids against Eldar corsairs in the Damocles Gulf, where they earned their reputation for taking prisoners and conducting bloody spectacles for the chapter's entertainment. Home World The ocean world of Vathys is the third world in a system of eight. Almost entirely covered in water, it is dotted with atolls and short island chains - peaks of massive mountains that push through to the surface. Wracked by hellish storms and with seas full of gargantuan beasts, the human population has to fight daily to survive. Multiple moons create complex tidal patterns that can swallow whole settlements, while deep-sea predators large enough to swallow small vessels whole prowl the depths. After the chapter's establishment, the Thalassians had it within their power to cull the monsters that lurk beneath the waves, but instead left them to continue their predations against the scattered settlements as they had since time immemorial. In this way, potential aspirants would be tested their entire lives, and only the strongest would survive to adulthood to even attempt the trials. The chapter views these losses as necessary sacrifices, though some whisper they serve as offerings to whatever dwells in the deepest trenches of Vathys. The native population lives in a constant state of vigilance, building their settlements on stilts and maintaining extensive warning networks. Each community maintains a fleet of vessels, both for fishing and defense, crewed by warriors who learn to track and fight leviathans from an early age. These skills serve as the foundation for the chapter's own combat doctrine, though the Thalassians have transformed these survival techniques into methods of warfare that would horrify their mortal counterparts. The chapter's fortress-monastery, known as the Abyssal Reach, lies hidden in one of Vathys's deepest trenches. Its exact location is known only to the chapter, though passing vessels sometimes report hearing strange hymns carried through the water, accompanied by the screams of those who have drawn the chapter's dark attention. KAJAE SOMNIOS, CHAPTER MASTER OF THE THALASSIANS Chapter Master Somnios has led the Chapter of the Thalassians for over two hundred years. In this time he has stood at the forefront of two major campaigns. The first, in the Betalis System, saw him orchestrate a series of brutal trap-and-ambush operations against the Eldar of the Mymeara and Alaitoc craftworlds who had been harrying Imperial settlements. The second proved even more devastating - defending the Vathys system from a tendril of the Tyranid hive fleet Megalodon, where he personally led boarding actions against the largest bio-ships. It was during this campaign that Somnios lost his left eye in single combat with a Tyranid Lictor in the flooded corridors of a bio-ship. His face now horrifically scarred, rather than receive cybernetic implantation to replace the eye, he instead chose to have an ornate bronze eyepatch permanently bolted to his skull. The patch bears the chapter's symbol, the eye of the kraken, a reminder to those who would challenge him of the price of underestimating the Thalassians. In battle, he embodies the chapter's ruthless nature, often staging elaborate traps that result in the complete annihilation of his enemies. He has been accused of being careless with the lives of his men, and Thalassians are known to have a high rate of attrition in the process of completing their objectives. While the Inquisition has investigated these losses multiple times, they can never quite prove they're anything more than the brutal cost of victory. When not called to battle, however, he displays an unsettling joviality, often found sharing tankards with rank and file Space Marines, telling tales of battles old and new. These drinking sessions frequently end with him presiding over ritual combat between prisoners in the chapter's fighting pits, his laughter echoing over the roar of the crowds. Such practices, while questioned by other chapters, are carefully maintained within the bounds of Imperial doctrine - at least on the surface. Combat Doctrine The Thalassians are considered by Imperial strategists to be experts in vehicular fast assault. Ever eager to meet their foes in combat, they race towards their enemies with all haste so that they may quickly engage with bolter and chainsword. Those who have witnessed a Thalassian assault describe brother marines hanging from transport vehicles like ancient whalers on their boats, ready to strike the moment prey is sighted. Rather than the traditional power sword, Thalassians prefer to employ long-hafted power spears and harpoons reminiscent of those used in great hunts. These weapons, often decorated with maritime iconography and ancient runes, are as much symbols of rank as they are tools of war. Their fondness for chainswords persists, with many warriors modifying the teeth of their weapons to match the serrated patterns found in the maws of Vathys's deep-sea predators. For centuries, the Thalassians have employed large contingents of bike and land speeder squadrons, treating the battlefield like ocean currents to be navigated. With the introduction by the Adeptus Mechanicus of anti-gravitic tanks such as the Repulsor, these swift and agile troop carriers have found their place in many Thalassian deployments, piloted with the same predatory grace as the watercraft native to the Vathian seas. Heavy weapons are eschewed in all but the largest engagements, as the toll on mobility is often seen as too great a burden. When such firepower is required, the chapter relies primarily on vehicle-mounted weaponry, such as the twin-linked lascannons of their Land Raiders or the fearsome arsenal of their Repulsors. This preference for mobile firepower allows them to maintain their aggressive hunting strategies even in larger conflicts. The incredible savagery of a Thalassian assault has made many other Imperial forces wary of fighting alongside these Space Marines. Their thirst for blood often manifests in ritualistic brutality - hearts torn from bodies with cruel, hooked weapons, trophies claimed mid-battle, and war cries that sound more like hunting calls than battle hymns. Those who survive a conflict with the Thalassians quickly learn that death in battle might have been a mercy. Prisoners are stripped of their armour and dignity, given crude weapons reminiscent of ancient fishing tools, and forced to fight in bloodsport arenas while the chapter's warriors place bets on the outcomes. These grim spectacles often take place in partially flooded chambers deep within their vessels or fortress-monastery, where the losers' bodies are said to be offered to the depths. Beliefs It is whispered in many corners of the Imperium that the Thalassians only pay lip-service to The Emperor of mankind, and instead owe allegiance to some fel-entity lurking deep beneath the waves of their abyssal homeworld. Their rituals, while ostensibly devoted to the Emperor, often involve offerings cast into the depths and strange hymns in ancient Vathian dialects that make observers uneasy. During these ceremonies, it is said that the waters around their fortress-monastery grow unnaturally still, as if something vast were listening. Others have told tales of the chapter's librarians holding some kind of psychic bond with what can only be described as "a great eye," and that it is from this communion that the Thalassians receive instruction. These librarians are known to spend long periods in meditation chambers that face the deepest trenches of Vathys, and some claim to have witnessed their eyes turning completely black during these sessions, like the endless depths themselves. Some hold that the eye that the chapter bears on their shoulder guard is that of this creature, while others maintain that it is merely a representation of the massive beasts that claim Vathys as their home, and the harpoon running through the eye a symbol of the Thalassians' domination of these monsters. The chapter itself offers no explanation, though it is notable that their oldest treaties speak not of hunting these creatures, but of proving worthy of them. When questioned by Imperial authorities, the Thalassians display all the proper devotions to the Emperor, and their battle records show nothing but loyal service to the Imperium. Yet those who have fought alongside them speak of battle-prayers that sound more like ancient summonings, and victories that come at suspiciously opportune moments, as if guided by some unseen intelligence from the depths. The chapter's chaplains hold a particularly complex role in maintaining this duality of faith. Officially, they are responsible for tending to the spiritual needs of their battle-brothers and maintaining devotion to the Emperor, as in all chapters. However, the Thalassians' chaplains, known informally among the chapter as "Deep Speakers," perform their duties in ways that differ subtly from Imperial doctrine. Their skull helms are cast in bronze rather than black ceramite, with eye lenses that glow with an unsettling blue-green light in darkness. These Deep Speakers lead their brothers in what they claim are ancient Vathian variants of Imperial litanies, though the words they speak seem to make the air heavy and cause nearby water to vibrate in unnatural ways. Their ceremonies often take place in partially flooded chambers, where the chaplains wade chest-deep in the waters while leading their warriors in call-and-response prayers. Whether these rituals truly venerate the Emperor or something else entirely remains a matter of grave concern to those few outsiders who have witnessed them. Most troubling to Imperial observers is the chaplains' role in overseeing the chapter's prisoner combats. What should be merely brutal entertainment is transformed into something more ritualistic under their guidance, with the Deep Speakers marking victorious prisoners with strange symbols in bronze paint before their next bouts. These marked warriors often fight with unusual ferocity, as if driven by more than mere survival instinct, though few live long enough to explain what the markings mean. Gene-Seed The true lineage of the Thalassians, like many chapters of the mysterious 13th Founding, remains a subject of speculation and debate. Their gene-seed displays several distinct characteristics that have led to various theories about their origins, though the chapter itself maintains no records of their genetic ancestry. The most obvious manifestation is their heightened predatory instincts, even by Astartes standards. While some point to this as evidence of Blood Angels lineage, the Thalassians lack both the Red Thirst and Black Rage that plague the sons of Sanguinius. Their aggression manifests not as uncontrolled fury, but as a cold, calculating brutality that speaks of different genetic stock entirely. Their innate grasp of rapid assault tactics and preference for lightning warfare has led others to suggest White Scars ancestry. However, the chapter lacks the tribal traditions and distinctive facial features common to sons of Jaghatai Khan. Moreover, their preference for terror tactics and psychological warfare stands at odds with the honourable combat doctrine of the White Scars. More troubling are the subtle changes that occur in long-serving battle-brothers. Their eyes gradually develop an unusual opalescent quality, appearing almost luminous in darkness, like those of deep-sea predators. The Apothecarion maintains that this is merely an adaptation to the dark waters of Vathys, though some whisper of similarities to certain pre-Heresy genetic markers that should have been long purged from Imperial record. Of particular note is the chapter's unusual resistance to pressure changes and ability to operate in both void and underwater environments with remarkable ease. While the Adeptus Mechanicus has recorded these traits as beneficial mutations, there are those who question whether these adaptations arose naturally, or if they speak to darker truths about the chapter's genetic heritage. The High Lords of Terra's records regarding the founding of the Thalassians remain sealed, and inquiries into their genetic lineage are routinely denied. This official silence has only fueled further speculation, particularly regarding why such a remote ocean world was chosen for their inception, and what purpose their creation truly served. Hunter's Wake The scattered lasfire did little to illuminate the corridor of the drifting hulk. Privateer Captain Lohrn cursed as another of his men fell to precise bolter fire. They had thought the ancient vessel would be easy salvage. Now they ran, pursued by ceramite-clad monsters who turned their own ship into a killing ground. "Seal the bulkhead!" he screamed, but it was already too late. The massive pressure door, designed to contain void breaches, opened smoothly at the command of better authorization codes than his own. Through it came the Thalassians, their deep sea-green armor marked with battle honors and their blue helmets reflecting the emergency lighting. Bronze aquilas gleamed on their chests, though the eyes of the Imperial eagles seemed oddly focused, almost alive. "Please," he began, "We surrender! We—" "The hunt is joined," spoke their leader, voice cold through his helm's vox-grille. "And you are witnessed." The last thing Lohrn saw before they took him was the chapter badge on their pauldrons – that stark white eye, pierced by its harpoon. In his final moments of freedom, he could have sworn the pupil followed his movement, like something vast and ancient gazing through from impossibly far away. Three weeks later, an Imperial Navy patrol investigated the derelict. The ship's logs showed a lawful boarding action by the Adeptus Astartes. Of the privateer crew, they found only corpses - those who had died fighting, their bodies bearing the precise wounds of bolter fire and power weapons. Of Captain Lohrn himself, they found nothing but his void suit, bearing strange marks that might have been claw marks, or might have been bronze ritual scarring. The suit's internal sensors recorded only a final spike in pressure, as if its wearer had been dragged down to impossible depths. The Thalassians had long since moved on, patrolling the void in search of new prey. But they had left their mark, as they always did. Another offering to the deep, another secret kept beneath the waves. Battlecry “Beneath the waves, we hunt!”

Chapter Symbol of the Flaming Swords Origins The Flaming Swords trace their origins back to the Eighth Founding of M34. Chapter legend tells of a vision granted to the first Master of the Chapter by the Emperor himself. Taking heed of this vision, the Chapter Master pledged his fledling Chapter to an ambitious thousand-year Crusade, the High Lords of Terra eagerly granting the Chapters request. The Chapters objectives were to liberate crucial systems across the galaxy. Piracy would be eradicated from key imperial shipping lanes. The flow of sorely-needed men and armaments would be restored to the Imperiums beleaguered front lines. The Orstaat Campaign In the final years of the crusade even such desperate measures reached the limit of their usefulness. Located on the Ultima Segmentums border with the Segmentum Obscurus, the Orstaat sector is counted amongst the Flaming Swords greatest and most ancient of battle honours. Far from the Imperiums centres of power, for centuries Orstaat had been a lawless and anarchic place, infested with human and xenos pirates. Several systems had long ago forsaken the Emperor and now warred amongst themselves for supremacy. A powerful warband of Chaos Space Marines, the Unborn Knights, had established itself in the sector, launching raids deep into Imperial territory. By the end of M33 the High Lords of Terra had declared the entire sector lost to the Imperium, with several abortive campaigns to retake the lost sector only serving to embolden the secessionist planetary lords. In the westernmost reaches of the Ultima Segmentum the Chapters final trial was on hand. The Flaming Swords committed their Chapters entire strength to bringing the lost sector back under the aegis of the Imperium. The Chapters leadership saw the Orstaat campaign as a fitting conclusion to their thousand year quest. And so the Chapter launched itself into the campaign with an intensity and fervour unmatched, and on countless planets the sigil of the flaming sword became a portent of impending judgement and doom. The violence of the Orstaat campaign was such that the Chapters already depleted strength fell by over a third in less than three years, the loss of so many battle-brothers especially difficult to replenish in such a hostile sector. The ferocious pace of the battles would however vindicate the Chapters leadership. The final traitor stronghold in the sector fell within the sixth year, the dark lord of the Unborn Knights falling in combat with the Chapters champion. Despite the greatness of their achievement, the Flaming Swords found themselves on the brink of extinction. Rebuilding the Chapter The Chapters manpower was so depleted that the most pressing need was to rebuild its strength as soon as possible. To fail would mean joining the ranks of the lost Chapters of the Imperium. Many of Orstaat's star systems had been completely purged, as they had been populated by traitors and heretics. In such a depopulated sector suitable recruits were extremely scarce. As hopelessness set in, it was the Chapters Librarium that would prove invaluable in finding a solution. Routine archiving of records from the Orstaat Campaign yielded a data-cache sequestered from an infamous Rogue Traders flagship. Alkam Arend, known as the Prince of Merchants, had supplied both the loyalists and traitors of Orstaat with weapons and mercenaries for years, until the Flaming Swords ambushed Arends fleet at Coriskar and enforced the Emperors judgement. Such perfidiousness could not be tolerated, and Arend's fall cut off the flow of vital supplies to the traitors, eventually leading to their demise. It was the Rogue Traders annotations on the obscure Namshub system that caught the Chief Librarian's eye. Referencing primitive warriors and archaeotech, even such a vague lead was worth pursuing, given the Chapter's predicament. The Flaming Swords' fastest ships were immediately despatched to scout the system. The Purifier Blade One of the Flaming Swords oldest relics, this ancient power sword is unnaturally sharp and deadly, and icorporates many technological advancements no longer completely understood by the Imperiums techno-savants. Over time the Chapters artificers have further upgraded the blade, integrating a powerful flamer into the hilt and crossguard, fueled by a unique blend of promethium that enhances the sword's power field. The blades current bearer is Captain Tenoch Yel-Zar of the Chapters 4th Company. On the second moon of Quistorol Yel-Zar wielded the Purifier Blade to great effect, beheading the Greater Daemon Vuurthang Slugheart and banishing its unclean form back to the Immaterium. The Great Unclean One has since sworn revenge on the Chapter. Home World When the Strike Cruisers of the Flaming Swords arrived in-system, not even the most optimistic of the expeditionary force's members could have imagined that the Chapter's future home-world had been discovered. Sidon had originally been occupied by an advanced civilization of unknown origin, wiped out thousands of years ago by a terrible cataclysm. Despite this, ruined fortresses still soared through the sky, held aloft by technology beyond the Imperiums understanding. Great vaults delved deep into forbidding mountain ranges, their chambers filled with impenetrable secrets. Whether the forgotten civilization had been human or alien in origin was impossible to tell. No Imperial records existed referencing the identity of these builders. Whatever had befallen the original inhabitants of the planet predated even the Great Crusade, and Imperial scholars have since speculated that the terrible events must have unfolded during the tumultuous Age of Strife. Further reconnaisance revealed that the planet did indeed support human life. A forbidding and inhospitable place, the planet was also home to a variety of dangerous fauna. Such conditions bred tough and hardy people tempered by war and the struggle to stay alive. The disparate human cultures of the planet had progressed to a pre-fedual level of technology and fought with sword, lance and bow. Raids and battles were fought for the right to survive one more season, and the mightiest warriors occupied positions of great influence amongst their people. Operating as a fleet-based chapter meant that the Flaming Swords were dangerously under-strength for long periods of time, a regular intake of suitable aspirants not easily guaranteed by the constant redeployment of the Chapters forces into new regions. In Sidon the Chapter had finaly found a steady source of strong and ferocious recruits that would allow them to pursue their campaigns. Fortress Monastery The largest and most intact of the ruined sky fortresses that float across the skies of Sidon, the redoutable Castellum Nubifraxis was extensively repaired and strengthened by the Chapters Techmarines and now serves as the Flaming Swords Fortress Monastery. The systems that keep this mighty structure aloft are barely understoot, however over the years the most gifted of the Chapters Techmarines have discovered how to change the great fortresss elevation, speed, and direction. Assaulting such a fortress would be a daunting prospect for any foe, with defense laser emplacements and missile batteries studding the walls. The Castellum Nubifraxis is connected to a network of orbital defenses that keep watch over the star system. The orbital defenses serve another, more sinister purpose; any sign of technological progress on the planet is vigorously eradicated by the Space Marines. To Sidons populace the wrath of the Sky Warriors raining down on any transgressors is deterrent enough to steer them away from to pursuit of progress. Such ruthlessness, combined with the planets scarcity of ores and minerals, ensures that civilization on Sidon will never progress to a level where the inhabitants grow soft, decadent, and weak. The Chapter thus plays its own vital part in maintaining the endless cycle of war and suffering that sweeps the planet. Organisation The Chapter is Codex-compliant and is divided into ten Companies of Space Marines. Slight variations to Company strucure have emerged over the years. During space operations the most common force size deployed is the demi-company, and early in its history this prompted the Chapter to reinstate the ancient Legiones Astartes rank of Lieutenant, a rarity in M41. The Chapter has also made changes to the way it displays insignia. Company markings are displayed on the left knee pad, this method having completely replaced the previous practice of each company bearing distinct company colours on their shoulder pads. The Chapter places great importance on ship boarding actions, and veterans of these operations display a non-Codex-compliant lightning bolt insignia on the armour of both legs. It is credit to the Chapters skill at void warfare that almost every battle brother bears such an insignia on their armour. Personal heraldry is also proudly displayed and embellished as the battle-brothers feats of arms and legend grows. Rumours exist of an additional company bearing markings with strong resemblance to the Flaming Swords, but such tales have yet to be corroborated. What is certain is that above all else the Inquisition wishes to prevent the outbreak of another conflict to rival the Badab War. Its instigator, the traitor Chapter Master Lugft Huron, began his descent into heresy precisely through an expansion of his Chapters forces. This has led some branches of the Inquisition to investigate rumours of covert force-building more thoroughly than would previously have been deemed necessary. Any attempts to uncover the truth regarding this additional unit have so far been inconclusive, although strangely such investigations have been marked by the suspicious disappearances of many of the Inquisitors involved. Combat Doctrine Brother Ostrogg?, Squad Leader,Fifth Battle Company, KIA during the Ykanne Insurgency Since establishing its base of operations on Sidon, the Chapter developed into a flexible fighting force capable of conducting complex operations. Many of the capabilities were refined during the Orstaat Campaign, as the Chapter engaged in simultaneous combat across a wide range of warzones. When planetary assault is required, the Chapter is known to employ mass drop pod launches supported by planetary bombardment, to break up and overwhelm enemy formations. The Chapter often employs its superior mobility to apply swift and devastating pressure to the most vulnerable points of the enemy battleline. Each of the Chapters Battle Companies maintains small squads of company veterans to act as breacher squads during ship-to-ship combat, sieges and city-fighting. For the Space Marines assigned to these squads, the honour of being selected for such duties far outweighs the increased lethality of the assignment. Many tactical squads are equipped with Umbra-pattern bolters fitted with chainaxe attachments, increasing their effectiveness in the closing phases of an engagement. The demand for such weapons is great enough for the Chapter's Forge to continue manufacturing them in significant numbers, despite the relatively archaic nature of their design. These boltguns are much prized by their owners for their combination of firepower and vicious close combat capabilities. The Chapter is well-equipped with a wide range of equipment and variants of armour and weapons, as befits one of the older Chapters of the Imperium. Many Forge Worlds of the Mechanicum contributed to the Chapter's armaments over the years and this has resulted in a wide range of weapon and armour designs being available to the Chapter. Over its storied existence the Chapters warriors have honed their skills with the full arsenal of weapons at their disposal, however many Space Marines have developed a preference for brutal and effective weaponry such as melta weapons and flamers, which are lethal in the close confines of ship boarding actions. Chapter Fleet For the first thousand years of its existence the Chapter operated as a fleet-based force. In conjunction with their unique strategic focus this brought them in continuous conflict with the numerous pirate fleets that plague the Imperium. Eldar Corsairs, Orks Freeboterz and renegade Imperial Admirals; each require specialized tactics if the Adeptus Astartes are to overcome them. As a consequence the Chapters fleet is lighter and more mobile than that of more conventional Chapters. Several of the Flaming Swords Strike Cruisers were modified to carry only a demi-company of Space marines. As major objectives have changed in recent millennia, this intermediate class of Strike Cruiser has become less popular, despite composing a large part of the Chapters fleet. Many of the Chapters Caestus assault rams and Thunderhawk gunships have been modified to enhance space operations and facilitate the Chapters ambush tactics against pirates. Beliefs As is typical amongst the Adeptus Astartes, the Flaming Swords revere the Emperor as the most exceptional of mortal men, but not as a god. The Chapters cult is fierce in its worship and mythologization of its greatest heroes. The Chapter values self-reliance and determination, and ensuring the survival of the Chapter's warrior cadre and its martial codes is paramount above anything else. The Chapter's Chaplains work tirelessly and fervently to expound this creed and foster its importance amongst the battle-brothers. Although the bonds of brotherhood are continually reaffirmed in battle, in less turbulent times such bonds are further deepened through ritualized combat between battle-brothers. Senior figures such as Captains are followed with unfaltering loyalty, which is not borne of a rigid deference to hierarchy. The Captains and Chapter Masters of the Flaming Swords are considered equals to their battle-brothers, and must prove that the faith placed in them is justified. Many foolhardy Imperial commanders have learned this the hard way, through spectacularly unsuccessful attempts to establish their precarious authority over the Chapters commanders, and not all have survived their harsh lesson. The punishing nature of void warfare, combined with the relentless crusade that the Flaming Swords pursued during their formative years, implanted a fatalistic and embittered streak in the Chapters culture that persists to this day. In certain individuals this translates into a death-impulse that drives warriors to commit acts of suicidal bravery. This is known in the Chapters parlance as seeking the Emperors favour, and such warriors often volunteer to lead forlorn hopes or last stands, where their chances of survival are almost non-existent. Nowhere is this trait more pronounced than in the warriors of the First Company, who upon induction ritually repaint their armour black, in penance for a secret shame known only to the Chapter, and never discussed with outsiders. Veteran Brother Pardix?,First Company, Hero of the Ilyssos Crusade Gene-Seed The Flaming Swords have never discussed the origins of their gene-seed with outsiders, and reliable records of their Founding have proven notoriously difficult to secure. Some scholars believe the Flaming Swords to be successors to the White Scars Chapter, while others are certain the Ultramarines Chapter is the most likely Progenitor. The true lineage of the Flaming Swords gene-seed is part of the mysteries of the Chapter, and its battle-brothers must be judged worthy of induction into the Chapter's secret orders before learning the full truth of their origins. The Apothecaries of the Flaming Swords performed countless vivisections, autopsies and many other atrocious experiments on the population of Sidon before satisfying themselves that the inhabitants would be suitable hosts for the Chapter's gene-seed. The final assessment of the unwitting inhabitants classified them, as "extremely viable" implantation subjects, the first time in the Chapter's history. Gene-seed implantation, though inherently dangerous to the subject, has seen its highest success rate since the occupation of Sidon, and this has doubtlessly contributed to the preservation of the Chapters purity. Although the Chapters geneseed is considered pure and free from mutation, some scholars have speculated that the death drive that takes root in some of the Chapters veterans might be caused by an almost imperceptible imbalance in the subjects Catalepsean Node. In recent years the Chapter has trialed additional psycho-indoctrination in the most afflicted subjects, with mixed success. While some of the subjects thus treated have apparently been cured, many others have immolated themselves in renewed acts of spectacular recklessness and suicidal bravery. Though the loss of such warriors is a terrible price to pay, such sacrifices invariably inflict punishing losses on the enemy, in many cases turning the tide of battle at crucial moments. Battle-Cry Flame and Ruin!

This is a Early look at what I am trying to develop as a Chapter. Chapter Datafile: Heralds of Ash The Heralds of Ash Date:...............57.M42 Ref:................LBC//TEC7710101 By:.................TechCaptain Re:.................Adeptus Astartes - Heralds of Ash Thought:............"." CHAPTER NAME: .............. THE Heralds of Ash FOUNDING: ..................6TH CHAPTER WORLD: .............Accusation FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........Sanctuary GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ...Unknown (Blood Angels Suspected) KNOWN DESCENDANTS: ........."NONE" Primary Data Allegiance: Imperium of Man (Fedelitas Constantus) Chapter Master: Magister Size Estimate: Unknown Specialty: Psychic attack, Predictive Understanding, Religious Purges, Policing Actions, Suppression of Ideological Revolt, Targeted Decimation Battle Cry: " " Colours: The Heralds of Ash are a Loyalist Space Marine Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes created during the 6th Founding, which occurred sometime during the latter years of M33. Suspected of being created from the lineage of the heroic Blood Angels, the Heralds of Ash were one of several Chapter founded in the wake of the notable event known as 'The Year of Ghosts', when the Imperium was beset by extreme Warp activity and daemonic incursions. Only when the honoured dead rose up from their graves to drive back the terrors of the warp that the heart of the Imperium just barely managed to survive. Following this event the High Lords of Terra authorised the raising of a new Founding to help bring about stability and law back to those imperilled worlds that still suffered in the iron-grip of those who followed the Dark Gods. Chapter History In M33, the newfound Heralds of Ash Chapter was ordered to claim their own Chapter planet, after being initially fleet-based. During their search for an unclaimed planet within the Imperium, a charismatic Rogue Trader convinced the Chapter Master to aid in his search for a long-lost relic on behalf of the Ecclesiarchy in exchange for exclusive rights to trade on a lucrative pilgrimage passage, which the Trader believes is on Accusation. A deal was made; the Rogue Trader received the relic to return to the Ecclesiarchial Cardinal of the sector, the Astartes would the planet. Upon landing, a large contingent of Drukhari and Chaos cultists were discovered, and the subsequent combat between the Imperial forces, Dark Eldar, and Chaos heretics was ferocious. In the course of the brutal campaign, the Rogue Trader fell in battle alongside his forces and the Heralds of Ash. To honor him, the Space Marines chose to build their fortress-monastery around the relic's burial site, preserving it for his descendants of his Rogue Trader House to return. The Inquisition, however, suspected the "relic" to be tainted, and outright warned them to stay away, leaving the artifact in the Chapter's care. They stand vigil over its corrupting influence to this day. Around the year 831.M33 (know as the Year of Ghosts) the fairly young Chapter was assigned to a Campaign against a Word Bearer invasion of a Holy world that was created during the War of the Confessor not many years before along side a contingent of Space Wolves, and many others. For a Hundred years the war raged on as not even the dead stayed truly that way. Ghosts and Demons were common sights, but in the end the Heralds of Ash and their allies were victorious but not without great cause. Their Chapter was critically low of personnel and even the Space Wolves were eliminated. When the Inquisition came forth to investigate the war it was decided the best policy was to kill those who were direct witnesses but more so to use the superstitions as a guard against further invasions. The First Chapter Master should have the First Captain undertake a pilgrimage to Fenris, to return the fallen Wolves' gene-seed and relics, and tell of their valor. The Heralds of Ash during the Plague of Unbelief (Unknown.M36) sent out several companies tracking down and eliminating the many false prophets that appeared throughout the anarchic Age of Apostasy, some little more than madmen leading rebel armies, others spiritual demagogues who commanded worlds and armies. Homeworld Accusation's surface is Ashen Wastes full of the graves of the dead and the structures to house them. With nearly every square metre of dirt on Accusation devoted to the dead, even the capital city was considered an extravagance. This world is full of feral Tribes who live outside the processing center cities. Mountains full of Cairns and Tombs fill the world while very large cities act as the points of contact with the greater Imperium. The narrow alleys and passages were steep and cobbled, leading up to the crowning monument -- the heart of the main hive city in both a physical and spiritual sense -- the Memorial Mausoleum. Nestled at the heart of the devotional architecture and adorning the metropolis like a crown was the enormous roof-dome of the sacred vault that dominated the city skyline. A colossal archway-barbican decorated the entrance to the memorial mausoleum. The pillars of the stately sepulchre were thick and tall, and the darkness of the threshold beckoned Imperial pilgrim and cleric alike. The funereal beauty of the Mausoleum was astounding: the intricate scrolling on the wall internments; the silver lettering adorning the floor slabs, recording the names of past pontiffs and cardinals of the Ecclesiarchy; loggia supports and fat sculpted pillars reaching up to the exquisite detail of the Mausoleums domed ceiling. Candles and incense burned from a thousand suspended sconces, and stern statues of Ecclesiarchs already elevated to sainthood by the Imperial Cult adorned the sepulchre space in a ring around a simple block-crypt of obsidian brick. A silver-plated elevator was used to transport clerics and Adepta Sororitas guardians deep below the sepulchre to a small complex of condition-controlled crypt chambers residing behind a thick vault door. A circular gallery spiralled about the sepulchres exterior, made up of marble steps and landings, providing access to the wall-combs, vaultia and the upper stories of the Mausoleum. Imperial mortuary lighters brought an unending supply of the Imperium's noble dead from necrofreighters down to the Accusation surface. The prestige of spending just a century in the precious earth drew cadavers from light years around. Senior officers of the Imperial Guard, the Imperial Navy, members of of Hive World noble houses, powerful merchant lords, Navigators, other planetary nobility and devoted members of the Ecclesiarchy itself were all buried in Accusations sacred topsoil. Coffins and sarcophagi are dug up for shipment back to the families following the expiration of their leases in an unending cycle of inhumation and exhumation on a planetary scale. Grave niches in the catacombs are reused. A body may lay there for a set amount of time and any more time the buried or relatives are willing to pay for, thereafter are the bones removed and placed in an ossuary or charnel house. A Servo-skull Manuifactorum make up one of the great industries of the world along with a trade in pilgrimages. The tourist and pilgrim industry for people wanting to visit the mausoleums of famous people and saints is booming. Pilgrims have to pay to get to the areas where their mausoleums are, then have to pay to get close to the mausoleum, and then pay extra to go in in the mausoleum. Many pilgrims dont think about how to get back home after having visited the holy sites and stranded pilgrims make up a notable underclass on Accusation. Mausoleums have to be paid for. Those that dont have any tourists or pilgrims paying for them, nor any founds or relatives paying upkeep are abandoned or reused. Cremation happens often and the kind of wood used important. The poorest dead are just thrown into gas crematories while those that have paid a bit more get burned with wood, while the richest get buried for a time unless they were significant enough to get one of the Imperial Organizations to pay. Notable parts of Accusation are plantation forests that are grown only to create good funeral wood. Bones that are still there after cremation is considered blessed and are used to create lesser relics. Fortress-Monastery The Sanctuary is a structure in the center of the ruined city of The Unredeemed that is under the "protection" of the Heralds of Ash. The tower has since become a symbol of judgment by the Heralds of Ash as the city of The Unredeemed was built around it. For over the millennia, the tower cast a great shadow down on the inhabitants of the city which became a site of daily persecutions with the lower class living in tents outside the city and either dying of torture or from starvation and plague. Only the Strongest survive going through the ruined city of the downtrodden to make their way to the Sanctuary and finding none. Their they have to pledge sacrifice and loyalty to even undertake trials to become one of the Angels of Death who were above the prosecuted. The only Sanctuary to be had is being strong enough to grant it to one's self. Chapter Beliefs They deviate significantly from the Codex Astartes. Ash is considered sacred by the Chapter, and when Heralds of Ash Battle-Brothers are called to go to a distant war they perform one last act before leave-taking, a ceremony known as the Shouldering the Burden. This ash is carried in a flask by every member of the Chapter, to anoint every planet that they step foot on in a ritual ceremony called the Sharing the Burden. Knowledge was power but needs to be seen through the lens of the Emperor. They believed there was no discipline their intellect could not master, no secret he could not unlock and make serve their purpose. For the Ashen Heralds, knowledge is salvation, the means to controlling the psychic legacy of their Primarch's gene. Every book was sacred, every writing worthy of study, every document a resource to be drained. The Ashen Heralds are publicly dogmatic, swearing oaths of loyalty and singing the Imperial hymns. They fight for the expansion of the Emperor's realm with diligence. To further this Vision Journeys to understand the future and their connections to it as blessed by the God Emperor. Heralds make use of fire in many of their rituals and ceremonies and believe that they must be cleansed by the pain of fire before every major undertaking or initiative. The Chapter Cult that governs the beliefs of the Heralds, placing great emphasis on self-reliance, loyalty, and self-sacrifice. They hold a firm belief in isolationism, the tenet that only through spiritual meditation and exploration performed alone and in isolation from others can a person gain a true understanding of both themselves and how they can best serve the will of the Emperor. Heralds are an extremely devout group whose faith ventured into fanaticism. They are completely dedicated to the Ecclesiarchy and an ardent followers of the God-Emperor. They greatly emphasized religion in everything they do and act with great zeal in their quest to purge the worlds of "heretics". They are portrayed as a considerably dangerous zealots and are known and feared around the Imperium. They possess an intense proclivity towards the use of torture to "purify" those they saw as heretical and are infamous for using painful and varied forms of execution. They have tried and questioned hundreds using brutal and intense methods of religious interrogation, but only a traumatized few had lived through the treatment. After battle the Chapter keep a great memorial service for the fallen, they expect any allied Forces to participate, and react hostile to any who dont. Most Battle-brothers write death poems before important battles. The Heralds, when possible, treat all the dead on the battle field with proper burials/cremation and death rituals. Be they allies or enemies. The Heralds are usually a quiet, sombre, and melancholic Chapter but have great reveling feasts for the death after battle. They try to keep their hunger and rage in check by doing some form of artistic endeavours mainly calligraphy, death poem writing, gravestone carving, death mask making, scrimshawing, coffin making, sculpting of grave statues or mausoleum planning and making. The Chapters generally battle-brothers rest in specially prepared grave niches. Battle-brothers always carry around candles they light at any graveyard or lone grave they pass, including the ones they dig themselves. Dead battle-brother's remains are used to enhance the arms and armor the fallen use to have. By using the reclaimed carbon from his ashes to make auspex-absorbent material with which to coat repaired armor, or press the ashes into a diamond coating for the fallen's sword, in addition of using the bones of the fallen as pieces for the fallen's weapons like Femurs for buttstocks. Techmarines and Chaplains tell a Marine his predecessors' names, when/where/how they died, how their remains were used to improve the relic arms and armor he is about to inherit, and how his own remains will be used to improve his successors' arms and armor, in a grim ceremony as the wargear is issued. Combat Doctrine The Heralds of Ash have a preference for close-ranged fire fights and use many Melta and Flamer weapons to burn whole swathes of infantry troops and to smash armoured foes. Their coming was nothing less than apocalyptic judgement delivered upon the guilty from on high, as descending from the skies on wings of fire. Against the xenos, no such quarter was given, and the wrath of the Chapter was made manifest as a tide of unrelenting carnage that only gave way once complete extermination had been achieved. The Chapter's tactical doctrines are heavily focused on the use of powerful shock assaults to shatter an enemy's resistance in a single, devastating blow. However, they cannot be counted upon to hold a position in the same disciplined way as the Ultramarines or Dark Angels, as any Marine in the midst of battle could suddenly him to charge forward in an attempt to tear the enemy limb from limb. This often has the benefit of creating victories in the unlikeliest of situations through sheer aggression. Before battle, the Heralds of Ash gather in ritual prayer, chanting hymns and doctrines to affirm their faith in the power of the Emperor burning great effigies of the enemy and invoking blood rights to engage their primal instincts. Once done groups of Heralds charge forth in Berserk fury as remainder pick up the standards and chant holy prayers for guidance and victory to a steady drumming of war. The relentless advance of the Heralds is a terrifying sight, as the monotonous chant and beat of drums can break even the strongest will. The night before battle, the enemy can hear mutterings emanating from all around, echoed in the pounding drums, stretching the nerve and instilling every man with fear. The unshakable belief of the Heralds of Ash, that they alone can save the galaxy. Any victory won over the Heralds of Ash is only won at a terrible cost, as their fanatical attacks will only ever end when all are dead. Groups of Heralds are charged beyond the battlefield with hunting down works of false doctrine and those who purveyed it, consigning both to destruction and eradicating flame. On the battlefield, they are tasked with seeking out those things which gave the foe the heart and courage to fight: charismatic leaders, priests, battle flags and champions. Once singled out, they are destroyed with brutal fervour, often far in advance of their own lines in order to do so, with no thought as to their own survival. Carrion eaters are somehow drawn to the Chapters presence and follow them, partially due to the Chaplains and Judiciars bearing censers burning incense whose scent attracts the beasts. Though none say why this is for it has not been proven the correlation. Chapter Gene-Seed A high percentage of Heralds of Ash manifesting some level of psychic ability. A small, but significant percentage are prone to physical mutation. The rate of fatalities among aspirants is frighteningly high. There are also those who argued that the mental scars suffered by those who survived the change were just as deep, instilling a sense of cause and purpose that manifested as unflinching, unreasoning fanaticism bordering on madness, a certainty which could in mere moments turn to insane fury when that purpose was challenged. A tendency for skin pigmentation to permanently darken and appear Ashen often adopting an unnatural granite-like or ash quality. The Heralds of Ash have a grim determination to do their duty. This is not so much a desire to die as it is an acceptance that death is the only end to the path a Space Marine treads, and everything he does is another step along that path and one closer to his eventual demise. As this condition increases, the Battle-Brother can become more and more fatalistic about his chances. These black moods will not affect his willingness to do his duty nor makes him turn from his brothers, but it can press in upon his squadmates all the same. Primarch's Curse: Holy Path of Destruction The Craving for Battle Deep within the psyche of every Herald of Ash is a destructive yearning, a battle fury and hunger that must be held in abeyance in every waking moment. Few Battle-Brothers can hold this in check unceasingly -- it is far from unknown for Heralds of Ash to temporarily succumb to its lure at the height of battle. This craving is the Heralds of Ash darkest secret and greatest curse, but it is also their greatest salvation, for it brings with it a humility and understanding of their own failings which make them understand their connection to the Emperor as humanity's warriors. Holy Rage The Heralds of Ash suffer from a psychic imprint left upon them they don't understand. This can cause them to go insane prior to or during battle and feel a terrible rage that is almost all consuming. Rather than let them face a slow, insane death, Heralds of Ash will form those who have newly succumbed to the Rage into a special unit known as Breakers. Breakers who has fallen to the Holy Rage are kept awake and not sedated but bound when not in combat. Their ravings and screams are faithfully recorded, since it is believed that there are prophesies and holy insights hidden in them. Wounds appear on the raving and restrained Marines despite there being no sign of the hand that inflicted the wounds, due to the sheer psychic trauma inflicted upon them. Sometimes meditative rituals during which the battle-brother is buried alive and has to claw themselves out when finished are used to try to bring a brother back from the brink of becoming a Breaker. Chapter Recruitment Accusation's society is full of death cults who each practice their own way of sending the enemies of the Emperor's to his judgment and there is a constant shadow war between the cults about whose practice is the true path. Every 10 years all the cults send their best young aspirants to the gates of city of The Unredeemed where they have to first get to the Sanctuary tower. The prospects are told they must enter the catacombs, and fight the undead haunting the tunnels, clearing the way so a Chaplain may conduct an exorcism and banish the traitors' spirits; in truth, they're fighting predators imported from death worlds, as well as aesthetically modified combat servitors, with which the observing Chaplain may see how the prospects fare under stress. Many cult-aspirants die during this time, those that return either do it broken or in honour, those that don't return are either dead or have been found fit to become initiates in the Chapter. The chapter have hidden keeps beneath the deepest/most dangerous catacombs protected by traps, and many passages are too small for full-grown men, those making it so that only the young can get all the way. Once they have come far enough they are captured and given a full mental and physical check, those boys that are show to be physically and mentally fit become initiates, the others are healed, memory scrambled so they dont remember anything. Chapter took over some disused catacombs for use as training sites. To avoid ruffling feathers with the organizations maintaining graves on Accusation, these organizations and the planet's populace are told the catacombs belong to traitors whose crimes and sins weren't revealed until after death, forcing the Administratum to declare them damnatio memoriae. Investigations: Heralds of Ash Date:...............Multiple Ref:................LBC//TEC37ORD56 Re:.................Adeptus Astartes - Heralds of Ash Inquisitional Archive: Noted Artifact discovered by Heralds of Ash on world now designated Accusation has markings of Xenos and possibly other origins. The artifact seems to be indestructible, pursuant of artifact now deceased. Family of the pursuant warned never to claim artifact under Inquisitional authority. Archivists will be dispatched to study artifact under the care of the Heralds of Ash. Cardinal who dispatched pursuant, eliminated. Sizable compensation that was to be awarded upon retrieval has been forwarded to the family but now they are marked as worthy of observation evermore.Investigation Status: Logged

Hello there i am in the process of planning fan made chapter but I am wondering whether i shoud make them a legion a lost one to be precise or a successor chapter to either the night lords or the raven guard please reply with your suggestions thank you for time and have a nice day

Greetings B&C, I developed a custom Chapter over the last few months with the help of the B&C community. I now wish to actually paint up an army. This is a project I've been wanted to get started for a few months, and I'd like to show you guys as I work through this project from start to finish. You guys can check them out here http://c-mcbride.blogspot.com/2017/05/sons-of-void-final.html https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B7QwYlsBz-qyY3JfNk53cDJwZzVKQ2NoU0h4cndSa2xnV0Zv

Well now, this had been a very, very long time since I posted an IA here for you Liberites to feast over and tear to pieces. () But I am back with all of this 13th Black Crusade nonsense going on and figured I should bring back an IA from the Archives and see if I can refine and complete it anew. Some of the old hands may remember these guys. Anyway, onto the article! Decimators My brothers, we live in a universe of apathy, greed, corruption and power. Xenos attack our Imperium’s every front and heretics attack from within. Humanity is weak against this perpetual fight of survival, we see it in their flesh and in their actions. They require protectors that reside above such weaknesses of the flesh, and in this nature we serve. For we are the Decimators, the sons of the iron fisted Ferrus Manus, pure in thought and action. We are the hammer that strikes against the anvil of war. We cleanse the xenos, purge the heretic and eradicate all who attempt to destroy us. May our enemies fear our name, for we are their destruction! - Chapter Master Fernos during the siege of Garosh. The Decimators have a long history of executing justice upon the enemies of the Imperium. Forged from the gene-seed of one of Ferrus Manus’ successor chapters, the Brazen Claws, the Decimators were raised up to be a great hammer to strike against and annihilate the enemies of mankind. Created during the 17th founding, the young chapter was trained in the Segmentum Obscurus by their parent chapter in battles against the Eldar and Orks. Captain Anton Grevius of the Brazen Claws’ 3rd Company was bestowed the honour of becoming the leader of a new chapter, his blunt and direct style of warfare being key to creating the Decimators’ battle doctrine over its growth as a chapter. After just over a century of fighting under their parent chapter’s tutelage, the Decimators had built up their numbers and resources to become a fully-fledged chapter with the strength of four Companies. To fully declare the chapter independent, Chapter Master Grevius declared a campaign against Ork Warboss ‘Eadkruncha’s building Waaagh!, which had begun to plague the Imperial worlds of the Nexus Ring. Leading his chapter as an example of heavy hitting annihilation, Grevius and his Decimators destroyed ‘Eadkruncha’s Orks with devastating ease. This doctrine grew into the Decimators’ most favoured method of war, using overwhelming brute force to utterly annihilate a foe. Striving for perfect eradication, the chapter would not declare their most righteous work done until every last enemy they faced had been destroyed. Campaign after campaign, the Decimators proved their aptitude and skill as the Emperor’s avenging angels of war. But, like all chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, the Decimators also learnt harsh lessons during their history which would shape their outlook on warfare and the Imperium. The greatest lesson being the loss of their homeworld, Kairus at the hands of those who were once allies. The Desolation of Kairus Chalice Knights The Chalice Knights descended from the geneseed of Sanguinius’ Blood Drinkers. The Decimators had worked alongside them in a number of key campaigns, within the Segmentum Obscurus against a variety of foes, both Xenos and Chaos. The two chapters held a close bond for over two millennia prior to the Desolation, aiding each other when required and openly sharing their knowledge of current threats within the Segmentum Obscurus. The Chalice Knights’ betrayal, falling to Chaos and to Khorne, cut the Decimators deeper than any blow an enemy could inflict, leading to great changes in the outlook of the sons of Ferrus on the inhabitants of the Imperium of Man. The fall of the Decimators’ home planet, referred to as the “Desolation” occurred at the start of the 874.M37. A large force of the Chapter, including a large amount of its command staff were engaged in the retaking of the Calanus Gulf from an Ork incursion, leaving the Fourth, Seventh and Tenth Companies to guard and protect their homeworld of Kairus. When the expedition force returned from their campaign, they found their home system to be desolate, Kairus itself scoured clean of all life. As the stunned and battle-weary fleet searched through the wreckage of a space battle above Kairus, it was clear that their planet’s defenders were annihilated by Space Marines. It was soon identified the force responsible were those whom Decimators had once regarded as close allies. Discovering the distinctive chalice symbol with an eight-pointed star behind it upon shattered enemy ships, it was insurmountably clear to the Decimators that the Chalice Knights had turned their back upon the Imperium. Stunned and close to despair, Chapter Master Harmun ordered his Chapter to investigate the ruins of the Decimators’ fortress monastery. Mercifully, the chapter’s geneseed vault was found to be left intact, its hidden location deep underground protecting the vault from the destruction above. For the three companies guarding Kairus however, the same could not be said; each and every corpse found had been butchered and robbed of their geneseed. Enraged further by this callous act, Harmun declared the Decimators would engage in a crusade to find and eradicate every trace of the Chalice Knights from the galaxy, avenging the loss of their homeworld and to bring justice for the desecration of their battle brothers. Harmun then declared that he would slay the leader of the Chalice Knights personally to truly eradicate the taint of the renegades. Reporting the heresy of the Chalice Knights and recovering whatever they could from their planet, the Decimators began their crusade to purge all traces of the now traitor Chapter. Over the next century, the Decimators searched for and destroyed any trace of wherever the Chalice Knights had been with elements of the Ordo Hereticus in tow, baptising their crusade as the ‘Cleansing Hunt’. The now renegade chapter had left increasingly frenzied assaults upon planetary systems they found, as they began aligning themselves further to the Blood God, Khorne. The two former allies, now hated enemies, eventually faced each other in full force, ironically, within the Calanus Gulf, where the Decimators had been deployed when Kairus fell. The controlled, righteous fury the Decimators brought to bear in the void and upon the surface of a number of worlds eventually overwhelmed and defeated the bloodthirsty and frenzied attacks of the Chalice Knights. The Chaos renegades were dealt a final blow upon the planet of Grimhold, where Chapter Master Harmun finally faced off against the Daemon Prince that now led the once honourable and loyal Chalice Knights. Engaging each other in singular combat as the battle raged around them, Harmun eventually felled the Daemon Prince with his mighty hammer, ‘Ironfall’ at the cost of his own life as the Daemon Prince speared its warped blade through the Chapter Master’s hearts in a final, hate filled strike. The Huntsmen After the sundering of the Chalice Knights on Grimhold, a handful of Decimators felt that any remnant of their enemy’s existence was a stain upon the galaxy to be cleansed. Requesting that they band together as a group, whose sole purpose was to destroy all remnants of the Chalice Knights, the new Chapter Master of the Decimators acquiesced to their request. Naming themselves the Huntsmen, this small group of twenty Astartes headed for the Eye of Terror, intent on finding any trace of the Chalice Knights and destroying it utterly until nothing was left of their existence. Each Huntsman altered their armour’s colour by replacing the red of their helms, chest Aquilas and gauntlets with an all consuming black. Contact with this band of Decimators was lost a decade after they had reached the Eye of Terror. The fate of the Huntsmen is unknown to the chapter, some believing they died as glorious martyrs, whilst others hold the belief that the Huntsmen still fight within the Eye of Terror, eradicating all traces of the Chalice Knights. The Decimators keep a constant vigil for any sign of their crusading brethren, should the Huntsmen ever return with their deed done and oath fulfilled. As the Daemon Prince was cast back into the warp, the few still sane remnants of the Chalice Knights began to fall back towards the small rift the death of their master had created, as the malefic body was sucked back into the realm of Chaos, knowing that the battle was lost and more slaughters awaited them in the future. With the battle over, the Decimators felt their duty to destroy the Chalice Knights had been done, the traitor Astartes having splintered into small warbands as they fled into the warp rift before it closed. However, the Decimators were dismayed to discover that the body of Chapter Master Harmun was lost to them, having been sucked into the warp with the Daemon Prince he had felled. All that remained of Harmun was his thunder hammer, ‘Ironfall’ and his broken helm, which had been knocked aside in the battle earlier. Reverently recovering these items of wargear with pride for Harmun’s achievement in fulfilling his oath, the Decimators returned to Kairus to choose their new leader and prepare for their next action. Having acted as a fleet based chapter whilst hunting for the Chalice Knights and seeing its benefits, the newly appointed Chapter Master Kell began preparations for the Decimators to become a permanent fleet based force. The High Council of the chapter decided that Kairus’ now desolate surface was a perfect place to train the recruits they would need in future and their Fortress Monastery was to be used a crypt for their fallen. As the Decimators regained their strength and reflected upon the horrific events of the Desolation and the Cleansing Hunt, the chapter grew an increasing wariness of those descended from Sanguinius geneseed. The chapter became convinced that the flaws within The Blood Angels’ geneseed were a major weakness that could be utilised by the ultimate enemy of the Imperium. This wariness also flowed on to a mild distrust of other chapters who have descended from what the Decimators regarded as “flawed and impure” geneseed. In more recent centuries after the Desolation, the Decimators have faced the forces of Chaos repeatedly, seeking to purge any trace of its twisted mutations and weaknesses from the Imperium’s worlds. Their location within the Segmentum Obscurus has also seen the chapter face the numerous Black Crusades the Despoiler has unleashed since their founding. The Decimators have always committed their entire chapter strength against the Chaos armies during these crusades. The greatest and most hard fought defence the Decimators participated in was the 12th Black Crusade, when Abaddon’s forces emerged into the Gothic Sector, close to the region the Decimators’ protect. The chapter suffered heavy losses, but their duty in cleansing the region of the forces of Chaos was achieved with the aid of their fellow loyal Astartes chapters and the further armies and Ordos of the Imperium. The Decimators have now developed their combat methodology to specifically counter the power armoured forces of the Traitor Legions. Beliefs Descending from the seed of Ferrus Manus’ Brazen Claws, the Decimators inherited the belief of the flesh being weak from their parent chapter. When a recruit is blessed with his black carapace, it is traditional the recruit also has bionics implanted into his body to ensure that he lacks weakness. The most common body parts that are replaced are the arms and hands, so that the initiates appear and feel closer to their Primarch and Legion of origin. As well as developing a wary mistrust towards chapters with mutated geneseed, the Decimators have grown to hold a far greater contempt towards what they regard as “impure” humanoids, such as the Imperial Guard’s Ogryn and Ratling soldiers. The chapter has been known to refuse to fight alongside any abhumans in a number of campaigns when possible. As a result of one infamous event; the Decimators are remembered with disgust by the Tarnus 12th Imperial Guard Regiment, after the chapter executed a large cohort of Ogryn from the 12th in the aftermath of their defeat on the planet Sarrim. The Decimators came to the conclusion that the impurity of the Ogryn had been one of the factors of the campaign’s loss. When the Inquisition was made aware of this incident by the Regiment’s high command, the Decimators were issued a warning by the Ordos. When a similar incident occurred 5 years later under similar circumstances, the Decimators were sent on a penance crusade in the far edges of the Segmentum Obscurus for three decades. The chapter still refuses to fight alongside abhumans of any kind, but the memory of their penance crusade by the Inquisition reminds them to keep their views in check, or they will suffer greater consequences for their actions. The Decimators see the Emperor as the greatest warrior in the history of mankind and that they should all strive to be warriors following the Emperor’s example. The chapter view their Primarch as being the great fabricator of the war machines of the Imperium and they believe that their wargear possesses the mark of Ferrus’ soul within the machine spirit. Thus, the Decimators revere every piece of equipment they possess, seeing it as a direct link to their gene-father. Since the events of the Desolation, the chapter have developed an enormous hatred for the dark armies of Chaos. On the armour of the Decimators, verses of loyalty and purity are embossed in gold script, to remind them that their belief in the Emperor is absolute and that they will remember to keep their perturbation towards what they regard as impure allies in check, lest they suffer the consequences. In the chapter’s ten year cycle, there are two great markings of remembrance; the first being the Feast of the Founding, where the Decimators celebrate their creation and it is regarded as a time to reflect on the past year’s events and their achievements and losses. The second event is the Night of the Heresy, where the chapter remembers the great betrayal of Horus and the ten legions that cast their oaths of loyalty to the Emperor into the dust, turning away from His light. It is during this time that the chapter claim their oaths of loyalty once more and they punish themselves for their actions over the past decade if they had sinned. The traditional punishment is that a fellow battle-brother takes a whip with lead ball bearings on the tails and the sinner is given 10 lashings for each sin they have caused, which is placed in a log over the decade and is called out during their punishment. Since the loss of Kairus and the turning of their brother chapter, the Decimators are even more stringent in choosing new members and their Librarians constantly examine their brothers for any sign of taint before, during and after a campaign. Organisation The Decimators follow the Codex Astartes with little deviation from it, bar some of the names in their rank structure. But the chapter’s battle brothers are encouraged to not follow the codex by the letter, focusing on their own knowledge and initiative. In terms of wargear, the Decimators notably rely heavily on Predator Destructors in lieu of the Annihilator variant, after losing a large amount of their Annihilators during the Gothic War. A larger amount of Vindicators populate their armoury than what is considered the norm, with each Battle Company proudly containing their own Linebreaker squadron. Land Raider Gladius The Land Raider Gladius is a rare variant of the mighty vehicle and six are known to exist within the Segmentum Obscurus. It consists of a twin-linked autocannon tank turret atop the Land Raider’s hull, with twin-linked heavy bolters on its sponsons and frontal turret. Troops cannot be deployed within the Gladius, due to the amount of ammunition needed to be stored, but it has proved to be an effective battle tank against masses of Orks and other xenos with light armour. Their use against power armour however, has not proven to be as effective, but the variant has stood its ground on more than one occasion during sieges and assaults against the forces of Chaos. The Decimators’ 9th Company withholds most of the extremely heavy and rare vehicles of the chapter. These include at least one of the Land Raider Terminus, Ares and Achilles variants. It is also known that the Decimators created a unique variant of the Predator and Land Raider chassis, as a result of two separate, vicious campaigns. The first being the Land Raider Gladius, created in M36 from the damaged remains of the Chapter’s Predator Destructors and a Land Raider Prometheus, during their fight against the Ork’s Goff clan. Four are known to exist within the chapter’s armoury, after the first Gladius proved its effectiveness against the Orks. The unique Predator variant created by the chapter is aptly named Predator Decimator. Created during the 11th Black Crusade by High Techlord Heran, the Techmarine built a Predator wielding a twin-linked autocannon turret with plasma cannon sponsons, its use against the advancing forces of Khorne’s forces, at the defence of the hive-city Brasshold. The tank proved to be lethal with its plasma cannons paired with the autocannon turret annihilating the power armour of the Chaos Marines. The variant has been adopted by a number of chapters the Decimators had fought alongside during and after the 11th Black Crusade, notably the Crimson Fists, Sons of Doom and the Swords of Orion. Recruitment Geneseed The Decimators use the seed of Ferrus Manus and there are currently no known mutations with their geneseed. The tithes with the Mechanicum have always been kept up to date, it is known for the Decimators to ask for their geneseed to be analysed more often, to ensure that it is as pure as it can be for the next generation of Astartes. Being fleet based, the Decimators recruit new warriors from a number of planets varying in their geography, including desert planets and hive worlds. The process for recruitment is one that begins with the hopeful aspirants being told that if they chose to join the Decimators, they would serve the Emperor and the chapter no matter what would happen. They are then taken off their homeworlds to the deathworld of Dermur, where the aspirants face the most gruelling and toughest challenges where failure means death or eternal slavery aboard the ships of the Decimators as servitors and chapter serfs, thus keeping the promise that the aspirants would serve the chapter and the Emperor. The first challenge is a great march through the mountain ranges on Dermur’s largest continent, a region filled with vicious predators that stalk the ridges of the mountains. Those who fall are left where they are and the survivors are picked up later by the sergeants to convert them into servitors for the chapter’s fleet of ships. Other challenges and tests taken include tests of faith and skill, such as the aspirants being required to defend themselves from fast approaching targets whilst answering questions from their tutelage, on the history of the Decimators and the legacy of their gene-father, Ferrus Manus. The second major test is one of combat expertise, where the initiates are scattered across the remains of Kairus’ surface, the now inhospitable land providing the perfect challenging environment. Each recruit is given a sword, krak grenade and a shield before being ordered to return to the ruins of the Fortress Monastery. Many initiates fail at this point, either by the harsh climate of the Decimators’ former homeworld, or from myriad of predators that still roam the harsh wastelands, but those who pass are taken to the crypts of the Decimators, still intact beneath the fortress monastery, to make the final test before the statues of the great fallen commanders of the chapter and of their Primarch. The initiates must chisel their name into the “Stones of Kairus”, placing their name alongside the many warriors who have served the Decimators over its history. When they have finished this task, the initiates are sent back to the Decimators’ flagship, the Divine Eradicator and become full members of the Scout Company, blessed with a bionic implant to bring them closer to their gene-father’s legacy. Combat Doctrine Battlecry The battlecry of the Decimators is commonly where the senior commanders shout “In the name of Ferrus!” and the rest of the chapter bellow in response “Hammer down the foe!“. In some cases, though the marines simply shout out the latter cry as they rally their brothers for a charge against the enemy. The Decimators are generally a codex-oriented chapter when it comes to their combat doctrine, but they have a tendency to use Devastator Squads and heavy weaponry more than their Assault Squads. The chapter do however use Landspeeders and Bike Squadrons often, utilising their speed to strike at an enemy whilst they are being bombarded by the heavy weaponry brought to bear. Due to their origins from the Iron Hands, the Decimators utilise a large amount of exotic and rare technological weaponry, such as the use of plasma guns and meltas being favoured in most engagements. The Devastators typically use the more exotic Lascannons and Plasma Cannons over their other options, having grown used to dealing with the heavy armour of Chaos Marines. Due to their constant battles against mechanised forces in offence and defence, the 6th squad of every Battle Company is regarded as the “Tank Hunters”, in which the squad is armed with melta weaponry. The squad is always attached to a heavily armed and armoured Rhino, ensuring that their mobility is at maximum to deal with any armoured threats quickly and effectively. The chapter excel at destroying fortified defences more than fighting in close quarter combat, but after a number of engagements against the forces of Khorne, led primarily by the remnants of the Chalice Knights, the Decimators have developed a unique fighting style for the frenzied attacks of the Bezerkers, the chapter’s developed method proving useful against the Ork menace. The chapter’s recent actions has seen them face an array of xenos, including the sadistic Dark Eldar and the ever marauding Orks, but their most common enemy is the forces of Chaos. As a result, many of the bolters and other weaponry of the chapter have been painted gold to reflect the Emperor’s light and have been anointed with holy oils, to ensure the purity of the machine spirit within. Thunder Hammers are the most common close combat weapon amongst the veteran sergeants of the chapter and the Assault Terminators commonly prefer the use of them over a pair of lightning claws. ++++++++ And there you have it! As always, any and all Comments/Critiques/Ideas are greatly welcomed, so I leave the floor to you all! Damn is it good to be home. Cambrius

EDITS AND UPDATES: So I realized something about my chapter after posting this here and asking for name suggestions, and that is that I had presented the theme incorrectly. Especially at fault was the name (Angels Profundum) and the Chapter Symbol (Very Cthulhu-ish). It made my chapter seem much more "undead pirate" than I wanted. I initially wanted this chapter to be more "Royal Navy of the 1800's". So with that in mind I have made appropriate alterations. I know a lot of you guys were cheering for Angels Abyssal, but with the theme correction I decided to go with Storm Angels instead. It gets rid of the faux latin, and feels much more to the point. Anyway, here are updates, and a crap ton of more content. Also changed the name of my Battle Barge. Darn you Mortarion! This will all still need to be expanded on or edited, but please comment away. Suggestions and criticism is definitely welcome. THE STORM ANGELS CHAPTER NAME: .............. THE STORM ANGELS FOUNDING: .................. ULTIMA FOUNDING CHAPTER MASTER: ............ HARIEL CHAPTER WORLD: ............. KARAPASIA FLAGSHIP: .................. THE WHISPER FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........ THE HALLS OF DROWNING MAIN COLOURS: .............. TEAL BLUE, WHITE, AND GOLD GENE-SEED: ................. LION EL'JOHNSON PROGENITOR: ................ DARK ANGELS KNOWN DESCENDANTS: ......... NONE BATTLE CRY: ................ WEATHER THE STORM (ALWAYS SPOKEN OR WHISPERED), WE ARE THE SONG OF THE SEA! (SHOUTED BY A CHAPLAIN) AND THE SONG IS DEATH! (CHANTED IN RESPONSE) "Let the ocean fill your veins with salt. Let death be your song; violent, sudden, and without mercy, but see now, when the ocean does not rage it is still and calm. Never forget this Sayid. The sea is our mother, and if you listen to her whispers she will teach you much." - Then Captain Hariel addressing Sergeant Hamadaar Sayid on the shores of Karapasia ORIGIN In the earliest years of the Ultima Founding at the very onset of the Indomitus Crusade the Storm Angels were founded to guard against daemonic incursions at the very western tip of the Cicatrix Maledictum. With the bulk of the Indomitus Crusade focused eastward towards the core of the Cicatrix Maledictum, Ultramar, and the Imperium Nihilus beyond, the Capital World of Segmentum Pacificus, Hydraphur, was left with no real reinforcements to speak of. To support the Segmentum Fortress and to prevent the rapidly growing losses of the Imperial Navy in the region the Storm Angels were gifted the oceanic feudal-world Karapasia, located to the galactic southwest of Hydraphur. Created using the gene seed of the Dark Angels the Storm Angels were secretly drawn from aspirants born on Caliban by Belisarius Cawl, engineered and trained on Mars, and placed in stasis for thousands of years. When Roboute Guilliman returned to the galaxy to wage his great crusade these new Primaris Space Marines were released from stasis and formed into new Chapters that would spearhead the fight against chaos and drive back the enemies of man. Because of the secretive and reclusive nature of their gene-seed Cawl and Guilliman saw fit to assign The Storm Angels a more remote and stationary duty, rather than to place them at the front of the Crusade. The Storm Angels took to this assignment with great vigor and resolve, duty-bound to support Hydraphur and their local sector, and to stand as a bulwark against the horrors let loose on the galaxy by the warp. In the years following their founding the Storm Angels met with relative success in stabilizing their home sector, although not without great cost to their numbers. Having weathered wave after wave of daemonic incursions and several smaller Ork invasions from the southwest the Chapter was left at only a fraction of their original strength. Although some reinforcements were provided to the Chapter through seconded battle brothers from the Unnumbered Sons, they also began to recruit heavily from their homeworld of Karapasia. Many of the original Storm Angels had felt an affinity with their adopted home, the Chapter leadership included, and had adopted much of its culture. Seeing strength and value in the hardy seafaring peoples of Karapasia Chapter Master Hariel had declared that trials would be held regularly for the local populace. These trials would be similar in nature to the ones practiced on Caliban thousands of years earlier by the Dark Angels themselves. The Storm Angels would eventually return to full strength, with nearly sixty percent of it's members in the last years of the Indomitus Crusade having been drawn from the population of Karapasia. HOMEWORLD The Storm Angels' homeworld is an oceanic feudal-world located to the galactic southwest of Hydraphur in the Segmentum Pacificus. Prior to the arrival of the Storm Angels the planet was relatively peaceful with several great naval powers having established their dominance. While not at full war these naval powers would push and test each other employing massive pre-industrial fleets. These fleets also served to combat the leviathans that dwell in Karapasia's oceans, and to protect the coastal areas from these same creatures. Because the Administratum and Echlesiarchy of Hydraphur have relatively little power in the sector following the Plague of Unbelief in the 36th Millennium the inhabitants of the world only had very little interaction with the Imperium at large, mostly consisting of a payment of manpower to the Planetary Governor (a middle ranking officer of the Imperial Navy Fleet in the Segmentum). With the arrival of the Storm Angels Chapter Master Hariel became the new Planetary Governor. While the Storm Angels do not really interact or interfere much with the local populace of Karapasia their presence is still felt across the planet. Members of the planetary populace, ranging from the greatest Fleet Admirals to the poorest fishermen, frequently make pilgrimages to the Halls of Drowning, the Storm Angels' Fortress Monastery, to pay tribute and honour the Emperor's mighty Angels. Once a year the Storm Angels send out a Press-Gang to test and collect potential aspirants from the populace. This is considered a great honour, and many young men on Karapasia join ship crews to prove themselves on the seas in hope of attracting the attention of a Press-Gang. FORTRESS MONASTERY The Halls of Drowning serve as the Fortress Monastery of the Storm Angels. It is carved into a massive monolithic limestone promontory on a peninsula located in the northern hemisphere of Karapasia. The promontory is filled with carved out tunnels that reach thousands of feet above sea level as well as far into the ocean's depths. Although the Storm Angels are relatively young, and newcomers to the galaxy, they have frequently campaigned and worked together with their fellow Dark Angels descendants the Guardians of the Covenant. This camaraderie has instilled in the Storm Angels a thirst and appreciation for academia and knowledge which has manifested itself in the form of great libraries and learning halls built into the Halls of Drowning. These academies are an extension of the Storm Angels' Librarium and are situated far above sea level near the top of the Halls of Drowning to prevent water damage and corrosion to the sensitive instruments and documents located within. The Halls of Drowning also host vast caverns that serve as docks and open directly into the ocean. When not campaigning off-world many of the Chapter's battle-brothers will engage in training out on the high sea, fighting leviathans or braving the great planetary storms to harden themselves. These docks also serve as planetary launching pads for transportation to and from the Storm Angels' fleet in orbit. BATTLE FLEET The centerpiece of the Storm Angels' space fleet is the battle barge The Whisper, gifted to the Chapter by Belisarius Cawl at their founding. However, despite the nautical culture and history of the Chapter, and likely because of their relative youth, their fleet is very small, consisting of only one Battle Barge (The Whisper), two Strike Cruisers (Song of the Sea, and The Cerulean), two Hunter Destroyers (The Anchor, and The Fog of War), and controversially one Nova Frigate (The Screaming Wake) which was found by the Storm Angels floating at the edge of the Cicatrix Maledictum, retrofitted, and put into service despite some resistance from local Imperial Navy Command. The Storm Angels also maintain several Overlords for planetary operations and deployment. Of special note is that The Whisper and The Song of the Sea are outfitted primarily with Ceastus Assault Rams instead of Drop Pods (likely due to the Storm Angels penchant and preference for void combat and boarding actions). Also of interest is that despite being a successor to the Dark Angels the Storm Angels do not have access to Nephilim Jet Fighters, relying instead on Stormhawk Interceptors and three airwing detachments of Xiphon Interceptors, having pilots who initially trained in Interceptors during the aftermath of the Heresy and having been provided the crafts by Cawl at their inception. CHARACTERISTICS The Storm Angels are a secular Chapter, being adherents to the pre-heresy Imperial Truth, and do not worship the Emperor as a God. Similarly they do not recognize the divinity of Chaos, seeing Chaos instead as sentient warp phenomena, yet no less heretical in their threat to humanity. Despite this they are a very ritualistic Chapter, and their reliance on ritual is often mistaken for superstition by outside observers. Salt and water are of particular importance in Chapter rituals and imagery. Perhaps somewhat uniquely amongst Space Marine Chapters the Storm Angels value silence, a calm demeanor, and tranquility above all else. They often look to the oceans of Karapasia as an example, believing that rage should only be manifested in sudden violent episodes in battle and when prosecuting the enemies of the Emperor, and that when not so engaged the potential for violence should be tempered under a still and calm surface. Being sons of the Lion they have a dour and melancholy nature, and are secretive and distrustful of strangers. Having much closer ties to the Guardians of the Covenant however than their parent Chapter they are more concerned with protecting civilians than is necessarily considered normal for the Unforgiven. Additionally having not been part of the 1st Legion at the time of Luther's betrayal the Storm Angels' concern for hunting the Fallen, while prominent, is not a dominating characteristic of the Chapter's identity. There is particular enmity between the forces of Slaanesh and the Storm Angels. The decadent and corrupt nobility of Hydraphur became a very tempting target for the Lord of Excess and was made much more accessible to the forces of Chaos following the fracturing of the Galaxy by the Cicatrix Maledictum. Because of this the vast majority of daemonic incursions in the sector were Slaaneshi in nature. Unbeknownst to the Storm Angels, their monastic and dour nature make them somewhat antithetical to Slaanesh. The Keeper of Secrets who is spearheading the incursions into the sector is particularly interested in the challenge of corrupting members of the Storm Angels.

CHAPTER NAME: .............. THE KNIGHTS OF THE AQUILA FOUNDING: ..................6TH [M33] MOTTO: .....................HONOR THE DEAD - BLESS THE LIVING BATTLE CRY: ................HONOR THE DEAD CHAPRTER MASTER: ...........GRAND-MASTER HEINRICH DER PREUßISCHEN CHAPTER WORLD: .............BERLEBURG FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........SCHLOSS BERLEBURG GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ...THE BLOOD ANGELS [THE BLOOD DRINKERS] KNOWN DESCENDANTS: .........NONE “The Gods of the Traitors, are powerless against the Scions of The Angel, through Faith we shall be a bulwark against the storms of chaos, and we as knights and sons, will bring the fury of the Emperor upon the traitors and heretics alike, to cast them into everlasting oblivion." -Grand-Master Heinrich der Preußischen, before the battle of Sachsen- The Knights of the Aquila are a sixth founding chapter, fully devoted to the emperor and the purging of chaos. Their first Hochmeister was Malachi the Company Chaplain of The Third Company of the Blood Drinkers, who was assigned to train the Knights of the Aquila in the ways of battle. Malachi was uncharacteristically zealous in his reverence to the Emperor even more so than the other chaplains, to the point that the chapter was glad to get rid of him. He set about molding the chapter as a mirror of his Ideals; the Scions of Sanguinius must be masters of the jump pack, formidable swordsmen, unflinchingly loyal, and their minds must be devoted to the perfection of their craft. The formative years of the chapter were largely uneventful aside from being assigned Berleburg as a chapter planet. Once the newly formed chapter was combat ready it was thrown into combat against a small Ork Waaagh to attempt to prevent them from gaining a foothold in the Westfalen sector. Their campaign was executed with deadly efficiency, and their losses were relatively insubstantial when compared to the losses of their enemies. The Knights of the Aquila have an intriguing lack of more modern Equipment, with older marks of Power Armor (specifically Mk.4) overrepresented. In addition, their First company prefers to fight in Power Armor As opposed to Tactical Dreadnaught Armor, as mobility is seen as paramount in the doctrine of their chapter. However, the first company does find the ability to teleport into a critical location useful, as such the Chapter still has a small stock of Terminator armor specifically for such scenarios. The Knights of the Aquila are Specialist in a close range combined arms approach, with their Tactical Marines providing close range fire support for their Assault Marines, Vanguard Veterans, and their fallen brethren of the Death Company. Compared most of their fellow sons of Sanguinius they have a relatively low occurrence of the black rage, therefore their death companies tend to be small. Furthermore, their Red Thirst is satiated by the daily ritual of "The Sanguine Rite" in which they consume a small quantity of their brother's blood gathered by the Sanguinary Priest. This allows the Knights of the Aquila to maintain a more disciplined approach to warfare than their more savage cousins, however, in battle the Blood still calls to them, hence they maintain the Blood Angels practice of having the more experienced brothers serving in the devastator squads. A perfect example of their Combat Doctrine is the battle of Schwartz Halfen, a manufactorium in the eastern Westfalen Sector. The Third Company, under Company-Master Wiesmann, was tasked with the re-taking of the first complex, along with the First Fallschirmjäger Regiment under Colonel Johann S. Böcker, and 212th Saxon Fusilier Regiment under Colonel Hans A. Eisenmenger. The Fallschrimjäger Deployed Ahead of the primary assault forces (the 212th Saxon Fusiliers and the Astartes), to provide a mobile screen and to prepare a Forward Base. Once the Foward Base was established, the 212th Saxon Fusiliers garrisoned the Foward Base and deployed their attached Heavy Artillery Battery (Seconded from the 356th Independent Artillery Regiment). Once the artillery was ranged in, the Third Company's tactical squads arrived by drop pod, deploying ahead of the base and began the assault. The first minutes saw the First Fallschrimjäger advancing on the outer defenses, with the Third Company’s Devastators providing fire support. Once within range of their boltguns, the Tactical Marines commenced firing on the enemy infantry. As this was occurring the 212. Saxon Fusiliers’ attached Artillery began the demolition of the defenses. Once a breach in the defenses was created, the Third Company’s assault marines and Death Company commenced a deep strike operation on top of the defenders, and the rest of the already deployed Astartes charged into combat, First Falschrimmjäger then retired from the main line and redeployed to another area of the greater battle, once the defenses were thoroughly cleared of resistance the 212. Saxon Fusiliers took over the responsibility of holding the position freeing the Third Company to continue to push the assault. (to be redone & replaced with a new example) From this example, we can draw the following conclusions...(Input Requested) The Knights of the Aquila are relatively strange amongst the Blood Angels successors by being relatively under control of their Red Thirst and Black Rage. The Knights of the Aquila maintain this is because of the discipline exhibited amongst the recruits from their recruiting worlds in the Westfalen subsector. Another explanation is that their chapter's tenents are far more strict in its definition of humanity, going as far to say Astartes ar not, in fact human, but instead, mutants that must repent for their failings, and serve the more pure strains of humanity, (ie, Non-psyker, non-mutant humans). However, their beliefs also do state that Experience is the greatest determination of skill. So they are willing to lead humans into battle, as their experience far outweighs any pure-strain mortal, but they will not even consider allowing their mortal comrades die so they might live. An unfortunate side effect of this is that the Knights of the Aquila are prone to losing colossal numbers of marines in battle, to save just a few more of the pure-strain humans. The most common ritual practiced by the chapter is the triannual "Mass of Repentance" where the Astartes gather to repent for their mutation, by cutting themselves, then drinking the blood of their brothers. The next step is that a selected number of Chapter Serfs will have blood drawn which is then given to the marines as the Eucharist of Purity, who then drink a small portion of this blood. Fallowing this the marines take a vow of repentance stating: "With this, the essence of purity, my impure blood is shown to me, its coruption is bannished, its weakness purged, I pray to the Holy Emperor that I may protect his purest children, and purge his enemies, in the name of the God Emperor, Amen" The Westfalen Sub-Sector sits within the Segmentum Ultima and is a military bastion, providing a basic level of security. Simply due to the population and size the local bureaucracy is overstressed and their government is primarily concerned with the military, so things such as infrastructure and civilian quality of life are in disastrous neglect, but there is a saying in the nearby sectors “there’s no enginseer like a Westfalen enginseer” and this is very true when repairs are made they’re of a quality that they look like it just rolled off of the production line. As a result of this Westfalen vehicles are kept in a better state than those of many other regiments, but a Westfalen-Pattern vehicle is normally heavier than its Mars-Pattern counterpart and hence is more likely to become stuck in rough terrain. this weight, however, has a useful aspect, as this weight allows for nigh-unprecedented levels of crew survivability. The Armed Forces of Westfalen are divided into 3 distinct entities, the Heer, the Luftwaffe,and the Kriegsmarine.The overall commander is the Chancellor,then followed by the head of each branch: The Generalfeldmarschall of the Heer, Generalfeldmarschall of the Luftwaffe, the Großadmiral of the Kriegsmarine. Underneath them are the generals of the Sub-branches, which are then divided into divisions, then into regiments, etc. Of particular note is the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger who are roughly equivalent to Tempestus in training, as they are orphans of officers who are then sent to the “Sturm Akademie” roughly equivalent to the Schola Progenium. (more coming) The Pacification of Elepsos [313.M34] The planet of Elepsos was a minor Forgeworld in the far northeast of the Westfalen subsector. Its Techpriests were always seen as radicals by the Martian authorities, but up to this point, their eccentricities had been accommodated. This changed when the Elepsosian Techpriests decided to reject the omnissiah in favor of the "God of Iron" now believed to be a Greater Deamon of Tzeentch. this was unacceptable to the Westfalen Authorities, including the Knights of the Aquila, the Sector Grand Command Staff (consisting of the Chancellor of Westfalen, the Magos of the local loyal forgeworld (Ruhr), the Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy, and Airforce, and the Grand-Master of the Knights of the Aquila) was assembled.The Knights of the Aquila dedicated their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 9th companies to the pacification of the now heretic forgeworld, in addition, they had the 313th, 28th, 17th, and 12th Westfalen Infantry Divisions, as well as the 13th Westfalen Carrier Group. In the opening stages of the battle the Loyal forces easily overwhelmed the haphazard extra-planetary defenses, but once in orbit, they found stiffer resistance in the planetary defense macrocannons. However, these were dispatched when the 1st Company's Terminators teleported into the Macrocannon battery's Staff office and dispatched the main Astropathic Choir in charge of communication across the planet. This campaign culminated in the Siege of Forge 389a, where the majority of the remaining Traitor forces were located. The battle went smoothly until the inner sanctum was breached and a large force of daemon engines were released upon the assaulting force. In the chaos of the battle the first Hochmeister, Malachi was slain in battle after destroying the manufactorum's primary Thermo-Plasma reactor, causing a chain reaction amongst the other reactors on the planet. however, this victory came at a cost, with many good Imperial soldiers died in the explosion. On that day the Bell of Lost Souls was rung 3000 times to remind all Imperial citizens, That Only in Death, Does Duty End. The Seige of Westfalen [150.M42] The Actual Narative Campaign Being played...(will update this as it progresses)

Dear Liber, more than half a year later, kindled by the upcomming 8th Editon, I took the time to go through my Index Astartes for my Chapter the Thousand Fists, and finalize the texts. I can't remember when or why, I came up with writing it as letters from an Apothecarius of the Thousand Fist to an Apothecarius of the Scythes of the Emperor, but that's the form it has now. Probably it's because, the whole reason for coming up with a homegrown chapter is, it have an own background to start writing more stories about. I'll be publishing a new letter every day in this thread (five are already written two others half way done and I have content for a ninth). As always: Please be kind, when it comes to orthography (English is not my first Language) and thanks in advance for any Feedback. I sincerly hope you enjoy it, your humble servant, Filius P.S.: Thanks everyone, who already helped me. I wouldn't have come so far without the people in this most amazing place of the Galaxy in the 40th Millennium. Thanks a lot! P.P.S.: I skipped that "publishing a new letter every day" thing. I'l just publish them here, when they are ready.

Index Astartes: Supernovas http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Wargamer/SupernovanChapterSymbol.png http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Wargamer/Supernovas%202017/SupernovanCorvus_zpstb5d4kqu.png Typical soldier of the Supernovas Chapter, adorned in full Corvus plate. The Supernovas are a Chapter with an ill recorded history. Situated on the very extremes of the Imperium, official records of them are often inconsistent or altogether missing, resulting in a great deal of misunderstanding and misinformation. The Chapter has been declared lost at least twice in its history, but lack of administrative accuracy is of no concern to the warriors of Tasal. They keep their own records, and care little for the opinion of the wider Imperium. Origins Within the Supernovas Chapter there is some dispute as to their origins. The Chapter's Librarians are divided into two camps, both built around a central myth. The first tale revolves around the Wolf Lord Lartha, who found the world of Tasal under attack by Orks and came to their aid. Though hopelessly outnumbered, the Space Wolves noted that the primitive peoples of Tasal were fearless in battle, using muskets, swords and crude artillery to face down Orks and their comparably more advanced war machines. The war was long, and by the time Tasal was liberated the Second Founding was underway. Lartha, not wishing to see such a remote world left defenseless, demanded the right to establish a Chapter on Tasal. They took the name Supernovas, for in the eyes of Tasal's people they were death born from the stars themselves. The competing narrative revolves around an Ultramarine Chapter Master named Laertes, who liberated Tasal from an Ork invasion at the dawn of the Imperium. Following the Horus Heresy and the dividing of the Legions, Laertes returned to Tasal to create the Supernovas; a Chapter with which he hoped to emulate the glory of the Legions his Primarch had abolished. Curiously, despite the latter story appearing more likely due to the Chapter's gene-seed appearing to be based on the Ultramarines, the legend of Lartha is favoured within the Chapter. The oldest Dreadnoughts support the Laertes account, but their recollections are imperfect and cannot be verified. Homeworld Tasal teeters on the border of being a feudal planet and a full-blown Death World. Once highly advanced, during the Long Night it regressed considerably to its present state. Tasal's primary civilisations come in two forms; the people of the bastion cities, and the war trains that link them. The bastions are fortresses lined with ancient artillery and manned by soldiers armed with auto-lock muskets. The war trains are venerable war machines older than the Imperium, and the only vehicles than can hope to ward off the super-predators that stalk the lands. Yet Tasal is a varied world, and many more peoples can be found there. In the interior of the Pangaean super-continent is the Wyldstawk, an ancient jungle that cannot be tamed and consumes all who try. Barbarian tribes survive here against all odds, and none are more fierce or more feared than the Berserkers of Qwaythe. Far to the south, Icelanders brave the polar seas to raid southern towns, while in the north-east the Armourers of Yyth produce the weapons and ammunition their planet needs in its unending war against itself. Legend has it that Yyth still possesses the secrets of lasgun technology; small wonder that so many of the Chapter's techmarines are drawn from this fortress nation. Tasal breeds hardy people, for it is a place where life is short and brutal. Those not gunned down by rival tribes or consumed by the world's many predators will likely die from some virulent pathogen, or cancers caused by the sun's radiation. Scarce few live to see their fortieth year, and those that do win those years with steel and shot. The Supernovas do not maintain one single fortress monastery on Tasal. Instead, each Company has its own fortress with subterranean transit links between them. In many ways, this mirrors the cities from which so many are recruited, and fosters an independent mindset within each Company; something the Chapter does nothing to discourage. Organisation The Supernovas adhere loosely to the Codex Astartes, but deviate in some notable ways. The First Company is a veteran company as normal, albeit with some internal differences. The remaining eight companies are all Battle Companies of up to twelve squads. Each company is in charge of its own recruitment, and instead of the aspirants forming Scout squads as in other Chapters, they take the role of "Novitae" and are added to regular battle squads under the direct tutelage of a designated Marine. The direct method of mentoring mirrors the familial practices common on Tasal, where skills and wargear are passed from parent to child. This link is further mirrored as it is common for a Marine to mentor the Novitae created from their extracted progenoid. This creates a strong bond between student and mentor, and a sense of family absent from many Chapters. Indeed, some Marines take great pride in their "bloodline", and seek to emulate the great deeds of their forefathers. The primary fighting unit of the Supernovas Chapter is the Battle Squad, which somewhat resembles a Codex pattern Tactical Squad. Most contain ten Marines, of which some may be Novitae, and most Marines will be armed with bolters, with a single special and heavy weapon being common. However, this is not a fixed organisation; Battle Squads will change their internal structures based on the needs of the campaign, the orders of the sergeant or simply the personal whims of its members. Because of the traditions of tutelage and bloodline, Battle Squads often see themselves not only as a fighting unit, but a family. These bonds can result in Marines refusing to leave their unit when promoted or adopted into specialist roles. This can lead to Battle Squads that contain specialists, such as Apothecaries or Techmarines, or even have Company Captains continue to act as a squad sergeant for their old unit. Officially, the Supernovas have neither Assault nor Devastator squads. The latter is due to a general disdain for long-range warfare within the Chapter, although squads can be persuaded to fill this role if the need arises. Assault squads are typically formed of volunteers due to their high casualty rates, and as such Marines who repeatedly take this duty are typically fast-tracked for promotion, assuming they survive. The structure of the companies, combined with the attitude of self-reliance and independence the Chapter fosters within its members, results in each company essentially being autonomous. Each Captain is free to undertake their own missions and deployments, and likewise most extend similar autonomy to their sergeants. This autonomy ensures that individual Supernovas are more than capable of taking whatever role is needed, and any given squad can operate without supervision as needed. However, it also leads to tension in the ranks when squads or companies must be ordered about, rather than left to their own initiative. Befitting a Chapter of its age, the Supernovas have access to a wide array of vehicles and specialist equipment. However, their preferred style of fighting - up close and personal - leads them to favour bikes and land speeders as their primary support vehicles, assuming a Drop Pod assault is not an option. Whirlwinds and Vindicators are unpopular, as they represent the horrors of siege warfare; campaigns where it can take months to gain a few hundred metres of ground! Supernovas seek to win swiftly. Weapons of War The armoury of the Supernovas is an armoury of relics. The Chapter's war plate consists mainly of older model suits, particularly the Mk VI "Corvus" plate. Their weapons are likewise greatly prized, with many of their bolters originating from the lost Forge World of Tigrus. While the Supernovas do use more modern weapons and armour, they do so begrudgingly; any design not used during the Great Crusade is deemed to be inherently inferior. New model weapons, in the eyes of the Supernovas, are always lacking in efficiency, precision design or simple elegance compared to earlier editions. Rituals of the Chapter http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Wargamer/Supernovas%202017/Supernovan4th_zpstoiioyvy.jpghttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Wargamer/Supernovas%202017/Supernovan5th_zpsnvynj0ge.jpghttp://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y198/Wargamer/Supernovas%202017/SupernovanCydaSquad_zpsljes1k2o.jpg Left: The 4th Company near universally wear a black and red shoulder in honour of their Captain. Centre: Members of the 5th use green honour markings in no set pattern, typically shoulder trims, elbows or knees. Right: Black and gold honour marking adopted by various squads following the Tyrannic Invasion of Tasal. With a history stretching back almost ten millennia, it is to be expected the Supernovas have developed their own rituals and quirks. The most obvious of these are their use of honour markings; modifications to their heraldry worn by squads, or sometimes entire companies. These markings are adopted for various reasons, either to commemorate a great victory, or pay respects to a fallen hero. One of the most common examples of honour markings is the adoption of part of another Chapter's heraldry, typically worn on the left shoulder. Perhaps the most important ritual to the Chapter is the tradition of Taekar. The word is used as a battle cry by the Chapter, but it specifically refers to the act of shedding blood with a sword. Once a Supernova has drawn his sword it must taste blood, and if a Supernova's sword is still clean at battle's end they will ritually cut themselves or an ally to satisfy the blade. It is not clear what would happen to a Marine who sheathed a sword without it spilling blood, but it is implied the punishment may go as far as death. Finally, the Chapter has throughout its history made us of various 'war cults'. These are typically soldiers bound together by common experience, and typically emerge as specialisations in certain forms of war. The currently active war cults within the Chapter are listed below: The Dead Company: The bonds between squadmates of the Supernovas are akin to family ties, and it is inevitable that the most senior warriors have buried many friends and brothers. For some, this burden of loss is so great that they retreat into themselves, becoming melancholic souls who long for death. However, their training, beliefs and fundamental nature do not allow them to take their own lives, nor to surrender and allow the enemy to kill them unchallenged. These lost souls, often having risen to the First Company, become death seekers who pursue the deadliest of battles. The Dead Company wear the Chapter's suits of Terminator Armour, which they adorn with tabbards and prayer seals bearing the names of the fallen they seek to join. The Dead Company never retreat, for to die standing would finally release them from the burdens they carry. These warriors are mourned by their Brothers, yet equally respected for the glory they earned in the past, and the heroism they perform while Dead. They represent the dark side of the Assault Squad; where Assault Marines seek danger for glory, the Dead Company seek it for release. Although some do eventually choose to return to the Chapter, most perish in its service. Others still outlive the Dead Company and embark upon the Waye of the Dead - a lonely pilgrimage to Terra where they seek to stand before the Emperor and gain His blessing. From there, they will journey into the Eye of Terror itself; the one place in the universe they can be sure to fall in battle. The Chapter prays that these lonely warriors may take countless souls with them when they finally fall. Ironforged: The Ironforged are uncharacteristically grim and dour compared to their peers, but respected for their ability to bring down fortress walls or hold the line against overwhelming odds. The original Ironforged were Novitae who learned the art of war on the Ork world of Haraz, during the siege of the Green Peaks. Months of brutal trench fighting, bunker busting and attrition war produced soldiers unlike any other, bearing a mindset and view of war totally at odds with their brothers. Today, only a single "true" Ironforged remains; Brok the First Forged, a Dreadnought of the 8th Company. However, Marines who show talent for siege war may be bestowed the honorific by Brok, and thus the Chapter maintains a few squads of these elite warriors to this day. Outside of the 8th, Ironforged typically serve other Companies as vehicle crews for the few Whirlwinds and Vindicators they use, or joining squads as a heavy weapons trooper. The Stalkers: Most Supernovans believe that death should be loud, swift and direct, delivered by bolt round or blade. Yet an experienced commander knows that sometimes a warrior must go unseen, and with no Scouts to act as infiltrators and assassins, the Supernovas must rely on Stalkers - veteran warriors who can set aside ideals of honour for the good of the Chapter. Stalkers are usually drawn from the First Company, as age and experience tempers their headstrong urges. They have access to equipment not usually found in a typical Astartes squad, such as Stalker bolters, cameoline and sniper rifles. Stalkers, being rare, are usually reserved for larger actions where multiple Companies are deployed. They will prowl ahead of the Chapter, sabotaging enemy facilities, eliminating key targets and gathering intel for their Brothers. When it is time for battle to be joined, Stalkers will stand beside their brothers as surely as any other warrior, reminding the doubters that their choice of fighting style is born of tactical necessity, not lack of personal prowess. The Naked Berserkers: On Tasal, the most feared men in all the world are the Naked Berserkers of Qwaythe; wild jungle-men who fight skyclad to show their lack of fear, and high on narcotics to make them immune to all pain. Small wonder that the Chapter tries to recruit from Qwaythe whenever possible, and those that make it typically bring the Berserker cult into the Chapter. Despite their name, Naked Berserkers do not fight naked - Astartes are far too valuable to be wasted on such rash actions! Instead, they go to battle bare-headed to show their disdain for enemy fire. In individual squads, Naked Berserkers typically act as close combat troops or special weapon soldiers armed with flamers or meltaguns. However, on occasion entire squads of Naked Berserkers will form, and these make some of the most terrifying combat troops in the Chapter. Naked Berserkers are more likely than any other group to form assault squads, for in their eyes there is no such thing as a suicide mission; merely a chance to earn ever greater glory. Adepta Astartes One of the more perplexing claims of the Chapter are the Adepta Astartes, or Female Space Marines. The Chapter has a policy of taking any aspirant who passes their trials, and while relatively few girls come forward, it is inevitable that some female aspirants complete the challenges and are accepted. In particular, the warriors of the Icelands offer large numbers of female recruits, in part due to the astonishingly high mortality rate of their (mostly male) seafarers. Imperial scholars largely assume these female recruits go on to serve as Chapter Serfs or auxilia, but according to claims made by the Chapter itself approximately 10% of its current Astartes fighting strength are, or possibly were, female. When the impossibility of such things is pointed out to them, the Supernovas typically respond with derision. What the Chapter seeks to gain from this apparently malicious act of misinforming Imperial scribes is unclear, but they clearly take pride and pleasure from doing so. Heroes of Legend Master Ximo: Master Ximo was one of the longest serving Chapter Masters in the history of the Supernovas and was viewed by many as one of the best. Born a tribal, Ximo showed himself to have a sharp, inquiring mind and quickly absorbed the teachings of war. He soon rose to sergeant, where he showed both tactical and strategic insight that marked him out for promotion. In due course, Ximo became a Captain and while he was never the fiercest of most skilled fighter, he was unmatched in his ability to see and control the flow of battle. In his long career, Ximo suffered multiple injuries to the point where he became more machine than man. Yet while his body failed, his mind did not. He rose to Chapter Master where his talents for grand strategy saw their full potential. Ximo was praised not only for his planning, but for his ability to react and counter the plans of the enemy. It seemed Ximo could tell exactly which forces would hold and which would break; where the enemy sought to break through and where their attacks were mere distraction. To his subordinates he was ever approachable, seeking to council rather than command whenever possible. His council often came at a high price, however, as during his formative years he fought beside the Blazing Kitsunes Chapter and learned from them a tea ceremony. It was said that veterans of many centuries would happily throw themselves into the Eye of Terror rather than endure the slow, ritual tedium of drinking tea with the Chapter Master. Ximo perished in battle against one of his own; a Battle Brother who had fallen to the Ruinous Powers centuries ago, whom had served as both friend and rival to Ximo prior to his promotion to Chapter Master. Cylaros, the Champion of Tasal: Ask any man of the Chapter to describe Cylaros, and they would invariably call him pious. Intensely driven by his faith, Cylaros would have likely become a Chaplain where it not for the fact he was also a peerless swordsman, quickly rising to be the finest in the Chapter. In only a few decades of becoming a full-blood Marine, Cylaros was named Champion of the Fifth Company; a role he served with distinction for half a century. Always the first to battle, and rightly confident of his abilities, Cylaros was rewarded with promotion to Champion of Tasal, where he carried not only the honour of the Chapter, but the duty of personal bodyguard to Master Ximo. Upon Ximo's death, Cylaros was chosen to lead, having been seen by many as Ximo's protegee. However, Cylaros' failure in protecting his Master, combined with his death at the hands of a fallen Supernovan created a seed of fear in Cylaros' mind. He became convinced the Chapter was wayward and pushed to restore them in the eyes of the Imperium, championing a return to Codex orthodoxy that divided, rather than united the Chapter. Having successfully alienated a third of his Captains, Cylaros took those who would obey upon a Crusade of Faith. In his absence, Tasal would come under attack from a Tyranid Hive Fleet - an act for which Cylaros once more blamed himself. In the wake of the reclamation of Tasal Cylaros surrendered the title of Chapter Master, expecting death or exile for his failings. To the surprise of many, not least himself, Cylaros was restored to the role of Champion of Tasal by his successor, Dyus Ironforged. Whether this decision was wisdom or folly, only time will tell. Dyus Ironforged: Current Chapter Master, Dyus was born and raised in Yyth, the most technologically proficient region of Tasal. From the beginning he showed the traits of patience, methodical thinking and a cool temper; traits that marked him as an outsider amongst his peers. Soon after becoming a full-blood Marine, Dyus was approached by the Ironforged Cult and asked to join the 8th Company so he could be tested. After many years of service with the 8th, Dyus was brought before Brok the First-Forged; the last of the original Ironforged, now interred within a Dreadnought. Brok judged the deeds of Dyus and, after many hours contemplation, found him worthy. As an Ironforged, Dyus proved himself time and again on the field of battle, excelling in particular in defensive actions. Where his brothers were relentless in attack, Dyus was immovable. In time he rose to Captain, and was declared Seneshcal of Tasal, entrusted with the world's protection above all else. In this role, Dyus would face one of his greatest trials. As most of the Chapter embarked on a crusade, Tasal itself fell under Tyranid assault. With only one Company under his command, Dyus was forced to wage a months-long campaign against a seemingly endless alien horde. Yet he took this challenge as he did all others; with grim resolve. Every available force, from his own Ironforged to the planet's population was mustered and commanded as best they could be. Battle lines were drawn, and Dyus was forced to face the grim reality that much of the planet would be lost, whatever choices he made. If this troubled him at all, he never showed it to another living soul. For months, Dyus led the fighting, often personally taking the field. He could not advance upon the Tyranids, but wherever he fought the line at least would hold firm, no matter how strong or numerous the foe. While millions died and cities fell, Dyus ensured at least that the Chapter's fortresses held strong, providing shelter for what few people could flee to their walls. When salvation finally came, Dyus did not step back as might have been expected. He used his position as Seneschal to claim command of his returning Chapter, and every allied force accompanying them. At last able to go on the offensive, Dyus' cold resolve proved instrumental in bringing Tasal back from the brink. Where the Tyranids dug in, hiding in caves or lost fortifications, Dyus and his Ironforged led the assaults, using their siege craft to break the enemy and minimise losses. Following the destruction of the Hive Fleet, Dyus was unanimously chosen to become the next Chapter Master. He set about replenishing his depleted forces and restoring Tasal as best he could. Though he hoped for respite, fate had other plans; it would not be long before the Imperium would be split asunder, and Dyus would find himself and his Chapter cut off from Terra, one of millions of worlds lost in the Dark Imperium. The 42nd Millennium Either by good fortune or some residual effect of the Tyranid's Shadow, Tasal and the nearby systems rode out the Noctis Aeterna unscathed. This respite gave the Supernovas time to rebuild their forces and prepare for the coming wars against the armies of Chaos and the xenos who sought to exploit mankind's weakness. In the wake of the Indomitus Crusade, the Chapter was reinforced with two squads of Primaris and granted the means to produce their own Primaris Marines. However, the Chapter remained highly skeptical of these new breed of warriors, and so they were not actively embraced. Indeed, it took some time before the Chapter would even accept the return of the Primarch Guilliman, let alone adopt his new vision for the Astartes. However, as time progressed, Master Dyus became more amiable to the proposed changes in the Codex, if only as an excuse to enhance the fighting power of the Chapter. Seeing the need for Astartes was greater than ever, Dyus gave the Companies his consent to expand, increasing their operational size from twelve squads to twenty. What few Primaris the Chapter possessed were encouraged to adapt to Battle Squad doctrine rather than Guilliman's edict, in essence functioning as a direct upgrade to the standard tactical model. The newly reinstated Lieutenant rank was also embraced, albeit inconsistently across the Companies.

Origins: Part of the 22nd founding of the Adeptus Astartes, The Knights Defiant have always fought with an unwavering determination that cannot be stayed except by direct order. Much like their Progenitor the Venerable Imperial Fists the Knights Defiant refuse to retreat from most any battle and much less one on their own territory. History: During the first centuries of service the Knights Defiant remained largely within their own star with few exceptions. It was during this time when Venerable Roland came to power as the first Chapter Master raised from the home planet of Eysines. Under his guidance the Knights Defiant became more aggressive and eventually this cost them dearly. During a particularly bloody Campaign in Ork held space near the Eysines System Venerable Roland was struck low by the Warboss Urgak this caused House Ferox to fly into a fury unseen by the chapter as they pursued vengeance against the Warboss Urgak who had injured their Master. This ended with House Ferox facing almost complete destruction against the Ork horde as they Recovered the body of Venerable Roland they discover he was alive although barely. House Ferox had suffered greatly at this point but due to the intervention of House Wayland the Knights Defiant had recovered Venerable Roland and some of House Ferox. Upon the flagship, The Sword of Eysines Venerable Roland was entombed inside a Contemptor Dreadnought chassis. In the aftermath of the battle that laid Venerable Roland low House Lord Wayland ascended to Chapter Master and Rebuilt House Ferox and upon its return to full strength he renewed the Campaign. Under Chapter Master Wayland the Ork horde was suppressed to only a singular planet now Known as the Cage to the Knights Defiant who now use it as a training ground for aspirants. This is all that is recounted of Venerable Roland who is the only Astartes privy to the knowledge of the Chapter’s beginning due to a rebellion within the Chapter Librarium where Chief Librarian Dordalus and a majority of the Epostolaries turned to chaos and stole with them much of the Chapters lore. Considering this the Chapter has ruled the only loyal Epostolary remaining to assume the burden of the entire Librarium and the task of hunting Dordalus and reclaiming the Chapters lore. Now Epostolary Naram is under direct watch of the Reclusiam always and during battle he must remain near a Chaplain or a House Lord always should he turn. Considering Primarch Robute Gulliman’s Indomitus Crusade and the reinforcing of front line chapters with Primaris Astartes. The Knights Defiant were sent an entire company of Primaris Astartes due to no updates on troop strength reaching Terra or Gulliman. As such the Knights Defiant have a total strength of 1,100 Astartes during the final days of the Indomitus Crusade. However, the Knights Defiant haven’t taken kindly to the Primaris Astartes and have thus kept them entirely separate from the Great Houses. Since receiving reinforcement the Knights Defiant haven’t deployed and therefore the Primaris group hasn’t experienced combat and is distrusted by the Chapter until their worth has been proven. Homeworld: Eysines is a planet capable of maintaining human life and was first colonized during the Great Crusade. During its colonization progress, it was found to be quite rich in minerals required for manufacturing of Astartes vehicles and weaponry. Eysines had its own Imperial Army regiment founded for self-defense and transportation of minerals to the Blood Angels for use in the 9th Legion. Eysines remained largely unaffected by the Crusade until the Horus Heresy began and Eysines was invaded by the 8th Legion for the resources present. When news of the reached Baal the Blood Angels sent one of its Fleets to recover Eysines and in the following campaign a majority of the population had been killed off in the fight between the Astartes. Once the Night Lords had been repelled it was determined Eysines was too damaged to be considered a priority during the Heresy and was thus forgotten and the remaining population recovered over the course of the next 7,000 years. The inhabitants of Eysines regressed severely due to the catastrophic fighting that occurred on the surface and has now re-emerged as a pre-black powder society reminiscent of medieval Terra. Eysines people have organized themselves into a semi democratic society in which the head of one of the 8 Great houses assumes complete autonomy over the sovereign for the next year. The process by which this is chosen is directly correlated to the aspirant selection games that the Knight Defiant host each year to search for possible neophytes. Combat Doctrine: The Knights Defiant fight in a manner like that of the Black Templars preferring blade and strength to overwhelm the enemy at close proximity. However, the Knights Defiant also make extensive use of Razorbacks and Land Raider Redeemers as the primary mode of transportation instead of rhinos. The use of whirlwinds is also quite prevalent among the Knights Defiant to cover the approaching Astartes. Chapter Culture: During a meeting with the Black Templars that’s long since been forgotten the Knights Defiant have also taken up the quirk of chaining weaponry to their armor during Crusades as a form of devotion to the Crusade. Astartes within the Knights Defiant also tend to inscribe oaths of combat or faith upon their power armor during times of distress and sorrow as well as upon the Day of the Emperors Ascension. Unlike Most chapters an Astartes in the Knights Defiant are recruited into the same house they fought for in the Eysines Tournament and will remain in that house exclusively unless they ascend to Chapter Master in which they no longer belong to a House but to Eysines. This is shown in the way Battle Brothers address each other e.g. (Brother Lucas of Auxilus). Any ​Constructive Criticism is appreciated. Thanks for looking!

++Red Fangs++ The Apocrypha Kaali is the only known source that lists successors of the Astral Claws, mentioning three but only naming one. Chapter records state that the Red Fangs were founded late in the 37th Millennium following the Astral Claws’ lauded victory in the Taninim Crusade. Much like their founding chapter, the Red Fangs became a crusading chapter, quickly earning themselves glory and and a reputation as fierce, noble warriors. The treachery of their forebears has had a powerful effect on the chapter and it has been noted by Imperial observers that they are willing to throw themselves zealously into any conflict involving those who would renounce Imperial rule. The Founding Founded in the waning days of the 37th millennium at the close of the Taninim Crusade, the Red Fangs are said to have fought alongside the Astral Claws and their brother chapter the Tiger Claws on numerous occasions in those early years. The planet of Ro-Gamma 13 was chosen for their marshaling grounds, and the first wave of recruits was taken from the populace. A hardy, feudal people, the first generation of Red Claws did much to mould the culture of the chapter, bringing with them the knightly customs of their home planet. Some Big Campaign (Fought alongside the Tiger Claws?) Recruitment Worlds The Badab War and subsequent Penitent Crusade Upon hearing of their founding chapter’s treachery, the Red Fangs petitioned the Loyalist High Command to join the war, though they were a segmentum away. Their request was denied, largely due to the close ties they had formed with the Astral Claws, there was some reservation that the Red Fangs would be conflicted when it came time to deliver the killing blow. The Red Fangs no doubt were outraged by the denial of their request as they had been nothing but loyal and effective in the prosecution of their campaigns, but they abided by the decision. Instead, upon the Excommunication of the Astral Claws, the Red Fangs declared that they would go on penitent crusade, painting their shoulder plates black and in the place of the noble lion they had borne for millennia, a lion’s skull became their heraldry. Nearing the end of their self-imposed penitent crusade the Red Fangs have changed. Numbering barely a third of their previous strength they have become a savage, battered force, fighting almost frantically with little regard for their own lives. Gone are the noble lion-knights of their early days, all that remains is their hatred of traitors and the rabid ferocity with which they hunt their foes down. Chapter Combat Doctrine and Beliefs ++++++ Hey guys, this is a concept I am working on for my DIY marines posted in the WIP section. I know linking a chapter to such an established fluff piece is kind of a no no but I think I am heading in the right direction when it comes to tiptoeing around that issue. Any thoughts, comments, or criticisms?

Greetings fraters, I´d like to present the concept of my personal space marine chapter here, which I carry around with me for years now (I actually made an IA under another name for them quite a time ago, but I think it´s now deleted (which is totally ok)). Anyways, let´s start: https://imgur.com/v6JlAWC (standard colour scheme) Twilight Wardens Chapter Name: Twilight Wardens Founding: 23rd Founding (Sentinel Founding) Homeworld: Enoch (Feudal World) Ultima Segmentum (bordering to the Ork Empire of Charadon and in relative proximity to the Forgeworld Metalica) System: Enoch System Geneseed: Unknown/ Imperial Fists (debated) Fortress-Monastry: Greatshield Colours: Fawn, sky-blue eyelenses, colour variations of the helmet based on battle-field role ("huts") Chapter Insignia: A feline paw, claws reaching through a sun, tips touching an encircling crescent moon Specialty: Scouting and stealth, Preferred enemy: Orks Strength: ~ 700+ Chapter Master: Chidi Tinashe Battle-Cry: "For our fathers, for Enoch, for the herd among the stars!" About: The Twilight Wardens are Space Marine Chapter of the 23rd Founding. Hailing from the world of Enoch, their main initial purpose was to protect the regions surrounding the Ork Empire of Charadon, eventually they were deployed in other warzones, mosty fighting greenskins and ocassionally other Xenos, if their absense is justifiable. They are a highly spiritual, some might say superstitious chapter, with many traditions rooted deeply in the culture of their homeworld. Quite frequently their own homeworld is attacked by Orks, but the invaders could always be fought back so far. Homeworld: Enoch is a hot, arid world, with a size roughly two thirds of Holy Terra, a hard place to live, but not as hellish as a typical death world. It was re-discovered at some point after the Great Crusade by the same name, but was of little importance, until it became the Twilight Wardens homeworld at some point early to middle M38. Though this particular individual is all but forgotten and the Wardens have full sovereignity over the planet and it little star system, it has never been re-named, because they see names as something holy. The landscape consists of savannahs, deserts and wastelands and the inhabitants are forced to change their place of living several times a year to sustain their herds of cattle. The Fauna brings forth several predators which could been found on Old Earth, like lions, hyeanas and even crocodiles which inhabit the few regions whith permanent water-supplies, as well as anitolopes, rhinos and more. It is debated, if those animals had been imported to be hunted in the Age of Strife or even before that. At present Enoch has a population of estimated 8- 12 000 000 inhabitants. The people of Enoch Inhabited by dark-skinned, tough peoples who mostly live of semi-nomadic herdsmen it´s technological level is generally quite low, but the population is capable of producing steel for weapons and low-tech firearms are not unknown, but cannot be reproduced. The main way of living is semi-nomadic, the tribes being herdsmen staying as long as possible on a place to sustain their cattle and then travel on established routes, claimed by them by tradition. A "Twilight Warden" is the honorary term for able-bodied men, guarding the herds for the dangerous period of twilight at dusk and dawn, then the gods sleep and hyenas, lions and other dangerous predators stalk the Night, ready to slay and eat the animals of their precious herds. Armed with a warriors equipment, a great round or ellipctic shield made of cow-hide and wood and a great spear, the Assagai. It is the main source of a mans honour to fulfil this honour and only men who fulfilled it with valour can hope of one day leading their clan or even great-clan. The societies are ordered in unities of family, clan, great-clan, and tribe, with the level of loyalty and allegiance being more significant and important, the closer an actual blood-relation is. Each family, clan, great-clan and tribes has it´s nominal leader, but is committed to the council of the priests and elders. Generally they live rather peacefully, while wars are not uncommon, solving conflicts with bloodshed is rare, because of the common knowledge that the waste of ressource and peoples in fights are simply very unreasonable in this hard and dangerous environment. Mostly rivalries between competing leaders and conflicted over conceived ill-behaviour, such as the stealing of cattle, are fought out in ritualized one-on-one, unarmed fights at the gahterings of tribes. Two exception of this general rule occur: Firstly, the inhabitants of regions known as the "shadowlands", there criminals, cannibals and other banished live are mostly attacked on sight, because they are believed to be cursed and to have lost the favour of the gods. Every couple decades or sometimes centuries the planet is attacked by Orks, hailing from Charadon. The tribes then band together under the leadership of the Twilight Wardens to meet this threat and destroy it for good. Though none as vigiliant defenders of their realm of space, the Twilight Wardens travel as fast as possible to their homeworld and it´s regulary the only occasion they reject distress calls from other theaters of war. This is also the only time the shadowborn, the inhabitants of the shadow-lands are somehow tolerated and sometimes fight with the main population against the deadly threat of the Ork hordes. The shadowlands and its inhabitants The "shadowlands" are a collective term used for a number of regions in which the unwanted of the societies of Enoch´s tribes are banished for one reason or another. They gain their common name from it´s location being often in wastelands under the shadow of big mountains, the most unhospitable places on the planet, salt seas and the most unrelenting deserts. The people living there are all outcasts for various crimes or shortcomings. Cannibalism, murder and other offences to the gods are either sentenced by death or banishment to the shadowlands. In turn cannibalism is mostly excepted there, mostly because the living conditions are so dire, that it is often a neccesity. There isn´t much organisation of a social life there, because herding is mostly impossible there, most live as hunter-gatherers and the only social entity of any value is mostly a nuclear family or small groups only hold together by the strength of a feared leader. Sometimes one part of a pair of twins are left and exposed to the elements after birth, because of the difficulties to raise two children at once in an unforgiving environment. Those found and raised by the shadowborn (if they aren´t just killed and eaten) then naturally become shadow-born itself. Other banished are individuals, showing psychic abilities, which are seen as foul witchcraft by the rest of the population. The shadow-born have a sinister, vile reputation and said to have an ill temper. Religion of the peoples of Enoch The people of Enoch are deeply spiritual and have many myths concerning the earth, animals and natural phenomena. Their pantheon is vast with a myriad of spirits, animal gods and an extensive cult of mythic forfathers and ancestors. Two vastly important gods which can be found with any tribes though, are the twin gods (who are also husband and wife) Nami and Iman. Mani, known as the Great Father, or the Demanding brings hardships to make his children, the people of Enoch strong, while Iman the Great Mother, the Caring, gifts them out of love. When both are honored through good, just living and their respective rituals an ideal state is preserved if not, ill will befell the people in one way or another. Mani shows himself through sunshine, storms and drought and is peronated by the sun, Iman through rain (or floods) and is personated by the moon, clouds and the birth of livestock, Manis time is the day, Inam´s the night. Dusk and dawn, when lions and other dagerous animals prowl to hunt cattle and kill men, is the time when both of them sleep and so men have to fight against nature in order to survive. "White Obsidian" A mysterious very durable, yet light material, dubbed "White Obsidian", is to be found on the planet, venerated as a holy substance by the locals and prized by the Wardens as a decent alternative to ceramite and sometimes used instead of it by the chapter serfs to repair damaged battle-armour or even used by Techmarines as a base material to produce suits of Artificer Armour. It is however, other than the name suggests, not very sharp in its natural form and - as it, just like ceramite, conducts almost no heat or other energy - unsuitable to be crafted into power-weapons. However splinters of it, formed into shards on a molecular basis and applied on combat knives or chainswords are a good way to give a weapon a very durable, decently deadly edge. White obsidian, reduced by extreme heat to a molecular level and compressed under great pressure several times, can even be a replacement for Adamantium, though the means to do it are most often beyond the chapter and it´s techmarines and can sometimes be made on Metalica, but for a hefty prize, mostly in the form of large amounts of this rare substance and so this method is only very rarely done. The population is organized in somewhat hierarchical structures such as families, clans, great-clans and tribes, with loyalty being more relevant the farther an actual blood-relation is present. Though conflicts do occur, they are rare, as people see the necessity of avoiding bloodshed as it is seen as an evil which most of timeonly cost scarce ressources in menpower and strength. White Obsidian plays a role to distinguish highly honoured persons, both in the Chapter as in the general population of the men of Enoch, aswell as their distinctive religious practices. As it is deemed to holy to be altered in it´s physical form by the people of Enoch, but the chapter sees it´s enorm potential as too valuable to totally miss it out, it is only crafted on the planets space station (and outer arsenal) Assagai. History: The Twilight Wardens were founded as part of the Sentinel Founding to protect neighbouring regions from the Arch-Arsonists of Charadons hosts. Requested in particular from Metalica to help protect it trading routes, they engaged in conflicts as they helped fight of greenskin attackers at the surrounding worlds. One on of this occasions by trying to defend a well-populated world, fighting at the for-front, the chapter lost it´s entire first company, which was at this point consisting of veterans in tactical dreadnought armour, like in a codex-chapter. Even worse, the rest of the accompanying forces of the Wardens suffered greatly, too, trying to hold an entry point to a town there the bulk of the population had entrenched itself. This brought a great change in the chapters organization, each company would know have access to veterans and specialists from this point on and tactics changed from direct engage to tactics of sabotage of supply lines and command structures, feint attacks and tactical retreats, if necessary. Culture: Opposed to many other chapters, the Twilight Wardens have no problem in considering the Emperor a god. Deep in their hearts though, they have a problem in considering him the only god, they still rever Nami and Iman in secret. Knowing that this would inevitably lead to conflicts with the Ecclessiarchy and the Inquisition, they have a policy of either denying their existence to outsiders or as telling others that they are simply figures of thought and very similiar to the Promethian Cult of the Salamanders. They also honour ancestors and dead battle-brothers greatly. They believe they live on in their songs, the war-poems, which are composed and sanctioned by the Chaplains, which enjoy even higher honours as in most other chapters. The singing of a war-poem can be initiated in battle by the squads leader and lead to a trance-like state of the squad, evoking past patterns of warfare. It can decrease heart rate, metabolism and even act as a surrogate for normal sleep to a degree increasing the Wardens overall fighting prowress in the long-term, helping them to stay in action over longer times. There is also a custom of claiming family relations among officers and troops, battle-brothers claim there captains as their nominal father, taking sometimes ven his last name. It has been noted that the Twilight Wardens also practice similiar bonds with warriors of other chapters and even guardsmen which impressed them with their valour and courage, claiming them as nominal brothers and including them in their ever expanding myths over time. Regiments or chapters with such members are often more likely to receive aid in need from the Wardens. The life of the Wardens is regulated with a lot of rituals and ceremonies for their gods, and a set of highly honoured chapter serfs, which are un-augmented priests of Nami and Iman always travel on their ships. They perceive themselves primarily as guardians and defendders of menkind, as their former flock as regular humans were cattle, goats and sheep now they watch over the citizens of menkind, the herd among the stars. Geneseed: The Geneseed of the Twilight Wardens shows little to no mutation .An exception is the often malfunctioning Betcher´s Gland. Its origin isn´t entirely clear, though the Administratum list them as Ultramarines successors, the chapter commands claim to be of Imperial Fists descend, specifically being founded by the nearly-extinct Celestial Lions, which they see as spiritual forbears. Though most imperial authorities see this as rather unlikely, it is unwise to denounce this openly while adressing the Wardens, who hold the Celestial Lions in highest regard. Beliefs: The Twilights Wardens rever the Emperor as a god (though it is unclear, if he is revered in the ideal way as wished by the Ecclessiarchy), as long with the local gods Nami and Iman, among many other divine beings, (though practices of worship to those are mostly hold in secret and this is not revealed to outsiders). They also believe heavily in fallen battle brothers becoming semi-divine beings, in an unique manner: After a period of time determined by the Chaplains they hold ceremonies, in which the bones of the fallen are burnt. Their legacy is then immortalized in war-poems. At this time their names are purged from official records and forbidden to be used in common language. Instead they are believed to live on in their poems and their names can only be sung. In this way they live on as spirits guiding their brethren. Organisation: Since losing their entire first company, while trying to save a great amount of civilians in a battle against the Greenskins, the former codex-adherent chapter changed tactics and organisation considerably. Using scouting tactics and infiltration as an important element of their battle plans, it maintains a regular scout company, but the other five companies contain ideally marines for every battle role, meaning Devastators, tanks, tactical squads and veterans are all part of a regular company, as well as a companies own scouts (which are mostly more experienced than their regular counterparts in the scout company). Each regular company is called a Kraal-Company, living as a nominable "tribe" and operate on strike cruiser. The Kraal Company consists of several clans, based on equipment and battle-field roles, named after predators of Enoch, which are the following: jackals are scouts (while the scouts of the "regular" scout company are sometimes dubbed "Fenneks" or "desert foxes"), Tactical Marines are leopards, Devastators and tank personel are Hyenas, Assault Squads, Bikes and Land Speeders are "Cheetas". Each of those units forms a close bond in their respective companies and are referred to as a "hut" (e.g. "the cheeta hut of Kraal Tinashe). A Marine spends the most time of his daily life with his hut and members mostly share a friendly rivalry. A special entity of the chapter is an elite corps of Greenskin-Hunters, mostly composed of Vanguard Veterans and Assault Terminators, the Eclipse Lions. Those Veterans hate and expertise in killing the Xenos, excels those of their common brethren, by they have also tendencies of recklessness and value human life sometimes less, than other Warden Claws and have a more sinister reputation among the majority of the chapter and the population of Enoch. Current status: Numbers are stressed by near constant campaigns against Orks and other Xenos, but do to a quite high recruitment rate, remain relatively stable. Equipment: The chapters tanks, mostly manufactured and maintained on the fortress-satellite Assagai, surrounding Enoch is of little to medium size and mostly of more common vehicles due to the chapters rather backwater status. It contains a considerable amount of Landspeeders though and keeps it number of drop pods high to quickly engage in battle in the various conflicts and distress calls it has to answer. Vehicles of note: Lion´s Paw: Landraider (mostly used as personal transport for Chapter Master Chidi Tinashe Rainbringer: Whirlwind Crack-Jaw: Hunter tank Lightening Spear: Landspeeder of the Cheetah hut of Chidi Tinashe Kraal Companys leader Abidemi Abessi Adisa Thunderstrike: Venerable Dreadnought Retribution of Mani: Land Raider Redeemer Chapter Relics: - Mercy of Inam: Stalker Bolter - Mask of Nami: Artificer-Helmet, used by the chapters Master of Sanctity, currently Samore Mussa - Beasts´ Woe: Power weapon, great spear ("lionspear") - Devourer of the Wicked: Heavy Flamer Arsenal: Fortress-Monastery: Greatshield is a 30,000 ft high mountain, with a flat plateau on it´s encrested with built in encampments and forticifcationss. Part of the chapters arsenal is kept in the mountain itself. It´s top can be "sealed" with overlapping great plates of bronze-coloured metal with an adamantium core, if needed to shield it from enemy forces from above. When attackers come, it is a bastion which can hold a large proportion of Enochs weak, children, women and elders. As I am already writing for hours, I call it a day, now. Hope you enjoyed my creation so far. Will fill in the blanks as soon as possible! Greetings, Velype!

Hidden Content THE SANGUINE GARGOYLES CHAPTER NAME: .............. Sanguine Gargoyles GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ... Blood AngelsPREDECESSOR: ............... Sanguinius FOUNDING: .................. 21st [991.M35] CHAPTER MASTER: ............ Commander Ambrogio HOMEWORLD: ................. Levidan Destroyed [CRUSADING CHAPTER] FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........ Battle Barge Angelus Fortis; Battle Barge Golden Spear COLORS: .................... Dark gray, w/ left shoulder painted red SPECIALTY: ................. Blitzkrieg assaults KNOWN DESCENDANTS: ......... None STRENGTH: .................. Under strength BATTLE-CRY: ................ "By the blood of our brethren!" "They stand sentinel among the stars, stoically enduring their unending vigil. Yet when a world is threatened they hurtle from above, falling upon their foes with terrible vengeance, and a fury born of The Angel." -Unknown Imperial Citizen <<First letter of first word>> Initial paragraphs cover the general background of the Chapter, starting with an overview of the Chapter's earliest history and some pivotal events later history.>> <<description of the Chapter's homeworld>> <<A paragraph or two on the Chapter's organization (short paragraph if Codex-adherent, longer if the Chapter has some degree of deviation)>> <<Paragraphs to describe the key distinguishing characteristics of the Chapter>> <<Paragraph to describe the Chapter’s fleet and combat organizations>> <<Paragraph to describe the Chapter’s heraldry and appearance>> Brother Nero in Power Armor Sanguine Gargoyles 3rd Battle Company, 7th Tactical Squad Captain Baldassare in Terminator ArmorCommander, Assault Squad Baldassare Sanguine Gargoyles 1st Veteran Company, 1st Assault Squad <<description of the Chapter's combat doctrine>> <<description of the Chapter's gene-seed source, mutations, and defects>> <<description of the Chapter's interaction with the Legio>> <<Battle/Operation/Campaign Name>> [###.M##] <<A few paragraphs to describe the battle/operation/campaign and why it was notable for the Chapter>> <<Battle/Operation/Campaign Name>> [###.M##] <<A few paragraphs to describe the battle/operation/campaign and why it was notable for the Chapter>> <<Battle/Operation/Campaign Name>> [###.M##] <<A few paragraphs to describe the battle/operation/campaign and why it was notable for the Chapter>> COMBAT SQUAD DONATO 1ST VETERAN COMPANY Captain Mikael DonatoCommander, Vanguard Assault Squad Donato Sanguine Gargoyles 1st Veteran Company, 3rd Assault Squad <<image URL>> Brother <<(or other title)>> <<Battle-brother's name>> <<A few lines of information (make sure you hard return each line)>> <<image URL>> Brother <<(or other title)>> <<Battle-brother's name>> <<A few lines of information (make sure you hard return each line)>> <<image URL>> Brother <<(or other title)>> <<Battle-brother’s name>> <<A few lines of information (make sure you hard return each line)>> <<image URL>> Brother <<(or other title)>> <<Battle-brother's name>> <<A few lines of information (make sure you hard return each line)>>

Hail, Battle Brothers & Battle Sisters - Masters and Mistresses of the Liber, WELCOME! I'm new to the game 40K and the B&C, and I want to build a Space Marine army. I'll be acquiring a codex & some models this weekend. Meanwhile, I've been dipping into the various forums and gaining inspiration (and spending too much time using the online painter). I'm feeling the creative bug now. Everyone likes to hit a great idea out of the ballpark their first time out, but I know that rarely happens. Anything I start now will most likely change the more I work on it. But, we all have to start somewhere, which is why I'm here. If I'm going to do this, I'd like to do so with respect to the lore (which I know little of). This will be my "placeholder" post, to be edited with the most updated version of my Index Astartes. [edit] "Clean Slate Protocol" activated

Here is the Crimson Spectres, my Raven Guard successor Chapter. If anyone here goes to /tg/, you might find them familiar. They are the same Chapter created in one of their game threads, Chapter Master Quest. Since I was instrumental in its creation in that thread, I don't feel like I'm "stealing" it. Just sort of claiming it, though I have absolutely no problem of anyone else who was a part of that making their own variation, of claiming it for themselves. Or aiding me in further developing this one. To everyone else, yes, yes. I know. Yet another Chapter with black and red. Origins The Crimson Spectres are among the youngest of Chapters, founded in the most recent Founding mere centuries past. Their veteran officers that formed their training cadre and remain with them still have kept them close to their Raven Guard roots. They operate unseen and with few numbers. Much of their identity they keep hidden, with even the true location of their homeworld and recruitment center kept secret. Despite their young nature and low numbers, the Crimson Spectres have created a well-deserved reputation for efficiency and effectiveness in their region of space. Decades after their original formation, they participated in a crusade against worlds heavily occupied by the primitive cousins of the hated Eldar. Many times regiments of the Imperial Guard would approach a known enemy position to find it destroyed, bodies of xenos scattered and signs of battle scarring every surface, but with no sign of its destroyers. Rarely did the Imperial Guard witness the Crimson Spectres in combat and even then the combat was too swift and disorienting to be properly followed. With the Crimson Spectres striking hard and fast for the heaviest points of resistance, the Crusade accomplished its tasks with great alacrity. Nearly half a dozen of claimed Maiden Worlds have since been colonized by the Imperium. One of these, called Pyrax, was given to the Mechanicum due to its high mineral content. The young Forge-World is tasked with the care and upkeep of the young Chapter's technological needs. Following this victory, the Crimson Spectres waged all-out war with an immense Ork incursion. With the surprise assaults the Chapter had become known for, the Ork leader was slain, his grotesque and bloated giant machine flattening the Ork army with its detonation. The Orks have since fallen into a series of internecine wars that the Chapter silently watches over, acting only when necessary to perpetuate their self-destruction. However, their reputation received a blow in recent years. Accompanied by the Honoured Brethren Chapter, a Chapter the Crimson Spectres can find no information on, the Crimson Spectres have been engaged with putting down a series of uprisings that have thus far thwarted the mortal forces stationed there. Initially, when acting alone the Chapter was proving exceptionally successful. The Crimson Spectres had nearly eradicated all of the secessionist cells when the Honoured Brethren despatched a taskforce to aid in the cracking of a particularly difficult world. Despite the additional forces and support of a brother Chapter, the rebellious world repeled the invaders. In rapid succession, cells thought entirely destroyed revived themselves and renewed their efforts with greater alacrity than before. Though the war to put down the foolish thoughts of secession had nearly been won and the rebellious forces were unable to stand against the efforts of the Crimson Spectres, suddenly the forces of two Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes was too small to stem the tide. With signs of Chaos worship growing across the embattled worlds, the Crimson Spectres immediately petitioned for a Crusade, knowing that the rebellious forces had acquired for themselves some unholy patron. Immediate and total destruction was required, to prevent the corruption from spreading. They received resistance from an unexpected quarter however, as the Honoured Brethren spoke against the claims of the Crimson Spectres. They felt that their pride and honor was at stake and to request additional aid was both unnecessary and cowardly. With the older Chapter having greater weight and authority, no Crusade was forthcoming. By the close of the 41st Millennium, the two Chapters are locked in combat still among the revolting worlds. Though still allied together in name, many times the two Chapters have nearly come to blows and the Crimson Spectres have begun to question their true intent. However, they fear bringing their suspicions to the Inquisition, knowing that the pervasive Inquisitors would find their own secrecy far more diverting. Any attempts to take matters into their own hands would be equally foolhardy. Both Chapters are present with their full numbers, making the Crimson Spectres outnumbered two to one. Homeworld Deep in Sub-Sector Archein, what the Imperium believes is uninhabited space, the Crimson Spectres discovered a unique world. It did not appear on their onboard sensors, but it could be sensed by those of psychic capabilities once nearby. Its entire surface was enveloped with cloud cover so dark as to be seen from space as nothing more than an empty hole on the field of stars. Close inspection found that the cloud cover were made up of rare metallic dusts, explaining why the world never showed on long-range sensors. Knowing there was human life deep in the blackness that the psykers could sense, the Crimson Spectres sent forces down upon the world. They found an Imperial hiveworld that the Imperium had forgotten. Due to its unique nature and clerical errors, the world of R'hanada had been erased from Imperial records only a century past. With the behemoth and labyrinthine Imperial bureaucracy being true to its nature, the error was lost in the immense, ever-changing flood of information the Administratum eternally processes. The Crimson Spectres, up to then fleet-based, were intrigued by R'hanada. Its human population had been hardened by its isolation. Though it had been severely reduced without the constant shipments bringing sustenance from nearby agri-worlds, what remained were deemed suitable as recruitment stock. The Crimson Spectres settled upon R'hanada and took it for their own. Officially, they remained fleet-based, operating outside of their Fortress-Ship the Clandestinus, and declared the feral world of Tarren as their source of recruitment. To keep appearances, it is from Tarren that the Crimson Spectres receive the majority of their Chapter serfs, though they are not opposed to truly inducting a particularly promising Tarren to the Chapter. Combat Doctrine The Crimson Spectres are adherents to the Codex, operating outside its scope only in ways that their small numbers necessitate. Though the Crimson Spectres often commit to battle openly, they do so only after an initial stealth assault. Using sabotage, subterfuge and ambushes to critical effect, the Crimson Spectres ensure that they inflict the maximum amount of damage possible while exposing themselves to as little danger as necessary. An assault by the Crimson Spectres rarely comes from an expected direction and are usually accompanied by loud and deliberately distracting explosions within the enemy camp, where explosives had been set by experts at stealth and sabotage at key points to demoralize and cripple the enemy. Often when the Crimson Spectres meet the enemy in open battle, the enemy is bereft of leadership and without any hope of support, reeling in confusion as the hammerblow finally arrives. In this way the Crimson Spectres are able to use their small numbers to maximum effect. Organisation The Crimson Spectres do not deliberately deviate from the Codex Astartes. Due to genetic instability, the Chapter has been slow in building up its forces. Currently the Chapter has only three battle-ready companies outside of the scout and veteran companies, with the First Company led personally by the Chapter Master. With such low numbers, the Crimson Spectres prefer not to split their forces among multiple warzones. Instead, the Chapter arrives in full force, with a single company remaining behind to guard their homeworld and oversee recruitment. Though the Chapter can account for five companies, none are at full strength. In truth, the Crimson Spectres have only just over three hundred fully-fledged Marines. In keeping with the character he had infused within the newborn Chapter, the founding Chapter Master, though a great and renowned hero from his previous days as a Raven Guard, has forsaken his own identity and is referred officially only as the Spectre. Though the few powerful individuals with enough clearance could perhaps explore his past and discover his true identity, none can know if the current Spectre is the same as the original. Beliefs The Crimson Spectres care little for honor or glory and focus only on that which they deem practical, traits they feel that their Primarch Corax epitomized. The Chapter does have its limits on what it deems practical, refusing xeno or warp technology no matter the aid it may bring. They know that their potential uses are far outweighed by their corrupting nature. Following the traditions set by their primogenitors, the Raven Guard, the Crimson Spectres record their battles. Each Marine is expected to devote themselves to understanding their strengths and faults by studying their actions and those of others, so as to better themselves and to properly teach them their place in the Chapter. Often this is done in large gatherings so that the insights gleaned from such study can be openly and fairly shared. Theories and concepts related to war are deliberated and evaluated solely on their pragmatic applications. The Crimson Spectres require only the destruction of the enemy in ways that will have the least impact on the Chapter's ability to wage further war. Despite their lack of concern for matters of glory and honor, the effectiveness of their attitudes has nonetheless gained them such in the eyes of others. Gene-seed The Adeptus Mechanicum utilized the purest strains of gene-seed derived from Corax that they had in stock. As such, the Crimson Spectres have little to fear of the mutations that can be common among Raven Guard successors, though they do keep the common physical appearance. Though the Chapter's stock of gene-seed is not mutative, it has proven especially difficult to properly implant. Though rejection of gene-seed is a problem all Chapters must face, the rejection rate of gene-seed for the Crimson Spectres is extremely high. Though their recruitment programs have stepped up exponentially to offset this issue, the growth rate of the Chapter has been abysmally slow, having been able to create only a single company's worth of stable Marines after three centuries. Battle-cry An assault by the Crimson Spectres is not heralded by stirring chants or terrifying battle-cries. Explosions and gunfire upon an unsuspecting foe speak loudly enough. http://i.imgur.com/JXenda9.jpg

GENESEED (PREDECESSOR):- Dark Angels* FOUNDING:- 23rd Sentinel Founding CHAPTER MASTER:- Grand Master Sephalion CHAPTER WORLD:- Etzabaidat FORTRESS MONASTERY:- Eternal Task MAIN COLOURS:- Iron Grey, Crimson SPECIALITY:- Naval Boarding BATTLE CRY:- Nos vero per bellum/We are cleansed through battle CURRENT STRENGTH:- Full strength (~1000, exact figure unknown) KNOWN DESCENDANTS:- None *See Geneseed, below. Formed during the 23rd Sentinel Founding (Late M.37 or early M.38, depending on sources), the Angels of Contrition are a Dark Angels successor Chapter that have developed a focus on ship-to-ship boarding actions and naval combat. The Chapter maintains a nominal presence on the feudal world Etzabaidat, although outside of recruiting purposes the Chapter remains fleet based. Formed in response to dire portents foretold by the Emperor's Tarot, the Angels of Contrition have made a name for themselves tackling Space Hulks and other Chaos vessels ejected from the Warp near the Eye of Terror in large-scale boarding assaults. The Angels of Contrition wear grey armour, with crimson hands and details; their badge is a downward pointing crimson sword, flanked by two crimson blood drops. Already reeling from six Black Crusades launched by Abaddon, the Imperium's grip on the Segmentum Obscurus was tenuous enough by the middle of the 37th Millennium. The Emperor's Tarot was consulted time and time again, and each reading came with the same dire portents: plans beyond the comprehension of the Imperium, an attack that would leave them trailing in it's wake, confused and bloodied. A rapid reaction force was ordered into creation by the High Lords of Terra, and not long afterwards the Angels of Contrition were created as part of the 23rd Founding. Created from the gene stock of the Imperium's most resolute warriors, the Dark Angels, the Angels of Conviction were given a sizeable fleet, a powerful armoury, a world from which to recruit, and a particular goal: to patrol the Segmentum Obscurus, responding to any confirmed reports of Chaos activity outside of the Cadian Gate, to meet the foes that slipped through the net cast by the Astartes Praeses. It is unsure whether or not the Angels of Contrition were created in time to try and halt the 8th Black Crusade - since accepted as the cause of the readings that led to the creation of the Chapter – but they have nonetheless continued their patrols of the wider Segmentum Obscurus, meeting the forces of Chaos wherever they can be found. Since their inception, the Angels of Contrition have also taken on the more sinister duties of the Unforgiven, hunting down the Fallen that betrayed their progenitor Legion millennia ago. Over the thousands of years since, the Angels of Contrition have forged themselves a reputation of an aloof, distant Chapter that rarely interacts with outside organisations other than the Dark Angels and their other successors. Nonetheless, they have explored and destroyed scores of Space Hulks, and fought in numerous campaigns against the forces of Chaos. Notable victories include the destruction of the Infernal, a Chaos Repulsive-Class Grand Cruiser, in 422.M39; a dozen defeats of Chaos raiders in the final actions of the Gothic War; and their finest hour to date, the assault on the daemon-infested Space Hulk Eternal Perdition in 961.M41, in which the entire Chapter deployed to the Space Hulk, battling through a horde of Nurgle cultists and daemons to destroy the gigantic vessel. The Angels of Contrition have a recognised homeworld in Etzabaidat, a tribaliustic feudal world in a far-flung system on the edges of the Segentum Obscurus. Etzabaidat is a planet split into two distinct environments; the lowlands are a desert wasteland spotted with the ruins of a bygone age, barren and inhabitable, plagued by great seas of radioactive gas that are blown about the planet in swirling storms. Meanwhile, the population of Etzabaidat is divided into a series of city-states known as Hiri-Handiko (high cities), each occupying a separate mountain or mountain range, living off the arable highlands that rise from the tides of gases like islands. Status in Etzabaidat's cultural system can be measured by the location of one's holdings: the wealthy and elite populate the highest reaches of the townships, furthest away from the toxic clouds below, and the population grows poorer as the settlement descends towards the planet's lowlands. With living space on Etzabaidat limited, slums often spring up outside the boundaries of the mountain city's walls, forming sprawling settlements of their own perched precariously on steep slopes. In line with the strains put on their society and the measure of socio-economic status, those who inhabit Etzabaidat worship the stars; each one, they say, is another brave soul ascended above the hellish climates of their homeworld. The emphasis on the cultural ideal of the Lgoera (the ascension) – a belief that only through sacrifice can one provide for themselves and others, an idea in keeping with the planet's limited resources - leads to communities that have tight-knight family institutions. Unlike many feudal worlds, the farmers and providers are found among the nobility rather than the lower class, with especially those producing food to sate the ever-burgeoning populations of their cities given a high status within society. The culture of self-sacrifice also can be seen in Etzabaidat's military traditions, with family members bartering their service and lives in order to secure resources for their families. The city-states are locked in an eternal conflict that consumes the planet; a conflict born of necessity as much as pride or hatred. The farmlands of Etzabaidat are not in abundance, and the planet can only able to support a limited population; wars are fought as much as a method of controlling population growth as they are about trying to acquire more of the limited farmland of the planet. Battles are fought, invariably, as a series of hellish sieges, defending armies largely unwilling to commit their forces to the deadly lowlands, whilst the attacking force tries to force it's way to higher ground before the unpredictable radioactive storms bear down upon them. Occasionally more conventional field battles break out on the lowlands, but prolonged engagements are rare; the lowland atmosphere makes them and unreliable gambit at best, leading to a history of rushed, violent wars. Numerous alliances are formed, usually lasting only as long as the short wars that follow them before dissolving again, and many are shorter still. The Chapter does not maintain a base on the planet itself, preferring to distance itself from the planet's occupants and instead holding a small installation on the largest of Etzabaidat's sixteen moons. All of the remaining moons have been turned into either orbital weapons platforms to defend the planet should it ever come under attack, or docking stations the Chapter uses to make repairs to it's fleet when it returns to the world for recruiting. The natives of Etzabaidat see the Angels of Contrition as Altzairu Aingeruak, steel angels from the stars that come when the most promising of the planet's young warriors ascend to the heavens above, to gain eternal glory in an endless battle that is the reward of those who live proud lives. Etzabaidat culture has a strong emphasis on the pride of the family unit, and so to have a member of the family ascend with the Altzairu Aingeruak is seen as significant proof of the family's worth and esteem, enough in itself to provide a stepping stone into nobility. Despite having an official homeworld, the Chapter is for the most part fleet-based, as befits the task issued to them upon their creation. The Battle Barge Eternal Task functions as the Chapter's mobile fortress-monastery, accompanied by two other Battle Barges (Repentance and Cleansed By Fire) and ten Strike Cruisers, along with numerous Escort vessels. The Hildako The nature of the rapid and brutal ways of war on Etzabaidat have led to a culture among the planet's aspiring warriors of the Hildako-Bizidunak, the dead that walk. Part fuelled by the belief of the honourable death that wars bring, and in part an acknowledgement that to war on Etzabaidat is to invite death upon oneself to an almost-certain degree, those who join the Hildako-Bizidunak give up rights to all their possessions; going so far as to give up their name to be henceforth referred to simply as 'the Hildako', seen no longer as a person but as a living spirit of war. This is done in a raucous funeral ceremony (the Hiltzen) that concludes with the tattooing of tribal masks on to the faces of the newly-made Hildako, marking them among the ranks of the already lost; for to be Hildako is to have forfeited more than your clothes, home, or name; it is to have forfeited your life. Those who pledge themselves to the Hildako-Bizidunak are pledged their city-state, promising to fight for their kin whenever called upon in the deadly battles of Etzabaidat. They take up serrated curved blades known as a Zizalia, going to war clad in nothing but tribal markings painted upon their bodies in ash. In return, their families are provided with food and land until their next generation comes of age; their lives pay for the guarantee of life for their families. It is considered a great honour in Etzabaidat society to join these warrior groups, ensuring sustenance for their families, and freeing up living space and resources from others. The need to tightly regulate population and the benefits conveyed on the family for having a member join the Hildako also has the effect of family members being pushed into the order at absurdly young ages, with many of Etzabaidat's wars being fought by those barely in their teens – or younger. The youngest Hildako in records was the equivalent of six Terran years old. The Chapter's recruits are taken exclusively from the ranks of the Hildako, with the youngest and fiercest of the Hildako-Bizidunak providing the Angels of Contrition with their numbers. Their tattooed faces make for fearsome visages, and their promise to give up their lives for those they lived with on Etzabaidat now becomes a solemn oath to do so for the entire Imperium. Having relinquished their name upon induction into their fearsome order, those Hildako that prove themselves fit to join the Angels of Contrition take a new assumed name; many of the Chapter's recruits choose names styled after the heroes of their original legion, the Dark Angels, leading to names that are often at odds with the warrior's actual heritage, and many of the Chapter's other naming conventions. Since their founding, the Angels of Contrition have assumed a role that focuses on sudden overwhelming displays of strength, which coupled with their fleet-based nature, has gravitated them towards a specialism in large-scale boarding actions of enemy fleet vessels or orbital platforms. They focus on close-range anti-infantry weapons, favouring plasma weapons and flamethrowers; only rarely do the Chapter find themselves facing enemies at range or with significant amounts of heavy armour support, making long range weaponry such as lascannons and missile launchers a rare sight throughout most of the Chapter. Notably, the Chapter's Assault Marines also forgo jump packs, which are obsolete in ship-to-ship boarding actions; they will deploy via drop pods when engaging ground forces. This focus on naval warfare and boarding actions also extends to the way in which the Chapter's Reserve Companies organise themselves, with no Scout Company to speak of; new recruits, labelled Initiates, fight alongside full Battle Brothers in mixed units known as Probator Squads. The Angels of Contrition favour the use of Caestus Assault Rams when boarding hostile vessels, with the Caestus' magna-meltas able to pierce the thickest Space Hulk's armour to leave boarding points for successive waves of Thunderhawks and Stormravens carrying reinforcements. Despite their fleet-bound nature, the Angels of Contrition still maintain a fully-equipped Ravenwing equivalent, the Ghostwing. This fast attack element often forms the core of any efforts made by the Chapter to hunt down the Fallen, along with spearheading any assaults on ground forces that may have retreated from space after assaults by the Angels of Contrition. The Ghostwing also can operate as a scouting force in lieu of the Scout Company in ground engagements. The Chapter armoury operates with more limited tank support than many Chapters; some vehicles are used alongside Ghostwing forces, but generally they are unsuited to boarding actions, and as such the Chapter maintains only a minimum of armoured vehicles. Should the Chapter find itself fighting on a more conventional battlefield, the Chapter employs numerous aircraft from it's fleet to provide ground forces forces with mobility and fire support. The Angels of Contrition do, however, have a strong contingent of Dreadnoughts, with thirty four of the venerable warrior machines as of the start of the 13th Black Crusade – including three of the uncommon Mortis-pattern Dreadnoughts. Unlike the other Chapters stemming from Lion El'Jonson, they also make use of Ironclad Dreadnoughts to provide armoured close-range support, along with flights of Stormraven gunships to ferry these venerable warriors to battle. Straying in places from the guidelines of the Codex Astartes, the Angels of Contrition are for the most part organised in the same manner as many Chapters of the Unforgiven. They are currently led by Grand Master Sephalion, who rules over the Chapter's Inner Circle; consisting of the ten Company Masters, Master Chaplain Alazar, and Master Librarian Tharzial. The 1st Company of the Angels of Contrition, known as the Bloodwing, functions in the same manner as the Deathwing of the Dark Angels; the Angels of Contrition's 2nd Company, the Ghostwing, is their equivalent to the Ravenwing. The 3rd, 4th and 5th Battle Companies are formed in the same manner, a mix of Tactical, Assault and Devastator squads, like any Codex adherent Chapter. The Angels of Contrition's 1st Company, named the Bloodwing, are the Chapter's equivalent to the Deathwing of the Dark Angels. Always found at the forefront of any attack, the Bloodwing (so named for the blood-crimson they paint their armour) are the finest warriors the Chapter has. Unlike the Deathwing, the Bloodwing is not solely comprised of Terminator squads; originally well-equipped with Tactical Dreadnought armour to suit their main occupation, the Bloodwing lost over half it's number during the assault on the Space Hulk Eternal Perdition in 961.M41, with no chance to reclaim the suits before the Space Hulk was destroyed following the overloading of the ancient reactor system at it's core. Forty three suits currently remain to the Chapter, those that survived the Eternal Perdition and the handful of suits that have been obtained since. The rest of the Bloodwing deploys in Veteran squads much like more conventional Chapters. In place of the 2nd Company found in Codex adherent Chapters, the Angels of Contrition operate a Ghostwing that functions largely like the Ravenwing of the Dark Angels. Armoured painted pure white where the rest of the Chapter sports a dull grey, the Ghostwing lead any ground engagements the Angels of Contrition find themselves in, much like the Bloodwing do for boarding actions. When examined closely, it is apparent between the Bikers and the Pilots of the Ghostwing, the Company is kept over-strength, allowing the Ghostwing to strike with the same speed and overbearing force on the ground that the Angels of Contrition utilise in ship-to-ship combat. In purely naval engagements, the Ghostwing often act as attack craft pilots or commanders, working alongside the Chapter's techmarines. Much like the Ravenwing, the Ghostwing hold a position of great honour among the Angels of Contrition that know their true purpose; their function as a rapid attack force means that it often falls on them to chase and capture or destroy any of the Fallen the Chapter come across. There is one main structural difference between the Angels of Contrition and other Dark Angel successor Chapters, found among the reserve companies of the Chapter. Being a Chapter primarily formed for the purpose of large-scale naval boarding actions, the Angels of Contritions have little need for a Scout Company; dedicated scout squads are seen as unnecessary in the tight confines of a Space Hulk, where stealth has less importance than a traditional battlefield; quick application of force is more useful than stealth, as every moment spent on the unpredictable vessels adds to the risk of the Hulk dropping back into Warp space. Instead, the 6th Company has become the Chapter's Assault Reserve Company, and the 7th the Chapter's Devastator Reserve Company. The 8th, 9th and 10th Companies form the Chapter's Tactical Reserve Companies, each formed of Probator Squads, a mix of Tactical Marines acting as both mentors and assessors to Initiates in a similar manner to the Crusader Squads of the Black Templars. In Lion El'Jonson, the Angels of Contrition revere the first among the Emperor's sons, and one of his staunchest supporters. They consider Lion El'Jonson being the first found Primarch to be more than simple coincidence; Lion El'Jonson was destined to be the first among Brothers, and as such is held above the other Primarchs. This has led them to hold a slightly distasteful view on Chapters descended from the other legions, many of whom who they view as noisy upstarts that waste time boasting whilst the Sons of the Lion act. This has earned them no friends among the Astartes outside of the Unforgiven. Like many of the Dark Angels successors, the Angels of Contrition are seen as a very insular Chapter among other Imperial organisations, including other Space Marines Chapters; their fleet-based nature and preference towards naval warfare only serves to heighten this, as they rarely find themselves working in concert with any of these outside organisations. Their view of the Emperor as not a God, but simply the one amongst mankind who best knew the value of sacrifice – the trait held most esteemed in their roots on Etzabaidat – further serves to isolate the Chapter from the wider Imperium. Considering themselves honoured to have joined the descendants of the First Legion, the Angels of Contrition fully embrace their role as one of the Unforgiven, using their fleet-based nature to rapidly redeploy according to any rumoured sightings of one of the Fallen. This, along with their proximity to the Eye of Terror and their experience in destroying Space Hulks and other corrupted ships, has left the Chapter well-versed in combating all forces of the ruinous powers. Their time spent battling Chaos forces has left the Angels of Contrition with a deep-seated mistrust of Abhumans and Radicalists, and they have in the past refused to work alongside forces containing abhuman detachments, or with certain members of the Ordo Malleus who might employ less than pure means in combating the forces of Chaos. It is not only in this that the Angels of Contrition are considered haughty; they rarely interact with their homeworld, considering themselves to have completed their Lgoera and having escaped Etzabaidat's petty struggles. The Chapter embrace the belief of their homeworld that they are the Altzairu Aingeruak, largely keeping to their star-bound fleet, and although their duties require it, the Chapter often express a mild distaste for formulaic ground warfare, prefer to arrive from the stars in trails of exhaust fumes and flames, ending fights rapidly and violently before withdrawing once again to their fleet; this continues even during protracted wars, with the Angels of Contrition often neglecting to deploy permanent ground forces, rather acting as a rapid reaction force striking repeatedly from orbit. A consequence of their roots on Etzabaidat is the Angels of Contrition's somewhat aberrant views on the conflicts the Imperium sees itself drawn into. On a planet where life is often thrown away in bloody battles for little gain, the lower levels of Eztabaidat society have developed a belief that only through testing oneself in the most extreme circumstances can mankind better themselves. Being drawn largely from the poorer classes more likely to nominate family members to the Hildako, the Angels of Contrition carry this belief with them; that only through war can mankind learn to flourish and take it's rightful place as ruler of the stars. This view, while earning them no allies among forces they consider weak and unworthy (which accounts for most Imperial forces outside of other Chapters of the Unforgiven), has earned them some respect amongst Inquisitors who follow the Isstvanian school of thought. It always find the Angels of Contrition all too-willing to engage in the hostile environment presented by many warped Space Hulks, often when the far safer option would be to destroy these vessels through a simple massed bombardment; more pragmatic Chapters view this as needless risk-taking and glory hunting, where the Angels of Contrition view it as a necessary test of their skills. Squads within the Angels of Contrition are viewed in a slightly different manner than might be the norm among the Astartes. Owing once more to the Chapter's roots on Etzabaidat, where upholding of the family unit is seen as the highest virtue, Angels of Contrition squads hold closer bonds than most, almost becoming family units in their own right. Much like the honour bestowed upon a family by one of it's members joining the Hildako, a member of a squad that ascends to the Bloodwing confers significant honour not only on the Marine in question but also the squad from which he came from. Conversely, Angels of Contrition have been known to be driven into a terrible frenzy considered unseemly by some of their Space Marine brethren, should one of their squad members fall in battle. Another belief stemming from their base among the Hildako is the Chapter's liberal use of Dreadnoughts – whilst a select few are piloted by heroes of the Chapter who were dealt mortal blows, the majority of these machines are piloted by talented recruits selected shortly after they have ascended to the ranks of a full Battle-Brother. Being Hildako, they are already considered as dead by the standards of Etzabaidat, and so have already satisfied the chief requirement most Chapters have placed on being eligible for internment in a Dreadnought. This is a large part of the reason why, despite the dangerous engagements the Angels of Contrition engage in, they still have a larger contingent of Dreadnoughts than most Chapters. It is speculated that they trade relics found on Chaos vessels and Space Hulks with the Adeptus Mechanicus in return for an increased number of Dreadnought chassis for them to make use of, along with an increased number of Terminator armour suits and fleet assets; although this has never been directly proven, the Chapter does sport an unusually powerful fleet for a comparatively new Chapter, and has a larger than would be expected contingent of Techmarines tending to it's powerful armoury. Relics of the Chapter The Angels of Contrition have a number of relics and objects that they consider as sacred. Like their parent Chapter, the Angels of Contrition have three sacred standards - the Standard of Penitence, the Standard of Reproach, and the Standard of Castigation - gifted to them upon their founding by the Dark Angels, alongside the ancient Fire Raptor gunship Divine Providence that often accompanies the Ghostwing to battle. These standards are usually carried into battle by the three Battle Companies, filling the Brothers around them with purpose and wrath. Each Company bears some marker or emblem of their devotion to the 1st Legion, usually carried into battle by servitors or serfs alongside the Company Master (in the case of the Ghostwing, it is carried by a Spiritshroud – the equivalent to a Darkshroud of the Ravenwing). The Grand Master of the Chapter carries two badges of office: the first, and the most sacred of the Chapter's relics, is an ancient scarred shield known as the Untiring Vigil, said to have been carried to battle by one of Lion El'Jonson's closest retainers on Caliban during his youth. It is carried by a Watcher in the Dark, an ever-present shadow to the Grand Master, and signifies the relationship between the Angels of Contrition and their founding legion. The second badge of office is the Grim Confession, an ornate double-bladed glaive wreathed in crimson arcs of energy, that features an inbuilt plasma-blaster of a long forgotten design. It is suspected that the weapon may be an altered design of a Nemesis force weapon; the Angels of Contrition refuse to explain where they might have obtained such a weapon, although it is not outside of the realms of possibility that it could have been salvaged from one of the many Space Hulks they have boarded. The Angels of Contrition are thought to be descended directly from the Dark Angels Chapter, although given they are part of one of the more recent foundings, this may not be entirely accurate; rumour often link them to either the Angels of Absolution or the Guardian of the Covenant, although when questioned directly the only answer the Angels of Contrition is that they are “descendants of the first legion”. The Chapter's gene-seed has no significant defects, as is the norm with descendants of the Dark Angels. Recruitment Recruitment on Etzabaidat is a simple process; the Chaplains of the Chapter, unarmed and unarmoured, will descend upon the city-states of Etzabaidat accompanied by retinues of serfs. A great ritual known as the Arima Galdu Topaketa (the Gathering of Lost Souls) will be organised, during which the Chaplain will watch as the the serfs form a tight unit, and are set upon by any of the city's Hildako that choose to participate (this is usually all of them; Hildako are not known for their fear of battle, no matter how outmatched). Many of the young Hildako suffer terrible damage or death at the hands of the older, stronger serfs, but those that show particular resilience or resolve are paraded through the city before being shepherded away to the Chapter's recruiting station within Eztabaidat's moons. Although there is some pattern to who is chosen for recruitment, with fortitude favoured over direct strength, there is a lack of defined criteria that only serves to heighten the mystical awe those of Etzabaidat hold the Angels of Contrition in. Imperial observers have called this practice barbaric due to the high possibility of death among the hopefuls, but it continues as one of Etzabaidat's stranger rituals. The Angels of Contrition usually fight in cold silence, eschewing the bombastic battle cries of other Chapters. Their motto is said to be Nos vero per bellum! - “We are cleansed through battle!” - which comes from the response to the Chaplain's pre-battle litany of Sanguini, ignis, et in morte - “In Blood, In Fire, and in Death”. Grand Master Sephalion Hailing from the Hildako of Hiri-Handiko Barazimor, the young warrior who assumed the name of Sephalion was already widely-known as a fierce and grim youth before he was picked as a potential recruit for the Angels of Contrition. As a child, he was easily excitable, quick to laugh and anger, and seemed a peculiar fit for the Hildako. His wild nature came to the fore during his Hiltzen ceremony, during which he blinded a man who questioned his worthiness in a savage and bloody duel despite the man being twice the age of the wiry youth. Shortly after, Barazimor went to war with a nearby rival, Jolthaki, and the child went with them. The armies were not heard of again – not until the child returned, a year to the day after the army departed from Barazimor, the only survivor. Gone was the expressive, fiery youth; a sullen, grim-faced thing came back, that refused to speak of what had occurred on the toxic wastes below, and would often be found thrashing about in his sleep, caught in an unspeakable nightmare. Many tried in vain to persuade the child to answer to what had happened during the battles below, but he refused to speak a word. When the Angels of Contrition next sent a delegation to Barazimor for recruitment, the child fell into a sudden fit before attacking the Chaplain present, stabbing the colossal warrior in the leg with his Zizalia and kicking and biting those who tried to subdue him, terrified that the fearsome Chaplain would kill the poor mad creature in retaliation. Impressed by the child's ferocity and undaunted nature, the child was instead taken away by the Angels of Contrition, marked for greater things. Sephalion's dour nature has carried with him, exacerbated by the secretive and pious nature of the Dark Angels successors. A formidable warrior, his resolve drove Sephalion to greater and greater feats until, in 951.M41, he was inaugurated as the Grand Master of the Angels of Contrition. Sephalion led the Chapter in it's greatest victory, a Chapter-level assault on the Eternal Perdition, during which he personally fought and killed a Great Unclean One in the assault of the ancient reactor core of the Space Hulk. Following the assault, Sephalion led the Chapter in two hundred and fifty-nine days of prayer, one for each life they had lost aboard the Eternal Perdition, to cleanse the Chapter of any lingering taint. In recent years, Grand Master Sephalion has been haunted by the nightmares that ailed him as a youth. Convinced that these dreams have some sort of prophetic value, the Grand Master has become even more of a recluse, spending larger periods of time in fervent prayer and self-reflection. Guiding the Angels of Contrition against the forces of the 13th Black Crusade, some of Sephalion's recent behaviour is beginning to mark him as erratic even among his most ardent followers; the recent decision to gift the Grim Confession to Interrogator-Chaplain Alazar (a weapon carried by the Grand Master of the Chapter for thousands of years) and recent bouts of fatalism have the Grand Master currently under close scrutiny even among his own Chapter. Interrogator Chaplain Marzuviel Interrogator Chaplain Marzuviel was the most prominent of his order to serve with the Angels of Contrition. Having served the Chapter from the early years of M38, Marzuviel rose quickly through the ranks of the Chaplaincy, the strength of his faith glossing over a nature often said to have been bloodthirsty to the distant extremes of acceptable behaviour among the Astartes. Despite this cruel streak (or perhaps because of it), Marzuviel holds the honour of having been the only Interrogator Chaplain within the Chapter to have forced the repentance of more than one of the Fallen in his lifetime. Marzuviel was present for the Assault on Koram, when the Angels of Contrition were part of a multi-Chapter task force aiming to retake the planet that had fallen to Chaos. Marzuviel led the Angels of Contrition's forces in an assault on the orbital defence stations surrounding the planet, and although the stations were taken, they came at a heavy cost; almost all of the two hundred-strong task force perished, and Marzuviel himself was gravely wounded after being cut off from his forces and surrounded, fighting his way free but sustaining a number of mortal wounds in the process. He was interred in one of the Chapter's Dreadnoughts, a source of knowledge and guidance to the Interrogator Chaplains that have served the Chapter since his internment. In battle, Marzuviel is often to be found leading his brother Dreadnoughts of the Bloodwing, venerable warriors all, in sudden and savage assaults against the sternest resistance. Brother Haephus, 3rd Battle Company, 1st Squad Veteran Sergeant Barbariel, 3rd Battle Company, 1st Squad Sergeant Ekias, 5th Battle Company, 4th Squad Company Master Laraziel, 9th Tactical Reserve Company Unknown Initiate, colour scheme designation 'Probator' Unknown, colour scheme designation 'Ghostwing' Unknown, colour scheme designation 'Bloodwing' Chapter Badge Angels of Contrition Chapter emblem Chapter Banner Angels of Contrition Chapter banner

Index Astartes CHAPTER NAME: ..............THE KNIGHTS VINDICANT FOUNDING: ..................26TH [738.M41] CHAPTER WORLD: .............N/A FORTRESS MONASTERY: ........MONUMENT OF AWE GENE-SEED (PREDECESSOR): ...BLACK CONSULS [uLTRAMARINES] KNOWN DESCENDANTS: .........NONE "May our deaths be glorious, that our foes remember our wrath." Harlan Skorus, Master of Sanctity; to Battle Brothers at the Battle for Talacra Prime. The Knights Vindicant are a Space Marine Chapter, created as descendants of the Black Consuls Chapter, and through them the Ultramarines Legion, during the 26th Founding. Originally intended as a replacement Astartes Praeses Chapter for the destroyed Black Consuls, the Chapter instead was diverted to patrolling the Eastern Fringe in the wake of Hive Fleet Behemoth's attack on Ultramar. The Chapter notably suffered heavy losses battling Hive Fleet Vritra twice between 992.M41 and 001.M42 and functioned at minimal strength for just over a century, until being brought back to full strength by absorbing Primaris Greyshields from the Indomitus Crusade. The badge of the Knights Vindicant is a black eagle head over white crossed swords. Their colours are silver with blue. On most marines, the blue is displayed on the shoulder pads, kneepads, helmet, belt, and backpack. The Company colour is displayed on the left shoulder pad trim, and also on the chest decoration. Veteran marines also paint their helmets gold, the colour of the 1st Company. Colour scheme for Librarians, Chaplains, Apothecarions, and Techmarines are according to Codex Astartes. The Knights Vindicant battle cry is Memento Ira!/Remember our wrath! “Security breeds complacency, and we will know no rest.” Brother-Captain Maekor Eltas of the 1st Company, addressing new recruits, 102.M41 Originally intended as a Crusading Chapter, the Knights Vindicant were fleet based. The Battle Barge Terrible Vow served as their mobile fortress-monastery, and recruits were taken from whichever suitable worlds they were granted recruiting rights to. This led to the Chapter's new recruits having a variety of cultural and societal beliefs, a lack of any one domineering cultural bias ensuring the Chapter has not had reason to deviate from the Codex Astartes. As the Chapter has largely been based near the Eastern Fringe since its inception, most of those who are not founding members of the Chapter hail from this area of Imperial space. For a brief period between the Poriphon Wars against Hive Fleet Vritra at the end of M41, the Knights Vindicant based themselves on the Ocean Planet of Talacra, forming a floating Fortress-Monastery from the ruins of their destroyed flagship, the Battle Barge Terrible Vow. The planet was abandoned when overrun at the start of the Second Poriphon War however, and the Chapter once again resumed its spacefaring nature, basing itself across Darina’s Fire and Excisor, their two remaining Strike Cruisers. The arrival of a Torchbearer fleet bearing reinforcements in 102.M42 also brought with it the Battle Barge Monument of Awe, which now serves as the Chapter’s headquarters. Having spent the prior 120 years defending the Barus Sector, they have been granted access to a number of recruiting worlds within this sector; primarily, the feral world of Obol in the Har Myrae system, where the Chapter has taken it’s recent stock of aspirants for assessment and induction. “From my vigil on the Watch Fortress, I looked on, helpless, as my Brothers fell to the Great Enemy. By the Emperor's divine will, I have been given a chance to change what I could not. We will not end, not yet.” Brother Antedes, Venerable Dreadnought; during a council held by the remaining Knights Vindicant following the end of the Poriphon War. The Chapter was founded as part of the 26th founding, in 738.M41, primarily using the geneseed of the all-but extinct Black Consuls Chapter. The Chapter's founding leader was Oris Antedes, a Black Consul who had been serving as a Watch Captain of the Deathwatch; the Chapter's recruits were initially trained by Antedes, the few remaining Black Consuls he could muster, and a detachment of the Ultramarines Chapter. Although originally intended to patrol the Cadian Gate, the Knights Vindicant were instead diverted to the Ultima Segmentum almost as soon as they had reached battle strength due to the incursion of Hive Fleet Behemoth. Although not arriving until after the major battles had been fought, the Knights Vindicant worked in concert with numerous other Chapters and Imperial forces in hunting down any remaining elements of Hive Fleet Behemoth. The Knights Vindicant then started on a long patrol into the Eastern Fringe. Encountering numerous Tau colony worlds, they won significant victories over the Tau at the Battle of Madragast VI (796.M41) and the Irusci Insurrection (802.M41). Chapter Master Antedes was gravely wounded during the Irusci Insurrection and was interred into a Dreadnought, as the Chapter continued it's crusade into the Eastern Fringe under Chapter Master Molon. Of note, they defeated a sizable Ork Waaagh! under Warboss Grazgar Rendklaw at the Battle for Isadoni (845.M41); and the Dark Eldar Kabal of the Wild Light, defeating them on the surface of the moon Maroch (878.M41), before destroying the Kabal aboard their fleet in a mass boarding action led by the young Captain Indrus Baeloc and the 3rd Company (879.M41). Since the victory over the Kabal of the Wild Light, the Knights Vindicant were involved in a score of minor conflicts of little note, up until the outbreak of the Poriphon War. The Poriphon Wars Whilst on route to Sotha to assist the forces battling Hive Fleet Kraken in 992.M41, the Knights Vindicant had stopped to resupply in the little-known Poriphon system when a splinter of Hive Fleet Kraken was discovered on the outer edges of the system. Dubbed Hive Fleet Vritra, it rampaged through the outer planets of the system before Captain Indrus Baeloc, with the help of four regiments from the Heralic Armoured Infantry, managed to halt the Tyranids on Heral. The war spread to consume Talacra, another planet in the system, where the Chapter sustained grievous losses including most of their fleet, hundreds of Marines and most of their Command staff, including Chapter Master Molon, in an effort to destroy the bulk of the Tyranid threat.[/background] The Hive Fleet was eventually destroyed with the intervention of Battlefleet Barus, although not until Heral had been abandoned and subjected to Exterminatus. The Knights Vindicant suffered catastrophic losses in the war, with little more than a hundred Space Marines and only two of it's Captains surviving the battles with Hive Fleet Vritra, alongside the losses of much of their armoury and all but two Strike Cruisers of their fleet. From 993.M41, the Chapter based itself on the planet Talacra in the Poriphon system whilst it tried to rebuild, forging a floating Fortress of the remains of the Battle Barge Terrible Vow. The Knights Vindicant also took responsibility for combating the unexpected resurgence of the Tyranid threat on Talacra; a very small number of Xenos having seemingly survived the bombardment of Talacra that ended the Poriphon War, seeming to grow in numbers despite efforts to eradicate them. Chapter Master Indrus Baeloc did all he could to deflect requests for the Chapter's presence elsewhere by the Imperium in the period up to 999.M41, fueling speculation that the Knights Vindicant were a crippled Chapter; some onlookers going so far as to cast aspersions as to the stability of their gene-seed. In the dying days of 999.M41, the Second Poriphon War broke out. Without notice, the Terrible Vowcame under attack by swarms of Tyranids rising from the deep; having evidently spent years breeding and adapting to their underwater environment. The Knights Vindicant fought a bitter battle, desperately holding out until less than a Chapter’s worth of survivors could be evacuated from Talacra aboard their Strike Cruiser, Darian’s Fire. Those left were led to the nearby agri-world Ymirica; also experiencing a resurgence of Hive Fleet Vritra that nearly overwhelmed the local PDF and Heralic Mechanised Legion regiments stationed there since the end of the First Poriphon War. Under Baeloc’s leadership, Ymirica was also kept safe, and Vritra was defeated for the second and final time when an artillery company attached to the 212nd Heralic Armoured Infantry sacrificed itself to destroy the Bio-Titan at the core of the Xenos swarm. Age of the Dark Imperium With the fall of Cadia and the birth of the Cicatrix Maledictum, what was left of the Knights Vindicant were set to policing the wider Barus Sector by Baeloc, knowing that with limited numbers they balanced on the precipice of extinction. Spreading themselves thin in order to bolster as many Imperial defences as possible, they forged a legend as heroes of the sector as new battlefields came alive one after the other, foes of the Imperium seeking to capitalise on its weakness and confusion. Over the next century, the Knights Vindicant would notably lead the defence against numerous attempts of the minor Tau Pa’shel sept to encroach on outlying planets of the sector, and were instrumental in the defeat of Waaagh! Gurgor, Indrus Baeloc slaying the Ork warboss himself after the remnants of the Chapter launched a lightning strike on Gurgor’s personal retinue of Nobs. Meanwhile reinforcements trickled in; but with the Imperium in Chaos, they did not come quite as fast as the Chapter lost its strength. Small losses across numerous battlefields added up, and when the Torchbearer ship finally found the Chapter battered and bloody in the wake of Waaagh! Gurgor, just seventy Knights Vindicant and a handful of tanks remained. Under these circumstances, Baeloc had no choice but to willingly accept almost an entire Chapter’s worth of Greyshield Primaris marines under his leadership, retiring or recommending obsolete vehicles to the Deathwatch in return for an armoury of Impulsors and Repulsors, and receiving a new Battle Barge and two new Strike Cruisers for it’s fleet. One last tragedy would strike, however. In order to integrate themselves with their new Brothers, the remaining Knights Vindicant held a council in which they decided as one to all submit themselves to the Rubicon Primaris. Perhaps the Rubicon was as dangerous as first feared, or perhaps the naysayers of late M41 had been correct when they doubted the worth of the Chapter’s geneseed. Regardless of the reason, over half of those who had survived over a century of almost endless combat died undergoing the arduous surgeries required. “Strike not without purpose; strike hard, and strike fast, and find your next foe before the first realises he is dead. Brother-Captain Orstan Larentes of the 2nd Company, Battle of Hive Fraxxis Largely adherent to the guidelines laid down in the Codex Astartes, the Knights Vindicant have a preference for surgical armoured strikes; not the overwhelming force of those such as the Aurora Chapter, but using their mobility to strike with speed and precision against key targets in tactics reminiscent of the White Scars. This developed through the Chapter's link to the Black Consuls and their favoured tactic of mass Drop Pod assaults, through an approach of heavy armoured assaults. Although the Chapter lost much of it’s armoured strength in the years following the Poriphon Wars, these too have been replenished by a large stock of Primaris Repulsors and Impulsors, in return for the Chapter offering what few tanks remained to them for service in the Deathwatch. The Chapter has even benefitted from a detachment of the Astraeus super-heavy grav tank which form the core of its armoured strength. “Some days it is hard to remember all that Vritra took from us. Some days it is hard to forget.” Carve Sorris, Chief Apothecarion; from conversation logs with Chapter Master Baeloc. Recent reinforcements have led to a period of re-adjustment within the Knights Vindicant, operating at full strength for the first time in over a century. Indrus Baeloc retained those of the Chapter who survived the Rubicon Primaris in key command positions across all companies, relying on those he knows the abilities of whilst assessing the leadership and prowess of his newer Greyshield recruits. Reverting to a Codex-compliant structure, there are few differences of note from standard Chapter organisation. Owing to the Chapter’s doctrine of focused armoured strike, each Company will have a core of vehicles dedicated to it, rather than being assigned from the Chapter’s armoury. This allows vehicle crews and squads a closer bond, and the Knights Vindicant infantry and armoured elements are known to work particularly efficiently in concert. The armoury in the meantime retains the battle tanks of the Chapter, assigning detachments of Repulsor Executioners and Astraeus tanks as they are required. The 1st Company, usually expected to consist of Chapter veterans, does not yet have considerably more combat experience than the rest of the Chapter. Due to the recent influx of Greyshield reinforcements, admission to the 1st Company is currently fluid; two squads have been picked of the most aggressive Primaris, forming them into Excelsor-units who enter battle carrying Eviscerator Chainswords. The remaining strength of the 1st Company is made up of 10 Parimaris marines each nominated from the 2nd through 9th Companies, who are technically slightly overstrength as a result. It is expected that in time, identification of a 1st Company ‘core’ will form and this practise will cease as units are permanently absorbed into the 1st. Where traditional Chapters might have the 10th Company consist of Scout initiates, the Knights Vindicant operate theirs as a Vanguard company. New recruits are expected to gain experience in Battleline, Close Support and Fire Support roles in this Company, before being moved into one of the other Companies to gain more specific, in-depth experience as normal. “Gulliman held the Imperium together as it threatened to shatter in the wake of his predecessor. I must do the same.” Indrus Baeloc, Chapter Master; from conversation logs with Chief Apothecarion Sorris. Chapter Master Indrus Baeloc Formerly Captain of the Knights Vindicant 3rd Company, Indrus Baeloc was instrumental in the Chapter's defeat of the Kabal of the Wild Light in 878-879.M41, and further distinguished himself in the battle against Hive Fleet Vritra. Despite their inevitable defeat, Baeloc's rearguard held the planet of Heral long enough for Battlefleet Barus to arrive and destroy the Tyranid ships in orbit before they had a chance to consume the planet. Baeloc assumed leadership of the Chapter following the First Poriphon War, and was instrumental in saving the system from a resurgent Vritra in the Second Poriphon War of 999.M41-001.M42. A solid warrior and an exceptional tactician, favouring lightning strikes against key targets, Baeloc was forced to spend his forces as efficienlty as possibly across the Barus sector, watching his brother's numbers dwindle with every engagement. Leading the Imperium to victory against numerous incursions from the Pa'shel Tau, and marshalling the defence against Waaagh! Grugor before slaying the Warboss in combat, Baeloc has become something of a hero to the local militarum regiments. With a new influx of Greyshield Primaris finally putting the Chapter back at full strength, Baeloc has set about defending the embattled Barus sector with a renewed ferocity. Venerable Brother Antedes Originally of the Black Consuls, Ores Antedes was serving with the Deathwatch at the time of the Black Consul's destruction at the Siege of Goddeth Hive. Antedes had risen to the rank of Watch Captain through various tours of service at Indomitus Point Watch Fortress, and had resigned himself to life as a Black Shield before he was offered the opportunity to head a new Chapter. Antedes served as Chapter Master of the Knights Vindicant until suffering a mortal injury in an ambush by a Tau Crisis Suit team during the Irusci Insurrection of 802.M41, and was interred within a Dreadnought. Antedes has continued to fight alongside his brothers, providing heavy fire support with the pin-point accuracy that he had become known for. Brother Antedes was one of just two Dreadnoughts that survived into M42, and with centuries of experience, has become one of Baeloc's most valuable advisors. Known for his fierce temperament, in recent years Antedes has been content to see the Knights Vindicant re-established a a full-fledged Primaris Chapter, knowing as he freely admits that it will make him one of the last of his kind. Venerable Brother Cantekles The second of the two Castaferrum dreadnoughts to still exist in the Chapter, Cantakles' scroll of honour is not quite as long as Antedes, but he is a redoubtable foe no less. Armed with two twin-linked autocannons, he is most often found reinforcing the fire support elements of any force he is attached to. Stoic where Antedes is fiery, Cantakles offers little interaction with his brothers until they reach the battlefield, where he truly thrives. Carve Sorris, Chief Apothecarion Carve Sorris has served in his post since before the First Poriphon War, where much of the Chapter's geneseed was lost. Facing the monumental task of keeping a Chpater most thought doomed to inevitable loss from becoming extinct, Sorris had been prone to bouts of severe melancholy. However, sis demeanor has been tempered in recent years by the introduction of the new Primaris reinforcements, and he expresses a warm, if sometimes intrusive, curiosity towards them. 1st Company Captain Maekor Eltas Previously a Sergeant in the 1st Company, most often found leading a detachment of Terminator-clad warriors, Eltas recieved a sudden and unexpected promotion after his predecessor fell tackling an infestation of Genestealers. He has taken to the role well, using any opportunity he can to remind the new influx of Primaris marines of the storied history of the Chapter, and casting a keen eye to identify any aspirants he thinks suitable for the vaunted 1st Company. 2nd Company Captain Orstan Larentes A veteran of many battles, Larentes has led units since the first engagements against Hive Fleet Vritra. One of Javas Varantis' trusted sergeants, he took over command of the 2nd Company after Varantis fell in battle with the Warboss Grugor. Known for being even-tempered, his mood has been soured somewhat by the Rubicon Primaris, a difficult transition leaving him with intermittent pains in the head. 2nd Company Lieutenant Gor Nayvir Seen as the most promising of the Greyshield recruits, Gor Nayvir is a veteran of the Indomitus Crusade. A noted veteran of the Battle of Ophelia VII and the Cleansing of Pyros, he was quickly identified as a future leader of the Chapter, quickly adapting his favoured tactic of overlapping static gunlines to the Knights Vindicant's more mobile approach. Knights Vindicant Chapter Banner. Knights Vindicant Brother Argo, 2nd Company, Squad Firaxes (M41)

CHILDREN OF THE STORM The Sons of Tempest consider dying in service a sin. They do not worship martyrs or honor their dead they scorn them, for only the living may continue to fight in the Emperors name. Chapter Name:......... The Sons of Tempest Progenitor:........... Unknown Founding Chapter:..... The Marines Eternal Known Successors:..... None Founding:............. 23rd M38 Chapter Master:....... Prosperus Homeworld:............ Miranda III Tempest Fortress-Monastery:... Ariel Colours:.............. Prussian Blue with White Trim Chapter Symbol:....... Hurricane Viewed from Above Strength:............. Approx. 720 Origins "To mourn is to celebrate atrocity." -- Chapter Master Prosperus The Sons of Tempest were products of the 23rd Founding besides such chapters as the Imperial Harbingers and the Nova Warriors. Having lost a devastating number of chapters between M36 and M37, the High Lords of Terra conceived a new founding that would remain on near permanent crusade. The Sons of Tempest were organized into self-sufficient companies, similar in structure to the Marines Errant, rather than as a strict codex chapter. No records remain of their progenitor chapter, the Marines Eternal. It is not known whether this resulted from circumstances surrounding the chapters formation or their founding chapters destruction, but the Sons of Tempest developed a dogma intolerant of death in the Emperors service. Fallen brothers are treated as sinners rather than martyrs by the chapter. This position has kept them at odds at times with the Ecclesiarchy and their brother Astartes, most particularly the Star Phantoms. The Sons of Tempest actively purge the records of fallen marines, so much of their history has been lost. Those seeking information beyond the chapter's living history must look to organizations they served alongside. For example, Imperial Guard records show that the Ork warlord Nagrim Skarzod was defeated by the Sons of Tempest in 112.M38 and can confirm the Chapter took part in actions in the Melmoth System following the discovery of a Genestealer Cult on the hive world Bertram. In another instance, unsealed documents from the Ordo Xenos report the detection of an Eldar craftworld in the Ulthar System in 294.M39 and its ultimate destruction with the aid of the Sons of Tempest in 327.M39. However additional records, if they exist, remain classified. History Ancient Martolus We accomplished what we came for and moved as shadows through the Xenos temple. It was not until we reached our extraction point that we were ambushed. I took my share of them, but they plunged their talons deep as they fell upon me. And then came darkness. Moments short and faded dimly made their way through the black. The bodies of my brothers in sin lying about me. The ceiling of the Thunderhawk. Adrianus hovering above me, his narthecium purring. When it was over, they let the Deathwatch claim me. I am cursed to remain interred in this metal husk. I am cursed to remember my failure. I have come to share my stories with those who would hear them, as it is my final service: to remember and be cursed. Ancient Martolus of the Deathwatch Formerly a Son of Tempest As a result of their permanent crusade, the Sons of Tempest have achieved a great deal for a relatively young chapter. While they do not share the fame of some of their brother chapters, they have forged a respectable record of service since their chapter's founding. The current Chapter Master, Prosperus, has served for over 800 years and most of the history is known from his tenure. Prosperus took command of the Chapter during the suppression of the Macharian Heresy in 412.M41 following the death of his predecessor. Eight of the Chapter's companies had been deployed in that campaign where they served notably beside the Star Phantoms, the Marines Malevolent, and the Magma Dragoons. Following their first joint actions, a violent conflict nearly erupted between the Star Phantoms and the Sons of Tempest over the issue of martyrdom. Chaplains from both forces engaged in furious discussions for two weeks before circumstances forced them to disengage. The chapters have since ceased all communication. The Ork Warboss Toofrot invaded the subsector Montaigne in 533.M41. When three companies of the Sons of Tempest eventually arrived to reinforce the Imperial positions, the Orks had achieved total control of several systems. With the support of the Imperial Navy, the Sons of Tempest dislodged the greenskins planet-by-planet over the course of 30 years. Infighting eventually tore the Ork warband apart on the plains of Davenant after the death of Toofrot. Allied commanders are on record having complained the campaign would have been completed in half the time if the Astartes had not insisted on outrageously risk-averse strategies throughout the engagement. The Sons of Tempest took part in the Pepys Crusade towards the beginning of the next century. After the Arch Heretic Garrick lead the Pepys Sector in open revolt, four companies of the Sons of Tempest and a myriad of other Imperial forces were sent to suppress the heresy. The campaign opened with the Purge of Dryden, where the chapter was responsible for the deaths of half the world's population. This was soon followed by the Massacre at Dorinda after the captain of the tenth company ordered the mass killing of civilians for their disloyalty. While the Sons of Tempest spearheaded the efforts of this campaign, the honor of Garrick's ultimate demise was claimed by a conscript of the Windsorian 609th Regiment. In the aftermath of the First Tyrannic War, the chapter committed seven companies to hunting down splinters of Hive Fleet Behemoth. In the first engagement with the Tyranids, the entire Sixth Company was lost after their Strike Cruiser was destroyed above Orgel VII. The Sixth Company was never reformed and is remembered as a great stain on the chapter's history. Their loss has earned a particular enmity for Tyranids throughout the chapter. At the end of the Second Tyrannic War, the chapter dedicated three companies solely to tracking and destroying splinter fleets of Hive Fleet Kraken. Because of their experience, the Deathwatch have taken to recruiting Sons of Tempest regularly for their experience with the Tyranids. There are currently 8 brothers serving with the Deathwatch. Following the Night of a Thousand Rebellions in 992.M41, the chapter sent four companies to reclaim the Imperium's lost territories. However, five years into this campaign, with the advent of the Third Tyrannic War, the chapter recalled three of those companies prematurely to engage Hive Fleet Leviathan. In all, six companies are dedicated to eliminating the Tyrannid threat, including those that remain hunting remnants of Hive Fleet Kraken. Homeworld Father Salvectus, Chaplain of the Third Company It was obvious afterwards, that there was no course of action except to execute the Planetary Governor. Father Salvectus did it himself. He walked into the Governors office, introduced him to his replacement, and then put a bolt in his head. I suspect the new Governor will be much more accommodating than his predecessor Extracted testimony from a formal inquiry into the death of Governor Willem Jordain VI. A single ocean spans the entirety of Miranda III, the chapter's homeworld and the only habitable planet of the Miranda System. Locally, the planet is referred to as Tempest because of the constant, torrential storms. The inhabitants of the planet reside on floating colony ships and harvest kelp fields on the ocean floor. These colonies are designed to withstand the constant assault of brutal weather while housing hundreds of thousands. The chapter's fortress-monastery is located on Ariel, the sole moon of Tempest. Ariel's surface is composed of a dark basalt and is without an atmosphere. Aspirants are trained and assigned companies on Ariel, where weapons and munitions are produced for the chapter and where the Chapter Master resides with his honor guard. While the majority of the chapter remain permanently fleet-borne on their company's strike cruiser, the Chapter Master remains stationed on Ariel except in extreme circumstances. Despite the planets Adeptus Non tithe status, regiments of Imperial Guardsmen are frequently drawn up and deployed to the deadliest warzones to facilitate recruitment for the Sons of Tempest. The chapter recruits exclusively from the children of Tempests veterans, taking them from birth to Ariel in order for them to be tested and trained. Few of these children survive the induction process and fewer are successful. In the last trial before initiation, aspirants are dropped without equipment into the oceans of Tempest and stranded for days in order to weed out the weak. It is not uncommon for all the participants to drown. Beliefs "There is nothing heroic in death." -- Chaplain Veneratus in his final communication to the Star Phantoms Raised by chapter serfs from birth, the Sons of Tempest are extremely disciplined and loyal. Bred in them is a respect for caution, composure, and cold logic. Those who grow to know the Sons of Tempest learn that they are faithful and dependable servants of the Emperor, if they can see past their more unorthodox beliefs. To the Sons of Tempest, the Emperor is venerated as the founder of the Imperium and Father of the Astartes, but He is also celebrated for His undying service. Even restricted to His throne on Terra, He continues to shine the light of the astronomican, the Imperium's greatest treasure. Members of the chapter typically refrain from discussing the Primarchs with other chapters, as they believe them to be failed creations, with most of them missing or slain and this controversial viewpoint has spoiled relations with several of their brother chapters. Perhaps the most important aspect of the chapter's identity are their views on death and martyrdom. Death is seen as a way of avoiding responsibility. As the dead can no longer serve, dying is viewed as an act of extreme disloyalty a cowards way out. This has been a constant point of contention with would-be allies as the belief in martyrdom is fully integrated throughout Imperial dogma. While they have not been censured for their beliefs, they have a particularly difficult time working besides other Imperial organizations. Purging chapter records of the deceased also complicates such matters. Other Astartes tend to have long memories, rich with the traditions of their forebears, so it can lead to issues when the Sons of Tempest have no recollection of shared exploits or ancient grudges. Combat Doctrine "Disgraceful. They leave us to carry on the task without them." -- Captain Valente of the 9th Company Strategies implemented by the Sons of Tempest are reserved and conservative. The priority of commanders is always to keep brothers under their command alive. Assaults are typically planned with special attention reserved to deployment and extraction. While this leads to precision execution, it has often led to delayed action and missed opportunity. Famously, after arriving to reinforce the Lion Warriors during the Felidane Heresy of 890.M40, the Sons of Tempest did not deploy any forces for first year of their involvement due to their overly cautious nature and the constantly shifting situation on the ground. Taking the inaction as a grievous insult, the Lion Warriors now refuse to participate in any campaign involving the Sons of Tempest. The Sons of Tempest are most effective mounting defenses or slow advances due to their meticulous and careful nature. In a planetary assault, their first action is generally a mass assault to establish a foothold followed by reinforcement of that position. They are known to be able to turn even the most exposed positions into elaborate fortifications. Organization While the Sons of Tempest still look to the principles of the Codex Astartes for their basic organization, they were conceived as a crusading chapter. The chapter is organized into nine self-sufficient battle companies. Each of these companies have their own strike cruiser and generally operate alone rather than jointly with other companies. Their forces remain fleetborne until they return to Ariel for reinforcement or supplies, which often means decades of separation. It is extremely rare for the entire chapter to be gathered in a single location and this has probably happened on only two or three occasions since the chapters founding. As autonomous fighting forces, companies retain their veterans and scouts rather than separating them into their own organizational structures. The most senior brothers of a company are assigned command of five marine fire-teams, or fraternities, which arm themselves according to the mission at hand. In order to keep larger stores of geneseed, a company is generally made up of 80 marines and considers itself to be at full strength if it can field 15 fire-teams. Initiates are folded directly into a unit, though they do not see combat until their progenoids have matured. The Honor Guard on Ariel, led by the Chapter Master, is composed of a veteran from each company. It is the responsibility of the Astartes remaining on Ariel to defend the fortress-monastery and train initiates before they are assigned to companies. Members of the Honor Guard represent their companies serving on a council to advise the Chapter Master. Geneseed Though the betcher's gland is present in the Sons of Tempest, it has become non-functional as a result of a defect in their geneseed. This is not an uncommon mutation, but nonetheless the chapter appears to be under particular scrutiny by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Possibly as a response to the destruction of their founding chapter, the Sons of Tempest are especially careful with their stock of geneseed. Initiates do not see combat until their progenoids have been fully matured and extracted. Novice marines thus spend an extra ten years training before they are assigned to combat missions. In addition to this, each company stores half of its own geneseed stores separate from the rest of the chapter. These stockpiles are typically housed in the vaults of a companys strike cruiser. Battle Cry Intent The intent of posting this IA has been to find and remove inconsistencies that may exist between this article and the actual canon. The goal of this project is to create a chapter that fits perfectly in the 40k setting. Harsh criticism and clarifying questions are welcome. Thunder! Author Frater Micius is currently based out of Framingham, MA. He has been involved with Warhammer 40,000 since the end of 2nd Ed fielding SM, IG, and Ork armies. His terrible luck on the battlefield is the stuff of legends. The Sons of Tempest have been his pet project since 2011.

Index Astartes The Basilisks Chapter “To know that our eyes are upon them must cause our enemies to be paralyzed with fear, to acknowledge the immediacy of their mortal lives. To look upon our silent gaze, they must know death, swift and sure!”-Asmodeus, 1st Serpent Lord Origins Meeting of Inquisitor Moisei and Master Kalis “Many eyes have pried into the cloying shadows of that founding, Inquisitor. Few have found what they sought. Fewer still have emerged unscathed.” The Inquisitor scoffed, but had no reply. The power armored giant chuckled again. “Don’t let my words deter you. We have the utmost interest in your…findings” Of the many Chapters birthed from the darkness of the 21st founding, few proved successful, and many were even driven swiftly to extinction. Among the enduring 'Cursed' Chapters are the Basilisks. If they were created with a specific purpose, it remains unknown. Official observers have concluded that the Basilisks are of Iron Hands descent, attested to by their doctrine, and a timely submission of gene-seed tithes. Since the time they emerged from the void no records have followed to confirm this, or give any other clues regarding their origins…which isn’t to say that no one is looking. Multiple factions within the Imperium have, in the past, questioned both the legitimacy of the Chapter’s genetic material, and its loyalty to the Emperor. Some still do. The Basilisks have, with great effort, evaded most unwanted attention, though they are still dogged from sector to sector by one Inquisitor Moisei, who has long doubted how such ‘purity’ could have emerged from the 21st Founding. The Chapter avoids as much contact with these and other Imperial Forces as possible, remaining tight-lipped under whatever scrutiny the Inquisition attempts to pursue…which has done nothing to dissuade their detractors. The Fleet Final audiolog from the pirate frigate Sorento “Is that a cruiser!? An Astartes cruiser!? You said the frigate was a Trader! Get us back to the fleet, now! Damn it all, is that another? Brace for im----” To the knowledge of the Imperium and even the Basilisks themselves, they had no world of origin. Since they were first sighted plowing through the void, no marine has set foot planetside except to do battle. The fleet is extensive, and continually grows with the addition of captured ships. These include a startlingly high concentration of Battle Barges, which despite being of a younger and smaller caliber than the venerable vessels of the Heresy, are able to give significant body to the otherwise thinly spread Basilisk fleet. The Monastery Battle Barge Serpent's Tongue and its escort are found at the heart of the fleet, where they are best able to support any engagement, while the rest of the fleet is spread in a loose, coiling line across a vast stretch of space on either side and there is no consistent course or predictability to the fleet’s movements. Constant communication is maintained from one end of the fleet to the other with as much accuracy as possible in an effort to allow fleet elements to redeploy for support as quickly as possible. The Chapter’s more frequent enemies, traitor fleets and pirates both human and xenos, have learned to attack or flee at the first sign of a Basilisk ship, as reinforcements are never far behind. In turn, the Basilisks have developed an expertise in rapid boarding actions as well as improved methods of defending smaller patrol fleets. Recruitment Survivors The Apothecary’s expression was impassive as he dressed the recruit’s wounds, stemming the open flow of blood issuing from his arm and side, while the man lay still on the table. His eyes stared straight up, unmoving. He would survive his wounds, but whether or not hypnotherapy and conditioning could get him past the mental trauma remained to be seen. The Chaplain stood looking silently on for a long time, but finally revealed his purpose. “Can you describe what you saw?” The recruit flinched; the Chaplain had undone all his effort thus far to bury the last eight hours, but he did not change his gaze. Eventually, he slowly shook his head. The Chaplain appeared to be satisfied, and turned and began walking from the room. “One final test awaits you,” The Chaplain stopped at the doorway, “Steel yourself. You will return to that ship again before your trial is over. If you are not ready, you will become what you now fear. To become one of us, you must know no fear.” The neophyte sat bolt upright, heading snapping to the doorway, but the Chaplain had gone. Falling slowly back to the table as the Apothecary grumbled at replacing the newly torn wrappings. The recruit’s gaze returned to the ceiling. Back to the ship. One more time. Like most Chapters of the Cursed Founding, the greatest challenge of the Basilisks is not victory in battle, but propagation. In order to maintain a flow of successful initiates, the Chapter takes suitable candidates en masse from liberated worlds. For the inhabitants of such worlds, it is the price paid for freedom, as the green clad Astartes move among them, claiming the choicest of their youth. No word of explanation is ever given and often the Basilisks leave a liberated world without the planet's inhabitants even knowing who they are. Few worlds visited by the Basilisks understand anything more about their visitation other than that they are purged of whatever heresy plagues them in return for however many children the marines choose to spirit away. The trials faced by recruits are among the most lethal of tests employed by Space Marines, and despite taking large numbers of prospective initiates there are very few survivors. While the exact nature of the trials is unknown, the bodies of most failed neophytes are unceremoniously jettisoned into the void, and their occasional recovery by Inquisitor Moisei has long fueled his obsessive investigation. Some of these corpses appear to have been pierced by the fangs of some great maw, others torn by man made weapons, and still others show signs of both. These aren’t unusual fates among Astartes recruits, but they do indicate that the Basilisks house some sort of creature for these trials, though no one has ever observed the Basilisks collecting any such specimens. The Chapter keeps a fairly large body of serfs, but they are maintained at a distant arms length, usually assigned to the support of ships in the fleet rather than working with battle brothers. This is the most fortunate fate to befall unfit recruits, while the dregs are augmented or turned into servitors to assist the Techmarines in their considerable work. Combat Doctrine Day 16 of the Wailing Portent Campaign For two days the rangers of Iybraesil had lain in wait, assured by the Farseer that the humans would pass this way with minimal support. While Ynarana’s banshees were too important to set aside for days at a time, they would arrive in time to mop up. Mendor and his squad were beginning to shift into ready positions as the appointed time came close, sliding the barrels of their long rifles over ledges amid the debris of the ruins, sighting down the only clear path through the area. Minutes passed, then hours. Mendor began to stretch, and sniffed as a strange scent reached his nose. He had turned part way toward the source when he felt his muscles seize up, his eyes catching sight of a small canister on the ground nearby. He couldn’t move. The ground crunched heavily beside him, but he couldn’t turn to look. What came into view first was Ynarana’s head, jaw slack, eyes sightlessly staring, hair caught in the gauntleted fist of a Space Marine. The green armored figure crouched down. “Expecting someone, witch-kin?” Issued the voice from the helmet, then the figure straightened up and Mendor saw the free hand reach for him and felt the grip on the back of his neck, pulling him easily off his feet, “Worry not. We will keep you company. We can discuss the location of your webway gates.” AAll of the Basilisks most significant actions have either been ship to ship boarding maneuvers, or targeted at planetside orbital defenses, usually aimed at creating a beachhead for other Imperial forces. The Basilisks don’t wait for support, and the forces these beacheads are intended for are usually days or even weeks behind. The Chapter has become adept at creating large, defensible groundside footholds, and loyalist forces descending on a world visited by the Basilisks will often find well stocked defenses waiting for them, though the Chapter itself is frequently gone by then. The Basilisks are extremely well suited to fighting in the cold confines of dying capital ships, as well as the shadow-pocked, rubble strewn, urban battlefields of hive worlds. Indeed, they seem to prefer such restrictive environments. On a larger scale, the fleet of the Basilisks feels like an omnipresent threat to enemies of the Chapter or the Imperium, for wherever there is one ship there are not only several more close at hand, but virtually half the fleet can redeploy to an engagement before within short order of the commencement of hostilities. In fleet engagements, their ships seek to close quickly to boarding distance, from multiple angles if possible, in order to disable and capture enemy vessels before they can react, after which said ships are usually used against the very planet or fleet they had defended. One favored tactic involves covertly introducing a paralytic nerve agent into an enemy vessel’s environmental systems, leaving entire crews helplessly at the Basilisk's mercy, which is, at best a quick shot to the head and at worst a one-way trip to the airlock. Basilisk attacks can be quick, or prolonged, according to the adaptability of the Codex and tactics inspired by the creature for which the Chapter is named. The initial strike of any Basilisk force is aimed at forcing the enemy to dig in, whether by pinning them with hails of ranged fire or holding them in place with bloody assaults. If this fails the strike force will fall back, regroup, and repeat the attempt until successful. As soon as the Basilisk force has ‘caught hold’ of the enemy, they move to surround them. Usually this is done by drop pod assault into the enemy’s rear rather than redeployment of ground forces, but fast moving tactical units have effectively fenced in target forces on many occasions. Once surrounded, the Basilisks either grind the foe into oblivion with steady and unrelenting fire, supported by assault units that flush out entrenched targets, or the Chapter may employ an orbital bombardment, destroying everything within their grip. If said grip should be broken, or the enemy can’t be held down long enough to surround, the Basilisk force will withdraw, usually to make an attempt from another angle. The Chapter does not move or fight with such fluidity on an open battleground, and their tactics are far less effective in pitched battle situations. At these times the Basilisks are more likely to break off the attack and seek to engage the enemy in an area more of their choosing, or to bleed them with endless hit-and-run attacks that drain the enemy of vitality each time. What few Scouts they employ are adepts of sabotage, especially using poisons. Where this proves ineffective, such as against the multi-filtered nervous and digestive system of other marines, more direct means are used, such as explosives. Sabotage like that is usually aimed at enemy ammunition supplies and armor. In more urgent situations, or especially if striking at a port or manufactorum, the enemy may be shelled using the same gaseous nerve agent employed in their boarding actions in an effort to minimize damage to salvageable assets. The tactic is often looked down on as cowardice by other Astartes, but the Basilisks are either oblivious to the stigma or simply don't care. Individually, most Basilisk marines favor close combat, and most of their extensive bionics are optimized for it. While the majority of these enhancements and prosthetics are still covered by armor, some Basilisks make frequent use of digital weapons and so sacrifice armor to better facilitate cooling. Veterans invariably possess the most bionic replacements. Organization Despite the size of its recruitment pool, it appears the Chapter has never grown far beyond six hundred marines in strength. Even so they have proved on multiple occasions to be willing to commit up to three hundred marines to an engagement without hesitation, and within a reasonably short space of time. These marines usually come from the three nearly full strength only Battle Companies, spaced roughly evenly throughout the fleet. Their remaining marines are distributed across six half sized Reserve Companies, usually lingering near the Monastery Barge. The Basilisks are, despite their numbers, fairly Codex adherent, with only a few variations in their naming conventions. The Chapter Master is known as the Serpent Lord, and no other power in the Chapter, individual or group, is equal to his. As in any other Astartes Chapter, he is indisputably the strongest marine among them, physically and mentally, perhaps even more so considering how long the Serpent Lords tend to live. At the turn of each generation thus far, caused each time by the death of the Master in battle, the Chapter disappears and is lost even to the unclosing eye of the Inquisition. When it next appears, usually not for decades, the Chapter is markedly weaker for a time. Twice they have fallen to less than two hundred marines. This too usually lasts a few decades. The cause for this decline is also a mystery. The current Chapter Master is Serpent Lord Sicariss, who has been the head of the Basilisks for well over three and a half centuries. The Basilisks have not looked favorably on the Ultima Founding. When they were called upon to augment their ranks with Primaris marines, they responded with silence, and seem to avoid joining with Primaris chapters on the battlefield. The Head Transfusion The doors to the Serpent Lord’s chambers sealed with a hiss, leaving the black and gilded casket sitting in the center of the darkened room. After several moments of silenced, a whirring and hum of power announced the activation of a pair of servitors recessed into a wall. One, some sort of surgical servitor, approached the casket, while the other, which appeared to be a Historitor, moved toward the bank of screens and monitors that dominated the wall across from the casket. Deft mechanical appendages keyed several panels, deactivating and reactivating several screens, and moving subtly hidden levers and switches. A few seconds later the wall split and opened, revealing an alcove, softly lit by the glow of the translucent screens still suspended in front of it. The light fell on a whispering, shifting form, a humanoid bound and connected to the wall behind it by cables and chains, all sallow skin and exposed circuitry. The historitor reached out to a plinth over which this hidden servitor was held, metal digits skittering across it. The sound of sparks and buzzing current came from the mess of cables and cords, and the figure twitched and jerked briefly, before its unintelligible burbles and whispers were replaced with a single, low hum, almost musical to hear. At this, the historitor settle back on mechanical haunches and quieted, waiting. Behind it, the surgical servitor had unsealed and opened the casket, and with drills, saws and scalpels was peeling back layers of skin, muscle and bone on the figure within. It worked methodically, ceaselessly, slowly extricating wires and circuitry from the now faceless cranium. Eventually, whether hours or days later, the continuous monotone of the hidden servitor pitched up for a moment and then went silent, at which the historitor stirred and straightened, eyes abnormally attentive. A rasping, modulated voice issued from the hanging form. “Report.” The response came from the historitor, but the voice and cadence was not that of a lobotomized servant. “Scitalis has expired on the battlefield of Pharsalia, my lord. The Basilisks are entering dormancy.” “The Chain Node?” The supposed historitor turned to look at the surgical servitor, which stood in active over the casket, a mesh of fine wires and organic components held in one claw. Turning back, the strange servant answered. “Intact.” “Well done, Li-Char. We will begin preparing potential successors,” the voice answered, “Rendezvous coordinates forthcoming. To the coming of the True Omnissiah.” “To the coming of the True Omnissiah.” Beliefs Volcanic Deathworld Cerregra The feed from the servo-skull was spotty, marred by static bursts and light flares from the lava below. A group of Astartes stood beside the molten river, several of them gesturing upstream, while one was kneeling by a device on the bank. Presently, they stood and trotted off further downstream. Moisei did not send the skull to follow immediately, but as the visual began to shudder, he realized he should have. The drone turned to see some sort of detonation erupt on the side of the ashmount, and the lava flow immediately swelled, doubling, and then tripling in size, until a veritable wave of lava was rolling down the mountainside. There was a heatbloom in the feed as the skull tried to escape, and then the connection was lost. Moisei sighed, pushing away from the monitor in frustration. What were they after on this hellscape, these supposed sons of the Gorgon? And how many servo-skulls was it going to take to find out. There appear to be two tiers to the belief system of the Basilisks. The first echoes the Iron Hands mantra of Purge the Weak, with a slightly more progressive approach: a doctrine known as Shed the Weak. According to the Basilisks, the transformation familiar to Iron Hands and their successors for millennia is a natural order of evolution prompted by the very first advent of technology. They believe that humanity may ‘grow into’ this changed and improved form over time, which progression is based on merit. The first thing shed by every Basilisk upon initiation is his given name, and after induction, the traditional right hand of Manus’ sons. From then on, augmentations and bionic replacements are earned. Should a marine suffer a wound or lose a limb on the battlefield without having proven his worth, he will not be saved except for his invaluable geneseed, and is considered as shed weakness. This much is known because the Basilisks have, in the past, allowed Imperial agents unrestricted access to their regular rites in an attempt to dissuade Inquisitorial attention, and these rites clearly suggest another level of doctrine among the Basilisks. This other ‘tier’ of beliefs is repeatedly mentioned during regular rites, in the oratories of their Chaplains. What this second tier is exactly is unknown to any but the brothers of the Chapter, and is referred to simply as The Quest. Every marine seems to be aware of its meaning since both Initiates and Veterans are present when the Chaplains are relaying its urgency and significance, and all those who are present respond with equal fervor. This suggests that the knowledge is planted along with the 19 organs, during hypnotherapy, and this process has always been strictly prohibited from outside view. The truth of The Quest is surprisingly simple, something of an evolution of a belief common among the Gorgon’s sons, that one day the Primarch may return. The Basilisks don’t espouse this exact belief, but rather they believe that the bearers of the Iron Hands legacy must become as their Primarch, believing that to do so requires not only mastery of the mechanical, but the literal hands of Ferrus Manus. The Quest, in essence, is a search for the spawn of Asirnoth, which the Basilisks are convinced exists somewhere in the galaxy, and can grant them the power of the Primarch, or in other words, return His power to the Imperium. Where this belief originated is unclear, but it accounts for the haste with which they answer any call from a world with remotely volcanic activity, which has been the only pattern ever detected in their fleet movements. Though he has little to no support among other Inquisitors, Moisei has long investigated the Basilisks because of these strange beliefs coupled with rumors of the Basilisks attacking and destroying young Chapters under the banner of perceived Chaos influence, only to claim the remaining fleet assets for their Quest. The most substantiated occasion involved a newly gathered Ork invasion which sprung up in the Heltoez system, only a subsector from the volcanic homeworld of the young Ash Eagles Chapter. Though the Greenskin invasion saw to it that surviving records were scarce, sources suggested that when the Basilisks ‘answered’ the call for help, their ships orbited the planet, guns and launch bays still, for two and a half weeks while the Ash Eagles scoured wave after wave of Greenskin hordes, and were ultimately ground down to less than half a company. After the Basilisks joined battle, the conflict was decisively ended, but the Eagles were lost while the Basilisks left with all the fledgling Chapter’s fleet elements. For Moisei, the mere possibility that this transpired is more than enough evidence that the Chapter has turned from the Emperor’s light, while others, who he derides as ‘charmed by the snake’ question how or why the Eagles wouldn’t have conveyed such damning evidence of treachery to anyone. The appearance of the Cicatrix Maledictum seems to have fueled the urgency of the Basilisk’s quest, and they now traverse the Dark Imperium erratically, smashing aside resistance of any form as they scour sector after sector for clues to the location of Asirnoth’s kin. New rumors have risen about the Imperial costs of the Basilisk’s campaign; supplies and materiel that has been more raided than commandeered, PDFs abandoned in the middle of battle with chaos forces, and worse. Gene-seed The genetic material of the Basilisks is severely mutated, the cause of their thin numbers and low rate of implantation success. Extensive genetic manipulation during the gene-seed’s growth would have been required to arrive at the functionality of an average Basilisk marine, and the fact that they display any genetic stability at all is a testament to Mechanicus handiwork and not the simple passage of time. For any other founding of marines, this would be great cause for alarm, but among the marines of the Cursed Founding, signs of deliberate mutation among essential Space Marine organs is more the rule than the exception. The first significant change is in the Occulobe. Basilisks do not have the hypersensitive eye-sight of other Adeptus Astartes, nor can they see as clearly at range. However, Basilisk marines can make use of frighteningly accurate vision on the thermal spectrum without the use of a filter of any kind, making them especially lethal urban hunters. Their second mutation is of the Neuroglittis which has been so overcharged that a marine need only open his mouth to taste what is before him. With chemical injector augmentations, usually one of the first received by most Basilisks, the Neuroglittis can be used to track scents at an alarming distance, when eyes might fail. The final mutation is of the Mucranoid, which produces a thicker, tougher than usual covering, allowing marines to last longer than usual in the vacuum, as well as decreasing the effects of harsh elements. Basilisk marines customarily force the Mucranoid covering to form after each augmentation, only removing it to replace a broken layer, or at the time of the next shedding. The layer formed is almost completely covering, and requires the placing of a rebreather as well as spacers and seals over the eyes and ears, though these are fairly simple to integrate. Such advanced mutation would attract Mechanicus attention were it not for the campaign of carefully spread rumors by Chapter serfs, exaggerating the staggeringly low success rate of implantation, the weakened Occulobe and insinuating a completely absent Neuroglittis. Once perpetuated, these rumors left the Adeptus Mechanicus with little interest in digging deeper, content to simply receive the Chapter’s tithe. The misinformation has not, however, dissuaded the Basilisk’s “resident” Inquisitor. There is no official knowledge of any further mutation among the Basilisks, despite the ample opportunities to study them, as their fallen marines are so frequently left on the battlefield. Even those suitable for dreadnought interment are rarely saved. The damning truth is that the Basilisks are far more genetically unstable, only very skilled at hiding it. The Chapter’s progenoids mature normally enough, and so tithes of it have not betrayed them yet. Pinning down the source of the mutation has proved impossible, but in most cases the full complement of organs together causes aspirants to grow well beyond standard Astartes size, turning them into voracious and cannibalistic predators. The engineered enhancements appearing in normal Basilisk marines are greatly intensified in these monsters, giving them hides which have been seen stopping bolter rounds, and supernal hunting senses. If the Chapter were ever forced to subject to true Inquisitorial investigation, discovery would be likely be immediate. In an effort to cull these aberrations, one ship out of the fleet is designated for the implantation process. Fortifying the medbay into a bunker, and equipped with a trap door, each aspirant that succumbs to the mutation is dropped into a lower chamber and released into the ship. It is this same vessel where recruits face their trials: to outhunt and destroy these nameless beasts. Survivors learn what it really is that they defeated after successfully receiving the last organ, and from then on are sworn to silence. Battle-cry The Basilisks offer no call or outwardly audible sound at all when in battle .

Index Astartes: Iron Gorgons Although they were once a Chapter of the Adeptus Astartes as noble as any other, the desire of the Iron Gorgons to replace weakness with strength led them into dark places from which they could not return. Origins Iron Gorgon of the Kajomn Clan At the time of the Twelfth Founding in the latter days of the Thirty-Fourth Millennium the High Lords of Terra decreed that one of the new Chapters would be drawn from the geneseed of the Iron Hands, a First Founding Chapter and the scions of the primarch Ferrus Manus. Representatives were dispatched to Medusa, the Chapter’s homeworld, to speak with the Great Chapter Council (the Iron Hands are peculiar in that they do not have a Chapter Master, preferring to divide power between multiple individuals). Tainted From Conception? Some Imperial scholars have concluded that the founding process doomed the Gorgons from the start. They argue that including individuals in the initial training core who would have preferred to remain with the Iron Hands bred bitterness against their superiors into the Chapter, resulting in the frosty relationships between the Gorgons and other Imperial bodies. Some even maintain that, although all of the members of the Sorrgol Clan had been tested and proven to be pure following their return from the Eye of Terror, the taint of Chaos lay hidden in the training cadre and over the millennia infected the entire Chapter. At that time the Sorrgol Clan (roughly equivalent in size, if not composition, to a company in a Codex Chapter) had just returned from a crusade into the Eye of Terror and were below half strength. It was decided that half the survivors would remain with the Iron Hands to rebuild and the other half would form the core of the new Chapter. The Council decided to randomly pair each Astartes warrior with another and have them fight a duel. The winner of each duel had the honour of choosing whether to remain an Iron Hand or become part of a new Chapter; the loser was assigned a role by his superiors regardless of his wishes. In this way the strong would go where they could serve to the best of their ability and the weak would learn the harsh lesson of defeat. Such is the way with the scions of Ferrus Manus. In total the training cadre was made up of two dozen members of the Sorrgol Clan and an additional dozen specialists drawn from several other clans of the Iron Hands. The new Great Chapter Council met for the first time to decide upon a name for the new Chapter whilst on route to the planet they had been granted as their homeworld. They decided to honour their Primarch by naming themselves the Iron Gorgons – Ferrus Manus is referred to as the ‘Gorgon’ in some historical accounts. When they arrived at their new homeworld they were mightily impressed by the character and determination of the indigenous tribesmen. This in itself is very uncommon for the descendents of Ferrus Manus, who often look down on any who are not of their own geneseed, holding unaugmented humans in particular contempt. Over the next millennia-and-a-half the Iron Gorgons fought countless battles against every enemy of the Imperium. Their largely autonomous clans spread far and wide over Segmentums Obscurus, Pacificus and Ultima, replying to calls for aid as and when they occurred. Over time they developed a reputation as stubborn siege-breakers, who could keep on pushing when all other Imperial forces had withdrawn and still claim victory. The cost of this was that the Gorgons had a very high casualty rate. Combined with their refusal to even consider excepting recruits from anywhere other than Sarkosh this meant that the Gorgons were very rarely at full strength. The Gorgons also developed a sense of superiority over other members of the Imperium. Imperial Guard regiments who fought alongside the Iron Gorgons suffered from extremely high levels of friendly fire incidents and members of the Gorgons frequently came to blows with allied Space Marines over the slightest real or perceived slight. The Gorgons only had good relations with other descendents of the Iron Hands and the Mechanicum, the latter of which regularly granted tributes of vehicles, power armour and other rarer equipment to the Gorgons far in excess of most Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes. The Fall The Iron Gorgons emerged from the dark and chaotic days of the Occlusiad relatively unscathed. As a result of this the entire Chapter was able to respond to the general call to arms at the beginning of the Taninim Crusade to regain territory lost to the Imperium’s enemies. Following a series of stunning victories over the mutant empire of the Dual King the Chapter gathered en masse to strike at the worlds of the Gnorghaan, despite a millennia old decree forbidding any Imperial personnel from straying within ten light years of Gnorghaani territory. The Gnorghaan There is very little mention of the Gnorghaan in Imperium records. Undoubtedly much was destroyed along with many other documents pertaining to the Taninim Crusade, but the shortage of information is still puzzling. Apparently the Gnorghaan were humanoid in appearance, although only around the height of a human child aged seven standard years. They were physically very weak but possessed an innate ability to understand the workings of their heretical technology and could innovate to a degree deemed impossible by members of the Cult Mechanicus. Their armour, laser technology and sonic weapons were far superior to Imperial equivalents. In the Forty-First Millennium the only remaining Gnorghaani technology is in the hands of the Iron Gorgons and the occasional well-equipped Rogue Trader. The initial strikes on the outlying colony worlds of the Gnorghaan were extremely successful. The xenos were unused to such brutal war, having lived at peace with their neighbours for hundreds of years. However they quickly adapted, evacuating outlying settlements to fortified cities and preparing for a lengthy siege. If the Gorgons had developed any feelings of complacency they were swiftly abolished when their forces were met with battalions of heavily armoured tanks armed with multiple laser and sonic weapons easily capable of penetrating power armour. Every victory won by the Gorgons was paid for in Astartes blood. Nevertheless, this was the combat the Gorgons excelled at and they eventually forced the Gnorghaan back to their capital world. By the time the Gorgon fleet arrived in orbit above the world designated as Gnorghaan Alpha the Chapter was barely above half strength. Lesser Chapters would have called for reinforcements or left a blockade fleet in the system whilst they returned to their homeworld to recruit and rearm, but not the Gorgons. They deployed every available warrior and vehicle to the surface of Gnorghaan Alpha to wipe out the xenos once and for all. Several hours after the last Thunderhawk Transporter had landed on the planet the Gorgons lost all contact with their fleet in orbit. At first they dismissed this as atmospherics interfering with the vox signals, or perhaps a Gnorghaani vox-jammer. But as the hours turned into days the Gorgons grew more concerned that something terrible had happened to their fleet. After two weeks with no contact of any kind with their orbiting forces the Gorgons accepted that the fleet had gone and they would have to defeat the Gnorghaans without reinforcement or resupply. By this stage five of the xenos fortified cities had been destroyed, but four more remained and they appeared to be better defended than any previously encountered. The Gorgons had also suffered heavy casualties. Four clans had been completely wiped out and the remainder were all below half strength. The sixth city fell at great cost and by this stage the situation was becoming increasingly desperate. Most of the Gorgons had run out of ammunition and had resorted to slaying their enemies with their bare hands. The remaining vehicles were all badly damaged and also running out of ammunition. At the daily Grand Council Meeting to determine the next stage of the war several of the Techmarines and Iron Fathers of the Chapter ventured the idea of using captured Gnorghaani weaponry against its creators. After all, the code of the Gorgons was that the strong would dominate over the weak. In this case, wasn’t it logical that the strong Gnorghaani technology should triumph over the weak Imperial technology? The Gorgons always strove to purge weakness from their ranks. Why should this not apply to their machines as well as their flesh? After lengthy discussion it was decided to test this principle in the coming assault on the seventh Gnorghaani city. The Deepest Mystery To this day the disappearance of the Iron Gorgons’ fleet is a complete mystery. One theory among Inquisitors who have investigated the Gorgons is that the Gnorghaani possessed some kind of surface-to-space weaponry on their capital planet that they used to destroy the Iron Gorgons fleet, although this raises the question of why they did do so earlier. Another common theory is that one of the many xenos or heretic fleets displaced by the ferocity of the Imperial crusade entered the system and attacked the Gorgons’ fleet whilst it was stuck in low orbit supporting the ground assault. Another theory is that one of the Iron Gorgon librarians, stuck in orbit whilst he recuperated from injuries sustained in a previous battle, suffered a terrible vision of the heresy his brothers were about to commit and somehow persuaded the fleet to abandon them on Gnorghaan Alpha. The only evidence for this theory is a pirate captured by Inquisitorial forces two decades later who claimed to have once been a serf of the Iron Gorgons. The pirate was suffering from a multitude of warp-travel related mental illnesses, and cannot be considered a reliable witness. Although designed for the small and agile hands of the Gnorghaan, the process of adapting it for use by power armoured Space Marines was relatively straight forward for the remaining Techmarines and Iron Fathers. The few vehicles that had been captured intact were more difficult but after stripping away most of the secondary power generators and life support systems it was possible for a single Astartes to operate one without too much trouble. The defenders of the seventh city were taken completely by surprise by the new tactic. The Gnorghaan had obviously never expected their own weapons to be used against them, the armour of their infantry soldiers proving as fallible as Imperial power armour had. Lacking both the superhuman physiologies and grim determination of the Emperor’s finest, the Gnorghaan were completely massacred. The captured vehicles likewise proved very successful, their only failing being a lack of numbers. The Taninim Crusade Lasting from 678.M37 to 714.M37, the ill-fated Taninim Crusade was an attempt by the High Lords of Terra to galvanise the Segmentum Obscurus, reeling from the Occlusiad War, by expanding its borders and removing age-old xenos threats. No less than eleven Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes were dispatched into the Taninim Expanse to cleanse it of xenos and filth. Much of what happened there has been purged from Imperial history, but it is clear that only a few of Chapters returned from the Expanse with their loyalty to the Imperium fully intact. Following such a decisive proof of the superiority of their new strategy, every Gorgon replaced his Imperial-sanctioned weaponry with those of the xenos. As final evidence that their chosen course was correct the last two Gnorghaani cities swiftly capitulated, although again the loss of Astartes life was severe. By this stage only three clans existed in a recognisable state, with two others only made up of half a dozen brothers each. The other five clans had been completely annihilated. Their duty complete, the Gorgons modified a Gnorghaani vox mast to broadcast an extraction request to all Imperial personnel in that area of space. Two months later one of the main crusade fleets, made up of ships from Battlefleet XXX and the YYY and ZZZ Chapters of the Adeptus Astartes, broke warp over Gnorghaan Alpha. The Gorgons had expected to be greeted as conquering heroes who had fought a powerful xenos empire single-handedly and triumphed at great cost. Instead they were treated with suspicion for their use of xenos technology and disregard for the decrees of the Mechanicum. Events came to a head when Inquisitor Sophia Vorgrazzi and Magos Hertz called for them to be put on trial for crimes against the Emperor as Omnissiah. Condemned both by their supposed superiors and by one they considered an ally cut the remaining Gorgons to the core. The Grand Council violently resisted arrest by brothers of the ZZZ and then captured a Strike Cruiser, fleeing the system with the last survivors of the Iron Gorgons. Vorgrazzi promptly declared the Chapter renegade and Excommunitus Traitoris. The Forty-First Millennium Following what they saw as their betrayal by the Imperium, the Gorgons became raiders. They roamed the northern edges of the Segmentums Obscurus and Ultima; capturing ships, equipment, raw materials and, most importantly, recruits. Over time the three surviving clans grew large enough to once again operate autonomously, although the Chapter will still gather as one to attack a large target of opportunity. The Gorgons still consider themselves loyal to the Emperor and maintain a deep hatred of Chaos, regularly attacking Chaos Space Marine warbands when they come across them. However, they despise most of the Imperium as too weak and foolish to accept that it is not the source of technology that is important but its usage. They hope that if they can gather enough strength they can launch an attack on the Sol System to prove the superiority of their augmented Gnorghaani weaponry over that of Mars and persuade the Mechanicum to allow true innovation and adaptation of xenos technologies Organisation Like their Iron Hand progenitors, the Iron Gorgons were originally made up of ten autonomous clans. Each recruited from a specific group of Sarkoshi tribes and had their own unique traditions and history. Representatives from each clan made up the Great Chapter Council to coordinate campaigns including more than one clan and to arbitrate in inter-clan disputes. After the Taninim Crusade only three clans were left in a recognisable state and the survivors of the conflict reorganised accordingly. At first the clans did not possess the numbers to operate autonomously as they once had, but as the Gorgons rebuilt and recruited they once again separated to roam the Imperium independently. The Great Clan Council now only meets occasionally (and usually through a psychic intermediary rather than face-to-face) to coordinate large attacks consisting of two or three clans. Originally each of the ten clans consisted of around one hundred battle-brothers, in keeping with the proscribed Chapter size of one thousand line-troops. Since their betrayal the Gorgons no longer saw the need to be bound in such a way. As such there is no longer an upper limit to size a clan may reach, although levels of recruitment and casualties conspire to ensure that a clan will very rarely number more than two hundred, meaning that the Chapter as a whole is made up of approximately six hundred line-troops at any given time. Combat Doctrine The Iron Gorgons always had a reputation for being siege breakers, and that tradition has carried on since the Taninim Crusade. Many of the finest fortresses in the northern Imperium have fallen prey to the implacable might of the Gorgons and their powerful xenos-augmented weaponry. The Techmarines and Iron Fathers of the Gorgons have continued to innovate and reverse engineer alien technology to render the Chapter’s weapons utterly devastating and their armour nigh indestructible. Beliefs The Gorgons believe that for humanity to survive in this cruel universe they must continually strengthen and better themselves. Where flesh is weak, it must be replaced with machinery. When machinery is weak, it must be replaced with stronger machinery. They do not see xenos technology as heretical, they see xenos as heretical. If they can slay a xenos then they have earned the right to use that xenos’ technology in order to improve themselves. The only alternative is stagnation and death. The Gorgons hope that eventually they will be strong and numerous enough to strike deep into the Sol System, overcoming the formidable defences of Terra itself and proving to the High Lords and the Mechanicum that the way of the Gorgons is the only way that will raise mankind out of the dark ages and into the light of progress and true galactic supremacy under the watchful gaze of the Emperor Himself. On Sarkosh there existed a legend brought from ancient Terra itself. This legend was of the Gorgon, a mythical monster that could kill a man with a single glance. Over time this belief spread throughout the Chapter, and many Astartes started to believe that the Gorgon was the pinnacle of the Emperor’s ambition for his Space Marines. When they could slay their enemies just by looking at them, then they would know that they had achieved perfection. It became tradition that when a neophyte became a full Astartes he would have his weak eyes replaced with infallible augmetics. As he progressed through the ranks the augmetics would be upgraded to incorporate lasers to strike at his opponents. However, the Techmarines of the Chapter struggled to produce power generators small and powerful enough to actually kill an opponent. The best they could manage was to cause enough pain to distract an enemy and leave him vulnerable to the fatal blow of a chainsword or combat knife. However, when the Chapter began incorporating Gnorghaani laser technology into their weapons they realised that their quest was at an end. One of the many superior qualities of Gnorghaani laser technology is its compact efficiency. Finally the Gorgons could achieve what they saw as perfection, the replacement of their frail flesh eyes with an augmetic that functioned much better as an optical device and could also kill a man just by looking at him. Their eye lasers are much shorter range than hand-held equivalents, but they ensure that when the Gorgons reach close combat they are almost unbeatable. Homeworld Sarkosh was a planet of craggy mountains and deep, jungle-filled valleys. The native tribes made their living hunting the various creatures that lived on Sarkosh, such as the huge bird-like batrosz that rode the thermals above the mountains and only descended to lay their eggs, and the cunning chameleowolves that could change their skin colour to blend into any surrounding. The tribes also delved into the deep caverns under the mountains to gather valuable gemstones for the tribute barques that landed on the few grassy plains every eight years. Life on Sarkosh was tough and bred strong, determined and uncomplaining young men as recruits for the Gorgons. With Sarkosh now an airless rock, the mountains fused into radioactive glass, the Gorgons are forced to recruit from the Imperial worlds they attack. When the Gorgons win a victory they put all the human opponents they capture to work as slaves aboard their forge-ships. Only the strongest slaves survive more than a few months, and those that do are forced to fight one another in single combat. The victors become the equivalent of Chapter serfs, serving a single Astartes and attending to his every need. Those few that are still young enough for geneseed implantation are given the opportunity to become Astartes themselves. The Gorgons also defend Imperial worlds from the forces of Chaos, whom the Chapter still despises despite its betrayal by the Imperium, or xenos. Normally, however, the Gorgons will only defend worlds it sees as strong and uncorrupted – usually backwards planets of the death world, feral world or feudal world categories. After the enemy is defeated the Gorgons will organise tournaments for the young men of the planet and the victors become neophytes. Geneseed The descendents of Ferrus Manus despise the weakness of flesh and praise the strength of the machine. Some see this as a fundamental flaw of the geneseed, although the Inquisition and the Mechanicus both regard it as pure. The same cannot be said for the geneseed of the Iron Gorgons. Although tithes before the Taninim Crusade are free of mutation, on the rare occasions since then that the Mechanicus has been able to retrieve samples of Gorgon geneseed they have been alarmed by the level of deviancy from what is deemed acceptable in loyalist Chapters. Most Magos who study the geneseed have reached the conclusion that the Gorgons have carried out experimentation on their own lifeblood to ‘improve’ it. Whilst the Mechanicum cannot examine what effect the experimentation has had without carry out live geneseed implantation – something it is unwilling to countenance – the implications for the Imperium cannot be good. Battle-cry Each clan has several unique battle cries linked to its history, but a common battle-cry across the entire Chapter is “Vengeance for Sarkosh!”

Emerald Tigers Origin "We will never know how much was lost. So much of what we have done and once were, as important a part of ourselves as what we are now, is now gone. All that's left for us is to exact equal vengeance upon those who took this from us. We shall destroy them. And then we shall forget them." Librarian Myrddin Wyllt, overseeing the reconstruction of the Chapter's Librarium The Emerald Tigers were formed during the 7th Founding from the legacy of Guilliman, around a cadre of an older Chapter, the War Consuls. Their first action once combat ready was to participate in a crusade to reclaim the worlds lost to the Imperium by the ferocity of the Emperor's Ire, a sector-wide warpstorm that had been raging for nearly a century. The Emerald Tigers found themselves facing a Sector at the very verge of being overrun. Creatures of the Warp and Traitor Marines wearing the panoply of the Emperor's Children cavorted and rampaged across the worlds and in the depths of space, playing with what was left of the weak and desperate mortal populations. Though a true enemy now stood before them, their joy over the bloodshed only seemed to grow to a higher pitch when the Crusade met the Chaos incursion head on. Though an arduous struggle, the Imperium was ultimately successful when the final dissipation of the warpstorm cut off reinforcements to the traitors. The Emerald Tigers re-tasked themselves with the defense of the Erinn Sector, deep in Segmentum Pacificus. With the approval of the High Lords, they took for themselves a homeworld within it that had particularly impressed the young Chapter on its continued resistance to the corruption of Chaos. The Emerald Tigers have remained in the area for millennia, on constant patrol for the ever-constant resurgence of Traitor Marine activity and the presence of insidious xenos. It took nearly three thousand years before the Emerald Tigers were able to finally cast out the Emperor's Children Warband, who called themselves the High-Born, led by the Chaos Lord Mogh Nuadat. Three thousand years of war, of hunting them down from world to world. It was Chapter Master Conn Eremon, their most revered hero, who finally hammered them down. The headstrong Chapter Master never gave them respite, even when his own Chapter needed it more. Whenever the High-Born went to ground, he would tear the world apart until there was nowhere left for them to hide. His crusade of extermination lasted three centuries. It began at the Brosnachian Fields, where the Chapter destroyed the fleets of the Rogue Trader Sampate and burned the extensive roots the High-Born cults had taken. It continued on the worlds of Mewsauc, Govran, S'wama and Lewein, as well as battles fought in scores of other places. Everywhere the High-Born would be found, uprooted and yet, disappear. This over-extended game of cat and mouse finally met its conclusion upon the moons of the gas giant Maglena. There they found not only the Warband but their ever elusive Chaos Lord. In a duel worthy of song and saga, Conn slew Mogh Nuadat. The High-Born, for the first time since they had arrived, were finally beaten and driven from the Sector. Suffering from great wounds, Conn was interred in a Contemptor-class Dreadnought, within which he would continue to serve the Chapter as a beacon of glory and honor, a veteran of every war the Chapter had waged. Since then, the Emerald Tigers have ever stayed loyal to their Emperor and fought countless wars in this remote and otherwise relatively unprotected zone of space. From their earliest victory upon the bloody hills of Khavidan to their most recent defense of their homeworld, Tara, the Emerald Tigers have won great glories and suffered many losses with trademark adaptability, overcoming all obstacles by virtue of their fluidity. Defense of Tara "A hundred times I have been awoken. A hundred times I have been unleashed. A hundred times I have faced your kind. I will do so a hundred more, but for you this is the end." Conn the War Ender meets Tyreke, Chaos Lord of the Eyes of Tivan, in battle Late in the 41st Millennium, the High-Born returned to Erinn, alongside a Warband of the World Eaters, the Eyes of Tivan. Together, the two Warbands cut a swathe across the Sector. Before the Chapter could even react, entire sub-sectors went dark. The Emerald Tigers were not slow in reaction. Such was the speed and ferocity of the attacks. Chapter Master Cormac Airt immediately mobilized the Chapter to stem the oncoming tide of heretics, daemons and Traitor Marines. Recruitment rates were doubled and then tripled as the Chapter met the foe and the attrition rates rose. Though Cormac's inspired leadership saw the traitorous advance falter, the Chapter's counter-offensive stumbled upon Buoyan. There Eoghain Mor, master of the High-Born and former Champion of Mogh Nuadat, laid a trap for the lord of the Emerald Tigers upon Buoyan treacherous glacier-continents. Utilizing powerful Warp sorceries, the traitors succeeded in isolating the Chapter Master and laying him low. The whiplash of the magic devastated the icy waste, making the land of solid ice too dangerous to fight upon and the Emerald Tigers were forced to retreat. Though Cormac survived, his body and mind were ravaged. He was transported back to their fortress-monastery, where the Apothecarion and Librarium collaborated on his treatment. In the interim, First Captain Cairbre took upon himself Acting Chapter Master. Though an accomplished leader of men, outshining all other living Captains in feats of glory, Cairbre did not have Cormac's resourcefulness or charisma. He held the line, preventing the oncoming enemy forces from breaching their defenses and spilling out onto the Imperium's unprotected worlds for a couple of years. Though Cairbre's response was laudable, it did not protect the true target of their enemy's wrath. Sub-sector Leathcuinn was, relatively, unprotected. With the bulk of their armies diverting the Chapter's defenses elsewhere, the two Warbands sent their veteran elite to lay siege upon the Sub-sector's crown jewel and homeworld of the Emerald Tigers, Tara. With the great majority of the Chapter's Fleet scattered throughout the Sector, the heavy bruisers and small destroyers that burst from the Warp met only a token resistance in orbit around Tara. With the target of all the High-Borns' rage buried deep under Taran ground and the Eyes of Tivan aching to meet their foe face to face, the traitors foresook orbital bombardments and instead released their warriors upon the surface of the world. Aside from the host of combat-ready Chapter serfs, wholly unprepared to face such a foe, and the nearly inconsequential mortal armies of Tara's clans and tribes, the traitors were met by the two hundred Scouts and Marines raised in addition to the Codex norm in response to the Traitor threat, as yet unassigned to their own places among the stars. Though the traitors outnumbered the Emerald Tigers nearly three to one, the Chapter had two advantages in its favor. First was that among the Dreadnoughts that had remained on Tara was Conn Eremon, ancient High-King and the Chapter's greatest martial hero. Once awoken, his presence upon the battlefield inspired the young Marines to equal exploits as he reaped enemy lives with every strike. Their second advantage, wielding the Chapter's most ancient relic weapons, the Fire's Claw and the Hound's Blade, took the form of yet another returned hero. Though weakened still by the venomous magicks wreaked upon him, nonetheless it was Cormac Airt who led the defenses. The battles that waged upon Taran soil lasted many months. Many of the world's island-continents were razed, its people gone forever. For a time, it seemed that no matter the awe-inspiring feats of the defenders, such as when Eoghain Mor fell with Cormac's claw buried within him, Tara would be doomed to fall. The defenders knew that their death knell had been sounded when Conn the War Ender, master of countless battles and warrior supreme, was cast broken from the Bones, a mountain range named for the ancient belief that it is the remains of an ancient race of giants, by the Chaos Lord of the Eyes of Tivan Warband. However, as the Emerald Tigers fought tooth and nail, viciously, within the hallowed halls of their own Fortress-Monastery, salvation finally arrived. Cairbre, finally freed from the wars that had laid siege to a Mechanicum Knight world, had struck an alliance with the Knight House Mobius and turned his forces back to Tara. In a replay of when the traitors appeared over Taran skies, Cairbre was able to force his ships past the traitor cordon and release his men and a host of Knights upon Tara. While four Companies, accompanied by a host of walker-machines, turned the tide on Tara, Cairbre and his veteran 1st Company committed boarding actions on the greater ships of the traitor fleet. Though the Defense of Tara took nearly a year, the Emerald Tigers were eventually able to push the Traitors back off their world. It cost the Chapter much. Nearly a third of the world's population remained and the war marked the death of the Chapter's most revered ancestor. With Cairbre himself gone, unable to teleport off ship in time to avoid its sudden self-destruction, Cormac Airt had risen to reclaim the mantle of the Chapter Master. As their Fortress-Monastery was rebuilt, the enemy's leadership slain or on the run, he led the Emerald Tigers back into the war that rampages still across Sector Erinn. Home World "The lands still will not green. What have they done to our world, that its scars yet remain?" Cormac Airt, Chapter Master of the Emerald Tigers once and again During the First War, as the later Emerald Tigers refer to their earliest Crusade, the young Chapter marched in its entirety upon the world of Tara, a world wracked by battles fought between the two traitor forces. There the Emerald Tigers witnessed the weakened, distraught Imperial citizens remain ultimately unbroken by the atrocities they'd lived through, fighting back at their enemies at every moment through subterfuge and guerrilla tactics. When the Chapter succeeded in throwing the traitors offworld it had already been decided that the world of Tara would make an ideal center for recruitment. Following the close of the Crusade, the Emerald Tigers petitioned the High Lords of Terra for the right to claim Tara as their homeworld. So granted, the young Chapter set to work on the feudal world, creating their Fortress-Monastery as a vast subterranean network in the center of the Great Valley, an immense basin as large as the Imperial Palace. The only evidence that can be seen from the surface is a large mound, too uniformly rounded to be a natural hill or small plateau. The tribal Tarans refer to this landmark as the Great Mother, who gives birth to the giant sons of the Sky Father, the local term for the Emperor. Those Tarans more civilized than their tribal brethren, living in a feudal state, know more of the truth of its existence and are fully aware of the presence of the Emerald Tigers. The Chapter recruits from both peoples equally, nominally by keeping watch over the internecine wars and tournaments. For every child taken as a potential recruit a token of precious metal is left behind for the child's family. Among the feudal clans, these tokens are of paramount importance, being physical manifestations of their divine right to rule. In essence, the tokens act as evidence of nobility. The greatest clans, called the Companion Clans as they can trace their long lineages back to the heroic Tarans who had fought alongside the Emerald Tigers at the very beginning of their histories. The patriarchs of these clans are kings of their imminent domains, Tara's highest mortal authorities. The tribes of Tara react to the tokens less reverently, thinking them payment for the taking of their child and nothing more. These tokens exchange hands and ownership at a rapid pace. Many clans have had their position secured by laying claim to traded tokens. These clans were purged when such claims were declared fraudulent in the 39th Millennium. For the past couple decades, Tara has been attempting to mend the horrific damage wrought upon it during the unprecedented assault by an allied traitor force. Since the ending days of the Defense of Tara late M41, the Taran populations have drasticaly reduced. Across its island-continents, the tribal Tarans were struck the worse and are nearly extinct. The urban Tarans suffered less than their tribal brethren, seeking more to survive than to brazenly attack as the tribes did, centering their efforts over the most important, populous cities. Many of the lesser cities were overrun, their people massacred. Enough time has passed that Tarans have begun rebuilding these abandoned shells but still the landscape is dotted with blasted ruins marking the sites of mass graves. Organisation "In our darkest time, we needed them. We would have not survived without them. Now, as dark times approach once more, we argue how to dispose of them?" 3rd Captain Tighearnan, as the fate of the 11th Company hangs in the balance The organisation of the Emerald Tigers has changed in the recent centuries, as the Chapter has been forced to raise nearly two hundred additional Marines to overcome the constant onslaught of foes that had threatened to overwhelm the Chapter during the 41st Millennium. Though no longer necessary, the survivors were coalesced into a single Company and are now used to man and escort the large Starfort Exalted Wrath, a recent addition to the Chapter that had proven particularly advantageous in breaking the back of the Traitor's attack on their homeworld. The Chapter is divided on the future of the company, as the current Chapter Master has yet to decide whether it will be retained and replenished as needed or allowed to diminish over time by inevitable losses until the proper Chapter size is once more reached. The remaining ten companies are primarily Codex in organisation. The Battle Companies are ever at work hunting down and striking out at nearby foes while the Reserve Companies patrol the Sector in constant vigilance. Beliefs "We are light. We can blind and we can guide. How we choose to use our power defines us and, through us, our Chapter and the Imperium. To abuse it is to forsake everything we have ever stood for or ever will. Do not abuse it." Chief Librarian Coran Wyrdbreaker, to the fey Marines being initiated into the Druid Circle The Emerald Tigers have for a long time lost their Primarch as their primary focus for reverence, shifting entirely to the Emperor. Though Guilliman remains as an important aspect of the Chapter, they view him mostly as a conduit, their connection to the Emperor through their genetic inheritance and on equal terms with the Chapter's own ancient heroes. This shift in focus is one of many visible clues as to how much of the Chapter has been shaped by their homeworld. Combat Doctrine "It has ever been our way to challenge ourselves to further feats of brilliance. What worth is there in repeating the same successes over and over? Once was proof enough that it could be done; twice perhaps if to prove the first was no mishap. But to have committed countless feats, each unique and independent of the other, is something to be proud of. Versatility. Adaptability. No enemy of Man ever strikes the same and nor shall we. Stagnation in battle is death. Predictability is death." Sergeant Daithi to his scout squad The Chapter has pride most of all in its mutability and adaptability. Rather than providing the same, static face to the enemy in each encounter, the Emerald Tigers has learned the hard way that only by approaching war differently each time can they take the enemy by surprise. The hunters of the tribesmen know full well that they are not the greatest predator of the forests and change themselves constantly, sometimes through drastic measures, to disorient any would be attackers. As the Emerald Tigers are isolated from any potential aid and can be outmatched at times by their myriad foes, they have adopted this as their creed. The rich and robust tomes that is the Chapter's copy of the Codex Astartes which details multiple potential military responses for virtually any potential situation. As a general preference, the Chapter will by its own preferences choose an unused method of attack or defense before falling back upon a previously used gambit. They have been known to go against such preferences often when opportune. They do not allow themselves to get lost in the fervor and heat of battle. They remain constantly aware for the perfect moment to strike with utmost ferocity, whether when striking from unawares or already locked in combat, the Emerald Tigers strive always to end conflicts quickly and decisively. Gene-Seed "War is in our blood! Feel its rage burn within! Let it overwhelm you as it sustains you with its hate! Let it fill your soul! Let yourself go within it, as you spill it from your enemies!" Chaplain Siobhan, leading the Uineil Clansmen in defense of their land The Emerald Tigers were founded upon the gene-seed of Roboute Guilliman and they have kept their genetic legacy as pure as it began. The Chapter keeps careful watch over the Tarans for prospectful recruits, though they do make such individuals easy to find. As the taking of a family member increases a clan's social standing, many capable boys are trained from a very young age to impress the watchers with strong arms and quick minds. Great tournaments are held with regularity, as the youths show off their skills and prowess in competitions against one another. Among the Taran tribes, life is less orderly. A child that can fight in tournaments is a child that can fight for his tribe's survival and will participate in the everlasting wars between tribes and the two great cultures. Despite the Tara's brush with Chaos so long ago, the purity of faith and mind of Tara's denizens kept them pure of body as well. Though an ever-present problem for any Imperial world, Tara's mutant birth rate is very low and harshly dealt with. The Emerald Tigers have been blessed with such purity, allowing the Chapter to rapidly recuperate from the many severe losses it has taken over its lifetime. Battle-cry "We live! They die!" A chanted call and return used first at the Defense of Tara.